and the Oscar goes to...
So The Academy and Raul Castro agree on something:
Gore climate change Oscar entry has Cuba's vote
Mon Feb 26, 2007 12:36 AM IST
By Marc Frank
HAVANA (Reuters) - Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore doesn't know if his climate change documentary will win an Oscar on Sunday night -- but he has Cuba's vote.
Sunday's Union of Young Communist's newspaper reported acting Cuban President Raul Castro "recognized the effort of the former vice president to denounce" global warming during a two-hour meeting with youth leaders on Friday.
Cuba's official and only television media showed Gore's documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" on prime time this month and an update by Gore, giving the one-time presidential contender more positive publicity than any other U.S. leader in decades.
"Truth," a big-screen adaptation of Gore's slideshow lecture calling for urgent action to curb man-made greenhouse gas emissions linked to global warming, has been nominated for an Academy Award as a best documentary feature.
The nomination technically goes to the film's director and its producers, but Gore is the star and narrator of the film, which also profiles his efforts to raise environmental awareness. The book version of "An Inconvenient Truth" was published last year as a follow-up to his 1992 bestseller "Earth in the Balance."
Official praise of former U.S. presidents and vice presidents is rare in Cuba, which has considered itself at war with the United States since a trade embargo and other sanctions were slapped on the Caribbean island soon after Fidel Castro came to power in a 1959 revolution.
Defense Minister Raul Castro is second in the Cuban hierarchy after his older brother, Fidel Castro, 80, who temporarily ceded power to his brother in July.
© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Interesting. Another reason I won't be watching it anytime soon. Sorry, Al.
Comments
Why not watch it? It make a much more arguable critique.
Posted by: xpressionccr | February 27, 2007 11:18 AM
Nah. I'm afraid I have nil desire to listen to the voice of Al Gore raising the levels of everyone's fear and paranioa. Maybe I could take someone else's voice inundating me with questionable/bogus science, but not Gore's. Perhaps if the topic ever comes under my purview for debate/critique, but as of now, I'm still going to pass. :)
Anyway, I think it says a great deal that a man used to oppressing his own people into poverty while enjoying every creature comfort he can get his hands on thinks that this movie is a great one to show on the only station his "citizens" can watch. We should always add more propaganda and fear to people who can barely afford to survive, much less give up anything that might produce extra carbon.
Like I said, at some point in the distant future, if it becomes relevant, I may force myself to sit through it, but not anytime soon.
Posted by: dramatic ren | February 27, 2007 12:10 PM