|
|
Over a thousand years ago, the stellar explosion known as supernova
SN 1006 was observed. It was brighter than Venus, and visible during
the day for weeks. The brightest supernova ever recorded on Earth,
this spectacular light show was documented all around the world. An-
cient observers were treated to this celestial firework display without
understanding its cause.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Looks at the achievements of the first Islamic dynasty, the Umayyads, who established their capital at Damascus. Their regime spread throughout greater Syria, and they left a rich architectural heritage. This includes two of the great surviving Islamic buildings, the Great Mosque of Damascus and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. The program emphasises how the early Islamic builders and architects used ideas and materials inherited from their Byzantine predecessors.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
In September 2008, five teenagers, a Qatari, an Iraqi, a Syrian-Armenian, a Pakistani, and an Iranian, journeyed from the Middle East to Washington, DC to join teens from around the world in an intensely competitive annual ritual: the World School Debating Championships. Well aware that their region is associated, in Western minds, with oil, money, and jihad, they are determined to show that they are not closed-minded extremists.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
How does the body use its skeleton and muscles from infancy to old age? Our skeleton has joints so we can move into different shapes, but it needs muscles to make it move. Even children with physical disabilities participate in sport and dance activities. We need exercise to keep the muscles strong. We're not all good at the same thing, which makes us all different.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Kashmir is renowned throughout the word, not only for its exquisite crafts but also for the exotic houseboats which line the shores of picturesque Dal Lake. We look behind the tourist facade to find the lifestyle of the real Kashmir.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Despite years of so-called sexual revolution, or maybe because of it, male potency today remains a taboo subject. Impotence is mens biggest secret and mens greatest vulnerability.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
The son of one of Napoleon's generals, Victor Hugo began to write at an early age and had a notable career as a poet, playwrite, novelist, and even politician. His fearless defense of the common man endeared him to the French people, but led to his exile. He lived for 19 years in the Channel Islands. His works include the play Hernani and the novels Les Miserables, The Toilers of the Sea, and the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
VIETNAM - A RISING DRAGON offers a variety of views of contemporary Vietnam, revealing economic reforms, improving international relations, and the life of the people as their beautiful land continues to move from agricultural to industrial status.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
In many ways Vincent Van Gogh (1853-90) has become the most celebrated, and certainly the most mythologized, artist in history, who sold just one painting but whose work now commands record breaking prices.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Documents Virginia Woolf's life; her childhood in London, her marriage to Leonard Woolf, her bouts with mental illness and her eventual suicide.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Granted rare access into Cuba, Dr. Julian Nava, a former U.S. ambassador to Mexico who witnessed the early revolution, returns to Cuba after nearly 40 years. This video examines Cuban history, social structure, patriotism, and will to survive against the historical background of Cuban-American antagonism. What this eminent Latin American scholar found will be a surprise.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
The life of Voltaire proves that "The pen is mightier than the sword." In his long life he wrote novels, plays, poems, and philosophical works which embroiled him in difficulties with the absolute moarchy of eighteenth century France. His promotion of the rights of the individual brought him imprisonment in the Bastille and excile in rural France, Switzerland, and Britain.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Planet earth has launched an all out scientific assault on Mars. On the frontline, two NASA rovers began crawling across the surface of Mars, a planet once thought to be frozen and sterile. High above, Europe's Mars Express gazed down from orbit with a roving eye and an arsenal of high tech detectors. All three were scouting for evidence of one simple earthly ingredient - water. Find proof that water had once flowed across the dusty Red Planet, and the hunt for Martians - dead or alive - could begin in earnest.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
The son of an Irish Protestant barrister who renounced the law to be a painter, Yeats had his father's sympathy when he chose to pursue a career as a writer (his younger brother followed his fathers footsteps as a painter); the idea was accepted as legitimate if unlikely to make him rich. Yeats was an engaging and talented man whose poetry and plays soon gained him in a place in literary circles in Ireland and Britain.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
An invitation to discover eight cities shown by eight well-known architects and city planners. Each architect analyzes a city he or she knows well and sees from a personal point of view. The architect presents the main geographical axis, streets, avenues, squares, etc., and the traditional quarters and contemporary creations. The historical evolution of the city, the architectural logic and the effects of a spontaneous or controlled transformation are also described.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Whitman's early years were spent in the New York area. Whitman worked as an editor, teacher, and government clerk, and tended the wounded during the Civil War. In 1849 he made a tour of the Mississippi, Great Lakes, and Niagara Falls; this inspired the first edition of LEAVES OF GRASS. He greatly admired President Lincoln, whose assassination inspired O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
If half the country is below sea level, it takes a supreme feat of engineering to pump and keep it dry. The Dutch are past masters at this form of technology, although the recurring floods - the last as recent as 1995 - are reminders that no solution is perfect.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
I am Warda from the island of Zanzibar. Zanzibar is famous for its spices and coconuts. It also has very good weather and tourists like it. I have four brothers and sisters. We live together with love and help each other out.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
1921-1923 Warren Harding declared, "America's present need is not heroics, but healing." His detractors called Harding's speeches "an army of pompous phrases moving across the landscape in search of an idea."
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
This 18 part history series covers significant events from the 16th century through the two world wars, and the accomplishments of Gandhi. Spanning four continents and four centuries, in-depth questions and stimulating solutions are offered by prominent professors and authors, specialists in their fields. These videos will challenge serious students as well as intrigue the general public.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Water: The Drop of Life attempts to show how important and vulnerable the world's fresh water supply is. This six part series provides an in-depth look at water's role in agriculture, industry, pollution, religion, transportation, and more, around the world, such as Africa, Australia, Canada, England, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, and the United States.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
This program follows both the development and disappearance of water power systems. WATER POWER introduces today's main power sources, fossil fuels and nuclear energy. Environmental pressures have led to the wide scale re-introduction of the water turbine - the direct descendant of the water wheel. Hydro-electric power can also affect the environment so compromises have to be reached.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Many of the great cities of the world are, or have been, major ports, affected by the changes in shipping over the last 100 years. Different forms of water transportation and canals are identified. This segment examines how people and goods are transferred from one means of conveyance to another. The uses of ocean liners and canals are also covered.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Could the wars of the future be over water rather than oil or politics? This program focuses on the apparent water inequalities between Palestinians and Israeli settlers in the West Bank and Gaza. Already, demand for this most basic of resources is outstripping supply in some parts of the world and it is in these areas that the seeds of future wars have already been sown.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Water Works is a series of four programs examining the role and nature of water in four important areas: biology and oceanography; chemistry of water; pressure density and Archimedes principle; and human usage of water.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Small groups of individuals have come to Umduban, in central Sudan, to seek guidance and blessings from an elderly religious Sheikh. Umduban leads to an understanding that living Islam informs the very existence of Muslims the world over
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Before and after the popular uprising that led to the fall of Hosni Mubarak, a new generation of Egyptian filmmakers started using their weapon of choice—their cameras— as a tool for revealing the truth to the world. More than ever a crucial weapon of resistance, filming breaks the law of silence and makes sense out of confusion that now rules Egypt. Weapon of Choice shows how filmmakers, through fiction, documentary or citizen journalism, take action in the long and difficult process of transformation that is Revolution. With Ibrahim El Batout, Ayten Amin, Wael Omar, Khalid Abdalla, Amr Salama, Mohamed Diab and Karim El Shenawy.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
How do seasons change throughout the year? Each episode covers a different aspect of the weather and its effects; Wet, Cold, Hot, Dry, Sunshine, Wind & Rain. Different scenarios encourage young viewers to think about how weather affects their day-to-day lives. The series explores ways to predict weather patterns and cycles.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
The top names in bridal fashion share their secrets, tips and recent collections, presenting a remarkable insight into the many aspects of running a successful bridal wear business: starting a shop, marketing their label, the conceptual and practical steps of design, material choice, and the satisfaction of creating a perfect embodiment of a bride's dream.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Elizabeth Emmanuel describes her experience in the fashion industry of the 80s, designing for film, celebrities and royalty and transition of her label through two decades after her most famous creation, Princess Diana's wedding dress.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
An award winning bridal wear designer, talks us through the design process of his theatrical collection from concept to final stitches and draping. He demonstrates the preparations involved in setting up a runway show and the delicate hand sewing involved in a designer dress creation.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Sarahdemonstrates her approach to digital pattern design and the process of tailoring a perfect dress for a beautiful bride one appointment at a time.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Sassi takes us on a tour of her workshop, offering a step by step demonstration of the production stages from measuring to sewing, pressing and hemming, on to the presentation of dresses to the clients in a shop designed for a perfect customer experience.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Stephanie Allin talks about the experience of keeping a bridal wear label outside of the fashion capital, the process of developing a rapport with the customer, online marketing and shows off her latest collection.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Stewart Parvin describes the steps involved in creating an understated chique wedding dress and talks about what it is like to design for the queen.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
The first circumnavigation of the globe led by Ferdinand Megellan marked the beginning of European domination of the world; the shift in power from the Mediterranean to west and north-western Europe. The great colonial empires of Spain and Portugal and the gradual increase of Dutch trade and power. The English developments in marine and technology marked the beginnings of the British Empire.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Imagine what it would be like if we didn't have wet weather clothing. Different scenarios make us think about how rain affects our day to day lives. Wet Weather explores ways to predict rain and learn about the water cycle. Images of dams, a reservoir, and a creek at different times of the year illustrate how rain can change the water level. The program also looks at the need to store, conserve and use rainwater. Some easy steps produce a rain gauge and children tell us what they think about rainy days.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
This in-depth video describes the history, teachings, and current practices of Buddhism. The three segments present the life of the Buddha ("the enlightened one"), the teachings of Buddhism, and the practice of Buddhism. Siddhartha Gautama, the 6th century BCE prince (and future Buddha) renounced his inheritance to seek enlightenment, which he eventually found. From its birthplace in Bodh Gaya, Bueddhism spread throughout India, China, Japan, Tibet, and Southeast Asia. Buddhism has also come to the West.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
So what's your poison? A beer, a smoke, a morning cup of coffee? You may not give it a second thought, but they are all drugs. This five part series takes the "poisons" nicotine, caffeine, marijuana, alcohol and ecstasy, and looks at their origins, uses and effects. This series also offers a combination of science and social history that will change the way the viewer sees the substances.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Who's Got The Power?, a forceful, new documentary film, addresses head on the reality of global warming, caused by the burning of fossil fuels, coal, oil and gas, its attendant dangers in the form of carbon dioxide emissions---and presents genuine and workable solutions.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Potential conflicts are brewing between the nations that share the Nile River Basin. The days of the Nile only nourishing Egypt's great demand for water might be rapidly coming to an end. Sudan, Ethiopia and Uganda are geographically located in the larger Nile basin and control the sources of the river. In recent years they have been demanding a greater share of the Nile's precious resource as demand comes closer to overtaking this finite supply. All 13 countries with access will have to come to agreements on how to share the Nile. Will this be the cause of the next war?
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
1909-1913 Distinguished jurist, effective administrator, but poor politician, William Howard Taft spent four uncomfortable years in the White House.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Blake was a poet, mystic, and artist. His Jerusalem, Marriage of Heaven & Hell, and Songs of Experience astonish even today. This program traces his life from being taught to read & write by his mother to his death in poverty in 1826.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
1993 - 2001 During the administration of Clinton, the U.S. enjoyed more peace and economic well-being than at any time in its history. He was the first Democratic president since FDR to win a second term in office.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Mississippi-born Nobel Prize winner Faulkner struggled throughout his life with alcoholism, disappointment in life, and the South's Civil War heritage. In his own difficulties lie many of the sources of inspiration for his writing - Sound and the Fury, Absalom, Absalom, As I Lay Dying, and others.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Travels through Shakespeare's early years in Stratford to his marriage to Anne Hathaway and the London in which he worked.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Traces William Wordsworth's life, focusing on his love of nature and on his relationships with his sister and with Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
This new series tours various parts of the world with expert wine enthusiasts, sommeliers, and regional cuisine historians offering a wealth of information on the distinctive regional wines and food pairings. Exploring some of the most breathtaking vineyards and unique vintages available today, this show highlights the ins and outs of operating a winery and organic farming from soil analysis, the use of certain terrain-slopes, climates, decanting, to the blending of grapes and the preservation of the wine's distinctive taste. Interviews of winery owners give an insight into the business of wine making as well.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Meet the ugly duckling of the wine family. Mark examines this fascinating blend and the reasons behind why it sometimes gets such a bad rap in the world of wines.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Learn how the balance of barrels and Bordeaux blends can create a complex, food-friendly wine that is easy on the palete and the pocketbook.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
