Boomerang! Episodes » travel

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 31 Featuring Henry Ford and Moral Courage

admin — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:37:28 +0000

Big Talk: What’s Dad got against measuring cups?… Turning Points: Laura goes back to the early 1900s to speak with the simple, yet complex man who launched the American 20th century: Henry Ford… On Boom Radio, Cloe is betting it all ($4.32) on an internet offer… What is art? That’s just one task for BOOMERANG! detective, Tucker Jones…You never know when you’re going to have to count to ten in Spanish… Moral courage seems to be in short supply out there. So what is it anyway? Hayley & the King of Complicated Stuff talk about it on The Big Idea … Natalie Powers-up to change a tire… Toby & Gramps visit the “red rock” country in the Southwest.

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 25 Featuring Henry Thoreau and Road to Mars I

admin — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 21:37:46 +0000

Big Talk: How come Dad always falls asleep 15 minutes into the movie?… Turning Points: Writer, philosopher, naturalist, poet, farmer, bean farmer, surveyor– that’s not even half the goods on this month’s historical interview subject: Henry David Thoreau… Boom Radio’s Ben Jammin’ is a little suspicious about these “learn while you sleep” deals… On Schmave’s Elevator, Dave discovers people don’t come in cardboard cut-outs… THE Big Idea: Hayley & the King of Complicated Stuff weigh the new rush of interest in human exploration of Mars… Power-up: Natalie discovers you get what you give… News Update: Professional athletes are being all they can be — and THEN some… American Journey: Toby gets to play in the mud in a piece of earth that time forgot — Maryland’s Finzel Swamp.

Episode 21 Featuring Ansel Adams, Shock and Awe

admin — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 21:26:41 +0000

Big Talk: Do you TELL your dad his pants look funny?… Ansel Adams was a famous photographer known for capturing stuff in the natural world. On Turning Points, Kelsey goes back in time to Yosemite to speak with his… On Boom Radio Ben Jammin sees some real possibilities with digital implants… When three local boys come down with high fevers and ghoulish green splotches, Tucker Jones gets a call from the doctor… Schmave weighs in on Michael Jordan’s letter to basketball… Alicia and the King of Complicated Stuff wrestled with the war in Iraq and, in this episode’s Big Idea, finally came up with the story they thought needs telling about America… News Update: The “boat” you see floating down the coast may actually be a bag of water… On their American Journey, Toby & Gramps discover sweet tea, soup, beans and posies in a small Tennessee town.

Episode 11 Featuring Vincent Van Gogh, Use and Abuse of Power

admin — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 21:00:18 +0000

On Turning Points, Kelsey goes back in time to interview one of history’s most colorful painters: Vincent Van Gogh… Big Talk: Does your Mom come right away when you call?… Sometimes it’s helpful, sometimes it isn’t. Widget and Whack explain how friction plays a role in our lives… Tucker Jones tries to figure out who is filching Christmas presents… Are you a curmudgeon? Before saying yes, you better check out this episode’s Weird Words game show… Why do people with power so often use it so carelessly? Jessica and the King of Complicated Stuff take a look… Don’t throw away that fruitcake. In her News Update, Claire has a better idea… No cars, lots of horses, and plenty of fudge. That’s what Toby and Gramps discover on their American Journey to Michigan’s Mackinaw Island.

Episode 10 Featuring Marco Polo and The Great Depression

admin — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:58:29 +0000

Kelsey takes the time machine back to the 13th century to meet a guy who had really been around – Marco Polo… Big Talk: Why are grown-ups so doggone slow?… Devin the Duff figures there’s not much difference between good luck and the bad variety… Dave Schmave helps out a friend with family problems… Weird Words: How about sockdolager for example… When Great-Grandpa tells you about the good ol’ days, he might be telling you about The Great Depression. But these days weren’t good or great! On The Big Idea, Jessica and the King of Complicated Stuff report on why America got so “depressed” in the 1930s… Census: Were the good ol’ days really so good?… News Update: Good news for all you misodoctakleidists… Rachel figures hippos must do some pretty serious eating to gain 500 pounds in the first six months!

Episode 02 Featuring Sophie Scholl and Robotics

admin — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:23:28 +0000

Kelsey goes back in time to meet Sophie Scholl, a young German who worked against Hitler during World War II… Big Talk: Do grown-ups leave YOU behind?… Widget and Whack look into the world of levers (all 3 classes even!)… Tucker Jones is hired to tail a girl suspected of ditching piano lessons… Devin the Duff has an interesting variation on dog-life years in Boom Radio… Science fiction writers have been telling us about robots for decades. On the Big Idea, our King of Complicated Stuff discover they’re really OUT there – just not in the form we expect… News Update: Claire reports on a health club for dogs!… A rural cabin in Maine gives Toby and Gramps a chance to ponder black & white problems in a grey world on American Journey.

Episode 01 Featuring Rachel Carson and The Stock Market

admin — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:19:33 +0000

Before “Earth Day” and green energy, there was a persistent researcher who warned about the perils of pesticides. Kelsey takes the time machine back to speak to Silent Spring author, Rachel Carson… Big Talk: Does your Dad sit with his feet underneath the table?… Ben Jammin has a few thoughts about the stretchiness of time on Boom Radio… Tucker Jones is hired to track down a missing prized tomato. (Hey, sometimes the detective business is slow, OK?)… Widget and Whack tackle the mechanics of bicycle gears… If you think the stock market sounds like a lot of hocus pocus, well, you’re kind of right. Jessica and the King of Complicated Stuff try to make some cents out of it (sense too)… Census: How far should parents be responsible for their kids’ actions?… News Update: So how much lipstick does a woman eat in her lifetime?… American Journey: Toby and Gramps file a report from Mark Twain’s hometown on the Mississippi River.

Episode 34 Featuring Robert Frost and Globalization 2

admin — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 22:44:56 +0000

Big Talk: Here’s one way to get rich… Turning Points: Kelsey goes back in time to speak with that classic American poet, Robert Frost… On Boom Radio, Cloe is planning her very own Memorial Day parade… A client’s piano lesson seems to go ON and ON, and it’s up to Tucker Jones to see if that’s just par for the course — or something nefarious… You never know when you’re going to have to count to ten in Chinese… Hayley & the King of Complicated Stuff bit off a big one when they took on “globalization.” Here’s part 2… Natalie discovers a scolded dog does well with a little TLC… Toby & Gramps learn there is more to do than surf in Santa Cruz, California