Beauty Advice from the Jihad

       

       A recently released Jihad Women’s magazine recently wrote an article giving beauty tips to Jihad women. The Al-Shamikha magazine, wrote over 30 pages giving beauty tips involving issues such as skin complexion, how to marry the right guy, and how to make a bomb in your kitchen. However, the magazine shifts into what is expected of women of the Islamic religion early into the piece. 

"Because women constitute half of the population – and one might even say that they are the population since they give birth to the next generation – the enemies of Islam are bent on preventing the Muslim woman from knowing the truth about her religion and her role, since they know all too well what would happen if women entered the field of jihad.

”The cover model of the magazine is a Jihad woman fully clothed and holding a machine gun. Symbolism for the female’s role in the nation of Islam and how they are almost as important as the men is the reason behind the choice in the cover model. The format of the magazine almost looks as if it could be a poetry book in a foreign language. Colors such as pink, violet, and yellow are the dominant colors throughout the issue, appealing to women while inspiring them to support the nation of Islam is the magazines inspiration behind the color choice, the editors use these tactics well.

The only thing that gives away the violence contained in the article is the photos of children crying in front of their dead brothers and fathers, otherwise the pretty colors and foreign language misguide you. The intent of this magazine is to sway women to be more supportive of the husbands and children who fight “the enemies of Islam.” The other articles in the magazine consist of interviews with the wives of husbands who were suicide bombers, how to make a bomb at home, and the pros and cons of honey facemasks.  So if a girl ever needs a nice complexion to feel more at ease while she has a bomb strapped to her chest, this magazine is for her.

Mike Hartsough 

Communication Studies

Wilkes 2012

Powertreckk

All modern digital technology has built in chargeable batteries. The idea of a cell phone or laptop powered with replaceable batteries is ludicrous. So what comes next in the energy market? A Swedish fuel cell technology company titled myFC, linked right ahead on the droid guy has developed a portable charger that converts hydrogen into electricity. The device is called the Powertreckk with inspiration from the William Shatner show. It can fit in your pocket, it is so miniscule and can charge your cell phone, GPS, or camera. The device is one hundred percent eco-friendly, doing this by only releasing water vapor when done converting the hydrogen into energy. By making the device wireless, myFC has given consumers a reason to purchase

Why solar energy?  We, the human race, now have the intellect to create hydrogen powered devices which could ultimately redefine what we think of fuel in years to come. Imagine pouring water into your engine instead of fuel. Conveniently replacing our involvement in the Middle East, with the concern of keeping our oceans and lakes clean in its stead. This new energy converter could not only reduce air pollution, but completely erase any reason for our involvement in any Iran occupied countries.  Who needs oil when you can cruise down the block with quality H2O?

The U.S. is falling behind in gaining the green technology capable of this feat. The powertrekk is groundbreaking for its wireless capability and rechargeable technology. The Swiss have had several break-through inventions involving hydrogen while the U.S. has mainly concentrated on battery powered cars, and solar panels. The device was put onto display on the fifteenth and has yet to be covered by a national news program. I personally think it’s due to the power oil companies still have over the media and politics. The U.S. coverage it has received was from Attack of the Show on the G4 network, a channel that even gamers avoid like it’s the plague. How is it? That a controversial Kim Kardashian commercial makes headline news, while water powered device charger doesn’t even make a blip on the radar. 

Powertrekk - How it works from PowerTrekk on Vimeo.

Mike Hartsough 
Communication Studies
Wilkes 2012

Chael Sonnen: When Success is Absolutely Positively Not an Option

        

       Think about school for a minute, can you ever recall an instance where you had a project and you told everyone how you were going to get the best grade anyone has ever seen on it. You did all the work on time, and told everyone how good you were doing, showed off your amazing project for 4 days before the project was due, and then when it is time to hand it in, you just didn’t… Hopefully this is not the case otherwise you are a complete fool.

Well this is an analogy for how Chael Sonnen did against Anderson Silva in his Middleweight Championship Bout in August, building up to the fight Chael Sonnen constantly spoke out against Anderson Silva, claiming that the 6 (at that time, now it is currently 8) time Champion was not as soft spoken and humble as he claimed to be. He also claimed the Brazilian could in fact speak perfect English and planned to retire him after this fight. He also said the Black Belt Silva earned in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under the Nogueira Brothers was, “Like saying you got a free toy with your Happy Meal.”

This all would have been fine and good, but Chael Sonnen lost this fight… by an Armbar Triangle, a submission, which is one of the main principles of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, so clearly the Black Belt Silva had was well deserved.

The story goes on though, if this was just like any other title defense against Silva, Chael would have just disappeared into obscurity to be damned to the bowels of Middleweight Contendership, but the UFC decided that Sonnen showed so much potential they gave him an instant rematch, while they already had a top contender in place for the winner of the fight, Vitor Belfort. 

This however isn’t such an uncommon occurrence many fighters have been jilted their shot at the title because of unforeseen happenings in championship fights. (See Anthony Pettis and his WEC Lightweight title unification bout)

The next problem that happened though was a suspicion that Chael wasn’t playing by all the rules. Chael Sonnen tested Positive for abnormally high amounts of Testosterone in the pre-fight blood screening because of an illegal substance. Chael was then suspended for 1 year because of this positive test and fined $2,500 by the California State Athletic Commission. Chael then appealed this charge by saying he was diagnosed with Hypoganadism in 2008 and he takes synthetic injections twice a week. The commission then decided to lessen his suspension to 6 months for failing to disclose this information prior to the fight. 

To add more fuel to the already hot steroid fire, his levels of testosterone in his blood before the fight were much higher than they should have been had he only been taking his medication. Another accusation is that Hypoganadism is brought on because of steroid use. Hypoganadism is a disease that occurs because of low testosterone levels and that often occurs when one who uses steroids stops, so this has left many to draw their own conclusion.

As if all of these factors were not enough, Chael Sonnen was also convicted of money laundering in connection with mortgage fraud by the state of Oregon. After all the headaches and problems Chael Sonnen has caused throughout the past year the UFC decided until he got his personal life together he will be suspended indefinitely.

        The picture above shows his acne progression from 2009 where he did NOT test positive but should have shown symptoms for the elevated levels, to the Championship Bout against Anderson Silva where he tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone. The acne on his back is very typical of a higher level of testosterone, commonly seen in steroid use.

Jake Cochran

Communication Studies 

Wilkes 2013

LAND OF THE FREE

It’s unarguably the greatest moment in time to be alive.


Add to that, we’re Americans. We have, buy, and enjoy the best, newest conveniences of our time. Without a single thought we are living in the single greatest moment in time, strapped with the best gear the world has to offer, on the freest land on the planet.


Unfortunately it would be a downright shame if we never took a single moment to think about the LIVES (yes…. multiple lives)that are affected by this way of life we are so quick to revel in morning, noon, and night.


No, you’re right, you don’t owe anyone anything.


But just take a second, no need to pause the J Beeb, hear me out on this.


Somewhere far, far away in this foreign country they call China there’s this company. And really it’s pretty sweet because young adults get the opportunity to make an honest dollar everyday! No wait one dollar would be ridiculous, make that 9 dollars….Yup- nine dollars a day. And boy, are they lucky because that’s a new pay rate! Foxxconn just raised the pay rate! They raised it from where it was at less than 3 dollars for every day of work.


They figured if they didn’t, there’s a good chance they would have to put up even more anti-suicide nets around the “campus” buildings the factory workers to live in. And having to put up more nets- well that would be horrible, ya’ know?


Yeah, their conditions are so bad; their futures look so bleak that after working here for a few months, they decide it’s just not worth it anymore.


But you rest assured Foxxconn is doing everything it can. They just employed 2,000 on-site therapists! But only after they figured the dorms were possessed and had some monks take a stroll around the place.


Somehow the first whopper of a resolution didn’t work….weird.


One girl, mid-twenties lived in an impoverished area some miles away from the manufacturer, as many of the new employee do before making their way to Foxxconn. She came all this way to work to send money back home to Mom and Dad. Kind of like most young adults do in America today(…or wait?)


Once she got there she was put on iPad shining duty.


Shine, shine, shine all day long.


There is a high demand for these babies, and every single last one had got to be perfect!


She reported to work at 7:30 a.m. for shine duty at 8.


Shine, shine, shine, and then back to sleep for tomorrow.


She needs the sleep if she’s going to do it all over again the next day.


One day this budding professional shiner jumped from the top floor of her dorm.


But she failed at taking her life.


Now Mom and Dad, the same Mom and Dad she moved to help, spend everyday caring after their quadriplegic daughter.


When I neared the bottom of the first article I read about this low in human action, the article came to a picture of the first two girls in American, outside of Apple in NYC to buy THE FIRST iPads in all of America.


They held the iPad, proud. They had them. And best of all they had them before everyone else! Good thing we have businesses like Foxxconn that can pump out iPads fast enough for our American demand.


It’s not the girls’ fault. It’s not my fault. It’s not your fault.


It’s just that we have it all, and there’s a chance we’ll keep getting it.


But how is it possible we can turn away from the truth and enjoy it just as much?

Joshua Alberola
Communication Studies
Wilkes 2011

Why do children Misbehave and become Disrespectful?

I am working at a place where 98% of people I see every day are women. They come to relax and possibly to have someone to talk to about their matters. One of my regular customers was telling me how upset she was when her son tried to call her by her first name. Another customer’s son will just yell at her and even hit her when she asked him to share toys with his brother. My boss’ seven years old son threw a chair at him when he got yelled at for devastating something. This boy also constantly said he is not going to listen unless they let him have the TV for the whole day or buy him something that he wants such as a DVD.  The topic that kept coming up frequently is “my children are misbehave and very disrespectful.” Five out of ten women I have talked to who have children would say the exact same thing (not to mention some mother try to hide it because it’s an embarrassing thing to say).

Before saying these things about their children, why don’t the parents think back on why those children behave like that? It seemed most of those children who misbehave are either the only child or the ones who have been very spoiled since they were little. It’s what they called the “little emperor/empress symptom” where parents will accept any kind of favors their children have. It has gotten to the point where children think it’s the parent’s duty to provide them whatever they want.

                  

                 An example that I see clearly everyday is my brother. Being a Vietnamese means boys are more precious than girls. So my mother did everything she could to spoiled him. Every time we fight, I would be the one at fault. I work for my own expend, and he doesn’t. Every time he needs money, he came to my mother. He never washes any of his own dishes after he eat although the food was prepared for him already. Although he is twenty, he doesn’t even do his own laundry. My mom washed, folded, put his clothes in to the basket and he doesn’t even bother to bring it to his own room.

                

                As a result, he is now a very self-centered, selfish person who doesn’t care about anyone else but himself. He doesn’t listen to what my parents have to say anymore. He has no intention to help anyone in the family if needed. He can spend hours on Facebook goofing around but it would be extremely difficult to ask him to go to the doctor with my dad for thirty minutes. Not only Vietnamese spoil their son, parents now a day try to provide way too many things that children want but don’t need. That lead them to think they are the center of the world and they can get whatever they want. So, parents, before complaining about how selfish or disrespectful your children are, think of a way to teach them properly first; not to spoil them, give them the “little emperor/empress symptom” and then regret it later.  

By Quyen Nguyen

     

Work Release: “Not in my Backyard” by Sara Cosgrove

 “Not in my backyard”, That is the common comment when a work-release program is suggested to enter a new environment. And honestly who does want freshly released criminals in their neighborhood? That answer is simple, no one. But if no one wants these individuals in their backyard then as a society we need to decide what to do with these people who are trying to start over.

           
          There is currently a work release program MINSEC operating in downtown Hazelton, PA and so far it has not received any positive feedback. From local community members reporting how unsupervised residents do not report home. Or the residents engaging in fight over a rule and storming out of the building. This is a major issue. If the city is willing enough to welcome such an operation into the city you would think the residents would have the decency to respect the rules, and report home when they should or not leave the premises whenever they wish. This is also the responsibility of the owner and managers MINSEC. They should enforce the rules and regulations and make the current residents return home at the designated time. After hearing that criminals are basically allowed to roam the streets freely throws up a red flag. There should be no leeway, they go to work and come back, no questions asked. But that clearly is not happening at MINSEC.

          
          Another important fact to mention is that property values tend to decrease when there is an operation like a work release functioning in an area. From residential to business properties, work release programs bring negative attention that no one wants to be a part of or buy into.

           
          So the question still remains where to place these people? The best place would possibly be in more rural area, but there are still going to be people living in there and what makes anyone think that they would be okay with a work release program in their backyard? The best option is to make these work release programs safer and better integrated into whatever environment they are placed. These individuals need to respect the boundaries they are given and if they cannot do that then back to jail with them. It is society’s responsibility to protect the law abiding public first, not the criminal. If they blow their chance to get back into the real world, well, that is their fault. By making these work release programs strict and forcing the criminals to abide by the rules maybe then communities will be more willing to accept such a facility into their backyard. Until then everyone is going to protect their backyards from these criminals to keep themselves out of harm’s way. And who can blame them?  

Computers Replacing Teachers: When Technology goes too Far by Lindsay Behrenshausen

           In today’s society we are surrounded by persistent technological advances. Our world changes by the minute and there is always a new piece of technology waiting in the wings to be introduced. While computers have, without a doubt, simplified life and certain processes the question must be posed when is technology too much of a good thing?

          A recent article published by AOL News highlighted a new and upcoming form of learning. A series of 41 schools in New York City that identify themselves as part of a program called iLearnNYC has moved their curriculum strictly to a computerized format. The students do not use textbooks and teachers do not stand at the front of the class and instruct. This style of education has essentially made teachers inferior to computers and taken the human, personal element out of education, which will only prove to be a detriment to society.

          According to the New York City Education Department this experiment is the largest in scale in the United States. Both educators and administrators agree that the current education system is outdated and must be updated with new forms of technology and learning styles. However, essentially replacing teachers with computers is not the best way to approach updating the education system. Technology should be an aid to education, not a main form of teaching.

          While a strong proponent of striving to do what is necessary to help the youth of America succeed, there is a line that is being crossed. This style of learning is further pushing younger generations to be almost entirely dependent upon technology in all aspects of life. Teaching is a profession where educators have the power to make a difference and change the lives of young people. The personal, human element must not be taken out of American education.

          I can recall several teachers I had growing up that made lasting impressions upon me and taught me things that I still use and apply in my life today. While certain forms of technology was incorporated into the curriculum, they taught me things that I could not have learned on a computer monitor. The iLearnNYC program does claim that it provides more time for teachers to work one-on-one with students because the lessons come from computers; however, this is an unrealistic concept. The lessons are generic, generalized lessons that might not apply to every classroom and every setting. Without the teacher preparing lessons and teaching students it is harder for the instructor to cater the learning material to the progress of the students.

          Our society is already facing enough problems with computers and technology such as the overuse of video games and cyber bullying. These youth do not need to attend school and be placed in front of yet another computer screen. While the American education system is not perfect and certainly has its flaws it certainly has one thing correct—teachers actually teaching and students learning without being dependent on a computer. To take the human and personal element out of the education system in this country would be a large detriment to society and cause more harm than good.