And you thought Mr. Holland’s Opus made you cry…listen to Richard Dreyfuss talk Middle Eastern politics at the Texas Union Ballroom on Nov. 2nd, 7 p.m. Get tickets at Student Events Center Tickets Office (Room 4.300 of The Union). Smoking is BAD. You should quit. Attend the four-session Quitters Stop Smoking Class held every Friday starting Oct. 27 at noon. Sign up at SSB 1.106. Or, if you're not into group work pick up......

We can't count the number of times we've headed up to 9th and Congress for a little lunch-time falafel or some tangy baba ghanoush to go alongside our green bean salad and gyro. Our destination: Marakesh. For the past six or seven years, when you went it to the Middle Eastern restaurant, you were always certain to be met by the smiling face of owner Samir Saadeh. Saadeh was always happy to chat with the......

Be sure to check out our extensive theatre coverage and new movie releases. Please let us know about any corrections/suggestions! FRIDAY [31] [music] Reckless Kelly at La Zona Rosa (link) [music] Peter & the Wolf, Navajo Radio and more at Emo's (Inside) (link) [music] Ghostface Killah, Word Association, DJ Notion at Emo's (Outside) (link) [music] The Glass Family w/ Quien es Boom (CD Release) & Brothers and Sisters at The Parish Room (link) [music] Red......

Never ones to turn down an awesome spanakopita, mezze or shish-kebob, we're eagerly anticipating this weekend's Mediterranean Festival over at the Saint Elias Orthodox Church grounds. For over seven decades, the church has held this annual festival on its grounds to celebrate Middle Eastern cuisines and culture - last year they were among the Chronicle's top ten "food events" in Austin. Today and tomorrow, feast until your innards explode on delicious Mediterranean appetizers and......

The enigmatic Naomi Shihab Nye seems determined to undermine categorization, judging from her extensive accomplishments: one might choose to call her a poet, novelist, editor, song-writer, essayist, teacher, or columnist. But when you strip away the labels and the mediums, it becomes crystal clear that she is, above all else, and social and cultural commentator. Which shouldn't come as a surprise, given her background. As a child in her half-Palestinian, half-American family, Nye lived......

Looking back over the past couple of years we realize how much time we’ve spent thinking about how the U.S. is pissing off the rest of the world in gigantic, expensive and extravagant ways. Really, intolerance on a global scale has driven us to distraction. That’s why we were unpleasantly surprised to turn our attention to more local disappointments today when we learned that UT student Ross Bennett was a victim of a hate......