Posted on 08/03/2007 10:59:28 AM PDT by Froufrou
Billionaire Carlos Slim said he doesn't care if he is the world's richest man and promised to donate hundreds of thousands of laptop computers to Mexican children.
The Mexican telecom mogul pledged Thursday to donate 250,000 low-cost laptops to children by the end of the year and as many as 1 million in 2008, saying "digital education" holds the key for Mexico's poor.
Slim is listed by Forbes as the world's second-richest man with holdings worth $53 billion, but some financial analysts say he may have overtaken Microsoft (MSFT) founder Bill Gates as the world's richest.
• Click here for FOXNews.com's Personal Technology Center.
Speaking to foreign correspondents on Thursday, Slim said the ranking meant little to him.
"That's water off a duck's back to me," Slim said. "I don't know if that (the ranking) is correct, if I'm first, 20th, or 2,000th. It doesn't matter. It's all the same."
"I think that what's important is to see that a professional or business activity isn't incompatible with personal or family life," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
~snorrfle!~ Leaf blowers for the jobs Americans won’t do.
Tyke is right; I’ve been there and Mexico is a gorgeous country, not a third world nation. That their upper class is so cavalier about the lower class is something kind of horrific, though.
Each will be loaded with Google Earth for easy directionns North.
Gator! Free porn, you always look for the silver lining, eh?
Seriously, what he’ll spend for those laptops would probably feed the family for a year. Maybe even pay for heat.
Doll, you get it. It is just so arrogant.
Why are my American children being disenfranchised? Both of them would like a laptop, but we just can’t afford them. One of the two is a straight A student taking honors classes. As a parent, it feels awful not being able to afford a laptop for such an overachiever. Instead, we watch large sums of money going to pork, special interests and lawbreaking foreigners.
‘scuse me while I go cut my own darn lawn.
Instead of giving out bribes maybe he should devote his energies to fighting bribes and corruption in Mexico. A required step for a nation to lift itself out of third world status and provide wealth for all its citizens requires the establishment of rule of law.
Ten to one the parents sell the computer to buy an X-Box, some bling and some trips to Micky-Ds.
Yeah, some very strange reactions on this thread. Here’s a man who’s made a fortune using the capitalist ideals America hold so dear, and is now trying to give something back to his own country through personal charity (another of those wild and crazy conservative notions). I don’t really see anything wrong with that. It’s his money.
These two descriptions - gorgeous and third world - are not mutually exclusive. (And I am not necessarily referring to Selma Hayek!)
“Where are they going to plug in the laptops? “
They get it in the US when they bring the laptops with them. Hope Slim threw in some backpacks to carry them in.
Reeses, you’re right. Pelosi and Hillary don’t think for a second the rules apply to them. But they will suffer you and me to pay the price for their liberalism!
I hope that soon enough all high schools will have laptops as so many colleges issue now with paid tuition.
In the meantime, Palm Beach Co FL, may I suggest refurbished laptops? I bet you may have one called ‘Mr. Laptop’ or even perhaps a nonprofit that provides gently used computers at a big savings...
so they can surf porn like the nigerian kids?
ABUJA, Nigeria - Nigerian schoolchildren who received laptops from a U.S. aid organization have used them to explore pornographic sites on the Internet . . .
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19871792/
Instead of giving out bribes maybe he should devote his energies to fighting bribes and corruption in Mexico. A required step for a nation to lift itself out of third world status and provide wealth for all its citizens requires the establishment of rule of law.
___________________
Hit the nail on the head ~
They have hand crank power systems.
So any person, church, or charity that sends money south of the border is assisting illegals crossing the border? What a bizarre notion.
And should the American "rich barons" who have made their fortunes in China, Europe, the Middle East not be allowed to take their fortunes home to America? That sounds like a socialism to me.
Nobody is saying he can't do with his money what he wants, but we can still ridicule it.
Tyke, please ref Reese’s post #26. Mexico has it’s good and bad like any other place. Maybe this will turn out the way he envisions it, and I hope it does.
Part of the problem is that these kids may not know enough to want better technology. Riverdawg, do you suggest the beautiful scenery may interfere...? ;o)
You just made my day by posting his picture. Although, I like him with shorter hair.
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