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

Winter Arrived

 

The Morning after the
First Storm of the Season
Elkridge, MD
December 17, 2020

With the storm that arrived earlier this week followed by the persistent cold temperatures and ice I believe that it is safe to conclude that Winter has arrived. 

The bare trees silhouetted by the red sunrise reflecting off the still present snow confirm my assessment. 

It is cold and icy. 

The new season begins officially this coming week with the dark season reaching its maximum effect on December 21st. It is time to settle in for the winter and stay safe from the coronavirus. 

My drive still has ice on it. I had thought the rain would melt the snow, which was more slush than snow, and so I did not use my newly acquired snow blower to clear the drive. I am pretty sure there will be more storms this season and so I will have the opportunity to turn gasoline into noise and remove the snow from my driveway soon enough. We could not get lucky enough for this to be the only storm to pass our way. 

And so it begins! 

-- 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

While we were Distracted

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PHOTO: REN JUNCHUAN/XINHUA/ASSOCIATED PRESS

A Wall Street Journal headline this morning was a stunning reminder of how myopically inwardly focused the U.S. has become while other countries continue to gain technologically reducing our competitive advantage.

The image is "recovery crew members check on capsule of the Chang’e 5 probe after it landed in Siziwang district, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, in this photo released by Xinhua News Agency" from the Wall Street Journal article referenced below

The headline:

China Moon Mission Ends as Lunar Probe Returns to Earth With Fragments

Yes, we are dealing with failed foreign policies, failed domestic policies, and a runaway pandemic. We waited for a vaccine while over 300,000 Americans died and another 300,000 are expected to perish before the promise of "herd immunity" becomes a reality.

But, our competitors are still out there and they are not pausing while we try to get out of the box we have put ourselves into.

It didn't have to be this way. 

It should not have been this way. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

My New Gym Buddy

 

Until September, I had maintained a gym membership for many years. Originally, Chris and I took the membership to improve fitness. And we were very diligent for some time, but eventually the membership evolved to just me and I used the gym exclusively to play racquetball. 

Fast forward to 2020--the year which cannot end too quickly. 

With arrival of the end of September, the club/gym to which I belonged to play racquetball closed because it could not compete with COVID. I played racquetball infrequently through October at an outdoor court, but when the second surge began--it was determined that I should sit it out until Spring. It really is tough to play racquetball on outdoor courts in the cold, rain and snow. Additionally, with the daylight hours being so short--it is hard to finds a time to play. I have been playing racquetball mostly at about 5:30 AM with the exceptions being for leagues and occasional special meetings. It is just dark too at 5:30 most of the year to play outside. 

Enter my new gym buddy!

Meet the NordicTrack S22i Studio Cycle. It had been suggested that I call it the Mean Machine. I'm thinking about that. 

I rescued my new gym buddy from Dick's on Sunday and have completed three sessions totaling about 15 miles of riding through Glacier National Park. So far, I love it. I enjoy the rides and they are challenging. Riding the cycle at home is far more time efficient than driving to the gym and then home or to work for that same workout. AND, the added benefit is that I am hoping that I will not be soft and fat when I can again take the court and swing a racquetball racket or walk onto the golf course and whack away impotently at the little white ball which continues to vex me.

After only three rides it is hard to offer a recommendation, but I did my homework. I compared the S22i to its competitors (one of which I really wanted) and, so far, I am extremely happy with my choice. The assembly was not too difficult and as you can see from the picture, I still have not taken all of the packaging off the cycle. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Cold, wet, white stuff

 

It works! It is alive!

In advance of the expected 10 inches of snow beginning tomorrow night, I was able to get my newly acquired snowblower started last evening after replacing the carburetor. I also performed an oil change and replaced the spark plug. The snowblower had not been operated in three years and it did not start the last time that me and my neighbors, who gave it to me when they moved, attempted to use it. 

The video documents the sweet sound of success as the snowblower engine operates. I know it is loud and boring, but after sitting for three years it is a great sound, especially considering that the expected storm coming tomorrow. This storm will provide the area with more snow than we have received during the past two years, combined.

Thank you to my neighbors who gave awe the snowblower, I am sad that you have moved, but I will happily remember the years we spent clearing the driveway together as I use you snowblower to again move mountains of the cold, wet, white stuff. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - December 14, 2020

 

1. It us now the second Monday of December. There are two Mondays remaining and just 11 days until Christmas.

2. I have completed most of my Christmas shopping. Like most Americans, I have not shopped in a brick and mortar store for gifts. Although yesterday, I made a significant purchase from a store for a personal item. Since it was not a gift I did not want to wait for shipping. AND, I saved, truly saved, $199 in shipping costs.

3. Family NFL Report

    Football Team (6-7) defeat 49ers (5-8) 23-15

    Cowboys (4-9) defeat Bengals (2-10-1) 30-7

    Steelers (11-2) lose to Bills (10-3) 15-26

    Ravens (7-5) play Browns (9-3) tonight

4. I purchased a private workout cycle yesterday. As a result of COVID, my gym has closed, I am not playing racquetball, and with the winter weather arriving I will not be walking much or playing golf. I need something to keep from getting soft and fat. I did a lot of research and decided upon the NordicTrack S22i. I thought I wanted a Peloton, but the NordicTrack had a few more features and a lower price point. I did my first ride through Glacier National Park yesterday and it was everything that I hoped that it would be. 

5. We all need to be smart over the holidays to stem the COVID pandemic. The vaccine will not be available to most of us for months--vigilance is the key word. 

6. It is the Christmas Season. Pray for peace and work for peace. 

7. Today in History. December 14, 1911. Norwegian Roald Amundsen becomes the first explorer to reach the South Pole, beating his British rival, Robert Falcon Scott.

Amundsen, born in Borge, near Oslo, in 1872, was one of the great figures in polar exploration. In 1897, he was first mate on a Belgian expedition that was the first ever to winter in the Antarctic. In 1903, he guided the 47-ton sloop Gjöa through the Northwest Passage and around the Canadian coast, the first navigator to accomplish the treacherous journey. Amundsen planned to be the first man to the North Pole, and he was about to embark in 1909 when he learned that the American Robert Peary had achieved the feat.

Russian Hackers Broke Into Federal Agencies, U.S. Officials Suspect - The New York Times

As U.S. Deaths Approach 300,000, Obituaries Force Reckoning With Covid-19 - The New York Times

Electoral College Meets in Formal Step Toward Biden Presidency - The Wall Street Journal

Iran’s Execution of Journalist Threatens Push for Diplomacy With Europe - The Wall Street Journal

Historic vaccine campaign begins with first shipments - Reuters

Japan, South Korea fret as surging coronavirus undermines leaders' support - Reuters

Nearly 3 dozen arrested in D.C. as Proud Boys roamed city looking to fight - The Washington Post

Hijacking the electoral college: The plot to deny JFK the presidency 60 years ago - The Washington Post

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

Christmas is a time for children, and rightly so. We celebrate the birthday of the Prince of Peace who came as a babe in a manger. Some celebrate Christmas as the birthday of a great teacher and philosopher. But to other millions of us, Jesus is much more. He is divine, living assurance that God so loved the world He gave us His only begotten Son so that by believing in Him and learning to love each other we could one day be together in paradise.

It's been said that all the kings who ever reigned, that all the parliaments that ever sat have not done as much to advance the cause of peace on Earth and good will to men as the man from Galilee, Jesus of Nazareth.

 Address to the Nation, December 24, 1983

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Here it Comes!!!!

 

We have escaped, so far. All of that is about to change as the weather is expected to produce a classic December snow-storm this week. I do not know if they are calling for a Nor'easter or not, but the forecast surely looks ominous.

Ten-day Weather Underground Forecast for Elkridge, MD

The weather forecast for Elkridge is predicting 8.5 inches of snow! That would be more snow than we have received for the past two winters combined into one snowstorm.

Batten down the hatches and get those snowblowers revved up! Mine is broken, but the new carburetor should arrive tomorrow and hopefully I can it it running in time for the wintery weather. Our neighbor gave the snowblower to me when they moved and it has not been started successfully for three winters. I am happy to get it working in order to move 8.5 inches of heavy wet snow. I want to face snow with something more than a shovel.

I hope that the storm does not materialize. 

I could call the forecast a hoax and stick my head in the sand! But no, I'd rather be prepared if it does occur. 

Cold temperatures, freezing rain, snow--winter is arriving! I definitely should enjoy the probable last 62 degree day of the year today because here comes Winter!

Did I mention that I have a condo in Florida? Why am I not there?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Let the Healing Begin

 

The Supremes Rule! 

Did you get the double entendre? 

I wrote yesterday about the suit brought to the Supreme Court by Texas and supported by 17 other States and over 100 members of Congress which sought to overturn the election results in four key states and disenfranchise over 20 million voters. 

Supreme Court Rejects Texas Challenge to Biden’s Victory in Presidential Election

This story was above the fold in this morning's Wall Street Journal, although many of us received breaking news notifications on our phones last evening, during Happy Hour, as it was happening. 

I know, technically the Supreme Court did not rule, they chose not to take up the case. 

The article in the WSJ reports that the president wrote the following in a tweet:

“The Supreme Court really let us down. No Wisdom, No Courage!,’’ Mr. Trump wrote in a tweet late Friday.

The Supremes knew what they were doing and followed the Constitution. It took courage to do that in the face of the vilification they knew who'd be coming their way. Just because Trump overloaded the court with conservative justices does not mean he "owns" them. They are still justices who decide based upon the "Rule of Law" and not the winds of wrath.

I was very impressed with the Pennsylvania Attorney General who wrote, as reported in the same WSJ article:

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in his response brief that asking the Supreme Court to “anoint Texas’s preferred candidate for President is legally indefensible and is an affront to principles of constitutional democracy.”

“Our nation’s highest court saw through this seditious abuse of our electoral process,” Mr. Shapiro said on Twitter on Friday evening. “This swift denial should make anyone contemplating further attacks on our election think twice.”

Maybe the petulant president will finally slink from the scene and admit he lost the election by more than 7 million votes and, to quote him from 2016, a landslide in the Electoral College. It is time to move on and let the healing begin.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

 

Move On--Get Over It

 

There are just 40 days until the inauguration and I cannot believe the number Republican Party officials who are trying to steal the election from the American people for Trump. 

As I see it, the results are pretty astounding on all fronts, both the popular vote and the electoral college vote.

Here is the current chart:

The bottom line is that 7,000,000 (that is 7 million) more Americans voted for Joe Biden, the president-elect, than voted for Trump. That is an inescapable number and, frankly, and overwhelming number. 4.9 percent more of the American voters supported Biden over Trump. And remember, Trump did not win the popular vote in 2016! He has always been the president of the minority.

An article in The Atlantic, admittedly a left-leaning publication, provide some context for what is happening right now in trying to overturn the election in the Supreme Court.

The article is:

The GOP Abandons Democracy, by David Graham

One paragraph in the article explains what is happening:

More surprising is that 17 Republican state attorneys general filed a brief in support of Paxton’s suit, a sizable majority of the top Republican law-enforcement officials in the country. Then 106 Republican members of the U.S. House did the same. When Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, a Republican, called the suit “constitutionally, legally and factually wrong,” he received a threatening phone call from Trump. 

Fundamentally, it is time to get over it and get on with the transition. The very people who are screaming that the election was stolen are working to actually steal the election. 

It is sad, and I never would have thought that the Republican Party, the party of Lincoln, would stoop so low, but democracy is on the line. What has always made America great is our ability to transition administrations after an election. That is in jeopardy and too many members of Congress and state governments are drinking the kool-aid of a rigged election. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD