William M. Cavert
@williamcavert.bsky.social
Historian of Britain, its animals, pollution, energy, climate, nature, and people. Author of The Smoke of London: Energy and Environment in the Early Modern City. Living in St Paul, MN.
Reposted by William M. Cavert
14 two-year postdocs for academics of any nationality who cannot continue their research due to US politics. Do share if you know of such.
Post-doc positions:
"Academic freedom is under pressure today. This requires rescue havens of free research. ... [we] invite early career researchers, whose work is restricted due to political pressure in the USA..."
uni-freiburg.de/frias/call-f...
"Academic freedom is under pressure today. This requires rescue havens of free research. ... [we] invite early career researchers, whose work is restricted due to political pressure in the USA..."
uni-freiburg.de/frias/call-f...
Call for Applications: Early Career Rescue Fellowship – Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies
uni-freiburg.de
December 19, 2025 at 5:19 PM
14 two-year postdocs for academics of any nationality who cannot continue their research due to US politics. Do share if you know of such.
Manufacturing consent
December 18, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Manufacturing consent
Reposted by William M. Cavert
When did discussions of “the economy” begin, and why?
In our latest blog post @williamcavert.bsky.social takes us to 18th-century England to explore the "improvement" literature of the time👇
In our latest blog post @williamcavert.bsky.social takes us to 18th-century England to explore the "improvement" literature of the time👇
The Economy versus the People in Eighteenth-Century England
When did discussions of “the economy” begin, and why? William Cavert takes us to 18th-century England to explore the “improvement” literature of the time.
blog.journalhistoryknowledge.org
December 16, 2025 at 9:13 AM
When did discussions of “the economy” begin, and why?
In our latest blog post @williamcavert.bsky.social takes us to 18th-century England to explore the "improvement" literature of the time👇
In our latest blog post @williamcavert.bsky.social takes us to 18th-century England to explore the "improvement" literature of the time👇
At long last, a movie about Stalinism but with the vibe of Kung Fu Panda.
December 12, 2025 at 11:52 PM
At long last, a movie about Stalinism but with the vibe of Kung Fu Panda.
"The Improvement Police," my article on a scheme, c. 1700, to force people to use new scientific knowledge to make their government rich, is out in a fantastic issue on Projects, edited by @tedmccormick.bsky.social, Vera Keller, and Kelly Whitmer.
journalhistoryknowledge.org/article/view...
journalhistoryknowledge.org/article/view...
View of The Improvement Police
journalhistoryknowledge.org
December 11, 2025 at 2:58 PM
"The Improvement Police," my article on a scheme, c. 1700, to force people to use new scientific knowledge to make their government rich, is out in a fantastic issue on Projects, edited by @tedmccormick.bsky.social, Vera Keller, and Kelly Whitmer.
journalhistoryknowledge.org/article/view...
journalhistoryknowledge.org/article/view...
Reposted by William M. Cavert
My daughter’s school bus was delayed this morning because armed ICE agents, some masked, were in the middle of 15th Ave in Cedar Riverside. So why wouldn’t ICE just get out of the way when the bus came? Perhaps they were busy harassing Somali-Americans, who are overwhelmingly citizens. But... (1/4)
December 11, 2025 at 2:06 PM
My daughter’s school bus was delayed this morning because armed ICE agents, some masked, were in the middle of 15th Ave in Cedar Riverside. So why wouldn’t ICE just get out of the way when the bus came? Perhaps they were busy harassing Somali-Americans, who are overwhelmingly citizens. But... (1/4)
Reposted by William M. Cavert
An absolute horrific nightmare of two AI bots caught in a loop with each other is the perfect example of the total nothingness of AI “brains”.
December 9, 2025 at 9:09 PM
An absolute horrific nightmare of two AI bots caught in a loop with each other is the perfect example of the total nothingness of AI “brains”.
Reposted by William M. Cavert
Respectfully, Congresswoman, you voted with Republicans to strip due process from immigrants and to praise Trump's ICE. This year.
Now you're upset?
Votes have consequences. Minnesotans deserve better.
Now you're upset?
Votes have consequences. Minnesotans deserve better.
ICE agents followed a Burnsville family home from the store, failed to present a warrant and entered their home with guns drawn. They detained 4 legal citizens who presented documentation, leaving a 7 year-old without parents.
A seven-year-old. Let that sink in. Trump’s ICE is out of control.
A seven-year-old. Let that sink in. Trump’s ICE is out of control.
ICE agents detained four people from a Burnsville home, according to family members, including a 7-year-old's parents and the husband of a pregnant woman.
December 8, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Respectfully, Congresswoman, you voted with Republicans to strip due process from immigrants and to praise Trump's ICE. This year.
Now you're upset?
Votes have consequences. Minnesotans deserve better.
Now you're upset?
Votes have consequences. Minnesotans deserve better.
Watching Real Madrid players lose their minds and get card after card, and it's clear that fifa needs a better chief Peace keeper than Trump. All red cards from now on are his fault.
December 7, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Watching Real Madrid players lose their minds and get card after card, and it's clear that fifa needs a better chief Peace keeper than Trump. All red cards from now on are his fault.
Reposted by William M. Cavert
I spoke to the New York Times in this great explainer piece by Charlie Savage
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/04/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/04/u...
December 4, 2025 at 1:50 PM
I spoke to the New York Times in this great explainer piece by Charlie Savage
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/04/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/04/u...
When they go low, we go accurate
Rep. Ilhan Omar: "I hope he gets the help he needs. It sounds like he's trying to deflect from the failures that he's had as president ... he's fought to be the head of the pedophile protection party."
December 3, 2025 at 11:51 PM
When they go low, we go accurate
Reposted by William M. Cavert
Organic chemicals entered agricultural use after WWII in the form of pesticides, fertilizers, and miscellaneous use like desiccation. The result is a world dripping with residues. The stuff is *in* us and *of* us now. Yet, we really have no clue what this means.
December 3, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Organic chemicals entered agricultural use after WWII in the form of pesticides, fertilizers, and miscellaneous use like desiccation. The result is a world dripping with residues. The stuff is *in* us and *of* us now. Yet, we really have no clue what this means.
Trump plays chess in the 4th dimension, which of course is time, whereas you and I only play it within the 3 spatial dimensions and so can never progress from one moment to the next. Our chess matches are stuck in an eternal present whereas only Trump has beginnings and ends.
Sen. Roger Marshall on Trump's health: "I'll work 110 hours a week. He outworks me. He's the first person I've ever known that works harder than I do. He runs around that golf course. He's in incredible shape right now. And you talk about sharp! He's playing 4 dimensional chess"
December 3, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Trump plays chess in the 4th dimension, which of course is time, whereas you and I only play it within the 3 spatial dimensions and so can never progress from one moment to the next. Our chess matches are stuck in an eternal present whereas only Trump has beginnings and ends.
Great thread. This dynamic -both the situation and the critique of it - is very familiar to anyone who's studied the history of monarchies. Having an old/sick/incompetent ruler, which happens at some point in any monarchy, means factions and patronage networks intrigue to wield real power.
trump is the president in the sense that he holds the office but he very clearly isn't the president in the sense that he has basically relieved himself of its duties
Trump’s echo chamber:
Very little U.S travel
No rallies or contact with supporters
Right-wing media
Dinners with rich donors and billionaires
Truth Social
Lack of staff to tell him no www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Very little U.S travel
No rallies or contact with supporters
Right-wing media
Dinners with rich donors and billionaires
Truth Social
Lack of staff to tell him no www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
December 2, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Great thread. This dynamic -both the situation and the critique of it - is very familiar to anyone who's studied the history of monarchies. Having an old/sick/incompetent ruler, which happens at some point in any monarchy, means factions and patronage networks intrigue to wield real power.
Reposted by William M. Cavert
Imagine being a career officer in the chain of command on Trump's boat bombings. You have deep moral and legal concerns about them. Your faith in leadership is shaky. Then you see Pete Hegseth tweet out a sadistic cartoon about it. Must be awful.
Thoughts on this:
newrepublic.com/article/2037...
Thoughts on this:
newrepublic.com/article/2037...
December 2, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Imagine being a career officer in the chain of command on Trump's boat bombings. You have deep moral and legal concerns about them. Your faith in leadership is shaky. Then you see Pete Hegseth tweet out a sadistic cartoon about it. Must be awful.
Thoughts on this:
newrepublic.com/article/2037...
Thoughts on this:
newrepublic.com/article/2037...
Reposted by William M. Cavert
This portrait series of people working in climate/science is one of my favorite things on Bluesky.
@tomheap.bsky.social is a broadcaster, journalist, and author who is the current co-host of BBC Radio 4’s Rare Earth. He previously hosted Countryfile on BBC, and the Climate Show on Sky News. He’s the author of two books: 39 Ways to Save the Planet and Land Smart.
November 26, 2025 at 11:17 AM
This portrait series of people working in climate/science is one of my favorite things on Bluesky.
Reposted by William M. Cavert
By the way, Sahan Journal is a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to reporting for immigrants and communities of color in Minnesota.
All of their reporting that I've seen this year is unusually excellent.
Follow: @sahanjournal.bsky.social
All of their reporting that I've seen this year is unusually excellent.
Follow: @sahanjournal.bsky.social
St. Paul police used tear gas and pepper spray Tuesday as hundreds of demonstrators confronted them and dozens of federal agents on the city’s East Side.
Council member criticizes St. Paul police conduct during federal arrest
Hundreds of demonstrators confronted dozens of federal agents and St. Paul police Tuesday as authorities arrested a man at a home on Rose Avenue on the East Side.
sahanjournal.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:10 PM
By the way, Sahan Journal is a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to reporting for immigrants and communities of color in Minnesota.
All of their reporting that I've seen this year is unusually excellent.
Follow: @sahanjournal.bsky.social
All of their reporting that I've seen this year is unusually excellent.
Follow: @sahanjournal.bsky.social
"Could" lead to dirtier air, "would" prevent thousands of deaths.
The EPA is abandoning a rule that would strengthen limits on fine-particle pollution, a move scientists and experts say could lead to dirtier air and more deaths.
Trump EPA to abandon air pollution rule that would prevent thousands of U.S. deaths
The Environmental Protection Agency will no longer defend Biden-era limits on fine-particle pollution, which causes heart and lung disease.
wapo.st
November 25, 2025 at 9:03 PM
"Could" lead to dirtier air, "would" prevent thousands of deaths.
Reposted by William M. Cavert
November 25, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Over many interviews, King Richard told us about how he plans to remake the Ayyubid dynasty. Can he lead Saladin's sultanate he's spent much of his life crusading against?
Over many interviews, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Michael Scherer about how he plans to remake America’s public-health system. Can he lead the scientific establishment he’s spent much of his life crusading against?
Read more in our new cover story: theatln.tc/q9hXxlbM
Read more in our new cover story: theatln.tc/q9hXxlbM
November 24, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Over many interviews, King Richard told us about how he plans to remake the Ayyubid dynasty. Can he lead Saladin's sultanate he's spent much of his life crusading against?
Reposted by William M. Cavert
Had great fun chatting to @rebeccarideal.bsky.social about her brilliant new Civil War podcast, with Emily Briffett, here:
www.historyextra.com/period/upris...
www.historyextra.com/period/upris...
Uprising: the Civil Wars untangled
Rebecca Rideal and Jonathan Healey uncover the dramatic events that led to the execution of Charles I
www.historyextra.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Had great fun chatting to @rebeccarideal.bsky.social about her brilliant new Civil War podcast, with Emily Briffett, here:
www.historyextra.com/period/upris...
www.historyextra.com/period/upris...
Reposted by William M. Cavert
ICE’s Detention Center outside Chicago was sued on October 30 for allegedly abusing detainees. One day later, a "system crash" lost all video footage that could have shown how detainees were being treated. trib.al/8EEVfEr
November 23, 2025 at 10:30 PM
ICE’s Detention Center outside Chicago was sued on October 30 for allegedly abusing detainees. One day later, a "system crash" lost all video footage that could have shown how detainees were being treated. trib.al/8EEVfEr
Reposted by William M. Cavert
This, by @giacgrassi.bsky.social, remains one of the simplest and best climate visuals
November 23, 2025 at 9:30 PM
This, by @giacgrassi.bsky.social, remains one of the simplest and best climate visuals
Ricky was a young boy, he had a heart of stone,
November 23, 2025 at 5:33 AM
Ricky was a young boy, he had a heart of stone,
Check out Martin Luther over here, challenging orthodoxies.
Breaking News: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he personally instructed the CDC to abandon its position that vaccines do not cause autism. The move underscores his determination to challenge scientific orthodoxy — in this case, that vaccines save lives — and bend the health department to his will.
RFK Jr. Says He Instructed CDC to Change Vaccines and Autism Language on Website
In an interview, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cited gaps in vaccine safety research. His critics say he is ignoring a larger point: Vaccines save lives.
nyti.ms
November 21, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Check out Martin Luther over here, challenging orthodoxies.