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Ben Golder

@bgolder.bsky.social
121 followers 113 following 68 posts

Walking around the lake and cooking things for friends in Oakland

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Reposted by Ben Golder
Adriana Valencia for AC Transit Ward 3 2026 @valencia4actransit.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
@dbrim.com I'm running for AC Transit Board of Directors on a platform of reliability, affordability, and agency transparency. The bus should come when it is scheduled to do so. medium.com/@valenciafor...
medium.com
AC Transit’s Reliability Problem
AC Transit’s reliability is not where it needs to be. In short: the buses are not where they need to be, when they need to be there.
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Kuan Butts @kuanbutts.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Spicy reporting from Oaklandside oaklandside.org/2026/09/24/a...
oaklandside.org
AC Transit buses have become more unreliable this year, say riders and transit board
Canceled and delayed trips have become routine. A board member told the agency to “get a handle on this ASAP.”
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Ben Golder @bgolder.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
for a junk drawer to legally qualify as a real junk drawer, what is the ONE absolute mandatory item it must include? Either a loose pen cap, a dried up pen, or an unusably dull pencil
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Ben Golder @bgolder.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Me: I should save these photos in an album for my doctors appointment Apple photos: Watch this oozing wound montage set to “Remember” by OatMilq
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Ben Golder @bgolder.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
They’re just giving us the full experience. Everyone is so busy and it’s hard to schedule another one
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Ben Golder @bgolder.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
@rideact.bsky.social is it normal for the westbound NL bus to head south by West Oakland BART? Was there a route change? A road closure?
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Ben Golder @bgolder.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
This recipe is now part of my regular rotation, with some modifications www.bonappetit.com/recipe/charr...
A plate with charred green cabbage, chickpeas, tahini yogurt sauce, kimchi vinaigrette, fresh dill, thinly sliced jalapeño, a tea egg, avocado, and black sesame seedsA plate with charred purple cabbage, royal corona beans, tahini yogurt sauce, kimchi vinaigrette, fresh dill, thinly sliced jalapeño, and watermelon radishA plate with charred purple cabbage, royal corona beans, tahini yogurt sauce, kimchi vinaigrette, fresh dill, and thinly sliced jalapeño
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Ben Golder @bgolder.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
I remember giving out free bags of chips and clif bars. People were dumbfounded that we weren’t selling them, and that the whole event, including snacks, drinks, and meals, was totally free for them
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Ben Golder @bgolder.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
Our little Food Not Bombs chapter in Santa Cruz drove up for Soupstock 2000, where Sleater-Kinney & Fugazi played a free show in Mission Dolores Park. Diamond Dave introduced me to the largest block of seitan I’d ever seen, and set us all up to help.
missionlocal.org
Remembering 'Diamond' Dave Whitaker, 88, San Francisco's common thread
Local legend "Diamond" Dave Whitaker passed on March 2. His friends and colleagues remember him for his poetry, politics, and kindness.
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Ben Golder @bgolder.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
sciencedirect.com
The Corporate Bullshit Receptivity Scale: Development, validation, and associations with workplace outcomes
From boardrooms and brown bags to emails and earnings calls, business culture often seems overrun by “corporate bullshit,” a semantically empty and of…
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Ben Golder @bgolder.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
@rideact.bsky.social are you okay? What’s up with the NL this morning?
A sign at a bus stop showing the next transbay NL buses to San Francisco in 25 & 27 minutes
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Ben Golder @bgolder.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
If you are in the Bay, and you can find a Ceanothus bush, I just want to let you know that the flowers smell faintly like sweet cornbread covered in honey
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Reposted by Ben Golder
Bill Kristol @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
This is bigotry, pure and simple. open.substack.com/pub/erininth...
open.substack.com
Kansas Sends Letters To Trans People Demanding The Immediate Surrender Of Drivers Licenses
"The legislature did not include a grace period."
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Ben Golder @bgolder.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
I remember learning that Barcelona literally pays local musicians to go on tour. Just imagine how rad that would be for Oakland artists
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Shannon Carey @scmaestra.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
My city, Oakland, has roughly the same population (a bit more, actually) as the entire country of Iceland. IMAGINE, if you will, what we could dream up and design and see with this level of arts funding -- instead of funding our carceral state.
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Cyd Harrell @cydharrell.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
hallo, I am hiring again! - SF Digital Services is looking for a new Engineering Director careers.sf.gov/role/?id=374... This reports directly to me, & I’m looking for a practical & flexible technical expert with excellent communication & coaching skills, who is excited to do both. More below...
careers.sf.gov
Engineering Director - Digital Services (0932)
The Office of the City Administrator and its 25+ divisions and departments operate core internal and public-facing services in San Francisco.   The Office of the City Administrator’s Mission and Visio...
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James Brandt @jamesbrandt.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
I will simply never recover from reading this sentence: "Since Georgia implemented work requirements in 2020, they have spent twice as much on Deloitte consultants and administrative costs as on healthcare for people."
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Ben Golder @bgolder.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
The news coming out of Iran is horrifying. Check on your Iranian friends and be kind to them
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Norm Charlatan @normcharlatan.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
I don’t think people quite understand that the occupation by ICE in the Twin Cities has more or less erased non-white people from public life. They cannot safely exist in any space accessible to the public and moving between private places leaves folks vulnerable to kidnapping by armed masked goons.
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Ben Golder @bgolder.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
I would love to see more curious and open-hearted interviews like this with neighbors about a way that they are living and seeing the world.
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Ben Golder @bgolder.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
I love this quote from the interview “I think that they [pigeons] have the right idea with parenting, which is just like, you take care of them until they're really ready and you don't worry about how it looks while it's happening.”
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Reposted by Ben Golder
Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
Made an XYZ map tile server that finds the first image from a property listing on Zillow in that tile area.
A map of New York City, tiled out of images from home listings, reflecting shifting housing typologiessame but for Denver area, showing wealthy mountain houses in the west and suburbia to the eastAlaska, many empty lots and beautiful landscapesZoomed out view of the Western US, showing coastal mansions, desert landscapes, and many, many single family homes
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Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
Wow, huge credit to Katie and the rest of the nutrition team at @centeronbudget.bsky.social. USDA has now issued revised numbers because CBPP caught them either accidentally or intentionally making huge errors that would severely underfund SNAP, in direct violation of court orders.
USDA Food and Nutrition Service
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
DATE:
November 5, 2025
SUBJECT: REVISED Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Benefit and Administrative Expense Update for November 2025
TO:
Regional SNAP Directors
All Regions
SNAP State Agency Directors
All State Agencies
This memorandum is a follow up to the guidance shared on October 10, 2025, October 24, 2025, and November 4, 2025, regarding Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for November 2025.
The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is revising its November 4 memorandum. The maximum allotments are being reduced by 35 percent instead of 50 percent, so that the maximum allotments for November 2025 will be 65 percent of the typical maximum allotments. This memorandum only replaces the amount of the reduction and does not replace any of the additional information contained in the memorandum issued on November 4, 2025.
Please see the revised maximum allotment tables attached to this memorandum. This reduction is effective immediately.
We appreciate the partnership with States that administer SNAP and will continue to keep you apprised with updates. Please direct any questions regarding this suspension to your Regional Office.
Sincerely,
PATRICK PENN Pey ined by PATROX
Date: 2025.11.05 205859-0500
Patrick A. Penn
Deputy Under Secretary
Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Enclosure
Food and Nutrition Service, Braddock Metro Center, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
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Ben Golder @bgolder.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
I’m happy to see dialogue between OFD and safe streets advocates on street design. It feels like there’s a lot room for the shared goal of reducing deaths and injuries oaklandside.org/2025/11/05/f...
oaklandside.org
Fire Department debates safe street advocates on Oakland road design
Fire staff want to protect wide open roads to speed response. Safe street advocates want rules that allow for speed bumps and protected bike lanes that slow traffic for safety.
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Reposted by Ben Golder
Natalie Alms @almsnatalie.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
www.nextgov.com/modernizatio...
nextgov.com
Inside the Secret Service hunt for skimmers as outdated SNAP cards let thieves steal millions
The government still uses 1970s-era technology to deliver SNAP, leaving beneficiaries vulnerable to transnational crime rings that have taken hundreds of millions of dollars in benefits in recent year...
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Reposted by Ben Golder
Eric Panzer @ericpanzer.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
As if the NOFO weren't bad enough, take a look at the grant agreement 🤬 Sections B ii and C ix are horrific, and appear to require AC Transit give ICE unfettered access to facilities and personnel and act as kidnapping collaborators, possibly breaking California law www.dhs.gov/sites/defaul...
I. Recipients must give DHS access to examine and copy records, accounts, and other documents and sources of information related to the federal award and permit access to facilities and personnel.SummarizeI. Acknowledgement of Federal Funding from DHS II. Activities Conducted Abroad III. Age Discrimination Act of 1975 IV. Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 V. Best Practices for Collection and Use of Personally Identifiable Information VI. CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, Public Law 117-167 CHIPS VII. Civil Rights Act of 1964 – Title VI VIII. Civil Rights Act of 1968 IX. Communication and Cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration Officials X. Copyright XI. Debarment and Suspension XII. Drug-Free Workplace Regulations XIII. Duplicative Costs XIV. Education Amendments of 1972 (Equal Opportunity in Education Act) – Title IX FY 2025 DHS STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS XV. Energy Policy and Conservation Act XVI. Equal Treatment of Faith-Based Organizations XVII. Anti-Discrimination FY 2025 DHS STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS XVIII. False Claims Act and Program Fraud Civil Remedies XIX. Federal Debt Status XX. Federal Leadership on Reducing Text Messaging While Driving XXI. Fly America Act of 1974 XXII. Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990 XXIII. John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2019 XXIV. Limited English Proficiency (Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VI) FY 2025 DHS STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS XXV. Lobbying Prohibitions XXVI. National Environmental Policy Act XXVII. National Security Presidential Memorandum-33 (NSPM-33) and provisions of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, Pub. L. 117-167, Section 10254 XXVIII. Non-Supplanting Requirement XXIX. Notice of Funding Opportunity Requirements XXXVII. SAFECOM XXXVIII. Subrecipient Monitoring and Management FY 2025 DHS STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS XLIII. Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT) Act of 2001, Pub. L. 107-56 XLIV. Use of DHS Seal, Logo and Flags XLV. Whistleblower Protection Act FY 2025 DHS Standard Terms and ConditionsFY 2025 DHS STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS The Fi…SummarizeI. Acknowledgement of Federal Funding from DHS II. Activities Conducted Abroad III. Age Discrimination Act of 1975 IV. Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 V. Best Practices for Collection and Use of Personally Identifiable Information VI. CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, Public Law 117-167 CHIPS VII. Civil Rights Act of 1964 – Title VI VIII. Civil Rights Act of 1968 IX. Communication and Cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration Officials X. Copyright XI. Debarment and Suspension XII. Drug-Free Workplace Regulations XIII. Duplicative Costs XIV. Education Amendments of 1972 (Equal Opportunity in Education Act) – Title IX FY 2025 DHS STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS XV. Energy Policy and Conservation Act XVI. Equal Treatment of Faith-Based Organizations XVII. Anti-Discrimination FY 2025 DHS STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS XVIII. False Claims Act and Program Fraud Civil Remedies XIX. Federal Debt Status XX. Federal Leadership on Reducing Text Messaging While Driving XXI. Fly America Act of 1974 XXII. Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990 XXIII. John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2019 XXIV. Limited English Proficiency (Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VI) FY 2025 DHS STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS XXV. Lobbying Prohibitions XXVI. National Environmental Policy Act XXVII. National Security Presidential Memorandum-33 (NSPM-33) and provisions of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, Pub. L. 117-167, Section 10254 XXVIII. Non-Supplanting Requirement XXIX. Notice of Funding Opportunity Requirements XXXVII. SAFECOM XXXVIII. Subrecipient Monitoring and Management FY 2025 DHS STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS XLIII. Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT) Act of 2001, Pub. L. 107-56 XLIV. Use of DHS Seal, Logo and Flags XLV. Whistleblower Protection Act FY 2025 DHS Standard Terms and ConditionsFY 2025 DHS STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS The Fi…
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Jamesinclair @jamesinclair.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
Free transportation gets endless funding. Paid transport must be run like a business.
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Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 25/07/2025
"The answer came back days later in an email from Spencer Chretien, the highest-ranking official in the State Department's refugee and migration bureau, saying the program is intended for white people." Zero other refugees are being settled. So that makes our refugee program literally whites-only.
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Marcus @marcusjmerritt.com · 14/07/2025
A Borges story about a guy who gets AI to summarize all the world’s information for him, and then summarize the summary, until the AI has the whole world summarized into a single word. He sits alone at his desk, staring at the word, repeating it endlessly, certain he is experiencing everything
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Ben Golder @bgolder.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
@phlairport.bsky.social it looks like your wifi has an invalid security certificate
A photo of a computer screen showing an OSX network warning that the url for the website and the certificate don’t match
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Ben Golder @bgolder.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
Yes! More please! oaklandside.org/2025/06/27/o...
oaklandside.org
Affordable housing construction is taking off in Oakland
Thanks to Measure U, a number of low-income housing projects are underway. Meanwhile, market-rate construction has plummeted.
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Erin Biba @erinbiba.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
There was essentially zero coverage of the disabled protest to stop Medicaid cuts. Capitol police dragged protesters out, many in wheelchairs, and arrested 34 people. It was barely a blip on the news because nobody really cares about the disabled.
nbcwashington.com
More than 30 arrested at Senate building while protesting Medicaid cuts
U.S. Capitol Police officers arrested 34 people Wednesday who were demonstrating against Congress’ proposed cuts to Medicaid inside a Senate office building. Advocates and people who depend on Medicai...
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Ben Golder @bgolder.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
This is a big deal, happy to see it!
calmatters.org
One of the biggest obstacles to building new housing in California has now vanished
After a decade of battling, lawmakers just exempted infill urban development from the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA.
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 29/04/2025
Have you: • Filed a complaint with the CFPB in the past year? • Had problems with a company whose case the CFPB dismissed or stopped investigating? • Been in touch with the CFPB regarding investigations or resolutions in the past year? Tell us how the gutting of the CFPB has impacted you ⤵️
propublica.org
Have You Recently Sought Help From the CFPB? ProPublica Wants to Hear From You.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is walking away from cases that might have helped return money to consumers across the U.S. We want to hear from people who feel left behind.
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 29/04/2025
Current and former CFPB staffers: We want to hear from you. 👉 Get in touch with our reporter Jake Pearson securely on Signal at 917-512-0276.
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Ben Golder @bgolder.bsky.social · 06/04/2025
Freaky Tales is a very fun movie. This is a great weekend to go see it at Grand Lake if you can
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Ariana Tobin @arianatobin.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
And if your NIH research grant has been terminated: www.propublica.org/getinvolved/... Or if you recently sought help from the CFPB: www.propublica.org/getinvolved/... Our reporters want to hear from you.
propublica.org
Did You Work on a Terminated NIH Grant? ProPublica Wants to Hear From You.
The National Institutes of Health is canceling grants that are seen as conflicting with the Trump administration’s priorities. We want to hear from researchers who have been affected.
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Natalie Alms @almsnatalie.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
The govt is shutting down its nascent text messaging program used to mass distribute reminders about Medicaid benefits and other programs, as I reported a while ago The website now says that "Notify. gov Service Ending"
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Alfred Twu @alfredtwu.com · 14/03/2025
Ever wonder why apartment buildings look the way they do? I wrote an article on the building and zoning codes - such as height limits in the US and daylight access in China - that determine the design of apartments. worksinprogress.co/issue/chines...
worksinprogress.co
Chinese towers and American blocks - Works in Progress
China builds towers in a park, while America, and nearly everyone else, builds squat mid-rise blocks. The difference comes down to regulation, not culture.
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Natalie Alms @almsnatalie.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
The General Services Administration appears to be dismissing at least 100 tech employees. GSA helps agencies across govt with their tech. “The cuts to technical talent today are going to hurt the American people,” one GSA employee told me www.nextgov.com/people/2025/...
nextgov.com
GSA to cut at least 100 employees, feds inside the agency say
Employees within the agency’s Technology Transformation Services received calls from supervisors Wednesday informing them of their impending dismissals.
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Michal Migurski @mike.teczno.com · 24/11/2024
Plotter postcard exchange is back, I enjoyed this last year #ptpx
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Jae Yeon Kim @jaeyeonkim.bsky.social · 13/05/2024
My local library automatically renews borrowed items and gives me a notice. Imagine a world where many safety net benefits get the same treatment. For Medicaid, the ex-parte renewal rate is 55% nationwide as of October 2023: www.kff.org/policy-watch...
kff.org
Understanding Medicaid Ex Parte Renewals During the Unwinding | KFF
As states unwind the Medicaid continuous enrollment provision, they must comply with federal renewal requirements, including the requirement to conduct ex parte, or automated renewals. This policy wat...
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Bryan Culbertson 🥄 @bryanculbertson.com · 25/01/2024
TIL AC Transit is cutting 20% of its service in part because it has to subsidize SF Transit Center to the tune of $4.2M every year because Caltrain and CAHSR backed out of their commitments
Despite cost cutting, AC Transit faces immense additional fixed costs including its lease payment of $3.4 million for the STC bus deck this fiscal year alone, which escalates to another $300,000 in the fiscal year that begins in July 2023.

A secondary lease for the lesser-known STC Bus Storage Facility (below I-80 and critical when Transbay lines operator at peak schedules) and additional maintain costs obligate AC Transit to cover an additional $500,000 payment each year.
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Ingrid Burrington @lifewinning.com · 27/12/2023
fyi if you would like to receive plotter drawing map postcards in 2024: wares.lifewinning.com/products/202...
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Ben Golder @bgolder.bsky.social · 18/11/2023
Is there such a thing as a cocktail bar where I can do an arts and crafts project? I wanna go out but I also want to make something
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Ben Golder @bgolder.bsky.social · 19/10/2023
Today's earthquake alert in the Bay Area was a good reminder to make sure I have an earthquake kit ready. It also reminded me about disaster narratives and the book "A Paradise Built in Hell" by Rebecca Solnit www.goodreads.com/book/show/64...
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Ben Golder @bgolder.bsky.social · 17/10/2023
Librarians are doing cool things like writing articles about local history
oaklandlibrary.org
The Bike Craze of the 1890s in Oakland
This Bike Month, we’re thinking about Oakland’s long cycling history. Here's a look at biking in Oakland 125 years ago.
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Ben Golder @bgolder.bsky.social · 07/10/2023
If like me you were unaware that 3 episodes of Our Flag Means Death Season 2 are already available, you’re welcome
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Ben Golder @bgolder.bsky.social · 06/10/2023
So many great insights about teaching and learning in here
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