Summary: South Africa is now the most powerful commercial center on the continent and attracts eager investors from around the globe. In Soweto, meet a woman who began life sleeping with six siblings on one blanket, selling corn to black commuters. Today, Nancy Nxumalo is one of the most influential businesspeople in this energetic, storied township. The former anti-apartheid activist symbolizes the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
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Summary: In Africa, as in so many other places, sports have traditionally been a man's world. And until recently, women entered at the risk of being scorned or laughed at. But Sahar El-Hawary and her female soccer team are no joke. She is the first women's referee in North Africa and also the first female member of the Egyptian Football Federation. She has put women's soccer on the map - not just in her...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
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Summary: Nairobi is home to a massive influx of immigrants, exiles and dreamers. This metropolis of skyscrapers and slums is the backdrop for an absorbing tale of two clashing worlds. Perhaps no one understands the fragile intersection between traditional and modern life better than Moses ole Samante. An ambitious young Maasai, he runs a successful safari business from Nairobi but works hard to maintain...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
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Summary: Tiken Jah Fakoly is a star with a conscience. A hugely popular reggae singer from the Ivory Coast, he criticizes politicians through lyrics. As a result, he lives in exile in Mali. Unafraid of controversy, Fakoly believes that the real freedom Africans deserve will only start when education is accessible to all. Malian actress and social activist Fatoumata Coulibaly leads a campaign against...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
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Summary: Does it amaze you that yeast is your very close relative? That you possess roughly the same number of genes as a mouse? That you are 99.9% genetically identical to every other human? In this NOVA special, correspondent Robert Krulwich lends a lighthearted touch to genetic science, going inside the amazing, complex, and contentious race to decode the human genome. Discover how the study of our...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2004
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Summary: This episode of the award-winning PBS series NOVA explores an intriguing question: how did warm-blooded dinosaurs survive and even thrive in frigid polar regions? A field expedition seeks the answer at Alaska’s North Slope, tunneling into the permafrost to excavate dinosaur fossils. This documentary shows reconstructions and animations of the fossils and discusses the many questions raised by...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
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Summary: As he took office on January 20, 2009, President Barack Obama must deliver on an ambitious campaign pledge to fight global warming. This program from NOVA examines the work of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is already leading the way with a dramatic and controversial program to slash carbon dioxide emissions and promote energy efficiency. The pros and cons of California's bold...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
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Summary: As oil prices continue to rise steeply and political turmoil increases in the Middle East, it is increasingly evident that finding a solution to an uncertain energy future is one of the biggest issues of our time. With advances in science and engineering, new materials and ingenious designs for solar collectors are transforming the technology into a vastly cheaper, more efficient alternative....
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
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Summary: This program from NOVA presents author and neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks and his exploration of the link between music and the brain. While working with patients who struggle to cope with a number of debilitating medical conditions, including autism and Tourrette syndrome, Dr. Sacks found that the therapeutic effects of music help many. Four remarkable case studies from Dr. Sacks’ book,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
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Summary: The mission was impossible. The odds were astronomical. The results were spectacular. NOVA presents the fascinating story behind the Apollo space program, including the most remarkable feat in human history—the historic walk on the moon in 1969. This program shares vivid recollections of Apollo astronauts Gene Cernan and Frank Borman, and introduces viewers to legendary Flight Director Gene...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 1999
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Summary: Mind Over Money investigates the shattering impact the recent global financial meltdown had on how economists think. Why did so few of the brightest minds in finance not only fail to predict the crash but also argue that it was impossible? With insights from experts and scientific experiments that highlight the hidden money drives in us all, NOVA explores how human psychology and finance...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
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Summary: In this video, viewers get a close-up look at the roof, chimney, and other exterior features—places requiring some of the most expensive repairs a home buyer can incur. Our home inspector, Alex Welsh, begins up on a shingled roof, where he checks the age, condition, flashing, and pitch of the roof and looks for any hidden damage that might be lurking beneath the shingles. Various roof styles...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: In this program, George Lauder, of Harvard University, and Terri Williams, of the University of California, Santa Cruz, investigate the anatomical and physiological challenges faced by bluegill sunfish, bottlenose dolphins, sharks, salmon, and sperm whales to reduce drag and control buoyancy. Information on the optimal body shapes for reef-dwellers and open-ocean swimmers, the locomotive...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: After an intriguing look at tree-dwelling animals that glide, this program studies teals, ducks, geese, swans, eagles, vultures, gannets, owls, and hawks to explore three major concerns of avian flight: the muscle-to-mass limits of getting airborne, the energy costs of staying aloft, and the ways in which flight performance shapes behavior. Body architecture, wing and tail dynamics, formation...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: Since movement burns precious energy, it makes sense that animals would want to move as efficiently as possible. What factors influence animals' gaits? This program studies horses, cheetahs, elephants, bonobos, and kangaroos to find out. Commentary by land animal locomotion specialists Don Hoyt, Vaughan Langman, Peter Aerts, and Russ Baudinette offers insights into the mechanics of running and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: Every good home starts with a strong, solid, watertight foundation. In this video, our home inspector, Alex Welsh, takes us on a tour of various house foundations and notes the problems many older homes often incur at the foundation level over the years. Some are serious structural problems, others just simple cosmetic issues-but it is imperative to know and be able to identify the difference. ...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: In this video, viewers are shown three of the key areas to inspect when buying a home—the electrical service, plumbing, and the heating system. Beginning in the basement, our home inspector, Alex Welsh, closely checks the electrical service. He reviews the condition of the fuse box or circuit breaker box to ensure that it is properly assembled and that there are no loose connections or frayed...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: There are over 23 million Americans addicted to alcohol or other drugs, with devastating consequences not only for the addicts and their families, but also for the nation as a whole. This program explains current research into why people become addicted, what puts them at risk, and what the best treatments may be. The program profiles an individual who was an alcoholic and has gone through the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Schizophrenia is the most severe of the serious mental illnesses, and it is more common than diseases such as cystic fibrosis, diabetes, or Alzheimer's disease. This program explains research on the disease, speaking with leading medical researchers to explore what we do and don't know about schizophrenia. The program profiles an individual with schizophrenia and explains how the disease has...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: Picking up mathematics and astronomy from where the ancient Greeks had left off, Arab scholars paved the way for the Copernican revolution and the rebirth of science in Europe. This program reveals the Empire of the Caliphate's role in developing the Indo-Arabic decimal system, algebra, and algorithms and in refining the science of optics and the Ptolemaic model of the solar system. The...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: This program investigates the practice of medicine during the Abbasid Caliphate, offering profiles of Jurjis ibn Jibrail, personal doctor to Caliph al-Mansur; Yuhanna ibn Masawayh, head of Caliph al-Ma'amun's House of Wisdom; Rhazes, whose Kitab al-hawi outlines an exemplary clinical approach; Avicenna, universally known for his Canon of Medicine; and Abul Qasim al-Zahrawi, the father of modern...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: This program addresses the expansion of the Arab empire into Spain, where Muslims ruled with tolerance for more than seven centuries. The introduction and consolidation of Islamic power in Spain, the creation of the Umayyad emirate by the sole survivor of the Umayyad dynasty, the rise of Cordoba as a cultural rival of Abbasid Baghdad, and the gradual ebb of Arab rule on the Iberian Peninsula...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Depression affects over 4% of the population of the U.S.-over 10 million people-annually. It is a condition that will affect one in five Americans over the course of their lifetime. A depressive illness can be devastating not only for the affected, but also for family and friends. This program focuses on current research into depression, explaining the medications and psychosocial therapies...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: As dissension mounted between the rival Arab dynasties in Baghdad, Cordoba, and Cairo, Christendom rallied to oppose the Muslims in Spain and Jerusalem. This program plots out the decline of the Empire of the Caliphate and the acquisition of Arab knowledge by Europeans starved for Islam's intellectual riches. The rise of feudalism and papal authority, the gradual defeat of the Muslim rulers in...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006