World's oldest person dies in Los Angeles at 115
LOS ANGELES – Although she liked her bacon crispy and her chicken fried, she never drank, smoked or fooled around, Gertrude Baines once said, describing a life that lasted an astonishing 115 years and earned her the title of oldest person on the planet.
It was a title Baines quietly relinquished Friday when she died in her sleep at Western Convalescent Hospital, her home since she gave up living alone at age 107 after breaking a hip.
She likely suffered a heart attack, said her longtime physician, Dr. Charles Witt, although an autopsy was scheduled to determine the exact cause of death.
“I saw her two days ago, and she was just doing fine,” Witt told The Associated Press on Friday. “She was in excellent shape. She was mentally alert. She smiled frequently.”
Baines was born in Shellman, Ga., on April 6, 1894, when Grover Cleveland was in the White House, radio communication was just being developed and television was still more than a half-century from becoming a ubiquitous household presence.
She was 4 years old when the Spanish-American War broke out and 9 when the first World Series was played. She had already reached middle age by the time the U.S. entered World War II in 1941.
Throughout it all, Baines said last year, it was a life she thoroughly enjoyed.
“I’m glad I’m here. I don’t care if I live a hundred more,” she said with a hearty laugh after casting her vote for Barack Obama for president. “I enjoy nothing but eating and sleeping.”
Her vote for Obama, she added, had helped fulfill a lifelong dream of seeing a black man elected president.
“We all the same, only our skin is dark and theirs is white,” said Baines, who was black.
The centenarian, who worked as a maid at Ohio State University dormitories until her retirement, had outlived all of her family members. Her only daughter died of typhoid at age 18.
In her final years, she passed her days watching her favorite TV program, “The Jerry Springer Show,” and consuming her favorite foods: bacon, fried chicken and ice cream. She complained often, however, that the bacon served to her was too soft.
“Two days ago, when I saw her, she was talking about the fact that the bacon wasn’t crisp enough, that it was soggy,” Witt said.
She became the world’s oldest person in January when Maria de Jesus died in Portugal at 115.
The title brought with it a spotlight of attention, and Baines was asked frequently about the secret to a long life. She shrugged off such questions, telling people to ask God instead.
“She told me that she owes her longevity to the Lord, that she never did drink, she never did smoke and she never did fool around,” Witt said at a party marking her 115th birthday.
At the party, Baines sat quietly, paying little attention as nursing home staffers and residents sang “Happy Birthday” and presented congratulatory notices from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and others. But she laughed when told the Los Angeles Dodgers had given her a cooler filled with hot dogs.
With Baines’ death, 114-year-old Kama Chinen of Japan becomes the world’s oldest person, said Dr. L. Stephen Coles of the Gerontology Research Group, which tracks claims of extreme old age. Chinen was born May 10, 1895.
The oldest person who ever lived, Coles said, was Jeanne-Louise Calment, who was 122 when she died Aug. 4, 1997, in Arles, France.
Source: Associated Press
Tribute to Michael Jackson-29 August
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZTDe5S-HMU&hl=en&fs=1&]
Rezolutie a Parlamentului SUA pentru Activitatea umanitara a lui Michael Jackson
O rezolutie, purtand numarul 600, a fost introdusa in Camera Reprezentantilor pentru a recunoaste oficial activitatea lui Michael Jackson ca activist mondial in domeniul umanitar, a anuntat marti cea care a avut aceasta initiativa, reprezentanta Sheila Jackson Lee.
In momentul mortii artistului, Camera Reprezentantilor a pastrat un moment de reculegere in onoarea megastarului, insa rezolutia a starnit si reactii controversate, unii politicieni republicani amintind de trecutul “pervers” al cantaretului, informeaza NewsIn.
“Intelegem Constitutia, intelegem legile si stim ca oamenii sunt nevinovati pana la dovedirea contrariului”, a declarat reprezentanta democrata de Texas in aplauzele celor care se adunasera la arena Staples Center pentru a-l comemora pe artistul mort prematur.
Parlamentarul, care a introdus rezolutia pentru a-i recunoaste lui Michael Jackson meritul de a-si fi adus o “contributie insemnata in arta si divertisment, in realizarea unor progrese stiintifice in tratamentul SIDA si la securitatea alimentara globala”, a vorbit despre modul in care Michael Jackson s-a pus in serviciul public al americanilor.
“Multi oameni nu inteleg sufletele oamenilor din industria divertismentului”, a spus Sheila Jackson. “Nu stiu ce inimi mari au. Nu stiu cum vindeca lumea in numele Americii”, a spus Jackson Lee. Ea a mentionat vizita lui Michael Jackson la Washington in 2004, pentru a sustine cauza luptei anti-SIDA, si si-a amintit de intalnirea pe care a avut-o in biroul ei cu megastarul si 15 ambasadori africani. “Noi suntem lumea si suntem mai buni pentru ca a trait Michael Joseph Jackson”, a spus reprezentanta.
Discursul a fost sustinut cu o voce foarte ferma, laudand puterea transcedentala a persoanelor precum Michael Jackson de a schimba natiunea si lumea in bine.
La sfarsitul evocarii lui Michael Jackson, reprezentanta Sheila Jackson Lee a efectuat un salut oficial in onoarea megastarului.
Sursa: 9AM
Madonna l-a omagiat aseara pe Michael Jackson la Londra
Madona si Michael Jackson au implinit anul trecut in august 50 de ani, in zile diferite.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMVPfetWvhw&hl=en&fs=1&]
Madonna i-a adus un omagiu lui Michael Jackson, sâmbătă seara, în cadrul concertului de la O2 Arena din Londra, aceeaşi sală de spectacole în care “Regele muzicii pop” ar fi trebuit să revină pe scenă printr-o serie de 50 de concerte, începând cu 13 iulie, înformează accesshollywood.com.
O fotografie din tinereţea lui Michael Jackson a apărut pe scenă, în timp de Madonna interpreta piesa “Holiday”. În timpul acestui cântec, un dansator îmbrăcat ca Michael Jackson a urcat pe scenă purtând pantaloni negri, o jachetă strălucitoare, şosete albe şi o mănuşă albă.
După acest concert, mulţi fani au scris imediat pe conturile lor de pe Twitter, pentru a comenta şi actualiza informaţiile despre acest concert-tribut al Madonnei.
Potrivit mai multor martori care susţin că au fost prezenţi la acest concert, Madonna a inclus piesele “Billie Jean” şi “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” în cântecele sale.
http://www.mediafax.ro/life-inedit/madonna-i-a-adus-un-omagiu-lui-michael-jackson-la-londra.
9 Noiembrie 2008
Se implinesc 70 de ani de la Noaptea de Cristal – progromul din Germania – declansarea ostilitatilor asupra evreilor, inceputul exterminarii acestora de catre Hitler.
Este unul dintre evenimentele cu care omenirea nu se poate mandri, ba dimpotriva de care se poate rusina. Povestile scrise, auzite sau vazute in filme despre aceste evenimente ne-au umbrit multora dintre noi copilaria, facandu-ne sa ne intrebam cum pot oamenii sa se distruga unii pe altii. Raspunsurile la aceasta intrebare nu le-am gasit nicaieri nici pana in ziua de azi, desi incercari de a se raspunde exista.
Se implinesc 19 ani de la memorabila data a daramarii zidului Berlinului din ziua de 9 Noiembrie 1989. Anul 1989 a fost un an special care a insemnat mult pentru toate tarile ex-socialiste, inclusiv Romania. In ziua de 9 Noiembrie a fost inceputul, iar ce a urmat in Decembrie stim cu totii, deci evenimentele s-au desfasurat intr-o anumita ordine cronologica, nu au fost izolate, nu au fost singulare.
