Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
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Franchise chains account for $90 billion a year in sales-10 percent of Canada's gross domestic product and employing over one million Canadians. Even in an economic downturn, franchising is a reliable business. Experts predict that people eager to create their own jobs in a time of uncertainty are more attracted to a proven concept. Follow Amanda and Chris Collucci as they try to sweep the world off its feet with their housekeeping franchise concept,...
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Farming in North America has become a "cash cow" for a handful of multinational corporations at the cost of the environment and rural culture. This program examines the growth of corporate factory agriculture, an industry that is capable of generating severe environmental, social, and cultural repercussions. Environmental activists and lawyers in North Carolina stress the need for a functional high-tech wastewater treatment plant to stop the pollution...
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Soviet leader Joseph Stalin tries to build an image as the sole conqueror of the Second World War as he consolidates his grip on Eastern Europe. Within Germany's borders, a game of psychological chicken between east and west leads to the dramatic Berlin Blockade and Airlift. While Americans enjoy unprecedented prosperity, Senator Joseph McCarthy's House on un-American Activities leads a witch-hunt against anyone suspected of pro-communist views. Stalin...
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The polar bear is treading on thin ice. As its frozen habitat melts away, the iconic white bear has become the standard bearer of the environmental movement. This program explores the polar bear's global appeal as a brand through the work of photographer Norbert Rosing, whose captivating images have been used by both a lobby against oil exploration and a producer of crude oil; Sarah Robertson, the filmmaker behind the cinematic documentary Arctic...
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According to education statistics across North America, boys now perform poorly compared with girls-and with boys of previous generations. What is causing this trend? What can be done to help both genders succeed? This program presents insights from experts in child development-including Dr. William Pollack, Harvard clinical psychologist and author of Real Boys, and Jean-Claude St. Amant, Senior Education Researcher at the University of Laval; it...
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When the Crisps confiscated their teenage son Brandon's Xbox, they never expected him to run away from home.or to die from injuries sustained while in hiding. Using Brandon's story as a case study, this program delves into the growing psychological problems of video game obsession and addiction. Interviews with Brandon's parents and best friend, a family therapist whose patient list includes video gamers, and a psychologist who pushed the video gaming...
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We live in a world of diet best-sellers and state-of-the-art gyms. Why, then, is obesity on the increase? This program explores a glaring paradox in North America's food-obsessed culture-that our knowledge of nutrition has never been better, while our collective health has never been worse. Viewers will gain an understanding of what food means to us socially and psychologically, as well as how the media influence our eating habits. The program also...
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Journey from Canada's wettest and most biologically diverse landscape to the temperate rainforest to the snow-capped peaks of the Rocky Mountains. Learn about wolves that fish for salmon, see head-butting male big horn sheep and ice-covered grizzly bears living near the Arctic Circle. The ancient coastal forests hide rarely told stories of human and wildlife relationships that have co-existed for thousands of years.
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How do plants and animals stave off overheating and dehydration under a relentless sun-especially when burdened with thick skins, hides, or shells? This program looks at adaptations and survival techniques that cope with intense heat, particularly in desert environments. Venturing into the Sonora Desert, viewers learn about the sprawling root system of the saguaro cactus and the water recycling abilities of the desert tortoise. Moving into the human...
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There are two different Arctics. One is the storybook land of snow and polar bears, while the other has become a breeding ground of petroleum plants and pipelines. Can the two coexist? What fate awaits the natural Arctic if the technological one expands without restraint? This program explores those questions as it follows research taking place on Bylot Island, home to a portion of Sirmilik National Park, in Canada's Nunavut Territory. Here, scientists...
12) First Flight
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Whether it's aviation devotees recreating Canada's first flight in the Silver Dart, a young immigrant taking his first flight to a dramatically different life in Canada, a fighter pilot assuming command of a CF 18, or Canadian astronaut Julie Payette being blasted into space, this episode demonstrates how flight has changed individuals and revolutionized a country.
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Private clinics, fitness classes, nutriceuticals, specialized foods and drinks-selling perfect health has become big business. This program focuses on Mom's Healthy Secrets, a breakfast cereal in search of shelf space in a major national supermarket chain. Also profiled on the show is millionaire David Patchell-Evans, founder of GoodLife Fitness. The guest experts in this episode of Fortune Hunters are health entrepreneur Hal Johnson and Bernie Hadley-Beauregard,...
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They take hundreds of years to biodegrade and have sparked heated debate around the world. This documentary examines the controversy over plastic bags, from their often devastating environmental impact to their remarkable ubiquity in consumer culture. Outlining the bag's connection to Big Oil, the film presents environmental case studies in Mumbai, where clogged flood drains have sparked plastic bag bans, and Hawaii, where plastic beach litter has...
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Baby Boomers control a large portion of North America's disposable income, so catering to their needs and wants has created many business opportunities. This program focuses on danceScape, a dance school that is capitalizing on Boomers' interest in fun physical fitness. Also profiled on the show are millionaires Ken Sim and John DeHart of Nurse Next Door, a home healthcare provider poised to become an industry leader across North America. The guest...
16) Slum cities
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Each week, in countries around the globe, nearly a million people say goodbye to their homes in impoverished rural regions-and move to even worse conditions in cities. This program explores the tragic results: illegal slums filled with some of the poorest people in the world, lacking water, sanitation, and other resources needed to support exploding populations. Viewers are shown the lives and homes of those who struggle in the slums of Mumbai, India,...
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Bouncing between Canada and the U.S., Sc@mmed exposes an urgent problem of global proportions: phishing, the illegal gathering of others' personal information online in order to steal all their money-and even their identities. Through the cautionary stories of two people who got burned, this program shows how cybercriminals use scam spam and spoof Web sites to trick people into willingly giving up their most sensitive financial and personal information....
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After a troubled childhood, years of yo-yo dieting, and adult obesity that topped 240 pounds, Marie-France Magnin opted for risky gastric bypass surgery. This program reveals the extent of the risk, describing frightening complications associated with the procedure. Interviews with Magnin and her family members highlight the operation's physical and psychological benefits and how easily they overshadow its dangers. 3-D animation outlines the anatomical...
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Shipwrecked off the coast of the mythical land of Illyria, a young woman named Viola (Seana McKenna) and her twin brother, Sebastian (Ernest Harrop), each believe the other has drowned. Disguising herself as a boy, Viola takes the name Cesario and enters the service of Illyria's Duke Orsino (Colm Feore). She is sent to woo the Countess Olivia (Maria Ricossa) on Orsino's behalf, but Olivia instead falls in love with Cesario, now love's unwilling messenger....
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I want my diaper changed. "I want to go to sleep." These are two of many examples of what a pre-verbal child can communicate through American Sign Language. Using the work of researcher Joseph Garcia, founder of the business Sign with Your Baby, as a platform, this program illustrates the benefits and positive implications of introducing ASL to children regardless of whether their hearing is impaired. Parent/child ASL creates a new source of bonding...