day fifty-eight (13. 387)

The wars in the Middle East certainly are not over just because media bandwidth is sublimated with attention lurched towards non-stop coverage of the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner—an event snubbed by Trump since Obama used the venue back in 2011 to mock the future president and inadvertently shape his political narrative of grievance with pointed jokes about his preoccupation with his predecessor’s birth-certificate and questioning his legitimacy. It does suck the oxygen out of the room, especially with the conspiracy theories that the event was staged as a distraction and sympathy building exercise, particularly for a regime that traffics in conspiracy and calls the press the enemy of the people. People are still dying in IDF strikes in Lebanon, peace talks are still stalled and the Strait of Hormuz remains closed with all the attendant economic consequences ripening.

synchronoptica

one year ago: a Millennial saint (with synchronopticæ), Trump DOJ threatens Wikipedia, Tesla backlash, an iconic antique shop plus gratitude built into grammar

twelve years ago: the state of non-doing plus superlative sentences

thirteen years ago: glacial melting 

fourteen years ago: originalism and invoking the Founding Fathers 

fifteen years ago: UN World Graphic Design Day plus championing a make-a-diorama day

seventeen years ago: swine-flu outbreak 

press corps (13. 383)

Attending the White House Correspondents’ Dinner for the first time since boycotting the annual event over media bias against him, Trump, the first lady, vice president, cabinet members were rushed to safety as the venue, the ballroom (not the one under construction in the East Wing) of the Washington Hilton—the same place where Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981—was evacuated of international journalists on the politics beat. Shots were fired in a secure screening-area as the dinner was starting, to be hosted by mentalist Oz Pearlman who promised to mesmerise and unite the audience, Trump later sharing on social media images of the alleged gunman (a guest of the hotel travelling from California) being apprehended and expressing a desire that the event continue after the incident, but deferring to his secret service detail. Ultimately it was decided to postpone the dinner and hold it within thirty days, Trump prepared to deliver his most inappropriate speech yet, he claimed, and was afraid afraid with the rescheduling he’d have to be very nice and boring next time. No one was hurt other than the assailant, recovering in a local hospital and poised to face charges on Monday and the one security officer sustained light injuries. This political violence comes after there has been rumblings in the MAGAsphere doubting the authenticity of the assassination attempt on Trump during his 2024 campaign, with some suggesting the grazing of the candidate’s ear was staged. The White House Correspondents’ Association, which sponsors the gala dinner, was formed by members of the press pool in 1914 in response to rumours that the administration of Woodrow Wilson, possibly without basis, was highly selective about choosing which journalists could attend press conferences and only entertained non-critical, soft-ball questions.

day fifty-six (13. 378)

Unprompted, Trump pledges not to use atomic weapons in Iran to end the war with no resolution in sight, unable to resume negotiations, whilst directing Israel to extend the ceasefire in Lebanon another three weeks to his indefinite but tenuous truce with Tehran, despite constant near breaches with the Revolutionary Guards taking tankers and the administration threatening to attack mobile gunboats “Caribbean style,” referring to the deadly attacks on supposed drug-runners off the Venezuelan coast. Trump clarified that the leadership shakeup in the navy was over the dismissed head of operations reluctance to revive domestic ship-building coinciding with the assessment it would take half a year to conduct mine-sweeping in the Strait of Hormuz to widen narrow safe corridor through the waterway. US secretary of state announced that America has no objections to the Iranian national team participating in the upcoming World Cup this summer. Global stock markets tumbled as hope for relief and stability evaporates. 

 

synchronoptica

one year ago: a classic from Del Shannon (with synchronopticæ) plus Goethe was here

 

thirteen years ago: the Wiesbadener Programme 

 

fourteen years ago: sustaining the hope of the Arab Spring 

 

sixteen years ago: exonyms and endonyms 

day fifty-two (13. 368)

The confusion and chaos of yesterday’s developments surely merited an addendum as well, but it was very hard to keep up or know what might happen next.  Following confusion on who might lead the US delegation in Pakistan, first saying that the vice president would not attend due to the short notice and security protocols of the Secret Service, it turns out that the same tired and ineffectual cast of Vance, Kushner and Witkoff are travelling back to Islamabad for peace talks on Monday, the Iranian foreign ministry announced that it would not participate in negotiations with the US over the American naval blockade of the country’s ports, calling the collective punishment a violation of the ceasefire and tantamount to a war crime and would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until a peace deal is reached. Escalating tensions further, US marines incepted and boarded the M/V Touska that tried to run the cordon. Despite the uncertainty of talks, cargo planes have landed in Pakistan to prepare for the arrival of delegates, which Tehran fears might be cover for a sneak attack.  Oil prices and other other commodities have surged. The death toll of joint Israeli and American airstrikes pass five thousand with neighbours in Beirut’s southern suburbs being demolished by bulldozers.   Despite clearing stating he did not wish to debate Donald Trump on the merits of just wars and wars of choice and further distract from his pastoral tour of Africa, JD Vance, a recent Catholic convert, still thought it necessary to lecture the Pope on religion, in keeping with his berating of US allies during the Munich Security Conference and every time he feels the opportunity presents itself.  Secretary of war, Pete Hegseth, amid shoehorning piety and holy wrath into military manoeuvrers, has labelled the dissenting press as Pharisees for being critical of their claims and questioning their lauded victories.

synchronoptica

one year ago: a return visit to the Hubertusburg (with synchronopticæ) 

thirteen years ago: chess derived vocabulary plus Berlin’s East Side Gallery under threat

fourteen years ago: German-American relations plus a salvaged garden 

fifteen years ago: calculating Easter 

sixteen years ago: travel disrupted due to an Icelandic volcanic eruption 

 

dire straits (13. 361)

The Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, in response to the ceasefire brokered for Lebanon, has announced that the Strait of Hormuz will be unconditionally opened for commercial shipping for the duration of the cessation of hostilities, a key point in Tehran’s list of demands. In response and trying to flatten and take ownership of the narrative, Trump dispatched a celebratory series of seemingly detached missives that read as if from some mirror universe wire-services, simplifying the yet tenuous and unresolved situation, offering thanks and demands that the rest of the world acknowledge this gratitude and tribute, stating that Iran promises to never block the waterway again, that the US had prohibited Israel from bombing Beirut, that Iran will surrender its supplies of enriched uranium (“nuclear dust”) to the US, sanctions will remain in place and Iranian funds will continue to be frozen, and America will maintain its blockade of Iranian ports until a peace deal is finalised—claims all (except the last) unverified with the Revolutionary Guard still requiring clearance, escort and Netanyahu insisting that it has not yet finished operations against Hezbollah, throwing shade at and reifying the concept of the fog of war.

i’m gerald ford…and you’re not (13. 358)

 

Invited by Al Franken, former NBC war-correspondent and nightly news anchor White House press secretary Ron Nessen became the first political figure to host SNL (then called “NBC’s Saturday Night”) on this day in 1976, with Gerald Ford declining the offer in the midst of an election campaign.  Nessen had replaced Ford’s first spokesperson after Jerald terHorst resigned less than a month into the administration in protest after Ford’s pardon of his predecessor Richard Nixon. And while Ford did not appear on stage, the president did take part in three pre-recorded segments and and introduced the show with the tagline,“Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!” and responded to the above running jokes of Chevy Chase’s portrayal of him. The musical guest was Patti Smith.

 

synchronoptica

one year ago: the first public exhibition of a giant squid (with synchronopticæ) plus international plug and socket standards

 

thirteen years ago: a mysterious Iranian factory in Germany 

day forty-four (13. 342)

After twenty-one hours of intense negotiations, Vance and his delegation left Islamabad to return to the United States with no deal following direct three-party talks. From the sidelines, Israel reiterates its commitment to fight Iran and its proxies on all fronts as the death toll in Lebanon exceeds two thousand. For its part, Iran is willing to uphold the ceasefire but is under no pressure to rush a permanent peace.  Citing in part safety concerns for maritime vessels as the military lost oversight of all the sea mines laid in the vital waterway during the first days of the war and only knows for sure that a narrow corridor allows for secure passage, thus the trickle of ships allowed through, the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed.Lashing out against the fake news media for suggesting that the US is not winning or that Iran retains any leverage—before finally announcing as he attended a wrestling match in Miami he does not care if a deal is reached, Trump claims that American warships have entered the strait to conduct mine-sweeping operations, a development that Iran denies and cannot be independently verified. The White House maintains that there Trump card is a naval blockade, which seems to be what is already in place from the Iranian side, and Pope Leo, after being threatened by the administration for his pacifist stance has become a very staunch critic of the war, decrying the “delusion of omnipotence.” A case study in the Streisand Effect as the distraction from the Epstein files seemed to be working with the public attention focused on more immediate matters, first lady Melania Trump testified before congress that she was not Jeffrey Epstein’s friend and the disgraced financier and rapist had not in fact been her pimp, introducing her to her present husband and to please leave her out of this—please and thank you. Maybe Netanyahu has had the kompromat along.

 

synchronoptica

one year ago: Trump’s tariff war escalates (with synchronopticæ) plus binding spells to settle accounts for the departed

 

fourteen years ago: another Bulli called Lady

 

fifteen years ago: the Nuremberg Chronicle plus historic precedent in Libya

8x8 (13. 334)

queen bee: the fascinating life-cycle of bumblebee matriarchs includes the ability to breath underwater  

zweeeeëg: dizygotic, fraternal words and other Danish and Luxembourgish orthography, including vanilleijs  

pork johnson: the spoof trailer for the feature film on Gimp, the Photoshop alternative, starring a puppet warthog and reminiscent of Social Network  

ranger danger: the Trump administration eviscerates the US forest service, see previously—via Kottke  

byline: World Press photos of the year  

₿: the investigator who unmasked the creator of the cryptocurrency—see previously  

to wit: the lost intimacy and nuance of extinct Old English pronouns  

regina apoidea: the brilliant physical acting of Joan Crawford presented as slap-fest

addenda (13. 333)

The Orange Menace actually articulated his interest in a profit sharing scheme for the transit fees that Iran is securing for the Strait of Hormuz (which was free for all ships prior to the war) as the “ayatollah booth.” Jesus wept. The waterway is almost immediately closed in retaliation for Israel’s relentless attacks on southern Lebanon in breach of the ceasefire agreement, having displaced a million residents from Beirut and surroundings and having killed over three-hundred civilians in its latest wave of air raids. US president Trump leaves his standing army in the region, threatening in a social media post that should Tehran fail to fully comply with the terms of the truce, “—if for any reason it is not, which is highly unlikely, then the “Shootin’ Starts,” bigger and better and stronger than anyone has ever seen before. It was agreed, a long time ago, and despite all of the fake rhetoric to the contrary - NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS and, the Strait of Hormuz WILL BE OPEN & SAFE. In the meantime our great Military is Loading Up and Resting, looking forward, actually, to its next Conquest. AMERICA IS BACK!” Whilst grateful for the fragile peace, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez spoke out against Netanyahu and IDF efforts to expand its “buffer zone” and of Trump, he refuses to “applaud those who set the world on fire and they then show up with a bucket.” Described only as frank, Trump held a private discussion with NATO secretary general Mark Rutte to air his frustrations with the alliance—no details were given other than Trump has circled back to his preoccupation with Greenland, calling the Danish territory a poorly managed piece of ice.

day thirty-nine (13. 325)

Though loath to give regular updates to the press outside of social media posts and interviews with softball outlets, Trump and Hegseth held a second briefing since the war began with twenty-four hours to go until his ultimatum for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, seemingly unbothered about the consequences for the Middle East and broader worldwide economy to include potential for war crimes for wanton destruction of civilian infrastructure—dismissing the notion with whataboutism and saying having a nuclear weapon is a war-crime. Israeli Defence Forces are warning Iranians to avoid train travel, not waiting for Tuesday’s cut-off. Trump also used the occasion to reiterate his displeasure with NATO and allies in the Far East for their lack of help. Tehran rejected an earlier proffered forty-five day ceasefire, saying it wants a permanent resolution and guarantees that it won’t be attacked again, plus a withdrawal from Lebanon. The UN will revisit a modified proposal to patrol the vital waterway, short of military intervention. Alone in Iraq after other peacekeeping forces left, a dozen US soldiers are injured in an attack on a forward operating base in Erbil.

synchronoptica

one year ago: a 1933 law to restore the professional civil service (with synchronopticæ) plus Trump checked by investor uncertainty

thirteen years ago: honouring the service of small, disposable things, barge-camping plus East German electronic keyboards

fifteen years ago: more on Germany’s Energiewende 

sixteen years ago: concerns over CERN coming online 

seventeen years ago: Sarah Palin given another platform 

 

the soiling of old glory (13. 321)

The Pulitzer prize winning image, captured on this day in 1976 by Boston Herald photographer Stanley Forman, who was the only recipient to be awarded the honour consecutively also for his Fire Escape Collapse, depicts a violent assault during the Massachusetts capital’s desegregation crisis of public schools. From a series of protests and counterdemonstrations in front of city hall, the image depicts professor, defence attorney and civil rights activist Ted Landsmark being attacked by a teenager named Joseph Rakes with a swinging flagpole as opposed to a joust from the angle of the photograph. Rakes was convicted for assault with a deadly weapon and carries the stigma of being known as “the flag kid,” and Landsmark, narrowly avoiding being seriously injured parlayed the incident, the scene widely publicised, to highlight racial tensions in the region and was later hired by the mayor to improve outreach and workforce development opportunities.

synchronoptica

one year ago: First Contact (with synchronopticæ) plus a font based on the typeface on the almighty dollar

twelve years ago: Emoji Nation, recent additions to the French lexicon, little big world plus an aerial archaeological survey of German landscapes

thirteen years ago: miniature dioramas 

fourteen years ago: cyber security 

sixteen years ago: enhanced pat-downs 

day thirty-six (13. 320)

Permanent members of the UN security council France, Russian and China have rejected the Bahraini proposal for military intervention to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as some ships are granted safe passage, including Japanese and French flagged vessels—unclear what negotiations are taking place. Tehran rejects a US request for a forty-eight hour Easter armistice as a rescue mission is underway for the pilot of a crashed advanced F-35 E fighter jet that originated from RAF Lakenheath brought down in Iranian territory by a missile. Following a massive joint US-Israeli airstrike on the campus of Iran‘s premier university, Trump reminds that time is running out on his extended ultimatum, promising that unless shipping lanes are restored ”all hell will rain down on them—glory be to God!“

synchronoptica

one year ago: music from the Meat Department collective (with synchronopticæ), assorted links worth the revisit plus an appreciation of Bob Fosse

thirteen years ago: camouflage for facial identification 

fourteen years ago: taxation treaties plus a solution for the eurozone currency crisis

fifteen years ago: the toll of unemployment 

moot court (13. 314)

The first for a sitting US president, Trump will attend oral arguments as the supreme court holds a hearing on a lower court ruling that struck down his executive order limiting birthright citizenship (see previously here and here). The appeal, if upheld and overruling the earlier verdict, will upend the established view that under the fourteenth amendment to the constitution, all individuals are conferred US citizenship regardless of the status of their parents whom are born on US soil. Though unclear whether his attendance will intimidate the justices and put a thumb on the scales but we can presume to know what Trump’s objective is. Previously, the president had entertained attending a hearing which ultimately ruled his reciprocal tariff scheme illegal but decided against it, saying it would be a distraction. The case on today’s docket won’t be decided likely until the early summer but this preliminary session will shape the trajectory of the arguments. Much more at the links above.

day twenty-two

Very much on brand with garbage modus operandii, Trump announces that he is considering ”winding down“ war with Iran after having destroyed world order, despoiling the climate further and severely disrupted the global economy, having accomplished nothing positive. One good that may come out of all this, aside from the realignment eschewing American dominance and trust may be that the international community is finally pushed away from petroleum once and for all and embraces in earnest green energy.

The US administration signls drawdown as more troops and battleships head to the Middle East, possibly in support of a publicised bit of war-gaming to capture and occupy Iran’s Kharg Island and/or undertake an even more daunting task of confiscating Iran‘s remaining stocks of enriched uranium. Regardless of what America does, Iran does not seemed poised to let go of its greatest bit of leverage--even more important than the vital water route--in simply refusing to surrender as it continues to target US outposts, host nations and collaborators, firing missiles as far away as Diego Garcia and threatening terror attacks on tourist destinations worldwide.

synchronoptica

one year ago: the physics of pasta (with synchronopticæ), Musk to brief Pentagon on China, assorted links worth revisiting, tv feeds from all over the world plus a supposed secret offer for the US to join the Commonwealth

twelve years ago: the West threatens to sanction Russian oil 

thirteen years ago: off-world prospecting 

fourteen years ago: radio silence plus no pie for you

drôle de guerre (13. 277)

Though punctuated with sanctions on Nazi Germany and naval blockades, the eight-month period from the invasion of Poland up until the evacuation Dunkirk was referred to the title (en française) by the press or the Phoney War (also Sitzkrieg auf deutsch—earlier in British papers as the “Bore War” though the Americanism came to be preferred so as not to confuse with the Boer War barely a generation removed) for its notable lack of military action on the part of the Allied forces in response, despite extensive war-gaming and drawing up battle plans that became obsolete as Germany continued its expansion with the invasion of France and the Low Countries and the Soviets attacked Finland, hoping that negotiations would lead to peace and appeasement. Allegiances strained and uncoordinated in the current situation prosecuted by US and Israeli forces against Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon, the reluctance of America’s allies to materially support an offensive campaign peddled in no way to the Gulf states nor partners is understandable and even advisable—given that the foreign policy catastrophe came at a substantive juncture of negotiations between the US and Iran in Geneva and a nuclear deal seemed within reach, talks progressing in the final stages that could have averted conflict that was by no means imminent or inevitable. Whether coerced or bored deal-making, Trump chose violence with global repercussions with no clear off-ramp, as a consequence that was far from unpredictable the world is stymied between TACO and the strategic deficit captured by eighteenth century Prussian military theorist Karl von Clausewitz’ adage that the adversary gets to vote, objectives however poorly defined unmatched by defiance resistant to might.

day twenty (13. 276)

Following an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian south natural gas field, Tehran retaliated with more attacks on energy infrastructure in neighbouring Gulf states including Kuwait and Qatar—prompting Trump to threaten to “massively blow up” the rest of the damaged reservoir. Whilst the US administration denies any foreknowledge of the Israeli plan, sources tell the press it was coordinated and approved by Trump as leverage to re-open the Strait of Hormuz, which when the fighting pauses, Iran proposes a transit fee, like for the Panama Canal. Saudi Arabia is contemplating a military response to the constant volley of missiles and drones on its territory. Fuel prices continue to climb, jumping by as much as forty percent in Europe.

synchronoptica

one year ago: the MAGA aesthetic (with synchronopticæ), Sweet Georgia Brown (1925) plus assorted links worth the revisit

twelve years ago: conspiratorial thinking 

thirteen years ago: springtime rituals plus debating de-extinction

fourteen years ago: more on sovereign defaults 

seventeen years ago: Malagasy names 

day sixteen (13. 267)

Rebuffing calls from allied Gulf states under attack for their hosting of American assets (materiel and business interests declared legitimate targets and intimating that some strikes are being carried out covertly by US and Israeli aggressors) for ceasefire negotiations, Trump rejects talks outright saying that Iran is demanding too much and expresses surprise that the conflict spread, insisting again he has decimated the oil export hub of Kharg Island and may destroy more facilities for target practise. US federal communications commission chair has accused media outlets of putting out fake news and hoaxes regarding the special operation and threatens to take away their broadcasting licenses unless they correct course. Separately, the Pentagon announces a major overhaul for the journalistically independent military newspaper Stars and Stripes, labelling it a “woke distraction.”People are being arrested for posting images of war damage in the Emirates and elsewhere. Formula One grand prix scheduled for Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in April have been cancelled as the Iraqi national team prepares to travel to Mexico for play-offs for the upcoming World Cup, FIFA ignoring overtures to call off the North American venue. The Iranian national women’s soccer team withdraw their applications for asylum in Australia and plan to return home. The supplies of anti-ballistic missile interceptors continue to dwindle. Ukraine says Russia is replenishing drones. Switzerland denies request by the US for fly-over rights. Over eight hundred civilians have been killed in Lebanon by Israeli bombardment.

synchronopticon

one year ago: assorted links to revisit (with synchronopticæ), the four pillars of consumer rights plus veto through inaction

twelve years ago: everyday objects rendered useless 

fourteen years ago: impressions from Prague plus UAVs in warfare

fifteen years ago: buried news and hidden connections 

 

they’ve been killing innocent people all over the world for forty-seven years—and now, i, as the forty-seventh president of the united states of america am killing them (13. 263)

Speaking earlier with Fox News, Trump referenced the 1979 Iranian revolution without mention of the US undermining efforts towards democratic reform and echoed previous ambitions announced a few days prior of “hitting the country very hard” and to “watch what happens to these scumbags.”

During a wide-ranging and cringe-inducing press conference, US secretary of war Pete Hegseth, among other topics—including remarks that the press was not delivering good headlines for this special operation and that David Ellison couldn’t take over CNN soon enough, War Widening should be Iran Shirking, Iran Going Underground—questioned Mojtaba Khamenei’s ability to govern, given his public absence since being appointed the Supreme Leader, saying without evidence that the ayatollah’s son was likely wounded and disfigured in the same air attack that took out the family compound. On this day of al-Quds march ( روز جهانی قدس , Jerusalem Day)—observed annually on the last Friday of Ramadan in support of Palestinian statehood, president Masoud Pezeshkian, took part in seeming defiance in response to Hegseth’s comments that all leadership was in hiding, whilst Israel announced funded for militias in eastern Gaza to oust Hamas through clandestine raids and abductions deep within the beleaguered territory and UN secretary general Antonio Guterres travelled to Beirut in solidarity, calling on Israel and Hezbollah to halt the fighting that has engulfed the country in violence without respect to the sovereignty of the populace.

day fourteen (13. 260)

The US has temporarily waved sanctions for Russian crude and for oil in tankers stranded at sea, unable to pass through the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, reiterating the plan to provide naval escorts. Meanwhile oil producing states in the region are contemplating pausing production with limited land-storage capacity and no ships to fill, with the process of restarting drilling not as simple as turning the spigot back on. İncirlik NATO airbase came under fire and is in lockdown and smoke billows over the financial centre of Dubai. A US refuelling plane was downed in Iraqi airspace and a rescue operation for the five crew members is underway, whilst there are also discussions to move anti-missile systems, running in short supply, from South Korea to the Middle East to protect American assets. Preliminary investigations into the bombing of a girls’ school in Minhab puts the blame on American misfiring and faulty intelligence. Historical Safavid-era buildings of the Ali Qapu and Rashk palaces in Isfahan province were destroyed by joint US and Israeli airstrikes as devastating assaults continue in Beirut.

synchronoptica

one year ago: spiritual boxes (with synchronopticæ) plus vintage Czech record sleeves

thirteen years ago: fiscal planning 

fourteen years ago: help for Japan in the Fukushima aftermath 

seventeen years ago: pot o’ gold 

 

8x8 (13. 255)

should make you think: the Ig Noble commitee and ceremony (see previously) moves to Zürich permanently out of fear for its international laureates coming to the US  

multisource authentication: the madding task of logging on to any platform, ostensibly for security reasons, also is unpaid labour to train AI  

ʰ-bomb: a typographical mystery surrounding one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most celebrated sacred spaces—via MetaFilter  

asterisms: learn about the night sky by creating one’s own constellations with Neal Agarwal (previously)  

saint-michel d’aiguihe: the chapel of St Michael of the Needle built atop a volcanic plug and has a secret reliquary—via Miss Cellania    

diacritics: kernels, ʻokinas and curly quotes 

short imagined monologues: the void would very much like you to stop screaming into it—see also  

rebel alliance: Minnesota’s badge of resistance to ICE terror