Landslide Disparities, Flume Discoveries, and Oso Despair

Despair on disparities.

In this issue of Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, Sokka et al (see page 1666), by analysing the data from the Quantitative Standard Monitoring of Rheumatoid Arthritis (QUEST-RA) cohort, with over 6000 patients from 25 countries, warn us of possible disparities in the health of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. This international team of researchers found a clear association between gross dom...

Informational Challenges in Early Disaster Response: The Massive Oso/SR530 Landslide 2014 as Case in Point

In disasters, and more so in catastrophes, one of the most daunting problems to professional responders is gaining situational awareness. Unfortunately, truly actionable information (intelligence) is missing in the first days and even weeks of responding. Consequently, incomplete situational awareness brings on a distorted common operating picture leading to suboptimal direction of responses, s...

Despair and Hope

Fisheries: hope or despair?

Recent work suggesting that fisheries depletions have turned the corner is misplaced because analysis was based largely on fisheries from better-managed developed-world fisheries. Some indicators of status show improvements in the minority of fisheries subjected to formal assessment. Other indicators, such as trophic level and catch time series, have been controversial. Nevertheless, several de...

Hope and despair over health in Gaza.

thousands of lives, and funds currently spent on intervention and relief could be devoted to enhancing equitable and sustainable development, which would further reduce the risk of war and disaster. Recent resolutions endorsed by the World Health Assembly of WHO and the Regional Committee of the Eastern Mediterranean region also emphasise preparedness along with response and are the guiding for...