Showing posts with label Monday Musings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Monday Musings. Show all posts

Monday, November 27, 2023

Monday Musings - November 27, 2023

 


1. And it has arrived--the last Monday of November leaving just four Mondays remaining in the year. Christmas is exactly four weeks away!

Nicole's Christmas Tree Arriving
Odenton, MD
November 26, 2023

2. Family NFL Report. The family teams did as good as possible during the long series of games beginning on Thursday. They went 3-1, but two of the teams were playing each other.


Cowboys (8-3) shot-up Commanders (4-8), 45-10

Steelers (7-4) outlasted Bengals (5-6), 16-10

Ravens (9-3) held-off Chargers (4-7), 20-10

Dolphins (8-3) swam past Jets (4-7), 34-13

3. Christmas trees are abounding. Yesterday, Nicole's Christmas tree arrived and was decorated. It was a family event and nearly everyone participated. The Christmas season is off and running. 



4. It is amazing how time flies at the holidays. Fast! Tomorrow is a travel day back to Florida for three weeks of warmth and then we return for Christmas and New Years! Wow!

5. Today in HistoryOn November 27, 1095, Pope Urban II makes perhaps the most influential speech of the Middle Ages, giving rise to the Crusades by calling all Christians in Europe to war against Muslims in order to reclaim the Holy Land, with a cry of “Deus vult!” or “God wills it!”

Born Odo of Lagery, Urban was a protege of the great reformer Pope Gregory VII. Like Gregory, he made internal reform his main focus, railing against simony (the selling of church offices) and other clerical abuses prevalent during the Middle Ages. Urban showed himself to be an adept and powerful cleric, and when he was elected pope in 1088, he applied his statecraft to weakening support for his rivals, notably Clement III.



A US Navy ship responded to a distress call from a commercial tanker. Then ballistic missiles were fired toward it - CNN

15-year-old Pennsylvania boy faces first-degree murder charge in shooting of a homeless man - CNN

4-year-old Israeli American released from captivity as an orphan - CNN

Human Rights Watch says rocket misfire likely cause of deadly Gaza hospital blast - Reuters

March against antisemitism draws 50,000 in London - Reuters

Three dead as storm hits Crimea and Russia's Black Sea coast - Reuters

Negotiators Work to Extend Israel-Hamas Truce - The Wall Street Journal

Investors See Interest-Rate Cuts Coming Soon - The Wall Street Journal

Her last puppy died in the D.C. day care flood. Her new one just got stolen. - The Washington Post


-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD

Monday, November 20, 2023

Monday Musings - November 20, 2023



1. Welcome to the third Monday of November. There are just five Mondays remaining in 2023! That is truly a scary thought. I am definitely not ready for Christmas, or Thanksgiving for that matter.

2. Family NFL Report. It was another mixed results week with the family teams going 2-2 again.

Commanders (4-7) lost to Giants (3-8), 19-31

Cowboys (7-3) handled Giants (1-9), 33-10

Steelers (6-4) came up short against Browns (7-3), 10-13

Ravens (8-3) smoked Bengals (5-5), 34-20

Dolphins (7-3) got past Raiders (5-6), 20-13

Out the Back Window
Tanyard Shores, Glen Burnie, MD
November 20, 2023

3. This morning I woke up in Glen Burnie after a day of football and celebrating with family. We had a great time. I looked out the back window just as the sun was rising on the construction of the over-55 homes. It was an interesting scene against the colorful sky. 

4. Spin management. I think that the spin management SpaceX is doing over their recent rocket failure is amazing. I don't think they actually have admitted it failed--it just came up a bit short on the flight's objectives, but we still learned a lot. Yup, about how to fail and not admit it.

5. This is news, why? One headline (copied below) from the The Wall Street Journal this morning is about Travis and Taylor. This headline appeared top be above the fold. Why?

6. Today in HistoryTwenty-four high-ranking Nazis go on trial in Nuremberg, Germany, for atrocities committed during World War II beginning on November 20, 1945.

The Nuremberg trials were conducted by an international tribunal made up of representatives from the United States, the Soviet Union, France and Great Britain. It was the first trial of its kind in history, and the defendants faced charges ranging from crimes against peace, to crimes of war, to crimes against humanity. Lord Justice Geoffrey Lawrence, the British member, presided over the proceedings, which lasted 10 months and consisted of 216 court sessions.

On October 1, 1946, 12 architects of Nazi policy were sentenced to death. Seven others were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 10 years to life, and three were acquitted. Of the original 24 defendants, one, Robert Ley, committed suicide while in prison, and another, Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, was deemed mentally and physically incompetent to stand trial. Among those condemned to death by hanging were Joachim von Ribbentrop, Nazi minister of foreign affairs; Heinrich Himmler, leader of the Gestapo; Alfred Jodl, head of the German armed forces staff; and Wilhelm Frick, minister of the interior.


On October 16, 1946, 10 of the architects of Nazi policy were hanged. Goering, who at sentencing was called the “leading war aggressor and creator of the oppressive program against the Jews,” committed suicide by poison on the eve of his scheduled execution. Nazi Party leader Martin Bormann was condemned to death in absentia (but is now believed to have died in May 1945). Trials of lesser German and Axis war criminals continued in Germany into the 1950s and resulted in the conviction of 5,025 other defendants and the execution of 806.




IDF takes CNN to tunnel shaft near Gaza hospital. Here’s what we saw - CNN

Former first lady Rosalynn Carter has died - CNN

SpaceX loses megarocket in second test flight - CNN

Nasdaq leads Wall St higher as Microsoft hits record high - Reuters

Trump gag order appeal faces skeptical reception in US court - Reuters

US defense chief Austin visits Kyiv as questions swirl over aid to Ukraine - Reuters

Travis Kelce Opens Up About Taylor Swift and What Comes Next - The Wall Street Journal

The Era of Total U.S. Submarine Dominance Over China Is Ending - The Wall Street Journal
 


-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD

Monday, November 13, 2023

Monday Musings - November 13, 2023


 

1. The three-day weekend is over and the slide into Thanksgiving is beginning. This is the second Monday of November and there are just two Mondays remaining in the month. There are only six Mondays remaining in the year. In seven short weeks 2023 will be in the history books. 

2. Programming note: Six weeks from today in Christmas!

Juno Beach Artisan Festival
Juno Beach, FL
November 12, 2023
3. The weather has been hot lately, mid-80s. We went to an artisan festival yesterday along the ocean in Juno Beach and it was almost too hot, without a breeze, to even want to buy anything. Looking at the image, the ocean is on the other side of the foliage to the right. 

4. Family NFL Report. It was a mixed day for the family teams which went 2-2. The Dolphins did not play and my TV only showed either Jacksonville or Tampa at 1PM, ugh!

Commanders (4-6) lost to Seahawks (6-3), 26-29

Cowboys (6-3) mangled Giants (2-8), 49-17

Steelers (6-3) survived Packers (3-6), 23-19

Ravens (7-3) snatched defeat from the Browns (6-3), 31-33

Dolphins (6-3) on a bye

Atlantic Ocean
Juno Beach, FL
November 12, 2023
5. Is anyone else concerned that Ukraine has dropped off the media reporting and the Putin may be using this as cover for a major offensive?

6. The ocean was beautiful yesterday. The sun was hot and the wind refreshing. I was not able to actually enjoy being on the beach or in the water, but I was refreshed just by looking out on the vastness of the ocean.

7. Today in History. November 13, 1982. Near the end of a weeklong national salute to Americans who served in the Vietnam War, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C. after a march to its site by thousands of veterans of the conflict. The long-awaited memorial was a simple V-shaped black-granite wall inscribed with the names of the 57,939 Americans who died in the conflict, arranged in order of death, not rank, as was common in other memorials.

The designer of the memorial was Maya Lin, a Yale University architecture student who entered a nationwide competition to create a design for the monument. Lin, born in Ohio in 1959, was the daughter of Chinese immigrants. Many veterans’ groups were opposed to Lin’s winning design, which lacked a standard memorial’s heroic statues and stirring words. However, a remarkable shift in public opinion occurred in the months after the memorial’s dedication. Veterans and families of the dead walked the black reflective wall, seeking the names of their loved ones killed in the conflict. Once the name was located, visitors often made an etching or left a private offering, from notes and flowers to dog tags and cans of beer.


Johnson pleads for a break from GOP hardliners - CNN

US hit targets affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Syria after attacks on forces - CNN

Israeli tanks at gates of main Gaza hospital where patients trapped in 'circle of death' - Reuters

Zelenskiy tells Ukrainians to prepare for Russian winter onslaught - Reuters

Russian state media withdraw alerts on troop 'regrouping' in southern Ukraine - Reuters

China’s Spending on Green Energy Is Causing a Global Glut - The Wall Street Journal

Israel Warns of Wider War as It Presses On in Gaza - The Wall Street Journal

U.S. strikes kill Iranian proxies in Syria, officials say, a significant escalation - The Washington Post

Sen. Tim Scott suspends 2024 GOP presidential bid - The Washington Post


-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Monday, November 6, 2023

Monday Musings - November 6, 2023

 


1. November arrived. Daylight Saving Time is gone. It is the first Monday of November and there are only seven Mondays remaining in the year. Ugh.

2. Family NFL Report. It was a good week for the family teams that went 3-1. Remember, the Dolphins are not a family team, but they are my local team.

Commanders (4-5) overcame Patriots (2-7), 20-17

Cowboys (5-3) were clawed-up by Eagles (8-1), 23-28

Steelers (5-3) survived Titans (3-5), 20-16

Ravens (7-2) defeathered Seahawks (5-2), 37-3

Dolphins (6-3) were scalped by Chiefs (7-2), 14-21

 

Atlantic Ocean along South Beach Road
Jupiter Island, FL
November 5, 2023

3. I made a discovery after my 17 mile ride with Chris along the ocean yesterday. Two of the spokes were broken on my back wheel. So, it was off to the bike store for a repair. I hope to have my wheel back today. The weather is beautiful and I would really love a ride. The ride yesterday was windy, but fun although the crosswind experienced while crossing the drawbridge span with cars right on my knee was a bit disconcerting. 

4. I really wish that Congress had done away with the need to go back on Standard Time. The dark season has truly arrived. It was dark here by 6 PM last evening. 

5. Liars lie more creatively and apparently have no idea what is really true. The following is from ABC News: Donald Trump has claimed that he won all 50 states in the 2020 US election at a Florida event where two of his rivals for the Republican presidential primaries were booed for suggesting the party should dump the former president before his legal woes catch up with him. (ABC News Australia) Now we all know that his statement is not true. But, the lies, false news, and total break from reality continue. When will this person be legally declared incompetent due to his break from reality? The more he talks, the more outrageous his claims become. Soon he may declare the he and not Neil Armstrong was the first man to set foot on the moon.

6. 10 Pathological Liar Signs

How do you recognize a pathological liar? Consistent lying and making up stories are the primary signs of pathological lying. Typical pathological liar signs in young adults include:

  1. Embellishing lies with extensive details 
  2. Telling dramatic and highly unlikely stories
  3. Appearing anxious while talking
  4. Getting defensive when confronted about a lie
  5. Constantly changing their story or being vague when questioned 
  6. Lying about something even when there’s no reason to 
  7. Seeming unconcerned with being caught in a lie
  8. Feeling a “high” when they get away with lying
  9. Passing off a story someone else told as their own
  10. Acting in ways that don’t match their words


7. Today in HistoryOn November 6, 1962, the United Nations General Assembly adopts a resolution condemning South Africa’s racist apartheid policies and calling on all its members to end economic and military relations with the country.

In effect from 1948 to 1993, apartheid, which comes from the Afrikaans word for “apartness,” was government-sanctioned racial segregation and political and economic discrimination against South Africa’s non-white majority. Among many injustices, Black South Africans were forced to live in segregated areas and couldn’t enter whites-only neighborhoods unless they had a special pass. Although white South Africans represented only a small fraction of the population, they held the vast majority of the country’s land and wealth.




Trump heads to the witness stand as polls show him leaping past Biden - CNN

US guided missile sub surfaces in Middle East, sending message of deterrence to regional adversaries - CNN

After a $1.8 billion verdict, the clock is ticking on the 6% real estate commission - CNN

 Ex-evangelical on what will cause White evangelicals to abandon Trump - CNN

Israel steps up Gaza strikes, pressure grows over civilian casualties - Reuters

Exclusive: China's clashing priorities behind rare money market distress - Reuters

Eyeing North Korea, Tokyo holds first missile evacuation drill in years - Reuters

Blinken Rushes to Reassure Arab Allies in Surprise Trips - The Wall Street Journal

Foreign Firms Pull Billions in Earnings Out of China - The Wall Street Journal



-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL


 

Monday, October 30, 2023

Monday Musings - October 30, 2023

 


1. Happy Halloween. The 5th Monday of October has arrived along with the Halloween season. Today is the last Monday of the month and that means there are only 8 Mondays remaining in the year! 

2. The clocks Fall Back next Sunday morning, November 5th as Daylight Saving Time (DST) ends. They were not supposed to fall back, but our dear Congress, well actually the House of Representatives, failed to act on the bill passed by the Senate last year and we remain observing DST.

3. Family NFL Report. It was a mixed day for the family teams who went 2-2. Programming note: The Dolphins are not a family team, but as they are my local team, I track them here.

Commanders (4-4) lost to Eagles (7-1), 31-38

Cowboys (5-2) clobbered Rams (3-5), 43-20

Steelers (4-3) were chewed-up by Jaguars (6-2), 10-20

Ravens (6-2) survived Cardinals (1-7), 31-24

Dolphins (6-2) drowned Patriots (2-6), 31-17

4. Hypocrite. That describes the new Speaker of the House. The Speaker says to read the Bible to see where he stands on issues, yet he fully supported the election lie. He further shows unwavering support for a man whose use of divisive rhetoric, personal attacks, and derogatory language has been criticized as un-Christian; coupled with anti-social behavior on social media, interactions with political opponents, the media, and other individuals, not to mention the allegations of sexual impropriety. The only word to describe such a man is hypocrite. 

5. Don't look now, but the holiday season is already upon us. Start your Christmas shopping early!

6. Today in History“The War of the Worlds”—Orson Welles's realistic radio dramatization of a Martian invasion of Earth—is broadcast on the radio on October 30, 1938.

Welles was only 23 years old when his Mercury Theater company decided to update H.G. Wells’s 19th-century science fiction novel The War of the Worlds for national radio. Despite his age, Welles had been in radio for several years, most notably as the voice of “The Shadow” in the hit mystery program of the same name. “War of the Worlds” was not planned as a radio hoax, and Welles had little idea of how legendary it would eventually become.

The show began on Sunday, October 30, at 8 p.m. A voice announced: “The Columbia Broadcasting System and its affiliated stations present Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater on the air in ‘War of the Worlds’ by H.G. Wells.”



UN warns of ‘growing hunger and desperation’ in Gaza as Israeli troops advance Show all - CNN











-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL


Monday, October 23, 2023

Monday Musings - October 23, 2023

 


1. October is flying by rapidly. Today is the 4th Monday of the month. There is 1 Monday remaining in October and only 9 remaining in 2023. 

2. Family NFL Report. The family teams did relatively well this week going 2-1 with one team on a bye. 

Commanders (3-4) lost to Giants (2-5), 7-14

Cowboys (4-2) are on a bye 

Steelers (4-2) stopped Rams (3-4), 24-17

Ravens (5-2) hunted down Lions (5-2), 38-6

Dolphins (5-2) were drowned by Eagles (6-1), 17-31

3. The self-proclaimed most intelligent man in the world is confused about bread. He wrote, on Truth Social, the following: “Sidney Powell was one of millions and millions of people who thought, and in ever increasing numbers still think, correctly, that the 2020 Presidential Election was RIGGED & STOLLEN, AND OUR COUNTRY IS BEING ABSOLUTELY DESTROYED BECAUSE OF IT!!! MS. POWELL WAS NOT MY ATTORNEY, AND NEVER WAS. In fact, she would have been conflicted,” (Reported by CNN) Perhaps he believes the election was "stolen", but it surely isn't "stollen".

4. Today is another boat day with friends. We will be exploring the ICW from the Manatee Pocket in Port Salerno on a pontoon boat. I have a beach stop already planned. Maybe there will be an early afternoon trip to Stuart. 

5. Holiday planning is underway. Chris and I have made our reservations for travel and will next be preparing for the end of year trips north. We are looking forward to seeing family and friends in Maryland. The three month hiatus, since the August golf tournament, has been long. 

6. Today in HistoryOn October 23, 2002, about 50 Chechen rebels storm a Moscow theater, taking up to 800 people hostage during a sold-out performance of a popular musical.

The second act of the musical “Nord Ost” was just beginning at the Moscow Ball-Bearing Plant’s Palace of Culture when an armed man walked onstage and fired a machine gun into the air. The terrorists—including a number of women with explosives strapped to their bodies—identified themselves as members of the Chechen Army. They had one demand: that Russian military forces begin an immediate and complete withdrawal from Chechnya, the war-torn region located north of the Caucasus Mountains.



Israeli official says no Gaza ceasefire after IDF clashes with Hamas - CNN

Reports: Trump told Mar-a-Lago member about calls with foreign leaders - CNN

The House GOP has taken Trump’s stunt politics to a new level - CNN

Iranian teen ‘brain dead’ following alleged assault by morality police - CNN

In northeast China, Russian and Chinese firms ink deals from manufacturing to agriculture - Reuters

China says it uncovered another spying case in US - Reuters

Chevron to buy Hess Corp for $53 billion in all-stock deal - Reuters

Israel-Hamas War Revives Interest in U.S. Production of Iron Dome Missiles - The Wall Street Journal

There’s Never Been a Worse Time to Buy Instead of Rent - The Wall Street Journal


-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Monday, October 16, 2023

Monday Musings - October 16, 2023

 


1. This is the third Monday of October! There are 10 Mondays remaining in 2023. Better start thinking about those Christmas decorations!

2. Family Football Results. It was a good week for the family teams. 

Commanders (3-3) defeated Falcons (3-3), 24-16

Cowboys (3-2) play tonight 

Steelers (3-2) had the a week off

Ravens (4-2) outlasted Titans (2-4), 24-16

Dolphins (5-1) sank Panthers (0-6), 42-21

3.  After reporting the weekend scores above, I have to write that I was entirely frustrated with the NFL yesterday. I was so disturbed that I did not watch a single game. I wanted to watch the Ravens play in London, but that was carried only on the NFL network. Turns out my cable plan does not have the NFL network and I did not have any of my streaming services which had access meaning that I had to purchase the network separately. I watch one game per year on the Network, why am I going to purchase the network for one game? So I boycotted the day. 

From the North Fork Loxahatchee River Bridge
Tequesta, FL
October 15 ,2023
4. It was a beautiful morning yesterday and I headed our for a 16 mile ride. I crossed the same bridge that the day before I motored under. I stopped to take an image of the flat water and the solitary boat just outside of the main channel fishing. It was an idyllic scene. 

5. The flooring project is complete with only a small amount of painting to do in the powder room where we tool tile off the wall. I was able to get the wall prepped yesterday and expect to paint it today, thereby putting the exclamation point on the completion of the project. 

6. Today in HistoryOn October 16, 1934, the embattled Chinese Communists break through Nationalist enemy lines and begin an epic flight from their encircled headquarters in southwest China. Known as Ch’ang Cheng—the “Long March”—the retreat lasted 368 days and covered 6,000 miles, more than twice the distance from New York to San Francisco.

Civil war in China between the Nationalists and the Communists broke out in 1927. In 1931, Communist leader Mao Zedong was elected chairman of the newly established Soviet Republic of China, based in Jiangxi province in the southeast. Between 1930 and 1934, the Nationalists under Chiang Kai-shek launched a series of five encirclement campaigns against the Soviet Republic. Under the leadership of Mao, the Communists employed guerrilla tactics to resist successfully the first four campaigns, but in the fifth, Chiang raised 700,000 troops and built fortifications around the Communist positions. Hundreds of thousands of peasants were killed or died of starvation in the siege, and Mao was removed as chairman by the Communist Central Committee. The new Communist leadership employed more conventional warfare tactics, and its Red Army was decimated.




Senior House Republican says GOP members are ready to block Jordan - CNN

Conditions in Gaza are deteriorating dangerously under Israel’s siege, and the risk is growing of the long-running conflict spilling over regionally - CNN

The ‘Gaza metro’: The mysterious subterranean tunnel network used by Hamas - CNN

Gaza border crossing set to reopen as Israeli troops prepare ground assault - Reuters

Nervous markets eye Gaza as oil hovers above $90 - Reuters

Ceasefire plans stall as Israel intensifies strikes on Gaza - Reuters

Goldman Wants to Ditch Consumer Lending. Employees Can’t Wait. - The Wall Street Journal

Home Sales on Track for Slowest Year Since Housing Bust - The Wall Street Journal


-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Monday, October 9, 2023

Monday Musings - October 9, 2023


 

1. October continues moving forward. Today is the second Monday of the month. There are 11 Mondays remaining in the year. Christmas decorations are already adorning the stores. 

2. Happy Indigenous Peoples Day, formerly Columbus Day, celebrated. For those of you so blessed, enjoy the holiday. 

Halloween Display
Tequesta, FL
October 8, 2023
3. The Halloween season is upon us. Chris and I found a very extensive display during our bike ride yesterday. It was too much to attempt to show all of it, but we did note a new addition for a recent departed singer. 

4. It was a tough day for the birds of Baltimore yesterday. The Ravens blew the game in Pittsburgh and the Orioles got their wings clipped in Baltimore. It was the first Ravens game of the season that I could actually watch on TV. I wanted to turn it off. The Orioles game was also ugly, but the Birds made it respectable at the end. Hopefully, their late inning success will carry forward as the best of 5 series moves to Texas with the Orioles in an 0-2 hole. 

5. Family NFL report. It was a tough weekend in the NFL for the family teams. 

Commanders (2-3) gave first win to Bears (1-4), 20-40

Cowboys (3-2) failed to show for 49ers (5-0), 10-42

Steelers (3-2) clipped Ravens (3-2), 17-10

Dolphins (4-1) drowned Giants (1-4), 31-16

6. This Monday finds the world in complete crisis. Putin believes that Ukraine can be defeated in a week and our attention has been diverted from there to the attacks on Israel. In the U.S. the forces of chaos and repression appear to be gaining strength and power to potentially destroy the economy and remove our country as a stabilizing force in the world. 

7. Today in HistoryOn October 9, 1967, socialist revolutionary and guerrilla leader Che Guevara, age 39, is killed by the Bolivian army. The U.S.-military-backed Bolivian forces captured Guevara on October 8 while battling his band of guerrillas in Bolivia and executed him the following day. His hands were cut off as proof of death and his body was buried in an unmarked grave. In 1997, Guevara’s remains were found and sent back to Cuba, where they were reburied in a ceremony attended by President Fidel Castro and thousands of Cubans.

Ernesto Rafael Guevara de la Serna was born to a well-off family in Argentina in 1928. While studying medicine at the University of Buenos Aires, he took time off to travel around South America on a motorcycle; during this time, he witnessed the poverty and oppression of the lower classes. He received a medical degree in 1953 and continued his travels around Latin America, becoming involved with left-wing organizations. In the mid 1950s, Guevara met up with Fidel Castro and his group of exiled revolutionaries in Mexico. Guevara played a key role in Castro’s seizure of power from Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959 and later served as Castro’s right-hand man and minister of industry. Guevara strongly opposed U.S. domination in Latin America and advocated peasant-based revolutions to combat social injustice in Third World countries.




Israel defense minister orders 'complete closure' of Gaza - CNN

 ‘Everything will be over in a week’: Putin is counting on the Western alliance that backs Ukraine to fracture - CNN

Inside Asia's arms race: China near 'breakthroughs' with nuclear-armed submarines, report says - Reuters

Death toll from flash floods in Indian Himalayan climbs to 74, scores missing - Reuters

Russian parliament bosses to discuss revoking ratification of nuclear test ban treaty - Reuters

Home Depot Tracked a Crime Ring and Found an Unusual Suspect - The Wall Street Journal

Can Lawmakers Boost Ukraine Aid by $50 Billion—or Even More? - The Wall Street Journal


-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

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