European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 23, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday january 23, 1994 faces n places the stars and stripes Page 17 George Burns still lights up a stage at 98 from wire reports George Burns taking a puff on his constant compan Ion a big Cigar told the sellout crowd at Caesars pal Ace in Las vegas for his 98th birthday it s Nice to be Here. At 98, it s Nice to be  Burns who s booked to celebrate no. 100 on the same stage received several standing ovations thurs Day night As he traced his 91-year career recalling vaudeville Days and his years with longtime soul mat Gracie Allen. As he walked onto the stage of the 1,000-seat show room in a swirl of Cigar smoke a woman in the front Row handed him a bouquet of roses. He responded by reaching in his Tuxedo pocket and pulling out a Cigar for her. Burns Drew laughs As he recounted his Start in show business on the streets of his native new York City at age 7 and teen age years in vaudeville when he continually changed his stage name because his acts were so bad. " /. ". ,. He also joked about his sexual prowess or Lack thereof. There s not a thing i do now that i did t do when i was 18," he said pausing which shows you How pathetic i was at 18." Burns joked about going out with younger women then offered an explanation i d go out with women my age but there Are no women my  the warmest moments of his hour on stage came when he talked about Gracie his wife and Ditsy partner whom he credits with changing his life personally and professionally. By the time i found out i had no Talent i was too big a Star to do anything else he said of teaming with her in 1923. The two became a fixture on radio in 1932, moved to television in 1950, and were a hit until she retired in 1959. She died of a heart attack in 1964. Station dumps Donahue the Abc affiliate in Dallas that refused to air an episode of Donahue last year because it featured Shock Jock Howard Stern is now dropping the show for Good. Wafaa to which also refuses to show Nype Bike is cancelling Donahue even though the program finished first in its morning time Slot during the november part of the reason is an advertising Boycott launched by a fort Worth dentist or. Richard Neill who objects to the show s sometimes risque subject matter. We did have some advertisers drop out Over the past couple of years said Cathy Creany the station s vice president and general manager. And it has be come less profitable for us than other  comedian George Burns makes himself comfortable on a Las vegas stage thursday night As he celebrates his 98th birthday and recounts his 91 years in show business. Wafaa was the Only station in the country last year to refuse to air the Stern episode. Americans Fop classical awards american baritone Thomas Hampson was named male Singer of the year and 12-year-old korean Amer ican violinist Sarah Chang newcomer of the year in the second annual classical music awards presented Fri Day in London. The new York philharmonic was chosen orchestra of 1993, and the Kronos quartet of san Francisco was crowned Best chamber orchestra. The Best opera award went to a production in Japan of Igor Stravinsky s oedipus Rex directed by new York s Julie Taymor at the Saito Kinen festival in Matsumoto in september. It was her first opera production. To win a prize for my first experience in opera is really something said Boston born Taymor who flew in from new York. I Hope it Means the production can be repeated in Europe and  Hampson 38, from Spokane Wash. Who spends 10v2 months of the year on tour collected his award after flying in from Munich Germany where he per formed in the Barber of Seville. Chang was unable to attend. In an interview before the ceremony at London s Royal Albert Hall Hampson said Chang is an extraordinary Prodigy unbelievably musical with Beautiful  the awards first made last year Are backed by the Independent a London daily newspaper and the Brit ish broadcasting corp. Ann Landers a change of heart on weighty problem dear Ann Landers i plead guilty to a longtime ill conceived Bias against people who Are overweight. It began when i was Young and i was awfully mean about it. I remember Yelling at a girl i disliked in the third Grade fatty fatty two by i four can t get through the Kitchen  when i was growing up i shunned people who were Over weight. All my friends were Pencil thin. Although i was Al ways Skinny 1 watched every thing .1 ate. I actually believed that people who were fat got that Way because they could t resist Rich food and that they were simply gluttons who would rather stuff themselves than look Good. .,.". I know better now. What changed my thinking was a Story in the new York times. It was about an article in the new England journal of Medicine which reported on an eight year study by or. Steven l. Gortmaker and his researchers at the Harvard school of Public health More than 10,000 people were included in the study. Some of the conclusions were startling. For example fat people Are less Likely to marry. Fat women make less Money than their thin Sisters even though they May be better qualified. Well qualified women who Are heavy May be passed Over for hiring in favor of less qualified but Slimmer women. The new York times article also made it Clear that the vast majority of overweight people cannot Success fully keep their weight Down and diets Don t work. The Bottom line is this being heavy has a lot More to do with genetics than it has to do with gluttony. Janice in Pennsylvania dear Ann Landers i have been living with a retired gentleman for about five years. I am 60. Gerald is 68.we have a physical relationship As Well As a financial arrangement. We Divide our rent and Utility Bills and i pay for the food. I am still employed and intend to work until i retire at 65. Here s the problem Ann. When i retire i m going to move Back Home. I decided to Tell Gerald about my future plans and was stunned by his response. He said if you move away i will sue you for  his con Tention is that i am financially secure and should sup port him since he is on minimum social Security. Am i legally responsible to support Gerald if we have lived together for Over seven years i be heard that couples who live together that Long Are considered to be in a common Law marriage and All assets Are com Mon property. Is this True can Gerald Force me to support him our relationship has suffered a great Deal because of this and i m pretty upset. Will you give me some guidance trouble in Florida dear Florida according to Bernard Rinella a family Law expert in Chicago Florida has not recognized common Law marriages since Jan. 1, 1968. This Means your assets arc not common property and you Are not obligated to sup port thegentleman." letters to Ann Lander should be addressed to her at . Box 11562, Chi Cago. Iii. 60611-0562. C creators Syndicate. Forgiveness week time to unburden dear readers did you know there is an International forgiveness week Well neither did i until six years ago when Alice Parent of Fresno calif., wrote to Tell me about it. And this is the  you Are a card carrying member of the human race there is at least one person in your life who needs your forgiveness. Or perhaps it s you who needs to be forgiven so hop aboard the Mea culpa bandwagon let go of those grudges and give your ulcer a Chance to heal. Robert Muller former assistant Secretary general of the United nations wrote this Lovely piece especially for International forgiveness week decide to forgive decide to forgive for resentment is negative resentment is poisonous resentment diminishes and devours the self. Be the first to forgive to smile and to take the first step and you will see happiness Bloom on the face of your human brother or sister. Be always the first not wait for others to for dear Abby give for by forgiving you become the master of Fate the fashioned of life the doer of miracles. To forgive is the highest most Beautiful form of love. In return you will receive untold peace and happiness. Here is the program for achieving a truly forgiving heart sunday forgive yourself. Monday forgive your family. Tuesday forgive your friends and associates. Wednesday forgive across economic lines within your own nation. Thursday forgive across cultural lines within your own nation. Friday forgive across political lines within your own nation. Saturday forgive other nations. Only the Brave know How to forgive. A Coward never forgives. It is not in his nature. Now dear readers if you will forgive me for repeat ing a portion of the Lovely poem titled forgiveness by George Roemisch Here it is forgiveness is the fragrance of the Violet that clings fast to the Heel that crushed  so if perchance you Are the Heel that crushed a Violet this is the week to seek forgiveness.  letters for this column should to addressed to dear Abby at . Box 447, mount Morris. Iii. 61054. C Universal press Syndicate