Upper Arlington High School - Norwester Yearbook (Upper Arlington, OH)

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Mini Magazine An exercise we all engaged in. yet which was not necessarily physically beneficial, was watching TV. As much a part of some people s lives as eating and sleeping, the sitcoms had to be entertaining to keep us tuned in. Family situation comedies proved to be the most popular, as three topped the competitive charts. Number one in the lineup was The Cosby Show. Famous for its light humor and creative, sometimes lesson-teaching, plotlines, this family captured our attention and reserved our Thursday nights. Just as successful was Family Ties. With the family from Ohio, how could we resist it?r explained Mrs. Tracy Howard. Michael J. Fox as Alex P. Keaton, the fastidious suit-and-tie type, stole the show with his casual humor and his touching relationship with his younger brother Andrew (Brian Bonsall). said the April issue of TV Guide Thursday night, with the two shows mentioned above followed by Cheers and LA Law. revitalized NBC and completed the most successful lineup of the season. I cancelled my work schedule and accepted no dates on Thursday night. The shows were |ust too good to miss. junior Carla Sokol explained Other family oriented shows were close behind in the popularity polls. Hailed as the next Family Ties'' by TV Guide. Growing Pams held firmly to the 6 spot. Valerie. Our House. Who's the Boss, and Kale and Allie were others that kept a place near the top. Moonlighting lit up our screens every Tuesday night as we eagerly awaited to see if Maddie Hayes and David Addison would get together and show some on-screen romance Less romantic but equally popular was the witty, gritty, and bluntly humorous Alt. a creature from Melmac who loved to eat cats The show rode the ratings like a planet permanently fixed in orbit. Comedy dominated our viewing. as the humor helped us relax and let out some tension For the first time in awhile, comedy was not |ust slapstick, it was entertainment with a believable and entertaining storyline. said People Weekly. April 19.1987 ■ Films draw students to theaters Admission prices of five dollars did not dispel students from going to the movies. Three productions stood out as exceptional amidst the regular fare Voted Best Motion Picture by the Academy of Arts and Sciences. Platoon took its viewers back to the chaos and destruction of the Vietnam War. Charlie Sheen played a young man who enlisted because he wasn't succeeding in college The film graphically showed American soldiers invading villages, burning buildings, and raping women. It was kind of shocking,” admitted sophomore Adam Johnson. Richard Dreyfuss narrated the story of Stand by Me The movie took place in the 50s and chronicled the quest of four young boys searching for a rumored dead body in hopes of receiving recognition. During their search, the boys became close and realized the bond of their friendship The movie demonstrated true friendship and how innocent children are exposed to life's realities. said senior Bonnie Wilhelm. Top Gun. the story of an elite Naval school for fighter pilots, was one of the highest grossing movies of the year. Tom Cruise played the part of a hero striving to be the best pilot A lot of people saw Top Gun because it was so patriotic, and the photography made it seem like you were up there flying. said senior Alison Barth. Most students saw many movies throughout the year Platoon. Stand By Me and Top Gun brought students back to the theaters more than once. ■ Mini magazine Student hie — the right angle

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Events hinted at disaster Worst was avoided International affairs Mini Magazine Apartheid in South Africa. U.S. involvement in Central America, terrorism and war in the Middle East, negotiations with the Soviets, and a deteriorating world economy — all these caught the public eye in 1986-87. Civil unrest over the racial segregation of apartheid intensified m South Africa during the year. Congress passed economic sanctions over a presidential veto in October and in December the South African government restricted media coverage of violence in the nation. The discovery of a secret arms trade in Iran in exchange for hostages outraged the public. Investigations found that President Ronald Reagan had authorized the deals and had helped channel profits to the Contra rebels in Nicaragua. The war between Iran and Iraq continued in the Middle East, with the U.S. selling weapons to both sides. In May. an Iraqi pilot shot at a U.S. naval ship, the USS Stark, in the Persian Gulf, apparently by accident. killing thirty-seven Americans. An insider's report from Israel indicated for the first time that the country had developed a nuclear arsenal. In war-torn Lebanon, eight more hostages were taken in response to the arrest of a terrorist. A two-day summit held in Iceland between Mikhail Gorbachev. the leader of the Soviet Union, and President Reagan proved unsuccessful but spurred future talks. In early 1987. the Soviets proposed a bilateral withdrawal of warheads in Europe. At home. Gorbachev instituted a policy of reform — glasnost,' or openness — supporting greater freedom in the country An enormous debt crisis and a failing world economy prompted several U.S. banks to forgive their foreign debts. Trade disputes between the European Economic Community in January and Japan in April brought the United States to the brink of a trade war twice. Although events hinted at disaster, the worst was avoided throughout the year. ■ At the memorial service in Bahrain, pallbearers carry the casket of a fellow seaman who died when the USS Stark was shot by an Iraqi pilot in the Persian Gulf. NATION SCARRED BY SCANDALS As the year developed, students found that they were invariably touched by the happenings of the times This year was especially characterized by scandals. The most notorious of these scandals was known as the Iran-Contra affair. Allegedly Lt. Colonel Oliver North ran a proiect by which the United States sold weapons to Iran at inflated prices for the release of U.S. hostages, then placed the profits in Swiss bank accounts. The money was supposed to aid the Contras in Nicaragua, and rumor had it that most of the money was embezzled by Admiral Richard Secord. A formal investigation conducted under the leadership of Senator John Tower concluded that President Ronald Reagan was not involved in the scam, but it implied that his Chief of Staff. Don Regan was. Consequently. Don Regan was forced to resign and Howard Baker replaced him. A senate investigation followed the Tower Commission to determine exactly how much the top government officials knew about or coordinated the scam. A notorious scandal resulted in the resignation of TV evangelist Jim Bakker and his wife Tammy-Faye from the PTL. Another evangelist. Jimmy Swaggart accused Bakker of having had a sexual encounter with Jessica Hahn in 1980 As this allegation was publicly confirmed by Bakker. the Board of Trustees of PTL invited TV evangelist Jerry Falwell to take over their ministry Bakker then accused Falwell of stealing his ministry, while Falwell retorted by accusing Bakker of homosexual acts and of embezzling money from PTL funds to finance his extravagant expenditures. A similar scandal, but on the political plane led to the fall of Democratic Presidential Candidate Gary Hart Allegedly. Hart was involved in an extramarital affair with actress-model Donna Rice The two went on a cruise in the Bahamas aboard a ship named Monkey Business. Later. Hart and Rice were seen entering Hart's townhouse on Capitol Hill by journalists from the Miami Herald. Hart explained that Rice had left by the rear exit, but the public did not believe this. Angry and unrepentant. Hart pulled out of the presidential campaign, claiming he was driven out by the press. The corruption on Wall Street added to the nation's scandals. It seems that financier Ivan Boesky, among other things, exchanged briefcases full of cash for merger and takeover information from Martin Siegel, formerly of Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc. Boesky pleaded guilty to trading on inside information and faced up to five years in prison At the newly built, bugged. American Embassy in Moscow, some U.S Marine guards were accused of allowing entry and providing information to Soviet agents. While the plotlines of the nation's scandals unfolded, those accused of involvement suffered from marred reputations and shattered dreams. The country as a whole searched for a secure structure of values in this time of moral disarray ■ The Reverend Jim Bakker and his wife Tammy-Faye are the chansmatics who ran ihe PTL Club and 'Nightline before the public heard about the affair he had with his secretary. 26 Mini magazine Student life — the right angle

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