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How to Adopt a Pet?

7/6/2014

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Do you want to help a fuzzy animal to find a new home?  There are many cute animals early waiting for a lifetime companion at the Toronto Humane Society. They are pets for adoption.

       The Toronto Humane Society was first inspired by an anonymous $2 donation to aid an old, white workhorse. In November 1886, an ordinary Toronto resident sent a letter to the World, a daily newspaper, regarding the workhorse. “Why don't we have a society for the prevention of cruelty?” asked a young reporter, John Kelso.  In responding to the question, an anonymous donor sent a 2$ donation to the newspaper office the following day.

        A presentation to the Canadian Institute on February 19, 1887 by Kelso  launched the humane and children's aid movement in Ontario. And so the Toronto Humane Society was born. The one hundred and twenty-five year old institution can still be found today on River Street, with eager pets ready for adoption.

        Getting back to how to adopt a pet. Well, the process is anything but simple. But we wouldn't call it complicated either. Let's explore the steps, shall we?

        First of all, if you are not 18 yet, you need an adult to help you.


        You must visit the Humane Society's building in Toronto, and look around for the right pet.. Naturally, it is best if you consult one of the many volunteers there for help in finding a good mach. When choosing a pet, many factors come into play. First, you must take into consideration your own living conditions and habits. For example, allergies will prevent you getting some pets. Also, you wouldn't adopt a golden retriever if they laze on the couch all day because a golden retriever is very active.

        It's not just the potential adopter's traits that matters, for we must also take into account the pet's as well. If a cat has a bad history of being abused by previous owners, then it may be very scared and tentative around other humans. Or, if it feels threatened, it may lash out to defend itself. Of course, this type of pet isn't entirely impossible to tame, but it would need someone experienced in the domain, which most people aren't. A first time pet owner would most likely not be able to accomplish such a feat, and they may get hurt.

        After finding the right pet, you must let the pet meet the other members of your  family, or anyone that will be living with the pet. The Toronto Humane Society call this process the 'meet-and-greet”. If they get along with the pet, then you can start filling out many forms for adoption. Then, you pay a sum of money of around one to two hundred for the pet and necessary items for the pet like a litter box and food. You can find the price for each type of pet Toronto Humane Society’s website.

        We interviewed Shannon Caulfield, the Marketing and Events Coordinator at the Toronto Humane Society.

        One question she was particularly surprised to hear was: Have you ever met anyone who was against pet adoption? To which she answered that no, she hadn't met anyone who was openly against adoption. At most, they did not prefer it.


        “There are around 400 different pets to adopt in the Humane Society. 600 volunteers work on-site to feed and care for the animals, 300 work off-site to foster some others. Literally waking up in the night to feed them every two hours,” Caufied said with a smile. We could tell that she is very passionate about her job.

        Not all adopters can cooperate with their pets. The THS offers canine training with the behaviourist and help for bonding the two together. “We are not looking for someone who can just take the pet out the door; it’s really about giving the pet a forever home. That’s why we go through a lengthy process to make sure the animal is safe with the perfect owner.” Caufield informed us.

        Caufield loves animals. She bottle-fed her first kitten when she was 8. She also volunteered for the Etobicoke humane society when she was around 15. At the Toronto Humane Society, Caufield also bottle-fed baby squirrels and raccoons. She has been a vegetarian for 21 years.

        And so our little explanation on pet adoption draws to a close. We hope you now know how to adopt a pet now, and perhaps even go out there and adopt one yourself!

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My name is Grace Zhang, a gamer and writer, but just call me Wolf. I love all sorts of games and stories, especially those in the adventure genre. I’m 12, and I go to Erin Center Middle School. I’m naturally good with all things related to technology, and know some basic coding and scripting. My favourite colour is black, and my favourite animal is a wolf. I’m mostly a loner and an extreme tomboy, hence the name ‘Wolf.’ My dream is to become a game designer and work with Square Enix, which is in my opinion the best game company! Well, that’s all for now, see ya!

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Get Your Game On!

6/30/2013

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图片Illustration by Ludovica Liu
GAME ON 2.0 Exhibition at Ontario Science Centre

By Edward Wang (Age 8), Grace Zhang (Age 12) , Daniel Zheng (Age 10) 

On June 9th, we (Edward, Daniel and Grace) went to an exhibition called “Game On 2.0.” It was hosted at the Ontario Science Centre. We had an amazing time and learned a lot about the current gaming industry, as well as the history of gaming. Why don’t you take the tour with us?

Virtusphere
By Grace Zhang (Age 12)

Step into the sphere, put on the headset, grab a gun and shoot! The virtusphere allows gamers to step into their own virtual universe, with hardly any limitations at all. Players can move freely within the 10-foot hollow sphere and examine their environments. The game is shown on a screen in front of your eyes through a head-mounted display, behind the headset.

The virtusphere is predicted to have a huge impact on the next generation of gaming, bringing virtual reality/ stimulation games more into focus. My personal experience with this new way of gaming was exhilarating. As I slipped the headset over my eyes and took hold of the gun, I could feel myself being whisked away to another dimension; the dimension where games came alive. I gripped the gun tightly, and took my first step forward. The sphere rotated and I saw myself become one with my character. When an enemy appeared, I shot at nothing in reality, but killed monsters in this other dimension.

When my turn was over after eight minutes, I returned to reality, where monsters didn't exist, where you couldn't grab a gun and shoot randomly. It was truly an amazing experience. Perhaps there will be something else superior to the virtusphere in the near future, but for now, gamers will be thrilled with this technology. All in all, I would rate this platform 8.5 out of 10, as the program does tend to lag and is slow to respond. This is due to the fact that it is a prototype and has ample amount of opportunities to be refine.


PictureIllustration by Ludovica Liu
Johann Sebastian Joust

By Daniel Zheng (Age 10 )

Later, we tried out another activity called Joust. You might have thought that we were riding on horses and holding huge lances, but we didn't. It was a game that requires you to move with the music and try to get other people out of the game by knocking over their motion controllers. We all tried to win, but it was really hard, because if you moved faster than the music rhythm  or tilt your controller, you lost a life. Every player gets three lives in the game. Then we interviewed two hosts working at the exhibition, Kira and Mariam. 

"Jousting was actually originally played with knights, horses and a lance. The rules were that two knights rode on a horse on either side of a fence and you had to knock the other knight off their horse on your side of the fence! Of course, we can't play the original Jousting!" said Mariam with a chuckle. 

“Jousting is interesting because it doesn't require a TV or a PlayStation to play,” said Kira. “I think interactive games are gaining more popularity among people and it is a great way to get adults moving and having fun too!” 

Then it was free time, and we all played the games that we wanted to play all morning. 

***
Our Summary 
by Grace Zhang (age 12)

Perhaps older folk still remember some of the very earliest games in history, like Pong, PAC-Man and Donkey Kong. These games, despite being simple and repetitive, were the starting points for the gaming industry. 

But where would they be without the consoles? Game On 2.0 featured some of the oldest computers and consoles, including Capcom, Apple, Sony, Sega and much more. We asked the crowd what they liked best about this exhibition and what improvements needed to be made. “It’s nice how people who love games and just technology in general can come together like this,” said Steve Waters, a parent at the exhibition. “But some of the older games are prone to breaking.”

The Waters loved the PAC-man, Pinball and Street Fighters. 

This exhibition also provided some information about upcoming platforms, like the new Xbox One and the PlayStation4. The rumour says that the new PlayStation will support used games and run more smoothly than before. The Xbox One has returned to the form of the first generation; a huge, bulky rectangle. It is quite literally a monster of a platform, very heavy and big in size. As for Nintendo, nothing new has been going on with them, except for the WiiU. They have some catching up to do!    

The day was a very eventful and exciting experience for the three of us. We hope to be able to visit another exhibition like this one soon!

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