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Research question: Is Islam a religion of peace or invitation to violence? Fault line of faith: six pastors killed, 40 churches razed in Jos's most recent violence." Christianity Today Feb. 2009: 11. http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T003&prodId=STOM&docId=A193452567&source=gale&srcprod=STOM&userGroupName=lom_accessmich&version=1.0 Summery: A suspected voting fraud in local elections made Muslims in Nigeria furious, and there began the bloody fight between Islamic north and Christian south. The Muslims took their angry and started off to explode their anger to Christians, rather than the political targets. They killed each others and more than 25000 persons were displaced in the violence. Among the killed Christians, there were Joseph Yari, who died helping other Christians repel Muslim fanatics. And his widow said that she had forgiven the killers, because they didn't know Jesus and had no idea of their deeds. Reflection: This article show that Islam is a religion of violence. Muslims got angry and wrong people. Their fraud of election wasn't Christian people's fault. They should have argued to political people instead of attacking Christians. They burned down the churches and properties and killed hundreds of pastors. They wasn't thinking deep enough before the situation got out of the hand. This shows that Muslims are extremists and Islam is the religion of violence. Questions: 1. Was there any killed Muslim's widow saying that they have forgiven the killers? 2. Who was the leader in this riot? 3. Does other Muslims also think that the voting fraud is Christian's fault? 4. What was the aftermath of

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? 

Research Question: How does the Mexican drug war affect the government and people of Mexico? Source: Miglierini, Julian. "Crunching Numbers in Mexico's Drug Conflict." BBC News. N.p., 14 Jan. 2011. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. <>. Summary: This article stated a number of facts that related to the number of killings since 2006 and their continued increase into 2010. The more shocking and accurate death tolls have recently been released, sending the Mexican government and people into more of a crisis than before. Not only have gang members been killed in the war against drug cartel, but civilians, police,and soldiers as well. This fight against drug cartel could possibly have increased the violence instead of diminishing it. The violence is not located all throughout Mexico; it occurs much more densely in certain areas like Ciudad Juarez, which accounts for 18% of the total number of deaths nationwide during a certain time period. Drug barons have been captured or killed, but so have mayors and journalists. The Mexican people do not feel safe; what can the government do about this?

Research question: What are the effects of the competition with oil in Nigeria?  Shah, Anup. "Nigeria and Oil." Global Issues, Updated: 10 Jun. 2010. Accessed: 10 Mar. 2011. Reflection: The more I research the problem the more I realize how big of a problem this really is. There are so many environmental issues and protests that have come with drilling in Nigeria.  Summary: The presence of oil companies have hurt many of the communities on the Niger Delta in Nigeria including environmental pollution, farming and fishing difficulties because of oil spills, drinking water is getting scarcer and scarcer, and malnourishment and disease is showing up more and more. Not only is it bring environmental issues, but economic and societal one too including loss of property, price inflation, prostitution, and bad fathering by oil company workers.Many people have lost their lives to the violence that goes on with both violent protests and non-violent ones. The government is corrupt and there are religious tensions going on between Muslims and Christians in the midst.  Questions:  *What would be best? To stay and get oil or to get out to stop the violence? *Is there a way to stop the violence? And should we take the step in doing so even though it may hurt us? *How many oil spills have happened in Nigeria?

How does the conflict in Israel affect the futures of Palestinian children compared to Israeli children?  Carey, Roane. "Letter From Palestine." The Nation 273.4 (2001): 28. Student Edition. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. Searched InfoTrak Student Edition: Israel Palestine Conflict http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?&amp;contentSet=IAC-Documents&amp;type=retrieve&amp;tabID=T003&amp;prodId=STOM&amp;docId=A76563733&amp;source=gale&amp;srcprod=STOM&amp;userGroupName=lom_accessmich&amp;version=1.0 Summary: This is a letter explaining the issues between Palestine and Israel. It starts with talking about some radical Palestinian men who are bent on bombings being the way to throw off Israeli occupation. Then, the author talks about the violence between the two people groups and the futile attempts of the Palestinians to dissuade the Israelis. It also talks about the history of the conflict.  Reflection: I realized that even though we did listen to Abdullah in class, there are people who still want the bombings. I think that will have to have a play in the futures of the Palestinian children. Depending on the families of the Palestinian children, do their futures change? It's also interesting that the Palestinians are even harsh on their own government. Nothing is working in Israel. It's an issue. Questions: What are the statistics of Palestinians killed? What are the statistics of Israelis killed? Is there any way to get a kid's perspective?

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?

Research Question: How does the Mexican drug war affect the government and people of Mexico?  Source: Hidalgo, Oscar. "Mexican Drug Trafficking." New York Times. N.p., 1 Feb. 2011. Web. 8 Mar. 2011. Summary: The U.S has been helping Mexico train their military to an increasingly professional federal police force, which have captured or killed more than half of the 37 most wanted crime bosses. However, the people of Mexico believe the country's security is getting worse. In October 2010, the government announced it was going to change it's national police forces in hope of gaining trust from the public. This strategy was later revised. Reflection: This article talks a lot about the relationship between the U.S and Mexico and how they are trying to end this drug war. However, it also talks about how the U.S and Mexico are trying to prove that they are making positive changes in Mexico's security. I think that if they are in this situation where they are trying to convince the public then this crisis is not on the right path to stopping. Questions: 1) Why does such a large portion of Mexicans believe that even after the U.S and Mexico's strategies, that the country's security is getting worse? 2) Are the billions of dollars the U.S is investing in this drug war helping or changing anything? 3) Has border enforcement and people screening at crossing points help decrease the amount of drug trade with the U.S?

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?

Georgia - Shootout in Abkhazia - NYTimes.com http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/09/world/europe/09briefs-Georgia.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=Georgia%20and%20Russia&st=cse Summary: A Russian border and two Georgians were killed according to the Russia's Federal Security service.  Russian border guards were finding an abandoned house when they were attacked.  The security said two Georgians were officer of the Georgian Interior ministry.  However, Georgian's ministry said one is the wanted by police and the other was an area resident.  Russia guards began patrolling the boundaries. Reflection: Even if this article is small amount, this news might be  important because this happening makes big troubles and broke their relationship between Russia and Georgia.  I think that Georgian people will be feared because Russia and Georgia will have war because of this problem. Question:1) Who killed them? 2) Why Russia and Georgia's opinion are different? 3) How to solve this happening and their peace?

What are the effects of Hezbollah on Israel?  Wall, James M. "War plan." The Christian Century 123.18 (2006): 61. Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?&amp;contentSet=IAC-Documents&amp;type=retrieve&amp;tabID=T002&amp;prodId=EAIM&amp;docId=A152196094&amp;source=gale&amp;srcprod=EAIM&amp;userGroupName=lom_accessmich&amp;version=1.0 Summary: In 2006, Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers, and took them to Lebanon. Hezbollah expected Israel to negotiate with them for the return of their prisoners; however, Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert didn't even bother to negotiate. Israel attacked bridges and "Hezbollah's posts" in Lebanon, and killed many Lebanese civilians. Israel was actually trying to attack not only Hezbollah, but also the entire country of Lebanon. Reflection: The capturing of two Israeli soldiers, a small event, triggered this big 2006 Hezbollah-Israel war, which explains the later conflicts between Lebanon and Israel. I was surprised that Israel was actually waiting for Lebanon's provocation. According to what I have learned, Israel has been in the middle of a lot of problems with many countries; the tension between Lebanon and Israel is one of them. I think I need more articles that explain further information about the conflicts that happened recently. Question:  Is Hezbollah in the process of planning another war recently? What are the main conflicts that happened after the 2006 war? What is the reaction of the leader of Hezbollah towards the Israeli prime minister?

Research question: Is Islam a religion of peace or invitation to violence? "Local Muslims condemn acts of violence in name of their religion." Wyoming Tribune-Eagle [Cheyenne, WY] 14 Nov. 2009. Student Edition. Web. 9 Mar. 2011. http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?&amp;contentSet=IAC-Documents&amp;type=retrieve&amp;tabID=T004&amp;prodId=STOM&amp;docId=CJ212039947&amp;source=gale&amp;srcprod=STOM&amp;userGroupName=lom_accessmich&amp;version=1.0 Summary: This article was about one local Muslim's opinion of violence of Muslims. He actually was against them. He said that violence has no place in Islam religion and there is no god that would accept killing innocent people. He thinks that muslim who acts out violence in name of Islam, misunderstands the religion and thus he says terrorist misunderstood the Islamic duty of jihad, the struggle. In jihad, the greater jihad is with in one's self, against egos and evil within, and the lesser jihad is the action to one's self and family. He also says that Islam allows women to get an equal treatment and rights. He acknowledges that Islam is already misunderstood every time a Muslim kills in the name of Islam, but he says the Islam religion itself teaches the opposite of violence.

Research Question: What is the cause of all the violence associated with the Mexican drug trade?  Source: The Christian Science Monitor Source Citation: Kurczy, Stephen. "Mexican car wash massacre: rehab centers latest target in drug war." Christian Science Monitor 27 Oct. 2010. Student Edition. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. Summary: In Mexico, within less than seven days, there have been three massacres taking at least 41 lives of young people who used to take part in the drug trade. This shows that the drug lords will do anything to keep information from authorities. The main target are those who are in clinics or drug rehabilitation, and overall the ones targeted are young people. These killings have spread across the country of Mexico and have resulted in more than 28,000 deaths since December 2006. Reflection: I am saddened when I read about how so many younger people are being killed, especially those that are trying to overcome their involvement with drugs. Also, experts say that youths are turning to a life of organized crime due to a lack of job opportunities or lack of an education.  Questions: 1) Is anything being done to stop further random shootings at drug rehab centers? 2) Are there other ways Mexico can decrease youth involvement with the drug trade? 3) Are drug lords doing this just to prevent former addicts from giving information? What are their motives behind such brutal shootings?

Research Question: Still today, what are the social, economical, and political effects of the earthquake in Haiti? Citation Source: "Roundup: Long way to go for Haiti's reconstruction." Xinhua News Agency 12 Jan. 2011. Student Edition. Web. 8 Mar. 2011. Summary: This Article is about Haiti's struggle to reconstruct. It tells us that the earthquake has killed at least 250,000 and left 1.5 million homeless. Only 5% of the rubble has been removed in a year since the tragedy. However, Haitians have learned to live with  the destruction and used the collapsed buildings to even become their homes. Because the reconstruction is taking so long, many families have begun to reconstruct themselves. Nevertheless, many organizations around the world have been helping Haiti. The (UNICEF) U.N Children's Fund has vaccinated 2 million children, helped more than 720,000 children go to school, set up 369 centers for activities for nearly 95,000 children. The Haitian government has launched reconstruction for water facilities, electricity, common repair, and homed more then 300,000. More than half of the population lives on less than a dollar a day and access to education and heath sanitation. Above all, reconstruction is not an easy task as shown. 

Research Question: Is Islam a religion of peace or invitation to violence? Citation: "Christian And Muslim Killed in Sectarian Clash." Africa News Service 5 Mar. 2011. Student Edition. Web. 8 Mar. 2011. http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?contentSet=IAC-Documents&docType=IAC&type=retrieve&tabID=T004&prodId=STOM&docId=A250689034&userGroupName=lom_accessmich&version=1.0&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&source=gale&infoPage=infoMarkPage Summary: This article is the break news that the Muslim had been conflicts with the Christian; they set fire to a church in the village of Sol, south of Cairo. On the Friday night, Christian and Muslim fought each other; the couples' fathers were killed. Furthermore, at the Saturday, a group of Muslim attacked to the village church and set it on during the funeral for the woman's father. Reflection: It is such a impact news to me that the two religions have fought because of the conflicts. I always believe that the main ideal of the religion is peace; no violence and argument against the devils. Unfortunately, this news make me doubt about the religion. I insist that we need to respect their cultures and religions; why they need to fight each other for the religions. I guess that Muslim need to know shame what they did for the Christian. I am a Christian, but my perspective of this news is objective. It is not right to destroy the holy place because of the conflicts. Hopefully they realize their sin and prevent never happen this again. Questions: 1) Why both religions have to fight each other? 2) Is any solution to release their conflicts? 3) what is the Christian reaction to Muslim's behavior? 4) How many people have scarified from the conflicts?

What are the effects of the Australian Floods? Citation:"Floods Peak, Leaving Ruin in Australian City"  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/14/world/asia/14australia.html Summary:The city of Brisbane has experienced some particularly bad flooding. The flood here has killed at least 15 people in one week. The city could remain underwater for several days. The flooding has been caused by extreme rains which caused the Brisbane and Bremer Rivers to rise up to 15 feet. Over 25,000 homes and 5,000 businesses have been flooded in Brisbane alone. Analysis:This article gave much more focused detail than previous articles I had read It really shows how much the devastation has affected individuals. There were several pictures as well which showed the scope of the flooding, including one of flood waters covering most of a basketball court. This really put it into perspective how bad the flood has been. It's extremely tragic to think about how many people have suffered from this flood.  Questions:1. What is the monetary cost of the flood in this area?2. How will the people rebuild after this? One woman wasn't insured for a flood, and is completely homeless.3. What all is being done to help those affected?

How does North Korea's communist government and nuclear technology influence the lives of its people? Ravenscroft, Nick. "Charities warn of food shortages in North Korea." BBC News. BBC, 24 Feb. 2011. Web. 9 Mar. 2011. .Summery: Recently a group of Humanitarians went into North Korea as invited by the Government. They discovered that North Korea is in a desperate situation. They are quickly running out of food and their people are malnourished. The harvest of wheat and barley has been mostly killed by a severe cold and their veggie harvests have been low. Some people are resorting to eating wild grasses. In 1990 North Korea faced a similar situation and millions of their people died. Now North Korea is pleading for help but because of their past actions people are hesitant to give it. The US, South Korea and the UN are afraid that food they may give to North Korea will only go to serve the government elite and the military. They are also holding this over North Korea to change Nuclear policy. Reflection: I want to simply say North Korea brought this upon itself, which is somewhat true, but I can't because the people who are starving are not the people who have caused the problems. It is extremely unfair that the people who have done nothing wrong are being starved because of the actions of their government. I wish there was a simple solution but unfortunately there just isn't. Questions: 1) What options do the US, South Korea and the UN have to get people in North Korea food?2) If the North Korean government is pleading for help, will they be willing to compromise for it?3) How is the North Korean government going to deal with the issues they have created for themselves?

Summary: As NIgeria has grown in their production of oil they have been dealing with many uprisings from the Nigerian people and different groups. The NIgerian government is planning on increasing oil output as the years go on, hoping they can have more world oil giants join them. MEND has used new tactics than in the past and has asked Shell to pay $1.5 billion and to stop all oil exports. They also asked them to get rid of all foreign works from the delta and to release Mejahid Dokubo-Asari, a militia leader they captured in 2003. The government knows to take care of the violence it needs to push the militias, but is afraid that doing so will create bigger problems. Since oil is 40% of Nigeria's revenue it is afraid that more violence would hurt the country's economy, also effecting the rest of the world's energy market. A civil war in Nigeria could send the global oil price to $98 billion a barrel! The militia is able to take the oil without getting caught, which has told the Nigerian government that the people taking it are connected to those of people in a position of influence. They are usually able to figure out who these people are after two or three months because the officials start showing their money in lives of luxury. All of the oil production has caused many oil spills, air pollution, explosions, acid rain, and toxic water, all posing great threats to the health of the Nigerian people. 

Research Question: What is the cause of all the violence associated with the Mexican drug trade? Source: "Priests and parishes threatened by drug cartels." America 3 May 2010: 6+. Student Edition. Web. 17 Feb. 2011.http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/retrieve.do?contentSet=IAC-Documents&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&qrySerId=Locale(en,,):FQE%3D(ke,None,6)Mexico:And:FQE%3D(ke,None,10)drug+trade:And:FQE%3D(ke,None,8)violence:And:LQE%3D(AC,None,8)fulltext$&sgHitCountType=None&inPS=true&sort=DateDescend&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&tabID=T003&prodId=STOM&searchId=R1&currentPosition=1&userGroupName=lom_accessmich&docId=A226089688&docType=IAC Summary: This article is about Mexican priests that have faced threats of violence, kidnapping, and extortion from the cartels. Because of these threats many priests have to transfer to a different parish, take up different types of work, and even move to other parts of the country. On the other hand, other priests are forced to raise $800 a week for extortion payments. The violence created by the cartel has killed at least 22,700. This number has increased ever since Presiden Felipe Calderon stepped into office as President in 2006. Reflection: I was kind of surprised that priest are being threatened and that because of this many need to move to a different part of the country. It's sad to see that this violence is turning once peaceful communities into "ghost towns" where residents are feeing in complete terror. This article doesn't really help answer my research question, but it does help me understand what the cartel is doing, and who the violence is being inflicted upon. Questions: 1) What is the motive behind targeting/threatening priests? 2) How should the church respond to this violence? 3) What are Mexican police doing to stop this? 4) How do other cities in Mexico respond when they hear about the violence created by the cartels?

Research Question: What are the effects of the oil competition in Nigeria?  Uchenna, Obih. "Causes, Effects and Management of Oil Spill Pollution of Nigerian Coastal Area." Humboldt University, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. . Reflection: It's hard to imagine that so many problems could come from oil! It's crazy to think of the fact that it doesn't just hurt the water, but it hurts a lot of things on land too. Summary: Oil spills creates effects on biological things, fish production, and other general effects. For biological - it kills organisms and marine life, it can suffocate animals because of the heat the gets trapped underneath the oil, it can disrupt major food chains because it poisons algae, it hurts the birds and how they are able to fly, it causes oxygen levels to lower in the water, toxic effects can poison the animals which people eat and may result in food poisoning or death. Fish flesh is contaminated, sunlight isn't able to reach deep levels to create photosynthesis, covers the gills, directly damages fishing boats. It can also cause poverty, soil contamination, destroys fuel wood, contaminates drinking water.  Questions: What ways can we end oil spills? Is there a way to completely prevent them?  Are we going to be able to get rid of all the oil left in the water from the spills? 

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