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Bedwell, Helen. "Georgia Blames Border Shootout on Russian-Fueled 'Criminality'." Bloomberg News 11 Apr. 2011. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. .  Summary:  Georgia is claiming that Russia's melting pots of crime led to the deaths of a Russian border guard and two Georgians. This happened on April 8th in Abkhazia. The prosecutor's office in the local Abkhaz area opened up a case on terrorism for the incident, but Russia said the two Georgians that were killed were members of the Ministry of the Interior's special forces.   Reflections:  I think they are both still hot-headed countries, and need to reach a peace. What I mean is a peace that will last, and is imprinted in their minds. If they do not do this, things like this will keep on happening.  Questions:  1. Why do you think Georgia & Russia still show quite a bit of hostilities towards each other?  2. Out of the two countries, is one country in particular at fault for the conflict? Why or Why not?  3. When do you think a permanent resolution to this conflict will come? For how long will it last, if not permanent?

What are the effects of Hezbollah on Israel? "Hezbollah accuses Israel of Hariri murder." Khaleej Times. N.p., Aug. Web. 4 Apr. 2010. Summary : The chief of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, accused Israel of Hariri murder, and stated that he has some evidences to prove his claim. Hariri and other 22 people were murdered on February 14, 2005. And Syria has been blamed of Hariri murder; however, Syria denied involvement of this situation. The reason Hezbollah is claiming of their innocence is because the UN-backed tribunal said that the Hariri murder was likely to indict members of Hezbollah.  Reflection : Hezbollah is blaming Israel of Hariri murder. However, Israel has nothing to do with this. Why would Israel murder Hariri? I think Hezbollah is making false accusation to get away from the trouble that they made in 2005 assassination; there are so many evidences that we can easily see that Hezbollah murdered Hariri because conflict between Hariri and Hezbollah has been going on for many years, especially after Hezbollah-backed Mikati became the new Prime Minister of Lebanon. Only because Hezbollah has a lot of conflict with Israel, Hezbollah is just trying to accuse Israel with no reason. Therefore, unfortunately, either UN or Israel needs to prove Israel's innocence to get away from this situation, and prove that Hezbollah actually murdered Hariri. Questions : 1) What is the Israel's reaction upon this accusation?  2) What is the exact evidence does Hezbollah chief has? 3) Is UN or Israel going to strongly claim that Hezbollah has wrong evidences?

1. "The Council of Churches in Zambia is supporting the use of condoms in the fight against HIV/AIDS." The Christian Century 122.15 (2005): 17. Academic OneFile. Web. 13 Apr. 2011 2.The Churches are now supporting the use of condoms to help prevent the spread of HIV in Zambia. They want married couple to stay together even though the other has the disease. They want to be known for saving lives and not stoping the people from using a possible life saving product. 3.I think that this is a good thing but I do not know how a condom could prevent the disease. If this is a way to stop the disease from spreading then the church is doing the right thing changing their mind on the subject of use. I like that they still want people to remain married but I don't like that the are doing this so that they won't be blamed. 4. Will this make people thin k that sex is okay?  How has the church changed their opinions since the spread of this?  What has the church been doing to stop the spread of the disease? Is there more that the church can do for the people? 

Reflection: I think that It is really good to see engineers working in Haiti. The fact that they want to change their ways of building to have a safer environment to life in. Nevertheless, it makes me wonder if they could have saved many more lives if the buildings were built better. Because many of the houses were build by "captive columns," so much more was distorted in the mist of it all. I also know that many of the towns and villages were poor and probably didn't have enough money to build a better living environment. Its really hard to blame the lose of so many lives on something the people really couldn't control. However, with the help of different engineers and volunteers, I believe that as time goes on, the Haitian people will be helped.  Questions:  1) How many lives might have been saved if the living conditions/homes were better? 2) What will this system cost for the people? 3) Was there any other flaws in buildings that might have also caused them to be destroyed easier? 

Research question: Is Islam a religion of peace or invitation to violence? Citation:Tribal leader killed in Pakistan. BBC, 23 June 2009. Web. 16 Feb. 2011.  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8114104.stm Summary: This article announced about the Pakistan. A trivial leader, Qari Zainuddin, 26,  who opposed the Taliban; as a result, he was assassinated in the north-western Pakistani town. He usually blamed Baitullah Mehsud who was the head of Taliban, and also most powerful group of militants in the county. Recently, Zainuddin attacked to the Mehsud; therefore, a guard who was under controlled by Mehsud entered the room at Zainuddin's office and fired.   Reflection:This article is what I want for my research question. For the reason, this is the evidence or reference to show people that Islam refer to maintain violence than peace. Since I have known the Pakistanis' violence, I recognize that it is worst than what I guess before. I can realize why they killed  between Pakistani and Taliban, but I need to consider about the initiation of the conflicts; it should be demarcation dispute of the Islam. According the article said,  "the Islam stands for peace, not for terrorism"; however, having many happenings between two sides don't make any sense of the Islam purpose.  Questions:1) What is the initiation of the conflicts between them?2) How can we solve sensitive problems?3) What is the Islam main purpose?4) Was Zainuddin's behavior for the Islam or just his authority? 

http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/retrieve.do?contentSet=IAC-Documents&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&qrySerId=Locale(en,,):FQE%3D(K0,None,23)opium+afghanistan++crop:And:FQE%3D(TX,None,22)opium+afghanistan+crop:And:FQE%3D(TX,None,23)opium+afghanistan++crop$&sgHitCountType=None&inPS=true&sort=DateDescend&searchType=BasicSearchForm&tabID=T004&prodId=AONE&searchId=R7&currentPosition=2&userGroupName=lom_accessmich&docId=CJ236030044&docType=IAC What are the effects of opium sales on Afghanistan ? Summary: in 2010 there was a huge dieses that swept over around 50 percent of all the poppy plants. They didn't know exactly what was causing it, they were wanting to blame British and U.S troops, but there was no way to prove anything. They thought it could be bugs but no way of knowing for sure. Reflection: I think that its interesting that there is a HUGE brake out with the plants and around 50% of them were killed and no one knows how?? That seems incredible to me that no one would no how to figure out what happened to them? Questions: 1) Why doesn't anyone know what happened? 2) Is there a reason that we don't know, why this happened? 3) How did this effect the sales? 4) How was this effected money wise? Citation: What are the effects of opium sales on Afghanistan

SUmmary: In Cairo, Egypt a bomb exploded by the iconic pyramids. The impact was surveyor it injured three peddlers. The peddlers said they saw the edge of the bomb sticking out from the sand and began hitting it with iron sticks, because they thought there would be valuables inside. This site was were millions of tourists would come and visit.  Response: I thought this was very shocking that peddlers set of the bomb thinking there would be valuables underneath it. Shockingly get blown up instead that would be a very scary surprise.  Questions: 1. Why did they put the bomb so close to a very beautiful place? 2. Why did they think it was something valuable?  3. Who set up the bomb? 4. Why are tourist staying away from the country because President Hosni Mubarak was overthrew? 

Research Question: What is the cause of all the violence associated with the Mexican drug trade? Source: Caistor, Nick. "Mexico's drugs gang 'death squad' ." BBC News. N.p., 4 Sept. 2010. Web. 27 Jan. 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11189017 Summary: The Zeta drugs gang, formed around seven years ago, is known as the most ruthless and threatening death squad in Mexican history. Ten members of the Zetas are on the DEA's most-wanted list with rewards reaching $50m. As a result of the Zetas trying to take over more territory, there have been a rapid increase in murders of rival gang members. "President Felipe Calderon has drafted nearly 50,000 members of the security forces into the fight against the cartels, but is facing increasing criticism because of the surge in deadly violence throughout Mexico." Reflection: To be honest I didn't know a lot about the Mexican drug trade, and had never heard of the Zetas. It's unfortunate to see how influential and dangerous this group has become over the course of just seven years. It disgusts me to read about how ruthless this gang is; particularly for beheading their victims. Also, I read about what Mexico's president is trying to do, however he is being criticized because of the increase in violence. Thinking more about President Felipe Calderon makes me want to look more into what Mexico is trying to do to stop such violence. This article helped me understand more about the Zeta gang but didn't specifically help answer the cause of my research question. Questions: 1) What is the most effective way of trying to reduce violence throughout Mexico? 2) Are the Zetas targeting certain areas or specific gangs? 3) Why do the Zetas want to conquer more territory so badly? 4) Because the Zetas committed some murders in the US, is the US doing anything to stop this from happening?

What are the effects of Hezbollah on Israel? "Israel and Lebanon trade gunfire and accusations." MEED Middle East Economic Digest 51.6 (2007): 3. Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T003&prodId=EAIM&docId=A160166153&source=gale&srcprod=EAIM&userGroupName=lom_accessmich&version=1.0 Summary: Lebanon and Israel got into another conflict in 2007. Lebanon said the IDF crossed their territory illegally, on the other hand, the IDF said it's Lebanon's fault that they crossed the border, and provoked Israel to trade gunfire. The IDF claimed that they found several bombs close to the border; however, Hezbollah said they didn't plant any new devices. The UN defended Lebanon by saying that "the border area is littered with explosive devices", and most of the devices were planted from last year's conflict. Reflection: Lebanon and Israel have been in conflict off and on for many years. Since both countries want to protect their "territory", I think the conflict will last for more years. As time goes by, the cause of the escalation of tensions will harm both of those countries in many ways. And this will never stop unless one country gives up. I think they have to find a peaceful way to solve the problem without any more trading of gunfire and accusations. Basically, the actions of Hezbollah are affecting not only Israel, but also Lebanon. Questions: What countries or organizations support Israel? What were the immediate reactions from citizens of each country? What other specific things does UN do for the

On Friday, January 14 President Obama announced that he plans on easing trade and travel relations with Communist Cuba, including making it easier for U.S. citizens to travel directly to the island from American airports. The President added that he had instructed the relevant government departments to allow religious groups and students to travel to the communist-run island. For almost half a century, the debate has been raging over the United States' policy towards Cuba, which has been communist since Fidel Castro's coupe de etat in 1959. Free travel from the U.S. to Cuba was halted in 1963 under President John F. Kennedy. The explanation at the time for why Americans could visit the Soviet Union but not Cuba was that the communist government in Moscow was permanent but that Fidel Castro was temporary. In 1977, with Cuba still unchanged, President Jimmy Carter relaxed the travel ban. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan restored it. n 1998, with the Soviet Union "gone," Clinton loosened it and in 2004, with Cuba still unchanged, President George W. Bush tightened it again. Now President Obama is going back to the Clinton policy, which will make it easier for churches and universities to sponsor trips to the communist state. Obama's announcement calls for changes in policy at the Departments of State, Treasury, and Homeland Security, as both travel and remittances are involved in the changes, and the new regulations will be promulgated as modifications of the Cuban Assets Control Regulations and the Customs and Border Protection Regulations. The new policies call for the following reforms to Cuba-United States relations. According to the BBC, Obama's new proposals: * Allow religious organizations to sponsor religious travel to Cuba under a general license; * Allow accredited institutions of higher education to sponsor travel to Cuba; * Allow any U.S. person to send remittances (up to $500 per quarter) to non-family members in Cuba to support private e

Research Question: How does the Mexican drug war affect the government and people of Mexico? Source: Valdez, Avelardo. "Failure to curb drug war exposes Mexico's weakness." Chron: Viewpoints, Outlook. N.p., 26 Jan. 2011. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. . Summary: More people have lost their lives in the drug war than in the war in Afghanistan; it's obvious that something is amiss here. Although many "famous" drug leaders have been caught, the problem still exists in Mexico. Again, we see that money is an issue; government officials are paid to help the criminals. The weak criminal justice system in Mexico allows for people to use their connections to avoid arrest, conviction, etc. President Calderon started this war even though it's obvious that they are incapable of winning under these circumstances. It may have been a political stunt to win votes for his campaign. The US should spend our money rebuilding the government instead of encouraging the government to become more corrupt. ***rest of info is on sticky note on this page

Llana, Sara Miller, and Matthew Clark. "Cuba Under Raul: Creeping Towards Capitalism?." Christian Science Monitor. 23 Jul 2008: n.p. SIRS Renaissance. Web. 08 Mar 2011. Summary: The article describes how Cuba has an underground free market economy that Raul Castro is allowing. They is a shortage of food and texans want to end the embargo to sell their cattle and crops. Reflection: Their people are hungry, hardly any food for their own people. So the U.S and Cuban should work together to get rid of the embargo because it would help both. Question:  1. How much will Fidel Castro let Raul making change? 2. How Cuban American fell about getting rid of embargo?

Research question: What are the effects of the competition with oil in Nigeria?  Lehrer, Jim. "Tension and Violence Arise Over Oil Drilling in Nigeria." Online NewsHour. PBS, 25 Aug. 2005. Web. 8 Mar. 2011. . Reflection: Wow, never before did I realize all the problems that Nigeria has. Not only has the oil companies caused many environmental problems, but they have also caused the people to not trust them and the promises they throw at them like candy. I understand that is one of our major places to get oil from, but I really think we need to look into what the companies are causing the Nigerian people to do to not just us, but each other. To think that our oil companies is pretty much their only government, that is really scary. Question: *Is there a way to set up a REAL way to help with environmental issues here? *If companies start to keep companies will people settle down? *Can we help Nigeria set up a functioning, uncorrupt, government?

How does the conflict in Israel affect the future of Israeli children compared to Palestinian children? Halevi, Yossi K. Foreign Affairs. N.p., 1 Feb. 2011. Web. 8 Mar. 2011. . Summary: With the Muslim Brotherhood poised to gain control in Egypt, Israel sees itself as almost completely encircled by hostile forces. Is an Egyptian-Iranian alliance a possibility -- and where would this leave the future of a sovereign Palestinian state.  Reflection: This article has everything to do with the future generation of Palestinians & Israelis. Everything in the Middle East is changing and uncertain at the moment. The current state of Israel & the focus of its conflict is bound to change with these new developments. Especially given the actions of Iran after Mubarak's regime was dismantled. Israel, I am sure, is on high alert at the present, and we will have to wait and see if these new developments have an affect on Israel's borders and their status as an independent state. 

Research Question: What effect does the competition of oil have on the people of Nigeria? 1. Source: Gambrell, Jon. "Leaders, military behind Nigeria oil thefts." MSNBC.com. MSN, 11 Apr. 2011. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. . 2. Summary: The oil bandits that I mentioned in an earlier post have an unsuspected force behind them. That force is allegedly the politicians and military leaders who lead the country. One of them was Shehu Musa Yar'Adua, a general whose brother became president.They allegedly supported the thieves who cut production of oil that is crucial to our own supplies. 3. Reaction I think this article is really going to give us a lead on our research question. Although we don't see exactly why these leaders would do this so clearly, we do see the corruption around the oil. It's hard to believe that leaders would do this; we take it for granted that although our leaders aren't perfect, we still have relatively loyal people leading our country. 4. Questions: How have the people of the country reacted? Are the people going to be pressed with charges? What kind of actions will follow such a find?

Research Question: What is the cause of all the violence associated with the Mexican drug trade?  Source: The Economist (US) Source Citation: "Get Shorty; The Mexican drug trade." The Economist [US] 18 Sept. 2010: 105(US). Student Edition. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. Summary: At the top of the Sinaloa cartel is Joaquin Guzman Loera, also known as El Chapo meaning shorty. Despite growing up in a poor family working opium poppies, he has later been known as Mexico's most legendary escapee and was named 41 on the list of the world's most powerful people by Forbes magazine. He controls a lot of Mexico and although he tries to focus on business, it is still brutal. Reflection: Two parts of this article that really stuck out to me where that the Mexican drug cartels are the most powerful organized-crime group in the Western world, and that even if El Chapo were to fall, there will be plenty more where he came from. These two things really emphasize the power and enormity of the drug trade. Questions: 1) If the government is able to stop major drug lords, will this help stop the drug war? Or will more rise to power as a drug lord? 2) How does someone from such a poor background come to great amounts of power? 3) Is the only way to not let the cartels be the most powerful organized-crime group by stopping people like El Chapo?

Egypt's counter-revolutionary bogeyman  By: Osama Diab  Summary: In the Tahrir Square in Cairo a protest turned violent when the military came and ended up arresting 41 people and leaving 2 dead. This attack came two weeks the Egyptian parliament passed a law banning protests.  The law states that participating in protests and strikes that hinder the work of public institutions or authorities during a state of emergency illegal.  The new military that has been is placed is showing very similar signs to the leadership of Mubarak. And the signs of a new democratic future coming in place are coming in really slow if they are even making progress.  Reflection: After reading this and hearing that more people and deaths have happened from the protest has been disappointing. They made good progress in getting rid of there old government and now to hear that the government is not taking the right steps into becoming democratic. From what i read and heard in this the Egyptian government still has a long way in becoming a stable government and until then there are just going to be problems and protests and more people getting killed, hurt, and arrested.  Questions:Why would the parliament pass a no protest law? How are the people going to show there frustration with the government now? How many people are going to get arrested for just protesting? How is the parliament going to react to the angry outbursts by the people?