Media Menu for June 25, 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, June 25, 2011,
8-9 p.m. ET, 5-6 p. PT
CNN
World History and Technology
Middle and High School

” The iRevolution: Online Warriors of the Arab Spring”

These days the Middle East revolution is being televised, blogged, shared, liked, linked, and emailed. In this documentary, re-broadcast from last week, CNN goes to Tunisia, Bahrain and Egypt to follow historic and technological developments.
Log on http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/14/unrest-middle-east-and-north-africa-country-by-country-2/?hpt=hp_t2

Saturday, June 25, 2011,
9-11 p.m. E/P
National Geographic Channel
World History and Technology
Middle and High School

”Rebuilding Titanic”

Titanic: one of the greatest maritime legends in history. When she set sail in April 1912, she was the largest, heaviest, most expensive, and most luxurious manmade moving object on the planet. This documentary tells the story of how the Titanic was built -- and who built it. Shown are modern-day metalworkers and engineers who set out to re-create iconic sections of Titanic using century-old methods to rebuild parts of the ship by hand and under the extreme conditions in which they had been originally been made. The re-creations pay tribute to the dedicated laborers who toiled under unbearable work conditions, some of whom perished in their quest to create the biggest, most luxurious ship the world had ever seen. First, the team has just eight days to assemble 17 tons of steel into a re-creation of Titanic's bow. Then, they re-engineer the cutting-edge technology used to indulge Titanic's first class passengers with a luxurious travel experience. The team builds an original electric oven that will be used to re-create a first class dining experience for descendants of the ship's crew and passengers. Their goal is to create an evening as enchanting as one the wealthiest of passengers would have enjoyed on Titanic.
Log on http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/rebuilding-titanic-6451/Overview

Sunday, June 26, 2011,
8-9 p.m. E/P
PBS
Science
Middle and High School

” NATURE:The Beauty of Ugly”

In the animal world, as in our own, looks aren’t everything. In fact, some of the most aesthetically challenged creatures — from warthogs and proboscis monkeys to bull elephant seals — are also the most fascinating. A stunning variety of these ghastly yet glorious forms are explored in this broadcast. On the program’s website ( below) is an in-depth look at some of these intriguing creatures. You’ll learn about the remarkable sensory abilities of the weird little star-nosed mole and the unusual social system of naked mole-rats and their imperious mole-rat queen, discover the threats faced by the Cape Griffon vulture, and get a fish-eye’s view of the needle-toothed viperfish and other deep-sea creatures, as photographed by a unique undersea camera called the Eye-in-the-Sea, designed by ocean researcher Dr. Edith Widder.
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/the-beauty-of-ugly/introduction/425/

Monday, June 27, 2011,
7-8 p.m. E/P
History Channel
Science
Middle and High School

” Modern Marvels: Corrosion & Decomposition”

According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, the aging U.S. infrastructure is in danger of collapse. Learn about a company in Missouri that uses a trench-less technology to rebuild corroded sewer pipes from the inside out while engineers at General Motors Proving Grounds lead the battle against corrosive road de-icing salts. See how a bioreactor in Florida turns mountains of garbage methane gas. Finally, discover how the tiny termite is teaching us how to turn agricultural waste into ethanol at a fraction of the current cost.
Log on http://www.asce.org/LandingPage.aspx?id=65

Tuesday, June 28, 2011,
8-9 p.m. E/P
PBS
U.S. and World History
Middle and High School

” History Detectives”

In this episodes of PBS’ historical-mystery series Wes Cowan decodes the message and strategy behind a U.S. World War II propaganda leaflet. Researching a family heirloom, a watercolor, leads Gwen Wright to Tiffany stained glass and opportunity for early 20th-century women. And a touching eulogy unites a nephew and a son of two American soldiers who fought in the Spanish Civil War.
Log on http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/

Wednesday, June 29, 2011,
8-9 p.m. E/P
History Channel
U.S. History and Geography
Elementary, Middle and High School

”How The States Got Their Shapes: Church And States”

Ever since the Pilgrims boarded the Mayflower, this documentary shows what we believe and how we believe has shaped the American map. Could Utah have been bigger than Texas? How did religion shatter New England into such odd little shapes? And did the Civil War actually begin... in Kansas? TV-PG
Log on http://www.history.com/shows/how-the-states-got-their-shapes

Wednesday, June 29, 2011,
9-10 p.m. E/P
PBS
Science
Middle and High School

“NOVA: What Are Dreams?”

What are dreams and why do we have them? Are they a window into a hidden realm within us? Science is only just beginning to understand. NOVA joins the leading dream researchers and witnesses the extraordinary experiments they use to investigate the world of sleep. From human narcoleptics to sleepwalking cats, from recurrent nightmares to those who can't dream, each sequence contains a vital clue to the question these scientists are pursuing: Why do we dream? TV-PG
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/what-are-dreams.html

Thursday, June 30, 2011,
7-8 p.m. E/P
National Geographic Channel
Science and Technology
Middle and High School

“Secret World Of Fireworks”

How do fireworks burst into spectacular colors and patterns in perfect unison? This documentary visits "America's First Family of Fireworks," to learn how the century-old pyrotechnics company handcrafts thousands of fireworks in a dazzling array of colors, shapes and sizes. We go inside their laboratory to discover the closely held scientific secrets, recipes and techniques they use to transform the most basic of materials - paper, string and gunpowder -- into their awe-inspiring million-dollar displays.
Log on http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/4283/Overview

Thursday, June 30, 2011,
8-9 p.m. E/P
Science Channel
Science
Middle and High School

“The Planets: Destiny”

In three billion years, the sun will expand into a red giant. Mercury will be consumed, probably Venus, possibly the Earth. As shown in this documentary, scientists have already started looking for another solar system to find an Earth-like planet to move to. TV-G
Log on http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0846561/

Friday, July 1, 2011,
7-10 p.m. E/P
Animal Planet Channel
Science and Geography
Middle and High School

“Whale Wars: Battle Cry ”

This is the initial episode of a documentary miniseries about environmental activists. The Sea Shepards depart on their 2010/2011 anti-whaling campaign with a new, fast interceptor vessel. Early on, they find two harpoon ships before the whaling fleet has killed a single whale. Could they be set up for their most successful campaign ever? The broadcast is immediately followed by three additional episodes: “No
Escape”, “Ghosts In The Machine” and “The Devil’s Icebox”. TV-14
Log on http://animal.discovery.com/tv/whale-wars/

Saturday, July 2, 2011,
8-9 p.m. E/P
National Geographic Channel
U.S. History
Middle and High School

“Ben Franklin’s Pirate Fleet”

A lost piece of American history may have been uncovered deep in the sea a shipwreck thought to have belonged to a fleet of American privateers. In the late 18th century, the Irish Sea was a cauldron of kidnapping, thievery and unrepentant skullduggery. Governments, including the nascent U.S., hired sea raiders, or privateers, to pillage and steal from merchant vessels. This documentary asks whether it is possible that this ship was on a mission from Benjamin Franklin.
Log on http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/expedition-week/5380/Overview