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This column is for self-study or classroom use and gives guided help with reading the wide variety of writing styles and topics that appear as feature articles in the Bangkok Post. The lessons include background information, skill-building practice and vocabulary explanations. June 7, 2005 Rocking all over the world again INTRODUCTION

Most of you will not be old enough to remember "Live Aid" - a huge rock concert that raised millions of dollars to help reduce poverty in Africa. It took place one summer's day in 1985 and, for those of us who were young at the time, it was a massive event. As we watched our favourite pop stars performing one after the other, we were also reminded of the terrible plight of many African people who were starving to death because they could not access enough food and water. One of the most powerful voices came from a scruffy young man called Bob Geldof who used his regular appearance on TV to demand we give money in order to build facilities and provide urgently needed food for the hungry. He was also the organiser of the event, which resulted in real solutions to the problem. Well, Bob Geldof is back again - a little older and a little greyer - but his message is still the same. This time, however, he is not too interested in raising money. Rather he wants to raise awareness that poverty is still a problem. The new concert is designed to coincide with the G8 summit (see box) and Geldof wants to make sure the leaders understand that the people expect them to act. He and many of his fellow performers think that leaders are not doing enough to prevent poverty, concentrating instead on making money for their own countries. He believes that rich countries could begin to solve poverty by cancelling all the debt owed to them by poorer countries. Discussion point Read the story and then discuss whether or not you think the concert will have any effect. Will the leaders take it seriously and will it force them to do more to reduce poverty? What do you think the world leaders should do? Is cancelling debt a good idea? Geldof plans biggest event for 20 years What is the G8? The G8 is an informal group of eight countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the UK and the US. The European Union also participates and is represented by the President of the European Commission and by the leader of the country that holds the presidency of the European Council at the time of the G8 Summit. The Chair (the people in overall charge) of the G8 rotates on a yearly basis among the seven original members in the following order: France, the US, the UK, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Canada. Although the European Union participates in discussions, they are not part of this rotation. The country holding the Chair - currently the United Kingdom - is responsible for hosting and organising the summit. This annual meeting of leaders provides an opportunity for face-to-face discussions on key issues such as trade, the world economy and security. The Chair also bears the responsibility of speaking on behalf of the G8 and of engaging non-G8 countries, non-governmental organisations, and international organisations. London - Rocker turned activist Bob Geldof announced yesterday a star-studded revival of his 1985 "Live Aid" charity event, dubbed Live8 and timed to precede the Group of Eight (G8) summit in Scotland this July. Madonna, Oasis and U2 are to be among the mega-stars who will perform at "Live8: The Long Walk for Justice", billed as the world's biggest music spectacle in 20 years. Free concerts in London and other major cities are scheduled on July 2, less than a week before G8 leaders convene at the Gleneagles resort in Scotland on July 6-8, organisers said. The other concerts will be in Paris, Berlin, Rome and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Events in other G8 cities are being developed as well. The shows will be free of charge, as Sir Geldof and his partners are putting the focus on raising awareness about Africa and the world's poor. "Charity will never really solve the problems. It is time for justice - and 20 years after 'Live Aid', people now demand it of these eight men," said Sir Geldof in a statement, referring to the G8 leaders. "The G8 leaders have it within their power to alter history. They will only have the will to do so if millions of people show them that enough is enough," he said. British Prime Minister Tony Blair, host of the Gleneagles summit, has put Africa at the top of his agenda. "It is going to be the biggest music event the world has seen in two decades with the aim of making world poverty history," said Johnny Vaughan, a DJ on Capital FM radio in London, a co-organiser of the event. Irish-born Sir Geldof was to meet reporters in London last night to flesh out details, but Capital FM hinted that headline acts were also expected to include Robbie Williams, Coldplay, Sting and Eminem. "All the peoples of our countries want this sorted," the shaggy-haired Sir Geldof told the radio station. "I do this daily. I know from what I speak. I am more expert than the experts. Sort it." Mr Blair's government threw its support behind the initiative, with Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell saying it wants the London show in Hyde Park to be "the biggest and best open-air concert that the capital has ever seen. "The G8 Summit in Edinburgh, which follows the concert, offers an opportunity for the world's developed nations to really make a difference - to do something positive for the Third World,'' she said in a statement. "Live8 will set the scene, and we are proud to be able to help make it happen." Though seen as a successor to Live Aid, which was also organised by Sir Geldof and raised huge sums of money for African famine relief, the purpose of the new concert is very different. The intention of Live8 will be to raise awareness rather than money. It has been planned only six weeks ahead. AFP activist a person who works to achieve political or social change, especially as a member of an organisation with particular aims star-studded including many famous performers revival the process of something becoming or being made popular or fashionable again dub to give something a particular name summit an official meeting or series of meetings between the leaders of two or more governments at which they discuss important matters billed to advertise or describe something in a particular way spectacle a performance or an event that is very impressive and exciting to look at alter to become different; to make something different flesh out to add more information or details to a plan sorted to deal with a problem or organise something in a satisfactory way initiative a new plan for dealing with a particular problem or for achieving a particular purpose developed nations countries that have many industries and a complicated economic system successor a person or thing that comes after somebody/something else and takes their/its place • This lesson was prepared by Neil Stoneham, an experienced secondary school teacher and trained journalist. 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