Jimbo shares a $1,000,000 award with Berners-Lee

Unread post by **Zoloft** » Mon Dec 08, 2014 5:41 am

Jimbo shares a $1,000,000 award with Sir Berners-Lee. link

World Wide Web Inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee and co-founder of Wikipedia Jimmy Wales received the first Knowledge Award on Sunday. The duo was awarded a cash prize of $1 million from Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Mohammed Bin Rashid Foundation.

...and what about Larry Sanger?

Ross McPherson · Unread post by **Ross McPherson** » Mon Dec 08, 2014 7:39 am

Zoloft wrote:Jimbo shares a $1,000,000 award with Sir Berners-Lee. link

World Wide Web Inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee and co-founder of Wikipedia Jimmy Wales received the first Knowledge Award on Sunday. The duo was awarded a cash prize of $1 million from Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Mohammed Bin Rashid Foundation.
...and what about Larry Sanger?

There are 40 letters in Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, which amounts to $25 000 per letter. Dividing up those letters so that Jimbo gets half, and using Latin i to replace j, I get:

Jimbo makes a mountain (out of a mole hill).

Actually that's only 19 letters but sometimes you have to put sense ahead of form. Maybe he deserves it.

Unread post by **Midsize Jake** » Mon Dec 08, 2014 8:09 am

Ross McPherson wrote:Maybe he deserves it.

I suppose you could make the case that he's had to deal with a lot of animosity from various people over the years and not been compensated for it (on the level of some other internet entrepreneur types) merely because he didn't produce an commercial product, but that's hardly a justification in itself. I strongly suspect there's something else going on here, and it's probably beyond his merely being friends with Tony Blair or being invited to Davos every year.

If anything, Arab leaders should see him as highly antithetical to their interests - putting aside the obvious "Depictions of Muhammad" controversy, he's also a Randroid, and modern Randroids tend to be Islamophobic, in some cases violently so. The WMF is fairly tight with Israel too, at least in the education arena... and it's not like these Arab oil billionaires can't afford the seed money to set up their own Arabic online encyclopedias.

In fact, if I were into conspiracy theories (and I'm not saying I'm not), maybe they're being super-nice to him now to try and get his approval for just such a project, and maybe try to convince the WMF Board to stay out of their way. His approval would probably be worthless and he probably couldn't convince anyone to do much of anything, but those Arab oil billionaires probably don't know that, and Jimbo would hardly go out of his way to inform them.

The Adversary · Unread post by **The Adversary** » Mon Dec 08, 2014 10:49 am

The award comes from the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation (T-H-L), set up by the ruler of Dubai, managed by one of his 23 officially acknowledged children.

And the reputation of Dubai when it comes to democracy and openness, well, I would say it matches Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan, Oman, Dubai.....these beacons of democracy, openness and freedom! :irony:

Vigilant · Unread post by **Vigilant** » Mon Dec 08, 2014 10:53 am

The Adversary wrote:The award comes from the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation (T-H-L), set up by the ruler of Dubai, managed by one of his 23 officially acknowledged children.

And the reputation of Dubai when it comes to democracy and openness, well, I would say it matches Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan, Oman, Dubai.....these beacons of democracy, openness and freedom!

Lovely.

Jimmy Wales, freedom beard for middle eastern dictatorships.

Notvelty · Unread post by **Notvelty** » Mon Dec 08, 2014 10:57 am

Vigilant wrote:
The Adversary wrote:The award comes from the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation (T-H-L), set up by the ruler of Dubai, managed by one of his 23 officially acknowledged children.

And the reputation of Dubai when it comes to democracy and openness, well, I would say it matches Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan, Oman, Dubai.....these beacons of democracy, openness and freedom!
Lovely.

Jimmy Wales, freedom beard for middle eastern dictatorships.

Pumping for oppressive dictatorships while decrying the practices of democratic western nations? What's he aiming for? A position with the UN?

The Adversary · Unread post by **The Adversary** » Mon Dec 08, 2014 11:53 am

Notvelty wrote:
Vigilant wrote:
The Adversary wrote:The award comes from the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation (T-H-L), set up by the ruler of Dubai, managed by one of his 23 officially acknowledged children.

And the reputation of Dubai when it comes to democracy and openness, well, I would say it matches Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan, Oman, Dubai.....these beacons of democracy, openness and freedom!
Lovely.

Jimmy Wales, freedom beard for middle eastern dictatorships.
Pumping for oppressive dictatorships while decrying the practices of democratic western nations? What's he aiming for? A position with the UN?

It´s official: Arab Spring (T-H-L) is over, "Arab Winter" has arrived.

Poetlister · Unread post by **Poetlister** » Mon Dec 08, 2014 3:22 pm

Wasn't it generous of Jimbo to let Tim Berners-Lee get half?

EricBarbour · Unread post by **EricBarbour** » Mon Dec 08, 2014 7:44 pm

Midsize Jake wrote:If anything, Arab leaders should see him as highly antithetical to their interests - putting aside the obvious "Depictions of Muhammad" controversy, he's also a Randroid, and modern Randroids tend to be Islamophobic, in some cases violently so. The WMF is fairly tight with Israel too, at least in the education arena... and it's not like these Arab oil billionaires can't afford the seed money to set up their own Arabic online encyclopedias.

Don't tell us, tell the sheikh. You could always pass our Israel-Palestine files on to Gulf governments, so they'll think again before giving Jimbo big fat checks.

Unread post by **Peter Damian** » Mon Dec 08, 2014 8:15 pm

Looks like it might be tax free too.

A literary etc prize which is unsolicited, and which is awarded as a mark of honour, distinction or public esteem in recognition of outstanding achievement in a particular field, including the field in which the recipient operates professionally, is not chargeable to tax.

thekohser · Unread post by **thekohser** » Mon Dec 08, 2014 8:33 pm

Peter Damian wrote:Looks like it might be tax free too.

A literary etc prize which is unsolicited, and which is awarded as a mark of honour, distinction or public esteem in recognition of outstanding achievement in a particular field, including the field in which the recipient operates professionally, is not chargeable to tax.

In the United States, though: "gross income includes amounts received as prizes and awards" and "If you were awarded a prize in recognition of accomplishments in religious, charitable, scientific, artistic, educational, literary, or civic fields, you generally must include the value of the prize in your income." No taxes, though, if the prize is transferred to a governmental unit or to a charity.

We do not know how Jimbo is declaring his income -- whether as a US citizen, or as a UK guy, but I believe US citizens living abroad are still expected to pay US income tax, or "Your worldwide income is subject to U.S. income tax, regardless of where you reside".

greybeard · Unread post by **greybeard** » Tue Dec 09, 2014 12:42 am

US citizens are taxed on their worldwide income, with an exemption of (I think) the first $96,500, and generous deductions for foreign taxes paid above and beyond that. However, even if he doesn't pay UK taxes on the $500k, he'll pay US taxes on it, at an approximately 39% marginal rate.

I've met Tim Berners-Lee (indeed, I tried to hire him once). He is a gentleman and a real scholar. The mere idea that Jimmy Wales is put into the same category as "Sir Tim" boils my blood. Recognizing Ward Cunningham, perhaps. Wales? No way. I need to stop typing, I'm too upset.

Vigilant · Unread post by **Vigilant** » Tue Dec 09, 2014 2:52 am

greybeard wrote:US citizens are taxed on their worldwide income, with an exemption of (I think) the first $96,500, and generous deductions for foreign taxes paid above and beyond that. However, even if he doesn't pay UK taxes on the $500k, he'll pay US taxes on it, at an approximately 39% marginal rate.

I've met Tim Berners-Lee (indeed, I tried to hire him once). He is a gentleman and a real scholar. The mere idea that Jimmy Wales is put into the same category as "Sir Tim" boils my blood. Recognizing Ward Cunningham, perhaps. Wales? No way. I need to stop typing, I'm too upset.

Precisely.

Kelly Martin · Unread post by **Kelly Martin** » Tue Dec 09, 2014 4:45 am

Peter Damian wrote:Looks like it might be tax free too.

A literary etc prize which is unsolicited, and which is awarded as a mark of honour, distinction or public esteem in recognition of outstanding achievement in a particular field, including the field in which the recipient operates professionally, is not chargeable to tax.

Not in the United States. And Jimbo still has to pay US income tax, his residence in the UK notwithstanding; US citizens must pay income tax on their entire income, no matter what its origin and no matter where the citizen resides. He gets to take a nonrefundable credit against his US tax liability for whatever he actually pays in tax to the UK, but obviously that doesn't help with respect to income that the UK does not tax.

I'm with greybeard on this one. The only reason Wales and Sir Berners-Lee should ever share a stage is if Wales is polishing Sir Tim's shoes.

Knowing Wales, he'll "share" the prize by taking all of it and promising to pay half of it to Berners-Lee "soon", then "forgetting" to ever actually do so. In three years' time, he will have forgotten that he ever shared the prize with Berners-Lee and will hold himself forward as having been the sole winner of the prize.

Writegeist · Unread post by **Writegeist** » Tue Dec 09, 2014 7:40 am

As we all know, Jimbo is an honorable man. So I totally trust him to pass this filthy lucre to people who combat human rights violations by the regime in whose leader's name it was awarded.

Poetlister · Unread post by **Poetlister** » Tue Dec 09, 2014 10:59 am

Maybe the prize can be paid to some Wales Family Trust? That way, it won't be the income of a US citizen.

Vigilant · Unread post by **Vigilant** » Tue Dec 09, 2014 5:58 pm

From the BlunderKind's talk page

Truly amazing to see you honored equally with the great TB-L. Congratulations. To which NGO(s) will you donate the loot? Coming as it does with the imprimatur of a repellant regime, infamous for human rights violations such as slave labor, repression of free speech, judicial discrimination against women, criminalization of rape victims and Muslim women who marry non-Muslims, and judicial penalties that include the execution of homosexuals, pot dealers, and apostates, will you be looking for organizations that combat these human rights abuses? Writegeist (talk) 07:22, 9 December 2014 (UTC)

As an Emirati, and a student at the American University of Sharjah, I am disappointed that Mr Wales did not take the opportunity to speak out against the abuses that Writegeist writes about and which is documented here on Wikipedia and elsewhere. Mr Wales, you had an opportunity to speak out for the people in my country who have experienced true freedom elsewhere (I studied in the United States) and who suffer under a regime that does not value true human rights. The regime splurges billions of dollars on promoting a false image of life in the Emirates to a western audience; you had an opportunity Mr Wales to speak out for all Emiratis, and also those non-nationals who are forced into slave labour and have no rights. I am at risk by posting this very message. This is not how it should be Mr Wales. Instead, it appears you were bought for $500,000. You sold us out Mr Wales. 194.170.173.249 (talk) 12:58, 9 December 2014 (UTC)

Funny that Jimmy has plenty of time to talk about a controversial admin action on Cultural Marxism, but so very little time to respond to this issue.

'Laughing all the way to the bank' comes to mind.

Wikipediots, your idol has feet of clay.

greybeard · Unread post by **greybeard** » Tue Dec 09, 2014 6:49 pm

Poetlister wrote:Maybe the prize can be paid to some Wales Family Trust? That way, it won't be the income of a US citizen.

Even if such a trust were established outside of US tax jurisdiction, the money would be taxed whenever Jimmy gets his mitts on it through a distribution.

Far easier for him to simply lie, refuse to pay, and/or relinquish his passport. The last is perhaps worthwhile for tens or hundreds of millions of dollars, but probably not for a mere half-mil.

Writegeist · Unread post by **Writegeist** » Tue Dec 09, 2014 6:53 pm

Vigilant wrote:From the BlunderKind's talk page
Truly amazing to see you honored equally with the great TB-L. Congratulations. To which NGO(s) will you donate the loot? Coming as it does with the imprimatur of a repellant regime, infamous for human rights violations such as slave labor, repression of free speech, judicial discrimination against women, criminalization of rape victims and Muslim women who marry non-Muslims, and judicial penalties that include the execution of homosexuals, pot dealers, and apostates, will you be looking for organizations that combat these human rights abuses? Writegeist (talk) 07:22, 9 December 2014 (UTC)

As an Emirati, and a student at the American University of Sharjah, I am disappointed that Mr Wales did not take the opportunity to speak out against the abuses that Writegeist writes about and which is documented here on Wikipedia and elsewhere. Mr Wales, you had an opportunity to speak out for the people in my country who have experienced true freedom elsewhere (I studied in the United States) and who suffer under a regime that does not value true human rights. The regime splurges billions of dollars on promoting a false image of life in the Emirates to a western audience; you had an opportunity Mr Wales to speak out for all Emiratis, and also those non-nationals who are forced into slave labour and have no rights. I am at risk by posting this very message. This is not how it should be Mr Wales. Instead, it appears you were bought for $500,000. You sold us out Mr Wales. 194.170.173.249 (talk) 12:58, 9 December 2014 (UTC)
Funny that Jimmy has plenty of time to talk about a controversial admin action on Cultural Marxism, but so very little time to respond to this issue.

'Laughing all the way to the bank' comes to mind.

Wikipediots, your idol has feet of clay.

Yup, you hit the nail on the head. Wales's silence is not only an insult to the courageous IP; it speaks volumes about the authenticity of his, um, "moral ambitiousness." Perhaps his PR people will spoon-feed him a mess of damage-limitation platitudes that he can regurgitate in due course.

Unread post by **Peter Damian** » Tue Dec 09, 2014 7:05 pm

Well at least he can now afford to buy an apartment. It's dollars not sterling, so about £320,000. This might get him a small one bed apt in, say, New Cross.

Kelly Martin · Unread post by **Kelly Martin** » Tue Dec 09, 2014 7:20 pm

greybeard wrote:Far easier for him to simply lie, refuse to pay, and/or relinquish his passport. The last is perhaps worthwhile for tens or hundreds of millions of dollars, but probably not for a mere half-mil.

Not to mention if he relinquishes his citizenship in order to avoid taxation, he can be barred from ever setting foot in the United States again. Persons who have relinquished their US citizenship who the Attorney General determines did so for the purpose of avoiding tax are on the INA list of "excludable persons" and may not lawfully enter the United States.

greybeard · Unread post by **greybeard** » Tue Dec 09, 2014 9:49 pm

Peter Damian wrote:Well at least he can now afford to buy an apartment. It's dollars not sterling, so about £320,000. This might get him a small one bed apt in, say, New Cross.

Crikey. London real estate is really out of control, isn't it. Two-bedrooms in Bermondsey I looked at a year ago for £700,000 are now a million. But I guess Jimbo married well this time.

Writegeist · Unread post by **Writegeist** » Wed Dec 10, 2014 5:40 pm

Writegeist wrote:
Vigilant wrote:From the BlunderKind's talk page
Truly amazing to see you honored equally with the great TB-L. Congratulations. To which NGO(s) will you donate the loot? Coming as it does with the imprimatur of a repellant regime, infamous for human rights violations such as slave labor, repression of free speech, judicial discrimination against women, criminalization of rape victims and Muslim women who marry non-Muslims, and judicial penalties that include the execution of homosexuals, pot dealers, and apostates, will you be looking for organizations that combat these human rights abuses? Writegeist (talk) 07:22, 9 December 2014 (UTC)

As an Emirati, and a student at the American University of Sharjah, I am disappointed that Mr Wales did not take the opportunity to speak out against the abuses that Writegeist writes about and which is documented here on Wikipedia and elsewhere. Mr Wales, you had an opportunity to speak out for the people in my country who have experienced true freedom elsewhere (I studied in the United States) and who suffer under a regime that does not value true human rights. The regime splurges billions of dollars on promoting a false image of life in the Emirates to a western audience; you had an opportunity Mr Wales to speak out for all Emiratis, and also those non-nationals who are forced into slave labour and have no rights. I am at risk by posting this very message. This is not how it should be Mr Wales. Instead, it appears you were bought for $500,000. You sold us out Mr Wales. 194.170.173.249 (talk) 12:58, 9 December 2014 (UTC)
Funny that Jimmy has plenty of time to talk about a controversial admin action on Cultural Marxism, but so very little time to respond to this issue.

'Laughing all the way to the bank' comes to mind.

Wikipediots, your idol has feet of clay.
Yup, you hit the nail on the head. Wales's silence is not only an insult to the courageous IP; it speaks volumes about the authenticity of his, um, "moral ambitiousness." Perhaps his PR people will spoon-feed him a mess of damage-limitation platitudes that he can regurgitate in due course.

Sure is taking them a long time to come up with something. Meanwhile the longer Wales's deer-in-the-headlights silence continues, the more eloquent it becomes.

Unread post by **Peter Damian** » Wed Dec 10, 2014 8:58 pm

Side show:

Congrats on this. Taking the emotion of the moment, I thought I'll suggest that perhaps you could institute some kind of an award (non-monetary) or recognition for editors from your desk or the Fondation's. Would motivate them too, similar to how we feel good when you get the award. Barnstars are wonderful - and great recognition. But a formal series of recognitions from your/Foundation's side could put some additional verve into our editor lot (or perhaps such a thing already exists and I am not aware of it; or maybe it's not a practical idea, but just had it in my mind for some time, so thought I'll suggest). Congrats again. Wifione Message 14:54, 8 December 2014 (UTC)

What a cordiality and friendly speech from someone who has been told "not to come back" (by Jimbo Wales himself), not long time ago! I admire your ability to forgive, User:Wifione. Btw, you don't work for Mr. Chaudhuri anymore? I mean, you don't manipulate those articles since it was exposed in your editor review and in other places ... --Vejvančický (talk / contribs) 09:35, 9 December 2014 (UTC)

Vej, good morning. I feel you somehow bear a grudge against me that is mistakenly held. My request to you is, please stop! Your post at Jimbo's talk page, where you write "Btw, you don't work for Mr. Chaudhuri anymore? I mean, you don't manipulate those articles since it was exposed in your editor review and in other places " is not at all civil, in my opinion, and is a personal attack, apart from alluding to falsities. My request to you is, please redact the statement and the personal attack at the soonest. Wifione Message 14:40, 9 December 2014 (UTC)

Vigilant · Unread post by **Vigilant** » Wed Dec 10, 2014 9:17 pm

Come on, wiipediots!
Find me something that Jimmy has said to compare with this...

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/v ... neutrality

Alternatively, talk about WikipediaZero which is the polar opposite of net neutrality.

Unread post by **Peter Damian** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 8:06 pm

Every penny of the money will be used to combat human rights abuses worldwide with a specific focus on the Middle East and with a specific focus on freedom of speech / access to knowledge issues. Of course.

But

The specifics of exactly what the best approach is to doing that are not clear to me yet - I had no advance warning of this prize and so did not have any kind of plan in place. While of course I love the Wikimedia Foundation and continue to donate a huge chunk of my time and energy supporting the work of the Foundation, it is not an organization specifically focussed on human rights issues nor specifically focussed on the Middle East, and so I think wouldn't have nearly the impact that I can have in other ways.

The first thing that I did upon returning to London was hire a human rights lawyer full-time to work for me for the next month on these issues. That may turn into a longer term thing, or it may not. As I say, I'm only at the beginning of figuring out the optimal strategic approach.

I have always been extremely outspoken on these issues and will continue to do so. I am thankful for some of the suggestions given in this thread (and less thankful for the nasty false assumptions and snide attitude from some). In particular, I plan to contact and meet with "the UK office of Emirates Centre for Human Rights," an organization that I had never heard of before just now. I'll be happy to get leads on other interesting organizations as well.

Finally, I wanted to specifically call out Mr. Writegeist for obnoxiousness. "are you silent because you are waiting for advice from PR people?" That's a completely uninformed nasty remark that bears no resemblance to the facts, and indicates such a total lack of knowledge of me and my character that I think you should really regret making it.--Jimbo Wales (talk) 17:59, 11 December 2014 (UTC)

Kelly Martin · Unread post by **Kelly Martin** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 8:09 pm

He's going to keep the money. No doubt about it.

Unread post by **Peter Damian** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 8:10 pm

Kelly Martin wrote:He's going to keep the money. No doubt about it.

I noticed he said 'used' rather than 'spent'.

Unread post by **Peter Damian** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 8:17 pm

However, I don’t understand why there is this fuss in the first place. The Wikipedia article Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (T-H-L) suggests the Sheikh is a visionary reformer of Dubai – he built Dubai into a global city, has overseen the development of numerous economically transformational projects, created technology parks, instigated a zero tolerance policy towards corruption in government etc. And he is a recognised poet in his native Arabic!

I don’t see any problem with Jimmy receiving the award from such a humane and visionary human being.

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Arabic محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم; Muḥammad bin Rāshid al Maktūm), also Sheikh Mohammed, (born 15 July 1949) is the Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and constitutional monarch of Dubai.[1]

Since his accession in 2006, he has undertaken major reforms in the UAE's government, starting with the UAE Federal Government Strategy in April 2007. In 2010 he launched UAE Vision 2021 with the aim of making the UAE "One of the best countries in the world" by 2021.[2]

He is responsible for Dubai's growth into a global city,[3] as well as the launch of a number of major enterprises including Emirates Airline, DP World and the Jumeirah Group. Many of these are held by Dubai Holding, the holding company with multi-diversified businesses and investments. He currently owns 99.67% of the company.[4]

Sheikh Mohammed has overseen the development of numerous economically transformational projects[5] in Dubai including the creation of technology park and free economic zone Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, the Dubai International Finance Centre the Palm Islands and the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel. He also drove the construction of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.

A keen equestrian, he is the founder of the Maktoum family-owned Godolphin racing stable and the owner of Darley, the thoroughbred breeding operation with operations in six countries. In 2012, he rode the horse Madji Du Pont 160 km to take the FEI World Endurance Championship.[6]

He is a recognised poet in his native Arabic.[7]

Unread post by **Peter Damian** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 8:23 pm

And I am glad to see this piece of malicious gossip was removed.

In September 2006, Sheikh Mohammed was accused of encouraging the abduction and enslavement of thousands of boys for use as jockeys in camel races. A class-action suit was filed against him in the US state of Florida.[26][27][28] However, in 2006, American lawyers representing the UAE raised a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, on the grounds that none of the involved parties resided in the U.S. In July 2007, judge Cecilia Altonaga accepted the motion and dismissed the suit.[citation needed]

The Adversary · Unread post by **The Adversary** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 8:26 pm

Peter Damian wrote:However, I don’t understand why there is this fuss in the first place. The Wikipedia article Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (T-H-L) suggests the Sheikh is a visionary reformer of Dubai – he built Dubai into a global city, has overseen the development of numerous economically transformational projects, created technology parks, instigated a zero tolerance policy towards corruption in government etc. And he is a recognised poet in his native Arabic!

I don’t see any problem with Jimmy receiving the award from such a humane and visionary human being.
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Arabic محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم; Muḥammad bin Rāshid al Maktūm), also Sheikh Mohammed, (born 15 July 1949) is the Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and constitutional monarch of Dubai.[1]

Since his accession in 2006, he has undertaken major reforms in the UAE's government, starting with the UAE Federal Government Strategy in April 2007. In 2010 he launched UAE Vision 2021 with the aim of making the UAE "One of the best countries in the world" by 2021.[2]

He is responsible for Dubai's growth into a global city,[3] as well as the launch of a number of major enterprises including Emirates Airline, DP World and the Jumeirah Group. Many of these are held by Dubai Holding, the holding company with multi-diversified businesses and investments. He currently owns 99.67% of the company.[4]

Sheikh Mohammed has overseen the development of numerous economically transformational projects[5] in Dubai including the creation of technology park and free economic zone Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, the Dubai International Finance Centre the Palm Islands and the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel. He also drove the construction of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.

A keen equestrian, he is the founder of the Maktoum family-owned Godolphin racing stable and the owner of Darley, the thoroughbred breeding operation with operations in six countries. In 2012, he rode the horse Madji Du Pont 160 km to take the FEI World Endurance Championship.[6]

He is a recognised poet in his native Arabic.[7]

You forgot

Lets see, no 1 contributor to the article: Alexandermcnabb (T-C-L)

https://ae.linkedin.com/in/alexandermcnabb

Unread post by **Peter Damian** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 8:29 pm

The Adversary wrote:
Peter Damian wrote:However, I don’t understand why there is this fuss in the first place. The Wikipedia article Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (T-H-L) suggests the Sheikh is a visionary reformer of Dubai – he built Dubai into a global city, has overseen the development of numerous economically transformational projects, created technology parks, instigated a zero tolerance policy towards corruption in government etc. And he is a recognised poet in his native Arabic!

I don’t see any problem with Jimmy receiving the award from such a humane and visionary human being.
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Arabic محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم; Muḥammad bin Rāshid al Maktūm), also Sheikh Mohammed, (born 15 July 1949) is the Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and constitutional monarch of Dubai.[1]

Since his accession in 2006, he has undertaken major reforms in the UAE's government, starting with the UAE Federal Government Strategy in April 2007. In 2010 he launched UAE Vision 2021 with the aim of making the UAE "One of the best countries in the world" by 2021.[2]

He is responsible for Dubai's growth into a global city,[3] as well as the launch of a number of major enterprises including Emirates Airline, DP World and the Jumeirah Group. Many of these are held by Dubai Holding, the holding company with multi-diversified businesses and investments. He currently owns 99.67% of the company.[4]

Sheikh Mohammed has overseen the development of numerous economically transformational projects[5] in Dubai including the creation of technology park and free economic zone Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, the Dubai International Finance Centre the Palm Islands and the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel. He also drove the construction of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.

A keen equestrian, he is the founder of the Maktoum family-owned Godolphin racing stable and the owner of Darley, the thoroughbred breeding operation with operations in six countries. In 2012, he rode the horse Madji Du Pont 160 km to take the FEI World Endurance Championship.[6]

He is a recognised poet in his native Arabic.[7]
You forgot
Lets see, no 1 contributor to the article: Alexandermcnabb (T-C-L)

https://ae.linkedin.com/in/alexandermcnabb

This is me, alright.

Blogs at Fake Plastic Souks. Writes novels. Consults on publishing, media and online communications.

Having lived in the UAE for the past 21 years and travelled around the Middle East for the past 28 I have been shocked by how much has been misrepresented, mis-spelled, mis-categorised and generally goofed up by lack of care, attention and desire to respectfully record the truth on the ground when it comes to the region's representation on Wikipedia.

The trouble is, I have always used Wikipedia for what I don't know. It was when I started looking for things I did know I found myself getting into new territory!

I'm going to try and change that. One fact at a time.

At least until I get bored or sufficiently annoyed to give up.

FWIW, I don't edit or create articles on Wikipedia relating to any of my agency's clients.

I'm glad someone is setting the record straight then.

Unread post by **Peter Damian** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 8:29 pm

Alexander is director at Spot On Public Relations, based in the agency’s Dubai headquarters. He has worked with information technology, media and communications in the Middle East for over 25 years, a career that brought him to the Gulf for the first time in 1986.

Alexander manages Spot On's large-scale and strategic communications campaigns, and the agency’s key business relationships across the region. He has spent the past eighteen years developing marketing strategies and communications programmes for leading global brands in the Middle East, including Accenture, IBM, France Telecom, Motorola, Virgin and Microsoft.

In addition to consulting work with a number of Arab governments, he has built strategies and managed national and regional communications campaigns for GSM operators in the region, including license bids, network launches, public affairs and service category launches in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait working with operators such as MobiNil, MobileCom, Wataniya and MTN.
link

Unread post by **Peter Damian** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 8:38 pm

Why should the first result on Google return a page packed with violations of human rights, charges of Islamic Injustice and lurid accounts of the 'bust' when we are all here - labourer and CEO alike - because we're better off here? How is it that the UK article, for instance, doesn't outline every nasty killing, injustice or act of corporate malfeasance that takes place there but the UAE and Dubai ones do?link

Right, these whingers on Jimmy's talk page have got it all wrong, and probably they are the ones packing Wikipedia with these absurd stories on human rights violations and so on. I hope Jimmy does something about this.

Vigilant · Unread post by **Vigilant** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 9:18 pm

Kelly Martin wrote:He's going to keep the money. No doubt about it.

Jimbo and his "attorney"...

Vigilant · Unread post by **Vigilant** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 9:33 pm

I rarely speak on posts like these, but I am severely disappointed that Jimmy accepted this award without and an immediate, strong, public condemnation of the human rights practices of the UAE. One million is little to pay to gain the publicity generated by being able to attract famous figures for an awards ceremony. The United Arab Emirates have at least 250,000 people working in conditions that amount to slavery. Not slavery thrown around in a Godwin manner, actual slavery. Jimbo: return the award, make a public renunciation of the human rights practices of the UAE, and distribute the money to a worthy charity or other cause. If you keep the money, you are directly benefitting from modern day slavery and from the deaths of many, many people. Kevin Gorman (talk) 04:25, 11 December 2014 (UTC)

I'm rapidly becoming too confused to remember which side to root for...

thekohser · Unread post by **thekohser** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 10:49 pm

When Jimbo says:

That's a completely uninformed nasty remark that bears no resemblance to the facts, and indicates such a total lack of knowledge of me and my character that I think you should really regret making it.

You know you hit the nail on the head.

Ross McPherson · Unread post by **Ross McPherson** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 3:30 am

Vigilant wrote:
...If you keep the money, you are directly benefitting from modern day slavery...Kevin Gorman (talk) 04:25, 11 December

Slavery in the UAE isn't modern. Wikipedia is its modern form.

Unread post by **HRIP7** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 9:15 am

Well, make a date in the calendar. Ask him in three months' time what he's done with the money. Ask every three months thereafter.

Of course, he may feel that spending the money on himself will already quite clearly aid the struggle against human rights abuses, since he is such a tireless champion of free speech.

tern · Unread post by **tern** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 11:03 am

This Mohammed Bin Rashid Foundation - I see it's a fancy name for UAE govt. No govt to complain to, then.

Good much-needed work the site page here against the fundraising scam.

Notvelty · Unread post by **Notvelty** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 1:12 pm

tern wrote:This Mohammed Bin Rashid Foundation - I see it's a fancy name for UAE govt. No govt to complain to, then.

Good much-needed work the site page here against the fundraising scam.

No government to complain to?

I just.. don't even..

Writegeist · Unread post by **Writegeist** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 7:02 pm

thekohser wrote:When Jimbo says:
That's a completely uninformed nasty remark that bears no resemblance to the facts, and indicates such a total lack of knowledge of me and my character that I think you should really regret making it.
You know you hit the nail on the head.

Translation from Jimbospeak with missing para restored:

That's a well-informed remark that bears an uncanny resemblance to the facts, and indicates such deep knowledge of me and my character that I think you should really be commended for the insight.

The team at Dodge, Spinnet & Lye have been working round the clock on strategies for me come out of this looking like an upstanding character whose intention all along was to do the right thing even though I took the UAE's money without using the occasion to publicly condemn human rights abusers in general and the UAE in particular, or to publicly announce the donation of the UAE's money to an organization that combats human rights abuse by the UAE.

Unread post by **Peter Damian** » Sat Dec 13, 2014 9:19 am

I have always been extremely outspoken on these issues and will continue to do so. I am thankful for some of the suggestions given in this thread (and less thankful for the nasty false assumptions and snide attitude from some). In particular, I plan to contact and meet with "the UK office of Emirates Centre for Human Rights," an organization that I had never heard of before just now. I'll be happy to get leads on other interesting organizations as well. […].-- Jimbo Wales (talk) 17:59, 11 December 2014 (UTC)

[…] one of the Government’s police and crime commissioners will this week speak on the same platform as a man who has justified the killing of British troops and called for democracy to be replaced by Sharia.

The Commons events — held in March and September — involving the group with links to Hamas were organised by the Emirates Centre for Human Rights (ECHR), which says it is a moderate campaign against rights abuses in the Gulf. However, part of its agenda appears to be anticipating the end of the regimes in the region.

The main speaker at the meeting was Christopher Davidson, author of a book about the “coming collapse of the Gulf monarchies”.

The ECHR is fronted by a young white British man, Rori Donaghy. It makes no mention on its website or in any other publicity of its close links with the Islamist Cordoba Foundation, described by the Prime Minister, David Cameron, as a “political front for the Muslim Brotherhood”.

However, The Telegraph has established that the ECHR’s website is registered to Malath Skahir, a former director of the Cordoba Foundation.

Mrs Shakir is the wife of Anas Altikriti, the current Cordoba Foundation chief executive and the key political lobbyist for the Muslim Brotherhood in Britain. Its agenda, discussing the collapse of existing regimes, has similarities with that of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Cordoba Foundation works closely with other British extremist groups which seek the creation of an Islamic dictatorship, or caliphate, in Europe.

The Adversary · Unread post by **The Adversary** » Sat Dec 13, 2014 9:40 am

Peter Damian wrote:
I have always been extremely outspoken on these issues and will continue to do so. I am thankful for some of the suggestions given in this thread (and less thankful for the nasty false assumptions and snide attitude from some). In particular, I plan to contact and meet with "the UK office of Emirates Centre for Human Rights," an organization that I had never heard of before just now. I'll be happy to get leads on other interesting organizations as well. […].-- Jimbo Wales (talk) 17:59, 11 December 2014 (UTC)

[…] one of the Government’s police and crime commissioners will this week speak on the same platform as a man who has justified the killing of British troops and called for democracy to be replaced by Sharia.

The Commons events — held in March and September — involving the group with links to Hamas were organised by the Emirates Centre for Human Rights (ECHR), which says it is a moderate campaign against rights abuses in the Gulf. However, part of its agenda appears to be anticipating the end of the regimes in the region.

The main speaker at the meeting was Christopher Davidson, author of a book about the “coming collapse of the Gulf monarchies”.

The ECHR is fronted by a young white British man, Rori Donaghy. It makes no mention on its website or in any other publicity of its close links with the Islamist Cordoba Foundation, described by the Prime Minister, David Cameron, as a “political front for the Muslim Brotherhood”.

However, The Telegraph has established that the ECHR’s website is registered to Malath Skahir, a former director of the Cordoba Foundation.

Mrs Shakir is the wife of Anas Altikriti, the current Cordoba Foundation chief executive and the key political lobbyist for the Muslim Brotherhood in Britain. Its agenda, discussing the collapse of existing regimes, has similarities with that of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Cordoba Foundation works closely with other British extremist groups which seek the creation of an Islamic dictatorship, or caliphate, in Europe.

Jimbo, the expert on the Middle East!

<edit>
Note to Jimbo: what about trying Amnesty instead; http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/uae

<edit2>
Link to the article:
Terror-link group met in parliament

Unread post by **HRIP7** » Sat Dec 13, 2014 4:03 pm

This press release from the World Economic Forum seems to be related:

http://www.weforum.org/news/global-agenda-council-launches-guide-good-government-and-trust-building

“The UAE government has embraced innovation and set high benchmarks in government efficiency and trust,” noted Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the organising committee for the Government Summit, Federal Government of the United Arab Emirates. “We are happy that the UAE Government Summit partnership with the Forum has led to a tangible and positive outcome as the Smart Toolbox, which takes trust in government as a unifying theme. It also highlights the role of UAE Government Summit as an international platform to enhance the future of the government administration around the world.”

[...]

The Future of Government Smart Toolbox focuses on eight key areas for improving government performance: anti-corruption, political representation, bureaucracy, delivery of services, trust, leadership, security and innovation. The Smart Toolbox also includes governance best practices from a number of countries, as well as case studies written by Council Members, including Abdulla Al Basti, Director-General, The Executive Office-Government of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Jimmy Wales, Founder and Chair Emeritus, Board of Trustees, Wikimedia Foundation, USA.

The World Economic Forum seems to be the preferred PR vector of oil-rich regimes. At any rate,

Launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, at the 2007 World Economic Forum in Jordan, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation aims to empower future generations to devise sustainable solutions that address challenges in the knowledge and research domains in the Arab world.

Poetlister · Unread post by **Poetlister** » Sat Dec 13, 2014 5:18 pm

The Adversary wrote:Note to Jimbo: what about trying Amnesty instead; http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/uae

I'm not saying Amnesty are wrong about the UAE, but Jimbo must know that they sometimes have weird ideas about other parts of the Middle East.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-dec ... za-report/

http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Confl ... mes-384086

Writegeist · Unread post by **Writegeist** » Sun Dec 14, 2014 1:38 am

The Jimbotalk thread congratulating him on his dirty money has become less sycophantic and more productive. Incisive comments from SB Johnny. Also the Amnesty suggestion. Coretheapple has said if it was him he'd take the money and run. (Full marks for honesty about his/her moral bankruptcy.) Wales said I was being obnoxious and told me "Go read WP:DICK", so I knew I was on the right path. And most significantly, under pressure, Wales at last publicly condemned the human rights abuses by his benefactor and undertook to use "[e]very penny of the money . . . to combat human rights abuses worldwide with a specific focus on the Middle East and with a specific focus on freedom of speech / access to knowledge issues." Yuppers, not one but two specific focuses. Will his brain explode? *

May the great multi-tasker be held to his wordit hasn't exactly been his bond in the past.

* Vigilant, I know you want to, but please don't post that gif, it really freaks me out

Unread post by **HRIP7** » Sun Dec 14, 2014 3:36 am

Writegeist wrote:The Jimbotalk thread congratulating him on his dirty money has become less sycophantic and more productive.

Here is an archive of that page, for posterity:

https://archive.today/i5yT5

The Adversary · Unread post by **The Adversary** » Sun Dec 14, 2014 9:32 am

Peter Damian wrote:
Why should the first result on Google return a page packed with violations of human rights, charges of Islamic Injustice and lurid accounts of the 'bust' when we are all here - labourer and CEO alike - because we're better off here? How is it that the UK article, for instance, doesn't outline every nasty killing, injustice or act of corporate malfeasance that takes place there but the UAE and Dubai ones do?link
Right, these whingers on Jimmy's talk page have got it all wrong, and probably they are the ones packing Wikipedia with these absurd stories on human rights violations and so on. I hope Jimmy does something about this.

Of course Jimmy is correct, seriously, have you looked into those irresponsible UAE protesters and their ridiculous demands?
Things like democratic reform leading to universal suffrage?

What a crazy idea!
PS. On the other hand; Jimmy isn´t the only sinner here. The ruler and his "junior wife" Princess Haya bint Al Hussein (T-H-L) ( a daughter of the late king Hussein of Jordan) ...and their whole entourage are regular visitors in the so called "Royal Box" at Ascot Racecourse (T-H-L) day. Picture. Funny what a little money can do.

Unread post by **Peter Damian** » Sun Dec 14, 2014 11:02 am

"Past connection to the Kazakh dictatorship" - total and utter and complete bullshit. I have no past connection of any kind to the Kazakh dictatorship.--Jimbo Wales (talk) 10:13, 14 December 2014 (UTC)

What I'm going to announce right now is unknown to anybody except a few people who looked at my slides before I put them up. I'm announcing today an annual award – probably annual, if I remember next year – and, ah, the title of the award is 'Global Wikipedian of the Year'. [applause] Given by me personally and my opinion, and later of course like everything that started out 'me personally and my opinion' will find a process in the future to have this be community organised. And this year, the winner is Rauan of Kazakh Wikipedia. So Rauan, if you can come down. Maybe it's too hard to come down – maybe he'll just stay there! So – I've been following the story of Kazakh Wikipedia, er, since, er Ting went to Kazakhstan, and he came back and he reported on something amazing that was happening there. And I started to get in touch with them, and I also I've been getting in touch with the government there. I've been talking to the Prime Minister there. [ …] I'm going in December and I'm going to give the award in the presence of the Prime Minister to Rauan, pending scheduling. Prime ministers are always hard to nail down, but they've agreed to the meeting, er, and I think that if we think about the things that they're doing, think about the things that I've talked about, I think that if we really try hard on this, instead of having sad puppies and sad kittens, we'll have happy puppies and kittens. Link