TED follows Nicholas Negroponte to Colombia as he delivers laptops inside territory once controlled by guerrillas. His partner? Colombia's Defense Department, who see One Laptop per Child as an investment in the region.
Wishing one and all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
People are losing their jobs left, right and centre, and there is an unnerving gloom in the air. Some of the biggest names in banking, retailing, manufacturing and the automobile industry are either collapsing or going cap in hand to the governments for bailout cash. Apparently it is 'affecting everybody'. But let's not think for a moment that it is affecting everybody in the same way.
Do you really believe that an executive of a major corporation is affected as much as the child pictured on the right? Is a Wall Street trader going to have to scavenge for his next meal? Are their children likely to die of malnutrition or go through life without access to clean water, shelter, food, safety or education? No.
I do care about the current situation. I'm worried about providing for my family and I'm concerned about the future. I'm worried about paying my mortgage and putting food on the table. I care about the people who are losing their jobs, or those that are unable to find employment because I know how it feels. I don't care about fat executives who can't afford to hire a full crew for their luxury yachts or private jets. Why should they earn so much more? Why should so few people control so much of the world's wealth? Is what they do really worth so much more? Maybe somebody on the shop floor couldn't run a multinational company (although the current situation raises the question of whether the executives can either...) but could a manager build a car? Both jobs require knowledge and expertise, so why is their such an enormous difference in their pay packets?
Sorry for the rant, but if a tiny agency such as mine is hoping to share what money I get around to help others, it really pisses me off that others don't. Imagine how much better the world would be if some of these companies reduced the disgusting bonuses they give to already overpaid executives and use it to fund aid work and charities, or start foundations to provide education and training. The success of initiatives like the Grameen Bank prove what can be done. Let's distribute the wealth a little more evenly and maybe these situations are less likely to happen.
The UN Declaration, a magnificent document made for an ugly world, is 60 today. Have a look at the first ten articles and then have a look at some of the headlines in the news today.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.It is a magnificent document made for an ugly world. Have a look at the first ten articles and then have a look at some of the headlines in the news today.
I am occasionally asked things like 'How do you go about designing a logo?', 'What is your approach to language education?' or 'What is your business philosophy?', so I thought I'd write about the thought and practical processes I and the people I work with use when planning and executing a project.
The thing is, I don't like FAQ sections because I think they're lazy, impersonal and slightly condescending in a 'I know what you're going to ask, so let me save myself the pain of repeating myself' way. Therefore I've decided to start writing about some of the projects I have been involved in and others that are in the pipeline, giving my thoughts and opinions along the way.
You may agree, you may think I am a talentless idiot, but I hope you can at least enjoy the articles on some level.
Thanks,
Richard.
How far would you go and who would you deal with to ensure that evil does not prevail? This TED Talk addresses a person for who these kind of decisions had to be taken on a daily basis.
I have studied International Law, in particular the use of force, war, terrorism, self-determination and diplomacy for over a decade and I am currently (finally) writing my Master's Degree thesis about these themes in relation to the Iraq debacle, therefore one line in this talk stands out - for me - and it is something that has been very much ignored: 'Despite predicating the war in Iraq on a link between Saddam Hussein and terrorism, the invaders did no pre-war planning to respond to terrorism.' Truth be told, they seem to have done very little planning at all, but that is a topic for another time.
Tragically the topic of this talk, Sergio Vieira de Mello, died as a result of terrorism in Iraq. Samantha Power tells the story of this complicated hero, a UN diplomat who walked a thin moral line, negotiating with the world's worst dictators to help their people survive crisis. It's a compelling story told with a fiery passion.
IDEO CEO Tim Brown talks about the powerful relationship between creative thinking and play -- with many examples you can try at home (and one that maybe you shouldn't).
John Francis is one of the people I admire most - for his courage, his determination and his message of truly sustainable development and respect for our planet. I was thrilled to see this talk on TED.
Congratulations to Barack Obama, who has been elected the 44th president of the United States.
In many ways, Obama represents all that is good about the US - how a man from modest beginnings and mixed race can rise to lead his country - at a time when the country has become deeply unpopular. That unpopularity is due to the polarizing, arrogant cowboy politics of George W Bush and his administration. In eight years, him and his cronies have managed to severely damage the image of the US abroad. Obama brings with him the hope that the damage is not permanent.
While I have a certain amount of respect for John McCain, he did himself no favours by aiming cheap shots at Senator Obama and choosing the - sorry to be so blunt - awful Sarah Palin as his running partner. She comes across like a female George W Bush: swaggering and arrogant without any real substance. I'm sure she's actually a lovely person, but she seems fake, shallow and unappealing.
If there were any doubt that Obama is the choice not only of America, but of the world, have a look at this: http://www.iftheworldcouldvote.com/results
Obama promised change and it feels like change is already in the air. It feels like the world has breathed a collective sigh of relief. I don't think any presidential candidate has been this popular since John F Kennedy. As a British man living in Japan, it would be easy to say that the outcome of this election has absolutely no bearing on my life, but the reality is that it could affect everybody. Like it or not, the United States arguably remains the world's sole superpower. Hopefully now that power will be wielded in a responsible, balanced manner by a level-headed, erudite president.
That can only be a good thing for us all.
