骨 文公司(Oracle Corp.)创始人、亿万富翁埃利森(Larry Ellison)将和电影导演卢卡斯(George Lucas)及其他38位富豪一道，响应巴菲特(Warren Buffett)和比尔•盖茨夫妇(Bill and Melinda Gates)的呼吁，许诺将他们的大部分财产捐给慈善机构。
巴菲特周三宣布，美国最富有的40个家庭和个人已经签署“捐赠誓言”，这当中包括花旗集团(Citigroup Inc.)前董事长韦尔(Sandy Weill)和酒店业巨头希尔顿(Barron Hilton)。
巴菲特和盖茨曾在6月份时呼吁这些个人和家庭公开承诺在自己的有生之年或离世后捐出至少一半财富。
捐赠誓言发起于巴菲特盖茨二人在过去一年间为全美亿万富豪举行的一系列晚宴，他们在晚宴上探讨了衰退给慈善活动带来的影响。
巴菲特和盖茨夫妇的举动使曾经是许多有钱人私人问题的事宜如今进入了公众视野。许多加入了该捐赠活动的人此前就已经打算捐出自己的大部分财富。
巴菲特在一次采访中说，虽然这一号召富人作出承诺的呼吁短期内也许能带来更多的捐赠，但主要目标在于树立一个长期性的榜样，让其他人也加入到慈善中来。
巴菲特说，原先的这类行为一定会对今后的此类行为产生影响，尤其是如果这些人在社会上受到一定程度的敬仰的话。他说，如果卡耐基(Carnegie)和洛克菲勒(Rockefeller)当初没有那么做，今天美国可能就不会有那么多慈善了。
巴菲特说，他和盖茨在接下来的几个月将与中国和印度的富人会面，讨论捐赠承诺。他们希望在美国之外争取到更多的人参与进来。
出现在周三这份名单上的一些签署人让人感到意外。软件业巨子埃利森便是以前就曾做慈善、但从未如此公开表达自己捐赠意愿的其中一人。
埃利森说，他已将几乎所有财产放入到一个信托基金，愿将至少95%捐给慈善事业，并且已向医学研究和教育机构赠予了数百万美元。
电影《星球大战》的导演卢卡斯在见于“捐赠誓言”网站上的信里说，他捐出自己的大部分财富，用于发展教育。他写道，这是人类得以生存的关键。
旧金山对冲基金Farallon Capital Management LLC的创始人斯蒂尔(Tom Steyer)接受采访时说，他和妻子曾打算捐出自己的财产，但在巴菲特打来电话后他们决定将这一计划公诸于众。
包括纽约市长布隆博格(Michael Bloomberg)和石油大亨皮肯斯(T. Boone Pickens)在内的其他亿万富豪也出现在这份名单上。他们此前已经表达过将捐出大部分财产的计划，但他们说人们对这一计划的关注将来会鼓励其他人效仿。
Billionaire Oracle Corp. founder Larry Ellison will join film director George Lucas and 38 other mega-wealthy people in following a call by Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates to pledge to give the majority of their riches to charity.
On Wednesday, Mr. Buffett announced that 40 of America's wealthiest individuals and families, from former Citigroup Inc. leader Sandy Weill to hotel mogul Barron Hilton, have signed the 'Giving Pledge.'
Mr. Buffett and Mr. Gates in June had asked the individuals and families to publicly commit to give away at least half of their wealth within their lifetimes or after their deaths.
The pledge stemmed from a series of dinners the two men held for the nation's billionaires over the past year to discuss the effects of the recession on philanthropy.
The push by Mr. Buffett and Mr. and Ms. Gates is publicizing what had been a private matter for many wealthy people. Many of those who joined the pledge already had intended to give away much of their money.
In an interview, Mr. Buffett said that while the pledge push might produce a short-term boost in giving, the main goal is to set an example over the long term for others to get involved in philanthropy.
'The behavior of those before does affect what happens with those after, particularly if those people are somewhat admired in society,' Mr. Buffett said. 'If Carnegie and Rockefeller hadn't done what they'd done, there'd be less philanthropy in the United States today.'
Mr. Buffett said he and Mr. Gates in coming months will meet with wealthy individuals in China and India to talk about the pledge in the hopes of adding more names from outside the U.S.
Some signatories on the list Wednesday came as a surprise. Mr. Ellison, the software mogul, is among those who had been involved in philanthropy but hadn't stated their intentions so publicly.
Mr. Ellison said he has put virtually all his assets into a trust with the intention of giving away at least 95% to charitable causes and has already given hundreds of millions of dollars to medical research and education.
Mr. Lucas, creator of the 'Star Wars' franchise, said he was 'dedicating the majority of my wealth to improving education' in a pledge letter on the Giving Pledge website. 'It is the key to the survival of the human race,' he wrote.
In an interview, Tom Steyer, founder of hedge fund Farallon Capital Management LLC in San Francisco, said he and his wife had planned to give away their wealth but decided to go public after Mr. Buffett called.
Other billionaires on the list, including New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens, had previously stated their plans to give away the majority of their wealth but said calling attention to their plans will encourage others to follow suit.