The vibrant and eclectic cultural mix of Santiago de Cuba is obvious in the music of Cuba's second-largest city. This program spotlights performances of the following songs: "Pin Pon," by Ecos del Tivoli; "Monta al Pelo," by Aimee Campos, of Morena Son; "Pensando en Ti," by Eva Grinan; "Descripcion de un Sueno," by Gabino Jardines; "Recuerdos del Ayer," by Septeto Santiaguero; "Tirame la Pelota Maria", by La Estudiantina Invasora; "El Paralitico"...

This program savors the peaceful splendor of autumn in Kyoto. First, visits to Kozan-ji Temple, an example of early Kamakura architecture and repository of a painting by Toba Sojo; Sanzen-in Temple, immortalized by 18th-century poet Ueda Akinari; and many other temples offer views of the region's beautiful red-colored maples. Then, the video covers the autumn festival in Arashiyama, the Jidai Matsuri procession, the fire festival of Kurama, and the...

Explores Mexico's history, physical features as well as its most popular customs, activities, and food.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky's powerful meditation on faith, meaning and morality, The Brothers Karamazov is translated with an introduction and notes by David McDuff in Penguin Classics. When brutal landowner Fyodor Karamazov is murdered, the lives of his sons are changed irrevocably: Mitya, the sensualist, whose bitter rivalry with his father immediately places him under suspicion for parricide Ivan, the intellectual, whose mental tortures drive him to breakdown...

Explores Switzerland's history, physical features as well as its most popular customs, activities, and food.

Straddling two worlds of Christian belief, Slovak churches are places where Byzantine and Roman Catholic religious traditions meet and merge. This video analyzes eastern- and western-style Slovak church design in two ways: first, it points out their underlying similarities by tracing their architectural roots back to their common ancestor, the basilica of ancient Rome; then, to explain their very visible differences, it follows the history of Christianity...

Part four of the series China: Through Mao's Eyes details the watershed Nixon-Mao diplomacy, Mao's death and its aftermath, and the legacy of his rule and philosophy. Scenes showing an aged and infirm Mao meeting with foreign emissaries and CPC assemblies reveal his determination to shape policy and preserve his imposing image as long as possible. Today's citizens who look back nostalgically on Mao's reign are contrasted with a young, materialistic,...

China is vast, and so are its cities. What's more, Chinese roads, highways, and urban patterns are quickly evolving-so, now more than ever, the Western visitor must be able to ask for directions clearly and politely. Listening closely and effectively to the answers is just as important. This program presents vocabulary and phrasing that will help beginning Chinese speakers find out how to get where they're going in Beijing and elsewhere. Cultural...