Friday, December 21, 2012

An alternative to highly-partisan negotiation efforts

Why Post-Partisanship Is Not Mush In The Middle | No Labels:

A post-partisan analysis would take a “two-poled” approach.  Post-partisans assume that both liberal and conservative concerns are legitimate. This is a good-good situation.  Both groups are well-intentioned; both groups have valid insights.  Both groups are correctly describing an aspect of our total experience.

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Wednesday, December 19, 2012

How should the Dialogue and Deliberation (D&D) community respond to the crisis in Newtown? And beyond?

NCDD Community News » How should the D&D community respond to the crisis in Newtown?:


  • In collaboration with Newtown, Connecticut resident and NCDD member Ben Roberts, NCDD has created a space on Hackpad where we can talk about last Friday’s tragedy and how our community might respond.
    • I’m especially interested in using this moment to encourage us to think about how we can equip our community to respond quickly and effectively to crises like this in the future.  I hope we can think together about the infrastructure NCDD and others need to be building to enable us to respond together to future crises that cry out for dialogue in a timely, productive, and meaningful way.


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    Saturday, December 1, 2012

    Sunday, December 9, 2012 is International Anti-Corruption Day

    From: International Anti-Corruption Day - 9 December:
    On 31 October 2003, the General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention against Corruption and requested that the Secretary-General designate the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as secretariat for the Convention’s Conference of States Parties (resolution 58/4).  
    The Assembly also designated 9 December as International Anti-Corruption Day, to raise awareness of corruption and of the role of the Convention in combating and preventing it.  The Convention entered into force in December 2005.

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    Monday, December 10, 2012 is Human Rights Day

    From: Human Rights Day 2012:
    This year, the spotlight is on the rights of all people — women, youth, minorities, persons with disabilities, indigenous people, the poor and marginalized — to make their voices heard in public life and be included in political decision-making. 
    These human rights — the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, to peaceful assembly and association, and to take part in government (articles 19, 20 and 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights) have been at the centre of the historic changes in the Arab world over the past two years, in which millions have taken to the streets to demand change. In other parts of the world, the “99%” made their voices heard through the global Occupy movement protesting economic, political and social inequality.
    Go to the United Nations article for ways to get involved on the web starting today.


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    Wednesday, December 5, 2012 is International Volunteer Day

    From: International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development - 5 December:
    On International Volunteer Day (IVD) on 5 December 2012, we celebrate our commitment and hope for a better world. The main focus of IVD 2012 is awareness of and recognition for volunteers and volunteer organizations. The purpose is to recognise this commitment, to inform people about the impact of volunteering on peace and sustainable development, and to applaud volunteers for their dedication and impact.

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    Monday, December 3, 2012 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities

    From: International Day of Persons with Disabilities, 3 December:
    In many parts of the world today, lack of awareness and understanding of accessibility as a cross-cutting development issue remains an obstacle to the achievement of progress and development through the Millennium Development Goals, as well as other internationally agreed outcomes for all. 
    The commemoration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities in 2012 provides an opportunity to address this exclusion by focusing on promoting accessibility and removing all types of barriers in society.

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    Sunday, December 2, 2012 is International Day for Abolition of Slavery

    From: International Day for Abolition of Slavery - 2 December:
    The focus of this day is on eradicating contemporary forms of slavery, such as trafficking in persons, sexual exploitation, the worst forms of child labour, forced marriage, and the forced recruitment of children for use in armed conflict. 
    Today, 21 million women, men and children are trapped in slavery all over the world. The International Labour Organization (ILO) has teamed up with prominent artists, athletes and advocates in its new campaign to End Slavery Now.

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    Today, December 1, 2012 is World AIDS Day

    From:  The White House Honors World AIDS Day 2012 | The White House:
    Today, December 1, 2012 is World AIDS Day. Every year on this day,  the world comes together to stand with people affected by HIV/AIDS, to remember those we have lost and to renew our commitment to ending the pandemic once and for all.    
    Last year on World AIDS Day, President Obama announced ambitious new targets in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, and on the domestic front focused on investment to support the first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy to fight the epidemic here at home.  
    One year later, the President's commitments have translated into real measurable progress. As of today, we are treating over 5 million people with lifesaving medicines for AIDS, up from 1.7 million in 2008, and are on track to treat 6 million people by the end of 2013.  This year, we have also reached over 700,000 HIV-positive pregnant women with antiretroviral drugs that will prevent them from passing the virus to their children. We are making real progress, but the fight is not over.

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