FutureSkills' Blog

FutureSkills Private High School

noreply@blogger.com (Hassan Mirzai) — Sat, 14 Dec 2013 09:26:00 +0000

Apply for a $60,000 Schulich Leader Scholarship

noreply@blogger.com (Hassan Mirzai) — Thu, 28 Nov 2013 10:27:00 +0000

Contact info@schulichleaders.com

if you would like to receive an information package

noreply@blogger.com (Hassan Mirzai) — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 16:21:00 +0000

Beautiful Birds of Paradise

noreply@blogger.com (Hassan Mirzai) — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 02:53:00 +0000

Should we have a prom?

Please visit our facebook page and cast your vote: www.facebook.com/FutureSkills

noreply@blogger.com (Hassan Mirzai) — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 21:57:00 +0000

Math Contest

Want to challenge your mathematical knowledge and Skills?
Join high school students from across Canada and participate in the University of Waterloo's Canadian Team Mathematics Contest on Wednesday, April 10, 2013.
See our office staff for more information.

noreply@blogger.com (Hassan Mirzai) — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 21:57:00 +0000

Winter Term Calender

Dear Students
The last day of classes for the academic year of 2012 is Friday December 21, 2012.
School will be closed between December 22- 25, 2012.
Office will resume administrative work from December 26-29 and January 3, 2013 onward. The office hours for the holiday will be 10:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

noreply@blogger.com (Hassan Mirzai) — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 21:56:00 +0000

Winter Term Dec 03 - Jan 30

Dear Students
Registration for the Winter term will remain open until Friday December 7, 2012 for North York and Richmond Hill campus.
Please be notified that the classes for North York campus will begin Monday December 3, 2012 and for the Richmond Hill campus will begin Thursday December 6, 2012.
The classes missed for the Richmond Hill campus at the beginning of the term will be made-up during the term. Please check the schedule for the day and time of the course you are taking.

FutureSkills Richmond Hill Location

noreply@blogger.com (Hassan Mirzai) — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 01:01:00 +0000

FutureSkills 2nd location at 9947 Leslie Street, Richmond Hill, Ontario is now up and running. We are registering for August summer term. Visit us:
http://www.futureskills.com/contact/

'via Blog this'

CEMC Workshop in Computer Science for Young Women

noreply@blogger.com (Hassan Mirzai) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:58:00 +0000

The CEMC Workshop in Computer Science for Young Women is a unique opportunity designed to ignite enthusiasm for computer science in interested female students from across Canada. The young women invited learn that computer science is about much more than using and programming computers. Through lectures, labs and hands-on activities, the workshop explores the foundations and applications of computer science that have a profound effect on the world today. Lasting friendships develop as participants stay in on-campus residences for one week and enjoy many social events.

Maclean’s 2011 University Rankings

noreply@blogger.com (Hassan Mirzai) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:59:00 +0000

http://www.findoutmore.uwaterloo.ca/counsellors/enewsletter/int_dec2011.php
For the seventh year in a row, McGill University is ranked first in the Medical Doctoral category in the Maclean’s University Rankings, once again beating one-time king, the University of Toronto. Toronto, second again this year, has placed first in the category 12 times over the past 21 years. In t...

Winter Term

noreply@blogger.com (Hassan Mirzai) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:53:00 +0000

Our winter term for grade 12 starts today (December 1st) and ends January 31st.
In this intensive term we offer: MHF4U, MCV4U, SCH4U, ENG4U, AWQ4M and AVI4M.

Earn one of twenty $5 000 entrance scholarships

noreply@blogger.com (Hassan Mirzai) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 02:16:00 +0000

This is an exciting opportunity for students graduating from a Canadian high school to earn one of twenty $5 000 entrance scholarships to go towards their post-secondary education, regardless of their chosen field of study. All they have to do is demonstrate excellence in their school studies and a commitment to the environment through school or community initiatives. A national winner will also receive a Panasonic notebook computer.

waste-Free Lunch

noreply@blogger.com (Hassan Mirzai) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 14:30:00 +0000

Protect the environment. Join the waste-Free Lunch program

Amazing Pictures!

noreply@blogger.com (Hassan Mirzai) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 01:12:00 +0000

Amazing Pictures! Enjoy

Earth Day at FutureSkills Private Summer School, Toronto

noreply@blogger.com (Hassan Mirzai) — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 00:02:00 +0000

Are you planning a project that will benefit the environment and your local community (Toronto, North York, Richmond Hill, Markham, Scarborough, Vaughan, Mississauga,... )? FutureSkills Private High School encourages all students to use some or all of their 40 community hours to plant trees during the summer. This is an enjoyable and rewarding activity… Drop us a note if you are interested to http://www.futureskills.com/contact/

INCREDIBLE!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Hassan Mirzai) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:33:00 +0000

Catherine Destivelle Climbing Solo in Mali
A blast from the past this week. This pre-YouTube video is of Catherine Destivelle soloing in Mali. Filmed in 1987, High Magazine commented,

"the film Seo of her soloing on a sandstone cliff in the Mali desert is one that has been seen worldwide and the one clear image that has stuck in the minds of the general public in Britain".

This was undoubtedly true at the time, and most climbers of a certain generation will have seen this film before, however now that video is ubiquitous across the internet, it is easy to forget such classics as this.

The film examines the local people, the Dogons of Sanga, for whom climbing is part of their everyday life. Catherine is fascinated by these people, and they admire her daring solo climbs.

Not Just Tourists

noreply@blogger.com (Hassan Mirzai) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 20:08:00 +0000

Not Just Tourists is a non-profit organization providing much needed medical supplies for Cuba and other countries in need.

Final Marks

noreply@blogger.com (Hassan Mirzai) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 00:54:00 +0000

Final Marks will be posted on FutureSkills website. Please do not call the office. We do not provide marks over the phone due to privacy issues. Please check your personal account on www.FutureSkills.com instead.

Report Card, Transcript

noreply@blogger.com (Hassan Mirzai) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 00:48:00 +0000

We need at least one week to prepare the report cards and transcripts. To prevent any delays, please make sure that:
- You have returned your text books.
- Part-time students have provided us with a copy of their home school transcript
- You have cleared your balance in full. If you are planning to pay by cheque, allow 5 business days for clearance.

Announcements

noreply@blogger.com (Hassan Mirzai) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 22:53:00 +0000

Announcements
Last update June 24, 2011
Final Marks

Final Marks will be posted on FutureSkills website. Please do not call the office. We do not provide marks over the phone due to privacy issues. Please check your personal account on www.FutureSkills.com instead.
Report Card, Transcript

We need at least one week to prepare the report cards and transcripts. To prevent any delays, please make sure that:
- You have returned your text books.
- Part-time students have provided us with a copy of their home school transcript
- You have cleared your balance in full. If you are planning to pay by cheque, allow 5 business days for clearance."

Join FutureSkills Summer School & Virtual High School

noreply@blogger.com (Hassan Mirzai) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 20:16:00 +0000

Earn 1, 2 or more credits this summer in class or via e-learning, by joining FutureSkills Summer School in Toronto Canada. We offer high school credit courses in July and in August:
http://www.futureskills.com/summercredits/

Ontario College of Teachers Warns Against Student Friends on Facebook or Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (Hassan Mirzai) — Fri, 06 May 2011 03:14:00 +0000

OTC Releases official rules and guidelines for social media

Written by Ryan Leclaire

Teachers are cautioned that adding or friending any of their students can be dangerous.

Ontario’s teachers have been warned not to like, friend, poke, or follow students. TheOntario College of Teachers released their official Use of Electronic Communication and Social Media guidelines.
The document sets steadfast guidelines for how teachers interact with their students on computers and mobile devices. It defines social media sites as “Examples include, but are not limited to, sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube, Wikipedia, Picasa and MySpace.”
Teachers are cautioned that adding or friending any of their students can be dangerous and that, “Even the most innocent actions can be easily misconstrued or manipulated.”
It also makes recommendations such as:

Avoid any friendship requests from students, and don’t send any
Use a dedicated webpage for class interaction, not a personal profile
Don’t exchange private texts, phone numbers, email addresses or photos with students
Manage your privacy and security settings on all social media sites
Monitor all of your content and be mindful of what others post to your accounts
Ask friends not to tag you in any photos or videos without permission. Remove anything that is inappropriate.
Avoid slamming your students, colleagues, employer or others within the school community
Avoid impulsive, inappropriate or heated postings

Mass killing of birds

noreply@blogger.com (Hassan Mirzai) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 06:48:00 +0000

Click here for the story
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is engaged in what can only be called an avian holocaust through its Bye Bye Blackbird program that has poisoned tens of millions of birds over the last decade. The USDA even reports the number of birds it has poisoned to death in a PDF document posted on the USDA website.
Anticipating the USDA possibly removing that document, we have posted a copy on NaturalNews servers at:
http://www.naturalnews.com/files/US...
The original source URL of this file was:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_...
This document shows that, just in 2009, the following bird populations were poisoned and killed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, using taxpayer dollars:
(Listed as "Intentional" and "Killed / Euthanized")
Brown-headed cowbirds: 1,046,109
European Starlings: 1,259,714
Red-winged blackbirds: 965,889
Canadian geese: 24,519
Grackles: 93,210
Pigeons: 96,297
...plus tens of thousands of crows, doves, ducks, falcons, finches, gulls, hawks, herons, owls, ravens, sparrows, swallows, swans, turkeys, vultures and woodpeckers, among other animals.
The chart even shows that the USDA "unintentionally" euthanized one Bald Eagle.
Also murdered in 2009 by the USDA are victims of other species:
27,000 beavers, 1700 bobcats, 81,000 coyotes, 2,000 gray foxes, 336 mountain lions, 1900 woodchucks, 130 porcupines, 12,000 raccoons, 20,000 squirrels, 30,000 wild pigs, 478 wolves.
See the list yourself at: http://www.naturalnews.com/files/US...
The mass-murdering U.S. government that disavows violence?
Keep in mind that murdering animals is an act of violence. Yet in the wake of the recent Giffords shooting, we have U.S. government officials running around screaming about how much they disavow violence, saying things like "violence should never be used to resolve problems."
But their actions say something different: Violence against non-human life forms is not only tolerated and approved by the federal government, but even encouraged. Through these mass killings of birds, cougars, ducks and other animals, the United States federal government is actively engaged in widespread acts of violence against nature, murdering literally millions of animals on an annual basis.
Keep in mind that the numbers shown above are only for 2009. A similar number of animals were killed by the USDA all the other years, too, going all the way back to the 1960's when the "Bye Bye Blackbird" program was first initiated.
By my estimates, the USDA has actively murdered at least 100 million animals in America over the last four decades, putting this on the scale of an animal holocaust and a crime against nature.
Don't speak of crosshairs or straight shooting
In the politically correct language-muzzled aftermath of the Giffords shooting, the mere mention of the term "crosshairs" is enough to evoke an on-air apology on network news programs. Now you can't say someone is a "straight shooter," either.
But if you work for the USDA, you can murder animals by the tens of millions and virtually no network news outlet even covers the story. Now our own government is actively murdering literally millions of animals every year.
And for what? I guess maybe humanity is next

Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/031084_bird_deaths_holocaust.html#ixzz1BtCtq0GR

Ka-Chow

Secrets of a Former Credit Card Thief

noreply@blogger.com (Hassan Mirzai) — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 20:38:00 +0000

by Michelle Crouch

provided by CreditCards.com

Card theft is cheap, easy and you could be next.

We've all heard the standard tips about preventing identity theft and credit card fraud. But what would a real identity thief tell you if he had the chance? Dan DeFelippi, who was convicted of credit card fraud and ID theft in 2004, says simply this: You can't be too careful.

DeFelippi, 29, mostly made fake credit cards with real credit card information he bought online. "I would make fake IDs to go with them, and then I'd buy laptops or other expensive items in the store and sell them on eBay," he says. DeFelippi was also involved in several other kinds of scams, including phishing schemes that exploited AOL and PayPal customers. Committing credit card fraud is still "ridiculously easy to do," he says. "Anyone with a computer and $100 could start making money tomorrow."

After his conviction, DeFelippi faced eight years in prison, but under a plea deal he agreed to community service and to pay back more than $200,000 in restitution. He also worked for the U.S. Secret Service, helping to infiltrate the online underground and training agents in the latest fraud techniques. His help led to the arrests of five to 15 people over two years. Today, he's a Web developer at a graphic design company in Rochester, N.Y. He agreed to take an hour with CreditCards.com to share his story and his top tips on how to protect yourself.

CreditCards.com: How did you get started?

Dan DeFilippi: When I was in middle school and high school, I was into what I would call innocent hacking. I wasn't trying to be malicious or make money. I was just interested to see what I could do. In college, I started selling fake IDs to make a little extra money. I was pretty active in online chat rooms where people would talk about this stuff, and I began to realize there was a whole world of credit card fraud where I could make a lot of money with very little effort. From there, it was just a huge downward spiral.

CreditCards.com: You said you bought credit card data online. Tell me about that.

DeFilippi: Every credit card has magnetic stripe on the back with data on it. There are people out there who hack into computers where that data is being stored. There are also people like waitresses and waiters with handheld skimmers who steal the data that way. Then they sell the data online. I'd pay $10 to $50 for the information from one card. Then I'd use an encoder to put that data on a fake card, go into a store and purchase stuff.

CreditCards.com: Do identity thieves like some credit cards better than others?

DeFilippi: Well, a lot of American Express cards have no set limit, so you'd be able to buy a lot more. However, the downside is that a lot of merchants require more security for American Express than for other cards. They may ask you to enter the four-digit code on the front of the card or your ZIP code. That information usually isn't in the magnetic stripe information. So if a card is skimmed, if someone has its magnetic stripe information, they would still need the number on the front or your ZIP code to commit fraud.

CreditCards.com: What about debit cards?

DeFilippi: I always recommend against them. With debit cards, it's your real money in your bank account you're playing with. So if someone gets your debit card information and uses it, your cash is gone until you fill out a lot of paperwork and persuade the bank to give it back to you. Credit cards are much better at protecting you against fraud. And if you're worried about debt, you can always pay them off every month.

CreditCards.com: What's your No. 1 tip on how consumers can protect themselves?

DeFilippi: You've probably heard this before, but the most important thing really is to watch your accounts. And I don't mean just checking your statement once a month. If you're only checking your statement once a month, someone can start using your card at the beginning of the billing cycle, and they can do a lot of damage before you catch it. You're talking thousands of dollars, and it will be a lot harder to catch them and dispute it. I use Mint.com, which is a free aggregation service that allows you to put all your accounts on there and monitor everything at once. I check that every day. It's also a good idea to check your credit report at least twice a year to make sure no one has stolen your identity.

CreditCards.com: Is online shopping safe?

DeFilippi: You've got to be careful. It is really easy to create a fake online store or to create a store that sells stuff, but its real purpose is to collect credit card information. I'd try to stick to reputable sites or at least to sites that have reviews. A lot of times they'll create these stores that sell things that are widely searched for at prices that are incredibly low. If a deal is way too good to be true, it's probably a scam and they just want your information. The more information a website asks for, the more you need to be certain that this is information they really need and it's a legitimate site. Also, don't buy anything from somebody e-mailing you, no matter how good the offer sounds. If a company is sending you an ad through e-mail and you've never heard of the company, don't buy anything from them.

CreditCards.com: How did your phishing scams work?

DeFilippi: People are much savvier now. Back when I started, it wasn't that common. I was getting thousands and thousands of responses from single mailings. The first one I did, I targeted AOL users, because I thought they would be less computer literate and more likely to fall for my scams. We said, "Your credit card information has expired. Come to this site and update your information or your account will be closed." I did something similar with PayPal. I sent an e-mail that said, "Someone has accessed your account. We've locked your account. Please click here to access your account." We'd link them to a fake website and they'd give us their PayPal log-in information. Then we'd say, "For security purposes we've removed your account information. Please re-enter it."

CreditCards.com: Where did you get the e-mail addresses for your phishing schemes?

DeFilippi: There's software that allows you to harvest them from anyone who has posted their e-mail addresses online, so don't ever put your e-mail address on a website. If I was targeting a specific group, I'd try to find e-mails for that group. For the PayPal scam, I was trying to find people around my age or younger, so I targeted college and universities. I looked for ones in Massachusetts because I could make fake IDs from Massachusetts. As part of the scam, I'd get their date of birth, address, Social Security number and driver's license number. Then I could make a fake ID that had all accurate information on it. The only thing that wouldn't be real would be my picture. It's kind of scary how much information I could get.

CreditCards.com: What other mistakes do consumers make on the Web?

DeFilippi: When you're using your computer online, it's sending data back and forth between your computer and website. If someone gains access to that connection -- it's called sniffing -- they can capture the data between you and the website you're communicating with. That's the reason it's so important to access secure websites if you're putting in any sensitive data, so look for "https" in the Web address. A more recent issue is the free wireless offered all over the place. If you're using an open Wi-Fi connection, you should pretty much have the expectation that there is no security.

CreditCards.com: What steps do you take to protect your own data online?

DeFilippi: All financial services companies have two-factor authentication. So you typically have to put in a password plus something else. A lot of banks use questions, but that can actually give you a false sense of security because you can find out a lot of information about people online. So maybe this is extreme, but for those questions, I make up stuff. I don't put in my real information. For example, a common question is: "What city were you married in?" Well, I'm not married, but I'll answer that question so there's no way anyone could possibly know the answer. I try to make sure at least one of the questions has a made-up answer.

CreditCards.com: What's your advice on using ATMs?

DeFilippi: ATM skimming is the big thing right now because it's cash, and cash is king. Basically, that's where someone puts a card reader on the ATM machine, captures your PIN, then goes and drains your bank account. The skimmer device goes over the card slot, and it's designed to look like part of the ATM. Some of the equipment now is very good and it's hard to tell the difference between that and a real machine. So what you need to do is try to use the same ATM every time, and watch out for anything on the machine that looks out of the ordinary, especially something stuck on the front where you put your card in. Generally, I like to use ATM machines at banks rather than convenience stores or a bar or club. There have been incidents where thieves installed their own ATM machines in places with skimmers inside them. That's much less likely to happen at a bank.

CreditCards.com: Is there more the banking industry could do to protect us?

DeFilippi: The biggest thing they could do is get away from using magnetic stripes. They aren't that secure and anyone can get a magnetic stripe reader (a skimmer) for $5 to $10. The smart chips that are widely used in Europe and internationally are much more secure and harder to hack. They offer near 100 percent protection against fraud, at least from a skimming point of view, and they also require a PIN. But the credit card companies have done the math. They think people will use their credit cards less often if they had to put in a PIN. It might eliminate a lot of the fraud, but there would be less card use and they would end up losing money. So they're actually doing just the opposite, moving to a system where you can just have your credit card in your pocket -- you don't even have to swipe it to use it. The problem is, that's very unsecure. Anyone with equipment can sit out in their car and pick that up.

CreditCards.com: How did you end up getting caught?

DeFilippi: I went to Best Buy with a guy I was working with locally to buy a laptop, and the manager there was pretty well trained. When he swiped the card, he asked for my friend's ID. Most stores don't ask for ID. My friend gave him his fake driver's license, but then when the manager swiped the credit card, it came up "Call for authorization." A call for authorization, if you're trying to commit credit card fraud, is really bad; it means the credit card company has seen suspicious activity. The manager said he needed to go to the front desk to finish processing the order. As soon as he left, we walked as quickly as possible to the exit and left the store. The problem was, my friend had given the manager his fake ID with his picture. They ran it on the news and caught him. He told them the whole story, so they ended up catching me, too. I really was better off getting caught when I did. I was lucky I didn't go to prison. Under the guidelines now, I'd probably have to serve at least two years. So anything I can do to help people now, to help compensate for what I've done, I'm trying to do.

8 ways to make your highway drive safer

noreply@blogger.com (Hassan Mirzai) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 21:41:00 +0000

CARS & DRIVERS

Share this article:

When it comes to highway driving — especially when taking a new route — even the most experienced driver should get back to safe highway driving basics. But it’s not just all about what you do behind the wheel. “It’s what you do before you leave and while you’re on the road that makes highway driving as safe as it can be,” says Dean Morin, communications manager at the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA).

Before you start your engine

Having a safe highway drive starts with good planning and preparation.

Research your route before leaving. “If you’re unsure of how to get to your destination, use an online mapping site or a paper map to determine your best route,” advises Dean Morin. “It’s better to have your directions set and stops planned ahead of time rather than placing all your faith in a GPS system. Remember, a GPS system can make mistakes.”
Know highway and weather conditions before you hit the road. Check with Environment Canada for an update on weather conditions, including warnings and weather watches due to heavy rainfall, snowfall, and freezing rain. For the latest highway conditions, see “Your local road conditions” on the left-hand side of this article.
Check your car. Ensure that your car is in tip-top shape and ready for a road trip. “If you will be driving with rooftop cargo, make sure the cargo is secured properly. Also, make sure you carry an emergency car kit in your vehicle,” says Morin. “In addition, anticipate your needs before driving so have a map handy and make sure your cell is fully charged in case you need to call for help.”

Expert tip: You can find a list of items for your emergency car kit and advice on safe braking, avoiding collisions and skidding in CAA’s Winter Driving Brochure.

8 ways to highway safety

Here are 8 ways to make your highway drive a safer one:

Use the on-ramp wisely. Don’t forget to signal your intention to merge, check your mirrors and do a shoulder check. Also, don’t cross a solid white line when merging; wait until the solid line becomes broken.
Manage your merge. “Before merging into highway traffic from the on-ramp, scan the flow of traffic and find a safe gap rather than blindly entering the lane,” says Mr. Morin. “And be sure to increase your speed in the merging lane before entering traffic, rather than entering the highway at a very low speed and then speeding up while in the right-hand lane. This poses a threat to faster moving vehicles.”
Respect the gap. Always give yourself a two-second gap from the vehicle ahead of you to ensure proper stopping distance. If weather conditions are poor, increase this gap as needed.
Be seen. It’s important to let other drivers see you, so stay out of another vehicle’s blind spot.
Respect the speed limit. “Stick to the speed limits; not only does it save gas, but it’s also much safer,” advises Morin. “You can stop more quickly at slower speeds, and a collision at
100 kilometres per hour will likely result in less serious repercussions than one at 120 or 140 km/h, for instance.” Mr. Morin also advises drivers to remember that the left-hand lane is for passing, not driving. Drivers should therefore stay out of the left-hand lane as much possible so they don’t impede the flow of traffic.
Be cautious with cruise control. “Turn off cruise control in wet, icy or snowy weather,” says Mr. Morin. “In those conditions, your vehicle may hydroplane when cruise control tries to maintain speeds in slippery conditions.”
Make a smart exit. Get in the right-hand lane well in advance of your exit. If you can’t make your exit, take the following exit rather than making a drastic dart through several lanes of traffic to get to the off-ramp. You will waste time driving to the next exit and turning around, but at least you won’t be putting your personal safety, or the safety of other drivers, at risk.
Slow down on the exit ramp. “Off-ramps are frequently circular and may impede your line of sight, so follow the posted speed limit,” says Morin. “If cars are backed up around the other side of the off-ramp, which you can’t yet see, at least you’ll be prepared to stop quickly.”