John D. Vairo Library   Brandywine

Interdependence of life [videorecording] 
Angel, Charlotte.
On planet Earth, no living thing is an island. This identifies the world's ecosystems as it explains the flow of energy and the cycling of matter within them. Terms such as biosphere and biome, biotic and abiotic, autotrophs (producers) and heterotrophs (consumers), and the food web are defined, and ecology and conservation as fields of study are explored. Rainforests serve as a timely and powerful example of the interdependence of life at the global level--and the devastating worldwide effects of deforestation.. (from CAT entry)

Pray the Devil back to hell [videorecording]
Disney, Abigail E.
Documentary about a group of brave and visionary women who demanded peace for Liberia, a nation torn to shreds by a bloody civil war, violent warlords and a corrupt Charles Taylor regime. Includes interviews, archival images, and scenes of present-day Liberia together to recount the experiences and memories of the women who were instrumental in bringing lasting peace to their country. (from CAT entry)

Mind in motion [videorecording]
InformAction Films.
Documentary that explores the latest scientific discoveries about the human brain. Includes interviews with scientist Walter J. Freeman, Maurice Ptito, Vilayanur Ramachandran, Lionel Naccache, Bruno van Swinderen. (from CAT entry)

Global climate regions [videorecording] Nolan, Mary Lee.
Introduces geographical classification strategies based on a simplified version of the Koppen system. The video identifies the characteristics of the following zones: humid tropical climates, wet-dry tropics, dry climates, subtropical and mid-latitude deserts and steppes, humid mid-latitude climates, humid subtropics, summer dry subtropics, marine west coasts, humid continentals, sub-arctic climates, polar climates, tundra, and higland climates. Illustrated with simple maps and colorful footage climatic regions are brought to life through the coverage of wildlife, people at work and play, representative landscapes and types of vegetation. (from CAT entry)

Fate of the oceans. Plundering the oceans [videorecording] Sandison, Hilary:
Almost without exception, fishing grounds all over the world are being recklessly exploited. This program brings the global problem to light, making clear that our planet is approaching an environmental crisis. It examines methods that are widespread in India's fisheries, including the use of nets so finely meshed that even seawater only trickles out; it also explores the waters of the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic, where tuna and cod populations are not only shrinking but quite possibly doomed. The assault by land-based polluters on coastal fishing areas is documented as well. Industry's self-destructive approach is perhaps best exemplified by a story from Bali, where new hotels were made from local coral - leaving fish species without a habitat and snorkeling tourists with no fish to see. - Container. (from CAT entry)

Aquatic biomes [videorecording] Bailey, Amanda:
Forms part of a series designed to provide an understanding of interdependent ecological communities or biomes. Introduces a variety of the world's aquatic biomes, including rivers, lakes, wetlands, intertidal zones, coral reefs, and kelp forests. Describes the characteristics of saltwater and freshwater environments and the diverse plants and animals that inhabit them. Looks at the importance of evolution and adaptation for aquatic species. (from CAT entry)

The hidden face of fear [videorecording] ARTE France:
Studying the traumatic impact of 9/ll, neuroscientists and psychologists are approaching a common understanding of how the brain's fear circuitry works, and changes. The film features interviews with some of the world's leading experts on fear and memory, including neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux, Nobel Prize-winning neurobiologist Eric R. Kandel, neuropsychiatrist David Silbersweig, and other psychologists and neuroscientists at New York University's Center for the Neuroscience of Fear and Anxiety. (from CAT entry)

The baby human [videorecording] Bernier, Tamara:
Experience the first two years of a child's life just as they do. This groundbreaking program reveals what only the little ones know. What is their most profound need? How do they really see their parents? What does it feel like to struggle to walk or learn to speak? (from CAT entry) 

The baby human 2 [videorecording] Spidell, Kip:
Imagine being thrust into a world where you cannot speak, movements are limited and in order to survive you must unravel the meaning behind a maze of sights and sounds. This is the world of a baby. Takes a look inside the mind of a baby, revealing how they think, communicate and observe. It's an incredible journey that each of us has taken, but which none of us remembers. Get a carpet-and-crib-eye view of what it means to be a baby. (from CAT entry)

Pi [videorecording] Aronofsky, Darren:
A brilliant mathematician teeters on the brink of insanity as he searches for an elusive numerical code that will allow him to predict patterns in the stock market. (from CAT entry)

Bruce Almighty [videorecording]
Shadyac, Tom:
Bruce Nolan is a discontented TV reporter who believes the entire universe is stacked against him. After a bad day, Bruce flies into a rage and blames God for making his life so miserable. God responds by endowing Bruce with all of His divine powers and challenges him to take on "The Big Job" to see if he can do it any better. (from CAT entry)

My fair lady [videorecording]
Warner Bros. Pictures ; screenplay by Alan Jay Lerner ; produced by Jack L. Warner ; directed by George Cukor:
"In this beloved adaptation of the Broadway stage hit, Hepburn plays a sassy, working-class London street vendor, whom an arrogant professor attempts to turn into a sophisticated lady through proper schooling. But, when the humble flower girl blossoms into the toast of London's elite, her teacher may have a lesson or two to learn himself."--Container. (from CAT entry)

Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei! [videorecording] = The edukators Weingartner, Hans:
Three radical activists like to make their point by breaking into the homes of the wealthy, rearranging their belongings and leaving cryptic messages. When one such break-in goes wrong, they are forced to kidnap a wealthy businessman. (from CAT entry)

Sacred soil [videorecording] Carrescia, Olivia:
This non-profit organization exhumes as many as 1,000 bodies a year, attempting to identify the victims of army massacres and to return the remains to their families for burial. (from CAT entry)

Alternative energy sources [videorecording]: geothermal, wind, water Increase Video (Firm):
The need for energy is as old as humankind. From the dawn of civilization, people have been searching for new and more efficient sources of energy to cook their food and provide their shelter with heat and light. Some of the most recent areas of exploration in the ongoing search for new energy sources have, in fact, been available to us from the beginning of time : The wind, the water and geothermal energy, utilizing the heat from the core of the planet. In this comprehensive and informative presentation, methods for the derivation of energy from some of these lesser publicized energy sources are discussed, covering aspects from how they work, the history of their exploitation, relative shortcomings and advantages, and their future potential. The use of windmills, from ancient to modern times is covered with emphasis placed on the need to supplement this erratic energy source to increase their effectiveness. In the area of water power, the use of tidal power, wave energy , and the energy to be derived from kelp farms are elaborated upon. with emphasis on their value in terms of a nonexpendabel energy source. Finally, geothermal energy sources, especially progress made in the twentieth century in harvesting our planet's heat, is discussed. Special mention is made of the worldwide availability as well as its successful utilization around the world today. (from CAT entry)

Rebellion [videorecording] Haslam, Alex:
"As time creeps by, the exercise of reward and punishment and the friction of social inequality within the microsociety of prison take their toll, fraying nerves among the prisoners and generating anxiety among the guards. In this episode, two inmates form an unlikely alliance-and the guards are taken by surprise when three prisoners launch a nighttime revolt. Contains harsh, inflammatory, and explicit language. A BBCW Production. (60 minutes)"--FMG website. (from CAT entry)

Seven years in Tibet [videorecording] Annaud, Jean-Jacques:
Heinrich Harrer is an Austrian national and a Nazi sympathizer. He leaves Austria in 1939 to climb a mountain in the Himalayas. Through a series of circumstances (including POW camp), he and fellow climber Peter Aufschnaiter become the only two foreigners in the Tibetan holy city of Lhasa. There, Heinrich's life changes forever as he becomes a close confidant to the young Dalai Lama. (from CAT entry)

Whose life is it anyway? [videorecording] Cooney, Ray:
Gifted sculptor Ken Harrison is involved in a car accident, and is paralyzed from his neck down. All he can do is talk, and he wants to die. In the hospital he makes friends with the staff, and they support him when he goes to trial to be allowed to die. (from CAT entry)

Sliding doors [videorecording] Howitt, Peter:
A London woman's love life and career both hinge, unknown to her, on whether or not she catches a train. (from CAT entry)

The life of David Gale [videorecording] Parker, Alan:
David Gale was an active member of Deathwatch, an anti-capital punishment activist group. Constance is a fellow Deathwatch activist. When Constance is found raped and murdered, Gale is convicted of the crime. Now Gale awaits execution, and with less than a week before his date with the fatal injection, Gale agrees to tell his story to Bitsy, a nervy journalist from a major newsmagazine. As she discusses the facts of the murder with Gale, it occurs to her that the details simply don't add up. Soon a mysterious stranger begins to slip evidence to her that suggests Gale has been framed. (from CAT entry)

Siddhartha [videorecording] Hesse, Hermann:
A young man's spiritual odyssey, filmed on location in Rishikesh and Bharatpur, and based on Hesse's novella. (from CAT entry)

Human nature [videorecording] Robbins, Tim:
Go for a walk on the wild side in this deliciously twisted tale about three strangers caught in a hair-raising love triangle -- Puff who was raised as an ape in the wild, Lila, who had once fled to the woods after hair entirely covered her body, and her boyfriend Nathan, who was brought up so strictly that his life now revolves around scientifically training white mice in proper etiquette. (from CAT entry)

Wheel of time  [videorecording] Stupetíc, Lucki:
Wheel of Time is filmmaker Werner Herzog's gorgeously photographed look at the largest Buddhist ritual in Bodh Gaya, India. (from CAT entry)

Zhongguo de lao fang zi [videorecording] Li, Yuxiang:
Documentary of traditional architecture of China. Narrated in Mandarin with partial Chinese subtitles.(from CAT entry)

Against all odds [videorecording] : inside statistics. Amabile, Teresa:
Disc 1. What is statistics? ; Picturing distributions ; Describing distributions ; Normal distributions -- disc 2. Normal calculations ; Time series ; Models for growth ; Describing relationships -- disc 3. Correlation ; Multidimensional data analysis ; Question of causation ; Experimental design -- disc 4. Blocking and sampling ; Samples and surveys ; What is probability? ; Random variables -- disc 5. Binomial distributions ; Sample mean and control charts ; Confidence intervals ; Significance tests -- disc 6. Inference for one mean ; Comparing two means ; Inference for proportions ; Inference for two-way tables -- disc 7. Inference for relationships ; Case study. (from CAT entry)

Defending terrorists [videorecording]. MacMahon, Edward:
Attorney Edward MacMahon talks about his defense of convicted 9/11 terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui and Guantanamo Bay prisoner Walid Muhammad Salih bin 'Attash, charged with bombing the USS Cole and training the 9/11 terrorists. (from CAT entry)

The post-Guantánamo era [videorecording]. Chesney, Robert:
Examines the issues involved in closing the Guantánamo Bay Detention Center. (from CAT entry).

A Mayan trilogy [videorecording] : life, death & migration : three films  Carrescia, Olivia:
Three documentaries on the social conditions of the Guatemalan Indians in Todos Santos Cuchumatán, Guatemala and the United States. (from CAT entry)

Killer's paradise [videorecording] Portenier, Giselle:
"Since 1999, more than two thousand women have been murdered in Guatemala, with the numbers escalating every year. Yet lawmakers and government officials just turn a blind eye ... Uncovers one of the most emotionally wrenching human rights abuses taking place, while exposing the impunity allowed by an inept judicial system"--Cover. (from CAT entry)