There is active opposition to the Cuban government, but it is severely hampered by lack of funds, as well as lack of rights to organize. The right to freely organize political parties, trade-unions or any other associations with an independent political agenda is denied in Cuba. And even if it were allowed, it would be pointless, because political parties other than the one in power are not allowed to participate in any elections. There certainly have been more repressive and more violent socialist regimes in the world; nevertheless, in Cuba freedom is effectively repressed.

Haven't we had enough of that already? Well, that depends on what you mean by ‘faith'. George Bush apparently believes that ‘faith' means the ‘Christian faith'. He's wrong. There are many faiths (in this sense) and all faith-based states, no matter whether Christian, Jewish, Hindu or Muslim, always ended up murdering and suppressing believers of other faiths. So let's first be clear about what we mean by ‘faith'.

‘I told you so!' is a terrible thing to say. But - alas! -, ARCO did tell you so. About water too (see ARCO 33 and before). It won't be long and we'll have a serious problem with water shortages also. But, let's leave water aside for a minute. The acute problem now is food. Staple foods, such as rice and wheat. Prices are rising and people don't know what to do. In the meantime Brazil has taken refuge to hoarding and US supermarket chains have started rationing rice. These measures push prices up even further. Something serious is going on. Wake up, folks.

Water boarding, stress positions, hypothermia, sensory deprivation, sleep deprivation and isolation, and holding prisoners in secret CIA "black sites" in order to keep them outside the reach of the law. All these ‘enhanced interrogation techniques' have been used during the Bush administration. US generals are now clearly speaking out against these practices and have drawn up a petition requesting the new US president to end this abuse. 

International news sometimes suggests solutions to local problems. The news that Australia has increased its share of the seabed by 2.5 million sq km, may serve as an example. The UN agreed to an extension of Australia's share. Its continental shelf will be extended by five times the size of France, giving it rights to explore new areas for oil and gas. Australia had worked for 15 years on the claim. The claim was made under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Disturbing analysis - alas, too accurate! - by John Gray in the Guardian/UK of March 30, 2008. A few quotations:

‘At present, a race for the world's resources is underway that resembles the Great Game that was played in the decades leading up to the First World War. Now, as then, the most coveted prize is oil and the risk is that as the contest heats up it will not always be peaceful. But this is no simple rerun of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, there are powerful new players and it is not only oil that is at stake'.

Jamaica's poor have been left to the mercy of violent criminal gangs, Amnesty International says in a new report.  The human rights group said inner-city Jamaicans were being "held hostage" in the battle between gangs and the state. Amnesty said Jamaican authorities had stigmatized and "wilfully neglected" inner-city communities. Jamaica has one of the region's highest murder rates, with 1,500 homicides in 2007 and 272 police killings.

On Easter Eve 2008 the Pope baptized a prominent Italian former Muslim convert. By doing this the Pope indirectly sanctioned apostasy. This is a good thing, if the Church is willing to allow and respect conversion from Christianity to Islam with equal ease. The head of Jordan's Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre, called the baptism a deliberate and provocative act. The official Vatican newspaper said the gesture aimed to promote religious freedom.

Obama rose to the occasion. This whole thing about Rev. Jeremiah Wright is a great opportunity for Barack and the more he realizes it, the better he will be able to use the power surge triggered by it, to enhance his own strength. His first speech about it was good, but he can do better still. This is the defining opportunity to draw the candidacy towards him. And we are confident he will. We hope he will. For there is no-one among the candidates better qualified than Barack to clean up the mess left behind by his predecessor Bush.

It is a new phenomenon, at least for the West. Buddhist monks - in large numbers - take a political stand. They did it last year in Burma (Myanmar) and they are doing it now in Tibet. Of course, they do it peacefully. They will not hurt people, nor destroy people's possessions. That's not their way. But their protests are therefore not less effective. The Burmese junta is in trouble. The generals are still in denial, but that's a matter of time.

'10 battalions and tanks to the border! Try crossing our border Uribe, and see what happens! Don't even think it!' Obviously the USA, CIA, FBI etc. are all behind this, Chavez claims (which could well be true, by the way). Meanwhile, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe is asking the International Criminal Court (ICC) to bring charges against Chavez. This again, in Chavez' view, is proof that the ‘Western powers' are behind all this.

The following truth is self-evident: "... when a long train of abuses and usurpations (...) evinces a design to reduce them (= the people) under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security (...)". Sounds familiar? This is part of the US Declaration of Independence. Less than 250 years later Kosovo declares its independence. If the US, why not Kosovo?

By Michael Greaney, first published by www.helium.com; re-posting authorized by author.

After the fall of communism and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the final years of the 20th century, capitalist pundits loudly proclaimed the "victory" of capitalism. From the presidency of Ronald Reagan to the pontificate of Pope John Paul II and his issuance of the encyclical "Centesimus Annus" on the 100th anniversary of Leo XIII's "Rerum Novarum" ("On Labor and Capital"), not to mention the economic reforms that seemed to be taking place in Central and South America, even China, everything seemed set for the coming of the capitalist millennium.

If you consider capitalism a crime, then any commercial transaction is corrupt. This is the situation in Cuba. If you sell your house in Havana and make a profit, you have committed a crime and are punishable by law. Now, this particular crime is not easy to commit in Cuba, for all real property is registered and each property transfer requires a government permit. If you try to circumvent this by quoting an official price in the transfer petition whilst clandestinely charging a higher price, you have committed an act of corruption according to Cuban standards.

Obama is pure people power. This is spiritual power, ‘if it be turned into earth' as the Emerald Tablet says. This means ‘if it is applied in practice'. Obama may or may not know it, but the power he uses is spiritual. He taps into the positive side of human nature, showing them the right way. And it resonates. As it always will, for at heart people are noble, having a spark of divinity in them as the Hindu's know very well.

The Indian sage, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of TM (Transcendental Meditation) has died. The Maharishi, thought to have been 91 years old, died in his sleep on 5 February 2008 at his home in the Netherlands. He introduced the Transcendental Meditation movement to the West in 1959, with the intention of creating individual peace and enlightenment. By the time of his death, it had grown into an impressive global movement.

One critique of ESOP's is that they are the same as CO-OP's, especially 100% ESOP's. Let's look at terminology first. A CO-OP is a form of partnership in which each partner has equal membership in a specific kind of corporation on a ‘one-man one vote'-basis. In fact variations have been introduced in which voting rights vary according to input. But let's stick to the basics: CO-OP's consist of equal members (or partners).

To achieve peaceful transition to democracy, the Cubans need a new economic theory - built on full political democracy - that not only respects the Revolution but improves both the socialist and the capitalist model. As we were told in Cuba: ‘No queremos una transición de comunismo salvaje a captalismo salvaje'. And right our Cuban friends are. ARCO will methodically outline such a theory.

Ugly Americans! Were they always ugly? Or have they become ugly during the Bush administration? Let us begin by saying there are no ugly Americans. There are no ugly Islamists either. There are only people. According to Clint Eastwood there are good people, bad people and ugly people. Eastwood tried to explain the difference between the three.

A senior al-Qaeda leader, Abu Laith al-Libi, has been killed in Afghanistan, the BBC reported a few days ago. Such news does not make happy. Why? Well, think about it. It is conceivable that sometimes war or police action is inescapable. If that's the case, then sometimes the use of force is necessary. This is conceivable. But when you then actually kill somebody, because extreme circumstances necessitate it, it is still nauseating.