Media Menu, August 21, 2010

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, August 21, 2010, 9-10 p.m. E/P	Planet Green	Science and Geography	Elementary, Middle and High  School
“Fearless Planet: Great Barrier Reef ”
The Australian Great Barrier Reef abounds with life. But it is under attack from above and below the water. In this documentary a team of marine biologists and geologists investigate the clues of how the reef was born, what makes it thrive and how it may disappear within our lifetime.
Log on http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tv/great-barrier-reef.html

Sunday August 22,2010 7-8 p.m. E/P	CBS	U.S. History and Technology	Middle and High School
“60 Minutes ”
The main report in this newsmagazine covers the explosion that killed 11 and unleashed the biggest offshore oil spill in history.  Michael Williams, oil rig platform crew survivor, was in a position to know what caused the disaster and how it could have been prevented.  The report contains footage of the minutes after the explosion and new information about what led up to it.  In the second report,  Mikhail Prokhorov, perhaps Russia’s richest man, discusses his purchase of the N.J. Nets basketball team, his vast wealth and the unusual way he made most of his money. This is his first American television interview.
Log on http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/60minutes/main3415.shtml?tag=hdr;snav

Sunday, August 22, 2010, 8-10:15 p.m. ET, 5-7:15 p.m. PT	TCM- Turner Classic Movies	English and Technology	Elementary, Middle and High  School
“Swiss Family Robinson ”
This is the well regarded Disney movie version of the classic novel, “Swiss Family Robinson” by Johann David Wyss. Story:  Stranded on a deserted island, a close-knit family creates a tropical paradise.  Initially they were underway to New Guinea, but  their ship is chased by pirates into a storm. The captain and crew abandon the ship leaving the family shipwrecked off an uninhabited island. Father and his two eldest sons Fritz and Ernst salvage as much as they can from the wreck including livestock, tools, and even an organ. The three men construct a treehouse on the island while the youngest boy Francis investigates the wildlife (and starts an impressive collection of animals) and Mother  prays to be rescued. The boys, particularly Ernst, also build inventions to provide modern amenities to the family such as drawing water and preserving food. Cast: John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, James MacArthur. Dir: Ken Annakin.  TV-G
Log on http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=25093

Monday, August 23, 2010, streaming 24/7	Digital Broadcast on http://futurestates.tv	Arts and U.S. History	Middle and High  School
“Futurestates”
This is a digital webcast, available online at viewers’ convenience 24/7. It deals with the question, “What will become of America in five, 25, or even 50 years from today?” In a series of 11 short films it explores possible future scenarios through the prism of today’s global realities. American society is in the midst of some of the most profound — and fastest-moving — change in its relatively short history. We face a paradox of great challenges and great opportunities. Climate change threatens our physical survival and the fate of many species with which we are interdependent; yet the promise of green energy technology has inspired great strides in science and the promise of economic recovery. Political apathy and diminishing faith in public institutions are being countered by technologies enabling greater participation and transparency. The struggle for civil rights rages on, yet we elected an African American man to the presidency. Public Broadcasting’s Independent Television Service (ITVS) asked 11  up-and-coming filmmakers to take the current state of affairs in the United States, and extrapolate them into stories of the nation in the not-so-distant future. Each digital short presents a different filmmaker’s vision of American society in the not-too-distant future, fusing an exploration of social issues with elements of speculative and science fiction.  ITVS has invited the public to join the discussion about what the future holds: Will you let it happen, or will you make it happen? Log on to the  “ Predict-O-Meter” website shown below to post your own forecast of future events and explore the predictions left by others in our immersive timeline.
Log on http://futurestates.tv/predict_o_meter/?action=add

Tuesday, August 24, 2010,  8-10 p.m. E/P	History  Channel	U.S History	Middle and High  School
“Jefferson”
Thomas Jefferson is the most researched and most quoted of our Founding Fathers. Yet, somehow, he remains the most inscrutable. His life is a thicket of contradictions: he enshrined the words "All Men are Created Equal," although he was a lifelong slave-owner; he was simultaneously a "man of the people," and the personification of the Virginia aristocrat; he was a die-hard American revolutionary who was also a dedicated lover of European culture and art; he advocated ruthless fiscal responsibility as President, yet his own finances were mired in debt.   At 32 he was a delegate to the Continental Congress, and drafted the Declaration of Independence. In 1779, he was appointed as Virginia’s second Governor – a term seen as a failure. Such ups and downs characterized Jefferson’s career as he moved in and out of the public eye for the rest of his life. He ran for President in 1800 against incumbent John Adams (whom he served as Vice President), believing the Federalist Party and the office of the President were becoming too powerful. Yet as President, he overstepped his authority as President in his handling of the Barbary Wars and the Louisiana Purchase.TV-PG
Log on teacher’s guide  http://www.history.com/images/media/pdf/10-01903_JeffersonFIN.pdf

Wednesday, August 25, 2010,  8-10 p.m. E/P	Science  Channel	Science	Elementary, Middle and High  School
“Wonders of the Solar System : Thin Blue Line/ Dead or Alive”
This is a broadcast of two documentaries about astronomy, “Thin Blue Line” is about the  line separating us from the harsh vacuum of space. Earth's atmosphere provides the air we breathe, the water we drink and the landscape surrounding us - but it's not unique. Beyond the inner Solar System is a frozen moon that looks like home. “Dead or Alive” is about the forces of nature that keep our planet alive but also wreak devastation across the Solar System. They function in the depths of space, transforming static worlds into phenomena that may last forever, creating heat sources that power   spectacular celestial sights visible from Earth. TV-G
Log on http://www.cnbc.com/id/15837856

Thursday, August 26, 2010, 8-9 p.m. ET, 5-6 p.m. PT	CNBC Channel	U.S History and Economics	Middle and High  School
“The Long Road: America Looks For Recovery”
This is a live special from Jackson Hole, WY. The Global Economy is on the brink. Will the recovery take hold? Or are we heading into another great recession? The program, anchored by CNBC’s Senior Economics Reporter Steve Liesman, gives viewers unprecedented access to the people responsible for guiding the global economy. Can they steer us clear of another recession?
Log on http://www.cnbc.com/id/15837856

Friday August 27, 2010, 7-11 p.m. E/P	HBO	U.S History and Geography	Middle and High  School
“If God Is Willing and da Creek Don't Rise ”
In 2006, movie director Spike Lee created a powerful record of the cataclysmic effects of Hurricane Katrina on the city of New Orleans with his epic award-winning documentary, When the Levees Broke. Now, five years later, Lee returns to New Orleans, to see how the ambitious plans to reinvent the Crescent City were playing out. He finds a patchwork of hope and heartache just as a new disaster unfolds. This four-hour documentary is a continuation of the story of destruction and rebirth of America's most unique city.  Rated TV-14
Log on http://www.hbo.com/#/documentaries/if-god-is-willing-and-da-creek-dont-rise

Saturday, August 28, 2010, 8-midnight ET, 5-9 p.m. PT	TCM – Turner Classic Movie Channel	World History and Art	Middle and High  School
“Lawrence Of Arabia”
This 7-time Oscar winning history movie about a British military officer and his Arabs allies in desert warfare during the First World shows roots of present conditions in the Middle East – and the world. In 1916 British Intelligence supports the Arab rebellion against the Turkish-German alliance. Story: They select Lieut. T. E. Lawrence, an enigmatic 29-year-old scholar, to evaluate the Arab revolt. Enthusiastically undertaking this assignment, the officer contacts Prince Feisal, a rebel leader, and persuades Feisal to lend him a force of 50 men. With this skeleton crew, accompanied by Sherif Ali, Lawrence crosses the Nefud Desert. At the journey's end, however, Lawrence learns that one of his men is missing. Undeterred by Arab assertions that the missing man's death had been divinely decreed, Lawrence returns to the desert and rescues him, earning thereby Ali's friendship and the respect of his subordinates. At a well Lawrence is confronted by the sheikh Auda Abu Tayi, whom he persuades to join the assault on Agaba, a Turkish port at the desert's edge. The Turks, surprised by the overland attack, are routed, and the victory revitalizes the Arab rebellion. Arab unity, however, is undermined by internecine warfare. When one of his troops slays one of Auda Abu Tayi's henchmen, Lawrence in expiation executes the murderer, who proves to be the Arab he had saved in the desert. Unnerved, Lawrence returns to Cairo. Delighted by Lawrence's military success, however, General Allenby provides him with arms and money for future victories. Lawrence launches a series of successful guerrilla raids, which, as reported by an ambitious American journalist, establish his international reputation. While on a scouting mission with Ali, Lawrence is captured and tortured by the Turks. He returns to Cairo, where General Allenby persuades him to spearhead an attack on Damascus, Syria. After the battle, Lawrence leads his men in the massacre of the retreating Turks. Upon entering Damascus the British Army is met by victorious Arab forces. Lawrence relinquishes control of the city to an Arab Council, but soon factionalism threatens to destroy it.  Cast: Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif, Alec Guinness. Dir: David Lean.  TV-14
Log on http://telawrence.info/telawrenceinfo/index.htm  or http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=4455