The wretched and landless poor have existed from the time of the earliest British colonial settlement. They were alternately known as waste people, offals, rubbish, lazy lubbers, and crackers. By the 1850s, the downtrodden included so-called clay eaters and sandhillers, known for prematurely-aged children distinguished by their yellowish skin, ragged clothing, and listless minds....

This film provides insights into the challenges and opportunities faced by families in three contrasting communities in Costa Rica. Developed for an innovative teaching collaboration between Southern New Hampshire University and earth University, the film looks at key community economic development issues as seen by the region's residents, by earth University students working in the communities, and by experienced University faculty. The video includes...

Filmmaker Phil Agland reveals the everyday drama and passion of contemporary China, a country steeped in tradition and wracked by change, by focussing on life in one small town. Interwoven throughout the four segments of this documentary are the stories of a gang fight, in which one boy is killed, and the subsequent police investigation; a hill country teacher who leaves his charges temporarily in the care of a substitute while he takes a course to...

Today's Mexico is presented through the experiences, opinions and adventures of hundreds of Mexicans from all walks of life: not politics, nor statistics, but the personality of a nation grafted onto deep, indigenous roots by a European invader that still was entwined in feudal customs and superstitions. This narration takes readers through Mexico City, through its suburbs rich and poor, into its ceremonies--Christian and pre-Christian--and on journeys...