Monthly Archives: March 2011

Do you want to know tomorrow’s weather? Most of us do. And we know how to get the forecast we need, don’t we? You and I might have different methods. You might check the little box of information in the … Continue reading →

Just returning from those mangrove swamps described in the previous post… with a couple more experiences to relate. On the west edge of the Everglades, visitors can sign up for a variety of guided boat and kayak experiences (not to … Continue reading →

Every once in a while, my wife is able to break through the fog I tend to create for myself at work – a fog located somewhere in gloomiest virtual reality. And a noxious fog it is! A pea-soup[1] blend … Continue reading →

Events in Japan and indeed around the world following the recent earthquake and tsunami have heightened everyone’s desire to build community disaster resilience. Yesterday’s post showed how anyone can launch and be part of a just such a community effort. … Continue reading →

From time to time, different groups or individuals will post their candidate “top-ten” lists of disaster scenarios facing the United States – the so-called “Big Ones.” As a rule, these inventories don’t wear well with time! Maybe some unanticipated new … Continue reading →

This past week, Joel Achenbach wrote an interesting article for the Washington Post entitled, Japan’s ‘black swan’: scientists ponder the unparalleled consequences of unlikely disasters.[1] Achenbach quoted Tom O’Rourke, a Cornell engineering professor, to the effect “People talk about the … Continue reading →

Some years ago, Fran Norris and her colleagues at Dartmouth Medical School wrote a paper that has become something of a classic in hazards literature[1]. The reason? They introduced the notion of community resilience. Here’s the abstract for their paper. … Continue reading →

In pre-industrial Japan, lower ranks of military nobility were known by the name samurai, which meant, literally, “those who serve” (that is to say, those in close attendance to members of the upper ranks of society). Samurai lived according to … Continue reading →

Events unfolding in and around Sendai – indeed, across the whole of Japan – are tragic beyond describing. More than 10,000 are thought to be dead, and the toll continues to rise. Economists estimate the losses at some $180B, or … Continue reading →

The scene yesterday? A Senate confirmation hearing for a panel of presidential appointees. The hopefuls numbered four all together, but two — a NOAA nominee and a nominee for the Marine Mammals Commission – drew questions of particular significance. What … Continue reading →