The Bulletin Cote Saint Luc Men’s Club Our Passion: To Keep You Informed Our Mission: To Be The Best November 2017 OUR PRESIDENTS
Bernie Smith Z”L Sam Rosenburg Z”L Lou Zimmerman Z”L Ed Sohmer
Ed Segal Z”L Jack Budovitch Z”L
Peter Sternberg Morris Hoffer Z”L
Archie Moss Z”L Nat S. Bernstein Ted Baker Sid Margles Syd Kronish Cote Saint Luc Men’s Club Bulletin Readers Responses Editor-in-Chief CHARLES EKLOVE
Co-Editors SID BIRNS I was at the Park Haven JACK FRANK ACC this afternoon, and Photography CHARLES EKLOVE was privileged to receive a SID BIRNS copy of The Bulletin.
Write Ups SID BIRNS It is Magnificent. CHARLES EKLOVE Bena Singer Graphics & Layout JACK FRANK CHARLES EKLOVE Got my copy in the mail Trip Photography IRWIN GLAZER on Friday and I must DAVID HALTRECHT congratulate you and your SYD KRONISH team for a great job. Mini-Bios SID BIRNS MANNIE YOUNG I know it took a lot of effort
Chairmen Reports COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN but it is a smashing success. I read it cover to cover. Distribution KENNY BESSNER PETER STERNBERG Laz Caplan MOE GROSS
I just want to congratulate the I enjoyed reading the bulletin. I loved whole team , that put so much all the notes about your talented and effort in putting out this great accomplished members. I especially publication , for the benefit of found the article on aging very the members of our great club. informative and pertinent to seniors. The easy reading print , articles Mazal tov! To All the hard working the bios the humor added it to editors: Sid, Jack and Charles. the success. Yasher Choach To all, Aviva Ravel Ruby Frankel Page 2 BULLETIN CO-EDITORS GOAL & MISSION STATEMENT & GOAL
Many hundreds of man hours of work are committed to produce this bulletin. We attend the programs, events, activities, trips, meetings and special interest groups. We take photographs and write coverage for the bulletin. We take in contributions from members and follow up to obtain required information. We then edit, organize and design layouts that will present to you the information of interest in a most pleasing and interesting way.
Our goal is to keep you, dear member, informed and aware of the goings on of our club; to provide you with the resources so that you will be able to benefit from all the club has to offer; to give you an instrument that you can use to show your friends and neighbours what our club is all about so that you can invite them to join, with you, in participating in the many positive functions that are available to you. Our Mission is to do our best for you.
HAYDOD, HAYDOD, ANOTHER FEATHER IN YOUR CAP FOR A GREAT EDITION.
LOADED WITH INFO, PICTURES, AND DETAILS THAT MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO DIGEST IN ONE SITTING.
SID, CHARLES AND JACK ARE TO BE COMPLIMENTED ON BEING THE OUTSTANDING VOICE OF THE CLUB TO THE COMMUNITY.
TED BAKER (Past President)
MANY THANKS FROM THE EDITORS Many thanks to our members who have submitted articles & photographs to be used for publication in our bulletin. Many thanks to our members for the diligent work and support to ensure delivery of this bulletin. Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to give us feedback which has been very positive and helped us to grow and improve this much appreciated resource. A special thanks to Mitchell Brownstein, Mayor of the city of Cote Saint Luc and to his staff, especially to Darryl Levine, Director, Public Affairs, Communications and IT, and to Stephane Buswell, Print Shop Coordinator for their assistance and support in the production of this bulletin.
Page 3 This Bulletin will Improve Your Health! Learn How to Remedy the Loneliness, Isolation, Inactivity and Social Disconnect which are the cancers of our Senior Population.
Start a new hobby. Revitalize your old hobbies. Our members have started to paint in their 80’s and are exhibiting in their 90’s. You prefer playing cards? We have Bridge Groups and Poker. Music your thing? Join our Choir. Want to be more physically active? Play Golf with us or come Bowling. Let your opinions be heard at our Monday Discussion Group and Tuesday Sports Group. Is your computer driving you crazy? Join our Computer Class.
Fly a Radio Controlled Drone! Build a Drone. Join our Photography Club. Learn to create better photographs and share your enthusiasm with like minded people of all levels of experience. Prefer to write? Hone your writing skills in our Writers’ Workshop. ‘Life begins’ in your 70’s, 80’s, & 90’s.
Come to our General Meetings Thursday morning and hear wonderful, interesting, professional speakers on very interesting subjects. Come on our trips to enjoy the camaraderie of old and new friends in new places in exciting programs. Come and be entertained at our Tuesday evening Shows with Refreshments. Celebrate with us at our Annual Gala, an evening of entertainment, awards & prizes, and delicious dinner & dancing.
OUR CLUB IS A SOCIAL CLUB WHERE YOU CAN DO ALL OF THE ABOVE AS YOU MAKE NEW FRIENDS AND RENEW OLD FRIENDSHIPS.
KEEP THIS BULLETIN AS A “COFFEE TABLE BOOK”.
Use it for reference to know the club functions that you will enjoy and to have the names of whom to contact so you can participate (Chairmen of Special Interest Groups and Committees).
JOIN OUR CLUB.
Bring your friends and Enjoy the Club together with them. Jack & Charles at the editing room table (holding the page of Beryl Peletz’s Birthday Celebration) Page 4 OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
Congratulations to the Côte Saint-Luc Men’s Club on another successful season. I am so proud of the club in organizing the event in May with Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard, your ongoing fundraising efforts, and the health benefits taking part in social activities.
In this space, I want to encourage you to take part in all the city has to offer, from library programs and events to parks and recreation classes and to become unofficial ambassadors for the city. As regular visitors of the Aquatic and Community Centre, you know how much busier it has become over the past year as we have increased programing and reconfigured the spaces. Help spread the word to your family, friends, and neighbours.
Finally, I want to congratulate David Haltrecht, who was awarded the The Edward J. Kirwan Award in October. The award honours the Volunteer of the Year for exceptional contribution to the community Parks and Recreation programs. I had the pleasure of presenting the award to David and encourage you to read about all of this year’s award winners at www.cotesaintluc.org/VolunteerAwards2017. You can also see photos or watch the video we produced.
Mayor Mitchell Brownstein
5801 Cavendish Blvd. Côte Saint-Luc (Québec) H4W 3C3 514-485-6936 • CoteSaintLuc.org
Page 5 The Cote Saint Luc Senior Men’s Club started from humble beginnings at the municipal ‘Old City Hall’, located at 8100 Cote Saint Luc Road. It got it’s start in 1987, when five men who were members of the Ladies and men’s Social Club decided that they would like to break away to form their own club for men only.
Once the club got rolling, with meetings every Thursday morning, with the help of the then Mayor Bernard Lang, they had their first election and Lou Zimmerman became the first President, Bernie Smith, first Vice President, Jack Budovitch, Second Vice President, Lou Schwartz, Secretary, and Myer Dunsiger, Treasurer. Thus the foundation of the club was formed. At that time, the club membership was 40 something members. Ed Sohmer drew up a constitution. The club was off and running, with activities, speakers, and an end of year banquet.
The Club moved to the Cote Saint Luc Shopping Centre in 1995. The larger quarters allowed for increasing membership, activities, and starting classes in art, bridge, computers, bowling, choir and a discussion group.
The word was out. The Cote Saint Luc Men’s Club was the one to join. The larger quarters now permitted having a once a month breakfast, the last Thursday of the month. The membership grew to over 400 and the meetings were very well attended.
When the city of Cote Saint Luc announced, in the winter of 2010, that it was going to build the Aquatic & Community Centre, the Men’s Club President, Sid Margles, became involved in planning the layout and needs of the various organizations that would be using the facility for their meetings.
The Club again moved to larger quarters in the new ACC, situated on the corner of Mackle and Parkhaven, in time to celebrate the club’s 25th Anniversary in 2012.
The success of the club comes from it’s founding fathers, it’s executives, Directors, officers, and volunteers, who graciously donated their time and efforts in the service of the club.
THIS IS A SOCIAL PEOPLE CLUB. MAY THEY CONTINUE TO GROW FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH. Page 6 SYD KRONISH, FROM THE PRESIDENT’S CORNER
As we prepare for our spectacular 30th anniversary Gala, I look back at the past three and a half years as your President and I must admit that the time has gone by very quickly and I feel badly that my time is up next May.
During my time as President many wonderful things have happened as follows:
1) I have developed a very strong daily relationship and friendship with my two V.P.s Mannie Young and David Haltrect who are two of the most dedicated members to help improve the working of the club.
2) The membership roster has increased to over 600 and the average age has dropped below 80 years of age as the club has attracted people in their early 70’s as they retire.
3) We have started several new events which continue to grow such as a photography club, and poetry and prose club which attract the newer members.
4) We, under the leadership of Bernie Green, have started to get better speakers to our Thursday morning meetings and the crowds are getting bigger every Thursday.
5) Under the leadership of David Haltrect, we are about to launch a new information system and web-site which will make life easier for many of our volunteers.
6) Our bulletins continue to get better, more attractive and more informative due the hard work of Charles Eklove and his staff. They are produced now 100% in colour.
7) Our breakfasts continue to attract bigger crowds thanks in part to the dedicated work of Jack Lackman and his dedicated staff.
8) Our gala this year will attract a record attendance of over 450 members and spouses and is expected to be the best one yet. This being our 30th anniversary of the club (30 years and growing). Thank you to Ken Bessner and staff.
9) Our evening events, under the direction of Mannie Young, had five wonderful evening events and most were complete sellouts.
10) We are looking forward to our three Florida events in January and February and if last year was any indication, next year (2018) we hope will be even better than the last.
As the year draws to a close, I hope to see more of our members participating in our variety of events. May I take this opportunity to wish everyone a pleasant winter and happy new year. For those of us heading south, hope I to see you there.
For those who want to speak to me during the winter , you are welcome to call me at 514-944-7538 or email me at [email protected]
Syd Kronish, Prez
Page 7 COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN
BULLETIN & FLORIDA PROGRAM PHOTOGRAPHY & MANNIE YOUNG P.R. & PUBLICITY 514-487-0076 CHARLES EKLOVE SYD KRONISH 514-386-3773 514-369-1422 JACK FRANK 514-488-6109 SID BIRNS ANNUAL GALA 514-486-1082 BANQUET WELFARE JOE PRESSER DAVID MOSCOVITCH 514-489-3012 514-260-3575 MEMBERSHIP KENNY BESSNER SYD BARNETT DAVID GANDELL 514-482-9477 JIMMY INDIG 514-487-2634 KENNY BESSNER KENNY BESSNER 514-482-9477 HOSPITALITY JACK LACKMAN OPERATION SYSTEM 514-482-2560 DAVID HALTRECHT MEETING PROGRAMS 514-999-0690 514-249-8440 BERNIE GREEN 514-487-1336 PETER ATKIN EVENING PROGRAMS DONATIONS 514-485-1592 MANNIE YOUNG PETER STERNBERG MANNIE YOUNG 514-487-0076 514-484-9940 514-487-0076
TRIPS / OUTINGS LONG RANGE PLANNING FELLOWSHIP JACK LACKMAN MANNIE YOUNG SYD BARNETT 514-999-0690 514-487-0076 514-737-0994 BERYL PELETZ JACK LACKMAN 514-488-3032 514-999-0690 PETER STERNBERG 514-484-9940 Volunteer & enjoy Page 8 BREAKFAST WITH ANTHONY Our July 27th morning breakfast meeting was delightful as our guest speaker was Anthony Housefather, Member of Parliament for Mount Royal. As former Mayor of Anthony speaks to a full house Cote St. Luc, Housefather has a 'direct' connection to the Cote St. Luc Senior Men's club. "Public service is what it's all about and thats what I really like and enjoy", is how Housefather started his talk to over two hundred and fifty members of the Club. Anthony spoke about his experience at the recent Maccabiah Games in Israel where he won five medals in swimming. He highlighted the message from Prime Left to right: Chelsea Craig, Sonny Moroz, Minister Justin Trudeau, that was played at the games David Birnbaum, Mannie Young, Myrna Housefather Opening Ceremonies, which recognized the 50th anniversary of the unification of Jerusalem and the unwavering support the Canadian Government gave to Israel, which has been much appreciated by the Israeli Government. He also said how well respected Canada is by Israel. Anthony discussed the legislation he has been working on as Chairman of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, including genetic discrimination and impaired driving. He also highlighted millions of dollars in federal monies that have flowed into the riding since October 2015. On February 16, 2016, Housefather was unanimously elected as Chairman of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.
The warm and welcoming atmosphere with Anthony is seen in the above images: Left: Myrna Housefather, Mayor Mitchell Brownstein, Ruth Kovac, Anthony Housefather Centre: Myrna Housefather and Sid Birns, who are also tennis partners Right: Mitchell Brownstein, Anthony & Myrna Housefather with Anthony’s medals from the Maccabiah Games
Left to Right: Peter Atkin, Anthony Housefather, Sid Margles, Syd Kronish, Mitchell Brownstein, Ruth Kovac, Mannie Young, Bernie Green.
Page 9 Phillip Brownstein Ted Baker Born in Montreal in 1926, Ted attended Strathcona Academy High School, and then McGill University and Sir George Williams College, and graduated with a degree in commerce in 1952. Ever active, Ted was a member of the Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity, acted as an insurance broker and joined the Knights of Pythias in 1950. Ted was Secretary of Lincoln Lodge foe 5 years, then served as Chancellor Commander for one year. Ted joined Grand Lodge Phil joined the CSL Men’s Club after and together with Ben Perlman and Allen Bramsom, they created (PAL) Peter’s enthusiastic invitation. He enjoys Pythian Athletic with inter-lodge activities. very much coming to the Thursday morning meetings as well participating Together with Jerry Rabinovitch, Ted chaired the Israel Bond Campaign especially at Monday afternoon current which included numerous events with very excellent results. events. Ted moved through the various Chairs of the Grand Lodge and in 1967 Phil is so looking forward to become a very was elected Grand Chancellor of the Domain of Quebec. active member and now congratulates the In 1967, Ted began a Jewish Civil Service Career with the Zionist executive and committee members for Organization of Canada, running many events with dignitaries such as their high quality programs and events. Elie Weisel, Chaim Potok, Irwin Kotler, Milton Klein, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, Bora Laskin. Phil is married to Marion Markowitz for 30 years. They have one daughter who As National Director of United Israel Appeal, Ted had an active program just became a psychologist and will be on of fund raising events across Canada, enjoying the company of numerous staff at Harvard. His sons, both lawyers Prime Ministers, including Menachem Begin, Ariel Sharon, Yitzchak are involved in Municipal Government in Rabin, Golda Meir, as well as ministers, including Abba Eban, Moshe DDO and CSL. Marion and Phil have five Dayan, Uzi Narkis and Pinchas Sapir. After a whirlwind few years, Ted grandsons and one granddaughter. became Executive Director of Congregation Beth El in TMR and served Phil enjoys outdoor living in the in that capacity for 12 years. Laurentians and Vermont. He was an avid skier and water skier, tennis player, Ted joined the CSL Men’s Club, Served as 2nd V.P., and was subsequently cyclist and water sports participant and is elected President for two years (2008 to 2010), happily watching the club still an active swimmer. Moreover he loves grow and move to our present home, the ACC on Parkhaven. adventure and has traveled extensively with his family. Ted is presently retired with his wife, Rita, a registered nurse and enjoying the successes of children and grandchildren. Ted’s daughter Barbara is For over forty years, Phil has served on a Nurse Manager at Plantation General Hospital in Florida and son-in- the staff of the Jewish General Hospital law Bruce is a Deputy Police Chief in Florida. Ted’s two sons, Morrie in the Department of Dentistry. He has and Ari are restaurant owners of Burgerbar Crescent in Montreal. finally retired from private practice after Morrie’s wife Lisa is a Chartered Accountant and Ari’s wife Cynthia is sixty (60!!!!!) years. a microbiologist with a Leading pharmaceutical company. Morrie has two sons, Zachary, a scholarship student at Penn State University and He is now well known as the father of the Mathew, a commerce student at McGill University. Ari’s two daughters, Mayor of Cote St. Luc. Charlotte and Juliana, are graduates of HFS and are presently enrolled at WIC on the west island. Page 10 Page 11 Breakfast with our mayor,
Mitch brings people together
Page 12 Mitch Brownstein
ELAINE TAKES PHOTOS ON HER PHONE & THEN SHOWS THEM TO JACK FRANK
Page 13 Page 14
David Birnbaum Député de D’Arcy-McGee Adjoint parlementaire du ministre de l’Éducation et de la ministre de l’Éducation Supérieur
Côte Saint-Luc, November 2017
Dear Friends,
I am always glad to be a part of the Côte Saint-Luc Men’s Club annual bulletin. I am proud to be your MNA, and to thus represent a dynamic and caring association whose constant outreach and topical activities contribute to the rich fabric of Côte Saint-Luc.
Last year was a very successful one for the Men’s Club as it celebrated its 30th anniversary. From hosting Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard -- only one on your list of impressive speakers -- to raising over $400,000 for the Canadian Magen David Adom, to hitting a record number of members, the Club has once again surpassed all expectations. Our society needs more organizations like yours that understand and support their members, find creative ways to keep them stimulated and demonstrate the very best of philanthropy.
I wish you all continued health, happiness and success and look forward to taking part in many more of your activities over the coming years.
All the best. Mazel Tov!
David Birnbaum MNA for D’Arcy-McGee Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Education and the Minister of Higher Education
Hôtel du Parlement Bureau de circonscription 1045, rue des Parlementaires 5800, boulevard Cavendish, bureau 403 Bureau RC 45 Côte-Saint-Luc (Québec) H4W 2T5 Québec (Québec) G1A 1A4 Téléphone : 514 488-7028 Téléphone : 418 528-1960 Télécopieur : 514 488-1713 Télécopieur : 418 643-0183 [email protected] Page 15 SPECIAL INTEREST ACTIVITIES
ART COMPUTER CLASSES MAAC - DRONES PHIL GOLDBERG DAVID HALTRECHT DAVID HALTRECHT 514-481-8704 514-249-8440 514-249-8440
BOWLING CURRENT EVENTS PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS BERYL PELETZ RUBY COBRIN CHARLES EKLOVE 514-488-3032 514-482-6903 514-386-3773
BRIDGE INSTRUCTION FITNESS POKER MOE GROSS HY LAMBERT AL GOLDSTEIN 514-486-2308 514-483-2832 514-488-3580
BRIDGE SUPERVISED CHOIR WRITERS’ WORKSHOP JACK HERSCOVICI PHIL SILVERS MARVIN HERSHORN 514-482-9188 514-488-1611 514-481-1801 FRANK LEMCO 514-484-7162 GOLF HOT STOVE LEAGUE SEYMOUR GREENSPOON BERNIE GREEN 514-486-3917 514-487-1336 HENRY KORMAN PETER ATKIN RUBY FRANKEL LENNIE DORFMAN PARTICIPATE ENJOY NEW FRIENDS WHILE YOU LEARN NEW SKILLS Page 16 QUESTIONING MY FAITH ON KOL NIDRE AND YOM KIPPUR
Kol Nidre is one service I attend every year. Yom Kippur is my High Holiday. For more years than I can remember, I look forward to hear my friend, the Cantor, Gideon Zellermyer. Gideon’s voice is heard on Leonard Cohen’s last album, You Want It Darker. His voice is a delight to my ears but it enters my heart to question my faith as a Christian. Kol Nidre, meaning all vows, is a prayer to release all vows. There was nothing darker than the Holocaust. Yom Kippur is centered on atonement and forgiveness. Again this year I questioned whether the Catholic Church has atoned for and been truly forgiven for scapegoating all Jews, of all times, for the death of Jesus and the accusation of deicide. Guilty is defined as, chargeable with or responsible for a usually grave breach of conduct or a crime. The Church pleads guilty. Can all sins be forgiven? How much forgiveness can we expect from G-d?
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks in the Wall Street Journal writes of The Challenge of Jewish Repentance. He says, from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur, “At no other time do I feel close to G-d and I suspect the same is true for all Jews.” He continues, “These days constitute a courtroom drama like no other. The judge is G-d himself, and we are on trial for our lives. We have admitted the worst about ourselves and survived. Jews see the world in a totally different way. What humans have in common with G-d is freedom and moral responsibility. The real battles are not “out there.” The real religious mystery for Judaism is not our faith in G-d but G-d’s faith in us. Judaism is G-d’s call to human responsibility, to create a world that is a worthy home for His presence. We can discover that, even in a secular age, G-d is still there, open to us whenever we are willing to open ourselves to him.
James Carroll in Constantine’s Sword – The Church And the Jews poses the question: Thinking of the Holocaust and all that led to it, what kind of G-d presides over such a history?
Theism saw G-d as apart from the world, a G-d over and against us, a G-d who intervenes from time to time in history. Today theism is rejected and replaced by panentheism: G-d is in the world and the world is in G-d. After the Holocaust Catholic theologians reinterpreted who G-d is.
On the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of the encyclical Pacem in Terris –Peace on Earth by Pope John XXIIIrd, a group of Catholic thinkers wrote a small book which was a rereading of the encyclical from the perspective of being engaged and committed in Quebec.
Here is an overall reflection of the faith of Catholics: Today committed and engaged Catholics are very sensitive to the sinful structures that marginalize people and cause them to suffer. They believe at the same time that the Spirit of G-d is at work in the real world: It is G-d who allows them to dream of a just and human society, G-d who leads them to be in solidarity with the poor and the oppressed, G-d who causes them to resist the dominant culture, and G-d who calls them to action. The faith of Christians in the Incarnation convinces them that a divine living impulse in history is pushing forth humanity to look for freedom and liberation, and, by their militancy, they participate in the transcendent plan of G-d.
On Yom Kippur my faith was renewed and my commitment was to work with Jews and all people of faith, or of no faith, to bring us closer to G-d in a fractured world and to create a world that is worthy of his presence.
Father John Walsh, Honorary Member Page 17 Robert Libman Speaks to Our Members
Page 18 GETTING OLDER A distraught senior citizen phoned her doctor’s office. “Is it true,” she wanted to know, “that the medication you prescribed has to be taken for the rest of my life?” “’Yes, I’m afraid so,”’ the doctor told her. There was a moment of silence before the lady replied, “I’m wondering, then, just how serious is my condition because this prescription is marked ‘NO REFILLS’..” *********************** An older gentleman was on the operating table awaiting surgery and he insisted that his son, a renowned surgeon, perform the operation. As he was about to get the anesthesia, he asked to speak to his son. “Yes, Dad, what is it?” “Don’t be nervous, son. Do your best, and just remember, if it doesn’t go well, if something happens to me, your mother is going to come and live with you and your wife....” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Aging: Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it. ------The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for. (Mostly because we forgot why we were waiting in line in the first place!!) ------Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me! I want people to know why I look this way. I’ve traveled a long way and some of the roads weren’t paved. ------One of the many things no one tells you about aging is that it is such a nice change from being young. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Ah, being young is beautiful, but being old is comfortable. *********
Page 19 Irving Leiner Mark Fogel At the prodding of As a retiree, Shul acquaintance Joe Mark was Presser, Irving reluctantly agreed looking for a to attend a Men’s Club meeting. way to keep Not knowing very many busy. Luckily members, actively involved with a friend Shul and Golf Club activities, and suggested having a limited knowledge of that he join CSL Men’s Club, “I had visions a wonderful of my youth going out on a blind social club, date with zero expectations”. the Cote St. Unlike my early age dating experiences, (have to be transparent as Luc Men’s my wife will ask questions) joining the club turned out to be a home Club. And he is so happy he did. run. Now he has since discovered a new “I was blown away with the energy of the club and the quality and hobby, drone flying, and especially quantity of programing, that it didn’t take much arm twisting to get enjoys Thursday Morning guest speakers me involved.” Having the political clout to attract the Premier of and also attending the Current Events Quebec to a Men”s Club meeting is testament enough to the high meetings. quality programming that is available to Club members. Born December 9th, 1947 in Montreal Married to Ruth with two children and 4 grandchildren, they Mark attended Montreal Technical School recently celebrated their 50 th wedding anniversary with 100 close and Loyola College and pursued most of friends and family. Irving constantly reminds himself how fortunate his career in pharmaceutical packaging. that both their children and families are still located in Montreal. Almost retired, he still is somewhat involved in the Men’s Wear He has been married to his wife Roslyn for industry. Being an executive and then running his own shirt 44 years. They have two married daughters company for the last 20 years. “I have done my fair share of traveling and four wonderful grandchildren. with frequent business trips to the Orient, Europe U.S.A. and sales trips throughout Canada” Mark has been involved with the St. John Ambulance Brigade for 24 At present he serves on the Board of Directors at Beth Zion and was outstanding years and retired as Regional appointed Nominating Chairman for the current slate of officers and Commissioner for Montreal. Not only Board Members. He just concluded his duties at the very successful this, but he worked as a volunteer for Beth Zion Cantorial Concert as Program Book chairman and five years in the emergency room at the directly involved in the engagement and procurement of the visiting Cantors. Royal Victoria Hospital .In recognition for his public service, Mark was made an A member of Le Diamant Golf Club , and frequent golfer, he officer of the order of St John of Jerusalem convenes a weekly Men’s golf and dinner evening and organizes (sanctioned by Her Majesty Queen monthly social functions and dinners for it’s members. Elizabeth).
Winters in Florida and is looking forward to working with Mannie Mark is a most welcome addition to our Young on future programming. Club.
Page 20 DAVID BIRNBAUM, MNA ADDRESSES OUR CLUB
STATESMAN OR POLITICIAN
David started his talk by defining a “politician” as someone who will tell you what is popular even if it is untrue and a “statesman” will tell you what is true even if it is unpopular. David said he strives to be a statesman.
Before David got into his talk he wanted to let us know that David Birnbaum with David at the podium “he has the greatest respect for Elisabeth Prass, Political Atachee everything the Men’ Club does and for the members understanding of politics.”
He touched on a number of ‘hot’ points of interest to the people, like, “we are getting what we need from the government. Unemployment is at 5.8%. More people are finding their way into the work force. The David Birnbaum speaks to a full house government credit rating is the best its been since 1966. There will be 2000 specialized nurses entering into the health care system.”
Another important issue is that Quebec IS PART OF CANADA and has a place in the government, Quebec is to be recognized.
This one is a real button pusher, An emotional hug from Retired Dr. Harry Shizgal and others “it’s forty years since talk about the Peter Atkin stay after to speak with David Cavendish Extension began, today we are closer then ever before and a target date has been set for November of 2024.” (chew on that one for a while). David is a former journalist at The Gazette and was a Communications Officer at the old Protestant School Board of Greater Montreal.
One of the things David is most proud of is that he was able to have the Men’s Club put on the record in the National Assembly.
Page 21 CARING AND TRUE FRIENDSHIP “THE ESSENCE OF OUR CLUB”
LUNCH WITH GEORGE Left to right seated: Sid Birns, Jack Frank, George Nashen.
Left to right standing: Harry Abramovitch, Archie Katz, Beryl Peletz, Peter Sternberg, Josh Kayson and Jack Lackman.
Who finds a faithful friend, finds a treasure. - Jewish Proverb
The Highest form of Wisdom is kindness. - The Talmud
I ask not for lighter burden, but for broader shoulders. - Jewish Proverb
The only thing better than making a new friend is ... keeping an old one.
Page 22 LUNCH WITH GEORGE
It all started way back when... the time Jack Frank met George Nashen as kids pre WWII.
When the war broke out, Jack enlisted the RCAF and George served his military time in London, England and was there till the end of the war. Both men re-entered civilian life and both became successful business men and raised their families. When they both retired, they both joined the Cote Saint Luc Senior Men’s Club and then began a new era. There were six of us and it was at one of the Thursday meetings, maybe about five or six years back, that we all got together and came up with the idea of getting together for breakfast every Friday morning.
It was Beryl Peletz, Archie Katz, Josh Kayson, Jack Frank, George Nashen and Sid Birns. The unofficial name of the group was, “the Breakfast Clubbers”, our purpose was to just get together, have fun, enjoy conversation and a bit of camaraderie... and that’s how it all began.
Came the winter months and the six of us all ‘migrated’ to Florida to avoid the winter winds and snows of Montreal and that became known as Cote Saint Luc South. Funny thing about the Breakfast Club.... the fun we were having got out to the point where three more joined us, Peter Sternberg, Harry Abramovitch and Jack Lackman. And now we are nine and that’s when we decided to keep it at nine.
Well, as time always does, it takes its toll on the human body, fewer and fewer were able to return to Florida, which brings us to current times. George Nashen had an unfortunate accident which put him in the hospital. After a couple of tough months George is now in physical therapy. Beryl Peletz came up with the idea of having a breakfast at the Richardson Center where George was doing his therapy. We checked it out and were able to come up with a lunch instead of a breakfast. Plans were made and it all came together for Friday the 13th. On that Friday, we arrived a tad early, made our way to the second floor cafeteria and took the table to the far left of the room. We left the seat at the head of the table for George. About eight to ten minutes later George came rolling in, in his wheel chair to a rousing round of applause, for us to see that big smile on his face as he arrived at the table.
As he settled in, he said, “hold on, I have something to say, I want to thank you all for coming.” Then he started to move away from the head of the table and said “I’m going to sit in the middle of the table so we can talk much easier” and that’s when it started. The kibitzing, the friendly verbal jousting began, all in good fun. That’s when we all realized how much George was missed. He was usually the one who got us started on fun conversation, as well as controversial issues. The time went quickly and too soon it was time for George to get back to his physio and us to get back to whatever it is we do as retirees. So, before George had to leave, we decided to take a group photo with our ‘thumbs up’ for George’s quick recovery and our promise to return for maybe a brunch, and with that Beryl got behind George’s wheel chair and headed towards the elevator... “be well George.” Page 23 Dr. Miguel Burnier starts the tour of the McGill Ocular Pathology Lab
The wonderful, patient, knowledgeable staff lead us through the tour and introduce us to the fascinating work and state-of-the-art equipment.
LEFT PHOTO: Special thanks to father and son, both Drs. Miguel Burnier for this excellent tour of the McGill Ocular Pathology Lab.
Time for questions after the tour Page 24 INTERMEDIATE ART WITH PHIL GOLDBERG
Left to right : Eli Moscovitch, Harry Retter, Jay Kasenel, Mark Kotler, standing next to Mark, Phil Goldberg Instructor, and Wayne Hodgins concentrating on their art.
Mark Kotler gets a bit of close scrutiny from Instructor Phil Goldberg.
Jay Kazenel, putting the finishing touches to his creation.
INTERMEDIATE???
Some of these so called intermediate paintings could be in the category of professional and that is the opinion of Deep into their art, left to right, Eli Moscovitch, the members and friends who come to see the finished Harry Retter, Mark Kotler and Phil Goldberg. works of these artists.
To think they never touched a paint brush before until they got into Phil Goldberg’s art class and to have achieved this level of artistic ability, is outstanding.
One of the benefits of spending their time at the easel, is, that they can relax into what they are creating and leave all their aches and pains behind and enjoy the moment. Page 25 National War Veterans
Left to right: Harold Yankovitch, Allen Rubin, Hy Lambert, Syd Kronish, Bernie Green, Jason Ingram, Peter Atkin, Sid Birns, Jack Frank, Syd Barnett
MILITARY TRADITION
Jason Ingram was born in St. Marys, Ontario in 1972. He comes from a very, very dedicated military family which started with his great grandfather, his grandfather and his father and then his older brother, and now Jason. Jason’s choice was the “family legacy, Artillery, specifically the triple 7.”
He is currently working as the Recruitment Sgt., for his regiment as well as a detachment Second In Command (2 IC). He is also an instructor for new recruits.
Jason’s brother served in Afghanistan and when his brother returned from his tour of duty, he had to deal with what is called PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). His father took over and got him through a very tough time.
WWII, as compared to todays wars, are two different worlds of war. In WWII, you knew and saw your enemy, not today, the enemy doesn’t wear a uniform, there are no front lines and you never know if the person you are looking at down the sight of your rifle is a civilian or an enemy. That plays havoc with your mind and that puts real stress in making a decision as to shoot or not to shoot.
On the lighter side, Jason enjoys talking to school kids about the Armed Forces, especially this time of the year, Remembrance Day because members of the Armed Forces are recognized for their service to the country. One thing is for sure, Jason loves being in the military and is proud to be able to carry on to maintain his family’s tradition. Page 26 JUDGE MICHAEL STOBER TELLS US WHEN TO BE SILENT Left photo: Michael Stober waiting to speak.
Right photo: Michael Stober enjoyed the reaction of the audience.
Left photo: The best training in Judge Michael Stober selecting jurors as a answering questions lawyer, was not from the from a receptive input of psychologists, audience but, from his experience driving a taxi and traveling, And a funny thing about driving a taxi, said Justice Michael Stober as he addressed members of the Cote St. Luc “when we got to my apartment, he grabbed me and Senior Men’s Club, was, that he made more money in said something to me.” She was then asked, “what did a week driving a taxi then he did as a beginner lawyer. he say?” She replied, “I can’t say it in court.” She was Often he would hear the views of his passengers, asked again, and again she repeated that she couldn’t sometimes it was more then he needed to know, but his say it in court. Justice Stober said to her, “it’s OK to taxi experiences taught him to understand people and say it, we’ve heard it all.” But, she refused to say what that is an important part of being a Judge. it was that he said. Justice Stober then asked for a piece of paper and pencil so that she could write it At some point in every lawyers life, he gets a call, “the down, which she finally did. The piece of paper was police are at my door with a warrant, what should I then handed to Justice Stober, who read it then sent do?” As your client, you can inform them that they do it to the jurors to read. By that time, everybody in not have to say anything, that they have the “right to be the courtroom knew was written on the paper. The silent/” And that right continues right up to the day of first juror read it then passed it to the next juror who trial. The right to silence has been in effect since 1982.... then passed it to the man next to him, he then tried every client has his or her right to exercise their right to to pass it to the woman next to him, she didn’t take silence. it, he turned, realized she was snoozing, he nudged her awake then gave her the piece of paper, she read In closing, the Justice told of this very funny incident it and immediately slapped his face and the whole about a woman who was charging a man she had invited courtroom broke up laughing. to her apartment, with a ‘proposition’. Once on the stand, she was asked to relate what happened. She said, And that was a great way to end a day in court. Page 27 Ernest Shapiro Moe Gross After retirement,My name is Mundek, with more spare time, (Moe Gross). Ernest Shapiro joined the CSL Men’s Club I was born in Lwow, because as he states, Poland, in 1932. In 1939 its popularity and the when Germany invaded nice people in it. Poland, none of the Jewish children were allowed to Ernest attended go to school. In 1942, my Strathcona Academy city became Juden Frei. We had to find a place to and then McGill hide and we did survive. University, obtaining In July 1944, the Russian army came to save us. However, in a degree in Electrical Engineering in 1954, also 1944, the Nazis killed my father. spending 2 wonderful years in England. Ernest went on to become a partner in Britton Electric, which My mother, my 10 year old sister and I immigrated to Austria is still one of the leading contracting companies in 1945. We lived in Austria for about 3 years and in 1947 today. we were required to leave, to USA, Canada, Israel, Australia or whichever country would take us. We came to Montreal. He married Beverly Moss in 1957. They have three children - two sons and a daughter and are proud My mother remarried to a very nice man and he was very grandparents of 7 grandchildren , five of whom are nice and supported us all the way. When I was 16, I found in University , two in Medical School. a job as a furrier. I worked and later went into business for myself. I got married at the age of 19. I retired in 1988. Ernest was involved with the Cote St. Luc Seniors’ Gardens. He was on the Board Chateau Collins In 1996, I joined Hol-Survivors and stayed for 5 years. In Condominium for over 30 years. 2012, I joined the Cote Saint Luc Men’s Club and have been a member since then. It is one of the greatest clubs. I got to In Florida, he worked on the Canadian parties at know many people and to make very good friends. I gave Gleneagles, his country club, as well as helping myself a new job helping others to get where I am. I took with Special Olympics. He even arranged a 100th many positions in the club to help each and every one in Birthday for a tennis player . the club. I am active helping Israel, my family, the Jewish Community and every one who I can. Ernest plays tennis, bridge, swims. Moreover he loves to walk with his wife. He especially enjoys In the club for the last few years they have done many, many things for me and all the others. I lost my wife 10 years ago. brain-challenging games such as sudoku, free-cell The club gives me the opportunity to enjoy and live a great wonderword and crossword puzzles. life for me and for my family. By now, I have lost all of my previous family and Hashem has replaced them with others As far as club experiences and expectations , Ernest who treat me like my family. enjoys day trips , movies, speakers, bridge and current events. He wishes that activities at the club I am very greatful to Hashem to be in this position. keep going on as great as they are at the present time. With great thanks and love, Moe Gross.
Page 28 BRIDGE INSTRUCTION IS TAUGHT BY MOE GROSS. SUPERVISED BRIDGE IS RUN BY JACK HERSCOVICI.
Since the 1930’s, Bridge has been one of the most popular card games in the world. There are more books about bridge than any other game, except chess. It is a fascinating pastime and many people take up the card game when they retire. Many men start playing bridge in their 60’s, through to their 90’s. At these ages, learning this new skill takes patience and practice. Moe says “I am lucky because, in this club, when the men come to learn bridge and they have the necessary patience to practice”. They love to play because they have a good time and together they learn how to analyze their hand and how to play it. Every hand is different and is an adventure. You have to think about your best move and how to communicate that to your partner. The practice of Bridge keeps your mind sharp which gives you better means to enjoy your golden years. It is one of the really great pleasures in life.
Wherever you go, you can make new friends at the Bridge table.
WRITER’S WORKSHOP LEAD BY MARVIN HERSHORN AND FRANK LEMCO.
This Writer’s Workshop is for members who write, or want to write, either poetry or prose. The idea is not to be critical but supportive, reinforcing and constructive. The philosophy of the group is to allow each member to improve, refine and develop their writing skills to their fullest capacity. The discussions, the prose and poetry presented by the participants at our inaugural meeting was at a very sophisticated level. The interaction, the respectful exchange of ideas, the intellectual stimulation was rewarding. We plan to publish an anthology of our work. This will be another reflection of the important work our club does to make our retirement years meaningful and rewarding. For further information you may contact either Marvin Herhorn 514-481-1801 or Frank Lemco at 514-484-7162. Manny Hershorn, Wayne Hodgins, Walter Perry and Frank Lemco. Frank is handing out some of the work to be read. Page 29 Random thoughts (oops hits too close to home!!)
*I don't trip over things, I do random gravity checks!
*I don't need anger management. I need people to stop making me mad!
*Old age is coming at a really bad time!
*When I was a child I thought Nap Time was a punishment, now, as a grown up, it just feels like a small vacation!
*The biggest lie I tell myself is: "I don't need to write that down, I'll remember it."
*Lord grant me the strength to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the friends to post my bail when I finally snap!
*I don't have gray hair. I have "wisdom highlights". I'm just very wise.
*My people skills are just fine. It's my tolerance to idiots that needs work.
*Teach your daughter how to shoot, because a restraining order is just a piece of paper.
*If God wanted me to touch my toes, he would've put them on my knees.
*The kids text me "plz" which is shorter than please. I text back "NO" which is shorter than "YES".
*I'm going to retire and live off of my savings. Not sure what I'll do that second week.
*I've lost my mind and I'm pretty sure my kids took it.
*Even duct tape can't fix stupid ... but it can muffle the sound!
*Of course I talk to myself, sometimes I need expert advice.
*At my age "Getting lucky" means walking into a room and remembering what I came in there for.
Page 30 POKER WITH AL GOLDSTEIN I’m looking for poker players for Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday evenings. Seven card poker or seven card hi-low poker game.
Ladies are welcome.
Come, have some fun, from 6:30 to 9:45pm. For further information call: Al Goldstein 514 488-3580.
DRONES WITH DAVID HALTRECHT
Learn to fly quad-copters course.
We start with basics of safety and flying then concentrate on hands-on learning flying. We have access to indoor flying in the ACC and outdoor flying in Wager and Kirwan fields, all authorized by the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of Cote Saint-Luc.
Advanced course extends the flying experience including flying figure of eights, obstacle course, first person view (FPV).
A “build your own quad-copter offers us a chance to understand the interaction of the components of a quad-copter and the satisfaction of flying your own craft.
We will introduce a program of guest speakers and visits to other quad-copter clubs.
Page 31 Thursday Morning Speakers
Our main objective is to attract world class leaders in their fields and I think we have accomplished this as is evidenced by the speakers who have come to the Men’s Club. We are fortunate to have people from such diversified fields as medicine, journalism, sports, human interest, law and law enforcement, science. Many speakers are greatly impressed with the Men’s Club and have asked to come back for a return visit.
Visits have also been arranged to see the speakers in their work environment. For example, Dr. Miguel Burnier, a world famous ophthalmologist, gave an outstanding presentation on the work being done by his lab. He was so impressed with the Men’s Club, that he invited us to his visit his lab on July 26. This was an event that we will not soon forget.
I would like to thank David Haltrecht, Peter Atkin, and our devoted members for the great success we have enjoyed.
Front Row Left to Right: Peter Atkin, Bernie Green, Lennie Dorfman
Back Row Left to Right: Syd Kronish, Captain Jimmy Indig
HOT STOVE LEAGUE
Conceived in 1939 as a way to keep audiences warm during intermissions, the Hot Stove League brought well-known hockey writers together in a small studio to gab about the game on Hockey Night in Canada radio broadcasts. The popular segment eventually made the move to television before being shelved in 1957. We have our own Hot Stove League and it is extremely popular with our members. Coordinated by Peter Atkin, Bernie Green and Lenny Dorfman, we meet every Tuesday from 9:00am to 10:30 in the Seniors Lounge. No topic is off limits in the wonderful wide world of sports. Occasionally we invite a sports reporter or an athlete, not as a guest speaker, but as “one of the boys” to participate in the discussion. You don’t have to be an avid sports fan to participate in the discussions because we not only discuss games and teams, we discuss the human side of sports, such as the affect the sport has on the athlete and his/her family. Pat Hickey and Stu Cowan, prominent sportswriters with the Montreal Gazette, have joined in our discussions. So come and spend an enjoyable time and have a cup of coffee, courtesy of our captain, Jimmy Indig. Page 32 CURRENT EVENTS DISCUSSION GROUP
Wow! What a success. From a fledgling group of never more than 10 to 12 members we have grown to as many as 100 or more men meeting every Monday afternoon at 2pm, at the ACC to discuss all the issues of the day, political or otherwise, be they local, national or global. There is never a shortage of material to debate and always time for a little humour too.... We are blessed having members with varied professional backgrounds. Doctors, dentists, pharmacists, lawyers, a judge, university professors, just to mention a few, which makes for very interesting discussions. At this time I would like to thank Jimmy Indig for his tireless help in organizing the logistics, i.e., tables, chairs and microphones every week and David Haltrecht for standing in for me during my 2 last hospital stays this year. Lastly, thanks to all of you that have participated and hopefully will continue to do so.
Ruby Cobrin Chairman Discussion Group Page 33 Questions and Answers from A Senior Forum of CARP
Q: Where can single men over the age of 70 find younger women who are interested in them? A: Try a bookstore, under Fiction.
Q: What can a man do while his wife is going through menopause? A: Keep busy. If you’re handy with tools, you can finish the basement. When you’re done, you will have a place to live.
Q: How can you increase the heart rate of your over 70 year old husband? A: Tell him you’re pregnant.
Q: How can you avoid that terrible curse of the elderly wrinkles? A: Take off your glasses.
Q: Why should 70-plus year old people use valet parking? A: Valets don’t forget where they park your car.
Q: Is it common for 70-plus year olds to have problems with short term memory stor- age? A: Storing memory is not a problem. Retrieving it is the problem.
Q: As people age, do they sleep more soundly? A: Yes, but usually in the afternoon.
Q: Where should 70-plus year olds look for eye glasses? A: On their foreheads.
Q: What is the most common remark made by 70-plus year olds when they enter an- tique stores? A: “Gosh, I remember these!”
SMILE: You’ve still got your sense of humor, haven’t you?
Page 34 GOLF WITH SEYMOUR GREENSPOON
IF IT’S TUESDAY IT MUST BE RAINING
Seymour Greenspoon, chairman of the Men’s Club golf group, has been having an ongoing prayer to not rain on Tuesdays because that’s the day they usually try to play golf, weather permitting. And there lies the rub.
Every time, well almost every time Seymour gets up to make a golf report at our Thursday morn- ing meeting it’s usually, “well we were rained out again.” He’s been getting requests to change the day, maybe that will change from rain to sun, who knows?
So today we wanted to get a group photo of all of the golfers and what do you know it turned out to be an absolutely beautiful day for golf. What else, it was a TUESDAY.
FITNESS WITH HY LAMBERT
Are you feeling down, slow, lazy sleepy??
Then come to the fitness class, on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, starting at 9:30 am and finishing at 10:30 am. We guarantee you will be wide awake and feeling great after the hour.
The classes are held at the Aquatic & Community Centre and the instructor is Anne. And this young lady really knows her business.
It is a co-ed class and we have about 26 attending. The cost for an entire year is $70.00. So come on over. You’ll have fun and you’ll leave feeling great.
For information, please call: Hy Lambert, 514 483-2834.
Page 35 PUSHKA, PUSHKE, OR PISHKA
...... it doesn’t matter how you spell it, it’s the end result of what you do with the contents that counts. From the Polish word, puszka, which means tin can or a box in the home or synagogue, which was used to collect money for donations to the poor, pishka became the Yiddish word for any kind of container to collect money to be used for charitable donations.
So, when a group of guys decided to break away from the Cote Saint Luc ladies Social Club back in 1987 and form the CSL Senior Men’s Club, that’s when newly appointed club president, Lou Zimmerman along with rest of the members decided to have a “pushke” to collect money to help fellow members in need.
Ultimately the money from the pushke was no longer needed for the members and that’s when Syd Barnett took over the managing of the distribution of the money at the end of a years collection. Syd started out by making a Chanukah party at the Miriam Home and continues doing it to this day. Enough money is collected each year to be split up and given to other needy organizations as well as Miriam Home.
So now you know the rest of the story, wherever this ‘box, tin can, glass jar, plastic container’ sits and whatever loose change or large bills you feel like putting into the box, the money will go to help those in need and you will be doing a great mitzvah. The pushke will smile up at you and give you a Yasher Koach from all those who benefit from your gift.
Irving Merovitz (left) is shown as he puts in whatever spare change or bills he has which is split up and goes to a few charitable organizations at the end of the year. Looking on at right is Syd Barnett, “keeper of the Pushke”.
Seen here, Syd Barnett, an eighteen year member of the Cote St. Luc Senior Men’s Club, and “keeper of the Club’s Pushke”, started the Chanukah party at the Miriam Home and has been doing it for the past ten years. Along with the Pushke, Syd holds a photo of those that helped with making the Miriam Home Chanukah party successful.
Page 36 PHOTOGRAPHY WITH CHARLES EKLOVE See the beauty of the world around you with a fresh photographer’s view.
Charles Eklove, Instructor, clarifies a point. The class focuses on the material. We have a great time. We cover the principals and the techniques of how to create wonderful photos. We share our ideas and enthusiasm. We grow together and with the help of each other. All levels of experience are welcome. If you need help to become familiar with your camera, we provide assistance outside of class time. Members and partners are welcome and encouraged to come. Join us, have a fun filled class, and learn how to create photos that are meaningful to you. Students bring their photos for ideas and inspiration (see below).
Herb Cobrin Larry Eisen
After class, many stay to Irwin Glazer share notes and ideas.
Page 37
HE MAY BE BLIND BUT...
....you would never know it by all the things Yves Tougas has accomplished.
What it really amounts to is, being blind since he was eighteen years old, has not stopped Yves from trying and doing anything he sets his mind to do.
Speaking to an enthralled audience.
Yves comes from a small town of about three thousand and loved sports and was definitely not prepared for what happened to him when Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy disease attacked his optic nerve and robbed him of his precious eyesight.
Yves works the speed bag, which ironically, So, what to do now, he felt like he was a kid again, is supposed to train Hand - eye coordination. having to learn how to read again, by brail, how to walk, it was like starting life all over again. He moved to the “big” city, Montreal, and coming from a small town, he then had to learn how to take buses, take the subway, learn how to cross the streets, all with the use of a cane and all of his senses, other than sight. Keeping physically fit is important to Yves and thats why he turned to boxing as a way to stay fit. He teamed up with a trainer and during sessions is able to box with precision by listening to the different sounds the trainer makes during these training sessions.
Sky diving, massage therapist, hosting a television show where he travels the world finding local delicacies to eat and describe to the television audiences what each dish tastes like, just to mention a “few” of his accomplishments, which are still on-going.
All this, to Yves, is ‘normal’, and as he explained to Senior Men’s Club members at the Thursday morning meeting, “if I can do this, just imagine all the things you can do.”
Yves Tougas is thanked by Peter Atkin. Page 38 MUSIC AND SONG - OUR CHOIR WITH PHIL SILVERS
Two hours of fun and song...it’s amazing what those two hours can do to ones mental well being. The old saying, “music hath charm to soothe the savage breast”, fits well here.
The Cote St. Luc Senior Men’s club songsters along with wives and lady friends were at the Aquatic Community Centre where they practice every Monday night under the magic baton of Maestro Phil Silvers.
This fun group had a wonderful time singing songs and following the music as they followed Maestro Silvers through their music book of old time favorites.
During the music break one of the club members captured the feeling of the group when he said that he felt this was the best two hours of therapy in his week.
MUSICAL HANDS HELP KEEP THE CHOIR IN HARMONY Page 39 Wish I could have had comebacks like these. NUMBER 1: Policeman Testifying in Court If you ever testify in court, you might wish you could have been as sharp as this policeman. He was being cross-examined by a defense attorney during a felony trial. The lawyer was trying to undermine the police officer’s credibility. Q: ‘Officer - did you see my client fleeing the scene ?’ A: ‘No, sir. But I subsequently observed a person matching the description of the offender, running several blocks away.’ Q: ‘Officer, who provided this description ?’ A: ‘The officer who responded to the scene.’ Q: ‘A fellow officer provided the description of this so-called offender. Do you trust your fellow officers?’ A: ‘Yes, sir. With my life.’ Q: ‘With your life ? Let me ask you this then, officer. Do you have a room where you change your clothes in preparation for your daily duties?’ A: ‘Yes sir, we do !’ Q: ‘And do you have a locker in the room?’ A: ‘Yes, sir, I do.’ Q: ‘And do you have a lock on your locker?’ A: ‘Yes, sir.’ Q: ‘Now, why is it, officer, if you trust your fellow officers with your life, you find it necessary to lock your locker in a room you share with these same officers?’ A: ‘You see, sir, we share the building with the court complex, and sometimes lawyers have been known to walk through that room.’ The courtroom EXPLODED with laughter, and a prompt recess was called.
NUMBER 2: Now We Know Why He Was a General - In an interview, General Norman Schwartzkopf was asked if he thought there was room for forgiveness toward the people who have harbored and abetted the terrorists who perpetrated the 9/11 attacks on America. His answer was classic Schwartzkopf. The General said, “I believe that forgiving them is G-d’s function . . . OUR job is to arrange the meeting.”
NUMBER 3: Dana Perino (FOX News) describing an interview she recently had with a Navy SEAL. After discussing all the countries that he had been sent to, she asked if they had to learn several languages? “Oh, no ma’am. We don’t go there to talk.”
NUMBER 4: Conversation overheard on the VHF Guard (emergency) frequency 121.5 MHz while flying from Europe to Dubai. Iranian Air Defense Site: ‘Unknown aircraft, you are in Iranian airspace. Identify yourself.’ Aircraft: ‘This is a United States aircraft. I am in Iraqi airspace.’ Air Defense Site: ‘You are in Iranian airspace. If you do not depart our airspace, we will launch interceptor aircraft!’ Aircraft: ‘This is a United States Marine Corps FA-18 Fighter. Send ‘em up, I’ll wait !’ Air Defense Site: ( . . Total silence.)
Page 40 Celebrating his 89th birthday by holding a paper boat called the “Ship of Life”, given to him by a ‘club within a club’, The Breakfast Clubbers. The nine members of breakfast goers wished him a Happy 89th birthday with good health and many, many more.
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?
Beryl Peletz, a member of the Cote St. Luc Senior Men’s Club said “so I’m celebrating my 89th birthday and you want to know how I got to be 89, its simple....first off, eat healthy, everything in moderation and secondly, which is really important, is exercise”.
I get up at five every morning and by six I’m at the gym (they open at 6 am) and I put in an hour on the walking machine and do this five days a week, come home, take a shower, sit down and have a nice quiet breakfast, drink my cup of coffee read the Gazette and then I’m ready to start my day.
So you ask, what do I do every day now that I’ve been retired these many years, well, it’s a funny thing, I seem to be busier now that I’m not working, then when I was working. All in all, I consider myself fortunate enough to be able to enjoy what “they” call THE GOLDEN YEARS.
If anyone is interested in picking my brain to learn more about longevity join me for a cup of coffee at the MacDonald’s in the Cote St. Luc mall....I go there every so often because I enjoy the early morning quiet.” Page 41 Sol Boxenbaum While attending high school in Montreal in the 1950s I developed an ambition to work on radio. While my classmates prepared to further their education in pursuit of academic degrees, I instead enrolled in a CBS radio course in broadcasting. Upon completion of my course I wrote to out-of-town radio stations in the hopes of arranging an audition. One by one the stations responded by asking me to contact them when I had on-air experience. It is noteworthy that at that time Cornwall, Ontario was a small town and the St. Lawrence Seaway did not even exist. St. Jerome, Quebec was a small town with a 10 000 watt station. Towns like Malartic, Val D’Or, Rouyn, Noranda, Quebec and Kirkland Lake, Ontario were certainly not booming metropolises expecting experienced announcers. So if one couldn’t gain experience there, then where?
Thus began the odyssey that would have me spend most of my adult life as a salesman. Why not? I had the gift of gab and I would use it in one form or another. There are many doors to the world of entertainment. Along the way I had made many attempts to put my extroverted persona into different lifestyles. I worked for four years as a standup comic, two years as a booking agent for dancers, and another couple of years managing singers and song writers. During and after Expo I owned, with a partner, a coffee house in downtown Montreal. In 1972, I formed a production company and produced concerts in venues from Sir George Williams University to the Montreal Forum and Place des Arts. In the end, although we were friendly competitors, I could not continue to compete with Donald Tarleton (Donald K. Donald) and went back to what I did best, sales. In 1982 I moved to Regina, Saskatchewan because the economy in Quebec had been going consistently downhill since the 70’s.
In 1995, I was approached by a director of the Canadian Mental Health Association (Sask.) to found an organization to trace the origin of gambling addiction and to develop prevention strategies that might alert the public to the inherent dangers of legalized gambling. In order to learn as much as possible within a limited time frame, I began to attend Gambling and Risk-Taking Conferences across Canada. At these conferences I was fortunate to meet the most learned psychologists and researchers of the time, experts who were lecturing on the various aspects of gambling addiction and the prevention and treatment of gambling addiction. As a result of these efforts, I developed a network of world-wide contacts, meeting many highly qualified professionals who were willing to share their knowledge with me. As a result of my passion to protect innocent people from falling prey to the advertising campaigns put forward by the provincial governments of Canada, along with my ability to speak publicly and knowledgeably at International conferences I was soon sought out by various agencies requesting that I present my expertise on radio, on television, in newspapers, and in magazines.
One such opportunity had been a monthly guest appearance on the John Rossy show speaking as an expert on gambling addiction. After John Rossy passed away in 2005, I was able to convince the station to continue a talk-show that would provide an outreach centre for addicts in the middle of the night. In 2006, CJAD aired the first edition of Last Call With Sol. The program remained on air until February 2010. At that time, despite its high ratings and a more than ample sponsorship, the show was cancelled by the station due to management changes in terms of format. Bring a Friend. Come Join the Club. Get Involved. It can make your Life Better.
Page 42 Paraprosdokians
are figures of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected and is frequently humorous. (Winston Churchill loved them).
1. Where there’s a will, I want to be in it.
2. The last thing I want to do is hurt you .. but it’s still on my list
3. Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
4. If I agreed with you, we’d both be wrong.
5. We never really grow up -- we only learn how to act in public.
6. War does not determine who is right, only who is left.
7. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
8. To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.
9. I didn’t say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.
10. In filling out an application, where it says, “In case of emergency, notify...” I answered “a doctor.”
11. Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut and still think they are sexy.
12. You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.
13. I used to be indecisive, but now I’m not so sure.
14. To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.
15. You’re never too old to learn something stupid.
16. I’m supposed to respect my elders, but it’s getting harder and harder for me to find one now.
Page 43 NIGHT EVENTS FOR 2017 - BY MANNIE YOUNG This past year the CSL Men’s Club was treated Jewish population who had come to this city to no fewer than seven outstanding night events before the war. It was interesting, during and as in past years, the ever popular Casino question period, to hear the remarks of the Luncheon. “Greeners”.
It all started in Florida, January 17th, when Jan Andrew Toeman brought his “GOOD Kasoff, an award winning NBC cameraman, BUDDIES” to perform at the ACC on May 17th. took us behind the scenes at Saturday Night Live. Almost 300 people enjoyed the seven member He took us through the difficult steps to produce vocal and instrumental ensemble performing SNL, especially the dedicated work of the songs of the Folk Music Revival popularized by cameramen. In a video, he even showed Sinain such artists as the Weavers and The Kingston O’Connor tearing up a picture of the Pope. Trio. The group accompany themselves with a variety of string instruments. The finale was February 15th, 250 members and wives highlighted by ark Bassel bringing everyone to and guests checked in at the Fresh Harvest their feet and joining in to sing Leonard Cohen’s Restaurant at the Seminole Casino for our “Halleluyah”. yearly Casino Luncheon. The choice of food was outstanding as usual. There was more than Danny Kaye made a visit to our club on June enough to satisfy everyone’s likes right down 13th. Again nearly 300 people attended. David to the fabulous deserts. The entertainment was Novak presented “The Kid From Brooklyn”, supplied by Ian Cooney, a singer, guitar player celebrating the career of Danny Kaye. His who played songs of every generation and that is presentation took us on a laugh-filled look at how you finish off a great afternoon. the career of possibly the greatest all-around entertainer of our time, showing clips of his PinkSlip Duo, a harmony driven duo of Bill most popular movies and a hilarious TV special. Bowen & Joan Friedenberg brought us “The Life “Breaking News”: David will be back next year & Sounds of Simon & Garfunkel” on February with a presentation featuring Barbara Streisand. 27th at a packed house at Le Club in Century Village. This duo distinguishes itself by unique Movie night this year on July 11th, was attended arrangements, maintaining a simple mellow by a record 340 people. The film “Second Time sound of two folksingers. Moreover we were able Around” won the best picture award at the to sing along with them as they projected the Jewish Film Festival in Palm Beach this year. In words of the songs onto a giant screen. this heartwarming story full of hope, dreams and second chances, two seniors meet and discover Back in Montreal, our “night events” were all that it is never too late to fall in love again. very, very, very well attended with almost 300 Katherine Mitchell and Isaac Shapiro warm guests at each function. to each other over their shared love of music. Against unforeseen obstacles, their love blooms. It all started April 26th with the documentary We were also very fortunate to have with us that “Nobody Was Interested, Nobody Asked”. Max evening the director of the film, Mr. Leon Marr. Bier and Dina Delusy explained by videos how the Holocaust survivors, who came specifically to Montreal after 1945, were treated by the Page 44 THANKS FROM MANNIE YOUNG
I have always said that there is no “I” in the word “Team”. I would like to thank all the members of the “TEAM” that helped make this past year the most successful night events in the 30 years of our club history.
Ticket Sales: Peter Sternberg & Ken Bessner Ticket Collector: Jimmy Indig Technical Advisor: David Haltrecht Refreshments: Jack Lackman & his dedicated volunteers Flyers and Tickets: The Incomparable Jack Frank & Charles Eklove
Your help was greatly appreciated. Merci a tous.
Mannie Young Florida & Night Event Chairman
CALLING THE POLICE WHEN YOU’RE OLD, AND YOU DON’T MOVE FAST ANYMORE
George Phillips, an elderly man from Walled Lake, Michigan, was going to bed, when his wife told him that he had left the light on in the garden shed, which she could see from the bedroom window.
George opened the back door to go turn off the light but saw that there were people in the shed stealing things. He phoned the police.
The police asked George: “Is someone in your house?” George said “No but some people are breaking into my garden shed and stealing from me”. Then the police dispatcher said “All patrols are busy, you should lock your doors and an officer will be along when one is available”. George said, “Okay.”
He hung up the phone and counted to 30. Then he phoned the police again “Hello, I just called you a few seconds ago because there were people stealing things from my shed. Well, you don’t have to worry about them now because I just shot and killed them both. The dogs are eating them right now,” and he hung up. Within five minutes, six Police Cars, a SWAT Team, a Helicopter, two Fire Trucks, a Paramedic and an Ambulance showed up at the Phillips’ residence and caught the burglars red-handed.
One of the Policemen said to George, “I thought you said that you’d shot them!”
George said, “I thought you said there was nobody available!”
Don’t mess with old people. A few chuckles for seniors.
Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Walter Perry Henry Geniele WALTER PERRY, When Henry who has been called Geniele finally a keyboard visionary retired, he missed and a satirical rogue his guys. The with an eclectic many men of the past, has been writing, CSLMC was a ghost writing and great replacement. publishing since Henry is a self- 1972. His plays have made man. been performed internationally on He left school to stage, radio and help his family network TV. when his older brothers went into the service. Henry started out selling paper products. Perry, who penned Montreal’s first regular computer and high-technology column in the 1980s, has also worked His business acumen led him to look for other as a speech writer for the public and private sectors. His products. He was the first person in Canada to produce work has appeared in mainstream media such as The the white molded chairs you have seen everywhere New York Times, Rolling Stone, National Lampoon, for so many years. At one time his company, Tye- Heavy Metal, Playboy, Utne Reader, The Star, The Gazette, Sil, had 5 plants and employed over 1000 people. Montreal Magazine, CP Empress, Airmag Via Nordair, The Henry supported Sheila Kussner when she started London Free Press, News of the World, Everyman, NBC- Hope and Cope. He donated 100 wheelchairs to TV, CFPL and suchlike. He has interviewed celebrities the JGH. You will find Henry’s name in support of ranging from rock stars like John Lennon and Bruce many organizations. But his greatest passion has Springsteen to political figures such as Jimmy Carter, Bill been skiing. For over 70 years he skied every hill he Clinton, Cyrus Vance and David Lewis. could in Canada, USA, Europe, South America and reluctantly hung up his skis in 2015. CHILDREN: Justin (deceased), Juliana and James-David. Henry has 3 children and 2 grandsons. His wife Lila EDUCATION: B.A. Loyola College, M.A. in Media Studies died in 1993. He has been with Evelyn Shrier for 23 and Post-Grad Diploma in Applied Social Sciences, years. Concordia University.
SIGNIFICANT DATE: May 21.
Special Thanks to Jack Lackman and his Hospitality Committee. Jack is up before the birds awaken. He goes to the bakery for fresh bread and bagels, then he goes to buy cream cheese, herring and milk. He makes sure that the bagels are prepared, the baskets are filled and the coffee urns are ready to go, so that your breakfast experience will be the best for you.
Jack is consistent and has been doing this for us, for a long time. This is the fundamental spirit that enables this club to function ... VOLUNTEERS. We should all appreciate the work of the volunteers. Help maintain and improve the service, step up to the plate and VOLUNTEER.
Page 49 Page 50 Getting Ready To Go To Tremblant
Views of the Village and of the changing fall colours
Page 51 Stephen Tabacman Martin Isaif Stephen joined the Martin M. Isaif, CSL Men’s Club MBA, CPA, CA to stay active and meet new people. Martin is married to the And this certainly former Sandra Schwartz, for 45 years and they have two this has paid off for married daughters, Shari him. He attends married to Fred Corey and and enjoys the Lori married to Tim Fleiszer general meetings. and three grand children. He loves talking to members from Martin joined the Men’s Club all different fields of work , learning from these upon the recommendation of many longtime friends and people every day. being retired gave him the opportunity since he had “time on my hands.” Stephen is married to Bonnie Cohen for forty nine years. His daughter Melissa lives in Toronto He obtained an MBA degree from Syracuse University in with husband Joshua Yarmus. They have 3 1972, obtained CA designation in 1977. Joined Crowe BGK, children. His son Jeffrey lives in Dollard Des LLP (formerly Bessner Gallay Kreisman) in 1973, admitted Ormeaux and is married to Erin Mariasine and to Partnership in 1981 until retirement in 2015. Remains as they have 2 children. a consultant to date. Martin was into volunteerism : Stephen obtained an Executive Development * Group facilitator for the Self-help Cancer Patients Group degree from McGill University. Now retired he at Hope and Cope, Jewish General Hospital for over 20 years. was the owner of Ontario Tire for forty years. * Board of Directors and Treasurer of Congregation Beth This retail garage and tire shoppe was one of the Tikvah (DDO) for 10 years. largest independent dealers in Montreal. * President of Elm Ridge Golf and Country Club from 2006 to 2007, after many years on the board of directors. He remains active in golf and bridge and especially enjoys his grandchildren trying to The family resided in Dollard-des-Ormeaux for 40 years and watch as many of their activities as possible. then moved to Cote St. Luc in September of 2016.
Stephen is very proud of his association and His interest in listening to the various Thursday morning work at Beth Tikvah Synagogue in DDO. speakers and the latest “gossip” during the Tuesday morning Sports Hot Stove league, was another reason for his joining the Men’s Club.
“Count your life by smiles, not tears, count your age by friends, not years, and remember We do not quit playing because we grow old We grow old because we quit playing” Page 52 UPPER CANADA PLAYHOUSE
We have been going to see the plays at the Upper Canada Playhouse for a number of years and almost without exception they have been most enjoyable, as was this one, “Boeing, Boeing”.
Two buses, not quite full, and we enjoyed the day trip. The camaraderie and wonderful environment makes this a most enjoyable outing.
The consensus for next year is to try a new location, someplace different (if you have any ideas, any thoughts about another venue, by all means let us know).
So, back to the play, three Stewardesses (thats what they used to be called in my day)...I think they call them hostesses now days, three different airlines all engaged to the same guy (OY VEY, what a dilemma, he cant make up his mind). All with keys to the same apartment, well you can imagine the fun and games that occurred.
Then all three managed to arrive at the “apartment” on the same day but different times.
The laughs lasted right up until the very end of the play.
Put these outings on your calendar to attend next year ... AND ENJOY. Page 53 I’ve Never Sold a Poppy REMEMBRANCE DAY
Sydney Barnett, WWII veteran of the Royal Air Force and a member of the Frederick Kisch Branch 97 of the Royal Canadian Legion, has never sold a single poppy.
He has collected over twenty five thousand dollars in donations in return for a poppy.
Syd feels that each poppy is representative of a service person that has paid the ultimate price in all wars.
In Flanders Field the poppies blow Between the crosses row on row That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders field.
Take up our quarrel with the foe. To you from flailing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.
Page 54 New York City Jews Trivia
1. The first Jews to set foot in North America arrived in New York as a group of 23 in 1654.
2. Congregation Shearith Israel , founded in New York in 1654, was the first synagogue in the colonies. It was the sole purveyor of kosher meat until 1813.
3. On March 25, 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist fire claimed the lives of 146 garment workers, the majority of whom were Jewish immigrants. Reporting on the tragedy, the “Forvitz” wrote that ‘the disaster is too great, to dreadful, to be able to express one’s feelings.”
4. When entertainer Al Jolson came to New York City at age 14, he held jobs in the circus and as a singing waiter. Born to a cantor, Jolson’s career took off when he began performing in black face.
5. In 1903, the Lower East Side Chinese and Jewish communities formed an unlikely partnership when Chinese organizers put on a benefit for Jewish victims of the Kishinev pogrom, raising $280. ( KISHINEV IS IN RUSSIA )
6. The egg cream is thought to have been invented by the Jewish owner of a Brooklyn candy shop. Musician Lou Reed was a famous admirer of the frothy drink.
7. Pushcarts were all the rage among Jewish vendors on the Lower East Side from the turn of the century until 1940, when Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia banned their use. Jewish pushcart operators sold everything from vegetables to cigars to stockings.
8. Mayor La Guardia (who spoke fluent Yiddish), who served for three terms from 1934 to 1945, was born to a Jewish mother and descended from Rabbi Samuel David Luzzatto, but practiced as an Episcopalian.
9. The popular and proudly Jewish mayor Ed Koch, who served from 1978 to 1989, was known for the phrase “How’m I doing?” which he would ask passersby while standing on street corners or riding the subway. Newsday called him the “ultimate New Yorker.”
10. The bagel originated in Poland , and arrived in New York City in the 1880s in the hands of Eastern European Jewish immigrants.
11. Coney Island Bagels and Bialys, the oldest kosher bagel shop in New York , was set to close in 2011 until two Muslim businessmen, Peerzada Shah and Zafaryab Ali, bought the store and promised to keep it kosher. Ali had previously worked at the shop for 10 years.
12. Starting in the 1970s, hundreds of thousands of Jews left the Soviet Union for New York , many settling in Brighton Beach , which came to be known as “Little Odessa.”
13. Established in 1927, Kehila Kedosha Janina at 280 Broome St. is the last remaining Greek Jewish synagogue in the Western Hemisphere .
14. Streit’s Matzo Company, the last remaining neighborhood matzo factory, stands at 148-150 Rivington St. (Moved to 20 Knickerbocker Road , Moonachie , New Jersey 07074 in 2016.)
15. Outside of Israel , New York City is home to the largest population of Jews in the world.
16. As of 2011, 1 in 6 households in New York were Jewish. Page 55 Abe Tevel Morty Hendler
H a v i n g Morty was born in Montreal lived in in 1927, son of Louis Hendler Cote St Luc (founder of modern tobacco) and his entire Leah Frankel (a woman way ahead married life, of her time). now that he He attended JPPS, Strathcona retired, Abe and McGill where Morty received decided it his bachelor of civil engineering was time degree. to join the He worked on a road construction Cote st. Luc project in the Yukon (1949-1950) Men’s Club. before returning to Montreal to start a career in the water resources During his working career, Abe was field. Morty was employed in the Quebec district of the Federal involved in the manufacturing of children’s Government (1950-1959) responsible for measuring levels and flows wear. In addition since getting his M.B.A. of rivers and lakes in all regions of La Belle Province, including James Degree in 1968, he has been a faculty Bay. From 1959 t0 1961 he worked for a consulting firm ,responsible member teaching “Finance” at Loyola for more meteorological and hydrological data on James Bay and College and up until 2 years ago, at the Ungava basin rivers. This basic information was used by Hydro John Molson School Of Business. Quebec in planning their Hydro projects in the North. (Editor’s note: maybe that is why our Hydro bills are so high) Abe admits that his wife Adele has been the Morty moved to Quebec City in 1961, where he held various backbone of their household. They have 3 managerial positions in the water resources branch of the wonderful children (a girl and two boys) department of natural resources. He retired in 1983 after 8 years as and are blessed with 4 grandchildren and Director General of the branch. During this period, while managing hoping for more as their daughter in law is seven hundred employees, Morty was Quebec’s member of the very pregnant. international joint commission responsible for overseeing the flows and water levels of the St. Lawrence River as well as the Great lakes. Over the years Abe has played recreational He was also a member of the Canadian delegation to the world baseball and as well hockey in the city of meteorological organization. CSL. He is a member of the Men’s Club But he wasn’t finished yet!!!! Choir led by Phil Silvers and attends Morty came back to Montreal in 1983 and into CSL in 1998. From the current events club on Mondays, 1983 to 1988 he had his own consulting firm. Amongst his many spontaneously adding his voice to the projects realized was for the MUC. After several years of water discussion group. quality measurement, Morty was instrumental in rehabilitating and opening the beach at Cap St. Jacques. This being his first year as a member, Abe He had 2 daughters with his first wife Lewina Gilman. Unfortunately is well aware of the activities available both are deceased. Celia worked with troubled children and Susan and he suspects that in future years he was a respected professor at Queen’s University. will participate in many more additional Morty is presently married to Charlotte. He is the stepfather of activities. two daughters and proud Zaidy to 3 grandchildren. Morty has been a member of the CSL Men’s Club since 2005. He His wife and he spend most of the winter especially enjoys the camaraderie as well as the social events. Until in Florida and his intentions are to sign up recently Morty was an ardent skier and gardener. Now he enjoys golf, for events provided there. bowling, bridge, poker and reading. If that is not enough, Morty enjoys all music, especially classical. He was even an accomplished cello player in his youth. Page 56 EVER WONDER WHY ??
Why do supermarkets make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front ?
Why do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke ?
Why do banks leave vault doors open and then chain the pens to the counters ?
Why do we leave cars, worth tens of thousands of dollars, on our driveways and put our useless junk in the garage ?
Why does the sun lighten our hair, but darken our skin ?
Why can’t women put on mascara with their mouth closed ?
Why don’t you ever see the headline “Psychic Wins Lottery” ?
Why is ‘abbreviated’ such a long word ?
Why is it that doctors and lawyers call what they do “practice” ?
Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavouring and dish washing liquid made with real lemons ?
Why is the man who invests all your money called a “Broker” ?
Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called ‘rush hour’ ?
Why isn’t there mouse-flavoured cat food ?
Why didn’t Noah swat those two mosquitoes ?
Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections ?
You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes ? Why don’t they make the whole plane out of that stuff ?
Why don’t sheep shrink when it rains ?
Why do they call in apartments when they are all stuck together ?
Page 57 GALA CELEBRATING ...
Page 58 OUR 30 YEARS
Mount Royal Medals Man(nie) of the Year Page 59 Awards to Our Over 90’s
Men’s Club Service Awards
Page 60 A DREAM by: Walter Perry, Men’s Club Writers Work Shop
Sometimes entire stories come to me in dreams. They arrive like unwanted allegorical visitors and are as complicated as entire movies. I don’t know if they last for several seconds or several hours for I usually forget them as soon as I awaken. But last night when I was asleep, I dreamed of my late uncle who was the engineer on a flawless stainless steel railway train. He was proud of his job-perhaps prouder then he even should have been. He made sure that he arrived at the depot hours before the train was scheduled to leave and triple-checked all the necessary equipment. He even brought a towel with him to wipe any snow, rain or grime off the engine. His attention to detail bordered on the obsessive. Now, the sequence of events takes place many, many years ago when interstate train travel was a showy, dress-up event reserved for the very wealthy. It was as elegant as private jet travel is today. My Uncle planned and executed his travel plans with the precision of a large scale military campaign. He climbed into the engine carrying a gold-embossed leather binder featuring the phrase ‘TRAIN 45’ displayed extravagantly on its cover. This was his Bible. But if you should ask him, Uncle would tell you that he believed in Jesus, the US Navy, the GOP, his corporate overlords, motherhood and apple pie (though not necessarily in that order). He was a quintessential True Believer as described by Eric Hoffer. Everything began swimmingly on this particular day. The sunlight specked off the waves on the lake and its mist was bracing but not overwhelming. (“Almost like after-shave cologne,” he told us later. “It was a perfect day to be alive.”) He eased the train out of the terminal gently, expertly accelerating and decelerating modestly yet masterfully at the check points. This particular route stayed at water level from Chicago to New Orleans. The long straightaways made parts of the run a drag strip where he could pour on the speed. This was one of the nation’s crack express trains, which meant that freight trains were supposed to pull into sidings to let him go by. Remember the words ‘supposed to,’ for they will have deep significance later on. Many hours later, the passengers were starting a late dinner in a dining car featuring fine china, sterling silverware and catering from the Ritz. A bayou fog rolled in but no one paid it much attention. Uncle slowed the speed a little, but everything was fine. There were signals, alarms, telegraphs, telephones and typewritten schedules indicating any precautions. Everything appeared to be well taken care of and besides, this was a route he has traversed thousands and thousands of times before. Remember the words ‘appear to be,’ as we will revisit them later. A well-known proverb states that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link and this proved to be true. A drunk signalman, a blood relative of the line’s owner, threw a switch the wrong way. The signals responded and re-routed a freight train weighing about 40 million pounds onto the same track as my uncle’s passenger train. As anyone who has even a rudimentary understanding of physics will tell you, it was a mess. Most of the stainless steel passenger cars folded like an unholy accordion and they derailed into the fetid water adjoining the tracks. The heat was so intense that liquid actually boiled in some spots. The lead engineer and the crew escaped fatal injuries. But my uncle sustained several broken bones and head injuries. Railway management, eager to find a scapegoat in this terrible accident, blamed him and his crew. They even hired a fancy public relations firm to plant false stories in leading newspapers. He never rode on a train again and never ventured farther than he was able to walk. My aunt, seizing an opportunity to squeeze everything she could out of her husband, successfully sued him. However, the government appointed an independent investigative panel of incorruptible experts who placed the blame where it belonged. The railway’s bombastic owner was infuriated. He denounced the conclusions as, in his own words, “Communist regulations!” He who had refused to drain the swamp to find the missing people, forced the government to do this work for him. When the empirical, scientific facts were made public, he was fined and imprisoned.
Page 61 These Thoughts on Aging appeared in our last bulletin and are reproduced here by popular demand
Many of us are between 65 and death, i.e. old. Here is some good advice to follow....
1. It’s time to use the money you saved up. Use it and enjoy it. Don’t just keep it for those who may have no notion of the sacrifices you made to get it. Remember there is nothing more dangerous than a son or daughter-in-law with big ideas for your hard-earned capital. Warning: This is also a bad time for investments, even if it seems wonderful or fool-proof. They only bring problems and worries. This is a time for you to enjoy some peace and quiet.
2. Stop worrying about the financial situation of your children and grandchildren, and don’t feel bad spending your money on yourself. You’ve taken care of them for many years, and you’ve taught them what you could. You gave them an education, food, shelter and support. The responsibility is now theirs to earn their own money.
3. Keep a healthy life, without great physical effort. Do moderate exercise (like walking every day), eat well and get your sleep. It’s easy to become sick, and it gets harder to remain healthy. That is why you need to keep yourself in good shape and be aware of your medical and physical needs. Keep in touch with your doctor, do tests even when you’re feeling well. Stay informed.
4. Always buy the best, most beautiful items for your significant other. The key goal is to enjoy your money with your partner. One day one of you will miss the other, and the money will not provide any comfort then, enjoy it together.
5. Don’t stress over the little things. You’ve already overcome so much in your life. You have good memories and bad ones, but the important thing is the present. Don’t let the past drag you down and don’t let the future frighten you. Feel good in the now. Small issues will soon be forgotten.
6. Regardless of age, always keep love alive. Love your partner, love life, love your family, love your neighbour and remember: “A man is not old as long as he has intelligence and affection.”
7. Be proud, both inside and out. Don’t stop going to your hair salon or barber, do your nails, go to the dermatolo- gist and the dentist, keep your perfumes and creams well stocked. When you are well- maintained on the outside, it seeps in, making you feel proud and strong.
8. Don’t lose sight of fashion trends for your age, but keep your own sense of style. There’s nothing worse than an older person trying to wear the current fashion among youngsters. You’ve developed your own sense of what looks good on you – keep it and be proud of it. It’s part of who you are.
9. ALWAYS stay up-to-date. Read newspapers, watch the news. Go online and read what people are saying. Make sure you have an active email account and try to use some of those social networks. You’ll be surprised what old friends you’ll meet. Keeping in touch with what is going on and with the people you know is important at any age.
10. Respect the younger generation and their opinions. They may not have the same ideals as you, but they are the future, and will take the world in their direction. Give advice, not criticism, and try to remind them that yester- day’s wisdom still applies today.
11. Never use the phrase: “In my time.” Your time is now. As long as you’re alive, you are part of this time. You may have been younger, but you are still you now, having fun and enjoying life. Page 62 12. Some people embrace their golden years, while others become bitter and surly. Life is too short to waste your days on the latter. Spend your time with positive, cheerful people, it’ll rub off on you and your days will seem that much better. Spending your time with bitter people will make you older and harder to be around.
13. Do not surrender to the temptation of living with your children or grandchildren (if you have a financial choice, that is). Sure, being surrounded by family sounds great, but we all need our privacy. They need theirs and you need yours. If you’ve lost your partner (our deepest condolences), then find a person to move in with you and help out. Even then, do so only if you feel you really need the help or do not want to live alone.
14. Don’t abandon your hobbies. If you don’t have any, make new ones. You can travel, hike, cook, read, dance. You can adopt a cat or a dog, grow a garden, play cards, checkers, chess, dominoes, golf. You can paint, volunteer or just collect certain items. Find something you like and spend some real time having fun with it.
15. Even if you don’t feel like it, try to accept invitations. Baptisms, graduations, birthdays, weddings, conferences. Try to go. Get out of the house, meet people you haven’t seen in a while, experience something new (or something old). But don’t get upset when you’re not invited. Some events are limited by resources, and not everyone can be hosted. The important thing is to leave the house from time to time. Go to museums, go walk through a field. Get out there.
16. Be a conversationalist. Talk less and listen more. Some people go on and on about the past, not caring if their listeners are really interested. That’s a great way of reducing their desire to speak with you. Listen first and answer questions, but don’t go off into long stories unless asked to. Speak in courteous tones and try not to complain or criticize too much unless you really need to. Try to accept situations as they are. Everyone is going through the same things, and people have a low tolerance for hearing complaints. Always find some good things to say as well.
17. Pain and discomfort go hand in hand with getting older. Try not to dwell on them but accept them as a part of the cycle of life we’re all going through. Try to minimize them in your mind. They are not who you are, they are something that life added to you. If they become your entire focus, you lose sight of the person you used to be.
18. If you’ve been offended by someone – forgive them. If you’ve offended someone - apologize. Don’t drag around resentment with you. It only serves to make you sad and bitter. It doesn’t matter who was right. Someone once said: “Holding a grudge is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die.” Don’t take that poison. For- give, forget and move on with your life.
19. If you have a strong belief, savor it. But don’t waste your time trying to convince others. They will make their own choices no matter what you tell them, and it will only bring you frustration. Live your faith and set an exam- ple. Live true to your beliefs and let that memory sway them. 20. Laugh. Laugh A LOT. Laugh at everything. Remember, you are one of the lucky ones. You managed to have a life, a long one. Many never get to this age, never get to experience a full life. But you did. So what’s not to laugh about? Find the humor in your situation.
21. Take no notice of what others say about you and even less notice of what they might be thinking. They’ll do it anyway, and you should have pride in yourself and what you’ve achieved. Let them talk and don’t worry. They have no idea about your history, your memories and the life you’ve lived so far. There’s still much to be written, so get busy writing and don’t waste time thinking about what others might think. Now is the time to be at rest, at peace and as happy as you can be!
ALWAYS REMEMBER: “Life is too short to drink bad wine.”
Page 63 BUILDING CASTLES IN THE AIR USED TO MEAN MAKING PLANS THAT HAVE VERY LITTLE CHANCE OF HAPPENING.
NOT SO FOR US. WE START RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES IN OUR SENIOR YEARS AND LEARN THE SKILLS TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS. ART, PHOTOGRAPHY, BRIDGE, FLY A DRONE, LEARN A LANGUAGE, CREATE POETRY AND PROSE. MEET NEW FRIENDS.
BUILD YOUR CASTLES IN THE AIR AND MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE.