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Luke Terpstra

Georgia Has Veto Power Over Step in Closer U.S.-Russia Ties - NYTimes.com - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...08russia.html

Russia Georgia World Trade Organization W.T.O. bargaining membership

shared by Luke Terpstra on 08 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • MOSCOW — When Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. sits down with Russia’s leaders later this week, a central topic will be the payoffs of the “reset” between Russia and the United States, among them Russia’s long-awaited accession to the World Trade Organization, which American officials have vigorously supported. But it is far too early to declare that project a success. Among the remaining sticking points is the fact that Georgia, which joined the trade group in 2000, has the power to block the admission of any new member.
  • For a decade, while grievances mounted between Russia and Georgia, the Georgian government has sought policy changes from Russia in exchange for its approval. Negotiations foundered in 2008, and a few months later, when war broke out over the separatist territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, further talks began to look like a lost cause.
  • On Monday, with the 17-year process of Russia’s entry nearing its endgame, Georgian officials confirmed that they would sit down with their Russian counterparts in Switzerland, which “has been mandated to act as a mediator between both countries,” said a spokeswoman for the Swiss Foreign Ministry
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  • For Georgia, “the W.T.O. issue is a double-edged sword,” said Svante E. Cornell
  • The issue is a difficult and occasionally painful one for all the parties involved: for Russia, which must reach out to a government it has demonized; for the United States, which has made Russia’s membership in the trade group into a central goal; and for Georgia, which has a limited window in which to negotiate before its allies become impatient.
  • Two and a half years after Russian forces routed the Georgian army in South Ossetia, tens of thousands of ethnic Georgians remain displaced from their homes in the enclave, and Russia has moved in heavy weaponry, including tactical ballistic missiles and rocket launchers.
  • Georgia’s veto power was one of only two or three issues — like intellectual property rights and agricultural subsidies — that were keeping Russia from membership in the trade organization. Members acknowledge Georgia’s right to strike a bargain with Russia for its consent, Mr. Aslund said, “but the W.T.O. accession for Russia is really moving on.” “Right now Georgia has great leverage, but it will soon disappear,” he said. “They should use this in an effective fashion.”
  • Luke Terpstra on 08 Mar 11
     
    Barry, Ellen. "Georgia Poses Hurdle for U.S.-Russia Ties." The New York Times 7 Mar. 2011 [Moscow] . Web. 8 Mar. 2011. .  Summary:       The issue facing russia and the World Trade Organization, is the fact that Georgia is already a member. With Russia wanting to join the W.T.O., Georgia has the power to deny Russia's passage into the organization. Georgia is trying to use this as leverage to make deals with russia so it can get peace and get the russian troops out of it's borders. The rest of the World Trade Organization views this as annoying but expects it to be solved and done with.  Reflections:       The fact that Georgia is using this as leverage is great. If I was in control of America I would also block Russia from joining in. I probably would not give up my denial of Russia until I got recognition of Georgia as a NATO member, a country that owns itself, and  get protection from attacks from Russia. I also would think that the rest of the world, just like me, would see this stupid, unneeded, bloody conflict as completely one sided. Questions: 1. What do you think Georgia should negotiate for? 2. Do you think it is fair to Russia to be denied by a country they oppress? 3. Do you think America should support them? Explain? 4. Do you think georgia should be completely supported by  America and its allies.? Why or why not?   
ni iang

Campaign to plant 5 million trees in Central America - 0 views

www.ticotimes.net/...l-America_Monday-April-11-2011

Campaign to Plant 5 Million Trees in Central America. Tico Times 11 Apr. 2011. Web. 13 .

shared by ni iang on 14 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • A youth organization in Costa Rica announced Wednesday that it will plant at least five million native trees throughout Central America in June, with the goal of reforesting the region and mitigating climate change.
  • A youth organization in Costa Rica announced Wednesday that it will plant at least five million native trees throughout Central America in June, with the goal of reforesting the region and mitigating climate change.
  • The campaign “Reforestando Centroamérica” ("Reforesting Central America") involves social and environmental organizations and businesses from Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.
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  • The organizations have the goal of not only planting trees, but also monitoring their growth. The Union for the Conservation of Nature supports the initiative.
  • Guatemala accomplished a similar project last year through the work of 10,000 youth volunteers.
  • In Costa Rica, the initiative hopes to plant at least 5,000 trees in mangrove areas in towns in the Caribbean and Pacific as well as metropolitan areas. The main day for planting the trees will be June 25.
  • ni iang on 14 Apr 11
     
    "Campaign to Plant 5 Million Trees in Central America." Tico Times 11 Apr. 2011. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. . Summary  In Costa Rica, a youth organization is planning to plant five million trees throughout central America to support the environment.  And also not just planting them, they are planning to continue to take care of all those trees and make sure that they grow well.  The group also is going to plant at least five thousand trees in the City in Costa Rica but also bigger areas of their neighbor's land like Caribbean and Pacific as well.  They announced that the big planting day will on on the 25th June.   Reflection  I think this plan is really good plan because iit s not hard to plant a tree, but it will help a lot of the environment as long as they take care of them as they plan.   They seem very serious about this plan because they are even going to plant to their neighbor's land, which shows that they really care for the environment.  Since this plan is coming soon, I'm excited to learn about how it will go.  This makes me think that if the rest of the world will  care like them, our world would be so much healthier than today.  How old are the  youth  who volunteer?How would the neighbor's country respond? How much will it help the environment from this many tres being planted and how long will it take to grow?
Leah Hop

Get Shorty; The Mexican drug trade.(Shifting balances of power)(The Last Narco: Hunting... - 0 views

find.galegroup.com/...retrieve.do

WC Mexico Drug Lord Trade

shared by Leah Hop on 13 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • Three brutal Mexican massacres in less than a week have killed at least 41 people, with young people formerly involved in the drug trade making up the majority of the victims
  • massacres could signal the lengths to which Mexico's drug lords will go to prevent reformed addicts from giving information to authorities
  • "Police believe drug cartels use the clinics to recruit hit men and smugglers, threatening to kill those who fail to cooperate,"
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  • The latest attack Wednesday morning killed up to 16 people working at a car wash operated by a drug rehabilitation center in Tepic
  • "The workers were all men; they were washing cars when the gunmen, probably members of organized crime, drove up in SUVs and started opening fire
  • The coastal state of Nayarit is known as a peaceful corner of Mexico, but Reuters reports "the shootings underscores how killings have spread from the notoriously violent border region across the country."
  • On Sunday, at a drug rehabilitation center in Tijuana, 13 recuperating addicts were lined up against a wall and shot dead. On Friday, at a birthday celebration in Ciudad Juarez, gunmen killed 14. In June, 19 more people were gunned down at another drug rehabilitation center in Ciudad Juarez
  • the killings highlight how young people, and even children, are being targeted
  • Experts blame a lack of job opportunities - more than 20 percent of Mexican youth don't have access to jobs or an education - for drawing youths into an increasingly violent underworld
  • More than 28,000 lives have been lost to drug-related violence since President Felipe Calderon took office and dispatched the military to fight organized crime in December 2006.
  • Leah Hop on 13 Apr 11
     
    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?
Haley Luurtsema

Roundup: Long way to go for Haiti's reconstruction. - 0 views

find.galegroup.com/...retrieve.do

shared by Haley Luurtsema on 08 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • killed at least 250,000 and left 1.5 million homeless, with the effects still painfully evident a year on.
  • Only 5 percent of the rubble has been removed in the year since, according to authorities
  • Haitians have learnt to live with the devastation and have used collapsed buildings to improvise small businesses and even homes. And with reconstruction dragging on, people began to repair their houses themselves.
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  • After the quake hit, the international society made many efforts to help Haiti rebuild.
  • The U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) said in a report published recently that, in one year, the organization had vaccinated two million Haitian children, helped more than 720,000 children return to school, and set up 369 children centers to provide daily activities for nearly 95,000 children.
  • The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) also said in a report that the organization had provided materials for building shelters for 172,000 Haitian families. A total of 160,000 families had received items for sanitation and daily life, and 216,000 people had received medical aid from the organization.
  • The Haitian government itself has launched a series of plans for reconstruction. Facilities for water, electricity and communication have been repaired, and more than 300,000 homeless have been settled.
  • for a country where more than half of the population lives on less than a dollar per day and access to education, health and sanitation services was severely insufficient even before the earthquake, reconstruction is not an easy task.
  • a lot has been accomplished, especially in the crucial first 72 hours after the quake, but there are still massive tasks ahead.
  • Haley Luurtsema on 08 Mar 11
     
    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. 
Mark De Haan

Lebanon's Hizbullah: The Quest for Survival - 0 views

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Hizbullah Hezbollah Lebanon Israel

shared by Mark De Haan on 17 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • Mark De Haan on 17 Feb 11
     
    Lebanon's Hizbullah: the quest for survival World Affairs - By: Adham Saouli Saouli, Adham. "Lebanon's Hizbullah: the quest for survival." World Affairs 166.2 (2003): 71+. Student Edition. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. Summary: This article speaks of the rise of Hizbullah from a small group affiliated with Khomeini regime in Iran to a large Lebanese Shiite militia that was known for its anti-Western stance and for abducting Western hostages. This article speaks of how Hizbullah began in Lebanon in 1982, but was supported mostly by the Iranian government. The article then goes on to talk about how Hizbullah has grown politically since that time. Reflection: I found it interesting how Hizbullah has changed since 1982. I also found it interesting how we see Hizbullah only as a terrorist organization when it is a political group trying to change the government of Lebanon while also a militia who is trying to force Israel to the point of non-existence. Questions: 1. Has Hizbullah gotten any closer to reaching its goal for Lebanon to become an Islamic state? 2. Has Hizbullah's "victory" over Israel encouraged other militant organizations toward fighting larger, oppressive governments? 3. Does Hizbullah have any specific feelings toward the Americans after their invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan?
megan lemmen

Drug Trafficking, Violence and Mexico's Economic Future - 0 views

knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm

trafficking drug violence

shared by megan lemmen on 08 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • In August, the bodies of 72 migrants were found in northern Mexico. They had been shot after refusing to work for a drug gang. Days later, a prosecutor and police officer investigating the crime disappeared.
  • Its largest market, the U.S., sources 90% of its cocaine from Mexico.
  • Drug trafficking is a lucrative activity for the Mexican cartels, generating estimated annual revenues of US$35 billion to US$45 billion for Mexico, with a profit margin of approximately 80%.
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  • Currently, seven powerful drug-trafficking organizations occupy different regions of Mexico -- La Familia Michoacán, the Gulf Cartel, Los Zetas, the Beltrán-Leyva Organization, the Sinaloa Cartel, the Tijuana Cartel, and the Juárez Cartel.
  • For example, the Mexican government is working to improve the effectiveness of its federal police force, planning to hire 8,000 additional police investigators during 2010, while at the same time trying to purge the force of corruption.
  • In August 2010, nearly 10% of the federal police were fired for failing lie detector, drug, or other tests that form the "trust control exams" designed to identify officers with ties to organized crime.
  • In addition, Plataforma México, a recent reform related to information management, aims to create real-time interconnectivity within Mexico's police force by developing a national crime database to facilitate tracking drug criminals.
  • More importantly, the government is taking the punishment of convicted drug criminals seriously and has increased extraditions to the U.S.
  • An estimated 7,000 people died in Mexico in 2009 as a result of the drug war -- significantly more than the 1,300 people who are believed to have died in 2005 before the war began. There were also an estimated 1,200 kidnappings in 2009.
  • As previously noted, vehicle armoring is a principal offering of the security industry, and it is not surprising that the growth of the market is most visible in this subsector. In Latin America, the armoring market has increased by 850% in the last eight years, and Mexico is now the second largest market after Brazil. Since 2008, the number of armored cars has increased by 25% in Mexico City and by 60% in the rest of the country. This market is expected to grow by 20% in 2011. Businesses have responded to this need: There are now 70 registered providers of armoring, compared to only three 15 years ago.
  • In August 2010, the far-reaching impact of Mexico's drug-related violence prompted Calderón to open debate on legalizing drugs.
  • For the past two years, American Chamber Mexico (AmCham) has conducted a survey of its members -- foreign and national managers -- to gauge their sentiment regarding corporate and personal security: 75% say their businesses have been affected by the country's insecurity.
  • Nearly 60% of the respondents felt less secure on a personal level in 2009 than in 2008; but the same respondents were equally divided as to whether their respective companies were more, less, or equally secure across the same period.
  • Of the third of the respondents who viewed their companies as being less secure than the year before, the most commonly noted contributing factors were the strengthening of organized crime activity, impunity in the judicial process, and activities associated with drug trafficking. Among those who felt their companies were more secure, 25% credited the work of the Mexican authorities, while 75% attributed the improvement to the results of efforts within their own companies.
  • Pemex, the state-owned petroleum company, has been a repeated target of the cartels. In 2010, the company experienced multiple kidnappings and theft by the cartels and corrupt employees. Reuters estimates that Pemex loses "US$750 million of fuel and oil from its pipelines each year" along with "valuable spare parts and equipment."
  • Kroll estimates the direct cost of insecurity to the government, businesses, and citizens to be US$65 billion, or 8% of GDP.
  • focuses
    • megan lemmen
      megan lemmen on 08 Mar 11
       
      Reflection: There is no possible way to completely eliminate corruption, even in the United States; the fact that Mexico realizes, however, that there is a problem is a step in the right direction. While it's great that Mexico is making efforts to decrease corruption in the police force and government, it's a task that will take a long time to complete. It's horrifying to think that a birthday party-a normal, friendly activity-could be so terribly interrupted by the drug cartel. As to legalizing the drugs, I think that it would cause more problems than it would solve. Yes, it would decrease the price of drugs and decrease the demand from drug cartel, but then how would they get their money? They would go to other means of earning a living; men who can be violent like this would have no problem getting money through other horrifying crimes. Questions:1) What are all of the positive and negative effects of legalizing drugs?2) Is there a better way to screen government and police officials in order to decrease corruption?3) What are other safety measures that the typical citizen can go through to be more safe?4) What else can be done to decrease the drug cartels?
  • megan lemmen on 08 Mar 11
     
    Research Question: How does the Mexican drug war affect the government and people of Mexico? Source: Duff, Devon, and Jen Rygler. "Drug Trafficking, Violence and Mexico's Economic Future."Knowledge @ Wharton. N.p., 26 Jan. 2011. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. . Summary: Mexico is making efforts to cleanse their police force by performing drug tests, lie detector tests, and other exams to make sure that the officers are being honest. There is also a new program called "Plataforma México" that will try to connect the police force better in order to catch criminals. Many Mexican businesses are suffering due to the violence; drug cartels are using theft or kidnapping to gain power or profit. A birthday party was even interrupted by the drug cartel-the violence is now affecting the citizens. Legalizing drugs has been considered as a means to decrease the price of drugs, and thus get rid of the drug cartels. Some think, though, that this will increase their violence in order to earn more of a profit. Private security has increased due to the lack of trust in Mexico's public security. Tourism has decreased, not only due to the violence but swine flu as well in 2009.  ***rest of info is sticky noted on this page
Leah Hop

How Mexico Can Stop Losing The Drug War - 0 views

www.businessinsider.com/top-losing-the-drug-war-2011-3

Mexico drug war

shared by Leah Hop on 09 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • Mexican President Felipe Calderon is losing his war on the drug cartels.
  • More than 35,000 people have died in the conflict - 15,000 in 2010 alone - and drug-related violence continues to spiral to new, horrifying levels.
  • Mexican production of marijuana, heroin and meth continues to ramp up.
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  • Mexico cannot win its war against the cartels unless the U.S. does more to curb insatiable American demand
  • Weak democratic institutions, a corrupt and ineffective judicial system and underdeveloped infrastructure have made it virtually impossible for the Mexican government to break up the country’s vast and flexible criminal networks.
  • Calderon would be better advised to focus on more attainable goals; like implementing judicial reforms, expanding access to credit, growing the middle class, and promoting government accountability and transparency.
  • Restoring a semblance of order to Mexico’s civil and political society would be a good first step toward reversing the country’s slow economic growth and declining global competitiveness.
  • most of Mexico’s major cartels do not have a political or social agenda
  • Calderon could recall the 45,000 troops he sent to fight the drug war and call for a ceasefire between the Mexican army and the cartels
  • escalating violence and terror is endangering business growth and fledgling civic networks.
  • using the Mexican military to fight the drug war point to the army’s success capturing drug kingpins and cartel cell leaders
  • drug war has destabilized the cartel leadership and led to the atomization of powerful criminal organizations into smaller, more regionalized gangs.
  • If left alone, these weaker organizations will wield considerably less influence over local governments and law enforcement than their predecessors. Stronger democratic institutions and a reformed criminal justice system would further marginalize and weaken these gangs.
  • The fight against drug traffickers - and the militarization of domestic security - is eroding Mexico’s democracy
  • Money, not power, is the goal for the vast majority of Mexican traffickers. The cost of fighting a multi-front war seriously cuts into profits.
  • As long as American demand exists, the drug trade will thrive south of the border. But as the cost of doing business in Mexico increases, the nexus of power will shift to other Latin American countries.
  • Leah Hop on 09 Mar 11
     
    Research Question: How does the Mexican drug war affect the government and people of Mexico? Source: Wyler, Grace. "How Mexico Can Stop Losing The Drug War." Politix. Business Insider, 5 Mar. 2011. Web. 8 Mar. 2011. Summary: Mexico is losing the war on the drug cartels and can't win its war unless the U.S does more to stop our drug addiction. More than 35,000 people have died due to drug related violence and this fight against drug traffickers is eroding Mexico's democracy. In the last decade, Mexico has made steps to fix their slow economic growth but still have a long, long way to go. Also, the Mexican military has captured drug kings and cartel cell leaders, which has helped destabilize cartel leadership and create smaller/regional gangs. Having smaller/weaker organizations will have less of an influence over local governments. Reflection: I agree with this article in the fact that the U.S needs to lose our greedy demand for drugs in order to help stop the drug war. The corrupt and ineffective judicial system as well as the underdeveloped infrastructure has made it basically impossible for the Mexican government to stop these drug gangs. I think if Mexico really wants this drug war to end, then they need to iron out their government so that they can become stronger on a democratic and judicial level.. Questions:  1) Is there any way the U.S can decrease their demand for drugs? 2) Can Calderon do anything to rebuild the corrupt government? 3) If Mexico's government was less corrupt, would their still be a drug war?
Mallory Huizenga

"Tourist and Turtles: Searching for a Balance in Tortuguero, Costa Rica" - 0 views

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MEL Costa Rica

shared by Mallory Huizenga on 28 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • can be used to (1) raise awareness about sea turtles, (2) provide funding for conservation and management, and (3) create 'alternative livelihoods' and revenues for communities who engage(d) in direct consumption or sale of sea turtle products.
    • Mallory Huizenga
      Mallory Huizenga on 28 Mar 11
       
      Reflection: This article was helpful because it took me one step deeper into the efforts Costa Rica is taking to better their ecological conservation. Many articles that I come across only cover the surface of what Costa Rica is doing. In this article I was able to get an up close look at one of the things Costa Rica is doing: protecting sea turtles. Costa Rica is working with resources, such as tourism, to improve their conservation efforts. It was also nice to get a solid definition of ecotourism in Costa Rica. Questions: 1) What are other organization doing to promote conservation efforts? 2) How many other organizations use tourism to raise awareness? 3) What other steps is Costa Rica taking to protect sea turtles? 4) What other research studies are taking place on sea turtles?
  • ecotourists were portrayed as alternative tourists looking for environmentally focused educational trips.
  • In 2004, the tour system was changed to mitigate potential negative impacts of tourist activity on nesting turtles.
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  • Sea turtle conservation organisations promote tourism as a way to 'save turtles', and reconcile conservation and development near nesting beaches.
  • Turtles and tourism are now so inextricably linked in some places that potential turtle losses represent tourism revenue losses (BBC News 2004).
  • Since the 1990s, ecotourism has become part of the tourism mainstream, especially in places like Costa Rica, where 'softer' ecotourism dominates. It is largely composed of nature-based tourism that includes some 'green' aspects but also offers easier tourist outings and more comforts of home
  • While ecotourism, including ecotourism in Tortuguero, once attracted mostly 'harder' or more rugged and/or environmentally conscious tourists than most nature-based or wildlife-viewing tourism (Place 1991), such distinctions are now less clear
  • As ecotourism grows, and infrastructure and services are added, the destination becomes less attractive to harder ecotourists.
  • In this paper, we focus on tourist perceptions of turtle tours in Tortuguero, Costa Rica, home to Tortuguero National Park
  • (Eco)tourism's promise for conservation Ecotourism is seen as part of a 'mutually beneficial triumvirate', alongside conservation and biology, by many in the conservation world (Brightsmith et al. 2008).
  • Some conservationists see tourism, especially ecotourism, as an important driver of conservation
  • Tortuguero village, Tortuguero National Park and tourism Tortuguero's [Figure 1] nesting beach is used by green, leatherback, hawksbill, and loggerhead sea turtles.
  • Tourist traffic on the beach also has the potential to disturb turtles as they search for a place to nest, sending them back into the water without completing the nesting process.
  • Tourist roles in Tortuguero Tourists play key roles in turtle conservation success in Tortuguero
  • Conservation efforts are also co-dependently intertwined with tourism.
  • We have suggested that tourism in Tortuguero appears to have switched to a softer, more mass tourism-like form of 'ecotourism'.
  • Striving for this delicate balance will not be easy, but gaining a better and ongoing understanding of tourist perceptions is integral to designing more sustainable or less unsustainable turtle tourism options for the future.
  • Mallory Huizenga on 28 Mar 11
     
    Research Journal #3: Article One Research Question: How is ecological conservation effecting Costa Rica? Source: Mel.org: "Tourist and Turtles: Searching for a Balance in Tortuguero, Costa Rica" by Zoe Meletis and Emma Harrison  Citation: Meletis, Zoe, and Emma Harrison. "Tourists and turtles: Searching for a balance in Tortuguero, Costa Rica." Conservation and Society 8.1 (2010): 26. Academic OneFile. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. Summary: This article takes an inside look at the sea turtle population and how tourism has affected the turtle population. The article is filled with information, observations, and facts. The article also displays a study that took place to measure the affects of tourism on the sea turtle population. One of the top things the article talks about is how tourism is raising conservation awareness for the turtle. Through tourism, conservation organizations are able to spread awareness. Another aspect that the article talks about is ecotourism. It talks about the difference between ecotourism and tourism. Costa Rica is becoming known for their ecotourism. The article defines ecotourism as "largely composed of nature-based tourism that includes some 'green' aspects but also offers easier tourist outings and more comforts of home". This article glorifies the efforts Costa Rica is taking to deepen their ecological conservation.  Reflection and Questions on Sticky Note
Katie Feikema

ENVIRONMENT-COSTA RICA: TOURISM TURNS INTO GREEN GOLD. - 2 views

find.galegroup.com.references.herrickdl.org/...retrieve.do

Costa Rica's environment

shared by Katie Feikema on 17 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • The success of eco-tourism is bringing about a change in the attitudes of rural communities in Costa Rica
  • begun to see the natural beauty surrounding them in a new light, and hopes for development have begun to encourage civil society and businesses to organize, while boosting conservation efforts and investment in green-friendly projects.
  • has begun to have an impact on the economy of this Central American nation of 3.5 million, which not only provides abundant natural beauty, but enjoys the advantage of being one of the safest and most politically stable countries in Latin America.
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  • "We know that although there is still much to be done, tourism is an activity that can generate economic resources," Mayor Juan Flix Matute told IPS.
  • in recent years, lodges and inns promoting eco-tourism have begun to crop up in the tropical rainforest surrounding the town.
  • "We want to protect nature while promoting development in the area," the president of the local chamber of tourism, William Rodr[inverted exclamation mark]guez, told IPS.
  • The members of the local chamber of tourism are interested in making sustainable use of the area's historical heritage and biological wealth.
  • "We know nature is our livelihood, and that is why our mentality now is to take care of it. This is how businesses in the region see things today," said Rodr[inverted exclamation mark]guez, who pointed out that eco-tourism already provided steady jobs for 1,500 local residents.
  • In Sarapiqu[inverted exclamation mark], a chamber of tourism has been set up, local attractions are marketed over the Internet, and part of the tourism revenues are used to offer English and computer courses to the local community.
  • Tourism activity grew nine percent last year, compared to an average of between three and four percent worldwide,
  • Tourism is the main foreign exchange-earner in Costa Rica's services sector, with more than one million arrivals by foreign visitors last year, and $339 million in revenues in the first quarter of this year alone.
  • The biological wealth of the surrounding rainforest has also become a magnet for scientific projects set up by international organizations.
  • Visitors to the museum can see traditional graves of Huetar indigenous people, and can stay at a special villa designed to reproduce the lifestyle of local Indians in the 15th century, before the Spanish arrived.
  • "The money generated by this institute will be reinvested in the research carried out by the center," Knockaert explained.
  • Other scientific organizations are also active in the area, with their research centers open to the general public.
  • Among the attractions marketed on the local community's Internet website (www.sarapiquirainforest.com) are whitewater rafting, birdwatching, horseback riding, nature walks, tours of a butterfly garden and banana plantations, and an aerial tram, on which visitors can "fly through the rainforest canopy."
  • Katie Feikema on 17 Feb 11
     
    Research Question: What effect does Costa Rica's ecological conservation have on it's environment and economy? Source: Munoz, N. "ENVIRONMENT-COSTA RICA: TOURISM TURNS INTO GREEN GOLD." Environment Bulletin (2000): ITEM00151001. General OneFile. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. Summery: this article tells of the environment pulling in tourism and bringing to the economy. Reflection: The different things offered to tourists sounds amazing and like something that will be worth seeing for a long time. I don't think this resource will die. Questions: 1) how do they plan to expand this resource to bring in more economic growth? 2) Will the tourism business begin to ruin the environment?  
  • Jessica Ruthsatz on 28 Feb 11
     
    HI Katie, Nice job on the annotations. Please make sure that next time however that your Summary and reflection are a bit more comprehensive. Thanks:)
Mackenzie Haveman

Student Edition  Document - 0 views

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Haiti earthquake effects

shared by Mackenzie Haveman on 10 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • The American Institutes for Research (AIR), as part of its commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) to help Haiti's education system, has responded to the devastating January 2010 earthquake by assembling emergency classrooms and providing special training for teachers to help them cope with the lingering effects of the disaster.
  • AIR has assembled temporary schools and classrooms, improved school hygiene facilities, distributed school materials, and provided training and psychosocial support for teachers and school directors.
  • At least 322 emergency classrooms have been assembled. More than 25,000 students have been able to resume their education. A total of 733 teachers and school directors have received special training so they can return to work.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • AIR has also compiled a directory that identifies Haitian organizations that support primary and secondary education and school-based health activities in the country. The directory has made it easier to identify organizations working to provide education assistance in Haiti.
    • Mackenzie Haveman
      Mackenzie Haveman on 10 Mar 11
       
      Response:I think that what AIR is doing is definitely very helpful. It is very important to help keep their kids in school and have them grow up with an education. I think that this is they type of help that Haiti needs in order to recover. I think that if there were different organizations or countries that could focus on one specific thing to help out with, like education, Haiti could be on their way to a healthy rebuilding. My research question is, "What are the social, political, and economical effects on Haiti after the earthquake." I think that this article definitely ties into my question in that of it can connect to the political point. The education system is definitely part of the political standpoint, and there are much more systems that are to be fixed that are parts of their politics. I think that education is definitely a great place to start because they can teach their children a new way of life, and it can potentially give hope for the country's future.  Questions:1. What are other systems that we can help in where we an go in and teach them? 2. Could the new generation of students potentially flip their society?3. Besides classrooms and training teachers, what else could be helped through the education system if they want their students to help make a difference?
  • Mackenzie Haveman on 10 Mar 11
     
    "AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH'S CLINTON GLOBAL INITIATIVE COMMITMENTS BENEFIT CHILDREN IN HAITI AFFECTED BY THE JANUARY 2010 EARTHQUAKE." States News Service 21 Sept. 2010. Student Edition. Web. 8 Mar. 2011. Summery:  This article is about what The American Institutes for Research (AIR) is doing in helping the effects on Haiti. This institute has tried to focus on students and on education systems. They have helped assemble emergency classrooms and they have trained for teachers to be a part of a good education system and helped them deal with the unforgotten effects. There have been at least 322 emergency classrooms assembled, more than 25,000 students have been able to resume their education, and a total of 733 teachers and school directors have received training so they can return to their works.   
ni iang

Eco-Luxury - - 0 views

www.time.com/...0,9171,995191-2,00.html

What are the effects of ecological conservation in Costa Rica.

shared by ni iang on 14 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • Matthew Cook, executive director of the Association for the Conservation of the Mono Titi (ASCOMOTI), a nonprofit dedicated to saving the endangered Costa Rican red-backed squirrel monkey, says an industry-wide drive is needed to prevent further environmental destruction. In Manuel Antonio, the organization has the support of 28 businesses that fund conservation and reforestation programs. Thanks to the efforts of some forward-thinking hoteliers, for travelers who relish a cocktail by the pool, conservation could not get any easier.
  • ni iang on 14 Apr 11
     
    Miranda, Carolina A. "Eco-Luxury." Time 20 Sept. 2004: 5 pars. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. . Summery  This article talks about that some of the Hotel in Costa Rica are trying to help the environment by doing little thing that will help the environment.  Costa Rica has  been grappling with new challenges to their environment and it has growen well, all the natural beauty has attracted  millions of visitors.  But hotels and businesses increase their businesses into untouched areas.   New hotel in Costa Rica called the Four Seasons Resort has supported the environment by planting grass that can live on 50% of ocean water and 70% of the land will  remain in its natural state.  Another hotel Hacienda Pinilla also try to help environment.  The 4500 acre resort which is in the untouched area of the  Nicoya Peninsula, will maintain main areas of undeveloped land.  El Remanso hotel on the Pacific Coast have used fallen wood to build their cabins.  And also another association for the conservation of the Mono Titi, nonprofit, said that the industries need to prevent further environmental damage.  This organization support 28 businesses that work for conservation and reforestation programs. 
Jessica Ruthsatz

War in Juarez: anthropologist Howard Campbell on Mexico's increasingly violent drug war... - 1 views

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Mexico Drug Trade

shared by Jessica Ruthsatz on 27 Jan 11 - No Cached
  • THE MEXICAN CITY of Juarez, just over the border from El Paso, has suffered through wild spasms of drug-related violence during the last few years.
  • preceded by hideous torture and followed by public displays meant to inspire terror, such as tossing a rival gangster's head into a crowded club.
  • Howard Campbell, a sociologist and anthropologist at the University of Texas at El Paso,
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • rug War Zone is composed of more than a dozen personal testimonials of people whose lives touch the drug trade in different ways.
  • Howard Campbell: Two factors caused me to write this book. One was living in Mexico for many years and realizing that the drug business was so huge, and there was quite a bit of information publicly known in newspapers, yet the government didn't se
  • Campbell: It is a dangerous world, but I was really more worried about the safety of my informants than myself. They have more at stake. I disguised their identities as much as possible so they'd be protected. I found people surprisingly open to ta
  • The big Mexican cartels have been around roughly for 30 years, and for the first 20 years they operated freely, and there was not really a high level of violence and public insecurity connected with drug trafficking. There were murders, but they were internal to the cartels; the people being killed tended to be part of the underworld.
  • PRI, a populist party well organized at every level of Mexican society but very corrupt. It lost favor among the people, and PRI lost power in 2000 to PAN, a more free-market, American-style party. PAN lacked the political skills to keep a lid on the drug problem. The more corrupt government did more to manage the drug trade. Mexico might be a more democratic country now and booming in free trade to some degree, but all of that created more freedom for cartels to expand business. The old mechanisms used to keep cartels under control broke down when PRI was thrown out. There was more competition between drug organizations and hustling to create new alliances with people in government and the police.
  • 2000 the violence has really been heating up, and from 2006
  • Jessica Ruthsatz on 27 Jan 11
     
    Research Question: Citation: Doherty, Brian. "War in Juarez: anthropologist Howard Campbell on Mexico's increasingly violent drug war." Reason Feb. 2010: 46+. Student Edition. Web. 27 Jan. 2011. Summary: Reflection: Questions:
Bryce Lutke

Cuba History - 0 views

www.countryreports.org/...Overview.aspx

Cuba History

shared by Bryce Lutke on 17 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • Indian population died out, African slaves were imported to work the ranches and plantations. Slavery was abolished in 1886.
  • Cuba was the last major Spanish colony to gain independence
  • 1868. Jose Marti, Cuba’s national hero
  • ...26 more annotations...
  • the United States entered the conflict after an explosion of undetermined origin caused the USS Maine to sink in Havana Harbor on February 15
  • December of that year, under the Treaty of Paris, Spain relinquished control of Cuba to the United States. On May 20, 1902, the United States granted Cuba its independence
  • retained the right to intervene to preserve Cuban independence and stability in accordance with the Platt Amendment.
  • 1934, the Platt Amendment was repealed
  • The United States and Cuba concluded a Treaty of Relations in 1934 which, among other things, continued the 1903 agreements that leased the Guantanamo Bay naval base to the United States.
  • Independent Cuba was often ruled by authoritarian political and military figures who either obtained or remained in power by force
  • Fulgencio Batista
  • organized a non-commissioned officer revolt in September 1933 and wielded significant power behind the scenes until he was elected president in 1940
  • Batista was voted out of office in 1944 and did not run in 1948
  • Running for president again in 1952, Batista seized power in a bloodless coup 3 months before the election was to take place
  • On July 26, 1953, Fidel Castro, who had been involved in increasingly violent political activity before Batista’s coup, led a failed attack on the Moncada army barracks in Santiago de Cuba in which more than 100 died
  • he was convicted and jailed, and subsequently was freed in an act of clemency, then went into exile in Mexico.
  • There he organized the “26th of July Movement” with the goal of overthrowing Batista, and the group sailed to Cuba on board the yacht Granma, landing in the eastern part of the island in December 1956.
  • Batista’s dictatorial rule fueled increasing popular discontent and the rise of many active urban and rural resistance groups
  • Faced with a corrupt and ineffective military, itself dispirited by a U.S. Government embargo on weapons sales to Cuba, and public indignation and revulsion at his brutality toward opponents, Batista fled on January 1, 1959
  • Castro had promised a return to constitutional rule and democratic elections along with social reforms, Castro used his control of the military to consolidate power by repressing all dissent from his decisions, marginalizing other resistance figures, and imprisoning or executing thousands of opponents.
  • An estimated 3,200 people were executed by the Castro regime between 1959-62
  • As the revolution became more radical, hundreds of thousands of Cubans fled the island.
  • Castro declared Cuba a socialist state on April 16, 1961
  • For the next 30 years, Castro pursued close relations with the Soviet Union
  • worked in concert with the geopolitical goals of Soviet communism
  • funding and fomenting violent subversive and insurrectional activities, as well as military adventurism, until the demise of the U.S.S.R. in 1991.
  • Relations between the United States and Cuba deteriorated rapidly as the Cuban regime expropriated U.S. properties and moved toward adoption of a one-party communist system
  • In response, the United States imposed an embargo on Cuba in October 1960
  • in response to Castro’s provocations, broke diplomatic relations on January 3, 1961
  • Tensions between the two governments peaked during the October 1962 missile crisis.
  • Bryce Lutke on 17 Feb 11
     
    What effects have the US embargo had on the Cuban economy? Cuba - History. Pleasant Grove UT: Country Reports, n.d. Country Reports. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. . Summary: This article gave a summary of the nation on Cuba. It gave information on how Cuba became a country with its revolution though the 1962 missile crisis, how Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba and a little of his history in the nation. It told about how Cuba aligned itself with the soviet union and how the embargo with the United States came into being.  Reflection: I thought this summary of the Cuban history was very interesting. The article was full of great information on Cuba I learned more on how Fidel Castro came into power and why the United States put an embargo on Cuba than I had ever known just by reading this article. I would like to have known more about some critical issues that they mentioned like the missile crisis and some of the things tat Fidel Castro did in their history.
Cindy Son

Israel and Lebanon trade gunfire and accusations.(REGIONAL). - 1 views

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Hezbollah Lebanon Israel

shared by Cindy Son on 16 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • Lebanon has accused Israeli forces of crossing into its territory illegally. Hizbollah also claimed that the Israeli patrol crossed a security fence near the border village of Maroun Cape.
  • However, the Israel Defence Force (IDF) blamed the Lebanese army for provoking the latest exchange of fire between the two
  • "It is important to emphasise that the entire activity took place within Israeli territory, south of the international border," said an IDF spokesman.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • The escalation of tensions came in the wake of the discovery by Israel of several bombs close to the border.
  • Hizbollah has denied that it had planted any devices recently, saying the explosives found by Israel had been placed there during the conflict last year.
  • The border area is littered with explosive devices.
  • Its mission is to assist the Lebanese army in securing stability in southern Lebanon as part of UN Security Council resolution 1701.
  • Cindy Son on 16 Feb 11
     
    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
Heather Kapenga

Zambia's HIV infection rates up. - 0 views

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Zambia HIV AIDS

shared by Heather Kapenga on 18 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • The country's National AIDS Council (NAC) said the rate of new HIV infection rose from 70, 000 in 2007 to 82, 000 this year.
  • 79 percent of the new infections were resulted from active people having sex with non-regular partners.
  • Zambia's Interfaith Networking Group on HIV/AIDS, an organization embracing all religions, said there was need to spread latest information on new infections to sustain prevention among young people, adding that the organization was committed to ensuring that the southern African country remains free from HIV/ AIDS by 2015.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • Zambia's HIV/AIDS prevalence rate currently stands at 14.3 percent among people aged between 15 and 49.
  • the unprecedented number of new infections had resulted in an increase in orphans and vulnerable children, pledging that the government and cooperating partners will consider increasing budgetary support in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
  • COPYRIGHT 2009 COMTEX News Network, Inc. LUSAKA, Dec 02, 2009 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Zambia
    • Heather Kapenga
      Heather Kapenga on 18 Feb 11
       
      Reflection: I was very surprised by how huge these numbers are of people in Zambia who are affected by HIV/AIDS and how 82,000 people this year are affected by it. I was also surprised to read about how up to 79% of people in Zambia are infected with AIDS by having affairs and that you would think they would not do this so they do not end up being infected with AIDS and passing it down to their children right away from birth. This article contributes to my research question because, it gives out facts about how many people are affected by AIDS and how that affects them and their children and how they would like to put an end to this epidemic before this disease keeps passing on.Questions:1. Why do these people continue to be infected by HIV/AIDS when they can put a stop to it by not being sexually active?2. Are there any other ways to prevent these people from being infected by HIV/AIDS?3.Why would it take up to 2015 for southern African countries to become HIV/AIDS free?
  • Heather Kapenga on 18 Feb 11
     
    Research Question: What is the effect of AIDS/HIV in Zambia? Citation: "Zambia's HIV infection rates up." Xinhua News Agency 2 Dec. 2009. Student Edition. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. Summary: The National AIDS Council (NAC) says that the rate of  the HIV infection has increased dramatically from 70,000 people to 82,000 people in Zambia. Also there is an epidemic of up to 79% of people who are being infected by HIV by having affairs. Plus Zambia's Interfaith Networking Group on HIV/AIDS ensured that souther African countries to remain AIDS free by 2015. Finally the current rate of people in Zambia affected by HIV/AIDS is at 14.3% for people between the ages of 15 and 49.
Nicki Pifer

Obama Opens Trade and Travel Relations With Communist Cuba - 0 views

www.thenewamerican.com/

embargo trade Cuba travel

shared by Nicki Pifer on 01 Mar 11 - Cached
  • Nicki Pifer on 01 Mar 11
     
    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
Katie Feikema

Costa Rica's citizens of conservation: in their newly adopted homes, enclaves of foreig... - 0 views

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costa Rica environment

shared by Katie Feikema on 17 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • Historically, Costa Rica has been ecofriendly. It has set aside a higher percentage of land as national parks than any other nation in the Americas. Government programs assist landowners with reforestation, helping to bring land back to its natural state.
  • a number of examples exist where foreigners have become agents of change who add to the richness of Costa Rican fife. The Costa Rican government hopes to encourage such balanced exchanges.
  • Out of the Kyoto Protocols and through the World Bank, Costa Rica was selected to sell carbon credits. "They are paying people to produce oxygen,"
  • ...13 more annotations...
  • Several times a year, they bring groups of university student volunteers to work in this small Costa Rican community. Last year, the volunteers renovated the school by painting it, sanding and varnishing the desks and chairs, and repairing windows. They also helped build an organic garden and learned about the value of growing their own foods.
  • The group also had a dream to create a library to serve the schools in the four communities of the Valle de Diamante. This past February the library opened right next to the freshly renovated school in La Florida.
  • The library, which serves the four community schools, will enhance the quality of education and create long-lasting opportunities for the areas children.
  • Villages are looking for a new ways to sustain themselves and their culture. This library, along with new skills related to farming organically, composting, using bio-fuels and alternative energy, and rehabilitating and reforesting land will bring greater financial abundance to the communities.
  • Their dream is to create a sustainable environment and a balanced ecology benefiting their region and the entire planet.
  • I see my role as making them aware of what's available through national programs and then facilitating the implementation." When he leaves after two years, the community will be more aware of the resources available to them and more able to fight for their own development.
  • Over time, Ewing's interest in cattle was replaced with an enthusiasm for the natural world of the Costa Rican forest. Little by little, he began thinking of the hacienda as a nature preserve.
  • Ewing allowed other parts of the hacienda to regenerate naturally. The rich, fertile, volcanic soil of the region, along with the vast seed bank of the primary forest and the average 150 inches of yearly rainfall, brought rapid reforestation.
  • In August of 1995, President José María Figueres signed a decree designating Hacienda Barú as a National Wildlife Refuge. The forest continues to regenerate.
  • Hacienda Barú's story is one of enormous success, and it is not just an ecological success, as spectacular as that is. Perhaps more importantly, the experience of Hacienda Barú has pioneered a way for others to follow.
  • Hacienda Barti National Wildlife Refuge. The densely forested 830 acres belie its previous incarnation as a cattle ranch and rice farm.
  • Source Citation"Costa Rica's citizens of conservation: in their newly adopted homes, enclaves of foreigners support their local communities by using sustainable methods to preserve the land and the environment." Americas [English Edition] July-Aug. 2010: 22+. Academic OneFile. Web. 16 Feb. 2011.
    • Katie Feikema
      Katie Feikema on 17 Feb 11
       
      Reflection: I think that what these people did in Costa Rica seems to have been very beneficial to them and the native Costa Ricans. Through the experience they are able to serve and get close to nature which can be a very relaxing and rewarding experience. They are also able to improve the education, environment, and quality of life for the Costa Ricans. They are teaching them a bit about how to farm better as well wich will be a great asset to the natives as they build up their economy through better agriculture.Questions:1) I wonder how the natives feel about what American's are doing there. Do they give their full support? Or are they skeptical?    2) Is the impact they have made becoming more noticeable in the economy as well as the environment?3) Do they plan to slowly back out of the leadership positions and teach the natives how to carry on for themselves? 
  • Katie Feikema on 17 Feb 11
     
    Research Question: What effect does Costa Rica's ecological conservation have on it's environment and economy? Source: "Costa Rica's citizens of conservation: in their newly adopted homes, enclaves of foreigners support their local communities by using sustainable methods to preserve the land and the environment." Americas [English Edition] July-Aug. 2010: 22+. Academic OneFile. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. Summary: This article is about the success and help that people, not native to Costa Rica, have been able to bring to their "adopted land" in Costa Rica. They tell about what got them interested, what they did and how it has helped the country of Costa Rica. 
Laurel Ackerman

BBC News - PLO leadership backs indirect peace talks with Israel - 0 views

news.bbc.co.uk/...8669886.stm

Israel PLO BBC Peace talks

shared by Laurel Ackerman on 08 Mar 11 - Cached
  • The Palestinians broke off direct peace talks after Israel launched a military offensive on Gaza in late 2008.
  • The start of indirect negotiations in March was halted after Israeli municipal authorities approved plans for the construction of new homes in a settlement in East Jerusalem, which Palestinians want as the capital of a future state.
  • the land earmarked for a Palestinian state remains politically divided between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, from where the Islamist Hamas movement is deeply hostile to this peace process
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • Israel had approved plans for new homes in the East Jerusalem settlement of Ramat Shlomo
  • "Israel's position was and remains that the talks ought to be conducted without preconditions and should quickly lead to direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said.
  • The Palestinian Islamist group, Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, had urged the PLO to reject the proximity talks.
  • The Palestinian Authority's formal position is that it will not enter direct talks unless Israel completely halts building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem
  • In November, Israel announced a 10-month suspension of new building in the West Bank
  • Israel has occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 1967.
  • It insists Jerusalem will remain its undivided capital, although Palestinians want to establish their capital in the east of the city.
  • Nearly half a million Jews live in more than 100 settlements in the West Bank, among a Palestinian population of about 2.5 million.
  • Laurel Ackerman on 08 Mar 11
     
    How does the conflict in Israel affect the futures of Palestinian children compared to Israeli children?  Franks, Tim. "PLO leadership backs indirect peace talks with Israel." BBC. N.p., 8 May 2010. Web. 8 Mar. 2011. . Summary: This article is about how Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization tried to have peace talks. However, Israel is going to build homes in East Jerusalem where many Palestinians live and where Palestinians want the future capital of their state to be. The Israelis are invading Palestinian territory which slows the peace talks because the Palestinians refuse to negotiate while the Israelis build. 
Mark De Haan

The Grass Roots of Success - 0 views

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Hezbollah Lebanon Hizbollah Hizbullah

shared by Mark De Haan on 08 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • Hezbollah won eight seats in Lebanon 's parliamentary elections in Aug and Sep 1992.
  • HIZBOLLAH HAS come a long way from its origins in 1982 as a rag-tag group of guerillas fighting the Israelis. It is now a tightly-organised group with an impressive military structure, a television and radio station, and an extensive programme of social services.
  • A major reason for Hizbollah's successful move into the political mainstream is the backing it has procured through an extensive programme of social services for the Shia population, in place of the scant assistance provided by the Lebanese government.
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • When Hizbollah seized control of the suburbs from rival Shia group Amal in 1988 it embarked on an aid programme to improve daily life for the residents of the woefully-deprived area.
  • The Beqaa, an agricultural region traditionally neglected by the state authorities in Beirut, is Hizbollah's birthplace and springboard from which the group has spread its influence into other areas of the country.
  • Hizbollah finances a wide-ranging welfare system in the region which includes: a free taxi service for farm hands to reach remote fields and villages; sponsored supermarkets which sell food at reduced prices and where particularly impoverished families can get free food packages with ration cards; and low-cost or even free medicine and hospitalisation at one of two hospitals in Baalbek built and financed by Hizbollah.
  • The electorate in the mainly-Shia area of Baalbek in the Beqaa region, which voted overwhelmingly for the Hizbollah list of candidates, remembered the help rendered by the Islamists during the previous winter's snowstorm which engulfed the area. Hizbollah organised teams of relief workers to open roads and distribute food and blankets to cut-off villagers.
  • Hizbollah provided badly-needed drinking water to the area's residents, organising the daily replenishment of local reservoirs
  • Education is another arena in which Hizbollah is active.
  • The Islamic group pays school fees for children of poor families, thereby ensuring ample recruitment of young Shias into its ever-swelling ranks in the future. One sublime irony is that many Shia students who are Hizbollah sympathisers are sponsored by the Islamic group to study a Western-style education at the American University of Beirut.
  • When Israeli troops moved out of their so-called "security zone" in south Lebanon last February and smashed their way into two villages, it was the Jihad al Baniya (Holy Struggle for Reconstruction), an offshoot organisation of Hizbollah, that financed the repairs of over 1,000 homes and shops once the Israelis had pulled back.
  • Hizbollah's outcry for an improvement in the daily life of the thousands of deprived Shias in Lebanon was a call picked up more by Iran, which forsees the strategic opportunities that could arise from supporting fellow Shias in Lebanon, than by the Lebanese state itself.
  • Mark De Haan on 08 Mar 11
     
    The grass roots of success (Lebanon's Hezbollah Islamic fundamentalist group) The Middle East - Giles Trendle Trendle, Giles. "The grass roots of success." The Middle East Feb n220 1993: 12+. Student Edition. Web. 8 Mar. 2011. Summary: This article tells of how the group Hezbollah evolved from a smaller Islamic fundamentalist group to a political power in Lebanon in the 90s. The group was not always hurting and attacking Israel and the US, but also looking to make life better for the poor and down-trodden in Lebanon. Reflection: We often think of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization who does nothing but attack Israel with their rockets and their suicide bombers. But at one time, at least in the early 90s, the group was improving the living conditions for the poor in Lebanon, providing education and clean water as well. This group is not strictly terrorists. Questions:  1. How long as Hezbollah able to keep these programs? 2. Do they still hold a majority in Parliament? 3. Have living conditions changed/improved overall since the early 90s?
Nick Mast

Academic OneFile  Document - 0 views

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egypt

shared by Nick Mast on 11 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • Synopsis: Fewer than 3 in 10 Egyptians (28%) in 2010 expressed confidence in the honesty of elections in their country.
  • s that might be included in a new constitution, large majorities said they would support freedom of speech and religion.
  • When asked hypothetically in 2009 about rig
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • But the 2010 ele
  • ctions that
  • esulted in a landslide victory for Mubarak's National Democratic Party were mired with widespread fraud allegations.
  • nearly all Egyptians (96%) said they would "probably agree" with the inclusion of free speech as a guaranteed right in a new country's constitution. A majority of them (75%) also said they would probably agree with constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion and freedom of assembly (52%) or the right to congregate for any reason or in support of any cause.
  • gyptians' lack of confidence in the honesty of elections in previous years highlights the need for quick constitutional guarantees to set the stage for free and transparent elections.
  • Nick Mast on 11 Mar 11
     
    Before Uprising, Egyptians Lacked Faith in Honesty of Elections; Nearly all in 2009 said they would in theory support freedom of speech as a constitutional right.(survey) By: Gallup Organization Byline:Mohamed Younis Summary: In 2010 3 in every 10 people trusted the current Egyptian government. Many people thought that Mubaraks win in 2010 was rigged by people inside the government.  People in the country want in there next leader someone who listens and a lot of people want to be given freedom of religion and freedom of speech.The voting and choosing of leaders after the citizens protests is important they make the right moves and decisions for there country and the world will all be watching as this evolves carefully.  Reflection: To read this article and see that only 3 out every 10 people expressed confidence in the egyptian government, that low of a number just shocked me. No wonder everyone in the country revolted, no one trusted them. So now that the people have gotten rid of there old president they need to put there trust back into the government in making a smart choice about who is going to be the next leader, and they have to make sure they pick a leader who will hear there voices, for freedom of speech and religion and more.  Questions: What do people in Egypt now think of there governmental stand? Are more people starting to believe in the government? Do the people trust the government they have in place now? What would government have to change to make people trust them again?
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