Monday’s talks between the United States and Iran (the first in almost three decades) have been eagerly followed in the international press, touted as a landmark event in the countries’ relations. While certainly a step in the right direction, away from the last year’s ever-increasing tension and military threat, the prospect of real, sustained reconciliation emerging from these highly politicized and top-level negotiations is decidedly low. The Fellowship of Reconciliation, with its fourth peacemaking delegation to Iran, is stepping in where the governments have left off. Continue Reading FOR Delegation “Lifting the Veil” in Iran»

Educators for Nonviolence, a joint project of the Metta Center and the Dalai Lama Foundation, will host its second annual summer teachers’ conference:

“Building a Culture of Nonviolence”

July 20th (7:00pm-9:30pm) and July 21st (8:00am-6:00pm)

at the University of California, Berkeley

Join teachers and educators from across the country to learn how you can manage a nonviolent classroom and teach nonviolence to your students. Workshops will focus on interactive, hands on techniques that you can use in your classroom. Speakers include Professor Michael Nagler of the UC Berkeley Peace and Conflict Studies Program and the Metta Center for Nonviolence Education, Dr. Joseph E. Marshall of the Omega Boys Club, Azim Khamisa of the Tariq Khamisa Foundation, Lynda Smith of Nonviolent Communication and many more! To register, visit the EFNV website. For more information contact conference@efnv.org or call 510-548-5550. Click here for a conference flier.

On Mother’s Day:
What we should learn at our mother’s knee
How to raise keepers of the peace

Susie Tompkins Buell, Naila Bolus
Sunday, May 13, 2007
SFGate

A suicide bomber detonates himself in a crowded marketplace in Iraq, killing dozens. Tensions over North Korea’s and Iran’s nuclear programs continue to build, despite protest from the world’s nations. In Darfur, the body count has exceeded 200,000 as the genocide rages on. Continue Reading On Mother’s Day: What we should learn at our mother’s knee – How to raise keepers of the peace»

TRY THIS: Practice ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP! Thoreau once wrote: “Humans are part of nature and we function best, as individuals and society, when we are conscious of that fact.” Consider how your choices might change when you think of yourself being in relationship with nature. What gifts do you receive from the natural world? What are your responsibilities in this relationship? How might your relationship with the planet be in need of compassion and healing? For ideas about simple steps you can take to practice environmental stewardship, read more at www.stopglobalwarming.org.

Embarking on a fast is a powerful act of self-sacrifice that can focus and center the spirit in times of distress. In situations of conflict, it can also help to rehumanize a committed actor to even the most insensitive opponent. In both of these senses, Mahatma Gandhi called fasting “the truest prayer”.
A group of students and activists at Berkeley, united in their desire for a peaceful future, are undertaking just such a prayer to protest and bring to light the University of California’s alarming involvement in the US government’s nuclear weapons program.
The following is an open letter from one of the fast participants explaining what they are doing and what you can do to help. Continue Reading Hunger Strike for a Nuclear-Free UC»