Joe Shannon

Just read the Brown University agreement and this really jumped out.

"The University will not perform gender reassignment surgery or prescribe puberty blockers or hormones to any minor child for the purpose of aligning the child's appearance with an identity that differs from his or her sex."

The “deal” that Brown made with the Trump admin is much more extreme than is being reported. It includes government oversight of course evaluations and no barrier to government interference in faculty hiring.

Read it for yourself here:

www.brown.edu/sites/defaul...

Return of the Deadpool Diaries: The Colorado River news keeps getting worse With the latest Bureau of Reclamation model runs highlighting the serious risks posed by the declining reservoir levels that Utah State’s Jack Schmidt has been warning about, there are signs …

On the #ColoradoRiver, stuff's not going well: www.inkstain.net/2025/07/retu...

Great thread!

Should we suppress wildfires ‘as swiftly as possible?’ With 2025 season well underway, scholars weigh in The Forest Service's new chief recently published a letter that called for wildfires to be suppressed "as swiftly as possible." That may sound prudent to many, but it raised eyebrows among some who st...

Should we suppress wildfires ‘as swiftly as possible?’ With 2025 season well underway, scholars weigh in. From the Mountain West News Bureau's @murphywoodhouse.bsky.social w/ @boisestatepublicradio.org - www.boisestatepublicradio.org/environment/...

While I understand @gwandaii.bsky.social’s point that the Arctic context of wildfire’s cultural impacts is unique, there are analogues in the southern Sierra Nevada. As fire colleagues here point out, values at risk go beyond structures. Let’s also protect springs, food, and plant materials.

normal people: what a charming town
me: ...in the floodplain

I have been suspicious that AI helps non experts the most. What’s surprising here is that experienced devs feel faster, but are slower. That nuance in interesting.

This is among the best explainer I’ve seen so far regarding the Texas floods particularly because Alan ties together the meteorology issues and the emergency management issues.

The people want trains. Folks should be able to take a high speed train from Binghamton to Bowling Green. From Mobile to Madison. From Pittsburgh to Portland. Don’t build detention camps. Build trains.

What to know about Providence's new Urban Wood Depot and how to use it. The Wood Lot will be offering free mulch, as well as lumber and artisan crafted wood pieces at below-market rates.

Asked and answered! www.providencejournal.com/story/news/l...

This was a bad vote from @magaziner.house.gov and @amo.house.gov.

Every flashbang could instead be a meal for a poor kid. Every hotel room for a National Guardsman deployed to fire at our neighbors could house a homeless vet. Every "less-than-lethal" bullet pulled from a journalist's eye could be already needed healthcare for anyone else. All of this is a choice.

Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in California is not about the protests.

It is about expanding his never-ending grasp for more power. It is about moving this country toward authoritarianism.

All Americans must stand together against this gross abuse of power.

ICE is attacking civilians in LA right now.

I, Saruman, Have Ended My Alliance with the Dark Lord Sauron “Last year, two mercurial billionaires formed a partnership and vowed to drive the country in a new direction. Donald Trump had the political power...

www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/i-s...

USS LST-510 - Wikipedia

Random interesting fact with the anniversary of D Day coming up tomorrow...

There is one single ship still actively being used that was at the invasion of Normandy.

The USS Buncombe County LST-510 is now a ferry that goes from New London CT to Long Island.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_LST...

Let's dive into this a bit. A short and very incomplete thread on US Forest Service research. 1/

AFS Calls for Continued Full Funding for USGS Climate Adaptation Science Centers - American Fisheries Society 20 May 2025

Glad to see this letter of support for the Climate Adaptation Science Centers from @ecologicalsociety.bsky.social @agu.org and others.

"CASCs provide actionable science, tools, and training that land and resource managers need to safeguard communities, ecosystems, and economies across the nation."

Groundwater is rapidly declining in the Colorado River Basin, satellite data show As the Colorado River’s reservoirs have declined, even larger amounts of groundwater have been drained from aquifers. Using satellite data, scientists have estimated the vast water losses.

New research shows the depletion of groundwater in the Colorado River Basin far exceeds losses from the river’s reservoirs. Scientists say overpumping is leading to alarmingly rapid declines at a time when climate change is putting growing strains on water supplies. www.latimes.com/environment/...

'We Have a Better Idea': Sanders Unveils College for All Act as Trump Targets Higher Education | Common Dreams "Instead of increasing the cost of college in order to give more tax breaks to billionaires," said Sen. Bernie Sanders, "we are going to make public colleges and universities tuition-free."

"Instead of increasing the cost of college in order to give more tax breaks to billionaires," said @sanders.senate.gov, "we are going to make public colleges and universities tuition-free." www.commondreams.org/news/bernie-...

Looked at the report to see how they evaluated model performance and what a surprise - the reported accuracy metrics are based on randomly sampled datapoints. Spatial data is not i.i.d., and model evaluation is the hardest part of any ML project (but not as fun as trying a dozen model architectures)

US conservation science is at serious risk. Join a virtual rally May 22 (12–1pm ET) to defend the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area—vital for tracking wildlife, disease, ecosystems & biodiversity. Featuring Drew Lanham & Kenn Kaufman. It’s free, it’s virtual, it’s vital.
www.mobilize.us/nwf/event/79...

"Masked security forces captured an opposition leader in the coastal province of New Jersey as regime officials continue their months-long crack-down against pro-democracy elements in the embattled United States. The arrest comes as the regime issued calls for summary detentions without trial."

Moo’ed

As the parent of a kid who loves to play outside even more than screen: it is cars. It is 💯 percent cars.

Nothing makes me more scared for my kid’s safety than cars.

Reminded of a silly joke by my lecture prep:

Isaac Newton, Blaise Pascal, and Robert Boyle are playing hide and seek. Boyle starts counting, and Pascal runs away to a great hiding spot. Newton panics with no idea where to hide, but then draws a square in the dirt with a stick, about 3 ft each side.

Global patterns in observed hydrologic processes - Nature Water This study presents a global, searchable database of 400 research watersheds with published descriptions of dominant hydrologic flow pathways, supporting efficient hypothesis testing to investigate em...

New paper! After much work by me and my students we created a global database of hundreds of research watersheds, and perceptual models of their hydrologic processes. We use the data to test classic theories on how climate and landscape control dominant processes. www.nature.com/articles/s44...

More than 1,100 anti-Trump demonstrations planned in all 50 states this Saturday More than 1,100 “Hands Off” protests and meetings are planned in nationwide demonstrations across all 50 states on Saturday in what organizers say are a response to the dramatic cuts to the federal wo...

#HandsOff protests today: www.yahoo.com/news/more-th...