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Many people in the United States associate the small Central American nation of El Salvador as a country to be avoided because of the danger posed by violent gangs. Others, with longer memories, recall American involvement in the brutal civil war during the 1980s and the legacy of two million Salvadorians living in the United States. More recently, some politicians in the U.S. congress have warned that El Salvador was becoming a nation linked to other...
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The 1973 Roe v. Wade decision by the U.S. Supreme Court guaranteed women the right to an abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy. In 1981, Senator John East (R, NC) drafted the Human Life Bill, which sought to invalidate Roe by declaring that life begins at conception. In 1982, Senator Jesse Helms introduced the bill, sparking months of inconclusive debate.
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Max Kennedy is a Minuteman, one of the many American vigilantes who patrol the border with Mexico. Hunting down illegal immigrants, the Minutemen live a gritty existence in the desert. They do it from a belief that they are at the frontline of a war to save their country. Yet within Max lies a great conflict; a sympathy for the Mexicans, who he feels are destroying his country. Casting a penetrating light on the US-Mexico border issue, Max's story...
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In 2011, President Obama tested the limits of the executive branch's authority when he ordered a drone strike on Anwar al-Awlaki, an accused terrorist born in New Mexico and living in Yemen. Does the president have constitutional authority as commander in chief of the armed forces to target and kill U.S. citizens abroad, or do such actions violate the due process clause of the U.S. Constitution?
6) Closed Sea
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Closed Sea reveals the untold story of migrants who attempted to escape Libya to Italy during the 2011 war, only to be returned to Gaddafi as a result of a prior agreement with Berlusconi. This film witnesses abuses faced by those who dare to attempt an escape. Families are divided and in limbo as Gaddafi's regime crumbles and the revolution gains pace, though it is the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg that truly determines the final fate...
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Is the financial crisis of 2008 really over, or are we headed for an even bigger disaster? As this straight-talking documentary reveals, the public's distrust of the current economic climate is most definitely warranted. This story of a flawed economic system is a must watch for anyone wanting to understand the long term consequences of the US government's short term and irresponsible policies.
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In this program, Hazel Henderson and Michael Grunwald continue discussing how the cleaner, greener knowledge-rich technologies and companies are affecting the overall market. The stimulus from the Obama administration trickle into many unacknowledged areas of everyday life. Listen as they discuss the successes and failures of the stimulus and compare it to the use of Austerity in other Nations.
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Renewables, biofuels, solar, wind, and other energy sources may be alternatives to fossil fuel-but it is impossible to ignore the ubiquity of coal and the power capabilities of nuclear technology, despite their well-discussed drawbacks. This program presents a 21st-century look at these two controversial resources, which may be major players in a sustainable energy future, thanks to new developments in carbon capture and sequestration and improved...
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With 33 percent of adults and 17 percent of children obese, the United States is facing an obesity epidemic. Obesity increases risk for heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other maladies and costs the U.S. health care system nearly $150 billion a year. Should the government implement policies to fight obesity, or is this a matter of individual rights and personal responsibility?
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It is the vast, sprawling complexes of oil refineries and petrochemical plants that help make the Texan economy one of the largest in the world. But does the wealth come at too high a price to local residents? This film is an intimate portrait of a community battling not only the health effects of environmental pollution, but the corporate powers that deny their responsibility. As the refineries release millions of tons of toxins into the air each...
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Settlement expansion across Palestine is out of control-now we need to speak about the One State Solution! Is the patchwork of remaining Palestinian land now so fragmented it could never form a viable future state? This incisive film explores the question of whether Israeli settlers have destroyed all hope of return for the original occupants and asks if the One State Solution is doomed beyond hope of being salvaged.
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America has long been a nation of immigrants, built by the labor of millions who came from other lands. As the words on the Statue of Liberty proclaim, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." But today, the United States is home to millions of undocumented immigrants, and the federal government has been unable to reach a consensus to overhaul the nation's immigration laws. Are immigrants taking American jobs,...
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To most Americans, the debate over immigration policy remains an abstraction in the headlines. But for new immigrants, such policy dictates the terms of their survival in a new society. This program examines the hard-core questions surrounding current U.S. immigration. How many should we allow in? Who, if anyone, should receive preferential treatment? How should illegal immigration be handled? All of the issues are examined through the eyes of those...
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Robert Greenwald's UNMANNED: AMERICA'S DRONE WARS investigates the impact that U.S. drone strikes have across the globe. Focusing on Pakistan, the film challenges official government casualty reporting and exposes the human face of civilian victims, the far-reaching implications for the communities that live under drones, and the potential for fallout if policies are not changed.
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Less than ten percent of plastic trash is recycled, compared to almost 90 percent of metals, because of the massively complicated problem of sorting beach shoes from auto parts, discarded cell phones from drinking cups. In this TEDTalk, plastics engineer Mike Biddle talks about the logistics of plastic and metal recycling. Concerned as much about efficient reuse of plastic as he is about environmental degradation, Biddle shares how he developed an...
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In the past decade, a large influx of immigrants has expanded beyond traditional polyglot cities. This has produced a backlash, especially since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, made immigration a national security issue. Some argue that the U.S. economy demands immigrant labor, and by denying these workers legal status, the government is fostering a shadow sub-class subject to abuse. Others, contending that illegal workers depress wages...
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Does America need more or less immigration? Should we let the free market decide how many immigrant workers the economy can support? Or should a responsible government manage the flow of labor? Reason Foundation managing editor Tom Clougherty moderates a debate on immigration reform, featuring Cato Institute immigration policy analyst Alex Nowrasteh, George Mason University professor of economics Bryan Caplan, and Center for Immigration Studies executive...
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Should the United States, with its enormous military might, act as a global sheriff, policing the world's trouble spots? The proposition team argues that a policeman is necessary in an otherwise anarchic international system, and nobody besides the U.S. is capable. The opposition team argues that, necessary or not, the U.S. is in relative decline and has neither the power nor the legitimacy to play a world police role.
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The oceans are being emptied. This isn't just bad news for the 200 million people who make a living fishing, it's a crisis for planet Earth. The Marine Stewardship Council uses market forces to create sustainable fisheries, offering the world's only internationally recognized seafood eco-labeling system. It uses independent assessors who grant MSC certification only to products of sustainable fisheries, and it has grown into a major international...