Last night, I attended a mediation training where we discussed how important it was to connect with the parties—the plaintiff/defendant, parent/teen, victim/offender, or husband/wife, among others. Specifically, as mediators we are taught to connect without showing bias. We discussed the value of building trust to gain traction and bring the parties together—hopefully to an agreement.Read… Read more »
Last week President Obama gave his State of the Union address. Presidents do this partially because they are charged to in the constitution: Article II Section 3: He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judgeRead… Read more »
On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to favorably report a bill that would require the Supreme Court to allow television coverage of its arguments (S. 1945). Currently, only a limited number of citizens are able to see the court’s sessions in person. Audio files of proceedings are released after the fact, but are notRead… Read more »
For the past several years, I have been hosting something I call the DorobekINSIDER Book Club — it is something like the Oprah Book Club but more wonky. Essentially, we select a book that is tied to my favorite words: It helps the government do its job better. We invite the author… and then weRead… Read more »
As a high school English teacher, it is often rather embarrassing to confess that it took me many years to figure out the rules of comma and semicolon usage. However, I think my students appreciate my lack of perfection and hopefully can better understand that everyone struggles in the art of composition. A few yearsRead… Read more »
Policy Fellow Matt Rumsey wrote this post. Here is Thursday’s look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup: Campaign Finance Senator John Tester (D-MT) took a cue from Senate candidates in Massachusetts and publicly challenged his Republican opponent, Rep. Denny Rehberg, to sign a pledgeRead… Read more »
I would like to let you know about a new project at the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University-Newark: The Public Service Research Panel (http://www.PSRPanel.org). The PSR Panel is an opt-in, online community of professionals in the public and nonprofit sectors who receive occasional email invitations to participate in web-based surveys. SurveyRead… Read more »
High crime rates can be tough to conquer with a limited police presence. It can also be problematic to put police on surveillance, when they may have to attend to a call elsewhere. That’s why police in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, have acquired an armored vehicle, called the Peacemaker, to act as temporary surveillance that theyRead… Read more »
Google is joining a coalition of companies, communities and activists encouraging Georgia state Senators to vote against a bill that would effectively limit municipal broadband in the state. The was introduced by a Republican lawmaker who claims that government networks unfairly compete with private providers. The bill SB 313 introduced by Sen. Majority Leader ChipRead… Read more »
The Web Manager University launched a pilot 12-week class this week that explores in-depth, the issues pertaining to social media in government. In each class meeting, we read excerpts from one book, listen to (and ask questions of) one expert in a field related the reading and the topic of the day, and then movesRead… Read more »