When you're rich, not only is it easier to get richer. When you're really rich, you get more money because you're rich. On. Oct. 26, news broke that multizillionaire Bill Gates had purchased 1.4 million shares of Alaska Air Group, 5.3 percent of the company. The news of Gates' purchase alone sent value of the stock up 62 cents on the day of Oct. 26, meaning that Gates made $868,000 simply by announcing that he had purchased the stock. That's more than most working class folks make in 20 years. Wow.--Geov Parrish

Hey, has this ever occurred to anyone else? After about the dozenth of those annoying "don't forget to vote Nov. 7" phone calls, it occurred to me that anarchists should really organize a "get out and don't vote" phone bank before elections. Some folks would surely think it was a prank, but I'll bet it would lead to a lot of interesting, and revealing, conversations. How 'bout it?--G.P.

A globalization paradise is envisioned for the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in the States of Oaxaca and Veracruz, Mexico. The Megaproject of the Isthmus proposes a four lane highway and railroad, including a bullet train, connecting ports on the Pacific and Caribbean. But this isn't just a transportation project, it is a Megaproject. A special maquilladora zone along the corridor is being prepared for cession to multinational corporations. Native forest is being replaced with plantations of eucalyptus and other fast growing trees, the surrounding countryside is being surveyed for minerals. The local population is being prepared for their role in the chain of raw materials that fuel the neoliberal dream.

The Panama Canal is an outdated and overcrowded bottleneck in the flow of parts and products from west to east and back again. The Megaproject is designed to provide an alternate route, as well as extensive assembly facilities and a supply of inexpensive labor. 70 development projects including industrial parks, clothing and textile factories, and 14 chemical and petroleum enterprises are planned for the region.

The project was proposed by outgoing president Zedillo. Incoming President, Vicente Fox, supports the project, while communities in the Isthmus, and Human rights and environmental groups are working against it.

So far it hasn't gotten much press north of the border, but it is slowly percolating into the consciousness of U.S. anti-globalization organizations. At least it ought to be.