TED Talks

http://www.ted.com/index.php

So while not every speaker has "permie" ideas, there are lots of brilliant folks at TED (well duh), and you can watch most of the talks online!  How cool! 

Since there are so many of them, maybe people can post ones they've watched and are "worth it" or relate to permie philosophy in some way. 

I liked this one:

"In James Howard Kunstler's view, public spaces should be inspired centers of civic life and the physical manifestation of the common good. Instead, he argues, what we have in America is a nation of places not worth caring about."

http://blog.ted.com/2007/04/james_howard_ku_1.php

And yeah, it's lots about how awful shopping centers are, nothing we didn't already know intuitively if not literally, but if I recall correctly (watched it several weeks ago) he also brings up ways to bring back meaningful public space into the american landscape. 

James Geary, metaphorically speaking

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/james_geary_metaphorically_speaking.html

The Omnivore's Next Dilemma: 

http://blog.ted.com/2008/02/michael_pollan.php

And the one and only Joel Salatin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T9UaP1AsMI

Stewart Brand proclaims 4 environmental 'heresies'

http://www.ted.com/talks/stewart_brand_proclaims_4_environmental_heresies.html

He says nuclear power could save the world......ggrrrr.....but I suppose it's better than coal, and that's his point. 

Jared Diamond:  Why do societies fail? With lessons from the Norse of Iron Age Greenland, deforested Easter Island and present-day Montana, Jared Diamond talks about the signs that collapse is near, and how -- if we see it in time -- we can prevent it.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/jared_diamond_on_why_societies_collapse.html

Mark Bittman:
In this fiery and funny talk, New York Times food writer Mark Bittman weighs in on what's wrong with the way we eat now (too much meat, too few plants; too much fast food, too little home cooking), and why it's putting the entire planet at risk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HCxwoHHJnw

Eve Ensler: Embrace your inner girl

In this passionate talk, Eve Ensler declares that there is a girl cell in us all -- a cell that we have all been taught to suppress. She tells heartfelt stories of girls around the world who have overcome shocking adversity and violence to reveal the astonishing strength of being a girl.

http://www.ted.com/talks/eve_ensler_embrace_your_inner_girl.html

I wasn't expecting this one to be so moving.  Be prepared to weep a little.

Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity

Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

Pilobolus perform "Symbiosis"

Two Pilobolus dancers perform "Symbiosis." Does it trace the birth of a relationship? Or the co-evolution of symbiotic species? Music: "God Music," George Crumb; "Fratres," Arvo Part; "Morango…Almost a Tango," Thomas Oboe Lee.

http://www.ted.com/talks/pilobolus_perform_symbiosis.html

These two are STRONG, and this piece is just gorgeous. 

Wow, Marina, what a list! I zeroed in on and watched the Eve Ensler video since I have seen quite a few Vagina Monologue productions.

It was transformative and inspiring. Thanks for sharing!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE BEING A GIRL!  I AM AN EMOTIONAL CREATURE!

I'd almost forgotten how instrumental intense emotional reactions really are in the process of changing how we live.  Thank you, Eve.  I've never actually seen the Vagina Monologues, is that incredible or what? 

I'm mostly making this list for selfish purposes.  I can now easily find all the videos I like. 

YES!! I immediately sent this video out to all kinds of girl friends! 

I do think the Vagina Monologues is moving, hilarious and empowering. My daughter has been in three productions of it so far, and I've seen two others. So I have some extended girl ties to that show!

We're coming up on V-Day productions of the show. Around Valentine's Day, Ensler allows royalty-free productions of the Vagina Monologues if the proceeds benefit women's causes. I know you said you're out a bit, but if there is a college anywhere close, they often do V-Day productions that would be cheap to go see. Or, if you like performing, the other stipulation of a V-Day show is that any woman who asks to be a part of the show, must be allowed to participate.

Now that's a way to build community: performing together and/or sharing about intimate things!

Chef Dan Barber squares off with a dilemma facing many chefs today: how to keep fish on the menu. With impeccable research and deadpan humor, he chronicles his pursuit of a sustainable fish he could love, and the foodie's honeymoon he's enjoyed since discovering an outrageously delicious fish raised using a revolutionary farming method in Spain.

http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_barber_how_i_fell_in_love_with_a_fish.html