Qivaro j fou ~ (e ‘ l 1 By Trevor Doré, Opinions Editor good friend of mine introduced me to TED arlier on this year and it truly enhanced my life. For those of you who are unfamiliar with TED allow me to do the introductions. TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is a non-profit organization focused on “Ideas Worth Spreading.” TED originally started out as a conference to bring the great minds of technology, entertainment and design together, hence the name. Once a year, greater thinkers from their respected fields come together to share ideas and innovation in an informational conference style format—referred to as “talks.” Each speaker is given an 18-minute time slot to describe or discuss his or her idea. Some speakers simply speak while others have an inclusive Ke TED knows where it’s at multimedia presentation. In April 2007, TED launched a worldwide web site, www.ted.com. All of the talks are now available to the world for free. The reason TED has made all of their material available for free is because they are truly trying to inspire and spread great ideas on a worldwide scale. Over time, the topics have grown and you can now also find talks about business, science, culture and global issues. The next time you go to tune into YouTube when you have a little bit of extra time on your hands, or the next time you go to sit down and watch a sitcom riddled with commercial intermissions, think again. Give TED a shot, I highly recommend it. Spend 10 or 20 minutes, take in a TED talk and you will surely be inspired and enlightened. TED talks are perfect if you are sitting down to eat a bowl of cereal or looking for some inspiration. I rarely watch a talk that doesn’t make me reflect on or question an issue. Often I will refer a friend to a talk or will have a talk referred to me. Information and ideas conveyed in talks are always the source of great discussions amongst friends. Discussion, inquiry and inspiration are all part of the TED mantra. Many of the talks deal with complex issues. Speakers shed new light and offer pragmatic solutions to some of the world biggest issues. The ideas are worth discussion, consideration, elaboration and implementation. So the next time you are looking for inspiration or simply entertainment, take this advice— from one friend to the next—tune into TED and I assure you will not be disappointed. IDEASWORTHSPREADING 350.org International Day of Climate Action sends a message to politicians everywhere Trevor Doré opinions editor lobal warming is potentially the hottest Ge of our time. The issue of the ever- increasing temperature of our planet has everyone talking about the implications on a worldwide scale. Some people are really concerned about it while others are content to continue with the status quo and are tired of hearing about pollution-this pollution that, recycle this recycle that. The thing is, global Very simply, global warming is caused by the release of greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases are emitted as a result of every day processes such as traveling to and from, cooking and heating our homes. Greenhouse gases effectually “trap” heat and warm our globe. A warmer planet may sound great but global warming can have serious destabilizing effects. is carbon dioxide; it is also the green house gas that the folks at 350.org are most concerned about. 350.org is a grassroots political campaign designed to pressure world leaders into taking real action on climate change, and according to them, “America has been producing more CO, than any other country, and leads the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is measured in parts per million (ppm). Dr. James Hansen of NASA has been researching global warming for a very long time and has reported that 350ppm is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide. ee warming is an important issue as it affects us all. One of the most common green house gases industrialized world in per capita emissions.” The to panic though, it is not the end of the world. We do however; need to act fast. It’s kind of like a patient who goes to the doctor because of troubles breathing. The doctor tells the patient that he is not going to die but if he doesn’t stop smoking things are looking good. We have been told to stop smoking. We are not going to die and we still have time but we do have to take action. Taking action is where 350.org come in. On October 24 groups of concerned citizens in countries around the globe gathered to send the message of 350 to decision makers. Having concerned citizens gather at famous landmarks around the world sends the message that individuals are concerned, that the world is concerned and that something needs to be done. The timing of the gatherings was intended to send the message before the Copenhagen conference this December. What is the Copenhagen conference? In 2012 the Kyoto protocol will run out. So, in an effort to keep the process of preventing climate change on track, the United Nations are working on a global climate treaty. The treaty is supposed to be completed in December when government representatives from around the world come together for the 11-day Copenhagen conference from December 7—18. The current plans however are much too weak to get back to 350. Overall, it’s not a matter of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in certain parts of the world but rather a matter of worldwide emissions. It’s about coming together as a whole and devising pragmatic solutions to bring us back into the “safe” range. Currently the world sits at 390ppm. No need Fuming? Nodding? Tell us what you think; contact opinions@theotherpress.ca with your opinions.