All Global News on One Page

Along with most Americans, I was appalled that the budget debate in Congress largely ignored the public mandate to create jobs and build the economy, but instead focused on cutting basic health services for women. The primary goal behind the right wing proposal to defund Planned Parenthood was presumably to put an end to abortion services.
Supporters of women’s health rightly pointed out that cutting funding would deny women access to needed cancer screenings, pap smears and STI testing. But some took their case further, seemingly to placate the extreme right, arguing that it’s politically “safe” to fund family planning because after all, it’s against the law to use federal dollars to pay for

It’s not hard to understand why Chris Ordal’s Earthwork has been waiting for release for two years. It’s a low-key tale of an artist struggling to do his work – and it comes at a time when there’s not only a glut of independent films fighting for screens – but a movie-going audience that seems less interested in thought than sensation.
The story of an artist struggling to create his work against economic and societal odds, Earthwork tells the true story of crop artist Stan Herd. A Kansan, Herd uses landscaping elements – everything from gravel and railroad ties to sod, flowers and trees – to transform acreages into artworks so massive they can only truly be appreciated from a helicopter or airplane.
The film shows him as a youngster, befuddling his parents with his artistic impulses, and then as a young farmer in the 1980s, capturing the attention of photographer Peter Kaplan (Bruce MacVittie), who photographs his work from above and encourages Herd to keep creating.
But Herd (played with soulful grace by the protean John Hawkes) is, at base, a farmer who needs to make ends meet to support his wife (who wants to enroll in medical school) and son. But, by the early 1990s, his continuing conversations with Kaplan only produce

TGIF everyone, here’s my Top 5 for April 29, 2011 from Len Berman at www.ThatsSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
* Auburn quarterback Cam Newton was the first pick in last night’s NFL draft by Carolina.
* The Giants, keeping with the royal theme, draft a Prince, cornerback Prince Amukamara from Nebraska.
* The NFL, after being sacked in court, is reopening for business with its players today.
* In the NBA playoffs, the Lakers, Hawks and Mavericks all wrapped up their series.
* The NCAA says no applications for new bowl games will be accepted for three years. Gee. That solves everything.
* A lot to live up

Boubacar TraorMalian blues guitarist Boubacar Traor (a.k.a. Kar Kar) was born in 1942. As a young boy, he started writing songs. When his older brother returned from studies in Cuba, he taught Boubacar guitar–and

If we’re not currently with the love of our life, then we are either looking for him or her or pining over the loss of him or her. But what if it’s not really the actual person that makes him or her the love of our life? What if it’s actually the emotional place we’re in? We can’t fall in love with someone if our hearts are closed or if we’re unavailable. We can’t fall in love with someone when we are so scared of getting hurt or so scared of having our freedom taken away, that we walk around with walls up. We can’t fall in love with someone when we are unwilling to be

To finish off my month-by-month year of floats, it’s time to celebrate the return of warm weather (sort of–at least it’s not freaking freezing all the time) with a Mojito Float! Virgin, of course, for sober folks like me.
Before I reveal my recipe, I must take a moment to reflect on the last 12 months of floats. It’s been fun to force myself to think things up. I am not drinking these floats all the time, or serving them at my nonexistent dinner parties. But it’s good to know they are there when I need

Prince William whispered to Kate that she looked beautiful, and that was just one of the highly intimate, romantic moments they had.
From the moment Kate Middleton got out of her black Bentley, she looked like she could be barely hold back her tears. She gripped her fathers’ hand. She was visibly shaking.
Prince William was waiting for her at the alter and when she arrived at his side, he turned to her and you could make out as he whispered to her, “you look beautiful.” It was a totally intimate moment as William leaned in to Kate and she broke into a smile. It helped her to relax- broke the formality of the “state” occasion, and made it clear that for these two people what was most important was that it — was THEIR marriage!
But then as the ceremony began, the pair made a visible effort to block the world — the guests, the cameras, all of us out — while they made their vows to EACH OTHER.
As Kate spoke, William looked DIRECTLY into her eyes and held her

US consumer spending increased by 0.6% in March from February, rising for the ninth straight month, the Department of Commerce said.

This compares with an upwardly revised 0.9% advance in February. It was helped by an increase in personal incomes.

A steady, if unspectacular, fall in the number of people out of work and a 2% cut in social security taxes have helped to buoy

Have you looked carefully at a nutrition label recently? I did so only because I had the label from a protein bar in my hand while waiting on a long line without anything to read.
The print is large enough to read without a magnifying glass and there was enough information to keep me occupied until I reached the cashier. Like many people who turn over a box or bar to look at the food label, I was immediately drawn to the serving size and calories per serving. Underneath this crucial information (at least crucial for anyone attempting to watch calorie intake) was the number of calories from

There’s nothing lovelier than the sight of a child napping — such a sweet, enviable state, and one that I believe grown-ups should also be able to enjoy without being thought of as peculiar or lazy.
A short, 20-minute power nap has been shown to provide a fresh burst of new ideas and energy and to eliminate the need for caffeine boosts during the workday, and afterward, too. Even NASA research supports the idea that napping improves alertness, creativity and performance in those who make time for a short snooze. Still not convinced? Then you might want to take a look at the recent New York Times article that outed many NBA athletes as frequent nappers who use power snoozes to help boost performance, particularly on game days.
OK, so let’s say you’d like to get into a napping groove, but you’re a 9-to-5er, not an NBAer. It’s still possible to slip in a midday snooze; you just have to think creatively and develop your

First off, let me tell you that I’m a friendly vegan! I’m not judgmental, and I truly believe that it’s not my business to tell anyone what they should or shouldn’t eat. I grew up in the South, greatly enjoying chicken-fried steak and barbecued ribs, and every kind of cheesy thing I could get my hands on. I loved meat; never thought about it. Until I thought about

We are now on the road to summer for our TV viewing. It is the summer when the cable networks give us the best and brightest in TV programming, and the USA Network leads the way. A prime example is that in order to get us on to this road to summer the USA Network is starting us off with new episodes of In Plain Sight and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
In Plain Sight is an audience favorite. It presents stories about

Soon after Prince William told the world that he and Kate Middleton were engaged, we also learned that William had given Kate his mother’s sapphire and diamond ring. Of the ring, William said he was just making sure his mother didn’t miss out on the special occasion. “It’s my mother’s engagement ring,” he explained, “so of course it’s very special to me.”
Getting married without your mom is hard. You’re happy and excited, but you’re also sad and

Sometimes I feel like everything I know about life I learned by reading Jane Austen. The funny thing is, I never wanted to read her in the first place. I was 26, a pompous young graduate student who preferred to associate himself with the big, masculine modernist heroes: James Joyce, Joseph Conrad, Ernest Hemingway, Vladimir Nabokov. Jane Austen? She was for

Note: If you haven’t read our introduction to The OPA! Way, a new lifestyle inspired by and based on Greek culture from ancient times to the present-day, we recommend that you first read Part 1 and Part 2 of “‘Opa!’ It’s a Lifestyle.”
Despite connecting with new “friends” via online social networking (e.g., Facebook), despite living in cities with thousands of people, and despite working in large organizations, the incidence of people who say they are lonely keeps rising. Many people are connecting all the time–working two jobs, using Blackberries, iPhones, and other devices 24/7, engaging in numerous activities–yet they still feel they have no one with whom to talk about serious issues in their lives, no one to talk things out. It’s becoming a big issue in our society and postmodern world.
A recent AARP study, for instance, found that the percentage of Americans who have no one with whom to discuss important matters has risen to more than 24% (that’s right, essentially one out of every four

Superman intends to give up his US citizenship, a story in the new issue of Action Comics declares.

"I'm tired of having my actions construed as instruments of US policy," the character says in a story that sees him flying to a Tehran protest.

Adopted by an American family, Superman decides he is better-off serving the world.

Though he only talks about his plans to give up citizenship, the story has been criticised by commentators

The artists featured in this slideshow are each accomplished representational painters who are searching for some kind of beauty. Their subjects, their approaches, and their findings are diverse.
Allan Gorman — a sharp eyed formalist — sees beauty in industrial sites, which he paints with compelling clarity. Shirin Moosavi has attempted to understand the world of her growing daughter, capturing the poignancy of

By Kia Lala
Chris Marker, Untitled # 200, 2008-2010 Color photograph mounted on white Sintra 22 3/4 x 31 1/2 in. (57.8 x 80 cm) Printed 2011 Edition of 3 Courtesy of Peter Blum Gallery
French photographer and filmmaker, Chris Marker (b.1921), best known for his conceptual films Sans Soleil and La jete, has a show of recent photographs at Peter Blum gallery entitled Passengers.
As an avid documentarian Marker had found an ideal recording device which could candidly photograph people in public spaces: a camera embedded in a wristwatch. Armed with this device he could pretend to check the time while discreetly capturing passersby on

CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS *** 1/2 out of ****
Select Theaters
I’m writing this sentence in the year 2011. Now imagine that someone came along in the year 7011 (some five thousand years later) and added this second sentence. Then the two sentences sit there side by side until the year 32,011 when we come along and see those sentences for the first time. That’s the span of eons we have to grasp when watching this bewitching film.
It’s a documentary by the great and eccentric Werner Herzog — shot in 3-D no less — that explores a recently discovered cave in

President Barack Obama is to visit storm-ravaged communities in Alabama as south-eastern US states face up to the aftermath of devastating storms.

At least 297 people are known to have died from tornadoes that ripped through a swathe of states, 204 in Alabama.

Mr Obama will visit Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where a twister thought to be a mile wide ploughed through the city.

He has pledged government support for storm-hit communities, with federal aid money being sent to Alabama.

Deaths and widespread devastation are also reported in Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia and Virginia.

On Thursday the president hailed rescue workers and said he stood with every American affected by the "catastrophic" storms.

A state of emergency has been declared in seven states, and federal aid money is being sent to Alabama.
‘Reeling’
Speaking at a news conference at the White House, Mr Obama said: "The loss of life has been heartbreaking, especially in Alabama.

"In a matter of hours, these deadly tornadoes, some of the worst we have seen in decades, took mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, friends and neighbours, even entire communities.
Confirmed deaths by state

• Alabama: 210
• Mississippi: 33
• Tennessee: 33
• Georgia: 15
• Virginia: 5
• Kentucky: 1

Source: Associated Press, BBC reporting

• In pictures: Deadly US storms

"In many places the damage to homes and businesses is nothing short of catastrophic," he said.

The president said he would travel to Alabama to meet those leading the emergency response and families who are "reeling from the disaster".

"I want every American who has been affected by this disaster to know that the federal government will do everything we can to help you recover, and we will stand with you as you rebuild," he said.

The US National Weather Service has reports of nearly 300 tornadoes since the storms began on Friday, more than 150 of them on Wednesday

The US soldier at the centre of the Wikileaks scandal has been cleared to live alongside other inmates at Fort Leavenworth military prison in Kansas.

Pte First Class Bradley Manning had passed lengthy mental and physical assessments, prison officials said.

He was moved to the prison on 20 April, following criticism over his nine month detention at a marine jail in Virginia.

His supporters complained he was confined to a cell for 23 hours a day and forced regularly to undress.

Fort Leavenworth Commandant Lt Col Dawn Hilton said Pte Manning had been cleared to be held as a medium-security prisoner following lengthy assessments for all new inmates.

She said that Pte Manning would be treated like every other prisoner.

"We're firm but

A Conversation With Bruce Hornsby
Mike Ragogna: Hey Bruce, what’s going on?
Bruce Hornsby: Hey Mike, just grinding away on the road. How have you been?
MR: Pretty well since the last visit, which feels like a month ago. Bruce, you’ve got a new album, Bride Of The Noisemakers, which especially celebrates your last few albums and playing out on the road. What has the experience been like, playing those tours?
BH: Well, actually this double record draws from shows from ’07, ’08 and ’09–so three different

Since the election of Barack Obama, the Republican Party has proved that one of its central intellectual arguments was right all along. They have long claimed that evolution is a myth believed in only by whiny liberals — and it turns out they were onto something. Every six months, the Republican Party venerates a new hero, and each time it is somebody further back on the evolutionary scale.
Sarah Palin told cheering rallies that her message to the world was: “We’ll put a boot in your ass, it’s the American way!” — but that wasn’t enough. So they found Michele Bachmann, who said darkly it was an “interesting coincidence” that swine flu only breaks out under Democratic presidents, claims the message of The Lion King is “I’m better at what I do because I’m gay,” and argues “there isn’t even one study that can be produced that shows carbon dioxide is a harmful gas.”
That wasn’t

Nasa is preparing to launch its Endeavour shuttle one last time.

The youngest of America's reusable orbiters is set to deliver a $2bn (£1.2bn) particle physics experiment to the International Space Station (ISS).

Once it completes its 14-day mission, Endeavour will be retired to a museum in Los Angeles.

That will leave just the Atlantis shuttle still in active service. It is expected to make a final outing in the next few months.

The US space agency is withdrawing the orbiters to make way for a fleet of vehicles provided by the commercial sector later this decade.

Lift-off for Endeavour and her crew of six is targeted for 1547 local time (1947 GMT; 2047 BST) on Friday from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

The ship is commanded by Mark Kelly.His wife, Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, currently recovering from a gunshot wound to the head, has travelled to the Space Coast to see the ascent. US President Barack Obama is also expected to be present at