Missile Silo for Sale

I'm not sure I could live underground--but an old missile silo might be a great place to become a mushroom grower.

A New York Times article about Parcel for Sale: Plenty of Space. Very Quiet. Light? Well . . .  describes a closed missile silo for sale near Roswell, New Mexico. 

Dark--not maintained, but very inexpensive by comparison.

An abandoned intercontinental ballistic missile silo for less than $295,000. Wow!

What would I do with a missile silo? 

I'm not sure. Think of the history. A living relic of the Cold War. I would miss the sunshine, so I probably would not live in it.  I guess I don't need a missile silo in New Mexico. 

I hear there isn't much of a beach there, anyway. Lots of sand, but not a lot of seashore.

I wonder if grapes grow there?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Food with Integrity

Ever heard that phrase? I hadn't until yesterday when I read the article, Why Chipotle’s pork problem is a bad sign for its future, in the Washington Post. The article says, "Chipotle said yesterday that it has stopped serving pork at a third of its restaurants, or some 600 establishments countrywide, citing a standards violation by one of its suppliers. It marks the first time the burrito slinger has been forced to pull a topping from its menu."

I was intrigued. A fast food retailer that is committed to high standards throughout its process? It really had my attention. 

I found this article to be a refreshing approach by a popular company and which flies in the face of the prevalent "cut as many corners as you can to make a profit" mindset which seems widely employed. 

And, I like Chipotle.

The transgression? "The reason Chipotle has been forced to pull carnitas from so many of its menus is that one of its pork suppliers—likely a very large pork supplier, given how vast the impact has been—wasn't treating its pigs in a way that met the company's standards," according to the Washington Post article.

Good for them!

We need more of this type of integrity. Hopefully, standards will improve for everyone if big, important marketers subscribe to high standards and refuse to do business with those who don't.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

What is Wrong with Football?

This weekend it became apparent to be what is wrong with both the NCAA and NFL variety of football.

Money!

Love of money is the root of all evil and it is clear that the NCAA and NFL have sold their souls for the pursuit of fame and fortune.

Here are cases in point.

The NCAA Championship game played Monday night was watched by 33 million people on a cable channel according to an article published by The Hollywood Reporter. A cable channel that costs extra money for most subscribers to receive and that cannot be received by non-cable subscribers. Why wasn't it on a over-the-air channel? Money. Even though the players in NCAA games receive no pay for their efforts and risk of injury, ESPN paid the NCAA $7.3 Billion to host the championship games for 12 years. 

On to the NFL and the Dallas Cowboy catch that wasn't.

I have looked at the replay of the catch. I have read the rules. I have seen other catches during the course of many NFL seasons that were disallowed because of "failure to control the ball through contact with the ground." 

In the Dallas game--it was a catch. Everyone knows it was a catch--we could see it. The problem is that the rules were written because of the millions of dollars riding on every play and the need to take rational judgement out of the game. Hence the phrase, "by rule." That is a way for the referees to say, "even though I know it was a catch I can't call it a catch because there are too many dollars involved to let me use my best judgment."

The catch was a catch--and the rules need to be fixed. And the Dallas play was not the only bad "no catch" call of the season.

The game suffers and the fans lose interest.

Every time there is a TV timeout in the middle of a drive--the game also suffers. It ruins the flow of the game. TV timeouts should only occur during change of possession situations. 

Look on the sidelines for the person in the big orange gloves. They are not a member of the officiating crew--they are part of the broadcast team and they are the ones controlling the pace of the game. They get paid to maximize profit for the broadcast company because the company has already paid an incredible fortune to the league for the right to broadcast the game. Their motivation is purely profit oriented.

What is being broadcast in TV and digitally is no longer football, but a game designed to generate profit. The game bears little resemblance to that being played on the sandlots and by the high schools across the country.

The game needs to be fixed and the impact of the money controlled.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Garbage Becomes a Mounting Problem

An article in the New York Times about the return of garbage incinerators highlights an issue that our society needs to address. 

Garbage.

And I am not talking about the trash along the sides of the roadway, but rather the crushing load of garbage, estimated at 4.4 pounds per person per day.

I was shocked by that characterization of the amount of garbage per person per day until I took the trash out this morning. We generate a lot of garbage. I recycle aggressively and there is still a lot of garbage.

I looked into the trash and what did I find? Gratuitous packaging. There is a website devoted to over packaging called, simply, overpackaging. It is an interesting review. I feel that there is far too much packaging around products and that is needlessly contributing to the garbage crisis. 

I bought a new shirt over the weekend--it took me no less than five minutes to unpack the shirt with all of the plastic and straight pins and card board to make it look good. I still had to iron it before I wore it--so what was the purpose of all of the packaging--looks!


Likewise the apples purchased from Costco--the certainly look nice, but is all of the plastic really necessary around each apple? I think not.

One of the worst packaging offenders are razor blade makers. Huge packaging surrounding a small plastic container of razor blades--in fact I think razor blades are 95 percent packaging and 5 percent blades. 

Even new cars are over packaged. I have seen new cars covered with paper almost shrink wrapped, on their way to the dealers. 

Grappling with garbage is going to become a bigger issue soon. One way we can help is to demand minimal packaging. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - January 12, 2015

1. It has not just been cold--it has been frigid! I am definitely living too far north. 

2. Well, for me, the NFL season is over as the Ravens lost a very exciting game to the Patriots. It was a great game and it was very well played. Pitchers and catchers report in 39 days.

3. Bad weather becomes the lead news story in our area, be it ice, snow, or wind and rain.

4. Makayla loves the snow. I, however, am not a fan.

5. The NFL is hopelessly broken. The rules are subject to so much interpretation that they need on field lawyers to interpret them--and then when they get the letter of the rule right, it still seems wrong. The Washington Post has a nice article that reviews the rule, the catch, and the problem from the Dallas-Green Bay game yesterday. 

6. Ice--who needs an ice storm and freezing rain for the morning rush hour? At least I don't have to drive in it and can wait until the worst is over.

7. The temperature made it up almost to 40 degrees yesterday and it seemed so warm that I was outside grilling in just a light jacket. 

8. I saw images on Facebook of a friend playing golf in one of the southern states. I wish it was warm enough to play golf here. The sun was shining yesterday, but the course was snow covered.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Game is Pure in the Neighborhood Gym

Basketball season is finally underway. No, not the NBA or NCAA, or even high school seasons, but the local youth leagues have finally begun playing games this season.

There is not a lot of hype and there certainly are not any big named players in the 9-12 year old league. Just a lot of kids and parents and volunteers who gather for practices during the week and weekend games to help develop an understanding and love for the game. 

The game played by the pros and college often bears no resemblance to the version on display at the neighborhood recreation center. They have taken the sport to a level where the game seems very different, and I suppose that is to be expected. 

Yesterday, I reconnected with youth basketball as Ethan, wearing Michael Jordan's number 23, played his first Upward Sports league game of the season. It was an event, as always. The teams gathered and I have to admit that this year it looked a lot more like basketball than perhaps it has appeared in year past. 

The excitement of opening day was clearly present. The was some crisp passing, tenacious defense, and long range baskets. There were no egos or million dollar coaches striding the sidelines. There we no talking head sideline reporters or announcers giving the play-by-play or providing background color on the players. It was basketball.

I do have to cheer a bit. While the video is long, there is a really nice shot made by Ethan early in the game. I especially like his reaction as the shot goes in. It was so early that I was still adjusting to my camera and missed the top of the arc of the shot--but it is still pretty.

Enjoy the game for the game.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Presidential Olympics

Unbelievably, it is underway already. That would be the Presidential Olympics--as I call it. It happens every four years, like the olympics, but the ramp up begins earlier.

I am astounded that familiar families are already being talked about: Clinton, Bush, Romney to name a few.


Hasn't anyone figured out that we need some new ideas and different leadership? 

I downloaded the image of George Washington--I can almost believe he does not look happy about how the process to become President of the United States has evolved. Washington grudgingly accepted the office that now others spend millions of dollars to hold. It is too bad that the best person for the office of president may not be the richest or most supported person in the campaign. 

We need a president with a holistic approach who can lead our country in a bipartisan manner focused upon the needs of the country both domestic and foreign.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Can you spell C-O-L-D?

It was 7 degrees yesterday morning when I woke up. I warmed during the day and when I came home last evening it was all of 16.2 degrees. That was at 5:52 PM, I'm told the high crested at about 19 degrees.

Still below freezing.

Way below freezing. 

The ice in the driveway is still there. We bought salt finally last evening to help the ice disappear so we could be assured of not running through the garage door because the cars could not stop properly on the ice.

The forecast for the next 10 days shows the high to be 38 degrees--but not until Saturday, January 17th.

Amazingly, the temperatures climbed overnight to a balmy 23 degrees this morning! Perhaps the forecast is changing? At least the high for today is now supposed to be above freezing!

Come on. Let's have some warm weather back.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Civilization vs the Dark Ages

I was going to write about the single digit cold temperatures which have gripped the mid-Atlantic region of the country, but the executions and assassinations of 12 reporters and police which occurred in Paris, France, yesterday is more important than the weather. 

The attack on the newspaper Charlie Hebdo is an attack on civilization and freedom of expression. A New York Times Editorial piece titled The Charlie Hebdo Massacre in Paris, describes views views of the attack. In the editorial it was reported that, President François Hollande, speaking from outside the magazine’s office a couple of hours after the murder of 12 people, was crystal clear: This was an assault, he said, on “the expression of freedom” that is the “spirit of the republic.”

I saw the video of the cold blooded murder of a police officer on the Paris street. He had his hands in the air apparently asking for mercy as he was hopelessly outgunned. He was brutally killed. An article in this morning's New York Times titled ‘Dangerous Moment’ for Europe, as Fear and Resentment Grow, contains links to the video, should you desire to see it. 

The same forces of chaos and anarchy which brought the Western World the Dark Ages are at work again across the globe trying to isolate societies by attacking the very foundations of of civilization and creating fear among peace loving people everywhere. These forces were fully recognized on 9/11, and despite a declared War on Terror, they remain strong and continue to lash out.

The editorial writes, Just days after the 9/11 attacks, an editorial in the newspaper Le Monde declared: “We are all Americans.” In France, “Je suis Charlie” — “I am Charlie” — has gone viral as the words to show solidarity with the victims at Charlie Hebdo. This attack was an assault on freedom everywhere.

Je suis Charlie!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Icy Road Physics

My Yard at 5:10 PM on January 6, 2015

I am amazed at the lack of respect many drivers have for the weather and the resulting conditions on the roads. 

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to drive slowly to work in a huge traffic nightmare caused by snow and slippery conditions. The drivers who respected the lack of traction on the road caused by the snow did fine. Many, however, with 4-wheel drive SUVs did not fare so well. They, it seems, do not understand the physics of ice and roads. 

The physics of icy roads is simple: drive too fast and the ditch will catch you.

That is likely a better outcome than careening across a four lane highway to to end up in tangling with the oncoming traffic.

Weather Forecast Starting 7 January

Four-wheel drive vehicles stop and handle much the same as non-four-wheel drive vehicles--maybe a bit worse at times because they tend to be heavier. At slower speeds the all wheel drive vehicles have an advantage, but at higher speeds they are just heavier projectiles careening down the highway.

The scene in my yard when I arrived home was equally disturbing--snow and cold. I have been enjoying my still green lawn, but that now seems to have disappeared under the blanket of white. 

As I write this, the forecast is for the 20 degree reading on my thermometer to be the high for the day heading down near single digits overnight. The highest expected temperature during the next 10 days is expected to be 37 degrees--next Wednesday.

I don't think I'm going to be golfing anytime soon.

Drive safe out there.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD