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.

Say Anything!

Say Anything is performing tonight in Wilson at 8PM!

'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).

Deadly Series of Tornadoes Strikes 5 States

February 9, 2008- The American Red Cross is assisting communities affected by tornadoes that ravaged the mid-South of the United States Tuesday, February 5. About 60 tornadoes struck parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi killing 56 people. The American Red Cross has opened shelters, assembled hundreds of volunteers, and is supporting families devastated by the storms. The Red Cross is also offering counseling services to the communities affected by the tornadoes. On February 8, President Bush joined aid workers and toured Lafayette, Tennessee, a community damaged by the tornadoes.

Even though Harrisonburg, Virginia is not an area that would typically be afflicted with tornadoes, JMU does have a broad severe weather safety plan http://www.jmu.edu/safetyplan/index.shtml.

The United Nations and United States Condemn Recent Violence in Chad

February 4, 2008- There has been an outbreak of fighting in Chad, a central African country that is sandwiched between Niger and Sudan. The situation has turned critical as people flee the capital city of N'Djamena, while the government and rebel forces battle for control. According to BBC, the rebel forces consist of three main groups (The United Force for Democracy and Development, Rally of Forces for Change, and UFDD-Fondamentale). The conflict between the government and rebel forces has ethnic and political roots. The BBC has reported that the rebels believe that the current president of Chad, Iriss Deby, is corrupt and favors the minority ethnic group, the Zagwa Clan.

President Deby decided recently to extend his presidency to an unconstitutional third term. According to BBC, this decision accompanied with previous accusations of misappropriating oil profits and appointing people within the minority Zagwa Clan to government positions caused the recent conflict.

Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, is concerned about the fighting in Chad. The United Nations does not approve of the military forces attempting to seize power over the government. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also “deplores any action that could worsen the already grave humanitarian situation especially in eastern Chad, where the international community is actively engaged in activities to provide relief and secure the voluntary, safe and sustainable return of refugees and displaced persons in eastern Chad and north-eastern Central African Republic.”

The United States Department of State, also released a statement two days ago condemning the violence in Chad. The State Department would like “calm in the capital and supports the AU’s [African Union] call for an immediate end to armed attacks and to refrain from violence that might harm innocent civilians.”

Chad borders the already critical area of Darfur, Sudan where a humanitarian crisis has been occurring for the past several years. If the fighting continues, Darfur may be affected if Chadian violence and refugees spill into Sudan.


Source:
BBC News. 2008. Q&A Chad Rebellion. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7225023.stm.
(accessed February 4, 2008).