Boomerang! Episodes » politics

Episode 44 Featuring Helen Keller and Politics

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:32:12 +0000

BIG TALK: Don’t you just hate having to BEHAVE when you have company over?… Helen Keller had no sight or hearing; nor could she speak. But she DID have a brilliant and patient teacher named Anne Sullivan. On TURNING POINTS, Kelsey goes back in time to speak to this marvelous duo … Devin the Duff has a beef with stupid scary movies on BOOM Radio… DO THE RIGHT THING: Have you ever had to do something “wrong” to do something “right”?… On SCHMAVE’S ELEVATOR our buddy Schmave is sent to the “cloakroom” by his teacher to think about his behavior. Soon all this thinking gets out of hand… Freddie Finklehammer stars on the WEIRD WORDS game show… When stories about politics come up at the dinner table, most kids’ ears turn off. Jessica and the King of Complicated Stuff offer some general rules to the politics game that makes the whole business a little more understandable… They’ve got reaaaaaaaaaaaaal long necks. But as Rachel discovers on this episode’s NATURAL WONDER, being 18 feet tall does have its advantages.

Episode 33 Featuring Nikola Tesla and Globalization I

admin — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:49:08 +0000

Big Talk: Does your Dad ever help you BEFORE you ask for (and need) it?… Nikola Tesla is not exactly a famous kind of guy. He should be though. On Turning Points Laura goes back in time to discover why… Now you can learn to count to 10 in Italian!!!… Boom Radio: Ring tones, ring tones, get your ring tones… The Schmave runs into a young girl running for President of the United States on SCHMAVE’S ELEVATOR… In her Power-up, Natalie takes over the house… King of the World? Not for much longer. Hayley and the King poke underneath the weird concept of world trade on The Big Idea… News Update: Forget about changing your socks from now on… You know what torque is right? Don’t worry — no one else does either. Widget and Whack help explain the idea in their own unique way.

Episode 32 Featuring Pablo Neruda and Immigration

admin — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:46:01 +0000

Big Talk: Why do parents insist on finishing what they’re doing before they help?… Turning Points: Pablo Neruda was a poet who happened to get involved in international politics. Laura goes back in time to speak with this Chilean wordsmith… On Boom Radio, Clodagh is licking her chops about new software applications…. Dave Schmave tells the story about a doctor who needs a bit of Schmave’s medicine… You never know when you’re going to have to count to ten in French… Immigration laws may decide who becomes our next President. On The Big Idea, Hayley & the King of Complicated Stuff discuss this complex subject and tell the tale of one illegal immigrant… Natalie makes her room REALLY her room on Power-up… Widget and Whack turn to physics to discover what killed Spiderman’s girlfriend.

Episode 28 Featuring Walt Whitman, Steroids and Ethics

admin — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 21:44:15 +0000

Big Talk: Does your Mom sing in the car? … Turning Points: In the early 1800s the world had not yet discovered a truly American poet. Laura goes back in time to interview the first real candidate: Walt Whitman…. On Boom Radio Clodagh makes it clear she does NOT have a crack in her windshield… Tucker Jones is on the trail of a stolen car… Getting glabrous? Freddie Finklehammer tells you what that means on Weird Words… As steroid use is rocking baseball, the King of Complicated Stuff & Hayley discuss the role of ethics in the matter… On News Update, Josh wrestles with the question: What is art — and what isn’t? … Toby & Gramps take to the wilderness of Yellowstone Park, despite bluff grizzly charges, buffalo, wolves and… signs.

Episode 24 Featuring John Kennedy, Harry Potter, Science and Magic

admin — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 21:35:07 +0000

Big Talk: Just how bad is Mom’s memory going to get? Turning Points: A sickly boy who went on to become a war hero and president of the United States, Laura talks to John Kennedy… Boom Radio: Ben Jammin’ doesn’t like the idea of these new cell phones… Someone is framing the snowman — or ARE they? Tucker Jones is on the case… Weird Words: Prepare your belly button; Freddie Finklehammer has a new game show for us. … In The Big Idea, Hayley and the King of Complicated Stuff study the connection between magic, science — and Harry Potter… News Update: The King of Sea Monkeys is DEAD! … They’re powerful, large and silent as a ghost. In this issue’s Natural Wonder, Kayla discovers some unusual aspects of the cougar.

Episode 18 Featuring Ernest Shackleton and The Middle East

admin — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 21:19:59 +0000

Big Talk: Dad won’t let her run the dryer because it’s too expensive… There are adventures — and then there are ADVENTURES. As Kelsey discovers in Turning Points, the Shackleton expedition to the South Pole on the Endurance was definitely one with capital letters…. Ben Jammin is being defamed on Boom Radio… Tucker Jones is hired by a girl with dandelion-colored hair to uncover who is spreading lies about her… Freddie Finklehammer is back from vacation with another game of Weird Words…. The history of Palestine goes back thousands of years. Lately, it has involved lots of bad blood between the Palestinians and the Israelis. Alicia and the King of Complicated stuff take on the incredible task of sorting it all out… News Update: You can’t refer to your boat as “she” anymore … Weasels don’t exactly have a cute and cuddly reputation. Hayley finds out why in the Natural Wonder.

Episode 06 Featuring Dr. Seuss and Tiananmen Square

admin — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:46:21 +0000

Theodor Geisel saw the world differently than most people. And if you are a Cat in the Hat fan, you know we’re lucky he did. On this issue’s Turning Points, Kelsey goes back in time to speak with Dr Suess… A few of your letters about the funny things grown-ups do… Well, living in Disneyland sounded like a good idea at first… With eleven years separating Dave from his big brother, the distance wasn’t only in age. Schmave tells the gut-wrenching story of his relationship with the oldest brother… Weird Words Freddie Finklehammer hosts the ready-for-prime-time game show…It was only going to be a protest march. But when Chinese authorities responded with gunfire, Tiananmen Square became much more than a place – it became a black mark in Chinese history. Jessica and the King of Complicated Stuff dig in on The Big Idea… At one time the plains states were covered with buffalo as far as the eye could see. And then there were less than two dozen. On Natural Wonder, Hayley admires the mighty bison.

Episode 42 Featuring “Izzy” Stone and Living Small

admin — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:10:23 +0000

Widget & Whack: Mass & Weight …
Bubba Kowalski, chanting monks, lazy objects… In their latest physics primer, Widget & Whack somehow relate all of these to the concept of mass.
The Count: Estonian …
How to count to ten in Estonian. because you just never know…
The Big Idea: Living Small …
Hayley & the King of Complicated Stuff suggest old trademarks of the “American Dream” may need some shifting — from quantity to quality.
Turning Points: I.F. “Izzy” Stone …
At the age of 14, Izzy started his own newspaper. The Progress didn’t last, but he stayed in journalism. And in his search for truth over the years, Izzy managed to anger — and inspire — readers on all sides of the political spectrum.
BOOM Radio: Trillion…
Clodagh provides a mind-boggling explanation of just how big a “trillion” really is.
Schmave’s Elevator: A Happy Birthday…
While riding his bike, Schmave comes across an elderly acquaintance on the lam from his retirement home birthday party. Schmave and pals help their “old” friend truly enjoy the day.

Episode 38 Featuring Jacques Cousteau and Nature’s Hydrologists (Water 2)

admin — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 17:26:08 +0000

Big Talk: Mom is peeking at my journal… Jacques Cousteau is best known for his many documentaries of life under the sea. But later in life he became an important environmental activist on the world stage. In our Turning Points interview, Emily goes back in time to speak with this famous explorer… Boom Radio: Clodagh says green is good, but before you blow a lot of money, think about what “green” really means… Schmave’s friend has the perfect antidote for the school bully… Learn to count to ten in Dutch and amaze your friends!… Part 2 of our Big Idea story on water focuses on three mammals we can’t afford to lose… August tackles dinner on this episode’s Power-up… It’s Primary season and the first stump speech for the BOOMERANG! party is given by Jessica.

Episode 39 Featuring Admiral Byrd, Politics and The Olympics

admin — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 17:16:48 +0000

Kelsey climbs into her cold weather gear to visit famed explorer, Admiral Byrd, in the Antarctic … Primary: Elena gives her stump speech as a candidate from the BOOMERANG! party… Boom Radio: Devin the Duff tries to imagine life with secret Service Agents hanging around… When TUCKER stumbles upon participants in a “money club”, he discovers there is no such thing as easy money… Widget and Whack take apart Dad’s camera to see how it works… Hayley considers the political part of the Olympics and interviews a champion archer about her participation in Team Darfur… American Journey: Toby & Gramps discover there are worse things than bears in Yosemite Valley — like a 14 mile hike.