TED Sunday, December 30th

Every so often, the month provides us with five Sundays instead of four. At West Hill, we've decided to take advantage of that extra-ish week and dedicate it to one of the many engaging videos available on TED.com.

TED Talks run the gamut from inspirational social commentary, through personal enlightenment, picayne scientific studies, and pop culture. The acronym, TED, stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design but as time goes on, the breadth seems to be extending far beyond its original parameters. TED conferences bring together the brightest minds in the world and TEDx opportunities provide local communities the opportunity to shine the light on its own local heroes. West Hill welcomed one of those heroes into its midst when Pascal Murphy spoke as our first LGBTQ ally at our 2017 Affirming Anniversary Celebration. 

That's a lot of talent, education, passion, and commitment. So each time the calendar offers up a fifth Sunday, we're going to take advantage! We will gather at our normal Sunday morning time to watch a curated TED talk together and then engage in discussion.

Our curator, Dennis Hollingshead, is a TED afficionado. He is a committed subscriber, watching a new TED video every morning. His first offering was Steven Pinker's Is the World Getting Better or Worse? A Look at the Numbers. Clearly, we're in for some interesting discussions!

On Sunday, December 30th, we'll be watching the video of Biological Oceanographer, Penny (Sallie) Chisholm's 35-year quest to understand "an amazing little being: Prochlorococcus, the most abundant photosynthetic species on the planet." If that sounds overwhelmingly weird, drop in and see where we go with it and why Dennis chose to share this interesting look at the most abundant photosynthetic species on the planet. (Really! We'll make it fascinating!) Watch The Tiny Creature that Secretly Powers the Planet. 

See you Sunday!