Great Military Commanders Responses in the Face of Adversity

I love the story of the American commander, General Anthony McAuliffe,  commander of the 101st Airborne Division surrounded by the Germans at Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the bulge during late 1944 who responded to the German ultimatum for surrender with a single word: "Nuts." I have found another similar response which should be remembered, not for its shortness, but its eloquence.

I have been following with great interest the current situation in the Crimea which Russian forces have, without provocation, have decided to occupy. 

The LA Times reported an exchange between the commanding admiral of the Russian fleet and the Ukrainian naval base commander. The story, as reported goes as follows:

A Ukrainian navy sailor looks at the scuttled Russian ship
from the Black Sea shore. Photo: AP

Earlier in the week, the commander of the Russian Black Sea fleet, Adm. Alexander Vitko, visited Ukraine’s South Base, according to the deputy base commander, Capt. Viktor Shmiganovsky. 

“He asked me to invite all the officers and suggested that we collectively take up the Russian military allegiance oath and become part of the Black Sea fleet … promising good pay and a bright future,” Shmiganovsky said in an interview. “He insisted we do that to help protect Ukraine from extremist gangs.”

The officer said his boss, the base commander, retorted: “Comrade admiral, we didn't see any extremist gangs here until you came with your men.” He said the admiral left “in a rage.”

I really think this response says it all. Comrade Admiral--is a direct reference to the days of the oppressive Soviet Union. 

In response, the Russians sank a derelict vessel to trap the Ukrainian navy in its port. 

But the response was elegant and complete.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Hump Day Phenomena Affects Birthdays

Wednesday has become Hump Day. Actually it had been hump day for a long time, but the recent advertisements by a camel in an auto insurance commercial have cemented Wednesday as Hump Day and especially if your name happens to be Mike.

Coincidentally, Jackson's actual birthday fell on Hump Day this year. He was rewarded for this chance happening by having a creative birthday cake designed and baked by his mother. 

I found this cake to be very creative in its simplicity and beauty. Direct and to the point. It also tasted great--a four layer chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and fondant. Mmm.

The birthday boy (and his brother) also wore Hump Day T-shirts to commemorate the day.  Sadly, I didn't get a good picture of them in the shirts to remember the day. I need one of these shirts!

It was all in good fun and I do appreciate how the image of the camel has been transformed from a cigarette advertisement into a more family oriented symbol ringing in the middle day of the week.

Happy Birthday (yesterday) Jackson and to everyone who has a birthday on Wednesday this year, may your year always be on the upswing and not the downslide side of the hump.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

De-Extintion Conundrum

NORTH WIND PICTURE ARCHIVES/VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS -
A woodcut from the 1870s shows passenger pigeons
being shot in Louisiana.

I read two compelling articles the other day about recreating Woolly Mammoths and other extinct species. One article was titled De-Extintion: Bringing Extinct Species back to Life and was published by the National Geographic. The other was published by the Washington Post and was titled Scientists look to revive the long extinct passenger pigeon. 

Can man really play god? Can we make right what went wrong? What about less desirable species, like insects or poisonous snakes?  Even dinosaurs?

These are good questions. 

I have long been fascinated by the plight of the passenger pigeon. Descriptions of the flocks numbering billions of individual birds and darkening the skies overhead are but memories as the last passenger pigeon died in 1914. And now, scientists believe that they can make right what man destroyed. 

Should they?

Is it right to recreate extinct species and place them again on the planet which has changed since they departed? It is a question of Jurassic Park implications. What if their reintroduction becomes a significant problem? What if they must be returned to extinction to for financial or other reasons? 

It is an issue that deserves a lot of thought before investing the millions of dollars to revive a species--even though I would love to see passenger pigeons darken the skies once again or maybe e ben see a woolly mammoth in a zoo somewhere. .

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Who Loves the Snow?

Makayla in the Snow

One of my readers has accused me of writing too much about the snow. I stand convicted! I would prefer to write about warm sandy beaches--but there aren't any near me. The snow is ubiquitous and unending, it seems. Untile the snow had finally and completely departed there can be ". . . no joy in Mudville."

Yesterday I determined that one member of my family actually loves the snow. Makayla!

Although not technically a snow dog, like a huskie, she does have a double coat and she seems to love being out in the snow. The only time she asked to go out and just play and not perform some bodily function is during snow events. 

As the Storm Begins

Fortunately, the storm under performed yesterday. We were expecting up to 9 inches of fresh, while snow and received only about 5.

Yay. Less to shovel.

The bigger problem this morning are the record setting frigid temperatures. The record for the area is 5 degrees and at my house this morning the thermometer reads 5.4 degrees with still an hour to go before dawn.

That is too cold for Makayla. Too cold for me. Although, I am headed out in a few minutes to risk life and limb on the racquetball court. 

Hopefully, this will be my last blog about snow for the season, except to write that it has finally and completely departed and been replaced by green grass and flowers.  Time will tell.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - March 3, 2014

View in the Morning at the Beginning of the Storm

1. To misquote a line from a movie: Snow, why did it have to be snow? We are looking for up to 9 inches followed by bone chilling cold.

2. Soviet Reunion, that is what Patrick called the current situation in the Ukraine. Well said.

Salt Pile

3. The most valuable commodity before a big storm is? SALT! I went to no less than 8 places looking for it yesterday. I found none--they all were sold out! I need to start looking earlier for the next storm.

4. How do you know a big storm is coming to the Baltimore area? They preempt the news for the weather.

5. When I went to bed last night I was hoping that the forecast for ice and snow was a bad dream. It wasn't.

6. I watched two Orioles baseball games over the weekend. Awesome! It was sunny and warm in Florida--and I'm not there, why?

7. I watched a lot of the Oscars program last evening. There are a couple of movies that I need to watch. Overall, I was not surprised by the outcomes.

8. Springtime is coming--I am sure. I just can't see it yet.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Guarding the Wine

Riordin the Wine Guard

Sometimes the animals in the house do things that are just funny, but perfectly innocent. 

Such was the case yesterday as Riordin decided that a wine box was sitting on the table needed to be guarded to protect it from the dog and whomever else might be in the house. 

Riordin remained perched on the wine box for quite a while and had no issues as I documented his self-appointed role.

I'm just glad he just guards and doesn't drink the wine. That would surely be expensive!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

People Watching in the Hospital

I spent yesterday in the waiting room of the outpatient surgery center of Johns Hopkins Hospital with Chris, who was having a minor procedure. Talk about confusion and bureaucratic inefficiency--that was the story of my day. 

The day was lost from the very beginning. Both the surgery center and the time of the surgery were change on the day before. The big problem was that they forgot to tell us that the surgery had been slipped from 1030 to 1230. No problem, I can handle that. But as the day wore on, the surgery slipped with each passing hour until finally occurring at 3 PM. Ugh! We did not finally depart until almost 6PM.

Fortunately, I had my trusty cell phone for company. Until the battery died. 

It was the realization that the cell phone would expire before the day ended that caused me to begin watching the people.

I remember an older couple waiting for the husband to have a procedure. I was amazed that when the man was called, the wife waved good-bye and didn't walk with him to go back for surgery. The wife then opened her purse and began to eat lunch right there in the waiting room. I only mention it because there were a lot of people waiting for procedures and they cannot eat--and so I am sure the food caused some angst among those who were hungry as lunchtime approached.

I was also fascinated by other people, some furiously conducting business on their cell phones while plugged into the wall trying not to think about their loved one in the surgery center. A needed distraction from a long day, I am sure.

And I overheard a sad story involving a man whose significant but unmarried other was having surgery, but he could not have access to help verify insurance information to get prescriptions. Somehow, the laws enacted to protect privacy have run amok by excluding people who are responsible for health care from access to the information they need, but, it seems the government can get any personal data that it wants.

There were so many people, coming and going during the day--until the end. We were almost the last people to leave. They were cleaning up the center around us as we left, more than eight hours after we had arrived. I was happy to pay the $12 parking fee and drive home after the successful surgery.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Orioles Baseball 2014--It Begins Anew

It is here. The inaugural Orioles Spring Training game will occur today at 1:05 PM against the Tampa Bay Rays. I liked their name a lot more when it was the Devil Rays!

Bring on the Boys of Summer and the unofficial first day of Spring, despite the temperatures being in the teens. It is warm in Florida and in the hearts of true Orioles fans everywhere. 

I checked the baseball scores for the first Spring Training games of the season last evening while flying home from Anchorage. It made me 15 degrees warmer just thinking about baseball.

Did I really care that the Pirates beat the Yankees? Or that the Rangers pummeled the Royals? Well, I always like seeing the Yankees lose (they are 0-2 so far in Spring Training games)--but in reality my interest was more to confirm that MLB Baseball was back. And in a few weeks I will take to the field with Mike as we surge forward for a second season of T-Ball. And despite the weather--Spring is here!

Take me out to the ball game! 

I'll see you at the Yards! And maybe even in Sarasota in a few weeks!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Out the Hotel Window - Anchorage

Sometimes, even though you are visiting a place with incredible natural beauty, the foreground of the view out the hotel window is less than spectacular.

Such was my experience during my hotel stay in Anchorage. Don't get me wrong, it was a great hotel, in a good location, with excellent amenities--but, the view out my window was not awe inspiring. It was rather pedestrian and poor.

To demonstrate that my poor view was not just in one direction, I took two images from my window just to prove visibility at any angle was obstructed. 

Yes, I know there is a beautiful view out there, somewhere, but not from my window.

Bummer. I really would have enjoyed a constant view of the sound or the mountains--unobstructed.

Well, better luck next time. 

-- Bob Doan, writing from Anchorage, Alaska

Wintertime Alaska

Looking Across a Frozen Lake

Yes, it is cold. But the length of the days have already become near equal to Maryland and therefore the darkness is not too bad. This trip has seen the best weather that I have experienced in Alaska--we can actually see scenery and drive almost unimpeded.

That is supposed to change today as a storm moves through, but the images show how stunning everything appears.

Mt. McKinley (Denali) in the Distance

We saw Denali, Mt McKinley, in the distance yesterday. It was slightly hazy and I couldn't get a fantastic image of it, but it still is a great memory. They say that the weather is only infrequently clear enough to see that far away. 

Pop Quiz: When does a 14,000 plus foot tall peak look short? When it is between a 20,000 foot and a 17,000 foot peak. I saw the three peaks, whose names escape me now, Denali at 20,000 feet, and a peak in the image above to its left is 14,000 feet. Further left and off the frame is a 17,000 foot peak. I just wish the image was better--but it was the best my iPhone could pull off yesterday. 

Out for a Drive to Work

They say the weather has been warm, and I guess it has been. The high today is supposed to be 36 degrees compared to 34 back at home. They are also calling for afternoon snow--which should effectively ruin any chances for more unplanned stunning sightseeing.

Given the weather so far and the unintended views, I can and won't complain. I do not like snow and cold--but even so, it they can still make beautiful combinations when combined with fevers peaks and mountains.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Anchorage, AK