Not Your Average Critic

New Developments, New Begginings and Observations on Nature II

Explanation as to why there's been a long break in episodes, ruminations on a new beginning and observations on nature in the Northeast USA

Avengers Dumb You Down and Tarantino Sucks! (#30)

Gallipoli (1981) Movie and War and Why Hollywood Is Stagnant (#29)

Upcoming Episode Topic for Episode #29

Reading The Near East by William Yale, Chapter XI

CHAPTER XI

THE YOUNG TURK REVOLUTION OF 1908

The Revolution Movement

-Diverse aims of the revolutionists

-Revolutionists in exile create an organization

-Planning the uprising

-European intrigues precipitate the revolution

Revolution And Counterrevolution

-Temporary fraternization of Moslems, Jews and Christians

-Revolution foreshadows the future

-The counter revolution of 1909

-The C.U.P regains control

Foreign Complications And Reactions

-Austria annexes Bosnia and Herzegovina

-Serbs prepare for war, Bulgars and Cretans declare their independence

-Egyptian and Arab Nationalists

Reading The Near East by William Yale , Chapter X

CHAPTER X

ABDUL HAMID AND ZIONISM

The Ottomans and The Jews

The Historical Background

-The Reform movement and Antimessianism

-Distribution of European Jews

-Early colonies in Palestine an the birth of modern Zionism

-Excluded from Palestine, Jews flock to U.S.A

-Class structure among the Jews

Emergence Of Political Zionism

-Theodor Herzl becomes a Zionist

-"Der Judenstaat"

-Negotiation with Abdul Hamid

-The World Zionist Congress and the W.Z.O

Palestine, A Focus Of World Interest

 

 

Reading The Near East by William Yale , Chapter IX

CHAPTER IX

TROUBLE IN CRETE AND THE BALKANS

The Cretan Question

-Historical background

-Interest of European Powers in Cretan affairs

-Cretans react to the Greek revolution

-Uncertainty about the future

-Insurrections

-Intervention by the Great Powers

The Turbulent Balkans

-Balkan unrest and rival European imperialisms

-Greek, Serbian and Bulgarian irredentisms

-Abdul Hamid's dilemma

The Macedonian Problem

-The historical heritage

-Macedonia a battleground of rival Balkan nationalism

-Macedonian reforms

 

 

Political Romanticism Of Righteous Heroes (#28)

Reading Cannery Row by John Steinbeck (Part 5)

Reading from page 134 to page 159 ( Chapter 21-22-23)

Reading Cannery Row by John Steinbeck (Part 4)

Reading from page 100 to page 134 (Chapter 16-17-18-19-20)

Reading The Near East by William Yale, Chapter VIII

CHAPTER VIII

Abdul Hamid and the Armenians

The Armenians

-Quarreling sectarians and their European sponsors

-Strategic nature of eastern Anatolia

-Armenians and the Kurds

-The Armenians became Christians, the Kurds Muslims

Turks and Armenians

-Security under the early Ottoman sultan

-Changing conditions in the nineteenth century

-Revolutionary ferment among the Armenians

Armenians and The Great Powers

-Revolutionary ideas from Europe

Abdul Hamid's Armenian Policy

-Massacres and other atrocities

-Failure of the Powers to intervene

-Kaiser Wilhelm courts Sultan Abdul Hamid

-Russia otherwise occupied

-France and Britain hesitate to intervene

Reading The Near East by William Yale, Chapter VII

CHAPTER VII

Abdul Hamid - The Last Ottoman Autocrat, 1876-1909

.Social Changes - Nature and Rate

Abdul Hamid

-Abdul Hamid's birth and upbringing

-Abdul Hamid's personality

-Domestic and foreign problems confronting the sultan

-Policies of Abdul Hamid

Modernization Under Abdul Hamid

-Railroad building

Failure of Abdul Hamid's Policies

-Reactionary and repressive policies

-Diplomatic maneuvers

-The Egyptian crisis

-British occupation of Egypt

-Menacing international complications

 

Reading Cannery Row by John Steinbeck (Part 3)

Reading from page 76 to page 100 (Chapter 13-14-15)

Reading Cannery Row by John Steinbeck (Part 2)

Reading from page 39 to page 76 (Chapter 7-8-9-10-11-12)

Reading The Near East by William Yale- Chapter VI

CHAPTER VI

European Intervention and Penetration, 1860-81

.Imperialism and Nationalism in the Balkans

-Increasing tension in Bosnia and Hercegovina

-Bulgarian uprisings

-The European Powers and the Balkan crisis

-The critical situation in the Ottoman Empire

-Russia decides on war

-The Congress of Berlin, 1878

-Abdul Hamid's reaction to the Treaty of Berlin

.Europe's Financial And Economic Penetration

-Foreign loans

-Council of Administration of the Ottoman Public Debt

 

Political Correctness (A short addition to episode #27)

The Ten Commandments (1956) Movie and The Near East (#27)

Reading The Near East by William Yale, Chapter V

CHAPTER V (reading the rest of the chapter)

-Mohammed Ali and the Great Powers

Trouble in the Levant - Syria and Lebanon

-The people of the Levant

-Violence in Lebanon

-French and British rivalry in the Levant

The Crimean War

-Underlying causes

-Nicholas' proposals to Britain

-Anglo-French accord

-Crimean War- Opposing views

-Treaty of Paris 1856

-Some diverse results of the Crimean War

-Renewed violence in Lebanon

The Latest Covid Situation and Why Having College Degree Doesn't Make You a Nice Person (#26)

Reading The Near East by William Yale- Chapter IV and Chapter V

CHAPTER IV

THE ANATOMY OF POWER POLITICS

Imperialism

-The Habsburgs and the Ottoman

-The Russians and the Turks

-French interests in the Near East

-France's Rivals

-Britain's Imperial Stake in the Ottoman Empire

-British Economic Interests

CHAPTER V

FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND DOMESTIC CRISES

The Wahhabis and Ibn Saud

Mohammed Ali

-Destruction of Mamelukes

-Mohammed Ali's rise to power

-The Greek Revolt

-Intervention of the Great Powers

 

 

Reading The Near East by William Yale- Chapter III

CHAPTER III

THE TURKISH AWAKENING, 1820-1910

The Early Reform Movement

-Reform from the Top

-The Reforming Sultans

-The Tanzimat, 1826-76

-Impact of French Revolution

-Nature of the Reforms and Revolutionary Movements

THE INTELLECTUAL AWAKENING

-Penetration of European Culture

-The Leaders of Turkish Awakening

 

Reading Cannery Row by John Steinbeck (Part 1)

Reading from page 1 to page 39 ( Chapter 1-2-3-4-5-6 )

Reading The Near East by William Yale - Chapter I and Chapter II

CHAPTER I

HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS

.East is East and West is West?

.Ancient Industries and Trade Routes

.Security and the Struggle for Power

.The Advent of Islam and the Arabs

.Crusaders, Turks and Tatars

CHAPTER II

THE OTTOMAN TURKS

.Conquests and Expansion

.Turkish Culture

.Ottoman Institutions

-The Moslem Institution 

-The Millet System

-The Jannisaries

-The Ruling Institution

-The Imperial Harem

-The Capitulations

-The Feudal Land System

Decline of Ottoman Power

-The Economic and Social Factors

-Widespread corruption

-Intellectual Stagnation

-Attempted Reforms

 

 

 

The Magnificent Seven (1960), Why Humans Believe, Artworld and Postmodernism (#25, Part 2)

New York Real Estate and Landlords, How Underdeveloped Countries are Used For Middle Class Moral Ejaculation (#25, Part 1)

How We Pick Films and Master Fellini, Westworld (1973), The Brothers Karamazov (1960) and Dostoevsky (#24)

-How we pick films to watch and discuss

-Master film maker Fellini

-Kings of the Sun (1973) film and why it was badly done

-Mel Gibson's Apolcolypto (2006) film

-Westworld (1973) film and what it showed about science fiction

-Extensive analysis of The Brothers Karamazov (1960) film and the novel. How Dostoevsky's own life was reflected in his characters. Why Dostoevsky and Tolstoy were both worried about the advancement of modern liberal society

- Cat adoptions. Adoption volunteers deserves respect and appreciation for the time and effort they put on in helping the adoptable animals. 

Hostel Western Chauvinism (#23)

A few more topics for the upcoming episode

Update for the Update for the Upcoming Episode

Update for the Upcoming Episode Topics for Episode 23

Upcoming Episode Topics for Episode 23- One extra info!

Futureworld (1976) is available in Pluto Tv , which is www.pluto.tv . I finally found it in the pile of movies!

Here is the link: https://pluto.tv/on-demand/movies/futureworld-1976-1-1

Upcoming Episode Topics for Episode 23

The movies mentioned:

Kings Of The Sun (1963)

Adios, Sabata! (1970)

Futureworld (1976)

Kings of The Sun and Adios, Sabata are available in www.tubi.com

One other movie re-mentioned is The Lion of the Desert (1980) film, which is also available in www.tubi.com. Also, we have a dedicated episode analyzing The Lion of the Desert in this link: https://notyouraveragecritic.podbean.com/e/lion-of-the-desert-1980-film-islam-and-the-concept-of-islamophobia-and-western-interventions/

Reading Escape From Freedom by Erich Fromm- Chapter 7

Taras Bulba (1962) Movie (#22)

Reading Escape From Freedom by Erich Fromm- Chapter 6

The Concept of Race, Sado-Masochism and Its Societal Impact (#21)

- Analyzing the impact of sado-masochistic tendencies of people that impact the society and ultimately give way to sadistic dictators under the light of Erich Fromm's explanations in Escape From Freedom 

- The mentality of middle class 

- Albert Camus and Jean Paul Sartre 

- Fascism, the concept of race and how/why it is used 

- How sado-masochism helps encourage identity politics of today

- How social media makes people more isolated and lonely while pretending to connect people 

- African American celebrity worship culture vs white liberal celebrity culture

- Bill Cosby sexual assault case and what it exposed 

- Gran Torino (2008) movie and its soundtrack

- Taras Bulba (1962) movie, Yul Brynner and Nikolai Gogol

Reading Neither Victims Nor Executioners by Albert Camus

Talking about Jean Paul Sartre and Albert Camus in their relevance to the concepts and analysis in Escape From Freedom by Erich Fromm. 

The works mentioned in the recording: The Words by Jean Paul Sartre,  The Notebook by Albert Camus, Neither Victims Nor Executioners by Albert Camus, Happiness by Albert Camus.

Also Open Culture website is mentioned. 

Reading Escape From Freedom by Erich Fromm - Chapter 5, Part 2

Reading Escape From Freedom by Erich Fromm- Chapter 5, Part 1

Modern Freedom and Its Discontents (#20)