Films To See Before The 2012 Oscars..

 

Get Ready, 'Cause Here They Come!

The 2012 Academy Awards take place on Sunday, February 26 beginning at 7pm ET on ABC. Click through this gallery for 15 films you may want to check out before the night arrives!

1. Hugo

This film, directed by Martin Scorsese, is based on the novel 'The Invention of Hugo Cabret' by Brian Selznick and tells the story of an orphan boy who lives in the secret walls of a train station in Paris in the early 1900s.
'Hugo' leads the pack with 11 nominations:

• Art Direction
• Best Picture
• Cinematography
• Costume Design
• Directing
• Film Editing
• Music (Original Score)
• Sound Editing
• Sound Mixing
• Visual Effects
• Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

• 2. The Artist

  'The Artist' is a rare film, in that it not only takes viewers back to a past time period, but it also is done in the old style of film. The movie is entirely in black-and-white, and the majority is silent.
  The film has already won three Golden Globe Awards, and is nominated for 10 Academy Awards:
  

  • Actor in a Leading Role
  • Actress in a Supporting Role
  • Art Direction
  • Best Picture
  • Cinematography
  • Costume Design
  • Directing
  • Film Editing
  • Music (Original Score)
  • Writing (Original Screenplay)3. Moneyball
  •  

  • 3. Moneyball

    'Moneyball' stars Brad Pitt as the Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane, whose successful attempt to draft players on a budget using computer analysis questioned the usual business of building a baseball team.
    The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including:
    

    • Actor in a Leading Role
    • Actor in a Supporting Role
    • Best Picture
    • Film Editing
    • Sound Mixing
    • Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
   

  4. War Horse

  'War Horse,' produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, is based on a Tony Award-winning 2007 play which itself was based on the 1982 best-selling children's novel of the same name by Michael Morpurgo. The film version follows the story of Albert Narracott and his beloved horse, Joey, during World War I.
  The film is nominated for the following six Academy Awards:
  

  • Art Direction
  • Best Picture
  • Cinematography
  • Music (Original Score)
  • Sound Editing
  • Sound Mixing

  • 5. The Descendants

    George Clooney stars in 'The Descendants,' which is based on the novel of the same name by Kaui Hart Hemmings, has won two Golden Globe awards already in 2012. The film tells the story of a man who tries to re-connect with his daughters after his wife is involved in a boating accident.
    'The Descendants' is nominated for five Academy Awards:
    

    • Actor in a Leading Role
    • Best Picture
    • Directing
    • Film Editing
    • Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
     

 Nobel Peace Prize Awarded to Three Remarkable Women of 2011..

 

For Peace, Democracy, and Rights

Oct. 7, 2011 -- Yemeni opposition leader Tawakul Karman, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee were awarded the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize today for their efforts in Yemen and Liberia.
Women in the Middle East, like the three recipients, are more socially active now [especially in the protests that have swept across the region], but conservatives have tried to keep them out of the spotlight. The Norwegian Nobel Committee chose to award these three leaders to cast light on women's rights in the Middle East. The committee described the prize as a call to women all over the world:
“We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women obtain the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society."
Continue reading to learn more about Karman, Johnson Sirleaf, and Gbowee.

 

Tawakul Karman

Tawakul Karman, born Feb. 7, 1979, in Mekhlaf, Ta'izz province, Yemen, is a journalist, politician, and human rights activist who co-founded Women Journalists Without Chains in 2005. She is known for her role in the protests for the freedom of press and her organized sit-ins and protests in Tahrir Square, the Arab Spring uprising, and the 2011 Yemeni uprisings.
Karman has been called the "Iron Woman" and "Mother of the Revolution" by Yemenis. She is the first Arab woman, the first Yemeni, and second Muslim to win a Nobel Prize.

 

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, born Oct. 29, 1938, in Monrovia, is the 24th and current president of Liberia. She has been in office since Jan. 16, 2006. Johnson Sirleaf secured an education in Monrovia and in the United States before returning to Liberia to work under the government of William Tolbert. She served as Assistant Minister of Finance and Minister of Finance under Tolbert's administration, but she fled the country after President Tolbert was assassinated and Master Sergeant Samuel Doe, a member of the indigenous Krahn ethnic group, took over the government.
She is known for speaking publicly against the Doe regime [and being imprisoned for it]; the executive order to make education free and obligatory for all elementary school-aged children; the Freedom of Information bill [like the US Sunshine Laws]; and her efforts in Liberia's debt relief. Johnson Sirleaf is the first [and only] woman to be elected to lead a country in Africa.

 

Leymah Gbowee

Leymah Gbowee, born 1972 in Liberia, is a peace activist in Africa known for her peaceful movement which ended the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003. After the end of the civil war, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was elected president.
During the civil war, Gbowee worked with trauma victims, and she realized mothers had the power to bring change to the current terrorized society. In 2002 she organized Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace, a peaceful movement aimed at ending the Second Liberian Civil War. Women, of Christian and Islamic faiths, sang, prayed, held peaceful nonviolent protests, and went on a sex strike. 
With the help of another activist, Comfort Freeman, Gbowee organized Women in Peacebuilding Network (WIPNET), and all the women in the peaceful protests were able to end the 14-year civil war in Liberia.

How to Deal With Stress in workplace

 

Coping With Stess in the Workplace

No matter what your occupation or salary, many people feel frazzled and stressed in the workplace. Layoffs and budget cuts in this uncertain economy can create fear, lowering your productivity. Some stress is normal, but excessive stress can interfere with your workday as well as your emotional and physical health. Managing your stress can be the difference between success and failure on the job as well as raising your quality of life. Learn how to manage and reduce your stress in the workplace!

 

Recognize the Warning Signs

Look for the warning signs of works stress if you start feeling overwhelmed at work. Feeling anxious, irritable or depressed are common signs that you are stressed. Other warning signs include loss of interest in work, problems sleeping, fatigue, trouble concentrating, muscle tension, headaches, social withdrawal and stomach problems. Using alcohol or drugs to cope with problems at work is also a warning sign to watch out for.
Ignoring these warning signs can lead to bigger problems for your emotional and physical health beyond interfering with your job performance.

 

Take Care of Yourself

Pay attention to your physical and emotional health. When you feel good, you're stronger and more resilient to stress. Making positive lifestyle choices will help you become more equipped to manage work stress without being overwhelmed.
First off, get moving! Aerobic activity can help lift your mood, sharpen your focus, give you energy and relax your mind. Getting in thirty minutes of activity most days of the week will bring you maximum stress relief. Raise your heart rate and start sweating!
Your food choices can also be a stress reliever. Eating too much at one time can make you lethargic, but eating smaller more frequent meals throughout the day will help you maintain an even blood sugar level. Low blood sugar levels can cause you to feel anxious and irritable, so moderate your food to avoid these mood swings.
Stay well-rested! Getting enough sleep keeps you emotionally balanced. Lack of sleep makes you more vulnerable to more stress and can also cause insomnia. This is a key factor in stress reduction.

 

Break Bad Habits

Many of us have bad habits that add to our stress at work. Turning around your negative thoughts and behavior can help you become better equipped to handle workplace stress. Nothing is ever perfect, so set realistic goals for yourself. Trying to attain unrealistic outcomes will only set you up to fall short.
Turn your negative thinking into positive thinking. Seeing the downside of situations will only drain you of energy and motivation. Stay positive and pat yourself on the back for even the smallest accomplishments.
Clean up your act by organizing your workspace. Sort through your desk and throw away clutter. Being organized can help save you time and cut stress. If you're always running late, set your clocks ahead or give yourself extra time. Being early will help you feel less overwhelmed. Plan your day according to a schedule and stick to it!

Adapt

If you can't change what is stressing you out, try to change yourself by adapting to the situation and regain your sense of control. Changing your attitude and expectations can go a long way. Take time to pause and regroup, taking another perspective of the situation. How important is the source of stress in the long run? Is it something worth getting upset over? If the answer is no, focus your time and energy in other places. Sometimes, stress is unavoidable, but you can control how you deal with it. Look at the positive side and move on.

What Are You Drinking ?

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Do you know what you are putting into your body when you drink some of the tastiest beverages? Well, let's find out...

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