Barack Obama's One

(RTTNews) - Mary J. Blige performed at Thursday night's Democratic national convention. She performed a cover of U2's classic track "One." She followed this up with her own hit "Family Affair," leading into the song by asking the crowd to "get it crunk for President Obama!" "One" is featured on U2's album Achtung Baby. "Family Affair" appears on Blige's fifth studio effort, No More Drama. Thursday was the final night of the Democratic convention. It closed with President Barack Obama accepting the nomination for another term in the White House. He will face off against Republican nominee Mitt Romney in November.

Bono’s clothes firm sinks

Accounts show Edun Apparel, founded by the rock star and his wife Ali Hewson in 2005, suffered losses to the tune of €6.8million in 2011.

The company is also 49 per cent owned by the world’s largest luxury goods group LVMH which put €6.7million into Edun in 2009.

The Paris-headquartered group also owns some of the world’s top brands — including Louis Vuitton, Donna Karan, Moet Chandon and Veuve Clicquot champagne.

U2 Plane and Romney ?

​U2 360 Tour Plane

​Mitt Romney has a new plane, well sort of new. Its new to him.

Romney's plane was previously personalized for the band U2's 360 tour, complete with the lyric "The future needs a big kiss" emblazoned on the nose.

The aircraft types the campaign chose have been workhorses for commercial passenger airlines for decades, recognizable by the two engines attached to the rear of the plane and two seats on one side of the aisle and three on the other in economy class. For the campaign planes, however, the charter company has fitted the aircraft with business class style seats.

U2 did have a couple of planes for the tour. ​ This last tour was the largest CO2 footprint of any band that toured the world. However this was impacted by the Live Nation Global Touring groups commitment to reduce and reuse as much as possible

Mitt Romney Tour America Plane​

U2’s CO2 emissions are the equivalent of the waste created by 6,500 average British or Irish people in an entire year, or equal to leaving a standard 100 watt lightbulb on for 159,000 years.

The band’s vast emissions are dozens of times bigger than Madonna’s carbon footprint on her 2006 world tour, despite her extravagant demands and 250 staff. She produced 1,635 tonnes in air transport.

U2’s PR agency RMP did not return a request asking if the band were buying carbon offsets to contribute towards the damage of their enormous emissions.

Carbonfootprint.com’s environment consultant Helen Roberts said: “The carbon footprint generated by U2’s 44 concerts this year is equal to carbon created by the four band members travelling the 34.125 million miles from Earth to Mars in a passenger plane.

“You also have to add the carbon emissions from the same number of concerts again next year.

“Just looking at the 44 concerts this year, the band will create enough carbon to fly all 90,000 people attending one of their Wembley concerts to Dublin. To offset this year’s carbon emissions, U2 would need to plant 20,118 trees.”

Pollution experts said U2’s 44 concerts in Europe and North America this year will produce 20,117.50 tonnes of CO2 emissions, unless the band unexpectedly decide to ship to equipment to the US, in which case the footprint would be 5091.41 tonnes.

Bono and his bandmates will generate 64.42 tonnes of CO2 by flying 22,037 miles to this year’s gigs in their private jet, currently stationed at Nice airport, near their Cote d’Azur holiday villas in the south of France.

Most of the carbon footprint comes from transporting the three 390-tonne stages, using 3,286.60 tonnes of CO2, with another 916.07 tonnes for extra equipment. Next year they are expected to play 20 concerts in North America in June and July and 20 dates in Europe in August and September.

Active Aero Group, a charter services and cargo transport company based out of Willow Run Airport, will help the band U2 with its 360º Tour. Active Aero supplied the charter plane and crew for the group, customizing the plane with its logos.

The Inevitable End

Byline: Larry L

So when should a band say goodbye? As The Rolling Stones prepare for one last tour, I can't help but ask the question of U2. Should they:

• Pick a date and stick to it?

• Try and pump out one last massive album?

• Tour on their laurels (a la the Stones) and tour until they collect a pension and beyond?

• Wait until they put out a couple of 'not stellar' albums?

Though many might complain about my opinion, I am ready for this to end. I don't want Bono wheeled out to single Streets 'one last time' in a crackly, sad voice as one of his kids runs around the ramps pushing him. I don't want an old school '40' played with Larry using his walker to slowly meander away into the night.

I want U2's end to be a triumph. If they had walked away after the biggest tour in history, what a way to go! And I know they would love to recapture the crown. I don't know if they can really do it.

If they actually decided to get mad again. If they really had an axe to grind (with apologies to Edge's guitar work!). This writing for light, joy and positivity is all fine and well. What made them and brought them to pinnacle was anger. That is gone. If they can get that back, maybe sticking around a bit longer would be worth it.

I loved 'No Line On The Horizon'. However it didn't kick me in the gut and yell 'YEAH'. It was interesting and different and experimental in its own way. What it wasn't was a reclamation of the hearts and souls of us.

Can they do it? I am not convinced they can. As we wait for the 2013 release I find myself questioning where this going more and more. And asking myself if it isn't already time to stop.

Believers Believe in U2

Joshua Tree - U2

 U2 has been provoking audiences including Christians since they began playing in the 70’s. They made it pretty clear their influences early on, taking on social justice concerns and explored the depths of pop culture in the 90’s.

U2 has been a staple in sermons across the country, across denominations, and across generations. Get Up Off Your Knees is a collection of sermons from the U2 catalog written by several authors. Co-editor Beth Maynard is the pastor of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Fairhaven, Massachusetts.​

“If you walk away I will follow”

— Song Lyrics "I will follow"

U2 is not a “Christian band,” but some of its members are Christians with significant fluency in the vocabulary of the Christian traditin. Thus, throughout their work U2 naturally raises and wrestles with spiritual questions using that vocabulary. Like all art, the results have many levels of meaning and considered from diverse perspectives, especially when you consider that U2’s catalog.

Preachers are always looking for effective cultural connections that help people grasp the meaning of biblical text. One of the points that Raewynne makes is that not only do we take the biblical text out into the world, we bring our life experience and our experience of the world with us when we read biblical text.

If you're a fan of U2, when you come to a situation of discouragement, when you need to be encouraged to persevere, you may come to that situation with "Walk On" in your head. There's just a natural connection that you make of these different texts and these different ways of telling the story of the world that we're in.