PBS http://www.pbs.org/ has wonderful programs that are conducive to human flourishing. Clicking on "Video" in the menu bar downloads a web site with two subheadings, "Programs" and "Topics" presenting a smorgasbord of short and long programs to sample.

During the colder months people tend to watch more TV and around New Year's seems to be a particularly good time to take in some of the more comprehensive views on the salient topics with the media concerting efforts towards this end in order to wrap up the year and start anew in January.

But, how many  recreation hours should those of us who are curious about the world spare for TV viewing to accommodate new information or trends that affect our way of thinking about the contemporary world?  I guess that depends on how much one already knows and wants to know.

Under "Culture and Society":

Religion and Ethics Newsweekly (We predict the top religion and ethics stories we expect to be covering in the year 2013.) http://video.pbs.org/video/2322633320   25:30

Mr. Cao Goes to Washington (Explore the journey of Rep. Joseph Cao, the first Vietnamese-American elected to Congress.)  http://video.pbs.org/video/2319196960  56:24

After Newtown http://video.pbs.org/video/2320006234  56:28

Under the topic of "News and Public Affairs":

Washington Week A Look Back at 2012  http://video.pbs.org/video/2321939334  24:12

Need to Know- Frequent fliers  http://video.pbs.org/video/2319356038  25:05

Need to Know- Family rewards  http://video.pbs.org/video/2316501060  25:07

Need to Know- Employment's new look  http://video.pbs.org/video/2307705623

Under the topic of "Science and Nature":

New Photos of Einstein's Brain http://video.pbs.org/video/2304521197  3:49

"Nova science Now" is a program currently featuring 27 full episodes covering very interesting topics as the following:

What Are Animals Thinking? 53:37 Air Date 11/07/12 Can I Eat That? 53:37 Air Date 10/31/12

How Smart Can We Get? 53:37 Air Date 10/24/12

Can Science Stop Crime? 53:10 Air Date 10/17/12

What Makes Us Human? 51:29 Air Date 02/16/11

How Smart Are Animals? 53:06 Air Date 02/09/11

How Does the Brain Work? 53:06 Air Date 02/02/11

Animal Odd Couples http://video.pbs.org/video/2300668052   53:11

From NOVA, my favorite program was Finding Life Beyond Earth http://video.pbs.org/video/2157407032 1:42:17

American Experience has many good programs such as the one about when Harriet Beecher Stowe visited a slave state in 1833.   http://video.pbs.org/video/2292080218  02:26

Just skimming the headings of featured videos hint at the diversity of point of views presented by Global Voices showcasing documentaries by various filmmakers. http://video.pbs.org/program/global-voices/

All of the above add up to around twelve hours of TV watching on the computer screen.  Maybe it's a small price to pay for educating oneself while being entertained.