text:
Press Conference: Ambassador Wittig on Germany's tenure at the Security Council
(Press Conference: Ambassador Wittig on Germany's tenure at the Security Council - near-verbatim transcript)
"Good morning,
Thank you very much for joining us this morning. Germany's tenure at the Security Council is coming to a close and we thought this would be a fitting opportunity to wrap up our two years in the Council. Let me first make some general remarks and later go into the specifics and Q & A.
Germany's membership coincided with some remarkable change in the landscape of international diplomacy: what was called the "Arab Spring" at first - the momentous changes in the Arab world - dominated the last two years in the Security Council. It dominated our work, both in capitals and here in New York. It also brought the Security Council back to the limelight of international diplomacy, of international relations - and it shaped the perception of the Security Council and the United Nations at large.
We, the German government, took those events in the Arab World very seriously, right from the start. We realized - and had no doubt - that the upheavals would have a fundamental impact on the stability and the security in the region. So our approach in dealing with this momentous change in the Arab world here was based on two beliefs:
Number one: The earlier the Council acts, the better. We shouldn't wait until the death toll becomes unbearable to have the international community get engaged. From our point of view it falls within the mandate of the Security Council - and is indeed an obligation -- to prevent crises from deteriorating into major threats of peace and security. And for this purpose, the Security Council has a full box of tools. We believe the most effective way to use these tools is to employ them at a very early stage. This is why, together with our partners, we pushed right from the inception of those crises for an early and sustained engagement of the Security Council – be it in Libya, be it in Yemen or be it in Syria.
And the second point on our approach is the regional factor: The region matters. We have insisted on a strong involvement of regional actors – be it the League of Arab States, be it the Gulf Cooperation Council. Their expertise, their influence and their knowledge are crucial for a long term sustainable solution to any crisis. And indeed, we have seen the Arab League emerging as an important political factor in those momentous events in the Arab world. We have been advocating for a more active interaction between the Security Council and the UN and the League of Arab States. You might remember that in September of this year, when we had the Presidency of the Security Council, we managed to get an agreement on a Presidential Statement that clearly upgraded the cooperation of the Security Council with the Arab League, something that met a very positive echo, especially in the region.
The Council has not only been dealing only with the conflicts in the Arab World. As you know, among other items on the agenda, Iran, DPRK, the African conflicts have kept us busy. Forgive me if I don't run through all of them, but let me highlight one issue and that is Afghanistan: We were in the lead on the Afghan file in the Council. We helped to assist the foundation of the so-called "decade of transformation" that was spelled out at the Bonn conference a year ago. One of our priorities the UN was to actively promote a stronger, more forward-looking orientation of the UN mission UNAMA in the field - and that's why we helped to bring about the "UNAMA review" to prepare UNAMA for the challenges in the future.
Germany also chaired the Taliban and Al Qaida Sanctions Regimes. Sanctions are a very important tool of the Security Council and we engaged in a serious examination of the sanctions policy. We asked ourselves, of course together with our partners: Is the sanctions regime of the UN still universally respected ? Is it fully implemented? Do the sanctions, especially in the realm of the counter-terrorism, do those sanction tools respond to the changing nature of the terrorist threat ? Do they correspond to what we want to achieve - and to what is the political purpose of the sanctions, that is prevention?
And we came to a couple of conclusions that were translated into decisions. I just name two of them, which we believe are landmark decisions:
First, we separated the Al Qaida- and the Taliban- regime and created two different Committees - which I chaired. This made the sanctions, the Afghanistan-related sanctions much more responsive and nimble and gave the government of Afghanistan a much more significant role in the sanctions regime. And this has found a very positive echo in Afghanistan: now Afghanistan is seeking a stronger role in this sanctions regime and has in the meantime submitted suggestions of delisting individuals - the idea here is to facilitate the political process of reconciliation in Afghanistan.
And the second measure that is a landmark concerns the Al-Qaida regime. Here we strengthened the role of the Ombudsperson. We introduced much-needed fair and clear process elements into the sanctions regime in order to ensure the universal respect for this regime and other regimes. We believe that this Ombudsperson process, and I am speaking here for my country, could be a model for other sanctions regimes. We tried to animate and initiate a discussion on sanctions policy and this is an important part and we hope this will continue.
Chairing those sanctions committees, those anti-terror-committees, gave us a good opportunity to advance essential elements of German foreign policy: the fight against terrorism and the protection of human rights. Human rights are indeed at the heart of German foreign policy. That is why we were happy that we could be responsible for one subsidiary body of the Security Council, the "Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict" .This is the only human-rights related humanitarian body that the Security Council has.
Here we accomplished a couple of things, first in July last year: we managed that the Council adopted a resolution adding a trigger that guaranteed that those armed groups that attack schools and hospitals be added to the "name and shame"-list of the Secretary-General. That was an important step to enlarge the protection agenda of "Children and Armed Conflict". This year, during our presidency in September, we focused once again on this protection agenda and particularly highlighted the need of accountability of the so-called persistent perpetrators, those armed groups, those individuals that persistently violate the rights of the child.
Now, this a human rights and humanitarian agenda that I thought was very important in the Security Council. We worked in strong partnership with the civil society, this was something very gratifying. There are a lot of well-qualified, very knowledgeable NGOs acting in this field and they are complementing what states should do in certain areas.
One more thing that is close to our heart is the climate change agenda. This is something I am personally proud of having achieved: a Presidential Statement last year that - for the first time - stated that climate change is a potential threat to international peace and security. We put climate security on the map of the Security Council and that's not, as we see it and others, that is not a small achievement in the context in which we are operating.
Let me sum up our approach to conflict resolution over those two years:
First, as I said before: we believe that whenever conflicts arise, the international community, especially the Security Council should act early on. We are staunch advocates of a preventive diplomacy. The later we act, the harder it gets. Syria is a very clear and, if I may say so, depressing showcase in this regard.
Second: solutions have to be build on regional expertise, local and regional players need to be involved. There won't be any sustainable solutions against the regional actors.
And third: human rights and accountability are no obstacles to peace but they are necessary requirements for any durable and stable conflict solution.
Now a very final word on how we tried to conduct our work: We are Europeans, we are convinced multilateralists, so we have pursued a partner-based policy in the Security Council, with a strong emphasis on cooperation, we tried to be as transparent as possible and to build confidence among the various groups in the United Nations.
Germany of course remains beyond the time at the Security Council an important contributor to the maintenance of international peace and security. When we were elected to the Council two years ago, we wanted to create an added value for the wider membership. It is of course not for us to make a final judgement, but we did our best to make that happen, myself and my very able first-grade staff that I had. We tried our best to add value to the work of the Security Council. So, let's leave it at that and I am happy to take your questions."
[Q. on Syria]
Wittig: "I indicated that we are frustrated that the Council could not act earlier, when it had the chance to prevent a disaster that was unfolding before our very eyes. There were a couple of forks in the road, draft Security Council resolutions on the table - and of course we belong to those who regret that the Council could not find unity to prevent this crises from deteriorating. But we have to look ahead. We see some movement in Syria on the ground. We see some movement in getting a unified opposition to become the legitimate representative of the Syrian people. Some days ago the Friends of Syria acknowledged that a national coalition is the representative of the Syrian people. So we have a strong interlocutor now and we hope that - also with the help of Mr. Brahimi - we can make headway in initiating a political process of transition. Now there are of course some prerequisites for that to happen. We feel a certain movement on the ground to the detriment of the Assad regime. We look forward to discuss this again in the Council once Mr. Brahim decides that it is the time to come back to the Council."
[Q. on DPRK]
Wittig: "You know that the Council came together after the rocket launch. We had a preliminary discussion, agreed on some press elements. We made very clear that we strongly condemned the launch. We believe it's a violation of international obligations and Security Council resolutions. We also think it's a regional provocation. We expressed our sympathy to the people of Japan, South Korea and the adjacent countries. We spoke out in favour of a strong reaction, a strong message of the Security Council. We advocated for a resolution imposing additional restriction on DPRK to make it clear that the international community does not tolerate such a violation of international law. Now, we are in the beginning of a longer process and there are some talks outside the Security Council. The Security Council is seized with the matter. At this point of time I would rather hesitate to predict what the outcome of those contacts will be. Again: Most members of the Council - and we are among them – want a strong reaction in form of a resolution that sends the right message to Pyongyang."
[Q. on Mali]
Wittig: "Indeed, the crisis in Mali is part of a wider challenge in the Sahel region. There are some multifaceted crises and the trafficking of arms is one important aspect. It's a terrorist threat, it is a big humanitarian threat, there are political challenges and everything added up in the case of Mali to become a worrisome political crises.
The Security Council is engaged. In the wider context: we had this discussion a couple of days ago on challenges to the whole Sahel region and we are engaged now, the negotiations on a resolution are ongoing. There is a consensus in the Security Council on the urgency to act. Nobody contests that. There is a wide consensus on the need for a strong political track - a road map that has to be devised by the authorities in Bamako -, on negotiations with the North and eventually on an authorization of a military option that should serve to underpin the credibility of a political solution. So this two-pronged approach is very much part and parcel of the main stream opinion in the Security Council.
Those negotiations are continuing. They have been complicated somewhat by the latest events in Mali. Also here we have a great deal of agreement in the Council that the military should not abuse its influence to intervene in the political life. Those recent events have not helped but rather complicated the situation. But I think the sense of urgency will prevail and I'm hopeful that we are making headway to adopt a resolution on Mali rather sooner than later.
There is a strong awareness that the situation in Mali has wide-ranging regional implications. There's a strong sense that terrorist affiliated groups in the North can contaminate the whole region and this is part and parcel of our sense of urgency that we feel and the responsibility of the Security Council to act."
[Q. on AlQaida sanctions committee]
Wittig: "We had this discussion outside the committee. We organised a couple of events in the German House in order to discuss this and wider questions of sanctions regimes. I pointed out in my statement that the tool of sanctions has to be kept up to speed, has to respond to the changing nature of the threat and to the rule of law. Mr. Emerson has written a rather critical report on the AlQaida sanctions regime as far as the rule of law elements as well as clear and fair procedures elements are concerned and we had a controversial discussion with him. You might remember that there was an exchange on views also between the Ombudsperson and Mr. Emerson. The committee itself has not been seized with this question that you mentioned. It has never been relevant in our concrete discussion.
You know that the system of the Ombudsperson works now in a very thorough way: Petitioners seize the Ombudsperson, she then spends usually months in evaluating the case and then presents the reports to the Security Council. Those reports are confidential and this is why I cannot speak about the contents of these reports."
[Q. on SC reform]
Wittig: "You might know that the Security Council reform is not discussed and not decided upon in the Council. It is a matter of the wider membership of the General Assembly, where this is a topic of discussion. But of course reform issues come up in the Council. They mainly concern the working methods. We had some exchanges on the working methods that included the question of penholder ship - which country should be in the lead of certain files -, that concerned the questions of the chairs of the subsidiary bodies and other issues. So that was quite a lively discussion.
You know that my country belongs to those who think that the Council should be adapted to the world as it is today. I think we are in the mainstream of those countries who think that the Council is in need of a thorough reform. It should go beyond a cosmetical reform. It should entail a change in the representation: we believe that the emerging nations of the South should have a major saying in a new Council and the large contributors to the UN as well. We consider ourselves a driving force for this discussion and at the same time we are pragmatic: we want to contribute to the camps leaving their entrenched positions. We are result orientated. We want to see rather sooner then later change to happen and that requires a sense of compromise, a sense of realism and pragmatism. I think we have that and we will - beyond our time in the Council - be working for a durable reform of the Council."
[Q. on veto]
Wittig: "First on your question on the veto. The veto is part of the Charta. It's part of the Security Council and you might not like the veto in specific questions, but it's a reality."
[Q. on Palestine/double standards]
Wittig: "On the question of double standards: The situation after the decision of the General Assembly to elevate this status is serious. Positions have hardened. We have anticipated that, we have also voiced our concern that this would be the result of such a decision. But we have to look ahead and we have to work so that we find a way out of this spiral of hardening positions.
The Europeans have made very clear – for instance last Monday when the Foreign Ministers met – what they think about the decision in the wake of 29 November. They have also made clear that they would work hard to initiate bold steps to find a way back to negotiations. We know that we need some clear parameters for those negotiations. And we know that we need some bold decisions by leaders, by the protagonists, to pave the way back to negotiations. We as Europeans – and I'm answering to your questions about the perception on the Palestinian side – we have supported the Palestinian authorities, President Abbas and his government, financially and practically in many regards. And we have been one of the pillars in the state-building efforts of Prime Minister Fayyad. We will continue to do that and we will advocate a swift return to meaningful negotiations as soon as possible.
Our aim is to avoid any steps that complicate the return to negotiation. I think this is what we all work for: Paving the way to have a perspective for direct negotiations."
[Q. on Syria]
Wittig: "I have to be very clear: The responsibility for this disaster in Syria, the humanitarian disaster, the regional spill over, more than 40.000 dead, a great tragedy brought upon this country, the responsibility falls squarely on Assad and his regime. It's a clear cut case. There were many forks in the road where Assad could have changed his course and where this slaughtering could have been avoided. He chose otherwise. He will have to be accountable one day for all the crimes that have been committed in Syria. So it's not a question of foreign intervention – you know that nobody in the Security Council has ever spoken out on any foreign military intervention, this was never an issue. We tried our very best to prevent worse from happening. It was not to be. The responsibility for that falls on the Assad regime.
Nobody in the Council ever pleaded for any kind of military intervention."
[Q. on Syria]
Wittig: "The Council could not find unity. And the reason is that two members of the Council wielded their veto and therefore the Council was not able to act in a way that we thought would help solve the crisis."
[Q. on Security Council reform]
Wittig: "Now on the issue of the Security Council reform: I made it clear in my previous answer that the reform is not decided upon in the Council but outside, in the wider membership. The discussion is continuing. The need for reform is universally acknowledged. What is lacking is a consensus or a great majority of countries that can rally around a particular model. We are in serious though difficult discussions on that. It will still take some time to make headway. As I said before: Germanyconsiders itself as a driver for reform. We see the need to have a structural reform but at the same time we have a great deal of pragmatism and desire to bring the various camps closer together."
[Q. on debt crisis]
Wittig: "The international contributions of each and every country in Europe have been remarkable in the past. We are a big donor. Consider the 27 countries together: we make up almost 40% of the regular budget and in terms of voluntary contributions it goes far beyond that. The EU-countries are a major donor to this institution. Each and every one of us is facing budget challenges and most countries rather courageously kept up their level of support in development and humanitarian aid. I can certainly speak for my country that we have not cut across the board our aid to UN. But that is a challenge, a political challenge that each and every government has to face also vis-à-vis their respective public opinion: to justify and to keep up their national development aid although the economic situation at home is deteriorating. Grosso modo we – I speak also for my country – we have not wavered on our financial contributions to this important institution."
[Q. on Mali]
Wittig: "Our approach is two-pronged with a strong emphasis on the political process. Everything that we do in Mali has to be embedded in the political processes within the institutions in Bamako and vis-à-vis the North. Then we have to have a credible military option to complement and reinforce those processes. We are about to decide about the authorization of a military option. That does not necessary mean that we authorize an early use of that military option. We certainly hope that the political track can succeed to once again unify the country. But there has to be that option and those two tracks of one approach they hopefully complement each other. The discussions for a resolution are continuing. Hopefully they can come to a conclusion rather sooner than later."


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subset: commoncrawl


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Former Browns president Mike Holmgren is in full damage-control mode.
When I heard Holmgren criticized the Browns Thursday for trading running back Trent Richardson, my first reaction was he's worried the pathetic state of the Browns will damage his legacy, perhaps even hamper his chances of making the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Holmgren might still get in as a coach. But the three years he spent as Browns president and defacto owner for Randy Lerner won't help his overall credentials.
It won't be as serious as owner Art Modell's moving the Browns to Baltimore damaged his. But Holmgren was supposed to be the quarterback guru, the Bill Walsh disciple who would help turn the Browns offense into a juggernaut.
Granted, he wasn't the coach and he hampered the Browns' chances of that by hiring the unprepared Pat Shurmur. But beleaguered Browns fans trusted Holmgren. Instead he gave them Jake Delhomme, Colt McCoy, Seneca Wallace and Brandon Weeden at quarterback.
When he left last Nov. 30, replaced by new CEO Joe Banner, Holmgren's failure to deliver a quarterback of the future forced Banner's hand, forced him into acquiring all the ammunition necessary to try to find one in the 2014 draft. The Browns received the Colts' first-round pick in 2014 for Richardson, whom Holmgren and GM Tom Heckert traded up to select third overall in 2012.
Holmgren is also trying to cover up his failure to land Robert Griffin III in last year's draft. The St. Louis Rams told the Browns to make their best offer for the No. 2 overall pick, yet the Browns didn't, and Griffin ended up in the hands of the Washington Redskins. Perhaps Rams coach Jeff Fisher's friendship with Redskins coach Mike Shanahan did play a part, as Holmgren subtly suggested. But the Browns didn't take their best shot.
Holmgren was a bust in Seattle when he held both titles of coach and general manager, and he was a bust in Cleveland. Although I've never been a part of a Hall of Fame selection committee, that aspect of his career is sure to come up with the voters, even if the person making his case tries to set it aside.
Holmgren took to the radio airwaves Thursday to rip the Browns, speaking to Sports Radio 950 KJR in Seattle. The host of the show is his old friend, Dave "Softy" Mahler, his most trusted outlet even when Holmgren was in Cleveland.
"How do you make your team better by trading your best player? He's their best offensive player. He's a valuable, valuable guy," Holmgren told Mahler, according to a KJR transcript. "To me, they are putting all their eggs into next season. This season … they started off 0-2 and they couldn't score any points and I think it was a knee-jerk reaction. There's a little bit of 'What's going on? What's happening?' I don't know that for sure, but I can sense it. To do this as an answer, to get a No.1 (first-round) pick which people are going to talk about, but Indianapolis is going to have a good year, so that pick will be 23-24, right in there. We couldn't package our No. 4 and No. 7 for (Robert) Griffin last year and we had more ammunition, so I don't know, I struggle with it."
Asked what he would have done if he'd been Browns coach, Holmgren said, "Philosophically, if I'm the coach and someone came in and said we're going to do this, my response would be 'Fire me' or 'I'm going to quit or we're both going to go into the owner and talk about this and then we'll see who's standing.' Now clearly the coach (Rob Chudzinski) is OK with this. (Chudzinski and Banner) sat at the news conference together, so they have to be OK with it. I personally would not be OK with it; it was my best offensive player, a young guy, not an eight-year veteran."
Holmgren is obviously still sensitive about the Griffin situation. It's hard to believe he would have quit on the spot, even though he's made millions in coaching (and from Lerner). Chudzinski is at a different point in his career. Even if Chudzinski had reservations, this is his first shot as an NFL coach and it could be his last. The Browns have a long list of coaches who never should have risen above coordinator. Banner surely convinced him of the long-term plan, despite the challenge of keeping his players from giving up on this season just as the front office apparently has.
Come to think of it, Holmgren probably would have quit. From what we saw of Holmgren with the Browns, he seemed to have no problem walking away from a challenge without tackling it with all he had.
When I first saw Trent Richardson run in person at Alabama's 2011 season opener against Kent State, my initial reaction was that he was a back to run out the clock, not to break the game open.
I later argued that point during a discussion of whom the Browns should draft on the "Cleveland Browns Daily" radio show. After he was selected, I felt somewhat vindicated when Hall of Famer Jim Brown called Richardson "ordinary."
On Wednesday, when the Browns traded the third overall pick in the 2012 draft to the Indianapolis Colts for a first-rounder next year, Richardson left Cleveland with only two runs of 20 or more yards.
That surprises even me.
I thought the Browns' offensive line was the strength of the team and would open more running lanes for Richardson, especially this year, when he was healthy and trained like a demon in the off-season, according to Derrick Boyd, his mentor in Pensacola, Fla. But Richardson's longest run was 10 yards. He averaged 3.4 yards on 31 carries.
I thought Brown's return as a special advisor this year would give Richardson more support, especially after his 950 yards rushing in 2012 broke Brown's rookie record of 942 yards set in 1957. Richardson's 11 rushing touchdowns also topped Brown's nine. Richardson's 12 total scores broke the record of 10 by Brown and Eric Metcalf (1989).
I thought Richardson was better than he looked in the first two games, even on Sunday, when I noted at least twice that he made poor choices and failed to take the proper cutback lane against the Baltimore Ravens.
Even on Monday, when criticism of Richardson started anew, I figured Richardson would turn it up a notch. He talked a good game. He acted like he wanted to be the Browns' leader. Evidently the Browns decided he was all talk and no action.
Even though he hasn't looked all that aggressive hitting the holes, I still think Richardson could excel on a team with a true zone-blocking scheme and someone to motivate him. Perhaps he couldn't handle playing for a loser, and the Colts, who went 11-5 last season and are 1-1 this season, will get the most out of Richardson. Especially when he's running on turf.
The trade shows the follies of the past regime, primarily ex-president Mike Holmgren and ex-general manager Tom Heckert. The Browns have only five of 11 players from the 2012 draft and quarterback Brandon Weeden may be the next to go. Of those five only right tackle Mitchell Schwartz will start this Sunday at Minnesota, with Weeden sidelined with a sprained right thumb. They have six when the supplemental draft is included, which netted starting receiver Josh Gordon.
They have six of eight picks from the 2011 draft, but offensive lineman Jason Pinkston is out for at least the first eight games with a high ankle sprain. Of those six, three (Phil Taylor, Jabaal Sheard and Jordan Cameron) are starters.
Only one player from the Class of 2013 – first-round outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo – will make a significant contribution this season. He not starting, but should by the end of the season.
But all that means Sunday at Minnesota, the Browns will start five players from the past three drafts. That kind of draft failure rate can set a franchise back years, if not a decade.
When the Browns return home Sept. 29 against Cincinnati, will fans show their displeasure with the Richardson trade and the front office throwing in the towel for 2013 by staying home? The only way their ire can make an impact is with their absence. Half-empty stadiums against the Bengals, Bills (Oct. 3) and Lions (Oct. 13) will make a statement. My guess is that won't be the case.
But never more than Wednesday did the name of the new movie about the Browns – "Draft Day" – seem more appropriate.


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Emotional First Aid Kit
via psfk.com
on 29 June 2017
Central Saint Martins graduate designer Rui Sun has invented a fascinating emotional first aid kit, with five items that aim to physically help with psychological problems. Included is a Purple Breathing Mask—with soothing aromas (to help a person take deep breaths and calm down), Indigo Third Eyeglasses (to see the world in a different way) and more. The goal for Sun's project was to have people see—and validate—emotional and mental pain the same way we view physical pain. Read more at PSFK.
Tracing the Evolution of Language
via nymag.com
Michael Gavin, associate professor of human dimensions of natural resources at Colorado State University, and other researchers across six disciplines formed a unit (in 2010) with the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History and they're on a mission to better understand why our species, collectively, speaks over 7,000 distinct languages. They began by reviewing existing studies (language studies around the equator and at different elevations), and by addressing existing theories (war, geography or cultural differences). Remarkably, not a lot is known. Though through species diversity patterning never before applied to language, and only three basic assumptions about climate and population, they were able to predict quite accurately the language diversity and placement of the 406 aboriginal Australian languages. Learn more about the study at NY Mag.
TONL is Making Stock Photography Less White
via theoutline.com
While stock photography is meant to represent everyday lives of everyday people, it's overwhelmingly (and inaccurately) white. With the belief that diversity leads to innovation, Karen Okonkwo and Joshua Kissi founded TONL—a stock photography company that aims to expand the ways in which black people are represented in visual culture and show those who are, right now, incredibly underrepresented. The thousands of photos (set to launch in August) "not only showcase cultural, social, and racial diversity, they also take aesthetics to heart, replacing the cold anonymity of stock photography with consideration for modern aesthetics." Read an interview with Okonkwo and Kissi over at The Outline.
New Study Proves Art Can Help With Wellness
via theguardian.com
According to a British all-party inquiry, it's evident that involvement in the arts can "keep people well, aid recovery from illness, help people live longer, better lives and save money in health and social services." With case studies and research gathered over two years, the study focused on people suffering from all kinds of ailments (from depression to recovering from a stroke) who undertook various art classes over an eight-week period. The results were impressive: "A cost-benefit analysis showed a 37% drop in GP consultation rates and a 27% reduction in hospital admissions," according to The Guardian, where you can find out more.
Thirza Schaap's Plastic Ocean Photographs
via i-d.vice.com
Creating art that furthers awareness of ocean pollution, Dutch photographer Thirza Schaap collects trash from Clifton Beach, Cape Town and makes something quite pretty from it. Arranging various items (from straws to flip-flops) into sculptures, she then photographs the strange works of art, and the results are delicate-looking, pastel beauties. Schaap says it's frightening how much waste washes up on the beach. "I love the faded colors so much... But there's a contradiction between the attraction and repulsion," she says. "It made me realize what we've done." Read more about the series at i-D.
Mobile Architecture's New Radical Homes
via edition.cnn.com
There's more to mobile housing units than the trailer category. As design writer Rebecca Roke notes in her new book "Mobitecture: Architecture on the Move" (published by Phaidon), everything from floating cabins to trampoline tents now exist—thanks to entirely inspiring developments. From suspended works like Dom'Up, by Bruno de Grunne and Nicolas d'Ursel (pictured here) to huts on wheels by Olson Kundig, these abodes remind one of the sometimes mobile nature of life—and the beauty of the outside world.
New Study Claims T-Rex Couldn't Run
via bbc.com
Forget everything "Jurassic Park" taught you: Tyrannosaurus Rex couldn't actually run. Using a computer simulation, scientists at University of Manchester have calculated that the large theropod probably got to top speeds of 20km per hour—thanks to its build. In fact, "had it moved from a brisk walk to a sprint, the dinosaur's legs would have snapped under the weight of its body." This also means that as they aged, T-Rex would probably get slower and slower—affecting its hunting tactics. Read more at the BBC.
Japan's Cute Space Camera Drone
via theverge.com
Japan's remote-controlled Internal Ball Camera (aka Int-Ball) is a camera drone that resides on the International Space Station—floating around taking footage that can be read in real time. Created completely with 3D printing, 2.2l-pound Int-Ball uses drone technology and has plenty of smarts, but is also extremely cute. The black and white ball has big glowing blue eyes, and (as The Verge accurately puts it) "looks like something straight from Pixar." See more at The Verge.
Disney's Immersive Star Wars Hotel
via engadget.com
Disney has announced that—along with the Star Wars-themed "Galaxy's Edge" areas of their theme parks—they will be opening an immersive Star Wars hotel in Orlando, expected to open in 2019. Not only will guests dress up in themed clothing, but also every window in the hotel will have a view of a galaxy far, far away. There will be aliens galore, and surely plenty of adventure. Read more at Engadget.
22 Animators Create One Trailer
via itsnicethat.com
For anybody who watches Adult Swim's "Rick and Morty," the fact that the most recent trailer for the show is bonkers should come as no surprise. Some 22 artists contributed to the video, which is a "fantastic collaborative cocktail of animation techniques" that's directed by Matt Taylor. Crafted by the likes of Bendik Kaltenborn, Greg Sharp, Hombre McSteez, Scorpion Dagger and more, it's a trailer that will have you anticipating the series' return—and maybe feeling like you're on an acid trip.
Advancing the Ancient Lettering of the New York Times Nameplate
via nytimes.com
Even before the Gutenberg printing press, Gothic (also known as Blackletter) was a well-known letterform—with roots dating back to the 700s. Gutenberg would make it the first-ever font. And, centuries later, Henry Jarvis Raymond would use it in the nameplate of his newspaper the New-York Daily Times, today known as the New York Times. Since the paper's inception, the nameplate's received many tweaks—from dropping the hyphen and then the period to embellishing portions of individual letters. There's an extensive and fascinating history that's led to the nameplate of today. More information and plenty of images are available over at the Times.
Hillary Clinton's Unused Confetti is Now Art
via artnet.com
On view until 12 August, "Bunny Burson: And Still I Rise" (taking its name from Maya Angelou's book of poetry) is an installation that has made the unused confetti from Hillary Clinton's election night into a work of art. Burson tracked down the unused confetti—after being told it was likely in the trash—and turned it into a snow globe-like piece. Burson was at NYC's Jacob Javits Center on the night of the election and says "I was among her supporters... waiting for the symbolic shattering of the glass ceiling and the shard like confetti to fall down on us. We left the Javits Center at 2 in the morning with profound emptiness." In an effort to turn this into a message of hope, she says, "I wanted to fill that emptiness with hope by giving voice to my feelings that even in defeat, Hillary's confetti could be used to inspire the next generations of little girls and young women to dream big and to act on their dreams." Read more at Artnet.
Radiohead's Reissue of "OK Computer" Has a Hidden Treasure
via engadget.com
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of OK Computer, Radiohead has released a £100 special edition box of the record—with a hidden treat. As well as an art book and notes from Thom Yorke, the commemorative edition comes with a C90 cassette—on which is a collection of demos and two minutes of "a bizarre high-pitched frequency." That sound has been recognized as the ZX Spectrum (an '80s-era British computer) and devoted Radiohead and tech fans have figured out the puzzle. "Running those EQ'd files through a ZX Spectrum emulator, the software pops up with the names of all the band members, dating the software back to the 19th December 1996," explains Engadget. Find out more about this hidden treasure there.
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Brevard, N.C. - In their first full year as members of the South Atlantic Conference, the Brevard College volleyball team came into the 2008 season with a goal to earn a berth in the SAC tournament. The team achieved their goal by sweeping the season series against Mars Hill on September 23rd and October 17th, and clinched their spot at home in Boshamer Gymnasium in a thrilling come from behind 3-2 victory over Tusculum.
For the year, the Tornados went 14-17, going 3-13 in the South Atlantic Conference during the regular season.
Led by preseason second-team All-SAC middle hitter Brooke Seaman, the Tornados looked to do some damage in the 2008 season as they introduced six freshmen to the rotation as well as junior college transfer Chelsey Trojan.
Brevard opened the season by splitting their first two games at the Montreat Tournament, winning against Reinhardt and dropping three sets against Shawnee State on August 30th. The Tornados would go on to win their next twelve sets in a row in blanking Montreat, Queens, Coker and Virginia Intermont, before falling to Columbia College in the last match of the BC Tournament on September 6th.
Following the BC Tournament, the Tornados would go on to take their next two matches defeating Belmont Abbey in five sets on September 11th, and North Greenville in four on September 13th.
After dropping their first two SAC games, the Tornados won their first conference game on September 23rd as they swept Mars Hill College in three.
Brevard opened October with a win at Converse College. The Tornados next victory came against Mars Hill on October 17th as they swept the season series against the Lions taking the match, 3-2. Four days later, BC faced off for the second time against North Greenville, but the result was the same as the Tornados won in five sets.
Needing a final victory to wrap up a spot in the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference tournament, Brevard went down two sets to none against Tusculum College on November 5th. The Tornados rallied to take the next three sets and the win, clinching their spot in the tournament.
Brevard came back from a 2-0 deficit for the second match in a row on November 8th, this time against Columbia to record the 3-2 victory, and then swept North Greenville 3-0 in the last home match of the season on November 11th to finish up the regular season.
In the SAC tournament, the Tornados drew No. 1 seeded Wingate in the first round. Brevard fought hard, taking the second set from the Bulldogs, but ultimately fell in four against the eventual SAC tournament champions.
For the season, the Tornados were ranked highly in several categories throughout the conference. As a team, Brevard ranked sixth in the conference in hitting percentage with a conversion rate of 18.8%, fourth in the conference in blocks per game averaging just under two blocks per set, and third in the conference in digs with over 15 per game.
Individually, Seaman led the conference in hitting percentage at 34%, was third in kills with 405 kills on the year with an average of 3.65 per set, and led the conference with 107 blocks, averaging 0.96 per set, on her way to making the post-season All-SAC Second Team. Seaman is the first BC volleyball player to be honored by the conference with a postseason award.
Seaman was joined in the SAC rankings by senior setter Jami Perry, who finished sixth in the conference with 849 assists, which translates to 7.86 assists per set. Freshman middle hitter Jordei Osby finished ninth in the conference in blocks with 59, an average of 0.77 per set, while sophomore libero Rebecca Schoonover finished second in the conference with 455 digs, or 4.1 digs per set.
Other team individual leaders for the Tornados included Trojan who finished second on the team with 231 kills on the year, followed by freshman Chelsea Larsen who totaled 173 in her first collegiate season. Freshmen Lindsey Rogers and Kari Sims combined for 75 assists during a stretch in the season when Perry was unable to play due to injury. Trojan led the team in service aces with 29 on the season with junior defensive specialist Cori Emory right behind with 28.
On the receiving end, Trojan finished behind Schoonover with 303 digs on the year, with Perry and Emory rounding out the group with 273 and 194 respectively.
The Tornados lose only one senior this year, as Jami Perry finishes up her career holding the BC record for most assists in a single season with 1,372, and the record for the most assists in a career with 4,656. Perry also was team captain for the past three years and played an integral role in the team's transition into South Atlantic Conference play.
However, the future looks bright for the Tornados as they will look to improve in their second full season in the conference. Brevard will return 13 players who saw significant playing time and gained valuable experience this year as the team gears up for what looks to be an exciting 2009 season.


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Anne Hathaway Goes Super Short, Plus 17 Other Gorgeous Women Who've Recently Rocked The Pixie Cut
This weekend, I received a single-sentence introductory message from a guy on OKCupid. "Have you ever considered cutting your hair short?" he asked, not signing his name or telling me anything about himself or really anything else that made me inclined to respond. Is he negging me? I thought. Is he saying I look bad with longer hair? I was being paranoid, of course, but the truth is, going super short terrifies me because I'm afraid I would look, well, terrible.
Then I came home and saw this photo of Anne Hathaway, who just chopped off all her hair, like, super short, for her role is "Les Miserables," in which she plays a struggling factory worker who is forced into prostitution and winds up selling her hair to make ends meet. (She also is supposedly on a horrific-sounding 500-calorie-per-day diet, in order to lose 15 lbs. for the role.) First of all, I totally commend Anne Hathaway for her dedication to her craft. But doesn't she look so … uncomfortable in this photo? Like she's not happy with her new look. Dammit, Anne — I'm pretending Anne is reading this — you look awesome! You have balls I don't have! Wear that super short pixie cut with pride! And if you need inspiration, may I direct you to the long list of gorgeous and talented actresses who have also gone super-short in the last few years? Keep clicking to see these fab ladies who've lopped off their locks — and then hold your head high!