Posting this from my draft pile.

 

Wash. Post, U.S., Russia stripped human oversight from global AI weapons pact

Wash. Post, Trump rejects Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, restart peace talks

Trump started this war all on his own, so this now is his war, meaning that he alone will decide when and how to end it.  Iran has little to say in the matter.

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The Guardian

Five arrested on terrorism charges after explosives found near RAF base used by US

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The New York Times

Some Republicans Issue a New Call on Trump’s War With Iran: End It Now (He will end it when he's good and ready.)

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Lesbian and gay bars have seen shrinking attendance as folks now just meet on line.

Most such bars have already been closed now, marking the end of an era.

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Here below is a recent message from a former Cuban prisoner who was released 42 years ago, a release which I had facilitated and witnessed back then. He is a man whose memoirs and even poetry I'd then later translated into English completely pro-bono, without ever mentioning my own name there as translator. (No translator is even mentioned.)

In English, we always want to be concise and direct. In Spanish, we would usually not say something so very bluntly, rather would embellish it a bit.  I don't know how Google handles such nuances in its online translations.  Every language has its own particular style, reflecting the cultural practices associated with it.

So get out your own Google translator right now.  I suspect that most translations are done currently by artificial intelligence.  So are they also being culturally sensitive? 

Ernesto Diaz	Sat, Sep 26, 3:22 PM (19 hours ago)
to me

Querida Barbara: De acuerdo a lo que yo recuerdo, la excarcelación y salida de parte de los presos que habían extinguido previamente la totalidad de sus sanciones, fue debido a una gestión, en 1984, del reverendo Jesse Jackson.  Nada tuvo que ver, que yo sepa, ni en eso ni en el traslado a USA del grupo de los excarcelados, la organización Hermanos al Rescate.     

.... Un abrazo. 

Ernesto Diaz

           Yes, I was right there, right then.  Of course, I still remember Ernesto and he still remembers me.

Starting over here once more

 

After having had so much trouble lately with the blog and on the internet, I'm starting out fresh here once again.  There are way too many bugs in my system, but I'll wait until my daughter comes out here from Hawaii to try to fix them.  Meanwhile, I'm starting over on the blog once more, thanking faithful readers for still bearing with me.  Some empty spaces that I am unable to close  still show up on the blog online, though that may also depend on the receiver and on any glitches in their own system.  Let's see how it goes this time. Your patience is appreciated; we will eventually straighten everything out.  

You have been granted access, use your keyboard to continue readin==================

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If I get the gist of what Donald Trump has been telling voters as the midterms now approach: he is saying, blame it on other Republicans,  just don't blame me.  He seems to have said nothing about blaming Democrats.  This guy is the nation's president and the leader of his party?  Other Republicans are cringing at his message, but can hardly try to contradict what comes from the top spokesman for their own party.  Trump seems to be throwing all other Republicans besides himself under the bus.  He has just given Democrats quite a free gift.

Can voters actually trust this guy? Donald Trump seems to come up with more lies and falsehoods than any true statements.  Lying is defined as deliberately communicating false information while knowing the truth.  Perhaps Trump is in such a habit of lying that he may no longer be able to distinguish fact from fiction. 

YOU Tube, Trump EMBARRASSED by crowd's MASS EXODUS from his 'Great American State Fair' speech

At a June 2026 celebration of the nation's 250th anniversary at the National Mall in Washington, DC, an exodus started as soon as Donald Trump began speaking, though Trump himself later described the crowd hearing his speech as "packed."  That also was the message he sent out to his followers around the nation.  In fact, only a few stragglers actually remained by the end of his talk. 

CNN Politics

Fact check: Trump is approaching 10 years of telling his Michigan ‘Man of the Year’ lie Hint: Trump was never actually named Michigan's "Man of the Year," but since he's told that story so often, he may have come to believe it himself.  Check on Google for some of Trump's more memorable lies, though even that is not a comprehensive list.

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The following article, written by a registered independent and former Republican, deciphers some of the high jinks behind the Trump administration's war reporting. (Hint: there actually have been more mistakes and casualties in the Iran war than were officially reported.)

NY  Times, David French              

Opinion

 What Hegseth Is Hiding

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Here's a Democratic fundraising appeal I just received from House Majority Pact.  

Here’s what’s going on RIGHT NOW: FIRST: Trump and MAGA have been PLUMMETING in the polls. THEN: Republicans held their FIRST-EVER midterm convention and gave speeches full of STRAIGHT lies and misinformation. NOW: Republicans raised MASSIVE amounts of money to add to their record-breaking $1.5 BILLION war chest. But money alone cannot win elections.  Voters have to use their mind and their judgment.

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Shriver's Last Great Peace Corps Speech

John Coyne

Sargent Shriver's foundational work and speeches regarding the Peace Corps have been extensively chronicled by former PC volunteer and writer John Coyne on platforms like Peace Corps Worldwide.

John Coyne is the author of many books, both fiction and non-fiction.  He was an early Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia. 

U.S., Russia stripped human oversight from global AI

...

The Washington Post

https://www.washingtonpost.com › 2026/09/26 › how-...

 The U.S. and Russian teams also removed a provision requiring that humans review military targets developed by AI before a strike, they added. 

So now AI can make war decisions on its own?  That doesn't wise.  AI can decide on life and death for  humans? 

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Some good news now! I've finally heard from Sirley Avila, the Cuban woman I'd brought to this country after her hand had been chopped off by a neighbor in Cuba in response to her outspoken critiques of the government there.  She now lives in Miami.  That mutilation happened more than 10 years ago.  It now seems that she has only one son and that he and his family have stayed back in Cuba.  I do need to find out more about her and her current situation.  

Here's a message I've sent to Cuban American colleagues in Florida. asking them to please look in on her.  There is nothing recent about her or from her on the internet, so I had even thought she might have died or have returned to Cuba. 

Parece que Sirley solo tiene un hijo y tal vez el se quedo en Cuba.  En todo caso, creo que vive sola alla en Florida.  Entonces, seria bueno si alguien podria ir a visitarla, a ver si ella necesita algo.  Y sacarla a salir y avisarme despues lo que paso. [No tengo acentos aqui en Yahoo, solo en gmail. No accent marks here on Yahoo, only on gmail.] 

Gracias mis queridos amigos, siento un gran alivio por haberla encontrado!  Ni tampoco el internet tiene noticias recientes sobre ella.  Abrazos, Barbara

And here is an images of me with Sirley back in 2016, when she gave a talk at an Amnesty International conference, with me serving as her interpreter.  She is making an "L" sign there with her had for "liberty."

Here is a recent message from her. Gracias Barbara, que Dios le bendiga y siga dándole larga vida, mi hijo en Cuba, no pude sacarlo, ya usted sabe, Cuba cada día peor, un abrazo, Sirley. . 

She says she tried to get her son and family out of Cuba, as things are very bad there, but she hasn't been able to do it.  Maybe my Cuban American friends in Florida can help with that.