Perhaps less terrifying than watching the political campaign on TV, we soon will have the chance to watch another TV treatment of so-called “mediation.” Fox will show “The Mediator with Ice-T, a weekday, half-hour legal series hosted by the veteran rapper and actor, will get a limited four-week run on Fox-owned stations, including stations in New … Continue reading The Dream-Team Of Conflict Resolution TV Shows
This post reviews a wonderful new book, the “new edition” of America’s Peacemakers: The Community Relations Service and Civil Rights by Bertram Levine and Grande Lum, published by the University of Missouri Press. Levine, who died in 2006, published the first edition covering events up to 1990 in Part I. Lum discusses events since then, … Continue reading Timely New Book on Racial Reconciliation Initiative
The New York Times published an important, timely article, 5 People Who Can Help You Strengthen Your Empathy Muscle. It summarizes advice of five people who have spent their lives studying, understanding and practicing empathy. Take a look. (Click the title of this post to get the link to the article.)
Jeff Trueman, an experienced Maryland mediator, wrote an excellent article about the challenges of lawyers, mediators, and insurance claims professionals in mediation. He interviewed subjects about their problems in mediation, and his study provided evidence of professionals behaving badly, very consistent with my post about BATNAs and the emotional pains of “positional negotiation.” He specifically … Continue reading Jeff Trueman’s Study on Nightmares of “Positional” Tactics in Mediation
Donna Shestowsky recently gave a presentation to the CPR Mediation Committee about litigants’ knowledge of courts’ ADR options in their cases. She presented her research showing that litigants seem to be unaware of ADR options, and that knowing about some of these options – specifically, mediation – improves litigants’ opinions of the court itself. Shockingly, … Continue reading Donna Shestowsky’s Presentation on Litigants’ Views of Court ADR Options
This week, there was another shooting of an unarmed Black man by police, this time in Kenosha, Wisconsin. So it’s very timely to read an article co-authored by MFOI Ava Abramowitz an article in Lawfare, Measurement Matters: The Key to Police Reform. The authors take a dispute system design approach to analyzing the problems, focusing … Continue reading Ava Abramowitz Article on Data Collection as Element in Strategy to Promote Good Police Performance
You may have been one of the people affected by the problems when Zoom was down for a few hours yesterday. Inc. magazine lauded Zoom’s apology, taking responsibility for the problems and promising to fix them, Zoom Just Failed Its Biggest Test. Its Apology Is an Extraordinary Example of Emotional Intelligence. After incidents of “zoombombing” … Continue reading Zoom Apologies
Pulitzer-Prize-winning NYT columnist Wesley Morris wrote a thoughtful essay, The Reconciliation Must Be Televised. “What is America’s next step in confronting its racism? A broadcast spectacle that could look like court, a telethon, an Oprah show — and more.” Take a look. [Click the title of this post to read the article.]
Washington Post columnist and honorary dispute resolution expert Alexandra Petri provided a highly nuanced analysis of non-apology apologies recently illustrated by the grand master, Rep. Ted Yoho, who called his colleague, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a “fucking bitch” (pardon my French). (Careful readers will recall my thrilling two-part series on non-apology apologies beginning here as well … Continue reading Master Class in Non-Apology Apologies
Jim Coben’s wife, Barbara Freese, recently published a fascinating book, Industrial-Strength Denial: Eight Stories of Corporations Defending the Indefensible, from the Slave Trade to Climate Change. I haven’t read it, but I assume it’s a fascinating book based on a wonderful video interview of Barbara by Joe Rogan (and this link contains some clips). Here’s … Continue reading Industrial-Strength Denial
