Everybody has heard of the Miss USA pageant show, many of us might also be great fans. But the truth is pageant or not, it makes no sense to me whatsoever. Somebody please explain to me how fifty young women getting judged by their looks all the while spitting out superficial and unoriginal answers to superficial and unoriginal questions thus finding a lucky winner to put a tiara on top and call her “Miss USA”.

Let me start off by saying that a great percentage of the contestants are coincidently good looking. Now, it doesn\’t take a genius to figure out what the qualifications are to be a pageant contestant: good looks. Now moving on through the actual contest which starts by seeing who can look best in a swimsuit and who looks best in a gown. And to make it all look somewhat intellectual, let\’s ask the final contestants a few questions they already know the answers too! REALLY? Is our media really that desperate to catch an audience? Has our country run out of creative ideas thanks to The Simpsons, and American Idol? And the nation wonders why teens are suicidal and depressed.

When beauty is expressed by fake tans and anorexic diets, then we shouldn\’t be surprised to see depression in the eyes of a girl who feels unsatisfied with herself because she is being compared to supermodels. The main message people get from broadcasts like Miss USA, is that women on TV are nothing but sex symbols that definitely don\’t get judged by intellect. But I\’m sure the producers of this contest didn\’t know any better, and if they did who cares. Success censors whatever poison filled message might be going to audiences as well as viewers around the nation.

Word on the street is Chivalry is dead. But if you do your research you\’ll find that Chivalry immediately died when shows like Miss USA first came out. It makes sense for a guy to think “Hey that girl looks just like Rima Fakih (Miss USA 2010 Pageant winner) I should open the door for her…” Thanks a lot Rima Fakih. Now, nobody opens the door for me anymore.

It was dark over the seas of the Eastern Mediterranean late in the evening of May 31st, 2010. A convoy of ships sailing from Cyprus and bound to Gaza were met with fatal, and deadly force. The convoy, a part of theFree Gaza movement, was attempting to break the blockade over the intensely-occupied strip of desert, known as the Gaza strip. At approximately seventy miles of the coast of the strip, in international waters, the main vessel, the Mavi Maramara was raided by Israeli commandos. A few activists on board were thought to have used clubs and rocks to counteract the commandos’ offensive. The violence ended when at least 10 activists were killed, and dozens more wounded, by Israeli forces.

The international convoy consisted of vessels flagged from Turkey, Sweden, Greece, Ireland, and the United States. As Greta Berlin, an American who is in fact the organizer of the Freedom Flotilla, stated, “People certainly have the right to resist if they’re being attacked. We taught our Free Gaza Movement people to be non-violent, and the Turks did the same, but if anyone resisted, it was in response to soldiers opening fire on them when they hit the deck.”

The action by Israel has been met by a sweeping international outcry, and an essential political disaster for the nation of Israel. Turkey, Egypt, Cyprus, Spain, Greece, Denmark and Sweden have summoned their respective Israeli ambassadors. The widespread condemnation and disapproval of the raid, is seemingly unprecedented.

International repercussions are, as a result, intense. Protests against Israeli embassies or consulates have been noted in dozens of countries, most notably Turkey, which according to the Los Angeles Times, had up to 10,000 protestors take to the streets in Istanbul, Turkey. Other significant demonstrations took place in Cairo, Egypt, Gothenburg, Sweden, Spain, Jordan, France, Germany, and many other nations. Turkey recalled its ambassador, and along with Greece, has canceled plans for military exercises with Israel. Turkey has now stated that future vessels carrying aid will be escorted by a Turkish naval contingent. Turkey, Israel’s closest ally in the Middle East, appears to be fading away, especially in the wake of Gaza Flotilla raid.

The international convoy was comprised of citizens from the Turkey, The United  States, The United Kingdom, Norway, The Netherlands, Brazil, Germany, Israel, Palestine, Poland, Spain, Belgium, Kuwait, Australia, Greece, Canada, Malaysia, Serbia, Algeria, Cyprus, Ireland, and Sweden. Those on board the convoy included, a former US Congresswoman, a former US Ambassador, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, the retired archbishop of the the Melkite Greek Orthodox Church of Caesarea, and even an Israeli Knesset Member.  In addition,  members of the parliaments of The United Kingdom, Ireland, Kuwait, Sweden, and Germany were part of the convoy.

Israel’s response consisted of the cliché ”We were defending ourselves.” But, that excuse has its limits. What were the commandos afraid of? What was Israel afraid of? And why would they raid the ship in international waters- a blatant contravention of international law? The convoy went through customs checks before it sailed to Gaza. Why was such disproportionate force used against the peace activists? And what rights does Israel think it has to behave in the manner that it did? Israel’s own trade minister, Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, even recognized the raid as a huge “scandal.” But most Israeli government officials are staunch supporters of the action. The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, canceled his talks with President Obama to deal with the Gaza Flotilla incident. He said that Israeli commandos were protecting themselves. But again, the amount of force used does not seem defensive, but rather instigative.

If Israel genuinely acted as the democracy they claim to be, and let the flotilla pass, then the thousands impoverished in Gaza would be happy, Israel wouldn’t have almost every country on earth upset with it, and those people who lost their lives would be, well, alive. But then again, if Israel genuinely acted as the democracy they claimed to be, Gaza wouldn’t need that aide.

There is a twist to this whole story, as the vessel attacked was Turkish. Turkey, a NATO member, is protected under NATO doctrine, and accordingly is guaranteed rights if and when its vessels are attacked. Although a NATO intervention is highly unlikely, Israel is sailing through dangerous waters, no pun intended.

By Hassan Rassmy, Staff Writer

One student’s take on this year’s Miss USA winner

Rima Fakih, a Lebanese American, recently won the title of Miss USA this month at the Planet Hollywood Hotel, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Rima is thought to be the first Arab American and immigrant winner of the pageant, as past records are not thorough enough to prove otherwise.

Rima moved to the United States at a very young age from Lebanon, first landing in New York, and later Michigan, where she eventually grew up, in Dearborn, which has a highly populated Arab community. From there, she would win the Miss Michigan pageant, and later go on to the national level in Las Vegas. Rima actually sold her own car to achieve her ascendancy to the pageant.

Rima has been featured on a number of talk shows, and because of her success as the winner, will tour the country, as the official representative of the pageant.

As with every contestant, drama is a large factor. A few pictures of Rima “pole-dancing” surfaced, but were not an issue. Rima later explained that the “party” she was at was in fact held at eight o\’clock in the morning, and was meant only for women, not your usual scandalous storyline. What seems to be the bigger issue is her religious affiliation. With Rima being of Arab background, religion plays a big part. Rima identifies as celebrating both Muslim and Christian holidays.

Within the Arab and Muslim spheres, there’s been talk of how she isn’t a good Muslim. But to each: their own. This isn’t a religious issue, it’s a cultural one. Many take pride to know that as of today, the “The most beautiful American,” happens to be Arab. It’s a large source of pride for both Arabs and Arab Americans alike.

As Rima put it, “My victory means anyone can make it in America.”

Hell yes Rima, hell yes.

There are also some all new game modes. A few of these are Generator Defense, Invasion, and Spartans vs. Elites. Generator Defense is a new game where there are two teams of three, one team Spartans and the other is a team of Elites. The Elites try to infiltrate the base and destroy the generators while the Spartans protect them. Next there is Spartans vs. Elites, which is a game type where its basically slayer only one team is Spartans and the other is Elites. Finally, there is Invasion, which is probably the most notorious game mode in reach. There are Spartans and Elites… again, and the Spartans defend a few different bases while the Elites invade them. When the Elites claim all of the stations they have to grab a giant metal generator and carry it back to a Phantom drop ship. If Spartans win, however, they call in an air strike and bomb the Elites.
Thats the Halo Reach Beta in a nutshell. I would give it a 4.5 out of 5. There are several positive factors that definitely outranked the negative factors. Unfortunately, the beta is already over, but I still highly recommend getting the actual Reach game, which comes out on September 1st, because I don’t think that the game is going to get worse after reading the notes sent to them about the Halo Reach Beta.

Teacher: This shamrock has gone weeks without water, and it still hasn\’t died!

Student #1: We should name this plant.

Student #2: Let\’s name it Beyonce, because she\’s a survivor!

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Teacher: And on that day you will have student workshops. You know, they used to have senior trips on Star Testing days for seniors.

Students all look at her in disbelief

Teacher: Oh, yeah. However, your peers a couple of years back decided to ruin it all for you.

Student: What happened?

Teacher: Well, there were I think 4 buses set to pick the seniors up to go to the aquarium. Only one of the buses left.

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Student: Othello will always be my favorite Shakespeare book.

Teacher: Why is that?

Student: Because I loved the awkward-looking fainting spells he would have throughout the movie. I have never laughed so hard during a movie shown at school.

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(A short story by Annette Latora)

“You call that music?” Carlitos wailed as he threw his Ipod across the room. Never before had he been so frustrated with one of his ideas. “Calm down, Carlitos!” begged Percy, his assistant. “Come on, let\’s take a walk to clear your mind.” Reluctantly, Carlitos followed Percy up the stairs, and out the door into the dark oblivion known to most as the real world.

“You know Carlitos, you are the worst-tempered Unicorn-of-the-Dirt I\’ve ever met!” exclaimed Percy. “I mean just look at you. You\’re a mess! You\’ve been trying for months and months to create this magical potion of yours that will somehow get you to The Clouds, yet have only been met with shortcomings. Why don‘t you just give up?”  Carlitos began to feel warm, and could feel his temperature rising. “Ah, ah, ah, old chap!” blurted Percy, “I know that you are very aware that when we unicorns become too warm, we burst into flames! Rainbow flames! I wouldn\’t want you being sent back to the Medical Ward due to spontaneous combustion. That would be no fun at all! Who would I have to talk to? Who would I hang out with on weekends? Who will I watch “Family Matters” re-runs with?”

“Shhh! Be quiet, Percy!” shouted Carlitos. “No one is supposed to know about that last one! Maybe you\’re right. Maybe I should give up. Okay, I promise that after this week I will be done trying to make the potion. I will accept that my fantasy of becoming a Sky-Unicorn is an impossible dream.” The dynamic duo trotted on the cobblestone walkways sprinkled throughout their town until they were brought back to Carlitos\’s workshop.

“It\’s getting mighty late.” yawned Percy. “I think it\’s time I headed home. Peace out, C-Pony; Don\’t do anything stupid. Until tomorrow, my partner in crime.” The two did their secret hoof-shake and parted ways.

Carlitos waited until Percy was out of sight, and then began maniacally laughing under the starlit night sky. If he was going to become a Sky-Unicorn in less than  week, he was going to have to get started with mixing his potions. Carlitos punched in the code to unlock his workshop doors, strolled inside, and marched down the staircase leading to his dungeon-like workstation. Potions of all sorts were arranged on shelves by order of importance. Life and Death Potions were on the far right hand side, and Love Potions were placed on the far left. Unicorns had no need for Love Potions; they just naturally loved everybody and everything. Amongst the potions were piles and piles of research papers, books, pens, plastic cups, and the “Undo” button. That “Undo” button had saved countless lives. It always remained in Carlitos\’s reach just in case he drank a potion that would cause him more harm than good.

Red potions were mixed with blue ones, green fizzy potions found themselves swished around in beakers with brown sparkly ones, and pink ones were mixed with just about every single potion on the shelves. Sadly, Carlitos was yet to have any luck. He tried mixing herbs with concoctions, and even chanting riddles and rhymes while combining potions. He had no luck with finding the winning recipe.

Carlitos looked around his workshop in disgust, and decided to call it a night. He placed the potions back on the shelves, washed out the countless beakers he had used for mixing, placed his broken Ipod in the “hazardous waste” bin and climbed up the stairs. He flipped the light switch to the “off” position, took one last glance at his workstation and saw something that blew his mind.

Carlitos froze in pure and utter shock. Could it be? Had he really done it? Was he hallucinating? He ran back down the stairs to his workstation and gazed at the beautiful figure in disbelief. Carlitos had only read about this in his textbooks; no one in his network of acquaintances had ever been able to successfully craft a potion of this fashion. Reds, oranges, yellows, greens, purples and violets danced around inside of the sink. This rainbow was exactly what was needed to get him where he needed to go. Only one other being had ever made the “Potion to Go” and the rainbow-mess in the sink matched the description perfectly. Carlitos read the description of the potion aloud, “It would consist of all colors; Like with oil and water, the colors would never mix. The elixir will smell of sweet rose water and frosted vanilla cupcakes.” Even from across the room he could smell the mixture\’s sweetness. This was the potion that would help him get everything he wanted.

With the Undo Button in one hoof, Carlitos grabbed the elixir with his other hoof and drank the entire thing. He braced himself for what was suppose to happen, but after five minutes, he did not receive results.

“Why isn\’t this working?!” Carlitos screamed. “I am supposed to grow wings and be able to go to The Clouds where all of the privileged unicorns go. I want to be one of them. I wish that I weren\’t a Unicorn-of-the-Dirt; life would be so much easier. I would have wings, everyone would be my friend and…”

Suddenly Carlitos let out an ear-splitting screech. Out of his back grew a set of luscious and large feathered unicorn wings. His eyes became a deep magenta color, and his teeth became silver like newly minted dimes. His awkward voice became that of a confident being, and his mane became long with rainbow highlights that shone in the moonlight. He stood strong on all fours and knew that it was his time to experience life in The Clouds. He looked, sounded and felt like a sky unicorn.

With a nimble leap, he burst through the roof of his workshop and shot up into the air. The cold night air pierced through his skin, and left him feeling refreshed and energized. Carlitos flapped his monstrous wings with all his might, and braced himself for the impact of the cloud-cover that lied above. He closed his eyes, broke through the cloud barrier and found himself perched atop a puffy cloud. The Clouds were kept illuminated by a soft amber light known as the “rays“. Everything looked so whimsical and happy. Swirls of pastels made soft patterns and designs in the fluff of the clouds of the land. Happy Sky-Unicorns could be seen for miles. All of them were taking part in activities such as racing, painting, dancing, singing, mingling and enjoying the good life. As Carlitos shook off the excess cloud fluff that clung to his skin, the sound of trumpets filled the sweet air of the surrounding area.

“The Queen has come!” announced the loudspeakers strategically placed in the realm of The Clouds. “Please migrate to the southwest corner of the land in order to receive further instructions.” Carlitos began to move to where the Sky-Unicorns had congregated and listened intently to what The Queen had to say.

“My dear Sky-Unicorns. Listen to my words: a Unicorn of the Dirt is amongst us all.” A hush fell over the crowd. Carlitos looked around with wide eyes not knowing if he should run, or keep his charade going. “If you have any information regarding this inferior being trespassing in our territory, you are to inform the authorities immediately. Failure to do so will result in multiple floggings in addition to removal of cake privileges for two months.”

“She definitely means business this time.” said a familiar voice. Carlitos turned around, and saw Percy smiling at him blinking his eyes innocently.

“What are you doing here?” exclaimed Carlitos.

“Well, I saw that giant gaping hole in your roof, saw that rainbow drink in your sink, took a sip and presto! Here I am!” remarked Percy.

“Does anyone else know about it, Percy? Did anyone see you?” Carlitos frantically asked.

“No! Of course not! You don\’t trust me, do you? You think I\’m just a big mouth-”

Just then the clouds beneath the Sky-Unicorns began to rumble. One by one Unicorns-of-the-Dirt emerged from the cotton-like clouds like colorful maggots.

The Queen let out a yell, and was escorted back into her palace by her royal guards. “Code Brown” was screamed over the intercom, and the Sky-Unicorns worked themselves up into a crazed frenzy.

“We won\’t bite you!” exclaimed one Unicorn-of-the-Dirt to a Sky-Unicorn. The Sky-Unicorn whinnied and proceeded to cry in a corner.

Messes as large-scale as this could only be fixed by their creator. As much as he longed to be a Sky-Unicorn, Carlitos knew that everything should be the way they are for a reason. He knew that there was a reason why there were Sky-Unicorns and Unicorns-of-the-Dirt. Carlitos took one last look at what could have been, and ended the crazy hysteria of the Sky-Unicorns with a push of the Undo Button.

************************************************************************

“You know Carlitos, you are the worst-tempered Unicorn-of-the-Dirt I\’ve ever met!” exclaimed Percy. “I mean just look at you. You\’re a mess! You\’ve been trying for months and months to create this magical potion of yours that will somehow get you to The Clouds, yet have only been met with shortcomings. Why don‘t you just give up?“

“Okay.” exclaimed Carlitos.

“Wait. I\’m confused. I thought you were going to fight me on this, like with every other time we have discussed this matter. Are you feeling okay? You\’re not overheating, are you?” replied Percy.

“I\’m not overheating, Percy.” disclosed Carlitos. “I\’m fine. I just think I should start living in reality from now on.”

With that, the two looked at each other, laughed and watched “Family Matters” on Percy\’s 65” flat screen television.

Recently, the American Foreign Affairs Committee voted to address war activities during the Ottoman War as means of genocide. What does this mean?

It means that Turkey and the United States are at a diplomatic standstill, as Turkey recalled its ambassador to Washington, outraged regarding the newly found American stance.

Turkey is a regional political and economic superpower. It has a thriving economy, with a bustling tourism industry, among many other things. Turkey is an ally and friend of the United States, as it allows US troops to use Turkish military bases and airspace to transport troops to Iraq. In essence, Turkey is vital for American foreign policy interests. Turkey is a NATO member, and is currently part of the fifteen member UN Security Council bloc.

But let’s not get off task here. This all stems down to the recognition of genocide. At this point, the world should recognize that it was. What’s the use in denying it? Strong evidence compiled by both witnesses and historians gravitate towards this finding. The Ottoman Empire, although separate from the current Turkish political composition, is widely thought to have committed war crimes and acts of genocide during the war, which caused thousands upon thousands of Armenians to flee to Syria, Greece, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, and even Egypt.

Look at history. Other countries have been known to have committed atrocities, like Germany, Japan, and even the United States, yet they are not forever hated, their acknowledgement of their actions makes all the difference, and  it allows them to move past their horrendous behavior.

Some advice for Turkey? Suck up your pride, and admit it. Admit that what you did was wrong. Put aside religion and culture for just a minute. You can’t deny one big act of discrimination especially against the Armenian Christians, and yet still condemn current acts of widespread discrimination against Muslim and Christian Palestinians in Palestine/Israel.

The recognition of genocide will help Turkey more than it will hurt it. Turkey and Armenia will have better relations, Turkey will have a better chance at entering the European Union, and the international community will respect Turkey for admitting something that truly is difficult to do: To admit the extermination of thousands of people who, by far, were not warriors, but innocent people.

The bad news: The Turkish Prime Minister recently announced that Turkey may expel 100,000 illegal Armenian immigrants within Turkey. Tensions between the two countries have not been as high in decades.

With flu season once again in our midst, it is important that we all take precautions to avoid getting sick, especially to avoid anyone getting the H1N1 virus. Although it is primarily our responsibility to do whatever we can to avoid the flu, it is also the school’s job to help enforce us to take precautions against contracting viruses.

Though I can\’t speak for the boys, I have noticed this past week that many of the girls\’ restrooms around campus were deprived of soap in the dispensers for most of the week. This may seem a trivial matter, but even a small action such as washing hands with soap can make a huge difference in the spread of bacteria and viruses. It would take too long for girls to go find a teacher or faculty member to alert them to this problem, and most girls don\’t go around with hand sanitizer in their pockets.

I have utmost respect for the faculty at our school; however, with the outbreak of the H1N1 virus around the globe, it is important that we all take the necessary measures to protect ourselves and the others we may come into contact with.

By Scott Poston Staff Writer

No Barons. Detentiophobia isn\’t contagious. In fact, it\’s not even a real word.  But for some reason there seems to be an endemic in FVHS and it might be here to stay.  Most people don\’t see the big deal in having to waste class time to go get a tardy slip for being a few seconds late or staying in a teacher\’s room at lunch when it comes time to serve those bad boys. Unfortunately, there are those who can\’t stand making an innocent mistake in their entire life and then have a meltdown when one finally hits them in the form of a tardy pass. Ever notice the kids who seem to have a nervous breakdown when they walk into their class late?  They start to turn bright red as their classmates all look up from the day\’s lesson, and they feel as though everyone else wants to laugh at them.

I will say this. The front desk, where one goes to get a tardy pass, isn\’t exactly happy to see yet another late student and if it is, it has a really funny way of showing it.  I say good morning, they look at me with an annoyed expression that reads to me “What do you need you dumb kid”.  I ask politely and with a smile for a tardy pass, they monotonously say “fine” and ask me for my ID card impatiently.  Finally, I say, “Goodbye, thank you, and have a nice rest of your day.” Expecting a nice farewell back, I am instead faced with silence.  The old lady in the back of the Hallmark store on Brookhurst and Talbert is at least polite enough to interact with me.

Nevertheless, it’s not the end of the world if you get a tardy. I mean, I’m alive and well after many trips to the administration building. I hope students will make a greater effort to avoid being late. However, if you happen to walk in just as the bell rings, please, for your own good, don\’t throw a fit with your teacher.  I know you might think they\’re wrong 99% of the time, but just let them have their power trip.

Keep it classy Fountain Valley.