FARC Rebels Have Yet To Release Colombian Hostages

"Colombia's President Hopes FARC Rebels Will Release Hostages Next Week"
By: Helen Murphy
Source: Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/22/colombia-farc-hostages_n_6204124.html?utm_hp_ref=world

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos hopes to secure the release of five captives held by Marxist FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolcionarias de Colombia) rebels. President Santos stated through a message on his Twitter account that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has issued the coordinates to the pick up zone to free the hostages and he would accelerate the procedure in the next few days. The captives were not named and no information was presented on whether they would be freed all at once or one at a time. The day after Santos’s statement on Twitter, General Rubio Dario Alzate and two others were snatched by the FARC. After an anxious couple of days, the FARC assured they would return all five hostages in an offer to resume peace talks that were unexpectedly suspended by Santos succeeding the seizures. Santos’s Tweet read, “The coordinates have been received. I am giving instructions to facilitate the liberation for next week” (Murphy, 1). Although there have been substantial enhancements in security, the conversation on the continued conflict as attacks on civilian and military targets continue. Santos instantaneously halted negotiations after the sequester of General Alzate and the lawyer and solder that were travelling with him. He is said to resume the negations once the rebels have freed them. General Alzate is the highest-ranking military captive ever taken by the FARC. The rebels have claimed that they have stopped kidnapping for ransom, but they believe military personnel are fair targets when there is no cease-fire.

The FARC are a terrorist organization involved in the continuation of the Colombian armed conflict since 1964. The procedures of the FARC-EP are funded by kidnap to ransom, illegal mining, and the production and distribution of illegal drugs. Occurrences by rebel groups like this one often go unrecognized by many because nothing is said of them on the news, therefore, articles like this provide one with otherwise unknown information.

The Simplicity of Nature

As I sit here comfortably on the surprisingly soft patch of grass on the end of the park, all I can hear are the sounds of cars rushing by, the annoying persistent buzz of the streetlight, and the sound of this pencil scratching across the notepad, forming letters and words. It is almost entirely dark out, yet it still feels early. The streetlights help me see what I am jotting down. I cannot help but admire the most deformed trees I have ever seen. I decide to stand up and walk along the periphery of the park. I see another disfigured tree that immediately sparks up childhood memories. When I was young, my brother and I would walk to the park and climb this very tree any chance we would get. Every time I look up from this notepad, I see another runner jogging by and waving hello under the streetlight. The leftover smell of charcoal reminds me of all the times we have had Sunday afternoon barbeques with friends. It continues to get colder and colder as time passes by while I stand here leaning on a tree. The tree must be several decades old; the bark feels rough against my back, but for some odd reason I do not mind. Taste is the only sense I am unable to use here at the park. If I were to imagine what the environment would taste like on this evening at this precise moment, it would be something calm and soothing, like a warm cup of lightly sweetened simple earl grey tea. Because the park is so empty and lacks commotion, an ordinary cup of tea is the perfect taste for this setting.

I was asked to reflect on my observations today at the park, but initially, I am not sure how to react. I feel so much more serene and tranquil. I am unstressed after this experience. This has made me realize that at times, being isolated is not a punishment at all. Sitting and observing alone at the park was an enjoyable experience, and I feel that this will not be my last time doing it. I feel as though I have had a minor change, but only in the way that I thought of isolated punishment. If one spends more time alone or does this more often, I believe it has the potential to change much more than just one opinion.

The Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall

“Germany Marks 25 Years Since Berlin Wall’s Fall”

By: Geir Moulson

Source: Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/08/germany-25-years-berlin-wall_n_6126190.html

Today Germany commemorates the twenty-fifth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall along with the fall of communism. The opening of the Wall on November 9, 1989 brought an end to the months of upheaval that had spread into Poland and Hungary. Alex Klausmeier, the director of the city’s main Wall memorial, claims that the downfall of the Wall that divided East and West Germany for twenty eight years was “a point of no return… from there, things headed toward a whole new world order” (Moulson, 1).  Chancellor Angela Merkel grew up in East Germany stuck behind the border. She entered politics as communism came to an end. Every time she walks through the Brandenburg Gate, Merkel senses the lingering feeling that this was not possible for most of the years of her life, and that she had to wait thirty-five years to have this feeling of freedom. The crumbling of the Berlin Wall was a transformation in peoples’ lives, which they desperately needed. The original plan when the borders were opened was to have the citizens line up properly and receive exit visas. By this time, the leadership over the border was completely lost. Less than a year later, Germany was on the road to unification. Cultural differences and inequalities still exist between the east and the west, although recognition has improved conditions. The progression toward genuine unity is displayed in Germany’s leader. The nation’s president, Joachim Gauck, comes from the east; he is a pro-democracy activist. Gauck believes that “Germans today can be grateful to have lives and opportunities that endless numbers of people in the world can only dream and desire of” (Moulson, 1).

            The rise and fall of the Berlin Wall is undeniably one of the most significant and symbolic moments in history. It is not only the tearing down of a wall that separated East Germany from West Germany; the fall of the Berlin Wall represented the collapse of communism and the beginning of a new era of unity.

School in 2035

The school year of 2035 has begun. Students arrive at their school in an ordinary building similar to the ones that exist today, except they are filled with digitalized classrooms with 3D printers lying in the corner of every room. Studios and virtual teaching modes begin to replace certain classrooms. This is starting to undo the traditional teacher-student model. Students are able to collaborate with peers around the world. Classrooms are all paperless. Some schools are beginning to be shut down due to the implementation and experimentation of telepresence. Holography and neuro-informatics are being developed; they are commencing to implement them in classrooms. When it comes to reading, some teachers will prefer the old method of the early 2000s. They will occasionally require their students to buy an actual paper book. Most of the time, students will receive it on a paper screen or retinal screen. Reading has always been a foundation of education; it will never be discarded. High school students read a variety of texts. Over the four years a student will spend in high school, they will have read texts as old as Shakespeare and as contemporary as a script released in 2032. One half of every year will be dedicated to older books, while the other half will deal with newer ones. Students have different teachers for each semester. Many classic books have not been removed from the curriculum, but the unnecessary ones are no longer read in classrooms. More challenging and thought provoking texts are presented to a student. I could imagine myself as an English teacher of the semester that deals with older books. I would enjoy teaching students a few of my favorite books such as Lord of the Flies by William Golding and Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. If the education curriculum did not involve books like these, I would not associate myself with the schooling field.

ISIS in Albu Nimr

"ISIS Militants Kill Over 300 Members Of Defiant Iraqi Tribe"
By: Michael Georgy
Source: Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/02/isis-albu-nimr-massacre_n_6089678.html?cps=gravity

Islamic State militants have killed over 300 members of an Iraqi tribe in western Anbar province. The bodies of dozens of women and children were dumped in a well. This organized bloodshed is unmistakably one of the worst massacres in Iraq since the Sunni militants came through. The Albu Nimr, a Sunni group, had been resisting the Islamic State for weeks, but they began to run out of ammunition and other essential resources. For this reason the Islamic State fighters were able to close in on their village of Zauiyat Albu Nimr. Iraq’s Human Rights Ministry stated that “the number of people killed by Islamic State from Albu Nimr tribe is 322. The bodies of fifty women and children have also been discovered dumped in a well” (Georgy, 1). Sheik Naeem al-Ga’oud, one of the leaders of the tribe, told the press that he had repeatedly asked the central government and army to provide him and his tribe with arms but no action was taken. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had allegedly ordered airstrikes on Islamic State targets in response to the mass killings. Officials and civilians reported they had not heard of or witnessed airstrikes. The Islamic State controls much of Anbar and if the province falls, the Islamic State may have a better chance to reach the capital. The Albu Nimr leader stated that “apart from an air drop, there had been no help from the U.S.-led air campaign” (Georgy, 1).

Because the Islamic State plays a massive role in the Middle East, it is important that one is always being informed of the latest happenings.