|
|
These listings cover television programs up to Friday, July
25th.
Greetings, TV viewers!
This week's MediaHour will have us talking about the Writing Workshop I plan to run for you citizens. I invite you to share your ideas with me! My feeling is that it should be pretty strictly run -- you'll submit your work to me in advance, and the Times Editor and I will post them on Whyville prior to the discussion in the theater. I want to take the opportunity this week to discuss our methods -- we really want you to deal with these texts seriously ("What questions do this essay/story raise in your mind?", "What changes might resolve these questions?", etc.) This is heavy duty stuff; we'll be separating the wheat from the chaff, so get ready!
Y-mail me your writings and once we settle on a time and day, we'll meet every week to discuss new techniques and writing styles.
For the regular Media Hour, watch the show(s)-of-the-week, jot down some ideas, then talk about them with me and other citizens (including other City Workers, if they're available) at the Greek Theater, over in City Hall. You'll find that the Theater makes discussions pretty easy, since City Workers are able to direct people's movement and behavior, when we need to, and it keeps everyone's chat bubbles from overlapping too much. We meet for MediaHour on Wednesdays from 6:30pm and 7:30pm Whyville Time (that's the same as Eastern Daylight Time).
Everyone is welcome to write to me about what you and your parents think:
Y-mail me, the MediaWiz of Whyville!
And now... the Media Menu!
Friday July 18
"NOW With Bill Moyers" (PBS, 9-10pm E/P) In 2000, the U.S. government told women participating in a research program that it wasn't safe to eat a lot of canned tuna during pregnancy because it contains mercury, which could have serious health consequences. But that information hasn't been disseminated. Tuna isn't even mentioned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in its current consumer advisory. The influence of the
tuna industry on the FDA may be putting Americans and their children at risk for mercury poisoning. The FDA only tests about a dozen cans of tuna for mercury a year and doesn't ask to review the tuna industry's own tests. A recent study by the Mercury Policy Project, a public interest group, showed 6% of Albacore canned tuna they tested had unacceptably high mercury levels.
Scary!
"Shogun," (Hallmark Channel, 9-11pm E/P part 1 of 6 airing on following evenings) This dramatic miniseries based on the best-selling novel by James Clavell
is a fascinating blend of mystery, history, culture, religion, and high
adventure. It's about a shipwrecked English navigator who becomes a samurai in
the mysterious and dangerous world of Japan at the start of the 17th century. There's something throughout that made me think about Harry Potter -- a grown-up version with all his brave but also the not-very-nice personality traits showing. In this miniseries you'll learn lots about Japan -- stuff as interesting as the magic in the Potter stories. (The series is available on video.)
Saturday, July 19
"Mission Rescue: Elements of Surprise" (National Geographic Channel, 8-9pm E/P) This is a documentary about the busiest U.S. Coast Guard search and rescue station in the world
-- in Miami Beach Florida where USCG crews deal with sinking boats, missing divers, and all sorts of calamities. The men and women in blue also patrol these waters like beat cops after the sunset, dealing with cases full of bizarre plot twists and surprise endings.
"Looking For My Country: Finding Myself In America" (C-SPAN2/BookTV, 8-9pm ET, 5-6pm PT) Here's a program with interesting Canadian content which, alas, can't be viewed in Canada. But go get the book which is the topic of the show. The broadcast features Robert MacNeil, the Canadian-born, former co-anchor of PBS' MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour, discussing his memoir "Looking for My Country: Finding Myself in America." The book recounts his odyssey from Halifax to New York
City. MacNeil explains the conflicting feelings of attraction and weariness he developed toward the United States during his career as a journalist. Program repeats
July 20 at 11pm ET / 8pm PT .
Sunday, July 20
"Time Machine: History of the Beach: The Turning Tides of History" (History Channel, 8-10pm E/P) This is a documentary about 'beach culture'
-- an excuse to learn some history and look at some strange swimsuits -- and strange people in them. Seaside resorts now appear to be a non-stop party of sand, surf and sun, from Rio to the Riviera, from Miami to Malibu. But building the beach meant centuries of struggle against nature, and other humans. The proximity to water and waves helped turn remote slivers of real estate into the world's premier destinations for relaxation, and adventure.
Monday, July 21
"The Donner Party" (PBS, 9-10pm E/P -- check local listings) This documentary chronicles the awful tale of an emigrant group who set out for California in the spring of
1846, only to meet with disaster in the snows of the Sierra Nevada the following winter.
The Donner Party traces the emigrants' 2500-mile journey from Springfield, Illinois, to Sutter's Fort in California
-- following the advice of a guide book written by a real estate promoter. They
reached the mountains in late October, where they were stopped by the first blizzard of what would prove to be the worst winter in the history of the Sierra Nevada. The five months the group spent trapped on the eastern side of the Sierra culminated in death and cannibalism. Of the 87 men, women and children in the Donner Party, 46 survived: two-thirds of the women and children, but only one-third of the men. Further details at
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/donner/.
Tuesday, July 22
"MI-5" (BBC America, 9-10pm ET, 6-7pm PT) This is the first episode of a dramatic series about British spies
-- counterspies, to be exact. It's about spy techniques and emphasizes the contribution of women to this important work. The website listed below is well worth consulting whether or not you can find and view this show. An interesting twist in the opening program is that the dangerous individual the MI-5 unit is up against seems to be an American woman. At the accompanying website you can enter a Spy Academy and test your skills with spy games.
http://www.aetv.com/tv/shows/mi5/spy_academy.html.
Wednesday, July 23
"National Geographic Specials National Geographic Specials: The FBI" (PBS, 8-9pm E/P) To give the Americans equal time, here's the National Geographic's look inside
the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation -- its complicated history, its top special agents and its most vital operation today: stopping terrorism.
Thursday, July 24
"Skeleton Clues" (Discovery Channel, 10-11pm E/P) This documentary features Doug Owsley, a real-life "Indiana Jones". One of the best forensic anthropologists at work today, he has conclusively identified human remains from news-making crime scenes, decimated war zones, and politically contested archeological sites around the world. This Smithsonian Institution scientist is renowned for his work with pre-Columbian mummies and skeletons, but he is also frequently called in by the State Department, FBI, and other federal agencies when modern remains need identifying. Mild-mannered and intellectually brilliant, Owsley never expected to become embroiled in a precedent-changing legal wrangle
with the U.S. Department of Justice. Look up interesting stuff about him by using Google.com. It may give you some cool career ideas. Or read the new book about his work, "No Bone Unturned: The Adventures of a Top Smithsonian Forensic Scientist and the Legal Battle for America's Oldest Skeletons" by Jeff Benedict.
Calliope is interested to see how this matches up with her summer reading list,
so check it out and let her know!
Friday, July 25
"The Story Of Seabiscuit" (TCM Network, 10:15-midnight ET, 7:15-9pm PT) This classic, black and white movie for horse-lovers is a fictionalized account of a legendary race horse's training and triumphs. In this movie a half-blind ex-prizefighter and mustang breaker team up with a millionaire and his rough-hewn, undersized horse, Seabiscuit.
Based on a true story about a horse that was boxy, with stumpy legs that
wouldn't completely straighten, a short straggly tail and an ungainly gait who
became one of the the most remarkable thoroughbred racehorses in history. In the 1930s, when Americans longed to escape the grim realities of Depression-era life, Seabiscuit became a national hero. A PBS documentary about this horse airs Monday, July 28. Also, there's a good book, "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand. If you watch the classic movie, also the documentary and read the book you will be super-equipped to understand the brand-new feature film which hits theatres today, July 25th.
|
