Zoomer Week in Review

It’s traditional at this season to forecast trends in business, technology, fashion, design, and even food. One major consulting company says this year there are changes that are more profound that will alter our relationships and how we see ourselves. I talked with Accenture’s Ryan McCRacken.

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How did hostages Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor become innocent pawns in the geopolitical conflict between China and the U.S.? And how did Canada finally manage to secure their release after 1019 days in captivity? Fen Osler Hampson and Mike Blachfield take us behind the scenes in their book “The Two Michaels.” I talked with Mike Blanchfield.

One in four Canadians over 15 lives with this condition and it is notoriously hard to treat. Alan Gordon developed the method called “Pain Reprocessing Therapy” which relies solely on talk therapy. Libby Znaimer reached him in Los Angeles.

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Thousands of people are rethinking holiday plans because of the rampant Omicron variant. Hosts are cutting back, guests are cancelling, and it’s all up in the air. How to decide what to cook? Libby consulted cookbook author and food columnist Lucy Waverman.

She’s probably the most prominent lawyer in Canada and also the most vilified. Defending notorious clients—especially former CBC star Jian Ghomeshi—made Marie Henein a lightning rod and a target for “Cancel Culture.” It also inspired her to write her memoir “Nothing But the truth.”

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The Toronto Board of Health is asking the federal government to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of illegal drugs in the city. It’s just one of the bids to override the law to help tackle the opioid overdose crisis which  has reached record levels.  Libby Znaimer talked with Dr. Leslie Buckley, Chief of the Addictions Division at CAMH, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer death and now there’s a new program that will save lives. Ontario is the first province to start screening people who are at high risk for the disease. Dr. Paul Wheatly Price is an Oncologist, specializing in lung cancer at The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre. Libby Znaimer talked with him about how the program works and who is eligible.

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These days we talk a lot about trauma - but rarely mention its antidote - consolation. Music, painting, literature and religion are all places we have turned to through the ages to find comfort in dark times. That’s the subject of former Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff’s latest book: On Consolation.

Mark Schatzker Interview

It’s a fascinating new theory on what’s behind the huge increase in  obesity. It turns on the idea that the solution to a different epidemic - 100 years ago - became one of the causes of the obesity epidemic. And it also explains why many Europeans  who eat calorie-rich diets manage to stay thin. I talked with author Mark Schatzker about “The End of Craving - Recovering the Lost Wisdom of Eating Well.”

Born out of an urgent need to help seniors get vaccinated against COVID-19 early in the pandemic, York Region’s PinkCars is still in high gear driving seniors to get their COVID booster shots, and helping them download vaccine QR codes. But PinkCars is providing more than a chauffeur service, it’s helped lift the isolation felt by so many seniors during the pandemic. Shonta Sundarason is the driving force behind Pink Cars.

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Author Sheila VanZile had a seemingly successful and satisfied life. But like many women of her generation, by age 60, she felt disconnected, unhappy and unfulfilled after neglecting her own needs. Her awakening came after her Mother’s death, launching Sheila on a new path where she’s learning to let go of trauma and self loathing. In her book MY WATERFALL OF AWAKENING, VanZile explores forgiveness, grief and invites the reader to share their own feelings through a guided journal.

How do you choose the charities you support and how do you know if your contribution is making an impact? With the holiday giving season about to begin, the non-profit Charity Intelligence is out with its annual analysis and rankings. Libby Znaimer talked with researcher Greg Thomson.

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She was the first female foreign correspondent on network television. Libby Znaimer first met Canadian Hilary Brown when she was a fledgling reporter in the Tel Aviv bureau of the Associated Press and she was a star correspondent for NBC. By that time, she had already covered the Vietnam War and the Yom Kippur War. She came by our studios to talk about her memoir “War Tourist.”

This year marks a century since the poppy became a symbol of remembrance in Canada. We became the first country to adopt it - after the cause was taken up by a French woman inspired by John McCrae’s iconic poem In Flanders’ Field. Libby Znaimer learned about the history of the poppy from Steven Clark National Executive Director of The Royal Canadian Legion.

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The discovery of insulin was one of the greatest medical breakthroughs ever and it remains the only effective treatment for Type 1 diabetes. A hundred years ago this week, the first experiments at the University of Toronto were successful. And while the credit usually goes to Sir Frederick Banting and Charles Best - there were two others who made it all possible. Libby reached Dr. Jacalyn Duffin, to learn more.

Have you helped an adult child buy a home by giving them a large cash gift? With housing prices through the roof, two thirds of first time buyers say the Bank of Mom and Dad was the main source of their down payment. And according to a new report from CIBC , Canadian parents kicked in a total of $10 billion last year - with the average gift here in Toronto topping $130,000. Libby Znaimer talked with CIBC economist Benjamin Tal for the story behind these numbers.

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Like every other medical procedure, the treatment for stroke was set back because of the pandemic with many patients waiting too long to go to the hospital. This week marked World Stroke Day - a good time to go over the signs, symptoms and most of all the timeline for ensuring a good recovery. Libbt talked with Dr. Atif Zafar, Director of the Comprehensive Stroke Program at St. Michael’s Hospital.

Will you have enough income for a comfortable retirement? Have you taken the cost of ageing in place into account - especially if you need extra care? The National institute on Ageing says the answers to these questions is a resounding no. And Bonnie-Jean MacDonald, the director of financial security research has some suggestions.

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Less than two weeks ago a U.S. expert panel said Doctors should no longer routinely prescribe daily low-dose aspirin, for most people who are at high risk of heart disease. That’s because the risk of bleeding outweighs the benefit. But it only applies to people who have not had a cardiac event. That’s why cardiologists here are worried this guideline could cause harm. I talked with Dr. Mike Farkouh

Cardiologist at UHN.