Posts about Demeanour

TED Talk. Tristram Stuart: The global food waste scandal

8.06.2016

Most rich countries produce three to four times the amount of food needed to feed their own population – and almost half of the produce is being discarded before it even reaches the consumer. Not mainly because it’s expired and has become inedible, but often solely for cosmetic reasons. „What we see is only the tip of the iceberg. Food waste is happening on a gargantuan scale“, says Tristram Stuart, activist and strong advocate against global food waste. By 2050, Earth will be inhabited by around nine billion people who expect to be fed. This talk helps understand the implications of food waste and how urgent immediate action is.

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The guards in front of the Greek Parliament in Athens standing at attention.

The Share Economy: a multi-faceted phenomenon

27.03.2015

Fair Share?

In ancient times – long before the emergence of money – trading meant direct exchange of goods between interested parties. These so-called barter deals are said to have been cultivated by the Phoenicians some 6,000 years ago, yet this form of legal swapping still has its place in our modern society and economy parallel to monetary systems. In a barter deal, usually no cash is flowing.

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Flotsam: When life is in a shambles.

TED Talk. Monica Lewinsky: The price of shame

23.02.2015

In her early twenties, she made the mistake of falling in love with her boss almost three decades her senior. When the public got wind of the affair, Monica Lewinsky was hurtled through the epicentre of a merciless international media maelstrom exerted by print, radio and TV and furthermore became one of the first victims of online public shaming. „In 1998, I was Patient Zero of losing a personal reputation on a global scale almost instantaneously… Public humiliation was excruciating, life became unbearable.“

In her talk, Monica speaks about our „culture of humiliation“. That cyber-bullying leads to cruelty to others, and that online it is amplified and remains accessible forever. „They anonymously stab you with their words. The more shame, the more clicks. The more clicks, the more advertising dollars.“ Other victims have been humiliated to death.

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Two gargoyles symbolising, that avoiding unnecessary meetings can be such a relief.

TED Talk: David Grady on how to save the world from bad meetings

8.01.2015

The world over, businesses are being plagued by inefficient, tedious, overcrowded and often utterly superfluous meetings. The epidemic, that catapults myriads of workers into durable misery and plays havoc with their precious time, has sparked David Grady’s urge to help curb this rampant disease. Here are some of his ideas on how to become the master of your calendar again. His motto being: MAS – or no MAS?

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TED Talk. Glenn Greenwald: Why your privacy matters

20.10.2014

None of us has anything to hide. We are righteous, hard-working citizens with no criminal relatives in our history. We pay our taxes, don’t drink and drive, abstain from drug abuse, raise our kids well, indulge in the odd harmless outing or occasional holiday, meet some friends once in a while and have to make ends meet on the basis of a regular but mediocre income. This is mostly it. Nothing exciting, really. Then why would we have to be overly protective of our personal sphere online? And even if our privacy had been invaded severely, how could we possibly be harmed?

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