Documentary on Place

A comprehensive history of the American stage of the Vietnam War.

A comprehensive history of the American stage of the Vietnam War.

In a company so large, there are bound to be controversies, with wages, with attempts to make employees (called “associates” – and early in the history the company offered them stock) pay for some health care (the company has improved prescription drugs recently). There have been disturbing (to say the least) reports of abuses, such as associates being locked in a store, being illegally forced to work off the clock, and allegations that cleaning contractors have hired illegal aliens. There was a segment showing Wal-Mart in China.

First released in the early '50s to the public's delight, these nature documentaries were unique in their lively, fictional narrative approach to the subjects' lives, which were recreated with anthropomorphic humor and zest. Even today, and maybe more so, hearing that beavers in Beaver Valley are "always stubborn, always persistent," or that the crayfish shovel mud like "miniature bulldozers" is heartening, reminding one that Disney is The Magical Kingdom. Even more heartening is it that these scientific films, made with the latest cameras and technology, were filmic landmarks, and contain footage that David Attenborough's film crews would only dream of getting; in Mysteries of the Deep, a dolphin gives birth and there are views of coral reef that may not even exist anymore. White Wilderness takes one through the Arctic tundra, a "world of frozen chaos," showing majestic animals alongside the lemming, with their strange, suicidal tendency to jump off cliffs…..

The Danakil Depression in Northern Ethiopia is the hottest, harshest and most scientifically rich area on Earth. There is almost no water. It is one of the most geologically active areas on the planet, where volcanoes and earthquakes rip the Earth apart, opening vast fissures in a matter of hours. And despite boasting exceptional geology, an extraordinary climate (with temps shooting to 60 C), distinctive tribal community and logic-defying wildlife - virtually nothing is known of this unforgiving region. Now, a team of top scientists and international experts - including volcanologists, anthropologists, medics, zoologists, and vets - participate in a cutting-edge, multi-discipline mission to explore one of the least known but most fascinating regions on the planet. Here, they meet the Afar, a legendary warrior tribe, who rely on their camels and goats for survival.

In an isolated, high-plains community, a brilliant mathematics professor disappears from the local college without a trace. Three months later his body is discovered tied to a tree and burned beyond recognition in the remote hills south of campus. Iconoclastic author Poe Ballantine searches for clues related to the case while reflecting on his own life of wanderlust.

This World tells the story of White Horse Village, a tiny farming community deep in rural China. A decade ago, it became part of the biggest urbanisation project in human history, as the Chinese government decided to take half a billion farmers and turn them into city-dwelling consumers.