How could they leave out George Bush...

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Striving to have sex more than 66 times per year

He smiles too much. Its that "drooling idiot" thing.

People who do 'good things' don't need to smile. Their actions speak plenty louder than any facial expression could ever impart. After all, Bill and Melinda are doing things not because of a need for excess greed (think pharmas); and just how cool is it Bono can hold court with Pope John Paul II and GW without missing a beat? Same message: Just do good and let those actions speak for you.

Time ragazine hit the target this time..

- kd

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kestrel driver


DonorsChoose.org (!!!)
bogolight.com (!!!)

I don't understand Bono at all. I am not aware he has done anything other than talk and posture. Apologies to the extent I have missed something.

Bill and Melinda Gates have saved more lives than any private individuals ever have, mostly because of their campaigns against malaria. They have saved more than just about any governments or aid organizations for that matter.

Still, I would have picked the Iraqi voter. Bill and Melinda qualify any year, but this should have been the year of those voters.

I don't understand Bono at all. I am not aware he has done anything other than talk and posture. Apologies to the extent I have missed something.

Well, he's rich. And not just because of his music, either- he owns some hotels, too, or something. That proves he's an expert in international finance.

I hear he would have made a great head of the World Bank, in fact.

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"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."

I don't understand Bono at all. I am not aware he has done anything other than talk and posture. Apologies to the extent I have missed something.

I share that same view. What has he really done? He's not a bad singer and I like some of his music.

It's kind of like Donald Trump. People talk about him being a good businessman and all but all he's ever accomplished is bankruptcy.

Wanna use your LR mulligan for that post?

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The devil made me do it the first time, second time I done it on my own - W

Maybe the pink wrap around shades has something to do with it....

All kidding aside...the Lord blessed both Gates and Bono with unique talents.

Not only have they excelled in their respective fields but have gone above and beyond and used their success to benefit fellow man.

The world is fortunate to have such heroes.

"The world is fortunate to have such heroes. "

Just curious,...what exactly is heroic about making a shit ton of money and giving a small portion of it away? I mean, it's nice and a good thing to do, and I commend anyone in a position to do that because of their talents for business or music or whatever, but why is it heroic for them to give away that money when it makes no appreciable difference in their quality of life?

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Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

I prefer to look at it from the eyes of the receivers of their generosity.

To you and me we their generosity seems small.

But to a kid in Africa whose life is benefitting from the comfort that this generosity provides I feel fairly confident that their efforts are looked upon as heroic.

I guess it's all a matter of perspective.

From the AP article on the Time announcement:

Time said Bono's campaign to make rich countries address the debt of poorer ones has had an equally impressive impact on the world.

In 2005, "Bono charmed and bullied and morally blackmailed the leaders of the world's richest countries into forgiving $40 billion in debt owed by the poorest," the magazine said.

Bono has earned a remarkable number of political allies around the world and in Washington, where he has courted politicians from both major parties, Time said.

"Bono's great gift is to take what has made him famous — charm, clarity of voice, an ability to touch people in their secret heart — combine those traits with a keen grasp of the political game and obsessive attention to detail, and channel it all toward getting everyone, from world leaders to music lovers, to engage with something overwhelming in its complexity," it said.

Even archconservative former Sen. Jesse Helms had praise for the Irish singer.

"I knew as soon as I met Bono that he was genuine," Helms, who has allied with Bono on AIDS awareness, told Time.

Is it your position that the debt would not have been forgiven absent Bono's involvement? Somehow hundreds of billions have been forgiven over the years without him.

You might also note that it was not Bono's money. Now if he were forgiving $40 billion in debt, I would pay more attention.

Gates, of course, financed his own philanthropy with his own money, not by acting as a front guy to get others to fork over money like Bono. The two don't even belong in the same sentence.

Nothing against Bono. His work is admirable. It just shouldn't be confused with the work of people who actually accomplish something.

In 2005, "Bono charmed and bullied and morally blackmailed the leaders of the world's richest countries into forgiving $40 billion in debt owed by the poorest," the magazine said.

"His work is admirable. It just shouldn't be confused with the work of people who actually accomplish something."

Tough crowd.

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The devil made me do it the first time, second time I done it on my own - W

...and yours, through tax deductions.



What is your position on the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the yellow bracelets?

they shoulda just put the iPod on the cover. people are obsolete.

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"the trouble with normal is - it always gets worse"

- Cockburn

This is one of the dumbest things ever done by a print publication.

2005: The Year of Insignificance

Bono personally lobbied Clinton, GW, Tony Blair, et al., (Western Leaders) to forgive those nations who had absolutely NO chance to pay even the interest on their mountaining of debt. Pope John Paul II personally heard Bono's confession (he's Catholic) and his penance was (ironically) to "do good."

He is doing his penance well, I think.

Bill and Melinda (and his Dad) also put lots of $$$ towards the re-erasure of the dreaded disease - polio.

I think the Iraqi people do deserve at least a noteworthy mention; quite brave of them to go out and exercise something we Amerikans take for granted.

- kd

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kestrel driver


DonorsChoose.org (!!!)
bogolight.com (!!!)

I don't question that Bono is a good and even sincere guy and maybe even a good lobbyist. But please, those debts were going to be forgiven anyway, just like many billions before and many billions to follow.

Now if he would be instrumental in lobbying to make sure aid was used productively instead of to prop up corrupt dictators and didn't have to be written off as a result, I would want him to be man of the year and Nobel Peace prize winner.

Alas, he hasn't done that.

And how about tirelessly fighting for more money to fight AIDs in Africa, and having countries pledge a lot to do it. Sure, some would be given, but to have the ear of Helms and Bush and so many others who might not prioritize such a thing...obviously you have your mind made regarding him and you don't feel he is "worthy" enough. And he's raising the issue to the forefront in the mind of the next generation of voters and politicians.

I salute those who spend a lot of their time doing such deeds. More than I do, and my guess is that it is more than most people on this board do.

I don't have a bad thing to say about Bono under any circumstances. I just don't think being a lobbyist for things that are going to happen anyway merits a Man of the Year designation.

If he is such a good lobbyist, let him prove it by lobbying for something that won't happen without the appropriate nudge. From today's headlines, how about lobbying to end agricultural subsidies that destroy the markets for the poorest countries who have relative advantages in agriculture? The latest WTO rounds were a total bust. People will be empoverished and die as a result, though at least French agriculture will be safe.

Now that would be a man of the year performance.

Why did Time magazine recognize Gates only after researching his gifts to charity? His best work (computers, operating systems) wasn't recognized.

What about the people of Iraq, Lebanon, or the Ukraine?

I'm not sure how Bill's wife merits the award. She happened to marry him, otherwise, would we expect to see her here?

What about Gates' parents? Without them, would we be hearing about him? No, we'd be trying to boot up our clunky IBM PCs. Actually, probably our Apples.

She won't give up the monkey once a year unless Billy gives her lots of money to go around and give away. That's how she gets invited places.