Ben Wheeler
@benjiwheeler.bsky.social
creative technology, good faith debate, justice. Imagine a friend said it. techno-social.com
Reposted by Ben Wheeler
With @benjiwheeler.bsky.social at his victory party in East Somerville last night. I got to know Ben over the course of the campaign — and people who’ve known him for years kept telling me he’s the real deal! I was proud to endorse him and am excited to work with him on social housing and more! 🎉
November 5, 2025 at 11:59 PM
With @benjiwheeler.bsky.social at his victory party in East Somerville last night. I got to know Ben over the course of the campaign — and people who’ve known him for years kept telling me he’s the real deal! I was proud to endorse him and am excited to work with him on social housing and more! 🎉
Reposted by Ben Wheeler
Somerville residents have a right to know how public investments are allocated, and I've been working to provide transparency. I'm grateful to our Finance & Treasury Depts for providing this list of holdings in our OPEB ("Other Post-Employment Benefits"), run through an ESG screen. 1/
September 15, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Somerville residents have a right to know how public investments are allocated, and I've been working to provide transparency. I'm grateful to our Finance & Treasury Depts for providing this list of holdings in our OPEB ("Other Post-Employment Benefits"), run through an ESG screen. 1/
Reposted by Ben Wheeler
New research on the causes of irregular bus arrival times:
"The most significant contributors to the variability of headways are variability in schedules and dispatching at terminals." Bus operator experience matters, too.
doi.org/10.3390/smar...
"The most significant contributors to the variability of headways are variability in schedules and dispatching at terminals." Bus operator experience matters, too.
doi.org/10.3390/smar...
September 3, 2025 at 1:02 PM
New research on the causes of irregular bus arrival times:
"The most significant contributors to the variability of headways are variability in schedules and dispatching at terminals." Bus operator experience matters, too.
doi.org/10.3390/smar...
"The most significant contributors to the variability of headways are variability in schedules and dispatching at terminals." Bus operator experience matters, too.
doi.org/10.3390/smar...
Reposted by Ben Wheeler
Somerville YIMBY’s 2025 election endorsements are here! We’re pleased to endorse these candidates:
@willieburnleyjr.bsky.social
@scottistvan.com
@benjiwheeler.bsky.social
@wilfredmbah.bsky.social
Jon Link
@benforward3.bsky.social
Naima Sait
Emily Hardt
Read on: somervilleyimby.org/elections/20...
@willieburnleyjr.bsky.social
@scottistvan.com
@benjiwheeler.bsky.social
@wilfredmbah.bsky.social
Jon Link
@benforward3.bsky.social
Naima Sait
Emily Hardt
Read on: somervilleyimby.org/elections/20...
Somerville YIMBY 2025 Election Endorsements and Voter Guide
Somerville YIMBY endorses Willie Burnley Jr. for Mayor, emphasizing his leadership and housing initiatives. Other endorsements include Scott Istvan, Ben Wheeler, Will Mbah, and Jonathan Link for Ci…
somervilleyimby.org
August 15, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Somerville YIMBY’s 2025 election endorsements are here! We’re pleased to endorse these candidates:
@willieburnleyjr.bsky.social
@scottistvan.com
@benjiwheeler.bsky.social
@wilfredmbah.bsky.social
Jon Link
@benforward3.bsky.social
Naima Sait
Emily Hardt
Read on: somervilleyimby.org/elections/20...
@willieburnleyjr.bsky.social
@scottistvan.com
@benjiwheeler.bsky.social
@wilfredmbah.bsky.social
Jon Link
@benforward3.bsky.social
Naima Sait
Emily Hardt
Read on: somervilleyimby.org/elections/20...
Reposted by Ben Wheeler
the fact that people were told “today you are going to an elementary school to lie to teachers and kidnap kids” and didn’t immediately tell their bosses to go fuck themselves is all you need to know about why ICE should be dismantled
BREAKING: Federal agents in plain clothes and unmarked cars tried to snatch 1st graders from LA elementary schools—told staff they had “parental consent.”
They lied. When pressed, they HID THEIR IDS. DHS admits they sent them. This wasn’t a welfare check. It was a test run for a police state.
They lied. When pressed, they HID THEIR IDS. DHS admits they sent them. This wasn’t a welfare check. It was a test run for a police state.
June 10, 2025 at 1:44 AM
the fact that people were told “today you are going to an elementary school to lie to teachers and kidnap kids” and didn’t immediately tell their bosses to go fuck themselves is all you need to know about why ICE should be dismantled
Who are the police and national guard supposed to be protecting? It seems like the rule of law is under constant assault—by our own government—and that the path to peace is a return to lawfulness by our authorities.
June 10, 2025 at 2:47 AM
Who are the police and national guard supposed to be protecting? It seems like the rule of law is under constant assault—by our own government—and that the path to peace is a return to lawfulness by our authorities.
Thrilled to announce that my film "Confessions of a Jumbotron Addict", directed by Mickey Duzyj, is the Short of the Week on shortoftheweek.com !
It's 9 minutes of bliss -- I promise it's worth checking it out!!
www.shortoftheweek.com/2025/06/02/c...
It's 9 minutes of bliss -- I promise it's worth checking it out!!
www.shortoftheweek.com/2025/06/02/c...
Confessions of a Jumbotron Addict by Mickey Duzyj
Watch Confessions of a Jumbotron Addict by Mickey Duzyj - a short film about a basketball fan with an obsession of appearing on the Jumbotron.
www.shortoftheweek.com
June 3, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Thrilled to announce that my film "Confessions of a Jumbotron Addict", directed by Mickey Duzyj, is the Short of the Week on shortoftheweek.com !
It's 9 minutes of bliss -- I promise it's worth checking it out!!
www.shortoftheweek.com/2025/06/02/c...
It's 9 minutes of bliss -- I promise it's worth checking it out!!
www.shortoftheweek.com/2025/06/02/c...
Reposted by Ben Wheeler
This is horrifying and very, very illegal. The federal government is a criminal enterprise now.
ACLU says another three US citizen children were disappeared from their own country today: www.aclu.org/press-releas...
ICE Deports 3 U.S. Citizen Children Held Incommunicado Prior to the Deportation | American Civil Liberties Union
Families disappeared and isolated without legal access; one child with cancer deported without medication and pregnant mother deported as well
www.aclu.org
April 26, 2025 at 6:46 AM
This is horrifying and very, very illegal. The federal government is a criminal enterprise now.
Reposted by Ben Wheeler
Decency and basic rights are more than vibes, but still -- folks -- the vibes are shifting. We should be clear about that.
Joe Rogan explains to his audience why due process is important and quotes Ben Franklin — "it is better 100 guilty persons should escape than that one innocent person should suffer.”
He argues against shipping people to a prison in El Salvador without trial because we think they’re gang members.
He argues against shipping people to a prison in El Salvador without trial because we think they’re gang members.
April 20, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Decency and basic rights are more than vibes, but still -- folks -- the vibes are shifting. We should be clear about that.
Reposted by Ben Wheeler
I have been regularly stolen from by guys who dress like the dude on the left but never in my life by someone who dressed like the guy on the right
Jesse Watters last night went so far as to say that wearing a Chicago Bulls cap is definitive proof that you're an MS-13 gang member.
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Jesse Watters says ‘everyone knows’ that wearing a Bulls hat ‘means you’re MS-13’
‘If you’re a Latin American illegal alien in Maryland, you don’t accidentally wear Chicago Bulls gear and hang around with high-ranking gangsters from MS-13,’ Jesse Watters declared on Tuesday night
www.independent.co.uk
April 16, 2025 at 2:30 PM
I have been regularly stolen from by guys who dress like the dude on the left but never in my life by someone who dressed like the guy on the right
Reposted by Ben Wheeler
This administration sent 200+ fathers, sons, and husbands to be tortured in a foreign prison for the rest of their lives. 9 in 10 have no criminal record. None received any due process.
If you *aren’t* outraged, you need to check your fucking humanity.
If you *aren’t* outraged, you need to check your fucking humanity.
Trump's press secretary mocked the “Democrat and media outrage” over the deportation of a Maryland father as “nothing short of despicable.”
Karoline Leavitt Melts Down Over Deported ‘Father of the Year’
Trump’s press secretary mocked the Maryland father who the administration mistakenly deported to a Salvadoran mega-prison.
www.thedailybeast.com
April 15, 2025 at 8:37 PM
This administration sent 200+ fathers, sons, and husbands to be tortured in a foreign prison for the rest of their lives. 9 in 10 have no criminal record. None received any due process.
If you *aren’t* outraged, you need to check your fucking humanity.
If you *aren’t* outraged, you need to check your fucking humanity.
Reposted by Ben Wheeler
Holy shit. Video posted by President Bukele’s team on X shows the moments before his press conference with Trump in which Trump tells him: “We want to do homegrown criminals next. You gotta build about five more places.”
(h/t @titonka.bsky.social @michelekelemen.bsky.social)
(h/t @titonka.bsky.social @michelekelemen.bsky.social)
April 14, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Holy shit. Video posted by President Bukele’s team on X shows the moments before his press conference with Trump in which Trump tells him: “We want to do homegrown criminals next. You gotta build about five more places.”
(h/t @titonka.bsky.social @michelekelemen.bsky.social)
(h/t @titonka.bsky.social @michelekelemen.bsky.social)
Reposted by Ben Wheeler
Being asked to send our money to states that continue to elect leaders who deny help to our states is totally intolerable. Something has to give.
April 6, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Being asked to send our money to states that continue to elect leaders who deny help to our states is totally intolerable. Something has to give.
Reposted by Ben Wheeler
We’re going to have a masque, an incredible masque, a masque of death, even, if you can believe it. They say “oh you can’t do it you can’t do it in the castle” but we are going to do it I can tell you, we are doing it with so many colors but mainly red, red the most beautiful red you’ve ever seen
March 7, 2025 at 3:24 AM
We’re going to have a masque, an incredible masque, a masque of death, even, if you can believe it. They say “oh you can’t do it you can’t do it in the castle” but we are going to do it I can tell you, we are doing it with so many colors but mainly red, red the most beautiful red you’ve ever seen
I think the 2020 Harper's open letter on "justice and open debate" really holds up. A huge danger was always that tools of excluding speech would be seized by the powerful and used against the powerless
harpers.org/a-letter-on-...
harpers.org/a-letter-on-...
April 3, 2025 at 5:43 PM
I think the 2020 Harper's open letter on "justice and open debate" really holds up. A huge danger was always that tools of excluding speech would be seized by the powerful and used against the powerless
harpers.org/a-letter-on-...
harpers.org/a-letter-on-...
Reposted by Ben Wheeler
Good morning. Cory Booker has now been speaking on the Senate floor for 12 hours straight. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/inside-...
Inside Cory Booker’s Plan To Disrupt ‘Business As Usual’ On The Senate Floor
A member of the U.S. Senate took the floor at 7:00 p.m....
talkingpointsmemo.com
April 1, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Good morning. Cory Booker has now been speaking on the Senate floor for 12 hours straight. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/inside-...
Reposted by Ben Wheeler
If this happened in the U.S., fully 75% of the pundit class would be calling it the death of American democracy. Meanwhile, Musk is buying votes in Wisconsin, Mike Johnson is casually floating the elimination of district courts, and Trump insists he’s not joking about a third term.
"A French court has found far-right leader Marine Le Pen guilty of misusing EU funds to pay staff from her National Rally party...with a sentence barring her from running for office immediately, possibly dashing her political ambitions"
www.france24.com/en/live-news...
www.france24.com/en/live-news...
French Court bans far-right leader Marine Le Pen from running for office
A French court has found far-right leader Marine Le Pen guilty of misusing EU funds to pay staff from her National Rally party between 2004 and 2016 and followed up the verdict on Monday with a senten...
www.france24.com
March 31, 2025 at 11:36 AM
If this happened in the U.S., fully 75% of the pundit class would be calling it the death of American democracy. Meanwhile, Musk is buying votes in Wisconsin, Mike Johnson is casually floating the elimination of district courts, and Trump insists he’s not joking about a third term.
Reposted by Ben Wheeler
A frequent point by Michael Marshall (need to see if he’s on here) is that at flat earth cons there are widely varying mutually exclusive models of the Earth (hollow, flat, curvy) that cannot possibly be true together but the important thing is that They are wrong about the Round Earth
March 30, 2025 at 10:04 PM
A frequent point by Michael Marshall (need to see if he’s on here) is that at flat earth cons there are widely varying mutually exclusive models of the Earth (hollow, flat, curvy) that cannot possibly be true together but the important thing is that They are wrong about the Round Earth
Partisan bias is so out of control. Just learned that 100% of college students say they wouldn't date someone who is actively deporting them without due process
March 29, 2025 at 11:23 PM
Partisan bias is so out of control. Just learned that 100% of college students say they wouldn't date someone who is actively deporting them without due process
Reposted by Ben Wheeler
We have had nearly two decades of panic about Free Speech on Campus and not a single case, not even the ones they made up, were as bad as what's happening now
This is the text of the email just sent to hundreds of international students telling them that their visas have been revoked due to activism or social media posts.
March 29, 2025 at 2:24 PM
We have had nearly two decades of panic about Free Speech on Campus and not a single case, not even the ones they made up, were as bad as what's happening now
Horrific. Unconstitutional.
This is the text of the email just sent to hundreds of international students telling them that their visas have been revoked due to activism or social media posts.
March 29, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Horrific. Unconstitutional.
Reposted by Ben Wheeler
One less obvious way that Gawker foreshadowed this moment was by showing how people and institutions crack when they're under malicious, pervasive, and unreasonable assault—you can see Columbia University following Nick down the path of trying to bargain and to rationalize having been made a target
Nick Denton saying that Peter Thiel — the man who spent millions to literally destroy Denton's company (successfully) — "is right, as usual" is... quite something.
There are still eyebrow-raising realignments to discover if you scroll around long enough...
(link: x.com/nicknotned/s... )
(link: x.com/nicknotned/s... )
March 17, 2025 at 6:34 PM
One less obvious way that Gawker foreshadowed this moment was by showing how people and institutions crack when they're under malicious, pervasive, and unreasonable assault—you can see Columbia University following Nick down the path of trying to bargain and to rationalize having been made a target
Reposted by Ben Wheeler
I’m not sure these people should ever be deprogrammed out of the Trump cult. Their shame and remorse would be too much for them to bear.
'Measles Are Good For You' Say Parents Whose Kid Died Because Of Measles
www.wonkette.com/p/measles-ar...
www.wonkette.com/p/measles-ar...
'Measles Are Good For You' Say Parents Whose Kid Died Because Of Measles
They claim it prevents cancer, which it very much does not.
www.wonkette.com
March 24, 2025 at 12:50 PM
I’m not sure these people should ever be deprogrammed out of the Trump cult. Their shame and remorse would be too much for them to bear.