November 2003
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First Week (November 1 to November 7)
Every Business Needs an Angel
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What's the most important thing required to start a new business?
Money! But often, funding is the missing ingredient that prevents
an entrepreneurial idea from becoming a successful enterprise. Sure,
you can ask friends and family for a $1,000 here or there, and the
bank might be willing to lend you some money. But, how do entrepreneurs
connect with larger investors who might be looking to create the
next big thing? John May (UVA) and Susan Chaplinsky (UVA)
discuss the new phenomenon of "angel investors" and how
to find and court them.
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Second Week (November 8 to November 14)
Special Education: In Search of Better
Angels
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People with mental and physical disabilities are required by law
to have equal access to an education and a livelihood. But cutbacks
in federal and state appropriations threaten many programs that
help those who need a little extra care. J. David Smith (UVA-WISE)
says people with disabilities are part of the human family, and
our society is incomplete without everyone. Also featured: Virginia
faces a shortage of qualified special education teachers, especially
in rural and urban areas. What makes a good special education teacher,
and how can we find more of them? Steve Tonelson (ODU) is
working to train the next generation of special needs teachers via
distance learning.
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Third Week (November 15 to November 21)
Living Donor Transplants
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Thousands of Americans who suffer from liver disease die each year
while waiting for a transplant. It has been the case that these
patients must wait for an organ donor to die first. But surgeons
at the University of Virginia are trying to make it safer for volunteers
to donate half of their liver to those in need. Dr. Carl Berg
(UVA) is the director of hepatology and Dr. Tim Pruett (UVA)
is the director of the medical center's transplant department.
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Fourth Week (November 22 to November 28)
Not Your Father's P.E.
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The field of physical education has gone through dramatic changes
over the past 25 years. It's even gotten a new name - kinesiology.
While P.E. is still about getting people physically fit, it's also
about the role movement plays in our human experience. John Charles
(W&M) heads a kinesiology department and uses texts like
"Zen in the Art of Archery" to examine the relationship
between wisdom and human movement. Ken Kambis (W&M) trained
an 81-year-old man to climb to the top of Mount Rainier in Washington
State. And biomechanics professor Ray McCoy (W&M) is
experimenting with new therapies to improve the gait of people with
Parkinson's disease.
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Fifth Week (November 29 to December 5)
Conscientious Objectors in the Shenandoah
Valley
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When America began drafting soldiers for World War I, a legal right
to abstain from fighting was encoded in law. But many conscientious
objectors sent to work for the medical corps were beaten for their
views. During World War II, pacifist churches like the Quakers and
the Mennonites worked with the military to design a Civilian Public
Service for those who chose not to fight. A new documentary produced
by WVPT Public Television tells the story of how many in the Shenandoah
Valley help their country through public service instead of fighting.
Philosopher Bill O'Meara (JMU) is the film's director, and
history professor Albert Keim (Eastern Mennonite University)
is the assistant director.
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