Extraordinary Destiny: Ben Underwood

* First Video:




* Second Video:




* Third Video:




Ben was born in Riverside California on January 26th 1992, and a very healthy baby indeed. He never spent any time at the hospital or doctors office, except for baby shots and oh how we all know what that's like. I'm not able to remember the exact dates, but sometime in February of 1992 I noticed that his right eye had a peculiar glow. His eye looked similar to the glow of a cats eye when caught in the head lights of a car. With in three days from the time I noticed his eye glowing, he woke up with the right eye pupil white and at that moment I noticed he couldn't see out of it. Two years old, he didn't cry or complain that anything was hurting him, neither did he act as though his vision was going. That day I took him into the pediatrician, and she immediately sent me to see the ophthalmologist. The first thing he said when he saw Ben's eyes was "There could be thirty things to turn you pupils white, but we will be looking for tumors." I believe that was the most frightening news I had ever heard. That moment began the year long trial.

The results of the testing was Bilateral Retnoblastoma (cancer in both eyes). I had never heard of cancer in the eyes. My father died of colon cancer in 1977 that experience had me totally frightened of cancer. One of the ironic things about Ben having cancer is that I named him after my father. For a moment I thought my baby had cancer because I named him Ben, and that I was so afraid of cancer, but I shook that thought quickly, my God is bigger than that.

I was told that this disease is only found in infants and up to the age of three. However, there was a case where a six year old was diagnosed with it. His tumor was a very slow growing one.

Ben's right eye was totally consumed by the cancer so it was removed after the second month a chemo. After that experience, we spent another eight months of chemo and then six weeks of radiation to try and save the left eye. Results were a failure. The doctors try to smooth things over and tell you, you can try other alternative medicine, maybe go to Mexico to save his vision. That moment I realized that I had to make a life decision for my child or lose his life. Of course, I would have him in any condition to have him alive.

Ben awake from the surgery and said "Mom I can't see anymore, I can't see anymore, Oh mom I can't see." Words of wisdom spoken to me from my pastors wife, sister Devon, "Don't let him feel your fears." After praying for strength and receiving from God, I said, "Ben YES YOU CAN SEE" and I took his little hands and put them on my face and said, "See me, you can see me with your hands," next, I put my hand to his nose and said, "Smell me, you can see me with your nose," then I said, "Hear me, you can see me with your ears, you can't use your eyes anymore, but you have your hands, your nose, and your ears." I tell this one thing, Ben has been seeing ever since..



More on here:

http://www.benunderwood.com/

Hachiko: A Dog's True Story

Hachiko, the legendary Japanese akita, proves that there is nothing more loyal than mans best friend in this modern retelling of a cherished true story. It all begins when a college professor adopts an abandoned dog named Hachiko. The two form such a strong bond that Hachiko walks with the professor to the train station each morning and returns to the station each evening to walk the professor home again. The routine continues until one day the professor does not return to the train station.


Hachiko, however, does not give up. He returns to the same train station at the same time, faithfully waiting for his owner to return. Hachiko does this for more than nine years, until his own death. This heartwarming tale that is already the stuff of legend in Japan is finally making its way to America by way of prominent director Lasse Hallström. With an equally capable cast, the experience of Hachikos unending loyalty is certain to stay with you. Hachikos story is one of love, unwavering devotion, and the resounding impact one dogs affection can make.


Soundtrack - Richard Marx - Right Here Waiting, Jan A.P. Kaczmarek *

Provoked: A True Story (2006)

Provoked: A True Story (2006)
Director: Jag Mundhra
Writers: Carl Austin & Rahila Gupta
Release Date: 6 April 2007 (UK)
Genre: Drama


* Cast:

Aishwarya Rai ... Kiranjit Ahluwalia
Miranda Richardson ... Veronica Scott
Naveen Andrews ... Deepak Ahluwalia
Ray Panthaki ... Ravi
Nandita Das ... Radha Dalal
Robbie Coltrane ... Lord Edward Foster
Raji James ... Solicitor Anil Gupta
Leena Dhingra ... Sheela Ahluwalia
Claire Louise Amias ... Young Nurse


* Synopsis:

Kiranjit was born in a Punjabi-speaking Sikh family in Chak Kalla in Punjab, and was the last of 9 siblings. Her dad passed away a few months after her birth, while her mom passed away when she was 16.

Kiran wanted to become a lawyer, but her marriage was arranged with Deepak Ahluwalia of London, England, who lived with his mom. She hoped to continue her education, but was prevented by Deepak, who became increasingly alcoholic, and abusive - both physically and verbally, even sexually molesting her, and having multiple relationships with other females. Things only got worse even after the birth of two sons, Sandeep and Rajeev.


On May 9, 1989 the Police and Fire Department were summoned to their residence on reports of Deepak sustaining numerous burns as a result of a fire. A hospitalized Deepak complains that Kiran attempted to kill him by setting his bed afire. As a result Kiran is arrested, tried in Court, and would have likely got a prison sentence for manslaughter - which was changed to murder - as Deepak dies. After a quick trial, she is found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.

Will Kiran be ever set free or will she be spending her life behind bars, away from her two sons, and if she decides to appeal, what would be the grounds - as she herself believes that she has committed an unforgivable crime..

Stay Calm and Stay in the Cab! (1999)

Stay Calm and Stay in the Cab! (1999)


A true story which teach about mine safety.


In this video you will hear how a bulldozer operator felt while he was buried in a surge pile cavity, and how his company's safety efforts, before and during the accident, contributed to his safe recovery.

The Award Winning: "Hoop Dreams" (A True Story of Hardship and Triumph)

Hoop Dreams has received praise extraordinary for any film, let alone a documentary. It made the 1994, 10 best films list of over 100 critics, and it recently won a Peabody award. With the failure of the academy to nominate it for Best Picture or Best Documentary, it has prompted long overdue re-examination of the doc nomination process. I haven't been able to update this page much lately. Arthur Agee's foundation has a web page and there is a bio of William Gates on the CPBL's website. It is a new league William is on the board of.


The controversy has benefited the film (though we'll never know if it helped it more than a nomination would have as Variety has suggested). It grossed $9 million breaking Roger & Me's record for a non-musical documentary. Hoop Dreams also outsold Madonna's Truth or Dare on home video - it shipped 120,000 copies; Hoop Dreams shipped 140,000 for rental alone. It was just released on November 7 at the sell-through price of $19.95 (though you may be able to get it on sale for even less), so it will sell even more copies.


It was nominated for best editing (though Forest Gump won). The film was cut from over 250 hours of videotape (mostly shot on professional Beta) down to nearly three hours and transferred to 16mm for film festivals and 35mm when it was released in October of 1994 by Fine Line.


And in the midst of a renewed interest in basketball in the spring of 1995, the phrase "Hoop Dreams" appeared in many headlines and stories on the return of Michael Jordan. TNT even called their coverage of the NBA draft, Hoop Dreams '95.

Catch Her If You Can: The True Story Of Esther Elizabeth Reed

Catch Her If You Can
Air Date: 11/21/09
Full Episode: 42:28


A con artist fakes her way into Harvard and Columbia and outsmarts the feds.


* Early life and education:

Reed was born in Townsend, Montana to Ernie and Florence Reed in 1978 and was the youngest of Florence's eight children. When Ernie and Florence separated in the early 1990s Esther moved with her mother to Lynnwood, Washington, where she dropped out of high school after a year, shortly after her mother died from cancer.



* Missing person:


Reed disappeared in October 1999 shortly after she was convicted of stealing her sister's checkbook. She was reported missing in 2004 by her father after Social Security checks revealed she was alive.


She at various times claimed to be a skilled chess player and claimed chess tournaments as her income to friends to cover up her financial scams.


Reed assumed the identity of Natalie Bowman, the name of the sister of an acquaintance, to attend Harvard University. At Harvard, Reed joined the debating team as they travelled across the country.


After leaving Harvard, Reed became emotionally involved with a number of cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point and at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. The US Army Criminal Investigation Command investigated Reed, believing she may have been involved in espionage, when she attempted to procure a certificate from the Army's Assault School.


Between 2004 and 2006 Reed attended Columbia University using the identity of Brooke Henson, a missing person from South Carolina. In 2006 after an internet search by a potential employer revealed Brooke Henson's real identity, police in South Carolina alerted New York City police to Reed. After agreeing to give DNA to prove she was indeed Brooke Henson, Esther Reed relocated to Chicago and changed her identity to Jennifer Myers.


She was featured on the United States Secret Service's 10 most wanted fugitive list and America's Most Wanted on the Fox Television Network. She featured twice in 48 Hours Mystery episodes on CBS the first Capture the Queen aired in 2007 and the second Catch Her If You Can in 2009.


* Capture:


Finally on February 3, 2008 in Tinley Park, Illinois she was captured after a local shooting at a Lane Bryant store caused police to run license plate checks on out-of-state plates. They found her car with Iowa license plates at a local Sleep Inn and arrested her.



* Conviction:


Esther Reed was then extradited to South Carolina where she was tried on four felony charges and a potential sentence of 47 years in prison. Her defense lawyers argued that her behavior was a result of mental illness caused by a strict family upbringing.


She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 51 months in prison. She is scheduled to be released from Alderson Federal Prison Camp in West Virginia in October of 2011.

The True Story of Linda M.

The True Story of Linda M.
Norma Bailey, 1995, 66 min 45 s


In 1980, Linda M was the subject of a film about prostitution directed by Norma Bailey (Nose and Tina).



16 years later, Linda renews her relationship with the filmmaker and invites her back into her life.


Now in rehab, Linda introduces her family and various boyfriends in a funny, sometimes upsetting, but always riveting account of her day-to-day life.

The Real Story of Apollo 11: Stranger than Fiction

A Look inside the Apollo 11 space mission and how behind-the-scenes there were several instances of technology and human failure and errors that nearly led to disaster.



Astronaut Buzz Aldrin and flight director Gene Kranz give their accounts of the first manned moon landing in 1969.