perfect for roquefort cheese

Wednesday, 3 June 2026

day ninety-five (13. 483)

In retaliation for American strikes on an oil tanker denied access to Iranian ports for refueling and attacks on Qeshm island, Tehran targeted US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain—the scale of damage done to military installations in the region vastly underreported with some twenty sites affected—countermeasures were not able to prevent a drone attack on Kuwait’s international airport, resulting in one fatality and injuring dozens. The exchange of fire comes amid stalled peace talks to extend the ceasefire, which already seems to be a lost cause as the Revolutionary Guard announces suspension of further negotiations, unwilling to engage in dialogue under duress. Trump maintains a deal will be made and everyone should sit back and relax. The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah seems equally strained with more deadly skirmishes at the border with Netanyahu downplaying Trump’s dissatisfaction with IDF breaches, and Ukrainian drones hit St Petersburg as Putin opens an economic forum to attract foreign investment as the new Middle East. The faltering administration, stung by assessments from congress that Trump will settle for less from Iran than Obama achieved, meanwhile announces that the US president will attend the upcoming NATO summit in person as some items need to be cleared up amongst allies.

portu ii (13. 482)

synchronoptica

one year ago: Gideon v Wainwright (with synchronopticæ), the Carpenters in space (1978) plus Star Trek: TOS’ disappointing final episode

fourteen years ago: more EU budgetary shortfalls plus Mid-Century Modern textile patterns

fifteen years ago: public-facing websites

sixteen years ago: social media and SharePoint

seventeen years ago: eavesdropping

Tuesday, 2 June 2026

day ninety-four (13. 481)

Fighting rages between IDF and Hezbollah despite the ceasefire brokered by Trump. Again promising a deal by the end of the week with Iran, US secretary of state Marco Rubio reiterates that no sanctions against Tehran are on offer in exchange for opening the Strait of Hormuz, whilst the administration is couching its reparations package as a freedom fund in order to waylay criticism for the promised three hundred billion in damages.

mare e monti (13. 480)

in search of… (13. 479)

Polymath and multi-hyphanate, Dr Robert Harvey Rines, whom helped develop the Microwave Early Warning System in the Cold War after serving as an officer in the army signals corps, as trained a jurist for intellectual property, prolific inventor, librettist penning musicals about the life of HL Mencken (previously) among others, violin prodigy playing a duet with Albert Einstein at age eleven at a summer camp in Maine, and adjunct professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the last forty five years of his career, is probably best known for leading the American expedition, sponsored by the US Academy of Applied Sciences and the The New York Times, the quest for Nessie, the most thorough and comprehensive search for the Loch Ness Monster up to that time, that commenced on this day in 1976. Becoming obsessed with the mystery of a possible cryptid after a visit to the area four years, Rines launched a scientific safari provisioned with sophisticated sonar and photographic, many instruments of his own design, and whilst garnering a great deal of publicity for his efforts, including several intriguing but blurry photographs, after six months, the project was halted due to lack of hard evidence. This famous “gargoyle head” image was later discovered to be a rotting tree stump on the silty bottom of the loch, since located and put on display in the Nessie gallery at Drumnadrochit on the western shore. Rines for his part never stopped believing that there was more to the legend and kept up the exploration, albeit on a smaller scale, for the next decades.

synchronoptica

one year ago: automated purging of US government workers (with synchronopticæ) plus a Star Trek: TNG superfan

fourteen years ago: looking forward to our Norway holiday

fifteen years ago: Ascension Day

sixteen years ago: the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Monday, 1 June 2026

day ninety-three (13. 478)

Catching the US unaware, Tehran announces that Israeli incursions into Lebanon, representing a violation of the separate ceasefire, and suspends further peace talks. Per Trump’s agreement with Netanyahu, Israel will not send additional ground troops into Beirut though it appears that deployment against Hezbollah has already begun. Despite the armistice holding in name, America has targeted more Iranian radar stations whilst US bases in Kuwait remain under assault. Though there is no deal, Trump is seeking to make edits to the framework of a settlement.