Peace Library News

Ever wondered how to type ä é î ò ú without searching for the symbol in various drop down menus? On your PC:

1. Enable the number pad on your keyboard by pressing the NUMLOCK key. You will usually see a small light or other indication that the number pad is now toggled “on.” Don't use the numbers at top of the keys, only the number pad will work.

2. Hold down the ALT key, then using the numeric keypad, type the number that is associated with the special character you would like to use.

3. Release the ALT key.

4. The special character will appear in the location of your cursor. Voilà!

â ALT 131 ä ALT 132 à ALT 133 å ALT 134 á ALT 160 ç ALT 135 é ALT 130 ê ALT 136 ë ALT 137 è ALT 138

ï ALT 139 î ALT 140 ì ALT 141 ñ ALT 164 ô ALT 147 ö ALT 148 ò ALT 149 û ALT 150 ù ALT 151 ü ALT 129

I find these are the characters I use the most. For a different set of ALT codes and lots more characters and symbols, take a look at
Mr Modem's Library

Paul F. Kirgis
Professor of Law, St. John's University School of Law, New York
Posted to the Dispute Resolution listserv, Sunday, January 09, 2005

As a former litigator, a current mediator, and a professor of both civil procedure and ADR, I wanted to add a couple of thoughts on the role of lawyers in the world of ADR. While I completely understand the desire of many non-lawyer mediators to disassociate mediation from the practice of law(because of the inherent bias of lawyers in favor of litigation), I'm not sure that that is either realistic or necessarily positive.

From the realist perspective, the fact that it is so difficult to make a living purely as a mediator means that most mediators will need to have some other source of income. The reality is that lawyers are the people in society best positioned to pursue mediation as an outgrowth of an otherwise profitable vocation. Particular individuals may be able to develop mediation practices in their areas of specialization, but for mediation to become as widely used as many hope, it is likely that lawyers will have tocarry much of the load.

Perhaps more importantly, for mediation to succeed, lawyers need to be drawn in rather than excluded. In our culture, lawyers hold the keys to conflictre solution. It is a common saying that people who are concerned about the rights of criminal defendants should become prosecutors. By the same token, people who are interested in finding more positive ways of resolving conflict should consider becoming lawyers.

Finally, while I believe strongly in the value of mediation, I am increasingly concerned about the current political climate in which powerful interests seem ever more determined to suppress litigation in the name of"reform." ADR has become a part of that trend. For example, more and more companies are putting mandatory arbitration provisions in their employment contracts specifically to prevent discrimination claims from getting to juries. This is not necessarily a good thing. In a society in which government regulation is perceived as anathema, litigation can be the only recourse of the weak against the powerful. In such a climate, it may be that the best mediators are people with enough legal knowledge to see when alternative processes are being used for manipulative purposes. Of course, it is not only lawyers who fit that description. But it makes sense to see lawyers as potentially vital parts of the solution rather than as parts of the problem. And it also may make sense, taking individual circumstances into account, for those interested in principled conflict resolution to consider becoming lawyers.

Peace, Conflict and Development
Department of Peace Studies, University of Bradford
http://www.peacestudiesjournal.org.uk/aboutus.asp
Peace, Conflict and Development is an electronic journal focusing on contemporary issues in Conflict and Peace Studies. It aims to publish innovative and accessible writing on a wide range of topics: human rights; democracy and democratisation; conflict resolution; environment; security; war; identity and community; culture; other related areas of interest.

The video will be "From the Ashes"

Set in a small village called Josina in the south of Mozambique, the film
shows how villagers, who fought and suffered on both sides, are working
towards healing the wounds of the past through their belief systems, rituals
and philosophies.
(26 min)

Venue: Library Meeting Room
Time: 1 p.m.

CCR hosted two public seminars during August.

Sudan after John Garang’s death

Two million people have lost their lives and many more were displaced in Sudan between 1983 and 2005 when the peace agreement was signed. What are the prospects for peace in Sudan after the death of vice-president Garang?
The speaker was Professor Francis Deng, School of Advanced International Studies, Washington D.C.


South Africa’s Nobel Peace Laureates
Ten distinguished South Africans have won Nobel Laureates. CCR honoured and celebrated four Nobel Peace Laureates who have contributed significantly to peace, justice and reconciliation in South Africa and Africa.

The seminar was chaired by Professor Kader Asmal, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Defence and co-editor of the book, South Africa’s Nobel Laureates

The speakers comprised the other co-editors:
Wilmot James on Nelson Mandela
Alex Boraine on Desmond Tutu
David Chidester on Albert Luthuli
Leon Wessels on FW de Klerk

The book was on sale at the event and and is available from from Clarke's Bookshop, Cape Town.
Tel: 021 423 5739 Fax: 021 423 6441
e-mail: books@clarkesbooks.co.za
www.clarkesbooks.co.za

Find a list of our previous seminars here