TED Discussions

Choose one of the following TED lectures.  Write a short summary (150 words).  Include an APA reference at the bottom of your paper.  In addition, write three thoughtful questions.

• Alex Tabarrok:  How ideas trump crises
• Ian Goldin: Navigating our global future
• Chrystia Freeland: The rise of the new global super-rich
• Simon Anholt: Which country does the most good for the world?
• Pankaj Ghemawat: Actually, the world isn't flat
• Patricia Ryan: Don't insist on English!

Book Review Harry Potter's Bookshelf: The Great Books Behind the Hogwarts Adventures by Aziz

     Harry Potter’s bookshelf is about the literary landscape of themes and genres J.K. Rowling artfully wove throughout her novels and the influential authors and stories that inspired her. From Jane Austen’s Emma and Charles Dickens’s class struggles, through the gothic romances of Dracula and Frankenstein and the detective mysteries of Dorothy L. Sayers, to the dramatic alchemy of C. S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and William Shakespeare, Rowling cast a powerful spell with the great books of English literature that transformed the story of young wizard into a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. The Harry Potter’s bookshelf is also gathering stories about gothic romance and the spooky atmosphere, Harry Potter as postmodern epic, the satirical Harry Potter, Harry potter as an everyman allegory, the magical center of the circle, Harry Potter as alchemical reading magic, and the secret of the mirror and seeing eye. It contains a detective novels and detective fiction. Pride and Prejudice with Wnds "How Jane Austen Huants the Heart and Soul of Rowling's Artistry". The author's point from writting this book is that he collected all the adventures stories about manners and morals to show the readers of this book the heroic detectives.

     It seems that any criticism of the Harry Potter books at all meets with a violent response from some, as though sacred cows were at risk. Most of the criticism seems to be from Harry Potter is Satanic witchcraf from people who disapprove of fantasy generally. I believe this book should be required high-school reading, because it prepares students to understand classics assigned in their courses up through college, and books they'll read throughout their lives. Adult readers will have new appreciation for the books already on their shelves, and may find themselves rereading that "boring" Great Book--and Harry Potter--in a new and revealing way.  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is a pretty awesome book full of imaginative ideas

Book Review Magic Bone Rootin' Tootin' Cow Dog by Chris

Magic Bone, written by Nancy Krulik, is the journey about a dog named Sparky. He can teleport with his special magic bone.

This book starts with the Sparky’s view. He saw his neighbor, Samson, got upset because he didn’t want to give a ride his host on his back. After seeing that, Sparky talked with his neighbors, Samson and Frankie. They each said their job of their home. Samson’s job is bringing slippers to host. Frankie’s job is getting slippers and newspapers to his host. They asked to Sparky what his job is. Sparky couldn’t answer about that so he decided to find appropriate job for his host. So he had found his magic bone which he kept close and teleported to unknown place to have an adventure. He was arrived Texas and met new friends, Rex. With him, Sparky experienced lots of things in Rodeo. For example, when cowboys competed in roping and riding events, Sparky and Rex interposed. Also Sparky drove a flock of sheep. After that Rex found his aptitude. Nevertheless Sparky still didn’t sure what he is good for, the one thing he could sure is that he wanted to have fun with his host.

            If I were a young, maybe I thought this story is just for fun. But now, I read this book with some different perspective. In Korea, nowadays, there is a neologism. ‘Gold Spoon,’ it represent the people who have wealthy parents. On the other hand, there is a ‘Mud Spoon’ which represent the people who have poor parents. Also there is ‘Silver or Bronze Spoon’. This means, sad to say, the parents’ wealth is very important in modern society. In this book, Sparky is the ‘Gold Spoon.’ He doesn’t need to do any jobs, and the only thing he has to do is just playing with his host. On the other hand, his friends, Samson and Frankie are kind of ‘Silver or Bronze Spoon.’ They have their jobs at least one. Rex is absolutely the ‘Mud Spoon.’ He doesn’t have host and he have never played with host. But in rodeo, he found his aptitude and met a clown who will be his host. He succeeded in finding a job by effort. However, Sparky still didn’t find his job and he just came back to his house. And he played with his host as usual. In conclusion, I think the author’s point is that if we try to do hard to success, we might be able to success. But unfortunately, ‘Gold Spoons’ are still alive in happy.

            I think this book really reflects well about the modern society. Nevertheless this book is for young age. Maybe cruel fact, this is real in now. One thing I feel something lacking is that the author didn’t need to write this realistic story for kids. But fortunately, I don’t think kids can catch this point. The author’s metaphor is really a cutting remark. He alluded to human society by using metaphor to dogs. I have never seen like this story before even in the kids’ book. Of course, this interpretation could be superfluous. In the story, it is just as well that the wanderer dog, Rex, got a job by experiencing hard works. It can give hope to ‘Mud Spoons.’ In conclusion, we don’t have to throw our hopes away. If we keep that in mind and work hard, someday we can get chance and make dreams come true.

Book Review Taking the Leap Reviewed by Futoon

Taking The Leap is not just a book about meditation. Pema Chödrön is able to deliver guidelines for changing & freeing ourselves from certain bad habits in her book by only taking moments to think.

In the book “Taking the Leap”, Pema Chödrön demonstrates how we can break free of toxic standards in our daily lives in a sense of way that is more free and satisfying by only taking some moments to think and evaluate based on her meditation expertise. She first mentions individuals who are tempted by harmful stories, emotions and actions within the instability of their experiences. In addition, Chödrön discusses clear descriptions of how this process works by simple techniques to begin to breakdown the cycle. Furthermore, she suggests that it can be easily practiced by anyone at any time without meditation training, although she shows the benefits of sitting meditation. Moreover, Chödrön illustrates that people can stop their suffering and access their natural intelligence, warmth and openness with anecdotes from her teachers and examples from her own and others' lives. To be specific, this transformation happens by trying to quickly look upon the shenpa, which is the moment of attachment, as an opportunity rather than an obstacle to be overcome. She also emphasizes the common effects of personal change. Additionally, Chödrön explains that among her strengths are concern about the difficulty of human existence, and her willingness to acknowledge her own flaws. Thus, this short guide provides valuable tools for transformation in uncertain times.

In this book, Chödrön helps us to open our eyes to how certain old habits holds us to a state of mind where we can feel heated, criticizing, insecure and addicted. This book gives us keys and practices we can easily prepare to use in our lives to motivate these necessary aptitudes. In addition, in her friendly and encouraging approach, Pema Chödrön inspires us to take a brave leap towards a new way of living, a way that will bring positive transformation for ourselves and for our disturbed world. Furthermore, the significant secret is to learn a new way to face the unavoidable troubles and insecurities of our daily lives, which is by learning how to stay present and liberate ourselves. Moreover, she revels three important traits that were all along in us, but only discovered when we take this path. These qualities are natural intelligence, natural warmth, and natural sincerity. Thus, she mentions that everyone, all over the globe, has these capacities and can rely on them to help themselves and others as well. Shenpa is a central theme in Taking the Leap. "Each of us can be an active participant in creating a nonviolent future simply by how we work with shenpa when it arises. How individuals like you and I relate to being hooked, these days, has global implications." The key to working with shenpa in a different way is to remain open and even curious about the energy that arises when we are 'hooked', instead of acting out to distract ourselves.

          I didn't really find much difference between the chapters of the book. they seem to repeat the teaching of not getting hooked, which is good, but personally, I found I would like to have read a bit more life-experience examples, as that helps me to better take in and understand what I'm reading. One interesting thing is that this It has great exercises that I would never have thought of such as trying to feel others pain to gain compassion and peace of mind. Lastly, it has equal parts of Buddhist philosophy and down to earth advice, and one shouldn’t be scared off by the Buddhist philosophy because all that she writes about can be put into action without needing any religious spin to it. Highly recommend this book, she is so straight forward with her words of wisdom. She puts herself at the same level as everyone else and is crystal clear.