SKIRMISHER

Yone Minagawa must be thankful of her lucky stars for the sudden death of Emma Faust Tillman of the United States. Because the good Lord summoned Tillman just days after she had been declared as the world’s oldest living person, forcing the old-people-hunters at the Guinness Book of World Records to readjust their sniper scopes, change a few nouns on their book, and give Minagawa the title.

Staff at the nursing home where Minagawa lives in southern Japan greeted her Tuesday with a poster that said, “Congratulations, you’re No. 1.”

It took her a while to figure out what all the fuss was about.

“Number one? Who, me?” she said after thinking for a while, according to a nursing home staffer. “My goodness, I’m really grateful,” she said, breaking into a big smile.

The nursing home, in the southern Japanese city of Fukuchi, was in a festive mood Tuesday, with Minagawa greeting hordes of well-wishers and reporters. Mayor Koji Urata was among the first, announcing a plan to give her a special award.

Minagawa might be wary of other very old persons, probably envious of her throne, who’d suddenly jump out in the open to challenge her on a duel of good old 1980s breakdancing. Because that would be pretty malicious. And Machiavellian.

via NEWSVINE

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