All posts by HPSH Plaid Line

Advice/How To, Tech/Games

“Tone Tags” and how to use them

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By: Caroline Crosby

I will preface by saying that this article may be a bit opinion-heavy in some places. The goal is to be as clear and concise as possible with this information, but personal bias can be hard to exclude regarding social accommodations such as tone indicators. 

But what exactly are tone indicators, and why are they used?

The short answer is as the name suggests. They are indications or “tags” that are used to convey tone. Specifically, they clarify the meaning of messages or written posts that could be interpreted in more ways than one. Tags are intended for casual interactions (social networks, SMS, emails, etc.) and were first made popular on text-dependent social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Tumblr, and Reddit.

Now that the “what” has been briefly established, we examine the “why” and the common application. 

Tone can drastically influence the meaning of a sentence. For example, let’s say that you and a friend were communicating via a standard messaging system. You send them an uproariously witty comment (in your own humble opinion), and they respond with “I hate you.” 

But what did your friend mean by that? Do they really hate you? Were they joking?

For those who struggle to perceive tone through text, these types of situations can be challenging to navigate. Many people (myself included) struggle to pick up on the intention of a message in written form. For neurodivergent individuals, the lack of indications outside of the words themselves (e.g., physical body language, voice inflection, facial expressions) can make it hard to decode the meaning of a text or post.

That’s where the tags come in!

For example, if your friend wanted to convey that their comment was a joke in response to your own, it would read as: “I hate you. /j”.

Alternatively, if your message made them seriously despise you, they would say, “I hate you. /srs”.

Indicators are easy to use and prevent distress from missed social cues. When applied correctly, miscommunication and misunderstandings caused by ambiguous tone in text can always be avoided.

In a day and age where this particular medium of conversation is commonplace, clarity is essential. As non-face-to-face communication, in general, has grown and changed, our syntax, grammar, and sentence structure has adapted as well. 

Likely, you’ve never heard of these fabled “tone tags” before, but they were conceptualized long, long ago. An informative carrd.co site explains:

“The tone indicator ‘/s’ has a well-precedented use, spanning years on Reddit. As early on as the 1580s, there have been tone indicators; Henry Dunham, an English printer, created a backwards question mark, ‘⸮’, which he dubbed the ‘percontation point*. It was meant to indicate rhetorical questions”.

In the modern context, they’ve evolved into a form of accommodation.

However, some believe that these devices are “stupid” and/or a form of “babying neurodivergent people”. Pushback also stems from those who think that the indicators are inconvenient or ruin punchlines. If I had a nickel for every time I heard the phrase “but /j ruins the joke”, I would be a formidable customer at the dollar store. But that’s neither here nor there.

Lastly, it’s essential to recognize that not all neurodivergent individuals need these accommodations. Cognitive disabilities come in all shapes and forms, and just because some struggle with identifying tone does not mean that all struggle with it. I’d advise not to push or assume that every neurodivergent person needs to use these. Ask!

As a disclaimer, choosing not to use them on social media or in other contexts does not make you a bad person. It’s up to you whether you want to employ tone indicators or not, but if someone asks you to clarify a message or use the tags when conversing with them, give it a try! 

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Advice/How To

Benefits of doing puzzles

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By: Joxery Mezen Camacho

These days, puzzles have become a nice way to pass the time for many people. And if you haven’t been doing puzzles then maybe it’s time to try a few because there are quite a few benefits to doing so – and they’re fun! 

Lower stress! 

While puzzles can sometimes be difficult, and maybe make you feel stressed, they actually help lower your overall stress! When we do puzzles, our brain gets into a similar state to that when we are dreaming – it’s called the Alpha State – that causes us to stay relaxed and feelings of peace. 

Improves memory! 

Doing puzzles gives your brain a mental workout. This works your neural connection which makes them stronger and creates new connections. The area in the brain that processes and stores information is made stronger which helps you improve your short term memory. 

Teamwork! 

According to some researchers at Yale University, when people work on a puzzle together their relationship improves. This also helps improve their collaboration skills and their ability to work as a team! 

Improve your mood! 

Whenever we do a puzzle, our brain begins to produce and release dopamine! Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that affects your mood, optimism, and motivation by sending feelings of pleasure and reward. This helps encourage us to continue to challenge ourselves! 

Get better at problem solving! 

Puzzles help you become better at critical thinking! When you’re looking for the next piece to place down, your mind pictures a basic idea of what you’re looking for which strengthens your ability to create theories and hypothesize. And when you pick the wrong piece, you immediately begin to formulate a new idea and look for something different. This helps you improve your adaptability and innovation! 

For more information, please visit: 

Editorials/Student Voice

Why we should push for gun restrictions

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By: Hayat Osman

Warning: this topic may be sensitive to some readers.

Although there was a pandemic in 2020, according to the ‘Gun Violence Archive’ data, the rate of gun violence didn’t decrease. Instead, gun violence killed nearly 20,000 Americans; more than any other year in at least two decades.

Considering only high-profile mass shootings get media coverage, they overshadow the instances of everyday gun violence. This may be one of the reasons why the need for gun control is swept under the rug by the government.

One example of an everyday instance caused by gun violence in 2020, that is overshadowed by mass shooting reports, is the additional 24,000 people who died by suicide with a gun.

Because the media doesn’t often report the role of gun violence in homicides, domestic abuse, suicide, and unintentional deaths as much as mass shootings, “It doesn’t get the support, the spotlight, the national attention. People don’t understand that it’s continuous and it’s on the rise,” said Mark Barden, co-founder of the gun violence prevention group Sandy Hook Promise.

A study in 2016, published by the academic journal ‘Epidemiologic Reviews’, wanted to find ways to resolve the problem. They reviewed evidence from 10 different countries, around the world, on gun laws and gun violence from 130 different studies, to see if they could find a similar conclusion. One compelling trend they found was that gun restrictions on purchasing and owning a gun was followed by a decline in gun deaths.

So, the results of this study show that if we want to lower the death rates that are caused by gun violence, we must push for the government to make gun restrictions.

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Books/Art

10 lesser-known young adult book recommendations

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By: Bijou Kruszka

Have you ever been looking for something to read, but you can only find recommendations for ‘The Hunger Games’ or ‘Divergent’? They’re fine books, but most have read them already. If you want something fresh to read, try these novels.

1. ‘Renegades‘

In this series, by Marissa Meyer, who you may recognize as the author of ‘The Lunar Chronicles’, Nova Artino infiltrates a superhero team to try and get revenge for her parents’ death. But when she bonds with Adrian Everhart, the son of the main superheroes, Nova doubts her beliefs. The series has a diverse cast of characters and interesting ideas about right versus wrong.

2. ‘We Are The Ants‘

‘We Are The Ants’ is a beautifully tragic novel about Henry Denton, a high-schooler with a terrible life, who gets abducted by aliens. In one particular abduction, the aliens allow him to save Earth by pressing a button. He’s determined to not press the button, but when he returns to Earth, he meets Diego, whose positivity and love make Henry wonder whether he should destroy the planet or not. Henry is cynical as a narrator, which is rather refreshing for a YA book. Also, for a book as sci-fi as it is, it is incredibly real, and most readers could probably connect with Henry in one way or another.

3. ‘Nevermoor: The Trials Of Morrigan Crow‘

If you’re looking for another fantastical world on the level of ‘Harry Potter’, without having to think about the problematic views of the author, I wholeheartedly recommend the ‘Morrigan Crow’ series. The first book follows Morrigan Crow, a young girl cursed to die on her 11th birthday. When she is rescued from death by Jupiter North, he takes her to the magical realm of Nevermoor, a world filled with magic and interesting characters. To stay in Nevermoor, Morrigan must participate in the trials to enter the Wundrous society. The world of Nevermoor is very immersive and creative, and the dynamic between Morrigan and any other characters she meets is great.

4. ‘Aru Shah and the End of Time’

If you miss ‘Percy Jackson’, with its modern takes on mythology, and its genuinely good comedy, then look no further than ‘Aru Shah’. This series recently ended in January, and it’s fantastic. Aru Shah, in an effort to impress some kids at school, accidentally incites the end of the world. To fix her mistake, she must team up with Mini, a timid girl with extensive and disturbing knowledge of medical things, and Boo, a sarcastic pigeon. Hijinks ensue. This book does it all — incorporates Indian mythology into modern situations, has pop culture references abound, and a cast of well-developed characters.

5. ‘The Line Tender‘

Words cannot describe how much I love ‘The Line Tender’. The book begins with Lucy and her best friend, Fred, creating a scientific journal about sharks for extra credit in their science class. When a beached shark suddenly disappears, it looks like the book will be turning into a light-hearted mystery, but then the story takes a hard turn away from that. When Lucy experiences a huge loss, the novel turns into a painting of grief and how to deal with it. The book is tragic, but also beautiful. Plus, the author lives in Minneapolis, so reading this, you’re supporting a local author.

6. ‘Welcome to Night Vale‘

Both fans, and non-fans, of the hit podcast of the same name can find something to like in this novel. Single mom Diane Crayton and antique shop owner Jackie Fierro work together to solve the mystery of the enigmatic man in the tan jacket, whose face no one can seem to remember. The magical and mysterious town of Night Vale is a cool setting, and you won’t see the end coming.

7. ‘Legendborn‘

‘Legendborn’ follows Bree, an African-American college student grieving the recent death of her mother, who discovers a secret society called the Legendborn, made up of descendants of members of the round table. When she joins their ranks, she sees the bigotry behind the Legendborn. With an epic battle on the horizon, Bree has to decide whether to fight with them or take them down. Though heavy with exposition, the representation in this novel is abundant, and the main character is more likable than most.

8. ‘Skulduggery Pleasant‘

‘Skulduggery Pleasant’ is about a teen girl named Stephanie as she teams up with a talking skeleton named Skulduggery Pleasant to solve her uncle’s murder. The magical setting of this world is original, and the character of Skulduggery Pleasant, though odd in concept, is a very likeable protagonist.

9. ‘The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel‘

Also based on a podcast, ‘The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel’ is creative and works really well in a novel form. Mars Patel’s friend is missing, and nobody seems to care. He is determined to find her, and finds out disturbing things about his idol along the way. The cast of protagonists are all very distinct and likable, and the end has a huge plot twist that you won’t see coming.

10. ‘Star-Crossed‘

‘Star-Crossed’ is about a girl named Mattie who auditions for a small part in her school’s production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’. In a turn of events, Mattie has to play Romeo. To top it all off, Gemma, the cute new girl is playing Juliet. This book has an adorable romance and it has discussions about bisexuality that I haven’t seen in other novels.

This concludes my list. Happy reading!

COVID-19, World

The world’s worst ongoing COVID-19 outbreak

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By: Alexandra Rimbu

India is now home to the world’s worst ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, having nearly more than 17.6 million reported cases since the beginning of the pandemic. And while this number may seem high, experts speculate the total number of cases (both reported and unreported) may be up to 30 times higher, reaching more than half a billion cases.

The great disparity between the total number of COVID-19 cases and the reported number of COVID-19 cases could be caused by several factors, including low testing levels and undercounting deaths. 

Last year, in late April, the country was only testing fewer than half a million people per day, compared to the 2 million tests they do per day now. However, it appears this is still not enough.

“That’s still not sufficient because the national average positivity rate is about 15% — in some cities like Delhi it’s up to 30% or higher. That means there are lots of people out there who are infected and not being detected just because of the capacity of testing … we will know only later how many was really the number of people infected,” says Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist for the World Health Organization (WHO), speaking on the low testing levels. 

The country also suffers an underfunded public health infrastructure. In normal times, according to CNN, only 86% of deaths nationwide are registered in government systems. During this pandemic, this number has decreased greatly. As hospitals have run out of space, more and more people die at home or in other places, where there are no doctors present to assign a cause of death, and these deaths then go unreported. 

As of April 27th, India reported nearly 198,000 COVID-19 deaths. However, Bhramar Mukherjee, professor of biostatistics and epidemiology at the University of Michigan, estimates COVID-19 fatalities could be underreported by a factor of between two and five, meaning the real death toll could be close to 990,000.

While India still continues to struggle, it is receiving aid from overseas and taking steps itself towards lowering COVID-19 cases.

If you would personally like to help with the COVID situation in India, here are some links to sites where you can make a donation: 

For more information, please visit:

Football

Recap of the NFL draft and how it’s changed since last year

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By: Charlie Fragassi

This year, the 2021 NFL draft took place in Cleveland, Ohio.

The NFL draft was held with spectators allowed for the first time since last year, when there were no fans allowed because it was pretty much the start of COVID-19. It was held via Zoom, and the players had cameras on and were attending it virtually that way.

Fortunately, things have gotten better so the NFL decided to hold the draft allowing fans. The NFL still was fairly cautious about COVID, so obviously people were wearing masks, but what I thought was cool, was that in the pavilion where the draft was held, they had something called an inner circle. In the inner circle, the only people allowed were people who were fully vaccinated because those people were the closest to the stage and the players when they came out.

As I stated earlier, in last year’s draft, the draft participants were all in a Zoom call at home. This year, the players had the option to fly out to Cleveland and attend the draft in person. This is cool because the players get to go out on stage in front of everyone and meet the commissioner of the league, Roger Goodell, along with receiving their jersey right on stage in real time.

A lot of players opted to go in person to the draft, but a large chunk of them wanted to stay home and celebrate this special moment with their family and friends in the comfort of their own home, which, in my opinion, would be the most ideal thing to do.

Although it may have felt weird to have an in person NFL draft with fans, hopefully it continues this way in the future and we don’t have to worry about having an online draft ever again.

Movies/TV/Theaters

‘Good Omens’: A review

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By: Bijou Kruszka

‘Good Omens’ is an Amazon Prime mini-series following the angel Aziraphale and the demon Crowley as they work together to stop an 11-year-old Antichrist. The show, although not without its faults, is very entertaining. It is a good, but quick, watch.

To start, let’s look at all the positives. The
first few minutes of the show are narrated by God,
who is voiced by Frances McDormand. The
monologue is reminiscent of the clever writing
style found in Douglas Adams’s ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy’. It does an excellent job of setting the tone for the series, and it is a very entertaining start.

Both protagonists, Aziraphale and Crowley, are well-written, and their relationship dynamic works very well (some would say too well, but I’ll touch on that later).

Aziraphale, played by Michael Sheen, has a very interesting character arc. The series follows him internally debating whether he should fight for Earth with Crowley, or turn his back on them and be with his fellow, but inhumane, angels.

Crowley, played by David Tennant, also has an interesting character. He is very loyal to Aziraphale, and he is best described as chaotic neutral. He is often in scenes blaring Queen music out of his car, and from a person who loves Queen, I appreciate just how many scenes they play Queen songs in.

Besides Aziraphale and Crowley, there is a whole cast of side protagonists. For starters, there’s the “Them”, a group of 4 kids led by Adam, who just so happens to be the Antichrist. Though the children don’t get much screen time, they’re always entertaining and feel more like children than most young protagonists.

There’s also Newt Pulsifer and Anathema Device, a witchfinder and a witch, respectively. While Newt doesn’t get much development, he helps Anathema realize she doesn’t have to live her life centered around the prophecies written by her ancestor.

The villains, Lord Beelzebub and Archangel Gabriel are antagonists you love to hate. Beelzebub is just plain evil, as expected from a demon, but Gabriel is evil in a passive-aggressive way, which isn’t a common occurrence and is an interesting character trait.

The ending of the series is one of the best I’ve seen in a while. It’s closed enough for a nice series finale. But, it’s also open-ended just enough for a possible second season.

On the other hand, let’s look at the possible negatives. No series is without its faults, and ‘Good Omens’ is not an exception by any means.

First off, due to its religious contents, it is not a good fit for some. That’s not necessarily a negative if you enjoy that; just something to keep in mind for people who don’t. In fact, a group of Christian moms petitioned Netflix to take ‘Good Omens’ down, but failed to realize that the show was on Amazon Prime, which is hilarious.

Then, there’s the issue of queerbaiting. For those of you unaware with the term, queerbaiting is when fictional media hints at characters being LGBTQ+, but don’t ever confirm it to keep conservative audiences watching. People have said that ‘Good Omens’ is guilty of queerbaiting, but I disagree. The whole concept of ‘Good Omens’ would turn conservative audiences away, so if the creators of the series wanted Aziraphale and Crowley to end up together, they would have. I don’t deny that the characters have romantic tension, but I think that may have been accidental, and that queerbaiting is an inaccurate accusation.

Lastly, I wish there could have been more character development. Side characters like Newt and Adam’s friends barely get much screen time, therefore not giving them a chance to grow.

In the end, ‘Good Omens’, though accused of queerbaiting and unpopular with conservative audiences, is a good series, and an excellent binge watch for a boring weekend.

Travel/Food

My favorite Minnesota parks

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By: McKenna Nutter

Now that spring will be here soon, more people are looking to spend time outdoors, especially after being trapped at home with nowhere to go all year, and it was especially hard in the winter. Luckily, Minnesota has some very nice parks and outdoor areas to go and hangout, take a walk, or if you’re looking for some place to go camping.

One of my favorite, very local places to go, are the Mississippi Falls, also known as Hidden Falls. It’s a great place to go for a short hike with my family, and a place I have been going for longer than I can remember. It’s near Highland Park High School, just across the Mississippi River, through Highland Village.

Another wonderful place to go is Crosby Regional Park. These outdoor trails are located along Shepherd Rd and Kellogg Blvd. It’s a set of trails that runs partially along the river and circles a small lake. I have been here with a friend before, and we had loads of fun, I only wish I had brought more water! 

If you’re looking for a great place to go hiking and kayak, Lebanon Hills Regional Park is a great choice. Last summer, my family and I took kayaks to Lebanon, and the small lakes connected together made for easy movement between each body of water. Not long before our kayak outing, we had taken a long walk through Lebanon’s beautiful hiking trails, and we were even lucky enough to see a group of horse riders, on their own, separate path. It was a large park and the scenery was beautiful. And though I’ve never been personally, I’ve heard they have year-round campsites open. I find Lebanon Hills to be my favorite nearby park, with all of its options for outdoor activities. 

If you’re looking to go camping for a few days, especially to get far out of the city, Whitewater State Park, located not too far from Rochester, in Winona County, was a wonderful place I went to on a group camping trip. The trails were beautiful and hiking through the rocky bluffs was more fun than I had expected. Whitewater State Park is located just a few miles from the Trout Run Creek, a popular place to go fishing. 

Getting To Know/History

Has there ever been a communist state?

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By: Grace Helmke

The world is seemingly convinced that communism is the devil. It’s branded as “killer of man,” attempting to dissuade any potential from leaning into the fiery grasp of leftism. We have allowed dictatorial characteristics to become the poster child of communism; for that is all people know. Stalin. Lenin. Mao Zedong. Fidel Castro. All dictators. All members of the communist party. And yet, not one was the leader of a communist state. And that is for one reason only: there has never been a true communist state. 

I think it’s important to first discuss what communism really is. It seems that in today’s political climate, the ideology is often misrepresented and defined incorrectly. There are various overlapping political and economic ideologies which can be defined as communism.

However, the basis of a communist system lies in the idea of anti-capitalism. The means of production are collectively owned and operated, instead of privatised.

Under a capitalist system, money begins to accumulate in a small percentage of citizens: the bugeouise. This means that socioeconomic classes within a state would be abolished. The bourgeois would have the same access to resources that a member of the proletariat would. The formerly rich would have to labor, or work, just as the formerly poor did. Everyone contributes to society according to their ability, and receives back based on their need. The theory of communism revolves around the idea of abolishing all that oppresses the proletariat and all that benefits the bourgeoisie.

The USSR is often represented as being far more radically left than they actually were. We often immediately think of communism when we hear the names Vladmir Lenin and Joseph Stalin.

But the reality is that the USSR was a state capitalist society. They imposed a layer of state managers to operate the industry in the name of the people.

Like discussed before, under a true communist state, workers control production. The only time Russia was close to a communist system was right after the Bolshevik Revolution when land was redistributed to the peasants, and the farmers agreed upon how their products would be used. But, of course, the leaders were set on the idea of a state capitalist society which was far closer to a dictatorial socialist state.

Lenin did believe in Marxist theory. Karl Marx claimed that in order for a state to become fully communist, it had to go through various stages. They first would have to be a capitalist society. Capitalism would then fail, and socialism would take reign. Eventually, the communist utopia would be implemented. One could not claim to be a communist state without having been socialist first.

It could also be argued that communism never existed because the abolition of all forms of class was never administered. A social hierarchy within Russia still existed, and many believe that was due to the fact that capitalism still existed though in a different form. Amongst communists, it’s widely believed that racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, and much more cannot be combated until capitalism falls. 

China, as it currently exists today, although ruled by the communist party, is not a communist nation. It is most closely related to socialism, but even then it strays from what we in modern day society consider socialism. There still exists a private sector of the Chinese economy which is responsible for a larger portion of the GDP than the state sector. The state enterprises coexist with the private sector of society.

But before modern China was switched over to a mixture of private and state operated institutions, the communist party that ruled the nation was led by Mao Zedong. Upon establishing rule, the communist party wished to first implement a socialist state (like many other nations). Many leaders actually sought to follow the line of the Soviet Union, including placing restrictions upon labor in the same manner that the USSR did. They desired some control over industrial and capital society. Leaders envisioned a mixed economy of privately owned capitalist firms, state-owned capitalist firms, communist collectives, and other diverse types of enterprises. This was called market socialism.

The myth that China was communist under Mao Zedong can be further dispelled when reading an essay called “On the People’s Democratic Dictatorship,” in which Mao established socialism as the foundation for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party). Mao stated that their mission was to implement socialism and then, long into the future, establish communism. But he admitted that it would take a significant portion of time to even commit to socialism.

There never existed a time where workers controlled their own production and surplus. They simply redistributed the wealth, and then re-established state-feudalism. This allowed them to implement communes, providing the illusion of collectivisation which gives the illusion of communism. The workers did not control anything regarding labor and surplus. They were obligated to work by commune management appointed by the government. The surplus was also under control over the government.

China was never communist, it only appeared that way due to the fact that many people don’t really understand what it means to be communist. 

Again, in Cuba, under the rule of Fidel Castro, the nation was a socialist republic not a communist state. Castro publicly admitted that communism would not work in Cuban society after an economic crisis emerged.

Cuba today is a socialist country, and does not claim to be communist. This is a common pattern in many countries with a history of communist party rule. It is believed they are communist because that’s what the leaders claim to be. But that does not mean the economic or political system actually mirrors the beliefs of the leaders. What needs to be looked at more closely is the relationship between the working class, their surplus, and their involvement in the operations of production when indicating whether or not a nation is or was communist. 

Our nation has placed an emphasis on hostility towards communists, and leftist in general, due to the false belief that communism is to blame for the totalitarian, oppressive forces of many dictators throughout history. But the truth is that communism has never existed on our planet, and therefore no one can claim that it is a theory bound to fail. There is no evidence to prove this. It’s entirely possible that one day we will be a stateless, moneyless, classless society if the belief in the superiority of capitalism falls. 

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Getting To Know/History

What is haram?

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By: Mohamed Ahmed

What is considered haram, or forbidden, in Islam? Well, that is what this article is about.

Let’s start from the roots. Islam is the fastest growing, and second most practiced, religion in the world. It is estimated to have almost two billion followers. To put that into perspective one in every four to five people in this world are Muslim. Islam has five pillars and rulings about what is and is not acceptable in their holy book the Quaran and the words of their prophet the Hadith.

Halal 

Before we get to what is forbidden, let’s look at what is allowed. Halal is the term used for when something is permissible for a Muslim.

Permissible sometimes has a negative connotation, but it’s more like what’s normal for Muslims. This includes anything that isn’t haram, or looked down upon (there’s no easy English translation). Everything from the way you react when a member of your family is killed to when you are able to do certain things, is dictated by this branch of Islam, but the part most people want to know about is what not do. 

Haram 

Murder: In Islam, murder is strictly prohibited. There is a clear line between self defense and murder. There are no circumstances where your life is not in danger and it’s OK for you kill someone.

There are rulings for compensating families impacted by killings and executions, but if you are not careful you could be breaking one of the largest taboos in Islam. 

Suicide: Suicide is one of the more clear cut taboos in Islam. You are not allowed to commit suicide in any situation. There is nothing in my research that pointed to there being a debatable point in which suicide was an option. 

Tatoos: Changing the body in a permanent way strictly for beutificational reasons is haram. This not only includes tattoos but plastic surgery, implants, and other such changes. Surgeries that are fixing something, like skin grafts, along with nose surgeries, are permissible to an extent, but not past a certain point. 

Domestic abuse: The Prophet said in a Hadith “The best of you are those who are the best to their wives.” It was also stated that you should try to get as close to your spouse as possible, akin to your best friend. 

Interest and gambling: Interest is taboo in Islam just for the fact that it makes the poor more poor. Charging or taking interest loans is haram. Gambling can make a rich man poor, a poor man rich, but most of the time a poor man poorer.

Adultery: Having pre-marital sex, or sexual relations is strictly forbidden in Islam. While you are married, you also cannot have relations with a mistress.

Alcohol and drugs: Alcohol is forbidden in Islam because it causes you to act irrationally and do things that you wouldn’t even think of doing before being intoxicated or high. Medicine in moderate doses does not count as drugs. 

Slaughtering animals the wrong way: The wrong way is haram. Excessive pain, along with not saying the name of God, while slaughtering is also haram. Muslims are not allowed to eat meat that was slaughtered incorrectly. 

Eating pork: Eating pork is haram. The only exception is if you are starving and have no intention of sinning you can eat pork. 

Portraits of Allah and prophets: You are not allowed to draw or depict the prophets in any kind of drawing; no exception.

Shirk is the worst sin of all: It is forbidden to put others with Allah (monotheism), or to reject his existence.

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