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The New Issue is Out (and it's twice as shiny as before!)
The new issue is finally (FINALLY!) on newsstands, and we're so excited to talk about it. This month, mental_floss is covering all sorts of things, including exciting new cures for blindness, Crohn's disease and MS; America's next top energy source (icy methane bricks mined from the bottom of the ocean); and why Kashmiri men carry pumpkins on their bellies. We've even got great stories on the incredibly bizarre life of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and a little peek at all the skeletons hiding inside IKEA's well organized closet. In fact, there's so much great content that we'll be previewing it here all week.
But today we're focusing on Ethan Trex's wonderful piece on Tools. Here are our 2 favorite stories from the piece:
The 9/11 Squeegee
The Swiss Army Scalpel
While most Swiss Army knives are relegated to a mundane existence of tightening screws and opening beer bottles, Dr. John Ross' pocket knife has some better stories to tell. In 1989, the Canadian surgeon had a spot of bad luck when he arrived in Uganda. Before he could start practicing medicine, thieves stole his surgical saw. Thankfully, he'd also packed a Swiss Army knife. Whenever Ross needed to perform an amputation, he sterilized his trusty tool in boiling water and then used the saw blade to take off the injured limb. Ross praises the knife's high-quality steel for working "faultlessly," and by his count, he used the tool to perform at least six Swiss Army amputations.
In any case, there's tons more great stuff in the issue. Make our editors happy and pick up an issue on the newsstands. Or better yet, pick up a t-shirt and a subscription for a very low price here.