#ted x

[baxterthebunnychronicles]

I recommend that anyone in the United States of America who is afraid of speaking their mind publicly regarding politics, to watch this video. It is very crucial that you do so.

[lazbotronence]

5 minutes with... TEDxBrighton's Laurence Rickard [x]

8 Oct 2015

TEDxBrighton caught up with this year's host Laurence Rickard. Larry (as he would prefer you all to call him) is a BAFTA-winning comedy writer and actor, probably best known for his work on the hit BBC sketch show Horrible Histories and the Sky 1 fantasy comedy Yonderland.

What are you doing right now?

I'm on a train, which is where I spend a fair proportion of my life. I find I get huge amounts of work done on trains, because I can't procrastinate by making a sandwich or going for a walk... Well, not for a very long walk anyway. Though answering these questions means I'm not doing the re-write that I've promised my producer. If she shouts at me, I'm going to give her your number.

What was your first thought when invited to host this year’s event?

Honestly? I was worried that I'd taken on something I wouldn't have time to do. But then I feel that when I agree to do most things. It'll be fine. I just like to worry.

You’re undoubtedly extremely busy this year with your writing and acting, and also with the release of your first film, Bill. With this in mind, what persuaded you to add this role to your already crammed to do list?

I went to school with Sam, one of the organisers, so he probably has quite a lot of dirt on me. I thought it best not to cross him, in case he had a copy of that demo my band did when I was 15. I wouldn't want that getting out. Also, it's TED, isn't it. It's an institution. I felt very privileged to have been asked.

This year’s conference is about losing control. When was the last time you lost control and why?

Well, I'm five days away from the release of a film right now (it's called Bill and it's in cinemas on September 18th – you should definitely go and see it), so I'm probably running on slightly heightened levels of anxiety and reduced levels of sleep. I'm not sure I'd say I've 'lost control' at any point, but there's been a few moments where I've raised my voice a bit, which is very rare for me. That's a very British answer isn't it? You ask when I lost control and I tell you the last time I raised my voice. Hardly a thundering maelstrom – I don't think it'll make the papers.

TEDx is all about sharing inspiring concepts and ideas. Who has been your biggest inspiration and why?

Probably my drama and English teacher at secondary school. He was always so supportive and encouraging. On reflection he was quite anti-establishment – he would give you a thousand merit points for a piece of writing, which both bolstered your self-confidence and made a complete mockery of the 'merit point' system. That was him all over. I was quite shruggy-shoulders about most of my school life, but I looked forward to his lessons so much. He encouraged me to write and act, and now I write and act – if that's not an inspiration, I don't know what is.

If you were asked to deliver a TED talk, what would you like to talk about and who would you most like to deliver your talk to?

I'd probably talk to young people about the celebration of celebrity. I worry that there's a generation who are, in many ways, being robbed of inspiration, and I don't think that's fair on them. People who, in a world of Geordie Shore and vlogs about making a nice breakfast, think that 'being a celebrity' is a goal to strive towards. Not trying to learn a skill or an art or hone a talent, but wanting to get 'rich and famous' by doing something that, in essence, pretty much anyone could do. You just want them to find that thing – whether it's bricklaying or mastering the violin – that enthuses and inspires them beyond the desire to one day have 2 million Twitter followers. Making sure that the world's best UN Secretary General doesn't end up never existing because they became the next Joey Essex instead.

As a born and bred resident of Brighton and Hove, what do you love most about this city?

I like its size. It's a walkable city. I lived in that London for a bit, and people travel for two hours just to meet up for a beer. That seems mad to me. And I like that Brighton is, on the whole, tolerant, liberal and diverse. I don't like that big spike they've put by the West Pier though. I just don't get it – we are a city of vibrant streets, not striking skylines. The view in one direction will just be roofs, and the other will just be just water. I never really got the thrill of looking at stuff from a bit higher up.

If you could take just one book, film and album on holiday this year, which would you take?

The film please.

What do you think events like TEDx offer to audiences?

Tickets I'd imagine. That would be the model I'd adopt. It's simplest in terms of seating etc. Plus the revenue would help to cover production costs. It's certainly worth looking into.

If you could pick a theme for next year's conference what theme would you most like to explore and why?

Special Effects Techniques in the Original Star Wars Trilogy. It's the only thing I can speak about with any authority.

[redlettermediathings]

#tedtalk

[positiveaboutdisability]

Stephanie Woodward is an amazing, 32 year old lawyer, blogger, vlogger, disability rights activist and former Ms. Wheelchair from New York State.

Stephanie has been a wheelchair user for all her life because of spina bifida.

She isn't bothered by her disability though, quite the contrary; I love my disability in the same way that I love being a woman. It’s part of my identity and central to who I am. Yes, like being a woman, being disabled means that I experience discrimination and other hardships, but that’s not my fault or my disability’s fault – that’s society’s fault and a problem for society to fix. I don’t think that my life would be better if I was nondisabled, but I do think my life would be better if the world were less discriminatory and more accessible(link to the column).

Stephanie wasn’t always so comfortable with her life in a wheelchair. Her disability played a huge role in her decision to attend law school. At age 19, Woodward wanted to learn more about other people with disabilities, so she became a volunteer for the Center of Disability Rights (CDR). The contact she there had with other disabled people helped her in exploring her identity and made her feel proud about her life with spina bifida.

She now talks, writes and vlogs about disability rights, acceptance and accessibility. In 2018, she held a great TEDx talk where she explains how she wants to be looked upon as a person. She likes to be valued for who she is and what she does, she doesn't want people to see her as 'inspirational', just because of the simple fact that she's a wheelchair user.

You can find the link to the TEDx talk down below. If you’d like, you can also follow Stephanie on Instagram or Twitter!

[growingisabezza]

My body is an instrument, not an ornament

This talk by the founder of Redefining Beauty was eye opening. An inspirational talk, full of powerful messages about self acceptence. Empowering us to be autonomous in our bodies.

Anyone and everyone who engages with body image rituals (such as hiding or being embarrased by your powerful perfect self), I encourage you to watch this video. You are worthy.

(And - in my opinion - life is too short. Fill your mind with the things and people that matter instead.)

[fuckyeahkaamelott]

[morporkian-cryptid]

“I asked my students what they would tell you today if they could be here in my place. The vast majority of their 265 comments contain outright pleas from your young people to be fully heard and seen by the adults in their lives. They’re intensely aware of our indifference, and they’re writhing under the weight of it. Our teenagers do not need more likes. They need the flesh and blood humans they admire most, you and I, to take them seriously.”

[jamesliskutin]

MEETING THE ENEMY A feminist comes to terms with the Men's Rights movement