Innholdsfortegnelse for Winter 2017 i Zoomer Magazine

Researchers suggest the Greenland shark, whose lifespan can exceed 400 years, might hold secrets for extending human longevity So you might say this shark could prove to be the “Jaws” of life. The toughest generation Hiroshima bombing survivor Setsuko Thurlow, 85, of Toronto, who also works with the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, will accept the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the group. While hunting with her grandkids, an American woman, 60, caught a near-500 pound alligator It’s no big deal, though she admits the nickname “Gator Granny” is kind of badass. The definition of “It’s never too late ...” U.K. woman, 87, is learning to read so she can fulfill her dream of going to the library to take out a book. Scottish dance partners aged 85…

Leonard Cohen once observed. And now, a year after his passing, as murals depicting his image tower over his hometown of Montreal, the city’s Musée d’art contemporain honours the troubadour with Leonard Cohen: A Crack in Everything (www.macm.org). Conceived with Cohen’s blessing, the multimedia exhibition celebrates his cultural impact with music, art installations and off-site exhibits. As well, Tower of Song: A Memorial Tribute to Leonard Cohen – a November concert featuring Sting, k.d. lang, Leonard’s son Adam Cohen and other luminaries – airs on CBC on Jan. 3. —MC SILENT NIGHT? NOPE. If you’d rather rock around the Christmas tree, ditch the eggnog and carol crowd and blast the Rolling Stones’ On Air, a roster of early 1960s blues and R&B BBC performances, or Canuck rocker Bryan Adams’ Ultimate,…

Raised in wartorn Vilnius (then part of Poland, now Lithuania’s capital) during the Second World War, Krystyne Griffin fashioned outfits “out of scraps” for her doll. “I was a war child, so our clothing was nothing,” she says. “I made my own until I was 17 and I was able to buy clothes – and these were much nicer.” Making up for lost time, Griffin, now 76, launched a fashion career as Eaton’s Paris-based haute couture buyer in the 1970s and was soon the go-to tastemaker for Canada’s finest retailers, selecting chic labels for Holt Renfrew’s Bloor Street flagship and lining the tony new Hazelton Lanes, which opened in 1976, with sophisto boutiques from Hermès to Courrèges. Swathed in elegance, statement jewelry and Samsara by Guerlain, a Best- Dressed list…

At my first fulltime job, a senior colleague repeatedly asked me to show him my breasts, and the photo editor kept pestering me to pose nude. By the time I got into television, it was not unusual to be on the receiving end of the crudest, most graphic propositions from men I worked with at ostensibly social occasions. I never gave it much thought until the recent viral #MeToo campaign that followed the explosive Harvey Weinstein scandal. It started with a tweet from the actress Alyssa Milano, though the hash tag was created years ago by a Black activist named Tarana Burke. According to CBS News, the hash tag was used in more than 1.7 million tweets from 85 countries its first week and a half and, on Facebook, there…

EDUCATION CUBA – ‘Spanish Studies in Cuba’ (Havana), $4,700.00 CAD for 4 wks. Hotel with breakfast and dinner, tuition fee. (Air fare not included). 250-478-0494, ssic@telus.net, http://spanishstudiesincuba.ca LEARN FRENCH OR SPANIS H VIA SKYPE! Classes from Paris with experienced teacher. All levels. Visit http://frenchlessons-premium.fr/ Cdn. university professor offers introductory Spanish. Email Joanne at jroter@bell.net FOR SALE Candy store for sale! Your Semi Retirement Awaits. Successful, established, amazing location on Manitoulin Island. If this intrigues you, please go to our Facebook page: Boo-Bah-Lou Candy Corner. 705-210-0500 GIFTS TRIZODIAC: Unique memento certificate based on birthday, year, name. Combines best of Western Astrology, Chinese Astrology, Numerology. $7.99 postpaid. Samples and order www.trizodiac.com. MOBILITY THE EZ-RISER MOBILITY TOOL If you have backache, joint pain or arthritis, this simple tool will extend your active life…

For “Hawaiian Soul” (pg. 80), writer and former mainlander Susan Casey dispatches from the Pacific paradise she now calls home. Casey, an acclaimed journalist and self-proclaimed oceanista, is the former editor-in-chief of O, The Oprah Magazine and author of New York Times bestselling books Voices in the Ocean, The Wave and The Devil’s Teeth. Born in Canada and raised in Cyprus and Australia, Alkan Emin studied English, art history and theatre before becoming a photographer 15 years ago. He has since lived in Beijing, Hong Kong and Toronto and now calls New York home. He was back on home soil to shoot Jann Arden who graces our cover and who shares her experiences as a caregiver (pg. 46). Nora Underwood is an awardwinning freelance writer who has covered all subject…

When Nancy Wilhelm-Morden moved from Kitchener, Ont., to Whistler, B.C., in 1973 there were no grocery stores or laundromats and a trailer housed the only bank for the town of 600. A lawyer and the Whistler resort municipality’s mayor since 2011, she says now its population can swell from 12,000 residents to as many as 60,000 with visitors. And although it’s among the world’s top ski destinations, December also draws a cinephile crowd, with the Whistler Film Festival, while the arty crowd can get their fix year round at the Audain Art Museum, which houses the largest permanent collection of Pacific Northwest Indigenous masks as well as the second most valuable group of Emily Carr paintings in the world. Travellers aren’t the only ones taking notice. Last year, U.S.-based Vail…

Even though I was only in my 50s, I knew I was going to have to have the surgery. I had severe arthritis in my left hip, probably the result of a left ankle break at the age of three that led to almost a dozen subsequent ankle breaks and, finally, a rebuild at the age of 17. (My dad used to joke, “It’s terrible having a daughter who’s always plastered.”) A gymnastics accident when I was 12 messed up my left sacroiliac joint at my pelvis and likely compounded the problem. I was always known for my walk –“I can tell it’s you from miles away,” people would say; I bounced, or so it appeared. But, really, my gait wasn’t high-spirited; it was messed up. A hip replacement was…

Humankind is at a critical moment. What we do or fail to do over the next few years will determine whether we become extinct by the end of this century. That’s a melodramatic statement, but some scientists now suggest we have passed too many critical tipping points to avoid this possibility. Although I agree with the sense of urgency, I don’t understand the point of saying it’s too late. That will hinder or destroy the motivation to find solutions. Besides, I don’t think we know enough to make such a dire prediction. So let’s get on with seeking solutions. Urgently. Where to begin? We are in the Anthropocene: the period in geological history when humans have become the dominant force shaping the physical, chemical and biological properties of the planet.…

LAND OF MURDOCH I live in the U.S. and have only recently discovered Yannick Bisson [November] and Murdoch Mysteries and now Zoomer. The show introduced me to Canada – I mean I knew you were there, of course, but I have used the show to learn some Canadian history. They are generally right on with the facts. Did you know that although over 100 buildings were destroyed in the Great Toronto Fire of 1904, no one was killed? One man died in an explosion while clearing debris but no one in the fire. A Toronto tour guide on my recent trip to see the premiere of Murdoch Mysteries, Season 11, was not aware of that. —Barbara Weaver, Gaithersburg, Md. HITTING A HIGH NOTE What a beautiful article by Measha Brueggergosman…

THE FLU SITUATION It can start with the chills, fever, sniffles or body aches: but for seniors over 65, influenza can be a deadly disease leading to lengthy hospitalizations and life-altering complications. During flu season, seniors are at greater risk of developing serious and lasting health issues. In fact, 88 per cent of flu-related deaths in Canada last season occurred in people 65 years and older, with this age group accounting for 67 per cent of flu-related hospitalizations. FLU VACCINES AND SENIORS The best way to prevent influenza in all Canadians is to get a standard flu shot. For seniors over the age of 65, Health Canada has authorized for sale specialized vaccines – which include both high-dose vaccine FLUZONE® and adjuvanted vaccine FLUAD®. These flu vaccines are specifically-designed to…

Imet Jann Arden at a downtown Toronto hotel on a recent overcast day, not in a cosy suite but, rather, a compact grey conference room with an obstructed window, tucked away beyond a labyrinth of halls and doors. The 55-year-old arrived and ran a hand through her windswept blond hair as she evaluated the space: “What is this place?” We shared a laugh, and she reached into her purse to retrieve a pack of fruit-flavoured candy and what looked like a granola bar. “Well,” she noted with a positive spin, “I’ve got these.” Arden, of course, has a knack for navigating the unexpected, spending the last decade caring both for her late father, who suffered with dementia and died in 2015, and her mother, who continues to battle Alzheimer’s, while…

Our relationship with food, like all relationships, changes over time. Earlier in adulthood, we often grab low-nutrition convenience foods as we chauffeur kids around or work through our lunches. We don’t always consider what these empty calories are doing to our bodies. That’s the sort of relationship with food that Mimi Spencer and Sam Rice were having – until the British co-authors hit midlife and started to think about the ways that the ingredients in their food might be an investment in their future health. As we get older, our metabolism slows, and our hormone levels drop. Our muscle mass and bone density decline. The Midlife Kitchen: Health-Boosting Recipes for Midlife & Beyond focuses on the nutrients we need to support these changes so we can celebrate our bodies, instead…