The Newsletter of the Fairfield Senior CenterVolume 22, Number 12 December, 2012

fairfieldsenior timesservices and support for fairfield’s older adults

Chinese Cultural RenaissanceSubject of Talk

Storm Sandy Relief Fund Launched

First Selectman Mike Tetreau an-nounced recently that the Town of Fairfield has partnered with Opera-tion Hope to launch a disaster relief fund for Fairfield residents affected by Storm Sandy.

The Fairfield Storm Sandy Relief Fund (The Fund) has been established for the purpose of collecting chari-table tax deductible contributions for distribution to Fairfield residents who have been impacted by Storm Sandy. The Fund has been set up for mon-etary donations only.

Any individual or organization wish-ing to make a financial contribution may do so in the following ways:

• By check: Make checks payable to OH-FFLD Storm Sandy RF or OH-FFLD Storm Sandy and indicate the donation is for the Fairfield Storm Sandy Relief Fund. You can mail do-nations to or drop them off at Opera-tion Hope’s administrative office lo-cated at 636 Old Post Road, Fairfield, CT 06824.

• By credit card: Go online to www.operationhopect.org and click on the donate link at the top of the page. When contributing online, please in-dicate that your donation is to be used for the Fairfield Storm Sandy Relief Fund in the drop-down box on the right-hand side of the webpage.

Disaster Relief Fund is Joint Effort of Town and Operation Hope

• Cash donations: Operation Hope is accepting cash contributions at its 636 Old Post Road location; they will pro-vide receipts.

• You can also mail gift certificates or deliver them in person to Opera-tion Hope at the 636 Old Post Road address.

Your contributions to this disaster re-lief fund are tax deductible to the ex-tent permitted by law for all 501(c)(3) charitable organizations. Your contri-bution will be acknowledged by letter for IRS documentation purposes.

Fairfield residents who need financial assistance due to Storm Sandy are encouraged to visit or call Operation Hope at 203.292.5588, extension 232, to get applications. A joint Town of Fairfield and Operation Hope com-mittee will review and approve all ap-plications for financial assistance.

First Selectman Tetreau said, “The Town of Fairfield is pleased to of-fer this program to our citizens and is thankful that Operation Hope has partnered with us to provide a secure and appropriate mechanism for any-one wishing to make donations to help our fellow citizens affected by Storm Sandy. This critical fund is one way people can make a difference in help-ing our Fairfield neighbors through this difficult time.”

On Tuesday, December 4, at 10:30 a.m., the Fairfield Senior Center will host the Connecticut Chinese Culture Association (CCCA). This volunteer, non-profit organization promotes cul-tural exchange and the grandeur of Chinese culture and traditions.

Ms. June Ye, a member of the asso-ciation, will present a one hour lecture covering important aspects of tradi-tional Chinese philosophy, culture and art. The title of this free talk is “Reviving 5,000 Years of Civilization — A Taste of Chinese Culture.”

During 60 years of oppressive Com-munist rule, there was a concerted and often brutal attempt to stamp out the great cultural traditions that the

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Our Very Best Wishes to You All

for a Happy Holiday Season and a

Truly Wonderful New Year!

Page 2 December, 2012

At the MoviesIN DECEMBER

Every Friday at 12:15

December 7th — From Prada to Nada (2011) Camilla Belle, Alexa Vega, Wilmer Valderrama — Two spoiled Latina sisters, Nora (Camilla Belle), a law student, and Mary (Alexa Vega), an undergrad party girl accustomed to luxury and high style, become penniless when their father dies, forcing them to move in with working class relatives in this spirited comedy loosely based on Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. “Jane Austen update with Latino twist offers laughs, romance.” 107 minutes.

Emily Blunt, Jason Segel — The director and writer/star of Forgetting Sarah Marshall reteam for this irreverent comedy. Beginning where most romantic comedies end, the film looks at what happens when an engaged couple (Jason Segel and Emily Blunt) keeps getting tripped up on the long walk down the aisle. “An exemplary modern romantic comedy...” 124 minutes.

Tom Hanks, Chris Coppola, Michael Jeter — This is the fantastic story of a young boy who boards a powerful magical train headed to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. The adventure that follows is a highly imaginative visual and sonic stunner. During this extraordinary train ride the boy embarks on an amazing journey of self-discovery which shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe. A really good Christmas flick. 109 minutes.

Hidetaka Yoshioka, Maki Horikita — This Japanese film takes a nostalgic look at Tokyo in the late 50’s, when Japan was on the brink of an economic explo-sion that would forever change its way of life and threaten its values. The film won Japan’s equivalent of the Oscars in 13 of the 14 categories in which it was nominated. It is an optimistic and hopeful look at the way we all were in a simpler time. A Foreign Film Festival Pick. 132 minutes.

December 21st — The Polar Express (2004)

December 14th— Always Sunset on Third Street (2005)

December 28th — The Five Year Engagement (2012)

A recent Finnish study reports that older men with relatively high blood levels of the antioxidant lycopene were less likely to have a stroke over a dozen years compared to a control group.

Lycopene gives a reddish hue to foods like tomatoes, red peppers, water-melon and papaya. For most people, tomatoes and tomato products are by far the biggest source of lycopene in the diet. Studies like this are generally not conclusive, so don’t start down-ing three bottles of ketchup a day. But a tomato every so often can’t hurt.

Another recent study found that an apple a day can keep the cardiologist away. The study reported that eat-ing one apple a day for four weeks lowered by 40 percent blood levels of oxidized LDL—low-density lipo-protein, the “bad” cholesterol. Robert DiSilvestro, professor of human nu-trition at Ohio State University, said the effect of the apple diet was “tre-mendous.”

Chinese people had developed over a long history of 5,000 years. Accord-ing to Frank Dikotter, a professor at Hong Kong University who has stud-ied Chinese archives since they were reopened four years ago, the Chinese people suffered through a 60-year period of oppressive rule character-ized by systematic torture, starvation and killing, resulting in “one of the worst catastrophes the world has ever known.”

There is now, as Ms.Ye will explain, a renaissance of Chinese culture occur-ring and the CCCA is working hard to promote a better understanding of the changes now underway. This coming February, the CCCA is sponsoring three shows in Waterbury to advance its cause.

Please join us for this very informa-tive talk.

Chinese Culture

Eat Fruits and Veggies

From page 1

The Center’s annual Christmas Fair was held on November 15th and was a big draw for our senior shoppers. Pictured are volunteers Ann Farrington (left) and Vickie Elie.

Page 3December, 2012

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

3 4 5 6 7

Grape Juice Sliced Ham with Cranberry Juice Pineapple Juice Butternut Squash Soup

Spaghetti with Mustard Glaze Oven Fried Chicken Unsalted Crackers

Meatballs Baked Sweet Potato Onions and Peppers Macaroni and Cheese Seafood Salad

Parmesan Cheese Green Beans Coleslaw Spinach Lettuce Bed

Italian Blend Vegetables Sliced Tomato

Potato Salad

Garlic Bread Oat Nut Bread Grinder Roll 7 Grain Bread 100% Whole Wheat

Chocolate Pudding Stewed Fruit Banana Birthday Cake Peaches

10 11 12 13 14

Orange Juice Hearty Vegetable Soup Pork Stir Fry Grape Juice Apple Juice

Apricot Glazed Unsalted Crackers

Chicken Breast Meatloaf Brown Rice Parmesan Tartar Sauce

Whipped Potatoes Mushroom Gravy Carrot Raisin Salad Lemon Wedge

Capri Blend Veggies Scalloped Potatoes Marinara Sauce Baked Yam

Pickled Beets Salad, Italian Dressing Marinated Cucumbers

Multi Grain Bread Corn Muffin Pumpernickel Bread 100% W. Wheat Roll Oat Bread

Apple Crumble Tropical Fruit Cup Pineapple Chunks Ice Cream Cup Banana

17 18 19 20 21

Mushroom Barley Soup Open Faced Eggnog Grape Juice

Unsalted Crackers Turkey Sandwich Roast Beef Pepper with

with Gravy Cream Sauce Beef Gravy Tomato Sauce

Marinara Sauce Stuffing Mashed Potatoes Baked Potato Whipped Potatoes

Italian Blend Veggies Peas & Carrots Buttered Beets Sour Cream Roasted Acorn Squash

Cranberry Sauce Green & Gold Beans

Italian Bread Whole Wheat Bread Roll, Cheesecake w/ 12 Grain Bread

Fresh Tangerine Pears Fresh Strawberries Pistachio Pudding Fruit Cocktail

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Minestrone Soup Apple Cider Orange Juice

Sauerkraut & Onions Unsalted Crackers Honey Glazed Homemade Turkey Loaf

Buttered Noodles Codfish Cake Spiral Ham Turkey Gravy

Scandinavian Veggies Tartar Sauce Cranberry Apple Stuffing O'Brien Potatoes

Harvest Rice Winter Blend Veggies Country Style Veggies

Hot Dog Bun Broccoli, !2-grain Potato Bread Pumpernickel Bread

Sliced Baked Apple Bread, Fresh Orange Hot Fudge Sundae Lemon Pudding

31

Escarole White

Bean Soup

Unsalted Crackers

Roast Pork with

Apple Glaze

Oven Browned Potato

Diced Carrots, Rye Br.

Mandarin Oranges

Philly Cheesesteak

Au Jus and Vegetables Unbreaded Veal White Fish Filet

Baked Ziti with

Lazyman's Stuffed

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Eggplant Rollatini

Multigrain Bread

Knockwurst

December Menu

Senior Community CafeOpen Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Lunch service begins at 11:45 a.m. Make lunch reservations three days in advance: call 203.256.3118 after 10:00 a.m.

A $2.00 donation is suggested. 1% or skim milk is provided. Margarine is served with all meals.

Menu items are subject to change.*High in sugar content. **High Salt Content. +High fat/cholesterol.

“A lovely thing about Christmas is that it’s compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together.”

Mushrooms Help Boost Immunity― Garrison Keillor

Delicious when added to brown rice or quinoa, mushrooms are rich in the antioxi-dant ergothioneine, which protects cells from abnormal growth and replication. “In short, they reduce the risk of cancer,” says Susan Bowerman, assistant director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of California at Los Angeles. She recommends half a cup once or twice a week. “Cooking them in red wine, which contains the antioxidant resveratrol, magnifies their immunity-boosting power.”

Special

Christmas Party

Menu

Page 4 December, 2012

December, 2012Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

39:00 Blood Pressure Screening 9:30 Computer: Internet & Email10:30 Rug Hooking

410:30 Chinese Cultural Renaissance

511:00 Senior Literary Society

610:30 Nutrition Talk

712:15 Movie: From Prada to Nada1:00 Z-Health

10 2:30 Creative Body

111:00 Diabetes Support Group

1212:30 Annual Christmas Party 3:45 School Nurse Staff Meeting

13 14 12:15 Movie: Always Sunset on Third Street1:00 Z-Health

17 9:00 Blood Pressure Screening10:30 Cholesterol Talk

18 199:30 Silver Belles Consign- ment Shop1:00 Genealogy

20 2112:15 Movie: The Polar Express1:00 Z-Health

242:30 Creative Body

25 26 10:15 FSCA Board

27 4:00 Human Services Commission Meeting

2812:15 Movie: The Five Year Engagement

312:30 Creative Body

Every Monday Every Tuesday Every Wednesday Every Thursday Every Friday

Calendar of Events

* Call before coming.

9:00 Woodcarving9:00 Table Tennis9:00 Table Pool9:10 Coed Exercise9:30 Bocce10:00 Senior Exercise11:00 Flex & Stretch1:00 Open Bridge1:00 Ballroom Aerobics

9:00 Pacers-Walking Group

9:00 Table Tennis9:00 Woodworkers9:00 Table Pool9:00 Zumba Gold ($5)9:30 Yoga10:00 Senior Exercise10:00 Open Painting11:00 Flex & Stretch11:30 Arthritis Exercise1:00 Model Airplane

Club1:00 Chess Club1:00 Mah-Jongg

9:00 Pacers-Walking Group

9:00 Table Tennis9:00 Woodcarving9:00 Pokeno9:00 Table Pool9:10 Coed Exercise9:30 Crafts9:30 Computer Help (by

appointment)10:00 Senior Exercise11:00 Flex & Stretch12:30 Open Bridge1:00 Tai Chi

9:00 Table Tennis9:00 Pokeno9:00 Zumba Gold ($5)9:00 Quilters9:00 Table Pool10:00 Senior Exercise11:00 Flex & Stretch11:30 Arthritis Exercise12:15 Movies1:00 Scrabble

9:00 Pacers-Walking Group

9:00 Table Tennis9:00 Table Pool9:30 - 11:00 and 1:00 - 3:00 Open Com-

puter Lab*9:00 Pokeno9:30 Sewing Bee10:00 Senior Exercise11:00 Flex & Stretch11:30 Arthritis Exercise12:30 Bingo1:00 Open Bridge1:00 Tai Chi

For Those Affected by Storm Sandy: Your home insurance policy may have a “hurricane deductible.” You DO NOT have to pay this be-cause Sandy did not meet the legal requirements that permit insurers to charge this fee. You must still pay your regular deductible amount.

Pickleball is Coming! Pickleball is racquet sport that combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis. It’s played on a court with the same dimensions as a doubles badminton court. The net is similar to a tennis net, but is mounted two inches lower. And the game is played with a hard paddle and a plastic wiffle ball. Although pickleball is similar to tennis, there are key differences that make the game more accessible to a wider range of players, particularly seniors. For example, the pickleball ball moves at one-third the average speed of a tennis ball. And the size of the court is just under one-third the total area of a tennis court. The smaller court combined with the slower moving ball makes pickleball much easier to play than tennis.

Page 5December, 2012

The Fairfield Senior Times is published monthly by the Fairfield

Senior Center,100 Mona TerraceFairfield, CT 06824

Hours: Weekdays, 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

DirectorClaire Grace, 203.256.3169

Town HallHuman Services

Commission

Senior Times StaffEditor: Ron Atwater

fsteditor@hotmail.com

Editorial Assistant: M.A. Atwater

© 2012. All rights reserved.Printed in USA by Community

Publications, Cromwell, CT 06416

Information: M-F, 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 203.256.3166.Transportation: M-F, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 203.256.3168.Lunch (three days notice required): M-F, 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Call 203.256.3118 after 10:00 a.m.Coffee Shop: M-F, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.Gift Shop: M-F, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.Social Worker: M-F, 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 203.256.3125.Blood Pressure Screening: 203.256.3166Notary Public: M-F, 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 203.256.3166.

Senior Center Services

Legal counseling; long term care; medigap and Medicare counseling. Services Below by Appointment Only. Call 203.256.3166

Visit the Senior Times online at www.fairfieldct.org/senior.htm

Reminders & Other Stuff Happy Rug Hooker to Offer Lessons

Our friends at Operation Hope are asking for donations of hats, mittens and socks to help warm the needy during the winter season. They’re also in desperate need of food, in particular, canned goods of all kinds (Spam, soups, tuna fish, etc.), mac and cheese, peanut butter and so on. Of course cash donations are al-ways welcome. The pantry is nearly bare and help is urgently needed. Many of those in need are seniors.

Don’t forget about our annual Christmas Party which will take place in the Cafeteria (also known as Durrell Hall) on December 12th, starting at 12:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served and the Elderberries will provide entertainment.

Nutrition 101, You Are What You Eat, December 6, at 10:30 a.m. Learn the basics of how the food you consume is absorbed and used by your cells to impact your health. Dr. Veronica Waks, a popular lec-turer, will discuss proteins, fats, car-bohydrates, and basic food groups such as meats, fruits, and vegeta-bles. This session creates a firm foundation for understanding other important health topics such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, weight reduction, cancer preven-tion, osteoporosis and allergies.

Dr. Waks will back again on De-cember 17 at 10:30 a.m. to talk about Cholesterol. Learn every-thing you need to know about cho-lesterol, including dietary sources, and how our bodies produce it. In this lecture, Dr. Waks will discuss high cholesterol, LDL, HDL, homo-cysteine, C-reactive protein and other markers of cholesterol, and the false promise of cholesterol-lowering drugs. She will also ex-plain how to lower your cholesterol using specific foods, nutritional sup-plements and exercise.

“I stopped making a list. Nothing is considered naughty anymore!”

Join us at the Center on Monday, December 3rd at 10:30 a.m. for a demonstration and free beginner rug hooking lesson given by Certi-fied Instructor, Ms. Benita Raleigh. Ms. Raleigh is President of the Asso-ciation of Traditional Hooking Artists and a Certified McGoun Instructor. She is certified to teach fine cut, prim-itive rug hooking. Ms. Raleigh loves all colors as well as fine shading and all kinds of dyes and wools. She has made floor rugs, wall hangings, sofa pillows and cushions, and pillows both for decorative and practical use. Ms. Raleigh will bring some samples of her work to share with the class.

Visit Operation Hope at 636 Old Post Road here in Fairfield or give them a call at 203.292.5588.

We’ve posted on our web site a simple but comprehensive guide to the help that’s available to those affected by Storm Sandy. Visit: www.fairfieldct.org/senior.htm

The guide explains, among other things, how to get food help through SNAP, how renters and homeown-ers can apply for aid from federal and state sources, and how to ap-ply for disaster unemployment in-surance if the storm kept you out of work. Also beware of repair scams; there’s lots of them out there.

Page 6 December, 2012

Superstorm Hits Fairfield Hard

Let There Be LightThere was wind and rain and a tidal surge that pushed a roiling Long Island Sound to Oldfield Road. It was the second hundred-year flood in two years. And then the lights went out.

And so we prayed, “Lighten our darkness, we be-seech thee, O Lord; and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night...”

From Evening Prayer, the Book of Common Prayer

A great gust of wind brought down a majestic oak squarely on a neighbor’s garage with explosive force. The garage, a car and a pickup truck were destroyed, along with the garden equipment.

A great flag flies over Route 1 downtown, cour-tesy of the Fairfield Fire Department. While it was there to honor veterans, it also served as a symbol saying we’re all in this together.

The fallen oak had a trunk diameter of 51 inches, and the sections shown above weighed more than several tons apiece according the crane operator’s scale. Tree removal cost: $11,000 plus.

Another venerable neighborhood tree downed by a fierce Storm Sandy. The damage was largely cosmetic.

Yet another tree crashed into a neighbor’s roof and wound up in the kitchen.