They’re coming up.

A date with Kate Moss’s mixologist The legendary British bartender Colin Field on cocktails and celebrities

“I’m with Churchill on this one: I think vermouth is best when it goes over your left shoulder.”

www.ft.com/content/8239... A date with Kate Moss’s mixologist

Some days are like that.

In major policy shift, Japan scraps limits on lethal arms exports The changes come amid intensifying geopolitical rivalries and Japan's growing engagement in international defense-industrial projects.

Japan Got the Memo

www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/04...

From the meirl community on Reddit: meirl Explore this post and more from the meirl community

No notes.

www.reddit.com/r/meirl/comm...

Cc @ericmmurphy.bsky.social

Try New Things.

“Can America go alone?” Is a never to be asked.

“Should America go alone?” Is a question you already know the answer to.

We are stronger with Allies and Partners.

American Leadership is a gift, not a burden.

The next American president is a felon? Go on…..

The American Defense Industrial Base is the envy of the world and produces the world’s best equipment.

Creating an environment that drives allies & partners to deliberately choose other equipment is bad for strategy, American National security, interoperability, and bad for U.S. industry.

It won’t undo the reputational damage, or mend the relationship, but it matters.

I spent a good part of my day talking to allies and partners in the defense space, and while the relationship and trust at the practitioner level is still strong, at the policy level it is badly eroded, or broken.

The first foreign visit of the next U.S. President should be to NATO HQ in Brussels, Belgium.

First visits tell you something about a President’s priorities.

Trump: Saudi Arabia
Biden: United Kingdom
Trump: Saudi Arabia
Obama: Canada
GW Bush: Mexico
Clinton: Canada
GWH Bush: Canada
Reagan: Mexico

Russia, the “superpower” everyone fears, has the second best army in Ukraine.

Turning the Corner: Momentum Builds in Ukraine’s Strike & Ground Defence Campaigns While Pacific Democracies Enhance their Strategic Deterrence. My weekly update on war and strategic competition. This week, Ukraine's long-range strike & ground ops, Russia still not generating momentum in its spring offensive and Pacific security issues.

“Ukraine is acting & performing like it has the strategic momentum in this war; there is a fair argument that maybe now it does.” My latest. mickryan.substack.com/p/turning-th...

Thanks for flagging this for me.

Ukraine Keeps Punching.

Everybody needs an editor.

I’ve had the same editor since 1967. Many times he has said to me over the years or asked me, Why would you use a semicolon instead of a colon? And many times over the years I have said to him things like: I will never speak to you again. Forever. Goodbye. That is it. Thank you very much. And I leave. Then I read the piece and I think of his suggestions. I send him a telegram that says, OK, so you’re right. So what? Don’t ever mention this to me again. If you do, I will never speak to you again

Maya Angelou on the joys of being edited

Margaritas.

Everything Just Got Better.

Approved.

I’ll never tell.

Shot and a Beer… Blue Collar kind of night.

Everything Just Got Better.

Dave!

Sometimes you find exotic stuff in a Goodwill.

24K Legacy Eye Mask & Whip.

Did a little Democracy today.

Cheers.

Everything Just Got Better.

Indeed.