Hospital Offers Black Woman White Foot

[Atch_]

Excellent point. you mean like the OS maps taking churchs off, and hot cross buns offending other religions...both hoax stories to ruffle the feathers of the BNP?

Fazackerley.

 

[Yithian]

"exactly" or "precisely" i guessed.

 

[evilsprout]

Surely it's right, if they are all to be in one colour, then that colour should be chosen to be an approximation to the skin colour of the majority of the population?

If you're only having one colour that's probably right. The point being you shouldn't only have one colour. Britian is about as multicultural a society as you can get, and the days when people could say 'They're in our country they should shut up and put up' are thankfully over.

I asked about a blue foot. It's you who are limiting this discussion to one of race.

Your comment about the press is true. A man with a blue foot may be news, but not front page. However, I feel there has been some hostility towards the woman in question, which is unfair. For the reasons I stated above, it does show a kind of old-fashioned whitecentric hegemony within the NHS.

Like I say, though, I see this as mainly a story about NHS funding, with race as a side issue.

(Oh and Atch - sorry if I got flamey, I see the phrase 'political correctness gone mad' and the red mist descends! :eek!!!!: )

 

[Anonymous]

oh the subjext of people with false legs...

what has three legs and lives on a farm?

the mccartneys!!!

oh, i'll just get my coat....

 

[Yithian]

As i posted earlier, fair enough if she wants a black foot, everyone should be able to choose, and the default should be the colour most closely approximating one's own skin tone.

Ok, i'll mix in some more contention (cool heads please):

Without specific reference to this case (which is one of appropriateness) - it would be odd to have a different colour foot to your body - 21st century multicultural Britain does seem confused about what status it wants the traits of race and colour to play in our lives. So often we are told that we should be colourblind in everything we say and do, but does this dovetail comfortably with the view that any ethnic grouping (anglosaxon and celtic whites included) that wishes should be afforded particular dispensations and assistance in establishing/preserving a seperate (and frequently isolationist) brand of politicised ethnicity and make an issue of difference in colour? In short, does 'we are all the same' really square with 'respect each groups differentness'. Now to me 'different but equal' makes sense, but not 'we are all the same' - this is not true culturally, mentally, or physically and these distinctions do not necessarrily follow lines of colour.

Therefore, this story really ought to have been sold not on the 'BLACK WOMAN GIVEN WHITE FOOT' angle, but rather the 'WOMAN GIVEN DIFFERENT COLOUR FOOT BY CRETINOUS NHS'. As it stands the story is making an issue of her specific colour which is, in truth, only incidental to the story. The case would be morally equivalent if it were a white woman being offered a black foot or a green woman being offered a blue foot.

Just thinkin'

 

[filcee]

Do prosthetic feet come in different sizes?

I always (naievely) thought prosthetic limbs were pretty much custom made for the 'end user', to allow for position of amputation, shoe size, etc. So using different coloured materials during production wouldn't be that much of an issue. Just shows how wrong you can be.

PS, EZ, fazackerley for exactly has been used for years in north west England, you should have said you were too young to remember it.

 

[evilsprout]

As it stands the story is making an issue of her specific colour which is, in truth, only incidental to the story. The case would be morally equivalent if it were a white woman being offered a black foot or a green woman being offered a blue foot.

Exactomundo.

 

[evilsprout]

Do prosthetic feet come in different sizes?

Good point, a size 15 fella couldn't get a woman's size 3 foot, and vice versa.

 

[Bilderberger]

What about that Bond villainesque rascall we see on TV with a hook as a prosthetic?

Shouldn't he be offered a suitably coloured hook rather than the silver version available?

Surely the NHS can offer better than hooks?

THAT is the real story.

 

[Yithian]

Surely the NHS can offer better than hooks?

I strongly doubt it. Hooks are unsurpassably cool.

Ha-HAAA, me heartys!

well, perhaps a shiny brass or GOLD one would be better...hey, do you think i can get a prosthetic parrot?

 

[escargot]

I was once at the doctor's when a poor bloke with a crutch and an eyepatch hobbled out of the surgery. The doctor called after him, 'I can take the leg off but I can't provide a parrot!'


If all prostheses came in one colour or design- like the archetypal pirate's wooden leg of old- then everyone would have the same & it wouldn't matter.

As they are made now, in vaguely human shape and colour, an attempt is being made to personalise the things and make the business of losing an appendage or limb a little less gruesome.

This effect must be totally lost on someone who is given a limb of the wrong skin colour as there could be nothing personal about it at all. If I had a limb amputated and was offered the wrong colour replacement I'd feel hurt, offended and probably valueless and depressed, and would probably prefer to stay in a wheelchair. Losing a part of one's body is extremely traumatic- often it is a life-or-death situation- and very hard to come to terms with.

I work with amputation patients regularly and am always EXTREMELY tactful and straighforward about their prostheses.
Piss-taking is definitely off the agenda.

 

[TheOriginalCujo]

To me the story isn't 'black woman given white foor' or even 'woman given wrong coloured foot' it's 'NHS refuses to pay for black foot'.

Or maybe I'm being pedantic.

Cujo

 

[OneWingedBird]

My friend with the prosthetic eye said once that she wants one with a red LED in it for when she goes out clubbing...

Marie

 

[Beakmoo]

And speaking of Heather Mills (thanks Toffeenose)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/features/bitch/bitchmills.shtml


"When asked last year by a reader of a national newspaper: “How do you stay positive?” there were numerous ways she might have answered. One of them might have been: "Shut up and die, you patronising, ignorant wench." Personally, I might have replied: "Well, I’m a beautiful, successful Nobel prize nominee. I’m world famous and able to use my position for the benefit of thousands of war and earthquake victims around the world. I’m about to marry the man I love and the man I love just happens to be indecently rich. Remaining positive is not a problem."

Heather Mills, however, chose to reply:
"If I hadn't lost my leg, I would never have had the public attention to help raise awareness about the disabled. This is enough to keep anyone positive."

Oh purleese! :hmph:

 

[Anonymous]

"When asked last year by a reader of a national newspaper: “How do you stay positive?” there were numerous ways she might have answered. One of them might have been:

"I have an aide take down the details of particularily annoying journo's and questioners. Certain contacts are made. Accidents happen.'

'Now, don't you want to ask me about Paul?"

 

[escargot]

False leg pile aids quake victims

A hoard of false legs found stashed under the floorboards of a retired taxi driver's Dorset home are on their way to help earthquake victims in Pakistan.
Mike Sutton, 65, and his wife Teresa, 66, were stunned when a plumber made the discovery while working in their Bridport bungalow last August.

He found more than 100 artificial limbs and about 100 crutches and walking frames hidden in their cellar.

They are now being taken to Kashmir to help victims of the 2005 earthquake.

The plumber was repairing the bungalow's central heating system when he came across the collection, which includes a mixture of left and right legs of different sizes, most with leather straps attached, and a prosthetic hand.

Mr Sutton said: "My wife was quite amazed when the plumber went down, pulled one of the legs out from this hatch and told her there were hundreds more.

"We didn't even know we had a cellar, let alone what was in it.

"We wondered what to do with them but we are absolutely delighted they are going to be put to some good use and not just thrown away."

Thousands died

The 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck close to Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-administered Kashmir on 8 October 2005 killing nearly 75,000 people and destroying 275,000 houses.

Zafar Khan, chairman of the Limbless Association, which is transporting the limbs to Kashmir, said many of the victims of the earthquake were using heavy wooden prosthesis, with poor quality knee joints, which were uncomfortable and not very functional.

"We are collecting these limbs today in an attempt to try to make a difference to the lives of those who can't afford new prosthesis," Mr Khan added.

"The average wage in Pakistan is £50 a month. State-of-the-art prosthesis cost between £2,000 to £4,000."

I bought a lovely prosthetic leg, with a gorgeous size 7 green Wrangler sandal on, from a car booty last year for a quid.

The idea was to use it to play practical jokes but instead it's stood around my house creeping me out for 8 months. :shock:

Having read the above article I now realise that it can be 'recycled' in a good cause so I've contacted the charity.

 

[Anome]

Come on, Scargy. Before you donate it to charity, you have to stuff it up a drainpipe once.

Or, as Adam Hills claims to have done with his prosthetic foot at the beach, bury it in the sand so the foot is sticking out.

Then, send it to charity. It is a good cause.

 

[escargot]

No, I had big plans for Mrs Leg but they all came to naught as I found myself ashamed of considering the exploitation of another's misfortune for cheap laughs.

I must be getting some taste in my old age.

Had a really lovely email from the Limbless Association:

Many thanks for your kind email and we would be delighted to receive the limb you mentioned. We have an international program that "re-cycles" limbs and sends them, or their most useful component parts, abroad to Developing countries and areas where there is a great need for better facilities and modern limbs, but no access to them. Second hand limbs can not be re-used here, unless they are completely taken apart and re-built, due to the stringent and sometimes over-the-top safety laws, so it would be fantastic for us to be able to send a good condition, modern limb abroad.

If you would still like to donate the limb to us, please post it to the address listed below, or if you are in or around the London area I may be able to organise collection from you.

Once again, many thanks and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Kind regards,

Alex.
Alex Hyde-Smith
Outreach Officer
Limbless Association
Queen Mary's Hospital
Roehampton Lane
London
SW15 5PN

The limb will be on its way today or tomorrow.

 

[Beakmoo]

Funny how you never see prosthetic limbs hanging up in Lourdes along with all those discarded crutches.

 

[escargot]

I drive past Dagfields now and then on way to and from work so I'll pop in for a look!

The limb is now securely bubblewrapped ready for the first leg of its journey. If I'd used it to play jokes I'd have felt a heel. However, I'm posting it today and will be footing the bill myself.

etc

Before wrapping it I took it apart. The 'stump housing' at the top comes out so presumably that bit can be replaced with one moulded to the new owner's stump.

It has a label inside with a name and date (1999) and seems to have been issued in Manchester.

Off it goes.

 

[Yithian]

Funny how you never see prosthetic limbs hanging up in Lourdes along with all those discarded crutches.

I'd never discard my crotch. No matter how many Lords asked me.

As for prosthetic limbs, it all reminds me of do androids dream of electric sheep?

Or something.

 

[Beakmoo]

Funny how you never see prosthetic limbs hanging up in Lourdes along with all those discarded crutches.

As for prosthetic limbs, it all reminds me of do androids dream of electric sheep?

I really should read that again. I have no idea what you mean and I saw the director's cut of Bladerunner in October. :?

 

[Yithian]

Funny how you never see prosthetic limbs hanging up in Lourdes along with all those discarded crutches.

As for prosthetic limbs, it all reminds me of do androids dream of electric sheep?

I really should read that again. I have no idea what you mean and I saw the director's cut of Bladerunner in October. :?

It was the worst kind of half-pun. The fault is mine Beak. Limbs=lambs.

...sorry.

 

[Anome]

I think there was a definite silence on the limbs issue.

What?

 

[OneWingedBird]

mods, feel free to move if there's a better place for this...

Addict stashed crack cocaine in false leg

A DISABLED drug addict who received more than £1,000 in benefits every month stashed crack cocaine in her false leg.
The drugs tumbled out of a joint in Tracy Day's prosthetic limb when she was searched by police.
Leeds Crown Court heard Day, 43, of Redhill Drive, Airedale, Castleford, claimed £1,100 a month in benefits and said her drug habit cost her around £3,000 a month.
Day, who pleaded guilty to possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply, escaped jail after the court heard she was making a concerted effort to stay drug free.
Prosecuting, Richard Walters said Day bit a policeman after officers raided her home armed with a search warrant.
Her false teeth fell to the floor and a package she had tried to swallow was discovered and later found to be crack cocaine.
Crack cocaine with a street value of £1,136 was discovered inside Day's body.
Day maintained the crack cocaine discovered was for her own use and to give to her heroin dealer who she owed £250.
The court heard she has eight previous convictions for drug offences dating back to 1995.
After hearing her recent drug tests have been negative, The Recorder of Leeds, Judge Peter Collier, said he wa
s impressed with Day's recent efforts.
He told her: "I'm told that at the moment your are highly motivated to change and lead a law abiding lifestyle."
He sentenced Day to a Community Order with an 18 month supervision requirement and nine-month drug rehabilitation programme.
[email protected].
Day maintained the crack cocaine discovered was for her own use and to give to her heroin dealer who she owed £250.
The court heard she has eight previous convictions for drug offences dating back to 1995.
After hearing her recent drug tests have been negative, the Recorder of Leeds, Judge Peter Collier, said he was impressed with Day's recent efforts.
He told her: "I'm told that at the moment you are highly motivated to change and lead a law abiding lifestyle."
He sentenced Day to a Community Order with an 18 month supervision requirement and nine-month drug rehabilitation programme.

Yorkshire Evening Post

 

[escargot]

She was caught redhanded - didn't have a, er, oh shut up! :lol:

 

[Spookdaddy]

Or, as Adam Hills claims to have done with his prosthetic foot at the beach, bury it in the sand so the foot is sticking out.

I heard Adam Hills a few years back describing his prosthetic attack on the Disney corporation.

I have no idea, and care less, what the difference is, but it was at either Disneyland or Disneyworld in the US that a group of disabled children had been refused permission to pose with the big stupid mouse because that would suggest that in Mickey's world everything was not perfect, or words to that effect (and I kid you not - this was the reason given in an official letter when the childrens representatives complained).

Adam Hills who was filming (or touring his show, can't remember which) in the US at the time, relates this story to his driver - an American ex-marine, IIRC, who becomes equally incensed. So the two drive to whichever sump of sanitised corporate entertainment it is and Mr Hills spends several hours removing his leg in front of everything he can find with any form of branding or a picture of the fucking giant talking mousefreak on it while his driver snaps away like Lord Lichfield.

I've met Adam Hills several times and he's one of the most genuinely lovely people you could wish to bump into. He also walks with barely any indication that he hasn't got a full set of legs which is how he got away with the Disney thing I think, because, and I wish I could find this hard to believe, it was reported at the time that groups of visibly disabled people were monitored while on site.

 

[escargot]

Oh wow, what a smashing chap he sounds!
Anyone who gives the Mouse one in the eye is a hero. Especially on behalf of the disabled.

The Leg has landed!

So if any of us comes across an unwanted prosthetic - leg, hand, foot or whatever - let us keep in mind the Limbless Association. They have the technology - they can rebuild them!

 

[OldTimeRadio]

That non-black foot shall go down in the annals of infamy.

I take your dry point Mr Whitehead. A foot in the annal of history! Good title for a book...

Wasn't it the great Irish orator Parnell who spoke of "The forest primeval, where the hand of man has never set foot?"

 

[OldTimeRadio]

....I wish I could find this hard to believe, it was reported at the time that groups of visibly disabled people were monitored while on site.

I've heard that this was to guard against the possibility of "visibly disabled" visitors being harassed or threatened in the park.