Media Menu November 9, 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, November 9, 2011,
9-10 p.m. E/P
National Geographic Channel
Science and World History
Middle and High  School

Forbidden Tomb of Genghis Khan

Can technology solve an 800-year-old mystery and locate the tomb of the legendary warrior Genghis Khan? This documentary journeys  to Mongolia's "Forbidden Zone" with a team led by National Geographic Emerging Explorer Albert Lin, who hopes to virtually "excavate" the tomb without moving a single rock using sophisticated ground penetrating imagery.
Log on http://natgeotv.com/asia/forbidden-tomb-of-genghis-khan/about

Thursday, November 10, 2011,
9-10 p.m. E/P
National Geographic Channel
U.S. History
Middle and High  School

Salem: Unmasking the Devil

Was the most famous witch trial in the English-speaking world actually the result of a cynical plot and power play?  In this documentary author and historian Katherine Howe goes to the site of her ancestor’s execution during the Salem witch trials. The very latest clues unearthed may indicate that an embattled Puritan minister fomented fear and distrust to hold onto his congregation.
Log on http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/expedition-week/facts-salem-unmasking-the-devil/

Thursday, November 10, 2011,
9-10:30 p.m. E/P
PBS
U.S. History
Middle and High  School

Where Soldiers Come From

Airing on the eve of Veterans’  Day, this documentary covers the four-year journey of childhood friends who join the National Guard after high school, going from a small town in northern Michigan to the mountains of Afghanistan. As it chronicles the young men’s transformation from restless teenagers to soldiers looking for roadside bombs to 23-year-old combat veterans trying to start their lives again, the film offers an intimate look at the young Americans who fight our wars, the families and towns they come from — and the way one faraway conflict changes everything.  TV-PG
Log on  http://www.pbs.org/pov/wheresoldierscomefrom/

Friday, November 11, 2011,
9-11 p.m. E/P
PBS
U.S. History
Middle and High  School

PBS ARTS FROM Chicago: AMERICAN MASTERS “Bill T. Jones: A Good Man”

Follow award-winning director/choreographer Bill T. Jones’ intense creative journey as he leads his company in the creation of “Fondly Do We Hope ... Fervently Do We Pray”, an original dance-theater piece in honor of Abraham Lincoln’s bicentennial. The film shows Jones’ as he tackles the most ambitious work of his career  - while he explores what it means to be a good man, to be a free man, to be a citizen. Jones is a 2010 Kennedy Center Honors recipient and two-time Tony® Award winner for Best Choreography.   Anna Deavere Smith hosts.  TV-PG
Log on  http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/bill-t-jones-a-good-man/about-the-documentary-film/1863/

Saturday, November 12, 2011,
9-11 p.m. E/P
CNN
U.S. History and Government
Middle and High  School

CNN Presents: A Fareed Zakaria GPS Special

Reporter Fareed Zakaria examines the U.S. education system and asks the question: How can the U.S. reclaim its place as a world leader in education?
Log on  http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/category/education/

Sunday, November 13, 2011,
6-7 p.m. E/P
Science Channel
Science and World History
Middle and High  School

Unearthing Ancient Secrets: Who Killed Julius Caesar?

In the first ever application of modern science to the murder of Julius Caesar, this documentary uses the latest Crime Scene Investigation techniques, computer reconstruction technology, and experts such as Luciano Garofano of the Italian Carabinieri and criminal profiler Dr. Harold Bursztajn of Harvard Medical school, to reveal a shocking new assessment of the truth behind ancient history's most famous assassination. TV--PG
Log on  http://www.livius.org/caa-can/caesar/caesar_t09.html

Monday, November 14, 2011,
9-10 p.m. E/P
Science Channel
Science
Middle and High  School

Life Before Birth

It's meant to be a joyous event - in reality, it's a gripping battle for survival. Using cutting edge technology, this BBC  documentary go inside the womb and follow the story from conception to birth, showing how the struggle for life turns into the miracle of birth. TV--PG


Tuesday, November 15, 2011,
8-9 p.m. E/P
PBS
World History
Middle and High  School

SECRETS OF THE DEAD: Churchill’s Deadly Decision

This is a documentary about military alliances and how they sometimes don’t work out right. In the summer of 1940, Winston Churchill faced a terrible dilemma. His traditional ally France had just surrendered to the Germans , and only the English Channel stood between the Nazis and Britain. Germany was poised to seize the entire French fleet, one of the biggest in the world. With these ships, Hitler's threat to invade Britain could become a reality. Churchill had to make a choice. He could either trust the promises of the new French government that they would never hand over their ships to Hitler or he could make sure that the ships never joined the German navy by destroying them himself. This documentary reveals the darkest side of Britain's Finest Hour. Some call his decision a turning point in the war; others call it a terrible betrayal and a war crime. This is the story of what Churchill did next — and why — and how 1,300 French sailors died in what the French still call "our Pearl Harbor." In the words of French survivors, some of whom still regard Churchill as a war criminal who opened fire on his former allies. TV--PG
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/features/churchills-deadly-decision-preview-this-episode/548/

Wednesday, November 16, 2011,
8-9 p.m. E/P
PBS
Science
Middle and High  School

NATURE :My Life as a Turkey

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday,  here’s something to think about.  It’s the true story of writer and naturalist Joe Hutto (portrayed by Jeff Palmer) as he raises a family of turkey chicks.  This film chronicles Hutto’s remarkable experience of imprinting wild turkey eggs and raising the hatchlings to adulthood. Deep in the wilds of Florida, Hutto spent each day out and about as a “wild turkey” with his family of chicks — until the day came when he had to let his children grow up and go off on their own. As it turned out, this was harder than he ever imagined. Hutto’s story also became a book,” Illumination in the Flatlands”. TV-PG
Log on http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0133r58

Book TV Schedule

Saturday, November 12th

8am (ET)
Approx. 58 min.
"The Oil Kings: How the U.S., Iran, and Saudi Arabia Changed the Balance of Power in the Middle East" 
Andrew Scott Cooper

9am (ET)
Approx. 2 hr. 59 min.
In Depth: Ben Mezrich

12pm (ET)
Approx. 48 min.
"Assassins of the Turquoise Palace" 
Roya Hakakian

1:15pm (ET)
Approx. 40 min.
2011 National Book Festival: Justin Martin, "Genius of Place: The Life of Frederick Law Olmsted" 
Justin Martin

2pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 26 min.
Panel on Life in Our Oceans 
Juliet Eilperin; Nancy Knowlton; Barton Seaver; Brian Skerry

3:30pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 5 min.
"Confronting Terror: 9/11 and the Future of American National Security" 
John Yoo

4:45pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 7 min.
"Confidence Men: Wall Street, Washington, and the Education of a President" 
Ron Suskind

6pm (ET)
Approx. 56 min.
Encore Booknotes: Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare 
Stephen Greenblatt

7pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 25 min.
"The Better Angels of Our Nature" 
Steven Pinker

8:30pm (ET)
Approx. 52 min.
"No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington" 
Condoleezza Rice

9:30pm (ET)
Approx. 26 min.
George Washington University Interview: Matthew Hindman, "The Myth of Digital Democracy"
Matthew Hindman

10pm (ET)
Approx. 58 min.
After Words: Corey Robin, "The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Sarah Palin," hosted by S.E. Cupp

11pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr.
"Back to Work: Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy" 
Bill Clinton

Sunday, November 13th

12am (ET)
Approx. 45 min.
WATCH LIVE ONLINE TODAY @ 6:30 PM ET - Interview with former President Bill Clinton, ""Back to Work: Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy" 
Bill Clinton

1am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 21 min.
"Sharon: The Life of a Leader" 
Gilad Sharon

2:45am (ET)
Approx. 58 min.
"The Oil Kings: How the U.S., Iran, and Saudi Arabia Changed the Balance of Power in the Middle East" 
Andrew Scott Cooper

3:45am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 9 min.
"Collision Course: Ronald Reagan, the Air Traffic Controllers, and the Strike that Changed America" 
Joseph McCartin

5am (ET)
Approx. 57 min.
"Black and Tired: Essays on Race, Politics, Culture, and International Development" 
Anthony Bradley

6am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 34 min.
"That Used to Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back" 
Thomas Friedman; Michael Mandelbaum

7:30am (ET)
Approx. 44 min.
"Newspaper Titan: The Infamous Life and Monumental Times of Cissy Patterson" 
Amanda Smith

8:15am (ET)
Approx. 45 min.
2011 Texas Book Festival: Juan Williams, "Muzzled: The Assault on Honest Debate" 
Juan Williams

9am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr.
"The Mirage Man: Bruce Ivins, the Anthrax Attacks, and America's Rush to War" 
David Willman

10am (ET)
Approx. 56 min.
"Elly Peterson: "Mother" of the Moderates" 
Sara Fitzgerald

11am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 4 min.
"A Point in Time: The Search for Redemption in this Life and the Next" 
David Horowitz

12pm (ET)
Approx. 53 min.
2011 National Book Award Finalist After Words: Mary Gabriel, "Love and Capital: Karl and Jenny Marx and the Birth of a Revolution," host Bertell Ollman, NYU

1pm (ET)
Approx. 44 min.
University of Texas at Austin Interviews: Sanford Levinson, "Constitutional Faith" 
Sanford Levinson

1:45pm (ET)
Approx. 14 min.
University of Texas at Austin Interviews: Julia Mickenberg, "Tales for Little Rebels: A Collection of Radical Children’s Literature" 
Julia Mickenberg (co-editor)

2pm (ET)
Approx. 48 min.
"Assassins of the Turquoise Palace" 
Roya Hakakian

3pm (ET)
Approx. 43 min.
2011 National Book Festival: Edmund Morris, "Colonel Roosevelt" 
Edmund Morris

4pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr.
"Back to Work: Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy" 
Bill Clinton

5pm (ET)
Approx. 45 min.
WATCH LIVE ONLINE TODAY @ 6:30 PM ET - Interview with former President Bill Clinton, ""Back to Work: Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy" 
Bill Clinton

6pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 12 min.
"And the Money Kept Rolling In (and Out): Wall Street, the IMF, and the Bankrupting of Argentina" 
Paul Blustein

7:15pm (ET)
Approx. 52 min.
"No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington" 
Condoleezza Rice

8:15pm (ET)
Approx. 44 min.
University of Texas at Austin Interviews: Sanford Levinson, "Constitutional Faith" 
Sanford Levinson

9pm (ET)
Approx. 58 min.
After Words: Corey Robin, "The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Sarah Palin," hosted by S.E. Cupp

10pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 25 min.
"The Better Angels of Our Nature" 
Steven Pinker

11:30pm (ET)
Approx. 21 min.
George Mason University Interviews: Colin Dueck, "Hard Line: The Republican Party and U.S. Foreign Policy Since World War II" 
Colin Dueck

Monday, November 14th

12am (ET)
Approx. 58 min.
After Words: Corey Robin, "The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Sarah Palin," hosted by S.E. Cupp

1am (ET)
Approx. 44 min.
University of Texas at Austin Interviews: Sanford Levinson, "Constitutional Faith" 
Sanford Levinson

1:45am (ET)
Approx. 14 min.
University of Texas at Austin Interviews: Julia Mickenberg, "Tales for Little Rebels: A Collection of Radical Children’s Literature" 
Julia Mickenberg (co-editor)

2am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr.
2011 Texas Book Festival: Panel on American Debt with H. W. Brands and David Graeber 
H.W. Brands; David Graeber

3am (ET)
Approx. 58 min.
After Words: Corey Robin, "The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Sarah Palin," hosted by S.E. Cupp

4am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr.
"The Mirage Man: Bruce Ivins, the Anthrax Attacks, and America's Rush to War" 
David Willman

5am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 26 min.
Panel on Life in Our Oceans 
Juliet Eilperin; Nancy Knowlton; Barton Seaver; Brian Skerry

6:30am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 21 min.
"Sharon: The Life of a Leader" 
Gilad Sharon