Twelve girls enter the Richmond City Jail for a father-daughter dance, called “A Dance of Their Own.” Photo: Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post

It’s not the norm to see pink balloons, brightly colored dresses and sequined shoes in the halls of the Richmond City Jail. But on March 16, a dozen girls ranging in age from 6 to 16 entered the facility to bring cheer to their incarcerated fathers. The occasion: the second father-daughter dance at the jail, thrown by Camp Diva.

Angela Patton: A father-daughter dance ... in prisonAt TEDxWomen, Camp Diva founder Angela Patton told the heart-warming story of how she came to throw a father-daughter dance in prison. The idea began with a group of girls brainstorming ways to help their fathers better understand them. Solution: a father-daughter dance! After a few years of dances, a Camp Diva girl revealed a hesitation: Her father wouldn’t be able to attend because he was in prison. So Patton asked Richmond City Sheriff C.T. Woody. He agreed to try holding the dance in his jail, because he felt, as Patton says, “when fathers are connected to their children, it is less likely that they will return.” In Patton’s talk, you can see images from the first father-daughter dance ever held at Richmond City Jail.

The Washington Post was on hand for the second father-daughter dance, titled “A Dance of Their Own,” with photographer Marvin Joseph capturing a beautiful series of images of the event. Sheriff Woody also shared with the paper his rationale for greenlighting the very unusual dance.

“People may think it’s crazy to have this in a jail,” he said. “But it builds respect. You wouldn’t believe what it does for these men’s confidence to dress them up. This dance can have a ripple effect.”

Pairing up for the dance. Photo: Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post

Now, Patton tells the TED Blog that she would like to continue the tradition — and to encourage it in jails around the country.

“The questions I get asked most are, ‘How did you do this?’ ‘Why did the sheriff say ‘yes?’ and ‘How did you get inside the bars?’” says Patton, who didn’t have time to talk much about process given the time limit of her TEDx Talk. “It wasn’t just the letter that made it possible, it was the relationship that we built. We put a curriculum in place …  These fathers have to participate [in a class] so that they will be prepared for this visit and this opportunity with their daughters.”

Patton also hopes to share the stories of fathers and daughters who’ve participated in the dances — both the two held in City Jail and the six held so far in communities around Richmond, Virginia. To that end, she has created a Kickstarter campaign to fund a documentary, Locked In NOT Locked Out. To be directed by Patrick Gregory, Patton is crowdfunding an initial $10,000 to fund the film. So far, she’s raised $5,000 with 25 days to go.

“We’re going to follow four fathers, two inside the bars and two outside,” Patton tells the TED Blog. “We’re going to show the common thread between four different types of fathers that have the same need and desire to have good relationships with their daughters.”

The dance, in full swing. Photo: Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post

Shabana Basij-Rasikh: Dare to educate Afghan girls

“Each day, we took a different route so that no one would suspect where we were going,” says Basij-Rasikh in this powerful talk. “The school was in a house, more than 100 of us packed into one living room … We all knew we were risking our lives — the students, the parents, the teachers.”

When the Taliban fell in 2001, Basij-Rasikh’s father was thrilled that his daughters would be able to return to a traditional school. Still, says Basij-Rasikh, her family’s commitment to education for its daughters was not the norm. In Afghanistan, only 6 percent of women 25 or older received any formal education.

“I was very lucky to grow up in a family where education was prized and daughters were treasured,” says Basij-Rasikh, a recent graduate of Middlebury College in the United States. “During the Taliban years, I remember there were times I would get so frustrated by our life and always being scared. I would want to quit. But my father would say, ‘Listen, my daughter. You can lose everything you own in your life. Your money can be stolen. You can be forced to leave your home in a war. The one thing that will always remain with you is what is up here. If we have to sell our blood to pay your school fees, we will.’”

After college, Basij-Rasikh returned home and co-founded SOLA, the School of Leadership Afghanistan, the first boarding school for girls in Afghanistan. And yet sadly, getting an education is still a risk in the country. To hear a shocking story of one of Basij-Rasikh’s students whose family was targeted by terrorists — simply for sending their daughter to SOLA — watch this talk.

Here, more talks from people who went to great lengths to get, or give, an education.

Kakenya Ntaiya: A girl who demanded schoolKakenya Ntaiya: The first school for Maasai girls For Maasai girls, childhood is focused on preparing them for marriage, which will happen for many as early as age 12 or 13. With great reverence for her culture, Kakenya Ntaiya shares how she agreed to participate in a genital mutilation ceremony … in exchange for permission to continue her education. In this talk from TEDxMidAtlantic, she reveals why it was so important to her to go to college, become a teacher and start the first all-girls school in her village — all with the support of her elders.

Shukla Bose: Teaching one child at a timeShukla Bose on educating poor children Activist Shukla Bose admits that she and her compatriates with the Parikrma Humanity Foundation were mind-boggled when they first set out to educate the children of India’s slums — 200 million of whom should be in school but simply aren’t. In this talk from TEDIndia 2009, Bose explains how they put the statistics out of mind and went about their mission in the only way they could — by going one child at a time.

Sheryl WuDunn: Our century's greatest injustice Sheryl WuDunn: Our century’s greatest injustice At TEDGlobal 2010, journalist Sheryl WuDunn takes us to rural China — where a star pupil was pulled out of school because her family couldn’t justify paying the $13 annual fee when she’d be working a rice paddy for the rest of her life. WuDunn shows how the donations for the education of this one student changed not only her life but her family’s and her entire village’s. A stirring talk about how education for the world’s women can lead to all of our advancement.

Freeman Hrabowski: 4 pillars of college success in scienceFreeman Hrabowski: 4 pillars of college success in science When he was 12 years old, Freeman Hrabowski begged his parents to let him march with Martin Luther King to demand an equal education to the white students in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. Today, he’s president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), where he works to create an environment that helps under-represented students — specifically African-American, Latino and low-income learners — get degrees in math and science. In this talk from TED2013, he shares his school’s approach.

Sugata Mitra shows how kids teach themselvesSugata Mitra shares how kids teach themselves Why should educational technology be focused in schools that already have good teachers and resources? In this talk from LIFT 2007, Sugata Mitra shares why it is important to focus technology in schools in rural areas, slums and shanty towns — because that’s where it can have the most impact. Here, Mitra narrates his Hole in the Wall experiment in New Delhi in 1999, where a computer was embedded into a wall, and local children flocked to it — learning and teaching each other.

Neil Turok makes his TED Prize wishNeil Turok makes his TED Prize wish Neil Turok grew up in South Africa, where his parents were imprisoned for resisting racism. He spent his formative years as a refugee in Kenya and Tanzania. As Turok accepted the TED Prize in 2008, he shared the story of how he became interested in theoretical physics. The keys: being inspired by the wisdom of village children around him, many of whom didn’t have a formal education, and by a school teacher who posed the question: “What banged during the Big Bang?”

Charles Leadbeater: Education innovation in the slumsCharles Leadbeater on education innovation in the slums In the favelas of Rio or the slums of Kibera, traditional schools simply will not work because they depend on professionals and high-cost infrastructure — not to mention that their curriculums do not connect to the lives of students. At the TEDSalon London 2010, Charles Leadbeater looks at different approaches — like putting computers in community centers and serving up lessons through mobile phones. It’s education plus technology that is the key, Leadbeater shows.

Leymah Gbowee: Unlock the intelligence, passion, greatness of girlsLeymah Gbowee: Unlock the intelligence, passion, greatness of girls Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Gbowee is haunted by the untapped potential of the girls she’s met on her travels across Liberia. In this talk, she tells some of these girls’ stories and calls on us all to foster the educational growth of girls — and to encourage the great inventions, innovations and breakthroughs they may be able to fuel if nurtured.

Zahra' Langhi: Why Libya's revolution didn't work -- and what might

Activist Zahra’ Langhi was part of the “day of rage” that eventually led to Gaddafi’s toppling. But the cost was high — a six month war in which almost 50,000 people lost their lives. In today’s powerful talk, Langhi turns her eye to the incredible task of rebuilding the country.

“Gaddafi left behind a heavy burden — a legacy of tyranny and corruption. For four decades, Gaddafi’s tyrannical regime destroyed the infrastructure, as well as the culture and moral fabric, of Libyan society,” says Langhi. “I was keen — along with many other women — to rebuild Libyan civil society, calling for an inclusive and just transition to democracy.”

To that end, Langhi co-founded the Libyan Women’s Platform for Peace (LWPP), a group lobbying for women to be included as the Libyan government was reformed. In this talk, Langhi explains the “zipper list,” an initiative the group championed which called for political parties to alternate male and female candidates, weaving both genders onto their ballots. At first, this worked remarkably well.

“However, bit by bit, the euphoria of the elections — and of the revolution as a whole — was fading out, for every day we were waking up to the news of violence,” says Langhi. “Our society, shaped by a revolutionary mindset, became more polarized and driven away from the ideas and principles — freedom, dignity, social justice — that we first held. Intolerance, exclusion and revenge became the post-math of the revolution.”

Today, Langhi questions whether “rage” was the right path out of dictatorship. In this talk, she posits that perhaps what her country needed more than quantitative representation of women in government was the qualitative representation of traditionally feminine values like compassion, mercy and consensus building. To hear Langhi’s important thoughts on what needs to happen after a revolution, watch her talk.

Here, more TED Talks about revolution in the Middle East.

Wael Ghonim: Inside the Egyptian revolutionWael Ghonim: Inside the Egyptian revolution Google executive Wael Ghonim helped galvanize Egypt’s revolution by creating a Facebook page memorializing a man who was tortured by Mubarak’s regime. Still, he says, in the Egyptian revolution, no one was a hero — because everyone was a hero. In this talk from TEDxCairo, Wael Ghonim tells the story of the first two months of the revolution — a story we now know is still in progress.

Bahia Shehab: A thousand times noBahia Shehab: A thousand times no In Arabic, there is a phrase: “No, and a thousand times no.”  As revolution spread through Egypt, art historian Bahia Shehab took up her stencil and proclaimed “a thousand times no” to dictators, to military rule, to violence against women. In this brave talk from TEDGlobal 2012, Shehab shares her previously anonymous work with the world.

Srdja Popovic: How to topple a dictatorSrdja Popovic: How to topple a dictator Why was 2011 such a pivotal year for people-powered revolutions? In this talk from TEDxKrakow, Srdja Popovic — himself a part of the movement that toppled Milosevic in 2000 — looks at why these revolutions gained so much footing. He outlines the skills and tactics needed to oust a dictator. Most surprising: a sense of humor.

Wadah Khanfar: A historic moment in the Arab worldWadah Khanfar: A historic moment in the Arab world The former head of Al Jazeera, Wadah Khanfar has a unique perspective on the Arab Spring. “Change was imposed on us and people rejected that because they thought it was alien to the culture,” he says in this Talk from TED2011.  “Always, we believed, change should spring from within.” Here, Khanfar speaks with great optimism about revolutions in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and beyond.

Dalia Mogahed: The attitudes that sparked Arab SpringDalia Mogahed: The attitudes that sparked the Arab Spring It’s the opposite of what one would expect: as Egypt grew in wealth, its people’s satisfaction plummeted. This was what Dalia Mogahed, the director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, saw even before the Arab Spring. In this talk from TEDxSummit, she shares some of the grievances she saw in survey data — which sprung not out of distrust of the West, but admiration.

Venus – New York. Venus is one of my favorite characters in the “grey” movement. She doesn’t confine herself within any labeled sexuality, but she is loud and proud of everything that she is. Venus is a well known DJ and party promoter, and she’s made a name for herself within the hip hop world, which she is helping evolve into a more accepting place.

iO Tillett Wright remembers the moment she decided to start living as a boy — age 6 when the kids at school barked at her that girls weren’t allowed to play basketball. As a teenager and adult, Tillett Wright went on to fall in love with a woman, and then to fall in love with a man.

iO Tillett Wright: Fifty shades of gay

As she reveals in today’s bold talk, while marriage was far from her mind in 2008 when California’s Proposition 8 sparked a national debate over gay marriage, the conversation still struck her like a punch.

“I was shocked by the fact that America, a country with such a tarnished civil rights record, could be repeating its mistakes so blatantly,” says Tillett Wright. “This powerful awareness rolled over me that I was a minority. In my own home country based on one facet of my character, I was legally and indisputably a second-class citizen … I was plagued by the question: how could anyone vote to strip the rights of the vast variety of the people that I knew? … Had these people consciously met a victim of their discrimination? Did they know who they were voting against?”

Tillett Wright had an idea: could she photographically introduce people against the idea of gay marriage to the vast number of people in the United State who consider themselves somewhere along the LBGTQ spectrum? She embarked on a series of photographs called Self-Evident Truths. The first two weeks of shooting in New York City were funded by the Human Rights Campaign, and the first 300 portraits spawned a video that quickly went viral. The project only exploded from there.

Now, Tillett Wright has set out to shoot 10,000 portraits for Self Evident Truths. So far, with the help of everyday donors, she has photographed about 2,000 people.

To hear more about Tillett Wright’s fascinating childhood, and about her hopes and dream for Self Evident Truth,  watch her powerful talk. And in this gallery, Tillett Wright shares some of her favorite images from Self Evident Truths — along with the back story.

Jodi – Wichita Falls, Texas. Jodi’s family disowned her when they found out she was gay. She struck me as such a normal, average American girl — she works as an Abercrombie model at the mall, and was in her third year of college — but when a friend outed her, her religious parents kicked her out of the house, took her photos of the wall, quit paying her tuition, and started telling people her brother was an only child. Jodi suffers from arthritis, but her parents had her removed from their insurance despite that. It was such a powerful revelation for me, to understand the power that religion has within people — that it could drive them to legally divorce their own child.

Brian – New Orleans, Louisiana. When Brian showed up to the shoot, it was this big discussion about which one of the assistants was going to have to go and see if he actually knew what he was being photographed for, because he looked like such a straight manly man. But on his release form he put down “100% GAY”, and we all had to eat our stereotypes. Brian fell in love in high school, and lived with his partner for 20 years in Texas, until they broke up, about a year before this photo was taken. He had taken everything he owned and moved to New Orleans to start a new life, and was working at Mardi Gras zone. When he talked about his former lover his eyes would well up, and he referred to him as his “true love”. Brian taught me so much about how stereotypes of gay men as effeminate are a bunch of naive hogwash.

Alyss – Little Rock, Arkansas. Alyss, who identifies herself as pansexual, is the descendant of a long line of Pentecostal ministers, from a tiny little town in Arkansas. When she put on her MySpace that she thought she was bisexual, her mother grabbed her by the forehead and started praying over her in tongues. Alyss was told that she was no longer her parents’ daughter, and wasn’t welcome in their house anymore, and eventually, because she couldn’t stand being away from her family, she went back into the closet. Alyss was one of the most vibrant characters we met on our Southern tour.

Reverend Jill – Knoxville, Tennessee. Reverend Jill came to the Knoxville shoot with her long-time partner. They pulled me aside and told me how important it was that people know you can have a strong relationship with God, and still be gay. I thought that took tremendous courage, not only to be openly gay in a state like Tennessee, but to take on the religious battle as well. I had a lot of respect for them.

Chip – Atlanta, Georgia. Chip is a scientist and a skater. Again, when he started filling out his form, I almost wanted to double check that he knew what he was there for. It turns out he had gotten in touch with us weeks before, hoping we’d come and shoot in Atlanta. Chip was the only skateboarder who had ever come to be photographed, which kicked off a really interesting discussion about homophobia within the macho world of skateboarding, and how we could all help to reduce it.

Shannon & Willow – Denver, Colorado. Shannon came to the shoot with what I believe was her partner, and their two children, one of whom was in the arms of her biological father. The three adults had figured out a way to maintain a really healthy relationship with each other, and the kids were ecstatic, beautiful children. People come all the time asking to be photographed with the things that they are most proud of in their lives, so it makes me extremely happy when people bring their beautiful children and show that other than straight parents can do a damn good job too.

Carrie – Athens, Georgia. Carrie waited in a long line of people to be photographed in Athens, with long brown hair and glasses. We took a few photos and then she stopped me and asked if she should take her wig off. As soon as I saw her head, and what she was inclined to hide, I told her I thought she looked so powerful and beautiful without her wig. Instantly she straightened, planted her feet and came into her own skin. It was such a testament to the act of standing proud of who you are, be it about sexuality, or otherwise, and I’m really happy to have been able to see that in her.

Jamison – Dallas, Texas. Jamison truly just smacked me in the face with my own stereotypes about people. Before meeting him, and many like him, I had some preconceived, narrow view of what gay people looked like, (especially men) — even if it was a broad view by most standards. Jamison, a big, statuesque trucker from Texas taught me that I don’t know s*** from Christmas — other than straight people come in every shape and size possible. Jamison was a marker of growth for me.

Lauren – Knoxville, Tennessee. Lauren was so excited to participate in Self Evident Truths. A basketball player at the University of Tennessee, she sat on a curb for several hours during our first shooting day, and brought several of her teammates to be shot as well on the second. I gave a lecture at the school on the last day, and Lauren was there with an entire row of friends. After we left, we got an email from her saying that she had spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to contribute to society, and maybe it had to do with a public persona. Via the project she realized her contribution could have to do with her pride in her true self. She was so proud of coming into her own. Sadly, a few weeks later, we got an email from someone in the UT athletics department, telling us to take down all the images of their players.

“This is how war starts—one day you’re living your ordinary life. You’re planning to go to a party, you’re taking your children to school, you’re making a dentist appointment,” says di Giovanni in today’s talk, given at TEDxWomen. “The next thing, the telephones go out. The TVs go out. There are armed men on the streets. Your life as you know it goes into suspended animation.”

In today’s gut-wrenching talk, di Giovanni describes some of the moments that have stuck with her over her years as a war correspondent, and shares what she has learned from covering many of the bloodiest conflicts of the last two decades. She says that her mind often wanders back to Sarajevo.

“I had the honor of being one of those reporters who lived through that [three-year] siege. And I say I had the honor and privilege of being there because it taught me everything — not just about being a reporter, but about being a human being,” says di Giovanni. “Even in the midst of terrible destruction and death and chaos, I learned how ordinary people could share food with their neighbors, raise their children, drag someone who’s being sniped at from the middle of the road, even though you yourself were endangering your life.”

In 2004, di Giovanni had a son. And in this talk, she explains why she opted to cover the war in Iraq despite having a baby at home. She also shares why, less than a week after speaking at TEDxWomen, she headed back to Damascus to continue covering the conflict in Syria.

“I believe it needs to be done. I believe a story there has to be told,” she says. “What I see is incredibly heroic people fighting for things — like democracy — that we take for granted every single day … All I am is a witness. My role is to bring a voice to people who are voiceless … To shine a light in the darkest corners of the world.’”

To hear what an important and heart-breaking job this can be, watch di Giovanni’s talk. And below, read some of the incredible stories that she has written about wars over the years.

The Balkans:

“Christmas in Sarajevo,” The Sunday Times, Dec. 1992

On Christmas eve, the city of Sarajevo was pitched into darkness except for the occasional flare from the tracer rounds and the sound of the sporadic shells. On this day, like so many others before, The Susko family went to bed at about 9pm their only escape from the unlit cold.

On Christmas day light snow began to fall again and the temperature dropped to -5C. Mario Susko awoke to the sound of shelling in the borrowed unheated room where he lives with his wife, Maria, and his daughter Alexandra, 17. Wrapped in blankets on the floor where he sleeps, he could feel the detonations, but for some time now the 52-year-old Catholic Croat has not felt frightened.

“After three weeks without water, one month without electricity and eight months of total siege, I no longer feel fear,” he says. Keep reading » 

“From the Kosovo Frontline,” March to June 1999

It was the heaviest night of the Nato bombing here in Kosovo. The commander with the kind face, a former hero of the war in Bosnia, told me and the soldiers in my tent to sleep with our boots on.

He was right. At 3am, the blackness of night was shattered by the terrifying crack of a Serb MiG dropping cluster bombs on us. “Go. Go. Go,” ordered the Swede, a former UN soldier. We tumbled in the darkness to a nearby muddy ravine and threw ourselves on to the ground. It was not easy, the trench is used by soldiers as a latrine. Keep reading » 

“Goodbye to All That,” The Times Magazine, December 2004

I am not a big television fan, but recently a friend rang and told me to watch Prime Suspect. It was a two-parter in which Helen Mirren was investigating the murder in London of a Bosnian refugee who had witnessed a brutal massacre during the Balkan conflict. I watched it. The next night I stayed home to watch the second part. There was an actor I knew from Sarajevo playing the bad guy, and there was Helen Mirren, slowly going mad as she became more and more embroiled in the case. Eventually, she became obsessed. She disobeyed her boss, sacrificed her job and flew to Bosnia at her own expense to investigate the massacre. Strange behaviour. But I recognised that look in her eyes.

My friend rang me after the second part ended. “What was it with Bosnia,” he asked, “that made people so obsessive?” I could not answer, but I have been thinking. I began reporting the Bosnian war in 1992, and while I am fortunate enough not to have been injured or to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, not a day goes by in which the conflict does not enter my mind. I met my husband in Sarajevo. I forged some of my closest friendships in Bosnia. And, in a horrible way, my most powerful memories come from those years. Keep reading » 

Africa:

“Dark Days in Sierra Leone,” The Times of London, May 2000

West of Petitfu Junction, where the road turns to red dust and the bush grows darker, the villagers fly white neutrality flags over their mud shacks. It is their way of saying that they are peaceful civilians, a feeble protection from the Revolutionary United Front rebels, who are quickly advancing into this territory.

Further up the road that leads to Port Loko, there is real panic. The people who live in this bush are simple people who farm potatoes, grow rice and tap the palm trees for oil. This area was once held by the RUF, and the rebels know what the rebels will do if they come back. So the people are fleeing, walking quickly in the heat of the day, or pedaling on rusty old bicycles, their children walking alongside them. Keep reading » 

“Nobody’s Children,” The New York Times Magazine, February 2002 

Early morning, Mogadishu. The wet equatorial heat is rising from the chewed up streets, and the gunmen are already working. Truckloads of militiamen, hanging off the back of pickup trucks cruise the neigbourhoods of South Mogadishu. They chew quat, the bitter narcotic leaf imported from Kenya; wave Kalashnikovs above their heads, and stand defiantly in position behind anti-aircraft guns chained to the back of the trucks.

The American marines used to call them Skinnies, and it still makes the gunmen laugh, because it makes them seem innocent and sweet, like a cappuccino at Starbucks, which they are not. They are young men, some of them boys. They wear dark Gucci-style sunglasses, bandannas around their heads and Homeboy gear – jeans slung low, t-shirts, flip-flops. Some of them are barely into their teens, their weapons bigger than their tiny frames, but they know how to shoot and kill and ambush and raid. Keep reading » 

“A Civil Tongue: South Sudan Tries to Learn English,” Harper’s, March 2012

When South Sudan, the world’s newest country, was born in July 2011, after nearly half a century of on-and-off civil war that left as many as 2.5 million dead, it was greeted with enormous expectations. A contest for a new national anthem was sponsored. Beauty pageants for Miss South Sudan were held. Carpetbaggers and scalawags from all over East Africa and as far as China, India, and even the United States descended on the capital, Juba.

Last autumn, I visited the country during a brief respite before another flare-up of looting and massacres that killed, as of this writing, an estimated 3,000 people. Driving past a quarry every morning, I saw exhausted-looking women wearing ripped nightgowns and rubber shower caps over their heads crouched roadside, pounding large rocks into smaller rocks, inhaling noxious dust. Keep reading » 

The Middle East:

“The Last Days of Iraq,” Vanity Fair, April 2003

On Ash Wednesday, a few weeks before war was declared on Iraq, I went to mass in St. Mary’s Church on Palestine Street in Baghdad. The mass was in Armaic, the ancient language of Jesus, and around me the Iraqi Christians knelt and prayed for peace. On their faces was etched all the fear and anxiety of the past few weeks as the diplomatic process unravelled and the world fought over whether or not their country would be bombed. A few of the women, wearing lacy white mantillas on their heads, were crying.

Towards the end of the mass, three American peace activists, stood and addressed the congregation. Over the past few months that I had been in Baghdad, there had been a flurry of pointless peace activities, beginning with the arrival of the actor Sean Penn in December, to a host of human shields from Seattle and Michigan, to men of the cloth spreading words of faith. One of the priests, from Washington D.C. said slowly, “We hope we carry the hopes and fears of the people of the world in the quest for peace.” It was meant to be reassuring, but the congregation looked wary. Keep reading » 

“Gateway to Jihad: Pakistan’s Phantom Border,” Vanity Fair, June 2008

It has been more than 60 years since Pakistan was carved out of India by the British as a moderate, Muslim nation, a refuge rather than an Islamic state. For most of those six decades, Pakistan has been a friend of America’s. Since 9/11, it has been a so-called partner in the war on terror.

Up to a point. Newsweek recently called Pakistan arguably the most dangerous country on earth, harboring as it does a lethal combination of mostly foreign-born al-Qaeda terrorists and a native-born Taliban movement that is supported by its Taliban brethren across the border in Afghanistan. (American intelligence calls them “Big T” and “Little T.”) Given that the border is ridiculously porous and difficult to patrol, Pakistan has become a kind of haven for potential terrorists eager to be set loose into the wider world. Keep reading » 

“On Reporting from Syria,” The New York Times, October 2012

I took the first of several visits to Syria in June 2012, legally, with a rare journalist’s visa, to report from the government side.

I flew from my home in Paris to Beirut, then got a driver and traveled to Syria. Damascus, the world’s oldest inhabited city, seemed to carry on business as usual — though there were already the car bombs, and the wounded soldiers in the hospital. I could look out the window of my hotel, the Dama Rose, and see women in bikinis drinking beer to hip-hop music at pool parties, then see the smoke of bombings in the background. I had worked in the Middle East for two decades since I was a cub reporter, but this was my first time in Syria. Keep reading » 

“Denial is Slipping Away as War Arrives in Damascus,” The New York Times, October 2012

Rifa was growing frantic. Her husband had called to say that he and her brother were stuck on their way home from work outside the Syrian capital, normally a 25-minute drive. There was fighting in a northern suburb, he said, and traffic was frozen.

Tensions rose as the hours passed. It is never good to be out after dark in Damascus now, especially trapped in a traffic jam, unable to flee. Finally, Rifa’s husband called again. They had escaped and returned to their workplace to pass the night, another concession to their changing world. Keep reading » 

And read much more from di Giovannie at her website, JanineDiGiovanni.com.

Patton put the question to the girls themselves. And they came up with a fascinating concept — a father-daughter dance. The dance was such a hit the first time around that Camp Diva decided to make it an annual event. But as they started planning the dance a year later, Patton ran into a glitch — one of her camper’s fathers was in jail and wouldn’t be able to attend.

As Patton shares in today’s talk, filmed at TEDxWomen, another girl in the group had a bold idea.

“She suggested, ’Why don’t we just take the dance to the jail?’” recalls Patton. “Most of the other girls doubted the possibility of that. They said, ‘Are you crazy? Who is going to allow a bunch of little girls, dressed up, to come inside a jail and dance with their daddies?’”

Luckily, Patton found someone crazy enough to allow this — Richmond City Sheriff C.T. Woody.

“He is a very special sheriff,” explains Patton. “He contacted me immediately and said that whenever there is an opportunity to bring families inside, his doors are always open. One thing he knows is that when fathers are connected to their children, it is less likely that they will return.”

And so, a father-daughter dance was held in the Richmond City Jail with 16 inmates and 18 daughters invited.

“The girls were dressed in their Sunday best. The fathers traded in their yellow and blue jumpsuits for shirt and ties. They hugged … they laughed together,” remembers Patton. “It was beautiful. The fathers and daughters experienced the opportunity to have a physical connection … [The fathers could] extend their hand for a dance. Even the guards cried.”

Patton hopes this evening will create permanent change for these families.

“We have created a forum for girls who have heavy questions on their heart to be in a position to ask their fathers those questions, and given the fathers the freedom to answer,” says Patton. “A father who is locked in should not be locked out of his daughter’s life.”

To hear more about this incredible dance, and the wonderful ideas Patton and her girls had for continuing the father-daughter bonding, watch today’s talk. And after the jump, check out some photos taken at this unique dance.

In a room inside the Richmond City Jail, the girls wait for the dance to begin. Because several of them had their ride fall through, a lieutenant colonel at the jail went to pick them up himself.

As soon as the dance began, all 16 inmates and their daughters took to the dance floor.

This father invited his twin daughters to the dance. Here, he holds one of them as the group gets a salsa lesson.

9-year-old De’Brianna Richardson poses for a photo with her father, Faiz Lawton, who was in jail for auto theft-grand larceny. Lawton tells Richmond Magazine that the best part of the dance was, “Just being able to embrace [De’Brianna]. Being able to hug her, hold her, squeeze her, kiss her, talk to her closely, share a meal with her.”

All of the father-daughter pairs at the dance got to borrow FlipCams, allowing them to record video messages for each other.

A father-daughter pair cut a rug on the dance floor. Because his daughter did not get to the dance until late, this father was worried she wouldn’t show at all. In addition to dancing, the fathers held a contest where they made up rhymes about their daughters on the spot.

Lin’Asia Harris hugs her father, Linwood Harris, who was serving 90 days for failure to pay child support. Harris was released shortly after the dance and told Richmond Magazine, “She knows from her heart that I’m not a bad person.”

The dance wrapped with the fathers and daughters dancing to Luther Vandross’ “Dance with My Father.” As the daughters left the Richmond City Jail, they exchanged journals with their fathers, each book full of messages for the other to read when they felt distant.

Photos by Jay Paul Photography and Angela Patton.

“An extended illness had changed the way I could access the world … I’d seen my life slip away and become restricted,” explains Austin in today’s talk, which was given at TEDxWomen in December. “When I started using the wheelchair 16 years ago, it was a tremendous new freedom … I could whiz around and feel the wind in my face again. Just being out on the street was exhilarating.”

And yet, Austin noticed that people started treating her very differently.

“It was as if they couldn’t see me anymore, as if an invisibility cloak had descended,” says Austin. “They seemed to see me in terms of their assumptions of what it must be like to be in a wheelchair. When I asked people their associations with the wheelchair, they used words like ‘limitation,’ ‘fear,’ ‘pity’ and ‘restriction.’ … I knew that I needed to make my own stories about this experience.”

In today’s jaw-dropping talk, Austin explores how the divide between the way she sees herself and the way others see her inspires her art, which challenges the traditional notion of disability and shares the joy she feels experiencing the world from her chair.

One of Austin’s first series in this vein was called “Traces from a Wheelchair,” created in 2009. For the work, Austin used paint on the wheels of her chair to create glorious loops — both on enormous sheets of paper and on the grass outside the gallery showing the exhibit.

“The wheelchair became an object to paint and play with,” explains Austin. “It was exciting to see the interested and surprised responses from people. It seemed to open up new perspectives.”

Austin went on to found Freewheeling, an initiative to expand the bounds of Disability Arts with fellow creators Jack Morris and Shirley Phillips. The group soon staged the three-part installation “Freewheeling: An Absent Presence or a Present Absence,” also in 2009, bringing the same concept to the streets of the town of Plymouth.

While many loved the installation, though, some locals saw the exhibit as graffiti — leading the BBC to cover the exhibit. “Some people may see it as vandalism,” Austin says defending her work. “But it’s the thought and concept that makes it artwork.”

Next, Austin had a crazy idea: to use her wheelchair to explore underwater. In 2010, with a grant from the Arts Council England’s Impact program, she began building an underwater wheelchair for a work she called “Testing the Water.”

“I realized that scuba gear extends your range of activity in just the same way that a wheelchair does,” explains Austin in today’s talk. “But the associations attached to scuba gear are ones of excitement and adventure — completely different to people’s responses to the wheelchair. So I thought, ‘I wonder what will happen if I put the two together?’”

“When we started talking to people about it, engineers were saying it wouldn’t work, the wheelchair would go into a spin, it was not designed to go through water — but I was sure it would,” Austin told the BBC of the chair. “If you just put a thruster under the chair all the thrust is below the center of gravity so you rotate. It was certainly much more acrobatic than I anticipated.”

Austin had hugely ambitious plans for her underwater wheelchair. She applied to be part of the Cultural Olympiad, the art extravaganza surrounding the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games. The plan: to take the underwater wheelchair to the ocean.

The incredible work above, which Austin called “Creating the Spectacle,” not only required months of intense physical training — it also necessitated a creative and technical team. Trish Wheatley, co-producer, shares in a blog post that the crew headed to Egypt to film Austin exploring the Red Sea in her wheelchair. The location gave the tropical backdrop and marine life that make this video so magical. And, because the water was warmer, Austin could dress in everyday clothing. The video took six days of filming, Austin going under for multiple 20-minute dives.

“Creating the Spectacle” was performed on August 29. For it, a swimming pool was transformed into an unconventional stage, with 23 scuba-equipped spectators (several of them disabled) going underwater to watch Austin dive in live. The performance was synthesized with the footage of Austin in the Red Sea and with the video above, called “Finding the Flame,” which shows Austin discovering the Paralympic torch in a cave

We can’t wait to see where Austin’s wheelchair will take her next. We place bets on: the sky.

Counting down the final hours of the workweek is a Friday afternoon tradition. And today, you have extra incentive to watch the clock — TEDxWomen kicks off at 6pm in Washington, DC. While one session of the event — “Poverty and Plenty,” hosted by Pat Mitchell of The Paley Center for Media — is taking place tonight, five more sessions of talks will be held tomorrow, December 1, from 8:30am to 8pm. Head to the livestream page to watch TEDxWomen in progress >>

At the same time, more than 150 TEDx events across the globe will webcast the conference, as part of their own unique programs examining the state of women in the world today. Find out where, and when, TEDxWomen events are taking place this weekend >>

To get you in the TEDxWomen spirit, enjoy these seven talks from women innovating all aspects of the way we live — from what we eat, to how we learn, to how we receive healthcare.

Barbara Bush at TEDxBrooklyn
Young people can make an extraordinary impact on the global health crisis. Through the story of an anti-HIV campaign in Malawi, Barbara Bush demonstrates the power that motivated volunteers can have when it comes to solving problems of health equity.

Y el cambio comienza en nuestros niños: Patricia Velásquez at TEDxTepuy
Patricia Velásquez started a school in one of Venezuela’s toughest areas because she believed that the future of every child should be protected and supported. At TEDxTepuy, she calls on all of us to find our own personal cause to fight for. (In Spanish with English subtitles.)

Using innovation in human rights: Mallika Dutt at TEDxGateway
Mallika Dutt fights for human rights not just by advocating for institutional change, but by appealing for societal change as well. At TEDxGateway, she shares clips from her popular films that address issues from violence against women to HIV/AIDS — and that place the responsibility for creating a culture of dignity on every individual.

Soap saves: Renée Botta at TEDxDU-TEDxChange
Despite massive foreign aid, lack of water, food, hygiene, and basic services still persists in the developing world. Through the story of a young African woman who began manufacturing and selling liquid soap in her hometown, Renee Botta explains how the challenges of these communities might be solved through creating self-sustained economies.

En este mundo: Magdalena Goyheneix at TEDxRíodelaPlata-TEDxChange
Instead of being overwhelmed by the devastation wrought by illness in Nigeria, Magdalena Goyheneix found hope. Putting a human face on the shocking health statistics, she reminds us that each life is worth saving. (In Spanish with English subtitles.)

The aftermath of Occupy: Naomi Colvin at TEDxHousesofParliament
Last year, the Occupy Wall Street movement spread like wildfire across the globe. It sparked countless protests and its “We are the 99%” slogan has been canonized into the progressive lexicon. Just as quickly as it gained champions, however, it found critics who dismiss the campaign for its inability to articulate specific demands. Naomi Colvin thinks they miss the point entirely; that the protests were not about rushing into specific negotiations based on conventional principles, but about disrupting the way we reform altogether. In this reflective talk, she lays out a new vision of political identity.

Eat less meat, more bugs: Florence Dunkel at TEDxBozeman
Insects are high in protein and — if prepared well — delicious. According to Florence Dunkel, their low-cost, ecological production could create a stable future with food security.

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Want to hear from more amazing women making big change in the world? Check out this playlist of TEDxTalks from women in science, as well as links to 75 TED Talks from women in science and tech.

This post was written by the TEDx Team.

TEDxWomen is just days away—on November 30 and December 1, the conference will take place in Washington, D.C. While it’s sold out, there are still many opportunities to watch. Over the weekend, webcasts will be streamed during more than 140 TEDxWomen events across the globe — from Abuja, Nigeria, to Warsaw, Poland. Head to the TEDxWomen website for a full list of these events >>

To get you in the spirit, the TEDx blog reached out to TEDxWomen organizers to get their insights on some of the classic TEDxWomen talks of years past. Below, watch the talks and hear organizers’ unique perspectives.

Madeleine Albright: On being a woman and a diplomat
This talk from Madeleine Albright — former UN ambassador, US Secretary of State and feminist hero — is notable for Albright’s frankness, wisdom and pin collection — which includes a snake she started wearing after Saddam Hussein called her “an unparalleled serpent.” In this talk from TEDWomen 2010, Albright stresses that it’s paramount for the progress of the world that women help women.

We asked TEDxWomen organizers: Does this message resonate with you?

“When more women are powerful, visionary and strategic leaders, then communities and organizations are more innovative, productive and successful. And when more women are leaders, we raise the aspirations of women and girls around the world. The bottom line really is that, just as Madeleine did for many people (not just women), shining a light on female leaders of all walks of life and industries means that we become catalysts for the education, development and advancement of courageous leaders everywhere. We hope to contribute the stories of women who lead, with the goal of changing our shared understanding of leadership.” — Nathalie Molina Nino of TEDxBarnardCollegeWomen, which will be held at the women’s college in New York City on December 1

Sheryl Sandberg: Why we have too few women leaders
At TEDWomen in 2010, Facebook’s COO Sheryl Sandberg looked at why a smaller percentage of women than men reach the top of their professions — and offered three powerful pieces of advice to women. She addresses fear, self-doubt, work/life balance, and finding work that’s rewarding even after maternity leave. Overall, she voices her concern over the worldwide lack of women in leadership roles in corporate, political and other social settings, and questions traditional gender roles and perceptions of women leaders.

So we asked TEDxWomen organizers: What advice would you give to women leaders?

“Be authentic. Authenticity is always the key to leadership success.” —Dafna Michaelson Jene of TEDxCrestmoorParkWomen to be held in Denver, Colorado, on December 1

“Create your own girls’ clubs: investment, leadership, philanthropy, mentoring, specific interests. Link with others regionally. Scale out. Find ways to give away what you know to people who value you in original ways. Listen. Know yourself and be you.” —Kat Haber of TEDxHomerWomen, being held in Homer, Alaska, on December 1

Arianna Huffington: How to succeed? Get more sleep
After fainting from exhaustion at her desk — and suffering a broken cheekbone as well as a gash on her eye as a result — Arianna Huffington realized that sleep deprivation is a serious issue. “We women are going to lead the way in this new revolution, this new feminist issue,” she says in this talk from TEDxWomen 2011. “We are literally going to sleep our way to the top.”

So we asked TEDxWomen organizers: What stops you from getting enough sleep?

“Being an individual who has too many hobbies. Work, performances, sports training, volunteer work, club meetings, etc. keep me going non-stop.” —Uyanga Vladimir of TEDxUlaanbaatarWomen, taking place in Mongolia on December 2

“Most often, a snoring husband and evening meetings that leave my mind racing with ideas.” —Carrie Willar of TEDxABQWomen, being held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on December 1

“Spending a great, enjoyable time with my laptop…for midnight brainstorms, reading, chatting, watching videos, sharing ideas, throwing out ideas.” —Deni Simeonova of TEDxMladostWomen, which will take place on Sofia, Bulgaria, on December 1

Tan Le: My immigration story
“How can I speak in 10 minutes about the bonds of women over three generations, about how the astonishing strength of those bonds took hold in the life of a four-year-old girl huddled with her young sister, her mother, and her grandmother for five days and nights in a small boat in the China Sea more than 30 years ago,” begins technologist Tan Le’s gripping talk from TEDxWomen 2011 on her search for identity and the women who helped her find it. In her talk, Tan describes how the strength, leadership, bravery, and resilience of the women in her family helped her to become who she is today. 

We asked TEDxWomen organizers: How have the women in your life helped you develop your sense of self?

“Throughout my life, other women have always made me aware of aspects of myself I didn’t know I had or were different than my own perceptions of myself. A recent example: one of the co-organizers of our event told me she doesn’t think I fit the definition of a ‘Type A’ person, with which I normally identify). It led to some interesting discussions as to why, and it comes down to the fact that deep down I am more collaborative vs. competitive.”—Deb Gerardi Kemper of TEDxShanghaiWomen, taking place in China on December 1

“My mom was essential to my life! She (and my dad) and my grandmom taught me how to treat others, how to be a fair person, to like books, conversations, and treat others equally.” —Ana Goelzer of TEDxLaçadorWomen, being held in Paim Porto Alegre, Brazil on December 1

Few people see the world in simple black-and-white terms — instead, most of us, women and men alike, experience a wide spectrum of color, a world of differing viewpoints and nuance. This year’s TEDxWomen, themed “The Space Between,” will explores the gradiation of the world around us. The event will feature six sessions: “Poverty and Plenty,” examining the space between having a little and having a lot; “Fact and Faith,” looking at the space between what we know and what we believe; “IQ and EQ,” revealing the space between intellectual and emotional intelligence; “Stops and Starts,” addressing the space between disruption and moving forward; and “The Rising,” turning an eye to the space between war and peace, and how we all play a part by either doing something or doing nothing.

TEDxWomen will take place on Friday, November 30, and Saturday, December 1, In Washington, D.C. While the event is sold-out it will be live streamed. Bookmark the livestream page here >>

After the jump, the exciting lineup of speakers, from feminist playwright Eve Ensler to war correspondent Bob Woodruff.

Julia Bluhm and Izzie Labbe are two young women who successfully petitioned Seventeen magazine to stop altering the faces and body shapes of girls with Photoshop.

Hyun Kyung Chung is a Korean spiritual leader and eco-feminist.

Loreen Arbus was the first woman to head programming for a U.S. network, at both Showtime and Lifetime. Currently, she is the president of Loreen Arbus Productions as well as an Argentine Tango choreographer.

A former ABC war correspondent, Bob Woodruff suffered a traumatic brain injury while embedded in Iraq in 2005. He and his wife, Lee, will describe their journey since.

Jessica Pabon studies graffiti artists, examining how female graffiti writers navigate the male-dominated subculture.

Musimbi Kanyoro is the head of the Women’s Global Fund.

A feminist media critic, Anita Sarkeesian initiated a successful Kickstarter campaign to examine gender tropes in video games.

Also speaking at TEDxWomen:

• Amber Rubarth, singer-songwriter
• Archana Kapoor, publisher and filmmaker
• Arshi Saleem Hashmi, of the Institute of Regional Studies
• Asali DeVan Ecclesiastes, writer
• Brittany Wenger, winner of Google Science Fair
• Charlotte Beers, businesswoman
• Eboo Patel, founder of Interfaith Youth Core
• Edit Schlaffer, social scientist
• Elizabeth Lindsey, cultural intelligence expert
• Emily May, co-founder of Hollaback!
• Emily Bazelon, who wrote a book on bullying
• Fatou B. Bensouda, lawyer
• Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, who wrote a book on female entrepreneurs
• Inch Chua, musician
• iO Tillett Wright, artist and filmmaker
• Jacki Zehner, wealth management expert and philanthropist
• Jake Glaser, HIV activist
• Janine di Giovanni, journalist
• Sister Joan Chittister, author
• John Gerzema, social theorist
• Jose Antonio Vargas, journalist
• Kate Clinton, comedian
• Lourds Lane, musician
• Lynne Hurdle-Price, facilitator
• Malehlohonolo Moleko, bakery owner and mom
• Maya Azucena, singer-songwriter
• Radmilla Cody, musician
• Shabana Basij-Rasikh, founder of HELA
• Sue Austin, wheelchair video artist
• Tanyaradzwa Ashleigh Tawengwa, musician
• Zahra Langhi, cofounder of Libyan Women’s Platform for Peace

For much more information on each speaker, head to the TEDxWomen website »