It is the mark of an intelligent mind to entertain an idea without accepting it

And in this spirit of open-mindedness we offer you some ideas.

Governments put precious little resource into Peace Development – possibly because it might catch on. A Peace pandemic would rock the status quo. But the status quo has cracked. Into those cracks are pouring new ideas.

Much work has been done to construct a fairer form of economic existence. How about no-interest loans for example; or debt free money? There is a brave book which makes compelling reading - Seven Steps to Justice by Rodney Shakespeare and Peter Challen. ISBN 1-872410-27-8. The book is easy enough to read, and its main point is to debunk the way world economies are currently structured with the thoughtful development of a whole new economic theory. It written with ordinary people in mind, so if you are interested (and you don’t even need to be able to count to understand it), buy it. Under £10 new. www.globaljusticemovement.net/home/seven-steps.htm

In the UK there is a General Election brewing. It is a perfect moment for Peace and Justice organisations to put forward their thoughts and ideas for a more sustainable future. Research is required, but the general thrust of ideas from at least three COEXISTing organisations revolves around determining the costs of military expenditure and applying them to the benefit of humanity and the environment. Without doubt we will see that it is entirely within our means to abolish child poverty and invest properly in sustainable living for starters – and we certainly wouldn’t need to take a cut in our standard of living! We will bring you more news for sensible actions and meetings in the coming weeks.

Code Pink is strong in the US with more than 200,000 members. Their message is strong: ‘Global weapons sales topped 1 trillion dollars last year, with the U.S. accounting for a whopping $603 billion in military spending in 2008. Can you imagine what $603 billion dollars could do towards eradicating hunger, immunizing children, fixing broken infrastructure, creating sustainable jobs and providing quality education and housing?’ www.codepinkalert.org

Wonderful news from a fellow COEXISTer, the amazing Leap organisation has just won the UK Charity Awards. Please go and take a look at their brilliant work at www.leapconfrontingconflict.org.uk Congratulations to Jenny and the team from all at COEXIST.