Journal for the Study of Peace and Conflict Editor's Introduction
	A few days ago I was out walking, contemplating the diverse perspectives I had been reading on issues surrounding the millennium—the doomsayers, the futurists and the Y2Kers, to name just a few. There on the sidewalk lay a bright yellow finch, dead. I have fond memories of finches. In the big garden my family planted throughout my childhood, yellow finches were a common sight. I loved to watch the darting bright yellow of their dance among the flowers. I loved to listen to their mellifluous song. The sight engendered the following poem: ONLY NOW One feathered ray of absolute yellow sunshine, one perfect note of crystal pure song dropped out of the sky. Dead on the hard sidewalk, lying just at the edge of the cold concrete, its dead back pushing against the green sighing grass, its dead eyes empty as the clock’s face in the bell tower. I mean to say that now is the only time we have. Amidst all the hope and skepticism regarding the future, we need to recognize that the future never comes. We only have the moment of now. And what we spend our time on now changes everything. As this Journal for the Study of Peace and Conflict goes to print, I am grateful for the present commitment of those colleges and universities who are members of the Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies. These organizations have decided that a dialogue about issues of peace, global cooperation, and justice is valuable to the educational mission that we share. This conversation goes on, not only in the pages of this journal, but in the Institute’s conferences and speakers program. Most importantly, the dialogue happens in the informal networking of faculty and staff from different institutions who find that they have allies in the study of peace and conflict. The member institutions continue to put a priority on working together now to explore effective solutions for a more humane global community. I would like to acknowledge the thoughtful work of those who served as referees for this edition. Their insightful reading of submissions and extensive critical analysis ensures the quality of the Journal and helps authors refine their research and writing. I would like to thank especially Deborah Buffton, the Associate Editor of the Journal, for reading and commenting on every article that was submitted. Finally, I am very grateful to Sharon Roberts, Executive Secretary of the Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, whose organization, kindness and persistence are the determining forces behind this annual project.
	Gary J. Boelhower Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Marian College, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin © Gary J. Boelhower
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