See the world in red and blue

Senators Rick Santorum (R-PA) and Hillary Clinton (D-AKNY) are turning U2 concerts into political fundraisers.

Other politicians are also trying to cash in on U2's fame and success:

• At a recent Democratic National Committee dinner, Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) proclaimed he was into U2 "all the way back to Boy."


• At a recent press conference, Senator Bill Frist (R-TN) vehemently defended both his innocence in the face of charges that he traded stock based on inside information and that October is a largely underappreciated album.


• House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-TX) was recently photographed trying to offer his Blue Blockers to Pope Benedict.


• President George W. Bush recently opined that Bono deserves a Nobel Peace Prize almost as much as Harriet Miers.

Unexcused Absence

I apologize for disappearing. I really have no excuse. Below is a set of disjointed paragraphs wherein I comment on various subjects.

The exit of the Yankees and Red Sox from the postseason has allegedly hurt viewership, which just goes to show you how much East Coast worship goes on in this country. If the second White Sox-Angles game is any indication, people should be watching more baseball. There's plenty of drama to go around. I hope Houston can keep the NL side of the playoffs interesting, because the Cards are just a steamroller.

Lost is continuing at a good pace. The island story appears to be progressing a bit faster than last season, but as long as the character stories are still compelling, I'm still hooked. The flashbacks so far have filled in some critical or unknown gaps in previous stories -- even Michael's in "Adrift." Girlfight's addition to the cast will probably shake up the island dynamic -- like a production plant in a bad reality show.

Some relatives have hit hard times, and my thoughts and prayers are for them. Some friends' families have grown, and my thoughts and prayers are for them as well.

Apple is trying to change the world again by giving everyone access to on-demand television on the iPod and iTunes. I think Front Row is the first step toward the Apple DVR. In short, Apple continues to be brilliant. Like it or not, the market hangs on their innovations.

Speaking of Apple, I was given a lime green iPod mini for my birthday. As expected, I've started moving my U2 collection from CD to iPod. Other music will follow.

Time won't leave me as I am, but time won't take the boy out of this man.