Scientists study older athletes

Senior Olympics opportunity to examine aging and exercise

Plenty of research has been done on young athletes, but little is known about marathoners, swimmers and softball players over age 50. That’s about to change.

Over the next several days at the Senior Olympics here, researchers plan to learn a lot from these aged physical specimens, perhaps gaining new insights into aging and exercise.

CNN.com
June 9, 2005

Forget rest – Ironman persists in retirement

On the 2,633rd day, he rested.

That’s what you might expect from Cal Ripken Jr., baseball’s “Ironman,” who played in a record 2,632 consecutive games.

But, after 21 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, the future Hall of Famer hasn’t slowed down since retiring in 2001.

TERRY MASSEY – SPORTS COLUMNIST
Myrtlebeachonline.com
June 11, 2005

‘My Letters From the War’

They are the yellowed letters and postcards a teenage girl saved from her camps of long ago, laced with news of giddy crushes and confessions of homesickness. But Sala Garncarz Kirschner’s camps were no summertime getaway.

Starting in 1940 when she was 16 and until the end of World War II, Mrs. Kirschner was an inmate in seven Nazi labor camps, yet she managed to squirrel away 300 pieces of correspondence and a brief diary.

By JOSEPH BERGER
New York Times
Published: June 11, 2005

Les Paul, Still Strumming on the Cusp of 90

More than half a century ago, Les Paul pushed a simple string instrument beyond its traditional acoustic limits. The Gibson electric guitar named for him helped usher in the age of rock music, from Hendrix to heavy metal.

But Les Paul was never a rock guitarist, until now. He will turn 90 on June 9, and in August he’s planning to release five new albums, including his first-ever venture into rock.

by Tom Vitale
NPR

In Sickness or Health, Series or Cellar

Since 1965, when Ms. Smith first became a season-ticket holder at Yankee Stadium, she has attended nearly 3,000 games. Over the years, she has more than fulfilled her vows as a dedicated fan, sticking with the home team for better or worse, through sunshine and rain delays, game-winning rallies and blown saves.

By VINCENT M. MALLOZZI
New York Times
Published: June 1, 2005

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U.K. Couple Marks 80th Wedding Anniversary

A British husband and wife revealed the secrets of the longest marriage of any living couple on Wednesday as they celebrated their 80th wedding anniversary — don’t sleep on an argument, always share a kiss and hold hands before going to bed.

Percy Arrowsmith, 105, and his 100-year-old wife Florence, were married on June 1, 1925, after meeting at their local church in Hereford, western England, where he sang in the choir and she was a Sunday school teacher.

Associated Press
June 1, 2005

Age 97, and Still at War With the Old Daley Machine

Still, Mr. Despres lamented what he portrayed as the corruptive influence of the contractors who fill the mayor’s campaign coffers and Chicago’s increasingly one-sided civic debate. Even as the mayor vowed last week to curtail patronage in city hiring, Mr. Despres pointed out other ways that Richard the younger had consolidated power in what he called a “supine City Council.”

By JODI WILGOREN
New York Times
Published: May 31, 2005

My Fake Retirement

An implicit promise of American-style capitalism is that after years of toil and with a little luck, sometime in your late 60’s or early 70’s you will be able to put on a pair of jean shorts and some Velcro sneakers, buy a condo in a Florida retirement community and spend the rest of your natural life sitting by a pool, with ready access to golf and bingo.

But for Rodney Rothman, a former head writer for “Late Show With David Letterman,” 40 years was too long to wait.

By WARREN ST. JOHN
New York Times
Published: May 8, 2005

Older Americans Month: Celebrate Long-Term Living

Our nation is in the midst of a boom in the aging population. Older people are living longer and staying healthier and more active much later in life.

In 2011 the first wave of the 78 million baby boom generation turns 65. The 2005 Older Americans Month theme, “Celebrate Long-Term Living” was selected by the Administration on Aging (AoA) to recognize and honor the valuable contributions of older persons to their communities as they age. AoA is planning several activities and events in honor of Older Americans Month, including a photo contest, national physical fitness event, and the development of a promotional kit and poster.

Read more about Older Americans Month

Interesting facts about older Americans

Remembrance: James D. Houston, Writer On Eskimo Life

Confessions of an Igloo Dweller
by James Houston

From 1948 to 1962, Canadian artist-writer James Houston lived among Inuit residents of Arctic Quebec. (He uses the term Inuit rather than Eskimo, which has recently fallen out of favor.) He was one of the first white men to appreciate the value of Inuit carvings and initiated a program to gather, sell, and display in galleries the ivory, antler, whalebone, and stone artifacts.

Sprinkled in the text are 40 of his drawings, which illustrate such commonly used items as a seal-oil lamp, copper-mine ulu, and goose-wing brush. Reading Houston’s memoirs, you become inspired by his joy at living in and learning about the Canadian Arctic.