Friday, November 30, 2012
Monday, November 26, 2012
True Story #2
On the night of February 19, 1994, Gloria Ramirez was brought into the ER at Riverside Regional Hospital in Southern California. She had been suffering from cervical cancer, and was brought in specifically for bradycardia (a slowing of the heart beat), Cheyne-Stokes respiration (an irregular breathing pattern), and confusion. She was given injections of Valium, Versed, and Ativan to sedate her, and she was also given Lidocaine for her heartbeat. She started getting worse, so they had to defibrillate her heart.
It was at that moment when things got weird. Hospital staff noticed an oily sheen on Gloria's skin and a fruity garlic smell coming from her mouth. An RN took a blood sample and smelled an ammonia odor coming from the sample tube. The RN passed the syringe to the doctor who saw what appeared to be crystals floating in the blood. The RN then passed out and was taken out. The doctor started feeling ill and light-headed, so she left as well. The doctor soon passed out as well. A respiratory therapist in the room also passed out, and the ER was forced to evacuate. After 45 minutes in the ER, Gloria Ramirez died. Her death has been attributed to kidney failure due to complications from her cancer.
California's Department of Health and Human Services investigated and found very few things, mostly looking at a mass hysteria leading to the cause of most of the issues. The doctor that night spent two weeks in the ICU with breathing problems, and she actually ended up developing hepatitis and avascular necrosis in her knees. She and the RN chose to seek a second opinion as to the findings. She turned to Livermore Labs for help.
Livermore Labs believed that Gloria Ramirez had been taking Dimethyl Sulfoxide on her own to treat herself. This compound is a solvent that has a garlic taste and can be secreted onto the tongue after exposure. The Lab believed that because of her failing kidneys, this compound built up in her system. When CPR was administered, it added a lot of oxygen into Gloria's system which would've caused the Dimethyl Sulfoxide to combine with the Oxygen to form Dimethyl Sulfone, which crystallizes at room temperature (hence the crystals in the blood sample). When Gloria was defibrullated, the electricity would have caused another chemical reaction to the Dimethyl Sulfone and caused it to change into Dimethyl Sulfate. This compound is highly toxic which could have caused the effects that the hospital staff reported.
Even though Gloria's family didn't agree with the Livermore investigation, it's the only investigation that has been able to explain all the odd occurrences in the ER that night. If the story sounds at all familiar, the premise had been used in an episode of the TV shows 'The X-Files' and 'Grey's Anatomy'. Gloria's story has made itself into medical journals and Livermore Labs have been hailed for their investigation. Unfortunately for Gloria, she has become known as "the toxic lady" by the media. She has been buried in an unmarked grave in Olivewood Memorial Park in Riverside, California.
It was at that moment when things got weird. Hospital staff noticed an oily sheen on Gloria's skin and a fruity garlic smell coming from her mouth. An RN took a blood sample and smelled an ammonia odor coming from the sample tube. The RN passed the syringe to the doctor who saw what appeared to be crystals floating in the blood. The RN then passed out and was taken out. The doctor started feeling ill and light-headed, so she left as well. The doctor soon passed out as well. A respiratory therapist in the room also passed out, and the ER was forced to evacuate. After 45 minutes in the ER, Gloria Ramirez died. Her death has been attributed to kidney failure due to complications from her cancer.
California's Department of Health and Human Services investigated and found very few things, mostly looking at a mass hysteria leading to the cause of most of the issues. The doctor that night spent two weeks in the ICU with breathing problems, and she actually ended up developing hepatitis and avascular necrosis in her knees. She and the RN chose to seek a second opinion as to the findings. She turned to Livermore Labs for help.
Livermore Labs believed that Gloria Ramirez had been taking Dimethyl Sulfoxide on her own to treat herself. This compound is a solvent that has a garlic taste and can be secreted onto the tongue after exposure. The Lab believed that because of her failing kidneys, this compound built up in her system. When CPR was administered, it added a lot of oxygen into Gloria's system which would've caused the Dimethyl Sulfoxide to combine with the Oxygen to form Dimethyl Sulfone, which crystallizes at room temperature (hence the crystals in the blood sample). When Gloria was defibrullated, the electricity would have caused another chemical reaction to the Dimethyl Sulfone and caused it to change into Dimethyl Sulfate. This compound is highly toxic which could have caused the effects that the hospital staff reported.
Even though Gloria's family didn't agree with the Livermore investigation, it's the only investigation that has been able to explain all the odd occurrences in the ER that night. If the story sounds at all familiar, the premise had been used in an episode of the TV shows 'The X-Files' and 'Grey's Anatomy'. Gloria's story has made itself into medical journals and Livermore Labs have been hailed for their investigation. Unfortunately for Gloria, she has become known as "the toxic lady" by the media. She has been buried in an unmarked grave in Olivewood Memorial Park in Riverside, California.
Friday, November 23, 2012
Monday, November 19, 2012
Black Friday
This week is Thanksgiving, and with it comes what has become the busiest shopping day of the year. But How long has it been this way? Where'd the name 'Black Friday' come from? Were other days called 'Black Friday'?
The term 'Black Friday' has been used for things other than shopping. The first case of its use was for the Financial Crisis of 1869, when the price of gold collapsed because of two stock speculators who tried to corner the market.
The first use of the term in reference to the day after Thanksgiving came from Philadelphia around 1961. An article was published around that time talking about the traffic jams and headaches for business owners. This article talked about both 'Black Friday' and the day after, 'Black Saturday'. They wanted to make things safer and more fluid, which would make these two days 'Big Friday' and 'Big Saturday'. The next time it was really referenced in the media at large was in 1966. The name was growing in the Philadelphia region. It gained a national understanding in 1975 when it was published in a New York Times article on the Army-Navy football game and two other articles in other periodicals. Even though it became national at that time, it still took awhile for the name to spread across the US. In 1985, a Philadelphia periodical reported that retailers in Cincinnati and Los Angeles didn't kow the term yet.
How long has 'Black Friday' been the biggest shopping day? Not that long actually. Once the media grabbed onto it, the idea exploded. From 1993-2001, 'Black Friday' was actually ranked between #5 and #10 on the busiest shopping days of the year. What was usually the busiest? The Saturday before Christmas. The first time that it actually ranked as the busiest shopping day was in 2003. In 2004, it ranked second. However, from 2005 on, it has been the busiest.
So why is 'Black Friday' historically known as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season? There are two reasons for this. Firstly, no department stores would advertise their deals until that Friday. Secondly, the parades that were hosted on that Friday (usually sponsored by department stores at the time, such as Macy's) had Santa at the end, a symbol for initiating the Christmas season. It's only been in recent years that Christmas advertising of deals has been before Thanksgiving. Recent trends have stores opening on Thursday night. Penned in 2005, 'Cyber Monday' follows to help those to get deals online if you couldn't find what you were looking for the previous Friday or just didn't want to brave the crowds. Now, the deals flow from Thursday night through Monday. We'll see what the future holds.
If you decide to brave the crows this Friday, good luck and stay safe!
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| Black Friday as seen in a Nebraska Furniture Mart in Kansas City: November 27, 2009 |
The term 'Black Friday' has been used for things other than shopping. The first case of its use was for the Financial Crisis of 1869, when the price of gold collapsed because of two stock speculators who tried to corner the market.
The first use of the term in reference to the day after Thanksgiving came from Philadelphia around 1961. An article was published around that time talking about the traffic jams and headaches for business owners. This article talked about both 'Black Friday' and the day after, 'Black Saturday'. They wanted to make things safer and more fluid, which would make these two days 'Big Friday' and 'Big Saturday'. The next time it was really referenced in the media at large was in 1966. The name was growing in the Philadelphia region. It gained a national understanding in 1975 when it was published in a New York Times article on the Army-Navy football game and two other articles in other periodicals. Even though it became national at that time, it still took awhile for the name to spread across the US. In 1985, a Philadelphia periodical reported that retailers in Cincinnati and Los Angeles didn't kow the term yet.
How long has 'Black Friday' been the biggest shopping day? Not that long actually. Once the media grabbed onto it, the idea exploded. From 1993-2001, 'Black Friday' was actually ranked between #5 and #10 on the busiest shopping days of the year. What was usually the busiest? The Saturday before Christmas. The first time that it actually ranked as the busiest shopping day was in 2003. In 2004, it ranked second. However, from 2005 on, it has been the busiest.
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| Lines to get into Target in Fargo, ND: November 25, 2011 |
If you decide to brave the crows this Friday, good luck and stay safe!
Friday, November 16, 2012
Friday Song #19 - Aerosmith
"Kings and Queens" - Aerosmith, from the album "Draw the Line"
Released: 1977
Monday, November 12, 2012
Bond's 50th Anniversary, Part 2
What better way to pay homage to the character that has endured in movies for 50 years than than to recognize the many people who have played the super spy. Most people know of the movie versions and even debate which one is the best. But here's a list of people who played the character over the years.
Barry Nelson
The first actor to play James Bond was Barry Nelson in a live TV broadcast of "Casino Royale" in 1954. CBS paid Ian Fleming $1000 to adapt his book into an hour long episode for a show of theirs.
Bob Holness
Bob Holness played as James Bond in a radio broadcast in South Africa of the novel "Moonraker" in 1956.
Sean Connery
The most recognizable Bond is Sean Connery, who was the first to play Bond in a movie. He starred in 7 Bond movies total (1962's Dr. No, 1963's From Russia with Love, 1964's Goldfinger, 1965's Thunderball, 1967's You Only Live Twice, 1971's Diamonds Are Forever, and the non-official 1983's Never Say Never Again).
David Niven
In 1967, a non-official Bond movie was released as a spoof of the spy movie and was called Casino Royale. It starred David Niven as Sir James Bond, and a number of other fake Bonds. I could put them up here as well, but the real Bond of the movie was Niven.
George Lazenby
The second Bond on the movie screen was George Lazenby. Most don't like Lazenby for the simple reason that he was replacing Connery. He only appeared in On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969.
Roger Moore
Roger Moore starred in 7 official Bond movies, which makes him the longest tenured Bond. His movies are 1973's Live and Let Die, 1974's The Man with the Golden Gun, 1977's The Spy Who Loved Me, 1979's Moonraker, 1981's For Your Eyes Only, 1983's Octopussy, and 1985's A View to a Kill. Most Bond fans are separated by Moore: you either love him or hate him without much in between.
Timothy Dalton
Timothy Dalton is another Bond that usually separates fans into two camps. He made two movies in the role: 1987's The Living Daylights and 1989's License to Kill.
Michael Jayston
Jayston played as James Bond in 1990 when BBC Radio 4 broadcast a 90-minute radio play of "You Only Live Twice".
Pierce Brosnan
After a lapse of a few years between movies, Pierce Brosnan took over the Bond mantle. Many enjoy Brosnan, but some do have some negative feelings as his movies went on. He was in 4 Bond movies: 1995's Goldeneye, 1997's Tomorrow Never Dies, 1999's The World Is Not Enough, and 2002's Die Another Day.
Daniel Craig
A blonder Bond was chosen as the next Bond. Daniel Craig added some life into the Bond series but many were disappointed with his second appearance as the spy. To date, he has been in 3 Bond movies: 2006's Casino Royale, 2008's Quantum of Solace, and 2012's Skyfall.
Toby Stephens
BBC Radio 4 decided that the 1990 Bond broadcast play was popular enough to make another. Toby Stephens (who played as the villain in Die Another Day) was cast to play the voice of Bond. So far, he has been in 3 of this radio plays: 2008's Dr. No, 2010's Goldfinger, and 2012's From Russia with Love.
And those are your James Bonds. More than you thought, right?
Barry Nelson
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| Barry Nelson in Casino Royale |
Bob Holness
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| Bob Holness |
Sean Connery
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| Sean Connery in Goldfinger |
David Niven
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| David Niven in Casino Royale |
George Lazenby
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| George Lazenby |
Roger Moore
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| Roger Moore in Live and Let Die |
Timothy Dalton
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| Timothy Dalton in The Living Daylights |
Michael Jayston
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| Michael Jayston |
Pierce Brosnan
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| Pierce Brosnan in Goldeneye |
Daniel Craig
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| Daniel Craig in Casino Royale |
Toby Stephens
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| Toby Stephens as the villain from Die Another Day |
And those are your James Bonds. More than you thought, right?
Friday, November 9, 2012
Friday Song #18 - Santana
"Open Invitation" - Santana, from the album "Inner Secrets"
Released: 1978
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