Watch interviews on the conflict between Georgia and Russia with Vitaly Churkin (Ambassador), Stephen Sestanovich (Council of Foreign Relations), and Robert Kagan (Carnegie Endowment) from this past week.

As the world’s attention turns to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Wide Angle reports on how the next generation of Chinese leaders is being molded. Watch the entire episode online and catch the rebroadcast Friday, August 15, 10 pm.

Michael Phelps, the 23-year-old Olympic swimmer, is on a quest to win all 8 gold medals. While Phelps’s teammates reportedly call him “squid boy,” many commentators have dubbed him “the human dolphin”. But does the name really fit? Read more…

On this day in 2003, a major outage knocked out power across the Northeast U.S. and parts of Canada. Beginning at 4:10 pm EST, 21 power plants shut down in just three minutes, and 50 million people were left without electricity. Could it happen again? Read more…

LED lights have sparked a $4 billion industry. Part 1 reports from Japan, a hub of LED innovation. Part 2 explains how a remote area of Japan discovered how to make LEDs commercially viable.

Requiem, inspired by, but not based on Mozart’s same-titled piece, is work about loss – cultural, environmental, or otherwise – pieced with songs, chants and rituals from director Lemi Ponifasio’s native Samoa, where he is a high chief. Read more…

In 1988, Dr. James Hansen, dir. of the NASA Goddard Institute, brought attention to global warming when he said in Congress: “The greenhouse effect has been detected and is changing our climate now.” Watch a recent interview:

A selected list of 10 books suggested by Bill Moyers Journal staff that will keep you informed and engaged in your democracy between the dog days of summer and the election in November. See list…

This week’s NOW talks with Sabiha Sumar about her film “Dinner with The President”, about Pakistan and America, and about Pakistani President Musharraf’s desire to democratize his nation while functioning as its dictator. Watch the NOW video and clip of the documentary here.

Almost ten years before Charles Lindbergh’s famous solo flight across the Atlantic, the NC-4 was the first aircraft to make the transatlantic journey, in May 1919. History Detectives investigates the little-known story of the NC-4 and its historic voyage. Watch video. Originally aired Aug. 18, 2008.