Sixty-seven years after the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau were liberated by Soviet troops in the Polish village of Oświęcim, a prominent survivor of the camps has died at the age of 91.

Kazimierz Smolen was a young man- in his early twenties- when the camps were liberated on January 27th, 1945, on what would later become International Holocaust Memorial Day. By 1947, the site had been converted to a museum to mark the horrific acts that had been committed within its gates and outside, and still notably bore the legend “Arbeit macht frei (loosely translated to “work frees you”) over Auschwitz’s entrance. The town of Oświęcim- renamed to Auschwitz by the Nazis after it was taken over to build the death camp- was where Smolen was imprisoned and survived, and he later came to be a director of the memorial site first started in 1947.

Smolen served as director at the Auschwitz memorial from 1955 through 1990, but remained a prominent member of the local community after his retirement. A Catholic, Smolen was dragged off to the camps after assisting in the anti-Nazi resistance in the early part of the war, attributing his survival to a combination of “extreme” luck as well as being in good health during the time he was imprisoned. Later, he spoke of why he made the difficult choice to return to Auschwitz for so long and manage the memorial, and Smolen explained:

“Sometimes when I think about it, I feel it may be some kind of sacrifice, some kind of obligation I have for having survived.”

In Oświęcim, survivors gathered at Auschwitz to mark International Holocaust Memorial Day, and a moment of silence was observed to mark Smolen’s death. (Below is a clip of a survivor of Auschwitz- not Smolen- who later returned with his grandchildren to the camps, dancing to “I Will Survive.”)

Auschwitz Survivor Dies on 67th Anniversary of Camp’s Liberation is a post from: The Inquisitr

Madonna Badger, the woman who lost her three children and parents in a house fire over the Christmas season, has attempted suicide.

Badger’s story is beyond sad. Her Connecticut abode caught fire on December 25, taking the lives of her seven-year-old twins Grace and Sarah Badger, Lily Badger, 10, and her parents Lomer and Pauline Johnson. The blaze was caused by yule log embers. Only Badger and her boyfriend Michael Borcina survived.

Now, Badger has attempted to take her own life. A family member revealed to the NY Daily News that the mother had been hospitalized after she purposely injured herself in a bid to escape the pain of losing her entire family:

“She is okay… She is out [of the hospital] and somewhere safe. It’s just terrible, nobody could really hold up well under the circumstances.”

A funeral service for all those who died in the fire was held on January 5, during which Badger said:

“When I used to hear about people losing a child I would say I could never ever, ever live through losing my babies. Gracie asked a thousand times if she was going to die before me. I said, ‘No. that’s never going to happen.”

Apparently, Michael Borcina may be in trouble with the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, after it was revealed his construction company – which had been doing renovation work on Badger’s waterfront home – did not possess the correct paperwork to undertake such work in the state. It’s not been confirmed if an investigation will follow.

[Via NY Daily News]

Madonna Badger Attempted Suicide After Christmas House Fire is a post from: The Inquisitr

Teen Mom 2 star Leah Messer has suffered a miscarriage, less than a month after she first announced she was pregnant again.

According to a source close to OK! Magazine, Messer “was having bad cramps for the past two weeks, and then she miscarried.” Jeremy Calvert, fiancé of the 19-year-old reality star, later confirmed the sad news to the magazine, stating:

“It’s a devastating experience, but all I can do is support Leah and take things day by day. It’s hard, but we will get through it.”

Messer became famous in 2010, when she gave birth aged 16 to twin baby girls Aliannah and Aleeah. She was one of the teenage mothers focused on by MTV’s 16 and Pregnant series.

Recent speculation suggested she was expecting another set of twins, though Messer shot down those rumors via her Twitter account only two weeks ago.

Messer’s miscarriage comes just nine months after she divorced Aliannah and Aleeah’s father, father Corey Simms. She got engaged to the 22-year-old Calvert erlier this month.

[Via OK! Magazine]

Leah Messer Suffers Miscarriage is a post from: The Inquisitr

Block was one of three victims in the fire, which tore through a privately rented home near the Marist College campus early Saturday morning. As well as Block, the other victims are reportedly a female in her early 20s and a male who was not a Marist student. All three victims’ families have been notified. A further four people escaped from the premises without serious harm.

Since the weekend, the Marist College chapel has been open all day for students to light a candle and say a prayer.

Police chief Mauro told reporters that the fire was initially called into 911 by a passer-by at about 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, while four female residents and three male guests were in the property. The group had reportedly gone to bed about an hour before the fire was called in. After interviewing the four survivors – two of whom jumped to safety through a window – Mauro said:

“There was no issue that they were aware of in the house when they went to bed.”

When firefighters arrived on the scene, they were forced back by the heat. Eventually they found one victim on the second floor of the house, one downstairs, and the third under “considerable collapsed debris.” Meanwhile, the four survivors were taken to hospital and treated for minor smoke inhalation.

Marist College Student Identified as Victim of House Fire is a post from: The Inquisitr

Chicago, Illinois- Although much of the news surrounding American Idol star turned Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson has been positive in recent years, the singer suffered a nearly incomprehensible loss just a few short years ago.

Hudson lost much of her immediate family in an extremely tragic incident at the family home in Chicago in October of 2008. Her mother, 57-year-old Darnell Hudson Donerson, 57, and brother, 29-year-old Jason Hudson were found murdered in the house. Missing from the scene was Hudson’s seven-year-old nephew Julian King, and a stressful weekend of searching for the little boy- the son of Hudson’s sister Julia- ensued after the discovery of the bodies on a Friday.

That Monday, however, the boy’s body- he had been shot to death- was located in an SUV in the city, and Hudson identified him as little Julian. Authorities soon arrested the estranged husband of Hudson’s sister- 27-year-old William “Flex” Balfour- and charged him with the murders. Late last year, Hudson revealed in an interview with Ebony magazine that if not for a last-minute invitation from now-husband David Otunga, she too would have been at her mother’s house at the time of the murders. Hudson explained the near-miss:

“That’s one of the things that saved my life, because I could have been home with my mom then.He wanted me to come out to Florida with him instead of going to Chicago… I flew out to see him; that’s why I’m still here. I’ve never said that before, and I can’t believe I just said that now. But I didn’t know. He was just like, ‘I’m going to this wrestling thing, and it’s in Tampa. I’m going out there now, so you can come out there and see me versus going home.’”

The surviving members of Jennifer Hudson’s family can finally expect a chance at justice in 2012, as Balfour is set to stand what is expected to be a three to four month long trial on April 23rd. Balfour has pled not guilty on three counts of three counts of murder, aggravated kidnapping and home invasion.

Jennifer Hudson Family’s Murder Trial Date Set is a post from: The Inquisitr

Tripp suffered from Junctional Epidermolysis Bullosa, otherwise known as EB, a skin disorder with no cure. The condition, which affects just 1 in 50,000 people, is caused by the skin lacking a protein that bonds skin layers. Consequently, even a slight touch can produce blisters and bleeding in the skin.

Writing on her blog, Tripp’s mother Courtney Roth said her son had passed away peacefully in her arms:

“My precious angel received his wings today. I have had many nightmares about having to write this post. He was exactly 2 years and 8 months old. It happened within minutes of me picking him up out of bed and rocking him. He took his last peaceful breaths in my arms, in his most favorite spot.”

People worldwide had held prayer meetings for Tripp, and social media sites featured groups who raised money for his treatment. At the time of writing, a Facebook group dedicated to Tripp has over 14,000 members. Doctors had informed Tripp’s family that he would not survive beyond a year, a prediction that Tripp defied by some margin.

Rest in peace, Tripp.

Tripp Roth, Tot With Rare Skin Disease, Passes Away In Mother’s Arms is a post from: The Inquisitr

It’s probably the rare person in this social media age who has not wondered what would happen to their Facebook and Twitter accounts in the event of their unexpected (or perhaps, more sadly, expected) death.

What would people say to you? And what would your last post be? You could get an answer to at least the second question with a new app- one many find a bit morbid- called “If I Die.” The app is interesting, transmitting a message you’ve composed ahead of your trip to the Great Hereafter. The way it works is that you leave a sort of Facebook will, a final video note to your friends and followers recorded before your passing. (Duh.) When you die, three pre-selected “trustees” must confirm your death to the service.

When all three are in agreement that you are, in fact, pushing up daisies, the service pushes out the message to your nearest and dearest via social media, giving them one last interaction with you before your Facebook account is memorialized and your Twitter feed goes silent. Although some have dubbed the app a bit disturbing, others have noted that especially in the instance of terminal illness, a person will have the comfort of knowing that they can control their final words to friends via the “If I Die” app. Digital media specialist Karalee Evans of agency Text 100 explains:

“The person that has recorded the message is controlling how their social networks find out about their passing. And it could be something that helps to mitigate that flaming by switching the power balance.”

I like to think of myself as an early adopter, but as someone who lost someone very dear to me coming up on a year now, I have to say I’d have mixed feelings about something like this. On one hand, it does give you a tiny bit more closure- if that sort of thing even really exists- in the event a friend passes on suddenly. On the other? What if they mention you? What if they don’t mention you? Grief is a strange, easily influenceable emotion, and it is with no small amount of feeling old I posit that such a prospect is very unsettling indeed.

Would you consider a final message to your loved ones from beyond? Would you feel soothed by such a message if someone you cared for passed on?

“If I Die” App Posts Your Final Message to Facebook After Your Demise is a post from: The Inquisitr

Trenton, MI- Out of all the strange, wacky and depraved stories that the internet has made viral, certain standouts are the type of tale that you remember every so often down the road due to their sheer implausibility and impact.

One such story is the bizarre and unspeakably cruel bullying of a terminally ill child in Trenton, Michigan by an adult neighbor following a family dispute. It’s difficult to imagine a more vulnerable victim than a child with a life-threatening illness, but as details unraveled about the harassment of Kathleen Edward, the situation was revealed to be even worse. And sadly, Edward succumbed  last night to Huntington’s Disease at the age of nine.

Edward’s neighbor Jennifer Petkov emerged as an uber-villain in the scenario, and it emerged that the woman- who was 33 at the time of the bullying- had posted images of the dying girl with a skull and crossbones to Facebook to anger her neighbors. Petkov had also taunted the family over the death of Edward’s mother, who also succumbed to Huntington’s at the age of 24. But what did Edward’s family do to so anger Petkov? Apparently they’d hosted a party with a bounce house in the front yard, and when Petkov texted to ask if her children could attend, Edward’s family did not reply quickly enough. (In the clip below, Petkov brags to a news anchor about the harassment and says she did it for “personal satisfaction.”)

Eventually, social services intervened due to Petkov’s harassment, and children living in the home were removed to the custody of their father. Family friend Michelle Yerigan confirmed Kathleen’s passing last night to CBS, and said that the girl would be reunited in heaven with the mother she lost at the age of six. Yerigan said that the story had gained traction worldwide:

“This little girl touched a lot of people’s lives and not just in Michigan, but across the world. She has friends from Australia, Indonesia, Pakistan, people all over the world have reached out to this little girl and the world is now a sadder place without her in it. But, I think she taught us a very strong lesson in that faith, hope and love can just do amazing things.”

Edward’s family is planning funeral services for the little girl.

Kathleen Edward, Child Made Famous By Neighbor Who Mocked Her Terminal Illness, Dies is a post from: The Inquisitr

The man, identified only as ‘Antonio C,’ discovered letters from more than six decades ago that revealed his wife, named as ‘Rosa C’ in court papers, had been unfaithful.

The couple are now set to become the oldest divorcees ever, a record nobody would wish to hold. They’ll be taking the title from Brits Bertie and Jessie Wood, both 98, who split in 2009 after 36 years of being together.

Antonio C and Rosa C have been married for even longer than the Woods – 77 years. They met in the 1930s while Antonio served as part of the Italian Carabinieri in Rosa’s native Naples.

However, since finding letters from his wife’s old flame in a chest of drawers just prior to Christmas, Antonio has decided to call time on the marriage, despite much reported pleading from Rosa. Italian news agency UPI blames the split on the couple’s southern blood.

The pair have had five kids, 12 grandchildren and one great-grandchild together.

99-Year-Old Man Divorces Wife Over Affair is a post from: The Inquisitr

Bodolai, 63, was found by room service staff at 1.30pm on Monday. He had already passed away from a lethal cocktail of Gatorade and antifreeze, having checked into Hollywood’s Re-Tan Hotel on December 19.

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles coroner’s office ruled his death a suicide.

Bodolai wrote on 20 episodes of ‘Saturday Night Live,’ and was also a producer on TV shows such as ‘It’s Only Rock & Roll, Comics!’ and ‘The Kids in the Hall’ Canadian sketch show. He also co-wrote the first draft of ‘Wayne’s World’ with Mike Myers.

While police found no suicide note at the scene of Bodolai’s death, his online activity seemed to hint at what was to come. The LA Times highlighted a post published Friday on a WordPress blog registered to Bodolai. The post’s title? “If This Were Your Last Day Alive, What Would You Do?” It’s a long, somewhat melancholy piece, and includes sections on Bodolai’s regrets and sources of pride – you can see it here.

Meanwhile, a message on the writer’s Twitter account said “Godbye,” [sic], and featured a link to the blog post.

Rest in peace, Joe.

Joe Bodolai, Former ‘Saturday Night Live’ Writer, Commits Suicide is a post from: The Inquisitr

FORT WORTH, TEXAS- It seems gun violence marked much of Christmas Day in Fort Worth, Texas, as national headlines revealed the disturbing story of a massacre in an apartment in the area, wherein a man dressed as Santa killed six family members before turning the gun on himself.

Sadly, the tragedy was not the sole instance of gun-related death in Fort Worth on December 25th. A 29-year-old man described as a troubled veteran has also died after brandishing a gun during the holiday and refusing to drop the weapon on police orders. The exact circumstances surrounding the eventual death of the young man, Christopher Johnston, have not been clarified, but some reports indicate that police were responding to calls about of gunshots fired into the air (an occasional occurrence, albeit a dangerous one, for celebrations.) Another report said police responded to a report of gunshots fired at houses.

Upon arrival, police confronted Johnston, who reports indicate was distressed and may have been threatening to shoot himself in the head. Chief of Staff of Fort Worth Police Department Major Paul Henderson recounted what happened next to the media:

“The subject opened fire on the officers striking a patrol vehicle at least three times. Officers returned fire striking the subject causing him to cease his aggression. The subject subsequently expired on the scene.”

Paramedics on the scene reportedly attempted to resuscitate Johnston for several minutes, but were unable to revive him. Debbie Smith, a neighbor of Johnston’s, described what happened just before the shooting:

“He didn’t walk out of the house,” Smith said. “It was like in a movie. He was saying something to the police. The policeman had a rifle and he was still coming so [the officer] shot him and that was it.”

Officers involved in the shooting are being advised to “take time off” to recover following the incident.

[Image: Shutterstock]

Fort Worth Shooting: Cops Gun Down Troubled Vet is a post from: The Inquisitr

Test: Are You Old? is a post from: The Inquisitr

Earlier this week, Selena Gomez pulled out of two shows for what a spokesperson called a “family emergency.” Now E! Online is reporting that Gomez withdrew from the concerts after learning her mother, 34-year-old Mandy Teefey, had suffered a miscarriage.

The 19-year-old pop star was set to appear at the B96 Jingle Bash 2011 at the Allstate Arena in Chicago on Saturday, and the 106.1 KISS FM’s Jingle Bell Bash at the WaMu Theater in Seattle on Monday. However, she cancelled both gigs, and is said to have left for home immediately to meet her mother and stepfather Brian Teefey.

News of Mandy Teefey’s pregnancy broke out last month, when former Disney starlet Gomez tweeted:

“Momma and Brian are finally letting me share the news… My mommys carrying my baby brother or sister I’m the happiest girl in the world!”

According to E!, Gomez learned of the family emergency last Friday while sitting in the audience at Power 106′s Cali Christmas 2011 concert in LA.

Teefey is a former actress who raised Gomez alone for nine years before she married Brian Teefey in 2006. Previously she had been wed to Selena’s birth father, Ricardo Joel Gomez.

Selena Gomez’s Mother Suffers Miscarriage is a post from: The Inquisitr

Babylon, New York- The missing woman whose disappearance eventually precipitated the discovery of several sets of remains at the side of Ocean Parkway in New York can now be laid to rest, police in Suffolk County, New York have confirmed.

24-year-old Shannan Gilbert was living in New Jersey and had met a client on Oak Beach via Craigslist the night she disappeared. In December of that year, a police officer discovered nearly skeletal remains in a battered burlap bag in the area in which Gilbert was last seen alive, reviving interest in her disappearance. When all was said and done, four more sets of remains were located in the area of Oak Beach, leading police to conclude that a serial killer had used the location to discard bodies. In April and May of 2011, when searching resumed, another six sets of remains were uncovered on the beaches, bringing the total toll to at least ten.

But in a surprising twist, Gilbert’s body was not among the dead. Several of the bodies were identified as missing sex workers- Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Megan Waterman, 22 and Amber Lynn Costello, 27- but several more sets, including that of a man and a child, remained unidentified. All are believed to in some way be associated with the sex trade. Earlier this week, a previously undiscovered body was located in a marsh at Oak Beach, and police said that they believed the remains were that of Gilbert- and that they do not believe she had been murdered. A cause of death has not been determined, however.

Shannan Gilbert’s Remains Positively ID’d by Suffolk Medical Examiner is a post from: The Inquisitr

Rick Perry was clearly speaking to a core group of voters with the “Strong” video he released earlier this week… and this is how it sounded to everyone else.

What Reasonable Americans Heard When Watching Rick Perry’s ‘Strong’ Video is a post from: The Inquisitr

Sure, text messages mean you don’t have to actually talk to your mom on the phone, but then there is this.

Seduction, Texting Style is a post from: The Inquisitr

If you felt a bit depressed by Rick Perry’s “Strong” video earlier this week- which took shots at gay people and non-Christians- this might make you feel a bit better.

Rick Perry’s “Strong” Ad Parodied, Parody Actually More Politically Viable Than Original is a post from: The Inquisitr

Texas Governor Rick Perry isn’t afraid to take a stand on intolerance, except like, coming down hard on the side of being intolerant, openly.

Perry released the campaign spot below, titled “Strong,” on December 6th, and the clip has gone viral in the past few hours. When it first began circulating on Facebook at around 6PM EST, it had just over 500 views, but that’s growing. And thankfully, so are the downvotes- Rick Perry’s “Strong” clip currently has a 97% thumbs-down rate on YouTube, and you should go over and voice your dissatisfaction as well.

It seems Perry is relying largely on a core block of voters- voters who happen to be straight, white and Christian. In the clip, he manages to take down gay people and non-Christians in the first sentence, making a string of points that can best be described as incoherent. Perry says:

“I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a Christian. But you don’t need to be in the pew every Sunday to know there’s something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can’t openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school. As president, I’ll end Obama’s war on religion. And I’ll fight against liberal attacks on our religious heritage. Faith made America strong. It can make her strong again.”

As the Washington Post points out, Perry’s characterization of the President, a Christian, as complicit in the abolishment of prayer in schools is not only offensive, it’s “factually wrong.” And while the GOP contender doesn’t outright say anything specifically anti-gay, the implication is pretty strong when he says there’s something “wrong” about gay servicemen openly serving while church and state remain separate. Do you think Perry torpedoed his chances with the intolerant spot?

Rick Perry Comes Out Swinging Against Gay Rights, Non-Christians in New YouTube Spot “Strong” is a post from: The Inquisitr

A South Florida mom who says she and her children had been living on $650 a month is standing trial for trying to sell her baby for $7,000.

Prosecutors say Kenia Bosque’s attempt to sell her eight-month-old son was a sad indictment of the economic hardships many people currently face. Prosecutor Katherine Fernandez Rundle acknowledged:

“And it’s really a sign of the tragic times because the economy is so bad for so many people that it’s just unimaginable, unspeakable that a mother would think to sell their child.”

Bosque was reportedly living with her children in an apartment and was behind on her rent. The apartment manager says she was scheduled to move out this week, which likely triggered the attempted sale of her son.

Apartment manager Raul Cordarvo said:

“She was renting here for four months. The first two months she was fine and then she began having money problems.”

Police accuse Bosque of arranging to sell her son to a buyer from Monroe County. Said buyer was working undercover with authorities, however – when Bosque handed over her address to arrange pick-up of the child, police arrested her. Her neighbors are said to be in disbelief.

While Bosque sits in jail, her children are staying with family members. Sad, sad, sad.

Mom Caught Trying to Sell Baby for $7,000 is a post from: The Inquisitr

The MONSTERS in the NYPD overstepped another line late last week, after it emerged some police officers ate two large pizzas and two bottles of soda that had been ordered for Occupy Wall Street protestors.

The doughy crime appears to have been committed after eight protestors dressed as Robin Hood were arrested for ‘civil disobedience.’ The protestors are demanding $30 in compensation from the NYPD for two stolen large pizzas, and two bottles of soda.

The afflicted activists were amongst a crowd of almost marching on City Hall to demand the introduction of a Financial Transaction Tax on Wall Street and a New York State millionaires tax. This, they argued, was necessary to help fight AIDS in New York and across the globe. There are 110,000 HIV-positive New Yorkers, more than any other American city.

However, when the Robin Hoods were arrested for carrying out a ‘die-in’ and allegedly blocking traffic, they say cops at the precinct ate two large cheese pies that had been ordered for them by supporters, washed down with two stolen one-litre bottles of soda. How these animals sleep at night is anybody’s guess.

The NYPD did not offer the thirsty Robins water, and claimed that precinct vending machines were completely sold out of water and soda. One of the Robin Hoods, Charles King, said:

“We could see the empty pizza boxes in the trash, and the empty plastic bottles. We confronted the officers at the precinct about stealing the pizzas and they just smiled and laughed at us and didn’t deny it.”

Police then made an offer to buy the peckish Hoods two new pizzas, but King and his fellow Robins weren’t having it:

“We weren’t touching their dirty pizza. We knew it was cheesy hush money. But some day I will have a bite of Mini Munchies, God as my witness.”

Keep fighting, guys. Keep fighting.

Now NYPD Eat Occupy’s Pizza is a post from: The Inquisitr