Monthly Archives: November 2008

How free should free speech be?

Posted on November 30, 2008 by

Earlier this week there was news of the controversy at Carleton University here in Ottawa about the decision by the students association to drop its frosh week fundraiser for cystic fibrosis on the grounds that the disease is not inclusive … Continue reading →

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CUSA & Cystic Fibrosis Fundraiser

Posted on November 27, 2008 by

Have you heard of or been following the controversy here in Ottawa over the Carleton University Students Association’s (CUSA) decision to drop its frosh week fundraiser for the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation? The [Carleton University Students Association] motion, which passed … Continue reading →

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Happy Thanksgiving Day . . .

Posted on November 27, 2008 by

. . . to all our American readers!

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Genuine Apologies (continued)

Posted on November 24, 2008 by

Mary Zachar in Indiana has posted a very insightful comment to my post Genuine Apologies.  I’m reprinting her comment in full below to ensure that it gets the wider circulation it merits: Accepting responsibility may be lacking even in this … Continue reading →

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Cultivating Compassion

Posted on November 23, 2008 by

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. Variously attributed to Plato, Philo of Alexandria and to John B. Watson.  I haven’t been able to authenticate.  I like this quotation, and especially like the variant I’ve seen … Continue reading →

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“How Much Do Students Study?”

Posted on November 23, 2008 by

Mark Bauerlein, professor of English at Emory University, has a very interesting post at Brainstorm–Lives of the Mind on this subject.  According to the last National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), college teachers believe that students must do around 25 … Continue reading →

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A Shifting Conversation

Posted on November 20, 2008 by

One of the key premises in transformative practice is that there are naturally-occurring shifts in conversation moving from confusion and uncertainty to clarity and strength of self, moving from self-absorption to openness and responsiveness to the other.  These shifts cycle … Continue reading →

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Mindful Parenting

Posted on November 18, 2008 by

1. Balance love and limits. Be equally comfortable with loving / nurturing and setting boundaries / limits with your child. 2. Give lots of “undivided” listening attention to your child. 3. Follow your child’s “lead” (vs. directing your child). 4. … Continue reading →

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Genuine Apologies

Posted on November 18, 2008 by

We all tacitly know when an apology has the ring of truth, and when it does not.  We can deepen our understanding by thinking about what makes an apology not an apology.  One of the simplest but most cogent analyses … Continue reading →

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Re-focusing Anger

Posted on November 17, 2008 by

For a humourous look at re-focusing in practice, have a look at this video of Korean baseball players.  It’s only 44 seconds long. My very loose translation of the title of the video is “Hopping Mad Baseball”. (Regret inability to … Continue reading →

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