jend's blog

July 14, 2011 — Last week, we sent out our July News and Connections eNews. Here are some of the highlights from the past month. If you'd like to receive these email updates, you can sign up here.

May 25, 2011 — Last month, the right wing True Finn Party won substantial parliamentary seats in Finland’s general election (read the New York Times front-page story, as well as a more recent op-ed).

May 11, 2011 — A just-released study by the Pew Research Center for the People and Press tells us that we should take no comfort from the expanding political “middle” – or the increase in those who don’t identify as Republicans or Democrats. That’s because it’s a big tent that includes some very uncompromising ideologies which overlap strongly with the right and left ends of the political spectrum. In other words, much of the so-called middle is not moderate.

May 2, 2011 — Public Conversations' Senior Vice President Bob Stains penned a piece on the Family Dinner Project blog about the balance between cooking time-intensive from-scratch meals and spending quality time with family. Bob writes: "I’m all for nutritious meals prepared with fresh ingredients. I cook them almost every night. But I also know that I can get so caught up in preparing a meal for my family that I sometimes miss the most important thing: connection."

April 26, 2011 — We’re excited to share a preview of the Public Conversations Project’s spring newsletter with a segment from a new regular feature. "His/Her Voice" will highlight an individual who—like us—is building stronger communities through dialogue.

September 10, 2010—On the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech, thousands of people were gathered on the national mall in Washington, DC engaging in polemic debate about the future of the country. That same day, a community in Alabama was taking a different approach to creating their dream.

September 8, 2010—Here at the Public Conversations Project, we've been intrigued with an idea from music entrepreneur Derek Sivers, who posted a video on his Web site called "Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy." The lesson is that any change effort needs not just the guy who starts it, but "first followers"—the ones willing to stand (or dance) alongside a leader and embrace a new thing when it's risky or looks dumb.

August 26, 2010—What roles can dialogue play in higher education? Might it complement technology-oriented, job-training majors? Improve relationships between the dean’s office and student protesters, or striking unions and the president? What about dialogue’s role for physics majors, Latino community members, campus police, and tenure committees?

August 24, 2010—While communities of faith typically value diversity, it’s not uncommon for conflict to arise around difference in theology, worship, and transition (just to name a few.)

August 18, 2010 — How do broader public issues affect families and communities in the ways they live together and interact? The purpose of our movie night series is to increase awareness of timely topics and their effects, and to give participants an opportunity to discuss the social, political, and environmental concerns these films raise.