Argo was real or fake?

In the movie Argo (2012), Ben Affleck plays a CIA agent that comes up with a clever plan to rescue the six hostages held by Iran from 1979 to 1981.

The movie title Argo is the title of the movie that Affleck and a Hollywood producer friend come up with. They come up with a fake movie requiring dessert space shooting scenes: Iran. After he convinces all of the CIA that the plan will work, he gets a script, film crew, and someone to put their name on it. But they can't go in as Americans. They are in disguise as Canadians.

The Iran people aren't in conflict with Canadians, and the hostages found refuge at the Canadian embassy with the ambassador and his family. Affleck and his crew show up and, though have Canadian identities, still have to be careful. Once they get to the Canadian embassy, he meets the six people. He describes the plan to them, but they aren't fully convinced that it will work. They believe that they will die if they try it, but Affleck assures them that if they don't try it they will die anyway.

I was able to connect with some of the happenings in the movie because we had just learned about OPEC and the Iranian Revolution and bad feelings against the United States in class, but now that I'm researching the hostage, there are a lot of things left out, changed, and inserted. I believe that they did this just to make it more interesting; as movie makers usually do.

First off, the Canadian role in the rescue was downplayed in the movie. This part of the movie was probably upsetting to some Canadians, as they had a lot to do with it. The movie exposed that the CIA actually rescued the hostages. The CIA didn't want their name to be involved so they let the Canadians take all the credit at the time. Yes, the hostages were housed by the Canadians, and the Canadians scoped out the town and how safe and secure the airport was while teaching the hostages to speak like someone from Canada.

Secondly, the ride to the airport and the boarding of the plane was quite easy. In the movie, it displays that the Jimmy Carter and the government shuts down the plan "Argo," but then quickly reinstates it and sends the tickets for the hostages just in the nick of time, conveniently. The tickets were historically ordered in advance by the Canadian ambassador's wife. (How's that for Canadian involvement?) Also, the movie captures the paper weaving children piecing together a photo of one of the hostages just in time to discover one of the hostages at the airport, and they just barely take off in a plane without getting shot down. None of this happened. The escape was a lot easier than displayed, but with movies, you have to have some tension and a climax.

While the film fails to mention that Argo was originally Lord of Light, it was a great movie that really made the history lesson about it come to life. It over dramatized the encounter of the Iranian hostage, but what do you expect from a movie? (537)

How many boyfriends did you really have?- Social Media

                You remember all of us back in middle school, right? We thought we were such the hot stuff. We knew the ins and outs of dating… well kind of. It was the kind of relationship where you only hung out at school (only for some), and if you saw them at the grocery store with your mom, it was an awkward situation. Like… you ran to a different isle in hopes that they wouldn’t see you.

                Thank God for Bebo. Bebo was the social networking for preteens back in my day; the junior Facebook, if you will. It was neat to go to someone’s profile and see their Skin (background) and read a little about them in their About Me. They had a certain number of Top Friends that they could list out of their whole Friends List, and usually you could tell who was dating who by their Other Half. The Other Half was decided by an Other Half Request, and, if accepted, would show up with a little description in the main part of your profile, right under your About Me. If you didn’t have a boyfriend or girlfriend, it was mostly your best friend.

                The funny thing looking back on it is that my first ever “boyfriend” (NOT a steady relationship… AT ALL) asked me to be his Other Half in the 7^th grade, and I accepted thinking that we would get to know each other better over Bebo.

                First you have to know a little background: I was new to his school. I knew hardly anyone, and the friends that I did have decided to set me up with a jersey to wear for that Friday night’s football game. This jersey thing was crucial back then. If you didn’t have it you were committing social suicide. A boy by the name of Aaron had just finished his off and on (drama filled) courtship with another girl for the last time I was told to believe. So naturally my friend got his jersey and gave it to me, with no communication between Aaron and me. At the time, I thought this was politically and socially correct. Dumb me.

                So later that week at lunch, I got asked out by him through another friend. With my gained maturity I would have thought, “Who does that?” But looking for social acceptance at the new school, I eagerly accepted. The maturity that I did have at the time pushed me to walk over there and sit down at his table and eat the special lunch that I packed for myself due to my braces that I had just gotten. Talk about growing up.

                Starved for peer existence in my life, I would get on Bebo almost every night. Only that night I was surprised to see Aaron’s profile. Under it said that he “loved me.” Shock to the system. What did love mean? And if he truly did (which he MOST definitely did NOT), why couldn’t he have told that to me? I was also stunned to notice his Hobbies column. Under it said the usual “sports, hunting, fishing, music,” but at the end he added “spending time with Morgan.” What? When had we ever spent time out together? We hadn’t and we never would.

                The only thing that we managed to do, other than right silly immature notes in the hall, was write on each other’s Bebo profiles. It made it really easy and safe to express who I really was (not like he knew) to him through an electronic outlet. Like a star struck little girl, I would carefully plan my replies with clever jokes and uses of the (annoying) smiley face and @hearts; symbol. Barf?

                Let’s just say that I’m completely ashamed and embarrassed of this situation. It was a relationship that might as well not have been at all. Nothing was gained, and a lot was lost. My pride was a factor. But then again, wasn’t everyone else doing it? Breaking up, making up, dating everyone in their class. I was just trying to fit in, and, by the looks of everyone else’s profile, I was doing or saying nothing wrong. The only difference between me and them was I never sought out more relationships or tried to get him back. While other girls kept dating, I refused to stoop to something so pointless. What is the purpose of being in a “relationship” if you can’t talk to them while in school, go to movies, or go skating together? In the stages where dating was the “thing” to be doing, we set ourselves up for trouble when we actually wanted to find that someone special and settle down.

                How are we supposed to meet new people and attract our future spouses when we relied on the Internet and texting so much? Adults don’t off the cuff start dating without ever seeing that person in actual person. So here come the problems: talking, eye contact, interacting, and expressions.

                Too many people nowadays are antisocial, awkward, and introverted. I know there are every levels of the outgoing spectrum, but God created Adam and Eve… not Adam, Eve, and a Dixie cup with string. He meant for us to be in each other’s presence.

                Our people skills are skidding downhill and will continue to do so, if we don’t extend ourselves socially and step outside to reality. We are too afraid of being judged and ridiculed. All we can see are the bad things that will come from personal interaction: What if they don’t think I’m attractive? What if I don’t act right? They’ll probably think I’m not buff enough. Most are appearance related, which leads to “cat fishing,” fake profile pictures, and Photoshop. Virtual relationships simply aren’t healthy; because you aren’t dating that person… you’re dating the person’s photo and typed words. (974)

1950's Wifehood in Mona Lisa Smile

Mona Lisa Smile (2003) is a movie starring the very beautiful and talented Julia Roberts, and that is exactly who her character, Katherine Ann Watson, is in the movie. It is a movie that portrays the lifestyle of college women in the 50’s. While they were fully exercising their opportunities to go to college and get an education, they sold themselves short in many ways.

                The colleges back then (specifically Wellesley in the movie) only offered classes to women that prepared them to become great housewives and mothers to their husbands and families almost immediately out of college or even during. Back then, it was nothing for a woman to drop out of college to get married. When I said that Katherine Ann Watson was talented, I meant that she was a woman capable of more than just cooking for a dinner party and cleaning the house before the mister comes home; they all were. However, only Katherine Ann Watson realized it from the beginning.

                She came from California to the East Coast to become an art professor at Wellesley. I think that her difference in thinking and alternative artistic tastes is best associated with her background. I think California was (and still is) considered to be the “run to” state. Runaways wanted to go to California because life was more rebellious and free, thus most hippies lived out there.

                Right away, her views were frowned upon. The female students and fellow teachers thought she was completely crazy that she hadn’t gotten married or had a family yet. One student in particular stands out, Joan Brandwyn played by Julia Stiles. She, more so than the rest, seemed to show the most promise of being independent as her own person and creating a life of more than just catering to others’ needs. She, being smart, desired to go to Yale to finish up her schooling at the Law School, but halfway through the movie caves to the pressure from the society outside. She ends up getting eloped to her husband who has no problem getting his own education at Harvard. Her own personal love life gets tossed in as a token, I think. There is something to be said for how scandalous yet common cheating on your significant other was back then.

                By the end of the movie, Ms. Watson leaves the school to pursue another job. She is followed by the newly graduated women that she taught riding bikes. They are thanking her for all that she had done for them that year: changing their expectations of themselves and seeing their full potential. The impact that she had on them changed Joan’s mind about becoming just a wife. She decided at the end to go to Yale while being married.

                I noticed many things that I had learned in class previously before watching the movie. Things like: new appliances being bought for the new house in the suburbs, the hairstyles, the clothes, and the unwritten rules and guidelines for how to be a great wife.

                The movie was one of great inspiration. Though before watching it, I knew that I could become whatever I wanted to be regardless of my gender. Gender roles in society played an even bigger part in the 50’s than it does now. Thank God we had women like Ms. Watson to confess their beliefs in women’s independence. (562)

Genetically Attractive

I want to make this a short and sweet blog post; so here it is:

Not to offend anyone, I want to also address a certain "saying" that I've heard a lot lately (for no particular reason, I might add).

"Beautiful couples make ugly children. Ugly couples make cute children."

Substituting cute for beautiful, kids for children, and unattractive for ugly; it is all the same to me! Basically people are saying that good looks are not directly handed down from generation to generation. They skip around. Cute grandparents had unattractive children that later produced beautiful kids. Sounds like some major punet square action up in that mess!

I wonder where this comment stemmed from originally? The person that first said this... was he (or she) attractive himself? Was he calling his parents ugly? Drama, drama, drama. I don't know if this is completely true... In fact, I totally disagree.

First off, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Ever heard that cliche? Yea. It's true. What you think is a pretty painting might be atrocious to me. While you might think a boy is dorky, I might turn around and think he is down right sexy. True dat. Some people could also argue that God made everyone and everything; he made none of them ugly.

Secondly, genetics don't judge how attractive you are and command your reproductive cells to create an ugly duckling. Typically your children look like a cross between the two of you. While some kids are lucky to get the best of their mom and dad's genes combined, others aren't so fortunate. That's why there can be twins in which one is smart and one is athletic. The athletic one got the sportsy genes, while the other got the brains.

On my personal level, I feel that both of my parents were attractive in their younger years. They have aged extremely well also. Who is to say that I will be attractive as well? Or age smoothly until I hit my 70s? No one is to know.

I hope I myth busted this for you all. Go out and celebrate your beauty with your parents and grandparents. There is no generation skip in your family! ;) (370)

You're so vain!

Plain and simple. I don't like cocky people. That is horrible of me to say, but it is a sin to be vain, I believe.

God doesn't want us to think so highly of ourselves. We are supposed to be God fearing people with flaws that we accept only with the determination to improve every day through the will of Him. Dear Lordy, I should write a daily Bible verse book.

Plain and simple, I wish that people would look at themselves. Dig deep down. Step outside yourself and take a gander into the closest bathroom mirror. Check yourself, straight up. What are your faults? Don't have any? Puh. That's sin #2. Lying. We all have faults, but can we internally acknowledge them and seek God for forgiveness and betterment?

I don't know. i guess we'll have to figure it out. (141)

Traveling the World

Heard this cliche before? "I want to travel the world." Yea. You have. You've probably heard it on most of your romantic comedy films that you choose to watch or maybe a dating website commercial such as match.com or singlechristianmingle.com. That line right there is used to reel people in, capture their attention, and gain impressions. Wouldn't you be impressed if your blind date said that to you out of nowhere?

What goals and ambitions does she have? Pretty high ones, I'd say. Wow, he must be culturally sound. How exotic she must be!

This is what they will think about all night, once their date drops the line.

First off, it's not that cliche in today's world (no pun intended). Most people nowadays want to settle down right away after getting married and stay close to home in the country (country side that is) with a dozen kids flocking around chickens and cows. Did I mention the white picket fence? (Now that's a cliche for you!) But what do I want? I'll tell you.

I want to travel the entire world! (Please take me seriously!) I've seen tons of pictures on all the various climates and cultures just in Asia! Don't even get me started on my love for the European road trip. South America might be a neat way to exercise my three years of spanish class, as well. Speaking of foreign language, how am I going to visit all of these countries with no proper oral training? I plan to learn a few languages along the way.

On my list of languages to learn before I start this trip is: Spanish (completely), Italian (very similar to spanish), French (so, so, so pretty!), and possibly something a little on the tricky side... like Chinese or Russian. Now I know this seems like an impossible task, but if you asked any foreigner (outside of the U.S.) how many languages they are fluent in... what would they say? THREE!?!? Tri-lingual. Really? This is no joke. I was on a ferry in Mexico on my way to Cozumel (beautiful, off mainland island of the Yucatan Peninsula), and there he was! A beautiful Mexican boy that looked to be about 18. He was on his way to see a canoeing festival that his sister was participating in. He noticed that me, my mother, and some of our newly met friends were discussing the spanish language, and he happily joined in the fun. He later informed us that he knew Spanish (of course), Catalan (a regional Spanish), Mayan (ancient-Mexican indian language), Italian (very fluent), French (learning), and, obviously, English. I couldn't fathom how a boy at such a young age could learn that many languages and be some worldly. He could survive in almost any country I bet. (This is another topic that I will have to revisit. United States foreign language learning versus the rest of the world's polyglotism. Future blog idea?)

Back to the main point; it isn't impossible, just tricky. They say that the english language is the hardest to learn, so I think I have a good head start on some.

So, if I want to learn how to speak some of the Romance languages, I obviously want to visit them! I would love to visit Spain, Italy, and France! Visiting Spain would mean swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, while visiting Italy would mean seeing the Vatican City and all of Rome's eternal city enchantedness. France would be a trip that I would need to burn off for a few months after. The food (mostly dessert) is amazing! The Eiffel Tower would also be a must.

I'm probably not going to be done with Europe after those three. I will probably visit London. Mother often asks me the question, "If you could visit any country in the world, which one would it be?" When I was younger I would answer with the United Kingdom, of course. I was fascinated with the King, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the big two (sometimes three) story busses. She would often reply that England, to her, would be too similar to the United States. She wanted some difference in the culture and climate. If I got the chance to go to England, I would love to visit Ireland as well. Most people say that you can't "do one without the other."

Greece. So old, so quiet and serene. It isn't a country that I know much about. The only thing I know about it is that it is beautiful... and the country (from my sixth grade geography teacher) is shaped like a "greasy hand;" thus the name "Greece." They are known for their blue and white clay buildings overlooking a deep blue sea along with their horses, their polytheism, and Troy. Their food is a cultural dip, or so I've heard. Who hasn't wanted to go to Greece since the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants came out? Seriously.

Asia is a continent that has similar cultures. Most of the ethnic groups have dark hair, eyes, and skin. They say that the North American Indians came from Asia originally, crossing the Siberian land bridge into Canada and on through until they hit Argentina. I laugh at this because it is very convincing. I would love to visit Russia (for Moscow and their colorful buildings), India (for their spices and history with beautiful creatures), China (for economic purposes), and maybe a few others while I'm at it.

The Middle East, though I think it is considered part of Asia, I consider it a region in itself. I want to visit countries in the Middle East for spiritual and religious reasons. They consider it the Holy Land. I wish to walk on the same ground that Jesus Christ himself was believed to have walked on. Israel and Turkey truly fascinate me. The scenery is gorgeous from what I can tell in pictures also.

Who doesn't want to go to Australia? Just on the Kangaroo and Koala Bear principle alone. The beaches are beautiful with dark grey, tall rocks. Sydney would be a musical phenomenon. I might even visit Darcy and Nemo, while I'm at it.

Needless to say, I'd like to visit almost every country there is. I hope that I'm not missing any, but if I am, I will have to write another blog post on them. (1064)

Hump Day is Early-out Day.

                What makes going to school at John F. Kennedy High School great, besides the obvious second-to-none academics and competitive sport teams, is the fact that we get early outs every other Wednesday. Why, you may ask, do we get an early out every Wednesday of the school year? Good question. I believe that the district thinks that we, as hard working, high achieving students, need breaks every "Hump Day" as students.

We need a little break every now and then. This so happens to come in the form of shortened class periods. The 12:17 PM early out twice a month is an incentive to work hard for two weeks and a reward for the hard work that was put in the previous two weeks. Students need this little break to go out to eat with their friends (mostly Pancheros) and strengthen their social life that is any other day, non-existent.

Students aren’t the only ones in the academic equation that need breaks. Faculty needs it as well. Faculty includes: athletic directors, teachers, professors, nurses, guidance counselors, office receptionists, principals, assistant principals, janitors, coaches, and librarians. They are so busy during the school day, it is nice that they get to relax a little. However, they aren’t as lucky as us, as students. They don’t have to deal with us for an extra two hours, but they do have to attend meetings. The meetings that they attend every two weeks on Wednesday revolve around becoming better at what they do: their job. They also discuss, as a faculty staff, some of the upcoming news and issues that are occurring and how to fix them.

Bottom line: I wish that I would have had these relaxing, social opportunities twice a month to break up my week at my other schools. The weeks fly by knowing that an early out is approaching next week. It’s kind of a mini-weekend in your school week. It makes getting to the weekend bearable for both the faculty and the students. God bless the early out we have coming up next week. (344)

Gettin' Yoked!

                What I love most about school? Scratch that. What is my favorite subject in school? My answer would be Weightlifting or “Performance Physical Education (P.E.).” This is a great class to take, and I think that every school across the country should be involved in making their athletes lift during school so it doesn’t take time away from their athletic practices after or before school. Kids can get more sleep and focus more on school if they get their weightlifting out of the way during school.

                You might say that it isn’t important enough to be forced into students’ academic schedules during the day, but the fact of the matter is the nation already pushes children to take a Physical Education class each year of high school. This is because America, as a whole, is getting obese and overweight. The nation, in order to get all of the kids healthier, has a “60 minutes, get active” plan.

                I know that until I came to Kennedy High School, I wasted a whole class period every day in gym class doing unimportant, dangerous activities or sports. Dodgeball, floor hockey, and indoor soccer units most certainly have the potential to hurt athletes… and other kids. If athletes don’t want to risk their bodies playing floor hockey in gym, they can benefit themselves by getting stronger for their next season.

                Now, I’m not saying that we should make kids that don’t want to get bulkier or stronger to lift weights, but I feel that the class should be available to choose. I am so grateful that we have a weightlifting class here, because if there wasn’t, I would have to stay after practice and lift. By that time, I am tired and drained emotionally and physically from school and practice. After lifting, I’ll most likely come home, eat dinner, take a shower, and do homework right before bed.

                I take my weightlifting class in the middle of my day, fourth period. This is right before lunch, and it breaks my day up perfectly. I get a few hours to wake up and get in my academic flow, and after lifting, I have a few hours to recover for my practice after school. I don’t think in a school of 1,800 students the counselors could allow everyone and their dog, so to speak, take weightlifting fourth period, but I’m sure glad I have it when I do. It is relaxing, and I hope to take it next year as a senior.  #swole #yoked #pumpingiron (419)

#HMPU: Hit My Post Up

                Abbreviations are easy to use, right? I mean, if you are in the middle of a tedious task or are busy, why not just text to your bffl, “brb?” Or what about the famous “ttyl?” And we can’t forget about the “cya l8r.”

                Everything in today’s world is easier. From parking cars to plagiarizing homework off of the internet. We don’t jump through hoops to get the job done, being satisfied that whatever we got, we EARNED. Whatever is quickest is best. WRONG.

                Abbreviations that stand for certain meanings can become disastrous. First off, they destroy (and will continue to destroy) future generations. For example, my generation has been deemed the “kids that don’t know how to communicate.” We can’t carry on a conversation with a grownup or our peers, for that matter, because we don’t use eye contact, we have as much time as desired to respond with texting, and we can hide behind a screen for what we say. How will we interview properly to get our very first job? Our bosses will probably ream us out for being “lazy”. How are we going to purpose to our significant others? Text your girlfriend, “Hey bebe, wgh?” (WGH= Wanna get hitched?) I can’t even imagine what my children will have to go through. It’s depressing. Why can’t we just talk in person once in a while?

                Texting and internet talk can also be bad, because meanings of symbols and abbreviations can be taken all different ways. Sentences can also be received in different context also. There is no possible way to communicate sarcasm in your texts. What if the people that you are talking to don’t understand some of your hip, urban lingo?

 Should there be a published book of all the abbreviations in the world? Impossible. Why? Because they are always changing! There are always new phrases and slang words being slung around. They become popular, because more and more people begin to use them. Words like “fire” and phrases like “on point.” No wonder English is considered to be the downright toughest language to learn. Non-english speaking foreigners don’t know whether there is a natural disaster or a sharp object to look out for.

Bottom line: I hope we can corral this slang. It might be fun to speak here and now, but how is this going to affect our lives in the future? And our children’s lives? We can’t help but to hash tag everything. #smh J (457)

Translations:

BFFL: Best friends for life

BRB: Be right back.

TTYL: Talk to you later.

CYA L8R: (Understood “I’ll”) See you later.

BEBE: Baby

WGH: Wanna get hitched? (I made this one up!)

Fire: Awesome

On Point: Perfect

SMH: Shaking my head (derogatory, disappointed head gesture)