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Asia in transition Building faith, sacred architecture Essentials of faith Great works of art exposed Journeys into Islam Paradise found Ten great works of art exposed The Wide Angle Collection: Human Stories, Global Issues Untouchable, life as an outcaste Untouchable, life as an outcaste"Filter By Series
Asia in transition Building faith, sacred architecture Essentials of faith Great works of art exposed Journeys into Islam Paradise found Ten great works of art exposed The Wide Angle Collection: Human Stories, Global Issues Untouchable, life as an outcaste Untouchable, life as an outcaste"Summary: What's so bad about saturated fat, and what makes fiber so good? In a society where convenience foods rule and obesity is a national epidemic, it's time to find out. This video investigates the relationship between diet and a number of frequently interrelated diseases and conditions, including heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, hardening of the arteries, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: There’s no end to the number of “miracle” diets advertised on TV. Combat their influence with this video, which illustrates what’s really needed to reach and maintain a healthy weight - commitment, discipline, and attention to dietary details. Focusing on bad eating habits as the main factor in America’s obesity epidemic, the program also cites lack of exercise along with cultural and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2011
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Summary: The development of authentic self-esteem and a healthy sense of self has always been a vitally important part of growing up. But this process is a challenge that has gotten even trickier to negotiate due to the widespread integration of digital technology into everyday living. Drawing on the insights of a clinical psychologist/family therapist, an adolescent psychologist, and a number of...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
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Summary: Continuing his trek across the Muslim world, art scholar Waldemar Januszczak introduces viewers to masterworks in Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia-from the gigantic and surreal mud mosques of Mali; to a rare, 10th-century Egyptian ewer carved out of a single piece of rock crystal; to the inspired urban planning of the ancient city of Isfahan in Iran; to the stunning architecture of...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
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Summary: This program explores the two great religions to come from India. "The historian of religion can find almost anything he wants in India, enacted with intensity. What remains is to carry its insight into everyday life. Smith uncovered the mysteries of multiphonic chanting among Tibetan lamas, previously unknown in the West. Characterizing these chants as "the holiest sound I have ever heard,"...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: While northern India's 100-year-old film industry is best known for flamboyant dance sequences and romantic plot lines, its directors have begun to step outside established formulas and explore grittier subject matter. This program surveys the world of Bollywood filmmaking, examining the personalities as well as the commercial and thematic concerns that drive central Asia's answer to...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
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Summary: In this program, art critic Waldemar Januszczak travels through the heart of the Middle East and beyond to study a wide range of Islamic architecture, decoration, and art objects. Providing helpful historical background on the faith-with an eye on the explosive spread of early Islamic culture-the program examines the pristine beauty of India's Taj Mahal as well as one of the world's oldest...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
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Summary: Every year, thousands die in India through caste-related violence, as untouchables and upper-castes alike stoop as low as they need to go to gain their aims. Seen through the lens of a veteran photojournalist, this program looks at both sides of the struggle between the upper-caste Ranvir militia and Dalit supporters of the Marxist-Leninists in Bihar. Professor Kanchia Eliah, of the University...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
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Summary: Mehndi is traditional painting of intricate patterns drawn on hands and feet with natural dye extracted from henna leaves, says mehndi artist Smarahjit Jana. In addition to numerous demonstrations of mehndi being applied, this program shows the gathering and preparation of henna leaves, discusses types of mehndi patterns and their significance, and describes different purposes of mehndi. More...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: A daughter of a Badi prostitute is required to be registered under the surname Nepali. So marked from birth, she is born into prostitution and is expected to follow her mother into that trade-unless the family, the Dalit community, or charitable NGOs are moved to help them make a change. This program profiles two Badi families and the positive efforts of one former prostitute and Suklal Nepali,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
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Summary: Muslims arrived in India the same year they entered Spain-and by the end of the 13th century ruled nearly all of the country. This program travels across India by way of Iran, Pakistan, and Maldives to examine the rich Islamic heritage of the region. The program also observes the Muslim way of life on the subcontinent as it exists today. Sites of note include the Taj Mahal, the Golkonda Fort...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: In southern India, Yellamma is the goddess of the untouchables, and the joginis are typically Dalit girls dedicated to their service-and to the servicing of the local men. The jogini role as representative of the goddess has been corrupted: "Society has deliberately turned the jogini into sex workers, and exploits them as such," says jogini-turned-activist Hajamma. After describing the sacred...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
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Summary: From ritual ablutions to ceremonial cremation, the religious life of a Hindu is intimately associated with the spiritual properties of water and fire. This program steps off the beaten path for a journey with two sadhus as they visit holy locales, witness religious rites, and, in general, immerse themselves in Hindu culture as it is exists in the religion's motherland, India. The Festival of...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Home to more than a billion people, India struggles to remain the secular and tolerant society that Mahatma Gandhi envisioned. This Wide Angle documentary focuses on India's increasingly powerful Hindu nationalist movement, the specter of religious and ethnic strife that has haunted the nation since the dawn of its independence in 1947, and the actions of government and partisan forces that may...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Indoor plumbing is rare in rural India. This program introduces viewers to two Dalit families who, for generations, have cleaned the excrement from their villages' open-air latrines with their bare hands. But flush-toilets don't necessarily free untouchables from their role; a young man who manually removes waste from the sewers of Hyderabad is also interviewed, along with Bezawada Wilson-a...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
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Summary: In parts of Nepal, there is little paying work available to untouchables. Forced to borrow small sums just to survive, they quickly become debt slaves to higher-caste people-and although the practice is illegal, it all too often represents the only chance Dalits have to obtain food. This program contrasts the lives of Bharat, who seeks emancipation through the assistance of a debt...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: Containing nearly a sixth of the world's population, India is home to almost a billion people, more than half of whom live in rural villages. This program provides an overview of topics such as the caste system as it exists in the holy Hindu town of Varanasi and the massive pilgrimages to Allahabad, where millions of Hindus come to ritually bathe at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: Although they may not look exactly like their counterparts in China, North America's Chinese Buddhist temples are closely linked to them through symbolism and traditions that go back more than 1,500 years. This video looks at structural symmetry, north/south building orientation, and interior layout; architectural elements like pagodas, columns, and courtyards; the lotus flower as a design...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Renamed Myanmar by its ruling junta, Burma is one of the world's poorest nations due to decades of iron-fisted military control and despite its valuable natural resources and priceless national treasures. This program presents an intriguing glimpse of Burmese life, ranging from washing the sacred Buddha at the Maha Muni Pagoda and the initiation of young Buddhist novices amid the ruins of Bagan...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
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Summary: Written by 16th-century Chinese playwright Tang Xianzu, The Peony Pavilion is a 19-hour epic opera in 57 episodes that tells a story of youth and love literally triumphing over death. This program follows director Chen Shi-Zheng and the Shanghai Kunju Opera Troupe in their monumental effort of staging the entire production, an event that had not occurred in nearly four centuries. Despite...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: It is not a religion in itself-rather, Hinduism is more of a family of faiths that focus on God in different ways. Nevertheless, the majority of Hindu traditions share the same colorful festivals, reverence for sacred animals, and scriptural use of Sanskrit. This program sifts through perspectives from four practitioners of the Hindu faith who discuss both unified and divergent ways in which...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: Whether they were crafted to spread Mao's message of class struggle or spun from the fabric of everyday life, Chinese folk songs carry with them immense historical and cultural importance. This program examines a wide range of songs and melodies from the country's pre-Communist era to the Cultural Revolution, energized by a rich progression of archival footage, photographs, interviews, and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
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Summary: Hokusai's The Great Wave is arguably the best-known image of Japanese art in the Western world today, and yet prints of it were sold in the 19th century for only the price of a large bowl of noodles. This program tells the story of an iconic image, its visionary maker, and the times in which he lived. It also decodes the multiple meanings of The Great Wave, explains the mechanics of woodblock...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: Tadao Sawai was Japan's greatest modern koto player, enjoying immense popularity and influencing a whole generation of musicians. His widow, Kazue Sawai, has become heir to his musical legacy and is one of the foremost players of this traditional instrument. In this program, Kazue discusses Tadao's playing and how she has integrated modern music into her own repertoire. In addition to...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006