Sunrise Sky

Sunrise
Elkridge, MD
December 30, 2020

The sunrise this morning, the next to last day of 2020, was fantastic. It stretched from the East to the West filling my windows with beautiful color reminding me of the beauty of the world. It was a counterpoint to the news of the day about the continuing hospitalizations and deaths resulting from COVID-19.

Sometimes I need to get my head out of my computer or away from the TV to see the beauty around me, like I did this morning. It does not make the bad stuff go away, but it gives me perspective. The world is a big and complex place. There are problems and insane things happen all of the time, but there is beauty and it is worth seeing, enjoying, and protecting. 

The spectacular sunrise has faded much like the year 2020 will pass in less than 48 hours. I can remember the bad things that have happened this past year, the better activity is to find some good and remember the year that way. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Christmas Season Happy Hour

 

Happy Hour
Elkridge, MD
December 21, 2020

Last evening Chris had to go out to finish some shopping and I determined that it would a be good time to prepare a special Happy Hour.

The lack of holiday parties has meant that some of the spirit is missing from the season. It was the first day of Winter and the shortest amount of daylight for the year and so we needed a special celebration. 

I felt we needed to get as little of the holiday spirit back and so I put together a small plate of munchies and had the wine poured and ready for when she returned home. 

It turned out that she returned home quickly because the stores were too crowded. We are being very conscious of the COVID threat and will not tarry in a crowded store.  

We enjoyed a quiet start to the evening with some munchies and a nice wine. It was an appropriate Christmas Season Happy Hour. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Preparing for Christmas

 

Poinsettia Tree
Columbia Mall, Columbia, MD
December 26,2018

I was reviewing my images of Christmases past yesterday and came to a stark realization, it is going be very different this year as we respect the threat of COVID-19 and distance ourselves.

We need to remember the season. We need to find joy despite the upheaval of our lives. As 2019 was ending we never expected to be living through a pandemic a short year later. Everything, it seems has changed. Even travel, we cannot even think of traveling to visit family trapped in remote areas. 

Unlike last year, we do not expect a large gathering. We will be seeing family in small groups. But, the dinner will still be made and in a recent reversal of fortune, Christmas Eve Brunch will be held in rolling shifts. As for Christmas dinner? It will be small. But, we will be maintaining distance and celebrating the holiday in the best way that we can. 

It is Christmas after all. 

Celebrate!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Leadership: Responsible for All

 

I have written and skirted the issue of leadership during the pandemic. As most of you know I do not believe, based upon the evidence, that the current administration has handled the COVID-19 pandemic, but rather has attempted to distance itself from the mounting tragedy which embodies America's response.

The basis of my assessment is that America has about 4 percent of the world's population and 20 percent of the coronavirus deaths. Distilled down, and not addressing the economic toll, that is the basis for my assessment. The most advanced and capable country in the world has failed by almost every measure to protect not only its population, but its economy. Yes, the stock market is still strong--but that is not a measure of the economic strength.

Leaders own it all! The good, the bad, and the ineffective.

Effective leaders know they are responsible for it all. Really good leaders do not take credit for the successes--they heap thepraise for the successes on their people. They realize that success does not happen without a great team. Take the vaccine deliveries. The drug companies did a great job expediting the production and delivery of the vaccines and they were aided by the government streamlining some regulatory issues. Who should get the credit? The drug companies!

The explosive unemployment, the economic disaster that is the U.S. right now, the quarantines and the isolation, the skyrocketing death rate--who gets the blame? The leader. 

That is how leadership is--it is not a popularity contest and leaders cannot pick and choose what is their responsibility. They are responsible for all of it. Leaders cannot try to separate the vaccine from the death rate because they are all responsible for all of it. 

A good leader accepts when they fall short and stands up and takes the blame for the team and vows to turn it around and do better, not sulking off to a Florida retreat to ride out the pandemic. 

I do not understand how a leader gets a free pass where people heap credit for producing a vaccine--which really he had nothing to do with while failing to protect Americans resulting in the deaths of over 300,000 of our fellow citizens. 

A true leader is responsible for it all. It is tough and maybe not fair--but, it is what came with the job.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

It Didn't Disappear

 

I remember the President and many Republicans asserting that COVID-19 would disappear right after the election on November 3rd. Their assertion was that the pandemic was the creation of the Democrats and it was a hoax.

How I wish they would have been right, but wishful thinking and professing an alternate reality does not work. Reality is, after all, real and as a country we are fully suffering unchecked pandemic. Americans are getting infected at ever increasing rates and people are dying. 

As much as we have been trying to cover up the facts and hope that they will get better, the inaction of the current, and fortunately outgoing, administration has only let the virus run roughshod over the American public. Instead of disputing the election results in the courts the administration should be focusing its efforts upon fighting the coronavirus in the streets.

And now the reality of the pandemic is hitting the NFL squarely. A headline in USAToday reports:

The NFL has officially reached its COVID tipping point

The article in USA Today begins:

It was bound to happen, as the last vestiges of the Trump administration continued to ignore a pandemic that moves unabated among us.

It was bound to happen, as various state governors ignored and dismissed mask mandates that would have helped.

It was bound to happen, as the NFL tried to balance a responsible position on COVID while keeping the games going on a no-matter-what basis.

Football is succumbing to the virus at an incredible rate. As teams begins to play their 11th game of the season, it is becoming difficult to field a complete roster for some teams. 

The Ravens and the Steelers, who are scheduled to meet Tuesday night after having their Thursday game rescheduled twice, now have 25 players on the reserve/COVID roster. There is a good chance this game may never be played.

But wait, there's more:

The Broncos do not have an NFL experienced quarterback for today's game. all four of their quarterbacks were placed on the reserve/COVIS roster.

The 49ers may no be able to play their next two home games due to COVID-19 restrictions regarding their stadium.

COVID-19 is real. 

Act like it!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Day of the Turkey

 

I wish this was my garage door

I am hopeful, being ever the eternal optimist, that the mood in the country is beginning to turn. Tomorrow is a time to celebrate and give thanks for the blessings that we have individually, societally, and as a nation. Yes, it will be a different Thanksgiving, we are living during a pandemic--but we should still give thanks and celebrate.

I am especially thankful that the divisive election is over and the healing can begin. I was reminded of something General George C. Patton said during his speeches to the Third Army: Americans play to win all the time. That is one reason this election has been so difficult get past: Everyone is playing to win. But now is a time to soothe the sting of loss and do what Americans have been doing for most of our history--come together and bring our diversity to celebrate our unity. After all  that is what E Pluribus Unum means. We can disagree with each other and still be friends.

I admit that our elected leaders need to demonstrate more bipartisanship, but if We the People show them how to come together and unify after a hard fought election season, then perhaps our expectations will be realized and America can reassume its leadership role in the world.

I was encouraged yesterday when I heard the president-elect say, "America is Back." I have come to understand that "America First" really means "America Alone" and we cannot, nor should we ever think that any form of isolationism will work better that what we experienced 100 years ago. As I watched the interview with President-Elect Biden on NBC last evening, I was struck by the difference in tone he projected. There was no vilification of dissenters and in fact there was a concentrated effort to be inclusive of those with competing thoughts and ideas. That is emblematic of the the abiding greatness of America. We do not have to agree--in fact hopefully from our dissenting views a better plan will emerge; but we must be civil and respectful to each other and all Americans no matter where they hail from. 

Enjoy the holiday. May you find peace. And more importantly, be safe. Don't let your guard down now after nine months and with a vaccine mere months away from being a reality. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

A Quarter Million

 

I could not let this tragic milestone pass unmentioned. 

It is important to remember that 250,000 of our fellow Americans have died from COVID-19. I know there are those out there who try to refocus the number and make it seem like it isn't as bad as it could be, or use some other tactic to make the tragedy seem like a blip on the TV News channels, but I know that there is a name and a family attached to each one of those 250,000 who have died.

Every name was a person who was a son or a daughter. And that is the tragedy--when we reduce it all to numbers, we lose the faces. We hide the pain. We minimize the suffering, not only for those who died, but the suffering of the families, the friends, and the healthcare workers. 

And our leadership is silent.

Our Congress has failed to pass a relief bill to reduce the suffering that systemic failure to act in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused. 

And I heard that there are people dying who still believe that COVID-19 is a hoax. 

Take a moment to remember those who have passed and redouble your efforts to stay well. 

Be safe.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

It's the Holiday Season

 

Imagine for a moment your most enjoyable Thanksgiving. The turkey was on the table and the family and friends gathered around for the feast. It may have been as recently as last year. An NFL was game blaring on a television somewhere and children or youth were actively gaming on their personal electronics. The house smelled of food and cooking and there may have been a few bottles of wine, partially consumed, on the table. 

Now, remember the basketball games, the concerts, the trips, the holiday partiers and pig-ins we used to enjoy. 

That was so last year.

The year we get to enjoy holidays in a new way--under the threat of pandemic. It has been this way since Easter. Hopefully we have become used to the solitary celebrations by now. 

So now, as life has changed we need to hold fast to these memories and work towards making 2021 better than what we thought 2020 was to have been when the year began. 

It is the holiday season--we must not let the anguish and concern about the pandemic rob the season from us. Yes we are going to do things differently this year, but next year, hopefully, we will enjoy the holidays even more as we are freed from the pandemic and the train wreck that is our national leadership.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

 

Dichotomy

 

It seems there is a difference in reality depending upon whether the words are being spoken by the outgoing or the incoming administration.

The outgoing administration would have us believe that COVID-19 is going away, despite the numbers which are higher every day. The head in the sand approach doesn't work. 

What should the current administration do? Accept the pandemic for what it is, be transparent with the American people, and start mobilizing equipment, supplies, and personnel as was done at the beginning of the pandemic in March. Telling Americans that it isn't that bad and its going away is not productive.

The incoming administration is already planning to do just those things. They are embracing science. Why, I ask, should we have to wait 70 days for the new administration to get the weight of the government behind fighting there pandemic and winning? 

We can jaw all we want about how there is no way to control the virus, but without trying that becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. And from the "yes it can be controlled" argument--look at South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. 

I offer this headline from the Washington Post:

Australia has almost eliminated the coronavirus — by putting faith in science

Argue all you want--but facts is facts. 

Remember, every number is a name!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

COVID-19 v Election

 

A message to our leaders:

The Election is over! Yes, some votes are still being counted and recounted, but the votes are in. The campaigning and posturing must stop.

Why?

People are dying. The COVID-19 pandemic is ravaging the country. Despite assurances to the contrary, the pandemic is not going away. It is getting worse and our leaders are doing nothing. They are too focused upon trying to keep their jobs through legal maneuvering rather than helping Americans and bolstering the economy.

Think about this--every number that we hear about with respect to the pandemic has a name attached to it.

Stop worrying about votes (they are already cast) and start worrying about people.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Misinformation

 

I don't know how intentional it was, but saying the 85 percent of people who wear masks get COVID-19 demonstrates a definite lack of understanding of statistics and reality. He was trying to discredit the practice of wearing facial coverings to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Who said that, you might ask?

The President. 

Trump repeats inaccurate claim about masks, citing CDC study. - NBC News

Along with other outright lies, it appears that the most consistent source of misinformation in the country right now is the president, himself.

What is comical and tragic is watching his staff try to walk back his erroneous comments.

I do not want to restate the lies and false truths because in doing so I could make them seem more real, but an article recapping the first debate delves into many of the misleading and outright untrue statements by both candidates during the first debate. It is interesting reading.

Trump unleashes avalanche of repeat lies at first presidential debate - CNN

My advice--listen and check the facts. Too many people use the cherry picking approach to facts and studies--finding the one that supports their view rather than reviewing the entire body of work on a subject. 

Do not be responsible for spreading misinformation and propaganda!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Football and COVID

 

The Southeastern Conference (SEC) of college football is a mess with COVID positive tests right now. Games are being postponed and coaches and players are returning positive test results. Sadly, it had to happen. Football is an up-close and personal sport. 

The latest headline is:

Alabama Coach Saban Tests Positive as Virus Disrupts SEC - The Wall Street Journal

There have been problems in the NFL as well.

With the infection rates across the country steadily rising, that we are having a football season is fantastic. but we need to recognize that football players have close personal contact with their teammates and opponents--it is part of the game, unless we go to a no blocking, flag-football approach.

The players are taking risks to play the game for our enjoyment and their financial reward--we need to remember that. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

A COVID-19 Sunday in America

 

It is an October Sunday in America.

The MLB playoffs are underway.

The NFL is playing football, but two games are postponed due to COVID-19.

The President is in the hospital with COVID-19.

745 Americans died of COVID-19 yesterday bringing the total number of American deaths to near 209,000.

As we grapple for normalcy, we are reminded at every step that we are in the middle of a pandemic. It is not a hoax. It is not fake news. I think those who did not believe that COVID-19 was real can now, finally, understand that the disease and the threat are real. 

My recommendations:

Pray for those who are afflicted that they will recover.

Wear a mask when in public. I think the mis-information about masks not helping or providing any protection has been sufficiently discounted. As the disease has progressed and our understanding of its transmission, the recommendations have evolved. Do not rely upon old information just because it suits how you want to believe.

Be responsible for yourself. What is do or do not do is no one's responsibility except yourself!

Be well and I hope you continue to be well.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, Florida

Friday Eve

 

I have been joking about how Thursday has become Friday Eve--well, I guess it has always been Friday Eve but we just considered it to be another Thursday. 

It must be a sign of the times that I am looking forward to the weekend more and more. If I could pull it off, I might consider a way to extend the weekend.

A few decades ago, when I was stationed in Germany with the Air Force I enjoyed being in a NATO staff officers position. I learned that the different cultures of the then 16 nation NATO had distinctly different ideas about weekends. The best example was from the Belgians. They would leave at noon on Friday, allowing them to drive home to Belgium for the weekend, and not return until noon on Monday. We joked that it was a Belgian weekend. While at times it was a bit frustrating that they could leave half-way through Friday, in retrospect it was a good idea.

I wonder if I could implement that where I work?

Probably not.

So, I guess the best I can do is foster the idea of Friday Eve for Thursday and get everyone in that weekend state-of-mind a day early. 

At the least it will get their minds off coronavirus. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Whose Fault is It?

 

Yesterday, I heard the most viscerally offensive defense of the failed governmental COVID-19 policy yet. 

It was simply, if nothing had been done then the projections were that 2,000,000 Americans would have died. And that is supposed to be a defense? The experts are saying that if something had been done sooner perhaps 60,000 less people would have died.

The Atlantic postulated that: 

A Failure of Empathy Led to 200,000 Deaths. It Has Deep Roots.

And I can agree with that statement. 

The article I referenced is eye opening and saddening as it recounts studies which help to understand why we have become less energized to the magnitude of the losses.

The article contains this paragraph:

It’s hard for anyone to comprehend the sheer horror of mass death. As I [Olga Kazan, the author of the article] wrote in April, “compassion fade” sets in when victims are no longer individuals but statistics, and few Americans have witnessed something of this scale before. But there’s an additional explanation for this empathy deficit: Part of the reason this majority-white, majority-non-elderly country has been so blasé about COVID-19 deaths is that mostly Black people and old people are dying. Eight out of 10 American COVID-19 deaths have been among people older than 65; the rest of the dead are disproportionately Black. White people’s brains psychologically sort minorities as “out-groups” that stir less empathy. Segregated neighborhoods have also helped insulate white Americans from the horror Black Americans face, because the ambulance sirens and the packed hospital wards are typically far from their own zip codes. “We literally don’t see those deaths in the same way we might if we didn’t experience segregation,” says Nour Kteily, a management professor at Northwestern University who studies hierarchies.

What I see is that the United States is the world leader in cases and deaths and that after a small dip in the positivity rate during the past few weeks the daily number of new cases continues to rise even as testing has been reduced or even strangled in some areas. 

We are going in the wrong direction and it appears that no one is committed to combatting the proliferation of the disease.

It is similar to the situation where the Congress cannot get relief to people in need from the economic disaster that COVID-19 has caused in the country.

Change is needed! We can argue about who is at fault, but it really doesn't matter--everyone is at fault. Each of us is at fault if we have not taken the time to communicate to our elected representatives that sober plans, answers, and actions are needed now. The time for partisan politics has passed. 200,000 Americans are dead and more are dying daily. 

Whose fault is it? 

It doesn't matter whose fault it is. What we need is leadership that will take charge and work to solve the problem rather than denying that there is a problem or blaming it on someone else.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Rumors, certainty, and inclusiveness

I received an email the other day. It stated that because rumors of change had made it to leadership and to ensure transparency this email is . . . 

The email went on to confirm that potentially significant change is being planned, but the details have not been worked out.

It struck me then that: 

Rumors are the evidence for lack of transparency. 

Now I have also read that in the absence of certainty, rumors flourish.

There must be a way to bring both of these concepts together. 

In the article, Transparency, Certainty and Rumors, Matt Reed, the author, makes the point that one can be transparent but that the lack of certainty becomes the real problem. He writes the following:

Truth is like water. Still water is transparent. Running water isn’t. Right now, we’re in the rapids; the water itself may be transparent, but it’s rushing so fast that it’s hard to see what’s next. Will warm weather hit before the virus explodes, or will the virus explode before warm weather hits? I don’t know.

In the absence of certainty, rumors flourish. Admittedly, some of them are fun; I liked the observation on Twitter that ever since Ted Cruz self-quarantined, there haven’t been any more Zodiac murders. It’s technically true, though perhaps a bit misleading.

I understand his point, but in the description of the situation which caused him to write about certainty I believe that he was not being totally transparent, despite his assertion to the contrary. By not actively providing the information about decisions surrounding closing the college to the workforce instead of having them contact him individually, he turned the running water into swirling rapids through lack of transparency. 

Rumors fill the gap between known and imagined. When leadership fails to keep the workforce, including the subordinate leaders, informed then the resulting rumors can make it hard to implement a great plan before it even gets off the ground. Rumors call into question the leadership intentions before they even get a chance to socialize the reasons for change.

The problem comes when leadership is certain there is going to be a significant change, but because they have not fully characterized the details of the change they withhold the information.

That brings up inclusiveness. Why is significant change planned without including the workforce? That goes against every current leadership principle and hearkens back to the draconian management days of the 60's. 

Including the workforce at the beginning of the change planning is much better for the organization than dropping change on them. Surprise change sows mistrust. 

And let me add a point--mistrust at the operational and tactical leadership levels of the organization could transform into buy-in through inclusiveness.

Rumors, then, are evidence for lack of transparency. There are additional symptoms to be considered, for instance lack of certainty and inclusiveness--but together with lack of transparency these all point to failed leadership. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Tuesday, again

 

I am not sure what it is about Tuesdays, but I really do not know what to do with the day. It is that day sandwiched between Monday and Hump Day that just seems to be there. It is a way point from the beginning to the midpoint of the week. 

At least on this Tuesday we can celebrate the start of the NFL season and the return to sports normalcy in America. Perhaps we are beginning to find ways to live life and coexist with coronavirus. 

It seems that the trend in new coronavirus cases is continuing down since the high-water mark during late-July.

Perhaps we are finally moving forward as the summer comes to an end.

Maybe that is why Tuesday is good for; assessing our progress against coronavirus.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

UPS Customer Pick-up Adventure

 

UPS Customer Center
Vero Road, Baltimore
September 9, 2020

I hate missing packages that are arriving via FEDEX or UPS. Missing them means that, if I am lucky, I get to make a trip to the customer center.

Such a situation presented itself as a result of our trip to Florida last week. An unexpected package arrived which required an adult signature. After a great deal of discussion with the delivery person through my doorbell camera and speaker during the third and normally last delivery attempt, I was on a beach at the time, I was able to have the package held at the UPS Customer Service Center for pick-up after my return.

It has been a while since I visited the UPS Customer Center. UPS does not seem to have as many local centers as FEDEX. The center followed strict COVID-19 rules which meant that only two customers could be in the center and everyone else had to queue outside. I was glad that it was not raining. 

They only had one person working the counter and so the line moved very slowly. But, I successfully retrieved my package and was able to maintain physical distancing. 

Picking up a package continues to be an event.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Reflections on Traveling

 

Chris and I completed a round-trip to Florida yesterday. We departed last Tuesday and returned yesterday to Maryland. We flew from the B Terminal at  BWI (Baltimore-Washington International) to the B Terminal at PBI (Palm Beach International) and returned using the same airports and terminals. 

What did I Notice

Face protection/masks were required from the moment we entered the airport until we had exited at our destination. The only time we removed them was at BWI while we were sitting at a table having breakfast.

BWI has reduced the number of terminals in use. I noted that the A Terminal, with the exception for the A gates off the food court, is closed and the C Terminal did not have much, if any, visible activity. This means that the B Terminal seemed to be operating normally with passenger loads similar to the before COVID levels.  More than a few of the food locations and stores were open in the B Terminal. Physical distancing can be maintained, but you need to work at it. 

PBI

PBI was a ghost town. None of the stores in the main terminal area are open and only about half of the food locations in the B Terminal were open. Physical distancing is easy to maintain, there is a lot of space in which to spread.

The Flights

Southwest has a modified boarding procedure--in groups of 10 and stay in your seats until your boarding numbers are is called. This helps maintain distancing during the boarding process although people do seem to forget about physical distancing when actually boarding the aircraft and get too close. Deplaning, however, remains a free-for-all. People are so anxious to deplane that it is the normal crowded mess as always. It was impossible to maintain physical distancing during the deplaning process. Southwest is flying with the planes only 2/3 full--there is no reason to sit in a middle seat--which means the boarding process and deplaning process is faster and we did not feel "packed-in" on the flight. Note: they are only serving water and a small snack during the flight.

Check-in and Baggage

Due to reduced numbers of people flying, the check-in process was smooth. People are respectful of physical distancing and there were no lines to check-in. The lines at TSA were also minimal at both airports. Amazingly, the baggage was expeditiously received which allow for a quick airport exit. Yes, even at BWI our bag was on the carousel when we arrived in the baggage area! That was truly amazing.

Overall Impression

Flying during coronavirus can be accomplished while generally maintaining physical distancing. There are times when our personal space bubble was invaded, but with the exception of deplaning, these were few and generally manageable. The airports and airlines are working hard to make air travel relatively safe.

Recommendation

Southwest needs to improve the deplaning process so that everyone is not rushing the aisle to get bags from the overhead bins and deplane at the same time. Perhaps a row by row dismissal would work with everyone else remaining in their seats until the row is called to deplane. Both of our flights arrived early and so this should not make anyone late for a connecting flight.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Leaves on the Drive

Leaves on the Drive
Elkridge, MD
August 27, 2020

It is Summer!

August is the month of record for another two days. 

According to the calendar, Summer has 24 more days and does not relinquish its grip until September 22. 

Autumn, however, is arriving early. Yesterday I had to blow the leaves from the drive. These are leaves which are prematurely falling from the trees. The leaves are also filling the pool. 

Fortunately, the temperatures are more summer-like, in the 90s and I have been enjoying the refreshing feeling of diving into my pool, but I can see the advent of the Autumn. It is coming too soon. I feel as if we have lost the summer due to coronavirus. There was no week-long vacation, or trip to Florida. No cruise to some Caribbean island. Only one trip to New York! 

And the leaves continue to fall.

The remnants of Hurricane Laura are passing through the region today and there will be rain and thunderstorms--and more leaves to clear. Our encounter with the hurricane will be far less dramatic than the people of Louisiana and the south. We all need to pray for the people there and send assistance. The devastation is incredible and unfathomable. 

Enjoy the last three weeks of the Summer of COVID.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD