Opening statements have been made in the fraud trial of an opera-loving philanthropist accused of lying to clients of his investment company while gambling their money on risky technology stocks.
As the finances of investment adviser Alberto Vilar soared in the 1990s, making him worth nearly a billion dollars, so did his interest and benevolence toward a great love — the opera. A fall worthy of the theater climaxes this week with the start of a trial on charges he defrauded investors.
Whether Michael Bloomberg decides to run for president in 2008, it is clear he is serious about building up his philanthropic giving.
As a pianist played "200 Candles," a roomful of Enoch Pratt Free Library fans toasted the bicentennial of the benefactor who gave away his millions, as he put it, "for all, rich and poor, without distinction of race or color." (via American Libraries Direct)
Paul Newman is said to be seriously ill with cancer and is preparing to die at home....
WHEN ANNE ZILL called me in the mid 1980s and told me that she and Stewart Mott would like to have lunch with me, I thought, well, I better be on my good behavior.
The NYT reports: Stewart R.
The news came as a big surprise, since it was expected that the art collection of Haaken A Christensen would be donated to a prominent Norwegian art museum.
It seems Oprah couldn't resist jumping onto the reality show bandwagon. Last Sunday, March 2, "Oprah's Big Give" premiered and asked viewers the question "What would you do if you were handed a bundle of cash—and told you have to give it all away?"
He wears a $15 watch, flies economy class and does not own a house or car. For years few guessed that Chuck Feeney was one of the world's biggest philanthropists, secretly giving away his billionaire fortune.
''She has almost set herself up to fail because there's been so much talk about how she's a changed person, how she found religion and she prays all the time,'' she said.
If everyone in the world was more like this man the world really would be Utopia