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As corporations continue to think globally, the rapidly deteriorating state of the environment is demanding that they act locally-now. This program brings together the president of the World Bank and visionary corporate leaders to map out a plan for a sustainable future that everyone can live with. British Petroleum, an industry giant committed to reducing greenhouse gases; the Otto Group, a German conglomerate that factors environmental protection...
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The highly controversial topic of euthanasia is examined in this program through the eyes of several medical and religious experts. Euthanasia as an acceptable practice is discussed within the context of current "right-to-die" cases, including the highly publicized assisted-suicide activities of Dr. Jack Kevorkian. We see how individual rights issues often overshadow legal arguments. Efforts currently under way by religious groups to block the practice...
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Those who stand outside our culture often view it with a lens made more accurate by distance and perspective. An Englishman on intimate terms with America, film producer David Puttnam (Chariots of Fire and The Killing Fields ) sees in our movies the reflection of a nation at odds with itself. In this age of the visual image, popular culture can make attractive the vice or virtue that politics then imitates. During his tenure as chairman of Columbia...
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"Scouted by a modeling agent when she was just sixteen years old, Cameron Russell first approached her job with some reservations: She was a precocious and serious student with her sights set on college-not the runway. But it was a job, and modeling seemed to offer young women like herself access to wealth, fame, and influence. Besides, as she was often reminded, "there are a million girls in line" who would eagerly replace her. A ferocious, visceral...
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In response to the oil crisis of the 1970s, Brazil created a domestic ethanol industry that is now thriving on all levels-from production to distribution at gas stations to nationwide adoption of flex-fuel cars. As a result, Brazil has become energy self-sufficient as a nation. This program examines what America can learn from Brazil's agri-industrial success and asks: is the system really applicable outside Brazil and to what degree can the rest...
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In Malaysia, the lucrative palm oil business is stirring global controversy. Vietnam has a burgeoning tourism industry-and is under pressure not to develop it in the manner of neighboring Thailand. This program examines those issues as it traverses both countries, illuminating the balancing act between development, environmental stewardship, and the rights of indigenous peoples. Nguyen Quy Phuong describes his challenges as deputy director of Vietnam's...
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As traditional cattle-raising by independent producers is displaced by the intense livestock production of agribusiness giants, consumers are paying the price. This in-depth program examines the practices of North American meat multinationals, which raise livestock on huge feedlots. Genetic engineering, growth hormones, antibiotics, the monopolization of world markets, and other issues are addressed, along with concerns that these beefed-up cattle...
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The eroticization and physical objectification that are staples of the youth-focused business/media complex give the impression that exploitative, age-inappropriate sexuality is natural, normal, and even necessary. This documentary condemns the hypersexualization of kid culture and exposes the severely damaging effects of hypersexuality on young psyches-female, predominantly, but male as well. Pervasive Internet porn, which serves children as a toxic...
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Although it represents a crisis for planet Earth, the disappearance of Arctic sea ice is nothing less than a godsend for oil and gas companies. This program follows the research, drilling, and production activities of energy companies as they exploit newfound access to the floor of the Barents Sea. The film begins in Hammerfest, Norway - the northernmost town in the world and a booming hub of natural gas mining and trade. Next, viewers follow a massive...
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The Koran strictly forbids charging, earning, or incurring interest-a tenet that has kept the Islamic world from fully participating in global financial systems. But, thanks to a range of innovations, the ban is now seen as a building block in many of Asia's emerging economies. Visiting bustling commerce centers in Malaysia and Bangladesh, this program reports on the growing significance of Sharia-compliant trade and finance regulations. The discussion...
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The UN estimates that there are more than 150 million homeless children worldwide. Most are at risk of abuse, prostitution, and drug addiction, and frequently enter adulthood without any schooling or employable skills. In the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, thousands of children live on the streets. Friends International provides education, vocational training, and work experience in shops and restaurants so these youngsters can find a way off the...
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A half-century of helping disadvantaged communities, beginning when he was a first-year Harvard medical student, has reinforced Dr. Paul Farmer's belief that access to health care is a basic human right. He argues that by delivering quality care to the poor, severe health issues such as AIDS or MDR-TB can be tackled effectively. Through a community-based approach, along with training doctors and health workers in impoverished areas, Partners In Health-the...
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The history of the banana trade is as politically loaded as that of coffee or oil-and yet it has received scant media attention over the decades. This documentary addresses that information void, exploring links between corporate power, Western governments, and developing nations that are heavily dependent on banana production as a result of colonial and post-colonial influences. Viewers gain an understanding of disputes between U.S.-supported Latin...
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The debate over athletes' use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs has taken on newfound urgency in recent years with more and more revelations of widespread use throughout the sports world. Are these athletes breaking the rules for an unfair advantage over others? Are they endangering their own health, and that of younger athletes encouraged to follow suit? Or is it hypocritical for society to disdain drug use for sports, when it encourages...
57) CAMFED: Zambia
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For millions of girls across Africa, a decent education is beyond reach. CAMFED, an international nongovernmental, nonprofit organization founded in 1993, aims to change that by paying for books, fees, even school uniforms-and in the process, break the cycle of poverty. The charity has developed a model for supporting girls to go to school, start businesses, and return to their communities as leaders. Alvin Hall, who also transcended poverty through...
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Lack of transport is one of the greatest barriers to delivering health care in remote parts of Africa, causing NGOs and local governments to abandon projects prematurely. Former motorbike racer Andrea Coleman and her husband Barry founded Riders for Health in 1996 to provide practical solutions to the continent's transportation problems. They created a maintenance system for bicycles, cars, ambulances, and trucks that has virtually eliminated breakdowns....
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A land mine is an indiscriminate killer-it doesn't care how young or old its victims are, or how many years have passed since the end of the conflict for which it was intended. Likewise, land mines have been put to use prolifically and ubiquitously by armies the world over, and experts fear it will take 500 years before the last one on the planet is either defused or detonated. But a surprising and highly innovative mine-detection method is gaining...
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It is an age-old question about what is often called the world's oldest profession. The notion of paying for sex can encompass an incredibly broad range of ideas, from patrons of child prostitutes in Thai brothels to rich Wall Street executives who support their girlfriends in graduate school. But is it morally and ethically wrong-and should it be legally wrong-to pay for sex?