Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
Bill Gates says innovation can leverage change
Yahoo!
My Yahoo!
Mail
More Yahoo! Services
Account Options
New User? Sign Up
Sign In
Help
Yahoo! Search
web search
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Africa
Europe
Latin America
Middle East
North America
Bill Gates says innovation can leverage change
By DONNA GORDON BLANKINSHIP,Associated Press Writer -
2 hours 42 minutes ago
Send
IM Story
Print
SEATTLE – The needs of the poor are greater than the money available to help them, but that's not enough to discourage Bill Gates in his work as co-chair of the world's largest charitable foundation.
In his second annual letter, issued Monday, Gates says investment in science and technology can leverage those dollars and make more of a difference than charity and government aid alone.
In his 19-page letter, Gates says the foundation currently is backing 30 areas of innovation including online learning, teacher improvement, malaria vaccine development, HIV prevention, and genetically modified seeds.
The Seattle-based foundation focuses most of its donations on global health, agriculture development and education. Since 1994, the foundation has committed to $21.3 billion in grants. As of Sept. 30, 2009, its endowment totaled $34.17 billion.
Gates said his and his wife's experience at Microsoft Corp. is not the only reason they are so taken with technology.
"Melinda and I see our foundation's key role as investing in innovations that would not otherwise be funded," he wrote. "This draws not only on our backgrounds in technology but also on the foundation's size and ability to take a long-term view and take large risks on new approaches."
Gates begins his letter by talking about how much fun he's having at his new job: 2009 was the first year he worked full-time as co-chair of the foundation, after a decade of part-time work as he led Microsoft full-time.
He talks about enjoyable visits around the world to talk to scientists, politicians, teachers, farmers and people doing the work of the foundation.
"Seeing the work firsthand reminds me of how urgent the needs are as well as how challenging it is to get all the right pieces to come together," Gates wrote. "I love my new job and feel lucky to get to focus my time on these problems."
He talked about the way he and Melinda work as partners at the foundation, each focusing on problems that interest them and then sharing what they've learned and making decisions together on what the foundation should do.
Nearly seven pages of the letter focus on the foundation's work in global health and repeatedly Gates admits the work to reach the foundation's ambitious goals is harder than they expected.
Vaccine development is progressing, but the cost to provide those vaccines to the poor is still a problem. It's going to be difficult to meet a six-year goal to get the retrovirus vaccine to more than half the kids who need it.
Bed nets are helping decrease malaria deaths over Africa, but "malaria is a particularly tricky disease," Gates acknowledges. The foundation has resorted to a very expensive scattershot approach to meeting Bill and Melinda's goal of eradicating malaria, with many researchers pursuing a lot of different ideas.
Despite having one vaccine in a Phase III trial, an effective malaria vaccine is still 8 to 15 years away, he said.
The economy rates a paragraph at the beginning and about two pages at the end of Gates' letter. He expressed concerns that budget deficits in the richest nations leading them to cut foreign assistance. He applauds Canada and Australia for their significant efforts and chastises Italy for not doing enough. Gates commended President Barack Obama for his proposal to double international aid.
The letter ends with Gates' explanation about why the foundation hasn't gotten involved in working to fight climate change, despite its potential impact on the poorest nations.
He said he believes developing electricity that is cheaper than coal and emits no greenhouse gasses is the most important innovation to help fight climate change, but the foundation has not yet found a way it can play a unique role in this area. He added, however, that outside of the foundation he personally is investing in energy research.
"I am surprised that the climate debate hasn't focused more on encouraging R&D since it is critical to getting to zero emissions," said the man who admits to spending some of his spare time watching online MIT lectures on physics and chemistry.
Recommend
Send
IM Story
Print
Related Articles
Ethiopian plane crashes off Lebanon, 90 on board AP - 55 minutes ago
Urgent need for tent cities for Haitian refugees AP - 59 minutes ago
Reports: Actor Gary Coleman jailed in Utah AP - 1 hour 1 minute ago
AP NewsAlert AP - 1 hour 1 minute ago
Bill Gates worries climate money robs health aid Reuters - 1 hour 43 minutes ago
News Search
Top Stories
Greek FM rules out abandoning euro
Haiti police count their losses, prepare for calamity
Water woes could undermine Yemen's drive against Al-Qaeda
Obama confident of repeat Fed term for Bernanke: adviser
Traumatised Haitians struggle to comprehend grim fate
More Top Stories »
ADVERTISEMENT
Most Popular
Most Viewed
Most Recommended
Glacier alarm 'regrettable error': UN climate head
Barclays Capital head 'slates Obama bank plan'
Bank 'sheriff' Obama hits hard in Europe: analysts
Water woes could undermine Yemen's drive against Al-Qaeda
Britain sceptical about US banking reform
More Most Viewed »
Woman who saved Anne Frank's diary dead at 100
Scientists praise Obama as Doomsday clock reset
More Most Recommended »
Elsewhere on Yahoo!
Financial news on Yahoo! Finance
Stars and latest movies
Best travel destinations
More on Yahoo! News
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Subscribe to our news feeds
Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS
» More news feeds | What are news feeds?
Also on Yahoo
Answers
Groups
Mail
Messenger
Mobile
Travel
Finance
Movies
Sports
Games
» All Yahoo! Services
Site Highlights
Singapore
Full Coverage
Most Popular
Asia Entertainment
Photos
Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Service |
Privacy Policy |
Community |
Intellectual Property Rights Policy |
Help
Other News on Monday, 25 January 2010 Vegas-Bound Flight Diverted After Passenger Tries To Open Emergency Exit Door
'Bin Laden' Claims Responsibility For Underwear Bomber
Auschwitz blueprints go on display in Israel
Obama 'confident' of repeat Fed term for Bernanke
Israelis says anti-Semitism peaked in 2009
Ahmadinejad hints Iran resolved to make 20 pct nuclear fuel
Netanyahu reaffirms Israel claim to parts of West Bank
Israel to rebut Gaza war report
U.S. seeks extradition of Guatemalan ex-president
|
Plane catches fire in Iran, injures 42
Ahmadinejad says new budget less dependent on oil
Afghans postpone parliamentary elections
Okinawa vote pressures Japan on US Marine base
Japanese residents elect mayor opposing US base
Ex-US Commerce secretary Mosbacher dies in Houston
Sprucing up the dead is big business in Taiwan
No indication of heightened US alarm from new tape
McCain says campaign finance reform is dead
Thai, Cambodian troops clash near disputed temple
Bin Laden warns of more attacks on US targets
Candidate against US base leads Okinawa mayor vote
Aging bikers taking to the streets on beefy trikes
Sri Lanka's opposition warns of election coup
Coast Guard: Vessels in Texas oil spill separated
White House says no reset button for Obama
Adviser says Obama is pursuing health care changes
Rock attitude unifies diverse Paul Smith show
ER's John Wells looks at layoffs in first film
|
'Avatar' tops box office for sixth-straight week
Luxury label Lanvin goes to the street for fashion
MySpace bids to pay musicians 'lost' royalties
Black Eyed Peas lose out in awards mix-up
Music fans 'ready for anything' to meet idols
UN Climate Scientists Now Say Claims About Himalayan Glaciers Not True
Haitian Man Found Alive 11 Days After Deadly Quake
TSA Worker Plants Bag Of White Powder On Passenger
TSA Worker Plants Bag Of White Powder On Passenger
Lebanon's First Male Stripper Says It's All About the Skin
NYPD Faces $2 Million Suit for Jailing Men Over Candy
Farmer Shoots 51 Cows Dead Then Self
Woman Charged With Setting Husband's Genitals On Fire Stalls Trial With Plea Negotiations
Teen Cop Impersonator In Trouble With Law
Chimpanzee Center Of Florida Custody Battle
Human 'Bed Warmers' Bring The Heat
Washington Town Drafts 'Sexpresso' Guidelines
Specter Scolds Bachmann Live On Airwaves
Ethiopian airliner crashes on takeoff in Lebanon
Ethiopian plane crashes in sea off Beirut, bodies found
|
US-TECH Summary
Greek FM rules out abandoning euro
Ethiopian airliner crashes after takeoff from Beirut
HP to launch music service in Europe
U.S., Brazilian troops hand out aid in Haiti slum
|
Soviet war veterans warn US on Afghan strategy
Haiti police count their losses, prepare for calamity
Religious "Super Police" to Monitor Arab Satellite TV?
Water woes could undermine Yemen's drive against Al-Qaeda
Myanmar says Suu Kyi to be freed in November: witnesses
|
Japan PM vows U.S. base decision by May, scandal weighs
|
Afghanistan delays parliament vote
"We Are the World" Remake In The Works To Benefit Haiti
Traumatised Haitians struggle to comprehend grim fate
London conference on Afghanistan's future
China casts nervous eye at erstwhile ally Myanmar
|
Climate talks threaten Saudi with anti-oil bias: official
Talks with Taliban loom over Pakistani-Afghan summit
|
Obama's debut State of the Union a moment of truth
Bill Gates says innovation can leverage change
Audit hits State on failures to monitor Iraq work
Cape Wind's fate unclear, even in Obama's hands
China steps up defense of Internet controls
|
Rare dinosaur skeleton turned over to researchers
2 jailed, 1 acquited over Malaysian ritual killing
HP to launch music service in Europe
|
Wal-Mart cuts about 11,200 Sam's Club staffers
Guatemala moves to arrest ex-president on US request
After 2008 scare, China finds more toxic milk products
FBI: Man who tried to open airplane door released
Wal-Mart Announces 11,200 Sams Club Job Cuts
Six Iraqis To Undergo High Tech IT Program In US
Australians asked to rethink national holiday
Amtrak train partially derails near Fairfax, Va.
War crimes pressure on new S.Lanka chief: analysts
China denies state role in Google cyberattacks
2 children swept away by Tijuana River
Oh deer! 10-to-12 point buck breaks into Ill. home
S.Korea OKs talks with N.Korea despite threats
Officials: Suspected US drone crashes in Pakistan
Influential Buddhist pleads for religious freedom in Vietnam
Seoul shares shed 0.8 pct; exporters outperform
Taiwan sells 30-year govt bond at 2.294 pct yield
Taiwan set to open key trade talks with China
Taiwan lets chip firms invest in China: report
Taiwan c.bank asks banks to follow FX forward rules
Bank of China shares fall on fund-raising plan
S.Korea to clamp down on banks' non-exec boards
Avatar replaces Titanic in record books
|
PAKISTAN
The Hurt Locker wins Producers Guild award
|
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Chinese economy heats up global crisis debate
Kristen Stewart gets dirty in fishnets, g-string
Iraq drama 'The Hurt Locker' wins Oscars indicator
Taiwan dollar up on exporters, fund inflows
Kristen Stewart gets dirty in fishnets, g-string
|
'Hurt Locker' wins Producers Guild Award
"The Hurt Locker" wins Producers Guild award
'Space Tourists' highlighted in Sundance film
Chavez muzzles TV stations for not airing his speeches
Agent: 'Guys and Dolls' star Jean Simmons dies
Visitor collides with Picasso work at Met in NYC
Car bombs hit 3 Baghdad hotels, kill at least 31
Ericsson cuts 1,500 more jobs, profit plunges
China steps up defense of Internet controls
EU probes Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton iron ore deal
At least 36 dead as car bombs rock Baghdad hotels
|
Ericsson to cut 1,500 more jobs, profit plunges
China denies state role in Google cyberattacks
U.S. commander sees eventual Taliban peace deal
|
FDA: Beware Of Fake Diet Pills
Activists block nuclear shipment in France
U.S., Brazilian troops hand out aid in Haiti slum
|
Coast Guard Searching For Missing Pilot
Iraq executes Saddam henchman Chemical Ali
|
Trial In New Jersey Corruption Sweep Begins Monday
1.2 Million Pounds Of Salami Recalled
Yemen's Shi'ite rebels offer truce to Saudi Arabia
|
President Obama Declares Arizona Emergency
Palestinians study U.S. idea for Mideast talks
|
Karoubi accepts Ahmadinejad as Iran govt head: report
|
Tibet envoys leave for fresh talks with China
|
Stage set for Sri Lanka's historic presidential vote
|
Rocket strike at Afghan base wounds 8 NATO troops
Bill Gates says Internet needs to thrive in China
|
Thousands of vets could get benefits upgrade
Zen master: Vietnam must grant religious freedom
You're number 1: Alaska village up first in census
More tainted milk products found in China shops
Churches torched by Muslim mob in Indonesia
Obama to review work of middle-class task force
Mumbai gunman demands trial by international court
Prosecutors build case in Kan. abortion trial
S.Lanka president urges fair vote on election eve
Neighbor testifies at Peterson's 'hearsay' hearing
Group: Cambodia should shut drug detention centers
Analysis: Marines leave Iraq again _ for good?
Pro-opposition reporter missing in Sri Lanka
UN warns Mongolia's severe weather threatens lives
Owners: $5.4B NY housing complexes go to creditors
Facebook's virtual farm game attracting millions
AP NewsAlert
Pakistani o/n rates flat; rupee firms; stocks down
Tourism to Japan battered by strong yen, recession
Stone says US in denial over JFK assassination
South Korea, India to boost trade, investment
Japan car makers set foreign production records
Toyota global sales slide, cutting lead over VW
Countdown to Shanghai World Expo begins
S.Korea to hold FTA talks with Japan and China
Bank fears send Asian shares lower
World Bank praises China anti-inflation steps
China firm to send 10,000 employees to Taiwan
Casual comfort as designers put men in leggings
Indonesian president releases new pop album
Actor Gary Coleman jailed in Utah
Star-gazers sway Sri Lanka election
"Bridge" a bold Broadway bow for Scarlett Johansson
Stone says US in denial over JFK assassination
Children of Auschwitz recall liberation 65 years on
China's hit TV show on housing sparks controversy
Basterds, Bullock, Bridges big SAG winners
|
Bridge a bold Broadway bow for Scarlett Johansson
|
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights