University of Notre Dame
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English
Description
To decrease the suffering of terminally ill patients, some doctors routinely prescribe strong painkillers-medications that, in effect, actually hasten the patient's death. What distinguishes such treatment from physician-assisted suicide? This program discusses legislative initiatives designed to protect patients from "disguised euthanasia"-and addresses the volatile question of whether such laws are a threat to the professional judgment of doctors....
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English
Description
The institution of marriage is facing strong challenges in the 21st century, as diversity and inclusivity continue to reshape its underlying principles. Supported by some and opposed by others, issues such as same-sex marriages and the raising of families outside of marriage are ongoing sources of debate. Can marriage evolve? This program focuses on the efforts of religion and society to redefine and strengthen the marriage relationship.
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English
Description
In the rising tide of the global economy, some boats are riding high, and some are being left high and dry. Moral leaders warn that global laissez-faire is producing consequences similar to those of the 19th century, when gaps between rich and poor kept thousands in abject poverty for generations. In this new era of social Darwinism, moral leaders are asking who in the world community will care for the needs of the poor, and how it will be accomplished....
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English
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The lure of gambling is the belief that a little money, well placed, will surely bring a significant return-although the belief rarely coincides with reality. This program examines gambling both as a harmless social activity and as an addiction. How some people allow gambling to consume their lives, and why they do it, is discussed by a treatment expert and a compulsive gambler. The effect of gambling on both individuals and their families is also...
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English
Description
Are prisons supposed to rehabilitate convicts, punish them, or simply keep them off the streets? The answer depends on who is being asked. This program explores the current state of prisons in America and examines their conflicting mandates. The Directors of the National Prison Project of the ACLU and the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives, the Governor of South Dakota, an Arizona sheriff, adult and juvenile inmates, and others consider...
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English
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How could Bud Welch, whose daughter died in the Oklahoma City bombing, forgive Timothy McVeigh? How did the Reverend Walter Everett move beyond his desire for revenge against the man who murdered his son? In this program, these and other remarkable individuals-people who in picking up the pieces of their shattered lives have triumphed over hate-share the details of their long, painful, and deeply personal journeys from shock and the desire for retribution...
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English
Description
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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English
Description
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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English
Description
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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English
Description
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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English
Description
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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Thanks to the efforts of dedicated visionaries, there is an intergenerational learning experience spreading across the country. This fine arts forum invites the creators and supporters of outstanding school and community programs to take center stage. Together they share the positive impact the programs are having on students and the public at large, promoting art education and helping to ensure that the nation's artistic reservoir will grow in vitality...
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English
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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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English
Description
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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English
Description
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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English
Description
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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English
Description
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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English
Description
The Information Age has been hailed as a quantum leap forward for humanity-an opportunity to finally achieve Marshall McLuhan's "global village" in which "the medium is the message. But what kind of people are being created in cyberspace? While computer technology has changed virtually all aspects of life, critics argue that this technology is contributing to the growing social isolation of individuals. This program examines just what the implications...
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English
Description
One of the most visible issues facing Judaism, Christianity, and Islam is the role of women serving religion. Because of religious and cultural conditioning in the past, women in all three religions have experienced limited roles. Today, though, their voices are being heard. This program traces women's roles in religious tradition and what it means to be a woman in these three religions today. The program also explores the cultural influences of feminism...
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English
Description
When it comes to situations involving life and death, the United States is strongly polarized. Liberals commonly support the legality of abortion as a private matter of personal choice but condemn the death penalty as inhumane, while conservatives often support execution as a form of justice but denounce abortion as legalized murder. How did these points of view become a part of the ideologies of the left and the right? This program traces the development...