Oprah's South African visit

[RobinB]

One rainy morning at FALA

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=5889060

[MaxPower]

Former South African president Nelson Mandela hailed talk show host Oprah Winfrey as a benefactor to the disadvantaged as she opened a girls' school near Johannesburg on Tuesday.




More of it here: http://www.cbc.ca/arts/tv/story/2007...l.html?ref=rss
--------------------------------

[Longreach747]

Former South African president Nelson Mandela hailed talk show host Oprah Winfrey as a benefactor to the disadvantaged as she opened a girls' school near Johannesburg on Tuesday.




More of it here: http://www.cbc.ca/arts/tv/story/2007...l.html?ref=rss
--------------------------------

kinda ironic that she is a benefactor to the disadvantaged but waltzed in on a BBJ.

[DAL767-400ER]

kinda ironic that she is a benefactor to the disadvantaged but waltzed in on a BBJ.

Shows that she doesn't spend much on herself. After all, her wide a$$ alone would normally require a 747 .

[MaxPower]

We need more people like her....

Starting schools in third world countries is definitely a good start, saving a hundred students instead of adopting ONE kid from africa. Some rich-ass celebrities could really learn something from Oprah.

[MaDbOy]

There is only one thing those kids will learn, and that is how to act in front of a camera when Oprah Winfrey goes there...If she ever will again.

[Chris@YYZ]

We need more people like her....

like hell we do, all we need are good people that have money, sadly the two often don't go together.

[Tanner_J]

What's up with all the Oprah bashing.

If you had the money you would go on a private jet also.

Also Oprah is going to be a teacher at the school. She will teach over satellite TV when she is in the states and will visit the school often to teach in person.

We do need more people like Oprah. What has she really done wrong?

[Mungous]

Well good on her, it's a start I suppose. It's always debatable when celebrities do things like this whether its for publicity or for goodwill, or both.

[Tanner_J]

I doubt Oprah's doing it for publicity. She knows she has the power to help with her money so she does. Such as all the new houses she just built for Katrina Victims now the school. The great thin is, she gets other people to contribute too. She donated the money to build the houses but told her viewers they had to buy the furniture and they did.

[ATLcenter]

Well good on her, it's a start I suppose. It's always debatable when celebrities do things like this whether its for publicity or for goodwill, or both.

When people are in such dire straits, the last thing thing on anyone's mind is whether the benefactor is in it for publicity or goodwill. These people need help and if it means Oprah gets a spotlight while the people get help, so be it.

I agree that what Oprah has done is far more meaningful than the Adopt-a-Baby fad that's sweeping through Hollywood.

[Longreach747]

I doubt Oprah's doing it for publicity. She knows she has the power to help with her money so she does. Such as all the new houses she just built for Katrina Victims now the school. The great thin is, she gets other people to contribute too. She donated the money to build the houses but told her viewers they had to buy the furniture and they did.

Oprah doesn't do anything that doesn't benefit Oprah in one way or another...she didn't build the new houses, she sourced companies that would assist in the project, in return they get a promotion that generates them business.

real philanthropy from the very wealthy usually goes unnoticed..they prefer to keep it quiet.

the world needs more of the money that is donated..but less of the public spectacle that comes with giving when you're a celebrity.

[Airbus_A320]

Oprah doesn't do anything that doesn't benefit Oprah in one way or another...she didn't build the new houses, she sourced companies that would assist in the project, in return they get a promotion that generates them business.

real philanthropy from the very wealthy usually goes unnoticed..they prefer to keep it quiet.

the world needs more of the money that is donated..but less of the public spectacle that comes with giving when you're a celebrity.

Exactly. I'm sick of celebrities making such a big deal out of giving to this this and this. If you want to give, fine, give, you don't have to make a specticle out of it. I'm really sick of her, and others telling everyone how they are doing so much to help the community, global warming, poverty, etc. Just STFU and stop trying to be holier than thou. Because in the end, publicity is what it's all about.

And the kids the get adopted by *insert celeb name here* I wouldn't want to be one of them. IMO being the kid of a celebrity would suck. Everything you do would have to be in order to make your parents look good. Couldn't go places on your own because people would want to go after you, etc. IMO, not a life I would enjoy very much.

[Longreach747]

it's a little like Bono and his call to give more money...yet he won't pay his taxes to the Irish govt, hypocritical if you ask, then you have Oprah commanding everyone give to the poor...yet she won't even travel with the everyday person on a flight to Africa. our money is good enough...but we're not good enough to sit next to on a plane flight? she'd be the last person i'd give my spare donation to.

[indian airlines]

Bono is actually doing very worthwhile stuff though. I don't know what the deal about his taxes is, but his philanthropy is very useful. He doesn't make a spectacle of it either.

The other thing is, being a 'celebrity' comes with having the media follow you wherever you go, so to some extent it's inevitable that people will know what you're doing and where you're doing it. I don't know how much of this 'spectacle' business is of their own choosing than of it being a consequence of having the media/papparazzi after you all the time.