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What really happened behind the scenes of the historic 2008 presidential election?
The Bigger Hammer tracks the message wars of the Obama-McCain race with
the leading strategists and spinners, uncovering how politics, thirty second TV
ads, and history shaped the race for the White House.
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The discovery of oil in the Middle East sparked worldwide interest for its acquisition and control. Over the past 100 years, struggles for power and wealth have kept the Middle East at the center of world conflict.
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Part 1 chronicles the discovery of oil in Persia in 1908; the tumultuous claims placed on Middle East territories and conclude with the British being sent home from Iran in the 1950s. This episode explores the sphere of interest, power politics, oil's role in both World Wars, American influence, the Saudi empire, the exile of Britain, and the Shaw's rise to power and the start of turmoil between the nations of the Middle East.
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Part 2 profiles the history of Middle East oil beginning in the early 1970's. It chronicles the oil embargo and the resulting rise in import prices as foreign leaders attempt to negotiate. Tensions in the Middle East begin to heighten as conflicting groups become more violent with each other and foreign powers. Assassinations, hostage situations and torture are tearing the region apart. American female soldiers fighting in the Gulf War sparks interests in women's rights in Saudi Arabia. Fundamentalist groups react to this and become even more oppressive and aggressive.
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Part 3 profiles the after effects of the second gulf war. Iraq, which once played a major role in the Middle East oil trade, is struggling to gain stability. Exemplifying this is the city of Kirkuk, one of the two largest oil regions in the country, where oil brought destruction and discrimination against the Kurds. In Iran, controversy surrounds the Sunni and Shiite's and the struggle for everyday life. This episode also shows the disparity between north and south Tehran and the south's disappointment with failed promises by president Ahmadinijhad. In stark contrast lies Kuwait and Saudi Arabia where modernization is far beyond that of Iran and Iraq.
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This visually stunning three part series explores the connection of the religion of Islam with its art and architecture, revealing how artistic giants such as Sinian were led by Islamic movement to craft a glorious aesthetic heritage. Their faith is reflected in the related but distinct achievements throughout the centuries: the Umayyads of Damascus, in the 9th and 10th, the 12th century Shi'ite Fatimids and 14th century Sunni Mamlukes of Cairo, and the Ottomans of Istanbul in the 15th and 16th centuries. The combinations of unsurpassed beauty and compelling storytelling makes this subject readily accessible to a broad audience.
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HAMAS VICTORY investigates the appeal of an officially terrorist organization both in the isolated, more traditionally Islamic oriented Gaza Strip, and in the secularized West Bank. The earlier Palestinian popular support of Yassir Arafat's "Fatah" movement has declined as its corruption and scandals punctuated the failure to achieve peace and prosperity, much less totally expel the Israelis - portrayed as alien and brutal occupiers.
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Part 1 - Columbus, Vespucci, Magellan - The earliest maps didn't represent the actual land content of the world. Maps were updated as more of New World was explored. The maps of the Middle Ages, were mostly based on conjecture rather than actual discovery. With the expansion of the spice trade between Asian and Portugal and Spain, the maps began to change once again.
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The earlier explores provided mapmakers with an understanding of the major continents. Part two of this series highlights the voyages of British Explorer James Cook and French explorer Jean Francois de la Perouse. James Cook, an exceptional navigator and cartographer, circumnavigated New Zealand, explored the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, and crossed the Polar Circle being the first to understand the icy nature of Antarctica.
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This two-part series gives viewers insight into how maps were drawn and revised based on the voyages of the great explorers. Interviews with historians and cartographers are interspersed with reenactments and the voyages and discoveries.
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The Ottomans continued the theme of borrowing from, or adapting the work of their Byzantine predecessors. The two dominating buildings of historic Istanbul are the Blue Mosque and Haghia Sophia. The latter is a converted Christian cathedral, still containing the images of Jesus and Mary alongside the motifs of the early caliphs. The man mainly responsible for the conversion was the pre-eminent architect of Islam, Sinan. He was lucky enough to win the patronage of Suleiman the Magnificent, one of the richest and the most powerful of Ottoman rulers.
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A lively perspective on James II and his subjects, the ambitions of William of Orange, his fear of Louis XIV, and the residual upper-middle class English apprehensions concerning a restoration of Catholicism.
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Covers the European theater with references to the pre-war Nazi annexations of Austria and Czechoslovakia, and the rapid German conquest of Poland. Reasons for the Allied collapse are cited. The Japanese war in China and triumph over the British in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore.
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Travel Thru History is an in-depth look at the attractions and the history behind famous cities and towns around the United States. Presented in the style of other popular, educational programming like Modern Marvels - Travel Thru History is designed for a teenage audience, and focuses on learning.
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Cairo displays the glories of two of the great Islamic regimes - the Shi'ite Fatimids who swept in from the North African desert, and the Mamluks, slave soldiers who overthrew their masters to set up their own Sunni dynasty. Both have left behind impressive evidence of their strength. The program introduces a colorful cast of characters. The rebel governor Ibn Tulun spent all his tax takings on building one of the earliest and finest mosques, named after him, instead of passing the money on to his masters in Baghdad; the caliph Hakim won widespread Shi'ite admiration despite his cruel and despotic rule.
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Looks at the achievements of the first Islamic dynasty, the Umayyads, who established their capital at Damascus. Their regime spread throughout greater Syria, and they left a rich architectural heritage. This includes two of the great surviving Islamic buildings, the Great Mosque of Damascus and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. The program emphasises how the early Islamic builders and architects used ideas and materials inherited from their Byzantine predecessors.
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The World consists of 26 programs and covers the history of the world from the dawn of mankind to ancient Greece and Rome, the expansion of Europe, Asia, and Africa, the development of the United States through the Great Depression and the Cold War, to the present. Concise, accurate and complete, The World is an excellent resource for all students.
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