The “long tail” for conflict prevention
The “long tail” applies to more than just business. It applies to our most basic needs, such as health and safety. The sooner we invest in positive prevention-oriented programs, the better off as a society we’ll be.
The long tail…
The long tail refers to the statistical property that a larger share of population rests within the [...]
You COULD Live a Long Time: Are You Ready? a video book review
In our western traditions we often overlook the value of elder’s wisdom. You Could Live a Long Time: Are you Ready? by Lyndsay Green, is a wonderful, easily navigated book that shares elder’s wisdom in a very accessible way. The author is a pioneering sociologist and researcher who has spent her career helping people use [...]
Constructive Conflict: Revisiting the genius of Mary Parker Follett
Last month, my collaborative-minded web friend, John Folk-Williams, introduced us to Mary Parker Follett, in this article on his excellent blog Cross Collaborate. Among the living humans from 1868-1933, her insights reflected a brilliant mind, systems thinking, and in retrospect, are visionary. I was totally intrigued, and so I followed up…
First, I procured a [...]
Haliburton Community Farm: A collaborative model worth emulating
We need more places like Haliburton Farm. Last month, I partook in a farm tour, dinner and conversation there. This week I visited this local farm to chat a bit more with Elmarie Roberts, one of the farmers working the property. Our conversation reinforced my view that Haliburton Farm is a powerful, collaborative community model [...]
4 Factors that are reshaping the world of conflict resolution
From my feeds (RSS, Twitter…), I’ve recently come across some interesting goings on in the world of conflict/dispute resolution. And as much of it jives with my own experience and take on resolving conflicts, I thought I’d summarize, with a few examples, what I see as key factors impacting the practice of conflict resolution, going [...]
BP: A reminder of why connection matters
It’s official. The still unresolved BP “accident” in the Gulf of Mexico is now the biggest environmental disaster in U.S. history. Yet, could this also be an opportunity, a momentum-builder for constructive dialogue, about our relationships, with each other, and nature, and a bottom-line where everything connects? I hope so.
When we aren’t connected
For me, BP [...]
Musings on “peeling the onion” and visual thinking
We all have needs. When we’re stuck, dealing with unmet needs can help get things moving forward again. Understanding needs can be like peeling an onion; there are many layers. It may be a bit painful in the peeling, yet good things can happen afterwards, not the least of which is crafting sustainable solutions, as [...]
Home is Where The Food Is
“Home is Where The Food Is” is an animated short film made by Jody Kramer for the 100 Mile Diet Society in Vancouver, BC. It follows every ingredient of a delicious and simple meal to its source. It’s a story wonderfully told, and a story of collaboration.
This film was shown as part of Food Matters [...]
It takes a system to change a system
“It takes a system to change a system.” I love that phrase. I came across it a couple weeks ago when reading British Columbia mediator/lawyer Nancy Cameron’s excellent book Collaborative Practice: Deepening the Dialogue. This book is a road map for family lawyers making the journey from traditional litigation to collaborative practice.
Now, I’m not a [...]
Rakunks, Hybrid Jobs, Learning Agents, and other speculations on the future
Just finished reading Margaret Atwood’s new book The Year of the Flood, what Atwood describes as “speculative fiction”. She is one of my favourite writers, a Booker Prize winner, and still writing incredible stories at the age of 70!
Most of the Flood story takes place in the dystopic near future, in which there aren’t too [...]
Ben Ziegler on 
