Media Menu for February 8, 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, February 8, 2012,
8-9 p.m.
PBS
Science
Elementary, Middle and High  School

NATURE: Raccoon Nation”

Are human beings, in an effort to outwit raccoons, actually making them smarter and unwittingly contributing to their evolutionary success? Are the ever more complex obstacles that our fast-paced urban world throws at them actually pushing the development of raccoon brains? In this documentary,  scientists from around the world share their thoughts and work to explore this scientific theory. Attempting to do something that has never been done before, they closely follow a family of urban raccoons as they navigate the complex world of a big city. TV-G
Log on http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/natureofthings/2011/raccoonnation/

Thursday,  February 9, 2012,
10-11 p.m.
National Geographic Channel
World History
Middle and High  School

When Rome Ruled: The Real Caligula

Demonized by ancient writers and portrayed throughout history as a cruel madman -- was Emperor Caligula really insane or just the product of a mad world? He inherited a vast empire, unimaginable wealth and the love of his people, but Caligula's reign descended into paranoia, depravity and full-blown insanity. Using dramatic re-enactments along with expert testimony from a forensic psychologist,  this documentary investigates: Is there a medical explanation behind his terrifying mind?
Log on http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1797331/

Friday,  February 10, 2012,
5-6 p.m.
History Channel
Science and Geography
Middle and High  School

How The Earth Was Made: Death Valley

As shown in this documentary Death Valley is not only a place of natural splendor but a geologic treasure trove as well. Hidden in the sediments of the rocks in its walls is evidence of the coldest time on our planet--ironic in one of the hottest places on Earth. Death Valley is literally being pulled apart and the floor  is collapsing and lower than sea level. Here and across much of Nevada is the Basin and Range province--a series of ridges of mountain ranges that are being pulled apart and the basins between them getting wider and flat as they fill with eroded sediment. TV-PG
Log on http://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm

Saturday,  February 11, 2012,
8-9 p.m.
CNN
Economics and Science
Middle and High  School

Black in America: The New Promised Land - Silicon Valley

This documentary  reports on a group of African Americans developing Internet-based businesses which will help diversify the industry. While much of the country struggles to emerge from a recession, California's Silicon Valley is booming, and technology companies like Facebook, Skype, and Apple are seeing their valuations soar. CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O'Brien reports that the ownership of this digital boom is mostly young, white, and male. For her fourth Black in America documentary, O'Brien asks why, according to industry analyst CB Insights, less than one percent of all venture capital money went to digital startups with African-American founders in 2010. She follows the progress of eight strangers after they were selected to live together for nine weeks in a unique, technology-focused "accelerator" developed to help African-American digital entrepreneurs secure funding to establish their businesses.
Log on http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/09/technology/diversity_silicon_valley/?iid=SF_T_Lead

Sunday,  February 12, 2012,
8-9 p.m.
National Geographic Channel
Science and Geography
Middle and High  School

The Man Who Can Fly

Some think of Dean Potter as a real-life superhero. He can climb the un-climbable, visualize the invisible and fly through the air with the greatest of speed. As perhaps one of the world’s best BASE jumpers, he set the record for the longest flight in a wing suit. Now, in this documentary Dean has set his sights on Mount Bute - a 9,000-foot granite launch pad along the British Columbia coastline. But before Dean can literally take the plunge, he has to prepare his body and develop a new wing suit.
Log on http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/2009/12/best-of-adventure/dean-potter

Monday,  February 13, 2012,
8-9 p.m.
PBS
U.S. History and Economics
Elementary, Middle and High  School

Slavery  By Another Name

This documentary explores the little-known story of the labor practices and laws that effectively created a new form of slavery in the South that persisted into the 20th century. Laurence Fishburne narrates. A Sundance Film Festival selection for 2012, the film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Wall Street Journal senior writer Douglas A. Blackmon. It covers the Emancipation era and the labor practices and laws that effectively created a new form of slavery in the South that persisted well into the 20th century. Blackmon examines the concept of “neoslavery,” which sentenced African-Americans to forced labor for violating an array of laws that criminalized their everyday behavior.  TV-G
Log on http://video.pbs.org/program/slavery-another-name/

Tuesday,  February 14, 2012,
9-11 p.m.
PBS
U.S. History
Elementary, Middle and High  School

FRONTLINE: The Interrupters

During one weekend in Chicago in 2008, 37 people were shot, seven of them fatally. This documentary follows a group of older former gang leaders trying to “interrupt” shootings and protect their communities from the violence they once committed. The film follows the inner workings of CeaseFire, an innovative program in Chicago designed to prevent shootings, including weekly meetings where the interrupters report on the simmering disputes and the senseless shootings in their neighborhoods. From director Steve James (Hoop Dreams, Stevie), "The Interrupters" is a compelling observational journey into the stubborn, persistent violence that plagues our American cities.
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/interrupters

Wednesday,  February 15, 2012,
4-6  p.m.
History Channel
U.S. History
Middle and High  School

America The Story of Us: Metropolis

This documentary explores a  new frontier: the modern city, with Andrew Carnegie's empire of steel as its backbone. Skyscrapers and the Statue of Liberty are symbols of the American Dream for millions of immigrants. The discovery of oil is a boom to industry; Henry Ford puts America on the road. Urban life introduces a new breed of social ills. Prohibition fuels the growth of organized crime.  TV-PG
Log on http://www.history.com/shows/america-the-story-of-us


Book TV Schedule

Saturday, February 11th

8am (ET)
Approx. 54 min.
"Pearl Harbor Christmas: A World at War, December 1941" 
Stanley Weintraub

9am (ET)
Approx. 3 hr.
In Depth: Mark Steyn

12pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 9 min.
"With Liberty and Justice for Some: How the Law is Used to Destroy Equality and Protect the Powerful" 
Glenn Greenwald

1:15pm (ET)
Approx. 38 min.
"Corporations Are Not People: Why They Have More Rights Than You Do and What You Can Do About It" 
Jeffrey Clements

2pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 12 min.
"Roger Williams and The Creation of the American Soul: Church, State, and the Birth of Liberty" 
John Barry

3pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 10 min.
"1812: The Navy's War" 
George Daughan

4:15pm (ET)
Approx. 48 min.
"No Animals Were Harmed" and "Calexico!" 
Peter Laufer

5pm (ET)
Approx. 54 min.
"Pearl Harbor Christmas: A World at War, December 1941" 
Stanley Weintraub

6pm (ET)
Approx. 58 min.
Encore Booknotes: Lerone Bennett Jr., "Forced Into Glory: Abraham Lincoln's White Dream" 
Lerone Bennett, Jr.

7pm (ET)
Approx. 44 min.
"Buckley: William F. Buckley Jr. and the Rise of American Conservatism" 
Carl Bogus

8pm (ET)
Approx. 35 min.
"Now or Never: Saving America from Economic Collapse" 
Sen. Jim DeMint

9pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 3 min.
"Power Concedes Nothing: One Woman's Quest for Social Justice in America, From the Courtroom to the Kill Zones" 
Connie Rice

10pm (ET)
Approx. 55 min.
After Words: Eric Klinenberg, "Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone," hosted by Kim Blankenship, American University

11pm (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
"American Avatar: The United States in the Global Imagination" 
Barry Sanders

Sunday, February 12th

12am (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
"Big-Time Sports in American Universities" 
Charles Clotfelter

1am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 9 min.
"With Liberty and Justice for Some: How the Law is Used to Destroy Equality and Protect the Powerful" 
Glenn Greenwald

2:15am (ET)
Approx. 38 min.
"Corporations Are Not People: Why They Have More Rights Than You Do and What You Can Do About It" 
Jeffrey Clements

3am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 12 min.
"Roger Williams and The Creation of the American Soul: Church, State, and the Birth of Liberty" 
John Barry

4am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 27 min.
"No Fear: A Whistleblower's Triumph Over Corruption and Retaliation at the EPA" 
Marsha Coleman-Adebayo

5am (ET)
Approx. 30 min.
Interview with former President Bill Clinton, "Back to Work: Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy" 
Bill Clinton

6am (ET)
Approx. 44 min.
"Buckley: William F. Buckley Jr. and the Rise of American Conservatism" 
Carl Bogus

7am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 3 min.
"Power Concedes Nothing: One Woman's Quest for Social Justice in America, From the Courtroom to the Kill Zones" 
Connie Rice

8am (ET)
Approx. 54 min.
"Pearl Harbor Christmas: A World at War, December 1941" 
Stanley Weintraub

9am (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
"American Avatar: The United States in the Global Imagination" 
Barry Sanders

10am (ET)
Approx. 48 min.
"No Animals Were Harmed" and "Calexico!" 
Peter Laufer

11am (ET)
Approx. 35 min.
"Now or Never: Saving America from Economic Collapse" 
Sen. Jim DeMint

12pm (ET)
Approx. 53 min.
After Words: Deborah Scroggins, "Wanted Women," hosted by Akbar Ahmed, American University

1pm (ET)
Approx. 48 min.
Book TV at Georgetown University: Bonnie Morris, “Revenge of the Women’s Studies Professor” 
Bonnie Morris

2pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 11 min.
"Our Time: Breaking the Silence of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'" 
Josh Seefried

3:15pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 3 min.
"Power Concedes Nothing: One Woman's Quest for Social Justice in America, From the Courtroom to the Kill Zones" 
Connie Rice

4:30pm (ET)
Approx. 44 min.
"Buckley: William F. Buckley Jr. and the Rise of American Conservatism" 
Carl Bogus

5:30pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 10 min.
"Milosevic: A Biography" 
Adam LeBor

7pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 9 min.
"With Liberty and Justice for Some: How the Law is Used to Destroy Equality and Protect the Powerful" 
Glenn Greenwald

8:15pm (ET)
Approx. 48 min.
Book TV at Georgetown University: Bonnie Morris, “Revenge of the Women’s Studies Professor” 
Bonnie Morris

9pm (ET)
Approx. 55 min.
After Words: Eric Klinenberg, "Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone," hosted by Kim Blankenship, American University

10pm (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
"Big-Time Sports in American Universities" 
Charles Clotfelter

11pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 12 min.
"Roger Williams and The Creation of the American Soul: Church, State, and the Birth of Liberty" 
John Barry

Monday, February 13th

12am (ET)
Approx. 55 min.
After Words: Eric Klinenberg, "Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone," hosted by Kim Blankenship, American University

1am (ET)
Approx. 48 min.
Book TV at Georgetown University: Bonnie Morris, “Revenge of the Women’s Studies Professor” 
Bonnie Morris

2am (ET)
Approx. 44 min.
"Elizabeth The Queen" 
Sally Bedell Smith

3am (ET)
Approx. 55 min.
After Words: Eric Klinenberg, "Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone," hosted by Kim Blankenship, American University

4am (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
"Big-Time Sports in American Universities" 
Charles Clotfelter

5am (ET)
Approx. 35 min.
"Now or Never: Saving America from Economic Collapse" 
Sen. Jim DeMint

6am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 11 min.
"Our Time: Breaking the Silence of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'" 
Josh Seefried

7:15am (ET)
Approx. 38 min.
"Corporations Are Not People: Why They Have More Rights Than You Do and What You Can Do About It" 
Jeffrey Clements