*******Gift Rap*******
A Monthly Newsletter Especially for Gifted Teenagers
Our objective is to let you know about great activities, free stuff, amazing new areas of interest and some plain old fun and enjoyment too. We value intelligence and will endeavor to find exceptional, high-powered enrichment to enhance your life and learning.
Courtesy of: DiscoverTeenergy.com. All rights reserved.
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I am sending this out a bit early because of a number of important things happening this month.
On April 20-22, 2001, Quebec City will be hosting the Summit of the Americas. Thirty-four heads of state from North, Central and South America will be gathering to put final touches on a Free Trade Agreement that will affect every citizen of the western hemisphere. If passed, the agreement will allow multinationals to put health care, education, environmental and labour standards, pretty well all national programs/laws/safety nets on the free market. Governments will give up control of social programs, subsidies, and will end protection of almost all areas of business, agriculture, environment, medicine and government controlled secured systems of survival in a country. Countries can be sued if they try to stop business conglomerates from carrying out any business they wish.
In summary - if the agreement is passed - all Canadian food production and resources, assistance programs, social institutions and structures, standards and regulations, laws that are presently custom-designed for Canada and established for the needs of Canadians must be opened to competition and revision and will obviously be affected by the strongest and wealthiest corporate bidders from anywhere in the world. Capitalism and total free market conditions will prevail.
THIS IS A MUST-READ ARTICLE!!!! PLEASE READ ALL OF IT!!!
COMPLACENT CANADIANS CANNOT AND MUST NOT IGNORE THIS SUMMIT. DO NOT ASSUME YOUR BEST INTERESTS ARE BEING CONSIDERED. THIS WILL AFFECT YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN AND EVERYBODY IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE WITHIN FIVE YEARS IF PASSED. DO NOT IGNORE THIS!!!
Summit of the Americas
(documented from books, government reports, articles, more)
http://www.infoshop.org/octo/actions/ftaa_barlow.htmlIf after reading the article you are as concerned as I am, please start passing this message to every Canadian you know. Write letters to newspapers, contact radio stations. Get active. THIS IS IMPORTANT.
The Canadian government needs to know your opinion. Below are the internet links that will get you to all MPs and MPPs.
Government of Canada (under Members of the House of Commons, find your local MP)
http://canada.gc.ca/howgoc/glance_e.html
Government of Ontario (all the MPPs and their mailing addresses, email addresses, phone numbers)
http://www.ontla.on.ca/members/profileindex.htm
ACTIVITIES RECOMMENDED FOR APRIL:
(see: www.DiscoverTeenergy.com "Teenergy Activities" for full details)
A Stroll in the Park Walking & Adventure Club
Abelard Centre for Education (you may want to switch schools next year?)
Aberfoyle Antique/Flea Market (opens end of the month)
Adventure Mountain Bike School (offer courses)
Auction Sales (go see some. They are great!!)
Archaeological Field School (summer credit course)
Astronomy Day Celebrations (get involved)
Bancroft Mineral Collecting (over 400 minerals in the area)
Check into Biking Clubs and Bike Tours now starting up
Visit the Bloor Cinema (cheap and see good old movies)
Bonnechere Caves (open this month. Visit)
Branksome Hall Tennis Camp (summer training)
Canadian Camping Association (get ready for summer camping)
Canadian Football Hall of Fame (sports enthusiasts shrine)
Canadian Garden & Flower show (some of you are avid gardeners)
Carpenter’s Square (woodworking courses)
CBC Museum (broadcasting icon)
Chess Federation of Canada (its your move)
Computing Insights (summer camp)
Earth Day Celebrations (get involved)
Environmental Science Credit at Lake St. George Conservation Centre (get a high school credit)
Free the Children Summer Leadership Camp (this is Craig Kielberger’s camp)
George Brown Summer Studio (arts & crafts for the summer)
International Academy of Design (summer courses in fashion, interior design, computers, more)
Introductory Marine Science (summer credit course)
Knights of Columbus Catholic Youth Leadership Training Camp (Amen)
National Home Show (everything to do with your home)
Old Clothing Show and Sale (antique clothing from different times)
ROM Summer Club (work with ROM exhibits)
SciTech (summer camp at the Ont. Science Centre)
Toronto Aviation and Aircraft Show (high flyers like this)
Toronto Brigantine Tall ship Adventure (learn to sail a big sailing ship at Toronto Harbour)
Toronto Cycling Committee Bike Week (pedal your way into good times)
Toronto International Film Festival for Children (Sprockets) (for your viewing pleasure, films from around the world)
Toronto Jewish Film Festival (oy vey! They can be fun. Try it)
Toronto Star Photo Contest (All it takes is a snap of your finger)
Travel and Leisure Show (move and rest at the same time?)
Vintage Film Festival (oldies but goodies)
Wilderness Games (paintball warfare)
Young Canada Works in Heritage Institutions (summer jobs)
Young Peoples Theatre (summer drama school)
Good Food Festival & Market (smell it?)
Camp Enterprise
WHAT STUDENTS IN THE GIFTED PROGRAM ARE DOING
Sarah L., Cristina C., Emma W., Katherine L. won the Toronto Debating Championship late in February. Congrats!!! Sarah and Cristina will be going to the Ontario Championships in Kitchener.
Sarah L. won the best overall debater at a recent city tournament. Our junior team took top spot as well. Congrats.
Vanessa P., Gr. 9, and Ashleigh S., Gr. 9, represented our school board at a Women in Technology conference at the convention centre and were asked to be interviewed on TV. You could really feel their excitement in the email I received. Congrats!
A number of gifted program students: Amelia M., Karen L., Nathalie O., Anne C., Olivia M. are going to Queen’s Mini Enrichment. Sixteen students, in total, will be heading to the Queen’s Mini Enrichment Program in Kingston in May. It’s a great way to experience university life and immerse in a topic that might lead to a future career. Start saving ($460) and get involved next year.
Uju U. won third place in the "Human Rights and Race Relations Centre" essay contest and won a nice money prize. The topic was: How to Deal with Racism in School. Congratulations!! Now have this article published everywhere you can. Good luck. See me if you need some contacts.
A number of our students went to the Ontario Science Centre to study DNA Fingerprinting.
Karen L., who is a remarkable pianist, will be part of a Chinese Talent Show for charity, at the Sheraton Parkway Toronto North Hotel, on Saturday, March 24th at 7PM. Tickets are $138 each.
Interesting Websites to Check Out
National Archives and Records Administration (see copies of major documents in the world: the Magna Carta, American Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Charters, Bill of Rights, and more)
http://www.nara.gov/exhall/charters/magnacarta/magmain.htmlDiscussions Relating to the Kyoto Conference on Global Warming (all issues to do with the problem of global warming. Very interesting)
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/forum/december97/kyoto_12-12.htmlSatellite Photos of the Earth (AMAZING. YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS)
http://earth.jsc.nasa.gov/query.cgi?RESULTS=GRAPHICAL&QLATV=5&HO=S&LATRANGE=5&QLONV=63&HE=W&LONRANGE=5Views of Earth and Moon from Different Perspectives (Better than the other. LIVE!! You can zoom in close to the earth, moon, see weather patterns right now! and move to see what is coming from different satellite cameras!! Totally AWESOME!!!)
http://www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/vplanet.htmlSAT Exams Information
http://www.sat.org/SAT Exam Preparation (exceptionally good advice, sample questions and analysis of how to get the answers)
http://www.testprepcenter.com/sat/index.htmlSAT Verbal Online Test of Vocabulary (actual questions, get marks at the end)
http://www.seldeen.com/sat/emails.htmlAll the Encyclopedias you will ever need
http://www.refdesk.com/factency.html
SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES
Win a Laptop Computer
The Conference Board of Canada
Write an essay on your vision of a company 10 years in the future or discuss corporate social responsibility. Contest information is at:
www.cbc.ca/streetcents Due date: May 25th.Want to Win Big Prizes. Enter hundreds of contests.
http://www.contestguide.com/All the Writing Contests You could ever enter.
http://www.inkspot.com/market/contests.htmlBye for now until next month.
Da Boz