Global Immigrant

Eurovision

2006-05-20T21:51:00.000+01:00

Never used to watch Eurovision while living in Romania: it was considered a rather lame thing to do. Eh… It just wasn’t my cup of tea. Things have changed since and… I became more sensitive to the going ons of my country and fellow countrymen. More so, starting to look more and more like a freak show, Eurovision and its very differently serious (or not) contestants are starting to get to me: I now leave the show on while surfing the net (and… updating the Global Immigrant blog). :)

As I write these very words the Finish representatives – Lordi - sing their boots off like there’s no tomorrow. I like them (I used to be a Goth you know).

I hope they win! They rocked. :D

Fact sheet:

Running since 1956, the Eurovision Song Contest is an annual televised song contest with participants from numerous countries whose national television broadcasters are members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The Contest is broadcast on television and radio throughout Europe, in selected countries around the world, and on the Internet.

The Contest's name comes from the EBU's Eurovision TV distribution network. Because it is the highest-profile event distributed by the network, the Song Contest itself is often simply called "Eurovision". ESC is an abbreviation used when referring to the Contest on websites and in forums.

The structure of the Contest is as follows:
• Each country, through a variety of means, chooses an artist and song to represent them.
• Each song from every country is then performed once on the night, vocally live.
• After all songs have been performed, viewers have ten minutes to vote for their favourite song. Viewers can not vote for their own country e.g. voters in Ireland can not vote for the Irish entry.
• All the votes are added up per country (e.g. all of the votes from Irish televoters, from French voters etc.)
• Each country, via satellite link, reveals its votes. The top ten songs voted for in each country receive points, from 1-8, then 10 and 12 points. Points are announced per country in reverse order.
• In the end, the winner is the country with the most points. In a tie, it is the country with (any number of) points awarded from most countries that wins.
• The winning country receives the honour of hosting the next year's Contest.

Ukraine is on now with the Shakira wannabe girl. Well… What can you do...

The best part of watching this is that its on RTE ONE. The presenter is a total tosser today, making fun of each and every contestant. Quite funny, it definitely adds a good bit of entertainment to the whole vibe of the moment.

Anyway. Its all good. Its harmless fun. I might even vote. Ireland is coming up next. Will I be nervous? Proud? I'm going to find out in a few seconds.

So who did you vote for?

P.S.: I got up and went in front of the TV while Ireland was on. :oS (anyone else noticed that the male backup singer seemed to have an unusually big head? – I am serious) .

Anyway… Don’t mind the dissing, its all good when multicultural events like such help bring in the limelight different perspectives of being different, from different places, different backgrounds and different beliefs.

Andi

P.S.: and the winner is...

LORDI

What an inspiring choice! ... and I'm not being sarcastic!

Ireland - Nominations for the World Refugee Day Awards June 20th 2006

2006-04-27T02:14:00.000+01:00

Designated by a special UN General Assembly Resolution in 2002, World Refugee Day 2006 will be celebrated in Ireland on June 20th. On this day, countries around the world are encouraged to undertake activities to call attention to the situation of refugees and to highlight initiatives supporting them. The World Refugee Day Awards in Ireland aim to publicly recognise and highlight the vital contribution made by refugees, asylum seekers and local communities who actively promote a positive model of integration and who work for the protection and promotion of the rights of new communities.

The awards play a crucial role in reflecting often unrecognised interaction and work of many groups and individuals from both communities, whilst acknowledging the difficulties and uncertainties faced by many asylum seekers and refugees.

These significant national awards marking World Refugee Day are being organised for the forth successive year by the Africa Centre in partnership with the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI), Integrating Ireland, United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), Dublin City Council, SPIRASI and Sports Against Racism (SARI).

Who Can be Nominated?

The Awards are for individuals who are working on their own or as part of an organisation.
Examples of people who could be considered for nomination include local community & youth workers, teachers, business people, health workers, service providers, volunteers.

The Award Ceremony

The award ceremony will take place on Tuesday 20th June in the Atrium, Civic Offices, Dublin City Council, Wood Quay, Dublin.

Closing date for nominations is Monday 8th May ‘06.

Please return all forms to: Africa Centre, 9c Methodist Church Building, Lower Abbey Street, Dublin 2.

Meeting of Cultures

2006-04-22T20:20:00.000+01:00

Meeting of Cultures,
Istanbul - New York New NY Crossroads (NYCR) 2006,
International Short Film Contest and Film Festival,
November, 2006 and December, 2006

The NYCR 2006 International Short Film Film Festival will explore and question the issue of “global immigration”.

Rules and Regulations

Eligibility:

This world-wide competition is open to emerging filmmakers of all ages.

· Filmmaker must not have a distribution deal for their project.
· Films must not be longer then 10 minutes (including opening titles and credits)
· Filmmakers must obtain all music licenses.

A copy of music rights will be requested if film is chosen for DVD. Filmmakers who cannot obtain music rights may purchase for $2.00 and use the downloadable version of "Can I Count On You?: The Immigrant Song" at the http://www.actiontime.cc/

Film Topics :

New NY Crossroads is looking for interesting stories about immigration and the emotional effect on ones life. The organization is particularly interested in the following topics as they relate to their organization’s founding goals:

· Globalization
· World Peace
· Cultural Awareness
· Family Structures
· Cultural Integration
· New Generation of Immigrants

Entry Procedures:

Early deadline September 8th, 2006 (Free, No entry fee.) Extended Deadline September 22nd, 2006 (USD $20 Entry Fee Required - Now Waved)

Mail all entries to: New NY Crossroads, LLC70-31 Parsons Blvd., Suite 451Fresh Meadows, NY 11365.

To send the entries, please feel free to contact Johanna or Niyah at the following e-mail addresses:

Contact Johanna at jvoutounou@newnycrossroads.com
Contact Niyah at nrahmann@newnycrossroads.com

Submit an entry form and a copy of the work (for judging purposes only) on VHS tape or Mini DV.

Label cassettes clearly with name, phone, title, date and running time.
Receiving entries as early as possible will be appreciated.

Notification and Entry Return:

Applicants whose films are chosen for the Festival will be notified by phone or mail. Films that are not selected for the Festival will not be returned.

Best of luck!