World's oldest person celebrates her 117th with party at Fukuoka nursing home

Kane Tanaka has extended her record as the world’s oldest person by celebrating her 117th birthday at a nursing home in the city of Fukuoka.

Tanaka marked her birthday, on Jan. 2, with a party Sunday together with staff and friends at the nursing home, television footage from local broadcaster TVQ Kyushu Broadcasting Co. showed.

Kane Tanaka, the world's oldest person, who turned 117 on Thursday, is the center of attention at a party to mark the event held Sunday at the nursing home where she lives in Fukuoka. | KYODO

“Tasty,” she said with a smile as she took a bite from a slice of a big birthday cake. “I want some more.”

Last year Tanaka was confirmed as the oldest living person, at 116 years and 66 days old as of March 9, according to Guinness World Records.

She was born prematurely in 1903 and married Hideo Tanaka in 1922, the organization said. The couple had four children and adopted a fifth.

Tanaka’s record age is seen as symbolic of Japan’s fast-aging population, which, coupled with its falling birthrate, is raising concerns about labor shortages and prospects for future economic growth.

The number of babies born in Japan fell an estimated 5.9 percent last year to fewer than 900,000 for the first time since the government started compiling data in 1899, according to the welfare ministry.

(Source: JT)

The funniest reasons passengers have been kicked off flights

As a first-class passenger was ejected after trying to give his friends in economy free drinks, here are some of the weirdest reasons people have been removed from flights

An American Airlines passenger flying first class was  removed from the flight after attempting to get the drinks in for his pals in economy.

The man had already made a number of requests for alcoholic drinks on behalf of his friends prior to the plane taking off, but was informed that he was only allowed to order one drink at a time. The man then insisted that the second drink was for his neighbour, before being observed attempting to take both drinks into economy.

After he was challenged by a flight attendant, the man said he was going to the bathroom, but was told there was a toilet at the front of the plane specifically for first class passengers.

An exchange with cabin crew followed, before he was asked to collect his bag and leave the plane.

American Airlines said: “The customer caused a disruption during the boarding process. We did offer to re-book the customer on a later flight, but he declined and we provided a full refund,” reported The Sun.

He’s not the first to be thrown off a flight for his misdemeanours. Here are some of the most weird and wonderful flight ejections of recent years.

Birthday wishes
A family of four on a JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas were kicked off over a birthday cake. The family placed the precious cargo in the overhead bin, before being instructed to place it in a second bin and, finally, to put it on the floor in front of them. The passengers complied, but a second member of cabin crew intervened to contest the cake’s location. The situation escalated, resulting in officers being brought in and the entire flight being forced to disembark. The family were left on the tarmac to make alternative travel arrangements.

Size matters
A 7ft tall professional athlete was ejected from a flight Moscow-bound from Siberia for being too tall. Alexander Kimerov was escorted off his flight by police officers after a heated exchange with a flight attendant who alleged that the volleyball player’s legs were blocking the aisle. Kimerov, who was flying with the budget airline Pobeda, offered to pay more for a seat upgrade with more leg room, but the offer was refused. The discussion escalated and police were called.

Low riders
A passenger attempting to travel from Chicago to Orlando with Spirit Airlines was removed from a flight because of his “excessively low” jeans. While no skin was exposed, the passenger’s jeans were, apparently, below his backside. A Spirit Airlines spokesperson was reported to say: “It was to the point where his entire bottom was hanging out. And that’s not appropriate.” The man was then alleged to become “unruly and aggressive” after being challenged on his attire and was consequently removed from the flight.

Did someone say Grinch?
Not everyone is filled with the spirit of goodwill to all men, as staff at New York’s La Guardia airport discovered when wishing a passenger a merry Christmas. The man took exception to the seasonal tidings and responded aggressively. A second attendant made a similar mistake, fuelling the man’s rage further and resulting in him being escorted from the plane.

One day I’ll fly away…
An American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu carried a passenger who said he had seen a butterfly emerge from the seat pocket in front of him. The man proceeded to chase the butterfly through the cabin and into the toilet in an attempt to kill it. His erratic behaviour concerned the flight crew, who suspected him of carrying explosives; the captain initiated bomb procedures and he was escorted off the flight and arrested upon landing. The passenger later maintained that he must have been “ill” at the time, and had hallucinated the entire incident.

(Source: Independent)

How right is it to celebrate a birthday at an orphanage?

Perhaps by celebrating birthdays and anniversaries with these children, you are making them realise what they don't have, writes Rujuta Pendharkar Singh in TNM. Read on: 

What could be nobler than spending time with kids at an orphanage, right? The smile that greets you when you enter their home, makes for a better picture than any camera could capture.

You generally think that such a visit will bring joy to these children. In reality perhaps, your visit to an orphanage gives you more than it gives the kids. The innocence of their world leaves your soul churning. When you meet a three-year-old boy, and learn that he has inherited HIV from his dead parents, you find yourself questioning if god exists.

They know they have a bimari, a disease that ripped them away from their families and made them orphans.

They appear overjoyed when you give them gifts. Some love it when you read them stories. When they fall asleep on your lap, you don’t want to move till they wake up.

When you sit with them, and talk to them, you become their window to the ‘normal’ world. “Where do you work? How much do you earn? Do you have kids? Where do you live? How big is your home?” They ask all sort of questions.

But the real questions that they are seeking answers for, lie hidden in their hearts – “Can I also do what you do, when I grow up? Can I also live how you live?

You think, a visit from you makes ample difference to their simple lives. But what if, instead of making a difference, we end up making them realise that they are different?

One Sunday, a friend and I decided to sponsor lunch for an orphanage that houses around 30 HIV positive kids.

We arrived at the orphanage at around 11am. There was a birthday party going on. What I saw that day really moved me.

The birthday girl was dressed in a pink princess dress with a glittering tiara on her head. She was being spoilt silly by her parents. She looked very happy as she cut cake and handed out gifts, while her parents took her pictures.

But then there were the less privileged kids. The orphans, for whom this birthday treat was supposed to bring joy, were sitting around her wearing forced expressions.

Imagine, you only get a Sunday to get up late, not go to school, and play all day. But on this day every week, strangers come to your home, to enjoy their birthdays and anniversaries.

These kids were made to sing the birthday song. They sang without any emotion, as if it was a routine they played out every weekend. They posed for the pictures with a manufactured smile.

Many kids in that orphanage have been abandoned by their family because of social stigma associated with HIV. The way these children looked at the birthday girl being pampered by her family spoke everything they couldn’t say. They wished they could be her. No one celebrated their birthdays after all.

They were very happy to receive gifts and chocolates though. I offered my chocolate to a little boy sitting beside me and he refused saying, “Fir aap kya khaoge?” (what will you eat?). Tears welled up in my eyes.

Many of us celebrate our or our children’s birthdays in an orphanage with good intentions. Some of us do it to make our children develop empathy. While our intentions are noble, it can be less than pleasant for these kids.

By celebrating our birthdays at an orphanage, we make orphans feel even more like orphans.

Here’s a thought - instead of celebrating your birthday with them, why not celebrate theirs?

The history of celebrating birthdays and putting candles on cakes

Birthdays are great! Every year, the day we were born on becomes the day we get to blow candles, receive presents and party with our loved ones.

Celebrating birthdays is common today but this wasn’t always the case. In ancient times, although birthdays were mentioned and noted, their celebration was a rare practice. They were reserved only for the gods and the nobles, but even they didn’t make annual parties as often. Birthday parties accompanied with blowing candles on a cake, as we know them today, appeared much later in history. These rituals, however, are rooted in some ancient traditions, so let’s trace their origin.

The earliest known account of a ceremony that resembles a classic birthday celebration comes from the Greek historian Herodotus (5th century BCE). He wrote about the Persians and how they loved to celebrate their birthdays which were presumably accompanied by cake eating.

“Of all the days in the year, the one which they celebrate most is their birthday. It is customary to have the board furnished on that day with an ampler supply than usually. The richer Persians are served with a whole-baked ox, horse, camel or an ass.

The lower social ranks have the smaller kinds of cattle. They hardly ever eat full-course meals but an abundance of side dishes, set on the table in few dishes at a time. This is the reason for the saying that “When the Greeks eat, they leave off hungry and nothing is worth mentioning to them after the meats; If someone keeps on putting more food in front of them, they wouldn’t stop eating”.

Another early mentioning of a ritual similar to a birthday party comes from the Book of Genesis (40:20-22)

20 And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.

21 And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand:

22 But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them.

The event described above refers to the Pharaoh’s coronation and his rebirth as a god instead of his actual birth. Whatever the case, this sounds like a bad party, with the baker being hanged, probably because he didn’t make a cake…

The fire has always contributed to rituals. No wonder birthday candles have been attributed with granting wishes. Candles are often used during meditations, in general.

The Ancient Greeks used to give the goddess Artemis a cake with candles as an offering. Artemis ruled over the Moon, so the cakes were often shaped like this celestial body. They believed that the candle smoke would help Artemis hear all the prayers while they ascended to her domain.

In Ancient Rome, birthday celebrations were nobles’ privilege. When somebody from the higher ranks of the Roman society turned 50, considered as a significant milestone in life, it was common for his friends and family to throw that person a party (feast) and surprise them with a nice, sweet cake. However, in Rome, the cake was served without candles.

During the Middle Ages, birthdays weren’t celebrated mostly because of the early Catholic beliefs that these celebrations are pagan and pose a threat to Christianity.

Besides all of the above-mentioned ancient rituals which are similar to birthday celebrations, here’s an actual reference to modern birthdays and birthday cakes! German bakers from the 15th century started selling special one-layer birthday cakes, mostly to parents who were celebrating their children’s first birthday.

Further evidence shows that this tradition continued up until 18th-century Germany when candles were also added to the cakes. This version of the birthday celebration was called Kinderfest (children’s festival). This tradition was the predecessor of modern children birthday party.

During Kinderfest, children were taken to a ceremony hall where they were free to celebrate their birthday. Germans believed that evil spirits could steal people’s soul during birthdays.

To protect the person celebrating, they used to make a circle around him and carouse. Gifts were not a birthday tradition back in those days. It was enough if the guests expressed their good wishes for the person that was celebrating. In case somebody brought a gift it was considered as a good sign for the upcoming year of the birthday person.

Now let’s get back to the cake and candles. One of the earliest records of candles used on a birthday cake dates from 1746 when a large celebration was held for Count Ludwig von Zinzendor’s birthday. One of his guests described the following:

“There was a cake as large as any oven to bake it in, and holes made in the cake according to the years of the person’s age, each one with a candle stuck into it, and one in the middle”.

Almost 50 years later, Prince August of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg described his own birthday party:

“…a generous-size torte with colorful flaming candles – amounting to some fifty candles – that began to melt and threatened to burn down, instead of having enough room for candles which indicate upcoming years, as in the case with children’s festivities”.

These notes show that according to the old tradition, there were candles for each year of the person’s life. Besides this, more candles were added to mark the upcoming years of the person.

(Source: The Vintage News)