The 2008 Summer Olympics will take place in China later this year. The passing of the Olympic torch, a longstanding tradition with the Olympic games, is already underway. The torch left Athens in mid-March and is currently on a trip around the world. When the torch arrived in London and Paris it was met with protest. Many human rights activists are protesting the Chinese games. Some groups are specifically protesting the recent Chinese attack on Tibetan protesters. Other groups want the Chinese government to use its influence over the Burmese government or government of Sudan to calm situations in both countries.
This leads to an interesting question-Are the Olympic Games an appropriate venue to stage a protest?
Yes- The Olympics is probably the best place to stage a protest. Besides perhaps the Oscars or World Cup soccer, there are very few opportunities when so many people around the world are participating and paying attention to the same event. Any protest at the games would immediately draw international focus. The Olympics games are the best vehicle political groups and countries can use to show their displeasure over another country's actions.
No- the Olympics is the last place a protest should be staged. One of the main objectives of the Olympics is to bring together all nations in the spirit of harmony and in the celebration of athletics. From opening to closing ceremony, the spirit of the games encompasses expressing national pride and the recognition of other countries' achievements as well. Political protests would only disrupt an event that every four years encourages cooperation and peace.
Well we obviously know what side the protesters fall on. What do you believe?
Monday, April 7, 2008
Should the Olympics be a Platform for Protest?
Monday, March 24, 2008
Same Sex Marriage Debate
The University Program Board’s Arts and Entertainment Committee is sponsoring a Same Sex Marriage Debate on Wednesday April 9, 2008 in Transitions.
Same sex marriage is a hot button issue among liberals and social conservatives. James Madison University provides the perfect setting for this debate. The university is located smack dab on Bible Belt, which stretches across the South-Midwest United States. This area tends to be socially conservative and take the stance that marriage between either two men or two women is wrong. There is also a notable population of JMU students from northern Virginia, which arguably may be a little more liberal and from northern states such as New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. These states tend to be “blue” states and students from those areas may side with sanctioning same sex marriage. Of course there will be students from blue states that are social conservatives and there will be students from the south who believe gay people have a right to get married. There may even be a mix- someone who is religious but who also believes in allowing same sex marriage to continue. There are several positions that can be taken on this issue, and a debate between the two extremes could certainly prove to be interesting.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Millennials and Spring Break
I decided to forgo a spring break at home, and opted for a volunteer trip instead. A friend of mine and her boyfriend organized a trip down to New Orleans for a small group of friends. They had researched various non-profits in New Orleans and decided upon LowerNine.Org. We stayed in an unfinished house, which was actually the headquarters of sorts for the organization. There were permanent volunteers there, people who either had a background in construction or who picked it up on the job. There were also temporary volunteers. During this week, there were 4 volunteers from William and Mary, 2 from University of Virginia, and 15 from Notre Dame.
Every morning, each volunteer group was assigned a different project at a house in the Lower Ninth District of New Orleans. The work varied from project to project. The JMU group worked on the house we were staying in and mostly did sanding of dry wall, spackling (or as they called it in the deep south “mudding”), priming, painting, and various odd jobs. Other groups had house gutting and clean up duty.
Since I shared a room with the William and Mary volunteers, I became fairly acquainted with them. They did what I referred to as the volunteer/vacation trip. They were in New Orleans only for a couple days, but they worked hard while they were there doing various projects, like cleaning out an old attic. Midweek they left Louisiana and headed down to enjoy Daytona and the Sunshine state. It seemed like an interesting combination. Our group stayed the whole week, however we also combined work and play. From 9-5 we rolled up our sleeves and were available to do whatever task was assigned to us. At night we dined on Cajun cuisine, French beignets, and strolled down Bourbon street. We contributed to the reconstruction effort and enjoyed ourselves in the process.
I believe the Millennial generation recognizes the need for service. It is more common to hear students doing study abroad in off the beaten path locations like in Africa and South America. I certainly recognize this desire to help people among my circle of friends. As a senior, it was also nice to finally be able to go down to New Orleans, considering Hurricane Katrina hit at the beginning of my sophomore year. So while spring break may still mean booze cruises or downtime at home to some, and hey to each his own, to others it means a chance to give back. It would be nice though, if service and the ability to recognize those in need was the legacy of the Millennial generation.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Dreams Can Come True on Oscar Night
February 25, 2008-If you are an avid Daily Show watcher like myself, than you might have tuned in to the Oscars on Sunday night, mostly to see Jon Stewart’s opening monologue. Yet, I kept watching, not only to see the glitz, glamour, and awkward acceptance speeches, but also because I was curious as to who was going to win Best Picture. Most critics predicted No Country for Old Men, but I was rooting for my personal favorite and complete underdog, Atonement. Of course, the Best Picture is the last award presentation, so I had a while to wait. Yet, Stewart made it enjoyable with his political quips and off the cuff remarks.
I was glad I stuck it out and watched the entire show, because I was pleasantly surprised by some of the wins. It was nice to see Marion Cotillard win for Best Actress for her haunting performance as French singer Edith Paif in La Vie En Rose. She beat out the favorite, Academy Award winner Julie Christie, who was predicted to win her second Oscar. I felt justified in rooting for Cotillard by her gracious and emotional acceptance speech. She stumbled a little on her English, but her shock and genuine enthusiasm brought a smile to my face. At an Oscars that had many nominations from dark, violent movies, it was nice to see someone with such sincerity and joy.
It was also a pleasure to hear Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova win Best Original Song with their piece, Falling Slowly, from the movie Once. Again the earnestness and hope that these winners portrayed, was so refreshing in a Hollywood, that can oftentimes be snobbish and self obsessed.
As you may have heard, No Country for Old Men, won Best Picture. I’m sorry, to admit I haven’t seen this flick yet, but alas I do not believe no matter how wonderful a performance by Javier Bardem, that this movie is not exactly my cup of tea. Speaking of tea, two Brits rounded out the Best Supporting Actress and Best Actor category, Tilda Swinton and Daniel Day Lewis. So all in all, no major surprises, even though my heart did sink a little when Atonement was not called. (I think mostly because I wanted to see its star, James McAvoy.) Now, some may call the couple hours I spent watching the telecast a waste of time. I could have simply looked up the Best Picture winner the next morning, and Jon Stewart said his funniest remarks in the beginning. Yet, it is so relatable and wonderful to see deserving new comers receive their awards, that it left me with a feeling of such optimism and “dreams can come true” attitude that I would consider it a night well spent.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
'Uganda Rising' Screening
As part of Uganda Child Solider Awareness week, the movie Uganda Rising will be showing tomorrow, February 18 from 7-9pm in room 2105 of Harrison Hall.
Kosovo Declares Independence
February 17, 2008-Today will remain a special day in the hearts of many citizens of Kosovo, since today the Kosovo parliament declared its independence from Serbia. Kosovo, a former province of Serbia, mostly consists of ethnic Albanians, but it also has a small minority of Serbs. During the 1990s, Kosovo was the setting for political and ethnic conflict. The Kosovo Liberation Army and the Serbian army battled for control of the province. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) intervened, and when the Serbs would not cease their attack on Albanian citizens, it began airstrikes in March 1999. Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic and the Serb army were brutal in their strikes against the ethnic Albanian citizens and there were reports of mass killings. Thousands were forced to flee their homes. By June, the NATO airstrikes forced President Milosevic to withdraw his troops and the United Nations was given temporary governing powers over Kosovo. Yet, today, to the dismay of the Serbian government, Kosovo has now become a separate and independent state.
Source: BBC News. 2008. Time Line Kosovo. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/3550401.stm. (accessed February 17, 2008).
