Team Tuesday (29/6/2010)

It’s Team Tuesday – and it’s hot. Even in Bern, Switzerland it’s hot, or at least what passes for hot in this country. Our brains are close (well, closer) to melting point… especially Kath’s. She’s currently trying to think of Global Changemakers materials to produce, and all she’s coming up with are water wings and water bottles. Or should we do ice cubes in the shape of a speech bubble? (Editor’s note: Ice cubes would go well with the FCO-imposed freeze on PR and marketing spendings.) Any cool (Editor’s note: Groan…) ideas for Global Changemakers materials would be much appreciated.

 

What else? Louise, our logistics mastermind, spent last week in Brazil working with our colleague Roberta on preparations for the Latin America Youth Summit. It is completely untrue that she got locked in at the British Council offices in Rio on Friday evening and it is just as untrue that she wasn’t able to reach anyone because the whole of Brazil was watching the match. Here’s a truth: it’s difficult to hear a phone over the sound of vuvuzelas.

 

Some other points:

 

  • More reading recommendations from Fran: “For the foreign policy buffs and those of you who followed last week’s dismissal of General Stanley McCrystal, here’s the Rolling Stone article that was the direct cause…see what you think. It gives lots of food for thought about what the best way forward is for the region, and puts warfare/the structure of war-fighting into question. What is the appropriate role for media to play? Did General McCrystal deserve to be fired? What are the upsides and downsides of having a military controlled by civilians?  Are the additional troops in Afghanistan working? Is COIN (the USA’s counterinsurgency strategy) a good idea? And did you know that the American engagement in Afghanistan is now the longest war in US history?

    And for the literary buffs, a link to the New Yorker’s 20 under 40 – a summer fiction issue which features up and coming new writers (including a personal favorite, Yiyun Li)

    Happy reading!”

  • Gaby’s  doing her utmost to get out the CAP payments, struggling with (against?) both internal structures and Swiss banks confused by the exact legal status of the British Council. A number of payments have gone out yesterday – more to follow today, I believe.
  • Speaking of CAPs Woman: Gaby will again be on Skype tomorrow afternoon from 3-4pm Swiss time (which is 2-3pm UK time). The account name is global.changemakers.

 

That’s it for the moment. Enjoy your last week of June!