©2009 Full Circle Magazine.
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September 2009 Vol6 No9
MORNING MR DOG…
HELLO MRS CAT!
Animal experts tell us how to behave around dogs and cats
that we do not know…
* Move slowly, talk softly, never run up to them.
* Stand still and let them sniff your hand.
* Do not look them in the eyes (good manners for people, bad
manners for animals).
* Do not stroke them on their heads, rather beneath their chins
if they allow you.
* Smaller dogs are not always safer than large dogs.
* If you have a treat for them, do not put it in their mouths, offer
it to them on the palm of your hand.
Your imagination (the stories your
mind makes up) is a wonderful thing. It
could help you find a new way to fix
something,
it could make up a story about something you
do not understand, or it could help you have
fun when you are bored. But sometimes it can
run away with you. When you are young, your
imagination is very strong and it could
sometimes tell you scary things when you are
at home and your parents are out.
Tips to help you be strong when your parents
are out:
* Ask your parents to check that the house is
safe before they go. If they think it is, you
should relax. If you do not feel safe with the
person looking after you, tell your parents.
Imagine that it is the year 2040 … you will
be about 40 years old. What will your world
look like?
Here are some possibilities predicted by
futurists/futurologists (people who make a
study of what the future might bring) and
scientists:
* Nanotechnology (the science of very small
particles) could bring you ‘smart clothes’ that
repair themselves when torn, clean themselves,
change colour, pattern or size. Shoes could
change from walking into running or climbing
shoes.
* Holograms (projected images of something or
someone) appear life-sized and in three
dimensions in front of you. You will have the
people and things in the video you watch, all
around you as if they are real.
* Desktop object printers could print objects
using liquid plastic or metal instead of ink. You
could download plans for your object from the
YOUR FANTASTIC FUTURE
Internet and print them!
* Small robots that look like bugs, could slurp up
dust and dirt in the house. Even smaller ones
(‘nanobots’); could be injected into your body to eat
up viruses, or heal cells in your body. People might
live for up to 200 years!
* Genetic engineering (where the pattern of the
body’s building-blocks is changed) might give you a
mouse-sized tiger or elephant, which you could keep
as a pet.
* Rocket planes travelling just beyond Earth’s
atmosphere could get you from Cape Town to Walt
Disney World in the USA in less than an hour for a
quick birthday party.
* ‘Space hotels’ could entertain you with zero-
gravity sports and space-walks.
But none of this will be possible if we cannot save
our Planet in time. Stage a play about the future,
charge an entrance fee and give the money to a
charity that works for saving the Planet!
* Ask your parents to give you a telephone
number so that you could phone them,
your grandparents or someone else you
trust, if you need to.
* If it is still early in the evening and you
feel scared, do something that makes you
feel in control – something you are good
at. It could be drawing, building a tower or
dancing.
* If you are already in bed, think happy
thoughts – close your eyes and think of the
last time you had a very good time.
* If you have a pet, see if it will lie with you
next to your bed.
* Keep a torch next to your bed.
* Play some music that makes you feel
good, or read a fun story.
Before you know it, you will be asleep and
your parents will be back.
Sleep well . . .
