Archive for June, 2005

Last night, U2 were amazing.

The band proved again why they are the world’s greatest live act and Bono, the consummate showman, was extraordinary. As usual, he spoke of the poor, the third world and debt. Whether you like that part of his personality or not, is it not better that a rock star uses his fame to focus attention on something meaningful, rather than simply hanging out in his crib, buying Ferraris?

The sun is out, the weather’s improving, the Leaving Cert is almost over and it’s time to think of your holidays. With your holidays come dreams, and with dreams come the ‘wouldn’t it be nice if it were like this all the time’ moments. The dream of every employee over the age of 50 (or younger) is to be able to retire early. Having divested him or herself of any remaining vestiges of ambition – to be rich, to be the boss, to be the best or whatever – the urge grows to be finished with the whole painful business of going to the office or shop or factory, and to do what you want.

This weekend, I’m going to the 40th birthday party of an old friend, who works for a US multinational. A tribe will gather from all over the world. People are flying in from four continents and are using the party as the starting point for the their annual pilgrimage home.

One hundred years ago this week, Tsar Nicholas II ingloriously accepted an American initiative to start peace talks with Japan. The Russian Baltic Fleet had just been totally destroyed by the Japanese in the battle of Tusuhima, which was, at the turn of the century, the largest naval battle the world had seen.