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The Library DVD Shelf

Pilates! A Gentle Formula to a Strong Body
Risa Sheppard
Sheppard Method
2180 Westwood Blvd. # 2b, Los Angeles, CA 90025
B003D1A3OG, $19.95 www.sheppardmethod.com

Pilates! A Gentle Formula to a Strong Body is a fine pick covering the
Sheppard Method of Pilates - a classic form here presented in two
thirty-minute mat workout sessions, one for beginners, one for
intermediates. Each workout provides flexibility and strength with all
moves clearly explained and illustrated from a Pilates instructor who
does personal training and private classes, and certifies instructors
in The Sheppard Method. Any exercise DVD library will welcome this.

Imagine This
PBS
c/o SSA Public Relations
15260 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 1730, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
www.ssapr.com www.ImagineThisTheMusical.com
9781608832170 $18.98 CD
9781608832163 $24.99 DVD

The profound new musical "Imagine This" (115 min.) is now available on
DVD, and its soundtrack is available on CD. Set in the Warsaw Ghetto
of Poland in the bleak year 1942, "Imagine This" follows a group of
actors who seek to keep the dream of resistance and hope alive by
performing the epic tale of "Masada", an ancient Judean mountain where
a small band of rebels dared to hold back 10,000 Roman soldiers. The
DVD of "Imagine This" records a memorable live performance from
London's West End; special features include bonus songs "Salome's
Lament" and "No More", printable educational materials, and a 35-
minute panel discussion including cast members, the show's director,
and Holocaust scholar Thane Rosenbaum. The CD of "Imagine This"
contains virtually the entire soundtrack, vividly performed. Both are
excellently performed, and deserve inclusion in the libraries of
anyone who enjoys the power of a profound and serious musical. Also
highly recommended from PBS are the documentaries "My
Lai" (9781608832101, $24.99, 90 min.) and "Art & Copy" (9781608832255,
$24.99).

PBS
c/o SSA Public Relations
15260 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 1730, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
www.ssapr.com

Two new episodes of the award-winning science documentary "NOVA",
originally broadcast on public television, are now available on DVD.
"The Pluto Files" (9781608832040, $24.99, 56 min.) is based on Neil
deGrasse Tyson's book of the same name, and features a commentary from
Tyson himself. "The Pluto Files" explains the controversy about Pluto,
and why the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium
ceased to call Pluto a planet. Yet the concept of Pluto as a planet
has captured so many hearts and minds - why is Pluto so cherished in
the public's imagination? Could more Pluto-like celestial bodies exist
within the Kuiper belt? "Extreme Cave Diving" (9781608832019, $24.99,
56 min.) features Dr. Kenny Broad as a guide to underwater caves that
formed during the last ice age. With the aid of climatologists,
paleontologists, and anthropologists, Broad guides the viewer in an
extraordinary tour of some of the most remote, mysterious, and little-
explored places left upon the earth. Both DVDs are superb additions to
any school or public library collections, and enthusiastically
recommended for their fascinating presentation as well as for their
educational value.

Crystal Productions
PO Box 2159, Glenview, IL 60025-6159
www.crystalproductions.com 1-800-255-8629

Handcrafts expert Peggy Flores presents two more instructional DVD
titles designed to teach viewers of all skill and experience levels
how to make beautiful objects. "Creating Fiber Weavings and
Baskets" (9781562906528, $29.95) reveals how to make yarn weavings
with nothing more elaborate than a cardboard or coat hanger loom. Step-
by-step demonstrations of the basic weaving process, as well as how
coiling rope wrapped with yarn can shape practical baskets, make
"Creating Fiber Weavings and Baskets" amazingly easy to follow, given
the elaborate, colorful, and practical finished products. "Wire
Sculpture" (9781562906542, $29.95) instructs viewers in the elements
of line, space, and shape as well as the use of tools to cut and bend
wire, when creating three-dimensional wire art. Demonstrations and
examples abound in this amazing guideline to superlatively blending
one's skill and creativity. Both DVDs are excellent additions to any
art classroom's library, and choice picks for budding artists seeking
to experiment in a variety of media.

Tapped
Bullfrog Films, Inc.
PO Box 149, Oley, PA 19547
1594589399 $295.00 www.bullfrogfilms.com

An award-winning documentary on DVD from the producers of "Who Killed
the Electric Car?", Tapped explores the dark side of the bottled water
industry. Human beings need clean drinking water to live. It is legal
in some states for gigantic bottled water companies to suck public tap
water sources dry (even when shortages force residents to ration
water) then repackage and resell it at a gigantic markup - with
infinitely less regulatory oversight than there is for tap water (and
bottled water sold in the same state as it is pumped is virtually
unregulated) - but is it ethical? Is the plastic used to create the
water bottles truly safe for humans to put in their mouths? Perhaps
worst of all is America's catastrophic overall failure to recycle
plastic water bottles, resulting in an avalanche of non-biodegradable
waste being pitched into landfills, or even straight into the ocean,
where plastic bottles form a large part of a floating ocean garbage
mound hundreds of square miles large. The bottle deposit laws of some
states have been a proven, highly effective method to promote
recycling - but because it incurs a minor expense the enormously
profitable bottled water industry (an expense otherwise borne by
everyone who has to cope with improperly disposed plastic bottle),
corporations fight such legislative measures tooth and nail. Corporate
control over public water supply, and corporate refusal to help
shoulder the burden of recycling the mounds of plastic trash that are
the byproducts of its profit, can only be combated by political
activism - ordinary citizens getting involved and laying claim to
their water rights, as well as their rights to a clean environment. A
must-see, highly recommended documentary guaranteed to make viewers
think twice before paying through the nose for what is essentially
bottled (and smartly advertised) tap water. 75 and 54 minute versions
of Tapped are available on the same DVD. Two more highly recommended
documentaries from Bullfrog Films are Megamall (159458916X, $295.00)
and Dirt! The Movie (1594589402, $295.00).

Liberty Fund, Inc.
8335 Allison Pointe Trail, #300, Indianapolis, IN 46250-1684
www.libertyfund.org 1-800-955-8335

Liberty Fund presents two excellent DVD additions to their
"Intellectual Potrait Series". "A Conversation with Forrest
McDonald" (9780865978225, $22.00) presents the candid words of an
expert historian known for his writings on the American founding
period, including "We The People: The Economic Origins of the
Constitution", which challenged the long-held theory proposed by
Charles A. Beard. Forrest McDonald speaks on his perception of the
American republic, the role of the Presidency, the current state of
the Bill of Rights, how economics, politics and history continue to
interleave with one another today, and much more. "A Conversation with
Steve Pejovich" (9780865978218, $22.00) presents the expert and widely
published economics professor, author of numerous books including
"Economics Performance: The Case for Common Law". Pejovich talks about
his life, shaped in the beginning by struggling to survive under the
Nazis, and then the Communists, and how moving to and living in the
United States transformed how he saw the world. The values of "life,
liberty, and happiness", and the interplay of economic freedom,
cultural vibrancy, and quality of life, are all topics of discussion
in this superb profile. Both are insightful, scholarly, and worthy
additions to public and college library DVD collections.

Touching Evil: The Complete Collection
Acorn Media Group
8515 Georgia Avenue, Suite 620, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3403
9781598284393 $79.99 www.acornmedia.com

Touching Evil: The Complete Collection gathers the award-winning
British drama following the Organized and Serial Crime unit. As
Detective Inspector Dave Creegan recuperates from a gunshot wound to
the head, his personal life is in tatters, but he retains genius-level
insight into the workings of the criminal mind. He becomes a crucial
member of a highly skilled team of detectives that dedicate themselves
to tracking and stopping the deadliest serial killers, psychopaths,
and pedophiles of Britain. The Organized and Serial Crime unit relies
on advanced police techniques, while Creegan prefers to fall back upon
his instincts; together they will need every tool at their disposal to
fight worst depredations of monsters in human flesh. Featuring a top-
quality cast and gripping writing, Touching Evil is strongly
recommended for fans of crime drama. It should be noted that Touching
Evil contains violence, nudity, and disturbing images; this is not a
DVD collection for the faint of heart. 8 episodes on 5 discs, 13
hours, 4:3 full screen, SDH subtitles.

The Real Story: Escape from Alcatraz
Smithsonian Networks
Infinity Entertainment Group
c/o Greenleaf & Associates (publicity)
$12.98 smithsonianchannel.com

The Real Story: Escape from Alcatraz is a documentary originally shown
on the Smithsonian Channel, about the daring escape of three convicted
bank robbers from the infamous Alcatraz prison on June 11, 1962. When
they were discovered to be missing, a massive attempt was launched to
track them down, to no avail. Did they find freedom? Or did they lose
their lives in an ultimately doomed attempt to flee their isolated
prison? The Real Story: Escape from Alcatraz lives up to its title
through interviews with people ranging from Darwin Coon, the inmate
who assisted the escapees, to the wardens who realized they were
missing, to the FBI agents assigned to track them down. Exciting and
dramatic, The Real Story: Escape from Alcatraz is a worthy addition to
public library DVD shelves. PG, 47 min. Also highly recommended from
Smithsonian Networks is the DVD "Soul of a People: Writing America's
Story" ($19.98, PG, 92 min.)

You Really Got Me: The Story of The Kinks
MVD Entertainment Group
PO Box 280, Oaks, PA 19456
$18.95 www.MVDvisual.com 1-800-888-0486

You Really Got Me: The Story of The Kinks is a rousing DVD collection
of footage from The Kinks, one of few British bands that has been
commercially successful in America. Covering the band's career from
the sixties to the nineties, You Really Got Me includes highlights
from the band's greatest moments on stage; their most beloved songs;
and comments from band members including Ray Davies, Dave Davies, and
Mick Avory. "You Really Got Me" deserves the highest recommendation to
fellow music lovers from all walks of life. 87 minutes, colour and
black & white.

World Class HiRail Layouts Part One
TM Books & Video
PO Box 279, New Buffalo, MI 49117
9781932291940 $19.95 www.tmbv.com 1-800-892-2822

World Class HiRail Layouts Part One is a DVD tour of the latest trend
in O gauge layout building, focusing on three of the finest model
railroads currently available to be seen. First is the largest model
train exhibit in America, the New Jersey Hi-Railers' 185 X 45-foot
layout operating 38 trains against museum quality scenery. Then it's
off to the Train Masters of Babylon, including 3,000 square-feet of
mainlines, subways, sidings and ten-foot trestle bridge painstakingly
made to perfectly mimic an engineering landmark. Finally the viewer
sees the Nassau Lionel Operating Engineers' layout, which spans 28
square miles of track and showcases engines with diesel and steam
power. This extraordinary tour of model railroads lovingly crafted
with impeccable detail is sure to provide devoted hobbyists with
catalysts of inspiration. World Class HiRail Layouts Part One lives up
to its title as a thoroughly enjoyable treasury, highly recommended
for model railroad enthusiasts. 60 minutes.

Do It Yourself Natural FaceLift With Debbie Dawson
Debbie Dawson
411 Video Information
PO Box 1223, Pebble Beach, CA 93953
$19.95 www.411videoinfo.com www.Doityourselfnaturalfacelift.com

Certified personal fitness trainer Debbie Dawson presents Do It
Yourself Natural FaceLift With Debbie Dawson, a simple guide to
improving the appearance of one's face and neck without resorting to
expensive (and hazardous!) plastic surgery. The muscles of the face
and neck can be exercised like any other part of the body, becoming
firmer and more toned, promoting blood flow and collagen production.
Do It Yourself Natural FaceLift is not only for those who wish to
avoid a facelift, but also for those who have had one before and are
struggling with ill effects, as well as those who are coping with
Bell's Palsy. An easy-to-use instructional, with benefits that can
quickly be felt in return for practicing its exercises for as little
as twenty minutes a day - no injections, fillers, weights, glovers, or
other gimmicks involved!

Raffles
Acorn Media Group
8515 Georgia Avenue, Suite 620, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3403
9781598283891 $59.99 www.acornmedia.com

Raffles: The Complete Collection is the four-disc DVD set collecting
the entire television adaptation of the roguish adventures of Raffles
(a character originally created by E.W. Hornung, brother-in-law of Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle). By day, A.J. Raffles (played by Anthony
Valentine) is a championship cricketer and gentleman of leisure; but
when he isn't in the public eye, he pursues is other passion -
surreptitiously plundering the fortunes of the wealthy! In addition to
his extraordinary expertise with accents and disguises, Raffles also
has the assistance of his easily perplexed friend "Bunny" Manders
(played by Christopher Strauli). Their weaving through oft-deadly
predicaments between a rock, a hard place, and the persistently
hostile efforts of Inspector Mackenzie (played by Victor Carin) makes
for a grand adventure. Raffles consists of fourteen episodes,
including the never-before-released pilot episode, as well as a
biography of author E.W. Hornung and production notes. An absolute
treat for anyone who loves British drama! 4 DVDs, 726 min., 4:3 full
screen, color. Also highly recommended for fans of British drama is
the PBS series "Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill" (9781598284140,
$49.99, 361 min.) an award-winning miniseries about the life of an
extraordinary American woman and her contribution to history.

Forever Young
John Humble
411 Video Information
PO Box 1223, Pebble Beach, CA 93953
$24.95 www.411videoinfo.com www.humblefitness.net

Forever Young is a nutrition, exercise, and general wellness guide for
viewers over 50 who seek to keep themselves in optimal physical
condition. John Humble, an expert personal trainer of 35 years'
experience, presents a "Fountain of Youth" prescription for healthy
living to combat common ailments among those over 50. Medical advice
from guest experts enhance the four-step program, based around the key
of "It is not about you" - that it's important stay healthy not only
for one's own sake, but also for the sake of friends, family, and
loved ones. The four keystones to better health and better living are
resistance training (not bodybuilding, but a form of exercise that can
be easily performed with low cost resistance bands), cardio training,
good nutrition (especially lean meat, vegetables, fruits and nuts),
and one thing more (the viewer is asked to take in the beginning of
the DVD and the first three elements before learning about and
focusing on the fourth). An excellent guide to staying young in body
as well as young at heart, Forever Young lives up to its title and is
a highly recommended addition to DVD wellness libraries. 70 minutes.

Offensive Basketball Moves
Marty Schupak
Youth Sports Club
9 Florence Court, Valley Cottage, New York 10989
9780978945183 $24.95 www.YouthSportsClub.com

Marty Schupak, an expert in Physical Education and a youth sports
coach of 21 years' experience, presents Offensive Basketball Moves, an
instructional DVD for basketball players of all ages. Step-by-step
instructions reveal how to teach and practice a wide variety of
basketball moves, including the jab step, shot fakes, power dribble,
hesitation move, form shooting, fade away shooting, pivot moves,
shoulder shimmy, and much more. A superb teaching and reference guide
ideal for enhancing skills, whether for coaching a youth league or
even self-improvement in private basketball games one plays for fun,
Offensive Basketball Moves deserves the highest recommendation for its
quality presentation and ease of use. 34 minutes.

Schlessinger Media
7 East Wynnewood Road, Wynnewood, PA 19096-0580
www.schlessinger.com www.LibraryVideo.com 1-800-843-3620

Schlessinger's "Holidays for Children" ($29.95 each) DVD series
spotlights special days of the year set aside to remember, honor, and
celebrate. These installments, suitable for young people in grades
K-4, are part of an educational 26-volume set ideal for classroom
viewing. "Columbus Day" (9781417109432, 12 min.) reminds viewers of
the extraordinary contributions of Christopher Columbus to European
science, knowledge, and prosperity - as well as the tremendous toll
his expeditions took upon the native peoples living within the
landmass he discovered. Offering a balanced viewpoint, including
reflections from a descendant of the Taino (one of the first native
people whom Columbus encountered), "Columbus Day" is an invaluable and
educational resource that encourages viewers to think for themselves
rather than blindly accept positive or negative propaganda about this
holiday. "Constitution Day" (9781417109449, 12 min.) emphasizes the
rights and responsibilities of American citizenship, and even includes
a field trip to the National Constitution Center. "Earth
Day" (9781417109456, 12 min.) not only traces the history of Earth Day
since its inception in 1970 as the idea of U.S. Senator Gaylord
Nelson, but also encourages its celebration through recycling,
composting, planting trees, and doing whatever one can do to conserve
energy and natural resources. "The 100th Day of
School" (9781417109425, 12 min.) encourages young people to think
about the number 100 - from counting to 100 to pondering how
drastically society has changed in the last 100 years, to what can be
accomplished in 100 seconds, to imagining what one might buy with
$100. The result is a bright and cheerful way to commemorate progress
through the school year. All four DVDs are closed captioned and sold
with limited public performance rights to be shown to any group in a
school, public library, prison or military base without further
written permission.

Roads to Memphis
PBS Home Video
c/o SSA Public Relations
15260 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 1730, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
9781608832118 $24.99 www.shopPBS.org

Part of the "American Experience" PBS DVD series, Roads to Memphis:
The Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. is a compelling
documentary on DVD from Emmy Award-winning director Stephen Ives.
Portraying the setting, historical events, and societal forces in
motion up to the fateful day when James Earl Ray killed the widely
beloved Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Road to Memphis features testimony
from people close to King as well as the officials who took part in
Ray's capture and prosecution, and a guest appearance by Hampton
sides, the award-winning author of a forthcoming book about the
assassination ("Hellhound on His Trail: The Stalking of martin Luther
King, Jr. and the International Hunt for His Assassin"). An
extraordinarily vivid saga of true-life bloodshed and its
repercussions, Roads to Memphis is powerful, unforgettable, and a
choice pick for public library DVD collections. 90 minutes,
widescreen, closed captioned. Also highly recommended is the award-
winning PBS DVD presenting the next chapter of history, "A Ripple of
Hope" (9781608832064, $24.99, 60 min., widescreen, closed captioned)
chronicling the inspirational speech presidential candidate Robert
Kennedy's subsequently dared to deliver to inner city Indianapolis
despite the very real threat of violence, for riots and arson scarred
America in the wake of King's murder.

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