2010 Film

In 2004, the first women's rugby class was organized in Tehran. A few months later, Ahmadinejad was elected president of Iran. Over a 7000 kilometer journey, we meet some of the women who are trying to learn this new game, despite the Talibanization programs, introduced by the new president. Salam rugby is not only about rugby...

A young man is violently displeased when he is confronted by a mirrored image of himself while WTOP's Bill Diehl gives us the unabashed mid-morning news.

Imagine a Brazilian religious community numbering some 20,000 people where the inhabitants dress like a cross between characters in Star Trek and the Egyptians of 2,000 years ago. According to the doctrine, 32,000 years ago, a fleet of spacecraft arrived in South America from the planet Capela bearing an alien race. From this civilization came the spirit of Pai Seta Branca, who chose Tia Nieva, a female Brazilian truck driver to construct and complete a temple, lakes, shrines and, most importantly, an entire religion on 22 hectares of dusty ground in the middle of Brazil.

Adrienne leaves London to go and discover this outrageous community which manages to combine spirituality and glamour. Maybe she will be able to get a fabulous dress while she is there. She meets Genisvalda and Marlete. Marlete is the Queen of the Gypsy Group in the Valley. Genis is a seamstress. More than just the spectacle of pageantry and ritual that regularly fascinates Brazilians, Adrienne goes inside the religion, and through her blossoming friendships with these two women she learns about the extraordinary life of people who live in this Kingdom.

This is the story that will open your mind in a heartfelt and humorous way to the powerful, magical and unusual experiences that surround us daily. It is a beautifully shot film and opens us to the possibility that those things which we may perceive as too peculiar, outrageous and eccentric to understand may simply be wonderful.

China's unprecedented growth has placed it on the verge of overtaking the United States as the world's preeminent power. Meanwhile, Chalmers Johnson, author of Blowback and The Sorrows of Empire, argues that America's preoccupation with militarism has all but sealed its fate as a nation in long-term decline. But if China surpasses the United States, what type of power will it become? In today's interconnected and globalized world, the answer affects each and every one of us.

In Pakistan and Afghanistan, China's humanitarian activities and investment in infrastructure have won it the hearts and minds of the people. Yet in Tibet and Xinjiang, China is reviled as an imperialistic abuser of human rights. Despite trumpeting its vision of an ethnic unity at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Chinese government has gone to great lengths to silence dissenting voices such as Rebiya Kadeer, de facto leader of the Uyghur people. Kadeer has replaced the Dalai Lama as Beijing's number one public adversary.

Will China follow in the footsteps of history's other great powers and use its strength to dominate its neighbors, trample ethnic and religious minorities, and become a 21st century empire? Or will a wealthy Chinese youth lead the country towards democracy, much like Taiwan? The international community shares responsibility in this outcome, but is it too dependent on Chinese trade to care? Whether it's a peaceful rise or potential threat, China's 21st century emergence as a great world power will change the lives of everyone.