Crystal D. Howell, Ph.D.
@crystaldhowell.bsky.social
Teacher educator, researcher, daughter, wife, friend, runner, writer, and woman about town
Pinned
Hi, Bluesky! I’m a brand-new user after being summarily kicked off Facebook and the other Meta platforms this morning. Why, you ask?
I am baffled by the spineless stupidity of Senate Dems.
Under Schumer's leadership, eight Democrats (Cortez Masto, Durbin, Fetterman, Hassan, Kaine, King, Rosen, & Shaheen) joined the Republicans in moving forward a bill to reopen the government without ACA subsidies—Dems' stated key aim—or any other real concessions from the status before the shutdown.
November 10, 2025 at 4:16 AM
I am baffled by the spineless stupidity of Senate Dems.
Reposted by Crystal D. Howell, Ph.D.
Senators on the brink of retirement who lived full, wealthy lives and never feared the loss of their own healthcare voting for their constituents to die from their inability to afford the same is treasonous
November 10, 2025 at 2:20 AM
Senators on the brink of retirement who lived full, wealthy lives and never feared the loss of their own healthcare voting for their constituents to die from their inability to afford the same is treasonous
Reposted by Crystal D. Howell, Ph.D.
Yeah these guys are born losers and are unable to even do basic spin for themselves
November 10, 2025 at 12:24 AM
Yeah these guys are born losers and are unable to even do basic spin for themselves
Reposted by Crystal D. Howell, Ph.D.
Note: while not unprecedented, it’s actually pretty rare for a sitting Catholic bishop to participate in a demonstration. It’s just not generally what Catholic bishops do.
Thus: Getting the hierarchy involved in this protest outside an ICE facility is no small thing.
Thus: Getting the hierarchy involved in this protest outside an ICE facility is no small thing.
Chicago Auxiliary Bishop José María Garcia-Maldonado at ICE detention facility: “Being here is an act of holiness…soon we will seek access to the facility to bring the Eucharist to our brothers and sisters; if they say no again, we will keep praying.”
November 1, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Note: while not unprecedented, it’s actually pretty rare for a sitting Catholic bishop to participate in a demonstration. It’s just not generally what Catholic bishops do.
Thus: Getting the hierarchy involved in this protest outside an ICE facility is no small thing.
Thus: Getting the hierarchy involved in this protest outside an ICE facility is no small thing.
Reposted by Crystal D. Howell, Ph.D.
and something else was with me in the dark
spirits were in the land, but
no one's ghost
for, had they been there,
out behind the yards,
I would have seen them in their
gloves and scarves
dusted with moonshine and frost
for the Great Beyond
John Burnside for #Halloween
spirits were in the land, but
no one's ghost
for, had they been there,
out behind the yards,
I would have seen them in their
gloves and scarves
dusted with moonshine and frost
for the Great Beyond
John Burnside for #Halloween
October 31, 2025 at 9:37 PM
and something else was with me in the dark
spirits were in the land, but
no one's ghost
for, had they been there,
out behind the yards,
I would have seen them in their
gloves and scarves
dusted with moonshine and frost
for the Great Beyond
John Burnside for #Halloween
spirits were in the land, but
no one's ghost
for, had they been there,
out behind the yards,
I would have seen them in their
gloves and scarves
dusted with moonshine and frost
for the Great Beyond
John Burnside for #Halloween
Reposted by Crystal D. Howell, Ph.D.
15 million Americans are going to lose their health care.
October 31, 2025 at 10:04 PM
15 million Americans are going to lose their health care.
Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera had trouble holding still. Prue Leith is here to judge your baked goods. Happy Halloween!
November 1, 2025 at 4:11 AM
Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera had trouble holding still. Prue Leith is here to judge your baked goods. Happy Halloween!
Reposted by Crystal D. Howell, Ph.D.
Nothing to see here, folks 🤫🤔
October 28, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Nothing to see here, folks 🤫🤔
Reposted by Crystal D. Howell, Ph.D.
Left: Veteran and U.S. citizen George Retes, pinned by immigration officers in Camarillo, CA in July, before he disappeared for days
Right: George on Capitol Hill today, trying to tell as many members of Congress his story as possible
Right: George on Capitol Hill today, trying to tell as many members of Congress his story as possible
October 23, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Left: Veteran and U.S. citizen George Retes, pinned by immigration officers in Camarillo, CA in July, before he disappeared for days
Right: George on Capitol Hill today, trying to tell as many members of Congress his story as possible
Right: George on Capitol Hill today, trying to tell as many members of Congress his story as possible
Reposted by Crystal D. Howell, Ph.D.
Reposted by Crystal D. Howell, Ph.D.
ICE is stockpiling arms, including chemical weapons, guided missile warheads and explosive components. The spending dwarfs anything we've ever seen in the agency - a 700% increase.
The President is building an army to attack his own country.
The President is building an army to attack his own country.
October 21, 2025 at 2:45 PM
ICE is stockpiling arms, including chemical weapons, guided missile warheads and explosive components. The spending dwarfs anything we've ever seen in the agency - a 700% increase.
The President is building an army to attack his own country.
The President is building an army to attack his own country.
Reposted by Crystal D. Howell, Ph.D.
STOP talking trash about apples.
Cosmic Crisp are DELICIOUS
Gala are SERVICEABLE
Stayman are PERFECTLY CRONCHY AND SWEET
Honeycrisp are EXPENSIVE BUT GREAT
Granny Smith are SOUR IF THAT’S YOUR THING
McIntosh are TASTY BUT OFTEN MUSHY
Red Delicious
Golden Delicious are SERVED IN CAFETERIAS
Cosmic Crisp are DELICIOUS
Gala are SERVICEABLE
Stayman are PERFECTLY CRONCHY AND SWEET
Honeycrisp are EXPENSIVE BUT GREAT
Granny Smith are SOUR IF THAT’S YOUR THING
McIntosh are TASTY BUT OFTEN MUSHY
Red Delicious
Golden Delicious are SERVED IN CAFETERIAS
October 20, 2025 at 5:44 PM
STOP talking trash about apples.
Cosmic Crisp are DELICIOUS
Gala are SERVICEABLE
Stayman are PERFECTLY CRONCHY AND SWEET
Honeycrisp are EXPENSIVE BUT GREAT
Granny Smith are SOUR IF THAT’S YOUR THING
McIntosh are TASTY BUT OFTEN MUSHY
Red Delicious
Golden Delicious are SERVED IN CAFETERIAS
Cosmic Crisp are DELICIOUS
Gala are SERVICEABLE
Stayman are PERFECTLY CRONCHY AND SWEET
Honeycrisp are EXPENSIVE BUT GREAT
Granny Smith are SOUR IF THAT’S YOUR THING
McIntosh are TASTY BUT OFTEN MUSHY
Red Delicious
Golden Delicious are SERVED IN CAFETERIAS
Reposted by Crystal D. Howell, Ph.D.
On Monday, the USDA notified states that there would be no November funding, and Oregon’s human services agency on Monday notified recipients they would not be receiving the assistance after Oct. 31.
via @oregoncapitalchronicle.com
via @oregoncapitalchronicle.com
SNAP food and nutrition assistance to Oregonians runs out at the end of October
The one in six Oregonians who rely on federal SNAP food and nutrition assistance to pay for groceries each month will be left with nothing in November due to the ongoing government shutdown,…
www.newsfromthestates.com
October 21, 2025 at 12:00 AM
On Monday, the USDA notified states that there would be no November funding, and Oregon’s human services agency on Monday notified recipients they would not be receiving the assistance after Oct. 31.
via @oregoncapitalchronicle.com
via @oregoncapitalchronicle.com
Reposted by Crystal D. Howell, Ph.D.
you’re telling me that another thirtysomething republican has nazi beliefs. wow
EXCLUSIVE: Embattled Trump nominee Paul Ingrassia told Republicans that the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday should be “tossed into the seventh circle of hell” and that he has “a Nazi streak,” according to a group chat viewed by POLITICO.
Trump nominee says he has a ‘Nazi streak,’ bashes MLK Jr. Day, according to texts
Paul Ingrassia’s bid to lead a whistleblower agency is set for a Senate confirmation hearing Thursday.
www.politico.com
October 20, 2025 at 8:11 PM
you’re telling me that another thirtysomething republican has nazi beliefs. wow
Reposted by Crystal D. Howell, Ph.D.
Red alert, poets! We now have two moons! I repeat: we now have two moons
October 20, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Red alert, poets! We now have two moons! I repeat: we now have two moons
You can’t back down from a bully.
October 21, 2025 at 12:16 AM
You can’t back down from a bully.
I’ve never been to law school, and I’m not a journalist, but even *I* know that you have to establish that you’re speaking off the record BEFORE you start spilling your shit. 🤦🏼♀️
EXCLUSIVE: One Saturday afternoon in October, my phone lit up with a notification.
I glanced down at the message.
“Anna, Lindsey Halligan here,” it began.
So began my text exchange with the woman who is prosecuting the president's perceived political enemies.
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/anna...
I glanced down at the message.
“Anna, Lindsey Halligan here,” it began.
So began my text exchange with the woman who is prosecuting the president's perceived political enemies.
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/anna...
October 21, 2025 at 12:15 AM
I’ve never been to law school, and I’m not a journalist, but even *I* know that you have to establish that you’re speaking off the record BEFORE you start spilling your shit. 🤦🏼♀️
Reposted by Crystal D. Howell, Ph.D.
Three high schoolers founded a book club that reads some of the country's most frequently banned books after a state law removing books with sexual content was signed in 2023. Two years later, many of the books have been reshelved and parts of the law can't be enforced.
When books were being pulled from Iowa classrooms, these teens started an after-school club to read them
Three Iowa City West high schoolers founded a book club that reads some of the country's most frequently banned books after a state law removing books with sexual content was signed in 2023. Two years later, many of the books have been reshelved and parts of the law can't be enforced.
n.pr
October 20, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Three high schoolers founded a book club that reads some of the country's most frequently banned books after a state law removing books with sexual content was signed in 2023. Two years later, many of the books have been reshelved and parts of the law can't be enforced.
Reposted by Crystal D. Howell, Ph.D.
Shoutout to whoever was like the news sucks, let’s spice it up by doing a jewel heist at the Louvre
October 19, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Shoutout to whoever was like the news sucks, let’s spice it up by doing a jewel heist at the Louvre
Reposted by Crystal D. Howell, Ph.D.
all the anxiety human evolution developed to help me spot bears now kicks in when i have to answer emails
October 19, 2025 at 3:42 AM
all the anxiety human evolution developed to help me spot bears now kicks in when i have to answer emails
Mike Johnson is like an evil politician in a movie. Like, if I weren’t seeing him with my own eyes, I’d think he were fictional.
Mike Johnson: "We're fighting for healthcare as well. Not just in word but in deed. We put in the one big beautiful bill, real reforms to Medicaid to make it work better."
(The bill in fact cuts nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid.)
(The bill in fact cuts nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid.)
October 19, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Mike Johnson is like an evil politician in a movie. Like, if I weren’t seeing him with my own eyes, I’d think he were fictional.
Hero.
Hero’s of the day - In a small town of Beckley, WV, Kendra Sullivan staged a one-woman No Kings protest. She was confronted, had the police called on her, but stood her ground. She was physically threatened. Police came more than once and protected her right to protest. This is how we do it.
October 19, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Hero.
Reposted by Crystal D. Howell, Ph.D.
omfg portland, that's genius
October 18, 2025 at 10:54 PM
omfg portland, that's genius
Reposted by Crystal D. Howell, Ph.D.
And in doing so validates every drop of today
October 19, 2025 at 2:35 AM
And in doing so validates every drop of today
Reposted by Crystal D. Howell, Ph.D.
“White House deputy chief of staff Stephen and his podcaster wife, Katie Miller, have fled their Arlington home after peaceful chalk messages were left on the sidewalk.“
Now imagine if armed, masked men were hunting you and your family like animals.
Now imagine if armed, masked men were hunting you and your family like animals.
Stephen Miller selling home after fleeing amid peaceful chalk messages on sidewalk
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen and his podcaster wife, Katie Miller, have fled their Arlington home after peaceful chalk messages were left on the sidewalk.According to ARLnow, the Millers ...
www.rawstory.com
October 17, 2025 at 3:01 PM
“White House deputy chief of staff Stephen and his podcaster wife, Katie Miller, have fled their Arlington home after peaceful chalk messages were left on the sidewalk.“
Now imagine if armed, masked men were hunting you and your family like animals.
Now imagine if armed, masked men were hunting you and your family like animals.