Pag-Cait-an

"I am Cait" is an E show on transgenders as she is the former Olympic athlete Bruce Jenner. One quote in an episode: You cannot force acceptance.

So with mediation.

Locating Generosity

Nat Geo again asked who are more generous- people getting off the escalator on top or below. You guessed it- those feeling on top of the world. That is why lotto winners suddenly have more family and friends!

Sadly in mediation, the richer ones are not necessarily the more generous.

Selective Honesty

Another Nat Geo experiment dropped several wallets- supposedly  from a businessman, a firefighter and an ailing jobless man. The nearby lost-and-found counter recorded returns as follows: 7 (businessman), 7 (firefighter) and 3 (jobless). The conclusion was that honesty was not dependent on what was found but on the finder him/herself.

For those not returned, there is mediation.

Pooling Resources

Taking a cue from Rio's recycling of urine into energy to power the carnival trucks, NatGeo conducted an experiment to make swimmers get out of the pool to go to the portalets. Energy gathered powered a machine making ice cream, to which the "contributors" were welcome.

Disputants are likewise informed of the benefits of mediation.

Cheated Roces

Chit Roces says,"Tolerating bad behavior does not a lasting relationship guarantee." This she found out after being an involuntary accessory to the misdemeanors, or rather crimes  of a "trusted" maid.

Her laundrywoman finally spilled the beans and turned resident mediator.

Deadweight

That does not refer to Pacquiao now but a German-Finnish indie film featured in the Berlinale Film Festival. Interestingly, it was about a sailor who led a strike on board a container ship. While the lead star was actor Archie Alemania, the other crewmen were actual seafarers. Filming all throughout the voyage, Archie experienced their woes, like areas on ship off-limits to them. (Bayani San Diego Jr.'s Inquirer article, A seaman's life for Archie)

Just like a mediator who vicariously experiences life's misfortunes as relayed by disputants.

Lowdown

Jennifer Lopez is one busy single mom. She is on the shows American Idol, Shades of Blue and live in Las Vegas. For a woman of Puerto Rican descent, at that! She has this to say, "We limit ourselves in our minds a lot. I have battled that, as well."

Mediation is delimiting ways of dispute resolution, too.

Trampoline

It was posted on FB  for those "who jump to conclusion." Fr. Jerry Orbos had a similar take. A mother saw her daughter with two apples, and naturally expected one to be given to her. Instead, the daughter bit on both apples. The mother's doubt vanished when her daughter gave her one apple as "the sweeter one."

Mediation likewise makes disputants give each other the benefit of the doubt.

Caramba, Garamba

Garamba National Park in Africa was featured by Nat Geo Explorer on the issue of poaching for elephant tusk. Some task indeed! From helicopters, elephants are shot for their ivory!!!

Who would mediate between these poor animals and their poachers?

Changes

"Changing things is always difficult because we're always tempted to continue in the daily ho-hum way we do things." Key is "to transform what can be normal resistance in the face of change into tools for reform." This is from Cardinal Parolin, who is Pope Francis' chief collaborator. There is hope for the conservative Catholic Church!

Hopefully, judicial reform follows suit and leads to less litigation and more mediation.