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Person of the Year for 2005 - Bono, Melinda Gates & Bill Gates |
Time
magazine has released what it considers
to be the "Person of the Year"
for 2005, or more accurately, the people
of the year for 2005. This year it is the
"good Samaritans" that have stole
the spotlight, with Bono
the Irish pop singer of the U2 group, Bill
Gates of Microsoft, and his wife
Melinda Gates being chosen for their
charitable works.
They're an unlikely combination to be given
the honor of "person of the year"
from the Time magazine, with the world's
richest man Bill Gates often appearing in
the news for his ruthless business actions,
and Bono heading one of the most famous
pop/rock bands in the world. But it's not
their talent in selling software or CDs
that is being recognized, it is their commitment
to changing the world and trying to make
it a better place for everyone.
When Bono is not strutting his stuff on
stage with the pop group U2 or releasing
best selling CDs he is fighting against
world poverty. He is a passionate activist
and has done much for increasing public
awareness of the daily injustices and poverty
throughout countries like Africa. Bono cofounded
the DATA
organization (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa)
in 2002 with an aim to increase the awareness
of and inspire others to take action against
poverty and the AIDS crisis in Africa. It's
a strange combination of pop fame and philanthropic
activism that Bono seems to meld with ease.
"It's tricky if you're recording
a vocal to get called out because there's
a finance minister on the phone. It's hard
explaining that to the rest of the band.
I've got to be careful because music is
what's given me the license, and I have
to serve it. I have crossed that line and
gone too far. I'm trying to figure this
out as we speak. It's not easy."
Bono commenting on his combination of music
and his activism work.
The billionaire cofounder of the Microsoft
software company and the richest man in
the world also seems to mix two seemingly
contradictory worlds. Bill Gates has been
accused of using bullying tactics to grow
his giant technology empire with a list
of high profile lawsuits from both competitors
and countries being brought against Microsoft.
But the competitive businessman in Gates
also seems to be an asset for his philanthropic
ventures. The Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation aims
to improve global health and education.
It is one of the largest charitable foundations
in the world with an endowment of more than
$28 billion and gave "more money away
faster than anyone ever has" according
to the Time magazine.
"World health is something where,
when you first realize the situation, it's
pretty stark and even a bit depressing..
just the magnitude of the inequity. But
the more you work on it, you see the improvements
that are taking place.. that decade by decade
new medicines are getting there. Maybe not
as fast as they should, but you see the
trajectory." Bill Gates
See also :
Person of
the Year 2006 - Time
Person of the Year History
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