Janet Watson
@janetskwatson.bsky.social
History professor at UConn, mother, knitter, long COVID and cardiac arrest survivor. Author, Fighting Different Wars. Be kind, stand strong, and aim for democracy. Cats. Personal account.
Pinned
Janet Watson
@janetskwatson.bsky.social
· Oct 21
Once again: no one told me when I was in grad school that becoming a historian of 20th century Europe would mean I would need to convince people that Nazis were (and are) bad.
I really thought that was a given.
I really thought that was a given.
A thread of examples that show that mandolins and slicers are the food prep versions of Twoey the plant from Little Shop of Horrors:
no matter how careful and accommodating you are, they constantly demand FEED ME as they eye your body and blood
no matter how careful and accommodating you are, they constantly demand FEED ME as they eye your body and blood
never trust a mandolin!
November 28, 2025 at 1:25 PM
A thread of examples that show that mandolins and slicers are the food prep versions of Twoey the plant from Little Shop of Horrors:
no matter how careful and accommodating you are, they constantly demand FEED ME as they eye your body and blood
no matter how careful and accommodating you are, they constantly demand FEED ME as they eye your body and blood
Reposted by Janet Watson
Resharing my #GoodGifts guide for all you #BlackFriday shoppers.
100+ links where you can spend your cash with charities, museums, artists and small businesses rather than billionnaires.
100+ links where you can spend your cash with charities, museums, artists and small businesses rather than billionnaires.
Good Gifts 2025
Use your Secret Santa or present giving to support charities, museums and small businesses.
madlinblog.wordpress.com
November 28, 2025 at 8:52 AM
Resharing my #GoodGifts guide for all you #BlackFriday shoppers.
100+ links where you can spend your cash with charities, museums, artists and small businesses rather than billionnaires.
100+ links where you can spend your cash with charities, museums, artists and small businesses rather than billionnaires.
Reposted by Janet Watson
“No,” said Frog.
November 28, 2025 at 8:37 AM
“No,” said Frog.
Reposted by Janet Watson
Among the things I am thankful for is the courage and patriotism of all the federal workers who blew the whistle on agency policies that harm Americans, and those who support us. #CourageIsContagious Art by @drrabbithole.bsky.social
November 27, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Among the things I am thankful for is the courage and patriotism of all the federal workers who blew the whistle on agency policies that harm Americans, and those who support us. #CourageIsContagious Art by @drrabbithole.bsky.social
In older books, characters ask policemen for directions & lost children are relieved to see policemen (who usually then pick them up & carry them to safety). They were benign members of the community.
I miss Officer Clancy, stopping Boston traffic so Mrs Mallard & the ducklings could cross safely.
I miss Officer Clancy, stopping Boston traffic so Mrs Mallard & the ducklings could cross safely.
In Vitale’s book, he writes: “The problem is not police training, police diversity, or police methods. The problem is the dramatic and unprecedented expansion and intensity of policing in the last 40 years, a fundamental shift in the role of police in society. The problem is policing itself.”
😍
😍
November 27, 2025 at 12:31 PM
In older books, characters ask policemen for directions & lost children are relieved to see policemen (who usually then pick them up & carry them to safety). They were benign members of the community.
I miss Officer Clancy, stopping Boston traffic so Mrs Mallard & the ducklings could cross safely.
I miss Officer Clancy, stopping Boston traffic so Mrs Mallard & the ducklings could cross safely.
Reposted by Janet Watson
Handing back student work that’s been written by ChatGPT with a 0 followed by the comment “This essay will never stand in authentic wonder before the Beauty of God’s creation.”
Pope Leo XIV told students not to use artificial intelligence for homework, saying that AI ‘won’t stand in authentic wonder before the beauty of God’s creation.’
Even God Is Worried About ChatGPT
Pope Leo XIV told students not to use artificial intelligence for homework, saying that AI ‘won’t stand in authentic wonder before the beauty of God’s creation.’
www.vulture.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Handing back student work that’s been written by ChatGPT with a 0 followed by the comment “This essay will never stand in authentic wonder before the Beauty of God’s creation.”
Reposted by Janet Watson
Lots of people sharing this clip because it's funny and cathartic but I also genuinely believe it's important.
We have to win the narrative battle between "I live in a corrupt society and that's just how it is" and "I live in a corrupt society and we are going to defeat and humiliate these ghouls."
We have to win the narrative battle between "I live in a corrupt society and that's just how it is" and "I live in a corrupt society and we are going to defeat and humiliate these ghouls."
Good morning to Brazilian reporter Manuela Borges, who’s been waiting eleven years for this petty moment. ❤️ 🇧🇷
November 26, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Lots of people sharing this clip because it's funny and cathartic but I also genuinely believe it's important.
We have to win the narrative battle between "I live in a corrupt society and that's just how it is" and "I live in a corrupt society and we are going to defeat and humiliate these ghouls."
We have to win the narrative battle between "I live in a corrupt society and that's just how it is" and "I live in a corrupt society and we are going to defeat and humiliate these ghouls."
The opportunity to work with Anne is an amazing thing! She is, of course, a gifted scholar, but she is also just a wonderful person.
You'd be working with some excellent material and with our wonderful Chair, Anne Summers.
New publishing opportunity!
The London Record Society are looking for someone to edit a volume based on the archive of the Working Ladies' Guild, which supported impoverished women in late nineteenth-century Britain.
Further information and contact details in the text below.
The London Record Society are looking for someone to edit a volume based on the archive of the Working Ladies' Guild, which supported impoverished women in late nineteenth-century Britain.
Further information and contact details in the text below.
November 24, 2025 at 1:29 PM
The opportunity to work with Anne is an amazing thing! She is, of course, a gifted scholar, but she is also just a wonderful person.
👇👇👇👇👇
November 23, 2025 at 1:56 PM
👇👇👇👇👇
In the words of Donnatella Moss, Yo-Yo Ma rules
November 23, 2025 at 1:53 PM
In the words of Donnatella Moss, Yo-Yo Ma rules
Reposted by Janet Watson
I literally recommended this book to someone yesterday. Beautifully written.
@rauchway.bsky.social is the best New Deal historian alive and that’s saying something.
@rauchway.bsky.social is the best New Deal historian alive and that’s saying something.
Listen to Bouie. Read @rauchway.bsky.social's book.
Why the New Deal Matters
YouTube video by Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie
www.youtube.com
November 22, 2025 at 2:24 PM
I literally recommended this book to someone yesterday. Beautifully written.
@rauchway.bsky.social is the best New Deal historian alive and that’s saying something.
@rauchway.bsky.social is the best New Deal historian alive and that’s saying something.
Reposted by Janet Watson
Oh wait this is actually a good idea
November 22, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Oh wait this is actually a good idea
Reposted by Janet Watson
NEW: Brutal to watch Zelensky address his nation just now. On the brink of being abandoned by the US.
"Right now is one of the most difficult moments in our history. At this moment, Ukraine may face a very hard choice: either the loss of dignity, or the risk of losing a key partner."
"Right now is one of the most difficult moments in our history. At this moment, Ukraine may face a very hard choice: either the loss of dignity, or the risk of losing a key partner."
November 21, 2025 at 3:15 PM
NEW: Brutal to watch Zelensky address his nation just now. On the brink of being abandoned by the US.
"Right now is one of the most difficult moments in our history. At this moment, Ukraine may face a very hard choice: either the loss of dignity, or the risk of losing a key partner."
"Right now is one of the most difficult moments in our history. At this moment, Ukraine may face a very hard choice: either the loss of dignity, or the risk of losing a key partner."
Reposted by Janet Watson
That flag at the NAACP headquarters was what inspired me to make this for a place in Hamden, CT, where ICE raided a car wash. I'm making more.
November 20, 2025 at 1:01 PM
That flag at the NAACP headquarters was what inspired me to make this for a place in Hamden, CT, where ICE raided a car wash. I'm making more.
Reposted by Janet Watson
The Covid Inquiry finds that if Boris Johnson had called the first lockdown even one week earlier then it could have saved at least 20,000 lives.
Here's a quick reminder of what Johnson was actually doing during those weeks
Here's a quick reminder of what Johnson was actually doing during those weeks
November 20, 2025 at 4:55 PM
The Covid Inquiry finds that if Boris Johnson had called the first lockdown even one week earlier then it could have saved at least 20,000 lives.
Here's a quick reminder of what Johnson was actually doing during those weeks
Here's a quick reminder of what Johnson was actually doing during those weeks
Sometimes I just can’t even anymore
WAPO SCOOP: U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses as hate symbols
wapo.st/3Mbd9a6
wapo.st/3Mbd9a6
U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses as hate symbols
The military service, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, has drafted a new policy that classifies such items “potentially divisive.”
wapo.st
November 20, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Sometimes I just can’t even anymore
Reposted by Janet Watson
Fourth. FOURTH.
Westminster Voting Intention:
RFM: 32% (-1)
GRN: 18% (+1)
CON: 17% (+1)
LAB: 16% (+1)
LDM: 11% (=)
SNP: 2% (-1)
Via @findoutnow.bsky.social, 19 Nov.
Changes w/ 12 Nov.
RFM: 32% (-1)
GRN: 18% (+1)
CON: 17% (+1)
LAB: 16% (+1)
LDM: 11% (=)
SNP: 2% (-1)
Via @findoutnow.bsky.social, 19 Nov.
Changes w/ 12 Nov.
November 20, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Fourth. FOURTH.
Reposted by Janet Watson
Mark Epstein: "You know, they used to fly in each other's planes. ... They say Donald was on Jeff's plane like seven times, but... have they checked Donald's flight logs from those days to see how many times Jeffrey was on [Donald Trump's] plane? ...
November 20, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Mark Epstein: "You know, they used to fly in each other's planes. ... They say Donald was on Jeff's plane like seven times, but... have they checked Donald's flight logs from those days to see how many times Jeffrey was on [Donald Trump's] plane? ...
Reposted by Janet Watson
The new NCI director told staff that "the administration is not backing away" from cancer research and the NCI just a day after a study came out showing the Trump assault on NIH/NCI and science in general had disrupted more than 100 cancer clinical trials.
Once more from yesterday, I obtained a recording of the new NCI director’s first town hall.
New NCI Director Says Administration Overtly Hostile to Cancer Research Is "Not Backing Away" From Cancer Research
A recording of the new director's first town hall reveals how he is trying to walk a difficult line between optimism and clear-eyed realism.
www.gravityisgone.com
November 19, 2025 at 9:48 PM
The new NCI director told staff that "the administration is not backing away" from cancer research and the NCI just a day after a study came out showing the Trump assault on NIH/NCI and science in general had disrupted more than 100 cancer clinical trials.
Reposted by Janet Watson
People in the intelligence community call Witkoff Dim Philby - both for his level of intelligence and because he’s working for the Russians.
November 19, 2025 at 7:17 PM
People in the intelligence community call Witkoff Dim Philby - both for his level of intelligence and because he’s working for the Russians.
Reposted by Janet Watson
Trump is conspiring with Putin to sell out Ukraine – and the security of the whole of Europe along with it.
The Prime Minister must convene the Coalition of the Willing to stop this betrayal in its tracks.
The Prime Minister must convene the Coalition of the Willing to stop this betrayal in its tracks.
New: I can confirm hasty US-Russia proposal being pushed to Ukrainians via Dmitriev-Witkoff to Umerov. It would amount to Ukraine’s capitulation, with people familiar saying it’s Kremlin’s maximalist demands.
-Ukraine army cut 1/2
-Give up certain weapons
-Give up Donbas
-Zelensky displeased
More tk
-Ukraine army cut 1/2
-Give up certain weapons
-Give up Donbas
-Zelensky displeased
More tk
November 19, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Trump is conspiring with Putin to sell out Ukraine – and the security of the whole of Europe along with it.
The Prime Minister must convene the Coalition of the Willing to stop this betrayal in its tracks.
The Prime Minister must convene the Coalition of the Willing to stop this betrayal in its tracks.
Reposted by Janet Watson
Covid-19 and cardiovascular disease in a total population-study of long-term effects, social factors and Covid-19-vaccination
Another confirmation: like many pathogens, the inflammation required to clear SC2, can put strains on heard and vasculature
www.nature.com/artic...
1/10
Another confirmation: like many pathogens, the inflammation required to clear SC2, can put strains on heard and vasculature
www.nature.com/artic...
1/10
Covid-19 and cardiovascular disease in a total population-study of long-term effects, social factors and Covid-19-vaccination
Nature Communications - Covid-19 has been linked to cardiovascular complications, but the long-term impacts, particularly for mild infections, are not well understood. Here, the authors investigate...
www.nature.com
November 19, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Covid-19 and cardiovascular disease in a total population-study of long-term effects, social factors and Covid-19-vaccination
Another confirmation: like many pathogens, the inflammation required to clear SC2, can put strains on heard and vasculature
www.nature.com/artic...
1/10
Another confirmation: like many pathogens, the inflammation required to clear SC2, can put strains on heard and vasculature
www.nature.com/artic...
1/10
Reposted by Janet Watson
My mind has been spinning the last few days as multiple crises of journalism converged—the Nuzzi book, Epstein’s emails revealing journalists hid information, Trump berating a reporter with no consequence—and it occurred to me they all stemmed from the same source: elite impunity.
Moral rot in elite journalism is killing the whole field
The Nuzzi/RFK Jr. mess and the revelation of Esptein's journo pals lay bare a profound moral absence at the heart of our free press.
www.thehandbasket.co
November 18, 2025 at 11:24 PM
My mind has been spinning the last few days as multiple crises of journalism converged—the Nuzzi book, Epstein’s emails revealing journalists hid information, Trump berating a reporter with no consequence—and it occurred to me they all stemmed from the same source: elite impunity.
Reposted by Janet Watson
For the life of me I don't understand why the White House press corps continues to debase itself. (Congress too, for that matter.)
November 18, 2025 at 6:08 PM
For the life of me I don't understand why the White House press corps continues to debase itself. (Congress too, for that matter.)
I started rewatching ER and now I’m nostalgic for oversized women’s coats and mix tapes and the 1990s in general (but maybe not those fashion ties George Clooney wore).
November 18, 2025 at 4:25 PM
I started rewatching ER and now I’m nostalgic for oversized women’s coats and mix tapes and the 1990s in general (but maybe not those fashion ties George Clooney wore).