Media Menu for May 16, 2013

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,  May 16,  2012
8:15 – 9:45  p.m. E/P
TCM – Turner Classic Movie Channel
World History
Middle and High School

Francis of Assisi

This is a movie dramatization of the life of the 13th-century saint  who founds a religious community based on absolute poverty, seeks its approval by the Pope , encourages longtime friend Clare to head a similar women's order, then journeys to the Holy Land, preaches to the Sultan  and returns to find his order spreading but changing. Directed by Michael Curtiz, the production is well-mounted and well-intended but the script misses some historical facts, with results that only touch the surface of Franciscan spirituality. This  movie    has been evaluated for artistic merit and moral suitability by the media reviewing division of Catholic News Service. The review resulted in a rating of A-I – General Patronage
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/decoding-neanderthals.html

Friday,  May 17,  2012
8-10  p.m. E/P
National Geographic Channel
Science
Middle and High School

How Nature Works

Our planet is home to over ten million species, but not one of them can survive on its own. This documentary sheds new light on the relationships among plants and animals that keep our world spinning. Travel high up into the trees of East Africa with the giraffes and witness how their ability to eat around termites makes homes for the geckos. Journey deep into the forests of North America where a caterpillar munches holes in leaves that allow for essential light to penetrate the forest floor.
Log on http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/episodes/how-nature-works

Saturday,  May 18,  2012
9-10  p.m. E/P
PBS
World History and Geography
Middle and High School

Globe Trekker : Around the World, Silk Road: X'ian to Kashgar

This documentary, airing on KLCS, is a Silk Road odyssey in China begins in the silk capital of Xi'an and includes stops in Turpan, which is one of the lowest and hottest places on Earth; Kuqa, where the Thousand Buddha caves are visited; and Kashgar, which is home to a famous market
Log on http://www.pilotguides.com/tv_shows/globe_trekker/shows/specials/Silk-Road-Xian-Kashgar.php

Sunday ,  May 19,  2012
9-11  p.m. E/P
Discovery  Channel
Science
Middle and High School

North America: Born to Be Wild

This documentary takes viewers on a journey through the wildest places in North America and meet the incredible array of wildlife that lives in our own backyard. Wolves and whales, lions and bears, mustangs and mountain goats are our neighbors in this grand landscape.
http://static.discoveryeducation.com/feeds/www/media/images/northamerica/NA_BornToBeWild_FG.pdf

Monday ,  May 20,  2012
9-11  p.m. E/P
National Geographic Channel
Science
Middle and High School

Brain Games: The Power of Persuasion

By exposing us to specific stimuli, Jason Silva, host of this documentary , can prime our brains to respond in certain ways. See how identical twins interview for the same job, in the same clothes, with the same resume. They even give the exact same answers—but the order of the words in their answers is slightly different. The result? One twin comes off negative, and the other gets the job. Would you believe that Texas seceded from the U.S. if a crazy-looking guy told you? Probably not, but what if a news reporter with a microphone did? This episode unveils the subtle tactics that advertisers, marketers and con men can use to get you to do what they want, without you noticing.
Log on http://braingames.nationalgeographic.com/episode/5

Tuesday,  May  21,  2012
8-9 p.m. E/P
PBS
World History and Science
Middle and High School

The Ghost Army

This documentary , airing on KOCE , tells the story of the 23rd Headquarters  U.S. Special Troops, a top-secret World War II Army group in Europe that used rubber tanks, sound effects and illusions to trick and misdirect the enemy about the strength and location of American units.
Log on http://www.ghostarmy.org/index.php?page=about&family=about

Wednesday,  May 22,  2012
8-9 p.m. E/P
PBS
Science Elementary,
Middle and High School

NATURE : The Great Zebra Exodus

This documentary , airing on KOCE, begins  in Botswana, home to the largest zebra population in southern Africa, but it’s not an easy life. There is no permanent water in the arid saltpans, so thousands of zebras are dependent on isolated summer rains for their survival. Fleeting thundershowers produce islands of grass scattered across the otherwise barren landscape. When the seasonal storms end, and the dry season begins, the striped nomads start their long trek west to the Boteti River for fresh drinking water. There, water is plentiful, but the zebras must travel further and further from the river to reach adequate grazing before trudging miles back to quench their thirst. It’s a grueling routine that will continue until the storm clouds return, the dry season ends, and the zebras can return home where they will welcome newborn foals into their families.
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/great-zebra-exodus/preview/8320/

Book TV Schedule

Saturday, May 18th

8am (ET)
Approx. 35 min.
"Joker One: A Marine Platoon's Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood" 
Donovan Campbell

8:45am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 3 min.
"The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum" 
Temple Grandin

LIVE 10am (ET)
Approx. 8 hr.
2013 Gaithersburg Book Festival
Mutiple Authors

6pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr.
BookTV in Columbia, South Carolina 
BookTV Visits Columbia, South Carolina

7pm (ET)
Approx. 50 min.
"Crisis Tales: Five Rules for Coping with Crises in Business, Politics, and Life" 
Lanny Davis

8pm (ET)
Approx. 40 min.
Book Party for Lanny Davis, author of "Crisis Tales: Five Rules for Coping with Crises in Business, Politics, and Life" 
Lanny Davis

8:45pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 6 min.
"In the Body of the World: A Memoir" 
Eve Ensler

10pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr.
After Words: Diana West, "American Betrayal: The Secret Assault on Our Nation's Character"

11pm (ET)
Approx. 47 min.
"Operation Storm: Japan's Top Secret Submarines and Its Plan to Change the Course of World War II" 
John Geoghegan

Sunday, May 19th

12am (ET)
Approx. 8 hr.
2013 Gaithersburg Book Festival
Mutiple Authors

8am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 15 min.
"The Martian's Daughter: A Memoir" 
Marina von Neumann Whitman

9:30am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 21 min.
"Payback: The Case for Revenge" 
Thane Rosenbaum

11am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr.
BookTV in Columbia, South Carolina 
BookTV Visits Columbia, South Carolina

12pm (ET)
Approx. 57 min.
After Words: Christian Caryl, "Strange Rebels: 1979 and the Birth of the 21st Century," hosted by Susan Glasser, Foreign Policy Magazine

1pm (ET)
Approx. 22 min.
Book TV at Stanford University: Deborah Rhode, "The Beauty Bias: The Injustice of Appearance in Life and Law" 
Deborah Rhode

1:30pm (ET)
Approx. 30 min.
Book TV at the Hoover Institution: Abraham Sofaer, "Taking on Iran" 
Abraham Sofaer

2pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 11 min.
"Game Over: How Politics Has Turned the Sports World Upside Down" 
Dave Zirin

3:15pm (ET)
Approx. 56 min.
2013 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books: Call-in with Larry Elder, author of "Dear Father, Dear Son" 
Larry Elder

4:15pm (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
"The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism" 
Theda Skocpol; Vanessa Williamson

5:15pm (ET)
Approx. 25 min.
2012 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books: Interview with Elizabeth Price Foley, "The Tea Party: Three Principles" 
Elizabeth Price Foley

6pm (ET)
Approx. 32 min.
Book TV in London: Hermione Lee 
Hermione Lee

6:30pm (ET)
Approx. 29 min.
Book TV in London: Charles Emmerson 
Charles Emmerson

7pm (ET)
Approx. 30 min.
Book TV at the Hoover Institution: Abraham Sofaer, "Taking on Iran" 
Abraham Sofaer

7:30pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 32 min.
"Why Are Professors Liberal and Why Do Conservatives Care?" 
Neil Gross

9pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr.
After Words: Diana West, "American Betrayal: The Secret Assault on Our Nation's Character"

10pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 26 min.
"Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead" 
Sheryl Sandberg

11:30pm (ET)
Approx. 29 min.
2013 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books: Call-in with Luis J. Rodriguez, author of "It Calls You Back" 
Luis J. Rodriguez

Monday, May 20th

12am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr.
After Words: Diana West, "American Betrayal: The Secret Assault on Our Nation's Character"

1am (ET)
Approx. 22 min.
Book TV at Stanford University: Deborah Rhode, "The Beauty Bias: The Injustice of Appearance in Life and Law" 
Deborah Rhode

1:30am (ET)
Approx. 30 min.
Book TV at the Hoover Institution: Abraham Sofaer, "Taking on Iran" 
Abraham Sofaer

2am (ET)
Approx. 32 min.
Book TV in London: Hermione Lee 
Hermione Lee

2:30am (ET)
Approx. 29 min.
Book TV in London: Charles Emmerson 
Charles Emmerson

3am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr.
After Words: Diana West, "American Betrayal: The Secret Assault on Our Nation's Character"

4am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 9 min.
"Light Without Fire: The Making of America's First Muslim College" 
Scott Korb

5:15am (ET)
Approx. 37 min.
Book Party for David Stockman, Author of "The Great Deformation: The Corruption of Capitalism in America" 
David Stockman

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

7am (ET)
Approx. 44 min.
"Lone Wolf Terror and the Rise of Leaderless Resistance" 
George Michael