Lisbon is one of the greatest destinations for music lovers. Every summer, Lisbon hosts a lot of musical events, including dedicated festivals for a special type of music such as Jazz, Fado and classical music. Some of these events are free to attend while the others are paid.

Among the events is Festival of Jazz music called “OUT JAZZ” which is one of the main free events every year, beginning in 2006, from the beginning of May to the end of September. Usually the concerts are held in gardens, parks and historical roads of the city. This year the concerts are held every Friday at 6:00 pm and Saturday from 5:00 pm to sundown. The performances include some famous jazz artists from Portugal, such as e Carlos Martins Quarteto, Joana Machado and Filipe Melo Trio.

The schedule of the concerts is announced on their official Facebook page.  This festival is organized by NCS, a Portuguese audiovisual company and Lisbon municipality. This year the festival has signed partnership with LxFactory. LxFactory is a flea market that occurs every Sunday along with the concert.

The idea of starting the Festival of Jazz in Lisbon was started in 2006 to select a working day to relax, dance and to listen to a good jazz music. That’s why they selected Friday to have the concerts in which is a working day in Portugal, later on they added Sunday.

Arco Do Cego Music Festival is another musical event in Lisbon between May 9 and 12. During the event, all concerts play classical music; the symphonies of Beethoven & Mozart.

Fado In Chiado is a live Fado Festival in the city. Fado is traditional Portuguese music using a special guitar called the Fado. Fado was added to UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List from Portugal in 2011. The show occurs for 50 minutes daily starting at 7:00 pm. The entry ticket to the show costs 16 euros.

In 1998, the Fado Museum was opened for public visitors to promote Fado music in society. Visitors can listen and watch unique traditional samples of Fado music and songs which are making parts of the Portuguese culture. Also they can discover the history of Fado music, which was started in the nineteenth century. Within the museum premise there is a school to teach any interested to know how to play the Fado guitar.

Image credit: OUT JAZZ via Facebook

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Alexander Laszlo is co-founder and President of Syntony Quest and former Director of the Doctoral Program in Management at the Graduate School of Business Administration and Leadership (EGADE- ITESM) located in Mexico. He was recently elected President of the International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS). He has also worked at UNESCO and for the U.S. Department of Education. He has been Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics and the European University Institute. In addition to being the author of multiple book and journal articles, he is also a 5th Degree Black Belt in Korean Karate. This is part two of an exclusive Toonari Post interview, find the first part here.

TP: How do you believe that virtual education is transforming the world?                               

AL: I believe that universities and educational systems which do not keep up to date with current technology enhanced Interactive systems will be left behind. Education should encourage a dynamic play with creating knowledge and not only memorizing what is already known, because memorizing what we already know is not going to provide solutions to the current challenges faced by humanity. These challenges require a new paradigm, a new way of understanding. It’s not about learning and applying the models of last century; we have seen that these models do not work; we need people to develop their own response to their realities in which they live.

This is the purpose of Giordano Bruno; to create perspective. Take Facebook, for example. People use it but mainly for social pursuits. How can we create an education system that works like Facebook in which students share their learning with others and with a group of friends, and so among them discuss, comment, share extra resources and in this way go into an enriching conversation of shared understand on any particular topic?

So really, it’s like creating an education system based on this type of model, which is today one of the most widely used type of interaction. As I say, education systems that don’t use it will stay stuck in the past.

TP: What is the holistic paradigm?

AL: The idea of the holistic paradigm is not seeing the world in a fragmented way. For example, here in California, where I live, I need to see how to get clean water, the same as anyone anywhere else in the world. One solution would be to use all the water that falls from the mountains for irrigation, or we could also get it from our aquifers.

Now, if we don’t proceed with a perspective that considers the impacts of using water-intensive agricultural practices, then we are acting badly. We need to create a solution that allows the aquifers to be restored and regenerated. That’s the holistic way of understanding the secondary and tertiary impacts, and more so to really understand the interdependence of all living systems as the non-living systems, that also sustain life, as is the case of climatic water cycles.

This is the perspective and sensitivity that we want to foster among students, because once we understand that everything is interconnected, we see that nothing is only a problem from a technical perspective, as this type of thinking usually creates more problems [than] it resolves. So the idea is to create a system of solutions, not just a one-dimensional solution that could be purely technological or economic. Really, a set of solutions involves seeing and understanding dynamic and interactive patterns; once you understand a little bit and have developed sensitivity for seeing how these complex adaptive systems are intertwined with each other, you can start creating a new dialogue with nature, society, future generations, our ancestors and yourself. In this way, we create a flow of abundance without making the mistake of trying to maximize our return on investment, which is a way of addressing a context in only a myopic way.

TP: Recently you have been elected President of the International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS). What are your expectations in this new position?

AL: This organization was founded in 1954 and now has had a total of 56 annual conferences. My job as President is to create an international event that represents the emerging direction of systems science, which also includes human science.

I have chosen a theme for this year which is aimed at moving toward a systemic consciousness that heightens and draws upon relational intelligence. So my purpose is to stimulate a more dedicated development of relational intelligence, which must not only be empathetic and compassionate to others, but also embody ways of being interactive and interconnected with all living systems on this planet.

TP: How can you handle so many projects at the same time?

AL: I have several clones (laughs). My secret is that I have excellent teams, and this is what I want to bring to both the Giordano Bruno University and the ISSS. In both cases, we want to create a thrivable world of collaborative communities. Alone, I just can’t achieve all these goals, but luckily the people I work with are much competent than me, which ensures the success of all these projects.

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Alexander Laszlo is co-founder and President of Syntony Quest and former Director of the Doctoral Program in Management at the Graduate School of Business Administration and Leadership (EGADE- ITESM) located in Mexico. He was recently elected President of the International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS). He has also worked at UNESCO and for the U.S. Department of Education. He has been Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics and the European University Institute. In addition to being the author of multiple book and journal articles, he is also a 5^th Degree Black Belt in Korean Karate.

Toonari Post (TP): You are well known for being the co-founder and President of Syntony Quest. Could you explain to us a little bit about this organization?

Alexander Laszlo (AL): Syntony Quest is an educational non-profit organization whose purpose is to serve as a bridge between academia and the business world on topics of sustainability. Many NGOs are focused on working with the problems of people; however, they often lack a more strategic platform from the point of view of theoretical and scientific progress on sustainability issues.

In our organization we conduct interactive research on socio environmental issues with a, participatory approach that is informed by the emerging context. This is the main purpose of Syntony Quest, to be a bridge that fosters self-directed sustainable development in case-specific contexts.

Sustainability means not exceeding the carrying capacity of our planet- trying to maintain a certain balance. But the goal of Syntony Quest is to help create a prosperous world, one that goes beyond mere sustainability to true thrivability, fostering an economy of abundance.

We must create an economy based on nature and not on abstract economic concepts, which are very common in the current economic system.

TP: On the other side, one year ago Giordano Bruno University was opened, where you have the role of Director of Learning and Curriculum Innovation. Tell us, what is the pedagogical model used?

AL: Giordano Bruno University does not seek to impose models that are not relevant to the current context. We are against the subordination of ideas. We want to develop a process of change in the narrative presented by the instructor in which the student has to memorize theory in the most efficient manner possible. Normally, the student has only to learn and repeat the narrative presented by the teacher in order to get the best score, trying to be as faithful to the original narrative as possible.

We want to move beyond this approach, to a second and then to a third point. The second part consists in a change of the teacher’s narrative. The narratives become based in simulations, which allow students to be an actor in a narrative, such as an interactive game like Buckminster Fuller’s World Game or the Model UN experience offered at the high school level for students to simulate a Conference of the United Nations. A simulation like this allows students to experiment, and see how to practice playing different roles.

This second option is good but, what is the intention of Giordano Bruno? It’s not only about the first model that consists of repeating the teacher’s narrative, and it is even beyond the second, which is to live in a designed narrative experience of it, which is still provided by the teacher.

The third model consists of the students creating their own narratives around the learning themes being focused on in the course. This is a process in which students are given the opportunity to live the topics of the course into their own narrative experience, making the course material relevant to their own situation and their own environment in a global context.

TP: Could you tell us a little bit about the instructors and the academic community?

AL: The Giordano Bruno model is very interesting, because the goal is to create an international cultural community of students from many parts of the world based on study groups of 21 students. These groups function as cells in a structure that can have from 10,000 to 300,000 students in a single course. Nevertheless, we are always focused on the groups of 21 students.

This model allows us to significantly reduce the costs while at the same time increasing accessibility, thereby potentially reaching students in any part of the world. Of course, they need to have access to Internet. Once there, they can interact with the other students of their group.

In this process, there is an instructor who designs the course. The course has certain parameters that allow for the use of technology in ways that are rapidly becoming more common in education these days. We want ideas and information to arise through a collegial process among students.

Thus, the learning challenges and the instructions for how to find the resources are designed by the instructor. However, the model for understanding the lesson arises through the cell interaction among students.

We seek to encourage interactions, for students to do two things: the first is to take the lessons and discuss them with their family and community, and the second is to report their results, perspectives and outcomes with their group of 21. All this helps the student to know the global context of the challenges of being an evolutionary change in the world while at the same time learn to be sensitive to the needs of their locality.

The teachers that we have are people of advanced preparation in their chosen field; as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), they design courses of large-scale and scope, which are then managed by a team of facilitators. However, the professor is mainly a designer of the course and responds only to questions that assistants can’t respond to. Primarily, we are looking to help students learn to answer their own questions and solve their own problems.

Read part two here.

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The Way of St James (Camino de Santiago de Compostela) is the pilgrimage route to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, located in Galicia, northweste of Spain. The pilgrimage path can be covered by walking or cycling and some routes start from Europe.

For more than 1,000 years pilgrims have traveled along the many ways to Santiago. In 1985 only 2,491 pilgrims completed the Way. Since then, the route has been increasing its attractions to pilgrims from around the globe and not pilgrims. Ten years later, 19,821 people covered the Way.

The Camino de Santiago is for everyone, young, old, fit, unfit, religious or otherwise. The route was declared the first European Cultural Route by the Council of Europe in October 1987. UNESCO has listed it as a World Heritage Site. In 2005 there were 93,921 visitors according to the city of Compostela.

In your way to Santiago from wherever place you start in Europe or Spain; the scallop shell will guide you to arrive in Santiago. Historically, the shell had also metaphorical and practical meanings for the pilgrims. As the waves of the ocean wash scallop shells up on the shores of Galicia, God´s hand also guides the pilgrims to Santiago. The pilgrims used to use the shells as an instrument to gather water from wells and rivers.

There are five main Camino pilgrimage paths in Spain: the Silver route (starting in Seville, southwest Spain 621 miles), the Northern route (starting in Irun, north of Spain 512 miles), the Portuguese route (starting in Porto, Portugal 143 miles), and the English road (starting in Coruna or Ferrol, Northern Spain 68 miles). There are more paths in Spain but these ones are the most popular.

However, the French Way is the most popular route to start for people who do their first Camino. This Camino starts in St. Jean Pied de Port, near the Pyrenees and has 484 miles distance to Santiago. You will need a document called the credencial (pilgrim’s passport) which provides cheap (between $3,7 and $8,8 per night) and sometimes free accommodation in official or municipal pilgrim hostels along the route. There are also private hostels, but they are little bit more expensive, around $12,5.

The credencial can be purchased in any Spanish tourist agency or in a confraternity in your country. The credencial provides record of where pilgrims have eaten or slept, but also is a proof to the Pilgrim´s Office in Santiago to show that the journey has been accomplished according to an official route.

The infrastructure along the French Way is very good and it is very difficult to get lost. You will spend between 7 and 10 days to complete the French Way to Santiago; it depends on how many days you stay in the Spanish cities that you will find in your route. The route passes along a few major Spanish cities such as Pamplona, Burgos and Leon.

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The European Union (EU) has officially started the membership negotiation with the Republic of Montenegro. The talks are held to persuade other countries in the Western Balkan that the reforms are paying off. The Montenegrin government submitted an EU membership application on December 15, 2008.

The negotiation might take several years before the country can be an official member of the Union. Also, Montenegro has conducted improvement in the judicial system to curb corruption and organized crime.

In January 2011, some of Montenegro’s senior municipal officials faced accusations of corruption. The former Prime Minister, Milo Djukanovic, was investigated by the Italian police and faced charges, over one billion US dollars, for a cigarette smuggling operation based in Montenegro in 2009. Montenegro has made additional efforts to further strengthen its anti-corruption by legalizing anticorruption legislation and strategies in governmental anticorruption institutions and agencies to help the government’s effort in fighting it. Also it made efforts in independence, impartiality and efficiency of the judiciary.

According to the official European Commission website, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Štefan Füle said, “Montenegro already did a lot. But much more still needs to be done. This next phase of the accession process will mean even more work in more areas, with continued focus on fundamental freedoms, judiciary, fight against corruption and organized crime.”

The EU leaders have approved to begin the talks at the summit on Friday, June 29. The next screening of the Montenegrin progressive would be in September 2013.

Of the former Yugoslav republics, Slovenia, as of 2004, and Croatia, which will be an official member in July 2013, have joined the EU, while the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Serbia are recognized candidates of the EU. Bosnia and Herzegovina Republic and the Kosovo Republic are potential candidates with no submitted membership applications.

Montenegro is a small country that lies on the Adriatic Sea with a population of about 680,000 and an area of 13,812 square kilometers (5,333 square miles). It became an independent state from Serbia in 2006.

The Montenegrin economy is mainly based in tourism and real estate industries. Montenegro has very rich natural and historical tourist destinations in all regions of the country. Also, it has a coast line of 293 kilometers, making more than 120 great beaches in Ulcinj, Bar, Budva, Tivat, Kotor and Herceg Novi municipalities. the Natural and Culture-Historical Region of Kotor and Durmitor National park are two destinations with UNESCO’s world heritage list.

Between 2006 and 2007, Montenegro experienced a real estate industry boom. Most Russian and UK  investors in the country bought properties in the Montenegrin coast. The direct investments in Montenegro made a rapid growth of the economy. The investments in tourism and real estate fields supported the government to meet the requirement of EU membership program.

Montenegro has no national currency, but uses the Euro. Prior to 2002, it used the German Mark as the official currency. Although it was in federation with Serbia between 1992-2003, it stopped using the Serbian Dinar in 1999.

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NEW YORK, U.S.A.- Experts and speakers dedicated to the empowerment of African women to gather in Libreville, Gabon

The Cecilia Attias Foundation for Women, in association with Mrs. Sylvia Bongo Ondimba, the first lady of Gabon, will be hosting the 2012 installment of Dialogue for Action Africa (DFAA) in Libreville, Gabon. Dedicated to helping women in Africa lead safe, productive, and healthy lives, the forum seeks to creatively address the salient issues faced by African women.

In addition to special remarks by Cecilia Attias and Sylvia Bongo Ondimba, DFAA will feature a unique collection of inspiring experts and speakers from academia, government, NGOs, the private sector, and the medical community. Cecilia Attias comments: “The diversity and expertise of Dialogue for Action Africa’s speakers is astounding. Their dedication to women’s issues is truly inspiring and their insights will be enable us to promote African women’s issues through actionable initiatives.”

These initiatives will culminate in a Plan of Action for Africa, which will be presented at the G20 Summit in Los Cabos, Mexico in June. At the G20, DFAA’s conclusions will become part of the global agenda and will be discussed by the world’s most influential leaders and policy makers. Creating this bridge between DFAA and government leaders is key to producing change at an institutional level and is an innovative example of public-private partnerships.

Confirmed DFAA speakers and participants include: Hon. Aicha Bah Diallo, FAWE Chairperson and Advisor to the Director-General UNESCO Education; Holly Gordon, Vice President, Project Development, The Documentary Group; Sade Baderinwa, Emmy Award-winning news anchor;

Dr. Amy Lehman, Founder Lake Tanganyika Floating Health Clinic; Magatte Wade, Founder and CEO Tiossano; Vickie Remoe, Founder and Creative Director How4Do productions; Casey Cobell, EVP & Country Director Indego Africa Rwanda; Philisiwe Buthelizi, CEO National Empowerment Fund; Fatime Christiane Ndiaye, Sr. Gender Specialist International Labour Organization; Elizabeth Dearborn Davis, Co-Founder of the Akilah Institute for Women; Edna Adan Ismail, Midwife, Founder Edna Adan Hospital; Nahid Toubia, Founder of RAINBO; Coumba Toure, educator and artist; Yomi Abiola, Activist and journalist; and Zainab Salbi, Founder Women for Women International.

Dialogue for Action Africa will be held in conjunction with the New York Forum Africa, an annual action-oriented assembly of the world’s leading business, economic, and regulatory officials. By collaborating with New York Forum Africa, DFAA is seeking to build crosscutting partnerships between the worlds of business and NGOs.

New York Forum Africa founder Richard Attias comments: “Non-profits and private enterprises have much to share with one another. They can collaborate on a host of topics, from tackling issues related to efficiency and financing to engaging in discussions of mission and ethics. Collaboration between Dialogue for Action Africa and the New York Forum Africa is a step in this direction.”

For more information please visit the Dialogue for Action Africa website at: http://www.ceciliaattiasfoundation.org/DialogueForActionAfrica

For more information please contact:

Cecilia Attias Foundation For Women

Online presence

http://www.ceciliaattiasfoundation.org

http://www.fondationsylviabongoondimba.org

http://www.ny-forum-africa.com

http://www.richardattiasassociates.com

Don’t forget to follow on Twitter!

http://twitter.com/Ceciliaattias

http://twitter.com/Sylviabongo

http://twitter.com/nyforum

Image Courtesy of    Petr Kosina

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Thousands of participants, 140 ministerial delegations, more than 80 ministers, and members of hundreds of organizations are gathered this week in Marseille, France for the Sixth World Water Forum. The week-long forum aims to bring water crises facing communities, governments, and regions across the world to the forefront of political agendas.

More than 780 million people worldwide lack safe drinking water, according to a 2012 UNICEF/WHO report. Approximately 2.5 billion people in 2010 lacked improved sanitation, and 15 percent (1.1 billion) of the world’s population practice open defecation. The recently released UN World Water Development Report (WWDR4) cites that 3.5 million deaths per year are linked to insufficient sanitation, hygiene, and water supply.

“For the past fifteen years, the World Water Forums have advanced the understanding of issues related to this important topic … Things have moved too slowly, and we must now move up a gear to achieve our common goal,” said France’s Prime Minister Francois Fillon in his speech on Monday at the forum.

Meeting every three years since 1997, the forum provides a platform for debate through grassroots citizen involvement and the participation of experts and decision makers.  It also acts as a foundation for authorities to make commitments toward lasting solutions to global water challenges.

On Tuesday, forum participants announced that 2013 is going to be the “International Year of Water Cooperation.” Led by UNESCO, along with four other UN agencies, 2013 will focus on the successes achieved thus far in water cooperation, along with the span of water challenges still facing communities worldwide.

As a component of the Rural Water Supply Initiative in Africa, Chad, France, Italy, Ivory Coast, Niger, Republic of Congo, and Switzerland pledged $80 million. The Fourth African Water Week is scheduled in Cairo, Egypt for May 14-18, 2012.

During Wednesday’s Arab trialogue session, “Water and Energy,” Dr. Abid Thyab Al Ajeeli from the Arab Parliament predicted, “Currently 18 of the 22 Arab States suffer from water scarcity and by 2050 this will turn into water distress.” Holding only one percent of the planet’s fresh water, the Arab world contains five percent of the world’s population.

The panel discussion focused on desalination, already widespread in the Gulf States, and renewable energies as alternatives to the current fossil fuel reserves powering desalination plants. Zaher bin Khalid Al-Sulaimani, Director General of Projects for the Public Authority for Electricity and Water-Oman, stated that Oman relies on the sea for 80 percent of its population’s drinking water. During the next four years, Oman plans to invest in 200 MW of renewable energy projects.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/iucnweb/

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Harriet R. Lewis, Chairman of Grand Circle Foundation, is pleased to announce “Cuba: A Bridge Between Cultures”, a 12-day People-to-People program designed to foster meaningful cultural exchange between Americans and Cubans. The program, which operates in small groups of just 12-20 participants, begins at $3,995 with 75 departures currently scheduled between January-June and, subject to the renewal of OFAC License #CT-17899, from September-December 2012.

“Americans have long been curious about the mystique surrounding Cuba, especially those of us who grew up during the Castro years,” said Lewis.  “We are honored to have the opportunity to bring Americans to Cuba and view our program as part of an important step toward a new beginning between our two countries.”

Grand Circle Foundation launched its People-to-People program last November after receiving license to do so from the Office of Foreign Assets Control.  The Foundation initially limited participation to its top donors and supporters and ran four departures that garnered a 97 percent excellence rating from 80 participants.

Following the success of the launch, Grand Circle Foundation now opens the program to all Americans, although the program is geared to and paced for the 50-plus market.  The program’s focus is on close cultural exchange between American participants and Cuban residents.

The itinerary includes five nights in Havana, Cuba’s capital city; two nights in Cienfuegos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is also known as La Perla del Sud (the Pearl of the South) for its gleaming harbor area and dignified ambience; and three nights in Trinidad, another UNESCO World Heritage Site and a colonial gem that recalls life in Cuba’s 19th-century glory days.

The program begins at $3,995 per person and includes a full schedule of People-to-People exchange meetings; roundtrip airfare from Miami; all accommodations; 24 meals; services of an English-speaking Cuban guide and a Grand Circle Foundation representative from the U.S.; transportation aboard a private, air-conditioned motor coach; and cultural diversities that include discussions with locals, museum visits, musical performances, and more.

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Some people have all the luck. At an early age, Milla Jovovich was acting, modelling, and writing and performing music. In each case, she received strong reviews. At any moment, she might be featured in film, fashion magazines and events, on the soundtrack to another film, and promoting a charitable cause.

Ms. Jovovich appeared as Milady de Winter in the adaptation of ‘The Three Musketeers,’ directed by her husband, Paul W.S. Anderson, as well as in four other films this year, and will return in at least two films scheduled for next year.

Ms. Jovovich rules the fashion world: she co-founded a fashion line, Jovovich-Hawk; she has appeared in hundreds of magazines, TV-commercials and other fashion and cosmetics promotions; she is a spokesmodel for L’Oréal, one of the highest profiles for models. She also sponsors a number of charities, such as cancer research, AIDS research, wildlife societies, UNICEF and UNESCO.

Her only music album, ‘The Divine Comedy,’ was released in 1994, when she was 16; she had written it the year before. She had a band for a short time, called Plastic Has Memory, which never made an album but made music and has a song on the benefit CD, ‘Hollywood Goes Wild.’ Ms. Jovovich continues to produce music for screen and for anyone via her web-site, www.millaj.com.

While the music was well received, it is not as widely known as her work in the fashion and film industries. Ms. Jovovich has a rare versatility in her styles: she can dramatically change her look and still keep a distinctive presence. This has served her well around the world. Her film work has extended around the globe as well, with this year’s ‘Lucky Trouble’ coming from Russia. Ms. Jovovich is multi-lingual.

Most of her fans know her from the film franchise, ‘Resident Evil.’ The four films, and a fifth next year, are based on a popular video-game and are directed by Mr. Anderson. He is not the first of her director-husbands: she was also married to Luc Besson, who directed her in her breakthrough, ‘The Fifth Element’ (1997), as the “perfect being,” and ‘The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc’ (1999).

She has appeared in the weighty ‘Chaplin’ (1992) and the fashion-comedy ‘Zoolander’ (2001). But it is her action roles that have made the biggest mark. Her Alice in ‘Resident Evil’ (2002) helped garner a following, and four sequels have followed so far. She does many of her own stunts.

Milla Jovovich is beautiful; she can act; she can sing and write songs; she plays the guitar; she speaks several languages; she works for charities. She presents herself well in interviews, and has a fun and accessible demeanour. She is also a mother. She is more the saviour than damsel in distress, though she can exude vulnerability, and always femininity. Her daughter will be another to watch.

cinemafestival / Shutterstock.com

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Naples is an ancient city in Italy, one of the oldest in the world, famous for its history, its beauties, its art and its gastronomical specialities. Born as a Greek colony 2,800 years ago during its all history was the scene of many events that left their mark , characterizing the Italian history playing an important role in promoting the unification of the country and the Italian culture spread all over the world.

The beautiful gulf, the view of the volcano Vesuvius, the architectural and artistic treasures are the characteristics that make Naples the wonderful city that Italians know and foreigners dream.

Its historical center, which is the largest of Europe, has been listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1995 thanks to its immense artistic and cultural value.

Nowadays all these beauties are in a real grip of garbage. The latest news reported that currently almost 2,000 tons of garbage lie on the streets of the city.

Residents say the smell is unbearable. In many cases it is even difficult for them going out from their houses because the waste bags are left outside the doors and sometime the piles reach the windows of buildings first floors.

A situation almost unimaginable in a big city of a Western European country, but that for Naples residents is the sad and not new reality.

In fact the garbage issue is a recurring issue for Naples. Since the middle of 1990 the city and its surroundings have suffered from waste management problems. The incapacity of the local administration and the infiltration of the Camorra – the local mafia organization that import waste from all over Europe – in the municipal garbage disposal business have led to the strong crisis which broke out in 2008, and still weigh heavily on this area.

The solution of the crisis promised by the Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi since starting his mandate – that was also the point on which he built up his electoral campaign – didn’t solve the problem.

The center of the city and some other area were cleaned, but this situation of apparent calm lasted just for a while. In 2010 the government proposed to open new landfills in the region to face the problem – for example inside the Vesuvius National Park – but in the residents of the designed areas tried to block this action.

Cashes with the police, garbage trucks blocked by people stuck in the middle of the streets, rubbish skip committed to the flames, real scenes of urban guerrilla warfare that made Naples famous all over the world not for its beauties but for its garbage.

Until now all the government’s measures turned out totally useless and definitely not appropriate, and the emergency goes on.

Meanwhile the worries about the population’s health rise. Leukemia, throat cancer, and respiratory illnesses rates are higher day after day due to air and water pollution. A very high price to pay for the residents which watch with impotence the decay of their city and risk to compromise their state of health.

There is still a possibility for Naples to be free from the garbage and to be famous just for its beauties again?

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The now former German defense minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg was the center of an embarrassing row recently when accusations of plagiarism led the University of Beyreuth to stripping Mr Guttenberg of his doctorate. The now shamed Mr Guttenberg, dubbed by the national media ‘Mr Googleberg’ or ‘Mr Cut und Paste’, blamed the media for instigating a ‘witch hunt’ on his person but after futile resistance, stepped down from his post in the Merkel government.

The German ‘copygate’ is regrettably not the only high-profile case of academic fraud at the moment. In Denmark, the previously revered neuro-scientist Milena Penkowa is under criminal investigation and internal probing for several accounts of tampering with research results, abuse of research funds and falsifying experiments. Her case, which goes back to a dispute over her doctorate in 2002, shows a cynical and greedy disrespect for the institution she represented – The University of Copenhagen. Another recent example is the launch of an investigation into the claims that the son of Libya’s faulting dictator Gaddafi plagiarized his PhD thesis. Saif al-Islam’s enrollment into the London School of Economics was already an embarrasing story for the institutions which accepted him as a student alongside a £1.5m gift from the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation. With the accusation that the now 38-year-old graduate used a ghost writer and copied several sections of his work, the reputation of the institution is taking a serious blow.

And it is not just a successful bout of investigative journalism. As modern society has grown to value knowledge on behalf of academic credentials, the widespread of falsification, misrepresentation, plagiarism and cheating has exploded.

The obvious question is: Why do people cheat? Academic misconduct has a way of, if caught, tarnishing the fundamental credibility of that person, profession and/or institution. A journal on behalf of UNESCO’s International Institute for Educational Planning found that competitiveness, ambition, greed and other anti-social behavior are most likely motivations for academic fraud. Since the process of gaining academic success has become so competitive, the temptation to gain them illegitimately have equally increased. The author’s explanation for this situation is that “the value of academic success and qualifications is not limited to educational advancement alone. It is accompanied by the prospect of improved status, power, and influence.”

The recent cases have briefly exposed what has been a major problem in the worlds of academia and publishing for many years. Both students and institutions have turned their blind eye to the rule book on academic conduct and it does not seem that things will change anytime soon.

What is deeply concerning – and frustrating for anyone who did academics – is the fact that the more cases of fraud are exposed, the more damage it causes further down in the system. The people who fake their way through scholarly work and credentials set off a chain reaction of mistrust, ridicule and degradation of the world of academics. Honest researchers and writers will have to fight twice as hard to be taken serious, and It tarnishes everything that touched the case – it tarnishes everyone who legitimately follows the same path.

The morale of the story is – don’t be a cheater. The paradox of lying to advance one’s position is that with increased influence comes increased exposure and a bad apple in the cart can soon rot the rest of the harvest. Still, there is little else to do for real academics world wide than to make sure their own practice is legitimate and hope that the recent cases will scare off the rest.

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