Recently, the Valve team flew in two leading members of the L4D2 Boycott movement to their headquarters, just to prove that they really are changing things up (to which the other members labeled them traitors, because they're too blind to realize they're wrong even when they're bluntly told by their own). A teen who frequently jokes around with Gabe Newell wrote a humorous letter, feigning anger about not being flown in, too. Newell returned his gesture with another humorous move, boycotting his mod and "demanding" to be flown along with his producer Erik Johnson to Australia, if the guy wanted his mod previewed by them. In less than a week, he raised the money to do exactly that, a little over $3,000 dollars in total.
http://kotaku.com/5358299/fly-gabe-newell-raises-3000
The modder has also stated that if Gabe decides not to go, it will all be given to charity. This poses quite the condurum. Will Gabe go on the trip, and be called a heartless bastard for not giving the money to charity? Or will he let it be given to charity, and all the people who raised that money specifically for that purpose will be ticked off?

I was going to donate to that L4D modder's fly Gabe Newell fund, until I realized this meant I was paying for his free holiday to Australia. And I've never been to Australia.

CAn you imagine paying for his extra double XXX sized hotel apparel? :D

:D Can you imagine paying for his special cargo-grade transport on the plane??? : D

+1.

Personally I find the whole situation very pathetic.
Now the only real decent way out of it is for Valve to fly that guy to the US (even though as far as I'm concerned, he doesn't deserve to be flown to the US) at their expense, and see the rasied money donated to charity with an equivalent amount donated to the same charity by Valve.
But seriously, flying some whiny little twats out to Valve because they are "boycotting" a game that hasn't even been released yet, is pathetic and has lead to this even more pathetic situation. What a huge waste of money. (Which could be better spent on improving the Steam support for one thing).

Why $3000? That's standard fee for borrowing US Army's AC-130 Hercules? (I doubt another airplane could carry him there)

Technically, Gabe could get away with it by going to Australia while paying for the expenses himself, then encouraging the guy to give the accumulated money to charity.

Well, this all is just great buzz for both Valve's L4D 2 and the australian guy's mod, and some charity money too, which in the end is good. The 2 prominent members of the L4D 2 boycott are certainly going to be on the wrong side of the boycott's group though.
BTW, thank you michaelleung for the +1, now I have 2 stars, finally whoope!!!