Kepone...
In the US, kepone was produced by Allied Signal Company and LifeSciences Product Company in Hopewell, Virginia. The improper handling and dumping of the substance into the nearby James River (U.S.) in the 1960s and 1970s drew national attention to its toxic effects on humans and wildlife. The product is similar to DDT and is a degradation product of Mirex. The history of Kepone incidents are reviewed in Who's Poisoning America?: Corporate Polluters and Their Victims in the Chemical Age (1982). In 2009, Kepone was included in the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants, which bans its production and use worldwide.
The James River was closed to fishing for thirteen years.
Volkswagen...
The EPA discovered Volkswagen had intentionally programmed turbocharged direct injection (TDI) diesel engines to activate certain emissions controls ONLY during laboratory emissions testing. The programming caused the vehicles' NOx output to MEET US standards during regulatory testing but emit up to 40 TIMES MORE NOx in real-world driving. Volkswagen deployed this programming in about eleven million cars worldwide, and 500,000 in the United States, during model years 2009 through 2015. The EPA fined Volkswagen US$2.8 billion criminal and US$1.5 billion in civil penalties, 6 executives have been charged.
Positive Train Control...
Since 1990 the technology and hardware has been available to prevent accidents. Positive train control (PTC) is a system of functional requirements for monitoring and controlling train movements as an attempt to provide increased safety. The American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) describes Positive Train Control as having these primary characteristics. President George W. Bush signed the 315-page Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 into law on October 16, 2008 Among its provisions, the law provides funding to help pay for the development of PTC technology, limits the number of hours freight rail crews can work each month, and requires the Department of Transportation to determine work hour limits for passenger train crews.
In October 2015 Congress passed a bill extending the compliance deadline by three years, to December 31, 2018 Meanwhile many passengers have been killed or injured in accidents that could have been prevented.
This list could go on for thousands of violations of environmental regulations that caused direct harm to humans and animals. There are reasons for the regulations we have and why we update them as new knowledge is acquired regarding human safety.
November 23rd, 2016.... the day before Thanksgiving.
I woke up and was just browsing the internet about 9:30 in the morning when Vickie came in my room and asked me a question. I don't remember what the question was but I do remember I had a problem answering it. I was suffering sudden Aphasia. I could understand language but I could not respond in speech. Attempts to talk were unsuccessful and continued be so. I thought I was suffering a stroke but there were no other symptoms. Words would not form. Only noises. Vickie left me to involve Christian in the problem. He came to record the event with his cell phone. I got mad. Stll couldn't talk. Frustrated. They took me to Northside Hospital Emergency Room in St. Petersburg.
When we got there I walked out of the truck by myself and tried to explain to the admitting agent what was wrong. I still could not talk. While Vickie parked the truck Chris had to explain why we were there. They immediately scheduled a CT scan and met with me afterwards.
The doctors, including Neurosurgeon Kirk Jobe, discovered a "large" mass on the left side of my brain. It was pressing on the portion of the brain that controls speech and I could only sputter gibberish for about three hours. After the CT Scan the doctors explained that such a condition might be caused by cancerous tumors in the lungs or intestines and put me in an MRI scan to look. Thankfully, nothing was found.
I was told the tumor was benign, growing slowly, only between the skull and brain, wide and thin. The process was started to operate.
Wednesday December 14th I was subjected to surgery to remove it, two days in the Intensive Care Unit and four more days in the hospital. Speech came and went numerous times. I could not recall my home phone number after 27 years. I suffered hallucinations but I pressed on by calling home (from a piece of paper given to me by the nurses) and reading a newspaper.
Doctors told me the lapse in memory was caused by swelling inside the cranium instead of loss of brain matter. The tumor was slow but not cancerous. I'm both lucky and unlucky.
It was an interesting weekend. I remember the CT scan but nothing afterward on the day of surgery. I woke up Wednesday night in Intensive Care with three doctors at the foot of my bed talking to me and I couldn't talk back to them. I wanted to, very bad.
I barely remember the next 24 hours in ICU with varied recollections of periods involving extreme emotions and odd sensations. I wasn't sure what was real and what was not. It was both curious, exciting and horrible.
On Friday December 16th I was "kicked out" of Intensive Care and moved to a regular hospital room. I was told this on or about December 19 just before I went home. I distincly remember being transported in a chair from ICU to the Northside Neurological wing. The chair did not go straight. It constantly pulled to the left against one small nurse by herself. She apologized all along the way to everyone we crossed in the hall, in the elevator, around corners... kept apologizing to me.
In my room I was designated a risk for falling and ordered to summon a nurse every time I needed the rest room. Automatic alarms went off whenever I moved out of the bed for any reason.
For the first day talking was not possible. My older brother called the room on Saturday December 17th and I tried to talk to him. I could not. A nurse was with me at the time and I handed her the phone. She spoke with my brother for a minute and told him I survived the operation and was healing quickly but not yet able to talk. The next day one of the doctors met with me and told me to move about without having to notify a nurse. Confusing.
Here's my roommate... Charles Worthington. I forced him to talk to me every day to speed up the process of my recovery. Charlie couldn't walk. In his youth he was injured in the wreck of a 1966 Mustang Fastback that slammed into a guardrail at 80 miles per hour and sent him through the windshield breaking his back in two places. He later received neck surgery that led to spinal problems and loss of feeling in his left side. He was in the midst of that down turn.
He was born in Gainsville, Florida and at one time owned his own tree-trimming business. After eleven years his partner bought him out for two million dollars but he never got any money due to his ex-wife and lawyers.
It took me three days to remember his name right but the exercise did help a lot! His mother is from Virginia which gave us even more to talk about. I am grateful to Charles for letting me use him selfishly. I wish I could have helped him.
At this point I'm not exactly sure what the doctors did to me and my brain. The scar is a huge half-moon shape covering the left half my head from which the tumor was removed. In two weeks I will followup with the neurosurgeon to find out how much cranium was removed and what was used to replace it. I think I may have a metal plate in my head. Right now I just don't know.
What is really important is that I feel no pain. I am amazed that the doctor can take so much matter from my skull and not leave any major problems (they are improving with a very good prognosis).
I happen to be a member of Virginia AM/FM/TV Group, a Central Virginia Radio/TV discussion board on Facebook. By coincidence while I was hospitalized for my brain damage Guy Spiller posted videos from 6-Teen, a Richmond teen dance music TV program. In the early seventies I directed the show with live local disc jockeys, dancers and guest musicians every Saturday afternoon. One Saturday our guests were BJ Thomas, the Classics IV, Gary Lewis and the Playboys and the Monkees. I claimed (on the board) the pressure of producing a live rock 'n roll television program using real local teenagers created a tumor in my brain still growing in 2016. Not true but I thought it was funny. The show lasted about four weeks live then went to recording when students stopped showing up. It was a copy of American Bandstand. Who knew I would later work directly with Dick Clark on the Home Shopping Network.
Here is my Neurosurgeon giving a talk about epilepsy....
Published on Feb 26, 2016
Dr. Jobe discusses surgery for epilepsy patients during the 2015 Epilepsy Symposium at Bayfront Health St. Petersburg.
2001 Silverado 1500 Extend Cab upgrade:
While I was in the hospital Vickie bought new tires for the truck thanks to a Christmas gift from my brother. The tires were an ongoing problem for a couple of years due to a lack of money and a poor alignment. By purchasing four new tires and a wheel alignment at a nominal cost she obtained a very good deal.
I need to make her know that I appreciate her in spite of or because of brain damage.
Born Under a Bad Sign, written by Booker T. Jones (Booker T and the MGs) and William Bell, was released as a single by Albert King in 1967. In 1968, British rock group Cream recorded "Born Under a Bad Sign" for their third album, Wheels of Fire. In 1988, Albert King's version was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame.
"Born Under a Bad Sign" has been recorded by many artists, including: Blue Cheer, Paul Butterfield, Robben Ford, Jimi Hendrix, Etta James, MDC, Pappo, Paul Rodgers, Koko Taylor with Buddy Guy, Pat Travers, Big Mama Thornton, Rita Coolidge and cartoon character Homer Simpson.
Co-writers William Bell (1969) and Booker T. Jones (1968) each recorded the song.
One, two Born under a bad sign I been down since I begin to crawl If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all Hard luck and trouble is my only friend I been on my own ever since I was ten Born under a bad sign I been down since I begin to crawl If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all I can't read, haven't learned how to write My whole life has been one big fight Born under a bad sign I been down since I begin to crawl If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all I ain't lyin' If it wasn't for bad luck I wouldn't have no kind-a luck If it wasn't for real bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all Wine and women is all I crave A big legged woman is gonna carry me to my grave Born under a bad sign I been down since I begin to crawl If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all Yeah, my bad luck boy Been havin' bad luck all of my days, yes
