TED Talks with English transcript

14:47

TEDMED 2014

Ramanan Laxminarayan: The coming crisis in antibiotics

2014-09-181,062,693 views

Readability: 4.7

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Antibiotic drugs save lives. But we simply use them too much — and often for non-lifesaving purposes, like treating the flu and even raising cheaper chickens. The result, says researcher Ramanan Laxminarayan, is that the drugs will stop working for everyone, as the bacteria they target grow more and more resistant. He calls on all of us (patients and doctors alike) to think of antibiotics -- and their ongoing effectiveness -- as a finite resource, and to think twice before we tap into it. It's a sobering look at how global medical trends can strike home.

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24:18

TEDGlobal 2014

Vincent Moon and Naná Vasconcelos: Hidden music rituals around the world

2014-10-091,097,240 views

Readability: 4.2

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Vincent Moon travels the world with a backpack and a camera, filming astonishing music and ritual the world rarely sees -- from a powerful Sufi ritual in Chechnya to an ayahuasca journey in Peru. He hopes his films can help people see their own cultures in a new way, to make young people say: "Whoa, my grandfather is as cool as Beyoncé." Followed by a mesmerizing performance by jazz icon Naná Vasconcelos.

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17:31

TEDGlobal 2014

Ethan Nadelmann: Why we need to end the War on Drugs

2014-10-152,031,417 views

Readability: 5

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Is the War on Drugs doing more harm than good? In a bold talk, drug policy reformist Ethan Nadelmann makes an impassioned plea to end the "backward, heartless, disastrous" movement to stamp out the drug trade. He gives two big reasons we should focus on intelligent regulation instead.

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11:28

TEDGlobal 2014

Haas&Hahn: How painting can transform communities

2014-10-081,835,627 views

Readability: 3.8

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Artists Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn create community art by painting entire neighborhoods, and involving those who live there -- from the favelas of Rio to the streets of North Philadelphia. What's made their projects succeed? In this funny and inspiring talk, the artists explain their art-first approach -- and the importance of a neighborhood barbecue.

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15:54

TEDGlobal 2014

Alejandro Aravena: My architectural philosophy? Bring the community into the process

2014-10-092,003,971 views

Readability: 4.1

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When asked to build housing for 100 families in Chile ten years ago, Alejandro Aravena looked to an unusual inspiration: the wisdom of favelas and slums. Rather than building a large building with small units, he built flexible half-homes that each family could expand on. It was a complex problem, but with a simple solution — one that he arrived at by working with the families themselves. With a chalkboard and beautiful images of his designs, Aravena walks us through three projects where clever rethinking led to beautiful design with great benefit.

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14:17

TEDGlobal 2014

Ameenah Gurib-Fakim: Humble plants that hide surprising secrets

2014-10-271,072,911 views

Readability: 4.8

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In this intriguing talk, biologist Ameenah Gurib-Fakim introduces us to rare plant species from isolated islands and regions of Africa. Meet the shape-shifting benjoin; the baume de l'ile plate, which might offer a new treatment for asthma; and the iconic baobab tree, which could hold the key to the future of food. Plus: monkey apples.

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14:27

TEDGlobal 2014

Jose Miguel Sokoloff: How Christmas lights helped guerrillas put down their guns

2014-10-07819,721 views

Readability: 3.5

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“In my lifetime, I have never lived one day of peace in my country,” says Jose Miguel Sokoloff. This ad executive from Colombia saw a chance to help guerrilla fighters choose to come home -- with smart marketing. He shares how some creative, welcoming messages have helped thousands of guerrillas decide to put down their weapons -- and the key insights behind these surprising tactics.

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13:44

TEDGlobal 2014

Ilona Szabó de Carvalho: 4 lessons I learned from taking a stand against drugs and gun violence

2014-10-281,211,496 views

Readability: 5

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Throughout her career in banking Ilona Szabó de Carvalho never imagined she'd someday start a social movement. But living in her native Brazil, which leads the world in homicidal violence, she realized she couldn't just stand by and watch drugs and guns tear her country apart. Szabó de Carvalho reveals four crucial lessons she learned when she left her cushy job and took a fearless stand against the status quo.

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09:51

TED@IBM

Kare Anderson: Be an opportunity maker

2014-09-152,494,768 views

Readability: 4.1

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We all want to use our talents to create something meaningful with our lives. But how to get started? (And ... what if you're shy?) Writer Kare Anderson shares her own story of chronic shyness, and how she opened up her world by helping other people use their own talents and passions.

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15:13

TEDSalon Berlin 2014

Jeremy Heimans: What new power looks like

2014-06-231,494,882 views

Readability: 3.9

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We can see the power of distributed, crowd-sourced business models every day — witness Uber, Kickstarter, Airbnb. But veteran online activist Jeremy Heimans asks: When does that kind of "new power" start to work in politics? His surprising answer: Sooner than you think. It’s a bold argument about the future of politics and power; watch and see if you agree.

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16:14

TEDMED 2014

Debra Jarvis: Yes, I survived cancer. But that doesn't define me

2014-09-101,110,917 views

Readability: 3.3

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Debra Jarvis had worked as a hospital chaplain for nearly 30 years when she was diagnosed with cancer. And she learned quite a bit as a patient. In a witty, daring talk, she explains how the identity of “cancer survivor” can feel static. She asks us all to claim our hardest experiences, while giving ourselves room to grow and evolve.

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06:28

TEDSalon Berlin 2014

Sergei Lupashin: A flying camera ... on a leash

2014-07-241,269,684 views

Readability: 3.7

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Let's admit it: aerial photo drones and UAVs are a little creepy, and they come with big regulatory and safety problems. But aerial photos can be a powerful way of telling the truth about the world: the size of a protest, the spread of an oil spill, the wildlife hidden in a delta. Sergei Lupashin demos Fotokite, a nifty new way to see the world from on high, safely and under control.

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15:31

TEDGlobal 2014

Kimberley Motley: How I defend the rule of law

2014-10-101,114,349 views

Readability: 4.5

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Every human deserves protection under their country’s laws — even when that law is forgotten or ignored. Sharing three cases from her international legal practice, Kimberley Motley, an American litigator practicing in Afghanistan and elsewhere, shows how a country’s own laws can bring both justice and “justness”: using the law for its intended purpose, to protect.

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03:35

TED2014

Frans Lanting: Photos that give voice to the animal kingdom

2014-03-111,556,078 views

Readability: 3.1

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Nature photographer Frans Lanting uses vibrant images to take us deep into the animal world. In this short, visual talk he calls for us to reconnect with other earthly creatures, and to shed the metaphorical skins that separate us from each other.

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10:52

TEDGlobal 2014

Fabien Cousteau: What I learned from spending 31 days underwater

2014-10-131,281,530 views

Readability: 4.2

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In 1963, Jacques Cousteau lived for 30 days in an underwater laboratory positioned on the floor of the Red Sea, and set a world record in the process. This summer, his grandson Fabien Cousteau broke that record. Cousteau the younger lived for 31 days aboard the Aquarius, an underwater research laboratory nine miles off the coast of Florida. In a charming talk he brings his wondrous adventure to life.

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13:18

TEDMED 2014

Marc Abrahams: A science award that makes you laugh, then think

2014-09-121,534,520 views

Readability: 3.5

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As founder of the Ig Nobel awards, Marc Abrahams explores the world's most improbable research. In this thought-provoking (and occasionally side-splitting) talk, he tells stories of truly weird science -- and makes the case that silliness is critical to boosting public interest in science.

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07:40

TED@NYC

Joy Sun: Should you donate differently?

2014-07-081,304,324 views

Readability: 3.7

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Technology allows us to give cash directly to the poorest people on the planet. Should we do it? In this thought-provoking talk, veteran aid worker Joy Sun explores two ways to help the poor.

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13:31

TEDGlobal 2014

Fred Swaniker: The leaders who ruined Africa, and the generation who can fix it

2014-10-221,361,366 views

Readability: 4.2

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Before he hit eighteen, Fred Swaniker had lived in Ghana, Gambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. What he learned from a childhood across Africa was that while good leaders can't make much of a difference in societies with strong institutions, in countries with weak structures, leaders could make or break a country. In a passionate talk the entrepreneur and TED Fellow looks at different generations of African leaders and imagines how to develop the leadership of the future.

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12:28

TED@IBM

Susan Etlinger: What do we do with all this big data?

2014-09-251,344,301 views

Readability: 4.7

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Does a set of data make you feel more comfortable? More successful? Then your interpretation of it is likely wrong. In a surprisingly moving talk, Susan Etlinger explains why, as we receive more and more data, we need to deepen our critical thinking skills. Because it's hard to move beyond counting things to really understanding them.

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12:43

TEDMED 2014

Kitra Cahana: My father, locked in his body but soaring free

2014-09-151,152,178 views

Readability: 4.2

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In 2011 Ronnie Cahana suffered a severe stroke that left him with locked-in syndrome: completely paralyzed except for his eyes. While this might shatter a normal person’s mental state, Cahana found peace in “dimming down the external chatter,” and “fell in love with life and body anew.” In a somber, emotional talk, his daughter Kitra shares how she documented her father's spiritual experience, as he helped guide others even in a state of seeming helplessness.

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16:13

TEDGlobal 2014

Melissa Fleming: Let's help refugees thrive, not just survive

2014-10-081,341,791 views

Readability: 3.8

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Today's refugee crisis is the biggest since World War II, and it's growing. When this talk was given, 50 million people had been forcefully displaced from their homes by conflict and war; now the number is 65.3 million. There were 3 million Syrian refugees in 2014; now there are 4.9 million. Inside this overwhelming crisis are the individual human stories -- of care, growth and family, in the face of lost education, lost home, lost future. Melissa Fleming of the UN's refugee agency tells the refugees' stories -- and asks us to help them rebuild their world.

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11:22

TEDGlobal 2014

Jorge Soto: The future of early cancer detection?

2014-10-091,320,991 views

Readability: 5.5

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Along with a crew of technologists and scientists, Jorge Soto is developing a simple, noninvasive, open-source test that looks for early signs of multiple forms of cancer. Onstage at TEDGlobal 2014, he demonstrates a working prototype of the mobile platform for the first time.

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11:46

TED@Unilever

Myriam Sidibe: The simple power of hand-washing

2014-09-101,150,960 views

Readability: 3.7

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Myriam Sidibe is a warrior in the fight against childhood disease. Her weapon of choice? A bar of soap. For cost-effective prevention against sickness, it’s hard to beat soapy hand-washing, which cuts down risk of pneumonia, diarrhea, cholera and worse. Sidibe, a public-health expert, makes a smart case for public-private partnerships to promote clean hands — and local, sustainable entrepreneurship.

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15:20

TEDGlobal 2014

Alessandra Orofino: It’s our city. Let’s fix it

2014-10-07856,758 views

Readability: 4.6

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Too often, people feel checked out of politics — even at the level of their own city. But urban activist Alessandra Orofino thinks that can change, using a mix of tech and old-fashioned human connection. Sharing examples from her hometown of Rio, she says: "It is up to us to decide whether we want schools or parking lots, recycling projects or construction sites, cars or buses, loneliness or solidarity."

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20:42

TEDGlobal 2014

Glenn Greenwald: Why privacy matters

2014-10-022,346,660 views

Readability: 5.1

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Glenn Greenwald was one of the first reporters to see -- and write about -- the Edward Snowden files, with their revelations about the United States' extensive surveillance of private citizens. In this searing talk, Greenwald makes the case for why you need to care about privacy, even if you're "not doing anything you need to hide."

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17:04

TEDGlobal 2014

Dilip Ratha: The hidden force in global economics: sending money home

2014-10-071,411,836 views

Readability: 4.2

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In 2013, international migrants sent $413 billion home to families and friends — three times more than the total of global foreign aid (about $135 billion). This money, known as remittances, makes a significant difference in the lives of those receiving it and plays a major role in the economies of many countries. Economist Dilip Ratha describes the promise of these “dollars wrapped with love” and analyzes how they are stifled by practical and regulatory obstacles.

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13:29

TEDGlobal 2014

Pia Mancini: How to upgrade democracy for the Internet era

2014-10-071,305,289 views

Readability: 4.6

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Pia Mancini and her colleagues want to upgrade democracy in Argentina and beyond. Through their open-source mobile platform they want to bring citizens inside the legislative process, and run candidates who will listen to what they say.

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11:46

TEDMED 2014

Jeff Iliff: One more reason to get a good night's sleep

2014-09-185,135,628 views

Readability: 4.3

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The brain uses a quarter of the body's entire energy supply, yet only accounts for about two percent of the body's mass. So how does this unique organ receive and, perhaps more importantly, rid itself of vital nutrients? New research suggests it has to do with sleep.

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12:07

TED@Unilever

Meaghan Ramsey: Why thinking you're ugly is bad for you

2014-09-174,950,095 views

Readability: 4

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About 10,000 people a month Google the phrase, “Am I ugly?” Meaghan Ramsey of the Dove Self-Esteem Project has a feeling that many of them are young girls. In a deeply unsettling talk, she walks us through the surprising impacts of low body and image confidence—from lower grade point averages to greater risk-taking with drugs and alcohol. And then shares the key things all of us can do to disrupt this reality.

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21:05

TEDSalon Berlin 2014

Thomas Piketty: New thoughts on capital in the twenty-first century

2014-06-231,557,059 views

Readability: 4.4

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French economist Thomas Piketty caused a sensation in early 2014 with his book on a simple, brutal formula explaining economic inequality: r > g (meaning that return on capital is generally higher than economic growth). Here, he talks through the massive data set that led him to conclude: Economic inequality is not new, but it is getting worse, with radical possible impacts.

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