Joseph Cirincione, senior associate and director for non-proliferation at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C., will give a talk titled "Iran's Nuclear Challenge: How Should the U.S. Respond?" He is the author of "Deadly Arsenals: The Threat from Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Weapons," and teaches at the Georgetown University Graduate School of Foreign Service. (Thurs., 7.30 p.m., Cole Assembly Room. No admission charge.)

Jazz up your life with the Lincoln Center's Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra. Experience the music of Machito, Mario Bauza, Chico O'Farrill, Rene Hernandez, Antonio Carlos Jobim and other Latin greats whose works ignited the dance floor and revolutionized jazz. This performance, part of a day-long high school jazz festival, will tingle the souls of those who love Afro-Latin jazz, or just jazz in general. (Sat., 8 p.m., Fine Arts Center Concert Hall, UMass. Tickets $15 for students.)

The Department of Religion presents "The Parables of Jesus Conference." The conference will feature six well-known scholars who will do close readings of several parables and facilitate audience discussion. The event will begin with an evening lecture on Friday followed by morning and afternoon sessions on Saturday. It will close with a reception Saturday evening. (Fri., 8 p.m. and Sat., 9 a.m., Stirn Auditorium. No admission charge. Visit www.amherst.edu/~religion/ParablesConference/conf.html for more information.)

Ever wondered about what American soldiers serving overseas go through? Join Project Survival, which aims to aid American troops by providing supplies and raising local awareness about the Iraq war. In a lecture given by the veterans' advocacy group Optruth, Amherst alumnus Paul Rieckhoff '98 will discuss the war and the realities that soldiers face in unfamiliar situations. The lecture is entitled "Iraq: A Soldier's Perspective." (Mon., 8 p.m., Johnson Chapel. No admission charge.)

Editors' DVD Pick of the Week

Nowadays, buying an Adam Sandler DVD has come to be associated with different things. It used to be that one could mindlessly watch his antics free of such dangers as plot, sensibility or dramatic acting. Since "Punch-Drunk Love," however, Sandler has defected to the respectable side of his profession. "Spanglish" is an excellent comedic situational drama which makes a mockery of Sandler's critics. As a married couple, he and Tea Leoni carry the movie with familial realism that instantly relates with audiences. Newcomer Paz Vega is charming as the non-English-speaking housekeeper who comes to live with the family. She shows the feuding couple and the audience that, where it truly matters, nothing is more important than a sense of belonging and family. This is a Sandler movie you can be proud to own.