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She asked 50 strangers to figure out how she should spend her $27 million inheritance. Here’s what they came up with.
Last year, heiress Marlene Engelhorn presented a question to her fellow Austrians: “How should I spend my 25 million euro inheritance?” Engelhorn, who comes from a European business dynasty, said she would choose 50 strangers from different demographics to brainstorm ways for her to use her money – and now, their spending plan has been released.
Englehorn sent invitations to 10,000 randomly-selected Austrians, asking them to complete a survey. She narrowed the survey participants to 50 council members and tasked them with distributing 25 million euros — more than $27 million — to those who need it, since Austria doesn’t impose taxes on wealth and inheritance.
The diverse council included people from different ages, incomes, education levels and even attitudes on wealth distribution. They were moderated by a team of eight and were also advised by academics and experts.
After meeting over six weekends, the team of 50 people, called “Guter Rat” or Good Council, decided to distribute the inheritance to 77 initiatives, including Tax Justice Network, Attac Austria, the Momentum Institute and the World Inequality Lab.
They decided to use the money to fight against poverty-related illness as well as protect women from violence. “Poor makes you sick and sick makes you poor,” said council member Dietmar Feurstein, quoting from the council’s deliberations.
They are donating some of Englehorn’s inheritance to women’s shelters, the deaf association and inclusive soccer clubs.
Another area of focus – housing, integration and education – was brought to the table by 17-year-old council member Kyrillos Gadall. They chose to donate to organizations that work to obtain affordable housing for those in need.
They also wanted to focus on migrants and refugees by supporting language and other educational courses as well as organizations that advocate for better access to health care and working conditions.
“In summary, the result is as diverse as the council itself,” said project manager Alexandra Wang. “Initiatives that directly support those affected or tackle the causes of the problem were supported. Both small and large organizations were considered, as well as young initiatives and long-established organizations.”
She said all the decisions had one thing in common: “They want a fairer society. They want everyone to live well together. And they want to support those who are discriminated against.”
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McDonald’s investing $100 million to lure customers back to the fast food giant after E. coli outbreak
McDonald’s is investing $100 million to bring customers back to stores after an outbreak of E. coli food poisoning tied to onions on the fast-food giant’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers.
The investments include $65 million that will go directly to the hardest-hit franchises, the company said.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that slivered onions on the Quarter Pounders were the likely source of the E. coli. Taylor Farms in California recalled onions potentially linked to the outbreak.
The E. coli outbreak has sickened 104 people in 14 states, federal health officials said in an update on Wednesday.
At least 34 people have been hospitalized, and four developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious condition that can cause kidney failure. An 88-year-old man who resided in Grand Junction, Colorado, died, as previously reported. The illnesses began at the end of September, and the most recent onset of illness occurred as of Oct. 21, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The Food and Drug Administration has said that “there does not appear to be a continued food safety concern related to this outbreak at McDonald’s restaurants.”
However, the outbreak hurt the company’s sales.
Quarter Pounders were removed from menus in several states in the early days of the outbreak.
In a statement Wednesday obtained by CBS News, McDonald’s said it had found an “alternate supplier” for the approximately 900 restaurants that had temporarily stopped serving Quarter Pounders with slivered onions.
“Over the past week, these restaurants resumed the sale of Quarter Pounder burgers with slivered onions,” McDonald’s said.
CBS News reached out to McDonald’s on Saturday for a statement regarding the reported investment.
Health officials said Saturday they have confirmed the first U.S. case of a new form of mpox that was first seen in eastern Congo.
The person had traveled to eastern Africa and was treated in Northern California upon return, according to the California Department of Public Health. Symptoms are improving and the risk to the public is low.
Mpox is a rare disease caused by infection with a virus that’s in the same family as the one that causes smallpox. It is endemic in parts of Africa, where people have been infected through bites from rodents or small animals.
Earlier this year, scientists reported the emergence of a new form of mpox in Africa that was spread through close contact including through sex.
More than 3,100 confirmed cases have been reported just since late September, according to the World Health Organization. The vast majority of them have been in three African countries – Burundi, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Since then, cases of travelers with the new mpox form have been reported in Germany, India, Kenya, Sweden, Thailand, Zimbabwe, and the United Kingdom.
Health officials earlier this month said the situation in Congo appears to be stabilizing. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated Congo needs at least 3 million mpox vaccines to stop the spread, and another 7 million vaccines for the rest of Africa.
The current outbreak is different from the 2022 global outbreak of mpox where gay and bisexual men made up the vast majority of cases.
