|
Greetings, TV viewers!
Some broadcast and cable programs contain material included in the public
school curriculum and on standardized exams. Here are home-viewing suggestions
for March 7-13, 2005.
The topic for this week's Media Hour is the death penalty for juveniles. The U.S. Supreme Court decided this past week to ban the death penalty from being applied to anyone who was younger than 18 years of age when they committed their crimes.
This brought the U.S. in line with the vast majority of world governments -- the only countries that now allow execution of juveniles are dictatorships and totalitarian regimes.
Do you agree that this is the only moral way of handling teenaged criminals, or do you think that at your age you really do know the full difference between right and wrong? What do we do now?
Think you've got the smarts to answer a few trivia-type questions? You'll need to watch the shows and read the websites to be sure!
Remember to come to Saturday's Media Hour prepared. It's all about an open discussion, with everybody pitching in on a good topic -- bounce off of what other people say, too, and talk amongst yourselves while I'm down there! Explore what everyone thinks and remind us to think about what was in the shows and on the websites. The more you help others discuss things (and the more you know about the shows), the better your chances of getting on stage, or even earning clams.
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.
Monday, March 7
9-11 p.m. E/P -- check local listings
|
PBS
|
Social Science and Health
|
Middle and High School
|
"Mother-Daughter Wisdom"
|
In this program, Dr. Christiane
Northrup reveals how and why the mother-daughter bond is important for
a woman???s health, and how a deeper awareness and understanding of
this most profound of all relationships is crucial to all women. She combines
personal reflections, clinical experiences, and cutting-edge research
to explore how the core beliefs and behaviors that most profoundly affect
a woman's health are passed from mother to daughter. TV-PG
|
Log on http://www.drnorthrup.com/ |
Tuesday, March 8
7-8 p.m. E/P
|
History Channel
|
Science and Technology
|
Middle and High School
|
"Modern Marvels: Surveillance"
|
In the world of surveillance
technology, somebody is always watching, listening, analyzing, recording,
scanning, and tracking every aspect of our lives. And with advanced surveillance
technology, there's virtually no place to hide. This program examines
some of the most important equipment the world has ever seen... or rather,
not seen... in this thriving surveillance revolution. Check out parabolic
microphones that pick up conversations a mile a way, cameras that learn
what and who to photograph, RadarVision that "sees through walls,"
and Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). And explore the future of surveillance
technology, while reviewing its surprising history. TVPG
|
|
Wednesday, March 9
8-9 p.m. E/P
|
History Channel
|
Natural Science
|
Middle and High School
|
"Modern Marvels: Nature's
Engineers"
|
This program shows how animals
build skyscrapers buzzing with life, intricate tunnels connecting entire
communities, dams that tame the wild rivers -- this is construction animal
style! Common creatures are designed to alter their habitat and, relative
to their size, remake the world. We have much to learn from beavers, honeybees,
birds, termites and spiders. TV-PG
|
|
Wednesday, March 9
9-10 p.m. E/P
|
Discovery Channel
|
Science |
Middle and High School
|
"Myth Busters"
|
In this episode of a series
that tests popular science myths the leading topic is "Is Yawning
Contagious?" The hosts set out to see if yawning -- like a cold
-- really can be caught. The experiment begins at the workshop, in
a specially fabricated chamber of yawns, complete with a two-way mirror
and hidden camera. Other topics on the show are "Does toast really
fall buttered side down?" The hosts build a rig to simulate toast
being dropped from the dining room table. Also in this episode, the team
goes to Lake Tahoe for the most mismatched motor car race of all time:
Can a toy car beat a real car in a gravity slope race?
|
|
Thursday, March 10
3:30-4 p.m. E/P
|
Travel Channel
|
Geography |
Middle and High School
|
"Passport To Europe: Barcelona,
Spain"
|
In the first of two programs
about modern Spain this week (see Friday listing below) art, architecture,
and wine are featured in this program about the coastal city of Barcelona.
The fantasy-filled architecture of Antonio Gaudi, is the pride of that
town, and many of his ideas are now being copied by other architects all
over the world.
|
Friday, March 11
8-9 p.m. E/P
|
NBC
|
History and Geography
|
High School
|
"Dateline NBC"
|
The setting of the main story in this newsmagazine is Madrid, Spain,
where a series of terrorist bombings took place one year ago. How were
they planned? Who was behind them? This investigative report reveals a
new, sophisticated face of global terrorism.
|
Friday, March 11
8-10 p.m. EST, 5-7 p.m. PST
|
National Geographic Channel
|
Science and Health
|
High School
|
"In the Womb"
|
Because this program is about the process of human development in the
womb prior to birth, viewing under parental guidance is suggested. New
ultrasound technology is now available to provide a look at an embryo
on its journey from the fallopian tubes, to the uterus. "This allows
an understanding of fetal development and behavior that is almost a new
science. It's taught us so much about how the fetus develops at an early
stage," said Professor Stuart Campbell of the Create Health Clinic
in London. The program shows objects in 3-D moving in something close
to real time. Doctors have long known that fetuses move, but the physical
behavior revealed by the new scans is expanding that knowledge.
|
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/02/0225_050225_tv_ultrasound.htmlnatgeo |
>
Saturday, March 12
8-10 p.m. E/P
|
Disney Channel
|
Social Science and American History
|
Middle and High School
|
"Buffalo Dreams"
|
In this movie, two teens, a Navajo and a mountain-biker from Chicago
must bridge the cultural gap to become friends and preserve tribal land.
The location is a reservation in the Southwest. The rebellious Native-American
has not been practicing the traditions of his tribe, but resents the newly
transplanted Chicagoan as a "tourist". There???s a spectacular
showdown set against the backdrop of the Wild West and involving the revered
buffalo herd in the region.
|
Sunday, March 13
3-4 p.m. E/P
|
History Channel
|
World History
|
Middle and High School
|
"History's Mysteries: Vikings -- Fury From The North"
|
Vikings swept down from the north to plunder Europe, and for 300 years,
no one was safe from their attacks. But they also built cities, founded
empires, and crossed the Atlantic to discover a new world. They changed
the face of the world before vanishing into myth and legend. Follow in
the wake of this great seafaring culture and examine the bold nature and
amazing accomplishments. TVPG
|
|
|