

From the deepest oceans

to the outermost reaches of space to the genetic code of human life. The same adventurous spirit that propelled Columbus' explorations will enable us to challenge old assumptions, acquire new knowledge, and broaden the horizons of humankind.



Columbus' story illustrates the importance of diversity.

Columbus was born and raised in Italy; he learned much of his

seafaring knowledge and experience from Portuguese sailors and navigators; and he put those skills in service to the King and Queen of Spain, who funded his explorations. By establishing a

safe, reliable route between Europe and the New World, Columbus opened the door for subsequent explorers from Spain, France, and England and for the millions of immigrants who would be welcomed by America in later centuries. But the encounters between Columbus and other European Explorers and the native peoples of the Western

Hemisphere also underscore what can happen when cultures clash and when we are unable to understand and respect people who are different from us. more from President Bill Clinton on Columbus Day 2000 It is in this same spirit that Carnaval.com proposes more cruisers explore the Gulf of Paria and the Orinoco River Hugo Chávez walks with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva - March 29, 2005. Checking Out Chavez’s Venezuela Berkeley Daily Planet, CA - Dec 29, 2006 In 2003, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez urged Latin Americans to not celebrate the Columbus Day holiday. Chavez blamed Columbus for leading the way in the mass genocide of the Native Americans. Chavez Calls Bush "The Devil" Hugo Chavez Speech at the UN on September 20th,2006 broadcast on Fox "Representatives of the governments of the world, good morning to all of you. First of all, I would like to invite you, very respectfully, to those who have not read this book, to read it.

Noam Chomsky, one of the most prestigious American and world intellectuals, Noam Chomsky, and this is one of his most recent books, Hegemony or Survival: The Imperialist Strategy of the United States. It’s an excellent book to help us understand what has been happening in the world throughout the 20th century, and what’s happening now, and the greatest threat looming over our planet.

The hegemonic pretensions of the American empire are placing at risk the very survival of the human species. We continue to warn you about this danger and we appeal to the people of the United States and the world to halt this threat, which is like a sword hanging over our heads....We want ideas to save our planet, to save the planet from the imperialist threat. And hopefully in this very century, in not too long a time, we will see this, we will see this new era, and for our children and our grandchildren a world of peace based on the fundamental principles of the United Nations, but a renewed United Nations.

And maybe we have to change location. Maybe we have to put the United Nations somewhere else; maybe a city of the south. We’ve proposed Venezuela.



In an interview later with CNN en Español, Chavez said he had good relations with President Clinton, but of Bush he said, "With this cowboy you can't even talk ... the Texan who walks around shooting from the hip." Today we have other worlds to explore --

Regarding them as sinners, he was interested only in the ones who could lead him to gold, and it wasn't long before he was proposing shipping Indians back to Spain as slaves. But the Catholic kings had qualms - surprisingly, since there was a flourishing market in Spain for African slaves. They summoned a committee, which thought that, on the whole, it was not right. The monarchs ordered that, so long as the natives were "submissive", they should be treated well and educated. Each family should have its own house, and mixed marriages were to be encouraged. Clash of civilizations, from cartoons to the pope, the riotous debate.

It is still arguable whether political scientist Samuel Huntington's thesis that a "clash of civilizations" between European-rooted liberalism, respect for reason, and tolerance, and Islamic-rooted religious enthusiasm is an inevitable part of our future. But several events this past year suggest the danger level is high. When in January cartoons by a few previously obscure Danish cartoonists were published, some of which lampooned the Prophet Muhammad, complaints were not enough for some Islamic enthusiasts. Instead there were riots in the Middle East and threats in Denmark, purposely orchestrated by ambitious mullahs. Later in the year, when Pope Benedict XVI quoted a 14th-century pope who was critical of Islam – in the context of a nuanced discussion of the difficulty of reconciling faith and reason – churches were burned, and a nun was shot in the back. Furthermore, restive Muslims rioted in France, and native-born Britons planted bombs on the subway. Europe has little experience with cultural assimilation, but it will have to get up to speed quickly. Moderate Muslims – still the vast majority – need to step up and serve as bridges between cultures. And if the U.S. ever hopes to neutralize "Islamofascist" terrorism it will have to learn a lot more about Islam and how to talk with sincere but reasonable believers. While many in the United States of America generally refer to the country as America and themselves as Americans,[1] many people elsewhere in the Americas resent what they perceive as appropriation of the term in this context and, thus, this usage is frequently avoided. In Canada, their southern neighbour is seldom referred to as "America" with "the United States", "the U.S.", or (informally) "the States" The most common way to distinguish is singular/plural or America/Americas and adding "the" with the plural "s" is even more clear.

A hemispheric free-trade agreement, long a goal of U.S. policy, seems like a long shot as "populist" rulers love to blame the poverty of their countries on the very activity – international trade – that stands the best chance of relieving it.