by Will Stabley, Stabley Times
(Originally posted March 1, 2013)

36.33088, -117.74527 marks the location of a dead tree and a metal suitcase. The inland California desert is sprinkled with countless Joshua Trees, but only one is singularly iconic. Made famous by U2 in 1987 in the photo sessions for the album of the same name, that one particular Joshua Tree has gone on to be immortalized in posters and banners for the past quarter century. U2 fans have pinned down its location over the years through trial and error, gradually determining that it's nowhere near Joshua Tree National Park, but instead hundreds of miles to the north, somewhere between Yosemite and Death Valley. It's located where the proverbial streets have no name, far enough out into the middle of nowhere that the only accurate way to convey its location is by the global coordinates above. So I head north out of Los Angeles into the desert the hopes of finding what I'm looking for.

By Dan Weil, Newsmax

When he was in the White House, George W. Bush and rock star Bono worked together to eradicate AIDS in Africa -- to the point that the U2 leader became the president's buddy, Bush tells Fox News.

"He was skeptical of me, and frankly I was skeptical of him," Bush said. "And we became pals because we shared a common desire to help others on the continent of Africa.

"Bono's the real deal," Bush added in an interview with his former press secretary Dana Perino.

Assessing his presidency, Bush said, "I know I gave it my all. I know I didn't sell my soul. I know we dealt with some pretty tough problems. . . . I know our White House was a joyful place."

SIR MICK JAGGER is planning to call U2 frontman BONO to ask his advice ahead of THE ROLLING STONES' headline performance at Glastonbury in June (13).

by Express.co.uk

The Irish rockers famously axed a slot at the legendary music event in 2010 after singer Bono sustained a serious back injury, but they returned to headline the following summer (11).

The Rolling Stones are following in the band's footsteps by playing their first ever slot at the festival this summer (13), and Jagger wants to talk to Bono about his experience there.

He tells the BBC, "'Don't do it!' might be his advice, but it's a bit late for that. It is quite a difficult gig. U2 had terrible weather and that didn't help. You have to learn from their experiences."

The Rolling Stones will complete a North American tour before taking to the stage at Glastonbury, but Jagger insists the veteran rockers will have some time off after wrapping the U.S. shows.

He adds, "You gotta pace yourself. We have enough time before we come back to England, so we'll be well recovered."

(Hear Mick Jagger talk about this on BBC.co.uk)

Are property taxes in Ireland favoring the rich?

By Paddy Clancy, Irish Voice Reporter

Bono and Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary could save thousands in a controversial tax based on how their homes have been valued on the Revenue Commissioners' new website.

Eyebrows have been raised by the new property tax, with homeowners expected to accurately assess what to pay the government based on the value of their houses.

The tax is assessed based on the value of a home. It is €90 if the property is worth under €100,000. The amount payable increases with every extra €50,000 the home is valued at. If it is worth more than €1 million the tax is €1,800 and for every extra €1 million the tax goes up another €2,500.

Bono predicts that the number of people living on a dollar a day will be non-existent by 2030

By Amanda Driscoll, IrishCentral Intern

During the TED conference of 2005, U2 frontman Bono delivered the disturbing news that 11 million AIDS orphans and 6,500 Africans were dying every day from AIDS due simply to their lack of access to drugs that are available in the pharmacies that we take for granted. At that time, Bono asked people to actively take part in the fight against poverty rather than just donating to charity.

This year, at the Ted conference of global innovators, Bono delivered positive news on the fight against poverty, telling his audience that the number of people living in extreme poverty has steadily declined and that by 2030, no one in the world will be living on less than $1 a day.

By Kelly Puente, Staff Writer

LONG BEACH - Global activist and U2 lead singer Bono took to the TED stage Tuesday with an inspiring message about the fight against poverty.

The rate of those living in extreme poverty - living on less than $1.25 a day - is rapidly declining as the world makes gains in technology, noted the Irish musician, who refers to himself as an activist and "factivist."

The number of those living in poverty has been cut in half in the past two decades, dropping from 43 percent in 1990 to 21 percent in 2010.

"Have you read anything, anywhere in the last week that is as remotely as important as that number? It's great news, and it drives me nuts most people don't know this," he said. "The rate is still too high and there's still work to do, but it's heart-stopping, mind-blowing stuff."

Bono is one of dozens of speakers scheduled this week at the annual TED conference at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center. The sold-out invitation-only conference, whose name stands for technology, entertainment, design kicked off Monday and will run through Friday for its fifth and final year in Long Beach. The conference will move to Vancouver, Canada, next year.

AOL Real Estate

We never imagined that Bruce Willis and U2 bassist Adam Clayton would ever have anything in common. But it turns out they do: this stunning co-op on Manhattan's exclusive Central Park West. The New York Post first reported that Willis was in contract to buy the home, but Zillow and other reports followed up, saying that it was originally listed by Clayton back in October for $8.695 million. Willis scored the three-bedroom, four-bathroom home for $8 million.

Best known for playing John McClane in the "Die Hard" movies, Willis is currently on theater screens in the fifth installment of the film series, "A Good Day to Die Hard." So we're guessing Willis took that big fat paycheck to splurge on the fabulous apartment. And fabulous it is: It's a pre-war "art deco gem," the listing said, with a gourmet kitchen (high-end appliances included, naturally) that has slate countertops and terrazzo floors. There are huge spaces, including a living room, formal dining room and gallery hallway. There's plenty of space: When Clayton owned it, the space was originally two separate units that he converted into one, according to Zillow.

Album working title is reportedly '10 Reasons to Exist'

by Marc Hogan and Kyle McGovern, Spin Magazine

U2's long-rumored new album has at least a tentative release date. The rockers hope to release "something" from the follow-up to 2009's No Line on the Horizon by September, drummer Larry Mullen Jr. told Irish broadcaster RTE.

"I'd say we will be finished by the summer -- and hopefully we will have something released by September," Mullen is quoted as saying on RTE's The Dave Fanning Show. "Hopefully what we will be able to do is release September this year and shortly afterwards, release again. That's what we want to do."

What's more, the Guardian has picked up a report in the usually dodgy Sun in which Bono reportedly says the new album is tentatively titled 10 Reasons to Exist. The band is "in fine fettle" and "really want to make a new record," he's quoted as saying. The Sun has been accused of fabrication by just about everyone, but when the Guardian picked up its report that Paul McCartney would be fronting a reunion of the surviving Nirvana members, that's what actually happened.

Julian Lennon says the U2 singer's eye condition is worsening

NME

Julian Lennon, son of The Beatles' John Lennon, has revealed that Bono's eyesight is deteriorating.

The U2 frontman has admitted in the past that he requires his trademark sunglasses because he suffers from an eye condition which makes him over-sensitive to light, but now his friend Julian Lennon has confirmed the condition is worsening.

He told the Irish Daily Star: "Bono actually has a condition with his eyes. I don't know the exact issue but the brightness of the sun hurts them and it's a deteriorating issue."

However, Lennon admitted that he thinks the 'Where The Streets Have No Name' singer is lucky to suffer from a condition that can easily be made into a trademark style.

The Washington Times,

WASHINGTON, January 1, 2013 -- Humans have praised God through many means throughout our history. Science has ventured tentatively into these waters, but God remains a mystery, and some would argue that this is the way that it is meant to be.

My views on this are well documented: I believe that science has a role to play in our spiritual development - as Jacob Bronkowski said, knowledge is our destiny, and science's raison d'etre is surely to obtain that knowledge. Science and Religion don't have to be in opposition, they are sides of the one coin, and ultimately, if we foster the advance of both of them, their description of that coin must converge.

But because it is the new year, and perhaps a time to eschew controversy in favor of community, let me talk about music. Except in the most puritanical religions, music has always been one way that we have agreed we could seek to commune with God, and share our experience of that seeking. Gospel and hymns are the traditional forms of praise, but pop music is also gathering its own rich tradition.

To the surprise of many, U2, arguably the world's most popular rock band, is not afraid to release songs which have a spiritual emphasis. They wear their Christianity on their sleeves if you know where to look.