In this hopeful talk, 2006 TED Prize winner Jehane Noujaim unveils her wish: a global acceptance of diversity, mediated through the power of film. The first step? Getting people to understand each other. In 2003, Noujaim gained access to both sides of the story of the Iraq war for her film Control Room, a dichotomy she illustrates with provocative clips of Al Jazeera journalist Sameer Khader and U.S. press officer Josh Rushing. Noujaim ends by outlining her plans for Pangea Day, an event in which people all over the world can watch the same films at the same time. (Contains strong language.)

Continue reading Jehane Noujaim: TED Prize wish: Unite the world on Pangea Day, a global day of film →

In this bracingly honest and funny talk, international security strategist Thomas P.M. Barnett outlines a post-Cold War solution for the foundering US military: Break it in two. He suggests the military re-form into two groups: a Leviathan force, a small group of young and fierce soldiers capable of swift and immediate victories; and an internationally supported network of System Administrators, an older, wiser, more diverse organization that actually has the diplomacy and power it takes to build and maintain peace. Continue reading Thomas Barnett: The Pentagon’s new map for war and peace →

Based on this, I’m voting for Dennis for Vice President.

I will not be outdone by my fellow bloggers 3-quarks, Thoughts from Kansas, Pure Pedantry and A Blog Around the Clock. They are all putting up these “electoral compass things” where you ask a bunch of questions and get in return a graph showing where you are in relation to the US presidential candidates. Continue reading Electoral Compass →

I’m going to make a prediction. Just remember, you heard it here first…. Continue reading Bush Will Invade Iran, Obtain 45% Approval Rating →

Economist Eleni Gabre-Madhin outlines her ambitious vision to found the first commodities market in Ethiopia. Her plan would create wealth, minimize risk for farmers and turn the world’s largest recipient of food aid into a regional food basket. “There is no place in the world and no time in history that small farmers have had to bear the burden of risk that African farmers bear today,” Gabre-Madhin says. “But I’m not here to lament or wring my hands. I’m here to tell you that change is in the air.”

Continue reading Eleni Gabre-Madhin: Building a commodities market in Ethiopia →

If you are in New Hampshire, you must read this latest important political news before going to the polls… Continue reading Wait, Don’t Vote Yet! →

Eco-friendly cotton from Africa is making its way onto the backs of U2 fans across the world, thanks to a new partnership between Hard Rock International and the ethical T-shirt company edun LIVE. Founded by U2 frontman Bono and his wife Ali Hewson, edun contributes proceeds from the sale of its 100% African cotton tees to the Conservation Cotton Initiative (CCI), a program run by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). CCI helps lift African farmers out of poverty by providing education on proper land management, organic cotton growing techniques, and wildlife conservation.

Read the rest here.

Accepting the 2007 TED Prize, Bill Clinton says he’s trying to build a better world to hand his daughter. Unequal, unstable, and unsustainable, our world must correct its course, and private citizens (“like me”) can be powerful forces for change. His Clinton Global Initiative, fresh from success negotiating down pharmaceutical prices in the developing world, is now running a pilot health care system in Rwanda, based on the work of Dr. Paul Farmer in Haiti. In 18 months, its shown potential as a model for the entire developing world. Clinton’s TED wish: Help him build this system in Rwanda, to bring world-class health care to a people who have overcome deadly hatred to rebuild their nation.

Continue reading Bill Clinton: TED Prize wish: Let’s build a health care system in Rwanda →

Gever Tulley, founder of the Tinkering School, talks about our new wave of overprotected kids — and spells out 5 (and really, he’s got 6) dangerous things you should let your kids do. Allowing kids the freedom to explore, he says, will make them stronger and smarter and actually safer.

Continue reading 5 dangerous things you should let your kids do →

What is the relationship between what happens in these two early primary races and what actually happens later on in the election cycle? Continue reading Do the Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire Primary Matter? →