Violence is the main obstacle to human development. Since there is an intrinsic link between patriarchy and violence, mitigating violence requires overcoming the patriarchal mindset in both secular and religious institutions. The mission of this electronic journal is to provide a commented digest on current research and emerging issues related to human solidarity, ecological sustainability, and both secular and religious non-violence. Each issue includes links to relevant "best of the web" content. The basic philosophy of the journal is Christian, but no source of wisdom is excluded. The U.N. "Millennium Development Goals" (MDGs) are used as a point of reference. Please send feedback to Luis T. Gutierrez, SSNV Editor.

ABOUT THE EDITOR

My complete name is Luis Teodoro Gutierrez. I have been married to Lourdes since 1963, and we have two children and four grandchildren. I am a Christian and a Cuban-American (US citizen since 1973), and speak English and Spanish. My Ph.D. from the Georgia Institute of Technology (1974) is in systems engineering and information science. I am also a registered professional engineer (P.E.) in the State of Maryland, USA. I was employed with IBM for 30 years and retired in 1998.

I am now an independent researcher and writer. My retirement project is to do research on sustainable development and related global issues at the intersection of technology, solidarity, sustainability, non-violence, and religion. By non-violence I mean a radical renunciation to both physical and psychological violence. Physical violence is bad enough, but psychological violence is even worse! Therefore, I believe it is critical to make young people aware of current global issues that may reach crisis intensity during their lifetime.

My website is The Pelican Web. The pelican is a legendary symbol of commitment to the service of others, especially those who are weak and most vulnerable. The mission of the website includes publishing a monthly e-journal, Solidarity, Sustainability, and Nonviolence. It provides bits and pieces of my own reflections and a commented digest of current research and emerging issues. This is a free subscription, free access e-jornal, and a monthly notice is distributed to members of the Solidarity-Sustainability Google Group.