QUES: The second major point on which the principals had agreed on March 10 was the need to crack down on terrorist organizations and curtail their fund-raising. The embassy bombings of 1998 had focused attention on al Qaeda's finances. One result had been the creation of an NSC-led interagency committee on terrorist financing. On its recommendation, the President had designated Bin Laden and al Qaeda as subject to sanctions under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. This gave theTreasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) the ability to search for and freeze any Bin Laden or al Qaeda assets that reached the U.S. financial system. But since OFAC had little information to go on, few funds were frozen. In July 1999, the President applied the same designation to the Taliban for harboring Bin Laden. Here, OFAC had more success. It blocked more than $34 million in Taliban assets held in U.S. banks. Another $215 million in gold and $2 million in demand deposits, all belonging to the Afghan central bank and held by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, were also frozen. After October 1999, when the State Department formally designated al Qaeda a "foreign terrorist organization," it became the duty of U.S. banks to block its transactions and seize its funds. Neither this designation nor UN sanctions had much additional practical effect; the sanctions were easily circumvented, and there were no multilateral mechanisms to ensure that other countries' financial systems were not used as conduits for terrorist funding. Attacking the funds of an institution, even the Taliban, was easier than finding and seizing the funds of a clandestine worldwide organization like al Qaeda. Although the CIA's Bin Laden unit had originally been inspired by the idea of studying terrorist financial links, few personnel assigned to it had any experience in financial investigations. Any terrorist-financing intelligence appeared to have been collected collaterally, as a consequence of gathering other intelligence. This attitude may have stemmed in large part from the chief of this unit, who did not believe that simply following the money from point A to point B revealed much about the terrorists' plans and intentions. As a result, the CIA placed little emphasis on terrorist financing. Nevertheless, the CIA obtained a general understanding of how al Qaeda raised money.
Do you have any questions?
MY QUESTION: How much money was frozen after the President applied the same designation to the Taliban?

QUES: Temperate climates have moderate temperatures. These climates vary in how much rain they get and when the rain falls. You can see different types of temperate climates in Figure 2.40. Mediterranean climates are found on the western coasts of continents. The coast of California has a Mediterranean climate. Temperatures are mild and rainfall is moderate. Most of the rain falls in the winter, and summers are dry. To make it through the dry summers, short woody plants are common. Marine west coast climates are also found on the western coasts of continents. The coast of Washington State has this type of climate. Temperatures are mild and theres plenty of rainfall all year round. Dense fir forests grow in this climate. Humid subtropical climates are found on the eastern sides of continents. The southeastern U.S. has this type of climate. Summers are hot and humid, but winters are chilly. There is moderate rainfall throughout the year. Pine and oak forests grow in this climate.
Do you have any questions?
MY QUESTION: Which climate has dry summers and wet winters?

QUES: Should places at the same distance from the equator have the same climate? You might think they should. Unfor- tunately, you would not be correct to think this. Climate types vary due to other factors besides distance from the equator. So what are these factors? How can they have such a large impact on local climates? For one thing, these factors are big. You may wonder, are they as big as a car. Think bigger. Are they bigger than a house? Think bigger. Are they bigger than a football stadium? You are still not close. We are talking about mountains and oceans. They are big features and big factors. Oceans and mountains play a huge role in climates around the world. You can see this in Figure above . Only one of those factors is latitude, or distance from the equator.
Do you have any questions?
MY QUESTION: Name at least one factor of climate

QUES: Tropical climates are found around the equator. These climates have warm temperatures year round. Tropical climates may be very wet or wet and dry. Tropical wet climates occur at or very near the equator. They have high rainfall year round. Tropical rainforests grow in this type of climate. Tropical wet and dry climates also occur near the equator. They receive less rainfall. Most of the rain falls in a single season. The rest of the year is dry. Few trees can withstand the long dry season. The main plants are grasses. Dry climates receive very little rainfall. They also have high rates of evaporation. This makes them even drier. Deserts can get less than 25 centimeters of rain per year. Thats less than 10 inches per year. How much rain do you get at your house?
Do you have any questions?
MY QUESTION:
Which climates have warm temperatures year round?