The 2026 conflict between the US/Israel and Iran has a long history, arguably traceable to the mid-20th century. This multi-part series looks at how Iran was shaped over millennia to become the force it is today; the roots of the modern day conflict; the key issues (Iranian anti-West behavior [through proxies too], its nuclear program, state-sponsored terrorism, and its oppressive regime); analysis of the current conflict, and concludes with a look to the future. This first episode takes us through Iran's history with a focus on the last 100 years and how that shaped Iran to be anti-West.

The 2026 Winter Olympics are over and only one openly transgender athlete competed - Elis Lundholm. Elis was born as a female, identifies as a man, and competed in women's skiing (finishing 25th). Thus, the recent winter Olympics did not have to deal with criticism over biological males identifying as women and competing in women's categories. However, this issue remains a feature of many sports and will certainly feature in the next summer Olympics. This podcast episode concludes a two-part series looking at the issues around gender in sports.

The 2026 Winter Olympics are starting shortly after this episode is published, and that means there will, yet again, be controversy over gender classification. This episode is part one of a two-part series exploring the issues related to sex vs gender in organized sports.