Future Terrorists in Training...

"CNN Exclusive: A 13-year-old witness to ISIS' beheadings, crucifixion in Syria"
By: Raja Razek,Nick Paton Walsh, and Nick Thompson
Source: CNN news
http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/28/world/meast/syria-isis-atrocities-boy/index.html?iid=article_sidebar
         

               Members of ISIS, a Sunni terror group, have been forcing young children to learn the ways of their group. According to a 13 year old boy named Mohammed, who fled to Turkey for safety, they would be forced to go to a camp, where they were taught everything. They would wake up early, jog, eat breakfast, learn the Quran and the Hadith of the Prophet, then they would take courses on weapons and other military equipment. Some of the militants from ISIS were nice and would joke around with the young boys, but some were cruel and would force them to watch disturbing things. "They used to bring young [kids] to the camp to lash them," Mohammed says. "When we go to the mosque, they order us to come the next day at a specific time and place to [watch] heads cut off, lashings or stonings. We saw a young man who did not fast for Ramadan, so they crucified him for three days, and we saw a woman being stoned [to death] because she committed adultery” (1).

               The young boys that were brought to this camp were too young to understand that what they were being taught was very wrong. In the video below, it shows a child about 4/5 years old. When asked what he would do to infidels, he said he would kill them. Another child is shown in the video, probably around the same age, shooting an AK-47. It is unfair to these boys that they are being fed wrong and violent ideas. If their parents were to not send them to this camp, they would be be-headed, so it was as if they had no choice. Mohammed and his father got very lucky, but they live in fear of ISIS. Mohammed’s father taught him that religion is not about fighting, but about love and forgiveness, and I agree 100% with that statement.

               This information is important for the public’s awareness because what is being done in the Middle East by this terror group is inhumane, unfair, frightening, and cruel and if ISIS were to ever become even more powerful, it is a threat and danger to us all. ISIS is spreading all throughout the Middle East as we speak, with a murderous drive to convert any non-Muslim who stand in their way, no matter what age group they stand in. And if one refuses to convert, they have no issue in murdering the non-Muslim, as we have already seen in the gloating videos of young boys in training.

LINK TO VIDEO: http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2014/08/28/pkg-paton-walsh-isis-children.cnn.html

SOAPST

S- the Queen’s support for her troops ; she spoke with words, such as “we”, in order to encourage and motivate them and let them know that they are united as one.

O-before going to war with the Spanish Armada; battle of 1588

A- soldiers of England and anybody else hearing her speech

P-to motivate, encourage, and ease the soldiers of their pre-war stress

S- Queen Elizabeth I  

T- emotional, powerful, honest, united, encouraging, motivational, reassuring

Without SOAPST, a piece of literature would not make sense or be complete. If one of the 6 letters making up the acronym were left blank above, this speech would not make sense either. SOAPST helps the readers understand the purpose and reasoning of this piece of literature and its effectiveness to the audience.

This speech is effective due to the greatness of the pathos appeal used. Queen Elizabeth starts the speech off using “we” instead of “you”, meaning they are united as one when it comes to this war. She also mentions how she is a feeble, weak woman, but her physical appearance will not stop her from leading her men into war. Her speech is emotional due to her heartwarming words that she uses as encouragement for the soldiers. She boosts up their confidence and reassures them of a victory in order to take some of the weight off their shoulders. She concludes her speech using the words “of my people”, making it clear that although they are united at this time of war,  she is still their leader.

Polio Double-Vaccinations

"Double vaccines 'could hasten the end of polio'"
By:James Gallagher
Source: BBC News
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-28872763

Poliomyelitis, better known as just Polio, is a viral disease that causes spinal and respiratory paralysis (full or partial) and can even lead to death. Polio has been around since humans even existed, but became a major public health issue in the late Victorian times, as there were epidemics in Europe and the United States. Although Polio is incurable, vaccines have made it possible to almost completely eradicate the disease today. An oral vaccine is given to people in order to help fight to eradicate the disease, but scientists have discovered that giving a second vaccine could help speed up the efforts to free the world of the disease completely. Getting rid of the disease completely would possibly be the biggest success in global health as it is now widespread in Nigeria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Cases have fallen by more than 99% in these countries. Each person receives two drops of the oral vaccine which contain a weakened polio virus, but it is thought that other infections might interfere with the vaccine. This lead to the solution of more than one vaccine, but it got to the point where children were taking 30 oral vaccinations by the age of 5. There were trials in India involving an injection of inactivated virus and it served as a booster jab, leading to the conclusion that both oral and injected vaccines should be used. This double-vaccine approach is being used in parts of Nigeria and soon will be used in Pakistan as well. If this approach is successful, it can save thousands of lives and possibly end Polio for good!

Ethos, Pathos, Logos

               In order for an advertisement to be effective and relevant to the audience, it should contain at least two out of the three following appeals-- logos, ethos, and pathos. Logos is anything logical; something that uses evidence or examples. Ethos is anything ethical, with morals. Lastly, pathos is anything that is able to toy with the audience’s emotions, and is the most effective and important if I were the audience.  

               The following advertisement is something that would definitely affect me if I were to see it on a billboard. It shows a crying child that was emotionally hurt by another’s words. The logos  is presented with the ‘hand of words’ that is wrapped around the child’s neck. It indicates that, although they are just words and nothing physical, they can hurt just as much as physical abuse can. The pathos is the heartbreaking expression on the child’s face; the big, red eyes and the tears show the pain the child is experiencing. Just a look at him, and anyone would want to wrap their arms around him to comfort him. The ethos is presented with the quote next to the boy that states “Your words have power, use them wisely”.

               This advertisement is highly effective. It, not only makes the audience aware of the power of words, but also the effect the words can have on a person, especially a child. The strongest appeal in this advertisement is definitely pathos. The message of the ad is clearly shown by just one quote and a picture and yet, it would be able to reach out to so many people.

TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY

From all the books I have read in the past, Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher would be considered my favorite. No matter how many times I have read it, this book always left me insatiable; I finished it within a day or two, ripping through the pages because I could never get enough. Thirteen Reasons Why is in Clay Jensen’s point of view from the beginning to the end. One day, he receives a package with thirteen tapes in it; each tape telling a story of a person that took part in Hannah Baker’s decision to commit suicide. Tape #1 is a story of the person with the least amount of impact on her decision, and tape #13 is a story of the person with the biggest impact on her decision. As I read through Clay’s thoughts during the tapes, I could not help but think exactly the same things as him; why is Clay in these tapes? What could he have done to Hannah to have an impact on her decision of killing herself? Who does tape #13 talk about?

Although it is a dark overall subject, this story had me hooked from the start. The thrilling and suspenseful storyline pushed me to keep reading until I knew all the answers to my questions. The ending is probably the main reason of my addiction to this book, being an open ending. In my head, I probably think that if I keep re-reading the story, it will end in a different way, but in reality, the author wrote the book in a way that the reader needs to come up with their own ending.

People might wonder why I would want to voluntarily read a book about suicide, but it is much more than that. While reading the tapes in the book, it is as if you can feel the anger, heartbreaking sadness, and the betrayal Hannah feels; the author wrote this in a way that even the readers can feel her pain. For me, a book that is able to put me in such an emotional state and into the characters shoes so perfectly is the best kind of book. And that is why it is my favorite.