Highlights This Week on PBS Hawaii

It happened during the holidays, when distractions abound. Now, the reality is setting in for a lot of people. What a blow for Hawaii to lose two hospitals on Oahu, with the closure of Hawaii Medical Center facilities. The shutdowns also affect Neighbor Islanders, whose cases sometimes require treatment on Oahu. How are the remaining hospitals handling the increased patient loads and emergencies? What's the outlook? INSIGHTS ON PBS HAWAII (Thurs., Feb. 16, 2012, 8:00 pm; encores Sat., Feb. 18, 2012,  1:00 pm) looks at The State of Hospitals: Emergency or Evolution? Host Dan Boylan's scheduled guests are: Josh Green, MD, Senate Health Committee Chair and ER physician; James Ireland, MD, Emergency Services Department Director, City & County of Honolulu; Virginia Pressler, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategic Officer, Hawaii Pacific Health; and Arthur Ushijima, President and CEO, The Queen's Health Systems.

We want to hear from you! Your questions and comments are welcome via phone, email, Twitter or live blogging. You may also email your questions ahead of time to insights@pbshawaii.org

A number of viewers who watched Pono Shim on the most recent episode of LONG STORY SHORT have told us they're eagerly awaiting the upcoming week's program, Part 2 of that conversation. That's because Pono will share the wisdom of the late cultural expert Pilahi Paki in interpreting the deeper meanings of aloha. Join us for LONG STORY SHORT Pono Shim: ALOHA Moments (Tues., Feb. 14, 2012, 7:30 pm)! The CEO of Enterprise Honolulu and son of visionaries Alvin and Marion Heen Shim, Pono explains aloha and other values from his kupuna that guide him today.

This program is available in high-definition and will be rebroadcast on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012, at 11:00 pm and Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012, at 4:00 pm.

Student journalists from Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School on Kauai update their story on nene geese in this encore edition of HIKI NŌ (Thurs., Feb. 16, 2012, 7:30 pm). Students from Hana K-12 School host this episode featuring: Kea'au High and West Hawaii Explorations Academy (Hawaii Island); Lokelani Intermediate (Maui); Kalani High, Kapolei High, Saint Francis and Waialua High and Intermediate (Oahu).

This HIKI NŌ newscast encores Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012,  at 12:30 pm and Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012,  at 3:00 pm. You may also view this newscast and past episodes on our website, www.pbshawaii.org/hikino

Here are more highlights of the upcoming week on PBS Hawaii:

The Spanish flu strikes in Downton Abbey, Season 2, Part 6 of 7. With just one more episode left this season on MASTERPIECE CLASSIC (Sun., Feb. 12, 2012, 8:00 pm), we see how illness affects household relationships and fortunes. Mary, Sybil and Robert each confront a moment of truth, while Bates and Anna (pictured) experience a moment of happiness.

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW (Mon., Feb. 13, 2012, 8:00 pm) makes a stop at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, PA, Part 1 of 3 to check out some of the Pittsburgh native's early illustrations. On the Roadshow floor, highlights include letters between Cole Porter and actor Monty Woolley, a circa 1920 silk Kashan rug, and a 17th-century rhinoceros horn cup (pictured), bought for a dollar that is worth up to $450,000!

Slavery By Another Name (Mon., Feb. 13, 2012, 9:00 pm) explores the labor practices and laws of the post-Emancipation era that, in effect, created a 20th century form of slavery in the South.

Not In Our Town: Class Actions (Mon., Feb. 13, 2012, 10:30 pm) studies the preventive actions of three communities in Mississippi, Indiana and California to protect their citizens from hate crimes and bullying.

A special two-hour edition of FRONTLINE (Tues., Feb. 14, 2012, 9:00 pm) looks at former gang leaders now protecting their communities from senseless violence. The Interrupters follows the inner workings of CeaseFire, an innovative program in Chicago designed to prevent shootings.

Everest climber Pete Athans takes Dr. Mark Aldenderfer on a search for the Cave People of the Himalaya (Wed., Feb. 15, 2012,  10:00 pm) to discover clues about a lost civilization, including evidence of a previously unknown 1,500-year-old death ritual.


INDEPENDENT LENS More Than a Month (Thurs., Feb. 16, 2012, 10:00 pm) tells the story of Shukree Hassan Tilghman (pictured), a 29-year-old African American filmmaker who is on a cross-country campaign to end Black History Month.

Musical nightlife is featured in MICHAEL FEINSTEIN'S AMERICAN SONGBOOK Saloon Singers (Fri. Feb. 17,  2012, 9:00 pm). On a private tour, Feinstein visits the Liberace Museum in Las Vegas, playing one of its rhinestone-encrusted pianos. Feinstein also explores nightclub entertainment, from the Cotton Club in Harlem to the Vegas of Sinatra's Rat Pack. He also speaks with poet and author Maya Angelou, once a San Francisco calypso club performer.

We're pleased to welcome back host Ming Tsai for a ninth season of SIMPLY MING (Sat., Feb. 18,2012,  5:30 pm), with each episode featuring a new guest chef and cooking technique. In Jacques Pepin and Paner, each chef uses the breading technique: Chef Ming makes panko-crusted butterfish with mango and wasabi-avocado cream, while world-renown chef Jacques creates paner au beurre turkey with mushroom ratatouille.

BURT WOLF: TRAVELS & TRADITIONS (Sat., Feb. 18, 2012, 7:00 pm) takes us along The Great Rivers of Europe: Nuremberg to Linz. Burt visits the Imperial Castle, an open farmers' market and a cookie shop. In Regensburg, Burt sees ruins of an ancient Roman fort and sails on the Danube to a brewery at Weltenburg Abbey run by Benedictine monks.

Correspondent T.R. Reid files a special report on U.S. Health Care: The Good News (Sat., Feb. 18, 2012, 8:00 pm) from a small community in Colorado and from other places in the U.S. where doctors and hospitals are providing affordable health care to nearly everyone in town.

Original Minds (Sat., Feb. 18, 2012, 9:00 pm) tells the story of five teenagers stigmatized by being in Special Ed. who struggle to articulate how their brains work and discover that they are smarter than they thought.

AUSTIN CITY LIMITS (Sat., Feb. 18, 2012, 11:00 pm) presents modern rock band Wilco (pictured) performing songs from its latest LP The Whole Love.

Encore pick of the week:

Before disposable containers, people stored their leftovers in "bowls that burped." In this offbeat documentary, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE (Tues., Feb. 14. 2012,, 8:00 pm) takes a look at Tupperware, the plastics product of the 50s driven to success by a marketing strategy that turned housewives into entrepreneurs.

For more program listings by genre, click here.