San Antonio College Library

This program contrasts indigenous, community-based culture with market economics driven by multinational corporations. The film assesses the growing conflict between Burlington Resources, an American oil company licensed to prospect in regions of Ecuador, and the self-sufficient Achuar people of that country, who believe the oil industry will destroy their environment and non-materialistic way of life. Underscoring the Ecuadorian government's tendency...

Once again in the U.S., the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. Is history repeating itself? In this edition of the Journal, Bill Moyers interviews Steve Fraser, author of Wall Street: America's Dream Palace, about the modern parallels to and differences from the first Gilded Age, the big disparity between the wealthy and the impoverished, and the increasing strain on working Americans. The program also analyzes the growing inequality...

Mary, a beautiful young Afghan woman who wanted to become a doctor, looked forward to starting medical school. But she soon left Kabul University after suffering discrimination because of her gender. Following the collapse of her education, she resolved to become a journalist and to document the suppressed lives of Afghanistan's women. In a video-diary-styled commentary, Mary narrates her fascinating journey. Viewers' hearts go out to her as she shows...

"Talk of politics in the United States today is abuzz with warring red and blue factions. The message is that Americans are split due to deeply-held beliefs--over abortion, gay marriage, stem-cell research, prayer in public schools. Is this cultural divide a myth, the product of elite partisans? Or is the split real? Yes, argue authors Mark Brewer and Jeffrey Stonecash--the cultural divisions are real. Yet they tell only half the story. Differences...

"What accounts for the transatlantic divide over the regulation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs)? Alongside political institutions and economic dynamics, cultural values and identities have played a critical role. Stephan contrasts widespread concerns over the 'unnaturalness' of GMOs in Europe with more utilitarian attitudes in the US. In Europe, food and agriculture and closely connected to positive images of 'nature', while Americans have...

"As the Internet grows more sophisticated, it is creating new threats to democracy. Social media companies such as Facebook can sort us ever more efficiently into groups of the like-minded, creating echo chambers that amplify our views. It's no accident that on some occasions, people of different political views cannot even understand each other. It's also no surprise that terrorist groups have been able to exploit social media to deadly effect. Welcome...

"America has a wide digital divide: high-speed Internet access is available only to those who can afford it, at prices much higher and speeds much slower in the U.S. than they are around the world. But that doesn't have to be the case, says Susan Crawford, former special assistant to President Obama for science, technology, and innovation and author of Captive Audience: The Telecom Industry and Monopoly Power in the New Gilded Age. In this edition...

The film examines how President Obama's promise of change and unity collided with racial and political realities. Part Two examines racial tensions in America, the war for control of the GOP, and the growing dysfunction in Washington.