Paul Allen, the philanthropists

[oldfisherman]

This is a warm little known story about the good Mr. Allen has done for a small PNW town about 400 miles from Portland. The short story is, through the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the dream of a local library and discovery center for a remote town became real.

The long story is a small town so remote it is a hour and a half drive to the nearest Walmart (if the road is clear) was down and almost out. The largest local employer closed their doors. Many of long time residences, some of the families dating back to the earliest settlers and gold miners, were struggling to maintain a respectable family life style. These are a proud people, and they understood the need for a library, and the good this educational resource would do for their children’s future.

But where would the money come from? Not only was their local economy the worst it had been in a long time, so was the entire country’s economy. Money and jobs where tight everywhere. Enter Mr. Allen. His foundation offered to donate $2 for every $1 the locals donated. I am not sure how much Mr. Allen’s foundation donated; however, my impression is in the $200,000 -$250,000 range. The new library and discovery center opened in 2003.

What has this library meant to the locals? It brought high speed internet service as well as the only cell phone service to the area. The library helps residents apply for jobs and unemployment assistance and learn basic computer skills. The library is the heart and hub of the village, and their connections to the outside world.

Mr. Allen made a difference by improving the lives of the families in this small town.

 

[barfo]

The name of the town is being withheld to protect the innocent.

barfo

 

[oldfisherman]

The name of the town is being withheld to protect the innocent.

barfo

Weippe, Idaho

https://www.facebook.com/weippepubliclibrary

 

[Chris Craig]

Weippe, Idaho

https://www.facebook.com/weippepubliclibrary

Youve killed them all

 

[oldfisherman]

Youve killed them all

The reason I was reluctant to post the name of the town.

 

[Voodoo]

Paul Allens other charitable contributions according to the thread titles on the "similar threads" section at the bottom of this page include donating $100 million to fight Ebola, and "Jamming with the Underthinkers". One of those is not like the others, and seems less like a charity, and more like a form of torture; I will let you decide which one is which.

 

[Haakzilla]

FULL STORY --> https://news.usni.org/2017/08/19/uss-indianapolis-wreckage-found

 

[lawai'a]

FULL STORY --> https://news.usni.org/2017/08/19/uss-indianapolis-wreckage-found

I think secretly he wishes he were dirk pitt

 

[e_blazer]

St. Paul (Allen), Oregon would be a good outreach for him in Oregon.

 

[e_blazer]

FULL STORY --> https://news.usni.org/2017/08/19/uss-indianapolis-wreckage-found

He's still searching for the wreckage of the Roy, Aldridge, Oden title contenders.

 

[crandc]

FULL STORY --> https://news.usni.org/2017/08/19/uss-indianapolis-wreckage-found

Got featured on Rachel Maddow. That's how you know you've arrived! She cited it as good news, gave the back story of how the mission was so secret no one looked for them because no one knew they were there. There are no plans to bring up the wreckage, this is the sailors' final resting place.

 

[Denny Crane]

Being uber rich isn't what it's all about. It's all about what you do with the money.

I think he's someone we all can be proud of.

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

What he's doing to save elephants is amazing. There are a couple documentaries that are worth watching.

http://www.vulcanproductions.com/

http://mashable.com/2014/10/31/paul-allen-great-elephant-census/#TaBz8aZkjuqY

 

[Denny Crane]

What do you get when you cross an elephant and a rhino?

Answer here

 

[lawai'a]

Yet this new push to aid the world’s reefs comes with its own risks, and with many questions.

A large-scale restoration effort could be expensive, and so far, governments have put up only modest sums, despite the hit that their multibillion-dollar tourism industries could take from continued deterioration of the reefs. Private philanthropists — including Paul G. Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft — are paying for much of the early work, spending millions. But will they ultimately commit billions?
another reason to be proud of the blazer's owner http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/building-a-better-coral-reef/ar-AAsfjsz?ocid=spartandhp

 

[Shaboid]

Researchers share never-before-seen images of US ship that fired 1st shots at Pearl Harbor
http://abcnews.go.com/US/researchers-share-images-uss-ward/story?id=51647875

Seventy-six years after the attack on Pearl Harbor, researchers are sharing rare underwater images of the USS Ward -- the U.S. Navy destroyer that fired the first American shots in World War II.

The Ward has rested on the ocean floor near Ponson Island in the Philippines since it came under attack by kamikazes later in the war. But on Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, the ship fatefully found itself outside of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, conducting routine antisubmarine patrols.

At 6:45 a.m. that day, the destroyer's crew spotted a Japanese midget submarine.

A full hour before the Japanese would attack Pearl Harbor by air, the USS Ward sank the Japanese sub, considered the first American shots in World War II. It would later be revealed that four other Japanese vessels were lurking near the harbor before the attack.

Exactly three years later, on Dec. 7, 1944, the ship came under attack by kamikazes in the Philippines while serving as a high-speed transport ship for U.S. troops during the war.

With a fire raging on board, the crew was forced to abandon the ship before the nearby USS O'Brien deliberately sunk the Ward. O'Brien's commanding officer at the time was Lt. Cmdr. William Outerbridge, who had been in charge of the Ward during the attack on Pearl Harbor three years earlier.

Remarkably, the entire crew of the Ward would survive the ordeal. As for the destroyer, it rested unseen at the bottom of Ormoc Bay -- that is, until Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul Allen's expedition crew decided to find it.

Allen purchased Research Vessel (R/V) Petrel in 2016. The 250-foot research and exploration vessel has advanced underwater equipment and technology, allowing it to explore more than 3.5 miles beneath the ocean's surface.

"To ensure the location of the ship was accurate, the USS Ward’s wreckage was identified and cross-referenced with historic drawings and schematics of the ship," the Allen project said in a press release this week. "The survey of the USS Ward was part of a combined mission to document the Imperial Japanese Warships that were lost during the Battle of Surigao Strait in the Philippines."

In addition to locating the Ward, the R/V Petrel captured video of five Japanese ships on which more than 4,000 men lost their lives during a battle on Oct. 25, 1944 -- still considered the largest naval battle in history, according to the Allen Project.

"The USS Ward found herself in the crucible of American history – at the intersection of a peacetime Navy and war footing," Adm. Scott Swift, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, told the Allen Project. "She took decisive, effective and unflinching action despite the uncertain waters. Now 76 years on, her example informs our naval posture."