Thursday, November 8, 2012

I Can See Right Through You!!!!!!


   You probably think this is an analysis of the voting results of Tuesday's
General election!
   That's very tempting given the postings I'm seeing on the Social Media.
   There seems to be two categories of people speaking out.
   The "Boasters" who are, in a sense, shouting "Nay nay nay nay nay!"
   And the "Whiners" who are trying to convince the "Boasters" that they
are idiots and that the Mayans prediction of the end of the world are correct.
   But that's not why I can "see right through you."
   You see November 8th is "X-Ray Day!"
   To be more specific. it's the first International Day of Radiology.
   It marks the anniversary of the discovery of the x-ray in 1895.
   I didn't cover that.
   But X-Rays and I go way back!
   I've certainly had more  than my share during hospital and dentist visits
over the years.
   But long before I ever saw the inside of a hospital I was working with
X-Rays.
   When I was a kid I used to love to go to the Shoe store so I could
fool around with the Fluoroscope!  
    For those who never saw one (or won't admit they remember) the
Fluoroscope was a big wooden appliance with dials and switches, and
View Ports.
   You put on the shoes you were considering, slipped them into an
opening at the base of the machine, then looked into one of the view
ports where, thanks to the X-Rays transmitted inside, you could seen
the skeleton structure of your feet and get an idea how well those new
shoes actually fit.
    We kids really didn't care. We just liked seeing our toe bones!
    If the adults weren't looking one of you could put your hand in the
bottom and your buddy could look at your finger bones!
     That was cool. Except, of course, for the fact we were blasting
our feet, and occasionally our hands, with 15 seconds of radiation!
     Somebody in the government eventually found out about it and the
machines were pulled out of shops in the early 1960's.
     Of course by then a lot of us kids had probably exposed our feet to
 at least a Three Miles Island dose of radiation. (Seniors...please tell
your kids about Three Mile Island!)
    Any way they're celebrating X-Ray Day in 38 countries today.
    They'll probably all recognize Superman.
    He did come up with the X-Ray.........didn't he?
    Hope your shoes fit just right and that all your NEWS is good!   

















  

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