Monthly Archives: February 2011

Scientists and politicians have a lot in common. They also – and this may not be so generally appreciated – both want and need the same thing. And, what’s more, to get what they both want, they need each other. … Continue reading →

Any way you slice it, New Zealand’s latest earthquake is a tragedy. Tuesday’s magnitude 6.3 quake in Christchurch has taken some 110 lives. Another 200 people are still missing. This out of city population of 350,000, and a national population … Continue reading →

Wildfires fascinate. All of us stand in awe of fire. So deadly! Uncontrollable. Powerful.  Even natural scientists are fascinated. Why? In part, because understanding wildfire draws on the full range of disciplines. It starts with a long-term buildup of fuel … Continue reading →

Times are turbulent, and the future murky. The winds of change howl across the whole of the Mediterranean and the Middle East. The world’s economy is in a parlous state – seemingly on the mend after the 2008 meltdown, but … Continue reading →

Think of NOAA[1] as young. Though founded in 1970, in agency-years it’s a mere adolescent! Everyone agrees it’s precocious, bursting with potential. It’s already sociable – and growing more so. But, like most adolescents, to reach full maturity, it has … Continue reading →

The past two posts, prompted by the FY2012 federal government budget rollout, and John Knauss’ challenge of twenty years ago, have asked whether NOAA is as relevant today as it had been back around 1990. The answer would appear to … Continue reading →

Yesterday’s post asked the question, “Is NOAA as relevant today as it was fifteen or twenty years earlier?” and answered in the affirmative. But that answer contained a rhetorical sleight of hand – or at the least a bit of … Continue reading →

Today the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) rolled out the President’s FY2012 agency budget at a stakeholders’ meeting. Similar scenes are playing out across the city. The occasion provides opportunity to take stock of the challenges facing this important … Continue reading →

Yesterday’s post listed reasons why the President’s budget for 2012 triggered insomnia everywhere inside the Beltway. Some lost sleep because their signature programs didn’t make the cut. Those folks’ll be struggling to restore their favorites over the coming weeks and … Continue reading →

Living on another planet? Perhaps you’re unaware that today President Obama is making public his proposed 2012 federal budget. Those of us here on Earth? The figures are keeping us awake at night. Last weekend (a happier time!), the Super … Continue reading →