(Courtesy of TED
here are three mind-expanding illustrated talks.)
CAN
THE HIGH COST OF MEDICATION BE REDUCED TO A LEVEL THAT MAKES IT AFFORDABLE
FOR EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE - INCLUDING THE THIRD WORLD? You
bet it can!
Thomas Pogge wants to ensure that medications get to those who need it most. He has published on a wide range of subjects such as global justice and human rights. Originally from Germany, he received a PhD in Philosophy from Harvard in 1983. Since then he has taught Philosophy, Political Science, and Ethics at universities around the world. His 2002 book, "World Poverty and Human Rights", offers proposals on how to achieve global economic equality. In 2008 he co-authored "The Health Impact Fund", which lays out a plan to make life-saving medicines accessible for everyone. He is currently Leitner Professor of Philosophy and International Affairs at Yale. Professor Peter Singer, of Princeton's University Center for Human Values, said: "If only everyone living in affluent nations were to read 'World Poverty and Human Rights'! Pogge compels us to acknowledge that the existing global economic order is ethically indefensible." In this talk, Thomas Pogge proposes a revolutionary $6 billion plan to incentivize companies to produce much-needed drugs by changing the way that medications are developed and sold.
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CAN
SURGERY BE CARRIED OUT SUCCESSFULLY ON THE BRAIN AND OTHER ORGANS WITHOUT INCISION AND WHILE THE SURGEON DISCUSSES IT WITH THE FULLY CONSCIOUS PATIENT?
You bet it can!
With his team, Yoav Medan is developing a tool for incision-less surgery via focused ultrasound. Medan is the Chief Systems Architect at InSightec Ltd in Israel, where he works on MRI-guided guided focused ultrasound technology. Before this, he spent 17 years in research and management at the IBM Research Division and was elected to the IBM Academy of Technology. Medan has taught at the EE department at the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, in addition to serving as a lecturer for Avionic Systems at the Aeronautical Engineering faculty, and mentors young enterpreneurs as part of the Technion Alumni "Technion for Life" program. He plans a 2012 sabbatical as an associate professor at the BioMedical Engineering department of the Technion and its Autonomous Systems Program. He is also the inventor of the QR-code enabled tombstone. Read Adam Ostrow's Q&A with Yoav Medan at TEDGlobal. Jay Walker commented after this talk: "Yoav, now that was inspirational!"
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CAN
LISTENING TO JAZZ IMPROVISATION BE AN EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE THAT WE CAN
APPLY TO A WIDE RANGE OF OTHER ACTIVITIES AND EVEN TO OUR RELATIONSHIPS?
You bet it can!
What is a mistake? By talking through examples with his improvisational Jazz quartet, Stefon Harris walks us to a profound truth: many actions are perceived as mistakes only because we don't react to them appropriately. Harris plays the vibraphone and leads a jazz ensemble with a collaborative sound built on collective inspiration. His passionate artistry, energetic stage presence, and astonishing virtuosity have propelled him into the forefront of the current jazz scene. Widely recognized and lauded by both his peers and jazz critics, Harris is committed to exploring the rich potential of jazz composition and blazing trails on the vibraphone. His TEDTalk was performed with Jamire Williams on drums, Burniss Travis on bass, and Christian Sands on piano. "He is open with his music and his musical process and shares all with everyone," reported Jazz Online's Dave Schroder.
