Around the World in California

A brief moment at a hacker conference planted a seed that would eventually spawn an ad-hoc motorcycle gang in the Orkhon Valley of Mongolia. Join Vincent Canfield and the COCKCON crew as they ride motorcycles for the first time through one of the least densely populated countries in the world.

Bruce Brown's The Endless Summer is one of the first and most influential surf movies of all time. The film documents American surfers Mike Hynson and Robert August as they travel the world during California’s winter (which, back in 1965 was off-season for surfing) in search of the perfect wave and ultimately, an endless summer.

Riding Giants is story about big wave surfers who have become heroes and legends in their sport. Directed by the skateboard guru Stacy Peralta.

Cambodian refugee Ted Ngoy builds a multi-million dollar empire by baking America's favourite pastry: the doughnut.

The Kingdom of Survival explores modern skepticism in America, challenges the status quo and uncovers provocative links between survivalist philosophy, ecumenical spirituality, radical political theory, and outlaw culture. The audience is invited into a thoughtful conversation with the likes of Prof. Noam Chomsky, Dr. Mark Mirabello, Ramsey Kanaan, and the riveting final interview with beloved author, Joe Bageant. These unique thought leaders cast a rare shadow of doubt over our most blindly accepted American traditions.

Explore the 1928 collapse of the St. Francis Dam, the second deadliest disaster in California history. A colossal engineering and human failure, the dam was built by William Mulholland, a self-taught engineer who ensured the growth of Los Angeles by bringing the city water via aqueduct. The catastrophe killed more than 400 people and destroyed millions of dollars of property.

A colorful travelogue of London's most historic buildings and the residual damage still left from WWII.

This Traveltalk series short begins in Chicago, where the narrator and his crew board a cruise ship. After a 20-hour trip up Lake Michigan, they arrive at Mackinac Island, near the southeast tip of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. On the island, we see many of the attractions for which it is famous. These include Arch Rock, Old Fort Mackinack, and a hotel owned by Chauncey Depew. No automobiles are allowed on the island. Transportation is limited to bicycles and horse-drawn carriages.

This Traveltalk short visits the ports of Algiers and Monaco in the Mediterranean.

This Traveltalk entry visits places along the Niagara River and gives the viewer spectacular images of Niagara Falls.

This Traveltalk series short follows the route laid out by the famous chain of 21 Spanish missions, begun in 1769 and extending northward for over 500 miles, from San Diego to Sonoma, California. We stop briefly at San Luis Rey and San Juan Capistrano (to watch the swallows) as well as San Juan Bautista and other missions.

This Traveltalk series short brings us to the capital of Mexico, where we learn a little about the three million people living there. Their living quarters are viewed, as are various monuments found throughout the city, including a monument to George Washington. We also see the Museum of Fine Arts and the Washington Apartments. From here, we visit the bullfights.

This Traveltalk series short visits Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah.

This Traveltalk series short looks at several landmarks and neighborhoods in New Orleans, Louisiana. Sights include the Cathedral of St. Louis, Pirate's Alley, the Old French Market, and Broussard's Restaurant.

This Traveltalk series short visits three cities in Mexico. We start in the village of San Miguel de Allende, known for its churches. A monastery has been converted to a school of arts. The second stop is Queréaro, where a 5-mile-long aqueduct built hundreds of years ago is still functional. It was near this city that Emperor Maximilian was executed in 1867. Then it is on to Monterrey, the large industrial city whose nickname is the Pittsburgh of Mexico. Here are steel mills, other factories, and the largest brewery in Latin America.

This Traveltalk series short takes the viewer to sites in Massachusetts. Places visited include Plymouth Rock and harbor; John and Priscilla Alden's 300 year-old house; and the birthplace of Clara Barton, founder of the U.S. Red Cross. We also see Cape Cod windmills and pay a visit to Provincetown, including its picturesque harbor and its artist community.

This Traveltalk series short takes the viewer to Quebec, the city that was called the "New France".

A brief but colorful travelogue of India's biggest cities following the partition of the country in 1947 at the end of the British Raj.

This Traveltalks visit to Holland spotlights The Hague and two smaller tourist destinations. We learn that the economy of Holland, which for many centuries has been based on fishing and the growing of tulips, is slowly changing to an agricultural base.

A look primarily at the beauty of the countryside and seacoast, starting at Carrick-a-Rede Island then on to Enniskillen, the cathedral at Downpatrick, an appreciation of Medieval Irish craft and architecture, visits to a peat farm and the ruins of Castle Dunluce, and the pastoral beauty of County Down. There we visit the resort seacoast town of Bangor. It's on to Cushendun in County Antrim and finishing at the Giant's Causeway as we examine fascinating rock formations and the mysteries of creation.