Brains are fairly tough, I guess

*quietly hums Simpsons theme music*

HOLY CRAP!

Is there a word for when life imitates The Simpsons?

Whatever it is, I'm sure it's perfectly cromulent.

It's amazing she 'lead' a normal life.

I'm waiting for the anti-Sicko Republican punchline--

She would have had it out when she was 5, but she had to wait for the Canadian healthcare system! Yuk yuk!

Considering that the pencil wound up in her brain back in 1952, it is definitely a case of the Simpsons imitating life.

She was a sharp kid in school. But always had something on her mind.

She was a sharp kid in school. But always had something on her mind.

I almost made it through the day without a really bad pun...

That photo was almost too graphite for my liking.

Shawn Wilkinson wrote:

I almost made it through the day without a really bad pun...

Puns are like theists: not only are there some pretty bad ones in here already, there's no doubt there will be even worse ones in the future.

Good thing she didn't run with scissors.

I could cedar way to clawing your eyes out, VWXYNot, except that I'm civilized and not ferrule.

I wonder:

* did they daub the wound with "pen-cil-in"?
* did they take their time during the operation, or was there a need to "get the lead out"?

sorry - the other 'good' ones were taken

She's lucky they didn't eraser memory

Bad pens everywhere.

The lesson here being 'When you have a head HB sure to see a doctor.'

In her college days, she was a cheerleader at Faber - but got kicked off the squad for constantly cheering "We're #2! We're #2!"

At least it wasn't a 4B* - that would have been even harder to remove....

(furby - for punically challenged)

There would been no bill. Germany has a national health service. As do all civilised countries.

At least now they can answer the perennial burning question about said pencil: 2B, or not 2B?
(All the good ones were taken! And all the bad ones too!)

Re: 19

Of course there was no bill... this was a pencil. There would only have been a bill if it were a pen*

Wonder how she did at airport screenings?

I want to know if the surgeon sharpened it and used it to write out the bill afterwards.

As mentioned earlier, the surgery took place in a civilized country that provides health care for its citizens.

Also, don't most workers in the US expect to be paid for their services and expertise? Why should a surgeon be any different? The automatic physician-bashing is a bit lame, IMO.

I almost made it through the day without a really bad pun...

A day without a bad pun is like a day without sunshine, or laughter, or exploding ostriches. It just isn't complete.

The doctors did leave a 2 cm stub so that she would still be in her write mind. They debated removing it, also, but it proved to be pointless. Ummm...... gotta go.

I'll bet she was very good at making mental notes and drawing mental pictures.

(Hops on the bandwagon)

Was the patient's name Drew?

arghh! too many pencil puns.... we'll be having bloody haiku next!

As an uncivilized person I repectfully request all you civilized folks to move to the civilized countries and leave this one to me and all the other uncivilized folks.

I mean, if I were a Kuarupu, would you call me uncivilized bacause I my people hadn't set up a socialized medical system?

What if I were Bajau? Would you call me uncivilized for my lack of nationalized medicine?

How about Namaqua?

But I'm none of these. Just Blackfoot-Dutch-German-French-Swedish-American, so because I don't believe what you believe, I am uncivilized.

I am strangely reminded of the Chinese woman with a bullet stuck in her brain since WW2 ... the kind of injury usually treated best with some herbal medicine.

ummm. what?

Fall--Fifty one years,
Time writes her joyful ending,
leaden emptiness,

Sorry Tony :- P

oops, fifty five years, dang!

But I'm none of these. Just Blackfoot-Dutch-German-French-Swedish-American, so because I don't believe what you believe, I am uncivilized.

Um, yeah, conforming to a commonly shared set of beliefs, philosophies, and practices is pretty much the dictionary definition of "civilized". What exactly was your point?

"Um, yeah, conforming to a commonly shared set of beliefs, philosophies, and practices is pretty much the dictionary definition of 'civilized'. What exactly was your point?"

But the belief that state-run medical care is the right thing to do isn't "commonly shared," so to label those who disagree with the idea as "uncivilized" is nothing more than ad hominem, even if done indirectly by claiming that countries that do have such a system are "civilized."

A "commonly shared" belief in self-styled "civilized" cultures is that they do not have the right to impose their mores on other cultures just because those other cultures were once labeled "uncivilized."

For example, it is commonly believed to be wrong for European culture to have invaded the Maori homelands and to have treated them badly just because the Euros considered them "uncivilized." But imposing Euro collectivist idealism on the whole American culture is OK, it seems, even though America has a long tradition of individualism, starting from those who rejected Europe and its ideals to find their fortunes on a completely different continent.

I just find it odd that minorities based on skin tone, ethnicity or gender identity should treated in a laissez-faire manner (which they should) but those of us in the liberty-minded minority can be bullied and rolled over to impose on us systems we are told are in "our best interest," even if we don't believe it for one minute.

My culture extends back over 300 years to my intellectual ancestors such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Thomas Paine. They defined a new kind of culture in which the individual person should be treated as sovereign, and the will of the majority should be tempered to protect the rights of minorities.

But my culture doesn't count any more, it seems, even though it was the founding culture of the United States and its form of government. Why not treat us with the same respect that is due to Haida, transgender people or the Amish? Would you call them "uncivilized" just because their beliefs, philosophies and practices do not conform to what is "commonly shared"?

I mean, if I were a Kuarupu, would you call me uncivilized bacause I my people hadn't set up a socialized medical system? What if I were Bajau? Would you call me uncivilized for my lack of nationalized medicine? How about Namaqua?

Michael's right; we foreign devils are riding roughshod over the proud Kuarupu/Bajau/Namaqua/Blackfoot systems of profiting from denying care to sick people.

Damn those European conquerors for putting all those First Nation health insurance companies out of business!

the proud Kuarupu/Bajau/Namaqua/Blackfoot systems of profiting from denying care to sick people

Make that:

the proud Kuarupu/Bajau/Namaqua/Blackfoot traditions of profiting from denying care to sick people

instead.

But imposing Euro collectivist idealism on the whole American culture is OK, it seems, even though America has a long tradition of individualism blah blah blah

Oh, you poor whiny-ass titty-baby. People express their opinions and suddenly you're being imposed upon. Boo-freaking-hoo.

But the belief that state-run medical care is the right thing to do isn't "commonly shared,"...

I just find it odd that minorities based on skin tone, ethnicity or gender identity should treated in a laissez-faire manner (which they should) but those of us in the liberty-minded minority can be bullied and rolled over to impose on us systems we are told are in "our best interest," even if we don't believe it for one minute.

So only a faithful few still hold off the commie hordes, but at the same time pinkotude is not "commonly shared" among that teaming throng? You can't eat your cake and have it. Pick one.

Besides, by "commonly shared" I meant shared by those withing the category "civilized". You know, all Xs have Y. P does not have Y. Therefore P is not an X.

Michael E wrote:
[quote]
For example, it is commonly believed to be wrong for European culture to have invaded the Maori homelands and to have treated them badly just because the Euros considered them "uncivilized."
[/quote]

For example the above little caricature of the history of the wider world (including America btw) impacting on the NZ Maori is typical but grossly innaccurate. I commend to you the excellent Penguin History of New Zealand by the late lamented Michael King ISBN 0-14-301867-1. In it you will find a much more nuanced and interesting tale. One involving hard headed Realpolitik as we would understand it. This was that some foreign power was going to annex NZ and perhaps even break it up. So it was a matter of who it was goin to be, whether it would be whole or in parts and what the terms would be. The British crown offered terms that were so acceptible a great many rangatira signed. That the treaty was observed much more in breach is lamentable but that is being worked out and without putting Maori into bleak reservations either.

Looking out into the Pacific and the wider world I would say the Maori got off pretty lightly. They got a very much better deal than the Australaian Aborigines (they didn't exist), or the Kanaks in New Caledonia under the French. Also nobody used their lands for nuclear testing as happened to the afforementioned Aborigines, the Micronesians and the Tahitians.

NZ has a Maori Foreign Minister, you Americans have had Blacks heading the State Department, who was the last Native American in that office?

So I will take no lessons on colonialism from an American, NZ has decolonised in the Pacific (though Niue just voted not to cut the apron strings). So the Cook Islands, Tonga and Western Samoa run their own affairs now. When are you Americans going to allow the rest of Samoa to join their brethren? or the Marshalls, or Guam? While you are doing that we will forbear to mention how you stole Hawai'i.

Why didn't someone just pray it out? Duh!

The electroencephalographite results would have been interesting.

Look, I'll be blunt: there's no way I can compete with everyone else's pun skills.

Anyway, proof that God doesn't exist is now just a flat-tax proposal away...

I see the latest string of comments has certainly gotten off POINT.

Bad pens everywhere.