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Algernon D’Ammassa

@algernonwrites.bsky.social
1.6K followers 527 following 1.7K posts

Journalist in southern New Mexico, writer, retired stage actor, citizen. ABQJournal.com DesertSageNM.substack.com Signal: Algernon.26

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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 5h
Doña Ana County lifted its evacuation notice for the Hatch Valley community of Rincon on Wednesday afternoon, urging residents to be cautious of flooded roads and storm debris after heavy monsoon rains Tuesday breached a nearby arroyo and nearly caused a dam to fail in Garfield.
abqjournal.com
Hatch Valley assesses damage after severe monsoon floods
Rincon evacuation lifted as residents assess flood damage after heavy rains breached a levee and threatened dam in Garfield.
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Hatch and neighboring communities evacuated as flooding worsens.
abqjournal.com
Hatch added to evacuations as dam in Doña Ana County shows failure signs
Hatch Valley communities urged to leave as floods worsen
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Crimes against humanity cleared by the highest court in the land.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 28/09/2026
Mike Johnson says opposition to data centers "is a Chinese psyop. I really believe that. That's not a conspiracy theory."
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Jen Mercieca @jenmercieca.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood." UN Declaration of Human Rights, which the United States violates.
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stardust melody @karenparish.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
“During the testing phase for the new model, known as GPT-6.1 Astra, it showed high levels of what the company saw as deception, or a willingness to mislead users about its actions.“ www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/t...
nytimes.com
OpenAI Says It Will Not Release Newest Astra A.I. Model Over Safety Concerns (Gift Article)
The company’s researchers raised questions about the security of the model, known as GPT-6.1 Astra.
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
“Knows how to win…knows how to fight…knows how to ‘message’…” says little about his ethics. But his record sure does. Hard, hard pass.
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
In January, I told you about an awful act involving the murder of a child in Mimbres. A 10-minute hearing brought the matter to a conclusion, but the memory will hit a little if people hard for a long time. Here’s how it went. You can read it or, better, hug a kid.
abqjournal.com
Wyoming woman sentenced to life for murdering son in Mimbres
Madeline Daly was sentenced to life in prison for the 2025 shooting death of her 11-month-old son in Mimbres.
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Luke LeBrun @lukelebrun.ca · 26/09/2026
Tech companies suddenly decide they can, in fact, moderate content on their platforms after all
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Bill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The radical leftists at the … Kansas Livestock Association … are mad abou ICE: “The sudden workforce disruptions caused by ICE has led to numerous chokepoints in the system. Reports include thousands of fed cattle delayed in shipping to processors, resulting in millions of dollars in lost revenue.”
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
“…logging in after a while away, it was painfully clear just how broken it all was. All the things that made social media so vital a decade or two ago have fallen apart, replaced by algorithms, engagement hacks, and endless, bottomless, screaming.”
dansinker.com
What If We Just Stopped? | dansinker.com
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I knew when I requested a day of sick leave that something big would drop.
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Me, checking my local bookstore for this and looking surprised-disappointed.
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Meanwhile, on Thursday morning, there are reports that all three outlets are still barred from the White House in defiance of a court order that their reporters be admitted.
mediaite.com
JD Vance Outed as Anonymous Source Behind Story Trump Used to Justify Banning Politico: Report
Vice President JD Vance was reportedly the anonymous White House source behind a story that President Donald Trump's administration is now pointing to as evidence for why Politico deserved to lose its...
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WIRED @wired.com · 24/09/2026
Australia is investigating whether OpenAI broke the law after an agent hacked into its health statistics portal. It is the first widely known incident of an AI agent hacking a government website.
wired.com
An OpenAI Agent Hacked Australia’s Health Service. Their Government Found Out Months Later
The country’s prime minister expressed disappointment at being informed of the hack only via email. Now Australia is investigating whether OpenAI broke the law.
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Transphobes Can't Read @lordaslan.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
lol
A series of tweets that reads "we didn't have a measles outbreak until we let in four years of millions of people pour over our border" 

"I live in Honduras. We vaccinate" 

"I live in American we can choose if we want the shot or not" 

"I know and that's why you have measles and we don't"
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David Simon @audacityofdespair.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
So confused. How was Pro Publica able to uncover and report this bribery scandal and administration cover-up without being at the White House and having the president assuring them they are stupid piggies? hhttps://www.propublica.org/article/fbi-susan-collins-navatek-campaign-donations-investigation
propublica.org
The FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the Way
After the FBI caught a defense contractor’s CEO making illegal campaign contributions, it sought to launch a sweeping political bribery probe involving Collins and others. Then the second Trump admini...
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The White House launched a 24-hour “Trump TV” livestream. For several minutes I’ve been looking at footage of war planes and artillery on a beach with an AI narrator extolling their lethal power.
Screen grab of an unspecified beach with military gear on the sand and a chyron saying, “text VP 245470 for updates from the White House”
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
“The fact of the matter is that ‘AI agents’ now have enough power and permission to be extremely annoying.”
404media.co
There’s a 100% Chance AI Agents Are Already Ruining the Internet
“AI agents” now have enough power and permission to be extremely annoying online.
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Diesel averaging $6.49 a gallon today. It was $3.70 a year ago. gasprices.aaa.com
gasprices.aaa.com
AAA Fuel Prices
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
The silly part here is not that some software malfunctioned. The silly part is that adult journalists still think interviewing chatbots is a flex.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 18/09/2026
Trump says he's "banning the free press"
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Philip Bump @pbump.com · 19/09/2026
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
A federal judge ruled Thursday that the New Mexico U.S. Attorney’s Office violated the law by failing to confer with a victim’s family about its decision to drop the case, a year and a half after winning jury convictions.
abqjournal.com
Judge finds victims' rights violation in Jal police case
A federal judge ruled prosecutors failed to consult Hector Nava’s family before seeking to dismiss convictions.
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
In Colorado Springs…
gazette.com
WATCH: Chaos erupts during Project Taurus data center meeting in Colorado Springs
The Colorado Springs City Council's Project Taurus data center meeting ground to a shocking halt Thursday.
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Prison Policy Initiative @prisonpolicy.org · 17/09/2026
Family contact is a critical lifeline for incarcerated people, but behind bars, a single stamp could cost an entire day's worth of wages. That's why we strongly support the Stamps for Staying Connected Act.
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
An advertising campaign touting Project Jupiter is “likely the largest lobbying advertising campaign ever disclosed in New Mexico,” the State Ethics Commission reported Wednesday.
abqjournal.com
Project Jupiter files disclosures over $3.4M ad campaign
State Ethics Commission says ads were lobbying activity
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The Las Cruces City Council held a community discussion on youth outreach, gun violence and justice that encompassed policy, institutional failures and a community’s shared pain.
abqjournal.com
Las Cruces reckons with youth violence and community pain
City leaders weigh prevention, accountability and a new diversion program amid rising youth gun violence.
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Part of left-leaning press-bashing is a demand that reporters behave in ways that would get them fired, reassigned, or otherwise benched. It’s not connected to anything that would improve the journalism. Lots of room for improvement, to be sure, and access isn’t everything.
Skeets bashing journalists
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Nora Benavidez @attorneynora.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
I just learned that reporter Luis Galeano has been detained in Miami by ICE. This is part of wider trend by the US govt to target immigrant reporters, violating core US press freedom principles. Galeano is from Nicaragua & is believed to have a pending asylum case in the US. I will report more ASAP.
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
A Doña Ana County Commissioner asked about a rumored offer of AI security scans at county meetings, and didn’t get answers. The sheriff offered some more detail and tamped down rumors.
abqjournal.com
Oracle security suggested AI weapon detection, sheriff says
Doña Ana County Sheriff Kim Stewart says Oracle security floated AI weapon detection for commission meetings.
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Good morning! (Gift link)
nytimes.com
E.P.A. Will Erase Limits on Climate Pollution From Power Plants (Gift Article)
Generation of electricity is the second largest source of carbon dioxide and other planet-warming gases in the United States.
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Buttigieg appeared with gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland and U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, urging voters to send Haaland to the governor’s mansion, elect Vasquez for a third time and help deliver a Democratic majority to the U.S. House of Representatives.
abqjournal.com
Buttigieg rallies Democrats in Las Cruces
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg joined Deb Haaland and Gabe Vasquez at a Las Cruces campaign rally.
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
“.. There’s not enough water for everything we want to do with it. .. So what do we have enough water for? What are the uses we most value?
Is it cotton or is it microchips?” @theverge.com $TSM @scottlincicome.bsky.social www.theverge.com/science/9935...
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
I remember. After 9/11, attacks on anybody looking vaguely “Middle Eastern“ and on mosques spiked badly enough that the Attorney General issued an appeal for people to stop. I was part of an urgent interfaith effort with other clergy in L.A. to stand with Muslims against hysteria and violence.
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
At the Mad Hatter Gallery – a thin, rectangular exhibition space in downtown Las Cruces — three New Yorkers on Thursday morning compared their memories of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
abqjournal.com
Former NYT photojournalist shares 9/11 memories in Las Cruces
Lonnie Schlein reflects on documenting the attacks as his work goes on display at the Mad Hatter Gallery.
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Caitlin McGlade @caitmcglade.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I, the only data reporter at the Charlotte Observer, am among the McClatchy layoffs in the bloodbath today. The HR person asked me not to talk about it! AMA. Anyway, here’s a link to one of my most important stories this year. www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/a...
charlotteobserver.com
A Black teen found hanged near Charlotte church was a suicide, police say. Questions remain
In May, 16-year-old Juliana Nzita was found dead in a Charlotte churchyard. CMPD called it a suicide. Her family isn’t so sure.
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
On September 17, I will be taking questions about the First Amendment and freedom of the press at New Mexico State’s Las Cruces campus. Free to all who might like to stop by the Corbett Center (205). Full poster in comments. 
University Constitution Day poster, very little graphic, mostly text presenting the information in the post
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
A line from “The Monkey’s Paw,” that itself quotes an old adage. For more on how the internet is making a hash of quotations and sourcing, I wrote (I’m sure it was me) an essay called, “And I quote,” available here:
open.substack.com
And I quote...
More and more, I come across counterfeit quotations and false attributions online, in books and even on monuments
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
And if they don’t cover it, the takeaway will be that the news media is covering up Trump’s behavior. This isn’t an earnest discussion of how best to cover the president, or improve political journalism more broadly. (Both worthy topics for critique.)
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Bodies of water don’t have constitutions. You can’t rename a state by executive order.
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Devyn Defoe’s debut novel follows an alienated narrator through a hazy Sacramento summer. #booksky
abqjournal.com
With 'Burnside,' a powerful stylist makes her debut
Devyn Defoe's debut blends hallucination and social commentary in a Sacramento summer gone eerily wrong. A bold new voice arrives.
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Click articles when you search! You can quote me on that.
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Sometimes a news story breaks not on the front page or on TV, but in the classified ads.
abqjournal.com
In Silver City, rapid community response to local data center proposal
Residents mobilize after learning of the project in a public notice; a commissioner plans to propose a one-year moratorium.
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
“Stop using the postal service, depriving its revenue and hastening its end, and acquiesce to moving your transactions to digital companies.”
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
A friend in Rennes just wrote to me that he has seen 40° temperatures, or 104° Fahrenheit. I’m used to that kind of heat. We have AC or swamp coolers where I am. Philippe and his community are suffering.
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jacob galapagos @jacobgalapagos.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
It’s think for yourself thursday
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
A recording of a private meeting in August reveals behind-the-scenes discussions of Sierra County’s recent data center moratorium and an effort to modify it so a proposed data center at Spaceport America can move forward after all.
abqjournal.com
In secretly recorded meeting, tech CEO and investor push officials on spaceport data center
Audio captures officials and developers discussing a Spaceport America data center and Sierra County moratorium.
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
“In this last year, the controversy regarding the development of large data centers has exploded in New Mexico and throughout the nation.”
abqjournal.com
Poll: Data center opposition high in New Mexico
Journal poll finds 65% oppose large data centers, while 75% support a statewide pause for regulations.
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Algernon D’Ammassa @algernonwrites.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
“My point is not that famous pundits are never worth reading, but rather that they are never worth reading just because of who they are.”
hamiltonnolan.com
You Can Ignore the Bad Pundits
One easy trick to make yourself smarter.
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