Future Leaders Should be Responsible Now

 by Mahdi Abdulla Murad

Kurdistan is goi through very difficult times. Every day we hear about the sad news coming from the different parts of Kurdistan. I won't take much of your time by counting the atrocities and violations of human rights happened in the past weeks again, I want to speak about another sad news: AUI-S's arranging a party while Sulaimai is on fire.

Qalawa Refugee Camp: Photos speak the terrible story.

 by Mahdi Abdullah
 Photos by Kurdistan Fatih

 The camp itself is dozens of ramshackle houses that have been erected over a large dirt field. Almost nine thousand families live in the camp. Public services are in a poor state. The sun-burned, rough-looking faces of the children and adults testify to the daily hardship of their lives.

The camp is populated by Arab families that fled violence in other parts of Iraq at the peak of the sectarian conflict in the country in the past few years.

I don't want to say a lot about the situation in that comp. I leave you with the photos to speak with you.

The children mix smile and crying when they ask for the basic needs.

The children of the refugees asked for school and court like any other kids in the city.

Forty-five new students enroll for Spring Semester

By Mahdi Abdullah Murad
AUI-S Voice Staff Reporter

This new academic semester, a large number of new students will join the AUI-S Academic program. Fortyfive new students enrolled at AUI-S. Also, a large group of the students celebrated their graduation ceremony from the English Writing Program and Language Institute (EWPLI) into the Academic program.

A group of 53 students successfully passed from the Academic Entrance Exam (AEE) from level 4, enabling them to enter the spring 2011 Academic courses. “I’m extremely proud of these students and our English teachers,” said Rosalind Warfield-Brown, Director of EWPLI, on the AUI-S Official Website. “They exemplify the best of hard-working, dedicated members of a university community.”

Adding to the old numbers of the students, AUI-S welcomed several new faces for the spring 2011 semester, as Nathan Musselman, Acting Registrar of the AUI-S, said, “I can tell you that we have 45 new students enrolled in classes.”

Musselman added that the new students applied for various majors at AUI-S. “Eighteen of them chose Business as a major, 14 chose Engineering, six chose International Studies, and seven chose Information Systems and Technology.”

The new students were very happy and enthusiastic about being enrolled at AUI-S, and they found the AUI-S system of education very high standard and unique.
“The high standard of education here at AUI-S really encouraged me to apply for studying at AUI-S,” said Mohammed Kais, Level 4 student from Baghdad. “I heard very nice things about AUI-S generally, especially its degree. I knew that I would have a good future that was why I applied for studying at AUI-S.”

Ayas Hussain another EWLPI student from Baghdad said different opinions about the weakness and strengthens of AUI-S.

“The good things about AUI-S are its high standard of education, its sports, and its instructors,” Hussain
added. “Almost everything is good about AUI-S.
It is a wonderful university for the most. The only thing that is not quite good about AUI-S is its building. We hope to move for the new building soon.”

Some AUI-S students said that they were very happy to see several new faces at AUI-S.
“I appreciate AUI-S for accepting such a large group of students,” Kardo Kamil Muhammed, a Business Administration Freshman student from Sulaimani. “I feel I am studying at a real university right now. I see a lot of people who admire to study at AUI-S. Thus, I feel more confidence about my future here at AUI-S. Now I understand that I chose a right place for my studying.”

But some AUI-S students felt the University was not ready to accept such a large number of students due to its small building.

“AUI-S should work faster to finish the new campus then accept more students,” said Kewan Adnan, an Information Systems and Technology Sophomore from Sulaimani. “Right now AUI-S is not ready to fit such a large number of the students because of lack of space. I hope the Administration tries more to finish the new campus and gives us good news about moving to the new campus.Then, it can have a number of students.

“In respect to student confidentiality,” added Musselman. “I’m afraid that we won’t be able to send you the names of the new students."

AUI-S first Business Club kicks off with $1,000 US competition

by Mahdi Abdullah Murad

AUI-S Voice Staff Reporter

AUI-S Voice

A group of students at the AUI-S have established a business club in order to help educate students about the latest business practices and developments in the world.


The founders of the AUI-S Business Club say one of the major aims is to get students involved in business activities so that they can get a chance to practice what they have learned in their business classes. They hope through its activities, the Club can strengthen the relations between students and professors as well as between students and the local business community.

Waste Around Chicago

Students in Burley School in Chicago created a digital storytelling under the title, “waste Around Chicago.” They photographed those materials that are disposable; those materials that have been thrown away by people after they have been used once only. Those students make a lot of slogans to advise people in order not to throw away the used materials. “do not throw away our earth,’ this is one example of those slogans. The student’s goal behind that project is to create a healthy environment. The students go out and start questioning people about that issue. “What do you think is meant by throw away society?” this is the highlighted question that the students asked those people whom they interviewed. Many of the interviewers described those societies as disposable societies. Moreover, many interviewers recommended encouraging people to recycle those materials instead of throwing away to the environment.

Point of view: the main idea of this digital storytelling is to rescue people from the environmental crisis and creating usable art from recyclable materials. Societies always have been disposable.

Dramatic question: What come to my mind when people say that we are near to environmental crisis?

Emotional Content: The logos that the students created such as, ‘do not throw away our earth.” 

The Gift of Your Voice: the students are very intelligent in making the story understandable by showing a lot of dramatic pictures that they exactly describe the words that come out from the mouth of the narrators.

The power of the Sound Track: The story has a great music that supports the context of the story. It is very effective that always makes the audience to concentrate on the views of the story.

Economy: I am actually skeptical about this point. The story pointed out multiple topics that confused me. For instance, at the first beginning it talked about the global worming for a few seconds, then passes to the environmental crisis. Finally, it ended with the idea of recycling materials. So, I think the story was not succeeded in terms of organizing the ideas.

Pacing:  The story was very succeeded in this point. There is a lot of fluctuation in the voice of the narrators. Also, the music played a fantastic role in making the story be interesting.

http://www.digitales.us/story_details.php?story_id=112

Let's Get Ready, 100 are Coming!

by Mahdi Abdullah Murad Student Eye

Last week, Timothy Doyle told us that AUI-S will be accepting another 100 students for the spring semester.

Indeed AUI-S should be the home for the brilliant students of this country, but can THIS AUI-S accept another 100?



We can figure out the answer by examining the capacity dormitories, classes, cafeteria, computer labs, and toilets.

Bear with me for a while!

Metcalf's law and the Network Effect



Photo courtesy of google

 by Mahdi Abdullah Murad

Bob Metcalfe, who is the owner of the Metcalfe’s law, offers some insights about the value of communication and social network. According to Metcalfe’s law, the growth in number of the internet and computer users is affecting the value of communication network. The law demonstrates a clear ideological framework to think about social networks. Moreover, understanding the value of the social networking is another side of the law that Metcalfe identified and considered as an important thoughtful to the communication among the users. He illustrates that both number of users and their similarities among them of the network should be considered. Furthermore, the recent visibility of the competition among the companies is another side of the Metcalfe’s law.

Telemedicine—The present of Iraq

by Mahdi Abdullah Murad

When I was level 4, my writing instructor brought us an article that talked about telemedicine. I couldn’t quite understand what did telemedicine mean, so I directly went to www.dictionary.Com and found this definition, “the diagnosis and treatment of patients in remote areas using Medical information, as x-rays or television pictures, transmitted over long distances, esp. by satellite.” I was shocked and was really excited about the program. Therefore, I googled the word, “telemedicine” and read many articles about it.

AUI-S tries to provide good life for Qalawa refugees

by Mahdi Abdullah Murad

AUI-S Voice Staff Reporter
http://www.auisvoice.org/

A group of AUI-S students, instructors and staff members visited the Qalawa camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) on November 23 to offer donations such as clothes, blankets and bags to the camp residents. The camp is populated by Arab families that fled violence in other parts of Iraq at the peak of the sectarian conflict in the country in the past few years.

AUI-S Dorm Students Relieved: Rona Motel is Good and Manolya Hotel is Getting Better

by Mahdi Abdullah Murad

After the shocking reports of Stuednt Eye blog on the bad situation of AUI-S dorm students at Manolya Hotel, the AUI-S Administration, mainly Dr. James Harrigan, the Academic Dean of Students, decided to take action.
A new apartment, Rona Motel, on the 60th street near to the AUI-S campus, was rented. 24 of the students at Manolya chose to go to the new hotel and 31 students decided to stay. The new dorm, according to the students, met their expectations.

The old dorm, Manolya, is now less crowded than before. Like the other hotel, there are rooms of three and four students and no more. As we have shwon in the report, Manolya now is different from Manloya a week ago.
While it is soon to decide on the serivces level at Rona Motel, the Manloya Hotel managers need to do more to improve the situations.
According to some of the Manolya residents, water service is not provided at soem of the rooms. In the mornings, some of the students have no water. The washing machines are also not working well at most of the Manloya rooms.
AUI-S administration should put more pressure on the managers to provide better services for the dorms.

See my entire photo story on this issue via this link: http://auisstudent.blogspot.com/2010/12/by-mahdi-abdullah-murad-after-shocking.html

How Much Can We Learn From Referencing?

by Mahdi Abdullah Murad 

The first essential point behind referencing for any official documents is that it helps us avoid plagiarizing. We all know that plagiarizing is something just not acceptable. It is something that ruins your personality. Like it has been said, “Taking something from one man and making it worse is plagiarism.” When you plagiarize, you really destroy yourself and the source that you took the idea from. Since we have the best tool to protect us from such a disaster, why don’t we apply it? Referencing can be your best element in preventing you from facing such tough experience.

Podcast & Videocast

Summarizing the video
The vedeo explains the way of converting a scanned image to a text file. According to the video, there are three steps to complete this process. The three steps are: Downloading the ocrtool softwar, opening the scanned document via the Microsoft and save it, and getting an image in the ocrtool.

 Do you think this videocast is more effective than a podcast?  Why?

Although the vediocast was interesting, I don't think that it is more interesting than podcast because I experienced pod-cast but not vediocast. I know it is not a good answer for the question, but I really love pod-casting and enjoy it a lot.

 

Do you think that this kind of simulation videocast is an effective way to learn new skills?

For sure, whenever we experienced new things, we would learn something new. So, I think vediocast is something enough for someone who loves learning new skills. There are a lot to be learnt in vediocast just like podcast.  So, what I am asking my school is that helping us learn new technologies by providing such kinds of ways. Technology is science and fun. We can learn new skills in technology without being tired for a moment.

Manolya Dormitory, Photos Speak the Shameful Truth

 by Mahdi Abdullah Murad - Student Eye

The daily problems AUI-S students face at Manolya dormitory, is only a demonstration of the unplanned, unprepared and negligent policy making at the American University of Iraq-Sulaimani.
We tried not to show these images online, because there was still a hope to change the hurting scenes. But now, and after weeks of suffer and passion, We know no other way but this one to tell the story of a shame.In this report, I will not be saying very much. The pictures will speak for themselves. However, some of the pictures are more tragic than what they seem, so we have said a few words about them. We hope these images will move the administration a little bit towards an evaluation of the student life at the dorms.

This is bathroom and restroom. When you are here, you should know that there are five other people waiting for the same opportunity out there. So, you really don't get what you want. What you do is your rush with everything. Sometimes, you are taking a shower and your friend is shortened. One of you has to suffer eventually!

P O D C A S T I N G

What is podcast?

A podcast is a series of either audio or video files that have been recorded, then downloaded via the websites. Basically, it is accessing media files over the internet.

How did it start?

Podcasting emerged in the public in late 2004. The apple company has dramatic impact in extending what is so-called podcast by releasing iTunes 4.9 that was a real native support for the podcast in 2005. This made receiving podcast more suitable. Also, it effectively ended with a great advancement of the podcast by independent developers. This company influenced so many independent developers to use this service. Moreover, Trademark applications were another useful way in publicizing the serve of broadcast into the public. The United States can be listed as a first country in capitalizing podcast. According to Wikipedia, “By February 2007, there had been 24 attempts to register trademarks containing the word "PODCAST" in United States.”

MobiCash starts mobile payment for AUI-S students

  by  Mahdi Abdullah Murad

    AUI-S Voice Staff Reporter

     www.auisvoice.org            

The AUIS students were the first of first in experiencing the most advanced technology.

The US Task Force for Business and Stability Operation, which focuses on the economic development in both Iraq and Afghanistan, is currently working in providing a cutting-edge technology within AUI-S that is called MobiCash.

From now on, you can transfer money, make payments, and buy minutes without leaving your home through mobile banking. You don’t need to know how much money you need for the entire day when you leave your home. Also, you do not need to be worry about the cash you carry with yourself.

Summary of the Ray Kurzweil's presentation on, "How technology will transform us?"

Ray Kurzweil- photo courtesy of google 

by Mahdi Abdullah Murad

In a presentation given by Ray Kurzweil under the title, “how technology will transform us?”,  Kurzweil addressed his views about different grounds of the technology that is experienced and will be faced in the future such us, overcoming the disease and poverty, the evolutionary process of the technology, the acceleration of the evolutionary process in both biology and technology, and the communication. Moreover, he demonstrated his predictions of how the technology will be in the future.

On Dashnye Daloye's Interview - We Need an American University!

by Mahdi Abdullah Murad
http://www.auisstudent.blogspot.com/

In an interview given to Niqash website and published in many other Kurdish media, Dashne Daloye, the student affairs director, said that AUI-S students are not used to freedom and absence of fear. While supporting Ms. Daloye in her thesis, I would like to say something more on the issue.

To Jackie Spinner: Goodbye my lovely adviser



Jackie and I

 by Mahdi Abdullah

Jackie Spinner, who was the first AUIS Voice Adviser, left AUI-S for good on Sep 1,2010. Spinner came to AUI-S last year and started working as an Adviser for the AUIS Voice Newspaper, which is the first Independent University Student Newspaper in Iraq. Although she worked at AUI-S for less than one year, Spinner could help so many AUI-S students to be professional journalists. She started a great project in the development of the media at AUI-S.

The $400

By Mahdi Abdulla Murad
www.auisstudent.blogspot.com

July 28, 2010, was one of the happiest days in my life for I got a job after almost a month of looking forward to finding it. I was happy more than anyone else because I had planned to do so many things with that small amount of money that I would get via working and to save at least some money for my next year study.

Unfortunately, my plan was completely spoiled after I opened my AUI-S account. What I saw in my e-mail was something that had never come to my mind before.

AUI-S, Unique Teaching &Learning Institution in Iraq \ Kurdistan-Sulaimani

By Mahdi Abdullah Murad
“About a month ago, while traveling in northern Iraq, I happened to visit in the same afternoon what my co-traveler Reuel Gerecht called “the best thing I’ve seen in the Middle East in 25 years,” as well as traces of the worst thing that happened there over the same period of time. Those two things are, respectively, the American University of Iraq at Sulaimani and the memorial erected in Halabja, where some 5,000 Kurds were killed with chemical weapons.” ABE GREENWALD
While backing what Mr. Greenwald says in his article, I would like to added my feeling about AUI-S.