Stupid in America is a nasty title for a program about public education, but some nasty things are going on in America’s public schools and it’s about time we face up to it. Kids at New York’s Abraham Lincoln High School told me their teachers are so dull students fall asleep in class. One student said, You see kids all the time walking in the school smoking weed, you
Society - Page 31
Stupid in America
How Much is Your Dead Body Worth?
When veteran broadcaster Alistair Cooke died in 2004 few suspected that he was yet to uncover his greatest story. What happened to his body as it lay in a funeral home would reveal a story of modern day grave robbery and helped smash a body-snatching ring that had made millions of dollars by chopping up and selling-off over 1000 bodies. Dead bodies have
Hummingbird
In the beautiful coastal city of Recife, Brazil – a world capital for sex tourism – a couple of determined women decided they would try to break the cycle of domestic violence and get kids off the streets. Hummingbird goes onto the streets and sees the harsh reality these kids face and shows how these programs help break the cycle, giving people a chance. After reading an article
Promises
Promises presents a powerful portrait of seven Palestinian and Israeli children who live in and around Jerusalem. As filmmaker B.Z. Goldberg, who was raised in Israel, notes, They live no more than 20 minutes from each other, but they are each growing up in very separate worlds. The children include Mahmoud, Shlomo, Sanabel, Faraj, Moishe, and
Children Underground
This astonishingly intimate documentary follows five homeless children in Romania, where the collapse of communism has led to a life on the street for 20,000 children. From a 16-year-old girl who runs her gang with a mixture of brutality and compassion, to a small, intelligent, and remarkably articulate 12-year-old boy, these children seem at first feral and
War Dance
The superb documentary War/Dance reveals the redemptive power of music, even in the most horrific places. Focusing on three children in their early teens in war-torn Uganda–stoic Nancy, driven Dominic, and soft-spoken Rose–War/Dance tracks the efforts of the school of a refugee camp called Patongo to compete in Uganda’s countrywide music competition.
Darwin’s Nightmare
Some time in the 1960′s, in the heart of Africa, a new animal was introduced into Lake Victoria as a little scientific experiment. The Nile Perch, a voracious predator, extinguished almost the entire stock of the native fish species. However, the new fish multiplied so fast, that its white fillets are today exported all around the world. Huge hulking ex-Soviet cargo
F**K – A Documentary
This documentary takes a look on all sides of the infamous F-word. It’s taboo, obscene and controversial, yet somehow seems to permeate every single aspect of our culture – from Hollywood, to the schoolyard to the Senate floor in Washington D.C. It’s the word at the very center of the debate on Free Speech – and everyone seems to have an opinion. F**K exams
When We Were Pirates
After the months following 9/11 two Americans and two Norwegians travel to Bangladesh to begin an incredible journey. Born from the mind of a young adventurer, Daniel Casanova, these twenty-two year olds set out to build a traditional sailboat to sail 7,000 miles to Australia. The shoestring would-be adventurers settle down in Cox’s Bazar, a sleepy third-world
Explore China
With a population of 1.4 billion, the People’s Republic of China is vitally important to the planet. China’s rapid growth impacts the environment locally and globally. In a world affected by globalization, China embodies the phenomenon in both positive and negative ways. China’s modern society provides a better life for many but also brings with it a loss of cultural tradition