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Double Cohort. Double Trouble?

(from a Ministry of Training, Colleges & Universities newsletter, personal views – editor)

At the end of next year, there will be two graduating classes in each secondary school in Ontario. The complexities, problems and solutions are in need of review. What are educators and schools doing about it all?

• Check out the university you apply to for their policy on repeated courses. If you are in Gr. 12 and have repeated courses, you might be at a disadvantage.
• Gr. 12 students will be slightly disadvantaged and less prepared especially in mathematics. What will the universities have in place to provide help/tutoring for these students?
• With a double-sized graduation group at graduation ceremonies and banquets, larger facilities and accommodations will need to be rented and provided to hold all the extra people. Are there enough places that big? How much more expensive will graduation become?
• One generation of graduates, the Grade 12’s, have effectively lost their own graduation ceremony, as they will be combined with OAC’s. In some schools, they are rebelling and holding their own separate graduation receptions after ceremonies. Who should pay for these?
• Universities are busy building new classrooms, residences, larger cafeterias, and more sports facilities. As the number of teachers is going down in the province, where will they get the qualified personnel to teach in the classrooms, coach the extra teams, etc.?
• University towns will be bursting with a double load of students seeking a limited number of residences off campus. Rental rates will skyrocket as demand far exceeds supply. (as if tuition increases aren’t enough)
• Many schools will have greatly reduced populations all over the province, because two classes graduate but only one new grade nine group will come in. There will not be double the number of Gr. 9’s to fill the vacancies in most schools! Once the big bulge works its way through university in 3-4 years, the same population collapse will happen at the university level.

• Some students have been fast tracking to graduate with a smaller group ahead of the big bulge.
• Some students will be taking a year off and applying to university the following year.
• Students are applying to colleges/universities in the USA or further abroad.
• In some cases, parents purchase a house/condo/townhouse in the university city, have their child live in it and rent out rooms to other students.
• More students will try to live at home and apply to universities in their hometown to avoid some of the huge problems, mentioned above, that will hit many university towns.
• Students are applying to lesser-known colleges/universities that may not have as severe a problem that larger, highly popular places will have.

Plan early and explore all the options. Good luck.

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Synthetic Insulin may be a Threat to Your Life!

There are many people who have to take insulin to control diabetes. It would be useful for all to know of changes in that field of health.

For about 50 years prior to 1981, the only source of insulin was from cattle and pork. It was extracted from the pancreas of slaughtered animals and used for human consumption. Although it was not a cure, at least life went on.

Synthetic human insulin is the first gene-technological hormone that is now being proven to have major consequences for health.

Testing suggests the new insulin is not better. Studies show: it has no clinical advantage, is absorbed quicker therefore has a shorter time of action, has fewer antibodies, which slow the absorption rate, patients need to inject more often and therefore test more often. The pharmaceutical companies made extra money because of the increased need for needles, test strips, etc.

A diabetic needs warning signs when blood sugars drop. At least 30% of diabetics have a hypoglycemic coma in their lifetime and about 10% will have a severe reaction each year (Canadian Diabetes) Many patients complain of the lack of warning signs while using synthetic insulin. Studies continue to show that animal insulin result in fewer problems.

A new syndrome "Dead-in-Bed" came about, describing young diabetics who were in good health one day and dead or almost dead the next morning. Nighttime hypoglycemic episodes that came without warning are the suggested causes.

Synthetic insulin has a higher profit margin, requires more injections and self-administered tests. Diabetics are slowly being held hostage as animal insulin is forced off the market.

There is no cure but somebody needs to take action to save lives.

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New Discovery! Robotics Competition

(First important one held in the Toronto area. To be held April 4-6 at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga. Winners go the finals at the Epcot Centre in Florida. Go for a new experience and maybe enter a team next year.)

Aberfoyle Antique Market (opens this month)

Adventure Mountain Bike School (in Collingwood)

Archaeological Field School at Boyd Conservation Field Centre (apply for summer credits)

Astronomy Day (get details and celebrate)

Branksome Tennis Camp (apply for summer lessons)

Canadian Garden and Flower Show

Computing Insights at U. of Toronto (get application forms for summer program)

Earth Day Canada (create a project to respect the Earth)

Environmental Schools Canada (Alberta summer course)

Environmental Science Credit Course at Lake St. George Field Centre (summer credit course)

Free the Children’s Summer Leadership Camps for Youth (Craig Kielberger’s course. This is an excellent course!)

George Brown College Summer Studio (summer arts course)

Good Food Festival and Market

Introductory Marine Science (summer credit course in New Brunswick)

Knights of Columbus Catholic Youth Leadership Camp

New Discovery! London Museum of Archaeology, London, ON (history of 200 dig sites relating to Ontario’s native people)

National Home Show

Old Clothing Show and Sale

Royal Ontario Museum – Summer Club

SciTech (Ontario Science Centre summer course)

Toronto Aviation & Aircraft Show (everything for plane enthusiasts)

Toronto Brigantine/Tall Ship Adventures (learn to sail tall ships)

Toronto Cycling Committee – Bike Week (contact them for bike trail maps)

Toronto International Film Festival for Children – Sprockets

Toronto Jewish Film Festival

Travel & Leisure Show

Vintage Film Festival (best of the oldies)

Young Peoples Theatre (summer drama school)

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Vera L. and Genevieve McD. both in OAC, will be attending a free weekend leadership training workshop called Camp Enterprise. They will be meeting and hearing important business people and learn the basics of good business and business leadership.

Kaley K., Gr. 9, participated in the Ontario Junior High School Debating Championships held at Branksome Hall in March.

Sarah L., Gr. 11, and Cristina C., OAC, will be participating in the Ontario Debating Championships Finals held on the first weekend of April. Good luck.

Amanda DeF., Gr. 11, is applying to work in a law office for the summer with a lawyer who will hopefully become a mentor.

Tracey L., Gr.11, is organizing a 30hr Famine for her church youth group. This will be held in early April.

Alison M., Gr. 11, will be taking a credit course in Italy this summer. She is also putting finishing touches on her Duke of Edinburgh award. Over the March Break, she attended some university Open House sessions.

Alexis C., Gr.11, and her team of helpers are presenting a Community Leadership Workshop/Conference for Metro students through the HOBY Foundation on April 17. Good leadership in action. Congratulations.

Victoria W., Gr. 9, is going to be a volunteer with the Canadian Cancer Society.

Vanessa D., Gr. 9, has a growing interest in outer space and astronomy.

Natasha V. Gr. 9, is developing an interest in Psychology and would like to prepare to write an AP exam next year.

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Dr. David Williams (secrets to staying healthy the natural way)

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Creative Challenge: (one of many possibilities: Message to a waiter after being served a lousy meal")
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Are the Stars Out Tonight?
(based on a TV program about the topic – editor)

Go out on a clear night and find stars. How many can you see? Most people don’t realize it but they see far less than people did 50 or 100 years ago. Why? Because we have so much light pollution that the sky is too bright at night and the stars aren’t contrasted against it anymore except in remote places. About 25-40% of light produced goes to areas that don’t need to be lit. How about saving the energy and the related costs?

Upset astronomers at major telescopes around the world are urging cities to reduce light intensity and quantity and put canopies over existing lights so they can see into the heavens. It is getting harder and harder.

High-rise buildings should shut off lights at night to not only reduce light pollution but to also protect migrating birds that are confused and kill themselves when they fly into the buildings.

Does it really matter? Probably not to many people, but if you like astronomers, nature and want your kids to marvel at the stars too, help out and spread the news.

• turn off house lights at night (outdoors especially)
• put shades on outdoor lights to shine the light downward only
• if you have to use outdoor lights, use low-wattage bulbs

• write to decision-makers about the problem
• contact owners of high-rise offices, etc. and ask them to turn off lights especially in major downtown core areas
• contact manufacturers of outdoor lighting and urge them to help solve the problem at source

These are easy solutions with a big payoff. Get involved.

Challenge: Send us your interesting, funny "dark night" stories.

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New World’s Record!
(from an article in the Toronto Star)

Bahrain is the smallest Arab country in the world and the world’s newest constitutional monarchy. It is also in the Guinness World Book of Records for cooking the world’s biggest dish – 5.5 tonnes of rice, meat, herbs, spices and tomatoes - for a traditional Gulf Arab meal. It cost $1.1 million, and 140 people ate it.

Twenty cooks, aided by 120 helpers, poured 1,453 gallons of water trucked in for the occasion into a specially-built aluminum pot, then cooked 2.4 tonnes of basmati rice, 1.2 tonnes of meat and 1.94 tonnes of other ingredients and spices.

The meal was left to cook for nearly five hours in the park of the National Museum in Manama.

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(monthly article written by Sandra Tipei, Gr. 9, Gifted Program)

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Focus by Arthur Miller. The subject of the book is a rare one: anti-Semitism in 1947. This was Miller’s first and only novel.

Heroes in Our Midst edited by Robin Mednick and Wendy Thomas. This is about the indomitable spirit of 77 Canadian Olympians and 13 Paralympians.

Like Everybody Else but Different by Morton Weinfeld. The book is a sociological study of the Jews in Canada.

Patti’s Pearls by Patti LaBelle. Pearls of wisdom from people in her life. The book is written in a light-hearted way despite the wisdom getting her through major crisis in her life.

The Heart of the Soul and The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav. How to align your personality with your soul through exercises which bring feelings and emotions into focus.

Five Steps to Forgiveness by Everett Worthington. How to get rid of resentment and negative emotions that harm your person. Reconciliation techniques (forgiving yourself and others) are also presented

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What Won’t Women Do Next?
(excerpts from an article in the Toronto Star)

When these women ask if they look fat, the answer better be yes. Defying more than 1000 years of tradition, women are now entering the clay-floored ring of sumo wrestling. Fights are identical to male bouts but women tend to wear a little more than the usual diaper-like cloth.

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(from an article in the Catholic Register)

Queen Elizabeth is the world’s most travelled person – more than Pope John Paul 11. She has logged 251 overseas trips to 128 countries, including 20 visits to Canada. She has reigned over 10 British prime ministers and nine Canadian ones. She has also sent out over 100,000 telegrams to centenarians.

(comment: imagine all the frequent flyer points she has accumulated!)

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Can Things Get any Cleaner?
(based on an article in the Toronto Star)

Singapore is a very special city-state in the world. It is noted for its cleanliness and social conformity. How clean and socially conforming is it?

When in Singapore, you will want to observe the following: no spitting on the ground, no littering, no chewing gum, no graffiti, no profanity allowed, among other strict laws. Defacing any property can be punishable by a fine of about $1500, up to 3 years in jail and a maximum of 8 strokes of the cane. Ouch! A few years ago a young American received the lash for stupidly stealing a car.

Although this seems harsh in North American terms, people do enjoy a lot of security and have a very clean environment.

Challenge: After you find out more about Singapore, let us hear your views. Are the measures taken too harsh? Should we be more like them? Any "clean" stories?

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What’s Happening in Outer Space?
(summary of an article from the Toronto Star by Terence Dickinson)

Some of you might be considering a career related to outer space. To go and live among the stars as some kind of specialist is closer to reality than you think. The following articles may stimulate you to look beyond the normal jobs offered in our earthly society and search out those needed by people who dare to search where no man has gone before.

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The Power of Pets
(special to the Toronto Star)

A survey determined just how much people are attached to their pets. Some of the most interesting findings:

84% have a pet for companionship

52% believed their pet listens to them best

4% would consider marrying their pet

63% said, "I love you" at least daily to their pets

78% talk to their pets in a different voice

59% celebrate their pet’s birthday

68% travel with their pet

29% felt that their pet prepared them for raising children

46% have sent a greeting card "from their dog or cat"

21% would travel 1600km or more to obtain specialty veterinary care

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What Happens to Old Airplanes?
(based on an article in the Toronto Star)

Most people never think about what happens to planes when they get too old, into totalling accidents or taken out of service due to lack of demand. Where would you park something that big or how could you put it safely into moth balls for a few months until demand rises again?

The world’s biggest aircraft graveyard and storage place is in California at the Mojave Airport. There are about 250 planes there now and the number is growing quickly as airlines take the biggest hit in history after Sept. 11. It is a good location because there is very low humidity that can destroy multi-million dollar aircraft quickly if left uncovered and unserviced. Planes come from all over the world.

Here is an idea of parking and service fees. Newer, useable planes sometimes cost up to $50 000 a year just to store and routinely service while waiting to be put back in service. Older, obsolete planes are dismantled for parts and/or scrapped to go into the steel industry.

(comment: We just take so much for granted all the time, don’t we?)

Mojave Airport

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What are You Waiting for?
(based on an advertisement from Rogers @ Home)

- Olympic athletes wait and practice for 4 years for their event that may last only 9.8 seconds.

-once convicted, an offender can wait years for parole. Good behaviour can make this happen quicker. Coincidentally, good behaviour would have kept them out of jail in the first place.

-the average employee subconsciously spends 104 hours per workweek waiting for Friday 5 PM.

-depending on your commute, you can wait in traffic from 30 minutes to 3 hours. That’s plenty of time to catch up on your personal grooming.

-the longer you wait for the biggest fish in the lake, the longer will be the one you tell everybody got away.

-Zen Buddhism suggests that there is no waiting, only being.

-many people who wait for life to be full tomorrow end up with a lot of empty yesterdays.

-waiting for a problem to solve itself is like waiting for a stone to carve itself into a sculpture.

-while you wait, life just goes right on by. Get on and live every moment to the fullest!

CHALLENGE: contribute some of your own thoughts about waiting. What are you waiting for? Do it!

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Chinese Year of the Horse
(excerpts from an article in the Toronto Star)

Having celebrated the New Year on February 12, Chinese people are predicting a rather turbulent time ahead because it is the Year of the Horse.

Predictions are that money will be spent too freely, many minor illnesses will arise, there will be romantic upheaval, but positively, important achievements will become possible. All in all, it will be a year of great change.

Two-legged "Horses" have trouble with relationships. They are very self-centered and opportunistic. They do, however, have a sweet character and are tuned to be successful.

The Year of the Horse occurs every 12 years. People who have birth years of 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990 are included. The element of water is associated as well as fire. Don’t get too steamed about it but this could really bring things to a boil this year!

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Utah: Olympic Host & Odd Place
(excerpts from an article by Rosie DiManno in the Toronto Star)

The Olympics are over but besides learning about the athletes and the sports, we should also know a few things about the state. How many people really know too much about it, other than Utahans? Here are some facts:

• the Dutch oven is the official state cooking pot
• Jell-O is the official state snack food (they consume 21 packages per household per year. Lime is the favourite flavour).
• the state bird is – ready for this – the seagull.
• right in the heart of Mormon country is one of the largest lesbian groups in the USA.
• 70% of Utahans are Mormons. (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints).
• Brigham Young, founder of Salt Lake City, designed the really wide streets to accommodate a team of oxen making a full 180-degree turn.
• because of the wide streets, pedestrians are encouraged to wave readily available red flags when crossing streets.
• a man from Salt Lake City designed the first traffic light.
• the first artificial heart was transplanted to Barney Clark in Utah in 1982.
• Philo T. Farnsworth developed an early prototype for the TV.
• Donny and Marie Osmond are Utahans.
• the Browning machine gun used in WW1, WW2, and Korean War was invented in Utah.
• the town of Virgin, Utah has a regulation that makes it mandatory for all residents to own firearms.
• a Utah government representative proposed that convicted drunk drivers be forced to stick a "D" on their car bumpers. (defeated)
• although it was almost passed that elementary students receive gun-safety education, they were not required to take sex education.
• Butch Cassidy, of the movie "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" was from Utah.

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Time is a dressmaker specializing in alterations. – Faith Baldwin

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Punny Stuff

A good pun is its own reword.

Energizer Bunny arrested - charged with battery.

A man's home is his castle, in a manor of speaking.

A pessimist's blood type is always b-negative.

My wife really likes to make pottery, but to me it's just kiln time.

Dijon vu - the same mustard as before.

Practice safe eating - always use condiments.

I fired my masseuse today. She just rubbed me the wrong way.

A Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean your mother.

Shotgun wedding: A case of wife or death.

I used to work in a blanket factory, but it folded.

I used to be a lumberjack, but I just couldn't hack it, so they gave me the axe.

If electricity comes from electrons... does that mean that morality comes from morons?

A man needs a mistress just to break the monogamy.

Marriage is the mourning after the knot before.

A hangover is the wrath of grapes.

Corduroy pillows are making headlines.

Is a book on voyeurism a peeping tome?

Dancing cheek-to-cheek is really a form of floor play.

Banning the bra was a big flop.

Sea captains don't like crew cuts.

Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?

A successful diet is the triumph of mind over platter.

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

A gossip is someone with a great sense of rumor.

Without geometry, life is pointless.

When you dream in color, it's a pigment of your imagination.

Condoms should be used on every conceivable occasion.

Reading whilst sunbathing makes you well-red.

When two egotists meet, it's an I for an I.

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The teacher asked little Johnny if he knows his numbers. "Yes," he said. "I do. My father taught me."
"Good. What comes after three."
"Four," answers the boy.
"What comes after six?"
"Seven."
"Very good," says the teacher. "Your dad did a good job. What comes after ten?"
"A jack," says the kid.

(Power of Pets FAKE: 4% would consider marrying their pet. Were you surprised? All the others are true.)

Until next time, au revoir.

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