HIV/AIDS, YouTube, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Eminem, and My Latest Epiphany!

Hello Friends:

Around this time last year, when I saw that Facebook was reaching the milestone of having more than a billion users, I had an epiphany about what it would take to raise at least a billion dollars for people affected by HIV/AIDS in South Africa as quickly as possible.

In Blog posts* and a Web page** I published to share my epiphany, and then a subsequent epiphany about my epiphany, I referred to the following fascinating chart:

The 31-Day Billion Dollar Chart for The Alive with Clive Billion Dollar AIDS Plan for 2012 — now 2013!

As previously indicated, this chart shows that if a dollar is raised on Day 1, and double the number of dollars is raised on each subsequent day than was raised on the previous day, it would take just 31 days for at least $1 billion dollars to be raised.

So, last year I set up a Web page to receive donations to raise $1 billion dollars in this way.  Within a few days, I raised $148, and subsequently received another $5, totaling $146 net of transaction fees. 

Drawing upon my years of training as a tax lawyer, though, I immediately began to be concerned about the tax consequences of raising as much as $1 billion.  I didn’t want a tax liability to be incurred on a billion dollars net of charitable contributions that are subject to limitations on deductibility.  And since contributions were from others, I wanted contributors to receive the tax deductions for their charitable contributions.  I also wanted to accurately track the total amount of contributions made.

My initial attempts to address and resolve these issues did not succeed. Thereafter, while continuing to be stuck in a quandary as to how best to resolve these issues, I became immersed in interviewing guests on Alive with Clive, among other endeavors, and my plan to raise at least a billion dollars for people affected by HIV/AIDS in South Africa remained in suspense – until three weeks ago, when I had another major epiphany!

Before I discuss my most recent epiphany, though, I also do want to mention that I was heartened to learn of recent encouraging developments in the treatment of patients with cancer who also have HIV/AIDS, as reported in an article on msn under the headline, Treated for cancer, two men now appear free of HIV.  To see this article, click here.

And a report recently released by the World Health Organization, Unicef and UNAIDS also shows that tremendous progress is being made in reducing the number of people who are being debilitated by HIV/AIDS.  To see this report, click here.

This article and recent report definitely inspired me to resuscitate my efforts to raise at least a billion dollars for people affected by HIV/AIDS — and then I had my most recent epiphany!

This most recent epiphany occurred, as mentioned, three weeks ago when I was in the midst of posting all the Press Releases I had published since December 1, 2010 (on which I announced the launch of The FIRST Alive with Clive Top 20), on the Web site for The Alive with Clive Global Community.

To see these Press Releases, click here.

In particular, the Press Release that caught my eye was the one I published on March 1, 2011.  The headline reads:

Alive with Clive Wants To Join Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and Eminem With Over One Billion Hits On YouTube!

The first two paragraphs of this Press Release, which you’ll see when you click here, state the following:

The Alive with Clive TV Channel on YouTube currently has just over 33,493 hits. If you do the math, that is 999,966,507 hits short of a billion. But now that Clive Swersky, host and producer of Alive with Clive — The TV Show That Inspires You To Multiply Your Magnificence! has learned from a recent report on msn that Eminem has joined Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga with over a billion hits on YouTube, Clive has announced that he wants The Alive with Clive TV Channel on YouTube at http://bit.ly/Sr8cBX to become a member of this exclusive group with over a billion hits on YouTube too.

The Alive with Clive TV Channel on YouTube is a unique treasure trove of video clips of the best original songs performed by emerging and established singer/songwriters on Alive with Clive. At present there are 124 clips, and more are constantly being added.

As mentioned, this Press Release was issued on March 1, 2011.  In the 28 ensuing months since then, an additional 300 video clips have been added to The Alive with Clive TV Channel on YouTube, and the Channel to date has 84,949 hits – or a mere 999,915,051 hits shy of 1 billion.

It was after reading these two paragraphs that I had my most recent epiphany!

You see, I realized that if I apply the math in the chart depicted above to the number of views (hits) The Alive with Clive TV Channel on YouTube receives, theoretically and possibly in actuality, 1 billion hits on YouTube could be reached quite quickly!

And then, I said to myself, if everyone who watches at least one video clip on The Alive with Clive TV Channel on YouTube also donates $1 or more directly to charities that support people affected by HIV/AIDS, $1 billion would be raised quickly for people affected by HIV/AIDS at the same time too!

Today is July 29, 2013.  World AIDS Day this year is a little over 4 months away.

So, with your support, I am embarking on The Alive with Clive Quests for a Billion, (1) to raise at least $1 billion for people affected by HIV/AIDS, and simultaneously (2) to generate at least 1 billion hits on The Alive with Clive TV Channel on YouTube — by December 1, 2013, World AIDS Day this year!

While my goal all along has been to raise at least a billion dollars for people affected by HIV/AIDS in South Africa because I was born in South Africa, in this endeavor now I am making it possible for a charity to receive donations if it is:

1. Organized to provide support to people affected by HIV/AIDS;
2. Equipped to receive donations through a Web site online; and 
3. Listed on the Web page I have created with links to charities that meet these criteria.

To see the list of charities on the Web page, click here.

Charities not yet on the list that meet these criteria and would like to be added to the list should send an email to me at clive at alivewithclive.tv (use @ without a space on either side) with the words: “Eligible HIV/AIDS Charity” on the subject line. 

In addition, earlier today, at last, to give birth to these Quests, now that I have gained clarity as to how to proceed, I donated the $146 I received last year (net of transaction fees) in roughly equal amounts to the charities listed on the Web page.

For these dual Quests to be achieved, all it is going to take is for each person who joins me on these Quests to enroll at least two family members or friends to:

1. Donate $1 or more to one or more of the charities listed on the Web page for charities that support people affected by HIV/AIDS; and
2. Watch one of the more than 420 video clips on The Alive with Clive TV Channel on YouTube.

In this way, I trust that at least $1 billion dollars will be raised for people affected by HIV/AIDS, millions of lives will be saved, and millions more people will become acquainted with the breadth and depth of the talent of the world’s most talented emerging and established singer/songwriters and bands who have been interviewed on Alive with Clive.

So, at this stage, you’re probably wondering: 

“Clive, so you’ll be able to tell how many hits you have on YouTube, but how will you know if at least a billion dollars or any amount close to it has been raised for the different listed charities that support people affected by HIV/AIDS?”

That is a very good question, and here’s the answer:

You will recall that in this Blog post above, I made reference to the launch of The FIRST Alive with Clive Top 20.

The FIRST Alive with Clive Top 20 is a compilation of songs from singer/songwriters who’ve been interviewed on Alive with Clive and who were in The Alive with Clive Top 20 at the time I announced the creation of The FIRST Alive with Clive Top 20.

To see the list of songs in The FIRST Alive with Clive Top 20, click here.

Anyone who donates a dollar or more to one of the charities listed and watches one or more video clips on The Alive with Clive TV Channel on YouTube will receive access to and be able to download all 20 songs in The FIRST Alive with Clive Top 20, FREE!

In addition, within the past few years, I compiled a collection of the most inspiring and insightful quotes I have ever read into a book called Quotes to Multiply Your Magnificence – A Compilation of the Most Inspiring and Insightful Quotes of All Time!  And anyone who donates a dollar or more to one of the charities listed and watches one or more video clips on The Alive with Clive TV Channel on YouTube will also receive access to the entire book of Quotes FREE!

While I won’t be able to determine with precise accuracy the amount of money that is raised through this endeavor, I have set up a page on my Web site to enable me to gauge with reasonable accuracy the amount of money that is raised.

After you make a donation to one or more of the charities listed and provide a few tidbits of information on this Web page, you’ll be given instantaneous access to all 20 songs in The FIRST Alive with Clive Top 20 and Quotes To Multiply Your Magnificence. 

You will see the Web page I have set up, and the few tidbits of information requested, after you donate $1 or more to one of the listed charities and watch one or more of the video clips on The Alive with Clive TV Channel on YouTube. 

To participate in these Quests, invite your friends to do so too, and be one of the people to cause them to be fulfilled, click here.

So, friends, there you have it!

As mentioned above, I felt a strong surge of inspiration and encouragement from (1) the recent article I read on what is being heralded as a breakthrough in the treatment of people affected by HIV/AIDS who also have cancer, and (2) the recent report from WHO/Unicef/UNAIDS on the progress being made to gain the upper hand in efforts to cope with the devastation caused by HIV/AIDS.  

So, with your support I am confident that this endeavor can play a small, albeit vital, role in the mission ultimately to eliminate HIV/AIDS from life on earth.

I look forward to seeing the number of dollars being sent to the charities that support people affected by HIV/AIDS, and the number  of views on The Alive with Clive TV Channel on YouTube, climb towards and then surpass a billion, and to sharing The FIRST Alive with Clive Top 20 and Quotes To Multiply Your Magnificence with you, in the days ahead — starting NOW!

To participate in these Quests, invite your friends to do so too, and be one of the people to cause them to be fulfilled — starting NOW! — click here.

THANK YOU!

Best regards.

Clive

(914) 274-8280

http://alivewithclive.tv – multiplying magnificence one guest at a time!

http://alivewithclive.tv/blog — It’s not just a TV Show.  It’s a Global Community!

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* To see the Blog post in which I first described my epiphany, click here.  To see the Blog post about my epiphany about my epiphany, click here. 

** To see the Web page on which I announced The Alive with Clive Billion Dollar AIDS Plan for 2012, now updated for 2013, click here.