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James Belcher

@jamesbelcher.bsky.social

2.8K followers 4.6K following 4.9K posts

Focused on energy and the just transition. Open to Work: linkedin.com/in/jameslbelcher jamesbelcher.substack.com [I'm looking for an alternative.] Portland, Oregon

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James Belcher @jamesbelcher.bsky.social · Nov 19

"If you're just doing this to get back to voting every two years, but that vote still enables NATO or a genocide, I ain't with that. [At that point,] you might as well go side with the fascists, because that's what you're ultimately enabling."

youtu.be/Pb9WErBIgaY?...

Where Do We Go From Here? Featuring Kali Akuno (Audio/podcast version)

YouTube video by Millennials Are Killing Capitalism Live!

youtu.be

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Reposted by James Belcher

Terry J. Harris @trryjhrrs.bsky.social · 10h

So, this passage from the @k-rambo.bsky.social piece is something we all need to absorb as the pending 9th (and 7th) Circuit cases come down in the coming days.

I keep asking, then what? I hear platitudes. But I don't have any answers. 7/7

I know it’s hard to stomach, but we’ve left the territory where a leader believes he needs any valid pretense for his regime’s actions. The truth is something he determines, not something he experiences. It’s a tale as old as power itself, and it’s a hallmark of authoritarianism. It doesn’t really matter if there’s a spectacle of disorder. He’ll simply lie about it or be very confidently wrong — he’s already doing it.

To believe the populace can avoid conflict by not ‘taking the bait,’ or that we can submit our way out of Trump’s attacks, is foolhardy. There’s an air of privilege that, for many Oregonians, is truly unimaginable. As though if they only stay quiet enough, they’ll be alright.

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Reposted by James Belcher

Terry J. Harris @trryjhrrs.bsky.social · 10h

Over at @streetroots.bsky.social a pair of articles support my gnawing pessimism. First @jeremiahhayden.bsky.social lays out what we might expect from a military occupation based on what's already occured in DC and Los Angeles. It's not pretty, but the sky isn't falling.... Yet. 2/x

If troops arrive in Portland, will they sweep homeless encampments like in D.C.?

www.streetroots.org

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James Belcher @jamesbelcher.bsky.social · 16h

I've used this recipe for sixteen years. The biggest challenge is not eating too much of it immediately when it's done, because it's soooo much better the second day.

Reposted by James Belcher

High Country News @highcountrynews.org · 16d

The Western U.S. in remaking its energy structure by expanding trade among power generators and utilities across a wider geographical footprint, potentially lowering energy costs, enhancing grid reliability and empowering renewable development across the West.

buff.ly/K9yWnJk

How to make electricity in the West cheaper and more reliable - High Country News

Regionalized power markets give utilities more buying options, driving down prices and boosting stability.

www.hcn.org

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James Belcher @jamesbelcher.bsky.social · 16h

"I was lucky when I came to this country: I already knew what good food tastes like. The flavors — they should explode in your mouth. Flavor from any food does not come out by accident. If you want the flavors to come out, you have to put them in first."

‘I was lucky when I came to this country’ - High Country News

#iamthewest: Giving voice to the people that make up communities in the region.

www.hcn.org

James Belcher @jamesbelcher.bsky.social · 16h

Of possible interest @fadhelkaboub.bsky.social

Reposted by James Belcher

Money on the Left @moneyontheleft.bsky.social · 17h

Democratic Public Finance: A Radical Vision for Mamdani’s New York City

Summary This document elaborates an emerging economic paradigm that is already latent in Zohran Mamdani’s plans and practices. The paradigm, which we call Democratic Public Finance (DPF), reframes …

moneyontheleft.org

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James Belcher @jamesbelcher.bsky.social · 17h

Roger Waters is writing a memoir, which sounds like it'll be a great read.

James Belcher @jamesbelcher.bsky.social · 17h

"Fuck you, Nick fucking Cave. You fucking prick."

“Complete Pr**k”: Roger Waters DESTROYS Bono Over Israel

YouTube video by Katie Halper

youtu.be

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James Belcher @jamesbelcher.bsky.social · 17h

Disappearing Palestine: Israel's Magic Pill of Talking "Peace" ft Dr. Lara Sheehi

YouTube video by Black Liberation Media

www.youtube.com

Reposted by James Belcher

الكسندرا ميراي @lexialex.bsky.social · 1d

Palestinian orphans in Gaza marching with photos of their dead parents

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James Belcher @jamesbelcher.bsky.social · 17h

I'm making chili and working. How's your Saturday going?

The Best Vegetarian Chili in the World

This vegetarian chili is packed with beans, corn, tomatoes, and bell peppers. Jalapeños, green chiles, and chili powder kick things up a notch!

www.allrecipes.com

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James Belcher @jamesbelcher.bsky.social · 19h

"They appointed Bari Weiss – an outspoken supporter of Israel – as the network’s editor-in-chief. The moves by the Ellisons are not just about growing their media empire, but about shaping the narrative around Israel in the US, where public support continues to decline."

Bari Weiss and the Israel narrative in the US

A relentless push to control how Israel is seen in US media - led by the billionaire Ellison family.

www.aljazeera.com

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James Belcher @jamesbelcher.bsky.social · 19h

"Participants of the annual World Naked Bike Ride don't always know that the massive summer event, which draws thousands, is a protest about body positivity. the 'vulnerability of cyclists, skaters, and pedestrians,' and discouraging dependence on oil."

#pdx

Portland Mercury @portlandmercury.com · 1d

World Naked Bike Ride organizers and other local groups are getting on bikes in the buff to protest the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in South Portland. The demonstration is planned for Sunday Oct 12 at 2:30 pm; now we know the starting spot is Oregon Convention Center Plaza.

Portland's Emergency World Naked Bike Ride Organizers Confirm Time and Location

Suzette Smith

www.portlandmercury.com

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Reposted by James Belcher

OPB @opb.org · 1d

It’s been three years since Oregon legislators passed a law requiring employers pay overtime to agricultural workers. But some farmworkers say they’re making less money, not more. And growers say they can’t afford to pay the overtime.

These farmworkers say Oregon’s overtime law isn’t working. Farmers say they can’t afford it

Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, agricultural workers and domestic workers were excluded from receiving time-and-a-half pay after having worked 40 hours a week. It was a Jim Crow-era compromise to keep cheap farm labor in the South.

www.opb.org

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Reposted by James Belcher

Preorder Read This When Things Fall Apart @mskellymhayes.bsky.social · 20h

I know not everyone is who they thought they would be under a fascist, authoritarian regime. That's okay. But it's time to do more than react and post about it. It's time to get organized—including mapping or creating lines of support and defense in your community.

Mapping Community Defense and Care in Our Neighborhoods

This worksheet can help us prepare for Trump's military interventions at the neighborhood level.

organizingmythoughts.org

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James Belcher @jamesbelcher.bsky.social · 1d

💡

Jubilee School Courses

Debt Collective Jubilee School Course Offerings – always free and open to the public

debtcollective.org

Reposted by James Belcher

Django Wexler @djangowexler.bsky.social · 1d

My boss: so how's our fourth quarter looking?

Me, the sales manager at the company that makes inflatable frog suits: well, you're never going to believe this, but

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James Belcher @jamesbelcher.bsky.social · 1d

City councilors look to administrative tweaks to ‘protect Portland’ from federal actions

Several council members are working on the “Protect Portland Initiative,” a resolution urging the city’s administrative offices to take action against federal agents.

www.opb.org

James Belcher @jamesbelcher.bsky.social · 1d

As would've Mugler.

James Belcher @jamesbelcher.bsky.social · 1d

PORTLAND, OR: Please read and share. You can also sign up now to provide testimony supporting it next Wednesday the 15th.

Immense thanks to @counciloravalos.bsky.social, @councilorepg.bsky.social, and @councilorclark.bsky.social for their work on this.

READ: www.portland.gov/council/docu...

#pdx

"Denounce any attempts to deploy the United States Armed Forces, the National Guard, or militarized Federal Immigration Enforcement in Portland and establish the Protect Portland Initiative"

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James Belcher @jamesbelcher.bsky.social · 1d

The Skanner is based in Portland, Oregon, and has advanced the cause of the Black Press since 1975.

Analysis Led by Susan G. Komen Shows Fewer Black Women Dying From Breast Cancer in Nine Major U.S. Metro Areas

New data confirms progress is possible in reducing the disparity in mortality between Black and white patients

theskanner.com

Reposted by James Belcher

Jenn Chávez @jennchavez.bsky.social · 1d

With beloved Portland frogs currently winning the hearts & minds of the American public, perhaps you'd care to learn from @opb.org about their siblings & the help they get avoiding the fate of Frogger from Portland's volunteer-run frog taxi, which helps Northern red-legged frogs cross the road 🐸🚕

‘The Evergreen’: Portland’s ‘frog taxi’ helps amphibians cross the road

Teams of dedicated volunteers are on-call from late winter to early spring to help Northern red-legged frogs safely cross Highway 30 to get from Forest Park to the Harborton wetland, where they breed.

www.opb.org

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James Belcher @jamesbelcher.bsky.social · 1d

Saturdays with Renee, 11am Eastern

Colonialism and Psychology with Dr. Lara Sheehi

YouTube video by Black Liberation Media

www.youtube.com

James Belcher @jamesbelcher.bsky.social · 1d

It is what it is. I have the same concerns about (e.g.) Indivisible. If mass protests ultimately just shore up the Democratic Party and shield it from reform, it's a problem.

That said, I'm grateful to everyone doing what they can, where they can.

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