Iran

Ezra Klein talks with Ali Vaez, an Iranian-American expert on the Middle East, about the history of the relationships between Iran, the US, and Israel, and how past events are affecting the presnet war.

I recall some of that history, including the hostage crisis of 1979 and how it doomed President Jimmy Carter's chance of re-election.

Also it's interesting how historical Persia contributes to the way Iran thinks of itself - I remember from history classes the Persians and the wars with Greece ... Darius and the battle of Marathon, and Xerxes and the battles of Thermopylae (the Spartans) and Salamis.

Spring

Spring is my favorite season. All the plants are happy. I was out in the yard today ...

Lucy followed me around ...

Here's a bit of the once huge acacia tree ...

The bird baths ...

Some of the cat condos ...

The Thompson Seedless grapes are coming back ...

No apology?

Chris Hayes comments on the war with Iran, the fact that the US did accidentally strike a school for girls and that Trump is not taking responsibility for that or apologizing. Still no coherent plan has been offered for if or how the war will continue. I myself think Trump believed he could cow Iran, steal their oil, and become the defact president of another country in the same way he did with Venezuela. Oops.

The animals

It's not only people who are suffering from the war in Iran - pets are being abandoned by people fleeing from the region. I recall this happening as well in Ukraine when Russia invaded there.

Expat Animal Companions Must Be Allowed Swift Entry into the UK from Gulf States

Israel-Iran War: Dogs tied, kittens left in boxes: heartbreaking crisis unfolds on Dubai streets as expats flee U.A.E.

They spent years showing off their Dubai lifestyle. The moment it got dangerous, they abandoned the one thing that loved them unconditionally.

After Iranian missile strikes hit the UAE in early March 2026, thousands of expats rushed to leave Dubai. But as flights filled, a… pic.twitter.com/hsTJhPie13

— dominic dyer (@domdyer70) March 9, 2026

Peace Train

I want to remember the feeling I get when I listen to this song. Especially now when things are so bad for so many around the world.

Who bombed the school?

Trump says Iran bombed the school, but The New York Times analyzed the available evidence of who bombed the school and came to the conclusion it was the US ... Anakysis Suggests School Was Hit Amid U.S. Strikes on Iranian Naval Base

A-ha

One of the greatest music videos ever made pic.twitter.com/aWRrrdiK9r

— 🎸 Rock History 🎸 (@historyrock_) March 7, 2026

Who doesn't like the Norwegian band, A-ha? :) I first noticed them when they did the soundtrack of the only James Bond movie I ever liked - The Living Daylights.

We doomed :(

I'm less than 20 minutes into the video and I can see that we the people are so screwed, or at least we will be very soon. Why? Because A.I. will make everything literally possible, and if it's analyzing your personal data, well, to misquote from Terminator ...

That A.I. "agent" is out there, it can't be bargained with, it can't be reasoned with, it doesn't feel pity or remorse or fear, and it absolutely will not stop… EVER, until you are dead (or in jail)!

Glory and plunder

So, how's the war going? I saw a couple of news shows today in which the talking heads were almost giddy with glee about how well the war is going - how we now owned the airspace over Iran.

Well, of course we own it. We have the money and the weapons to probably beat almost any other country in a war. And Iran had been softened up repeatedly by earlier Israeli attacks. It wasn't really a contest.

Notice how this administration chooses its adversaries? How they pick countries that really have no chance to beat us in a fair fight ... kidnapping the president of Venezuela and killing people in tiny drug boats in the Caribbean, bombing countries like Somalia, Nigeria, Yemen, and Syria. Next up, Cuba and Greenland, and God knows where else.

Just imagine what the US could do with the kind of military we have, if we wanted to do something good. You know, like telling Russia to get the eff out of Ukraine, and then actually helping Ukraine to win that war.

But, no. With this presidency, we're not in it to do the right thing, we're in it for glory and plunder.

Niké

[#PresseLouvre]

1,6 million d’euros récolté pour la sauvegarde du patrimoine du musée du #Louvre.

Le Louvre a accueilli, mardi 3 mars 2026, environ trois cents convives réunis en soutien à l’institution à l’occasion de la deuxième édition de son Grand dîner annuel.

C’est… pic.twitter.com/FdsgxHn4LM

— Musée du Louvre (@MuseeLouvre) March 4, 2026

I recognize the photo from art history classes: Winged Victory of Samothrace ...

The Winged Victory of Samothrace, or the Niké of Samothrace, is a votive monument originally discovered on the island of Samothrace in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It is a masterpiece of Greek sculpture from the Hellenistic era, dating from the beginning of the 2nd century BC (190 BC). It is composed of a statue representing the goddess Nike (Victory), whose head and arms are missing, and a base in the shape of a ship's bow .... Greece is seeking the return of the sculpture.

Here's a photo of it at the Louvre. I've been there once, long ago, but mostly remember the Mona Lisa ...

So now it's all Israel's fault?

An interesting daily briefing from The Times of Israel, which goes over the multiple changing reasons given by the Trump admionistration for why it started the war with Iran. One of the latest and most blame-shifting reasons given by Marco Rubio seems to be "Israel made us do it".

Nobody made the US attack Iran. Trump saw an opportunity ... he could distract from the Epstein stuff at home, while also getting to throw his weight around. He couldn't resist.

So let's not blame Israel. First, it isn't true that Israel forced America's hand, and second, this lie only stokes the antisemitism of both the far Left and the far Right.

Rick Springfield

A punchy ‘80s classic that still makes you sing the signature chorus.
pic.twitter.com/2hVqJYdTdK

— Music and lyrics! 🎙️🎵🎸🎼🎹🤘 (@somethingrand77) February 27, 2026

Is it only me who remembers a tv movie, Nick Knight, in which Rick Springfield played an L.A. police detective/vampire? :)

But of course he's known for so much more ...

Dario Amodei

Interview with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei about the problem with the Pentagon.

He mentions his concerns ... that his software will be used to circumvent Americans' "right not to be spied on by the government" and to circumvent the "right for our military officers to make decisions about war themselves and not turn it over completely to a machine".

The interviewer seemed strangely aggressive and pajorative.

What's the plan?

The Iranian people have to take their country back.

Israel wants to see a democratic transition to a free Iran, and when that happens—we'll be the closest of allies.

Joining @TimesRadio: pic.twitter.com/XIbi0aCx3S

— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) March 1, 2026

It's understandable why Israel would want to get rid of Iran's ability to launch ballistic missiles, use nuclear weapons, and support terrorism by Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. And Eylon Levy gives some reasonable scenarios of a better Iran after the war.

But I don't see why the US suddenly went for bombing and regime change. The possibility of nukes? It's not like there aren't already other scary countries with nuclear weapons. Missile attack? Iran doesn't have missiles that can reach the US. And the US has no workable plans for how to create a better Iran after the bombing. It's almost like it was planned as a distraction from domestic problems.

War with Iran

So, during the night, amid "peace" talks and without telling Congress, the US attacked Iran. Israel joined the US in the attack. Iran has struck back at Israel and US military bases throughout the region ...



Here's the latest on what's happening from The Times of Israel's daily briefing ...

Anthropic and the Pentagon

Anthropic CEO Amodei says Pentagon’s threats ‘do not change our position’ on AI

Google, OpenAI workers push for military AI limits

Here is science and technology journalist Jacob Ward on what's happening with the struggle between Anthropic, the American artificial intelligence company headquartered in San Francisco, and the Pentagon, including ethical considerations ...

Hillary Clinton

So, Hillary Clinton is testifying today to the congressional committee investigating Epstein ... The five topic areas the Clintons agreed to discuss during their Epstein depositions

I myself have wondered why the Clintons invited Ghislaine Maxwell to their daughter's wedding if they were supposedly not close friends. Heard the answer today from the above news video, and here it also is from Wikipedia ...

Theodore William "Ted" Waitt (born January 18, 1963) is an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist. Waitt is a co-founder of Gateway, Inc. .... Waitt was romantically linked for several years to Ghislaine Maxwell. She attended the wedding of Chelsea Clinton in 2010 as Waitt’s guest ... - Wikipedia

Anyway, the more relevant person to ask questions of would be Bill Clinton, not Hillary. And, of ciurse, the even more relevant person to ask questions of would be Donald Trump. I doubt the Republicans on the committee will go for that.

A.I.

UPDATE - Anthropic says U.S. military can use its AI systems for missile defense ... Skynet here we come :(



Ezra Klein talks to Jack Clark about A.I.

I'm about halfway through the podcast and I'm feeling pretty depressed about the way it's going. The people creating these artificial intelligences realize that they don't completely understand what's happening, and yet they can't and won't stop or even slow down.

They tell themselves that if it can be done, it will be done. They say that if they themselves do it, at least they will have some control. But that control is ephemeral at best.

I don't know science, but I've read enough science fiction to see a possible future. I don't think I'll like it.

NPR investigation

Justice Department withheld and removed some Epstein files related to Trump

Benjamin Orr

Two very different examples of The Cars' bass player and vocalist, Benjamin Orr. Sadly, he died too early from pancreatic cancer.

“Drive” by The Cars remains one of the most beautiful, bittersweet songs ever recorded. Soft, haunting, and somehow still comforting.pic.twitter.com/2iXZZUAwev

— Music and lyrics! 🎙️🎵🎸🎼🎹🤘 (@somethingrand77) February 20, 2026

The damage

There's been a lot in the news about the ways the Trump administration has caused damage to Americans, but one that I've been noticing lately is the damage to our health. Here are just a couple of examples ...

Trump administration eases limits on coal plant emissions of mercury and other toxins

Trump seeks to boost controversial herbicide glyphosate [Roundup], drawing MAHA ire

Why are Republicans in Congress letting him do this? I don't anymore expect them to care about the population in gemeral, but do they really believe that their money and power will save them and their loved ones from the health disaster Trump is creating?