Summary: In 1931, the rains stopped. Soon, blinding black dirt swept across the southern plains of America. Acres of crops withered and died as over-plowing created conditions for disaster: tiny dust particles invading food, water, and the lungs of millions of animals and people alike. Less well-known than those who sought refuge in California—typified by the Joad family in John Steinbeck's “The Grapes...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: What are the prospect in the U.S. for growing the green economy? In this program Hazel Henderson interviews Stuart Valentine, president of Iowa Progressive Asset Management, about public interest in eco-friendly, community-based commercial models-which both see as an upward trend, especially after the 2010 BP oil spill. Valentine explains how "behind the meter" systems such as locally-operated...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: A demographic change is affecting all Americans wherever they work and live: the rise of the flexible workforce. The global economy, increasing numbers of two-income families, and the need for businesses to retain talent both in the executive suite and among low-paid workers are all having an impact on the way people work. This documentary, hosted by Bonnie Erbe, explores innovations in...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
View online at AVOD
Summary: Gambians are among the poorest people in the world, and until recently cultural and economic imperatives combined to give them one of the highest birth rates as well. This program uses Gambia to study the impact of a large youthful population on a country's resources. With almost half its citizens under the age of 15 and the population growing, the Gambian government has been hard-pressed to...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: Growing affluence in Asia, economic development in Eastern Europe, and new approaches to natural resources in Africa-all are major influences on the global financial landscape and all provide ample demonstrations of the IMF at work. This program guides viewers through the history, mission, and real-world impact of the International Monetary Fund. Topics (all with an IMF focus) include China's...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: At the head of the Fair Labor Association, Auret van Heerden takes a practical approach to workers' rights, persuading corporations and NGOs to respect the role of labor in global supply chains. In this TEDTalk, the committed activist makes a reasoned business case for fair labor while exploring the next frontier of employee-management friction - globalized industries in which no single...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: Like many economically developed countries the U. K. is home to a rapidly growing number of people over the age of 50. What are the social changes behind this trend, and what are its implications? The issues surrounding an aging population are examined in this program, using East Devon in the U. K. as a case study. The video addresses the strain on health care, special housing, and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: How did China go from agrarian-based communism to being the world's top source for consumer goods? By following three European buyers obtaining wholesale merchandise, this program explores China's manufacturing industry and its attempt to balance economic concerns with political and social ideals. Visiting Chinese factory towns, the buyers meet an ex-communist CEO who talks about what changed...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: The recession of 2008 has cast serious doubt on whether free-market capitalism, an idea set that functioned reasonably well in the 20th century, is a healthy economic ideology to carry over into the 21st. Has free-market capitalism become an outdated economic model? That is the question in this Oxford Union-style debate as panelists make their case. Speakers for the motion argue that capitalism...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: This program introduces viewers to a skillful young automotive painter named David, and the town of Valls is his home. David invites viewers to come over to his house and meet his family and his animal friends-dogs, cats, and chickens-before heading to the beach with his buddy Juanjo and his girlfriend Marta. After swimming in the ocean and having a snack together, David and Marta join up with...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: This program examines Americans' increasingly hurried lifestyle, working 160 hours a year more than they did in 1970. And for what? Because of the urge to acquire, the pressure to achieve or be fired, the need to achieve outside the home, and longer commutes to work, couples are too busy to talk to one another. The program asks how we are spending our time and how the constant rush is affecting...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Years after the women's movement burst open doors of opportunity that had long been barred, a new generation of women seems to be questioning the meaning and the value of the battles fought by their mothers and grandmothers. Has feminism somehow gone out of style? In this program, Patricia Ireland, of NOW; Phyllis Schlafly, of the Eagle Forum; Ellen Goodman, of The Boston Globe; Dr. bell hooks,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: In an era where dual-career couples and single parents have become the norm, mothers and fathers are getting caught in a work-family conflict that pits the "ideal worker" against the "ideal parent." In this timely documentary, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Hedrick Smith examines the impact and implications of a massive shift in our workforce that has buried the traditional...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006