Media Menu

These listings cover television programs up to Friday, October 24th.

Greetings, TV viewers!

The discussion topic for the media hour Wednesday will be health. A new afternoon health science series, "Second Opinion With Dr. Oz" airs five episodes beginning Monday -- and the website http://dsc.discovery.com/anthology/secondopinion/secondopinion.html presents the content of all of the shows.

For the 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 to 7:30pm Whyville Time (that's the same as Eastern Daylight Time).

Friday, October 17

"Dateline NBC" (NBC, 7-8 p.m. E/P) The main story in this newsmagazine is about the rescue of Jessica Lynch from Iraqi captivity during the U.S. advance on Baghdad. The Iraqi lawyer, Mohammed Al Rehaief, who has been credited with saving former POW Lynch tells why he risked his life for a total stranger. There is also a medical report in the program about the condition of Egyptian boys born conjoined at the head who were separated this week at a hospital in Dallas.

"MythBusters" (Discovery Channel, 9-10 p.m. E/P) This is a light hearted science documentary in a series which examines popularly held "facts." It's TV rated PG -- for a very important reason: Don't try any of this stuff at home. In this episode you'll learn what really could happen, from a physics standpoint, if a person were to drop a penny off the Empire State Building in New York. And, can you literally bake yourself on a tanning bed from the inside out -- are the effects of microwaves be deadly?

Saturday, October 18

"Wonders Of Life" (DVD set includes all 4 programs of science series) This not a broadcast but rather a release on home DVD of a collection of the very best science shows ever put on TV. Produced by using techniques similar to "Sesame Street" but aimed at older kids, the shows cover solar energy, cosmic rays, the circulatory system and meteorology. Each DVD has two shows ("Our Mr. Sun" and "The Strange Case OF Cosmic Rays"/"Hemo the Magnificent" and "The Unchained Goddess") Available at your video store or online at: http://www.cduniverse.com/sresult.asp?cart=161212423&style=movie&altsearch=yes&HT_Search_Info=Frank+Capra&image.x=0&image.y=0&HT_Search=TITLE.

Sunday, October 19

"Dateline NBC" (NBC, 7-8 p.m. E/P) The main story in this news program is about politics from the viewpoint of a woman, Barbara Bush, the mother of the current U.S. President and wife of a former U.S. President. In an interview, she says what she really thinks about the 2000 Presidential election, and gives her assessment of the current Democratic Presidential contenders. (On the Democratic Presidential candidates vying for her son's job, she says, "They are a sorry lot.") Mrs. Bush reads from her new book, "Reflections, Life After the White House," about her unexpected feelings on the day she saw her son sworn into office. She also reads from her diary entries. The interview also includes exclusive home videos that show the lighter side of the Bush political dynasty.

"Goodbye, Mr. Chips" (PBS, 9-11 p.m. E/P TV Rated PG) This is a new movie based on the classic James Hilton novel about a teacher and his students at an English boarding school. The story was originally written for a magazine -- in four days (is this an inspiration to you aspiring writers?) The language in the movie is rich -- a goldmine of SAT words. Here's a summary from the official accompanying website (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/mrchips) The Victorian era is in full swing when the story commences and Chips has his inauspicious first day at Brookfield. It is about to prove his last, but he manages to get the upper hand on his rowdy pupils and his career is launched. Then, one day on a hiking trip he chances across the love of his life: a vivacious, politically radical ex-governess named Kathie. When they marry -- to the amazement of Chips' colleagues -- he comes into full bloom as a teacher. Seemingly overnight, he is transformed from a repressed disciplinarian into an amiable, irreverent, inspirational mentor for his boys -- a teacher known as "kind without being soft." Later in the story the school's headmaster becomes determined to put this teacher "out to pasture" for being too old, but it turns out that Chipping has the stalwart backing of the student body and is retained.

Monday, October 20

"Second Opinion with Doctor Oz: Weight Matters" (Discovery Channel, 5-6 p.m. E/P) This is the initial episode in this new afternoon health science series hosted by Dr. Mehmet Oz, a New York heart surgeon known for his combination of ancient and modern medical techniques. More than two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese in America, and the number of obese children has tripled in two decades. Most Americans are eating themselves into an early grave. Dr. Oz explains how to shave pounds and add years. This program and all the others this week are summarized on the website http://dsc.discovery.com/anthology/secondopinion/secondopinion.html.

Tuesday, October 21

"Second Opinion with Doctor Oz: Mind Games" (Discovery Channel, 5-6 p.m. E/P) Because the topic of this program, mental health, is so important, I'm putting it in separately here rather than just saying in the recommendation above that it's just one of the week's topics in Dr. Oz's new series. You'll learn about the importance and meaning of mental health, the causes and effects of depression, schizophrenia and other chemical reactions in the brain and about therapeutic and medicinal remedies to depression.

Wednesday, October 22

"National Geographic Specials: Inside Mecca" (PBS 8-9 p.m. E/P) This is a documentary about Islam, the fastest growing religion in the world, currently with over one and a half billion believers.. This program observes the rites, rituals, and religious fervor of Hajj, an annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, the birthplace of Muhammad. Viewers will follow an executive from suburban Malaysia, a religious radio commentator from rural South Africa and an Irish-born college professor from the United States on the spiritual journey of a lifetime In the middle of Mecca is a great mosque called the al-Masjid al Haram, inside is the Kaaba, the 50-foot tall, black-draped shrine that is Islam's most revered structure. According to Islamic teachings God commanded the Prophet Abraham to raise the foundations of the Kaaba as a place for worship. Thousands of years later, after the Kaaba had become a center of pagan worship, the Prophet Muhammad cleansed it of its many idols and rededicated it to the worship of the one God, who in Arabic is called Allah. Today, pilgrims retrace the steps of Abraham and Muhammad as they perform the rites of the hajj with their fellow pilgrims. Non-Muslims are strictly prohibited from entering the city. For this reason, very few non-Muslims have ever witnessed the rites and rituals of the hajj which will be seen in this program.

"Lawrence Of Arabia: The Battle For The Arab World" (PBS 9-11 p.m. E/P) This is a documentary about T.E. Lawrence, a British Army Officer and his role in the unification of the Arab tribes against the Turks during World War I. The program includes rare archival footage and draws upon eyewitness accounts of Arabs, Westerners and Lawrence himself. He's very interesting. He spent most of his childhood alone, striving for physical and academic achievement. At Oxford, his passion for medieval history results in an expedition to Syria, where he learned Arabic. While employed as an archaeologist, he was recruited by British intelligence to monitor Turkish activities. He became an intelligence officer in the British Army during WWI and gathered information about an Arab revolt planned against Turkish rulers. In return for a promise guaranteeing their independence, the Arabs joined the war on the British side, but a secret agreement between the British and French shattered this dream. Lawrence lead the Arabs in a daring attack on the Turkish port of Aqaba and became famous. He returned to England and continued to fight for an Arab homeland in Europe. At the Paris Peace Conference, Britain, France and America drew new maps, ensuring their control over the Middle East. Reeling with guilt for his part in deceiving the Arabs, Lawrence retreated, enlisting as an ordinary recruit in the Royal Air Force. In 1935, he left the military again, planning to spend his life in seclusion. Weeks later, he was killed in a motorcycle accident. Although gone, the impact of Lawrence's role on the Middle East will be felt for generations to come.

"Second Opinion with Doctor Oz: The Heart of the Matter" (Discovery Channel, 5-6 p.m. E/P) Here is another episode of the new afternoon health science series I think is worth watching. It's about heart disease -- with an emphasis on women's health. For men, the condition is often genetic, but for women, it's the result of behavior. Dr. Oz explains methods for preventing and healing heart problems.

Thursday, October 23

"Second Opinion with Doctor Oz: Alternative Medicine" (Discovery Channel, 5-6 p.m. E/P) Here's more about the new health science series -- this time about alternatives to traditional medical treatment. Rapid progress in science has brought a range of advances, but Dr. Oz says medicine still needs to go further to bring true wellness to patients -- via therapies from high tech robotic surgery to ancient eastern techniques.

Friday, October 24

"Second Opinion with Doctor Oz: Healthy Joints" (Discovery Channel, 5-6 p.m. E/P) Here's my final suggestion about the new health series. You're not too young to be finding out about your body's joints work. Everyone experiences the occasional pain of a back out of whack, a twisted ankle, an injured knee or even arthritis. In this program Dr. Oz offers his spin on skeletal remedies, from chiropractics and orthopedic surgery to yoga.