My Take: Too Much Reality TV

Yes, I watched some of the most recent Republican debate last evening. I compare it to the "Gunfight at the OK Corral." There were definitely a lot of shots fired.

And then there were four
March 3, 2016

The four remaining Republican candidates took to the airwaves again to enlighten us as to why we should elect them President in November. 

For three of the men, the evening can be summed up in the following paragraph extracted from the New York Times article titled, In Republican Debate, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio Wage Urgent Attacks on Donald Trump

At times, the face-off in Detroit also deteriorated into the kind of junior high school taunts that have startled many Republican elders but have done little to dent Mr. Trump’s broad appeal. As Mr. Trump and Mr. Rubio traded insults over their manhood, Mr. Trump recalled Mr. Rubio’s innuendo that Mr. Trump’s “small hands” correlated with another part of his anatomy.

My Take? Unless these guys can stop slandering each other and begin to propose solid mean to get our dysfunctional government working again, I am pretty much done with all three of them. 

The only candidate on the stage who has meaningful proposals was largely overlooked in the media bloodbath that the media would have us believe is a debate. He was mentioned only once in the article I referenced above.

The fourth candidate, Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, who has positioned himself as the positive-sounding and seasoned executive in the race, largely stuck to that strategy. But Mr. Kasich, who is lagging far behind Mr. Trump and the other candidates, struggled to leave a mark in the debate.

Gov Kasich left his mark by not lowering himself into the mudslinging into which the debates and the campaigning have degenerated. Sadly, I am sure he will soon be out of the race.

The media and the candidates have allowed the presidential primary season to become a reality TV show.

It is reality and it is just as bad as any other reality show currently being offered, the problem is--this one has real consequences not just for our country, but for the world.

My Take: We need substance and not sensationalism to help us elect the next leader of the free world!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Boys of Summer Return

Grapefruit League Scores March 2, 2016
Washington Post

Yesterday, for the second day in a row, I was able to check the baseball scores and find that games had been played! It made me happy.

The results don't make me particularly happy, but the idea that I can check the scores and see that Major League Baseball Spring Training games had been played warmed me against the steadily falling temperatures that I experienced yesterday.

Even better? Next week I will be climbing onto a Southwest Airlines 737 and heading to the warmth of South Florida to experience some of the games in person!

Since I have been to both of the stadiums in which I will be watching games, I know what to expect and that is simply--bright sunshine, blue skies, and the need to apply copious amounts of sunscreen! 

To say that I am excited is an understatement. The idea of getting away to Florida to enjoy an early taste of Springtime is very appealing. I am already beginning to think about wearing shorts, flip flops, and short sleeve shirts. Although, as I look at the temperature forecasts, the highs in Sarasota are projected to be 79-81 degrees while in Elkridge, the highs are going to be relatively warm topping out in the 60's and low 70's. 

But Florida has palm trees! And baseball! And Golf! and Sunshine!

Baseball is warming up in the bullpen, and with it the return of summer, pools, and outdoor living.

Maybe the groundhog was right about an early Spring!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

A Year in Space

Scott Kelly has returned to Earth! Safely. That may not seem like such a big deal to most of us, but for him I believe the readjustment is going to be interesting. 

As reported by the New York Times in the article titled, Scott Kelly, American Astronaut, Returns to Earth after 340 Days in Space,  Scott set a record for consecutive days in space by an American. Couples with his other trips off the planet, he has spent 540 days in space.

I can only imagine how it feels to be reacquainted with gravity.  Going from the relative freedom of microgravity and back to full gravity will likely take some adjustment. I wonder how long it takes a body to fully recover so that every step or breath is not painful?

Scott Kelly's Last Tweet from Space
The Sunrise

It was written that he observed 10,944 sunrises and sunsets! That is almost 30 years worth of sunrises and sunsets in less than a year! That would, in an of itself, be a spectacular experience. Living in a container for almost a year, however, is not something that I long to do, even with the incredible view. I have come to appreciate the smell of the morning and the feeling of the breeze upon my face.

Scott Kelly is an American hero! We have forgotten the time when astronauts received ticker-tape parades through New York City and the entire country celebrated their achievements. I believe we have become too focused upon the mundane and the political upheavals to allow our imaginations to soar away from the planet anymore even as the possibilities are becoming reality.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Super Tuesday

Arundel Park Golf Range
February 29, 2016

March has arrived! I cannot believe that it is already the third month of the year, although I am happy to bid farewell to February. What a crazy month it was. From frigid temperatures to top-down-driving-with-your-hair-on-fire sunshine splashed warmth to close out the month.

Arundel Park

I regret that I was not able to get in a round of golf during the month, although yesterday I did make it to the practice range for a few bucket to begin trying to get my swing in shape before next week's golf trip to Florida. I was surprised that the range was empty. I even found a rare left-handed tee box right in the front of the entry instead of having to go all the way to one end.

But on to today--it is Super Tuesday. I'm not sure why they decided to call today's primary extravaganza "Super" and not "Insane" or something like that, but I already know what will dominate the news. I wished I lived in a state that was holding its primary today and that way it would all be over except the shouting. 

I am not going to make a prediction about the outcome of today's primary voting except to say that I believe one clear candidate will emerge for each party and that the rest of the primaries will be dedicated to confirming that candidates ability to win the primary on the first vote during this summer's conventions.

I remain disappointed over the media coverage and the debates.I do not believe that the American people get to adequately examine all of the candidates when the media coverage is provided commensurate with the shock effect of the individual candidates. In my estimation, each of the top five candidates (3 Republican and 2 Democrat) have significant deficits which make them less than optimal choices to be President.  

It is time to choose! I wish I could go golfing.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - February 29, 2016

1. Happy Leap Day! It is February 29th!

Snow Along the Fence of my Yard

2. Small patches of snow remain around my yard from the last big snow. I hope they are gone soon.

3. Daylight saving time returns in two short weeks! 

Wine and Munchies on a Saturday
Fauquier county Wine Tasting & Competition

4. One great was to spend an afternoon is with friends judging wines at a competition. We had a great time at this year's Fauquier County Wine Tasting and Competition. 

5. I discovered that Virginia has ceased production of its annual wine trail map and that it is only available via the web. While I laud their use of electronics, I have been at more than one Virginia winery without internet service which will make it hard to get to another winery.

6. I saw this sign at a local Middle School yesterday. It embodies the idea of "closed more often to serve you better."

7. The youth basketball season ended yesterday for Ethan and Jackson. I witnessed two close and exciting games. One saw the what would have been the winning basket hit the rim and fall away after the buzzer sounded and the other saw a flurry of shots all miss which cemented a win after five scoreless minutes in the final period.

February 28, 2016
Enjoying the Afternoon as it Passes into Evening

8.  I have been attending many youth games this past year but it wasn't until the Dad that coaches Jackson's basketball team looked at me in the hallway yesterday and said, "it's baseball season now, over to you," that it really struck me that I am not just an observer but an active participant in teaching sports to young and active people. 

9. Golf season is getting close, I was hitting balls yesterday and feeling good about my swing. 

10. Sipping wine around the fire table at the end of a beautiful day which saw the convertible being driven with the top down. What a great way for February to meld into March.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Democratic Primary Reflections

I watched the results from South Carolina's primary pour in last evening and I was struck by the lopsided results.

Results from Democratic Primary in South Carolina | InsideGov

What bothers me is the emphasis on monitoring the results across ethnicities. I have been concerned all along about the way particular candidates seem to be targeting specific ethnic groups. 
CNN reporting in an article titled Hillary Clinton crushes Bernie Sanders in South Carolina: 5 takeaways this morning provided some initial analysis of Clinton's recent Nevada and South Carolina victories. Some excerpts:

Clinton's firewall of minority support held, helping her seal a close contest in Nevada and then turn South Carolina into her first dominant win of the 2016 race.

South Carolina's electorate climbed from 55% African-American in 2008 to 62% in 2016. And the vast majority of those voters -- 84% -- backed Clinton, according to exit polls.

This type of campaigning is also happening in the Republican primaries, however, with five candidates still in the race it does not seem as evident.

It seems that the campaign is becoming a race for race.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

A New Strategic Bomber for the Air Force

The Air Force has been discussing a new long range bomber for a few year now. They finally released a concept diagram of the bomber and it is diagrammed in a CNN article.  I have to say, it looks a lot like something that we already have. 

B-52G Taking Off

Supposedly, this bomber will finally be a replacement for the venerable and old B-52. The new bomber has been dubbed B-21. I wish I could understand the Air Force numbering system. There is a B-1, a B-2, a B-52, and the new bomber is B-21? Why not B-3? Or B-53? I know, it probably means that it is the bomber for the 21st century and if history is any guide, it will probably be flying into the 22nd century.

B-2 Bomber

According to another article, the Air Force wants to have 100 of the B-21's flying by the mid-2020's to replace the B-1B's and B-52H's. Good luck with that. Note, the B-52H is the only version of the B-52 remaining in operations, but I am kind of partial to the B-52G since those were the versions of the bomber being flown by the bombardment wing to which I was assigned as a young lieutenant in the Air Force.

Well, I guess we do need a new design for the 21st century. Oops, I though I wrote new design? The new bomber looks a lot like an old bomber. I wonder why?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Another Debate--More of the Same

The debate season remains in full swing, and they all seem to be the same. Last evening the Republicans held another in an unnumbered series of debates. 

The back biting continues.

Who of these people really deserves our votes to be president?

Someone needs to propose a plan. 

How come it seems that thing new ever comes out of these debates. I wonder if any of the candidates actually debated during school?

These debates are more like an afternoon fights behind the high school stadium between bullies--no rules and no intelligence required.

I was disappointed last evening to hear the reality TV programming continue. As I read the news assessments of who won, I remain disappointed that the winner was decided by assessing which candidate was able to tear apart the other candidates and not based upon which candidate laid out the best vision for the country.

I suppose the debates will continue, they do provide some sideshow comedic relief on an otherwise dark and gloomy night.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

A Dark and Stormy night

"It was a dark and stormy night . . . " I seem to remember Snoopy starting many stories with this phrase and never finishing it.

Last evening was truly dark and stormy. We were out in the worst of it driving home from a local restaurant. 

How do you know it is raining hard?

1. The rain comes down in torrents. (I never really knew what a torrent was until last evening)

2. The rain looks like it is running uphill.

3. The tail lights of the car in front are almost visible. 

4. The lines on the road are invisible.

5. The person in the passenger seat asks if the headlights are on.

I receive emergency notices from the county and my phone was blowing-up last night. Between the tornado watch, thunderstorm warning, and flood warnings it was difficult to concentrate on dinner. Even though I had the sound turned off, the phone was still vibrating in my pocket every few seconds as the storm raged around us while we were in the restaurant. 

Where does the phrase "It was a dark and stormy night . . . " come from? 

According to Wikipedia, the phrase comes from the original opening sentence of the novel Paul Clifford:

It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents — except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.

.

Last night, the opening sentence was all too true, except I was in Elkridge and the flame of the lamps was in fact the glow of the headlights.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

From Under the Snow

Flowers Growing Under the Snow

As the snow melted, there they were. Hidden in a place that earlier in the week covered by a foot of snow, the green plants of springtime were waiting for the sun.

And there they were right there hidden in plain sight, waiting for me to discover them. 

They had grown under the expanse of snow, protected form the frigid cold waiting for the warmer weather, much like me.

Springtime is beginning to push winter out of the way making ready for the green again. I love the green of spring. Green is the color that goes away during the dark season. I love the green. 

I have an urge to get onto a golf course, why? Because it is green.

I want to mow my lawn, why? Because it is green!

My lawn is brown, but it too, has been growing under the snow and the warm temperatures and rain will soon return it to green--the color of life and shamrocks! Did I mention that St Patrick's Day is coming? Even sooner, I will be heading to Sarasota for palm trees and Spring Training.

There is hope for Spring because some plants were growing under the snow.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD