The Rexonian (February 2015) by King's Academy

T he R exonian

“A l l t h e n e w s t h e y le t u s p r i nt ”

Thursday, February 12, 2015

vol. VIII … № 28

A Collective Remembrance A New Mindset for the People of Jordan By Dina Kuttab

candles in the wind Students gathered on February 10th to participate in a vigil for Lt. Kasasbeh

“I Can’t… I Have Rehearsal!” JYMC Commits to Music By Ahmed Al Khalayleh

Friday, January 30th marked the beginning of King’s Academy’s third annual Jordan’s Youth Musician’s Conference (JYMC). This entailed two days full of intense practice, with rehearsals from morning to evening, and the convergence of musicians

JYMC musicians from Commencement Lawn for

from both King’s and elsewhere in Jordan. JYMC began in the winter of 2013, back when the King’s Academy orchestra was a mere fraction of its current size. Since then, the orchestra has grown both in size and skill, tackling far more difficult and impressive pieces than before. This progress has also been made by the

across the nation convened on the customary annual JYMC photo

opinion a2–A3 Bushra Al-Sou’b on Capital Punishment

arts & Sciences A5 Suhail Nahhas on t he Lizard Man

campus a4 Tareg Hamza Profil es our Omelette Overlord

cinema A7 Amin Janjua reviews the year 2014 in film

JYMC orchestra, which has grown in size and proficiency every year since its establishment. Each year, the conference has held some theme or slogan. The first conference’s ‘punny’ slogan was “Without music, life would B-flat.” The next year followed with the phrase, “Time to play!” This year’s theme centered around the efforts and commitment necessary for creating music. The backs of the customary JYMC shirts this year read, “I can’t … I have rehearsal! Commit to music.” This year’s conference also featured an addition to JYMC, the choral component. This year, the King’s Academy Glee Club, joined by some guest singers from outside King’s, put together its own repertoire for the conference. At 6:30 PM on Saturday, the auditorium was packed with an audience eager to hear the result of the musicians’ hard work and commitment. Continued on page A4

Anyone who has been on the internet in the past week has seen them: the countless posts on the death of Lt. Mu’ath Kassasbeh. Some people write long posts detailing their sadness and anger; some change their profile pictures to the picture of the smiling martyr; Others still simply share the hashtag #‫( كلنا_معــاذ‬we are all Mu’ath). All of the posts seem to portray the same theme - the nation of Jordan is mourning the tragic death of a hero, a death that has united the country against ISIL and garnered heartwarming support from the international community. Amidst the chaos and anger that plagues Jordan, it is important for each person to reflect on their personal feelings towards the death of Lt. Kassasbeh, to take the time to mourn independently, and to ask themselves if the social media posts and signs of solidarity are representative of personal responses to the tragedy, or merely the result of pressure to conform to society’s expectations regarding mourning.

The problem with collective mourning is that it forces everyone to grieve in a standard way. The crier and the reflector, the person who believes in wearing black and the one who likes to wear color, the mourner of death and the celebrator of life, are all expected to act in a certain way, to show their solidarity through specific clothes, to cry at one time and remain composed at another It assumes that everyone in society has the same feelings on the tragedy, and that everyone expresses such feelings in the same way. Collective mourning assumes that the student who wears black cares more than the student who doesn›t, that the person who cried publically is sadder than the one who reflected privately, and that the person who sulked for three days is more empathetic than the one who Continued on page A3

the rexonian opinion February 12, 2015

The Rexonian amelia kenna, Executive Editor daniel leal, Managing Editor xu zhaoying, Managing Editor seung hee yang, Managing Editor suhail nahhas, Deputy Managing Editor sophia sarmadi, Deputy Managing Editor Assistant Managing Editors ahmed alhroob waleed alsulaiman carina ellis

amin janjua pengfei hu bushra al-sou’b

Staff Writers

Publishers

ahmed khalayleh dina kuttab rami rustom jianing zhao hyun taek lim

mr. james magagna ms. diane foster

Printer

mr. nidal nahhas

A State of Ignorance In the wake of the uncalled-for spectacle that was the killing of Airforce Luitenant Muath Al Kaseasbeh by ISIL, Jordan has proven to the world and itself that it is a country of people not tribes. There is no El-Fayez Jordan or Beni Sakhr Jordan. There is only the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The ‘holy’ Islamic State has proven to be nothing more than an Ignorant State, ignorant of Islam and of the value of human life. In light of current nationalistic fervor, it must not be forgotten, however, why we choose to fight. We do not choose to fight for the sake of fighting or the sake of revenge. We fight for a cause that is greater than ourselves—the cause of humanity. In doing so, we chose to stand against backward ideologies like that of ISIL, which prioritize religious interpretation over human life, when the contrary is true. Moments like these demonstrate to the world why it needs King’s Academy and its people. This war, like all wars, is not won by bullets, but rather by ideas, ending the war with the same fuel that started it. Empathy is our weapon. As students of King’s Academy, we must not fall prey to nationalistic fervor. Instead, we must be aware of it and understand it. We must not lose sight of the issue that is lack of education throughout the region and the world at large. As students, citizens of the world, and future leaders, we must be critical of our environment, both the actions of Jordan and ISIL. In doing so, the struggle Jordan has chosen to undertake is vindicated and not abused. In the hardest of times, we must keep our opinions founded on logos rather than pathos, so that the words we utter and the actions upon which we embark may enlighten us.

Corrections, Op-Ed submissions, and letters to the Editor may be addressed to: rexonian@kingacademy.edu.jo The Opinion page publishes individual authors and their own views, which do not necessarily reflect the views or editorial policy of The Rexonian.

That’s Okay, Decide for Me By CARINA ELLIS A point has been reached in the United States where choices are being made concerning the personal health of citizens without their control. In a recent article in The New York Times, Gail Collins discusses the newest trend in Republican candidates running for office: pro-contraception. “Passion for the Pill” highlights the recent and mysterious switch of opinion in the Republican Party. Are these political figures indeed convinced that contraception should be offered without a prescription? Or are they simply stating lies in order to obtain a higher percentage of approval rating and more votes? Though their ideals are changing to coincide with those of liberals, conservative ideology still holds. Republicans are in a position that they normally don’t fall into: the middle. Bewildered and confused Republicans have declared their opinion based more on popular belief rather than on their knowledge and passion for contraceptives. Mike Coffman, Republican House member, recently stated, “I support a woman’s access to… to, uh… [Audience member shouted: “Birth control!”] Birth control!” Underqualified members of the United States government are making choices about important issues that they know nothing about. Had Coffman been prepared and educated on current events, he would have been able to have a more personal stance on the debate instead of moving along with his peers. Coffman previously stated that he was pro-life. Republicans are trying to smooth out the battle against their opposing Democrats. This brings to question whether the gap in ideology between the left and the right is getting smaller. My own view is that Republicans are purely

acting like sheep, following the latest trends the same way a fashion guru would. Popular opinion said contraception was a bad thing. Republicans agreed. Popular opinion says women should have the right to prescription-less, cheap, and easy contraceptives. Republicans agree. A new playing field has been created where “Republicans in close elections suddenly turn into cheerleaders for over-the-counter birth control pills.” The conservative party is just swaying where the wind blows and more importantly, where they will get the most votes. Now a position of power in the government appears to be more important than the actual ideas of said person. Positions of power appear to be more important than the power itself because the race to the top is much more strenuous than staying at the top. Government members will make empty promises until the cows come home in campaigns and then neglect to follow through with their offers. Is it moral to allow the debate on contraceptives sway towards the Democratic belief of pro-contraceptive, even when the usual opponent might be faking its support? In my opinion, it is. Republicans’ shifting ideology might simply be nonsense only said to receive higher approval ratings and not actually make change. Women should have the right to control their bodies though easily accessible contraceptives. Ideally, women in government would have a larger and stronger role to push legislation on this issue. However, in this day and age, that just isn’t happening. So while such choices are generally made by men, the choices are finally reflecting the rights of women. One can hope that this marks the beginning of an age when women are simply given the rights they deserve.

A Capstone Learning Experience By RAMI RUSTOM The first week of school, Mr. John Leistler – who is teaching AP Capstone – explained the course to us; AP Capstone prepares us to be expert college students before graduating high school. Though it focuses on what we learn in other classes – analyzing, reading, and writing – there is no ‘content’, per say. It’s a class about thinking. We’ve done numerous projects in class but what I learned from the most was the Group Research Project that we’ve been working on the past few weeks. In small groups, we had to tackle problems of our choice and find solutions. The assignment has four parts: an individual research paper, a group research paper, a group multimedia presentation, and an individual reflection. After having finished the first two, I sat down and tried to think of how I grew and learned. These are the four things that I came up with: 1. Stop doing research The worst thing you could possibly do on a research project is research – and research, and research, and research. I had to learn the hard way that limiting yourself is the most import-

ant part about researching. Without a limit, we tend to bury ourselves in information that distracts us from our main research question. With too much research, we can forget the argument, and end up with too much irrelevant information. 2. Say it in 37 words The best way to escape this trap and return to your argument is to say it in 37 words. Mr. Leistler taught us this neat trick: whenever unsure about what you’re trying to say, simply try phrasing it in 37, 23, 8 – or any arbitrary number of words. The objective here is clarity and brevity – and there’s no better way of understanding your argument than by breaking it down. 3. Don’t be nice Working in a group is hard, but it doesn’t have to be that way. The best way to maintain a productive team is not by being nice, but being honest. This does not warrant hurtful language, but instead encourages team members to use constructive criticism. Our group? We were brutal to each other, but in the end, we got the work done, and we’re still friends.

the rexonian Opinion February 12, 2015

Remembering Mu’ath

When

Wrong

From Front Page

danced and partied the day after the

tragedy. This is not always the case. Everyone sees death differently; everyone reacts to it differently; and when a family member or a close friend dies, people seem to understand and respect these differences. Why then, are we supposed to be unitary in our mourning of a hero? This is not to say that unity in times like these is bad. In fact, it is necessary. Unity in the face of terrorism keeps us strong. But being united does not depend on us grieving in the same way. When death becomes more about how we portray our grief, when we care more about what we will wear to school to show our sadness than about actually reflecting on our feelings, mourning becomes another societal standard, our grief, another façade. How many of us took the time to really think, reflect, pray, or cry for Mu’ath? Personally, I rushed to update my facebook status long before I knew anything about his life. I wore my hatta and black shirt long before I shed my first tear. I spread the word about the video long before I processed the news myself. Perhaps I am being too critical. After all, the poems at school meeting were heartwarming, the signs of solidarity comforting, and the social media posts thought provoking. However, it seems to me that our focus as a society should be more on remembering Mu’ath’s life together than mourning him together. Though collective mourning does not allow each person’s individual reactions and feelings to shine through, collective remembering does. After all, Mu’ath is a hero who deserves to be remembered.

Can

Right

Another

Wrong

By Bushra Al-Sou’b Shock and relief emerged as reactions on the morning of December 21, 2014. After a moratorium since 2006, Jordan hanged 11 Jordanian detainees, all men, lifting the execution ban. The execution of the 11 criminals convicted of murder ended Jordan’s informal eight-year moratorium on the death penalty. Following Shari’a jurisdiction, Jordan has implemented death penalty for capital crimes, including, but not limited to, aggravated murder, rape, and acts of terrorism up until 2006. In March that year, the final execution took place; The Jordanian legal system unofficially invalidated the law and left it to the King’s will. It was HM King Abdullah II’s ultimate decision to implement capital punishment. Disgustingly enough, 122 criminals have since been sentenced to death. Jordan was once praised for its death penalty moratorium, making one wonder why it has made a decision to change. Firstly, non-application of the death penalty in Jordan resulted in steady crime increase with social violence doubling. As Interior minister Hussein Majali suggested recently, “the public believes that the rise in crime has been the result of the non-application” of capital punishment. The comment motivated Jordanian lawmakers to form a special committee that dealt with the debate to curb the recent rise in crime rates. Most of the public supported the decision, arguing that the Islamic law, if implemented correctly, would be the only way to bring holy justice to the region. They re-

ferred to Qur’an verse, “And there is life for you in Al-Qisas (the Law of Equality in punishment) O men of understanding, that you may enjoy security.” (2:179) However, few condemned the action, describing it as a clear and regrettable setback. In general, death penalty opponents denounce the action of taking something as absolute as life, even if it is legal. They argue that a wrong can never right another wrong, and angrily question the court’s right to illegitimately steal a human life. Nevertheless, a wrong can right another wrong in Jordan. Yes, the death penalty is an extreme measure to adopt. But it is crucial to consider the problem from all sides: the society you are dealing with, their system, mentality, and the crimes needing punishment. Priority should be for the security and well being of society. The death penalty will deter people from capital crimes, thereby diminishing the peril of increasing crime rates. Statistics showed that during the years following 2006, crime rate and social violence in Jordan increased sharply. With the death penalty in use, those who are about to commit a crime, no matter their determination, would be greatly inhibited. One should also realize that old, undesirable, and appalling values are born out of ashes of the lack of such deterrent. Who knows who the next victim would be. With death penalty, the outrage of the victim’s family is repressed, preventing dirty practices like revenge and tribal hostilities. Upset, Jalil Khoury’15 lamented and raised a valid point claiming that

“there are alternatives to the death penalty capable of accomplishing the same goals and giving offenders time to come to peace with their violations.” However, wasta plays a major role in the Jordanian society. Execution was replaced by 30-year jail sentences (in 2006). However, with wasta, there is no guarantee that the prison sentences will not gradually decrease to 20 years or even less. We should not fail to recognize the danger in this. Probable criminals become less fearful and more confident in approaching their crime. Some argue against the death penalty by claiming that courts can be wrong. It is possible that they make erronous rulings on crimes. Nonetheless, it is illogical to eliminate the basis of a law. Just because there could be a one percent chance of the detainee’s’ innocence does not make it legitimate to completely abandon the use of death penalty. It just means that the court should be more judicious in sentencing criminals to death. In order to assure this, Dr. Momani, Jordan’s Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications, announced that in many cases, implementation of the death penalty is delayed to allow for reconciliation between the opposing sides in premeditated murder cases. He also added that court verdicts on the death penalty are automatically appealed at the Court of Cassation, which has to uphold the verdict, stressing that the practice of execution is not a light matter. Once the Court of Cassation upholds a death sentence, the case is sent to the Cab-

Students React “I would say death penalty should be on the list. Yes, that may sound as an extreme solution, but some crimes are extremes, too. Rape, for example, is one of the crimes that should be dealt with by death penalty.” —Marah Tarawneh ’15 “There are alternatives to the death penalty.” —Jalil Khoury ’15

The UN General Assembly has passed four resolutions on an execution moratorium, isolating Jordan in the process

the rexonian Campus February 12, 2015

Can You Say Omelettes? A Profile of Ms. Rania Al Hayek By Tareg Hamza After spending years of her life cooking, Rania Al Hayek began her career in cooking at King’s Academy. Though you may not know her name, you know her face. Al Hayek is well known across King’s academy for her incredible omelets, which are the highlight of the weekend breakfast menu. But Al Hayek didn’t begin her career with omelets alone. She has a career history in cooking and has worked in several restaurants, including her own. After working in three different restaurants, Al Hayek decided that she didn’t enjoy working for others and would rather cook for her own enjoyment. With a knack for preparing Arab food, specifically Jordanian dishes, she decided to open her own restaurant, which was later reported

on by the magazine Jaridat Al Ghad. Unfortunately, unable to cope with the financial aspect of running a business, Al Hayek closed her restaurant after two years of good business and new experiences, deciding to return to working for other restaurants. Inspired to help her community, Al Hayek started looking for schools in need of cooking staff. King’s Academy caught her eye when she was searching for work and she quickly joined the school. She has now been at King’s for two years and wishes to continue, for she has enjoyed her experiences working here. Rania enjoys dealing with students on a weekly basis and enjoys the atmosphere in the Dining Hall kitchen, which she says involves less pressure than most restaurants.

Parlez-vous français?

By Jianing Zhao When you think of French, you Amman, organizing a Karaoke night probably just see it as one of the on Valentine’s Day (inshallah it will foreign languages that you have to be romantic) that all King’s Acadetake for two years in order to com- my students are welcome to join. (It plete the graduation requirements is also the Chinese and Korean New at King’s Academy. But alas, this is Year weekend so prepare yourselves an insult to French - one of the most for some culture diffusion!) If you beautiful and useful languages in the cannot come on weekends, there world. (Did you know that French is are other options: a Trivia night to spoken by 129 million people in 54 be held on a school night in March, countries?) Imagine a world without between the start of Spring Term and French toast, French fries and French Spring Break. This grand event will kisses (ew!). The image of France as a involve schools that teach French romantic country with amiable cafés, from all over Amman. The food will cutting-edge fashion, and the iconic be délicieux and everyone is weltour Eiffel has been planted deeply in come to come. Another great opporthe minds of the world. That image is tunity to learn about French culture merely a tip of the iceberg, however, is a trip to France between the end of as myriad French quirks still wait to the school year and Ramadan. The be discovered and appreciated. details of the trip have not yet been Out of a mutual love of French settled – it will either be a tour of and a yearning to establish French France or an exchange with a local culture in the school, several King’s French school. Additionally, we are Academy students including Mar- discussing the possibility of suppleah Ajeilat and Saif AlTarawneh menting or replacing AP French with proposed the idea of a French club term-long courses such as French to motivated French students who Cinema, French Culture through its wanted learn more. After receiving comics, French Art, Architecture approval from Dr. Mark Foster, the and Cuisine. For now, these are just French club officially began in early wild thoughts; But imagine watchDecember of 2014, gaining over 25 ing French movies and talking about

Dr. Mark lived in France from 1990–1996. He has been teaching French since 1987 and has been organizing exchange trips with schools in France since 1992.

Jordan Lifts Moratorium on Capital Punishment From Page 3 inet for endorsement and a Royal Decree should be issued to approve the executor. Obviously then, executions take place with full confidence and authenticity, and there is absolutely no mistakes or miscarriages in contrast to what Charlotta Spare, Swedish Ambassador to Jordan, reported. Of course that is not to mention that the 11 men all admitted their atrocious murdering. Britain, Sweden, and Human Rights agencies condemned Jordan for its recent action, describing the death penalty as an ‘inherently cruel punishment’ and encouraging Jordan to to ultimately abolish it completely

from the Jordanian law. No matter how valid the points they raised are, there is absolutely no need for their interference. A nation’s legal system should stay an internal affair, and in this case, only the Jordanian government and public should have a say concerning the debate. Whether Jordan should stay strong and continue the implementation of death penalty or freeze it again is up to the Jordanian government and public to decide. All we can do is to hope for the security, peace, and prosperity for this beloved country no matter what path it chooses to attain that.

members including this reporter. In our French club’s weekly meeting, everyone is free to propose activities that can help to foster our learning of the language, such as watching movies or playing word-guessing games. We also talk about current issues in the world and on campus, discussing how to make it more fun for students to learn French and how to foster a French culture in King’s Academy. In recent meetings, the club has come up with several plans: watching the classic French film La Grande Illusion at Lycée Français in

real French culture in class instead of just studying boring grammar in textbooks! If you are interested in these diverse activities and want to join our French club, please contact Dr. Mark. We meet every Sunday at 6:15 P.M. in Dr. Mark’s apartment. (Lots of snacks are offered, including chips in various flavors, cookies, dates, and juice.) Every Monday 6:15 PM, we have French table in the dining hall. Come and join us if you have a true love for French language and culture!

“I Can’t … I Have Rehearsal!” From Front Page The choir began the night’s ‘I Got Rhythm’. That weekend, the audience, concert, performing three short but sweet pieces: ‘Sanctus’, ‘3inda and even the orchestra members Himaha’, and ‘Ain’t that Good themselves, had the opportunity to News’. The orchestral performance enjoy a ‘full’ orchestra, complete then followed with four additional with strings, brass, woodwinds, pieces: Peter Tchaikovsky’s percussion, which wouldn’t have ‘Sleeping Beauty’, Johannes been present had it not been for the Brahms’ ‘Academic Festival conference. One can now only wait Overture’, Edward MacDowell’s to see what the orchestra and choir ‘To a Wild Rose’, and Gershwin’s have in store for next year!

the rexonian Arts & Sciences February 12, 2015

Lizard Man: the Living Dr. Connors

Upcoming Games of 2015 By WALEED AL-SULAIMAN

By SUHAIL NAHHAS

In the Spiderman franchise, Doctor Curtis Connors injects himself with a formula of lizard DNA to regenerate his left arm, only to mutate in to one of Spiderman’s villains: ‘the Lizard’. The idea of such a creature existing today is anything but settling. However, reports from South Carolina say that something like Spiderman’s Lizard is prowling through Scape Ore Swamp. The Bishopville Lizard Man, also known as the Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp, is a reptilian humanoid witnessed around the swamplands of Lee County, South Carolina. It is described as being seven feet tall, bipedal, and very muscular, with disputed reports concerning the presence of a tail. Though many reports describe ‘the lizard’ as a reptile, some reports say it is covered in dark hair, with a face covered in green scaly skin. The beast is described as having red glowing eyes and hands and feet with three black-clawed digits. Unfortunately, this creature is also notorious for its aggre ssion towards humans. In one case on June 29th, 1988, Christopher Davis, a 17-year-old local, was driving home from work at 2 AM and stopped on a road close to Scape Ore Swamp to change a

tire. As he was close to finishing up, he heard a thumping noise behind him and turned to see the creature 25 yards away, running towards him. Davis ran into the car and the creature grabbed the door handle as Davis was locking it. Davis sped off in the car and was successfully able to shake the creature off. Coming back traumatized with fear, Davis discovered his side-view mirror damaged and scratch marks on the roof of his car. His father took him to the Lee County sheriff’s office on July 16th, 1988, where he told his story to sheriff Liston Truesdale. side–lens Exploring the Paranormal Before Christopher came forward with his encounter, the Lee County sheriff’s office was called on the morning of July 4th, 1988 to a residence in a small rural community called Browntown, on the outskirts of Bishopville. Upon arriving, residents Tom and Mary Waye showed policemen their car, which had its chrome molding torn right off the fenders, its sidewalls scratched and dented, and some wires from the motor ripped out. When the police looked closer, they saw that parts of the molding were chewed, clumps of reddish hair lined the car, and muddy footprints covered the car. After Davis’ sighting, more reports followed about the Lizard man, all of which involved damaged cars. So what is the Lizard Man? Theories suggest that it could be a hoax to encourage tourism, a misidentified Bigfoot covered in algae, or an intelligent descendent of a dinosaur. We may never know what the Lizard Man is. But if you intend to drive near Scape Ore Swamp, be careful.

Sure, the year 2014 had some major disappointments. For me, it was the worst year in gaming history. But there is always hope, and to gamers, that hope is 2015. This year, many major game companies such as Ubisoft and EA will try to redeem themselves from the massive gaming setbacks of 2014 by producing better games. EA is trying to win our hearts back this year by releasing the highly anticipated Star Wars Battlefront, which every Star Wars fan is probably dreaming about it right now. EA is really aiming high for this work of art. The graphics promised will be unbeatable and the gameplay depicted should never let down any buyer. Sadly, not much is known about the game other than some gameplay enhancements, such as allowing the player to travel to and from the planet, while in the same battle. Though the release date for Star Wars is expected to be sometime in early 2015, I doubt that prediction, as a game like this would need more time for EA to actually perfect. In contrast, Ubisoft has done a great job with the games The Crew and Assassin Creed Unity. Their promises for this year are even better, with two new Tom Clancy games,

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege and Tom Clancy’s The Division. The first will focus on multiplayer team play and feature the newly created gaming engine AnvilNext. The Division will feature a plot that takes place after a tragedy has struck New York City. You, as a player, will have to fight, to save the city and put it all back together. The moment you start the game, you become New York’s new hope. The difference between the two versions of the game is the two storylines. While The Division focuses more on New York City than the Siege, the Siege focuses on multiplayer and realism. Other than EA and Ubisoft, indie games have made a breakthrough with games such as The Forest, which will soon release its Alpha version publically. Other games such as Evolve involve playing as the predator - not the hunter. Square Enix also hopes to make a comeback this year with the release of the highly anticipated Just Cause 3, which, unlike its prequel, will finish its development fully and will use all of its potential perfectly. Overall, game developers promise us gamers a great deal with their upcoming games in 2015. Hopefully, just hopefully, we won’t see any setbacks this year.

Games to Watch For: Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Seige Tom Clancy’s The Division Star Wars Battlefront The Forest Evolve Just Cause 3

the rexonian World February 12, 2015

Boko Haram Wreaks Havoc in West Africa By Ahmed AlHroob Boko Haram was established by radical Salafist Muslim, Mohammed Yusuf, who believed that following Western customs, both legal and societal, was against the teachings of Islam. He sought the liberation of Nigeria and the establishment of “The Islamic State of Nigeria.” To deliver his message, Mr. Yusuf started a school and a mosque that would communicate his religious complex to the public and help recruit “jihadis” for his movement. Slowly, the group began to grow. Over the years, Mr. Yusuf was able to produce his very own army of radical thinkers that would serve to do nothing other than cause chaos in Nigeria and other West African nations. The group’s initial violent activities included village raids to gain resources and followers. Through such raids, the movement gained a degree of success. However, as the threat of Boko Haram became more and more apparent, government officials knew that they needed to take action in order to preserve their rule over Nigeria. In 2009, after the group carried out several attacks on police stations and government buildings, the Nigerian military needed to strike back against the group in order to protect its power and its citizens. The Nigerian military was able to penetrate the group’s headquarters and neutralize its leader, Mohammed Yusuf, capturing many fighters in the process. This mission was seen

as a huge success for the Nigerian government, which believed that it had brought the demise of “Boko Haram.” Unfortunately, a new leader, Abubakar Shekau, took control of the group. Since his rise to power, Shekau has proven himself to be much more violent and aggressive than Mohammed Yusuf was. Under new orders, the group has greatly increased the number of attacks carried out against the Nigerian government. The group has transitioned from ordinary attacks to bombings and attacks against the police and government in the Nigerian capital. In 2013, as new fears arose that the group might expand its activities beyond Nigeria, the group was recognized as a terrorist organization. Boko Haram has been linked to the ‘Islamic’ State of Iraq and the Levant, with Shekau praising ISIL leader Abubakar Albaghdadi. Boko Haram has had a very large impact on the West African region. The group’s attacks have induced a constant state of fear and panic. Fighters have engaged in innumerable unthinkable acts, kidnapping women and children under the illusion that their religion demands this of them. Given how lethal Boko Haram has proven to be, action must be taken in order to end their misguided tyranny. The first step towards ending the group’s false message towards followers is to reduce poverty in Nigeria and build an educational system that will gain the support of Muslims in the area.

Socceroos Keep Asian Cup in Australia By Hyun Taek Lim The first major international soccer competition of this year, the 16th Asian Cup, was, for the first time, held on Australian soil. Among the 10 Arab countries that participated, United Arab Emirates achieved the best results, winning 3rd place over Iraq. Australia, the host, won the Cup while South Korea was the runner-up. Sixteen countries in total competed in the 2015 Asian Cup. For East Asian countries, Japan, North Korea, South Korea and China were qualified to participate. The 10 Arab countries that successfully landed in Australia were: Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Iran, Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq, and Palestine. Uzbekistan represented Central Asia. Australia joined the Cup as the host. This Asian Cup was

also the debut of Palestine’s team. Australia, South Korea, Oman, and the 4th pot Kuwait joined Group A. Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, China and North Korea were placed in Group B, and Group C was filled with Arab countries - Iran, U.A.E, Bahrain and Qatar. Jordan joined Group D with Japan, Iraq and Palestine. When the groups were announced, it was time for soccer journalists and specialists to predict the final champion. Japan and Australia were the popular candidates. Although they returned with unsatisfactory results from the World Cup, nobody could deny that they stood the closest to the championship. South Korea was also looked favorably upon, but the change of the team’s manager lead to many worries concerning the organization

of the team. The group stage of the 2015 Asian Cup took place from 9th to 20th of January. The 1st and 2nd place of the group could advance to the knockout stage. In Group A, as the majority expected, South Korea and Australia made it to the quarter finals. South Korea scored only 3 goals but won 3 games, while Australia scored 8 goals and came in as second place in the group. Having the high wall of Australia and South Korea standing in front, Kuwait and Oman were sadly disqualified. Like South Korea, China won 3 games and achieved the 1st place of Group B, and the only Central Asian country - Uzbekistan - was the runner-up. Saudi Arabia and North Korea were one step away from the quarter finals, but were unfortunately stopped at the gateway. In Group C, Iran and U.A.E were qualified for the quarter finals without any surprise. The host of 2022 World Cup, Qatar finished the group stage as 4th place, leaving nothing but regret with Bahrain. Japan, marching at a steady pace, easily entered the quarter finals with Iraq. Jordan finished the group stage as third, failing to qualify with Palestine. This Asian Cup’s group stage was pretty interesting, with no ties in all 24 games. The first game of the quarter finals was South Korea against Uzbekistan. Many footballers expected South Korea’s easy victory, as South Korea had displayed absolute superiority to Uzbekistan. However, that was not the case. Although South Korea won 2:0, the 2 goals were made during the second half of overtime. Uzbekistan truly showed off their power, but failed to defend South Korea’s star player, Son Heung-Min. The rivals of Middle East, Iran and Iraq had an extremely intense game. Iraq won 7 to 6 in the penalty shootouts, as the Iranian player Vahid Amiri missed a shot. While the score was 3-3 before the penalty shootouts, few were able to successfully predict the final result. Australia beat China 2:0, with the top star Tim Cahill scoring two beautiful goals, stopping China from their dream of winning the Cup. The most amazing variable of the Cup was made by U.A.E, as they beat Japan in the penalty shootouts, 4-5. U.A.E led the game in the first place, scoring the first goal at the 7th minute, but Japan caught up at 81st minute. In the penalties, two stars of Japan, Honda and Kagawa missed their shots, regretfully giving the ticket to semifinals to the U.A.E. The game between South Korea and Iraq repeated their history from the 2007 Asian Cup semi-final. Eight years ago, Iraq beat South Korea

in the penalty shootouts. However, this time, South Korea showed their power by scoring two goals. The new forward of South Korea, Lee JungHyun, and defender Kim Young Gwon presented beautiful goals for South Korea, while the team kept its record of not letting any of its opponents knock open its goal, and the new record could have be written if they were to win Australia with a clean sheet. The final was played between . The 3rd place was given to U.A.E, by beating Iraq by 3-2. Khalil scored two goals. For the final, many of the footballers expected a harsh game, and that came to be true. Australia, breaking the defense of South Korean goalkeeper Kim Jin-Hyun, won 2-1 in the overtime. Luongo was the first man to score against South Korea, scoring a goal at 45th minute. South Korea caught up dramatically, having Son Heung-Min score at the extra time of second half with his left foot. However, the miracle did not continue for the East Asian country. At 105th minute, Australia gained an additional score. That goal was the final goal of the game, and Australia successfully became the winner of the Asian Cup.

Although Australia was the final champion, the top scorer of the Cup was Ali Mabkhout from the U.A.E. Scoring 5 goals, he was followed by Hamza Al-Dardour of Jordan and Ahmed Khalil of the U.A.E. In the Best Eleven of this competition, there were 4 Australians, 4 South Koreans, two Emiratis, and one Iraqi. Throughout the 2015 Asian Cup, many Arab nations were praised for having teams with great potential. New players were discovered and the star players proved why they are called ‘The Stars’. The Asian Cup 2015 concluded with enormous national pride for all. Coming up next is the African Nations Cup, which will provide another good time for football fans.

the rexonian cinema February 12, 2015

The Year in Film By Amin Janjua

Whiplash

An experience defined by spine-shivering menace, rapid heartbeat, and sheer entertainment, Whiplash is a state-of-the-art film directed beautifully by Damien Chazelle. It also includes a stellar performance by Miles Teller. However, J K Simmons is the major key to stardom for this film. His character, a music teacher named Terrence Fletcher, really instills dread and tests the heart of Andrew, played by Miles Teller. Though Miles Teller offers an elaborate performance, Simmons consistently manages to perfect his character, and at times, even steals scenes from Teller. JK Simmons is sure to march towards Oscar gold following such a brutal and mood killing performance. The chemistry that Chazelle fosters between Teller and Simmons allows for a piece of cinematic adrenalin. It is also interesting to note that Miles Teller had to learn to play the drums for the film. It is evident that his efforts were not just great, but truly awe inspiring. One can feel the tension between Fletcher and Andrew once Fletcher signals Andrew to play. Furthermore, this film displays an appreciation towards the Jazz genre, apparent throughout Teller’s musical performance. The screenplay is also a true wonder, and Chazelle’s mastery of the script does not allow for one cringe-worthy moment during the film. Going in, I really did not expect much from the film. However, I was truly delighted after I watching it. The film succeeds in storytelling and its tempo builds more rapidly as the film progresses, reaching its apex, which is not present in a light-manner. Whiplash is, without a doubt, the long awaited film that restores the theme of struggle in mastering a craft and the developments of characters who face such struggles. Overall, Whiplash is an enticing film. The blood soaked ride will manage to not only entertain the audiences, but will also leave them with hearts pounding, absolutely electrified.  The Best Films of 2014 1. Birdman 2. Whiplash 3. Interstellar 4. Nightcrawler 5. The Grand Budapest Hotel 6. Boyhood 7. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes 8. Gone Girl 9. Leviathan 10. Under the Skin

Birdman

Exactly why is it that so many top critics and audience members name Alejandro G. Inarritu’s Birdman the best film of 2014? It is because Birdman is unlike any other film of the year. Its plot and dialogue are excellent, but its sheer originality is what truly captures the audience. The heart of the film lies in its innovation as well as its success in portraying characters. Through Inharritus’ use of one continuous shot in the film, with no cuts or diversion from one scene to another, his directing techniques make evident that he is one of the most pioneering filmmakers of the modern age. The fact that actors such as Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, and Zach Galifianakis could pull of such riveting performances serves to show that this is not another Hollywood money-making film, but rather a work of art that actually deserves box office success and the critical acclaim it has already received. The screenplay is glorious, and because of its elegant structure, the task of indulging into Thomas’ world and possibly even connecting with the situation he is in is an easier one for the viewers. The film is, by no means, a one man show on the part of Keaton, but rather a feast of highly skilled actors playing somewhat disturbed and troubled characters. What must be further discussed is the method by which Inarritu directs. It is the continuous long take that is extremely infrequent in films. His mastery of such a method makes Birdman a film to look forward to as well as a film that should be witnessed with a mind open to critical thought. What allows the film to prosper is its progression of the storyline. The film’s dialogue consists of discussions regarding Thomas’ play, career, and personal life, which allows the film to explore a the conflict of returning from the depths, as well as the pursuit of gratification while attempting to maintain a family. 

Best Picture: American Sniper Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Boyhood The Grand Budapest Hotel The Imitation Game Selma The Theory of Everything Whiplash Best Director: Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel Alejandro Gonzálevz Iñárritu, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Richard Linklater – Boyhood Bennett Miller – Foxcatcher Morten Tyldum – The Imitation Game Best Actor: Steve Carell – Foxcatcher Bradley Cooper – American Sniper Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game Michael Keaton – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything Best Actress: Marion Cotillard – Two Days, One Night Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything Julianne Moore – Still Alice Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl Reese Witherspoon – Wild Best Supporting Actor: Robert Duvall – The Judge Ethan Hawke – Boyhood Edward Norton – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher J. K. Simmons – Whiplash Best Original Score: Interstellar – Hans Zimmer Mr. Turner – Gary Yershon The Theory of Everything – Jóhann Jóhannsson

Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette – Boyhood Laura Dern – Wild Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game Emma Stone – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Meryl Streep – Into the Woods Best Animated Feature: The Tale of the Princess Kaguya Best Foreign Language Film Leviathan (Russia) Best Original Screenplay: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) – Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. and Armando Bo Boyhood – Richard Linklater Foxcatcher – E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman The Grand Budapest Hotel – Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness Nightcrawler – Dan Gilroy Best Adapted Screenplay: American Sniper – Jason Hall The Imitation Game – Graham Moore Inherent Vice – Paul Thomas Anderson The Theory of Everything – Anthony McCarten Whiplash – Damien Chazelle Best Cinematography: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) – Emmanuel Lubezki The Grand Budapest Hotel – Robert Yeoman Ida – Łukasz Żal and Ryszard Lenczewski Mr. Turner – Dick Pope Unbroken – Roger Deakins Best Visual Effects: Captain America: The Winter Soldier Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Guardians of the Galaxy Interstellar X-Men: Days of Future Past Best Costume Design: The Grand Budapest Hotel Inherent Vice Into the Woods Maleficent Mr. Turner

Mr. Ale x ’ s F u n n y Physics C l a s s

& C.

By Pengfei Hu & Mr. Alex funnell Although the discussion on momentum can become quite heated, it still stands that the best definition of momentum is solely a quantity of motion. A quantity related to an objects velocity and mass, with such impetus one can acknowledge that there will be a transfer of energy if a collision occurs. Collisions may transmit energy and, on the microscopic level, this can change an object’s internal energy. Objects that have different internal energies will transfer this energy if contact is made. This transfer of energy is known as heat and will result in a change of internal energy in either object. But if I were lazy and people said that I had potential (energy), would this mean that I could increase my internal energy? I do not know. Maybe I should just ask the Chemistry teachers about their elements, periodically…

Fiction Corner They sat face-to-face on the lunch table, yet miles apart. She absentmindedly fiddled with the plump lemon in her hand. She had always dreamt of having a baby yet she knew she couldn’t. Her crimson nail polish danced with the bright golden hue of the lemon. She needed something golden to illuminate her perplexed life, which had been dimmed by his violence. She remembered last night when he smashed a set of china against the floor. The porcelain had shattered everywhere. Fragments reflected the golden light from the chandelier, blinding her. A piece grazed her ankle, and blood trickled down her leg; she felt every inch of her body ache. She felt like the little mermaid, who foolishly drank the witch’s potion. But where was the prince? She sliced the lemon into pieces and started to squeeze it; juice fell into the glass of water and vanished without a trace. She suddenly grew annoyed with the lemon and squeezed it with full strength - so hard that she almost had a hallucination that she was squeezing his beguilingly lenient heart, collecting all his remaining love for her. She diluted those piteously meager drops

Miles Apart of love in his blood. Thus, the love could spread throughout his body and all her missteps would be forgiven. Driven by this magical lemonade of love, once again his fingertips would tenderly caress her delicate clavicle, instead of slapping her already swollen cheek and smashing her already scanty pride. Her ear rang. She shut her eyes and squeezed harder. To vent his indignation he sliced his steak mercilessly into tiny countless pieces. He imagined that the steak was her, luscious and alluring, inviting every single epicure to come over and take a bite. How could he accept this? A chef held rights to his signature dish. Without him, she was merely a stiff steak that the humblest flies wouldn’t even bother to patronize. What right did she have to accost those villains, hang around with strangers in bars, and squander his money? She squeezed every dollar out of his credit card to treat “friends” or “colleagues”. When he demanded a serious conversation, she was as elusive as a snake. To all neighbors, she whined about his lack of care and fierce temper. As if the dishonorable was the victim and the cuckold was the culprit. As if a steak with alien bite marks was legitimate

in claiming to be fresh-baked and it was all the chef’s fault. His aftershave lurked around the room like a spy, colliding with her perfume particles that danced with full stretch. It was a competition of olfactory, from miles apart. The steak was slimmed into strips and diced, randomly distributed on the plate like a puzzle. He couldn’t recall what the original pattern was, just like how their old time of unhindered love had slipped his memory. He had a slight sense that the woman sitting across from him was weeping, yet he didn’t care. Even crocodiles’ tears were more precious than her’s. The person who should feel guilty was not him, but her. She was the one who invited strange men into their house, spent his money on them, and slept with them. She was the one who was always whining and self-pitying and pleading innocence. He gazed at the puzzle on the plate, picked up the fork and pierced through a piece, somehow feeling avenged. Granting oneself invincible by pretending the counterpart to be invisible - that was the trick, to draw the remnant of care in the torrent of distance and silence. Miles apart, it was feasible to disguise.

By Jianing Zhao She sipped the lemonade. There was something wrong. She knew that all along; she was just trying to ignore it. As if excluding the seeds when squeezing could prove their non-existence in the first place. Everything she had been doing wasn’t exactly for vengeance, but for excruciating herself with these overwhelming self-pity thoughts. Or rather, for penalizing herself for the crimes she refused to confess. There was no way she could extricate herself from her ill behavior, because the way she saw it was simply twisted and lensed. Like a masochisti,c she lived in such pathos. Surely she wouldn’t admit that it was possibly retribution. He placed the fork in his mouth and chewed the meat forcefully with deliberate dilatory. Swallow. He should leave her no control of her fate. Digest her with gastric acid. Teach her real pain. Lemonade wasn’t real bitterness. Self-realization was. He raised his head from the plate and gazed at the woman sitting across from him. She stared back. A shiny liquid enshrouded her eyes. They were miles apart, but they saw each other much clearer than they saw themselves.