Not sure if the youngsters out there know how big the first Live Aid was. (They re-united The Who and Zeppelin!!! You can't imagine how big that was in 1985.) I remember being glued to the TV and having a huge pit in my stomach because I wasn't there. It was a huge huge event -- so many big names and such hype. I taped as much of it as I could and played it back a bunch of times. It just made me feel so good to hear all these great bands and know that it was for a good cause. I even liked the cheesey video David Bowie and Mick Jagger made of "Dancing in the Streets".

Sometime this decade, I read an interview of Bono talking about how little help it really was. The money they raised -- while very substantial -- just didn't go very far. And, the logistics of getting the food to starving people was extremely complicated.

Sir Bob Geldof is doing it all over again. This time, it's even bigger and hopefully the idea behind it is even more powerful. It's called Live 8 (as in the G8) and is meant to emphasize justice over charity. You can read a brief summary and a list of the line-ups so far at Radio 1. It's going to be in five cities with London as the main venue. The BBC will be broadcasting the whole thing for those of you in the UK or with broadband or Satellite Radio.

Not likely to be new posting here from me until next week. Grant deadlines have me busy busy busy. Maybe Matt and Rich will take up the slack.

In the meantime you can check out this great report that the Leadership Council produced with the Institue on Race and Poverty at the University of Minnesota and the Kirwan Institute at Ohio State on racial segregation and its correlation to economic, educational, and other life opportuntites.

UPDATE: Eloy at DailyKOS blogged about this as well!

I'm running in a half marathon to raise money for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. They are a national leader in grantmaking, housing and medical services, and advocacy for people living with HIV and AIDS. At the end of 2003, the CDC estimates that 405,926 persons were living with AIDS in the USA. These persons come from every race and class. But, infection rates are now disproportionately growing in the African American and Latino communities. Women are also increasingly being infected.

You can help by clicking on my runner's page and making a donation. No matter how large or small, the AIDS foundation will send you a form for tax deduction purposes. I need to raise $1,300 by June 17th. If you can afford to, I hope you'll give to this great cause.

Parks are more than just pretty places. They are public space that becomes a place for relationships, organization, and leisure. And, they tend to bond neighbors and people who normally wouldn't get to know each other.