TED Community » Timothy Bradshaw

More About Me

I'm passionate about

History, past, present and future.

An idea worth spreading

More education, exploration- less war

Talk to me about

Paleoanthropology

My TED Story

I was attracted by the quality of the talkers, very qualified and imaginative. So I kept on watching them.

Comments

• TEDCred score: +0.30 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• A reply on Talk: Lawrence Lessig: We the People, and the Republic we must reclaim

  Apr 7 2013: Thanks for so much good sense.
  
  My father told me about the "dollar-a-year men", that is people who worked for FDR for $1/year because it was a privilege and an honor to work for the government. We don't see many of those around any more. Of course, these people were already rich...
  
  Wouldn't it be fun if Obama made a few decrees along the lines you have indicated? A few 'signing statements'? (That would by-pass the congressional failure.)
  
  The "independent ombudsperson" to ascertain results achieved by politicians (mentioned elsewhere in this commentary) is interesting, though rather difficult to realize.
  
  Unfortunately, shame does seem to be the only effective tool...
• +1

  A reply on Conversation: Should we clone and revive Homo Neanderthal?

  Mar 24 2013: Very few things are inevitable, apparently not even species death (individual death and taxes notwithstanding). So slopes don't have to be so slippery towards catastrophe. I am not so possessed by fear of consequences as by confidence . There does not have to be a catastrophe.

• A reply on Talk: Jennifer Granholm: A clean energy proposal -- race to the top!

  Mar 5 2013: Your Point 1: I think the WTO, among a host of others, would have something to say about that (if I understood your proposal correctly). There was another fellow advocating a tariff war... he even sounded serious!
  Point 2: I don't read many stories about corporations hiring now, though they are making money. They don't need more workers because the unemployed don't spend for their products. If the executives were paid less than $5 million/year, they could employ more workers, too. Business responds to stability, and 'crisis-governing' (what we practice now in USA, thanks to the House Republicans principally) does not make for a stable environment.
  
  Granholm mentioned that the unions proposed more 'concessions' than ever before, to no avail. Cuomo (NY Gov) negotiated with public service unions, and got concessions. Jerry Brown(CA) also. In Germany the work-week was lowered to 36 hours (with commensurate pay loss, of course) in order to employ more workers; negotiated by the central government. But the question is: why do the workers have to accept less when the executives are earning so much? And the shareholders are not so far behind in their demands.
  
  Entitlement programs? We have such different views that it would be unproductive to discuss.
  
  Appointed managers (by Rick Snyder?) replacing elected mayors and councils? Let's forget democracy, and go for the tried and true dictator. It worked for Stalin for a while.

• A reply on Talk: Jennifer Granholm: A clean energy proposal -- race to the top!

  Mar 5 2013: This is ridiculous! I do not want the return of the industrial Robber Barons, and they are still around. Before you get rid of US government, get rid of corporate lobbies, then we can talk. I am very tired of simplistic sloganeering. I wonder where this 'nail' is being hammered? Perhaps into your own head?
• +1

  A comment on Talk: Afra Raymond: Three myths about corruption

  Feb 21 2013: Corruption is about power, and can be measured in money. In the USA, one political party is busy re-drawing the political districts (after every census this is done to accommodate the new information) so they can be more sure of election results. No money directly involved. US Federal gov't threw out Texas re-districting. Pennsylvania, Minnesota and others are actively planning the same. Once in power, the lobbyist takes over and influences politicians. See how few bankers have legal problems of any kind. Our Attorney General does not pursue them because they are "too big to jail". None of the Senators is less than a millionaire, very few Representatives are not millionaires. But they all still need money for "re-election campaigns". USA is very corrupt, should not be #19 at Transparency International. The building inspector, the traffic cop, the welfare worker are not corrupt - here it is the big fish who are corrupt.

• A comment on Conversation: Can donor funding really fix African challenges, or should we empower African communities to address their own challenges?

  Feb 10 2013: Who can write a leadership training program? Who should write it, produce it?
  There are a couple of TEDtalks about donors and aid workers learning to listen to the recipients of aid.
  http://www.ted.com/talks/jacqueline_novogratz_invests_in_ending_poverty.html
  http://www.ted.com/talks/david_damberger_what_happens_when_an_ngo_admits_failure.html
  and Ernesto Sirolli's talk mentioned elsewhere in this discussion. These are important concepts for 'westerners' to appreciate.
  
  In the time I spent in Africa, I noted that the radio was almost universally present, and could reach people where no other means could arrive. That is why I thought your idea of dissemination via radio an excellent proposal.
  
  Using music or comedy to attract and hold interest, or even as the means of instruction would certainly be very effective. I think the main problem would be getting airtime on state radio, and getting the script passed by the authority. With star-power (from popular entertainers) behind and an engaging script, one may be able to get some airtime.These are full-time jobs for producers, writers and psychologists. Donor money would help, but everything else is homegrown.
• +1

  A reply on Conversation: Can donor funding really fix African challenges, or should we empower African communities to address their own challenges?

  Feb 10 2013: It is an excellent idea to present leadership training courses on radio. Such courses ought to be written and planned by residents, in the various languages of the country. It might be encouraging to offer paper diplomas in recognition of participation at the end of such a course, though that may present difficulties. It may engender discussion among the listeners, and that is how leaders are found: as the first among equals. Your other ideas may be helped by donor seed money, but the administration, planning and execution must be done primarily by local people through discussion. It may be found that the donor will be surprised by the real needs, and so should be flexible.