The oldest people

Jeanne Calment (February 21, 1875 – August 4, 1997) Jeanne Cament was born in Arles, France, to a well-to-do family, her close family members also unsurprisingly lived to an advanced age: her brother, François, lived to the grand old age of 97, her father, Nicolas, 93, and her mother, Marguerite, 86. In 1896, she decided to marry her second cousin (grandson of her great-uncle) Fernand Calment, a wealthy storeowner. His impressive wealth made it possible for Calment never to have to work: instead she led a very relaxed lifestyle, pursuing hobbies like tennis, cycling, swimming, rollerskating, piano and opera. Her beloved husband died in 1942, after he unfortunately ate a dessert prepared with spoiled cherries

Calment's longevity strangely enough was not shared by her offspring. Her only daughter, Yvonne, died at age 36 in 1934 from pneumonia. As a result, the task of bringing up her grandson Frédéric fell on to her shoulders. He was trained as a doctor, but died in 1963 in a tragic motorcycle accident.

Age Born Country Status 122 1875 France Widow

In 1985, Calment finally moved into a nursing home, having lived on her own until age 110. Nevertheless, she did not actually gain international fame until 1988, when the centenary of Vincent van Gogh's visit to Arles provided an occasion to meet reporters. She said that when she was 14, she met van Gogh in her father's shop, later describing him as "dirty, badly dressed and disagreeable." She also later reported attending the 1885 funeral of Victor Hugo.

After her 1988 interview, at age 113, Calment was given the Guinness book of Records' "world's oldest person" title. She was first mentioned in the Guinness Records publication of 1989, in new claims at the end. However, in 1989 the title was withdrawn and given to Carrie C. White of Florida, who was claimed to have been born in 1874, although this has since been disputed by subsequent census research.

On the death of Carrie White on February 14, 1991, Calment, then only a week shy of 116, became the oldest recognized living person. On October 17, 1995 Calment reached 120 years and 238 days to become the Guinness "oldest person ever", surpassing Shigechiyo Izumi of Japan, whose own claim has since also been subject to some considerable doubt. Coincidentally, Izumi died on Calment's 111th birthday.

If the questionable cases of Shigechiyo Izumi and Carrie White are to be discounted, Calment is the first person documented to reach 115, 116, 117, 118, and 119 years old. She is also the only person to have undisputedly lived at least 120 years.

Following Calment's death on August 4, 1997, then almost 117-year-old Marie-Louise Meilleur of Canada became the oldest recognized person in the world.

Shigechiyo Izumi (June 29, 1865? – February 21, 1986) of Tokunoshima, Amami Islands, Japan was, according to Guinness Book of World Records, the person with the greatest authenticated age in the whole world after the eventual death of Niwa Kawamoto, also from Japan. Assuming his proclaimed birthdate is accuarate, he would have attained an age of 120 years, older than any other recognized male, and the second-longest lived human ever, second only to Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment. He also holds the record for the longest working career for a person, which spanned 98 years. He was recorded as a six-year-old in Japan's first census of 1871. His wife died at the age of 90. He drank shochu (a Japanese alcoholic beverage distilled from barley), and began up smoking at age 70. His long career began in 1872 goading draft animals at a sugar mill, and he finally retired as a sugarcane farmer in 1970 at the age of 105. He attributed his long life to "God, Buddha and the Sun." He was not a tall man as he stood at 1.42 meters (four feet, eight inches) tall and weighed 42.6 kilograms (94 pounds), and an interesting stat is that he lived through 71 Japanese Prime Ministers!

Age Born Country Status 120 1865 Japan Widowed

Eventually he died of pneumonia after a brief hospitalization at 12:15 GMT, coincidentally the same day as Jeanne Calment's 111th birthday. He was 120 years and 237 days old (if the 1865 birth year is correct), the last recognized surviving person of the 1860s, the one and only male to live at least 116 years and the longest holder of the revered "oldest living person" title.

Following his death, Mamie Eva Keith took over the title and became the world's oldest person. Also, for more than 20 years after his death every person with the title of the world's oldest living person had been female until Emiliano Mercado del Toro became the world's "oldest living person" on December 11, 2006.

His age has been a matter of some dispute and some historians suggest that he was actually born several years later and named after his older sibling (a brother), who perhaps died young.

Sarah DeRemer Clark Knauss (September 24, 1880 – December 30, 1999) was considered the "world's oldest person" by Guinness Book of World Records from April 16, 1998 until her eventual death at age 119. Aged 117, Sarah set the record for the oldest "new" titleholder (which corresponds to the highest "valley" on a graph of the oldest living persons over time). She died a mere 33 hours before the year 2000, bringing to an end the last verified living person born before 1885.

Age Born Country Status 119 1880 US Widowed

Sarah DeRemer Clark was born in a small United States coal mining town, Hollywood, Pennsylvania (which no longer exists), and eventually she died in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Back in 1901 she married Abraham Lincoln Knauss (December 19, 1878 - March 1, 1965). Abraham became a well-known Republican leader in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. Upon the 1998 death of Marie-Louise Meilleur, she was for a while the oldest recognized person in the world.
Knauss was a homemaker and had an earlier career as an insurance office manager. Her daughter, Kathryn Sullivan (1903-2005), who was 96 at the time of Sarah's death, once explained Knauss' three-digit age by saying: "She's a very tranquil person and nothing fazes her. That's why she's living this long."

In 1995, when Sarah was asked if she enjoyed her long life, Knauss said matter-of-factly: "I enjoy it because I have my health and I can do things." Her passions included watching golf on television, doing needlepoint, and nibbling on milk chocolate turtles, cashews, and potato chips. "Sarah was an elegant lady and worthy of all the honor and adulation she had received," said Joseph Hess, an Administrator of the Phoebe-Devitt Homes Foundation facility where Knauss died quietly in her room. Officials said that, to their knowledge, she had not been ill so must have just died of old age.

Knauss lived through seven U.S. wars, twenty three U.S. Presidents, the sinking of the RMS Titanic and Charles Lindbergh's solo flight across the Atlantic. She was older than the Brooklyn Bridge and even the Statue of Liberty, and was already 88 when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon in July of 1969!

Apart from her daughter, Knauss was also survived by a grandson, three great-granddaughters, and five great-great grandchildren.

When she was 116 she was recognized as the United States national longevity recordholder, then thought to be held by the meanwhile disputed Carrie White (1874?-1991). It is now believed that the record should have been held by Lucy Hannah (117 years and 248 days), who died in 1993. In any case, Sarah extended the U.S. record to age 119. She lived to see her daughter turn 96, and passed away 33 hours before the year 2000. Some scientific circles consider her to be the second-oldest person ever, though Guinness and this site recognize her as third, after Jeanne Calment (1875-1997) and the also in the meantime disputed Shigechiyo Izumi (1865?-1986) respectively.

She is considered to have been the last remaining living member of the Missionary Generation.

Tuah penganggur minta kerja di tepi jalan

STOKE-ON-TRENT, England - Seorang penganggur, Mark Wheeldon berumur 23 tahun yang memegang kayu mengandungi poster meminta pekerjaan bertuah kerana akhirnya dia mendapat kerja selepas 20 minit dia ditemu duga oleh seorang ahli perniagaan, lapor sebuah akhbar. Sebelum ini dia menganggur selama dua tahun. Dia mempromosikan dirinya di tepi jalan di sini bagi meminta pekerjaan selepas bosan hidup dengan mendapat elaun sara hidup kerajaan.
 
Selepas tiga jam berdiri dengan memegang poster itu, seorang ahli perniagaan yang merupakan pengarah sebuah kilang, Vince Champion menghampirinya setelah dia melihat lelaki tersebut dari keretanya. Dia kemudian membawa Mark ke pejabatnya dan menemuduganya selama 20 minit sebelum menawarkannya bekerja di sebuah kilang membuat bingkai.

Menurut pengarah kilang itu: "Semasa dalam perjalanan ke tempat kerja pada pukul 8 pagi, saya melihat Mark berdiri dalam hujan memegang kayu poster itu untuk meminta pekerjaan. "Saya berpendapat, jika terdapat seseorang yang sanggup berdiri dalam hujan, dia mesti nekad untuk mendapatkan pekerjaan. Menurut pandangan saya, dia akan menjadi aset untuk mana-mana syarikat." -AP






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Nelayan Indonesia temui benda ganjil

JAKARTA - Sekumpulan nelayan terkejut apabila menemui satu benda ganjil berwarna hitam diperbuat daripada getah di perairan selatan Pulau Gili Raja, Sumenep, lapor sebuah akhbar semalam.
Benda ganjil itu yang tidak pernah dilihat di perairan tersebut menjadi tumpuan penduduk setempat untuk melihatnya.
Dua buah perahu digunakan untuk menarik benda ganjil itu selama enam jam ke pantai.
Salah seorang nelayan yang hanya dikenali sebagai Hasyim berkata, pada awalnya dia menganggap terdapat sebuah kapal besar sedang tenggelam.
"Ternyata, sebuah benda hitam dari getah dan dikelilingi bekas tayar dan diikat besi antikarat," katanya kepada wartawan Detiksurabaya.
Para nelayan yang menemui barang tersebut akan menjaganya dengan baik.
"Saya berharap benda hitam itu akan diambil oleh pemiliknya," katanya.

Lelaki kulit hitam jadi tumpuan di bandar Rusia

NOVOZAVIDOVO, Rusia - Seorang lelaki berkulit hitam, Jean Gregoire Sagbo menjadi tumpuan di bandar ini selepas dia dipilih menjadi ahli majlis perbandaran berkulit hitam yang pertama.
Pada bulan lalu, dia menjadi lelaki berkulit hitam dipilih untuk menduduki kerusi ahli majlis perbandaran.
Dia berjanji untuk memulihkan bandar yang miskin itu yang menjadi tempat tinggalnya selama 21 tahun.
Rancangan Sagbo ialah untuk mengurangkan kes penagihan dadah yang berleluasa, membersihkan tasik yang tercemar dan mengatur bantuan sistem pemanasan di rumah.
"Novozavidovo semakin mati," katanya pada satu sidang akhbar.
"Ini ialah rumah saya, bandar saya. Kita tidak boleh tinggal seperti ini," tambahnya.
Datuk Bandar Novozavidovo, Vyacheslav Arakelov berkata, kulit Sagbo adalah hitam tetapi dia ialah rakyat Rusia.

Selepas Seratus Hari Meninggal Dunia, Mereka Masih Menanti Kepulangan Achik

BERAT mata memandang berat lagi bahu yang memikulnya, pemergian Abdillah Murad Md. Shari atau Achik pada 19 April lalu masih lagi dirasai oleh isterinya H.M. Rose Zaitul Suriani Wati Maarof atau Tasha.
Hari ini genap seratus hari Allahyarham Achik pergi meninggalkan kita.
Achik meninggal dunia selepas terlibat dalam kemalangan maut di KM14.7 Lebuhraya Kajang-Seremban ketika dalam perjalanan pulang selepas menjadi hos rancangan Gah 1 di RTM.

Kehilangan tempat bergantung pastinya meninggalkan kesan dalam hidup Tasha yang terpaksa membesarkan anak-anak mereka Putri Salfiah,2, dan Putri Nursumaiyyah,10 bulan, seorang diri.
Jelas lagi kedengaran perbualan janji terakhir Allahyarham sebelum mereka bercerai mati untuk membawa anak-anak mereka menghabiskan masa bersama, namun Allah lebih mengetahui segalanya.
"Walaupun sudah seratus hari namun bagi saya tiada apa yang berubah, saya masih rasakan dia ada, begitu juga anak-anak. Janjinya untuk membawa kami keluar masih lagi jelas tergiang di telinga saya.

"Begitu juga anak-anak yang masih menunggu ayahnya. Setiap hari Salfiah pasti akan bertanyakan tentang ayahnya, saya hanya tunjukkan video terakhir Arwah ketika di Gah 1 bagi pengubat rindu mereka," ujarnya yang tiga kali seminggu menziarahi pusara Arwah.
Bukan tidak menerima takdir yang tertulis tetapi dia masih belum bersedia melupakan segala kenangan manis yang masih terpahat kukuh diingatannya.
Allahyarham Achik merupakan seorang suami yang sangat bertanggungjawab dan sentiasa meletakkan keluarga sebagai keutamaannya walaupun dia sibuk bekerja.
"Saya redha dengan pemergian dia, tapi saya sedar saya terlalu bergantung kepada dia. Ketika dia masih hidup semua perkara dia nak buat. Termasuk kerja rumah dan jaga anak. Dia tidak boleh nampak saya susah pasti dia datang buat untuk saya.
"Perkara-perkara itu yang membuatkan saya sangat terasa kehilangan arwah sehingga sekarang. Semua sistem khidmat pesanan ringkas (SMS) dia saya masih simpan," ujarnya dengan nada yang sayu.

Tambahnya lagi, kebanyakan barang-barang peninggalan Achik sudah disimpan di satu bilik simpanan khas. Koleksi pakaian pula kebanyakkan sudah diberikan kepada adik beradik mereka.
"Baju Achik saya sudah beri kepada adik beradik dan sanak saudara sebab sayang pula jika disimpan begitu. Cuma tinggal beberapa helai buat kenangan saya ketika merinduinya. Manakala barangan lain disimpan di rumah emak saya," katanya.
Menurut Tasha kesedihan hatinya lebih terasa setiap kali bertemu rakan baiknya Mohd Salihin Shah yang turut terlibat dalam kemalangan itu. Mohd Salihan bagaimanapun terselamat.
"Saya teringat arwah apabila melihat Salihin, sebab mereka kawan baik. Apa yang Salihin suka terutamanya makanan sama dengan Achik. Selalu mereka akan keluar untuk kemana-mana berdua.
"Dia pernah datang rumah untuk melawat kami dan seperti biasa dia akan minta saya buat nasi goreng cili api tetapi saya tidak mampu untuk membuatnya kerana makanan itu juga makanan kegemaran Achik setiap pagi.

"Saya tahu dia juga merasai kehilangan besar Achik, malah dia yang menyaksikan kejadian tersebut," ujarnya.
Mula Bekerja
Kehidupan harus diteruskan, tugas mencari rezeki untuk menampung kehidupan keluarga kini terletak dibahu Tasha. Dia merancang untuk bekerja selepas Hari Raya Aidilfitri ini.
"Buat masa ini saya gunakan duit simpanan yang arwah tinggalkan, namun saya juga perlu bekerja untuk menampung kehidupan anak-anak. Insyaallah selepas raya ini saya akan mula cari pekerjaan yang sesuai.
"Masalah utama ialah anak-anak, sejak pemergian arwah kami tidak pernah berenggang sebab saya tidak pernah hantar mereka ke pusat penjagaan sebelum ini," katanya.
Menurut Tasha, mahu atau tidak segala yang ditakdirkan harus dijalani juga biarpun perit untuk ditempuhi seorang diri.
Peningalan dua cahaya mata memberinya semangat untuk terus berjuang dengan rasa cinta yang ditinggalkan Allahyarham Achik.

P/S - Semoga tabah..