MicCheck Radio

Star Gazing

R.I.P.

The oldest living person in the United States, Mary Josephine Ray, died at the age of 114, the New Hampshire Union leader reports. Ray, who was born in Canada on May 17, 1895, died after midnight today at the nursing home where she resided in Westmoreland, N.H. According to her daughter-in-law, Barbara Ray,  Mary Josephine hadn't been feeling well in the last few weeks. Ray had been recognized as the second oldest living person in the world by the Gerontology Research Group; the oldest person in the world is believed to be Kama Chinen, a Japanese woman  born seven days week before Mary Josephine. [USA T]

Tags: death

Just Plain Cool

Source: picasaweb/DSR

Drink Wine To Keep Your Weight In Line

A new study released today suggests that women who drink a moderate amount of alcohol on a regular basis, particularly when red wine is the drink of choice, are less likely to experience long-term weight gain than non-drinkers. The study, conducted by researchers at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital, found that alcohol-free women gained the most weight over a 13-year period. But, there is a catch: Experts are quick to remind women that the study doesn't change evidence on the affects of heavy drinking: Consuming more than one or two glasses of alcohol per day is still associated with weight gain. [CBS News]

Tags: informational studies and reports

Just Plain Cool

Trouble in Iverson-Land

According to multiple NBA sources, star player Allen Iverson may be facing alcohol and gambling issues that have derailed his career and threaten his post-basketball well-being.  The four-time NBA scoring champion left the Philadelphia 76ers last  year to deal with his daughter's illness. Now NBA officials and players think Iverson "will either drink himself into oblivion or gamble his life away." Iverson's gambling problem is serious enough that he has been banished from casinos in Detroit and Atlantic City, N.J., according to sources. [ESPN]

Tags: sports

Source: Nasa Images/Nasa

What’s In A Name

In a new interview with the St. Petersburg Times, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) says he thinks former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) would be a great candidate in 2012 -- except for one thing. Said DeMint: "He would be a great president. He'd probably be the best on the list, if he didn't have the Bush name. It may not work in 2012.." Hey, at least his last name isn't Madoff. [St. Petersburg Times]

Tags: republican

The Global Scene

ELIMINATING MOTHER-CHILD HIV SPREAD

The United Nations is working on ways to eliminate mother-to-child HIV transmission, which it thinks can be eliminated by 2015 if health programs receive increased investments as planned. The Global Fund is meeting in The Hague, Netherlands, on March 24 to see how it can meet its goals eliminating instances of the three diseases by 2015. The agency estimates that between $13-20 billion are needed for the period 2011-2013. [Time]

Tags: humanitarian aid