Ironweeds

Facebook is being taken over by some very bizarre AI spam. The shadowy organization Opus Dei has spent decades coercing women into unpaid labor. And coral reefs are thriving while grooving to the sound of healthy reef ecosystems. 

AI Spam on Facebook: https://www.404media.co/facebooks-algorithm-is-boosting-ai-spam-that-links-to-ai-generated-ad-laden-click-farms/ 

The Opus Dei diaries https://on.ft.com/3PkQDKD 

Israel Spending Bill: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/22/moral-failure-us-house-approves-bill-that-would-ban-unrwa-funding

Coral Reefs are neat: https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/thai-scientists-breed-coral-labs-restore-degraded-reefs-2024-03-22/

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/mar/13/playing-thriving-reef-sounds-underwater-speakers-save-damaged-corals

Realtors settlement could lower cost of home sales: https://www.reuters.com/video/watch/idRW840615032024RP1  via Reuters News

https://www.berkshireeagle.com/news/northern_berkshires/mass-moca-union-management-to-come-back-to-bargaining-table-saturday-amid-strike-north-adams-labor/article_d282b222-e2da-11ee-bea8-4ff7e100fc7f.html 

Rats on weed

https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-police-rats-eating-marijuana-02cf5d760649033801b775b41a96d5df

https://www.npr.org/2024/03/04/1235217454/france-abortion-rights-constitution#:~:text=Both%20the%20Senate%20and%20the,need%20to%20amend%20the%20constitution.

https://nypost.com/2024/03/15/us-news/boeing-whistleblower-john-barnett-made-powerful-enemies-before-alleged-suicide-workers-warn/ 

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/12/business/john-barnett-boeing-whistleblower-dead.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb 

Biden screams about undocumented people at the State of the Union. Texans are moving to Upstate in droves. Letitia James is suing a farming company over greenwashing. Kathy Hochul has deployed the National Guard in New York City’s subways. Gaza is still starving and children are killed by an airdrop. And beavers are beavering away.

Here's why these Texans moved to upstate New York — and so far, they're loving it https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/new-york-losing-residents-texans-loving-upstate-18632618.php 

Letitia James suing over greenwashing: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/29/climate/the-farming-conundrum.html?referringSource=articleShare

Hochul deploying 750 national guard in NYC subways

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-06/new-york-to-deploy-national-guard-to-nyc-subways-to-fight-crime?embedded-checkout=true

FBI devoting resources to “anarchist extremists”: https://theintercept.com/2024/03/07/aaron-bushnell-fbi-anarchism-extremist/

Children killed in humanitarian airdrop: https://abcnews.go.com/International/gaza-children-killed-humanitarian-aid-airdrop/story?id=107927556

Beavers Beavers Beavers! https://e360.yale.edu/features/worlds-largest-beaver-dam

This episode we’re talking about police collisions in New York State, the dystopian surveillance state looming over San Francisco, and gay whale sex.

NYPD busts cosplay sword gun: https://x.com/nypdnews/status/1764010339811668173?s=46&t=H0xYNG-blXU-d-zkx5SJeA

Troy Police car crashes resulted in 36 injuries and one death since 2012: https://www.timesunion.com/state/article/troy-police-car-crashes-resulted-36-injuries-1-18684859.php 

Troy PD vs Troopers: https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/troy-officers-surrounded-troopers-told-leave-city-18689440.php

Overview of NYS police collisions: https://www.timesunion.com/projects/2024/new-york-police-collisions/ 

A year after fatal Troy police crash, a family tries to rebuild: https://www.timesunion.com/capitol/article/year-fatal-troy-police-crash-family-tries-rebuild-18676571.php 

San Francisco to vote on policing with drones, AI: https://www.reuters.com/video/watch/idRW398428022024RP1 

Gay Whale Sex: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/28/humpback-whales-sex-photographed-homosexual-behavior

David on Chasing Leviathan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVlD7an3Mtw

The Bidens’ dog commits cop on cop violence. A trangender teenager is beaten and killed by schoolmates. The Attorney General releases a report on the unconstitutional arrest of Saratoga BLM activists. A UN food convoy delivering flour to Gaza was fired upon by the Israeli navy. A train derailment has left the Hoosick River full of giant microplastics. An Alabama court ruling threatens IVF treatment. And it turns out this one weird trick can reduce homelessness–give people housing. 

Commander must bite: https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/21/politics/commander-biden-secret-service-bites-white-house/index.html

Hoosic River community contends with microplastics after train derailment: https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/train-derailment-plastic-pellets-inundate-hoosic-18671391.php 

Murder of Nex Benedict: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/nex-benedict-dead-oklahoma-b2499332.html & https://open.substack.com/pub/popularinformation/p/nex-benedicts-mom-raises-doubts-about?r=itmz&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post 

UN Food Convoy Fired Upon: https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/21/middleeast/un-food-convoy-gaza-israel-strike-cmd-intl/index.html

AG releases report on Saratoga police violating BLM activists rights: https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/ag-city-officials-police-unconstitutional-18678677.php

Court says destruction of embryos is illegal: https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/24/us/alabama-ivf-embryos-court-ruling-saturday?cid=ios_app

Reducing homelessness by giving people housing: https://katu.com/news/local/clackamas-county-exceeds-rehousing-goals-with-65-drop-in-homelessness-houseless-tent-shelter-oregon

Philosophy Tube featuring The City Authentic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lHNkUjR9nM

An action-packed episode on local crazies, labor, ceasefire, public monies for private profit, and Michigan’s repeal of the Right to Work law. 

Boss Baby on the attack: https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/rensselaer-county-executive-attacks-former-18666829.php

Beautiful Sneakers: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/trump-launches-sneaker-line-rcna139334

Tesla Crash: https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/thruway-collision-tesla-suv-investigation-state-18665024.php

Cybertruck rusting: https://futurism.com/cybertruck-owners-already-rusting

Amazon, Space X, and Trader Joes take on NLRB: https://www.reuters.com/technology/amazon-joins-companies-arguing-us-labor-board-is-unconstitutional-2024-02-16/

Beyond Ceasefire: https://jacobin.com/2024/02/us-labor-movement-gaza-cease-fire-action

Public funds for retail theft: https://cbs6albany.com/news/local/hochul-unveils-45m-plan-to-decrease-retail-thefts-in-nys

Right to Work repeal: https://truthout.org/articles/michigans-historic-right-to-work-repeal-goes-into-effect/

A train has derailed in the Capital region. Albany DA David Soares is under investigation for misusing state grants. Biden isn’t doing well in the polls and Arab voters are pissed. Florida has barred its transgender residents from changing the gender on their IDs. And a candidate for Indonesian parliament is looking our for our kitty cat friends. 

Busy scene at derailment cleanup: https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/cleanup-continue-weekend-valley-falls-train-18657972.php 

Albany DA under investigation: https://cbs6albany.com/news/you-paid-for-it/albany-county-district-attorney-greg-soares-investigated-for-using-state-grants-for-personal-bonuses-report-says-illegal-compensation-confidential-report-longevity-payments-new-york-state-laws-violation-aid-to-prosecution-grant

Biden in hot water with Arab voters: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/09/us/politics/biden-aide-israel-regret.html

Florida bars trans residents from changing IDs: https://abcnews.go.com/US/florida-barring-transgender-residents-changing-gender-drivers-license/story?id=106896871#:~:text=Florida%20transgender%20residents%20will%20no,Highway%20Safety%20and%20Motor%20Vehicles.

Wildflower: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/cat-lover-campaigns-animal-rights-indonesia-elections-2024-02-09/#:~:text=JAKARTA%2C%20Feb%209%20(Reuters),and%20legislative%20elections%20on%20Feb

Things are heating up in the Middle East. A Jackson MI pauper’s cemetery houses the bodies of missing persons. Ohio police raid the wrong house, injuring an infant with a flash bang grenade. A pastor has been charged for giving shelter to the homeless in dangerous temperatures. And the FDA has found that cannabis meets the criteria for reclassification as a schedule one drug. 

US Base Attacked in Iraq: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/21/iraqi-iran-backed-group-attacks-us-base-as-region-faces-threat-of-wider-war 

Pauper’s Cemetery Contains Over 600 Bodies: https://themessenger.com/news/mississippi-paupers-cemetery-logbook-jackson-police-missing-unmarked-graves-coroner

Police Raid Wrong House, Infant Injured By Flash Bang Grenade: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ohio-mayor-orders-probe-woman-alleges-police-raided-wrong-house-injure-rcna134062

And

https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/16/us/elyria-ohio-police-flash-bang-toddler-ventilator-raid/index.html

Ohio Pastor Charged For Housing Homeless: https://www.jsonline.com/story/opinion/columnists/james-causey/2024/01/16/ohio-pastor-charged-homeless-opening-milwaukee-cold-deaths-wind-chill/72236928007/

Canniabis Meets Reclassification Criteria: https://www.wbaltv.com/article/marijuana-meets-criteria-for-reclassification-lower-risk-drug-fda-scientific-review-finds/46369656

Brendan Foley Memorial: https://www.gofundme.com/f/Bethlehem-skate-park

This episode we’re talkin’ local corruption, the hunt for Hunter, South Africa’s charges of genocide against Israel, and McKinsey’s revenue taking a hit.

House Republicans move to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress: https://on.ft.com/3tCvnJ2 

Top bookkeeper for sheriff's office admits $122K embezzlement https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/former-albany-county-sheriff-official-pleads-18602286.php 

Timber’s Q&A about Cohoes floating solar array: https://timbercorp.org/digest/qa-fs-coh?ss_source=sscampaigns&ss_email_id=65a149762b7b9c5e6ceba87f

South Africa’s charges of genocide against Israel: https://www.instagram.com/p/C13OSgYref3/?igsh=Y2xuM3ozMm8wamc0 

And:

https://www.instagram.com/p/C17su-_SQnr/?igsh=MXV5eW5yaXdnYTh3dQ== 

And:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/04/stakes-high-as-south-africa-brings-claim-of-genocidal-intent-against-israel

McKinsey’s revenue from prime US government contracts falls to 9-year low: https://on.ft.com/3S62pcK 

New Inquiry review of The City Authentic: https://thenewinquiry.com/exposed-bricks/

Commonweal Review: https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/urban-city-david-banks-attention-authentic-troy?tid=2272

We’re doing a 2023 round up with predictions for 2024, personal accomplishments, resolutions, and general chatting. 

Trump is blocked from the GOP primary ballot in two states: https://www.timesunion.com/news/politics/article/trump-is-barred-from-the-gop-primary-ballot-in-18579109.php

This year in labor: https://jacobin.com/2023/12/year-in-review-labor-2023-uaw-teamsters-amazon-hollywood/

Gypsy Rose out of prison: https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/28/us/gypsy-rose-blanchard-prison-release-cec/index.html