Bill Gates is no fool. And he's not as altruistic as you may think he is.

"The arrangements have, however, created concerns. As Tido von Schoen Angerer, Executive Director of the Access Campaign at Médecins Sans Frontières, explains, ‘The Foundation wants the private sector to do more on global health and sets up partnerships with the private sector involved in governance. As these institutions are clearly also trying to influence policymaking, there are huge conflicts of interests... the companies should not play a role in setting the rules of the game.’

The Gates Foundation is one of the single largest donors to the World Health Organization. This gives it considerable leverage in shaping health policy priorities

The Foundation itself has employed numerous former Big Pharma figures, leading to accusations of industry bias. Many campaigners see loosening intellectual property laws as a better way of increasing access to medicines, both in lowering prices through generic competition and in enabling innovation outside patent-hoarding companies.

However, Microsoft lobbied vociferously for the World Trade Organization’s TRIPS agreement (the agreement on trade-related aspects of intellectual property), which obliges member countries to defend patents for a minimum of 20 years after the filing date. As recently as 2007, Microsoft was lobbying the G8 to tighten global intellectual property protection, a move that would, Oxfam said, ‘worsen the health crisis in developing countries . . .

Gates’ philanthropy seeks not just to make businesses more charitable, but to make charity more business-like. Dubbed ‘philanthrocapitalism’ or ‘venture philanthropy’, the approach is based on NGOs competing for grants with their performance evaluated using business metrics."

It's all about "rights" and control . . .And NOTHING is as simple as it seems to be.
[newint.org]

Is there a Zoe that you're hopeful for? Just wondering.
Your comments are so thoughtful and I feel so many of these same things. My friend and and I were lamenting the world's struggles on seemingly every front. Hard not to feel depressed and powerless

Yes, Melind, I'm hopeful for all life. Zoe is the Greek word for life. Life is precious, it's dear, it's remarkable, it's amazing, it's vulnerable . . . and we are at the point where our environment will soon be unsustainable . . . However, don't feel depressed and powerless. You can change the world by what you say and do. And you can always do something. Hope is an amazing quality. "Be like the hummingbird who thought that she could put out a jungle fire. She took one drop of water from the lake and flew over the fire. When all the other animals saw her they were inspired and the elephant with his trunk got water and hippo was able to carry water and the rhino was able to stomp on the fire and all the animals together were able to put out the fire.But only because they worked together. Be the hummingbird!" Always have hope!

I suppose it depends on how one is conditioned. I feel a joke is about to happen.

I know it's just a movie:

I believe that it is almost always best to be honest and direct. There have been more than a few times in my life that someone in my life was honest and direct, and I am glad that they were. There is a difference between being honest and direct and being deliberately abrasive.

Do you feel like I am being deliberately abrasive?