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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 April 18-24, 2005.
The topic for this week's Media Hour is next-generation video game consoles. Watch the news for coverage of this week's events at the E3 convention. Both the Xbox 360 and the PS3 have been unveiled, while there's a lot of buzz about Nintendo... and there's a lot more excitement to come.
What do you think of video game consoles? What are your favorite technologies that are coming out? Do you think they'll take over the living room like Microsoft's Bill Gates says? Let's talk!
There's always more to discuss where that came from, so crack open your questions and do some investigating. Science teachers, schoolbooks, libraries and your local university scientists are all great places to find answers, and more questions.
We had a great time discussing nuclear power last week. Several people dug up some great facts about the topic, and I want to thank you all! Maybe this week I'll know how to give you clams for all your great work. :-)
If you've got the smarts to answer a few trivia-type questions, make sure you watch the shows and read the websites! I really want to give out clams to folks who saw the show and who help others in the room learn!!!
Remember to come to Saturday's Media Hour prepared. It's all about an open discussion, with everybody pitching in on a good topic -- remember to 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.
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Monday, April 18
6-8 p.m. E/P
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History Channel
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American History
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Middle and High School
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"FDR: A Presidency Revealed"
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This 2-part special covers the
longest presidency in U.S. history -- also the most significant presidency
of the 20th century. Using rare home movies, secret White House recordings,
oral histories, and a cousin's secret diary, we show how Franklin Delano
Roosevelt overcame disability to carry the nation out of the Depression,
rallied a divided country to common purpose, and charted the course towards
victory in WWII.
The show also reveals FDR's
private side that he tried so hard to conceal, including intimate stories
of a 24-year struggle with paralysis and an affair that destroyed his
marriage. Part 1 covers significant events of his presidency from his
first inauguration, historic first 100 days in office, the New Deal, Fireside
Chats, the NRA, CCC, and WPA, his controversial Court-packing plan, isolationist
platform for reelection in 1940, and relationship with Winston Churchill.
Part 2, which airs 9-11 p.m., covers his continuing effect on our lives,
such as Social Security. Issues he fought for still define the national
debate, including the role of government and the place America should
assume in the world.
On his journey, FDR never lost
faith in the great American experiment. He laid out an optimistic vision
of a compassionate society committed to prosperity and genuine equality.
(Rated TV-PG.)
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| Log on
to http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/cable/index.html |
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Tuesday, April 19
7-8 p.m. E/P
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History Channel
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World History and Technology
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Middle and High School
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"Modern Marvels: The Trans-Siberian
Railroad"
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Interested in trains? This program
is about the longest, most expensive and complicated railroad ever built.
Ordered by the Russian Tsar in an effort to save his empire and unify
his country at the end of the 19th Century, the Trans-Siberian Railroad
nearly tore Russia apart. Intended in part for defense, the railroad provoked
a war, crossed great lengths over treacherous terrain, and encountered
logistical and economic failures. Ironically, "enemies of the state"
built the railroad -- men sentenced to hard labor in Siberian prisons.
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| Log on
to http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/deadliestcatch/about/about.html |
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Tuesday, April 19
8-9 p.m. E/P
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PBS
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Natural Science
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Middle and High School
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"NOVAscienceNOW???
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This program introduces viewers
to a species of frog that has solved the problem of cryogenics: freezing
solid in the winter, then thawing back to life in the spring. A "frogsicle,"
cold to the touch and hard as ice, this little frog in its frozen state
has no heartbeat, brain activity, or respiration. Scientists have finally
figured out how to recreate this process of cryopreservation with mammalian
organs. They've now successfully frozen, thawed, and transplanted rat
livers and pig hearts. The next step: humans. The hope is that lessons
learned from a frog will create a new standard for preserving human organs
for transplant. Rated TV-G.
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| Log on to http://www.pbs.org/nova |
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Wednesday, April 20
8:30-9 p.m. E/P (check local listings)
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PBS
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Science |
Middle and High School
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"Scientific American Frontiers"
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Airing in observance of Earth
Day (April 22), this edition of PBS' regular science magazine is entitled
"Hot Planet -- Cold Comfort". So you think global warming won't
affect you? Wait until the great Atlantic Conveyor shuts down. And find
out what's already happening in Alaska.
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Log on http://www.pbs.org/saf.
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Wednesday, April 20
9-11 p.m. E/P (check local listings)
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PBS
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Science |
Middle and High School
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"New National Geographic's
Strange Days on Planet Earth"
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This is the premiere episode
of a new PBS miniseries about the environment. Scientists suspect we have
entered a time of global change swifter than any human being has ever
witnessed. Where are we headed? Hosted by Edward Norton, the series looks
at the cause and effect relationship between what we as humans do to the
Earth, and what that in turn does to our environment and ecosystems. This
episode is entitled"Invaders/The One Degree Factor". Alien species
of plants and animals have invaded every continent. They spread disease;
they devour buildings. Some are undermining the very land beneath our
feet. Think of them as the first wave of an assault that could drive the
greatest mass extinctions since the end of the dinosaurs. What is causing
this invasion, and what can we do to stop the rising tide? An entire population
of caribou is disappearing, while other species are pushed to the limits
of their physical survival in the oceans. A respiratory illness, at one
time uncommon among children in Trinidad, is now widespread. Many scientists
believe that all of these disparate phenomena are connected to energy
use, which is leading to a slow, planet-wide transformation -- climate
change.
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Log on http://www.pbs.org/previews/natgeo_strangedays/.
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Thursday, April 21
8-9 p.m. E/P
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CNBC
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Science, Geography and Economics |
High School
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"The Kingdom Built on Oil"
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This program is an in-depth
look at Saudi Arabia and its oil industry. Reporter Melissa Francis talks
with the Saudi Oil Minister, Ali-al-Naimi, and profiles both him and the
country's biggest oil company, Aramco. Also, the Saudi government recently
spent billions fortifying rigs and facilities... but are they safe in
today's world? And, is Saudi Arabia is running out of oil? What will take
its place? Finally -- where is all the wealth going? How has life improved
for the people of Saudi Arabia?
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Friday, April 22
8:30-9 p.m. p.m. E/P (check local listings)
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PBS
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Science and Social Studies
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Middle and High School
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"NOW"
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Airing on Earth Day, this
newsmagazine program takes on the topic of industrial pollution, which
often hits poor and working class families the hardest. The report examines
how politics and economics often pit communities against the federal government
and industry. Reporter/host David Brancaccio looks at the winners and
losers in these battles, where profits are weighed against public health
and the health of the environment.
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| Log
on http://www.pbs.org/now/. |
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Saturday, April 23
8-9 p.m. E/P
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Animal Planet Channel
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Natural Science and Geography
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Middle and High School
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"Tsunami: Animal Instincts???
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When the worst tsunami in
memory rose out of the ocean on the northern tip of Indonesia and roared
across South Asia, it caused terrible devastation and monumental loss
of human life. But a host of animals seemed to detect what was coming.
This program examines animal behavior before, during and after the disaster,
providing understanding and appreciation of animal instincts that may
help teach us how to safeguard our future. Featuring interviews with scientists
and conservationists, firsthand accounts from eyewitnesses who observed
unusual animal behavior, dramatic news footage and archival footage, the
program tells how different species sounded the alarm before the killer
waves struck and describes the effects of the tsunami on a wide variety
of animals and their environment.
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Sunday, April 24
8-9 p.m. E/P
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PBS
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Natural Science
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Middle and High School
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"Nature: Deep Jungle"
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This is the second episode
of a special three part "Nature" miniseries which goes deep
into jungles around the world, following explorers and scientists who
are committed to unraveling the secrets that lie there. Entitled "Monsters
of the Forest", it explains rainforest ecology. Examples: the life
history of a giant Brazil nut tree in a Peruvian jungle and the debt it
owes to a forgetful rodent; the exploits of a British tarantula expert;
bees that pollinate the Brazil nut tree and a rare orchid; the rainfall
generated by the rainforest trees themselves; and the life-and-death struggle
between a Brazil nut tree and a giant strangler fig tree. Rated TV-PG.
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Log on http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/deepjungle/.
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The majority of the text in these descriptions come from the television
stations and production groups that produced the shows; the MediaWiz and Numedeon,
Inc. claim no copyright over the text itself.
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