The Obsacle Pathology

"Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently."

-- Maya Angelou

Olafur Eliasson installs giant waterfall at Palace of Versailles

6 JUNE 2016       DEZEEN       RIMA SABINA AOUF

A towering waterfall appears to fall from midair into the Grand Canal at the Palace of Versailles as part of Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson's latest exhibition.

Cascading from high above the surface of the pool, the Waterfall installation appears as a torrent of water of with no discernible source when viewed from the front steps of the palace. 

It is one of many Eliasson works sprawled across the grounds of the Palace of Versailles in France, which annually hosts an exhibition by a major contemporary artist. 

...The installation is partly influenced by 15th-16th century French monarch Louis XIV's landscape architect  

André Le Notre, who had planned an ambitions water feature for the garden that was never realised. 

"This waterfall reinvigorates the engineering ingenuity of the past," said Eliasson.  "It is as constructed as the court was, and I've left the construction open for all to see -- a seemingly foreign element that expands the scope of human imagination." 

... Located south-west of Paris, the Palace of Versailles was first built by Louis XIII in 1623 and enlarged into a royal château by Louis XIV from 1661.  It is now a major tourist attraction. Read More

Obama praises Super Bowl champs Denver Broncos, gives Peyton Manning send-off

7 JUNE 2016       JAPAN TIMES       

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Reuters) -- President Barak Obama welcomed the Denver Broncos to the White House on Monday to congratulate the Super Bowl champions for their victory over the Carolina Panthers and send off retiring quarterback Peyton Manning with words of praise.

"I have to say I'm so pleased to be able to host Peyton here at the White House before I left.  Anybody who has been a football fan has watched what is one of the greatest Hall of Fame careers ever," Obama said, with the team standing behind him in the White House Rose Garden. 

"We were al obviously a little disappointed to see him hang it up this spring.  But as somebody who is just a little bit older than he is, I was sympathetic to the idea that running around with these guys, it takes its toll," Obama, 54, said of Manning, 40. 

Obama leaves office in January. 

As he often does, Obama noted he remained a fan of his hometown team, the Chicago Bears, but he conceded that the Broncos had a good year. 

"I will continue to root for the Bears," he said to laughter. "But I've got to give this organization credit for having done an extraordinary job.  And this is a well-deserved celebration of an extraordinary season." 

The Broncos won their third National Football League championship with a 24-10 win over Carolina in the Super Bowl in February.  The following month, Manning retired after an 18-year career with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver that established him as one of the game's greatest quarterbacks. Read More

Meet the Anime-Loving, Braces-Wearing Model Ruling Instagram

6 JUNE 2016       VOGUE       JANELLE OKWODU

The Instagram age could find no better representative than Sahara Lin, the rising star model and online star.  Already a regular presence in the work of hip image-makers like Harley Weir and Petra Collins, Lin's refreshing online presence and personality have struck a chord with indie magazines and 

"Sahara Lin" for models.com by Emmie America

brands like Calvin Klein.  A grown-up beauty with braces who hails from both Wales and Brooklyn, Lin is a study in contradictions and offbeat cool.  Here, the five things you need to know:

Her selfie game paid off--she was discovered on Instagram."Honestly, it all happened so randomly!  I was scouted on Instagram by the amazing photographer Fumi Nagasaka.  She reached out to me because she was shooting an editorial for Dazed & Confused and asked me if I would be interested.  I did not hesitate to say yes!" 

She knows her animation, from Studio Ghibli to Disney."I absolutely love everything Hayao Miyazaki creates--Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro--he has created such an amazing world with his films and brings the fantasy to life for me.  Some of my favorite classic animated films include Yellow Submarine and Fantasia--I could watch these over and over again and discover new things about the film every time I watch.  I'm also a sucker for old Betty Boop and Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoons.  All these animations have something  I admire about that--the drawing style, the creatures, the imagination, and most importantly the creativity of it all!" 

Braces are the best accessory."In three words I would describe my style as thrifty, retro, luminescent!  Braces are a cool silver accessory--it's like having your own personal set of permanent grills!" Read More

Gigi Hadid

Photo Mario Testino, Vogue (October 2015)