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'Life's stories'
Emerging filmmakers of all ages are working more prevalently than ever in the nonfiction arena. The reasons are varied but certainly there is a larger market, more opportunities for distribution and a greater willingness on the part of the public to seek out new life, new civilizations and to boldly go where no filmmaker has gone before. Or, at least, that’s the impression.Where is this new breed of rabble-rouser coming from?The Master of Fine Arts Graduate Program at the University of North Texas for one.Levin has been a frequent visitor to Taos with his wife, Melinda, who also is its department chairwoman. Levin said he has always admired the creative community here and vowed that someday he’d like to share with it the work his students have been producing. That time has come.He said he’s particularly proud that two films by UNT students were among the eight finalists competing for the top documentary prize at NextFrame last August.
Rock music is the most popular download
ROCK 'n' roll makes the world go round, according to a map of the music being listened to online across the globe. Linkin Park, the Beatles, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Metallica are among the world's most popular artists, according to song recognition service Gracenote. But Australia has bucked the trend: dance music label Ministry of Sound is our most popular "artist" and its latest compilation album, The 2008 Annual, our most popular album. Gracenote is an internet-based music recognition service that identifies track names, artists and album titles when music is played or ripped on to computers, MP3 players, iPods and iTunes, CD players, mobile phones, and more. The map of the 10 most popular artists and 10 most popular albums was created as song data was uploaded from its online database.
Haneef 'fears being locked up'
FORMER terror suspect Mohamed Haneef fears he could be jailed again if he returns to Australia, says his lawyer Peter Russo. Dr Haneef held a press conference in India over the weekend during which he said he hoped the new Rudd government would consider the question of compensating him."I'm hopeful of this because the damages that have been done to my career, my job, my aspirations, and my reputation is far too much ... they might try to build up some bridges by compensating me,'' Dr Haneef told reporters. Read full story .
Graphic Novels
That kind of over-the-top romanticism will turn off some, but will be devoured with relish, and maybe a little ketchup, by teens who like their horror more sweet than scary. The plot, such as it is, follows Raven's troubles when Alexander's evil cousin Claude and his gang of Goth fashion plates show up in town and start causing trouble. The rampant stereotypes may actually work in the story's favor, as its brief length and visual focus do not leave much time for character development. Despite the book's flaws, the stylized artwork is an excellent match for this vampire-lite romance.—Douglas P. Davey, Halton Hills Public Library, Ontario, Canada SMITH, Andy J. Fang Fairy. illus. by author. 33p. (Jeremy Kreep Series). glossary. Web sites. CIP. Stone Arch. Jan. 2008. PLB $21.26. ISBN 978-1-59889-835-4.
Bomber escapes with inmate from prison
A MAN jailed for 19 years for his role in a deadly 2002 bombing in Makassar in Indonesia's South Sulawesi has escaped from prison. "He escaped along with another inmate yesterday morning,'' said Imam Suyudi, who heads the Makassar detention centre, today. He declined to elaborate, saying the two men - Wirahadi and Marcus Huwae - fled from the Makassar state jail which shares the same complex but comes under the authority of another official who could not be reached. Wirahadi was sentenced in 2003 after a court found him guilty of blowing up a local outlet of an international fast food chain in Makassar the previous year that killed three. Huwae is serving a 15-year jail sentence for murder. The jail's head, Yudotomo, has formed a team to hunt down the escapees, the Kompas newspaper said.
Fight temptation or give in
Log onto Facebook, the social networking story of 2007, and load up on applications that show just how you compare to others in every category from college football scorecasting, to politics, to rocks, paper, scissors. Or check out the newly debuted site http://www.ImInLikeWithYou.com, where you auction yourself off to potential dates through a point system. Users post their profiles and photos, and then they start a ''game,'' which involves asking other users personal questions like, ''What's your favorite ice cream flavor?'' or ''What's the best spot for a first date?'' Interested members can reply, along with a bid of points, and you choose a winner among the top five bidders, who can then talk with you through the site. .
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