Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2016 i Zoomer Magazine

NOT PRETTY ENOUGH: The Unlikely Triumph of Helen Gurley Brown by Gerri Hirshey and Enter Helen: The Invention of Helen Gurley Brown and the Rise of the Modern Single Woman by Brooke Hauser were both published this fall about the woman who helmed Cosmopolitan for 32 years and died in 2012, aged 90. Often reductively described as the real Carrie Bradshaw, Brown’s 1962 tome Sex and the Single Girl was as earth-shattering to that era’s engrained patriarchy as the many orgasms she promised from the cover of Cosmo. Its velvet handcuff catch-a-man messaging was the archaic bedfellow of its progressive stance for female empowerment through sexual liberation and against slutshaming eons before the term existed. But there was only the original F-Word for Brown. Sex and the Single Girl “was…

End-Of-Life Matters Enjoyed the article “Fade to Black” (July/August). Many of us have such an antiquated view of the inevitable end of our lives. As a followup, Zoomer may want to do a story on the funeral service industry. This is an industry that includes a good deal of inaccurate information (the need for embalming, for example) and excessive costs. —Mike Dupuis, via email SEND COMMENTS TO : ZOOMER MAGAZINE, 30 jefferson ave., TORONTO, ONT. M6K 1Y4 OR BY EMAIL TO COMMENT@ZOOMERMAG.COM. LETTERS MAY BE EDITED FOR PUBLICATION.…

“We’re in good hands folks,” Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie declared during the band’s final concert last August, exalting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his attempts to repair Canada’s relationship with First Nations communities. Downie, who’s battling terminal brain cancer, is also doing his part with a new solo disc, Secret Path, inspired by a 12-year-old Ojibwa boy named Chanie Wenjack, who died after fleeing a residential school in Northern Ontario five decades ago, paired with a graphic novel retelling of the story. He’ll also play two shows in support of the album in Ottawa and Toronto, on Oct. 18 and 21, while an animated film of the tale airs on CBC on Oct. 23.…

FROM HEIR TO HIS family’s Seagram’s liquor empire and the first owner of the Montreal Expos to noted philanthropist and the man behind those famous Heritage Minutes TV shorts – you know, “Doctor, I smell burnt toast” – Charles Bronfman’s life could fill a book. It’s fitting, then, that, at 85, Bronfman has produced one, Distilled: A Memoir of Family, Seagram, Baseball and Philanthropy. He recently spoke with Zoomer. MIKE CRISOLAGO: Why was it important for you to leave this record of your life? CHARLES BRO NFMAN: I thought that it was incumbent upon me to let my grandkids know who the heck their grandfather is. I’m 85 years old. Who knows when the Grim Reaper is going to be after me? And I don’t run as fast…

PAUL MASON IS A 52-year-old Canadian model who worked the international runways from the age of 23, extending a career in front of the camera by becoming an agent himself. But as the glamour of the gigs began to devolve into Macy’s Father’s Day ads, he had a transformative moment, albeit one that began with grief. Three years ago, Mason’s mother died and he stopped shaving. He grew a long white beard that made him look like, well, a hot Santa. Then an unexpected twist occurred – his modelling career exploded in much the same way that Linda Evangelista’s career did back in the day when she cropped her locks. “The beard was because I was depressed for six months. But then I liked what I was seeing,” he says.…

DR. FAY WEISBERG has learned something about boomer women during her 25 years as a gynecologist. “These are women who enjoyed sex and they tell me, ‘I still want to have sex, and that shouldn’t change just because I’m older.’” But symptoms of genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), including vaginal dryness and irritation of the vulva, can take sex off the table for them. And they’re not the only group. Despite other causes, as many as 40 per cent of women under 40 – and 90 per cent of those over 40 – go into menopause as a result of undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. Earlier this year, Weisberg introduced the MonaLisa Touch vaginal laser treatment for GSM through her FemRenew clinic in Toronto. She started by offering it…

IM BEING MURDERED by my own Ontario government!” “ They are murdering contract killers!” These are not the ravings of a madman. These are a few of the tweets posted by Hector MacMillan, the mayor of Trent Hills, Ont. Hec, as he likes to be called, has pancreatic cancer. He’s running out of time and options. He wants the government to pay for a procedure that costs more than $300,000 in Kentucky. OHIP, Ontario’s health insurance, says the procedure is experimental, and there is no evidence it would help someone like Hec. It is a horrible situation to be in – to have a disease that will surely kill you unless you find some way out. Then you think you’ve found it but you can’t get it. When I was…

With a woman in the White House a near certainty, the feminist movement can claim victory. Or can it? Elizabeth Renzetti considers the many waves of feminism and the bond it formed between her mother and herself Aswesat on the front porch of my house in Toronto, drinking wine, it occurred to me to ask my mother a question I’d never asked before. “Are you a feminist?” “Define feminism,” she shot back. My 85-year-old mother had put her red-painted fingernail on a question that has dogged the women’s movement for more than a century. She raised her glass of cranberry-andwhite wine and waited. (I hope genetics reward me with her longevity and scalpel-sharp brain, but I’m glad we don’t share a taste for fruity neon cocktails.) “It’s just a word,”…

LETHBRIDGE, ALTA., is a sleepy agricultural hub in the middle of the Prairies, quiet and split by a deep coulee along the Oldman River. In the winter of 2016, Lisa Freihaut and her husband drove south from Calgary to visit her mother, Irene Carter, who lived in the city’s south end. When they arrived – they claimed – the couple found 78-year-old Carter dead on the floor, her body maimed by multiple stab wounds. Soon afterwards, a distraught Freihaut spoke at a police press conference, appealing to the public for any information they may have in regards to her mother’s death. On a blue background in front of the glare of the cameras, she became the classic image of a family member in mourning. But at the time, she was…

Cosy TEA TIME Based on the tenets of holistic healing,Tetley’s new Ayurvedic Balance teas – Poise, Vigour and Cool – can bring just the right amount of "ah" for you and your guests. RED HOT A cordless kettle stylish enough to bring to the table or to send up with breakfast in bed. Hamilton Beach 40831C; $70 (also in black); London Drugs, www.hamiltonbeach.ca OPEN SESAME Cheers to the ergonomic Trudeau Wing Corkscrew. Long arms reduce the pull-up/push-down effort and hug the bottleneck to make releasing the cork easier. À votre santé! $28; www.trudeaucorp.com UNDER THE BIG TOp Tins from Alessi’s new Circus collection are an irreverent take on the cookie tin and make for a fun and eco-friendly alternative to gift wrap. From $115 (set of three as shown); www.alessi.com…

JUDGING BY THE LURID headlines, it would be easy to assume on some darker days that the apocalypse has come to America and that the four horsemen are just now riding their bony nags down Pennsylvania Avenue with a tequila bottle in one hand and a pistol in the other. Hardly a week goes by that a dumbfounded populace isn’t treated to another shocking tale of race riots, mass shootings, terrorist incidents or “police-involved shootings” that carry more the imprimatur of summary executions than judicious exercises in law enforcement. During the writing of this story alone, al-Qaida– inspired bombings rocked New York and New Jersey. The dust had hardly settled there before Charlotte, N.C., burst into flames as rioters reacted to the latest killing of a black man by…

Professional chef and writer Deborah Reid partnered with baker and entrepreneur Dawn Woodward for a healthier heritage take on baked goodies in “Home Cooking” (pg. 64). Reid (left) has years of cooking experience “on-the-line” and has written about her trade for Food & Drink, Edible Toronto and online site Eater. Woodward is a leading figure in the Canadian whole grain, local grain movement and leads baking workshops on the subject. This past summer, she was a keynote speaker at The Grain Gathering conference at Washington State University. In “Behind Closed Doors” (pg. 58), journalist and researcher Lyndsie Bourgon reports on elder abuse and what’s being done to support victims, nationwide. Her work has appeared in The Guardian, Hazlitt, Maisonneuve and The Walrus. Although she calls Calgary home, at the moment…

(And Down) Boomer acts from Paul McCartney to the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan defy age quips, return to festival roots to rock the inaugural Desert Trip Festival And with Mick Jagger calling it “Coachella for old people,” we finally have a new meaning for the term “rock of ages.” A New York Times op-ed suggests people “age out of crime” and, therefore, aging prisoners should be considered for release Oddly, the proposal is endorsed by an L. Luthor and an H. Lecter. While you’re at it, have your grandkids explain how Uber works Officials say Uber could prove a beneficial tool in helping seniors with mobility issues get around. Grandfathers of Anarchy? Local Arizona motorcycle dealership treats 101-year-old hogloving war vet to a spin around town on a Harley…

With a budget of more than US$150 million, The Crown is rumoured to be the most expensive Netflix production ever and its first in the U.K. Tracing the life of Queen Elizabeth II from her marriage in 1947 to present day in 60 episodes over six seasons, it’s created and written by Peter Morgan, who is no stranger to tales of the monarchy, having penned the Oscar-winning film The Queen, about Her Majesty dealing with the public outcry when Princess Diana died and the Broadway smash The Audience, which centres on the weekly meetings between the Queen and her prime ministers, from Winston Churchill to David Cameron. The cast includes rising star Claire Foy, Jared Harris and John Lithgow.…

THE TYPICAL PERCEPTION is of an older body slowing down, but I’ve never been busier.” Claudia Moore, 63, pictured here with fellow dancer Robert Desrosiers, says this as she waits in line, pencil-straight, for an iced coffee. Not that she needs the caffeine boost. Up since dawn, the contemporary dancer and choreographer who started her career at the National Ballet of Canada in the 1970s has already done a daily movement class and fired off batches of emails in her role as artistic director of Older & Reckless, the series she launched 16 years ago (under the aegis of her MoonHorse Dance Theatre company) to spotlight the talents and achievements of the mature dance artist. “The older body is extremely capable,” affirms Moore, who continues to perform more than a…

IF I LOSE A LEG, in my dreams I’ll still run,” Barbara Alink declares, somewhat appropriately given we’re standing near Philosopher’s Walk in downtown Toronto. Reflecting on her passion for fostering community, what Alink may lack in Aristotle’s classical teachings, she makes up for with a yellow mobility device that looks like a reverse tricycle for grown-ups – two wheels in front and one in the back and no pedals. She calls it the Alinker, the antithesis to wheelchairs and walkers, which her own mother refused to use because, as Alink points out, they only emphasize a person’s disability. “You ask anybody [who’s] 85 years old – they’re not 85. We are not who we are on the outside,” Alink says. “Inside, we’re human beings who just want to…

A recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition linked a diet high in certain flavonoids, or fruit compounds, to a lower risk of erectile dysfunction. The study points to flavones, flavanones and anthocyanins eaten in foods like strawberries, blueberries and citrus fruits. These links are still being explored, but other new research associates flavonoids with cardiovascular health. Watermelon is another fruit with potential when it comes to getting frisky. Watermelon contains the amino acid citrulline, which is used by the body to produce nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is a blood vessel dilator; when men were given the amino acids from watermelon for six weeks, their arteries functioned better and their blood pressure was down. Nitric oxide is also what Viagra uses to achieve, ahem, results. An Italian study…

Zika 101 Discovered in the late 1940s, the Zika virus was virtually unknown to the public until 2015. It was then that scientists realized that it is associated with microcephaly (small heads and brains, with significant developmental delay) when pregnant women catch it. Zika is transmitted to humans primarily by the female Aedes aegypti mosquito – the same mosquito that transmits dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever. They bite primarily during the day, peaking during early morning and late afternoon/early evening. Zika can also be transmitted sexually. In fact, the virus is present in blood, urine, semen, cerebrospinal fluid and amniotic fluid. Aside from affecting pregnant women, studies have also shown potentially serious neurological risks for adults, including cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s-like symptoms, and Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a disorder involving nerves,…

An aviation prodigy who first flew in a friend’s plane at 13 and wanted to be a pilot after seeing Top Gun, C.J. Hardin signed up for active duty at 21, the day the Twin Towers fell. Pulling multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as a sergeant in the 101st Airborne Division, Hardin was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after his second deployment. Army doctors issued a stack of prescriptions: antidepressants, drugs to keep him alert, sleeping pills for insomnia, blood pressure meds to prevent the nightmares. “When I left the military in 2010 and returned to the States, I quit all the meds,” says Hardin, now 36 and living in Charleston, S.C. “But I wasn’t functioning. I drank a bottle of rum and half a dozen beers every…

STRIP FAT AND SUGAR from the Canadian diet, and our nation would be doomed. In a country where the weather can dip deep into the minus double digits for five months of the year, those two ingredients, when combined with carbohydrates, make countless pleasing combinations that helped us survive. For 50 years or more much of our baking has been made with ingredients that, like snow, have been white – flour, sugar, shortening and lard. But bakers are increasingly curious about indigenous ingredients and are giving Canadian sweets a makeover. Black walnuts add an earthy flavour to the one-note gooey caramel filling in the much-beloved walnut tart. Pastry, a mostly bland foundation, is being made with flours with robust flavour like buckwheat, rye and the distinctly Canadian wheat,…

WHAT IS A CAR to you, anyway? Is it a glorified shuttle bus or a gleaming chariot, your office on wheels or your getaway car? Does it reflect your values, declare your status or simply transport your precious cargo? The role of a vehicle morphs over the course of your lifetime, as does your relationship with it. And if you’re a woman for whom baby seats and carpooling are squarely in the past, a car can be something else entirely – it can be a luxury. Increasingly, women today are choosing to buy themselves luxury vehicles, and by doing so, subverting tired, old perceptions. It makes sense. Perhaps you’ve divorced, your children have flown the coop or you’ve downsized. You’ve worked hard, you need a change and with…

A TAXING BURDEN Re: Promise Keeper? (October) It would solve a lot of problems if all tax credits were made refundable. We have lost a lot over the years by not having enough income to cover all the tax credits we were eligible for. The refundable ones are always appreciated and make a welcome input to our bank account. Why can’t all tax credits be refundable? I realize the government will argue that it is money lost in the budget, but it would definitely assist in the spreading of the wealth to the people who would spend it and make the money go around again. —Nancy Albright, Mattawa, Ont. Maggie’s moment I could have commented about such great articles on Gordie Howe, Muhammad Ali or Elie Wiesel but chose Johanna…

when Bruce Springsteen published his memoir Born to Run this fall, the response was overwhelming. There were magazine covers and television profiles, career retrospectives and seemingly constant media coverage, prompted, in no small part, by the fact that the 66-year-old Springsteen was performing some of the longest shows of his career, more than four hours a night. The anticipation of the book, especially among Springsteen’s fan base, had a unique tenor, a different sort of excitement than that which accompanied, say, the publication of Bob Dylan’s Chronicles Volume One and Keith Richards’ A Life. It has little to do with popularity. Sure, Springsteen sells out arenas and stadiums around the world (and a limited book-signing–photo-op tour sold out in seconds), but so do The Rolling Stones, and, honestly, does anybody…

Here’s looking at you, kid … Set in 1942 Casablanca, Allied is the true story of a French-Canadian intelligence officer (Brad Pitt) and a French Resistance fighter (Marion Cotillard) on a mission behind enemy lines. They fall in love during their mission to kill a German official and are later reunited in London. However, their relationship comes under fire when Max begins to wonder if Marianne may be a Nazi spy. While not quite Bogart and Bergman, the comparisons between this film and the classic Casablanca are inevitable. The pic will garner more press due to Pitt’s impending and perhaps scandalous divorce from Angelina Jolie, including rumours he had an affair with co-star Cotillard (who posted a firm denial on Instagram). But, as we know, the problems of three little…

Moses will return next issue. Great to see you. Cocktails are on the deck at 4:30. Until then, lawn chairs are in the yard and the library is open.” For an introvert like me, it was the best possible welcome. I’d arrived at my friend’s converted schoolhouse, about two hours north of Toronto. Her warm welcome morphed into a relaxing weekend. But as we chatted over crème de Bourgogne (bubbly from Burgundy) and pissaladière (onion pie), there was a somber undertone. Frankie had retired a few years ago, and she can’t help worrying about whether she’ll outlive her savings or be forced into drastic changes in her lifestyle. Frankie is luckier than most; she does have assets to draw down and she can sell her beautiful schoolhouse (or take out…

a DAIRY FARM in southwest England seems an odd locale for the resurgence of a musical megastar but, in 2014, on a stage beyond fields where black and white bovines roam, then-68-year-old Dolly Parton captivated a crowd of 100,000 partygoers – some young enough to be her grandchildren – during her set at the famed Glastonbury Festival, held annually at Worthy Farm in the village of Pilton. The festival, conceived in 1970 as a counterculture celebration more suited to indie acts, only began regularly attracting major commercial stars like the Rolling Stones, U2 and Beyoncé in recent years, with country headliners proving even more rare. Decked out in white, Dolly performed on the trademark Pyramid Stage, known as the showcase of legends. The crowd sang along in unison, imploring Jolene…

As we mark Remembrance Day, many who return from the battlefield bear deep wounds not only literally but figuratively. In this exclusive excerpt from Roméo Dallaire’s new book, Waiting for First Light: My Ongoing Battle with PTSD, the retired lieutenant-general describes in harrowing detail his struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder as he fought to better the quality of life for Canada’s veterans I am drowning in dark water, struggling to push my way up through the bodies. Gasping for air. Breath ing in blood. IJERKED TO consciousness with a start, soaked in sweat, my heart racing. The clock read 11:55 p.m. Would the night never end? Stumbling into the kitchenette, I poured myself a drink and unwrapped a chocolate bar. Over the next few days, I set up a replica…