Symposium: The Dynamics of Possible Nuclear Extinction – February 28-March 1, 2015 at The New York Academy of Medicine

A unique, two-day symposium at which an international panel of leading experts in disarmament, political science, existential risk, artificial intelligence, anthropology, medicine, nuclear weapons and other nuclear issues will be held at The New York Academy of Medicine on Feb 28- March 1, 2015. The public is welcome.
A project of The Helen Caldicott Foundation

Venue: The New York Academy of Medicine. 1216 Fifth Ave @ 103rd St. NY, NY 10029

 

Location, Directions and Parking

 

To register click here . Registering in advance will include complimentary lunch.
No other lunch option will be available at the venue.

Important notice: Tickets will be on sale until Feb 18th, 2015. Register early to reserve your place. After the cut off date you will have to pay by CASH at the venue.

There will be NO FOOD OPTION for those who do not pre-register.

There is no bank machine in the building.

The Symposium: The Dynamics of Possible Nuclear Extinction.

Russia and the U.S. possess 94% of the 16,400 nuclear weapons in the global nuclear arsenal. The U.S. maintains its first strike winnable nuclear war policy, and both countries have raised their nuclear arsenals to a higher state of alert because of the situation in the Ukraine.

Furthermore it has just been announced that the administration has plans to replace every nuclear warhead and their delivery systems via ship, submarine, missile and plane, at a cost of one trillion dollars over the next thirty years.

This symposium to be held by The Helen Caldicott Foundation will address the following issues:
. What are the human and technological factors that could precipitate a nuclear war between Russia and the U.S., how many times have we come close to nuclear war and how long will our luck hold?
. What are the ongoing technological and financial developments relevant to the nuclear weapons arsenals of the US and Russia?
. What problems are associated with lateral proliferation of nuclear weapons via strenuous corporate marketing of nuclear technology?
. What are the medical and environmental consequences of either a small or large scale nuclear war?
. What are the underlying philosophical, political, and ideological dynamics that have brought life on earth to the brink of extinction?
. How can we assess this situation from an anthropological perspective?
. What is the pathology within the present political situation that could lead us to extinction?
. How can this nuclear pathology be cured?

 

Moderated by:

Day One: Kennette Benedict, Executive Director, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Day Two: Ray Acheson, Director, Reaching Critical Will

The Presenters (confirmed speakers, this is not the speaking order):

Theodore A Postol-
Professor Emeritus of Science, Technology, and National Security Policy, 
MIT. Striving for Armageddon. The US nuclear force modernization program, rising tensions with Russia, and the increasing danger of a world nuclear catastrophe
Seth Baum– Global Catastrophic Risk Institute, will address the catastrophic risk of nuclear war
Max Tegmark – Professor of physics at MIT and author of “Our Mathematical Universe,” will discuss artificial intelligence and the risk of automation accidentally triggering a nuclear war.
Hans Kristensen – Federation of American Scientists, will address the current size of the global nuclear arsenals
Bill Hartung– Center for International Policy, will discuss the inordinate power and pathological dynamics exercised by the US military industrial complex
Greg Mello -Los Alamos Study Group, the role and funding of the nuclear weapons laboratories inherent within the US nuclear armament dilemma
John Feffer – Institute of Policy Studies will compare the money spent on the US military industrial complex compared with the paltry amount spent on the prevention of global warming
Bruce Gagnon – Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, will elucidate the ongoing and dangerous militarization of space
Bob Alvarez – Institute of Policy Studies, will discuss lateral proliferation and describe how a small nuclear exchange could trigger a global holocaust
Robert Parry – Investigative Journalist, Consortium News. Will discuss Ukraine and the Human Factor: How propaganda and passions can risk nuclear conflagration.
Steven Starr– Associate of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, a board member and senior scientist for Physicians for Social Responsibility. Nuclear War: An Unrecognized Mass Extinction Event Waiting to Happen.
Holly Barker – Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Medical, Teratogenic and Genetic pathology related to US nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands.
Alan Robock – Distinguished Professor, Dept. of Environmental Sciences. Rutgers University, will outline his pioneering work on Nuclear Famine and Nuclear Winter.
Janne Nolan – Elliott School of International Affairs will outline the underlying psychological pathology of the nuclear warriors
Mike Lofgren – author of Anatomy of the Deep State, will describe the underlying pathology of US capitalism leading to this current tenuous nuclear situation
Susi Snyder– (PAX, the Netherlands), Contributor to 2014 report DON’T BANK ON THE BOMB
Hugh Gusterson – Professor of Anthropology and Sociology, George Mason University will describe his anthropological research after spending one year at the Los Alamos Labs.
Robert Sheer – author of STAR WARRIORS will describe his research into the young men who do the research on nuclear weapons development at Lawrence Livermore Labs
Noam Chomsky, Institute Professor and Professor of Linguistics, MIT will present the pathology within the present political system that could induce extinction
Dave Krieger – Nuclear Age Peace Foundation on what can we do? How the Marshall Islanders are speaking truth to power. The Nuclear Zero Lawsuits Brought by the Marshall Islands Against the 9 Nuclear Nations.
Tim Wright – Campaign Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) – some potential and exciting solutions
Helen Caldicott – President of The Helen Caldicott Foundation – An urgent prescription for survival

 

To register click here

 

Schedule to date:

DAY ONE: Saturday, February 28

Morning Session

9am – Opening Remarks

9.15 – 9.30 Moderator- Kennette Benedict, Executive Director Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

9.30 – 9.50 Theodore A Postol-
Professor Emeritus of Science, Technology, and National Security Policy, 
MIT. Striving for Armageddon.

9.50 – 10.10 Max Tegmark – Professor of Physics, MIT – Artificial Intelligence and the Risk of Accidental Nuclear War.

10.10 – 10.30 Alan Robock – Distinguished Professor, Department Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University – Nuclear Famine and Nuclear Winter: Climatic Effects of Nuclear War- Catastrophic Threats to the Global Food Supply

10.30 – 11.00 Q&A

11.00 – 11.30 Tea and Coffee

11.30 – 11.50 Alan Robock – Distinguished Professor, Department Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University – Nuclear Famine and Nuclear Winter: Climatic Effects of Nuclear War- Catastrophic Threats to the Global Food Supply

11.50 – 12.10 Steven Starr – Associate of Nuclear Age peace Foundation and Board Member and Senior Scientist for Physicians for Social Responsibility – The Medical and Ecological implications

Bill Hartung – Center for International Policy – Inordinate Power and Pathological Dynamics of the Military Industrial Complex

12.10 – 12.30 Mike Lofgen – Author of Anatomy of the Deep State – US Capitalism Relating to the Tenuous Nuclear Situation

12.30 – 1.00 Q&A

1.00 – 2.00 Lunch

Afternoon Session

2.00 – 2.20 Greg Mello – Los Alamos Study Group – The Role and Funding of the US Nuclear Weapons Labs

2.20 – 2.40 Hans Kristensen – Federation of American Scientists – The Current Size of the World’s Nuclear Arsenals

2.40 – 3.00 Bruce Gagnon – Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space – The Ongoing and Dangerous Militarization of Space

3.00 – 3.20 Bob Alvarez – Institute of Policy Studies – Lateral Proliferation Could Trigger a Global Nuclear Holocaust

3.20 – 4.00 Q&A

4.00 – 6.00 On The Beach – film

 

DAY TWO: Sunday, March 1

Morning Session

9.00 – 9.15 Opening remarks: Ray Acheson, Director Reaching Critical Will- Report Back from the Vienna Conference and it’s implications.

8.15 – 9.35 Steven Starr – Associate of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, a board member and senior scientist for Physicians for Social Responsibility – An Unrecognized Mass Extinction Event Waiting to Happen

9.35 – 9.55 Holly Barker – Department Anthropology, University of Washington –Medical, Teratogenic and Genetic Pathology Related to US Nuclear Testing in the Marshall Islands

9.55 – 10.15 John Feffer – Institute of Policy Studies – Comparison of Spending on US Military Industrial Complex ND Prevention of Global Warming

10.15 – 10.54 Q&A

10.45 – 11.15 Tea and Coffee

11.15 – 11.35 Lynn Eden – Author Whole World on Fire – Holocaust Firestorms Following Nuclear War, Ignored by Pentagon Calculations

11.35 – 11.55 Janne Nolan – Elliot School of International Affairs – Psychological Pathology of the Nuclear Warriors

11.55 – 12.15 Mike Lofgren – Author of Anatomy of the Deep State – US Capitalism Relating to the Tenuous Nuclear Situation

12.15 – 12.45 Q&A
12.45 – 1.45 Lunch

Afternoon Session

1.45 – 2.05 Susie Snyder – PAX, the Netherlands – Don’t Bank on the Bomb

2.05 – 2.25 Hugh Gusterson – Professor Anthropology at George Washington University – Anthropological Research at Los Alamos Labs

2.25 – 2.45 Robert Scheer – Author of Star Warriors – Data on Young Men Researchers at Lawrence Livermore Labs

2.45 – 3.15 Q&A

3.15 – 3.45 Tea and Coffee

3.45 – 4.05 Noam Chomsky – Institute Professor and Professor of Linguistics MIT – Pathology within the Existing Political System that could lead to Nuclear War

4.05 – 4.25 David Krieger – President Nuclear Age Peace Foundation – The Nuclear Zero Lawsuits Brought by the Marshall Islands Against the 9 Nuclear Nations.

4.25 – 4.45 Tim Wright – Campaign Director International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons ICAN – Some New and Exciting Solutions

4.45 – 5.00 Helen Caldicott – President Helen Caldicott Foundation – While There’s Life There’s Hope

 

To register click here

Or: https://tdopne.ticketbud.com/symposium-the-dynamics-of-possible-nuclear-extinction

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