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#publicgood — Public Fediverse posts

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

  1. Chicago Reader: Chicago has abundant water. Data center developers want a taste. “Waterways in Chicago and northern Illinois have supported industrial activity for more than a century, and now those same bodies of water are drawing an influx of proposed data centers that would tap into the region’s plentiful resources. These proposals have drawn considerable scrutiny, with experts and […]

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/09/10/chicago-reader-chicago-has-abundant-water-data-center-developers-want-a-taste/
  2. A quotation from Bertrand Russell

    All the governments of the world adopt elaborate methods of concealing truths which they consider undesirable, and inflict various forms of penalty upon those who spread knowledge which is thought bad for the population This applies especially to knowledge of the kind which is considered seditious, and the kind which is considered obscene. I shall not give instances, since, if I did, I should myself fall under the ban of the law.

    Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) English mathematician and philosopher
    Education and the Social Order [Education and the Modern World], ch. 1 “The Individual versus the Citizen” (1932)

    More about this quote: wist.info/russell-bertrand/853…

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #bertrandrussell #censorship #control #freepress #freespeech #government #knowledge #obscenity #pornography #publicgood #sedition #suppression #treason #truth

  3. Watching A #NOAA #Webinar on Flash Droughts
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    noaaresearch.webex.com/wbxmjs/ <-- shared NOAA Summer Science Series individual webinar
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    drought.gov/what-is-drought/fl <-- shared NOAA overview technical article
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    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

  4. 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

  5. National Water Availability Assessment Data Companion Launches Interactive Map
    --
    water.usgs.gov/nwaa-data/ <-- shared USGS resource link
    --
    water.usgs.gov/nwaa-data/inter <-- shared USGS webmap
    --
    H/T @USGS NWDC
    “The National Water Availability Assessment Data Companion (NWDC) delivers national-scale modeled water data underlying the National Water Availability Assessment Report. The NWDC will be continuously updated to include new data used in future National Water Availability Assessment Reports, with planned reports in 2026 and 2030.
    The NWDC also serves information on underlying model methodologies, strengths, and limitations to enable proper use of the data…
    USGS scientific teams develop NWDC models to analyze and represent the complexities of water systems. These models fill gaps where USGS observations are unavailable, covering the conterminous United States (lower 48 states) and soon extending to Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.
    All NWDC datasets currently cover past conditions over multiple decades, and are standardized to 12-digit [WBD] hydrologic unit code (HUC12) watersheds and monthly timesteps…”
    #opendata #monitoring #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #fedscience #publicgood #water #hydrology #waterresources #watermanagement #change #model #modeling #USA #NationalWaterAvailabilityAssessment #NWDC #CONUS #USGS #USGS_water
    @USGS

  6. Influence Of Modeling Assumptions On Pedestrian Evacuation Success For Non-Eruptive Lahar Hazards At Mount Rainier, Washington
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    doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2026.1 <-- shared paper
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    sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/6 <-- shared, related open data source
    --
    [I still remember working on and being fascinated by lahars being an engineering geologist in Washington State (and from my time studying in New Zealand), although (of course) not to this level of detail/focus]
    #volcano #lahar #evacuation #exposure #model #modeling #engineeringeology #risk #hazard #naturalhazard #MountRainer #Washington #USA #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #emergencymanagement #GIS #spatial #mapping #publicsafety #hazardzone #vulcanism #downstream #debrisflow #massmovement #monitoring #detection #geostatistics #demographics #atrisk #fedscience #publicgood #fedservice #opendata
    @USGS

  7. All humanity should benefit from Helium-3, our new 'petroleum.' If, for example, SpaceX became the elite with the infrastructure, they should handle responsibility, accountability, and very high criticism, especially if SpaceX became the sole miner of the Moon because no others did.

    #Helium3 #SpaceX #Moon #Energy #Accountability #Monopoly #Future #Science #Ethics #Policy #Sustainability #SpaceEconomy #Technology #Justice #Resources #Cosmos #Innovation #Society #Global #PublicGood #ClimateChange

  8. A quotation from John Adams

    Virtue and Simplicity of Manners, are indispensably necessary in a Republic, among all orders and Degrees of Men. But there is So much Rascallity, so much Venality and Corruption, so much Avarice and Ambition, such a Rage for Profit and Commerce among all Ranks and Degrees of Men even in America, that I sometimes doubt whether there is public Virtue enough to support a Republic.

    John Adams (1735-1826) American lawyer, Founding Father, statesman, US President (1797-1801)
    Letter (1776-01-08) to Mercy Otis Warren

    More about this quote: wist.info/adams-john/12527/

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #johnadams #ambition #America #avarice #class #corruption #democracy #dishonesty #greed #humancondition #humannature #manners #profit #publicgood #publicvirtue #rank #republic #selfishness #virtue

  9. 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

  10. A quotation from John Adams

    Public Virtue cannot exist in a Nation without private, and public Virtue is the only Foundation of Republics. There must be a possitive Passion for the public good, the public Interest, Honour, Power, and Glory, established in the Minds of the People, or there can be no Republican Government, nor any real Liberty. And this public Passion must be Superiour to all private Passions. Men must be ready, they must pride themselves, and be happy to sacrifice their private Pleasures, Passions, and Interests, nay their private Friendships and dearest Connections, when they Stand in Competition with the Rights of society.

    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/28404/

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #johnadams #citizen #citizenship #civicduty #civicvirtue #commongood #commonwealth #democracy #goodcitizen #politician #publicgood #publicvirtue #republic #virtue

  11. Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary: Indiana research explores how faith leaders navigate misinformation. “Religious leaders play a vital role in guiding Indiana communities, but how do they decide what information to trust in an era of rapid technological and social change? A new study funded by the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI) sheds light on how clergy across […]

    https://rbfirehose.com/2025/09/16/anabaptist-mennonite-biblical-seminary-indiana-research-explores-how-faith-leaders-navigate-misinformation/