Author Archives: abfifer

A Better Apology from Gov Snyder

January 21, 2016 – 11:38 am

Governor Snyder apologized (again) for the Flint water crisis this week. This time, I think it truly was an apology. In his State of the State message Tuesday, as well as in interviews, he has taken responsibility for the disaster. He began his annual State of the State address Tuesday by addressing the residents of […]

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Governor Snyder’s Apologies in the Flint Water Crisis

January 12, 2016 – 8:58 am

Our governor, Rick Snyder, issued what he called an apology a couple weeks ago for what’s known as the “Flint water crisis.” Governor Snyder’s statement, in my humble opinion, didn’t meet the criteria for an effective apology, and the result has been – no surprise – more conflict. So yesterday, he tried again; he’s getting closer, […]

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I’m sorry that this isn’t an apology

December 22, 2015 – 5:59 pm

Mr. Sepp Blatter, former president of the international soccer association FIFA, was found guilty this week of ethical violations by the FIFA ethics committee, and was barred from taking part in any soccer-related activities for the next eight years. He has said he will fight the suspension. He has been under suspicion of ethical violations […]

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A Better Way to Argue

December 21, 2015 – 9:34 am

New research has shown that framing your argument from your opponent’s “moral perspective” is much more likely to be persuasive. Professors Rob Willard, from Stanford, and Matthew Feinberg at University of Toronto, conducted a set of six studies involving over one thousand people, to determine how re-framing based on moral perspective could be persuasive in political […]

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Restorative Justice in GR

December 16, 2015 – 8:02 pm

“Restorative Justice” is a relatively new concept that is fast replacing disciplinary proceedings for students who have conflicts with other students. Our Dispute Resolution Center in Grand Rapids has worked with a couple of area school districts to establish restorative justice programs, with good results. Restorative justice in schools often takes the form of restorative circles. A […]

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