Media Menu for March 21 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.

Thursday,  March 21,  2012
8-9 p.m. E/P
PBS
World History
Middle and High School

Globe Trekker Special: World History: England

This documentary airs on KLCS.  In England,  program host Justine Shapiro visits the site of the Battle of Hastings, takes a canal ride to the Yorkshire Moors and stops at the coastal town of Whitby, which inspired Bram Stoker to write Dracula. 1066 is a date engraved on the minds of English schoolchildren almost as soon as they know their ABC. It's the year that William the Conqueror of Normandy sailed over from France with his army of 12,000 men and claimed his place in history as the last successful invader of this green and pleasant land. William was a distant cousin of the late king, Edward the Confessor, the monarch who built Westminster Abbey. He claimed that Edward had promised to make him heir to the English throne, so when Edward died and Harold became king, William was most aggrieved. William set out from Normandy to lay claim to a land he though was rightfully his. The English put up a good fight but it was the death of their Anglo-Saxon ruler King Harold, allegedly speared through the eye by an arrow, which clinched the Norman victory.
 Log on http://www.pilotguides.com/destination_guide/europe/england/battle_of_hastings.php

Friday,  March 22,  2012
10-11 p.m. E/P
Science Channel
Science
Elementary, Middle and High School

Planet Ant

One Giant Box, One Giant Ant Colony. Just imagine if we could supersize a child's ant farm. In this documentary researchers build a giant ant colony and reveal its inner workings in a way never shown before. Hosted by entomologist Brendan Dunphy. TV-G
 Log on http://askabiologist.asu.edu/how/building-ant-farm

Saturday,   March 23,  2012
3-5 p.m. E/P
History Channel
Science and Technology
Middle and High School

101 Inventions That Changed the World

It starts with a spark, but some ideas catch fire and in the process change the world. Necessity is the mother of invention--from darkness, man found light (the candle) and from even the farthest distances we can still find each other (the telephone). But some inventions have transformed our lives far beyond our homes (the steam engine), our planet (the telescope), and our wildest dreams (the Internet). This documentary highlights how human ingenuity comes in all shapes and sizes. Some were born from the humblest means (the hammer) while others push the limits of what was ever believed possible (the airplane). But regardless of the ratio of inspiration to perspiration, each invention to make the cut was destined to change our lives forever. TV-PG
 Log on http://grandeexhibitions.com/101.php

Sunday,   March 24,  2012
9-10 p.m. E/P
PBS
Science and Geography
Middle and High School

Water Pressures

Water is a central element of life, yet one in eight people worldwide — 1.2 billion — lack access to safe drinking water. In the coming years, the water scarcity in some drought-stricken regions will turn into a global crisis. Hosted by actor-producer Adrian Grenier , this documentary, airing on KLCS, sheds light on this critical, complex issue by documenting the partnership between villagers in water-distressed Rajasthan, India and students and faculty at Northwestern University, situated on the shores of Lake Michigan. Students in a Northwestern environmental policy class see a model of conservation and community cooperation firsthand on a 10-day trip to India, where a leading nonprofit organizations illustrates the power of pairing traditional wisdom with simple teamwork to solve the water crisis in the Thar Desert. They also meet with political leaders, corporate executives and water experts to create their own local partnerships and try to make a difference in their own communities. TV-G
 Log on http://www.aptonline.org/catalog.nsf/vLinkTitle/WATER+PRESSURES

Monday,   March 25,  2012
9-10 p.m. E/P
Science Channel
Science
Elementary, Middle and High School

Wonders of the Solar System: Empire of the Sun

As shown In this documentary, the Sun rules over a vast empire of worlds. For 5 billion years our Solar System's beating heart has fused hydrogen into helium, powering our planet. Without its energy, life as we know it would not exist. When it dies, it will truly be the end of us all. TV-G
 Log on http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00rf172

Tuesday,   March 26,  2012
7-9 p.m. E/P
PBS
Science
Elementary.,Middle and High School

NOVA: Earth  From Space

In this documentary, airing on KLCS, satellite data is transformed into visual sequences that detail the interwoven forces that sustain life on Earth. Included: how dust from the Sahara fertilizes the Amazon; how a vast underwater "waterfall" off Antarctica helps drive ocean currents.
 Log on http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/space/earth-from-space.html

Wednesday,  March 27,  2012
3-4 p.m. E/P
History Channel
Science  and Technology
Middle and High School

Modern Marvels: Bullet Trains.

Traveling between 135 and 190 miles per hour with a high safety record, bullet trains can be found throughout Europe, Japan, and on the US eastern seaboard. How high-speed trains are propelled is rooted in fundamentals that haven't changed since the first electric trolleys appeared in the 19th century. This documentary shows how scientists are looking at new alternatives to electricity, including magnetic levitation that can move passenger trains 345 miles per hour and beyond.  TV-PG
 Log on http://articles.latimes.com/keyword/bullet-train

Book TV Schedule

Saturday, March 23rd

8am (ET)
Approx. 36 min.
"Blackett's War: The Men Who Defeated the Nazi U-Boats and Brought Science to the Art of Warfare" 
Stephen Budiansky

8:45am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 1 min.
"The Feminine Mystique: 50 Years" 
Mutiple Panelists

10am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 30 min.
"Bad History, Worse Policy: How a False Narrative about the Financial Crisis Led to the Dodd-Frank Act" 
Peter Wallison

11:30am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 46 min.
"If Mayors Ruled the World" 
Benjamin Barber

1:30pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 21 min.
"The Esperanza Fire: Arson, Murder, and the Agony of Engine 57" 
John Maclean

3pm (ET)
Approx. 29 min.
"Hope Against Hope: Three Schools, One City, and the Struggle to Educate America's Children" 
Sarah Carr

3:30pm (ET)
Approx. 56 min.
"Whatever Happened to the Washington Reporters, 1978-2012" 
Stephen Hess

4:30pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 26 min.
"Bad Pharma: How Drug Companies Mislead Doctors and Harm Patients" 
Ben Goldacre

6pm (ET)
Approx. 56 min.
Encore Booknotes: Cal Thomas, "The Things That Matter Most" 
Cal Thomas

7pm (ET)
Approx. 38 min.
"Thomas Nast: The Father of Modern Political Cartoons" 
Fiona Deans Halloran

LIVE 8pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 30 min.
2013 Virginia Festival of the Book: A Conversation with Rep. John Lewis and John Carlos 
John Carlos; Rep. John Lewis (D-GA)

10pm (ET)
Approx. 55 min.
After Words: David Burstein, "Fast Future: How the Millennial Generation is Shaping Our World," host S.E. Cupp

11pm (ET)
Approx. 35 min.
"Out of Order: Stories from the History of the Supreme Court" 
Sandra Day O'Connor

Sunday, March 24th

12am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 50 min.
"Black Against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party" 
Joshua Bloom; Waldo Martin

2am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 1 min.
"The Devil at Our Doorstep" 
David Bego

3am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 10 min.
"The Measure of Manhattan: The Tumultuous Career and Surprising Legacy of John Randel Jr. Cartographer, Surveyor, Inventor" 
Marguerite Holloway

4:15am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 21 min.
"The Esperanza Fire: Arson, Murder, and the Agony of Engine 57" 
John Maclean

5:45am (ET)
Approx. 56 min.
2013 Tucson Festival of Books: Timothy Egan, "Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis" 
Timothy Egan

7am (ET)
Approx. 52 min.
"On Saudi Arabia: Its People, Past, Religion, Fault Lines - and Future" 
Karen Elliott House

8am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 50 min.
"Black Against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party" 
Joshua Bloom; Waldo Martin

10:30am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 19 min.
"At the Brink: Will Obama Push Us Over the Edge?" 
John Lott

12pm (ET)
Approx. 58 min.
After Words: Kim Ghattas, "The Secretary: A Journey with Hillary Clinton from Beirut to the Heart of American Power," hosted by Jamie Weinstein

1pm (ET)
Approx. 38 min.
Book TV at American University: Naomi Baron, "Always On: Language in an Online and Mobile World" 
Naomi Baron

1:40pm (ET)
Approx. 17 min.
Book TV at American University: Max Paul Friedman, "Rethinking Anti-Americanism: The History of an Exceptional Concept in American Foreign Relations" 
Max Paul Friedman

2pm (ET)
Approx. 31 min.
"Little Red: Three Passionate Lives through the Sixties and Beyond" 
Dina Hampton

2:45pm (ET)
Approx. 52 min.
"Immigration Wars: Forging an American Solution" 
Jeb Bush

3:45pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 4 min.
"Power to the Poor: Black-Brown Coalition & the Fight for Economic Justice, 1960-1974" 
Gordon Mantler

5pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr.
Iraq War: 10th Anniversary 
Multiple Authors

6pm (ET)
Approx. 33 min.
The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington 
Jennet Conant

6:45pm (ET)
Approx. 50 min.
"The Good Rich and What They Cost Us" 
Robert Dalzell

7:45pm (ET)
Approx. 53 min.
Discussion of Robert Bork's "Saving Justice: Watergate, the Saturday Night Massacre, and Other Adventures of a Solicitor General" 
Frank Easterbrook

9pm (ET)
Approx. 55 min.
After Words: David Burstein, "Fast Future: How the Millennial Generation is Shaping Our World," host S.E. Cupp

10pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 23 min.
"Everybody Matters: My Life Giving Voice" 
Mary Robinson

11:30pm (ET)
Approx. 31 min.
"Little Red: Three Passionate Lives through the Sixties and Beyond" 
Dina Hampton

Monday, March 25th

12am (ET)
Approx. 55 min.
After Words: David Burstein, "Fast Future: How the Millennial Generation is Shaping Our World," host S.E. Cupp

1am (ET)
Approx. 38 min.
Book TV at American University: Naomi Baron, "Always On: Language in an Online and Mobile World" 
Naomi Baron

1:40am (ET)
Approx. 17 min.
Book TV at American University: Max Paul Friedman, "Rethinking Anti-Americanism: The History of an Exceptional Concept in American Foreign Relations" 
Max Paul Friedman

2am (ET)
Approx. 35 min.
"Out of Order: Stories from the History of the Supreme Court" 
Sandra Day O'Connor

3am (ET)
Approx. 55 min.
After Words: David Burstein, "Fast Future: How the Millennial Generation is Shaping Our World," host S.E. Cupp

4am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr.
"Congressman Lincoln: The Making of America's Greatest President" 
Chris DeRose

5am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr.
Iraq War: 10th Anniversary 
Multiple Authors

6am (ET)
Approx. 51 min.
2013 Savannah Book Festival: Garry Wills, "Why Priests: A Failed Tradition" 
Garry Wills

7am (ET)
Approx. 38 min.
"Thomas Nast: The Father of Modern Political Cartoons" 
Fiona Deans Halloran