In this regular weekend feature you will find links to news items from the preceding week related to elders and aging, along with whatever else catches my fancy that I think you might like to know. Suggestions are welcome with, however, no promises of publication.

Saturday elder news is a haphazard proposition and I was lazy in keeping up with reading these past few days, so today’s post is heavy on video from Time Goes By readers who have been particularly active recently in sending along good stuff.

This is a cleverly written video done for an AARP video contest in which it took second place. Obviously done by a young person, it is fascinating for its construction. (Hat tip Melinda Applegate) [1:44 minutes]

Although I have reservations about Google’s apparent goal to take over the world, it is amazing all the useful things I didn’t know Google can do. In his Thursday technology column in The New York Times, David Pogue highlights some of that company’s lesser-known, free services. Read about them here.

When my doctor first prescribed a statin several years ago to control cholesterol, he told me that the drug is so effective for other conditions that if he had his way, everyone would use it. Now, a new study of 18,000 people from 26 countries found “that the cholesterol-lowering drug Crestor reduced the risk [of heart attack] by 47 percent in patients with low to normal cholesterol levels but high levels of C-reactive protein.” The researchers believe the results would apply with other statins too. Read more here.

Darlene Costner of Darlene’s Hodgepodge forwarded this video of an 80-something salsa dancer. It starts out nicely enough, but really gets going at about two minutes in. [4:44 minutes]

Just in case you had any doubt or had forgotten already how evil and stupid the unlamented Bush administration was, read this extraordinary story from Barbara Ehrenreich about how a satirical piece on bomb-building she co-wrote in 1999, landed an innocent man in the depths of the U.S. torture machine for years.

On Wednesday, the Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing on the effect of the economic crisis on retirement. The next day, President Obama released his budget which included some items on Social Security and Medicare which are causing consternation in some circles and will be loudly opposed as the debate continues before Congress votes. Here is the testimony of Barbara Kennelly, president and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, at the Senate hearing. [6:56 minutes]

The stock market crash last fall devastated the savings of many retired elders and those who are approaching retirement. There hasn’t been much news coverage about these people who have few means to recoup their losses at their age. This story from CBS News reports on a 90-year-old who lost every penny to Bernie Madoff and now works at the local supermarket. While I dislike the overly feel-good sensibility of the piece that elders can all just go get a job and that everyone is capable at 90, at least it showcases the problem a bit. (Hat tip to Jan Adams of Happening Here) [2:17 minutes]

Watch CBS Videos Online

This 88-year-old has been mayor of Mississauga, Ontario, for 31 years, retained in office through 11 consecutive elections. Maybe that can be explained by the fact that the city is one of few on the entire North American continent that has no debt. Oh, and she was once a professional hockey player. (Hat tip to lilalia of Yum Yum Cafe) [6:32 minutes]