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What is the future likely to bring?  A reasonable stance might be to try to look at the human species from the outside. So imagine that you're an extraterrestrial observer who is trying to figure out what's happening here or, for that matter, imagine you're an historian 100 years from now -- assuming there are any historians 100 years from now, which is not obvious -- and you're looking back at what's happening today.  You'd see something quite remarkable.

In response to growing worldwide attention on the mass hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay, this morning U.S. President Barack Obama has, once again, said he will seek to close the detention centre. Obama said Tuesday: "It is inefficient, it hurts us in terms of our international standing, it lessens co-operation with our allies on counter-terrorism efforts, it is a recruitment tool for extremists, it needs to be closed."

One month after the death of revolutionary leader and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on March 5, the outpouring of love, respect and solidarity for Chavez and the determination to continue the democratic revolution continues apace.

It is now very clear that not only Chavistas love and respect this fallen leader, but millions and millions of Latin Americans. Leaders from all over Latin America have paid their respects to this larger than life man.

 Even the most conservative leaders from 33 Latin American and Caribbean nations came to mourn the passing of Chavez. In total, at least 55 presidents, prime ministers and princes attended the formal funeral ceremony in Caracas, some with handkerchiefs in hand wiping tears from their eyes.