TED Community » Manuel T. Ortega

More About Me

I'm passionate about

Daughter; Knowledge; Music; Film; Helping; Challenging dogma; Progressive policy.

An idea worth spreading

Form Habits that Produce Results.

Talk to me about

Google+, Video, Music; Marketing; Business; Technology; Science; Sports

People don't know that I'm good at

Film making; photography; creating; piano; percussion; music composing; unconventional thinking.

Comments

• TEDCred score: +5.00 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• A comment on Conversation: Divorce should be cheap and accessible.

  Mar 29 2013: Yes.

• A comment on Conversation: Is capitalism sustainable?

  Mar 12 2013: What follows are 
  thoughts posted 
  to TED thread
  re:capitalism;
  
  “Is capitalism sustainable?”
  Yes. 
  
  Is our current zero-sum capitalism paradigm good for humanity?
  No.
  
  “Is it possible to have a rich and middle class without a poor class?” 
  Yes.
  What human conceived/created… human can change.
  
  “The sad reality of capitalism is that if there is an exponentially small number of people with exponentially large wealth, there has to be an exponentially long tail of much poorer people who are each contributing to that wealth.”
  
  False.
  
  Your “sad reality” is an artificial construct.
  Your “there has to be” is hubris.
  
  Absolutes are a fool’s game.
  
  Change occurs where there is a will to change.
  
  Permanence is dogma.
  Dogma is decay.
  
  “Not that we necessarily need an exponentially small number of people with exponentially large wealth, but would the world keep running without capitalistic incentives that increase the separation between rich and poor?”
  
  Yes.
  
  Poverty is unnecessary.
  Tragic.
  Inflicted upon many by few.
  
  No one asks to be born.
  No rational human would choose to be born into poverty, suffering, then death.
  
  “Can we eradicate all poverty without the rich sharing their riches?” 
  
  The rich should share.
  Be grateful fate was kind.
  
  Poverty is a human construct.
  Poverty need not exist.
  
  “What happens to civilization when nobody is willing to work in the factories and orchards, or build roads?”
  
  False premise.
  Never happened in the history of humanity.
  
  While there are those, 
  for their unique reasons, 
  fall into your category…
  
  The vast majority of humanity strives to be productive.
  
  Humans are natural problem-solvers.
  Humans are naturally curious.
  
  Humans created the world we live today.
  Humans are creating the world we will live tomorrow.

• A comment on Talk: Miguel Nicolelis: A monkey that controls a robot with its thoughts. No, really.

  Feb 20 2013: Human ingenuity…
  Problem solving…
  Brilliant…
  Mind blown

• A comment on Talk: Cesar Kuriyama: One second every day

  Feb 20 2013: Human life scale…
  Moment…
  .
  Kudos...
• +3

  A comment on Talk: Maz Jobrani: A Saudi, an Indian and an Iranian walk into a Qatari bar �

  Dec 13 2012: I laughed my ass off!
  
  Best 7 minutes of my day!
  
  Kudos!
  
  Thank you Mr. Jobrani.
• +2

  A reply on Talk: Lemon Andersen performs "Please don't take my Air Jordans"

  Dec 7 2012: Thank you Nick.
• +4

  A comment on Talk: Lemon Andersen performs "Please don't take my Air Jordans"

  Dec 7 2012: Tour de force! Brilliant. His audience knows exactly what his message is. If not consciously, then viscerally. Which, in the end, poets, poetry lives, heartbeat.
• +1

  A comment on Talk: Nina Tandon: Could tissue engineering mean personalized medicine?

  Dec 6 2012: Kudos! Human ingenuity at it's best! All the best.
• +4

  A comment on Conversation: What do you think of merit-based pay for teachers?

  Nov 27 2012: Hi Folks,
  On the face of it, merit based pay, performance bonus’, have a feel good aura.
  However, teachers do not go into their profession for the money.
  
  If we listen to teachers, we would discover teachers, by in large, desire substantially better support.
  Better tools.
  Better infrastructure.
  A society that values and promotes education.
  A society the values and promotes teachers.
  
  While most teachers would welcome better pay, given a choice they would prefer better support.
  
  Merit 'payout' is based on a false premise - teachers have control over their students.
  They do not.
  You can bring a horse to water, but you cannot make them drink.
  
  Lets look more deeply.
  Socio-economics play a pivotal role.
  Individual passion, desire, ambition, familial circumstance, biology and more impact minute to minute attitudes of students.
  All of which teachers have no control.
  
  Teachers cannot “fire” students.
  Teachers cannot “incent” students.
  
  Teachers can inspire. Motivate. Support.
  All of which have little to do with money.
  Much of which can be favorably impacted with professional tools and infrastructure.
  
  Educators reward, bonus, if you will, has allot to do with helping fellow human beings be all they can be.
  Little to do with money as a reward.
  
  The day our society eradicates child poverty, hunger.
  The day our society provides children preventive, on-going healthcare.
  The day our society recognizes no one asks to be born.
  The day our society recognizes children are victims or beneficiaries of circumstances not of their making.
  The day our society recognizes we are all in this together.
  Will be the first day of a new beginning.
  
  A beginning built on the foundation of our collective past, not anchored to it.
  A beginning constructing its’ future applying all we’ve learned.
  A beginning recognizing knowledge, institutions, human beings evolve.
  A beginning with no finish line.
  A beginning with no end.
  A future of perpetual beginnings.

• A comment on Talk: Ernesto Sirolli: Want to help someone? Shut up and listen!

  Nov 26 2012: Hi Folks,
  "The most important thing is passion. You can give somebody an idea. If that person doesn't want to do it, what are you going to do? The passion that the person has for her own growth is the most important thing. The passion that that man has for his own personal growth is the most important thing. And then we help them to go and find the knowledge, because nobody in the world can succeed alone. The person with the idea may not have the knowledge, but the knowledge is available."
  
  The aforementioned quote is most powerful. Packed with brilliance. Wisdom. Insight.
  
  Of particular force are these words;
  - "The most important thing is passion."
  - "The person with the idea may not have the knowledge, but the knowledge is available."
  
  21 words. 14 of which are mono-syllabic.
  
  Easy to absorb.
  
  Compelling. Persuasive. Empowering.