crisis simulations

One of the great things about living in a college town is the physical proximity to really smart people. The University of Kentucky boasts one of the nation's most prestigious schools in international affairs -- the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce is definitely one of those places that demands both local and global attention for the quality of students and faculty.

One of the great things about working with the blogosphere is the virtual proximity to really smart people. One of my favorite blogs is Lawyers Guns and Money, a blog written by academics who focus mostly on political issues, but there's a healthy dose of history and a dash of baseball -- two of my favorite topics.

My most recent Business Lexington column takes a look at the next great tradition from the University of Kentucky -- the Patterson School's annual crisis simulation. One of the architects of this year's sim is Robert Farley, a member of the faculty there. The cool part is I first learned about Robert by reading his stuff on LGM. This is the second column I've written about the Patterson School, and I owe a great deal to Robert for each.

This column actually came together pretty quickly once things got underway. The students who responded to my questions were really enthusiastic. Ambassador Cavanaugh was very gracious. Ambassador Jones was also generous to add a quote.

What i really loved about the sim, of course -- was the effort Robert put into his "simulated" blogs. Caribbean News Network. The Cuban News Agency. The Man About Havana was my favorite.

Farley's a pretty creative guy, and he provided yet another example of how blogs are changing the way we do almost everything. It's also an excellent example of how working in the blogosphere can also generate "traditional" media attention.