You Get Fifteen Democrats in a Room, and You Get Twenty Opinions

There are hundreds of definitions of democracy, but generally democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system. In political theory, democracy describes a small number of related forms of government. There are two things that any definition of democracy includes. The first principle is that all members of the society have equal access and rights to power, and the second is that all members enjoy universally recognized freedoms and liberties. Democracy has been called the "last form of government" and has spread considerably across the globe.* Democracy limits the power of government. It is great because it does account for popular opinions. Democracy first appeared in ancient Greece.

I think the reason for having many definitions of democracy is that democracy is a system that represents the freedom of people. People feel free to do most of the things that they want, making rules, expressing their own ideas, freedom of media and voting...etc. Democracy goes with people's steps, and it performs what people want to do and think. In other words, you have the right to have your own beliefs, and to say and write what you think. No one can tell you what you must think, believe, and say or not say. When we say people participating in government, it doesn't mean all people work in it practically. It means people have representatives who are democrats in government to mention their requests. The person who is a representative must be a democrat because if he is not, he cannot govern democratic people who believe in democracy. On the the other hand, non-democratic people can be representatives because it's the same thing that democracy says.

*Recieving some information from Wikipedia for the introduction.

In democracy, people are the highest form of political authority. Not always does the majority win, but the rights of minorities are protected in various ways. People have rights to criticize their elected leaders and representatives on how to conduct the business of government. Office holders cannot use their power to enrich themselves. Representatives cannot extend more power without consulting with people. Political parties have the right to campaign freely, to present their proposals to the voters both directly and through the media. Each individual has the right to decide which party he wants to be a member of. No one can force him to be a member in his party. Also, women have rights to participate in both politics and civil society. People should be educated about their democratic rights and responsibilities, improve their political skills, represent their common interests, and be involved in political life. Besides, no one has the right to break the laws. People must be respectful of the laws and tolerant of the different views of other groups and individuals.

There is freedom of religion. Everyone is free to choose their own religion and practice their religion. Also, about culture, people can enjoy their own culture with other members of their group, even if their group is a minority. I think people can move to another country if they like under a democratic system. No ruler, minister, or political party can tell a judge how to decide a case.

But there are some limits for people because people cannot do everything they want. When you express your opinions, you should also listen to the views of other people, even people you disagree with. Everyone has a right to be heard. When you make demands, you should understand that in a democracy, it is impossible for everyone to achieve everything they want. People must respect the law and reject violence. Nothing ever justifies using violence against your political opponents, just because you disagree with them.

They are Similar, but They are different!!!!!

Those two movies, Rescue Dawn and The Shawshank Redemption, are my favorite movies, and I really like these kinds of movies. We can see some similarities in these two movies. In both of them, their accidents were happening in a prison. When they were in the prison, both heroes had the same purpose. The hero of Rescue Dawn, Dieter Dengler, tries to escape from the prison. Likewise, the hero of the Shawshank Redemption, Tim Robbins, wants to escape. Dieter is in a bad situation and is suffering poor treatment and Tim too. Both heroes meet some friends in the prison. Those friends are good helpers for the heroes’ escaping. At the end of the two movies, Dieter and Tim escape from the prison successfully.

Although there are some similar points in the two movies, the differences are more than similarities. A Rescue Dawn is a war movie because it is about Vietnam War when Degler's plane is shot down over Loas, and he is arrested by Vietnamies. In contrast, The Shawshank Redemption is a social movie because Robbins is accused of murdering his wife. Rescue Dawn is based on a true story in the Vietnam War, whereas the Shawshank Redemption is more like a non-true (fiction) and magic story.

In conclusion, I think both movies have great scenes when we see the heroes try to go out of prison. In this point, we can say the two movies are about freedom. On the other hand, both represent different ideas, and there are some different reasons that causes the accidents in both movies.

The Destroyer of the Culture

Language is the national identity of all countries because nations are recognized by what language they speak. Each nation has its own culture through which people can communicate with each other. But as worldwide languages, we cannot compare all languages to each other. Not all languages are important. English, French, Arabic, and Spanish are the only languages that are used by people across the world.

And among these languages there is a difference because English is more popular than the other three languages. English has spread to every corner of the globe. Today, more than a billion people speak English. It is the language of the Internet, of business, of communication…etc. And it has become the vehicle for hundreds of millions of people of all countries to connect with each other. Indeed, English is much more than a language: “It is a bridge across borders and cultures” (Source: Kurdish Globe).

It may be connected with politics, because there are two main countries in the world that speak English: The United States of America and the United Kingdom. These two countries are the superpowers of the world, so in the past, the UK invaded many countries in the world, especially in the Middle East. It affected those countries in many fields, including language. Iraq is an example of that because when the British Empire came to Iraq, English became a lesson in the programs of education. They taught English combined with Arabic and Kurdish. Before invading Iraq, the Ottoman empire sent people to UK to learn English. Also, India is a very good example. Most of the Indian people know English because it was invaded by the UK. According to Google, “Today 350 million people speak English in India and another 300 million in China.”

Also, the same thing for the United States in the contemporary world, but I do not mean invading. But the important thing to mention is having US army in some countries. Also, I can say American movies affect people because most people like American movies. These movies make people act like the characters who they like in the movies. They imitate their speaking or behavior. My roommate always watches the TV show 24. Some days he sits in front of his laptop for 10 hours just watching this TV show. He always says he would like to be Jack Bauer, the hero of the show. He repeats his speech, “Do you know what the difference between dying for something is and dying for nothing is?” He has used this expression in his essays many times.

The world’s culture has been affected by the English language because there are a lot of words in other languages that are originally English, like the word “OK” while they have this word in their own language. I’ve heard this word in English from people who speak many languages, even from illiterate people. So, definitely, English has damaged other languages because it has made people not use the words in their language. It makes them forget their native language, especially new generations.

Last year, there was a TV program on a Kurdish channel about the effects of other languages, especially English and Arabic. The guests and the audience focused on not using any words in English or Arabic, but when one of the people in the audiences asked a question, he used the word “culture” in English. One of the guests told him, “This program is about how to make people not forget their own language, but you used an English word. It means you have forgotten the Kurdish word.” This example shows us that English has a long and strong root in the farm of other cultures. These strong roots are not easy to pick out.

Also, most non-English people use English words in text messages when they want to communicate with other people, but they use the abbreviation of these words. Many times, I have used the abbreviation of some English words. Sometimes, it was just for fun, or I didn’t have time to write the complete word. Because I study English like so many others across the world. Sometimes when I speak with a friend or with my family, I use some English words. like, "no, good, evidence, don’t worry, be calm…etc." The reason of this is that I’ve been studying English for 13 years. Also, we can say the same about other students in Iraq. Or we have many Iraqi people abroad who cannot speak in Arabic or Kurdish well. Those people have affected their families, especially when they come back to their country.

About using text messages by non-English people, the reason is that those people do not have abbreviations of words in their own language. Another reason why people text is to not spend a lot of money. Sometimes, when I write a message, I try to write it in one page because if the message takes two pages, it costs more money. Texting is a good side for that reasons, but at that time it is ruining culture because as I said, it makes people forget their own language and culture.

When English spread in the world, people became familiar with western culture, and it caused many people to become fans of western culture because they didn’t agree with some rules in their culture. Those people have also affected other people in their country by bringing some rules from western culture to the country. Now using English words in newspapers and magazines is so popular. Newspapers and magazines should be first sources to protect national language because they have a really strong effect on people.

In 18th and 19th centuries, our classic poets were using 1/3 of Arabic and Persian words in their poems. And now our new poets have changed the direction to using English words in their poems. Moreover these poems are the main part of literature. So how can we say English has not damaged cultures while English words have come into literature which is the heart of culture?

In the end, I think language has the ability to spread easily among countries because people pretend that it’s essential in many fields, and it is needed in the contemporary world. And all languages cannot be spread in the world, so the languages that are spread, affect other languages and cultures. English has an important role in many countries, especially the Middle East. On the other hand, the spreading of English has had many bad sides for non-English cultures and their languages because there are many English words that are used instead of the original words in other languages. We can say English is damaging cultures. Every nation has its cultures that they should keep them because these cultures are the identities of the nations. We should learn everything, but not those things that are harmful for us first, and for our community and culture second.

INTERVIEW

An interview with Mr. Scott E. King, the Director Office of International Students and Scholars at the University of Iowa, USA

* Do you have PHD? In which field? I do not have a PhD; my highest degree is a Masters in American Studies. However, more and more people in my position do have PhD’s now, and I think that people moving into this field in the future will likely have that degree. If I were much earlier in my career (I have worked in this field for 30 years), I would probably work on a PhD to insure possibilities for the future.

* What did you think of Iraq, especially Kurdistan with some of its developments? Do you think Iraq will have a brilliant day in the future if US troops withdraw from Iraq? Does Iraq need change?

When you ask about my impressions about Iraq, etc., let me share the following which are thoughts I wrote in Amman, Jordan after I had left Baghdad and Sulymania: Personal Observations I saw consistent commitment from the Iraqi government, as well as educational officials, to ensure that this scholarship program is open, fair, and that it meets the needs of the country. It doesn’t appear that the program has any desire to downgrade existing educational opportunities, as Iraqi university officials were present at all meetings. There is a realization that Iraq universities cannot meet today’s needs, that there is also a need for professionals educated in English speaking countries, and that the scholarship program can be used as a method of engaging US universities in creating linkages to existing schools. There is also a significant commitment to making this work from US officials in Iraq. We had many of the embassy personnel at all the programs, and they also worked hard to make sure that we, as US citizens and representatives of US universities, were comfortable and accommodated—even though our presence was at the invitation of the Iraqi government and not the US government. This is seen as a big cultural and diplomatic initiative. Naturally I thought about security and safety on this trip. But from the moment we arrived in Baghdad to the time we boarded the plane in Sulaymania, the Iraqi government—and when appropriate the US Embassy—took care of us. I could tell that they tried the best to keep us safe while allowing us reasonable freedom of movement. We all felt treated like dignitaries, and thus realized that our visibility required that our safety be guarded. I never felt in danger; indeed, as someone said, even in the most negative situations, it was like being in the bad area of a major American city. This initiative has such an opportunity to stabilize Iraq that it is worth a bit of discomfort on my part. We were called “pioneers” by many and I honestly feel that way. I think I can honestly speak for all my colleagues who attended this meeting when I say that we are excited about the Iraqi Educational Initiative and feel that we are perhaps changing the world and making it a bit safer. For 30 years I have said that international education is a route towards peace; I’ve never believed this so much as I have in the past week. An event I will remember forever is seeing the inauguration of President Barak Obama at the US ambassador’s residence on January 20. There was a sense of seeing history while we were making history. I couldn’t help but think back to the Iowa caucuses in January 2008 and think how unbelievable it was that I was seeing the result of my participation in that democratic process while in Baghdad, Iraq.

* What do you think about AUI_S? Is AUI_S a place to make future Iraqi leaders? Do you think the AUI_S students will have the ability to do something for Iraq? This should give you a good overview related to some of the questions you asked. Some of your questions are difficult to respond to, * What do you think about AUI_S? Is AUI_S a place to make future Iraqi leaders? Do you think the AUI_S students will have the ability to do something for Iraq? Is the university an international university, in your opinion? As I didn’t have a lot of time at AUI-S, and thus don’t have the background to comment on quality of students and such. AUI-S is a young university, and thus hasn’t had a lot of time to make a firm place for itself in education, but I saw a lot of potential. It seems to me like AUI-S is focusing on doing things well, and sometimes, particularly from a student standpoint, it will seem like it is moving slow and not getting ahead. But a young institution has to be very cognizant of its reputation, and it does seem to me like AUI-S is making thoughtful choices, but also choices that are stretching it to become even better.

* Can you give me a brief comparison between your students and AUI_S students? One comment about students I can make is that it appears to me that AUI-S students are much more aware of the world around them and of global affairs than most US students. This is a challenge we face at our institutions, as the US culture is not one that naturally encourages a global outlook, so we have to work hard to change a mindset in many US students.

* Is there any exchange programs between your university and AUI-S now? Do you think the students can be a part of exchanging programs? How would it work? While there are not any exchanges or linkages with AUI-S, or indeed any Iraqi institution, at this point, I think these will come as Iraq stabilizes and people are comfortable travelling to the country.

* Will you visit our university again? At a moment’s notice.

Alaska and Hawaii

The quality of hotels in Alaska is quit good, and Accommondations in Alaska vary from basic to luxury. Also there is a wide range of exellent hotels and condos in Hawaii, from luxury andto budget priced.

In Alaska, the temperature is perfect, it seldom rains in summer, and there is no humidity, wheras in Hawaii it often rains during the summer, and it can be hot and humid.

In Alaska the glaciers are awesome, and it has the Chugach Mountains and Mount McKinley. In contrast Hawaii has Volcano National Park and Waimea Canyon, and the beaches are among the most beautiful in the world.