Comments on: Highlights from Day 3 of TED 2009

By: kiwanja

kiwanja — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 08:31:04 +0000

Thanks for the constant tweeting and blogging from TED, Erik. Felt much closer to the action. =)

I was really interested in the primate/bush meat discussion, and your “call to action” (if that’s what it was) spurred me into action. I finished a blog post I’d started ages ago on it. As you’re probably aware, it’s a complex issue that needs tackling on multiple layers, driven by economics and human survival. Although, after my year in Nigeria (which I talk about in the post), I didn’t really have any answers, I did come to a number of conclusions, and was surprised by a lot of what I saw. Feel free to check these out at:

http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/2009/02/walking-with-primates/

Always happier to have wider discussions on this, a subject I’m fiercely passionate about.

Ken

By: Anay

Anay — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 17:43:45 +0000

Excellent coverage Erik. Absolutely love TED and youre luckier than ever to be interacting with these ideas and people at such close range! Lets hope a world of bio-mimicry, smart, electric grids, and a closer relationship between food and planet is percolating.
Anay (from USAID’s mobile competition)

By: Walking with primates | Build it Kenny, and they will come...

Walking with primates | Build it Kenny, and they will come... — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 13:13:53 +0000

[…] couple of months. It took a talk by Nathan Wolfe at TED last week – live-blogged by good friends Erik Hersman and Ethan Zuckerman – which finally got me thinking again. Nathan’s talk on bush meat, […]

By: mattlumpkin

mattlumpkin — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 00:38:10 +0000

I taught Willie’s son 9th grad English when I lived in Indonesia. I had no idea he was presenting his work at TED. Thanks for the heads-up.

By: zulusafari

zulusafari — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 09:28:46 +0000

I’ve been so confused by animal rights activists. One one hand they are hardcore about leaving wild animals alone in nature. They are against domesticating wild animals and many times, against all domestication. They would even say that life in captivity is worse than death. All this, and yet they continue to spend TONS of money & resources on animal orphanages. I read stories of organizations pleading for huge amounts of money to save one African elephant or cat (with no intention of using the animal for research, reintroduction to the wild, breading, etc.) just to save it’s life and spend it’s days in captivity. It just doesn’t make sense to me.

As someone so close to working to improve the human condition (on earth and eternally), it’s saddening to me to see so much money, time & resources to go to saving the lives of individual animals. I’m all for conservation, but treating the life of an animal on the same level as a human… it just saddens me.

Are these kind of topics ever discussed at a place like TED? I assume there may be some reluctance due to the fact that it might offend those not working directly on the human condition. But I’m wondering if these conversations ever happen openly?