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Click Here to reply for your September Blog Assignment

8/5/2013

 
September Blog Assignment
You will be able to analyze and contextualize a current event as it relates to themes studied in this course in a bog.

All Blog Requirements:

1. Summary- You will summarize the main points of a current event as reported by a news source.  You must include the name of the source and title of the article/segment.


2. Connection- You must make a relevant and thoughtful connection between the current event and content studied in Humanities.  


3. Personal Reflection- You will write your reaction to the current event including questions or predictions.  Your reflection needs to go beyond a simple “I thought this was bad/good/scary”  Explain your reaction.


4. Comment- You must comment on TWO of your peers’ blog posts with insights, connections, questions etc.



Matt
9/11/2013 09:44:20 am

1) The conflict in Syria all over the news and the internet. The Syrian president, Bashar a-Assad has used a form of chemical weapon on the civilians of his country. This sort of biological warfare is not accepted by the leaders of the UN. President Obama has made statements relating to the possible idea of aiding the Syrian civilians and entering their nation with the US military. The president od Syria is strongly against the invasion of his own country and issued the statement "if the send bombs they should expect everything" in response to the question, "if America send bombs to Syria what sort retaliation should they expect?" These interviews and speeches by both Bashar al-Assad and Barac Obama bring forth the question, will there be war?
-CNN -Bing News-The Colbert Report-VoaNews.com-NECN

2) This current event can be related to our study of the 9/11 attacks and the theme of Power and Authority. The Syrian weapons used on the civilians was a form of terrorism much like the acts of the terrorists of 9/11. This event altered the lives of so many Syrian people just as the attacks on the Trade Center changed the lives of thousands of Americans. The after math of these events may also be similar. In both terrorist acts many innocent people were unjustfuly killed. Also after 9/11 the United States declared a war against Afghanistan who they believed were responsible for the attacks. Now Obama is discussing the possibilities of the US entering Syria in retaliation to their actions. The theme of Power and Authority can be seen in both al-Assad's use of his chemical weapons over his own citizens and also in Obama's decisions to possibly submerse our country into a war.

3) The events over in Syria may seem distant and foreign but the fact that our president may be pondering war is something that could very strongly affect all of us. The fact the Syria has chemical weapons as well as long range weapons is frightening due to our location. Syria is east of the US which means any long range projectile would be traveling west to east. Since we live on the eastern seaboard, we are closer to this threat than any other place in the US. Also three of the very important cities lie on the east coast. New York, Boston and Philadelphia are all important US cities that happen to be along the coast and also fairly close to one another. We live in the "danger zone" that lies between these cities if there were to be a threat to any of them.

Kyle Arvisais
9/13/2013 03:38:25 am

It is a very descriptive piece on the Syria issue. You have given a very good connection to the issue and 9/11 and power and authority.

Isidra
9/13/2013 03:41:36 am

This peice connects to the power and authority really well but why do you think that Syria used its own people as test dummies instead of other country's people??

Noah
9/13/2013 03:49:14 am

Well... When a politician tests some weapon on his/her own people, 1) they are a dictator and necer used some sort of public opinion and 2) they do it so they don't start a war they might loose with another country.

Jesse
9/13/2013 06:08:43 am

I never really understood what was going on with Syria, but with this desciptive piece i understand it now. So Syria used their own weapons on their own people? Wouldnt it cause big issues within and outside of their country?

Lucas
9/13/2013 06:25:52 am

It will numerous problems by using their own weapons on their own people. Not only does it lose the respect of the citizens but it injures helpless people.

Isabelle
9/18/2013 07:20:52 am

This insightful post is a very good representation of the gas attacks in Syria. Your connection was excellent and I completly agree with your reflection. The fact that Syria has long range weapons should be very concerning to Americans and you stated that very clearly here. Your summary was very descriptive and easy to understand.

harry lancaster
9/22/2013 11:14:34 am

Hi Matt I enjoyed reading this, however I do not think we should be scared about going to war with Syria because I do not see it happening. Obama just withdrew our forces from the middle east from a war started for a very similar reason, I do not see him redeploying troops again just in a separate country. Also, I do not know if the Colbert Report is that reliable of a source... it's a show on comedy network lol.

johnathan sandoval
9/30/2013 12:33:01 pm

Good peice matt,
I chose to do this event as well and you did a great job relating this entire situation to the ideal topic of power and authority. However I am still confused as to what caused Assad to use chemical weapons amongst his own country. Also in my opinion I feel as if the U.N council of security should not destroy the entire supply of chemical warfare but they should put in better security to prevent any negative use of the weapons. What to you think should happen with the chemical weapons?

johnathan sandoval
9/30/2013 12:33:17 pm

Good peice matt,
I chose to do this event as well and you did a great job relating this entire situation to the ideal topic of power and authority. However I am still confused as to what caused Assad to use chemical weapons amongst his own country. Also in my opinion I feel as if the U.N council of security should not destroy the entire supply of chemical warfare but they should put in better security to prevent any negative use of the weapons. What to you think should happen with the chemical weapons?

johnathan sandoval link
9/30/2013 12:33:43 pm

Good peice matt,
I chose to do this event as well and you did a great job relating this entire situation to the ideal topic of power and authority. However I am still confused as to what caused Assad to use chemical weapons amongst his own country. Also in my opinion I feel as if the U.N council of security should not destroy the entire supply of chemical warfare but they should put in better security to prevent any negative use of the weapons. What to you think should happen with the chemical weapons?

johnathan sandoval link
9/30/2013 12:34:03 pm

Good peice matt,
I chose to do this event as well and you did a great job relating this entire situation to the ideal topic of power and authority. However I am still confused as to what caused Assad to use chemical weapons amongst his own country. Also in my opinion I feel as if the U.N council of security should not destroy the entire supply of chemical warfare but they should put in better security to prevent any negative use of the weapons. What to you think should happen with the chemical weapons?

Isidra
9/13/2013 03:35:16 am

Why do you that Syria used the chemical weapons on its own people instead of other people?

Kortnie
9/13/2013 03:47:43 am

Syria used chemical weapons on its own people because of politics, as far as I know. I'm pretty sure that the Syrian people are just sick of their president of now, so I think that the government just wanted to scare them and show their people who is in charge. It's a pretty terrible solution; they killed children as well as adults.

Owen Scannell
9/13/2013 03:42:05 am

Personally i think they used it on their own people to show how much power they have and how much their willing to sacrifice

Andrew S
9/14/2013 01:43:16 am

But wouldn't causing a civil war weaken Syria

Justin
9/22/2013 04:28:09 am

I agree however, I do have to agree with Andrew that a Civil war would just create Mayhem and just completely weaken Syria and the civilians respect for the Syrian government for using chemical weapons on the citizens.

Andrew S link
9/14/2013 03:26:04 am

1) Since the 1950's East Germany has been using under cover police called the Stati. But these police aren't performing good deeds. By the 1980's they were invading almost every aspect of society, reaching up to 80,000 members.

2) In class we discussed the topic of security vs privacy. This is similar in the same ways because the government is on the side to keep this going, but as expected the general population is against the invasion of their privacy.

3) I think that this is wrong. Although I'm not against having undercover cops, I think they are better suited on the road compared to in peoples business The only possible way I'd find this acceptable would be if there were less than 100 of these Stati and they were dedicated to stopping criminals committing high highly illegal crimes.

Lucas
9/18/2013 06:41:00 am

I agree with your connection but you would probably need more than 100 stati to stop criminals committing highly illegal crimes.

Jade
9/21/2013 05:59:29 am

I agree with you thinking that having undercover police not performing any good deeds is wrong, but I'm still a little fuzzy on how you're connecting this to security vs. privacy. Other than that this is a great piece.

Andrew Solari
9/21/2013 07:19:20 am

What I was getting at was that the police being secret made people feel like they were being deprived of their privacy, even if the purpose of the police is to keep people safe.

jack
9/30/2013 10:27:26 am

thats crazy how the state would let the "police" invade everyones privacy like that thats messed up. and how did they accuire so many members to do the things they were doing also andrew u should have maybe a little described what the bad deeds these people did

Katelynn
9/30/2013 11:12:05 am

Andrew, i didnt even know anything about these undercover cops and i agree with you that there shouldnt be more than 100 of these cops.

Camryn
9/16/2013 08:03:42 am

Not only is this a pressing issue for Syria but it also worries me that if they were willing to do this to there own country that we, citizens of America, may also have to worry about conflict within the united states. It wouldn't be the first time disaster has struck in the U.S.

Kelley Almada
9/30/2013 11:30:08 am

Camryn brings up a good point. If Syria feels the need to have to act out against their own country to achieve what they believe in, who's to say the citizens of America won't follow in their footsteps later on? Considering the large majority of people displeased with our current government issues, at any given moment a revolution or rebellion could break out. There happens to be many, extremely passionate people about these issues and whom are willing to fight until their idea of justice is restored.

Lucas link
9/18/2013 06:36:05 am

1) Title of article: Man who shot at White House pleads guilty. Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez shot at the White House on November 11, 2011, pleads guilty to weapon charges. A month before the shooting he was seen in a video praising Osama Bin Laden for "having courage to stand up to the United States. Also in the same video he was heard saying "it's time for Armageddon". He believed that the federal government was trying to control Americans through use of GPS, fluoride and aspartame. Ortega-Hernandez could've shot at the White House because of his dislike of the government.
2) This event connects to Terrorism. It connects because he fired the rifle to make a political statement. Doing violence to make a political statement is a characteristic of terrorism.
3) I believe that any form of terrorism is wrong. Whether it be trying to make a political statement by shooting at the White House or suicide bombing, it is still causing fear to innocent noncombatants which isn't fair. In addition to this, this act of terrorism is in our nations capital of Washington D.C. It is never good when people are shooting in the capital.

Andrew Solari
9/21/2013 04:57:20 am

I agree with the statement all terrorism is wrong, but isn't it true that Americans shoot at middle eastern buildings too, making them terrorists

johnathan sandoval link
9/30/2013 12:43:54 pm

Well job done Lucas.
Except I have one question. Was Oscar said to be guilty because he was seen in videos praising Osama or because they have physical evidence as to proving it was he who fired the rifle at the white house. If they are convicting him for the videos I beleive it's wrong but if they have physical proof i agree of taking him into custody.

Alexa Z
12/2/2013 04:26:19 am

I agree with your statement that terrorism is wrong. People should be able to work out their problems without having to inflict and persue violence.

Andrew Milliken
9/18/2013 10:49:49 am

1) Egypt's current revolution has come up frequently in the news and in media over the last couple of years. It began when the people of Egypt overthrew President Honsi Mubarak. Citizens were angered by the brutality of security services, and wanted change in Egypt. At the same time, the Muslim Brotherhood, an islamist political group, was gaining power. All of these events led to the election of Mohammed Morsi. Morsi claimed he would run the government "for all Egyptians", but that was clearly untrue. He didn't solve any of the issues that led to the overthrowing of Mubarak, and he mishandled the economy. This led to another uprising and Morsi was overthrown. Throughout this attempt of a rebuilding process, the amount of deaths has increased, plus outbreaks of violence, riots and protests have become very common in the streets of Egypt. Right now Egypt is run by the military and the Muslim Brotherhood. The real question is: Who will step up as leader next?
sources: BBC.co.uk

2) These events connect to the theme of revolution. A revolution is when a major change is made in a government, commonly caused by some sort of uprising. The Egyptian people started riots and protests, which are both characteristics of revolution. The Egyptians were also involved in lots of violence, and death was very common as well, during their struggle for power. A struggle for power is one of the eight steps in a revolution. The Egyptian people wanted change, and that's what a revolution is all about.

3) With this situation, I believe the revolution is wrong and right at the same time. It's obviously a bad thing if a military is firing at its own people, and the amount of struggle, violence and death that was an effect of this revolution is very unfortunate and bad. The good thing about this situation is that the people of Egypt are fighting for what they believe in. As Americans, we are all taught to never back down from a tough situation and work to achieve our goals, and that is exactly what the Egyptians are doing. They are unhappy about their government, so they are trying to make a change. Of course the way they are fighting for their beliefs could be questioned. The only question I have is how far will the Egyptians go to make a change?

Joetta Nuahn
9/28/2013 05:11:57 am

Very well written summary Andrew. I agree with you about what's going on relates to a revolution. Though i disagree with you that anything in relation to this sistaution is good. I think the idea of trying to making a change is there, but the way they are going on about it isn't good because it seems like this is going to be an reoccuring event, trying to over throw every new leader without giving them a chance. This is going to result to numerous innocent being killed in the end.

amanda hurder
10/28/2013 05:42:31 am

i really like your summary. and your connection was very well written too.

Stephanie Pan
9/19/2013 08:30:14 am

1.) After a long and intense investigation, the U.N. Team confirms that the large scale attack on civilians last month, on August 21, in the Ghouta area of Damascus, Syria was done with chemical weapons. But that left one important question unanswered, who's the culprit in charge of the attack? According to the mandate given to Secretary General, Ban Kimoon, the U.N. Team had no authority to investigate who was responsible although the government of Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, and the rebel groups blame each other for the attack. Both sides have unfavorable information pointed towards them. In the case of the Syrian government, Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant of Britain told reporters "there is no doubt" chemical weapons were not used by rebels. "These were not cottage industry weapons," he added, accusing the Syrian government of the attack. Reinforcing his argument, U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power told reporters the rockets used in the attack were "not improvised weapons" but professionally manufactured. While on the other hand, Ambassador Vitaly Chukrin of Russia, a country strongly supportive of Assad, denounced the attempt to "jump to conclusions". He stated that if the Syrian government had truly launched the attack, why were the victims mostly civilians and not rebels? The missiles couldn't have possibly all missed their marks. Thus bringing up the question, who is truly responsible for the chemical attacks?

Source: http://www.globalissues.org/news/2013/09/16/17478

2.) During humanities, we learned about terrorism and revolution. I feel as if this article has characteristics of both. For example, one characteristic of terrorism is having the attacks be aimed towards non-combatants in order to influence an audience. The chemical attacks in Syria could've been an act of terrorism from one of the groups on their own the people. One side could have aimed and launched the missiles towards civilians in order to intimidate the other, sending the message that they are not afraid of violence or the death of others. It could also be a sign of revolution. Revolution is an irreversible change with the goal of overthrowing or separating a group from the government with the assistance of violence. Thus I feel as if this attack also has characteristics of revolution, for being violent (the chemical attacks that killed many) and for having a group (the rebels) wanting to overthrow and separate from the Syrian government.

3.) The fact that there are people who are fighting against their own people baffles me. I feel as if a government and their people should communicate and come to a mutual agreement that would make both parties content instead of fighting against each other. In my opinion, fighting against your own people will only hurt you and your cause in the long run. Also, I am curious about the outcome of this situation. I wonder if the rebels will win or if the Syrian government will win. If the rebels win, will they apply a new government with new government officials or will they themselves run the country? And if the Syrian government win, will they go back to running the country like they did before the rebels revolted or will they have new plans to extinguish any more rebel ideas?

Jade
9/21/2013 05:56:38 am

Honestly this piece really helped me understand more about today's revolution and terrorism. I completely agree with your opinion about government fighting against their people, it's ludicrous. Really really well written, Stephanie.

Justin
9/22/2013 04:33:21 am

I completely agree on the fact that the people who are fighting against their own people is just wrong and confusing. I mean yes it would be completely better by just making a agreement instead of causing a huge warfare.

James Boudreau III
9/30/2013 06:07:16 am

Wow! There is much more going on in Syria than I realized! I had never heard of any "unfavorable information" that anyone had. It's just terrible that this country is turning on themselves like this.

Jada
9/19/2013 01:13:08 pm

I completely agree with your statement about how the Syrian attacks could be an example of both Terrorism and Revolution. My only question is: would this situation be an example of government taking advantage of the people? If so, it would be another characteristic of terrorism, just to help prove your point.

Jade
9/21/2013 06:38:16 am

1.) Since December 11, 2006 up until now, there has been an ongoing armed conflict among drug cartels fighting against one-another for regional control against the Mexican government and civilian vigilante groups. The Mexican government’s principles have been to put down the drug-related violence and dismantle the powerful drug cartels rather than preventing drug-trafficking, which are left to U.S. functionaries.
Sources: http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/dont-blame-american-guns-mexicos-drug-war-8884 http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Drug_War

2.) I feel this connects well to our study of revolution. Mexico is not only fighting against itself but also using us to help them win against the drug cartels, the criminal organizations in charge of drug trafficking, and civilian vigilante groups. The government’s side has had many losses and casualties but so have the cartels. By the end of this war, Mexico’s entire drug trade will have new leaders and new ways and laws of what and how they trade.
3.) I don’t know when this war will end, and I haven’t found any clues as to which side will win. As I said before both sides have dealt with many casualties. I personally think they should figure out a way to legally and fairly deal with their drug trade if they honestly need it so badly. The question is though, how did this all start? Why did this all start? Are there any groups trying to stop it? Will it end soon?

Kortnie
9/21/2013 10:53:03 am

Mexico is just one big mess. Their government has been trying to defend themselves and restrict cartels and such, but the problem is that the governement is no match for ruthless, machine-gun-carrying monsters. If you're the cheif of police, let's say, and you kill one group of cartel, or put them in jail, the next day, half of your police force has been brutally murdered and tortured and left on your doorstep. I'm not really sure why the U.S. hasn't really interfered, like we have in other countries' dilemmas. Maybe it's because Mexico's situation is too dangerous, even for us.

victoria
9/25/2013 01:08:51 pm

Mexico seems to have a real problem on their hands. I was wondering what step of the revolutionary procces mexico was on. I'm thinking that it would be either the development of a critical mass, because not only mexico, but the U.S. is fighting against the drug cartel, or that it would be when things get worse, because of all of the deaths on the non drug cartel side.

Katie Furtado
9/29/2013 11:25:57 am

Our neighbor has a tremendous problem on it's hands and it doesn't stop at their border. Since 2006, the Mexican drug war has lead to over 50,000 deaths. Unfortunately, I don't think drug trafficking will end anytime soon. Mexican cartels run a multibillion dollar business and are not about to willing give up their profitable earnings.

Steve O
9/30/2013 11:28:25 am

cosidering that mexico is so close to the united states this has to worry you in the sense that the things that go on in the drug cartel are so awful and there happening so close the united states i agree with you when u said that these wars need to stop

Kortnie
9/21/2013 10:46:57 am

1.) Today, September 21, 2013, was a bad day for Nairobi, Kenya.
While shoppers and workers in Nairobi's shopping mall went about their business, armed terrorists attacked; taking 5 hostages and randomly killing 39 innocents, some of which being Kenya's president's family. The hostages, frightened beyond comparison, were released. The attack was linked to al Qaeda, who gladly accepted responsiblility, and said that Muslims were taken from the mall before the attack, making the target all non-believers of Islam. 2 of the gunmen were killed in the attack.
Link: http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/21/world/africa/kenya-mall-gunbattle/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

2.) This current event in Kenya can be related to our studies of 9/11, terrorism in general, and both themes Power and Authority and Religious and Ethical Systems. The attack on the shopping mall was a small-scale yet still deadly terrrorist attack; there was a specific target of noncombatants and a successful attempt to advertise a religion/belief system that instilled a sense of dread/fear in the targets. Extreme Islam believers, like al Qaeda, have a certain religious belief that their faith, and only their faith, is the right belief to dedicate yourself to. Christianity, Judaism, and all other religions are wrong and those that believe are worthy of death according to al Qaeda and others of the same extreme belief. Power and Authority applies to this also for the same reasons; these attacks occur because of the want of either power and/or authority. Just as the Nazis wanted (and, for a while, succeeded) in having religious power over Jews, forcing them into death and labor camps, terrorists have killed 39 innocents in Kenya, as well as many other places, globally, for the same reasons.

3.) My initital reaction to this news honestly scared me.
When I read the story, I felt a lot less of emotion that I would have thought I would have felt, which seems sort of cruel, but I have a sad and true reason for it: my generation, (the generation of my peers as well) has grown up alongside the weeds of terrorism and killings. We were 3 when the tallest buildings in New York were demolished. We were 5 when the Kuwait Hand Grenade Accident occured. We were 7 when the Seattle Jewish Federation Shooting devastated U.S. Jews. We were just recently scarred with the Boston Marathon Bombing, an incident that will stay with me for the rest of my life. When I hear of a new attack, the sad thing is the fact that I feel no surprise any more. Mass death and destruction are becoming too normal for us. Yes, I felt sympathy for the targets, victims, and families, and hatred for al Qaeda and those responsible, but I feel that my reaction/feelings were NOTHING compared to that of students my age during the time of 9/11. Terrorism was out of almost everyone's mind then; it's horrifying to see how normal it can become in only 12 years. My prediction is a grim one; within a matter of years, this sort of violence is going to be altogether too normal and close to home without even breaking the sympathy part of our hearts. Mankind can either learn to love and live without the violence or keep things as they are, and I have a feeling that not much is going to change for the better, at least not for a long time. Will we ever learn to suck it up and tolerate each other?

harry lancaster
9/22/2013 09:51:27 am

I really am getting a distaste for al Qaeda. Not only are they killing innocent people religiously, they are taking the time to especially save people who are Muslims. I think this is why Americans struggle with their relationships with middle eastern people, groups like al Qaeda make themselves seem very arrogant, which not all Muslims are to any degree, but it gives American people the wrong idea about Muslims.

Kortnie
9/23/2013 02:52:28 am

Yeah, it's quite hard to have respect for Muslims when groups like al Qaeda are blowing Americans (and others) up. It's not fair to the plentiful population of peaceful Muslims, but if there were extreme American groups who blew them up, they would feel the same way. It's hard, as Americans, to say Muslim without immediately cringing, or thinking of bombings and tragedies extremists have given us, but we can't let that define Muslims. That would make us like Germans, who thought that ALL and EVERY Jew was evil.

Isabelle
9/30/2013 09:03:47 am

Wow Kortnie. Your reflection was eye-opening. I haven't thought about the effect of terrorism on the minds of children. We have grown up with these attacks and, while they should be shocking, they aren't. We have grown used to the idea of terrorism, which is a statement that is just as shocking as it is heartbreaking.

Kortnie
10/2/2013 05:56:01 am

Thanks Isabelle!

Matt
9/21/2013 11:46:28 am

That is a very large scale attack. The casualties of this were higher than those of the bombings in Boston yet I haven't even heard of it yet. The fact that hostages were involved is even worse because they give the terrorists more leverage when negotiating.

Kortnie
9/21/2013 11:57:51 am

This happened today at 6:30pm, ET, and yes, hostages always bring a crime to a whole new level. I only said small-scale attack because it was being compared to the likes of 9/11, which is significantly bigger; not to say that Kenya's shopping mall incident isn't bad.

Julia W
9/22/2013 01:12:21 am

1. On September 21st in Kenya there was a deadly terror attack at the Nairobi mall. CNN News reports 59 dead and at least 175 injured and an estimated 30 hostages. Kenyan government suspects the Al-Shabaab militants were the cause of this attack and are currently holding the 30 hostages. By Sunday at noon Kenyan solders bravely searched the 5 story building. But this didn’t help the situation. Now the gunmen are isolated in the mall with a small chance for escape. Al-shabaab posted on Twitter "Kenyans were relatively safe in their cities before they invaded us & killed Muslims #Westgate". CNN News is constantly keeping the article “Kenyan Mall Attack” updated on new events concerning this attack.

2. This even can be related to our discussions on terrorist attacks. Throughout the first few weeks of school one of the main topics we have been discussing is terrorism. This is a perfect example of terrorism. The Al-Shabaab targeted their attack at a busy mall during its rush hours. Also from the Twitter feed it said that they were upset about Kenya attacking them and killing Muslims. So this attack had a religious purpose. And from what we learned in humanities, terrorism must have a purpose to send a message across, religious or not. This Kenyan attack is a perfect example of terrorism.

3. This terrorist attack in Kenya really shows the tension in that area concerning Muslims. Especially now that this attack affected over 250 people, I think that this will escalate quickly. And may even result in war. This attack is not only in the Kenyan country, it’s on twitter. This can involve the whole population on twitter. I have a feeling that Twitter will help fuel this tension between Kenya and Al-Shabaab. But Kenya is no stranger to terrorist attacks. This may help the Kenyan government keep this situation under control. Overall this is a devastating terrorist attack that shows the tension between the Kenyans and that Al-Shabaab group.

Kortnie
9/23/2013 02:54:19 am

That's awful! When I wrote about it, the death toll was 39! That's horrible!

Stephanie Pan
9/24/2013 08:01:26 am

I agree that this is a prime example of terrorism. It was aimed towards non combatants and was used to send a message to others. And the fact that this is on twitter will only add fuel to the fire seeing as how twitter can be accessed by people all over the world. Plus, there's no telling if some outsider twitter users could be giving help or information to the Al-Shabaab group.

James S.
9/22/2013 03:29:52 am

1.) Pope Francis made an announcement on the 21st about the Church's opinions on gay's. What he said has sparked controversy, because he said that gay's are now being welcomed into the church. The reason for this controversy is that many of Roman Catholic's are conservatives, who do not believe in change. So they are against the pope's sudden heart change. Also, it is know that he is backing out of the culture wars. Skeptics are being skeptical if he can bring the church with him on this particular issue. Link:http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/09/21/can-pope-francis-make-his-vision-a-reality/?hpt=hp_c2

2.) This is relation in our class due the nature of the topic. Someone say's one thing, and the world is on their case. Specificly related to Putin claiming military action against the US, if they intervened in Syria, where we all know the civil war is happening. The Pope made a controversial talk, and now people are questioning his methods.

3.) On my personal reflection, I think he is doing the right thing. For several years, people have thought the Church was very closed and very demanding. Now it's beginning to open up, and accept more people. They are trying to fit the church in the modern world. I do believe that they are taking steps in the right direction to accomplish their task.

Kortnie
9/23/2013 02:56:27 am

That's great that they're trying to FINALLY open up the church to gay people, because when the church agrees, a lot of other organizations/political parties start to agree. Equal rights for everyone!

Maddy
9/23/2013 06:35:56 am

It's about time I mean people that are gay and wanted to go to their church for their religion can now. Before if they really were dedicated to their religion, and couldn't go that must have been hard. They would've had to practice either at home or someplace else. Now they can practice their religion and be who they are and not really get judged in the church for it. So I'm glad the Pope allowed it now.

Lucas
9/24/2013 06:47:44 am

You should be allowed to go to church no matter what sexual preference especially since church goers don't "judge".

Noah
9/30/2013 06:29:02 am

exactly Lucas. I'm Mormon and the church frowns upon homosexuality but honestly... and there are somethings in religion some people don't quite agree with... i support homosexual marrage and i don't care if i get excommunicated or shunned or whatever.

Stephanie Pan
9/24/2013 08:09:18 am

I think that the Pope is doing something great by letting people of a different sexuality into the church especially after such a long time of them being shunned and degraded. People should be allowed to be open and not have to worry about what others think of them. But I believe that people in general are just afraid of change and the uncertain outcomes it will bring. Luckily, there are some people, like the pope, who will do the right thing and make changes for the better.

Stephanie Martindale
9/25/2013 05:12:38 am

I think the Pope is being very supportive and understanding to the people who are gay. At least now they can practice their religion at church and be associated with other church goers.

victoria
9/25/2013 01:01:27 pm

What ages are most of the conservatives, and is it possible that the next generation will be more excepting of the view presented by Pope Francis, because of the way society is making a big point to except people and their differences.

Matt
9/27/2013 08:38:55 am

I also think that this is the right thing to do. One of the marks of the catholic is that they say that "all are welcomed". Finally a pope has stepped up and made this true. The argument against has always been that in the book of there are homophobic references. There is only one. Also in this section it states that if you let your hair become unkempt, you will die at the hand of god and if you are to eat or even touch an animal that doesn't chew cud and have a divided to, you will be deemed forever unclean. The Bible isn't a buffet, you cant only follow the rules you choose. Its all or nothing. Francis was smart to modernize the churches acceptance of gays as more and more are starting to come out.

9/27/2013 09:46:34 am

Book of Leviticus*

Dylan Walker
9/29/2013 08:17:21 am

I feel as if this should have been done long ago. Like you said in your reflection, when the church opens up, more people will join the church

Sabrina
9/29/2013 11:01:36 am

I agree with you that the pope has made a good decision. The catholic church should open up to more people and should be more accepting. I am sure many gay people would want to go to church but are uncomfortable going because they know that they are unwelcome by so many.

Isabelle
9/30/2013 09:06:48 am

The fact that homosexuals were originally not allowed to go to church enrages me. I'm glad that they are finally allowed to have (somewhat) equal rights to heterosexuals. I do understand that gays go against Roman Catholics beliefs, but people are people and desrve to treated equally.

Justin Torres
9/22/2013 04:19:46 am

1) Reports and news sources have been spreading throughout the news and among the internet ever since last year to the current day stating that North Korea's Leader Kim Jong-un claimed that he is ready to fire his missile directed at the United states for firing missiles over the Korean Peninsula during military exercises. However Its Most likely that they will be Incapable of attack the US Mainland due to the fact that A long range missile with a Nuclear warhead attached seems a bit skeptical and far fetched and the fact that North Korea has been know to try and intimidate other countries with threats but never pull off the things that they state. However Korea has been known to dislike South Korea and they could possibly fire there missiles at them since there missiles could reach the area and it would be a more strategic idea since some US bases are located in South Korea. But yet again they know that attacking the US assets would be a trump card for the US and be a fatal risk for them. Its still hard to tell whether if North Korea will actually break the walls and strike at a later date or will they still managed to delude us with threat just to strike paranoia into the lives of US citizens. What do you think will happen?

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/mar/29/north-korea-attack-us-what-happens-next

2)This current event can be looked at as revolving around Terrorism. The main points of the event involves North Korea sending threats to the US stating that they are intending to fire missiles and other Nuclear weapons, Which was probably to try and Intimidate and make people paranoid and cause fear to all of the US civilians . And As we learned in Humanities, Terrorism is a way to cause fear or to send threats stating the incoming of violence. Which is what exactly Kim Jong-un is trying to pursue.

3) When I first heard about this event on the news, I was kind of confused and a bit apprehensive about the whole situation. At first I was sort of afraid that this situation could lead to something bigger and start warfare among the two countries. When I first heard about it I didnt know why it was happening or what lead to this. But as I have done more research into this I have gotten less uneasy on this topic. All though even though I have done some research on this topic I still have some questions.

One question I have is: if North Korea never does get over their unliking towards the US, What will happen when they advance and learn how to make more versatile misses and weapons and build up there arsenal.Would they become more of a threat or will the US still be able to defend against future attacks even though the US has enough on there plate with the situation with Syria?

I can predict that North Korea will probably not make there attack yet but rather continue the threats and stock up on there arsenal but attack in far time in the future when they are confident they can penetrate the US forces. But however I do see the US being able to resist any attacks they might throw at us.

Maddy
9/23/2013 06:44:07 am

I had heard a little about this, but I didn't know that much. I knew that they wouldn't be able to attack us because of the long range, but still what happens if they improve their technology and make it sot hat it is able to reach us if that would be possible. These threats are bluffs for now, but I find it to be a little concerning. Maybe it will all turn out right, and their plans will stay as bluffs.

Jocelyn
9/28/2013 06:40:08 am

I think if North Korea is able to advance in their weaponry the US will have also advanced, making it so the threats they place against us won't be as big. Even if we aren't able to advance along with North Korea the US has ally's who would be willing to help us if the threat ever arises.

harry lancaster
9/22/2013 09:43:15 am

Crossing the Border for an Education
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/posttv/video/thefold/border-crossing-for-an-education1/2013/09/20/e0c83efa-225c-11e3-966c-9c4293c47ebe_video.html)

1. In Columbus, New Mexico the schools' students are unique, not in a way that they're not all American citizens, but 75% of the kids attending school every day in the county live in Mexico. This has been going on since the 1950s, when families in the town over the border, in Mexico, have had to drive 100 miles to the nearest Mexican hospital which even still had the possibility of there being no doctors working on a particular day. Instead, the United States provided aid in letting these mothers drive 30 miles to the border and have their kids on our soil, making these "Mexican" children, actually American. Every morning the kids in Mexico get up and drive to the border where they're forced to leave their parents behind because they are not U.S. citizens, and they attend classes taught by American teachers and get a very nice American education as compared to a not so nice Mexican education. Many people, including the New Mexico state of government think that Columbus is doing the right thing, but there is a select group of people who believe that these kids should not have this right, and that American citizens are paying for these kids to go to school, while they're own families don't pay a dime.

2. This is a prime example of Cultural Interaction. In this video people from the United States, a completely different culture compared to Mexico (language, taxes, economy, etc.) interact on the daily with Mexican families in a positive way. The kids who go home and speak Spanish and eat Mexican food and play with their Mexican friends, go to school and adapt the American way of learning, and the English language, and eat lunch with American kids. This is two separate cultures who have collided at this particular part of our country, and each has adopted one another pretty well. Not only are the kids learning about American society, American teachers and principles are learning about Mexican society through communication with the kids' parents.

3. I believe this is a heart warming story and I hope that this unspoken mutual agreement lives on for many more years until the Mexican school system is up to par. Even though we may be paying for these kids now, when they grow up, they will be paying Mexican and American taxes because of their dual citizenship and they are simply playing the cards that they got in their hand. They happened to be American citizens living in Mexico, which means they have the choice of going to American school or Mexican, and most of them choose the wiser action of going to American, we can not blame them for that. When they grow up, they too will be paying for kids to do exactly what they did, and I'm sure they will have no problem with it, after all, all of those kids are Americans, just like us.

Kortnie
9/23/2013 05:39:12 am

I didn't even know we did that! I think that's a great system! We have to take care of our fellow nations.

Andrew Milliken
9/23/2013 10:45:05 am

This is the first time I've heard of this, and I believe its a very positive situation. Of course the taxpayers aren't very happy about it, but its sounds like an effective system. It could also possibly help build the relationship between the United States and Mexico.

Jada
9/23/2013 11:16:07 am

I had no clue that this was even happening. I think this is a great system! The Mexican children now have a better education thanks to us. I agree with you on the fact that the teachers and adults are learning from the children, and that they are learning from us. It's a great way for us to help those in Mexico.

Lucas
9/24/2013 06:51:21 am

Very well typed blog. I do believe the less fortunate Mexican children deserve to be able to get a chance to have a great education.

Corrie
9/29/2013 02:10:45 pm

I wasn't aware of this system, and I find it a great way of helping with a whole other country's educational system. This was a good choice of topic, I found interesting to read about. You well explained how it connected to one of the eight themes of history, cultural interaction. It made this easy to understand.

Maddy link
9/23/2013 06:25:00 am

Syria's president Assad is now allowing the use of chemical sites for experts. However some of the experts are worried about rebels trying to prevent them from going there. Assad had also told Chinese state TV that Damascus had agreed that they would surrender their chemical weapons to international control. They had broken it according to the accord and inspectors from Geneva are being sent in order to remove the weapons from the country or destroy. Damascus and U.S- Russia came to an agreement to rid them of chemical weapons. I hope they will be able to rid them of their weapons. Anyone else hope for that? My idea is that if they are able to get rid of the nuclear weapons they wouldn't be able to test on their own people anymore which would cause fewer deaths. Also, people wouldn't really have a reason to have an uprising against their government. So now maybe when this all takes place the people in Syria will have order restored, and can rest a bit easier knowing they won't be used as test subjects.







Maddy
9/23/2013 06:30:14 am

This also ties into our humanities because we had discussed the condition of Syria when talking about revolution, and people talking about government. The topic had come up during other discussions to such as when we were talking about Science and Technology during the different themes of history. People had been testing their new science on their people which would be the chemical weapons.

Stephanie Martindale
9/25/2013 05:03:54 am

Did some experts decide to not go to the chemical sites?

Maddy
9/23/2013 06:32:09 am

My sources had been huffingtonpost.com which derives from the Aol.com website

Stephanie Martindale link
9/25/2013 05:01:09 am

1.)After four days of death and mayhem everything finally stopped. When the mall in Nairobi, Kenya was invaded by terrorists, it had left in its wake about 70 deaths and 175 injured civilians. Also, there are still 65 people still unaccounted for and three floors came down trapping some of the other bodies of civilians. This is considered the most tragic terrorist attack in Kenya since the bombing of the U.S embassy in 1998. Kenya forensics believe the attackers might be the Somalia-based Al-Shabaab terrorist group. It seems that the attackers targeted other people who didn't practice Islam. Although some people from different religions were spared, in one particular case a 4 year old boy approached the attackers and said " You're a very bad man." Many citizens of Kenya are still in the hospital trying to recover from the tragedy that occurred.

2.) This ties into the classwork and discussions we had. One way it tied into our talks was how we talked about terrorists and their goals. In this case it seems their goals were to eradicate all other people who did not practice Islam.

3.) My reaction to this tragedy was one of sympathy and happiness. I was happy because the little boy stood up to the terrorists and told them they were doing something terrible. So, I thought it was cute and encouraging to know that even though people are young they know what is right and what is wrong. I felt sympathy because of all the citizens that lost their life over what they believe in. It is their right to practice whatever religion they may choose, and to have your life taken away because some people don't think its right is terrible. Those terrorists shouldn't have a say in what people want to practice, it is the peoples choice not theirs.

The sources I used was CNN.com and theguardian.com.

Camryn Liberatore
9/25/2013 09:43:20 am

I also wrote about this and although I find it also incoraging that the little boy did know the diffrence betwen right and wrong I also find it sad that tragities like this are forcing kids to grow up faster then they should. I think no little kid should ever be scared of the world and what could possibly happen. But over all great job!

Camryn Liberatore link
9/25/2013 09:38:33 am

1.) On September 21st, 2013 in Nairobi, Kenya horror struck. The Westgate mall was raided by gunmen threatening to kill. The esimated death toll is 61 civilians, 5 al-Shabab militants, and 6 security officers. And also about 175 were injured and 62 reamin hopitilized. Civilians terrified hid in any safe place they could find and waited there until police found them and rescued them. Some hid in air vents, behind maincans in clothing store and one family even stayed perched behind a car for several hours until they were safe enough to run for shelter. Its still undetermined who was behind this but the police have new suspects, the Shabab, an Islamist militant group based in Somalia. Its told that this was the deadliest terror attack in Kenya since al Qaeda blew up the U.S. Embassy in 1998, killing nearly 213 people. Although some cilivians were said to hear gunmen say for Muslims to run away so some belive that the attack is the doings of muslims. One family layed behind a car to escape the gunmen and hid there until they thought the danger was gone. The father asked "Girls, did you pray today?" And his older daughter replied with "I've prayed five times already. I don't want to die." This family thankfully escaped unharmed but others were not so fortunate.
2.) This connects to studies in humanities by, it is an example of terrorism. Its an example of terrorism because it didnt seem as if it was directed toward a certain group and it was non-combatant. It could be argued if it was terrorism or not because of how some civilians were said to hear gunmen say that muslim people could go. It also could connect to primay and secondary sources because primary sources helped make the scene more clear and secondary sources helped to gain facts on the death toll ect.
3.) My reaction to this tratigie was shock and sadness. I was shocked that someone could just go into and public mall and kill so many people and children without any regrets and nothing could stop them. And also innocent civilians were killed and ingured for no other reason other then to kill and instil fear. Also its scary that people can be driven to do these type of things. I find it wrong even if terrorists were out to get non-muslims, no matter where there from or what religion they practice thats no reason to kill innocent civilians.

Joetta, Nuahn
9/28/2013 05:01:18 am

Camryn, that's a very elobarated report you wrote fron what happened in Kenya's mall. Good Job. I agree with you, that this is an example relating to terrorism. Also, I can relate to how you feel. I'm baffled at the fact as well that someone could do that without being sympathetic. It's amazing and very scary at the same time

Julia W
9/29/2013 02:25:36 am

I agree that this is and act of terrorism. When i read abou this attck it was the day after it so there was not much detail about the surviors. Kenya had been attcked by terrorists before so they knew what was best to do.

Sabrina
9/29/2013 11:12:25 am

I wrote on the same topic as you. I like how you wrote about some of the civilians and their experience. I agree with you that this is an act of terrorism. This was such a horrible thing that happened. people really shouldn't have to go through this. People lost family members and the survivors are probably scarred for life.

Meghan Cooper
9/29/2013 11:51:00 am

These terrorist stories are simply awful to hear about. the death toll and injury toll is just awful to even think about. Your story about the family was so tragically sad, but the fact that they survived raised my hopes. Very well written Camryn.

Abby Whittingham
9/30/2013 01:25:35 pm

Hey Camryn. I completely agree that this event is a heart breaking and shocking story. I too felt shocked that someone could heartlessly kill that many people without one regret. Overall, I thought you had a well written piece and liked the fact that you included the words of civilians at the attack. Great Job.

Joetta, Nuahn
9/28/2013 04:52:05 am

1.) Yesterday, September 27, 2013, in Northwest Pakisatn, a bus exploded. There were 70 government employees on board from departments of the secretriat of Peshawar. Peshawar is the capitol of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is liable to change rapidly and an unprdictable province. this explosion resulted to the death of 17 people, and wounded 34. The cause of the explosion is predicted to be that of a remote-controlled device planted in a tin can sustaining 13-18 pounds of explosives; this was predicted by police who inspected the sene. As for right now, no one individual, or groups have been held or countered responsible for the act yet. Though, the senior minister of Khyber, Sikander Khan Sherpao indicates that the attack could've possibly been done by forces wanting to sabotage recent attempts by the national government to scrutinize peace talk with the Pakistani Taliban
-http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/27/world/asia/pakistan-violence

2.) This relates to when we studied about terrorism, and how it's used to make a statement, and or send a message. If the senior minIster, Sikander Khan Sherpao's sepeculations of the attack purpose was to sabotage attempts to carry out peace talks with Pakistani Taliban is correct. Than, this would be an example of a terrorist act being done to send a subdued message.

3.) Just like any other terrorist act or any other violent act demonstrated on innoscent lives, I think this is horrific. i always wonder why people could do something this horrible, and regardless of the reason, there shouldn't be a reaon to take away any life, especially innocent lives. My prayers goes out to the 34 wounded victims that are currently in the hospital recieving proper care. Also, i give my condolence to the families of the 17 innocent lives that were taken yesterday for no logical reason. R.I,P.

Jocelyn
9/28/2013 06:49:46 am

What I'm wondering is how someone was able to obtain 13-18 pounds of explosives without anyone being suspicious or noticing, which couldn't be easy. I hope whoever, or whatever group did this is caught and given the proper punishment for this atrocity.

Tresure
9/29/2013 06:02:05 am

Joetta, you wrote a very well developed essay about,terrorism being direct towards innocent lives.You used specific evidence and details to explain the unfortunate happening.While doing this,you managed to maintain a factual,yet entertaining article.

Abby Whittingham
9/30/2013 01:16:46 pm

Hey Joetta. I completely agree that this story is a horrific one just like every act of violence. I can't comprehend why people feel the need to hurt innocent people. Overall, I thought you had a well written piece and liked the fact that you gave your condolences to the families at the end of your blog. Great job.

Jocelyn
9/28/2013 05:34:45 am

UN Security Council votes to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons

Friday September 27, 2013 the UN Security Council voted to destroy all of Syria's chemical weapons. They hope to accomplish this task by mid-2014 and will start getting rid of the weapons around November of this year. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (or OPCW) plans to have a trained team in Syria to collect the weapons within a week and give Syria until that time to disclose any information surrounding their arsenal. Syria is going to have to give the inspectors sent access to all places and people. Syria's chemical weapons are currently under international control for their later destruction and they are forbidden to have chemical weapons or technology in the future. People are preparing to donate money to the OPCW of great amounts for this matter including people from Britain and China.

Recently in humanities we have been learning about terrorism, which Syria’s attack on its people is nothing but. This act was successful in the government striking fear into the civilians targeted, and even had its own political agenda as to why it had happened. Both of these statements relate to what characteristics terrorism carries.

I think the decision to take away Syria’s chemical weapon arsenal is one made with the good of everyone in mind. If you do something once, you’re most likely going to do it again if you don’t regret it, which is exactly how it sounds coming from their government. They had denied ever having done the attack even though in the end the world knew it was the Syrian government who posed the attack. Although what I want to know is how the OPCW and the UN Security Council are going to be able to really tell if they have Syria’s entire arsenal. Many Countries have secret bases only known by their own government, so what makes us certain Syria won’t hide weapons there? They won’t necessarily be lying to the OPCW if they don’t say they have one, they just won’t be telling them about everything. They could just give them the permission to do all they want but never tell them about the base, and in the end secretly keeping the weapons.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/09/28/un-security-council-votes-to-eliminate-syria-chemical-weapons/

Tresure
9/29/2013 06:26:23 am

If Syria surrenders the chemical weapons for destruction, then that should be the end of it. Until such time as someone can prove who deployed the ones that killed those people, of course, and those responsible should be put on trial for war crimes. No U.S. war intervention.

Tresure Gathers
9/28/2013 09:29:35 am

1.)The following topic, immensely allows the reader to question exactly what is justice? While answering that, a almost visible dividing line comes into play ware the readers forced to form an opinion and in often times forms, thoughts and ideas about the subject based on there interpretation of the text. Before reading consider that 90%of journalism is someone's opinions and ideas.

Marissa Alexander, age 31, a well built African American women, standing at a height of 5ft 2inches claims her husband, Rico Gray was moving towards her in a threatening manner. Mind you, Rico Gray weighs in at a heavy 245 pounds. As he moves towards her Ms. Alexander fires a warning shot into the kitchen wall, she'd soon realize the consequences of her actions and what effect they could potentially have on her as a whole. During the dispute, Gray's two children were present within the living room. Prosecutors state that the shot not only endangered Gray but it also endangered the two children as well. For that Alexander was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault. She pleaded guilty to both and was sentenced to 20 years. The case has set off yet another controversy involving Florida states "stand your ground" law. Which is already being fiercely debated since the death of Trayvon Martin in February. Many are out raged with the case, viewing it to be unlawful and unjustified. How could a 31 year old woman receive 20 years for simply defending her life against a potential threat, which happened to be a man who had a record of domestic violence. Alexander's actions ultimately had no result in physical harm or injury. Meanwhile George Zimmerman, the man who shot and killed Trayvon Martin was found not guilty. Alexander was offered a 3 year deal if she plead guilty. However she rejected it believing she did nothing wrong. Unfortunately the jury did not come to the same conclusion. After 15 minutes of deliberation, Marissa Alexander was found guilty. Florida's governor Rick Scott gathered a task force to further investigate the "stand your ground law" While Alexander spent time patiently waiting for the appeal of her conviction within a prison cell her family ,supporters and followers argue and insist on letting it be known that her conviction as well as long sentence is a pure miscarriage of justice.



Sources:

-http://justiceformarissa.blogspot.com/

-http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/26/marissa-alexander-new-trial



2.)The Alexander case is connected to Power and authority because power and authority in this context is connected to the law and justice. Power is the force that can be used by a leader whether legitimate or not. Then, authority is the permission to exercise a power that is always legal however in this case alexander is neither in the position of power nor authority those subjected to power as well as authority would be the judge and the jury because they have ultimate say in what's the final verdict, although, later the tables turn when the public find out what's happening and they become involved in the situation and are able to voice there opinions on the given situation, the changing the dynamic of the controversial case.



3.)In my eyes, I saw no justice in this case, whether it be racism, prejudice or bias. No justice was being served when a woman defended what any one holds dear to their heart, her life. She was called a monster, and was denied her freedom. It's also so hypocritical to the Zimmerman case. It was alright for him to shoot and kill Trayvon Martin .Though, Alexander did no direct physical harm to any one but still got 20 years.

Julia W
9/29/2013 07:51:28 am

This is a very interesting topic. Although there was no bias in this case it brought the jurys attention to Travon Martains case which was obviously based on bias and racism.

Corrie
9/29/2013 01:59:21 pm

You did a good job of breaking down, and describing what happened in the case. I found it interesting that you connected it to the Trayvon Martin case, although I don't see the bias, or racism connection. Is it because his two children were present? This is a debatable situation because the "threatening" way to the victim may not have seemed thretening to anyone else. But then again twenty years when no one was harmed seems extreme to many, myself included.

Emma Theroux
9/29/2013 06:15:24 am

Title: Saudi women's new campaign to end driving ban.
1.) The women of Saudi Arabia want to lift a ban of them not driving. ON October 26 they are planning for 11,000 women to drive cars, demonstrating that women are capable of driving. They have tried this 2 other times, once in 1991 and 2011. Nothing happened, except in 2011 a women was arrested and held for 1 week for uploading a video on Youtube of her driving. After being arrested, many were more punished by being banned to travel and suspended from their jobs. The country's strict laws prevent women from opening bank accounts, working, driving, traveling and even going to school without the permission of her male guardian. In January the ruler, King Abdullah appointed 30 women to the Shura council. In 2011 he announced that women will be able to vote in the local elections of 2015, and in 2009 he appointed the first women as deputy minister. Some say things are moving very fast, but some female activists are saying it is taking a very long time. Many women are hoping that the demonstration will work this time, but even if it doesn't they wont give up.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/26/world/meast/saudi-arabia-women-drivers/index.html?hpt=wo_t5
2.) This is an example of revolution, because they are trying to make a change in the already established order. When they succeed women in all of Saudi Arabia will have many more rights than they have now, even tho the King Abdullah has already let the women of Saudi Arabia have more right, including appointing 1 woman deputy minister and 30 women onto a council.
3.)I hope this demonstration of woman vs. man succeeds, because i believe women should be treated equally, because they are still human. it isn't as if every women in the world would rather stay home and not contribute to society at all. They want to be involved. It is unfair that women have to try really hard to change something that shouldn't even be a problem and most of the time it doesn't work.

Katie Furtado
9/29/2013 11:08:25 am

This inequality treatment of women in disgraceful. I fully agree with your perspective and think this was a good topic to address. In U.S. history, women suffrage was a major issue that we resolved. However these women are not just fighting for the right to vote or stand in office. These women are fighting for the right to drive, allowing them to have transportation options.

Hadley
9/30/2013 12:20:47 pm

Emma,I agree with you. You're right woman should be treated equally and the though of not being able to do any of those things without a man with you is almost unbearable. Thank you for sharing.

Johnathan Sandoval link
9/29/2013 06:22:23 am

1) On Sunday of September 13th there was an airstrike occurrence on a secondary school in eastern Syria. This tragedy took the lives of a dozen innocent young souls. A monitoring group observing for human rights claimed that 12 is the current number of civilians killed but that death toll would dramatically increase due to the countless amount of individuals critically wounded. Aside from the lives taken there were an amount of 30 children who were permanently damaged from the attack. The residents of Raqqa, a city with a population of 250,000 people, published a list of 14 possible victims to take blame for this terrorist attack. The president (Assad) claims to Italian television that he will respect the United Nation's accords on chemical weapons. "We joined the international agreement against the acquisition and use of chemical weapons even before this resolution was passed," he replied when questioned about Syria agreeing to Friday's resolutions. The U.N security council's solution is to completely destroy Syria's chemical weapons. although they came to this resolution there is no direct punishment towards Assad's government if he chooses not to comply. Assad refuses to agree due to an attack that occurred on Syria which U.S military was to blame. The U.S military was accused of airstrike on Syria involving chemical warfare killing thousands of Syrians. In other words the U.N wants to destroy any chemical weapons and abandon the use of them in Syria to prevent another attack but Assad wants to keep them to protect the country of Syria.
Questions: Why is this considered terrorism? Whose to blame for this airstrike? Should Assad agree to pay the price and have his chemical weapons destroyed if his country was attacked recently by chemical weapons as well?


2) This whole situation pertains to terrorism which was often discussed in class throughout the year so far. This strike on a secondary school in eastern Syria was a planned attack and it was said by reporters that the victims targeted a school to send off a hatred message displaying a disagreement with the government in some way. Both these aspects are characteristics of terrorism. A.k.a. a terrorist attack. A terrorist attack is caused by a disagreement in political, religious, or economy standards. What mainly makes terrorism is if the attack is intentional because if the attack is intentional then it cannot be terrorism.


3) My personal perspective about his whole situation is I think that the reporters are completely correct when implying the fact that this entire situation is considered a terrorist attack because every aspect of this whole attack matches the classifications to be considered terrorism. As for weather or not Assad should agree to have chemical weapons in Syria my personal opinion is they should not have chemical weapons destroyed or banned from use in Syria only due to the fact that every country should have their own deal of protection because if they didn't they would be vulnerable and get destroyed randomly countless amount of times

Johnathan Sandoval link
9/29/2013 06:26:00 am

So the U.N and Assad should compromise on an agreement where they just increase the amount of security watching over chemical weapons and the use of them.

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/29/20742706-at-least-a-dozen-dead-in-air-strike-on-syrian-school-activists-say?lite

Jason Whitehead link
9/29/2013 06:30:40 am

U.N. Votes to Eliminate Syria's Chemical Weapons

1. Summary: The U.N security council voted unanimously on Friday night, September 27th, to secure and destroy Syria's chemical weaponry. After two weeks of negotiating, a breakthrough in ending the violence was marked. An international conference was called to end the stand still that has taken hold of the U.N. since the beginning of Syria's boiling point. After the vote General Ban Ki-moon stated, "Today's historic resolution is the first hopeful news on Syria in a long time." Another peace conference is being held in Geneva in November. there are said to be consequences if Syria fails to follow through.

2. Connection: Syria's attacks against the U.S. and other people is just like the terrorism we are studying in class. The consequences if Syria fails to follow through will result with the U.S. flying over and releasing bombs over Syria as punishment. That is a form of terrorism because it will not only harm the Syrians attacking others but also hurt and terrify the civilians. So both sides can be seen as terrorists it matters on your prospective.

3. Reflection: I saw this article as something that is very scary as we could be going back into war. This could hurt our country in more than one way. Number 1, we could be economically destroying the country by putting ourselves even more in debt by sending troops to war and paying for even more supplies. Number 2, it will cause a rivalry between the U.S. and Russia. This can hurt our country because it will cause a bigger death toll and any friendship we may have had with Russia will be depleted in this case.

Dylan Walker
9/29/2013 08:13:06 am

I agree with your statement about the economic part of the reflection. If we were to go back to war, we would be doing more hurt and help to ourselves.

James Boudreau III
9/30/2013 06:19:19 am

Although confiscating the chemical weapons from Syria IS a good idea, I doubt they would just hand them over. Going to war over a civil war on the other side of the world is not going to make things any better, either. I cannot say for sure if it is reasonable to jump into a war we don't have a part in. Good post,Jason

Dylan Walker
9/29/2013 08:10:50 am

Nigeria attack: Students shot dead as they slept
1) Islamist gunmen attack a collage in Nigeria on September 29 2013. There groups regularly target schools like this in the area. They killed 50 students and burned the schoolhouse down. Nearly 2 van loads of bodies had been taken to the hospital that day. 1000 other students had fled the campus. These Islamic gunmen have attacked other neighboring schools before and killed hundreds of people.
2) The attacks on Nigeria can relate to 9/11 and other terrorist acts because they all are terrorism. In class we had studied and discussed terrorism and 9/11. Attacks like these happen to show power and put fear into the people of the region. As with 9/11 these attackers did the same thing, to show power. Other schools and places of education will close or fear being there because of attacks on nearby schools.
3) I feel that terrorist attacks on small countries are just a way of showing power with little consequence. Smaller countries are much easier to target and because they are small countries make it easy because they might not have security and law enforcers. Why is it important to terrorists to show power and fear? It is because they want to have a way to take control or have influence on the country and its actions.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-24322683

Katelynn
9/30/2013 11:21:37 am

Dylan this event really scares me because what if it was our school that was attacked? and i like how you answered number 3 when you asked a question and you already had the answer to it. very smart

Jada link
9/29/2013 09:45:23 am

1) In Syria, the president Bashar al-Assad has recently used a form of chemical weaponry on the citizens of Syria. These attacks have had an affect on more than half of Syria's people. The U.N believes that this is a dangerous action that should be dealt with. President Obama and the U.N Security Council agree that there should be a stop to the attacks whether it be through force or "peace talks". The main purpose of this intervention is to aid more than half of Syrian's 20 million citizens. However, this may be a difficult task to carry out. Al-Assad has made it very clear that he has no intention of laying back and watching his weapons be taken away. In other words, if the U.N decides to forcibly take the chemical weapons, he intends to fight back with great force.

U.N. Security Council demands elimination of Syria chemical arms:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/28/us-un-assembly-syria-idUSBRE98Q0Z820130928

2) The attacks in Syria can be connected to our classroom discussions about Power and Authority, and Terrorism. Al-Assad shows his power and authority over the citizens by attacking them with chemical weapons that they would not be able to obtain, being the people they are. President Obama and the U.N also show this theme by taking charge and trying to prevent further attacks. These attacks can also be connected to the theme of terrorism. In this particular circumstance, Al-Assad is the terrorist. He is attacking the citizens who have done nothing wrong. He was using the weapons to terrorize, or coerce, the citizens.

3) I believe that the attacks in Syria are horrific. No person should ever have to endure the physical and mental pain that these victims must have gone through. This is why I think that the U.N is making the right choice by intervening. Even though this is a good thought there are many concerns and questions that come to my mind. If we do choose to use a more forceful intervention, will this result in yet another war? If a war does arise, it may affect some of our allies around the Middle East. Also, if we try to talk with them, will they get the wrong idea and still try to attack us? No matter what happens we need to help the Syrian citizens. I think that the U.N will make the decision to use a forceful approach. Considering Al-Assad said he would fight, we should be prepared for a fight, just to be safe.

Ryan
9/29/2013 10:14:58 am

1) The conflict in Syria all over the news and the internet. The Syrian president, Bashar a-Assad has used a form of chemical weapon on the civilians of his country. This sort of chemical war is not allowed by the leaders of the UN. President Obama has made statements relating to the possible idea of helping the citizens of Syria and entering their nation with the US military. The president od Syria is against the invasion of his country and said that "If the send bombs they should expect everything" to answer the question, "If America send bombs to Syria what sort retaliation should they expect?" These interviews and speeches by both Bashar al-Assad and President Obama ask the question, will there be war?
- Google News, ABC world news

2) This event can be related to our study of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the theme of Power and Authority. The Syrian weapons used on their citizens was a form of terrorism just like the 9/11 attacks. This event changed the lives of many Syrian people just like the attacks on the Trade Center changed the lives of thousands of Americans. The after math of these events may also be similar. In both terrorist acts many innocent people were killed. Also after 9/11 the US blamed other countries. Now Obama is discussing the possibilities of the US entering Syria in retaliation to their actions. The theme of Power and Authority can be seen in both al-Assad's use of his chemical warheads over his own citizens and also in Obama's decisions to possibly submerse our country into a war.

3) The events over in Syria may seem faraway and foreign but the fact that our president may be thinking about war is something that could very strongly affect all of us. The fact that Syria has chemical weapons as well as long range weapons is frightening due to our location. Syria is east of the US which means any long range wepon would be traveling west to east. Since we live on the eastern seaboard, we are closer to this threat than any other place in the US. Also three of the very important cities lie on the east coast. New York, Boston and Philadelphia are all important US cities that happen to be along the coast and also fairly close to one another. We live in the "danger zone" that lies between these cities if there were to be a threat to any of them.

Lucas
9/30/2013 05:38:12 am

This blog is exactly like Matt's.

Sabrina link
9/29/2013 10:53:58 am

1.On September 21 there was a terror attack in Nairobi, Kenya at a shopping mall. The gunmen were unidentified. the attack lasted three days resulting in the deaths of at least 72 people. 61 of them were civilians, 6 were Kenyan soldiers and 5 terrorists. The attackers first held 36 hostages and then went into battle with Kenyan security forces. 175 people were wounded in the shooting and 62 are still hospitalized. A local hospital reported that there was so many wounded people being brought in that they were overwhelmed and had to send some to another hospital. The ages of the victims ranged from 2-78. The Kenyan president said that this was the worst attack of terrorism in Kenya since the bombing of the US embassy in Nairobi in 1998.

2.This connects to terrorism that we studied in humanities. This is an act of terrorism because a group of people attacked. More then one person wanted to attack the mall. And it was aimed at civilians and noncombatants. They wanted to attack a place were they knew a lot of innocent people would be.

3.When i first heard about this attack on the news i was very upset. I wondered why this is constantly happening. Why do people kill each other? I don't understand why we cant all get along. Things like this just keeps happening over and over again. I understand that people might be fighting for something that they believe in but do they have to do it in such a violent way and kill innocent people trying to do it? Before we know it we will end up all killing each other off and we will all be dead. They should try to get what they want in a non violent way. And if they are mentally ill they should get some medical treatment before they hurt too many people.

Olivia Mangion
9/30/2013 11:26:53 am

mine also was a terrorist attack that happened in a shopping mall.i agree with you cant they find a more peaceful try a treaty or anything because by doing this they are also putting their own people st risk

Katie Furtado link
9/29/2013 10:59:32 am

1)Double suicide car bombers disrupted the peaceful, self-ruling Kurdish region of Iraq. In the region's capital of Irbil, the first suicide bomber ran his car into a checkpoint protecting the Interior Ministries and security agencies housing complex. Then shortly after, a second suicide car bomber attacked the same site. Ultimately, four members of the Kurdish security forces died and 29 people were wounded.

2) As discussed in class, terrorism is an on going issue today that demonstrates extreme acts of violence. It is designed to sabotage political governments, as exemplified in this attack. As in the 9/11 attack, innocent people were terrorized by the violence.

3) I am fearful Iraq will return to a hostile and war-torn country. The United States had high hopes for peace and stability when it withdrew its troops from the country about two years ago. Iraq is now experiencing in an increase in hostility, with over 4,500 violent deaths this year. The latest bombings in the peaceful Kurdish region of Iraq suggests violence is spreading.

Meghan Cooper
9/29/2013 11:41:30 am

This is simply horrible to hear. Iraq has so many problems and you must be truly crazy to think that killing more people will put an end to it.

Meghan Cooper link
9/29/2013 11:39:23 am

1. In the same 24 hours, there were two planned terrorist attacks in two different parts of the world. A group of Terrorists took over a mall in Kenya and took 60 lives. While in Pakistan a double car bombing happened outside of a church.Two very different but equally horrific acts of violence. You would think their is no connection right? I mean their on two different continents, but these two attacks were both led by two linked branches of Al-Quaeda. This is a new plan to spread terror by spreading out smaller attacks more quickly, leaving the world in anticipation of what act of horror they will do next.
2. This kind of Terrorism is an ongoing problem in the 21st century today. Terrorists are becoming more organized in their attacks in spreading fear and violence. In attacking others for religion, politics, or other issues it puts these areas of the world in extreme disarray.
3. These two acts and these plans of terrorism are simply awful. The fact that people are able to justify themselves in doing this is incomprehensible. Not to mention these plans for the future of Al-Quaeda were announced on the anniversary of 9/11. Also, more people are concerned with the plans of these psychopaths, than the fact that innocent people woke up and went to the mall or to go to church and were murdered. What kind of world do we live in today where that is expectable?

Steve Hamerski
9/30/2013 11:24:33 am

wow i didnt know that two terrorists attacks happened that close to each other. And to think people planned to do these terrible things makes me agree with you when it comes to you thinking that these attacks are awful

Kelley Almada
9/30/2013 12:01:08 pm

I completely agree. It's actually quite horrifying to think that terrorists are purposely planning these together, from random areas around the world, spontaneously. Inflicting fear into others for means of power and authority is one type of terrorism, but committing these acts around the world for no apparent or shared reason is just madness. It seems as if the terrorists are spreading these small, quick acts of terrorism around the world to send a message, not to rebel or protest, or even defend for their country/ religion in any way. Yet simply to watch their damage and project out a warning, so to speak.

Autumn Scott
9/30/2013 12:38:52 pm

I also read something on that new take on terrorism on CNN... the spreading of smaller scale assaults. I believe it gives terrorists the upper hand in that it may be harder to detect these kinds of attacks. The murder of innocent citizens is unfathomable and heartless. How does one come to the decision to harm others, just to gain power or religious supremacy?

Corrie Sanders
9/29/2013 01:47:26 pm

"Draft U.N. Resolution on Syria Chemical Weapons"
Sources:
BBC News & Yahoo News
http://news.yahoo.com/draft-u-n-resolution-syria-chemical-weapons-004602278.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24292989
1) Russia and the United States have agreed on their shared goal of ridding Syria of their chemical weapons. A draft United Nations Security Council resolution was made Thursday, September 26th. The resolution proposal allows the use of military force, stating it will be needed, and also says that any responsible for the use of chemical weapons in Syria "should be held accountable". The document clarifies that any failure of Bashar Assad to agree with the proposal will have consequences.

2) This current event ties to the theme of power and authority learned in class. The U.S government officials have the power to organize such plans against Syria. These often raise problems between countries, battling over power. We feel we have the power over Syria to force them to give up their weapons. It is up to our government authorities to protect us, and stop any dangers that can affect the U.S. from getting here. Syria's possession of chemical weapons is in fact a danger to us, so the U.N works with other countries, in this case Russia, to complete this task of ridding them of their weapons.

3) This ongoing event has been one to catch my interest. I usually am not one to keep up with current world events, but because this one could affect our country, and result in war, I'd like to know what has been going on. From discussing the topic of Syria's chemical weapons in class, it has interested me in learning more about what is happening. This is a very serious issue, that I hope is to be resolved soon. This event is frightening because if al-Assad refuses, and U.S military attacks Syria, they may retaliate using those chemical weapons on us. I predict al-Assad will agree to the request for the sake of everyone. Starting a new war would be bad for, and worsen the economy.

Jason Whitehead
9/30/2013 11:58:07 am

I agree with you on a lot. I hardly follow the news but when it is something that could come back and hurt our country and make it harder for people to live it really to annoys me. Its hard to think that people could act so harsh

noah
9/30/2013 06:26:16 am

Okay my turn...

1) Electric cars have made a recent rise in the automotive industry and this new eco-craze is a lot better for society than some might think. As of now, there is much conflict in the Middle East over oil reserves and gasoline prices are soaring so the call for electric vehicles and other bio-fueled cars to replace some of today's gas-guzzlers. Corporations are starting to provide programs for employees to use eco-cars and trains for commuting to work. it saves money for workers on gas and also helps the "fight against global warming" (guys calm down, it's just a change in the atmosphere. It's part of a huge pattern) When gas and oil is eventually made obsolete, people will stop resorting to extremes like terrorism just to keep control of it. in a nut-shell, electric cars = no more terrorism.

2) Terrorism is a big problem today, and a lot of people know this.
But we need to find ways to at least, control it. By removing the thing that causes this distress, we can reduce people growing angry at each other and resorting to extremes. One of those "stimuli" is the oil reserves in the Middle East. we all know there is a lot of oil there but there isn't much anywhere else so... we need to find something else to rely on when it all run out. Electric and bio-cars are a great solution since they don't use fuel AND they don't create any harmful emissions. look at that, two world problems solved with a new type of car. THAT is why i want to go into the automotive industry.

3) I feel like this concept will help a lot of people and governments deal with the stress of rising fuel prices. The only Problem now is the pricetag of Electric cars. I've seen some cost at least $40,000 but i also heard that they really pay or themselves....

Noah Saulnier
9/30/2013 06:30:58 am

i forgot to put my article source that i found about the corporations in the west using these eco-programs

http://www.dailybreeze.com/environment-and-nature/20130914/electric-vehicle-ownership-on-the-rise-thanks-to-unique-subsidy-program-energy-savings

Hadley P
9/30/2013 12:13:54 pm

Hi Noah! I first want to say that I like the approach you took with this. I think that it was cool that you could could connect terrorism to something as simple as a car. It is very true and I second everything you say.Cutting down on the demand for oil could solve a lot of tension in the Middle East.

James Boudreau III
9/30/2013 06:43:59 am

1) On Sunday night, in Nigeria, Islamic terrorists dressed in Nigerian military uniforms and stormed into a college, shooting multiple students as they slept in their dorms and others as they tried to flee from the carnage. "They started gathering students into groups outside, then they opened fire and killed one group and then moved onto the next group and killed them. It was so terrible" says a survivor who only gave his first name, Idris. The state police suspected the terrorist group Boko Haram was responsible, but did not elaborate on his thoughts. The death toll is still unconfirmed , but nearly 50 bodies have been collected so far. 25 miles north, 18 wounded students are being transported to a hospital for emergency care. Two of the wounded students died, says Amadu Usman, a survivor who was helping at the hospital
Link: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/09/29/college-provost-says-suspected-islamic-extremists-kill-about-50-students-in/
2) Based on all of what I read, this is a clear sign of terrorism. In our humanities class we studied the many shapes and sizes of terrorism and this is most definitely one. The students were horrible massacred for no apparent reason by who are suspected to be Islamic terrorists for what appears to be the same cause as any other attack: the religious struggle, jihad. That is, if this was an attack from Islamic terrorists, which is yet to be confirmed. 
3) This report I read was absolutely morbid and horrific, how the terrorists snuck into a school at night and shot innocent students. I was absolutely mortified when I read more and more of what had occurred. I never thought a person could be capable of doing such terrible things. 

Isabelle
9/30/2013 08:58:36 am

Source:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24328932
Summary: In the month of September alone, at least four terrorist attacks took place in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. One of which took place on September 30th, 2013. Thirteen car bombs took the lives of at least 47 during the morning rush hour traffic, targetting mainly Shia areas. As for who caused the attacks, no one has yet claimed responsibility for these acts of violence. Despite this, Sunni Muslims have been named the scapegoat even though their innocence or guilt has not been determined. This looks like an act of terrorism, and an interior ministry spokesman even goes further to say "Our war with terrorism goes on." In Iraq alone, over 5,000 civilians have been killed by countless numbers of terrorist attacks.

Connection:Doing some research on this tragic event, I conclude that this is an act of terrorism. Not only has it been declared so by officials, but the atack fits the main characteristics of a terrorist attack. The bombings were against noncombatants, random civilians in Baghdad. Seeing as this attack was a big explosion that killed many, I can safely assume that it was used for dramatic or political purposes. That being said, most attacks were in Shia districts, which leads me to believe it was a religious issue that brought about the bombings. Many were killed, and even more were injured, which is another component of terrorism. Because the attacks fit all of the major characteristics of terrorism, it leads me to believe that it truly was a terrorist attack, which we have learned about in great detail. I was able to identify these bombings as terrorism because of my humanities class.

Personal Reflection: Hearing of this attack broke my heart. The idea of civilians (or anyone) being killed is absurd and ridiculous. Why should those innocent people be killed for the sake of a dramatic show of opinion? I was driven to tears hearing that at least 47 were killed. I disagree with the motives of the attackers, and I truly believe that they should have shown their opinions in a less violent way. I hope that the criminals responsible for this will be brought to light and are punished for this horrifying crime.

jack
9/30/2013 10:22:57 am

there is some pretty crazy stuff going on in iraq these days and these terrorist bombings just add on to the towering amount of disfunctions in iraq. you well wrote this isabell i think u did a good job describing the event and connecting it to the teachings of class...............SWAG

Olivia Mangion
9/30/2013 11:19:10 am

i completely agree with you that is just horrible how would they feel if we were to do this to them? don't they have the least bit of empathy?i think you did a really good job of connecting terrorism and this horrific event,

jack maloney
9/30/2013 10:16:44 am

the daily what news a modern egyptian revolution;

1) In modern egypt the political leader Muhammad Hosni Mubarak was over thrown by the people of egypt.millions of people flood the streets and demand the immidiate resign of the horrible Mubarak.mubaraks reign for the past 31 years has done egypt no good he has accually just made it worse and the people are being effected in many ways there is little food and people are being forced to leave there homes becouse the community is splitting up into 2 sides the mubarak supporters and the people that are agenced mubarak.this sparks an uprising and protests becouse many people want mubarak out of power they even proceeded to burn down the place where people of mubaraks influence met.there were riots and people died this was so serious. now mubarak has finally been taken out of power but there is still conflict becouse the nation is in two.there are millions of people that want to rule which also causes a big conflict. egypt in the big picture is changing drasticly but hopefully its for the better.

2) in humanities we recently learned about revolution, a revolution is when a people of a cirtian country overthrow of government. the overthrow of a ruler or political system or a major change.what is happening in modern day egypt is a revolution becouse a goverment or ruler in this case mubarak is being overthrown and being taken out of power becouse he is causing too much trouble in egypt.this is causing an enormous change or movement in the country thus is why it is a revolution.

3)i found this article interesting becouse of the huge economic change that egypt is expiriencing and im glad that there finally kicking mubarak out of power becouse of all the trouble he caused.
i felt kind of sad reading this article becouse if you think of what the kids and the familys are going through living in poverty and not having food for there familys. and its all becouse of this one bastard that was harming egypt. imagine if this was happening to you how would u feel?

Ryan Edgar
9/30/2013 10:26:44 am

1) Deadly double suicide in Iraq. 26 people reported dead after a suicide bomber targeted mourners at a Shia Muslim mosque south of Baghdad. The victims of that attack are believed to be members of the Iraqi Kurdish security forces. The Musayyib mosque bombing is just the latest in a series of attacks on mosques and funerals in central Iraq that have raised the fears of a return to the all-out Sunni-Shia violence. This type of violence is not unusual to these people. Reports say that hundreds of people die each month from acts of terrorism like this.

2) From the facts stated in the artical this is a clear sign of terrorism. This relates to the content studied in humanities because it is an ever occurring topic in the modern world and in life.

3) My reaction to this is concerned. I am concerned that Iraq will start using their weapons and acts of terrorism on the U.S and its citizens. This latest attack on a calm and peaceful part of Iraq can prove that terrorism is spreading to other parts of the country and possibly the world that have done nothing wrong. This shows that America has a significant chance of being attacked due to it's unfriendly issues with Iraq.

Katelynn link
9/30/2013 11:07:37 am

1. In Baghdad, car bombs have been going off in Shiite neighborhoods. 51 people were killed and many other people were wounded. The country has blamed Al Qaeda for the bombings. The most violent of the bombings was in the eastern Sadr City , where a car was parked and a bomb went off in a vegetable market and its parking lot. Seven people were killed and sixteen were wounded. Also ten other parked cars with bombs inside went off in the neighborhoods. Out of these 10 car bombs, 44 people were killed and an additional 139 people were wounded.
2. This event connects to humanities because it is an example of terrorism. The bombs were placed in the cars by members in a terrorist group. Their purpose was to cause mayhem damage and violence in the neighborhoods. In humanities we learned that terrorists attack for a reason and the reason for the car bombs was to purposely target the civilians.
3. When i read about this event my first reaction was shock. I asked myself " what would cause people to attack civilians?"I predict in the future the members of Al- Qaeda will finally stop causing mayhem, and finally get in trouble for all of the damage they have caused.

Olivia Mangion
9/30/2013 11:32:32 am

in events like these i get extremely confused i asked myself the same question as you while reading this what would cause someone to go so far as killing civilians? who probably have nothing to do with their purpose other than to get the public's attention.

Autumn Scott
9/30/2013 12:25:36 pm

I agree with your categorizing the attack as terrorism, and your connection was very clear. I wonder why it comes to the death of civilians to conclude terrorist attacks, too. However, I think that with Al-Qaeda being such a large group with so many members, it would be hard to stop all or them from committing terrorist attacks. Since it is a large influence in the way these people go about their lives, I don't believe the members of Al-Qaeda would so abruptly stop causing destruction.

Olivia Mangion
9/30/2013 11:10:54 am

Summary-In Nairobi's Westgate Mall in Africa there was a terrorist attack that images were taken for and show to horrified viewers. A group named  al-Shabab had taken innocent shoppers and keep them as hostages. This did not come as a surprise to Americans, American officials had waned Africa that this would most likely happen. Americans had predicted this would happen to a luxury mall such as Nairobi's Westgate Mall. Which they have symbolized new wealth and foreign influence. An al-Shabab leader told a British television station "The reason we targeted Westgate is that we know it's a place where they feel the most pain," and that "It's because it brings in a lot of money and is in the centre of the city.""Poverty will continue to be an issue, but with Africa’s growth, the important thing holding back global organized retail will be political and business risk," says A.T. Kearney's senior partner Mike Moriarty. Because of issue like this it has shamed luxury malls by taken away the sense of security the shoppers have.
Title of article: Terrorism and revolution have already chilled investment in North Africa
Website link:http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/23/terrorism-and-revolution-have-already-chilled-investment-in-north-africa/


Connection- this article links to our studies in humanities because we had recently learned about terrorism this connects to our studies in terrorism because the victims of this attack was inflicted upon noncombatants and the attack was used to create a climate in fear in the bystanders. Because it has this characteristics of terrorism I would categorize it as terrorism.

Personal reflection- I thought that this was scary. To me the USA’s reaction was in a way a under statement like it sates that it came as a “surprise” many people where in danger in this event and the USA doesn't sound very sincere or very much like we care. What this terrorist did was extremely wrong . And I hope they are brought to justice for the fear they struck this innocent people with. How would they feel if we did this exact thing to them maybe then they will understand what actions like this dos to a community.

steve o
9/30/2013 11:17:38 am

title of the article: "three militants dead, more hostages freed in Nairobi mall terror attack
source: www.foxnews.com
1. On the monday of the 23rd new rescue groups ,with new plans were sent in the the mall that was bombarded by terrorists in Nairobi. 10-15 terrorists brought gun fire to terrified citizens who were just trying to have a normal day at the mall. The estimated death toll for the attacks was 62 people were pronounced dead. 200 people were injured during the saturday attacks and 63 people were prounounced missing. The name of the group that raided the mall was al-Shabab ,the group had ties to the al qaeda terrorist grooup. People were also taken hostage by the group of 15 , but some of them escaped. it looks like this terrible event will end soon thanks to the hard work of the military people working to sam these people from harm

2. The categorie that we learned about in this unit that connects with this article is terrorism. The definition of terrorism is the use of violence and fear/ intimidattion in the pursuit of political arms. Well when the terrorists bombarded the mall on saturday they used both violence and fear on the people of the mall thus making this an act of terrorism.

3. This act of terrorism made me feel scared. Almost like it was going to happen in one of our shopping malls. I know this event didnt even take place in the united states and i know that this most likely wont happen here but it still makes me feel less protected that these guys could just walk right into that mall. One question i have is that why didnt they have a little bit more security on this place?

Andrew Milliken
9/30/2013 12:03:55 pm

It's good that the military is stepping up. These events truly are frightening and can question the feeling of safety in any public place. The fact that lots of statistics were used in this blog is very helpful.

Jason
9/30/2013 12:07:12 pm

Its crazy how people can just take arms and harm another human being. it is definately a scary thought that this can happen anywhere im just happy it isnt hitting home

Emma Theroux
9/30/2013 12:43:58 pm

I really admire the fact that the military is helping other countries who have just been a cite of a terrorist attack. After such an event people can be very shaken up, they woundn't know what to do, so the U.S. Military come in and try to help. I really like te topic you picked.

Alec Rubenstein
9/30/2013 01:56:43 pm

It's a good thing the military helped out. the people really need help in a time like this. i also was wondering why there wasn't better security. lets hope Nairobi makes places like the mall safer so it doesn't happen again.

Alexa Z
12/2/2013 04:23:24 am

This is really horrible. It's crazy how people can just attack innocent people so they can get what they want.

Abby Whittingham
9/30/2013 11:32:09 am

The Call between President Obama and President Rouhani

1. Summary: On Saturday, September 28, 2013, a historic event took place when President Barack Obama called President Hasan Rouhani and sparked a new beginning of communications between both Iran and America. Ever since the American Hostage Situation, where revolutionaries took over the country and took hostages from the American Embassy in 1979, America and Iran have not been communicating. However, in this significant 15 minute phone call, the relationship between America and Iran is currently very encouraging. Barack Obama placed this call to discuss Iran’s use in nuclear weapons. President Obama was trying to get them to stop developing these weapons, yet still allow them to pursue nuclear energy. Although both Presidents have a possible positive agreement, they now have to face the task of convincing their entourages to feel the same way. Although some people have said “…this will open Obama to criticism from Israel and hardliners in Washington…”, many people think that both President Obama and President Rouhani were taking brave steps in opening communications between the two countries. These details are not finalized; however, this one phone call has set the stage as the start of groundbreaking history.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/historic-call-hard-begins-iran-us-195021046.html

2. Connection: This historic event is connected to our classroom discussion with regard to Cultural Interaction and Revolution. Cultural Interaction is when two or more cultures of different origin interact with one another. The conversation between President Obama and President Rouhani is related to this topic because America and Iran are from extremely different cultures and beliefs. For over 3 decades, America has not been communicating with Iran and this one phone call reinstated the connections they once had. This phone call also touched upon the topic of Revolution. Revolution is a major course changing event. This discussion has certainly sparked a possible alliance that is sure to change the way Iran and America could work together in the future. Iran and America have not been speaking and this conversation shows how one small interaction has the potential to evoke a significant revolution.

3. Reflection: I believe this is a positive and encouraging story and when I started to read the article I asked myself, “Is this the start of a revolution?” Even though it was just small phone call, it appears to be an extremely important step the world is taking to eventually obtain world peace. While researching this article, I was pleased to finally hear some good news buried beneath the many stories of violence and terrorism. I predict that America will become allies with Iran and will become a powerful team. I am extremely encouraged and hopeful when I see someone trying to resolve conflict with other countries as we all work toward one common goal – world peace.

Owen
9/30/2013 11:50:02 am

Hey Abby, nice job it's a well written peace I love how you included the term of revolution as a major change not specifically pertained to a change in government, not many people see that. Kudos!!!!!!

alex w
9/30/2013 01:33:33 pm

Hey Abby, good job. Your piece is very descriptive and I love the way you tied it all together. I like the way that you used two of the themes from class. Overall, nice work on the blog.

victoria p
9/30/2013 11:39:30 am

1. The conflict in Egypt is talked about all over the internet as well as the news. Unhappy with their leader, Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian people called for change. They wanted to free themselves from the dictator they had had for the last 30 years. There reasoning; the Egyptians were sick of the poverty, brutality of police, and curruption . But after being in power so long,Mubarak was determined to stay in power, using force and killing and injuring many protestors. A successful revolution is never a simple easy task, but one that involves setbacks and struggles, so the protestors became relentless eventually overthrowing Mubarak. At the same time an Islamic political group called The Muslim Brotherhood was gaining power as the new leader Morsi came to power.Promising to run the government "for all Egyptians", Morsi never came through with his promise, further weakening the economy and not solving the issues that led the Egyptians to first overthrow Mubarak. After another uprising, Morsi was overthrown. So the question is , Who will become the leader of Egypt? Until this is decided, The Muslim Brotherhood runs Eygypt, causeing many deaths and riots. BBC.co.uk Egypt in Turmoil,

2.This current event can be related to our study on what a revolution is. From class, we know that a revolution is a change or shift in the way things are done, reflecting the desire of the people. In this case, the desire of the people is to be ruled by a fair government who would fix their economic problems and cease using police and military brutality against it's people. The change is in the government. Overthrowing Mubarak, and putting Morsi in charge was a change, but wasnt good enough for the Egyptians people, so they overthrew him and The muslim Brotherhood is left in charge of Egypt. This means that they are between steps 5 and 6 of a revolution.Although things are getting worse, and their is a struggle for power, the Egyptians will not give up untill a strong group emerges, makes the changes they desire, and work on new goals for the future.

3.Through studying about this event, I am amazed by how far people will go to fight for what they believe in, and am glad I live in a country that is more excepting of others ideas. Imagining the horors that the kids of Egypt grow up to and the uncertainty of what tomorrow might bring, makes me sorry for ever complaining about having to do homework.I also hope that Egypt resolves the conflict soon and gets the change the people wanted, guess I'll have to wait and see.

alex w
9/30/2013 01:23:52 pm

I really enjoyed reading your piece on Egypt's revolution. It sounds like Egypt has a long way to go before they can have peace. I like the way you involved the steps of revolution from class. Overall, good job.

Owen
9/30/2013 11:42:55 am

1) The revolutions and riots in Egypt have come up a lot in the news and in media over the last one or two years. The revolutions began when the Egyptian people overthrew President Honsi Mubarak. Civilians were outraged by the cruelty of their security services, and wanted a change in Egypt. Meanwhile, the Muslim Brotherhood, an islam extremist political group, was growing in power. All of those events led to the election of Mohammed Morsi. Morsi claimed he would run the government "for all Egyptians", but that was obviously a lie. He never fixed any of the problems that led to the overthrowing of Mubarak, and he didn't handle the economy correctly. This led to yet another uprising and Morsi was inevitably overthrown. Throughout this attempt of the reconstruction process, the number of deaths flew higher, along with outbursts of violence, riots and protests that today arent uncommon in the streets of Egypt. As of now Egypt is being controlled by the military and the Muslim Brotherhood. The question now: Who will take control next?
sources: BBC.co.uk

2) These events connect to my personnel favorite theme of revolution. A revolution is when a massive change is made in a government, most of the time caused by various forms of uprising. The Egyptian people have started riots and protests, both being characteristics of revolution. The Egyptians were also involved in tons of violence, and death became the norm, during their fight for power. A power struggle is just one of the eight steps in a revolution. The Egyptian people wanted change, they need change, and a revolution is just what the doctor ordered

3) In this situation, I believe the revolution is right but its just a horribly unleveled playing field. i mean come on, weve got civilians throwing rocks against military trained killers with semi automatics, and the amount of struggle, violence and death that was a repercussion of this revolution is very bad for both sides. The bright side about this situation is that the Egyptian people are fighting for what they believe in, and as Americans, we are all taught to never turn away from a oppression and fight to reach our goals, and that is precisely what the Egyptians are doing. They aren't happy about their government, so they are trying to change it. Obviously the way they are fighting for their beliefs could be smarter...maybe assassinations instead of riots? Haha my last question is how far will the Egyptians go to make a change? How much are they willing to sacrifice?

Alec Rubenstein
9/30/2013 02:06:12 pm

It's very informative. I like how u used one of the 8 themes of history. It's good that Egyptians are fighting for what they believe in but its a shame so many have to die.

Alec Rubenstein
9/30/2013 02:20:09 pm

8 steps of revolution, not 8 themes of history.

Hadley link
9/30/2013 12:07:34 pm

1) At an United Nations meeting on Monday Syria's foreign minister, Walid al-Moualem, compared what he calls a foreign invasion of terrorists across his country to the 9/11 attack that took place in New York. He claims that Americans should be sympathetic toward him because we know what its like being terrorized. He also states that a few countries are supporting terrorism in his country while trying to get rid of it in other places in the world. The US stated back that Syria has picked up terrorist mannerisms and even though they are supposedly abiding by the new chemical weapons rules many rebels still have gases. They also believe that Al Queda has infiltrated Syria and is causing problems over there.

2.) This connects to what we have learned about when studying Terrorism and Revolution. What I believe is happening here is a lot like what was happening in the film we watched about Egypt. People in Syria are being attacked by terrorists both from outside and inside sources. Walid al-Moualem was trying to revolt against the terrorists in Syria without calling it a civil war and that also shows how he is using his Power and Authority to make his voice heard.


3) I believe that Walid al-Moualem is correct. The foreign terrorist attacks are from Al Queda. Al Queda attacked the Untied States years ago and now they are attacking Syria but when they attack the US its terrorism but when its in Syria its not.I understand that Syria is...well, Syria but that doesn't mean when they are being attacked by terrorists it isn't terrorism.

Emma T
9/30/2013 12:53:25 pm

I like your point, but the thing he calls terrorism can be different from what other people call terrorism. We say it's when theres an act of violence, they might have a whole different definition of terrorism in Syria.

amanda hurder
10/28/2013 05:41:28 am

i really like how you connected this to a part of history we just learned about.

Autumn Scott link
9/30/2013 12:12:21 pm

1. Summary: On September 24th, the Westgate mall in Kenya was attacked by a known terrorist group, Al-Shabaab. Gunmen opened fire on random civilians, but allowed people of the Muslim faith to escape. The strike left over 60 people dead, more than 170 injured, and extensive damage to the mall. Kenyan military inelegancy believes that the group had connections to employees in the mall, and had been threatening an attack on this location since last year. Another article on CNN claims that Al-Shabaab has ties to citizens of U.S. across the country who are affiliated with the group funding, fighting, joining and leading their efforts. What could this mean for both Americans and Kenyans?
2. Connection: In humanities, we learned about terrorism. This recent Kenyan incident displays all of the components of a terrorist attack. The assault was aimed at noncombatants(innocent shoppers and staff), and instilled fear into Kenya's population. It was planned up to a year before, and the act of violence was carried out by a known terrorist group who favored Muslims, allowing them to escape the raid.
3. Reflection: This attack and its link to the U.S. is concerning, because it involves our country in yet another conflict of terrorism. We seem to be in the middle of all the fighting, like the mediators. How could the Al-Shabaab history in some American citizens cause rifts in the recent Kenyan attack? Is it possible that conflict between government and increased security could arise from these findings?

Autumn Scott
9/30/2013 12:30:32 pm

The sources didn't show up when I submitted my blog post so here they are:
Al-Shabaab's American allies http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/23/opinion/bergen-al-shabaab-american-ties/index.html?iid=article_sidebar , and
Kenya terror timeline: Four deadly days of a store-to-store siege
http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/24/world/africa/kenya-mall-attack-timeline/index.html?iid=article_sidebar

alex w
9/30/2013 01:28:22 pm

Title: On eve of meeting, India raps Pakistan on cross-border attacks.

1. On Friday, September 28, 2013, Manmohan Singh, Indian Prime Minister, told the United Nations their feelings on having Pakistan, the epicenter of terrorism, as their neighboring country. India requested “state sponsored cross-border” control from the U.N in an attempt to keep India safe. Although, India dislikes the fact that Pakistan is the main place of terrorism, they are willing to reengage in conversation as long as Pakistan calls off all the forms of terrorism directed at India. This resulted in the Pakistan counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, and Manmohan Singh to have a tense meeting with each other. For many years, Pakistan and India have been at war over the two cities Kashmir and Jammu. India will start discussion with Pakistan only if they agree that these two cities will be kept under Indian rule. With the help of the U.N. it is with hope that these two countries will work towards a resolution. Through the many attempts of trying to start a new beginning, there seems to be no hope for these two countries. However, Sharif says that he wants to start a new beginning with India and the two countries could prosper together to help the South Asian area instead of wasting their resources. These clashes between these countries have killed eight soldiers from both sides in the last two months. Singh said as he addressed the United Nations that Pakistan must have a clear understanding that India will not go down without a fight in its battle against terrorism.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/eve-meeting-india-raps-pakistan-cross-border-attacks-165332048.html

2. This current event could connect to cultural interaction and terrorism from the content that we studied in class. It could be considered as cultural interaction because it involves two countries from the same region trying to sort things out between their people. Also, the way they bring in the United Nations makes it worldwide concern. This article connects to terrorism because it includes India accusing Pakistan for being the epicenter of terrorism causing more tension between the two of them. Therefore, India is making a protecting themselves against world terrorism by calling in the United Nations to help them.

3. I predict that this event will continue to enrage Pakistan as time goes on; however, I feel Pakistan might be worried that India will win their battle of protecting their nation from terrorism. All that India wants to do is protect themselves from the terrorism in the region that has it the most. I think it’s great how India is finally bringing the worldwide issue to the right people. I look forward to seeing what this event will lead to.

Alec Rubenstein
9/30/2013 01:32:57 pm

1. Two explosions in Baghdad the capital of Iraq killed 27 people and injured 85 people. The first attack was a roadside bomb in an outdoor market. It killed 7 people and injured 15 people. The second attack was a suicide bomber with an explosive vest. He blew himself up in an outdoor market killing 20 people and injuring 70 people. The attacks were caused by a friction between sunnis and shiites. The sunnis were protesting the shiite led government. Title of source is Attacks kill 30 in Iraqi city of Baghdad.

2. This event connects to terrorism. The attackers used violence to cause fear and reach a political goal. The sunnis wanted the shiite government gone. That is a characteristic of terrorism.

3. I think the sunnis and shiites should just get along. It's pointless to fight over something that happened over a thousand years ago I can't believe that they would kill each other especially if they kill themselves in the process. Why can't they get along even though they are both muslims?

Kyle
9/30/2013 01:34:37 pm

Very interesting piece, and also informative. I never knew how bad Pakistan was being treated by India

Kyle
9/30/2013 01:45:52 pm

I felt a understanding to the feeling of Pakistan since it has been isolated like me. The real question I find is that What is Pakistan's plan of actions?

Kelley Almada
9/30/2013 01:49:39 pm

1) Summary~ "Kenyan Mall Attack" The terrorist attack on Nairobi's Westgate Mall ends after about 4 days, with the most likely suspect group pertaining to an "Al- Shabaab" terrorist group. Concluding with approximately 67 deaths, and 39 possibly still missing, as well as about 175 injured victims. Theories conclude that some sort of inside Kenyan intelligence warned of an Al- Shabaab threat a year before the mall attack.The terrorists have also been thought to torture some of the hostages during their captivity.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/30/kenyan-mall-attack-missing-red-cross

2) Connection~ During class we studied and discussed many different causes, or the goals of terrorism. We learned about religious motivations, how something from someone's religion can provoke a desire of change, or power/ authority inside them and possibly others. This attack is theorized to pertain to the prosecution of people with different religions, other than Islam.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/28/world/africa/kenya-mall-attack/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

3) Personal Reflection~ My reaction to this utter tragedy is initially shock and fear, which i'm sure is the overall purpose of the message the terrorists attempt to send out. I am filled with compassion and sorrow, for the mourning of the victim's family's, and also sympathy, for the victims themselves, who lost their innocent lives due to freedom of their own religion. Whom lost all of their lives simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Kyle
9/30/2013 02:05:11 pm

The imminent shutdown of the USA is threatening the government from a debate on the national health care plan. The Senate Democrats rejected the plan of "Obamacare" and left fussing and debates throughout a long conference. This reminded me of the theme in humanities Economies, as the economic issue is quite problematic right now for America. It was quite interesting since it had a lot to do with my personal care of me being a diabetic. So I was quite afraid of the dangerously life changing issue.

Kyle
9/30/2013 02:06:31 pm

This came from a report from Associated Press writers Alan Fram, Andrew Taylor, Laurie Kellman, Pauline Jelinek; Henry Jackson, Donna Cassata and Stacy A. Anderson in Washington and Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pa., contributed to this report.

Cam Dumont
10/1/2013 04:24:11 am

A group of people did a shooting in Kenya and an Ohio resident Bill Haynes heard about the shooting and canceled his flight to Kenya. He said " I couldn't believe it but here we are five about to be in this place in five days and there are some terrorist shooting up the place." Also, tourism is really big over there but now it is a concern to officials especially after the attack that left 67 dead including 18 foreigners. Tourism is 14% of Kenya's GDP and employs 12% of it's workforce. Moody, a tourism council member predicts thatthe attack will cost Kenya's economy $200 to $250 million in lost tourism revenue, estimating it will slow growth of Kenya's GDP by 0.5%. Kenya's 2012 GDP WAS $41 million

This is related to terrorism because these people caused fear in the people of Kenya and also people who are going to Kenya.

Cam Dumont
10/1/2013 04:30:48 am

3.) I thought this article was very cruel and I think that those people should be put in jail for life for scaring the people of Kenya and also the people of other places who are either coming to Kenya or thinking if coming to Kenya

Jesse
10/1/2013 11:03:40 am

1.) The conflicts in Syria that are in the news and web. Syria has used chemical weapons against their own people, and they blame their president Bashar a-Assad for the killing. The chemical weapons was not accepted by President Barrack Obama, so he has made ideas to aid citizens of Syria. But Bashar a-Assad has neglected the idea and doesn't want the U.S to invade his country. As "police of the world" the United States would like to bring justice to the cruelness/danger of the chemical weapons.
2.) The chemical weapons in Syria relates to terrorism and Power & Authority in which we have learned in class. It was a killing mass of many people within their own country, and they have brought fear into their own people. 9/11 was another tie into terrorism, The U.S declared war against Alfganistan, and is deciding to get into war with Syria. Power & Authority is shown with the chemical weapons because Bashar a-Assad use his weapons against his own people, showing the power he has in his military.

3.) I think the U.S will go into war with Syria. Knowing that they have WMD. But what would the outcome be? Wouldn't Syria just use the chemical weapons against the United States, if that does happen the U.S would probably use their nukes. And it would cause even more problems with other countries being allies and all. I see why the U.S would like to stop Syria, but going into their buisness can cause even bigger conflicts .
(I'm really sorry for submitting really late. I didn't have internet access for the past 3 weeks, and i just recently got access)

Damon Em
11/3/2013 03:09:24 am

1.) Syria has used chemical weapons on the own countries people and the people have blamed the president of the countries leader Bashar al-Assad. Our president Barack Obama had found out about the attack and wanted to supply aid for the innocent Syrian people but al-Assad does not want Obama to send troops into his country .But Obama want to solve the case of the use of chemical weapons.

2.) This story connects to terrorism and power and authority because the attack itself is a form of terrorism because it killed many innocent people, the way it connects to Power and Authority is because the attack was maybe meant to say to the rebels that he is more powerful and is the leader and he is not going anywhere.

3.) I think that the US will go to war with Syria and end up using weapons of mass destruction and win and stop Syria from using chemical weapons.

Alan Delmonico
11/3/2013 09:29:10 pm

There has been many shootings through out these past few years. Such as the shooting reported on the front page of firstpost.com. The arrival was called "167,000 passengers affected by Los Angeles airport shooting". It describes 23-year-old Paul Anthony Ciancia walking into Terminal 3 of the Los Angeles airport on 9 a.m. on Friday November first, 2013, and pulling out an assault rifle. He had killed a single transportation security administration officer and injured six others before he was shot and taken into custody. But this was only one of many shootings that have occurred.

These growing numbers of shootings that seem to be getting worse is similar to the conditions of the poor during the industrial revolution. During the industrial revolution people had continued to suffer in conditions that got worse and worse. But after time they had began to get better once reforms were made.

I expect that similar things will happen with the worsening shooting situation. Once it reaches its peak rules will be made so that lives won't be lost. But the reforms will not go so smoothly due to the people of our country who enjoy having the guns they wouldn't be able to have anymore. So as good as reforms would be they would also become a large argument between two bias sides.

Damon Em
11/4/2013 07:41:38 am

Alan that was a very good post and I like your third paragraph because I agree one hundred percent with you.

Alexa Z
12/2/2013 04:18:27 am

1. Egypt on edge after at least 278 killed in bloodiest day since revolution. (http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/14/world/meast/egypt-protests/)

In early August 2013, nearly 278 people were brutally killed, 235 of which were civilians. Supporters of President Mohamed Morsi, a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, were behind these attacks. They attacked hospitals and police stations killing 43 officers. Many Egyptian troops have been deployed into Cairo and Giza to stop these attacks. The Egyptian government forced the Morsi supporters out of Cairo. Morsi supporters claimed their assaults were "peaceful demonstrations.

2. This event can connect to a revolution. President Mohamed Morsi's supporters wanted to start a revolution to change something in the government of Egypt. These supporters are attacking innocent people to demand Morsi back into presidency. He was forced out in 2012 by the military after being elected. The supporters killed many civilians to voice their opinions on the presidency of Morsi.

3. I believe this attack on the citizens of Cairo, Egypt is very brutal. I think the Morsi supporters had a good reason to voice their opinion on the presidency but could have approached it in a different and more civilized manor. For example they could have written what they believed and wanted in a treaty, or tried a peaceful revolt like Gandhi did in the Indian revolution. But there is still the fact that they don't have their president that they want ruling! I can see how they would be easily outraged by this as I know many others would be too.

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1/27/2014 10:23:31 pm

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