Comments on Mediation's Place: The New Earth Army

Gentlemen, I so appreciate your discourse. There...

2011-02-25T09:02:27.466-08:00

Gentlemen, I so appreciate your discourse. There were thirty-seven proactive meme's sandwiched between site gags in this film ... the mediation and pre-mediation actions on the contemporary battlefield are essential ingredients in the army's COIN operations. I wonder how many of the other break-thru ideas came through the often obscure hollywood mist for you ... the tone of your exploration with David is very commendable. Thank you! Go planet! (amazon) jim channon proto-mythologist.

Hello Joe I look forward to that post. For the non...

2009-11-23T07:10:44.177-08:00

Hello Joe
I look forward to that post. For the non-legal mediator the question of how best to outreach is a big issue. My thinking is a two pronged approach for example:
a. to various advocacy organisations such as adoption groups where mediation could be a excellent way of resolving issues that arise between adoptees & adopters.
b. Financial advisors and mortgage brokers, they usually are first to hear about discord in marriages/relationships before the issues become hard.
I am also wondering whether outreaching to para-legals that handle caseloads would be an approach you think worthwhile.
The difficulty I can see is the risk of Transformative Mediation being labelled as a therapy with all the ramifications that could arise within the therapeutic community.
Really, I am just brainstorming here trying to find a focus as to how best to raise awareness about this method of dispute resolution.
All suggestions/feedback are welcome

Good questions, Kenneth. You've given me an i...

2009-11-22T17:48:39.078-08:00

Good questions, Kenneth. You've given me an idea to do a whole post on the differences between lawyer mediators, judge mediators, and non-lawyer mediators. I think that all can be successful, with different backgrounds more appropriate for different situations, and I agree with you that the prime requirements are not necessarily what they teach in law school or law practice, in fact sometimes approaching problems from the opposite direction of the way they teach in law school or law practice is necessary.

As far as what works and what doesn't work, I think we need to do more research! This field could use more science.

I am interested to know what you think about the r...

2009-11-22T14:42:18.116-08:00

I am interested to know what you think about the role of non-legal mediators especially those who practice Transformative Mediation. You make it clear that the mind sets of most folk are still set in the litigation 'lets just go at it' approach.

It seems to me that knowledge of the legal format is useful/necessary in mediation however, the prime requirements for a mediator are positive listening skills, strong workplace/life experience and a thorough knowledge of one's own inner territory. The abilty to be nuetral and empathic at the same time is crucial in the transformative process.

What suggestions do you have for developing a better understanding of what works and

Thanks for the comment and links to all this mater...

2009-11-22T11:44:47.560-08:00

Thanks for the comment and links to all this material. I have to say that even though I did not think this movie totally worked as a movie, it opens up a lot of provocative and interesting ideas that are worth further study.

The character Brig. General Hopgood (played by Ste...

2009-11-21T21:41:18.295-08:00

The character Brig. General Hopgood (played by Stephen Lang) in the movie "The Men Who Stare At Goats" is based on Maj. Gen, Albert Stubblebine, US Army (retired).

In reality, MG Stubblebine was an intelligent pioneer in the development of human resource technologies. Bert understood the latent potential of the human mind that warriors would eventually be trained to harness. For instance, field-tests by militaries (Ecuador and Mozambique) and peer-reviewed scientific research published in reputable journals have documented the positive effects of a human resource technology called Invincible Defense Technology.

See the article published in News Blaze titled "Don't Stare at Goats, Read Robert Oates - Permanent Peace" http://newsblaze.com/story/20091112144204zzzz.nb/topstory.html or in Senegambia News titled "Taking The Men Who Stare at Goats Seriously" http://www.senegambianews.com/article/Guest_Editorial/Guest_Editorial/Taking_The_Men_Who_Stare_at_Goats_Seriously/18999 More information can be found on the Internet by searching on "Invincible Defense Technology".

Dr. David Leffler
Executive Director
Center for Advanced Military Science (CAMS)
http://www.StrongMilitary.org