Kick off the week with some Hollywood history in the making!

Happening in the world: After months of the most severe wildfires in years, Sydney, Australia’s most populous city, is now facing the heaviest rainfall in 30 years. Though the heavy rain has helped firefighters cope with the massive bushfires, it has also caused power outages, disrupted transportation, and left fire-stricken areas particularly vulnerable to flash-flooding. (BBC)

Happening in the US: The 92nd Academy Awards were last night, delivering both expected results, particularly in the acting categories, and unexpected, particularly in the best picture race, where Bong Joon Ho’s thriller Parasite went against critics’ expectations of a 1917 victory to win. The film’s best picture win makes it the first non-English language film in the history of the Academy to take home the night’s biggest prize. In total, Parasite left with four awards from six nominations, the most of any film. (NYT)

Happening in NYC: Local groups in the East Village are suing the city over a recently-approved plan to transform East River Park by adding a series of flood walls to help mitigate storm surge flooding. Despite the recognized necessity of further protections against increased flooding due to climate change, groups claim the city cannot deliver on its promise to complete the renovations by 2025 and protest the plan’s requirement of shutting down the entire park for a period of time during construction. (Gothamist)

Happening on campus: Today at 6 pm in Sulzberger Parlor in Barnard Hall, Raanan Rein, a professor of history and vice president at Tel Aviv University, will be delivering a talk titled “Jewish and Non-Jewish Latinos in Israel: Religion, Culture, and Identity,” discussing Latin American migration to Israel and its cultural impact. (Barnard Events)

Image via Bwog Archives