Media Menu July17, 2010

Here are home viewing suggestions for the week, selected from online advanced TV program listings and aligned with the state and national K-12 academic standards available online.
Please consult local listings also, since actual broadcast times may vary.  The Websites cited in the “Log on“  box  below the tv listing provide further details about the show’s  topic and may contain links to video clips from the show or a complete streaming video version of the show.

Saturday, July 17, 2010
8-10  p.m. E/P
Discovery  Channel
Science and Technology
Middle and High  School

“Powering The Future : The Energy Revolution/ The Future Is Now’’

This is a broadcast of two episodes of a documentary miniseries forecasting the world of energy in the not-too-distant future.  The programs will address our energy challenge from every angle, establishing a simple target - a clean, limitless, secure energy supply and how we can deliver it.   Energy is the force behind everything-- national security, peak oil, economics, and climate change.  The premier of the series is today, and continues Sunday, July 18, from 8 to 10 PM (ET). Host is Dr. M. Sanjayan, lead scientist at The Nature Conservancy.  Producers traveled to more than 30 different locations around the world -- from an offshore oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico to the oil sands of Canada, from Washington, D.C., to Beijing, China -- to meet with the people at the heart of the issue. TV-G

Log on for complete schedule information  http://science.discovery.com/tv/powering-the-future

Sunday, July 18, 2010,
8-10  p.m. E/P
Discovery  Channel
Science and Technology
Middle and High  School

“Powering The Future : Striking a Balance / A Call to Action ’’

This is a broadcast of the remaining two episodes of a documentary miniseries forecasting the world of energy in the not-too-distant future.  The programs addresses our energy challenge from every angle, establishing a simple target - a clean, limitless, secure energy supply and how we can deliver it.   “Striking a Balance” -   Populations are booming, energy supplies are dwindling, the clock is ticking. How do we balance energy supply and demand? “A Call to Action” -   Whether it's global warming, geopolitics, or plain old geology, the reasons for change are undeniable. And ready or not, that change has already begun.  TV-G

Log on  http://science.discovery.com/tv/powering-the-future


Sunday, July 18, 2010 ,
7-8 p.m. E/P
NBC
U.S. History and Economics
Middle and High  School

“DATELINE": America Now’’

This documentary tells the story of migrant farm workers—the invisible hands in America’s food-supply chain. Specifically, it tells the story of the many children, as young as five and six, who work alongside their struggling parents in the fields harvesting the food that we eat every day. The documentary intimately follows the journey of ten-year-old Ulysses Cruz, a young boy whose life has been dictated by the cycle of the crops, and other children under 12 doing work forbidden by child labor laws.

Log on http://insidedateline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/07/02/4589943-dateline-presents-america-now-children-of-the-harvest


Monday, July 19, 2010,
9-10  p.m. E/P
PBS
U.S. History
Middle and High  School

“History Detectives’’

This documentary-magazine consists of three reports: “Cromwell Dixon”: A four-inch square of fabric tells the story of one of America’s first barnstorming pilots. “Bartlett Sketchbook”: Does this sketchbook illustrate scenes from the first ever US-Mexican border survey? “Duke Ellington Plates” (repeat segment): Could this dumpster find be the printing plates for Duke Ellington’s hit, “Take the ‘A’ Train”? TV-PG

Log on  http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives
Tuesday, July 20, 2010,       7-8 p.m. E/P
History Channel
Science and Economics
Middle and High  School

“Modern Marvels: Mold & Fungus’’

From magic mushrooms to athlete's foot to penicillin, fungi are everywhere. Viewers of this documentary will learn about fungal organisms that live within our bodies, grow beneath our feet, float in the air and help create some of the foods and beverages we consume. Follow professionals as they battle mold inside the walls of one moldy home. Visit the Phillips Mushroom Farms, America's largest producer of specialty mushrooms and finally see how scientists are looking for way to use fungi to fuel cars and clean up hazardous waste. TV-PG

Wednesday, July21, 2010,   8-9, 2010
PBS
U.S. History
Elementary, Middle and High  School

“TAVIS SMILEY REPORTS “New Orleans: Been in the Storm Too Long”

For the third installment of the documentary series TAVIS SMILEY REPORTS, host Smiley and Academy Award®-winning director Jonathan Demme travel to New Orleans, five years after Hurricane Katrina. Through the lens of the city’s rich culture, Smiley examines the efforts of some of its most resilient residents as they rebuild their schools, churches and homes against enormous odds.

Log on http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/reports/index.html

Thursday, July 22, 2010,
8-9  p.m. E/P
History Channel
Science and Technology
Middle and High  School

“Modern Marvels: Helicopters ’’

In Alabama, viewers will fly with the Apache Longbow, the deadliest helicopter in world, and learn how to fly the Blackhawk, one of the most sophisticated and versatile helicopters in world. Then climb aboard a Coast Guard helicopter as a team trains for water rescues in the Gulf. In California, see how the immensely popular Robinson helicopters are hand-made and how the police use them to catch fleeing criminals. In Tennessee, learn how million dollar Bell helicopters are customized with everything from bars and entertainment systems to state of the art navigation. TV-PG

Friday, July 23, 2010,
7-8 p.m. E/P
Discovery Channel
Science and Geography
Middle and High  School

“Killer Ants’’

Over 8,000 species of ants cover the planet. Most are harmless, but some have a violent streak. As shown in this documentary, African driver ants have eaten a horse in a day and suffocated a human, and the army ants of South and Central America can wipe out entire ecosystems. TV-PG

Related info at HTTP://WWW.PBS.ORG/WGBH/NOVA/ANTS/GAME.HTML

Saturday, July 24, 2010
8-10  p.m. ET, 5-7 p.m. PT
TCM – Turner Classic Movies
Arts and Geography
Middle and High  School

“Black Orpheus’’

Taken from the myth and legend of Orpheus and Eurydice, the story of this movie is set against the backdrop of Rio's Carnival, where the two ill-fated lovers meet. In this Oscar-winning version of the myth a streetcar conductor loses his true love during the carnival. Cast: Breno Mello, Marpessa Dawn, Ademar da Silva. Dir: Marcel Camus.  The New York Times reviewer said, “…the focus of interest in this film is the music, the movement, the storm of color that go into the two-day festival. M. Camus has done a superb job of getting the documented look not only of the over-all fandango but also of the build-up of momentum the day before.” The film is particularly renowned for its soundtrack by bossa nova star ANTÔNIO CARLOS JOBIM, featuring songs such as "" (written by LUIZ BONFÁ) and "A felicidade" that were to become bossa nova classics. In President Barak Obama’s bestselling memoir, “Dreams From My Father”, he notes  that it was his mother's favorite film.  TV-PG

Log on for   information about this film http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Orpheus