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Greetings, TV viewers!
Some broadcast and cable programs
contain material included in the public school curriculum and on standardized
exams. Here are home-viewing suggestions for April 3-10, 2005.
The topic for this week's Media Hour is Supersize Me, the award-winning movie documenting one man's experiment with McDonald's food. He ate McDonald's for every meal for one month, and what did he get? Watch the movie to find out.
It airs Friday night on Showtime, or you can pick up the movie at your local movie rental place. At the Media Hour, we'll talk about healthy eating and not eating healthy -- and if it's okay to not eat so healthy ALL the time. What does television tell you? What do movies and the news say?
What decisions do you make about food, and WHY?
If you've got the smarts to answer a few trivia-type questions, make sure you watch the shows and read the websites! I really want to give out clams to folks who saw the show and who help others in the room learn!!!
Remember to come to Saturday's Media Hour prepared. It's all about an open discussion, with everybody pitching in on a good topic -- remember to talk amongst yourselves while I'm down there! Explore what everyone thinks and remind us to think about what was in the shows and on the websites. The more you help others discuss things (and the more you know about the shows), the better your chances of getting on stage, or even earning clams.
What's the Media Hour? Watch the show(s)-of-the-week, jot down some ideas, then
come and talk about them with me and other citizens (including other City Workers,
if they're available). We get together at the Greek Theater (next to
City Hall), every Saturday morning at 9 a.m., Whyville Time. You'll find that
discussions are easier in the Theater, since everyone's chat bubbles overlap
a little less than in other rooms, and City Workers are able to direct people's
movement and behavior, when we need to.
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Monday, April 4
9-10 p.m. ET, 6-7 p.m. PT
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National Geographic Channel
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Ancient History
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Middle and High School
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"Stonehenge"
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Animation, computer-generated
imaging and special effects explore who -- or what -- built Stonehenge,
the famous prehistoric monument in England.
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Tuesday, April 5
9-10:30 p.m. E/P
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AMC Channel
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World and American History
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High School
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"Imaginary Experience: Hollywood
and the Holocaust"
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Based on the research of scholars,
this documentary looks at the relationship of American culture to the
Holocaust, and the evolution of that relationship as seen through movies.
The story begins well before WWII and is intertwined with Hollywood money,
Hollywood moguls and, the movies themselves. This broader view of the
place of the Holocaust in our society that allowed the distance to explore
a little-known chapter in pre-WWII American history, and to consider the
issues of filmmaker responsibility that are central to any discussion
of the Holocaust on film .
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| Log on
to http://www.amctv.com/article?CID=2058-1--0-5-EST |
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Tuesday, April 5
9-10 p.m. E/P
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PBS
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World History and Social Studies
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High School
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"Frontline: Israel's Next
War???
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As a new Palestinian leader
signs a truce with the Israelis, there is hope that after four years of
fighting, Middle East peace talks might resume. Israeli Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon is planning to remove Jewish settlers and return the disputed
Gaza Strip to Palestinian control. But Israel is bracing for a reaction
from the settlers in both Gaza and the West Bank. Israeli security forces
are warning that extremists among the settlers could, with one major act
of violence, raise the prospect of civil war in Israel or trigger a conflict
with the wider Muslim world. As the possibility of peace once again seems
real, this program takes a close look at the small group of Israelis who
are vowing to derail it.
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Wednesday, April 6
8:30-9 p.m. E/P (check local listings)
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PBS
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Science and Health
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Middle and High School
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"Scientific American Report:
Cybersenses"
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In the main report in this
science newsmagazine, host Alan Alda looks at synthetic senses for humans,
which are now becoming a reality. Children as young as 12 months are already
getting artificial hearing, while the first trials of electronic retinas
for the blind are just beginning.
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Thursday, April 7
8-9 p.m. E/P
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CNBC
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Science and Health |
Middle and High School
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"CNBC Town Hall: The Real
Estate Boom"
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It's never too early for a student
to begin understanding the role of real estate in their lives. This CNBC
Primetime Special takes an in-depth look at the mania in real estate markets
across America. Reminiscent of the dot-com era, today's gold rush is real
estate. "Day-traders" are getting rich off of a fast-paced "buy
low / sell high" market. CNBC has shaped this phenomenon into a national
conversation with a live audience, expert analysis, researched reports,
opposing viewpoints and real life stories to answer the main question,
"Is it too late to get in -- or am I at risk if I don't get out soon?"
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Thursday, April 7
8-9 p.m. E/P
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Discovery Channel
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Social Studies |
High School
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"Does Europe Hate the U.S.?"
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With the European Union seeming
to be changing the global balance of power for the 21st Century, the confrontation
between the U.S. and Europe has big implications for the future. In this
documentary, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman explores
Europe's feeling about America.
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Friday, April 8
6:15-8 p.m. E/P
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Showtime Channel
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Health and Social Studies
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Middle and High School
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"Supersize Me"
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Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock
caused a sensation with this documentary that follows him as uses his
own body as a testing ground for a month-long diet of McDonald's-only
eating. The film explores the roots of America's obesity problem and fast-food
obsession while Spurlock gains 30 pounds and suffers high cholesterol,
toxic shock to his liver, chest pains and skyrocketing blood pressure.
Movie-rated PG-13. Available on video.
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| There's
a description of his new book, "The World Is Flat, A brief History
of the 21st Century" at http://www.thomaslfriedman.com/. |
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Saturday, April 9
8-11 p.m. E/P
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Discovery Channel
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Natural Science
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Elementary, Middle and High School
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"Blue Planet???
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This is a re-broadcast of
all three episodes of the excellent "Blue Planet" series about
the oceans. The first, "Seas of Life: Tidal Seas", shows how
tides govern marine life. Tidal marshes are one of the most productive
parts of the world. Numerous plants support numerous animals, yet life
is not easy: predators are attracted to these enormous quantities of food,
forcing animals to seek protection. The second, "Seas of Life: Frozen
Seas", shows that life on the edge of a frozen sea is tough, but
in the spring life begins again. Plankton blooms and feeds vast hordes
of migrating fish. The birds, whales, seals and polar bears gorge themselves
before the ice pushes them from the land. The final program. "Seas
of Life: Deep Explore" shows an underwater world of mountain ranges,
perpetual night, pressure extremes and cold and the weirdest life forms
on the planet.
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Sunday, April 10
6-11 p.m. E/P
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Discovery Channel
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Geology and Geography
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Middle and High School
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"Volacnoes/Earthquake/Supervolcano"
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Three programs about seismology
are being broadcast back-to back this evening. First hour is "America's
Volcanoes: Sitting on a Powder Keg", examining the May 18, 1980,
explosion of Mount St. Helen's, the most active volcano in the continental
United States. The program asks whether recent activity means another
explosion is in the near future. The second hour is "Megaquake",
reporting on earthquake preparations which are a normal part of life for
West Coast residents. But scientists believe a quake far stronger than
ever before may be on the way. The "megathrust" quake could
unleash volcano eruptions, landslides and tsunamis. Finally there's a
new docudrama, "Supervolcano". It's based on recent geological
calculations about conditions at America's most famous National Park,
where steam and hot water already bubble from thousands of colorful, mineral-encrusted
springs and vents. These geothermal phenomena make Yellowstone a time-bomb
that could erupt and spew hot ash over all of the western U.S. The program
is rated TV-PG.
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Info: http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/supervolcano/under/under.html
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The majority of the text in these descriptions come from the television
stations and production groups that produced the shows; the MediaWiz and Numedeon,
Inc. claim no copyright over the text itself.
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