This podcast began by describing Tehran in the early 20th century and Reza Khan’s plans to modernize the city and country. The introduction is meant to capture your attention and it was successful. About three minutes in the narrator introduces herself. The podcast is going to tell the story of modern Iran.
Oriana Coburn does a good job of narrating the podcast. The episode focuses on a tobacco protest in 1891. The introduction doesn’t relate to podcast episode, so it must be an indicator of where book one is going to conclude. If not it didn’t need to be included in the podcast episode and should have been saved for an episode that actually discussed 1924 Iran.
I enjoyed listening to the podcast and it serves as a good source to gain an introductory level of Iranian history.
Below is one of my favorite quotes from the podcast:
“The tobacco protests were narrow in scope and didn’t result in any massive changes or a political reconstruction but the movement itself became a symbol, a sign of hope that through action and devotion anything was possible. By finding a common cause that everyone could relate to the issue of tobacco became a stepping stone to prepare Iranians for the bigger fights to come.”
Overall I enjoyed listening and will add this podcast to my library. This is a very new podcast as the first episode was only published on March 20th.
Thomas Aquinas is credited as one of the greatest proponents of natural law. During his time in Cologne he was taught by Albertus Magnus. Magnus used the teachings of Aristotle in his mentorship of Thomas Aquinas.
Samuel Adams believed in American Independence from Great Britain. He is one of the most well know Son's of Liberty. On August 1, 1776 he gave a speech to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia.
Hefei, China Thursday 6:00AM
The rising sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon. The darkness of night was about to give way to the light of day. The sleeping city would soon be bustling with activity completely unaware of what had occurred while it slept.
Zhao Kai stood outside a small warehouse looking building. For all of the modernization that had been occurring in China this building had been skipped. At least on the outside. It appeared old and nearly abandoned but the inside told a different story. Before Kai entered the building he glanced at the rising sun. This was his favorite moment of the day. The blinding light of the sun was a weapon that he used literally.
On numerous occasions he would take a prisoner to a spot where there was an unobstructed view of the rising sun. Then he would bind them in such a way that they had to stare directly into the sun. If he did his job right they would not be able to close their eyes and would return to their prison cells blinded for life. If he didn’t just kill them. That punishment would not be on the table today but perhaps tomorrow. He liked ...
