Today is World AIDS Day, and for the next few days Rough Draft has gone Red.
World AIDS Day, observed December 1 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic.
Between 1981 and 2007, AIDS has killed more than 25 million people, and an estimated 33 million people worldwide live with HIV, making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history.
Maybe it seems a little stange to call it an awareness day. Chances are, if you’ve got a computer—and since you’re reading this blog, you have one—you already know at least a little about AIDS. So I’m sure you are aware of the disease. In fact, chances are better than 50% that you know someone who has AIDS or had died because of it.
But are you aware that there are things that you can do to help stop it?
- Ok, it’s obvious, but Make A Donation. You’d be surprised how far even a small donation can go. From buying drugs for those affected, to funding the fight for a cure or a vaccine even a few dollars can help.
- Get Involved. Again, obvious, but no less important. A vital part of beating a disease is stopping it’s spread. So get involved in education, or any other aspect that’s important to you.
- OK, I get it. Not only is it hard to make ends meet right now, but doing so takes a a lot of time, so right now you don’t have the time or funds to help out. OK, here’s a free way for you to help out that won;t take more than a couple of minutes. Fight AIDS at Home is a distributed computing program. That means that once you sign up, the power of your computer becomes part of a network that runs computations to help breakdown potential ways to fight HIV. And it won’t slow you down—since it works as a screensaver, it only uses your computer when you’re not using it. Do you really not have time for that?
Where Is My Spot? 