@mercoglianos.bsky.social I am very sorry to say that I heard 'Bab-el Mandeb' several times today in conversation and not once did someone (other than me) say 'cheers'. In fact after the third time, I started to get dirty looks. What gives?? Cheers! 🍻

Holy fuck Tokyo, moon.

Can't believe it's been a year already. #PHG is my labor of love, and I couldn't be happier with it!

Next time you're in #Osaka, go off the beaten path and check out a small monument marking an important event: the first #IJN fleet review. @oldtokyo.bsky.social has postcards from the last fleet review, off Yokohama in 1940, on their website that are worth checking out as well! #PacificHistoryGuide

Builder's model of the dreadnought battleship HMS Hercules, on display at #IWMLondon. HMS Hercules fought in the 1916 Battle of Jutland. This model was badly damaged by German bombing during the Blitz in 1941, and was restored in time for the First World War centenary in 2014. #wartour

Oh this? Just my representative about to get booted from the House. Good times. www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...

The danger of whataboutisms are laid out starkly here by @rmcunliffe.bsky.social. Children anywhere should not have to fear for their safety; none of us should have to feel like there’s no way out of the cycle of violence. We can and must do better. magazine.newstatesman.com/2026/03/23/j...

Latest @newstatesman1913.bsky.social pod! @hannahbarnes.bsky.social and I chat about the great social media reckoning:

The results of the undersea mapping at the #TsushimaMaru wreck have been released, along with videos and some small relics from the site. There will be a special exhibition at the Tsushima Maru Memorial Hall in Okinawa. #PacificHistoryGuide #NavalHistory #対馬丸 news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/60e...

The man is Abe no Yasunari, an Onmyoji (exorcist). The fox is Tamamo-no-Mae. She is said to be a beautiful woman known as Daji in China, who is believed to have caused the downfall of the Yin dynasty.

The #Mets are on track for a 162-0 season. #Metssky

It's Opening Day, and the Mets' first lineup of the year is here. #LoveTheMets

And again, a stalked woman who had asked help from authorities got killed by her stalker, at work, right in middle of Ikebukuro’s sunshine city 🫠 www.asahi.com/sp/articles/...

OPENING DAY! LFGM! #Mets #Metssky youtu.be/yRIoum_DnKg?...

I would do any legal and several illegal things to go back in time and have five minutes at this table. I wouldn't even want to ask anything, just listen.

The U.S. and Israel must now achieve decisive gains to avoid a strategic loss, but Iran must simply endure, Nancy Youssef and Missy Ryan report.

In Tokyo this month, two citizen groups organized a protest where they called for the metropolitan government to take action on rapidly increasing rent prices. The move comes as rent for a single-bedroom dwelling hits its highest level ever. buff.ly/058lrC1

Can't thank you all enough! Really looking forward to year 2 of #PacificHistoryGuide

A ship from the 1281 Mongol invasion of Japan has been found in Imari Bay. www.yahoo.com/news/article... #shipwreck #maritimehistory #navalhistory

The Lost 52 Project has recently discovered 4 notable WWII shipwrecks including the Japanese merchantman Konzan Maru #NavalHistory

Netherlands, U.K., Australian Navies Ramping Up Maritime Drone Capabilities — USNI News news.usni.org/2026/03/25/n...

This is a good read, but doesn’t dig into the Taiwan issue deeply enough. Will the US really fight China over Taiwan? Do Americans consider this a priority? Do our allies in the region trust us to back them if and when things go kinetic? www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

Damn good read.

Want.

I heard an interesting podcast about the future of AI, and the comparing Chinese and American-developed AI, and which was likely to be the future. China's development is based on labor replacement. Farming. Cleaning. America's is based on service replacement. Acting. Art China is likely to win.

Iran Announces the Strait of Hormuz is Closed to the US & Israel | For Everyone Else, $2M Please! 1⃣Hormuz Update 2⃣Global Context of Persian Gulf Tankers 3⃣ Iran's Announcement on the Strait of Hormuz 4⃣How does this end? Video: youtu.be/o5dipK6o7Mo

Nara Governor, Makoto Yamashita, says his prefecture will not take in the deer spotted roaming central Osaka. While the deer may have come from Nara, once it has moved outside the protected area, it is legally just another wild animal. www.sankei.com/article/2026...

NEW: Iran is reportedly requiring some vessels to pay to transit the Strait of Hormuz. Lloyd’s List reported that 20+ vessels have taken a “Tehran-approved route” to transit the Strait through Iranian territorial waters. (1/5) Iran Update Special Report, March 24, 2026: isw.pub/IranUpdate03...

Sobering analysis here from @phillipspobrien.bsky.social with the ever-sharp @katiestallard.bsky.social. As a guy who's spent 19 of his 23 years in this U.S. Navy sailing around the Pacific in defense of allies, this is a tough listen. youtu.be/Et6WjVRHr6I?...

We're revealing the details for nearly TWENTY talks available at our online conference on 26th April. Pick and choose your favourites, or load up with snacks and settle in for a marathon! @akimlinger.bsky.social Full details: greatwargroup.com/product/online

In times like these, on what feels like the outbreak of a third world war, I’m glad I read Chris Clark’s ‘Sleepwalkers’, Miranda Carter’s ‘George, Nicholas and Wilhelm’, David Fromkin’s ‘A Peace to End All Peace’, and Margaret MacMillan’s ‘Paris 1919’. These seem especially prescient today. #Booksky

#OTD 23 March in 1933, the #EnablingAct was passed, and the dictator had full authority to pass laws without the consent of the legislature. #History encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/a...

The ships trapped in the Persian Gulf are crucial - but let's spare a thought for the equally crucial 20,000 seafarers trapped there. All they can do is wait until the Strait of Hormuz is safe - and the Persian Gulf is hardly safe either. foreignpolicy.com/2026/03/23/p... (Me @foreignpolicy.com)

When the 2011 earthquake and tsunami struck Minamisanriku, over 50 people sought safety at the disaster management office. Only 11 survived. Jin Sato, former mayor and one of the survivors, is sharing lessons learned.

IJN First-class submarine I-56 (→ I-156) Date: March 23, 1928 Location: Kure Arsenal Photo: Situation: Launched, left is I-57 under construction static.ow.ly/photos/origi...

The Israeli government has displaced a total of 6 million people from their homes. (3 million Iran, 2 million Gaza, 1 million Lebanon). 6 million people. The equivalent of the entire population of Maryland displaced from their homes. By one government.

This is why supporting independent journalism is so important. It sucks that it's come to this, but it's pretty clear that monied interests don't believe in anything other than making more money

Likely Belarusian balloons recently landed in Poland, possibly as part of Russia’s ongoing use of Belarus in its “Phase Zero” effort, setting conditions for a potential future war with NATO. 4/5

This little Twitter post, truly, blew my mind. www.thetruthoc.com/p/please-rea...

NEW: Russian forces have likely begun their anticipated Spring-Summer 2026 offensive against the Ukrainian Fortress Belt in Donetsk Oblast. Russian forces are unlikely to seize the Fortress Belt in 2026 but will likely make some tactical gains at a significant cost. More⬇🧵(1/5) isw.pub/UkrWar032126

NEW: Iran launched two ballistic missiles targeting the US-UK base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean on March 21, marking the furthest ever attempted Iranian missile strike. Read more: isw.pub/IranUpdate03...

Qatar LNG damage, Yanbu strikes and Hormuz toll threats deepen shipping crisis splash247.com?p=236222

Kharg Island is loading another two Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) supertankers today. That’s 4 million barrels; worth over $400 million. #OOTT #Iran #Tankers

NEW: The United States dropped bunker buster munitions on the Natanz nuclear facility, Esfahan Province, on March 21. The combined force previously struck the Natanz complex on March 2 and severely damaged at least three buildings. Natanz is one of the two primary Iranian enrichment sites. (1/9)

There aren't many museum ships in Japan, and almost none from the #ImperialJapaneseNavy. #Mikasa is worth every second of your time to visit, along with the rest of historic #Yokosuka. #PacificHistoryGuide is dedicated to connecting you with history, where you are. #NavalHistory #IJN

every time I hear "ohm" at yoga class, I think of seeing my Japanese teacher on TV, surrounded by yellow caution tape, in a Yokohama train station, when I was living there for the first tine in 1995, when all ground to a halt with the AUM subway gassings, and I learned all sorts of cop-show words.

I think the Strait of Hormuz is going to be closed for awhile