Apparently the above video is an ad for visiting Denmark. I’m not quite sure what type of tourist the Danes are trying to appeal to. Bachelor parties? Irresponsible fathers? Color me confused.

This is cross posted from the ONE Blog.

The U2 360 spaceship has landed in North America, and we’re off to a rockin’ start. Matt (who’ll be running the tour for most of the North American tour) met me in Chicago and we ran around town gathering T-shirts, wristbands, and our new tabling set up. Everything was in perfect order, including the weather. I’m told the odds of 4 September days of 72 degree sunny weather is an near impossibility in Chicago, but that’s what we got.

Our 30 volunteers were in good form, recruiting new members by the thousands. The biggest obsticale they ran into was that many of the fans were already ONE members. Not a bad problem to have!

I’m in Toronto now, and ready to get rolling on another two shows. I hope to see you at a show soon!

I got a taste of my first ever film festival this week in Toronto in the Form of TIFF, the Toronto International Film Festival with the film Life During Wartime. It started off feeling a bit like an inconvenient and over-priced film. We had to wait in line outside, paid $21, and had to sit in the second row. But once the film started there was a sense of community in the theatre that I’ve only felt at big midnight releases like Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. People cheered, laughed, gasped together. It was great. Then, at the very end of the credits, three of the main actors and the two producers came out for a 20 minute question and answer session. A brilliant end to a good movie.

The great thing about the festival is that it last a solid week, which would make for a a great short holiday. You could book tickets ahead, see a couple of films each day, and explore and enjoy the city with the rest of your time. Sounds like a pretty perfect and relaxing getaway after the little taste that I had.

Dean Karnazes is a certifiable bad-ass, and his tale of tracking down and tackling the world’s toughest running challenges is the stuff that gets me fired up to go globe trotting. His narrative chronicling his long hours on the road comes right to the edge of the feeling that I love about travelling. It’s that sense of being in a new place, not necessarily physically, but mentally and emotionally that I chase when I travel.

Of course ultra-endurance running is a world different from globe trotting, one is a grueling sport and the other could be classified as a leisure activity (if you’re doing it wrong). But I think that there is a similarity in the sort of high that we seek. It’s the feeling you get when you are out of control of control and have the choice to either stop and fail, or push harder and come out the other side a winner. The feeling at the end of the trip isn’t necessarily even as great as that feeling in a moment when a slightly more sane person would turn back, but you forge on. Dean captures that feeling, which is damned hard thing to do.

I’ve got a copy of the book, and in line with good book sharing practices, I want to pass it along to another person. If you haven’t read the book, leave a comment on this post and let me know if you want it. I’ll get back to you by email and send it to you, anywhere in the world, doesn’t matter.

Cross posted from the ONE Blog.

It was a long summer touring around Europe with U2, but I’ve had a little rest and I’m ready to get back into action this weekend in Chicago. In just two months at 24 shows we signed up over 40,000 new ONE members, and fired up groups of ONE volunteers who are continuing to take action and organise in their communities.

One of the things that keeps me smiling up through the long days of the tour are the warm messages I receive from those volunteers all along the way. I asked a couple of them if I could share their sentiments, and I hope that you find them just as inspiring:

I wanted to volunteer for ONE for quite some time but I didn’t have a chance to before and thank you for giving me the opportunity. I’m still shaking from my head to my toes, it was probably one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.

My heart is so filled with pride and love and I’m sure u all feel the same. All of you made me happier and more optimistic than I’ve been in a very long time.

To be there, so speak and to be heard, to teach others…for the first time I had a feeling that I am actually really doing something.
And it felt good.
It felt good to know that I´m doing something worthwhile, and that even I can make a change.

It is hard to explain how this was important to me, but I think that you know it:-).

Giving me chance to work for a real and good thing is so precious. Giving me chance to do this during U2 concerts is just…like a dream.

America, I hope you’re ready to have a good time and sign up scores of new ONE members. Toss on your ONE shirts and let’s rock and roll.