Tom Harkin
Biography: Thomas Richard Harkin (born November 19, 1939) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as a United States senator from Iowa from 1985 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously was the U.S. representative for Iowa's 5th congressional district from 1975 to 1985. He is the longest-serving senator to spend the entire tenure as a state's junior senator. Born in Cumming, Iowa, Harkin graduated from Iowa State University and The Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law. He served in the United States Navy as an active-duty jet pilot (1962–1967). After serving as a congressional aide for several years, he made two runs for the U.S. House of Representatives, losing in 1972 but winning in 1974. He went on to serve five terms in the House. Harkin won a race for U.S. Senate in 1984 by a wide margin. He was an early frontrunner for his party's presidential nomination in 1992, but he dropped out in support of eventual winner Bill Clinton. He served five Senate terms and at the end of his time in the Senate served as chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. He authored the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and was its chief sponsor in the Senate. Harkin delivered part of his introduction speech in sign language, saying it was so his deaf brother could understand. On January 26, 2013, Harkin announced that he would not seek reelection in 2014.
Place of Birth: Not available
Birthday: November 19, 1939
Deathday: N/A
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Known For
Dave
1993-05-07
Dave
Overview: A sweet-natured Temp Agency operator and amateur Presidential look-alike is recruited by the Secret Service to become a temporary stand-in for the President of the United States.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1993-05-07
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Feed
1992-10-01
Feed
Overview: This is a documentary about the 1992 New Hampshire primaries. It includes much footage of candidates as they meet people, and just before they go "on-air".
Genres: Thriller Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1992-10-01
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Stolen Childhoods
2005-12-31
Stolen Childhoods
Overview: Narrated by Meryl Streep and filmed in eight countries, Stolen Childhoods is the story of 246 million children for whom life is nothing but work. Children are found working in dumps, quarries and brick kilns. One boy has been pressed into forced labor on a fishing platform in the Sea of Sumatra, a fifteen-year-old runaway describes being forced into prostitution on the streets of Mexico City, while a nine-year-old girl picks coffee in Kenya to help her family survive. The film features stories of child laborers around the world, told in their own words, while placing their stories in the broader context of the worldwide struggle against child labor, how it contributes to global insecurity, while featuring best practice programs to improve their lives by giving them the chance of making a reasonable living when they grow up. Ultimately, the film challenges the viewer to help break the cycle of poverty for the 246 million children laboring at the bottom of the global economy.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2005-12-31
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Fail State
2018-10-19
Fail State
Overview: This in-depth documentary explores the dark side of American higher education, exposing predatory for-profit colleges and the tactics they use to defraud students and the government.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2018-10-19
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Educating Sergeant Pantzke
2011-06-28
Educating Sergeant Pantzke
Overview: FRONTLINE investigates for-profit universities and their predatory ways against those who have served in the military.
Genres: Documentary History
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2011-06-28
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Courting Des Moines
2016-01-15
Courting Des Moines
Overview: After leaving her seat in the House of Representatives under tax fraud allegations, California Congresswoman Samantha Clemons moves to Des Moines, Iowa to avoid further scrutiny. Her arrival arouses attention from the Des Moines citizens, as "all politics are local and everything local is affected by politics". After some deep reflection and with a renewed devotion to serve her country, Samantha decides to run for the highest office in the Land, not unlike one-term congressman Abraham Lincoln.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2016-01-15
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All the Rage (Saved by Sarno)
2016-11-12
All the Rage (Saved by Sarno)
Overview: America is experiencing an epidemic of pain. One man has the answer to the problem yet the medical establishment has ignored him. For nearly 50 years, Dr. John Sarno has been single-handedly battling the pain epidemic by focusing on the mind-body connection and the nature of stress and the manifestation of physical ailments. With a renowned practice in rehabilitative medicine at NYU he is also a bestselling author of numerous books that deal with psychosomatic disorders. Filmmaker Michael Galinsky's family has a long history with Dr. Sarno and their experience will be woven into the fabric of the film, alongside well known patients, including Howard Stern, John Stossel, Jonathan Ames, Larry David, and many others.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2016-11-12
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Spin
1995-10-05
Spin
Overview: Pirated satellite feeds revealing U.S. media personalities’ contempt for their viewers come full circle in Spin. TV out-takes appropriated from network satellite feeds unravel the tightly-spun fabric of television—a system that silences public debate and enforces the exclusion of anyone outside the pack of journalists, politicians, spin doctors, and televangelists who manufacture the news. Spin moves through the L.A. riots and the floating TV talk-show called the 1992 U.S. presidential election.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1995-10-05
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Bigger Stronger Faster*
2008-05-30
Bigger Stronger Faster*
Overview: In America, we define ourselves in the superlative: we are the biggest, strongest, fastest country in the world. Is it any wonder that so many of our heroes are on performance enhancing drugs? Director Christopher Bell explores America's win-at-all-cost culture by examining how his two brothers became members of the steroid-subculture in an effort to realize their American dream.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2008-05-30
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Killer at Large
2008-11-21
Killer at Large
Overview: Obesity rates in the United States have reached epidemic proportions in recent years. Killer at Large shows how little is being done and more importantly, what can be done to reverse it. Killer at Large also explores the human element of the problem with portions of the film that follow a 12-year old girl who has a controversial liposuction procedure to fix her weight gain and a number of others suffering from obesity, including filmmaker Neil Labute.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2008-11-21
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The World According to Dick Cheney
2013-01-18
The World According to Dick Cheney
Overview: How did a college dropout who was arrested for a DUI twice in the same year become the single-most-powerful nonpresidential political figure in American history? Filmmakers R. J. Cutler and Greg Finton answer that question and others in what is sure to be the definitive film about the fascinating life and legacy of Dick Cheney.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2013-01-18
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Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
2020-03-25
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
Overview: Down the road from Woodstock in the early 1970s, a revolution blossomed in a ramshackle summer camp for disabled teenagers, transforming their young lives and igniting a landmark movement.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2020-03-25
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