Anger: still in style
I almost didn’t write Part II of “Why this war is so hated.” The reason is that Part I, yesterday, was actually an attempt on my part to imagine some of the best and most reasonable arguments that could be … Continue reading →
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Why this war is so hated
The war in Iraq is especially hated. Of course, all wars are hated by most thoughtful people, since they involve bloodshed and suffering. And havoc. It’s not for nothing that Shakespeare wrote in Julius Caesar: “Cry havoc, and let loose … Continue reading →
That lone Jewish Iranian representative: the history of religious minorities in Iran
My original post about the (now pretty much debunked) report of an Islamic dress code law for minorities quoted that report as stating that the clothing designations were to apply to Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians in Iran. That got me … Continue reading →
Update: the dress code rumor
Via Dr. Zin of Regime Change Iran, here’s an update on the Iranian dress code story, from the Canadian newspaper that originally published it. The gist of the most recent information seems to be this: Sam Kermanian, of the U.S.-based … Continue reading →
Revolutionaries and regret: Eleni
In my post on the unfortunate tendency of revolutions to devour their own, Elmondohummus made the following comment: Such movements, such revolutions, tend not to be the wonderfully exciting, meaningful, free places that participants imagine, but coldhearted, calculating monoliths of … Continue reading →
New dress code may go into effect in Iran
Iran may be about to revive an old custom. A law passed by the Iranian parliament needs only the approval of “Supreme Guide” Ali Khamenehi to become practice. It actually was passed two years ago, but languished until recently “revived … Continue reading →
Revolutions devouring their own
In the Atlantic article I discussed yesterday, a name on the first page caught my eye: Sadegh Ghotbzadeh, the Iranian foreign minister at the time of the hostage crisis. Suddenly, although I hadn’t thought of him in decades, the memory … Continue reading →
Not a rumor: McCartneys separate
It was no rumor, after all (or rather, no mere rumor). The McCartneys have split. The speculation so far seems to revolve around the money angle: “McCartney Divorce Could Be Biggest in UK History.” And, once again, the photo of … Continue reading →
A debacle, indeed: revisiting the Iran embassy hostage rescue attempt
This piece from the Atlantic Monthly Online, “The Desert One Debacle,” about the Carter administration’s attempt to rescue the embassy hostages in Iran in 1980, is a sobering read. I vaguely remember the incident–just one in a long line of … Continue reading →
“Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m sixty-four?” Jury still out on that one
It’s an ugly rumor, I know, and I shouldn’t repeat ugly rumors. But just this once, I will: Paul McCartney and his wife Heather might be splitsville (the photo accompanying that link, by the way, is proof that after a … Continue reading →
Apres le deluge
Well, we’ve had a week–or is it two?–of almost unending rain. But today, sun! Here’s that same view outside the window of my study. You can see the changes; two weeks ago: vs. today: The birch tree is almost fully … Continue reading →
Floods in New England: weather, climate, and change
It’s a commonplace quip in New England that if you don’t like the weather, just wait five minutes. In other words, our weather is very changeable. Very. Another quip is that there are two seasons in New England, winter and … Continue reading →