Sometimes really filthy, stinking-rich people surprise me.

In light of my most recent HIV/AIDS fundraising efforts, I have to say, I'm quite impressed:

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged $287m (£155m) in a bid to speed up the development of a vaccine for the HIV/Aids virus.

The money is being split into 16 grants for science teams across the world - with the aim that they work more collaboratively on new approaches.

All the recipients have had to agree to share their findings - even if they had been working on competing projects.

The funding of scientific programs is crucial for us on many levels --- the discovery of ways to manage or eradicate debilitating diseases, replace or repair damaged tissues caused by injury, the creation of vaccines to abate the spread of epidemics --- not to mention the fact that doing so will do a lot to re-establish the U.S. as a world leader in science and technology. And if our government won't do it, major props to those who give so generously out of their own pockets to help the advancement of mankind.

Now if only we can do something about that pesky obstacle to funding of stem cell research ...