TED Community » Fábio Nunes

More About Me

I'm passionate about

technology, science, maths, funny ted talks

My TED Story

I first realized TED existed when I saw a Tedtalk in one of Portugal's cable channel. I was amazed by the skills of the speakers and the pertinence of the subjects. I had been expecting for a website were I can find relevant videos and pertinent commentaries that bring up the sometimes awesome "hidden" message of tedtalk videos. Since I found out about ted.com I didn't stop using it - especially when it comes to school works (you should see the faces of my colleagues when I tell them what I learn from this Tedtalks - it's better than an encyclopedia)

Comments

• TEDCred score: +2.70 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• +2

  A comment on Conversation: Is Nationalism a 21st Century Ethic - Isn't Nationalism more like Racism or Sexism than Patriotism?

  Sep 10 2012: "There's no finer use of a flag than a blanket"
  
  People only defend nationalism when they want to do something that goes against human dignity. By arguing that they are doing it for their country (such as wars, terrorism, crusades) they are underrating important human values, that in normal circumstances would stop them from these acts of war.

• A reply on Conversation: What do you think about the countries that are being helped by IMF? Do they deserve the money or not?

  Sep 3 2012: Actually, the houses in Spain are empty, because there isn't money to buy them - there is a 20%+ unemployment rate and banks aren't lending money as they used to. The problem isn't too much houses... the problem is not enough money.
  Euro-bonds would be good as a short term solution, as they could prevent some countries who are paying a lot in interest rates from getting into default, which is definitely worse on the economy.
• +1

  A reply on Conversation: What do you think about the countries that are being helped by IMF? Do they deserve the money or not?

  Sep 3 2012: "No plan ...... no loan"
  
  Funny thing is that Portugal has followed strictly the IMF plan for our country and our recession is now worse than it was before the rescue, which shows that the plan to cut on everything isn't a good plan.
  
  So, in a way the stupid leadership of the IMF officials has brought this country down a little bit more. They have a plan that doesn't work, but they keep committed to it, as if something could change.

• A reply on Conversation: What do you think about the countries that are being helped by IMF? Do they deserve the money or not?

  Sep 2 2012: In Portugal it's similar. We have 5 parties in parliament, from which only 3 have a significant number of deputies so that they can form a government, but only 2 are able to form a government by their own, but they never promote a 'dictator for life' as we can only elect a person for 2 terms on a row.
  
  Our tax department has been sending bills also, but there's a warning, as they only send it to people who have been in debt for a lot of years.

• A comment on Conversation: Why is the international community reluctant to declare the situation in Syria a civil war?

  Aug 31 2012: The UN 'communist' countries are against it because they say that "one should not interfere in other countries problems". As that might be true, Syria is no longer a political problem. It is a civil war with many cases of summary executions and mass graves.
  
  However, the UN showed again that it has no power to really stop things before they are out of hand (In my opinion they are already out of hand). I leave a question here for fellow tedsters: why do some countries have veto option on the security council. In my opinion, it makes no sense, as important measures can be stopped just by other countries ideologies instead of the defense of human rights.

• A reply on Conversation: What do you think about the countries that are being helped by IMF? Do they deserve the money or not?

  Aug 31 2012: Very good point, but allow me to disagree. We just can't do it, at least when it comes to banks, because then the government shows up and helps them by giving them money. I know it is a business, but how can we do anything when banks can borrow money from the government at ridiculous low interest rates, and then deny credit essential to our job creators... and when they create the credit, it has incredibly high interest rates.
  
  Banks do whatever they want, because they know that if they screw up things, the government will help them and there will not be any repercussion to the bank responsibles.

• A reply on Conversation: What do you think about the countries that are being helped by IMF? Do they deserve the money or not?

  Aug 31 2012: Couldn't say it better. Look how Nigel Farage, an european deputy talks about money controling democracy (in a speech that isn't applauded by others in the chamber, but I think he is right).

• A reply on Conversation: What do you think about the countries that are being helped by IMF? Do they deserve the money or not?

  Aug 31 2012: I honestly do not know. On one hand, all portuguese want to get out of this crisis. But on the other hand, we are tired of being on crisis (3 major crisis in 40 years), and it's only a matter of time before we head up into another. We have a saying about our economic instability: "the world sneezes, Portugal gets a cold".
  
  Funny thing is, when portuguese are asked about economic prosperity, they only talk about Salazarism (he was a dictator that ruled Portugal for 40 years in the 20th century). This shows complete disregard for our politicians... so I think that a recipe for a better tomorrow is better politicians.
  
  I watch the news and I can tell that there is a HUGE difference between democrats and republicans in America, so you can have always a debate between doing something this way or that way. In Portugal, our parties, even though they say they are different, they pretty much do the same. There is no goverment alterantive, so we can't ask for a change, because the government might change, but the ideas are the same - and even though we are talking about left and right governments, here in Portugal, they all raise taxes.

• A reply on Conversation: What do you think about the countries that are being helped by IMF? Do they deserve the money or not?

  Aug 31 2012: It's hard acting like a Union when Germany is clearly the 'big boss' of this union. I don't know if you have that idea, but there are a lot of conflicts between Durao Barroso, president of EC (european comission) and Merkel because he doens't like Germany's attitude towards the southern countries.
  
  Euro bonds would be a great way of solving this crisis as a Union, but Germany refuses it. But also, Germany makes a lot of money from this crisis: 60 thousand millions (or billions as americans say) euros have been made by germany from selling money at high interest rates and buying at negative (yes, negative!) interest rates.

• A reply on Conversation: What do you think about the countries that are being helped by IMF? Do they deserve the money or not?

  Aug 31 2012: I don't think that 'starving' will make a better leadership for the future. The bad thing about this crisis isn't the money fault per se. The bad part is that we know the mistakes we made, and we keep on doing them.
  
  For example, for almost 4 years we have been talking about an european rating agency that could face the american one's that failed at every prediction, even rating Lehman Brothers at AAA before the crisis. However, 4 years past and not only we don't have this agency, but we keep on listening to these incompetent american agencies.
  
  Another one: For years we talk about having more tranparency in politics, but we simply don't have it. Politicians spend what they want (many times serving their lobbies) and they are not charged for this damaging gestion of the public money. This is something that is actually missing: being able to charge politicians on court it they screw up.
  
  So, as you can see, a better leadership for the future isn't made my starving now, but by changing things now once and for all, otherwise in 10-15 years tops we'll have another crisis.