TWW'S CRAZY NEWS STORIES

[TexasStooge]

Demanding rights for great apes

By Jason Webb

MADRID, Spain (Reuters) - Spain's parliament is to declare support for rights to life and freedom for great apes on Wednesday, apparently the first time any national legislature will have recognized such rights for non-humans.

Parliament is to ask the government to adhere to the Great Ape Project, which would mean recognizing that our closest genetic relatives should be part of a "community of equals" with humans, supporters of the resolution said.

The move in a country better known for bull-fighting would follow a string of social reforms which have converted Spain from one of Europe's most conservative nations into a liberal trailblazer.

Backers of the resolution expect support from the Socialist Party of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, whose government has legalized gay marriage and reduced the influence of the Catholic Church in education.

"With this, Spain will make itself a world leader in protection of the great apes," said Pedro Pozas, general secretary of the Great Ape Project's Spanish branch.

The resolution, presented by a Green Party parliamentarian, prompted criticism and some ridicule at first.

Spanish media quoted the Catholic Archbishop of Pamplona as saying it was ludicrous to grant apes rights not enjoyed by unborn children, in a reference to Spanish abortion laws.

But a spokesman for Archbishop Fernando Sebastian said he had been taken out of context and now supported the resolution.

"We are in favor of defending animals, but people come first," Father Santos Villanueva told Reuters.

Philosophers Peter Singer and Paola Cavalieri founded the Great Ape Project in 1993, arguing apes were so close to humans they deserved rights to life, freedom and not to be tortured.

"When a loved one dies, they grieve for a long time. They can solve complex puzzles that stump most two-year-old humans," said Singer.

The Spanish move could set a precedent for greater legal protection for other animals, including elephants, whales and dolphins, said Paul Waldau, director of the Center for Animals and Public Policy at Tufts University.

"We were born into a society where humans alone are the sole focus, and we begin to expand to the non-human great apes. It isn't easy for us to see how far that expansion will go, but it's very clear we need to expand beyond humans," Waldau said.

There are only a few hundred apes in Spain, mainly chimpanzees. But the resolution would also push the government to help endangered populations in Africa and Asia, said Pozas, speaking to Reuters at a sanctuary outside Madrid sheltering half a dozen chimpanzees rescued from abuse.

[TexasStooge]

Truck cab hangs from Dallas overpass

DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - An accident near downtown Dallas Tuesday morning left an 18-wheeler hanging over the edge of a highway overpass.

Something caused the truck to crash through a bridge railing at Interstate 30 and Industrial Blvd. in the Mixmaster. The driver was hurt, but not seriously.

Two lanes of I-30 and the Industrial Blvd. off-ramp were shut down while the debris was cleared. The Texas Department of Transportation said the procedure could extend into the afternoon rush hour.

About 60 feet of guardrail was sheared off by the impact, which may lead officials to shut down one of the overpass lanes until the necessary replacement parts can be acquired.

There was also a hazardous materials spill to clean up after one of the truck's fuel tanks dropped to the ground below.
_____________________________________________________________

Dallas/Ft. Worth Traffic Reports from Traffic Pulse

[TexasStooge]

Man mails finger to ex-girlfriend

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) - A woman received a severed human finger in the mail along with a threatening letter from her ex-boyfriend that said, "This is my last chance to touch you," police said.

Corpus Christi Police Capt. John Houston said police weren't sure which finger was removed or how, but that it appeared to have been washed before it was mailed Friday.

"It was a clean cut," Houston said. "It wasn't mangled."

The 32-year-old woman filed for an emergency protective order from her boyfriend last week.

Police didn't release the name of the 34-year-old ex-boyfriend, who has not been located. He has moved to Spring, but police there could not confirm the status of the search for him.

Corpus Christi police said a previous incident of family violence was reported between the couple this month.

The man faces Class A misdemeanor charges from that incident and additional charges because of the threatening nature of the letter.

[TexasStooge]

Poor police pawn guns

MANILA (Reuters) - Six police officers may lose their jobs for pawning their guns in the southern Philippines, where underfunded and poorly paid security forces are fighting Muslim and communist insurgencies.

German Doria, police chief of the central region of Mindanao island, said on Wednesday the incidents of government-issued guns being pawned came to light when the National Bureau of Investigation raided shops selling stolen goods in Tupi town.

"What these police officers had done was tantamount to grave misconduct and they should be dismissed from the service," Doria told reporters, adding that he had ordered an inventory of guns issued to all officers in South Cotabato province.

"How can police officers carry out their missions if they don't have guns?"

The Philippines is recruiting at least 15,000 extra police officers and getting 120,000 new guns to help counter growing threats from communist rebels of the New People's Army (NPA).

The Philippine National Police is getting about 30 percent of an additional budget of 1 billion pesos ($18.7 million) that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo promised to release this month to hasten the defeat of the Maoist-led rebels in two years.

The NPA -- feeding on problems of poverty, injustice and corruption -- has been fighting for nearly 40 years to overthrow the government. The conflict has killed more than 40,000 people and hurt investment in one of Southeast Asia's poorest countries.

Peace talks with the communists, brokered by Norway, stalled in 2004 when Manila refused to help persuade Washington and some European states to remove the NPA from terrorism blacklists.

[TexasStooge]

Church organs saved from EU threat

LONDON, England (Reuters) - Brides and grooms can breathe easy -- they can still walk down the aisle to the strain's of Handel's "Arrival of the Queen of Sheba".

The European Commission said on Tuesday it had decided church organs are not covered by a directive that bans the use of hazardous substances, such as lead, which is used to make pipes for organs.

The country's organ industry had feared the worst, arguing that there was no satisfactory substitute for lead which would give the same quality of sound.

Several leading organ scholars warned in a letter to the Times newspaper earlier this year that the directive, aimed at new organs, would "threaten the survival of an industry and a tradition which has been at the heart of Europe's musical culture and liturgical practice for centuries".

The head of the European Commission in London, Reijo Kemppinen, said: "British organ builders need not fear for the future of their art and craft. The European Union has no wish to jeopardise this ancient tradition."

[TexasStooge]

Foreigner among Terracotta tomb builders

BEIJING (Reuters) - DNA tests show China's first emperor employed a foreigner in building his mausoleum, home to the Terracotta warriors, proof of contact between Central and East Asia over 2,200 years ago, state media said on Wednesday.

Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor of a unified China who built the first Great Wall and ordered up a giant mausoleum for himself outside the northwestern city of Xian, guarded by an estimated 8,000 life-size pottery warriors and horses.

Scientists took 15 DNA samples from remains in a labourers' tomb and found one that belonged to a European man who died in his 20s, Xinhua news agency said.

"One sample has typical DNA features commonly owned by the Parsi in India and Pakistan, the Kurds in Turkmenistan and the Persian in Iran," Tan Jingze, an anthropologist with Funda University, told Xinhua.

The man could have been a nomad, captured while travelling in the north and sent south to work on the tomb, which took about 700,000 men to build.

"The discovery proves that people in eastern Asia had contacts at that time with those in nowadays the central part of Asian continent," Xinhua said.

Scientists thought exchanges between the two regions started during the Han Dynasty (206 BC to 220 AD) and the DNA evidence offers proof that some contact had been made by the beginning of the Han.

[TexasStooge]

Pakistani chicken diners turn finger-orderin' good

KARACHI (Reuters) - What's chicken wings in sign language? The staff at a new Karachi KFC know the answer.

Sign language is needed to place an order at this Pakistani franchise of the American fast food restaurant, where 27 of the staff suffer from impaired speech and hearing.

Branch manager Amjad Ghani calls his staff "special".

"It is only the third KFC restaurant in the world that employs special persons," said Ghani, adding that franchise owners Cupola Pakistan Ltd planned to open another restaurant in the city of Lahore.

The branch has several posters for customers that outline normal sign language as well as specially designed signs denoting the dishes on KFC's menu.

For extra cheese put the index finger of your left hand flat under your lips, and for a spicy "zinger burger" place the index finger of one hand between the second and third fingers on the other hand.

Communication between kitchen and counter staff is down to pressing buttons, as lights flash on the tills when an order is ready for serving.

Ghani said the specially trained employees were all picked from educational institutions.

"Our move has been welcomed by customers which shows these people can lead a normal life and contribute to society," he said.

Because of their American links, KFC restaurants have often been targeted in the past by protesters and militants in this volatile southern city.

The newly opened branch is near the site of another where six KFC workers were killed last year when protesters set it on fire following a bomb blast at a mosque.

Waiter Nasir Nawaz was unperturbed, and glad to be earning.

"I enjoy this work and feel good doing something for my family," he said, using sign language.

[TexasStooge]

Fake cops steal 100 kg of cocaine from Milan lab

MILAN (Reuters) - Four thieves disguised as policemen stole 100 kg (220 lb) of cocaine worth some 10 million euros (6.9 million pounds) from a medical laboratory in Milan on Tuesday, Italian police said.

Police said the robbers had pretended to be carabinieri, Italian police, to gain access to the laboratory, then asked two medics to accompany them to the room where the cocaine was stored, wrapped in individual parcels.

There, they tied up the medics with plastic tape, snatched the cocaine parcels and left the laboratory, police said. Police were unable to give details on how the robbers managed to smuggle such a large amount out of the building.

[TexasStooge]

Officials criticize 'Hooters for Neuters'

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (AP) - Several city officials on Tuesday sharply criticized a planned bikini contest to raise money for spaying pets, saying the "Hooters for Neuters" event was degrading to women.

Hosted by the Hooters restaurant chain, the July 13 fundraiser will donate money to the spay and neuter programs at Los Angeles Animal Services.

"Are we going backward here?" said City Controller Laura Chick. "We are a city with all kinds of progressive programs that empower women and end discrimination in the workplace, and now we're being connected with a Hooters bikini contest. It isn't right."

Councilwoman Jan Perry said the department's attempt to be creative in telling pet owners to sterilize their animals "crosses the line."

"I was surprised and amazed with the photograph on the flier, and I don't think it projects a good image for the city of Los Angeles," Perry said.

Animal Services Director Ed Boks apologized for making people upset, but said the "Charity Benefit Bikini Contest" would go on as scheduled.

"These people have gone out of their way in helping us, and I would hate to deny these businesses from helping to save the lives of animals in our shelters," Boks said.

Boks promised a more rigorous vetting process for future fundraisers.

The fundraiser is not city-sponsored, but a promoting flier is posted on the Animal Services Web site.

The original flier showed a bikini-clad woman, but the latest version shows a dog wearing a T-shirt that says "Hooters for Neuters."

Boks said that the owners of Hooters approached him about the fundraiser a month ago. He said the ads were made without consulting the department.

"When somebody steps up and says they want to help your agency raise money, your inclination is to say `Yes,'" Boks said. "But, we probably won't be involved in any future bikini contests."

[TexasStooge]

Vt. man creates the backyard Zamboni

By TOBY TALBOT, Associated Press Writer

EAST MONTPELIER, Vt. - Damian Renzello has been searching for smooth ice for years. Now he has created the ultimate outdoor backyard dream machine for ice lovers — the backyard Zamboni.

Renzello, who invented the Porta-Rinx, a backyard portable ice skating rink kit, and the Bambini, a pull-behind ice resurfacing unit, now has the solution for sale.

He has mounted a snow blower on the front of a four-wheel all-terrain vehicle, added an ice scraper blade underneath and mounted a water tank connected to pipes and hoses that lays down a film of water to create a glass-like finish to outdoor ice.

Called the Bambini Revolution, the machine will sell for about $30,000 to outdoor ice skating enthusiasts.

Renzello, 36, started his fascination with backyard ice nine years ago when his mother wondered why someone couldn't design a portable rink that could be taken down after the winter season. He designed his first kit and now has sold 325 backyard rinks.

After a couple of years of flooding his rinks with a hose, Renzello came up with an ice resurfacing machine, the Bambini, and then followed with an ice shaving machine.

Recently, a customer in California wanted one of his ride-on ice mowers with a Bambini pull-behind resurfacer to create a 10,000-square-foot skating surface for her children. But the client also wanted to remove snow from the outdoor pond. Renzello, who had been thinking about putting his inventions into one machine, said he had the answer.

He combined all the technologies into the Bambini Revolution. It will clear snow, scrape ice smooth and leave a layer of water on the ice to bring it to a glassy finish. The scraper blade smooths the bumps from ice and pipes release heated water that bonds to the existing ice, leaving a smooth skating surface as it hardens.

Renzello delivered his first unit this weekend to his California customer.

And he notes the Bambini is an all-purpose machine. It can serve as a snowblower to clear a driveway, it can mow a lawn in summer and it can spread liquid fertilizer from its tank.

[TexasStooge]

Halt! Or I'll shoot you with my pawn shop ticket!

MANILA (Reuters) - Six police officers may lose their jobs for pawning their guns in the southern Philippines, where underfunded and poorly paid security forces are fighting Muslim and communist insurgencies.

German Doria, police chief of the central region of Mindanao island, said Wednesday the incidents of government-issued guns being pawned came to light when the National Bureau of Investigation raided shops selling stolen goods in Tupi town.

"What these police officers had done was tantamount to grave misconduct and they should be dismissed from the service," Doria told reporters, adding that he had ordered an inventory of guns issued to all officers in South Cotabato province.

"How can police officers carry out their missions if they don't have guns?"

The Philippines is recruiting at least 15,000 extra police officers and getting 120,000 new guns to help counter growing threats from communist rebels of the New People's Army (NPA).

The Philippine National Police is getting about 30 percent of an additional budget of 1 billion pesos ($18.7 million) that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo promised to release this month to hasten the defeat of the Maoist-led rebels in two years.

The NPA -- feeding on problems of poverty, injustice and corruption -- has been fighting for nearly 40 years to overthrow the government. The conflict has killed more than 40,000 people and hurt investment in one of Southeast Asia's poorest countries.

Peace talks with the communists, brokered by Norway, stalled in 2004 when Manila refused to help persuade Washington and some European states to remove the NPA from terrorism blacklists.

[TexasStooge]

BREAKING NEWS

DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A Dallas grand jury has returned indictments against two teens in connection with the delivery of marijuana-laced muffins to the Lake Highlands High School teachers' lounge last month. Details to come.

[rainstorm]

Demanding rights for great apes

By Jason Webb

MADRID, Spain (Reuters) - Spain's parliament is to declare support for rights to life and freedom for great apes on Wednesday, apparently the first time any national legislature will have recognized such rights for non-humans.

Parliament is to ask the government to adhere to the Great Ape Project, which would mean recognizing that our closest genetic relatives should be part of a "community of equals" with humans, supporters of the resolution said.

The move in a country better known for bull-fighting would follow a string of social reforms which have converted Spain from one of Europe's most conservative nations into a liberal trailblazer.

Backers of the resolution expect support from the Socialist Party of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, whose government has legalized gay marriage and reduced the influence of the Catholic Church in education.

"With this, Spain will make itself a world leader in protection of the great apes," said Pedro Pozas, general secretary of the Great Ape Project's Spanish branch.

The resolution, presented by a Green Party parliamentarian, prompted criticism and some ridicule at first.

Spanish media quoted the Catholic Archbishop of Pamplona as saying it was ludicrous to grant apes rights not enjoyed by unborn children, in a reference to Spanish abortion laws.

But a spokesman for Archbishop Fernando Sebastian said he had been taken out of context and now supported the resolution.

"We are in favor of defending animals, but people come first," Father Santos Villanueva told Reuters.

Philosophers Peter Singer and Paola Cavalieri founded the Great Ape Project in 1993, arguing apes were so close to humans they deserved rights to life, freedom and not to be tortured.

"When a loved one dies, they grieve for a long time. They can solve complex puzzles that stump most two-year-old humans," said Singer.

The Spanish move could set a precedent for greater legal protection for other animals, including elephants, whales and dolphins, said Paul Waldau, director of the Center for Animals and Public Policy at Tufts University.

"We were born into a society where humans alone are the sole focus, and we begin to expand to the non-human great apes. It isn't easy for us to see how far that expansion will go, but it's very clear we need to expand beyond humans," Waldau said.

There are only a few hundred apes in Spain, mainly chimpanzees. But the resolution would also push the government to help endangered populations in Africa and Asia, said Pozas, speaking to Reuters at a sanctuary outside Madrid sheltering half a dozen chimpanzees rescued from abuse.

that sounds idiotic. can an ape be the prime minister of spain? that might be an improvement

[TexasStooge]

Man calls 911 after legs severed by train

By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA ABC 8

CLEBURNE, Texas - A North Texas railroad worker whose legs were severed when he was run over by a train Sunday morning managed to make a call that may have saved his life.

While workers at Gunderson Southwest Yard in Cleburne were coupling cars, 36-year-old Truman Duncan slipped beneath the wheels of the train cars.

However, somehow Duncan managed to dial 911 and talk to an operator.

"I just got run over by the rail cars," he said in the call. "I need 911, CareFlite. I think I'm cut in two. I need everyone to hurry up now."

The recorded call captured the surprise of the 911 operator:


Operator: "Tell me where you are."

Duncan: "I'm at Gunderson Southwest."

Operator: "Someone got run over by a railcar?"

Duncan: "Yes ma'm. I'm about to pass out."

Operator: "You got ran over?"

Duncan: "Yes."


Trapped beneath the wheels, Duncan stayed on the line detailing his location and describing his condition.

"I think I'm going into sh-sh-shock," he said while on the line.

Horrified colleagues soon found him and made their own frantic calls.

"I got a guy got run over by a car," one fellow worker said in a 911 call. "I need CareFlite. I need ambulances."

The calls confirmed what Duncan told the operator; he had been cut in half.

Cleburne firefighters said they couldn't believe the man they found was the one who had made the call.

"Absolutely amazing," a firefighter said.

Firefighters used airbags to lift the rail car, but they say it was Duncan's extraordinary calm courage that got them there in time.

Duncan remained in critical condition Wednesday night, but officials said they are optimistic that he will survive.

[TexasStooge]

Operation removes lightbulb from anus

MULTAN, Pakistan (Reuters) - Fateh Mohammad, a prison inmate in Pakistan, says he woke up last weekend with a glass lightbulb in his anus.

Wednesday night, doctors brought Mohammad's misery to an end after a one-and-a-half hour operation to remove the object.

"Thanks Allah, now I feel comfort. Today, I had my breakfast. I was just drinking water, nothing else," Mohammad, a grey-beared man in his mid-40s, told Reuters from a hospital bed in the southern central city of Multan.

"We had to take it out intact," said Dr. Farrukh Aftab at Nishtar Hospital. "Had it been broken inside, it would be a very very complicated situation."

Mohammad, who is serving a four-year sentence for making liquor, prohibited for Muslims, said he was shocked when he was first told the cause of his discomfort. He swears he didn't know the bulb was there.

"When I woke up I felt a pain in my lower abdomen, but later in hospital, they told me this," Mohammad said.

"I don't know who did this to me. Police or other prisoners."

The doctor treating Mohammad said he'd never encountered anything like it before, and doubted the felon's story that someone had drugged him and inserted the bulb while he was comatose.

[TexasStooge]

Woman auctions herself with her Ferrari

BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) - A woman living in Germany is auctioning off her red Ferrari Enzo sports car and including a little extra in the package -- herself.

The 26-year-old has invited bids on Internet auction site ebay starting at 1.25 million euros ($1.6 million). She said she was rich herself, liked her car and was looking for a man who could foot the bill for such a luxury.

"Only a millionaire could afford such a car," said the woman, who gave her name as Leila and said she once worked as a singer in Syria. "I want a man who doesn't like me just for my money."

Leila said she would meet with interested bidders but would need to see the bidder's passport and proof of capital. No bids have been made yet in the auction which ends in a week.

[TexasStooge]

Superbug outbreaks linked to unlicensed tattooing

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who get tattoos from unlicensed sources are at risk of developing a drug-resistant bacterial skin infection, federal health officials warn.

Six recent outbreaks of infections with this "superbug," methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have been traced to unlicensed tattoo artists, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

MRSA infection typically manifests as abscesses or areas of inflammation on the skin, though it can also lead to more serious problems such as pneumonia, blood infections or, in some cases, necrotizing fasciitis, also referred to as the "flesh-eating disease."

While the bug was once largely confined to hospitals, it is becoming increasingly common in the general public -- showing up among prison inmates, athletic teams and others who are in close contact and may share contaminated items.

The six tattoo-related outbreaks affected 44 people in Kentucky, Ohio and Vermont, the CDC reports in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Thirty-four had recently gotten a tattoo from an unlicensed source, while 10 others contracted the infection from close contact with the tattoo recipients.

Health officials' investigations found that the tattooists in many cases did not follow standard hygiene practices like changing gloves between clients, using skin antiseptic and disinfecting equipment. Three tattooists had recently been in prison, where they could have picked up MRSA. In some cases, the amateur artists used makeshift equipment like guitar strings and computer ink-jet cartridges instead of tattoo dye.

"Persons considering a tattoo should be aware of the potential for community-acquired MRSA infection and should only use the services of a licensed tattooist who follows proper infection-control procedures," the CDC advises.

That means using sterilized or single-use equipment, including needles, tattoo guns and inks.

[TexasStooge]

School board flip-flops on flip-flops

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. (AP) - The school board in this suburb between Seattle and Tacoma has flip-flopped on flip-flops. The board voted Tuesday to drop a proposed flip-flop ban on grounds that it would be impossible to enforce.

Two anti-flip-flop board members changed their minds after hearing appeals from parents and students. The panel had taken a preliminary vote on flip-flops two weeks ago.

"I don't see myself how flip-flops are disrespectful," Board President Evelyn Castellar said.

The dress code adopted Tuesday bans students from wearing slippers, pajamas, halter tops, any shirt that exposes the stomach, low-riding pants and any shorts or skirts that end higher than a student's fingertips when she is standing with her arms at her side.

[TexasStooge]

Bear flees for 2nd time before neutering

GOLDEN, British Columbia (AP) - A freedom-loving grizzly bear named Boo smashed a heavy steel door and barreled through two electric fences to escape a second time from a resort near this south-central British Columbia town.

Boo was recaptured Friday, two weeks after breaking out of an artificial den at the Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, but escaped from tighter confinement within a day, resort spokesman Michael Dalzell said Tuesday.

"It's unbelievable," Dalzell said. "We thought there was no way, it was absolutely impossible, but he found a way. It was basically like breaking out of Fort Knox."

He said the bear bashed a nearly 400-pound steel door off its four bolts, destroyed an electrical box while tearing through two electric fences and scrambled over a 12-foot fence anchored with 2 feet of steel below ground.

"I think he just kept charging it (the door) and charging it until it broke off its bolts," Dalzell said. "Everything was completely trashed. We are dealing with a pretty smart and determined bear."

The search team that caught Boo on Friday went back to work Sunday morning but saw no sign of the grizzly after logging more than 50 hours in a helicopter.

Resort staff had planned to neuter Boo, but he got away first. Once he's located, authorities will decide whether to try to recapture him again, Dalzell said.

"Right now we are in the process of looking for him . . . we are not out to try to trap or tranquilize him," he said. "We are looking at all options. Obviously, we need to just really look at our program and figure this one out."

The bear has lived inside a 22-acre enclosure since his mother was illegally shot by a hunter in 2002. It's unclear if he could fend for himself and, being used to humans, would likely be a problem in the wild, experts said.

Boo is now in a "lose-lose situation," said Tracey Henderson of the Grizzly Bear Alliance in Canmore, Alberta.

"The poor guy has now tasted freedom and he is going to be more motivated to keep getting out," she said. "There is a side of me that's saying, `Way to go Boo,' but there is another side of me that's really worried about this bear being in the wild near humans."

Boo's first escape was blamed on hormones, June being the prime mating season for grizzlies, but Henderson said the second escape might indicate the bear no longer would tolerate confinement.

"It's just a sad situation," she said. "He is clearly a bear that wants to be free, yet we've created a situation where it's not really safe for him to be free."

[TexasStooge]

Man, 92, donates liver

By JANET ST. JAMES / WFAA ABC 8

Carlton Blackburn's garden is just one sign of his love for clean living.

His picture is further proof.

He looked great at nearly 93 years old.

In terrific health for nine decades, it came as quite a shock for Cheryl Blackburn when her husband had a sudden stroke two months ago.

"He always looked pretty good."

The second surprise came when she was approached about donating his liver.

But experts say that particular organ is sort of ageless.

"The liver does have the ability to kind of refresh itself, or regenerate itself as time goes on," said Lifegift's managing director Ron Ehrle.

And so, just nine days short of his 93rd birthday, Carlton Blackburn became the oldest organ donor ever in the country.

"I think he would appreciate people understanding a healthy lifestyle, faith and trust in God, the benefits of that," said his wife.

She believes his life-well lived has allowed another to continue on.

To become an organ donor - tell a loved one your wishes and sign up with an organ donation organization.

For more information, go to LifeGift Organ Donation Center or telephone 800-633-6562, and Southwest Transplant Alliance.