TED talks

Filed under: Themes, Deaf Jam, Irked Videos

Most of you have probably heard about Grammy-winning deaf composer & percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie (who lost nearly all her hearing by age 12, and who is the first person in musical history to successfully create and sustain a full-time career as a solo percussionist). She gives more than 100 performances a year, has been on The David Letterman Show and on Sesame Street, and has shared stages with the likes of Bela Fleck, Bjork, Bobby McFerrin, and Sting. She’s also a best-selling author (her 1990 autobiography is called Good Vibrations).

Some of you may even have seen her extraordinary 2007 TED Talk.

But if you haven’t… we thought we’d share it with you.

It’s phenomenal. A “soaring” demonstration. A “must-watch” video.

Enjoy!

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IDEA: Why not choose an ethical gift this year?
Purchase the most funky Christmas track ever!

And…

Learn more at evelyn.co.uk

Then…

Read Irked posts tagged “music”
Read Irked posts tagged “deaf”

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World-record-setting Paralympian sprinter Aimee Mullins, as you know from our last post, is a bilateral amputee—i.e. both of her legs were amputated below the knee. She learned to walk on prosthetics, then to run.

Aimee said some truly tremendous things during her TED Talk.

But this quote in particular, this hilarious and delicious nugget of a sound byte, is so off-the-wall funny that it bears repeating…

“From an identity standpoint, what does it mean to have a disability?
Pamela Anderson has more prosthetic in her body than I do.
Nobody calls her disabled.”

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Another time, being interviewed by Mavian Arocha for Aventura Magazine, Aimee was asked “What quality do you lack that you wish you could attain and embrace?” Not missing a beat, Aimee ran with the generic line of questioning and dryly responded: “Besides being able to bend my ankles? Jeez, this is hard.”

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Filed under: Irked Videos

In this wonderful TED video, filmed in February ‘09, Aimee Mullins talks about her prosthetic legs—she’s got a dozen amazing pairs—and the superpowers they grant her: speed, beauty, an extra 6 inches of height … Quite simply, she redefines what the body can be. [via]

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What to watch next:
TED98 – Aimee Mullins on running

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Then…

Visit AimeeMullins.com

Then…

Read all Irked posts tagged “prosthetics”

Read all Irked posts tagged “bilateral amputee”

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