June 16, 2006, 10 a.m.: 6000 people have been infected by HIV since 12 a.m. that same day. While Mason students were happily celebrating another year completed, some may have missed one of the big headlines of the day – Bill Gates quit his job. To us, this is of no importance. He will simply continue being the wealthiest man alive, just unemployed. But to AIDS victims in Africa and poverty stricken people across the globe, the retirement of Bill Gates will have a bigger impact than it does for us. In 2000 Gates and his wife Melinda officially established the Bill and Melinda Gates Fund. This foundation dedicates itself to helping HIV/AIDS victims, provides scholarships for underprivileged students and much more. After his retirement from Microsoft, Gates plans on using most of his time, money, and power to help people afflicted by poverty and disease – and see to it that these people continue to receive care and aid.

June 16, 2006, 11 a.m.:  6600 people have been infected by HIV since 12 a.m. that same day. A Mason student rises to order a Frappucino. In the three minutes it takes the barista to get the drink to the customer 24 people will have died from AIDS. But while waiting in the cramped Falls Church Starbucks, three minutes can seem endless. Flipping through this month’s issue of TeenPeople seems like a good way to bide the time. This month’s issue featured an article on Haylie Duff getting a spa treatment near her pool, and pictures to prove it! Spa treatments usually cost $115 or more, and Duff was definitely paying more than $115.  The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has donated $100 million to help children suffering from AIDS. Paris Hilton, Haylie Duff and other Hollywood stars have paid prices similar to that merely to save their faces.

So yes, through this article I am sarcastically and obnoxiously attempting to persuade you to do something about the AIDS epidemic and other unfortunate problems that occur in the world. “But I’m not Bill Gates!” you may cry out in desperation. “I don’t have $100 million burning in my back pocket, I don’t have the power to change things!” Oh, but you do; we all do. Any charitable acts, however small – a donation, a protest, a bake sale anything can help save these people. You may not have the money or influence that Bill Gates does, but this summer do not forget about those in the world less fortunate than you. It took me approximately one hour to write this article. During that time 60 people have been infected by HIV, and 30 people have died. You can decide whether I made a difference or not. 

http://www.until.org/statistics.shtml