Renegade filmmaker Zhang Yimou ("Hero," "The Road Home," "Shanghai Triad," "To Live," "Ju Dou") is the mastermind behind Beijing’s Opening Night’s ceremonies. His films, which often showcased China’s ugly side to the outside world, were banned by the Chinese government and seldom seen by his fellow countrymen. Tonight’s ceremonies symbolize the conversion of Mr. Zhang, from a censored filmmaker to one of China’s most celebrated artists.
Times are tough, so people are turning to credit more and more. The Federal Reserve Board says the rate at which consumers borrowed money in June increased more quickly than in any month since November.
A story of golf and resurrection is playing out in Detroit, where a 94-year-old golf course (and an icon of urban decay) was purchased by the Greater Grace Temple for $2.5 million.
China is a luck-obsessed nation. And, sports figures are notorious for their rituals and superstitions. Put the two together, and you have the Beijing Olympics.
The Beijing Olympics start on an auspicious date in Chinese culture, but it’s not the only event happening on 8/8/8 for superstitious reasons. Thousands of Chinese Americans have picked this day to get married in the hope it’ll bring them luck. The Takeaway speaks to one couple who fought hard for event space on a day of big demand for weddings.
A Michigan judge ordered Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to jail for breaking a bond agreement Thursday. Kilpatrick, who is facing eight felony charges for allegedly lying under oath, says he went to nearby Windsor, Ontario, on official business to push the sale of the city’s Michigan-to-Ontario underwater link.
Evan Wright turned the articles he wrote as an embedded journalist in Iraq for Rolling Stone into the award winning book “Generation Kill." Wright sold the rights to HBO, who promised to re-create the book with the same grittiness and harsh realism that Wright captured in his book. The result is “Generation Kill,” the miniseries.
The book “Generation Kill” is based on the experiences of journalist Evan Wright as he rode from Kuwait to Baghdad in 2003. The marines in HBO's version are played by actors, but their stories are real.
The war in Iraq has caused a refugee crisis. Nearly two million Iraqis have been displaced within Iraq, another two million have been driven outside of the country. Nour al-Khal, a translator who survived being shot in Basra, joins The Takeaway to discuss life after Iraq, and the lives of those who cannot leave the war-torn country.
