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Clive Wearing - The man with no short-term memory

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    One man is consigned to live
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    entirely within the present with
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    terrible consequences. Clive
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    Wearing has the worst case of
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    amnesia ever known. Twenty
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    years ago he lost his memory
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    and now his wife Deborah is the
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    only person he recognizes.
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    Clive- Ah ahah, oh yay! Ah ha
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    ha ha ha
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    Deborah- Clive really only has
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    less than 30 seconds memory
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    and sometimes its perhaps as
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    little as seven seconds. Its as
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    little as a sentence.
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    Deborah- I am going to see
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    your sister Adele, her daughters
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    got married recently.
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    Clive- Oh has she?
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    Deborah- In New Zealand and
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    so they are having a party
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    Clive- Funny how ladies
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    require a different title when
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    they get married.
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    Deborah- Do you know who
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    I am going to go see
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    tomorrow?
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    Clive- Buckingham Palace?
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    Deborah- No, really guess.
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    Clive- I dont know.
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    Deborah- You dont know?
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    Adele.
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    Clive- Oh is she?
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    Deborah- No, Do you know
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    why I am going?
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    Clive- No
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    Deborah- She is having a
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    party at her house tomorrow.
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    Clive- It is her birthday is it?
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    Deborah- No, do you know
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    why?
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    Clive- No
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    Deborah- It is to do with her
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    daughter
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    Clive- Who is she?
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    Deborah -Do you know why
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    her daughter is having a party?
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    Clive- No.
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    Deborah- Guess.
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    Clive- No idea.
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    Deborah- She got married.
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    Clive- Oh! Has she?
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    Deborah- She just got
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    married. Do you know what
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    country she got married in?
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    Clive- No idea.
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    Deborah- In New Zealand.
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    Clive- Oh, has she?
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    Deborah- Yeah
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    The sentence he is in he would
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    have probably forgotten the
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    sentence before you as him a
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    question and he will give you
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    an answer, but while he is
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    giving the answer hes already
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    forgotten the question. That
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    is how short it is.
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    Deborah- I am going to see
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    your kids tomorrow.
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    Clive- Youre going to see my
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    kids?
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    Deborah- Yeah, your children.
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    Clive- What are they up to
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    now?
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    Deborah- Do you know what
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    they are up to now?
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    Clive- No, no, no.
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    Deborah- Guess what you
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    think they are up to?
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    Clive- I have no idea. I
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    couldnt guess. I dont know
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    what theyre O-Levels were,
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    they hadnt got their O-Levels
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    last time I was conscious, so
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    I dont know what possible
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    thing they could do, do they,
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    I couldnt possibly guess.
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    Deborah- What? Where do
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    you think they are?
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    Clive- I have no idea. I dont
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    know where I am.
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    Deborah- All he has is void
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    behind him.
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    Clive- It has been like death.
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    I have never seen a human
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    being before that has ever
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    had a dream or a thought, the
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    brain has been totally inactive.
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    Day and night the same, no
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    thoughts at all. And as far as
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    I am concerned the doctors
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    have been totally incompetent.
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    I have never seen a doctor
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    the whole time.
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    OH! Look who has come!
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    Darling! OHHHHHHH. Youre
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    home. How wonderful!
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    Deborah- That was a very
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    musical kiss. Im dizzy. I dont
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    know which part of the room
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    I am standing in anymore.
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    Laughter
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    Clive- Can we dance?
Title:
Clive Wearing - The man with no short-term memory
Description:

This is an edited version of the BBC documentary 'Man without a memory' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDNDRDJy-vo). It shows the essence of Clive's disability (and it's pretty sad to watch too!).
Post-view question to ponder: do you think Clive is happy?
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Video Language:
English
Duration:
03:04

English, British subtitles

Incomplete

Revisions

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