Suspected Penis Snatcher Beaten to Death
BANJUL (Reuters) - A 28-year-old man accused of stealing a man's penis through sorcery was beaten to death in the West African country of Gambia on Thursday, police said.
A police spokesman told Reuters that Baba Jallow was killed by about 10 people in the town of Serekunda, nine miles from the capital Banjul.
Reports of penis snatching are not uncommon in West Africa, with purported victims claiming that alleged sorcerers simply touched them to make their genitals shrink or disappear in order to extort cash in the promise of a cure.
The police spokesman said many men in Serekunda were now afraid to shake hands, and he urged people not to believe reports of "vanishing" genitals. Belief in sorcery is widespread in West Africa.
Seven alleged penis snatchers were beaten to death by angry mobs in Ghana in 1997.
Straight dope on e! Re: 104 temperature corpse, 3 hours later
Ecstasy impairs the body's ability to regulate temperature and can cause a condition known as hyperthermia or hyperpyrexia. In a German medical journal earlier this year doctors told of a 21-year-old man who took a suicidal dose of ecstasy, formally known as 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA for short). The patient's body temperature topped 109 degrees--and this guy lived (albeit with immediate medical assistance). Some ecstasy users don't--including quite a few who aren't trying to kill themselves. According to another journal article, at least 87 ecstasy-related deaths had been reported as of 2001. Hawk tells me that body temperature at the time of those deaths could've been as high as 117--a temperature of 115 has been confirmed. Even if we assume a more conservative 109 at the decisive moment, a corpse cools at roughly 1.5 degrees per hour--slow enough that a temperature of 104 three hours later is about right.
To be fair, not all ecstasy deaths result from hyperpyrexia. Other causes of death include rhabdomyolysis (toxic muscle breakdown), kidney and liver failure, cardiac arrhythmia, blood clotting leading to hemorrhage and stroke, and accidents or suicides while under the influence. Contributing factors can include hyponatremia (low blood sodium) and cerebral edema (brain swelling) caused by a combination of heavy sweating and excessive water consumption.
You may say: 87 deaths, considering the millions who've used ecstasy, is a pretty low mortality rate. True enough. Serious adverse reactions to the drug are infrequent, but they're also unpredictable and sometimes spectacular. (Cooking yourself from the inside is nobody's idea of a fun night out.) Claims of harm related to chronic use remain controversial--one study reporting that ecstasy caused brain damage in lab animals was retracted recently after researchers found they'd fed the critters the wrong drug. But there's still plenty of evidence suggesting that ecstasy is bad news. It causes the brain to flood with serotonin and other neurotransmitters by interfering with the usual reuptake mechanisms, and some think it may compromise your ability to process serotonin naturally. Research also suggests that ecstasy abuse can lead to other long-term neurological deficits, including problems with memory, learning ability, sleep patterns, and appetite.
Assuming none of this fazes you--and I confess that, in my youth, dire warnings never got me to switch to lemonade--take some elementary precautions: Keep cool (not easy to do in a crowded club, I realize), consume fluids in moderation (sports drinks are better than water), and seek medical attention at once should it dawn on you that you're not feeling all that ecstatic.
Big lesson - a corpse cools at roughly 1.5 degrees per hour
Aww... The Hulk's Closing up shop. I'll miss ol' Jade-jaws. I got a few good references from him.
Sleepy morning... Took me almost a half hour to get out of bed. I don't recall it being cold, but I did have some shivers. There are times when I wonder if the old myths ring true about folks walking over one's grave. I'd like to be harvested for organs, and then cremated... So maybe someone stepped on a person with faulty organs... Perhaps causing the infirmity that rendered them in need of replacement?
Newt was a playful little guy this morning.. Very insistent that we putter... I was happy to oblige.
In the wee hours of the morning, Newt looks darker than his creamsicle look. I was happy to "cat-fish” with him this morning. Now that I'm home, he's *very* talkative. I wonder what's on his fuzzy mind?
Well, I'm home, it's the weekend…Time for a hot shower! Until later, dear journal.
BANJUL (Reuters) - A 28-year-old man accused of stealing a man's penis through sorcery was beaten to death in the West African country of Gambia on Thursday, police said.
A police spokesman told Reuters that Baba Jallow was killed by about 10 people in the town of Serekunda, nine miles from the capital Banjul.
Reports of penis snatching are not uncommon in West Africa, with purported victims claiming that alleged sorcerers simply touched them to make their genitals shrink or disappear in order to extort cash in the promise of a cure.
The police spokesman said many men in Serekunda were now afraid to shake hands, and he urged people not to believe reports of "vanishing" genitals. Belief in sorcery is widespread in West Africa.
Seven alleged penis snatchers were beaten to death by angry mobs in Ghana in 1997.
Straight dope on e! Re: 104 temperature corpse, 3 hours later
Ecstasy impairs the body's ability to regulate temperature and can cause a condition known as hyperthermia or hyperpyrexia. In a German medical journal earlier this year doctors told of a 21-year-old man who took a suicidal dose of ecstasy, formally known as 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA for short). The patient's body temperature topped 109 degrees--and this guy lived (albeit with immediate medical assistance). Some ecstasy users don't--including quite a few who aren't trying to kill themselves. According to another journal article, at least 87 ecstasy-related deaths had been reported as of 2001. Hawk tells me that body temperature at the time of those deaths could've been as high as 117--a temperature of 115 has been confirmed. Even if we assume a more conservative 109 at the decisive moment, a corpse cools at roughly 1.5 degrees per hour--slow enough that a temperature of 104 three hours later is about right.
To be fair, not all ecstasy deaths result from hyperpyrexia. Other causes of death include rhabdomyolysis (toxic muscle breakdown), kidney and liver failure, cardiac arrhythmia, blood clotting leading to hemorrhage and stroke, and accidents or suicides while under the influence. Contributing factors can include hyponatremia (low blood sodium) and cerebral edema (brain swelling) caused by a combination of heavy sweating and excessive water consumption.
You may say: 87 deaths, considering the millions who've used ecstasy, is a pretty low mortality rate. True enough. Serious adverse reactions to the drug are infrequent, but they're also unpredictable and sometimes spectacular. (Cooking yourself from the inside is nobody's idea of a fun night out.) Claims of harm related to chronic use remain controversial--one study reporting that ecstasy caused brain damage in lab animals was retracted recently after researchers found they'd fed the critters the wrong drug. But there's still plenty of evidence suggesting that ecstasy is bad news. It causes the brain to flood with serotonin and other neurotransmitters by interfering with the usual reuptake mechanisms, and some think it may compromise your ability to process serotonin naturally. Research also suggests that ecstasy abuse can lead to other long-term neurological deficits, including problems with memory, learning ability, sleep patterns, and appetite.
Assuming none of this fazes you--and I confess that, in my youth, dire warnings never got me to switch to lemonade--take some elementary precautions: Keep cool (not easy to do in a crowded club, I realize), consume fluids in moderation (sports drinks are better than water), and seek medical attention at once should it dawn on you that you're not feeling all that ecstatic.
Big lesson - a corpse cools at roughly 1.5 degrees per hour
Aww... The Hulk's Closing up shop. I'll miss ol' Jade-jaws. I got a few good references from him.
Sleepy morning... Took me almost a half hour to get out of bed. I don't recall it being cold, but I did have some shivers. There are times when I wonder if the old myths ring true about folks walking over one's grave. I'd like to be harvested for organs, and then cremated... So maybe someone stepped on a person with faulty organs... Perhaps causing the infirmity that rendered them in need of replacement?
Newt was a playful little guy this morning.. Very insistent that we putter... I was happy to oblige.
In the wee hours of the morning, Newt looks darker than his creamsicle look. I was happy to "cat-fish” with him this morning. Now that I'm home, he's *very* talkative. I wonder what's on his fuzzy mind?
Well, I'm home, it's the weekend…Time for a hot shower! Until later, dear journal.
posted by Scottobear at
6:31:00 PM
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