The Ottawa Citizen from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • 16

High Priority Send E-mail to: ac806Freenet.Carleton.CA Editor: Deborah Richmond, 596-3707 TEENAGE EERSPECTIVES Tuesday, April 4, 1995 PAGE B4 COMMENT Cue eeuP a'S jruvr L.jc WARNING: You will get hooked Once you have a modem, it's not far to your wildest dreams 'i' By Jason Murdoch Ever since my computer became esting people ranging in age fi 1 UID cM-tti-iKi itif ant.innat.pfl. harl had little nr no nine tn 99 With vnur "handle' HP contributor antiquated, I had had little or no esting people ranging in age nine to 99. With your "handle" from or nickname (mine being Magic Man) interest in games, or additions to my computer. Plus, I nearly choked on the price of America Online services. For a mere $9.95 a month you can purchase a whole five hours on the Internet.

Do you know how fast five hours can go by when you have access to everything in your wildest dreams at the fingertips of your mouse? With all my on-line hopes dashed, I heard of a local bulletin board service. For $30, I can buy approximately 100 hours of use on the BBS. Intrigued, I used the free three-day demo. I was hooked. Let me correct that: I am still hooked.

On this service, you meet inter Nepean High's senior band gears up for Calgary By Hana Shusterman HP contributor The Senior Stage Band, at Nepean High School recently won top honors in the regional music festival. The gold medal comes with an invitation to the National Music Festival, which takes place in Calgary this year. In 1992, the band won a gold medal at the nationals in Halifax. This year, due to the Carleton Board secondary teachers' work-to-rule campaign, Nepean's Stage Band is the only band from the national capital region going to the nationals. Due to the high costs of travel to Calgary, the band has to do a great deal of fundraising.

Bottle drives by band members began recently and will continue. The Senior Stage Band, conducted by Heather Flinn, consists of 20 members, ranging from Grade 9 to OAC. They play anything from jazz, to funk rock, swing, and rock 'n' roll. The band's major fundraiser takes place Saturday, from 9 a until 9 p.m. We are collecting sponsors for our first We will be playing for 12 hours straight, taking breaks only when absolutely necessary.

The band members are seeking sponsors for the event, and encourage all music lovers to come to Nepean High School, 574 Broadview to enjoy the music. Admission is free, but donations will be gratefully accepted. Refreshments will be available, and all ages are welcome. i Hana Shusterman is in Grade 11 at Nepean High School. French immersion winds up being a waste of in The Internet has arrived in my home! Being sick and tired of listening to all this talk about the Internet I and local bulletin board services, I i bought a modem for my obsolete 286 computer.

With my modemfax, I got several pamphlets promoting on-line ser- vices, one of which was America Online. With this promotion came a disk which let me access up to five whole hours of fun. While I was installing this disk, I ran into a little bit of a snag. You need a mouse to go on line. The I problem is I don't have one.

COMMENT Late start at By Erin Maclnnes 'T HP contributor Paiiez-vous francais? I should be able to. I have been enrolled in the late French immersion program since I was in Grade 7. But I have a hard enough time writing in French, let alone speaking the language. It was, after all, my choice to become bilingual. I thought learning French would be beneficial in the workforce and exciting to learn as a second language.

I must have been crazy! I wish I had been able to take French from the start in kindergarten; it would have been a lot easier to pick up the grammar and the speaking skills. But I lived in New Brunswick and, at that time, they Inventive Ottawa E2 RIa nn a II.Ja l-jv metallic nvuc nr niern i wo tiiiHWH Hens hip iinii- nti I a i.i i i.i.i i irmrr you can keep your anonymity. On this service, you can make several friends play games interactively. One of my favorites is trivia. Questions flash up on the screen and you have to answer them before anyone else does.

It is quite challenging and the people who are best at it receive credits towards more time on the local BBS. So I encourage anyone with a computer to buy a modem and log on. It beats sitting in front of the tube on a boring Tuesday night. Jason Murdoch is an OAC student at Thousand Islands Secondary School in Brockville. many jobs and the only thing it's good for is applying for a course at the University of Ottawa.) Do I feel that perhaps sacrificing potential school marks in the 90-per-cent range for 70s and 80s and the so-called future benefits of French-immersion courses was a waste? I'd have to say so.

To receive my certificate, I had to take two more courses this year. I ended up taking French math (Grade 12) and French art (Grade 10). Why didn't I take French OAC? Because I knew that I would either do really badly or fail the course entirely due to my lack of understanding what was taught in Grade 11. French immersion can be a benefit to those who are in early Brown and Galipeau designed began as an assignment for a Grade 12 design technology class in 1992. So far, they've invested about 1,000 hours of work in the project.

Young people aged 19 and under were encouraged to send in an application for the YTV Achievement Awards. A record 1,250 applications were received from across the country. Awards are given in 16 different immersion. They have been taking it seven years longer than the late immersion, so why shouldn't they do better? People might like to argue that by Grade 11, the two levels should be ready to be mixed, but I don't think so. I was totally left behind when that happened.

All the early immersion students could talk fluently while I had to practically think out each sentence that had to be said aloud. What kind of a learning system is that? Ever since we began French immersion in Grade 7, we were treated as though we should know what the early French immersion students already learned. We were treated the same way, but we knew much, much less. did not focus on French in that province. Everything in Ontario is different than everywhere else, because here is where the national capital and national government reside.

We need to have an excellent background in French to get a good, lasting job in this city. But what if you tried doing just that, and nothing came of it? I like to think that I'm an intelligent pupil. I have an 80-per-cent average and I'm taking the last of my two French courses this year so that I can get my bilingualism certificate. (A few years ago, I thought that having this certificate would provide me with success in future employment, but now there aren't teens snag YTV Achievement Award with environmentally friendly tape player. Anhimmrrinnr AtiroiHc rn ii i ni i iw hiiii hiih uh i iimh ii.

both former students of College Catholique Samuel Genest, are the winners in the environmental category. The two 19-year-olds paired up Dan Royer, Grade 11, Chris Beaupre, Grade 12, Canterbury High School time, effort The reasons I didn't leave the French-immersion program were for the hopes that one day, everything would somehow "click" and I would be able to speak and write French flawlessly, and have a better job than if I had just stayed in English. I just wish that a student's happiness was considered in all this. If students are happy taking English throughout their schooling and they have the marks to continue on in post-secondary education, why set them back because they can't speak another language? Isn't that discrimination? Erin Maclnnes is in Grade 12 at Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School. Winners in each category will receive $3,000 and a certificate for their outstanding performances.

Past winners have included The Barenaked Ladies and Gypsy Soul. So we may just see some of this year's winners on a record label or even a TV show in future. Tarzan Dan and Phil Guerrero from YTV are this year's hosts. Special guests include soul singer Des'ree, who will perform her hit There was an old I am having a difference of opinion with a person who is never wrong if you get my drift. Exactly what is a limerick? And when was it introduced into the English language? Enjoys Limericks, Boston Dear Enjoys: A limerick is a form of humorous verse.

It takes its name from the city of Limerick in Ireland, where it originated. A limerick consists of five lines. The first and second lines rhyme with the fifth line. The third and fourth lines rhyme with each other. The first line often begins with, "There once was a and ends with the name of a person or place.

The last line is usually humorous and occasionally naughty. In 1846, Edward Lear came out with A Book of Nonsense, a collection of limericks. Here's one: There once was a lady from Wilts Who walked up to Scotland on stilts; When they said it was shocking To show so much stocking, She answered, 'Then what about Dear Abby: People are often told to "get a second opinion" when their doctor prescribes treatment (or surgery) that seems drastic. They should be aware of the "side effects" from taking such advice. Anything from a cold reception to iu iicmc uic cnviiuiuiiciiiaiiy Advice Age continues to be knock against friendly "Green Walkman," which doesn't require batteries.

It works on a simple winding mechanism. In 1993, their creation placed among the top 12 of 89 environmental inventions submitted to the Canadian Industrial Innovation Centre in Waterloo. Last year, they won the senior engineering gold medal in the national science fair in Guelph. The portable cassette player COMMENT Connie Dela- hanty, founder of the Older IIT XT i. ST I women tsvi-I work (OWN) in A Ottawa.

says our '3 society ueiers 10 what she calls the "absolute age." These are the years between 25 and 40 for women, or 25 and 50 for men Years Ahead HILARY KEMSLEY when an individual is neither too young to dismiss because of immaturity, nor too old to be accused of being "past it." This perfect age is the baseline by which all others are judged, says Delahanty. The problem is, if people are phased out at 50 years of age, what are they expected to do with the next 30 or 40 years of their lives? With increased focus on the aging of the population, Delahanty sees a backlash toward older people. "I feel this youth thing is getting stronger and stronger," she says, "almost like 'We're not going to let those old people take over'." Reading about and adopting song Yo Gotta Be, and Alan Frew (formerly of Glass Tiger) performing his hit single Healing Hands. The YTV Achievement Awards aren't open to the public. But YTV will tape the event and broadcast it nationally on Saturday at 8 p.m and again on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Melanie Hyde, a Grade 12 student at Merivale High School, is doing a coop placement at High Priority. limerick from COMMENT refusal to continue as your attending physician can result. I asked for a second opinion recently, and had to have my attorney get my medical records. Needless to say, I changed physicians. One Who Knows, Arizona nr Dear One: Top-notch physicians welcome second opinions, if only to confirm their diagnosis.

Dear Abby: As a middle-aged single adult male, I finally said, "No, thank you" to eating at the card table with the children at family gatherings and sleeping on the sofa during overnight visits. Please remind your readers that adult singles deserve to be treated with the same respect as their married counterparts. Missouri Single i Dear Single: I'm with you. In the 39 years I've been writing this column, this is a first. Readers can write to Dear Abby co The Citizen, Box 5020, Ottawa K2C 3M4.

For a personal reply, readers should send a long, self-addressed envelope. Abby will pay the postage. The lamp came back, fixed, within days of your complaint to Action Line. The Toronto representative was originally expected to be in the store within days of you having dropped off the lamp. Unfortunately, he didn't show up for weeks.

As a result, an attempt at saving you a few bucks left you a little bitter and Thelen Torontow with a little egg on its face. Lionel Bourque, the store's manager, is sorry. "It was an attempt at good faith on our part." Dear Abby categories such as dance, writing, visual arts, sports, entrepreneur-ship, music (vocal, instrumental and band), acting, bravery, innovation, public service and specialty performance. There are also the Terry Fox Award and the President's Award. On Thursday, 23 young people will be honored at the National Arts Centre for their talents and contributions to their community.

women true of those, mainly men, who have had the opportunity to secure pensions. But it does not apply to the thousands of women with interrupted, short-term and part-time work histories or to those with no work history." Many feminists, including the likes of Betty Friedan, Germaine Greer and Gloria Steinem, are entering their senior years. Using a feminist perspective, these women are writing about, dealing with and challenging some of the complicated, marginalizing ordeals they experience as a result of society's ageism. Delahanty is co-ordinating monthly feminist discussion groups for older women. The goal is to give participants "a chance to be with other woman of their own generation who understand them, who take them seriously, who have similar values and priorities and life experiences." Anyone interested in participating in the Older Women's Network of Ottawa can contact Connie Delahanty at 594-0217.

Hilary Kemsley is a social worker and family support counsellor. Comments and ideas for this column are welcome. Write co Years Ahead, Ottawa Citizen, Box 5020, Ottawa K2C 3M4. there was a charge, what was it? The responses support Harkai's contention. Each did have "some form of cancellation fee." It was similar in each case and none was as prohibitive as the one the Villager Suite calls policy.

At four of the questioned hotels, reservations could be cancelled any time up to 6 p.m. on the day of the reservation without penalty or charge. After 6 p.m., customers are charged for one night The fifth hotel used noon as its cut-off point. So much for that contention. Anyway, Harkai says she isn't about to change the policy and won't be returning your money.

I know where I won't stay the next time I go to Toronto. Do you? Shedding light on things Candlelight dinners are fun, but feminist theory has helped Delahanty put into words some of the frustrations and limitations she experienced even as a young girl and, more particularly, as an older woman. The incredible outburst of feminist scholarship which began in earnest in the '60s made major changes in women's lives, says Delahanty. She remembers in the '50s sensing the unfairness around her, but being unable to define or truly understand it. Feminist theory, Delahanty says, allowed her to make sense of her disappointments, to realize that her discomfort was not due to a basic personality flaw, and to know she was not alone in seeing these inequities.

At 61, with a recent masters degree in sociology, Delahanty is looking for a job. She is keenly aware that, despite her vitality and qualifications, her age is working against her. She doesn't buy the idea that older people should give up their jobs so younger people can have a start. In an OWN newsletter, she writes: "The emphasis on younger people's need to work implies that older people do not, or that their need is less. This may be card which, she says, clearly states that if a reservation is cancelled less than 10 days prior to the reservation date, then a charge of $100 applies.

She didn't explain how someone making a telephone reservation could read the card. "The amount charged to Mr. Harris was neither unusual nor unfair," she says. "It is also standard policy for the vast majority of hotels to charge some form of cancellation fee." That last statement was the signal to try a totally unscientific poll of local hotels. Some were chains with Toronto establishments, others were purely local.

All were in downtown Ottawa and advertised themselves as having luxury accommodation like the Villager. Five hotels were called. Each was asked what its cancellation policy on reservations was and, if Mom lied about her age for so long that sometimes even she couldn't remember how old she was. About 1973 or so, my mother, her friend, Noreen, and I went out to the Hayloft to celebrate their similar birthdays. As the singing waiter-persons arrived, I asked Mom and Noreen how old they were.

Instantly, a look of horror appeared on their faces. They actually blanched and stopped breathing. How could I have asked such a thing? In a public place, no less. I considered this secrecy about age ridiculous. I was of the new generation, the all-knowing, upfront, let-it-all-hang-out one.

I vowed never to lie about my age. Women who did were weird, I thought. That was when I was young and stupid before I had any idea how getting older affects women. A woman lying about her age in my mother's era was the norm. It was, perhaps, one of the ways women fought against the powerful taboos about aging.

Back then, girls were warned, "A woman who will tell her age, will tell anything." Discussing age openly was considered unladylike. You can cancel I think I have been had by a Toronto hotel that refuses to return a cancellation fee I think it took unfairly. On the first Sunday of February, I made a reservation to stay at the Villager Suite Hotel. The reservation was for the following Wednesday to Friday. Later, on the next day, I discovered I had to change my plans and tried to cancel the reservation.

There was no one answering the hotel's phones. I did manage to get through at 8 a.m. on Tuesday and, after explaining my predicament, I was told that the reservations could be cancelled, but I would be charged a service fee equal to one night's stay. In my case, the fee was $47.61. Since I was not informed of this unusual and unfair policy, I don't our got your reservations about hotel's policy it appears commonplace COMMENT think I should have to pay.

I understand that, technically, the hotel might have the right to charge a fee. But I can't believe it is the right way to treat a customer. My complaints to the hotel have gone unanswered. Brian Harris, Ottawa Action Line TONY COTE after three months a different type of light would be more appreciated. I took a Tiffany lamp in to The-len Torontow to get it repaired, expecting to have to wait about three or four weeks to get it back.

That wait has stretched significantly. It is now nearly three months and I am still waiting to have my dinner lit. After several trips to the store, I discovered that the lamp had to be sent to Toronto to be repaired. Instead of sending the lamp right away, the store waited until a representative of the Toronto company was in Ottawa and gave it to him to take back. The delay cost me six weeks, but saved me $60 in shipping charges.

Vivlane Robldoux, Ottawa Damn the customer and stick to guns, is the hotel's position. Judy Harkai, the hotel's operations manager, says you actually a bargain. The hotel's normal cancellation fee is $100 and you paid less than half of that, she says. Harkai points to the hotel's rate i Need help with a problem? Call Tony Cote, 596-3737, 9 a.m. to noon weekdays, or write: The Citizen, Box 5020, Ottawa K2C 3M4.

Fax: 726-1198. E-mail: ae836freenet.carleton.ca. Send photocopies of documents. Letters cannot be acknowledged. I.