Posts on ‘August 14th, 2009’

“The Time Traveler’s Wife,” adapted from the 2003 best-seller by Audrey Niffenegger, is one of those gooey romantic mind-benders, like “Ghost” (which I adored) or “The Lake House” (not so much), in which a couple must come to grips with some trippy impediment to their relationship, such as life after death or a hole in [...]

The 1967 Monterey Pop Festival was arguably more influential and, like Woodstock, spawned a terrific film, D.A. Pennebaker’s “Monterey Pop.” The 1969 Isle of Wight Festival in England, two weeks after Woodstock, included the elusive Bob Dylan. And there were several other gatherings during the late-’60s and early-’70s festival frenzy, including the ill-fated Altamont festival [...]

Four aid workers and two pilots held captive in Somalia for nine months were released Tuesday. The workers from French aid group Action Against Hunger were in good health, the organization said. “ACF wishes to thank the Somali communities and the authorities of the expatriates’ countries of origin for their infallible support, as well as [...]

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday visited Nigeria, warning it could be a target for al Qaeda. The country has been racked by violence between Christians and Muslims, with hundreds having died in riots over the past several years. “Al Qaeda has a presence in Northern Africa,” Clinton said. “There is no doubt [...]

At least 24 people died late Thursday in Panama in a crash between a truck and a bus, President Ricardo Martinelli said at the scene of the accident. News reports said at least 15 people were injured. “I have never in my life seen anything like this,” Martinelli said early Friday on CNN affiliate TVN. [...]

The Federal Aviation Administration has suspended two air traffic controllers over last week’s collision of two aircraft over the Hudson River that killed nine people, a spokeswoman said. A controller at New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport handling the flight of a Piper airplane carrying three people “was involved in apparently inappropriate conversations on the telephone at [...]

Thousands of residents fled ahead of a raging wildfire near northern California’s Santa Cruz Mountains, and one man said he had an “ominous feeling” as ashes descended on him. 1 of 3 Helbard Alkhassadeh traveled down the state’s scenic Highway 1 between Davenport and Santa Cruz and submitted images of the blaze, named the Lockheed [...]

A black politician campaigning in eastern Germany has become the victim of a racist campaign by a far-right party. The National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD) says it is trying to persuade Zeca Schall, a German citizen who came from Angola 21 years ago, to leave the country. Schall is a member of the Christian [...]

A Libyan man convicted in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, is dropping his appeal, the Scottish Court Service said Friday. The move may be part of a deal convicted bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi is seeking with Scottish authorities to be released on compassionate grounds. Al-Megrahi, 57, is suffering [...]