The BEST episodes directed by Rick King
#1 - Rat Attack
NOVA - Season 36 - Episode 4
Once every 48 years, bamboo forests in parts of northeast India go into exuberant flower. Then, like clockwork, the flowering is invariably followed by a plague of black rats that appear to spring from nowhere to spread destruction and famine in their wake. For the first time on film, NOVA and National Geographic capture this rat population explosion in vivid detail and show how scientists are unraveling the connections between bamboo flowering and rat outbreaks. Ultimately, their research should help local people better cope with the next attack—due in 2056.
#2 - Avoiding Armageddon, Part 1, Silent Killers: Poisons and Plagues
PBS Specials - Season 2003 - Episode 1
Biological and chemical weapons such as sarin, anthrax, plague, smallpox, and VX gas can claim more lives over greater distances than a nuclear bomb—and are easier to make and use. This look at historical uses of these types of weapons by both governments and terrorists also examines who might have them and be willing to use them now.
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#3 - Avoiding Armageddon, Part 2, Nuclear Nightmares: Losing Control
PBS Specials - Season 2003 - Episode 2
The demise of the Soviet Union put an end to fears of a global nuclear war between the superpowers, but it also means that control of the Soviet stockpile of nuclear weapons and component parts is now scattered among many different governments, creating a security nightmare. With nations such as North Korea pursuing their own nuclear programs, the conflict between nuclear neighbors India and Pakistan heating up, and the possibility of terrorists gaining control of bomb-making materials, the potential for a nuclear conflict on some scale may actually be increasing.
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#4 - Avoiding Armageddon, Part 3, The New Face of Terror: Upping the Ante
PBS Specials - Season 2003 - Episode 3
Nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons have added a horrific new dimension to terrorism, enabling a small group of people to inflict enormous damage—especially if they're willing to die in the process. This look at the motivations and conditions behind terrorism includes interviews with a former comrade of Osama bin Laden, a British Islamic couple who condemn the September 11 attacks but still teach the concept of holy war, and a 17-year-old Arab boy hoping for a productive future but also attracted to the idea of a "martyr's" death.
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#5 - Avoiding Armageddon, Part 4, Confronting Terrorism: Turning the Tide
PBS Specials - Season 2003 - Episode 4
Explores measures that can be taken to reduce the threat of terrorism, from San Francisco's round-the-clock efforts to protect the Golden Gate Bridge to measures that can be taken globally to rescue nations in the midst of crisis. Topics include efforts to rebuild Afghanistan and to combat the ravages of AIDS in Africa.
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