Space: Above and Beyond

Alberto Cairo is the head of the ICRC’s orthopaedic program in Afghanistan. He’s spent the past two decades in this war-ravaged nation helping more than 100,000 Afghan landmine and accident victims learn to find the strength within themselves to not only walk, but also to hope, again. This is Alberto’s talk at TEDxRC2, an event which took place in Geneva on 27 November 2011.

Here’s something really cool. YouTube user bd594 has designed and assembled a computer symphony built from old computer parts.

During the last four years, the world has felt the devastating impact of natural disasters, from the Japanese tsunami to the Haiti earthquake, to floods and famine in Africa, and more. Meanwhile, long-running conflicts in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Afghanistan have affected millions of people, while new conflict has ripped across the Arab world. The challenges that Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers face in helping the victims have never been greater. This video reflects the efforts and determination of humanitarians worldwide to bring relief.

The States party to the ”Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons” meet in Geneva this week to consider adopting a new legal instrument on cluster munitions. The ICRC is concerned about the humanitarian implications of the proposed treaty, as it would provide less protection for civilians than the ”Convention on Cluster Munitions”, adopted in 2008. Talking about cluster munitions, have you seen ”Death in the field”?

Ever wonder how it feels to fly over planet Earth? Unless you’re an astronaut or Superman, this is as close as you’ll get. The time lapse was captured by the crew of the International Space Station from August to October, 2011. Amazing.