• Clinton's conference in Hong Kong results in pledges to charities worth $185 million.  [Associated Press]

• Harvard University says its endowment has dropped $8 billion in the last four months.  [Associated Press]

• The rising cost of college threatens to put higher education out of reach for most Americans, according to a new report.  [New York Times]

• JPMorgan Chase will match Washington Mutual's 2008 level of corporate philanthropy in Washington state in the coming year.  [Seattle Post-Intelligencer]

• Despite a drop in assets, the Weinberg Foundation distributes a record $100 million in grants to nonprofits.  [Baltimore Sun]

• A new group of philanthropists are more hands-on and globally aware than their parents were.  [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

• Philip J. Smith is named chairman of the Shubert Organization and the Shubert Foundation, replacing his longtime friend Gerald Schoenfeld, who died last week.  [New York Times]

• Bill Clinton agrees to disclose the names of more than 200,000 donors to his foundation as part of an agreement with Barack Obama that clears Hillary Clinton to become secretary of state.  [New York Times]

• Companies like Alfred Kärcher are increasingly using equipment and expertise in their corporate philanthropy programs.  [New York Times] 

• The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine is rededicated on Sunday, seven years after a smoky fire blackened its vast interior.  [New York Times]

Every Clinton Global Initiative - and this is my third - has a bit star power, outside of politics and finance. Last year, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were two of the big names. This year, we've Bono, Michael Douglas, Lance Armstrong and Matt Damon. What works with celebrity causes, in my experience, is a combination of knowledge and passion.

A few minutes ago I saw both in action during a press conference about the $450 commitment for international in-school feeding and school-based deworming announced by the United Nations World Food Programme - and its global ambassador, actress Drew Barrymore.

Barrymore told the story of reading about starving children in the developing work in the New York Times one morning a couple of years ago and being moved to tears. "I called the UN and said my name is Drew Barrymore, how can I help." She talked about remaining quiet for two years before taking a role as a public ambassador for the WFP.

"As you get older in this world, as you get to know yourself, your priorities change and you want to make a difference," she said. "I found my beautiful soul calling in the WFP...I said this is for me. This is my cause."

The private sector commitment to school meals included a five-year, $80-million cash pledge from YUM! Brands to WFP and other hunger-related organizations. The commitment will allow WFP to provide meals to hundreds of thousands of children in school. The press conference included WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran, World Bank President Bob Zoellick,  and YUM! Brands CEO David Novak.

And it also included musician Wyclef Jean, who pleaded for more support for his native Haiti, ravaged by four massive storms. Jean started the Yéle Haiti foundation three years ago to provide scholarship aid to Haitian children, and the foundation is now a WFP partner in providing aid. As Jean said, "please keep Haiti in your thoughts because there are still people on rooftops and children are dying of disease."

Passion and knowledge. But also a little fun. As the press conference rapped up, Jean turned to Barrymore with a big smile. "I'm a fan of yours - please shake my hand so I can be on YouTube."

Though we're penned in stage far (very far) left in the big Sheraton ballroom upstairs, down here in the media room the digital correspondents at CGI have all they need to bring online readers timely updates on the proceedings - plenty of coffee and water, four video screens to cover all the action, a briefing room for the occasional press conference and blazing wifi. This is where the writing gets done, and there are as many viewpoints as there are bloggers down here. So I thought I'd share a few voices and ideas from this cookie-grabbing, handler-grousing corps of laptop-straining commentators.

Dave Johnson is blogging for the Skoll Foundation's SocialEdge site and he posted a great backgrounder on just what CGI is, who attends, and what the organization hopes to accomplish. Here's an excerpt:

The way the Clinton Global Initiative is structured is designed to bring together world leaders, business leaders, leaders of NGOs and philanthropists in an environment that encourages action.  The conference is held in New York at the same time as the UN General assembly, which means many world leaders are in town.  Clinton uses his prestige to get many of those leaders to come to the conference, which is then a draw to attract major business leaders and philanthropists. These people pay a significant sum to attend and spend three days in the presence of Bill Clinton and ... each other.

The conference theme is commitment.  On top of the significant fee everyone who attends is asked to make a commitment for the following year, and to get it done.  If they do not make good on their commitment they are not invited back which in this crowd can be a big deal. Status is very much in use as a motivator in the "getting things done" structure of this effort.

Allison Fine, author of Momentum and the recent Case Foundation paper on Social Citizens, adds to that overview on her blog:

The CGI brings all of these pieces together to provide large investments in infrastructure and urgent needs in developing countries.  It is astonishing to see the size of the commitments - similar in size to the economies of the countries themselves - as President Clinton recited over the past four years of $30 billion affecting 215 millino people in tens of countries. In additon, the microphilanthropy segment of CGI has raised $4 million, generated 400,000 hours of volunteer time and donated 4 million items to causes.

Nancy Scola, of the excellent wired politics site techPresident, has a great post on some of the dynamics at play at CGI:

Bill Clinton's model for making progress is to prove success, then replicate it. The holy grail of CGI is simply "a measurable result that can then be modeled in other places." This high-flying former president seems entirely weary of the political hot air that blows at lesser atmospheric levels. But he eats up stuff like what happened this morning, when the Nike Foundation joined Johnson-Sirleaf to present a $5 million check for the Adolescent Girls Initiative, a discrete 3-year project to teach technical skills to Liberian women between 16 and 24.

What's striking to me about CGI is, for lacking a better way of putting it, forcefully applying business-world metrics to philanthropic space. In a "blogger session" Clinton held on Monday night, it was made clear that he has little appetite for save-the-world namby-pambiness. He wants results. CGI attendees are expected to detail exactly what they're going to do back home. And, Clinton says, anyone who doesn't live up to their commitment won't be getting one of the coveted tickets to next year's summit.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy is also here, and Ian Wilhelm has been fiing reports - here's his take on the Clinton-Gates discussion from yesterday evening:

In an Oprah-style setting, the former president peppered the technology tycoon with questions about philanthropy, AIDS, and the current economic environment.

Given the financial crisis, Mr. Gates said to get more rich people to give money to charity, “we have to show them it’s fun and there’s impact.”

And despite the stock-market volatility, he said that smart corporations realize that charitable programs will help build future business opportunities in the developing world and help recruit talented people out of college.

There are also a bunch of bloggers using Twitter, the short messaging service, especially during the big plenary sessions and to exchange rumors and sometimes snarky comments (no, I'm not immune) - you can follow my Twitter stream here or use this page to track the #cgi08 hash tag and enjoy a fascinating stream of discussion from inside the Sheraton.

Speaking via occasionally glitchy satellite feed to the audience of world leaders, philanthropists, and tycoons at the Clinton Global Initiative, Democratic nominee Barack Obama called for a bi-partisan solution to the looming financial market crisis and - in a clever CGI-style nod to the high-powered host and husband of his former rival - made several commitments to solve global problems with American resources if he's elected president.

On the market crisis, Senator Obama's position was remarkably close to that of Senator John McCain, his Republican opponent whose in-person speech preceded his by less than an hour:

First, we need to set up an independent board, selected by Democrats and Republicans, to provide oversight and accountability for how and where this money is spent at every step of the way.

Second, if American taxpayers finance this solution, they should be treated like investors. That means Wall Street and Washington should give every penny of taxpayers’ money back once this economy recovers.

Third, we cannot and will not simply bailout Wall Street without helping the millions of innocent homeowners who are struggling to stay in their homes. They deserve a plan too.

Finally – and this is important – the American people should not be spending one dime to reward the same Wall Street CEOs whose greed and irresponsibility got us into this mess.

Like McCain, Obama said he was heading to Washington at President Bush's invitation to work on the bailout deal. Of course, their joint appearance at CGI contained plenty of political theater - for one, Senator McCain brought along his vice-presidential nominee, Governor Sarah Palin. For another, President Clinton hewed to a deliberately non-partisan line in his introductions, leading into both speeches with personal anecdotes and some degree of praise over policy.

However, he was clearly more fulsome in his introduction of Senator Obama, who he supports in the presidential race. He recounted meeting with the candidate at his Harlem office on September 11th and Obama's refusal to do any street campaigning that day. And he praised the quality of his talk with Obama on policy.

"Eighty percent of the conversation had nothing to do with politics and everything to do with the responsibilities of the next president for the welfare of the American people and the future of the world," said President Clinton.

Senator Obama constructed the wider policy portion of his remarks in the language of CGI: "Since CGI is about deeds, not just words, let me tell you about four specific commitments that I will make on four issues that CGI has focused on – climate change, poverty, education, and health – if I have the opportunity to serve as President of the United States," he said.

Like Senator McCain, he owed to eradicate malaria and he talked about the security and economic benefits of investment in alternative energy. And those four commitment areas - backed by his promise to pursue them as President, the closest he got to campaigning - also mirrored the themes at CGI:

"Climate change. Poverty. Extremism. Disease. These problems offend our common humanity. They also threaten our common security. You know this. The question is what we do about it."

Sen. John McCain was the opening speaker in the first session of CGI today, formally stating his suspension of his presidential campaign in the face of the financial crisis, and tying the themes of security, energy and climate change together.

McCain was introduced by President Clinton, who pointed out McCain's early efforts to become educated on the issue of global warming, by taking a fact-finding trip with "the junior Senator from New York, with whom I have a passing acquaintance."  Before a crowded ballroom which included McCain's wife, Cindy, and running mate Gov. Sarah Palin, Clinton described their travels to Alaska and the world's northernmost town, in Norway, where signs warn of polar bears in the environs.

McCain called on both political parties to work together for the common good, to tackle the problems of climate change caused by fossil fuel.. 

He also called for, over time, switching entirely to sustainable sources of clean energy.  "For the future of our economy, nothing is more essential than a secure and affordable supply of energy. We must put the power of the markets on the side of environmental protection."

McCain laid out five conditions under which he would favor approval of the proposed Wall Street bailout package being considered in Washington:

first, greater accountability, by a bi-partisan board. " We won't solve the problems cause by poor oversight by having no oversight.

second, a pathway for taxpayers to recover the funds that are laid out, not to have them disappear "down a black hole."

third, transparency in review of the legislation: "This can not be thrown together behind closed doors."

fourth, no earmarks, and

fifth, no Wall Street executives should profit from taxpayers/ money "I'd rather build a bridge to nowhere and plant it square in the middle of Sedona, Arizona than to line the pockets of the Wall Street crowd that got us here in the first place."

Moving from the current crisis on Wall Street to the themes that brought the Clinton Global Initiative into being, he spoke to global security. "Today too many around the world are excluded from the benefits of globalization. Disconnected from the prosperity that has lifted millions out of poverty, too many societies are plagued by violence, disease, and scarcity.

It need not be this way. And in places where scarcity can breed resentment, despair, and extremism — where problems cannot be contained by borders — it must not be this way. We can never guarantee our security through military means alone. True security requires a far broader approach, using non-military means to reduce threats before they gather strength."

When Bill Clinton and Bill Gates get together for a conversation, what do you suppose they talk about? When they did so this afternoon before an audience at the Clinton Global Initiative, the word that cropped up most often was “fun.” For both men, concentrating on philanthropy after reaching what had been their ultimate career goal – for Clinton, two terms as President of the United States; for Gates, making billions of dollars creating and running Microsoft - has evidently been more than ennobling. It has been a source of enjoyment, satisfaction…no, the word is fun.

To be honest, they are dealing in deadly serious subjects: reducing deaths from AIDS, malaria, measles and other causes of high infant mortality, particularly in Africa. Gates spoke about the Millennium Development Goals, which have been discussed this week at the UN amid a mixed record of progress. On infant mortality, he was able to point out, it had been reduced by half between 1990 and 2005: from 20 million to 10 million deaths. “Much of that is due to vaccinations,” Gates said. “The measles vaccine was a big part of it.”

Clinton, too, drew satisfaction from the growth in the number of AIDS patients receiving medicine in the wake of his foundation’s work, “from 200,000 to 3 million.” He noted that prices had been cut in 69 countries for AIDS medications, and “now the global price has collapsed – I was trying to work myself out of a job.”

Both men agreed that the challenge in fighting AIDS in developing countries is not only the price of drugs, but the absence of effective health systems to deliver care. Clinton turned to the challenges of giving money away effectively. He recalled an event he and Hillary Clinton had hosted at the White House nine years ago, centered around philanthropy, when Gates had stated that it might be harder to give money away than to earn it. He asked Gates how he went about deciding which projects to fund. Leaders of hundreds of NGOs in the audience leaned forward to hear Gates describe how his foundation selected its grantees.

Gates alluded to the confidence he had that it was fine to make mistakes in philanthropy, so long as lessons were learned. In seeking a malaria vaccine, for example, he had to be willing to try 6 vaccines in order to increase the probability that they’d develop one that worked. That type of risk would not be tolerated in government-funded research, he pointed out, which is why government could not be as effective.

In choosing which causes to support, he declared, a foundation should focus on a narrow set of things, and try to support them at a deeper and longer term level than if it spread its philanthropy too far and wide.

In the largest commitment of CGI, $5 billion has been earmarked to bring 3,500 megawatts of electricity to nearly 10 million people with the development in green energy assets over five years, primarily in India and China. Tulsi Tanti, the founder of Suzlon Green Power, a closely held enterprise owned by India’s Tanti family, made the announcement a few minutes ago in a press conference.

“The urgent global need for clean energy compelled me to dramatically expand my family’s business holdings,” said Tulsi R. Tanti, who is best known as the founder of the wind-turbine company, Suzlon Energy Ltd., based in India. “Our flagship business Suzlon Energy continues to focus on developing wind power solutions, offering wind turbines to the global market.  On the other hand, we now commit to developing and owning green power assets through Suzlon Green Power, which will bring energy where it is needed most. Suzlon Green Power’s business model will offer us an asset-based long term annuity income while mitigating the twin challenges of global warming and climate change. It also adds greater vertical integration to our holdings, building the value of our businesses in the long-term.”

According to the announcement, Tanti’s efforts are global, with a majority of Suzlon Green Power’s projects to be located in India and China, two areas with burgeoning energy needs. The company’s commitment also will foster sustainable development and a cleaner, better future for our children by stimulating socio-economic change through job-creation and improved infrastructure. It will bring more electricity where it is desperately needed in developing regions, and help move those regions toward energy security. The commitment also will help several countries meet the requirements of the Kyoto protocol.

A few other commitments:

• The Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation announced a commitment to finance emerging affordable private schools in Kenya and India. In partnership with NewGlobe Schools, Gray Ghost Ventures, and The Kellogg Foundation, the Bank is part of an $8 million commitment to develop schools in these regions, ultimately providing millions of children with high quality education.
• Kiva.org, the person-to-person micro-lending website (which I profile in CauseWired), has received a donation of in-kind resources from Ernst & Young, the global professional services organization. As part of its commitment to entrepreneurship and corporate responsibility, Ernst & Young will mobilize its skilled professionals around the world to assist Kiva.org in increasing the transparency of its micro-lending process.
• The Center for Financial Inclusion at ACCION International announced a 'Campaign for Client Protection in Microfinance"  -a broad-based initiative to unite microfinance providers in commitment to the campaign standards for the appropriate treatment of low-income clients. Founding partners of the Campaign include Al Amana (Morocco), CGAP, Compartamos Banco (Mexico), Deutsche Bank, Freedom from Hunger, Grameen Foundation, Opportunity International, Pro Mujer and Women's World Banking. Designed to maintain and extend the microfinance industry's dedication to the welfare of its clients in a period of rapid growth, the campaign will promote a Microbanker's Oath, akin to the Hippocratic Oath, articulating six core principles

In the opening plenary session of this year's CGI, former President Bill Clinton had a couple of opportunities to remark on some of the underlying philosophies that play into his brokering of a historic number of commitments. "This is a big deal," he said of the importance of collaboration, in a phrase he's likely to repeat throughout the next few days. Announcing one of the first commitments, a $15 million collaboration between the Novo Foundation and the government of Liberia that will involve several donor investors, he underscored the value of coordination. Speaking to donors, he cautioned that "if you don't coordinate, you won't spend money as effectively, and undermine your investments." Instead, he urged, investments should leverage NGO's and "harmonize their effectiveness."

Clinton underscored another favorite point when introducing Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Lance Armstrong to talk about their commitment to use Armstrong's return to cycling to raise awareness of cancer prevention. Acknowledging that there are, unfortunately, many true victims of major disasters, such as hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes and other catastrophes the world has experienced in the past year, he made the point that "it's better if the smallest possible number of those people think of themselves as victims. A large part of what we do is to empower people to change their circumstances, to seize their own destiny." Pointing to Lance Armstrong, who won  seven Tours de France after facing the challenge of cancer, Clinton said, "he's a walking advertisement that it works."

A strong underlying concept Clinton frequently asserts is the effect of educating young women, especially in countries emerging from conflict, "the Girl Effect." He pointed out that one of the key factors that can impact global warming is population growth, but efforts to control that growth run into moral, religious and cultural debates. The one path that avoids those issues is education of young women, so that girls have the opportunity to learn and to earn a living. A commitment announced by the Nike Foundation, the World Bank and the government of Liberia will provide $5 million over 3 years for this country of  3.4 million people to train young women for specific jobs. "You will see a breathtaking increase," he said, "in all the positive sociological indicators" in Liberia as a result.

Clinton used that example to make another point which he has often stressed to the donor community, that by creating successful models in small populations, with measurable results, these results can then be replicated in larger areas."This is important in Liberia," he said, "but we need it everywhere."

Al Gore may have won the Nobel Prize for Peace, but he sounds like a man who's mad as hell and he's not going to take it any more. In this morning's opening plenary session of the Clinton Global Initiative, he addressed this comment to "the young people out there: It's time for civil disobedience to prevent the construction of new coal plants that do not have CO2 sequestration." Gore's impatience with "carbon companies" who spend money convincing the stockbuying public that the risk of global warming is not that great - through "phony think tanks" - led him to accuse them of a form of stock fraud. Emphasizing that point, he called upon state Attorneys General to take action. He also compared the "illusion" that global warning could be ignored to the illusion that sub-prime mortgages were not risky, with the economic catastrophe on the horizon as a result.

He also decried as "utter insanity" a proposal expected to pass Congress today "without debate" to lift a moratorium on development of oil shale, which would increase the amount of CO2 emissions in gasoline. "The carbon lobby," he said, "is overwhelming free debate."

Embarking on a risky phraseology that may remind listeners of the oft-repeated charge that he'd claimed to have invented the Internet, Gore called for a major commitment to create an Electranet, uniting the Texas, Eastern and Western grids of the United States. He cited the cost to American businesses of $120 billion a year due to the failures of the current grid.

Looking to solutions that can not only impact climate change but support human development, Gore cited Darfur, "which has more sunlight on it than anywhere else on earth," and called for solar electric plants to be built there, and connected by crossing the Straits of Gibraltar, Mediterranean Sea and the Balkans to a supergrid. By making a one-off investment, he proposed, the old, dirty, damaging forms of energy could be replaced with free resources: sun, wind and geothermal energy. "If we can knit together a global solution," he said, "we can also stimulate the economy."

Former President Bill Clinton, moderating this panel as an opening to CGI 2008, underscored the many places in the US he'd visited "on a recent tour," where powerful wind energy was going to waste, unharnessed. He asked Gore if the infrastructure to make use of such natural energy resources could be put in place within 2 years. Gore replied that he was not sure, but thought a goal of converting to carbon-neutral, renewable energy in 10 years could and should be achieved.

UPDATE: Some other takes on the Goracle:

• Roy Edroso at the Village Voice
• Jake Brewer
• Dave Johnson