University of Notre Dame
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Some states and Native American tribes rely on legalized gambling as an essential source of income. But has this income really benefited those it was supposed to help? This program explores the question by weighing the financial benefits derived by host communities against the casino's detrimental effects on local business. Are casinos investing in communities, as suggested by supporters, or diverting the money elsewhere? Living conditions among those...
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Marriages, they say, are supposed to last forever. Why then have courts and legislatures made it so much easier to get a divorce? How did they imagine it would help society? And have women and children really reaped the intended financial and social benefits? This program examines the state of divorce in America as it argues that the time has come for the pendulum of legislation to swing the other way, once again making divorces harder to obtain.
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Men are marching on Washington, finding religion, taking on new community responsibilities, bonding with each other, weeping openly, and discussing their relationships. Just what are men up to, and what, exactly, has prompted this drastic change in behavior? Some say it is the natural outcome of the feminist movement and the resulting change in male roles. Perhaps. This program profiles the new "men's movement," explores the various reasons why men...
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For centuries, people have counted on science to provide them with objective answers to questions about the world of nature. But on pressing environmental issues such as global warming and ozone depletion, some special interest groups are striving to bend science to their agendas. Spinning data into webs of rhetoric, such groups run the risk of creating more confusion than clarity, fostering a paralysis of public opinion and environmental policy....
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Cultural values often encourage young people to aspire to high-paying, high-profile jobs-ones that ensure expensive houses, cars, clothes, and everything money can buy. Recently, however, a movement toward spiritual fulfillment has become evident among youth through their growing attraction to both traditional religions and nontraditional New Age sects, and even through such unlikely avenues as contemporary music. This program explores this movement...
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From mud-slinging ad campaigns to the public airing of dirty laundry, the words coming from America's political class in recent years have done more to disillusion than inspire. At what point will cynicism, indignation, or outright anger cause substantive changes in the guidelines for attaining-and remaining in-office? This program appraises the alarming decline in popularity of politics among the electorate and suggests possible approaches to restoring...
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Union membership continues to lag and even the term "collective bargaining" carries a decidedly un-American connotation. Why have labor unions lost much of the influence they once exerted on the U.S. economy? In this program, a variety of labor leaders and social and political activists examines the dynamic shift in labor-management relations over the past four decades that has changed the face of the American workplace. Among those interviewed are...
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America's healthcare system frequently leaves patients feeling shortchanged, while physicians are forced to overdose on paperwork and managed care companies are helpless to cap their soaring costs. What is the future of this system, as the tidal wave of Baby Boomers surges toward retirement? This program analyzes the symptoms of America's healthcare ills and suggests a prescription for potential cure. Experts include Professor Uwe Reinhardt, of Princeton...
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From the celebrated cowboy gunslingers of the Wild West to the rags-to-riches story of Horatio Alger, Americans have glorified the rugged, self-reliant individualist who saves the day or builds a fortune. But what are the long-term consequences of seeking personal gain and glory? Are we becoming a selfish nation, more concerned with personal fulfillment than the common good of the larger society? This program examines the shift toward cultural and...
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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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While politicians grapple with reforming welfare, those who receive benefits worry about how welfare reform will affect their lives. Critics of welfare argue that it has created a psychology of dependency, and that it is rife with fraud and abuse. This program traces the history of welfare beginning with the Depression, then examines the complex issues involved in reforming it. Experts discuss various reform plans within the context of who is likely...
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In today's high-tech, multimedia business environment, ads must be slick, sensational, and sophisticated if they hope to stand out from the competition. This program examines how truth in advertising has gotten lost in this competitive frenzy, and how consumers can learn to separate fact from fiction in the confusing barrage of hype and half-truths. Two advertising executives discuss how companies develop ads, and how consumer audiences are targeted....
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Recent U.S. Census figures provide dramatic testimony to the growth of the Latino population. This program looks at the "Three Houses of Latino Culture"-Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American-and their widespread influence from entertainment to politics to economics. Key issues include how long Hispanics have been in America and how U.S. immigration laws affect their assimilation. Interviews with Latino community leaders-university presidents,...
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Recent statistics indicate that more than two million students in the U.S. are taught at home. Why are so many parents opting to educate their children themselves? Are they wary of violence in public schools? Do they lack confidence in what they perceive as a one-size-fits-all approach to learning? Or are they intent on adding a fourth R, religion, to the traditional three? This program examines the homeschooling phenomenon with Chris Klicka, director...
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Topping a million per year, the number of divorces in the United States has tripled since 1960, and one in three babies in America today is being born to single parents. A growing body of evidence suggests that these trends are threatening the very fabric of society. Is it too late to infuse new life into a time-honored relationship? This program spotlights the efforts of those committed to saving and promoting the institution of marriage.
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Though Hispanic people journey to the United States from different homelands, do they all share the same heritage and concerns? This program takes a detailed look at the fastest-growing minority in the U.S. and what it means to be Latino and American. The documentary contrasts the experience of being a Latino in a flourishing ethnic neighborhood of a big city with living in a small town, where many Latinos feel isolated. Interviews with individuals...
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Thanks to recent advances in medicine, longevity is on the rise. But will America's youth-oriented society finally develop the maturity to respect its elders? And will the Medicare and Social Security infrastructures be able to meet the needs of the Baby Boomers? In this program, experts including medical ethicist David Solomon, the directors of the Aging with Dignity Institute and the Forever Learning Institute, and the author of Another Country..Navigating...
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This program examines current immigration policy within the context of our historical role as a melting pot for diverse nationalities. The growing political debate over the influx of illegal immigrants from Latin America is discussed by political leaders-some of whom advocate rights for the illegals, and some of whom do not. New York Mayor Rudolph Guiliani, Governor of California Pete Wilson, and Doris Meissner, Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization...
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Do Americans still hold certain truths to be self-evident? Do all human beings possess inalienable rights endowed by their creator? Are all lives of equal value? And if so, how do those core beliefs translate into public policy on issues such as healthcare, poverty, abortion, capital punishment, and euthanasia? This program explores what the late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin called a "consistent ethic of life," explaining how it might be used as a framework...
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This program weighs the financial savings of a reformed welfare system against our responsibility to those who need help. Political and religious leaders discuss the feasibility of establishing a new system that works to eliminate the problems of crime, drugs, poverty, and unwanted births. Critics and supporters of current reform efforts discuss their views. Those interviewed include a New Hampshire State Senator, and a single father and welfare recipient....