December 2009- BHA POST

OP-ED What to do with students who act up at functions outside BHA Pg. 2

In this Issue...

PHOTO ESSAY Warning: Science Night in Progress Pg. 4-5

NEWS Seniors visit universities Pg. 2

Brighter Horizons Academy

Volume 6 Issue 2

December 2009

Spelling Bee surprise: 1st time queen bee crowned champ New queen accepts challenge, promises to represent at private school round By: Karma Orfaly Editor-in-Chief

Aisha Lee (8) defeats Thabit Pulak (8), the reigning champion in this years private school Dallas Morning News Bee ‘s final school round. Lee is the first female champion for BHA since the academy has began participating in this competition. photo by Aysha Ahmed

Shocked and perplexed was everyone when they learned that no longer was there a King Bee, but for the first time in BHA history a Queen Bee overthrew the King. In what many consider an upset win, Aisha Lee took the crown.

The Spelling Bee is an annual BHA event that students take part in. There were more students in the qualifying round than in past years.

“Most students scored high on the pretest than in previous years,’ Stacey Ahmed, special events coordinator said.” “And they prepared themselves more.”

Students, grades 4th to 8th, participated in the final round on December 10th.

English Department Lead Teacher, Jaena Almallah was the moderator of the event.

She feels that students were more excited about the event than in years past.

“It was publicized better and I think also Thabit Pulak had a lot to do with popularizing it,” Almallah said. “He made Spelling Bee a cool thing to do.”

Every round had its level of difficulty, and with each round, the words get more complicated.

Although she won, Lee did not seem to need too much time to study.

“I put in about three days of really intense studying, “Lee said, “My mother would help me.

We would use the Merriam Webster’s Dictionary as well to help.”

Lee felt confident as she moved on from round to round, spelling words rarely used in daily conversation such as her winning word, “nubuck.”

“When I was in

See “Prepares” on page 6

ENTERTAINMENT Newcomer, Maher Zain brings new sound to Nasheed Pg. 8

Garland, TX 75044

Student forgives drunk driver By: Karma Orfaly Editor-in-Chief Because he wants to think that someday he may need a second chance, he forgave a drunk driver who initially denied causing a car accident.

One Saturday night in October, Rami Basatneh, senior and his friend Ali Elsehety, junior, were headed to a restaurant. Four cars including Basatneh waited at an intersection on Preston and Frankfort for the light to turn green.

However, the car in front of Basatneh suddenly took off while the light was still red. The driver realized his mistake, put his car in reverse and floored the accelerated in reverse. There was nothing Basetneh could do but brace for the hit.

“I was in shock,” Basatneh said. “He crashed into me.”

As if that was not enough,

Basatneh was surprised with the driver’s next move.

He sped off. Still in shock and now angry, Basatneh decides do follow him. A witness, behind Basatneh follows as well.

“As I followed, I wondered what could possibly be wrong with that driver.

Why did he not even stop to exchange insurance information, Basatneh said.

“Was he drunk, or what?”

The driver finally stopped at Sonic, not aware that Basatneh had followed.

The driver was ordering food when Basatneh approached him, the driver gets out of his car.

“From his demeanor and speech I knew he was drunk,” Basatneh said. “He immediately denied that he ran the red light or that he hit me.”

Speaking in Arabic, Basatneh asks Elsehety to call

See “Kindness” on page 6

Pink Hijab Day for good cause Pink scarves, pink ribbons, pink cupcakes, pink awareness signs equals $1,100 towards the race for a cure for breast cancer

by Afia Tariq Writer One good intention, one good person, one good cause can bring about a tremendous amount of good. Saman Najmi (senior), heeded the cry of Pink Hijab Day, and now the Academy is among the millions pitching in to find a cure for breast cancer.

Three years ago, while still in high school, founder, Hend El-Buri, wanted to find a way for Muslims to participate in bringing

awareness to breast cancer.

Because Muslim girls and women are identified by their Hijab (head covering) scarves and the Susan G..

Komen’s Race for the Cure is identified by its pink ribbons El-Buri founded Pink Hijab Day. Her intention was to initiate dialog, promote education about the Islamic head scarf and raise breast cancer awareness. This October Muslim women, as well as women of other faiths across America and abroad observed “Global Pink Hi-

jab Day” by donning pink head scarves and participating in raising funds for the cause. Funds are sent to the Susan G.. Komen Race for the Cure foundation.

This foundation has been around for 26 years and its goal is to raise funds and awareness for the fight against breast cancer.

“I think that Pink Hijab Day is an excellent opportunity for Muslims to participate in solidarity for breast cancer awareness; it serves as a symbol to the greater community that Muslims share the same concerns, and the hope for a cure,” Magdalenna Garcia of Provo, Utah said.

Najmi, a BHA senior and Student Council member received an e-mail invitation to join Pink Hijab Day’s mission. After some research, she felt it was the right thing to do for her and her schoolmates.

“What Pink Hijab Day stands for completely fits in with what our school stands for,” Najmi said. “I could not see why this would not be a cause that our school would backup.”

She pitched the idea to her adviser, Jaena Almallah, and Stacey Ahmed, special events coordinator who found Naj-

See “Sea of pink” on page 6

Students participated in Pink Hijab Day . The goal is twofold: to bring awareness to the Muslim hijab (head starve) and to show solidarity in mutual efforts with all who care to find a cure to breast cancer. Ahmad Zubidat (freshman) takes to the sidewalk to collect donations .Photo by Sumayyah Zidan

Students need constant parent supervision at school

by Usman Asad Writer BHA’s last Science Night was far from the organized event it should have been.

From the booth that I was volunteering at, even I could see students running around the building, ignoring the security guards who were telling them to go back inside.

Later they ended up getting caught in the parking lot by Stacey Ahmed, special events coordinator.

During the show, someone purposely flicked the lights off and on quite a few times, while teachers and security rushed around trying to catch the culprits.

So was anyone hurt?

Did a crisis come to pass?

Was the school assessed a fine? Luckily, no injuries, no fire department or police were called, and the management did not ban us from future use of the facility. The worst thing that happened was a blow to the school’s reputation.

I heard a couple talking about the “bad reputation of BHA spoiled kids.”

Unfortunately, this is not

the first time disturbances have happened at school events.

From pulling a fire alarm which caused the fire department to come to the school.

Then during a fund raiser a couple of years ago, two boys were discovered trying to steal the BHA donation box. Countless times I have heard the master of ceremonies announce “Please make sure your kids are inside the building”, while the parents do not seem to care that their sixth-grade child has snuck out of the facility and is in the back playing football or walking to the nearest Taco Bell.

Some parents feel that because they bring their children to a school event, the Academy is responsible for “baby sitting” them whether they are in Pre-K or sixth grade and up. Oh, but let their child get injured while out in the street, surely they will blame the school instead of blaming themselves.

So what is the solution? Well, I believe that it is time for parents to step up and monitor their children. I think that students below eighth grade

Seniors visit universities Learning about educational options

by Khadija Saifullah Writer/Designer Because they will soon graduate and must prepare for college, the seniors recently visit universities in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The goal: to learn what local university might meet their needs.

College guidance counselor, Samia Khan has planned field trips to the following universities: University of North Texas (UNT), University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), and Southern Methodist University (SMU); and is planning to visit University of Texas at Arlington (UT Arlington) in the coming months.

Bha Post

OP-ED

December 2009

“When students visit universities they are able to get a glimpse of what it is really like. They visit various buildings and learn about various programs.

They get a better understanding of the environment of the university and are able to make better decisions in the long run.”

Khan said. “I also try to arrange for information sessions for each of the universities that we visit; so that they can have oneon-one interaction when asking questions to university representatives.”

Although most BHA graduates tend to go to local universities upon graduation, many students would like to visit outof-the-area universities.

See “Decisions” pg 6

should have to stay by their parent’s side during school events. Drastic as it may sound, I think parents should have to even escort their children to the bathroom.

It seems childish, but perhaps students will learn manners and respect and shape up.

It is of course not fair to punish all students just because of a few students’ actions. But if we allow bad and childish behavior to continue, more and more students will follow their peer’s bad examples. The likelihood of a serious problem can and will happen in the future if this problem is not resolved.

And yes, the students and some parents may not like it, but this has to be done for the sake of problem-free school events.

The

Page 2

Bad deeds of a few do not warrant more rules for all

by Maleeha Hameed Writer The Science Night event did not go without a couple of students causing distractions such as flickering lights on and off and running in the streets. However, for the most part, no one got hurt and all had a good time.

It seems that any event that takes place outside the Academy’s premises has a student or two who display disorderly conduct or acts silly. But, is this enough to ask the school administration to mandate that parents escort their children and not let them out of their site, even in the sixth grade and up? I think NOT!

In

my opinion, the school has already enforced too many rules and if they make more, students will become rebellious. According to a recent survey conducted by Franklin High School they found that 70% of the student body agreed that there are too many rules at school.

Furthermore, if only a few people break the rules, why should the student body pay for it?

Many students are responsible enough to realize that they must be respectful everywhere they go; only a few are lacking common sense.

If a new rule is added

that mandates parents escort and have their children by their side the whole time they attend an event neither parents nor students will like or appreciate such a rule.

What if a parent can’t attend with their child due to illness or any other reason what then? Does this mean the student will not be able to attend because they lack an escort?

If you ask me, only those who break the rules should be held responsible.

Let them suffer whatever consequences are deemed appropriate by the school administration. Depending on the severity of their actions, maybe they could be banned from attending other events.

Eventually, others would learn that if you break the rules, you pay the price.

The

Bha Post

EDITORIAL

December 2009

Page 3

MUSLIMS MUST REşEDUCATE MUSLIMS EDITORIAL STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Remember, follow the examples of the Prophet

Karma Orfaly

STAFF WRITER Usman Asad Maleha Hameed Naailah Nathani Safa Mohammad Khadija Saifullah Afia Tariq Raheel Usman

HEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Abdullah Zidan

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Aysha Ahmed Omar Alahmady Mohammad Dalaq Maryam Elnashar Amir Hamza Sumayyah Zidan

CARTOONIST Selma Eljouhari

GRAPHICS DESIGN & LAYOUT Khadija Saifullah

ADVISOR Natalia Suleiman

PROOFREADER Stacey Ahmed Jenin Sallouha

The BHA Post is published by the Journalism Club of Brighter Horizons Academy, 3145 Medical Plaza Dr., Garland, TX 75044. The BHA Post is a member of the Teachers Association of Journalism Educators and the Interscholastic League Press Conference and a recipient of the 2006 Award of Excellence in overall ILPC newspaper competition, as well as two year nominee for a Star.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR All of our readers are encouraged to participate in this forum by submitting letters to the editor for publication.

Letters can be mailed or E-mailed to natalia@bhaprep.org. Letters must include the signature and telephone number of the writer. We reserve the right to edit letters for length and grammar.

DISCLAIMER The views and opinions of the journalism students do not necessarily reflect or represent the views of the Academy’s Administration.

The BHA Post is a platform by which the student body’s voice may be represented within the highest journalistic and Islamic ethical standards.

There has been a rash of terrorist attacks against Americans in the United States and abroad in recent weeks.

Two have ended with devastating results such as the Fort Hood massacre and the killing of eight CIA operatives in Afghanistan.

The Northwest Airline bomb plot, which AlQaida took credit for, was narrowly averted, as well as the Dallas skyscraper by an Arab native.

Just as many Muslim organizations and mosques condone these terrorist attacks, so does the staff of the BHA Post. However, we believe that it is no longer enough to just issue condemnation statements.

The time has come for Muslims to educate Muslims. And until this happens, the media and

others will continue to associate these criminal acts with our faith.

A 30-second sound bite, a one-time article at the time of the incident, or a 20 minute khutbah (religious speech) on Friday is not enough. It is necessary to re-educate the masses and remind them of the example the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) left for mankind.

It is well documented and agreed upon by many scholars, Muslims and non that the Prophet and his followers suffered much oppression, violence and injustices for believing in the Islamic faith.

Even so, he was patient and encouraged his followers to follow suit. And when it became necessary to declare war against his enemies, he established rules of engage-

ment. Rules that today are very similar to those found in the Geneva Convention. The Prophet would warn the enemy that they would attack, that they should get their women, children and the elderly out from arms way. He advised his men to kill with proper intentions not because of hate, but for the sakes of the salvation of Islam. And when the enemy was captured they were to be treated humanely, fed and sheltered, not tortured.

Those whom believe that suicide bombings, mass killings, and innocent casualties of war are inevitable to beat their enemy are wrong.

To say that these are the only measures available because of intolerable suffering forget the examples of the Prophet.

Are we to say that his

examples were useful only during his time?

Are we to say that his examples have become obsolete? We say, not at all. His was the seal of all prophets and as such left us with a faith, and the ways to live until the end of time. Until someone can prove that the Qur’an and the Sunnah propagate such heinous acts, we must re-educate the blind follower.

It is the responsibility of Muslim leaders, clergymen, teachers and parents to make this education a priority. Education must begin in our homes and go into our schools, our communities and our societies.

We can no longer just condone these acts; we must take a proactive stance.

Who should advertise.. . § Parents who have a senior, 8th grader, KG, Pre-K graduating § Students who want to thank their parents, grandparents Alll ADS are in color

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8.5 x 11 - full page $250 (get free yearbook w/purchase*) 8.5 x 5 - 1/2 page - $140 4 x 5 - 1/4 page -$70 *Must pay in full with order in order to qualify for free yearbook

Yearbook Theme: “Our Journey” 2010 Special 20th Anniversary Edition

Laith Mustafa Class of 2010

For more information contact BHA @: 972.675.2062 Natalia Suleiman @ ext. 109 Mon. - Fri. 8:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.

They grow so fast...

December 2009

PHOTO ESSAY

Bha Post

The

Page 4

Science Night is a yearly event held in November in preparation for Science Fair. The last two years, the event has gotten so big that it no longer is held at the academy, but rather at a rented hall. This year Science Night took place at the Garland Special Events Center.

The event is coordinated by the science department, and students volunteer to man stations with different experiments. They get volunteer hours for demonstrating projects to young students and attending parents.

Rigth: Mona Shaito (sophomore) demonstrates to a spectator how instant foam is made by mixing two polymers together.

Warning: Photo by Mohammad Dallaq

Hafsa Wahid (freshman) volunteers to man the “Coke Can” station. It takes some practice and a bit of physics knowledge, but once both or synchronized the trick is impressive. The trick is to get the can to sit on one edge without falling over.

The reactions, especially from the young ones are many; from puzzle to amazed.

Photo by Aysha Ahmed Science Night never officially starts without a “Mad Scientists” to get the program

started. This year’s scientists is Dr. Quaser (stage name). With pipe in hand, and flammable liquid he wows the crowd with his blazing torch. His show included several experiments using balloons, dry ice, and more.

Some of his show included children from the audience to help him preform his act.

Many kids held hands up in the air hollering, “pick me, pick me!”

They learned that science can be fun.

Photo by Mohammad Dalaq

Rule number one: Be cautious, and safe when conducting science experiments, especially those that deal with chemicals and heat.

Sara Omer (sophomore), boils water at 80 Celsius (176 Fahrenheit) although water typically boils at 100 Celsius (212 Fahrenheit) to prove the Gas Law that a decrease in pressure increases temperature.

Photo by Sumayyah Zidan

Scienc

Bha Post

The

PHOTO ESSAY

December 2009

Page 5

Center: Rana Dallah, Etaf Qutu, and Karma Orfaly (sophomores) demonstrate how a clock can work without the need of electricity or batteries by merely using water. Electrolytes are positive and negative ions.

Photo by Sumayyah Zidan

Amer Hitto (sophomore) demonstrates with the use of UV lights and a dark box, children are able to view the amount of germ build up in their hands. UV light facilitates the visibility of what normally ia invisible - germs.

Photo by Omar Alahmady

ce Night in Progress

by Abdullah Zidan, Omar Alahmady, Sumayyah Zidan, Maryam Elnashar, Aysha Ahmed, Mohammad Dalaq

Saria Almaktabi and Saja Dallah (seniors) volunteer at the dry ice station. They are working with dry ice and must

wear protective, heavy duty gloves to protect themselves.

The object of their experiment is to make carbon dioxide

bubbles using the ice.

bed of nails and balloons. The

Just like a magician who lies in cause the pressure is evenly

Asim Jetpuri and Usman Asad (juniors) work with a a

to see how much pressure it will take to burst the balloon.

punctured, the same theory loon, holds for this experiment. BePhoto by Mohammad Dalaq

Photo by Sumayyah Zidan object of this experiment is a bed of nails and does not get distributed throughout the bal-

December 2009

Bha Post

NEWS

The

Page 6

Prepares for next round Sea of pink abound continued from pg 1 the last few rounds, I didn’t really feel nervous. I felt confident. I was really shocked and happy when I won.”

Lee feels her biggest competition was Thabit Pulak, the reigning Spelling Bee champion for the past two years at BHA. Pulak missed an “a” in the word litany (pronounced ‘litt nee’). Although he asked for the pronunciation, definition and use in a sentence he now feels he missed the “a” because it is a silent letter.

“I was surprised when I lost,” Pulak said. “I knew I might have misspelled the word, but I made my best guess.”

Like Lee, this is also Pulak’s final year to qualify to compete in the DMN Spelling Bee. Lee hopes to take advantage of her win and is practicing for the next round.

Lee has a study plan worked out for the Private School Spelling Bee.

A somber, Thabit Pulak sits in disbelieve as he realizes his reign as Spelling Bee champion is over. Because he is an 8th grader, he no longer has next year to look forward to, as he will not qualify due to grade cut-off. photo by Aysha Ahmed She states that she has a special technique that helps her remember words. Her strategy is to memorize words via their syllables.

She breaks each word down into syllables and spells it out slowly.

For example decongested in Lee’s

technique becomes de-con-gested. This helps her spell out even the most complicated words.

“I have broken the book up into sections. I plan to study 20 to 30 words a day.” Lee said.

Lee will also work with others to make sure she gets all the practice she needs. With the help of her friends and family, she hopes to make it to district, state, and maybe even nationals.

“My mom will coach me, as well as all my friends, especially Afia Tariq,” Lee said.

For her win, Lee received a $25 dollar Barnes and Noble gift card as well as a free subscription to Encyclopedia Britannica.

Lee will represent the Academy at the Private School Round at UTD on February 9th, 2010. She hopes to advance as far as she can.

“I’m studying a lot more now and paying keen attention to words spoken and even reading dictionaries,” Lee said.

He knew I had been working on

continued from pg 1 this project, but didn’t realize the mi’s idea worthy. Najmi, along with some of her Student Council peers decided that girls who donated one dollar, would wear pink hijabs for the day. They also sold “pink” cup cakes. Student Council boys made pink breast cancer awareness signs and asked for donations from parents during drop off and pick up.

Najmi felt a little overwhelmed wanting to make sure that the effort would be successful. Her group put out fliers; she contacted the Susan G... Komen organization, and for days worked on every detail of this project. Aside from wanting to please Allah, she wanted only to receive heavenly rewards. She got more than that.

“My father picks my brother and me up after school,” Najmi said.

“On Pink Hijab Day, he was surprised at the sea and shades of pink on all the girls and the awareness posters. He saw kids buying cupcakes and the effort the boys were making asking for donations.

impact it would have. He asked, ‘ Did you make all this happen?’ I smiled knowing he was so proud of me,” Najmi said.

This is the first time that students coordinated efforts for such a cause and the outcome was $1,100 in donations and sweet sales. A check was sent to Susan G... Komen in Dallas.

To raise funds for the Susan G Komen foundation, Stuco member Iqra Parupia (freshman) asks parents “Would you like to buy a cookie?”

Photo by Sumayyah Zidan

Decisions to make Kudos Corner Kindness pays

continued from pg 2 However, at present the Academy does not find it financially feasible to take the students on such trips.

“I do encourage students to visit out-of-town universities on their own if there is a particular university that they are interested in attending,” Khan said.

Some seniors believe these trips have enabled them to decide which university to apply to, others contradict.

“The field trips haven’t really given me a straight answer.”

Mariam Hanif [senior] said.” But it gave me an image of how life is at a university.”

For others the trip helped some.

“It didn’t give me a direct answer, but it helped me decide my potential future university.”

Rami Basatneh [senior] said.

For Arshad Aslam the trips were beneficial.

“The field trips did help me know which universities to apply to.” Arshad Aslam [senior] said.

And most feel like Farzan Parupia who feel one trip is not enough to base a decision on.

“Just a trip cannot decide what university to apply to, but visiting universities definitely provides a lot of information about them.” Farzan Parupia [senior] said. “Currently my first choice is SMU.” Hanif, Parupia, Aslam , and Basatneh all agree that the university they enjoyed visiting the most was Southern Methodist University.

“I really enjoyed visiting SMU.” Basatneh said. “The facility is just amazing.”

“SMU has the best scenery out

continued from pg 1

Students visit several local area campuses with high school guidance counselor during their first senior semester. They receive a guided tour and get an opportunity to participate in a Q&A. Although most students agree that a tour is not sufficient to make a decision about their choice, it does make an impact. Most seniors favor Southern Methodist University as a preferred facility for its look, location, facilities and programs available. However, many will chose a college depending on their career choice. L. to R.: Saman Najmi, MarwaSadoun, Sumayah Ahmad, Iqra Sawani, , and Saja Dallah, listen and learn to tour guide. Perhaps they will choose the University of North Texas based of what they hear.

Photo by Mariam Hanif

of all the universities we visited.”

Hanif said.

“Touring SMU was the best; it is high class and provides a good education.”Aslam said.

“SMU is really beautiful, there is easy access to faculty, and it is moderate sized.” Parupia said.

“It also has an unbelievable amount of academic programs.

Still, visiting other universities was fun and interesting because I learned more about my choices of university.”

Nonetheless, these students all have different plans for their future.

“I intend to enroll at Baylor and major in Biology.” Basatneh [senior] said.

“I am contemplating to study at a medical school.” Hanif [senior] said. “What I am planning to major in definitely depends on the university I will enroll in.”

“I would love to go to SMU because I am doing Business as my major. SMU has one of the top-rated business schools in the nation: the Cox School of Business.” Parupia said. “I am also planning to study engineering either as a second major or a minor. SMU also has one of the best engineering schools in the nation.”

“My plan is to matriculate at University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) and study engineering.”

Aslam said.

the police. Elsehety calls 911 and then begins to record with his phone. A Dallas police officer arrives.

“The driver becomes belligerent with the officer,” Basatneh said.

“He continues to deny fault, but he admits that he is drunk. The witness corroborated my accusation.”

After a while, Basatneh was no longer angry, but rather feeling sorry for the driver.

“He was a mess and could hardly stand straight,” Basatneh said. “I started thinking about what was in store for the driver if I pressed charges.”

Basatneh asked the officer if he could not send him to jail.

The officer looked puzzled and amazed and listened.

“If he goes to jail, he is liable to suffer severe repercussions,” Basatneh said. “He may lose his job, his license and in the end my car still will not get fixed.”

Basatneh suggested the driver call a friend to take him home.

While waiting for the driver’s friend, the officer asked Basatneh why he chose not to pursue the matter.

“I believe the accident was my fate,” Basatneh said. “I go to an Islamic school and I’ve learned that this is how Muslims are supposed to act. I never know when I may need a second chance. Perhaps someone will return the favor.”

Upon hearing this, the driver decided to recant his initial denial and tells Basatneh that he will take full liability for his acts. The

He is a senior and a Student Council member. Many who know Rami Basatneh say he is a kind guy who is not afraid to show his care for mankind and the less fortunate. This year as an active Student Council member he spearheaded the second largest student fund raiser with over $6,500 which benefitted juvenille diabetes and the hungry.

Photo by Sumayyah Zidan

driver’s friend finally picked him up.

True to his word the driver paid to get Basatneh’s car fixed and paid for a rental.

“I’m happy it (the accident) happened with you, the driver said. “ Someone else would have pressed charges.”

Afterwards he asked Basatneh if he could do anything else for him. Basatneh informed him of the upcoming Drug Awareness Week at BHA and asked if he would speak at the school.

“He knew it was going to be embarrassing, but he did it.”

Basatneh said.

The driver was unavailable for comment; therefore we chose not to use his name in this story.

Bha Post

December 2009

The

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December 2009

Keeping It Reel

Bha Post

ENTERTAINMENT

The

Page 8

New DVD release -Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Nonstop food machine: Not necessarily a good thing It’s raining nonstop food in the town of ChewandSwallow : initially townspeople are happy, then they are full , drowning.

Will it ever stop or must they abandon their happy town.

by Karma Orfaly Editor-in-Chief

Creative, imaginative, mouthwatering… Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs! Based on the children’s book with the same title, this movie will have you craving the food that falls from the sky the whole time.

The film tells the story of Flint Lockwood, voiced by Bill Hader, who is a young man with the dream of inventing something useful for his small town. Ridiculed as a child for his “nerdy” inventions, he finally feels wanted and loved when he invents a machine that turns water into food.

One day it goes haywire and it rockets up into the sky. It begins to rain food nonstop.

With this new invention, Lockwood becomes the talk of the town. The mayor wants him for publicity and the townspeople adore him for their enjoyment of the food.

Lockwood befriends an intern weather girl named Sam Sparks, voiced by Anna Faris. She is a brainiac who, as a child, was ridiculed

for her intelligence. She works very hard to be an “average” not too

watch it in normal or 3D, you feel like you are with the characters, making ice cream snow men and swimming in a pool of Jell-O. This movie appeals to children mostly, but also to an older generation who grew up reading and loving the book by

to abandon their homes using rafts made out of peanut butter sandwiches. In the movie, however, the food making machine is destroyed. The action sequences are awesome and have you routing for the heroes. Every one lives happily ever after.

Who doesn’t like a happy ending?

Rather than the

smart person. Through their adventures, Lockwood and Anna teach us that it’s OK to let the true you shine through.

This movie has brilliant animation.

It is available in 3D. And whether you

Judi Barret.

I personally enjoyed watching my favorite childhood story come to life on the big screen, and hope many others will experience the same thing.

The writers of the movie script did an excellent job of giving the movie a more satisfying ending than the book. In the book, the people of the town of Chew and Swallow have

magical phenomenon

entific” explanation of transforming water molecules into food.

I rate this movie 4 out of 5 stars and think that it is an excellent family movie that will have everyone laughing and praying for hamburgers to fall from the sky. Rent or buy the movie!

You’ll watch it over and over. Just don’t watch it on an empty stomach. Trust me; you’ll be driving to the nearest buffet craving food!

of the book, the movie is more “realistic” with its plausible “sci-

Unique sound, “Thank You Allah” Newcomer Album Release spiritual message

maher zain

by Karma Orfaly Editor-in-Chief

From the same people who brought you Sami Yusuf, comes a new From the same people who brought you Sami Yusuf, comes a new artist, Maher Zain. With inspiring and upli ing lyrics and a harmonious voice, you will surely enjoy his album, “Thank You Allah.”

Sami Yusuf emerged as one of the most popular nasheed artists a few years back. Nasheed is a genre of music that focuses on religious and upli ing songs in the Islamic faith. Like Sami Yusuf, Maher Zain has also found his calling in the Nasheed genre. With songs of gratefulness and remembrance of God, his music is sure to become popular in the Muslim commu-

easy to relate to his music. Because he is young y g and his music style is categorized under R&B, his music definitely appeals to the teen generation. This way, teens can listen to his music, and enjoy it, while also getting the benefit of the meaning behind the song.

Zain currently has a record label with Awakening records and his new album, “Thank You Allah” can be found on ITunes, Amazon, and at the Awakening store.

His album Genre is a mix of R&B, Soul, and Islamic music.

His music is creative and the mood changes from

nity.

Maher Zain was raised in Sweden and first discovered hiss love for music when he watched heed his dad perform in Tripoli, Lebanon. baanon.

As he grew up in Sweden,, music m was always a part of his life. lifee. He later went to New Yorkk tto o try to work in the music industry ndustry but he always felt something metthing ght.” It around him “wasn’t right.” was not until he returned need to mee Sweden that he became a practicing Muslim, at-tending the mosque regularly. This is when he says he realized he found “Home.”

Zain not only brings in n Islamic meaning to his music, music, but also a cultural mixture. ure.

Singing in English, Arabic, abiic, and even French, he reaches ches track out to a large audience. to track.

It’s not the same Teenagers will find it especially pecially monotonous tone that some

nasheed artists tend to have.

His music videos include his hit single “Palestine will be Free” which is also

available on the album.

Personally, Zain inspires me to do better. His style of music relaxes me. It makes me calmly sway instead of the usual heavy drumbeat of Nasheed. Zain also has an Arab influence. Some of his songs give you the vibe of actually being overseas on the balcony.

His voice is anything but ordinary. Fans of nasheed artists will enjoy this new artist and appreciate the Islamic message portrayed though it.

Most importantly, the message in his new album is based on giving thanks to Allah and counting your blessings. People need to be reminded of what they have and why not use a meaningful album with catchy songs to remind yourself? It’s the perfect opportunity to improve our morals.

I rate this album 5 stars. It’s new and original, and even if you aren’t a nasheed fan, give it a chance. The blend of Maher Zain’s voice and updated music will have you clicking replay again and again!