This month’s feature articles:

Regular monthly features:

The identification and education of gifted children is a priority in many countries of the world. Here is a small sample:

Azerbaijan – Particular attention is paid to the early identification and support of gifted children and young highly intelligent persons. A special structure has been set up, namely the Republican Practical Centre for Creative Talent, to carry out psychological and pedagogical research and look into practical ways to deal with problems associated with being gifted. A public organization, "Istedad", has been set up in the Republic to identify gifted children and assist their development.

Iran – Each year exceptionally bright elementary-level children are selected and tested for education at a special "gifted" school. Testing is extensive and almost at a university level. In 2003, there were 175,000 students selected from around the country and from them 100 boys and 100 girls were chosen to attend the special school. The teachers at the school are former students, so needs are definitely understood. Students take about 12-14 courses each year ranging from mechanics to enriched core subjects.

Because we are imperfect, we eventually hurt ourselves or others. Some of us are better at being nice most of the time but we all lose it sometimes. Incredibly, it is now being proven scientifically that apologies have all kinds of personal benefits.

So what happens when we hurt somebody or do something that is really wrong or bad? There may be total denial of wrongdoing - a quick lie can cover it all up. The outward silence and incredulity mask underlying feelings of wanting to confess. People go into diversion mode to deflect blame or to pretend that it wasn’t their fault. The result can be guilt, self pity or loathing and/or withdrawal. An apology can right all of the above.

Little do some people know the positive effect that a quick and heart-felt admission of guilt, responsibility or remorse can have on the one(s) wronged. The essence of an apology is to bring about a balance again.

In a recent newspaper article, doctors in the USA are being encouraged to say they are sorry to patients and their families when things go wrong. The strange reason is to avoid lawsuits. Honesty has been shown to reduce the chances of malpractice suits. How sad that that this should be the reasoning for performing such a loving human kindness.

An apology often results in an automatic response such as forgiveness. How much simpler can we make this aspect of human interaction? If someone does something wrong or hurtful, admit it. An apology and/or offer of forgiveness should follow to balance the relationship again.

Forgiveness is more important for the giver than the receiver. In very serious situations, it can sometimes help in letting go of the rage, hatred, pain or anger usually associated with a personally painful event. It helps in moving on in life. The idea is: It’s not my problem anymore. It’s the other person’s.

Let’s all make more of an effort to treat each other better through apologies and forgiveness.

Good reading: "Make Peace with Anyone" by David J. Lieberman. "Breakthrough strategies to quickly end any conflict, feud, or estrangement)

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TALK DIRECTLY TO THE EXPERT!

Don't miss this great opportunity for parents of special needs children, all educators, members of support or advocacy groups and others. Just sign in and join in!

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(based on an article by Louise Brown, Toronto Star)

Despite a dropout rate of about 30% in Ontario high schools, there is little done to keep the costs of an education in check at the university levels. Universities seem to be becoming a haven for the upper class and very wealthy while colleges are still accessible and more diverse in students. Statistics show:

• 1 in 4 parents say they expect to take out a loan to cover their child’s education
• post-secondary enrolment has exploded by 20% in the last five years but rich people are twice as likely to send their kids to university than poor people
• tuition has doubled since the 1980’s and government loans are down about 30% (suggesting higher income families are the ones involved)
• community colleges draw more of a balanced number of rich and poor students
• about 84% of Canadian parents help pay for college or university
• about 20% of children of poor backgrounds were attending university by the late 1990’s. About 39% of children of wealthier families attend.
• 93% of Canadian parents want their children to pursue higher education. 73% prefer university, 16% prefer community college, 2% prefer a skilled trade despite a looming skills shortage
• 27% of university and college students are of a visible minority group. Two-thirds of this group are Chinese Canadian. In the general Canadian population, visible minorities make up only 22%.
• Visible-minority students set their sights strongly on medical school and MBA programs. They are 50% more likely to choose these compared to non-minority students.
• Financial barriers block many students from applying to university. As a result, colleges are becoming more popular.
• the average-size loan students pay back after graduating from 3-4 years of university is about $20,000 -$25,000. Is this the way we want young people to start their working lives and careers?

(Note: in a recent interview with the head of a major Canadian university, he said that considering how much extra university grads will earn, paying back a loan should not be a problem. So much for universal education. – O.S.)

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Save many seconds by becoming familiar with the use of keys to underline headings and make words bold. Keeping fingers active on keys saves time. Moving back and forth to a mouse and moving the cursor can slow you down considerably.

How to do it:

1. Go to the beginning of a title – yes it is faster with a mouse, press and hold down the "Shift" key and then press the "down" arrow. The line should be highlighted. (This can be done anywhere in a document, not just titles) If too much is highlighted, the other arrows can be used to adjust so that you highlight just what you want.

2. Press and hold "Control" and press the following in any order: "b" is for bold, "u" is for underline. To remove bold and/or underlines, follow these same instructions.

Other useful keypad shortcuts to learn (always highlight text first and while holding down the "control" key) hit any of the following: "x" is for cut, "c" is for copy, "v" is for a paste, "n" is for new clean page, "m" is for indent (move). With practice comes speed.

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Theatre sound engineers use sound equipment in theatres to:

• amplify and control the voices of the actors/actresses on stage
• amplify the voices of singers on stage
• balance the different instruments in an orchestra
• balance an orchestra with singers on stage
• provide sound effects and background music for stage productions.

They use specialized equipment, such as loudspeakers, amplifiers and computers, to create a sound mix and balanced sound. They are also responsible for maintenance and repair of this equipment.

Theatre sound engineers consult with the artistic director, sound designer and other technical staff to determine their requirements. They then select the equipment to use, install it in the most suitable places and ensure it is all working.

Before rehearsals they work from a sound plot that shows exactly what sound effects, levels and microphones are required. At rehearsals they check everything is working satisfactorily, making any adjustments necessary.

During rehearsals and performances sound engineers sit at the sound control desk operating switches and volume controls as required.

A basic working week may require evening work and possibly travel with a touring theatre company.

There is no set pattern. In large theatres the basic working week is 37 to 40 hours, but longer hours are usually worked. Shifts may be operated to cover performances as well as daytime preparations/rehearsals/maintenance work.

Work is mainly in theatres (on stage and in the auditorium) or performance venues.

To be a sound engineer you should:

• be interested in electronics, music and sound equipment
• be aware of health and safety issues relating to safe sound limits and amplification
• be computer literate
• have the ability to handle a repetitive sequence of operations without losing interest
• have patience, as rehearsals can be long and arduous
• be able to work within a team.

An ability to read music is also useful.

Many theatres will employ young people as assistants working wherever they are needed and carrying out all the basic routine jobs, including cleaning, in order to gain experience in the industry.

There are accredited stage management courses offered in drama schools and in some community colleges.

Productions requiring sound engineering include road shows, pop and classical concerts, cabaret, clubs, cruise liners, outdoor live events, fashion shows and trade presentations.

Employers include large and small subsidized theatres (including regional repertory theatres), touring companies, commercial theatres and commercial production companies and performance sound service companies.

Canadian Audio Technology Courses

Photography goes in many directions: black and white, colour, and digital. All require cameras that eventually need cleaning, repair or some sort of maintenance. A camera repair course will teach you how to repair all of the above.

Along with the knowledge of cameras, can come the lucrative business of buying and selling antique cameras and related paraphernalia.

Working for a shop may lead to incomes of $25,000 or more. Owning one’s own shop and dealing in antiques can lead to even greater income.

This is a trade that requires great skills and precision in workmanship. There are fewer and fewer people that can do the work, so it is being considered as almost an art form.

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• Until 1965, driving was done on the left-hand side on roads in Sweden. The conversion to right-hand was done on a weekday at 5pm. All traffic stopped as people switched sides. This time and day were chosen to prevent accidents where drivers would have gotten up in the morning and been too sleepy to realize that *this* was the day of the changeover.
• A Finnish study of over 2,000 adults found that people who suffer severe headaches are less interested in taking vacations. Duh…you don’t say?
• Armored knights raised their visors to identify themselves when they rode past their king. This custom has become the modern military salute.
• Duncan Black & Alonzo Decker invented and sold millions of their small power tools because after WW 11 workers were stealing power tools from US defense plants. They saw their market for do-it-yourself, household power tools and the rest is history.
• The first black lawyer in Canada was allowed to practice in 1885. Today out of 33,000 lawyers in Ontario alone, there are only 4 black partners at major law firms. There are less than 25 black judges at all Canadian court levels and about 10 tenured black professors at 21 law schools.

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Kevin Bazzana, Wondrous Strange: The Life and Art of Glenn Gould (McClelland & Stewart Ltd.)
Tom Cruickshank & John de Visser, Old Toronto Houses (Firefly Books)
Kristen den Hartog, The Perpetual Ending (Knopf Canada)
Kate Taylor, Mme. Proust and the Kosher Kitchen (Doubleday Canada)
Karen X. Tulchinsky, The Five Books of Moses Lapinsky (Raincoast Books)

Secret Signals by Simon Mason. Odd radio signals and sounds that baffle.

"You can win without a strategy. It's called luck. Sales professionals are paid to make their own luck." - Rick Page, Founder and CEO, The Complex Sale, Inc.

Conversation enriches the understanding but solitude is the school of genius. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

"We can never be sure that the opinion we are endeavoring to stifle is a false opinion; and if we were sure, stifling it would be an evil still." – John Stuart Mill

"No real estate is permanently valuable but the grave." – Mark Twain

"Home is not where you live, but where they understand you." – Christian Morganstern

Two Golfers were approaching the first tee.
The first guy goes into his golf bag to get a ball and says to his friend - "Hey, why don't you try this ball." He draws a green golf ball out of his bag.
"Use this one - You can't lose it!"
His friend replies, "What do you mean you can't lose it?!!"
The first man replies, "I'm serious, you can't lose it.
If you hit it into the woods, it makes a beeping sound, if you hit it into the water it produces bubbles, and if you hit it on the fairway, smoke comes up in order for you to find it."
Obviously, his friend doesn't believe him, but he shows him all the possibilities until he is convinced. The friend says, "Wow! That's incredible! Where did you get that ball?"
The man replies, "I found it."
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Doctor: I have good news and bad news.

Patient: Go with the good news first.

Doctor: You have 24 hours to live.

Patient: What!?! How about the bad news?

Doctor: Um... I forgot to tell you yesterday.

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