Ben Bellows
@benbellows.bsky.social
Cofounder & CBO, Nivi Inc
A Michigan farm kid a long time ago. Husband, dad, researcher, neighbor, founder.
pubs: orcid.org/0000-0001-9205-6623
#UMich #Econ #PeaceCorps #Ecuador 🇪🇨 #CDC #UCBerkeley #Epi #PopCouncil #Kenya 🇰🇪 #Zambia 🇿🇲 #digitalhealth #AI
A Michigan farm kid a long time ago. Husband, dad, researcher, neighbor, founder.
pubs: orcid.org/0000-0001-9205-6623
#UMich #Econ #PeaceCorps #Ecuador 🇪🇨 #CDC #UCBerkeley #Epi #PopCouncil #Kenya 🇰🇪 #Zambia 🇿🇲 #digitalhealth #AI
Reposted by Ben Bellows
I think it was a bad idea to put people who openly advocate war crimes and champion war criminals in charge of America’s national security apparatus. In particular, those are bad qualities in a Secretary of Defense.
November 25, 2025 at 2:18 PM
I think it was a bad idea to put people who openly advocate war crimes and champion war criminals in charge of America’s national security apparatus. In particular, those are bad qualities in a Secretary of Defense.
Reposted by Ben Bellows
"She said that lenacapavir has become a kind of diplomatic carrot — and stick.
Friendly, compliant governments, like Eswatini, have received early shipments, whereas South Africa or Nigeria — countries that have fallen out of favor with Trump — seem to have received the short end of the stick."
Friendly, compliant governments, like Eswatini, have received early shipments, whereas South Africa or Nigeria — countries that have fallen out of favor with Trump — seem to have received the short end of the stick."
The US is fast-tracking this important HIV drug — for everyone except South Africa
Why the Trump administration is cutting out a country that needs it most.
www.vox.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:22 AM
"She said that lenacapavir has become a kind of diplomatic carrot — and stick.
Friendly, compliant governments, like Eswatini, have received early shipments, whereas South Africa or Nigeria — countries that have fallen out of favor with Trump — seem to have received the short end of the stick."
Friendly, compliant governments, like Eswatini, have received early shipments, whereas South Africa or Nigeria — countries that have fallen out of favor with Trump — seem to have received the short end of the stick."
Reposted by Ben Bellows
The "DOGE is gone" articles are clickbait but this one gets it closer to the truth: DOGE is not gone, it just claims to have "no centralized leadership" anymore -- in other words, its leadership is hiding in an attempt to avoid blame.
DOGE no longer has ‘centralized leadership’ under White House tech team, personnel head says
The team that was altered to house DOGE — formerly the U.S. Digital Service — is also still doing its own technology work across agencies.
www.nextgov.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:09 AM
The "DOGE is gone" articles are clickbait but this one gets it closer to the truth: DOGE is not gone, it just claims to have "no centralized leadership" anymore -- in other words, its leadership is hiding in an attempt to avoid blame.
Reposted by Ben Bellows
When I was a kid everyone was like “When will we have video phones?” and now we do and I basically only communicate by text. I’m not even joking, it’s so bizarre.
November 25, 2025 at 12:03 AM
When I was a kid everyone was like “When will we have video phones?” and now we do and I basically only communicate by text. I’m not even joking, it’s so bizarre.
Reposted by Ben Bellows
Viola Fletcher, the oldest living survivor of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, has died. She was 111.
"I have lived through the massacre every day. Our country may forget this history, but I cannot," she told Congress in 2021.
Geoff Bennett has more.
"I have lived through the massacre every day. Our country may forget this history, but I cannot," she told Congress in 2021.
Geoff Bennett has more.
November 24, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Viola Fletcher, the oldest living survivor of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, has died. She was 111.
"I have lived through the massacre every day. Our country may forget this history, but I cannot," she told Congress in 2021.
Geoff Bennett has more.
"I have lived through the massacre every day. Our country may forget this history, but I cannot," she told Congress in 2021.
Geoff Bennett has more.
Reposted by Ben Bellows
Musk's employees are in top positions throughout the agencies of the executive branch. He's not gone, DOGE is not gone.
Everyone acts like Musk has been neutralized, cut off, and cast aside, when in fact he remains a huge risk to our country. We must not let him ride off into the sunset. He has to be held liable for the damage he’s done, the data he has stolen, and the elections he will continue to interfere with.
November 24, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Musk's employees are in top positions throughout the agencies of the executive branch. He's not gone, DOGE is not gone.
Reposted by Ben Bellows
Senator Kelly & his fellow veterans are American patriots.
Their video simply reiterated the Uniform Code of Military Justice's requirement to only carry out LAWFUL orders.
Not surprising that Secretary Talk Show Host doesn't know that.
Their video simply reiterated the Uniform Code of Military Justice's requirement to only carry out LAWFUL orders.
Not surprising that Secretary Talk Show Host doesn't know that.
November 24, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Senator Kelly & his fellow veterans are American patriots.
Their video simply reiterated the Uniform Code of Military Justice's requirement to only carry out LAWFUL orders.
Not surprising that Secretary Talk Show Host doesn't know that.
Their video simply reiterated the Uniform Code of Military Justice's requirement to only carry out LAWFUL orders.
Not surprising that Secretary Talk Show Host doesn't know that.
Reposted by Ben Bellows
I thought this was fairly well established, but: here's another new study showing that wind and solar complement each other and make for a more stable grid when combined.
Intermittent solar and wind complement each other for a more stable grid
A study finds combining wind and solar leverages their alternating peak periods, significantly boosting total generation capacity while providing a constant, predictable power curve critical for grid ...
pv-magazine-usa.com
November 24, 2025 at 9:53 PM
I thought this was fairly well established, but: here's another new study showing that wind and solar complement each other and make for a more stable grid when combined.
Reposted by Ben Bellows
Although the scale of this is still to be assessed, this is the inevitable outcome of the monetization of the algorithm. Rage-bait becomes a personal revenue model. Nothing about this should be a surprise.
NEWS: I spent the past 24 hours going through major MAGA accounts on Twitter, and a bombshell development has become clear: most of the right-wing ecosphere is being fed propaganda from foreign actors.
This impacts elections. This impacts discourse. This is major. Subscribe to support my work:
This impacts elections. This impacts discourse. This is major. Subscribe to support my work:
NEWS: Major MAGA Accounts on Twitter Exposed as Foreign Actors
A stunning development over the past 24 hours.
open.substack.com
November 23, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Although the scale of this is still to be assessed, this is the inevitable outcome of the monetization of the algorithm. Rage-bait becomes a personal revenue model. Nothing about this should be a surprise.
Reposted by Ben Bellows
JUDGE DROPS COMEY & LETITIA JAMES CHARGES:"I conclude that the Attorney General’s attempt to install Ms. Halligan as Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia was invalid and that Ms. Halligan has been unlawfully serving in that role”
www.newsfromthestates.com/article/judg...
www.newsfromthestates.com/article/judg...
Judge drops James Comey and Letitia James charges, saying prosecutor served 'unlawfully'
A senior federal judge dismissed charges Monday against two public officials with long-running public disputes with President Donald Trump, saying the controversial appointment of the president’s form...
www.newsfromthestates.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:54 PM
JUDGE DROPS COMEY & LETITIA JAMES CHARGES:"I conclude that the Attorney General’s attempt to install Ms. Halligan as Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia was invalid and that Ms. Halligan has been unlawfully serving in that role”
www.newsfromthestates.com/article/judg...
www.newsfromthestates.com/article/judg...
Reposted by Ben Bellows
If they want to prosecute Mark Kelly in a military court for proposing military personnel follow all lawful orders that should make for very good fun
November 24, 2025 at 4:58 PM
If they want to prosecute Mark Kelly in a military court for proposing military personnel follow all lawful orders that should make for very good fun
Reposted by Ben Bellows
it’s not a good sign when the guy who popped the enron bubble starts questioning your accounting practices !
November 24, 2025 at 2:12 PM
it’s not a good sign when the guy who popped the enron bubble starts questioning your accounting practices !
No one takes an oath to the President 🙄 At least, no one has in the first 249 years of the Republic.
BLITZER: I want to be precise. Should members of the US military obey clearly illegal orders?
McCLAIN: You're asking an enlisted person for their opinion on what they think is legal. That's a pretty slippery slope. Follow your commander in chief. That's the oath that you took
(Not a no!)
McCLAIN: You're asking an enlisted person for their opinion on what they think is legal. That's a pretty slippery slope. Follow your commander in chief. That's the oath that you took
(Not a no!)
November 24, 2025 at 3:46 PM
No one takes an oath to the President 🙄 At least, no one has in the first 249 years of the Republic.
Reposted by Ben Bellows
I’m so old, I remember 2017 when mainstream news outlets like ABC would express surprise that Trump was linking himself to Pizzagate promoters like Posobiec. Now, I guess, he’s just “a winner.” abcnews.go.com/US/trump-ret...
Trump retweets alt-right activist who pushed 'Pizzagate' conspiracy
Trump retweeted an alt-right activist who has pushed bogus conspiracy theories.
abcnews.go.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:30 PM
I’m so old, I remember 2017 when mainstream news outlets like ABC would express surprise that Trump was linking himself to Pizzagate promoters like Posobiec. Now, I guess, he’s just “a winner.” abcnews.go.com/US/trump-ret...
Reposted by Ben Bellows
Kara Walker Creates Haunted Beast From Butchered Confederate Statue. “The result is still horse and rider, but instead of charging into battle, Walker’s horseman wanders in Civil War purgatory, dragging its sword over a ruined battlefield…” [kottke.org]
Kara Walker Creates Haunted Beast From Butchered Confederate Statue
This is incredible: artist Kara Walker took a statue of Confederate general Stonewall Jackson that had stood in Charlottesville, Virginia until 2021, chopped it up, and reconstituted it into a disfigured beast. It’s
kottke.org
October 19, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Kara Walker Creates Haunted Beast From Butchered Confederate Statue. “The result is still horse and rider, but instead of charging into battle, Walker’s horseman wanders in Civil War purgatory, dragging its sword over a ruined battlefield…” [kottke.org]
Reposted by Ben Bellows
Why is Kennedy so convinced he’s right?
lol his fucking dark money group makes big money selling bullshit. Kennedy will absolutely end up back with Children’s Health Defense when he’s out of government. It’s his nest egg.
It’s in his financial best interest to sow doubt in vaccines and science.
lol his fucking dark money group makes big money selling bullshit. Kennedy will absolutely end up back with Children’s Health Defense when he’s out of government. It’s his nest egg.
It’s in his financial best interest to sow doubt in vaccines and science.
NEW: When RFK Jr. first told Trump that Tylenol might cause autism, the president wanted to tweet out a warning. Kennedy told him not to do that. There was nuance, and the drug companies would push back. “I don’t give a shit about that,” Trump responded. www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
The Most Powerful Man in Science
Why is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. so convinced he’s right?
www.theatlantic.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:12 AM
Why is Kennedy so convinced he’s right?
lol his fucking dark money group makes big money selling bullshit. Kennedy will absolutely end up back with Children’s Health Defense when he’s out of government. It’s his nest egg.
It’s in his financial best interest to sow doubt in vaccines and science.
lol his fucking dark money group makes big money selling bullshit. Kennedy will absolutely end up back with Children’s Health Defense when he’s out of government. It’s his nest egg.
It’s in his financial best interest to sow doubt in vaccines and science.
Reposted by Ben Bellows
Just asking questions 🙄
From The Atlantic:
Do Childhood Vaccines Cause Tornadoes?
It hasn’t been ruled out.
#EpiSky #PublicHealth
Do Childhood Vaccines Cause Tornadoes?
It hasn’t been ruled out.
#EpiSky #PublicHealth
Do Childhood Vaccines Cause Tornadoes?
It hasn’t been ruled out.
www.theatlantic.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:06 AM
Just asking questions 🙄
Reposted by Ben Bellows
Transcript and podcast. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/o...
Opinion | Africa Is Rising. The World Shouldn’t Turn Its Back.
www.nytimes.com
November 23, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Transcript and podcast. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/o...
Reposted by Ben Bellows
Are we not even making our own disinformation? What happened to American manufacturing?
Twitter pays people based on engagement (views, retweets, comments, etc). It appears that many MAGA accounts are based abroad and they use AI technology to generate low-effort rage bait.
My guess is that this will get worse as AI tech improves. For instance, fake videos of minorities doing crime.
My guess is that this will get worse as AI tech improves. For instance, fake videos of minorities doing crime.
November 24, 2025 at 12:24 AM
Are we not even making our own disinformation? What happened to American manufacturing?
Reposted by Ben Bellows
Inspired by someone elsewhere, I hereby vow to try to avoid the terms "content" and "content creator," unless I *must* talk about work across so many fields that a generic term is the only one that will suffice. Let's not reduce art, criticism, journalism, etc. to an undifferentiated smear of Stuff.
November 23, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Inspired by someone elsewhere, I hereby vow to try to avoid the terms "content" and "content creator," unless I *must* talk about work across so many fields that a generic term is the only one that will suffice. Let's not reduce art, criticism, journalism, etc. to an undifferentiated smear of Stuff.
Reposted by Ben Bellows
Our paper "Contraceptive effectiveness: A synthesis of the literature" is freely available thru 1/9/26 lnkd.in/e5j-4pXw
In choosing contraception, method effectiveness is often a primary consideration though rarely the only one. Ppl deserve accurate info (incl on effectiveness) for informed choice.
In choosing contraception, method effectiveness is often a primary consideration though rarely the only one. Ppl deserve accurate info (incl on effectiveness) for informed choice.
November 20, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Our paper "Contraceptive effectiveness: A synthesis of the literature" is freely available thru 1/9/26 lnkd.in/e5j-4pXw
In choosing contraception, method effectiveness is often a primary consideration though rarely the only one. Ppl deserve accurate info (incl on effectiveness) for informed choice.
In choosing contraception, method effectiveness is often a primary consideration though rarely the only one. Ppl deserve accurate info (incl on effectiveness) for informed choice.
As a UM econ undergrad from a while back, Go Blue!
My MVP for this week: I've discovered some folks who could do a much better job running American trade policy. #Econ101 #GoBlue #TeachEcon
November 24, 2025 at 12:34 AM
As a UM econ undergrad from a while back, Go Blue!
Reposted by Ben Bellows
Ternopil, Ukraine.
The scene of a father rocking the coffin of his infant in his arms is one of the hardest I have ever seen in my life. 💔
The scene of a father rocking the coffin of his infant in his arms is one of the hardest I have ever seen in my life. 💔
November 23, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Ternopil, Ukraine.
The scene of a father rocking the coffin of his infant in his arms is one of the hardest I have ever seen in my life. 💔
The scene of a father rocking the coffin of his infant in his arms is one of the hardest I have ever seen in my life. 💔
Reposted by Ben Bellows
"Many residents have yelled profanities at them, and honked their horns at agents when their unmarked vehicles are spotted..."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/22/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/22/u...
In North Carolina, the Border Patrol’s Presence Divides a Swing State
www.nytimes.com
November 23, 2025 at 9:45 PM
"Many residents have yelled profanities at them, and honked their horns at agents when their unmarked vehicles are spotted..."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/22/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/22/u...
Reposted by Ben Bellows
The idea that we get *less* migration from a destabilized Venezuela is madness.
Cracks me up how you could just replace Venezuela and Venezuelans with Iraq and Iraqis and it’d be indistinguishable from something written in 2002
November 23, 2025 at 10:13 PM
The idea that we get *less* migration from a destabilized Venezuela is madness.