Archive for the ‘bono’ tag
The Highlights of Davos #
The captains of the business world (perhaps that’s just “the world”) met in Davos, Switzerland. The Economist’s Business.view column highlight’s what’s worth knowing from it, but the basic answer is not much you couldn’t have guessed.
Mood of the meeting: Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we must die. “The mood was moderately optimistic,” said Klaus Schwab, the founder of the WEF, but he was not at the same parties as The Economist, where Davos Man and Woman found escape from their economic gloom in boozing, dancing and singing.
The column has some interesting tidbits though. Perhaps this:
From realpolitik to virtualpolitik: Henry Kissinger. The venerable statesman, one of the co-chairs of this year’s WEF, was said to be considering becoming an avatar in the online fantasy world, Second Life.
What value a man like Kissenger — or any man or woman or child — would get out of Second Life is truly beyond me.
Meet Melinda Gates #
At Fortune, Patricia Sellers has a great piece about Melinda Gates that ranges from her childhood use of an Apple II (gasp!) to the intimidation she feels before adressing a roomful of malaria experts.
The impact [of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation] comes from the combination of Melinda’s holistic vision and Bill’s brainpower. Bono, the rock star-humanitarian who is both a friend of the Gateses and a grantee (through his One antipoverty campaign), calls their relationship “symbiotic.” Noting Bill’s fierceness, Bono says, “Sometimes I call him Kill Bill. Lots of people like him - and I include myself - are enraged, and we sweep ourselves into a fury at the wanton loss of lives. What we need is a much slower pulse to help us be rational. Melinda is that pulse.” Buffett also believes that Melinda makes Bill a better decision-maker. “He’s smart as hell, obviously,” Buffett says. “But in terms of seeing the whole picture, she’s smarter.” Would Buffett have given the Gates Foundation his fortune if Melinda were not in the picture? “That’s a great question,” he replies. “And the answer is, I’m not sure.”
(via Gizmodo)