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Trying to please parents.
Parents can produce guilt and/or feelings of underachievement by trying to select a college/university based on their own needs or wants or for tradition reasons. To avoid this, there should be several options offered and the encouragement to make decisions based on the child’s needs.

Being multi-talented/skilled but with a narrow focus.
Gifted students often have many interests, talents, skills and abilities. They may focus on one area too early and miss other potentially good ones. They should be encouraged to explore widely in all areas related to his/her talents in the years leading up to choosing a university. The narrow focus can result in an inappropriate choice of educational facility.

Level of self-esteem and awareness of their giftedness.
Gifted students who have been well provided for by parents and educators may choose to find academically challenging schools that are full of their peers. Others, who have excelled in regular classes only, may not be up to the competition when they realize that there are other, possibly many, superior gifted students on campus.

Being idealistic.
Gifted students often become deeply involved with emotional and volatile issues in society. If the child is serious about an area of passion, the choice of college/university and related courses to support that commitment or interest will be even more important.

Having advanced leadership skills.
Every college/university will offer opportunities to hone leadership skills in clubs, sports, etc. Some, however, may offer a greater exposure and/or opportunities for responsibility than others through clubs or specialization. Depending on the area that leadership skills will be developed, one campus may prove to be better than another.

Having advanced study and learning skills.
Although every college/university will try to bring out the best in students, some may have better reputations than others for engaging bright students in extra-curricular research or other academic work. It would be important to ask about the accommodations that are available for formally identified gifted students.

The reputation of the school, the attitudes of faculty, size of the campus and city of location, security systems, support in place for students, respectful and nurturing atmosphere, kinds of students that go there, are considerations that can affect a final decision. Visit campuses during different times of the day and get a feel for the social life/sense of personal safety present there.

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With a few simple steps, you can make a big difference in the way you live your life. Do this all in writing, as if it was a contract with yourself:

• make a plan and detail the things you would like to change in your life
• write the steps that will be necessary to reach your goal
• take a step forward each day to make these things happen
• take the time to enjoy life along the way too

You should also be prepared to go in a different direction at times because the journey may be different from what you think. Make sure that all your planning is followed by action. Action above all will cause you to achieve your goals.

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Deep River Science Academy –anyone interested in this science & tech summer course might want to have a look.

Encounters With Canada- 1 week courses are available. Interest is growing. Cost is about $400 after a bursary. They have some very interesting courses.

Festival of New Choreography – at York University, Toronto, Canada. Contact them now for tickets. It is usually held in March.

Summer Learning Programs – there are a number that are now advertising for students to study in various parts of the world for credit courses.

Georgia Hardy Tours –"Cours d"ete a Nice", Istituto Espanol, Oxbridge Academic Programs, Oxford U. Summer Enrichment Programs, and others.

Shad Valley Leadership Training Course – excellent group/team training over July at various university campuses across Canada. There is a championship held in the fall with all the best projects on exhibit. Great experience.

Toronto Festival of Storytelling – for the collector of folk tales and lovers of storytelling.

Summer Camp Fair – If you ever considered getting a job at a summer camp, this fair will have many camps represented and you can easily scout around for a job.

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Jan 7 – Full Moon tonight

Jan 11 – Sir John A. MacDonald’s birthday (first Canadian Prime Minister - 1867)

Jan 22 – Happy Chinese New Year! – It is the year 4702

Jan 25 – Robbie Burns Day (Scotland)

This is also Alzheimer’s Awareness Month & March of Dimes Month

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Besides being unhealthy for your whole body, smoking undermines the body’s ability to maintain a healthy mouth.
Individuals who choose to smoke or use chewing tobacco are significantly more likely to develop: mouth cancer, bad breath, stained teeth, bone loss, shrinking gums, mouth sores, decreased sense of taste and smell, poor healing, hairy tongue, Leukoplakia (white patches on the tongue or cheek)

Some effects of smoking are:

• tobacco contains many ingredients that destroy body cells and tissues.
• nicotine causes narrowing of the blood vessels thereby decreasing blood flow in the mouth and elsewhere.
• decreases your body’s ability to respond to infections.
• second hand smoke is also a contributory factor to periodontal disease (gum disease).

It may be difficult to break the habit but don’t just think about your overall health when thinking about the effects smoking has on you.

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(by O.S.)

There is a definite difference between knowing about something and understanding it. Here are a few things to maybe think about so that one can tell which is which.

When we learn, we take in a lot of information for processing. Knowledge and facts play the largest role. We are able to see how something works and what makes it click or tick but that doesn’t necessarily mean we understand anything about it.

Some people think that because they have accumulated a lot of knowledge and facts that they are very smart. However, that is only one kind of "smart". Just because something is learned doesn’t mean one knows how it works, fits in or how to use it. That is within the realm of understanding.

If you have ever experienced the great "Ah, Ha!" then you know exactly when you have understood something. You struggle and struggle to figure something out and then all of a sudden it comes to you. Understanding involves the realization of how something fits into the whole scheme of things and being able to manipulate and control it at will. It means being able to follow something through a whole series of parts, twists, turns and knowing exactly where you are and the relationships that exist between them all at any point. You become able to interact with the relationships to help strengthen them or alter them under your full control. Something magically takes its place in the big puzzle and suddenly the whole puzzle becomes clear.

When something is understood, it can be manipulated and is pretty well under one’s full control. The learning takes on a whole new meaning. For example, I learn everything about the parts of a bike but if I understand how all the parts work together in harmony, I can figure out what might be the source of a problem and how to repair it. By understanding how each part fits with others, it is possible to modify and improve just the right parts of the bike to make it go faster.

As another example, let’s say I learn fifty words in a foreign language. I can say them, spell them, write them, but they are useless unless I understand them and how to use them in a sentence or in conversation. I may have a little pride in my accomplishment at having learned them but imagine the satisfaction when I understand them and can use them to communicate effectively.

The next time you watch a professional musician playing an instrument, notice how the person makes it seem so easy to play. Notice how much the person seems to enjoy interacting with the instrument and the music itself. Notice how the best is drawn out of the instrument and the self as the music is interpreted. That is understanding. It takes years to achieve it. It is a combination of practice and a growing intimacy with the instrument.

Some people fool themselves into believing that they understand something because they are good at guessing. Most guesses are not based on in-depth facts or evidence so there is rarely an accumulation of something that leads to a great "ah,ha". There may be a good feeling at having been right but it is not the same as if the right answer is found because of an understanding and accurate prediction. One must feel that the answer is right, not just guess that it is right.

Lack of understanding can cause some serious problems too. People may blame themselves or others for events beyond their control. They may feel very guilty and suffer emotionally. Understand that if you have never been taught how to handle a certain kind of crisis, how can you expect yourself to react and respond in an appropriate way? Learning should lead to understanding but there are no guarantees.

Some people go through life just learning a bunch of facts. Others develop an understanding of the universe and our part in it that honors us all. These are our prophets, sages, wise men, shamans, philosophers, etc.

Understanding comes from both experience and learning. That is why it is so important to be involved in life more as a participant than as a spectator.

Now, did you get that? Do you understand?

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• according to Forbes Magazine, the total net worth of the U.S.’s 400 richest people is not quite $1 trillion dollars.
• The world’s largest hot cross bun was baked in Kent, England and weighed 45.7 kg with a diameter of 1.35 metres and 15 cm high. It took 1.5 hours to bake.
• Bamboo is the world’s tallest grass and can grow 90 cm in a day!
• A man in Holland has a collection of 3,240 airline sick bags.
• A Russian woman holds the record at having given birth to 69 children.
• It is cheaper to let a house burn down completely that to fight the fire according to fire economists.
• In a poll of job seekers on workopolis.com, the number one choice for the best job in Canada was travel writer. Number two was CEO of Tim Horton’s. Number three was movie reviewer.
• In South Korea, a surprisingly large number of people have their frenulum (the thin tissue linking tongue to floor of the mouth) cut so they can say English words better. The operation takes about 5 minutes and makes the tongue more flexible in the mouth.
• Canadians spend about $1.5 billion on weddings each year. The average wedding costs $15,000 to $19,000.
• Studies show that playing classical music in restaurants causes people to spend more money on fine wines and more expensive desserts.

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This type of engineer designs and supervises construction and advises on the operation, maintenance and repair of water resource facilities such as dams, aqueducts, hydro-electric plants, water supply systems, beach protection, drainage systems, sewage systems, harbour design and analyze water flow systems such as rivers and lakes.

An hydraulics engineer:

• discusses requirements with clients
• examines site and surroundings
• designs and maintains water-related structures such as canals, dams and slipways and water-control equipment
• tests designs for faults
• examines the effects of water and water flows on the environment
• works out the efficiency and cost of the design
• advises on building programs, materials and costs
• supervises construction work and repair of equipment

Personal Requirements:

• able to identify, analyze and solve problems
• good oral and written communication skills
• aptitude for computing and design
• practical and creative
• able to work without supervision
• able to work as part of a team
• able to accept responsibility
• willing to contribute and adhere to the safety requirements of the operation

(information is from the site mentioned below)

"Violent crimes can result in bloodshed. When liquid blood is acted upon by physical forces, bloodstains and bloodstain patterns may be deposited on various surfaces, including the clothing of the individuals present at the crime scene. These bloodstain patterns can yield valuable information concerning the events which lead to their creation when examined by a qualified analyst. The information gained can then be used for the reconstruction of the incident and the evaluation of the statements of the witnesses and the crime participants."

In order to enter this career, qualifications should be gained in the sciences, forensics, and mathematics.

Reviewer’s comments: On February 4, 1982, midway between the Canary Islands and Antigua, Callahan's boat "Solo" was struck in the middle of the night by what he thinks was a whale. For 76 days, he drifted 1800 nautical miles across the Atlantic - the only man in history to survive more than a month alone at sea - in a leaky inflatable raft. This is an excellent account of surviving at sea and the ingenuity that keeps him alive. It is a very uplifting book in many respects.

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Diplomacy: the art of letting someone have it your way.

When everything is coming your way, you may be in the wrong lane.

Black Holes are where God divided by zero.

Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at that word itself. MANKIND. Basically, it’s made up of two separate words "mank" and "ind." What do these words mean? It’s a mystery and that’s why mankind is too.

Don’t use a big word when a diminutive one will suffice.

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Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.

Be different, act normal.

There are three kinds of people in the world, those who can count and those who can’t.

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 ax.
If electricity comes from electrons, does that mean that morality comes from morons?
Marriage is the mourning after the knot before.
A hangover is the wrath of grapes.
Corduroy pillows are making headlines.
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.
Reading whilst sunbathing makes you well-red.
When two egotists meet, it's an I for an I.
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