Category Archives: International issues

“Our Man in Tehran” – A Really Interesting Series from The New York Times

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

The New York Times is running a really interesting series on its website called Our Man in Tehran (the link will take you to episode one). Thomas Erdbrink, the paper’s bureau chief in Tehran has made seven brief videos meant to capture … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, Islam | 1 Comment

Reading Journal: Verses of Forgiveness, by Myriam Aantaki — 2

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

I continue to be fascinated with this book—part 1 of this reading journal is here—and with the effort Ahmed (the narrator) makes, even while he is planning a suicide attack against Israel, to imagine his Jewish father’s life. The author, Myriam Antaki, … Continue reading →

Posted in Palestine & Israel | 6 Comments

Reading Journal: Verses of Forgiveness, by Myriam Antaki – 1

Posted on February 22, 2015 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

I started a new novel not too long ago, Verses of Forgiveness, by Myriam Antaki and translated from the French by Marjolin de Jager. Antaki is a Syrian novelist who writes in French. Verses of Forgiveness, which is narrated in a lyrical, dream-like … Continue reading →

Posted in Jews and Judaism, Palestine & Israel | 6 Comments

Sexism Hurts Men

Posted on January 17, 2015 by Ampersand

Kind of an extreme case: “If you see anyone from about sixteen to sixty-five and they’re male, shoot ‘em. Kill every male you see.” –Chris Kyle, “the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history,” in his autobiography, describing the effective … Continue reading →

Posted in Iraq, Sexism hurts men | 5 Comments

Being called racist or sexist does not “destroy” people, and, Joseph Levine’s defense of calling someone an awful human being

Posted on December 29, 2014 by Ampersand

On drawing breaks lately, I’ve been leaving comments on Ozy’s blog, which I feel a bit guilty about since I’ve been neglecting my own blog. (Leaving comments on someone else’s blog is, somehow, easier and quicker for me than writing … Continue reading →

Posted in Civility & norms of discourse, Palestine & Israel | 161 Comments

What Do You Do When Your Student Tells You Her Father Threatened Her Life? 2

Posted on September 19, 2014 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

In my last post, I told you about a former student who came to my office distraught because her father had threatened her life. It’s now more than two weeks since I walked her over to the counseling center on … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism, sexism, etc, Iran, Rape, intimate violence, & related issues | 76 Comments

What do you do when your student tells you her father threatened her life?

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

Well, if you’re a K–12 teacher and you believe the student is at all credible (or maybe her credibility doesn’t matter), you have very specific reporting requirements, and there are protocols for that reporting that you have to follow, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, Rape, intimate violence, & related issues, Writing | 1 Comment

Workplace Politics: Is the Risk Worth the Danger?

Posted on September 2, 2014 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

In “Story 16” in “Padeshahan,” or “Kings,” the first chapter of Sa’di’s Golestan—the stories are simply numbered; they are not given titles—the protagonist is having a hard time earning enough money to support his family. He has become so poor, … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, Writing | 11 Comments

This is (Potentially) a VERY Big Deal: Hamas drops call for destruction of Israel from manifesto

Posted on August 10, 2014 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

ETA: When I first read the Guardian article, I carelessly did not look at the date, which is January 12, 2006, and so this is not so much a big deal now. Nonetheless, it is significant that Hamas has taken … Continue reading →

Posted in International issues, Palestine & Israel | 4 Comments

I’ve Lived Until The End of My Desires

Posted on August 8, 2014 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

I’ve heard more than a few jokes about men who, after finding the proverbial genie in a bottle, manage to screw up their three wishes. The one that comes to me now involves a man who walks into a bar … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, Writing | 11 Comments