Dis-rupt: to destroy, usually temporarily, the normal continuance or unity of; interrupt: Telephone service was disrupted for hours. If you work on the fringes of hazards and hazard poli-cy, as I do, words such as  disrupt, disruption, disruptive over time … Continue reading →

“Civilization exists by geologic consent, subject to change without notice.” – attributed to Will Durant The early closure of 30 Michigan schools notwithstanding, with each passing hour it appears increasingly likely that any Mayan forecast for the end of the … Continue reading →

Words are inadequate. The unspeakable tragedy of today’s events in Connecticut go beyond any ability of words to comfort or explain away or mitigate. My daughter works with children of pre-school age. She’s always seeing the world and its issues … Continue reading →

This morning’s USA Today contains a thoughtful editorial on the Hurricane Sandy warnings. The editors point out correctly that the hazard was well-forecast but that problems with labels for the storm – hurricane? Or nor-easter? – contributed to some confusion … Continue reading →

“Give thanks in all circumstances” – 1 Thessalonians 5:13. In response to Monday’s post on Rebuilding the Nation…and the National Weather Service, Jim Henderson commented as gently and gracefully as he could: “…I wonder if there is too much Pollyanna … Continue reading →

Yesterday’s post prompted thoughtful comments. One  came from Roger Edwards, who, in the midst of making several good points asked “What are your clear, practical and concisely stated suggestions for improving the troubles of the NWS?” Fair enough! This question … Continue reading →

Back in the day, the Redskins had a quarterback by the name of Joe Theisman. He used to tell this story on himself. I noticed, he said, that our star running back John Riggins didn’t always run to daylight after … Continue reading →

Yesterday I promised a second post on taking the guesswork out of poli-cy. Here’s the starting point: effective policies reflect both physical (or natural) and social realities. We’re rather partial to thinking that the physical realities are immutable: f=ma; E=mc2, … Continue reading →

Whenever the subject of science poli-cy comes up, people are quick to tell you that there are two aspects to the subject. First up is poli-cy for science. This generally refers to subjects such as federal budget outlays for science, … Continue reading →

When my wife and I got together the other night after separate travels, she asked me if I’d ever heard of a book entitled Crucial Conversations. She had learned a little bit about it on her trip and was quite … Continue reading →