Update on Deni Avdija with the Portland Trail Blazers

 Nadene Goldfoot                                            

Willamette Week tells us that All-Star forward Deni Avdija had missed several games earlier in March with a lower back injury that had plagued him throughout the season, and most members of the rotation had been on the shelf at some point throughout the season. As such, it seemed likely that the team would shut it down and play for next season, as they had done for the previous four, and await the return of Damian Lillard, who spent the year selling Toyotas as he recovered from a torn Achilles.

            Shaedon Sharpe

Instead, the team rallied behind interim coach, Tiago Splitter, and has now gone 11–4 since the loss to Philadelphia, with Avdija regaining his form and Sharpe unexpectedly returning to the lineup with two games left in the regular season.  Portland’s second-leading scorer, Shaedon Sharpe, had been diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left fibula and was widely assumed to miss the rest of the season.

Everything culminated with their win Tuesday night in Phoenix, which saw the Blazers erase an 11-point fourth quarter deficit behind the dominant play of Avdija, who finished with 41 points, 12 assists, and seven rebounds.

The Blazers are a better team than their record would suggest. They have young, high-upside talent just starting to hit its stride, plus a core of battle-tested veterans, most of whom are plus defenders. They’re also playing with nothing to lose, and will have at least two home games in front of a rabid home crowd that hasn’t seen true, full-capacity playoff basketball since 2019.  Betting against them may be ill-advised.

Yes, the Portland Trail Blazers last played the Phoenix Suns, winning 114-110 on April 14, 2026, in the 7/8 matchup of the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament. Led by Deni Avdija's 41 points, Portland secured the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference and will next face the San Antonio Spurs. 

The Portland Trail Blazers played the Denver Nuggets four times during the 2025-2026 NBA regular season, with the most recent game taking place on April 6, 2026 (a 137-132 Nuggets overtime win). Other matchups in that season occurred on October 31, 2025, February 20, 2026, and March 22, 2026. The Denver Nuggets (51-28) are a top-tier Western Conference contender dominating the 2025-26 season, while the Portland Trail Blazers (40-39) are a rebuilding team fighting for a lower playoff spot. Denver has dominated the 2026 season series, including a 54-point win, behind Nikola Jokić's MVP-level play. 

Democracy in Iran?

 Nadene Goldfoot                                            

Fareed Rafiq Zakaria is an Indian-born American journalist, political commentator, and author. He is the host of CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS and writes a weekly column for The Washington Post. He has been a columnist for Newsweek, editor of Newsweek International, and an editor at large of Time.

 Fareed Zakaria on CNN this morning asked another about the fate of Iran's Democracy !  That's a conundrum.  There is no Democracy in Iran. There hasn't been any Democracy since the first Ayatollah took over the country when they forced the Shah of Iran out! That's been 47 years of going without Democracy !

"Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini took control of Iran following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, with his definitive return from exile on February 1, 1979, marking the shift in power. He was formally confirmed as the first Supreme Leader of Iran following a national referendum on December 3, 1979, which approved a new constitution".

 It's still under the Ayatollah regime only harsher with those next in  line.  They are 10 times tougher-minded.  For example, they believe not in an eye for and eye but an eye for an arm, leg, and head.  

     Reza on right side of picture

The people of Iran have rebelled and want a new regime.  The former Shah of Iran's son, Reza Pahlavi (born October 31, 1960),  was the Crown Prince before the 1979 revolution. He resides in the United States as an exiled political activist and is leading calls for a secular democracy in Iran. He has been in touch with them all along, and was even allowed time on CNN.  He wants to return and help the people create a democratic voting process for their chosen leader.                     

• Background: Iranian-born, he came to Britain as a child with his mother, who was a refugee fleeing the Iranian regime. Channel: Operates a popular daily news show, often discussing UK politics, the Middle East, and Israel. I have watched daily the scenes he shows of life in Iran, and is advocating for the people's resistance to the government today.  

This young man, MahyarTousi, Iranian now living in England, has video-taped all the action in Iran to let us see the people in the streets at night, and what is happening since Iran has turned off all electricity, meaning lights, computers, etc, all ways of communicating with anyone.  

The problem is that Trump has not recognized him or helped him in any way.  He seems to be backing the STRONGEST HORSE, an old expression of Arabs and how they feel about leadership.  It still is showing up in Syria with a former terrorist, Jolani, presiding as President with Trump's approval.  

There will continue to be havoc in the Middle East caused by Iran if not replaced with Reza Pahlavi, and Trump, therefore, will have to see the light and help somehow.  That's my forecast.  

Continued Accusation Against Netanyahu As A War Criminal On Facebook

 Nadene Goldfoot                                             

There are many people still calling Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel that he is a war criminal !  Benjamin Netanyahu has been described as a "war criminal" by a variety of political figures, human rights organizations, international legal bodies, and protesters in response to the Israeli military action in Gaza since October 7, 2023. Yes, on October 7, 2023, Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups launched a major, coordinated terrorist attack from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel. This surprise attack involved rocket barrages, infiltration of armed militants, and resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 people—mostly Israeli civilians—and the taking of over 240 hostages on a Jewish holiday.

October 7, 2023, fell on Simchat Torah (and the concluding day of Shemini Atzeret), a joyous Jewish holiday marking the completion of the annual Torah reading cycle. The attack occurred during the morning celebrations, as noted on Hebcal, transitioning the day into a moment of deep mourning.

• Holiday Details: Simchat Torah is the final holiday in the High Holiday season, often celebrated with dancing and singing.
• It is a high-joy holiday meant for spiritual renewal, which was disrupted by the Hamas attack.
•  It was also the day after the 50th anniversary of the start of the 1973 Yom Kippur War.  

  That's when Israel was attacked unmercifully by Gazans who brought on the worst killings of Jews since the Holocaust.The kibbutzim were the first attacked, murdered in ways of causing he most pain of which the ID was slow in retaliation. 

If these accusators of Netanyahu could have seen the scene before the IDF that got to Netanyahu and his government, youwould have passed out.  It was horrendous!    

• Infiltration & Tactics: Militants breached the border at multiple points, targeting border communities (kibbutzim) and a music festival.
• War Initiation: The assault resulted in Israel formally declaring war and initiating a large-scale military operation in Gaza.  
• The world’s top war crimes court issued warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The court said they committed crimes against humanity for intentionally depriving Gazans of food and directing attacks against civilians. 
• Israel called it an anti-semitic attack on democracies trying to defend themselves from terrorism. Nick Schifrin reports.  This statement left out the fact that they did not intentionally deprive Gazans of food, or that Hamas was stealing the food off Israel's trucks and re-selling it to Gazans at high prices.  Hamas kept food for themselves.  They kept working on their starvation theory to harm Israel's reputation !  
• This statement also left out the facts that Israel always does everything possible to avoid killing civilians.  They use loud speakers, drop pamphlets from planes, telephone the families, everything to notify them to move to a safer place.  
• It is so disgusting that our general population, even some of my own family may be one of those accusers;  all from not being in the line of hearing what the truth has been.  
• By the way;  where are the charges against Hamas of Gaza who surprise attacked as if all were high on some halucinatory drugs to have been so blood-thirsty in their attack?  To have attacked in the first place?  Many were Gazans who had found work in these outlying Jewish communities.  They had been treated like friends!  Never  will those surviving Jews trust them again.  
• Why isn't Hamas up for being war criminals?
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reacted with intense defiance and fury to accusations of war crimes and the subsequent issuance of arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court (ICC), labelling the actions as a " "modern-day Drifus trial"" and an act of "pure antisemitism".  
• Rejection of Equivalence: Netanyahu expressed "disgust" at the ICC prosecutor's comparison of "democratic Israel" with the "mass murderers" of Hamas, stating that the move targets the entire State of Israel and its soldiers.
• Accusations of Antisemitism and Bias: He has repeatedly accused the ICC of bias and antisemitism, alleging that the court is a political body attempting to "shackle Israel's hands" and prevent it from defending itself.
  
  
  
• Attacks on the Prosecutor: Netanyahu has labeled ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan as a "corrupt" official trying to "cover his own crimes".Khan temporarily stepped down as chief prosecutor in May 2025 due to allegations of sexual misconduct, but was cleared.  
• Denial of Jurisdiction: Netanyahu's office stated that Israel "denies the authority of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague and the legitimacy of the arrest warrants".
• Vow to Continue War: He has pledged that no pressure or international decision will prevent Israel from "striking those who seek to destroy us" and completing its war objectives.
• Legal Challenges: Netanyahu announced that Israel would submit an appeal against the warrants, demanding a delay in their execution. 
• Based on March 2026 reports surrounding the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants, all five Nordic countries—Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden—have indicated they would arrest Benjamin Netanyahu if he enters their territory. While they are legally bound as ICC members, reports of a "coordinated, total air blockade" of their airspace are unconfirmed.
• 
  
  
The reaction from Israeli political leaders across the spectrum was united, with many echoing the charge of antisemitism. The US government, not a member of the ICC, also rejected the allegations, with then-President Biden calling the move "outrageous".

Resource:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karim_Ahmad_Khan

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/war-crimes-court-issues-warrants-for-netanyahu-and-former-israeli-defense-minister#:~:text=But%2C%20again%2C%20this%20is%20war,%22%20I'm%20Nick%20Schifrin.

https://nypost.com/2024/05/20/us-news/biden-slams-outrageous-netanyahu-arrest-warrant-bid-by-international-criminal-court/

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/11/21/what-are-the-icc-countries-where-netanyahu-and-gallant-may-face-arrest

Will It Be A Silent Ten Day Cease Fire?

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                

                                          Israeli soldiers in cease fire 

A 10 day cease fire is a long time.  Can they do it?  

A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon went into effect on April 16, 2026, aimed at halting intense fighting in Lebanon and supporting US-led negotiations with Iran (of the remaining government of Ayatollah. While officials confirmed the truce, its future remains uncertain as Hezbollah warned its fighters are still on high alert and the truce faces potential disruptions. 

Key Aspects of the Ceasefire

• Lebanon-Israel Status: A 10-day truce began on April 16, 2026, aiming to halt the violent escalation in southern Lebanon, where over 2,100 people were reported killed.
• Terms and Compliance: The agreement requires Lebanon's official security forces to be the sole armed entity in southern Lebanon. Israel is prohibited from offensive operations but retains the right to act in self-defense.
• Hezbollah Response: Hezbollah acknowledged the ceasefire but did not formally accept it, stating its actions depend on developments and that their fighters "remain on the trigger".
• Broader Context: This truce is intended to facilitate broader, separate negotiations between the U.S. and Iran to stabilize the region and secure the Strait of Hormuz, with reports indicating a separate two-week ceasefire between the US/Israel and Iran.
• Risks: Israeli opposition has labeled the truce a "betrayal," and previous ceasefire attempts have failed, leaving the potential for fighting to resume if the deal does not lead to a lasting peace. 
• It looks like all he work of the former Shah's son of guiding the other half of the population in protest and wanting a new government of their own choosing is for naught with Trump. 
• 
  
• 7am Portland, OR time; Iran broke the cease fire themselves in the Strait of Hormuz.  Will that be counted by either party?  
  
  
• Reza Pahlavi (born October 31, 1960) is the eldest son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, and Empress Farah. As the former Crown Prince of Iran, he lives in exile in the United States and is a prominent opposition leader calling for a secular democracy in Iran. 

Rumor of A Draft Wrong

 Nadene Goldfoot                                             

         When National  Guard patrolled Washington DC

The rumor in Portland, Oregon regarding the call-up of young men to service, the draft,  is inaccurate; the order was focused on mobilizing about 200 members of the Oregon National Guard, not a general draft.

The National Guard is composed of U.S. citizens and permanent residents aged 17–35 (up to 42 for some roles) who serve part-time while maintaining civilian careers, often described as serving "one weekend a month, two weeks a year". Members include high school juniors/seniors, college students, and working professionals seeking additional income, benefits, and training close to home.

They join the National Guard to serve part-time while keeping their civilian jobs. Key motivators include comprehensive educational benefits (tuition coverage), health insurance, specialized training, extra income, and the dual purpose of serving both their local community during disasters and the country during federal deployments.  I would add that I think the biggest motivator back then in 73 was the extra money the guys could make.  

In September 2025, President Trump announced the deployment of National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, to protect federal facilities, a move that prompted a lawsuit from the state and a federal court blocking of the order. 

Our young men and women in their 20's don't have to worry.  The United States last drafted people into military service in 1973. Active conscription for the Vietnam War ended on January 27, 1973, with the final draftees inducted into the Army on June 30, 1973. Following this, the U.S. military transitioned to an all-volunteer force.

During the Vietnam War, an estimated 20,000 to over 60,000 American men, known as "draft dodgers" or war resisters, fled to Canada to avoid compulsory military service. This exodus, largely driven by moral opposition to the war and fear of conscription, represented the largest politically motivated migration from the U.S. since the American Revolution.

In case you forgot your history, The American Revolution typically refers to the period between 1765 and 1783. It began with colonial resistance to British taxes like the Stamp Act (1765) and ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1783, which formally recognized the United States' independence. The military conflict (Revolutionary War) took place from 1775 to 1783.

Resource:

https://www.opb.org/article/2025/09/28/oregon-portland-sue-trump-deployment/#:~:text=State%20leaders%20say%20they've,had%20overreached%20and%20acted%20unlawfully.

https://www.quora.com/During-the-Vietnam-War-many-draft-dodgers-fled-to-Canada-Why-werent-they-extradited

https://www.asvabprogram.com/media-center-article/172