French silent movie The Artist is the big winner at the Film Critics’ Circle Awards in London on Thursday, scooping three awards.

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The Artist wows Critics’ Circle

PALO ALTO, Calif. — Critics began panning the first leg of California’s futuristic high-speed rail network as a “train to nowhere” soon after officials decided to build it not in the major population centers of Los Angeles or San Francisco, but through the state’s Central Valley farming belt. Read full article > >

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Plans for high-speed rail are slowing down

MOSCOW — Don’t expect Moscow-style protests in Kazakhstan, the big Central Asian country on Russia’s southwestern border, even though elections there are also approaching, the political system is similarly regulated and a violent conflict last month left at least 16 dead. The party of President Nursultan Nazarbayev is expected to win the Jan. 15 parliamentary elections easily and by whatever percentage he desires, his critics say. And what exactly happened when striking oil workers were killed Dec. 16 in the city of Zhanaozen remains unclear: Earlier this week Nazarbayev extended the state of emergency there until the end of the month, limiting communication with the outside world. Read full article > >

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Unlike Russia, Kazakhstan keeps a tight lid on protests ahead of elections

THE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. National Memorial on the Mall drew plenty of controversy even before its dedication on Oct. 16. One of the earliest objections was to King’s pose: The civil rights leader stands arms crossed, looking impatient, indignant, glowering. Critics called it a confrontational stance, too angry and menacing for a man of peaceful resistance. Whether the critics are right or wrong, it does seem the perfect pose for this moment, when the granite King — along with the rest of us — waits impatiently for authorities to do what is right. Read full article > >

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Editorial Board:
Why hasn’t the government done the right thing with the MLK memorial?

Manager Andre Villas-Boas says Chelsea gave their critics a “slap in the face” by reaching the Champions League knockout phase with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Valencia.

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Villas-Boas hits back at critics

British director Nicolas Roeg is to be awarded with the London Film Critics’ Circle’s highest honour for his contribution to film-making.

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Roeg awarded film critics’ honour

For Independent Spirit and New York Film Critics Circle honors.

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Movie Award Nominees Announced

As premieres go, it wasn’t exactly promising. When Leonard Bernstein unleashed his sprawling Third Symphony — titled “Kaddish” — on the American public in January 1964, the critics practically trampled one another to get in the first jabs. It wasn’t Bernstein’s music that drew the ridicule — it was the cringe-inducing narration he had written, around which the symphony revolves. A Kaddish is a Jewish prayer associated with mourning, and Bernstein had dedicated the piece to John F. Kennedy, assassinated the previous November. Bernstein tried to grapple with huge spiritual issues in the work, angrily confronting God and demanding an answer to the problem of evil in the world. “A lava-flow of cliches,” judged one critic. Read full article > >

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Samuel Pisar’s ‘Kaddish’: A warning to a world out of control

As premieres go, it wasn’t exactly promising. When Leonard Bernstein unleashed his sprawling Third Symphony — titled “Kaddish” — on the American public in January 1964, the critics practically trampled one another to get in the first jabs. It wasn’t Bernstein’s music that drew the ridicule — it was the cringe-inducing narration he had written, around which the symphony revolves. A Kaddish is a Jewish prayer associated with mourning, and Bernstein had dedicated the piece to John F. Kennedy, assassinated the previous November. Bernstein tried to grapple with huge spiritual issues in the work, angrily confronting God and demanding an answer to the problem of evil in the world. “A lava-flow of cliches,” judged one critic. Read full article > >

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Samuel Pisar’s ‘Kaddish’: A warning to a world out of control

A clash spotlights the secretive world of companies that offer to help corporations discredit their critics.

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Hackers Reveal Offers to Spy on Corporate Rivals

The Social Network and The King’s Speech dominate the London Film Critics’ Circle awards, where the former is named film of the year.

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Social Network pips King’s Speech to critics’ award

One more in the bag for the Facebook movie: The Social Network won best picture at the Critics’ Choice Awards Friday night, as well as for David Fincher’s direction, Aaron Sorkin’s adapted screenplay and its score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross….

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Social Network Wins Critics’ Choice

A forceful denunciation of her critics in a video message about the Arizona shootings accused commentators and journalists of “blood libel” in a rush to blame heated political rhetoric for the violence.

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Palin Joins Debate on Heated Speech With Words That Stir New Controversy

The Social Network moves a step closer to Oscar success after bagging four awards from the National Society of Film Critics in the US.

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Social Network wins Critics award

Venezuela’s parliament grants wider powers to President Hugo Chavez for 18 months, but his critics say it is a move towards dictatorship.

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New powers for Venezuela’s Chavez