Liam O'Mara IV, PhD
@liamomaraiv.bsky.social
Snarky history professor and political commentator; bibliophile; anti-nationalist libsoc antifa mountain man; geeky cat & bird dad; views are entirely my own, not my employer's.
Here is singer #SultanAlomane from #Oman.
youtu.be/ED_5pxCAH34
youtu.be/1lMX65okuTU
youtu.be/F2sZFAuOdwk
youtu.be/uDxv0PIJfSg
#LunchtimeListens #WorldMusic
youtu.be/ED_5pxCAH34
youtu.be/1lMX65okuTU
youtu.be/F2sZFAuOdwk
youtu.be/uDxv0PIJfSg
#LunchtimeListens #WorldMusic
December 13, 2025 at 8:00 PM
#HomeSecretary #JackStraw of #Labour lied to the #HouseOfCommons on #ThisDayInHistory in 2005. He claimed the UK was not involved in #rendition (illegal kidnappings). A report from 2018 showed Britain was involved in 100s of such offences, with agents even present for #torture.
December 13, 2025 at 7:00 PM
#HomeSecretary #JackStraw of #Labour lied to the #HouseOfCommons on #ThisDayInHistory in 2005. He claimed the UK was not involved in #rendition (illegal kidnappings). A report from 2018 showed Britain was involved in 100s of such offences, with agents even present for #torture.
In 1294 on #ThisDayInHistory, Pope (now saint) #CelestineV did one of the most respectable things a pope can do: he quit. Formerly an #ascetic hermit, founder of the #CelestineOrder, he resigned after five months, missing the simple life, but was imprisoned and died in captivity.
December 13, 2025 at 6:30 PM
In 1294 on #ThisDayInHistory, Pope (now saint) #CelestineV did one of the most respectable things a pope can do: he quit. Formerly an #ascetic hermit, founder of the #CelestineOrder, he resigned after five months, missing the simple life, but was imprisoned and died in captivity.
On #ThisDayInHistory in 1545 the #CouncilOfTrent opened. Initially aiming to reconcile #Catholic & #Lutheran churches, it refused to consider doctrinal points raised by ##Luther. It is unfair, though, to call it a #CounterReformation, as the #CatholicReformation did change a lot.
December 13, 2025 at 6:00 PM
On #ThisDayInHistory in 1545 the #CouncilOfTrent opened. Initially aiming to reconcile #Catholic & #Lutheran churches, it refused to consider doctrinal points raised by ##Luther. It is unfair, though, to call it a #CounterReformation, as the #CatholicReformation did change a lot.
The #MassachusettsBayColony on #ThisDayInHistory in 1636 showed that "defence" is often used for offence. It organized three #militia regiments against the #PequotIndians -- a nation against which they committed #genocide. The day is used as the founding of the US #NationalGuard.
December 13, 2025 at 5:30 PM
The #MassachusettsBayColony on #ThisDayInHistory in 1636 showed that "defence" is often used for offence. It organized three #militia regiments against the #PequotIndians -- a nation against which they committed #genocide. The day is used as the founding of the US #NationalGuard.
On #ThisDayInHistory in 1971, #Ovambo workers in #SouthAfrica-occupied #Namibia used #DirectAction against #apartheid with a lengthy and nationwide #strike demanding basic dignity for workers, and that gained an end to #racist #ForcedWork contracts and gained free #HealthCare.
December 13, 2025 at 5:00 PM
On #ThisDayInHistory in 1971, #Ovambo workers in #SouthAfrica-occupied #Namibia used #DirectAction against #apartheid with a lengthy and nationwide #strike demanding basic dignity for workers, and that gained an end to #racist #ForcedWork contracts and gained free #HealthCare.
We have two big #EuropeanUnion events for #ThisDayInHistory:
In 2002, #EU said #Cyprus, #Czechia, #Estonia, #Hungary, #Latvia, #Lithuania, #Malta, #Poland, #Slovakia, & #Slovenia would join in 2004.
In 2007, the #TreatyOfLisbon was signed, amending previous membership treaties.
In 2002, #EU said #Cyprus, #Czechia, #Estonia, #Hungary, #Latvia, #Lithuania, #Malta, #Poland, #Slovakia, & #Slovenia would join in 2004.
In 2007, the #TreatyOfLisbon was signed, amending previous membership treaties.
December 13, 2025 at 4:30 PM
We have two big #EuropeanUnion events for #ThisDayInHistory:
In 2002, #EU said #Cyprus, #Czechia, #Estonia, #Hungary, #Latvia, #Lithuania, #Malta, #Poland, #Slovakia, & #Slovenia would join in 2004.
In 2007, the #TreatyOfLisbon was signed, amending previous membership treaties.
In 2002, #EU said #Cyprus, #Czechia, #Estonia, #Hungary, #Latvia, #Lithuania, #Malta, #Poland, #Slovakia, & #Slovenia would join in 2004.
In 2007, the #TreatyOfLisbon was signed, amending previous membership treaties.
On #ThisDayInHistory in 1981, #WojciechJaruzelski declared #MartialLaw in #Poland mainly due to the #Solidarność / #Solidarity movement. It was the first #Communist military régime. Showing how little such #Marxists understood Marx, they argued the state came before the workers.
December 13, 2025 at 4:00 PM
On #ThisDayInHistory in 1981, #WojciechJaruzelski declared #MartialLaw in #Poland mainly due to the #Solidarność / #Solidarity movement. It was the first #Communist military régime. Showing how little such #Marxists understood Marx, they argued the state came before the workers.
The #Neuengamme #ConcentrationCamp opened on #ThisDayInHistory in 1938, providing #SlaveLabour for the #Nazis throughout the war. 43,000 were killed at the site. After the war, the city of #Hamburg demolished it and built new prisons on the site, showing how little people learn.
December 13, 2025 at 3:30 PM
The #Neuengamme #ConcentrationCamp opened on #ThisDayInHistory in 1938, providing #SlaveLabour for the #Nazis throughout the war. 43,000 were killed at the site. After the war, the city of #Hamburg demolished it and built new prisons on the site, showing how little people learn.
On #ThisDayInHistory in 1937, the Japanese colonial occupiers of China began a six-week orgy of violence, the #NanjingMassace / #RapeOfNanking. An estimated 300,000 residents were killed with up to 80,000 rapes. Such atrocities are a hallmark of #racist, #nationalist imperialism.
December 13, 2025 at 3:00 PM
On #ThisDayInHistory in 1937, the Japanese colonial occupiers of China began a six-week orgy of violence, the #NanjingMassace / #RapeOfNanking. An estimated 300,000 residents were killed with up to 80,000 rapes. Such atrocities are a hallmark of #racist, #nationalist imperialism.
The #Nazi forces in Greece responded to a Greek #partisan #WarCrime (executing 78 Wehrmacht soldiers) with a #CrimeAgainstHumanity: murdering 693 civilians. In #KalavrytaMassacre, #ThisDayInHistory in 1943, they shot all the men and tried to burn all the women & children alive.
December 13, 2025 at 2:30 PM
The #Nazi forces in Greece responded to a Greek #partisan #WarCrime (executing 78 Wehrmacht soldiers) with a #CrimeAgainstHumanity: murdering 693 civilians. In #KalavrytaMassacre, #ThisDayInHistory in 1943, they shot all the men and tried to burn all the women & children alive.
The first naval engagement of #WWII was on #ThisDayInHistory in 1939, when three British cruisers engaged the #Kriegsmarine pocket-battleship Admiral Graf Spee. In the #BattleOfTheRiverPlate the cruisers all took damage, but the #Nazi vessel was fatally wounded and soon scuttled.
December 13, 2025 at 2:00 PM
The first naval engagement of #WWII was on #ThisDayInHistory in 1939, when three British cruisers engaged the #Kriegsmarine pocket-battleship Admiral Graf Spee. In the #BattleOfTheRiverPlate the cruisers all took damage, but the #Nazi vessel was fatally wounded and soon scuttled.
Here again is #hiphop artist #Rockfam of #Haiti.
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#FlashbackFriday #LunchtimeListens
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#FlashbackFriday #LunchtimeListens
December 12, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Mixed in among the more serious posts this morning, I want to share my #MorningCoffee with you and toast #FrankSinatra, who was born this day in 1915. I adore this song. "They put coffee in the #coffee in #Brazil!"
zurl.co/ZduoD
zurl.co/ZduoD
December 12, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Mixed in among the more serious posts this morning, I want to share my #MorningCoffee with you and toast #FrankSinatra, who was born this day in 1915. I adore this song. "They put coffee in the #coffee in #Brazil!"
zurl.co/ZduoD
zurl.co/ZduoD
#SCOTUS decided the landmark #BushVGore case on #ThisDayInHistory in 2000. #Florida experienced #voting irregularities & its state Supreme Court unanimously ordered a recount. SCOTUS blocked it; said counting votes harmed one of the candidates. They handed the presidency to Bush.
December 12, 2025 at 4:30 PM
#SCOTUS decided the landmark #BushVGore case on #ThisDayInHistory in 2000. #Florida experienced #voting irregularities & its state Supreme Court unanimously ordered a recount. SCOTUS blocked it; said counting votes harmed one of the candidates. They handed the presidency to Bush.
The worst #mining disaster in England happened on #ThisDayInHistory in 1866. #OaksColliery in #Yorkshire experienced a series of 17 underground explosions, killing 361 miners & rescue workers. An inquest assigned no cause, and parliament took years to call for safer conditions.
December 12, 2025 at 4:00 PM
The worst #mining disaster in England happened on #ThisDayInHistory in 1866. #OaksColliery in #Yorkshire experienced a series of 17 underground explosions, killing 361 miners & rescue workers. An inquest assigned no cause, and parliament took years to call for safer conditions.
The #BattleOfNineveh was #TheDayInHistory in 627. #Roman Emperor #Heraclius entered Mesopotamia and defeated the #SasanidPersian forces, sparking a civil war in #Persia. After their 25 year war, both empires were severely depleted and vulnerable to the coming #Arab assaults.
December 12, 2025 at 3:30 PM
The #BattleOfNineveh was #TheDayInHistory in 627. #Roman Emperor #Heraclius entered Mesopotamia and defeated the #SasanidPersian forces, sparking a civil war in #Persia. After their 25 year war, both empires were severely depleted and vulnerable to the coming #Arab assaults.
On #ThisDayInHistory in 1941, #Hitler held a meeting at the #ReichChancellery. The diary of #JosephGoebbels says: "Regarding the Jewish question, the Führer has decided to make a clean sweep. ... world war is here, the annihilation of the Jews must be the necessary consequence."
December 12, 2025 at 3:01 PM
On #ThisDayInHistory in 1941, #Hitler held a meeting at the #ReichChancellery. The diary of #JosephGoebbels says: "Regarding the Jewish question, the Führer has decided to make a clean sweep. ... world war is here, the annihilation of the Jews must be the necessary consequence."
After Japan's surrender in #WWII, it ceded authority to the CPKI, which linked 140 local #PeoplesCommittees to found a #PeoplesRepublicOfKorea on 6 Sept 1945. It wanted universal suffrage & women's equality. On #ThisDayInHistory in 1945, the US military declared it illegitimate.
December 12, 2025 at 2:30 PM
After Japan's surrender in #WWII, it ceded authority to the CPKI, which linked 140 local #PeoplesCommittees to found a #PeoplesRepublicOfKorea on 6 Sept 1945. It wanted universal suffrage & women's equality. On #ThisDayInHistory in 1945, the US military declared it illegitimate.
The #BatangKaliMassacre in #Malaysia happened on #ThisDayInHistory in 1948. #British soldiers, tasked with finding insurgents, instead took 24 men from a rubber plantation and machine-gunned them, then burnt their homes. The UK lied, and its top court ruled no inquiry is needed.
December 12, 2025 at 2:01 PM
The #BatangKaliMassacre in #Malaysia happened on #ThisDayInHistory in 1948. #British soldiers, tasked with finding insurgents, instead took 24 men from a rubber plantation and machine-gunned them, then burnt their homes. The UK lied, and its top court ruled no inquiry is needed.
Another senseless #WarOnDrugs began on #ThisDayInHistory in 2006, when Mexican president #FelipeCalderón launched #OperationMichoacán. Perhaps 200k people have been killed in the #MexicanDrugWar against the cartels, when mere legalization would have destroyed the drug syndicates.
December 11, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Another senseless #WarOnDrugs began on #ThisDayInHistory in 2006, when Mexican president #FelipeCalderón launched #OperationMichoacán. Perhaps 200k people have been killed in the #MexicanDrugWar against the cartels, when mere legalization would have destroyed the drug syndicates.
On #ThisDayInHistory in 1972, the last human crew to reach #Luna/the Moon touched down on the lunar surface. #Apollo17 set numerous records, including the longest time spent on the surface of another world (12 days, 14 hours). I never forgave #Nixon for ending manned spaceflight.
December 11, 2025 at 8:30 PM
On #ThisDayInHistory in 1972, the last human crew to reach #Luna/the Moon touched down on the lunar surface. #Apollo17 set numerous records, including the longest time spent on the surface of another world (12 days, 14 hours). I never forgave #Nixon for ending manned spaceflight.
Here is artist #BluFiefer of #Lebanon.
youtu.be/IwcWn8Zhjx4
youtu.be/wKKa3vF70VE
youtu.be/hVqpuS3Abkk
youtu.be/aRa6lXj-l4o
#LunchtimeListens #WorldMusic
youtu.be/IwcWn8Zhjx4
youtu.be/wKKa3vF70VE
youtu.be/hVqpuS3Abkk
youtu.be/aRa6lXj-l4o
#LunchtimeListens #WorldMusic
December 11, 2025 at 8:00 PM
The results of an independence referendum in #Bougainville, an autonomous part of #PapuaNewGuinea, were announced on #ThisDayInHistory in 2019. It was a lop-sided victory for #Bougainvillean nationalists, with 98% choosing secession. A new country of nearly 400k people is coming.
December 11, 2025 at 7:30 PM
The results of an independence referendum in #Bougainville, an autonomous part of #PapuaNewGuinea, were announced on #ThisDayInHistory in 2019. It was a lop-sided victory for #Bougainvillean nationalists, with 98% choosing secession. A new country of nearly 400k people is coming.
A visit to #FrenchAlgeria by Pres. #CharlesDeGaulle was cut short on #ThisDayInHistory in 1960 by massive, peaceful protests organized by #FLN. Hundreds were killed by French troops. If you've not seen the film #BattleOfAlgiers on #Algeria's path to independence, go see it now.
December 11, 2025 at 7:00 PM
A visit to #FrenchAlgeria by Pres. #CharlesDeGaulle was cut short on #ThisDayInHistory in 1960 by massive, peaceful protests organized by #FLN. Hundreds were killed by French troops. If you've not seen the film #BattleOfAlgiers on #Algeria's path to independence, go see it now.