Two of the world's richest men and the Spanish government have pledged $150m (£101.7m) to battle disease and improve health in Central America and Mexico. Carlos Slim and Bill Gates are to fund a project jointly with Spain aimed at improving nutrition and maternal health and fighting dengue fever and malaria. The two men and Spain's Princess Cristina announced the project in the Mexican capital, Mexico City. The project also aims to reduce infant mortality and boost vaccination rates.

An estimated 18,000 to 20,000 people lined up naked in Mexico City's Zocalo Square in response to a call from U.S. photographer Spencer Tunick. Photo by Claudio Cruz Associated Press

In a time such as this and in a world such as ours, amid all the insanity, the madness, the violence and greed, the struggles and wars for domination and control of wealth and resources there appeared yesterday a brief shining moment of sanity and humor, of trust and beauty and just possibly an enormous expression of plain, simple, human love and freedom.

La Ciudad de Mexico may have proven herself to be the most civilized place on this free falling old blob as 18000 of her people exposed themselves to the world as the most beautiful, urbane, orderly, and for awhile at least, the most scantily clad group of folks ever assembled anywhere.

I'm sure the Republicans are disappointed.  Not only has the turmoil in the Middle East proved that Bush tipped the dominos in the wrong direction, it's taking the spotlight away from their series of staged events on "border security."

But then, maybe it's better that people don't look too closely.  After all, while the Republicans hint at it all the time, it may be they don't want to be seen saying straight out that it's really hard to tell an Middle Eastern terrorist from a Hispanic farmworker.  And that's just what's being said at these hearings.

If the media reported everything that's being said, most people would be astonished.  What the Republicans are proposing isn't immigration reform.  It's war.

President Bush visited Yuma, Arizona, yesterday, to highlight his immigration plan. In particular, Bush stated his backing for building fences along parts of the US-Mexico border. While in Yuma, the President "declared that he supported fencing some but not all of America's 1,950-mile border with Mexico." Bush, "has in the past indicated he is opposed to fencing, and White House officials were kept busy on Thursday trying to explain the change in his position." Bush's position on the border fence marked "the first time it is has endorsed a specific amount of fencing."

Meanwhile, "As Bush headed to Yuma Thursday morning, the White House sent to Congress a revision in its $92-billion request for emergency spending, most of it to cover costs associated with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the recovery from Hurricane Katrina. Within that amount, it is seeking $1.95 billion to meet the costs of deploying 1,000 new Border Patrol agents, and for fences, lights, and some of the border work of the National Guard."

[cross-posted at And, yes, I DO take it personally]

the good news is that at least peru isn't having to contend with a fujimori comeback...

Since coming into office in 2001, the Bush administration has consistently opposed to having the International Criminal Court, based in The Hague, hold US military and political leaders to a uniform global standard of justice. The court was set up to prosecute individuals accused of the world's worst atrocities -- genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity -- in a belated effort to fulfill the promise of the Nuremberg trials, which tried Nazi leaders after World War II. The Bush argues that the court, could be used for frivolous or politically motivated prosecutions of U.S. troops.

BushCo has aggressively negotiated bilateral agreements with other countries to insure immunity of US nationals from prosecution by the Court. Sadly, BushCo is willingly to play the school yard bully to dozens of other poor countries by cutting off foreign aid, foreign trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) for defying the US because of their support for the International Criminal Court.

A new bill would end automatic citizenship for all children born to undocumented immigrants. This bill was proposed by Congressman Nathan Deal of Georgia and supported by the Tom Tancredo wing of the Republican party.

This bill is a travesty because it tramples on the 14th Amendment guarantee that anybody born in this country is a citizen of this country. It is not the child's fault that they were born to someone who does not have the right papers.