In this issue...
• Sadly, the R-word is making a comeback thanks to right-wing trolls and commentators
• New book provides a guide to better pooping
• By the numbers X 10 + 1
• The key to living a longer life? Live like an Italian grandmother!
• Before you go: 7 things you may have missed in the news
• Trivia: Did you know?
• Quotes of note
• Check out these delicious recipe compilations from Brian Cormier
• Enjoy the outdoors with the Greater Moncton Walking Group
• Monday, April 27: Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Trivia Night
| | |
Sadly, the R-word is making a comeback thanks to right-wing trolls and commentators
One of the more reprehensible things that right-wing commentators and activists have accomplished in the past few years has been to resurrect the R-word (Google it if you're not sure what I mean) as terminology that's deemed "acceptable" in everyday speech among a core group of people, despite the pain it causes to others. This cruel lack of respect and empathy has become a big joke to them.
Article excerpt: "Growing up with Down syndrome, Liz Etmanski says she was called plenty of derogatory names in school - but the main one was always the R-word.
'[It’s like] having the wind knocked out of you, like you're not visible to them. It's really like an attack to your heart,' said Etmanski, an artist, writer and advocate in her 40s, living in Surrey, B.C.
'People that use it think they can get away with it... all they're doing is putting you down.'
The R-word has been considered taboo for years, used as a slur against people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In the 2010s, celebrities including the Kardashians and basketball player LeBron James issued apologies for using it publicly.
But the slur appears to be making a resurgence, despite its ongoing capacity for harm. It’s been frequently used by high-profile figures like Elon Musk and Joe Rogan, while U.S. President Donald Trump levelled it against Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in a Thanksgiving Day post last year. People appeared to follow his example in the weeks that followed, Montclair State University tracked a more-than-threefold increase in the word being used on social media platform X.
Paul Etherington, who co-founded the disability awareness non-profit Motionball, says he’s definitely noticed that people have been using the slur more frequently in the last two to three years."
I'll be happy when sanity returns in a few years when you-know-who is gone for good.
Read: The R-word was taboo as a slur for people with disabilities. Now it's being normalized again.
|
New book provides a guide to better pooping
Bowel movements don't normally come up in polite conversations, however if you're one of many people with issues, you're always looking for advice on how to make things easier. Dr. Trisha Pasricha has a new book out that hopes to help you achieve "poop euphoria" - or, as she calls it, "poophoria".
Article excerpt: "Forty percent of Americans have their daily lives interrupted by uncomfortable bowel symptoms, according to the American Gastroenterological Association. That's a lot of troubled guts.
But Dr. Trisha Pasricha says at the other end of the spectrum, there are people who experience 'poophoria.' That's Pasricha's term for a state of being where doing your business is painless and worry-free. 'I just want you to poop quickly, effortlessly, and then go live your best life,' she says.'"
... "In her new book You've Been Pooping All Wrong: How to Make Your Bowel Movements a Joy Pasricha lays out evidence-based habits and practices to make your relationship with your solid waste as smooth as possible. Here are some of her most tried-and-true tips. Pasricha offers much of this advice to her patients - but following it just might save you a trip to the doctor."
If you know anyone with issues, it really affects their life. Let's hope this book can help.
Read: Gut troubles? This gastroenterologist has tips to help you achieve "poophoria".
| |
The key to living a longer life? Live like an Italian grandmother!
If you spend any time on social media sites such as Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, you'll see that there are many Italian grandmothers who've become stars after their grandchildren convinced them to make videos. They're lots of fun to watch - especially when they cook from scratch and make things look so easy. They love quality and flavour - and doing things the right way.
And - apparently - living like an Italian grandmother will help you live a longer life, too!
Article excerpt: "When I moved to Italy in 2024, one of the first things I noticed was the very particular way Italian nonne, or grandmas, live. They walk everywhere, frequently across the city, without any assistance. Many of them are dressed to the nines, but they also don’t try to hide their age.
I was then delighted - and unsurprised - when I came across a new wellness trend making the rounds on social media. 'Nonnamaxxing' is the idea that anyone can maximize their life if they just embrace the habits of Italian grandmas. It happens to be sensible guidance.
There’s certainly a lot to learn from Italian grandmothers. Italy leads the European Union in life expectancy, and it’s a country where the number of centenarians is growing. A cluster of villages in Sardinia is one of the world’s five Blue Zones. Online guidance includes ditching social media, eating homemade everything, wearing cotton nightgowns, and welcoming unhurried lunches with friends. Some of these suggestions line up with how I’ve seen Italian grandmas live. But as a health and science journalist, I’ve noticed there’s more to it than what looks good on Instagram or TikTok. In fact, Licia Fertz, a 96-year-old Italian nonna based in Viterbo, Italy, tells SELF, quite the opposite is true."
And if there's one way to an Italian grandmother's heart, it's by gifting her a huge wheel of outstanding Parmesan cheese.
Read: What is "nonnamaxxing"? The Italian grandma lifestyle might be the secret to longevity.
| |
Trivia: Did you know?
The gaming company Nintendo was founded in the same year that the Eiffel Tower opened: 1889! Of course, it didn't produce video games at the time - it produced playing cards.
| |
Quotes of note
• 1. “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”
- Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), Russian writer (see photo)
• 2. "The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking."
- Albert Einstein
• 3. "We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us."
- Joseph Campbell
• 4. "The snake which cannot cast its skin has to die. As well the minds which are prevented from changing their opinions; they cease to be mind."
- Friedrich Nietzsche
• 5. "Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."
- Barack Obama
• 6. "You never change your life until you step out of your comfort zone; change begins at the end of your comfort zone."
- Roy T. Bennett
• 7. "If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door."
- Milton Berle
• 8. "If you want to make enemies, try to change something."
- Woodrow Wilson
• 9. "Having a teenage daughter is a lot like your house being haunted. Every now and again you’ll see a figure out of the corner of your eye, followed by a moaning sound, and then a door will slam shut."
- Joe Heenan
• 10. "Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes."
- Jack Handey
| |
Enjoy the outdoors with the Greater Moncton Walking Group
In April, the group is walking at Rotary St-Anselme Park located at 505 Melanson Road in Dieppe. Meetup in the parking lot.
The group meets for walks every Tuesday and Thursday at 8:30 a.m. New participants are always welcome! For more information, please contact Wayne Harrigan at 506-386-2187 or via email.
| |
Monday, April 27: Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Trivia Night
The next Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club Trivia Night will be held at St. Louis Bar & Grill, 1405 Mountain Road, Moncton, on Monday, April 27, beginning at 6:30 p.m. $10 per person (cash only).
Participants may play as teams or individuals. The winning team gets 50% of the door receipts as their prize.
It is strongly suggested that participants arrive by 5:15-5:30 p.m. for a seat. Trivia begins at 6:30 p.m. sharp and is usually over by 8-8:15 p.m. Everyone welcome!
Please note that restaurant reservations are NOT available for this event. First come, first served. Limited seating of approximately 50 guests.
Participants may bring an optional non-perishable food item (box of granola bars, Kraft Dinner, cereal, canned goods, etc.) for distribution at Krista Richard's Community Sports Program events, of which the Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club is a sponsor. Any donations will be gratefully received and provided to Krista for distribution to her program participants (school-aged children from Moncton-area schools).
Since Rotary Trivia Nights began in 2016, the Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club has donated more than $20,000 to Atlantic Wellness, Karing Kitchen, Ray of Hope Kitchen, Salvus Clinic, The Humanity Project, BGC Moncton (Moncton Boys & Girls Club), Junior Achievement New Brunswick, Project Linus - Moncton Chapter, Habitat for Humanity, Junior Achievement New Brunswick, Children's Wish Canada, Krista Richard's Community Sports Program and Bicycle Program, Diabetes Canada's D-Camps for kids, and Anglophone East School District's School Supplies Drive, among others.
The Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club gratefully acknowledges the kind and generous sponsorship of our restaurant partner, St. Louis Bar & Grill.
PLEASE NOTE: There is a no telephone rule at these events. The answers cannot be researched except among discussion with your team members.
Facebook event listing: bit.ly/4lNQRsV
| | |
About this newsletter
Brian Cormier's Weekly Update is distributed weekly from September to June. If you're reading this newsletter online and want to subscribe, please email me, fill out the subscription form on my website, or subscribe via the "Join Our Email List" button at the top of the newsletter (if you're viewing this in a browser.) This newsletter is not published in July and August and on holidays.
| | © 2026 Bricor Communications | | | | |
