www.whyville.net Nov 16, 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, Nov. 16
9-10 p.m. E/P

National Geographic Channel

Subjects: World History and Science

Middle and High School

"EXPEDITION WEEK: Unlocking The Great Pyramid"

This is the initial episode of a weeklong series of documentaries which offer answers to questions that have challenged us for ages. Programs include Unlocking the Great Pyramid (today), Direct from the Moon, Shipwreck! Captain Kidd, The Real George Washington, Lost Cities of the Amazon, Egypt Unwrapped and a bonus premiere with Herod's Lost Tomb. Throughout each expedition, viewers will witness the work of today's top adventurers, scientists and real-life treasure seekers. Today's program tackles a millenniums-old mystery using nothing but blueprints of the Great Pyramid at Giza and a computer. Centuries ago, when ancient architects completed construction on the Great Pyramid at Giza, they left behind the greatest riddle of the engineering world -- how did builders lift limestone blocks weighing an average of two and a half tons, 480 feet up onto the top of the pyramid? Adventurers and Egyptologists have crawled through almost every passageway and chamber of the Great Pyramid, measuring and collecting data in an attempt to determine how it was built. But nearly every theory has had a flaw. For the first time, a revolutionary theory argues that the answer may be inside the pyramid. Architect Jean-Pierre Houdin has devoted his life to solving this mystery by creating blueprints of the Great Pyramid, using cutting-edge 3-D software. But how could an architect who has never even been to Egypt come up with such an explanation? We join Houdin and renowned Egyptologist Bob Brier as they travel to Giza to put Houdin's theory to the test and, in the process, they discover an intriguing chamber high up in the pyramid, which could confirm the theory, in Unlocking the Great Pyramid.

For details and airdate info on this week-long series log on http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/expedition-week


Sunday, Nov. 16
9-10:30 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: Science

Middle and High School

"MASTERPIECE CONTEMPORARY: Filth"

Walters (Mamma Mia!, Harry Potter) stars as Mary Whitehouse in the true story of a citizen-watchdog criticizing the liberal customs of swinging England in the 1960s. Hugh Bonneville (Five Days, "Miss Austen Regrets") co-stars as the prime object of Mary's wrath: Hugh Greene, head of the BBC and a force for everything contemporary, witty and - in Mary's eyes - filthy. Alun Armstrong ("Bleak House") plays Mary's taciturn husband, Earnest, who toes his wife's virtuous line while secretly longing to cross it. Forty-five years after Whitehead began her campaign, the question of what is and what is not acceptable for broadcast television remains a hot issue. TV-14.

Log on http://www.pbs.org/masterpiece


Monday, Nov. 17
9-11 p.m. E/P

History Channel

Subjects: Science and Math

Middle and High School

"Einstein"

Albert Einstein's revolutionary theory that turned the world upside down might have been dismissed altogether had there not been a math mistake, a cloudy sky, and the start of World War I. This Documentary tells the story of Einstein's little-known, 15-year struggle to prove one of his most radical theories -- a theory that upended Newton and three centuries of scientific thought and called into question the definitions of space and light and gravity -- the game-changing concept known as the Theory of General Relativity. Today, more than a century since the "Miracle Year" in which he published many of his breakthrough papers, Einstein's ideas remain a living, vibrant influence. They continue to push scientists farther, and deeper, into the universe than even he could have imagined.


Tuesday, Nov. 18
8-10 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: Science and World History

Middle and High School

"NOVA: The Bible's Buried Secrets"

This two-hour special NOVA documentary breaks exciting new ground in investigating the origins of the ancient Israelites, the evolution of their belief in one God and the creation of the Bible. For the first time, more than a century of literary detective work and decades of archeological excavation in the Holy Land will challenge viewers with provocative new insights, including that most Israelites worshiped pagan gods and many believed that God had a wife, who was venerated as an idol. TV-PG


Tuesday, Nov. 18
9-10 p.m. E/P

History Channel

Subjects: Science and Math

Middle and High School

"The Universe: Parallel Universe"

It may seem the stuff of science fiction, far fetched, crackpot and kooky, but today some of the world's leading physicists believe they have found startling new evidence showing the existence of universes other than our own. If cosmologists, "String" theory superstars, and trailblazing physicists are right, then parallel universes are not only possible, they are inevitable. One possibility is that the universe is so vast that an exact replica of our Solar System, our planet and ourselves exists many times over. These Doppelganger Universes exist within our own Universe, in what scientist now call "The Multiverse." In another scenario, the same "Inflationary" forces that gave birth to our own universe could create other Parallel Universes. In yet another concept, "Many Worlds" spring as result of every decision or choice we make. In this "Many World's" Cosmos, all universes and all probabilities and outcomes are actualized: The United States is still a British colony, Elvis is President, and George Bush is Baseball Commissioner. In each one of these multiple worlds, each of us succeeds, fails, lives, loves and dies in every exotic and fantastic way each of us has ever imagined. Today, experimenters are looking for evidence of higher dimensions and Parallel Universes. If proof is found, it will change our lives, our minds, our planet, our science and our universe.


Wednesday, Nov. 19
8-9 p.m. E/P

History Channel

Subjects: Science

Elementary, Middle and High School

"Modern Marvels: The Horse"

Fifty million years after the first horses walked the Earth, this documentary celebrates the animal that helped man change the world. The program goes behind-the-scenes of the 16 million dollar per year thoroughbred racing industry in Lexington, Kentucky, where investors bid more than 7 million dollars for a single yearling. State-of-the-art veterinary clinics and breeding farms work together to keep horses healthy by offering everything from arthroscopic surgery to "bachelor-padded" breeding sheds. A Minnesota logging company shows how "real horsepower" is far more efficient than gas-guzzling machinery for hauling fallen trees. A Colorado prison proves that both wild horses and inmates change for the better when paired up as part of a Mustang protection program. Tracing breeds back to their roots in Europe, Asia and America, learn the different ways cultures have utilized horses through the ages. And finally, see why French Canadian connoisseurs think horse tenderloin means fine dining.


Thursday, Nov. 20
6-7 p.m. E/P, 3-4 p.m. PT

National Geographic Channel

Subjects: World History and Science

Middle and High School

"Naked Science: What Killed the Aztecs?"

The mighty Aztec civilization of Mexico was nearly wiped out in the 1500s when almost 8 out of every 10 people across Central Mexico died in a series of devastating epidemics. Most people believe that these were epidemics of diseases new to the New World brought across the Atlantic by the Spanish Conquistadores. This documentary reports on new research, lead by epidemiologists Rodolfo Acuna Soto and John Marr which suggests an entirely different explanation for the epidemics and if their theory is correct the fate of the Aztecs could repeat itself, in the 21st Century


Friday, Nov. 21
6:45-7 p.m. E/P

Sundance Channel

Subjects: World History

Middle and High School

"Little Terrorist"

Filmmaker Ashvin Kumar tells a tale about a Pakistani Muslim boy who accidentally crosses into Hindu India and is mistakenly viewed as a terrorist. A hopeful story about how human solidarity can eradicate artificial boundaries, this film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film and won top honors for short filmmaking at the Montreal World Film Festival. Rated TV-PG


Friday, Nov. 21
10-11 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: World History and Geography

Middle and High School

"IN SEARCH OF MYTHS AND HEROES: Shangri-La"

In this documentary historian Michael Wood goes in search of the world's greatest myths. The program takes viewers on a trek through India, Nepal and Tibet in search of Shangri-La. The tale of the magical valley hidden behind the Himalayas was popularized in the 1930s movie Lost Horizon, but the myth of a secret earthly paradise is much older. To find the truth behind the legend, Wood travels on foot through some of the world's most sacred mountains before finally reaching the fantastic ruins of a lost city, which he believes is the real inspiration behind the myth. TV-PG

Log on http://www.pbs.org/mythsandheroes


Saturday, Nov. 22
6-6:30 p.m. E/P, repeating 6:30-7 p.m. E/P

Planet Green Channel

Subjects: Science

Middle and High School

"Focus Earth With Bob Woodruff"

Veteran ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff hosts Planet Green's Focus Earth featuring green news and events. Each week, Woodruff covers a variety of subjects ranging from climate impact, environmental policy, political debate and world events. The series includes studio-based roundtable discussions, feature stories, and lively debates, making it the one-stop destination for a deeper perspective on the environment. The program draws upon the global resources of ABC News and its reporting team around the world. In this episode Woodruff reports on Global Warming and Climate Change as it affects everyday life in the US and around the world by digging deep into the worlds of politics, the economy, and national security to find the environmental links. TV Rated PG

Log on http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tv/focus-earth

 

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