Marcus Williamson
@jauntyangle.bsky.social
I work in conflict and post-conflict countries. Interested in international affairs, economics, governance and public policy. Also trashy movies and books, eating and drinking, and strength sports. Wu Tang is for the Children.
Excellent graphic.
February 25, 2025 at 1:56 AM
Excellent graphic.
Reposted by Marcus Williamson
Europe doesn't need any more wake-up calls.
It's awake. It's just very comfortable in its warm bed and procrastinating on getting up in the hopes something turns up to magically take care of all the chores it knows it should be getting on with.
It's awake. It's just very comfortable in its warm bed and procrastinating on getting up in the hopes something turns up to magically take care of all the chores it knows it should be getting on with.
February 16, 2025 at 12:12 PM
Europe doesn't need any more wake-up calls.
It's awake. It's just very comfortable in its warm bed and procrastinating on getting up in the hopes something turns up to magically take care of all the chores it knows it should be getting on with.
It's awake. It's just very comfortable in its warm bed and procrastinating on getting up in the hopes something turns up to magically take care of all the chores it knows it should be getting on with.
A music post! One of my best musical discoveries over the last year is the hiphop group #CoastContra. They just dropped a new track yesterday, which is predictably excellent.
youtu.be/uZe6FHnT490?...
youtu.be/uZe6FHnT490?...
Coast Contra - 08 Obama (The Table)
YouTube video by COAST CONTRA
youtu.be
February 5, 2025 at 5:24 AM
A music post! One of my best musical discoveries over the last year is the hiphop group #CoastContra. They just dropped a new track yesterday, which is predictably excellent.
youtu.be/uZe6FHnT490?...
youtu.be/uZe6FHnT490?...
I found my way back on to BlueSky... I was mainly wanting to keep following #Syria. But there is a lot going on that affects by sector. So... here I am.
February 5, 2025 at 5:11 AM
I found my way back on to BlueSky... I was mainly wanting to keep following #Syria. But there is a lot going on that affects by sector. So... here I am.
Reposted by Marcus Williamson
Regime authorities appear to be increasingly abducting young men on the street or during household inspections to boost the number of military conscripts, while families and activists say bribes are no longer enough to free them. www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/junta-dra...
Junta dragnet: More youth abducted in desperate conscription drive
Regime authorities appear to be increasingly abducting young men on the street or during household inspections to boost the number of military conscripts, while families and activists say bribes are n...
www.frontiermyanmar.net
January 29, 2025 at 12:50 PM
Regime authorities appear to be increasingly abducting young men on the street or during household inspections to boost the number of military conscripts, while families and activists say bribes are no longer enough to free them. www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/junta-dra...
I really like BlueSky but I don't want to watch second-by-second, breathless response to US politics. It sucks my attention and makes me unhappy. So I am going to stop using this site. Slow news like the FT and the Economist only for me, for the next four years.
January 21, 2025 at 1:19 AM
I really like BlueSky but I don't want to watch second-by-second, breathless response to US politics. It sucks my attention and makes me unhappy. So I am going to stop using this site. Slow news like the FT and the Economist only for me, for the next four years.
I have been saying for some time that Trump only really started to figure out how to do what he wanted to do in the last 6-12 months of his Presidency, and that a second time round he would continue in the same vein right away. Clearly this is happening.
January 21, 2025 at 1:17 AM
I have been saying for some time that Trump only really started to figure out how to do what he wanted to do in the last 6-12 months of his Presidency, and that a second time round he would continue in the same vein right away. Clearly this is happening.
Almost all popular music is similar to music from previous decades, with slight differences to production. So it's nice to come across something pretty original. www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS9B...
Joshua Idehen - Mum Does The Washing OFFICIAL VIDEO
YouTube video by Joshua Idehen
www.youtube.com
January 20, 2025 at 3:20 AM
Almost all popular music is similar to music from previous decades, with slight differences to production. So it's nice to come across something pretty original. www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS9B...
This is a cover version of Once in a Lifetime. I think it pulls off an almost impossible task- different enough and unusual enough to be interesting, and still respectfully of the original. youtu.be/b9qaj9veQqA?...
Once in a Lifetime
YouTube video by Joshua Idehen - Topic
youtu.be
January 17, 2025 at 3:00 PM
This is a cover version of Once in a Lifetime. I think it pulls off an almost impossible task- different enough and unusual enough to be interesting, and still respectfully of the original. youtu.be/b9qaj9veQqA?...
Very interesting. FIRE, a group who I admire greatly, support Meta/Facebook's abandoning of fact checking and general relaxation of moderation policies: www.thefire.org/news/metas-c...
Meta’s content moderation changes closely align with FIRE recommendations
Mark Zuckerberg announces sweeping changes to bolster free expression on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads that track FIRE’s 2024 Social Media Report.
www.thefire.org
January 13, 2025 at 2:08 AM
Very interesting. FIRE, a group who I admire greatly, support Meta/Facebook's abandoning of fact checking and general relaxation of moderation policies: www.thefire.org/news/metas-c...
Wanted to post what I think about free speech. Slightly updated version. Here we go.
January 13, 2025 at 1:35 AM
Wanted to post what I think about free speech. Slightly updated version. Here we go.
A new series of posts. Music that electrified me (figuratively) in the last few years. #1 is a piece of 'modern classical music by Nils Frahm- 'For Peter - Toilet Brushes- More'. Starts out odd, give it a few minutes. It reachs such heights. youtu.be/Aln6DztAsMQ?...
Nils Frahm - Toilet Brushes - More (Live in London)
YouTube video by Erased Tapes
youtu.be
January 12, 2025 at 3:18 AM
A new series of posts. Music that electrified me (figuratively) in the last few years. #1 is a piece of 'modern classical music by Nils Frahm- 'For Peter - Toilet Brushes- More'. Starts out odd, give it a few minutes. It reachs such heights. youtu.be/Aln6DztAsMQ?...
One of the countries I wanted to catch up on is Pakistan. I worked there briefly in 2015 and had the chance to interview many civil servants from the Khyber Pakhtunkwa provincial government. I was highly impressed by the people I interviewed- they were all highly intelligent and articulate.
January 12, 2025 at 3:17 AM
One of the countries I wanted to catch up on is Pakistan. I worked there briefly in 2015 and had the chance to interview many civil servants from the Khyber Pakhtunkwa provincial government. I was highly impressed by the people I interviewed- they were all highly intelligent and articulate.
Reposted by Marcus Williamson
The excitement of Syrians arriving at Damascus Airport on the first passenger flight from Doha.
January 7, 2025 at 2:04 PM
The excitement of Syrians arriving at Damascus Airport on the first passenger flight from Doha.
Very excited about the Arnold Classic Strongman next month. For those not in the know, it's always been one of the top strongman events, along with World's Strongest Man, and now the Rogue Invitational and Shaw Classic.
January 7, 2025 at 11:36 AM
Very excited about the Arnold Classic Strongman next month. For those not in the know, it's always been one of the top strongman events, along with World's Strongest Man, and now the Rogue Invitational and Shaw Classic.
Enjoyed this video, about athletic performance and physique. It's a topic I have often thought about, and it covers my favorite strongman and one of my favorite fighters (Fedor).
This Is What Peak Male Physique Looks Like!
YouTube video by Matt Rhodes Sport
youtu.be
January 7, 2025 at 11:07 AM
Enjoyed this video, about athletic performance and physique. It's a topic I have often thought about, and it covers my favorite strongman and one of my favorite fighters (Fedor).
Interesting article from the always excellent Crisis Group on how the fall of the Regime will affect the region. www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-...
Regional Perspectives on the House of Assad’s Fall | Crisis Group
The Assad dynasty’s demise will certainly remake Syria, but it will also reshape relations between Damascus and other capitals. Crisis Group experts offer a 360-degree view of how the Syrian crisis could shake up regional politics.
www.crisisgroup.org
January 6, 2025 at 12:48 AM
Interesting article from the always excellent Crisis Group on how the fall of the Regime will affect the region. www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-...
Reposted by Marcus Williamson
I just saw a duke do a tweet. Dukes should exist aloof as monuments to antiquity. A duke who publicly acknowledges the existence of wireless telegraphy should lose his dukedom.
January 4, 2025 at 11:18 PM
I just saw a duke do a tweet. Dukes should exist aloof as monuments to antiquity. A duke who publicly acknowledges the existence of wireless telegraphy should lose his dukedom.
Added 'Elon' and 'Musk' to my block list here. I came here so I wouldn't have to read about him but that wasn't working. Still all over my feed. Feel better already.
January 5, 2025 at 12:59 AM
Added 'Elon' and 'Musk' to my block list here. I came here so I wouldn't have to read about him but that wasn't working. Still all over my feed. Feel better already.
Reposted by Marcus Williamson
Subtweet: I don’t think the answer to “how should a midsized open economy react to the critical posts of a man who is a close adviser to the next president of the country thar is the central component of Five Eyes, Nato, the global economy, etc.” is a question with an obvious right answer.
January 3, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Subtweet: I don’t think the answer to “how should a midsized open economy react to the critical posts of a man who is a close adviser to the next president of the country thar is the central component of Five Eyes, Nato, the global economy, etc.” is a question with an obvious right answer.
Bizarre but I don't think it's harmful. Might appeal to a few people, but actually, foreigners trying to interfere in our politics is deeply unpopular and likely to backfire. See people's reaction when Obama tried to intervene in support of Remain.
Elon Musk has posted ***300 TIMES*** about UK "grooming gangs" in the last ten days.
Including: Calling for UK government officials to be hanged and jailed; demanding the removal of Keir Starmer as UK prime minister; suggesting Tommy Robinson be released from prison.
www.wired.com/story/elon-m...
Including: Calling for UK government officials to be hanged and jailed; demanding the removal of Keir Starmer as UK prime minister; suggesting Tommy Robinson be released from prison.
www.wired.com/story/elon-m...
Elon Musk Is Posting Nonstop Falsehoods About 'Grooming Gangs'
Musk’s posts, which have racked up hundreds of millions of views on X, are his latest effort at inserting himself into UK politics.
www.wired.com
January 4, 2025 at 8:50 AM
Bizarre but I don't think it's harmful. Might appeal to a few people, but actually, foreigners trying to interfere in our politics is deeply unpopular and likely to backfire. See people's reaction when Obama tried to intervene in support of Remain.
Some more S&C content. I present... my favorite lifting template. Disclaimers and commentary to follow!
January 4, 2025 at 3:42 AM
Some more S&C content. I present... my favorite lifting template. Disclaimers and commentary to follow!
Here's a short video from one of my favorite S&C channels, Sika Strength. It shows a clip of Qatari discuss thrower Moaaz Ibrahim doing his S&C work. youtube.com/shorts/hwE4b...
Throwers Are Freak Athletes! #athlete
YouTube video by Sika Strength
youtube.com
January 4, 2025 at 1:14 AM
Here's a short video from one of my favorite S&C channels, Sika Strength. It shows a clip of Qatari discuss thrower Moaaz Ibrahim doing his S&C work. youtube.com/shorts/hwE4b...
Absolutely outstanding article by Scott Alexander on H5N1. www.astralcodexten.com/p/h5n1-much-...
H5N1: Much More Than You Wanted To Know
Don't give your true love a partridge, turtledoves, or (especially) French hens
www.astralcodexten.com
January 3, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Absolutely outstanding article by Scott Alexander on H5N1. www.astralcodexten.com/p/h5n1-much-...
I have decided to start tweeting about another thing I know about- strength and conditioning. Although my achievements are exceptionally modest it is something I enjoy talking about.
January 3, 2025 at 1:21 AM
I have decided to start tweeting about another thing I know about- strength and conditioning. Although my achievements are exceptionally modest it is something I enjoy talking about.