107-Year-Old Woman Says Secret To Her Longevity Is ‘I Never Got Married’
A Bronx woman celebrating her 107th birthday says the secret to her long life is staying single.
“I think the secret of 107 [is] I never got married,” Louise Signore told CBS New York. “I think that’s the secret. My sister says ‘I wish I never got married.'”
Her sister is also alive and well—and 102.
Signore celebrated her special birthday at the JASA Bartow Senior Center in Co-op City, complete with balloons, cake, music and presents.
She was born in Harlem in 1912 but has lived in the Bronx since moving there at age 14. Signore still lives alone and independently, but stays active and is well-connected with the community, according to other partygoers.
“She’s got no walking cane, no wheelchair. She does all her shopping. She’s awesome,” friend Deborah Whitaker told WLNY.
Signore says the only medicine she takes is a pill for high blood pressure. “That’s all.”
Asked what else has contributed to her longevity, Signore told WCBS: “Italian food. Italian food is very good for you.”
Ironically, numerous studies have suggested single people actually die younger than their married counterparts: One report indicated bachelors die eight to 17 years earlier than married men—while single women pass away seven to 15 years earlier than married ones. Researchers believe lower incomes and less support networks could be responsible.
“If you’re a couple, a spouse may be after you to eat better and go the doctor,” sociologist David Roelfs told NBC News in 2011. “Sometimes it’s just easier to be healthier and less of a risk taker when you’re married.”
People looking to prolong their lives often turn to diet and exercise, but many centenarians have attributed their longevity to pretty counterintuitive strategies: In September, 106-year-old Edith Wylie told Montana’s Great Falls Tribune that, aside from good genes, her long life is due to “bourbon, water and Cheetos while watching 5 o’clock news.”
Margaret Young of Sutton, England, turned 108 in October and told The Chad her secret was “to be happy and have plenty of cups of teas.”
Emma Morano of Italy, the oldest verified person on Earth when she died at 117 in 2017, gave credit to a particular odd dietary habit: three eggs a day, two of which were eaten raw. She started the diet after being diagnosed with anemia as a young adult, according to the BBC.
Like Signore, Morano was also single for most of her life after separating from her husband back in 1938.
At 117, Japan’s Kane Tanaka is the current verified oldest living person. She , has attributed her longevity to family, sleep and hope. But it’s worth noting Tanaka reportedly drinks three cans of coffees a day and eats “plenty of candy.”
Photo Credit: everythingzoomer.com
‘The only thing my son is guilty of is being a black boy’: Mom of 10-year-old charged with assault for dodgeball injury speaks out as case dropped
Days after officials in Canton, Mich., announced that a 10-year-old black boy would be facing aggravated assault for the dodgeball injuries of a white boy — prompting critics to say it was racist — Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy has announced that the charges have been dropped.
“This case came to us as a not-In-custody case — that means that there was never an arrest. Efforts were made to resolve this matter before it was sent to us for a charge consideration. The mother of the alleged victim had every right to go to the authorities and the authorities had an obligation to investigate,” Worthy said in a statement, according to WXYZ Detroit. “When this case was reviewed by my office, no one paid attention to the race of either party. It is categorically wrong to suggest that this was charged based on race or geography.”
The decision to dismiss the case came just hours before defense lawyer and ex-prosecutor, Maurice Davis of Davis Law Group, who is representing 10-year-old Bryce Lindley, planned to hold a press conference defending him. Speaking with Yahoo Lifestyle shortly after the dismissal, Davis says it was “no coincidence” that the prosecutor dropped the charges just hours before his scheduled press conference.
“They knew they were completely wrong,” he continues, “but had [Bryce] not received the media attention that he did, he would be in court tomorrow at 9AM as scheduled.” Davis is calling for Worthy’s office to “reevaluate” their method of authorizing charges. He says, “it is an abuse of power to charge a 10-year-old with aggravated assault over an accident at a playground.”
n an earlier statement sent to Yahoo Lifestyle, Davis had called for the dismissal of what he deemed “outlandish” charges.
“You cannot criminally charge a child for participating in a dodgeball game at a school. If the school intends to hold this child criminally liable for a dodgeball game, then the prosecutors need to bring charges against all of the teachers and school employees that initiated the game, allowed the children to participate in the game, and supervised them during the game,” he wrote. “These charges are ridiculous.”
Also in the statement was a quote from Bryce’s mother, Cameishi. “My son is not a criminal… If every child that played a game of dodgeball and threw a dodgeball at another kid was thrown in jail, the vast majority of our country would be behind bars,” she said. “The only thing my son is guilty of is being a Black boy.”
Speaking with Yahoo Lifestyle on Tuesday, Davis explained that an aggravated assault charge would have implied that it was Bryce’s intent to injure his classmate. He added that he was “surprised” by the prosecutor’s office for authorizing such an “unbelievable” charge — especially, he said, because Worthy is a black woman.
On Monday, Yahoo Lifestyle spoke with the assistant prosecuting attorney on the case, Maria Miller, who at the time defended the charge. Miller said she had reviewed the case and found there “was enough evidence to for us to charge aggravated assault.”
Davis explained that the children were playing a modified version of dodgeball that required players to stand in a circle, jump up and then toss the ball, with the receiver jumping up to catch it. He noted that the children were given two recesses a day, and that the school was aware of the victim’s condition, adding, “There’s no reason why this baby is facing criminal charges.”
Photo Credit: Maurice Davis
Man stabs two people in Manhattan subway confrontation over a seat
LOWER MANHATTAN — A confrontation over a subway seat led to a double stabbing in Manhattan Tuesday night.
According to authorities, a dispute started when Ronald Cundiff refused to move his bag off a subway seat after a 55-year-old passenger asked to sit down.
Cundiff, 40, then stabbed the victim before fleeing at Canal Street around 7:20 p.m., police said.
A passenger who witnessed the incident chased him through the street before he was also stabbed by Cundiff about half a mile away, police said.
Police eventually tasered Cundiff and took him into custody.
Both victims were taken to the hospital for their injuries.
Cundiff, who police said had 15 prior arrests on weapon and drug charges, remains at the hospital.
He faces charges of assault, criminal possession of a weapon, resisting arrest and reckless endangerment.
Photo Credit: pix11.com
Southwest Airlines flight attendant hides in overhead bin
NASHVILLE, Tenn. —One Southwest Airlines employee literally put herself into the fray when it came to jockeying for overhead bin space.
Passenger Veronica Lloyd was surprised to find a flight attendant in the overhead compartment on her flight from Nashville to Atlanta on Monday.
“She was up there for about five minutes. More than half the flight was boarded before she got down,” Lloyd said. “It was pretty hilarious.”
“She was greeting passengers as they walked by,” Lloyd added.
“This was my second time ever flying with them,” she said. “So I guess I was unaware of the [flight attendants] wanting to have a sense of humor during flights for Southwest, but it certainly was entertaining.”
Southwest said its employees “are known for demonstrating their sense of humor and unique personalities.” In this case, the flight attendant “attempted to have a brief moment of fun with customers during boarding,” the airline said in a statement.
“Of course, this is not our normal procedure, and Southwest crews always maintain safety as their top priority.”
Lloyd tweeted about the incident.
She was flying home to Philadelphia after a girls’ trip to Nashville.
via: https://pix11.com/2019/07/31/southwest-airlines-flight-attendant-hides-in-overhead-bin/
Photo Credit: CNN
Babies found abandoned near dumpster in CA; 1 dead, police say
Fairfield, CA (KCRA ) — Two babies, one of whom has died, were found abandoned near a dumpster in Fairfield on Tuesday afternoon, police said.
The infants, believed to be twins, were found in the 300 block of Pittman Road around 4:15 p.m., Fairfield police said. The second baby was rushed to a hospital, where the infant’s condition has been stabilized.
Police said the owner of a nearby business called 911, after seeing a woman in distress.
The business owner told dispatch, “two infants were with (the woman) and appeared to have been recently birthed on the sidewalk behind the businesses,” said Lt. Jausiah Jacobsen.
Police said when officers arrived, they found the newborns near a dumpster in the back of a shopping plaza parking lot, across from the La Quinta Inn on Pittman Road.
“They showed up around 4ish and she was gone,” said Joe Frundl, who owns a nearby pizza restaurant. “(The mother was) nowhere to be found.”
Police said the infants were on the ground when the first officer arrived.
“The first officer who arrived immediately started life-saving efforts on one of the newborns and turned care over to fire department personnel,” police said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the other newborn was determined to have died prior to the officer’s arrival.”
As officers were helping the infants, police said they found the mother on a sidewalk, about a five-minute walk from where the babies were found.
“It was apparent that she did recently give birth,” Jacobsen said. “That female has been taken over to the hospital to be checked on.”
Frundl said he and his employees have seen the woman in the parking lot before.
“She had been here for a couple weeks,” he said. “I’m assuming she was homeless. Don’t know much, really. The only time I had seen her was last night, but my staff said she’d been around the last couple of weeks.”
The investigation is ongoing.
No other details were released.
SAFE SURRENDER IN CALIFORNIA
People can safely surrender a newborn at a firehouse or hospital emergency room within 72 hours of birth without fear of being prosecuted, as long as the baby shows no signs of abuse or neglect, according to the California Department of Social Services.
For more information about safe surrender sites and locations, people can call this toll-free number: 1-877-222-9723.
via: https://pix11.com/2019/07/31/babies-found-abandoned-near-dumpster-in-ca-1-dead-police-say/
Photo Credit: pix11.com
Man charged with using sword to murder 74-year-old mother, leaving her body in garbage can
PARK RIDGE, Ill — A man has been charged in the stabbing death of his 74-year-old mother in Park Ridge, PIX11 sister station WGN reported.
David Krystyniak, 47, is being held without bond on a first-degree murder charge, police announced Wednesday.
A police officer and a social worker discovered the body of Judith Krystyniak at the home she shared with her son in the 1900 block of South Courtland Avenue on Monday. Police said they were driving in the area at about 7:30 a.m. when they noticed debris in the driveway of the home that looked out of place. They knocked on the door, and there was no answer.
They returned to the home at about noon, and David came out of the house to speak with them. The police officer asked if they could see his mother, and David invited them into the home. After making multiple attempts to find the mother in the home, the officer and social worker eventually discovered her body in a large garbage can.
Police believe Judith Krystyniak was killed sometime Sunday night. She died of multiple stab wounds to the chest, which they believe were made with a two-foot sword recovered at the scene.
Police were uncertain as to the motive in the case.
David Krystyniak’s next court date is Aug. 14.
via: https://pix11.com/2019/07/31/man-charged-with-using-sword-to-74-year-old-mother-leaving-her-body-in-garbage-can/
Photo Credit: pix11.com
EMT accused of sending racist messages to colleague
MANHATTAN — EMTs at NYU Langone are responsible for saving lives, but PIX11 has learned that one may be doing their job with an offensive mindset.
A colleague of Cathy Albano — we are concealing her identity — says she began following her on social media and saw she usually made off-color posts. However, she never expected to read Albano, known as “Rina” on social media, calling stabbing victims “animals,” among other invectives.
“Just the animals stabbing each other,” Albano wrote on a post when asked what was going on at a stabbing she had worked at.
“EMS is a frustrating job, I get that, but there is no excuse around it,” said the co-worker.
The colleague also pointed out a post from Facebook, Albano sounding off on the recent mass shooting in Brownsville.
“Last night all hell broke out in Brownsville with over 11 people shot, they were all screaming for the police,” she wrote. “Why are you yelling for police. The police are too busy trying to dry out their uniforms from the water bucket attack.
“Stop calling the police when your ass is in danger, call a crackhead instead.”
“People were concerned that work with her,” said community activist Tony Herbert, who says Albano’s colleagues reached out to him. “They don’t want to work with her.”
“How can we entrust any confidence in this individual in providing these type of services to keep us alive when in fact we don’t even know that they would do that because of their racist overtone? They should fire her.”
“We are taking these complaints very seriously and are looking into the matter,” a representative from NYU Langone told PIX11 in a statement.
Albano has not responded to PIX11’s requests for comment.
via: https://pix11.com/2019/07/31/emt-accused-of-sending-racist-messages-to-colleague/
Photo Credit: pix11.com
FL TSA officers placed on leave after discovery of racist display
MIAMI, F.L. — Two Transportation Security Administration officers have been placed on leave after a racist display was found inside a TSA workstation at Miami International Airport.
Three TSA officers discovered two stuffed gorillas tied together and hanging with a noose on July 21, according to four TSA employees with knowledge of the situation and a picture obtained by CNN.
A TSA employee with knowledge of the situation told CNN the display was hanging from a “pole right in the center of the TSA workstation located underneath the airport where passengers’ checked luggage is screened before being placed on aircraft.”
The three officers notified their manager, but according to an employee with knowledge of the situation, the manager “tried to downplay the noose and gorilla display, saying it wasn’t racist, it was just a joke.” The manager’s reaction further upset the three officers, the TSA employee said.
According to an internal email obtained by CNN, the incident prompted the agency to launch an internal investigation, and two officers have since been placed on leave.
A veteran Miami TSA officer who asked that his name not be used for fear of retaliation said he was upset about the incident, which he says has many of Miami International Airport’s black and Hispanic TSA officers distraught.
“The mood now at the airport is people are upset this hasn’t been properly taken care of yet. We want everybody held accountable for what they have done,” the officer said.
In a statement, the TSA said the display was immediately removed once reported and that an investigation was launched into who was responsible for the “unacceptable behavior.”
“TSA does not tolerate racist or offensive behavior and those found responsible will be held accountable for their actions,” Jenny Burke, a spokeswoman for the agency, said in a statement. “Two TSA officers have been placed on administrative leave while the investigation is ongoing.”
In the internal email obtained by CNN that was sent six days after the incident, TSA’s acting deputy administrator Patricia Cogswell writes to other high-ranking TSA officials that “given the number of emails and such coming in to HQ about the MIA situation, please pull together a message for SO (senior officers) to issue, and think about other information that should go out to all offices.”
After deliberations about the best way to communicate with the workforce about the incident, executive assistant administrator for security operations Darby Lajoye sent an email saying, “We’ve been made aware of an extremely troubling event in Miami this week involving a racially charged, disturbing display that cuts at the very core of who we are and what we stand for as an agency.”
The email goes on to say, “TSA has zero tolerance for acts like this. We have already ordered an independent investigation and all individuals potentially involved have been placed on Administrative leave while the investigation is underway.”
The emails did not name the individuals involved.
via: https://pix11.com/2019/07/30/tsa-officers-placed-on-leave-after-discovery-of-racist-display/
Photo Credit: myfox8.com
Dad charged in the accidental shooting death of his 3-year-old son
The father of a 3-year-old boy who was killed in an accidental shooting in Chicago Sunday has been charge in connection to the child’s death.
The toddler’s family told police they heard a gunshot in another room and found the boy with a weapon, CNN affiliate WLS reported.
Ronald Davis, 29, was arrested following the shooting and has been charged with one felony count of endangering the life and health of a child, one felony count of unlawful use of a weapon and one felony count of possession or use of a weapon by a convicted felon, Chicago police said in a news release Monday.
Davis “knowingly left a loaded gun in a place where the child was able to access the weapon,” police said.
The child was wounded in the face and taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead, WLS reported.
Chicago police have contacted the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services to assist in the case, according to WLS.
via: https://pix11.com/2019/07/30/dad-charged-in-the-accidental-shooting-death-of-his-3-year-old-son/
Photo Credit: pix11.com
Florida toddler found dead in day care van
A 2-year-old boy was found dead Monday inside a day care van in Oakland Park, Florida, authorities said.
The boy had been transported in the van to Ceressa’s Enrichment and Empowerment Academy at some point Monday, Broward County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Keyla Concepcion said.
The Sheriff’s Office does not know what time the boy arrived at the day care, or what happened between then and the time he was found deceased inside the van.
The sheriff’s office and Oakland Park Fire Rescue crews were called at around 3:20 p.m., CNN affiliate WSVN reported. With temperatures in the low 90s, authorities said heat may have been the cause of death, according to the affiliate.
The sheriff’s office is interviewing employees and investigating the incident, Concepcion said, adding it’s too soon to say if any charges will be made.
If heat is confirmed as the cause of death, it will be the 24th time a child has died in a hot vehicle in the United States this year, according to NoHeatStroke.org and the safety organization Kids and Cars, and the seventh time this month.
Twin 1-year-old babies died in New York Friday after they were left in a car of eight hours. The children’s father has been charged with two counts of manslaughter and two counts of criminal negligent homicide.
via: https://pix11.com/2019/07/30/florida-toddler-found-dead-in-daycare-van/
Photo Credit: Getty Images