Palestinian Authority blocks sale or goods made at Isreali settlements

The Palestinian Authority is trying to end what is called the "cancer" of Palestinian economic dependence on Israeli's West Bank settlements. President Mahmoud Abbas signed legislation banning the sale of all products made in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Violators of this could face fines or even imprisonment. These Israeli settlements are the main cause of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. The Palestinian police have already started to enforce this confiscating over 5 million dollars in good.

I think that it is good that the Palestinians are trying to become less dependent on the Israeli's because if there is ever a two state solution to the conflict they would need to know how to rely on themselves. I think that they are going about this the wrong way though. They are completely cutting the Israeli's off. I believe that this will just cause more tension and add to the conflict. This is of global importance because the Israeli- Palestinian conflict is not just a regional issue anymore and this new legislature will either ease the conflict or fuel the fire.

Schools in China prepare for Copycat Attacks

China's kindergartens and preschools have increased security after recent terrorist attacks. A former doctor stabbed, killing eight children and wounding five others. This incident followed three others in the recent weeks. Another attack was on a kindergarten class when at least 28 children were injured when a man with a knife went to a kindergarten school in east China. It is thought that they attack children to get the most attention.

I think that it is horrible that these monsters are targeting children. Terrorism is awful but it is just sick to attack young children to try and make a point. This is a wake up call to the world about how low people may sink to try and drive a point across. I hope that there are no other attacks like this in the future.

Spain unemployment tops 20 percent

Unemployment in Spain has reached 20 percent. The 20 percent unemployment leaves 4.3 million people out of work. This is the second highest unemployment rate in the European Union just after Latvia. It is thought that the unemployment has peak and will now decline. Spain's economic problems are thought to be tied with their housing bust.

This is too many people to be out of work. Hopefully it is correct that it has hit its peak and the unemployment will go down. If this does not get better it will effect the rest of the world because one countries economy can throw off the rest of the world's economies. If this is not corrected the rest of the world may continue to suffer and the global economy may not recover as quickly.

The Wonders of Africa

The Empire of Ghana was much larger than it is today. During the colonial era it was called the gold coast. They have claimed to have 22 kings before the Muslim era and 22 kings after, dating the empire back to the first few centuries. The king controlled gold coming in from the south and salt from the north. This kept the empire flourishing and they had a strong army to defend it. The empire shrunk to just small kingdoms.

The city of Meroe was a kingdom for up to nine centuries. They built pyramids that ensured their existence and remembrance in late centuries. Even though they did not have their own written language alphabet letters where found in the city.

The emperor Zara Yaqob placed a lot of emphasis on christian art. The was a lot of emphasis put on paintings of the virgin Mary. Ethiopian painters used this emphasis and made it into their own styles.



http://www.pbs.org/wonders/fr_wn.htm

Africa

When I think of Africa I think of the African slave trade. The people of Africa were discriminated against because they looked different. They were brought to America and other countries to work as free labor. I think that this comes to mind first because this has influenced America's history and I have been learning about this horrible act since I was a little kid.

Africa is a continent but some people view it as one country. I understand this because there are many small countries and they may be hard to distinguish between. Even though I understand this I know that it is wrong. Africa needs to be viewed as an area with many different cultures and independent states.

Obsession

Common Denominators: Nazi and Palestinian propaganda is very similar. They have the same message: killing the Jews. They are training children to fight and hate Israel. The radical Muslims are teaching their kids to be suicide bombers and kill Jews. The radical Muslim community will have the same relationship with the west as Hitler and Nazi Germany did because they are using the same kind of teachings. They both wanted to defeat the western world and take over. In both cases the western world has claimed ignorance at first before they stepped in to do anything.

Hitler and Mufti are trying to teach the same thing to hate the Jews and exterminate them. They are both using children and similar propaganda. They are brainwashing children and are learning to hate. The western world will have a hard time trying to change the mindsets of people who have been taught this their entire life.

The radical Muslims want to control the entire world under Muslim rule. The western world does not appreciate this because in order for this to happen it will lead to their downfall. The Muslims want to take control using terrorist attacks.

The west has had to help bring down hate groups and leaders. Something has to be done about the radical Muslims before more acts of terrorism are taken against the western world.

Do you think that the US can win the war in Afghanistan?

I think that it is impossible to win the war in Afghanistan because no one has ever won a war there and we are trying to combat too much. The Afghanistan people know their land too well for foreign forces to combat them well. I also think that the United States is trying to defeat terrorism. This is a hard fate because Al-Qaeda is located in other countries beside Afghanistan. The Taliban will continue to combat our forces until there is no one left to fight. The Taliban and Al-Qaeda work together and that makes them even stronger. I think that America will be forced to pull out before they can completely defeat the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. There are still attacks from war lords even though Al-Qaeda and the Taliban have retreated to the mountains. The United States can not completely control Afghanistan, only the Afghans can control what happens in their country.

Ending America's Dependence on Oil

I think that America needs to find other sources of energy. Things can be powered by solar, wind or even thermal energy. We need to end our dependence on foreign oil. I think that hybrids are good ways to use less gas but we need to find a total alternative. I think that we should also try not to anger OPEC because they control the oil prices and before we find an alternative we need to keep oil prices down.

I think that not having enough water is a far bigger issue than oil. Water is needed to sustain life, when oil is just to sustain a lifestyle. Water is also needed to pump oil. You can't have oil without water but you can have water without oil. This is terrible that people do not have water to drink and it is getting much worse. I think that this problem needs to be solved before the oil crisis.

True Life: I Live in a Terror Zone

The individual that stood out the most to me was Samah, a Palestinian woman. She just lives her life in fear. She obeyes the curfew and only sees the world through a window. I don't think that this is any way to live. I think that if I was in this situation I would be more like Tal. He is in the Israeli army and is fighting to keep his family safe. He is doing something to help his situation instead of just staying home.

In America we are given many rights as citizens. We are able to leave our homes and not live in fear of being attacked. As an American citizen I feel safe from terrorist attacks for the most part. People living in Israel live in fear on a daily basis. They could be killed at any moment. The Palestinian people do not have the right to have identification. In the United States everyone must have ID on them. This is a right we have as citizens.