Remember those who gave the ultimate gift

This month’s feature articles:

Regular monthly features:

There are many gifted children with exceptionally well learned, and in many cases, natural abilities in dance, music, theatre, or the visual arts. Their giftedness is not easily hidden and is often and openly expressed. Their interests can take them deeper into their passions and this then further shows their high levels of giftedness.

Nurturing a gifted child’s knowledge and motivation in the arts causes the talent, skill or ability to be developed fully. The goal is for them to be a professional in an area of expertise. In all disciplines, including the arts, this means significant effort to build knowledge and skills. This is done through long study and practice. Gifted children often have greater resolve, motivation and stamina to be great.
The arts are important and highly lucrative - money-wise - in our world. There are many venues that require talented people to provide in many ways – as artists, as corporate entertainment experts, in ensembles, on teams, and as individuals. The arts also involve creation/design of performances, public relations, managing artists, and fundraising.
Giftedness is easy to spot in children who show their skills and talent in the arts. It is the easiest area to recognize superior ability and nurture accordingly.

World's Quickest and Easiest Quiz
Passing requires only 4 correct answers - a measly 40%. (limit: 30 seconds)

1) How long did the Hundred Years War last?
2) Which country makes Panama hats?
3) From which animal do we get catgut?
4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October
Revolution?
5) What is a camel's hair brush made of?
6) The Canary Islands in the Pacific is named after
what animal?
7) What was King George VI's first name?
8) What colour is a purple finch?
9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from?
10) What is the colour of the black box in a commercial
airplane?
All done? Compare your answers to the ones at the end of the pages!

Nov 4 – Islamic Eid al-Fitr

Nov 5 – Full Moon tonight

Nov 6 – International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict

Nov 7 – Election Day (USA)

Nov 11 – Remembrance Day

Nov 16 – International Day for Tolerance

Nov 20 – Africa Industrialization Day

Nov 20 – Universal Children’s Day

Nov 21 – World Television Day

Nov 23 – Thanksgiving Day (USA)

Nov 25 – International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Nov 29 – International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People

November is also Osteoporosis Awareness Month

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"Accent on Essential Life Skills" – a manual of 48 personal "how to" skills that enhance and enrich life and learning in a holistic way. The skills are for children and adults. Use the skills in personal, educational, and business settings. Teachers and business people will find it particularly valuable.

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As factors in our environment get more and more polluted, people develop allergies to many substances. The holistic practitioner believes that the best way to help the body is for it to help itself. Using herbs and medicinal plants, etc. sufferers are helped to cope with and relieve allergies, asthma, bronchitis and other allergy conditions.

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(by O.S.)

Have you ever noticed or closely observed what happens to you in sleep? Here are some musings on the subject.

Sleep doesn’t really produce energy; food does. Sleep is repair time during which cells are rebuilt faster than they are destroyed. There is also effort made at bringing about an equilibrium in chemicals in the body between heart and mind. There is a greater feeling of being a bit more mellowed out when waking.

We can’t make ourselves go to sleep! We calm things down, reduce stimulation and wait for that magical mysterious thing called sleep to come to us. We lose consciousness willingly and drift into the unknown without fear each night.

Have you noticed that when you are asleep, you know nothing about yourself for hours and hours? What happens to us during that time? There is no awareness of body, mind or spirit. In effect, we are totally oblivious to our very existence! From experience with sleep, we have a loving and secure trust that something is going to take care of us. Our autonomic nervous system does that to some extent but what watches that system? Each time we go to sleep, we have that faith that we will go into and come out of the unknown. Talk about trust!

How is this for a highly speculative theory – but a nice one? While we are asleep, our spirit/person/soul/essence/being goes and joins the energy of the universe to be recharged. When we wake, it often comes as a sudden jolt of realization of the self in existence again and that might, within this theory, be considered the moment when something of our being rejoins the body in real time.

We all need to recognize the gift of life called the "present" – right now. Coming out of sleep can be one of those moments in our lives when we can say "thank you" and appreciate what we have been given again and again and again. How else would we know what "awake" means except by sleeping for a time?

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(by O.S.)

Humans have done an incredibly good job of destroying the Earth. This has happened because many have lost their connection to nature. Think about the word "consumer" and all it implies! We should be ashamed of our attitudes and what we do because of them.

Treat ourselves, others and our environment with respect

Encourage and support each other to use only what we need

Act in a safe and responsible way toward all living things

Make every effort to achieve honestly and respectfully

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(from analysis of CANDORS reports made to Transport Canada)

Thousands of Canadians fly every day. How many ever worry about safety in the air or on the ground? Here is some of the information gleaned from recent Canadian studies.

The most common things that put flying passengers at risk are: pilot error, control tower error and bad maintenance.

2000-2005

Kindness is a language which the dumb can speak, the deaf can understand. – C.N. Bovee

Democracy is the transition from physical violence to verbal violence. – unknown

Always act like you’re wearing an invisible crown. – Paris Hilton

My parents treated me like I had a brain – which in turn, caused me to have one. – Diane Lane

The difference between a helping hand and an outstretched palm is a twist of the wrist. – Laurence Leamer

The most likely moment for something incredible to happen to me was the moment I was most certain nothing ever would. – Jane Pauley

Andy's wife, refusing to look old, goes out and buys a new line of expensive cosmetics guaranteed to make her look years younger.
Sitting before the mirror applying the "miracle" products, she asks her husband - "Darling, honestly, if you didn't know me, what age would you say I am?"
Looking over her carefully, Andy replied,...
"Judging from your skin, twenty; your hair, eighteen; and your figure, twenty five."
"Oh, you flatterer!" she gushed.

Just as she was about to tell Andy his reward, he stops her by saying...
"WHOA, hold on there sweety!" Andy interrupted.
"I haven't added them up yet!"

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