COVID-19, The World Comes Together

 I am impressed at how much of the world is coming together to fight the COVID-19 virus and infection. 

The tragic scenes from India are motivating countries to work together, again, to defeat the virus. 

The headline in The Wall Street Journal this morning encouraged me:

U.S. to Share AstraZeneca Covid-19 Vaccine Doses With World

Why would the U.S. sit on 60 million doses that have not been approved for use in this country? Get them out to a place being ravaged by the coronavirus. 

It still amazes me that so many people in this country are unwilling to get vaccinated while in the rest of the world where the vaccine is in short supply the population is being ravaged. The rationalizations just do not add up. People are dying to get help in India and in the U.S. we have become numb to the daily death toll and spread of the infection. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - April 26, 2021

 

1. Welcome back to Monday. This is the fourth and last Monday of April 2021. The year is rapidly approaching 1/3 complete. 

2. Has anyone noticed that Mondays return too quickly?

Pelicans on Patrol

Carlin Park Beach

Jupiter, Florida

April 25, 2021

3. I love watching the pelicans fly across the ocean as I walk along the beach. They seem so busy and focused. Chris and I always announce them by saying, "Pelicans on patrol."

4. The beaches were very busy yesterday. The temperatures approached 90 and the winds were calm. The ocean was almost flat and it was incredibly clear. 

5. The Orioles have managed to find the bottom of the AL East. They share the worst record in the division with the Yankees. 

6. Jax's baseball team had a difficult tournament this weekend. It was a learning experience. 

7. Today is a travel day. And a work day. And a collapse into bed at the end of a busy day day. 

8. Today in History. On April 26, 1954, the Salk polio vaccine field trials, involving 1.8 million children, begin at the Franklin Sherman Elementary School in McLean, Virginia. Children in the United States, Canada and Finland participated in the trials, which used for the first time the now-standard double-blind method, whereby neither the patient nor attending doctor knew if the inoculation was the vaccine or a placebo. 

West Looks Past Covid-19 and Sees Economic Rebound - The Wall Street Journal

Fire in Iraq Hospital Treating Covid-19 Patients Kills 82 People -The Wall Street Journal

DC cops wreck their police vehicles while drag racing on duty: report - The New York Post

Close encounter: SpaceX craft almost nicked by UFO after launch in orbit - The New York Post

CEO of vaccine maker sold $10 million in stock before company ruined Johnson & Johnson doses - The Washington Post

India sets another daily covid case record; U.S. pledges help - The Washington Post

Israel examining heart inflammation cases in people who received Pfizer COVID shot - Reuters

European Union will let vaccinated Americans visit this summer - official - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

All Americans long for a safer world in which individual rights are respected and precious values flourish. But we're also realistic. We know we live in a troubled world and that we have global responsibilities. Our industries depend on energy and minerals from distant lands. Our prosperity requires a sound financial system and markets open to our goods. And our security is linked with the security of our allies and trading partners.

Radio Address to the Nation on United States Foreign Policy - April 7, 1984

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, Florida

Happy Hour Saturday

 Florida is definitely different. 

Happy Hour
Jupiter Beach, FL
April 24, 2021

Chris and I wanted to visit one of our two favorite outside watering holes last evening and drove to find the first packed with people, not practicing social distancing or wearing face protection, and with loud music. 

We left and went to the other. 

We paid $5 to park with the promise of getting that about off our check at the end. 

It, too, was closely packed with little observation of social distancing or facial protection. And too loud music which made people shout to talk which added to the volume level.

We did not stay and chalked up the $5 to a life experience. After a short conversation we decided to spend Happy Hour at our favorite place--the beach. We packed up some munchies and beverages and headed to the surf and sand. There were a few others on the beac h, but it was far from crowded--it was in reality, empty except for two other groups on a mile long stretch of sand. 

We enjoyed the surf, which was rough and the birds and the conversation. We listened to our own music and just enjoyed the sights for a couple hours.

Next time we go searching for a place to enjoy Happy Hour, we will remember the beach.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, Florida

Was it Really Friday

Finnegan at Blowing Rocks
Jupiter Island, Florida
April 23, 2021

 Yesterday was one of those strange days when it seemed as if it were already Saturday, but it was not.

I really do not want to rush my quick vacation too much, but it was a busy Friday--starting with the Space launch from the beach before dawn and ending after dark with friends in chatting in the kitchen. Wow. 

And in between I accomplished a lot of stuff.

All told, I made three trips to the beach never actually getting into the ocean or intracoastal during any of them. Finnegan posed on the Blowing Rocks for a quick picture during our morning beach walk. I am amazed how well he blended with the rocks!

And of course there were projects around the condo. Many projects. But we are just doing the things that need to be done after other people have been living in our space.

I am hoping for another great day, and I realize that it truly is Saturday! All day. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

And Away it Goes--SpaceX Launch

SpaceX Crew Dragon Mission 2
Jupiter, FL
April 23, 2021

For those of you wondering, I am no longer in Maryland. I am spending the weekend at my Florida condo.

This morning, Chris and I went to the beach before dawn to watch the SpaceX Crew Dragon Mission 2 launch. 

I have to admit, we were unsure exactly what we would see and I was concerned about the clouds to the north, but in the end it was fabulous! The clouds, while they obscured some of the fly-out, but they also made a beautiful canvass of the launch in the sky. 

Crew Dragon Mission 2 with
First Stage Burning for Landing Behind
Jupiter, FL
April 23, 2021

Thanks for the guys at work for helping my look in the right part of the sky.

I took some video--but was having problems with the camera on my phone and so I need to do some editing to make a decent movie. The fly out was spectacular, as you can see. We actually saw the first stage burning to land on the drone ship, but that is in the video and so the image I have here is a screen capture of lesser quality.

It was a beautiful launch and a beautiful morning. Launches during hours of darkness are the most spectacular!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, Florida

Earth Day

 Happy Earth Day!

It is good to make a minute and celebrate the planet that isa home to our species and all of the other species. There, so far, is not other. We need to take care of this one. 

We can live and respect our planet. 

It is short-sighted to trash our planet and environment today and expect succeeding generations to clean our mess. 

From the Earth Day website:

Since 1970, A Legacy of Environmental Action

The first Earth Day in 1970 mobilized millions of Americans from all walks of life, giving birth to a broad new movement to protect the planet. On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans — 10% of the U.S. population at the time — took to streets, college campuses and hundreds of cities to protest environmental ignorance and demand a new way forward. The first Earth Day is credited with launching the modern environmental movement. Earth Day is now recognized as the planet’s largest civic event each year.

Earth Day 1970 led to the passage of landmark environmental laws in the United States, including the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Many countries soon adopted similar laws, and in 2016, the United Nations chose Earth Day as the day to sign the Paris Climate Agreement into force.

Remember, the mess we make today someone else is going to have to clean tomorrow.

Celebrate Earth Day!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

A Time for Hope

 The verdict is in; the jury has spoken: Guilty on all counts.

George Floyd and Derek Chauvin

I have a complex and possibly surprising reaction which may be unpopular with some.

I believe that the verdict is, at the same time, just and sad. 

The verdict cannot resurrect George Floyd and allow him to continue his life and it will not replace him to his family and friends.

The verdict has destroyed the life of a police officer who, when he began that day, had no idea his response to that incident would become a catalyst for change in America.

The verdict is also commentary on the sad state of police training in the United States. We have seen evidence of this time after time in the news. I am sure that Derek Chauvin believes in his heart that he is a good police officer. And that, friends, is the problem. It highlights the ineffective training in many police departments. Police are servants of the people charged with enforcing the law. But, like all public servants, including the military and civilian employees of federal, state, and local governments; they are and must be held to a higher standard. 

So for the complex part of my thought--the defense, in my opinion, tried to equate Derek Chauvin to how a normal human adult would respond in a particular situation with the training that he had at there time. 

But Derek Chauvin was not a normal rational adult, he was a police officer. The standard of conduct to which he is held is higher than that of a normal, rational adult. 

I have been held to a similar higher standard all of my adult life as both a military officer and now a federal civilian. I understand the burden, but it has become part of my life and self.

Derek Chauvin had a responsibility to separate emotion, frustration, and anger from his professional actions. It is hard! But because he was a police officer and not a just a normal American adult, he was necessarily held to a higher standard. 

Is Derek Chauvin a bad man or a bad police officer? I believe NOT. I believe the system failed him. The system failed George Floyd, and the system also failed America. 

Now is NOT the time to defund the police, but rather to closely examine their budgets and ensure that the officers we rely upon for protection and law enforcement get funding for the training they need to protect both themselves and the public. 

Now is also NOT the time to celebrate the conviction of a man, but rather to grieve the death of another man that brought us to this place. Thomas Jefferson wrote, The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. Sadly, perhaps this is one of those times. Heroes come from unlikely places. We must move forward with the memory of this day fresh in our minds and dedicate ourselves to correcting the racial inequities which exist across out country.

Now is the time to work for measurable change. The vision of a truly inclusive America, the bright city on the hill shining for the world, still exists and we must dedicate ourselves to making it a reality.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Tuesday Again

 It has been a very busy couple of days. 

Jax at the Plate

Severn, MD

April 18, 2021

Of course, with Chris enjoying beach time in Florida there is more to accomplish around the house--but I seem to have something scheduled for every day and evening.

Last evening, for instance, I enjoyed a great massage to soothe the muscles I abused on Saturday. 

During the afternoon after work, I rode my studio cycle through Switzerland on a 44 minute, 10 mile, uphill ride. Ugh! And this was after working full day. 

Sunday's game with the Severn Seminoles was exciting. Jax had a productive day and it was nice to sit in the warm sun and to enjoy some baseball. 

Important note: Chris is not just enjoying beach time, she has been working hard at planned projects and repairs in our Florida condo. 

Tonight looks to be busy again! At least the time passes quickly.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musing - April 19, 2021

 

1. It is the third Monday in April. Yay. It is also the 16th Monday of 2021 and there are only 36 Monday's remaining. That is important to some of us.

2. I watched the Severn Seminoles win a game is grand fashion yesterday by invoking the Mercy Rule! Jax had a great game. Maybe some video tomorrow.

AL East Standings As of Games Through April 18, 2021

3. OK, I guess I have to acknowledge the Orioles at this point. While I think they are doing terrible, they actually are playing some exciting baseball. They need to learn timely hitting.

4, You know what is weird? My favorite President is a Republican, but I have crossed over to the other side because of the tainted and divisive policies of the previous president, whose name will remain unmentioned.

5. Busy weekends pass to quickly, while weekends without a lot of activity seem to drag. 

6. I wish I was fishing today.

7. Is today really Monday, or is it a figment of my imagination?

8. If I could be anywhere right now, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be where I am.

9. Today in History. April 19, 1775, At about 5 a.m., 700 British troops, on a mission to capture Patriot leaders and seize a Patriot arsenal, march into Lexington to find 77 armed minutemen under Captain John Parker waiting for them on the town’s common green. British Major John Pitcairn ordered the outnumbered Patriots to disperse, and after a moment’s hesitation the Americans began to drift off the green. Suddenly, a shot was fired from an undetermined gun, and a cloud of musket smoke soon covered the green. When the brief Battle of Lexington ended, eight Americans lay dead or dying and 10 others were wounded. Only one British soldier was injured, but the American Revolution had begun.

Landmen Who Once Staked Claims for Oil and Gas Now Hunt Wind and Sun - The Wall Street Journal

Stock Rally Broadens in Encouraging Sign for Bull Market - The Wall Street Journal

As Police Reform Laws Sweep the U.S., Some Ask: Are They Enough? - The New York Times

3 People a Day Have Died in U.S. Police Encounters During Chauvin Trial - The New York Times

Ross DouthatRon DeSantis Is the Republican Autopsy - The New York Times

Minneapolis braces for unrest as Chauvin trial enters final phase - The Washington Post

‘Ripe for fraud’: Coronavirus vaccination cards give rise to burgeoning scams - The Washington Post

Investor group calls for banks to set tougher climate targetsEnvironment  - Reuters

UKQueen Elizabeth stands alone as Philip is laid to rest; William and Harry talk - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

It is also appropriate that this journey should begin on Easter Sunday -- a day of peace proclaimed, a day of triumph over evil and suffering. In a short time, we will be worshiping at St. Andrew's Cathedral, and I can assure you that our prayers this afternoon will not just be for the success of this mission, but for an enduring peace among the peoples of all nations.

On this Easter, in the year of our Lord 1984, I ask for the prayers of all Americans and the peoples of the world for peace among men and peace among nations. Let the nations and the peoples of the world renounce war, and let us pledge ourselves to its permanent abolition. Let us forsake its anguish and agony and live in love with one another.

Like all Americans, the people of these islands cherish peace. Unlike most of their countrymen, the people of Hawaii have known firsthand the destruction wrought by nations that take up arms against each other. As we passed over Pearl Harbor this afternoon, I don't have to tell you of our silence as we reflected on the Arizona Memorial beneath us. The building that is now the Pacific Air Force's headquarters is still pockmarked with bullets from that fateful Sunday almost 43 years ago. And 32 years later, it was here to this airport that our first prisoners of war returned from an awful captivity in North Vietnam.

The American people have never sought war nor the test of arms. And yet in my lifetime I have seen four such wars -- none of them because the United States was too strong or too ready. The United States is resolved to avoid war, pursue peace, and to do so by remaining strong and remaining ready.

Remarks on Arrival at Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, Hawaii - April 22, 1984

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Day at the Course

From the Tee Box at Hole 4
Timbers at Troy
Elkridge, MD
April 17, 2021

 The important thing is that I survived 5 hours of sports activity.

I played racquetball in the morning for an hour followed by just over four hours of golf at Timbers.

I had an OK golf outing, considering that it was only the second golf outing this year. 

It was a beautiful day, just a bit on the too cool side to be called a perfect day, but when out golfing almost any day is a perfect day. My game was ragged--which was to be expected, but there were a few pars and at least one good look at making a birdie--which I missed but was left with an easy tap-in. On the down side, I totally collapsed on the second hardest hole on the course (12) after missing a par put and making a bogey on the hardest hole (9). Ugh. That is golf!

It was a great sports day. Today, sadly, I must devote mostly to business, although I am going to a Severn Seminoles 13U baseball game in a few minutes. 

I do enjoy weekends!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD