Globe Sept/Oct 2010

8/8/2019 Globe Sept/Oct 2010

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THE GLOBESeptember - October 2010

Student Writings from IEI

WRITING TWO

Saudi ArabiaBy Abdullah A (Saudi Arabia)

Saudi Arabia is the most important country inthe Middle East. The capital of Saudi Arabia isRiyadh. Jeddah is the second largest city in ourcountry. And we have holy places of the world like

Makkah and Al Madinah. The population of SaudiArabia is about 29 million. In Riyadh, we have twohigh-rises. The first high-rise is Almamlakh Tower. Ithas a beautiful design. It won a prize in 2003. It isawesome. Riyadh is similar to Dubai. Almanfoha hascrime. We have the most extraordinary mosque in theworld. The historic city in Saudi Arabia is Najran. Theage of this city is about 4,000 years. The Muslimpeople in the world visit Makkah to pray. In 2009,there were 20 million Muslims that visited Makkah.The 27

thRamadan will be in the mosque in Makkah.

Three million people have prayed in the mosque. Ourlanguage is Arabic. The religion of Saudi Arabia is

Islam. The king of Saudi Arabia is King AbdullahAlsude. Saudi Arabia is similar to U.A.E. Education,health care, and some houses are free. The oil isvery cheap. It is $.80 for one gallon. My governmentfought with terrorism last year. My country is nearYemen, Oman, U.A.E., Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq,and Jordan. I like my country. I hope you like it, too.

My Happy DayBy Abdulrahman (Saudi Arabia)

My happy day will be when I go back toSaudi Arabia. I will be happy, because I am going tosee my mother, father, and brothers. We have a

small brother in my family. He is about 3 years old.He is almost 4 years old. I love my small brother. Heis so cute. I hope to meet with him. I mean I hope to

meet with all my family. I miss my family. I hope tomeet with my cousin and my friends. I hope to meetwith my favorite friend. My favorite friend is Ali. Ali ismy cousin, and I miss him also. I think that when Imeet with all of them, I am going to be happy. I amgoing to go to the sea in my city. And I will meet withall my friends beside the sea. I think my happy day is

going to be very soon. It is going to be in about twomonths. That is my happy day. I am waiting for thisday. I will be happy during this day.

Jeddah CityBy Hashem (Saudi Arabia)

Jeddah City is in Saudi Arabia. Jeddah is abig city. Jeddah is in the west of Saudi Arabia. I liketo live in Jeddah. There are 20 big shops in JeddahCity. Jeddah is close to the Red Sea. In Jeddah, thethree straight highways are big. The University ofKing Abdulaziz University is in Jeddah. And Dar Al

Hekma College is in Jeddah. Three million people arein Jeddah. Jeddah is the business center. TheMohammed shop is a nice store in Jeddah. The RedSea mall is a big store. Jeddah is the future ofteaching.

WeekendBy Nasser (Saudi Arabia)

My friend was at my house. My friend cameto my house. We watched T.V. We playedplaystation. We played cards. We practiced English.We cooked and ate food. My friend and I drove to themall. We looked at the stores. We drank coffee. We

enjoyed the time. We went to the caf and smokedhookah and played cards. We went downtown. Thenwe went to our house and went to sleep.


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WRITING THREE

M WeekendBy Hye Yeon (Korea)

Last weekend, I had a big and funny dinner. My

friends and I had three different dinners. First, wewent to the hotdog store. We ordered two hotdogsand shared them. That wasnt enough, so we went toanother restaurant. The second restaurant was aJapanese restaurant. I ate Japanese noodles, butthey were terrible. We didnt eat well, and my friendwas still hungry, so we went to another restaurant.We thought that was crazy, but so funny. The thirdrestaurant was good. We drank beer with our meal.In short, three dinners is not normal, but that was afunny experience.

My Friend

By Sea Young (Korea)I want to introduce my friend to you. His name is UkHwan. Co is his nickname. It means nose in Korean.My friends and I call him that because his nose is sobig. If he wears glasses, he looks like Groucho Marx.I met Co at my university. He studies chemicalengineering with me. After the semester started, wewent almost everywhere together, except militaryservice. He has a very kind personality, but hedoesnt have a girlfriend. I cant understand that. Healso is very good at remembering things like phonenumbers. We want to be like each other. I dontknow why he wants to be like me, but it is so good to

have someone want to be like me. I want to see himagain as soon as I possibly can, and I want to drinkSoju with him.

My Favorite PersonBy Ibrahim (Saudi Arabia)

My favorite person is my father because I like hispersonality. He has a strong personality, is serious inhis work, and likes to joke around. His personality isstrong because if he says something, he doesnt goback on his word. He is firm in his transactions. Heis also serious in his work. My father gets to work ontime every day, and he spends a long time working.Finally, my father likes to joke around. He is funnywith our family, and he likes to play with his kids. Myfather is my favorite person because I love him, and Ihope to be just like him.

ZidanBy Jawad (Saudi Arabia)

My favorite famous person is Zien Alden Zidan. He isa soccer player from Algeria, but he is a citizen ofFrance, so he plays for the French Team. He has

great skills and a good mind to defend his team. Hegot the gift of the best player in the world for 2006 inGermany, and all of the people like him and knowwho Zidan is. He left soccer after the 2006 WorldCup. Hes gone now, but he put an imprint in soccerhistory because all the people in the world can learnfrom him and try to be like him. Zidan is an examplefor anybody who wants to play soccer, and I hope tobe like him because he is a good teacher. Inconclusion, Zidan is the best player in the world.

Saudi ArabiaBy Rajab (Saudi Arabia)

Saudi Arabia is my country. Saudi Arabia is very big,beautiful, and important to us. It is very important tothe Muslim people. First, we have a king. Hes very

generous, indulgent, and smart. Second, we havemany oil fields, and we can give oil to all the world.Third, all the people are friendly and helpful in mycountry. Everyone has a job, and no one has tostand by traffic lights or restaurants to ask for money.Fourth, women in my country dont need to work toget money. They are like queens. Every woman hasa husband, son, or server to help her and give hereverything she needs. She stays home to nurtureher children, cook, and serve her husband. Fifth, wehave two very important mosques in my country. Thefirst is Mecca, and the second is Medina. All Muslimsin the world visit these mosques once a year. Truly, Ihave the most amazing country in the world.

How Does an Airplane Fly?By Abdullah Q. (Saudi Arabia)

When someone gazes at an airplane, a questioncomes to his mind: how does this plane fly? Whatprevents this airplane from falling to the ground?Many questions like these came to my mind before Ientered the field of aviation. Now I will explain someof these questions. Generally, there are four basicthings concerning aviation that must be known.These four powers are lift, weight, thrust, and drag.For the airplane to fly, the lift power must be bigger

than the weight power, and the thrust power is biggerthan the drag power. Aviation is very interesting tome, and I hope to be a pilot one day soon.

Abdullah bin Abdul AzizBy Khalaf (Saudi Arabia)

Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz is the King of Saudi Arabia.He is a generous man who does many things for allthe people. First, he helps the people of SaudiArabia. He gives every student a scholarship and a


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monthly salary of $1,850 to study in the U.S.Second, he helps the rest of the world. When heheard about the big catastrophe in Pakistan, he gavethe people money, medicine, and anything else theyneeded. I love my King because he is honest, kind,and he loves all the people in this world.

My Favorite Family Member

By Patricia (Colombia)

The name of my favorite family member is Lulu. Luluis 12 years old. She likes to sleep and eat. Her roomis very big. There is a bed, a lamp, and many toys init. Lulu is very calm and affectionate. She listens toyour problems, and makes you happy. She nevergets angry with you. Lulu is the best housemate.She likes to give kisses and is beloved by everyonein the house. Lulu and I walk every day and run atthe park. I always hug and kiss Lulu.

My Trip to the U.S.By Hussain (Saudi Arabia)

Eight months ago, I decided to study outside of mycountry. My dad helped me a lot. After that, I waswaiting for the day to leave, but then that day cametoo fast. My family and all my friends went to theairport with me to see me off. My travel to the U.S.

was difficult because everything was so new to me.It was my first time to travel to a new country and myfirst time to ride an airplane. I also couldnt speakEnglish very well.

Mohammed AbudahBy Amin (Saudi Arabia)

Mohammed Abudah is a very famous singer in SaudiArabia. He has a very nice voice and sings songsabout life and love. People like to listen to himbecause he is very charming and makes them feelrelaxed. He sings sad songs and songs about loversand marriage. His songs make people remember thepast and think about love. I feel better after I listen tohis songs. I like Mohammed Abudah very much.

WRITING FOUR

Compare Winter and SummerBy Abdirizak (Somalia)

What is different between winter andsummer? There are three ways to compare and

contrast winter and summer, which are weather,effect and activity.First, the weather has different condition. The

condition of the atmosphere at a particular place andtime is called the temperature. In addition, there'swind, rain, sun, etc. The weather has differenttemperature like high temperature 100F and lowtemperature 20F. Sometimes, when you wake up andthere it is not chilly, it's warm. Then, it immediatelychanges to very cold. You may not have specialclothes, because you didn't expect the weather tochange to cold. In addition, sometimes, there are noclouds in the sky. Then, it's raining immediately, youmay not have umbrella, because you didn't expectrain. That's how weather works.

Second, let us compare how winter affectssomething. For example, when winter comes treesget dry and there are no leaves any more. Also, itlooks ugly during winter time, because there are nogreen trees and green grass in forests. On the otherhand, summer time has more attraction than winter.For example, in summer time there are a lot ofbeautiful things. You can enjoy wonderful weatherand you can enjoy watching butterflies flying aroundin the forests. You can sitting outside in front of

house and enjoy comfortable, fresh air. Butsometimes, it is very hot and humid that is may affectpeople but that is few states which are more humid.That is how they are different.

Third, let's compare the activity of winter andsummer. In the winter there is not as much activitylike summer time. But, there's some activity, likespecial games going on winter time, like hockey andskiing. So, people spend time watching games duringwinter, they don't like hanging around as weather isin a bad condition. So, most of people prefer to stayin warm place. On the other hand, summer time hasits own activity like people traveling, taking vacation,and doing more business. For example, as you knowschools are closed for all students, teachers, andprofessional employees. That is different activitybetween winter and summer.

Finally, three ways to compare and contrastwinter and summer like weather, effects, andactivities. But, to me I prefer summer more thanwinter, because, summer time has more attractions,wonderful weather and more activity. You can enjoyyour free time and nice looking green trees, like onyour vacation, and sightseeing.


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EarthquakeBy Dominik (Switzerland)

In the summer 2009, was a specialearthquake in Switzerland. It was the first realearthquake made by human because of an accident.It happened because a company made a hole in theearth more than one mile deep. During the drilling,

they have found a magma chamber, but the drill iscooled by water, which vaporized explosively andmade an earthquake. But normally are only naturalearthquakes. In every place in the world there issometime an earthquake. Some are strong and someyou cannot feel. There are a few causes ofearthquakes, but regardless of the causeearthquakes are destructive and dangerous.

The cause of an earthquake can be manythings. Most earthquakes are the result of tectonicplate shift. The earth is hundreds of milesunderground made of tectonic plates that move overmagma. Since the friction of two tectonic platesmakes a tremor in effect it can split the earth or buildmountains! Also a volcano can trigger an earthquakebecause of the pressure under the volcano. Mostearthquakes happen a short time before the volcanoexplodes. These are the biggest earthquakes.

An earthquake can be very destructivebecause the earth is moving and buildings fall down.When you have a small building made of wood thenyou have less of a problem with earthquakes for thereason, they have small potential masses. Alsoearthquakes can destroy streets, highways, bridgesand electrical connections. A result of that are allhouses without energy and many services do notwork. The people cannot drive to work or go

shopping. Additional the connection to a hospital isnot guaranteed. So we can be happy that most of theearthquakes are under 5 on the Richter magnitudescale. That means that the earthquake damage isunlikely.

The strongest earthquakes are higher than 7 onthe Richter magnitude scale; these are verydangerous. Sometimes they open a split in the earthand you can fall in. But most people die another way.Namely the earthquake itself is usually not dangerousbut the falling walls and stones can hit you. Also aconsequence of broken buildings is that it can createa fire and the whole city can burn down.

I hope that I am never in an earthquake.An earthquake is very destructive and dangerous. Itis very sad what big damage and harm can resultfrom an earthquake.

Saudi Arabia vs. United StatesBy Fatemah (Saudi Arabia)

In the world there are many people indifferent countries that have different cultures. Also,there are differences between oriental and western

cultures. So, I would like to compare the Americanculture and Saudi culture on habits of hospitality.

In Saudi culture, you must honor your guestby serving food and offering housing or whatever heneeds. At lunch and dinner the host serves specialfood for the guest likes whole lamb. Saudis usuallymake too much food, more than they need to showtheir hospitality. In addition, they set a place for the

guest to stay in while he stays at their home.Moreover, when the guest has task to do they willhelp him complete it.

The hospitality for Saudi Arabia is mixedbetween Arabic culture and Islamic doctrine. TheArabs exaggerate hospitality, even though Islamencourages Moslems not to squander. Since manypeople cant have a comfortable life, Moslems shouldspend their money in proper way.

On the other hand, American hospitality isdifferent. They just serve normal food for their gueststo make the guest feel like he is one of the family.Usually Americans just invite their close friends orrelatives to their home to eat dinner or lunch. Inaddition, it is not usual for Americans to invite thepeople over who they have just met, while it iscommon for Arabs. Furthermore, Arabs usually wantto pay the bill for everyone at the table, butAmericans pay for themselves.

In conclusion, there are differences betweenSaudi culture and American culture in the habits ofhospitality. In fact, the hospitality of Arabs isexaggerated not like Americans hospitality. UsuallySaudis spend a lot of money serving food for theirguests unlike Americans people who dont care abouthow much food is served for their guests. I thinkAmericans hospitality is not overstated, so it is

comfortable.

CustomBy Jina (South Korea)

What is custom? It means a group pattern ofhabitual activity usually transmitted from onegeneration to another, according to the UnabridgedDictionary. Custom is strengthened bonds of thecommunity, they are helpful to adapt to the environment.Most members of society have observed customs intheir lives. Lets find out about the differentcustoms between Korea and United States which are

nation, education and communication style.The first category of customs is classifiedaccording to the nation. Korea is "a raciallyhomogeneous nation. It can be bound together by aname of country and the nation has a relationship toone another. Most racially homogeneous nationshave long history, and sense of identity.However these people tend to be conservative. Thevast territory of the United States creates a multiracialnation which has a multicultural society. In amulticultural society, Americans do not invade eachothers feelings and customs but actively protect


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personal privacy. A moral standard of United States,Puritanism, has emphasized strict moral services.Americans in this custom are punctual and active incommunity service activities, but these aspects aredisposed to individualism.

The second category of custom is classifiedaccording to education. Koreas education, cramming,can be effective to the existing accumulated

knowledge, and students learn to memorize. But theway of education is only superior in terms of short-term performance. American education, or "CreativeEducation, is more organized and develops acreative brain. The way of education is a teachertraining the students to acquire knowledge and solveproblems. It helps students to study any subject, butknowledge of the process takes longer.

The third category of custom is classifiedaccording to the communication style; for example, aconversation between teacher and student. WhenKorean students meet their teacher in class, they sayhello, teacher and bow down. They cannot useteachers name. Korean customs put emphasis onfilial duty and manners. Young people should alwaysbear themselves modestly toward their superiors anduse the honorific. On the other hand, in U.S. class,student say howare you? with Miss, Mrs., or Mr.with teachers family name. Respect betweenindividuals is the first consideration with Americanpeople; for example, when the student has problems,the teacher does not punish student, the teachersolves the problems.

In conclusion, every country has differentcustoms. When you go to new country, you mustadjust to these customs. Customs cannot beunraveled easily or quickly, but sometimes people

may think that they need to get rid of obsoletecustoms.

Effects of SmokingBy Moatasem (Saudi Arabia)

Many people dont realize what the effects ofsmoking are. There are many effects of smoking, buttoday I will say three effects of it. The smoking effectsin the blood, breath, and face.

First, the smoke effects the blood. The bloodof the smoker will be dark red, so it takes manypercents of the blood. And if the smoker keeps

smoking for many years in the end he or she will die,because it takes many percents of the blood and itwill continue that until it hurts.

Second, you can know the smoker form hisor her birth. For example, if you are playing football,soccer or any sports. If you see someone breathinghard and he or she goes out of playing from thebeginning that means the person is a smoker. So thesmoker breaths too short.

Third, the simple thing you can know thesmoker from his or her face. For example you cansee his or her lips are always black.

In conclusion, the result you can see twoeffects in the smoker such as the breath and theface. But one thing you can know is it is in the blood.

How to rent an apartmentBy Mohammed (Saudi Arabia)

Today, people are looking for apartment in

order to

clean easier, besides it is cheaper than ahouse. Almost all of people have no idea what thebest way to rent apartment is or what the process isto find aplace to live.

First, you need internet, transportation, bankcheck or money order, ID, social security number,

and GPS to do the process successful . You will need

someone who is landlord.Now, detailed explanation of how to rent an

apartment in several steps. Step one: use the internet

in order to find na apartment which you like. There isa website called guide apartment that is the bestwebsite. It is characterized by strong research which

covers almost allof the United States. When you findthe apartment that you want, make a reservationthrough the website. After that, write down theaddress of office of apartment. Thenput the addressin your GPS. If you don't have GPS, get thedirections fromGoogle map. Next, follow the route toget to your point. In addition, bring your ID, socialsecurity number and money order or bank check topay theapplication fee, and security deposit. Whenyou arrive, the landlord will give you an application tofill out with your signature and he will make a copy ofyour IDand social security number. After that, he willask you to set up all of thewater and electricity then

bring him the proof of these. Finally, you will sign

thecontract between you and landlord.There is point unknown to students and

residents, it is that they don't have social security number, so they must pay a deposit to the office.Also, you should give all yourattention to finding a

safe place, if you don't want feel comfortable atnight.In conclusion, if you want easy process don't

forget to have allthe equipment/materials before youbegin. Then follow the step by step and focus onwhere you will rent. However, don't worry aboutsocial securitynumber. It is not necessary becauseyou have to pay deposit instead.

How to be a good friendBy Sattam (Saudi Arabia)

Most of the people have friends. Its hard fora person to live lonely and be without any friends. Itsalmost like life necessity. The person who spends hiswhole day on working or studying and he doesntspend his free time with his friends usually he isnthappy in his life. If you are a friend of someone youneed to be a good friend for him. There are twothings you need to know and to do to be a good


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friend: treating him like the way you love to betreated, and helping each other with difficultproblems.

Treating him like the way like the way youlove to be treated. Like wish the best for him or her tobe successful in life. Dont stab him in his back, sodont talk bad things about him. And you need to beloyal and honest so dont cheat him or lie to him

about anything.Helping each other in difficult problems. Ifyou had a trip with people you will know your realfriends. There is an old saying, because in the pastthey were traveling by fee or horses, so on the waysometimes you will get trampled. And advice him ifhe is doing something wrong.

To sum up, friendship is important in ourlives. You need to spend some of your time with yourfriends.

Difference between South Korea and AmericaBy Taewoo (South Korea)

Do you know the differences between SouthKorea and America? If you have been to Americaand South Korea you might know difference betweenthese two countries. Korea and America aredemocratic nations and use free economy system butthe territory, flag and national anthem are different.Besides between 2 countries there consists ofdifferent races, for example, a single race or diverseraces. Naturally lifestyle is different by living othercontinent and environment. If you want to live well inAmerica you have to try hard and then you aresatisfied with your life. It's not difficult becauseeverywhere you live people are similar. In other

words, there are many differences between Koreaand America which are nation, people, and lifestyle.

First, Korea and America are democraticnations and fulfill the market economy. Long timeago, two countries had deep relationship like history,national defense, and economy problems. ActuallySouth Korea received help from America, so Korea isinfluenced by America. As you know Koreas territoryis much smaller than Americas. Korea is divided intoSouth and North and is smaller than America. Flag asSymbol of nation is also different. Even though flagsymbolize every country, flags color is differentrespectfully. We call the American flag the Stars and

Stripes; however, Korean flag is called Taeguekgi.

Its consisted of 4 colors which are red, blue, whiteand black. Each color has a meaning, for example,red symbolizes sun, and blue the ocean. White andblack mean Korean people and spirit such ashonesty. In addition, American national anthem isThe Star-Spangled Banner which is world famous.Korea national anthem called Egukga is composedby Ahn after freedom from Japan. It expresses self-

respect of Korean people.Second, Korea and America's population isvery different such as race and culture. Historically,Korea is one ethnic race speaking one language.Korea is influenced by the Confucian culture, soKorean culture emphasizes courtesy in life. ButAmerica consists of diverse races who are American,Hispanics, European, Asian, and so on. If you stay inKorea a few days you are going to notice truth thatKorea's population is consisted by a single race.While staying Nashville, in America I realized thatAmerica is diverse races country because I sawmany different races downtown and in malls.

Finally, Korea and America have differentlifestyle such as necessities of life which are food,clothing, and shelter. Food is greatly influenced bynatural environment which are climate, fertile land,and so on. Unfortunately, Korea lacked naturalresources historically, so Koreans engaged inagriculture. From past to present, Korean peoplehave eaten rice as staple. In contrast, Americans eatbread or meat because in America there is anabundance of natural resources. In addition,Americans usually farmed wheat. Besides fashionstyles and trends are different as well. For example,Koreas trend is influenced by Japanese becauseboth have similar body types and appearances, but

Americans have different body types and leadfashion. The shape of house is different, because ofcountry size. Koreas house is smaller thanAmericans but normally higher. But these daysKoreas life pattern is changing from Oriental style toWestern.

In conclusion, Korea and America havedifferences like nationality, people, and lifestyle. Sowe have to learn to live well in other countries. In mycase, I have to adapt fast, especially regarding foodand having relationship, so I'm satisfied with Americalife. If you try to understand other culture youll besatisfied, too. All things depend on you!


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WRITING FIVE

Deloitte & Price Water House & Coopers (PWC)By Oscar (Mexico)

Two of the most important firms that provide consulting and auditing service around the world emphasize

the importance of providing a professional service with highest levels of quality, but inside their buildings they dontcare about the workers who spend more than 18 hours every day working On the other hand, we can find a lot ofbenefits of working there.

One of the biggest differences is the salary; in PWC you receive more than double than if you worked inDeloitte. Also in PWC, they pay the time they spend on weekends. In Mexico this is very important becauseeverything is very expensive and usually as a worker you dont receive what you deserve. Despite this, Mexicanpeople still work there and they dont want to start their own business.

Another difference is the way they work. Deloitte, for example spends a lot of money to serve theircustomers with a system called Administration System 2 (AS2). However PWC works with a commercial brandcalled Business Management Software Solutions Applications and Services (SAP) which Both tools are able to dothe same activity spending different quantity of money.

Deloitte offers 15 days of vacation the first year and 4% raise annually; PWC offers 20 days of vacation and6 or 7% raise annually.

In spite of these differences, we can find three similarities in the way that they work, the first one is the kindof buildings where they work every day, which are very expensive. The second one is the kind of people that workin those places: accountants, lawyers and economists. The last is the pressures that all of them make you feelwhen you must finish something important and achieve the goals of the company, even as the website of DeloitteUSA says: Our reputation for providing high quality services with integrity has earned the trust of our clients, andour people. PWC say something similar on the internet your achievement, your lifelong learning, your individualityand your choices. Whether you're just starting out or an experienced professional, your future starts here. But theyshould be more realistic about the service and benefits that they offer to the customers and employees.

To sum up, we can say that Deloitte and PWC offers something different than others but still are the same.The best we can do is work for ourselves.

Deloitte United States, Careers (www.deloitte.com)PWC US, Careers (www.pwc.com)

Does Religion Cause War?by Eman (Saudi Arabia)

Religion is the most important aspect in our lives because we always need direction and laws to know whatkind of behaviors can be allowed or prohibited. So, our religion has direct impact on our thinking; and thus, our acts.Some people think religion has limited effect on our behaviors. For example, they think it is impossible for religion tocause wars. On the other hand, a lot of people think religion has a strong influences; thus, religion is the mostcommon reason that causes wars. So, although some people deny religion causes wars, there is some evidencethat confirms this relation.

Opponents of religion causing wars think the goal of any war is seizure of money or lands. They think that itis unheard of to say any cause is religion. However, I believe leaders of wars always try to hide the real reasons ofwar because if they reveal the real reason, they will lose support of their followers and they will be labeled as racist.So, they conceal the truth.

The opponents also say if religion causes wars, why do we see two countries that have the same religionfighting each other? Before we can answer this question, we should know all religions have many sects. So,sometimes the difference between sects cause war because every sect thinks itself is the most correct. Therefore,they try to seize others to make them convinced of their opinion. For example, the war that happened one year agobetween Saudi Arabia and Yemen. In fact, that was between two sects of Islam (Sunnis and Shiites). They were inan argument together that resulted in a fight in the end.

The final argument advanced by opponents is they believe all religions claim peace therefore it isunreasonable as a cause of war. This seems plausible but some adherents of religions do not understand theirreligion correctly or some distortion happened in history. For example, we as Muslims believe the Jewish faith is agreat religion. But when we see what they do with Palestine we confirm that some distortion happened in theirreligion that makes them hate Muslims and try to kill them, although Muslims do not have any problems with them.

Finally, I believe religion causes war because when someone considers which countries suffer war in these
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days, he will uncover the truth that just Islamic countries suffer war. Why? Because there are one and a half billionMuslims around the world. As Islam spreads in the world that makes other people fear that spread and worry abouttheir followers giving up their religion and converting to Islam. So, they try to make Muslims care about how theycan live in peace instead of thinking about how to reach Islam to the world.

Are Test Scores a Good Indication of a Students Competency?By Jin Hwa (South Korea)

Students who are going to school are evaluated by various tests. Before they have a test, students study

very hard to show their teachers how much they understood from the classes and lectures, because the gradeswhich they get are the only way to show other people their competency. Results of standardized testing can berepeated, which shows that such testing is reliable (Phelps). However, while some students study hard, they havetrouble getting good grades compared to others. As a result, the students are assessed as having a low ability byteachers or their parents. Even though many people think that test scores indicate a students competency, Ibelieve that measuring a students competency are by reading ability, unique skills, and creative thinking.

First, students who have a good score should have patience to study. They have to read and memorize alot of what is in the books. However, it is difficult to say the grade which a student got is equal to the studentscompetency. For example, when I studied in 2009 at a language school, I was put in the beginning level by theschool according to my placement test. After eight months, I had reached the advanced class. But it did not meanmy English level was already high because each test at the school had specific content and I was given a lot ofexample questions by teacher. Therefore, instead of just test results, students should learn how to read booksefficiently before going to school for increasing interest in books, and stimulating their mind to ability to read all

different kinds of books. Students who read books a lot cultivate the power of understanding.Next, students who have high grades at the school are praised by others, they study hard and patiently,and their level of concentration is admired by other students, too. Obviously, the portions which they have to studyin school books are not small. If they want a good mark they have to study thoroughly much of their resting time.Furthermore, their parents register their children in academic institutes for mathematics, science, and secondlanguages. Such institutes teach them ahead of what schools teach, allowing the students to learn easily at theschool and get higher grades. However, regarding art courses, some students have a brilliant talent but the schooldoes not acknowledge this kind of capability. There are schools which teach particular subjects but from juniormiddle school. Many students talent can be discovered during their junior or high school, not only elementaryschool. Once they enter the regular junior or high school, even though some students have special skills, it isdifferent to apply to another school because such schools fees are too expensive and to get admission is toodifficult especially during the middle of school. Regular schools have special classes but to cultivate such studentsis not easy because both teachers and the other students are too busy to get high school grade and art courses arenot assigned a in high value compared to school grades.

Last, students who have a high grade at school are concerned about rank. Their minds are in the plan ofhow to study; they study hard to keep their ranking at school. Therefore, they easily follow the schedules whichtheir parents already made or follow the instruction at school, thus; they lose the opportunity of having a goodexperience while they are students since everyone around there is staying all the time. According to a biography ofSteven Spielberg, he did not study well when he was in high school but he had unexpected thinking. His motherknew his son had outstanding ideas, and did not ignore his sons speech when he talked with his mother. By thetime he was 12 years old, he had already made a forty-minute documentary. Encouraging his thinking and creativehis ability made him one of the most famous directors.

In conclusion, still most schools focus priority on school grades to evaluate students. Schools grades ofstudents are only the tip of the iceberg to show students competency. Students should work very hard in schooland try to get good grade but students should not be measured only by test scores.

Phelps Richard Estimating the costs and Benefits of Education Testing Programs 10-13-2010 http://www.education-

consumers.com/briefs/phelps2.shtm Winter 2006The Oil Spill

By Maribel (Colombia)

Since spring of 2010, the United States has been experiencing the worst oil spill in its history. According toan article in Floridas midstate local news,The oil spill reached the Gulf coast and caused a tremendous amount ofdamage to the environment (Wells). The oil spill has most affected the environment as well as the business,tourism, and fishing industries. If the experts and government do not find a solution soon, this could be one of thebiggest catastrophes in the world.

First, the oil spill has caused a disastrous effect on various parts of the environment, such as sea life,wildlife and vegetation. It has had numerous ill effects on marine creatures. According with Science Daily news,One of the most prevalent side effects on these creatures is hypothermia, which destroys the insulation of these


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creatures (Mathew). In addition, The oil spill has been shown to cause suppression to the immu ne system, organdamage, and behavioral changes. The oil spill also affects wildlife by coating their bodies with a thick layer(Encyclopedia of the Earth). As result, these marine creatures lose weight and their bodies develop ulcers,causing bleeding in their stomachs. Furthermore, the contamination of vegetation has indicated that oil spills canresult in death and or extinction, since oil can prevent the germination and growth of marine plants.

Second, the oil spill has had a considerable effect on different businesses and activities related to tourism.For example, several hotels, resorts, condominiums, and restaurants have been affected. Since summer is touristseason, many vacationers like to go to different beaches to relax and spend a nice time with their families. Now,vacationers still worry about going on vacation because the oil has reached many of Floridas beaches and the

water could be contaminated. As result, many people have cancelled their reservation until clean up of theseashores is completed.

Third, the fishing industry has also suffered because of the oil spill. The fish were often covered in oil,making them poisonous. In addition, a large number of fish died; as a result the number of fish that could havepossibly been caught decreased. The oil has also caused difficulty for boats to sail. Therefore, some jobs havebeen affected, such as fishermen and lifeguards. Thus, the unemployment rate has increased considerably, andmany families have suffered as a consequence of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

In conclusion, the oil spill has had an effect on various parts of the environment that has caused harm anddeath to marine creatures. Businesses have lost money because of the slow tourism. The unemployment rate hasincreased because of this disaster that has occurred in the Gulf. I believe the experts and the government must finda solution and resolve this problem as soon as possible because many people like me are dreaming of returning tobeautiful Florida beaches next year.

Bibliography:Stephen Wells. Director of the animal legal defense fund, www.Midstatelocalnews.comDr. Matthew Jenny, assistant professor of biological sciences at UA, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100826205734.htmwww.ssi.sh.madzo.com/oilspillwww.Americaspower.org. May 27, 2010www.bp.com/gulfofmexico. Sep.25, 2010www.google.com/crisisresponse/oilspill. June, 2010http://response.restoration.noaa.gov. Sep 23, [email protected]. Aug 28, 2010www.whatshesideeffect.com/supplent.pills/fish.oil.pills. Sep.20, 2010

Text MessagingBy Melike (Turkey)

Text messaging is the most popular communication tool of the last century. Today, several people aretexting because of its convenience. In some case, text messaging could be seen as a very functional tool , but we

can see some negative ways of text messaging. Although text messaging is the convenient and fast and beneficialcommunication tool of modern society, text messaging is often viewed as the worst invention of the last century.

Time is the most valuable thing today. A lot of people are working and studying. In short, they dont haveenough time to call somebody while driving. In that point text messaging is a fast and convenient tool. They couldhave easy communication by aid of texting. Therefore, texting is so common even when on the road. Today,several people are using text messaging on the road and they think they save time while doing it. Although textingseems so practical while driving, it could be extremely dangerous and cause accidents. Drivers can have accidentsbecause of distraction. Attention is a very important ingredient, and while texting, drivers cannot concentrate on theroad. Christopher Murphy from the Office of Traffic Safety said .1 "So many people text, so many people talk.Everybody thinks they can do it at the same time and it becomes automatic, because we do it how many timestalking, texting, driving and nothing ever happens" (Murphy).

Text messaging is one of the most popular inventions of modern society. According to them, texting is moreuseful than calling. When somebody calls you, you dont know what they will speak about with you. However, when

they text, you could know the topic of the conversation immediately. Therefore, you could save time to replying to it.Nevertheless, some people make a habit of it. We could see several people around us while they are texting.Texting brings some communication problems to them. For instance, when you go to the cafeteria or restaurant,you can see several people while they are texting. Is it normal? While your friend is sitting with you, you shouldnttext because it is not polite. According to is texting communication ruining our society? texting is becoming themain form of communication within our society. There is very minimal face to face communication and talking onphones is becoming extinct. People text others to ask simple questions or to have detailed conversations with eachother. Due to texting becoming such a vital part of our society, we seem to be losing touch with the people aroundus. We do not stop by our neighbors house to see how their day went, we dont call up our parents after a long dayat work; we simply text them.(Heath)
http://www.midstatelocalnews.com/http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100826205734.htmhttp://www.americaspower.org/http://www.bp.com/gulfofmexico.%20Sep.25http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/oilspill.Junhttp://response.restoration.noaa.gov/mailto:[email protected]://www.whatshesideeffect.com/supplent.pills/fish.oil.pills.Sep.20http://www.whatshesideeffect.com/supplent.pills/fish.oil.pills.Sep.20mailto:[email protected]://response.restoration.noaa.gov/http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/oilspill.Junhttp://www.bp.com/gulfofmexico.%20Sep.25http://www.americaspower.org/http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100826205734.htmhttp://www.midstatelocalnews.com/


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Today, text messaging starts to be a very common communication tool in the schools. Several student aretexting each other, which builds social network between them. However, too much texting brings some negativeeffects such as decreasing grades. With too much texting their grades could decline, so their success could beaffected in a bad way.

Finally, text messaging could have several positive results but we shouldnt forget that messaging can bringdestruction to our lives.

BIBLIOGRAPHY*Murphy, Christopher: CHP Urges teens to avoid driving distractions. Abclocal.go.com 18 October 2010.

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