Ward Wilson, Martha Goodings, and Metta discuss whether it is true that the bombing of Hiroshima was the reason why Japan surrendered. They agree that the more important factor was that the Soviet Union entered the war just before Nagasaki was bombed.

Craig Smith and Metta worry about the rapid melting of the Arctic ice and the permafrost, for these will release large amounts of the greenhouse gas methane into the atmosphere. This is happening faster than expected; the summer sea ice may even vanish during this decade, speeding up the process even more. Some possible solutions are discussed, though none are well-established yet.

How can Canadian farmers find sufficient foreign workers to produce this year's crop, when Covid has made immigration so difficult? Beginning with this issue, Marianne Larsen, Maria Puerta, Doug Saunders, and Aaron Tovish discuss with Metta the challenges that the pandemic poses for international migration.

You can watch this series (or listen to them as audio podcasts) on our website, then comment here: https://tosavetheworld.ca/videos/#comments.

Dina Zisserman Brodsky, a former Soviet dissident, now professor of political science in Israel, is studying the decreasing number of democratic states in the world. Drawing upon the work of Wendy Brown, she describes this as a merger of two ideologies: neo-liberalism and neo-conservatism.

Paul Maillet and Akbar Manoussi discuss the political conflicts among Middle Eastern countries, plus China and the US, and how these dynamics have created war, famine and disease in Yemen. You can watch this series (or listen to them as audio podcasts) on our website, then comment here: https://tosavetheworld.ca/videos/#comments. If someone replies, we will notify you.

Leon Kosals is a sociology professor in both Russia and Canada, so he can compare the views of students in both countries. He tells Metta that Russian universities are becoming international (he teaches some of his courses in English) while the press and Russian public opinion is more hostile to the West and more conservative in societal values.

Glen Anderson and Joanne Dufour teach a free course on nuclear weapons near Olympia, Washington. They tell Metta about their activism.

Charles Burton, Sen. Marilou McPhedran, James Ranney, Peter Russell, and Doug Saunders discuss the need for effective measures to compel all states to accept humane norms of conduct. The dispute between China and Taiwan is a current example; the Taiwanese government is legitimate, but many countries will not take a stand against powerful China. We also discuss the problem of "libel chill," that inhibits honest journalism, even in Canada.

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Ambassador Enkhsaikhan is a Mongolian who has represented his country in many posts around the world since the 1970s. He was highly instrumental in the negotiations for his country to become the world's first single nuclear weapon free STATE-- as contrasted to "zone." Even now, France will not recognize a single country, rather than a regional group of countries. as such. He explains to Metta how this remarkable development occurred. Now Enkhsaikhan is the leader of an organization called "Blue Banner" that is working to create a NWFZ in the far east.

You can watch this series (or listen to them as audio podcasts) on our website, then comment here: https://tosavetheworld.ca/videos/#comments. If someone replies, we will notify you.

Zach Ruiter and Adam Wynne are concerned about the extent of radioactive contamination around two plants that process uranium--one in Toronto, the other in Peterborough. They discuss the effects of alpha radiation on human cells when ingested or inhaled, and the difficulty of measuring alpha emissions. The company should have consulted the neighbourhood, but their notifications mainly obscure the level of risk.

You can watch this series (or listen to them as audio podcasts) on our website, then comment on this column: https://tosavetheworld.ca/videos/#comments. If someone replies, we will notify you.