ESPN 30 for 30

The idea to use Rugby as a medium of uniting a country was a terrific idea by Nelson Mandela. When people root for the same sports team or play on the same team, it doesn't matter if you are black or white, Jewish or Muslim, gay or straight. All that matters to you both is that when the game ends, you want your team to be on top. Therefore, Mandela realized that if he could make the black South Africans switch from viewing the Springboks as "their team" to "our team", then maybe that would make people realize that they are all the same.

3 May Current Events

1. Pakistan lifts Facebook ban
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The nation of Pakistan removed its countrywide ban of the social networking site Facebook after it was discovered that someone created a page urging members to post pictures of the prophet Mohammed. Muslims believe it is blasphemous to depict Mohammed in photos or drawings, and Pakistan, being a Muslim nation, was so offended that its government blocked the web site throughout the whole country.

This is important worldwide because it displays how many countries still have immense amounts of censorship and are deep down theocracies. I could not imagine how the United States would respond to having Facebook blocked from our access, as it has become intertwined with our daily functioning.

2. Tropical storm Agatha
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In the first major weather scare of the season, Tropical Storm Agatha has caused flooding and landslides in Central America, leading to 142 deaths. Over 110,000 people were evacuated from Guatemala.

This is globally important because it shows that there are other problems in the world besides war. Natural disasters prove time and time again to be some of the most deadly and cataclysmic events in history, yet are often overlooked. I would have never heard of this particular storm if I had not seen the article, since many people will shrug it off because it pales in comparison to other travesties. But somewhere the point is lost that a life is a life, and whether ten million people died or ten perished, the number is irrelevant to those who lose somebody.

3. Australia to sue Japan
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The country of Australia is taking legal action against Japanese researchers who have slain hundreds of whales in what is said to be "scientific research". Many speculate that the Japanese are actually selling the whales for huge amounts of money, although that cannot be confirmed. Australia is extremely upset that these killings have been occurring in a mutual ocean of Japan and Australia, and feel like it is their responsibility to stop it.

This is important globally because this shows conflict between two countries, which is never a good sign. Also, many people in America are aware of these acts because of the popular TV show Whale Wars, where an American animal rights ship tries to take on the Japanese wailers.

Berlin response

I believe that Spain, my group, struggled in the simulation. Every single one of our spots we hoped to acquire were taken before us, so we settled for surrounding one of our prospective areas. We also took an area in Northern Africa. It appeared to be above the Nile, but a group before us drew the river in the wrong place and we ended up getting a piece of the desert. Historically, Spain did not do well either, only receiving the small country of Gabon.

The winner of the countries was definitely France. This was only because of the fact that they could take a huge amount of land, as well as making sure the land was all consolidated in one area. Unlike Britain, their colonies will be easy to control, because they are also close to France. Spain and Germany were definitely losers, because they hardly got any useful land. However, Germany took tiny pieces of scattered land, and it will be impossible for them to control. Italy did well with what they could get, but essentially pissed off every other country by taking Ethiopia.

The Berlin Conference was one of the biggest destructions of culture in history. The Europeans entered Africa, and assumed the natives' culture was dumb and inferior. They never tried to embrace it, or even let it diffuse, and totally forced upon the Africans a new culture that they did not agree with.

SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA

I imagine the Berlin Conference. I also see many officials arguing and complaining about who gets what land. This is probably what happened. No one knew exactly what was in Africa. They were intrigued by the infinite possibilities.

FOLKLORE OF SAHARA

This folk story was about a lady who helped a pregnant lizard. However, it turned out that the lizard was a mythical being called a djinn, named Tafaka. The lady, Binta, spent forty days learning the way of the djinn, who were the most beautiful creatures in the universe. When a man came to her who had heard of her adventures to marry her, she summoned a djinn to be married to the stranger.

-The story was entertaining because it contained mystical element that provoke the imagination.

-The story taught me that they believe in mystical beings and magic.

-I can apply it because it teaches you to help anything that needs assistance, and it will reward you. So, the next time you see a caterpillar in your kitchen, don't stomp on it, but carry it outside.

April Current Events

Priest Faces Trial based on molestation accusations
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Ruggero Conti, a highly respected priest, has been accused of child abuse and molestation. He reportedly has done numerous disturbing things, totally abusing his power as a religious figure.

This is of global importance because of the fact that this is a reoccurring event. Some people speculate that priests, teachers, and doctors are often pedophiles who want easy access to children without parental guidance. It is disturbing, and tarnishes the reputation of the Catholic Church.

Taiwan Will Never Ask USA To Fight China
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Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeau is assuring the world that he will never ask America to fight China on the Taiwanese people's behalf. The US will continue to sell arms to Taiwan. Taiwan and China are at conflict because Taiwan seceded from Communist China, while China still considers Taiwan its property. Its mistreatment of the Taiwanese hit center stage when protests surfaced after China was rewarded by hosting the Summer Olympics.

This is very reassuring globally because this was one of the main issues between these two superpowers of US and China. Now, tensions might be eased in other Asian countries that feared a raging war.

Australia to package cigarettes without any logos, just with medical warnings
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Australia has came up with a new plan to lower the smoking-related health problems. They will strip all logos and designs of cigarette boxes, and instead just place warnings on them that state the health risks of smoking.

This of global significance because it is a great step into a world where smoking is not as prevalent as it currently is. Hopefully, other countries will follow suit, because this is a brilliant idea to prevent prospective smokers from lighting up their first cigar.

Wonders of Africa: Timbuktu

Timbuktu
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-At one point, I thought Timbuktu was in Alaska. Then I thought it was a mythical city, like El Dorado or Atlantis. After visiting the Wonders of Africa site, however, I have learned otherwise. Ancient Malians have been speculated to be innovators in the iron, ceramic, and cow-herding industries.

-A 1000 year old university is in Timbuktu, called Timbuktu University. This is incredible because, while we might have a misconstrued stereotype that Africans are primitive, they have a University that is older than Harvard and Yale

-Despite being close to Europe, nobody knew of the city until the 19th century. This is amazing, considering that Europeans were trying to colonize everything in sight.

Africa: What comes to mind

The pressing term that comes to mind when I think of Africa is injustice. Many different things fall under this category. Whether it be the apartheid in South Africa, the Darfur genocide, the Slave Trade of the 18th and 19th century, or just the totally impoverished nations that Africa is full of. It is by far the most underprivileged continent in the world, and its lack of advancement often detracts attention from there, attention that is necessary in order to fix many of their problems.

Obsession

Section 1
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The scariest images were not those of the dead people, but of the burning of western flags. The hatred they display when they scream DEATH TO AMERICA is frightening.

Section 2
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They preach violence to children. They are taught to strive to die and be a martyr. In a Jordanian textbook, it states that "Islam will destroy all other religions". They hate America. To fear them is normal, but it is just giving in to them.

Section 3
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They slander Americans by accusing them of drinking blood, and accuse Israel and the US as being Satan. I just don't understand how they can hate a group so much, all over religion that claims to be the "Religion of Peace"? As westerners we try to look at these crazy actions and attempt to find a grain of well-found reason for why the terrorists do this. The propaganda the Arabs give out is very similar to that of the Nazi's spreading. IT is disgusting how they rap about terrorist attacks and celebrate them.

Section 4
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"We are strangling ourselves with our political correctness" It is scary to think about how the radicals live among us and we don't even notice it. They abuse the Islam values, and abuse people's initial trust.

Section 5
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People always think that they have more important things to worry about than these issues. People like Michael Moore are misinforming people that is not a threat. If we ignore it, results far worse than World War II's will occur. The problem with todays issues are that there are about 4 Hitlers, 6 Mussolinis, and 5 Hirohitos, along with an army that greatly outweighs in both strength and in number that of the Axis Powers. We must prevent these people from gaining power, because history is doomed to repeat itself if we just stand by idly.

Section 7
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As a Jew, I am extremely scared of this section. Constantly seeing the growth of anti-semitism, I can only pray that it does not infiltrate the USA. The scary thing is that the Islamic hate is fueled by religion, while Hitler fueled the German's slaughter of the Jews

Can the US ever win the war in Afghanistan

We can never win the war in Afghanistan, simply because our enemies do not fear anything. They are willing to die for their cause and will never surrender. Despite the fact that we easily removed the Taliban from power, we did not eliminate them. They will still fight us until we give in, and since that seems unlikely, this war will not end for a long time. Unfortunately, their motives are overall more important to them, and they will be more motivated to take out anyone who gets in the way of their Jihad.

Global Importance of the Middle East

Americas Dependency on Oil
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The idea is simple: America should slowly progress into using alternate energy sources for transportation. As mentioned in the article, we could use electricity to power our cars, or even alcohol fuels like ethanol. Perhaps we could even use a never-ending source: solar energy. No matter what alternate source we use, it will not only end our dependency on the Middle East, but will also totally cripple dangerous countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia's economies.


Oil and Water in the Middle East
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We should be concerned about the water resources in the Middle East (or the lack thereof) for many reasons. First, if we do not change our dependency on oil, oil can not be produced without water. And considering how much water Saudi Arabia uses per day for oil refinement (2 million barrels), the shortage of water in the Middle East is becoming worse and worse every day. Also, now that Turkey has built dams to prevent water from flowing out of their country into Iraq and Syria, violent conflict could arise over this water source. So while oil might be the main concern in the Middle East, we must not overlook oil.

Why Bush went to War

I strongly agree with Doherty. The most crucial point he made was the point that America is indebted to Israel because of Zionists, Jews, and Israelis supporting America's spread of democracy. The Bush Administration then determined that in order to help pave the road for smoother Israel peace talks, they must take care of Saddam Hussein. Hussein's elimination, according to Doherty, would hinder the Palestinian bombers' inventory, would cause Iraq to lower their oil prices, hurting Iran and Saudi Arabia, and allow the US to station soldiers in Iraq, thus enabling them to monitor Iran and Syria with great care. Also, this would protect one of our biggest military suppliers, Israel, from many Arab attacks. Therefore, Bush went into Iraq to gain oil, and to protect Israel by monitoring surrounding countries

Terror Zone True Life

In the True Life special about the Israeli-Arab conflict, one individual stood out to me the most. That person was Tal, the Israeli soldier. His life revolves around preventing Palestinians from continuing their Intifada, while preventing innocent Palestinians from living a normal life in the process. I find it admirable and inspiring that despite seeing his friends die at the hands of angry Palestinians, he still sees the whole picture, and wants a two-state solution. You know that someone is a true, fair soul when they are able to prevent one incident caused by a person of a specific ethnicity or gender to elicit feelings of hatred and vengeance towards that group. I also felt like he sounded like he regrets some of the things he must do as a soldier, and is proved evident when it is disclosed that he will leave Israel and travel the world after his military term is over.

Obviously, not even our soldiers can truly compare to the lives of the Israeli Defense Force. They sleep with their machine guns by their sides, knowing that any moment a bomb could detonate, a shot could be fired, or a throat could be slit. They all also don't necessarily support the cause, as they are forced into the military. In our society, joining the military is an act of bravery and patriotism. In Israel, nothing is thought of it, and it is as normal to them as going to high school is for us. The fact is, if Israel wants to maintain their country, they must have a semi-militaristic approach of governing the land in order to preserve it from imminent destruction.

World powers work on Iran Sanctions

6 world powers, China, USA, France Russia, Germany, and Britain met to discuss how they plan to punish Iran. China is going to begin drawing up ideas for sanctions. They would like to have a full plan finished within the next couple of months.

This is important globally because Iran with nuclear powers is a dangerous thought. If they gain them, the whole holy land of Israel's existence is on the line. Israel is the focal point of all main religions, and the destruction of it would cause mass chaos throughout the world.

Saudi Arabian man sentenced to death for sorcery

A man in Saudi Arabia is being accused of sorcery. Ali Hussain Sibat is being accused of essentially witchcraft because he has a TV show where he "predicts" the future and gives advice to his audience. He has been sentenced to death. He went to court in Mecca and Medina to make appeals, but in both courts he was still sentenced to death.

This is of global importance because it shows how irrational Saudi Arabia's government can be. They have managed to accuse a man of committing a crime that is physically impossible, and if he were in America, he would not be in trouble.

12 killed, 23 wounded in suicide bombings in moscow

In Dagestan, Russia, 12 people were killed and at least 23 were wounded as a result of suicide bombings on a highway. 9 of the people killed were policemen. This occurred two days after suicide bombings on a Moscow metro. These bombings are fueled by a group of terrorists who want to become an independent Muslim state.

This is significant globally because it shows that the "Jihad" spans farther than the Middle East. The goals of extremist Muslims are being attempted to be carried out in any way possible, and we have nothing to threaten them with, as their lives are already going to be ended while achieving their goal.

Women in Afghanistan

I believe that the women in Afghanistan should have as much of choice as men in choosing what they wear and do. Their rights are strictly limited and the veil is a symbol of those restrictions. While some people may say it is part of their religion, Islam is thought of to be an interpretive religion, a faith where you decide what each line of the Koran means. If some women want to wear the veil because of spirituality then they should be allowed. But it should not be accepted to enforce it as a law and enforce it with force.

Not a Clash of Religions

I do believe the journalist's claims. I have read before that the Islam religion wants to live in peace with their Jewish and Christian brethren. However, I am a bit skeptical that Osama Bin Laden does not hate other religions. While he may say that he "respects the prophets", I am unsure whether the author really knows if that signifies he doesn't hate different religions.

Osama Bin Laden should not be excused for his actions. It doesn't matter that this author is trying to portray that he doesn't totally hate Jews or Christians. When you kill one person, let alone hundreds, (not in self-defense) there is no excuse for his actions. No one who is not protecting themselves is justified to kill.

ISRAEL: The rightful homeland of the Jews.

Israel is the rightful homeland of the Jews for many reasons. Primarily, their religious connection is stronger than that of Islam's. This is because Jerusalem is the only city that the Jews hold sacred, as it has been their most constant home. Muslims have it as their third holiest city, behind Mecca and Medina, because their prophet Mohammed died at the same spot where the holy temple was located. Secondly, the Muslims already have many homelands, specifically Saudi Arabia, while the Jews only have Israel. Lastly, since Israel is under control of the Jews, giving control back to the Arabs would show that the violence that has erupted throughout the Middle East will get people what they want, which is never a good thing to encourage, especially in an area as volatile as this region.

Chile hit by 8.8 earthquake

About a month after the devastating disaster in Haiti, an enormous earthquake has hit the country of Chile. Measuring an 8.8 on the Richter Scale, over 700 people have been killed by the quake. This triggered a tsunami in Hawaii, which ended up being minor.

This is important globally because of the fact that since Haiti needed so much help rebuilding, other nations must step up and help Chile as well. These are the disasters where the world must put aside their differences and help each other out.

Biggest Issue of the Middle East

The biggest issue of the Middle East is the existence of the Jewish homeland of Israel. There are many different standpoints on the existence. For example, some Muslims might say it belongs to the Muslim people. Some Jews believe it belongs to them. Then there are people like Amedidinjad (i bet i spelled that wrong), who want the nation blown off the face of the earth.

Middle East

The Middle East can be defined as the land bridge between Asia and Africa (it is technically a part of Asia). However, it is more than that. It is the center of world conflicts. This is primarily due to the fact that religious tension resides in the Middle East, and the "center of religion", The Holy Land of Israel, is located in the region. In this area, it is a melting pot of religions, mainly consisting of Muslims, Jews, and some Christians. Israel is the number one conflict of the area, and there is a lot of arguments over whether Israel should remain the Jewish homeland, or if it should become Palestine, and the homeland of Islam.

North Korea Refuses To Abandon Nuclear Program

North Korean officials stated today that they will continue their nuclear program even if "The Earth had been shattered into pieces". The US intelligence claims that North Korea can build six nukes.

This is dangerous because North Korea, an enemy of the USA (in its axis of evil), is allies with Iran. If they provide Iran with nuclear weapons, then Iran could possibly achieve their goal of wiping Israel off the map. If this occurred, nuclear warfare could be waged, with the extent of the damage unknown.

Machu Picchu set to reopen in April

The Peruvian national landmark of Machu Picchu is reportedly going to be reopening for tourism in March. The Ancient Inca ruins were unaccessible recently due to flooding of streets and roads nearby.

This is significant because it is one of the few remaining artifacts of the extraordinarily advanced ancient civilizations of South America. It is truly a beautiful landmark and the tourism should pick up there right away

Gandhi

Ways Gandhi tried to gain independence from British

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• eliminate differences between clashing groups
• showed strength by not fearing punishment or attack
• used peace as a "weapon"
• knew how to get away with breaking laws because of his in-depth legal knowledge of the British
• Fight with powerful words
• Accept the British anger, frustrate them by not responding
• hunger strikes gained him freedom from jail
• support of Hindus, Muslims, and even British
• have other capable leaders
• civil disobedience

I do not think Gandhi ever enjoyed what he accomplished. This is because what he had created by gaining independence was far worse than being controlled by Britain.

Gandhi would not have been able to prevent the hatred between Hindus and Muslims. The British had no real feeling of vengeance against the Indians, while the Hindus and Muslims' violence was fueled by revenge and animosity.

unjust laws

I think that the welfare of oneself is the most important thing to focus on. Therefore, I believe the most beneficial is to agree with the law. However, if the law is persecuting a certain group, I believe that a peaceful protest would be the proper solution. An example of when you must transgress the law would be if you are the persecuted group. I cannot think of an example of an unjust law in our country, but if there is, I would be sure to analyze it.

State of the Union 2010

Based on the main ideas of President Barack Obama's "State of the Union", I think that it might be a difficult year, but in a necessary fashion. From words like years, reform, deficit, and change, it seems to me that we are headed towards a reformation of our economy and government. While this should turn out well in the end, it might be difficult the first few years of the process.

I believe that this is what is needed in this country. We have struggled enough while trying to improve the old and outdated. Instead we must try to create new possibilities, which will open our doors to escape the chains of the recession.

When you look at George W. Bush's previous State of the Union, the idea that keeps popping up is war. From fighting to Iraq to troops, the words used by Bush clearly showed his militaristic values and his primary focus of his presidency. While Bush was looking to "fix" problems outside of our country, President Obama is attempting to heal our ailing economy and resolve our internal problems.

I think that in order for the US to be successful militaristically, our economy and government must be flowing immaculately. I believe Obama understands this, and realizes this is the first priority.