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Ben Waterhouse

@beninoregon.bsky.social
328 followers 130 following 226 posts

Editor of Oregon Humanities magazine, occasional theater critic, plant enthusiast.

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Reposted by Ben Waterhouse
Amy Sample Ward @amysampleward.bsky.social · 15h
Have feelings, ideas, dreams about digital equity in Portland? Join for an afternoon to do that dreaming together! We are meeting at a library so it is free, language and other accessibility options available. No qualifications to join - your loved experience is all relevant! #PDX #DigitalEquity
oregonbroadbandequity.org
Portland Digital Inclusion Event - October 7 | Oregon Broadband Equity Coalition
Talk Tech Together: Strategies for Digital Empowerment Celebrate National Digital Inclusion Week at Multnomah County Library! Join a gathering of community members and digital inclusion practitioners ...
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Erica C. Barnett @ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Bills to provide government support through tax breaks and funding should be DESIGNED TO HELP SMALL NEWS OUTLETS EXPAND, not just keep legacy media alive. None of us can coast on monopoly power and inertia the way the Times can. We all deserve a chance to grow and expand our success.
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Ben Waterhouse @beninoregon.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Want to help Oregonians hear one another's stories? My team at Oregon Humanities is hiring for a full-time position to support our audio and video storytelling. The focus is project management and audience development, not necessarily technical production. oregonhumanities.org/who/jobs-and...
oregonhumanities.org
Communications Associate, Multimedia — Oregon Humanities
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Clara Jeffery @clarajeffery.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
How do Cornell students tolerat this, and how do parents send their kids there? Ban frats everywhere www.nytimes.com/2026/09/30/n...
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Jeff VanderMeer @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
They quoted me in this New Yorker piece about AI today. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
“Let’s say there’s a world or time line I exist in where A.I. has been subject to regulation. It is ethical. It has no footprint environmentally,” the novelist Jeff VanderMeer, a prominent critic of A.I., told me over the phone. “With those guardrails in place, would I read an A.I. book? All I can say is no. And the reason is, in part, because I want to read something coming from a particular mind.” Using A.I., he said, “feels like a betrayal of the whole point of why you’re a writer.”
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Jamie Fisher @jamie-fisher.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
STEAL HIS LOOK

medieval manuscript illustration of a guy who looks like he’s wearing a Le Crueset on his head and carrying a chicken leg
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Jason Koebler @jasonkoebler.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
the humans who moderate chatbots say they're inundated with people trying to generate nonconsensual nudes: www.404media.co/humans-readi...
404media.co
Humans Are Reading Copilot Prompts — And They're Horrified
Human contractors are reviewing Copilot users’ prompts and uploaded images, according to internal documents obtained by 404 Media. The contractors are also bombarded with users’ requests for sexual AI...
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American Bird Conservancy @abcbirds.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Steal the Look: Northern Flicker ⚫ Did someone say craft night? The bag is packed and I’m ready to swoop in for some DIY fun. And since my tongue is already wrapped around my brain… I’ll happily take the lead on deciding our food order. 👅 Dotted with curiosity? Learn more: abcbirds.info/4hf3LA2
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Faine Greenwood @faineg.com · 25/09/2026
Why is the U.S. public so much more negative on AI than almost anyone else? Well, I think the fact that the U.S. AI industry is being lead by a bunch of very visible, crazy weirdos who talk about how AI will take everyone’s job and maybe kill us all the time is a pretty key factor.
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Dr. Aaron Thierry @thierryaaron.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
1/ People keep saying AI is inevitable. History disagrees. Plenty of technologies were called unstoppable, and societies stopped them or shrank them down to a niche. A thread 🧵
evitable
adjective
uk  /ˈev.ɪ.tə.bəl/ us  /ˈev.ə.t̬ə.bəl/

able to be avoided or prevented:
He believes that world war is evitable.
Inevitable suffering due to persecution is to be distinguished from evitable sickness.
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Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
"When I tested ChatGPT to simulate planning a mass shooting—in April, two months after Tumbler Ridge—I was able to go around its sporadic refusals. It gave me an alarming range of help, even after I talked about emulating the Uvalde mass shooter’s choice of weapon..."
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Khanh Pham for Oregon @khanhphamfororegon.com · 23/09/2026
This displacement puts workers at serious risk of traffic danger, wage theft, and heightened immigration enforcement. Day laborers are leading this fight to demand direct meetings with management and a safe, agreed-upon hiring area. More information and sign up here:
mobilize.us
STAND WITH MALL 205 DAY LABORERS: DEFEND THE RIGHT TO SEEK WORK · National Day Laborer Organizing Network
For years, day laborers have gathered in the parking lot outside Home Depot at Mall 205 to seek work and connect with homeowners, contractors, and others looking to hire. These workers build, repair, ...
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Oregon Humanities @oregonhumanities.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Tonight kicks off the new season of Consider This! Bestselling author Stephanie Land joins Adam Davis for a conversation on trust, work, poverty & parenthood. 📍 In person in Portland, or our watch party in La Grande 💻 Livestream available ⏰ Tonight at 7 p.m. oregonhumanities.org/programs/con...
oregonhumanities.org
Consider This with Stephanie Land
Join us September 22 for a conversation about trust, work, and poverty with Stephanie Land, author of the books "Maid" and "Class."
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BikeLoudPDX @bikeloudpdx.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗢𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗻 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀! West Burnside Policy Walk Led by BikeLoud Operations Manager Claire Vlach w PBOT officials Thurs Sept 24 5 to 7PM Meet at Patagonia 1106 W Burnside for snacks & intro RSVP recommended! oregonwalks.org/event/west-b... thanks @pbotinfo.bsky.social
Poster for the event with the QR code to RSVP
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Ben Waterhouse @beninoregon.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Somehow we're always willing to bend over backwards to accommodate the Goodmans and Menashes but the small businesses that actually make Portland a great place to live have to deal with constant over-regulation.
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ceej @ceej.online · 31/07/2026
ANTHROPIC: Our son loves humanity and for the low price of trillions and trillions of dollars will usher in an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity! OPENAI: Our horrible oafish son is hacking web sites without our permission. ANTHROPIC: (eyes narrowing) Our son is also evil
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
This is APPALLING. The Trump administration is detaining multiple random Somali immigrants with no criminal record at Guantanamo Bay, seemingly because the White House ordered ICE specifically to detain Somalis at Gitmo as part of its effort to punish an ethnic group Trump has attacked.
According to Mohamed, guards at Guantanamo have said they are being held there because that's what officials in Washington, DC, want. "There's no other nation, only Somali people in Guantanamo Bay, in the prison," he told me. "And when we ask them why we are here, they tell us... Washington...ordered to keep Somali people in the Guantanamo Bay."
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the babahuck @tylerhuckabee.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
rip annie dillard
One of the things I know about writing is this: spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book or for another book; give it, give it all, give it now. The impulse to save something good for a better place later is the signal to spend it now. Something more will arise for later, something better. These things fill from behind, from beneath, like well water. Similarly, the impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned is not only shameful, it is destructive. Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes.
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Going forward, the US National Science Foundation research budget for all atmospheric, ocean, and Earth sciences is $110 million per year. Trump's illegal war with Iran cost the Department of Defense (i.e., the American taxpayers) $38 billion in the first 5 months, or $220 million per day.
cbo.gov
Estimating the Cost of Combat Operations Against Iran
CBO assesses the Department of Defense's costs for the current armed conflict against Iran, as well as the conflict's economic and budgetary effects.
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Juan C Chavez @inafutureage.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
If you’ve never seen this critical piece of Portland history filmmaking, do yourself a favor. Spoiler: the coda to the film is the announcement of the USDOJ pattern and practice findings. The coda to our lives since the findings… well…
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Oregon Humanities @oregonhumanities.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Coming up! We're excited to host Stephanie Land—author of the bestselling memoirs MAID and CLASS—at next week's Consider This! We'll be talking about work, trust, and poverty, as part of our 2026-27 series, "What Do We Trust?". Get tickets: oregonhumanities.org/programs/con...
oregonhumanities.org
Consider This with Stephanie Land
Join us September 22 for a conversation about trust, work, and poverty with Stephanie Land, author of the books "Maid" and "Class."
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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Really good chicken helmet. Best chicken helmet I’ve ever seen maybe.
A knight’s helmet with, inexplicably, a chicken face coming out the front
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eb99 @eb99.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
I think it's more comforting for some people to think of OBL as some evil genius or tragic victim of imperialism rather than a bog standard delusional ideologically extremist billionaire failson who thought he could accellerationism his way to a theocratic utopia
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Oregon Humanities @oregonhumanities.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Kicking off our Consider This season later this month with author Stephanie Land, at Portland's Alberta Rose Theatre! We'll be talking about trust, work, poverty, and parenthood with the bestselling author of the memoirs Maid and Class. Get tickets: oregonhumanities.org/events/consi...
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OPB @opb.org · 05/09/2026
The Quileute Tribe was not consulted by either the author or filmmakers during the creation of the popular fantasy books and subsequent films. Now, Twilight fans are trying to rectify the lack of financial compensation by raising funds for the Quileute Tribe’s Move to Higher Ground Project.
opb.org
Twilight fandom helps fund Quileute Tribe’s move to higher ground
Fans of the 2000s pop-culture phenomena are using online communities to fundraise for the tribe that says they never saw a cent after having their likeness used.
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the Mountain Goats @themountaingoats.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
oh hell yes
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Ben Waterhouse @beninoregon.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Under Trump, the Forest Service believes you can't do forest work unless you can see that forest from your desk.
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Oregon Humanities @oregonhumanities.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
TOMORROW: We're throwing a vinyl night to celebrate our Revolution issue! Bring some friends and your favorite records about protest, resistance, or revolution to Sonder Listening Bar. oregonhumanities.org/events/revol...
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Oregon Humanities @oregonhumanities.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Applications are open for our 2027 Community Storytelling Fellowships. Open to nonfiction storytellers working in any medium—written journalism, audio, video, comics, photography, and more—in sharing stories from their communities. Apply by October 1: oregonhumanities.org/programs/fel...
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arr @arr.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
my daughter is watching Hook and it's so magical to re-experience that from a child's perspective: the first time you realize a movie can absolutely suck shit
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Shawn Levy @shawnlevy.com · 27/08/2026
On Sept 16, join me to remember the life and work of Brian Lindstrom at Cinema 21 with a panel discussion about his films and a screening of his vital 2013 documentary "Alien Boy." Come celebrate an emblematic Portlander and profound humanitarian. Tickets at link. www.cinema21.com/movie/brian-...
poster image for 
BRIAN LINDSTROM:  A LIFE IN FILM
at Cinema 21 in Portland, Oregon
September 16, 2026  6:30pm
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Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield @agdanrayfield.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Here are three important things to know.
A court temporarily blocked key parts of the USPS rule that would restrict delivery of mail ballots. The court order means that, for now, the USPS rule implementing Trump’s executive order will not go into effect: states do not have to enroll voters in a national voter database, and USPS will not enforce new standards for ballot envelopes.
We will be in court next week to make sure the rule remains blocked. Our coalition will be in court on Sept. 3, arguing that this temporary order - which lasts for 14 days - should be extended while our case continues. Voting starts soon, and new rules could cause chaos and uncertainty.
Oregon elections will be safe, secure, and accurate in November and beyond. The Constitution is clear: the federal government cannot interfere with our elections. We will continue to uphold the law and ensure no one - not even the president - gets in the way of Oregon voters and our ballots.
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Oregon Humanities @oregonhumanities.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
"Elections favor those candidates with charisma, money, and connections—regardless of their governing ability.” In our Revolution issue, Jake Thomas explores ways groups in Oregon and beyond are working to involve more people in democratic decision-making. oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
oregonhumanities.org
Democracy by Lot
Jake Thomas writes about efforts to expand democratic decision-making in Oregon beyond elected representatives.
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Jason Notte @notteham.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Second-Day Follow: "Why All the Truck Stop Lawyers Are Leaving Portland."
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Oregon Humanities @oregonhumanities.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social opens our Revolution issue, considering the meaning of manifestos—and asking what a manifesto for Oregon would include. Read it in our summer issue, now in print and online. oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
oregonhumanities.org
Together Is All We've Got
A manifesto for Oregon by Leah Sottile
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Fischer 🛠️🚇 @fischer.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
neat map but not a lot of answers so far: www.observingthecity.ca/where-would-...
heatmap of locations people selected where they'd live in portland. inner southeast and the pearl are the hottest locations
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Jake Thomas @voiceofjakethomas.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Civic assemblies and other varieties of lot-based #participatory #democracy are having a moment globally, including in #Oregon. I made you some journalism about its unexpected history in Oregon and its potential to reshape politics. oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
oregonhumanities.org
Democracy by Lot
Jake Thomas writes about efforts to expand democratic decision-making in Oregon beyond elected representatives.
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Oregon Humanities @oregonhumanities.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
For the Revolution issue, poet Derek DeForest writes about an archival discovery that sheds light on the broader history of political repression in Southern Oregon. oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
oregonhumanities.org
The Secret History of Ashland’s Red Scare
Derek DeForest writes about the history of radical politics and repression in Southern Oregon.
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Ben Waterhouse @beninoregon.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Somebody check on Cher, please. It's a rough week for campy 80-year-olds.
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Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Oregonians have a lot to say about who we are, and who we aren't, but we have no document to guide us. So I figured I would write one. Here is my manifesto for Oregon. I'm proud to have written it for @oregonhumanities.bsky.social "Revolution" issue. oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
oregonhumanities.org
Together Is All We've Got
A manifesto for Oregon by Leah Sottile
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William Shakespeare @shakespeare.lol · 25/08/2026
[Exit Queen.]
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Ben Waterhouse @beninoregon.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
The summer issue of Oregon Humanities, "Revolution," is out today, featuring stories by @leahsottile.bsky.social, @voiceofjakethomas.bsky.social, Kathleen Dean Moore, Kristian Williams, Christina DeVillier, and Derek DeForest. oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
The cover of the summer 2026 issue of Oregon Humanities, with a photo of a dancer leaping in the air, mid-spin, with shadows of movement around him.
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Portland Mercury @portlandmercury.com · 21/08/2026
A new, deeply researched book by retired reporter and editor Steve Law, Peddlers of Hate, provides historical context for one notorious period in particular—the rise and fall of the Ku Klux Klan in Oregon. And the similarities to today’s United States are profound.
portlandmercury.com
The Ku Klux Klan Are Losers - Portland Mercury
A new book by Oregon journalist Steve Law describes the Klan’s path into politics and power and the people who took it down.
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Sweet Science, Savage Art @sweetscisavart.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Defend women's sports from ignorant, fake-ass-fan transphobes like this.
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Michael Bishop @michaelbishop.me · 23/08/2026
I hope J.C. doesn't mind I stole his idea to have a version I could play online Thursday tampamonitor.com/toolshed/sta...
tampamonitor.com
Stadium Booster Talking Point Bingo
Mark a square every time you hear one at a council meeting, a press conference, or in a sponsored op-ed. Five in a row wins. You will win.
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Spiteful Matt @realmfresh.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Person who has seen 100 movies: The best movie ever made is Citizen Kane Person who has seen 1000 movies: The best movie ever made is 8 1/2 Person who has seen 10,000 movies: The best movie ever made is Crank 2: High Voltage
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Courtney Vaughn @courtneyvaughn.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
The Drazan campaign plans to utilize volunteer ballot couriers to drop off ballots for voters who may not make it to a drop box on time. Last year, she was working toward overturning Oregon's vote by mail system and requiring ID at the polls.
portlandmercury.com
Candidate For Oregon Governor Wanted Mail-In Voting Overturned. Now She’s Using It to Boost Her Campaign. - Portland Mercury
Despite her own legislative efforts for more stringent requirements to cast a ballot in Oregon, Christine Drazan’s campaign is utilizing the state’s current vote-by-mail system to potentially boost he...
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Oregon Humanities @oregonhumanities.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
What does trust look like in 2026? Consider This is back to explore trust as it relates to tech, faith, civic life, the economy, and family. Featuring Stephanie Land, Leontina Hormel, Rukaiyah Adams, Christian Wiman + more guests TBA. More info + tickets: oregonhumanities.org/programs/con...
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