Archive: Government
Who's Against Life-Saving Weather Radios?
Every once in a while, Congress is faced with the chance to do something simple, smart and practical that could immediately and positively impact society. A bill requiring emergency weather radios -- which broadcast an alarm in the case of a nearby tornado or other emergency -- in new mobile...
By Dan Stillman | July 18, 2008; 10:45 AM ET | Comments (14)
A Trigger-Happy Weather Service?
Two weeks ago I wrote about how our local National Weather Service (NWS) office in Sterling, Va. issued a staggering 205-210 severe weather warnings for the area (from central Va. to northern Maryland, not including the eastern shore) during June. And I showed that there were, in fact, a slew...
By Jason Samenow | July 15, 2008; 11:00 AM ET | Comments (14)
Freedman: To Be Renovated
In a small corner of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, past the dinosaur exhibit with its throngs of stroller-pushing tourists and beyond the Dinosaur Cafe that sells overpriced salads, lies an exhibit on ice ages that proclaims that the earth is not in fact warming due to human...
By Andrew Freedman | March 3, 2008; 11:00 AM ET | Comments (11)
Avoiding the Hype Trap
In an interview in Parade magazine, National Weather Service (NWS) Director Dr. Jack Hayes was asked "Is there too much hype in weather forecasting?" His response: I think meteorologists are sensitive to overhyping the weather and creating a lack of trust with the public. Whenever you're in doubt, check with...
By Jason Samenow | February 26, 2008; 11:00 AM ET | Comments (16)
Lessons Learned: Road Crews Prepped and Ready?
On my drive around the area this morning, including the Beltway and I-66, I saw numerous sand and salt trucks prepped and ready to go -- around overpasses, on ramps, and other road surfaces in Northern Virginia. Heck, the Virginia Department of Transportation center on I-495 near Springfield practically had...
By Jamie Jones | February 20, 2008; 03:00 PM ET | Comments (3)
Political Science: Debate 2008
With voters going to the polls for the presidential primaries in all three local jurisdictions tomorrow, some citizens might be concerned that very little attention has been given to where the candidates stand on scientific issues. Physics Today, the magazine of the College Park-based American Institute of Physics, has...
By Steve Scolnik | February 11, 2008; 06:30 PM ET | Comments (22)
Climate Corner: Acting Locally
100-year flood plain, from Maryland Department of the Environment. Click on image to enlarge. A working group of the Maryland Commission on Climate Change met today in Reisterstown, as reported by AP (via Baltimore's WJZ-TV), to work on its recommendations for the state's response to global warming. Gov. O'Malley...
By Steve Scolnik | February 8, 2008; 06:00 PM ET | Comments (11)
Crashing 'Canes and New Chief
The Discovery Channel program "Smash Lab" will air a new episode all about hurricanes. The Smash Lab teams test whether a special type of carbon fiber used to reinforce tunnels can also be used to hurricane-proof homes. The episode will air tonight at 10pm, Sunday 1/27 at 10am, and Monday...
By Jason Samenow | January 26, 2008; 04:00 PM ET | Comments (1)
