The Boston Braves

*Worthy of Commendation

First our heartfelt love, prayers, thoughts, and admiration for the people and police of Boston. In five days following the Marathon Bombings the FBI, Boston police, other law enforcement agencies and the “people” (using social networks) did a seemingly impossible task. From scrutinizing tens of thousands of feet of security video they identified the probable faces, names, and home addresses of the bomber brothers. This led to a nighttime shootout that killed one terrorist with the other escaping until the next evening. We ask a lot from our police. We expect them to keep all 300 million of us safe but to do it without harming the innocent. So when I talk to a policeman (or a soldier) I make sure to thank them. The life they save may be your own. The people of Boston showed the world their courage and resiliency. Their love of Boston and America trumped the bombers’ hate. Let’s score it Facebook and Twitter over the Bomber Brothers 1-0.

 * Recollections From Early Residency

So many of us in Newport Beach have lived or studied in Boston that we are attached to Boston by the umbilicus. The Bomber Boys must have been meshuga (crazy) to think they could outwit millions of intellectuals with computers and billions of gigabytes. As for us, my wife and I spent five years in the Boston area living in Brighton (between Cambridge and Watertown) when I was a Resident at The Massachusetts General Hospital. Of the injured  survivors, 31 were taken to MGH with four requiring amputation. The next day 11 of them went home. In succeeding days I heard from a number of prior fellow residents and staff. I visited MGH in 2011 for the celebration of its 200 birthday and a 50-year all-class reunion of the Radiology Department. Our tour of the renovated hospital included a new multi-million combined Surgical and Radiology Suite. Little did we know how relevant and important this room would become two years later!

 * I’m Mad As Heck

President Obama must have been really mad last week following the Boston Marathon bombings. On live television he actually said the words terror, terrorist and terrorism.

 * Immune to Destruction

We often hear that the Al Quada chain of command has been seriously disrupted through US military actions. Unfortunately when Al Quada leaders are injured or killed new ones are found quickly to replace them and move up the organization. You might say they have a strong and loaded “farm system.”

 * Brain Power

The 2013 Orange County Film Festival began yesterday, April 25. Many of my fellow Indy writers have tried to find a festival movie that is a fit with the substance of their columns. After looking forever at the schedule I found a program of ten movie shorts on Saturday, April 27, at 1:15 p.m. listed under “Growing Up is Short To Do.” One of the ten movie shorts is titled “Brain Power: From Neurons To Networks” produced, directed and in part written by Tiffany Shlain. This ten-minute short is described as “an exploration of the parallels between a child’s brain development and the development of the internet.” Did you ever wonder why your children learn to use your computer, I-pad and smart phone faster than you?

 * Another Brookism

While recently visiting in Manhattan, Brooke our 4-year-old granddaughter, walked into the living room to show her mom the pieces of a plastic crown (some come with dresses) that she found broken into multiple pieces. My daughter, Jennifer, confessed that she had accidentally stepped on it. Brooke self-righteously proclaimed, “You should be more careful and look where you’re stepping when you walk around.” Brooke’s response was so funny that initially we didn’t hear mom’s retort of telling Brooke that if she didn’t leave her stuff lying around it wouldn’t get stepped on.

 

Michael Arnold Glueck M.D., Newport Beach, is an ornery curmudgeon who writes Deep Thoughts by Dr. Mike for the NewportBeachIndy.com.