4 Opinions

The Pioneer Log, February 11, 2011

Do the Oscars live up to their hype?

BY JERRED BLANCHARD
Staff Writer

Come Feb. 27, another Oscars ceremony will be upon us and movie lovers around the world should be thrilled to see a nice list of quality blockbusters, most of which came out towards the end of 2010. While Jesse Eisenbergs stagnant countenance has found its way into the fray along with Leo DeCaprios nonsensical adventures through dreams within dreams within dreams, Natalie Portmans fling with insanity danced its way in with a rugged Jeff Bridges in another Coen Brothers film. Yes, the big-time, well-produced movies are all over the place in this years Oscars. The awards ceremony should be properly adorned with red velvet and, once again, we get to witness actors read cue cards in front of people with hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway. One cool thing about this years Oscars: James Franco could win best actor for his acting in 127 Hours, a movie about a guy who gets trapped between a rock and a hard place while camping, forcing him to cut his arm off in an attempt to escape his predicament. Not to spoil it, but he lives in the end. This would make James Franco the only Oscars host to win an Oscar! Colin Firth will win it, though, because he acted exceptionally well in The Kings Speech, and I dont foresee The Academy giving

the Oscars host an Oscar. Im not a fan of the praise for Inception and The Social Network. Inception was just dumb. All that shit about limbo was dumb, being so deep into dreams you were in dreamier dream places was dumb, and dream levels? Dumb. As far as The Social Network goes, I enjoyed the power of the movies truth about the Facebook phenomenon, but Jesse Eisenberg isnt a very good actor. No movie with such a lame kid actor like that should

ILLUSTRATION BY FRANCES LI

cept the cinematic genius that is The American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, because winning an Oscar is the greatest accomplishment a member of the film industry can experience. Im just thrilled that Im not an actor and Ill never have to idolize a little golden naked dude.

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be up for best picture. Moving on, Black Swan was a fantastic movie. I hope that it will at least receive Best Actress for Portman, because she went nuts and thats what its all about. I also love to see a thriller that is up for five Oscars, because that doesnt happen very often. Yet, truth be told, I dont think the movie has the staying power like The Kings Speech to make it to the exclusive club of best picture of the year. I hate the whole Oscars thing, though. I hate the red velvet and the smiling celebrities appeasing the masses. I hate it when people call it a party, or refer to the festivities. I hate the fallacy behind it all and I hate the teleprompter and the orchestra for stopping peoples speeches. I hate what it puts the actors through and I hate it that we take the word of the Oscars as truth because theyre not the word of God. Take, for instance, how Star Wars didnt even get nominated for best picture, and neither did The Seven Samurai. The Oscars never tell us anything of cultural or artistic significance. Why even watch them? The notion of the Oscars is a culturally significant entity in and of itself. Im not saying that the title doesnt hold importance, because the people who decide the winners are very knowledgeable in their field. Im only saying that it is very easy for people to get caught up in trends and sway their vote to something undeserving. An impartial judge can never exist as long as he is human. For now, though, we have to go along with the charade that is the ceremony and ac-

Why hippies, homesteaders and Haitians hate GMOs

A weekly column dedicated to spreading awareness about social justice issues
BY ADRIAN GUERERRO
Staff Writer

The Tern:

The US Department of Agriculture has struck organic farmers a deathblow by deregulating genetically modified (GMO) crops, further showing its commitment to corporate interests. Two weeks ago, the USDA removed restrictions on Monsantos GMO alfalfa, and last Friday, they struck down regulations limiting the expansion of GMO sugar beets. By removing regulations, the USDA has allowed industrial farmers to plant as close to organic farms as they want, thereby greatly increasing the potential that neighboring organic crops will be contaminated. This decision affects the entire natural food market, since organic cows are mostly fed alfalfa. Obamas administration has been a driving force behind this destruction since he began his presidency with promises to feed the world by providing administrative support to roundup-ready Monsanto seed around the world. However, the world apparently doesnt want to be fed with GMO crops. Before World Environment Day 2010, 10,000 Haitian farmers marched seven kilometers to collect Monsantos donation of 60,000 sacks of corn. They showed their gratitude for this gift by setting it ablaze, chanting Long live the native maize! Monsantos GMO & hybrids violate peasant agriculture! This powerful symbol shows that even Haitians living in a desperately starved country resist GMOs. The debate around GMO crops is often falsely framed as a battle between science and moralistic ignorance. Lets set the record straight: the scientific research and technology behind genetic modification is not inherently evil; rather, as with all technology, it is the ways in which they are used that can be dangerous. The promise of eliminating world hunger sounds great, but like most international political rhetoric, it is a veil for much more selfish interests. GMO crops play a fundamental part in a global system of exploitation and coercion. Wikileaks recently exposed just how much power the biotech industry has when it released a cable from the former United States ambassador to France, Craig Stapleton. Stapleton urged retaliation against EU countries that were resisting the importation of GMO crops: [We recommend] that we calibrate a target retaliation list that causes some pain across the EU... Moving to retaliation will make clear that the current path has real costs to EU interests and could help strengthen European pro-biotech voices. In another Wikileaks example, diplomats to the EU were shown to be directly following orders from Monsanto: In response to recent urgent requests by Monsanto, post requests renewed US government support of Spains science-based agricultural biotechnology position through high-level US government intervention. Such behavior violates the concept of human freedomindividuals should be able to know and choose what they are eatingand yet, our sovereignty is often lost so that the owners of GMO companies can make exorbitant amounts of money. Industrial agricultural practices are unsustainable systems that lead to greater starvation and environmental collapse. The Dust Bowl of the 1930s, which culminated in The Great Depression, exemplifies how the use of intense mono-crop cultures can wreck the soil and the economy. GMO crops could serve the human good if they were locally developed with human interest in mind, and if their use were transparent and controlled enough to prevent the violation of food sovereignty and destruction of native cultures. Furthermore, scientific research should be done on the effects of GMO food, because currently, companies like Monsanto work very hard to prevent and quiet these studies. GMO could indeed feed the world, but the power of the biotech industry has ensured that any usage of GMO agricultural technology will be hatefully forced onto the masses with state support.
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