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These listings cover television programs up to Sunday, June 20.
Greetings, TV viewers!
The discussion topic in the Greek Theatre Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Whyville
Time will be "Why do we have cars?" I don't think there are simple answers to
that question and I encourage you to check out some of the programs and websites
below for some surprising answers -- especially the website listed with the
"Kings Of The Road" show.
For the Media Hour, watch the show(s)-of-the-week, jot down some ideas, then talk about them with me and other citizens (including other City Workers, if they're available) at the Greek Theater, over in City Hall. You'll find that the Theater makes discussions pretty easy, since City Workers are able to direct people's movement and behavior, when we need to, and it keeps everyone's chat bubbles from overlapping too much. We meet for MediaHour on Wednesdays from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Whyville Time (that's the same as Eastern Standard Time).
Monday, June 14
"Modern Marvels: Pickup Trucks" (History Channel, 7-8 p.m. E/P) Here's a
documentary that might look like an endorsement of SUV's. But I like to show as
often as I can that our present technology didn't happen overnight. It came out
of struggle. For almost a century, pick-up trucks have been part of the American
automotive culture. Once a lowly farm vehicle, the pickup has moved from the
back roads to main streets. The program traces the evolution of the truck from
1918 to the 21st century, and includes visits to truck shows, design studios,
and body shops to look at wooden wheeled models of early models and 'bad-boy'
concept trucks of tomorrow.
Tuesday, June 15
"Scientific American Frontiers: Hot Times In Alaska" (PBS, 9-10 p.m. E/P)
Have you seen "The Day After Tomorrow" yet in the theatres? Anyway, here's some
background about global warming: Alaska is warming up. It is now a few degrees
warmer than it was a century and a half ago, and the trend seems to be
accelerating. The landscape is changing dramatically -- permafrost is thawing,
glaciers are melting, and forests are succumbing to drought and insect attack.
In this documentary you will meet Alaskan scientists who are working to find out
if these are the first signs of global warming and what the future may hold.
http://www.pbs.org/saf/1404/index.html
Wednesday, June 16
"60 Minutes" (CBS, 8-9 p.m. E/P) This newsmagazine program,
which used to be
called "60 Minutes II", has now dropped the Roman numeral II from its title.
The main report in this edition is about a young woman who travels to Vietnam
to find the truth about the father she never knew. Another report is about
skateboarding superstar Tony Hawk. (He has a website! It's
http://tonyhawk.com/.)
"The Forgetting: A Portrait Of Alzheimer's" (PBS, 8-9:30 p.m. E/P) The
disease that claimed the life of President Ronald Reagan is the subject of this
documentary. Using the recent best-selling book by David Shenk as a basis, it
may be the first television program to tackle the entire spectrum of the
Alzheimer's epidemic: the firsthand tragedy, the rising numbers, humankind's age-old
fascination with dementia and the worldwide effort to find a cure. Three victims
and their families bring viewers up close to the intense, real-world experience
of Alzheimer's disease. Linda Hunt narrates. A half-hour program, hosted by
David Hyde Pierce, follows the documentary and leads viewers to local and
national experts and resources. Further details at
http://www.pbs.org/theforgetting/.
Thursday, June 17
"Frontline: The Plea" (PBS, 9-10:30 p.m. E/P) Junior high and high
school classes sometimes go on field trips to courtrooms as part of required
government courses. This documentary could be useful in explaining how 95
percent of criminal cases are settled before they ever reach a jury. They are
settled by 'plea bargains'. What are those?? To overworked and understaffed
defense lawyers, prosecutors and jurists, plea bargains are the safety valve
that keeps cases moving through our backlogged courts. Critics, however, contend
that the push to resolve cases through plea bargains jeopardizes the
constitutional rights of defendants, who may be pressured to admit their guilt
whether they're guilty or not. The film explores the moral, judicial and
constitutional implications of relying on plea bargains to expedite justice.
More info at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/plea/.
Friday, June 18
"A Tale Of Two Cities" (TCM Channel, 8-10:30 ET, 5-7:30 p.m. PT, also
available on video) Charles Dickens' classic novel of scheming and intrigue
during the French Revolution has been filmed several times. This black and white
version is the closest to the book and used in class often to encourage students
to read some of Dickens' work. Once you're into this particular novel you will
understand why Dickens in his day was as popular as J.K. Rowling is today. There
is a website with further information at
www.dickens.stanford.edu -- click
on "A Tale Of Two Cities".
Saturday, June 19
"Kings Of the Road" (Travel Channel, at 8-9 p.m. E/P) For those who dream
of driving fast and furious in a chrome beauty, take a wild journey through the
world of customized cars. Get in on the monster truck action in the Midwest and
crash cars for fun and prizes at the world's largest demolition derby. For cool,
calm information about the financial impact these things can have on your
family, log on to www.edmunds.com and click
on "True Ownership Costs".
Sunday, June 20
"China's Lost Girls" (MSNBC Channel, 8-9 p.m. E/P, repeats Saturday, June 26,
2004, at 8 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. PT) In this National Geographic Ultimate
Explorer documentary, host Lisa Ling travels to China to join American families
as they greet their new Chinese daughters. Ling also examines the complex issues
surrounding the country??s one-child policy. Traditional preference leans toward
boys, so girls are often hidden, aborted or abandoned. Tens of thousands of
girls end up in orphanages across China. Today, more than one quarter of all
babies adopted from abroad by American families come from China and nearly all
are girls. Experts predict that in several decades, China will have as many as
40 million young men of marrying age with no women to marry. Another emerging
social problem is that many children, especially boys, have been pampered since
birth and are becoming spoiled. Known as "little emperors," many of these
coddled children are battling expanding waistlines. More info at
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ultimateexplorer/.
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