ASSORTED STORIES OF INTEREST

• Last week I posted a news video from Nova Scotia about Global Network board member Tamara Lorincz's lonely vigil against Canada's vigorous new warship building program.  This morning she sent around news about a man who stopped to talk with her during her vigil.  Turns out he is the President of CAW/Marine Workers Federation Local.  Tamara tells a great tale about their meeting and says, " I was shocked that he readily agreed with me!" It's a perfect illustration that you never know the power that one person can unleash.  The union president told her that the workers were talking about the protest inside the shipyard and wanted more information.  See the full story here

• I received an email this morning from Bard Wormdal a journalist working for NRK, Norway's largest media house. He has been working as journalist for more than 25 years, with a special interest on Arctic and international issues.  Bard has just released the English versions  - e-book and paperback - of his new book The Satellite War.  The e-book can be downloaded for free until Monday. The Satellite War is about the global militarization of space with a special  focus on the polar areas. You can download it here

•  A new article called U.S. Dollar Collapse: Where is Germany’s Gold? by Peter Schiff is worth reading.  He reports: The financial world was shocked this month by a demand from Germany’s Bundesbank to repatriate a large portion of its gold reserves held abroad. By 2020, Germany wants 50% of its total gold reserves back in Frankfurt – including 300 tons from the Federal Reserve. The Bundesbank’s announcement comes just three months after the Fed refused to submit to an audit of its holdings on Germany’s behalf. One cannot help but wonder if the refusal triggered the demand.
• The next general meeting of Maine's new Alliance for the Common Good will be held on Friday, February 22 from 6-8 pm in Augusta.  We will meet at Mediation & Facilitation Resources (11 King St).  All are invited to attend.  We are planning some great upcoming events across the state and welcome new energy and ideas.

•  Our Green Party neighbor Fred Horch reports:  Although Maine Citizens for Clean Elections and other groups will lobby to strengthen Maine’s clean election system, these efforts are facing strong opposition from Republicans who are framing the issue as “welfare for politicians.” The Governor’s proposed budget for 2013-2014 defunds $4 million from the Maine Clean Elections Fund, effectively gutting the program. In the context of a structural gap of hundreds of millions of dollars, the Governor’s spokesperson justified this budget proposal on the grounds that other needs had higher priority. See the whole story here