In this week’s edition of #histbookchat and #photofriday, two books by Mary Helen Spooner addressing my recently-developed interest in how authoritarian states restore democratic institutions and norms (no idea why this topic interests me recently 🤔🤷‍♂️) Open to other recommendations on this theme

When I go home people'll ask me, "Hey Charlie Brown, why do you do it man? What, you some kinda war junkie?" You know what I'll say? I won't say a goddamn word.

I’ve had a few things going on in the last month or so which have led me to neglect #histbookchat and #photofriday. Now I’m back, I’ve just started a history of a relatively obscure British Empire unit - the Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery - which hasn’t had a lot written about it. 1/2

Here’s a couple of immediate contenders by @wesleymorgan.bsky.social and Simon Akam (I don’t think he’s on BlueSky?)

How about squalid little wars at the edge/end of empire, but Star Wars? ZULU, but Star Wars THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS, but Star Wars APOCALYPSE NOW, but Star Wars

Wordle 1,603 2/6 🟨⬜⬜🟨⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 I don’t think this is ever going to happen again

The security camera system at home had a software update today. Now, when one of the neighbourhood kids runs onto my driveway I get an alert that implies the PLA are dropping an airborne brigade into Papua New Guinea.

Back to Albert Camus again for this week’s #histbookchat and #photofriday.

Not thinking highly of the median US voter was helpful in completing this survey

This is a thought-provoking read

Making slow progress with Eric Tagliacozzo’s “In Asian Waters” for this week’s #histbookchat and #photofriday. (I’ve had a few other things going on in the last week or so to distract me)

I can accept an argument that Gore would have responded to 9/11 more thoughtfully (and would almost certainly not gone into Iraq), but the idea that Gore would have magically prevented 9/11 just be ‘being better’ seems a bit like fanciful thinking to me 1/2

Stop scrolling and post two characters who bring you happiness (if you feel like). (I do feel a little bit guilty not having Bernard in here as well)

There’s a great thesis waiting to be written that compares the respective recruiting pools and recruiting methods for ICE and for the Russian army today.

Amongst other things, I used to teach artillery safety procedures at our School of Artillery (a long time ago now) and commanded a couple of artillery batteries. This is not what you would call a good day at the office or “just a routine cost of doing business” for an artillery unit .

In the space of 72 hours late last week I had all-nighters in two separate hospital emergency departments for two separate family members (one involving some pretty serious surgery). I’m not exactly full of energy and enthusiasm for the working week this Monday morning.

Big shout out to all those Americans who took part in or supported #NoKings today. Take your country back from Trump and his assorted tin-pot fascists and thugs.

If you are following me you probably don’t need to be told what sort of person Trump is, what he values, or the sort of people he likes. But if you had been living in complete isolation from the news for the last ten years or so, then maybe this could be revealing.

Revisiting Tony Judt’s “The Burden of Responsibility: Blum, Camus, Aron and the French Twentieth Century” for this week’s #histbookchat and #photofriday. The experience and legacy of centrists who ran real risks and demonstrated courage in the face of authoritarianism seems relevant today, maybe?

Everyone assumes that Crouchback is Evelyn Waugh’s surrogate character in Waugh’s “Sword of Honour” trilogy, but it’s really Apthorpe in “Men of Arms”, then Ludovic in “Officers and Gentlemen” and “Unconditional Surrender”

I spent some time on planes this week, so I got to read two entries for #histbookchat and #photofriday - “The Dawn of Everything - A New History of Humanity” by David Graeber and David Wengrow, and “British Infantry Battalion Commanders in the First World War” by Peter E Hodgkinson

Age yourself with a film you saw in the cinema as a kid

When people were shooting back and I would have had to go to boot camp first and submit to some actual discipline l? Oh, no, I couldn’t serve THEN. But now I can *serve* by terrorising unarmed women and kids with funny-sounding names and I get to cosplay as an operator? Count me in!

Pretty happy with this Grand Final result, especially that a couple of blokes who missed last year’s Grand Final got to play in a winning Grand Final side.

“As it turns out, you can’t sell your soul to Trump and keep your spine; they’re a package deal.”

This week’s entry for #histbookchat and #photofriday is “Shattered Lands” - quite a readable popular history (by William Dalrymple’s son, Sam) of the winding down of the Raj and subsequent events through to Bangladesh’s independence in 1971 1/2

Share your favorite black and white movie The Battle of Algiers (1966)

technologically advance a band Midnight Solar

@sjshancoxli.liberalcurrents.com - thanks for bringing this bit of brilliance to my attention

In some good news, the Brisbane Lions are playing in the AFL Grand Final next week. And even better, Collingwood isn’t.

Sicario and the sequel are both examples where two sequences brilliantly capture the tension and uncertainty of “is this actually going to pop off? Is today the day the guy in the Ranger with the 240 does a green-on-blue?” ..and once the shooting starts it’s all cartoon SF-operator violence.

Trying to explain a whole lot of currently newsworthy concepts like ‘groypers’, ‘antifa’, and ‘doxxing’ to my not-very-online wife, and I must sound like a complete idiot to a normal non-online person.

Makes me think of 1930s Japanese battleships

Father’s Day haul

Many people have been saying

Two books for this week’s #histbookchat and #photofriday - Tarak Barkawi’s “Soldiers of Empire” and Mark Levinson’s “The Box” 1/3

My wild card guess is that he announces Vance is stepping down and that he is going to appoint Ivanka as VP.

Seven Trashcans of Wisdom The Accidental Litterer : Doing small police calls in the midst of a big one

gosh, why would Trump focus on her

Meanwhile, Australian policy, defence and security professionals looking at our closest ally:

Bolton’s home raided, Gen. Kruse fired, Epstein coverup proceeds, seizure of 10% of Intel another step towards state capitalism. Just one day in the somewhat chaotic but directionally purposeful march towards…despotism. Does anyone think they’re doing all this so they can hand over power in 2028?

I would watch the hell out of this

A fantastic find by @fff182.bsky.social - my Dad was posted to Woomera in the late 1950s with the RAAF, and I spent a few weeks there on exercise in the mid 1990s. It was probably bigger and more vibrant when my dad was there.

It’s Vietnam Veterans Day and the anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan in 1966, a big day for a couple of units I served wth over the years: 1. 1 Regt RAA, where I served twice (including as BC of 105 Bty) 2. 6 RAR, who I deployed to Timor Leste with 3. Long Tan Coy, RMC, where I was a cadet

Post a character whose downfall would have proceeded identically if you were in their shoes.

Quote this with a book you read way too young that explains why you are the way you are.

At the Gabba - Brisbane 🦁 vs Sydney 🦢

Another successful (inexpensive) impulse purchase is this week’s #histbookchat and #photofriday. Steve Brown’s “Fit to Command” describes how British Army regimental leaders were selected, what was expected of COs and other key officers, and how they performed. 1/2

This whole thread by @mtmcgurk.bsky.social is worthy of a read, but this is a particularly valuable observation. If we go into LSCO in the Indo-Pacific we will quite likely be doing a lot of retrograde operations from the get-go - but how much do we train for that?