15 December 2006

Unexpected Gifts from a TED salon...

Last night in New York, we held our first-ever TED holiday salon, to thank our extended community for a year of wonderful support. It was a full TED session, with five thoughtful speakers, gorgeous music, visual delight, and a parlor trick or two. The evening's theme was "Unexpected Gifts," and we think it lived up to its name, on many levels...

Jazz singer Nora York brought the Gift of Music (with the poetic brilliance of songs like "What I Want") Griffith Observatory director E.C. Krupp brought the Gift of Wonder (and gorgeous images of space); Counterpart CEO Lelei Lelaulu offered the Gift of Connection (and lessons learned in getting people what they really need to live with dignity); anime artist Chiho Aoshima brought the Gift of Imagination (with the New York City debut of her mesmerizing animation, "City Glow"); Jim Karol brought the Gift of Memory (and an unsettling knowledge of everyone in the audience); Tenzin Bob Thurman offered the Gift of Compassion. And host Deborah Patton masterminded the evening's gifts.

(Our gift to you... All these presentations will be be released online, through TEDTalks, in the coming weeks.)

The evening closed with an epic gift exchange ... There was no charge for the salon; instead, everyone brought a gift (preferably one with a story attached to it.) and at the appropriate moment, swapped gifts and stories. Looking around the room, it was clear there were many TED stories in the making ...

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13 December 2006

TEDTalks Selected by Apple as one of Best of 2006 Podcasts

A little unabashed self-congratulation: TEDTalks have been selected by Apple Computer's iTunes Podcasting team as one of the Best Podcasts of 2006. Thanks to Apple for the honor and for all of their support throughout the past year. Click here to go to iTunes' "Best of 2006" page now.

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08 December 2006

Creating demand for accountability

TEDGlobal2007 speaker Ory Okolloh is one of those young Africans that graduated from Western universities and then went back home armed with degrees, tools, a vision and the intention to improve the state of their countries. The first time I met her I discovered a smart and driven woman who could really make a difference - an impression confirmed in later meetings. A few months ago, she co-founded Mzalendo, a "watchblog" that keeps an eye on the members of the Kenyan parliament (MPs). "Political accountability stems from demand", she says. People have to demand it - and that's what Ory and co. are trying do with Mzalendo: demand accountability from the MPs by monitoring what they do for their constituents.

The Kenyan parliament's website, she writes in this post, was taken down two years ago "after protests by some MPs who were embarrassed about their CVs being published online", and it has not been replaced yet. Ory and the Mzalendo crew (the name means "patriot" in Swahili) have made those profiles available on the blog, scrutinize the MPs activities, and publish news and analysis, with the hope to move things forward:

"There is only so much bemoaning you can do about your representation. We have been doing so for dozens of years. There is nothing that is being voiced, written or blogged that has not already been said before, when it comes to how abysmal Kenyan politicians are. There comes a point after which talking ceases to serve a point, and we need concrete solutions".

In 2007 Kenya will have general elections: Ory and her colleagues' watchblog is likely to play a significant role.

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07 December 2006

Peter Gabriel on TEDTalks

Musician and activist Peter Gabriel explains the personal motivation behind his work with human-rights organization Witness, which gives video cameras to ordinary citizens to document human-rights abuses, so the perpetrators may be brought to justice. He shares stories of citizen journalists in action, and poses the question: if injustice happens and a camera is there to capture it, can it be ignored? Gabriel first took the musical stage by storm with the band Genesis, but has enjoyed a successful solo career with hits like "In Your Eyes." In 1989 he founded the Real World label for global music and the Real World Studios in Bath, England. In 1992 he co-founded Witness.(Recorded February 2006 in Monterey, CA. Duration: 14:50)

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03 December 2006

Mindshifting images, stories

The photographer Kristen Ashburn, whose unforgettable images of the human impact of AIDS in Africa made a powerful impact at TED a couple years back, has just opened her first public exhibition in New York.

It's stunning.

For a taste, take a few minutes to watch this. Better yet, check it out in person at 401 West Street sometime this month. The images are backlit, and are supplemented by a series of striking full-face portraits that line the corridor as you walk in.

On Tuesday night I'm hosting a salon there. Details follow. If this issue stirs you, please come.  It's not all doom and gloom. Many powerful initiatives are having an impact. It's an evil that can be defeated. But it all starts with insight and motivation. That's why these pictures matter.

401 Projects presents:
AIDS & PHOTOGRAPHY
WHAT MORE CAN PICTURES DO?

A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION with
Laurie Garrett, Pulitzer Prize Winner & Author
Maryanne Golon, Photo Editor, Time Magazine
Leigh Blake, President and Founder, Keep A Child Alive

Since AIDS first exploded into the public consciousness twenty-five years ago, photography has offered the world its most visceral glimpse of the disease's human toll. Have viewers been moved to action or developed an immunity to the tragedy the images depict? How can photographers, and the media alike, navigate their way between impact and overload? Set to the backdrop of Kristen Ashburn's, Bloodline: AIDS & Family exhibition, these issues, and more, will be discussed.

Chris Anderson of the TED Conference will moderate the evening.

7:30 PM Tuesday, December 5, 2006

Space is limited, please RSVP to:
events@401projects.com

401 Projects
401 West Street @ Charles Street, New York
www.bloodlineproject.com

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