Barry Rosen

For Barry Rosen, the decision was his toughest in nearly 20 years. Should he come face to face with a man who held him and 51 other Americans hostage in Iran for 444 agonizing days as mobs chanted "Death to America!" outside? Rosen, former press officer--and captive--at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, decided that it was time. For two hours Friday, he shared a speaker's platform with Abbas Abdi, onetime Iranian revolutionary student leader and a mastermind of the 1979 embassy takeover.

For Barry Rosen, the decision was his toughest in nearly 20 years. Should he come face to face with a man who held him and 51 other Americans hostage in Iran for 444 agonizing days as mobs chanted "Death to America!" outside? Rosen, former press officer--and captive--at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, decided that it was time. For two hours Friday, he shared a speaker's platform with Abbas Abdi, onetime Iranian revolutionary student leader and a mastermind of the 1979 embassy takeover.

Eight Americans who were held hostage in Iran demanded Thursday that Congress investigate allegations that the Reagan-Bush campaign delayed their release in 1980. "The question of whether there is evidence of wrongdoing must be answered by an unbiased, bipartisan congressional investigation with full subpoena power," the former hostages said in a letter to lawmakers. "Unless this happens, speculation and unanswered questions will erode public confidence in our electoral system," they said.

John Candy has one truly funny moment in "Wagons East!," the Western comedy that had nearly finished shooting when he died suddenly early this year. As the reluctant wagonmaster James Harlow, he turns back to the barful of eager-for-exodus townsfolk who're counting on him and proclaims, "We leave at dawn." The cloud of a second thought passes over his face, then a shrug: ". . . Noonish," he wavers.

What: "Do You Believe in Miracles? The Story of the 1980 U.S. Hockey Team" Where: HBO, Saturday, 11:30 a.m. You don't have to be a hockey fan, or even a sports fan, to appreciate this excellent one-hour documentary about the team that produced one of the great moments in sports. This is more than just a sports documentary. It's also a period piece, touching on the Iranian hostage situation, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the U.S.

The problem is one of the most difficult facing education: how to rebuild Afghanistan's shattered school system after isolation under Taliban rule and 23 years of war. More than 100,000 teachers fled the country. Computers and the Internet are unfamiliar to vitally needed personnel. Many school buildings are in ruins. In some cases, classes are held in fields where students sit on mats. Despite these hardships, Education Ministry officials expect 5.

Nearly 300 Muslims marched in a procession in Los Angeles on Sunday to express their grief over the death of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini but thousands more gathered later in Westwood rally to celebrate the passing of the impassioned religious and political leader of Iran. "We are very sad and sorrowful," said Mohammed Hassani, a USC student leading the pro-Khomeini ceremony. Hassani carried one of several ribbon-draped portraits of the imam and, with the crowd, chanted, "Long live the Islamic movement."

Rod Kramer only agreed to take the lessons to please his teenage son. He never figured on having so much fun. "I hated [the idea of] snowboarding. I'm a skier," the Colorado resident explained. "But we learned to snowboard together, falling down and laughing and feeling inept. I had a ball." That was two winters ago. Kramer and his 16-year-old son Andrew have since become committed and accomplished snow-boarders. The best part, they agree, is sharing that learning curve.

Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, undertaking an American tour rare for ex-officials of the government in Tehran, called Thursday for a "dialogue of civilizations" among Jews, Christians and Muslims, even as he scolded the Bush administration for its treatment of detainees and other alleged human rights abuses. "I do not deny that there are a lot of problems in Iran.

Despite their cautious reaction in public, senior U.S. officials privately expressed quiet enthusiasm Thursday about Iranian President Mohammad Khatami's opening to the American people. "It may take awhile, but we finally appear to be heading in the right direction," a senior Clinton administration official said. After Khatami's remarks, televised worldwide Wednesday in an interview with the Cable News Network, U.S.

He's a veteran actor-director and he thinks someone's got it wrong when it comes to money, government and the arts. You'd recognize the face and name, but in this case he prefers to duck. There are enough troubles in his politically correct world. "Why give the money away? If the government wants to help artists then it should give grants to people who can repay them, just like student loans. Get something back." And then he goes one step further. "Privatize the arts," he says.