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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 20, 1995)
EDITORIAL Earth Day victories deserve protection Twenty-five years ago poop!a gathered across America. They demanded that people do more to pro tect natural resources. Berth Day was created in response to their concerns For one day each spring, April 22. the nation is sup posed to celebrate the environment. And that day of cel ebration is supposed to carry over so every day could be considered Earth Day. Barth Day celobrators need to remember the Ideals of those who founded this annual gathering The nation has been successful In recycling drives and other cam palgns to save the environment Earth la a mut h better piece than It used to be Since 1970, tough legislation has saved us from environmen tal disasters. Congress has enacted 28 environmental laws that have resulted in cleaner air and water, brought new protection for endangered species, slowed destruction of wetlands and stopped dumping of toxic waste The Clean Ait Act and the Bottle Bill are two exam pies of how government has demonstrated its c ommit ment to the Earth. Twenty-five years ago. people didn't think, twice about throwing away paper, bottles and cardboard. Today, recycling bins c an be found on almost every street corner. Thanks lo environmental support triggered by Earth Day. people are thinking twite about driving their t ars and polluting waterways. Businesses and restaurants are using recycled paper lo promote products. Much of the environmental successes that have resulted from the Earth Day campaign should be credit ed to the people who rallied to make it a national prior ity. Eugene residents are prime examples of people who took Earth Day's message to heart. In how many other cities do young people come together to pass an ozone protection bill? However, we can't afford Jo rest on our laurels More needs to lx- done. The environment is never free from the threat of human destruction. The nation needs to make certain we don't make any disastrous steps backward. Environmental leaders say progress made since the first Earth Day could be hin dered, especially considering the threat of the 104th Congress. In its first 100 days, Congress assaulted major envi ronmental laws Fred Krupp, executive director of the Environmental Defense fund, said this could lx* the most critical Earth Day. And former Sen Gavlord Nelson, who founded Earth Day. said people don’t know about the assaults that threatens laws inspired by the original Earth Day. Rallies for this year's Earth Day might focus on get ting a message across to Congress — something like "Don't turn back the clock." It's unfortunate people must worry about throats to established environmental laws. Energy used in save the laws we have would bo better invested working for even more environmental protection. Oregon Daily Emerald PO BO* JIM fiXA **f GAfCOM t?*&3 Th* i (Wy / ^rnrni»» pubfeVvod d*Py Mu*x»*y through * '*day during 1h« tetrad >«ar *-xJ T i*mk1w»y and TNjrtday duf*to rtv* by the Oapon Oarf-* fmomM Pdb**Nng Co tr»c a! ?Nt iVwariwty erf Dragon I ug*n# Dragon Th# < ’"pratfoparataa tftdapandantty o* «h# Un»v*r*rfy *-4h ©Wtea* at Surf* .100 ©t IN* l it» Mamonal Un«cr> and tt a m#nbB erf tha K%*o<.%*&*xi f*r«a THa fm&WkJ t* pr^drfff proparty Tha uniaarM ranwjwH o* w*a erf papor* «• proaacutabto by UM* Managing Editor E(Mortal Editor Naw* An Editor Ffoa(*oc* Editor Editor in-Chtof **y Sato D*vto Thorn N#wl Editor ftctibto Hoavaa Sport* Editor krft Paata* Supptomant* Editor Ion BrXt^xxsAi Night Editor Hftbacc* M»*m OtfH Mn*/ T n«la Noa* Mtrc*«ana t dward* A«*oo»l* Editor*: Ajhy CcrfuinOo. 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Graham JVr’npton Bu*m««* Kathy Cartoon# Suearvator jk*r> Oonnoay Product ton- Dan s a Mti'oob. f**x\%* M»n Crtordtoafiv Shawn# At*** T*?a QatuAnay Brad Ml . ‘.A >• •■ .1 ' ),• » rv* Hwrtroom 34B-5$n Dt*pi*y Adv*rtl*mg 140 3712 Buftinat* OfBca >46-5512 Oa»*btod Achr#rti*tog >46-4>4> IT IS Not the POLE op THE FEDERAL GOVfCNMENr.. ...Tt> PENAUZL SAMERKANS.., T~ fa SUBSi I CMOIC SUBSIDE Me Reproductive choices OF OTHERS'. 2 f GOOD AB6UA1 EhjT dUT W£'R6 ^ NOTOM VOElTARE atPOftN\. »N£'R£ DESA^'M6 ^ooPECCHIt-D TA* CPEDiT Now y'CXJ SUPPo&T/Th A/ A. vw cA.Mi pdtiuxsiiY ctast n> srtfTivc, A [HSCuiSiMOf O'j POfVLATtOW PCUCY. ■ OPINION ‘Forrest Gump’ not really best picture rui \ o.Skmi know the Academy Awards (eremony was iwo weeks JLago. but 1 want to op}n*al the Academy of Arts and l ienees in light of new information. Forres/ Gump didn't realty win for heat picture Three day* ago. I saw the film Shat* shank. Redemption You see. it realty won for best pji ture of 1995. only nobody knows it In uim! you didn't watch the Oscars, five pictures were nom inated Quia Shins. Forrest Gump, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Pulp Fiction and Shass shank. Redemption. Quit Show, the sis ond t**st movie of the year, wasn't really at know 1 edged for the award, for reasons nobody understands Four Weddings and a Funeral had only one problem with it — Andie Mai Dowell Probably the only thing holding it back from the status of ‘ truly great roman tic comedy" if such a thing exists Pulp Fiction simply wasn’t good enough And. oh yeah, Forrest Gump. This last one was simply too silly for me loot's look at the |>lot Okay, a man with below-average intelli gence experiences every impor tant event in American history. And what was with that hit about running across the country a hun dred times? It was so long. I think it shortened my life. Then there was Shaw&hank. Redemption. I want to !>e hon est; this movie was amazing I find I muni to tell the world whv it really was the best movie of 1995. Redemption is a two and a half hour epic about a man named Andy Dufrane, played by Tim Robbins, who is con victed for the double murder of Ins wife and her lover and stmt lo Sh;m shank prison for two consec utive life terms In prison. I>ufrane meets another inmate. Morgan Freeman, "a man who knows how to get things, from whose eyes the action is told and characters are exposed. Basically, there wasn't a Iwd thing about this movie Tim Robbins career may have really gotten started after lie starred in Robert Altman s The Player, but Redemption redefined him as an at tor, and, in tm own words, has Ims nine “one of the coolest men on the planet " As for Morgan Freeman, he has to Iw one of the l«*st actors in Hollywood today. this movie proves it This movie spoke to me like none have probably sime St haulier's List. and although Redemption doesn't tarry the same emotional weight as that film, it said a lot to me about so many of those (albeit dichAd) terms truth and 'the human spirit' It is by staying true to his ideals and beliefs about how people total one another that Oufrane is able to survive in Shawshank prison lie is forced to disagree with Freeman's Chirac ter about how hope c an destroy someone in prison, yet it is (iufrane's ability to main tain his undying hope that allows him to keep his sanity But if anything, the movie was about respect and trust My problem is not so much that Forrest (lump won. hut rather that Shan shank Bedemp lion didn't win Unfortunately, the Academy works off the same principles that oil the guars of Hollywood That is, a movie is good only if a lot of people bought tickets to see it. It is this attitude that allows movies like The Bodyguard. Brain Stoker's Dracula. and legends of the Fall to become blockbuster money makers Much more money was spent on Forrest Clump than on any oilier film nominated, even if it was all on silly scenes that allowed Tom Hanks to shake hands with dead presidents, and rnayl>e that's why it won In my opinion, that type of opu lence isn't necessary if the same si enes could be played by look alikes (check out the film IQ for a good example of this) but then Robert Zemeckis wouldn't lie the money-spending, science fiction god he is now. So I don't know what to think Nobody from the Academy called me up for my vote, but if they had. maybe Samuel Jackson would have won for best supporting actor, and The Mask would have won for !>est spe< ial effei ts It’s too late now anyway, hut I had to tell someone By the way. if you don't believe me about Tim Robbins, go rent the Coen brothers' Hudsucker Proxy and / Q with Meg Ryan and Walter Matthau and you'll see what I mean. Paul Van Sickle is a columnist for the Emerald. ■ LETTERS & COMMENTARY POLICY I he Oregon Daily Enter a Id welcomes letters and commen taries from the public concerning topus of interest to the Uni versity community. betters to the editor must be limited to no more than 250 words, legible, signed and the identification of the writer must be verified when the letter is submitted. Commentaries should be between 600 and 800 words, logi bit-, signed and the identification of the writer must be verified when the commentary is submitted. The Emerald reserves the right to edit any letter for length or style.
