Category: Uncategorized

AT&T unintentionally creates groundbreaking resource that could permanently alter local communities — here’s how https://flip.it/CLw7ca

Another GIS- based hazard model/data!

Why Fahrenheit Is Better For Conveying Climate Change In The U.S. https://flip.it/c8Dsq2

“I Am Because We Are”: Introducing Ubuntu Philosophy https://flip.it/5PG.K0

this philosophy has many Western similarities to communitarism and socialism. Moreover, it appears aligned with the norms of other indigenous cultures.

“‘…embodies a communal ethos that emphasizes shared responsibility, trust in each other, and interconnectedness among the community.'” And “‘…respecting what previous generations and the natural world have already built for you. The living individual that lives according to Ubuntu principles will acknowledge that many beings have shaped—and will continue to shape—the reality that one is born into.”‘

Compare the above to Senator Elizabeth Warren’s stance around the phrase “I built that” conversation about economic contribution and fair taxation.

In a speech she gave while campaigning for the U.S. Senate in 2011, Warren made an argument about wealth creation, emphasizing that no individual or business becomes successful in isolation. The phrase similar to “I built that” became emblematic of her argument that businesses benefit from government-provided infrastructure, education systems, and protection which should then be supported by their taxes.

Warren pointed out that while entrepreneurs work hard for their success, they do so with the help of resources that society provides. This includes tangible things like roads and utilities, and intangible ones such as the education of their workforce and the enforcement of the rule of law. This idea was to underscore her point that paying taxes is a way of giving back and supporting the system that facilitates success for everyone.

Her remarks were in the broader context of the debate over tax policy and economic inequality in the United States. Warren’s perspective challenges the view held by some that success is solely the result of individual effort and that taxation is an undue burden. Instead, she presented a viewpoint that considers success to be partly contingent on social investments, and thus those who benefit substantially from the system have a responsibility to contribute to its maintenance and growth.

This dialogue fed into the larger narrative of fairness in the economy, prompting discussions on whether the wealthy and corporations are paying their fair share of taxes. It brought to the public conversation questions about how wealth is generated and the role of government and community in individual success.

Senator Warren’s comments contributed to a fundamental debate on economic philosophy and public policy that resonates with ongoing discussions about capitalism, social responsibility, and the distribution of wealth. [So sez ChatGPT]

But what ChatGPT misses — or isn’t explicit — is the function of time and the intergenerational nature of society. Our infrastructure and community were built over decades and centuries. The Interstate highway system was started in the 1950s. New York City was established in the 17th century; Washington DC in 1789 (if memory serves)

I bring philosophical (political) foundations up because we critically need it to guide the debates and ultimate policy decisions to address our changing environment (climate change and disaster resilience) and technology ( … like ChatGPT…)

FYI – I getting the feeling that the outside industry is outpacing FEMA products, whereby, their non-regulatory products will become obsolete.   

I attended a NEMA Webinar earlier this week on yet another flood risk assessment technology from the firm FloodMapp whose products are designed to provide states/locals “Flood Intelligence”  — aka situational awareness:

• Forecast (Real-time intelligence that answers the question “where is it going to flood tomorrow?)
• NowCast (Live flood mapping that answers the question “where is it flooding right now?”)
• PostCast (Flood extent data that answers the question “what was impacted by the flood?”)

The NEMA webinar also had the Chief Resilience Officer for Norfolk, VA, who discussed how the community uses this FloodMapp product in their CRS program.  They also signed up  w/ the Waze app to re-route drivers away from road hazards (“Turn around / don’t Drown” ). Waze uses Norfolk’s FloodMapp data.

Between firms like First Street Foundation, FloodMapp, others (e.g.: CoreLogic, Esri – probably a sizeable list…), and FEMA, there is a growing supply of the kind of info to help communities to identify their hazard risks. The ‘winner’ will be the one that has the right mix of well-communicated science and granular data that becomes publicly accepted and can ‘make the argument’ in the arena of state/local politics and in the courts (or vice-versa). 

Taken to its next logical step:  If these products are increasingly useful and used to better define a communities’ land use requirements, then that makes NFIP ins. maps(FIRMs) irrelevant – especially since FEMA uses Risk Rating 2.0 to determine ins. rates.

Thus, will FEMA need to spend $400 mil annually on RiskMAP and FIRMs?

For future consideration in this portfolio space… 

Watch New Zealand MP’s ‘Absolutely Brilliant’ 80-Second Takedown of GDP https://flip.it/7NhS9w

Ive long had a dim view of this metric. IMHO, it’s simply ‘single-entry accounting’ — ‘”That baseline measure of just those transactions does not give us any meaningful insight into the value of those transactions, whether we actually want them in the first place, whether they actually benefit people and the planet, nor the distribution of those transactions—that is, who benefits from those transactions.”‘

Thinking about it another way: disaster response and recovery activities (debris removal, search/rescue, victim recovery, reconstruction, .. ) are all positive expenditures in the GDP ledger.

And GDP does not calculate any ‘debits’ — eg – when crime increases in a community, the response is to spend more on police and personal security, etc. All these drive GDP up, but is your quality of life in your community better?

Microturbines can generate electricity from drinking water pipes https://flip.it/gxM0Vy

Think about it: energy is ALL around us.

A Greek soldier and poet from the 7th century BCE, once wrote,

“We don’t rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training.”

States That Get the Worst Weather Damage https://flip.it/rIPYGd

Water Scarcity Changes How People Think https://flip.it/k4pa2K

Implications for Disaster resilience planning, especially around populations’ behavior toward climate adaptation and migration

Data reveals one change can increase home values by nearly $30,000: ‘The benefits … outweigh the costs’ https://flip.it/AxoitY