www.whyville.net May 18, 2008 Weekly Issue



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Greetings, TV viewers!

Here are this week's home viewing suggestions selected from online advanced program listings and aligned with state and national K-12 academic standards available online.


Sunday, May 18
8-9 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: Science

Elementary, Middle and High School

"NATURE Rhinoceros"

:Millions of rhinos once roamed the Earth. There were hundreds of species of all shapes and sizes. But today, the rhinoceros is one of the planet's rarest animals, with three of its species on the brink of extinction. This documentary shows that, while there is still a chance to save them, teams of experts must work hard to protect rhinos from poachers, relocate them to better habitats and breed them in captivity. TV-G

Further details http://www.pbs.org/nature


Monday, May 19
9-11 p.m. E/P

Discovery Channel

Subjects: Science and Geography

Elementary, Middle and High School

"Expedition Guyana"

Guyana is a lost world of giants -- spiders the size of dinner plates, thirty foot anacondas and otters the size of man. From its pristine rainforest to its rolling savannas, it's one of the most unique and biodiverse areas on the planet. And yet, one million acres of this incredible habitat could soon be opened to logging. So, for six weeks, a team of scientists, filmmakers and explorers set out on a mission to document as many rare and new species as possible. Their goal: to make the strongest possible case for conservation. Together, they'll explore a land where there are still animals unknown to science... still places where no human has ever set foot. But can they save this lost world?


Monday, May 19
9-11:30 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: US History

Middle and High School

"AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: FDR 'The Grandest Job in the World/The Juggler'"

"FDR"--Radio broadcasts beamed his voice into living rooms around the country; his picture hung on homes' walls; his wife was the most admired woman in the country. "FDR" goes beyond the familiar words and images to offer an incisive, often startling portrait of one of the most extraordinary personalities ever elected to the presidency. One of the nation's most popular presidents, Franklin Delano Roosevelt served three terms - longer than anyone before or since - and led the country through two great crises of the 20th century: the Great Depression and World War II. The series includes archival film, home movies and audio clips; footage of significant landmarks in FDR's life; an album of family photographs; and interviews with family members, friends and witnesses to history. The first segment, "The Grandest Job in the World," focuses on the first two terms of Roosevelt's presidency and explores the central paradox of his presidency: that a man of privilege came to be a hero to a vast and varied coalition of ordinary Americans and a villain to members of his own social class. The episode moves inside the Oval Office to show FDR's response to the massive problems posed by the Great Depression and out to the heartland to document how his programs and personal style - ebullient, risk-taking and surprisingly cunning - restored hope to Americans who had lost theirs. This section also looks at how FDR engineered the "splendid deception" that hid the extent of his physical disability from the American people and how his relationship with his wife affected both his personal and political life. The last section, "The Juggler," is devoted to the wartime years, using FDR's remarkable correspondence with Winston Churchill to chart the calculated and even devious path by which the American president maneuvered support for England before he led his country through the greatest war in history. This segment also traces FDR's management of the war, including his growing personal ties to Churchill and his relationship with Stalin and the Soviet Union, and explores Eleanor's attempt to convince him to maintain the principles of the New Deal, despite the pressures of war. TV-PG

Full details and at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex


Tuesday, May 20
8-9 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: Science

Elementary, Middle and High School

"NOVA Lord of the Ants"

Every time you take a step outside, a universe of life is teeming beneath your footprints. This tiny world of micromonsters--millipedes and fungi, mites and ants--is almost invisible to human eyes. But, according to Pulitzer Prize-winning entomologist E.O. Wilson, the problem isn't that the creatures are too small to see: It's that we simply don't bother to look. This documentary is a chronicle of Wilson's extraordinary career, from his groundbreaking discoveries about ant culture to his controversial take on the biological basis for human behavior. In six decades exploring treasure-troves of biodiversity across the globe, Wilson has discovered more than 300 new species and emerged as an outspoken environmental advocate, fighting to preserve the astonishing diversity of our planet for the next generation of naturalists. TV-G

Full details and at http://www.pbs.org/nova


Wednesday, May 21
9-11 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: Science and Health

High School

"Depression: Out Of The Shadows"

This is a documentary about clinical depression is followed by a half-hour panel discussion. The program tells the dramatic stories of people of different ages, from diverse backgrounds, who live with various forms of clinical depression - and explores its causes and treatments. The discussion following the broadcast, hosted by Jane Pauley, includes mental health experts to discuss the issues raised in the film.; TV-PG

Full details and at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/takeonestep/depression/index.html


Thursday, May 22
7-8 p.m. E/P

National Geographic Channel

Subjects: Science and Technology

Middle and High School

"Man Made: Supersewer"

Los Angeles has one of the largest, most sophisticated sewer systems in the world, but its pipes are old and the system is in constant danger of breaking down. This documentary follows the path of human waste through the pipes and tunnels to the treatment plant.

Further details at http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/man-made/3212/Overviewhttp://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/man-made/3212/Overview


Thursday, May 22
8-11 p.m. E/P

Discovery Science Channel

Subjects: Science and Technology

Elementary, Middle and High School

"2057: The Body/The City/The World"

This is a broadcast of all three episodes of a documentary miniseries about science, technology during the next 50 years. "The Body" - From flying ambulances and intelligent clothing to custom-built organs and robotic surgery, discover the scientific medical breakthroughs that will extend our lives in 50 years. 2057 "The City" - Cars without drivers? Humanoid robots in every household? Cyber Hacking? Intelligent camera surveillance systems? Learn about today's scientific breakthroughs that will shape our networked cities of tomorrow. "The World" - An invisible soldier? A space elevator to the stars? Transmit the Library of Congress via laser beam in seconds? What are the real fuel sources of the future? Learn about today's scientific breakthroughs that will shape our planet in fifty years.


Friday, May 23
7-8 p.m. E/P

History Channel

Subjects: Science and Technology

Middle and High School

"Modern Marvels: Metal"

They constitute the very essence of the modern world. From soaring skyscrapers and sturdy bridges to jet planes and rockets, metals play a key role. This documentary covers the Bronze Age and takes us into the future when new metal structures--engineered at a molecular level to be stronger, lighter, and cheaper--shape human progress, as they have since man first thrust copper into a fire and forged a tool. Rating: TV-PG


Saturday, May 24
9-11 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: Science and Government

High School

"Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?"

This is a broadcast of the final two two episodes of a documentary miniseries about health, but it's not about doctors or drugs. It's about why some of us get sicker more often and die sooner and what causes us to fall ill in the first place. The series criss-crosses the country investigating the stories and findings that are shaking up conventional notions about what makes us healthy or sick. It turns out there's much more to our well-being than genes, behaviors and medical care. The social, economic, and physical environments in which we are born, live and work profoundly affect our longevity and health - as much as smoking, diet and exercise. The series sheds light on mounting evidence of how lack of access to power and resources can get under the skin and disrupt human biology as surely as germs and viruses. It also reveals a health gradient tied to wealth: those at the top of the class pyramid average longer, healthier lives, while those at the bottom are the most disempowered, get sicker more often and die sooner. Most of us fall somewhere in between. Episode Three, "Bad Sugar" - Place Matters explores the possible link between hopelessness and Type 2 diabetes. Also airing May 24 - at 10 p.m., the final episode "Collateral Damage - Not Just A Paycheck" explores globalization and health; job insecurity, unemployment.

Further details at http://www.pbs.org/unnaturalcauses/about_the_series.htm

 

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