I submitted this photo this week for http://ifuwerentafraid.tumblr.com/. Sheryl Sandberg’s LeanIn.org is asking you what would you do if you weren’t afraid? And this answer pretty much sums up my life right now. Based on the notes it got, I am not alone feeling this way. What would your answer be? Go to http://ifuwerentafraid.tumblr.com/ and submit your photo.
On other news, we are after a huge heat-wave in Hungary with all-time-high temperature records breaking almost every day. I still claim I like this weather, although I admit it is less pleasant when you have work to do and errands to run. Or a speech to make for that matter. Ask President Obama, who made one this week in a similarly intense Berlin heat.
For more on this and other news of the week, please read on.
On world affairs:
Somali Militants Live-Tweet Their Deadly Attack on UN Compound
Yet another sad example of how the UN went from being some untouchable island of peace to being the target of terrorist groups.
With an Eye To Legacy, President Obama Proposes New Nuclear Arms Reductions
After years of strong rethoric and even some actions on nuclear power reduction, in a speech at the Brandenburg Gate, Barack Obama calls for a one-third reduction of US and Russian deployed nuclear missiles.
On the legal side:
So You Want to Intervene in Syria Without Breaking the Law? Good luck with that.
Great piece about the international law features of the story and the options for the international community to intervene.
U.S. vs. Edward J. Snowden criminal complaint
The criminal complaint filed against Edward Snowden has been published this week. The charges are: theft of government property; unauthorized communication of national defense information; willful communication of classified communications intelligence information to an unauthorized person. I hear in the meantime he left Hong Kong for Moscow and is thought to be heading to Cuba or Venezuela from there.
Press briefing of the week:
“No Human Rights Problems In My Country”, Says North Korea’s UN Rep
North Korea’s UN representative held a news conference to brief the UN press corps this week. That alone is something that hasn’t happened in three years. And then there were some interesting remarks.
Conspiracy allegations of the week:
Viviane Reding is the target in the Hungarian “war of independence”
Fact: I am really not fond of conspiracy theories. Many of them I just find ridiculous and closer to some psychological case of paranoia rather than anything serious. I really just mention this one here because of the little mess it created even in Brussels (little means not much, means they seemingly don’t care that much).
So, EU commissioner Viviane Reding allegedly informed the Bilderberg Group about her efforts on making the next Hungarian elections’ purity challengable. Experts who are familiar with these meetings claim it would be impossible for any such information to leak while Viviane Reding does have her share of enemies. So the information is at least questionable, but still food for thought.
Fashion politics of the week:
I haven’t done this title in a few weeks, for I haven’t seen anything worth mentioning. But the First Lady’s Carolina Herrera dress in Germany this week, really does belong here, doesn’t it?
