Italy, Facebook, and Saving the World...
" A funny thing happened on the way to the Forum..." quite literally,in fact.
On a tour of Italy in 2009 a PhD college professor and a self educated stay at home mom struck up a conversation that turned out to be the germ of this blog. Through the magic of technology (Who says Facebook's a waste of time?) it was possible for the conversation to continue once we each returned home. In between our discussing everything from the environment to politics, one of the things that we lamented was the lack of civil discourse in our culture. We began to wonder-- if it was possible for US to discuss controversial issues calmly in an effort to gain better understanding and seek real solutions to problems; might we encourage others to engage in a polite but passionate dialogue as well? Can two people with so many differences maintain a friendship and a sense of humor while hashing out the issues of the day? That is what we intend to find out and we hope you'll join us to see what the current topic for discussion is and tell us what you think! Civilly, of course.
We also each have individual blogs where we will address issues and ideas which interest us. If you are looking for a slightly volatile mix of academic discussion and hard-headed analysis of the problem du jour, head to The Professor's Blog. For snarky common sense and the occasional recipe (and far better pictures!), visit The Housewife's.
We hope you enjoy our little experiment.
"Conversation has no bottom line, it doesn't have to arrive anywhere, and more often than not it will lead to further discussion instead of resolution or answer...true conversation...turns ideas over and over, satisfying the soul with its nuances rather than extraordinary insights or explanations." ~ Thomas Moore
