Friends, Lori Divine-Hudson, Carolyn Hicks, Dennis Hudson, Frank Marotta asked that I share news about their work with members of national and local grassroots communities united in the work for justice. Relevant contact information follows should you be interested in following up. Peace, Jo
COST OF IRAQ SINCE MARCH 2003" AN ELECTRONIC WINDOW DISPLAY
On September 14, 2004, an electronic display appeared in the window of a store on Main Street in Northampton, Massachusetts. This simple electronic sign enclosed by a box flashes five pieces of information sequentially, and will do so day and night. The information appears between two statements painted on the box, which are not electronic and do not flash; one is the subject of the display and the other is its sponsor. These numbers are valid as of September 23, 2004:
COST OF IRAQ SINCE MARCH 2003:
USA TROOP DEAD: 1,040 CIVILIAN DEAD: 13,00015,000 USA WOUNDED: 7,032 EXTRA COST: N'TON $17 MIL USA $150 BIL http://www.Nationalpriorities.org
This sign cost about $1300 and can be easily replicated in any community. All it takes is the money to purchase the electronic display, someone to build a box to hold it, someone to inscribe the subject on the box above the sign and the name of the sponsor on the box below it, and someone willing to have it hang in the window of his or her business. In Northampton no permit is needed for a sign that hangs inside a window; it's a different matter altogether if it hangs outside.
These four people were instrumental in making our idea happen: Greg Speeter, Director the National Priorities Project in Northampton, agreed to have his organization sponsor the sign and provide website information about it. Aaron Krossovitch at ComText Media, Inc., advised us about the appropriate types of electronic displays, and sold us an "Alpha Window Display LED message center," with a data receiver and a monthly Custom Message Service. This sign displays at least 14 characters at a time, each 4" in size. (His address is ComText Media, Inc., 455 Rex Boulevard, Elmhurst, Illinois 60126-3752; phone: 630-941-3200; fax: 630-941-3214; comtext@sbcglobal.net. Dar Cote-Houghton of Good Thyme Deli generously agreed to let us hang the display in the window of her business (186 Main Street, Northampton MA; phone: 584-6195). Vitek Kruta of Renova Studios in Northampton, contributed the box, which he built and inscribed in his usual elegant manner, and hung it in the window http://www.Renovastudios.com, phone: 413-529-0700).
We want to replicate this idea in differing formats and locations in our town, and we hope others will want to do the same in their town. It's affordable, it's easy to accomplish, and (we anticipate) it's effective in bringing these continuously updated facts to the attention of ordinary people as they go about their daily lives on Main Street. Here are links to the sources of the numeric information we put on the sign: http://costofwar.com (gives national and local financial figures); http://icasualties.org/oif/ (gives number of USA and coalition casualties and USA wounded, and part of NPP); http://iraqbodycount.net (gives minimum and maximum parameters of Iraq civilian deaths).
Lori Divine-Hudson, Carolyn Hicks, Dennis Hudson, Frank Marotta