“enrich and enhance your life and learning”
A Division of DiscoverTeenergy.com
February 2011 Volume 12 Edition 2
Problem with an “Elitist” School
(by O.S.)
It is hard to believe that
in our day and age that
there is still such a lack of
respect for intelligence,
high performance and ability from some school
boards. A recent York Region (Ontario, Canada)
school trustees meeting
showed that to be still evident in this part of the
country. This isn’t the only
spot in the world, of
course.
The article in the Toronto Star, Jan/8/2011
should be maddening for
anyone engaging with
gifted and other high performing people in any area
of ability or talent.
Imagine thinking that
being fair is all about eliminating programs because
students must try out for
them. Everybody should
be able to do anything they
choose to do, right? So
goes the thinking that
might close the highly
popular Baythorn Public
Elementary School’s arts
program that meets the
needs of many highly talented students in the region.
In many other school
boards across the country,
great efforts are being
made to respect and nurture high-level individual
exceptionalities, skills and
abilities. In some cases,
they actually replicate
this particular program
that is in the spotlight.
The thinking seems to
be: it is more important to
be fair to all than to worry
about being unfair to a
few. What these trustees
fail to see is that the
naturally or environmentally “added value” which
these children have is
vital in our society and
should demand nurturing.
Political correctness
has “blandified” the world
in many ways. Gone are
the days when people
told jokes. They might
offend. Going are the
labels and names that
used to produce emotional reactions, replaced
by misleading, deceptive
descriptive words. e.g.
insurgents used to be
called freedom fighters,
Xmas trees are now Holiday trees. What’s next?
Do so many feelings
get hurt when people are
judged to be superior in
some way that there is a
need to bring the "elite"
down a few notches? Get
used to it people. There
is always somebody better than you. Celebrate
the fact that somebody
can do it if you can’t.
In the trustee way of
thinking, wouldn’t it be
wonderful if they could
get everybody to be
"equal"? Everybody could
play sports at one and the
same level of mediocrity.
Goodbye Cirque du Soleil,
goodbye NHL hockey
teams, goodbye So You
Think You Can Dance and
the Idol shows, goodbye
Olympics. In the new “nonelitist” format, everybody at
any ability will be happy
they can all participate because there will be no tryouts or qualifying rounds.
Unfortunately, enthusiasm
will be very effectively
killed.
How did these foolish
trustees get to their position
of power in education? Unfortunately for the people
they represent, they seem
to have bypassed the tryouts.
Toronto Star article:
http://alturl.com/wy33e
Inside this issue:
- The World is Coming
to an End
2
Trivia
Computer Tip
- Facts about Pets
Good Reads
- Accountability
3
To Your Health
Reflections of a Teenage
Mind
4
Living with Technology
The Other View
6
Jokes of the Month
Amazing Invention
Wise Words of Wisdom
7
Awesome Websites
The Future of Glass (WOW!! DOUBLE WOW!!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gplbpAIjMq8
Playa Cofi Jukebox (WOW! listen to top 100 songs from 1950’s on))
http://www.tropicalglen.com/
Fark News (Real news. Real funny.)
http://www.fark.com/
OddCast (type in words that are then spoken with accents from different
countries. Very interesting.)
http://www.oddcast.com/home/demos/tts/tts_example.php?sitepal
Internet World Statistics (who uses it and where. Great for learning Math
http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
Activities of the Month (by topic, month, alphabetical order, interest)
Visit: http://www.DiscoverTeenergy.com “Activities Database”
Page 2 - Volume 12, Edition 2
News and Views
The World is Coming to an End! Or is it? (by O.S.)
So what is it with people? How do they know so
much that the rest of us don’t? I mean all the prophets that predict the end of the world as we know it.
People throughout history have made predictions
about how and when. The latest predictions of Armageddon are based on the Mayan calendar. It is
creating a stir but will it happen? Who knows?
Apocalypse means “a lifting of the veil” or
“revelation.” Many people see this as a new start
rather than an end so they are quite excited about it.
They don’t view it in fear so are more likely to go
along with it. Meaning is given to history and there is
a sense of a master plan and a glorious end.
Ancient Assyrian tablets predicted an end. Romans also believed that the city would fall in the
120th year. Hilary of Poitiers predicted the end in
365 AD. Christian prophets predicted it also. The
changing of the millennium was a good time for predictions. Pierre Turrel, a French astrologer, provided
4 different years beginning in 1537.
Harold Camping, an American radio evangelist
predicted the world would end on Sept. 6, 1994. He
then said that recalculating would mean that May 21,
2011 was the end. Oct.21, 2011 was also the date.
He’s apologized to all the people who sold all they
had and waited in anticipation of the rapture. Wow!
William Miller was another soothsayer. His prediction was Oct. 22, 1844. His followers also quit
jobs and gave their belongings away. Imagine the
disappointment as they sat on their hill with arms
outstretched waiting for the rapture. Then nothing
happened. What do you do? What do you think?
What do you say?
Hon-Ming Chen also envisioned the apocalypse.
He led a cult called God’s Salvation Church. His followers built “space ships” and waited for God to take
them away on March 25, 1998. Surprise!!
The terror that is often generated by predictions
can be diminished by leaders who “guide” the followers on the right path. Oppressed and insecure people see a way out and a new start.
What is most interesting is the fact that despite
all the false predictions, people just pick up and believe someone else. There is always the next sucker
who seeks an opportunity to be a “chosen” one despite the history of failure in predicting. Oh, when
will it all end??
A Brief History of the Apocalypse
http://www.abhota.info/end1.htm
Watch “2012” about the Mayan apocalypse. Movie released 2009.
Thinking Dynamics
“My Goal is Your Child’s Success”
Dr. Ronald L. Rubenzer
EdD, MA, MPh, MSE LPA
Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
Ph: 336-282-4539
drronrub@aol.com
Specializing in:
• individualized IQ testing
• Diagnostic/prescriptive assessments of achievement level
• Testing for giftedness and gifted program placement
Credentials:
•
•
doctorate in gifted education, Columbia Univ. (NYC)
20 yrs. experience in testing as school psychologist
Ph: 336-282-4539
drronrub@aol.com
www.drrubenzer.com
Original Photo Art
Page 3 - Volume 12, Edition 2
Trivia
Computer Tip
Accountability (O.S.)
- American fishermen use
about 5.5 billion worms for
bait each year.
Quick Tip to Copy Document Titles in Files
To copy and paste just the document titles listed in your files,
especially in Windows Explorer, highlight the title, left click once on
the title and wait briefly. It opens for renaming and a cursor will
flash inside the box. The box stays highlighted. Hover over the
blue highlighted area with the regular mouse cursor, and right click
to open a side window. Left click on the word “Copy”. Go to any
new location, anywhere in your computer, right click on the mouse
and hit “Paste”.
In the past few months I have been
dealing with people in different organizations
in different countries. One of the most
obvious differences is between those who
talk about things and those who do things.
The accountability issue is at play in both.
The two distinct groups that I want to
discuss are: those that give advice and those
who change life.
I find that I’ve stopped going to networking
meetings. Many people who are looking for
work meet others who are looking for work.
What’s the point? The odd person gets
referred to somebody else. The organizers
make money on admission fees. No
accountability beyond setting up meetings
hyped as the answer to the problems that
small business owners have.
The other day, the president of a chapter
of a major North American manufacturers
association told me that all they do is
educate members. They are upset that their
companies are suffering from offshore
manufacturing. Their new project is to
increase communication and do more
planning so that companies are aware of the
need. Notice that nothing will change! It’s
just talk and meetings. There is no
accountability! Couldn’t this major player DO
something to find new, original products and
services to work on instead of just telling
members to do more work?
Many new innovation centers are being
created to “stimulate the economy” and
encourage creativity and inventiveness. Most
don’t have creativity or inventing training
courses or inventor databases.
- Spain’s Xmas Lottery is
the biggest in the world. It
gives out $3.4 billion euros.
- all the electrons in the
internet would weigh as
much as a strawberry.
E.g. Artificial Intelligence Article.pdf
- the internet has about 5
million terabytes of information.
- an average email has
about 50 kilobytes of information carried b y about 5
billion electrons.
- the internet needs electricity to power, heat and cool
the devices on it.
- about 39% of Canadian
households bake cookies
from scratch.
Artificial Intelligence Article.pdf
Facts about Pets (various sources)
- Dental disease is the most common health problem. About 60%
of dogs and 70% of cats show signs by age 3. Bad breath is usually the first sign.
- Dogs that lick their rear ends might be cleaning plugged or infected anal glands, relieving itch of worms, or females may be
having a period and licking the blood. Think of this before you let
the dog lick your ice cream, face or baby.
Neil Armstrong used a Hasselblad camera to take photos of the moon at the first
landing on July 21, 1969.
- Overheated Teflon-coated pots and pans can produce toxic
fumes that can kill birds. The fumes can also harm humans.
- try to get at least 3 minutes of absolute quiet time
each day.
- Stress can cause a snake to regurgitate.
- Pet guinea pigs can’t produce their own Vitamin C and can get
scurvy. They can die from high heat and humidity conditions.
- Cat bites can be highly dangerous. A friend of ours was bitten
and almost died. The strongest antibiotic saved her. True story.
Good Reads
Oliver’s Twists: The Life and Times of an Unapologetic Newshound by Craig Oliver. Tales
and yarns about politicians.
George Laraque: The Story of the NHL’s Unlikeliest Tough Guy by George Larque.
Dark Market: Cyberthieves, Cybercops, and You by Misha Glenny.
Eating Animals by Jonathan Safram Foer. A look at how animals are raised and killed.
Motivation and education are not enough.
Action speaks louder than words and will
result in accountability.
In “Shogun” the novel, an English pilot is
told to learn Japanese. If he fails, his teacher
will be executed. That’s accountability!
Discussion: How can people be held more
accountable for their words/actions?
Gift Rap is now on Facebook! Become a fan. Invite your friends.!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gift-Rap/115877201770108
Page 4 - Volume 12, Edition 2
To Your Health
Treating Yourself as a “Whole”…
Getting to the Root of your Health!
by Lucy Lagana Homeopath/Holistic Allergist & Nutritionist
When one thinks about their health complaints, regardless of
what it could be, ranging from migraines, digestive complaints,
skin conditions or sleep disturbances etc., one is initially inclined to try and “fix” that area that is causing the problem and
do something that will alleviate the complaint. This could include things like taking pain killers, enzymes for stomach disturbances, cortisone creams for skin complaints or sleeping pills
when one can’t sleep. We have been made to believe by western medicine and pharmaceuticals that this is completely acceptable, But is it?
Let us look at this from another angle. When you have a fruit
that has started to decompose and go bad, we will see that
there is one main area that is initially affected, but we cannot
ignore the fact that that “whole” fruit has now been affected and
is in the “complete” process of decomposition. This is no different from a human body.
When one has a physical ailment, the person must realize that
in order to target this complaint, they must look at themselves
as a “whole”. In a human, this means to look at one’s mental,
emotional and physical state of being. But one might ask, “What
does my emotional state have to do with my knee pain or my
bladder infection?” Well, just like that fruit, whatever happens to
one part of you, happens to the “entire person”. All parts are
connected and are relevant to the other!
Homeopathy is a system of medicine that allows a Homeopathic Doctor to look at disease or physical complaints in such
a holistic way. A homeopath will take an in-depth, detailed case
analysis incorporating one’s mental, emotional and physical
state of being, seeing a person as a “whole being” and making
the connections that tie them all together, putting all those valuable pieces of the puzzle together and selecting a Natural Homeopathic Medicine that will target all aspects of that person.
This truly gives a patient a form of treatment that will benefit
them and their whole body and treatment at the deepest level
possible.
Holistic Health Clinic, 2174, Major Mackenzie Drive in Maple,
ON, (905)553-9255, (416)648-4497
www.TorontoHolisticPsychotherapy.com
Reflections of a Teenage Mind by
Megann Ford-Licskai
Okay Parents, Listen Up!
Perhaps the most intelligent and misanthropic,
the most certainly misunderstood of all species
today is the teenager. Perhaps, being a teenager myself, my
views will be slightly biased. However, as the philosopher Maxwell Smart once said, “It takes one to know one”.
After having conducted an extensive study with teens on this
topic, I have managed to identify 5 general rules relating to
dealing with our volatile breed:
Rule 1: We are smarter than you. We always will be. Don’t
question it. Take into consideration the example of N.D., a
female teenager of average intelligence. In her 15 years, she
has yet to be incorrect. Everything that comes out of her mouth
is automatically a fact. Global warming is NOT real. The U.S. is
in ALL ways superior to Canada - Medicare included. Whoever
came up with that idea was clearly deranged. The Republicans
are the ONLY option when it comes time to vote. It’s a good
thing that Bush won- Al Gore would have ruined the country.
And there you have it. She knows!!
Rule 2: Do not try to understand us. You never will. Parents
- no offense - but you don’t have a clue. Clearly, you have always been middle aged, and so cannot possibly relate to anything we might be feeling. When we respond with mumbles and
one word answers, get the message and back off.
Rule 3: Sleep/School/Family/Socialization/ Vegetables/
Physical Activities, etc. are overrated. Seriously. Lock us in
a room with a computer, a television, and a fridge full of pizza
pops and pogo dogs. We will get along just fine, and be happier
for it.
Rule 4: Family time is just a euphemism for “Cruel and Unusual Punishment.” Is there anything more painful than sitting
in a car for 2 hours, listening to your little sister belt out an offtune cover of Rihanna’s Unfaithful? Maybe worse is arriving at
the Family Christmas dinner and having distant relatives exclaim how much you’ve grown. Yes I have, Uncle Bob. Last
time you saw me was when I was three. What did you expect?
Rule 5: Leave us alone. Period. Yes, we will tidy our desks.
Eventually. And why would we make our bed when we’re just
going crawl back into it in a few hours? What? Unloading the
dishwasher is our job? Well, we didn’t ask to be born into this
family. Actually, I think that that was your idea. Guess that it is,
in fact, your job. You, the parents, are our personal maids,
chauffeurs, cooks, and social planners, at least until we’re 18
(maybe longer!).
Disagree? Guess you should have thought about that 16
years ago.
Megann is a student at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Page 5 - Volume 12, Edition 2
Educators for the
Gifted Organization
- assisting those
who educate gifted
and other high
achieving children in
public, separate,
private schools, home
schooling, also advocacy
& support groups
•
•
Attend our conferences
Find what you need in our extensive online
resources on giftedness & gifted education
•
mail@edgo.ca
http://www.edgo.ca
416-824-4883
Toronto, Canada
A special newspaper celebrating
everyday heroes
Tired of reading nothing but bad news? How about
something refreshing and uplifting? Good News
Toronto is a not-for-profit newspaper that has
contributions from volunteers in all walks of life.
Read and send us articles about acts of kindness,
heroes and good things happening in your world.
Subscribe or read all about it online:
http://goodnewstoronto.ca
Twitter: http://twitter.com/goodnewstoronto
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8282439522&ref=ts
Page 6 - Volume 12, Edition 2
Living with Technology by Steve Krar
NUMERICAL CONTROL
(The Control of Manufacturing Equipment by Numbers)
Numerical control (NC) is the operation of a machine
tool by codes consisting of numbers, letters of the alphabet, and symbols that a
machine control unit (MCU) can understand. The instructions are changed into
electrical pulses and motors and controls follow them to carry out a manufacturing operation. The numbers, letters, and symbols refer to distances, positions,
functions, or motions, followed by the tool as it machines the work piece.
NC was used as early as 1725. English knitting machines used punched
cards to form various patterns in cloth. Even earlier, rotating drums with prepositioned pins controlled European cathedral and American church chimes. In
1863, the first player piano was patented. Air flowed through punched paper
rolls as keys were played.
Mass production, developed by Eli Whitney, transferred many hand-done
operations to the machine tool. Better, more precise machine tools allowed this
system of interchangeable manufacture to produce large quantities of identical
parts. In the late 1800’s, machine tools were developed for many metal-cutting
operations—turning, drilling, milling, and grinding. Better hydraulic, pneumatic,
and electronic controls meant better controlled movement of machine slides.
In 1947, the U.S. Air Force found that complex aircraft parts caused manufacturing problems. John Parsons of Traverse City, Michigan - experimented in
making a machine tool generate a “thru-axis curve" to control motions. In 1949,
he was awarded a contract to develop NC to speed up production methods.
Parsons hired Servomechanism Labs of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and in 1952, demonstrated a vertical spindle which made parts
through simultaneous three-axis cutting tool movements. Soon all machine tool
manufacturers produced machines with NC.
The 1960 Chicago Machine Tool Show displayed over 100 NC machines.
Most had simple point-to-point positioning, but NC was firmly established. NC
improved as the electronics industry developed new products. Solid-state circuitry and modular or integrated circuits replaced tubes. Control units became
smaller, more reliable, and less expensive. Better machine tools and control
units helped spread the use of NC to all facets of manufacturing.
NC data processing is now done in programmed computers or machine control units (MCU) by adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, and comparing
sequential order and may take only nanoseconds.
Software-based controls in the early 1970s used computer logic with more
capacity and programming for more functions. Menu-selected displays, advanced graphics, and ease of programming made work easier.
Primitive people counted on fingers and toes. From this came the decimal or
Arabic system where "base ten" is used to signify a numerical value. Computers
and MCUs, in contrast, use binary or base 2 systems. Both the computer and
the MCU can recognize standard decimal system and convert it to binary data.
Almost everything can be produced on a computer numerical control machine tool. The machine tool movements used in producing a product are of two
basic types: point-to-point (straight-line) and continuous path (contouring).
The mathematician and philosopher Rene Descartes invented the Cartesian
or rectangular coordinate system. With this system, any point can be located in
mathematical terms from any other point along three perpendicular axes. CNC
systems use rectangular coordinates because the programmer can locate every
point on a job precisely and independently from each other.
Steve Krar is a prolific author and co-author of over 70 technology books,
creator of the Advanced Technology Think Tank and a member of the Canadian
Manufacturer’s Hall of Fame. He is in his eighties and still very involved in all
things technological. His wealth of knowledge in the field is most welcome.
He resides in Welland, Ontario, Canada.
http://www.AdvancedTechThinkTank.org
The Other View by Ahmed Sheta
The Shafia Trial
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/01/29/jury-reaches-verdict-in-shafia-trial/
A father, mother and son were just sentenced to life imprisonment for killing three daughters and the man’s second wife for
dishonoring the family. The four were in a car that was pushed
into a canal in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
This case will have a world-wide impact and many reverberations. Canada is making a statement that will change many
things, in the ethical, legal and cultural fields in many countries.
Sometime ago, I had a discussion with my Canadian-born friend
about the case. He said it is disgusting. I said, yes it is. But I do
understand where the perpetrators are coming from. I would also
go so far as to say that all parties in this criminal case are victims. The perpetrators - the parents and the brother - are victims
of a tribal culture, of a society that lives in the shadows of a distant past, of outdated inhuman cultural beliefs. They are victims
of their own beliefs.
Every society has different value systems and beliefs. value systems that were developed in a particular environment throughout
the history of the country. They believe it is the correct system.
We do have our values and they do have theirs.
But the difference is stark. When the two value systems come
together they have to collide. The irony is that the parents are the
aggressors and the victims at the same time.
I am not defending them in any way. But I say we need to understand the reasons behind the criminal act. We need better education for new immigrants coming from a different background to
a country with different values. We need to help them bridge the
gap of this cultural divide in order to avoid the cultural friction and
potential tragedies. We need to do more to protect women, children and the weak. We need to cultivate new values and understanding among new immigrants of different backgrounds. We
need to welcome and absorb immigrants into the mainstream.
Leaving new citizens from other countries on the outskirts of society will only lead to them living in closed communities where
their traditions propagate and again transmit from one generation
to the next. We need to do a lot.
Ahmed Sheta is an immigrant Egyptian-Canadian journalist and Arabic translator who has written for Arab newspapers. He lives in Toronto, Canada.
G R VOL. 12 ED. 2
Published by:
Otto Schmidt
M.Ed.
Special Ed. Specialist
Toronto, Canada
416-226-2332, 416-824-4883
Page 7
Jokes of the Month
Which word in the dictionary is spelled incorrectly?
Answer: Incorrectly
What if there were no hypothetical situations?
Cannibal Husband - I don’t like your Mother.
Cannibal Wife - Try the potatoes.
Gifted Programming Consultant
Academic assessments
Curriculum design
• Mentoring and tutoring, advocacy
• Presentations, conferences, keynotes
•
•
A dog thinks: ‘Hey, these people I live with feed me, love me, provide
me with a nice warm, dry house, pet me and take good care of me …
THEY MUST BE GODS!’
A cat thinks: ‘Hey, these people I live with feed me, love me, provide
me with a nice warm, dry house, pet me and take good care of me …
I MUST BE A GOD!’
Accent on Skills Consulting
http://www.Accentonskills.com
Amazing Invention
Websites:
http://www.DiscoverTeenergy.com
http://www.edgo.ca
http://www.inventorscollege.org
http://www.inventingcourse.com
Japan’s First Spherical Flying Machine
We have helicopters and planes but now for something really different!
This unique flying machine can do almost anything that you want a flying object to do. It can hover, glide, and even recover if hit by another
object. Three gyroscopes control this unique invention. Have a look
and marvel at the imagination that went into creating it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8IW0mvj55Y
Wise Words of Wisdom
“There is nothing so unequal as the equal treatment of unequal people” - Thomas Jefferson
“I know in my heart that man is good. That what is right will always eventually triumph. And
there's purpose and worth to each and every life.” - Ronald Reagan
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.”
– Thomas Jefferson
“Your vision is not limited by what your eyes can see, but by what your mind can imagine.”
- Ellison Onizuka
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” - Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
48 Personal, Thinking and Creativity Skills
See contents and order your copy at::
http://www.AccentonSkills.com/aelsbook.htm
“Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive
and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate
in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO, What a
Ride"-unknown
“If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies.”
- Moshe Dayan
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