Countdown

As near as I can tell, a late afternoon rally is still on in Tehran, around 3 in the morning our time, about five hours from now. By then we may get a hint of how things will come down. A stressful time.

Diversion and escapism: the Mariners, behind 3-0, scored 4 in the bottom of the 8th to take the lead. Now one out from victory. But Arizona has the tying run on 2nd in the top of the 9th. ... And the Mariners win!

Thank the gods for baseball. As Wordsworth wrote, "The world is too much with us, late and soon" and reality can drive you crazy. The sane, it seems to me, spend a lot of time away from the harsh centers of reality. The too sensitive among us are in our mental hospitals.