Round One of TEDxOrcasIsland: This IS America Announced

November 8, 2014, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Orcas Center

“This IS America” : Exploring the relationship between our Island individualism and our place within the larger collective American experiment. Presentation topics will range from psychology and medicine, law enforcement, media reporting, oceanic ecosystems, national policy, food, and more. On this day we turn the lens around and examine our place and contribution to our collective national identity.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event:
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)Theme : “This IS America”, exploring the relationship between our Island individualism and our place within the larger collective American experiment. (or something like that!). Topics covered will range from psychology and medicine, law enforcement, media reporting, oceanic ecosystems, national policy, and food.

Curated by Adam Farish and supported by a team of collaborators.

NORM STAMPER AND BEN NUNEZ:

A decorated law enforcement professional engaging an undocumented “illegal” in an interview presentation.
Norm was a police officer for 34 years, the first 28 in San Diego, the last six (1994-2000) as Seattle’s Police Chief. He has a doctorate in Leadership and Human Behavior, and is the author of Breaking Rank: A Top Cop’s Exposé of the Dark Side of American Policing.Ben Nunez : (FROM THE SEATTLE TIMES) An operator at a sawmill on Orcas Island immigrated to the U.S. illegally, but he has proved himself an irreplaceable worker and trusted neighbor. Hundreds of local residents and at least four Democratic members of Washington’s congressional delegation have organized efforts to help him stay. Nuñez was driving a sick neighbor to the hospital in 2008 when the U.S. Border Patrol performed a random check and detained him.
KATHERINE MACLEAN:
Katherine MacLean is an academically trained research scientist and meditation practitioner with a long-standing interest in the brain, consciousness and the science of well-being. As a graduate student at the University of California, Davis, Katherine was supported by a prestigious National Science Foundation research fellowship to study the effects of intensive meditation training on concentration, emotional well-being and brain function. As a postdoctoral fellow and faculty member at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, she was one of the only scientists in the world studying psilocybin — a psychedelic chemical found naturally in certain types of mushrooms. Her groundbreaking research on psilocybin and personality change suggests that psychedelic medicines may be the key to enhancing mental health and promoting openness and creativity throughout the lifespan.
HEDRICK SMITH:Pulitzer Prize-winning former New York Times reporter and editor and Emmy award-winning producer/correspondent, has established himself over the past 50 years of his career as one of America’s most distinguished journalists.

In 26 years with The New York Times, Mr. Smith covered Martin Luther King Jr and the civil rights struggle, the Vietnam War in Saigon, the Middle East conflict from Cairo, the Cold War from both Moscow and Washington, and six American presidents and their administrations. In 1971, as chief diplomatic correspondent, he was a member of the Pulitzer Prize-winning team that produced the Pentagon Papers series. In 1974, he won the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting from Russia and Eastern Europe.

 

GIANNA TOBONI:

Gianna is an Emmy-nominated producer and correspondent who has covered stories across the United States and overseas, most recently with VICE Media. In the last year, Gianna has done documentaries on topics ranging from black markets in the North Dakota oil fields; the rise of the Palestinian Women’s National Football Team; the legacy of Guantanamo Bay; mixed martial arts as an alternative therapy for war veterans; climate change and its effect on polar bears; among others. Before VICE, Gianna worked as a correspondent for Al Jazeera and a producer for ABC News. Originally from San Francisco, California, Gianna currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.

 

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 30 years ago, TED has grown to support its mission with multiple initiatives. The two annual TED Conferences invite the world’s leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes or less. Many of these talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Sal Khan and Daniel Kahneman.

The annual TED Conference takes place each spring in Vancouver, British Columbia, along with the TEDActive simulcast event in nearby Whistler. The annual TEDGlobal conference will be held this October in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. TED’s media initiatives include TED.com, where new TED Talks are posted daily; the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as translations from volunteers worldwide; the educational initiative TED-Ed. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world get help translating their wishes into action; TEDx, which supports individuals or groups in hosting local, self- organized TED-style events around the world, and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.