New York, New York

An article in this morning's Washington Post notes that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is offering protesters at the upcoming Republican Convention some advice on how to spend their time there - go shopping. This is yet another unfortunate example of a public leader treating people as consumers rather than citizens, though quotes from protestors indicate that, even as marketing, the announcement fails. On a more positive note, in Huntington, NY town planners are demonstrating a good instinct when opting to hold small-group discussions to gather information before updating the community's master plan. Their initiative, which they call a "visioning process," taps into a deep desire among people in our topsy-turvy world: to be genuinely heard. You can read more about this effort in a piece I wrote for Newsday, which you can find here.