idealawg

Blog Glob: "Special court in S.F. offers hope and help to those short on both"

Excerpt from San Francisco Chronicle article "Special court in S.F. offers hope and help to those short on both":

For a couple of hours each week, the courtroom fills with dozens of defendants with serious mental illnesses who have been charged with or convicted of crimes ranging from misdemeanor theft to felony assault and robbery. Almost all were homeless or on the brink of living on the streets at the time of their arrests, and many of them struggle with drug or alcohol abuse.

It sounds like a scary scene, like many city residents' worst fears gathered together in one room. But it's surprisingly touching - and according to Superior Court Judge Mary Morgan, who presides over the court, it's "the most hopeful thing happening in the criminal justice system."

On one Thursday not long ago, a bipolar man arrested in March for battery against a BART agent brought his trumpet to court on Morgan's orders and stunned the packed courtroom into silence with his rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."

Click to read the rest of the article.

Blog Glob: Monday morning shorts

Excerpt from CALL FOR PAPERS BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES AND THE LAW: Special Issue on The Neuroscience of Decision Making and the Law (Crime & Consequences)

Behavioral Sciences and the Law announces a forthcoming special issue on the neuroscience of decision making and the law, to be co-edited by Steven K. Erickson, J.D., LL.M., Ph.D. and Alan R. Felthous, M.D., Manuscripts that address the following issues are especially welcome: Neuroscience and neuroimaging results of areas of moral judgment; the impact and limitations of such finings on legally relevant behavior; neuropsychiatric, neuropsychological and genetic disorders which impinge on intent and responsibility. Original research reports and forensically relevant literature reviews will be included.

Excerpt from Brain Myths & Folk Psychology: Let's not include any misleading myths in conflict resolution (like perhaps mirror neurons?) (Brains On Purpose™)

Today many brain myths or exaggerations are being perpetuated that relate to conflict. When you hear something about the brain that seems that it would be useful in conflict resolution, be sure to take a look at the underlying research. And even the research may not give you the whole picture. Science has much still to learn about the brain so we at BonP choose to be conservative in our analysis and recommendations. Many are moving in the opposite direction and making assertions that are not yet supported by the science.

Excerpt from "Children's Peer Victimization -- A Mix Of Loyalty And Preference" (Science Daily)

New research into childhood prejudice suggests that loyalty and disloyalty play a more important role than previously thought in how children treat members of their own and other groups. A study into the 'black sheep effect', shows that children treat disloyalty in their own group more harshly than disloyalty within different groups.

Excerpt from "As elder law grows, attorneys need a practice of patience" (Tampa Bay Business Journal-subscription required)

Blog Glob: "It's all in the mind" [new article on neuroleadership]

Excerpt from "It's all in the mind" . . .

By Catherine Fox | Monday, November 12 2007

Neuroleadership has entered the vocabulary faster than you can say brain wave. But is it a fad or a new way forward?

No matter how many times you observe the phenomenon there's something intriguing about the metamorphosis of a new management trend. From relative obscurity or an unrelated field of expertise an idea is plucked, packaged and pitched to a business audience, buoyed by some media hype.

As science produces more fascinating details about the way the brain works, the prefix "neuro" is being attached to disciplines from marketing to economics and finance. Neuroleadership refers to a blend of certain findings from neuroscience with a set of leadership practices and principles designed to encourage more consultative, creative and empathetic corporate chiefs.

There's little doubt the topic is fast attracting plenty of fans as well as a few high-profile critics. So what is neuroleadership actually about? There are four elements of brain function that are deemed most applicable to business leadership: the ability to think more creatively and use intuition by improving attention and changing thinking habits; the ability to interconnect and empathise, which is enhanced when we have lower-frequency brain waves or slow down our thinking; the understanding of how the brain reacts to change and the need for positive feedback to help create and reinforce new ways of operating; the health effects on the entire body from the brain continually working under chronic stress and with excess adrenaline.

Click to read the rest of the new neuroleadership article.

The Complete Lawyer: "It's like Oprah for lawyers."

This is how Jeremy Colby of A Buffalo Lawyer characterized The Complete Lawyer: "It's like Oprah for lawyers." Great observation, Jeremy. Do you readers agree? Is TCL the legal profession's Oprah?

Blog Glob: Except in One Career [that would be law], Our Brains Seem Built for Optimism

Excerpt from "Except in One Career, Our Brains Seem Built for Optimism" . . .

Medical evidence is suggestive. Optimistic people at risk for skin cancer are more likely to use sunscreen. Optimistic coronary artery bypass patients are more likely than pessimists to be taking vitamins, eating low-fat foods and joining a cardiac-rehab program five years after surgery -- and living longer, studies show.

"If even half the time our actions work out well, our life is going to turn out for the better," Dr. Phelps said. "If you are pessimistic, you are unlikely to even try."

Indeed, the researchers suspect that the breakdown of this brain network may contribute to clinical depression. All in all, Dr. Seligman said, optimists tend to do better in life than their talents alone might suggest.

Except lawyers.

Click to read the rest of the article.

Your choice from 24 experts on personal branding (for free)

You are invited by A Brand You World organizers to a 2007 global telesummit to be held on November 8. 24 experts on personal branding will be offering teleseminars for 12 hours straight. Click to register for A Brand You World.

Hat tip to Marci Alboher.

Free courses from MIT in conflict resolution, negotiation, neuroscience, and much more

I just posted about this wonderful resource here on Brains On Purpose™. You don't want to miss some of these no-cost offerings from MIT.

From conflict resolution to dispute creation: A mother lode of free tutorials

Want a tutorial on dealing with conflict in the workplace or, in the opposite vein, on annoying someone? Visit Learnthat.com and MyTutorials.com for those tutorials and many more. You can take tutorials on various computer programs, home repair, and lifestyle and relationships. How about one on writing a CV or starting a coffee shop or writing a business proposal or correcting bad behavior in cats or choosing a bank?

And at MyTutorials.com, you may post your own tutorials to teach readers about something you know.

Hat tip to BK Communique, a newsletter I enjoy reading each month. Sign up for free at the Berrett-Koehler Web site.