from adrien, although eric probably agrees.

If you get the chance any time soon, go see this - preferably in IMAX if that's an option for you. We went and saw U2 3D last night at the IMAX theater at Jordan Commons with Lindsay and Mark and it was just amazing. It had an overtly political theme to it, but I at least enjoyed it. I was reading in Lindsay's blog and how she mentioned that not all rock concerts are of the devil or whatever. In fact, it seems to be almost the trend with bands and other famous people to take a cause upon themselves (and usually one of a humanitarian nature) and then use their celebrity to get the cause out there. I think it's a great idea, and I love that so many people are willing to do this now. If people won't listen to "regular" activists, maybe they'll listen to celebrity activists. And I honestly don't care if people are following a bandwagon as long as its for something good.

Now that we're at this point in the conversation, I guess I'll plug for a few of my favorite development groups. The first is kiva.org, which I haven't had the change to participate in yet (due to a lack of extra funds), but I plan on helping as soon as possible. The idea behind Kiva is to give a small, short-term loan to a person or group of people in a developing country to help them get on their feet, provide for themselves and their families, and enrich their community. I think it's great.

The second is one.org, or "The Campaign to Make Poverty History." This is one that has had several celebrity-endorsed commercials, so it's probably familiar to a lot of people. They work with Congress and other government institutions to make sure that America is doing anything it can to help under-developed countries basically get a start on eradicating poverty, and also help those same countries provide education and supplies to reach the same goal. You can even donate $10 and get one of those fancy little wristbands that everyone seems to love so much (think Livestrong).

The last is oxfamamerica.org. From their website, "Oxfam America works on the scene, helping people gain the hope, skills, and direction to create a new future. We are also active in the global arena, addressing social injustice through our advocacy, public education, and emergency assistance programs." And they don't just work in other countries. Oxfam works in the United States as much as anywhere else. I remember getting an email from them to write to Congress to pass a bill that would help victims of Hurricane Katrina and other natural disasters (as well as education and poverty, but on a lesser scale it seems) in our own country. They also deal with such issues as advocating Fair Trade, providing small amounts of livestock to people in other countries (you can actually buy these and donate them in someone else's name!), and so many other things.

This has gotten really long.
In other news, we made brisket for dinner tonight, and it was delicious.