www.whyville.net Nov 7, 2002 Weekly Issue



MediaWiz
Staff Writer

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Watch the shows and tell me what you and your parents think. Email me, the MediaWiz of Whyville!

Click here for an index of this week's shows. And now, the Media Menu!

Thursday, November 7

"Garbage" (History Channel, 7-8pm E/P) I've recommended this documentary before but, on the occasion of it's re-broadcast I'm really serious about saying you should tape the show and take it to class. Learn how to use less stuff! It bothers me that it's become commonplace to refer to the populace as "consumers" rather than "citizens". (One is essentially passive -- being used by marketers, the other implies action and being productive.) Garbage stands as a smelly testament of mankind's wastefulness. This program describes the ever-changing composition of refuse, current high- and low-tech means of taking out the trash and explains recycling.

Friday, November 8

"Wild Discovery : Killer Bees" (Discovery Channel, 8-9pm E/P) This documentary explores the premise that a strain of Africanized killer bees which escaped from a controlled experiment in Brazil will infest 40 U.S. states in this decade. Using macro-photography and aerial-imaging techniques, scientists are finding clues how this might be happening -- and possibly prevented. Note: Part of the program is an impressionistic reproduction form both the human and bee's point of view of a bee-attack which might frighten young viewers.

"NOW with Bill Moyers" (PBS, 9-10pm E/P) One of the segments in this PBS newsmagazine is about civil rights activist Bob Moses, founder of the Algebra Project, a national program aimed at providing poor and minority students with the math skills needed to compete in the 21st century.

Saturday, November 9

"Behind Closed Doors With Joan Lunden: Hubble Telescope" (A&E Network 8-9pm E/P) This newsmagazine program has a technology report on what's involved in keeping the Hubble space telescope orbiting while it sends back spectacular images of galaxies 12 billion light years away. There's also a report on the means used by U.S. Marshall Service to transport convicted criminals (one system is called "Con-Air").

Sunday, November 10

"Skate Canada: ISU Grand Prix Series of Figure Skating" (ABC, 4-6pm E/P) As I promised in a prior column in which I mentioned "Skateamerica", here's a head's-up about "Skate Canada". It's the culminating event of a series of skating competitions between the leading Olympic-eligible skaters in the world. Covering the event from Quebec City will be Terry Gannon, Peggy Fleming, Dick Button and Peter Carruthers. (Lots of clues here about to get a high score in the Whyville Spin Lab!!)

Monday, November 11

"Viet Nam Veterans Memorial: Wall of Courage" (Travel Channel, 7-8pm ET, 11pm-midnight PT) This Veteran's Day special documentary commemorating the 20th anniversary of the construction of the Viet Nam Veteran's Memorial in Washington DC. Architect Maya Ying Lin's design enshrined the names of the men and women who died in that conflict on a structure of uncommon emotional and artistic power. You will also learn about the private room associated with the monument where gifts to those named on the wall -- and the stories behind these gifts.

"Anthony And Cleopatra: Passion For Power" (A&E Network 9-11pm E/P) This is a history documentary full of surprising information about Queen Cleopatra, the highly educated, charming Greek woman who harbored ambitions to rule a great empire -- starting with one in Egypt and aiming for the one controlled by Rome. After winning the heart of Julius Caesar (and losing him to a bunch of assassins) she fell for Roman General Marc Anthony, who joined her in a war against Caesar's successor, Augustus. This is a true story about power and politics wrapped up in romance and deception.

"American Experience: Jimmy Carter" (PBS, 9-10:30pm E/P) The title of this, the initial episode in a 2-part biographical documentary about the 39th President of the U.S., is entitled "Jimmy Who?" . This is because he went from anonymity to being President in less than 12 months -- and this program shows how he did it. The second episode, airing Tuesday, November 12, is entitled "Hostage" because once he got into the White House, he was caught in several traps -- an energy crisis, runaway inflation and the capture of U.S. diplomats by Iran -- none of which he handled effectively. But after he left office he was able to transform himself into a revered peacemaker and humanitarian. Interesting details appear at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carter/.

Tuesday, November 12

"Volcano's Deadly Warning" (PBS 8-9pm E/P) This "NOVA" documentary is about how to spot clues that a volcano is about to erupt. The U.S. Geological Survey developed a way of forecasting eruptions which was used in 2000 to get 30,000 people in Mexico to evacuate an area near a volcano -- saving their lives. But the method was not used in 1993 when Arizona State University experts walked into a volcano in Columbia to conduct measurements -- resulting in deaths and injuries.

Wednesday, November 13

"National Geographic Special: Skin" (PBS, 8-9pm E/P) This documentary gives new meaning the phrase "skin deep". The topic under investigation is the human hide, or rather what lies just beneath the paper-thin surface we see when we look at one other. Using computer-generated scientists explain how skin functions (such as how it cools us down) and why it comes in different colors (plus why we should leave it that way and avoid skin bleaching.) Featured is Dr. Tiffany Field. Her pioneering research about our skin's sensitivity to touch and how touch therapy has numerous beneficial effects on health and wellbeing.

"The Alien Saga" (American Movie Classics, 8-10pm E/P) This is a documentary about the techniques used in the making of the four "Alien" movies. These science fiction stories also gave the world the first real live-action female action hero. (Sigourney Weaver went on to play several more tough-gal roles and enjoyed referring to herself as "Rambola" -- a sort of female version of the Sylvester Stallone character "Rambo".)

"Unsolved History: The Alamo" (Discovery Channel, 9-10pm, E/P) There's another of those documentaries that starts with the pieces of a puzzle -- in this case archaeological findings and satellite imagery -- and puts together answers to a mystery we all thought had been solved. Ah, yes, but it hadn't been solved. In this case, we retrace the Mexican Army's 2,000 mile forced march from that nation's capitol city up to a northern province where rebels had fortified themselves in a mission complex and declared the area to be independent of Mexico. Did those who died defending the Alamo Mission perish in the manner told to us in Texas legends?

Thursday, November 14

"Trains" (Discovery Channel, 8-9pm E/P) This technology documentary explains cutting-edge railroad equipment around the world. How do the French keep their high-speed trains on the rails at speeds of 350 miles per hour? Why has the U.S. Acela Express between Boston and Washington taken over as the most popular way to travel between those cities? How do newly-planned maglev trains levitate above the track -travelling frictionless? Why did the German I.C.E. high-speed train crash in 1998, killing 101 people?

 

Thursday, November 7
    Garbage

Friday, November 8
    Wild Discovery: Killer Bees
    NOW with Bill Moyers

Saturday, November 9
    Behind Closed Doors With Joan Lunden: Hubble Telescope

Sunday, November 10
    Skate Canada: ISU Grand Prix Series of Figure Skating

Monday, November 11
    Viet Nam Veterans Memorial: Wall of Courage
    Anthony And Cleopatra: Passion For Power
    American Experience: Jimmy Carter

Tuesday, November 12
    Volcano's Deadly Warning

Wednesday, November 13
    National Geographic Special: Skin
    The Alien Saga
    Unsolved History: The Alamo

Thursday, November 14
    Trains

 

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