"Gracie" seems a formula sports inspiration movie, except it isn't. It scores a goal right through the net of cliche. The core of why is in the how. "Gracie" has the values of a real family. It was a project of actress Elisabeth Shue ("Leaving Las Vegas") and brothers Andrew and John, who produced with her. It is dedicated to brother Will, a 1970s soccer prodigy who died in 1988.   'GRACIE' - Dermot Mulroney and ... [full story]

What an odd comedy (and a sure hit) "Knocked Up" is - an attitude bazooka full of sex, drugs and raw language, yet so high on babies and family values that this must be the first R-rated film for both sleazoid slackers and earnest right-to-lifers.   'KNOCKED UP' - Katherine Heigl and Leslie Mann ponder the meaning of a pregnancy test in the romantic comedy 'Knocked Up.' CNS Photo courtesy of Suzanne Hanover. There are jokes about ... [full story]

In an effort to beef up tax revenues, an increasing number of government entities are reviving the old technique of imposing a special tax on all property transfers. It seldom works in areas where many residents actively express their negative feelings about such a tax - but does work in other areas. Real estate transfer taxes are state and local taxes assessed on real property, including homes, when ownership is transferred between parties. In some ... [full story]

Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has unveiled her economic vision. Should she be given the power to implement it, we can say goodbye to the prosperity and opportunity we have enjoyed since the Reagan years.In a speech at Manchester School of Technology in New Hampshire, Clinton said it's time to replace President Bush's "ownership society," which she called an "on your own" society, with one based on shared responsibility and prosperity.Clinton said she ... [full story]

Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, stands solidly behind President Bush More often than not, he is a proud defender of all things Bush. When his name comes up you don't usually associate it with the word "maverick," but recently Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission has, in one way or another, strayed, not so much from the Bush Administration line, ... [full story]

BAGHDAD -- Violence in Baghdad has made paying for food, and even getting to the market, difficult, straining many families' diets. Unemployment is high. Electricity is erratic, so many people cannot store perishable food. "Even my family does not eat meat too much; maybe when we have visitors and guests," Jenan, a 20-year-old university graduate, told The Washington Times.  Jenan works as a translator, bringing in her family's only income. She is staying behind when ... [full story]

MADRID -- Javier Solana, the European Union's top diplomat, urged Iran to be more flexible as he began a second round of talks with Iranian nuclear program officials.  Solana echoed U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who suggested that Iran "change tactics," the Iranian broadcaster Alalam reported. "I hope Iran to show more flexibility on its nuclear stance to help create grounds for official talks," Solana told reporters as he arrived in Madrid. "We spare ... [full story]

BRUSSELS -- The Council of the European Union agreed to begin a police mission in Afghanistan with the goal of training Afghan officers. EUPOL Afghanistan will have 160 police, law enforcement and justice experts, an EU statement said. "The mission aims at contributing to the establishment of sustainable and effective civilian policing arrangements under Afghan ownership which will ensure appropriate interaction with the wider criminal justice system," the EU statement said. "It will also support ... [full story]

BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina -- Bosnian police have arrested Bosnian Serb fugitive Zdravko Tolimir, who was sought on genocide charges by the U.N. tribunal in The Hague. Tolimir was the key aide of former Bosnian Serb military leader Ratko Mladic during ethnic wars in the former Yugoslavia from 1991-95 and in the postwar period when he was organizing hideouts for both of them, Belgrade's B92 radio said Thursday. Carla Del Ponte, chief prosecutor of the U.N. ... [full story]

ROME -- A mobster serving a life sentence and more than 300 fellow prisoners have asked the president of Italy to restore the death penalty. Carmelo Musumeci, 52, earned a law degree during his 17 years in prison after passing high-school graduation tests. But he told President Giorgio Napolitano that in prison his future will be the same as his past no matter what he does. The letter was signed by 310 other prisoners serving ... [full story]