Council report

How Students Learn: Mathematics in the Classroom
How Students Learn: Mathematics in the Classroom How do you get a fourth-grader excited about history? How do you even begin to persuade high school students that mathematical functions are relevant to their everyday lives? In this volume, practical questions that confront every classroom teacher are addressed using the latest exciting research on cognition, teaching, and learning. "How Students Learn: History, Mathematics, and Science in the Classroom" builds on the discoveries detailed in the bestselling "How People Learn". Now, these findings are presented in a way that teachers can use immediately, to revitalize their work in the classroom for even greater effectiveness. Organized for utility, the book explores how the principles of learning can be applied in teaching history, science, and math topics at three levels: elementary, middle, and high school. Leading educators explain in detail how they developed successful curricula and teaching approaches, presenting strategies that serve as models for curriculum development and classroom instruction. Their recounting of personal teaching experiences lends strength and warmth to this volume. The book explores the importance of balancing students' knowledge of historical fact against their understanding of concepts, such as change and cause, and their skills in assessing historical accounts. It discusses how to build straightforward science experiments into true understanding of scientific principles. And, it shows how to overcome the difficulties in teaching math to generate real insight and reasoning in math students. It also features illustrated suggestions for classroom activities. "How Students Learn" offers a highly useful blend of principle and practice. It will be important not only to teachers, administrators, curriculum designers, and teacher educators, but also to parents and the larger community concerned about children's education.

Author: Committee on How People Learn: A Targeted Report for Teachers, National Research Council
Paperback:  272 pages
Company: National Academies Press  (2004-12-28)
ISBN: 0309089492
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The Responsibility to Protect: The Report of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty
The Responsibility to Protect: The Report of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty The international community faces no more critical issue than how to protect people caught in new and large-scale humanitarian crises - humanitarian intervention has been controversial both when it has happened, as in Kosovo, and when it has failed to happen, as in Rwanda. While there is general agreement internationally that we should not stand by in the face of massive violations of human rights, respect for the sovereign rights of states maintains a central place among the principles governing relations between states.
In his Millennium Report to the UN General Assembly, Secretary-General Kofi Annan challenged the international community to address the real dilemmas posed by intervention and sovereignty. The independent International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS) was established by the Canadian government in September 2000 to respond to that challenge.
After a year of intense worldwide consultations and debate, the Commission now presents this path-breaking report. With its central theme of the "responsibility to protect," the report underlines the primary responsibility of sovereign states to protect their own citizens from avoidable catastrophe - from mass murder, from large scale loss of life and rape, from starvation. But when they are unwilling or unable to do so, that responsibility must be borne by the broader community of states - there must be no more Rwandas or Srebrenicas.
The Commission has also produced a companion volume, written by Thomas Weiss and Don Hubert with input from an outstanding group of international specialists. This volume represents a comprehensive, balanced and up-to-date summary of the key political, ethical, legal, and operational issues and will be of particular interest to scholars. It also contains an exhaustive, thematic bibliography.
The ICISS Report includes a CD-ROM, containing PDF versions of the report, research essays from the companion volume, and an electronic, searchable bibliography.

Paperback:  120 pages
Company: IDRC Books  (2002-02)
ISBN: 0889369607
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U.S. - Latin America Relations: Report of an Independent Task Force (Independent Task Force Report)
U.S. - Latin America Relations: Report of an Independent Task Force (Independent Task Force Report) Author: Charlene Barshefsky, James T. Hill
Paperback:  85 pages
Company: Council on Foreign Relations Press  (2008-05)
ISBN: 0876094116
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Security Council Report Monthly Forecast September 2008 - Security ...
Welcome to our January Forecast Report, posted on 24 December 2008. Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert of France will be the Council president. Our OVERVIEW highlights issues likely ... (more...)

Report To the Legislative Council

Report of the Academic Competitiveness Council
U.S. Department of Education Margaret Spellings Secretary May 2007 This report is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. (more...)

Welcome to the National Intelligence Council (NIC)
Global Trends 2025 is the fourth unclassified report prepared by the National Intelligence Council (NIC) in ... (more...)

Reentry Policy Council
The Report of the Re-Entry Policy Council is a comprehensive guide for policymakers and practitioners interested in addressing the challenges people face when they are ... (more...)

ORTCC - Report
Council Reports. The Council believes that Oregon has an opportunity to lead the nation in extending the benefits of telecommunications technology to all ... (more...)
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CIC's Green Meetings Report
Convention Industry Council's Green Meetings Report CONTENTS Introduction Page 3 Section 1: Best Practices for Event Suppliers Page 5 ? Convention & Visitors Bureaus/Destination ... (more...)

MISSION AND PURPOSE IN FULL - Security Council Report
Security Council Report is an independent not-for-profit organisation in affiliation with Columbia University's Center on International Organization.  Security Council Report was ... (more...)

GNSO | GNSO Council Report to the ICANN Board
GNSO Council Report to the ICANN Board 18 January, 2006. Policy recommendation and advice on a procedure for handling conflicts between a registrar/registry's legal obligations ... (more...)

Social Security 1948 Council Report
Social Security history reports and studies ... History Home: This is an archival or historical document and may not reflect current policies or procedures (more...)

Open Question: Baby P council chief fights sacking - how much compensation will she get?
"Sharon Shoesmith, 55, was dismissed without compensation from her senior position at Haringey Council in north London last month after a damning report into her department's failings." http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20090109/tuk-baby-p-council-chief-fights-sacking-6323e80.html new labour always seems to reward failure - how much will Mrs Shoesmith get as a pay off? .............. (more...)

Open Question: Need reassurance I did the right thing by reporting nuisance behaviour to the council ranger?
There is a park near me that many people including dogs and children like to walk and play in. I look forward to going there and relaxing at the end of the day. Today however, and I have heard this before, some kids and their parents rolled up and pulled two tiny very noisy motorbikes out of their car and proceeded to ride along the paths. The kids were no older than 8, wore no safety helmets or jackets. People had to get out of the way because they were very wobbly. Not only was it disruptive due to the noise, but it was exceedingly dangerous for the little kids. If they had of fallen off they could have really hurt themselves or others. I have heard them in the park a few other times, but this is the first time I have decided to do something, as I don't want it to become a habit. It is illegal, wrong and dangerous. I reported them to the ranger and now I am feeling the guilty and like a dobber. I like anyone else don't want to spoil the fun, however it seems very selfish of these people to think that they can monopolise the park. Was I being extreme? I think the parents are encouraging bad behaviour. If they think it's OK to do this now, when they are older they will be the kids who flaunt the law. (more...)

Open Question: Do you agree that Israel is in violation of international law and is committing clear war crimes?
Summary of Conclusions: 1. During "Operation Cast Lead" Israel has not only publicly expressed but also effectively demonstrated its unwillingness to distinguish between civilians and combatants on the one hand and between civilian objects and military objectives on the other. Acting upon a legally false claim that anything allegedly affiliated with Hamas ? be it a home, school, mosque or a chicken farm ? "is a legitimate military target," Israel attempts to create a legal façade for its unlwaful attacks on the Gaza Strip. Further, by disguising its offensive in the form of claimed self-defence, Israel seeks to legitimise the killing of almost 700 Palestinians, the vast majority of whom were civilians (including many children), and the injury of more than 3,000, in addition to the destruction of hundreds of homes and the damage of thousands. 2. This cynical manipulation of the letter and spirit of international law has made way for an international discourse which risks reinterpreting and therefore compromising the most fundamental principles of international law for the sake of political interests. This in turn has resulted in the continuing failure of the international community, including the High Contracting Parties of the Geneva Conventions, the UN Security Council and General Assembly and the EU to effectively engage their own clearly defined legal obligations to ensure respect for international humanitarian law and amounts to tacit acquiescence to Israel's calculated and systematic disregard for international humanitarian law. 3. The cost of international inaction is being born by a terrorised Palestinian civilian population who has no safe haven. It is therefore necessary for the international community to reaffirm its commitment to the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law and to create the necessary political will to take effective measures against those who ridicule and blatantly violate them. 4. Any genuine international intervention that aims at achieving a just and durable solution to the conflict must above all acknowledge international law as the basis of any agreement and address the root cause of the conflict, the Israeli occupation. For the full online report, see: http://gazasiege.org/docs/jan09/Legal_Brief_Gaza_Al_Haq_Jan2009.pdf [This is all after establishing that Israel's 18 month embargo is also in breach of the Geneva Convention, and that Hamas' firing of rockets into civilian territoy is in breach too - despite the Palestinians' legal right to resist the occupier militarily] But please do stick to the question. The question was about Israel. I'm assuming most did not read what was posted/the report. Perhaps this will help: ?They [Hamas] don't make a distinction, and neither should we." - Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni DSPITE 'Attacks on civilians not taking direct part in hostilities that result in deaths constitute wilful killing, a war crime amounting to a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention. This entails the individual criminal responsibility of those Israeli officials who planned, ordered or executed such attacks.' ?We are hitting not only terrorists...but also the whole Hamas government and all its wings...After this operation there will not be one Hamas building left standing in Gaza, and we plan to change the rules of the game.? - Brigadier General Dan Harel DESPITE: 'Article 52 of the First Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions, which is established as customary international law, defines civilian objects as ?all objects which are not military objectives.? MaryJane and Jennifer J, I guess Hamas could say the same thing (has a right to self-defense and that Israel started it) as Israel has illegally kept Gaza under a blockade and denied its 1.5m people freedom of movement. It was also the first to break the cease-fire whose terms it never actually observed at all. If you need sources, please read this article: http://www.creative-i.info/?p=3402 Homer, you are mistaken in your defintion of occupied. The Gazans have lived under Israeli occupation since the Six-Day War in 1967. Israel is still widely considered to be an occupying power, even though it removed its troops and settlers from the strip in 2005. Israel still controls access to the area, imports and exports, and the movement of people in and out. Israel has control over Gaza?s air space and sea coast, and its forces enter the area at will. As the occupying power, Israel has the responsibility under the Fourth Geneva Convention to see to the welfare of the civilian population of the Gaza Strip. Obviously, with the illegal blockade, it is clearly cotravening international law (see what richar Faulk of the UN has to say about below). Even through common sense, if Hamas were in total control of its land, then what is Israel doing establishing a blockade, closing Gaza's borders and crossings to the outside world and blocking supply lines for bare necessities? STATEMENT BY PROF. RICHARD FALK, UNITED NATIONS SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES "The Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip represent severe and massive violations of international humanitarian law as defined in the Geneva Conventions, both in regard to the obligations of an Occupying Power and in the requirements of the laws of war. Those violations include: Collective punishment ? the entire 1.5 million people who live in the crowded Gaza Strip are being punished for the actions of a few militants. Targeting civilians ? the airstrikes were aimed at civilian areas in one of the most crowded stretches of land in the world, certainly the most densely populated area of the Middle East. Disproportionate military response..." Read the rest at: http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/F1EC67EF7A498A30C125752D005D17F7?opendocument Jennifer J,, I hope this will clear your misconception that Israel 'did not start it': http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2009/01/top-5-lies-about-israel%E2%80%99s-assault-on-gaza/ "Israel never observed the cease-fire to begin with. From the beginning, it announced a ?special security zone? within the Gaza Strip and announced that Palestinians who enter this zone will be fired upon. In other words, Israel announced its intention that Israeli soldiers would shoot at farmers and other individuals attempting to reach their own land in direct violation of not only the cease-fire but international law. Despite shooting incidents, including ones resulting in Palestinians getting injured, Hamas still held to the cease-fire from the time it went into effect on June 19 until Israel effectively ended the truce on November 4 by launching an airstrike into Gaza that killed five and injured several others. Israel?s violation of the cease-fire predictably resulted in retaliation from militants..." Jennifer J, there is no evidence to support that Hamas are using 'human shields', it is merely a propaganda claim (after all, Israeli has - illegally again - blocked out journalists from entering and reporting from Gaza). In any case, the Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated strips of land in the world with 1.5m people - who are not there out of choice but were driven to Gaza by the Israeli Army in 1948, and originally lived in present-day Israel. Hence dropping leaflets then dropping bombs is pretty nonsensical (merely another propaganda move), and is STILL in contravention to the Geneva Convention - making their deaths a war crime. In any case, where have they got to 'evacuate' to? They are imprisoned in Gaza. Why should they 'evacuate' in the first place? After all, it is their homes. Point being Jennifer, dropping leaflets does not authorise you to bomb families to pieces. The 4 children clinging on to their dead mother will not accept your claim as an excuse. Ray-Here, I can sense that a lot of people probably don't have much compassion for you, but does that mean they can kill you? (more...)

Resolved Question: Has Israel united the world against it -Is Gaza spiraling out of control where might this lead?
Over hundred British parliamentarians have issued a statement, urging an end to Israel's military operation in the populated Gaza Strip. The statement calls for an immediate ceasefire, an embargo on the supply of military equipment to both sides, and for urgent intervention by the international community to stop the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. The statement has been signed by 118 Parliamentarians -- 109 Members of Parliament and 9 Members of the House of Lords. http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=81240§ionid=351020601 Pope Benedict XVI has condemned the Israeli raids against Gazan civilians, as the death toll in the coastal strip inches toward 800. http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=81231§ionid=351020202 The representative of Pope Benedict XVI for matters of justice and peace, issues the toughest criticism by the Vatican against Israel. On Wednesday, Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Vatican's Council for Justice and Peace voiced the Holy See's strongest criticism since the latest Mideast crisis began, calling Gaza a "big concentration camp", Reuters reported. http://www.presstv.ir/Detail.aspx?id=81152§ionid=351020606 Turkey condemns Israeli ground incursion ( Our NATO ally who controls the only entrance to the Black Sea remember Georgia Russia) Sun, 04 Jan 2009 14:43:21 GMT Demonstrators march during a protest against Israeli strikes on Gaza in Ankara on January 3, 2009. Ankara slams Israel for opening a ground war in Gaza despite worldwide calls for an immediate end to the military operation in the strip. http://www.presstv.ir/Detail.aspx?id=80554§ionid=351020204 Indian PM backs Palestinian cause Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:09:07 GMT India condemns Israel's assault on Gaza Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has strongly condemned Israel's military assault on Gaza, backing the Palestinian cause. http://www.presstv.ir/Detail.aspx?id=81188§ionid=351020402 Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has ordered the Israeli ambassador to leave the country in a show of solidarity with the besieged Gazans.(Supplies 10 to 15 % of domestic oil usage to the US ) http://www.presstv.ir/Detail.aspx?id=80904§ionid=351020704 Ecuadorian lawmakers say Israeli policies in Gaza amount to "crimes against humanity" and must be stopped by an international probe. http://www.presstv.ir/Detail.aspx?id=80922§ionid=351020706 Rabbi Weiss calls the Gaza invasion an atrocity and a genocide http://www.viddler.com/explore/talkradionews/videos/104/ Russia and Iran condemn it as well but that shouldn't be a surprise Russia has said an attack on Iran equals an attack on Russia --- keep that in mind as Israel threatens to attack Iran --- where Russian scientists are building the very places Israel wants to bomb -- and standing next to the Russian scientists are the Chinese who buy a lot of oil from Iran ---------- Who stand with Israel ? The US -- and Saudi Arabia who has just pis--ed of their nieghbors by refusing to halt oil sales to Israel Canada - who's government survives because Harper hid behind the Crown in order to avoid democracy on the House of Commons Australia who's people protest as do Canadians - but the Australian government isn't saying sh--t Israeli forces have reportedly opened fire on a UN relief agency convoy in the Gaza Strip during its 3-hour military ceasefire. http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=81222§ionid=351020202 "When attacked, the Dignity was clearly in international waters, 90 miles off the coast of Gaza," the group said on its website. "The gunboats also fired their machine guns into the water in an attempt to stop the mercy ship from getting to Gaza. "Israel thumbs its nose in the face of maritime law by attacking a human rights boat in international waters and has put all of these human rights observers at risk. "At no time was the Dignity ever close to Israeli waters. They clearly identified themselves, and the Israeli attack was wilful and criminal." http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/30/israel-gaza-aid-ship Brown The British also invented concentration camps And I know that because my great grandfather fought as part of the Canadian contingent in that war for Britain So --- do you want to support that too now ? As for the sources -- yeah -- your being lectured on morality by Hitler youths and dictators and that ought to tell you something If anyone knows what an atrocity is when they see it --- It is the Pope and Chavez As for the stats 1/3 of the House is often enough to make up a government --- minority - but a government and so I don't see where your going with that (more...)

Open Question: Are the following qualifications enough for Harvard?
- Speaks English, Italian, French, Russian - Knowledge of Latin and Ancient Greek - Plays the piano - Competes in athletics - Practices swimming, tennis, skiing - Works with Caritas International during summers - is in MUN club at school - 2200 in the SATs - Has done the DELF french exams, C2 (highest) level - GCSE grades: 7 A*s (top mark), subjects taken: Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Business, History, English, Maths. - 44 at International Baccalaureate - Excellent school reports from year 10 (freshman year) to year 13 (senior year) - has been commended (awarded) 4 years in a row at high school - has completed the ESAME DI TERZA MEDIA (italian qualification taken in eighth grade) with the highest mark - graduated second in her class - is on the milan youth council - has won a literary contest has an average A has a perfect attendance (more...)

Resolved Question: What would you put together for a basic "food security storage" for yourself and family for a crisis?
The UN economic Council seems to think the dollar will crash. If it does most grocery stores will run out of food in cities. (They oly ever have a 3 day supply) What are you doing to protect your family? If you are not doing anything do you believe that the Obama government will be able to get food to you quickly? Why? Just curious...a lot of people do not read world reports. (more...)

Voting Question: For Malaysians Christians only. What's your opinion?
Quote: DAILY EXPRESS NEWS Withdraw condition on Catholic weekly: Siringan Kota Kinabalu: Datuk Siringan Gubat lauded the Government's renewal of the printing permit of the Catholic weekly The Herald, saying it was the most appropriate move, particularly for the Government's image. The Ranau Member of Parliament also hoped the Government would consider withdrawing the condition set with the renewal, that is disallowing the Catholic newspaper to publish its Malay language section, for the sake of its readers in East Malaysia. "The Herald's Malay version is meant for the Christian community in Sabah and Sarawak who may be deprived if it is now only published in English, Mandarin and TamilÉmany people in both states do not understand English, let alone Mandarin and Tamil," he said. Siringan, who is also Upko Supreme Council member, was referring to a Reuters report on Thursday that the weekly's printing permit had been renewed but it cannot publish its Malay language section, amid a dispute over its use of the word "Allah" to describe God. The report stated that The Herald - which has a circulation of 14,000 - received the faxed approval of the Government late Tuesday, a day before its permit was due to expire. The editor, Father Lawrence Andrew, was quoted as saying that they cannot print the Malay section until the court case is resolved in the High Court, referring to the legal challenge the paper filed a year ago against an order banning it from using the word "Allah". The paper was told in July that its licence was being reviewed as its use of the word "Allah" could inflame the Asian country's majority Muslim population, it was stated. MY QUESTION>>>>>>I am perplexed why "Allah" is used by Malaysian, Indonesian (and probably Brunei) Christians in their non-English prayer service and religious books. Is "Allah" meant to be a translation of "God"? If it is then it is wrong because you cannot translate a name. The Christian God is Jesus Christ or the "Lord" (and maybe Jehovah). If Christians can pray using "Allah" instead of "Lord" or "God" or "Christ" then why do English, Chinese, Tamil, German, etc..etc Christians dont use that word? "Allah" is a proper noun, it is the name of the Muslim god, so why do Malaysian and Indonesian Christians use "Allah" in their prayers? (more...)

Resolved Question: Who do you report the police to?
Just say it's a hypothetical situation, and you have first hand knowledge that the city police chief is a spousal abuser. In this sort of situation, who do you turn to? The city council? Surely no other jurisdiction will have authority to do anything about it, right? (more...)

Voting Question: Does the news blackout of Israel murdering Palestinians show who controls our country?
Amnesty International and other human rights organizations have decried Israel's continued aerial bombing campaign as unlawful and denounced the killing of more than 300 Palestinians since 27 December, including scores of unarmed civilians not taking part in the hostilities. Israel's attacks on the densely populated Gaza Strip also elicited condemnation from numerous world politicians and sparked protests in global cities. Despite international outcry over escalating violence, the U.S. mainstream media continues to privilege a prepackaged narrative in which Israel's actions are never disproportionate, never counterproductive and certainly never gratuitous. According to the mainstream media, the U.S. must continue uncompromisingly supporting Israel because the allegedly beleaguered democracy is held hostage by monomaniacal Islamofascists who are inherently evil. Promoting a paradigm in which Israel is always David up against Goliath, the U.S. media presents suffering Palestinians as expendable for the greater cause of Israel winning its epic struggle. To justify U.S.'s carte blanche to Israel, the mainstream media restricts American readers to an echo chamber in which the following claims are repeated ad nausem until they are mistaken for fact: 1. Israel has a legal and moral right to bomb Gaza out of defense Security concerns are not and never have been a tolerable justification for pre-emptive attacks. Israel's decision to bomb Gaza represents a major assault on the international rule of law. The law of occupation is one of the oldest and most developed branches of international humanitarian law. An occupying power is obliged to follow the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention, which protects the civilian population. The United Nations Security Council held in 1979 that the Fourth Convention did apply in the territories seized by Israel in 1967. Article 48 of the additional protocol is clear that Israel, as an occupying power, has obligations: "The Parties to the conflict shall at all times distinguish between the civilian population and combatants and between civilian objects and military objectives and accordingly shall direct their operations only against military objective." The latest Israeli attacks come on top of a brutal siege of the Gaza Strip which has created a humanitarian catastrophe of dire proportions for Gaza's beleaguered Palestinian residents by restricting the provision of food, fuel, medicine, electricity, and other necessities of life. "International law is not observed with respect to Israeli policies towards the Gaza Strip, Israel continues to reinforce an occupation whose every element violates international humanitarian law, and particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention," notes Jeff Halper, an Israeli-American Anthropologist, author, lecturer, political activist, and co-founder and Coordinator of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions. 2. Israeli citizens live in constant fear of Hamas rockets Since 2005 Hamas has fired some 6,300 rockets from Gaza at Israel, killing 10 people.[1] In just the last four days, Israel has reduced the Gaza Strip to rubble and killed over 300 Palestinians. During the ongoing four-decade-long brutal occupation of historic Palestine and the recent grotesquely inhumane blockade of Gaza, Palestinian deaths have far outnumbered Israeli deaths. Since September 29, 2000, approximately 123 Israeli children have been killed by Palestinians whereas 1,050 Palestinian children have been killed by Israelis. Since September 29, 2000, a total of 1,062 Israelis and no fewer than 4,876 Palestinians were killed in the conflict.[2] 3. Hamas refuses to recognize the right of Israel to exist and has never made any concessions As Seth Ackerman of Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) notes, there is no need to euphemize Hamas' history of brutal tactics or its bellicose ideology, but Hamas has signaled its potential willingness to accept a two-state settlement and make other concessions to broker peace.[3] Hamas has also made tentative offers of a long-term "hudna," or truce, albeit with less gusto than Israel demands. 4. Israel is only targeting Hamas headquarters Gaza, one of the most densely populated tracts of land in the world, is home to about 1.3m Palestinians, about 33% of whom live in United Nations-funded refugee camps.[4] Avoiding civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip during aerial raids is comparable to trying to avoid such casualties in Washington DC, New York City or Los Angeles. "Because Gaza is so densely populated, there is no such thing as precision strike - you have glass, brick, shrapnel flying into people's homes," notes Ewa Jasiewicz, a volunteer with the Free Gaza Movement.[5] 5. Attacking Hamas will help Israel achieve security There is no doubt that the recent attacks will only embolden and multiply Israel's detractors. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a religious decree to Muslims around the world o (more...)

Resolved Question: Is there any reason we should continue to rely on fossil fuels for our energy?
Even ignoring its global warming impact, coal is far from an ideal source of energy, as the recent disaster in Tennessee revealed. "United States coal plants produce 129 million tons of postcombustion byproducts a year, the second-largest waste stream in the country, after municipal solid waste. That is enough to fill more than a million railroad coal cars, according to the National Research Council. Another 2007 E.P.A. report said that over about a decade, 67 towns in 26 states had their groundwater contaminated by heavy metals from such dumps." http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/25/us/25sludge.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&ref=us Can we all agree that we should no longer rely on coal for the majority of our energy supply? peter - just to shut you up, 4% of my energy comes from coal. http://pge.com/myhome/edusafety/systemworks/electric/energymix/ For the other shortsighted answers, I neither stated nor suggested that we should suddenly and immediately terminate all coal power. (more...)