I have been very critical of Oprah in the past for parceling out certain sums here and there and exactly every gram of marketing and promotional benefit she could. I have to say that even Oprah has redeemed herself in my eyes, no small feat, with her commitment to schools for girls, beginning with a school in a very remote part of Africa. She said it's the most meaningful thing of her whole life. This is what people with dense balance sheets do; they isolate what really matters to them and set about to make a real differece. I've lived in this area my whole life and would submit that the Bountens have done more for healthcare than the Hagadones; the Barbieris have done more for education that the Hagadones; the Cowles have done far more for art and music than the Hagadones. Except for the latter, there is a wide variance on the net worth of each to the other. What really matters to The Hag is that house in the dessert and keeping Lola in amusements. That's what he's known for. And to compound his self-indulgence, anytime he does slide a few shekels across the table, he makes sure he gets extensive press. Suuuuuch bad karma coming his way -- JBelle.

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