Summary: On an exotic Zanzibar island, it was a classic clash: resort development versus villagers dependent on local reefs for their livelihood. This time the villagers won. Once threatened by resort development, Pemba Island's spectacular reefs and lagoons - World Heritage candidates - are now managed by, and for, fishermen. Host Carl Safina fishes with the locals in traditional dhows and dugout...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2012
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Summary: To comprehend the holy and inspire the believer, the world's religions have always incorporated music as a form of prayer. This award-winning documentary takes an ecumenical look at a diverse selection of these traditions as performed at the Festival of World Sacred Music held in Fez, Morocco. Along with commentary from festival director Dr. Faouzi Skali and music anthropologist David Lynch,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: The elaborate rituals and timeless pageantry of Bali make the island unforgettable for visitors, yet few really understand what lies behind the dances, the costumes, and the ceremonies. With gorgeous, high-definition footage this program delves into the spiritual beliefs at the heart of Balinese traditions. Viewers observe the powerful Barong dance, in which participants fall into a trance and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2011
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Summary: Despite multibillion-dollar investments in the prevention of hacking, one of the root problems of cybersecurity has been largely ignored: the actual people who write malicious code. In this TEDTalk underworld investigator Misha Glenny profiles several convicted hackers from around the world and reaches a thought-provoking conclusion about their motivations. Suggesting that coders with advanced...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2011
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Summary: This program discusses the significance of rituals, and the necessity for defined sacred space both traditional and nontraditional. Rituals discussed include the Eucharist, or Communion, meditation, and others. The practice of placing the mezuzah at the door of a Jewish home is presented within the context of the home as a sacred space; Buddhist meditation ceremonies are relegated to specific...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
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Summary: Religion in Bali is marked by rituals of high artistry aimed at harmonizing the forces of darkness and light, as this program shows. Ancestor worship, karma, and other key concepts are illustrated through lavish, rare, high-definition footage of a cremation ceremony-considered a joyous prelude to reincarnation-a birth ceremony, a puberty rite, and a wedding. A priest explains the interplay...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2011
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Summary: Beginning with a mind-boggling stunt that only science or spirituality can justify-a veritable walk through fire-this program examines humankind's long, complicated relationship with the ravenous power of combustion. Fire was, for millennia, humanity's principal source of heat and energy, and viewers learn the implications of that fact in scenes of Britain's industrial revolution as well as...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
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Summary: Rising from a Himalayan ice cave and emptying into the bay of Bengal, the Ganges River is sacred to Hindus as a purifying spirit-yet it currently suffers from pollution and neglect. This program follows the Ganges through various Indian cities, studying their relationship with the river and assessing its uncertain future. Beginning in Gangotri, the program profiles a photographer who has...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
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Summary: This program examines and analyzes the significance of the religious documents of five major religions-the Christian Bible, the Hebrew Torah, the Islamic Koran, the Hindu Vedas, and the Buddhist sutras. Martin E. Marty and Sayyid M. Syeed discuss the similarities among the texts-how the documents keep traditions alive, connect the past to the present, and preserve their religion for future...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
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Summary: The Earth's surface gave shape to the early cosmologies of almost every culture. This program explores that universal phenomenon, traveling across the globe to examine the role of geology in religion and myth. From the revered Uluru/Ayers Rock in Australia to Crete's Diktaeon cave-according to tradition, the birthplace of Zeus-the video explains the spiritual significance of numerous sites...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: A fire needs heat, fuel, and oxygen. This Science Screen Report examines that triangle of ingredients, and how scientists study it in order to combat-or harness-fire. With detailed examples of firefighting techniques, the program demonstrates the removal of heat from a class A blaze through the use of water or sprayed polymers, and the elimination of oxygen, a strategy used in fighting oil...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: This program discusses the mixture of faiths that abound in Indianapolis, and the importance of sacred space to each denomination. Martin E. Marty, of the University of Chicago Divinity School, defines sacred space as a place where individuals experience a sense of the spiritual events relevant to their faith. Visiting several places of worship about the city, we learn how size, decoration (or...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: After the high-profile tobacco lawsuits of a decade ago, many believe America's smoking problem has been addressed. But as Peter Jennings reveals in From the Tobacco File, policy makers and public health leaders have failed to capitalize on legal triumphs. In rare interviews with key players in the tobacco wars, Jennings explores what occurred behind the scenes in the industry during the 1990s,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: In this program, Martin E. Marty, of the University of Chicago Divinity School, examines the difference between secular and spiritual concepts of time. Retreats are described as bodies of concentrated time reserved for spiritual reflection, as distinct from smaller time frames set aside for religious activities, such as meal blessings and morning and evening prayers. The Muslim tradition of...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: At the close of the series, we meet young Aboriginals preparing to change the future. A fascinating range of artists, activists and business people take us through ways to shed the colonial past, build new pathways in education and economic development. This is all in pursuit of a new relationship to replace 500 years of conflict and injustices. In a forest in Quebec, Huron Wendat Artist...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2012
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Summary: Sacred memory forms the infrastructure of most faiths. This program examines these memories in several major religions, including Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism. The path of religious memory is traced to special holy days such as Ramadan in the Muslim religion, and Christmas and Easter for Christians. The celebration of the birth and teachings of Buddha and those of important gods...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
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Summary: In the opening episode of the four-part series, host Wab Kinew, from the Ojibways of Onigaming First Nation in Northern Ontario, and now a Winnipeg-based TV journalist, invites us to come "meet the neighbors." It's about time, since many Canadians say they have never met an aboriginal person.This vibrant kaleidoscopic hour, introduces a diverse cast of indigenous characters living in the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2012
View online at AVOD
Summary: Roman, Gothic, Baroque, and Rococo religious art, along with Christian iconography, are examined as reflections of the religious and political attitudes of the periods in which they were created. This program also examines the role of the Christian Orthodox Church and the schism of 1054 that permanently divided its members. The degrees of reverence accorded to Mary as Christ's mother by...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: Wonder of the Wireless Telephone - London Fire Brigade experiments with use of wireless phone
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 1920
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Summary: To many, worrying about constitutional rights seemed like an archaic luxury while Ground Zero was still smoking. The need for tighter homeland security made civil liberties take a back seat to urgent measures such as the USA PATRIOT Act designed to defend America from terrorists. But two years later, that piece of legislation came under fire from both the left and the right. In this ABC News...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: This video examines THC and the cannabinoids marijuana, hashish, and hash oil. Expert commentary is presented by former NFL player Charles Hunt, a pharmacist, a police officer, addiction counselors, a historian, a pastor, recovering addicts, and others. Together, they explain the history and biological effects of THC, investigating its use, abuse, and hazards, and its reputation as a gateway drug.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: The 1970s and '80s were a time of turmoil and dislocating change in Britain as customs and values were repeatedly challenged-a period in which, as Angela Carter put it, there was nothing sacred. This program examines the evolution of the British novel during the period 1970-90, spotlighting Fay Weldon, Angela Carter, Penelope Fitzgerald, John Berger, Malcolm Bradbury, Hanif Kureishi, Alasdair...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2011
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Summary: Among the many religions of the world one can still clearly observe the shamanic imperative to enter the realm of the sacred-and some practitioners will do whatever it takes to reach that elevated state. This program looks at rites and rituals designed to achieve spiritual awakening through physical pain and bodily injury. A village in Nepal welcomes the New Year with a tongue-boring ceremony....
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
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Summary: The 18th century in Spain was less a period of literary achievement than a time of intellectual ferment, as the Bourbon monarchs attempted sweeping social and cultural reforms. In this program, renowned experts put into perspective the writings of those who kept the flame of literature alight during the Age of Reason. Dramatic readings include excerpts from Torres Villarroel's El Censor, Benito...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006