New York Today: A 101-Year-Old’s Advice for New Yorkers

Thank you very much Ms. Sansone for express these beautiful and young thoughts.

My mom is 99 and doesn't do any of those things mentioned to achieve longevity. She does read The Times everyday so I guess you guys might want to relate that to making it to old age.

NYC CIGS NOW $13 A PACK

Thirteen smackers for 20 smokes--
Many will find this a winner,
Shunning cancer, avoiding strokes
And finding more dough for dinner.

What else can we possibly expect
From this price brought on by taxes?
Will muggers go and lose respect
And bark, "Gimme all your packses!"

How lucky are we to have the wisdom and example of Mary. She's a prime example of what the Dalai Lama says is the most beneficial thing we can do for ourselves - help others. Look at this beautiful woman at 101! She's clearly doing something right -

How delightful and inspiring to see Mary Sansone in this small NYT feature.
Clearly she is an asset to her community.

She reminds me of an elderly retired school teache neighbor I had, who gardened, painted landscapes and baked constantly. At age 89, during one of our frequent chats, she told me that every single day she tried to "do something productive, to keep earning the right to be alive".

NYC CIGS NOW $13 A PACK
Thirteen smackers for 20 smokes--
Many will find this a winner,
Shunning cancer, avoiding strokes
And finding more dough for dinner.

DonorsChoose.org has started a special recovery fund for school-related hurricane recovery projects.

Three heartfelt cheers for Mary Sansone. One great woman.

The lead article was a very pleasant surprise. The headline led me to believe it was going to be more claptrap about eating yogurt or not going to bed angry. Instead, it was about a spirited, engaged woman who's spent her life on meaningful pursuits. I'll bet she's been angry a lot, but in a constructive way.

I'm old enough to remember when a pack of cigarettes cost 60 cents and could be bought in a high school dorm vending machine. The price didn't affect me because I was never a smoker. My parents, both of whom took forever to quit, would have killed me. The public health campaigns of the day also made a big impression. I remember being shown a film in which a man who'd had a tracheotomy informed us that he could never again take a shower or go swimming.

I don't really understand why so many people are still smoking tobacco in view of its proven dangers.

Maybe too difficult to pin down but the night before somebody could try to find what streets are going to have the heaviest construction the next day and where city street repair and maintenance is happening - this would mostly benefit suburban commuters who need to drive. This is also the kind of info you like to read at 5am. Oh well, thanks for asking. I'm pretty sure the NYT would rather see more CitiBikes than cars in the city.

At one time community organizers were common in blue collar neighborhoods. Not so much today, being an "activist" or "feminist" is often a derogatory term. Too bad, as we need more people like her, speaking up and leading.

A loving tribute to people like Mary! Wish I had it in me to be more like her.

Tune of “Wanna Be Starting Something” (in honor of Michael Jackson’s birthday, as remembered in the “Coming Up Today” section)

Yeah, she always is starting something
Has to be starting something
Yeah, always is starting something
Still constantly starting something

If it’s hard to get over
It can’t get you under
You can’t stop in the middle
Raise your voice like thunder
(repeat)
Let's all sing -

- (chant to “Ma-ma-se, Ma-ma-sa, Ma-ma-coo-sa”)
Mary says that you gotta help them out!
Mary says that you gotta help them out!
Mary says that you gotta help them out!
Mary says that you gotta help them out!