Band of Brothers Rally Around 6 Year Old Schoolmate to Protest Him Being Teased

Empathy Is a Radical Tool of Social Change: It's Far More Than a Soft, Fluffy Concept!

In contemplating the passing of Nelson Mandela, I return to this brilliant RSA animation video which captures the radical power of peacemaking. We make choices in each encounter we join, in our home, our workplace, our community, our world... every single day. I begin my day with this in mind... as I contemplate my gratitudes... and step outside myself... let the day begin!

The Importance of Fostering Empathy in Our Children & Ourselves On a Daily Basis: We Will Live Longer!

Transformative Mediation: Joseph Folger Talks to Erik Cleven and Judith Saul, Talking About This Relational Approach Working With Conflict

Intergenerational Connecting Benefits Teens and Older Folks: Thank you, Canada!

Contemplative Lawyers: Some Mindful Resources- Thank you, Stephanie at idealawg!

http://westallen.typepad.com/idealawg/2008/09/contemplative-lawyers-some-mindfulness-resources.html

Lovely Random Act of Kindness Clip: Living in Gratitude Moment

Virtual Mediation Lab Has a Beautiful Series Illustrating How Simple It Is to Conduct Mediations Online

I applaud Giuseppe Leone's work,  developing Virtual Mediation Lab, in Hawaii.  It is a great resource for mediators (of all kinds, as applied to all settings) and I have been keeping an eye on it for quite awhile. Recently, they started publishing their data and it's pretty impressive! As a long time "distance mediator," I have used iChat (alas, it is no more!) and more recently, Skype, for distance mediation and co-parenting. I preferred iChat because it could be encrypted and that always puts a smile on my cautious little face! However, since iChat has gone the way of the dodo bird, Skype is the platform of choice for precisely the reasons Mr. Leone describes: it is easy to use and it is inexpensive. I understand people's reluctance to use these tools. It is always weird to be able to see yourself and hear yourself on video- but I guess I have gotten used to it- and really find it amazingly  useful, even if the parties do not live far away from me or from each other. Sometimes, people cannot compose themselves well if they are both sitting together in my office. In those cases, I will have one party with me in the office and the other "virtually present" on the computer, via Skype. Thank you, Mr. Leone, for this wonderful resource, Virtual Mediation Lab! Ciao... :)