TV Times - 11 - 17 October

This week's pick is an analysis of mathematical discoveries of recent years and how this has impacted upon ideas of how free market economies operate.

Submitted by Lone Wolf on October 12, 2008

Other picks highlight the grisly practice of "Muti Murders" whereby the vulnerable in South Africa are murdered for their body parts, the shooting of an unarmed peace activist in Gaza and a historical perspective on American attitudes to warmongering.

Monday 13 October - 9 -11pm - Channel 4 - The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall
This fact based drama centres on the events of 2003, when Thomas Hurndall, a young British peace activist and photographer was shot by an Israeli soldier while trying to help a group of Palestinian children in Gaza. When his family tried to find out the truth about his death, they were faced with a wall of silence and obstruction from the authorities.

Pick of the Week :rb:
Tuesday 14 October - 8 - 9pm - Channel 4 - High Anxieties: the Mathematics of Chaos
This documentary explores how mathematical discoveries of the past forty years have completely changed people's understanding of the fundamental nature of the world, particularly the study of economic factors. The programme illustrates how, when late 19th century belief in a knowable, controllable, universe faltered, mathematicians pinned their hopes on the emerging market economy. This pertinent and well-timed film reveals why the global marketplace will never be free from the "butterfly effect".

Friday 17 October - 7.35 - 8pm - Channel 4 - Unreported World -
1/10 - South Africa: Body Parts for Sale

Channel 4's acclaimed documentary series begins with an investigation into the rise of "Muti Murders" in South Africa; this involves the killing of poor people for body parts used in traditional medicine. Reporter Ramita Ravai talks to a "healer" who claims he has tortured and killed many in pursuit of his trade.

Friday 17 October - 9 - 10pm - BBC2 - The American Future: a History by Simon Schama
2/4 - American War
Schama in this programme delves into American attitudes towards war and unearths a tradition of profound debate on the subject that somewhat dents the popular view of a trigger-happy nation all too unwilling to unleash its military might. He visits San Antonio in Texas, where he discovers that the significant military community is deeply divided on the merits or otherwise of current conflicts. Schama's historical thread starts with Thomas Jefferson and travels via Mark Twain to finish with current veterans opposing the Iraq war. His view is that American people are reluctant warmongers who, sadly, have been led astray by belligerent and bellicose leaders such as Theodore Roosevelt and, by implication, George W. Bush.

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