TED Community » Rachel Green

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• A reply on Conversation: America is not the center (or is that centre) of the universe as we know it! Amercan arrogance is astounding (and I like Americans)

  Jun 9 2011: I'm not sure it was culture. I, myself, agree with the anthropological view of culture, in that every group has some form of culture, and that it doesn't always follow the Anglo view of Culture from the Renaissance onwards. I don't think it was religion either, and I certainly don't think it was genetics. Rather, I think it was military and weaponry. You point out that in most places the English colonized, the local populations were, for the most part, wiped out. Well, yes, I know that the diseases that were introduced by the colonists played a large part. But, more importantly, in the long run, spears, and bows and arrows are no match for cannons and rifles. Colonists, in general, could take over a piece of land and if they felt it was necessary, could use force to do it. I believe, it's really a case of who dominated in terms of military and weaponry innovation. In this case, the Anglos won.

• A comment on Conversation: America is not the center (or is that centre) of the universe as we know it! Amercan arrogance is astounding (and I like Americans)

  Jun 6 2011: I have to ask, Peter, where do you see, other than TED, the United States listed as first in a list of countries? Maybe if we know who they are we can think of solutions that appeal to the various groups behind these websites.
  
  As for spelling, and date selection, I feel that really depends on the group designing the website or web app. I'm not really sure how we could do something about it. I think that even if we convinced people to use other formats for spelling and date selection, we would still gravitate towards a "default" format, regardless of whether or not the format is American in nature. As I said before, I think this depends on the web designers and developers, as well as what type of browser you use.
  
  I know that Mr. Alan Bishop made the comment that we shouldn't need demarcations by country. I thought it was for legal issues, to be honest: that way, should something happen involving a particular user or website, the demarcation would at least determine whose jurisdiction it fell under. Is that not the case? I ask the same question of domain names: is that the principal reason behind different domains for different countries?

• A reply on Conversation: America is not the center (or is that centre) of the universe as we know it! Amercan arrogance is astounding (and I like Americans)

  Jun 6 2011: I know you said it wasn't a personal attack. I wasn't treating it like a personal attack. I was just listing what I thought were perfectly rational comments about your statement. Did I think you really expected someone to do something aboutthe time difference? No. Again, I was just posting my thoughts. So why don't you lighten up, huh?
  
  And as for the "hot dual" of words...never heard the expression before. Well, you learn something new everyday.

• A reply on Conversation: America is not the center (or is that centre) of the universe as we know it! Amercan arrogance is astounding (and I like Americans)

  Jun 6 2011: Honestly, what do you expect to be done about the time difference? You say that you miss videos because of the time difference; well, keep in mind that the notifications are usually about the Talk of the Day. So, I ask: why should you expect them to send out notifications anywhere from 10:00 PM to 3:00 AM? Would you be willing to do the same for your job?

• A comment on Conversation: How can Africa develop faster?

  Jun 5 2011: Which part of Africa? I mean, there are parts of Africa that are doing just as well as Europe and the United States. Today, Africa is like any other continent: there are countries that are doing just fine, some that are slowly but surely getting there, and some that are doing horribly. So, before I try to answer your question, what part of Africa do you want help develop faster?

• A comment on Conversation: What is God? Who has made God? And why would God care about humans worshiping him?

  Jun 5 2011: One thing: I am speaking for myself. I don't know what other religions, denominations of Christianity, or even what other people think. But first, I don't know what God looks like. We picture him as kind of like the image of a grandfather, or the male head of a family. In the first chapters of Genesis, it is said that God created us in his image, and so we base his appearance on human features, although no one truly knows the specifics. To answer the questions of what is he made of and who made him, there is, ironically, no answer. God has always been here, and always will be. Finally, for the third question, I really don't know. I've never thought about it to be honest. However, I don't know how many people can answer that question. We don't always know, or understand, what God has planned. Maybe He has a reason as to why, or maybe He plans to involve Jesus in something. Like I said I don't know.
  
  Hopefully, this will help you understand our position a little better. Everyone has their own theories, and we'll never really know until the day we die.

• A comment on Conversation: What types of things do you do to help you open your mind, generate new ideas, and see connections you've never seen before?

  Jun 5 2011: I watch TED. And I'll get on Stumbleupon. I'll stumble for a while, and every once in a while I'll see something that sparks an idea. Also, I try to read magazines, see speeches. One thing I would recommend is just trying your a hand at something new, like, getting into electronics, a meals-on-wheel organization, or programming. It won't be long before you say, wow, there's a better way to do this, and the ideas will start flowing.

• A comment on Conversation: We need Sir Ken Robinson, Martin Seligman, and the like to guide the US education revolution, not Obama, Congress, Dept.of Ed., or lobbyists

  May 31 2011: I have to admit, I'm a little confused as to why you don't think the Department of Education should be involved in this. Their main objective is, or at least should be, that all students, regardless of individual circumstances, have access to a top-notch education. I understand that in some cases, it might seem like the government doesn't really understand what types of reform needs to be done, or what actions to take, but I think that you need the Department of Education to be involved in this. After all, if Sir Ken Robinson and the like come up with ideas, shouldn't the Department of Education be there to help implement them on a larger scale once the ideas have proven to be effective solutions?

• A comment on Conversation: What if the role of president was divided into 6 people, and they had to come to a consensus?

  May 31 2011: I have to agree with the previous commenters. With the number and complexity of the issues that presidents have to face today, more often than not it would take too long to get to a consensus about any decision. By the time that happens, the decision will have lost most of its effectiveness in terms of solving a situation, and likewise, if a quick solution was needed, I doubt that the presidents could truly come to a consensus. If you wanted try something like this, I would say only two presidents. For most leadership positions, two people per position is the maximum. Any more than that, and usually, though not always, people spend most of their time discussing the issue and and whether or not they'll compromise on a particular detail and nothing gets done.

• A comment on Conversation: What kind of power can a film have?

  May 22 2011: I think that expecting a film to completely change a person's mindset is just grasping for straws. But, can a film inspire people, or prompt them to maybe realize that they haven't evaluated all of the viewpoints of a particular situation? I think so. Take for instance, the documentary The Black List. A three-volume documentary that showcases three hours of interviews with African-American leaders in various fields, most of which many people have never heard of. It was amazing to sit there and watch, especially on a weekend during one of the roughest years of my academic career. I felt like there was a light at the end of the tunnel, that if they, and millions of other people could make it through college, and come out on the other side, then I could too.
  
  Or, take for instance, Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. I can't say if anyone converted to Christianity because of the movie, but I do know that it resulted in many Christians reevaluating their beliefs, values, and actions.
  
  So can a film do what you ask? I believe it can, so long as we take the time to try to impart a thoughtful, yet clear message.