Alan Greenspan Deep-pocketed bidders battled Tuesday to win a coveted meeting with former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, one of a constellation of stars on offer in a charity auction. The website www.charitybuzz.com launched its latest auction to raise money for the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial, a non-profit group that provides funding to human-rights causes. Face-time with CNN talk-show host Larry King, comedian Robin Williams, movie legend Richard Gere and skateboard star Tony Hawk were also on offer to the highest bidder. A lunch with glamorous former CIA spy Valerie Plame and her husband Joseph Wilson was another attraction for those curious about two people center-stage of a scandal involving American government and Iraq war. Breakfast or tea with Greenspan and his wife, NBC correspondent Andrea Mitchell, carried an estimated value of 5,000 dollars. But that would be small change to any Wall Street type keen to get an insight into the thinking of a man who, despite retiring from the US central bank a year ago, still has the power to move markets. A warning from Greenspan that the United States could be struggling to stave off a recession later this year contributed to a rout on global stock markets in late February. Bidding on the charity auction ends on April 6.  點擊查看更多雙語新聞 (Reuters)

在本周二的一個慈善拍賣中，有錢人競相出價，以贏得與前任美聯儲主席阿蘭·格林斯潘等名人面對面的機會。 www.charitybuzz.com 慈善網站開展此項最新拍賣活動的目的是，為專向人權事業提供資金支持的非贏利組織肯尼迪紀念基金會籌款。 除格林斯潘外，出價最高者還可獲得與CNN脫口秀主持人拉里·金、喜劇演員羅賓·威廉姆斯、影壇傳奇人物李察·基爾和滑板之星托尼·霍克會面的機會。 與魅力十足的前美國中情局女特工瓦勒里·普萊姆和其丈夫約瑟夫·威爾森共進午餐也是此次拍賣的內容之一，這對那些想了解與兩人有關的涉及美國政府和伊拉克戰爭丑聞的人來說無疑又是一個誘惑。 若想與格林斯潘和他的夫人NBC記者安德里亞·米歇爾共進早餐或一起喝茶估計得花5000美元。 但這對于那些想從格林斯潘嘴里套點口風的金融界人士來說，這點花費不過是小菜一碟。雖然格林斯潘已從美聯儲退休一年，但他對世界金融市場的影響猶存。 不久前，格林斯潘預測美國經濟今年年末可能將面臨衰退，這引起了2月底全球股市的大跌。 此次慈善拍賣將持續至4月6日。 （ 英語點津姍姍編輯）