2014年8月30日 星期六

Can we prevent the end of the world?

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TED
This week on TED.com
August 30, 2014

Martin Rees: Can we prevent the end of the world?

06:52 minutes · TED2014

A post-apocalyptic Earth, emptied of humans, seems like the stuff of science fiction. But in this short, surprising talk, Lord Martin Rees asks us to think about our real existential risks — natural and human-made threats that could wipe out humanity. As a concerned member of the human race, he asks: What’s the worst thing that could possibly happen?

Playlist of the week

A school day, in TED Talks

What if school had been like this? A schedule of talks on math, history, gym, literature, science and art -- plus a lunch break. Watch »

7 talks • Total run time 1:35:10

More from TED.com

Doesn't it seem like a lot of online news channels have moved beyond reporting the news to openly inciting your outrage (and your page views)? News analyst Sally Kohn suggests — don't engage with news that looks like it just wants to make you mad. Instead, give your precious clicks to the news sites you truly trust. Watch »

This talk begins with a personal story of sexual violence that may be difficult to listen to. But that’s the point, says citizen journalist Meera Vijayann: Speaking out on tough, taboo topics is the spark for change. Vijayann uses digital media to speak honestly about her experience of gender violence in her home country of India -- and calls on others to speak out too. Watch »

Across sub-Saharan Africa, small farmers are the bedrock of national and regional economies—unless the weather is unpredictable and their crops fail. The solution is insurance, at a vast, continental scale, and at low cost. Rose Goslinga, a citizen of Kenya, and her team found a new way to give farmers whose crops fail early a second chance at a growing season. Watch »

Which of the following is awesome: your lunch or the Great Pyramid of Giza? Comedian Jill Shargaa sounds a hilarious call for us to save the word "awesome" for things that truly inspire awe. Watch »

dive into ideas.ted.com

How did the zebra get its stripes? Turns out, Alan Turing cracked this code too. Plus: Meet the last of the Hawaiian cowboys.
Watch: Could someone figure out what you looked like from the DNA in a single hair?

 

Quote of the Week

In Bosnia and nearly every other country I've seen where war comes, people don't want to believe it's coming. … They don't leave. They don't get their money out. They stay, because you want to stay in your home."

Janine di Giovanni
Janine di Giovanni: What I saw in the war

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  "Let us speak up." When we use the words bravery and courage, it is unfortunate that we tend to use these words in a way to almost belittle the voice, but when I say that Meera Vijayann is brave, I mean it from my heart.

I know I can deny all I like that "the gender violence issue in India" is not that bad, as I feel overly protective of my adopted homeland, especially as I find my male friends here most gentlemanly.

Yet am I honest? Or is it how respond to it?

I know I felt power as I publicly slapped a man who tried to grope me when I was a 17 year old gap-year gal -- giving bystanders an opportunity to do something about his behaviour in a crowded Chadni chowk.

But I know that this tactic cannot work for many, many women."

bodies 2.0

Can there be poetry in prosthetics? And how can new limbs -- and new attitudes -- change "dis-abled" people into "super-abled" people? Watch and read on the Huffington Post »
 

2014年8月23日 星期六

Meet the newest superhero: Your lunch lady

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TED
This week on TED.com
August 23, 2014

Jarrett Krosoczka: Who's the newest superhero? Your lunch lady

05:24 minutes · Filmed Jul 2014 · Posted Aug 2014 · TED@NYC

These superheroes serve lunch ... and justice! Children's book writer Jarrett Krosoczka shares his Lunch Lady series, full of undercover school-day heroes. And hear about his new project, School Lunch Hero Day, which reveals how cafeteria lunch staff provide so much more than food -- and illustrates the power of a simple thank-you.

Playlist of the week

Talks for food lovers

What can compare to the pleasures of wonderful food? Explore 8 great talks from chefs, cookbook writers and passionate foodies. Watch »

Total run time 1:59:18

More from TED.com

Behind those funny animal videos, sometimes, are oddly human-like problems. Laurel Braitman studies non-human animals who exhibit signs of mental health issues -- from compulsive bears to self-destructive rats to monkeys with unlikely friends. Braitman asks what we as humans can learn from watching animals cope with depression, sadness and other all-too-human problems. Watch »

Ziyah Gafić photographs everyday objects—watches, shoes, glasses. But these images are deceptively simple; the items in them were exhumed from the mass graves of the Bosnian War. Gafić, a TED Fellow and Sarajevo native, has photographed every item from these graves in order to create a living archive of the identities of those lost.  Watch »

The Fez River winds through the medina of Fez, Morocco—a mazelike medieval city that’s a World Heritage site. Once considered the “soul” of this celebrated city, the river succumbed to sewage and pollution, and in the 1950s was covered over bit by bit until nothing remained. TED Fellow Aziza Chaouni recounts her 20 year effort to restore this river to its former glory, and to transform her city in the process. Watch »

Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web 25 years ago. So it’s worth a listen when he warns us: There’s a battle ahead. Eroding net neutrality, filter bubbles and centralizing corporate control all threaten the web’s wide-open spaces. It’s up to users to fight for the right to access and openness. The question is, What kind of web do we want? Watch »
Plus: Explore more resources about the open web »

On ideas.ted.com:

Are we meant to be sexual omnivores? How can Syrian people rebuild their world? And, inspired by the new film Mission Blue (now on Netflix), should you stop eating fish?
 
 

Quote of the Week

What kind of school would have the teenagers fighting to get in, not fighting to stay out?"

Geoff Mulgan
Geoff Mulgan: A short intro to the Studio School

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  This talk reminds me of Mrs. Heerschop (long since deceased) who ran our cafeteria in my Jr. High. Jr. High was not a great time in my life (pretty common, I think!) but Mrs. Heerschop gave me my first job as a cashier. The self-esteem boost I got from that job and her quiet and kind support made a big difference in my overall experience. Thank you for highlighting that EVERYONE in a school makes a difference in the lives of children."

making mistakes

Is there value in making mistakes? Yes, when we face them head-on. Insights on shame, conflict and improv from Brené Brown and more, on the TED Radio Hour »
 

2014年8月16日 星期六

A teacher speaks out on the danger of silence

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TED
This week on TED.com
August 16, 2014

Clint Smith: The danger of silence

04:22 minutes · Filmed Jul 2014 · Posted Aug 2014 · TED@NYC

"We spend so much time listening to the things people are saying that we rarely pay attention to the things they don't," says teacher and poet Clint Smith. A short, powerful piece from the heart, about finding the courage to listen and speak up.

Playlist of the week

Surprisingly viral TED Talks (10 talks)

How did some of TED's quirkiest talks pull in millions of views? Watch these fun, fascinating hits and see for yourself. Watch »

Total run time 1:57:07

More from TED.com

Far too many Americans are illiterate in power — what it is, how it operates and why some people have it and others don't. As a result, those who do understand power have a huge influence over everyone else. “We need to make civics sexy again,” says civics educator Eric Liu. “As sexy as it was during the American Revolution or the Civil Rights Movement.” Watch »

In the United States, the agencies that govern prisons are often called ‘Department of Corrections.’ And yet, their focus is on containing and controlling inmates. Dan Pacholke, Deputy Secretary for the Washington State Department of Corrections, shares a different vision: of prisons that provide humane living conditions as well as opportunities for meaningful work and education. Watch »

Nick Hanauer is a rich guy, an unrepentant capitalist — and he has something to say to his fellow plutocrats: Wake up! Growing inequality is about to push our societies into conditions resembling pre-revolutionary France. Hear his argument about why a dramatic increase in minimum wage could grow the middle class, deliver economic prosperity ... and prevent a revolution. Watch »

There's a simple thing you could be doing every day, says Talithia Williams, to know your body better and help your doctor: Take your temperature. A professor of statistics, Williams makes a compelling case for measuring and recording simple data about our bodies every day — to reveal much more than even our doctors may know. Watch »

On ideas.ted.com:

In celebration of the new film Mission Blue (now on Netflix), get ocean data in gorgeous GIFs ... learn the simple skills of civic power ... meet 5 women who shaped modern physics ... and can a test measure your imagination?
 
PLUS: Alanna Shaikh is at risk for early-onset Alzheimer's, and a few years ago, she began to make a plan. Hear her story »

Join the Conversation


  Typically I'm averse to putting inmates to work for outside institutions and businesses because of the risk for exploitation, but I really do like Mr. Pacholke's ideas. Having inmates contribute to scientific research and environmental protections is a great idea, essentially creating a system of interned community service. Some prisons currently have programs like highway cleanup and things such as that, so expanding a workforce of over 3 million people has a great deal of positive potential.

Combining this with the job training and educational opportunities could also expand convicts' options upon release in terms of job opportunities by creating work experience."

Quote of the Week

This is the courageous thing to do: to try to reach the other side before it's too late."

Ronny Edry
Ronny Edry: Israel and Iran: A love story?