I am going to Hull
www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/23/man-trapped-coma-23-years

Who else immediately started thinking of One by Metallica?

On a more serious, less-Hull-related note, that is quite possibly one of the most scariest things that could ever happen. An absolute horror, if you will.

/hull
(Ghost Atreides enjoying incontestable health benefits on, Fri 27 Nov 2009, 13:21, 24 replies, latest was 16 years ago)

Everyone will be shitting themselves
Because he heard everything they said about him...
( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Fri 27 Nov 2009, 13:23, Reply)

Beaten to it again
"why won't he just fucking DIE. I hate visiting the pointless spazzy bastard"
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Fri 27 Nov 2009, 13:26, Reply)

"but at least he still gets a hard on"
*rustle*
*impale*




*squirt*
(Cancer Joy was short lived, Fri 27 Nov 2009, 14:06, Reply)

Those holes won't use themselves.

(Spleep Shit, or get off the internet., Fri 27 Nov 2009, 14:07, Reply)

that's pretty bad
I'm surprised he didn't go mad
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Fri 27 Nov 2009, 13:25, Reply)

'pretty bad'?
Losing your doorkeys and having to break a window to get in your house is pretty bad.

I'd rate '23 years of conscious paraylsis' as 'really rather bad', or even worse....
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Fri 27 Nov 2009, 13:28, Reply)

I thought it was horrific at first, but I read a couple of other pieces about it.
From here:

Arthur Caplan, a bioethics professor at the University of Pennsylvania, said he is skeptical of Houben's ability to communicate after seeing video of his hand being moved along the keyboard.

"That's called 'facilitated communication,'" Caplan said. "That is ouija board stuff. It's been discredited time and time again. When people look at it, it's usually the person doing the pointing who's doing the messages, not the person they claim they are helping."

Caplan also said the statements Houben allegedly made with the computer seem unnatural for someone with such a profound injury and an inability to communicate for decades.

'Facilitated communication' is basically really fucking dodgy. territory. There's a woman in the US who has had mentally-ill kids taken away from their parents for "facillitating" stories of abuse from them.
(Spleep Shit, or get off the internet., Fri 27 Nov 2009, 13:37, Reply)

There's this too
www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/783-this-cruel-farce-has-to-stop.html
(Ghost Atreides enjoying incontestable health benefits on, Fri 27 Nov 2009, 13:39, Reply)

Cool
thanks for the link.
(Spleep Shit, or get off the internet., Fri 27 Nov 2009, 13:46, Reply)

There's another article on The Guardian
that interviews both the nurse/transcriber who helps people like this and a cynical doctor. Turns out it's actually bona fide and works!
( whenanimalsattackhumans clad in global hypercolour, Fri 27 Nov 2009, 16:14, Reply)

I'm surprised too
I'd've gone mad in the first year, let alone 23 of them.
(Ghost Atreides enjoying incontestable health benefits on, Fri 27 Nov 2009, 13:30, Reply)

Belgian, you see.
Too dull to go mad. Probably spent the whole time fantasising about bumming kids.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Fri 27 Nov 2009, 13:31, Reply)

Ah
So thats what "meditating" is now a euphemism for.
(Ghost Atreides enjoying incontestable health benefits on, Fri 27 Nov 2009, 13:35, Reply)

Belgium's chock full of 'meditators'
I'm surprised celebrity 'meditator' Gary Glitter hasn't moved there.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Fri 27 Nov 2009, 13:37, Reply)

Im slightly confused
If he can communicate through a computer keyboard he surely has some movement
( Peej, Fri 27 Nov 2009, 13:32, Reply)

HE'S A FUCKING LIAR!
UNPLUG HIM!!
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Fri 27 Nov 2009, 13:33, Reply)

I like the idea of a Glasgow coma scale.
Because we all know how much Glaswegians love to drink themselves into a coma.
( girlinthehole, Fri 27 Nov 2009, 13:38, Reply)

RACIALIST ABUSE
To the modphone!
(The Modgazzer General defending justice and bothering the mods on, Fri 27 Nov 2009, 13:48, Reply)

Glasgow Coma Tits.

(Spleep Shit, or get off the internet., Fri 27 Nov 2009, 13:51, Reply)

You too!
That's it. Bannings all round. I've told cr3 and rob.
(The Modgazzer General defending justice and bothering the mods on, Fri 27 Nov 2009, 13:52, Reply)

ROBS TITS.
cr3's silky breasts.
(Spleep Shit, or get off the internet., Fri 27 Nov 2009, 13:53, Reply)

Hooray
Tits!
(Ghost Atreides enjoying incontestable health benefits on, Fri 27 Nov 2009, 13:57, Reply)

I'm
genuinely surprised if he isn't mad. I've had an experience with complete immobility/no communication, and that was just for a couple of months, but even remembering it makes me sweat with panic
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Fri 27 Nov 2009, 14:56, Reply)

Guilty
I thought of One as well, then thought of 'The Jaunt' by Stephen King. Then thought poor bastard, how is he not insane?
( Sunburn Go on.... It's character building!, Fri 27 Nov 2009, 15:14, Reply)