Red Cross Golf Tournament

I had a busy Friday traveling to Southern Maryland for the F. George Heinze Memorial Golf Tournament benefiting the Southern Maryland Chapter of the American Red Cross. Mike Zabko, the CEO of the Southern Maryland Chapter of the American Red Cross, asked me if I would help them. I said yes without hesitation. Mike and his crew are wonderful people who give of themselves and I felt privileged to be asked to help them.

On my way down, I stopped in Mechanicsville and the home of WSMD radio, home of the T-Bone and Heather morning show. I first met the pair after the La Plats tornado in 2002. They have just returned to the airwaves after a 1 1/2 year hiatus. It's good to have them back and good to see them again. They're married and have a little boy and they told me that they are also very happy to be back in Southern Maryland.

After the visit, I was off to Swan Point Yacht & Country Club for the golf tournament. I drove through Chaptico and then down to the extreme southwest part of Charles county. It's a beautiful part of the world and you should take the drive if you ever get the chance. I didn't go to golf, but more to help kick off the event and then help with some on course "entertainment". If you've ever seen me golf, you'll understand why I chose not to participate. It's a rather painful experience for both me and the people around me as it is a sport that I struggle with, and that's being polite.

My job was to go around and ask the golfers questions about the Red Cross. Correct answers would win 9 NEWS NOW mugs along with, and potentially more importantly, mulligans. Did you know that the biggest disaster threat to Americans is single family house fires? That was one of the things I learned on Friday. My driver for the day and the lady who made up the questions was Red Cross Volunteer Debbie May. She's a Registered Nurse and a very nice woman. Debbie was also responsible for coming up with the questions we would ask.

Here are a few of the answers in a nutshell. Clara Barton founded the Red Cross. The universal blood type is 0-negative and you can donate blood every 56 days. The Red Cross teaches water safety along with CPR and First Aid Classes. The Red Cross also uses Ham Radios as a way to communicate when the phone lines and cell phones are knocked out.

I also enjoyed meeting many of the golfers, especially Debbie Wood from St. Mary's county. Debbie told me that she watches us all the time. That's always nice to hear, so thank you Debbie and I hope your team did well.

This event was fun for the participants, but the real winner is the Red Cross and the many thousands of people who they will help when the time comes. No one wants to need the Red Cross, but it's nice to know that they are there just in case.

It's Official, I'm Fashionable!!!!!!

My wife, Helaine, and I went out on a rare date for us on the 15th. We went to a preview of a new restaurant that was opening downtown, Restaurant K. It's located at 17th and K streets. Did you think it wouldn't be on K Street?

The place was nice and we had a really good time. The restaurant is owned by the McCormick & Schmick's company, so if you've been to one of their locations, you already know how good it is.

I spoke with John Harter, who used to work at WJLA for many years. A very nice man, and he seems to be enjoying life after TV.

I ran into Andrew Stover, who is the Wine Director for OYA Restaurant. He's been a guest on our 9 AM News quite a few times. The Examiner had a nice article on him in the beginning of February. The Executive Director of Downtown Cluster of Congregations, Terry Lynch and his wife Rose were also there. We see Terry often on our 9 AM News also.




Maurisa Potts from the Crystal City Business Improvement District was there with her husband David. We didn't see David, he was by the bar watching some football game. We were sitting in a booth giving our legs a rest. That's when Maurisa came over to say hello.

Maurisa and I first met in the Spring during a morning live shot for Artomatic, a really cool art show that is held in some vacant office space to promote artists and Crystal City at the Same time. Maurisa is also the one who got me involved in the Celebrity Trike Race in June. (If you go to the June Blogs, it's about halfway down.)

As we were talking with Maurisa, a photographer from DC Style magazine asked if she could take our picture. Let me back up for a second, Maurisa was standing with a friend and Helaine and I were in the booth. So she was asking if she could take Helaine's and my picture. We laughed but said, OK. Helaine checked the web site of DC style Magazine. They have a section called Social Studies where they post the pictures from events so that people like my wife will go to the site and create an account. It's actually a really good way to get new users.

Anyway, after about a week, the pictures show up and we are one of only 11 chosen. And if that wasn't special enough, the heading on the web site read:

9/16 Restaurant K Opens
Fashionable people gathered to celebrate the opening of Restaurant K, which offers a menu with modern twist on comfort food served in a high-end setting.

So there you have it, I'm one of the "Fashionable People" of DC, along with my wife, Helaine, and if you take exception to that, have it out with the good people at DC Style Magazine.

Golfers Needed

This blog is a short one as I appeal to golfers in Southern Maryland to help the Red Cross with their annual fundraiser. Sponsors are also welcome. Call them at 888-276-2767 for more info. Their flyer is below.

F. GEORGE HEINZE III GOLF CLASSIC AWARDS DINNER AND AUCTION.

TO BENEFIT
The Southern Maryland Chapter American Red Cross
Friday, Sept 21, 2007
Join us for a great day of golfing, OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE dinner and auction!
Swan Point Yacht & Country Club Shotgun start at 11:00 a.m.
Outback Awards Dinner at "Idyllic" Overlooking the Wicomico River
In Issue Maryland
Cocktails and auction preview begin at 5:00p.m.
$35.00 per person
FOR RESERVATIONS AND INFORMATION:
Call
or visit our Web site
888 276 2767 Phone
301-753-4042 Fax
JenniferS@SOMDRedCross.org
Http://SouthernMaryland.RedCross.Org

Your local Red Cross answers the call for help through the generosity and support of the citizens of Southern Maryland.

Global Warming Thoughts

Recently, there have been a few stories about the Record Low amounts of ice cover in the Arctic.
http://www.wusa9.com/rss/local_article.aspx?storyid=61879 and http://www.wusa9.com/rss/local_article.aspx?storyid=62940 are two stories that you can check out about the shrinking polar ice cap.

There was also news about Felix and Dean being the first time that 2 Category 5 storms have made landfall in the same season. Meaning that there were Category 5 storms at the time of landfall.

These stories have some importance, but let's put them in to some perspective.

A declining polar ice cap will only help quicken global warming. More sun is absorbed by dark surfaces than lighter surfaces and the shrinking of the ice cap will allow more heat to be absorbed by the ocean instead of reflected back into space by the ice. Scientists have also argued that certain animal species, like polar bears will be severely threatened by less ice because that is there main hunting ground. Will the polar bears adapt and catch more food on land or are their days numbered? I don't know. I do believe that we are in a warming trend, but I don't know how much damage man is really doing versus larger, possibly unknown, planetary cycles.

On the flip side, and there are always 2 or more sides to everything, global warming could open up the elusive Northwest Passage for shipping and may also make areas of Alaska, Russia and Canada viable farmland as opposed to frozen tundra. I love asking kids in school what might be some "positive" impacts of global warming. I'm often perceived as someone who thinks Global Warming is a good thing. I just want the kids in school to think! I am in favor of cleaner energies, fuels and recycling and more efficient everything.

Now for the hurricanes....we made history, supposedly with the 2 Category 5 storms making landfall in the same season in the Atlantic Basin. But you have to realize that Satellite technology is less than 50 years old. Before that we relied on detailed weather records from coastal communities. Also, the countries of Central America and the Caribbean are not quite as technologically advanced as the U.S.A (don't get mad at me for stating facts here) and there is certainly the possibility that Category 5 Hurricanes have struck in the past and we just didn't know it because the weather stations weren't there or the communications weren't there.

So, I guess I'm just trying to say that I think you should take these stories seriously, but please try to keep them in perspective.

More Government Insanity

In case you're not aware, I sit on my neighborhood home owners association's board of directors. We are only in our 3rd year as a neighborhood and the developer is almost done. Over the past few years, I've gotten quite an education about many things. We're up in Clarksburg, Maryland, where the county's Park & Planning Department made a series of errors that were widely publicized.

Fortunately, my neighborhood was not one of those affected, but we are affected by the Park & Planning Department nonetheless. My latest lesson comes in the areas of "site plans". Basically if it's on the site plan and you want to change something, you need to file papers with Park & Planning to get it approved. This may or may not happen.

The site plan that covers my neighborhood calls for Ash trees to line all of one street on both sides. These past 2 summers have featured some hot, dry spells and these trees have not done well. The developer will replace the trees, but he must replace them with the same type of tree. So, we have trees that aren't very drought tolerant when they're young, but the developer has no choice, because it's on the site plan. No, they aren't going to spend a few thousand more dollars to have an amended site plan drawn up so that they could plant a different species of tree.

I'm also wary of Ash trees because of the Emerald Ash Borer. This bug has devastated these trees in the Midwest and they have caused some problems around Clinton and Brandywine in Prince Georges counties. Here's a story about the Emerald Ash Borer that I did last October.

It's frustrating to realize that the future for these trees is bleak and that more money and effort will be expended in another year or two to replace them. Perhaps by then the county planners will wake up and allow for some substitutions.

If you think this is isolated, we also have azaleas around the neighborhood that are placed in full sunshine. A Master Gardener friend of mine told me that you never place azaleas in full sunshine. It's not good for them. We've also had a bunch of azaleas die off that the developer will replace with, you guessed it, more azaleas.

I must be crazy, but I would expect that the people who are designing and approving these landscape plans would at least have some basic understanding of how plants work. Considering that the citizens of Montgomery county pay their salaries, these deficiencies are shameful!

Father/Son Bonding & Model Rockets

It was a great Sunday! Philip and I woke up early and went out for a bagel and hot chocolate. There's a bunch of people I know who live in and around the Kentlands who meet at the Starbucks there every Saturday and Sunday morning. So, the 2 of us go out to hang out with them. It's a lot of fun as they're all great people. (And my wife gets some much needed time to herself.)

After that, it was off to Lowes to buy a new lawn mower blade. We get home and it's time to install the blade. I love when my son is in the mood to learn how to do things as opposed to playing with his GameBoy. While he doesn't yet have the muscle to tighten the bolts on the lawn mower blade, I'm convinced that he learns a heck of a lot by watching it being done. I let him help where possible with screws and bolts, but I do the "heavy work".

We finish the mower and moved on the the car. We popped the hood of the car and checked the air filter. That involved some tools to loosen the screws that hold the air filter cover closed. My son, who is 7 going on 17, likes using my tools, so again, a good father/son bonding moment.

But the best part of our day was going to the Goddard Space Flight Center Visitors Center for a model rocket launch. The first Sunday of the month at 1 pm (weather permitting), a public model rocket launch is held. They've been doing it since 1976. It's open to all. We've been going for about a year and a half now. This time, we took Philip's friend Raymond. Raymond had never been before and he had a blast. I played the part of "Cool Dad". Helaine was the "Cool Mom" who had packed lunches and snacks. I showed the boys how the rockets worked and I did the pre-assembly. Packing parachutes, installing tocket motors and making sure the rockets are "flight ready".

Once ready, we stand on line for a safety inspection from the Range Safety Officer. The folks at the Visitors Center take things seriously. Model rocketry is a very safe thing to do, as long as it is done properly.

We pass inspection and get our rail assignments. There is an apparatus with 6 rails for launching. The model rocket goes on the rail. A remote detonator is attached to the igniter of the rocket motor. When ready, an electrical current is sent to the igniter which heats up and lights the rocket motor. The models that we launch can go several hundred feet high. It's rewarding to see the model that you built actually take off and work like it's supposed to work. The best part is actually retrieving your rocket and loading it up again for another flight. Our most prolific rocket had it's 14th successful launch and recovery.

14 is good, but I've heard stories of rockets with more than 100 launches. That means that the rocket parachute has worked properly and that the rocket wasn't lost in the trees or otherwise damaged beyond repair. Considering that the rockets are mainly thin cardboard tubes and pieces of plastic, I think that's pretty impressive.

Philip's friend Raymond was so impressed that he asked if he could buy one at the Gift Shop. After getting the OK from his parents, we now have another young person into model rocketry.

I always wonder as I look around at the kids at these launches, which ones will be inspired to become engineers, pilots or even astronauts. For me, it's a hobby that I've been pulled into because of my son's love of space things, but for these young kids, it may just be the very beginning of a life's work.

If you'd like more information about model rocketry, please visit the National Association of Rocketry's web site.

Saturday night at RFK

I had a chance to catch the Washington Nationals at RFK on Saturday night. One final time to see them play at RFK. RFK holds many great memories for football fans but I find that these all-purpose stadiums are quite uninspiring when it comes to baseball. I have seen baseball games at Shea Stadium, Olympic Stadium in Montreal, and the old Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. These stadiums pale in comparison to Yankee Stadium and Camden Yards. Places that are BASEBALL stadiums. Places where the fans are closer to the action. Places that are worth going to. Thankfully, the trend in baseball over the past 1o to 15 years, has been to make new stadiums that are very "baseball friendly".

Saturday's game was listed as a "premium" game. I guess it got that designation because the visiting team was the San Francisco Giants who just happen to have Barry Bonds on the roster. Barry is the most prolific home run hitter in major league history. How he got there has raised some eyebrows. That, along with his less than friendly approach with the press and fans, had many people booing on Saturday night.

What surprised me, since I am one of those who was booing, was the number of people who really love this guy. I was very lucky to be sitting in the 8th row behind first base, Section 108 for those of you who know the stadium and there were a number of people who were cheering for Bonds. They were taking pictures and holding up signs. Maybe I'm just old school, but Hank Aaron always seemed like a gentleman and above reproach. Sadly, those are 2 things that I find lacking in Barry Bonds.

One fun thing about Saturday night's game, it was Teddy Roosevelt bobble-head night and I "got me a bobble-head". The Nationals do several between inning promotions and one of them has the 4 Mt. Rushmore Presidents in a foot race. That would be Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and of course, Teddy Roosevelt. All year, Teddy had not one. This was his night. He was brought onto the field like a king. He was carried in an elevated chair while the other "Presidents" walked behind. Al of a sudden, he goes down, I don't know if was dropped of if someone took a shot and hit one of his "secret service men", but TR was on the ground. The race starts and before you know it, George came in first and Teddy came in second, still win less for the year.

With the Nationals season winding down and the new ballpark coming along, I am just not sad at the prospect of not seeing another baseball game at RFK.