Portland's famous Unipiper was spotted at the Portland ICE protest where he played his bagpipes in front of Santa, Mr. Potato Head, Garfield and more -- all while surrounded by bubbles.

More on how the tone of Portland's protests has shifted: www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/1...

I hadn't heard about benshi before -- thanks for the link!

Fascinating bit about a 1905 George Melies film, in Anthony Lane's recent piece on film restoration. Strange to realize that "Captain Alex" and MST3K might hearken back to some of the earliest forms of cinema.

www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

Things are happening at Portland's ICE facility tonight.

Read more of our protest coverage here: www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/1...

Jack Dickinson, 26, says “we’re winning this.”

When Nixon resigned, he still had a 24% approval rating, and I always wonder how that quarter of the country thought democracy was supposed to work — or indeed whether they wanted it to work at all.

“The results were surprising, even for me,” says Llavero Pasquina. “I knew they were playing a very little role in the energy transition. I knew it was only for show. It was only for dressing their narrative. But I didn’t expect this low number.”

www.newscientist.com/article/2499...

Buildable lot 4 sale, gr8 views, 5m vlt atm smshr

DeSantis gutted New College, stuffed it with political flunkies & jocks, & now spends *ten times* as much per student there - not a misprint - as at other Florida public colleges. And guess what? It's getting hammered on its outcomes.

That's what happens when you don't actually care about learning.

Whether you're in Chicago or any other U.S. city, remember federal agents and military troops are bound by the Constitution.

Know your rights if you're approached by federal forces.
aclu.org/deployment_kyr

By way of contrast, a Times piece today set in Maine, *also* by an out-of-town reporter, but who didn't have a glib point to prove & bothered to talk to people on the ground. It begins, from the first line, w/ someone directly affected.

The Times can do great work -- when it chooses to.

Gift link:

Also - as @taylorgriggs.bsky.social notes - the timing's irresponsible. DHS is musing about using the 82nd Airborne, & the Times runs this?

Maybe lots got cut/reframed, who knows. Could be bad writing, bad editing, or both. But the story editor should & MUST know better. The buck stops there.

Where to begin.

*Reporter parachutes in

* Gimmick lede + dopey quote

*Hothouse sourcing: councilors, consultants, Jordan Schnitzer. No, you know... VOTERS

*No context on city's (mixed, yes) recovery

Textbook example of how a story may technically lack errors & yet functionally be wrong

ABOVE THE FRUITED PLAINNN

The language of non-consent around AI is really telling. "It's too late to be scared." "It's here whether we want it or not." "You'll have to learn to work with it." "You can't fight the inevitable."

All just variations of "you're not allowed to say no." Creepy technology made by creepy people.

[Camera pan over a tintype of a uniformed soldier; faint banjos]

My dearest Clarabelle. How I miss you. Portland is a hell on earth. The water is disgustingly fresh, with only matcha-infused hardtack to eat. The land is devastated by greenery & the air filled with the awful cries of migrating birds

Live from "war ravaged" Portland

Currently a 25-minute wait for brunch in the crime-ridden hellhole of Portland.

This is the most complete information I've seen about the Anthropic copyright settlement — dates of when things are likely to happen, what to do now, and what it all means for different types of writers. nwu.org/anthropic/

Hey, authors: make sure your publisher filed copyright for your book. The Anthropic case is turning up multiple publishers (including majors) who blew it off. Do a title lookup in the Copyright Office database below - if it's not listed, ask your agent, b/c your publisher has some EXPLAINING to do.

It was only recently that I ever saw a live clip of Thompson, with his sinewy bass part underneath Pentangle's "Light Flight." If you like Nick Drake or Fairport Convention, it's really worth checking out.

Danny Thompson was just a fantastic upright bassist on an incredible range of stuff - backed Roy Orbison, played on "The Dreaming" & "The Hounds of Love," AND cofounded Pentangle.

Not noted in the story: this is just a block from a steadily rising Biscayne Bay, so someday the Trump Library’s attractions may include snorkeling over it.

Yes, someone in a hot dog costume just hand-delivered Councilor Green a hot dog before starting today's council chat on sidewalk vending.