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Tech giants' 'nauseating collaboration' in China
In a House subcommittee hearing for global human rights, Rep. Tom Lantos accuses four major U.S. technology companies of "complete compliance" with Chinese repression of civil rights and political dissent. Their actions are, he says, "a disgrace."
"On a Clear Day" is an inspirational drama with humor, about forgiveness and fortitude, from an exciting new voice in filmmaking. Filmed on location in Glasgow, the Isle of Man and Dover, the film centers on Frank Redmond (Peter Mullan). After decades of laboring as a Glasgow shipbuilder, this no-nonsense 55-year-old working-class man suddenly finds himself laid off. For the first time in his life, Frank is without a job or a sense of direction, and is too proud to ask for guidance. His best mates ? rascally Danny (Billy Boyd), timid Norman (Ron Cook) and cynical Eddie (Sean McGinley) ? are there for him, but Frank still feels desperately alone. An offhand remark from Danny inspires Frank to challenge himself. Already contemplating the state of his relationships with loving wife Joan (two-time Academy Award nominee Brenda Blethyn) and all-but-estranged son Rob (Jamie Sives), Frank is determined to shore up his own self-confidence. He will attempt the near impossible ? swimming the English Channel. As Frank plunges headlong into his new daily life, his astonished friends are swept along with him. Prodded by stalwart fish-and-chips shop owner Chan (Benedict Wong), the men support Frank, train him ? and keep their goal secret from his wife and son. Frank is unable to confide in those closest to him, but as the big day and moment of truth draw near, there is a sea change. Frank's family confronts him, and he realizes that he must repair his strained family ties. As Frank and those closest to him discover ? or re-discover ? reserves of love and compassion, he realizes that he is also swimming from one part of his life to another.
Dropkick Murphys: "The Warrior's Code"
The disc bows with tributes to the fallen: written for and dedicated to the band's friend Greg 'Chickenman' Riley, "Your Spirit's Alive" also remembers Boston Bruin great Ace Bailey and hockey standout Mark Bavis who perished on United Airlines flight 175 on Sept. 11, 2001. "Last Letter Home," salutes American serviceman and Dropkick Murphys fan Sgt. Andrew Farrar, who died on his 31st birthday January 28th, 2005. Shortly before his death in a letter he sent home, Farrar requested the Dropkick Murphys' version of "Fields of Athenry" be played at his funeral should anything happen to him while he was in Iraq. In addition to blending excerpts from that very letter into "Last Letter Home," the band was present at Farrar's funeral and played "The Fields Of Athenry" on the pipes as the casket entered the church. The Warrior's Code also marks the second time the Dropkick Murphys have set a previously unused Woody Guthrie lyric to music. Approached three years ago by Guthrie's daughter, Nora (whose son is a Dropkicks fan), with the prospect of putting some of her legendary father's unpublished lyrics to music, the band produced the hard-charging "Gonna Be a Blackout Tonight," from which the title of 2003's Blackout was taken. The Warrior's Code features "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" written around a whimsical lyric about a sailor who lost his wooden leg in Boston. "When Nora gave us the green light to go through the archives and take we wanted," says vocalist/bassist and founding member Ken Casey, "we looked through thousands of his songs. Obviously, there were a lot of deep songs about World War II and labor stuff, but randomly in the middle of all these serious lyrics was this silly song, which seemed kind of cool. When other people do Woody's stuff, you normally don't see that light-hearted side of his work."
Dropkick Murphys: "The Spicy McHaggis Jig"
The disc bows with tributes to the fallen: written for and dedicated to the band's friend Greg 'Chickenman' Riley, "Your Spirit's Alive" also remembers Boston Bruin great Ace Bailey and hockey standout Mark Bavis who perished on United Airlines flight 175 on Sept. 11, 2001. "Last Letter Home," salutes American serviceman and Dropkick Murphys fan Sgt. Andrew Farrar, who died on his 31st birthday January 28th, 2005. Shortly before his death in a letter he sent home, Farrar requested the Dropkick Murphys' version of "Fields of Athenry" be played at his funeral should anything happen to him while he was in Iraq. In addition to blending excerpts from that very letter into "Last Letter Home," the band was present at Farrar's funeral and played "The Fields Of Athenry" on the pipes as the casket entered the church. The Warrior's Code also marks the second time the Dropkick Murphys have set a previously unused Woody Guthrie lyric to music. Approached three years ago by Guthrie's daughter, Nora (whose son is a Dropkicks fan), with the prospect of putting some of her legendary father's unpublished lyrics to music, the band produced the hard-charging "Gonna Be a Blackout Tonight," from which the title of 2003's Blackout was taken. The Warrior's Code features "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" written around a whimsical lyric about a sailor who lost his wooden leg in Boston. "When Nora gave us the green light to go through the archives and take we wanted," says vocalist/bassist and founding member Ken Casey, "we looked through thousands of his songs. Obviously, there were a lot of deep songs about World War II and labor stuff, but randomly in the middle of all these serious lyrics was this silly song, which seemed kind of cool. When other people do Woody's stuff, you normally don't see that light-hearted side of his work."
Americans get to voice their opinion of U.S. troop presence in Iraq with their vote for president in November. Lara Logan reports on the candidates' positions in 'Where They Stand.'
See the new voice-activation feature in Windows Live Messenger for Mobile in action.
"A Scanner Darkly" is set in suburban Orange County, California in a future where America has lost the war on drugs. When one reluctant undercover cop is ordered to start spying on his friends, he is launched on a paranoid journey into the absurd, where identities and loyalties are impossible to decode. It is a cautionary tale of drug use based on the novel by Philip K. Dick and his own experiences. Like a graphic novel come to life, "A Scanner Darkly" uses live action photography overlaid with an advanced animation process (interpolated rotoscoping) to create a haunting, highly stylized vision of the future. The technology, first employed in Richard Linklater's 2001 film "Waking Life," has evolved to produce even more emotional impact and detail. Written for the screen and directed by Richard Linklater, the film stars Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrelson, Winona Ryder and Rory Cochrane.
Woody Allen's wonderfully neurotic Alvy Singer falls for the equally neurotic Annie Hall and movie history is made. As talk-show host Conan O'Brien put it, no one plays "lovable befuddlement" like Diane Keaton, and no one creates romantic comedies quite like Woody Allen. Existential angst has never been so entertaining. Arguably Allen's best film, "Annie Hall" took home Oscars for Best Picture, Actress, Direction, and Screenplay (cowritten with Marshall Brickman).
Vint Cerf on video distribution
Vint Cerf, vice president and chief Internet evangelist for Google, speaks at the Personal Democracy Forum in New York Tuesday about his vision of a solution for video distribution via downloads. He says online video will be distributed in broadcast mode.
Open-source video player works for all file types
Democracy Player, set to be called Miro Player with its next release, is an open-source video player that works for almost every type of video file. With an interface similar to iTunes, it also has a channel guide where you can set up automatic downloads
