Protection Publications

    To above prices, please add $3 for first book and $1 for each additional book for postage & handling. Foreign countries add $5 per book. Send orders to Quackwatch, P. O. Box 1747, Allen Avenue, NY 18105. The checks must be in US dollars. We cannot process credit card orders. Please use our order form from amazon.com and include your email address.

    CREATIVE KIDS

    FILM MAKING

    Become a director, scriptwriter(编剧), editor(编辑) and more ... all in a week?

    Six half days of film making + six half days of fun activities.

    What's it all about?

Imagine yourself as the new Steven Spielberg or Ridley Scott? Love the cinema, but think you could do better? Or do you dream of being the next Keira Knightley or Johnny Depp? If so, then this is your holiday! You and your group will choose the type of film to make — adventure, fantasy, thriller or comedy. Then you'll create your own film to show at the end of the week. What's more, you'll also take your film home on DVD too!

    Can I do other activities as well?

Yes — every day there's also half a day of activities from our great activity programme, and different entertainment every evening. So you can pack in lots of other new experiences too!

What do I learn?

    You'll learn the basics of film and sound recording, performing, and script-writing; and how to use sound effects, visual effects and music.

    You'll also learn about the work of a director, before editing your own film.

    Do I need any experience?

    No, our fantastic trained instructors and film industry experts will guide you through the whole process, and give you tips from the professionals.

    Do I need any specialist equipment?

    No, we'll provide all the equipment, from top spec digital video cameras and editing equipment, to costumes and make-up. Just bring your imagination!

    Only ￡695 per child!

    With 830 students aged between 12 and 8, Lochaber High School, at Fort William, is one of the largest secondary schools in the Highlands, It covers a huge area and many of the students come from small communities (社区) and travel up to 40 km to get into school each day, In the past, the school covered a much larger area and many students had to stay in one of the school dormitories, or-if older to live with local families, but other high schools have opened in the West Highlands, so the catchment area（责任区域） for Lochaber High, though still very large, is not as large as it used to be. Students travel into school by car, by bus, or by special minibus each day, and some come on foot or by bike. Most students live in Fort William itself, or in one of the surrounding villages.

    At the end of their high school life, and after getting higher or advanced higher grade exam results, most students decide to move on to some form of further education. Some students can remain, taking specialised courses at the West Highland college, but most leave home in Lochaber and go south or east to cities, Many young people in this area feel that there are not enough opportunities here, Going to a city certainly means new friends, a whole new lifestyle, and a more exciting night life.

    Even though Fort William is, in a way, small and far away from cities, as far as I am concerned, it is a great place to live. There is a real community atmosphere(氛围)here, and many people know, or are related to, many other people. There is always something to do or see in Fort William and there is no excuse for being bored! But there is one thing that is certain for everyone, that is, Highland hospitality. It is still very real, very alive! People look forward to seeing you!

    Fireworks are exciting, but also hard to control. The Chinese artist Cai Guoqiang, though, has developed a way to harness the visual and physical power of fireworks to make art He recently used them to create a burning sculpture that stretched high into the sky. Guoqiang fittingly named the work Sky Ladder.

    Guoqiang built Sky Ladder by making a frame out of metal. He coated the frame with gunpowder, the main chemical material in fireworks.

    The artist tried one end of the frame to the ground and attached a large weather balloon to the other end. The balloon was filled with helium — a gas that is lighter than air. When released, the balloon floated upward, pulling the top of the ladder 500 meters into the sky. That's higher than the top of the Empire State Building.

    Guoqiang set fire to the bottom of the ladder, and the crackling（啪啪作响） flames raced skyward up the frame. The sculpture burned for two-and-a-half minutes before its flames began to die out from the bottom up.

    Dealing with explosive (炸药）is challenging, and conditions had to be perfect for Guoqiang to achieve his desired effect. He first attempted Sky Ladder in 1994, but bad weather prevented him from successfully completing the work. Guoqiang put Sky Ladder aside so that he could work on other projects, perhaps most famously the fireworks display that opened the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

    Finally, after two more failed attempts, Guoqiang successfully sent his flaming ladder skyward last year. He presented Sky Ladder in his hometown, a quiet fishing village near Huiyu Island, Quanzhou. He offered the work as a gift to his 100-year-old grandmother, other family members, his friends and his town.

    “Behind Sky Ladder lies a clear childhood dream of mine, "Guoqiang explains. “Despite all life's twists and turns, I have always been determined to realize it. The ladder rose toward the morning sun, carrying hope. For me, this not only means a return, but also the start of a new journey."

    When a child says their first word, it's an event to remember. But when a girl with nonverbal autism (自闭症) does it, it's a reason to ugly cry in a parking lot. And that's exactly what happened to Briana Blankenship from Athens, Alabama. Doctors said her daughter, Taylor, might never speak. But just days ago, the 5-year-old girl challenged it and proved them wrong.

    “I had basically accepted that I would never hear her voice,” Briana said.

“We communicate with limited sign language and gestures,” Briana said, “We also have an iPad that is locked so that the only program she can access is a communication program called LAMP. LAMP is what she uses to complete work in school and because of this, she is excellent at spelling especially for a 5-year-old.” Taylor is also in the “inclusion” Kindergarten class where she receives occupational therapy (治疗) to help with her fine motor skills. “Her dad and I also pay for her to go to gymnastics every week and it has helped her stop her tiptoe walking”.

    However, when Briana was taking her daughter to a gymnastics class, the impossible happened. “We were on our way there- running late- so I had to go through the closest drive-thru to grab her something that she would actually eat We rarely eat fast food so she recognized that she was about to get her favorite food, French fries, and started getting excited and giggling (咯咯笑) in the back seat. That's when I heard her say it. I whipped my head around and asked “Did you just say Momma?” and she looked at me and said it again.

    I broke down into tears. “I parked my car after getting our food and immediately called my husband and then my mother. I didn't have time to call anyone else before class started so I quickly posted the video to my Facebook page.” Instantly, people flooded Briana's inbox. “We have had so many messages from people that we are giving them light for their loved ones, or that we are making them feel less alone in the daily battles of parenting a nonverbal child.

    AHerb Garden

    A delightful walled garden with old varieties of fruit trees and flower borders, Herb Garden is planted with over 200 medical and culinary(烹饪用的)herbs. Dogs on leads(狗链) are welcome to woodland walks. Children's activity sheets are available.

    Open Time: 10:00a. m—5:00p. m, daily except Mon. and Tue.

    Tearoom: 11:00a. m—4:30p. m

    Shop:10:00a. m—5:00p. m

    Price: Adult:￡3 Child: ￡1. 50

    The Beatrix Potter Gallery

    Original sketches(素描) and watercolors by Beatrix Potter for her children's tales. This year's exhibition will feature The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Wrinkle and The Tale of the Pie. Also on display is information on Beatrix Potter's life. Children's quiz sheets and goods bags are available.

    Open Time: 10:30a. m—4:30p. m, daily except Thur. and Fri.

    Price: Adult:￡3.50 Child: ￡1.70

    Hill Top

    Beatrix Potter wrote and drew for many of her famous children's stories in this farm house. You can view her personal treasures and step into the garden which is planted with flowers and vegetables, just as it would have been in Beatrix Porter's time.

    Please note that this is a small and popular house, which gets very busy especially on school holidays. At peak time there are queues and by the end of the day not all visitors may be able to visit the house. Please collect a timed ticket from the park for your car parking on your arrival. Tel: 051394 36269

    Open Time: 10:30a. m—4:30p. m, daily except Thur. and Fri.

    Shop and garden: Thur. and Fri. ,10:00a. m—5:00p. m

    Price: Adult:￡5 Child: ￡2