Media Menu for September 17, 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, September 17, 2011,
Noon – 1 p.m. E/P
History Channel
Economics and Health
Middle and High School

Modern Marvels: The Butcher

In a carnivorous world, a butcher is a necessary link in the food chain.. This documentary traces the trade's evolution--from yesteryear's butcher-on-every-corner to today's industrial butcher working on a "disassembly" line. We tour the infamous remains of the Chicago Stockyards, where Upton Sinclair, Clarence Birdseye, and refrigeration changed butchering forever; witness high-speed butchering; and travel to a non-stop sausage factory. And if you're still squeamish, a USDA inspector offers the lowdown on HACCP--the country's new system of checks and balances on everything from quality grading to E. coli, Salmonella, and Mad Cow Disease. Finally, we visit the last bastion of old-school butchering--the rural custom butcher, who slaughters, eviscerates, skins, and cuts to his customer's wishes. TV-PG.

Sunday, September 18, 2011,
9- 9:30 p.m. E/P
Nickelodeon Channel
Science and Health
Elementary, Middle and High School

Nick News With Linda Ellerby: A Gift Of Life

There are more than 2,000 kids in the U.S. waiting for organ transplants because their own organs are failing. The success rate for people who have received donated organs is 80 to 90 percent, but the demand is higher than the number of donors. Nick News with Linda Ellerbee hears from kids and families who have been affected by organ donation. Beginning Monday, Sept. 19, the special will be available on Nick.com and on iTunes as a free podcast. “Organ donation isn’t an easy subject to discuss with family,” said Ellerbee. “But kids aren’t only the recipients. They are also donors, so it’s important for families to educate themselves on the topic. There may be an opportunity to save a life or even lives.”
Log on http://news.nick.com/09/2011/09/waiting-for-a-gift-of-life/

Monday, September 19, 2011,
10 p.m. -12:00 a.m. E/P
PBS
World History
Middle and High School

The Storm That Swept Mexico

This documentary tells the epic story of the Mexican Revolution of 1910. Fueled by the Mexican people’s growing dissatisfaction with an elitist ruling regime, the revolution was led by two of the most intriguing and mythic figures in 20th century history — Emiliano Zapata and Francisco “Pancho” Villa. At stake was Mexico’s ability to claim its own natural resources, establish long-term democracy and re-define its identity. The program also explores how the Mexican revolution not only changed the course of Mexican history, transforming economic and political power within the nation, but also profoundly impacted the relationships between Mexico, the U.S. and the rest of the world. It charts the struggle by Francisco I. Madero and his followers to end the long dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz, and traces the emergence of the remarkable populist heroes Zapata and Villa. The program also examines international influence on the revolution as well as Mexico’s flourishing cultural revolution. TV-PG
Log on http://www.pbs.org/itvs/storm-that-swept-mexico/

Tuesday, September 20, 2011,
7-8- p.m. E/P
History Channel
Science
Middle and High School

Modern Marvels: Heavy Metals

They are elements that occupy a select portion of the periodic table and are so essential to America's economic and military might that they are stored in the National Defense Stockpile in case of all-out war. This documentary visits that site Some of the vital heavy metals that we survey include copper, uranium, lead, zinc, and nickel. We also take a look at superalloys--consisting of steel combined with chromium, cobalt, and dozens of other heavy metals--that resist corrosion and perform increasingly elaborate functions. From Earth to space, from cosmetics to vitamins, in a million different ways, heavy metals are here to stay.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011,
8-10 p.m. E/P
PBS
Arts
Middle and High School

LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER: New York Philharmonic Opening Night with Deborah Voigt

Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic celebrate the opening night of the 2011-2012 season. Soprano Deborah Voigt is on hand for an evening of music by Barber, Wagner and Richard Strauss. Voigt and the Philharmonic close the evening with the Intermezzo, Dance and Final Scene from Strauss' Salome. TV-PG
Log on http://www.pbs.org/programs/live-from-lincoln-center

Thursday, September 22, 2011,
8-9 p.m. E/P
National Geographic Channel
World History
Middle and High School

When Rome Ruled: Secrets of the Gladiators

This documentary re-creates the opening days of the Coliseum in Rome, the spectacles, the combatants and the monumental structure that housed them. It reveals what went into staging the games and the arsenal of weapons the gladiators had at their disposal -- re-creating the action of the empire's iconic venue.
Log on http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/when-rome-ruled/4722/Overview

Friday, September 23, 2011,
6-7 p.m. E/P
History Channel
Science and Geography
Middle and High School

Modern Marvels: Night

This documentary is about activities only occur when the world is dark. We stay up late off the coast of California to hunt some slippery and slimy nocturnal creatures: squid by the tens of thousands. Fishermen show us how they lure them into their net by mesmerizing them with the boat's powerful lights. We also visit Toronto, Canada, the self proclaimed "worm capitol of the world", where an army of pickers pluck countless night crawlers emerging from their burrows. In Tennessee, we put a night vision lens on our camera to capture the action as military trainees try their hand at the latest night vision gear. And we'll experience how hard it is to evade a police helicopter's blindingly bright Spectrolab spotlight, or powerful noses and sharp teeth when the cops deploy their K-9 units. For some after hours fun, we'll see how more than six hundred, 2,000 watt lights can turn night into day inside the Pittsburgh Pirates' new state-of-the-art stadium.
Log on http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/human-planet/episodes.html

Saturday, September 24, 2011,
8-9 p.m. E/P
Planet Green Channel
Science and Geography
Middle and High School

Human Planet: Rivers and Oceans

This natural history documentary turns its cameras on the most fascinating creature of all: us. The specific and timely topic is how humans adapt to an aquatic life in unpredictable waters.
Log on http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/human-planet/episodes.html