In “The Past,” director Asghar Farhadi’s follow-up to his Oscar-winning masterpiece “A Separation,” an Iranian man travels to Paris in order to finalize his divorce to his ex-wife. Ahmad (Ali Mosaffa) has made the trip at Marie’s (Bรฉrรฉnice Bejo, “The Artist”) request, and Ahmad finds once he’s arrived that Marie has moved her new boyfriend, […]
Iran
Posted inNews & Opinion
US should use caution when aiding rebel groups
The United States has a long history of aiding coups against unfriendly regimes, only to watch the the rebel groups it aided become unfriendly. And the new regimes often have gone on to commit human rights abuses of their own. In some cases, the goal was to stop the spread of Communism. That was an […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
NEWS BLOG: Should we let Iran develop nuclear weapons?
More reading material to prepare for the presidential campaign: “Why Iran Should Get the Bomb” in the current issue of Foreign Affairs (payment required, unfortunately, although you can get a free summary). Kenneth Waltz, a senior research scholar at the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies and a Columbia adjunct professor of political science, […]
Posted inMovies
Our Rochester
“There are two cities of Rochester today. Both with very different looks, very different realities, and very different opportunities for the people that live there. One city is prospering and vibrant, the other poor and struggling. “One city sparkles with quality housing, strong neighborhoods, jobs, and access to a rich cultural life. The other city […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
King of the world
Are you paying attention? Now it’s Iran that is harboring terrorists. And building nuclear weapons. And developing biological and chemical weapons. And, says the Bush administration, Iran is stirring up trouble in Iraq. The drumbeat is quickening: Iran needs a regime change. Last week the Wall Street Journal reported that “hard-liners” in the […]
