| HD DVD camp implodes
The emerging story of CES so far is the seeming implosion of HD DVD. After the defection of Warners to rival Blu-ray camp, the format – backed by Microsoft and Toshiba – is left with just Universal and Paramount as the only major studios to support the hi def disc. The HD DVD camp turned a crisis into a disaster when it cancelled its scheduled press conference at the show and then – perhaps unsurprisingly – cancelled all media interviews at the show. It's left observers with the impression that the HD DVD group is in disarray and on the verge of collapse. Blu-ray, on the other hand, is only to eager to parade spokespeople talking up its own format. Whatever happens next its clear that consumers are the ones who are suffering.
Local pianist explores his ancestry through music
It started as just a genealogical exploration. Eventually it turned into a musical celebration of his family lineage. Local pianist Harold O'Neal was at a workshop in Lindrith, N.M., in 2006 when, like author Alex Haley in his book Roots, he began to examine his family tree. O'Neal, 26, was able to trace his ancestors all the way back to his great-great-great-grandfather, who was a slave who lived somewhere in Texas. Although he was unable to learn the man's name, O'Neal did discover many other relatives along the way. Eventually O'Neal was asked to create music to go along with his family discovery. The result is a CD released in February 2007 called "Charlie's Suite: Cries and Whispers From My Great-Great-Great-Grandfather." "Each track on the record is about a different time period and a different person on my father's side of the family," O'Neal explained recently.
Chrysler wipes out 13,000 jobs
The slumping U.S. auto market dealt another blow to automotive jobs in Canada Thursday as Chrysler LLC announced it will eliminate about 1,100 jobs in Brampton, Ont. as part of its second restructuring in eight months. Chrysler will wipe out the third shift in Brampton during the first quarter of 2008, following on the heels of General Motors of Canada Ltd., which will stop third-shift production at a pickup truck plant in Oshawa, Ont., in January. The market situation has changed dramatically in the eight months since Chrysler established the recovery and transformation plan as its blueprint, Chrysler chairman and chief executive officer Bob Nardelli said in a statement Thursday. The move angered Canadian Auto Workers union president Buzz Hargrove.
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