What Think?

Take the Time...

...to enjoy life's puddles.

Do U U2?

We attended a fabulous show last Monday - U2's Vertigo tour arrived at the Rose Garden in Portland for their final stop of 2005 and their final US stop of the tour.    With a mixed set - heavy with songs from Virtigo - it was one of the better overall performances I've seen from the band. 

Having seen U2 four times now it is interesting to see how their stage show has evolved.  Long acclaimed as a great "rock show," the band has evolved from the overly-showy to, perhaps, the overly-preachy.  That in no way diminishes the quality of their show or their overall talent in putting together a great, classic, rock album.  Most notable in the set list included probably the best version of Sunday Bloody Sunday that I've heard to date (complete w/ Bono drumming center-ellipse / walkway in Kabuki Drummer togs) along with a fantastic cover of Instant Karma. 

In a good way, though, it was fitting that this final show of the year and US tour took place on the same day that Bono was awarded (along with Bill and Melinda Gates) as Time Magazine's person of the year.  Some of that recognition goes for his work with international AIDS awareness and emerging nation debt reduction through the ONE Campaign. 

In keeping with U2 tradition, they had an interesting and somewhat non-aligned (genre wise) opening act (most notable, on the PopMart tour, was a Rage Against the Machine opening act - quite good).  This time out it was Kanye West - equally preachy but (for someone who isn't a huge Rap fan) a fantastic performer nonetheless.

For those keeping track - here's a couple of pictures courtesy of the U2 site.  Happy concert-going and, for today - "so Happy Christmas..."

     

At the Copa...

...no posts (as you can tell) for a while as I'm still on holiday in Rio.  I'll have more observations about cariocas, beach "futebol" and interesting observations about loud Americans and even louder Europeans.   

Till then - check out the photolog.

Who Needs a Fortune?

Most semi-connected folks know that Bill Gates, Chairman and Chief Software Architect of Microsoft, is the world's wealthiest individual.  What I don't hear about often enough, however, is that he's also the most prolific philanthropist of the modern era and, perhaps, all time.  More astounding, too, is the plans he has for his wealth.  He's giving it away...bit by bit, donation by donation.   
In a fascinating interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC News' 'This Week,' Gates outlines some of his passions for giving and why he is only leaving some of his fortune to his children.
Too often the gifts of the truly wealthy do little to stir philanthropic effort in we common folk.  How powerful, though, might it be if we followed Mr. Gates' example?    He's given away over $20 billion.  What if, though, the top 10% of the population (in terms of wealth) in the top 50 cities in the US gave just $50 more per month?  That's about my Starbucks bill (nothing against SBUX, but just for example).  Taking just the lowest populous example (Arlington, TX at 369,467 in 2004) that would be about 36,000 people x 50 cities x 12 months x $50.  That's just over $1 billion USD.  Every year.
Bill Gates has a bit more to give, but what if the generally well-off decided to focus on one major issue, every year, and make a difference?

Now, I know the danger in what-ifs, but need is real and everyone can, in some small way, make a difference.  If you're interested, here are some worthy organizations that we support:

• amfAR: American Foundation for Aids Research
• The Carter Center
• Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
• Willamette University
  

Does Catbert Know About This?

For those who value a regular dose of cynicism, corporate inquiry and humorous observation of the everyday cube-culture-condition you, like me, probably turn to Dilbert.  For those who find the filter of mass media too much to bear - good news - Scott Adams (Dilbert's Creator) has finally blessed us with a direct link into his brain (after some slight filtering so as not to alienate the fan base) through the Dilbert Blog.  It gives you the kind of side commentary you require when you're missing that wisecracking cube mate who managed to build up his vacation time so that he can watch all Star Trek movies and spin-off TV shows uninterrupted, over the course of a week.

One particular post of poignancy:

In case you’re wondering, I have no coherent political views of my own. The only thing I know for sure is that I don’t have the information I need to make decisions. That’s the problem with having a degree in economics. Until I ruined my worldview with education, I saw the world in terms of things that worked and things that didn’t. Now when something works well, and the rest of the world is applauding it, I wonder how much better it could have been if we did it the other way. And when a policy turns out to be a huge disaster, I wonder how much worse it would have been if the other side got their way. So let’s all agree that I shouldn’t be voting.