Skip to main content

Home/ 5th Hour World Cultures/ Group items tagged assistance

Rss Feed Group items tagged

Filter: All | Bookmarks | Topics Simple Middle
Luke Terpstra

Putin meets South Ossetia leader in Moscow - Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review - 0 views

www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php

Putin South Ossetia Georgia assistance

shared by Luke Terpstra on 17 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • ussian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that a Russian-funded “plan on rehabilitation” launched after the August war between Russia and Georgia that led to Moscow’s recognition of South Ossetia as an independent republic “is practically over,”
  • Putin, speaking at a meeting in Moscow with Eduard Kokoity, the de facto leader of the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia, said problems might remain
  • After the meeting Kokoity said it was possible to say that “consequences of the Georgian aggression of August 2008 will be fully eradicated in a year or two.”
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • “Despite the global economic crisis, Russia has completely met its commitments,” said Kokoity, regarding financial assistance to Tskhinvali, adding that a total of 792 of South Ossetia’s facilities were rehabilitated with Russian assistance.
  • Luke Terpstra on 17 Feb 11
     
    "Putin meets South Ossetia leader in Moscow." Hurriyet Daily News 17 Feb. 2011. Web. 17 Feb. 2011.   Summary:    Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister, says that he and Eduard Kokoity,  the leader of the region in Georgia called South Ossetia, and stated that hostilities may still exist, but they have assisted South Ossetia in rehabilitating some of their facilities. Putin claims that with Russian aid, nearly 800 facilities were rehabilitated.  Reflection:      I find it hard to believe that Russia would help restore South Ossetia at all. They have constantly met all hostilities from Georgia with more offense, and not with the respectful defense they should have. I also find it strange that they find it strange that Georgia would attack them back.  Questions:  1. What do you think caused Russia to help South Ossetia out. Was it that they were obligated to do it, or did they just want to play the good guy role?  2. How much help do you think South Ossetia got, and what kind?  3. Why do you think Georgia is still hostile to Russia?
Jodie deVries

Escaping North Korea - National Geographic Magazine - 1 views

ngm.nationalgeographic.com/...1

northkorea escaping defector

shared by Jodie deVries on 09 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • Jodie deVries on 09 Mar 11
     
    How does North Korea's communist government and nuclear technology influence the lives of its people? O'Neill, Tom. "Escaping North Korea." National Geographic Feb. 2009. Web. 9 Mar. 2011. .Summery:This article talks about the lives of people who defect from North Korea. It is a reporter who follows 3 people as he meets them in China and follows them on their journey to South Korea. To escape the awfulness of North Korea is hard and dangerous. The people who escape face punishment by North Korea if they are caught (labor/prison camps). As well as being tricked by the people they hire to help them. Red and White were tricked into the sex trade. There are people, usually Christians and humanitarians in China who help these trapped Defectors get back into South Korea where they can live in safety. These people also face huge risks in the work they do. Once in South Korea the defectors face a hard time acclimatizing into society. They have almost no training or skills and have never faced such freedoms. Response:I am glad that there are people who are helping these Defectors. It reminds me of the people who come into the US escaping Mexico but these people are escaping a much worse situation. I am amazed by the efforts put forth by South Korea to help these people, they spend a lot of money assisting the North Korean Defectors. It is a bitter sweet situation. I think this article will be very very helpful in our presentation. 
Cindy Son

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

find.galegroup.com/gtx/retrieve.do?contentSet=IAC-Documents&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&qrySerId=Locale%28en%2C%2C%29%3AFQE%3D%28ke%2CNone%2C9%29hizbollah%3AAnd%3AFQE%3D%28ke%2CNone%2C7%29lebanon%3AAnd%3AFQE%3D%28ke%2CNone%2C6%29israel%3AAnd%3ALQE%3

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
Ryan Wassink

High opium price not increasing cultivation in Afghanistan: report - Monsters and Critics - 1 views

www.monstersandcritics.com/...tivation-in-Afghanistan-report

shared by Ryan Wassink on 28 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • strongly associated with insecurity and lack of agricultural assistance.'
  • aid the reasons
  • The UN report said the reasons for decreasing cultivation could be dry cli
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • mate conditions leading to crop failure
  • a changing political environment, increasing government control and more military operations by Afghan and international troops around the time of poppy planting which 'may have' discouraged the farmers.
  • The price went up by 164 per cent in 2010
  • The total harvest was nearly halved due to bad weather conditions and a plant disease.
  • istan is the world's biggest opium-producing country with a global share of 77 per cent. At least 1.7 million farmers are directly engaged in the cultivation of poppy farms, according to the UN. For the Taliban insurgents, poppy production is one of the main sources of income which funds their insurgency.
  • Afghan
Katie Feikema

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

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

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. 
Mark De Haan

The Grass Roots of Success - 0 views

find.galegroup.com/gtx/retrieve.do?contentSet=IAC-Documents&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&qrySerId=Locale%28en%2C%2C%29%3AFQE%3D%28ke%2CNone%2C9%29Hezbollah%3AOr%3AFQE%3D%28ke%2CNone%2C9%29Hizbollah%3AAnd%3AFQE%3D%28ke%2CNone%2C6%29Israel%3AAnd%3ALQE%

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...
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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?
Mallory Huizenga

"Costa Rica Launches Groundbreaking Environmental Initiative" - 0 views

www.nature.org/...press4743.html

conservancy

shared by Mallory Huizenga on 08 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • The funding will support a new ground-breaking, multi-million-dollar environmental initiative called Forever Costa Rica that will at least double the nation’s marine protected areas, dramatically improve the management of both marine and terrestrial protected area systems and provide necessary financing to sustain these environmental efforts in perpetuity.
  • By 2015, with assistance from the Forever Costa Rica project, Costa Rica expects to become one of the first developing nations in the world – if not the first – to complete its protected-areas goals under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.
  • On October 14, 2010 the Governments of the United States of America and the Republic of Costa Rica, the Central Bank of Costa Rica and The Nature Conservancy announced their agreement on a debt-for-nature swap that will provide more than $27 million over the next 15 years
    • Mallory Huizenga
      Mallory Huizenga on 08 Mar 11
       
      Reflection: What a fascinating article. This article was jammed packed with information. The Forever Costa Rica project seems like a great way to go about conserving the land. I love how Costa Rica is so devoted and so passionate about conservation. Many other countries, including the United States could really learn from Costa Rica. Protecting natural resources is so important. Costa Rica has been taking the right steps forward. With the help of the Forever Costa Rica project and the finances of $27 million Costa Rica will be able to make strides forward in conservation and protecting their important lands. Questions: 1) Why is the United States helping in financing the project? 2) Does this mean the United States will consider the same for our country? 3) How many areas are projected to be protected? 4) How far has Costa Rica come since the project began in October 2010? 5) In our project we will need to include the Forever Costa Rica project.
  • ...10 more annotations...
  • Forever Costa Rica will help expand the nation’s marine protected-area system, improve the management of all protected areas, and create management plans that will be subject to monitoring and continuous improvements.
  • Though it covers less than one-tenth of one percent of Earth’s surface, Costa Rica is one of the world’s richest natural treasures, hosting as much as five percent of the world’s biodiversity.
  • As one of the most biologically diverse countries in the world, it has a proven track record for reaching and exceeding its conservation goals.
  • “Today, Costa Rica is showing the world that an entire nation can protect its natural patrimony forever.
  • “Forever Costa Rica is a groundbreaking initiative that could change the way many countries approach their national commitments to conservation and the environment.
  • Costa Rica’s commitments to protected areas while also serving the needs of its people—many of the new marine protected areas, for instance, will enable resource management that can help to sustain the livelihoods of local fishing communities.
  • Costa Rica is leading the world in demonstrating how to put such treaties into action and to achieve measurable and significant results in a meaningful timeframe.”
  • Costa Rica once again leads the charge in setting a new standard for environmental conservation, with a challenge to other nations to follow suit.
  • Costa Rica has a tremendous history of land conservation,
  • The seeds for Forever Costa Rica were planted in July 2007 when President Oscar Arias launched his visionary “Peace with Nature” program that encompassed a wide range of environmental initiatives.
  • Mallory Huizenga on 08 Mar 11
     
    Research Journal #2: Article Two Question: How is ecological conservation effecting Costa Rica? Source: The Nature Conservancy: "Costa Rica Launches Groundbreaking Environmental Initiative"  by Colleen Roche Citation: Roche, Colleen. "Costa Rica Launches Groundbreaking Environmental Initiative." Nature Conservancy News Room . The Nature Conservancy , 15 Oct. 2010. Web. 8 Mar. 2011. .  Summary: This article focuses on the Forever Costa Rica project. This project is working towards doubling the nation's marine protected areas, dramatically improve the management of protected areas, and provide the finances needed to sustain these "environmental efforts". By 2015 the project is hoping to become "one the first developing nations in the world--if not the first--to complete its protected-areas goals". Finances for the projects will come from the Government of the United States and the republic of Costa Rica as well as the Central Bank of Costa Rica and The Nature Conservancy. All together they will provide $27 million over the next 15 years. With the Forever Costa Rica project underway, and finances set in place, Costa Rica is ready to further their ecological conservation. Reflection & Questions on Sticky Note
Kyleah Vander Klok

Raising the compassion bar: how 575 suburban teens underwrote a medical clinic, schoolh... - 0 views

find.galegroup.com/...infomark.do

zambia

shared by Kyleah Vander Klok on 08 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • $75,000 to build a medical clinic in Zambia to combat HIV/AIDS.
  • raised nearly 5250,000 for HIV/AIDS relief in Africa.
  • a student body whose members encourage each other to forgo movies, Starbucks runs, and even Christmas presents and prom dresses in order to use that money to provide Zambian peers with education and food.
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • The students were dismayed by opinion polls revealing that American evangelicals put a low priority on ministry to people with HIV/AIDS.
  • Zambia has more than 630,000 children orphaned due to HIV/AIDS. About 1.1 million are infected with the virus.
  • The One Life program offered a catalog showing ways students could assist an African village by raising money. Opportunities ranging from an $8 chicken to a $53,000 schoolhouse were included
  • some were strongly opposed to this big ministry dream. Some students felt this new "God-sized" goal was sudden, unreasonable, and driven by guilt. Others asked why their resources should go to Africa, and especially to fighting a sexually transmitted disease like AIDS. D
  • Each of us committed to pray every single day about it
  • ose prayers changed not only their attitudes of fear and doubt toward the project, but also attitudes within the entire school--students, teachers, and administrators. The arguments ceased and a potent passion for Zambia ignited as hundreds of students mobilized to raise funds.
  • Zambia, all of Africa, and the AIDS pandemic became urgent concerns for Wheaton Academy's students
  • pictures from Zambia as daily reminders of what life is like for children in Kakolo
  • For the 2005-06 school year, Wheaton Academy students have launched AIDS Student Network (www.aidsstudentnetwork.org), aiming to recruit 1,000 American high schools in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa
  • Kyleah Vander Klok on 08 Mar 11
     
    1.Christianity today:Raising the compassion bar by jeremy weber http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T003&prodId=STOM&docId=A134816038&source=gale&srcprod=STOM&userGroupName=lom_accessmich&version=1.0 2. A school in chicago raise money for food for the people in Africa. They sacrificed movies and other things like that to donate. At first there was a lot of controversy and doubt about the project but they were soon able to buy all the items out of the world vision catalog. 3. People do not understand what is going on or even believe it and if that they do not know what to do about it. For a couple o dollars that we spend on coffee we could buy something like a chicken or some kind of animal that will help these people, who have been orphaned and can barely survive, actually rise from the life of poverty and give them a small amount of hope. It seems like we can not give up something we can live without to help give something that someone else can't live without. I have done things for 30 hour famine that I think is a part of world vision I really enjoyed what I did and it didn't  harm me any and I got to experience what a child there must experience. 4. What can our students sacrifice for others and what have we sacrificed? If staff and students prayed everyday about an issue what would happen? Why do we let our selfishness and fear control our mind?
Mackenzie Haveman

Student Edition  Document - 0 views

find.galegroup.com/...tab.do

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.
  • 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.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • 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.
    • 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.   
Leah Hop

Mexican Drug Trafficking - 0 views

topics.nytimes.com/...index.html

Mexico drug WC

shared by Leah Hop on 09 Mar 11 - Cached
  • government says more than 34,600 have been killed in the four years since President Felipe Calderón took office and threw the federal police and military at the cartels, with the toll for 2010, 15,237, the heaviest yet.
  • Mexican and American officials, crediting American training of the military and what they consider to be an increasingly professional federal police force, point out that more than half of the 37 most wanted crime bosses announced last year have been captured or killed.
  • A poll released Jan. 11 by Mexico’s national statistics institute found that more than 70 percent of respondents believed the country’s security had worsened since 2009.
  • ...11 more annotations...
  • Obama administration will face renewed scrutiny to account for the $1.4 billion, multiyear Merida Initiative, the cornerstone of American aid in Mexico’s drug fight.
  • in June 2010 a Justice Department report described a "high and increasing" availability of methamphetamine mainly because of large-scale drug production in Mexico.
  • In October 2010, the government announced that it was preparing a plan to radically alter the nation’s police forces, hoping not only to instill a trust the public has never had in them but also to choke off a critical source of manpower for organized crime. It would all but do away with the nation’s 2,200 local police departments and place their duties under a “unified command.”
  • the rising count of gruesome drug-related murders is evidence that the government's strategy has failed.
  • Mr. Calderon dismisses suggestions that Mexico is a failed state, he and his aides have spoken frankly of the cartels' attempts to set up a state within a state, levying taxes, throwing up roadblocks and enforcing their own perverse codes of behavior.
  • United States and Mexico set their counternarcotics strategy on a new course in March 2010 by refocusing their efforts on strengthening civilian law enforcement institutions and rebuilding communities crippled by poverty and crime.
  • The $331 million plan was at the center of a visit to Mexico in March
  • The revised strategy has many elements meant to expand on and improve programs already under way as part of the so-called Mérida Initiative that was started by the Bush administration including cooperation among American and Mexican intelligence agencies and American support for training Mexican police officers, judges, prosecutors and public defenders.
  • American and Mexican agencies would work together to refocus border enforcement efforts away from building a better wall to creating systems that would allow goods and people to be screened before they reach the crossing points. The plan would also provide support for Mexican programs intended to strengthen communities where socioeconomic hardships force many young people into crime.
  • The most striking difference between the old strategy and the new one is the shift away from military assistance. More than half of the $1.3 billion spent under Merida was used to buy aircraft, inspection equipment and information technology for the Mexican military and police. Next year's foreign aid budget provides for civilian police training, not equipment.
  • But Ciudad Juárez belongs in its own category, with thousands killed each yea
  • Leah Hop on 09 Mar 11
     
    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?
Cindy Son

Hezbollah warns Israel against fresh violence - World - IOL | Breaking News | South Afr... - 0 views

www.iol.co.za/...gainst-fresh-violence-1.366312

Hezbollah Israel War

shared by Cindy Son on 13 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday warned Israel against launching new attacks against his militant group in a speech marking the anniversary of the end of the war with the Jewish state.
  • Nasrallah said Hezbollah had provided $380-million in emergency aid to assist 28 300 families affected by the war, most of them in southern Lebanon.
  • He did not say where the money came from, but Hezbollah is widely believed to be bankrolled by Iran.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • The last time the charismatic leader, considered Israel's enemy number one, appeared in public was on September 22, 2006, when he made a speech in the same neighbourhood to proclaim victory following the devastating 34-day war.
  • "We are here because Hezbollah is the only one that managed to defeat Israel, despite the high price we paid," said Hassan Korkomaz, who gathered with his family on Tuesday to listen to Nasrallah's speech.
  • Israel's war with Hezbollah resulted in the deaths of more than 1 200 Lebanese civilians, a third of them children, as well as 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.
  • Cindy Son on 13 Apr 11
     
    What are the effects of Hezbollah on Israel? "Hezbollah warns Israel against fresh violence ." IOL News. N.p., 15 Aug. 2007. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. . Summary : Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel not to attack against Hezbollah anymore. According to the article, "Israel's war with Hezbollah resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 Lebanese civilans, a third of the children, as weel as 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers." Therefore, Hezbollah leader, with the help of Iran, supported 28,300 Lebanese families who were affected by the war. Because Hezbollah started to support those people who were affected by the war, Lebanese began to feel supportive and think that Hezbollah is the only one that can manage to defeat Israel; they believe in Hezbollah's ability to deal with Israel. Nasrallah's speech is significant because it was the first time he appeared in public after the 2006 war. Reflection : Through this article, I could find out that Hezbollah tired their best to get support from the people in their country. And I was surprised that they actually obtained people's positive opinions around 2007 by warning Israel not to bomb or attack against their country again. It was smart a decision of Hezbollah that they drew people's attention positively to deal with the issues between Israel and themselves.  Question : 1) How people's opinions about Hezbollah changed after 2007?  2) Did Nasrallah's speech made any difference between Lebanon and Israel?  3) Are there any other ways to manage to defeat Israel beside Hezbollah?
1 - 11 of 11
Showing 20▼ items per page