'Coma' man conscious for 23 years

A man injured in a car crash lay paralyzed in a hospital bed for 23 years diagnosed as being in a coma, but was conscious of his ordeal the whole time.

Rom Houben was paralyzed as a result of his accident and had no way of alerting doctors that he was aware of his surroundings and able to hear every word they were saying.

Doctors in Zolder in Belgium carried out a number of tests on Houben, and decided that his consciousness was 'extinct' and he was in a persistent vegetative state.

On every occasion, he was diagnosed incorrectly and Mr Houben was left to suffer in silence for over two decades.

Now 46, Houben said 'I dreamed myself away,' adding that 'I screamed, but there was nothing to hear'.

'I became a witness to my own suffering as doctors and nurses tried to speak with me until they gave up all hope.'

The arrival of new high-tech scanners found that Houben's brain was functioning normally, and therapy has since allowed him to tap out messages on a computer screen and to read books whilst lying down.

'I shall never forget the day when they discovered what was truly wrong with me – it was my second birth,' said Houben, 'All that time I just literally dreamed of a better life. Frustration is too small a word to describe what I felt'.

Mr Houben's case has re-ignited controversy over whether those in a persistent vegetative state should be allowed to die.

Houben is now recovering in a specialist unit near Brussels.

I'm over the moon that Amanda Knox got found guilty.

26 years is a very good sentence as for a maximum life imprisonment in Italy is 30 years - don't forget that she did 2 years already.

She will appeal but her only hope is try to reduce her sentence....won't make any difference to me.

My thanks to the 6 laymen and 2 judges for convicting her.

Disappointed to hear that Rudy Guede got his sentence reduced from 30 years to 16 years for the murder of Meredith Kercher after Court of Appeal.

I hope that Amanda Knox doesn't get her sentence reduced soon due to this.

Pretty sickening to hear this.




Edited by Medusa - 22 December 2009 at 17:05

So Katie Price got married to Alex Reid, I wonder what the pre-nuptial agreement states?

Hmm, after a thought it could be:


Thou shalt not sell stories about me

Thou shalt not become more popular in the media

Thou shalt not look at any other bimbo, only me

Thou shalt not have an opinion, only agree with mine

Thou will walk in my shadow at all times

Thou will take my criticisms but never criticize me

Thou will never tell me to stop riding lessons

Thou will take third place behind my horses and kids in that order

Thou shalt realise you only got where you are today because of me



Edited by Medusa - 05 February 2010 at 10:16

Readers Digest has gone into administration.

Doctors surgeries will never be the same again!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8520243.stm






Edited by Medusa - 17 February 2010 at 18:31

Why does there have to be a 25 minute news programme at 6 (or 6.30) and 10 when most (and soon all) people have digital TV and BBC News Channel and Sky News are free to air?

If you've got the web or even listen to a radio, by the time of the main evening news, some of it's 'out of date'.

And given that today's headline story was some randy golfer apologising. That's not news.

How much of the news is actually news of any importance or significance?

Want in depth news? Watch Channel 4 or Newsnight.

Nicholas Winterton - what a scumbag!! How dare he presume that people in standard class are a different breed to himself. He is travelling on our money and has the nerve to insult is with it! If he wants to travel first class he should pay for the upgrade himself. All politicians should travel standard class and pay for an upgrade themselves if they want 'peace and quiet' to work - away from the screaming kids and the smelly common folk!!!!!

Sick and tired of hearing Peter Mandelson's spin and lies on television again. It's perfectly clear all he's trying to do is re-run the 1997 General Election all over again because he's still throwing out the same rubbish that he did back then.

Conveniently forgetting and ignoring that his own party has been in power for the last 13 years. For somebody who holds a minor role in this government and let's not forget is totally UNelected he gets far too much exposure on tv.

Of course, he was made a "Lord" precisely so he could come back into government and continue to lie and spin so why am I even shocked!

Edited by Medusa - 04 March 2010 at 18:49

BBC reform needed now.

I've become increasingly concerned of the sheer breadth of radio and television recently, not least from our own publicly funded broadcaster the BBC.

Fear not, I genuinely believe that the BBC is a brilliant organisation and offers programmes of the best quality and others that would be completely ignored in the commercial sector.

But the BBC has too many platforms in television and radio: Radio 1 Xtra, Radio 5 Live Xtra, Radio 6 Music, the Asian Network and Radio 7 need to be scrapped because its content could easily be commissioned on other radio stations.

I think a simple line-up of Radio 1, Radio 2, Radio 3, Radio 4 and Radio 5 Live suits everyone.

For example, stuff from the Asian Network could go onto parts of Radio 1. The BBC should continue to represent minorities but not by providing minorities with its own channel - but by using another well-established platform.

I furthermore don't think that Radio Five Live should have 2 stations, as it has created a monopoly in sports broadcasting that only ended a few months ago. I think Talk Sport, which has gained an excellent reputation despite the ads, should be given a chance to invest in more sport.

As for television, I think the BBC should cut its channels down by half.

BBC One and BBC Two could become of far better quality if it integrated BBC Three and BBC Four's programming.

Some of BBC Four's quite brilliant dramas like 'On Expenses' could be given more commendable slots on BBC Two. And 'Being Human' could be given a new slot on BBC One as its schedule looks bare at times.

And I'd like to see an even more radical reform in television so we only have 5 channels of great quality than hundreds with very mediocre and poor coverage. I think stuff like 24 hours should go to the internet, leaving TV with all the glamourous best.

BBC One - everything with potential mainstream appeal
BBC Two - everything niche from the BBC: sport, lifestyle, documentary, drama, children's
ITV - 75% commercial subsidising 25% regional programming, making it a competitor of the BBC - and also reworking the fondly remembered regional companies that worked so well, and recreating the studios that led to so many good ideas in television.
Channel 4 - part nationalised, incorporating the best of E4's schedule [which will be quite a lot], actually giving E4 "junctions" in the schedule like GMTV was given junctions in the ITV schedule - it would work especially now Big Brother isn't there to prop up C4's schedule.

But what are your thoughts about radio and television reform?
Would it be a good thing, given 24 hour news is probably best on the internet, and the British TV industry has been having a hard time of late being able to create dramas and such?

I see it like this: Too many slices of pizza with not enough toppings makes for the most bland meal. If you turn that on its head, and a few slices of pizzas with lots of great topping - it can be a great meal.

Oh dear, somebody deleted my comments on Levi Bellfield yesterday. It was just an analysis of evidence and what could happen at the trial.

Thought it was nothing over the top as I tried to be careful what to put here.