johnedwinmason
@johnedwinmason.bsky.social
Historian, curator, walker, player of antique French horns. Photography, music, South Africa. UVA Professor Emeritus.
Pinned
"I hope and trust all will come out right in the end, but the immediate future looks dark and troubled. I cannot shut my eyes to the ugly facts before me."
--Frederick Douglass, Lessons of the Hour, 1894
--Frederick Douglass, Lessons of the Hour, 1894
Charlottesville needs this! "Water tower designed by Guillaume Gillet, architect, 1955-57... Thanks to its filter-like shape and the regular addition of several tons of coffee to its top, it supplies the residents of the neighborhood with hot coffee, directly from their taps."
14 CAEN 1956 La Guérinière Le Château d'Eau De Guillaume Gillet Arch 1955-57 Réservoir de 3000 m3 Grâce à sa forme de filtre et l'ajout régulier de plusieurs tonnes de café en son sommet, il permet d'alimenter les hbts du quartier en café chaud, directement depuis leurs robinets
January 19, 2026 at 4:24 AM
Charlottesville needs this! "Water tower designed by Guillaume Gillet, architect, 1955-57... Thanks to its filter-like shape and the regular addition of several tons of coffee to its top, it supplies the residents of the neighborhood with hot coffee, directly from their taps."
The more things change...
Jan. 18, 1926: Ohio State University is threatened by Communism and an anti-parental “youth movement,” says Clarence Maris, a political writer who organized a state inquiry into the institution. He admits he has no firsthand knowledge of this.
January 19, 2026 at 4:07 AM
The more things change...
Reposted by johnedwinmason
Jan. 18, 1926: An activist leads several dozen fellow Black women of Birmingham, Ala., to the Jefferson County offices to try to register to vote. When Indiana Little is ordered to leave, she refuses and is “struck..roughly handled” and arrested on disorderly conduct charges. 1/4
January 18, 2026 at 2:25 PM
Jan. 18, 1926: An activist leads several dozen fellow Black women of Birmingham, Ala., to the Jefferson County offices to try to register to vote. When Indiana Little is ordered to leave, she refuses and is “struck..roughly handled” and arrested on disorderly conduct charges. 1/4
Reposted by johnedwinmason
At the Cloisters, an exhibition documenting the sexual diversity of the late Middle Ages, when the Church began to enforce its rigid categories of gender. It's an important exhibition during a terrifying moral panic against transgender people. www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Review | In ‘Spectrum of Desire,’ the Met takes a nuanced look at gender fluidity
An exhibition of medieval art at the Cloisters is small but potent.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 18, 2026 at 10:02 PM
At the Cloisters, an exhibition documenting the sexual diversity of the late Middle Ages, when the Church began to enforce its rigid categories of gender. It's an important exhibition during a terrifying moral panic against transgender people. www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Roasted vegetables for dinner tonight. Potatoes, carrots, red bell peppers, jalapeño peppers, onion, garlic, olive oil, and, on a whim, Daikon radishes. Seasoned w/cumin, coriander, and salt. Finished with a squeeze of lemon for brightness.
First time I've roasted Daikons. Highly recommended!
First time I've roasted Daikons. Highly recommended!
January 19, 2026 at 3:28 AM
Roasted vegetables for dinner tonight. Potatoes, carrots, red bell peppers, jalapeño peppers, onion, garlic, olive oil, and, on a whim, Daikon radishes. Seasoned w/cumin, coriander, and salt. Finished with a squeeze of lemon for brightness.
First time I've roasted Daikons. Highly recommended!
First time I've roasted Daikons. Highly recommended!
Reposted by johnedwinmason
Baseball
Muscotah, KS
Muscotah, KS
January 19, 2026 at 3:00 AM
Baseball
Muscotah, KS
Muscotah, KS
Reposted by johnedwinmason
In 1924, Alma Thomas was the 1st graduate of Howard University’s Fine Arts program & the 1st woman in the US to hold bachelor’s degree in art. Her work has been collected by the Smithsonian, Metropolitan Museum of Art, & the White House. This piece sold at a Christie’s auction for 2.6 million USD.
January 18, 2026 at 8:16 PM
In 1924, Alma Thomas was the 1st graduate of Howard University’s Fine Arts program & the 1st woman in the US to hold bachelor’s degree in art. Her work has been collected by the Smithsonian, Metropolitan Museum of Art, & the White House. This piece sold at a Christie’s auction for 2.6 million USD.
I wonder if anyone in the Trump regime is clever enough to drive a wedge into this fissure, or if Western European solidarity will come apart on its own.
Jens Spahn, chairman of the CDU/CSU in German parliament on a possible US invasion of Greenland: “When you look at Greenland's location on the globe, the questions raised by the US are understandable.”
Utter madness.
Utter madness.
Das hat Jens Spahn gerade erst gestern, am Freitag, in der SZ gesagt. Diese Servilität, dieses Sich-in-den-Staub-Werfen der Union vor einem skrupellosen Potentaten ist einfach nur entsetzlich.
January 18, 2026 at 6:41 PM
I wonder if anyone in the Trump regime is clever enough to drive a wedge into this fissure, or if Western European solidarity will come apart on its own.
Expert use by Cruz of the word "acquiring" to hide genocide, ethnic cleansing, & war. A history drenched in blood.
"...the whole history of America has been a history of acquiring new lands and new territories."
"...the whole history of America has been a history of acquiring new lands and new territories."
Cruz: "When it comes to Greenland, I want to commend President Trump for being single-mindedly focused on America first... I believe it is overwhelmingly in America's national interest to acquire Greenland... the whole history of America has been a history of acquiring new lands and new territories"
January 18, 2026 at 5:59 PM
Expert use by Cruz of the word "acquiring" to hide genocide, ethnic cleansing, & war. A history drenched in blood.
"...the whole history of America has been a history of acquiring new lands and new territories."
"...the whole history of America has been a history of acquiring new lands and new territories."
@hebagowayed.bsky.social & @victorerikray.bsky.social. Great stuff. It reminds me of how Susan Sontag implored us, after 9/11, to mourn together, but not be stupid together. We've spent the years since being stupid in many ways. And it's been a bi-partisan effort. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Abolishing ICE isn’t enough – it’s time to center people’s humanity | Heba Gowayed and Victor Ray
It’s far from radical to reject a system predicated on violence – despite what thinktanks might claim
www.theguardian.com
January 18, 2026 at 5:12 PM
@hebagowayed.bsky.social & @victorerikray.bsky.social. Great stuff. It reminds me of how Susan Sontag implored us, after 9/11, to mourn together, but not be stupid together. We've spent the years since being stupid in many ways. And it's been a bi-partisan effort. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Yes. We need to do the hard work of changing the conversation around immigration.
Immigration is good. It strengthens our economy and enriches our culture. We need more of it — and an orderly, humane path for would-be immigrants to follow. Democratic politicians should embrace this task.
Immigration is good. It strengthens our economy and enriches our culture. We need more of it — and an orderly, humane path for would-be immigrants to follow. Democratic politicians should embrace this task.
Abolishing ICE isn’t enough – it’s time to center people’s humanity | Heba Gowayed and Victor Ray
Abolishing ICE isn’t enough – it’s time to center people’s humanity | Heba Gowayed and Victor Ray
It’s far from radical to reject a system predicated on violence – despite what thinktanks might claim
www.theguardian.com
January 18, 2026 at 4:47 PM
Yes. We need to do the hard work of changing the conversation around immigration.
Immigration is good. It strengthens our economy and enriches our culture. We need more of it — and an orderly, humane path for would-be immigrants to follow. Democratic politicians should embrace this task.
Immigration is good. It strengthens our economy and enriches our culture. We need more of it — and an orderly, humane path for would-be immigrants to follow. Democratic politicians should embrace this task.
There's a lot going on right now. But please don't forget the people of Sudan.
United Nations rights chief Volker Turk visits Sudan and says people in country are going through 'hell'.
Sudan's people endure ‘horror and hell' in war, says UN rights chief
United Nations rights chief Volker Turk visits Sudan and says people in country are going through 'hell'.
www.aljazeera.com
January 18, 2026 at 4:29 PM
There's a lot going on right now. But please don't forget the people of Sudan.
Reposted by johnedwinmason
Finally a righteous use for car alarms!
People in Minnesota are now using their key fobs to trigger their car alarms from the safety of their homes when they see ICE walking around.
January 18, 2026 at 5:00 AM
Finally a righteous use for car alarms!
On Instagram I just saw a clip of Charlie Parker & Buddy Rich. It was new to me, & I immediately suspected that it was AI slop. Turns out it's real. But who knows anymore? m.youtube.com/watch?v=YGo0...
Charlie Parker - Celebrity (& Buddy Rich). [Live 1950]
YouTube video by Yaser Jarufe
m.youtube.com
January 18, 2026 at 4:07 AM
On Instagram I just saw a clip of Charlie Parker & Buddy Rich. It was new to me, & I immediately suspected that it was AI slop. Turns out it's real. But who knows anymore? m.youtube.com/watch?v=YGo0...
Reposted by johnedwinmason
Jan. 17, 1926, The Miami Inn, a popular nightspot in New York’s Greenwich Village, is raided by police who round up 200 patrons. A magistrate frees all of them and admonishes the cops that only the making or sale of alcohol is forbidden under Prohibition, not the drinking of it.
January 17, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Jan. 17, 1926, The Miami Inn, a popular nightspot in New York’s Greenwich Village, is raided by police who round up 200 patrons. A magistrate frees all of them and admonishes the cops that only the making or sale of alcohol is forbidden under Prohibition, not the drinking of it.
Reposted by johnedwinmason
Ethan Iverson says of his timekeeping early in his career: "I was only as competent as a first-chair classical musician, which is nowhere near good enough for jazz." open.substack.com/pub/iverson/...
TT 565: Structural Features of Early Bad Plus
What’s in a Rock Cover?
open.substack.com
January 17, 2026 at 4:22 PM
Ethan Iverson says of his timekeeping early in his career: "I was only as competent as a first-chair classical musician, which is nowhere near good enough for jazz." open.substack.com/pub/iverson/...
This is great. And Wild. The saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, live in Paris, 1975. They called it spiritual jazz. Whatever. It's music that will make your ears grow (however uncomfortable that may be). 😄
On écoute le saxophoniste Pharoah Sanders, disciple de John Coltrane et pionnier du spiritual jazz, cette musique spirituelle, méditative et cosmique qui explore de nouvelles idées thématiques associées à des traditions non occidentales... ➡️ https://l.francemusique.fr/Ppn
January 18, 2026 at 2:34 AM
This is great. And Wild. The saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, live in Paris, 1975. They called it spiritual jazz. Whatever. It's music that will make your ears grow (however uncomfortable that may be). 😄
Reposted by johnedwinmason
These are men who grew up learning to hate mom but be terrified when dad gets mad.
ICE seems to get completely flummoxed when they’re being yelled at by white men over 35. They kind of put their heads down and shuffle their feet. It’s like their kryptonite.
January 17, 2026 at 7:12 PM
These are men who grew up learning to hate mom but be terrified when dad gets mad.
Time for some Saturday night music. Fine & funky soul from The Buttshakers. Listen first. Then guess where there're from. m.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq_3...
Good Intentions
YouTube video by The Buttshakers - Topic
m.youtube.com
January 18, 2026 at 1:32 AM
Time for some Saturday night music. Fine & funky soul from The Buttshakers. Listen first. Then guess where there're from. m.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq_3...
Virginia, a state profoundly shaped by slavery and segregation — and by generations of resistance to both.
Now being reshaped *and bettered in every way* by immigrants from all over the world and their descendants.
Now being reshaped *and bettered in every way* by immigrants from all over the world and their descendants.
Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi was just sworn in on a Quran, so expect a week-long freakout by Republicans.
January 17, 2026 at 5:40 PM
Virginia, a state profoundly shaped by slavery and segregation — and by generations of resistance to both.
Now being reshaped *and bettered in every way* by immigrants from all over the world and their descendants.
Now being reshaped *and bettered in every way* by immigrants from all over the world and their descendants.
Reposted by johnedwinmason
For 250 years, Virginia has stood as a self-governing Commonwealth. Today, history unfolds as we turn the page to a new chapter in the Virginia story. We are here to celebrate the inauguration of Abigail Spanberger, the first woman Governor in the history of our Commonwealth.
January 17, 2026 at 4:53 PM
For 250 years, Virginia has stood as a self-governing Commonwealth. Today, history unfolds as we turn the page to a new chapter in the Virginia story. We are here to celebrate the inauguration of Abigail Spanberger, the first woman Governor in the history of our Commonwealth.
Reposted by johnedwinmason
Did you know you can livestream @abigailspanberger.com’s inauguration on @vpm.org? The team has put together some fantastic packages ahead of the ceremony!
January 17, 2026 at 4:52 PM
Did you know you can livestream @abigailspanberger.com’s inauguration on @vpm.org? The team has put together some fantastic packages ahead of the ceremony!
Blair, Kushner, Rubio... The world's contempt for the Palestinian people endureth forever. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Blair and Rubio named on senior executive of Gaza 'Board of Peace'
The former UK prime minister and US secretary of state will sit on the "founding executive board", the White House says.
www.bbc.com
January 17, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Blair, Kushner, Rubio... The world's contempt for the Palestinian people endureth forever. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Reposted by johnedwinmason
I'm very excited to share the first crowd-sourced blog post on the new site, featuring responses from fellow 60s & 70s TVStudiers including @johnedwinmason.bsky.social @martyolliff.bsky.social @darlenecypser.bsky.social @joshrgreenberg.bsky.social & more!
blackwhiteandread.com/january-17-1...
blackwhiteandread.com/january-17-1...
January 17-18, 2026: Crowd-sourced 60s & 70s TVStudying – Black and White and Read All Over
[This week marks the 60th anniversary of the debut of the Batman TV show & the 50th of The Bionic Woman. So I’ve AmericanStudied those shows & three others from the 60s & 70s, all of which happen to s...
blackwhiteandread.com
January 17, 2026 at 4:21 PM
I'm very excited to share the first crowd-sourced blog post on the new site, featuring responses from fellow 60s & 70s TVStudiers including @johnedwinmason.bsky.social @martyolliff.bsky.social @darlenecypser.bsky.social @joshrgreenberg.bsky.social & more!
blackwhiteandread.com/january-17-1...
blackwhiteandread.com/january-17-1...