More TED

[Tunborough]

Andy Puddicombe: All it takes is 10 mindful minutes

When is the last time you did absolutely nothing for 10 whole minutes? Not texting, talking or even thinking? Mindfulness expert Andy Puddicombe describes the transformative power of doing just that: Refreshing your mind for 10 minutes a day, simply by being mindful and experiencing the present moment. (No need for incense or sitting in uncomfortable positions.)

Mindfulness expert Andy Puddicombe wants to make meditation accessible to everybody: for a happier, healthier you.

[Tunborough]

Shabana Basij-Rasikh: Dare to educate Afghan girls

Imagine a country where girls must sneak out to go to school, with deadly consequences if they get caught learning. This was Afghanistan under the Taliban, and traces of that danger remain today. 22-year-old Shabana Basij-Rasikh runs a school for girls in Afghanistan. She celebrates the power of a family's decision to believe in their daughters -- and tells the story of one brave father who stood up to local threats.

Shabana Basij-Rasikh helps girls and young women in Afghanistan get an education.

[Tunborough]

Wade Davis: Gorgeous photos of a backyard wilderness worth saving

Ethnographer Wade Davis explores hidden places in the wider world -- but in this powerful short talk he urges us to save a paradise in his backyard, Northern Canada. The Sacred Headwaters, remote and pristine, are under threat because they hide rich deposits of minerals and methane gas. With stunning photos, Davis asks a tough question: How can we balance society's need for fuels with the urge to protect such glorious wilderness?

A National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, he has been described as “a rare combination of scientist, scholar, poet and passionate defender of all of life’s diversity.”

[Caroluna]

I loved this one

Kees Moeliker: How a dead duck changed my life
http://www.ted.com/talks/kees_moeliker_ ... _life.html

Caution, you need to have a rather dark sense of humor to enjoy this. It might even be considered NSFW due to the, uh, unusual duck behavior.

[Tunborough]

Richard Turere: My invention that made peace with lions

In the Masai community where 13-year-old Richard Turere lives, cattle are all-important. But lion attacks were growing more frequent. In this short, inspiring talk, the young inventor shares the solar-powered solution he designed to safely scare the lions away.

Young inventor Richard Turere invented "lion lights," an elegant way to protect his family's cattle from lion attacks.

"I used to hate lions, but now because my invention is saving my father's cows and the lions, we are able to stay with the lions without any conflict. Ashê olên. It means in my language, thank you very much."

... and thank you very much, Richard.

[Tunborough]

Dan Ariely: What makes us feel good about our work?

What motivates us to work? Contrary to conventional wisdom, it isn't just money. But it's not exactly joy either. It seems that most of us thrive by making constant progress and feeling a sense of purpose. Behavioral economist Dan Ariely presents eye-opening results of experiments that reveal our unexpected and nuanced attitudes toward meaning in our work.

[Tunborough]

John McWhorter: Txtng is killing language. JK!!!

Does texting mean the death of good writing skills? John McWhorter posits that there’s much more to texting -- linguistically, culturally -- than it seems, and it’s all good news.

Linguist John McWhorter thinks about language in relation to race, politics and our shared cultural history.

[Tunborough]

Ken Robinson: How to escape education's Death Valley.

Sir Ken Robinson outlines 3 principles crucial for the human mind to flourish -- and how current education culture works against them. In a funny, stirring talk he tells us how to get out of the educational "Death Valley" we now face, and how to nurture our youngest generations with a climate of possibility.

Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we're educating our children. He champions a radical rethink of our school systems, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence.

[Tunborough]

Ji-Hae Park: The violin, and my dark night of the soul

In her quest to become a world-famous violinist, Ji-Hae Park fell into a severe depression. Only music was able to lift her out again -- showing her that her goal needn’t be to play lofty concert halls, but instead to bring the wonder of the instrument to as many people as possible.

Ji-Hae Park spreads the joy of classical to music to those who might not otherwise hear it -- and in the process shows that you can rock out on the violin.

[Tunborough]

Andrew Solomon: Love, no matter what

What is it like to raise a child who's different from you in some fundamental way (like a prodigy, or a differently abled kid, or a criminal)? In this quietly moving talk, writer Andrew Solomon shares what he learned from talking to dozens of parents -- asking them: What's the line between unconditional love and unconditional acceptance?

Andrew Solomon is a writer on politics, culture and psychology.

[Tunborough]

Paul Pholeros: How to reduce poverty? Fix homes

In 1985, architect Paul Pholeros was challenged by the director of an Aboriginal-controlled health service to "stop people getting sick" in a small indigenous community in south Australia. The key insights: think beyond medicine and fix the local environment. In this sparky, interactive talk, Pholeros describes projects undertaken by Healthabitat, the organization he now runs to help reduce poverty--through practical design fixes--in Australia and beyond.

Paul Pholeros is a director of Healthabitat, a longstanding effort to improve the health of indigenous people by fixing their living environment and housing.

[Tunborough]

Manal al-Sharif: A Saudi woman who dared to drive

There's no actual law against women driving in Saudi Arabia. But it's forbidden. Two years ago, Manal al-Sharif decided to encourage women to drive by doing so -- and filming herself for YouTube. Hear her story of what happened next.

Manal al-Sharif advocates for women’s right to drive, male guardianship annulment, and family protection in Saudi Arabia.

[Tunborough]

Bob Mankoff: Anatomy of a New Yorker cartoon

The New Yorker receives around 1,000 cartoons each week; it only publishes about 17 of them. In this hilarious, fast-paced, and insightful talk, the magazine's longstanding cartoon editor and self-proclaimed "humor analyst" Bob Mankoff dissects the comedy within some of the "idea drawings" featured in the magazine, explaining what works, what doesn't, and why.

Bob Mankoff is the cartoon editor of The New Yorker, as well as an accomplished cartoonist in his own right.

... and he says, "No," alot.

[Tunborough]

Roberto D'Angelo and Francesca Fedeli: In our baby's illness, a life lesson

Roberto D'Angelo and Francesca Fedeli thought their baby boy Mario was healthy -- until at 10 days old, they discovered he'd had a perinatal stroke. With Mario unable to control the left side of his body, they grappled with tough questions: Would he be "normal?” Could he live a full life? The poignant story of parents facing their fears -- and how they turned them around.

Roberto D'Angelo and Francesca Fedeli created the non-profit FightTheStroke.org to open up a dialogue about the devastating effects of perinatal, neonatal and pediatric strokes. This issue is important to them for a simple reason: because they've been through it themselves, with their son Mario.

[Tunborough]

I would argue that this talk is particularly appropriate for Chiff & Fipple ...

Daniel H. Cohen: For argument’s sake

Why do we argue? To out-reason our opponents, prove them wrong, and, most of all, to win! ... Right? Philosopher Daniel H. Cohen shows how our most common form of argument -- a war in which one person must win and the other must lose -- misses out on the real benefits of engaging in active disagreement.

Philosopher Daniel H. Cohen studies language and the way we argue through reason.