All About ISIS

          The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (more commonly known as ISIS), is a huge organization of Sunni Islamic terrorists. ISIS is devoted to getting more territory (Iraq, Syria, and beyond) to govern a land where the laws are all based on the rules that the Prophet Muhammad and his followers created (a caliphate). Muhammad was the prophet that spread/started Islam.

          This group originally started in 2004. ISIS was similar and allies with Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda, but in early 2014, al Qaeda disowned ISIS. Though both groups had the same intentions, one very important difference is that ISIS is more brutal and effective when it comes to fighting and seizing territory. 

          ISIS controls more than half of Syria's assets, and plenty of oil fields in Iraq-- all which lead back to the black market where they could get about 3 million dollars a day. Also, ISIS steals from it's people, rather than collecting taxes. There are also many rules. "If you miss prayers three times consecutively, then you are going to get your shop confiscated," Tamimi, (a person in the UK who made the ISIS finance documents public), explains. "If you transport banned goods like cigarettes, they are going to take the money you are carrying.
         Many countries are working towards stopping ISIS, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and the USA. However, at the end of October 2015, the US hit ISIS about 5, 473 times verses the 1, 574 airstrikes by the other countries.
         ISIS is also well known for being ruthless and say that it is all in the name of God. This organization was behind the organized attack all across Paris, and also an attack in Beirut (the capital of Lebanon) which killed 43 and injured 239.
But they also kill Sunni Muslims that don't pledge to them and targets Muslims that denounce ISIS or are not a Sunni (a type of Muslim that ISIS people are).
          It is very difficult to know who is being kidnapped or held hostage by ISIS at any given time. No one wants to bring it to attention in case ISIS hears and decides to kill that person next. Many people have been brutally murdered. Steven Sotloff (a journalist), is one person that has been forced to kneel in front of a camera and say that they are paying the price for the airstrikes hitting ISIS before being killed.
       

Arctic Warming

The Arctic is a polar region at the northernmost part of the earth. It includes the North Pole, some of North America and Eurasia. 
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the arctic is now warmer than ever before. The average air temperature over the Arctic land reached 2.3 degrees Fahrenheit above average for the year ending in September, says the report the NOAA sent out. That's the warmest ever observed. Though climate change is affecting the entire world, the arctic is heating up twice as fast. 
These dramatic changes are really hurting the environment. The ice that forms when the Arctic Ocean freezes is now melting. The minimum ice coverage, that was reached in September, was the fourth lowest ever recorded. Animals that live north have greatly been effected by the lack of ice. Walruses normally climb onto an ice float to mate and give birth, but instead are crowding around on beaches. This will hurt the babies because crowds lead to stampedes, which will put the calves in danger. Also, ice melting means that all the plants that were frozen in the ground start to decay, releasing carbon dioxide and methane (two gases), which hurt our environment. 
 The recent NOAA report says that it is highly unlikely that the Arctic will ever go back to the way it was before. Luckily, the Arctic growing warmer is actually not all bad. In fact, most evidence suggests that the good effects outweigh the bad. One very important fact is that the warmer it becomes, the longer the growing season (summer) is. This is good because more crops will survive and grow, taking carbon dioxide from the air, which will help to reduce global warming. 

What this is About

Hey guys! This is just a blog that explains current events in a more easy to understand way. I summarize events that have taken place as best I can. You can use this site if you want to understand just a broad topic.