Europe

By Bilal Randeree in Europe on July 13th, 2011
Historian Niall Ferguson shared thoughts on the rise and fall of the West [James Duncan Davidson / TED]

"Our generation is witnessing the end of western dominance," British historian Niall Ferguson told the audience at the TEDGlobal conference on Wednesday.

Ferguson took the audience through a few hundred years of history, describing the rise of what came to be known as 'the West'.

As argued in his recent book, Civilization: the West and the Rest, he explained six ideas and institutions that gave the West an advantage, not only economically, but also strategically over the rest of the world.

Labelled the six "killer apps", to hold the attention of the TED audience, he explained how the West succeeded due to superior science, medicine, work ethic, competition, property rights and consumer society.

However, the fact that these "apps" can now be downloaded by other countries, like China and India, Ferguson said that the time of Western dominance would soon be coming to an end.

By Bilal Randeree in Europe on July 13th, 2011
Jose Gomez Marquez, speaking at the TEDGlobal 2011 TED Fellows Talks in Edinburgh, Scotland. [James Duncan Davidson/TED]

Jose Gomez-Marquez is the program director for the Innovations in International Health initiative at MIT, and was selected as a TED Fellow for 2011.

Gomez-Marquez is a medical device designer who creates medical health technologies for people in developing countries.

Noting that medical donations from developed to developing nations do not usually work out of context, he works to create solutions.

One of these is the Aerovax Drug Delivery System, a device for mass delivery of inhalable drugs and vaccines, and "Lego" kits that allow medics on the field to put together mobile labs.

Gomez-Marquez explains here how these toys are being used to develop innovative technologies.

By Bilal Randeree in Europe on July 12th, 2011
Brazilian-filmmaker Julia Bacha talks at TEDGlobal about Palestinian non-violent movements [James Duncan Davidson/TED]

"I spend my days filming dozens of Palestinian groups that use non-violence against Israeli occupation, but most of you have not heard of them," Julia Bacha, a Brazilian-filmmaker told the audience at Tuesday's session of the TEDGlobal conference in Edinburgh, Scotland.

"Only violence is given front page attention on stories about the Palestinian struggle ... Non-violent struggle is not being covered by mass media."

Bacha showed a trailer for her film, Budrus, which was shot in a West Bank village that had mounted peaceful resistance to the Israeli separation barrier that was capturing Palestinian land and isolating towns and villages.

"What's missing for nonviolence to grow is for us to pay attention to Palestinians that already adopting non-violence. When we pay attention to nonviolent movements, they multiply," Bacha said.

By Bilal Randeree in Europe on July 11th, 2011
Jodie Wu, speaking at the TEDGlobal 2011 in Edinburgh, Scotland. [Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED]

As the "coolest conference in the world" officially kicks off in Edinburgh, and people pour in from across the globe, various side events exhibit the sharing of ideas and the showcasing of interesting work and projects.

The TED Fellows programme was one of the pre-conference events.

By Bilal Randeree in Europe on July 9th, 2011
Bonnie Bassler gave a TED talk on bacterial communication [Flickr/Steve Jurvetson]

With colleagues reporting from the jubilant but tense newly formed South Sudan, the world's biggest refugee camp on the Kenya-Somalia border, and on the aborted "Freedom Flotila" with activists trying to draw attention to Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories, my trip to the highlands of Scotland, may not seem that interesting to many.

But if TED is more than a simple English name for you, then you're probably wishing you had a flight to Edinburgh and a very expensive entrance ticket to TEDGlobal, the exclusive conference that hosts thinkers and doers from around the world.

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By Abid Ali in Europe on July 8th, 2011
Rebekah Brooks (Getty Images)

Are people who run companies and organisations a breed apart? What makes some climb to the top of an organisation and others join a crowded hamster wheel?

Rupert Murdoch hasn't got to the top without cracking a few eggs along the way.

Ruthless and calculating - from his takeover of the News of the World to taking on the printers and now closing down the tabloid. All part of the makeup of businessmen - without regulation they would run amok!

And here's the thing, your boss probably has a favourite someone s/he's grooming for the top. They often call this mentoring.

How do you get to become the apple of your boss’s eye? Some bosses see a little of themselves in young upstarts. Some share an interest, run in the same social circles or meet in designated smoking areas.

Just take a look outside the boss's office - see who's queuing to get in. They are the least competent people. You'll wonder why they have been promoted?

By Teymoor Nabili in Europe on July 4th, 2011
Photo by Reuters

The fallout over the ridiculous interview tactics of the leader of the British Labour Party, Ed Miliband, rumbles on in the UK media.

What's surprising to me is why the fuss this time, and why single out Miliband? Ever since "media training" became de rigeur in boardrooms and the corridors of power, high profile figures have been spouting memorised propaganda to journalists all over the world.

Examples are extremely easy to come by. My own worst experience involved the London 2012 Olympic bid. I was in Singapore at the time,  enjoying the celebrations and festivities to be sure, but the day after the London win came the great tragedy of the 7/7 bombings on the London transport system which killed 52 people and four suicide bombers.

By Barnaby Phillips in Europe on June 30th, 2011
Photo by EPA

I'm back in Athens for the first time in six months. In December, I left Greece, after living here for four happy years.

At the time, I felt sad to go, not only because this is a wonderful place to live, but also because the outlook for Greece was so bleak.

And yes, since then, many of the worst predictions have proven accurate, and things have gone from bad to worse.

The economic crisis seems to dominate all conversations.

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By Paul Rhys in Europe on June 29th, 2011
Barnes: Did he rap for Johann Hari? [GALLO/GETTY]

God knows journalists find it hard enough to win people's trust.

I've knocked on enough doors, stood in enough post-match mixed zones, and faced enough hard stares from interviewees to know this, too.

It would be nice to think that readers or viewers could trust what is being presented to them as being an honest interpretation of actual events by a reporter.

Trust is a precious commodity in journalism (it's precious in real life too, but fortunately this tends to be a more forgiving arena).

Having it betrayed is like being given dodgy notes by your bank manager. The likelihood is that you won't bank there again – and you'll view other bankers with suspicion.

Well, if you've been kind enough to trust us so far, be prepared to have a rethink.

By Alan Fisher in Europe on June 15th, 2011
Photo by Reuters

Thousands went on strike. Thousands came to protest. This was the Greek people telling their government: enough!

 

When we arrived early in the morning, the atmosphere seemed calm, although there was an underlying air of menace as people approached us and told us to leave. The suggested destinations ranged from a nearby hotel to my native Scotland. Polite but insistent – it was clear some people did not want cameras there – a suggestion things were not going to pass off quietly.

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