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James P Bennett

@akjpb.bsky.social
1.1K followers 962 following 896 posts

An ordinary old guy trying not to have an ordinary life. Non-motorized outdoor things. Mediocre writer. Locavore. Alaska. Grandfather. 🚵‍♂️🥾⛷️⛰️🏕️🌊 A Few Choice Words substack.com/@akjpb

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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
A startup here, AlaskaNews, is an AI news platform that reviews sources and generates AI stories. The AI persona, Walter (named after Walter Cronkite) was interviewed by Nat Herz, a human, a Pulitzer StoryReach Fellow, and local journalist. This story absolutely blew my mind.
anchoragepress.com
This AI agent has written thousands of Alaska news articles. We interviewed it.
The AI behind AlaskaNews.com cracks jokes and acknowledges a “trust burden.”
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Bike Anchorage and the Anchorage Health Department are sponsoring a Week Without Driving, October 1-8. I was tapped to be the bike rider in a promo video. Kinda funny, they filmed for @ 4 hours in 3 locations for this 30 second spot🚵🚍🚏
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Eva Holland @evaholland.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Did you know that Transport Canada HQ was behind a picket line on 9/11? When news of the attacks arrived, the striking workers went inside and back to work, knowing they’d be needed. I learned a lot working on this story:
canadiangeographic.ca
9/11 in the North: how terror touched Whitehorse and Yellowknife
In the Yukon and NWT, unexpected arrivals and a major hijacking scare brought the terror attacks closer to home
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
I’ll soon be leaving Alaska for a 5-week adventure. It could be full-on winter when I return. I’m thinking of switching over to the studded tires for my car before I go. But I wore short pants today & can’t make myself prepare for snow&ice quite yet.
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
We all deserve a poem. This guy was in a park. Here’s the poem I deserved. I had his name on a slip of paper, which I lost however.
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
I don’t know if you get cool ‘I Voted’ stickers where you live; if you do, I’ll bet they are not as cool as those we get in Alaska. Hey Alaskans, we can help bring decency & sanity back to our state & the USA. Please vote the MAGAts out!
An ‘I Voted’ sticker from Alaska, depicting a dog sled team with the musher wearing traditional Inupiat clothes.
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Triple sunrise in Hope this morning
Reflections on Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet in Hope, Alaska appears as 3 suns rising.
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
We’ve become the Creator of Life. Implications? End of religion/god? Pandora’s Box of unintended consequences?
nytimes.com
This Cell Feeds, Grows and Reproduces. And It’s Manmade. (Gift Article)
From chemical building blocks, scientists have created synthetic cells that have most of the hallmarks of life.
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Alaska man plays at being an Alaskan tourist.
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Yesterday was a lovely day to bike the Moose Loop 🫎 in Anchorage. In the evening, we, from Bike Anchorage, parked 70 bikes for the Hussy Hicks outdoor show downtown.
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Heck, yeah. I have 2 South-facing balconies at my Anchorage condo and would happily install these plug-in solar panels. The Tiny Solar Panel That Could Change America www.nytimes.com/2026/06/14/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | The Tiny Solar Panel That Could Change America
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Last night in Tenakee Springs, Alaska. Back home to Anchorage, tomorrow.
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
Met a man in Tenakee Springs today, Paul Salopek, a photojournalist for National Geographic, who has been walking the globe for the past 13 years & intends to kayak to WA then continue, on foot, to the tip of South America. His series is the Out of Eden Walk. youtu.be/a6EyLXcz2JM?...
youtu.be
He’s Spent the Last 13 Years Walking the Globe - Here’s What He’s Learned | Amanpour and Company
YouTube video by Amanpour and Company
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
Nearing the end of a 10-day visit to Tenakee Springs in SE Alaska, accessible only by boat or floatplane. Lovely, quirky village with hot springs, whales and some oddballs.
Approaching Tenakee Springs via floatplaneThe view from the deckThe one street in town. Hot springs bathhouse rules
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Landed in Juneau and as I was checking in for my floatplane flight to Tenakee Springs, I had the chance to meet and talk with Mary Peltola, ahead of me in the queue with her entourage, on her way to Haines for a campaign rally.
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
My first teaching job in Alaska was in Naknek back in the mid-1980s. I was stunned that middle/high school students from South Naknek were flown to/fro school every day. On a side note, I used to play on adult league basketball and volley ball teams with the pilot, Jon, and his brother.
alaskapublic.org
This Alaska pilot has been flying kids to school for the last four decades
Students in South Naknek fly across the river to school every day. Being part of the borough has meant high school students don't have to go away to boarding schools.
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
The last news I saw about last year’s veto override to audit oil tax payments was August 2025. Has the audit been done? @forrestdunbarak.bsky.social @wielechowski.bsky.social alaskabeacon.com/2025/08/06/d...
alaskabeacon.com
Despite Alaska lawmakers’ veto override, getting an answer on oil tax settlements will take months | Alaska Beacon
The final result could reveal tens or hundreds of millions of dollars in missed revenue for the state of Alaska.
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
The sunshine called me outside 3X today. For the first time this season, I wore shorts while riding my bike. I also took an after dinner walk to the park strip, watched a bit of a softball game, a rugby practice session, then strolled South Addition. I’ve never before seen a car with this color.
A shiny car in Anchorage
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
I’ll be counting bikes from 4-6 PM Friday on Chester Creek just west of the Seward Hwy underpass. Hope to see you out there. Stop by and say hello if that’s your route.
  Bike to Work Day poster with an image of a beluga whale riding a bike.
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Today in History, the Hard Hat Riot in NYC, May 8, 1970. NYC construction workers target student anti-Vietnam War protestors. Same as it ever was. www.pbs.org/wgbh/america...
pbs.org
Hard Hat Riot | American Experience | PBS
Hard Hat Riot revisits New York in 1970, when student protestors against the Vietnam War violently clashed with construction workers, ushering in a new political and cultural divide that would redefin...
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Bike to School Day yesterday, with my 8yo g’daughter. Bowman Elementary, Anchorage
The author of the post and his granddaughter on Bike to School Day
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
This is the earliest picture of me, @ 1954. My folks didn’t own a car, so I think this Hudson (?) is my great-aunt Amy’s. I think they put me inside when the car moved, but the 2nd pic is an ad from Popular Science from the same era, so maybe baby outside was a thing?
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Shiv Ramdas Mens Rice Activist @nameshiv.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Ok I'm bored and want to procrastinate work so let's do a thread instead. Wanna hear a story? Alright then, story it is. So gather around, children, because now we're going to talk about the most important science book you've probably never heard of. Ready? Off we go, then.
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Maybe 2 weeks of fatbiking left this season. Maybe just 1. #alaska #cycling
Fat biking in the snow alongside
Mountains.
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Tess wasn’t a student of mine, but she was one of those kids that every teacher knew was the real deal even in elementary school. Small town Alaska girl lives her dream. www.nasa.gov/centers-and-...
nasa.gov
Station Nation: Meet Tess Caswell, Extravehicular Activity Flight Controller and Lead Capsule Communicator  - NASA
Tess Caswell supports the International Space Station from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston as a capsule communicator, or capcom, and helps plan and
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
In 1990, then Governor Steve Cowper, proposed a state-wide vote to establish an educational permanent fund in Alaska. It didn’t receive enough AK Senate votes to approve letting citizens vote on it. Instead, we’ve slowly strangled public education funding. 🤷‍♂️ www.edweek.org/education/la...
edweek.org
Lawmakers Kill Cowper's School-Endowment Plan
A proposal by Gov. Steve Cowper of Alaska to create a state endowment for schools failed last week in the last minutes of the legislative session.
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
Anchorage represents. No Kings!
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Humans are awful. Whales are wonderful. Here’s a story that’s an antidote to the madness of king don old. We need helpers, not petulant war mongers. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/26/c...
nytimes.com
Scientists Filmed a Whale Birth. The Surprise: Mom Had Many Helpers.
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Fat biking to Knik Glacier, Alaska
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Kumbaya & strongly worded posts ain’t cutting it. Unless we kinda shut the country down, we have entered the complicit stage. It’s our responsibility to end the madness we’ve foisted on the world. I think we’re too damn comfortable to do so. Waiting for the mid-terms can’t be the only plan.
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
Haven’t sent it in yet b/c I owe $2500. Fed tax. If only we could assign where that $ went. Not for war. Nor ICE, nor love-nest jets. Nor pedo coverups, nor crypto scams, nor oligarchs, nor oil companies. For schools, health care, clean air&water, alt energy, justice, bike lanes, trains, diplomacy.
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Who in Alaska is getting up at 1:30 AM on Tuesday to watch the blood red lunar eclipse? www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/u...
timeanddate.com
March 3, 2026 Total Lunar Eclipse in Anchorage, Alaska, USA
Start time, end time, animation, and detailed viewing information for the upcoming eclipse in Anchorage, Alaska, USA
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
47 R Senators, including Alaska’s D Sullivan, tried to undercut Obama’s deal with Iran to end their nuclear weapons program. Trump ended that agreement. Now we are at war b/c T couldn’t make the same deal. Barron Trump is 19. Has he enlisted to join his dad’s war? www.nytimes.com/2015/03/10/w...
nytimes.com
G.O.P. Senators’ Letter to Iran About Nuclear Deal Angers White House (Published 2015)
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
Fuck. The US and Israel are bombing Tehran.
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
If you’re curious, maybe the toughest human-powered endurance race on the planet, the Iditarod Trail Invitational, is taking place in wilderness Alaska. Temps at the moment are -45°. Fatbikers, skiers and runners are participating & there are 3 distance choices, the longest is 1000 miles.
trackleaders.com
Iditarod Trail Invitational 2026 live tracking app by trackleaders.com
Embeddable tracking application, live tracking event map for Iditarod Trail Invitational 2026, leaderboard coverage, including links to individual track history pages
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
My eldest is 45 today. I think acknowledging how old my kids are is tougher than accepting how old I am.
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
Anchorage?
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
Has anyone had dental care in Mexico, Thailand or ? If so, please let me know details!
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
When one (me) gets to be a certain age (old), sometimes small amusements make for unexpected pleasures. Last week, the g’daughters helped me place leftover stained glass-like film on a south facing window. This morning’s sunlight streaming through made some magic.
A blast of color on a wall caused by sunlight streaming through a stain-glass like film on a window. The window film that made the colorsThe g’daughters who helped place the window film, basking in the colorful light it made.
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
I try to schedule a little fun to counter-balance the horror the US has become. Hope you’re checking out of the insanity whenever you can.
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Getting ready to fatbike over & set up a treat station for Winter Bike To Work Day, here in Anchorage on Chester Creek Trail. It’s 22°F with some fresh snow atop a nice base. Sunrise is 08:46, the station will be open from 0700-0900!
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
Not sure if it’s real or a spoof, an ad popped up on a sm feed just now. Electric cross-country skis!?!? Propelled by paddle-wheel treads. Up to 20MPH. Get the fresh air without effort. These are not kick-glide assist. Downhill boots locked into skis. You do no work. The world has gone mad!
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
Hope you caught the War and Treaty show at the BearTooth this past Fri/Sat Anchorage. Powerful, soulful performance. Music is about passion. When one is passionate about Justice, Kindness and Decency, the music gets political.
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
#PrettiGood reason to ride today for the two Americans murdered by Ice and to call out tRump’s gestapo for their brutal tactics. @ 200 fatbikers rode today in Anchorage, Alaska. Like Alex, I know I would have intervened to help the woman beaten and gassed by ICE. Wouldn’t you? #iceout #fucktrump
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bikeanchorage.bsky.social @bikeanchorage.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
Bike to the Filmed by Bike screening this Thursday 1/29 as part of Winter Bike Fest and we’ll take care of your bike with free valet parking. Bonus: the Filmed by Bike Festival organizer is joining us all the way from Portland, OR and will be selling festival t-shirts! Tix: buff.ly/vRmhWZv
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
Kilian & I were rookies at the ‘15 Mt Marathon race; a mtn running legend & a mediocre outdoor dude. What we both did was push our bodies as hard as our bodies could be pushed. I’m ok with my mediocrity, it doesn’t prevent me from getting out there. We chatted as we picked up bibs. He’s a good guy
nytimes.com
Kílian Jornet on What We Can Learn From Pushing Our Bodies to Extremes
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bikeanchorage.bsky.social @bikeanchorage.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
Winter Bike Fest is back! This year’s theme: Light Up the Night ❄️✨ Join our annual celebration of Anchorage’s winter biking community with a movie night, storytelling, commuting treats, and the return of the Big Fat Ride! Get event info and tickets here: www.bikeanchorage.org/wbf26
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bikeanchorage.bsky.social @bikeanchorage.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
We're kicking off Winter Bike Fest with a bike stoke movie night! Filmed By Bike: Joyride! is a family-friendly mix of fun short films (who hasn’t had a chase through mountains over their lucky bike shorts?) and inspiring documentaries featuring young people. Get tickets: buff.ly/F8bDQHO
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
PS # 33. Mrs Boeger’s 5th grade class ‘63/64. I’m the tall kid, top row, far right. It’s the same school both my parents attended. Mrs B was one of my 2 fave teachers ever. I had a crush on Peggy P, bottom row, 2nd from the right. Time for Swedish Death Cleansing? Does anyone want parental memories?
My 5th grade class, ‘63/64. We were Irish, Italian, Polish, Puerto Rican, German, English, Afro-American, Roma, Greek, Jewish, Catholic, Protestant. We all got along OK.
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James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
I write fiction as a hobby. Yes, I’ve had a few stories published. I’m working on an angle for a new one, when carrying signs & singing Kumbaya proves ineffectual. What’s that going to look like? *Lone wolf/small unaffiliated cells put on combat fatigues& masks, mix with ICE. During the chaos…1/2
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