Tuesday, August 15
9-10 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: World History and Geography

Middle and High School

"WIDE ANGLE: 1-800 INDIA"

At the end of each of the international documentaries in this series, anchor Daljit Dhaliwal conducts an interview or presents a short essay to "connect the dots" and offer greater insight into how the subject matter of the program affects Americans. This episode is about India. Over the past decade, India has emerged as the leader in the global market for white-collar "outsourcing" jobs - a notable component of India's rapid economic growth. The program explores the experience of young Indian men and women who have been recruited into these new jobs requiring 80-hour work weeks and a westernized mindset. It reveals the human and cultural impact of a sweeping global trend, exploring its effect on Indian family life, on the evolving landscape of Indian cities and towns, and on the aspirations and daily lives of young Indians, especially women, entering the work force.

For further details log on http://www.pbs.org/wideangle

Wednesday, August 16
6:15-8 p.m. E/P

TCM

Subjects: Science and Science Fiction

High School

"Soylent Green"

This science fiction movie is about natural and political conditions that, in 1972 when it was made, were supposed to be happening in the future. Also predicted then was a slow-down in the improvement of living conditions. So all this is why this 30-year old film looks so timely today, because we???ve gone retro in so many ways ??? intentionally and not so intentionally. The movie's story is about a future cop uncovers the deadly secret behind a mysterious synthetic food. We find ourselves in his future world without any real prior history to go on. The green tinged daytime scenes are spooky. This is the New York City of 2022, with a population of forty million people and no room or food. The overheated masses must subsist on Soylent, a food derived from alternate foods like soy, lentils, and barnacles. The greenhouse effect has raised temperatures to nearly unbearable levels in some regions of the country, and people are kept in the cities by law. The rich live in separated luxury apartments but also experience the lack of regular food. Strawberries are at $150 a serving. The detective investigates a strange murder of an official from the Soylent corporation, which feeds the masses with a various products, Soylent red, yellow, or, even more nutritious, green. He soon discovers the real source of Soylent Green, which is not soy beans or plankton any more. Cast includes Charlton Heston, Edward G. Robinson and Leigh Taylor-Young. Rated TV-MA because it's scary.

Wednesday, August 16
8-9 p.m. E/P

Discovery Times Channel

Subjects: US and World History

Middle and High School

"DEFCON 2: Cuban Missile Crisis"

Cuba is in the headlines these days ??? and it has everyone wondering what's going to happen there. America has experienced this kind of uncertainty before. "DEFCON-2" is the official term for the highest level of US military readiness short of nuclear war, and the term dates back to the tension filled days of the Cuban Missile Crisis in the Fall of 1962. In this documentary author Tom Clancy (who is also a video game maker) hosts an analysis of key participants on both sides of the confrontation.

Wednesday, August 16
9-10 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: Science and US History

Middle and High School

"AMERICAN MASTERS 'Albert Einstein: How I See the World'"

This is a documentary about somebody who was expelled from high school, later was unable to find a teaching job and instead got stuck working at a government patent office. Albert Einstein nonetheless went on to become one of the greatest scientific thinkers of all time. He ended up using his free time at the Swiss Patent Office to develop his groundbreaking physics theories on the nature of time and space. Although his early theories paved the way for the atomic bomb, Einstein later became a peace activist. By the time he died in 1955, he was considered not only the most important scientist but the smartest man of his time.

Log on http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/einstein_a.html

Thursday, August 17
7-8 p.m. ET, 4-5 p.m. PT

National Geographic Channel

Subjects: Science

Middle and High School

"Naked Science: Earth's Core"

What would it be like to travel to the center of the Earth? It is a place of unimaginable heat and pressure, where no life could survive. Yet without it we would perish for it holds the key to our existence on this planet. Thousands of miles below the surface, Earth's core generates a protective magnetic shield around the planet. This documentary interviews scientists who have uncovered evidence that this armor could be fading. Are weak spots in this shield a sign that our planet's magnetic poles are on the verge of flipping?

Friday, August 18
7-8 p.m. E/P

History Channel

Subjects: Science

Middle and High School

"Modern Marvels: Fire"

Fire. It's the basis of almost every component of the modern world and has spawned entire industries. This documentary features great feats in pyrotechnology (the intentional use and control of fire by humans) from the massive 8-story fire-breathing boilers that create steam heat for downtown Philadelphia, to the nearly 2,000 degree flames that create electricity at a biomass plant. From the massive coal-fired locomotives that powered us across the continent, to the rocket engines that took us to the moon, we'll cover what fire is, how we have learned to create and harness it, and its behavior with various fuel sources. At a match factory, see how the seeds of fire are made and explore the significance of this seemingly simple innovation. TVPG

Saturday, Aug. 19
6-7 p.m. E/P

Discovery Channel

Subjects: Science and Pre-History

Middle and High School

"The Rise Of Man"

This documentary, starting with Homo Erectus, the first species to demonstrate signs of humanization, proceeding to Homo Sapien, follows the path of our direct ancestors as they migrate across the planet. Through social skills and technological advances, the Homo Sapien species thrives.