Media Menu for October 26, 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 , October  26,  2011,
9-10 p.m.
PBS
Science and World History
Middle and High  School

NOVA: Iceman Murder Mystery

This documentary examines the ultimate time capsule — 5,000-year-old Otzi, the mummified corpse pulled from an Alpine glacier nearly two decades ago. He’s been dead for more than 5,000 years — and been poked, prodded and probed by scientists for the last 20. Yet today, Otzi the Iceman, the famous mummified corpse pulled from a glacier in the Italian Alps nearly two decades ago, continues to keep many secrets. Now, through an autopsy like none other, scientists will attempt to unravel more mysteries from this ancient mummy, revealing not only the details of Otzi’s death, but an entire way of life. How did people live during Otzi’s time, the Copper Age? What did they eat? What diseases did they cope with? The answers abound miraculously in this one man’s mummified remains. TV-PG
Log on http://cnnpresents.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/17/obama-honors-mlk-at-memorial-dedication/

Thursday, October  27,  2011,
8-9 p.m.
History Channel
World and U.S. History
Middle and High  School

The Real Story of Halloween

It began centuries ago as a pagan holiday that honored the dead and warned of a netherworld of spirits and ghosts. Today, as shown in this documentary, it has morphed into a day for breaking rules, pushing boundaries and wearing disguises. But Halloween remains a time for us to deal with our own mortality. Our modern Halloween traditions have ancient roots--people were going door to door and begging for treats on Halloween night as far back as the Middle Ages. Halloweens past have been wilder and more dangerous than they are now. During the depression, Halloween became so violent and destructive that civil authorities had to step in and prevent wide-spread vandalism in cities across America. Their solution, the ritual now generates $2 billion dollars in candy sales each season. And these days adults get dressed up for the holiday almost as much as kids do. But no matter how many jack-o-lanterns get carved or kids yell "trick-or-treat!" Halloween is still all about the "scare." TV-PG

Friday, October  28,  2011,
9-10:30 p.m.
PBS
Arts

Elementary, Middle and High  School

GREAT PERFORMANCES: Miami City Ballet Dances Balanchine and Tharp
Witness the grace and beauty of one of America’s finest dance companies, Edward Villella’s Miami City Ballet This program – a trio of signature works by the renowned choreographers — will showcase the company’s critically acclaimed performances of Balanchine’s “Square Dance” (music by Antonio Vivaldi and Arcangelo Corelli) and “Western Symphony” (music by Hershy Kay) and Tharp’s “The Golden Section” (music composed and performed by David Byrne). Actor Andy Garcia hosts. TV-G
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/miami-city-ballet-dances-balanchine-and-tharp/about-the-program/1196/

Saturday, October 29,  2011
4-6 p.m.
Planet Green Channel
World History

Middle and High  School

Secrets of Egypt's Lost Queen
More powerful than Cleopatra or Nefertiti, Hatshepsut was Egypt's greatest female ruler. And then she disappeared. In this documentary Egypt's preeminent archaeologist, Zahi Hawass, investigates several mummies that may well be the remains of this powerful queen. TV-PG
Log on http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/04/hatshepsut/brown-text.html

Sunday , October 30,  2011,
8-10 p.m.
Science Channel
Science and Technology
Middle and High  School

Chunk-O-Ween:  Punkin Chunkin

Each year 120 teams of backyard engineers converge in Bridgeville, DE for the annual Punkin' Chunkin' World Championships. These competitors unleash their homebuilt machines and take aim at the coveted title of world's furthest chunk. Science Channel films the competition,  showcasing the backyard 'engi-nerds' and basement tinkerers who work year-round fine-tuning the next champion chunker. The competition is divided into categories defined by the type of machine used; such as air cannons, centrifuges, and colossal catapults. This year continues the chase for the never-before-accomplished feat of launching a pumpkin one full mile. The 2010 Chunk marked the first year in WCPCA history that an all-female team – aptly named "Hormone Blaster" – took home the top trophy.  TV-PG
Log on http://www.punkinchunkin.com/machine-rules

Monday , October 31,  2011,
9-10 p.m. ET, 6-7 p.m. PTSaturday April 30 7P Saturday April 30 6P Saturday April 30 8P Saturday April 30 7P Saturday April 30 5P
CNBC Channel
Science
Middle and High  School

How much is Your Dead Body Worth?

Years ago the only way for doctors to work out what made people tick was to get a body and delve around inside. It was a time of great discovery 300 years ago, but it also marked the beginning of the illicit trade in bodies. However, is this really a thing of the past? Companies trading in body parts today can make up to $5,000 for a whole body. They usually source their bodies by placing advertising in care homes and hospitals. But with demand high, some unscrupulous traders have used the bodies of those who haven't given their permission, with devastating consequences.
Log on http://www.cnbc.com/id/35819898

Tuesday, November 1, 2011,
8-9 p.m.
PBS
Science
High  School

Secrets Of The Dead: The World’s Biggest Bomb

Beginning in the 1950’s, American and Soviet scientists embarked on a perilous race to see who could build and detonate the world’s largest bomb. The results exceeded all expectations about how big a bomb could be built. Initially, the Americans led the way, but then left the field clear for the Soviet Union to break all records. This documentary chronicles how the bomb-makers on both sides were working blind as they pushed science into unknown territory. We have just reached the 50th anniversary of the detonation of the most powerful bomb ever constructed (October 30).
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/featured/the-world’s-biggest-bomb-about-this-episode/846/

Wednesday, November 2, 2011,
8-9 p.m.
PBS
Science
Middle and High  School

NOVA:  The Fabric of the Cosmos: What Is Space

This is the initial episode of a 4 part science miniseries which accompanies physicist and acclaimed author Brian Greene on a mind-bending reality check and journey to the frontiers of physics to see how scientists are piecing together the most complete picture yet of space, time and the universe. Based on his book, “ The Fabric of the Cosmos”,  the program goes beneath the surface of our everyday experience lies a world we’d hardly recognize—a startling world far stranger and more wondrous than anyone expected. “What Is Space” is the title of this initial episode.  To most of us, space is nothing, an empty void.  It turns out space is not what it seems. From the passenger seat of a New York cab driving near the speed of light to a pool hall where billiard tables do fantastical things, Brian Greene reveals space as a dynamic fabric that can stretch, twist, warp, and ripple under the influence of gravity. Stranger still is a newly discovered ingredient of space that actually makes up 70 percent of the universe. Physicists call it dark energy because while they know it's out there, driving space to expand ever more quickly, they have no idea what it is. Some of the strangest places in space, black holes, have led scientists to propose that like the hologram on your credit card, space may just be a projection of a deeper two-dimensional reality, taking place on a distant surface that surrounds us. TV-G.  Episodes follow on November 9, 16 and 23.
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/fabric-of-the-cosmos.html

Book TV Schedule

Saturday, October 29th

8am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 5 min.
"The New Deal: A Modern History" 
Michael Hiltzik

9:15am (ET)
Approx. 41 min.
"Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks" 
Ken Jennings

10am (ET)
Approx. 42 min.
2011 National Book Festival: Kristie Miller, "Ellen and Edith: Woodrow Wilson's First Ladies" 
Kristie Miller

11am (ET)
Approx. 51 min.
"Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President" 
Candice Millard

1pm (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
"Westmoreland: The General Who Lost Vietnam" 
Lewis Sorley

2pm (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
"The Oil Kings: How the U.S., Iran, and Saudi Arabia Changed the Balance of Power in the Middle East" 
Andrew Scott Cooper

3pm (ET)
Approx. 45 min.
2011 National Book Festival: James Swanson, "Bloody Crimes: The Funeral of Abraham Lincoln and the Chase for Jefferson Davis" 
James Swanson

4pm (ET)
Approx. 44 min.
George Washington University Interview: Alvin Felzenberg, "The Leaders We Deserved (And a Few We Didn't): Rethinking the Presidential Rating Game" 
Alvin Felzenberg

4:45pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 5 min.
"The New Deal: A Modern History" 
Michael Hiltzik

6pm (ET)
Approx. 57 min.
Norman Rockwell: A Life 
Laura Claridge

7pm (ET)
Approx. 39 min.
"Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin: Forty Years of Funny Stuff" 
Calvin Trillin

7:45pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 13 min.
Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction awarded to John Grisham 
John Grisham

9pm (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
"Westmoreland: The General Who Lost Vietnam" 
Lewis Sorley

10pm (ET)
Approx. 57 min.
After Words: Bill Vlasic: "Once Upon a Car: The Fall and Resurrection of America's Big Three Automakers - GM, Ford, and Chrysler," host former Gov. Matt Blunt

11pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 2 min.
"Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness?: What It Means to Be Black Now" 
Toure .

Sunday, October 30th

12am (ET)
Approx. 56 min.
"Elly Peterson: "Mother" of the Moderates" 
Sara Fitzgerald

1am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 9 min.
"Confidence Men: Wall Street, Washington, and the Education of a President" 
Ron Suskind

2:15am (ET)
Approx. 51 min.
"Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President" 
Candice Millard

3:15am (ET)
Approx. 44 min.
"Newspaper Titan: The Infamous Life and Monumental Times of Cissy Patterson" 
Amanda Smith

4am (ET)
Approx. 45 min.
2011 National Book Festival: James Swanson, "Bloody Crimes: The Funeral of Abraham Lincoln and the Chase for Jefferson Davis" 
James Swanson

5am (ET)
Approx. 42 min.
2011 National Book Festival: Kristie Miller, "Ellen and Edith: Woodrow Wilson's First Ladies" 
Kristie Miller

6am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 13 min.
Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction awarded to John Grisham 
John Grisham

7:30am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 10 min.
"In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir" 
Dick Cheney

8:45am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 6 min.
"Age of Greed: The Triumph of Finance and the Decline of America, 1970 to the Present" 
Jeff Madrick

10am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 2 min.
"Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness?: What It Means to Be Black Now" 
Toure .

11am (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
"Westmoreland: The General Who Lost Vietnam" 
Lewis Sorley

12pm (ET)
Approx. 56 min.
After Words: Nicholas Wapshott, "Keynes Hayek: The Clash That Defined Modern Economics," hosted by Matthew Bishop, The Economist U.S. Business Editor

1pm (ET)
Approx. 15 min.
George Mason University Interviews: Thomas Hazlett, "The Fallacy of Net Neutrality" 
Thomas Hazlett

1:15pm (ET)
Approx. 27 min.
George Mason University Interviews: Rosemarie Zagarri, "The Politics of Size: Representation in the United States, 1776-1850" 
Rosemarie Zagarri

1:45pm (ET)
Approx. 16 min.
George Mason University Interviews: Christopher Hamner, "Enduring Battle: American Soldiers in Three Wars, 1776-1945" 
Christopher Hamner

2pm (ET)
Approx. 41 min.
"Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks" 
Ken Jennings

2:45pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 13 min.
Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction awarded to John Grisham 
John Grisham

4pm (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
"The Oil Kings: How the U.S., Iran, and Saudi Arabia Changed the Balance of Power in the Middle East" 
Andrew Scott Cooper

6pm (ET)
Approx. 58 min.
"Opening Day: The Story Of Jackie Robinson's First Season" 
Jonathan Eig

7pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 2 min.
"Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness?: What It Means to Be Black Now" 
Toure .

8pm (ET)
Approx. 56 min.
"Elly Peterson: "Mother" of the Moderates" 
Sara Fitzgerald

9pm (ET)
Approx. 57 min.
After Words: Bill Vlasic: "Once Upon a Car: The Fall and Resurrection of America's Big Three Automakers - GM, Ford, and Chrysler," host former Gov. Matt Blunt

10pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 9 min.
"Confidence Men: Wall Street, Washington, and the Education of a President" 
Ron Suskind

11:15pm (ET)
Approx. 45 min.
2011 National Book Festival: James Swanson, "Bloody Crimes: The Funeral of Abraham Lincoln and the Chase for Jefferson Davis" 
James Swanson

Monday, October 31st

12am (ET)
Approx. 57 min.
After Words: Bill Vlasic: "Once Upon a Car: The Fall and Resurrection of America's Big Three Automakers - GM, Ford, and Chrysler," host former Gov. Matt Blunt

1am (ET)
Approx. 19 min.
George Mason University Interviews: Suzanne Smith, "To Serve the Living: Funeral Directors and the African American Way of Death" 
Suzanne Smith

1:20am (ET)
Approx. 17 min.
George Mason University Interviews: Meredith Lair, "Armed with Abundance: Consumerism and Soldiering in the Vietnam War" 
Meredith Lair

1:35am (ET)
Approx. 22 min.
George Mason University Interviews: Steven Barnes, "Death and Redemption: The Gulag and the Shaping of Modern Society" 
Steven Barnes

2am (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
"Westmoreland: The General Who Lost Vietnam" 
Lewis Sorley

3am (ET)
Approx. 57 min.
After Words: Bill Vlasic: "Once Upon a Car: The Fall and Resurrection of America's Big Three Automakers - GM, Ford, and Chrysler," host former Gov. Matt Blunt

4am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 6 min.
"Age of Greed: The Triumph of Finance and the Decline of America, 1970 to the Present" 
Jeff Madrick

5:15am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 13 min.
"Constitution Cafe: Jefferson's Brew for a True Revolution" 
Christopher Phillips

7am (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
"The Oil Kings: How the U.S., Iran, and Saudi Arabia Changed the Balance of Power in the Middle East" 
Andrew Scott Cooper