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The conflict between Hamas and the Fatah Group of President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority seems to be on the brink of scaling back to its worst situation, knowing the mentality and ideology of the Hamas, now considered by western countries as a terrorist organization, whose aim is to erase Israel from the map, instead of working out a solution to co-exist with its Jewish neighbor. Supported by Iran in so far as weapons and financial resources Hamas doesn't seem bent on giving up its objective of showing off its might even further if only to justify its existence and cause which it is fighting for. Independent analysts believe that even if neutral Arab nations will work out a compromise that will make both parties sit down across the table to talk peace, it wouldn't be possible at all because Hamas' frame of mind is already dead set on something else. Now, that it has already took control of Gaza City, after defeating the Fatah forces, the more that its leader...

Writing is a a God-given talent. Therefore, not just anybody can have it. But it can be acquired and learned, and so with correct grammar. As what Gary Provost said in his book 1001 Ways to Write Articles: "You can't sacrifice good writing with grammar." Perhaps, what Mr. Provost meant when he said this is for journalists and writers not to be particular so much on grammar rules. Although, he emphasized its utter importance in the field of writing. But it would be a welcome proposition if both can blend together, which is the accepted universal norm. Otherwise, it would be just futile to be writing anything, sans considering correct English grammar. Sometimes, there are lapses that are overlooked by writers. And this is where the eagle eyes of editors come in and proofreaders to spot misspelled words. Reporters at groundreport.com and so with other websites are not free of grammatical errors. It is hard to foretell if the lapses were really overlooked or that the concerne...

Picture a chocolate factory in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Most of its workers are being supplied by agencies. One of them is Talent Tree, a Texas-based manpower agency that is successful in deploying workers to a lot of factories and assembly plants in Michigan. Applicants come from across boundaries: Latinos, Asians, and of course, Americans (black and whites), scramble to fill up applications Talent Tree provides for screening purposes. Tests are conducted before anyone is recruited and deployed for a job that starts at $9.00 per hour or much higher, depending on the vacancy that is available at the work site. However, the only frustrating is that the number of hours that one has to do heavily depends on the volume of orders that the chocolate factory gets so that the eight-hour work limit is not followed. Sometimes, one has to work only less than eight hours on a given day per week. Just imagine how much one can get during pay day if he has worked for less than 40 hours on a given week...

With the collapse of the proposed comprehensive immigration bill crafted by at least 12 senators, concerned observers have expressed apprehensions that it would create an impending backlash against those who had acted to kill the bill after some amendments that favor their interests failed to be considered. With election period near approaching, it is likely that the immediate impacts could be felt by those who voted against it. Possibly, the concerned relatives of these illegal immigrants are expected to avoid voting in favor of the villains, who they thought were racists. And it is fitting that those who had supported the immigration bill should be rewarded by putting them back to their public posts, until the amendments to the bill are finally ironed out for good. Perhaps, at this time, many are infuriated as to what happened to the bill. Surely, they can't just keep their eyes closed after seeing a reality now shelved to gather dusts in the halls of the U.S. Congress. It is a s...

Good news to hear that the United Nations and the Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) had agreed to collaborate on how to efficiently manage Asia's water resources and bolstering investments in safe and sustainable sanitation in the region. The action came at a time when many parts of Asia, particularly those far-flung areas, have to rely either on poor or undeveloped water distribution and sanitation facilities. While others subsist on the primitive method of collecting water from the ground or streams, which are believed to be exposed to bacteria and other micro-organisms. Hence, endangering human health. Aware of these negative developments, the United Nations’ Advisory Board and ADB expect that this collaboration will add value to their joint objective of helping achieve the millennium development goals related to water and sanitation in Asia,” according to the joint statement made by ADB Vice President Ursula Schaefer-Preuss and His Royal Highness the Prince of Orange, w...

Politics has again ruled its ugly head on the just concluded Philippine elections by threatening journalists who were assigned to cover the local election in Mindanao, with bodily harm. The threats were coursed through the text messages sent to the journalists' cellphones. But one of them was not lucky enough to evade the bullet that felled his life. Dodie Nunez, who did some freelancing work for the Cavite-based tabloid "Katapat", was on his way home from work on May 21 when the mini-bus he was riding was ambushed by at least three unidentified armed men on a motorbike, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and local media reported. According to media reports the victim was shot dead, along with another passenger, who was wounded during the incident. The Canada-based International Freedom of Expression (IFEX) has condemned the killing and threats against the Filipino journalists. The tabloid "Katapat" is owned by Archie Gadang, who run for provincial gover...

Apprehension sips into the spines of leaders of many countries in the Asia-Pacific region, where China is observed to be dominating in so far as international trade and advancement in modern warfare are concerned. And who wouldn't? With rising economic growth, sparked by its extensive industrial developments taking shape in almost all parts of the country, the dragon has risen after many years of hibernation. With a population of more than a billion people, China has not slackened economically and militarily. In fact, its trade surplus with the United States has reached more than US$200 million, a figure that the U.S. Congress is irritated to look at. With a low paid labor force, who is not allowed to protest, China has become a favorite place for multinationals that wish to relocate their plants there owing to cheap labor and low overhead expenses. As a matter of fact, these factors are reshaping the mindset of many corporate big wigs to try their luck on a former sleeping giant...