Zoomer Magazine February/March 2023

I’VE COME TO THE conclusion that Joni Mitchell lyrics can be repurposed and applied to many situations, although some people may consider it sacrilege. Take “Both Sides Now” and substitute the word “travel” for “clouds,” and think of the chorus. Even if you do not agree (and you probably don’t), perhaps I can be forgiven as she started writing the song when she looked down out of an airplane window at clouds. I always ask for a window seat, which is where I found myself on a jaunt to the U.K. in December. Before the pandemic, I was a reluctant traveller, quite happy with the joys of my city and the comfort of my home, thank you very much, and unwilling to be stress tested more than I already…

DOWN Experts warn that billionaires may use their wealth to significantly increase their longevity and create a wider gap between the rich and poor Fast forward to 2121, where a 150-year-old Elon Musk (left) is trying to sell Martians on the benefits of buying a Tesla. After Rolling Stone snubs Celine Dion, 54, on their list of the 200 greatest singers of all time, fans protest at their offices The mag noted that, while their hearts will go on, they should just walk away because that’s the way it is. UP From The Fly to fly outfit Canadian director David Cronenberg, 79, modelled in Saint Laurent’s spring-summer campaign. This movie boasts more G.O.A.T.s than a petting zoo The 1980s music icons Dolly Parton, Cyndi Lauper, Gloria Estefan, Debbie Harry…

This might be the year that parents across Canada finally get their millennial children out of their basements and into their own dwellings. That’s if the new law that prohibits non-residents from purchasing homes in Canada (which came into effect early January) improves housing affordability for first-time buyers. The two-year ban on foreign ownership is intended to make homes cheaper by removing speculators from the mix. “Homes are to live in,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, when his government introduced the policy in its April budget, “not a way to boost a balance sheet.” While some real estate experts are skeptical that the law will lower prices across the country, others feel that, along with high interest rates, it could help cool prices in bigger urban condo markets, such…

LIONEL MESSI, WHO LED ARGENTINA TO VICTORY in last year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar, is often regarded as this generation’s top player. But for many older fans, the “King of Soccer” will always be Brazilian superstar Pelé, who died on Dec. 29, 2022, at the age of 82. During his glorious career between the 1950s and ’70s, Pelé led Brazil to three World Cups. His extraordinary skills (above, he executes a bicycle kick against Belgium in 1965) and effortless charisma made him a global luminary, one capable of transforming soccer in North America from an obscure curiosity to the mainstream popularity it now enjoys at both the amateur and professional levels. Without Pelé, Canada probably wouldn’t have three Major League Soccer franchises (Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal), nor would…

Bill Nighy is living his best life. Twenty years after playing Love Actually’s washed-up rock legend Billy Mack (still his best-known role), for the first time in his career the beloved British stage and screen actor is enjoying Oscar buzz. That’s thanks to the critically acclaimed Living, an uplifting new drama about an elderly bureaucrat who turns his dull life around after a terminal diagnosis. Much like the recent step into the spotlight by Lesley Manville, 66, with Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, or 85-year-old Anthony Hopkins’ Academy Award-winning turn in The Father last year, Living is a career-best performance. Decades after delivering memorable depth and dimension – largely in supporting roles (163 acting credits to date!) – the dapper Nighy, 73, is getting richly deserved recognition in the…

In Margaret Atwood’s first story collection in nearly a decade – she’s been pretty busy with three novels, two books of essays and one of poetry – the iconic Canadian wordsmith is circling back to her short-story roots. Old Babes in the Wood (March 7), the titular tale of two elderly sisters making do at their late father’s dilapidated cottage, headlines an eclectic compilation featuring everything from her imagined interview with George Orwell to the musings of a snail’s soul reincarnated into a mid-level, customer service bank rep. Given the prolific author works in whatever field or form she damn well chooses, what does she like about the deceptively challenging short story? “It’s shorter.” (Subtext: Next question, and make it a better one.) I pivot and gush over “My Evil…