Rockefeller Foundation to honor Sir Elton John

[webfact]

Rockefeller Foundation to honor Sir Elton John

NEW YORK, NY - The Rockefeller Foundation today announced that Sir Elton John will be the recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be conferred during the Foundation's Centennial year at its upcoming event - "A Celebration of American Philanthropy" - to be held on October 30, 2013 in Washington, D.C. The Rockefeller Foundation will also make a grant to the Elton John AIDS Foundation to further its good work.

In addition to being one of the world's most successful and dynamic musicians, Sir Elton John is well known globally as a leading advocate and philanthropist on behalf of people with HIV/AIDS.

In the early days of the AIDS crisis, he was one of the first to realize that it was necessary to de-stigmatize HIV/AIDS before governments and other donors would devote major resources to fighting the disease.

His personal leadership and philanthropy over many years has led to progress in addressing discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS, and provided major resources to treatment and a cure.

Full story: http://www.eturbonews.com/38514/rockefeller-foundation-honor-sir-elton-john

-- eTN 2013-10-04

[Scott]

Congratulations. We sometimes forget that some famous people also do some very good work, besides entertaining us.

[delgarcon]

Congratulations. We sometimes forget that some famous people also do some very good work, besides entertaining us.

I'm a big fan of Elton John, but don't lets get carried away. It's true that many (rich) and famous people give to charity but they could do far more. The mega rich of our society could save millions of starving people instead of hoarding or squandering their billions.(Elton alone was reported to have spent a million pounds per day on flowers whilst on concert). I'm sure that there are many more deserving people around if we're going to give out awards for being charitable.

[Suradit69]

Congratulations. We sometimes forget that some famous people also do some very good work, besides entertaining us.

I'm a big fan of Elton John, but don't lets get carried away. It's true that many (rich) and famous people give to charity but they could do far more. The mega rich of our society could save millions of starving people instead of hoarding or squandering their billions.(Elton alone was reported to have spent a million pounds per day on flowers whilst on concert). I'm sure that there are many more deserving people around if we're going to give out awards for being charitable.

I agree. He's a great musician and has, undoubtedly, done good deeds, but I have some reservations about some things he has done. Not sure if he's a credible ambassador in hostile territory or naively opportunistic at times. A mental image of Elton John and Rush Limbaugh bonding could keep you awake late into the night.

To the shock of many (given the gap in their political ideologies), Elton John performed at Rush Limbaugh’s wedding in 2010 and, in a new interview with USA Today, the performer opened up about his friendship with the conservative talk show host.

John’s hope of eroding stigmas has led him into some unlikely alliances. After he agreed to perform at Limbaugh’s wedding in 2010, the two men bonded over music and formed a friendship, despite Limbaugh’s conservative views.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0712/78587.html#ixzz2giSG8FpN

[Scott]

He managed to persuade the Queen of England to confer the title of Sir. Those aren't given out lightly.

[jbrain]

He managed to persuade the Queen of England to confer the title of Sir. Those aren't given out lightly.

Sir Allen Stanford managed to receive one of those

Allen Stanford (born March 24, 1950) is a former prominent financier and sponsor of professional sports who is serving a 110-year prison sentence

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_Stanford

[supaprik]

He managed to persuade the Queen of England to confer the title of Sir. Those aren't given out lightly.

That is true.....Sir Ian Botham got a knighthood also....

[BuriramRes]

Elton John may be a very talented musician, but don't turn your back on him or you'll get more than you bargained for!

[sniffdog]

Elton John may be a very talented musician, but don't turn your back on him or you'll get more than you bargained for!

http://www.tmz.com/videos/0_erjcvbn0/

[Credo]

So what heinous crime has Elton John been convicted of? Probably nothing. Is he perfect? Probably not. Does he deserve an award for his charitable work? Yes.

[transam]

He managed to persuade the Queen of England to confer the title of Sir. Those aren't given out lightly.

You sure about that. Sir Jimmy Savile comes to mind. Gongs to convicted drug pop stars, etc, etc.............

[folium]

He managed to persuade the Queen of England to confer the title of Sir. Those aren't given out lightly.

Technically any British citizen can be nominated for an honour. These are then processed by an Honours Committee composed largely of civil servants and finalized by the Prime Minister's office. The idea is to prevent honours being a form of political patronage but there is still a strong correlation between funding a political party and gaining an honour.

The Queen signs off on the Committee's decisions, they are not her choices. Her only personal honour is the Royal Victorian Order, which she gives to people in her own right independent of politicians.