Biden meets with U2 frontman Bono at White House

The White House says Vice President Joe Biden has met with U2 frontman Bono to discuss global development, AIDS and efforts to fight poverty.

The singer and activist has been a leading advocate for Africa, drawing attention to issues ranging from poverty and hunger to AIDS.

Spokesman Jay Carney joked that Bono and Jim Messina — President Barack Obama’s campaign manager — were forming a new band. Messina also visited the White House on Tuesday. Carney says Obama did not meet with Bono.

http://www.boston.com

Bono’s Georgetown speech on social activism uplifts and inspires

ONE Co-founder Bono gave a powerful speech on activism and global social movements to a crowd of 700 students at Georgetown University last night. His nearly hour-long speech received a standing ovation and praise on Twitter and Facebook. Many students walked away feeling inspired and uplifted.

“Best speech ever,” one student remarked as he left the building. “This is going to be all over YouTube tomorrow,” another said.

(Watch the video of the speech here)

The event, hosted by the Global Social Enterprise Initiative at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, kicks off Bono’s week of meetings with US bipartisan congressional lawmakers and senior Obama officials to stress the effectiveness of US foreign assistance programs.

Bono joked about taking on the role of “professor” for the evening, calling his speech “Pop Cultural Studies 101.”

“Today, we’re gonna discuss why rock stars should never, ever be given the microphone at institutions of higher learning,” he said.

Bono spent the next hour proving that statement wrong. He began his speech talking about the “biggest obstacle in the world”: extreme poverty. He then talked about the incredible ability for social movements to make real change, citing the Arab Spring and social media, and touched upon the work that ONE does in the fight against extreme poverty. Technology, especially the “Afro-nerds” in Africa, are helping to speed things up and increase transparency, reducing corruption and poverty.

He warned students of the looming fiscal cliff and encouraged them to take action (which you can do at the bottom of this blog post) to protect our US international affairs budget, which funds life-saving programs for AIDS, hunger and preventable disease. “We must not let this economic recession become a moral recession. that would be double cruelty,” he said of the potential cuts.

He also said that extreme poverty is not a “right-left” issue… it’s a “right-wrong” issue, and noted that presidents from both sides of the aisles have made great strides in reducing poverty around the world, praising Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Bono ended his speech with a call on Georgetown students and activists around the globe to lift up their voice for the world’s poorest people. “The power of the people is much stronger than the people in power,” he said.

Bank of America CEO and President Brian Moynihan, Senator Norm Coleman, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senator Patrick Leahy and USAID Administrator Raj Shah were also in attendance.

The speech was broadcast in a live webcast and live-tweeted on @ONECampaign, allowing Bono fans and ONE members from around the world to join in on the conversation. 

By Malaka Gharib

for  JOIN ONE 

AWF Launches Got Water? Auction

The African Well Fund's eighth annual Got Water? online auction kicked off  on Nov. 5, at noon Pacific time and will run through next Monday, Nov. 12. Proceeds from the auction will benefit clean water and sanitation projects in sub-Saharan Africa.

This year's auction features more than 30 items, including signed CDs from Glen Hansard, Patti Smith and Sara Groves, a signed Wilco tour poster, a signed copy of John Taylor's memoir, and a "No Line on the Horizon" box set featuring a book signed by The Edge.

To place a bid on any of the items featured in this year's auction, click here.

http://www.africanwellfund.org//http://www.ebay.com

Bono, Michael Stipe and other celebrities show their arty sides for Chernobyl Children

Ali Hewson and Adi Roche

WORKS of art by Bono, Michael Stipe, Ed Sheeran, and Saoirse Ronan were among those displayed at the RHA Gallery yesterday morning in Dublin.

However for buyers hoping to secure a superstar masterpiece at the Secret Art exhibition, it will be a guessing game as they won't find out the painter responsible until after they have purchased their work.

Each painting is signed by the artist at the back.

Celebrities pictured at The Rha Gallery in Ely Place Dublin for the launch of The Chernobyl Children's Secret Art Campaign which will run from November 21st -25th 2012

Ali Hewson, Lisa Fitzpatrick, Joe Duffy, Adi Roche and Lottie Ryan pictured at The Rha Gallery in Ely Place Dublin for the launch of The Chernobyl Children's Secret Art Campaign

Well known Irish faces including Ryan Tubridy, Joe Duffy, along with international stars such as model Helena Christensen, as well as students from art college NCD have contributed over 400 works to the 'Chernobyl Children's Secret Art Campaign, a fundraising campaign to raise funds for medical programmes including child cardiac surgeries for vulnerable children in Belarus and Ukraine.

CCI Director Adi Roche said key to the fundraising idea had been giving celebrities’ anonymity to paint.

"It's a bit risky asking people to be creative if its not their natural thing but we had a wonderful response. It shows too, no matter how far down we are in Ireland with economic troubles, our compassion for other people less fortunate is the same as it ever was," Adi Roche told independent.ie Bono's wife Ali Hewson said as she was "better at painting walls than canvasses"-and because she "didn't want any one to suffer with one of my paintings"- her contribution had been to approach celeb friends including Michael Stipe to take up a brush in the cause.

All paintings are €150 and will go on display at the RHA 15 Ely Place, Dublin 2 from November 21.

The exhibition will run until Sunday November 25 where buyers will either purchase a picture by a celebrity painter, or a talented student depending on their luck.

- Ken Sweeney
Entertainment Editor

http://www.independent.ie

More on Larry`s New Movie

We know Larry is making a movie in Dublin under the direction of Erik Poppe .Now if you want to know more, here is a link to an article (sorry, I forgot to mention you need to read Norwegian).
For those of us who can`t manage with the language we can see the pics:

Larry with director Poppe, right Juliet Binoche

Larry and Maria Doyle Kennedy who plays his wife in the movie

Answering questions about the movie

Link to the video: http://nrk.no/kultur-og-underholdning/1.8385128 ( the interview is in English)



http://nrk.no/kultur-og-underholdning/

UN Reception with Bono

The Mission of Ireland to the United Nations invited permanent representatives and premanent observers from several missions to the UN to their lunch reception today.

The special guest Bono, lead singer of U2 and Human Rights Activist, held a speech on development and human rights in the United Nations.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/norwayun/

Bono in New York

   

Last Sunday night Bono jumped onstage to harmonize with singer Jim Caruso and pianist Billy Stritch at the intimate Bemelmans Bar at the Carlyle Hotel in New York City.

“Bono walked in. It was impossible not to recognize the guy -- the glasses alone gave him away!” a surprised Caruso told The Huffington Post.

“They were seated in the corner, where they rocked, bopped, swayed and snapped. He kept giving me the thumbs-up when he'd like a tune, and singing along quietly. “

Jim and Billy were performing standards from the Great American Songbook, of which Bono knew the words to every song. But before he made his exit, Bono made a beeline for the piano and started to harmonize with Billy Stritch on "I've Got You Under My Skin," which he last sang in 1993 as a duet with Frank Sinatra.

“The room was stopped cold,” Jim said. “Just another miraculous Bemelmans moment! After the last note was crooned, Bono flew out the door, waving to everyone. Billy looked at me and said dryly, "Well ... that happened!"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com// pic: Stephen Sorokoff  http://cabaret.broadwayworld.com