Vancouver, BC - Oct 28, 2009: Irish rock band, U2 closed out the second leg of their 360 Degree World Tour Wednesday night at B.C. Place Stadium. Every U2 show I have ever seen (my 3rd U2 show, and my wife's 1st) has been nothing less than spectacular!
The New York Times described U2’s circular stage as being "part insect, part spacecraft, part cathedral." Resembling a contraption that one might see in a sci fi movie like “War of the Worlds”, the Claw as it is known houses all the lighting and speakers in its four, giant legs, and at the very top there is a huge video screen. It simply has to be experienced to truly appreciate it.
Our only minor critique is I felt their setlist leaned far too heavily on tracks from their last three albums while leaving out classic tracks such as Desire, Angel of Harlem & New Year’s Day to name just a few. All things considered, U2 is surely one of the few rock acts on the planet that can always be counted on to deliver up some pure spectacle and showmanship.
Setlist
1.Breathe
2.Get On Your Boots
3.Magnificent
4.Mysterious Ways
5.Beautiful Day "Blackbird" snippet
6.I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For "Stand By Me" snippet
7.Happy Birthday for Bill Gates
8.Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of
9.No Line on the Horizon
10.Elevation
11.In A Little While
12.Unknown Caller
13.Until The End Of The World
14.The Unforgettable Fire
15.City Of Blinding Lights
16.Vertigo
17.I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight remix version,"Two Tribes" snippet
18.Sunday Bloody Sunday
19.MLK
20.Walk On "You'll Never Walk Alone" snippet
Encore 1:
21.One "Amazing Grace" snippet
22.Where The Streets Have No Name
Encore 2:
23.Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
24.With Or Without You
25.Moment of Surrender
"A guaranteed shark sighting is worth its weight in gold to the tourism industry."
He said recent research by James Cook University found potential shark sightings were a major drawcard to the diving sector, with tourists willing to pay thousands of dollars to see a shark in the wild.
The researchers estimated up to 25 per cent or $1,375 of each visitor's expenditure in Cairns and Port Douglas in far north Queensland went towards the opportunity to see a shark.
Divers mostly want to see hammerhead sharks followed by whale sharks and tiger sharks, the study found. The group says more than 70,000 sharks are taken by fishermen each year in waters off north Queensland, many inside the Great Barrier Reef area.
Sharks thus come under particular threat because of slow growth rates, late sexual maturity, long gestation periods and birthing only a few young at a time.
Complete Story
“The strength and beauty of sharks are a natural
barometer for the health of our oceans.
Therefore, I declare today that Palau will become
the world’s first national shark sanctuary, ending
all commercial shark fishing in our waters and giving
a sanctuary for sharks to live and reproduce
unmolested in our 237,000 square miles of ocean.
We call upon all nations to join us.”
Johnson Toribiong, President of Palau,
in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly
on friday, September 25, 2009
For the latest information on Palau Shark Sanctuary click here http://sharksanctuary.blogspot.com
Overfishing from greenforum on Vimeo.
Came across this while surfing the Internet tonight. This was not only funny - but rings very true at times..."Usually, writers will do anything to avoid writing. For instance, the previous sentence was written at one o’clock this afternoon. It is now a quarter to four. I have spent the past two hours and forty-five minutes sorting my neckties by width, looking up the word “paisly” in three dictionaries, attempting to find the town of that name on The New York Times Atlas of the World map of Scotland, sorting my reference books by width, trying to get the bookcase to stop wobbling by stuffing a matchbook cover under its corner, dialing the telephone number on the matchbook cover to see if I should take computer courses at night, looking at the computer ads in the newspaper and deciding to buy a computer because writing seems to be so difficult on my old Remington, reading an interesting article on sorghum farming in Uruguay that was in the newspaper next to the computer ads, cutting that and other interesting articles out of the newspaper, sorting... by width... all the interesting articles I’ve cut out of newspapers recently, fastening them neatly together with paper clips and making a very attractive paper clip necklace and bracelet set, which I will present to my girlfriend as soon as she comes home from the three-hour low-impact aerobic workout that I made her go to so I could have some time alone to write."
— P. J. O’Rourke
With the Beatles back in the news so much lately... I was reminded of a time back in the early 70’s when John & Yoko conducted a spirited campaign for me to join their Plastic Ono Band.. Ahhh… we all shine on!
1. Rock N' Roll Train
2. Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be
3. Back in Black
4. Big Jack
5. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
6. Thunderstruck
7. Black Ice
8. The Jack
9. Hells Bells
10. Shoot to Thrill
11. War Machine
12. Anything Goes
13. You Shook Me All Night Long
14. T.N.T.
15. Whole Lotta Rosie
16. Let There Be Rock
Encore:
17. Highway to Hell
18. For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
Bob Dylan will release a Christmas album on October 13th. It's worth mentioning again... Bob Dylan will release a freakin' Christmas album on October 13th!!!
Entitled Christmas in the Heart, the collection will feature holiday standards including “Must Be Santa,” “Little Drummer Boy,” “Winter Wonderland” and “Here Comes Santa Claus.” All U.S. royalties from the collection will benefit the charity Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity. Other proceeds from the disc will benefit hunger relief organizations around the world.
Christmas In The Heart will be the 47th album from one of the greatest songwriters of our time.
His Bob-ness stated on his website - www.bobdylan.com
“It’s a tragedy that more than 35 million people in this country alone ~ 12 million of those children ~ often go to bed hungry and wake up each morning unsure of where their next meal is coming from. I join the good people of Feeding America in the hope that our efforts can bring some food security to people in need during this holiday season.”
Ho, Ho, Ho!, Mr. Dylan!! I'm a long time fan and will purchase my copy of Christmas From The Heart from ITunes when available.
One “must do” when in Honolulu is to imbibe in a traditional Mai Tai served at the Mai Tai Bar at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on Waikiki Beach.
During the early 1950's Victor Jules Bergeron, Jr., founder of a chain of Polynesian-themed restaurants that bore his nickname, Trader Vic, invented the Mai Tai drink. Victor took the Mai Tai to Honolulu while creating drinks for the Matson Line Hotels. As legend has it he introduced ten exotic drinks in the Royal Hawaiian's bar. The Mai Tai caught on and within 30 days everyone had forgotten the other nine alcoholic concoctions.
This is the original Mai Tai recipe that was created and made famous by the iconic Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki, otherwise known as the "Pink Palace of the Pacific"
Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai Recipe
Combine all of the following ingredients in the order listed in an Old Fashioned style glass over shaved ice. Stir with a swizzle stick. Garnish with a slice of pineapple and a cherry.
1 oz. light rum
1 oz. dark rum
1/4 oz. Orange Curacao
Dash of orgeat syrup
Dash of rock candy syrup
Juice of one-half lime or lemon (depending on your zing)
Orange juice
"Most places use pineapple juice as their mixture base. We use orange juice. That makes it less sweet and more tangy. Always start with a glass full of ice cubes. Put the light rum on the bottom. Then take everything else and mix it up. Pour that in next. Finish with the dark rum. Use good rums. We use Bacardi light on the bottom and Myers Dark on the top. We always make ours pretty strong. It helps to have a good kick to it." ~ Cheryl Souza Toyofuku, bartender at the Mai Tai Bar
Jason Heller is the savy internet guru who owns and operates DivePhotoGuide.com. He is also a very talented commercial and wildlife photographer based in New York City. His work is regularly published in scuba, travel and mainstream editorial and advertising worldwide. Jason is also a special correspondent for Sport Diver magazine and his work has also been recognized and honored by numerous advertising and marketing publications including Advertising Age magazine. Jason's photo website can be viewed at: www.jasonheller.com
Mind-blowing, raw, energetic and ethereal, I’ve wanted to see Cirque du Soleil’s LOVE show since it first opened in Las Vegas in June 2006. Celebrating the musical legacy of The Beatles, the specially built 2,013-seat, 100 million theatre at The Mirage in Las Vegas boasts more than 12.000 speakers!!!
July 2009: Some grab shot images from Fremont Street Experience, Las Vegas!
Upon our arrival, my wife and I were led into the elegantly appointed Empress Tea Lobby and were seated in two cozy wingback chairs at a table for two in front of a large bay window that presented a majestic view of Victoria’s inner harbour. Our decadent indulgence began with a serving of fresh strawberries topped with a dollop of Chantilly cream. A silver teapot steeping with signature Empress Blend tea was poured into exquisite Royal Doulton tea cups. This rich, coppery-gold blend tea incorporates Chinese, Kenyan, Indian and Ceylon components. A magnificent, silver tiered server was placed in the center of our table with the following mouth-watering delicacies.
Actress, model, sex symbol extraordinaire and Hollywood bombshell, Farrah Fawcett passed away today after a 3 -year battle with cancer. Born Farrah Leni Fawcett on February 2, 1947 in Corpus Christi, Texas, she was just 62 years old.
Kodak announced today that after 74 years, KODACHROME slide film will no longer be manufactured. I used Kodachrome 25 & 64, and occasionally 200, extensively in my underwater photography right up until I made the the leap into digital SLR photography in 2004. Perhaps the best way to bid a fond adieu to this iconic slide film is to quote some lyrics from Paul Simon's hit song, KODACHROME.
"We call for an International boycott of all of Shark Week's programs until Discovery Communications stops using sharks dishonestly for profit in horror shows, and starts presenting them as the important marine animals that they are, now in danger of extinction."
