Saturday, February 6, 2016

Snow Melt


Until this morning, there had been a string of four days in a row where the temperatures did not dip below freezing. That has made a significant impact on the snow around the house. 

I am encouraged because the snow is melting, quickly. I can see the ground around my house.

In another testament to the snow melt, I received an email from a Baltimore area golf course encouraging me to come out and play this weekend. They remarked that they had 12 of their 18 holes open for diehard golfers. OK, I considered it. 

As soon as the snow is gone, I am sure I am going to be outside doing something. I even cooked two meals on the grill this past week! Yes, the grill works even when the weather is not hospitable!

Storm on the horizon?

No problem, I'm hoping it misses us.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Friday, February 5, 2016

How Can You Tell . . . ?


I have been listening to the politicians arguing in the aftermath of the Iowa Caucus. 

What a miserable situation with every campaign claiming victory or blaming some other campaign for their poor showing. I remember a joke about it all.

How can you tell that a politician is lying?

Answer.

Their lips are moving.


I have not heard so much negativity and subterfuge on a national basis in years. 

Who won Iowa?

Here's a thought. Since no one garnered more than 50 percent, no one won!

How hard is that? Clinton and Sanders can slice the vote however they want--but there was no majority and therefore no mandate.

On the other side, how can someone who gets only 20-something percent of the vote declare victory?

I wish I could be a winner with 28 percent. In real life, I actually need something closer to 99 percent to be considered a winner. Has anyone else considered that anything less than 50.1 percent is not a winning percentage? Let's get a grip and stop letting politicians change what we know is true. Winning is different than losing.

So how can you tell? Yea, their lips are moving.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Thursday, February 4, 2016

Phantom of the Opera



Chris and I spent the evening at the Hippodrome Theater in Baltimore viewing the traveling production of Phantom of the Opera
Hippodrome Interior before the Show

This performance used a redesigned set that adds significantly to the experience. 

Most people know that I am not a fan of the Hippodrome Theater in Baltimore because the seats are tight and the large balcony is a problem. And it was a problem last evening, although we were in the center orchestra seats, the balcony provided restricted viewing of some of the activity.

Chris and I at Phantom
The production, however, was great. The orchestra was well conducted and the actors were on pitch and strong. 

I recommend this performance for Phantom lovers and neophytes. Check the schedule--it may be coming to a city near you.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD


Wednesday, February 3, 2016

My Take: Political Winners and Losers


The excitement of the Iowa Caucus is almost over and attention has turned to New Hampshire. 

I have decided that politicians can redefine words to suit their individual needs. Such would be the case for Clinton and Rubio who both claimed victories as a result of the Caucus.

I was impressed with Clinton declaring victory, albeit by a mere .3 percentage points in a marred process that featured multiple coin tosses. Did I mention that no one received 50 percent of the votes cast and there were multiple coin flips involved?

On the Republican side, a letter to the editor of the New York Times by Richard Nussbaum sums up the situation fairly succinctly. Mr. Nussbaum writes:

It really doesn’t matter that Ted Cruz beat Donald Trump in the Iowa caucuses on Monday night. What matters is that the majority of Republican voters in Iowa threw their support to one of two candidates whose main campaign themes are meanspiritedness and bigotry.
Though this week’s talk will be all about Mr. Trump’s loss, it should really be about America’s loss, and about confronting head on the racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia — not to mention callous indifference to poverty and suffering — that have become the calling cards of these politicians, and that are sadly embraced (or, at the very least, overlooked) by far too many Americans.
RICHARD JAY NUSSBAUM
The comments above are precisely what has been bothering me about the campaigns thus far. The bashing has got to stop! We need leaders who can work with opposition and can build-up rather than tear down. We have had too much tearing-down in our political system lately and that is why it appears that almost nothing gets done in Washington.


A bigger problem is that the top vote getters in each party, with the exception of Trump, are all senators or previous senators. Former senators have generally poor track record as presidents. I have found the list here. I exclude some of the original Founding Fathers from the statement because the initial cadre of senators was clearly composed of the leaders of the government. Also note, Warren G. Harding became a senator (and a good one) after his Presidency. We can argue about a few of the exceptions.

Conversely, former governors comprise some of our most revered Presidents. The list is here.  Governors actually have experience building coalitions to get things done while, in my opinion, Senators frequently are single issue people who can play well with others in the sand box. 

My Take is that the Iowa Caucus pointed out that the current front runners for the office to President of the United States are flawed. We the People need to do a better job finding and supporting candidates who are more focused on running the country rather than bashing the other candidates.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Iowa Caucus Results and Groundhog Day


I'm not sure how they are similar, except they are sharing a day.


Today is Groundhog Day! Yay, the rodent from Punxsutawney is predicting the future of Winter and the arrival of Spring.

Similarly, the people of Iowa are putting their stamp on the 2016 Presidential Election process by trying to predict the candidates from the two major parties who will vie to be the next President of the United States.

Both of the events mark beginnings. One, the beginning of the end of Winter and the other the beginning of the electoral primary season. 

Let's hope both reports are good. An early Spring and competent candidates!

That would be very different, on both counts.

--Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday, February 1, 2016

Monday Musings - February 1, 2016


1. Welcome Groundhog Day, tomorrow. Let's get some good news.

2. Orioles catchers and pitchers report in 18 days and the first signs of spring will emerge.

3. The original Star Trek NCC-1701 USS Enterprise is being restored for display in the Smithsonian. 

4. It was 56 degrees yesterday and the snow looks as if it is resisting the warmth. There is still a lot of it around. 

5. Today is Iowa caucuses day. The election season hits another milestone on the path to electing our next president.

6. Had there not been over a foot of snow on the golf course, yesterday would have been a good day to golf. Well, except at Torrey Pines located in San Diego, California, and the Farmers Insurance Open where play was suspended because of violent storms. 

7. I found a fun video of a Blue Angels performance

8. I wonder of the people of Iowa will be happy to be out of the political spotlight beginning tomorrow? They have been front and center for almost a year and I'm sure they will enjoy seeing advertisements on their TV's for something other than candidates.

9. Today Iowa, next Monday? Super Bowl aftermath! Broncos or Panthers? 

10. On this date in 1884, the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) debuted. It is the undisputed reference source for the current and historical meaning of words.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sunday, January 31, 2016

Boys, Dogs, and January


Ethan with Arthur (a selfie)
January's last day has arrived. Hopefully, soon, we can put the snow behind us and move into February, where we usually experience our largest snowfall.

Arthur giving Ethan a Fist Bump
Over the past few days, Chris has been spending quality time with grandchildren and their dogs,  mostly because school has been in recess due to the historic snow storm.

It is hard to look forward to Springtime when there still remains so much snow on the ground.

The harder part is what to do with the boys and the dogs with all of the snow! Staying inside, playing games and watching movies only lasts so long.

Spring is coming and we will get the groundhog's prediction on Tuesday. Here's hoping for an early and long spring!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Saturday, January 30, 2016

An Evening with Garth Brooks


Garth Brooks concert
January 29, 2016
Royal Farms Arena, Baltimore
 I last attended a Garth Brooks concert was almost 20 years ago, during April 1996, at an arena in Landover, Maryland, that no longer exists.

It was worth the wait. Some things, like fine wines, get better with age and maturity. 


The Line Waiting to get into the Arena for
Garth Brooks
January 29, 2016
Garth Brooks is one of those things.

The setlist from last night shows the diversity of the music and the experience. I was amazed that there were 33 songs on the setlist because it seemed to rush by so quickly. During April 1996, according to the records that I can find, there were only 22 songs on the setlist! And they were not so nearly diverse.

Garth is a showman and he connects with the crowd. I felt that he was truly dedicated to ensuring everyone in the arena had a great time with his music. Like he said, he was going to do all the old songs that everyone knew--and he did. 


Garth Brooks
Royal Farms Arena
January 29, 2016
People had lined up well in advance of the concert to get inside and I stood in line for about 30 minutes. I was glad that I was not disappointed. I have read reports of performers who play the setlist while watching the clock waiting for the concert to end. Garth definitely did not do that. He was on stage and fully engaged the entire time, with the exception of when Trisha Yearwood sang a few of her hits,  demonstrating the showmanship the took him to the top of his craft during the late 1990's. 


Garth Brooks
Royal Farms Arena
January 29, 2016
He is back. He has been back for a while now, but last evening was his inaugural concert in Baltimore! I know, he was supposed to perform last weekend but the blizzard forced a reschedule and so I was at his first ever performance in Charm City, AKA, Baltimore.

There are four more concerts left for Baltimore to enjoy. The energy and the excitement are difficult for any entertainer to match and my recommendation is simply--get tickets and go see Garth!

Whatever the cost, the show is worth it.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Friday, January 29, 2016

January Slips Away


Amazingly, January 2016 is almost complete. It is hard to believe that the New Year just began and we have already completed the first month of the year. 

Yay!

From the Blizzard
The recent blizzard and ensuing nor'easter snowfall have made getting out of January something to be remembered.

The Presidential olympics have been amped up to deafening levels and the candidates do not seem to understand--I don't want them to talk louder, or meaner, I want them to show leadership and support for the Constitution!

Primary season begins in ernest on Monday (which, according to my calendar in February 1st). It is time for the voters to begin to narrow the field a bit, or as they say in the livestock business: thin the herd.

It has been a fast January, and it is hard to believe that the decision making time is finally arriving after more than a year of posturing and positioning.

Why am I excited about February? Baseball begins again, of course. Spring Training starts with the arrival of the teams and the excitement of a new season. January was standing between the beginning of the year and Spring Training--and now that impediment has been removed. I long to hear the words, 'Play Ball!"

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Into the Electoral Fray


The drama is almost underwhelming. Trump is passing on the final Republican debate before the Iowa caucasus. 

I am appalled that the other candidates are not seeing the advantage that this gives them and are complaining about his absence.

Instead of bashing other candidates, they should be taking the opportunity to clearly state what they believe in and how they will uphold the Constitution.

That does not seem to be happening. 

I want a President who, despite what they personally believe, recognizes diversity and will uphold the Constitution. That means acknowledging differences and allowing dissension. 

Trump comes across as not been able to handle dissension. Our president should not be surrounded with "yes" people. His whole reason for not attending the debate is predicated on that idea that someone wasn't fair to him. Stop whining! Lot's of people aren't fair--that is the root of dissent and disagreement. 

Other candidates are small minded because the want to bash Trump rather than describe what they believe in and stand for.

We are a society in disarray.

We want to elect people who will cater to our individual biases.

We need a uniter, and not a divider!

E pluribus unum! Out of many, one. 

Remember that!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
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