Media Menu for February 26, 2011

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, February 26, 2011,
8-10 p.m. E/P
History Channel
U.S. History
Middle and High School

“It's Good to be President " (behind the scenes at the White House)

You may think you know the president, but do you know what it's like to be the President? This documentary report ranges from the mundane tasks and the oddities, the perks and perils of being the most powerful man in the world. It reveals hitherto secret details of the President's every-day life inside the White House. Featuring interviews with past presidents, rarely seen recordings, and home movies, the program explores and exposes the day-to-day lives of our Commanders in Chief. Get a fresh perspective on the men you thought you knew. A look that trades everyday politics for their everyman side. TV - PG

Sunday, February 27, 2011,
7-8 p.m. E/P
CBS
Economics and World History
Middle and High School

”60 Minutes” (U.S. crooks and foreign spies)

This newsmagazine presents a special hour with two stories featuring hidden cameras that capture conmen at work. “21st CENTURY SNAKE OIL” –is an expose’ of medical conmen who prey on dying victims by using pitches that capitalize on the promise of stem cells to cure almost any disease. “STEALING AMERICA’S SECRETS” - CBS has obtained an FBI videotape showing a Defense Department employee selling secrets to a Chinese spy that offers a rare glimpse into the secretive world of espionage and illustrates how China’s spying may pose the biggest espionage threat to the U.S.
Log on http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/60minutes/main3415.shtml?tag=hdr;snav#ixzz1EC6FLXtU

Monday, February 28, 2011,
9-10 p.m. E/P
PBS
U.S. History and Economics
Middle and High School

"AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: Triangle Fire” (tragedy and workplace safety laws)

This is a documentary about events on March 25, 1911, when a fire broke out in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York’s Greenwich Village. The blaze ripped through the congested loft; huge piles of trimmings fed the flames. Petrified workers desperately tried to make their way downstairs, but the factory owners kept the doors on the ninth floor locked and the woefully inadequate fire escape soon crumpled. Hundreds of horrified on-lookers arrived just in time to see young men and women jumping from the windows. By the time the fire had burned itself out, 146 people were dead. Less than two years earlier, the workers of the factory had been leaders in an industry-wide strike to protest dismal wages and dangerous working conditions. Despite unlikely support from some of the wealthiest women in the city, including Anne Morgan, most of the workers returned to their shops without having their demands met. It took the tragedy of the fire and the ensuing public outrage to force government action. The landmark legislation that followed gave New Yorkers the most comprehensive workplace safety laws in the country. TV- 14
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/triangle

Tuesday, March 1, 2011,
9:00-10:00 p.m. E/P
PBS
U.S. History and Economics
Middle and High School

"FRONTLINE: College, Inc.” (paying for a college degree)

This documentary investigates how a new breed of for-profit universities are transforming the way we think about college in America. Higher education is a $400 billion industry fueled by taxpayer money. One of the fastest-growing — and most controversial — sectors of the industry is the for-profit colleges and universities. Unlike traditional colleges that raise money from wealthy alumni and other donors, many for-profit schools sell shares to investors on Wall Street. But what are students getting out of the deal? Critics say a worthless degree and a mountain of debt. Proponents insist they’re innovators, widening access to education. The program follows the money to uncover how for-profit universities are transforming the way we think about college in America.
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/collegeinc/etc/synopsis.html

Wednesday, March 2, 2011,
9:00-10:00 p.m. E/P
CNBC
U.S. History and Economics
Middle and High School

"Cigarette Wars" (healthy profits from unhealthy products)

In this documentary, Correspondent Brian A. Shactman reports on an industry that continues to thrive despite all we know about the dangers of smoking. 50 million Americans, and nearly a billion people overseas, still light up every day. And as cigarette taxes continue to skyrocket in the United States, driving the price up to as much as $14 per pack, a crime wave is booming, with black market profiteers cheating the U.S. government out of $5 billion in cigarette tax dollars each year.
We follow American tobacco farmers as they endure one of the worst growing seasons in four decades, facing record drought and increased pressure from the anti-tobacco movement. Increasingly marginalized, these growers refuse to give up or give in, trading their overalls for suits and traveling overseas to sell American tobacco in emerging markets. Their efforts, and those of the tobacco industry, to sell their product in places like China, India, and Eastern Europe, have prompted accusations that they are exporting a public health crisis.
Log on http://www.cnbc.com/id/41644550/?__source=vty|cigarettewars|&par=vty

Thursday, March 3, 2011,
8-9 p.m. E/P
National Geographic Channel
Science and Geography
Middle and High School

”Naked Science: Surviving Ancient Alaska” (ancient hunter-gatherers)

Melting glaciers have exposed perfectly preserved human remains and prehistoric weapons in Alaska. Who were these ancient people, and how did they survive the harsh Alaskan wilderness? This documentary shows archaeologists in Alaska who have uncovered startling evidence of ancient hunter-gatherers who colonized North America some 14,000 years ago. At Denali National Park, excavators found stone tools, weapons, bone fragments and hundreds of artifacts. Then, in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, melting glaciers have exposed perfectly preserved human remains and prehistoric weapons. Who were these ancient people, and how did they survive the harsh Alaskan wilderness?
Log on http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/4233/Overview

Friday, March 4, 2011,
6-7 p.m. E/P
History Channel
Science
Middle and High School

"Modern Marvels: Gas Tech " (chemistry)

Gas--it makes a balloon go up, cooks our food, and fills our lungs. But this invisible state of matter does far more, and has a very visible impact on the world. We follow natural gas from well tip to stove top and trace its use from 3rd century BC Chinese salt producers to modern appliances. Next, we investigate the most plentiful gas in the universe--hydrogen--which may also prove to be the most powerful. We also experience the cryogenic world of industrial gasses--what they do and where they come from--as we travel to the British Oxygen Company's Braddock Air Separation Plant to see how they freeze millions of tons of oxygen and nitrogen. And at the Bush Dome Helium Reserve in Texas, we learn why the US government sits atop 36-billion cubic feet of the stuff. Finally, we look inside the colorful world of gas and neon lights. So lay back, breathe deep, and count backwards from 10. TV-PG

Friday, March 4, 2011,
9-10 p.m. ET. 6-7 p. PT
CNBC
Economics and U.S. History
Middle and High School

"The Truth About Shoplifting" (what thieves cost you)

Every single day in North America, there are more than 600,000 shoplifting incidents. Eighty percent of us have stolen at least once in our lives. One out of every 10 of us shoplifts often. And now, organized crime has discovered that it’s a low risk way to turn a handsome profit. The truth is... stealing from stores is a big part of our consumer culture. And it’s a crime you pay for every time you step up to the cash register. This documentary examines the rise in retail crime and how the consumers’ quest for the lowest discount price fuels the market for stolen merchandise. Featuring surprising security camera footage, the latest crime-fighting technology and interviews from both sides of the law, this documentary investigates why people steal, who is doing the stealing, what others are doing to fight it, and how retail crime affects us all.

Saturday, March 5, 2011,
6-8 p.m. E/P
Planet Green Channel
Science and Geography
Middle and High School

"Tuna Wranglers " (where food comes from)

This a broadcast of the initial two episodes of a documentary miniseries about an important food source and where it comes from. Hundreds of miles offshore, a crew of brave men battle the elements and predators for the ultimate catch that could be worth millions of dollars. It takes a certain kind of person to willingly jump into a tuna pen 120 miles offshore and wrestle deadly sharks out with their bare hands. For South Australia's tuna fishermen, though, it's all in a day's work. TV-PG