盖茨4年捐款280亿美元 挽救600万人生命

比尔·盖茨过去4年捐出的善款甚至比美国对外援助还要多20亿美元

　　新浪科技讯 北京时间1月16日晚间消息，财经信息网站Frugal Dad上周发布数据称，2007年至今，微软(微博)董事长比尔·盖茨(Bill Gates)已向慈善事业捐款280亿美元，帮助拯救了近600万人的生命。

　　Frugal Dad数据显示，2007年至今，比尔与梅琳达·盖茨基金会已向慈善事业捐款280亿美元，占盖茨590亿美元净资产的48%，较美国政府对外国援助预算多20亿美元。

　　通过提供疫苗，改善健康状况，盖茨已经挽救了581.2万人的生命。在自己捐助的同时，盖茨还联合沃伦·巴菲特(Warren Buffet)等亿万富翁鼓励其他富人为慈善事业捐款。

　　为此，他们发起了“The Giving Pledge”财产捐赠活动。截至2010年8月，美国已有40位富豪及其家庭承诺，将把他们的绝大部分财产捐赠给慈善事业。到目前为止，已承诺的捐款总值已高达3570亿美元，其中至少1785亿美元将被用于慈善事业。

　　Frugal Dad指出，《福布斯》评出的美国财富400强的合计净资产为1.2万亿美元，如果这400位富豪捐出50%的资产(The Giving Pledge规定的最低比例)，那就是6000亿美元，相当于2010年整个美国慈善捐款数额的20多倍。

　　鉴于盖茨在全球慈善事业和美国教育体制方面的巨大贡献，《每日秀》(The Daily Show)节目主持人乔恩·斯图尔特(Jon Stewart)曾将盖茨比喻为“蝙蝠侠”。

　　Frugal Dad称，盖茨可能没有“蝙蝠侠”的特殊本领，也没有将太多时间来打击犯罪分子，但他却解决了全球所面临的一些真正的问题。(李明)

Redefining Action Hero: Bill Gates is Better Than Batman (Infographic)

I have a lot of respect for Bill Gates. Not just because he’s been wildly successful, but because as far as I can understand, he’s kept a steady head about him in spite of his success. As one of the wealthiest men in the world, he’s also making a name for himself as one of the most philanthropic.

Obviously most of us don’t have the kind of capital that Bill Gates has to work with, but I feel that everyone could learn from his philosophy towards philanthropy. I admire that his approach is both compassionate and practical. He sees charitable endeavors as something well worth investing in, because ultimately everyone benefits from an overall better quality of life around the world. He sums it up himself pretty well: “[The] hybrid engine of self-interest and concern for others can serve a much wider circle of people than can be reached by self-interest or caring alone.” I feel like that’s a refreshingly balanced philosophy. Not only that, but as this Infographic shows, there are direct results that speak to just how powerful a well-informed and carefully invested philanthropist can be.

Read on to find out more about the powerful things happening at the hands of Bill Gates, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the legacy of philanthropy started by some of America’s most successful and most innovative figures. It’s nice to remember that success doesn’t always create greed — it can enable a powerful force of giving and problem-solving.