General Anouncement

I know that I have not been able to comment on your articles as frequently as I would have hoped. HOWEVER, I am still reading them and you are still responsible for finishing them. To those of you who took care of business in the second quarter, you will be very happy with how it affected your grade. For the rest of you....

...make sure you are on the ball third quarter.


Mr. L

BTW - I'm shocked there has really only been one or two Blagovich articles.

Palestine and Israel

For as long as I can remember the Palestine/Israel Conflict has raged through the Middle East, and in the last few months a new conflict has arisen in one of the most war torn parts of the region, the Gaza Strip. The flame that the Balfour Declaration of 1917 ignited those many years ago burns more brightly with the renewed conflict in Gaza. I am neither Jewish nor Muslim, neither am I Anti-Semitic nor Anti-Islam; I do believe, however, that this conflict has gone on long enough. With the establishment of Israel in an already inhabited area, the region became more volatile in an instant and the tensions continue to grow stronger today.
For centuries there was no Palestine/Israel Conflict; there was peace. The region was inhabited by a multicultural population; Muslims, Christians, and Jews alike shared this land and lived in peace. Today, however, the headlines of news stations across the globe are littered with footage of suicide bombings, and rocket attacks by Hamas and Fatah, and brutal raids carried out by the Israeli Army. Israel possesses one of the world’s most powerful armies. According to the CIA World Fact Book Israel devotes 7.3% of its GDP (Gross Deficit Product) to the military (that’s approximately 14 billion dollars a year). The Palestinians do not possess a military, in fact, they aren’t allowed to according to the Palestinian-Israeli Interim Agreement. Yet, the fighting continues.
There are three primary issues within the Palestine/Israel Conflict: the original population of what is now Israel was majority Muslim and Christian; however, displaced Muslims and Christians are barred from returning to their homes in the self-declared Jewish state, and those within Israel are actually discriminated against. In 1993 the Oslo Peace Accords declared that the West Bank and Gaza Strip, obtained by Israel in a previous conflict, were to be returned and made a Palestinian state. Israel, however, has continued its military occupation of these lands. When Israel continued to confiscate land in these areas and move citizens onto it, the Palestinian populace rebelled. These rebellions are in the form of suicide bombings and missile attacks by both Hamas and Fatah. According to The New York Times between the dates of December 27, 2008 and January 2, 2009 approximately 430 Palestinians and four Israelis were killed. Finally, Iran supplies Hamas with its weapons; Iran enables Hamas to wreak havoc on the Israelis.
The cease-fire established by Hamas and Israel in 2005 was broken on November 4, 2008, when Israel went into Gaza and killed six Palestinians. The Israeli government stated that these Palestinians plotted to kidnap Israeli soldiers. Hamas retaliated and began its rocket attacks on Israel. In order for any ground to be made between these two factions the international community must step in. The United Nations (U.N.) should demand that a cease-fire be negotiated. Contrary to popular belief, Hamas and Fatah have firmly declared that they are open and willing to participate in negotiations which are based on international borders and rights. The U.N. should mandate that Israel end its blockade of Gaza, and put an end to Israel’s invasion of Gaza. Lastly the U.N. should mandate that all rocket attacks into Israel be stopped. Common ground must be made.
Hopefully at the end of solving this conflict the United Nations would seek to end the Palestine/Israel Conflict once and for all. The U.N. should demand that Israel give back the West Bank and Gaza according to the Oslo Accords of 1993. Make religious relics and sites international zones free of occupation by any one country, as they do with the various U.N. forums. The international community should seek to eliminate conflict which has the potential to continue well into this century. It has taken the lives of hundreds of innocents; hundreds of men, women, and children have fallen during this massacre in Gaza, which adds to the death toll in the region. We cannot let it go on any longer.

GITMO will close

Click here for the article

“US President Barack Obama has ordered the closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison camp as well as all overseas CIA detention centres for terror suspects.”

In 2003, my respect for the Bush Administration plummeted when I learned that terrorist suspects were being tortured in a prison camp in Cuba. Suspects were chained to the floor without food or water while being forced to look at pornography and listen to loud, profane music. Even though America is notorious for breaking its own values, laws, and beliefs (slavery, Jim Crow laws, Japanese internment camps), I was stunned that these horrible things were still happening today in secret locations all over the world.

Since I was eleven at the time, my stunned reaction was plausible. I didn’t believe that the American government could be capable of evil, covert torture. I now know that the government has enormous influence in foreign affairs, and these kinds of things happen all the time. The public doesn’t have the resources or the connections to know what happens in the world without the help of the government.

I am glad that America holds elections. If the American people aren’t happy with their president, they can vote for a new candidate. In 2004, Bush won the election because the fear of terrorist attacks was greater than the fear of losing American values in Guantanamo Bay. Five years later, more than 70% of Americans disapprove of Bush and his policies, and as a result, a Democratic president was sworn in on January 20, 2009.

President Barack Obama stated, "The United States intends to prosecute the ongoing struggle against violence and terrorism… We are going to do so vigilantly, we are going to do so effectively, and we are going to do so in a manner that is consistent with our values and our ideals."
Obama’s order will improve America’s standing in the world. The U.S. will not longer resemble dictatorships in its interrogation techniques. Obama refuses to approve of a prison camp that allows coercion and waterboarding. In fact, he has banned all harsh interrogation methods and wants a fair trial given to every terrorist suspect.

Obama is already proving to the American people that he will be a different president than Bush. He will be a man of American ideals--a man of negotiation and fairness. I am looking forward to seeing how his presidency will unfold. I have been waiting for Guantanamo Bay to close since I was in the sixth grade.

Privacy Issue Stalls New Medical Procedures

President-Elect Obama has come up with a plan to link hospitals with new information technology. This ambitious plan has created controversy because patients won't be able to control their medical records. People are afraid of how the privacy of electronic medical records will be protected. Congressional leaders have planned to set aside $20 billion for this project. This project could cost well over $825 billion. Mr. Obama's plan is to have every medical plan computerized within the next 5 years. Mr. Obama feels that "Digital medical records could prevent medical errors, save lives and create hundreds of thousands of jobs...".

A small group of lobbyists have been trying to insure money for health information technology. They feel that doctors could be more successful if they could exchange data through health information networks.

However, without strong safeguards this project could be a huge failure and nightmare for consumers. One of the safeguards brought up include "outlawing the sale of any personal health information in an electronic medical record, except with the patient’s permission." Another safeguard would include patients being allowed to hold back on certain sensitive information such as abortions, tests for AIDS, and records of psychotherapy. Obama's advisers say that he is in favor of all of the safeguards, but he doesn't want the controversy to slow down the passing of the bill.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/18/us/politics/18health.html?ref=politics

Caroline Kennedy: A Smart Choice or A Popular Name

In sight of the coming inauguration Americans may have lost sight of the continuing issues in America. A change of power also means a change in other offices beside the executive branch. Since Hillary Clinton was named Secretary of State for President-elect Obama's cabinet, there have been many discrepancies over who will fill her junior seat in the Senate.  Other candidates include Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, Carolyn Maloney, Steve Israel, and Kirsten Gillibrand. All of these candidates are being considered by Governor Patterson, yet Kennedy has an advantage over all of them. Kennedy graduated from Columbia Law School, yet she never practiced law, instead she chose to have three children, all of whom are now adults. Kennedy also did volunteer work, but she failed to ever hold down a job. Kennedy has never received much media attention for most of her life, even after the death of her father, John F. Kennedy, her family lived in a heavily guarded area in NY. So why should we be considering to choose Caroline Kennedy as the new Senator to represent New York. She has proved to have little experience, and is not at all prepared to take the position as senator. Is it fair to even consider her as a Senator, just because of her name? Although connections often help many people get the jobs they want, the senate seat cannot be given to anyone, especially someone as poorly qualified a Kennedy. If Kennedy is chosen she will not be able to correctly carry out her job, just because she has a famous name, does not mean she should be allowed to surpass the hard work of more deserving people.   

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28573113/

Bush Gives Advice To The GOP

After seeing the current state of the country, it would seem foolish to listen to advice given by George W. Bush, however he gave some "words of wisdom" for Republicans on Fox News Sunday. Bush acknowledged the GOP's landslide loss last election, but he advised that Republicans pay more attention to policy issues, particularly immigration. Bush said it is very important for Republicans not to narrow their focus, and to be more open minded about other people's opinions. Bush specifically mentioned that Republicans should be more open minded about immigration reform.

Members of the Bush administration have been approaching some topics for the first time. For example, Karl Rove brought up the topic of minority politics at a forum debating the legacy of Bush. Rove warned that the Republican party would suffer more setbacks if it fails to find a way to appeal to African American and Latino voters. Democrats agree with this as well, and argue that the switch in the Hispanic vote to Barack Obama was an important development.

I think that by Bush saying all this, he is acknowledging that his administration hasn't been very successful over the past eight years, however he realizes what they may have done wrong. It is a case of "do as I say, not as I did". The slant of this story is clearly liberal, because the whole undertone of the article gives the feeling that the author thinks theBush administration is a failure.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/11/bush-gives-advice-to-the_n_156928.html

Israel Vs. Palestine: Round, Damn I Lost Count

Not to any one's surprise Israel and Palestine are now back at blows, an event almost as common as a blue moon, and to many it is also not a surprise that Israel's vast military has completely dominated the conflict. However, consider, as the article suggests, that the military aspect of the struggle is all that Israel is winning and that in the long run Palestine will win this struggle with political might. Consider how the images of civilians being carried away on stretchers all day on the 24 hour news stations is changing political opinion on a global scale. Israel, who is usually the country who receives all of the world's sympathies for having to put up with the radical extremists next door is now being called by many world leaders to come to terms with Hamas. There are two ways to look at this sudden change of roles, those who have called for peace wish to stop Israel from regressing to Hamas' level of killing civilians, whether or not there is intent, or that our world leaders simply blow as the newspaper directs and crucify those who come off as the evildoers (Bushism) after reading the morning headlines.

Consider that Hamas really is the political ringmasters the article makes them out to be, whose actions are more disgusting? The actions of Israel, a sovereign nation whose seen its citizens continually harassed by mortars fired from Palestine, who invaded a country run by a radical, war-mongering regime and in the process of trying to rid the area of the vermin accidentally killed some innocent civilians. Or would it be the actions of Hamas who has, and continues to instigate this war by firing mortars into Israeli markets and villages, the sole intent being to kill civilians and bring on war. In bringing on this war and not fighting the invasion force with all of its might, as one may expect a government to do in order to protect its people, Hamas has been rewarded with many a dead or maimed civilian which when the news rolls 24/7 brings in sympathy like a magnet. This being evidenced by the fact the news still makes it out of Gaza, which is odd considering Israel was quick to destroy the newstation, which proves premeditated action on the part of Hamas to ensure that pictures would get out and sympathy in. Sympathy which proves very valuable in brokering a cease fire with Israel that will open currently cut off trade routes to Palestine that will further Palestine's power and Hamas' popularity simply for ending the unethical shelling of Israel. So are many world leaders right to call on Israel to stop or is Hamas the manipulative little child who gets everything and more at Christmas?

Dave Adams
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1869807,00.html

obamas impatience leads to his own failure?

Although the article seemed biased in my opinion it proved a logical point. Obama's main concern through out his entire campaign was the economy. He has now made the economic crisis set as a top priority. The reason being? Americans are suffering we need action now. Although i beg to differ we do need action but not as fast. In his rush and urgency to get the bill to meet the deadlines could lead to a bad outcome. When things are rushed mistakes tend to happen, practice does make perfect. If he does rush this bill the mistakes are likely to occur on a much larger scale, probably costing billions leaving Americans in a much worse state then its currently in. It is true Americans seem to be suffering greatly, and we do need a solution now but what is to come from the government throwing billions even trillions to the major companies at such a fast pace? Either utter chaos or some relief but immediate. Not only is rushing to meet the deadlines not necessarily a good thing but there are some major concerns that are not fully addressed. For example Barack says he does want or promises not to include earmarks. Which is good in a way, except programs (that are sometimes useless) will do anything for some money, meaning they will be prepared with permits reasons and requirements at hand.Barrack's first days weeks or months in office are crucial. If he makes any mistake that can hurt Americans even more it will leave not only a tarnished reputation, crushed dreams for families, and a bad image world wide but it will and I agree with the author it will be his own doing.
http://www.slate.com/id/2207790/?GT1=38001

The Principal's Office First

“The state asks that the defendant, although a tadpole, be charged as a frog.”

The Principal’s Office First
New York Times Editorial
January 5th 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/opinion/05mon3.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=principal&st=cse
The editorial states that; “There is little question that the police have made many schools safer. There also is growing concern that the larger number of police officers, plus zero-tolerance policies at many schools, has led to unnecessary arrests.”
Certainly it is important to have a safe school environment for the sake of the learning process but the method we have used to ensure that is archaic. Fear and threats are the not the way to make children, especially young ones behave.
Another article in the Times addressed the same issue a month ago when a first grader robbed a classmate in school with a table knife. It would seem that it is exactly these kinds of situations that have caused the recent increase in school security.
First Grader in 1$ Robbery my Face Expulsion
By Yolanne Almanzar
December 3rd 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/us/04knife.html?scp=1&sq=child%20armed%20robbery%20school&st=cse
Though this is a very disturbing case a few trips to the school psychologist may be in order but certainly not an arrest. There is a reason why we have different consequences for minors: they don’t understand what they are doing in the same way that adults do. Though it isn’t much different being a 17 year old or 18 year old, 7 and 18 is quite a range. We cannot expect children to have as deep an understanding of the meaning and consequences of their actions. No doubt this child is now facing more serious emotional crises than before.
As we can see it can cause more problems than it solves, as children get arrested frequently for crimes that could be handled within the school.
My suggestion: require more child psychology classes for teachers and encourage them to continue taking them throughout their careers. Children cannot be handled the same way that adults are. The human brain isn’t fully formed until age 25, that combined with a lack of experience explains many of the behavior problems in schools. The first step should be to see if the problem can be handled without the principal, simply by trying to understand the problem instead of indiscriminately punishing them. For example in preschool I once got into a verbal fight with a friend that resulted in a play kitchen being knocked over. Thankfully my childhood was not scared by a trip to the police station; rather my teacher took us aside and had us talk about the problem after a time out. That is an appropriate response for the age of the child.
Though kids shouldn’t feel that their school is a safe zone where anything goes the responses to their actins should be reasonable. We should focus more on preventing the situation in the future than scaring and punishing.

Amanda Furcall

'The Gaza Stripped'

It seems to be a popular trend these days, don't c'ya think? You hit me, I hit you. You punch me, I'll punch you. You send a missile at me, and surely enough I'll send one right back.

It seems as if Hamas and Israel have nothing better to do than to flex their muscles and bomb the ever-loving crap out of each other, don't c'ya think?

Hamas and Israel have a history. So what. The bombing's and now the Gaza invasion is nothing more than that of a bicker between two immature little kids.

Put it in this perspective if you will.....

One day little Johnny called little Joey a bad word. Then Joey got all steamed and started throwing rocks at him from the playground. The principal walks up and says 'Hey, what are you doing Joey,' and Joey childishly replies, 'Well, he started it!' So Johnny goes home all bruised and angry and says to himself, 'Hey! I know what I'll do! I'll get my friends to come over and we'll go egg Joey's house!' So Joey and his friends go to Johnny's house and egg his house, they toilet paper his trees and they put shaving cream on his windows. Johnny's parents are devastated and begin to talk with Joey's parents to see if they'd make him stop. They pleaded with them, but instead Joey's parents say 'Well, you and your son got what you deserved, you started it.' So now Johnny's parents call the principal to try and stop the madness.

Now, as the principal what would you do? George Bush has defended Israel saying that 'they have the right to defend themselves,' but to what extent? An eye for an eye? Would the principal of a school realistically say 'Joey had the right to defend himself'? No! He would have found the root of the problem and discuss what Johnny and Joey could do to make things right, not let them fight on! Nobody is right in the developing war between Hamas and Israel. I'm not saying The U.S should stick their noses in business outside their own (I belief they are already doing it elsewhere anyway) but what I am saying is we should at least attempt to help in the effort for peace. No more troops, just talking, talking, and more talking.........

That's all I got... :)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28404637/

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