Some 15,000 people marched along Mexico City's Reforma avenue on March 16 to protest water privatization plans as the representatives of 140 countries met nearby for the opening of the 4th World Water Forum. "Water isn't for sale and won't be sold," the marchers chanted, denouncing all three major Mexican political parties for water policies that "degrade and profit from the suffering of the people." In 1993 the then-ruling centrist Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) awarded a 30-year water concession in Cancun, Quintana Roo, to the French multinational now known as SUEZ, while the Federal District, governed by the center-left Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), recently signed a contract with the Mexican water bottler Bonafont, owned by the French multinational Groupe Danone. Mexican president Vicente Fox Quesada, of the center- right National Action Party (PAN), is the former head of Coca- Cola Mexico, which sells Agua Ciel brand bottled water. (Adital, March 17; Minga Informativa de Movimientos Sociales, March 22)

On March 17, the Heartland Alliance's Midwest Immigrant & Human Rights Center (MIHRC) filed a federal lawsuit against the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to obtain public information about detained immigrants and asylum seekers. MIHRC sued DHS after the government repeatedly failed to respond to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for information on compliance with detention standards, medical policies, and the names and locations of detention facilities contracted by DHS.

Between March 20 and 25, tens of thousands of immigrants demonstrated in cities and towns across the US to protest anti-immigrant legislation being considered by the Senate and to demand legalization for out-of-status immigrants. On March 20, some 1,200 immigrants and supporters rallied outside the statehouse in Trenton, NJ, to protest a proposal being considered by the US Congress which would apply tougher enforcement measures against out-of-status immigrants. Southern New Jersey coordinator Ramon Hernandez said more than 25 local businesses and farmers helped pay for buses to take people to the rally. (Home News Tribune Online, East Brunswick, March 21; Press of Atlantic City, March 21) On March 22, more than 200 immigrants and supporters marched in Providence, RI, to the office of Sen. Lincoln Chafee, asking him to support comprehensive immigration reform. (Eyewitnessnewstv.com, East Providence, March 22)

The Zapatista "Other Campaign" continues to advance through central Mexico. On March 20 in the Jalisco city of El Salto, Subcommander Marcos convened the first National Worker Encuentro, attended by dissidents from Mexico's official labor unions and what they called "neocharrismo"—including leaders of a recent strike at the local Euzkadi tire plant. (Charro is popular slang for Mexico's corrupt labor bosses.) Marcos called for a new labor opposition to Mexico's government, and to whichever party is elected in July's presidential race. (APRO, March 20)

Six meters is almost 20 feet. From The Guardian, March 25:

Half of Greenland and vast areas of Antarctica are destined to melt if global warming continues at the same pace until the end of the century, scientists warned on Thursday.

Tim Giago of the Native American Journalists Foundation writes for Native American Times March 20, online at Indianz.com:

When Governor Mike Rounds signed HB 1215 into law it effectively banned all abortions in the state with the exception that it did allow saving the mother's life. There were, however, no exceptions for victims of rape or incest. His actions, and the comments of State Senators like Bill Napoli of Rapid City, SD, set of a maelstrom of protests within the state.

Things are more complicated than they look—in the world generally, and especially in Iran. As the intransigents in Iran and Denmark alike line up for a depressing and potentially apocalyptic "clash of civilizations," conferences on inter-religious dialogue are held in response to the crisis in both countries. True, the "dialogue" seems to have been rather harshly proscribed at the Iran conference, and the Danish one seems to have been very low-profile. Still, a glimmer of hope that they were held. We wonder: were they at all coordinated? From Iran's official agency IRNA, March 19:

We always maintained Bush and his gang want high oil prices, not low. But Greg Palast, as usual, is long on hype and short on information and analysis. He won't even quote the full sentance of his leaked document before he condescendingly tells us "There you have it." And he is overlooking the fundamental question of control of oil. The price, the buyers, the sellers—all that is peripheral compared to the question of control which determines the rest. And as long as the US is in control of Iraq, no other world or regional power will have access to that oil except on Washington's terms. So the critical factor behind the Iraq adventure is not the price of oil any more than it is AIPAC's notorious "influence." Look instead to: 1.) the longterm threat to US global dominance represented by China's military-industrial rise, 2.) continued rivarly with Russia (watch Belarus), and 3.) the rift with the Saudis since 9-11, and the need to have a counter-balance to Arab-OPEC petro-hegemony (Palast's secret document notwithstanding). And while the Bush gang may not care about oil going to waste in insurgent attacks, they are assuredly not happy about the prospects of increasing chaos that could pose a challenge to US control of Iraq...