Foreign correspondent. Contributing writer, Rolling Stone. Former NYT, FT & Jane’s Defence Weekly. Int’l affairs, conflict & security. Marine infantry veteran.
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There’s a story which may well be apocryphal: at an art exhibition in the 1880s the Russian painter Vasily Vereshchagin took General Helmuth von Moltke (the elder) on a tour of the gallery.
There he led the general in front of his painting, “The Apotheosis of War,” (1871).
Mac William Bishop retweeted
Who Was the Headless Horseman?
Most modern retellings of the Legend Sleepy Hollow, especially by the tourist industry around Sleepy Hollow, indicate that the headless horseman was a Hessian decapitated at Battle of White Plains.
But is that right? 🧵
1/14
Was at an event where someone had their Halloween playlist playing, things like “Monster Mash,” “Thriller,” “Ghostbusters.” That kind of thing. And they put “Zombie” by The Cranberries on there… I guess cuz they think it’s about actual zombies?
Mac William Bishop retweeted
Security Alert: Threat to Tsaritysyno Museum Reserve in Moscow
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow is aware of a credible threat of a mass casualty event TODAY October 31, at the Tsaritsyno Museum Reserve in Moscow at Dolskaya Ulitsa 1, Moscow, Russia 11569. The U.S. government is coordinating with appropriate Russian authorities on a response.
Actions to take:
Avoid the Tsaritsyno Museum Reserve location TODAY, October 31, 2026. Avoid the area, stay alert, and avoid crowds.
Be aware of your surroundings.
Review your personal security plan.
Keep your cellphone charged in case of emergency.
Carry proper identification.
Monitor local media for any further information
Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP ) to receive health and security updates.
Assistance:
U.S. Embassy Moscow, Russia
+7 495 728-5577
[email protected]
U.S. Embassy Moscow web page
State Department – Consular Affairs (+001) 888-407-4747 or (+001) 202-501-4444
Russia Country Information
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
State Department – Consular Affairs
1-888-407-4747 or 1-202-501-4444
Mac William Bishop retweeted
Russia’s last major independent newspaper shuts under government pressure ft.trib.al/c0uGR4j
Mac William Bishop retweeted
The WSJ lays out what keeping Gulf oil flowing actually involves:
-50,000 US troops, 20 Navy ships, two carriers across the region.
-$2–3 Billion USD/month or 67-100 Million USD/day above normal military spending
-Aircraft, warships and crews under mounting strain.
-Some US officials see the situation as untenable without more international help. Coalition efforts have failed.
wsj.com/politics/national-se…
Mac William Bishop retweeted
The stand off around Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal is about restoring rule of law to an institution which had been politicised by the populist government which lost power in the election of 2023. Its president repeatedly broke the law by steering politically sensitive cases to hand-picked judges. It failed to pass its own budget,
Mac William Bishop retweeted
Navy corpsman with Marine Raiders ran into burning building to save French soldiers after Iranian attack trib.al/I5joRAO
Mac William Bishop retweeted
Ian McKellen reciting Shakespeare's writing on racist anti-immigration riots in London during his time.
It is excellent.
They have been banging the same drum for 400 years.
Mac William Bishop retweeted
NEW fresh reminder of the madness from @JohnAvlon
COMMENTARY: 100 Unhinged Things Trump Did That You May Have Forgotten
An open letter to independents about what Trump promised, what he delivered, and what you need to remember before you vote.
rollingstone.com/politics/po…
Mac William Bishop retweeted
It's all kicking off at Poland's Constitutional Tribunal tonight.
Police are on the scene, protesters have gathered outside, and a judge has ordered the suspension of the court's president and his deputy.
President Karol Nawrocki is out of the country on a visit to Senegal, although he's reportedly cutting his trip short to return to Warsaw.
It looks as though the confrontation over the Tribunal, which Donald Tusk's government has been trying to overhaul, is entering a new and much more confrontational phase.
A bit of background for those who haven't followed this complicated saga.
The dispute goes back to 2015, when PiS began reshaping the Tribunal, provoking years of controversy over its independence and legitimacy.
Tusk's government argues that the institution was captured and needs to be put right. PiS insists it is legitimate and accuses Tusk of trying to seize political control.
The immediate issue concerns judges elected by the current parliament whose authority the existing Tribunal leadership and President Nawrocki refuse to recognise.
Now one of those judges, Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, has issued an order suspending Tribunal president Bogdan Święczkowski and his deputy for a month.
PiS is calling it an unlawful takeover.
The Tribunal's website announced the suspension, while its official X account claimed the website had been unlawfully taken over so it looks like two rival groups are battling over control of communications.
Police are outside, with PiS supporters and right-wing activists protesting. There are reports of objects being thrown at officers and chains being placed on the building's doors.
PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński accused Tusk of staging a “coup against the Constitutional Tribunal”, declaring: “From today, Poland is becoming a police state, and from there it is a straight road to authoritarianism.”
Warsaw police rejected claims of a forcible takeover, stating: “Police officers are not inside the Constitutional Tribunal building.”
They said officers were responding to disturbances outside, including dangerous objects being thrown at them, and were there to restore public order.
wiadomosci.wp.pl/przewrot-w-…
Mac William Bishop retweeted
Its not talked about alot, if at all. But this moment where Captain Picard has to maintain his composure not only as a Starfleet Officer but as the Captain of the Enterprise. The pause and the deep breaths and the slow exhale as he’s fighting to hold it together and is aware of it and losing that battle against his grief that he has to excuse himself from duty is one of my favourites amongst so many.
Mac William Bishop retweeted
“Scrooge exists in all of us.”
rollingstone.com/tv-movies/t…
Mac William Bishop retweeted
BREAKING: Binance says $6.3 billion of funds have been impacted in what the industry is describing as crypto’s biggest ever hack. bloom.bg/3Uoi24m
📷️: Cheng Xin/Getty Images AsiaPac
Mac William Bishop retweeted
one of the most underrated episodes of TNG is "lessons", where jean luc falls in love with a woman and opens up about his experience in the inner light and his love of the flute
Mac William Bishop retweeted
The Trump era looks like it's coming to an end, if midterm polling is to be trusted, and the meaning of MAGA is starting to look a bit different as a result.
I wrote up a dozen initial thoughts, beginning with the fact that the movement—and its leader—were always weak. (1/x)
I often wonder how many people had their first exposure to the Epic of Gilgamesh through Patrick Stewart and Star Trek: TNG.
Mac William Bishop retweeted
When facing a tough decision in life, ask yourself one simple question:
"What would Jean Luc Picard do?"
Mac William Bishop retweeted
#RIP Patrick Stewart of Star Trek and X Men ...
On 12-4-1997, after getting a @PressClubDC coffee mug, he was asked, "Just from a purely logical point of view, why is it that a Captain whose name is Jean-Luc Picard have a perfect English accent?"
Patrick Stewart answer here:
Mac William Bishop retweeted
Loved this conversation I had with Patrick Stewart a few years back. He was really the best. rollingstone.com/tv-movies/t… via @RollingStone
