David Walsh's Blog

Here is my story lab proof from twine. I am unfortunately still struggling to post the file for some reason. So my second best would be a proofing file. So here it is.  The below story was created off of a real air disaster. This was created for my Aviation Ethics Class. When I figure out how to publish the HTML story. I will update this. You can try this link here. I have heard of people who have had success opening this through Google Chrome. GULF 072 Gulf Air 072  It is August, 23, 2000. |cloaked1)[ The time is 1915 ] |cloaked2)[ You are a first officer and acting as Pilot Monitoring and your Captain is Pilot Flying. You are opperating Gulf Air A320 Flight GF072. The flight departed out of Cairo International and you are on approach to Bahrain International Airport. You are 5000 ft AGL recieving radar vectors for the approach ] |cloaked3)[ATC: "Gulf Air 72 turn left heading 175."] |cloaked4)[ [[Left 175 Gulf 72]] ] |cloaked5)[ [[Right 175 Gulf 72]] ] {(live: 3s)[(

I read Badarika Ashram from the Mahabharata. The first paragraph immediately grabbed my attention. The idea or rather the theme of Dhrtarastra's anxiety as he awaited the word of the Pandavas' exile. The Pandavas are an important part of the Mahabharata. The emotions when the King fears that his son will not become successful is a hard hitting emotion. However reading of the individuals around him and them not worrying due to this being a common occurrence. But still his sons did as they pleased. He quickly saw how his life events quickly got out of control due to his lack of remaining firm in regards to his sons actions. Allowing them to do as they wished and never being able to say no. Over all the story is creative and interesting. I am interested more in the Padavanas and the journey that they embark upon. The Padavana brothers as they endure all that their journey through the Himalayas is interesting and creative. The Himalayas Bibliography: To Badarīkā Ashra

I added an embedded video link into my storybook!

Panic on the Maginot Line The French leaders all sat around the table. The German army was on the move. Quickly progressing through eastern Europe and rapidly making a move for the eastern French border. The leaders sitting at the table were discussing defense strategies to keep the Germany army from advancing into their territory. Some generals were saying "we need to go on the attack and push them back". Other generals were saying "The Maginot Line will hold off the Germans, we have nothing to fear". One general quietly sat on one end of the table and a said: "The Maginot Line is poorly fortified the Germans will simply go around it, we should be considering some alternate strategies to defend our great land". Positioned throughout this unruly crowd of "demon kings" all pushing for their ideas to be heard was the Field Marshal of the French Army. "We are on the eve of losing our great nation to Germany if we can not put faith in our cur

The Dice Game Chapter 19 The description and imagery used at the beginning was very interesting and showed well the great wealth and opulence of the area they were in.  I find it interesting maybe it is just the way things are these days but that they find their streets being wide to show wealth. I found it funny that they quoted "Gambling is the root of all misery" because that is true as when I go and gamble I always come back miserable. Even in their travels, they carry themselves in such a wealthy and "proud" manner displaying their wealth and power in any way possible. I see this whenever I go to the casinos and I read this here. "...although more skilled at the game, could not match his wealth and was thus not a suitable opponent for him". I find this funny because unless you made your money through gambling most people who throw around wads of cash typically loose. Dice Game Bibliography The Dice Game Chapter 19

The kidnapping of Sita This story is a tale of how too much power can be dangerous and should not be in the hands of certain individuals. Ravan is in a fit of rage seeking power in order to exact revenge. Revenge can be dangerous because it does not always fill the wound. Even after being warned Ravan still will be defeated. However, Ravana is so focused on what he wants and his power that he is blinded with a fit of rage and anger. This leads him to continue his focus on kidnapping Sita. Ravana's plan works but just barely. Sita is kidnapped after a fierce battle she is kidnapped. But knowing Rama and this story that will not last for long because Ravana will be killed over these actions. Ravana Kidnapping Sita Bibliography: Krishna Dharam  The Kidnapping of Sita Chapter 9

I created a twine story for an aviation class. however I am having troubles getting the link and website to work.  My Twine Story  If anyone knows what I am doing wrong please let me know.

Panic in Lanka. I decided to focus on this story of Lanka because I was not as familiar with this part of the Ramayana. It is impressive how a single monkey can cause so much damage to such a large fortification such as Lanka. I really like the character the "Demon King". Even so that the demon king has incredibly powerful generals who command vase armies. Although, they lack intelligence and political wisdom. This reminds me of some generals in the 70's and 80's in the United States Airforce and how they did not care what the smart and affordable moves were but rather what the "job promoting" moves were. The blunders of the Rakshasas continue to be evident as Hanuman snuck into Lanka. This reminds me of the Normandy invasion and how British commandos would sneak onto the beaches and take photos and soil samples. Additionally, Lanka could be compared to the Maginot Line in France and how the Germans simply went around these massive defenses. Sometimes gre

Pandu Cursed and Blessed I find it interesting that although he can not enjoy material opulences Pandu is still disinterested in sensual enjoyment. This almost sounds boring. But this also makes sense as to how he no longer enjoys his two wives. He almost reminds me of myself and my attention span. I get excited about one topic and then five minutes later I am on another topic. Pandu began to sink his time and efforts into other things and other interests. These interests included seeking out those who have strayed from the "path of righteousness". Clearly, something that in their culture is very important to them as it reflects their ancestors. A force was assembled including, infantry, horseman, elephants, and chariots. Maybe I missed something but this was the first story involving elephants... I think? Maybe there was some mention of this in the Mahabharata, but I can't remember. Overall this is an epic story of a great battle. In the end Pandu has five sons that gro

Operation Bodyguard It is April 1943 and Rama is crossing the Atlantic ocean aboard a liberty ship. Rama had always wanted to visit the United Kingdom, just not under these circumstances. The U.S. and allied forces knew that the Third Ravana's eyes were on them. Spies were sent over like monkeys. Every spy that was sent in was caught. Any spy that did not flip was to be tried as a spy and executed. The spies that were caught played as a double agent, delivering false information in a massive attempt to hide the impressive scale of the invasion that was yet to hit the Third Ravan and its forces. Rama after landing was placed in barracks with his fellow soldiers of the 1st Infantry division. Rama was in the dark and knew nothing of the coming invasion. Until the time came around for the big day Rama spent his day's training in tactics and maneuvering in combat. One of the greatest secret operations of World War Two be Operation Bodyguard, this consisted of creating an impressi

I read the Giant Crab because I thought "wow a giant crab, that has to be interesting!" Sure enough, it was! I really found the story to be interesting. I like how the lesson to be learned from this story is that you should never keep something entirely to your self when if there is enough for everyone it should be shared. This giant crab did just this, although he did use the only water source as a way to lure in his dinner he was also preventing every other creature in the mountain from drinking from the only water source. Additionally, the lesson in the story could be that it is your responsibility to stand up to those who hurt others. The elephants did just that and faught back and helped out everyone in the mountain. I do not think that the crab needed to die, maybe get beat up a bit or relocated but still, you live and learn. A giant Crab Bibliography: The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India  by W. H. D. Rouse with illustrations by W. Robinson, onli

Planning for operation bodyguard began in 1943 under the auspices of the London Controlling Section. The objective was to lead the Germans into deception and believe that the invasion was going to be further north at Pas De Calais in the Balkans. Many new techniques and theories were developed to aid in the deception. Dudley Clarke lead these efforts. German intelligence operation were heavily mismatched. Much of the German lines of communication were compromised. Codename Ultra gave the allies insights into how effective their deception efforts were. So a lot of planning went into effect early before 1944 rolled around and bodyguard officially began. Elements of Bodyguard played into the landings of June 6th D-Day landings. Dropping dummy paratroopers throughout the landings. Fake ships and simulated invasion fleets laid off of Pas de Calais. Prior to this fake tanks, jeeps, equipment, and personnel were being moved around in staging areas in the northern parts of England including du

The story of the Foolhardy Wolf is a story about ambition getting the better of you. The wolf at first sees an opportunity to take part in the lions spoils. Later the wolf gets the idea that he is capable of taking down an elephant. The lion tells the wolf he is not capable but more than anything I think the hidden meaning is that the wolf is not ready for something of that size. The wolf still insists that he is capable of seizing the elephant even after the wolf tells him its not possible. But the lion gives the wolf the chance and his ambition gets the better of him. In this case the wolf was killed by his ego. The lion saw this coming and did nothing to persuade him other wise after telling him that he would not be able to accomplish this task. The story here is one of taking your time and working within your means or preparing and listening to help to accomplish a different task within their own means. Wolf and Elephant Bibliography: The Foolhardy Wolf , Ellen C. Babbit

Opperation Overlord Rama in the cold and bitter sea wash. Rama climbed down the rope ladder and into his PT-Landing craft. The sea rocking his landing craft back and forth. Rama stood amongst his fellow brothers as the boat departed. Waiting for the ramp to drop and storm the beaches, Rama could not help but think of his fate that he might encounter as he heard the violent shelling of the United States Navy. The 352 Vali infantry was unleashing an incredible hellfire of machine-gun rounds and mortars. Striking all around them the shrapnel bouncing off the hull of Rama's landing craft. Rama stood there gripping his rifle and shared a look with Yama. This look they exchanged was of pride but hidden right behind it was fear. The boat captain called out "two minutes!". Rama and Yama knew the moment was approaching. They felt the boat hit the beach and the ramp to the boat dropped. The second the ramp dropped the Vali unleashed machine-gun fire into the boat. Rama watched a

I really like the telling of this story and showing the Pandavas as the heroes. I really like how I have the ability to incorporate these individuals into my story and play them as a "rag-tag" team of guys and have them play the role almost like the "Band of Brothers". The great battle could be told in my story of the Battle of the Bulge in my story book. I could tell the story of how the two forces met on the battle field and tie in Rama into the story. I could find a way to tie into the telling of Arjuna wounding Bhishma. At the end the story "resumes" I can talk about the few snipers hidden in Bastogne that dragged the battle on a bit longer and creating a bit of chaos. And at the end there is this great victory with a celebration of the drinking of Duhshasana's blood. The Christmas Day the Snow Turned Red

I read the story from The Indian Heroes: Mahabharata - The Princes of Elephant City. The story tells a lot about deception and disguise. And I think this is actually a topic or elements of which that I can include into my Storybook that I am creating that can play along with my intended themes. I can include ideas about Arjuna disguised as a brahmin and incorporate his victory in the archery contest. Additionally I can include themes from Arjune and Subhadra and incorporate that into some of the battle scenes I intend to incorporate. Bibliography: The Indian Heroes  by C.A. Kincaid

So far my progress is ok with me I would like to gain a bit farther ahead in points but I am perfectly okay with the progress that I have made so far. I really like the project that I have created but would like to find a bit more time to put in a bit more effort. Gif from  Tenor

The feedback I have been getting in has been very helpful in developing how my website and story is shaping up. As for my feedback out I feel that I may not be the most helpful. I feel weird leaving comments on peoples work but I try my best to provide my insight to others work. Blog comments have been nice and Ive been skimming through the comments and making peoples presence known. I look forward to seeing how some of the stories that I follow shape up and I look forward to peoples comments back on my work. It is very helpful. ( Cheezburger )

Overall I think my writing assignments could improve but I think as I am starting to get comfortable with the assignments I think that'll come in time too. I just updated my blogs format a bit and I quite like it. In addition I did some reformatting and some edits to my blog on Monday and I really like how it is shaping up. My project really interests me and I really think this will be a fun project to work on. My story posts will start to take shape as I have narrowed in on where I want this assignment to go. I have really found some good archival research sources that I quite enjoy while doing research for my project. Infantrymen gaze from their landing craft toward Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944.  Britannica This picture I selected was what really drove my project site to look the way it does now. I think it is fitting for the story and the mood I am trying to portray. Looking forward I have a good Idea on where I want to go. I want to move towards historical accurac

Ashwatthaman and the Battle of the Bulge Rama was entrenched in the forests of the Ardennes enduring the harsh winter. On the evening of December 16th 1944, Ashwatthaman spearheaded the American offensive and drove deep into the U.S.'s lines. Ashwatthaman planned a brutal attack to help gain back significant grounds. Ashwatthaman and his armored unit, the Ashwatt's, and 200,000 German troops snuck in over night and attacked Rama and the Pandavas Brigade along with a large number of U.S. forces. The Ashwatt's attacked Rama and his unit with great brutality. Disguising themselves as U.S. forces the Ashwatt's tricked the Pandavas' and slaughtered them in their sleep, leaving only a small handful behind. Ashwatthaman and his armor rolled into the U.S.'s lines even deeper drawing a boundary that gave the battle-line the appearance of a bulge. Rama retreated back with the remaining handful of his unit and regrouped at the back of the battle-lines still trying to

The night Raid is an element that I think I could include in my story. Ashwatthaman's men snuck into the camp of the Pandavas and looking at where I want my stories to go with my project I could tie this into the battle of the bulge. Just as Ashwatthaman snuck up on the Pandavas and attacked brutally and did so swiftly with a brisk rushing move. Just as the germans took the lead in the battle of the bulge in the beginning Ashwatthaman did the same and left the Pandavas in dismay. In Ashwatthaman's rushing attack and as the germans out stretched their abilities Ashwatthaman did the same. And as a result Ashwatthaman was punished by the gods for his actions. The Germans lost their foothold and the ground that they had gotten back and the Ashwatthaman lost the gem that was so special to him. These stories are a great example of Karma and how your actions have consequences and you need to be careful of what you do because if you aren't careful you can loose something very dear

The Burma Campaign: was a series of battles fought by the British against the Imperial Japanese forces. Particularly tough due to monsoon season. The Japanese Fifteenth army pushed into Burma and wreaked havoc on the citizen population. Fighting continued all the way through 1945 when the allies conducted offensive operations to fight back the Japanese army. The British XXXIII were in a race against the monsoon season. In the end The Burma Campaign was not significant to the defeat of the Japanese Army. However it was a distraction to their armies and was helpful to those of Burma to help regain their land. Burma and India Battle Lines from  Wikipedia Bibliography The Burma Campaign,  Wikipedia

The Burning of the Forest is definitely an interesting tale to read about. The story once again shows an interaction between the gods and people of elevated power. It is interesting how Agni refers to the forest as food. Because he is the god of fire the forest is full of "nutrition" for what he needs. Just as a fire grows bigger and stronger with the increase of resources to supply the fire Agni saw the same. The more of the forest he could consume the more powerful his fire would become. This story seems to place Agni who appears to be a what I would consider to be the villain. Since the "heroes" appear to be intoxicated they are quickly turned into play the bit of the fools who helped the bad guy. Rewarded with gifts Krishna and Arjuna assisted in the defeat of Indra as the forest was completely consumed. Wildfire near Fawnskin, California. Photo from  Columbia Magazine Bibliography: John Mandeville Macfie,  The Mahabharata, A Summary

The Mahabharata is definitely not the Ramayana. This epic takes everything to a completely different level. The Mahabharata brings things to a different level right from the beginning. Incorporating a level of gods and mythical levels. The first story Vyasa and Ganesha quickly brought everything to that elevated level that the Ramayana built too. I was a bit overwhelmed and caught off guard with the story but quickly saw how the story brought everything to the level of the gods. So based off of the first part A I am intrigued. Even in King Shantanu and Ganga you can continue to see how the influence of Gods and Goddess continue to influence the story writing. That Escalated Quickly from  Know Your Meme Bibliography: John Mandeville Macfie,  Vyasa and Ganesha Donald A. Mackenzie,  King Shantanu and Ganga

Part B of Sita sings the blues truly shows how old stories or even life events can influence a new story from a different perspective. Sita sings the blues definitely shows how your events surrounding you can inspire a different perspective of a story. With this version of the Ramayana we see more of Sita's story and less of Rama's. This gives me a different approach and idea of the story. Just as Nina was calling for Dave to take her back Sita taught her sons to call for Rama to find them again. Sita Sings the Blues is definitely a different approach to and a different view on this old story. It definitely is an interesting approach and is very enjoyable. Cover Art of Muppets  Grover Sings the Blues Bibliography: Animated film by Nina Paley,  Sita Sings the Blues

I watched the video Sita sings the Blues for this week. I will say watching this really helped me get a better and more clear grasp on the Ramayana. Reading is not my greatest gift, I am a slow reader and I often have to read back a couple times. So when I find a video that helps elaborate or explain it really helps me. This gave me a better grasp on what exactly is taking place in each part of the story. I like how they connected Sita to Jazz and Swing music singers. I am a huge Jazz fan so hearing that connection and how they tell their stories through music is really cool. In addition I found the Narration from the three narrators and their banter amongst themselves is really entertaining. I really connect with humor and I find a lot of humor in this. I will say the multiple animation styles is verryyyyyyy confusing and often I find it unnecessary. Regardless though seeing the story and actually watching it play out along with the notes very much helps. Fox's Animation Domi

My plan for my storybook is to tell the tale of WWII from beginning of the European theatre to end by using the time line and famous battles and tying them together with the Indian Epics. For now I am going to start with three stories and if I need more then I'll add more. I will use stories from the Ramayana potentially and utilize stories like the Rama Attacks to tell the story of the deception used in the Normandy invasions,  the story of Vali's death and the bloody and sneaky battle on the beaches of normandy, and finally Battle with Khara to tell the story of the Battle of the Bulge and then the ultimate defeat suffered by the germans. The whole time tying mythological characters into the story. Bibliography: Operation Bodyguard Wikipedia,  Yama The Epic of Rama, Romesh Dutt,  Vali's Death The Battle with Khara Rama Attacks

WWII an Indian Epic Image: Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh, then a flight lieutenant, with pilots of No 1 Squadron by a Hawker Hurricane aircraft in World War II in Burm.  Rediff   Visit my  Storybook

Again working my angle to tie these stories to that of WWII, Indra's Chariot has the potential to work well into just that. Just as in World War Two the axis and the allies were all in search of a bigger and better weapon or vehicle. Just as Indra provided Rama with a better vehicle to assist him in battle so did engineers throughout world war two. Just as the Jeep propelled equipment forward for US troops so did the Chariot propel Rama into battle with Ravana. Just as the B-29 was able to deliver a greater payload and inevitably the atomic bomb the Chariot was able to give Rama the ability to give Ravana the final blow. Eventually the greatest and most advanced technology will lead to the most epic battles. USAF Photo of B-29  Superfortress Painting of Ingra's Chariot from  Quora Bibliography: The Epic of Rama, Romesh Dutt,  Indra's Chariot The Epic of Rama, Romesh Dutt,  Ravana's Death Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists, Sister Nivedita,  Battle of

Im going to zero in on Vali's death with these notes: Vali's death appears to be this epic fight between Rama and Vali. This fight goes on and each fighter is relentless. To tie this story with my idea to connect WWII battles and events we cold compare the epic battle between the United States and the Japanese armies. Following the epic and bloody battle similar to that of the Pacific Theatre just as Rama and Vali fought bloodied and violent. Looking at the "sneaky" move and that Rama pulled by launching that dart at Vali we can compare that to the atomic bomb that was dropped on the Japanese. Switch the characters up a bit Rama could be the USA and Vali the Japanese Empire of WWII. Adding into this, although a serious topic, some comedy because no one likes an overly serious topic thats just a bummer. But finding a way to convey the story in what I think would be like a History episode almost like the old man in Monty Python and The Holy Grail. But Not sure I feel

I am going to focus in on the Epic Battles. I was reading over the Kurukshetra War  and what popped into my mind was the Cold War and in addition I thought of the  Astra  that was suggested to me for this topic. The reason why this weapon reminds me of a nuclear weapon "it requires specific invocation" and "it is impossible to counter through regular means". Tying these two together would be an interesting way to explore this topic. The second topic I am looking in on is  The Battle with Khara , I mentioned that I would like to find a way to find the similarities of Epic Indian Battles and see how they compare to battles of WWII. I found this battle to remind me of the Battle of the Bulge. Just as Kahara charged into battle with everything he had only to be defeated. Just as the Germans in WWII  made a final push into the lines of the US forces they were eventually beaten back and suffered a great loss. The third story I looked into was  Rama Attacks  this stor

I read  How to Give Bad Feedback Without Being a Jerk  and right of the back I knew this sounded familiar but I couldn't figure our where from. Then I saw the author Adam Grant, I have read and listened to his podcasts and articles for two business classes so far and he has a lot of good ideas on both workplace and life in general. We even discussed this topic in our HR class. The basic idea is don't hide the bad between the good, and I agree completely. You need to be honest but not brutal to. Constructive criticism is good, but if there is something bad it needs to be addressed. As a flight instructor I often have to ride that line of too far and not far enough in my evaluations. Sometimes unfortunately we need to be a jerk to the student but there is definitely a limit and we often know where that line is drawn. The idea of burry the bad in between the good is a cop out. If something stands out you need to address it professionally. Sometimes dancing around the problem is mo

The Hermit On their long journey our brave traveler Rama finds himself coming across a mysterious secluded area. Upon entering this area and making camp, out of no where and a big flash of smoke and light appears the "Great Pious Hermit", this Hermit was of great significance to Rama but he was yet to learn that significance just yet. For now he was filled with fear and concern as it was fire season and there was a burn ban. However, Rama's fears quickly resided when the Hermit spoke "Hello my dear traveler for we have been waiting many moons for you to visit". Rama was unaware of the significance of his arrival but the Hermit new it was a moment he had been long awaiting. Rama asked "why?' the "so I can drift off to the moon and stars and walk among our brothers and sisters of course". Rama looked on with disbelief. "Now is not the time for looks, but time for great food". The hermit feed them great food. Meals they had heard a

This Part of the Ramayana seems like the "everything bad is going to get worse" part of the epic. Soley based off of Bharata Returns and Dashartha's funeral. However, this is what sets in motion the rest of the story. This is the "trial stage" of the story. Here Rama will be put through many of his trials that I think will help and shape him for the future. From my limited knowledge of epics I think there is a trend of fail, succeed, fail, succeed, fail, learn, prevail. Im curious to know if this trend continues as the story progresses. Looking a head to the end of part B with Shabari you can see what is now, I would say, a "cliche". And it is the "old wise lady/man" and they have a great amount of wisdom to deliver to the weary traveler. I am slowly starting to see many of the connections to modern movies and tails and how the all kind of seem to fit this mold that was created way back when. I like however how this part of the story is a bit