Innholdsfortegnelse for December/January 2024 i Zoomer Magazine

This season, more than ever, I wish us all the gifts of faith, hope and charity, as well as light within all darkness. ON THE COVER Human rights lawyer Irwin Cotler photographed by Paul Alexander on location at the ZoomerPlex in Toronto, November 2023. Creative direction, Stephanie White; styling, Derick Chetty; prop styling, Mark Worsfold; grooming, Tana D’Amico CONTACT US Keep your ideas coming! Share with us on social media Email: comment@zoomermag.com @zoomermag @zoomerist @imagesofcanada @zoomermagtravel @zoomer @everythingzoomer @imagesofcanada @zoomermagazine @zoomermag Manage Your Account 24/7 at myzoomer.ca Email us: support@zoomermag.com Call us: 1-833-211-2277 Write: 8799 Hwy 89, Alliston ON L9R 1V1 Mail Preferences: From time to time, Zoomer makes its list available to like-minded organizations. If you do not want your contact information made available,…

MORE THAN his role in the sitcom juggernaut Friends, actor Matthew Perry's greatest legacy might be his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, a brutal accounting of his troubled upbringing and ferocious substance abuse in which some say he foreshadowed his own tragic end. The kid who grew up in Ottawa and played with Justin Trudeau, attained superstardom playing Chandler Bing, the neurotic, self-deprecating avatar for gen-X. Perry joins the pantheon of celebrities who burned bright and died young; a comic genius left to stream in endless reruns as the iconic character he described as “an exaggerated form of himself.” He wanted to be remembered for his work helping and advocating for people battling addiction, rather than anything he did in Hollywood. Matthew Perry. The one…

LESS IS MORE How worried should we be about additives in our food? Canadian stores sell products coloured with Red No. 3 dye. The synthetic petroleum derivative, found in candy like Dubble Bubble and Peeps, is banned in Europe and California. Some studies have linked it to cancer in lab animals that consumed high doses, and to worsening attention deficit disorder. Other additives banned in Europe and California, but still permitted in Canada, include brominated vegetable oil, an emulsifier used to mix and smooth ingredients in citrus-flavoured sodas, and propylparaben, a preservative identified as an endocrine disruptor that is added to some marinades, candy and carbonated drinks. “The approach that California has taken is precautionary,” says Joe Schwarcz, a professor of chemistry and the director of McGill University’s Office…

RUDY Buttignol brings his three decades of working as a filmmaker and media executive to his new role as president of the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP, a ZoomerMedia affiliate). Buttignol, 72, a member of the Order of Canada, was born in Italy and immigrated to Toronto as a child. After graduating from York University, he became an award-winning independent documentary filmmaker, eventually helping to start Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. Buttignol served a long stint as an executive with Ontario’s public broadcaster, TVO, and then moved to Vancouver to lead, as president and CEO, British Columbia’s Knowledge Network. During his tenure, it became the most donor-supported public broadcaster in Canada. Peter Muggeridge: You’re taking on a highly challenging job when you could be enjoying retirement. Why?…

FORMER MODEL, MODEL AGENCY FOUNDER, ACTIVIST AND ADVOCATE BETHANN HARDISON has consistently championed diversity in the modelling industry and the fashion field; it’s the foundation for work that continues today. The native New Yorker is both the subject and co-director of Invisible Beauty, a documentary that spotlights her life’s work, but it’s one of a trio of recent film projects that explore modelling in three different eras, with racial injustice as a common denominator. The AppleTV+ docu-series The Super Models, starring Cindy Crawford, 57, Naomi Campbell, 53, Christy Turlington, 54, and Canada’s own Linda Evangelista, 58, for example, unpacks the cultural phenomenon that helped redefine modern celebrity in the ’90s. As fashion became mainstream entertainment in the MTV and internet age, supermodels transcended their profession to become global celebrities…

FASHION // BRAZZAVILLE CONGO: THE STYLE CAPITAL THAT ISN’T PARIS The Republic of Congo’s strikingly stylish “sapeurs” strut the streets of Brazzaville looking as they’ve just stepped out of the pages of Vogue Hommes. These delightfully dapper men are adherents of a fashion subculture known as La Sape, which stands for the Societé des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Elegantes (Society of Poseurs and Elegant People). From Valentino suits to silk socks, and J.M. Weston brogues and Dior ties, sapeurs – and the women known as sapeuse – not only know their labels, but how to wear them. As Papa Wemba, the late Congolese rhumba singer and fashion icon who popularized La Sape, put it: “White people invented the clothes, but we make an art of it.” The sapeurs’ spectacular…

WHO DOESN’T LOVE the idea of someone having a signature scent that defines their style, year in, year out? Your fragrance could be dating you, though, if it’s the same spritz you fell in love with a decade or two ago. Our advice: Keep your beloved perfumes on hand but play the field. Explore. Experiment. Indulge. A new fragrance that is both of the moment and in step with your personal style provides a certain je ne sais quoi that can not only energize your wardrobe but put a little swing in your step, too. Take the holidays as a seasonal cue to add some sparkle to your repertoire. Tastes change and trends come and go. It’s the case for all aesthetic expressions, decor and cuisine, fashion and beauty,…

THIS MOMENT // LIFE SIMPLIFIED // BODY MIND SPIRIT UP As her first holiday album, Christmas, topped the Billboard charts, Cher, 77, quipped that her beau, who’s 37, doesn’t get her references In other words, the lovebirds will still be rockin’ around the Christmas tree, even if he doesn’t know who Brenda Lee is. All you need is love … and some AI tech The Beatles released their poignant final song, Now And Then, after AI technology helped combine separate parts by John, George, Paul and Ringo recorded in different decades. No, it’s not an AI illusion. The Stones are back on top Not to be outdone, the Rolling Stones topped the U.K. charts with Hackney Diamonds, their first album of original music in 18 years. Heroes never retire…

YOU MIGHT CALL it a musical hat trick. Bryan Adams’ latest release, Live at the Royal Albert Hall, features the Canadian rock legend playing three shows at the famed London venue in May 2022, each featuring a different classic album. The 64-year-old performed his breakout album Cuts Like a Knife (1983), platinum-selling Into the Fire (1987) and chart-topping Waking Up the Neighbours (1991) – in their entirety, on successive nights, channelling his trademark showmanship into electric performances that prompted one reviewer to declare, “The kid really does still wanna rock.” The box set, which also features a Blu-ray DVD of the concerts and a photo booklet from the shows, is the latest in a string of career callbacks for Adams. In 2022, he dropped Classic and Classic Pt. II,…

For more than 20 years, Susan Velkers, 76, sent a polite Christmas card to her old boss, Jim Glassford, 87. Neither knew love was in the cards the whole time. Jim Glassford: I’m a reiki master and retired public school principal in St. Catharines, Ont. I was transferred to Sue’s school in 1980. Susan Velkers: I’d been there for a year as an elementary school music teacher. I ended up working for Jim for seven years. I remember we bonded over country western music, which we both loved. I used to send him little notes in the office sometimes. I remember one that said, “Help! I’m being held hostage for ransom!” He sent one back that said, “Sorry, no money in the budget.” JG: We had fun together, but…

THERE ARE DRUGS aplenty, of course, and one trashed hotel room in 1978. But there is no orgiastic sex, greed or outsized ego in My Effin’ Life, the new memoir from Rush singer-bassist Geddy Lee, which, though lacking the salaciousness of most rock ’n’ roll autobiographies, is a triumph of memory and ancestral exploration. The book’s 500-plus pages contain candid reveals that will melt the minds of Rush nerds who have always wondered why, for instance, the band only toured rock-mad Japan once, in 1984, never to return. (Drummer-lyricist Neil Peart picked a fight with a gang member who was beating up a woman, and was disgusted by the apathy of witnesses.) Or, how Lee achieved the “growling in the middle-section battle scene” in the song By-Tor and the…

“THREE PEOPLE MAY KEEP A SECRET, IF TWO OF THEM ARE DEAD”—Benjamin Franklin I HAVE A SECRET I will take to my grave – and so, almost certainly, do you. According to a 2017 study authored by Michael Slepian, an associate professor of business at Columbia Business School, the average adult is currently harbouring 13 secrets, five of which they have not divulged to another human being. There’s a 33 per cent chance that at least one of those secrets concerns a theft or hidden relationship, a 47 per cent chance it involves the breaking of another person’s trust, and a 60 per cent chance it relates to a lie or financial “impropriety.” Secret hobbies are a common theme, as is hidden sexual orientation, even today. Interestingly, Slepian found…

LE MASSIF IS ONE OF THE FEW PLACES where you ski to a backdrop of glittering water; there is something thrilling about the contrast – the movement of the ice floes in the St Lawrence River versus the solidity of the mountain. Another twist is that you arrive at the top of the hill, and ski down, no need to wait in a lift line. The vertical drop is the highest east of the Canadian Rockies (770 metres) and the runs are beautifully groomed, much smoother and with more snow than its mogul-heavy rival Tremblant. ■ MAPPED INTEL: You can stay on the mountain in the stylish and cozy ski-in, ski-out Chalets-Forêt, go to lemassif.com › EXPLORE MORE GET INSPIRED FOR YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE @IMAGESOFCANADA, OUR INSTAGRAM COMMUNITY FULL…

They say Santa is the heart of Christmas and Paul Mason’s irreverent take on Old Saint Nick is no exception. For almost a decade now, Mason has delighted young and old with his alter ego, Fashion Santa, a trim reinvention of the holly-jolly character with designer duds that put the “slay” in sleigh. On the cusp of turning 60, Mason is entering a new era, exploring what it means to live with heart through his fundraising and volunteering efforts. Fashion Santa made his debut in 2014 at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre, where grown-ups could have a laugh and pose for a selfie with the dapper Mister Claus. “We, as adults, lose some of the magic we used to know,” Mason says. “I suspect my own wonderment about life and…

Although we’re still a month out from Christmas, eager “yulephiles” can start early with Christmas with The Tenors, which dropped late September. The Victoria-founded quartet, previously known as The Canadian Tenors, now include a double dose of Italian spice via Alberto Urso, winner of Italy’s version of America’s Got Talent, and Victor Micallef, a Toronto-born tenor who trained for six years in Florence. The foursome is completed by Canadians Mark Masri and founding member Clifton Murray; and they’re all seamlessly riffing off each other during a Zoom call with me. To Urso’s ample tattoo collection, for example, Masri suggests he adds Tenor ink “right along the neck, bro.” “My momma will kill me!” cries Urso. Their dynamic is infectious, which all agree is a rarity in the music business.…

Flooding in Alberta. Wildfire smoke in Quebec. Record high temperatures in British Columbia. A catastrophic ice storm in Ontario and Quebec that left more than a million people without power. In a single year, Nova Scotians endured Hurricane Fiona, which caused an estimated $800 million in insured damages, summer wildfires that destroyed 200 buildings and a storm that dumped a record-breaking 300 mm of water in 24 hours. As the Earth’s climate changes, extreme weather is worsening. According to the Canadian Climate Institute, a Toronto-based non-profit policy research organization, weather-related disasters are about twice as frequent now as they were 50 years ago. Canadians face three main perils: Flooding, extreme heat and wildfire. Severe weather caused $3.1 billion in insured damages in 2022, according to the Insurance Bureau of…

The Israel-Hamas War has converged on my personal struggle. I actually think it’s fitting. As of this writing, it’s 36 hours before my surgery on Oct. 25 and my anxiety level is rising. At the very least, what’s left of my stomach will be removed, but there may be more depending on what they find. My main surgeon is a very personable, talented and compassionate man. Dr. Fayez Quereshy is also possibly the most fashionable guy I know, which makes me admire him more. There is a second surgeon, a vascular and transplant surgeon, standing by for the worst-case scenario – if there is cancer stuck to an artery. I was very excited when I met her. There are more female surgeons now than the last time I went…

IRWIN COTLER IS BUSY SAVING THE WORLD FROM EVIL, so the human rights lawyer arrives for his cover shoot at ZoomerMedia headquarters five minutes before he’s due at the Spirit of Hope gala to honour actor Helen Mirren with a humanitarian award. The 83-year-old leader of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights in Montreal is an oasis of calm, with warm eyes and a ready smile for everyone, especially his high school and university classmate, ZoomerMedia founder and CEO Moses Znaimer. Cotler is even wearing his McGill University tie, which Znaimer spots immediately. His beatific demeanour belies a lifetime battling “the axis of evil” – authoritarian regimes and terrorist organizations that bomb, capture, imprison, torture and kill innocent citizens for everything from their religion and gender to their…

IT’S THE AGE of Ozempic, a time when we look at each other differently – does she or doesn’t he? There has been wall-to-wall coverage of the injectable diabetes drugs that are being used for miraculous, speedy weight loss, but there is such a stigma around taking them – people fear accusations about looking vain, easy fixes and diverting scarce medicine from those who need it – that nearly a dozen users over 50 I approached to talk about their experiences demurred, even when offered anonymity. The fact is, older Canadians could benefit the most from losing the pounds they start to pack on after menopause and andropause, when estrogen and testosterone begin to decline. “Changes to our hormones impact the ability to lose weight, or even to maintain…

SINGAPORE • QUEBEC • AMERICA • SWITZERLAND • MEXICO • NEPAL ET AL. THERE WAS THIS IMAGE OF SINGAPORE as a stiff and sanitized place – and then there was Crazy Rich Asians … That’s pretty much what I thought about Singapore for most of my life: a playground for the elites, full of arcane rules for the rest of us. Having absorbed all the clichéd warnings about the tropical city-state – can’t chew gum, fined if you jaywalk, no playing musical instruments in public – I figured it just wasn’t my cuppa. I preferred messy, chaotic places where people didn’t take bylaws too seriously. So, when the opportunity to visit Singapore came my way – three days to report on a conference, three days to myself – I…

I stumbled across Tulum 30 years ago, as I was backpacking through Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula with my first serious boyfriend. When I sank my toes in the powdery sand, there were just a handful of places to stay along the 10-kilometre beach, most of them huts with hammocks. There was no electricity, and when the generators were switched off at 10 p.m., we could hear tree frogs singing in the jungle and the sea lapping at the shore as we sat under a canopy of stars. It was the closest I’d ever come to paradise, and I couldn’t get it out of my head or my heart. I yearned to go back to Tulum, even as I began to hear it dropped into conversation by a glamorous tribe of…

HOME COOKS OFTEN avoid fish and seafood because they think the delicate flesh requires professional techniques. The truth is a whole salmon is faster and easier to cook than a roast turkey, a platter of oysters is far more luxe than smoked bivalves from a can and, even if you want to go the tinned route, high-end preserved delicacies like sardines, octopus and even lobster are replacing lowly mussels and tuna on seacuterie platters. Here’s our how-to guide for a holiday spread that will impress your guests. THE MAIN Baking the catch of the day in a bed of good old sodium chloride seals in the moisture – and natural flavour. For this recipe from Charlotte Langley, founder of Scout, a P.E.I.-based sustainable seafood company, she recommends mild-flavoured fish…