Some dudes sit on the very interesting position of promoting themselves by NOT BEING THERE. This is not new but interesting. What to make of Damon Albarn and "I don't want to take part in an event that is so exclusive. Is this the most effective way to help Africa?" He also says the lack of major black artists was "the greatest oversight" and undermined the whole project. Major discoveries.

And EBay U.K. banning the sale of tickets to the London Live 8 following pressure from Geldof and an online campaign to sabotage the auctions? "Tickets for the concert were a hot item on eBay until activists wrecked auctions and Geldof blasted ticket sales as profiteering from misery...Tickets were allocated Monday via an SMS lottery. More than 2 million text messages were entered, at a cost of 1.5 pounds ($2.70) each, to join the lottery for 133,000 tickets..." Geldolf said "What eBay is doing is profiteering on the backs of the impoverished, the people who are selling these tickets on websites are miserable wretches who are capitalising on people's misery. Initially, eBay had defended the sales and promised to donate listing fees from the ticket auctions to charity."

Hello? Was it not a concert? And is the foundation behind Live8, a group of banks, not going to profit from each and any transaction related to the grossing of the initiative? Can you even skip to charge for interest?

On another: Photographs of British Prime Minister Tony Blair and musician Bob Geldof, as well as model Claudia Schiffer and dozens of celebrities, show them all wearing wristbands. In England and Scotland, church towers and steeples are having white bands painted on them carrying the campaign slogan. It appears as if the whole world is being urged to protest low wages, globalization, world trade, debt repayment and any form of national defense. The United Nations, their bankers and brokers, together with Kofi Annan, the Strong family and the masses of the uninformed, were happy until we learned where, and at what cost, the wristbands, ordered by the million, were made: China.

It is disappointing to see Geldolf lending his name to a bit of poseur politics chiefly aimed at certain Western leaders who are blameless for Africa's current woes and severely constrained in their ability to do anything to alleviate them.

The issue in Africa in every one of its crises - from economic liberty to Aids - is government. Until the do-gooders get serious about that, their efforts will remain a silly distraction.

Please somebody tell me what Brad Pitt and Lara Croft are doing there!

Fortunato Caragliano, CT, IT, 2005, July 2nd, 2005