March 2007 Archives

By Sandy Cohen, AP Entertainment Writer

LOS ANGELES - The Edge is donating his favorite instrument to an auction benefiting Music Rising, a charity the U2 guitarist co-founded to replace musical equipment lost or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. He's logged thousands of hours of stage and studio time on the 1975 Gibson Les Paul. The 45-year-old musician has used the guitar throughout his years with U2.

"I wanted to give something really significant that would really mean a lot for me to give. It deserved something that I would miss," The Edge told The Associated Press by phone from France.

The Icons of Music auction, administered by Julien's Auctions, features 196 rock-related items, including a saxophone signed by former President Clinton, a guitar that belonged to Jimi Hendrix and an original Elvis Presley recording contract.

An exhibit of auction highlights will travel from Los Angeles to Dublin, and London before the sale ends April 21 with an event at Manhattan's Hard Rock Cafe. Fans may bid online or in person.

The Edge's guitar was expected to fetch between $60,000 to $80,000, according to the auction website.

Bandmates Adam Clayton donated a bass guitar, Larry Mullen gave a pair of tom-tom drums and Bono donated a pair of Emporio Armani sunglasses.

"It's some great poetry to ask the people like myself, who've earned a good living from rock 'n' roll, to donate items to an auction that would help protect and stave off the decline of the music culture in the Gulf Coast," he said.

By BONO

Fifty years ago this week, the idea of Europe was set to paper, on a continent unsettled but past the worst of the postwar period. The air was clear of sulfur if not spleen. Ireland was a small rock in the North Atlantic made relevant only by its cultural totems and ever increasing diaspora. In Berlin a chasm was opening up between East and West--the partition of lives, fortunes and fates. In the global struggle between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R., between freedom and totalitarianism, Europe was the fault line and the front line. Old Europe was being rebuilt to fight the next war: a battle not just of ideologies but also, very possibly, of nuclear arsenals. It was not a moment for dreaming--more like one for digging a basement and ordering a year's supply of tinned soup.

And yet this was the moment the New Europe was born.

On the continent that had been the theater for mankind's darkest hour, we witnessed a very human miracle. The people of Europe found that their capacity for destruction was mirrored by an equally immense capacity for forgiveness, grace and hope. Looking to the U.S., Europeans could see how cherry-picked European ideas from minds like Locke, Rousseau and Tom Paine could flourish in a society not polluted by blood and aristocracy. And so, in 1957, six nations signed the Treaty of Rome and, with that one crucial act, built a showcase of multilateralism, prosperity and international solidarity.

For the fifth straight year the African Well Fund is holding a fundraising drive to raise money in honor of Bono's birthday. All donations will be used to fund water projects in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Schenectady, NY (PRWEB) March 22, 2007 -- The African Well Fund is excited to announce the 5th Annual Build a Well for Bono's Birthday fundraising drive. The fundraiser aims to raise money in honor of Bono's May 10th birthday that will be used by AWF partner Africare to fund water projects in Sub-Saharan Africa. Donations for the drive will be collected from March 22nd to May 11th.

U2 fans and others inspired by Bono's tireless activism on behalf of Africa are invited to make a donation in his honor. Donations from the four previous fundraisers totaled more than $80,000 and were used to fund water projects in Angola, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Donations may be made by visiting www.africanwellfund.org/donate.html. As in previous years, contributors are invited to sign our online card and leave a birthday wish for Bono after donating. The messages, along with a "Well Share" certificate for the amount donated, will be delivered to Bono via Principle Management at the conclusion of the fundraiser.

Once again this year, the birthday fundraiser will be the beneficiary of a special eBay auction--U2 LIVE: Photo Auction for BBW5. Beginning April 14th, U2 fans will have the opportunity to bid on U2 concert photos donated by some very talented U2 fans. Last year's auction raised over $10,000. Visit www.africanwellfund.org for further details. The fundraiser will also be the beneficiary of another fan project, "The Little Red Book of Poe-ee-tree," a collection of poems and short stories written by U2 fans across the globe. All royalties from the book, available at http://stores.lulu.com/littleredbookofpoeeetree, will be donated to AWF.

by Brenda Clemons, U2 Station Staff Writer

1. Can you explain a little about the Jubilee Network. What it is that you strive to do?

Jubilee USA Network is part of an international movement focused on canceling debts of countries in the Global South (these are also known as developing or Third World countries, which is an historical and outdated term). There are Jubilee groups many European nations and over 60 in the Global South, which are collectively known as Jubilee South. Jubilee is an Old Testament principle about freeing slaves and righting relationships. The debts were often accrued under dictatorial or undemocratic governments, with the knowledge of Western (U.S., European) governments, and now the people must pay back debts, at the expense of basic needs like healthcare and education. The most famous example is probably South Africa, where about of their US$23 billion debts were given to the Apartheid government. When Nelson Mandela was elected President in 1994, he was given a bill for that debt, part of which was used to imprison him for 27 years.

We focus primarily on debts claimed by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF). We do not use the word "owed to" because we feel that, in many cases, the debts have been repaid several times over or the "dictator" loans are illegal and should not be recognized. If for no other reason than it would allow governments to use the money to benefit the people,

By Josh Richman, Staff Writer, Inside Bay Area

OAKLAND -- International rock star/activist Bono called Oakland's African American community the epicenter both of an HIV/AIDS epidemic and of the resistance to that epidemic after meeting Friday with patients, service providers and clergy.

"I'm a spoiled-rotten rock star, I know that, but I have a loudhailer and I'm going to use it," the frontman of U2 told reporters at a press conference after two hours of closed-door meetings at Allen Temple Baptist Church. "I've come as a student, really."

The 46-year-old Irish musician -- renowned for his work on international debt relief and HIV, particularly in Africa -- visited Oakland at the behest of Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland. She said Friday's event was "another attempt to break the silence with regards to this global HIV pandemic" which in this country affects African-Americans disproportionately.

She praised Bono as "a great entertainer but also a wonderful artist with a vision and a great humanitarian" who "continues to beat the drum against poverty worldwide." She noted that Bono would be flying later Friday from Oakland to Los Angeles, where he was scheduled to receive a "Chairman's Award" at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's 38th Annual Image Awards.