Help Generations help kids generationsfoundation.com O 514-933-8585 NOVEMBER 2010 www.theseniortimes.com VOL. XXIV N 11 REMEMBERING Living life to the fullest Lowering the risk through exercise p. 11 Passing the torch p. 5 Fit – not fat: dishes Junior and senior veterans join to tempt you p. 29 forces selling poppies p. 7 Tai chi: regaining your balance p. 31 Fitness at your doorstep p. 31 Return to Préfontaine p. 22 Newborn in the Pyrénées p. 30 24 hours Denise Chartré: Weather permitting Airport reservations guaranteed youthful and Special Attention to the Elderly Pick-Up & Delivery [email protected] www.atlastaxi.qc.ca beautiful at 92 Editorial on Education Individual choice gives Quebec a migraine In these rapidly changing times, education is the language are consistent with a “legitimate educa- key to growth and prosperity.But two issues, one tional pathway.” The solution is far from perfect, solved at least for now, the other bubbling to the gives leeway to civil servants and is certain to face surface, merit our evaluation. challenges as soon as the first child is rejected. The The first concerns the Quebec government’s use PQ is quite right in saying this allows the wealthy of closure to ram through Bill 115, its response to to fork over up to $15,000 a year to “buy” the right the Supreme Court of Canada overturning part of to subsidized schooling in English. Quebec’s language law. It replaced a loophole that It is a way around the law for those parents who Rideau Carleton/ had been tolerated for years, including under the would have to send their children to French- Raceway Slots (Ottawa) Parti Québécois, where children could gain access language schools and find that option unacceptable. Weekly Saturday Departures to publicly financed English-language schooling The issue must be viewed in the context of 1,250 Slot Machines from 1¢ to $5 after attending an unsubsidized private English Bill 101, the language law passed in 1977, which school for a year or more. channelled immigrants into the French-language New Year’s Eve Gala In 2002, the PQ introduced Bill 104, which closed educational stream. Friday, Dec 31st that loophole. It was challenged to the Supreme Freedom of choice, while sounding fair on paper, Bring in the New Year Court and ruled unconstitutional in October 2009. was and still is seen as the kiss of death to a French- $98 per person (limited space) Includes fabulous buffet - over 100 choices The court gave Quebec a year to fix it. speaking society. With its fertility rate lower than Live Entertainment • Casino Bonus $20 Under the law passed this month, days before that the replacement level, Quebec is increasingly (Transportation only $40) one-year deadline, children who attend unsubsi- dependent on immigration. Forcing immigrants CLAIRE 514-979-6277 dized English private schools for at least three years into French schools has tempered one of the main can accumulate points toward getting access. A fears that was fuelling separatist sentiment. committee of four civil servants would then eval- It must be pointed out that thousands of Eng- uate each case to determine whether studies in that lish-speaking families who had the right to send their kids to English schools chose French schools as the best way for their children to become bilin- St. Patrick Square gual enough to compete with graduates from francophone families. But for Quebec’s national- ists, these numbers don’t compensate for the loophole used by a few thousand to avoid attend- ing French schools. 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This has been ignored by some Hasidic schools and the government is in court to order the closure of the Yeshiva Toras Moshe, run by and for the growing Satmar Hasidic community. It has been operating without a per- mit because it devotes 35 hours a week to religious studies, but only six to secular subjects like math. None of its six secular teachers are certified. In New York, where 100,000 Satmars live, the state is not interfering with schools that receive no subsidies. Quebec has rejected this hands-off approach. A similar challenge is arising in Israel, where there is widespread concern about the growing ulra- Orthodox community and its failure to contribute to Israel’s knowledge-based economy. Does a state that makes school attendance com- pulsory have the right to insist on the content of core education? Some libertarians would say no. We say it does. Numeracy, literacy, and basic knowledge of history, health and computers are tools every citizen needs to participate in our soci- ety. It is up to private schools to find ways of fitting in their religious or other specialized training into the parameters set by the state. This battle has only just begun. 2 THE SENIOR TIMES November 2010 www.theseniortimes.com At the top of her game at 92 Kristine Berey it makes the hair grow well,” she explains. Further readings, from We’re all familiar with the expres- Deepak Chopra, the Dalai Lama, sion “you’re as old as you feel,”and Stephen Chang and others confirmed most likely have dismissed it as that physical, psychological and spir- wishful thinking. But meeting itual aspects influence each other and Denise Chartré, trim and spry at 92, one’s general state of health. confirms that, in fact, it’s true. Chartré began to practice transcen- Chartré published her first book dental meditation 30 years ago and this year. Être jeune à 90 ans (Being today can instantly enter that healing youthful at 90: The Denise Chartré state of mind, without having to Method) is a culmination of a life- repeat mantras. She jokingly likens time of passion and curiosity regard- this experience as having a direct ing health and well-being. telephone line to the Supreme Being, “I did not invent this method,” she through years of practice. says. “I developed it over the last 30 “I try to cultivate positive thoughts years by reading about health. When every day and to avoid negative ones something made sense, I tried it, and as much as possible,”she says.“We all when I felt it was effective, I incorpo- have bad experiences, but must not rated it in my life.” dwell on them, because that’s a way A hairdresser by profession, of getting old rapidly.” Chartré soon discovered she was Chartré says that regular meditation more interested in healthy hair than allows the negative energy to leave the in using toxic hair-care products for body and the positive to enter. cosmetic reasons only. Instead, she At 67, Chartré discovered Made- trained as a capillary health specialist leine Turgeon, author of a book on using products she believed in and reflexology – an ancient healing tech- later perfected. She built up asuc- nique with roots similar to acupunc- cessful clinic, at first within the hair- ture and acupressure – and things dressing salon. When working at the really fell into place. salon became too exhausting, she “Reflexology is the basis of all,” Lefebvre Stéphanie Photo: devoted herself completely to capil- Chartré says. “I took a course with lary health, working out of her home Madeleine Turgeon. I wanted to in Val-d’Or while slowly modifying know what role energy plays in the her lifestyle to regain her energy. organism.” “When I retired, I started to change Chartré’s book begins with a brief the way I ate,”she says. biography, then explains the concept “There are certain foods that you of “meridians” – the pathways of should not combine, for example energy circulating throughout the potatoes and bread. Sugar is detri- body. Tantalizing recipes, several mental to the health, as is too much exemplifying the raw food diet, are meat,” she continues, listing ideas provided, along with tips for sprout- gleaned from Herbert Shelton. ing seeds at home. “Gradually we can cut down and Chartré demonstrates, standing on substitute legumes, raw fruits and a mat and on a trampoline, a set of vegetables, grains and sprouts.” gentle physical exercises designed to Her first quests for information on energize the body and the mind. hair health made her aware of the “People of a certain age believe connections that exist within the they’re old.