Day 4 of research

Today I got my flyer stamped and approved by the school. This flyer is for the use to raise awarness about alternative fuel sources, and to get people to come to the marketplace of ideas on the day I present, so that I can give them facts about alternative fuel sources, and make people understand why they are so important. My flyer has a crossed of OPEC sign, and says "Don't let OPEC and gasoline control the $." This is to grab people's attention and let them know that OPEC has to much control and gas prices are getting too ridiculous. I hope that this flyer works in grabbing the attention of the people at DHS, and that some people come to learn more about alternative fuel sources.

Day 3 of Research

I researched what the possible solutions were to the problem:
1.Electric efficient cars- This innovating company is trying to help countries make the switch to completely electric cars. The better place car is a completely electric car, and uses electrical charging to fuel the car. Each car has a battery on the bottom of the car, which is able to go for 100 miles before needing to be charged. The company provides charge stations for you, and you can charge your car when you’re at work, sleeping or doing whatever you are doing. Charging takes 4-8 hours for the car to be fully charged. There are also 30 minute charge spots, which charge the cars eighty percent of the way, but those are more expensive to deploy. Each battery is supposed to last for 200,000 miles, and if you ever get to that point, switching the battery is free, and so is any mechanical need to the car. California and Hawaii are states which have been involved with better place and the company is bringing an electric taxi program to cities in California such as San Francisco and San Jose. They announced this October 27, 2010, so this should be happening in the soon future. On September 30, 2010 Hawaii announced that they would be deploying EV infrastructure. They will set up charge spots in Palo Alto, and start with seven cars to experiment with how the better place solution could work in America. http://www.betterplace.com/the-solution-batteries
2.The Nissan Leaf- 100% electric car, no tailpipe emission or emissions whatsoever, the range is about 100 miles, 120 V portable charging cable and 240 V home charging dock for charging the car, recycled fabric on the inside of the car, http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/index#/leaf-electric-car/specs-features/index
3.Mercedes is developing an all-electric car, the S400 BLUE hybrid will go 105 miles before needing to be recharged, it will use lithium batteries and will be able to be charged either by directly plugging in or using a small dynamo like device that will charge the car while it is driving. http://www.benzinsider.com/2008/03/mercedes-benz-developing-100-electric-car/

Day 2 of Research

I researched what the problems are, and I found 5 main problems:
1.OPEC (Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela) has way too much control over oil prices, and this has had a lot of affect with the U.S going into Iraq and Libya to secure their situations and by doing this, American lives are at risk. http://www.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pet_move_impcus_a2_nus_ep00_im0_mbbl_m.htm
2.Terrorists groups are directly funded by countries that we are purchasing oil from. Abul Nidal Organization in Iraq is directly funded by Iraq, Libya and Syria. The Palestine Liberation front takes money from Iraq and Libya. Hamas is funded by Iran and benefactors in Saudi Arabia. The Palestine Islamic Jihad is funded by Iran and Syria. Harakat ul-Ansar is funded by supporters in Saudi Arabia. http://www.cdi.org/terrorism/terrorist-groups.cfm
3.Gas costs keep on going up due to instability in the Middle East. In 2006, gas prices were topped off at about 3.05 dollars a gallon, in 2007 gas reached 3.2 dollars a gallon, in 2008 gas prices reached as high as 4.12 dollars a gallon, retreated to 2.7 dollars a gallon in 2009, in 2010 they grew a little hitting 2.9 dollars a gallon, and in 2011 they have surged back up to about 3.8 dollars a gallon. This high pricing is a problem for Americans, where about 57%, 171,000,000, people drive cars on a daily basis. http://gasbuddy.com/gb_retail_price_chart.aspx
4.The American dependence on oil is something that is troubling. About 171,000,000 people drive cars on a daily basis, and because of that, America needs to import gallons on top of gallons to meet the needs of Americans. By switching to electric and using our natural sources, we can stop this huge dependence on oil. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_percent_of_Americans_drive_cars
5.Gasoline is terrible for the environment. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average adult breathes over 3,000 gallons of air every day. Children breathe even more air per pound of body weight and are more susceptible to air pollution. Air pollution threatens the health of human beings and other living things on our planet. While often invisible, pollutants in the air create smog and acid rain, cause cancer or other serious health effects, diminish the protective ozone layer in the upper atmosphere, and contribute to the potential for world climate change. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/26/fyi/main2126583.shtml

Day 1 of Research

Today I read an about the american dependence on oil, and found out that 57 % of Americans drive cars. Thats 171,000,000 people that drive cars on a daily basis and that is only the United States. That number to em is staggering, and shows how large our dependence on oil truly is. Without oil, our country would go into a frenzy. The dependence on this limited resource is what causes the prices of oil to always change, and makes our wallets smaller than we would all like them to be. To stop Americans from depending on oil so much, it is time for us to switch to electric cars. Yes oil is a huge industry, and this will hurt our economy a little bit, but these cars are more affordable, and more people will be able to drive. Our earth may not be affected by oil now, but why do we want our grandchildrens grandchildrens granchildrens children to have to suffer the consequences of our neglect to how much we are damaging the environment. It is time for Americans to stop being so dependent on oil and to try and make a difference. By implementing electric cars into our society, not only will we be helping America not have to rely on the Middle East and make people pay less for their car, but we will be helping the enviroment and keeping our air clean.

Last day and final tiyul: Mount Herztel

The last day of our trip was one that was very sad but very eventful. We went to Mount Herztel which is where Theodor Herzel, the father of Zionism, and many other very important Israeli figures are buried. This was something that was very moving because we were able to see the graves of the people that we have been learning about all quarter. We were able to stand within feet of the people that helped our country stay alive. This is something that was very mind blowing, and life changing. In Mount Hertzel, we went to the graves of Theodor Hertzel, the father of Zionism, Zeb Jabotinsky, the militant zionist who thought that the people should come back to Israel and fight for their survival, Chanah Senesh, the women who made aliyah to Israel and ended up fighting in World War 2 against the Nazi's for the Jewish people, Yitzack Rabin, the Israeli Prime Minister who was assassinated by a Jew while trying to negotiate peace with the arabs by turning over lots of Israeli land, and Michael Levin, a boy who went on our same trip to Alexander Muss High School in Israel during the second Intifada, ended up making Aliyah to Israel, fighting in the second lebanon war as a paratrooper, and dying for his country. To be able to see the graves of all the people in the same location is something that was amazing. This is an experience that i will never forget and one that was life changing. Maybe one day I will want to be buried there amongst the people that helped save our religion.

Golan Heights Tiyul

This past week we went to the Golan Heights for a Tiyul and learned about how the Golan Heights factored into the six day war. During the six day war, the Syrians tried to overtake the Golan Heights in the most concentrated tank battle of all time. This battle is one that the Israeli's miraculously one, by shooting their last 40 capsules, hitting 40 tanks, and scaring the entire rest of the tanks away when the Israeli tanks had no more ammunition to fight. This story is one of true heroism and shows how even against all odds the Jewish people somehow find a way to prevail. The Golan Heights is a very beautiful place, and a place of strategic importance for the Israeli's as it overlooks Syria and gives the Israeli's higher ground on the Syrians if they ever try to cross through to Golan Heights and fight the Israeli's. I really liked this Tiyul because we got to see the tanks that were still there from the battle and we were able to see an opposing country right in front of us. It made me feel satisfaction that the people of my home land fought so fearlessly and so valiantly to be able to stop the Syrians from taking over the Golan Heights and taking over the country that we love so dearly.

Purim in Tel Aviv Tiyul

Yesterday we went to Tel Aviv for a Purim celebration. This was very fun. The whole city was in costumes and celebrating the holiday of Purim. In Israel, Purim is not only the celebration of defeating Haman, as Mordechai and Esther prevailed in stopping Haman from murdering all of the Jewish people, but it is a celebration of how the Jewish people have overcome the threat of extinction time and time again over the years, and the celebration of the fact that Israel and the Jewish people. While in Tel Aviv, there were many interesting things to see. For one, There were people parading around the whole city in costumes for 3 days. We were only in Tel Aviv for one day, but the fact that for an entire weekend they were celebrating, shows the significance of this holiday to the Jewish people, and the fact that it has much more relevance to the Israeli people than Halloween does to the American people. This holiday was one that I had always considered to be for kids, but yesterday I realized how much more this holiday truly was, and was able to see how much each and every Israeli appreciated it. If i ever consider to move to Israel someday, I know I would go all out for Purim.

Bedouin Tents Tiyul

A couple of weeks ago we went to a Bedouin village to learn about the Bedouin people and about the way that they live their life different from ours. This experience was one that was very interesting and one that was surprising to say the least. Going into this experience, I was convinced that these people lived so much different than we do, and that it would be very hard to be a Bedouin, but I was mistaken. While visiting the Bedouin village, to much of my dismay, the people were very normal. There were many differences that distinguished differences between our cultures, but they were not off the wall as I had expected. A elder Bedouin man came to our tent and gave to us a speech on his life. He explained that he like us had a car, and his kids went to school and did everything a normal kid would do, but he lived his life following the Bedouin way which meant that he built his own house with sheep skin as the surrounding, and was a farmer as his job raising cattle and sheep which are worth a lot of money. These people made lots of money but did not spend it the way that most people would, and that was something that made me stop and think for a second. It made me realize how our society is so based on wants, and that by living as the Bedouin's do, which is for the most part comfortably, we could stop ourselves from wasting as much as we do. This experience was something that was really neat, and living as a Bedouin for the night was very fun.

Yad Vashem Tiyul

Today we went to Yad Vashem, the holocaust museum in Jerusalem. This was an experience that can not be put into words, and something that will impact the choices I make for the rest of my life. As we walked through the Museum and looked at all of the terrible things that happened to the Jews of western Europe during the World War 2 Era, I found myself having to hold my breath due to the inhuman nature of the things that the guide told us about. The hardest part of the museum to walk through was definitely walking through the children's memorial and hearing the ages of all the kids who perished in the holocaust. It was hard to hear the ages of kids that ranged from a babies age, to the age of my little siblings, to the age of my brother in high school, and finally my age. This experience is another experience that helps me be fortunate for all that I have in life, and most importantly the fact that I am able to live a full Jewish life.

Trip to Jerusalem for Shabbat

This past weekend we went to Jerusalem for Shabbat, to experience a Shabbat in the holiest city to the Jewish people. We went to the kotel, Western Wall, and it was amazing. There were people dancing all around and having an amazing time. It was the first time where I had seen people celebrating religion with true and utter happiness, since the Bar Mitzvah ages, and it was so cool. People dancing and singing, and people praying their souls out on the holiest night of the week, in the holiest city of the world. This was an eye opening experience, and one that made me feel even more connected to my religion then I had felt since I got here. We went to the kotel with one of our teachers, Danny, and to see how important it was to him to be there, and to experience Shabbat in Jerusalem was amazing as well. He loved it so much, and was getting really into the dancing and singing. It was cool to see a grown man with kids having fun with a bunch of teenagers. This experience for me was one that I think that every Jewish person should have and I hope that they get the chance to.

Mubarak loses power... Israel uncertain of Camp David Accords

Today in class our teacher read the title of the Jerusalem Post front page, which talked about how a potential candidate for President of Egypt was saying that the Camp David Accords would not still be in place if he reached power. The Camp David Accords is a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt that states both countries will not declare war against the other. If this treaty does fall, this could be a serious issue for the Israeli people, as the relations with Egypt would be uncertain and the country may not be safe from an Egyptian attack. This issue is one that is still unsolved and has the people of Israel in a state of panic wondering whether or not the next Egyptian president will abide by the standing treaty. Being a American citizen in a foreign country, I am a little bit scared to say the least. What if Egypt tries to attack Israel while I am still here visiting? Is it safe to stay in Israel? Of course all of our teachers and counselors are telling us that everything will be alright to make sure we don't worry about what's going on in Egypt, but how can we be sure when the people of Egypt don't even know what is going on. I hope that the next president of Egypt is one that has good relations with Israel and that the people of this great country can stop worrying about potential situations.

First Tiyul for AMHSI(Alexander Muss High School in Israel)

This week we went to Jerusalem for our tiyul. We visited Mount Gilboa, the Western Wall, and Ben Yehuda street among many other places. This trip was a very interesting experience. I consider myself somebody who is not very involved in religion, and for me, this tiyul made me seriously consider what, if any, parts of religion were important to me. One significant part of the trip for me was the trip to the Western Wall. When we got there, I was able to truly see what religion can be to people. For some it was so holy that they would spend hours upon hours at the wall, praying and crying their eyes out. For others, it was less significant, and these people would spend little time at the wall, doing what they thought was sufficient to their beliefs. When I arrived, I was not sure how I would feel about the wall and how I approach the situation on my hands. Would I pray and make this experience one that would enrich my religious beliefs, or would I do the norm and write a note, stick it in the wall, say a couple words and leave. When the situation came to be, I was shocked with the decision I had made. I decided that this was a important religious moment for me, and that I should take advantage of it as much as I can. Because of this, I had a Rabbi wrap me in T'fillin, and I said some important prayers. Then, I thought deeply to myself how truly lucky I was to be there, and how important it was that I was there. This moment was a defining moment in my life. Some of my ancestors before me did not have the opportunity to share this luxury, and to be able to be at the Western Wall became special for me. It became something that was more than religion to me, and something that would enrich my spirit. I felt closer to God from this experience, and because of that my religion has enriched as well. I came on this trip to figure out what religion truly meant to me, and today I felt closer to religion. I felt as if religion was a bigger part of my life than it was yesterday, and that is important to me. I have only been on this trip for a week now, and I am starting to feel closer and closer to my religion than ever before. This trip is a blessing, and I am so thankful to be here. God is becoming a bigger and bigger part of my life, and AMHSI is helping that happen.

How the pro choice movement saved America, freedom, politics, and the war on sex: Final Entry

After reading this book, my beliefs on abortion have changed and I have come to the conclusion that I am unsure about how I feel on the matter. Page makes many good points in the book about the pro-choice movement and how important it is for abortion to be legal for women. But also, I still have that part inside of me that feels irked about the, "killing of babies" inside the womb. The conflict of the two ideas has brought me to a stand still. Without reading this book I would not have realized though that I was not sure about how I felt and probably would have still considered myself pro-life. Until the time comes where abortion affects my own life, I don't suppose I will know how I truly feel on the issue. This issue is one that is important and one I will continue to ponder for years to come.

I feel that Page spent a little too much time bashing the pro-life side, and could have used more time explaining why the pro-life was favorable in her opinion. That is the main thing I would tell her if I ever met her, and I would ask her why she thought that making the other side look worse was a better technique. Page did a wonderful job though of presenting all the facts, and though some were staggering, they were needed to be known. Page has changed my thinking on abortions, and will have made an impact on how I feel on abortions from this point forward in my life.

How the pro choice movement saved America, freedom, politics, and the war on sex: Entry #5

When talking of Plan B, Page goes on to say that, "The pro-life side, as everyone knows, professes no greater desire than to reduce the number of abortions. Yet when an innovation comes along with the potential to dramatically curb the number of abortions-by one third or even one half- the pro life side doesn't necessarily cheer the cause." What Page doesn't realize when making this point is that Plan B, emergency contraception, is considered as almost the same thing as getting an abortion. These two pills are taken after unprotected sex, and stops women from becoming pregnant. The use of this innovation is the use of another form of abortion. The baby is being aborted by the intake of this medicine and therefore, the baby is being aborted. Page, a pro-choice campaigner, is trying to make the pro-life campaign look bad by not fully telling the entire truth. She makes it seem as if the pro-life people are being unreasonable by not compromising to allowing Plan B, when Plan B is just another form of abortion and therefore, it is against the beliefs of the pro-life campaign. This misrepresentation of the pro-life campaign by Page is just another way to undermine the other side and help the pro-choice movement look as if they are better than the pro-life movement and that pro-choice is the best option. This bias is unneeded, and frankly is only hurting the pro-choice side, because it is able to be recognized as a bad form of education, and has no relevance to why pro-choice should be the answer. I am annoyed with Page after this mix up of words because I feel that it is the writers job to present the information and their opinion, but not change words around and make others look worse. Page has if anything hurt the pro-choice cause and given me another reason to believe that pro-life is the way to go.

How the pro choice movement saved America, freedom, politics, and the war on sex: Entry #4

When talking about the possibility of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Page refers to the idea that even if abortions became illegal someday, women would still find ways to have abortions, such as an underground system. Page goes on to talk about how even when abortions were illegal, people were still having them. This reminds me of the current situation with marijuana. Currently, and always marijuana has been illegal. Like abortions, there is no scientific facts that say that marijuana can lead to any serious medical condition, but it is illegal nonetheless. Even though it is illegal, you will always be able to find people who are currently smoking marijuana. This is because there are people who grow and sell marijuana because they think that it should be legal and don't have prejudice against it. Like marijuana, if abortions ever became illegal, Page refers to the idea that someway, women would find a way to still have abortions in emergency situations. Regardless of the law, people will always consider to do what they feel is right, and if that happens to be breaking the law, then those people say, so be it. Page talks in this passage of the importance of abortions to women and how no matter what they will never go away. This is intriguing to me because for me it is hard to picture an underground abortion going on. This seems like a stretch to me, but regardless it shows how important Page and other women alike feel abortion is, and that it should be legal. This what if, for if roe was ever overturned, made me ponder what our world would be like if abortions were illegal. This alternate society, seems unfathomable to me, and i wouldn't want to live in a society where in extreme cases such as rape, women do not have the choice to or not have the baby. I feel that I have to agree with Page on this, that no matter what, abortions will always go on, but I still don't support all abortions.

How the pro choice movement saved America, freedom, politics, and the war on sex: Entry #3

In chapter 3, Page brings up the pro-life story of parents in Texas trying to keep their kids from having sex, by telling them that condoms don't work and don't keep you safe from diseases and pregnancies. Because of this, instead of refraining from having sex, as the parents thought the kids would, they just have sex without condoms thinking that, "they didn't need them because they don't work. This is one of the ways that pro-lifers are unintentionally steering kids in the wrong way. They think that this is going to stop kids from having sex because they will think that there is no way to protect themselves from diseases, but in actuality, the kids have sex anyways and expect the worst thinking that there is no way to stop themselves from getting diseases because items such as condoms are told to them to be ineffective. This is just one the many ways that pro-life people are steering people they care about in the wrong direction with their extremist points of views. For the pro-life campaign to be more successful in showing the way the feel about abortions to teens and young people, they need to correctly educate them and tell them their point of view and then allow them to make the decision that they feel is best for them. The world is the way it is because not everyone agrees with each other. As long as the pro-life people continue to try and force their ideas upon the younger generations, their ideas and lifestyle choices and going to be hard to appreciate. I feel that there are plenty of other ways to approach trying to make your kids understand the risks of sex, and why in the case of pregnancy they should feel a certain way. Until the pro-life campaign realizes that, they are going to turn away a lot of people with the same beliefs as themselves.

How the pro choice movement saved America, freedom, politics, and the war on sex: Entry #2

Page brings up a whopping fact in the second chapter. "A sweeping poll down by ABC news revealed that the average american has sex once a week, and that's any adult married or single. If you're in a relationship then 85 percent of you have sex every week." This fact that Page brings out is almost unfathomable. It is hard to believe that it can be true, but it does explain why there are so many abortions every single year. Page goes on to say after the previous quote, "to understand the competing agendas of the pro-choice and pro-life movements; its essential to consider the central role of sex in our lives." Thinking about this, I completely agree. to be able to have any argument for or against abortions, you have to consider who big of a role sex is in our daily culture. According to the statistics, the average American adult has sex once a week. Which means that 52 times a year, the average american adult even if using protection such as a condom or birth control, has a chance of getting pregnant. Leaving about 52 chances a year of unwanted pregnancies is absurd. Either the American people need to start to realize that their actions if not taking extreme precaution could lead to a drastic change in their lives, or they need to stop having as much sex as their is going on right now, because apparently the American people cannot handle having sexual relations and being careful. "Sex to pro-lifers is considered a means to an end. This end is a baby." Page says this when arguing that people need to figure out what the sex is for. This perception by pro-life people is what should be more common, but because of the role sex plays in our society, it is hard to perceive sex in that manner. I agree with the pro-life movement here because many Americans can't handle casual sex, and protecting themselves correctly.

How the pro choice movement saved America, freedom, politics, and the war on sex: Entry #1

In the beginning of this book, stories are told of people who were not able to receive birth control due to the beliefs of certain pharmacists. A story which intrigued me was of a rape victim. After being raped, the women went to her doctor and was prescribed (EC), emergency contraception, which is a birth control pill that works up to 72 hours after conception. While at the pharmacy trying to get her medication, all three pharmacists refuse to give the women her prescription because of their beliefs on abortion. While reading this, i was shocked that for one, pharmacists are allowed to refuse to fill a prescription, and also that because of their beliefs they would not let a rape victim receive the medicine she needed to stop the rapist from making her pregnant. It is not fair to the women who was raped, to not allow her to abort this child. Parenthood should not be forced on a woman, and the choice to abort or keep the baby is in no way the pharmacists decision. Trying to understand the opposing side, i tried to think about this issue from a very religious point, in which people do not condone abortion. Trying to put myself in the shoes of the pharmacist, I can't find myself able to force a child upon a woman who was raped. Birth is a sacred thing, and because of that, birth should not given to an unwanted baby. This text that was at the beginning of the book really puts you in the shoes of the woman who was raped, and makes you feel awful that she would be refused service. For this woman to be refused service is wrong, and even being pro-life myself, and can't find a reason that would make me agree with the pharmacists. This opening to the book has helped me broaden my horizons on abortion and is allowing me to see the picture from all sides. My Viewpoint has not changed from this, but it has made me rethink my viewpoint and get a clearer picture of the entire situation.