The She-Hadi

Al Quaeda has launched a women’s magazine comparable to the popular American magazines Elle or Cosmopolitan. Al-Shamikha, loosely translated “The Majestic Woman,” is published by Al-Fajr, a jihadist media outlet, and is geared toward a female jihadi audience.

The 31-page magazine includes tips such as “not [to] go out except when necessary” and to stay indoors with your face covered to attain a flawless complexion, advice on how to marry a jihadist, and interviews with martyr’s wives.

According to the editors of Al-Shamikha, “the enemies of Islam are bent on preventing the Muslim woman from knowing the truth about her religion and her role, since they know all too well what would happen if women entered the field of jihad. . . . The nation of Islam needs women who know the truth about their religion and about the battle and its dimensions and know what is expected of them.”

—VALERIE HSU

Pursuing a Passion While Writing an Epitaph

On Tuesday, March 15, Jim Morgan spoke to a full crowd in Benton Chapel. Morgan is current Chief Executive Officer of Krispy Kreme and has served as Chairman of the Board of Krispy Kreme since 2005. Former CEO of Wachovia, Morgan was also Chairman of Covenant Capital, an investment management firm. The event was sponsored by Vanderbilt Campus Crusade for Christ.

The title of his talk was “Pursuing a Passion While Writing an Epitaph.” Morgan’s approachable manner and sincere personality were evident as he shared personal stories, perspectives, and advice on leadership and success. Following the Q&A time, free doughnuts were distributed.

—VALERIE HSU

Help Wanted

Aflac now has a job opening.

Earlier this month, following the disaster in Japan, Gilbert Gottfried, voice of Aflac’s spokesduck, was fired for tweets that made light of the tragedy in Asia. The comments in question have been removed from Gottfried’s Twitter feed.

According to Michael Zuna, Aflac’s chief marketing officer, “Gilbert’s recent comments about the crisis in Japan were lacking in humor and certainly do not represent the thoughts and feelings of anyone at Aflac.”

To apply for Gilbert Gottfried’s vacant position, apply by April 1 at http://www.quackaflac.com/applyonline/ with a recording that demonstrates your “quack-ifications.”

—VALERIE HSU

To Friend the Pope?

First the queen, now the pope.

Last week, the Vatican unveiled a Facebook page dedicated to Pope John Paul II’s upcoming beautification on May 1. Although the page is meant solely to promote the event, Vatican officials speculate that the site might endure past the event due to the lasting interest in the late pope and his 27-year papacy. The Facebook page will feature video highlights of the life of John Paul.

At Easter this year, the Vatican will also launch a new web portal that will function as a “one-stop-shop aggregator” of all its numerous news sources, including Vatican Radio, Vatican Television, Fides, and L’Osservatore Romano.

—VALERIE HSU

Vanderbilt Prays

A group of Vanderbilt students from various Christian organizations across campus organized a night of prayer and worship that was held Thursday, March 17.

The event, called Vanderbilt Prays, was not affiliated with a single ministry or denomination, and its objective was to “lift up prayer for the campus a s one voice.” Publicity for the event occurred primarily on Facebook.

—VALERIE HSU

WTF?

OMG, the OED has finally caved. On March 24, 2011, the Oxford English Dictionary, that sage guardian of the English language, welcomed “LOL,” “OMG,” and “♥,”among others, into their online lexicon FTW.

FYI, these initialisms “are found outside of electronic contexts . . . even in spoken use.” They serve to allow the user to identify himself “as an ‘insider’ au fait with the forms of expression associated with the latest technology.”

BTW, the definition of “♥”: “a colloquial synonym for ‘to love’” that “originated as a humorous reference to logos featuring a picture of a heart as a symbol for the verb love.”

—VALERIE HSU

Distant Cousins…

The British radio play Hyde Park On the Hudson that highlights FDR’s affair with his distant cousin Margaret Stuckley will be adapted into a movie directed by Roger Mitchell, whose previous work includes Morning Glory.

The play is set in that June 1939 weekend when the British King and Queen visited FDR. This visit to FDR’s upstate New York cottage is historic, as it was the first visit to America by a British monarch.
Comedian Bill Murray is slated to play the role of FDR. The film, which will begin shooting in July, is a project of Focus Features and Film4.

—VALERIE HSU

Tweet

torch in brief