Dr Jaime Ashworth

When one of “known unknowns” is “just how stupid and craven *is* the Secretary?” we are in murky waters indeed.

The Strait of Hormuz is open for transit, Defense Secretary (Ed: not Secretary of War?) Pete Hegseth said. “The only thing prohibiting transit in the straits right now is Iran shooting at shipping,” he said.“It is open for transit should Iran not do that.”

Aaah the quality of thinking involved. Donald Rumsfeld is being shown this somewhere in hell as a special kind of torture. Which is I suppose a compensation of sorts.

Or six months after Manchester.

Well I apologise, as I say. I have not had a good day and I abreacted.

For the record, I am concerned for many people in Israel. I was responding to an event in the US.

Because I was responding to an incident in the United States?

Well I apologise. Your comment wasn’t necessary and seemed to me to impute something to me.

US Jewish leaders express alarm over new political conditions for synagogue security grants Houses of worship that don't cooperate with ICE or that offer DEI programming are worried new terms will make them ineligible for funding that helps cover essential safety measures

As we face the aftermath of another synagogue attack, reminder: The federal government is now requiring synagogues to cooperate with ICE and have no DEI programs to be eligible for federal security funding, which were not requirements pre-Trump administration. www.timesofisrael.com/us-jewish-le...

I was really hoping that nobody was going to be so obtuse as to think I believe any differently.

Once again, with a really heavy heart: attacks on Jews outside Israel achieve nothing and, if you think they do, you’re both an idiot and an antisemite.

Using presidential briefing materials is cheating.

We attacked Iran with no clear plan for regime change, Israeli security sources say

Yes, I think this has been clear for a while now. Or indeed, simply “no clear plan”.

There’s basically nothing in this very useful and authoritative thread that can’t be worked out from the publicly available facts. It’s really depressing and concerning that this is the case.

YouGov Daily Questions:
- do you think the Trump administration has the ghost of a scooby-doo about its aims in Iran?
- Do you believe migrants should be abolished?
- Is Nigel Farage a good bloke or the best bloke?

As a freelancer I’m always at work!

Because they can. It reminds me of a very NSFW joke.

Probably for the best tbh.

“The administration’s critics have expressed astonishment that a mission to secure the HEU did not appear to have been thought through before the war was launched.” Let’s try and imagine what “astonishment” means.

Guardian: US weighs sending forces into Iran to secure nuclear stockpile, reports say Tehran has enough material to make at least 10 nuclear warheads but extracting it would be very risky, say experts.

If they don’t get it, *and* they spark a civil war, this could be the most monumental cock-up. It would be a hell of a bargaining chip for a rebel faction looking for sponsors.

Haaretz: Trump signals Iran war nearing end amid oil fears as Israel surprised by Hezbollah’s capabilities. (Amos Harel)

Trump has decided he’s bored and needs to end the war before Iran can. Because that’s how wars work, apparently.

A group of men gathered together for what could have been a simple barbecue in the woods. Curiously, hours later they had all been donned in white robes and a burning cross had been lit in an apparent attempt at racial intimidation.

A healthy soirée ruined by these unfortunate events.

I’ve also looked at the waves on our island and wondered why we don’t use more wave power. Is it just political will or is there a technical issue I don’t understand?

I’ve wondered for a while if “small wins” like for example solar-powered traffic lights could offer a way forward. If I had the resources to fit solar in my home…

A political strategy based on someone else’s actions is not so much a strategy as a prayer. He’s already survived a light aircraft crash: what’s even left?

Correct. I’m a puzzle.

Guardian: Middle East crisis live: Trump claims Iran war will be over ‘very soon’ but Tehran says it will determine when

And more news suggesting that neither side in this conflict fundamentally understands it.

Have a coffee and get back to me! (If you want to of course!)

And we’d have to concede that they were fundamentally unknowable to us as well.

It’s a really interesting point, because even if they were conscious they wouldn’t be human, but a totally different thing. And all the problems of ever getting inside another consciousness would apply.

Yup. They wouldn’t know to add the feminine suffix to Slavic names either.