I have a new hero:

http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=4385601&page=1

"Buster Martin is an unlikely candidate to set a marathon record. He drinks beer, smokes cigarettes and stays out late. And he's 101.

He is already a man of many firsts. Martin holds three world title records for the oldest person to run the 5K, 10K and the half marathon.

Martin says that in the last weekend, he's completed a 13-mile half marathon that took him a little more than five hours. It would have been faster, he says, but he says he stopped for a beer and a cigarette."

Martin was also part of the seniors' rock 'n' roll group called the Zimmers.

The band had a combined age of more than 3,000 years and scored a hit single last year with a cover of The Who's ''My Generation.''

Edit: I think the 3000 is a typo and they meant 300, but still good...

Very rare for him to have lived this long I'd say. He is an exception to the rule that's for certain. But anyway good for him to live this long. I wonder what kind of liqueur he drinks, I'd perhaps try some. ;) :)

Edit: I think the 3000 is a typo and they meant 300, but still good...
It must be. It would be an orchestra.

Well, the Rolling Stones must be over 300 too...

Very rare for him to have lived this long I'd say. He is an exception to the rule that's for certain. But anyway good for him to live this long. I wonder what kind of liqueur he drinks, I'd perhaps try some.Lots of people live past 100 these days. There were 55,000 in the U.S. in 2005, that's about one out of every five thousand people.

And contrary to what everyone supposes, not all 55,000 of these people lived what we now think of as healthy lifestyles. You have to bear in mind that they were already fifty years old when the fitness, weight loss, anti-smoking and health food crusades began sweeping America. Their habits were well established and they had already beaten the odds by surviving that long with them. As a demographic, those particular risk factors were already showing up as not important to their longevity. BTW, alcohol--in moderation--is just not an issue as long as you don't overdo it. One or two drinks per day won't have any negative influence on your lifespan, and we keep seeing reports that say it might even be beneficial--in moderation.It must be. It would be an orchestra.Or a choir. Three hundred doesn't seem right either, that would only be a three-person group. Perhaps their math skills are waning as they get older.

I'm impressed. Considering how few people of my mini-generation (War Babies) can even stand rock and roll, it's amazing that people who grew up with ragtime, Stephen Foster ballads and Benny Goodman are into it. My wife and I originally got together because I was the only person she knew close to her age who would go to rock concerts with her, and vice versa.

I have a book called "Breaking 100", with short biographies of about 100 people over 100 years old. Some of them smoked, some still smoke, some don't, some of them drink every day, some don't. Statistically, it's better to live healthy, but it's no guarantee.

The bad news is that this generation (the new one, the kids) is the first that is not expected to live longer than their parents. So looks like 80 is going to be the new 100...

The bad news is that this generation (the new one, the kids) is the first that is not expected to live longer than their parents. So looks like 80 is going to be the new 100...That is pathetic. They've been wearing helmets since their first tricycle and every electrical outlet in the house was childproofed. We've developed vaccines for every major disease and miracle drugs for the others. We've outlawed some of our favorite drugs to keep them from getting their little hands on them. Food is as sterile as surgical instruments and toilets are clean enough to drink from. They've got vitamins, minerals, aerobics, psychotherapy and health food. Cars have baby seats, seat belts, air bags, crumple zones and ABS; highways have limited access and Botts dots. Homes have ground-fault detecting appliances, lead-free paint, radon detectors, non-slip bathtubs and asbestos-free insulation. Everybody gets mammograms, PSA tests and colonoscopies. Open-heart surgery and organ transplants are routine. The murder rate is one percent of what it was 500 years ago (even with the occasional armed looney running around) and war is so rare that it can outrage us long before it takes a million casualties. We're turning our country upside-down to prevent terrorist attacks, which have taken 3,000 lives in the first seven years of this century, slightly more than lightning and bee stings combined.

What the hell did we miss? What are they expecting will take these pampered, coddled, overprotected kids down??? With retirement age steadily rising, are they going to die before they even get to retire???

I'm just happy as a clam waking up every morning! One day at a time is my motto. ;)

FR, you are missarguing again. The reason why the new kids on the block won't live longer than their parents is not overprotection. It is because physically they are less active and they grow up on french fries....

FR, you are missarguing again. The reason why the new kids on the block won't live longer than their parents is not overprotection. It is because physically they are less active and they grow up on french fries....That sounds like a pretty happy life to me. No P.E., no broccoli. I'd take a shorter life if the missing hours were all the things I hate. :)

That is pathetic. They've been wearing helmets since their first tricycle and every electrical outlet in the house was childproofed. We've developed vaccines for every major disease and miracle drugs for the others. We've outlawed some of our favorite drugs to keep them from getting their little hands on them. Food is as sterile as surgical instruments and toilets are clean enough to drink from. They've got vitamins, minerals, aerobics, psychotherapy and health food. Cars have baby seats, seat belts, air bags, crumple zones and ABS; highways have limited access and Botts dots. Homes have ground-fault detecting appliances, lead-free paint, radon detectors, non-slip bathtubs and asbestos-free insulation. Everybody gets mammograms, PSA tests and colonoscopies. Open-heart surgery and organ transplants are routine. The murder rate is one percent of what it was 500 years ago (even with the occasional armed looney running around) and war is so rare that it can outrage us long before it takes a million casualties. We're turning our country upside-down to prevent terrorist attacks, which have taken 3,000 lives in the first seven years of this century, slightly more than lightning and bee stings combined.

What the hell did we miss? What are they expecting will take these pampered, coddled, overprotected kids down??? With retirement age steadily rising, are they going to die before they even get to retire???

The people who are 100 now grew up with lead paint, benzene in the water, unfiltered coal-fired power plants, were not usually vaccinated while they were children, outhouses, and everything else. The health crazes have not had a hundred years to prove whether they extend life significantly or not. And we're not pampered, we're smothered and stifled. They had lives. They had reasons to live.

As one wise person put it:

Give up alcohol, tobacco and all other drugs. Eat a balanced diet with lots of vegetables and whole grains, cut back on red meat, avoid sugar, fats, refined and processed foods. Go to bed early and get up early. Don't watch TV or engage in other sedentary activities. Exercise every day, leave your car in the garage and walk as much as you can. Don't have sex with anyone unless you're completely certain of their past history, and even then, use protection.

We don't really know that this will make your life any longer. But it will sure as hell feel like it.

perfect lifestyle right there

A person is not really living at all when he tries to extend his life on Earth by avoiding doing things.

Just do anything you want , within reason of course, but do it in moderation!;) :)

People just don't think much of courage anymore.

Just do anything you want, within reason of course, but do it in moderation!Including moderation itself of course. Some things are worth doing to excess.

For their next meeting, the women's temperance league was recording an interview of octogenarian, who had never smoked or drunk alcohol, but had to stop because of the noise coming from the next room. They asked him, if it would soon be quite again. He replied:

"Probably not. When dad get in his drunken rage, it last for hours." ;)