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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Media Menu for January 25, 2012

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,  January 25, 2012,
5-6 p.m.
History Channel
U.S. History
Middle and High  School

How The States Got Their Shapes: Church and States

As shown in this documentary, ever since the Pilgrims boarded the Mayflower, 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,  January 25, 2012,
8-9 p.m.
PBS
Science and Geography
Middle and High  School

NATURE:  Fortress of the Bears

Part of the massive Tongass National Forest, Admiralty Island in southeast Alaska supports the largest concentration of bears anywhere in the world. Sustained by a wealth of salmon streams, isolated and protected by their environment, some 1,700 Alaskan brown bears are part of a unique circle of life that has played out here for centuries. Beginning in August, millions of salmon — pink and chum, coho and sockeye — return to the island to spawn, providing a feast for the bears, eagles, orcas, sea lions and even the trees. As long as the salmon continue to arrive, all is well. But this year,  as shown in this documentary, the salmon fail to arrive for the first time, and the bears get a bitter taste of what the future may hold.  TV-PG
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/fortress-of-the-bears/introduction/7475/

Thursday,  January 26, 2012,
7-8  p.m.
National Geographic Channel
Science
Middle and High  School

Finding the Next Earth

This documentary follows astronomers as they enter the final lap in a race to find a planet capable of sustaining life, a world like ours, the next Earth. See the launch of Frances CoRot and Americas Kepler missions, and the smoking hot worlds they discover. See a controversial and tantalizing discovery of a planet where life could exist in a strange twilight zone, that is, if the planet really exists. Astronomers are working to determine what conditions are necessary for life to exist, and they are building the radical James Webb Space Telescope, a spacecraft that can look at the atmosphere around a planet and reveal whether or not life as we know it actually exists.
Log on http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57336848/nasa-finding-feeds-talk-of-a-new-earth/

Friday,  January 27, 2012,
9:30-10  p.m.
Science Channel
Science and Technology
Elementary, Middle and High  School

How It's Made

Shown in this documentary are short  reports on   procedures for making Carbon Fiber Bicycles, Blood Products  and Ballpoint Pens. TV-G
Log on http://science.discovery.com/tv/how-its-made/#fbid=O-QGtRbqCtv

Saturday,  January 28, 2012,
8-10  p.m.
History Channel
U.S. and World History
Middle and High  School

Pearl Harbor: 24 Hours After

This documentary  offers an  in-depth look at the critical 24-hour period after news of Japan's attack on U.S. soil in 1941 reached the President. Drawing on exhaustive research and new information provided by the FDR Library, the special gives a rare and surprising glimpse at the man behind the Presidency and how he confronted the enormous challenge of transitioning the nation from peace to war. There was no direct phone line between Pearl Harbor and the White House. As information slowly trickled in and word of the bombing got out, panic gripped the White House. FDR's unique style of leadership enabled him to galvanize the American people in the wake of a grave and potentially demoralizing attack. The special features  historian Steven M. Gillon, author of the recently released “Pearl Harbor: FDR Leads the Nation Into War”   TV-PG
Log on http://www.history.com/topics/pearl-harbor

Sunday,  January 29, 2012,
7-8  p.m.
Discovery  Channel
U.S. History and Government
Middle and High  School

Secrets of the Secret Service

This documentary investigates America's most mysterious law enforcement agency. Classified technology, secret strategies, deception, and human courage combine to provide the best protection possible. The program includes interviews with ex-agents and a former White House press secretary, and examines everything from the service’s training techniques to the protocols used when the President is aboard Air Force One. As well as protecting the President of the United States, the Secret Service also investigates  the counterfeiting of US currency. TV-PG
Log on http://blogs.yourdiscovery.com/whats-new/2010/12/secrets-of-the-secret-service.html  and http://www.secretservice.gov/history.shtml

Monday,  January  30, 2012,
5:45-8 p.m. ET, 3:45-5 p.m. PT
TCM – Turner Classic Movie Channel
U.S. History
Middle and High  School

Above And Beyond

This  Oscar-nominated film tells the story behind the dropping of the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima during World War II. However, instead of the focus being on the development of the bomb itself, this one is told from the perspective of the Air Force Colonel in charge of the mission which conducted the mission itself. Robert Taylor plays Colonel Paul Tibbets, pilot of the Enola Gay, the B-29 bomber which flew the mission and delivered the payload. Eleanor Parker plays Tibbets's wife Lucy, and much of the story focuses on the effect this mission had on Tibbets and his family. TV-PG
Log on http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/1419/Above-and-Beyond

Tuesday,  January  31, 2012,
8-9 p.m.
PBS
U.S. History
Middle and High  School

ANNIE OAKLEY: AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

This is a documentary about  the star of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, the young woman who thrilled audiences around the world with her daring shooting feats. While her act helped fuel turn-of-the-century nostalgia for the vanished, mythical world of the American West, the legend of Annie Oakley had little to do with the real Annie. Although famous as a western sharpshooter, Oakley lived her entire life east of the Mississippi. A champion in a man's sport, Oakley forever changed ideas about the abilities of women, yet she opposed female suffrage. Her fame and fortune came from her skill with guns, a concept that was counter to her Quaker upbringing.  TV-PG
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/introduction/oakley-introduction

Wednesday,  February 1, 2012,
9-10  p.m.
PBS
Science and Geography
Elementary, Middle and High  School

NOVA: Ice Age Death Trap

Racing against developers in the Rockies, the  archaeologists in this documentary uncover a unique site packed with astonishingly preserved bones of mammoths, mastodons and other giant extinct beasts.  The discovery opens a highly focused window on the vanished world of the Ice Age in North America. TV_G
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/ice-age-death-trap.html


Book TV Schedule


Saturday, January 28th

9am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 2 min.
"Glock: The Rise of America's Gun" 
Paul Barrett
10am (ET)
Approx. 44 min.
"And So It Goes - Kurt Vonnegut: A Life" 
Charles Shields
10:45am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 1 min.
"Rights Gone Wrong: How Law Corrupts the Struggle for Equality" 
Richard Thompson Ford
1pm (ET)
Approx. 47 min.
"The Real Romney" 
Michael Kranish
2pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 35 min.
"An American Betrayal: Cherokee Patriots and the Trail of Tears" 
Daniel Blake Smith
4:30pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 2 min.
"Glock: The Rise of America's Gun" 
Paul Barrett
6pm (ET)
Approx. 57 min.
Encore Booknotes: Jill Krementz, "The Writer's Desk" 
Jill Krementz
8:30pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 1 min.
"Rights Gone Wrong: How Law Corrupts the Struggle for Equality" 
Richard Thompson Ford

Sunday, January 29th

1:15am (ET)
Approx. 38 min.
"Scorched Earth: Legacies of Chemical Warfare in Vietnam" 
Noam Chomsky; Fred Wilcox
2am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 2 min.
"Glock: The Rise of America's Gun" 
Paul Barrett
3am (ET)
Approx. 44 min.
"And So It Goes - Kurt Vonnegut: A Life" 
Charles Shields
3:45am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 4 min.
"The Obamas" 
Jodi Kantor
5am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 17 min.
"The Darwin Economy: Liberty, Competition, and the Common Good" 
Robert Frank
6:30am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 35 min.
"An American Betrayal: Cherokee Patriots and the Trail of Tears" 
Daniel Blake Smith
10:30am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 28 min.
"Getting Steamed to Overcome Corporatism: Building it Together to Win" 
Ralph Nader
3:15pm (ET)
Approx. 40 min.
"Life Upon These Shores: Looking At African American History 1500-2008" 
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
4pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 35 min.
"An American Betrayal: Cherokee Patriots and the Trail of Tears" 
Daniel Blake Smith
8pm (ET)
Approx. 47 min.
"The Real Romney" 
Michael Kranish
11:15pm (ET)
Approx. 44 min.
"And So It Goes - Kurt Vonnegut: A Life" 
Charles Shields

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Media Menu for January 18, 2012


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,  January  18, 2012,
8- 9 p.m.
Science Channel
English and World History
Middle and High  School

Prophets of Science Fiction: H. G. Wells

With stories like The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds, H.G. Wells established himself as a sci-fi writer of almost clairvoyant talent. But, as shown in this documentary, these tales of hi-tech adventure hold an ominous warning - beware the dark side of progress. TV-PG
Log on http://www.online-literature.com/wellshg/

Thursday,  January  19, 2012,
8- 9 p.m.
National Geographic Channel
Geography and Science
Middle and High  School

Easter Island Underworld

Deep beneath the legendary Easter Island, a team of scientists  undertake a groundbreaking expedition: to map a vast cave system that became the last refuge of the people who carved these iconic statues.
Log on http://archaeology.about.com/b/2009/06/05/nat-geo-easter-island-underworld.htm


Friday,  January   20, 2012,
9-10  p.m.
Science Channel
Science
Elementary, Middle and High  School

Asteroids: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

Asteroids are the extraterrestrials most likely to pay a visit to Earth. Yet for centuries they were largely ignored by science; dismissed as either boring or caricatured as the harbingers of an unlikely doom.  As shown in this documentary, the truth is far more weird and interesting. TV-G
Log on http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00vv0w8

Saturday,  January   21, 2012,
6-7  p.m.
Science Channel
World History and Science
Elementary, Middle and High  School

What the Ancients Knew: The Romans

Backed by the legions, military and engineering skills, the Romans built one of the largest empires in human history. This documentary shows how their technology helped shape the ancient world and reverberates in our western lifestyle and amenities today. TV-G
Log on http://science.discovery.com/videos/what-the-ancients-knew-roman-arch-vault.html

Saturday,  January   21, 2012,
8-9  p.m.
National Geographic Channel
Science and Technology
Elementary, Middle and High  School

Ultimate Factories: Lego

It's one of the most popular construction toys in the world. In the age of unprecedented competition for children's attention--from videogames to TVs to countless activities--they still spend over 5 billion hours a year playing with LEGO bricks. As shown in this documentary,  building simple modular toys with interlocking bricks is a lot more complex than it seems. Their most popular set--the police station--is completely redesigned every few years to keep up with the times. From R&D and engineering to robotic assembly lines and the most fickle test market on the planet, Mega Factories: LEGO takes you behind the scenes as a real life police station turns into a playground for the imagination.
Log on http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/national-geographic-channel/shows/ultimate-factories-1/ngc-the-concept-factory.html?source=email_channel

Sunday,  January   22, 2012,
3-4 p.m.
Science  Channel
Science
Elementary, Middle and High  School

How the Universe Works: Big Bang

This documentary investigates how the Universe came into existence out of nothing, and how it grew from a miniscule point, smaller than an atomic particle, to the vast cosmos we see today. TV-PG
Log on http://watchdocumentary.com/watch/how-the-universe-works-episode-01-big-bang-video_8f7059c91.html

Monday,  23, 2012,
10-11 p.m.
PBS
Arts and U.S. History
Middle and High School

AMERICAN MASTERS: Phil Ochs -There But for Fortune

This is a documentary about a conflicted, truth-seeking troubadour who, with guitar in hand, stood up for what he believed in and challenged us all to do the same. Three-time Emmy®-nominated filmmaker Kenneth Bowser examines one of American history’s most iconic folk music heroes and political agitators.  As the United States continues to engage in foreign wars, the film is a timely tribute to an unlikely American hero whose music is as relevant today as it was in the 1960s. Phil Ochs was moved by the conviction that he and his music would change the world. Unyielding in his political principals and unbending in his artistic vision, Ochs tirelessly fought the good fight for peace and justice, in both song and action, throughout his short life (12/19/1940 – 4/9/1976). The tragedies of 1968, including the deaths of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy and the violent events at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, changed the country and changed Ochs.  TV-PG
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/phil-ochs-there-but-for-fortune/about-the-documentary/1954/

Tuesday,  January 24, 2012,
6-7 p.m.
History Channel
Science and Technology
Middle and High  School

Modern Marvels: Cheese

From cheddar to brie, Parmesan to blue, viewers will get a look at both ancient techniques and new technologies behind some of the world's most popular cheeses. Visit the cow pastures of Wisconsin to the giant cheese factories of California to discover how cheese is made. Travel through history from the Roman Empire's diversity of cheeses to the 19th Century birth of industrial cheese. And yes, we'll answer that eternal question, "Why does Swiss cheese have holes?” TV-PG
Log on http://www.cheese.com/

Tuesday,  January 24, 2012,
9-10 p.m.
PBS
U.S. History
Middle and High  School

GERONIMO: AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

This is a documentary about  Geronimo, one of the most complex historical figures of the American West. Born around 1820,  he grew into a leading warrior and healer of the Chiricahua. But after his tribe was relocated to an Arizona reservation in 1872, he became a focus of the fury of terrified white settlers and of the growing tensions that divided Apaches struggling to survive under almost unendurable pressures. To angry whites, Geronimo became the archfiend, perpetrator of unspeakable savage cruelties. To his supporters, he remained the embodiment of proud resistance, the upholder of the old Chiricahua ways. To other Apaches, especially those who had come to see the white man's path as the only viable road, Geronimo was a stubborn troublemaker, unbalanced by his unquenchable thirst for vengeance, whose actions needlessly brought the enemy's wrath down on his own people. At a time when surrender to the reservation and acceptance of the white man's civilization seemed to be the Indians' only realistic options, Geronimo and his tiny band of Chiricahuas fought on. The final holdouts, they became the last Native-American fighting force to capitulate formally to the government of the United States. TV-PG
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/weshallremain/the_films/episode_4_about

Wednesday, January 25, 2012,
5-6 p.m.
History Channel
U.S. History
Middle and High  School

How The States Got Their Shapes: Church and States

As shown in this documentary, ever since the Pilgrims boarded the Mayflower, 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


Book TV Schedule

Saturday, January 21st

8am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 10 min.
"1812: The Navy's War" 
George Daughan
9:15am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 29 min.
"No Fear: A Whistleblower's Triumph Over Corruption and Retaliation at the EPA" 
Marsha Coleman-Adebayo
10:45am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 13 min.
Do More Than Give: The Six Practices of Donors Who Change the World 
Leslie Crutchfield; John Kania
12pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 4 min.
"The Obamas" 
Jodi Kantor
1:15pm (ET)
Approx. 40 min.
"Life Upon These Shores: Looking At African American History 1500-2008" 
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
2pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 13 min.
Memorial Service for Author and Historian John Morton Blum 
Multiple Speakers
4:30pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 29 min.
"No Fear: A Whistleblower's Triumph Over Corruption and Retaliation at the EPA" 
Marsha Coleman-Adebayo
11pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 17 min.
"The Darwin Economy: Liberty, Competition, and the Common Good" 
Robert Frank

Sunday, January 22nd

1:30am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 10 min.
"1812: The Navy's War" 
George Daughan
3am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 6 min.
"Margaret Sanger: A Life of Passion" 
Jean Baker
6am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 13 min.
Do More Than Give: The Six Practices of Donors Who Change the World 
Leslie Crutchfield; John Kania
8:30am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 44 min.
"Sweet Heaven When I Die: Faith, Faithlessness, and the Country in Between" 
Jeff Sharlet
11am (ET)
Approx. 56 min.
"My Long Trip Home: A Family Memoir" 
Mark Whitaker
2pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr.
"The Real Romney" 
Michael Kranish
6pm (ET)
Approx. 48 min.
Madam Secretary: A Memoir 
Madeleine Albright
10pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 29 min.
"No Fear: A Whistleblower's Triumph Over Corruption and Retaliation at the EPA" 
Marsha Coleman-Adebayo