Latest news with #JonnaMendez
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kansas picks top local reads of the year
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNW) — A CIA spy, a blues-soaked city, and a rancher's final days—these are just a few of the stories earning top literary honors in Kansas this year. The State Library of Kansas has unveiled its 2025 Kansas Notable Books list, celebrating 15 standout titles that reflect the state's history, culture, and imagination. Selected from a longer list of 25 recommended books, this year's honorees span memoirs, poetry, fantasy, and children's literature—all written by Kansans or centered on Kansas life. Among the recognized works are 'In True Face' by Jonna Mendez, chronicling a Kansas woman's career in the CIA, and 'Wichita Blues' by Patrick Joseph O'Connor, which dives into the city's rich African American music heritage. Downtown Wichita plan seeks input Authors will be celebrated at the Kansas Book Festival on Sept. 19 at Washburn University, where they will receive medals for their literary achievements. The Kansas Notable Books program is a project of the Kansas Center for the Book, the state affiliate of the Library of Congress Center for the Book. The initiative is designed to celebrate Kansas storytelling and foster interest in reading and libraries across the state. A full list of the 2025 Kansas Notable Books can be found below: 'Coco, Snow!' by Julie Mosiman 'Dress Me Like a Prizefighter' by Catherine Strayhall 'From the Reservation to Washington: The Rise of Charles Curtis' by Debra Goodrich 'In True Face: A woman's Life in the CIA, Unmasked' by Jonna Mendez 'Las Madres: Latinas in the Heartland Who Led Their Family to Success' by Dennis Raphael Garcia 'The Last Rancher' by Robert Rebein 'The Lies We Conjure' by Sarah Henning 'No Bullet Got Me Yet: The Relentless Faith of Father Kapaun' by John Stansifer 'Not the Worst Friend in the World' by Anne Rellihan 'Outdoor Farm, Indoor Farm' by Lindsay H. Metcalf 'Remnants of a Scarlet Flame' by Cindy L. Sell 'The Rhino Keeper' by Jillian Forsberg 'The Switch Point' by A. D. Childers 'Treehouse Town' by Gideon Sterer 'Wichita Blues: Music in the African American Community' by Patrick Joseph O'Connor For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Former CIA chief of disguise says iconic mask technology used in "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning" isn't just Hollywood fiction
Former CIA chief of disguise breaks down the reality behind "Mission: Impossible" Hollywood spy techniques aren't entirely fiction, according to former CIA chief of disguise Jonna Mendez. During an interview on "CBS Mornings" on Wednesday, Mendez said some of the high-tech espionage depicted in the Tom Cruise action series "Mission Impossible" using masks that allow characters to dramatically peel off realistic facial disguises has real-world parallels. "The idea of a mask that you could quickly put on, quickly take off was very real," she said. "We used it with some discretion, but we used it when we needed it and got great results." Mendez said that the CIA developed masks capable of changing an agent's apparent gender and ethnicity. She said she personally demonstrated this technology to President George H.W. Bush and other high-ranking officials, including Brent Scowcroft, Bob Gates, and John Sununu — none of whom recognized her until she removed the disguise. "No one had any idea until I took it off," Mendez said. She added that only Judge William H. Webster, then head of the CIA, knew about the demonstration in advance. The masks were remarkably realistic, according to Mendez. "You would not notice unless you told a really hysterical joke and the person couldn't laugh hysterically," she said, noting that the disguises had some limitations, but could manage a smile. The agents could even apply these masks without mirrors in as little as 10 seconds, even "in a parking garage without a mirror in the dark." When asked about the self-destructing messages depicted in the films, Mendez was more circumspect. "I don't know that we've tried that," she said. "There are many ways to convey a message. The exploding machine is only one, and I think we have not. Maybe we haven't mastered that yet." "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning" is distributed by Paramount Pictures, which is a subsidiary of Paramount Global, CBS News' parent company. The film hits theaters on Friday, May 23.
Buzz Feed
07-05-2025
- General
- Buzz Feed
A Non-American Asked Why The "American Lean" Is A Thing, And The Responses From Americans Are Hilarious And Sad
You may have heard that one of the ways non-Americans pick out American tourists is by the "American lean." That is to say, we tend to lean against objects or shift our weight to one foot when we're waiting around. Apparently, there's some truth to this: According to former CIA chief of disguise Jonna Mendez, Europeans think Americans are "a little slouchy" and the CIA would train spies to stand up straighter in order to better blend in overseas. But why do Americans do this? Redditor Raski_Devora asked the people of Reddit that very question, and honestly, the responses from Americans were a little TOO real. A lot of explanations basically boiled down to "we feel awkward." "I didn't know it was an American thing, but I often feel awkward just standing there. Leaning against something makes me feel less awkward, I guess? I donno. It's kinda like asking why Slavs squat. It's just what we do, I guess." — Santos_L_Halper Because frankly, standing completely squarely would make you look suspicious, don't you think? "Who the f**k stands with both feet firmly planted? What are you bracing yourself for, the emotional impact of finding out you're a dork?" — bipocni I mean, you're just cooler when you lean. "Cuz we posted up straight chillin at all times" — Embarrassed-Buy-8634 Maybe we're just too cool, ever thought of THAT? "Americans are less formal in most situations, good posture is less emphasized. It's cool. Think James Dean or fashion models." — No-Oil-1669 However, most comments landed on a specific issue: It feels like we're never allowed to sit. "American and I've gotta lean on everything because every job I worked was aggressively against us sitting in case the customers saw us comfortable, I guess? There's a weird notion that sitting equals lazy." — pickleruler67 I mean, how often do you see a cashier sitting? Rarely. "Every retail job I had acted like a customer seeing you sitting would be the most offensive, f***ed up thing you could do." — Neat-Client9305 I think you should be legally allowed to reverse-fire your boss if they speak this phrase to you: "Not allowed to sit at work, so we tend to lean against things. The phrase, 'Time to lean, time to clean,' is also very prevalent. We're not okay btw." — W3R3Hamster And then there's just our general work culture. "My back is sore from carrying the company." — stoolprimeminister The grind, the hustle. "We're exhausted all the time." — Jackanatic The lack of national work holidays. "Like four days off work a year. We tired." — redboe And then there's the whole health insurance (or lack thereof) thing. "We have a shit ton of injuries from never going to the doctor and OSHA violations." — Upstairs-Parsley3151 The '90s kids will relate to this one, too. We have a very specific source of back pain, especially since we had roughly one minute to get to our next class and therefore no time to get to our lockers. "My back hurts from going to school between 1990–2004 and wearing dual shoulder strap bookbags that hung low and destroyed an entire generation's spine." — EndersScroll Now, some Americans in the thread refused to believe the validity of this "American lean" concept. And to be fair, it's not like every single American leans, and every single non-American stands like a dang statue. "I do not believe non americans don't lean.... what if they've been standing in a line for an hour?" — Always_Worry But people mentioned the prevalence of squatting in some countries and cultures. "Drive down the street in South Korea and you see folks squatting instead of leaning." — Artistic_Potato_1840 And the Brits in the thread were being very British. "Englishman here. We don't lean during queueing. We just suffer, it's what we're good at." — kennypeace My personal theory relates to this observation: "I've noticed this since the 1970s. It's because there is a lack of good public infrastructure for seating, plus the idea that sitting down is frowned upon in work culture at the working-class level." — FreeNumber49 There's a war on seating in this country, because god forbid people spend time somewhere without spending money. "There is literally nowhere to sit in public. No chairs in stores, no benches on the street, no tables near gas stations. America can't stomach the idea of a homeless person resting anywhere, so there are NO comfortable places to sit at all." — BuddhistNudist987 @nyctsubway / Via But I would also buy an argument like this: "I don't know if it's just an American thing, but it's body language. It's saying, 'I'm comfortable talking to you, I'm here to listen, I take you seriously, but this isn't a professional meeting, and you're not my boss.'" — paco64 Or, maybe this person is right, and it's all just confirmation bias. "My assumption is that it's mostly false pattern recognition. They notice Americans for a lot of real reasons: clothes, travel guides, looking around unfamiliar with the surroundings, accents, and then since they are paying more attention to them they notice smaller things like when they lean on things. They probably aren't paying nearly as much attention to their fellow locals who may also be leaning to a comparable degree."
