Olive Riley, World's Oldest Blogger, Dies At Age 108

Ina Maier — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:14:00 GMT

This ridiculously awesome woman is Olive Riley, the world's oldest blogger. The less-awesome part of all this is that she passed away in an Australian nursing home on Saturday, though, per her blog, not before singing "a happy little song."

Born in 1899 (no joke!), she started blogging in February 2007, at the suggestion of Mike Rubbo, an Australian film-maker who shot a documentary of her life four years ago. Olive's "blob", as she liked to call it, covers the last, oh, century of her life and what it was like to live through two world wars, raise three children on her own, and work as both a farmhand and a barmaid.

We'd give you some examples of her adorable posts, but for some reason her actual blob, conveniently titled "The Life Of Riley", isn't loading (but keep trying!). CNN says she wrote about how to do laundry way back in the early 1900s. It involves wood, something called "the Copper", soap chips, a muslin bag, Sunlight soap (who knew?) and something else called Reckitt's Blue.

Anyway, we recommend just watching these videos, because there's nothing cuter than a century-old Australian woman showing you how to use a million year old iron or singing something called "Smile, Smile, Smile." R.I.P. Olive.

Photo via http://disembedded.wordpress.com

75-Year-Old Granny Shows Teenage Strippers What A Real Act Looks Like

Brian Fairbanks — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:40:00 GMT

You don't know how badly we want to attend this year's Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. And that was before we found out about the star attraction, 75-year-old stripper Lynn Ruth Miller of San Francisco, a former journalist who only recently took up burlesque...

According to the Times (UK), Miller is

“living the dream” in an act that celebrates every fold and crease of her body, “revelling in the disasters” that the ageing process wreaks.

“If you want to feel old and inadequate, that's up to you, but there is a choice. I look like an old lady, I know I do, but I never suffer pain, I never get tired and it is so exhilarating to communicate with people. When I'm on stage, I'm talking to the world, saying, ‘Don't sit in your rocking chair - get out there and live',” she said.

For her show, Ageing is Amazing, Ms Miller has devised an eye-catching opening sequence that echoes Samuel Goldwyn's dictum: start with an earthquake and build up to a climax.

Her act concludes with a robe and chemises falling by the wayside, followed by a dramatic finish that leaves her clad only in an elaborate underwear getup.

And now, if it means taking off my clothes to make people notice me, why not? I'll do it,” said Ms Miller, who has been married twice. She admits that she probably terrifies her former husbands.

Right on! Don't stop, gorgeous, those losers can't handle your awesomeness. (Speaking of not being able to handle it, check out the cheap shots on Fark: "75-year old stripper to perform at this year's Edinburgh Festival. Organizers fear ticket sales will be flat, profits droop.")

We strongly recommend you check out the entire story-- there's more than we could ever excerpt.

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Olive Riley, World's Oldest Blogger, Dies At Age 108

75-Year-Old Granny Shows Teenage Strippers What A Real Act Looks Like