deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.)

NOAA: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The American scientific agency that is a part of the Department of Commerce. It was formed in October of 1970 to improve the stewardship of the environment.

NOAA has five fundamental activities:

• Monitoring and observing Earth systems with instruments and data collection networks.
• Understanding and describing Earth systems through research and analysis of that data.
• Assessing and predicting the changes in these systems over time.
• Engaging, advising, and informing the public and partner organizations with important information.
• Managing resources for the betterment of society, economy, and environment

One of NOAA’s most prominent services is The National Weather Service. They are the ones with that cool ‘Doppler Radar’ thingy you hear about all of the time. They predict severe weather and are a trusted source of weather information.

Since it’s formation it has been a political football. The reason it is part of the Department of Commerce and not The Interior Department is because back in 1970 after the head of NOAA, Wally Hickel, told President Nixon he should listen to the Vietnam War Protestors, as a punishment of Hickel, Nixon put NOAA under Commerce.

Then, very recently NOAA criticized and contradicted a certain President for using a magic marker to change their official prediction about the path of Hurricane Dorian. They were in the ‘doghouse’ and that certain president nominated a very poor choice as the leader of NOAA. Fortunately that nominee was never confirmed.

The NOAA flag tracers it’s design to the US Coast and Geodetic Survey flag. This organization was formed in 1807 to survey all coastal land. That flag was a blue field with a white Circle in the middle containing a red triangle. (Triangulation is how surveying is done.)

NOAA adds their logos scheme of the dark blue and light blue (atmosphere and ocean) along with their seabird. I give the NOAA flag high marks for flag design. It is a danged good flag.