Laura Pausini "Le Cose Che Vivi" San Siro

Laura Pausini San Siro

Laura Pausini

Laura Pausini San Siro

REO Speedwagon "Roll With the Changes"

REO Speedwagon-- September 21, 2014 United Nations' International Day of Peace

Monaco's impressive contribution to World Expo 2015 By Madeleine Adey

The construction of Monaco’s impressive pavilion has begun in preparation for the 2015 World Expo in Milan. Monaco will be one of 144 countries represented at the expo, which will focus on the way in which food unites people of different cultures and religions, as well as the profound concerns it raises. The design is particularly impressive and echoes the theme of the expo of ‘Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.’ The Italian architect who designed the pavilion, Enrico Pollini, based it on three themes: shipping containers, transport and storage elements. The sloping grass roof garden represents the landscape of the south east of France, where the mountains descend towards the sea. The inside of the pavilion will house recycled wooden crates forming a kind of 'ideas workhouse' with 11 distinct stations. Each station will represent an environmental topic, such as sustainable fishing, deforestation, the surge in jellyfish numbers and ocean acidification, for example. There will also be services including a restaurant, as well as a VIP lounge and terrace for private visitors. The event, which will begin in May 2015 and end in October, is a non-commercial universal exposition held every five years, attracting millions of visitors who are able to explore pavilions, exhibitions and cultural events put on by hundreds of participants including nations, international organisations and businesses. The interests of the event do not lie only with the participants and visitors, however. Each expo aims to have a wider impact on cultural, social and environmental transformation, leaving behind a positive legacy not only for the country in which it is held but hopefully for the rest of the world. This year’s theme will therefore explore the problems surrounding nutrition alongside the resources of our planet, with the aim of opening up a global dialogue to exchange views on these extremely relevant issues. The Monaco Times

African Entrepreneurs take on society's toughest problems By Jane Wales 08-14-2014

From telecomms tycoons to inclusive bankers, Africa's entrepreneurs are pooling ideas and resources to drive progress across the continent. Jane Wales, chief executive of the Global Philanthropy Forum tells us who's who and how they're approaching social and environmental challenges.In fast-growing economies like Africa an increasing number of entrepreneurs are building businesses and forming philanthropic organisations to address some of society’s toughest problems. They are tackling such challenges as endemic poverty, infectious diseases, climate change, food insecurity, violent conflict and government corruption. As entrepreneurs mobilise, strategic giving is a growing trend, with African members joining the Giving Pledge, growing the Synergos’ Global Philanthropists Circle and making the African Philanthropy Forum (APF) the fastest growing affiliate of the Global Philanthropy Forum. So who are these entrepreneurs and what are they doing? Mo Ibrahim: fostering good governance For telecom billionaire Mo Ibrahim, good governance is a primary philanthropic objective. The Sudanese-born founder of Celtel created a multi-million dollar prize, which provides retirement security for African leaders who exit government through a process of democratic elections – and do so without appropriating public resources for private or personal gain along the way. Through the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, he created the Ibrahim Index, which offers quantitative data on governance in Africa, providing the tools to assess government policy and the reliability of the delivery of public goods and services. The values that guide Ibrahim are apparent in the philosophy and philanthropy of his daughter Hadeel, the founding Executive Director of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. An effective advocate and savvy strategist, she is among the next-gen philanthropists to watch. She shares her parents’ convictions (her mother, Hania, a radiologist, has established a hospital in Khartoum) but is very much her own person. Beyond her foundation obligations, she chairs and champions the new Africa Center, formerly known as the Museum for African Art. It will be housed in a magnificent (and hip) building on Fifth Avenue and 110th Street, on the edge of Harlem and Central Park. Noting that all of humanity has its roots in Africa, her vision for the Center is one of a policy institute, a museum, and a forum to explore and perhaps solve hard problems—together. Aliko Dangote: building resilience in zones of conflict. Patrice and Precious Motsepe: promoting health and development.​ Hakeem and Myma Belo-Osagie: support for values-based leadership. Strive and Tsitsi Masiyiwa: widening access to education. James Mwangi: financial services for the poor. Tony Elumelu: leveraging markets. While the Ibrahims have taken on the improvement of governments, others prefer the more familiar territory of the private sector, taking advantage of their investment prowess to achieve their social goals. By doubling down, they hope to create both financial and social value. Pioneers Post

Laura Pausini Le Cose Che Vivi

Laura Pausini The Greatest Hits World Tour 2014 Laura Pausini at The Greek Theater Los Angeles, Saturday, October 18, 2014 and at The Chicago Theater Chicago Thursday, October 23, 2014.

Boy found in basement says he was beaten, threatened by father, stepmom By Oralandar Brand-Williams

Detroit — Charlie Bothuell V, the 12-year-old boy whose disappearance last month made national headlines, told authorities he was beaten with a PVC pipe by his father, Charlie Bothuell IV, and threatened by his stepmother not to make any noise while he was barricaded in the basement of the family’s home while police searched for him for 11 days. The boy, reported missing by his parents, was found June 25 shivering and hungry in the family’s home on Nicolet Place in Lafayette Park, near downtown. The allegations of physical and verbal abuse are contained in a six-page Michigan Department of Human Services report filed with the family division of the Wayne County Circuit Court seeking to terminate the parental rights of Charles and Monique Dillard-Bothuell. According to the allegations, Charlie Bothuell was subjected to marathon sessions of exercise where he was forced to get up at 5 a.m. and do two grueling workouts a day every day of the week. The youngster’s morning exercise regimen included 100 pushups, 200 sit-ups, 100 jumping jacks, 25 arm curls per arm with a 25-pound weight and 5,000 revolutions on the elliptical trainer. A near-identical workout was done in the evening. The child also told investigators he was physically disciplined by his father with a PVC pipe on his buttocks, feet, chest, head, thighs, sides and arms. The child said he was often too sore to sit or walk. According to the petition, the adolescent Charlie was beat so severely by his father with the PVC pipe that “the skin on his buttocks split opened in several areas.” The boy was examined at Children’s Hospital June 25, the day he was found in the home’s basement. A doctor at the hospital found evidence of physical abuse and found a scar on the youngster’s chest and buttocks. FBI agents found a PVC pipe, which had blood on it, at the family’s residence during a search. The youngster said he also had also been punched by his stepmother Monique Dillard-Bothuell. In the report, the boy said Dillard-Bothuell once told him “unlike you, I know where the sharp knives are” and “I can make you disappear.” Dillard-Bothuell has a hearing Friday on allegations of probation violations for having an unlicensed gun in the family’s home last month. Charlie Bothuell V has lived with his father and stepmother for the past two years. The 12-year-old said his stepmother led him to the family’s basement June 14 when she became upset with him about his extreme workouts. The boy said Dillard-Bothuell told him “if you don’t want anything bad to happen, you better get out my face” and then “I’ve got a place for you to go.” According to the state’s report, the woman led the child back into the basement area along a wall. He said he was ecstatic when police and other authorities found him. “I was so excited when I heard they were going to move the box I was behind, because I knew they were going to find me, ” according to the state’s report filed with the court. A hearing on whether the parental rights of Charlie Bothuell’s father and stepmother should be terminated by the state will continue July 17 in Wayne County Juvenile Court. The state’s petition also seeks termination of parental rights for Charlie Bothuell’s other children, a 4-year-old son and an 11-month-old daughter. The Detroit News