gobierno militar estadounidense (13. 451)

With the formal withdrawal of the caretaker military government of the United States on this day in 1902 and the constitution, in part dictated and amended with several riders and preconditions, drawn up the previous year, the Republic of Cuba declared its independence with Tomás Estrada Palma, formerly the leader of the revolutionary junta of La República de Cuba en Armas that fought to free itself from Spanish rule prior to the invention of William McKinley’s Spanish-American war, with the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana harbour a catalyst for the conflict—blamed on Spanish loyalists but likely upon reexamination due to a boiler accident—which resulted in the annexation of Cuba and the Philippines, taking office as the first president. Before the constitution was enacted, the Platt amendment was incorporated, with seven articles primarily stipulating that Cuba would lease America land for naval stations and coal mining activities, not allow any other foreign powers the same privileges, and for the US to intervene unilaterally in domestic affairs of the island in order to protect business interests and the expatriate population, though the limits of this intervention were never defined, in exchange for the departure of US troops and ensuring that the segregationist policies of the occupation would be lifted. Two years into his second term in 1906, Estrada Palma and his cabinet resigned without appointing a successor, allowing the US to retake control as an occupying force under the arrangement of the Platt amendment lasting until 1909 when a government sympathetic to American sensibilities could be installed.

11x11 (13. 450)

o’dark ocho: an interesting linguistic coincidence  

wildlife gusher: a mysterious structure found in the middle of nowhere—click through to read some delightful and illuminating explanations, via Miss Cellania  

thomas jerome newton: a rereading of the novel The Man Who Fell to Earth in preparation for a rewatch of the David Bowie film  

富くじ: Present /&/ Correct’s collection of Mid-Century Japanese lottery tickets—see also 

spook hotel: the de facto capitol of US administered Venezuela  

kleptocracy: Trump drops his ten billion dollar lawsuit agains his internal revenue service and department of commerce in exchange for a two billion dollar slush fund to award loyalists and exempt himself and associates from future tax audits—via Kottke  

œnology methodology: the study and enjoyment of wine—see previously  

special envoy: Trump sends governor of Louisiana to Greenland to make “friends”  

night nurse: the forgotten author Dora Macy behind the Barbara Stanwyck classic  

public health emergency of international concern: World Health Organisation declares west Africa outbreak of ebola viral haemorrhage fever highly dangerous with the US CDC still not allowed to communicate with the UN body  

cowcumbers: the courgette was previously called so as they were only considered fit for bovines

radio bubble (13. 449)

Via tmn, we enjoyed contemplating how much we’ve contributed to the cosmic conversation with the ever expanding shell of signals, every form of broadcast communication that has escaped the ionosphere and into the void of space. Though only a few missives were intentional and the vast scale of galaxy means that despite the impressive sounding volume of the bubble, two-hundred and forty light years across (the radius cubed of radio history multiplied by π times four-thirds, dating back to Marconi’s experiments at the turn of the last century, beamed out at the speed of light) only covers a vanishing small fraction of our own galactic local neighbourhood, still the silence (see above) is humbling and lonely. Our vision far outpaces our voice.  More from the Scientific Drop at the link above.

day eighty-one (13. 448)

With the White House press secretary on maternity leave, the last couple of press conferences have been hosted by secretary of state Rubio and the latest by US vice president, both contenders as Trump’s successor—the president being coy about whom he’ll endorse or anoint—and Vance addressed journalists about the state of the war, reiterating that Tehran’s relinquishment of its atomic ambitions is the core condition of negotiations to achieve a lasting peace—with all other details up for debate. Certainly if Iran was not already seeking to establish a nuclear deterrent, the joint US-Israeli war of aggression persuaded them such counter-measures are worth pursuing, the vice president saying that any leniency would set off a regional arms race and that the US is ready to restart its military campaign should further talks fail with a weekend deadline to come to terms. Supposedly deferring to other gulf states in waivering the resumption of strikes increasing looks like an offramp as the conflict approaches its third month. NATO command says that a potential mission in the Strait of Hormuz would be a political decision on the part of alliance members follow a meeting of G7 finance ministers urging action.  Putin meets with Xi in a mirror image of Trump’s visit.

synchronoptica

one year ago: assorted links to enjoy (with synchronopticæ) 

twelve years ago: honey-traps plus quantitative easing

thirteen years ago: preparing for a return trip to Switzerland plus top toponymy 

fourteen years ago: castle ruins as a conference venue plus shadow social networks

fifteen years ago: German jobs report 

pushball (13. 447)

Via MetaFilter, we are introduced to the sporting craze emerging in the 1890s with a father of three Harvard football players, having attended many matches over the years, observing that “if the all were only made large—yes, large enough so that a player on one side could not see who was on the other, you would then have a chance to interest spectators in watching the whole game and in so introducing merriment, as well as skill.” After the rules were codified and kit and equipment made according to specific measures, amateur and collegiate leagues were formed in New England and England and tournaments were held on existing pitches. Though not enduring through world wars, the game has seen a continuity in Europe on horseback as hoofball with the occasional non-equestrian interest.

the navy vs the night monsters (13. 446)

Produced by Jack Broder and Roger Corman (see previously here and here and here) and starring Mamie Van Doren, Billy Gray and Anthony Eisley, the B-movie on the trailing end of a spate of films about botanical beasts premiered in theatres on this day in 1966. The plot involves an expedition returning from the Antarctic with samples of ancient flora, stopping off a remote US navy weather station in the South Pacific for refuelling—the thawing cargo awakens as nocturnal, motile trees that decimate the crew of the station.spewing acid on their victims. Once communications to the outside world is reestablished, the handful of survivors are rescued when napalm is dropped on the island. Whilst not faring well with contemporary audience nor upon reevaluation, not amounting to anything like a cult classic, cast and crew in part were persuaded to take part in the project on the credentials of the author of the sci-fi novel that the movie was based on—albeit it loosely and considerably padded post-production to get it to ninety-minutes in length—and almost quit en masse upon learning the title and that the US military would be the calvary. Adapted from the 1959 The Monster at the Earth’s End by prolific writer Murray Leinster, reviving the trope of what’s frozen at the South Pole is best left frozen there, Leinster’s catalogue of plot devices and imagination mark the first instance of the use, with enduring influence, of several standards of the genre: first contact (over which the writer’s estate tried to sue Star Trek), universal translators, parallel universes and timelines, a networked computer that would provide a media for communication, commerce and entertainment—the terminal called a logic and servers called tanks—orbiting space stations, tractor beams, terraforming, panspermia as well as the television series Time Tunnel and Land of the Giants.

day eighty (13. 445)

Despite the lack of a clear breakthrough in negotiations, Trump claims he has told an alliance of gulf states to delay a sneak attack that was supposed to be launched against Iran Tuesday morning following Tehran’s new proposal to end the war, allowing time for further talks. Both the belayed orders (at their behest) and word of progress seem to take all parties by surprise. The US Treasury Department reversed its earlier decision and extended the sanctions waiver for Russian oil at sea. Tensions between Iran and the UAE rise as it brings its damaged nuclear reactor back online.

synchronoptica

one year ago: Press Your Luck (with synchronopticæ) plus historical crippling tariffs

twelve years ago: roadside minions, the resiliency and fragility of the mind plus censorious social networks

thirteen years ago: the son of Hibachi plus a visit to Hofheim

fourteen years ago: public art 

fifteen years ago: the illusion of time 

sixteen years ago: returning from Alsace 

giving me everything inside and out (13. 444)

As our faithful chronicler reminds, the Simple Minds’ song reached the top of the US Billboard charts on this day in 1985. Commissioned specifically for The Breakfast Club, the track written and arranged by record producer Keith Forsey, previously percussionist for Udo Lindenberg, several Italo-Pop pioneers, Boney M, Blondie and Giorgio Moroder, the Scottish group at first rejected the power ballad, preferring to play their own material and expressing no interest in the teen movie but eventually relented. Inspired by the preview of a scene in which a high school bully and an introvert bond with no one else watching, Forsey intended the number to serve as a reminder for their commonality and not forget it in the schoolyard. The placeholder lyrics (see also) of na-la-la-la made the final cut, and the 1980s anthem became a breakout hit for the band.