Blaine Sets One Record, Misses Another

Magician and stuntmaster extraordinaire David Blaine had to be extricated last night from an eight foot globe of water where he had been submerged for eight days. Blaine missed his goal of holding his breath underwater for 8 minutes, 58 seconds by one minute and fifty second. Experts say that the attempt at breath holding combined with the length that Blaine was submerged under water was pushing the limits of what a human being could withstand. During the week, he has experienced peeling skin, swollen hands and feet, earache, and the feeling of "pins and needles" continually all over his body. He may have also have done some damage to his liver during his eight day submersion. Blaine's stunts have included being buried alive, balancing on a 100 foot pole in Bryant Park, and being encased in a cube of ice for three days. Although he failed to set the record for breath holding, Blaine succeeded in setting the record for the longest a person has ever been submerged underwater, 177 hours.