mediation

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Ranching and the Categorical Imperative

When I was in grade school, my mother was a graduate student in philosophy, and I learned from her about the categorical imperative. What I grasped at that impressionable age was that if you are thinking about doing something, you should imagine that everyone around you, even everyone on earth, will do the same thing. Because if you have the right to do it, then, of course, so does everyone else. I immediately saw that I should not throw my gum wrapper out the car window. If everyone did that the air would be thick, the ground covered, with foil and paper.
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Why I listen to Talk Radio: Confessions of a Mediator

I am a talk radio addict. I listen to everything, including certain hosts you wouldn’t expect someone of my persuasion to listen to. I am fascinated both by hosts and callers, what they say, how they express themselves, what they are afraid of and what they are proud of. As a mediator of public policy and natural resource disputes I encounter all kinds at the negotiating table, and by hearing this range of random voices on the radio I can get a glimpse into what makes these people tick.
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Share the Pain: On the President's Climate Change Speech

As an environmental mediator working on intractable conflicts over natural resource use and policy, I am committed to being neutral on the issues before me. We mediators like to say we are advocates for the process – a good, inclusive, fair process – but with no bias when it comes to the substance of the conflict. Does this mean we are robots, with no preferences, no passion, no deeply held beliefs? Of course not. I have a variety of membership cards in my wallet, and I keep them to myself when I’m working.
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Relaxation and the Mediator

This is a rare moment of relaxation for an environmental mediator. Several years ago I was plunged into the war over aircraft noise at Grand Canyon. For decades environmentalists and recreation interests had been pushing Congress and the courts for some regulations on the air tours over the Canyon. They yearned for quiet in which to enjoy and contemplate the wonders of this world-famous site. Certain favorite trails were directly under the flight pattern of the helicopters and fixed wing planes that offered tourists a spectacular experience, viewing the Canyon from the air.

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