By Frederick and Christine Cheng, Pharmacists

by Mel Kositsky

He is a man of many words and much music.

Mike Higgins refuses to age and is spending his golden years doing what he loves best – performing. He loves being in front of a receptive audience as an MC or band leader and still gets a kick out of playing his drums.

He has been doing shows such as a tribute to Rosemary Clooney, Oktoberfest, “spooky” music for a Halloween show, jazz concerts and performing at weddings and celebrations of life. He takes his shows to senior centres, retirement homes and restaurants throughout the Lower Mainland.

He will be performing on Mother’s Day in May at The Cellar in Vancouver, a famous jazz hangout. With him that day will be singer Lorraine Foster, who sang with the legendary Dal Richards for many years.

Higgins currently has two bands on the go – “Just Friends” and “Gracie and the Guys”. It is something he just loves to do.

“But it is getting hard competing with these one-man bands for shows at seniors centres,” he said.

Higgins likes meeting new people. In order to better communicate with his audiences he likes to get to the venue where he will be performing a little early “and mix with the people in the room”.

Originally from London, England, he came to Vancouver in 1957 from Montreal. He has performed just about everywhere from cruise ships to strip clubs and calls himself “a semi-casual musician”.

He joined the Musicians Federation Local 145 and is very proud of the award presented to him for 25 years of service. He played at such Vancouver venues as The Commodore, Quadra Club and pick up bands for weddings, anniversaries and other affairs.

Warned early in life to never quit his day job just for music, he had a varied career over the years, working for The Bay, Sears, and was the manager at Langley Mall for many years. Not surprising, he has even played Santa Claus.

During his career he has met such outstanding musicians as Dal Richards, Buddy Rich and Kenny Coleman, and reminisces about meeting Carol Channing in Palm Springs.

If you need a band to perform for any occasion or just want to find out where he is performing next, you can contact Mike at mikephiggins@yahoo.com or call him at 604.220.4004.

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It was a wonderful afternoon of music and entertainment on Sunday, Feb. 12 as the local Filipino community and friends came out to support a fund raiser for victims of the typhoon, landslides and flash floods last December in their home country. The benefit concert even attracted the new Philippines Consul-General, who is based in Vancouver.

Organized by Dong Edmilao and his wife Linda, both active seniors at St. Joseph’s Parish, the variety show and mini buffet raised funds that will be sent to the Philippines through the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace. You can still donate through the church or check www.devp.org/en/international/philippines.

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Harness racing continues at Fraser Downs in Cloverdale throughout the spring with live racing on Friday nights and Sunday afternoon.

With the better weather, the thoroughbred horses are now in training at Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver in preparation for the season opener on Saturday, April 14. The 71-day meet goes until Sunday, October 14.

Highlight of the season will be the $200,000 BC Derby on Sept. 9. Five other stakes races will be contested that day offering total purse money of more than $700,000, making it the richest day in BC racing history.

Anyone prone to prognostication should reflect on the fall’s warnings about the winter of 11-12. Because it is a La Ninny (oops, La Niña) year, we were urged to prepare for bone-chilling temps and snow-shovelling-induced back pain. (See AccuWeather.com Winter 2011-2012 Forecast: Another Brutal One, October 13). Somewhere, no doubt, the winter was worse than normal, but I don’t remember (maybe that’s the problem right there) seeing many reports of said suffering—in BC or elsewhere in North America. Europe endured a bad dose for a while, but overall, did those dire warnings come true?

We often report predictions and trends in the world of computers / high tech. Our guesses are about as accurate as the long-range weather estimates. Like feckless meteorologists, we don’t let past performance daunt our delving into divination, especially when we’re trying to predict what Apple Inc. is up to. Will we see the iPad 3 this month? Will the iPad 2 still be available as a cheaper alternative? Will there be a mini-iPad in 2012? And will the long awaited iPhone 5 be born at last? Despite loads of rumours, there were no official announcements to mull as this epistle went to press.

Like many of you, we purchased an iPad 2 at the end of the year, and we’re delighted with it. How much better can the iPad 3 be? For starters, we can anticipate a faster, more capable “brand spanking new” quad-core ARM processor, the Apple A6. There’s also evidence that iP3 will come equipped with Retina Display providing double the clarity and brightness of what’s already very good on the iP2. Some pundits predict a camera as good as the one on the iPhone 4S. Don’t figure the iP3 to be thinner and lighter than its predecessor, however. Expect a larger battery to power the extra features. And, always, get ready for the unexpected!

We do know, however, that Apple has released the developers’ version of its next OS for the Mac—OS 10.8. Note, ‘Mac’ has been dropped from the package name. Now it’s just OS X, version 10.8. Those wondering what the Mothership was going to do as it runs out of names of big cats associated with the first seven iterations of Mac OS X (Cheetah, Puma, Jaguar, Panther, Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Lion) will be amused (bemused, perhaps) to see that 10.8 is codenamed “Mountain Lion.” Hmmm, we thought a ‘puma’ was a ‘mountain lion,’ aka ‘cougar,’ and sometimes even a ‘panther.’ Apple code namers should get out in the wilderness more and talk to us old-timers! What happened to Canadian Lynx or Bobcat or Ocelot? All too small for such a grandiose vision, we suppose.

Insiders suggest that Mountain Lion will be released to the masses this summer. Initial probing of the developers’ release  shows that it continues Lion’s trend towards further integration with iOS5, Apple’s operating system for iPhones, iPods, and iPads. Whether there will also be a radically new iMac released along with it is sheer speculation at the moment. If you want to monitor this development, we recommend MacWorld’s website.

Last December, in TechRepublic (online), Jack Wallen describes “10 technologies that are just plain broken.” He includes QuickBooks, Flash, Web browsers, Outlook, Predictive typing, Consumer-grade antivirus, and multi-touch desktop computers (like HP’s, where a vertical monitor can be touched like a tablet). “What we need,” Warren gripes, is a desktop “with a built-in multi-touch display on a horizontal surface. This position would be far more natural and ergonomic than any other and would really help make multi-touch feasible and desirable. But for now, multi-touch on the desktop is nothing more than a gimmick.”

So, lets poke through the bones and entrails scattered in the mud: is that a new “desktop Mac” whose  multi-touch display can slide from vertical into a horizontal or slightly angled position— a built-in, not 7- inch, but 27-inch, fancier, more capable iPad-like device running Mountain Lion? Oh, and will it employ HTML 5 instead of Flash, need no anti-virus software (unless you’re running Windows), and provide a newer, better version of Safari than we’ve ever seen?

If we’re right, how well will that sell?

By Mel Kositsky

This month starts a new era in my life as a regular columnist for Today’s Senior. Probably because I now admit I have become one.

Experts say “Life Begins At 60”. I hope they are right because I have a lot of living to do and I hope you will join me each month as to explore issues and topics facing our aging population.

By way of self-introduction (many longtime Langley and Cloverdale residents may know me), I have been in this area since 1976 after coming back here from my first real newspaper job at the Medicine Hat News.

Or perhaps you may have followed my career in the local media and then local government as a Langley Township Councillor. As an Honorary Lifetime Member of the Lower Mainland Local Government Association, it has given me a well-rounded background and a greater understanding of communities and people in all the areas Today’s Senior is read. (And of course you can now follow us on the Internet too. Have you checked out our website?).

But most of all the column will feature the fun part of community life that many of our active seniors are involved with. Retirement can bring on many new challenges but there is no need to stay at home worrying about them. And many people are working way past 65 and still enjoying their jobs. How good is that?

There is so much going on in our communities that often those stories are not written about because they are not considered “news”. I always felt good news is just as important as bad or “hard” news. And in this day of multimedia, 24-hour television, radio and internet services, this column will leave that action to the political bloggers and broadcasters.

Call me old-fashioned but lots of people still like to read and talk about what their neighbours are up to. They like to keep in touch with old friends and acquaintances. They enjoy reading about their activities and maybe once in a while they can get out and join them.

Today’s Senior is also going to profile community builders – people who are still very active in the community and have a wonderful story to tell.

For those of you who enjoyed watching the high level curling at the Langley Events Centre in January, there is more to come soon. While it will not be the world caliber curlers of the Continental Cup, it will feature great competition.

The Abbotsford Curling Club will be hosting the 2012 Canadian Senior Championships from March 17 to 25. Volunteers are needed to help put on the event and registrations are now being accepted at the club. Contact Barb Sinclair at 604.852.9002 or send an email to milt_sinclair@telus.net.

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Tickets are now on sale for the 10th annual Fraser Valley Cultural Diversity Awards to be held Friday, March 2 at the Ramada Inn plaza and conference centre on Highway One in east Abbotsford. The event involves the four communities of Langley, Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Mission.

Do you know anyone who embraces diversity? Nominations are now being accepted in a number of categories. For more information about the event contact 604.302.9707 or email amelia@crosspointcommunications.ca.

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So that’s what I will be doing here each month. Filling in our readers about special events, awards, ideas and suggestions. That is your role too. I need you to be an inter-active reader. You can follow me on Twitter @MelKositsky, on Facebook,  or/and send in your ideas or comments to: Write As I Please column c/o:  todayssenior@shaw.ca.

by Keith Richardson

Writing in mid January, I’m aware of how easily we can be lulled into complacency by apparent trends, and very wary of most predictions about what’s “just around the corner.” Last fall’s predictions of a harsh winter seemed rather wrong until last month’s snowstorms crippled the Valley only to be followed by cold as bitter as prognosticators’ gizzards. And then what happened? Well, you know (and I, stuck in January, don’t).

There’s a striking similarity with technology forecasts. Every January, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the major players making computers, TVs, smart phones, accessories and apps display their latest wares and try to cajole all who’ll listen into acquiring their magical products ASAP. Not a lot different from January’s Spring fashion shows. And how many of us have any sense that we need those new clothes?

Each CES fires a few hits and a lot more misses. Back in 2010, the buzz was all about the “new” HDTVs—LED and 3D models. While LEDs have become affordable, “older” plasma screens are still selling well—at amazingly reduced prices. The 3D phenomenon appears to have fizzled, but may return with vigour  in a couple of years as Asian tech makers refine their “glasses-free” systems.

Experts tell us to expect 55-inch, super-thin OLED [oh-lead] technology to grab a toehold this year. OLED TVs use organic light-emitting diodes instead of liquid crystals or plasma displays. More exciting for me is the likely arrival of “smarter,” voice- controlled sets and greater streamed content that will alter our whole notion of “tele-vision.”

Manufacturers are determined to get us to adopt smarter phones. Apple continues to be a major player in this picture, but may become less of a leader this year although many observers are reluctant to bet against Steve’s successors and the iPhone 5. We’re waiting to see if the Samsung Galaxy Note—a cross between a smartphone and a tablet— takes off.

Netbook computers have yielded to tablets, with the iPad leading the way. It hadn’t even been released at CES 2010; already we’re preparing for iPad 3! While other tablet brands fall by the wayside, we’re hearing that the ’Pad will be challenged this year by non-Apple “Ultrabooks,” (ultra-thin, ultra-light, ultra-powerful laptops) imitators, oddly enough, of Apple’s well-established MacBook Air laptops. Will Ub’s succeed where netbooks did not?

If this print media column is your first exposure to this stuff, you are really behind the news curve. Between the deadline for a print article and the time you read it, so much happens that anything it reports, from a news perspective, is “old news.” (We love oxymorons!) So what is the value of a column of this ilk? To remind, provoke, bring attention to issues, share readers’ feedback, perhaps. To accompany an advertisement that identifies at least one person you can call for help with one small part of your tech needs. (And, unfortunately, an “Apple-only resource” at that; thanks anyway to the PC folks who do call.)

It’s especially ironic that you’re reading this on Today’s Senior’s website. While it’s great that TS has a website that permits extended versions (like this paragraph) of the print version of this column, it’s unfortunate that the website is neither interactive, nor permitting of updates to articles once they’ve been submitted. On the other hand, however, one advantage is that linking from this website to other websites you can consult is much easier than it is from the print edition!

With that in mind, here are a few other websites that I recommend:

TechRepublic Blogs (http://www.techrepublic.com/blogs): find out  “Why Android tablets failed: A postmortem”;

“10 things you should do when you get a new Windows laptop”;

“Tablets: What Amazon and Apple know that all the CES tablet peddlers (sic) are still missing”; and many other interesting articles.

If you’re a Mac user, there are many useful websites available, but our all-time favourite is MacWorld
(http://www.macworld.com/). This link will show you a list of “Latest Stories” as well as many other special links that will provide you with oodles of useful information.

What can we do to keep up with the incredible (literally, for many) pace of change—of equipment, trends, and opportunities afforded us? First, don’t assume that everything “new” will succeed. Second, don’t wait too long before upgrading your existing hardware and software. Third, look for reliable online sources of information, analysis, and opinion about what’s happening and where we’re headed. I’m not sure these points are correctly ordered or that there isn’t some contradiction within them. More importantly, what do you think?

In this new column, it is my intention to share decor, repurposing and organizing ideas, elevating everyday life while keeping it fun and affordable.

“Crystal” I love drinking out of a crystal glass, milk, juice, water.  I’m not talking about stemware, but a regular drinking glass.  There’s something about crystal that makes everyday feel special.  Lots of people keep crystal tucked in that special occasion cupboard; lets make everyday a special occasion.  I had to get crystal glasses at a department store, grumbling about the cost. Having mentioned the price here is what I love to do “thrift stores” they have all kinds of kitchenware; I like to purchase crystal glasses in pairs. Now, I have an eclectic collection of crystal drinking glasses, found at a fraction of the cost.  Not to mention, that buying at thrift stores gives back to the community.

A crystal dish is perfect, for jewelry, loose change or as a soap dish, adding  a touch of elegance and a new purpose for a crystal dish.

For that little something unexpected, use a crystal decanter as a vase, remember to set the stopper at the base or attach it to the top of the decanter using jute or raffia, let the stopper rest against the side of the decanter.  Simple store bought flowers or dried grasses repurpose a forgotten piece into something unexpected.

Quick Tip: Finding crystal glasses at thrift stores takes a little knowledge, cut crystal is the easiest spot.  Do what I call the flick test!  Flick the top rim of the glass it should resonate with a distinct echoing musical tone, a glass will have a dull thud sound.  Elevate your everyday life, by drinking out of crystal.

Stay tuned… continuing to love your space.

Roxanne Griese is an Artist, decorating and organizing are her passions, to see more articles and artwork visit www.artbyroxanne.ca.

One of the principle food ingredients that can lower blood cholesterol is plant sterols and they can be found in everyday foods.

By Frederick and Christine Cheng, Pharmacists

New Year, New You

Most people begin the New Year with good intentions to fulfill their New Year’s resolutions, but all too often, these resolutions fall to the wayside because they are too grand and too difficult to follow through on. So, what can be done to help us keep these resolutions? In general, keep your goals realistic, specific, and meaningful.

Exercise: Increasing the amount of physical activity can be beneficial in many ways including reducing your risk of heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and obesity. The recommended amount of exercise for those over 65 years of age is 150minutes of aerobic exercise per week. This may seem like a lot, but this can be divided into 10 minute chunks of time. Choose something that you enjoy, whether it be walking briskly, hiking, swimming, or dancing. And during the cold winter months, consider joining a mall-walking club, walking up and down your stairs, or exploring the halls of your apartment building. Strength training is also important and can be done by lifting light weights or soup cans, walking up and down stairs, or sitting down and standing up in rapid succession repeatedly. Strengthening your muscles can improve your balance and reduce the risk of falling. Make sure to chat with your doctor before starting any exercise regimen.

Medication review: The New Year is the perfect time to have a sit-down with your doctor and/or pharmacist to review your medications and to make sure you are getting the most out of your medication therapy.

Healthy eating: Developing healthy eating habits can be a challenge, but keeping the following guidelines in mind can make things easier. Include fresh fruits and vegetables in your daily diet; in particular choose dark green vegetables (e.g., broccoli, asparagus, gai lan) and orange vegetables (e.g., carrots, sweet potatoes). If you’re taking warfarin, let your doctor know if you’re increasing the amount of dark green vegetables in your diet as this can affect your INR reading.  Switch to whole grain products such as brown rice and whole wheat bread instead of their white counterparts and consider including oatmeal as part of your breakfast. Choose lower fat milk and milk products and use unsaturated oils such as olive or canola in your cooking. A good multivitamin is often beneficial even to the healthiest of diets.

Weight Loss: Increasing your physical activity and making healthy food choices are an important foundation to healthy weight loss. If cravings are your weakness, consider PGX to help increase the feeling of fullness. Keeping healthy snacks on hand is also important. Consider Hemp Hearts (also available in bar form) as they are a good source of protein and good fats.

Quit smoking: It really is never too late to quit smoking. The benefits are numerous and undeniable: your sense of smell and taste will improve, the risk of having a heart attack decreases, your cancer risk decreases, your lung function improves, and fatigue and shortness of breath are reduced…and this is just to name a few. Remember that most people need more than one try to quit. Remember: choosing the right method to help you quit will increase your chances of quitting so talk to your doctor or pharmacist to learn about all the options, some of which are government sponsored.

Good luck!  Here’s to the start of a wonderful, joyful, healthy year!

(Christine and Fred Cheng are a sister-brother pharmacist team at their unique family-owned and operated Pharmasave in Cloverdale, BC.  They specialize in natural remedies and compounding for both human and veterinarian use.  They would love to hear from you! www.cloverdalepharmasave.com)

By Ursula Maxwell-Lewis

“You’ll need a cardigan, young lady!” Q calls across Hoboken’s W Hotel lobby. “It’s cool out there this morning!” Quimby fields queries, tour bookings, and clearly monitors the weather from behind a computer next to a paperweight declaring: WHATEVER. WHEREVER.

I’m in New York with my youngest daughter, Hilary. She flew in from Calgary. I arrived from Seattle. We’re making a 3-day Mom and Daughter Getaway Memory prior to her business meetings. A United Airlines ticket I won enabled me to zip to the Big Apple for the first time in 30 years.

Hoboken, a $2 and 15-minute subway ride from its frenetic New York City neighbour, was once home to Frank Sinatra. Ol’ Blue Eyes all influenced or choice of location. We’ve been invited to join a Green Onion Walking Tour, Immigrant New York, through the multi-ethnic Lower East Side. Our subway stop is Ground Zero. I have to admit, seeing the sign chilled me.  Christina, our art history graduate guide, rallies our small group at City Hall corner.

For the next two hours our fast-paced crash course on the founding Dutch, Italian, Irish and Jewish history, civics and architecture generates a strangely satisfying feeling in us. It’s a good framework for the balance of our mini-holiday.

One less-travelled block – the African Burial Ground at 290 Broadway – makes a particular impact.  Years ago excavation crews stumbled upon 419 skeletal remains in an unmarked 17th and 18th century 6.6 acre burial ground for free and enslaved Africans. It had been specifically located outside the boundaries of what had then been the New Amsterdam settlement (now New York City).

Decades of development and landfill had camouflaged the tragic cemetery with the shameful history. Today, thanks to the African-American community, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and other partners, these forgotten people rest in dignity and honour. “Even though we can’t call their names, we know them,” said Dean Bernard L. Richardson during the re-interment ceremony.

Solemnly, silently, we walk, read, and reflect: Burial 5- Infant – Burial 82 – Woman – Burial 363 – Child. Names unknown. The day is grey. Sounds of the great city once enslaving these nearly forgotten souls rumbles around us. 20th anniversary site celebration wreaths bloom nearby. We are moved; glad we came.

On the outskirts of Chinatown our route includes Foley Square (a recent Occupy Wall Street site). Now surrounded by noted civic buildings, five bronze medallions set into the sidewalk tell assorted tales. Located over Collect Pond, the original city fresh water source site, this is also the notorious Five Points gangland neighbourhood. In 1811 the pond, which had become polluted and suspected of triggering typhus and cholera outbreaks, was drained and filled in. The rest of day we explore Little Italy. Hilary, the bag and scarf maven spies a shop stocking 1,000 bags. Bonus! Endless assortment of $5 scarves, too! Inside, Hilary requests a specific brand name bag.  The cryptic response? “Knock on the mirror at the back.”

Like a couple of bad actors, we comply. A door swings open to reveal an Aladdin’s cave of bags. A lone good-humored guy ‘adjusting’ the stash, waves us in. On departure he bags our choice, pencils in the price for the front desk, and admits another surprised shopper.

Day two means test-driving our New York CityPASS. Reputed to save 50% on major attraction tickets, we head for the Empire State Building. The lines seem endless, but advance steadily. An hour later at the top we admire the view, check out the landmarks and snap shots of ourselves with the city spread out behind us.  I note the difference – in the city and myself – from my last trip with friends in 1969. What a delight to be able to share it again with my daughter. I drag her off to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (another CityPASS coupon). We detour through Central Park admiring children sailing little boats, ducks, mimes and music. She wants to walk the Brooklyn Bridge. We join the throngs, admire the structure, and enjoy just ‘being there together”. Trump Tower is on her list. Rockefeller Centre is on mine (again).

Her request for Grand Central Station yields a delightful surprise. “Through My Window”, a solo exhibition by Korean photographer AHAE, enchants us both. Displayed in the Vanderbilt Hall are some of the one million photographs taken from his window during one year. Capturing daily details of nature, colour, textures and wildlife focuses our attention and inspires respect.

On Sunday I’m off to La Guardia while Hilary heads for a Circle Line Cruise armed with another New York CityPASS coupon. I’ve seen the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan skyline from the Staten Island ferry in the past, but still envy her the sunny afternoon and great shots she captures as I jet back to Seattle.

We wanted to be a part of it, New York, New York and we were. Magical memories.

Ursula Maxwell-Lewis is a travel writer, photographer and a founding director of Surrey International Writers’ Conference.

 Article & photos by Lenora A. Hayman.

On Nov.16, 2010, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added the cuisines of Mexico to the Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Ancestral recipes have been protected and are unique to the cultural identity of Mexican communities.

The Mexico Tourism Board in Vancouver in association with UBC Continuing Studies invited our group to the UBC Vancouver Campus Food, Nutrition and Health Building for a Cooking Appreciation Night with Chef Rossana Ascencio. We would be cooking a couple of courses and observing other meals being created from the sacred trilogy of corn, beans and chiles. Remember; don’t call a chile a pepper!

Chef Rossana explained that many foods have originated in Mexico such as tomatoes, which are a fruit and not a vegetable, and pumpkins. In the 1520’s the Spanish Conquistador Hernan Cortes introduced to Europe, vanilla derived from orchids and chocolate, from the beans in the cacao pod. Our popular Thanksgiving and Christmas bird when imported from Mexico into Turkey, took its name from that country.

Sixty indigenous groups, descendants of the Maya, Aztec, Olmec and others, and also “Mestizos” with Indigenous and European ancestry, Afro-Mexicans, Jewish, Middle Eastern, Asian and Mennonites have all enriched the cuisine.

Our groups of four overseeing each kitchen station, had fun cooking for our supper.

Our cream corn soup with shreds of poblano chile required roasting the poblano over an open fire, or under the broiler, until the skin blackened to add a smoky flavour and finishing with freshly, fried, crispy, julienned tortilla chips.

We accompanied this with tostaditas de chorizo con papas and salsa verde- fried, open-faced corn tortillas, spread with refried black beans, a mixture of Mexican chorizo sausage, yellow potatoes, topped with chiffonade(thinly sliced crosswise) Romaine lettuce, crème fraiche, cheese, green tomatillos, jalapenos and cilantro topping.

Mole originated from the Nahuatle word “mole” meaning concoction. On a previous trip to Puebla, Mexico, I had learned that according to legend, Mother Superior Sr. Andrea of Santa Rosa Convent in Puebla had wished to honour the Archbishop who

commanded the convent be built for her Order. In her haste to create his meal, chocolate was mixed with the chile spices and mole poblano was born.

Our spicy, mole rojo, drizzled over a chicken breast, had both Pasillo and Ancho chiles and Mexican oregano. Mexican oregano is more savory than the rosemary/pine flavour of our oregano. There was a side of the Mexican vegetable chayote, a member of the gourd family and known in Australia and New Zealand, as choko or vegetable pear.  Wee chochoyotas, the masa dumpling with a dimple in each centre garnished the meal.

We concluded with a fresh, strawberry mousse-like dessert, topped with golden brown fried tortilla chips tossed in cinnamon and sugar.

Check Chef Rossano Ascencio’s website: www.culinaryencanto.com for happy, Mexican Culinary Classes paired of course with a drop of wine.