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.

Ontario Student Conference on Human Rights. If you are interested, there may still be spots for you in this leadership training opportunity. Date: Fri., Nov 16^th, Topic: War Affected Children, Cost: $25. Guest speakers, workshops, sit in the legislature at Queen’s Park.

Auguste Rodin Exhibit at the ROM. On until Dec. 23. Don’t miss "The Thinker" his most famous sculpture. Read the biography; it is very interesting.

Cinematheque Ontario. Between now and the first week of December, you can go to a lot of special movie presentations at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Tickets are $4.25 for student members. Non-members: $8.00

See my bulletin board outside of the Guidance Room on the top floor for dates, times, and movie listings and further details. Call: 416-968-FILM,

DrivaAbility, one of Canada’s most respected advocates of upgrading driving skillls will offer winter-driving clinics Nov. 17, 18 in Toronto. Each half-day clinic offers 30 min. of classroom instruction and 3 ½ hours of in-car training. Learn: emergency braking, vision skills, collision-avoidance procedures.

Volunteers Needed: Organize and run discussion groups. Past experience as a leader of discussion groups is an asset. e.g. current events, travelogue, in a different language. Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, 416-785-2500 ext. 2572.

Christmas Gift Show. This is usually a big one at the International Centre, Toronto, to be held December 7,8,9. If you might want to be an exhibitor contact 416-213-1035.

Special Business Show: City of Toronto Economic and Development Office will host a small business forum and tradeshow, Thurs. Nov. 22, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, 255 Front St. W. The forum brings together all levels of government, business associations and private sector to assist aspiring entrepreneurs in Toronto. There will be discussions, seminars, entertainment, important speakers and a trade show with more than 50 exhibitors displaying products and services for the entrepreneur. CONTACT: Enterprise Toronto 416-395-7434.

Cartoon Drawing Workshops: Bob Kain, a popular cartoonist runs cartooning workshops for interested artists, adults or kids. Contact him about Spring classes at: 705-361-2374

Cardinal Carter School, Toronto, Semi-Formal Dance: Entertainment, light dinner, dancing and a silent auction on Fri. Nov. 2 at Moonlight Ballroom on Bayview Ave.

Encounters with Canada has lots of openings for students in Ontario. For $290 you can spend a week in Ottawa and attend a fabulous course in many interesting areas. See my bulletin board for details. Ontario students will be almost guaranteed their first choices.

Exceptional Children Conference will be held in Stratford, Ontario on Nov. 15 & 16. All parents and interested students are invited to attend. Contact the Council for Exceptional Children for details and costs.

SPECIAL INVITATION!! Our school board has made special arrangements that allow students to attend the Canadian Club Luncheons at which famous and important guest speakers address an audience at the Royal York Hotel.

FREE OFFER. On Saturday, September 29, 2001 the Ontario Science Centre will host the Canadian International Youth Forum. It will be on from 10am – 1:30 pm

Contest: Art of the Automobile Competition

Canadian Aboriginal Festival

Centennial College Health Fair

Contest: Mathieu Da Costa Awards Program

Vanier Cup (university football championship)

Winter Festival of Lights in Niagara Falls (concerts on weekends)

Contest: Young Canadian Women Writers Festival

Contest: Youth-Only Wood Art Competition

African Drums & Art Crafts (visit anytime)

Air Cadets (always looking for new members)

Amnesty International (care enough to get involved)

Auction Sales (check papers)

Bancroft Mineral Collecting (check if available late into Fall)

Beach Blast Indoor Volleyball Centre (birthday party place?)

Black Film & Video Network (specialized cultural activity)

Bloor Cinema (cheap night out with friends, see old but good movies)

Canadian Authors Association (a couple of students have visited to find out more about writing and getting published)

Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (find out about alternative health care)

Canadian Football Hall of Fame in Hamilton

Canadian Ski Federation (join a club?)

Canadian Snowboard Federation (lessons?)

CBC Museum (visit for an interesting history of broadcasting)

Hockey Hall of Fame (history?)

Holocaust Education and Memorial Centre (on Bathurst just north of Sheppard)

In 2 Print (magazine for kids to contribute to as journalists)

Junior Achievement of Canada (become an entrepreneur and set up a business with other students. Any age.)

Kitchener Farmers Market (wonderful visit, see the Mennonites)

Model Railroad Club of Toronto (huge layout of trains and scenes)

Mousetrap, The Play (longest running play in Toronto history)

North York Harvest Food Bank (help out)

Ontario Archaeological Society (interested?)

Personal Computing Club of Toronto (designed for family participation)

Readers Digest (submit jokes, stories, etc. and get paid)

Royal Astronomical Society (see the real stars)

Royal Canadian Institute (RCI Kids) (for interests in science)

Royal Ontario Museum (Remember: FREE FRIDAY NIGHTS!!)

Studio Audience Participation Listings (sit in on the taping of some of your favourite shows. Take your family and friends. Usually free)

Toronto Bonsai Society

(miniature trees – some 50-100 yrs. Old, how to nurture them)

Toronto Camera Club ( smile!)

Alexis C., Gr. 11, and Allison M., Gr. 11, are putting the final touches on their Duke of Edinburgh Silver Medal Award. They did community service work, adventure camping, skills training and self-development. Congratulations on completing this wonderful independently-run, self-directed activity. Anybody interested, contact them to find out what it was like. See me for registration forms.

loves Track & Field running. Want to join her? Consider getting involved with the Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

Sandra Tipei, Gr. 9, has both parents involved in the car business and loves mechanical work and car-related activities. Rev up your motors and steer your way to excitement with them.

Melissa T., Gr. 12, is interested in journalism. We have a lot of budding writers. Contact her and start your own club or discussion group. Enter some writing contests. There are lots available.

has a real interest in Law and would like to find a mentor to work with in her spare time. Anybody else want to join her?

is interested in storytelling and wants to start a club in the school. Ms. M. a teacher, is a story collector and is working on her doctorate in the area and is willing to help out. Get involved. (See the related website in this newsletter.)

is a really good website designer.

took a sign language course for the deaf over the summer

has a serious interest in psychology. There are a few more of you out there that might be interested in sharing the interest or writing the Advanced Placement exam in Psychology.

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A fairly large number of you might be writing Advanced Placement exams this year. It is difficult to maintain the interest and desire to work on them if you are doing them alone. To help you, here are some suggestions (this can also apply to doing your regular school work, in some cases):

Try to have a mentor linked to your study– an adult or university student who will be available to help you when needed.

It is also worthwhile to try and sit in on some university classes in the subject to see what it is like.

Plan study packages based on the work in the course outline. Doing small packages consistently over the months is more rewarding than trying to do one great big one. They have sample exams for you to practice on.

If you are seriously doing one, share time with a partner to keep up the morale

Process:

The school only may apply for exams for you in Feb.-March. YOU MAY ONLY ORDER THROUGH A TEACHER, NOT ON YOUR OWN. Each exam costs approx. $70US – pay when exams are ordered. Exams are written in May of each year. They look great on applications to universities that in many cases will give you real credit(s) for them in your first year (double check with the ones you apply to). The most popular ones are (in no particular order): Psychology, French Language, English Literature, Calculus, English Language, Biology, Spanish. If you get 4 courses, you receive a diploma from AP.

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Disclaimer: SOME OF THE FOLLOWING ARE PRESENTED TO BE THOUGHT-PROVOKING ONLY. THEY ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE VIEWPOINT OR POSITION OF OUR STAFF WRITERS.

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The Ontario Provincial Government provides free hearing tests to anyone over 40 years of age. Recommend that your loved ones go for regular checks.

(What did you SAY???)

a) A new species of animal has been discovered! Well, sort of. African elephants are of two types: the forest ones and the grasslands type. They were thought to be related but it has been proven that they are two distinct species.

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b) Humans of the earth have fundamentally changed the following:

The hydrologic cycle - destruction of rainforests are causing the creation of new deserts in South America and therefore moisture content above the land is altered. As the earth heats up more and more, we see shifts in moisture-laden air producing some of the strange weather we have experienced over the last few years.

the carbon cycle - we burn more dirty fossil fuels in cars and industry than ever before. When this pollution comes back to earth as acid rain, the land and plants are altered. The burning of wood results in smoke and airborne particles but when washed down by rain, they enter the carbon cycle normally and positively.

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(My thoughts about the subject. O.S.)

Did you ever think about the impact your tissues have on the environment?

Think about this. We use a gazillion of the things each day. Each is used once and then thrown away. Where are they thrown? Why into the garbage of course. This is very bad. Why? Because they are loaded with live cultures of every imaginable disease, germs and viruses. They go right into our ecosystem first as garbage and then into the soil and eventually into our underground water systems. If any place, they should be going into our sewage system where they would be treated with chemicals that destroy most germs, etc.

There is a solution and it is so simple you will probably shake your head in amazement that we hadn’t thought of it before. Are you ready? Here it is: handkerchiefs. Yes, handkerchiefs! Why? Let me explain.

First of all, they are reusable many hundreds of times so there is neither ongoing pollution of the environment nor the wasting of countless trees.

Secondly, you are not going to catch anything from yourself so what is in the handkerchief is not dangerous to you. If you wash hands carefully after using your handkerchief, others will be protected from what you have too.

Other things to consider: they don’t usually get tossed away on the ground as garbage, live cultures of organisms are not put into countless garbage receptacles (picked through by birds) or blown around by wind in cities each day, the stuff in handkerchiefs can be washed out in hot water (sterilization) and detergents which kill the cultures and then are flushed directly into the sewage system where they are safer because the germs, etc. have been killed and any live ones get treated a second time and hopefully most are killed.

So rally around that forgotten super saviour of our health, the handy hanky. Talk to your friends about it. Buy some as Christmas presents and try them. Be part of the solution not part of the problem.

Any thoughts on the (t)issue? Let me know and I will include them in the next newsletter.

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Memory Enhancers – rosemary and geranium oils

PMS Cravings – Calcium, up to 1200 mg a day.

PMS Relief – black cohash extract, chasteberry or evening primrose oil

Gas (stomach) – peppermint tea

Cold Sores – licorice root tincture every hour (will heal them in about 3 days)

Cankers & Mouth Sores –apply ¼ tsp. turmeric and 1 tsp honey mixed as a paste

Thyroid problems – avoid soy protein powder, uncooked rutabagas, cabbage and turnips. Well-cooked, they are ok. Watercress is good.

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By Eric Dlugokinski, former professor of Psychology

How to cope with any emotional state:

1. Identify and recognize the feeling.
2. Pause, relax and gain composure.
3. Think about ways to express the feeling that doesn’t hurt you or others.
4. Express it.

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excerpts from Science Magazine, Dr. J. Cohen, Princeton University

Recent studies are showing that difficult ethical decisions we make are more moral decisions than intellectual, logical or analytical reasoning and all of these come together in rich, previously unknown ways.

We deal with basically three kinds of ethical situations:

- personal moral dilemmas (e.g. Should bombers drop packets of food, some of which fall into heavily land-mined territory, to starving people who can’t eat most of it because of religious or dietary reasons, while their homes and cities are destroyed by the bombers? As well, most of the food is knowingly picked up by the Afghan military for feeding soldiers.)

- impersonal moral dilemmas (e.g. Do you keep the money if you find a lost wallet?)

• non-moral questions (e.g. How will I navigate this difficult trip?)

If we want to get along with people, we need to notice where in our brains decisions are being formed and where our views of others come from.

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excerpts from Wayne Gendel, life extension specialist from Toronto.

Life spans he has researched have ranged from as low as 59 in Bombay, India to 100-120 or more in the Hunza tribe in Tibet.

"The most crucial dietary factors to eliminate are white flour, unhealthy water, table salt, cooked fats, white sugar and overeating."

"There has never in the history of the planet been an over weight or obese 100-year-old person."

"The healthiest fats to eat are virgin cold-pressed oils from olives, flax and hemp. In addition, some healthy foods are avocado, fresh raw nuts, seeds and ripe olives. Avoid all fried foods, margarine and processed foods packaged with oils."

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Summary of ideas from an article from Shared Vision, August, 2001, reprinted in Vitality Magazine

If you are a woman suffering from PMS or know another woman who is, please read this and pass it on.

Eli Lilly Company has decided that PMS symptoms are a "new" mental illness. The "new" drug they offer is called "Sarafem," but BEWARE. Sarafem is PROZAC, a widely used drug with several nasty side effects. Prozac has come under fire as being related to violent and suicidal tendencies, agitation and well over 1200 deaths.

Sarafem comes out because Lilly’s patent on Prozac expired in August. Sarafem’s patent won’t expire until 2007 thereby extending Lilly’s patent.

For more info:

(see above for natural remedies for PMS)

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8) Interesting Books to Read

Almost everybody has read the chicken soup books. This book and the others mentioned go way beyond soup.

"Moments of Grace" by Neale Donald Walsch is a new book from the author of "Conversations with God" (Books 1-3),"Friendship with God" and "Communion with God."

In his books he relates stories of how God communicates with everyday human beings. Many people question this and conclude it is just one’s imagination. He really pushes new buttons.

About whether it is imagination or not, he writes as if God is talking: "What would be the difference? Do you not see that I could just as easily work through your imagination as anything else….You will know these words are from Me because you, of your own accord, have never spoken so clearly."

Another quote: "When people say they talk to God every day, they’re called devout, but when people say that God talks to them every day, they’re called crazy."

Skeptics all over the world have found these books totally fascinating. Perhaps they will help you establish a new friendship with your God?

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(excerpts from Toronto Star article, Religion Section, Oct. 13/01

Both St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas articulated the ethics of how and why to wage a war against others. It is called the "just war" theory. Here are the conditions under which a "just" war might be waged. It is first assumed that war would be between two "nations" rather than a nation against a gang of armed malcontents or thieves.

1. Just cause must be established – the offence prompting war must be of a very serious nature.
2. War is seen as a last resort, after every other means of resolving the conflict have been exhausted.
3. War must be declared by legitimate authority, not an irate commander or psychopath general.
4. Right intention, such as securing justice and re-establishing peace, must undergird the effort. Revenge, for example, is never a justification for war.
5. There must be a reasonable chance of success, whereby the objective of the war can be envisioned and probably achieved.
6. The ends should be in proportion to the means. In other words, more good should result from the war than harm.

The following is a direct quote from the article: "Yet, as St. Augustine once noted, "the passion for inflicting harm (and) the cruel thirst for vengeance are rightly condemned in war." In other words, revenge is not an ethical framework for waging war – even against terrorists or those sheltering them."

(Food for thought when it comes to relationships with others.)

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Excepts from "News Briefs" by Michael Downey – Vitality Magazine

Since the devastation of Sept. 11, it is a good idea to avoid going to New York City. Reasons:

-the totally pulverized remains of cement, insulation, asbestos, plastics, metal, etc. produced highly toxic dust which not only covered the city and surrounding area but was also sucked into ventilation systems and spread through many buildings and homes all over the city.

-nobody knows how much asbestos will continue to float around for many months . Fibres are deadly when inhaled. Lab sample studies show 1.5% asbestos content of the air.

-silica dust from all the pulverized glass can scratch the cornea of the eye

-many fires that are still burning are continuously polluting the air with noxious, toxic, carcinogenic smoke

-the clean up effort will produce a steady supply of all the above during the year or so that it will most likely take to clear things away

-the rotting remains of humans and animals have not all been accumulated and will continue to be sources of potential disease and bad odours

-there is probably a lot of dioxin in the air.

What to do if you absolutely have to go:

-wear a quality gas or particle mask.

-take N-acetylcysteine, lipoic acid, vitamins C & E and glutamine to help prevent oxidative stress and for detoxifying asbestos.