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

3:15pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 19 min.
"British Petroleum and the Redline Agreement: The West's Secret Pact to Get Mideast Oil" 
Edwin Black

4:30pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 29 min.
"No Fear: A Whistleblower's Triumph Over Corruption and Retaliation at the EPA" 
Marsha Coleman-Adebayo

6pm (ET)
Approx. 57 min.
Encore Booknotes: John Podhoretz "Hell of a Ride: Backstage at the White House Follies" 
John Podhoretz

7pm (ET)
Approx. 57 min.
"The Man Who Never Died: The Life, Times, and Legacy of Joe Hill, American Labor Icon" 
William Adler

8pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 44 min.
"Sweet Heaven When I Die: Faith, Faithlessness, and the Country in Between" 
Jeff Sharlet

10pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 2 min.
After Words: George Nash, ed. "Freedom Betrayed: Herbert Hoover's Secret History of the Second World War and Its Aftermath," hosted by Richard Norton Smith, George Mason University

11pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 17 min.
"The Darwin Economy: Liberty, Competition, and the Common Good" 
Robert Frank

Sunday, January 22nd

12:15am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 2 min.
"Don't Shoot: One Man, A Street Fellowship, and the End of Violence in Inner-City America" 
David Kennedy

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

4:15am (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
"Founding Rivals - Madison vs. Monroe: The Bill of Rights and the Election That Saved a Nation" 
Chris DeRose

6am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 13 min.
Do More Than Give: The Six Practices of Donors Who Change the World 
Leslie Crutchfield; John Kania

7:15am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 19 min.
"British Petroleum and the Redline Agreement: The West's Secret Pact to Get Mideast Oil" 
Edwin Black

8:30am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 44 min.
"Sweet Heaven When I Die: Faith, Faithlessness, and the Country in Between" 
Jeff Sharlet

10:15am (ET)
Approx. 44 min.
Conservative Women's Network Lecture: Marji Ross on "Seven Surprising Secrets of Best-Selling Female Authors...and How Your Future Happiness Might Depend on Them" 
Marji Ross

11am (ET)
Approx. 56 min.
"My Long Trip Home: A Family Memoir" 
Mark Whitaker

12pm (ET)
Approx. 58 min.
After Words: Chris Matthews, "Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero," hosted by Sam Donaldson, ABC News

1pm (ET)
Approx. 11 min.
University of Chicago Interview: Cathy Cohen, “Democracy Remixed: Black Youth and the Future of American Politics” 
Cathy Cohen

1:15pm (ET)
Approx. 29 min.
University of Texas at Austin Interviews: Steven Weinberg, "Lake Views: This World and the Universe" 
Steven Weinberg

1:45pm (ET)
Approx. 10 min.
University of Maryland Interviews: Jon Sumida, "Decoding Clausewitz: A New Approach to 'On War'" 
Jon Sumida

2pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr.
"The Real Romney" 
Michael Kranish

3pm (ET)
Approx. 42 min.
"The Odd Clauses: Understanding the Constitution Through Ten of Its Most Curious Provisions" 
Jay Wexler

4pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 44 min.
"Sweet Heaven When I Die: Faith, Faithlessness, and the Country in Between" 
Jeff Sharlet

6pm (ET)
Approx. 48 min.
Madam Secretary: A Memoir 
Madeleine Albright

7pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 2 min.
"Don't Shoot: One Man, A Street Fellowship, and the End of Violence in Inner-City America" 
David Kennedy

8:15pm (ET)
Approx. 42 min.
"The Odd Clauses: Understanding the Constitution Through Ten of Its Most Curious Provisions" 
Jay Wexler

9pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 2 min.
After Words: George Nash, ed. "Freedom Betrayed: Herbert Hoover's Secret History of the Second World War and Its Aftermath," hosted by Richard Norton Smith, George Mason University

10pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 29 min.
"No Fear: A Whistleblower's Triumph Over Corruption and Retaliation at the EPA" 
Marsha Coleman-Adebayo

11:30pm (ET)
Approx. 30 min.
Interview with former President Bill Clinton, ""Back to Work: Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy" 
Bill Clinton

Monday, January 23rd

12am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 2 min.
After Words: George Nash, ed. "Freedom Betrayed: Herbert Hoover's Secret History of the Second World War and Its Aftermath," hosted by Richard Norton Smith, George Mason University

1am (ET)
Approx. 42 min.
"The Odd Clauses: Understanding the Constitution Through Ten of Its Most Curious Provisions" 
Jay Wexler

1:45am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 19 min.
"British Petroleum and the Redline Agreement: The West's Secret Pact to Get Mideast Oil" 
Edwin Black

3am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 2 min.
After Words: George Nash, ed. "Freedom Betrayed: Herbert Hoover's Secret History of the Second World War and Its Aftermath," hosted by Richard Norton Smith, George Mason University

4am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 26 min.
"Steve Jobs" 
Walter Isaacson

5:30am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 13 min.
Do More Than Give: The Six Practices of Donors Who Change the World 
Leslie Crutchfield; John Kania

6:45am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 11 min.
"Worm: The first Digital World War" 
Mark Bowden