Results tagged “iran”

This is part of Chicagoist's continuing coverage of the 45th Chicago International Film Festival.

        

The international news of the last week has been filled with images and descriptions of the post-election turmoil within Iran. As tens of thousands of people in Tehran and around the nation filled the streets to protest what they believe is a stolen election, the American president has been remarkably mum on the whole affair. "The last thing that I want to do is to have the United States be a foil for those forces inside Iran who would love nothing better than to make this an argument about the United States," Obama said in an interview recorded Friday. "We shouldn't be playing into that."

President Obama is about to start a press conference in the White House Rose Garden, his first from that location. Expected topics of interest will include Iran and health care. You can follow it here starting at 11:30 a.m.

• The University of Chicago has set up a site that allows people in Iran to fax their stories in to share on the web in the wake of the Iranian government's attempt to crack down on Twitter users. [via the Windy Citizen]
• Our pal Steve Rhodes wonders: if Lisa Madigan wants to run for governor, why does Obama want her to run for the Senate?
• An interesting read on the reform initiatives of Gov. Quinn.

              

"I've spent all my life in America," said Saman, 29. "But I feel connected to everything back there. And it's clear from what we're hearing that something is wrong with the elections [in Iran.]" Saman, who gave only his first name, said his mother was singing the Iranian national anthem along with the protesters via cell phone for most of Tuesday afternoon as a fraction of Chicago's Iranian community rallied in protest of the allegedly falsified elections. "She knows all the words, [to the song, Sorud-e Melli-ye Iran]" he said. "They left Iran before the [1979] Revolution." Saman said he had to read the Persian lyrics, supplied by organizers, to keep up with her.

Some good news for the Iranian-Americans hoping to protest in Chicago today. The City finally approved their permit and the rally will be held downtown in Federal Plaza at 4:30 p.m. this afternoon, according to CBS 2. Similar protests are happening in other cities today as well. We'll have pictures tomorrow, but be sure to follow along on Twitter using the "#iranelections" tag and our pals at @windycitizen for constant updates. [via Windy Citizen]

Yesterday, we mentioned a group Iranian-Americans who planned to protest the recent controversial election (which is being understated about it) with a rally downtown. But this morning comes a report from CBS 2 that the group had a parade permit denied by the city. No reason was given for the denial. The New York Times has a good running update on the situation in Iran.

We've spent the past few days marveling at the protests happening in Iran following the recent controversial presidential election. Now comes word that a local group of Iranians are planning to protest the controversy. From CLTV: "The Iran House of Greater Chicago says it doesn't necessarily care about the outcome, but just wants to make sure everyone's vote was properly accounted for Friday." No word on specifically what they have planned nor where the protest will happen. Click here for some amazing pictures of the protests. [via Windy Citizen]

American journalist - and Medill graduate - Roxana Saberi has been freed from an Iranian prison after an appeals court overturned her eight-year sentence for allegedly spying on Iran for the U.S. Saberi, a 32-year-old American-Iranian national, graduated from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism in 1999 and has been in Iran for six years, covering stories for outlets such as NPR and the BBC. Saberi's father, Reza, who lives in Fargo, North Dakota where Roxana grew up, is in Iran to bring her back home, telling the Associated Press, "In the next few days, we will make travel plans to return home."

The city council backed away from a resolution opposing a US invasion of Iran yesterday at the behest of Mayor Daley. The resolution, sponsored by 49th Ward Alderman Joe Moore, encouraged diplomacy in place of military action. "Sen. Obama has been pursuing diplomacy with Iran. Nobody from his campaign has called me expressing his concern," Moore said. Five years ago Chicago passed a resolution, 48-1, opposing the war in Iraq.

Long-time Republican Congressman Henry Hyde died early this morning at Rush University Medical Center. He was 83. Hyde served 32 years in the House before retiring at the end of last session, and he was recently awarded a Medal of Freedom. He's best known for his role as the chairman of the judiciary committee during the Clinton impeachment proceedings and for the Hyde Amendment, which bans Medicaid from funding abortions except in cases of rape,...

In probably his most bizarre comment to date, Rudy Giuliani paid Barack Obama a big compliment yesterday. In a speech to the Republican Jewish Coalition, Giuliani cited Obama's statement that he would engage leaders of renegade nations, including meeting with leaders of Iran, Cuba and North Korea, without precondition. "Then he went on to explain that Ronald Reagan negotiated with the communists," Giuliani told the audience. "I say this most respectfully: You're not Ronald Reagan,...

Once in a great while, Chicagoist has one of those moments of social and moral awareness that we like to call “maturity,” when we take a quick glance outside of ourselves and think about how our lives could be different under less auspicious circumstances. Not to get too existential on your asses this fine Friday morning, but there’s a big world out there, and sometimes it’s not a bad idea to take a peek. Luckily you can do it from the comfort of a neighborhood bar, thanks to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs’ GOAt (Globally Occupied Attention) series.

As if fighting terrorism wasn’t tough enough, it looks like America’s war on trans fat has reached its breaking point. But not to worry, Chicago aldermen have devised some strategies for success that will enable us to win this war — and they don’t even involve talks with Iran. In the wake of New York City’s blanket ban on the use of cooking oils with trans fats in all restaurants, Chicago may very well be heading in the same direction. Ald. Ed Burke posed a watered-down ban on trans fats earlier this year that would apply only to restaurant chains with $20 million in annual gross sales. NYC’s comprehensive ban has brought the issue back to the forefront as the Chicago City Council’s licensing committee is currently reviewing Burke’s ban.

"flowing steel I" via D. James

In the wake of an election which media outlets say demonstrated “clear popular opposition to the war in Iraq,” DePaul University is holding a forum tonight that will expound upon our governments' plans in the Middle East, particularly with regards to Iran. Two Iranian Studies scholars, Hamid Dabashi, and Golbarg Bashi, will present their views along with anti-war activists. Subjects include global geopolitics, the neocon agenda, Islam, human rights, and feminism, to name a few....

Take some time today to get out of the house after the Bears game today. We were riding on the train this week and overheard a gentleman describing his love for the Bears. "I'm so obsessed with the Bears -- it is, like, all I can think about. Even when I'm at work, I'm always e-mailing my friends and asking them, 'What do you think about the Bears, who is your favorite Bear?'" We, too, have Bears fever; to keep your mind off the Bears after the game, here a few things going on around town. Feel free to add events in the comments section.

Chicagoist loves itself some comics, whether they feature the heroics of the Big Blue Boy Scout or the tales of a little girl growing up in Iran. We’re still kicking ourselves over how long it’s taking us to get through the stack of goodies that Short Pants Press sent us a while back. * So it follows that we also love comic creators and by the transitive property would also love The Hero Initiative (formerly...

Now in its 13th year, the Chicago Underground Film Fest is almost becoming an institution. Yet after more than a decade of presenting challenging, weird and hilarious films, CUFF still manages to seem fresh. Music videos are no longer the delivery system for underground music. But many filmmakers still use film as a way to explore how one art form enhances the other. Several film series at the fest including Jeff Krulik’s "The Maryland Trilogy",...

Adding one more dimension to the already incredibly complex realities of terrorism, museums and other institutions that keep historical artifacts may have to hand collections over as compensation for victims of suicide bombings in the Middle East.

It’s a familiar story. Boy meets girl. Boy follows girl to America. Boy and girl break up. Boy is broke and has to live in an airport. Well, sort of familiar. But it is a little bit like a movie, and everyone loves a good movie-come-to-life story. Basically, Marcel Macovei, 26, may have been living at O’Hare for about a week after spending more than a year in the country. He came here from Romania in December 2004 to get married, but the wedding never happened. With no money to get home, he ended up at O’Hare’s Terminal 5 between Feb. 21 and March 2.

The Chicagoist Arts and Entertainment department has been suffering from a month long movie news drought that officially ends this week.

Everyone seems a bit disappointed with last night's debate in Springfield. Most reporters hoped Keyes would spit his usual fiery polemic, but instead he kept it classy (just like his photo at left, what a gentleman!) showing a definite shift in tone.

Love is often cited as the international language and that’s certainly a nice, romantic sentiment. Despite this universal emotion, it’s often difficult to bridge the gaps between disparate cultures (the summer you spent in Barcelona with Mauricio notwithstanding). This is especially true when one of those cultures accuses the other of being a portion of an “axis of evil.” *ahem* More often it is the arts, especially a visual medium like film, that helps to bring understanding to groups separated by ocean, religion or worldview. So Chicagoist says As-salaam-Alaikum to the Gene Siskel Film Center for presenting the Festival of Films From Iran running throughout October.