Bransons giving all his money away!
21 September 2006, 07:58 PM
#33
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Even if it will make him profits in the future and this is all for publicity at least the guy is making an effort to find a new source of energy, I dont see too many other companies investing heavily in it.
21 September 2006, 11:16 PM
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He's in a no-win situation with the SN dicks. Most people don't know of any underlying motivation for him doing what he's doing and therefore you're going into cynic mode just for the sake of being a cynic. Up to him what he does with his cash. The cynical way of generating more profits long term/publicity stunt etc. argument just doesn't hold water. They are some of the most unprofitable things that they could be doing with the cash.
Also impressed with Warren Buffets giveaway, that's quite something. Yes he's very comfortable anyway but there'd be hardly any here who would do the same, regardles of what they say from the sidelines.
At the end of the day, these guys could keep all their cash & profits if they wanted to but they've decided not to. How many here would sell their new car, buy some cheap banger to get around in and give all the rest to charity or whatever etc.
Also impressed with Warren Buffets giveaway, that's quite something. Yes he's very comfortable anyway but there'd be hardly any here who would do the same, regardles of what they say from the sidelines.
At the end of the day, these guys could keep all their cash & profits if they wanted to but they've decided not to. How many here would sell their new car, buy some cheap banger to get around in and give all the rest to charity or whatever etc.
21 September 2006, 11:31 PM
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Originally Posted by Dracoro
At the end of the day, these guys could keep all their cash & profits if they wanted to but they've decided not to. How many here would sell their new car, buy some cheap banger to get around in and give all the rest to charity or whatever etc.
Why don't we all link hands and start singing "Everything is beauuuutiffuuul..."?
22 September 2006, 08:01 AM
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Originally Posted by Dieseldog
You honestly put Bransons razzamatazz today alongside Warren Buffets' (and therefore presumably Bill Gates') work? Why don't we all link hands and start singing "Everything is beauuuutiffuuul..."?
Why don't we all link hands and start singing "Everything is beauuuutiffuuul..."?
22 September 2006, 08:03 AM
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Originally Posted by Dieseldog
You honestly put Bransons razzamatazz today alongside Warren Buffets' (and therefore presumably Bill Gates') work? Why don't we all link hands and start singing "Everything is beauuuutiffuuul..."?
Why don't we all link hands and start singing "Everything is beauuuutiffuuul..."?Buffet and Gates community work/charitable donations really put the rest of the worlds wealthy to shame. Rare what they are doing, most rich businessmen are more selfish and keep all their cash. How many here, if they won the lottery, would keep 'just' a million or two for themselves and give the other £5m to charity? Honestly, I don't believe I would for a start, there's too many cars I want in the garage of my big house.
Regardless, I'd like to believe I'd do something for the worse off, however until I were in the wealthy position to do so, I won't know for sure and neither would any of you.
22 September 2006, 08:46 AM
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Top Banana, Dracoro; I'm just saying that whereas genuine giving, which I believe the Bill Gates Foundation is doing (they're not planning on selling any cure for malaria they may discover - there's no tangible 'reward' other than a nice warm feeling), is not the same as someone coming along and saying "I'm going to invest in alternative fuel technology" and getting everyone to say how wonderful they are and thinking it's a selfless, charitable act. There are many companies looking into alternative fuels and clean technology - I didn't see the bosses of Honda or Toyota at some big event in New York getting all the press and the adulation by saying the same, yet they've probably spent a lot more than Bransons promise already.
If anything comes from yesterdays show and Branson manages to overtake all those already involved then I'll be impressed but I won't be thinking "God bless you Sir Richard, thank you for saving my kids", I'll be thinking "Well done, you think you're rich now, just wait!".
Saying this is philanthropy is like saying The Dragons just give their money away to deserving causes. It's a business decision, not philanthropy. Sorry if I've banged on about it, but with Branson it's like the old Kings Clothes story
If anything comes from yesterdays show and Branson manages to overtake all those already involved then I'll be impressed but I won't be thinking "God bless you Sir Richard, thank you for saving my kids", I'll be thinking "Well done, you think you're rich now, just wait!".
Saying this is philanthropy is like saying The Dragons just give their money away to deserving causes. It's a business decision, not philanthropy. Sorry if I've banged on about it, but with Branson it's like the old Kings Clothes story
22 September 2006, 09:13 AM
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Whats that thing they are all trying to discover? Perpetual movement or something. Where you get free energy from nothing and will be the end of poloution etc etc.
Now the dude that cracks that on will make Bill Gates seem poverty ridden
Now the dude that cracks that on will make Bill Gates seem poverty ridden
22 September 2006, 09:20 AM
#42
To be honest, if I more income than I needed and was intending to give money to good causes when I died, I might as well give it now, have a say how it is spent and let everyone be nice to me for it.
Much better than having some administrator take all the 'grateful totty' attention when your dead
Much better than having some administrator take all the 'grateful totty' attention when your dead
22 September 2006, 09:24 AM
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Even if he does give all his profits away for the next 10 years (and hat's off to him for that!) I think he will profit long term.
I suspect air travel will become less and less popular as fashion dictates we should emit less CO2. You can see the early signs now - Michael Palin had to stand down from being chairman of some environmental group, holidaying in the UK is becoming cool, Toyota Prius etc.
Once this happens anyone who cares about public opinion will travel Virgin as a kind of get out clause. In 10 years time the company will be huge and you can get bigger than profits than through 'normal' growth. Plus he gets the warm feeling from helping people out.
Top bloke!!
I suspect air travel will become less and less popular as fashion dictates we should emit less CO2. You can see the early signs now - Michael Palin had to stand down from being chairman of some environmental group, holidaying in the UK is becoming cool, Toyota Prius etc.
Once this happens anyone who cares about public opinion will travel Virgin as a kind of get out clause. In 10 years time the company will be huge and you can get bigger than profits than through 'normal' growth. Plus he gets the warm feeling from helping people out.
Top bloke!!
22 September 2006, 09:48 AM
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Originally Posted by stilover
And that big Firery ball in the sky that's getting hotter & hotter 
It's been proven that our Planet was completely Tropical before the Ice age. The Planet is just going back to where it once was. If it never heated back up after the Ice age, non of us would be here.
Global warming? Global Bollox.
Yes, man may well be polluting the planet, but we can't stop mother nature restoring the planet back to what it was.
It's been proven that our Planet was completely Tropical before the Ice age. The Planet is just going back to where it once was. If it never heated back up after the Ice age, non of us would be here.
Global warming? Global Bollox.
Yes, man may well be polluting the planet, but we can't stop mother nature restoring the planet back to what it was.
Earth gets hot, earth gets cool, chopping down a few trees, burning oil and spraying a few cfc's isnt going to stop tropical/ice age conditions on our great planet in the coming millennia...
Branson might as well give his profits to me... I vow that if he does I will stop running the tap when I clean my teeth and will only boil just enough water when making a brew
22 September 2006, 09:59 AM
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Whoop de do..........
What are profits anyway!.... the leftovers once your paid all your overheads.... so if you found that your company made a profit of £6Billion, you set up a charity 'virgins save the planet' pay all of your profit in (non-taxable) develope alternative (aka cheaper) fuels to use these in you fleet of trains and planes..... charge a premium for the enviro-friendly fuels and made a bo-diddley second fortune........
He's a toothy ***........
What are profits anyway!.... the leftovers once your paid all your overheads.... so if you found that your company made a profit of £6Billion, you set up a charity 'virgins save the planet' pay all of your profit in (non-taxable) develope alternative (aka cheaper) fuels to use these in you fleet of trains and planes..... charge a premium for the enviro-friendly fuels and made a bo-diddley second fortune........
He's a toothy ***........
22 September 2006, 01:32 PM
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From the Regster at http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/22/virgin_green/
"Sir Richard Branson has pledged to invest the next 10 years of profits from his Virgin travel firms into developing technologies that will reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. The commitment is apparently worth around £1.6bn over the period.
He made the announcement on day two of the annual Clinton Global Initiative conference in New York.
He explained that the money from his travel companies, such as Virgin Trains and Virgin Atlantic, would be funnelled into a new division of his empire called Virgin Fuels.
Virgin Fuels will invest in research into alternative and renewable energy supplies, such as bio-fuels.
Sir Richard said: "We must rapidly wean ourselves off our dependence on coal and fossil fuels."
He argued that travel firms needed to lead the way in developing "environmentally friendly business strategies".
The move is not entirely altruistic: travel firms are under increasing pressure from environmental lobby groups. Friends of the Earth (FoE), for instance, warns that if the growth in air travel is not curtailed, we face a "climactic disaster".
FoE is one of many groups campaigning for air fuel to be taxed in the same way petrol is. Currently, no duty is payable on kerosene, and in 2005 Tony Blair ruled out imposing any taxes on the fuel.
Against this background, positioning himself as a greenie will do him and his firms no harm. But nor is it entirely spin: Branson has already announced funding for a California based firm that is developing a way of producing ethanol from corn".
So, we can't be entirely cynical about Dickie's motives BUT he is setting up another 'V' company as a vehicle for these investments .....
Dave
"Sir Richard Branson has pledged to invest the next 10 years of profits from his Virgin travel firms into developing technologies that will reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. The commitment is apparently worth around £1.6bn over the period.
He made the announcement on day two of the annual Clinton Global Initiative conference in New York.
He explained that the money from his travel companies, such as Virgin Trains and Virgin Atlantic, would be funnelled into a new division of his empire called Virgin Fuels.
Virgin Fuels will invest in research into alternative and renewable energy supplies, such as bio-fuels.
Sir Richard said: "We must rapidly wean ourselves off our dependence on coal and fossil fuels."
He argued that travel firms needed to lead the way in developing "environmentally friendly business strategies".
The move is not entirely altruistic: travel firms are under increasing pressure from environmental lobby groups. Friends of the Earth (FoE), for instance, warns that if the growth in air travel is not curtailed, we face a "climactic disaster".
FoE is one of many groups campaigning for air fuel to be taxed in the same way petrol is. Currently, no duty is payable on kerosene, and in 2005 Tony Blair ruled out imposing any taxes on the fuel.
Against this background, positioning himself as a greenie will do him and his firms no harm. But nor is it entirely spin: Branson has already announced funding for a California based firm that is developing a way of producing ethanol from corn".
So, we can't be entirely cynical about Dickie's motives BUT he is setting up another 'V' company as a vehicle for these investments .....
Dave
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