"Real Change is Possible"

In this morning's speech to the United Nations General Assembly, President Obama covered a range of topics—all under the umbrella of his desire for leaders to recognize the "common future" of a world in which "the interests of peoples and nations are shared."

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23RD, 2009 AT 1:23 PM

"Real Change is Possible"

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Real_Change_is_Possible/

New York Times

Obama Addresses U.N. General Assembly

In a sweeping speech to the United Nations General Assembly, President Obama sought to clearly delineate differences between his administration and that of former President George W. Bush.

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/09/23/world/1247464785727/obama-addresses-u-n-general-assembly.html

When Peace Comes To The World

Somebody cared enough to
mark the spot-
The spot where crumpled on the filthy walk,
he would have heard the Metra
dinging south -
in fading consciousness, a final toll
matter-of-factly echoing the shots.

She (surmising tearful friend, or mother)
or, sadder yet, a he- a little brother-
designed a tender, tawdry monument-
wilting lily and a small white bear
tied - eye level- to a metal fence-
the 2100 block near Dominicks.

How is it that one person’s youthful crime:
to tread on common ground fictively claimed
as purview of some other wary youths-
who look and act exactly like their foes-
should prescribe his brutal, public death?

The drive that pushed our species to survive,
no doubt supported once by reasoned choice:
to stand our tiny patch of sun-scorched earth
is self destructive in the world wide web.

Could we, in our integral self appraisal
accept the concept of a global face?
And that, perhaps, South Shore is like a
mirror
Reflecting facets of the human race.

We really are connected: ill or good,

world peace must issue from our neighborhood.

Chicago,

Mary Steenson

http://zoradesign.blogspot.com/2007/01/starting-over.html

U.S. proposes nuclear resolution at UN

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The United States circulated a draft U.N. resolution Friday calling for stepped up efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons which it hopes will be adopted by world leaders at a meeting later this month chaired by President Barack Obama.

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/international/news/20090912p2g00m0in008000c.html

What we've been up to...

Dear Friends,

When we launched Global Zero last December, even the most optimistic among us could not have imagined how far we'd come in just eight months. We wanted to share with you some of the highlights of the Global Zero campaign so far. To see what we've done, look at pictures, videos, and new ways to get involved, just scroll down or click on the link below:

http://www.globalzero.org/en/report-back

We've come a long way but much remains to be done. We're in this for the long haul-and we need you with us all the way to the finish line.

Thank you for being part of the solution.

Galit, Cristina, Nate, Jessica, Caitlin, Volha, Ameer, Mohamed and the entire Global Zero team

------------------------------------------------------

A Snowball of positive media coverage

We've generated extensive worldwide media coverage -- over 1500 news stories in more than 70 countries in print and online outlets, and television appearances by Global Zero leaders on CNN International, PBS's Charlie Rose, BBC TV, Al Jazeera, Australian Broadcasting Network, Canada Today, NHK Japan, Phoenix TV (Hong Kong), Xinhua News Agency, CNBC, MSNBC, Reuters and Russia Today, among others. Click here for more.

Queen Noor

Queen Noor will only knight Stephen after he signs the Global Zero declaration. (6:21)

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/224012/april-07-2009/queen-noor

Global Zero Grassroots Action

Achieving global zero will require an unprecedented worldwide grassroots campaign. Global Zero is involving citizens in innovative ways and providing the support they need to educate and organize their communities, workplaces and schools.

We partnered with Avaaz.org at key global decision-making moments. When President Obama gave his historic speech in Prague and called on other nations to join him in working towards a nuclear-free world, Avaaz members in France sent 23,000 emails to President Sarkozy urging him to participate in multi-lateral negotiations for global zero. This July, before the Obama/Medvedev Summit, over 100, 000 people from every country in the world signed the Global Zero declaration in just three days. This kind of growth can only be achieved if all of us take a minute to tell our friends and family about Global Zero. If you haven't done so, please use our simple tool to invite your friends and family to join our cause.

We are also providing a new generation with advocacy and media trainings from top practitioners and the opportunity to become Global Zero campus leaders. The leadership training enables outstanding young leaders to educate and organize others in their schools and build the foundation for a massive global grassroots campaign for zero.

To start a Global Zero chapter, organize or attend a Global Zero event in your city or town, or find out ways to be more involved with the campaign, click here.

Educating the public

We know that achieving Global Zero will also require educating the global public about the nuclear threat and why eliminating nuclear weapons is the only answer. In the past six months, Global Zero leaders have spread the message to students in the United States, Europe and the Middle East, with more events planned worldwide in the next six months.

We have also developed a state of the art interactive online video. If you haven't seen the Global Zero interactive maps, please click below:

Australia, Japan in nuclear rift

AUSTRALIA and Japan are at loggerheads over the use of nuclear weapons in war, with Japan - the only country to have suffered atomic attack - determined that they should remain a broad-based deterrent.

DANIEL FLITTON

September 4, 2009

http://www.theage.com.au/national/australia-japan-in-nuclear-rift-20090903-f9yw.html

Celebrating International Day of Peace !

New York Peace Film Festival and Interborough Repertory Theater presents:

Celebrating International Day of Peace !

“Hibakusha Outcry” Reading Series 2009

Tuesday, September 15, 2009 @ 7:00pm~9:30pm

Film “Twice Bombed, Twice Survived (Nijuuhibaku)” (English subtitle: 60min)

Tanka Reading (English & Japanese) by Chad Diehl

Tuesday, September 22, 2009 @ 7:00pm~9:30pm

Staged Reading "Atomic Field"(『原子野』）(in Japanese)

Written by Kenneth Robbins / Translation by Akira Wakabayashi

Directed by Sonoko Kawahara

with

Akira Takayama*, Masayasu Nakanishi*, Mami Kimura, Asuka Morinaga

*Actors Appear Courtesy of Actors Equity Association

FREE ADMISSION

IRT (Interborough Repertory Theater)

154 Christopher Street, Suite 3B, New York, NY 10014

Map

Reservations:

nypeacefilmfestival@gmail.com / 212-592-3311

For more information: www.nypeacefilmfest.com

Check out our YouTube & MySpace page
www.YouTube.com/NewYorkPeaceFilmFest
www.MySpace.com/newyorkpeacefilmfestival

We're also on twitter
http://twitter.com/NYPeaceFilmFest

… and look us up on Facebook!

UN Disarmament conference marks 64th Anniversary of the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima

6 August 2009

The Conference on Disarmament today marked the sixty-fourth anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

The President of the Conference, Ambassador Caroline Millar of Australia,drew attention to the fact that today was the sixty-fourth anniversary of thedropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. This was a sober reminder toall of the destruction and devastation of nuclear weapons and of thecompelling importance of the Conference resuming its work on nuclear disarmament.

Japan said that this day, together with the 9 of August for Nagasaki, was aday to remember the tragedies so that they could renew theirdetermination to work towards a world free of nuclear weapons. Japan alsonoted that this year there had been a number of encouraging statementsand initiatives towards this goal.

http://www.unog.ch/80256EDD006B9C2E/(httpNewsByYear_en)/07A35D59ED66219BC125760A002D18DE?OpenDocument