Bill Gates is one billionaire whose philanthropy or lack their of I could ever question. In recent years, Gates and his wife Melinda have dedicated their lives and finances to a number of worthy causes, causes which have never effected them in their own lives. The Gates Foundation provides college scholarships for minorities, money for AIDS research, mosquito nets and other causes affecting developing nations. In this video, Gates, a self-proclaimed optimist (we have something in common), speaks at the 2009 TED conference and poses two questions, "How do you stop a deadly disease that's spread by mosquitoes?" and "How do you make a teacher great?". In a mere 18 minutes he manages to touch on the problem, from a variety of angles, and even offers up solutions, some of which are currently in place.

If nothing else, this video confirmed for me why it is that I'm going to London School of Economics in pursuit of a MSc in Development Studies, to become one of the "brilliant people who care[s] and draws other people in."

I encourage to take the time to watch the entire video. I promise that it will be worth your time.