Summary: This program follows English through the 18th and 19th centuries, from attempts at reforming and standardizing the tongue in the Age of Reason to the soaring verse of Romanticism and the verbal prudishness of the Victorian era. Linguistic milestones are highlighted by original editions of critical texts, including Newton's Opticks, Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language, Thomas...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: Has any single person shaped English more than William Shakespeare? This program uses unparalleled access to some of the greatest English texts, including the first English dictionary and a rare first folio of Shakespeare's plays, to illustrate the great Bard's influence. John Barton, honorary associate director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, discusses the sound and accessibility of...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: With the Norman invasion, English became a third language in its own country, behind French and Latin. In this program, Melvyn Bragg examines the impact of Old French on the development of English. Manuscripts, tapestries, and dozens of curious etymologies help illustrate a tremendous influx of vocabulary pertaining to romance, chivalry, and, of course, food. The influence of Eleanor of...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: Amok, "boomerang," "bungalow," "bangle," "dumdum," "plonk," "assassin"-these are some of the many words that have entered English by way of colonial expansion. This program explores how the British Empire in its heyday exported its language around the globe and how different forms of speech and vocabulary, as well as different attitudes to English, developed out of that colonial expansion. Rich...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: In late-medieval England, English quietly ousted French in law and government- but the move to make it God's language meant bloodshed. This program looks at the battle for a Bible in English, a struggle with huge impact on the language itself. Dramatic readings from successive English Bibles show the language's evolution. Location footage and original manuscripts illustrate key figures and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Melvyn Bragg begins the story of English in Holland, finding ancestral echoes in the Frisian dialect. What follows is a chapter on survival as the English language weathers Viking and Norman invasions, vying with and eventually absorbing rival tongues. Lively settings such as village pubs and markets bring home the lasting influence of Anglo-Saxon, Old Norse, and Old French. The connection...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: This program explores how America's rise as an economic power made it the driving force behind the spread of English in the 20th century. A world tour illustrates how English has mixed with other languages-from "Franglais" in France to "Singlish" in Singapore-and how the dollar's power, coupled with the lure of consumerism, has made English the international trade language. Bringing it full...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: When Massasoit hailed the Plymouth settlers in their own language, they might have taken it for a sign that English would dominate the New World. Packed with surprising etymologies and intriguing stories, this program traces the dynamic relationship between English and America, exploring the linguistic influence of westward expansion, cowboy culture, slave culture, and encounters with the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Heart valves fabricated from the body's own cells are durable and are not rejected. Stimulating the natural growth of blood vessels to skirt clogged ones could make elaborate bypass surgery obsolete. As this program shows, these are some of the tools, either in use or under development, that place vascular science at the forefront of medicine. The program also highlights innovations in...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: The Enron era saw the rise of a Machiavellian management style, but Bill Marriott sets a different standard. His attention to detail, including the concerns and the performance of his employees, is legendary. This ABC News program profiles Marriott and takes a look inside his
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
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Summary: Insights into immune system disorders are unlocking new treatments for rheumatoid arthritis. Many of these innovative approaches are explored in this program, such as experimental drugs that suppress messenger proteins, treatments to regenerate cartilage through the use of stem cells, and the cultivation of chondrocyte cells in the lab. The program looks at detection and treatment of reactive...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: The ankle, a major weight-bearing joint, is injured more than any other part of the body. After examining the surface features of the foot and ankle, this program probes the deeper layers, highlighting major bones, muscles, ligaments, blood vessels, and nerves. Special attention is given to the arches and the ankle joint with respect to stability. Common ankle and foot injuries, such as sprains...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: When used with delicacy, the hand is capable of manipulation that goes far beyond what might be expected of its mechanical design. This program demonstrates how the hand functions, spotlighting the opposable nature of the thumb, and how the nerve network and blood vessels deploy. The pathologies of common damage, including carpal tunnel syndrome, wrist fractures, "mallet finger," and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: As this program illustrates, direct access to the eye coupled with technological wizardry has meant that ophthalmology is one of the most rapidly advancing areas of medicine. Both up-to-the-minute techniques and experimental procedures are profiled, such as photodynamic therapy, which inhibits macular degeneration by eroding deposits called drusen. The program shows how microsurgery,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Because of constant use of disinfectants, a hospital is a place where only the fittest microbes survive, a dilemma that raises the stakes of even routine surgical procedures. This program looks at how germs develop partial or total antibiotic resistance and how researchers are pursuing new lines of attack to keep pace with these highly adaptive organisms. Computer imaging and electron...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Perhaps the most intriguing field of medicine is the one that seeks to understand consciousness itself. This program provides a tour of the most advanced work in brain research and cognitive science, as well as the latest applications of these discoveries in treating patients with brain disorders. Using MRI and EEG to determine areas of brain activity, researchers explore the connection between...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: The Pap smear was a diagnostic milestone in detecting precancerous cells. Researchers are developing similar tests, particularly ones based on genetic predisposition, as they learn to home in on other cancers. As this program illustrates, sophisticated screening is just one of the ways medicine has advanced the fight against a dreaded disease. The program also looks at the targeted destruction...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: There's a fine art to selling earlobe lifts, inflatable massage boots, and mini-staircases for arthritic dogs. This ABC News program enters the strange world of A. J. Kubani and his New Jersey-based company, Telebrands-a purveyor of quirky household products showcased in late-night TV infomercials. In a one-on-one interview, Kubani discusses his main strategy: identifying a mundane, irksome...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
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Summary: Aflac's duck "spokesman" has proven to be an overwhelming success, indelibly quacking the insurance company's name into the pop culture landscape. In the conceptual stage, however, the mascot was a risky choice. This ABC News program features Aflac CEO Dan Amos, whose controversial decisions-including championing the duck symbol-have led the company to prosperity. Amos discusses several of his...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
View online at AVOD
Summary: Although it is a major weight-bearing joint, the knee is surprisingly flexible in all manner of forward, reverse, and lateral motions. This program addresses the intricate mechanics of the knee joint's musculature, tendons, ligaments, and cartilage. In addition, traumas to the menisci and the collateral and cruciate ligaments-the most commonly damaged structures-are described.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: A ball-and-socket joint capable of a complex range of motion, the shoulder achieves its mobility through the sacrifice of stability, relying on surrounding muscles and tendons for strength. This program presents the technical specifications of the shoulder: what muscles sheathe it, how it functions, and its range of motion. Conditions such as bursitis, tendonitis, dislocation, and fracture of...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005