Media Menu for April 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, April  25,  2012,
10-11 p.m. E/P
PBS
Technology and Geography
Elementary, Middle and High School

AMERICA REVEALED: Electric Nation

Our modern electric power grid has been called the biggest and most complex machine in the world — delivering electricity over 200,000 miles of high-tension transmission lines. This documentary travels around the country with host Yul Kwon to understand its intricacies, its vulnerabilities and the remarkable ingenuity required to keep the electricity on, every day of the year. At New York State's governing control room, learn how a massive blackout cut power to 40 million Americans; to understand how we can protect against this type of colossal failure, join a team who makes daring repairs from the side of a helicopter in flight. Visit the country's largest coal mine, rappel down the side of a wind turbine, take a rare tour of a nuclear plant and travel on a massive tanker — as Kwon reflects on the challenges and opportunities to keep the power flowing. TV-G
Log on http://www.pbs.org/america-revealed/episode/3

Thursday, April  26,  2012,
4-6 p.m. E/P
History Channel
Science and Technology
Middle and High School

Modern Marvels: Extreme Aircraft

 This is a broadcast of a two part documentary about aeronautical science.  The first hour looks at some of the most cutting-edge aircraft ever developed--from the X-1 that first broke the sound barrier to the X-43 Scramjet that recently flew at Mach 7. These extreme aircraft have made their mark on aeronautical history, and sometimes on political history as well. The U-2 and SR-71 spy planes played a crucial role in the Cold War, and now Lockheed Martin's top-secret "Skunkworks" division is touting the new "air dominance" fighter plane-- the F/A-22 Raptor.  The second hour takes viewers on a supersonic flight through a world of flying machines that are redefining our skies. Pull serious G's in the U.S. military's latest fighter jet: the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Riding shotgun in the lethal B-1B Lancer, and look close or you'll miss the swarm of MAV's (Micro Air Vehicles)--so small they are launched out of a backpack. The "vertical takeoff and landing" capable PAV's (Personal Aerial Vehicles) may be the answer to the commuting needs of tired travelers. Then, discover how a commercial jetliner has been retrofitted into the biggest flying fire truck the world has ever seen. TV-PG
Log on  http://www.thedocumentarysite.com/modern-marvels-extreme-aircraft-1 AND http://hotdocumentaries.com/modern-marvels-extreme-aircraft-part-2/

Friday, April  27,  2012,
9-10- p.m. E/P
Science Channel
Science
Middle and High School

What Darwin Didn't Know

 Darwin gave us the most sensational idea in biology, evolution by natural selection. In this documentary evolutionary biologist, Armand Marie Leroi, takes the greatest puzzles Darwin faced and tells the story of the surprising discoveries that resolved these problems. TV-G
Log on http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/What-Darwin-Didnt-Know.html

Saturday, April  28,  2012,
8-Midnight E/P
History  Channel
World History
Middle and High School

Third Reich: The Rise/The Fall

 The first two hours of this documentary miniseries offer  a unique perspective on the rise of Nazi Germany and how millions of people were so vulnerable to fascism, told through rare and never-before-seen amateur films shot by the Germans who were there. The second two hours,  showing  how Germans experienced the Allied victory in WWII, also uses never-before-seen amateur films.  It  recount the catastrophic downfall of the Third Reich through the eyes of the people who lived it: the Germans themselves.  TV-PG
Log on http://www.amazon.com/The-Rise-Fall-Third-Reich/dp/0671728687

Sunday, April  29,  2012,
8-9  p.m. E/P
PBS
U.S. History
Middle and High School

FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR

This is a genealogical documentary  hosted by Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr.. Samuel L. Jackson, Condoleezza Rice and Brown University president, Ruth Simmons, have each climbed to the pinnacle of their profession, yet each started life as a second-class citizen in the Jim Crow south. DNA is used to investigate their   respective family mysteries: Where in Africa do they come from and who are the white men in their family trees? TV-PG
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wnet/finding-your-roots//

Monday, April  30,  2012,
8-10 p.m. E/P
Planet Green Channel
World. History
Middle and High School

Egypt's Ten Greatest Discoveries

Egyptian archaeologist Dr Zahi Hawass and a team of leading archaeologists  have selected for inclusion in this documentary  the ten most important discoveries in Egypt. From major battles, to mega-construction, the discoveries uncover the amazing stories of the lives of kings, queens and ordinary people. TV-PG
Log on http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/top-10-egypt-discoveries/

Tuesday, May 1,  2012,
8-9 p.m. E/P
PBS
U.S. History
Middle and High School

JESSE OWENS: AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

This documentary  traces the story of Jesse Owens’ remarkable victories in the face of Nazi racism during the 1936 Olympics. The most famous athlete of his time, his stunning triumph captivated the world even as it infuriated the Nazis. Despite the racial slurs he endured,  Owens' grace and athleticism rallied crowds across the globe. But when the four-time Olympic gold medalist returned home, he could not even ride in the front of a bus. The story of the 22-year-old son of a sharecropper who triumphed over adversity to become a hero and world champion, Jesse Owens is also about the elusive, fleeting quality of fame and the way Americans idolize athletes when they suit our purpose, and forget them once they don't. TV-PG
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/owens/

Tuesday, May 1,  2012,
9-11 p.m. E/P
PBS
Economics and U.S. History
Middle and High School

FRONTLINE: Money, Power and Wall Street - Part 2

This documentary probes the story of the big banks — how they developed, how they crashed and whether they still present dangers. Correspondent  Martin Smith (“College, Inc.,” “The Madoff Affair”) pivots the investigation to the inner workings of global high finance, which four years after the crisis exploded remains largely shrouded in secrecy and laden with risk. While popular anger at bankers and the effects of reckless lending and borrowing has spread across much of the globe, effective regulatory reform remains elusive. Looking to Europe as well as America, Smith interviews leading bankers and officials to probe whether many of the practices that contributed to the crisis remain clear and present dangers. Is the global economy again on the brink?
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/money-power-wall-street/

Wednesday, May 2,  2012,
9-10 p.m. E/P
PBS
Science and Technology
Middle and High School

NOVA: Smartest Machine on Earth

To look into the world of artificial intelligence this documentary profiles a computer that could be the “Smartest Machine on Earth.” Known as “Watson,” this IBM supercomputer is so advanced it’s pursuing the first-of-its-kind challenge, competing against “Jeopardy!” champions to prove its uncanny ability to mimic the human thought process. With a brain the size of 2,400 home computers and a database of about 10 million documents, will Watson be able to compute its way to victory?
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/smartest-machine-on-earth.html

Book TV

Saturday, April 28th

8am (ET)
Approx. 45 min.
"Can't Is Not an Option: My American Story"
Gov. Nikki Haley

9am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 40 min.
"The United States of Fear"
Tom Engelhardt

10:45am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 6 min.
"A Nation of Moochers: America's Addiction to Getting Something for Nothing"
Charles Sykes

12pm (ET)
Approx. 43 min.
2012 National Black Writers Conference: Tavis Smiley
Tavis Smiley

12:45pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 27 min.
2012 National Black Writers Conference - Panel: "The Impact of Popular Culture on Politics in Literature"
William Jelani Cobb; Keli Goff; Anthony Grooms; Lita Hooper; Michael Simanga; Conrad Tillard

2:15pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 32 min.
2012 National Black Writers Conference - Panel: "Being Sold or Selling Ourselves: Black Writers and the Marketplace"
Regina Brooks; JLove Calderon; Linda Duggins; Lisa Moore; Johnny Temple; Cheryl Woodruff

3:45pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 28 min.
2012 National Black Writers Conference - Panel: "The Role of Social Media: Black Writers Take Literature to the Web"
Angela Dodson; Joel Dreyfuss; Troy Johnson; Montague Kobbe; Akoto Ofori-Atta; Laura Pegram

5:15pm (ET)
Approx. 45 min.
"The Information Diet: A Case for Conscious Consumption"
Clay Johnson

6pm (ET)
Approx. 57 min.
Encore Booknotes: Peggy Noonan, "What I Saw at the Revolution"
Peggy Noonan

7pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 1 min.
"How To Fix Copyright"
William Patry

8pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 40 min.
Debate on "9/11, False Flags, and Black Ops" with Jonathan Kay and Webster Tarpley
Jonathan Kay; Webster Tarpley

10pm (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
After Words: Michael Sandel, "What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets," hosted by Nicole Gelinas, Manhattan Institute

11pm (ET)
Approx. 52 min.
"No They Can't: Why Government Fails - But Individuals Succeed"
John Stossel

Sunday, April 29th

12am (ET)
Approx. 43 min.
2012 National Black Writers Conference: Tavis Smiley
Tavis Smiley

12:45am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 27 min.
2012 National Black Writers Conference - Panel: "The Impact of Popular Culture on Politics in Literature"
William Jelani Cobb; Keli Goff; Anthony Grooms; Lita Hooper; Michael Simanga; Conrad Tillard

2:15am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 32 min.
2012 National Black Writers Conference - Panel: "Being Sold or Selling Ourselves: Black Writers and the Marketplace"
Regina Brooks; JLove Calderon; Linda Duggins; Lisa Moore; Johnny Temple; Cheryl Woodruff

3:45am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 28 min.
2012 National Black Writers Conference - Panel: "The Role of Social Media: Black Writers Take Literature to the Web"
Angela Dodson; Joel Dreyfuss; Troy Johnson; Montague Kobbe; Akoto Ofori-Atta; Laura Pegram

5:15am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 8 min.
"Taming Globalization: International Law, the U.S. Constitution, and the New World Order"
John Yoo

6:30am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 3 min.
"The U.S. Supreme Court: A Very Short Introduction"
Linda Greenhouse

7:45am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 12 min.
"America the Beautiful: Rediscovering What Made This Nation Great"
Ben Carson

9am (ET)
Approx. 45 min.
"The Information Diet: A Case for Conscious Consumption"
Clay Johnson

9:45am (ET)
Approx. 52 min.
"No They Can't: Why Government Fails - But Individuals Succeed"
John Stossel

10:45am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 14 min.
"Money Well Spent?: The Truth Behind the Trillion-Dollar Stimulus, The Biggest Economic Recovery Plan in History"
Michael Grabell

12pm (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
After Words: Dale Carpenter, "Flagrant Conduct: The Story of Lawrence v. Texas," hosted by David Savage, Los Angeles Times

1pm (ET)
Approx. 16 min.
Book TV at Liberty University: Ken Klukowski, co-author of "Resurgent: How Constitutional Conservatism Can Save America"
Ken Klukowski

1:20pm (ET)
Approx. 8 min.
Book TV at Liberty University: David Snead, author of "John F. Kennedy: The New Frontier President"
David Snead

1:30pm (ET)
Approx. 17 min.
Book TV at Liberty University: David DeWitt, author of "Unraveling the Origins Controversy"
David DeWitt

2pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 3 min.
2012 Colby Military Writers' Symposium: Barrie Dunsmore, "There and Back: Commentary by a Former Foreign Correspondent"
Barrie Dunsmore

3:15pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 15 min.
2012 Colby Military Writers' Symposium: Ralph Peters, "Cain at Gettysburg"
Ralph Peters

4:30pm (ET)
Approx. 53 min.
2012 Colby Military Writers' Symposium: James Hornfischer, "Neptune's Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal"
James Hornfischer

5:30pm (ET)
Approx. 31 min.
"Fit to Serve: Reflections on a Secret Life, Private Struggle, and Public Battle to Become the First Openly Gay U.S. Ambassador"
James Hormel

6pm (ET)
Approx. 46 min.
Our Vietnam: The War, 1954-1975
A.J. Langguth

7pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 40 min.
"The United States of Fear"
Tom Engelhardt

9pm (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
After Words: Michael Sandel, "What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets," hosted by Nicole Gelinas, Manhattan Institute

10pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 18 min.
"The Riot Within: My Journey From Rebellion to Redemption"
Rodney King

Monday, April 30th

12am (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
After Words: Michael Sandel, "What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets," hosted by Nicole Gelinas, Manhattan Institute

1am (ET)
Approx. 16 min.
Book TV at Liberty University: Ken Klukowski, co-author of "Resurgent: How Constitutional Conservatism Can Save America"
Ken Klukowski

1:20am (ET)
Approx. 8 min.
Book TV at Liberty University: David Snead, author of "John F. Kennedy: The New Frontier President"
David Snead

1:30am (ET)
Approx. 17 min.
Book TV at Liberty University: David DeWitt, author of "Unraveling the Origins Controversy"
David DeWitt

2am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 1 min.
Call-in with Chris Kyle, co-author of "American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History"
Chris Kyle

3am (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
After Words: Michael Sandel, "What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets," hosted by Nicole Gelinas, Manhattan Institute

4am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 3 min.
2012 Colby Military Writers' Symposium: Barrie Dunsmore, "There and Back: Commentary by a Former Foreign Correspondent"
Barrie Dunsmore

5:15am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 15 min.
2012 Colby Military Writers' Symposium: Ralph Peters, "Cain at Gettysburg"
Ralph Peters

6:30am (ET)
Approx. 53 min.
2012 Colby Military Writers' Symposium: James Hornfischer, "Neptune's Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal"
James Hornfischer

7:30am (ET)
Approx. 20 min.
Book TV at Georgetown University: Yvonne Haddad, “Becoming American?: The Forging of Arab and Muslim Identity in Pluralist America”
Yvonne Haddad