Media Menu for November 23, 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.

Wednesday, November  23, 2011,
9-11 p.m.
History  Channel
U.S. History
Middle and High  School

BRAD MELTZER’S DECODED: Billy The Kid

Every now and then a researcher will discover a historical enigma, an unproven rumor, a story with a puzzling outcome. Such encounters are an irresistible challenge for Brad Meltzer, the best-selling author. He unraveled many of them thread-by-thread in his recent documentary series.  But there are many more secrets that remain unsolved, and Meltzer will tackle some of the most compelling ones. Joining  Brad are  Buddy Levy, a professor and journalist who assumes there is always more than meets the eye; Christine McKinley, a mechanical engineer who believes only what can be proved; and Scott Rolle, a trial lawyer who is skeptical by nature. Together they will examine the clues, rumors and conspiracy theories behind  story of  Billy The Kid.
Log on http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/national-geographic-channel/all-videos/?source=NavNGCHome

Thursday, November  24, 2011,
8-9 p.m.
History  Channel
U.S. History
Middle and High  School

The Real Story of Thanksgiving

The story of Thanksgiving, with its costumed Pilgrims, turkeys and pumpkin pie, zigzags through American history with some surprising twists. At the iconic Thanksgiving feast of 1621--no pumpkin pie or cranberry sauce was served, and that event was wiped from the history books for 200 years! In the 19th Century, some southern states thought Thanksgiving was an abolitionist plot and refused to celebrate it. Thanksgiving didn't become an annual national holiday until World War II. What started as a somber Puritan day of prayer is now about football and food. This documentary explains how we got there.
Log on http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving

Thursday, November  24, 2011,
9-11 p.m.
National Geographic   Channel
U.S. History
Middle and High  School

America Before Columbus

History books traditionally depict the pre-Columbus Americas as a pristine wilderness where small native villages lived in harmony with nature. But scientific evidence tells us that America wasn't exactly a "New World," but a very old one whose inhabitants had built a vast infrastructure of cities, orchards, canals, and causeways. But after Columbus set foot in the Americas, an endless wave of explorers, conquistadors, and settlers arrived, and with each of their ships came a Noah's Ark of plants, animals—and disease. In the first 100 years of contact, entire civilizations were wiped out and the landscape was changed forever. This documentary visits the mysterious world of ancient American history to shed a different light on the history of the Americas.
Log on http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/national-geographic-channel/all-videos/ngc-columbus-makes-landfall.html?source=email_channel

Friday, November  25, 2011,
3-4  p.m. ET , 1-3 p.m. PT
Science and Economics
Middle and High  School

The Coffee Addiction

The coffee addiction is not an understatement. Americans crave their daily fix and drink an estimated 400 million cups a day. But, coffee is so much more than just a drink. As one of the most actively traded commodities, coffee is now a multibillion-dollar global industry. What is it about coffee that keeps us coming back for more? Is it truly the caffeine or is it something else… the aroma, the taste, the sense of gathering a cup of coffee brings. This documentary goes behind the scenes with two major players in coffee today - Starbucks and Green Mountain Coffee. The story of how coffee gets to this country is mostly unknown and fascinating.  If you think standing in line to get your cup of Joe is a hassle, wait until you see how a cherry off a coffee tree eventually makes it to your local barista. From the jungles of Peru to America’s coffee cafés, this documentary  takes viewers on a journey from bean to cup.
Log on   http://www.cnbc.com/id/43393500

Saturday, November  26, 2011,
5-8  p.m. ET , 3-5 p.m. PT
TCM – Turner Classic Movie Channel
U.S. And World History
Middle and High  School

America, America

America is immigration. This Oscar–winning   movie is Elia Kazan's memorable and still-potent entry on the short list of respected films on this theme. It’s about Greeks and Armenians fleeing Turkey for a life in American, but viewers of all ethnicities can identify with the struggles of the film’s characters. In a spoken prologue, Kazan says: "I am a Greek by blood, a Turk by birth, and an American because my uncle made a journey." It begins in 1896, when his uncle leaves an ancestral town on the Anatolian plateau, headed for Constantinople on a donkey loaded with the family's meager supply of treasures. The plan is to get a new start and better the family's shared status with Armenians as oppressed minorities under Turkish rule. The journey ends, many, many dangers later (read article cited below) , with the young man descending a gangplank in New York harbor, sinking to his knees and kissing the ground with the American flag and the Statue of Liberty in the background. TV-PG
Log on http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/67218/America-America/articles.html

Sunday, November  27, 2011,
7-8  p.m.
Science Channel
Science and Technology
Middle and High  School

Large, Dangerous Rocket Ships 2011

As shown in this documentary NASA scientists aren't the only ones who can play with rockets. Once a year, the most fearless and hardcore of all rocket builders from around the country come together and go head-to-head to see who can build the most powerful rocket.  For five days, more than 2,000 rockets burst into the sky with a billow of smoke, racing thousands of feet straight up in a matter of seconds. In fact, the FAA has no choice but to divert all air traffic around the entire event. TV-PG
Log on to http://science.discovery.com/tv/ldrs-rocket-ships

Monday, November  28, 2011,
10-11  p.m.
PBS
U.S. and World History
Middle and High  School

UNFORGETTABLE: THE KOREAN WAR

The words etched on the Korean War Memorial commemorate the service, commitment and sacrifice of the U.S. armed forces members who fought a war against communism half a world away. However, for 60 years the Korean War was referred to as a "police action," "the Korean conflict" and "the Forgotten War." Yet, in all senses of the word, it was war. While millions died and many more suffered from the hostilities, the nation collectively "forgot" about or ignored the war and its veterans. This documentary  uses historical film and personal photos combined with emotional remembrances to reveal the individual stories, the pride, the patriotism, the gallantry, the sacrifice and heartache behind "the Forgotten War." TV-PG
Log on  http://www.pbs.org/programs/unforgettable/

Tuesday, November  29, 2011,
9-11  p.m.
History Channel
Science and Technology
Elementary, Middle and High  School

The Epic History of Everyday Things

Most of human history is comprised not of earth shaking events, but of all the little things people like us do in our lives — like brushing our teeth, tying a necktie, jumping on a bus, using a computer or going in an elevator.  This documentary reveals the history of the things we see and use every day.  Why are there four tines on a fork? What's the purpose of those buttons on the cuff of a suit jacket? Why are salt and pepper and not sugar and cinnamon at the center of every American table?   Organized around a day in the life of a 40-something man as he interacts with everyday objects, materials and machines, the program “pauses” his actions to zoom in on individual items, travel through a portal, and emerge into a different world to tell the most interesting part of the item's history.  For example, as he squirts toothpaste onto his brush, viewers will discover that 7,000 years ago, in the shadow of the pyramids, Egyptians compounded the first tooth cleansing powder out of oxen hooves, myrrh, egg shells and pumice. As he stops at a Starbucks near his office, learn that attempting to buy a cup of coffee in a similar establishment in England 340 years ago would have resulted in imprisonment and torture. And discover, as he combs his hair in the office restroom, that the secret of making mirrors from plate glass, invented by 15th century Venetians, was so guarded that the artisans were transferred to the island of Murano to keep an eye on them.  TV-PG
Log on  http://shop.history.com/special-presentation-epic-history-of-everyday-things-dvd/detail.php?p=363828

Wednesday, November  30, 2011,
9-10  p.m.
PBS
Science
Elementary, Middle and High  School

NOVA: The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies

Orange-and-black wings fill the sky as this documentary charts one of nature's most remarkable phenomena: the epic migration of monarch butterflies across North America. To capture a butterfly's point of view,  filmmakers used a helicopter, ultralight, and hot-air balloon for aerial views along the transcontinental route. This  annual migration, which scientists are just beginning to fathom, is an endangered phenomenon that could dwindle to insignificance if the giant firs that the butterflies cling to during the winter are cut down to the point that they disappear. TV-G
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/journey-butterflies.html





Book TV Schedule

Thursday, November 24th

8am (ET)
Approx. 51 min.
"Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President"
Candice Millard

9am (ET)
Approx. 41 min.
"Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks"
Ken Jennings

9:45am (ET)
Approx. 39 min.
2011 National Book Festival: David McCullough, "The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris"
David McCullough

10:24am (ET)
Approx. 58 min.
2011 National Book Festival: Interview and Call-in with David McCullough, "The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris"
David McCullough

11:30am (ET)
Approx. 58 min.
"Westmoreland: The General Who Lost Vietnam"
Lewis Sorley

12:30pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 11 min.
"Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War"
Leymah Gbowee

1:45pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 6 min.
"Elizabeth and Hazel: Two Women of Little Rock"
David Margolick

3pm (ET)
Approx. 43 min.
After Words: Sylvia Nasar, "Grand Pursuit: The Story of Economic Genius"

3:45pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 3 min.
"The Heart and the Fist: The Education of a Humanitarian, the Making of a Navy SEAL"
Eric Greitens

5pm (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
After Words: Jim Lehrer, "Tension City: Inside the Presidential Debates from Kennedy-Nixon to McCain-Obama," hosted by Gloria Borger, CNN

6pm (ET)
Approx. 47 min.
"Wanted Dead Or Alive: Manhunts From Geronimo To Bin Laden"
Benjamin Runkle

7pm (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
After Words: Randall Kennedy, "The Persistence of the Color Line: Racial Politics and the Obama Presidency"

8pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 3 min.
"Knocking on Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate the Universe and the Modern World"
Lisa Randall

9:15pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 13 min.
Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction awarded to John Grisham
John Grisham

10:30pm (ET)
Approx. 40 min.
2011 National Book Festival: Isabel Wilkerson, "The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration"
Isabel Wilkerson

11:15pm (ET)
Approx. 58 min.
After Words: Henry Kissinger, "On China," hosted by Monica Crowley

Friday, November 25th

12:15am (ET)
Approx. 42 min.
2011 National Book Festival: Kristie Miller, "Ellen and Edith: Woodrow Wilson's First Ladies"
Kristie Miller

1am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 11 min.
"How the States Got Their Shapes Too: The People Behind the Border-Lines"
Mark Stein

2:15am (ET)
Approx. 56 min.
"Elly Peterson: "Mother" of the Moderates"
Sara Fitzgerald

3:15am (ET)
Approx. 55 min.
After Words: "A World on Fire: Britain's Crucial Role in the American Civil War," hosted by Eric Foner, Columbia University

4:15am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 1 min.
"David Crockett: The Lion of the West"
Michael Wallis

5:15am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 20 min.
"Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy"
Michael Beschloss; Richard Donahue; Caroline Kennedy; Ted Widmer

6:45am (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
After Words: Daniel Yergin, "The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World," hosted by Dina Cappiello, Associated Press

8am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 3 min.
"Knocking on Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate the Universe and the Modern World"
Lisa Randall

9:15am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 13 min.
Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction awarded to John Grisham
John Grisham

10:30am (ET)
Approx. 40 min.
2011 National Book Festival: Isabel Wilkerson, "The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration"
Isabel Wilkerson

11:15am (ET)
Approx. 58 min.
After Words: Henry Kissinger, "On China," hosted by Monica Crowley

12:15pm (ET)
Approx. 42 min.
2011 National Book Festival: Kristie Miller, "Ellen and Edith: Woodrow Wilson's First Ladies"
Kristie Miller

1pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 11 min.
"How the States Got Their Shapes Too: The People Behind the Border-Lines"
Mark Stein

2:15pm (ET)
Approx. 56 min.
"Elly Peterson: "Mother" of the Moderates"
Sara Fitzgerald

3:15pm (ET)
Approx. 55 min.
After Words: "A World on Fire: Britain's Crucial Role in the American Civil War," hosted by Eric Foner, Columbia University

4:15pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 1 min.
"David Crockett: The Lion of the West"
Michael Wallis

5:15pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 20 min.
"Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy"
Michael Beschloss; Richard Donahue; Caroline Kennedy; Ted Widmer

6:45pm (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
After Words: Daniel Yergin, "The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World," hosted by Dina Cappiello, Associated Press

8pm (ET)
Approx. 51 min.
"Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President"
Candice Millard

9pm (ET)
Approx. 41 min.
"Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks"
Ken Jennings

9:45pm (ET)
Approx. 39 min.
2011 National Book Festival: David McCullough, "The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris"
David McCullough

10:24pm (ET)
Approx. 58 min.
2011 National Book Festival: Interview and Call-in with David McCullough, "The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris"
David McCullough

11:30pm (ET)
Approx. 58 min.
"Westmoreland: The General Who Lost Vietnam"
Lewis Sorley

Saturday, November 26th

12:30am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 11 min.
"Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War"
Leymah Gbowee

1:45am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 6 min.
"Elizabeth and Hazel: Two Women of Little Rock"
David Margolick

3am (ET)
Approx. 43 min.
After Words: Sylvia Nasar, "Grand Pursuit: The Story of Economic Genius"

3:45am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 3 min.
"The Heart and the Fist: The Education of a Humanitarian, the Making of a Navy SEAL"
Eric Greitens

5am (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
After Words: Jim Lehrer, "Tension City: Inside the Presidential Debates from Kennedy-Nixon to McCain-Obama," hosted by Gloria Borger, CNN

6am (ET)
Approx. 47 min.
"Wanted Dead Or Alive: Manhunts From Geronimo To Bin Laden"
Benjamin Runkle

7am (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
After Words: Randall Kennedy, "The Persistence of the Color Line: Racial Politics and the Obama Presidency"

8am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 13 min.
"1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created"
Charles Mann

9:15am (ET)
Approx. 17 min.
"The Most They Ever Had"
Rick Bragg

9:30am (ET)
Approx. 53 min.
"War of the Worldviews: Science vs. Spirituality"
Deepak Chopra; Leonard Mlodinow

10:30am (ET)
Approx. 20 min.
"Undersea Warrior: The World War II Story of 'Mush' Morton and the USS Wahoo"
Don Keith

11am (ET)
Approx. 43 min.
"A Thousand Lives: The Untold Story, Deception, and Survival at Jonestown"
Julia Scheeres

12pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 20 min.
"The Time of Our Lives: A Conversation About America"
Tom Brokaw

1:30pm (ET)
Approx. 52 min.
"No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington"
Condoleezza Rice

2:30pm (ET)
Approx. 44 min.
"Ten Letters: The Stories Americans Tell Their President"
Eli Saslow

3:30pm (ET)
Approx. 49 min.
"The Whole Damn Deal: Robert Strauss and the Art of Politics"
Kathryn McGarr

4:30pm (ET)
Approx. 43 min.
2011 Texas Book Festival: Robert Morgan, "Lions of the West: Heroes and Villains of the Westward Expansion"
Robert Morgan

5:30pm (ET)
Approx. 20 min.
"Undersea Warrior: The World War II Story of 'Mush' Morton and the USS Wahoo"
Don Keith

6pm (ET)
Approx. 57 min.
Encore Booknotes: Why Read?
Mark Edmundson

7pm (ET)
Approx. 17 min.
"The Most They Ever Had"
Rick Bragg

7:30pm (ET)
Approx. 53 min.
"War of the Worldviews: Science vs. Spirituality"
Deepak Chopra; Leonard Mlodinow

8:30pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 24 min.
50th Anniversary of Joseph Heller's "Catch-22"
Christopher Buckley; Robert Gottlieb; Mike Nichols

10pm (ET)
Approx. 47 min.
After Words: Clifton Truman Daniel, "Dear Harry, Love Bess: Bess Truman's Letters to Harry Truman 1919-1943" hosted by Margaret Hoover

11pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 17 min.
"An Anatomy of Addiction: Sigmund Freud, William Halsted, and the Miracle Drug Cocaine"

Sunday, November 27th

12:30am (ET)
Approx. 43 min.
"A Thousand Lives: The Untold Story, Deception, and Survival at Jonestown"
Julia Scheeres

1:30am (ET)
Approx. 49 min.
"The Whole Damn Deal: Robert Strauss and the Art of Politics"
Kathryn McGarr

2:45am (ET)
Approx. 57 min.
"Black and Tired: Essays on Race, Politics, Culture, and International Development"
Anthony Bradley

3:45am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 3 min.
Fall for the Book Mason Award Presentation to Stephen King
Stephen King

5am (ET)
Approx. 54 min.
"James Madison"
Richard Brookhiser

6am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 16 min.
"Reimagining Equality: Stories of Gender, Race, and Finding Home"
Anita Hill

7:30am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 17 min.
"An Anatomy of Addiction: Sigmund Freud, William Halsted, and the Miracle Drug Cocaine"
Howard Markel

8:45am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 9 min.
"Collision Course: Ronald Reagan, the Air Traffic Controllers, and the Strike that Changed America"
Joseph McCartin

10am (ET)
Approx. 52 min.
"Retirement Heist: How Companies Plunder and Profit from the Nest Eggs of American Workers"
Ellen Schultz

11am (ET)
Approx. 44 min.
"Ten Letters: The Stories Americans Tell Their President"
Eli Saslow

12pm (ET)
Approx. 56 min.
After Words: Patrick Buchanan, "Suicide of a Superpower: Will America Survive to 2025?" hosted by Ralph Nader

1pm (ET)
Approx. 16 min.
University of Texas at Austin Interviews: James K. Galbraith, "The Predator State: How Conservatives Abandoned the Free Market and Why Liberals Should Too"
James K. Galbraith

1:20pm (ET)
Approx. 18 min.
University of Texas at Austin Interviews: Martha Menchaca, "Naturalizing Mexican Immigrants"
Martha Menchaca

1:40pm (ET)
Approx. 9 min.
University of Texas at Austin Interviews: Jeremi Suri, "Liberty’s Surest Guardian: American Nation-Building from the Founders to Obama"
Jeremi Suri

1:50pm (ET)
Approx. 19 min.
University of Texas at Austin Interviews: Ami Pedahzur, "The Israeli Secret Services and the Struggle Against Terrorism"
Ami Pedahzur

2:10pm (ET)
Approx. 26 min.
University of Texas at Austin Interviews: Neil Foley, "Quest for Equality: The Failed Promise of Black-Brown Solidarity"
Neil Foley

3pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 24 min.
50th Anniversary of Joseph Heller's "Catch-22"
Christopher Buckley; Robert Gottlieb; Mike Nichols

4:30pm (ET)
Approx. 17 min.
"The Most They Ever Had"
Rick Bragg

4:45pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 17 min.
"An Anatomy of Addiction: Sigmund Freud, William Halsted, and the Miracle Drug Cocaine"
Howard Markel

6pm (ET)
Approx. 58 min.
"Double Play: How Dan White Got Away with Murder and Changed San Francisco"
Mike Weiss

7pm (ET)
Approx. 20 min.
"Undersea Warrior: The World War II Story of 'Mush' Morton and the USS Wahoo"
Don Keith

7:30pm (ET)
Approx. 30 min.
Interview with former President Bill Clinton, ""Back to Work: Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy"
Bill Clinton

8pm (ET)
Approx. 55 min.
"Back to Work: Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy"
Bill Clinton

9pm (ET)
Approx. 47 min.
After Words: Clifton Truman Daniel, "Dear Harry, Love Bess: Bess Truman's Letters to Harry Truman 1919-1943" hosted by Margaret Hoover

10pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 20 min.
"The Time of Our Lives: A Conversation About America"
Tom Brokaw

Monday, November 28th

12am (ET)
Approx. 47 min.
After Words: Clifton Truman Daniel, "Dear Harry, Love Bess: Bess Truman's Letters to Harry Truman 1919-1943" hosted by Margaret Hoover

1am (ET)
Approx. 16 min.
University of Texas at Austin Interviews: James K. Galbraith, "The Predator State: How Conservatives Abandoned the Free Market and Why Liberals Should Too"
James K. Galbraith

1:20am (ET)
Approx. 18 min.
University of Texas at Austin Interviews: Martha Menchaca, "Naturalizing Mexican Immigrants"
Martha Menchaca

1:40am (ET)
Approx. 9 min.
University of Texas at Austin Interviews: Jeremi Suri, "Liberty’s Surest Guardian: American Nation-Building from the Founders to Obama"
Jeremi Suri

1:50am (ET)
Approx. 19 min.
University of Texas at Austin Interviews: Ami Pedahzur, "The Israeli Secret Services and the Struggle Against Terrorism"
Ami Pedahzur

2:10am (ET)
Approx. 26 min.
University of Texas at Austin Interviews: Neil Foley, "Quest for Equality: The Failed Promise of Black-Brown Solidarity"
Neil Foley

3am (ET)
Approx. 47 min.
After Words: Clifton Truman Daniel, "Dear Harry, Love Bess: Bess Truman's Letters to Harry Truman 1919-1943" hosted by Margaret Hoover

4am (ET)
Approx. 48 min.
"Growing a Better America"
Chuck Leavell

5am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 4 min.
"A Point in Time: The Search for Redemption in this Life and the Next"
David Horowitz

6:15am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 30 min.
"Time for Outrage"
Stephane Hessel