Tricounty DFA Update: Peace Vigil, Photos online and more
Hello Everyone;

In This Update:

1. Peace Vigil At The Five Corners
2. Photos Online-- Sign Up For DFA-Link!
3. Financial Quarter Closing For Gillibrand
4. Movies: Bakehouse Cafe and Saratoga Women's
5. Global Warming Map: Astonishing And Not To Be Missed
6. French Students Fight For All Our Rights

1. Peace Vigil At The Five Corners

Last week another great group came together at the Five Corners in Downtown Glens Falls for another Saturday morning Vigil. After the response three years ago, it is startling to see the numbers of people going by who wave, smile, give the thumbs up and honk their horns-- truly, there has been a remarkable change in public opinion. Thanks to Bernice Mennis for getting this started!

Accordingly, another vigil for peace and to bring our troops home will be held this Saturday morning from 11am-Noon in Downtown Glens Falls at the Five Corners. Everyone should have at least one hour to spare!

2. Photos Online-- Sign Up For DFA-Link!

It's taken me too long, and my apologies, but the photos we used to have up at the old meetup.com site are now online at our site at DFA-Link. http://www.dfalink.com/group_photos.php?gid=113
Plus, there are now, many more, including the Gillibrand announcement. (Thanks to Lisa Scerbo for those pictures!) There's also the May Volunteer Day, last August's Nation WIde vigil and much more.

To see the pictures you have to join DFA-Link at http://dfalink.com/register.php?c=g&id=91042f3ae603ef90&

3. Financial Quarter Closing For Gillibrand

The end of the financial reporting quarter is rapidly approaching. The Gillibrand campaign is pushing hard to demonstrate support and raise the funds needed for Kirsten's campaign. Every contribution counts -- even only a few dollars, especially if you haven't given before. The number of individual donors is also an important metric, especially supporters within the district. https://services.myngp.com/ngponlineservices/contribution.aspx?X=yEvSsqeBpDPsOTgPrro9jQ%3d%3d

4. Movies: Bakehouse Cafe and Saratoga Women's

On Friday, the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe Friday Video and Film Festival continues with a showing of Hearts and Minds, Peter Davis' landmark documentary which unflinchingly confronts the United States' involvement in Vietnam. Winner of the 1974 Academy Award™ for Best Documentary. The video will be shown at 7pm. Admission is free.

On Sunday, April 3, the Saratoga Springs Democratic Women's Committee is sponsoring a showing of North Country, starring Charlize Theron at the Saratoga Film Forum at 3pm

Location: The Arts Center - corner of Broadway and Spring Sts.
Pay at the door for movie tickets – Film Forum members: $0/$4, Non members of Film Forum $6

Followed by Dinner at Brindisi’s Restaurant on Broadway.
$20 – For Dinner Only (does not include movie ticket or drinks)
Bourbon pecan chicken and rice, salad, garlic bread, beverages, and a platter of chocolate desserts, Cash Bar

5. Global Warming Map: Astonishing And Not To Be Missed

Having been in the web business I've seen some pretty amazing websites and applications, but it's a long time since I've seen anything that has the impact of this interactive Global Warming Map. Based on Google Maps and NASA terrestrial elevation technologies, it allows you to see what parts of the nation and the world will be submerged as the world heats up and the glaciers at the poles melt, which we've learned in the last few months is rapidly accelerating.

http://flood.firetree.net/?ll=43.32517767999296,-101.6015625&z=13&m=7

You can click down and drag the map around, pan and zoom in with the controls on the left. You can also switch between a map and satellite pictures. You can change the sea rise from one meter to 14 meters and follow what happens.

Some areas you wouldn't expect -- Albany. Yes, Albany and Troy will be hard hit. The entire Hudson River level will rise. At a 7 meter rise, Route 787 disappears beneath the river all the way to Green Island, which also, incidentally mostly vanishes. At Albany, the river will be about a quarter of a mile wide. Huge.

With a seven meter rise in the sea level, which is probably coming by the end of the century, large areas of the nation will vanish. The south is particular hard hit. Virginia Beach area and much of the Tidewater region: gone. North Carolina's barrier islands: gone. Charlestown, South Carolina: gone. Most of Florida: gone. All of southern Louisiana, in fact, most of the Gulf Coast, including areas like Galvestion: gone for good below the waves. Other than Holland, which will mostly vanish, few areas will be harder hit.

Needless to day, I found this deeply disturbing. I think every world citizen ought to spend at least half an hour noodlng around with this thing. It is a consciousness raiser.

6. French Students Fight For All Our Rights

Finally, I think we should all be troubled by the coverage of the demonstrations in France. The French students and workers are fighting for the rights of every average working person in the world. The stakes are huge.

Since DeGaulle, France has had a progressive economy with significant governmental planning and direction that has worked wonders -- France today, with it's Airbus consortium, is taking over the commercial airliner business. Ariannespace is taking over the commercial orbital launch business from the US, and France leads other areas -- they get 80% of their power from nuclear and they have never had a serious accident. It's a demonstration of the power of government planning and action, a brilliant success. They've done this with a 35 hour work week and 4-6 weeks of vacation a year. French parents, unlike American ones, actually get to spend time with their kids. Their superior school scores prove it.

France never lined up to drink the neo-liberal Globalization Kool-Aide that came out of the Thatcher-Reagan era, so they didn't join the race to the bottom that Globalization has brought, or the super concentration of wealth at the top (the real goal). This includes the environmental degradation implied by the map above -- Miami underwater is what raw, unregulated capitalism gets you.

Tremendous pressure today is being brought on France to reverse its labor standards, so it is not surprising disinformation is being spread about what a basket case France is. It is not true. The French are fighting back to preserve their quality of life. If they lose, we all lose. If they win, the fact you can have a modern, advanced economy that benefits average people will become increasingly difficult to ignore. The French labor unions have come out on the streets to back the students because they know the unions are the real ultimate target.

There is a superbly informative posting today on dKos that gets the truth out: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/3/28/8519/74116

There's another view of what's at stake on the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/france/story/0,,1734842,00.html

The next time you get on an AIrbus airliner, you'll know the idea you can't have economic justice and vitality at the same time is utter nonsense.


See you all soon!

Larry
- posted by Larry Dudley @ 1:09 AM