Editing David Blaine (section)

===''Above the Below'' (2003)===
[[File:David Blaine, Above the Below.jpg|thumb|David Blaine, Above the Below]]
On September 5, 2003, Blaine began an endurance stunt in which he was sealed inside a transparent [[acrylic glass|Plexiglas]] box. The case was suspended {{convert|30|ft|m|abbr=off}} in the air next to [[Potters Fields Park]] on the south bank of the [[River Thames]] in London, and measured {{convert|3|ft|m|1|abbr=off}} by {{convert|7|ft|m|abbr=off}} by {{convert|7|ft|m|abbr=off}}. A [[webcam]] was installed inside the box so that viewers could observe his progress. The stunt lasted 44 days, during which Blaine drank {{convert|1.2|gal|L|abbr=off}} of water per day and did not eat.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3083066.stm |title=Blaine begins starvation stunt |date=September 5, 2003 |work=BBC News |access-date=October 6, 2010 |archive-date=October 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021081749/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3083066.stm |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3100550.stm |title=All's quiet with Blaine in the rain |last1=Heard |first1=Chris |date=September 11, 2003 |work=BBC News |access-date=October 6, 2010 |archive-date=October 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021080626/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3100550.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

The stunt was the subject of public interest and media attention, ''[[The Times]]'' reported that "1,614 articles in the British press have made reference to the exploit."<ref name=facts>[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article997052.ece Illusionist and the facts of life]{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, October 20, 2003</ref> Then-US president [[George W. Bush]] referred to Blaine's stunt in a speech at the [[Whitehall Palace]] in London, saying, "The last noted American to visit London stayed in a glass box dangling over the Thames. A few might have been happy to provide similar arrangements for me."<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=tyXFok7i5NEC&pg=PA309 Remarks by the President Bush at Whitehall], "From 9-11 to the Iraq War 2003", November 19, 2003</ref> A number of spectators threw food and other items towards the box, including eggs, paint-filled balloons and golf balls, according to ''The Times''.<ref name=facts /> A [[McDonald's]] hamburger was flown up to the box by a remote-controlled helicopter as a taunt.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/19/newsid_3700000/3700652.stm 2003: David Blaine ends glass box stunt], [[BBC News]], October 19, 2003</ref> The ''[[Evening Standard]]'' reported that one man was arrested for attempting to cut the cable supplying water to Blaine's box.<ref>[http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-6716826-details/Blaine+cage+attack/article.do Blaine cage attack] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080605145138/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-6716826-details/Blaine+cage+attack/article.do |date=June 5, 2008 }}, ''[[Evening Standard]]'', September 16, 2003</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3119000.stm |title=Punters expect Blaine to fail |date=September 18, 2003 |work=BBC News |access-date=October 6, 2010 |archive-date=October 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021074120/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3119000.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

On September 25, BBC News reported that "if his endurance test is real rather than an elaborate illusion", then Blaine's claim of tasting [[pear drops]] indicates he is advancing through the first stage of [[starvation]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/3138658.stm What's going on inside David Blaine's body?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080213193819/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/3138658.stm |date=February 13, 2008 }}, [[BBC News Online]], September 25, 2003</ref> A medical doctor said that the taste is caused by [[Ketone bodies|ketones]], which are produced when the body burns fat reserves.

The stunt ended on October 19, and Blaine emerged in tears saying "I love you all!" and was subsequently hospitalized. The ''[[New England Journal of Medicine]]'' published a paper that documented his 44-day fast and stated his [[refeeding syndrome|re-feeding]] was perhaps the most dangerous part of the stunt.<ref name="pmid16306536">{{cite journal |author=Korbonits M | author2=Blaine D | author3=Elia M, Powell-Tuck J |title=Refeeding David Blaine—studies after a 44-day fast |journal=[[N. Engl. J. Med.]] | volume=353 |issue=21 |pages=2306–7 |date=November 2005 |pmid=16306536 |doi=10.1056/NEJM200511243532124 |doi-access=free }}</ref> The study reported, "He lost {{convert|24.5|kg|lb|abbr=on}}{{nsmdns}}25 percent of his original body weight{{nsmdns}}and his [[body mass index]] dropped from 29.0 to 21.6. His appearance and body-mass index after his fast would not by themselves have alerted us to the risks of refeeding. Despite cautious management, he had [[hypophosphatemia]] and fluid retention, important elements of the [[refeeding syndrome]]."<ref>[http://davidblaine.com/library/index.php?id=30 Refeeding David Blaine: studies after a 44-day fast"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071231071441/http://davidblaine.com/library/index.php?id=30 |date=December 31, 2007 }}, David Blaine Library</ref>