They all happen to be Americans, and they all happen to be male — but neither of those are really factors in why they have earned my respect and admiration.

The order below should not be considered random.

Former president of the United States of America, a brilliant man with a deep rooted sense of honor and a desire to improve the human condition.  Quite possibly the last great president the US had; and he should definitely be considered the last to truly serve his country.

One of the wealthiest individuals in the world, money is not his defining characteristic.  He has a deep social conscience and has repeatedly displayed a desire to leave the world a better place.  An exemplary model for successful and sustainable business.

A man I have met (and worked for).  Also one of the wealthiest individuals in the world.  For him, money is not nearly as important as his commitment to doing what he believes is right.  He’s far more of a man who wants to improve the world, than merely change it. Even to his detractors he is consider a man who has had profound influence on shaping the course of human kind.

Related posts:

1. When American big business is behind something… I’ve been around the block a few times, and I tend to pay attention. One thing that’s almost an invariant in the world is that...
2. Barack Obama, The 44^th President of the United States of America I didn’t start out in the last election as an Obama fan, and I guess I’m still not a “fan” — I do have a...
3. Armistice Day The eleventh minute of the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of year 1918 AD marked the official end of German...
4. The End of an Error Today marks the end of an error and tomorrow the beginning of a new era in America… or at least that’s our hopes. What? Today...
5. Father’s Day Father’s Day grew from a celebration of Mother’s Days. In 1909 Sonora Smart Dodd (of Spokane Washington) felt that a day should be set aside...
6. Microsoft Office Accounting 2008 Microsoft has been in the small business accounting for quite some time; originally they expanded Money to have capabilities they hoped would attract small business...
7. Don’t Ask – Don’t Tell It appears that the United States will reconsider the “Don’t Ask – Don’t Tell” policy that prevents gay and lesbians from openly serving in the...
8. Perfection – Wayne Dyer Everything is perfect in the universe — even your desire to improve it. · Wayne Dyer...
9. Patriot Act I’ve made it clear a number of times that I believe the USA Patriot Act should have never been passed, and that it should have...
10. Credit Card Payments For years I’ve used bill payment services to manage my finances; you log on when you get your bills (or once a week or so)...

If you want to give this holiday season, give something small that will really help big… or give something big that will help hugely!

Jimmy Wales

Donate to Wikipedia

Related posts:

1. Wikipedia Funding I’m a big fan of Wikipedia– that should be clear from my previous posts on Wikipedia and my frequent use of Wikipedia as a reference...
2. Give me Liberty… Give me Liberty, or give me Death! · Patrick Henry Attributed to be from a speed made by Patrick Henry on 23 March 1775. If...
3. A season of peace on Earth… and good will toward men. Hardly. It would truly be the most wonderful time of the year if there were peace; even if the peace...
4. Over One Billion Served Well, not exactly… but I’m amazed at how the readership of my BLOG continues to grow. I’ve added a widget that lets me view information...
5. The End of an Error Today marks the end of an error and tomorrow the beginning of a new era in America… or at least that’s our hopes. What? Today...
6. Happy Samhain Samhain is the name for the Gaelic festival you probably know better as Halloween (All Saints’ Eve or All Hallows’ Eve). For an excellent article on the...
7. Bah, Humbug! That’s what I have to say to the Christmas gluttony of retail insanity! This time of year should be about making sure that everyone has...
8. My Admiration There are three (living) individuals who I have a great deal of respect and admiration for. They all happen to be Americans, and they all...
9. The Future… I never think of the future. It comes soon enough. · Albert Einstein...
10. HTML5 Both Apple (in an essay by Steve Jobs) and Microsoft (from the general manager of IE) have put a stake in the ground — the...

This time of year should be about making sure that everyone has enough rather than making sure a few have more than they need.

Stop pending money that you probably don’t have on gifts that others probably don’t need, and focus on helping those around you live with dignity.

Take back the holiday season, stop supporting the retail sector, and start supporting your neighbors and neighborhood!

Related posts:

1. New Year – Same Down Economy Retailers started releasing fourth quarter earning reports yesterday. There’s no surprise here — Target, the number two retailer in the US, announced on Christmas Eve...
2. You’ll find “it” at Fry’s… One of well known slogans from Fry’s Electronics… but from what I’ve seen over the past 25 years all you’re really likely to find at...
3. Mardi Gras Mardis Gras was early and cold this year (I got a cold at the festivities leading up to the big event, so I’m staying in...
4. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle The three R’s of making a difference and helping to create a more sustainable world. http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/rrr/...
5. Give in the present for the future… Help Wikipedia grow — read the appeal from Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia’s founder, for US tax deductible donations to help grow Wikipedia and keep it free for...
6. A season of peace on Earth… and good will toward men. Hardly. It would truly be the most wonderful time of the year if there were peace; even if the peace...

Remember, there’s been plenty of large philanthropic organizations that end up only getting about 10% of what’s donated to those they “help” and paid their executives huge salaries. [Greed -- you'll find it everywhere]
 
This year I stumbled on the American Institute of Philanthropy (see the link below), and they’ve done a lot of the work for you — and even made a simple ratings page if you don’t want to invest lots of time into looking over the details.

For those of you who can afford to give a little back, I encourage you to make your gifts count.

     http://www.charitywatch.org/azlist.html

Related posts:

1. How To Use Credit Cards To Your Advantage If you’re a savvy shopper you know that you can save a great deal of money watching for sales and taking advantage of lost leaders....
2. BLOG Organization Over the past month I’ve been trying to re-organize the layout of my BLOG to make it a little easier to navigate. If you have...
3. Negativity Lots of whiny posts here of late, and I’m hoping that I will have more positive and fun things to BLOG going forward with the...
4. Health Insurer’s “Gift” For College Grads United HealthCare announce this week that it would be voluntarily implementing one of the requirements of the new health care law early. That is the...