THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY of the Institute for Peace Science at Hiroshima University in Hiroshima Japan will be observed with an international conference. This will follow an international symposium on the reunification of Korea and peace in Asia July 6 – 8 in Yokohama. S4P president A. Rapoport will be present at both.
Seminars
The position of seminar coordinator was created last summer with the objective of ex-touting peace education to community groups. A number of Toronto groups that might potentially be interested in seminars for their members were contacted and we responded to requests for assistance from many in both Toronto and the surrounding area: ACT (Their first series was in August – September, 1984; their second is for Hay-June, 1985),the Graduate Student Union and UCAM at the U. of Toronto, Hillcrest for Peace, The Toronto Board of Education, etc. Members whose participation in these activities is gratefully acknowledged are Mel Watkins, Lynn Trainor, Anatol Rapoport, Derek Manchester, Derek Paul, Michael Lanphier, Jack Dainty, and Arthur Forer.
Requests for a series with the Barrie Chapter of PSR and the Canadian Association of Young Political Leaders for fall are on hand. It is helpful to have an updated roster of willing speakers and topics they are willing to speak on, publications, research, etc. If you will help, let me know.
– Myriam Fernandez
Last fall S4P launched what was called the “Preparatory Group” whose purpose was to prepare position papers to be ready to respond to the “green Paper” promised in January by the Departments of Defense and External Affairs. When the Green Paper failed to arrive, the Preparatory Group became the “seminar by mail” that has attracted participation from across the country. Scribe for the seminar by mail became Michael Lanphier (York U). Joined by Anatol Rapoport, Norm Rubin, Hanna Newcombe and Janis Alton, Michael chaired the Science for Peace Policy Writing Group, whose first product is now available: a position paper and recommendations on the NPT and the CTB Treaty.
Waiting in the wings is the need for coming to gripe with the issue of chemical and biological warfare. The April issue of Canadian Forum carries Arthur Forer’s article on Canada’s role in CBW research. There are three articles in the May issue of the Bulletin Of The Atomic Scientists. Ursula Franklin and Jane Zavitz address the issue in the spring issue of Quaker Concern since has announced a new series, three studies to be forthcoming in 1985, three in 1986. The first is a selective review and bibliography of British state papers.
BC Chapter News
Accomplished In 1984-85:
Prepared and presented a brief to then MP Joe Clark’s forum on disarmament.
Delivered 20 lectures to a variety of audiences.
Participated in organizing an international conference in Vancouver (NUCLEAR WAR: A SEARCH FOR SOLUTIONS) and made presentations at the conference.
Held a half-day seminar at UBC on Nuclear Winter.
Prepared and distributed a “Briefing Kit” on nuclear disarmament issues to all candidates for the Sept federal elections.
Held monthly meetings and cosponsored a screening of the NFB series “War” at the UBC campus.
Planned For 1985-86:
Preparing lectures on nuclear weapons and their effects for inclusion in the curriculum for all first year physics courses at UBC.
Project to support the development of materials for post-secondary science curricula.
Investigating possibilities for interdepartmental programmes at UBC, in particular a graduate programme in studies on nuclear war and its prevention.
Preparing a study similar to the S4P Cruise Missile Report which will deal with the Strategic Defense Initiative.
Preparing a position paper for consideration during the promised review of foreign and defense policy by the federal government.
Participating in the organization of an international conference on accidental nuclear war.
Our annual membership renewal campaign is under way.
– George Spiegelman,Pres.
Lectures
President of S4P Anatol Rapoport taught one of the courses in Waterloo University’s Peace Studies Program (1984-85), and the first as Professor of Peace Studies at the U of T. This will be expanded in the next academic year and lead, hopefully in 1986, to a full four-year program at the U of T.
S4P members cooperated with the School of Continuing Studies at the U of T in offering its first peace studies program (Oct – Dec, 1984). Topics and discussants were
The Changing Nature of War, Anatol Rapoport
Physics of Nuclear Weapons, F.D. Manchester
Climatic Effects and Ecological Consequences of Nuclear Detonations, T.C. Hutchinson
Medical and Psychological Effects of Nuclear Weapons, Joanne Santa Barbara
Economic Effects of Arms Races, Mel Watkins
Decision making Processes, Logicostrategic Systems, Anatol Rapoport
The Random Factor in Initiating Nuclear War, Chandler Davis
Radioactive Monitoring and Verification of Test Bans, Derek Paul
Can We Avoid an Arms Race in Space?, John Polanyi
The annual UC – S4P Lectures in Peace Studies were given this year by George Ignatieff, Leonard Johnson, Kenneth Hare, Henry Wiseman and Noam Chomsky. Copies Of Ignatieff’s, Johnson’s and Chomsky’s lectures are available from the S4P office.
– L. T. Gardner
The following are authorized SfP Chapters and contacts:
St.F.X. Univ: Dr. M. O. Steinitz, Physics
New Brunswick: Prof. G.B. Semeluk, Chemistry, UNB
Quebec: Prof. Philip Ehrensaft, Sociology, U du Quebec a Montreal
Waterloo: Prof, David Roulston, Elec. Eng. U of Waterloo
B.C.: Dr. Colin R. Bell, Botany, UBC
Street Cry
The Philip Wallaces, who shared both Montreal and McGill with F.R. Scott, share the following from his “The Collected Poems” (Winner of the 1981 Governor General’s Award for Poetry):
Street Cry
Mushrooms! Mushrooms! Who’ll buy My Mushrooms? Fresh from Los Alamos! Very big, One is enough, Who’ll buy? Who’ll buy?
(1956)