The Initiative was established by Bill Gates as part of his philanthropic work with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Foundation is committed to trying to eradicate polio altogether through its global vaccination program, and has attracted investment from Gates and a series of other billionaires from across the world. Slim’s involvement makes him the latest in a succession of wealthy contributors to the polio fighting fund, with mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg, Carl Icahn and Ray Dalio amongst those high profile entrepreneurs to donate to the cause. The deal marks the second such arrangement between the Gates and Slim in 2013 to date. Previously, the pair worked to raise funds for agricultural projects in Africa and the developing world to help combat hunger globally. The Gates Foundation has long been committed to helping tackle the problem of polio, which persists in just Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Its eradication from over 125 different countries over the last 25 years demonstrates the efficacy of vaccination in containing the disease.In total, Gates is aiming to raise some $5.5bn to achieve the goal of total polio eradication, which could save countless lives year on year. Slim’s investment takes the program to just $1.5bn shy of where it needs to be to achieve a 100% eradication of the condition.Since leaving Microsoft, Gates has upped the scale of his foundation, relentlessly pursuing charitable and humanitarian aims with principally his own money. The world’s most generous ever philanthropist, Gates has given away some $30bn over the last seven years, with around 6 million lives spared through his efforts.Gates’ efforts have helped thrust philanthropy back into the public eye. While Gates is perhaps the country’s most prominent donator of personal wealth, others like Lois Pope, of the Lois Pope Foundations, are having their own profound impacts on society.With substantial funds already raised against the goal of eliminating polio, Slim’s donation will single-handedly save millions of people’s lives through better immunization programs funded by the campaign.

Travel in style from JFK airport to New York

But if you don’t have someone to come and drive you from JFK airport, the best way to travel in style from JFK airport to New York (or any other destination) is to rent your own car.
Transfer services are readily available at any of the airport’s terminals. All you need to do is head on to the rental car counters at the Arrivals level.  You should be able to find different car rental companies there.

Why use rental cars?

Car services will ensure that you travel in style while in New York (or any other destination). By arranging for a car to pick you up, you can skip long taxi lines and be on your way to wherever the minute you touch down in JFK.

There are other benefits to using rental cars:

-  There’s no problem in getting around the city. So if your itinerary is packed there’s no reason to be late for any of it because you have a car at your disposal.

-  If you’re traveling with a large group, this is the perfect way to get around the city. Taxis can mostly accommodate up to 4 passengers. It’s inconvenient if you always have to split up when riding cabs.

-  Car services can actually be more cost-effective because they’re most likely to use newer car models, which are more fuel-efficient.

-  You don’t have to constantly worry about breaking down in the middle of the road.

-  You can choose from a wide variety of available vehicles based on your needs, like limousines or town cars.

Limousine services in JFK airport

Limo services offer the best way to travel in New York in style. This is a great decision, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the area. A JFK limousine service will ensure that you don’t worry about anything else except the purpose of your visit. You’ll have a stylish vehicle and a driver who can represent you as a chauffeur and guide. Limo drivers are also great because they get you around the city without difficulties—even when there’s hideous traffic. Plus, they can efficiently figure out where to park, which can be a huge problem in New York.
There are many choices. Those who have a flair for vintage can choose town cars, which are incredibly elegant and cool. Classic 4-seater sedans or 6-passenger SUVs are also available. Larger entourages can pick luxury vans like Chrysler or Navigator stretches that can seat as much as 14 people.
But more than having really cool cars, any JFK limousine service is dedicated to ensuring your safety while in New York or any other city. It only aims to guarantee that you enjoy your visit without hassles and that you always travel in style.

Made from Donkey’s milk , we have but Mr. Djokovics word that it is indeed delicious. This special cheese is made only at the Zasavica farm in Serbia and is the only one that is made from donkeys milk. The cheese which we are told has anti-allergen properties and is a white crumbly one has a distinctive taste due to the fact that the donkeys are raised in a special Serbian wildlife reserve.

The cheese will be used in the chain of restaurants that Novak will shortly open. If you do want to try this one out then wait till 2014 or travel to Serbia for that is the only place where the restuarants shall initially open.

(Image credit : Extravaganzi.com)

The hoods of the falcons (which are necessary for training what is still a very wild bird) have always been artistic. Made from the best of leather, the only thing that was missing so far was bling. However if a company in Italy is to be believed, this is something that they are definitely working on.

so far, Tiroler Goldschmied, based in Tyrol, northern Italy, has already created 10 customised hoods whose prices range from 5000 Euros all the way to 47,000 Euros. It has taken the Italian jewelers a year of reserach and development to create a hood that is both comfortable yet trendy. Hoods are the most important accessory in falconry since they keep the bird calm. It needs to be sturdy, not an attribute one would usually associate with a bejewelled accessory.

The hoods which are made from the finest leathers (the most popular one being black and white leather studded with diamonds) last upto 5 months if used occassionally. However the company promises to use the diamonds again to create a new hood one the old one starts getting worn. Each hood is personalised with a coat of arms as well as the name of the falconer.

” Every hood is one-of-a-kind piece and designed according to individual ideas. We will gladly engrave your handwritten signature, personal initials, or coat of arms on your diamond-studded falconry hoods. ”

Hit up Tiroler Goldschmied on their website for more details.

GVI even offers three different programs to choose from. These are -

a) Expeditions which focus on exploration, travel and complete cultural immersion in varying locations across the globe.

b) Internships in countries which you might only have dreamt of travelling to. These range from becoming a safari ranger in the vast jungles of Africa to becoming a SCUBA divemaster in the tropics. The best part about the internships is that the experience looks perfect for a person who wishes to pursue an international career. So this could be the way of getting that job which would finally let you afford those riches that we usually feature on the The Rich Times!

c) Finally there are the straight forward volunteer projects which allow you to focus on the area that most interests you. We could tell you more about how this program would get you to track jaguars through the rainforests of Costa Rica, but you would be best of reading all about it on the GVI website itself.

Included on the menu were a lot more ‘most expensive’ and ‘rare’ items including the worlds most expensive fish eggs (Almas caviar) , the worlds most expensive melon (from China worth $4000), saffron and an entire white truffle. For the main course comes wrapped in about $10,000 worth of gold leaf a Wagyu beef heart and fillet with about $8000 worth of pistachios along with dodine of a rare breed turkey.

Since Chef Spalding is a fan of coffee based desserts, the Amedi premium chocolate comes with the rarest of coffee (the Kopi Luwak) erved on a gold Ugandan vanilla plate. For those who preferred fruit, there was also to be a rare Japanese Densuke watermelon. This rare watermelon is a seedless one and grows only on the island of Hokkaido in Japan in the world.

The dinner was for a group of not more than four and sold at an auction on veryfirstto.com. And to ensure that you dined in comfort, the team of Chef Spalding (along with the head chef) would have come to your own home to cook this dinner for you. Eighty percent of the proceeds were donated to a charity of the Chef’s choice.

The meal was successfully auctioned for $203,000.

Made of solid gold, the card is also embedded not with the usual PIN and Chip for security but instead 26 diamonds. Available to only the top 100 Visa Infinite customers in Kazakhstan, the ultimate status symbol will cost $100,000 for the first year.

The card does not have a magnetic strip at all but can be used with Chip and Pin machines. The $100,000 is broken up into $65,000 for the card itself and the balance going onto the card for spending. The annual fee for the card is a comparatively meager $2,000.

Visa hopes that this gives it an edge over Master card especially when it extends the card to customers (once again in limited editions only) in Europe, Asia and Africa ; not to mention the middle east.

Thinkgeek are making a limited 1701 cutters and I anticipate the bidding for the 1701st will be pretty hot. That is if TG allow us to choose the numbers. Priced at $99 each, these are seriously affordable pizza cutters that deserve to be part of the family silver gold to be handed down from generation to generation.

Product Features

The mobile phone has become an indispensable piece of kit for most people. It allows us
to keep in touch with friends and business contacts while we’re on the move, to surf the
net, send and receive emails, listen to music and watch videos. Given that our phone has
become such an essential part of our life, we don’t always give as much care to buying a
new one as we would with a new car or computer.

Often we’ll go on the recommendation of a friend, or be seduced by a slick design without considering the functions that we need our phone to perform. So to make sure that you end up with the phone that suits you, here are some tips on the essential points to consider when you’re buying your next mobile:

Contract or Pay As You Go?

If the upfront cost of a new phone is a big consideration, then it might be that the free
or low cost deals offered by major network providers such as Orange or O2 is attractive.
Down sides are that the range of models on offer can be limited, and it will tie you in to a
contract, often for eighteen months to two years. If you want greater choice and flexibility
consider buying your phone from one of the high street stores or online, and research the
PAYG deals on offer. giffgaff offer a free sim card and a range of goody bags that you can
choose from once your sim card arrives, so that you can design a package that best suits
your needs

Network provider and coverage

Before you choose your network provider, research network coverage in the UK. Some
of the major providers have more limited coverage in some areas – and it could be yours.
Check out giffgaff’s mobile coverage which will give you a guide to signal strength and
coverage where you live.

Need to have/nice to have

There will be some functions that it’s essential you have on your phone. If you travel
regularly on business then you will need to be able to send and receive emails and may
need easy access to the Internet. If call quality is the most important thing for you, and you
would rarely use the more sophisticated functions offered by smartphones, then you may
decide to go for a less expensive and more basic model.

Have a look at the following video which allows you to hold a conversation with someone who speaks another language and with whom you do not share a common language.

It still has a long way to go, but the very fact that this can be done is nothing short of amazing.

While still on the topic, let me introduce you to these smart glasses, which is another way of solving this problem of communication –

However , as mentioned earlier these technologies are very much in the nascent stage. Most likely, these will take a few decades to be perfected. However for business or even travel, nothing can replace the thrill and ease of knowing the language yourself. After all, human beings communicate not just verbally but also through body language , something that is lost when technology is used as seen above. Learning a language such as English would empower an individual to work across the globe. Places like The English Studio, which help you prepare for the IELTS exam are an invaluable resource for students , migrants and even professionals.