I had no idea that in the 21st century witch doctors still made magic potions - out of human body parts. I did not know that they use body parts such as arms, legs, hair, skin and genitals to concoct their potions. I did not know that albinos were considered choice candidates for making these magic potions. I also did not know that in some parts of Africa, albinos are considered less than human and that killing an albino was not even considered a capital offense in Tanzania - until very recently. I did not know that “at least 27 albinos, mostly women and children, have been killed in different parts of Tanzania over the past year“…..for their body parts. I did not know that “discrimination against albinos is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa”. I did not know that “traditionally, midwives were known to kill albino babies, declare them stillborn and bury them secretly”. These are some of the things I learned after reading the following story:

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In Ruyigi province, Burundi, a 6-year-old girl, named Cizanye, was murdered in front of her family because she was an albino. A gang of armed bandits broke into the family home; they tied up the girl’s parents and shot the little girl in the head. They then cut off her head and both her arms and legs and left with the body parts. The attack took place at the family’s home in Bugongo, more than 200 kilometers (125 miles) east of the capital Bujumbura. Police said they suspected criminals of hunting albinos to sell their organs and limbs to witch doctors in Tanzania who use them for lucky charms.

“This little girl is the third albino victim of such barbaric crimes in our province since September. We are doing everything we can to find the killers,” Ruyigi province prosecutor Nicodeme Gahimbare said.

The recent attacks against albinos had prompted the local authorities to set up a shelter where the albinos in Ruyigi province were invited to gather. In neighboring Tanzania, at least 27 albinos, mostly women and children, have been killed in different parts of the country over the past year alone.

In Burundi, officials said they made two arrests related to the killings of albinos in that country.

“The two who were arrested confessed to the crime and said they got 1 million Burundian francs ($840) from a Tanzanian seeking albino body parts,” Gahimbare told Reuters.

Police also arrested two elderly men. Gahimbare said they confessed to being in touch with a Tanzanian who had promised them three million francs for albino hair.

In the meantime, officials in eastern Burundi said that 24 albinos have fled their villages and gone into towns for fear of slaughter. Kazungu Kassim, head of Burundi’s albino association, appealed to the government to boost their security.

“Our biggest fear right now is the fear of living. If you leave work at night as an albino, you are unsure of reaching home safely. When you sleep, you are unsure of waking up in one piece,” Zihada Msembo, secretary general of the Tanzania Albino Society, told Reuters in an interview.

“We marched, the president (Jakaya Kikwete) received us and we said ‘now we can have some peace’ and slept soundly that night. Next morning, we hear yet another albino was killed that very night.”

Msembo said many albino children were dropping out of school for fear of being kidnapped. Many albinos have sought refuge in urban centers, which are relatively safer. She said “They are cutting us up like chickens” while pointing to a picture on a wall in her cramped office of a limbless body with the skin on its face peeled off from an incident in 2007.

“We are human beings like others, we have a right to live,” Msemgo said, adding they had been turned into a commodity.

“Our country has earned a reputation that it is doing business with albino body parts, so people in other countries can kill and cross into Tanzania where there is a ready market.”

Olalekan Ajia, a communication specialist for UNICEF in Burundi, said the Government of Tanzania has started to take some action:

“Now the Government of Tanzania quickly took action and made it a capital crime for anybody to kill albinos,” he said. “And the witch doctors and so on moved on to Burundi, where there’s a lot of poverty, and got some people who are completely dislocated mentally and psychologically to begin to hunt for albinos.”

“……we are working with [the] Government to raise awareness around the country to explode the myth that using body parts or blood can make anybody rich.” said Ajia.

He also said Burundian authorities have responded swiftly to the recent wave of attacks, passing laws similar to those in Tanzania and offering a safe house in at least one province for albino children. He noted that many albinos remain extremely fearful about their safety and are asking the Government to do more to protect them.

In another incident police caught a man in Tanzania trying sell his albino wife for $3,000. He allegedly tried to make the sale to two businessmen from Congo, police say. His wife did not know she was about to be sold. Police arrested the husband, a fisherman, after receiving a tip. The businessmen, though, escaped and are thought to have returned to their native country, the Democratic Republic of Congo. Tanzania has asked the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to help find them.

Councilor Joseph Manyara told a rally organized by the Tanzania Albino Society (TAS): “It is utterly stupid for some people to believe that albinos have magic powers and their parts can make them rich.”

“People should be provided with education to understand that it is only through hard working that they can prosper in life and not through selling albinos’ body parts.”

Albinism is a congenital lack of the melanin pigment in the skin, eyes and hair which protects from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. For further details click here. Albinos are vulnerable to medical complications and social discrimination in Africa. Many African societies shun albinos and treat them as if they bring misfortune or accuse them of being involved in witchcraft. Below is a special report on the plight of albinos in Tanzania:

For more on albinos in Tanzania click here

It was the night of July 29-30 2006 that 16-year-old Jordan Gruver attended the Meade County Fair in Brandenburg, Kentucky. It was that same night that Ron Edwards, leader of the Imperial Klans of America, sent his supporters on a membership recruitment drive to the same fair. It was that night that changed Jordan’s life forever.

Jordan Gruver is an American citizen born in Bismarck, North Dakota. His father was from Panama and his mother is of Native-American descent from Kentucky. He was spotted at the fair by four of the klan members:

• Jarred Hensley, the Ohio Klan’s “Grand Titan.” - the second highest klan official in the state.
• Andrew Watkins, the Klan’s “Imperial Gothi” and webmaster
• Joshua Cowles, the Klan’s “Exalted Cyclops” and  national director of the klan’s recruitment effort
• Matthew Roberts, the Ohio Klan’s “Exalted Cyclops”

The four men, who had all been drinking at the fair, mistakenly thought Jordan was an illegal Latino immigrant. They approached him and without provocation began calling him racial epithets like ” illegal spic”. They then proceeded to spit on him and poured alcohol over him.

Two of the men - Hensley and Watkins, with the other two men standing close by - began to attack Jordan, knocking him to the ground, kicking and hitting him repeatedly. At 5′3″ tall and weighing 150 lbs, 16-year-old Jordan was no match for the two men, one of whom weighed 300 lbs and was 6′5″ tall.

During the attack Jordan suffered extreme pain and severe physical injuries including a broken jaw which had to be wired shut, broken teeth, a broken left forearm and two cracked ribs. He now has permanent nerve damage. The attack also traumatized Jordan to the point of severe emotional distress. He doesn’t leave his house and rarely sleeps more than two hours at a time because of his nightmares.

Both men responsible for the attack on Jordan Gruver, Jarred Hensley and Andrew Watkins, went through the Kentucky criminal court system, striking a plea bargain. They both served 2-year sentences in the Kentucky state prison system.  The case was not however treated as a hate crime.

Jordan Gruver, now 19 years old, fought back and, with the help of the Southern Poverty Law Center, one of Americas’ leading civil rights organizations, he sued the Imperial Klans of America (IKA); its leader, Ron Edwards; his two attackers (Watkins and Hensley); and Joshua Crowles who was present at the time of the attack and failed to prevent it; for $6 million seeking both compensatory and punitive damages.

The original personal injury lawsuit named Ron Edwards, leader of the Imperial Klans of America, Jarred Hensley, Andrew Watkins and Joshua Cowles as defendants. See a copy of the complaint here. However before the trial started both Watkins and Cowles settled with Gruver. The trial went forward against Edwards and Hensley.

The lawsuit claimed that as part of an official recruiting drive organized by the IKA leadership, members went to the Meade County Fairgrounds in Brandenburg, Ky., to hand out business cards and flyers advertising a “white-only” IKA function. This is where the encounter with Jordan Gurver occurred.

Morris Dees, founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPL Center), discusses the lawsuit against the IKA in the video below and answers questions about the IKA on the SPL Center’s website here:

The following video shows defendants - Ron Edwards and Jarred Hensley along with Steve Edwards, President of Supreme White Alliance, son of Ron Edwards - stating their case for white power:

“If you are not of the White race, this Web site is not for the likes of YOU!” We reserve the right of free speech to state our views whether our enemies like it or not. The IKA hates: Muds, spics, kikes and niggers. This is our God given right! In no way do we advocate violence. We believe in educating our people to the monopolistic Jewish control of the world’s banks, governments, and media. White education is what ZOG hates and why it tries to imprison White Racialists.

Ron Edwards lives in a trailer on the Klan’s heavily guarded, gated compound in rural Dawson Springs, Kentucky. The compound is the site of the Klan’s annual white power rally and music festival, know as “Nordic Fest”. It was at the compound, the lawsuit alleges, that the Klan incited its members to use violence against minorities. The center is seeking to win a judgment that would allow it to seize up to $6 million in assets.

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Richard Cohen, the law center’s president, said he hoped that the jury would award enough in damages to put the IKA out of business:

“The Imperial Klans of America is one of the largest Klan organizations in the country. It promotes violence and intimidation against racial and ethnic minorities, homosexuals and so-called ‘race traitors.’ While on a recruiting mission, members of this organization targeted and viciously beat our client solely because he has brown skin.

“Our lawsuit seeks justice and compensation for the victim of this brutal hate crime. We also hope that the monetary damages will be sufficient to put the organization out of business and send a strong message to other hate groups and their followers that this type of racial violence will not be tolerated.”

The trial lasted for 3 days and, after deliberating for 6 hours, an all-white jury trial comprised of 14 people - 7 men and 7 women - awarded Jordan Gruver a total of $2.5 million. $1.5 million for lost wages and medical expenses and the jury laid $1 million in punitive damages solely on Ron Edwards.

“We look forward to collecting every dime that we can for our client and to putting the Imperial Klans of America out of business,” said SPLC founder and chief trial attorney Morris Dees. “It’s all about the money. It’s all about the money. If you stop the money, you’ll cut the organization off.”

“The people of Meade County, Kentucky, have spoken loudly and clearly. And what they’ve said is that ethnic violence has no place in our society, that those who promote hate and violence will be held accountable and made to pay a steep price,” Dees said.

The heavily tattooed Edwards plans to appeal the verdict. Despite the judgment, Edwards said the KKK will remain active. “We’re not going away,” Edwards said.

“I’m overwhelmed. I’m victorious,” Gruver said. “And, I’m also sad. I’m sad because those guys are still going to be the same way that they were. That will never change.”

John Gruver - in an interview with his mother, Cindy, his pregnant girlfriend and his brother - summed it up nicely when he said in the video below: “Kentucky is a good state but it has some bad people in it”

Hannah Jones is just 13 years old, but for 9 of those 13 years she has been in and out of hospital. She has acute myeloid lukemia and cardiomyopathy (a hole in her heart). She is terminally ill and needs a heart transplant to survive. She has made it clear that she does not want the operation and, with a maturity that belies her 13 years, she told her doctors that she wanted to go home and die surrounded by her loving family. The hospital went to court seeking to gain custody of the girl from her parents and force her to undergo the operation.

Hannah’s parents Kristy and Andrew Jones, though heart-broken at her decision, both supported their daughter’s wishes. They were shocked when they learned of the hospital’s attempt to take away their daughter from them.

Hear the interview with Andrew Jones here.

Mr Jones said: “The threat that somebody could come and forcibly remove your daughter from you against her wishes, against our wishes, was quite upsetting really.” He added: “We didn’t get too involved in (Hannah’s) decision.

“Hannah made that decision consciously on her own, a bit like a grown up, even though she was only 12 at the time and she has maintained that decision. How she coped with it, what her mind was thinking at the time, I’ve got great admiration for her in that and, as I said, we have to support her and her decision.”

In making her decision, Hannah said that she was tired of hospitals and didn’t want to go through any more operations.

“I just decided that there were too many risks and even if I took it there might be a bad outcome afterwards. I have been in hospital too much,” Jones said. She added: “I have had too much trauma. I didn’t want this [a heart transplant] and it’s not my choice to have it.”

Although her decision means that she may have only months to live, Jones said: “I have made the right decision at the moment and I’m not going to change it.” adding: “There’s a chance I may be well and there’s a chance I may not be as well as I could be. That’s a chance I’m willing to take.”

Even the hospital had to admit that the operation was risky at best and may cause complications.

However, doctors have warned her that a heart transplant is risky and that, even if it succeeded, the drugs used to prevent her body rejecting the new heart could prompt a recurrence of the leukemia.

The family first learned that the hospital wished to force the operation on their daughter when they received a phone call telling them the hospital was applying for an order removing Hannah from the family home on the grounds that her parents were “preventing her treatment”. Mrs Jones, 43, said that the locum doctor had wanted to give Hannah a drug to facilitate her transfer to Great Ormond Street for the operation.

“The doctor wanted to give her a drug she had already said she didn’t want again . . . The family was in tears thinking she was going to be taken from us against her wishes.”

However, Great Ormond Street told the family that they would not admit the teenager without her consent.

After the incident the Jones’ wrote to Herefordshire Primary Care Trust complaining about its intervention. In his reply, Chris Bull, the PCT’s chief executive, described Hannah as a “brave and courageous young woman” but defended the doctor’s decision.

However a nurse from the child protection team was called in to interview Hannah in private. The teenager was adamant that she did not want the transplant and she convinced the authorities that the operation was not in her best interests. It was then decided not to apply for a court order. In the letter to the family, Mr Bull concluded:

“Hannah appears to understand the serious nature of her condition . . . Treatment options were discussed and Hannah was able to express her clear views that she did not wish to go back on a pump or to go into hospital for cardiac treatment.”

Hannah’s father said he was not sure exactly what his daughter had told the child protection officer at their private meeting, “but it must have been powerful enough to convince some very high-up people that she was right. Hannah has been through enough already. To have the added stress of a possible court hearing or being forcibly taken into hospital is disgraceful.”

Dr Daniel Sokol is a lecturer in medical ethics at St George’s Hospital in London, he also backs the 13-year-old’s decision.

“She’s evaluated the risks of the procedure, the risk of dying on the operating table, or suffering a whole host of nasty complications and in contrast to that are the benefits which is living longer,” he said.

“She’s a professional patient, she’s been a patient for most of her life and if she is able to understand, she comprehends and has enough information then it doesn’t matter whether she’s 13 or 88, it should ultimately be her decision in my view.”

Doctor’s warn that without the transplant Hannah could die within months.

Keith Olbermann, host of MSNBC’s Countdown does not need any introductions. He has been highly critical of the Bush presidency and has ridiculed the President and his policies numerous times on his show. He has also attracted many people to tune into his show, boosting the ratings of the entire network. Well, the powers that be have rewarded him with a brand new extended contract and a raise. MSNB issued the following statement:

Olbermann will continue to host Countdown as part of the new agreement and will also “play a prominent role in MSNBC’s coverage of all major news events,” according to the network. He will also continue to serve as co-host of NBC’s Football Night in America studio show.

The network tore up his February 2007 contract, reported to be worth up to $4 million a year (expiring in 2011), and wrote a new one. The new contract is valued at about $7.5 million a year through 2012, ensuring that he will be on the air through the next presidential election.

Congrats to Mr. Olbermann but…..I was surprised to learn that for all his Bush-bashing Keith Olbermann did not even bother to vote in the 2008 elections. He was interviewed on the ABC show The View where he made this eyebrow-raising admission……and was roundly criticized by the entire panel who called him “a bad role model”. Olbermann defended himself calling his decision “A symbolic gesture”:

And Kudos to Keith Olbermann for his stand on California’s Proposition 8 which rescinded the right for gay people in that state to marry:

The Salvation Army announced that it will try a new program to increase donations for this holiday season. It will now be possible to text a $5 donation directly from your cell phone to the charitable organization. The program will be introduced first in the Atlanta area, beginning around Thanksgiving:

“We’ve been putting kettles out for over a hundred years,” said James Seiler, commander of the Metro Atlanta Area Salvation Army. “This year we’re gonna try something different.”

Beginning in two weeks, cell phone users in the Atlanta area can text message “TSA” — which stands for “The Salvation Army” — to 90999 and a $5 donation will be added to their phone bill.

The phone number and instructions will be posted on the familiar red donation kettles outside 297 locations in the 13-county metro Atlanta region. The hope is that this alternative way of giving will appeal to cell phone users who may not be carrying extra cash.

“Society in general carries less cash,” said James Seiler. “It enables people who want to help, who want to support, to hit a few quick buttons on the telephone.”

With the economy in turmoil, charity organizations are having a tough time raising funds. An October study by GuideStar.org, which tracks nonprofit organizations, found that among 2,927 individuals representing at least 2,730 charitable organizations, 35 percent reported a decrease in gifts during the first nine months of 2008. That’s nearly twice as many as for the same period in 2007.

The Atlanta area has been hit hard with job losses according to Seiler, who says that some people who had given in the past have been coming to the organization looking for help. Last year the region gave $1.4 million to the charity between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year the goal is to raise $1.6 million.

The Salvation Army is also promoting online donations in Michigan and other states with its Online Red Kettle Promotion. They are encouraging people to logon on to OnlineRedKettle.Org

For more information about the Salvation Army visit The Salvation Army International website or The Salvation Army USA website.

This is the story of a 13-year-old Somali girl named Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow. She was raped by three men. She reported the rape, even naming the perpetrators. Instead of receiving at least a sympathetic hearing she was accused of adultery and sentenced to death……by stoning.

Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow was stoned to death on October 27, 2008 by 50 men in a stadium packed with 1,000 spectators in the southern port city of Chisimaio (Kismayo), Somalia. She died pleading for her life, buried up to her neck in a hole in the ground. She was shown no mercy; not by the 50 men who stoned her to death nor the 1000+ people who gathered to witness the execution.

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This is a story about things that should never have happened. It reminds all of us that in some parts of the world justice is a foreign concept. Brutality rules supreme and those that hold power can and will make life and death decisions with impunity, regardless of the truth and without investigating the facts.

Both Amnesty International and UNICEF have issued statements strongly condemning the stoning death of Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow - a victim of rape.

“This is a tragic and deplorable incident,” said Christian Balslev-Olesen, UNICEF Representative for Somalia. “A child was victimized twice, first by the perpetrators of the rape and then by those responsible for administering justice.”

“Authorities and institutions of civil society have a role to play in supporting and protecting the rights of every child,” Balslev-Olesen said, noting that this killing reflects the great effort that must be undertaken to protect the rights of Somali girls and women.

There was some confusion over Aisha’s age. Initial reports claimed that she was 23 years old, based solely on her physical appearance. Her actual age, 13, was confirmed to Amnesty International by other sources including her father.

“This was not justice, nor was it an execution. This child suffered a horrendous death at the behest of the armed opposition groups who currently control Kismayo,” said David Copeman, Amnesty International’s Somalia Campaigner.

“This killing is yet another human rights abuse committed by the combatants to the conflict in Somalia, and again demonstrates the importance of international action to investigate and document such abuses, through an International Commission of Inquiry.”

According to reports Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow was walking on the road, traveling to see her grandmother in the capital Mogadishu, when she was attacked and raped by three men. She attempted to report the rape to the al-Shabab militia who control Kismayo. It was this act that inexplicably resulted in her being accused of adultery and detained. None of men she accused of rape were arrested.

In their defense court authorities said the woman came to them admitting her guilt. She was asked several times to review her confession but she stressed that she wanted Sharia law and the deserved punishment to apply, they said.

Eyewitnesses said Aisha was taken to a football stadium to be stoned. She was crying. She had to be forced into the hole that had been prepared for her. She was buried up to her neck.

She asked them “What do you want from me?” They said: “We will do what Allah has instructed us”. She said: “I’m not going, I’m not going. Don’t kill me, don’t kill me.”

That was when 50 men began to stone her. There were more than 1000 people on hand to witness it. According to Amnesty International, nurses were sent to check during the stoning whether the victim was still alive. They removed her from the hole and reported back that she was still alive. Aisha was then placed back in the hole and the stoning resumed until she was finally dead.

Somalia is among the world’s most violent and impoverished countries. The nation of some 8 million people has not had a functioning government since warlords overthrew a dictator in 1991 then turned on each other. A quarter of Somali children die before age 5; nearly every public institution has collapsed. Fighting is a daily occurrence, with violent deaths reported nearly every day.

A study conducted by a research team suggests that today’s 14-year-olds are no smarter than the 12-year-olds of 1976. The team of researchers led by Michael Shayer, professor of applied psychology, at London’s King’s College, tested 800 13 and 14-year-olds and compared the results with a similar exercise in  1976. Prof. Shayer says the results are “almost certainly due to the rise of TV and computer games and over-testing in schools.”

The tests were intended to measure understanding of abstract scientific concepts such as volume, density, quantity and weight, which set pupils up for success not only in maths and science but also in English and history.

In one test the kids were asked to study a pendulum swinging on a string. The were asked to determine why the speed of the pendulum was changing. Even though the average achievement was about the same as in 1976 the proportion of teenagers reaching top grades, demanding a ‘higher level of thinking’, fell dramatically…… only 1 in 10 achieved that level compared to 1 in 4 back in 1976. Other tests revealed similar results.

Professor Shayer believes most of the downturn has occurred over the last 10 to 15 years and can be traced to two main developments: National curriculum testing in schools and the electronic media (TV and video games).

National Testing

Professor Shayer blames national testing and targets that tend to make teachers prepare students to take and pass tests, at the expense of developing more advance skills.

‘The moment you introduce targets, people will find the most economical strategies to achieve them,’ said Professor Shayer. ‘In the case of education, I’m sure this has had an effect on driving schools away from developing higher levels of understanding.’

An Ofsted report said millions of teenagers were finishing compulsory education with a weak grasp of maths because half of the country’s schools fail to teach the subject as well as they could. Inspectors said teachers were increasingly drilling pupils to pass exams instead of encouraging them to understand crucial concepts. The report said:

‘It is of vital importance to shift from a narrow emphasis towards a focus on pupils’ mathematical understanding.’

Electronic Media

Professor Shayer also believes that changes in how today’s kids spend their free time has had a detrimental effect on brain power. TV, with its numerous channels, has encouraged passive viewing. Computer games have cut down the time available for playing with tools, gadgets and other mechanisms.

Another researcher, Dr Aric Sigman, previously reported that the decline in intellectual ability was linked to a shift away from art and craft skills in both schools and the home.

Dr Sigman said practical activities such as building models and sandcastles, making dens, using tools, playing with building blocks, knitting, sewing and woodwork were being neglected. Yet they helped develop vital skills such as understanding dimension, volume and density.

Educators are beginning to take notice. Earlier this month the Government bowed to mounting pressure and scrapped SATs for 14-year-olds. They have also created an independent exams watchdog and promised a return to traditional, open-ended questions at A-level plus a new A* grade to mark out the brightest students. A spokesman for the Department for Children said: ‘Good teachers do not need to teach to the test and there is no evidence that such practice is widespread. ‘

‘We have already taken steps to reduce the testing burden, but targets and testing are integral features of any work to drive up standards.’

Professor Shayer warned that without the development of higher-order thinking skills, the future supply of scientists will be compromised. ‘We don’t even have enough scientists now,’ he said.

Exxon Mobil is once again the King of Corporations. And if any others had their eye on breaking its record earnings for the second quarter of 2008 (April-June) of $11.68 billion, Exxon Mobil just moved the bar again. They just set another record for corporate profits in the third quarter (July-Sept.). Exxon Mobil earned a whopping $14.83 billion - almost $5 billion a month - a 58% increase in profits compared to the same period last year ($9.41 billion).

Oil producers are coming off a quarter during which crude prices reached an all-time high of $147.27 — and their profits have reflected it.

Exxon Mobil, which produces 3% of the world’s oil, was able to earn its record-breaking profits on reduced production. It produced about 8% less oil than one year ago. It cited disruptions caused by hurricanes Gustav and Ike, production-sharing contracts and increased maintenance activity.

Despite the upheavals in the financial and credit markets and the uncertain economic climate, Exxon Mobil continues to be confident in its future:

“Our integrated business portfolio, strong operational performance and financial discipline continued to allow us to capture the benefits of the commodity price environment,” Exxon Mobil investor relations chief David Rosenthal said on a call with analysts. “Despite recent volatility in the financial, commodity and credit markets, the fundamentals of Exxon Mobil’s business remain strong.”

If you are inclined to be skeptical or indulge in conspiracy theories; maybe President Bush and Dick Cheney, both ex-oil men, may have been looking out for the industry all along:

Here is one of those stories that leaves more questions than answers. It involves a 73-year-old unidentified man with an erotic aid (a pipe one inch long, one inch in diameter and made of quarter-inch-thick steel) stuck on his penis; a firefighter-turned-surgeon with a “Wizzer Saw“; and the staff of St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital in Newburgh, New York. This story was reported in the Times Herald-Record and is reproduced in its entirety below:

October 26, 2008

CITY OF NEWBURGH — A Newburgh firefighter became an ad hoc surgeon Friday, called upon to use a pneumatic saw to cut a piece of steel pipe off a 73-year-old man’s penis.
Firefighters were dispatched to the Newburgh campus of St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital shortly after 9 p.m. for a public service call, Assistant Chief Scott Mandoske said. Hospital personnel asked them for tools to cut off a ring. The fire department has a ring cutter used to clip wedding bands from swollen fingers, but firefighters learned that wouldn’t be enough. The pipe was an inch long, an inch in diameter and made of quarter-inch-thick steel.

Authorities said the pipe was apparently an erotic aid, but did not elaborate.

Medical personnel weren’t able to perform typical medical procedures, such as forcing blood from one side of the penis to the other in order to pull the pipe off. The man’s penis had swollen and turned purple.

Mandoske said firefighters chose a “wizzer saw” for the job. The wizzer saw is an automotive tool, powered with air bottles and adopted by emergency responders who frequently deal with car crashes. Firefighters use it more commonly to saw off mufflers.

Hospital staff prepared the man, who was unidentified, by wrapping the skin and sliding a lubricated tongue depressor between the pipe and the man’s penis to protect him. A doctor, nurses and a paramedic gathered in the Emergency Room as a firefighter — “one of the new guys” — prepared to begin the operation.

“Just don’t cut it off,” the senior citizen reportedly said.

For more than 90 minutes, the firefighter sawed bit by bit into the pipe, pausing occasionally to cool the saw. The time duration was critical, Mandoske said. Hospital staff worried the man could lose his penis if blood circulation was cut off too long.

The wizzer saw emptied the first bottle of air and then a second. Finally, after five air bottles, the saw clipped through the final bit of pipe, and they were able to free the man. He was apparently unharmed by the operation, Mandoske said, although the assistant chief didn’t press for details.

dmurphy@th-record.com

I guess  Viagra doesn’t work for everyone!!

Asha Mandela, 46, is going for the Guinness World Records. Her hair, or more precisely her dreadlocks, is her pride. She has been growing them for 20 years. They are longer than she is tall. Mandela has submitted her hair to Guinness World Records as the Longest Dreadlocks, the first entry in a new category.

In order to qualify for this category Mandela had to have her three longest locks measured and verified by witnesses. One such witness was Ryan Spinella, executive assistant to Longwood’s city administrator. He watched the unfurling and measuring of Mandela’s hair.

“I couldn’t say what to compare it with. Just a lot of hair,” Spinella said. “You don’t believe it until you measure it, really.”

Her longest dreadlock was measured at 8ft 9ins - it would have been 11 inches longer if she had not accidentally stepped on it and broken off the piece that she still carries around in her purse. In fact her dreadlocks is longer than the tallest man in the world - Leonid Stadnik, who is 8ft 2ins tall.

Asha Mandela of Davenport, Polk County, Fl. started growing her dreadlocks 20 years ago when she decided that she would no longer use chemical in her hair. Mandela, who is originally from Trinidad but was living in Brooklyn at the time, shaved all the hair off her head. When it started to grow back she began corkscrewing it into curls that in turn were twisted together into dreadlocks.

Mandela is really proud of her hair but there is one person who is no fan - her own mother. As her dreadlocks started to grow she sent a picture to her mother. Her mother told her not to send anymore pictures, complaining that Mandela was spoiling her hair:

‘I took such good care of your nice curly hair, and this is what you are doing with it?’

Nevertheless Mandela is pleased with her hair. She calls it her baby, comparing it to raising a child from infancy to 20 years old. But caring for almost 9ft of hair can be burdensome. It takes one bottle of shampoo and one bottle of conditioner every time she washes her hair. She started off by washing it 3 times a week but because of the time and energy involved she now only does it once a week.

She wrings out the water as you would a wet beach towel. When the days are hot, and she takes it out by the pool in the backyard, it takes two hours to dry. When it’s humid and cloudy or cool outside, it might take all day for her wet hair to lose its dampness.

It may take a few weeks for certification from Guinness World Records. Afterwards Mandela will then have to defend her title against all the unknown contenders with dreadlocks who would just love to take the title away from her. Guess who she fears the most - the Rastafarians of Jamaica.