Here are some interresting tidbits about the TV show Gilligan's Island.
The Skipper and Gilligan are supposed to have served in the Navy together. The Skipper rescued Gilligan when he fell overboard the ship they were stationed on.
Gilligan's first name is rumored to be Willie according to the show's creator Sherwood Schwarz. Bob Denver (Gilligan) say's he wasn't aware of this until after the show was already off the air.
Shapely actress Jane Mansfield turned down the role of Ginger.
In the show's opening credits (season one) a flag can be seen flying at half mast in the background; this is because JFK had just been assassinated.
The props on the show were limited to materials that could be scavenged on an island. Later, though, the coconut cups were replaced with plastic repplicas because the real ones leaked.
The S. S. Minnow was named after a man...not a fish. The creator of the show disliked the boat and named it after Newton Minow, whom he also disliked. Minow refered to television as "America's vast wasteland."
Monday, October 18, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Miner's Miracle
After 69 days of being trapped underground in the San Jose Mine, all 33 Chilean miners have finally emerged at the surface. It is the longest time anyone has been trapped underground and come out alive.
Families and nations celebrate as miners were rescued one-by-one via a custom-made capsule that descended down a 2,041 escape shaft. It was equipped with oxygen and sensors were attached around the miner's midsection's to monitor pulse, respiration rates and skin temperature.
Aspirin was taken and compression socks used to keep the miners blood from clotting during the trip to the surface. Sweaters were donned in order to combat the drastic change in climate temperature.
A major concern throughout the rescue process was the potential for panic and claustrophobia. The capsule design allowed for room to stand-up, but was only 2 ft. wide. It narrowly fit through the hole burrowed to reach them.
The equipment could have failed at any point in the operation potentially trapping a man yet again...and with an even more limited oxygen supply. The trip to the surface took no less than 25 minutes per man and was no doubt one of the scarriest rides on earth. It was truly a life or death situation.
News camera's captured the varied emotions of family members as they stood by anxiously awaiting the safe retrieval of their loved ones. Cheers, tears, and seemingly endless clapping serenade the couples as they embrace for the first time in over two months. It has been hell for both the miners and their families.
Throughout the ordeal the miner's steadfastly held to their promise to "never give up." Their triumphantly positive attitudes have given hundreds of thousands of people around the world a renewed sense of inspiration, hope, and a belief that miracles do happen.
Praise the Lord!
Families and nations celebrate as miners were rescued one-by-one via a custom-made capsule that descended down a 2,041 escape shaft. It was equipped with oxygen and sensors were attached around the miner's midsection's to monitor pulse, respiration rates and skin temperature.
Aspirin was taken and compression socks used to keep the miners blood from clotting during the trip to the surface. Sweaters were donned in order to combat the drastic change in climate temperature.
A major concern throughout the rescue process was the potential for panic and claustrophobia. The capsule design allowed for room to stand-up, but was only 2 ft. wide. It narrowly fit through the hole burrowed to reach them.
The equipment could have failed at any point in the operation potentially trapping a man yet again...and with an even more limited oxygen supply. The trip to the surface took no less than 25 minutes per man and was no doubt one of the scarriest rides on earth. It was truly a life or death situation.
News camera's captured the varied emotions of family members as they stood by anxiously awaiting the safe retrieval of their loved ones. Cheers, tears, and seemingly endless clapping serenade the couples as they embrace for the first time in over two months. It has been hell for both the miners and their families.
Throughout the ordeal the miner's steadfastly held to their promise to "never give up." Their triumphantly positive attitudes have given hundreds of thousands of people around the world a renewed sense of inspiration, hope, and a belief that miracles do happen.
Praise the Lord!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Deaths linked to 1924 storm.
"I don't think you actually conquer the mountain. You sneak up on it and then get the hell off!" - Krakaur
On June 8, 1924 British explorers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine attempted to reach the summit of Mount Everest; they were last sighted by their comrades at 28,000 feet. Then...nothing.
Down at base camp their comrades, knowing full well the perils of the mountain and what little tolerance it had for the tiniest mistake, waited anxiously for their return. It soon became clear that tragedy had struck.
At the first opportunity, search parties scoured the area hoping against all odds for some sign of life; it was not to be. The tempestuous mountain left no trace of Mallory or Irvine and their mysterious dissappearance became legend.
Some decades later, in 1999, a group of scientists calling themselves "The Mallory-Irvine Research Expedition" made an amazing discovery. They found Mallory's mummified body face down in a mixture of ice and gravel on the side of the mountain.
Forensic analysis suggests that Mallory fell some distance and, although knowing he would surely die, it is clear that he fought for survival right to the bitter end. His arms were frozen in place above his head and his fingers clawed out as if still unwilling to let go of the phantom stone or ice chunk that broke his fall. Having little oxygen, water, or warmth he wouldn't have sufferred long.
But what went wrong?
Members of the original expedition agree that all was going well up until their last sighting of them (at approximately 28,000 feet). The weather on that day had been as obliging as one could possibly hope for. Without realizing it, they may have already had the answer.
When the 1999 expedition took barometric readings they recorded 8mbar. A look back at the 1924 recordings revealed a shocking 18mbar... making the chances for disastrous weather most imminent.
But how can the weather be different for the climbers vs. the men back at camp? Remember they are on a mountain. With the changes in elevation also comes changes in atmospheric conditions. What one person sees at the base of a mountain is not necessarily what is going on at the top.
The fluctuation in barmoetric pressure could warn of sudden blizzard-like conditions and a drop in available oxygen..which is now almost certainly the case with Mallory and Irvine.
It is not known if they ever made it to the top.
In the end, Mallory and Irvine received the fame they were longing for, although, now their names are forevermore synonymous with that of the dark mystique of the mountain.
Irvine has never been found.
On June 8, 1924 British explorers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine attempted to reach the summit of Mount Everest; they were last sighted by their comrades at 28,000 feet. Then...nothing.
Down at base camp their comrades, knowing full well the perils of the mountain and what little tolerance it had for the tiniest mistake, waited anxiously for their return. It soon became clear that tragedy had struck.
At the first opportunity, search parties scoured the area hoping against all odds for some sign of life; it was not to be. The tempestuous mountain left no trace of Mallory or Irvine and their mysterious dissappearance became legend.
Some decades later, in 1999, a group of scientists calling themselves "The Mallory-Irvine Research Expedition" made an amazing discovery. They found Mallory's mummified body face down in a mixture of ice and gravel on the side of the mountain.
Forensic analysis suggests that Mallory fell some distance and, although knowing he would surely die, it is clear that he fought for survival right to the bitter end. His arms were frozen in place above his head and his fingers clawed out as if still unwilling to let go of the phantom stone or ice chunk that broke his fall. Having little oxygen, water, or warmth he wouldn't have sufferred long.
But what went wrong?
Members of the original expedition agree that all was going well up until their last sighting of them (at approximately 28,000 feet). The weather on that day had been as obliging as one could possibly hope for. Without realizing it, they may have already had the answer.
When the 1999 expedition took barometric readings they recorded 8mbar. A look back at the 1924 recordings revealed a shocking 18mbar... making the chances for disastrous weather most imminent.
But how can the weather be different for the climbers vs. the men back at camp? Remember they are on a mountain. With the changes in elevation also comes changes in atmospheric conditions. What one person sees at the base of a mountain is not necessarily what is going on at the top.
The fluctuation in barmoetric pressure could warn of sudden blizzard-like conditions and a drop in available oxygen..which is now almost certainly the case with Mallory and Irvine.
It is not known if they ever made it to the top.
In the end, Mallory and Irvine received the fame they were longing for, although, now their names are forevermore synonymous with that of the dark mystique of the mountain.
Irvine has never been found.
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