Eric Berlow is an ecologist and network scientist at the University o California who believes nature has something to teach us about problem solving. Nature shows that, with any problem, “the more you can zoom out and embrace complexity, the better chance you have of zooming in on the simple details that matter most.” Eric [...]
Posts under ‘GREEN/Nature’
112th Reads the Constitution. Don’t Stop There.
The 112th Congress has already delivered on a campaign promise. They read the entire Constitution on the House floor. Like most campaign promises, however, it wasn’t as easy as it sounded. There was a quibble about which version to read, the original version or the current version that reflects revisions, amendments or deletions…. actually, they [...]
Stephen Colbert: Human Rights vs. American Rights
It wasn’t a stellar interview. Michael Posner appeared on the Colbert Report last week and, as Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, he might have been better prepared for Colbert’s first question. Colbert’s question: What do these three things (democracy, human rights and labor) have to do with one another? Posner’s [...]
A Theory of American Identity: Or the Radical American Exceptionalism: Or Why Baseball is Better than Soccer?
An abstract submitted for you consideration. Your questions and assistance in refining the ideas presented here would be greatly appreciated. Over the last year I have been contemplating the notion of American identity, and what that means. As I contemplated the bounds of this notion, I began formulating a rather extreme form of American exceptionalism. [...]
See Like Cicero
After last year’s National Academy, we shared Cicero’s View from 100,000 Miles. He will make his more formal appearance at this year’s National Academy in the morning. Found this video on the Hayden Planetarium’s site and it provides all the perspective to think like Cicero. To think big… and small! Bookmark on Delicious Digg this [...]
Big Feet
One of the commitments of the Politicolor community is making complex ideas accessible. This rendition of carbon footprints attempts to do just that. If the U.S. doesn’t take the lead, who else can fill those shoes? Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook Share on Linkedin share via Reddit Share with Stumblers Tumblr [...]
Seeing America
The second week at Montpelier concluded Friday with this question… What do you SEE when you say AMERICA? As the American public celebrates independence through fireworks, BBQ and pool parties, the 80 teachers who studied constitutional citizenship at Madison’s Montpelier know we must keep the future as well as the past in our mind’s eye. [...]
The Essential Declaration
I was a little late discovering this project but it’s perfect for alumni of either NEH institute. Slate is asking the public to express the most essential idea of the Declaration of Independence on Twitter. Can you boil it down to 124 characters or less? Post your ideas as comments here and we’ll tweet them [...]
The Size of the Spill
When an infographic is done well, it helps you make sense of what can be an overwhelming torrent of information. I’ve heard the Deepwater Horizon spill referred to as a spill as large as “an Exxon Valdez a day.” While the data is incomplete in this 50+ day saga, this infographic from Fast Company helps [...]
Knowing Political Knowledge
In The Politics, Aristotle suggests political knowledge is sovereign knowledge: In all the branches of knowledge and in every kind of craft the end in view is some good. In the most sovereign of these, the capacity for [leadership in] political matters, the end in view is the greatest good and the good which is [...]
