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Greetings, TV viewers!
Some broadcast and cable programs contain material included
in the public school curriculum and on standardized examinations. Here are home
viewing suggestions for February 1-6, 2004.
The topic for this week's Media Hour is materials! We'll talk about the modern marvels of metalworking -- like the History Channel show -- as well as plastics, buckyballs and other futuristic materials. Check out the show airing Wednesday night and the related website for "Modern Marvels: Metals"! Now that I know how to run polls, we'll be holding a few trivia questions during the Hour, and the folks who get the answers right first will get invited on stage or given clams!!
What do you think of the new format for
the Media Menu? We're continuing to make improvments, so if you have ideas about
what would make it easier to use, read, etc, let us know in the BBS below.
Remember to come to Saturday's Media Hour prepared! Watch the shows and really
read the related websites, so you can help us focus our discussion. Explore what
everyone thinks and remind us to think about what was in the shows and
on the websites. Come to the Media Hour prepared and you will be invited down
on stage, and you may earn clams, too!
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). We get together at the Greek Theater (next to
City Hall), every Saturday morning at 9 a.m., Whyville Time. You'll find that
discussions are easier in the Theater, since everyone's chat bubbles overlap
a little less than in other rooms, and City Workers are able to direct people's
movement and behavior, when we need to.
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Monday, January 31
9-11 p.m. E/P
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PBS
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World and American History
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High School
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"American
Experience: Fidel Castro"
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For a person who has been the leader of only a small
Caribbean nation, Fidel Castro has had quite an impact on America for almost half
a century. The controversial, charismatic dictator has confounded American
presidents from Eisenhower to Bush, while surviving a CIA-backed invasion,
countless assassination plots, an economic embargo -- even the collapse of
his benefactor, the Soviet Union.
This is a new documentary by Adriana Bosch, whose previous biographical
documentaries were "Jimmy Carter;" and "Reagan". It does
not shy away from controversy, acknowledging both Castro's accomplishments
and his failures.
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Log on to http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/castro/ for more information in English and Spanish.
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Tuesday, February 1
8-10 p.m. E/P
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DIS (Disney Channel)
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Social Studies and American History
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Middle and
High School
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"The Color Of Friendship"
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Airing in observance of Black
History Month, this movie is an unusual -- and true -- story of inter-racial
friendship. In 1977, an African American U.S. Congressman
and his family sponsored a South African exchange student who turned
out to be a white girl who has grown up viewing black people as second-class
citizens. The movie follows the changes in her attitude and the attitude
of her host family and contains valuable lessons about racism and tolerance.
TV-G.
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Wednesday, February 2
8-9 p.m. E/P
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HIST (History Channel)
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Science and History
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Middle and High School
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"Modern Marvels: Metals"
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This program about the role of metal in our lives is also about the rise
of industrial society. The story covers the blacksmith's shop to the riggers and engineers of skyscrapers,
jet planes and rockets. It actually begins before the Bronze Age and
goes into the future when new metal structures -- engineered at a molecular
level to be stronger, lighter, and cheaper -- will shape human progress. Rated TV-G.
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Log on to http://www.historychannel.com/ncta/ for more.
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Thursday, February 3
9-10 p.m. E/P
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DISC (Discovery Channel)
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Social Science and World History
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High School
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"Osama: Dead Or Alive"
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This
program asks, "What happened to the greatest manhunt in history
for the world's most wanted terrorist?" For the first time, key
players involved -- from CIA operatives to noted journalists -- tell
their story and raise questions about the U.S. ability to protect itself. Rated TV-PG.
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Friday, February 4
7-8 p.m. E/P
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TRAV (Travel Channel)
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Geography and American History
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Middle and High School
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"The Once And
Future City: Baltimore"
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What's the future
of the American city? Can "old" ones become "new" again?
This program using the example of Baltimore Maryland shows the threads of
history, popular culture, architecture, and social development were weaving
together to create the American metropolises we know and travel to today
??? and what might become of our American cities in the future.
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Friday, February 4
7:30-8 p.m. E/P
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DIS (Disney Channel)
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Social Studies
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Middle and High School
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"That's So Raven:
True Colors"
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This episode of the
popular family TV series "That's So Raven" commemorates Black
History Month with a frank storyline about racism and job
discrimination. To expose unfair hiring practices at a local retailer,
Raven Baxter puts on a disguise (after many hours of prosthetic make-up, the
19-year-old actress plays a balding middle age man). Young viewers will
see Raven and her best friends Chelsea and Eddie taking a stand against
bigotry and, with guidance from Raven's parents, learning to appreciate the
strides made by African-American pioneers
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Saturday, February 5
7-8 p.m. E/P
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HIST (History Channel)
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American History and Social Studies
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Middle and High School
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"Black
Preachers"
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Airing in observance of Black History Month, this program explores the
social and political legacy of African-American ministers. It reveals
their skill at handling their often contradictory roles as they battled
oppression while preserving peace, destroyed prejudice while celebrating
race, and upheld tradition while fomenting change. Highlighted
are the lives of five ministers: Reverend John Jasper of Virginia, who preached
for over 50 years until his death in 1901; Father
Divine during the Depression; Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth, who helped power the Civil Rights Movement;
Jesse
Jackson, who added political impact; and Bishop Eddie Long,
who preaches to thousands. From solace offered by slave preachers
to social and economic justice preached in the Civil Rights Movement
to today's mega-churches, their goal has remained constant
-- to uplift the hopes and dreams of their people. Rated TV-PG.
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Log on to http://www.historychannel.com/ncta/ for more.
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Sunday, February 6
3-4 p.m. E/P
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HIST (History Channel)
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Technology and Health
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Middle and High School
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"Modern Marvels:
Snack Food"
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This program shows industrial processes involving extruders, molds and
in-line conveyor belts. Are these machines manufacturing adhesives, plastics,
or parts for your car? No, they're making snack food. The first locations are Utz Quality Foods in Hanover, Pennsylvania, that produces
more than one million pounds of chips per week, and Snyder's of Hanover,
the leading U.S. pretzel manufacturer. Next are the world's largest
candy manufacturer, Masterfoods USA, which
makes Milky Way, Snickers, Mars, and M&Ms, and then the world's
largest lollipop producer, Tootsie Roll Industries. At Flower Foods'
Crossville, Tennessee, plant, an army
of cupcakes rolls down a conveyer belt. The final stop is Dreyer's Bakersfield,
California, plant, where 20,000 ice cream bars and 9,600 drumsticks roll
off the line in an hour. Rated TV-PG.
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Log on to http://www.historychannel.com/ncta/ for more.
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