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    The meaning behind the blue ribbons worn at the Oscars

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments937 Views
    Bill Nighy arrives at the Oscars on Sunday, March 12, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
    LOS ANGELES (AP) --

    Small and subtle, the blue ribbons worn by many celebrities at the Oscars nonetheless had an important message: support refugees.

    According to a statement from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, donning the #WithRefugees ribbons Sunday "sends a powerful visual message that everyone has the right to seek safety, whoever, wherever, whenever they are."

    The ribbons were made by Knotty Tie Co., which the agency says provides employment, training and education to refugees resettled in the Denver area.

    "In many of the films nominated at festivals and awards ceremonies this season, the human themes of conflict, separation and loss are present," the agency said in the statement, citing movies like "Avatar: The Way of Water" and "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On."

    "Through effective storytelling, these films help erode discrimination and misunderstandings, offer new perspectives and help to build compassion for people forced to flee," the statement continued.

    The number of displaced people globally now tops 103 million, a figure augmented by significant factors like Russia's war in Ukraine, other conflicts around the world and climate change.

    Best supporting actor Ke Huy Quan, born in Vietnam, referenced his own story of being a refugee during his acceptance speech.

    "My journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refugee camp," Quan said. "Somehow, I ended up here on Hollywood's biggest stage. They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I cannot believe it's happening to me. This — THIS — is the American dream."

    Like other U.N. agencies, UNHCR has a long history of celebrity engagement — most famously, Angelina Jolie was the refugee agency's lone special envoy until parting ways last year.

    Best actress nominee Cate Blanchett is a goodwill ambassador for UNHCR. But on Friday, U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric put in a plug for a goodwill ambassador from a different agency — the U.N. Development Programme. When asked whether he had a favorite for best picture, he demurred.

    "No, but I do hope that the UNDP's own goodwill ambassador Michelle Yeoh wins best actress, and we wish her all the best," he said of the eventual winner.

    Tags:Oscarsrefugee crisisUNHCR



    Ex-OpenAI engineer who raised legal concerns about the technology he helped build has died

    Saturday, December 21, 2024
    Suchir Balaji poses for a photo in Hawaii in 2018. Balaji was a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who died in November 2024. (Balaji Ramamurthy via AP)

    Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT and later said he believed those practices violated copyright law, has died, according to his parents and San Francisco officials. He was 26.

    Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting in August. He was well-regarded by colleagues at the San Francisco company, where a co-founder this week called him one of OpenAI's strongest contributors who was essential to developing some of its products.

    "We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news and our hearts go out to Suchir's loved ones during this difficult time," said a statement from OpenAI.

    Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on Nov. 26 in what police said "appeared to be a suicide. No evidence of foul play was found during the initial investigation." The city's chief medical examiner's office confirmed the manner of death to be suicide.

    His parents Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy said they are still seeking answers, describing their son as a "happy, smart and brave young man" who loved to hike and recently returned from a trip with friends.

    Balaji grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and first arrived at the fledgling AI research lab for a 2018 summer internship while studying computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He returned a few years later to work at OpenAI, where one of his first projects, called WebGPT, helped pave the way for ChatGPT.

    "Suchir's contributions to this project were essential, and it wouldn't have succeeded without him," said OpenAI co-founder John Schulman in a social media post memorializing Balaji. Schulman, who recruited Balaji to his team, said what... Read More

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