Blaine's burger 'torture'(Endurance idiot in London tempted, egged, and kept awake by drums!)

David Blaine is being "tortured" by the smell of food wafting up from a burger van parked underneath the transparent box in which he is spending 44 days without food.

The New York illusionist, 30, has been suspended 40ft in the air in his tiny plexiglass central London "home" since Friday.

Tony Montana, manager of the Riverside Refreshments van parked just 50 yards from Blaine said: "If he doesn't like it, that's tough. We can't move the smell."

Montana has even extended his opening hours as Blaine's stunt has upped his takings to over £1,000 a day from the transfixed crowds gathered at Tower Bridge.

However, other Londoners are reportedly trying to devise ways of breaking his spirit, saying they are bored with his latest challenge already.

Blaine so far has had to endure a pelting with eggs and being woken up by a man banging a drum.

"We were watching him at home on TV and it was really dull so we thought we would come down and liven things up," impromptu drummer Shiraz Azam said, adding: "I wanted to wake him up."

Last night, police were called in to "give a stern talking to" but not arrest a man throwing eggs.

Blaine's girlfriend Manon von Gerkan was forced to wipe the egg yolk off the box which measures 7ft deep, 7ft long and 3ft wide.

It contains only a pillow and a mat, a supply of nappies, a journal, pens and some lip balm.

Blaine will ingest water through a tube and doctors at ground level will test his urine daily for tell tale signs of kidney or liver failure.

The stunt is also causing huge traffic problems with motorists heading across the bridge slowing down to take a look.

"I wish him well. I hope he completes his mission," Keff Thompson, from Oregon, said.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,7219089%255E2703,00.html

The eggs, breasts and drumming are no illusion

September 10, 2003 Alan Hamilton

* London

DAVID Blaine, the illusionist in a glass box suspended from a crane by London's Tower Bridge, expected to be the target of scepticism and ridicule when he began his planned 44-day endurance test on Friday night.

But he did not bargain for the eggs, golf balls, bare breasts and a large drum.

It was probably inevitable, given the publicity the event received on live television. Over the weekend, onlookers threw eggs at Blaine's cell 9m above the ground, women threw their fish and chips on the ground and exposed their breasts in an attempt to break his fast and his will, and a man who grew bored watching Blaine sleeping on the permanent TV coverage left his home in South London at night and arrived at the site with a large drum, which he banged to wake Blaine up. The attempt succeeded.

The London mob is nothing if not inventive. One group teed up golf balls on the Tower Bridge approaches and attempted to drive them at the glass box, until security guards confiscated their clubs.

A spokesman for Sky TV admitted there had been a number of incidents during the first night, and that security had been tightened, with the erection of a 2m fence around the site and a doubling of the number of guards.

"The vast majority of people visiting the glass box have been respectful to the challenge, but unfortunately you will always get one or two thugs," the spokesman said. "This is a consequence of making the challenge as public and open as possible, as David wanted from the start." But Blaine may have broken his own rules. Yesterday the box was lowered close to the ground to have the egg stains removed, and he is said to have exchanged a few words with his girlfriend, German model Manon von Gerkan. Once he was up again his support team held up a notice reading: "We need to keep all verbal communication to a minimum."

Hundreds rather than thousands of tourists milled around the site yesterday, and many waved at Blaine who, stripped to the waist on a muggy day, waved lazily back as he lay stretched on the floor of his cage, his tiny windows open and a white sheet protecting him from the sun.

Passers-by occasionally shouted "Wakey, wakey", but the most annoying intrusion was from a group advertising a phone directory inquiry service, who played a tape of their infuriating commercial jingle over and over again until security men chased them away.

Blaine's team still has the jitters about hooliganism. Richard Bellars, 22, from South London, a fellow magician, was told off for throwing a playing card at the cage. "I'm trying to break the world record for throwing a card, which currently stands at 216 feet and 4 inches," Bellars explained.

"I've been having a conversation with David in sign language," he said. "I held up two fingers to show him I intended to stay here for two days. He upped the bidding by holding up four fingers, so here I am until Thursday."

Fingers are not the only things that are being held up. Police said they had received reports of traffic congestion in the Tower Bridge area as motorists slowed down to take a look at a man in a glass box, doing nothing very much.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/content_objectid=13386582_method=full_siteid=50143_headline=-The-Blaine-drain-name_page.html

HOW ILLUSIONIST BLAINE WILL SUFFER Sep 9 2003

By Nick Henegan

IT IS a feat that is gripping the nation. For 44 days, magician David Blaine will be suspended in a plastic box above the River Thames with no food.

Yet today, just four days into his self-imposed imprisonment, his body has already begun to break down to feed itself, and his mind is being plagued by an insatiable desire to eat.

By the time he emerges from his 7ft x 7ft x 3ft box on October 19, he is expected to have lost 45lb (20kg) after having gone for more than six weeks without food.

His heart will have thinned, his liver will have shrunk and his muscles will be so weak he will have trouble standing.

Although the human body can survive for up to 60 days without food, Blaine, 30, is still pushing himself to the limits of human endurance, according to medical experts. Here we track his deterioration.

DAYS ONE TO THREE

WEIGHING 205lb (93kg) Blaine enters his box and is hoisted 30ft over the River Thames, with only water for nourishment.

For the first few hours he would have felt peckish before his body started breaking down glycogen - the reserves of carbohydrates stored in the liver and muscle cells.

Blaine tried to delay this process by eating a high-glucose diet before his imprisonment.

DAYS FOUR TO SIX

BY now his glycogen reserves are gone and his body has started breaking down fat stored in the body to feed itself in a process called ketosis.

Millions of people try to achieve this stage on the Atkins Diet by cutting out carbohydrates and eating more protein. But they eat meat and cheese to keep their bodies going whereas Blaine will survive on just water.

He will begin to feel unbearable pangs of hunger. Dr Peter Rogers, Professor of Biological Psychology at Bristol University, said: "During the initial stages he will experience intense feelings of hunger and will be aware he is being deprived of the enjoyment of eating food."

He will start dreaming and fantasising about eating - an obsession that will plague him for another week.

BLAINE'S body will continue to break down fat in a desperate attempt to provide energy. The liver and intestines lose the highest percentage of their own weight during starvation, followed by the heart and kidneys. This can cause permanent damage to the organs. Dietician Amanda Wynne, of the British Dietetic Association, said: "He will begin to feel tired but will have trouble sleeping as the body relies on adrenaline - a hormone normally released during times of stress and fear - instead of food for energy, which causes excitability."THE illusionist will feel lethargic and will find it hard to focus on tasks such as writing in the journal he has taken into the box. As his fat reserves are being burned off, he will have lost about half a stone while his muscles will be weak from two weeks of inactivity. He will also have diarrhoea as there is no solid food left in his system.

HIS digestive system will have stopped working properly. The enzymes that break down food will not be produced at the same rate. His body will ache but he will have stopped feeling hungry.

His metabolism will slow down in an attempt to save energy which will cause his pulse rate and heart beat to slow down. The walls of his heart, like the other muscles, will begin to break down to supply energy. He will now be incredibly weak and his muscle mass will have deteriorated considerably, making movement difficult.

WEEK FOUR

BLAINE'S mind set will now be similar to that of an anorexic.

Dr Rogers, an expert in the link between nutrition and behaviour, said: "There are examples of partly self-imposed starvation with anorexics. They will experience many of these sensations, but what keeps them going is that restricting food intake is part of their goal.

"For them hunger is a sign they are making progress. He may see the sensations in a positive light - as a way of achieving his goal and managing it."

WEEK FIVE

THE magician is now reaching malnourishment. His hair will be dull because of a lack of nutrients.

His skin will be dry and fluid may build up underneath because of the disappearance of fat. Blaine's vision may become blurred and doctors warned him he could go blind if he spent any longer than 44 days in the box.

WEEK SIX

BLAINE will by now have lost about 45lb (20kg). As fat stores run out his body will begin to use protein from muscles and vital organs such as the lungs and liver. His lung capacity will be reduced and his breathing will slow down. He is at risk from infection and hypothermia as his body temperature drops and immune system begins to fail.

1

Brain

Today, four days into his stunt, Blaine's body has begun to break itself down in order to feed itself. He will become plagued by an obsession with food

2Eyes

After 35 days, David's vision will become blurred and he'll struggle to write in his journal. Doctors warned the magician that he risked permanent blindness if he stayed in the box for any longer than 44 days

3

Lungs

As fat stores run out, his body will begin to use protein from vital organs such as the lungs. By day 40 his lung capacity will be reduced and his breathing will have slowed down considerably

4

Heart

By week three, his metabolism will slow down to save energy, causing his heart to beat less often. The heart's walls will also break down to try to fuel his body

5

Muscles

During the third week of his imprisonment, Blaine's muscles will have been ravaged by the lack of food and vital nutrients making movement difficult. Eventually he may even struggle to stand up on his own

6

Stomach

After 21 days of living on just water, David's digestive system will cease to work properly, and he will stop feeling hungry. The lack of solid food means he will also suffer from chronic diarrhoea

YAHOO! NEWS STORY MATCHES 1 - 20 out of 38

	American illusionist and magician David Blaine stretches whilst suspended in a glass box next to Tower Bridge, London, Tuesday Sept. 9, 2003. Almost 4 days into a planned 44 day stay in isolation, Blaine's first stunt outside the United States has received a mixed reaction. (AP Photo/John D McHugh) AP - Sep 09 2:30 PM

	U.S. illlusionist David Blaine writes in his notebook as hangs in a glass box, next to the headquarters of the Greater London Authority, near tower Bridge in central London, September 9, 2003. He started his 44 day isolation in the box, which measures 7x7x3 feet (2.1x 2.1x0.9 m) on September 5, and will consume nothing but water as part of his 'Above the Below' stunt. REUTERS/Michael Crabtree Reuters - Sep 09 1:43 PM

	Some Londoners do not want illusionist David Blaine to succeed in his bid to spend 44 days without food in a glass box suspended from a crane in the center of the capital. Since the American showman began his stunt he has been pelted with eggs, taunted with the smell of fish and chips and woken up by a man banging a drum. Blaine sits in a glass box suspended near the Tower Bridge in central London, Sept. 6. (Paul Sanders/Reuters) Reuters - Sep 09 11:10 AM

	Some Londoners do not want illusionist David Blaine to succeed in his bid to spend 44 days without food in a glass box suspended from a crane in the center of London. Since the American showman began his stunt on September 5, 2003 he has been pelted with eggs, taunted with the smell of fish and chips and woken up by a man banging a drum. Blaine is seen in the box above the River Thames September 5. (Toby Melville/Reuters) Reuters - Sep 09 11:10 AM

	David Blaine sits in a glass box suspended near Tower Bridge in central London on Saturday. Some Londoners have hurled abuse and eggs at the American, who hopes to spend 44 days in the box without food. REUTERS/Paul Sanders Reuters - Sep 09 12:22 AM

	Illusionist David Blaine sits in a glass box suspended near the Tower Bridge in central London, September 6, 2003. Some Londoners do not want Blaine to succeed in his bid to spend 44 days without food in a glass box suspended from a crane in the center of the capital. Since the American showman began his stunt Friday he has been pelted with eggs, taunted with the smell of fish and chips and woken up by a man banging a drum. (Paul Sanders/Reuters) Reuters - Sep 08 11:31 PM

	U.S. illusionist David Blaine waves to onlookers from his glass box, near London's Tower Bridge, Monday Sept. 8, 2003. David Blaine wants to stay in the suspended box for 44 days without food, he started his latest endurance feat on Sept. 5, 2003.(AP Photo/Max Nash) AP - Sep 08 9:07 PM

	Crowds gather to see magician David Blaine suspended in a glass box next to Tower Bridge, London, Sunday Sept. 7, 2003. Fourty four hours into a planned 44 day stay in isolation, Blaine's first stunt outside the United States has received a mixed reaction. (AP Photo/John D. McHugh) AP - Sep 07 5:47 PM

	U.S. illusionist David Blaine sits in a glass box suspended near the Tower Bridge in central London, September 6, 2003. Blaine intends to spend the next 44 days alone in the box, which measures just 7x7x3 feet (2.1x2.1x0.9 meters), consuming nothing but water as part of his 'Above the Below' stunt. REUTERS/Paul Sanders Reuters - Sep 06 8:15 AM

	David Blaine, the American illusionist and street magician, opens a small hatch in the wall of a plastic box suspended from a crane near the River Thames in London, Saturday Sept. 6, 2003. Blaine began his latest feat of endurance in a blaze of publicity Friday evening, entering the plastic box where he will attempt to live without food for over six weeks. (AP Photo/Sang Tan) AP - Sep 06 7:53 AM

	U.S. illusionist David Blaine is watched by two unidentified friends as he lies in a glass box hung from a crane, by the River Thames near the Tower Bridge in central London, September 6, 2003. Blaine is encased in the box, measuring just 7x7x3 feet, without food and with access only to water fed through a tube for the 44-day stunt. (Paul Sanders/Reuters) Reuters - Sep 06 7:59 AM

	David Blaine, the American illusionist and street magician, is watched on his first morning after entering a plastic box suspended from a crane near the River Thames in London, Saturday Sept. 6, 2003. Blaine began his latest feat of endurance in a blaze of publicity Friday evening, entering the plastic box where he will attempt to live without food for over six weeks. (AP Photo/Sang Tan) AP - Sep 06 7:55 AM

	David Blaine, the American illusionist and street magician, sits in a plastic box suspended from a crane near the River Thames in London, Saturday Sept. 6, 2003. Blaine began his latest feat of endurance in a blaze of publicity Friday evening, entering the plastic box where he will attempt to live without food for over six weeks. (AP Photo/Sang Tan) AP - Sep 06 7:46 AM

	David Blaine, the American illusionist and street magician, stands up in a plastic box suspended from a crane near the River Thames in front of Tower Bridge in London, Saturday Sept. 6, 2003. Blaine began his latest feat of endurance in a blaze of publicity Friday evening, entering the plastic box where he will attempt to live without food for over six weeks. (AP Photo/Sang Tan) AP - Sep 06 7:49 AM

	U.S. illusionist David Blaine sits in a glass box suspended by a crane, near the River Thames alongside the Tower Bridge in central London, September 6, 2003. Blaine will be encased in the box, which measures just 7x7x3 feet (2.1x2.1x0.9 meters), will go without food and will only have access to water fed through a tube for the 44-day stunt. REUTERS/Paul Sanders Reuters - Sep 06 7:34 AM

	US magician David Blaine holds his head as he sits within the clear plastic box. Blaine is planning to live for 44 days in a 7ft x 7ft x 3ft box without any distractions or food while dangling over the river.(AFP/Jim Watson) AFP - Sep 06 5:15 AM

	American magician David Blaine holds his head as he sits within the clear plastic box shortly after being lifted up on the site near Tower Bridge, London, where he is to attempt to spend 44 days suspended without food.(AFP/Jim Watson) AFP - Sep 05 8:59 PM

	American magician David Blaine is suspended in a glass box over the river Thames in London, Friday Sept. 5, 2003. In the background is Tower Bridge. A crane lifted the box up 40 feet (12 meters), where it was to remain suspended while Blaine pursues his goal of spending 44 days and 44 nights alone with only a supply of water, a quilt, a pillow, a journal, a change of clothes and a photo of his mother. (AP Photo/Sang Tan) AP - Sep 05 7:51 PM

	US magician David Blaine watches as the lid of his glass box closes on him, near Tower Bridge, London, Friday evening Sept. 5, 2003. The illusionist started his toughest endurance challenge yet Friday- spending 44 days and nights suspended in a clear plastic box with nothing but water to sustain him. The self-styled modern-day Houdini from New York is planning to live for six weeks in a plastic box measuring 7ft deep, 7ft long and 3ft wide, (2 metres deep, 2 metres long and 1 metre wide) with no distraction, communication or food while dangling precariously over the river Thames. (AP Photo/Sang Tan) AP - Sep 05 5:55 PM

	US magician David Blaine goes for a medical check-up near Tower Bridge, London, Friday evening Sept. 5, 2003, before the illusionist started his toughest endurance challenge yet. Blaine intends on spending 44 days and nights suspended in a clear plastic box with nothing but water to sustain him. The self-styled modern-day Houdini from New York is planning to live for six weeks in a plastic box measuring 7ft deep, 7ft long and 3ft wide, (2 metres deep, 2 metres long and 1 metre wide) with no distraction, communication or food while dangling precariously over the river Thames. (AP Photo/Sang Tan) AP - Sep 05 5:55 PM

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