Is Poverty History Yet? Well, the Make Poverty History campaign will make its own history this week. As a crowd of tens of thousands--overwhelmingly white, middle-class Euopeans--having festooned their blogs with a banner advertising their support for the cause, marches to confront the G8 in Scotland, some notes of cynicism crept in, even before the rally last Thursday in Dublin's Merrion Square. 

Uber-curmudgeon Twenty Major offers this analysis: "Is wearing a wristband going to make poverty history? No. Is a bunch of self-serving rock stars led by a rubber-lipped, wooly-haired loudmouth going to make poverty history? No. Is Bono asking people to send txt messages 4 Africa going to make poverty history? No. Will me putting some HTML code on my blog which will put a Make Poverty History banner on the top corner make poverty history? No".

Twenty's suggestions for how to do it are, regrettably, unprintable.

However, the Live8 concert/demo coinciding with the G8 Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, will be blogfodder all week. The lack of African acts as part of the concerts has been criticised elsewhere, and Efferal Sunshine of the Spotless Behind is determined to be part of the solution.

"The latest one will be taking place in my living room. The line-up hasn't been announced yet but there's talk of some of yello's finest karaoke singers headlining. It's very important that the ordinary people of the world get their voices heard. The event is subject to license and housemates' approval. In the absence of Sir Bob, a scruffy-haired main with Tourette's will take his place. Organisers have announced that Spice Girls lookalike band 'Wannabees' will not be on the bill, as their music is crap."

Shell Games. Where's Me Country?, among others, including North Atlantic Skyline, noted the jailing of the protestors against the Shell gas pipeline in May. There is also some detailed background at Corrib SOS. Perplexing, however, is the claim by Where's Me Country and Indymedia--who have finally started referring to blogs without the "right wing" prefix--that the mainstream media have ignored the story, which will surely come as news to RTE and the main newspapers of the country.

Joe Bloggs -- "Blogosphere" in the Sunday Tribune, July 3, 2005.
John Smyth -- "Behind Bars" and "The Rossport Five"
Indymedia on Corrib Gas Court Orders.
See also: Live8 on Technorati.

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