24 Days To Go: World AIDS Day

One of the less joyful holidays of this busy season is World AIDS Day---so busy, in fact, that most people usually miss it. If Christmas means anything, though, surely it encourages the kind of generosity and global community that this holiday strives for. So how are we doing this year?Progress: The Obama administration has lifted the ban on entry into the United States by HIV-positive people. South Africa has decided to offer free HIV treatment for infants under the age 1 and expand access for pregnant women.Regress: The Obama administration has not been as proactive in fighting HIV/AIDS as the Bush administration was. Uganda is adopting an anti-homosexuality law that criminalizes gay sex.Obviously, we have a long way to go. Here are a few simple (and entertaining) ways for you to add your vote to the "Progress" column:  1. Buy the Killers' new Christmas song "Happy Birthday Guadalupe" (Amazon.com, iTunes). It's a great, simple, cheap Christmas present you can give to anyone. The profits go to Product Red.[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T_H0DJ9-t0[/youtube]2. Speaking of Product Red...if you haven't heard of it before, check it out here. It's a brand that partners with all sorts of major companies to sell products whose profits go to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. What a better way to reduce the deadweight loss of Christmas and honor the true meaning of the holiday? Please do some of your Christmas shopping at Product Red this year.3. Watch Alicia Keys live! She is performing at 8pm EST tonight (December 1)...which is 1am London time, but I won't miss it! It's free on YouTube! And listen to what she has to say about her charity Keep a Child Alive.