Monday Musings - November 9, 2015

1. November has been extremely mild and enjoyable, prolonging a spectacular autumn for the region.

2. Veteran's Day is this week. Thank you to all who have served and who continue to serve!

3. It is good when the team I'm rooting for doesn't lose, even if they don't play. Go Ravens!

4. Scented candles are just a bit much! And they are polluting our home environments. 

5. It is baseball season, yet?

6. On this day in 1965, the great Northeast blackout happened.  I remember where I was when the lights went off.

7. I have had a cold that just keeps lingering. It is miserable.

8. This is only week two of standard time! And it keeps getting darker, earlier.

9. The end of predatory towing companies freedom to pillage and plunder may be in sight!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

My Take: News Media Run Amok

It has been clear for some time now, that the news media is over stepping their boundaries when it comes to reporting.

No longer, it seems, is the media, which I use as a collective term, satisfied to report the news of the day, they want to create the news.

No where is it more evident than the Presidential olympics. Why are the discussions of the candidates overshadowing more pressing news of the day? Because not only can the media report, but, they can create and then shape the news in a sensational manner.

The scary part is? Who will elect the next President? The news media! I have heard arguments about whether the media, collectively again, is liberal or conservative and it really does not matter. The shaping and uneven reporting does a disservice to Americans who depend upon the news media for information.

There needs to be something sensational every day!

It makes the ratings go up! And that means money. It does not equate to full and truthful reporting.

Not everything being reported is really news! A lot of it is opinion, beware.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

My Take: Police Abuses

I read a particularly disturbing article about a police chase in Louisiana this morning that continues to highlight the changing nature of police departments around our country. And this comes after a particularly rough summer where police abuses have been highlighted.

Jeremy Mardis Killed by Police Bullets in Louisiana

This story is perhaps the worst of all. It is set in rural Louisiana where apparently police involved in a car chase fired a number of bullets into a car earlier this week. According to one account, they fired 18 bullets into the SUV. At least 6 of those shots struck and killed 6 year old Jeremy Mardis who was strapped into his seat. The driver of the vehicle, Jeremy's father,  was unarmed and survived. The police allege that were attempting to apprehend the driver because of warrants which have not materialized. Two officers have been charged with 2nd degree murder. The tragedy? This story has not made the national news except as an afterthought. 

This comes after another young man was killed a few weeks ago after his car broke down along I-95 near Jupiter, Florida. 

And it comes after a summer of unrest around the country about the aggressive, shoot-first and ask questions later approach to law enforcement that is being employed.

This is not the 1930's with gangsters riding around the country laying trails of death and destruction behind them robbing banks and using automatic weapons. Innocent bystanders are being killed by direct fire!

I remember that, in olden times, the police were the servants of the people. When someone strayed, they packed the person up and took them home. An encounter with the police was not a life threatening event. Look at old TV shows how the police are portrayed--they lived in the neighborhoods they protected and knew the people. The police helped people and only addressed the most egregious violations.

We, apparently, have become a society intolerant of even the most minor transgression and the result has been the militarization of the police forces which have transformed them from being servants of the populace to being the enforcers first. 

I fear the abuses will continue.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

My Take: We have Lost the News

We are a news starved society, out of touch with what is happening in the world unless it is dramatic. Our major news sources are myopically focused upon the upcoming--still over a year away, election at the expense of keeping Americans in touch with what is going on around the world.

Does I really care what Donald Trump's current ranting is about, and is it news worthy? I think not!

Yes, most Americans may understand that a Russian airliner was downed, probably by ISIS/ISIL over the Sinai, but do they even know where the Sinai is?

How many people know that a dam burst in Brazil engulfing a community in a river of mud and killing at least 15?

Or that refugees from Syria and the Middle East are still trying to get into Europe?

How many have already forgotten that the Russians are actively fighting in Syria?

We live in a connected world, but we have blinders on. We ignore most of what is happening around us and form opinions based only upon what others are screaming at us.

We have lost perspective because we are not getting the full story, and are only hearing occasional sound bytes. Maybe it is because we are not reading the newspapers anymore. I know what I actually have a paper in my hands, I read a lot of the smaller stories that provide insights into what is going on around the world.

Journalism has become entertainment and we have lost the news and its critical perspective as a result.

And that is My Take!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

As the Cactus Blooms

Cactus Blooming

One of the interesting things that happens each year as Thanksgiving approaches is that our cactus blooms.

It is another one of those autumnal events that mark the ending of another year and the approach of the holiday season.

It is funny that the cactus sits around all year apparently doing nothing and unaware of the beauty of summer, but once November arrives it blossoms. 

We own two of the cactus--originally we thought that they were Christmas cactus, but now they apparently have become Thanksgiving cactus. Turns out, there are both Thanksgiving and Christmas cactus varieties AND it is possible to tell the difference between them! The linked article from the Clemson Cooperative Extension describes the cactus and an Easter relative as well. 

Another sign of the season--flowering cactus! 

Enjoy November. Well, as much as possible!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

My Take: November versus Christmas

I had the opportunity to accompany Chris into Target the other evening where the Halloween section was rapidly being replaced by the Christmas-related items for sale. 

What happened to November? They skipped right over the turkeys and the pilgrims. That is a holiday foul!

Maybe it is me; I just do not want to deal with the idea of Christmas. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas, it is the holiday shopping season that I could live without. The advertisements for Black Friday sales are already in full swing--and it isn't even Black Friday yet. 

How about  breather to enjoy the season that is and not rush headlong into the season that is coming.

Fireplace at Home

On Monday evening, we transitioned from Halloween to Thanksgiving. The house is adorned with pilgrims, pumpkins (not jack-o-lanterns), and turkeys.

There is more than enough time for December decorations, when the time comes. Let's not rush the season. I almost wish for January 2nd, when we can begin to get back to a normal pace of life. 

I we are going to rush something, let's skip over it all and get right to April and pool opening season!

Like that is going to happen.

Enjoy November and Thanksgiving. I know at least one member of my family thinks that Thanksgiving is the best holiday, ever! So let's enjoy it!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Autumn's Blast

My Neighbor's Trees in the Evening Light

Green has departed the forests, except for the evergreens. All of the leaves around my yard have turned and many trees are rapidly becoming bare as autumn hastens into winter. 

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.

I ran across this quote by Albert Camus yesterday and I was surprised that I never had heard it before. 

It is definitely true this autumn, when I have been appreciating the leaves as they don their autumn colors before falling into piles on my lawn ready to be swept back into the forest near the bases of the trees from which they fell.

Trees around my yard
November 2, 2015

Last evening was especially stunning as the setting sun accentuated the colors. I caught the sun reflecting off the clouds, silhouetting the nearly devoid of leaves trees around my yard. 

Sunset in the Window

It was a stark scene that foretells the winter that is to come.

I captured an interesting view of the sunset reflected in the window of Chris' car. I thought it to be interesting view of the sunset. 

And as the autumn deepens, sunset comes earlier and earlier, the dark season is at hand stifling the brilliance of the leaves.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - November 2, 2015

1. I can't believe that it is November already! It seems like yesterday, I was just closing the pool.

2. Happiness is something I can choose!

3. The Ravens won yesterday, they are no longer tied for the worst record in the NFL. Miracles do still happen.

GORC 80lb Wildcats after Playoff Win
November 1, 2015

4. The GORC Wildcats 80lb football team salvaged a 7-0 playoff win yesterday. Jax made a possible touchdown saving tackle on a kickoff return.

5. Congrats to the Kansas City Royals on winning the 2015 World Series. Now we can get down to business and start building the Orioles into a World Series contender.

Spruce Goose in Flight

6. On this day, in 1947, the Spruce Goose flew! It was its maiden and only flight.

7. Bad fog is cancelling flights and snarling traffic in the UK today.

8. I had another frustrating day on the golf course yesterday in that I didn't play as well as I believe that I can. I feel like I am close to playing really well, but each new round highlights another aspect of my game requiring attention.

9. China dropped its one-child policy! I think that is a win for the people of China. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Season of the Turkey

With the arrival of November, the Season of the Turkey is upon us!

As the Halloween decorations find their spots in boxes and before the onslaught of the Christmas season, there are a couple weeks of respite when the Season of the Turkey provides comic relief culminating with the celebration of Thanksgiving!

Wood to be Stacked

In preparation of the beginning of the Dark Season, coincident with the Season of the Turkey, I spent most all of yesterday working in the yard. There was wood to stack and grasses to cut from around the pool. It was a solid day of work, but the results were worth the effort.

Stacked and Ready for Winter

There is always so much to do to get ready for the season ahead and I was glad for nice weather to get most of it done. I made two trips to the landfill with trash and of course the grasses from around the pool to be recycled. I forgot to snap an image of the truck overloaded with the grasses, which were tightly strapped into place. It is always a bit comical to see how high they stack.

It was a bright and sunny autumn day, the culmination of which was Halloween and Trick or Treating. The numbers of children seemed lower this year, but the neighborhood parties were definitely increased. I was amazed at the obvious presence of the police to ensure the festivities were celebrated without incident. 

Autumn View of the Lawn
October 31, 2015

In the end, I was even able to hit a bucket of golf balls into my net and help my sore muscles stretch out after the stresses and strain of the day.

With each passing day, I am more ready for the Season of the Turkey. 

For now, I will take a deep breath and enjoy the pause before the craziness of the holiday season crashes upon me!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Halloween and the Zombie Apocalypse

Lucas: The Piñata must Die!

Coincident with the end of October, is one of those American observances--Halloween. The History Channel has a good exposé on the origins of Halloween. 

This paragraph from the History Channel article defines the context for the holiday as it evolved in America. 

Celebration of Halloween was extremely limited in colonial New England because of the rigid Protestant belief systems there. Halloween was much more common in Maryland and the southern colonies. As the beliefs and customs of different European ethnic groups as well as the American Indians meshed, a distinctly American version of Halloween began to emerge. The first celebrations included “play parties,” public events held to celebrate the harvest, where neighbors would share stories of the dead, tell each other’s fortunes, dance and sing. Colonial Halloween festivities also featured the telling of ghost stories and mischief-making of all kinds. By the middle of the nineteenth century, annual autumn festivities were common, but Halloween was not yet celebrated everywhere in the country.

Ethan in Costume

Tonight is that night that the "distinctly American version of Halloween," and the harvest celebration gets into full swing with the annual Trick or Treating which brings kids to the doors of many homes and parents follow along behind to keep them safe. 

I am not a huge fan of Halloween--but, I have come to appreciate the social exchange that occurs in many neighborhoods as neighbors meet, perhaps for the only time each year, on their doorsteps and neighborhoods are drawn together. 

Nicole, the Hostess in Costume

Last evening, I attended a Halloween party which embodies the good characteristics of the observance. Family and neighborhood friends got together, not so much to observe Halloween, but as a pretext to get together and enjoy some time away from the stresses of life. 

Tonight, I will wander a neighborhood following behind the grandchildren and their friends as we visit the holes of their neighbors. Along the way we will bee up with other neighbors that we know from years past and marvel as the growth of the kids i na year. We may exchange some punch or other adult beverage, and we will enjoy the youthful enthusiasm of the evening.

That is bad, how? I think some overly moralistic and self-anointed keepers of tradition need to get over themselves.

I do have a thought! What if the Zombie Apocalypse happened on Halloween? Would we know until it was too late? I don't want to get into a discussion of Zombies--according to the definition, they are fictional characters and they are best left that way.

They are fictional, right?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD