March 2007

Nalini by Day, Nancy by Night (March 3-9)

Film maker Sonali Gulati (Virginia Commonwealth University) used to spot telemarketers by the way they mispronounced her Indian name. But when they started to get the name right, she knew something was up. American companies have outsourced telemarketing and customer service jobs to India where workers compete for jobs at giant call centers. Gulati visited a call center in India and discovered how Indian telemarketers acquire American names and accents, and learn about American movies, music, and TV. Her film, “Nalini by Day, Nancy by Night” is a journey into that world.

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The Ritalin Dilemma (March 10-16)

According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, approximately 20% of American children now take some type of psychiatric drug, with most taking the stimulant Ritalin (and newer medications) for Attention Deficit Disorder. Dr. David Stein (Longwood University) says Ritalin is not the answer and offers behavioral therapy as an alternative to drugs.

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Joyriders versus Jaywalkers: Collisions on the Street (March 17-23)

The coming of the automobile in 1908 brought with it a cultural battle over who had the right to use America’s roads. Peter Norton (University of Virginia) says new drivers wanted the whole road for their thrilling and dangerous new technology and labeled pedestrians “jaywalkers” for behavior that had been perfectly acceptable for years. Also: States across the country are trying to make it harder for local governments to seize property in the name of increasing the tax base. Ilya Somin (George Mason University) discusses reaction from the 2005 Kelo v. New London U.S. Supreme Court decision.

Happiness 101 (March 24 - 30)

Traditional psychology has focused on the elimination or control of negative emotions or neuroses. But Todd Kashdan (George Mason University) is part of a new generation of psychologists exploring the sometimes controversial field of Positive Psychology, which investigates what components of life make people truly happy. Also: Charles McGovern (William and Mary) says that, before the turn of the 20 th century, most Americans grew, built, or traded for what they needed. In the next several decades, we became a society of consumers, buying what we needed rather than producing it. As this happened, we came to see the very act of buying as essential to “The American Way of Life”.

Escape to Hotel Rwanda (March 31 - April 6)

Egide Karuranga (Virginia State University) is a Tutsi who survived genocide by seeking refuge in the real Hotel Rwanda. All his life, he feared the “final solution” was coming. He says events leading up to genocide follow a predictable pattern, which makes the mass killing something that can be averted. Also: Gregory H. Stanton (University of Mary Washington) is President of Genocide Watch. He describes the 8 stages that lead to genocide, including the first stage “classification” where people are labeled by race, ethnicity, religion or nationality.

Egide Karuranga is accepting donations to aid young Rwandan Genocide survivors and orphans.  For more information, email him or call 804-504-7080 .