Spirituality and Politics - CBC - Our World

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CBC - Our World
Spirituality and Politics
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General Information
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Type.................: documentary

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Technical Information
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Source...............: NTSC CABLE
AVI Size.............: 360,511,488 bytes
Duration.............: 21:48.053
FPS..................: 29.970

Video Codec..........: XviD 1.2 SMP
Codec DCT......: H263
QPel...........: No
GMC............: No
Video Bitrate........: 2000 (ABR)
Video Resolution.....: 640x464
Video Aspect Ratio...: 1.379

Audio Format.........: 0x0055 MPEG-1 Layer 3
Audio Encoder........: LAME 3.92
Bitrate..............: 128kbits/sec (CBR)
Hz...................: 48000
Channels.............: Stereo
Captured by..........: festering leper

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Description
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This week we broadcast from Montreal and feature Brian's conversation with
philosopher Charles Taylor on the need to build spiritual bridges to avoid a
global clash of cultures, and a report by Nick Spicer from Moscow about why a
small but vocal opposition movement is rising again in Russia.We'll meet its
unlikely hero.

We begin by visiting one of the most respected philosophers in the world today,
Charles Taylor, whose writings over the past forty years have been translated
around the world. Since the 1960's, Charles Taylor has written, in books such
as "The Malaise of Modernity", about the earthshaking transformations in
culture and spirituality that define our modern era. In recent years he has
been increasingly concerned with escalating bigotry and the violence it
produces. Taylor is also known as a political activist and theorist as well as
a Roman Catholic thinker. He has just been awarded the $1.5 million Templeton
Prize to promote research into how spiritual aspirations shape society and
politics.We met at the University of McGill in Montreal, where at 76, Taylor
still lectures and is Professor Emeritus.

Charles Taylor argues the need for citizens everywhere to engage fully in
politics. Our second subject exemplifies such commitment, regardless of cost.
In Russia today, one of the big questions is how much oxygen remains in its
democracy. Former Grand Chess Master Garry Kasparov, one of the greatest
players ever, has decided that preserving freedom is a contest he has to be
involved in and he's prepared to risk his own liberty to do so. Kasparov is
looking ahead to the much anticipated Presidential elections in Russia in 2008.
Vladimir Putin is scheduled to step down, because the Constitution prevents him
from seeking a third term. That opens the race to the liberal opposition.
Kasparov could run in those elections. He's now part of a broad coalition of
opposition parties called THE OTHER RUSSIA. The liberal oppsition in Russia
used to be a lively part of the political scene. But under Putin it has been
sidelined. That is now changing. This spring there have been anti Kremlin
protests, the like of which hasn't been seen in years. The CBC's Moscow
reporter Nick Spicer is tracking the liberal oppostion's tentative steps
forward with Kasparov as its most charismatic leader.