Microsoft founder turned philanthropist Bill Gates released a glass full of mosquitoes at an elite technology conference to make a point about the deadly disease malaria.
“Malaria is spread by mosquitoes,” Gates said while opening a jar onstage at the TED Conference — a gathering known to attract technology kings, politicians, and Hollywood stars.
“I brought some. Here I’ll let them roam around. There is no reason only poor people should be infected.”
While he asked the audience “How do you stop a deadly disease that is spread by mosquitoes?”, Mr Gates also noted that more money is spent finding a cure for baldness than eradicating malaria.
The release of the mosquitoes got everyone’s attention.
TED curator Chris Anderson quipped that when a video of the talk is posted on its website it would be headlined “Gates releases more bugs into the world.”
Always nice to see Bill Gates unleash his quiet sense of humor. And the TED conference appears to be as interesting and off-the-wall as ever.
Amusing. Lots of ways to go on this one.
Mosquito Abuse?
Holy Crap he’s like the Princess Diana of Geeks.
“There is no reason only poor people should be infected.”
What else are you going to do when you’re poor? Have babies?
The guy has officially gone off the deep end…
Too bad he’s not looking at the problem from both ends. (at least not publicly)
Yes, please, find an effective treatment for Malaria.
In the short-term, while everyone else is looking at our shitty economy, lobby to get the ban on DDT reversed so that these countries can control mosquitoes safely and effectively.
Before you post back here with your knee-jerk, “Silent Spring” nonsense… do some research and decide for yourself.
Malaria has needlessly killed over 50million hoomans since the ban of DDT. It (DDT) doesn’t thin eggshells, it doesn’t poison anyone or anything in any kind of reasonable quantity, and it CAN save lives.
You’ve got our attention, Bill. Use it!
There is no ban on DDT. That is a story made up by the tobacco industry to try to discredit the World Health Organization.
Bees would have made for a much more exciting presentation.
#5–moondawg===everything you posted is assbackwards.
1. There is no ban on DDT in poor countries to control moisquitos==it is exempted.
2. DDT does thin egg shells and is toxic to many lower order food chain items.
3===therefore, how f&cked up and retarded can you be?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DDT
There was an effective cure for malaria. It’s called DDT. It got banned because malaria in most common in black or brown countries. If a mostly white country had a malaria problem you can bet that the DDT ban would be immediately overturned.
I am not saying that people who want to ban DDT are racist; I am merely implying it.
#7 Actually, it just started to creep back into use in ’04.
“Spurred by the dramatic and life-saving results in a few African nations that persisted in using DDT, a larger group of nations, now malaria-ravaged, want to use the banned pesticide. Marjorie Mazel Hecht reports.”
http://www.larouchepub.com/other/2004/sci_techs/3124ddt_africa.html
Uncounted millions have died because of this misguided ban.
AIDS is a small problem in Af compared to this…
Do these things work?
http://home-mosquito-control.com/
Very cool way to make a very important point.
I would agree that Pedro and the rest of the Republicans would prioritize the cure for baldness and small penis syndrome instead of fighting Malaria. Sad indeed.
#10–Paddy==no wonder you are “what you are.”
Your information is an “Executive Intelligence Review” from the good folks at larouchepub.com? HAW!!!
Seriously dude== take nothing but laxatives for a month and start visiting less biased information sources?
My wiki source strongly implies that DDT has never been illegal outside the US for moisquito control. It has been illegal many places for general agricultural spraying. I’m sure some countries, maybe in Africa and China, chose initially not to use DDT over concerns of wildlife impact==but I doubt seriously there was ever a ban.
As per usual your link doesn’t support or say what you claim. How does THAT happen so often Paddy?
Make exlax a big part of your future.
Isn’t it supposed to be locusts? Guess he’s not a god after all..
#9, Benji,
There was an effective cure for malaria. It’s called DDT. It got banned because malaria in most common in black or brown countries.
Wrong. In temperate climates so much botanical life is dependent upon insects, especially bees, to pollinate flowers. DDT is indiscriminate in which insects it kills.
It also accumulates in higher orders and causes problems. Most notably, it caused a die off of some birds. Most notable was the extinction of the Bald Eagle in the lower 48 States.
Tropical climates are poor locations for products such as DDT. While the life cycle is broken in temperate climates, in tropical climates, the life cycle is continuous. That requires a continuous application of insecticide. That led to resistance and requires ever increasing dosages. That led to worse collateral damage.
DDT was never outright banned in the US. It was always used for specific applications. It was banned for indiscriminate agricultural use though.
Yes, I was especially amused when he asked for more H-1b visas and decided to move most manufacturing overseas. Yup, funny guy.
The bald eagle went extinct? Did Michael Crichton bring it back?
#18
Your attention span is less than 5 words. With practice you could get it up to whole sentences. Keep at it buddy, you can do it.
Come everybody MikeN needs cheering on. Go Mike go, read read read, practice practice practice…
18,
No… Canada brought it back.
http://mysquamish.com/eagleview.html
That’s the bald eagle stopover during their movements… I watched them during their migration… There were about 3-4 dozen of them just hanging out in the trees.
8,
So, let me get this straight. From a guy who likes to equate scorpions and spiders to humans, all of a sudden you’ve got a soft spot for people who are vulnerable? You play so many cards you don’t even know what your own hand is…
I guess when I make sarcastic comments, I should indicate in BIG LETTERS. I don’t want to confuse the basement dwellers…
Well I hardly think that DDT kills off only Mosquitos. And I’m not broken up about there loss. But as other insects, like Bees, are effected too. And birds that eat the poisoned insects. It becomes obvious that the long term solution to Malaria shouldn’t be DDT. It was probably just the first thing the government found that worked. But that was back in the days when they tested the A-Bomb’s effect on nearby soldiers. Hopefully, that’s unthinkable today.
However, I don’t think Gates is helping things much, whatever he does or says. It’s not like Malaria out infects the world population, compared to AIDS, for example. In fact Malaria may be the least of the world’s problem. So he’s found a cause to rally behind, that may be just an excuse to look involved in world health. And he reeks the benefits of a tax break for his billions. By offering no real solutions, just shock value demonstrations and concerns. Has Gates turned into another Elmer Gantry? Is he spending any of his own money to solve the world’s problems? Or just using a tiny fraction of it, to shake the coins out of everyone else’s pockets?
And BTW, I’ll never go near him without a can of bug spray. If he weren’t rich, he would have been locked up for being a terrorist, by pulling this stunt. People sending talcum powder in envelopes, as a fake bioweapon, get jail time. Why shouldn’t he? You know why.
DDT is to bugs as Agent Orange is to humans.
Look at all the “learning” that’s happening in this blog, because BG released some bugs.
I say AMEN.
I guess the hope is, his antics will inspire the right person to advance the topic/solution a little further.
Go Bill, people in wealthy countries are just too comfortable with their sedentary self absorbed life (that includes me).
#21–named==I don’t recall ever equating scorpions and spiders to human beings. I must have been very angry to have done that. “We are all god’s creatures?” Glad it has passed.
#22–Glenn==I admire your agressive stance but: “It becomes obvious that the long term solution to Malaria shouldn’t be DDT.” /// Correct but the issue is what to do BEFORE the long term solution comes along.
“It’s not like Malaria out infects the world population, compared to AIDS, for example.” /// Well, I know that Malaria has killed more people in the world than any other disease. I’d be surprised if its not in the top 5 every year? Like it or not, Aids is a life=style disease you can protect yourself from. Not so with Malaria.
“In fact Malaria may be the least of the world’s problem.” /// Only a first World White Guy would ever say that.
“Ladies and gentlemen, meet the world’s first HIV carrying mosquitoes!”
# 14 bobbo said, “Your information is an “Executive Intelligence Review” from the good folks at larouchepub.com? HAW!!!”
Here you go, moron. You’re stupidity is clogging up the web.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/african-nations-lift-ddt-ban-to-fight-malaria/2006/05/30/1148956344979.html
#28, Cow-Patty,
you really do have a comprehension problem.
In #14 Bobbo wrote
My wiki source strongly implies that DDT has never been illegal outside the US for mosquito(sic) control. My emphasis.
And what is your link about?
THE pesticide DDT is making a comeback in Africa.
#2 Breetai,
And Steve Jobs is the Linda MacCartney of Geeks: Vegetarian but soon to die of cancer *bada-bing*
# 29 Mr. Fusion said, “THE pesticide DDT is making a comeback in Africa.”
AFTER having been banned in many African nations.
Reading comprehension problems there?
I thought Bill Gates gave a good presentation plus it was more than about malaria – if at all interested I recommend it.
If may offer my own opinion: I think for solving many of these issues its more than about money and access to food, medicine, chemicals – it’s political. In many cases we can only help countries that want to help themselves and that have regimes that will let these programs work. For many countries, keeping their societies in a state of starvation, disease, panic and fear is the best way to keep control.