Talon March/April Spring Edition 2016 by Talon

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contents

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ON THE COVER & BACK: Photos taken by photographer Jessica Albina

Q&A: THE STAFF GETTING TO KNOW THE STAFF AM I READY TO GRADUATE? WHY I CAN’T KEEP CALM FAST FOOD WHERE YOU SHOULD GO WHAT PUTS ME IN A GOOD MOOD WHY I ENJOY EDM A PLACE WE CALL HOME WE’RE DESTROYING OUR WORLD LGBT COMMUNITY WHY SOME CAN’T ACCEPT THEM #BLACKLIVESMATTER WHAT’S BEHIND THE MOVEMENT? BEING DUMPED FOR MY WEIGHT AND WHY IT WAS A GOOD THING ADVERTISING AND THE MIND WHY ARE THEY SO PERSUASIVE MENTAL ILLNESS WHY WE NEED TO STOP IGNORING IT CLOTHES & THE MIND HOW THEY REFLECT YOUR PERSONALITY Q&A WITH MICHELE WATLEY HER ROLE IN THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN DREAMS AND THE MIND DO WE ALL DREAM?

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MEET THE STAFF EDITOR IN-CHIEF CASEY LEE MANAGING EDITOR GRACYN REED SPORTS EDITOR ZACH MIZE INTERNATIONAL EDITOR MOHAMMED ALABDULLAH INTERACTIVE EDITOR NIC YONTER COPY EDITOR KYLEIGH ZOLTEK ADVISOR DR. J ANTHONY SNORGRASS

TALON TEAM YESSICA RAMIREZ JONNA GARCIA GUNNAR KODAS JESSICA ALBINA LEXI YANEZ RYAN MEYER BRIANNA PERALTA JOSH HILL-DUNN ALI ALSHAGRAWI SALEH ALOTAIBI HANAE ISHIKAWA ABDULAZIZ ALOTAIBI OMAR ALNASSER UGOCHUKWU OSUALA ZEFF LEWEY ABDULLAH ALSHADDI AHMED ALZAHRANI D’VANTE LEWIS ATSUSHI HIDA TYLER RAYMOND

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STUDEN

FREE!TS

Book and Lyrics by

Eric Idle, Music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle

April 28 - 30 • 7:30 pm May 1 • 2 pm

Goppert theatre at avila university 11901 wornall road

kansas city, missouri

call 816.501.3699 or visit www.avila.edu/theatre for tickets

Spamalot is presented through special arrangement with and all authorized performance materials are supplied by Theatrical Rights Worldwide, 570 Seventh Avenue, Suite 2100, New York, NY 10018. (866) 378-9758, www.theatricalrights.com. sign-language interpreter for the hearing impaired will be available at friday night’s performance.

EDITORIAL POLICY The Talon News Magazine is produced by students of Avila University. Opinions expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of the Talon News Staff, the Trustees, administration, faculty, or staff of the University. The Talon News Magazine encourages letters to the editor. These may be submitted electronically or in writing and should include the writer’s name, address, and telephone numbers for verification purposes. Letters can be mailed to the Talon News Magazine Editor, Avila University, 11901 Wornall Road, Kansas City, MO 64145. The Talon reserves the right to edit letters for reasons of space, clarity, or inappropriate language. Copies of the Talon News Network Operational Guidelines may be requested by writing to the above referenced address.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Last issue we did matters of the heart, and this issue we’re doing matters of the mind! Just like matters of the heart, matters of the mind relates to many things. The mind is a powerful thing that controls many aspects of our lives. This topic has many interpretations and we wanted our writers to take on their own interpretations of the mind. We hope you like it! We’ve been busy! We’ve almost doubled the pages we used to have, and last issue we introduced our two added sections to the magazine; international and sports. Our hope is that this will bring in readership from the athletes and international students at Avila! We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoy making it! Erin Casey Lee, Editor-in-chief

Watch our covers come to life with videos, slideshows, and exclusive photos using Augmented Reality!

Question & Answer: Question of the Month Spring is when everything seems to come to life. The flowers bloom again, the grass grows, and the allergies emerge. I thought that this month’s question should relate to the blooming of life, so we asked the staff, “If you were to die and come back to life as a person or a thing what would it be?”

I would be Bill Gates in his prime. I’ve always wanted to know what it’s like to live with so much drive and also what it feels like to become rich. - Gunnar Kodas

I would want to be a giraffe. I like giraffes because they are tall and awkward and they are truly the best animals. - Brianna Peralta

I would like to come back as a bird. I would be a bird because want to fly free in the sky without a passport or visa, I would be sleeping and eating free without any charge. - Ahmed Alzahrani

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I would like to be like my father. My father grew up in a poor family but now he is a man with a successful business [and] a happy life. - Omar Alnasser

I would come back as me! I am happy with who I am. - Abdullah Alshadi I would want to come back to life as Joan Rivers. I would love to be able to say whatever I wanted and be as outrageous as she was. - Lexi Yanez

If I could be anything, I would be Peter Pan! I have always wanted to fly in the sky like him. I really wish I could go to Neverland! - Hanae Ishikawa

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d want to come back as a dog. They get to live life inside when itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cold and enjoy the outdoors and are without human responsibilities. - Ryan Meyer

I would like to be Dr. J. because I want to know what it feels to be a knowledgeable person, who could achieve success. - Ali Alshagrawi

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am i ready to graduate? Can’t keep calm because I’m a senior Abdullah Alshadi I am a senior student who is going to graduate this semester; only a few months from now. Graduation day is one of the greatest moments of college student’s life. As any college student, I have been waiting for it since the first day I got into college. However, it is almost here and I don’t know what to do next. Am I ready to graduate and leave school? Those are the questions in my mind that I am trying to answer every day. Since the beginning of this semester, I have talked to my friends and family about how nervous I am to graduate, to leave college for good, and enter the real world. I am scared of what the next step is going to be. College life has been my comfort zone for the past four years. The scenario of my life repeated itself when I graduated from high school and came to America. I left my comfort zone for a college overseas. I left my family and friends behind to chase my dream of studying abroad. It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made, but it was also the best decision I’ve ever made. I knew no one and had no friends

but four years later, I’ve found a great network of mentors and friends that have helped me grow into the person I want to be. I have those thoughts in my mind that go back and forth: should I continue for graduate school or should I get a job and experiences. First, if I continue for graduate school, on a personal level, my family will probably be proud of my ambition, my friends will be impressed because I have a direction, and I’ll have an early answer to the question, “What are you going to do after graduation?” If I choose to get a job, I fear the failure of my first work experience because I have never worked. However, I really want to work so I can gain experience, make money, and more connections: all of which will prepare me for my future business. In the end, yes I’m still scared and nervous, but I’m surprised at how excited I am to graduate and see myself accomplish such an important step in my life that is earning a degree in a field that I really want to work in.

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fast food deals

Where should you go when you’re hungry? Gunnar Kodas As of lately, fast food chains have been hitting the public really hard with the “4 for $4” or “5 for $4” deals. I know what we’re all thinking, which deal is really the best? So I went out and did the dirty work for everyone. Here are my results from best to worst. Wendy’s – Coming in at 1st place. The original “4 for $4”, comes with either a Jr. bacon cheeseburger or crispy chicken sandwich, 4-piece chicken nugget, fries, and a drink. You also have the option to make it a medium or a large meal. The options you have in this deal are a big reason it’s at the top. Another reason it’s at the top of the list is because the food is always well prepared. I am a huge fan of their chicken nuggets. Don’t be afraid to top your meal off with a $0.99 Frosty. Hardee’s – Hardee’s just added the “$4 Real-Deal” pretty recently. It comes in at 2nd place. It is the only meal of the 4 being reviewed that doesn’t offer chicken nuggets. However, they give 2 sandwiches, a cheeseburger and a spicy chicken sandwich. You also get your choice between regular fries or curly fries and a drink. The sandwiches aren’t quite as good as Wendy’s but the curly fries are a strong addition to this meal, they were delicious and pretty much backpacked the rest of the meal

up to its 2nd place finish. McDonald’s – Struggling to keep up with the Jones’, McDonald’s has tried the “McPick 2 for $2” and also the “McPick 2 for $5”. The 2 for 2 was better in my opinion because I can’t imagine going to McDonald’s and not leaving with a McChicken. However, McDonald’s didn’t feel the same way and removed the 2 for 2 to make way for the 2 for 5. This is why they come in at 3rd place. The 2 for 5 comes with your choice of a Big Mac, quarter pounder with cheese, large fry, 10-piece nugget, and Filet O’ Fish. If any of those sandwiches do it for you then it may be your kind of deal, they just don’t get the job done for me. Burger King – Coming in at dead last is BK. They have their own variation of the “5 for $4“, and it was just pure disappointment. It comes with a bacon cheeseburger, 4-piece chicken nugget, fries, a drink, and the only place to offer a cookie. This was definitely the worst prepared meal of them all. The food just wasn’t good. They were th worst chicken nuggets by far. Bacon cheeseburger was subpar and the cookie was Just okay. I’ve always been a fan of BK fries and they just let me down. I was very disappointed in BK.

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C REATIVITY vs. fear Are we afraid to be creative? Brianna Peralta I have always been curious as to why creativity and fear are always associated with each other. The reality is that we are often too afraid that something we put our creative effort into won’t be good enough for ourselves or for anyone around us. In it’s simplest form, fear often stops creativity. Creativity is defined as, “the use of imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work,” while fear, can be defined as, “anticipation of the possibility that something unpleasant will occur.” We, as creators, often catch ourselves in anticipation that our work will bring some attention that we don’t necessarily want. We are uncomfortable with the idea that our creative work might be terrible. I discovered this while reading a book that a friend of mine recommended to me. It is called Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking. In the book it explains that there are two types of fear that all creative projects fall into. There is the fear about yourself, and the fears about the reception you will get from others. What we tend to forget is that

fear of ourselves prevents us from doing our best work while the fears that stem from us about how other people will receive our work prevents us from doing our own work. There is something really powerful about us being afraid of our own creativity; letting go of that fear and creating things that we want to create. You might create something that is amazing and is something you are extremely proud of. In the words of Troye Sivan, an Australian singer songwriter, “Don’t let people stifle you because you are doing the things that they have always been too scared to do... let yourself be the person that you secretly always wanted to be.” So this month, I’m challenging you to let go of the fear you have and work on that creative project you’ve wanted to do. Go write that blog post on that idea you’ve been sitting on but were to afraid to publish. Go color in a coloring book, write your life story into a movie, or make that video. Just go and create something for yourself that you will be proud of.

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What Puts Me In a Good Mood? Why I enjoy Electronic Dance Music Atsushi Hida I always listen to Electronic Dance Music, or EDM. It never fails to put me in a good mood. Whether I am driving, in the shower, chilling in my room, studying, doing homework, cooking, or working out, I am always listening to electronic music. EDM consists of many genres such as Trap, House, Deep House, Electronic House, Dubstep, Moombahton, and Hardstyle. When I drive to class in the morning I usually listen to Electronic House. I have some favorite DJs who make Electronic House such as David Guetta, Hardwell, Tiesto, Martin Garrix, and Axwell Λ Ingrosso. I have so many songs that I like. I would say my favorite song is “Sun Is Shining ” by Axwell Λ Ingrosso because it remains me of the sky, wind, and the brightness of the sun. I really like it because it helps me feel less anxious. Another time that I enjoy electronic music is when I am working out. I always choose Trap or Hardstyle because

these songs usually have a hard beat. When I am listening to this genre of EDM I feel stronger and as if I can lift more weight. My favorite trap artist is Carnage. He makes so many good songs such as Toca, I Like Tuh, Bricks, Michael Jordan, and BTFWD. I love these and my favorite one is Toca. Another time that I enjoy electronic music is when I am doing homework or studying. I usually do not choose specific type of genre. Some people told me that EDM is boring or it is not music because it does not have lyrics, but I do not think so it is still music. I believe that listening to electronic music is good when I am studying because some of electronic music does not have lyrics. So these songs do not bother me when I am studying and also it makes me relax and focus more. So I certainly listen to Electronic Dance Music. It puts me into a good mood anytime.

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the place we call home It’s our world, we’re just destroying it Lexi Yanez Our planet is something that is extremely important to me. It’s something that I think should be important to everyone - especially those of us who plan to have children one day. This planet is our home and it’s a home that we need to be taking care of so that our kids can enjoy it too. There is a lot going on with your world and our ecosystem so right now is the time for all of us to start getting informed and help take action to protect the world that we live in. Obviously there are so many things to love about the beautiful planet that we call home. We have amazing beaches, beautiful lakes, rivers to raft in, different kinds of animals; not to mention the absolutely stunning flowers, trees, and everything that comes along with nature. On top of all those amazing

things, we also have endless places to travel to and so many sights to see. Have you ever thought about traveling around the world? Traveling to take in the natural scenery of all the places around the world has always been a dream of mine. I’ve always wanted to go to a new country and see what it has to offer. Lately I’ve found myself just wanting to pick up and go because I worry if I wait it’ll be too late and maybe things won’t be as beautiful anymore. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), humans are largely responsible for the recent climate change. Human activities have released large amounts of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases trap energy in the atmosphere, which causes it to warm,

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also known as the greenhouse effect. The buildup of these gases cause harmful effects on, not only climate, but to human health and ecosystems. These gases come from burning fossil fuels, deforestation, industrial processes, and agricultural practices. Theworldcounts. com says that in the past 60 years, 60% of Earth’s ecosystems have been degraded. Our natural ecosystems can’t keep up with the dramatic changes we are causing in our climate, which causes them to die. We are literally destroying our environment without thinking about the lasting effects it will have on us, and generations to come. Don’t you think that with technology this day and age

we can come up with a better way to get the things we need? We are filling our beautiful planet with toxic gases, contaminating our water supply by fracking and drilling for oil, cutting down our trees and destroying forests to build more cement buildings, and littering our land and sea with trash. We have wiped out entire species of animals but nobody seems to care. We’re on the verge of destroying this beautiful planet that we live in and it’s time that we realize it. There is no other planet we can live on, there is no Earth 2.0 - this is our home. It’s time we start appreciating it.

Photos by Jessica Albina

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LGBT CommUNITY

Why some people can’t accept them Hanae Ishikawa There are some things on my mind, and the LGBT community is one of them. When it comes to this topic, my opinion becomes non-negotiable. Why do I care about this so much and have a strong opinion about this, even though I am a straight woman? It is because my closest friend is a transgender man. He and I met in middle school, a girlsonly school, 12 years ago, and we have been best friends ever since. However, he couldn’t come out to me until age of 18. I was surprised and confused at first when I heard about it from him, but I could accept him easily. Why? Because I really love him as a person, and it wasn’t a big deal to me even if he was becoming a man. I didn’t want lose my best friend just because he changed his sex. Unfortunately, they are totally different people than I am. Some people are against the LGBT community. Since I came to the U.S., I have seen and heard some hate towards them. I have asked the haters why they can’t accept the community. Some of them told me it is because they were taught this as children. Some of them said that because

God forbids homoeroticism. Some of them even said that it’s because they feel disgusted by them. In my opinion, I don’t see anything persuasive. Is it because I am not a religious person? I believe hate comes from ignorance. They haven’t been around gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. Even if they have, they didn’t get close enough to hear their stories. Ignorance creates terror, and it causes a negative chain. Some people even say becoming gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender is their choice. No, it is not. I know my best friend wouldn’t be a transgender man again if he could be born again. If it were a choice, he wouldn’t choose to suffer like this. In fact, the LGBT youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide as straight youth. LGBT youth who come from highly rejecting families are 8.4 times as likely to have attempted suicide as LGBT peers who reported no or low levels of family rejection. Hate kills people. Every time I meet people who hate the community, I wonder what they are afraid of. It might be hard to accept

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something different than yourself. However, why do you care so much? Why do you want to be against the community so much? Being gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender is great, but also being straight is great. I don’t understand why some people don’t get

it. I think the haters “care” about others too much sometimes. Do me a favor, and love yourself and love others. Don’t worry and don’t be afraid of anything. When you love yourself truly, there would be less hate feeling in you. I hope the world will be less hate and more love.

by the numbers: LGBT community Approximately 3.5% of American adults identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, while 0.3% are Transgender. That’s 11.7 million Americans. 9 out of 10 LGBT students have experienced harassment at school. 80% of trans students feel unsafe at school because of their gender expression. 49% of trans people report physical abuse, while 50% of them have been raped or assaulted by a romantic partner. LGBT kids are 4 times as likely to attempt suicide than their straight peers. Overall, 41% of trans people have attempted suicide.

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#Blacklivesmatter What’s behind the movement? Alexis Yanez I would assume by now that most everyone has heard of or seen the popular hash tag “#BlackLivesMatter”. There’s been a huge social media movement, new stations have covered it, and most recently it’s been brought up when talking about Beyoncés’ Super Bowl halftime performance. I can admit, until recently, I wasn’t very informed about what exactly the Black Lives Matter movement was all about. So I thought to myself - do people truly understand the importance of it? Do they really know what it means and what it stands for? According to blacklivesmatter.com, Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tometi, and Alicia Garza founded the Black Lives Matter organization in 2012. These three women created the organization after the murder of Trayvon Martin. George Zimmerman, Martin’s murderer, was acquitted of his crime and 17-year-old Trayvon was posthumously put on trial for his own murder. Now, those three words have gotten bigger and gone further than just that event. The reason behind the hash tag, website, and movement

isn’t just to bring attention to that incident. It’s to bring awareness to the value of black lives. The website says it’s “a call to action and a response to the virulent anti-black racism that permeates our society.” There have been many other instances where the Black Lives Matter movement has been the center of new publications like the death of Eric Garner, the death of Sandra Bland, and most notably the death of Michael Brown. Most recently it’s been under fire because of the Super Bowl performance put on by Beyoncé. People everywhere have been absolutely outraged about her performance. They’ve been saying that she was pushing a political agenda during a family event and applauding The Black Panthers who were a “violent” activist group. According to The Huffington Post, the Black Panthers central principle was an “undying love for the people.” Huey Newton and Bobby Seale created the black liberation group to help build community and confront corrupt systems

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of power. The Black Panther Party also launched a Free Breakfast for Children program that served about 20,000 meals a week and was the party’s most successful program. They also helped monitor the behavior of the police in black communities. So, of course there will always be misconceptions. The Black Panther Party wasn’t a big bad group like the media has been making it out to be. Another thing that had people in frenzy was a particular scene in Beyoncé’s music video for her new song Formation. In this particular scene a young black boy is dancing in front of a line of white police officers and as the boy finishes dancing the officers put their hands up, almost like they’re “surrendering” to him. In the background there’s a cement wall and it reads, “Stop shooting us.” Many people took this

to be an anti-police message, even causing many people and even police departments to boycott Beyoncé. But, were people really surprised that Beyoncé took a stand? Why shouldn’t she stand up for everything that Black Lives Matters stands for? Why shouldn’t she stand up for people of color? It’s pivotal that this movement gets support from those who agree with it, and it’s also crucial that everyone understand that just because you support #BlackLivesMatter doesn’t mean you believe other lives don’t. I can’t express how important it is for us college students to get informed, especially with issues like this one. Equality is something that everyone deserves - no matter the skin color. Check out www. blacklivesmatter.com to get involved or check out the BSU Facebook page to see how you can help right here at Avila.

what black lives matters actually means

educate YOURSELF

Black Lives Matter (BLM) is an international activist movement, originating in the African-American community, that campaigns against violence toward black people. It’s a movement that has blown up across the nation and across social media with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. This has caused debate and led to the counter hashtag, #AllLivesMatter.

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My Ex Dumped Me for My Weight And it was the best thing of my life Gracyn Reed I have been a competitive dancer since I was eight years old. Dance, and regular workouts, always kept me fit. After my senior year ended, I wasn’t always good at keeping up with working out and my diet went to hell. I ate more processed food than my brain could process, and by the fall I had gained around 30 pounds. Backtracking a little, I met Max* towards the end of my senior year and he was the most perfect boy a high school girl could find. Having relationship problems with boys cheating on me with my best friend, I had a problem trusting boys; but Max was different. He lived across town, and we were both busy all the time, so hanging out was scarce. We finally ended up dating right around the time of graduation. I spent my summer preparing for my freshman year of college, hanging with friends, and at Max’s baseball games. When I went to live in the dorms, only 20 minutes away from Max, things began to change. We didn’t talk as much, I didn’t always see him weekly, and we became distant. Finally one day I gained the guts to ask him

what the real problem in our relationship was and he told me he would be honest but it might hurt. That day Max told me he didn’t want to be with me anymore because I “was fat.” I also realized that day that I was better than that stupid high school boy. In the next few months, I began to use my gym membership regularly and changed my diet. I watched as the extra weight fell off and I felt good again. I realized one day while I was at the gym, I started working out again to get revenge on Max, but I was continuing to workout for me. As a sophomore now, I don’t talk to Max anymore, and I’ve lost all the weight I gained after high school. The most important thing I realized through this is that Max was right; I was gaining weight, but losing the weight was for me more than it was for revenge. Despite the fact that Max was a good friend, I chose to break off contact with him. I realized I’m better than a petty-high-school boy. I’m happier now than I ever have been with my current boyfriend and life couldn’t be any better.

*Names have been changed for privacy

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finding your true self Forget the regrets and what ifs Jonna Garcia

Throughout my life, everything I have done was planned the way in which I wanted to achieve it. For as long as I remember, people would always tell me, “you have your life together” but I look back and am full of regret. I missed so many years of childhood wanting better for myself, and now I cannot get back. Many people today might think staying focused for a better future is a good thing, and for the most part, it is. At the same time it can have a weight on your shoulders and your mind full of “what ifs” throughout the rest of your life. People should be aware that life is very short and time flies by with the blink of an eye. I regret missing dances, sleepovers with friends, going to the movies and going to what I thought at the time “lame skate parties”. I wish I would

have lived more in the moment and experienced what it is like to actually be a kid. We must learn to be ourselves but also follow our hearts. I find myself now more than ever following the YOLO method (You Only Live Once) and have no regrets to the present day. I know we all make mistakes because life is meant to have flaws, but what is in the past cannot be changed. We only have the future to look forward to. And so I challenge you to paint the image you have for yourself, don’t let your future be full of regret and “what if’s”. Make your future fun and something you can be proud of. Be confident and say you did everything you imagined for yourself. Discover who you are and when you do you’ll find the true self you’re meant to be.

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ADVERTISING EFFECTS ON THE MIND Why are advertisements so persuasive? Saleh Alotaibi

The only method of advertising known to the ancient people was the word of mouth. The merchant who had something to offer brought it to the gate of a city and yelled to tell everyone how much his goods cost so that people could purchase them. As soon as printed symbols were invented, the advertiser made use of them to give publicity to his merchandise. We find advertisements engraved on walls and tombs, written on parchment and papyrus, and printed by the first printing presses. Painted signs, streetcar placards, booklets, calendars, magazines, and newspapers have now become paces where advertising lies. Ads are now so well established that we look at them as a necessity, and are surprised to learn that most of them are modern innovations. It is important to look at how advertising affects the mind and influences us. Too often, we look for the ability of an ad to persuade us. We look for a major effect rather than more subtle, minor effects. Big and immediate effects of advertising do occur when the advertiser has something new to say. Then it is easy for us to introspect on its effect.

Most effects of advertising, however, fall short of persuasion. These minor effects are not obvious, but are more characteristics of the way advertising works. To understand advertising we have to consider and measure these effects. When a kid is growing up, the parents donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t notice their physical growth each day but from time to time they become aware that they have grown. Determining how much a child has grown in the last 24 hours is like evaluating the effect of being exposed to a single commercial. In both cases, the changes are too small for us to notice. Even the small effects of advertising can influence which brand we choose especially when all other factors are equal and when alternative brands are much the same. If you have ever wondered why advertisers seem to repeat the same ad â&#x20AC;&#x201D; if you have ever wondered why they think this could possibly influence people â&#x20AC;&#x201D; then here is the answer. Much of advertising creates only marginal differences, but small differences can build into larger differences. Even small differences can tip the balance in favor of the advertised brand.

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A POWERFUL TOOL Programming the mind on what’s thought to be impossible Mohammed Alabdullah The human body contains plenty of organs, some of them in pairs and others are so important we can’t live without them. We share a lot with animals, but we have the brain which has the ability to reason and that’s what makes the difference. With it, we make our decisions and have created a society full of thoughts and inventions! The human mind splits in two. First it’s a conscious mind, which is responsible for direct thoughts and decisions. The other is the sub-conscious mind which is responsible for fears, deep memories and stupidity. Stupidity? Yes, stupidity. It’s not a typo. Have you seen a lot of people on T.V. or YouTube doing unbelievable things, such as a person pulling a school bus by his teeth or someone who can handle freezing temperatures for a long time? Once there was a college student who fell asleep during a math lecture. After it was done, he woke up and wrote down the math problems on the board.

During the next lecture, he brought back his homework to the professor, and said, it took me a while but I did the homework. The professor said, that wasn’t the homework those were examples of math problems that are impossible to solve. What happened, is the professor has done this for years, and always tells the students that the problems are impossible to solve. The students here believe him because he’s teaching them and saying it’s impossible to solve them. He believed him therefore their sub-conscious mind believes it as well. The impossible is what you decide, if it’s just speaking in to a crowd or solving impossible math problems. The sub-conscious mind is a stupid but powerful tool. It’s all on you reader. You know now, so do the “impossible”. Don’t let anyone tell you what is impossible and what is not. So dear reader, what are your limits?

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enough is enough Suicide: a silent empidemic Casey Lee Christina Yang once said in Grey’s Anatomy, “there’s a club. A dead dad’s club and you can’t be in it until you’re in it.” As abrasive as that might sound, it’s true. I am a part of the dead mom’s club. Three years ago this upcoming May, my mom took her own life. Now, I’m in this club. The dead mom’s club. The “lost a parent from suicide” club. A club I never signed up for. A club I never wanted to be in. Suicide. It’s been a silent epidemic for decades. Why aren’t people getting help? Why is something that can be prevented, affecting so many lives? It’s because of us, and the way we view mental illness. We are uneducated and misinformed. It’s because of the stereotypes and the stigmas associated with it. For some reason, we’re the kind of society that mourns the suicide of Robin Williams, but laughs and mocks Amanda Bynes. We choose not to talk about it, but we mock it, degrade those who have it, and choose to downplay its severity. When would it stop being funny, when she kills herself too? Because it’s all fun and games until someone dies right? Does Amanda Bynes need to die

by suicide before we will start valuing her life? It’s rumored, but not confirmed, that Amanda Bynes has both bipolar and schizophrenia. If this is indeed true, she faces an uphill battle. These are both diseases with high mortality rates, and devastating symptoms that are difficult to treat. While she faces these illnesses, the entire world is watching. Mental illness does not exist to amuse you. To have the audacity of laughing and poking fun as

“i am a part of the dead mom’s club... a club i never wanted to be in.” she struggles with these painful disorders is truly disgusting because over 70% of people with both of these disorders will attempt suicide in their lifetime. You would think this would frighten us, and that we would be offering Bynes compassion on the mere basis that what she may be facing is, without a doubt, deadly. The use of terms like “crazy” and

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“insane,” beyond driving the stigma that separates people from getting the help they both need and deserve to receive without shame, also mislabels those who are suffering. When we make these disorders into a joke, we become complicit in creating a culture where mentally ill people are taught to feel ashamed, isolated, and broken. When we uphold that stigma instead of challenging it, it’s not surprising that so many people with these illnesses opt to take their own lives. When you step back and look at it, you can’t help but think, what the hell society? We can’t continue to talk about mental illness and suicide, without actually talking about mental illness and suicide.

The other day I was at Target to grab a few things and I stopped to get some coffee from Starbucks. This used to be a pretty regular occurrence with my mom. She’d get her coffee, and I would usually get a strawberry or vanilla smoothie. We would spend what seemed like hours walking around. As I was waiting for my drink I saw a purple Starbucks cup. Purple, her favorite color. And I thought to myself, “wow she’d love this. I could buy it for her and surprise her.” And in that moment I forgot that she’s gone. And was very sadly, and heartbreakingly reminded that she is. Enough is enough. Don’t lose your reason for buying purple cups.

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Clothes and the mind Clothes reflection on your personality and feelings Abdulaziz Alotaibi A lot of people believe that how we dress can impact how we feel about ourselves, and how others feel about us. Does wearing different kinds of clothes make that big of an impact on our mind and body? In reality, what you wear can influence your thinking, negotiating skills, hormone levels, and heart rate. There is an old saying, “dress for the job you want, not the job that you have.” We all know that our clothes make an impression that can speak louder than words, so it is interesting to explore what research has been done to find out about the biological impacts that clothes have on the mind. For example, it was found that wearing formal business attire increased abstract thinking, which is important for being creative and long-term strategizing. The experiment suggested that this fact was related to a feeling of power that was felt as a result of wearing more formal business clothes. If you want to have better focus, you should dress like a doctor. Subjects made half as many mistakes on an attentiondemanding task when they were wearing a white lab coat. To take it even further,

those who were told their lab coat was a doctor’s coat performed better than those who were told it was a painter’s smock or those who only saw a doctors coat on display. In the 2004 Olympics it was found that the winning combat fighters had worn red more often than blue, so the psychological effects of wearing these colors was explored. 28 male athletes of similar age and size competed against one another wearing either red or blue. Those wearing red were able to lift heavier weight before the match and had higher heart rates during the match. We expect certain people to look a certain way like people in a hospital wear scrubs, but there is one exception: people who break the established norm a little bit. For example, a professor who wore red Converse sneakers while giving a lecture increased the perceived status and competence of the professor. We all know that how we dress impacts how other people view us. However, it is fascinating to know that it also influences our biology as well.

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Photo from WorldPress

MICHELE WATLEY From VISCOM to the 2016 Presidential Campaign Zachary Mize Avila, one of your VISCOM graduates is on the move. Michele L. Watley graduated from Avila in 2009. She is a four-time recipient of the International Association of Business Communicators Bronze Quill Award for excellence in communication. Believe me, this is just the tip of Watley’s iceberg of success. Currently, Watley is the national AfricanAmerican outreach political director for Bernie Sanders’ campaign. Graciously, she took the time to share some of her astonishing story with Talon faithful. Enjoy. According to Word Press, “your work has been continuously vetted and recognized by industry executives and peers.” What are some of your secrets to success in the world of communication? “I don’t know if there are secrets to

success, right? The thing that you would probably hear from anyone that has developed a successful career in any field is that you just have to be willing to put in the work. I think for me, it’s being totally immersive in the field and industry itself. I read the communication journals, I am a member of a lot of the professional communication organizations, I read particular news outlets everyday, I connect with professionals in the field who are highly successful in what they do, and I make sure to stay connected. It is not just working hard, but immersing yourself in the industry of your choice and doing everything you can to be successful in that field.” In your pursuit of a career in law and political advocacy, you were able

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to get connected to Bernie Sanders’ campaign. How did this connection come about? “I was selected, nominated, and supported by my Congressman (Emanuel Cleaver, MO) to attend a wellrenowned, intensive, political boot camp training put on by the Congressional Black Caucus. It was a nine day boot camp, hosted in Washington DC, with political operatives and leaders from across the country. In attending the training, you got to hear from nationally renowned political advocates who are professionals in the field, and you got to simulate a political campaign. In that campaign, my role was Communications Director. I put together a communication plan for our campaign, and came literally within points of winning on an issue that we shouldn’t have even come close on. I think our team was the, ‘Vote no to increase minimum-wage’ team. I don’t know if there are many young people or African-Americans that would vote ‘no,’ right? So, our campaign was an uphill battle. After seeing the work that I produced in that boot camp, a lot of the facilitators and leaders of the boot camp were impressed. So again, I stayed in contact, and one of the facilitators ends up being the fifth staff person hired by the Bernie Sanders campaign as the overall director of African-American out reach. When he was looking for staff, because I had maintained contact and

continued to do the work, he asked me to join the team.” Wow, that is incredible. In regards to Sanders’ rally in Kansas City, what was your role and some of the specifics you were involved in? I, essentially, am deployed in different states where there’s a lack of capacity

“the current goal is to get bernie sanders elected.” for African-American outreach. I come in to fill in those gaps and help connect key folks in these communities to the campaign. I help to establish out reach efforts within the African-American communities. When we learned that he (Sanders) would be coming to Kansas City for the rally, I acted as a speaker and surrogate staff person. I made sure that the main speaker, outside of Senator Sanders, was briefed on talking points, brought up to speed what was expected, getting him to the rally, and prepared for his remarks. You are a graduate of Avila University’s Visual and Communication Arts School. What are some of the tools that you feel Avila helped equip you with?

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“I think the biggest thing, like with Professor Strelluf and Dr. Snorgrass, the professors were very astute in their desire to have students work with real life clients. I worked with the Healing Arts Center in Lenexa, helping write the event plan for their grand opening. I made the postcard invites for the grand opening that went out to over 500 people. I made flyers for other organizations. In this field, while education is important, it’s more about you know, who knows you, and what you can produce. With companies, organizations, and political campaigns, they need to see what you can come in on the ground and do. If you are ready to go, they are more likely to hire you. During school I worked full-time and was notorious for turning things in late. Even so, I always turned in a great product. Every year that I was in that program, I won a Bronze Quill… every single year. When you are a student, people are impressed with that. Even after graduation, IABC called me back to do entry reviews and just be engaged. So again, immersing yourself and doing the work builds upon itself. Avila providing projects with real life clients was the greatest thing that contributed to my professional career. I left with a portfolio of real life clients and real life work. I was contacted for jobs even before I graduated. So when they give you those projects, take them seriously. That could be your next job.

You have no idea.” What is your fondest memory from your time at Avila? “I have so many. I had several ‘come to Jesus’ talks (in reference to timeliness) with Professor Linda Strelluf. There were nights that I would be in the Mac Lab all night long. That was a regular occurrence in trying to get stuff done. It got to the point where the night staff knew me by name. I have so many. Dr. Snorgrass and I did scholar day together, and you know he wants the best from his students. Students could one of two different types of presentations, but he made me do both. He was backing me after all. Those are the memories that come to mind.” What is next in your strive to pursue excellence in the communication profession? “The current goal is to get Bernie Sanders elected. That is what’s next for me. I have got to help expose members of the African-American community to the platforms and positions that Bernie Sanders holds. Once we get him in the White House, I think the professional opportunities for me only expand. Another goal is to finally take the next steps in pursuing law school and maybe working in the White House or in government affairs. Those are some of the things that I am looking at. Getting some sleep would be nice as well.”

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Predjudice & the mind Prejudice…a matter of the mind? Kyleigh Zoltek Prejudice has been an issue for decades, directed toward individuals of any status, race and gender. It is still an issue that is prevalent today. Why do people discriminate against each other, for any reason, known or unknown? Moreover, does such prejudgment have any intentions, does it stem from ignorance, is prejudice simply a matter of the mind? In order to answer these questions, we must first look at the definition of prejudice. Such a thought is “an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand without knowledge, thought, or reason.” (Dictionary.com) This definition states that this action develops with

ignorance. To put it in simpler terms, this definition states prejudice is an ignorant action, caused without evidence. However, aren’t there some who say they have reasons behind such injurious actions? Of course there are, just as there are some who say such damaging treatment is oblivious and uncalled for. Still, despite these reasons, the question remains: Is prejudice a matter of the mind? The answer to the question varies. Multiple responses can be presented regarding prejudice and if it is, truly, a matter of the mind or something lesser. The response is yours.

Photo by Jessica Albina

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DREAMS & T HE MIND Do we all dream or even remember them? Abdulaziz Alotaibi Have you ever woken up suddenly from a terrible dream? Do you have wonderful and exciting dreams that you remember the next day? Do you feel like you never dream and can’t ever remember having dreams? The truth is, everyone dreams every night. It’s estimated that up to two hours of sleep, per night, is dedicated to dreaming. Even if a person never remembers what they dream, they still dreamt. For a long time, we have believed that we only dream during the rapid eye movement (REM) cycle of sleep. We now know that people dream during nonREM sleep, but those dreams are not as intense and may be about just regular day-to-day things. During the night as we sleep, we go through different stages of REM and non-REM sleep. When we go back and forth from non-REM to REM, each time the REM time expands. The time just before we wake up is the longest most active dreaming phase and the crazier more interesting dreams seem to occur during the REM cycle. Nobody really knows why we dream and researchers have spent many hours looking at brain activity data while people sleep to try to find the purpose of our dream’s stories. Some

psychologists spend a lot of time looking at dream journals and talking about their symbolism with their patients to try to make sense out of the dreams. Some people think that dreams are random images but others believe that there is a deeper significance to what we see in our mind while we sleep. Great psychologists like Sigmund Freud thought of dreams as wish fulfillment stories with hidden meanings that could tell a lot about a person’s psyche. Other people suggest that dreams help us to manage our moods, organize our memories, or create a context for the random thoughts that our brain gets as our body sleeps. The fact is that there is a link between the science and psychology of sleeping. It was found that when people were told not to think of something, those thoughts were more likely to come up later in their dreams. This supports the science that we deal with things in our sleep that we wish we could forget about while we are awake. On either side of the argument, both make good points and in both theories could be true. What is most clear is that we all dream.

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INTERNATIONAL SECTION

Contents

The worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s minds collide together

32 34 36 37 38

JAPANESE BEAUTY THE JAPANESE STANDARD

THINK BEFORE PASSION RAISE YOUR CHILDREN WITH WISDOM

FROM THE OTHER SIDE WHAT IS THE AMERICAN DREAM

ISLAMIC INVENTIONS HOW THEY IMPACT OUR LIVES TODAY DIFFERENT MINDS AND CULTURES A COMPARISON AM I READY TO GRADUATE? ARABIC TRANSLATION STUDYING ABROAD THE EXPERIENCE

ON THE COVER: Contribution: Deviant Art Artist: Amy Hooton LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Last issue was an introduction to international students here at Avila. This issue we will explore more about their lives and what brought them from around the world to Avila. They came here with a big dream and want to share with you their experiences of their culture and country. They will go back to their countries leaving you a trace of their experience. Our international students will share their stories and include their story in their own native language.

Mohammed Alabdullah, International Editor

Japanese Girls’ Obsession For Beauty American standard differs from Japanese standard Hanae Ishikawa I know this might be stereotype, but haven’t you ever thought Asian women are slim? In my opinion, as an Asian woman, I think this stereotype isn’t wrong. Most of Japanese girls are slim or skinny. Is it because Japanese food has low calories compared to American food? Maybe. Even so, I know exactly why they are so skinny. Japanese girls are obsessed with being skinny. Don’t get me wrong, of course, not all of them. However, if you have ever been to Japan, you would have been surprised how skinny Japanese girls are. It is because Japanese girls see celebrities who are skinny through TV. I was one of them before. I was trying to be skinny and be on a diet all the time. Then I came to the U.S. that is why I could recover my senses. I still hear some people make some startling statements in Japan. For example, most of Japanese people think Beyoncé and Kim Kardashian are fat. They might even think Marilyn Monroe is fat too. I don’t think they are fat. I think Beyoncé especially looks healthy. Most of the girls who diet in Japan are not fat, even though they think they are. I would understand if they diet in a healthy way, however, they diet in an unhealthy way. They tend to eat zerocalorie food a lot and eat no carbs.

Some researchers say the average number of calories consumed by women right now is lower than the average number of calories consumed by women during wartime. Isn’t that crazy? Japan is an advanced country, and yet we have this problem. I’m pretty sure that I’m not a slim one by Japanese standards. In the U.S., some people tell me I’m small, or slim: however, these things wouldn’t be said about me if I were in Japan. When I take a train in Japan, most of girls I see are skinnier than I am. If they were born the way they are, I wouldn’t say anything. But most of them are trying to be skinny by doing a crazy diet. That’s why I think it’s wrong. I wish Japanese girls could have more self-confidence. They have to know that they are attractive without dieting. We are living with media around us. It is very convenient, but it can be dangerous too. These Japanese girls are the example. They have seen and heard they should be skinnier through media since they were children. What we need to have is good judgement to see what is right and wrong from the media. Even if majority people said you should be skinny to look beautiful, you shouldn’t be affected by their words. Just know that you are beautiful just the way you are.

石川花絵

日本人女性の美容に対する意識アメリカの基準と日本の基準

もしかしたら、これは固定概念かもしれません。でも今まで、アジア人女性は痩せているなと思ったことはありませんか？私自身、アジア人女性として、この固定概念はあながち間違っていないと思います。日本の女の子のほとんどは、痩せていると言えるでしょう。これは日本の食品がアメリカの食品に比べて低カロリーだからでしょうか？多分そうかもしれません。しかし、私は何故彼女たちがとても痩せているのか知っています。結論を最初に言うと、日本の女の子は痩せていないといけないという考えに取りつかれています。もちろん、全員がそうなわけではありません。しかしもしあなたが日本に行ったことがあるなら、日本の女の子の痩せ具合に驚いたことでしょう。これは彼女たちがテレビを通して痩せているモデルやタレントを見ているからです。昔は私も彼女たちと同じでした。痩せることに執着し、色んなダイエット法を試しました。アメリカに来てからは、正常、な感覚を取り戻すことが出来ましたが、日本に帰れば、彼女たちが驚くべき発言をしているのを目の当たりにします。例えば、日本人のほとんどはビヨンセやキム・カーダシアンは太っていると思うでしょう。マリリン・モンローさえも太りすぎだと思うかもしれません。私はもちろん太っているとは思いません。個人的には特にビヨンセは健康的に見えると思います。

日本でダイエットをしている女の子のほとんどは正直言って、全く太っていません。もし彼女たちが運動をしながら健康的なダイエットをしているなら、私は何も文句はないです。しかし、ほとんどの人は不健康な方法で痩せようとしているのです。ゼロカロリーの食品をたくさん食べ、炭水化物を食べない食生活に走ります。一部の研究者は、現代女性による摂取カロリー数は、戦時中の女性の摂取カロリー数よりも低くなっていると言います。日本は先進国の一つであるにも関わらず、まだ我々はこんな問題を抱えているのです。私は日本では痩せている方ではありません。アメリカでは痩せているとか小さいなどと言われることもありますが、日本で同じことを言われることはないです。日本で電車に乗っているとき、同じ車両に乗っている女性のほとんどが私より痩せています。もし彼女たちが生まれながらに痩せているなら、何も問題はありません。しかし、ほとんどの女性が無理なダイエットをして痩せようとしているので、納得できないのです。私は日本人女性はもっと自分に自信を持つべきだと思います。何も変わる必要はなく、そのままで魅力的であることを知る必要があります。私たちはメディアに囲まれて生活しています。とても便利ではありますが、同時に危険でもあります。これらの日本人の女の子が例です。彼女たちは子供の頃からメディアを通して、痩せている方が美しいという情報を見て、聞いて、生きてきました。私たちが持つべきものは正しい判断力です。間違った情報を鵜呑みにしない力です。そして、たとえもし大多数の人が痩せるべきだと言っても、彼らの言葉によって影響されてはいけません。あなたはそのままで美しいということを、よく理解してください。

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islamic Inventions

Amazing inventions that impact our lives today Saleh Alotaibi We enjoy a lot of amazing things in life, but have you ever wondered who invented some of the most important things that we use and enjoy every day? Muslims have been credited for inventing some of the most amazing things and here are just a few; 1. The ancient Greeks thought our eyes emitted rays, like a laser, which enabled us to see. The first person to realize that light enters the eye, rather than leaving it, was the 10th-century Muslim mathematician, astronomer, and physicist, Ibn al-Haitham. He invented the first pinhole camera after noticing the way light came through a hole in window shutters. 2. The crankshaft is a device which translates rotary into linear motion and is central to much of the machinery in the modern world, not least the internal combustion engine. One of the most important mechanical inventions in the history of humankind, it was created by an ingenious Muslim engineer called alJazari to raise water for irrigation. 3. The technique of inoculation was not invented by Jenner and Pasteur but was devised in the Muslim world and brought to Europe from Turkey by the wife of the English ambassador to Istanbul in 1724. Children in Turkey

were vaccinated with cowpox to fight the deadly smallpox at least 50 years before the West discovered it. 4. The pointed arch so characteristic of Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gothic cathedrals was an invention borrowed from Islamic architecture. It was much stronger than the rounded arch used by the Romans and Normans, thus allowing the building of bigger, higher, more complex and grander buildings. Other borrowings from Muslim geniuses included ribbed vaulting, rose windows and domebuilding techniques 5. Many modern surgical instruments are of exactly the same design as those devised in the 10th century by a Muslim surgeon called al-Zahrawi. His scalpels, bone saws, forceps, fine scissors for eye surgery, and many of the 200 instruments he devised are recognizable to a modern surgeon. 6. The system of numbering in use all round the world is probably Indian in origin but the style of the numerals is Arabic and first appears in print in the work of the Muslim mathematicians alKhwarizmi and al-Kindi around 825. Algebra was named after al-Khwarizmiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book, Al-Jabr wa-al-Muqabilah, much of whose contents are still in use.

TALON / ISSUE 83 / MARCH 2016

‫ْ‬ ‫اختِراعاتْ إسْالميْة‬ ‫أثرت على حياتُنا اليو ْم‬ ‫إختِراعاتْ رائِعة َ‬ ‫ِبقل ْم‪ :‬صالِح العُتيْب ْي ‪ ،‬تر َج َمة‪ :‬محمد ال َعبدِهللا‬

‫ع أهَم اإلختراعاتْ التي نستخ ِد ُمها كل يوم؟ المسلمين‬ ‫نحنٌ نَتمتع بالكَثير مِ ن األشياء في َحياتُنا‪ ،‬ولكِن هلْ تف ّكرتْ في َمن أختر َ‬ ‫يستحقون الشكر على إختراعاتِهم الرائ َعة وه ِذ ِه قائِمة بقليل مِ نه ْم‪.‬‬ ‫‪ -1‬قُدماء اليونانيون ظنوا أن أعيننا تصدر أش ْعة مِ ثل الليزَ ر وبِواس َ‬ ‫طتِها يُمكننا أن نرى‪ .‬أول شَخص بدأ بِمالحظة ْ‬ ‫أن الضوء‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫هو َمن أختر ْ‬ ‫ع أول‬ ‫خرج مِ نها ‪ ،‬كان مِ ن‬ ‫يَدخل إلى العين وال يَ ِ‬ ‫القرن العاشِر اإلسْالمي‪ ،‬الرياضي والفَلكي والفِيزيائي ابن الهيثَم‪َ .‬‬ ‫أن ال َح َ‬ ‫كاميرا ذات ثًقب بعدَ ْ‬ ‫ظ أن الضوء أتى عن طريق ثقب في نافِذَة الكاميرا‪.‬‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫حتراق‬ ‫‪ -2‬البساتِم وهو ِجهاز يغيْر ال َحركَة الدائِرية إلى َحركَة ُمستقي َمة وهو موجودْ ِبكثير مِ ن اآلالت اليو ْم‪ ،‬أقلًها مِ حركات اإل‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫بارع يس ّمى الجزري وأستخدم لِرفع َمستوى‬ ‫الدَاخل ْي‪ .‬مِ ن أكثَر اإلختراعات أهميْة في تاريخ البَ‬ ‫ختر َعت بِواسِطة ُمهندِس ٍ‬ ‫شرية أ ً ِ‬ ‫المزارع‪.‬‬ ‫الماء لسقي‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫‪ -3‬التَطعي ْم لم يُختَرع ِبواسِطة جينر وباستور ولَكِن تم إختراعِها في العالم اإلسالمي ومن ثم إلى أوروبا وإلى تركيا ِبواسِطة‬ ‫ِمحاربة ال ًجدَري قَبل أن يكتشفٌها الغَرب بـ‬ ‫زوجة السفير اإلنجليزي إلى إسطنبول بـِعام ‪ .1724‬أطفال تًركيا تم تطعيمِ هم ل َ‬ ‫سنة‪.‬‬ ‫خمسون َ‬ ‫‪ -4‬أوروبا إستمتعت بـ األقواس البِنائية التي نراها في القصور‪ ،‬ولكن هذا اإلختراع ت َم إستعارتهُ مِ ن المهندسون المِ عماريون‬ ‫بكثير مِ ن األقواس البنائية التي أستخدمها الرومان والنورمانديين‪ ،‬وتلك األقواس يمكننا أن نبني مباني‬ ‫المسلمين‪ .‬وهي أقوى‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫المسلمين‪.‬‬ ‫أعلى أكبر وأكثر تعقيدا ً‪ .‬وإختراعات أًخرى مِ عمارية تَم إستعارتُها مِ ن‬ ‫‪ -5‬الكَثير مِ ن معدات وآالت الجراحية ال َحديثة ال ُمستخدَمة اآلن‪ ،‬الزالتْ بِنفس التصميم اإلسالمي في القَرن العاشر بواسِطة‬ ‫الجراح‪ :‬الزهراوي‪ .‬إخترع المشارط ومناشير العِظام‪ ،‬الملقط واخرى تستخدم في جرا َحة العيون وغيرها بمايُقاربْ مئتان أداة‪,‬‬ ‫‪ -6‬نِظام الترقيم المستخدم بكامِ ل العالم وقد يكون هذا اإلختراع هندي ولكن النَمط المستخدم لألرقام ظهر قبل ذلك ف كتب العالم‬ ‫الرياضي الخوارزمي وآل الكندي حول عام ‪ .825‬علم الجبر ت َم تسميتها بعد كِتاب الخوارزمي‪ ،‬الجبر وذلِك مستخدم إلى اليوم‪.‬‬

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‫‪TALON / ISSUE 83 / MARCH 2016‬‬

Different Minds Lead to Different Cultures A comparison between the Islamic Arabic world and west world Mohammed Alabdullah Let’s take a look to why what’s happening now is happening now and what led to that. Let’s start by talking about the Islamic world for a little bit; it started with basic Islamic religion and it had to do with daily life things that happen in a certain way. An easy example would be when a woman walks in a public place, she has to cover up her hair in a Hijab, cloth that covers up the hair, and avoid wearing tight, eyecatching clothes. Another example would be when the cops catch a person selling “spiritual drinks”, he would spend time in jail. Also when the prayer time comes, every store closes until the prayer time is over. Let’s take a look into the Western hemisphere; it’s basically the opposite of how things are done in Islamic culture. A woman walking in a public place does not have to cover up her hair unless she wants to. A spiritual drinks seller would have his own store that closes when he wants the store to close.

There are a lot of differences and similarities in the daily life of both worlds, and we can’t say it’s good or bad; things are just done in different ways. As a person who lived in the Islamic culture and is currently living in the United States of America, I find the differences and similarities easy to see. Where I’m from, I can’t walk with a girl who’s not related to me in public without getting arrested by the religious police, but in the states a female classmate would be sitting next to me. Being in a unisex class isn’t normal, or allowed, back in the Islamic culture. In conclusion, I would like to say different minds lead to different results. In a positive way, if my classmates were males only, I would be more focused on my class and not be distracted by a girl-- since having a female classmate isn’t something I’m used to. On the other hand, having a female classmate may lead my nature to strike and be more creative.

TALON / ISSUE 83 / MARCH 2016

‫خواطر خريج‪.‬‬ ‫هل أنا مستعد للتخرج أو ال! طيب وش بعد التخرج؟‬ ‫بقلم‪ :‬عبدهللا الشدي‬ ‫أنا أحد الطالب الي بيتخرجون هذا الصيف‪ .‬كلها كم شهر من اآلن‪ .‬زي ما تعرفون يوم التخرج هو واحد من أعظم الحظات في‬ ‫حياة الطالب جامعي مثلي مثل أي طالب جامعي‪ ،‬انتظار هذا اليوم من أول يوم حطيت رجلي بالجامعة‪ .‬و عاد يوم جت الصدقية‬ ‫و قرب اليوم الموعود بديت افكر هل أنا مستعد للتخرج وترك مقاعد الدراسة؟ طيب وش بعد التخرج؟ هذي هي األسئلة الي‬ ‫تدور بذهني و أحاول القى اإلجابة عليه كل يوم‪.‬‬ ‫من بداية هذا الفصل الدراسي‪ ،‬وأنا دائما اسولف مع أصدقائي واهلي عن كيف هذا الموضوع صاير يوترني كيف اني بتخرج و‬ ‫اترك الحياة الجامعية الي حبيتها لالبد و أدخل عالم العمل الحقيقي‪ .‬أعترف ينتابني شي من الخوف من الخطوة الجاية وش‬ ‫بتكون ألني تعودت على الحياة الجامعية و صارت جزء من حياتي على مدى االربع سنوات الماضية‪ .‬سيناريو حياتي يعيد نفسه‬ ‫لما تخرجت من الثانوية‪ ،‬وجيت ألمريكا‪ .‬تركت بلدي و راحتي عشان ادرس برا ‪ .‬تركت عائلتي وأصدقائي وراء لك ْي أ ُ َح ْ‬ ‫قق‬ ‫رغبتي و حلمي باإلبتعاث صحيح كانت واحدة من أصعب القرارات التي اتخذتها في حياتي‪ ،‬بس كان أيضا أفضل قرار اتخذته‪.‬‬ ‫كنت ما أعرف أحدا وماعندي أصدقاء ولكن بعد أربع سنوات‪ ،‬لقيت نفسي محاط بشبكة كبيرة من المرشدين‪ ،‬واألصدقاء التي‬ ‫ساعدوني اكبر بفكري و خلقي واصير الشخص الي تعرفونه اليوم‪.‬‬ ‫عندي افكار تدور براسي والي هي اكمل دراسة ماجستير؟ وال اشوف لي وظيفة و اكسب خبرة؟ االولى‪ ،‬إذا كنت بكمل‬ ‫ماجستيرعلى المستوى الشخصي اكيد اهلي و اصدقائي بيكون فخورين بطموحي و رغبتي للعلم‪ .‬و بعد راح اكون جاهز‬ ‫اجاوب السؤال المعتاد "طيب تخرجت الحين وش ناوي تسوي ؟" ثانيا‪ ،‬إذا اخترت أن اتوظف‪ ،‬وهذا هو القرار الصعب جدا‬ ‫ألن اخاف من الفشل في أول تجربة عمل لي ألني ما عمري توظفت أبدا‪ .‬وفي الوقت نفسه‪ ،‬أنا ابغى اتوظف حتى أتمكن من‬ ‫كسب الخبرة‪ ،‬كسب المال‪ ،‬وكسب العالقات وهذا كله يهيئني لمشروع المستقبل ان شاء هللا‪.‬‬ ‫في النهاية‪ ،‬نعم‪ ،‬ما زلت خايف ومتوتر‪ ،‬ولكن ما يعني اني لست متحمس للتخرج وأرى نفسي أنجزت هذه الخطوة المهمة في‬ ‫حياتي و الي بحصل فيها على شهادة في تخصص احبه‪ .‬في آخر كالمي أحب ْ‬ ‫أن أقول هذا الوقت من عمري في الجامعة كان‬ ‫سى‪.‬‬ ‫جدا مميز وال يُن َ‬

‫‪*SENIOR THOUGHTS ARABIC TRANSLATION‬‬

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‫‪TALON / ISSUE 83 / MARCH 2016‬‬

STUDYING

ABROAD

A good experience and a bad experience Omar Alnasser In my life I have experienced so many things, but studying abroad is unique and unforgettable. We all know if you are studying abroad that means you will be in a different culture, and for sure you will have a culture shock. But from a personal experience I could tell that studying abroad taught me so many things, such as being confident when you speak, being more responsible, and never give up when you fail. When I first came to the United States, I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t speak a word of English. When I was in high school, they used to teach me English, but how do you learn English if you were being taught in Arabic? It just did not make any sense to me. After I graduated from high school, the idea of studying in the United States never came to my mind, but after a while I started to think about it, then I decided to go. At first, when I arrived to the United States I was totally lost and people were trying

to have a conversation with me but I had no Idea what is going on. I had faced so many people but never did I want to learn English so bad. By taking it step by step, I started to have the confidence to speak. Sometimes I make some mistakes while I am having a conversation but the point is to learn from your mistakes. Through my life I have failed so many times, sometimes I want to give up but I fight until the end. To be more honest with you, studying abroad did teach me how to fight to the end and never give up when failing. Before I came to Avila University I used to go University of Northern Iowa. When I attended UNI I failed a program studying English as second language. I failed because it was hard for me to learn a different language, but I did not to let this to stop me as I am now into my third year in college.

TALON / ISSUE 83 / MARCH 2016

‫الدراسة بالخارج‬ ‫تجربة جيدة وأخرى سيئة‪.‬‬ ‫بقلم‪:‬عمر الناصر‬ ‫في حياتي لقد شهدتُ الكثير من األشياء‪ ،‬ولكن الذين يدرسون في الخارج كانت فريدة من نوعها والتي ال تنسى‪ .‬ونحن جميعا‬ ‫نعرف إذا كنت تدرس في الخارج يعني أنك سوف تكون في ثقافة مختلفة‪ ،‬وبالتأكيد سيكون لديك صدمة ثقافية‪ .‬ولكن من تجربة‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫يدرسون في الخارجْ علمني الشيء الكثير‪ ،‬مثل أن تكون واثقا عندما تتكلم‪ ،‬وأن ال تتخلى أبدا‬ ‫شخصية ويمكنني أن أقولْ للذين‬ ‫عندما تفشل‪.‬‬ ‫عندما جئت ألول مرة إلى الواليات المتحدة كانت معرفتي للغة اإلنجليزية معدومة‪ .‬عندما كنت في المدرسة الثانوية كنت أتعلّ ْم‬ ‫اللغة اإلنجليزية‪ ،‬ولكن كيف ْ‬ ‫أن أتعلّم اللغة اإلنجليزية إذا كنت التدريس لي في اللغة العربية‪ ،‬وفقط لم يكن له أي معنى بالنسبة‬ ‫لي‪ .‬بعد تخرجي من المدرسة الثانوية‪ ،‬فكرة دراسة في الواليات المتحدة لم تأت إلى ذهني‪ ،‬ولكن بعد فترة من الوقت بدأت أن‬ ‫أف ّكر في ذلك‪ ،‬ثم قررت أن أذهب‪ .‬في البداية‪ ،‬عندما وصلت إلى الواليات المتحدة كنت ضائعا تماما والناس كانت تحاول‬ ‫محادثّتي ولكن ليس لدي أي فكرة عما يجري‪ .‬كنت أواجه الكثير من العامة لم أتوقف أبدا عن تعلّم اللغة‪ .‬من خالل اتخاذ خطوة‬ ‫درج خطوة أبدأ لديها ثقة في الكالم‪ ،‬في وقت ما يمكنني القيام به جعل بعض الخطأ في حين أواجه محادثة‪ ،‬ولكن النقطة هي أن‬ ‫تتعلم من خطأك‪.‬‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫تكون مسئول أمام نفسك أمر مهم للغاية‪ .‬قبل مجيئي إلى هنا كنت الشخص الذي ال يهتم أو لديهم مسؤولية اتخاذ‪ .‬فقد حياتي‪،‬‬ ‫أن‬ ‫اآلن أنا حقا أن أقول أنني قد تغيرت وحتى الناس الذين يعرف وإنني كذلك‪.‬أنا فعال أشعر بالفخر لبلدي الذاتي ألن هذا النظر في‬ ‫تغيير كبير في حياتي ‪.‬خالل حياتي لقد فشلت مرات عديدة في وقت ما يمكنني التخلي وقت أقاتل حتى النهاية‪ .‬لكي أكون صادقا‬ ‫أكثر معك ْم‪ ،‬الذين يدرسون في الخارج علمني كيفية القتال حتى النهاية وال تتخلى أبدا عند الفشل‪ .‬قبل أن تأتي جامعة افيال كنت‬ ‫أذهب جامعة أيوا الشمالية‪ .‬عندما كان يحضر ‪ UNI‬أنني فشلت في برنامج دراسة اللغة اإلنجليزية كـ لغة ثانية‪ .‬لقد فشلت ألنه‬ ‫كان من الصعب بالنسبة لي لتعلم لغة مختلفة لذلك أنا فشلت‪ ،‬ولكن لم أكن لم أد ْ‬ ‫ع هذا يوقفني‪ ،‬لذلك أنا هنا في سنة الثالثة في‬ ‫الكلية‪.‬‬

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‫‪TALON / ISSUE 83 / MARCH 2016‬‬

THINK BEFORE PASSION Raise your children with wisdom and a healthy mind Ahmed Alzahrani With the changes in this life, you have many things to consider when raising children with all the mind and wisdom. Some people believe the best way to raise children is to encourage them to be self-confident. Others disagree with that and say that children need to discipline in order to become successful. During the last two years, I have learned a lot of things in my life, but perhaps the most important thing of them all is how to be a good parent. Many people believe that a successful parent feeds their children with healthy food, provides them with suitable health insurance, and good education. These are great things. However, more importantly, parents are responsible for preparing their children for the future. Due to experience with my daughter, I chose to use both my mind and wisdom; I prefer that children should be taught the discipline to be successful for the following reasons. The first reason, children are not mature enough to practice the bad or good activities. Scientists refer that the children could

be taught these things before their first birthday. They notice that newborn babies can figure out his/her mother’s voice. My daughter is a two-year-old. She knows the letters and numbers 1-10 because I bought educational games for her when she was nine months. On other hand, raising children to be independent thinkers is also important. It builds their character so they can be successful adults in society. For example, parents should encourage their children to choose their clothes, books, and hobbies. This way, the child will be creative. Also, toddlers go through lots of emotions, while also learning about other people’s feelings. Temper tantrums are normal, because children often don’t know how to put words to ‘big’ emotions like frustration, anger, guilt, and shame. Every day the toddler learns a new skill and practices it. For example, he can probably wash his own hands, feed himself, and get dressed. He’s also still learning so we might still need to help him.

TALON / ISSUE 83 / MARCH 2016

‫فكر قبل العاطفة‬ ‫بقلم‪ :‬أحمد الزهراني‬ ‫مع هذه التغييرات في هذه الحياة لديك العديد من األشياء لالختيار لتربية األطفال مع كل من العقل والحكمة‪ .‬بعض الناس‬ ‫يعتقدون أن أفضل طريقة لتربية األطفال هي لتشجيعهم على أن تكون واثقة من نفسها‪ .‬يختلف البعض مع ويقول أن األطفال‬ ‫بحاجة إلى االنضباط من أجل أن تصبح ناجحة‪ .‬خالل سنوات عملي الماضيين‪ ،‬لقد تعلمت الكثير من األشياء في حياتي‪ ،‬ولكن‬ ‫ربما كان الشيء األكثر أهمية من كل منهم هو كيف تكون األم جيدة‪ .‬ويعتقد كثير من الناس أن والد الناجح الذي هو إطعام‬ ‫أطفالهم مع الغذاء الصحي‪ ،‬توفر لهم التأمين الصحي المناسب‪ ،‬وتعليم جيد‪ .‬وهذه هي أشياء عظيمة جدا‪ .‬ولكن األهم من ذلك‪،‬‬ ‫‪..‬اآلباء واألمهات هي المسؤولة عن إعداد األطفال للمستقبل‬ ‫بسبب تجربتي مع ابنتي اختار أن يكون مع كل من العقل والحكمة‪ .‬أنا أفضل أن األطفال يجب أن يتعلموا االنضباط لتكون‬ ‫ويشير ‪.‬ناجحة وذلك لألسباب التالية‪ .‬السبب األول‪ ،‬واألطفال ليست ناضجة بما فيه الكفاية لممارسة األنشطة سيئة أو جيدة‬ ‫الحظوا أن الطفل حديث الوالدة يمكن معرفة صوته ‪. /‬العلماء إلى أن األطفال يمكن أن يتعلموا قبل بلوغهم عامهم األول‬ ‫والدتها‪ .‬كانت تدرس ابنتي الكثير من العادات الصحيحة من والدته ولي‪ .‬على سبيل المثال‪ ،‬ابنتي البالغة من العمر عامين‪.‬‬ ‫‪.‬وقالت أنها تعرف الحروف واألرقام (‪ )1-10‬ألنني اشتريت األلعاب التعليمية لها عندما كان عمرها تسعة أشهر‬ ‫من ناحية أخرى‪ ،‬تربية األطفال لتكون مفكر مستقل مهم أيضا في بعض الجوانب لبناء شخصياتهم‪ ،‬وأنها يمكن أن تكون‬ ‫ناجحة البالغين في المجتمع‪ .‬على سبيل المثال‪ ،‬ينبغي على اآلباء تشجيع أطفالهم على اختيار مالبسهم‪ ،‬والكتب‪ ،‬والهوايات‪ .‬في‬ ‫هذه الطريقة‪ ،‬فإن الطفل يكون الشخص المبدع الذي أراه في ابنتي‪ .‬أيضا‪ ،‬أنت طفل صغير يمر الكثير من العواطف‪ ،‬في حين‬ ‫تعلم أيضا عن مشاعر اآلخرين‪ .‬نوبات الغضب أمر طبيعي‪ ،‬ألن األطفال غالبا ما ال يعرفون كيفية وضع الكلمات على‬ ‫العواطف "كبيرة" مثل اإلحباط والغضب والشعور بالذنب والخجل‪ .‬كل يوم طفل صغير يتعلم مهارة جديدة ويمارس عليه‪ .‬على‬ ‫سبيل المثال‪ ،‬وقال انه ربما يمكن أن يغسل يديه‪ ،‬وإطعام نفسه وأرتدي مالبسي‪ ،‬وانه ال يزال التعلم ولذا فإننا قد ال تزال بحاجة‬ ‫‪.‬إلى مساعدة‬ ‫ومع ذلك‪ ،‬لكنني أفضل أن األطفال يجب أن يتعلموا االنضباط من أجل أن تكون ناجحة ألنها ليست ناضجة ولم خبرة كافية في‬ ‫الحياة‪ .‬تحيط أطفالك مع الحب‪ ،‬والسعادة‪ ،‬والتشجيع بحيث يصبح لديهم الثقة للوصول إلى األهداف مع كل من العقل والحكمة‬

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from the other side

What is “the American Dream”? Yessica Ramirez We all have a story. My story begins with my parents. Both of my parents were born in Chihuahua, Mexico and both came in their 20s. While my mom had her sister here, my dad had nothing. My mom was only a teenager when she went to visit New Mexico with a visa. My grandma would constantly tell her to leave Mexico and search for a better job in the United States. My dad came for the same reason as well: to get a better job. The journey to the United States was a long, exhausting, and a “never know what’s going to happen next” type of journey. My dad rode in the trunk of a car with no food and limited space to move for hours, he didn’t own a house. Therefore, he had to stay with people who’d constantly kick him out, and survived off .25 cent noodles. Living in America undocumented isn’t easy: always in fear of deportation. Many believe it’s wrong, and some of us can agree to some point. I truly understand how hard it can be living in the harsh conditions of Mexico. Living here, as many illegal immigrants, they

found their way around. Getting jobs being undocumented was problematic. “Illegals take jobs away from Americans” continues to be mentioned, though my parents took the jobs that people don’t want. Who wants to scrub other people’s toilets? My mom had to do that. She began as a maid in a hotel when living in Colorado. Then went to cleaning houses when living in New Mexico and Kansas. According to a study made in April 2015 with the Southern Economic Journal, illegal immigrants actually raised wages for documented workers. Which is funny when people blame us for taking “their jobs.” There was a point in our life when my dad had to go back to Mexico because he needed surgery. Undocumented immigrants have limited options to health insurance. Therefore, the only realistic option for surgery was in Mexico. My mom told me she was afraid of my dad not being able to come back. Immigration is very tough on immigrants. A few months after the surgery in Mexico, my dad decided to go back to the United

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States. It took him three days to cross the desert, though he got caught and deported. The next day he tried again. They tell me that many people have died trying to cross; families separated. I have a huge amount of respect for the families that do this. Risking everything just for a glimpse of how it’s like here. It is unlawful to come to another country illegally, but we don’t understand the reason behind their decision. We don’t understand the life they have to leave behind. My parents left their life and their family to come to the United States. They wanted a better life and jobs. My mom knew having her kids in Mexico wouldn’t be as good as having us here. The education is better here, everything somehow seemed better here than Mexico. Although we didn’t struggle as much as other undocumented families have, we still went through our own battles. Seeing and hearing things like, “learn English”, “go back to Mexico”, “they take our jobs” is something that I wouldn’t want anyone experience. One day, I hope everyone understands what it is our family goes through. I wish there’d be a day where it wasn’t necessary to do social experiments to prove that people are still say crucial things towards undocumented immigrants today. The “American Dream” is not as easy as it seems.

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Desde el otro lado Que es el Sueno Americano Yessica Ramirez Todos tenemos una historia. Mi historia empieza con mis padres. Mis padres nacieron en Chihuahua, México y ambos vinieron en los 20s. Mientras que mi mamá tenía su hermana aquí, mi papá no tenía nada. Mi mama era nomás una adolescente cuando fue a visitar Nuevo México teniendo una visa. Mi abuela siempre le decía que se fuera de México y que buscará un mejor trabajo en los Estados Unidos. Mi papá vino por la misma razón: para conseguir un mejor trabajo. El viaje a los Estados Unidas era largo, fatigoso, y “un viaje que no se sabe lo que va a ocurrir siguiente”

tipo de viaje. Mi papa se montó en la cajuela de un carro sin comida y muy poco espacio para moverse por horas, no tenía casa y por eso tenía que quedarse con unas personas que constantemente le echaban para fuera, y sobrevivió comiendo sopas de .25 centavos. Viviendo en América indocumentado no es fácil: siempre con el miedo de deportación. Muchos creen que esto está mal, y unos si estamos de acuerdo pero a un cierto grado. Entiendo que duro es viviendo en las malas condiciones en México. Viviendo aquí, como muchos inmigrantes ilegales,

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ellos encontraron un modo de hacerlo. Era un problema conseguir empleo sin tener papeles. “Ilegales les quitan los trabajos a los Estadounidenses” es un dicho que todavía se usa, pero mis padres tomaron los trabajos que otras personas no quieren. ¿Quién quiere limpiar tasas? Mi mama tuvo que hacerlo. Ella empezó como una maid en un hotel cuando vivía en Colorado. Luego fue a limpiando casas mientras vivía en Nuevo México y Kansas. Según a un estudio hecho en Abril del 2015 con el Southern Economic Journal, inmigrantes ilegales subieron salarios para los trabajadores documentados. Es chistoso cuanto nos echan la culpa y dicen, “Nos quitan los trabajos.” Había un punto en nuestra vida que mi papa tenía que regresar a México porque necesitaba una cirugía. Indocumentados inmigrantes tienen opciones para el seguro de salud limitado; por lo tanto, la única opción para su cirugía era en México. Mi mama me dijo que ella tenía miedo que mi papa no pudiera regresar. La inmigración es muy duro a los inmigrantes. Pocos meses después de la cirugía, mi papa decidió a regresar a los Estados Unidos. Le tomo tres días para cruzar el desierto, aunque lo encontraron y lo deportaron. El siguiente día lo intento de nuevo.

Me dicen que muchas personas se han muerto tratando de cruzar, que las familias se han separado. Tengo mucho respeto a las familias que hacen esto. Arriesgando todo nomas para darle un vistazo a como es aquí. Es ilegal, pero nosotros no entendemos la razón detrás de su decisión. No entendemos la vida que dejan detrás. Mis padres dejaron su vida y su familia para venir a los Estados Unidos. Querían una vida mejor, igual con los trabajos. Mi mama sabía que teniendo sus hijos en México no sería tan bueno como teniéndonos aquí. Hay más oportunidades aquí. La educación es mejor aquí, todo de un modo parecía mejor aquí que en México. Aunque no pasamos por lo mismo que otras familias, aun pasamos por nuestras propias batallas. Viendo y oyendo cosas como, “aprende inglés”, “vete a México”, “ellos nos quitan nuestros trabajos” es algo que no quiero que nadie sufra. Un día, quisiera que todos entendieran lo que nuestras familias pasamos. Desearía que hubiera un día que no fuera necesario hacer experimentos sociales para probar que aún en día hay personas que dicen cosas crueles hacia inmigrantes. El Sueno American no es tan fácil como parece.

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SPORTS SECTION

contents

Capturing the lives and interests of Avila’s student athletes

48 50 51 52 54 55 56 58 62

MLB PREVIEW PREDICTING THIS YEAR’S CHAMPION MOTIVATION NANCY CHICA’S PREPARATION SUPERSTITIONS HOW THEY AFFECT THE GAME MINDS ON TRACK CONFIDENCE IN TRACK ATHLETES MOVE=INSPIRATION? WHICH FILMS GIVE ATHLETES INSPIRATION NOT ALWAYS ABOUT THE HYPE ATHLETE’S WARMUP PLAYLISTS ATHLETES AND COACHES DOES CRITICISM WORK? HEADSTRONG FOOTBALL PLAYER BEATS CANCER TRAIN YOUR BRAIN Q&A WITH COACH C

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

The time has come to Velcro, un-Velcro, re-Velcro, and wear your lucky undies. The 2016 college baseball and softball seasons are finally in full swing. If that isn’t crazy enough for you, the March Madness tourney is about a week away. I’m sure that I’m not the only one with a colorfully X-ed out bracket this year. We are also just a few weeks away from a repeat of last years World Series game, as your Kansas City Royals will host the New York Mets at the K. The March Sports edition of the Talon is all about the mind of the athlete. How do your Eagles prepare before going into competition? What songs get them hyped up? What is it that inspires them to go above beyond? This issue will allow you to peak inside all of this and more.

For the love of the game, Zach Mize, Sports Editor

Major League Baseball Preview Predicting this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s champion Ryan Meyer The 2015 baseball season was one for the books. The Royals won their first world series championship since 1985 and have a good chance to repeat. Here are my predictions and what you need to know for the 2016 baseball season. Bold Predictions: AL Cy Young- Marcus StromanToronto Blue Jays After an ACL Tear plagued his 2015 season, Stroman came back after five months of rigorous rehab to shock the world and pitch in October. With the departure of David Price, Stroman will be the opening day starter. Stroman has shown he has what it takes to carry his team throughout the playoffs. Prediction: 18-5 ERA: 2.35 SO: 221 NL Cy Young- Zack Greinke- Arizona Diamondbacks After leaving the Los Angeles Dodgers, Greinke starts with a clean slate in the Desert of Arizona. Look for Greinke to help turn the Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Backs into a playoff contender right away. Prediction: 21-4 ERA: 2.29

AL MVP- Lorenzo Cain- Kansas City Royals Lorenzo Cain is nearing the end of his prime at age 29, but with the support of his club I look for him to have a breakout year. Prediction: BA: .318 HR: 23 RBI: 79 SB: 30 NL MVP- Jason Heyward- Chicago Cubs Heyward is in the prime of his career, and is now with his third big league club. Look for him to back that defense with great offense. Prediction: BA: .303 HR: 24 RBI: 94

AL West: Astros will conquer the AL West with Jose Altuve nearing the top of the AL MVP voting ballot. 1) Houston Astros 91-71 2) Los Angeles Angels 84-78 3) Texas Rangers 82-80 4) Seattle Mariners 79-83 5) Oakland Athletics 70-92

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AL Central: 1738 or 2016? The Royals have a good shot at repeating as world champs, as one of the best overall teams this year. 1) Kansas City Royals 95-67 2) Detroit Tigers 87-75 3) Minnesota Twins 82-80 4) Cleveland Indians 80-82 5) Chicago White Sox 75-87 AL East: Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, Marcus Stroman. Enough said. Those three right there will be sure all stars and lead them to an AL East division championship. 1) Toronto Blue Jays 99-63 2) Boston Red Sox 89-73 3) New York Yankees 85-77 4) Tampa Bay Rays 79-83 5) Baltimore Orioles 73-89 NL West: The pitching rotation of the Giants may be the best in the MLB this season. Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija, Jake Peavy and Matt Cain make up an elite group of starters. Don’t sleep on the D’Backs, they’ll be trailing right behind. 1) San Francisco Giants 91-71 2) Arizona Diamondbacks 90-72 3) Los Angeles Dodgers 84-78 4) San Diego Padres 74-88 5) Colorado Rockies 71-91

NL Central: The Cubs time is… now? After a historic era of not winning the world series, the Cubs have the chance to do so. Watch out for the alwayspesky Cardinals to keep the division race close in September. 1) Chicago Cubs 90-72 2) St. Louis Cardinals 87-75 3) Pittsburgh Pirates 85-77 4) Milwaukee Brewers 64-98 5) Cincinnati Reds 62-100 NL East: Two words: Bryce Harper. He’s a game changer and one that only comes around every decade. The Nationals have what it takes to push through the regular season; can they put it together in the playoffs? That’s something they have yet to prove, here is their chance. 1) Washington Nationals 91-71 2) New York Mets 88-74 3) Miami Marlins 81-81 4) Atlanta Braves 66-96 5) Philadelphia Phillies 63-99 World Series Prediction: Royals vs. Giants The playoff experience of the Royals will get them into the World Series, but the Giants pitching rotation will carry them throughout. The Giants will defeat the Royals 4-2 in 6 games. Winner: Giants

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MORE THAN MOTIVATION Nancy Chica’s track preparation Josh Hill-Dunn In any sport, there are pre-game rituals that are held by athletes in order to prepare mentally and physically for the task at hand. These rituals can differ between athletes in time and style, but the importance of these rituals depends on the athlete’s attitude towards their respective sport. Avila’s track and field hurdler, Nancy Chicas, shared her thoughts on the matter: When asked what some of her pregame rituals were and why she performed them, Chicas began by sharing how her father is her source of inspiration. Her father was an Olympic team qualifier before suffering a career-ending injury. He coached Nancy throughout her childhood while never actually joining a team until high school. The first part of her pre-game ritual includes calling her father and telling him she loves him. He then gives her a few words of encouragement before she moves on to her next ritual. Chicas’ next ritual includes watching the hurdler that motivates her the most, Lolo Jones. Jones was an eleven-time, All American hurdler at Louisiana State University. She is the record holder of the 60m hurdles. Chicas watches Jones

before every meet in order to motivate herself and imitate what great hurdling should look like. She has narrowed it down to watching three specific videos: Jones’s award ceremony, the record setting race, and a video of her training for the race, in that precise order. “If I don’t watch her videos before a meet, I feel incomplete,” noted Chicas. Chicas’ final ritual includes a series of yoga and tai chi stretches in order to loosen her body up and allow for the alignment of her bodies energy. She is a heavy believer in the idea that what goes into the body is most essential for performance. “If my body is aligned the way I want it to be, my performance will be poor and I know it.” All of these rituals must be performed in that order for Chicas to perform to the best of her abilities. All in all, her total pregame ritual takes about fifteen minutes to complete and she cannot be disturbed in the process. Chicas’ pre-game rituals serve as more than just a motivation to do better; she truly believes that she could not perform to the best of her ability without them.

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There Be Superstitions Aspects of the game that you can’t understand Tyler Raymond Superstitions in the sport of baseball before stepping back into the box. Hall are inevitable. The mental aspect Of Fame third basemen, Wade Boggs, of baseball plays an important and would take the field at 5:17, take 150 irreplaceable role. Players must do groundballs, run wind sprints until 7:17, anything they can to put themselves and then eat chicken before every single in a position to succeed and to be game. Also, current Tampa Bay Rays consistent every single day. The great third basemen, Evan Longoria, will step Yogi Berra once said, “Baseball is 90 out and look at the left field foul pole in percent mental and the other half is between every pitch. Why do they do physical.” That quote puts the emphasis this? There really is no reason or proof on how mental this game actually as to if it works or if it doesn’t, but they is. It’s supposed to be a game, but do it because it makes them believe in sometimes the pressure that players their minds that it contributes to success. put on themselves tends to become That’s the only real reason they need. uncomfortable and it affects their The Avila Eagle’s shortstop, Chase Watt, performance. The superstitions that commented on superstitions, stating, players possess give them a sense of “I write my grandmother’s and fiancé’s familiarity on the diamond, helping them initials in the dirt and say a prayer for play at a high level in all environments. my late grandmother before every inning It is key to always have a sense of starts. It gives me a mental sense of consistency. security and I do it because I play every These wild superstitions vary from game for her.” person to person. They range from one The superstitions in baseball are not washing their clothes during a hot unwritten and unjustified, but performed streak, to running every single step out by millions of players across the world. of the dugout onto the field, to eating When it’s all said and done, these out a certain meal before every game, of the norm rituals are performed for etc. A couple big name players who one reason: to help players succeed. had many successful years in the MLB These superstitions are a mind game. An practiced superstitions everyday while athlete will do whatever they can do they were playing. In between every before, during, or after a game to help pitch, Nomar Garciaparra would Velcro, them perform at the highest level. un-Velcro, and Velcro his gloves again 51 TALON / ISSUE 83 / MARCH 2016

Keeping Minds On Track Confidence and how it relates to track athletes Tyler Raymond The best track athletes radiate selfconfidence—the way they walk, talk, and warm-up. They have a certain charisma to them that shows they believe in their ability. Every athlete displays this certainty of their skills differently, some are playful and like to show off (Usain Bolt), others are more serious and subdued (Tyson Gay). Regardless of how an athlete portrays their confidence, it is this way of being that propels athletes to extraordinary performances. Even so, building self-confidence does not always come easy. Athletes must train their minds along with their bodies. Their will always be factors, big and small, that damage an athlete’s confidence. It’s overcoming these obstacles that further builds an athletes internal belief in their abilities. The Avila Eagle’s very own Isaac Alberto hurt his knee his junior year of high school; this injury took away from his performance as a track athlete. During an interview with Alberto, he stated, “I felt like I would never come back but I did rehab, worked out, and came back my senior

year beating everyone in all of my respected events”. All of the hard work that Isaac put in to getting healthy turned into confidence as he got further along into his rehab. The more that he worked, the more confident that he felt, and this confidence propelled him to earning a track scholarship to Avila University where he now competes at the collegiate level. Some people have confidence from their abilities that are God-given. However, most athletes reach high levels of confidence through hard work. Confidence is hard to measure because, although it can be portrayed externally, it is truly internal in nature. Nobody knows your mind better than you; therefore, only you know the secrets that lie inside of you. Did you finish every rep of your last lift? Did you stop short on your last run? Have you been giving your all or can you do more? How has your diet been? These are things that every athlete knows about themselves, that others may not. Those questions are in an athlete’s subconscious mind, and can eat away

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at confidence. Only athletes that have superior gifts can maintain confidence in their abilities during a meet that they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t train their hardest for. They have succeeded so many times in past performances that their confidence level maintains. That is, until the day that they lose and realize they need to put their work in too. Others have to work hard every day, sometimes harder than others to have that confidence in their abilities. If you want to have a relentless level of confidence and know that you are going to perform your best at an event, you have to go into the event knowing that you are at your best. The hours that you put in to your craft carry over to your subconscious and that builds confidence. The best athletes donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t compete with others, they are too busy trying to beat themselves. Track athletes have personal records of their own; every event they compete in they should be trying to beat their own PR. When you only compete with yourself, nothing anybody else does can affect you. You are now in the zone. It is in this zone that the top track athletes astonish the world with their record times. It is also in this zone that our Avila athletes compete against their competition.

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MOVIES = INSPIRATION? What sports movies give you the most inspiration? Ugochukwu Osuala Hollywood is known for producing classics when it comes to sports movies. You could even argue that sports movies have the ability to move the heart and mind more than the ordinary drama or action film. This is because a lot of people have played sports, whereas not everyone has shot the bad guy while driving in a flaming car. Sports movies are dear to the hearts of many, and leave them with a wide range of emotions from extreme happiness to flowing tears. Seriously, what beats Samuel L. Jackson’s various speeches in Coach Carter? Who could forget the relatively serious speech that Adam Sandler gave the inmates before they went out to try and defeat the guards in The Longest Yard? I caught up with a few athletes here at Avila and found out which sports movies gave them the most inspiration.

Nduka Ezeamii, Senior, Basketball: “Space Jam, because the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) Michael Jordan is in it, and I wore out the VHS from watching and rewinding it so much when I was a little kid!” Logan Burks, Freshman, Golf: “I know a lot of movies are more serious than this one, but Happy Gilmore gives me motivation in other areas. For me at least, there doesn’t have to be a serious speech to give me motivation” Austin Talir, Freshman, Football: “My favorite sports movie has to be Remember the Titans. Not just because of the iconic moments everybody remembers it for. I loved it because it shows what a real team is, it doesn’t matter what color you are.” The folks over in Hollywood sure know how to keep people glued to the screens.

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IT’S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT HYPE You might be surprised by the basketball team’s playlist D’Vante Lewis Music helps people’s mindsets in a lot of different ways. For basketball players, mindsets vary depending on the different positions. Therefore, the music playlist for each player varies. Unlike other sports, the music playlist for basketball players isn’t always hype, at least in the way one would expect. Sometimes it’s pretty mellow for certain players. In looking at the top two songs to listen to before a game, you will see a unique variation from the different position players of the Avila Men’s Basketball Team. Avila Point Guards Sederick Johnson: Back To Sleep by Chris Brown and Charlie, Last Name Wilson by Charlie Wilson. Jeremy Fennell: Maps and Animals, both by Maroon 5 D’Vante Lewis: Love Faces by Trey Songz and Strip by Chris Brown These songs have a common vibe, they’re more mellow toned, good for easing the mind. Avila 2 and 3 position players Jordan Epps: White Iverson by Post Malone and Thrift Shop by Macklemore

and Ryan Lewis Jacob Anyieth: Shot Caller by French Montana and Drunk In Love by Beyoncé Aaron Ward: Best Friend by Young Thug and Drank In My Cup by Kirko Bangz Ryan Sanchez: Feel It and Bet I by Jacquees These songs also have a common vibe. They are not as mellow as the point guard’s songs but not as hype as the following “big men” positions. Avila “Big Men” – Duke Ezami: Never Gon Lose by Future and Antidote by Travis Scott Eric Adams: Trap by Future and Monster by Meek Mill Jimmy Dekraai: Trophies and Big Rings by Drake Cody Shock: Jump Man by Drake and Layup by Future Danny Head: Tip Drill by Nelly and Get Out The Way by Ludacris These are some of the best hype songs and are necessary for the mindsets that the big men need to have.

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How athletes respond to their coaches Is criticism worth more than compliments? Ryan Meyer There are many reasons why athletes choose to play sports. Some play for fun, some play to be apart of a team, or to be apart of a winning program and yes some choose to play for the social interaction. However, the coach and player relationship is a unique relationship you will find no place else. Too often we hear from teenagers that a coach is the reason why they quit a sport, or that they didn’t enjoy a sport because they were afraid they would be embarrassed and yelled at. So, where is the fine line of criticizing to motivate and not to hurt? Should coaches compliment players for doing what they’re expected? I asked coaches and players their perspective on how they feel about this issue. “I believe every player is different in personality and, because of that, some players you have to be more complementary by nature with them. I try to coach with as much positive reinforcement as possible, but I also understand that some kids are wired in such a way that you may have to have a in your face attitude before you see a change in play. I personally do not

like to criticize because that is not my personal makeup, but I do believe you have to handle individual players with greater or lesser means of motivation since every player responds differently.” - Avila Baseball Coach Daryl Cronk “I feel like there is need for both criticism and compliments. I personally believe that criticism is what I respond best to because criticism will help you learn what you need to do to get better. You will not be satisfied with mediocre if you are still doing the same things wrong over and over again. With that being said, there is a time and a place for positive reinforcement to help build confidence and make the game fun.” -Junior Baseball player Tyler Raymond “Criticism is what drives me because if someone tells me I am not good at something or the best, I will work my hardest to becoming the best or until that certain thing gets done the right way.” -Senior Golfer Gunnar Kodas “Positive criticism is essential to success in my opinion. Everyone is different, but pointing out flaws kills the

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confidence of young players.” - Senior Nic Yonter “First off, I wouldn’t call it criticism as much as instruction on how to do things the right way. They are both beneficial to athletes. If all you did is one or the other the athlete would suffer. I don’t think one is more important than the other although I would err on the side of compliment if you had to chose one. The way you instruct is very, very important. You can’t make it personal, curse at them, or exaggerate what they did. Simply state what they did in an even tone and have a consequence if it is continually repeated. One thing to keep in mind is the individual you are coaching. Some respond well to being pushed and some need to be encouraged more. You don’t want to give false praise as that leads to poor

Baseball

- Tyler Raymond

senior

habits but find a chance to encourage as much as you point out instruction. You also can’t point out every little thing people do wrong, you need to major in the majors and minor in the minors.” -Dave German, Assistant boys Varsity basketball coach, Whitfield School, St. Louis, Mo. “ I believe both are critical to develop and need to be balanced. It really depends on the situation, time of the year and most importantly the individual. I believe a good coach will figure out how each player and his team responds to criticism or encouragement. You have to be able to use a different approach for different players.” -Tom Flores, Head Boys Varsity basketball coach, Barat Academy, Chesterfield, MO.

- Nic Yonter

golfer

- Gunnar Kodas

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Headstrong

How Senior David Kepus beat cancer through mental strength and positive thinking Zeff Lewey The human mind can do amazing things, especially in the face of adversity. What could be more adverse, in the grand scheme of life, than a terrible disease that plagued 1,658,370 people in 2015 according to The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program of the National Cancer Institute? Cancer is arguably the most famous and despised disease known to man. It struck Senior accounting major, David Kepus, off guard in June of 2015. Kepus had played middle linebacker for Avila from 2012 to 2014. He was gearing up for the 2015 season when he realized something wasn’t’ quite right, despite his physical and mental capabilities at the time. In late June 2015, Kepus had an ultrasound to determine the reason for an abnormal lump that he discovered. Kepus went on with his life, traveling to Florida with his family a week after the ultrasound. Known for his positive attitude and life views, Kepus stated, “I went on vacation and acted like nothing was

wrong. Everything seemed fine, like I was still healthy. I was, arguably, in the best shape that I’ve ever been in. I just felt healthy.” Kepus’ mindset was reflected in his outward appearance. However, when Kepus returned to Kansas City he learned his health wasn’t what it seemed. “I get home and we find out that I wasn’t as healthy as they thought, and that [the lump] was cancerous.” No one can deny that’s a tough pill to swallow for anyone, much less a 21 year-old student athlete in seemingly strong health. Despite the burden ahead of him, Kepus remained extremely positive and displayed unwavering mental toughness. He walked tall and kept his confidence high. On July 8th, 2015, Kepus underwent an orchiectomy to remove the cancer. Hopes remained high as the success rate is extremely high for this type of cancer. “For 95% of people you’re usually good, people with testicular cancer usually just remove it and you’re good.” Even so, the battle wasn’t over for

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Kepus. A CT scan on July 18th showed lymph nodes on his lower abdomen and up his sternum. “I found out that I had a fast spreading cancer, like the Lance Armstrong version that spreads extremely quickly.” Again, Kepus’ confidence and positive mindset wouldn’t be shaken. “[You’ve] just got to push through like nothing is going beat you. I hate losing, as it is, just from being an athlete. I’ve always been super competitive and hated losing, and that goes for anything. At the end of the day you’ve got to be like ‘this isn’t going to beat you.’” Kepus underwent surgery on July 28th at the MAYO clinic in Minnesota within two weeks of his previous CT scan. “My doctor called his buddy that he trained with at the MAYO clinic to get me into MAYO to have a lymph node removal surgery immediately. I got in the MAYO clinic in Rochester within 10 days, which is just unheard of. You have people waiting for months to get into the MAYO clinic.” The surgery was seemingly successful, removing hundreds of lymph nodes during a seven-hour operation that included a 20-inch incision on Kepus’ stomach. Despite enduring two surgeries and fighting a deadly disease, Kepus still appeared healthy physically and mentally.

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“All my blood tumor markers… everything looked phenomenal. I looked like I should be healthy, and like nothing should be wrong.” But still, the battle wasn’t over. In November of 2015, Kepus was on the fast track to recovery with the goal of returning to the football field in 2016, when once again, bad news surfaced – the cancer had returned. “Football season had just gotten done with and I found out that it spread to my lungs and parts of my abdomen.” Though he was disappointed in yet another setback, true to his character, Kepus again refused to give in finding inspiration in one of his favorite athletes. “Having Eric Berry go through that right before I did was extremely helpful. Just cause you see it first hand with one of your favorite football players and you’re in a similar situation. I’ve seen so many people that had it so much worse. I only had to do three rounds of chemo. [Some] people have to do six to ten times. It’s mind blowing.” Kepus had a chemo port surgically installed in his chest that would allow him to receive treatment straight into his heart, and he started chemotherapy the following Monday. “We did it (started chemotherapy) the week of Thanksgiving and we kind of said ‘screw it. Let’s just get this **** done.” This entailed three cycles of treatment five days a week, followed by two weeks of one day a week treatment. The physical toll chemotherapy takes on the human body is well documented,

causing symptoms such as vomiting, weight loss, hair loss, physical weakness, and so much more. But for Kepus, it was a just another reason to be thankful. “Going from being a starting athlete to having trouble walking up stairs or getting out of bed… You don’t take walking for granted anymore.” Kepus completed chemotherapy on January 2nd, 2015, and a CT scan on February 2nd showed no signs of cancer. “ALL CLEAR!” But Kepus admits that the hardest part wasn’t physical, and

“A CT scan showed lymph nodes on his lower abdomen...” that his concern wasn’t for himself. “Just seeing everyone around you… I was never worried about myself. Seeing my mom cry and my girlfriend constantly crying, holding responsibility as the leader of the house and feeling helpless with that responsibility… It was just weird. It’s just not me.” Just eight months after the initial diagnosis of testicular cancer, Kepus had endured and overcome a deadly disease attacking his lungs and abdomen. There’s something that cancer couldn’t attack in Kepus, and that was his mindset, his determination, his drive to beat the disease, and his will to win.

defeating the odds Race: movie review Gracyn Reed

Race is a movie about African American athlete Jessie Owens. Jessie was a track runner at Ohio State University in the 1930s. Jessie also managed to qualify and compete in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. This movie focuses not only on the passions sports require, but the discrimination black and Jewish athletes faced at this time. The Nazi’s and Germany were not planning on letting the German-Jewish athletes compete in the 1936 Olympics which led the US Olympic committee to debate about dropping out of the Olympics held in Berlin that year. In the end, Jesse won three gold medals, beat the Germans, and made the world realize Germans and African Americans could coexist with each other: obviously something Hitler didn’t believe in. This movie shows the heart, dedication, and struggles of everyone in the 1930s and will leave you wishing you could’ve seen it for yourself. Photo from Biography.com TALON / ISSUE 83 / MARCH 2016

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR BRAIN A Q&A of mental toughness with Brian Ciolek Zeff Lewey Mental toughness is a prevailing theme among the most successful athletes in all of sports. There are those who thrive on it while others struggle to obtain such a mental stability. What exactly does it mean to be mentally tough? How do you gain mental toughness? Does natural ability soften the need for mental toughness? Of course, there are many plausible answers to these questions. I sat down with Brian Ciolek, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for Avila Athletics. Here are his thoughts on brain strength: Coach C, what it mental toughness to you? “The ability to overcome obstacles and adversity. It’s a difficult thing to be able to determine because every person has their own definition of it. But for me, it’s how hard are you willing to push through things when they’re the most challenging for you, way above and beyond physical toughness.” Why is it so important for athletes to be mentally tough? “It’s important because it’s going to be a predetermining factor of how

much you’re willing to give in Individual competition. So while you might be the most athletic person out there if there’s someone who’s willing to drive more because of it mentally, it’s going to be offsetting factor.” How much does mentally toughness come into play determining win or lose? “I think it’s only one factor. I don’t think its the predominant [factor] because there’s too many variables just like you can’t say that strength is the predominant factor.” How do you overcome mental weakness or become mentally tougher? “Exposure, I think, is the best. I think that’s one of my primary responsibilities, to create environments where you have to be challenged. Then, hopefully we recognize when those adversities are there, and that you’re failing at it so that you will dig deep and find something new.” So you think it’s a learned ability and it doesn’t have to be genetic? “I don’t think there is a single genetic [factor], but I think there is an environmental factor to it. I think it’s how

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much your parents expose you to it. There’s definitely a coddling of present generations where we have prevented [kids] from being exposed to losing, to being challenged, to parents stepping in when there’s adversity but we want failure. Failure is good.” How would you rate Avila’s mental toughness, across all athletics? “I think that it’s an area of weakness that we have. I don’t think that (Avila athletes) have been exposed to near enough adversity.” Is there a sport that requires more mental toughness than others? “Sports that are the most analytical baseball, track, golf, things where every individual precise movement is required.” How do you identify mentally tough athletes? “It’s easier to identify the mentally weak. Those are the ones that, when you do expose them in a weight room situation, it’s obvious that they break down and you try to build those [people] up. I’m trying to go with the law of averages; I want my entire team at the same state of mental toughness.” What does your program to specifically to promote mental toughness? “This year with our promotion to moving to an APRE weight training system I think that teaching an athlete to go to

failure. and then re-engage and go to mental failure again is very challenging and I’ve had athletes report that to their coaches.” So, is it your job to make athletes mentally tough or is it their sole responsibility? “It’s definitely a mutual thing. I mean the athletes have to be willing to do it, but the coaches have to create the

“Discipline is sticking with something, but mental toughness is overcoming something.” environment.” How would you respond to someone who tells you that mental toughness is less relevant than talent in sports? “I think that talent does beat mental toughness. Yes. But at this level the talent is all equal because they’re at this level, otherwise they wouldn’t be playing at this level. Therefore, now mental toughness is the next step.” How do you distinguish between discipline and mental toughness? “Discipline is sticking with something, but mental toughness is overcoming something.”

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