You know that reflex test where the doctor taps your kneecap with a rubber hammer to make your leg jump? Well, today's cartoon has my reflexive responses to considerably harder hammers hitting my funnybone. And yes, all of these stories are real...
Have a great weekend everyone!
Good 'Toons' Stilt. Enjoyed them. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteDoes Alec Baldwin's new cinematographer get hazardous duty pay?
ReplyDelete..
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ReplyDeleteAlways good to see your blog.
Thanks.
I gather Lefty Lucy wanted equal time? :D
ReplyDeleteOh, and the official SpaceX term is RUD (Rapid Unplanned Disassembly)...
This could be a new feature on Stilton's Place.
ReplyDeleteGRIN!
ReplyDeleteThis is the only news I see these days!
Have a great weekend!
Just wondering when the sledge hammer attack in Colorado Springs will cause background checks and limitations on head size because they determine it was an ASSAULT hammer!
ReplyDeleteGreat summary Stilton! Title Nein, jawohl sehr gut!
ReplyDelete"Title nein." Har!
ReplyDeleteAusgezeichnet!
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend, Stilt. Thanks for the Friday Laughs!
ReplyDeleteWhen I first began following your blog I thought that it was just your brilliant writing that drew me in. Until today. Now I realize that your insidious plan is to draw your female characters with red hair to entice and entrap me. You somehow knew that redheads are my kryptonite.
ReplyDeleteYesterday I noticed a news story saying that they have dropped the charges against Alec Baldwin. Also, I've never figured out how a revolver which is fully functional and fires live ammo is considered a "prop gun". https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/20/alec-baldwin-charges-dropped-rust-shooting
I continue to be amazed at the women's rights groups and individual women who have no problem with allowing any man who's wiling to wear a dress and take some hormones to "cancel" real women. Just one more issue to pit us against each other and misdirect our attention. Not one Democrat woman voted to protect women in sports. If you keep saying it, it becomes reality. Lia Thomas for president.
At least I finally figured out why they needed to make abortions available to men. Now, once we make it law that a transgender person is legally whatever they claim to be, those former women - now men - will still be covered for abortions.
Thanks again, Stilt. I continue to enjoy your blogs even when I'm not up to replying. Keep on gardening and give my best to Daughter J.
You had me laughing. What a good way to start my day.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, this is the best way to get my news. No slant no spin just honesty with a dash or three of humor.
ReplyDeleteHope your suburban 'farming' is going well.
Thanks for the giggles, Stilt; made my morning. Now must haul Spousal Unit to physical therapy. He's getting better. Will have to have expensive monthly shots the rest of his life to keep the cancer at bay, but we can handle that for the sake of getting even closer to that 50 year anniversary mark. You have a lovely weekend, Stilt darlin'...
ReplyDeleteRegarding Elon Musk's SpaceX rocket explosion, the (non-state supported ... snort) NPR media outlet claimed it was a success.
ReplyDeleteNPR SpaceX
"...the whole point of a test is to figure out what does and doesn't work..."
"That encapsulates the company's philosophy of designing based on failure..."
If that's true, then our government is a resounding success!!!
Now it's time for me to go make my life a success by imbibing enough bourbon to design something based on failure - kind of like my first ex-wife...
Nice pun run, Stilt;
ReplyDeletebut I'd'a gone with "Tit'll Nein"…
then ducked
I remember living through the space race in the 50s. I spent one summer with relatives in Titusville, Florida when I was almost 13. My uncle worked at Cape Canaveral, as most residents of that town did at the time. A neighbor used to round up me and my cousins and say "Tonight is a beautiful night for sitting in your back yard gazing at the sky." It was code for a rocket being launched from the Cape. Believe me, there were plenty of failures in those days but that's how they learned to make it right. Elon is no different in that respect.
ReplyDeleteI love your wicked humor and I love this format. Please do it again.
Classic Stilton. Felt good. Thanks, buddy!
ReplyDeleteTo MAJ Arkay, and everyone else involved with the life-battle against cancer in all its forms: PLEASE don't ever give up hope! My best friend in all the world, a fine and intelligent man I have known since high school (almost 60 years now) got word that the prostate cancer that found its way into his lungs is gone! Over three hard years fighting, chemo, radiation, very expensive drugs, and constant prayers, and yesterday his doctors told him the cancer is GONE! They used words like "miraculous" when they were explaining his latest scans and tests.
ReplyDeleteThe best part of it all: he came home with a smile on his old face, something that hasn't been there much these past years.
If you have cancer and you choose to fight, fight mean! Fight hard! keep a spouse or friend, clergy or support group at your side and make it the fight of your life. And always, always, remember that God is also at your side, whether you're religious or not.
Murphy: Hear, hear. Been cancer free for four years now, knock on wood. Early detection and aggressive treatment is key. :D
ReplyDelete@Readers- Glad you enjoyed the quick-and-dirty news roundup. If I continue using this format from time to time I'll have to find a way to make it more interesting visually. Like with more Busty Ross and less me.
ReplyDelete@Mike aka Proof- If I was Baldwin's new cinematographer, I'd insist that everyone use green cardboard guns that can be replaced in post-production.
@M. Mitchell Marmel- Actually I put Lucy in the opening panel so people would know it was a new cartoon!
@Bruce Bleu- The framers of the Constitution never intended for citizens to get their hands on high-powered jackhammers.
@Paul Donohue- Wonderful to hear from you, as always - and frankly the high point of my day! I don't understand Baldwin's charges being dismissed. As I understand it, tests on the gun showed that it doesn't fire magically and actually requires the trigger to be pulled. Seems like a lot of responsibility should come with that.
And I'm dumbfounded (albeit not surprised) that not a single Democrat stood with women to protect them against biologically male competitors. This is not rocket science (although considering the explosive end to Musk's starship, maybe it is).
@tired farmer- While I still enjoy editorializing, there's also a lot of satisfaction in just ripping off a snide remark and then moving on with life.
@MAJ Arkay- I'm so glad to hear that progress is being made and that those expensive monthly shots even exist! I know life is challenging for you just now, but it frankly gives me joy to hear of your progress!
@CenTexTim- I'm willing to accept that there are levels of success and the rocket met some of them. At least, unlike NASA, Musk isn't putting people in rockets while testing things like if it's a good idea to fill an Apollo capsule with oxygen and questionable wiring, or testing to see whether O-rings remain functional went frozen (they don't).
@DougM- I like it, but if a pun is too complicated then people get frustrated and start drinking too early in the day.
@Shelly- I'd have loved to have seen some of those rocket launches. From a safe distance, of course.
@John the Econ- Not sure that this qualifies as "classic Stilton," but it met my lofty "better than nothing" standards.
@Murphy(AZ)- And here I sit, grinning like a dope at your good news. So I think multiple old faces are smiling!
@M. Mitchell Marmel- Amen to that.
Speaking as a retired dentist, my advice is to get an opinion from a specialist in root canals (called an "endodontist") before a decision is made as to re-treat the botched root canal, extract the tooth (if the tooth is cracked, the prognosis is poor), and subsequent replacement of the missing tooth with a Maryland Bridge or a fixed bridge, or an implant and new crown.
ReplyDeleteSounds as if the "emergency dentist" must have been an Affirmative Action graduate who was let loose on the public, or was just plain incompetent. I was in practice for 35 years, taught at two dental schools, and have seen it all.
Apparently, your pain is caused by an infection that surrounds the tip of the root or elsewhere around the root. The infection has no way to drain, thus causing the pain. Pop out the tooth and the pain will subside, but it will leave a space.
But....get the opinion of one or two other dentists who might just know what they are doing. You should be charged for nothing other than an office visit for diagnosis only. You also have a right to obtain copies of the treatment records from Dr. Doofus, but expect to pay a nominal fee. But....start with a visit to an endodontist to find if the tooth can be re-treated. If a state Board of Dental Examiners exists, and if the endodontist decides negligence is a factor, I'd check with an attorney for reimbursement from Dr. Doofus for the fees you paid him. Doofus should have malpractice insurance that would be involved.
In choosing a competent dentist, my advice is to always check with the specialists (oral surgeons, periodontists, endodontists) and with the dental laboratories for help in choosing. Just because a dentist comes across as being a "nice guy" doesn't mean a thing to me. I am after a history of competence, plus an office staff who can communicate well and who can properly handle dental insurance issues.
@Alfonso Bedoya- I appreciate the insights. I'm seeing an endodontist, referred by my current dentist, and the prognosis is "50-50" that the botched root canal can be repaired (owing to the bit of drill, wire, or brush stuck in the root of the tooth). It probably IS a good idea for me to get copies of the high-quality x-ray showing the metal left in that root in case I want to try to collect some dough from the original dentist to help pay for the damage done.
ReplyDeleteAnd when I used that emergency dentist, it was because I didn't have a dentist at the time and was doing hospital duty with Kathy. I could only get away for an hour or so at a time, so I wasn't able to be choosy.
I've had no problems with dental insurance, though - I don't have any!
Stilt, I'm glad I was able to help. BTW, I don't have dental insurance either. Most dental insurance offered to individuals is either too expensive IMO, or doesn't match the dental needs of the insurance buyer. Groups such as a Sheriff's office buys insurance for its members that is discounted far below what that is offered to individuals, and benefits might be in jeopardy unless treatment has been prior-authorized by the insurance company.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious to find out what the metal was that was left in the root of the tooth. It might have been a metal "post" that was required during a crown "core" procedure that was required to replace loss of tooth structure in anticipation of providing artificial tooth structure that would act as an anchor for a subsequent crown. If the root involved in post placement is too destroyed during shaping of the interior of the root to accept the post, the root itself can be weakened beyond repair, resulting in fracture of the root. Trying to build up lost tooth structure can sometimes be so "heroic" that the end result will be failure.
If such was the case, you should have been informed of the possibility of failure prior to having the procedure attempted. Alternatives and risks should have been be offered, whereby you had the chance to choose whether or not you wanted to accept trying to save the tooth or just to have it extracted. This is part of "Informed Consent," which should always be presented to the patient---especially when the success of treatment is questionable.
Informed Consent consists of the diagnosis, proposed treatment and risks, alternative treatments and risks, plus expectancy of success. Emergency treatment should be considered only to eliminate pain or effect a temporary repair. The patient can accept treatment at this point, having been informed... or simply refuse treatment. I always advised getting a second or even a third opinion if the patient seemed hesitant to proceed.
Of course, it's easy for me to be critical, considering that I wasn't there when the treatment was performed. In any case, the endodontist might be able to provide evidence that could point to glaring gross negligence. Please keep me posted on what the endodontist finds and what he recommended.