I'm gonna kick it off with this guy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Blavatnik#PhilanthropyLeonard Blavatnik
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sir Leonard Blavatnik
Born June 14, 1957 (age 62)
Odessa, Soviet Union
Residence London, England, UK[1]
Citizenship United Kingdom-United States[2]
Education Moscow State University of Railway Engineering
Columbia University (M.S.)
Harvard Business School (M.B.A.)
Occupation Founder of Access Industries
Net worth US$18.0 billion (2019)[1]
Spouse(s) Emily Appelson
Children 4
Sir Leonard "Len" Blavatnik (Ukrainian: Леонід Валентинович Блаватнік, Russian: Леонид Валентинович Блаватник, Leonid Valentinovich Blavatnik; born June 14, 1957) is a Soviet-born British-American businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He made his fortune through business via diversified investments in myriad companies through his conglomerate company, Access Industries.
As of January 2018, Blavatnik was the wealthiest man in the United Kingdom, and the 50th wealthiest in the world, with a net worth of US$21.2 billion.[3] In 2017, Blavatnik received a knighthood for services to philanthropy.
Early life and education
Blavatnik was born in Odessa, Soviet Ukraine, to a jedi family.[4][5] He attended Moscow State University of Railway Engineering, but did not complete his coursework due to the family's request for emigration visas. His family emigrated from the Soviet Union to the United States in 1978, and he received a masters in computer science from Columbia University and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1989.[6][4]
Career
In 1986, Blavatnik founded Access Industries, an international conglomerate company located in New York, of which he is chairman and president. Access has long-term holdings in Europe and North and South America. Initially, he moved into Russian investments, just after the fall of communism. He and a friend from university, Viktor Vekselberg, formed the Renova investment vehicle, and then the two joined with Mikhail Fridman's Alfa Group to form the AAR venture.[7] Access has since diversified its portfolio to include investments in industries such as oil, entertainment, coal, aluminum, petrochemicals and plastics, telecommunications, media, and real estate.[citation needed]
Petrochemicals and oil
In August 2005, Access Industries bought petrochemicals and plastics manufacturer Basell Polyolefins from Royal Dutch Shell and BASF for $5.7 billion. On December 20, 2007, Basell completed its acquisition of the Lyondell Chemical Company for an enterprise value of approximately $19 billion. The resulting company, LyondellBasell Industries then became the world's eighth largest chemical company based on net sales.[8] On January 6, 2009, the U.S. operations of LyondellBasell Industries filed for bankruptcy.[9]
On April 30, 2010, LyondellBasell emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a significantly improved financial position. As part of its exit financing, LyondellBasell raised $3.25 billion of first priority debt as well as $2.8 billion through the rights offering jointly underwritten by Access Industries, Apollo Management, and Ares Management.[10] LyondellBasell stock has increased 103% in value since April 2010. Access currently owns approximately 14% of LyondellBasell.
AAR gained a controlling stake in Russian oil company TNK through privatization auctions, then in 2003 sold a 50% stake to British Petroleum to form TNK-BP, one of Russia's largest oil companies, where Blavatnik served on the board of directors. On March 21, 2013, Rosneft completed its $55 billion acquisition of TNK-BP. Blavatnik also has interests in UC Rusal, the world's largest aluminum producer, where he sits on the board. On May 6, 2011, Warner Music Group announced its sale to Access for US$3.3 billion.[11]
Finance
In 2010, Blavatnik sued JPMorgan Chase after losing $100 million by allegedly following Morgan's advice three years earlier to buy mortgage securities with AAA credit ratings.[12] JPMorgan Chase was ordered to pay $50 million to Blavatnik on August 27, 2013.[13]
Entertainment
In early 2010, Access Industries was reported as one of the handful of bidders for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.[14]
On July 20, 2011, an Access affiliate acquired Warner Music Group for $3.3 billion. [15][16]
In 2016, Blavatnik launched Access Entertainment, which bought James Packer's stake in RatPac Entertainment and a 24.9% stake in Bad Wolf in 2017[17][18].
In April 2018, it was reported that Blavatnik was a front runner in the bidding to purchase Britain’s third oldest theatre, the Theatre Royal Haymarket. Sources report that the bid is around £40 million[19]
Blavatnik also owns AI Film, the independent film and production company which backed Lee Daniels’ film The Butler and the summer 2015 release Mr. Holmes.[20] He was an early investor in Rocket Internet and Beats Music, helped finance fashion designer Tory Burch, and in 2013 paid $115 million for wireless spectrum in Norway.[21]
Board membership
Blavatnik is a member of the Global Advisory Board of the Centre for International Business and Management at Cambridge University, a member of the board of Dean's Advisors at the Harvard Business School and a member of the academic board at Tel Aviv University.[22]
Philanthropy
Blavatnik and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin with young scientists who have been awarded the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists, February 2018
Blavatnik, the Blavatnik Family Foundation and Access companies have supported many cultural and philanthropic institutions over the past 15 years, including serving as the primary benefactors for numerous major art and cultural exhibitions, including the British Museum, Tate Modern (which named a new wing the "Blavatnik Building" in 2017[23]), Royal Opera House, National Portrait Gallery and Museum of Modern Art. Since 2007, the Blavatnik Family Foundation together with the New York Academy of Sciences has supported the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists. The annual award recognizes the accomplishments of outstanding young scientists in life sciences, physical sciences and engineering and provides all finalists with a significant cash prize.[24]
Blavatnik sponsors a Colel Chabad 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2) food bank and warehouse in Kiryat Malakhi, Israel, which sends monthly food shipments to 5,000 poor families in 25 Israeli cities, and before jedi holidays to 30,000 families in 73 Israeli cities, towns and villages.[25]
In 2010, it was announced that Blavatnik and the Blavatnik Family Foundation would donate £75 million to the University of Oxford to establish a new school of government.[26] The gift is one of the largest philanthropic gifts in the university's 900-year history. Blavatnik also indicated the possibility of increasing his benefaction up to £100 million over time. The Blavatnik School of Government began accepting students in September 2012, and the new permanent home of the school was constructed on the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter. The building, which was finished in summer 2015, was designed by the Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron. The first dean of the school is professor Ngaire Woods.
In 2013, Harvard University announced a $50 million donation from Blavatnik's foundation to sponsor life sciences entrepreneurship at the university[27] and named the first five HBS graduates to receive the Blavatnik Fellowship in Life Science Entrepreneurship[28]. In 2018, Harvard Medical School announced a $200 million donation from Blavatnik's foundation to sponsor research, investments in data science, and the creation of subsidized lab space for biotech startups.[29]
Political donations
In 2011, Blavatnik donated to both President Barack Obama and his GOP rival, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.[30]
Blavatnik is a supporter of the US Republican Party, and in 2015–2016 donated a total of $7.35 million to six Republican political candidates, including South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Arizona Senator John McCain.[31] In February 2016, Blavatnik donated over $1 million to an anti-Donald Trump GOP group.[32] He also donated $1 million to the committee for the inauguration of Donald Trump.[31] In August 2017, political scientist Bo Rothstein resigned from the Blavatnik School of Government out of opposition to Blavatnik's politics.[33]
Blavatnik and his American wife, Emily, also donated to Democratic Party candidates Kamala Harris, Chuck Schumer, Andrew Cuomo and Hillary Clinton.[34]
In 2017, after two senior Trump administration officials went on record as being lobbyists for Blavatnik’s Access Industries[35], Blavatnik was mentioned in investigations led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into Russian donations to the administration.[36] Since April 2016 Blavatnik contributed $383,000 to the Republican National Committee and $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund. However, he did not give directly to the Trump campaign.[37] Between 2015 and 2017, Blavatnik contributed $3.5 million to Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell's super PAC.[38]
Wealth
In the Sunday Times Rich List 2015, Blavatnik was listed as the UK's richest person,[39] with a fortune of £16.9 billion. Forbes ranks Blavatnik as the 16th richest in the world as of April 2015. As of 2018, Len Blavatnik was ranked 59th in the Forbes' annual list of the world's billionaires and 27th in the Forbes 400 list. [40]
Personal life
Blavatnik is married to Emily Appelson Blavatnik.[41] The couple have four children, including daughter Laila. [42]
He owns a grade II listed building in Kensington Palace Gardens which is valued at £200 million.[43]
Blavatnik is a friend of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.[44]
Blavatnik is also a longtime friend and business partner of Ukrainian-born Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg,[7] one of Russia's richest men, who is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.[31]
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these types always use philantropy to portray themselves in a guise of some generous caring, giving type of individual. but lets look a little closer at this dudes so called philantropic activity.
This 'school of government' he established at oxford with a £100 million donation, called 'the Blavatnik school of government', what better way to influence future politicians than to own them from the moment they enroll in university?
and then there is this
In 2013, Harvard University announced a $50 million donation from Blavatnik's foundation to sponsor life sciences entrepreneurship at the university[27] and named the first five HBS graduates to receive the Blavatnik Fellowship in Life Science Entrepreneurship[28]
I mean is this the sort of shit a budding control freak would interest himself with or what
Life Sciences- examples
Bioinformatics – developing of methods or software tools for storing, retrieving, organizing and analyzing
biological data to generate useful biological knowledge
Biological anthropology – the study of humans, non-human primates, and hominids. Also known as physical anthropology
Biophysics – study of biological processes by applying the theories and methods that have been traditionally used in
the physical sciences
Ecology – study of the interactions of living organisms with one another and with the non-living elements of their
environment
Ethology – the study of behaviour
Evolutionary biology – study of the origin and descent of species over time
Evolutionary developmental biology – study of the evolution of development including its molecular control
Genetics – study of genes and heredity
Immunology – the study of the immune system
Microbiology – study of microscopic organisms (microorganisms) and their interactions with other living organisms
Molecular biology – study of biology and biological functions at the molecular level, some cross over with
biochemistry, genetics and microbiology
Neuroscience – study of the nervous system
Population biology – study of groups of conspecific organisms
Synthetic biology – the design and construction of new biological entities such as enzymes, genetic circuits and
cells, or the redesign of existing biological systems (LY)
Systems biology – study of the integration and dependencies of various components within a biological system, with
particular focus upon the role of metabolic pathways and cell-signaling strategies in physiology
Theoretical biology – the use of abstractions and mathematical models to study biological phenomena
Toxicology – study of the effects of chemicals on living organisms
Biotechnology – manipulation of living matter, including genetic modification and synthetic biology
Biomedical science – healthcare science, also known as biomedical science, is a set of applied sciences applying
portions of natural science or formal science, or both, to develop knowledge, interventions, or technology of use in
healthcare or public health.[3] Such disciplines as medical microbiology, clinical virology, clinical epidemiology,
genetic epidemiology, and biomedical engineering are medical sciences. Explaining physiological mechanisms operating
in pathological processes, however, pathophysiology can be regarded as basic science.
Environmental health – multidisciplinary field concerned with environmental epidemiology, toxicology, and exposure
science.
Genomics – applies recombinant DNA, DNA sequencing methods, and bioinformatics to sequence, assemble, and analyze the
function and structure of genomes (the complete set of DNA within a single cell of an organism).[16][17] The field
includes efforts to determine the entire DNA sequence of organisms and fine-scale genetic mapping. The field also
includes studies of intragenomic phenomena such as heterosis, epistasis, pleiotropy and other interactions between
loci and alleles within the genome.[18] In contrast, the investigation of the roles and functions of single genes is
a primary focus of molecular biology or genetics and is a common topic of modern medical and biological research.
Research of single genes does not fall into the definition of genomics unless the aim of this genetic, pathway, and
functional information analysis is to elucidate its effect on, place in, and response to the entire genome's networks.
Optogenetics – Optogenetics is a neuromodulation technique employed in neuroscience that uses a combination of
techniques from optics and genetics to control and monitor the activities of individual neurons in living tissue—even
within freely-moving animals—and to precisely measure the effects of those manipulations in real-time.[27] The key
reagents used in optogenetics are light-sensitive proteins. Spatially-precise neuronal control is achieved using
optogenetic actuators like channelrhodopsin, halorhodopsin, and archaerhodopsin, while temporally-precise recordings
can be made with the help of optogenetic sensors like Clomeleon, Mermaid, and SuperClomeleon
Population dynamics – Population dynamics is the study of short-term and long-term changes in the size and age
composition of populations, and the biological and environmental processes influencing those changes. Population
dynamics deals with the way populations are affected by birth and death rates, and by immigration and emigration, and
studies topics such as ageing populations or population decline
This guy is literally gonna own an army of scientists working in these fields pretty soon. Not to mention most of the breakthroughs they make are likely going to be made while working in his companies giving him complete control of their use on society.
and of course this is no surprise
Political donations
In 2011, Blavatnik donated to both President Barack Obama and his GOP rival, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.[30]
Blavatnik is a supporter of the US Republican Party, and in 2015–2016 donated a total of $7.35 million to six Republican political candidates, including South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Arizona Senator John McCain.[31] In February 2016, Blavatnik donated over $1 million to an anti-Donald Trump GOP group.[32] He also donated $1 million to the committee for the inauguration of Donald Trump.[31] In August 2017, political scientist Bo Rothstein resigned from the Blavatnik School of Government out of opposition to Blavatnik's politics.[33]
Blavatnik and his American wife, Emily, also donated to Democratic Party candidates Kamala Harris, Chuck Schumer, Andrew Cuomo and Hillary Clinton.[34]
In 2017, after two senior Trump administration officials went on record as being lobbyists for Blavatnik’s Access Industries[35], Blavatnik was mentioned in investigations led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into Russian donations to the administration.[36] Since April 2016 Blavatnik contributed $383,000 to the Republican National Committee and $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund. However, he did not give directly to the Trump campaign.[37] Between 2015 and 2017, Blavatnik contributed $3.5 million to Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell's super PAC.[38]
clearly these donations are not targeted at any singular political party or ideaology. so obvious they are all about just using his wealth to exert control and influence on politics.
there some serious jedi shit going on with this dude, lol.
https://www.investopedia.com/top-donors-to-trump-s-inaugural-committee-4580521
Top Donors to Trump's Inaugural Committee
The Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office is investigating whether President Donald Trump's 2017 inaugural committee misspent the $107 million it received as donations, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.
Unnamed sources also told the paper that the criminal probe is looking into whether the top donors to the committee gave money "in exchange for access to the incoming Trump administration, policy concessions or to influence official administration positions."
The report did not mention which specific donors are under investigation.
Here are the top 15 corporations that donated to the committee, according to Federal Election Commission filings accessed by OpenSecrets.org:
AT&T Corp. (T) - $2,082,483
Access Industries Inc. - $1,000,000
Allied Wallet Inc. - $1,000,000
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