Charlie Thomas
@cthomasjamh.bsky.social
Professor, African Military Historian, Co-Editor of the Journal of African Military History. Opinions expressed are solely mine. My book, Ujamaa’s Army, is available now!! https://www.ohioswallow.com/9780821425596/ujamaas-army
Pinned
Charlie Thomas
@cthomasjamh.bsky.social
· Nov 12
"But Charlie!" you may say, "why should *I* care about the Tanzania People's Defence Force!?" Well let me tell you a few cool things about them!
1. Following independence most African states just inherited whatever colonial troops existed as their militaries. This often led to coups and mutinies.
1. Following independence most African states just inherited whatever colonial troops existed as their militaries. This often led to coups and mutinies.
Whooooo! Although I know other folks have already gotten it, my author copies finally arrived. It's been a long road and it still feels unreal to actually have the physical copies in hand!
For all my new followers, hello! I am a historian of African militaries and African military history- and I recently published a book on the Tanzania People's Defence Forces' fascinating history! Here's a thread about why you should read it! bsky.app/profile/ctho...
Look.
Man Hoping People Notice How Many Folding Chairs He’s Carrying At Once https://theonion.com/man-hoping-people-notice-how-many-folding-chairs-he-s-c-1819576444/
November 26, 2025 at 3:33 AM
Look.
Reposted by Charlie Thomas
... fuck, you're right
November 26, 2025 at 2:11 AM
... fuck, you're right
Reposted by Charlie Thomas
The Civil war is pretty incomparable in terms of the Types of Guy it mustered together
Brigadier General Charles Harker, leading a brigade of Illinoisans and Ohioans in Sheridan’s division tried to copy his commanding officer’s stunt but mounted a gun that had just been fired. The red-hot barrel scorched his ass so badly he couldn’t sit a horse for weeks (18
November 25, 2025 at 9:22 PM
The Civil war is pretty incomparable in terms of the Types of Guy it mustered together
Reposted by Charlie Thomas
NYT is the goat of headlines and subheds. Compare to the numerous articles about Biden (whom I do not support) aging in office. @mtsw.bsky.social is like a prophet in this regard.
"Mr. Trump’s eyelids drooped until his eyes were almost closed, and he appeared to doze on and off for several seconds....He stood up only after a guest who was standing near him fainted and collapsed" www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/u...
Shorter Days, Signs of Fatigue: Trump Faces Realities of Aging in Office
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:19 AM
NYT is the goat of headlines and subheds. Compare to the numerous articles about Biden (whom I do not support) aging in office. @mtsw.bsky.social is like a prophet in this regard.
Reposted by Charlie Thomas
"you'll be visited by three spirits"
The three spirits
The three spirits
December 24, 2024 at 1:36 PM
"you'll be visited by three spirits"
The three spirits
The three spirits
Reposted by Charlie Thomas
“Innovation” needs to be heard as someone invoking “Abracadabra” and treated accordingly or we’re going to lose a war badly.
November 25, 2025 at 11:31 PM
“Innovation” needs to be heard as someone invoking “Abracadabra” and treated accordingly or we’re going to lose a war badly.
Reposted by Charlie Thomas
Can't wait for the USN to retire the CVNs for 5,000 of these painted gold.
November 25, 2025 at 11:18 PM
Can't wait for the USN to retire the CVNs for 5,000 of these painted gold.
Reposted by Charlie Thomas
November 25, 2025 at 11:23 PM
Reposted by Charlie Thomas
If he believes “the Russian Federation has always wanted a peace deal” he has no idea what he’s doing. Of course that’s been obvious all along unless what he wants to be doing is representing the Russian Federation. Then he does know what he’s doing.
A private call between Trump-appointed envoy Steve Witkoff and Putin advisor Yuri Ushakov was just leaked — and it shows the American envoy effectively acting as a strategist for Moscow.
NEWSFLASH: Witkoff was secretly giving Russians advice
A secret transcript reveals that the Trump envoy was helping a Putin advisor formulate a plan.
www.counteroffensive.news
November 25, 2025 at 11:10 PM
If he believes “the Russian Federation has always wanted a peace deal” he has no idea what he’s doing. Of course that’s been obvious all along unless what he wants to be doing is representing the Russian Federation. Then he does know what he’s doing.
Reposted by Charlie Thomas
#Wargamingnews: 28mm hard plastic Agents More information on the WSS website: https://tny.app/94wgpka2 #wargaming
Share your own news: https://news.wssmagazine.com
Share your own news: https://news.wssmagazine.com
November 25, 2025 at 6:40 PM
#Wargamingnews: 28mm hard plastic Agents More information on the WSS website: https://tny.app/94wgpka2 #wargaming
Share your own news: https://news.wssmagazine.com
Share your own news: https://news.wssmagazine.com
Reposted by Charlie Thomas
"only MDs are allowed to go by doctor" discourse is negatively polarizing me into being one of those "actually they STOLE the title from academics cranks"
November 25, 2025 at 6:19 PM
"only MDs are allowed to go by doctor" discourse is negatively polarizing me into being one of those "actually they STOLE the title from academics cranks"
@bretdevereaux.bsky.social’s Nebulon B Star Wars movie
If you were a despotic president, what movie would you force Hollywood to make? I want to see Quentin's Star Trek movie or maybe Kill Bill Vol 3.
November 25, 2025 at 6:53 PM
@bretdevereaux.bsky.social’s Nebulon B Star Wars movie
Reposted by Charlie Thomas
"Oh look our capitalist overlords want us to eat peasant food" sure sure. Thing is, cabbage is good. You just have to cook it right
November 25, 2025 at 6:32 PM
"Oh look our capitalist overlords want us to eat peasant food" sure sure. Thing is, cabbage is good. You just have to cook it right
Reposted by Charlie Thomas
Former USCGC Decisive (WMEC 629) Reliance-class medium endurance cutter heading out of Baltimore on sea trials during her conversion to the Sri Lankan Navy vessel P628 - November 25, 2025 SRC: FB- Baltimore & Chesapeake Bay Ship Watchers
November 25, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Former USCGC Decisive (WMEC 629) Reliance-class medium endurance cutter heading out of Baltimore on sea trials during her conversion to the Sri Lankan Navy vessel P628 - November 25, 2025 SRC: FB- Baltimore & Chesapeake Bay Ship Watchers
Reposted by Charlie Thomas
“it tries to settle major issues up front that should be settled only through sustained & serious negotiation. It would be much more effective to have a list of principles for negotiation that each side must agree to before real negotiations can actually proceed.” Nice work, @ryanevans.bsky.social.
A 15-Point Plan to Get to a Ukrainian-Russian Settlement
I do not know the origins of the Trump administration’s 28-point peace plan to resolve the Russo-Ukrainian War, but I can safely say it has caused quite a
warontherocks.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:20 PM
“it tries to settle major issues up front that should be settled only through sustained & serious negotiation. It would be much more effective to have a list of principles for negotiation that each side must agree to before real negotiations can actually proceed.” Nice work, @ryanevans.bsky.social.
Reposted by Charlie Thomas
🌊 Illustrations of the zoology of H.M. Indian Marine Surveying steamer Investigator
Calcutta: Printed and sold by the Superintendent of Government Printing, 1892-1909.
[Source]
Calcutta: Printed and sold by the Superintendent of Government Printing, 1892-1909.
[Source]
November 25, 2025 at 3:23 PM
🌊 Illustrations of the zoology of H.M. Indian Marine Surveying steamer Investigator
Calcutta: Printed and sold by the Superintendent of Government Printing, 1892-1909.
[Source]
Calcutta: Printed and sold by the Superintendent of Government Printing, 1892-1909.
[Source]
Reposted by Charlie Thomas
This is a fantastic opportunity from MERL!
Are you a PhD student & interested in using museum collections in your teaching or research?
We're running a *free* doctoral training programme for students at any institution to learn about working with collections.
Find out more:
collections.reading.ac.uk/whats-on/
We're running a *free* doctoral training programme for students at any institution to learn about working with collections.
Find out more:
collections.reading.ac.uk/whats-on/
November 25, 2025 at 2:57 PM
This is a fantastic opportunity from MERL!
Reposted by Charlie Thomas
Bull Moose, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. November, 2025.
📷 Fujifilm X-T5 + XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS WR
🎞 520 mm – 1/500″ – f/8 – ISO 2000
🏷️ #NationalParks #Wildlife #Moose #Photography
📷 Fujifilm X-T5 + XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS WR
🎞 520 mm – 1/500″ – f/8 – ISO 2000
🏷️ #NationalParks #Wildlife #Moose #Photography
November 25, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Bull Moose, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. November, 2025.
📷 Fujifilm X-T5 + XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS WR
🎞 520 mm – 1/500″ – f/8 – ISO 2000
🏷️ #NationalParks #Wildlife #Moose #Photography
📷 Fujifilm X-T5 + XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS WR
🎞 520 mm – 1/500″ – f/8 – ISO 2000
🏷️ #NationalParks #Wildlife #Moose #Photography
Reposted by Charlie Thomas
This would be a massive, historic crime even if no one died — a rich guy is not permitted to arbitrarily close a government agency in a law-based society — but the massive body count turns it into an atrocity, the kind of thing we put people on trial for at The Hague.
The numbers vary from study to study but hundreds of thousands of people have died because of Elon Musk and Marco Rubio illegally disbanding USAID — a body count on par with the first eight years of the Syrian civil war — In just seven months. It’s mass death that is simply unfathomable in scale.
USAID shutdown has led to hundreds of thousands of deaths | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
The Trump administration’s decision to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths from infectious diseases and malnutrition, accord...
hsph.harvard.edu
November 25, 2025 at 2:07 PM
This would be a massive, historic crime even if no one died — a rich guy is not permitted to arbitrarily close a government agency in a law-based society — but the massive body count turns it into an atrocity, the kind of thing we put people on trial for at The Hague.
Reposted by Charlie Thomas
Ok so, the stink of Will Lewis is all over this. It’s pure British tabloid opinion garbage. Utter tripe
At this point, the Washpost edit page is just trolling its readers.
This is today's actual house editorial.
This is today's actual house editorial.
November 25, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Ok so, the stink of Will Lewis is all over this. It’s pure British tabloid opinion garbage. Utter tripe
What does one even say at this point? Can you imagine being the officer this was staffed to?
November 25, 2025 at 2:48 PM
What does one even say at this point? Can you imagine being the officer this was staffed to?
Reposted by Charlie Thomas
Hegseth’s Pentagon attacking astronauts and Boy Scouts. What’s next - banning apple pie?
“U.S. ready to cut support to Scouts, accusing them of attacking 'boy-friendly spaces'” —
www.npr.org/2025/11/25/n...
www.npr.org/2025/11/25/n...
U.S. ready to cut support to Scouts, accusing them of attacking 'boy-friendly spaces'
Documents show the U.S. military is planning to sever all ties with the organization formerly known as the Boy Scouts.
www.npr.org
November 25, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Hegseth’s Pentagon attacking astronauts and Boy Scouts. What’s next - banning apple pie?
Reposted by Charlie Thomas
The numbers vary from study to study but hundreds of thousands of people have died because of Elon Musk and Marco Rubio illegally disbanding USAID — a body count on par with the first eight years of the Syrian civil war — In just seven months. It’s mass death that is simply unfathomable in scale.
USAID shutdown has led to hundreds of thousands of deaths | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
The Trump administration’s decision to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths from infectious diseases and malnutrition, accord...
hsph.harvard.edu
November 25, 2025 at 2:05 PM
The numbers vary from study to study but hundreds of thousands of people have died because of Elon Musk and Marco Rubio illegally disbanding USAID — a body count on par with the first eight years of the Syrian civil war — In just seven months. It’s mass death that is simply unfathomable in scale.
Reposted by Charlie Thomas
Go to sleep listening to the little snuffles of baby cheetahs snoring (in Den 2).
nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams/chee...
nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams/chee...
November 25, 2025 at 4:27 AM
Go to sleep listening to the little snuffles of baby cheetahs snoring (in Den 2).
nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams/chee...
nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams/chee...
Reposted by Charlie Thomas
i’m not crying you’re crying
xkcd: Fifteen Years
xkcd: Fifteen Years
Fifteen Years
xkcd.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:58 AM
i’m not crying you’re crying
xkcd: Fifteen Years
xkcd: Fifteen Years