www.whyville.net May 25, 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 25
8-10 p.m. E/P

History Channel

Subjects: World History and Arts

Middle and High School

"Indiana Jones and the Ultimate Quest"

Throughout history there have been legendary artifacts that have captured the imagination of adventurers everywhere. While belief in their existence seems to fly in the face of reason and science, there have been those who have devoted their lives to their discovery. One man has looked for some of these remarkable treasures. He is Indiana Jones -- professor of archeology and an adventurer who has uncovered some of the world's greatest mysteries. But Dr. Jones is just a fictitious character and it's widely assumed that the artifacts he searched for were also figments of a writer's imagination. But were they? This documentary researches the facts. TV-PG


Monday, May 25
9-11 p.m. E/P

HBO

Subjects: US History and Government

High School

"Recount"

This movie stars Kevin Spacey, Bob Balaban, Ed Begley, Jr., Laura Dern, John Hurt, Denis Leary, Bruce McGill, and Tom Wilkinson, It brings viewers behind the scenes at the controversial Florida recount in 2002. It is the human drama surrounding the most controversial presidential election in U.S. history. Mixing news footage and verbatim dialogue into fictionalized re-creations, Recount examines the torturous process that culminated in the Supreme Court decision in Bush vs. Gore. The Republicans, led by charismatic Texan James Baker, seize the initiative as the case is tried in the judicial system and the court of public opinion. The Democrats play catch-up until Ron Klain, Gore's former chief of staff, takes over and starts matching Baker's political hardball with tough moves of his own. Mutual respect forms between the two. Rated TV-MA (mature audiences, adult language, mild violence) Program repeats May 26 at 9 p.m. E/P

Log on http://www.hbo.com/films/recount


Monday, May 26
8-10 p.m. E/P

History Channel

Subjects: World History and Science

Elementary, Middle and High School

"Journey to 10,000 BC"

This documentary tells the story of life on earth in prehistoric times, transporting viewers back in time to one of the first environmental crises faced by humankind. It unfolds a geologic and climatic mystery that scientists are only now beginning to solve.10,000 BC was a time of fantastic change on earth, when early humans were just beginning to inhabit North America and huge climate fluctuations swing the world back into a mini-Ice Age. Megafauna ? the saber tooth cat, the giant ground sloth, the camel, and the woolly mammoth were suddenly becoming extinct. The program explores the factors leading to these sudden changes. In order to re-trace the events of 10,000 years ago, scientists conduct a forensic investigation of major mammoth and early human archaeological sites in North America. Along this journey, they uncover fossilized bones, ancient homes, and weapons of stone. Using state-of-the-art computer animation, this program re-creates one of the great mammoth hunts of the time and illustrates the ways mighty glaciers grew and receded.


Monday, May 26
8:30-11:30 p.m. ET, 5:30-8:30 p.m. PT

BookTV on C-SPAN2 Channel

Subjects: Literature and Arts

Middle and High School

"Alice Walker: In Depth"

Alice Walker appears for this in-depth interview from her home in Berkeley, California. Ms. Walker is the author of over twenty-five books, including "The Third Life of Grange Copeland," "Living by the Word," "Warrior," "In Search of our Mother's Gardens," "Anything We Love Can Be Saved," "We are the One's We Have Been Waiting For" and "The Color Purple" that won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and the National Book Award in 1983.

Log on http://aalbc.com/authors/alice.htm


Tuesday, May 27
9-10 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: US History and Government

High School

"Frontline/World: Crimes At The Border"

In this joint project with The New York Times correspondent Lowell Bergman investigates the business of human smuggling across the busy ports of entry between Mexico and the United States. In Tijuana, masses of people attempt to cross illegally every day with the help of increasingly organized and expensive smugglers. Bergman explores the region to find that this illicit but lucrative business is expanding, and U.S. border agents are subject to an increased risk of corruption. He follows the dramatic story of one such corrupt U.S. border guard, the risky business he became involved in and what the U.S. government is doing about the problem.

Log on http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/mexico704


Tuesday, May 27
10-11 p.m. E/P

National Geographic Channel

Subjects: Science

Elementary, Middle and High School

"Naked Science: Comets"

Comets are distant and mysterious travelers from the outer reaches of our solar system. Hurtling around us at more than 20,000 mph, they are almost impossible to detect. Scientists are racing to unlock their secrets because they may hold the key to understanding the birth of our solar system. Now, through earth-based observations and space probes, this documentary goes beyond the legends to reveal what comets are, what secrets they hold and what impact they may have on our future.


Wednesday, May 28
9-11 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: Arts and Geography

High School

"Great Performances: Maestro - Portrait of Valery Gergiev"

This is a documentary profile of Valery Gergiev artistic and general director of the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg and principal conductor of the London Symphony. It includes footage of rehearsals and concert performances in London, New York and other venues.

Log on http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/


Thursday, May 29
9-10 p.m. E/P

National Geographic Channel

Subjects: Science

Elementary, Middle and High School

"Engineering Solutions: Super Telescope"

Mauna Kea, the tallest mountain in the world, is an ideal location for astronomy and one of the world's most powerful telescopes, the Keck Observatory. Offering the largest light collection mirrors on the planet, the Keck Observatory is able to see farther than any land-based telescope. Although this powerful device is the leader in the future of astronomy, its designers looked to the past for engineering inspiration. How could a sand-blaster, a Cold War spy gadget and the invention of the refrigerator have led to the creation of this massive instrument? Find out as NGC and host Richard Hammond reveal the engineering triumphs embedded in this Super Telescope.


Friday, May 30
9-9:30 p.m. E/P

Showtime

Subjects: US History and Arts

High School

"This American Life: Underdogs"

This episode in Showtime's popular documentary points out that there's a whole world of boxing way down the food chain from championship fights, where the stakes are high even without media hype and massive cash prizes. Two boxers in Tennessee who've known each other all their lives face off in a match that neither can afford to lose. In another part of this documentary; a group of kids in New York learns to fight bullies the old-fashioned way: by being funny. TV-14, V (for sports violence)

Log on http://www.sho.com/site/thisamericanlife/about.do


Saturday, May 31
10-11 p.m. E/P

National Geographic Channel

Subjects: Science

Middle and High School

"Science Of Steroids"

It is one of the most controversial issues of our day, jeopardizing the health and smearing the reputations of Olympians, professional sports players and even high school athletes. The government has declared them illegal without a prescription, athletes call them unfair, and some doctors say they are potentially deadly. What are the real dangers of these drugs? We've seen what's happening outside the body. This documentary explains what's happening inside the body.

 

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