Dear Members,
This 'newsletter' is shorter than most, reflecting the fact that we are just coming off a hectic season culminating in the hosting of the Fourth Annual Peace Education Conference in Canada at McMaster University in November.  Although short, I am very happy to say that this newsletter bears wonderful and profound news particularly with the links to detailed highlights of 4 most important books for all peace leaders, builders and educators.  They are “Being Peace” by Thich Nhat Hanh; “Self Leadership and the One Minute Manager : Increasing Effectiveness Through Situational Self Leadership”, by Ken Blanchard, Susan Fowler, Lawrence Hawkins; “The Leader Within : Learning Enough About Yourself to Lead Others”, by Drea Zigarmi, Ken Blanchard, Michael O'Connor, Carl Edeburn; and “Social Intelligence: The New Science of Success; Beyond IQ, Beyond EI, Applying Multiple Intelligence Theory to Human Interaction”, by Karl Albrecht.   

As a result of these new readings, and an otherwise inspiring year, I have posted a new Powerpoint Presentation on our web site providing an improved picture of our Vision to build a better world, with a Culture of Peace.  You can read it at http://www.peace.ca/BUILDING%20A%20BETTER%20WORLD.ppt .  I hope that you find this inspiring, and would appreciate your feedback on how I can make it better. 

I would like to wish everyone Seasons Greetings, a Happy New Year and Peace.

Bob Stewart 

Problem Identification Topics http://www.peace.ca/problem.htm : 

US Forces 'Used Chemical Weapons' during Assault on City of Fallujah - http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/110805Z.shtml  Powerful new evidence emerged yesterday that the United States dropped massive quantities of white phosphorus on the Iraqi city of Fallujah during the attack in November of 2004. The attack killed insurgents and civilians with appalling burns that are the signature of this weapon. A video documentary entitled "Fallujah: the Hidden Massacre," provides what it claims is clinching evidence that incendiary bombs known as Mark 77 - a new, improved form of napalm - were used in the attack on Fallujah. This action is in breach of the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons of 1980, which only allows such use against military targets.  WARNING: This video contains graphic and possibly disturbing footage.

 Who's Who (Community Level) http://www.peace.ca/whoswhocomm.htm  :

Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada (PSEPC) is Canada’s lead department for public safety. We build and implement national policies for emergency management and national security. We help ensure community safety by delivering crime prevention programs and developing federal policies for law enforcement and corrections.  For more information: web site http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca .  Funding is available for national projects that adopt Crime Prevention through Social Development – see http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/prg/cp/ncps_fundsindex-en.asp

SafeCanada.ca is your one-stop shop for safety and security information and services in Canada.   Our site is organized in an intuitive subject-based manner that allows you to find what you are looking for easily! We invite you to let us know if you can't find what you are looking for.  At SafeCanada.ca your safety and security matters to us!  Public safety is important for all Canadians. The Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness is leading the development of this website, a Government On-Line initiative which is part of the canada.gc.ca website. For more information: web site http://www.safecanada.ca

The Violence Information & Education Centre (VIEC) is a resource centre and lending library for service providers whose clients are impacted by violence. This includes staff members, volunteers and practicum students associated with an agency in Calgary and the surrounding area. Our patrons come from a wide section of the Calgary community and include service providers in health, legal, policing and education services, women's shelters and immigrant-settlement agencies.  Our Vision To address violence against women, domestic violence and abuse through accessible, inclusive and innovative community prevention efforts that recognize and honour equity and diversity.  Our Mission To support and enhance the work of agencies and individuals in Calgary by providing information and resources addressing violence against women, domestic violence and abuse and to improve communication, coordination and collaboration among these agencies.  For more information: web site http://www.viec.org ; email tracylynn@viec.org

 Information Resources (World Level) http://www.peace.ca/info.htm :

Being Peace, by Thich Nhat Hanh. Paperback: 118 pages, Publisher: Parallax Press (September 9, 2005), ISBN: 0938077007.  In order to achieve peace, we must be peace. This simple truth is the theme of this inspiring collection of lectures, given by Buddhist monk, scholar, poet and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh. If we are to change the world, he explains, we need to begin with ourselves, and awaken that eternal part of us where true peace resides - our own Buddha nature. His lucid explanations make us realise how easy this awakening can actually be... and how powerful. For, with inner peace as the guide and criterion for all our actions, we transform our way of living into one genuinely capable of bringing lasting peace into a troubled world.  The book also helps us with some basic understanding of Buddhism and meditation.   Click on this link for a summary of the highlights of the book.  5 Star, Must Reading.  http://www.peace.ca/beingpeace.htm

Self Leadership and the One Minute Manager : Increasing Effectiveness Through Situational Self Leadership, by Ken Blanchard, Susan Fowler, Lawrence Hawkins. Hardcover: 176 pages; Publisher: William Morrow (May 24, 2005); ISBN: 0060799129.  Self Leadership and the One Minute Manager clearly and thoroughly reveals how power, freedom, and autonomy come from having the right mind-set and the skills needed to take personal responsibility for success.  “Ultimately, it's in your own best interest to accept responsibility for getting what you need to succeed.”  Self leadership can be achieved by practising three skills: challenge assumed constraints; celebrate your points of power; collaborate for success. Self leaders require different levels of direction and support as they consolidate their competence and commitment at each stage of their development.  We can empower ourselves by utilising the guidance and support of our peers. For such a small book & such a fast read this was a powerful book. It has life changing lessons that I plan to implement in my every day. I highly recommend this book to anyone who feels stuck in the life they are in, & let the lesson begin for your new journey.  Discover the magic of no excuses!  Click on this link for a summary of the highlights of the book.  http://www.peace.ca/selfleadership.htm

The Leader Within : Learning Enough About Yourself to Lead Others, by Drea Zigarmi, Ken Blanchard, Michael O'Connor, Carl Edeburn.  Hardcover: 288 pages.  Publisher: Financial Times Prentice Hall (August 26, 2004). ISBN: 0131470256. The first step toward becoming an extraordinary leader: Know Yourself.  The Leader Within will help you understand yourself better … so you can change, grow, and become powerfully more effective.  If you lead... if you intend to lead... if you work with leaders... you need this book. You need it to discover why self-change is your most urgent leadership challenge; your values, beliefs, and personality are driving your success -- or your failure -- even when you don't realize it.  You need it to discover how to lead brilliantly, in ways that reflect your own values and personality; connect in both group settings and one-to-one contexts; liberate personal traits and energies you never knew you had; rekindle your team's spirit -- and build stronger, more effective, more joyful organizations.  Liberate the outstanding leader inside you -- with The Leader Within.  Click here for detailed highlights.  http://www.peace.ca/leaderwithin.htm - 5 Star Recommended/Must Reading.

Social Intelligence: The New Science of Success; Beyond IQ, Beyond EI, Applying Multiple Intelligence Theory to Human Interaction, by Karl Albrecht http://www.karlalbrecht.com .  Format: Hardcover, 280pp.  ISBN: 0787979384.  October 2005.  Jossey-Bass.  When I developed the Draft Canadian Culture of Peace Program Marketing Strategy (ref. http://www.cultureofpeace.ca/CCOPPmarketingstrategy.htm ) , I suggested we use the concept of Social Intelligence (i.e. raising Social Intelligence/Social Development) as a path to Peace Education and a Culture of Peace – that it is more readily acceptable/ understandable by the general population.  This book explains it much better than I, including the “How To”, hence I strongly recommend it. Karl Albrecht defines social intelligence (SI) as the ability to get along well with others while winning their cooperation. SI is a combination of sensitivity to the needs and interests of others, sometimes called your “ social radar, ” an attitude of generosity and consideration, and a set of practical skills for interacting successfully with people in any setting. "Social Intelligence provides a highly accessible and comprehensive model for describing, assessing, and developing social intelligence at a personal level. This book is filled with intriguing concepts, enlightening examples, stories, cases, situational strategies, and a self-assessment tool – all designed to help you learn to navigate social situations more successfully.  The author takes you on a guided tour of the five dimensions of social intelligence (“S.P.A.C.E.”): 1. Situational Awareness – the ability to read situations and to interpret the behaviors of people in those situations;  2. Presence – Often called ‘bearing’, it’s a whole range of verbal and nonverbal behaviors that define you in the minds of others;  3. Authenticity – the behaviors that cause others to judge you as honest, open, and ‘real’;  4. Clarity – the ability to explain your ideas and articulate your views;  5. Empathy – the ability to ‘connect’ with others.  You can get it (and read a descriptive summary) at Chapters book store online at http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/item.asp?Item=978078797938&Catalog=Books&Ntt=social+intelligence&N=35&Lang=en&Section=books&zxac=1 for $21.43 (which is 33% off the list price right now).  5 star must reading. Click here to read detailed highlights of the book.  http://www.peace.ca/socialintelligence.htm

Essene Gospels of Peace http://www.thenazareneway.com/index_essene_gospels_of_peace.htm and http://www.essene.com/GospelOfPeace/index.html

 Proposals/Solutions http://www.peace.ca/proposal.htm :

 Inspiring Quotes http://www.peace.ca/inspiringquotations.htm :

“Peace is the key to all knowledge, all mystery, all life.”  (from the Essene Gospels of Peace http://www.thenazareneway.com/index_essene_gospels_of_peace.htm and http://www.essene.com/GospelOfPeace/index.html )

“A society driven by responsibilities is oriented toward service, acknowledging other points of view, compromise and progress – whereas a society driven by rights is oriented toward acquisitions, confrontation and advocacy … at the most fundamental level, all conduct is individual so when you bring the moral dimension to individual actions, you bring integrity to the entire work environment.”  Keshavan Nair

“A new moral principle is emerging which holds that the only authority deserving of one’s allegiance is that which is freely and knowingly granted by the led to the leader in response to, and in proportion to, the clearly evident servant stature of the leader.”  Robert Greenleaf

“We need a new heroic ideal: the brave, truthful, non-violent individual who is in the service of humanity, resists injustice and exploitation, and leads by appealing to our ideals and our spirit.”  Keshavan Nair

“Empowerment is something someone gives you.  Self Leadership is what you do to make it work. … Ultimately, it’s in your own best interest to accept responsibility for getting what you need to succeed…”  Ken Blanchard et al, Self Leadership and the One Minute Manager

“Self leaders challenge assumed constraints, celebrate their points of power, and collaborate for success.”  Ken Blanchard et al, Self Leadership and the One Minute Manager

DESIDERATA: "Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there is in silence.  As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.  Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.  Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.  If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.  Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of times.  Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.  Be yourself.  Especially, do not feign affection.  Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is perennial as the grass.  Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.  Nurture strength of spirit to shield yourself in sudden misfortune.  But do not distress yourself with imaginings.  Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.  Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars. You have a right to be here.  And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.  Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever labors and aspiration in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul.  With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.  Be careful.  Strive to be happy."  -- Found in Old Saint Paul's Church, Baltimore, 1692

We are hosting/promoting 3 major upcoming events in Canada:

Second Annual Canadian Culture of Peace Program Symposium March, 2006 http://www.cultureofpeace.ca tentatively at University of Alberta, Edmonton (specific date and location to be announced).
Third Annual Leadership and Peace Workshop November 20 -  22, 2006 at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario http://www.peace.ca/peaceleader.htm
Fifth Annual Peace Education Conference in Canada November 23 - 27, 2006 http://www.peace.ca/CanadianAgenda2005.htm at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario.