PAYING UP
How much would you shell out to dine with a world famous billionaire? Apparently, you practically need to be one yourself to share a meal with one. According to news reports, a record $650,100 was the top bid in an auction to break bread and bend the ear of billionaire Warren Buffett. That’s $30,000 more than last year’s winning bid.
The winner has yet to be identified but whoever he or she is spent quite a bit of time monitoring the eBay auction, which wrapped up Friday night. According to eBay officials, 72 offers were submitted by pre-qualified bidders. One of them, known as Bidder No. 3, offered $1,102,000 last Monday. But the bidder later retracted the astronomical bid. The explanation from eBay: “Entered wrong amount.” Bidder No. 3 later put up an offer of $107,500, but was outbid by someone willing to pay five times that amount.
The money raised by the auction will benefit the Glide Foundation, which provides social services to the poor and homeless in San Francisco. As for the winner he or she and seven of his or her closest pals with get to dine with Buffett at an upscale steakhouse in New York City. In addition to the $600,000 plus that the winning bidder is giving to Glide, the steakhouse’s owner also announced he would be donating $10,000 to the charity as well.
Buffett’s decision to auction off his time to dine with complete strangers is nothing new for the billionaire; he’s been doing similar auctions since 2000. What’s more, raising money for charitable foundations is near and dear to his heart. You’ll recall last June Buffett announced he plans to give away the majority of his nearly $50 billion fortune over time, with the largest share going to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
As for this eBay item, according to executives at the online auction site, the meal with Buffett now ranks as the second most expensive charity item ever sold. The most expensive was a Harley Davidson motorcycle autographed by celebrities that Jay Leno offered in 2005 for tsunami relief. It brought in $800,100.
TEEING UP
You really, really like Sally Field and Sally Field really, really likes… golf.
The Academy Award-winning actress says she is tired of just watching others tee up and is now getting into the swing of things herself. This weekend, instead of merely watching the U.S. Women’s Open from the gallery, the “Brothers and Sisters” star tried playing. In front a swarm of paparazzi, Field took her first lesson on a practice hole at Pine Needles with renowned teacher and former LPGA star Peggy Kirk Bell.
On why the actress decided chasing after a little white ball was something she wanted to pursue, Field told reporters: “I would go to all these locations and think … why don’t I play golf? People walk around and enjoy God, God’s gifts, the trees, so I think I’ve always thought I should have that in my life.”
But Field didn’t just show up at the Open to get tips on her swing, she was also there to promote awareness of women’s health issues, including osteoporosis, the disease of progressive bone loss that affects millions of Americans, including Field who was diagnosed with it last year.
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