Matthieu Ricard: Habits of happiness TED | Talks |(video)
About this Talk
What is happiness, and how can we all get some? Buddhist monk, photographer and author Matthieu Ricard has devoted his life to these questions, and his answer is influenced by his faith as well as by his scientific turn of mind: We can train our minds in habits of happiness. Interwoven with his talk are stunning photographs of the Himalayas and of his spiritual community.
Sometimes called the "happiest man in the world," Matthieu Ricard is a Buddhist monk, author and photographer.
Why you should listen to him:
After training in biochemistry at the Institute Pasteur, Matthieu Ricard left science behind to move to the Himalayas and become a Buddhist monk -- and to pursue happiness, both at a basic human level and as a subject of inquiry. Achieving happiness, he has come to believe, requires the same kind of effort and mind training that any other serious pursuit involves.
His deep and scientifically tinged reflections on happiness and Buddhism have turned into several books, including The Quantum and the Lotus: A Journey to the Frontiers Where Science and Buddhism Meet. At the same time, he also makes sensitive and jaw-droppingly gorgeous photographs of his beloved Tibet and the spiritual hermitage where he lives and works on humanitarian projects.
His latest book on happiness is Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill; his latest book of photographs is Tibet: An Inner Journey.
"Matthieu Ricard, French translator and right-hand man for the Dalai Lama, has been the subject of intensive clinical tests at the University of Wisconsin, as a result of which he is frequently described as the happiest man in the world."
Robert Chalmers, The Independent
TED | Talks | Matthieu Ricard: Habits of happiness (video)
CO2 - 450,000 Years of History - Swivel
This scatter plot depicts carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration in parts-per-million by volume (ppmv) of Vostok Ice Core samples. The historical atmospheric record captured in the ice goes back 450,000 years before present (BP). As shown, CO2 peaks near 300 ppmv, but more recently CO2 has increased "from about 278 ppmv to 378.9 ppmv in 2005, the highest level on record" according to the The San Francisco Chronicle. They further state that "if carbon dioxide levels reach 560 parts per million by 2060 as projected, temperatures could increase by 12 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial global temperatures."
450,000 Years of History - Swivel
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Climate Change
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The Muslim Jesus
46 min 18 sec - Aug 23, 2007
The story of the Islamic Jesus – a man born of a virgin, and a man who performed miracles, but there was no crucifixion and no resurrection. Yet there is a Second Coming, when he shall descend in the clouds as a Muslim to destroy the Jews and 'the swine'.
The Muslim Jesus uses the Quran and other Islamic texts to explore the differing ways in which Christian and Muslim faiths both acknowledge Jesus.
Scholars, teachers, parents, rappers, poets and historians come together for the one hour special narrated by Melvin Bragg.
The differences between the Quran and Bible’s portrayal of Jesus are explored in detail, from the role of Mary and his death and resurrection, to the coming of the Anti-Christ.
The Muslim Jesus
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ReligionS
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Kevin Kelly: How does technology evolve? Like we did TED | Talks | (video)
About this Talk
Kevin Kelly uses evolutionary theory to discuss the purpose and value of technology. By asking, "What does technology want?" he shows that its movement toward ubiquity and complexity is much like the evolution of life. Using a discipline-hopping range of examples -- from exotic flora to the Big Bang, from the Amish to Mozart -- Kelly not only draws an encompassing picture of humans and machines evolving, but discovers, while he's at it, a moral assignment for everyone in his audience.
TED | Talks | Kevin Kelly: How does technology evolve? Like we did (video)
Frontiers of Medicine - Charlie Rose - vid
An hour on the Frontiers of Medicine with:
Dr. Sherwin B. Nuland, Yale University School of Medicine / Author
Dr. Paul Bellman, St. Vincents Hospital
Dr. Kenneth Davis, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine
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Our Future...?
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Sherwin Nuland: A history of electroshock therapy TED | Talks | (video)
About this Talk
Sherwin Nuland, the surgeon and author, talks about the development of electroshock therapy as a cure for severe, life-threatening depression. Midway through, his story turns personal. It's a moving and deeply felt talk about relief, redemption, second chances.
A practicing surgeon for three decades, Sherwin Nuland witnessed life and death in every variety. Then he turned to writing, exploring what there is to people beyond just anatomy.
Why you should listen to him:
Sherwin Nuland was a practicing surgeon for 30 years and treated more than 10,000 patients. Now he is an author and speaker on topics no smaller than life and death, our minds, our morality, aging and the human spirit.
His 1995 book How We Die: Reflections on Life's Final Chapter demythologizes the process of dying. Through stories of real patients and his own family, he examines the seven most common causes of death: old age, cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer’s, accidents, heart disease and stroke, and their effects. The book, one of 10 he has written, won the National Book Award and spent 34 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list. His latest book is The Art of Aging: A Doctor's Prescription for Well-Being.
"He’s delved deeply into his sense of wonder at the human body’s capacity to sustain life and to support our pursuits of order and meaning." National Public Radio
TED | Talks | Sherwin Nuland: A history of electroshock therapy (video)
Secular Believers - BBC
Description: BBC 2 Documentary Aired: Thursday 20th September 2007 "Beliefs, and believers, come in many shapes and sizes, and not all of them can be described as 'religious'. This program provides an introduction to a fascinating range of non-religious people and their beliefs." Featuring interviews with many prominent atheists including Richard Dawkins.
Labels:
Religions... opinions
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Did Jesus Die? - BBC Documentary -
Playlist: Did Jesus Die? - BBC 4
Description: BBC 4 Documentary An investigation of the many stories surrounding the New Testament account of the Crucifixion. Historians and theologians reveal the latest theories about the events of 2,000 years ago.
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Religions... opinions
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Authors@Google: William Bernstein
About This Video
William Bernstein's The Birth of Plenty is based upon the premise that mankind experienced virtually zero economic growth from the dawn of time until 1820. This provocative book identifies the four... William Bernstein's The Birth of Plenty is based upon the premise that mankind experienced virtually zero economic growth from the dawn of time until 1820. This provocative book identifies the four conditions necessary for sustained economic progress--property rights, scientific rationalism, capital markets, and communications and transportation technology--and then analyzes their gradual appearance and impact throughout every corner of the globe. The Birth of Plenty explores where the world economy could be headed next; implications of the book's thesis for today's society; and how the absence of one or more of the conditions continues to threaten beleaguered regions of the world.
Bernstein is known for his pioneering research in Modern Portfolio Theory. His website is http://efficientfrontier.com.
This event took place September 20, 2007 at Google Headquarters in Mountain View, CA.
YouTube - Authors@Google: William Bernstein
TIME 100: SCIENTISTS AND THINKERS - Charlie Rose -
About This Video
Daniel C. Dennett///Dr. Robert C. Gallo///Peter J. Gay///Walter Isaacson, Time Magazine///Steven Pinker, MIT///Maxine Singer, President, Carnegie Institute Of Washington///Bruce Sterling Daniel C. Dennett///Dr. Robert C. Gallo///Peter J. Gay///Walter Isaacson, Time Magazine///Steven Pinker, MIT///Maxine Singer, President, Carnegie Institute Of Washington///Bruce Sterling
Labels:
Great Minds
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Authors@Google: Steven Pinker, "The Stuff of Thought."
About This Video
Renowned linguist Steven Pinker speaks at Google's Mountain View, CA, headquarters about his book "The Stuff of Thought." This event took place on September 24, 2007, as part of the Authors@Google series.
Labels:
Forums - Google Talks,
Our Mind
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Authors@Google: James Randi
About This Video
James Randi is an internationally known magician (as The Amazing
Randi), psychic debunker, and winner of a MacArthur Foundation "Genius
Grant." He was a founding fellow of the Committee for the Scien...
James Randi is an internationally known magician (as The Amazing
Randi), psychic debunker, and winner of a MacArthur Foundation "Genius
Grant." He was a founding fellow of the Committee for the Scientific
Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP). He is perhaps best
known for offering $1,000,000 (via the James Randi Educational
Foundation) to anyone who can successfully demonstrate psychic powers
under conditions mutually agreed on by the challenger and himself.
Starting with a $10,000 prize over 25 years ago, no claimant to
psychic powers has ever won the money.
Randi has pursued "psychic" spoonbenders, exposed the dirty tricks of
faith healers, investigated homeopathic water "with a memory," and
generally been a thorn in the sides of those who try to pull the wool
over the public's eyes in the name of the supernatural.
This event took place August 6, 2007 at Google Headquarters in Mountain View, CA.
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