Some broadcast and cable programs contain material included in the public school curriculum and on competitive exams. Here are viewing suggestions for August 16-22:
Greetings, TV viewers!
While we are in the middle of the Olympics and there is so much talk about bringing people together in peaceful instead of violent competition, it may be interesting to keep in mind that there are other ways to deal with conflict. Science and literature, for example, are other fields that nations have explored to find peaceful solutions and get what they want and need. The Media Hour topic this Tuesday will be, "In addition to athletes, which men and women have been doing a good job of winning honor and glory for your country -- and how are they doing it?"
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. The NEW day and time for MediaHour is Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. Whyville Time (that's the same as Eastern Standard Time).
Monday, August 16
"The Lost Generation -- Part One" (A&E Channel, 7-8 a.m. E/P)
Here's a biographical documentary worth taping! Bring it to school for
your English class to use when you're studying American authors. The
setting of this flick is Paris in the 1920s, where a group of American
"expatriates" were launched on their literary path. Ernest Hemingway,
F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Dos Passos, Ezra Pound, Archibald MacLeish
and Gertrude Stein had a huge influence on the literature of the
America they left behind. Part Two of this program airs tomorrow,
August 17 in this time period.
"Greek Week: Documentary Series" (History Channel, 8-9 p.m. E/P,
August 16-19) To coincide with the Athens Olympics taking place
this week, this series begins with "Secrets Of The Aegean Apocalypse".
Archaeologists research an ancient natural tragedy that happened
millennia ago -- possibly a cataclysmic earthquake -- that destroyed
most of the civilized world at that time: The series continues
tomorrow, August 17 with "Ancient Monster Hunters" in which
paleontologists explore newly translated evidence that may have
inspired ancient tales of Amazon women, the Cyclops and the Griffin. On
Thursday, August 19, "Ancient Olympics: Let The Games Begin" recreates
the ancient Olympics held in 448 B.C. More information at
http://www.HistoryChannel.com.
Tuesday, August 17
"Search for a Safe Cigarette" (PBS, 8-9 p.m. E/P) This Nova
documentary investigates whether science can make a "safer" cigarette.
Are the new brands with reduced emissions the answer to smoking-related
illnesses? Or are they simply the latest marketing strategy to increase
cigarette sales? Check out the online virtual laboratory and explore
the basics of combustion, including how a fire ignites, what a flame is
made of and how burning molecules rearrange themselves: http://www.pbs.org/nova/cigarette.
"Scientific American Frontiers: Future Car" (PBS, 9-10:00 p.m.
E/P) This documentary visits research labs and testing tracks of
the Big Three auto makers to find out what people may be driving 10-20
years from now. It also shows what automakers are doing to develop cars
that use less oil and produce less pollution. For online information
about hydrogen fuel and fuel cells log on http://www.pbs.org/saf/1403.
Wednesday, August 18
"60 Minutes" (CBS, 8-9 p.m. E/P) The main story in this
newsmagazine program investigates why Americans are spending over a
billion dollars a year to try and find the perfect mate. How much would
you spend for the possibility of finding your true love?
Thursday, August 19
"Natural History Showcase: Secret Weapons" (National Geographic
Channel, 8-9 p.m. ET, 5-6 p.m. PT) In this documentary scientists
study nature to develop powerful new military technologies. Evolution,
a hundred-million-year arms race between predator and prey, has
perfected an extraordinary array of camouflage. There are caterpillars
disguised as bird dung, frogs shaped like dead leaves, and bizarre,
seaweed-mimicking seahorses. Butterflies and cuttlefish perform
stunning optical illusions. And by understanding the processes
involved, researchers hope to create materials that could make
advancing armies almost invisible. As researcher Peter Vukusic says in
this program, "It's all out there -- nature has absolutely beaten us to
every structure we think we've designed."
Friday, August 20
"Command Decision: Battle of Waterloo" (History Channel, 9:30-10
p.m. E/P) This documentary uses video game techniques to explain a
major turning-point in world history. The situation was that, liberated
from exile, in 1815, Napoleon raised an army and attacked Belgium,
heading towards Brussels. A master of the "divide and conquer"
strategy, Napoleon planned to attack a vital communication point
between the English and Prussian armies. At the height of a difficult
battle, the Duke of Wellington ordered his secret cavalry and infantry
to charge down from a ridge and destroy Napoleon's offense. At
http://www.historychannel.com/commanddecisions/ for information on how
to it's possible to play along with the video-game aspect of this
program by using your cell phone.
Saturday, August 21
"The Green Berets" (AMC Channel, 8-11 p.m. E/P, Available on
video and DVD) This movie was one of the first American films
specifically about the Vietnam War. It was also one of the most
pro-war, offering a pro-intervention perspective at the height of the
conflict. An American colonel, played by John Wayne, battles the Viet
Cong forces while protecting innocent South Vietnamese civilians,
befriending an orphaned boy, and turning around a liberal
newspaperman's political views. For information on the controversy
which has surrounded this film for decades, log on to http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063035/.
Sunday, August 22
"Gone With The Wind" (Turner Classic Movie Channel, 4-8 p.m. E/P,
1-5 p.m. PT, Available on video and DVD) If you're tired of
watching the Olympics but still in the groove of watching TV hour after
hour this week, here's a fine thing to look at. If you haven't already
seen this multiple-Oscar winning movie, you've probably heard people
talking about it -- even mentioning that they have seen it several
times. In it, you'll see a lot, much of it accurate, about the South
during and after the U.S. Civil War. There's an interesting website
about the movie at http://www.newline.com/sites/gonewind/
