Sunday, January 31, 2010

PBS: Latin Music USA - The Chicano Wave & Divas and Superstars


LATIN MUSIC USA highlights the great American music created by Latinos, and celebrates the Latin rhythms at the heart of jazz, rock, country, and rhythm and blues. It's a fresh take on American musical history, reaching across five decades to portray the rich mix of sounds created by Latinos and embraced by all.

THE CHICANO WAVE: From Ritchie Valens and Freddy Fender to Linda Ronstadt, Los Lobos, and Selena, a new generation of Mexican Americans raised on rock, rhythm and blues, and country music expresses their cultural identity through Chicano rock, Latin rock, and Tejano.

DIVAS & SUPERSTARS: Latin pop explodes with the success of artists like Ricky Martin, Shakira, and Gloria Estefan. But as studios concentrate on star-driven pop, Latino youth gravitate toward the urban fusions of reggaeton artists like Daddy Yankee and rapper Pitbull, while rock en espanol star Juanes becomes a global phenomenon.

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An Inconvenient Truth - Al Gore

A documentary on Al Gore's campaign to make the issue of global warming a recognized problem worldwide.

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PBS - Crater Lake: The Mirror of Heaven

The familiar voice of local commentator Russell Sadler keeps the narrative moving, beginning with the explosion of ancient Mt. Mazama. Through myth and through scientific 3-D animation, the formation of what we now call Crater Lake comes to life, in all its volcanic glory. Was it a temper tantrum of Llao, the Modoc chief of the underworld, that caused the destruction, or was it the intolerable pressure of deep changes in the earth's core that brought molten lava bursting through thousands of feet of granite? The film presents both interpretations, painstakingly detailed.

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National Geographic - KKK: Inside American Terror

The white robes and fiery crosses of America's oldest terrorist group have become national symbols of hate and violence. Now, one segment of the modern KKK has teamed up with skinheads, neo-Nazis and other extremist groups toward a common goal of "white rule." NGC travels inside the KKK's deadly world. Learn how the organization's membership has grown in recent years. Hear from current Klan members and victims, along with KKK experts as they break down the face of this modern hate group.

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BBC Natural World - Australia: Taking The Heat

Documentary that looks at how the wildlife of Australia has adapted from living in lush rainforest 20 million years ago to what is now the world's hottest, driest continent. Red kangaroos must keep on the move, frogs lie dormant for seven years, koalas sleep twenty hours a day, crocodiles can go for two years without food, and Aborigines pass on their secrets of survival by storytelling.

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Friday, January 29, 2010

History Channel - Sniper: Inside The Crosshairs

snipers
The deadliest weapon on the battlefield is neither bullet nor gun; it's the lone sniper. Journey inside the science and psychology behind the greatest shots in military history, through the scope of the world's most extreme marksmen. Deconstruct the missions, ranging from Vietnam to Iraq to Afghanistan, presented by the men who were there and pulled the trigger. For the first time on American television Canadian sniper Robert Furlong, tells the story of his history-making shot in Afghanistan--striking a Taliban fighter from 1.5 miles away. Ballistics... Tactics... Weaponry... Stalking... This two-hour special examines these critical components in vivid detail, combining interviews with cinematic reenactments, CGI and present day shooting demonstrations to put the viewer squarely inside the crosshairs.


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BBC : Queens of British Pop

BBC : Queens of British Pop (2009)
Queens of British Pop' is a two-part documentary series, exploring dynamic female pop figures in Britain.
Episode 1
Queens of British Pop and narrator Liza Tarbuck offer a celebration of six female pop stars, singers and icons that lit us up from the early 60s to the late 70s.

Programme one tells the story of Dusty Springfield, Sandie Shaw, Marianne Faithfull, Suzi Quatro, Siouxsie Sioux and Kate Bush - some of the female artists that emerged alongside some of Britain's defining musical movements, from the swinging sixties through to glam rock and punk.

The programme gives an insight into the lives of these top female artists, offering first-hand or eyewitness accounts of the highs, the lows and the obstacles they had to overcome. The selected artists have pushed boundaries, played around with gender roles and had their private lives overshadow their success, but it is their experiences that have helped change the face of British pop as we know it today.

Includes new interviews with Sandie Shaw, Marianne Faithfull, Suzi Quatro, Siouxsie Sioux and contributions from Tom Jones, Lulu, Burt Bacharach, John Lydon, Martha Reeves, Nancy Sinatra, Mark Radcliffe, Henry Winkler, Marc Almond, Peter Gabriel, Claire Grogan, Jarvis Cocker, Kiki Dee, Nigel Havers, Lily Allen and Adele, to name but a few.
Episode 2
A celebration of six queens of British pop music, and a look at their impact between 1980 and 2009.

This programme profiles Annie Lennox, Alison Moyet, Kylie Minogue, Geri Halliwell, Amy Winehouse and Leona Lewis. These female stars take us from post-punk to The X Factor, with a slice of girl power along the way.

Narrated by Lisa Tarbuck, with contributors including Annie Lennox, Dawn French, Dave Stewart, Alison Moyet, Pete Waterman, Alexandra Burke, Leona Lewis, Lily Allen, Adele, Marc Almond and more.


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IMAX - Survival Island - the Animal Cities of South Georgia


Standing almost alone in the great Southern Ocean, South Georgia island plays host to some of the largest concentrations of animals anywhere on Earth during the spring and summer months. This is the story of these vast animal cities, and of the order that lies beneath their seeming chaos.

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The Ancient Maya: Tools of Astronomy


Take another fascinating trip through time to discover the precursors – from centuries or even millennia ago – of today’s cutting-edge technological breakthroughs. Using the latest scholarship, hands-on demonstrations, and dramatic reenactments, WHERE DID IT COME FROM? shows just how far ahead of their times they really were.

Without the aid of magnifying technology or even a firm idea of where they stood on the planet, the Mayan grasp of the universe through astrological observation was simply stunning.

Host Michael Guillen travels to Mexico's Yucatan peninsula to get a firsthand look at the ancient world's most skilled astronomers. Climb the giant pyramid of Kukulkan and see how it functioned as a giant solar observatory. Examine “El Caracol” at Tikal, which looks amazingly like a modern day observatory. Learn how the Maya used the sun to lay out their various temples and observatories and examine their incredibly complex and accurate calendar.

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Wednesday, January 27, 2010

PBS Independent Lens: Copyright Criminals


Long before people began posting their homemade video mashups on the Web, hip-hop musicians were perfecting the art of audio montage through sampling. Sampling - or riffing - is as old as music itself, but new technologies developed in the 1980s and 1990s made it easier to reuse existing sound recordings. Acts like Public Enemy, De La Soul and the Beastie Boys created complex rhythms, references and nuanced layers of original and appropriated sound. But by the early 1990s, sampling had collided with the law. When recording industry lawyers got involved, what was once called “borrowed melody” became “copyright infringement.”

COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS examines the creative and commercial value of musical sampling, including the related debates over artistic expression, copyright law and money. The film showcases many of hip-hop music’s founding figures like Public Enemy, De La Soul and Digital Underground, as well as emerging artists such as audiovisual remixers Eclectic Method. It also provides first-person interviews with artists who have been sampled, such as Clyde Stubblefield - James Brown's drummer and the world's most sampled musician - and commentary by another highly sampled musician, funk legend George Clinton.

Computers, mobile phones and other interactive technologies are changing our relationships with media, blurring the line between producer and consumer and radically changing what it means to be creative. As artists find more inventive ways to insert old influences into new material, COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS poses the question: Can you own a sound?

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Britain's Really Disgusting Foods


Anarchist Alex Riley takes a tasteless romp through the dark side of the food industry in search of the most disgusting thing he's ever eaten, but finds it is not as straightforward as it seems. He discovers that manufacturers have ingenious ways of transforming horrible ingredients into something that looks and tastes like good food, while unearthing such hidden gems as substitute cheese and beef connective tissue. To find out how much they can get away with, Alex creates and markets his own monster food.

Episode 1/3: Meat
Alex Riley, the BBC's connoisseur of rubbish food, is back on the search for more disgusting fare, and sets out to unearth the horrors that could be in his meaty snacks.
Episode 2/3: Dairy
Alex Riley discovers cheap nasty dairy substitutes and that even milk, the purest dairy product, has its unpalatable side. Contains some strong language.
Episode 3/3: Fish
Alex Riley sets out to find the ultimate nasty fish dish and, amid the cheap, codless fish fingers and fake prawns, unearths a fishy world of waste.

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BBC - The Secret Life of the Dog


We have an extraordinary relationship with dogs - closer than with any other animal on the planet. But what makes the bond between us so special?

Research into dogs is gaining momentum, and scientists are investigating them like never before. From the latest fossil evidence, to the sequencing of the canine genome, to cognitive experiments, dogs are fast turning into the new chimps as a window into understanding ourselves.

Where does this relationship come from? In Siberia, a unique breeding experiment reveals the astonishing secret of how dogs evolved from wolves. Swedish scientists demonstrate how the human/dog bond is controlled by a powerful hormone also responsible for bonding mothers to their babies.

Why are dogs so good at reading our emotions? Horizon meets Betsy, reputedly the world's most intelligent dog, and compares her incredible abilities to those of children. Man's best friend has recently gone one step further - helping us identify genes responsible for causing human diseases.

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Tuesday, January 26, 2010

BBC - Wine
















Documentary series about the wine industry.

Episode 1 - The Firm
Takes a look behind the scenes at Berry Brothers and Rudd, the oldest and poshest wine merchant in the world.

After 310 years of business there is still a Mr Berry at the helm as bombs, wars, kings and queens have come and gone, but this charmed existence may be under threat as the credit crunch bites deep. The film unwittingly becomes a chronicle of the changing world order, where the super-rich look alarmingly as though they are about to turn into the ancient regime.

Quaint anachronism it might seem from the outside, but this is the firm that turned fine wine into the sine qua non of the super-rich. Everyone here, from Berry's larger-than-life Bordeaux and Burgundy buyers to the eccentric and ambitious chateau owners and producers they do business with, services what seemed to be the ever-increasing demand for the finest wines available to humanity, until the rot creeps in and threatens three centuries of history.

Episode 2 - The Faith

Charts the creation of the 2008 vintage at Margaux, arguably the world's greatest wine estate.

Corinne Mentzelopoulos, daughter of a Greek supermarket tycoon, introduces us to the chateau her family has owned for the past 30 years, as everyone from vineyard worker to chief winemaker looks anxiously at a sky which appears hell-bent on making the year a wretched one. One bottle of this cult wine can cost up to 1,000 pounds a bottle if the vintage is good, but the quality of the vintage is always in the lap of the weather gods.

Blessed by sunshine and a soaring economy in previous years, Margaux has turned itself into the world's luxury wine. From the inside, we track the meticulous cultivation of a top-notch brand, with Margaux's urbane director Paul Pontallier serving the role of chief evangelist as we follow him all the way to China where he is almost mobbed by devotees of Margaux.

Episode 3 - The Future

This episode looks at how the importance of the industry to South Africa's future and why, despite a history that stretches back to the 17th century, it still hasn't decided what its identity should be.

Oupa Rangaka and Mark Solms are unlikely two wine producers. Six years ago, Oupa, a retired philosophy professor, didn't even drink wine, let alone make it. Today he and his family, including three-year-old grandson Kwena, are the only black people to own a vineyard in South Africa. Its survival depends on their ongoing relationship with Marks and Spencer and convincing the judges at London's International Wine Challenge that their pinotage passes muster.

Mark is a world-renowned neuroscientist who inherited the family business, and is struggling to reconcile his idealistic plans for the farm with the practical realities of post-apartheid South Africa. He worries that the harvest festival he is organising may degenerate into an orgy of violence and drunkenness

Via the struggles of these two remarkable men, wine becomes a prism through which to view the current state of the Rainbow Nation.

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BBC - Chemistry: A Volatile History


Series in which Jim Al-Khalili traces the story of how the elements, the building blocks that make up our entire world, were discovered and mapped.

In the first episode Jim Al-Khalili will focus on the first elements discovered, including fiery phosphorous, the dazzle of violent, violet potassium and even oxygen, the element we need to survive.

In part two, Professor Al-Khalili looks at the 19th century chemists who struggled to impose an order on the apparently random world of the elements. From working out how many there were to discovering their unique relationships with each other, the early scientists' bid to decode the hidden order of the elements was driven by false starts and bitter disputes. But ultimately the quest would lead to one of chemistry's most beautiful intellectual creations - the periodic table.

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Sunday, January 24, 2010

BBC Horizon - How to Live to 101


The quest to live longer has been one of humanities oldest dreams, but while scientists have been searching, a few isolated communities have stumbled across the answer. On the remote Japanese island of Okinawa, In the Californian town of Loma Linda and in the mountains of Sardinia people live longer than anywhere else on earth.

In these unique communities a group of scientists have dedicated their lives to trying to uncover their secrets. Horizon takes a trip around the globe to meet the people who can show us all how to live longer, healthier lives.

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The Next Megaquake


Boxing Day, 2004. The world was shocked by one of the worst natural disasters of all time. Over two hundred and fifty thousand people died. The cause of this devastation was the most powerful kind of earthquake on the planet, called a megathrust. This event made us realise how poorly prepared we are to face these huge geological catastrophes. And scientists are now trying to work out where else is at risk. They have discovered that a megathrust as large as the Sumatra quake could hit North America.
Everyone knows that America is going to be struck by a devastating earthquake. For years the people of California have been waiting for the day when the San Andreas fault unleashes the big one. But all the time an even more powerful hazard has lain undiscovered. A giant megathrust earthquake, just like the one that hit Indonesia, threatens America's Pacific Northwest. A huge area from northern California all the way to Canada is at risk, including major cities like Seattle and Vancouver.

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BBC Storyville - Israel's Generals


This special season of Storyville is a trilogy about one of the most important aspects of Israel - the relationship between its armed forces and its politics. But instead of presenting a dry essay, we look at the problems through the inter-linked life of three charismatic Israeli soldier-politicians: Moshe Dayan, Yitzhak Rabin and Ariel Sharon.

It's an easy way to absorb over 50 years of Israeli history and the personalities are very colourful. These films are required viewing for anyone interested in discovering something fresh about the hell of Israel and Palestine.

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Friday, January 22, 2010

BBC - Fascism and Football

How has the Beautiful Game played into fascist ideology? BBC Four explores how the 20th century's three most prominent fascist dictators, Mussolini, Hitler and Franco, seized upon football's massive popular appeal and ruthlessly exploited it as a vehicle for propaganda.

We explore allegations that Mussolini fixed the 1934 World Cup final; how Hitler saw the 1936 Olympics and 1938 World Cup as the defining moments of the superiority of his fascist regime and how General Franco used Real Madrid to cement himself in power, inspire national pride and win popular consent for his autocratic rule.

The documentary uses rare archive footage, eminent historians and trenchant contributions and testimonies from world-class players, past and present.

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BBC Horizon - The Day The Earth Nearly Died

BBC Horizon
250 million years ago, long before dinosaurs roamed the Earth, the land and oceans teemed with life. This was the Permian, a golden era of biodiversity that was about to come to a crashing end. Within just a few thousand years, 95% of the lifeforms on the planet would be wiped out, in the biggest mass extinction Earth has ever known. What natural disaster could kill on such a massive scale? It is only in recent years that evidence has begun to emerge from rocks in Antarctica, Siberia and Greenland.

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National Geographic - The Search for Kennedys PT-109


At the height of the Second World War, a young Navy Lieutenant stood at the helm of a U.S. patrol boat and in one ill-starred night made his mark in the annals of history. That young man later became on of the most popular Presidents of the US - John Fitzgerald Kennedy. National Geographic reveals the true story behind the legend - a more complex, more intriguing tale than we were ever led to believe. Famed ocean explorer Dr. Robert Ballard will travel to the Solomon Islands to find the sunken wreck of Kennedy's boat, the PT-109. Through eyewitness accounts of survivors, local islanders and other PT crews on patrol that night, along with powerful footage from the war in the Pacific, we retell the remarkable story of JFK's heroic struggle to rally his crew and get them safely to shore and explore the controversies that have swirled around the boat's sinking

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National Geographic - Fight Master: Self Defence

Discover the science of self-defence as experts reveal ways in which you can protect yourself, including how to use a car key to fend off an attacker. Plus, can a ball-point pen save your life?

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National Geographic - Triple Cross: Bin Laden's Spy in America

 
An al Qaeda spy infiltrated America, acquired U.S. intelligence, and then revealed it to the one man the United States came to fear most--Osama bin Laden. How did Ali A. Mohamed, a radical ex-Egyptian Army Major and a mole for Egyptian Islamic Jihad and al Qaeda, survive inside the U.S. for more than 14 years? This master spy served briefly as a CIA asset, enlisted in the U.S. Army, and worked for the FBI as an informant, but he was "triple crossing" U.S. officials on the road to 9/11.

National Geographic reveals the extraordinary untold story of Osama bin Laden's brilliant intelligence agent whose masterful maneuverings facilitated nefarious acts of terror. Using insight from FBI, military and justice department officials, National Geographic exposes how one man exploited gaps in the U.S. intelligence community.

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PBS - Rick Steves' Europe: The Czech Republic Beyond Prague



Few travelers venture beyond Prague to experience the Czech Republic's many cultural riches and offbeat delights. We'll get you started with a whirlwind of Art Nouveau, local pub music, stinky cheese-tasting, river-rafting, and peat-bathing in places like Olomouc, Moravsky Krumlov, Trebon, and Konopiste. We'll also tour a remarkable memorial to the Holocaust in Terezen, and the charming castle town of Cesky Krumlov.

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PBS Special - Visions of Ireland


The 18th program in WLIW's successful VISIONS series showcases the land of saints and scholars like never before. A helicopter-mounted camera shares the vantage point of the Irish faeries of ancient lore for serene aerial views above the fog and mist, the remote Skellig Islands, the magnificent windswept Cliffs of Moher - and the perfect angle from which to kiss the Blarney Stone. The "Emerald Isle" is a place where myth and legend coexist with a booming modern legacy of invigorated economic strength. VISIONS OF IRELAND reveals all its "forty shades of green" following an itinerary from Sligo to Belfast to Galway to Dublin that explores timeless country glens, abundant fishing ports, the famous golf courses of counties Kerry and Cork, and more. Rich narration gives context for the stunning high definition aerial and groundviews of this little island of grand historical significance, all set to a soundtrack that includes the fiddles and pipes of traditional ji gs and reels and modern Celtic rock.

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Thursday, January 21, 2010

BBC Natural World - The Secret Leopards


Jonathan Scott narrates the extraordinary story of the leopard - the one big cat that still survives across half the world while tigers, cheetahs and lions are all struggling. By following the lives of leopard mothers and their cubs in East Africa, the film investigates what it is about the natural history of these cats that makes them born survivors. Perhaps the most extraordinary revelation is that leopards are living undercover on farms and even in cities across Africa and Asia.

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Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Predators at War, Lion, Hyena, Leopard, Cheetah, Painted Dog

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/516T3YAWA4L._SS500_.jpg
An overall nice Doc about an area of Africa and how the animals react after the area struggles without rain for nearly two years. Tries to paint the different species as different types of military units that are are war in the area. This attempt is pretty dang cheesy in my opinion... but it does highlight the differences the five species take in terms of hunting.

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BBC - 1984: A Sikh Story


ust over 25 years ago, the storming of The Golden Temple, the most sacred of Sikh shrines, by the Indian Army led to protests around the world. Sonia Deol embarks on a personal journey to unravel the events of 1984, an iconic year for Sikhs. It culminated in thousands of deaths including the assassination of the Prime Minister, Mrs Indira Gandhi. The bloody aftermath that followed so shocks Sonia that she is forced to reappraise the depth of her commitment to her faith.

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BBC - 10 Things You Didn't Know About Earthquakes


Iain Stewart looks at some of the world's most dramatic earthquakes and reveals the stories and
science behind them. In seconds, these powerful forces of nature which cannot be predicted or
prevented can shake a town to destruction and shift the landscape forever. We discover why quakes
can last 60 times longer on the moon than on earth; how one particular earthquake fault line can
produce hallucinations; and how 1960s Cold War spying gave scientists a crucial clue to
understanding them.

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Discovery: Special Operations Americas Secret Soldiers



Despite General Schwarzkopf's reluctance to employ them, more than 7000 U.S. special-operations personnel took part in Desert Storm. Waller, a Newsweek reporter, describes an Air Force special-ops helicopter raid that knocked out early-warning radar in Iraq, a Navy SEAL mission on Kuwait's coastline that pinned down two Iraqi divisions, a deep-penetration mission into Iraq by Green Beret teams and the destruction of Scud missiles by Delta Force commandos.

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National Geographic Big Bigger Biggest - Burj Dubai



Burj Dubai (Arabic: برج دبي‎ "Dubai 1176935Tower") is a supertall skyscraper under construction in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the tallest man-made structure ever built, at 818 m (2,684 ft). Construction began on 21 September 2004, and the tower is expected to be completed and ready for occupancy on 4 January 2010.


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Saturday, January 16, 2010

PBS - Frontline - News War


In this set, Frontline examines the challenges faced by journalists and casts a critical eye on how they have responded. Topics include the use of anonymous sources and the legal jeopardy faced by reporters who refuse to name sources.

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The Pyramid Code


The Pyramid Code is a documentary series of 5 episodes that explores the pyramid fields and ancient temples in Egypt as well as ancient megalithic sites around the world looking for clues to matriarchal consciousness, ancient knowledge and sophisticated technology in a Golden Age. The series is based on the extensive research done in 23 trips to Egypt and 50 other countries around the world by Dr. Carmen Boulter in the Graduate Division of Educational Research at the University of Calgary.

The Pyramid Code features interviews with prominent scholars and authors in multidisciplinary fields: geology, physics, astrophysics, archaeology, bilogical engineering, magnetic field theory, hieroglyphics, and Egyptology. The series explores penetrating questions:

* Who were the ancients and what did they know?
* Could the pyramids be much older than traditional Egyptology would have us believe?
* Could it be that the ancients were more technologically advanced than we are today?
* Why do we have so little understanding of the ancient Egyptians?
* Are there still secrets hidden in plain sight?
* Do new discoveries force the issue of establishing a new chronology?
* Are there little known sites that provide clues to a new understanding of our distant past?
* Are we really the most advanced civilization to ever live on Earth?

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Thursday, January 14, 2010

Assault In The Ring


ASSAULT IN THE RING revisits a boxing scandal considered one of the sport’s darkest hours, and traces a man’s despairing journey following his alleged involvement in a criminal plot. The documentary examines new evidence about this boxing match turned 30-minute assault, and reveals much more about the pre-fight activities of Luis Resto, his trainer Panama Lewis and the athletic commission representatives.

On June 16, 1983, undefeated welterweight Billy Collins Jr. set out to fulfill every boxer’s dream of fighting in the world’s most famous arena – Madison Square Garden. Collins’ opponent, Luis Resto of the Bronx, had his own dream of rising to the occasion in front of hometown fans. But what began as a match that Nashville native Collins was favored to win changed both athletes’ lives – ending Collins’ career dreams and landing Resto in prison.

Resto seemingly reached a fighter’s ultimate goal by upsetting Collins, but his post-fight victory celebration was short-lived when it was discovered that the padding had been illegally removed from Resto’s gloves by his trainer, Panama Lewis, before the fight. Resto was subsequently incarcerated and banned from the sport, while the brutally beaten Collins went into a tragic downward spiral.

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The Story Of The Harley-Davidson Empire

















HOG HEAVEN is a nostalgic rags-to-riches look at the evolution of an American motorcycle icon, from Harley-Davidson's beginnings in a Detroit shack to its current success as a multimillion dollar corporation.
The documentary includes archival footage, photos, and interviews with motorcycle historians and hog-loving celebrities like Jay Leno and Peter Fonda to chronicle a century of Harley-Davidson history.


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Discovery Channel: The Hottest Place on Earth



The Danakil Depression in Northern Ethiopia is the hottest, harshest and most scientifically rich area on Earth. There is almost no water. It is one of the most geologically active areas on the planet, where volcanoes and earthquakes rip the Earth apart, opening vast fissures in a matter of hours. And despite boasting exceptional geology, an extraordinary climate (with temps shooting to 60 C), distinctive tribal community and logic-defying wildlife - virtually nothing is known of this unforgiving region. Now, a team of top scientists and international experts - including volcanologists, anthropologists, medics, zoologists, and vets - participate in a cutting-edge, multi-discipline mission to explore one of the least known but most fascinating regions on the planet. Here, they meet the Afar, a legendary warrior tribe, who rely on their camels and goats for survival.

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One Day Of Terror: New York Witnessess



From the moment the first plane hit the World Trade Centre in New York, terror hit the city. In a unique chronicle of disaster, this BBC Correspondent Special watches from street level with New Yorkers as first the planes, then the fire and finally the collapse of the towers rock their city. There is no commentary, just powerful actuality of the bewilderment, confusion and horror of the people. It's terror: close up. Originally screened on BBC2 in the UK on the 18th September 2001. Although alot of this footage I've seen in various other 9/11 documentarys,I've never seen this one online before which is why I uploaded it.

Ripped from an old VHS tape. Join with HJ-Split.

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BBC - How Many People Can Live on Planet Earth?


In a Horizon special, Sir David Attenborough investigates whether the world is heading for a population crisis.

In his lengthy career, Sir David has watched the human population more than double from 2.5 billion in 1950 to nearly seven billion. He reflects on the profound effects of this rapid growth, both on humans and the environment.

While much of the projected growth in human population is likely to come from the developing world, it is the lifestyle enjoyed by many in the West that has the most impact on the planet. Some experts claim that in the UK consumers use as much as two and a half times their fair share of Earth's resources.

Sir David examines whether it is the duty of individuals to commit not only to smaller families, but to change the way they live for the sake of humanity and planet Earth.

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Wednesday, January 13, 2010

England's 100 greatest goals


A superb collection of goals from Kevin Keegan to Alan Shearer, Peter Beardsley to Frank Lampard

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Tuesday, January 12, 2010

National Geographic - National Parks Collection


National Parks Collection
Thrill to the wonders of planet earth with National Geographic's National Parks Collection, a seven-disc compilation showcasing the hidden beauty of our national parks. From the Grand Canyon's unexplored back country to Hawaii's hidden coral reefs, this breathtaking anthology takes you beyond the tourist hot spots to explore these amazing places as never before.

Trek to the high-altitude summit of Denali Park's Mount McKinley, kayak through the hidden secrets of the Everglades, and face the wild extremes of life in Death Valley. With stunning cinematography, National Parks Collection travels off-road to reveal the real Yosemite and Yellowstone. It's an awe-inspiring collection you'll want to journey to again and again.

Part 1: Secret Yosemite
Yosemite National Park is the most visited National Park in the United States. National Geographic goes beyond the tourist hotspots and journeys deep into the dynamic and untamed wilderness behind 12,000 square miles of awe-inspiring natural wonders few have ever seen. Known for its steep granite cliffs, impressive waterfalls and the world's largest living trees—the Giant Sequoias—this beautiful haven attracts vacationers all year round. With more than 700,000 acres of land, this terrain is home to a host of wild creatures ranging from black bears, bobcats, foxes, snakes and a variety of bats. Discover this vast wilderness as National Geographic explores the life within the wilderness found beyond the postcard-perfect views.


Part 2: Hidden Hawaii
America's newest marine sanctuary, Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, encompasses the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The monument is bigger than all U.S. national parks combined—yet the majority of this environment has never been seen. What is in this vast marine conservation area? And, what will it take to protect it? National Geographic embarks on a month-long expedition to explore stunning coral reefs, shallow water environments, and rare species unique only to Hidden Hawaii.


Part 3: Everglades
It is a World Heritage site, an International Biosphere Reserve, the most famous wetland on earth, and a cultural icon—featured in everything from Spiderman comics, to the classic movie African Queen. It's America's most controversial and endangered National Park, and—with $7.8 billion aimed at its restoration—it's also the most political. The Everglades is many things to many people, but above all else, it is a wilderness—1.5 million acres of the most extraordinary and unique habitat. More than 1,100 species of plants and 350 species of birds live here for at least part of the year, and some of those species live nowhere else on earth. We'll journey into this the Everglades on foot, by airboat, in a helicopter and by kayak to see what secrets this wild space is hiding.


Part 4: Grand Canyon
It hosts nearly 5 million tourists a year, but visitors see only a tiny fraction of the Grand Canyon's true beauty. Some of its backcountry has almost never felt the tread of a human foot. Even scientists know precious little about the canyon's 91 mammal species and more than 350 types of birds, its vegetation, and how and when it was formed. Now, National Geographic joins a rare scientific expedition to explore the canyon's entire 277-mile length. Explore the canyon's geological history, study the microscopic colonies of vegetation that survive where no other plant can and examine its many unique creatures to unlock some of the mysteries of this wonder of the world.


Part 5: Extreme Alaska Denali National Park
Located near the top of the world, Denali National Park is home to more than six million acres of extreme wilderness. Venture beyond the tourist hotspots and join National Geographic on a low-to-high-altitude trek through Denali's breathtaking ecosystems. Elevation sets the rules in this subarctic land where only the most hardy creatures—including man—can survive.
Witness remarkable moose-on-moose combat in Denali's taiga forest, follow beautiful dall sheep through the tundra's craggy rocks, and climb alongside an expedition to the death-defying summit of Mount McKinley, North America's tallest mountain. Featuring cinematography of big game, glacier crevasses, and snowcapped mountains, Extreme Alaska: Denali National Park is an absorbing adventure through one of the Earth's most remarkable places.


Part 6: Secret Yellowstone
Yellowstone is America's first and foremost National Park and its majestic beauty inspires more than 3 million visitors each year. National Geographic goes beyond the tourist hotspots and travels deep inside the 2 million acre national park to reveal the backcountry wilderness few have seen. Explore some of the 300 newly discovered waterfalls and learn how wolves, back after five decades of absence from Yellowstone, are helping restore the balance in the ecosystem alongside the grizzly bear and bison. Finally, discover how the geology of Yellowstone with its giant well of molten lava underneath the surface is sometimes more dangerous than the wildlife. So serene and yet so dangerous: this powerful drama comes alive through satellite imagery and CGI animation.


Part 7: Death Valley
Death Valley National Park is a land of extremes. It's the driest place in the United States, the lowest place in the Western Hemisphere and, at one time, the hottest single location recorded on earth. Yet here—in this seemingly inhospitable chasm—life thrives. More than 1,000 species of plant call this park home. And, several animal species found here live nowhere else on Earth. Journey with National Geographic, from the park's highest peak, at 11,049 feet, to its lowest point, a staggering 282 feet below sea-level, and meet the scientists who are working to protect this wild place as the mercury rises

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Monday, January 11, 2010

Diet: A Horizon Guide



Dr Susan Jebb takes a look through nearly fifty years of amazing BBC archive of mankind's relationship with what we eat, charting the shift from the malnutrition of the past to today's obesity epidemic.

This is the story of our attempt to control nature through the wholesale industrialisation of food production in our search for enough to eat, and the consequences of that massive shift in our diet on the shape of our bodies, and the diseases that kill us.
From the BBC's original eccentric scientist Magnus Pyke comparing the virtues of artificial additives to a Beethoven sonata, to the tragic side effects of diet pills, Horizon and the BBC have covered it all.

On her journey through the decades, Dr Jebb explores how scientists have played a crucial role both in transforming the way our food is produced, but also in attempting to understand the biological mechanisms that determine why it is that some of us have become so large.

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The Truth About Climate Change


The Truth About Climate Change is a two part documentary presented by Sir David Attenborough who asks the question 'What is the future for our world?'

Some extraordinary phenomena have taken place in recent times; Hurricane Katrina, the heat wave of 2003, polar bears swimming in search of
ice and vast swarms of insects enveloping an African village. But are these isolated incidents or are they omens of a greater global change?

Sir David discovers that the world is warming at an unprecedented rate, and finds out why this is now far beyond any normal allowance for cyclical fluctuation.
But are humans to blame? These changes are already in motion whatever we do now, but Sir David believes that we may be able to act to prevent a catastrophe.

People around the world are having to adapt their way of life as the climate changes; the Inuit in the Arctic whose hunting is now limited,
the Pacific island inhabitants forced to move as their homes disappear beneath the waves, and the Siberian homes slowly sinking into the permafrost.

Sir David investigates some of the possible scenarios for the future, including rising sea levels, insect plagues and an increase in diseases.

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Saturday, January 9, 2010

The Mystery of the Nevada Triangle


In September 2007 Sir Richard Branson's friend, the record-breaking aviator Steve Fossett,
disappeared on a pleasure flight. There were rumours that Fossett, who had made the first solo
balloon flight around the world, was in Argentina or that he had faked his death. His loss
sparked the biggest peacetime search and rescue operation in the history of the United States.

Over the ensuing weeks, reports surfaced of hundreds - even thousands - of missing aircraft in a
triangular area of the Sierra Nevada mountains that ranges from some of the highest peaks, to the
lowest point - Death Valley - in the USA.

Dating back to the early days of flight and World War II, the aircraft were lost in an area that
also includes the top-secret 'Area 51' military air base, famous for unexplained UFO sightings.

As reports of missing aircraft mounted, rumours grew of a new 'Bermuda Triangle': the so-called
'Nevada Triangle'.

While the investigators faced challenges from wind, weather and terrain, many theories appeared
to explain why so many planes had gone missing in the Nevada Triangle, from government conspiracy
and alien intervention to unusual local atmospheric effects.

This film reveals what really happened to Steve Fossett. But can it shed some light on the truth
of the Nevada Triangle?

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PBS NOVA: What Darwin Never Knew


On the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin's famous On the Origin of Species, NOVA reveals answers to the riddles that Darwin couldn't explain. Stunning breakthroughs in a new science - nicknamed "evo devo" - are linking the enigma of origins to another of nature's great mysteries: the development of an embryo. To explore this exciting new idea, NOVA takes viewers on a journey from the Galapagos Islands to the Arctic, from the Cambrian explosion of animal forms half a billion years ago to the research labs of today. Here, scientists are finally beginning to crack nature's biggest secrets at the genetic level. And, as NOVA shows in this absorbing detective story, the results are confirming the brilliance of Darwin's insights, while exposing clues to life's breathtaking diversity in ways he could scarcely have imagined.

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PBS NOVA: Killer Subs in Pearl Harbor


NOVA dives beneath the waters of Pearl Harbor to trace provocative new clues to one of the most tragic events of World War II - the sinking of the USS Arizona. More than 1,000 crew members perished in the greatest single loss of life in United States naval history. For decades, it has been thought that a bomb dropped by a Japanese aircraft sank the Arizona. But the discovery of a group of Japanese midget subs in and around Pearl Harbor has raised questions about the battleship's final hours. In this program, NOVA's team of expert investigators journey to the seafloor to explore the wreckage of the most mysterious of these subs. Did this mini-sub and its two-person crew make it into Pearl Harbor and fire torpedoes at the Arizona? NOVA pursues this puzzle with unprecedented access to the remains of the Arizona and other unique evidence, including aerial photos taken by Japanese aircraft and moving testimonials from U.S. and Japanese veterans. "Killer Subs in Pearl Harbor" is a gripping investigation of the possibility that these tiny but lethal mini-subs may have played a crucial and previously unsuspected part in the tragic events of that "Day of Infamy."

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Thursday, January 7, 2010

The Past The Other Nostradamus


He predicted World War II, the deaths of Presidents and the turmoil of the 1960s. He prophesied that Israel would become a state fifteen years before the event, and foretold the Great Depression. Many of his visions that seemed to pass unfulfilled are now being proven accurate.
His name is Edgar Cayce and to many, he is known as the other Nostradamus. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Cayce was a well-known figure in America, known for his "healing abilities" as well as his prophecies.
Cayce's predictions are documented in the transcriptions of his readings, which he gave until his death in 1945. The Other Nostradamus looks at Cayce's life and prophecies - those that have come true as well as those that have not.

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Hudson Plane Crash - What Really Happened



Inside story of Flight 1549. How does a plane lose both engines over a city, and crash lands without a single death? New footage and exclusive interviews with crew, survivors, and rescuers tell the amazing story of survival.

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BBC - If...Drugs were Legal!



Evidence from Switzerland suggests that prescribing heroin can reduce crime and increase levels of employment among addicts. While still illegal in the UK, cannabis was downgraded to a category C drug.
Would drug legalisation really reduce crime overall, and would it make drug use any safer? ”

The IF series of drama-documentaries examines the existing problems with drug prohibition and hears the arguments in favour of legalisation.
Based on rigorous research and interviews with experts, the programme hears the arguments for leaving the most dangerous drug of all - crack cocaine - illegal, and examines how a legal and regulated system of drugs would work.

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BBC - Why Beauty Matters



Philosopher Roger Scruton presents a provocative essay on the importance of beauty in the arts and in our lives.

In the 20th century, Scruton argues, art, architecture and music turned their backs on beauty, making a cult of ugliness and leading us into a spiritual desert.

Using the thoughts of philosophers from Plato to Kant, and by talking to artists Michael Craig-Martin and Alexander Stoddart, Scruton analyses where art went wrong and presents his own impassioned case for restoring beauty to its traditional position at the centre of our civilisation.

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Monday, January 4, 2010

BBC Natural World - Rainforests for the Future



Wildlife documentary. The Central African state of Gabon is devoted to wildlife conservation. Over ten percent of the country's rainforest is protected in a series of new national parks, home to abundant wildlife including elephants, gorillas, chimps and mandrills. Along the unspoilt coastline forest meets the beach and hippos are seen wallowing in the surf. It's an uplifting story of sensitive development, and a reminder of primeval Africa as it would have appeared to the first explorers.

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Discovery Channel: Are We Alone

ARE WE ALONE? ventures to Earth's strangest, most extreme regions to uncover clues to the universe's evolution. From Death Valley, California, to the glaciers of Chile; from the harsh desert climates of Africa to the lush seascapes of the Caribbean, the world's top astrobiologists and astrophysicists examine the geological record and the biological influence of life forms that created and continue to sustain life on Earth. Could this answer the profound question of whether life is possible in our own universe or beyond?

ARE WE ALONE? examines the vast scientific knowledge of the environmental conditions of several planets in our solar system gathered by numerous NASA space missions to find a surprisingly high number of planets where al
ien life might already exist or be possible, including Mars and several moons of Saturn, Neptune and Jupiter.

Geologically and biologically, Earth serves as a virtual science lab, providing many intriguing parallels to the development of life forms elsewhere, while answering many complex questions about how life adapts to and evolves in extremely harsh environments. The challenging conditions for the existence of life on our planet allows experts to posit theories of how alien life could exist or develop on other planets.


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