A cynical eye might dismiss the group’s philanthropy as another jump onto the “celebrities save Haiti” bandwagon. However, the band’s foundation, Music for Relief, has had its hand in a vast array of humanitarian efforts since its formation in 2004. (We suppose we can set aside any notions of the band capitalizing on altruism for notoriety.) After all do you even know what any of these guys look like? The band has sold over 50 million records, but largely remain out of the public eye.

The U.N. Foundation will handle the grunt work of implementing the sustainable energy programs, with a focus in Haiti where 10 million have no access to electricity.

Linkin Park and The Secretary-General have partnered before, believe it or not, hosting a live Facebook Townhall meeting regarding disaster relief. “Most recently we collaborated in our efforts to help in the disaster relief initiatives in Haiti,” guitarist Brad Delson told The Observer. “Our fans helped to get these solar lamps, which our bass player Phoenix got to see; he went to Haiti and saw those camps down there.”

Though new to the subject of energy sustainability, drummer Rob Bourdon admitted to The Observer he was unaware 1.4 billion people worldwide don't have access to electricity, the band is conscious of what it can do.

“I think we have the unique ability to bring our fans, people in the music community, and fans of other bands to help with natural disasters and global warming,” said Mr. Bourdon. “When the UN posted video footage of Haiti it had 6,000 views. When we posted the footage and added our music it got 9.5 million.” Mr. Bourdon is referring to Linkin Park’s “Not Alone” video, which uses the U.N.’s graphic imagery of the Haiti earthquake aftermath.

The Secretary-General’s plan is to ensure universal access to modern energy services, double the rate of energy efficiency and double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

"The morale among the people in the secretary general's office has never been lower," one U.N. official transferred to the new building told Foreign Policy's U.N. blog, Turtle Bay. "Everybody is profoundly depressed and demoralized because they are put into windowless, airless cubicles that are completely inhumane."

Of course, you can't put people who deal with the world's worst tragedies in such subhuman conditions without them coming up with a bleak nickname.

Ban Ki Moon, who officially succeeded Kofi Annan on January 1, tried to reassure New Yorkers that he would do his best to minimize inconvenience during major meetings of the world body. "Maybe I can help reduce traffic jams by asking visiting heads of state to take subways as Mayor Bloomberg does," he joked.

Keeping the focus local, Mr. Ban also cautioned that the renovation of the UN's headquarters might cause "disruption for the neighbors."

Mr. Ban mostly steered clear of contentious topics. However, in response to a question from the floor about anti-Semitism, he talked about the concern he felt when "a certain country would not recognize the existence of a certain other member state of the United Nations. This is not acceptable." The reference, presumably, was to Iran and its president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Mr. Ban's remarks came at a breakfast hosted by The Association for a Better New York (ABNY) and The Business Council for the United Nations (BCUN.) Among the attendees were former mayor David Dinkins and Diana Taylor, the mayor's partner and the Superintendent of Banks for the state.

On the vexed issue of the U.S. relationship with the UN, Mr. Ban played safe, arguing that the world body and the superpower both benefited from engagement with each other. But, perhaps showing the degree to which Turtle Bay feels under siege, Mr. Ban told the audience, "I hope you will speak up in favor of the United Nations in New York and around the world, and about the importance of U.S. leadership and engagement with the organization. All of us have a stake in getting these relationships right."

The Secretary General also treated the audience to a long and somewhat labored joke about the pronunciation of his first name. Apparently, it should not be pronounced 'ban' but more like 'bawn'. He admitted that he should have changed the English spelling -- maybe 'Bahn' or 'Bon', he said -- before now. But "since there will be so many things to ban as Secretary General, it is very relevant to my job."

-- Niall Stanage

At 8:45 a.m., Mike Bloomberg will meet with Jeb Bush and School officials on Chamber Street.

At 10 a.m., the Assembly's Environmental Committee holds a hearing in Albany.

At 3 p.m., the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation discusses "SI Conference 2007" at the Borough President's office.

At 7:30 p.m., U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks discusses immigration issues on a conference call with reporters.

Also at 7:30 p.m., S.I. District Attorney Dan Donovan, will speak to Brooklyn Young Republicans.

-- Azi Paybarah