Summary: In the Martin Amis novel London Fields, a cynical and disjointed society hurtles toward doomsday; in Amis's follow-up book, Time's Arrow, the narrative follows an absurdly reversed course-backward from the Holocaust to purity and innocence. Bill Moyers talks with Martin Amis about humanity's present condition and the ongoing conflict between fundamentalism and secular values.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Coffee is second only to oil as the world's most valuable traded commodity, but small-scale producers rarely profit from it. This program reveals the hardship and uncertainty faced by coffee farmers in Guatemala, and how many are taking steps to obtain better prices and build better lives. Analyzing the country's traumatic history and the lingering effects of its civil war, the video sheds...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Movies, magazines, TV, billboards, the Web-the world is filled with captivating photographic images competing for viewers' attention. Not surprisingly, citizens of the Global Village are experiencing a growing need for visual literacy: the ability to read between the lines and extract meaning from that daily bombardment. This program takes a close look at the vital importance of visual language...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: Life is risky—which is why people buy insurance. But when disaster overwhelms conventional insurance systems, should the state step in? In this program, economics expert Niall Ferguson travels to post-Katrina New Orleans to evaluate the free market’s ability to help victims of the catastrophe. Ferguson then delves into one of the earliest insurance schemes, the Scottish Ministers’ Widows Fund;...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: Hostilities between Israelis and Palestinians continue to flare, while small-scale conflicts in postwar Iraq proceed unabated-will the bloodshed and anguish in the Middle East never end? In this special edition of NOW with Bill Moyers, the Aspen Institute and Moyers invite eight journalists and scholars to participate in a dialogue exploring the religious and political roots of these chronic...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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: Michihiro Sato is considered the finest player of the Tsugaru shamisen, a traditional three-stringed instrument of the Tsugaru province integral to Japanese folk music. This program combines live performances by Sato at the Otsu Traditional Performing Arts Center with the musician's commentary on the history and role of the shamisen player, a door-to-door minstrel of a bygone era. Sato also...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Nelson Mandela spoke of the past haunting the present. This program explores the rebirth of South Africa, demonstrating that a national history racked with oppression can guide and instruct those working for a better future. Studying the moving and provocative art of the apartheid era, the program also visits Robben Island, where Mandela was imprisoned, and examines Cape Town's historic...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: The waiting list of organ recipients-80,000 people in America alone-is testimony to the spectacular success of transplant surgery. This program presents a history of this emerging field of medicine, highlighting breakthroughs in surgical procedures and related drugs, as well as looking at how cutting-edge technologies will change its future. Cameras go inside the operating room to show several...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: On August 29th, 2005, a catastrophic hurricane named Katrina made landfall on the Gulf coast of the United States. When the skies finally cleared, the survival of New Orleans hung in the balance. In the wake of this devastating event, as Americans continue a dialogue about the future of one of the nation's most distinctive cities, PBS American Experience presents New Orleans, a provocative...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: In this edition of the Journal, Bill Moyers discusses the historical implications of electing Barack Obama to the highest office in the land with Eric Foner, DeWitt Clinton Professor of History at Columbia University, and Patricia Williams, James L. Dohr Professor of Law at Columbia University and author of Seeing a Color-Blind Future: The Paradox of Race. In addition, Moyers speaks with Kevin...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: The use of fiber optic technology continues to change the way we live today. This video demonstrates the various ways it has been incorporated into our everyday surroundings, and how it may be used in the future. Beginning with a history of fiber optics development, the video then goes on to describe the basic principles of light and how it interacts with matter. Building on this understanding,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005