Thomas Skinner

Queen Mary, Normandie, Mauretania: These great ocean liners of the Atlantic were the largest and most opulent passenger ships ever built. It was as if the finest hotels and most magnificent estates of the Western World had been put to sea. Tour their elite staterooms and swimming pools, and the below-deck immigrant quarters. Hear the real stories of the people who built and boarded them. Visit their renowned ports of call. Follow the great ships as they are drafted into combat, and witness the haunting tragedies that led the Lusitania, Titanic, and Andrea Doria to their doom.

Explore an extraordinary region where water and land life intermingle six months out of the year.

Film cameras cruise the Soviet Union's mighty Volga River, providing a view of the Russian people along its 2300-mile length, including looks at the fishing industry, a rural village, a manufacturing town and the wedding of two factory workers.

Sparkling diamonds. Exquisite emeralds. Brilliant rubies. Shimmering pearls. For centuries, these precious gems have captured humankind, leading men and women to give up fortunes - even their lives - to possess them. Join National Geographic on a journey around the globe to discover the origins of these most coveted gems. You'll see astonishing amounts of earth mined to uncover rubies in Thailand or emeralds in Colombia. You'll meet a Tennessee businessman who cultivates freshwater pearls and a California chemist who 'grows' rubies nearly identical to nature's stunning creations. And you'll witness rarely, if ever before, filmed sales of uncut diamonds - deals worth thousands of dollars sealed only with a handshake and a Hebrew phrase. Unlock a treasure chest filled with a wealth of information and the dazzling beauty of Splendid Stones.

Enjoy some of the bizarre and unbelievable creatures unique to Australia's shores as investigators and scientists probe the secrets of this infinitely varied wildlife.

It's been suggested that Americans would be better off if the United States was more like Sweden. Do the Swedes know something that we don't? Sweden: Lessons for America? A Personal Exploration by Johan Norberg delves into the economic and social landscape of the Swedish scholar's homeland. Join him to see that the lessons to be learned from Sweden may not be the ones you expect. The one-hour documentary follows Norberg on a journey through the history of Sweden's economic rise, from one of the poorest countries in the world to one of the most prosperous. The program illuminates key ideas and enterprises that sparked the reform and continue to help Sweden maintain its lofty economic position, including freedom of the press, free trade, new technology companies, crazy jobs and even an old Swedish superhero.

The Real Adam Smith: A Personal Exploration by Johan Norberg, takes an intriguing, two-part look at Smith and the evolution and relevance of his ideas today, both economic and ethical. It’s difficult to imagine that a man who lived with horse drawn carriages and sailing ships would foresee our massive 21st century global market exchange, much less the relationship between markets and morality. But Adam Smith was no ordinary 18th century figure. Considered the “father of modern economics,” Smith was first and foremost a moral philosopher. The revolutionary ideas he penned in The Wealth of Nations and The Theory of Moral Sentiments, changed the world. Norberg explores Smith’s insights regarding free trade and the nature of wealth to the present, where they are thriving and driving the world’s economy.

A documentary which shows, in great detail, the making of the 1985 Bernstein-conducted recording of the entire score of "West Side Story", featuring operatic stars.

New Zealand is a place of great natural beauty and resources, of pioneering immigrants from the Maori to the more recent settlers. They’re fierce, hardy, and strong, able to withstand challenges like the massive economic challenge they faced in the mid 1980’s. With their economy unraveling, they made huge, controversial changes, including doing away with farm subsidies and protectionist import controls. At first, it hurt. A lot. But now, the farmers and the fishers, the people and the economy, are prospering. And they wouldn’t go back to subsidies, special interests, or support for manufacturers. Travel to New Zealand with scholar Johan Norberg to meet some amazing Kiwis and see how they blazed a trail to economic prosperity.

THE SPIRIT OF PITTSBURGH celebrates the human achievement of a city's continuing Renaissance. It is the heroic story of how Pittsburgh, once plagued by industrial pollution and urban blight, was transformed in just 40 years to what it is today. It is a story told by people who were intimately involved in its change - scientists, politicians, teachers, construction workers, business and community leaders. Unique archival footage dramatically portrays Pittsburgh's past; stunning photography captures the city today - from its hills, bridges and rivers to the medical, educational and artistic communities in its mosaic of neighborhoods. This is Pittsburgh, a place whose people take pride in their heritage and in their ever-changing home. THE SPIRIT OF PITTSBURGH was commissioned by The Pittsburgh Foundation of Dollar Bank. Look for this remarkable film at its permanent home in the Renaissance Theatre of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

To those who watch television in the developed world, there doesn’t seem to be a better system on earth than the capitalist system. We are experiencing the longest economic expansion in modern history. Soviet Communism has been defeated. But make no mistake, as we will demonstrate in this program, capitalism is surprisingly vulnerable. The moment of capitalism’s greatest triumph is the moment of its greatest crisis, its “Moment of Truth”....

"We Hold These Truths" explores the promise and enduring influence of America’s Declaration of Independence, both at home and around the world.

Take a spectacular journey. It starts right here... Explore a strange and mysterious world. Explore the LAND OF THE TIGER. A rare and fascinating study of the enormous jungle cats, LAND OF THE TIGER features spectacular footage of tigers stalking their prey, caring for their young, swimming, playing... and fighting- as well as glimpses of the other animals with which the tiger shares its domain. Come as close as you dare to these wild cats in all their royal splendor as you and National Geographic journey deep into the LAND OF THE TIGER.