THREE ITEMS FROM THE MAILBOX

A reader laments: A facebook page I am on is plagued by anonymous posters and anti-Trump bots. WHY IS FACEBOOK PLAGUED WITH SO MANY BOTS in general let alone politically?

Response: Many of us are not on facebook but we often hear about posts and are sometimes sent screenshots. Let it suffice to say that Facebook is flooded with bots because the platform is huge, profitable to exploit, and difficult to police at scale. Billions of fake accounts are created and removed every year, yet new ones appear just as fast. Our advice? Choose what pages you visit and post on wisely.

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A reader asks: When was the last "Shad festival at Croton Point park"?

Response: There hasn't been one in many years. The Hudson River shad stock collapsed due to overfishing, habitat degradation, bycatch, and environmental change, and despite a full fishing moratorium since 2010, the population remains depleted.

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A reader write: I bought some Vera scarves at a tag sale. Wasn't there some sort of online directory showing her designs??????

Response: Yes. You may find this link interesting: EverythingCroton: THE HOLY GRAIL OF CROTON'S VERA NEUMANN DESIGNS