TED Talks
TED: Does working hard really make you a good person? | Azim Shariff
Around the world, people who work hard are often seen as morally good -- even if they produce little to no results. Social psychologist Azim Shariff analyzes the roots of this belief and suggests a shift towards a more meaningful way to...
TED Talks
TED: How to weave a cultural legacy through storytelling | Cohen Bradley
I think of legacy as the weaving together of our stories passed on as a whole, says Haida storyteller Cohen Bradley. Highlighting the significance of potlatch ceremonies (or gift-giving feasts) and other Indigenous traditions of the...
TED Talks
TED: Kung Fu, Star Trek and the many paths to spirituality | Rainn Wilson
Do you feel overwhelmed by the complex issues facing our world, not to mention your own personal problems? Spirituality is the key to staying grounded and hopeful -- even for skeptics, says actor and author Rainn Wilson. He explains why...
PBS
Why our culture is a seed, not a treasure
Our culture and heritage is part of who we are. But if we treat it as something that can't change, if we feel threatened by other cultures, says award-winning children's books author Grace Lin, "we make our lives smaller." Lin shares her...
Crash Course
Synge, Wilde, Shaw, and the Irish Renaissance: Crash Course Theater #36
The Irish Renaissance in the early 20th century included a wealth of new plays written both in Ireland, and by Irish ex-patriots elsewhere. W.B. Yeats, Lady Augusta Gregory, and J.M. Synge were creating a new national theater of Ireland...
TED Talks
TED: 3 stories of Pakistani resilience, told in film | Jawad Sharif
TED Fellow Jawad Sharif was born with a rebellious streak -- and he's used it in his documentary films to amplify the unheard voices of Pakistan. Sharing three stories of everyday heroes -- a high-altitude mountaineer, a folk musician of...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: A day in the Islamic Golden Age | Birte Kristiansen and Petra Sijpesteijn
It's 791 CE. As the morning sun shines on the Golden Gate Palace, brother and sister Hisham and Asma prepare for the journey of a lifetime: the hajj, a holy pilgrimage to Mecca. They intend to travel with the big hajj caravan— but a...
TED Talks
TED: The 100 tampons NASA (almost) sent to space -- and other absurd songs | Marcia Belsky
Performing two original songs, stand-up comedian, writer and musician Marcia Belsky shares comical commentary on some peculiar aspects of our culture -- from Instagram-stalking your crush to fending off mansplainers on social media --...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How horses changed history | William T. Taylor
People have been captivated by horses for a long time. They appear more than any other animal in cave paintings dating back 30,000 years. But how did horses make the journey from wild animals to ones humans could hitch themselves to and...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: One of the most banned books of all time | Mollie Godfrey
In 1998, a school district removed one of American literature's most acclaimed works from its curriculum. Parents pushing for the ban said the book was both "sexually explicit" and "anti-white." The book at the center of this debate was...
TED Talks
TED: 5 values for repairing the harms of colonialism | Jing Corpuz
Indigenous wisdom can help solve the planetary crises that colonialism started, says lawyer Jennifer "Jing" Corpuz. Her ancestors, the Kankanaey-Igorot people of the Philippines, are known for creating the Banaue Rice Terraces:...
PBS
Low-wage immigrant workers are especially vulnerable to sexual abuse. How can they say #MeToo?
Every day, about 50 people are sexually assaulted or raped in the workplace
in the U.S. While the entertainment industry and the political world have
been in the headlines, the problem extends to those who work in hotels,
clean...
PBS
How human traffickers trap women into domestic servitude
More than three million women are forced into servitude as domestic workers every year, often lured to other countries in the Persian Gulf or Middle East under false pretenses. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports on ways...
PBS
A Culinary Tradition For The Persian New Year
Nowruz, the Persian holiday celebrating the new year, is observed in Iran and parts of Western and Central Asia. It marks the first day of the vernal equinox. Najmieh Batmanglij, author of eight cookbooks on Iranian cuisine that are...
PBS
Arthur Brooks on why we hate our political enemies -- and how to stop
Arthur Brooks is the former president of the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative Washington, D.C., think tank. Troubled by the level of animosity in the current U.S. political landscape, he's analyzed why we increasingly hate...
PBS
With new book on political divisiveness, former GOP official rings an 'alarm bell'
Peter Wehner served in three Republican White Houses. Now, he's written a book about the current state of national political discourse. In “The Death of Politics,” Wehner analyzes the tone and rhetoric used by President Trump, and how...
PBS
How the view of an ancient world landmark has sparked a modern legal battle
Greece’s highest court is considering a case about Athenians’ visual access to the landmark Acropolis. Its decision could set a precedent about preserving historic skylines -- and potentially ban construction of high-rise buildings. The...
PBS
Shelley Fisher Fishkin - Lighting Out for the Territory (April 1, 1997)
A dialogue between David Gergen and Shelley Fisher Fishkin, author of ÃLighting Out for the Territory: Reflections on Mark Twain and American Culture.Ó
PBS
Modern Inspiration in Shakespeare
Jeffrey Brown talks to Kuwaiti writer and theater director Sulayman al-Bassam, whose company is presenting a Shakespeare play with a twist, "Richard III: An Arab Tragedy."
PBS
Wisconsin Nonprofit Seeks To Better Connect U.S. Farmers With Their Mexican Employees
Mexicans who come to the U.S. seeking employment often leave their loved ones and culture behind. In Wisconsin, a nonprofit helps connect American farmers with their migrant employees through language and cultural education. Some of the...
PBS
Tom Hanks on HollywoodÕs tipping point over sexual misconduct
What do the Harvey Weinstein allegations reveal about power and gender in
Hollywood? When Tom Hanks recently sat down with Jeffrey Brown for a
conversation about his first collection of short stories, the legendary
actor also...
PBS
Navigating Seattle's ever-evolving streets through poetry
How do you capture Seattle’s complications, quirks and ever-changing population? A new digital project is mapping out the evolving city by collecting poems that tell unique stories, from growing up in an affluent neighborhood to memories...
PBS
As survivors say #MeToo, what will it take to stop widespread sexual harassment?
In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein story, the hashtag #MeToo has inspired
millions of women to share stories of harassment in the workplace and
culture. Judy Woodruff explores whatÕs driving the movement with Fatima
Goss Graves of...
PBS
Tiny Easter Island deals with giant trash problem
Easter Island off the coast of Chile has a major trash problem. It's near what's known as a "trash vortex" in the middle of the South Pacific and floating waste is constantly washing ashore. Local officials estimate the growing...