If Wheeler seems comfortable in this Samuel Beckett world where the truth is a lie and only lies lead to the truth, perhaps it's because he's been living there a long time.

FORBES: Cybersleuths

He promised that he would not consider his government a success as long as there was one child or old person living in poverty.

BBC: Don't forget the don't-care vote

As the late, great economist Julian Simon demonstrated (both with clear economic logic and an unassailable mountain of data), there is a long-run tendency for standards of living to improve and for material scarcity to relax as a constraint rather than tighten.

FORBES: You Worry. You Shouldn't. Part 1: Overpopulation and Resource Exhaustion

There was no long term care insurance and the cost of assisted living was not covered by Medicare.

FORBES: Could Your Aging Parents Outlive Their Money?

Ms. Lane is putting a portion of her refund toward a long trip to Southeast Asia, in part because the cost of living there is lower, which will save her money during her time between roles.

WSJ: Spend That Tax Refund Wisely

There are hundreds of thousands of Roma or travelling people living in France who are part of long-established communities.

BBC: France rounds up hundreds of Roma

The ageing population and advances in medicine mean more and more people are living with chronic long-term conditions, such as heart disease and dementia, for which there is no cure.

BBC: Stafford Hospital: the scandal that shames the NHS

Living as long as Sisnett did is quite a feat, but since women outlive men on the whole, there are a few women still alive between Canada and Argentina, who are even older than he was, according to GRG.

CNN: World's second-oldest man known dies at 113