Tag Archives: Persia-Iran

Iran & Israel: A Lovers to Enemies Story

Posted on March 23, 2026 by smellincoffee

Trita Parsi’s Treacherous Alliance is a history of relations between the United States, Israel, and Iran from 1947 on. It principally argues that Iran and Israel’s relationship has become poisoned not because of Iranian ideology — specifically, that of the … Continue reading →

Posted in General, history, World Affairs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Time to Abolish Nuclear Weapons

Posted on August 24, 2024 by smellincoffee

Nearly eighty years ago, a single B-29 bomber flew over the Japanese city of Hiroshima and dropped a single bomb, baptizing humanity into a dark new era once the blinding white glow had ended. In the fifties and sixties, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, World Affairs | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

In Search of Zarathustra

Posted on January 6, 2024 by smellincoffee

Today is the Feast of the Epiphany, in which Christians celebrate the arrival of the Magi to Bethlehem. It is fitting, then, on this day about wise men of the east following stars, to take a look at at a … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Religion and Philosophy, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

February 2022 in Review

Posted on March 1, 2022 by smellincoffee

I read a lot of books in February. Few of them applied to my challenges, though. The good news is that I continue to make progress on my great and worthy opponent, Mount TBR. Climbing Mount Doom (Base goal: read … Continue reading →

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Sohrab Ahmari and the Unbroken Thread

Posted on September 30, 2021 by smellincoffee

Sohrab Ahmari fled Iran for the West, rejoicing in its freedoms alongside his wife, a Chinese national who had also found relief from the relentless tyranny of her own country. As they formed a family and looked to the future, … Continue reading →

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Revolutionary Ride

Posted on September 16, 2021 by smellincoffee

Revolutionary Ride: On the Road to find the Real Iran© 2017 Lois Pryce304 pages It was a note from a stranger that took her to Iran, a request from a Habib of Shiraz that she one day visit his home … Continue reading →

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Traitors of Rome

Posted on August 30, 2021 by smellincoffee

Traitors of Rome© 2019 Simon Scarrow351 pages Young Tribune Cato and his grizzled enlisted mentor Macro have come a long way together, from the dismal bogs of Britannia to the even more dismal desert wastes of the eastern border. Across … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

COVID Reviews #4: Persians, Nukes, and Bugs

Posted on October 5, 2020 by smellincoffee

On Wednesday I will have my COVID retest, annnnd I hope to have an answer by Thursday or Friday if I am fit for public consumption. I hope so: being in quarantine is a bit like being in a nursing … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

COVID Reviews #3: Romans, Dogs, and Saudis

Posted on October 2, 2020 by smellincoffee

I don’t know if anyone misses my usual chatty, sometimes florid reviews, but they’re impossible to do on a phone. More mini-reviews it is! Continuing my onslaught of the TBR pile, I finished Lives of Famous Romans, by Olivia Coolridge. … Continue reading →

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Related Videos: Losing an Enemy

Posted on July 12, 2020 by smellincoffee

A few months ago I read Losing an Enemy, written by Trita Parsi on the Joint Plan of Action, also known as “The Iran Deal”.     I just discovered a ten-minute clip from Parsi in a TED talk reviewing the history … Continue reading →

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