Monthly Archives: April 2022

Events

What Is Ramadan?

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By: Salman Said

Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic lunar calendar, begins on the first sight of the crescent moon, and lasts until the end of the moon cycle. It’s the month in which the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad by Gabriel; from Allah, and in the mountains of Hira. Previously illiterate, Prophet Muhammad was given the knowledge of the Quran through Gabriel; he in turn messaged it to the people and it was consecrated for thousands of years; unaltered from that day.

Needless to say, the month isn’t about the moon or even fasting, but is about achieving Taqwa. Taqwa is a concept that means consciousness of Allah. During the month we fast in order to become more pious and restrain ourselves from all substances and temptations. During Ramadan we receive more Thawab or reward in our good deeds; and more harm in our bad deeds. This is why we try avoiding anything Haram (Sinful). 

Reading the Quran, giving charity and changing ourselves for the better are all things we do during this month. It’s the month of self-reflection and change. Controlling our urges during this month becomes significantly easier, and as we fast we see things that used to make us fall into our bad habits go away. Many use this month to quit bad habits like smoking, or even drug use, for the sake of Allah; in turn Allah makes it easier. 

In Islam, the most major sin is Shirk or the association of things with God. This is a topic that is brought up in the Holy Quran hundreds of times. Polytheism, or Association to the One Maker (Allah), is something that is strictly forbidden in Islam and those who do so aren’t considered Muslims. 

Needless to say, Shirk or Blasphemy is something Muslims avoid especially during this month, since it ruins all Taqwa and rewards from our fasts. Not praying, eating or drinking; menstrual cycles, sickness and drugs all break our fast. It’s important we stay away from these things while fasting. Cursing, fighting, holding grudges or disrespecting our parents all lower our “Hasanat” or our reward. 

In the last 10 days of Ramadan it’s the most important because of Laylatul Qadr. Laylatul Qadr or “The Night Of Power, Significance or Decree” (Qadr has many different meanings). It’s the most important night of the year and said to be worth more in reward than thousands of months. During the “Night of Significance”, the angel Gabriel comes down from the heavens as well as all the other angels. 

All we know is that the “Night of Power” is in the last 10 nights. The consensus of scholars is that the night falls on an odd number (21, 23, 25, 27 , and the 29th Night of Ramadan will hold Laylatul Qadr). Islamic scholars say it’s very likely though that the night is on the 27th, but only Allah knows. During the nights we should make and say prayers; ask for forgiveness, and make our wishes. It’s more likely that our prayers will be answered on that night if we fast for the rest of the month.

Movies/TV/Theaters

Will Smith/Chris Rock: Oscars 2022

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By: Liv Miller

This year was the 94th annual Academy Awards. Each year the Oscars is broadcasted worldwide celebrating and giving recognition to the best films of the year, and the people behind them.

This year’s Oscars were pretty eventful, I mean, just ask anyone. First, let us address the elephant in the room, because I’m sure if you hear anyone talking about this year’s Oscars, there’s a pretty good chance this event is the topic of discussion: Will Smith. If you were tuning in on your television this year you saw it all go down live, but if not I will give you a breakdown of the events.

Chris Rock, who is an famous actor and comedian, gets up to present an award, but not before he cracks a few jokes. Now, it is not uncommon for celebrities to jab at other celebrities through some light hearted comedy, especially at award shows. But for Chris Rock, these jokes seemed to come back and slap him in the face, literally.

When on stage, Chris happened to make a joke about Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. The joke that was made poked fun at the fact that Jada had recently shaved her head. Something that Chris did not know, was that Jada allegedly made this decision because she had been struggling with alopecia, a disease that makes your hair fall out. After the joke was made, the camera panned over to Will and Jada, who appeared to be rolling her eyes.

We then see Will walk up on stage making his way to Chris, where he then hits Chris then proceeds to walk away and down back to his seat. Chris seemed to keep his composure despite the fact he just got slapped in the face by Will Smith. When Chris tries to move on we hear Will from the audience yell, “Keep my wife’s name out of your ***** mouth!”

This series of events continues to confuse the audience and the viewers for the next remaining hours of the show, leaving people not knowing whether or not it was all a joke or not. Later in the show, we see Will Smith on stage again, only this time to receive the Oscar for best actor in the film ‘King Richard’.

Will Smith later took to Instagram to issue a public apology to Chris Rock, the Academy Awards, and the film crew for ‘King Richard’. The lengthy apology consisted of Smith saying, “My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was inexcusable.” As well as “Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear, and I reacted emotionally.”

Chris Rock turned down the opportunity to press charges, but Will still managed to suffer the consequences of his actions. The academy has made the decision to ban Will from attending the Oscars for 10 years, though he will keep his recently earned award.

Science/Nature

How colors are important in our lives

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By: Ella Tabor

Colors may be a more influencing factor in our lives than we realize. The way your brain reacts to color can affect our minds, bodies, and mood.

A color’s tone, tint, shade, and brightness all affect the way colors can affect emotions. Let’s look at how warm colors can have an effect on how you feel.

Warm colors such as red, orange and yellow can evoke feelings of optimism, energy, joy, and happiness. These colors also have an attention grabbing element. Think of hazard signs; they are designed with colors like red, yellow and orange because they’ll attract your attention. Red also has the ability to increase hunger.

Cool colors like green, blue, and purple have a typically more calming effect. They can be used to express feelings of calm and sadness as well. Purple is a mixture of blue and red, which makes it a mixture of calmness and intensity. Purple is used to spark creativity.

Think about it; color importance is seen almost daily in fashion. We wear dark or black shades to a funeral to symbolize our grief. A typical wedding dress is usually white which can be associated with purity or innocence.

Companies use the fact that colors can speak to us as a way to market their brand’s core values or manner of business. For example, companies may use cooler colors to represent health, beauty, or security.

Jon, a graphic designer at CityGro says, “Color is one of the strongest non-verbal forms of communications that designers can use.”

Color even has been known to help with memory and attention. Sandra Rief, author of ‘ADHD and LD: Classroom Strategies at Your Fingertips’, writes about the use of color to help children stay attentive. For example, using different colors to highlight in math.

In ‘The Encyclopedia of Memory Disorders’, the authors, Carol Tarkington and Joseph Harris, note that colors can be used to aid in the development of memory.

Which is another reason why companies rely on graphic designers to use the perfect mixture of color and design to get everyone to think about their brand or product.

Perhaps you may use different colors to highlight notes, or use bright highlighters to help you remember the big ideas. Maybe you want to dye your hair into a color that feels more like you.

These are examples of how the importance of color plays into our daily lives.

Movies/TV/Theaters

The multi trillion dollar competition for the streaming service throne

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By: Reed Morris

The Background

Netflix has become a household name for most of the western world. With almost 200 million subscribers worldwide, it’s no surprise that the company is leading the world in paid video streaming. Recently however, Netflix’s throne atop the mountain of the streaming giants has begun to teeter. More and more of Netflix’s market share has started to slip away to other services such as: Amazon’s ‘Prime Video’, Disney+, Apple TV+, Hulu, and HBO Max. This shift of market share was expected, but Netflix just might not be able to keep up.

The Paradigm Shift

While Netflix has been in the lead for years now, the content that consumers are looking for has started to change. In the past, most streaming services focused on recycled content. Netflix and other streaming services have focused their money and resources on licensing and advertising, which in itself cost a lot of money. The problem for Netflix is that this model of streaming is becoming more and more outdated. Most new content seen on streaming services is shifting towards original productions.

Netflix has seen many large successes in original content such as shows like ‘Outer Banks’ and ‘Squid Game’, but those were extremely viral outliers. Most of Netflix’s original content goes mostly unseen or ignored. The biggest problem for Netflix, regarding original content, is the cost. The cost to write, produce, and finish a TV show or movie well exceeds the amount of money needed to buy the licensing rights to a TV show or movie that already exists.

The Competition

The main reason Netflix doesn’t have a huge chance at staying atop the streaming throne is due to who they’re competing with. While Netflix is currently valued at a market cap of $166 Billion, it’s competing against global tech conglomerates such as Apple, valued at $2.8 Trillion, and Amazon, valued at $1.65 Trillion, as well as entertainment superpower Disney, valued at a more manageable $253.9 Billion. Netflix does not stand any sort of chance against companies with such unimaginably deep pockets.

The Rise of Amazon Prime Video

As of March 2022, Amazon has struck a deal with the massive production company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) to purchase the company for $8.5 Billion. This buyout brings up a lot of questions about anti-trust, and extreme monopolistic behaviors in itself, but that’s a problem for another day.

This buyout by Amazon is a huge threat to Netflix and every other streaming platform out there. Not only does the acquisition of a professional and self sustainable film studio give Amazon a huge advantage over other services, they also carried over all of the intellectual property owned by MGM. This includes franchises such as James Bond, Rocky, and Stargate. Similarly, a myriad of other iconic films and TV shows were acquired through the buyout. Amazon, a trillion dollar company, can now produce large amounts of quality original content for both streaming and theaters, cementing Amazon’s place as a future leader in the streaming industry.

The Future

Like most other massive corporate buyouts, a lot of ethics and legalities are brought into question. Even though the FTC has yet to rubber stamp the acquisition, based on similar (questionably monopolistic) buyouts earlier this year, they won’t have a problem in doing so. If it does go through, Amazon will start to pump out more and more original content for consumers to watch. Unless Netflix can pull off something similar, their throne at the top will be toppled, and Amazon Prime Video will take the throne as the new King.

Movies/TV/Theaters

‘Say Anything’ movie review

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By: Eva Olson

‘Say Anything’ is a late 80’s rom-com starring John Cusack as Lloyd Dobler and Ione Skye as Diane Court. This movie is about Lloyd and Diane’s journey and the struggles of having Diane’s possessive single father always on their backs and doubting them.

This movie was very funny, mainly because of Lloyd. He found a way to make jokes during even the most serious scenes. One of my favorite scenes was when Lloyd had dinner with Diane’s father and his friends.

I really liked Lloyd and Diane’s dynamic and how Diane was kind of hesitant at first about Lloyd, but he was so persistent and eventually won her over.

All the characters were super funny too, including Lloyd’s friends. I really liked the cast and thought it was cool that both Joan and John Cusack were in the movie and played siblings (because they’re siblings in real life).

The plot was very entertaining because of all of the conflict surrounding Diane’s father. It was interesting to see how their relationship changed throughout the movie, because at the beginning they would tell each other absolutely everything but in the end, Diane finds out her father has been hiding something huge from her.

I loved being able to finally watch the famous boombox scene that has been referenced in so many other shows and movies. In this scene they are broken up and Lloyd stands outside Diane’s window blasting music while she’s trying to sleep.

Overall, I enjoyed watching this movie and thought it was really good. I recommend this movie to anyone who’s a fan of 80’s movies and rom-coms. I really liked how they ended the movie making it so you could imagine what was going to happen. I would give this movie a 4⁄5 star rating. You can watch this movie on HBO Max.

Getting To Know/History

The trouble with the term “Islamic banking”

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By: Liibaan Yusuf

There are banks internationally that pass themselves off as Islamic banks, trying to cater to the Islamic community.

So, what is Islamic banking?

Before answering this question, you have to know what banking is. Banking isn’t as simple as it sounds. You’d think it would be as simple as putting your money in the hands of a reputable organization which will hold it for you, Right?

Wrong.

The world of banking is far more complex and complicated than it started as.

Modern banking dips its toes into many different areas such as home ownership, lending and interest. Interest will be the main focus of this article. What is interest in terms of finance and banking? According to Investopedia.com, “Interest is payment from a borrower or deposit-taking financial institution to a lender or depositor of an amount above repayment of the principal sum, at a particular rate. It is distinct from a fee which the borrower may pay the lender or some third party”.

In Islam, interest is haram or forbidden. This hadith (saying), narrated by Abu Hurayrah, but written by Ibn Majah in “The Prophet”, said: “Riba (interest) has seventy segments, the least serious being equivalent to a man committing adultery with his own mother”. It’s extremely easy to understand the state of interest in Islam, it’s completely forbidden.

In the case of Islamic banking, interest is a joke or illogical. Interest, which is a pillar in the modern banking system, is impossible to stand together with Islam, where interest is vehemently opposed. It’s like water and oil, no matter how much you try to mix them they will never mix.

Safdar Alam, founder of Siyam Capital, speaks out about this in detail. “’Islamic banking’ is completely disattached to Islam, it’s redundant to call it Islamic as it goes about everything Islam has forbade. Islamic banking systems is NOT Islamic at the root and cannot be considered Islamic without changing the principals of Islam”.

So, the problem with “Islamic banks” is that they do actually charge interest, and therefore present themselves fraudulently as being Islamic. A true Islamic bank would not charge interest.

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Movies/TV/Theaters

How does the reboot of the ‘Bel-Air’ show compare with the older ‘The Fresh Prince’?

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By: Abdihakim Mohamoud

The reimagining of the popular ’90s sitcom ‘The Fresh Prince’ has taken thousands of fans by surprise. Although the original show was a comedy, the new ‘Bel Air’ show takes a darker, more intense take on ‘The Fresh Prince’.

Here are some of the key differences between the two shows, and how they compare to each other.

The reboot, which was inspired by a fan-made trailer of what ‘The Fresh Prince’ would look like today, takes the original sitcom to dramatic heights. One of the main differences is the newer shower digging deeper into Will’s past, and explores his life back in Philadelphia. ‘Bel-Air’ gives viewers a significant reason for his leaving Philadelphia; he was involved in a gunfight which led to a gang leader threatening him. This forced Will to leave Philadelphia and move in with his uncle and aunt in Bel-Air.

Another key difference between ‘Bel-Air’ and ‘The Fresh Prince’ was how Carlton is/was portrayed. In the original show, Carlton was a harmless character, however, in the reboot, Carlton is one of the antagonists. In the first few episodes, Carlton is intent on embarrassing Will, as he humiliates him in front of the entire school. Carlton also becomes incredibly jealous about Will and his uncle Philip Banks’s relationship, because Philip is his actual father.

All in all, the newer, more dramatic version of ‘The Fresh Prince’ has major differences from the original show. Carlton becomes an antagonist and the show digs deep into Will’s previous life back home. The show was criticized by fans at first, claiming that it was unnecessary for one of the most influential shows of all time to be remade. However, after a few episodes, fans quickly realized how different the show was, yet equally as enjoyable.

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Editorials/Student Voice

Titanium dioxide and its concerning effects on the human body

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By: Haroon Yonis

Titanium dioxide is used as food coloring for many foods, and items, such as paint, toothpaste, and many popular food products. It is used in paint, which in itself is concerning. Why are we humans consuming a substance that is present in paint, and plastic?

Titanium dioxide is a very harmful substance and can negatively affect your organs, and physiological state. It is currently banned by the European Commission, due to the lack of evidence proving that titanium dioxide is safe for human consumption.

What actually should concern you, is the fact that titanium dioxide negatively harms your gut, and could directly cause colon cancer. It is also typically associated with inflammation which is never a good sign in our bodies.

Titanium dioxide can irritate your eyes, nostrils, and actually has been linked to causing lung cancer in animals, which possibly warrants it as a carcinogenic.

Not only does it cause cancer, it can also damage your cells and your DNA!

Unsurprisingly, the FDA hasn’t banned this dangerous substance yet, and it is continued to be used in popular food products such as coffee, gum, chocolate, and sweets.

How can one feel safe knowing they are consuming something that is actively harming them?

There are many steps one can take to prevent themselves from consuming titanium dioxide. These include checking the ingredient label of foods you commonly buy/use. And making sure you avoid all foods that contain it.

There are also many safe alternatives to titanium dioxide; this includes calcium carbonate. Many countries have resorted to banning the substance due to the uncertainty surrounding it, and the possible harm that it may cause to humans.

The FDA must do their job and ban this ingredient once and for all. The FDA continues to allow ingredients that have been proven to cause cancer to roam in our grocery stores and supermarkets.

We must hold them accountable and demand they join the European Commission in banning titanium dioxide!

COVID-19

Does the media influence the way that our society views COVID?

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By: Caelyn Hippen

Am I reading accurate information?
How do I know that this source is reliable?

These are questions we ask ourselves every day. Whether we are doing a quick search or a detailed research project. Many of us may have quickly looked up “Is the COVID vaccine safe?” or “What vaccine should I get?”

Well, that Google search may have affected how you, and the people you shared that information with, see vaccines, or COVID, etc.

It has been proven that about 1⁄2 of Americans get at least some information/news about COVID from social media, and approximately 6% of people find it the most important way to get news.

So, we know that social media does spread information about COVID, but is that information really accurate?

According to Pewresearch.org, Facebook was the most used app to spread COVID information and panic about COVID outbreaks and vaccines. The information that one person posted was shared and soon became popular news throughout the app. The impacts of social media ‘panic posts’ varies among people’s age, gender, and level of education. For example, a doctor or scientist who sees the post will know more than others if the information is incorrect or misleading. If they post that the information is invalid, this confuses society and viewers even more than before.

More information from Pewresearch.org, found that scientists and social media experts have found and concluded that social media apps like Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and more have all contributed to incorrect information and panic as COVID outbreaks come out.

Overall, I don’t agree with never getting information from social media, but to know how to filter and determine if the information is accurate is key to getting the right information.

Fashion/Make-Up

Guide to men’s fragrances

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By: Salman Said

Many people love to keep up their hygiene to live up to high societal standards. If that’s bleaching your teeth white, using fake hair, or even getting surgery. Some may feel content with who they are but others want to change. Sometimes the drastic change people are looking for comes in a more simplistic form; the way we smell.

The way you smell is more important than you think. Human’s strongest sense is their sense of smell. It is 150,000 times stronger than sight, and people can detect over a trillion varying odors. Scents can also elicit vivid memories or intense emotions. Scents travel directly to the brain’s olfactory bulb, which is linked to the amygdala and hippocampus. The amygdala is the part of the brain that deals with our more intense emotions such as fear, rage, and even pleasure. The hippocampus, on the other hand, is the part of our brain that deals with memories. 

The way you smell can be the one-and-all for some people, and if you’re trying to make the best first impression, smelling good is one of the best ways to do so. It can trigger positive memories for some people and studies show that a woman’s sense of smell is much stronger than a man’s. In recent research in Europe, women tend to choose men who smell better in a first reaction stand point than any other factor.

Fragrances are measured in milliliters or ounces. The standard fragrance sizes are 1.7, 3.4, and 6.7 ounces (50, 100, and 200 milliliters are the alternative sizes). These are the sizes that most bottles come in. The concentration of the bottles is also specified. The amount of actual scent in the bottle is referred to as the concentration. The majority of the bottles are made up of alcohol and the actual fragrance. The duration and strength of the fragrance are determined by the amount of fragrance in the bottle. The longer it lasts, the higher the concentration. Eau Fraiche has the lowest concentration, with only 1-3 percent. Then it moves on to Eau De Toilette with a concentration of 5-15%, Eau De Parfum with a concentration of 15-20%, and finally Parfum with a concentration of 20-30%. These are going to be the main types and most fragrances come in EDT (Eau De Toilette) or EDP (Eau De Parfum).

Fragrances are classified by different brands and each brand is called a House. Popular Houses are Dior, Yves Saint Laurent and Chanel. Each house has fragrances and most likely their flankers. Flankers are just a different variation of a fragrance. The Dior Sauvage EDT and Dior Sauvage EDP are two different flankers of the Sauvage fragrance and both hail from the same house: Dior.

There are two types of houses. Designers and Niche. Designers are the popular ones mentioned before. Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, etc., but Niche are the more lesser known fragrances. Popular Niche fragrances are Creed Aventus and Mancera Red Tobacco. Niches aren’t as well known as designer houses, and tend to be higher quality and more expensive.

If you were looking for a safe and easy way to buy your fragrance you can do retail. Retail chains like Macy’s, Sephora, and Ultra all sell Designer fragrances at typically higher prices. But you get to smell, test, and buy your fragrances safely and efficiently, and of course, you get the highest quality all at the same place. For some, that peace of mind is worth the price.

But, if you’re not trying to spend more for your favorite fragrances you can shop at Discounters. Discounters are typically the same popular Designer and Niche fragrances but at a lower price. Discounters can be the only places people can purchase Niche fragrances since they aren’t popular enough houses to be sold at retailers. Discounters are cheaper because often they are imported from different countries that sell the same fragrance for different prices. Typically, houses import the fragrances to retailers, and the cost of shipping and handling is reflected in the price at retail. Discounters cut the middle-man and get the fragrances straight from the source. This results in cheaper fragrances, and more options. 

Fragrances have distinct smells and each fragrance is marketed for different settings. Dolce and Gabbana The One is a popular date night fragrances that smells like tobacco and amber. While Prada L’homme and Bleu de Chanel are summertime fragrances that are designed to smell fresh and even soapy. The difference between a date night, club, and seasonal fragrances can be detrimental. You don’t want to wear a highly concentrated soapy fragrance during a date where they are sitting so close to you. 

Fragrances are divided into three notes. The top note is usually the shortest to last. It’s the first thing you notice when you spray the fragrance, and it really sets the tone for the rest of the scent. The middle note, which lasts much longer (usually after the first hour) and is the main note that fragrances are intended to smell like. Finally, there is the fading note, which is the base note. After all of the other notes have broken down in your skin, the base note usually outlasts them and smells like a blending of everything else.

You should use fragrances on your heat points (wrist, neck, sides of your chest close to your armpits, and the insides of your elbows). This is how you get the most out of your sense of smell. When applying, simply spray it on the heat points and leave it alone. Don’t spray it on your clothes because it’ll stain them. Don’t rub your skin after applying; the notes in the fragrance will be destroyed and the smell will not last as long.

Lastly, don’t over-spray; after the top note, our noses become nose blind to the smell, and we don’t notice it at all because it can be so overpowering. Just because you can’t smell it doesn’t mean no one else can. Ask someone after applying, “Can you smell me?” If they don’t, apply more. If they do, don’t.