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A Battle for Water: Coca-Cola vs. India's Farmers; Strange Bedfellows: New Alliances in the Fight Over Immigration; Natural Gas Cars: Cleaner, but Better? |
| Episode Number: |
628 - Available on iTunes |
| Synopsis: |
Enticed by booming markets in India's cities, The Coca-Cola Company has pumped more than a billion dollars into the country in recent years. But in rural India, farmers say Coke factories are soaking up a precious resource: water. World Report travels to India to explore the real cost of bottling The Real Thing. Then, Arizona has passed a slew of tough new laws that target illegal immigrants and the employers that hire them. But now, an unlikely coalition of business leaders and immigrant rights groups are now fighting for a change to the laws. And finally, World Report gets behind the wheel and under the hood of a natural gas car. It runs cheaper and burns cleaner, but does one belong in your garage? |
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The New Cold War; Index: Top 5 Green Innovations; Viewfinder: Ross Ching |
| Episode Number: |
627 - Available on iTunes |
| Synopsis: |
World Report was inside Georgia as Russian tanks battered the U.S. ally; this week we tell the real story of what was happening there in the days and hours before fighting broke out. Next, a lighter turn as correspondent Paul Beban takes a look at the business of "green" in the latest edition of the World Report Index. Paul's gone searching for cooler, more cutting-edge stuff than recycled paper and Priuses, and crowns the top-5 green innovations. Finally, a World Report Viewfinder -- the series that looks at the world through the eyes of HD filmmakers. This week, we visit an extraordinary young man named Ross Ching, who is making beautiful films in his spare time between classes. |
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Inside the Mind of a Terrorist; Mavericks: The Cartoon Politician; World Report Index: The Ho Chi Minh (Golf) Trail |
| Episode Number: |
626 - Available on iTunes |
| Synopsis: |
World Report travels to a safe-house in the hills above Beirut, to talk exclusively with a notorious Arab militant who was recently released from an Israeli jail as part of a prisoner swap with Hezbollah. Who is Samir Kantar, why was he released, and is he still a threat? Next, Paul Beban introduces us to a political maverick, a candidate in Kansas who has changed the way local campaigns are run -- with a cartoon! Finally, a World Report Index. During the Vietnam War, the Ho Chi Minh Trail allowed the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong to secretly supply millions of soldiers with guns and ammo to fight American soldiers. Now, the Trail is crawling with Americans ... playing golf! It is a unique strategy to lure tourists to the new Vietnam. |
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Inside Georgia as Russia Attacks; Indians vs. U.S.: An Update; Beyond Belief: Chinese Muslims |
| Episode Number: |
625 - Available on iTunes |
| Synopsis: |
World Report is inside Georgia before and during the Russian onslaught, with exclusive access inside disputed territories. We look beyond the military story, at the roots of this conflict, America's involvement, and whether it might lead to a bigger, more dangerous fight. Next, American Indians are at war with the federal government over billions of dollars in oil and gas revenue. They say they're the victims of government mismanagement and fraud. A federal judge has now ruled for the Indians, but will they ever see any money? Finally, with the Olympics in full-swing, and Muslim separatists in Western China stepping up attacks against the government, we take a look at Islam in China. It is the latest installment of our 'Beyond Belief: The Changing Face of Religion' series. |
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Saving Michael Vick's Dogs; Mavericks: Bob Barr; Moving Museum |
| Episode Number: |
624 - Available on iTunes |
| Synopsis: |
Michael Vick, the former NFL star quarterback, is now behind bars for operating a brutal dogfighting ring. What happened to the dogs that survived the beatings, torture and fights? Then, the first of our series 'Mavericks.' This week, Bob Barr, the former right-wing Republican firebrand who is running for president ... as a Libertarian. World Report contributor Jennifer London talks exclusively with this 'Maverick.' Finally, how do you move penguins, ants, sharks, and thousands of other animals and biological specimen? Carefully, very carefully. That's what the California Academy of Science is doing as they move into their stunning new home in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park |
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Hope or Hype? Stem Cell Treatments in China; Operation Purple: A New Way for Soldiers' Kids to Cope; World Report Index: Longevity |
| Episode Number: |
623 - Available on iTunes |
| Synopsis: |
American patients are racing to China for a therapy they can't get in the U.S.: stem cell treatments for everything from MS to Alzheimers to blindness. Some say they get revolutionary treatment and can be cured. Others say it is all hype, and not science. World Report weighs the costs, the hopes, the risks as we join patients on a medical odyssey. Then, Operation Purple. Help for soldiers' kids whose parents are sent to fight in Iraq or Afghanistan: a special summer camp, where they learn key coping skills, and find a unique camaraderie. Finally, the debut of the "World Report Index". This week: which countries top the list for life expectancy? And what's the secret to staying vibrant and healthy well past 100? |
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"Can Do:" Prostitutes Take Charge; Worn Welcome: Sweden's Fraying Welcome Mat; The Front Lines of Global Warming |
| Episode Number: |
622 - Available on iTunes |
| Synopsis: |
World Report is in the back alleys of Thailand, a country that depends on the billions that sex tourism brings in every year. Now, some sex workers are fighting back in ways you wouldn't expect. Then, can Sweden's open door immigration policy survive a new wave of Muslim immigration? An influx of war refugees is transforming the country, and the economic and political strains are causing Swedes to rethink the generous welcome they give newcomers. Finally, we visit three towns in remotest Alaska. Home to native Alaskan tribes for centuries, these towns are now literally disappearing due to climate change. The residents want to move to higher ground, but need someone else to pay the billions it will take to do so. |
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Untreated Casualties: The Military's Suicide Epidemic; The Silent Epidemic: Diabetes in Kids |
| Episode Number: |
621 - Available on iTunes |
| Synopsis: |
Correspondent Greg Dobbs presents a powerful and disturbing report about the suicide epidemic in the U.S. military. Snce the Iraq war began there has been a six-fold increase in suicide attempts. Experts say that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a major cause, and that soldiers in crisis aren't getting the help that they need from the military or the VA, but the Pentagon argues that PTSD isn't a major factor in the rising suicide rates. Then, it's called the Silent Killer, because the disease wreaks medical havoc before patients know they have it. Now, diabetes is striking unprecedented numbers of Americans, and most troubling, record numbers of kids. |
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Strange Bedfellows: New Alliances in the Fight Over Immigration; The Dark Side of Economic Growth: Payatas; Ice on Mars! |
| Episode Number: |
620 - Available on iTunes |
| Synopsis: |
Arizona has passed a slew of tough new laws that target illegal immigrants and the employers that hire them. But now, an unlikely coalition of business leaders and immigrant rights groups are now fighting for a change to the laws. Next, correspondent Paul Beban takes us on a harrowing journey to a massive slum called Payatas that is dependent on the detritus of humanity. Thousands live, work, play, and pray in a sprawling garbage dump. Is this what upward mobility looks like? Finally, a potentially huge discovery by NASA's Phoenix spacecraft. While digging on the 'Red Planet,' it has discovered what scientists believe to be ice! |
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India's Rising Middle Class: A Threat to the U.S.?; Tourism Time Bomb; NASA Gets Ready for the Moon |
| Episode Number: |
619 - Available on iTunes |
| Synopsis: |
India's rapid economic growth has led to a huge increase in their middle class. In 1980 there were 65 million middle class Indians. Today, 300 million (as many as the entire population of the U.S.). By 2020 that number could double to 600 million. All of those consumers will be buying cars, houses, using fuel; in other words, living like Americans. In a word of limited resources, what does that mean for us? Many think higher prices and possibly a lower standard of living. What can be done? Next, how will the rise of millions of new leisure travelers affect popular tourist destinations? Finally, new gear for NASA's coming trips to the moon. |
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Olympic Danger: Are Athletes at Risk?; The Rise of the Russian Minigarchs; Drug Wars in Our National Forests |
| Episode Number: |
618 - Available on iTunes |
| Synopsis: |
Will Beijing's smog cloud the Summer Olympics? Elite athletes adjust expectations and training - some even drop their signature events - to compete in some of the worst air pollution on earth. The International Olympic Committee and the Chinese say the air will be clean enough. But are they telling the truth? Then, the rich and beautiful have found a new home: Moscow. World Report follows the unexpected rise of the Russian Minigarchs, and looks at how they wield power in a re-emerging superpower. Finally, Jeffrey Kaye is on the front-lines of the War on Drugs, with armed eradication teams in remote mountains destroying millions of dollars worth of marijuana plants. Incredibly, these plants are being grown in our national forests! |
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Hope or Hype? Stem Cell Treatments in China; Behind the Scenes: A Day in the Life on the International Space Station; A Launch from Earth and a Landing on Mars |
| Episode Number: |
617 - Available on iTunes |
| Synopsis: |
American patients are racing to China for a therapy they can't get in the US: stem cell treatments. World Report joins these patients through a medical odyssey to assess the costs, the hopes, the risks. Then, a video diary like no other: astronaut Garrett Reisman takes us behind the scenes in high definition at the International Space Station. And finally, while Space Shuttle Discovery launches, NASA's Phoenix has landed, beginning an extraordinary exploration of Mars. |
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Reno 911: Bracing for the Big One?; Serving Life: Inside Infamous Angola Prison; Medicine Man |
| Episode Number: |
616 - Available on iTunes |
| Synopsis: |
Reno, Nevada has been rocked by a series of earthquakes for the last few weeks. Thankfully, they've been small, but residents are rattled, and scientists aren't sure if these quakes are a lead-up to a big one, or just a seismic nuisance. Some people aren't taking any chances. Next, we visit Angola State Penitentiary in Louisiana, where the warden is resorting to unusual methods to keep the inmates in line. It's necessary, he says, when so many of the prisoners are serving life, and getting so old. Finally, an encore presentation: a modern-day medicine man high atop the Andes, searching for a little-known, powerful plant. It's been farmed by Peruvians for thousands of years, and may prove to be the next billion-dollar "miracle cure." |
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Last Chance for Peace in the Middle East?; The Weak Dollar: What Does it Mean?; Beyond Belief: The Funky Friars |
| Episode Number: |
615 - Available on iTunes |
| Synopsis: |
President Bush believes that a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians can be accomplished before he leaves office. As the President travels to Israel, we ask, does his hope have any basis in reality? Then, Paul Solman examines the weakness of the American dollar. It is hitting historic lows against the Euro and other currencies; it's worth even less than the Canadian Loonie! What does it mean for the health of our economy? Finally, an encore presentation of Beyond Belief: The Funky Friars. It's a look at a group of men breathing new life into a 2,000 year-old church. |
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Untreated Casualties: The Military's Suicide Epidemic; Viewfinder: A Student's Eclectic Visions |
| Episode Number: |
614 - Available on iTunes |
| Synopsis: |
This week, correspondent Greg Dobbs presents a powerful and disturbing report about the suicide epidemic in the U.S. military. It has become a terrible trend -- suicides up some 20% last year; since the Iraq war began, a six-fold increase in suicide attempts. Experts say that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a major cause, and that soldiers in crisis aren't getting the help that they need from the military or the VA. Dobbs talks to two soldiers who attempted suicide, and the family of a marine reservist who took his own life. They say he was denied treatment for what was obviously PTSD. The Pentagon argues that PTSD isn't even a major factor in the rising suicide rates. These men and women are the 'untreated casualties' of war. On a lighter note, we visit with an extraordinary young man named Ross Ching, who is making beautiful films, in his spare time between classes. It's a World Report 'Viewfinder.' |
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Making Green by Going Green; A New SUV Tax?; BAM: The Concussion Epidemic in Kids; Viewfinder: The Earth from Space |
| Episode Number: |
613 - Available on iTunes |
| Synopsis: |
An Earth Day report: Tiny Denmark is making billions selling green technologies around the world. They've replaced dying industries with cutting edge, environmentally friendly manufacturing. They're now a world leader, and the U.S. is lagging far behind. How did this happen, and what can be done? Next, the mayor of London has imposed a big (some say draconian) tax on the use of SUVs in the central city. It is in the name of clean air, but is it fair? Next, concussions in kids' sports. It's happening more and more, and the consequences can be devastating. But many schools aren't equipped to handle them. An innovative new program is aiming to change that. Finally, an Earth Day Viewfinder -- extraordinary new images of our planet in HD, as captured by NASA astronauts. |
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New Orleans' Toxic Trash: Turning Wetlands to Wasteland?; The Lost Boys: Outcasts from a Polygamist Cult; Charlie Sifford |
| Episode Number: |
612 - Available on iTunes |
| Synopsis: |
Enough trash to fill the Louisiana Superdome many times over -- some of it's toxic, and dangerously close to New Orleans' water supply. World Report investigates the noxious threat from post-Katrina cleanup. Then, boys cast out from their polygamous sect. What were their lives like inside this closed world, and who will help them now? Finally, we meet a man who in many ways made Tiger Woods possible. Charlie Sifford is for golf what Jackie Robinson was in baseball. He broke the color barrier, but only at great personal cost. As all eyes turn to Augusta, Georgia, for the Masters, we have a candid interview with Charlie Sifford about race, sports and what can and can't be forgiven. |
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Saving Michael Vick's Dogs; In Fear and Forgotten: Iraqis Who Helped the US; The Funky Friars: Catholicism's New Groove |
| Episode Number: |
611 - Available on iTunes |
| Synopsis: |
Michael Vick, the former NFL star quarterback, is now behind bars for operating a brutal dogfighting ring. What happened to the dogs that survived the beatings, torture and fights? Some say they should be put to sleep, but families we met say adoption is the better option. Is that safe? Next, Iraqis who supported US goals for their homeland, and helped Americans, are now being hunted down by insurgents. They're pleading for asylum in the United States, but the vast majority are finding the doors to the U.S. shut tight. Finally, the 'Funky Friars.' How one religious order is breathing new life into a 2000 year-old church. |
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The Medicine Man: Can He Find the Next Cure?; White Clay, Nebraska, Pine Ridge Reservation and Alcohol; Big Bang: Unregulated Explosives |
| Episode Number: |
610 - Available on iTunes |
| Synopsis: |
World Report's Michael Davie joins a modern-day medicine man high atop the Andes, to search for a little-known, powerful plant. It's been farmed by Peruvians for thousands of years, and may prove to be the next billion-dollar miracle cure. Then, Greg Dobbs reports from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, where elders banned liquor because of an epidemic of alcoholism. Trouble is, they can't stop white store owners from selling 6-packs right across the border. And finally, it is a powerful explosive, that is completely unregulated and available, with no background check, on the internet. How is this possible in this day and age? |
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Genocide: Who Cares?; Venezuela: Hugo Chavez's Black Magic |
| Episode Number: |
609 - Available on iTunes |
| Synopsis: |
It is a recurring theme throughout history -- one group killing thousands, millions, because of their religion or ethnicity. Always necessary are the silent onlookers, who do little to stop it. Why are we so slow to react to genocide? Why don't we care? One scientist is trying to answer that question, and figure out what to do about it. Next, HDNet World Report takes viewers deep inside a secret world in Venezuela showing how President Hugo Chavez mixes a brew of government handouts, superstition and religion to extend his anti-US influence throughout Latin America. |
