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Some broadcast and cable programs contain material included in the public
school curriculum and on competitive exams. Here are viewing suggestions for
August 30 to September 5.
Greetings, TV viewers!
At this week's Media Hour, we'll chat about politics some more. Whyville's Senate debate is coming up this week; meanwhile, the Republicans are putting up President Bush as their nominee in New York. What do you think of politics in a virtual town like ours? What about in the real world? Do you know when to ask WHY, and what you can do with the answers you get (or don't get)?
What's the Media Hour? Watch the show(s)-of-the-week, jot down some ideas, then come and 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 current day and time for MediaHour is Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. Whyville Time (that's the same as Eastern Standard Time), but we're going to change it very soon, probably to Saturday at 12 noon Whyville Time. This week's Hour will be a little short on Tuesday, FYI.
Monday, August 30
"The Republican National Convention" (Social Science, Middle and High School
-- ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS and cable news channels including C-SPAN ... various hours
beginning at 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT, each day this week until Friday, September
3) The most continuous live coverage of the convention available on a
broadcast network will be on commercial-free PBS, from 8-11 p.m. ET, 5-8 p.m. PT.
A full schedule of events is available at http://www.gopconvention.com. Information especially for younger viewers
is available at http://www.kidsvotingusa.org
and http://www.youthrights.org
(this site advocates voting rights for 16-year-olds).
"Designer Finals" (Vocational Arts, High School -- HGTV Channel, 8-9 p.m.
E/P) In this "reality tv" series students from top interior design schools
face their final test-a real-life makeover of a room (dining, bed, living, play
and kitchen) and with a minimal budget, a handful of helpers and advice from a
mentor. In each episode this week in this time-slot, filmed in a real family's
house, the student gets real-world experience while the family gets a great new
room. Details of the competition and profiles of the students at http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/shows_hdsf.
Tuesday, August 31
"Tanner '88" (Social Science, High School -- Sundance Channel, 8-9 p.m.
E/P) This week TV will be full of politics. But if you don't care for this
year's personalities and are nevertheless interested in how politics work,
here's a fictional version. This program is the introductory episode of a
miniseries which covered the main steps of a Presidential campaign by following
a candidate's daughter as she works on her father's campaign. She is played by
Cynthia Nixon, who was 18 when this program was filmed. Pulitzer-prizewinning
cartoonist Garry Trudeau ("Doonesbury") wrote the series. He is preparing a
3-part update for airing this fall in which Cynthia Nixon plays the daughter
again -- as a documentary filmmaker covering her father's 2004 Presidential
race. The original 10 hour "Tanner '88" series is available on DVD.
Wednesday, September 1
"Extreme Engineering: Iceland Tunnels" (Science and Technology, Middle and
High School -- Discovery Channel, 9-10 p.m. E/P) The Eastern Highland, a
vast Icelandic plateau 100 miles south of the Artic Circle, is the site of this
documentary about extreme engineering. World-class tunnel diggers are carving
more than 45 miles of tunnels through solid rock hundreds of feet underground.
Thursday, September 2
"Jeremiah Johnson" (American History, Middle and High School -- Turner
Classic Movie (TCM) Channel, 10pm to midnight ET, 8-10 p.m. PT) This movie is used
by teachers to explain the early settlement of the American West. People arrived
by riverboat and walked the rest of the way, often alone, as does the determined
character played by Robert Redford in this classic film. Available on DVD.
Friday, September 3
"Save Our History: The President Slept Here" (History and Technology, Middle
and High School -- History Channel, 8-9 p.m. E/P) This documentary focuses on
the restoration efforts at three historically significant homes, each with a
vital presidential past: Montpelier in Orange, Virginia, home of James Madison;
the Soldiers' Home cottage in Washington, D.C., presidential retreat of Abraham
Lincoln (1862-64); and Longfellow House, Cambridge, Massachusetts, home of Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow from 1837-1883 and first headquarters of General George
Washington during the American Revolution (1775-76). Hosted by Steve Thomas. http://www.saveourhistory.com/home.htm.
Saturday, September 4
"Arts Zone: The Rhythm Of Life" (Arts Education, Middle and High School --
Ovation Channel, 7-8 p.m. ET, 4-5 p.m. ET) This is the initial episode of a
3-part series about the fundamentals of music. This program is about rhythm.
Tomorrow in this time slot the topic will be melody, and on September 11 it will
be harmony.
Sunday, September 5
"Nature: Extraordinary Birds" (Natural Science, Elementary, Middle and High
School -- PBS, 8-9 p.m. E/P) This program examines the wide variety of
relationships between humans and birds, as well as some of the more remarkable
abilities of these winged wonders from crows to pigeons, pelicans to parrots,
and well beyond.
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