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Zanshin · 23-08-2008, 02:22

ude123 - I would suggest posting a lot in order to get honorable mention on the front page.

Your comment is like saying that it is unfair that Mr. Phelps has so many Olympic gold medals while others don't have a chance. Well, that's the way it is; TANSTAAFL.

**Ex-Calif** · 23-08-2008, 05:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by GordMay

GordMay is listed as the “Top Poster” because, since 2003 (when he joined), he has contributed more posts than anyone else.

This is a result of his being a bigmouthed (big keyboarded?) & opinionated old fart, with too much early morning time on his hands.

Actually it's simply a matter of posting, "I agree" after anyone posts.

You'll be right up there in no time.

(ask me how I know - LOL)

ude123 · 23-08-2008, 16:26

Zanshin- I agree with you too!!!

**David M** · 23-08-2008, 17:51

Its not quantity of posts that got Gordo where he is. It is quality of posts. Gordo is "Da Man" when it comes to digging up great sources and reference material.

44'cruisingcat · 23-08-2008, 18:10

What's an M80?

TaoJones · 23-08-2008, 18:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

What's an M80?

It's a big, loud firecracker, but what they sell now aren't really M-80s like we had when I was a stupid kid and we played with M-80s and Cherry Bombs. Here's a link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M-80_(explosive)

TaoJones

**Wotname** · 24-08-2008, 03:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wotname

.....

See also http://www.pyrouniverse.com/m80.htm

Quote:

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

What's an M80?

The above link gives a good overview of a M80. Until the OP started this thread, I also had not heard of them by this name - must be a USA thingy.

Therapy · 24-08-2008, 07:53

I agree.

LOLOLOL

maxingout · 24-08-2008, 11:06

M-80s are extremely powerful.

I once had a patient who had a bag of M-80s sitting on his lap in his car, and he handed an M-80 out the open car window to a nephew who lit the firework and threw it straight up in the air. Unfortunately, the wind caught the M-80 as it came down, and the wind gust blew the firework back into the car through the open window causing it to land inside the bag of M-80s on his lap. This caused the entire bag to explode.

The explosion blew the car door open knocking down and injuring the nephew, and it blew the roof off the car, also causing serious injuries to the occupants of the vehicle. I ended up treating both the uncle and nephew in the hospital for that mishap.

Several days later, I had another patient using M-80s on a porch in the hills of Kentucky. Unfortunately, the bag of M-80's caught on fire, and when the entire bag exploded, it blew such a large hole in the wooden front porch that the guy sitting in a rocking chair fell through the hole in the porch floor.

Those things happened when I was working in Kentucky about thirty years ago.

I have a lot of respect for M-80s.

tyrntlzrdking · 24-08-2008, 15:25

Keep bumping and replying to this thread every 10 minutes and you will soon be the king of posts! Good luck.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ude123

i just had another incoherent thought and wondered to myself and now to this very fine board, why does the board list GordMay as the top poster when he is a moderator and has an unfair advantage. How can someone like me ever strive to have our name listed prominently there on the home page if GordMay basically has the thing locked up?

TaoJones · 24-08-2008, 16:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by maxingout

M-80s are extremely powerful.

I once had a patient who had a bag of M-80s sitting on his lap in his car, and he handed an M-80 out the open car window to a nephew who lit the firework and threw it straight up in the air. Unfortunately, the wind caught the M-80 as it came down, and the wind gust blew the firework back into the car through the open window causing it to land inside the bag of M-80s on his lap. This caused the entire bag to explode.

The explosion blew the car door open knocking down and injuring the nephew, and it blew the roof off the car, also causing serious injuries to the occupants of the vehicle. I ended up treating both the uncle and nephew in the hospital for that mishap.

<snip>

I have great respect for you, both as a doctor and a sailor, Dave, and I don't doubt that the story was related to you just as you have posted it here, but I'm more than a little dubious about the details.

I would first have to believe that these were the newer, de-powered versions of M-80 (limited to 50mg of powder), and secondly, that the "entire bag" didn't hold very many and/or that not all of them ignited in the explosion. It's also possible - even likely - that Uncle Genius was actively bailing out when the explosion occurred.

Otherwise, I seriously doubt that he would have survived the mishap. Can you recall what injuries he presented?

Had he still been sitting in the car with the bag of M-80s in his lap at the time of an explosion sufficient to blow open the car door and blow off the car roof, I would not be at all surprised that it would also reduce his unit and jewels, to say nothing of his inner thighs and lower abdomen to a bloody pulp. The nearby femoral arteries would undoubtedly suffer severe trauma, and such injuries could easily cause the victim to bleed out before he ever reached the ER.

Again, this isn't a knock on your veracity, Dave. Just a skeptical reaction to the story as it was related.

TaoJones

maxingout · 24-08-2008, 18:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by TaoJones

I have great respect for you, both as a doctor and a sailor, Dave, and I don't doubt that the story was related to you just as you have posted it here, but I'm more than a little dubious about the details.

I would first have to believe that these were the newer, de-powered versions of M-80 (limited to 50mg of powder), and secondly, that the "entire bag" didn't hold very many and/or that not all of them ignited in the explosion. It's also possible - even likely - that Uncle Genius was actively bailing out when the explosion occurred.

Otherwise, I seriously doubt that he would have survived the mishap. Can you recall what injuries he presented?

Had he still been sitting in the car with the bag of M-80s in his lap at the time of an explosion sufficient to blow open the car door and blow off the car roof, I would not be at all surprised that it would also reduce his unit and jewels, to say nothing of his inner thighs and lower abdomen to a bloody pulp. The nearby femoral arteries would undoubtedly suffer severe trauma, and such injuries could easily cause the victim to bleed out before he ever reached the ER.

Again, this isn't a knock on your veracity, Dave. Just a skeptical reaction to the story as it was related.

TaoJones

I treated the uncle in the burn unit at the hospital. The explosion resulted in multiple severe injuries, extensive burns on the exterior of his body, and a pulmonary burn from the inhalation of the exploding gases. He was in the burn unit for an extended period of time, and he lost one eye and had severe injuries to the other eye. His wife had less severe injuries to the left side of her body, and the nephew did not suffer any burn injuries and was protected to some extent from the blast because there was a car door between him and the explosion. It was the flying car door that caused the injuries to the nephew. I was involved only in the treatment of the nephew and uncle, but not the wife.

I don't know how many M-80s were in the bag. The paitent simply related that he had a bag of M-80s that went off. I would imagine that when the airborne M-80 dropped into the bag on his lap, that he just didn't sit there and watch it explode. I would think he got it off his lap but not out of the car before the explosion occurred.

From the extent of his injuries, and those to the wife and nephew, I would tend to believe what he told me. I don't know of any reason why he would lie. Since this happened over thirty years ago, I think these were the real deal M-80s, but I have no way of knowing.

During that same week of being on call, I had another patient who took a tin can, and filled it with some type of explosive powder. I don't know anything about explosives, but I recall that he used the words "black powder". He set the can out in the middle of the road, and then he detonated it at an unsafe distance. A piece of shrapnel from the explosion hit him in they eye, and he came to the hospital for my examination. His eye survived.

That was the most memorable week of call that I have ever had. I felt like I was living in crazy land by the time that week of call was over. It was definitely a "Ripley's Believe It Or Not" experience

coffee · 24-08-2008, 18:48

As improbable as it seems that someone could survive an explosion like that I offer this....

When I was still living in Wisconsin there were a couple of teens that thought it would be a good time to sit in a car at one of the local parks and spend the night "huffing" aerosols. Afterwards one of them lit up a cigarette....

Newspaper claimed the windows of the car had been blown out and that the explosion actually bent the frame of the vehicle.

Dug up a link to the article here

http://www.mtsd.k12.wi.us/MTSD/Distr...ts/huffing.htm

They all lived... take that Darwin.