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#publicgood — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #publicgood, aggregated by home.social.

  1. Reuters: Trump administration threatens to cut federal agencies’ support for Smithsonian. “President Donald Trump’s administration has threatened to cut federal agencies’ ‌support for the Smithsonian, marking its latest escalation against the institution.”

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/09/06/reuters-trump-administration-threatens-to-cut-federal-agencies-support-for-smithsonian/
  2. Reuters: Trump administration threatens to cut federal agencies’ support for Smithsonian. “President Donald Trump’s administration has threatened to cut federal agencies’ ‌support for the Smithsonian, marking its latest escalation against the institution.”

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/09/06/reuters-trump-administration-threatens-to-cut-federal-agencies-support-for-smithsonian/
  3. Reuters: Trump administration threatens to cut federal agencies’ support for Smithsonian. “President Donald Trump’s administration has threatened to cut federal agencies’ ‌support for the Smithsonian, marking its latest escalation against the institution.”

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/09/06/reuters-trump-administration-threatens-to-cut-federal-agencies-support-for-smithsonian/
  4. Reuters: Trump administration threatens to cut federal agencies’ support for Smithsonian. “President Donald Trump’s administration has threatened to cut federal agencies’ ‌support for the Smithsonian, marking its latest escalation against the institution.”

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/09/06/reuters-trump-administration-threatens-to-cut-federal-agencies-support-for-smithsonian/
  5. Reuters: Trump administration threatens to cut federal agencies’ support for Smithsonian. “President Donald Trump’s administration has threatened to cut federal agencies’ ‌support for the Smithsonian, marking its latest escalation against the institution.”

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/09/06/reuters-trump-administration-threatens-to-cut-federal-agencies-support-for-smithsonian/
  6. The Lens: Meta’s data center will be the biggest in the U.S., but no one knows who they’re hiring. “Research shows that AI data center facilities are landing in Black and low-income communities already treated as environmental sacrifice zones. In Louisiana, the two neighboring towns have a majority Black population, but residents fear that the jobs are not reaching them.”

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/09/06/the-lens-metas-data-center-will-be-the-biggest-in-the-u-s-but-no-one-knows-who-theyre-hiring/
  7. The Lens: Meta’s data center will be the biggest in the U.S., but no one knows who they’re hiring. “Research shows that AI data center facilities are landing in Black and low-income communities already treated as environmental sacrifice zones. In Louisiana, the two neighboring towns have a majority Black population, but residents fear that the jobs are not reaching them.”

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/09/06/the-lens-metas-data-center-will-be-the-biggest-in-the-u-s-but-no-one-knows-who-theyre-hiring/
  8. The Lens: Meta’s data center will be the biggest in the U.S., but no one knows who they’re hiring. “Research shows that AI data center facilities are landing in Black and low-income communities already treated as environmental sacrifice zones. In Louisiana, the two neighboring towns have a majority Black population, but residents fear that the jobs are not reaching them.”

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/09/06/the-lens-metas-data-center-will-be-the-biggest-in-the-u-s-but-no-one-knows-who-theyre-hiring/
  9. The Lens: Meta’s data center will be the biggest in the U.S., but no one knows who they’re hiring. “Research shows that AI data center facilities are landing in Black and low-income communities already treated as environmental sacrifice zones. In Louisiana, the two neighboring towns have a majority Black population, but residents fear that the jobs are not reaching them.”

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/09/06/the-lens-metas-data-center-will-be-the-biggest-in-the-u-s-but-no-one-knows-who-theyre-hiring/
  10. The Lens: Meta’s data center will be the biggest in the U.S., but no one knows who they’re hiring. “Research shows that AI data center facilities are landing in Black and low-income communities already treated as environmental sacrifice zones. In Louisiana, the two neighboring towns have a majority Black population, but residents fear that the jobs are not reaching them.”

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/09/06/the-lens-metas-data-center-will-be-the-biggest-in-the-u-s-but-no-one-knows-who-theyre-hiring/
  11. The Verge: Is this the future of America?. ” Within the past few years, data centers have been elevated from an unremarkable part of daily life in Loudoun to something that many residents now think about every day. For some, it’s the constant hum they hear from their decks; for others, it’s the transmission towers that loom over their favorite green space, or the surprise call from their […]

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/09/03/the-verge-is-this-the-future-of-america/
  12. The Journal (Ireland): Meta, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn didn’t act on 77% of misinformation reported during Áras race. “SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES failed to act on the vast majority of electoral disinformation reported by researchers ahead of last year’s presidential election, a new report shows. The report also criticised the companies for not demonstrating an understanding of the context […]

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/08/27/the-journal-meta-tiktok-youtube-and-linkedin-didnt-act-on-77-of-misinformation-reported-during-aras-race/
  13. Cal Matters: White House admits it used keywords to kill billions worth of California research grants. “Federal agencies that terminated more than a thousand research grants at the University of California last year admitted that they used keywords related to diversity, gender, vaccine hesitancy and COVID-19 to screen for projects that ran afoul of the Trump administration’s priorities.”

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/07/22/cal-matters-white-house-admits-it-used-keywords-to-kill-billions-worth-of-california-research-grants/
  14. Associated Press: YouTube joins Meta in appealing a jury verdict that faulted them for users’ social media addiction. “YouTube has appealed the verdict of a landmark social media addiction lawsuit in Los Angeles, seeking to challenge the jury’s determination that the company designed its platform to hook young users without concern for their well-being.”

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/07/17/associated-press-youtube-joins-meta-in-appealing-a-jury-verdict-that-faulted-them-for-users-social-media-addiction/
  15. Watching A #NOAA #Webinar on Flash Droughts
    --
    noaaresearch.webex.com/wbxmjs/ <-- shared NOAA Summer Science Series individual webinar
    --
    drought.gov/what-is-drought/fl <-- shared NOAA overview technical article
    --
    star.nesdis.noaa.gov/star/NOAA <-- subscribe to the NOAA Summer Science Series
    --
    doi.org/10.1038/s41612-024-006 <-- shared paper
    --
    communities.springernature.com <-- shared technical article (derived from paper above)
    H/T @Jeffrey Basara PhD, MBA | Chair and Professor - Department of Environmental, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell | Co-Founder - American Prime Sustainable Solutions
    [Flash floods? not TOO hard to conceptualise.
    Flash drought? harder to 'get my head around', but H/T / presenter does an excellent job!]
    "Not all droughts are the same. In some cases, drought rapidly intensifies at subseasonal to seasonal scales with significant impacts to agriculture and water resources along with the increased propensity for heatwaves and wildfires. Like all droughts, flash drought begins with a precipitation deficit. However, both evaporative demand and soil moisture are critical flash drought variables, and identifying and monitoring the desiccation of the terrestrial surface is key for determining flash drought development and associated impacts. While recent advances in knowledge and monitoring of flash drought have occurred, fundamental questions remain in the state of the science. What are the overall mechanistic relationships between atmospheric demand, evaporative stress, terrestrial desiccation, and precipitation that drive the progression of flash drought? Do regional characteristics of the environment impact the evolution of flash drought? What are the scales of predictability for flash drought? Finally, how will flash drought frequency and intensity evolve in a changing climate system"
    --
    "Flash drought intensifies rapidly due to changes in precipitation, temperature, wind, and radiation. These changes in the weather increase evapotranspiration and lower soil moisture. Flash droughts can cause extensive damage to agriculture, economies, and ecosystems if they are not predicted and discovered early..."
    #water #hydrology #fedscience #publicgood #hydrologicdrought #waterdeficit #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #watersecurity #risk #hazard #humanimpacts #streamflow #riverflow #groundwater #surfacewater #climate #weather #climatechange #extremeweather #atmosphere #metrology #regional #global #farming #agriculture #fluvial #pluvial #rainfall #precipitation #cloudcover #energy #heat #temperature #ET #evapotranspiration #farming #agriculture #foodsecurity #waterresources #dynamicsystems #watermanagement #flashdrought #drought #susceptibility #monitoring #prediction #model #modeling
    @noaa

  16. If Acts Happened Today, Would We Call It Communism?

    For many, "communism" has become less a political philosophy and more a conversation stopper. But is every effort to use our shared resources to care for the poor, the sick, and the vulnerable really communism? This article examines the difference between political labels and biblical principles, comparing the teachings of the early Church with today's political rhetoric.

    polymathchristian.wordpress.co

  17. Ars Technica: Trump’s plan to redesign every .gov website leads to AI-designed horrors. “Last August, Trump created the National Design Studio, or NDS, by executive order. A temporary DOGE-like entity that answers only to the president, NDS was tasked with creating new standards to update the US Web Design System (USWDS) and overhaul 27,000 dot-gov websites in just three years…. Most people […]

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/07/01/ars-technica-trumps-plan-to-redesign-every-gov-website-leads-to-ai-designed-horrors/
  18. American Library Association: American Library Association launches national advocacy campaign to fight FCC attack on library funding. “The American Library Association (ALA), along with Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition partners, announced a national advocacy campaign today after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to advance a proposal that asks whether the […]

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/06/28/american-library-association-american-library-association-launches-national-advocacy-campaign-to-fight-fcc-attack-on-library-funding/
  19. PsyPost: Updating Wikipedia pages boosts public trust in scientific organizations, study finds. “A recent study published in the journal Anatomical Sciences Education has found that updating Wikipedia pages for scientific organizations improves public access to accurate information.”

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/05/17/psypost-updating-wikipedia-pages-boosts-public-trust-in-scientific-organizations-study-finds/
  20. Reuters: Meta faces New Mexico trial that could force changes to Facebook, other platforms. “The case, which will be tried before a judge in Santa Fe, stems from ‌a lawsuit filed by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, a Democrat, accusing the social media giant of designing its products to addict young users and failing to protect ‌children from sexual exploitation on its platforms.”

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/05/02/reuters-meta-faces-new-mexico-trial-that-could-force-changes-to-facebook-other-platforms/
  21. Associated Press: Jurors wade through daunting evidence in high-stakes Meta trial about social media risks to children. “A daunting stream of testimony and evidence has been presented in a New Mexico case that explores what the social media conglomerate Meta knew about the effects of its platforms on children.”

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/03/21/associated-press-jurors-wade-through-daunting-evidence-in-high-stakes-meta-trial-about-social-media-risks-to-children/
  22. Associated Press: Lawyers in landmark social media addiction trial make final appeals to the jury. “After about a month of hearing from addiction experts, therapists, platform engineers and executives, including Mark Zuckerberg, 12 jurors heard closing arguments before deciding whether social media companies should be liable for harms caused to children using their platforms.”

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/03/13/associated-press-lawyers-in-landmark-social-media-addiction-trial-make-final-appeals-to-the-jury/
  23. A quotation from John Adams

    Every Man must seriously set himself to root out his Passions, Prejudices and Attachments, and to get the better of his private Interest. The only reputable Principle and Doctrine must be that all Things must give Way to the public.

    John Adams (1735-1826) American lawyer, Founding Father, statesman, US President (1797-1801)
    Letter (1776-04-16) to Mercy Otis Warren

    More about this quote: wist.info/adams-john/81374/

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #johnadams #commongood #commoninterest #community #democracy #mutuality #privateinterest #publicgood #publicservice #republic #selfcontrol #selfdenial #selfinterest #selfmastery #selfpolicing #selfrespect #selfsacrifice #society

  24. A quotation from John Adams

    Every Man must seriously set himself to root out his Passions, Prejudices and Attachments, and to get the better of his private Interest. The only reputable Principle and Doctrine must be that all Things must give Way to the public.

    John Adams (1735-1826) American lawyer, Founding Father, statesman, US President (1797-1801)
    Letter (1776-04-16) to Mercy Otis Warren

    More about this quote: wist.info/adams-john/81374/

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #johnadams #commongood #commoninterest #community #democracy #mutuality #privateinterest #publicgood #publicservice #republic #selfcontrol #selfdenial #selfinterest #selfmastery #selfpolicing #selfrespect #selfsacrifice #society

  25. A quotation from John Adams

    Every Man must seriously set himself to root out his Passions, Prejudices and Attachments, and to get the better of his private Interest. The only reputable Principle and Doctrine must be that all Things must give Way to the public.

    John Adams (1735-1826) American lawyer, Founding Father, statesman, US President (1797-1801)
    Letter (1776-04-16) to Mercy Otis Warren

    More about this quote: wist.info/adams-john/81374/

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #johnadams #commongood #commoninterest #community #democracy #mutuality #privateinterest #publicgood #publicservice #republic #selfcontrol #selfdenial #selfinterest #selfmastery #selfpolicing #selfrespect #selfsacrifice #society

  26. A quotation from John Adams

    Every Man must seriously set himself to root out his Passions, Prejudices and Attachments, and to get the better of his private Interest. The only reputable Principle and Doctrine must be that all Things must give Way to the public.

    John Adams (1735-1826) American lawyer, Founding Father, statesman, US President (1797-1801)
    Letter (1776-04-16) to Mercy Otis Warren

    More about this quote: wist.info/adams-john/81374/

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #johnadams #commongood #commoninterest #community #democracy #mutuality #privateinterest #publicgood #publicservice #republic #selfcontrol #selfdenial #selfinterest #selfmastery #selfpolicing #selfrespect #selfsacrifice #society

  27. A quotation from John Adams

    Every Man must seriously set himself to root out his Passions, Prejudices and Attachments, and to get the better of his private Interest. The only reputable Principle and Doctrine must be that all Things must give Way to the public.

    John Adams (1735-1826) American lawyer, Founding Father, statesman, US President (1797-1801)
    Letter (1776-04-16) to Mercy Otis Warren

    More about this quote: wist.info/adams-john/81374/

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #johnadams #commongood #commoninterest #community #democracy #mutuality #privateinterest #publicgood #publicservice #republic #selfcontrol #selfdenial #selfinterest #selfmastery #selfpolicing #selfrespect #selfsacrifice #society

  28. FEMA Mobile App [free] [USA]
    --
    ready.gov/ <-- shared Ready-iness FEMA web site
    --
    “Download the newly updated FEMA App to get preparedness strategies and real-time weather and emergency alerts…”
    --
    “Launched in February 2003, Ready is a National public service campaign designed to educate and empower the American people to prepare for, respond to and mitigate emergencies and disasters...
    Ready… ask individuals to do four key things:
    • Stay informed about the different types of emergencies that could occur and their appropriate responses
    • Make a family emergency plan.
    • Build an emergency supply kit.
    • Get involved in your community by taking action to prepare for emergencies…”
    #risk #hazard #geohazard #flood #fire #winter #extremeweather #fedscience #fedservice #publicgood #publicservive #taxpayer #safety # #preparedness #emergencies #disasters #app #phone #hazardreadiness #readiness #free #FEMA
    @FEMA

  29. TidBITS: Why TidBITS Will No Longer Post to X/Twitter or Facebook. “What began as digital dysfunction has metastasized into tangible societal harm. Thus, this article marks our final post to X/Twitter and Facebook. I can no longer ethically provide material support to platforms whose leadership so actively undermines civil society. The TidBITS accounts will remain, but they will stand silent, […]

    https://rbfirehose.com/2025/04/26/tidbits-why-tidbits-will-no-longer-post-to-x-twitter-or-facebook/