Friday Prank: Please donate $US1.00 to Bill Gates URGENTLY

["Hedley Finger" <hfinger@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

PLEASE, PLEASE DONATE $US1 TO BILL GATES URGENTLY

Things are tough in the IT and telecommunications sector.  All the 
big telcos are reporting lower profits since the tech wreck.  Sales 
of personal computers have flattened, and computer and chip 
manufacturers are also announcing expected drastic profit declines.

This has to affect sales of Microsoft software in a stagnant market. 
Proof?  What other reason would Microsoft have for gouging charities 
for  licence fees for obsolete, unwanted, unavailable, and 
unsupported software?

         So Bill Gates doesn't have to intimidate computer-recycling
         charities, we want YOU to donate $US1 dollar to offset the
         potential loss of licence-fee revenue.

PCs for Kids <http://www.pcsforkids.org/>, a charity run by 
volunteers in Australia, solicits donations of unwanted computers 
from corporations and private individuals.  PCs for Kids cannibalizes 
them and rebuilds good computers with additional memory.  Its 
volunteers reformat the hard disks to eliminate defective tracks and 
sectors, and replace the original Windows 3.11 or Windows 95, and old 
office software.

PCs for Kids then give these rebuilt computers to disadvantaged 
children.  At the moment it is also supplying East Timor to aid in 
rehabilitating Timorese society after the recent civil war.  For 
their pains, Microsoft has threatened court action if they continue 
to replace Windows on rebuilt computers.  Note that Microsoft is 
attempting to double-dip: these computers already had Windows on 
them, paid for by their original owners.

You can find out more at 
<http://www.michaelmoore.com/missions/gates2/index.html>, at the Web 
site of Michael Moore, producer of "The Awful Truth" and "TV Nation" 
programs that confront unfeeling corporations with pranks and street 
theatre designed to expose their heartless treatment of the 
defenceless. There are instructions for donating and links to news 
stories about PCs for Kids that are updated every day.


HOW TO DONATE YOUR DOLLAR TO BILL

We want you to send your $US1 (or equivalent in local currency) to 
Bill so he can afford to let charities load his unavailable, 
unsupported, and obsolete software for free, and not have to resort 
to selling it twice: once to the original purchaser, then again to 
the charity.  Full instructions, a model covering letter, and 
Microsoft addresses are at 
<http://www.michaelmoore.com/missions/gates2/index.html>.


TELL OTHER PEOPLE

After you have donated, forward this email to other potential donors 
who feel as bad as you do that Bill Gates is doing it tough in 
Seattle:

	friends
	work colleagues
	legislators
	local television, newspaper, and print journalists
     activists
     celebrities -- sports people, actors, commentators, newsmakers

And we would like to hear about other COMPUTER-RECYCLING CHARITIES 
that have been victimized by Microsoft at 
<mailto:ray@michaelmoore.com>.  If you find any LINKS TO NEWS STORIES 
about intimidated computer recycling charities, contact 
<mailto:charitynews@handholding.com.au>.


THANK YOU, GOOD SAMARITAN

You'll be proud to tell your kids and their kids that you took part 
in "The war on [billionaire] poverty".  Doesn't it feel good to give? 
And now you, too, are "A Friend of PCs for Kids".

Regards,
Colin and Therresa Bayes (PCs for Kids), Michael Moore, Hedley, and Ray Simon

-- 
--
Hedley Finger
A friend of PCs for Kids
28 Regent Street
Camberwell VIC 3124
Australia
<mailto:charitynews@handholding.com.au>
Mobile (cell phone) +61 412 461 558


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