Canadian Centres for Teaching Peace Web Site November 7, 2004
Additions to Canadian Centres for Teaching Peace web site November 7, 2004
Update to interested people about current additions to the Canadian Centres for Teaching Peace web site.
Upcoming Events http://www.peace.ca/upcoming.htm :
We are hosting 3 major upcoming events (now starting only one week away):
Peace and Leadership 3-day workshop November 15 - 17, 2004 http://www.peace.ca/leadershipworkshop.htm ,
Third Annual Peace Education Conference in Canada November 18 - 22, 2004 http://www.peace.ca/CanadianAgenda2004.htm , followed by a
National Culture of Peace Program Symposium November 23 - 25, 2004 http://www.peace.ca/nationalcultureofpeace2004.htm .
All at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario.
These are the most significant Peace Education, Peace Leadership and National Culture of Peace Program Conferences in North America. We also host a large Trade Fair with many booths showcasing Peace Programs and Resources, disseminating information, creating new networks, etc. Please come, and bring a friend. Our program provides excellent value for your money, time and effort - it will help you make more of a difference with your peace work.
Problem Identification Topics http://www.peace.ca/problem.htm :
Uninspiring and Shocking Quotes http://www.peace.ca/uninspiringquotes.htm :
"It would be an oxymoron to call opinion balanced." Is The New York Times a Liberal Newspaper? By Daniel Okrent. New York Times. Week in Review, Sunday, July 25, 2004. Backup. http://www.csudh.edu/dearhabermas/okrent01bk.htm
"Chalmers Johnson ... wrote Blowback and recently The Sorrows of Empire. I highly recommend Sorrows of Empire as it is an out standing historic presentation of the development of U.S. militarism and what it looks like today. In that book, he provides some interesting statistics from the first Gulf war. At that time, the U.S. had over 600,000 troops serving in the gulf. There were approximately 500-700 deaths which include battle deaths, friendly fire, and accidents. The interesting part is that the U.S. Veterans Administration subsequently classified approximately 200,000 of those troops as disabled. Approximately, one third of all troops serving; probably the highest casualty rate of any war. Much of which is termed the Gulf War Syndrome and related to spent uranium munitions. These munitions are manufactured at Lake City Arsenal in Kansas City. It is my understanding that all the millers of the bullets wear special masks to filter out any dust particles." Richard J. Scheerer
Who's Who (World Level) http://www.peace.ca/whoswho.htm :
The Citizens' Circle for Accountability (CCA) is a non-profit organization created as a prime resource on the concept, meaning and importance of public accountability. The CCA is also a resource for citizens on strategies for holding fairly to account, and is a forum for the exchange of ideas and strategies through the Journal of Public Accountability on the CCA's website. The connection of public accountability to peace is clear: since peace is a function of citizens, governments and corporations being fair to others, citizens must engage levers that give them a "proper understanding of matters" and at the same time exert a self-regulating influence on those in authority responsible for bringing about peace. As citizens, we have yet to demand that the authorities whose intentions and actions are key to peace (largely the directing minds of executive governments and corporations) tell us, fully, fairly and publicly, what they specifically intend as outcomes, for whom, and why they intend it. They must also tell us their own performance standards for their responsibilities. Since the public answering obligation is central to democracy, the demand for this public answering is unassailable. The CCA website links to the comprehensive book on public accountability by Henry E. McCandless, A Citizen's Guide to Public Accountability: Changing the Relationship Between Citizens and Authorities (CCA and Trafford Publishing, 2002). For more info: Citizens' Circle for Accountability, www.accountabilitycircle.org 877 Newport Ave., Victoria, BC, Canada, V8S 5C8; telephone 250-370-5954; fax 250-370-5958; email: henrymccandless@accountabilitycircle.org
The International Art Partnership "Peace Tree" is a non-governmental organisations that aim to promote arts education. Welcome to visit http://www.iap-peacetree.org . About the IAP peaceful activity is well-known in the UNESCO and in many countries of the world. More than 1000 children and adults from 46 countries have already taken part in our Origami Peace Tree art festivals (Russia-2000,2001,2002; Korea-2004, USA-2004). The 5th Peace Tree festival was just now finished in Pasadena, CA, USA. More than hundred people from 16 countries have taken part in building of the Origami Peace Tree US 2004. All the pictures will be dispayed on the IAP site at the beginning of November, 2004. http://www.iap-peacetree.org/opt/history.html . There was a beautiful Peace through Art forum that has demonstrated again the art of Origami is the best and easiest way of the communication between all nations. Our next festivals will be organized in Germany-2005, Japan-2005, India-2006: http://www.iap-peacetree.org/opt/main.html. For more information: Alexander Levashov, President, IAP "Peace Tree", P.O.Box 248, Novorossiysk, 353907, Russia.
Psychologists for the Promotion of World Peace is an Interest Group of the Australian Psychological Society. It's members are Psychologists who are concerned about the prevalence of war and confict in our world and are interested in applying their professional skills to issues related to promoting peace and preventing war.
PPOWP's educational resources are used in schools and justice departments, workplaces and refugee camps. We produce the children's picture book Wise Ways to Win, a touring pantomime based on the book, and a popular series of posters detailing strategies for such things as Creating Cultures of Peace, Rebuilding Relationships after Hurtful Conflict, Handling Anger Wisely, and Creating Peaceful Families. I invite you to visit our website at http://www.psychology.org.au/units/interest%5Fgroups/peace/ for a closer look at our resources and at our activites. Contact: Tamsin Whaley, Administrator, Psychologists for the Promotion of World Peace, The Australian Psychological Society, P.O. Box 38, Flinders Lane Post Office, Melbourne 8009, Victoria, Australia; email tnt@gcom.net.au
Transparency International, the only international non-governmental organisation devoted to combating corruption, brings civil society, business, and governments together in a powerful global coalition. TI, through its International Secretariat and more than 85 independent national chapters around the world, works at both the national and international level to curb both the supply and demand of corruption. In the international arena, TI raises awareness about the damaging effects of corruption, advocates policy reform, works towards the implementation of multilateral conventions and subsequently monitors compliance by governments, corporations and banks. At the national level, chapters work to increase levels of accountability and transparency, monitoring the performance of key institutions and pressing for necessary reforms in a non-party political manner. TI does not expose individual cases (that is the work of journalists, many of whom are members of TI chapters). Rather, in an effort to make long-term gains against corruption, TI focuses on prevention and reforming systems. A principal tool in the fight against corruption is access to information. It is in this spirit that we offer this web site to everybody with an interest in the fight against corruption. We hope it will make a valuable contribution to assessing the gains made in recent years, and to contemplating the challenges that still lie ahead. For more information: Peter Eigen, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Transparency International (TI) - Otto-Suhr-Allee 97 - 99 - 10585 Berlin, Germany - Phone :+49-30-343 8200 - Fax :+49-30-3470 3912 - email: ti@transparency.org ; web site http://www.transparency.org/index.html
World Love Inc. is dedicated to present and past world citizens who are now suffering and who have suffered . MISSION STATEMENT: To promote love, education, understanding, giving, compassion and togetherness between citizens and cultures of the world. To Contact World Love: Web site http://www.worldloveinc.us/ ; Email - pres@worldloveinc.us ; World Love Inc., 5115 N. Dysart Rd., STE-202 PMB 129, Litchfield Park, AZ. 85340
Who's Who (Community Level) http://www.peace.ca/whoswhocomm.htm :
Joie de Vivre Joyful Living Workshops - In association with Paul McKenna, and the Interfaith Desk of SCARBORO MISSIONS, I have recently begun to facilitate a very new and profound workshop -- created by Scarboro Missions -- entitled the "Golden Rule Creative/Meditative Workshop". In this regard, I would like to invite you to visit the webpage which beautifully illustrates and describes this workshop (as well as other related endeavours) in greater detail: www.carrot.com/events/joiedevivre/ . Using the visually striking multifaith Golden Rule poster as one of the "tools", this workshop is ideal for generating greater compassion, tolerance, global unity, social justice, moral ethics, and PEACE. Please feel free to contact me, either by email or telephone, if you need any further info: Roslyn Rus, email joiederoz@yahoo.ca ; tel (416) 465-3948
Information Resources (World Level) http://www.peace.ca/info.htm :
Breaking Rank: A citizen's review of Canadian Military Spending, by Steven Staples, Director, Polaris Institute (available online at http://www.polarisinstitute.org/polaris_project/corp_security_state/publications_articles/breaking_rank.pdf ) 5 Star Must Reading
The Impact of Militarism on the Environment: An Overview of Direct & Indirect Effects, by Abeer Majeed. A research report written for Physicians for Global Survival (Canada). Available online at http://www.pgs.ca/updir/militarism_environment_web.pdf . 5 Start Must Reading.
Peace Psychology Links - http://www.socialpsychology.org/peace.htm
Microwave Gun to be Used by US Troops on Iraq Rioters – (News Telegraph– September 19, 2004) Microwave weapons that cause pain without lasting injury are to be issued to American troops in Iraq for the first time as concern mounts over the growing number of civilians killed in fighting. The non-lethal weapons, which use high-powered electromagnetic beams, will be fitted to vehicles already in Iraq, which will allow the system to be introduced as early as next year. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/09/19/wirq319.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/09/19/ixworld.html
Slavery Is Not Dead, Just Less Recognizable – (The Christian Science Monitor – September 1, 2004) Today, 27 million people throughout the world are enslaved, more than at the height of the transatlantic slave trade. Although now banned in every country, slavery has boomed in the past 50 years as the global population has exploded. A billion people scrape by on $1 a day. That extreme poverty combined with local government corruption and a global economy that leaps national boundaries has produced a surge in the number of slaves - even though in the developed world, that word conjures up the 19th century rather than the evening news. http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0901/p16s01-wogi.html
Dark Matter Surround Dark Energy – (PRWeb – August 30, 2004) The American military is pursuing new types of exotic bombs - including a new class of isomeric gamma ray weapons. Unlike conventional atomic and hydrogen bombs, the new weapons would trigger the release of energy by absorbing radiation, and respond by re-emitting a far more powerful radiation. In this new category of gamma-ray weapons, a nuclear isomer absorbs x-rays and re-emits higher frequency gamma rays. The emitted gamma radiation has been reported to release 60 times the energy of the x-rays that trigger the effect. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/8/prwebxml153446.php
Extreme Weather Will Kill Millions – (Common Dreams News Center – September 7, 2004) Millions of people across the globe are set to die early due to extreme weather events such as floods and heat waves caused by climate change, said a British scientist. Professor Mike Pilling cited the heat wave in Europe last year that killed thousands of people from a combination of heat exhaustion and an increase in atmospheric pollution. http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0907-05.htm
Global to Local – (LocusOnline – September 10, 2004) "I wanted to know about the quality of life in the future. I wanted to know about our political life; the scope of our freedom. I wanted to know what it was going to be like on a daily basis for my son and my grandson — I wanted to know if perhaps my son would do better to have no children at all. Those are general yearnings, more than specific questions. The questions I came up with still seem too general, and approximate." http://www.locusmag.com/2004/Features/09_ShirleySocialFuture.html
Proposals/Solutions http://www.peace.ca/proposal.htm :
POLITICS COULD BE GOOD FOR CHILDREN'S HEALTH - Families worried about their children's futures should get them engaged in election issues, says a University of Michigan professor. Young people who are highly aware about social issues may be less likely to engage in risky behaviors such as using drugs or becoming violent, according to research psychologist Marc Zimmerman. They are also more likely to feel better about themselves and to help their communities. Talking to youngsters about important civic issues--and demonstrating civic commitment by voting--is a good way to show them that they have a say in their own futures, he suggests. "We find that adolescents, especially high school aged kids, are very important because they're soon going to be in that 18- to 24-year range," Zimmerman notes. "And if you don't instill some interest in voting, civic duty, civic pride, and engagement in the world before they get there, you've lost them." Involvement in civic and extracurricular activities also makes children less likely to be depressed and more likely to feel better about themselves and to develop critical thinking skills. DETAILS: University of Michigan Health System, http://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2004/hmvoter.htm
Inspiring Quotes http://www.peace.ca/inspiringquotations.htm :
"The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. As long as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be. And I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles." Anne Frank (1929-1945)
"the crux of democracy, a people who want, think through, and vote for a better future" http://www.csudh.edu/dearhabermas/leftright12.htm
List Servers http://www.peace.ca/usergroup.htm :
The Canadian International Policy site http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/cip-pic/menu-en.asp is designed to provide information, views, and analysis on the key issues that touch on Canada’s role in the international community. It describes the foundations of Canada's international policy and provides you with insights into new policy thinking. To subscribe to the newsletter, click on http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/cip-pic/about/subscription-en.asp
Curricula http://www.peace.ca/curricula.htm :
Curriculum Resource for Ontario Grade 12 "Canadian and World Politics" Course - During 2003-04 Project Ploughshares partnered with Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute in Kitchener, Ontario and EnviroGlobe Consultants to produce comprehensive support materials for the Ontario Grade 12 "Canadian and World Politics" course. With funding assistance from the Global Classrooms Initiative program of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the joint project has compiled a full set of lesson plans and resources in different media formats - including role play text, graphics, photographs, and movie clips - to support students and teachers through the
pre-university course on a lesson-by-lesson basis. The curriculum materials draw on the "Armed Conflicts Report" and other Ploughshares resources as well as the information and expertise of a host of civil society groups and government agencies. The full set of the Grade 12 course material is available by clicking on the "World Politics Resources" item on the Cameron Heights website homepage at http://chci.wrdsb.edu.on.ca/ . Educators are also welcome to order a free copy of: the 22"x34" poster of Project Ploughshares' Armed Conflicts Report from plough@ploughshares.ca for classroom use; and the CD-ROM version of all course materials from
enviroglobe@sympatico.ca .
Stanford Peace Project for kids (http://credibility.stanford.edu/peace). We are currently (Nov 2004) recruiting children around age 10 from different countries to participate in a field trial of some new software. Additional information for children and parents is available at: http://credibility.stanford.edu/peace/info . Here is a short introduction to our project. I hope that your goals align with ours and that you might consider helping us find some children to participate. A number of Stanford University School of Education students are working with the Stanford Peace Project for Kids. Our goal is to bring about global harmony within our lifetime, by connecting children of the world through technology. Can you help us? We are looking for 5th graders from around the world who would like to participate in the early stages of an exciting new program. We are especially interested in working with international participants. Each participant will be connected to a global network of friends to collaborate, share, and discover their commonalities. They will use a new application developed to make connecting over the internet easy, safe, and fun. To participate, children should be about 10 years old, speak conversational English, and have access to a Windows PC with an internet connection. If you know any kids in other countries who would like to be involved, or if you would like more information about this program please contact Meri Mohr at mjmohr@stanford.edu
See the following new reports posted on our web site:
WORLD-WIDE COMPETITION
OVER $1,000,000,000,000
IN TAX-FREE PRIZES
http://www.peace.ca/competition.htm
Leadership and a Culture of Violence, by Bob Stewart http://www.peace.ca/leadershipandacultureofviolence.htm
A NATIONAL CULTURE OF PEACE PROGRAM by Robert Stewart http://www.peace.ca/nationalcopp.htm
Canadian Peacebuilding Coordinating Committee article, "A CANADIAN ACTION AGENDA ON CONFLICT PREVENTION: Some Key Points proposed by Canadian Civil Society", October 31, 2004 http://www.peace.ca/canadianconflictpreventionagenda.htm
Funding for the Canadian Military: FUBAR - by Bob Stewart. Currently, the discussion and politics is driven by a military lobby comprised of retired generals, security think tanks, academics, and corporations that benefit from military contracts. Together, we can take back this important issue and help give it due process. It is clear that this dialogue on military and foreign affairs policy and spending must be taken beyond Parliamentary committee rooms, university campuses, and newsrooms. http://www.peace.ca/militaryfunding.htm
"Where do I start?" http://www.peace.ca/wheredoistart.htm
standard letter that I have on tips for things you can do to start http://www.peace.ca/tipsonpeaceeducation.htm
The origin of the quote "Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed." http://www.peace.ca/faq.htm
"Are there any recommendations that you could make concerning the topic 'The Strength of Media as a Peace Building Tool'?" http://www.peace.ca/faq.htm
Questions? contact Bob Stewart at stewartr@peace.ca
