Best Friends, Aged 6 and 7, Team Up to Raise $200,000 to Fight Rare Disease

Jonah Pournazarian, 7, is one of about 100 people in the U.S. who suffer from Glycogen Storage Disease Type 1B (GSD). The disease is incurable and until the 1980s, most of its victims died by the age of two.Dylan Siegel, 6, is Jonah’s best friend. He wanted to help his friend get well and wrote a book in hopes of raising a million dollars to find a cure. The book, entitled “Chocolate Bar” took an hour for the first grader to write and illustrate. The name comes from a term the boys use to describe things they consider awesome or fantastic. Dylan solicited his parents, David and Debra Siegel, to help getting the book published. They turned to a local printer and had 200 copies printed to sell at a school fair.
Debra was hopeful they would at least sell the books they printed because she didn’t want to be stuck with them. The books sold out in a couple of hours and the family made $6,000.
David said they did a second printing and set up a Facebook page and later a website. David said people started to hear about the book and wanted to help Dylan reach his goal.
Six months later, “Chocolate Bar” the book along with actual chocolate bars donated by a local outlet of Whole Foods has raised a combined $200,000.
GSD is a metabolic disease that adversely affects the liver. Lora Pournazarian explains that only cornstarch is keeping Jonah alive. Mixed with water, she administers the solution through a feeding around the clock to keep Jonah’s blood sugar on even keel.
Jonah is allowed to eat other foods but his sugar intake is strictly monitored. His parents have learned to appreciate how precious life is since learning of their son’s illness.
The couple’s two older children Rachel, 9, and Jonah’s twin brother Eli are proud of Dylan for helping their brother.
Funding for research for GSD has been nonexistent because the disease is so rare, no one is interested. Dr. Weinstein was skeptical that “Chocolate Bar” would really help raise significant money. Now he calls the book and Dylan’s efforts astounding.
The boys first met in preschool when they were three. They are now inseparable buddies, hopefully for a long time to come.

Man arrested after trying to sell a penis

A man in Malawi has been arrested after he was found to be trying to sell a penis he had just cut from a 45 year old man. Officer responded to a report of a man lying unconscious near some railway tracks last Tuesday. When he was admitted to hospital he was found to be missing his penis and balls. Soon after police were then called to a motel where the owner reported a man trying to sell her a penis for US$360
The man who was a guest at the motel was arrested by police who also seized the penis. Salima police chief Foster Mangani said: “We rushed to the lodge and arrested the suspect. We also recovered the private parts.”
The suspect has been made as Samuel Banda who was found with the penis wrapped in white paper. Pictures were published by the local newspaper showing the severed penis wrapped in white paper. According to police Samuel Banda admitted to them of selling “many body parts to well-known business personalities”.
According to the local paper, the man is described as in a serious condition in the local hospital. It’s thought that the victim was caught by Samuel Banda when he was walking home drunk.
Local people believe that human body parts can bring them riches and many unscrupulous people pay money to poor locals to kill and dismember others.
Picture courtesy of schmuntza

Video Game Medal of Honor gets 7 Navy SEALs in Trouble

Navy Officials have said that 7 members of the secretive Navy SEAL Team 6 have been punished for disclosing classified information, including one member who was involved in the mission to get Osama bin Laden.
The men allegedly divulged classified information, which saw them receive a punitive letter of reprimand. The letter means that they will be prevented from promotion and also a partial forfeiture of pay for two months. The classified information was apparently divulged to the creators of the Medal of Honor: Warfighter game.
According to a statement, the members did not seek the permission of their command to take part in the video game project. The SEALs also apparently showed the video game designers specially designed combat equipment which was unique to their unit.
Speaking about the situation, the deputy commander of Naval Special Warfare Command, Rear Admiral Garry Bonelli said: “We do not tolerate deviations from the policies that govern who we are and what we do as sailors in the United States Navy.”
In his statement, Rear Admiral Garry Bonelli acknowledged that non-judicial punishments had been handed out for misconduct and the importance of honouring nondisclosure agreements that SEALs sign. However there were no other details mentioned.

A mother is outraged after her baby daughter was found sucking on a piece of cannabis found in the baby changing area of a KFC restaurant.

Stacey Rush, the child’s mother, managed to snatch the drug from Lily, her daughter, (only 17 months of age) could swallow it. She then complained to the manager, but all that was done was that she was given a free Fruit Shoot to wash her child’s mouth out with.
‘He said it happens all the time and there was nothing he could do.’ ‘But if they knew someone was taking drugs in the toilet, they should do something about it’ Said Stacey Rush, 24.
Miss Rush, a mother of two, said she was sickened to find that drugs and tobacco had been left in a restaurant, never mind a baby changing area, and that she was horrified as staff initially refused to apologise.
She said: ‘I didn’t spot it but then I saw Lily had something in her mouth. When I realised it was cannabis I felt sick. It was all over the floor mixed with tobacco. What if she had swallowed it? There was no apology. All they did is offer a Fruit Shoot to wash the cannabis out of her mouth. I won’t go there again.’
Miss Rush, had taken her daughter into the KFC restaurant just before lunch, and took this opportunity to change her nappy.
She then that the cannabis was lying about on the baby-changing platform and that there was also some on the floor.
‘Goodness knows who left it there – it’s horrifying and sickening to think a mum had been in there rolling a joint while they changed their baby’s nappy. I thought these fast-food restaurants sent people in all the time to check on the toilet areas and baby changing facilities to make sure they’re kept clean. It doesn’t say much for their standards if someone can wander into a baby changing area and smoke a joint without any of the staff noticing. If my baby had ingested some of this cannabis goodness knows what it would have done to her.’
A KFC spokesman then retaliated with the following comment: ‘We were shocked to hear of this incident, and have spoken with Miss Rush to apologise for her experience. We take hygiene very seriously in all of our stores, and our toilets are cleaned every half an hour. We are currently investigating the substance to determine what it was, and have reminded staff at our Newbury restaurant to be extra-vigilant in the future.’
The fast food chain says that it is considering compensating Miss Rush. However, it has not yet informed the police, KFC say they will do if the substance is proven to be illegal.

Shocking: Nine Year Old Mexican Girl Gives Birth

A nine year old girl in Mexico has given birth to a baby girl. Authorities believe the girl, a child herself was raped or being sexually abused. The baby girl was born in Zoquipan Hospital in Jalisco state, on January 27weighing 5lbs 7oz.
The baby’s mother has been identified only as Dafne, and she was only eight years old when she became pregnant. According to her mother who told officials, a teenager got her daughter pregnant, but he has since run away. She said: “The father is a boy who is 17, but we have not found him, since he ran away.”
Jorge Villasenor with the state prosecutors’ office said: “We are looking for the young man to get his story because she does not understand what has happened. This is a rape or child sex abuse case.”
Both girls have since been released from hospital and thought to be doing well, the hospital will be doing a follow up and working extensively with the family to ensure the safety of both children, due to the age of the new mother.
The youngest girl to give birth is thought to be Lina Medina, from Ticrapo in Peru, she had a caesarean section when she was aged five years and seven months and had a baby boy. This was in 1939, it was originally thought that she had a tumour when her parents took her to hospital however she was seven months pregnant.