David Walsh's Blog

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...