Why do I want to join the paper?
Because I want to do something that can have some input into the community.

Why would I like to join?
I feel that my input would best serve in the World Affairs section. Im a great fan of the news and watch BBC, CNN, Countdown with Keith Olberbann on MSNBC and Al Jazeera.

What are my experiences?
As said before, Im a avid viewer of International News. Also, I have a good control of the English language with me being on the top English Class and my grade of about B+ to A- in English. That's GCSE standards by the way. I like writing essays and know the type of language needed for News and Current affairs reports.

My Example
My first example is a short (hopefully short enough) report on the situation in the Gaza Strip and how the people feel about the humanitarian situation. I have been a close follower of the events coming from Gaza since violence erupted in the region. I will try to keep my views from affecting the news reporting.

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The Gaza crisis has ceased and an eerie calm has spread over Gaza. More than 3 months since the unilateral ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic resistance movement Hamas, Gaza is left in ruins.

The conflict that killed about 1300-1500 people and left more than 5000 wounded has only left more suffering for the people of Gaza and more hate building in their hearts and minds. Now the people of Gaza stands helpless. Its people suffering, infrastructure bombed. A territory still under siege with it's people let down by the international community.

It was a war, that according to Israel's Government, was an attempt to take out Hamas. A movement who refuses to recognize the Jewish state and won a majority in a democratically elected government in 2005. But has the war done anything to help this cause of Israel's? Abu Hatel, a senior police officer in Gaza whose police station was attacked by Israeli rockets, insisted to Al Jazeera International that "Israel made a mistake if they think Hamas would disappear or be pushed away. No, now we are trully united"

And he has a lot to be angry with. The World Food Program estimates about 60% of Gaza's agricultural land was wrecked, leaving 80% of it's population reliant on food aid and other humanitarian assistance. 50,800 Gazans are homeless. More than 200 factories destroyed leaving the 3% of what remains of Gaza's industry after Israel's punishing 18 month blockade of the strip dead. 48% of Gaza's civil defense infrastructure was damaged including 15 hospitals and 41 health centers damaged or destroyed.

So it seems that Israel's plan to eliminate Hamas has only left its people seething with anger. Even the most moderate are now reconsidering. Shawqi Raimal Salem, a retired school teacher was one of them. He saved 15 years for his dream home only to see it destroyed by Israeli troops during the conflict. This he calls is an end to Israel's Land for Peace project in 1967 that promised of relinquishing all occupied lands in return for recognition "As Palestinians, we accepted to live in Gaza and the West Bank without occupation and it was a strong decision to forget your land but the Israelis refused to accept this. They speak of terrorism (but) I want anyone in the world to tell me if there were any terrorism like this....".

The people of Gaza struggle to rebuild now. The electric lines are ones again being repaired as before, the mosque-less are praying in the streets and there is new produce in a Gaza markets with people buying and trading behind broken buildings and a bomb crater that obliterated half the market area, killing many. An act to defiance. And now with a newly elected right wing government in Israel that presents no clear alternative to the current status quo and instead chooses to ignore the concept of a Palestinian State, a Hamas rearming itself once more using tunnels dug under the desert to Egypt and a people battered and angry, how long will it take until the eerie silence of Gaza is once again broken by the sounds of war?

By Phoenix Rider

Very sorry for the delay in getting to this.


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Other than a couple of minor grammar mistakes, your writing is very good. The only comment I would have is that you use "it's" a lot, when it should just be "its". "It's" is conjunction which means "it is", it doesn't refer to ownership. If you look at the sentence above it really says "It is people suffering, infrastructure bombed". I struggled a lot with that when I write, and it really isn't a huge problem.


Very good article. It has a lot of thought behind, and is very well written. There are a couple of grammar mistakes, but they don't create a problem with understanding the article. Accepted.

Thank u R Anderson. i have made necessary corrections in regards to grammar. Just inform me if any needs to be done or feel free to do it urself if u feel it's needed. I will gladly allow modifications as long as it doesn't affect the story's point as a whole. A couple of other changes I made is changing points like Israel destroying the man's house to Israeli troops destroying it. That way we can keep it fair and accurate.

Once again, thank u for giving me the pleasure in joining the paper. If this goes well then I look forward in writing more stories for the World Affairs section.