Kevin O'Leary -- Conservative leader?

Hi Everyone,

Here's the link to the interview with Kevin O'Leary from the CBC radio show As It Happens.

O'Leary shows us that he's a skilled interviewee, declaring that his lack of political experience is an advantage, and that, like Trump, he has the money to finance his leadership campaign.

What do you think of this man and his ideas?

LINC Student Survey

Hello LINC 8 Students,

Please go to the link and fill in our VCC LINC student survey.http://tinyurl.com/ht4pncd

Fill in the first page like this:

Start date:     09/06/2016         [meaning Sept. 6]

End date:      12/01/2016         [meaning Dec. 1]

Shift:           choose Morning or Afternoon

Select 4 Days:    Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday AND Thursday (check them all!)


Thanks!

Doug

Canadian Values?

Hi Everyone,

Here's the link to the Kellie Leitch interview about Canadian values. What do you think of her defense of her position -- and what do you think of the interviewer's questions?

One posted comment was:

"Good job nailing her to the wall with her comments and her attempt to dodge an honest answer."
NOTE: The idiom "nailing her to the wall" means to understand someone's real meaning (what they are really talking about).

How to Live to Be 100

Hi LINC 8 Morning Students,

Here's the link to the TED Talk "How to Live to Be 100."

And here's a link to the transcript of the lecture.

Here's the link to information on the fourth "blue zone" -- part of Costa Rica.

Enjoy!

Devices and children

Hello Everyone,

Here's the link to the program "Q" on CBC radio about children and the use of computers.

Letters to the Editor

Hello LINC 8 Students,

Here's the link to a letter to the editor in the Vancouver Sun about the US election.

And here's a letter to the editor about the recent Vancouver School Board trustee firings.



Sample letters to the Editor

Dear Editor:

I’m writing to express my concern that hours may be cut at our branch libraries. As a cost-cutting measure, the City is recommending that the library close all branches on Mondays. [IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM]

I am a staff member at the Washington Branch, and I work weekday afternoons. Each day, as school closes, dozens of students file into the library to do homework, use the library’s 13 computers, or socialize in a safe place. Many of these children would otherwise go home to empty houses, and the library is the one place that provides a secure, supervised alternative to being home alone.    [REASONS TO NOT CUT HOURS]

Our library has put several after-school programs in place to give students who are not doing homework something constructive to do; and other library customers have told us that they are surprised and delighted that the young people are so well-behaved. Teachers have called to say that some of their struggling students’ work has improved since spending afternoons at the library. Parents have told us they are grateful for the library’s welcome to their children. Closing on Mondays will be a major disruption for these children, and I’m certain there are other ways to save money without risking their safety and the productive use of their afternoons.   [ARGUMENTS FOR STAYING OPEN     &     OFFERING ALTERNATIVES]

I urge your readers to contact their City Council representatives and urge them to vote to keep libraries open! Contact information is on the library’s website. [RESTATE MY PURPOSE]

Sincerely,
Your name and city

To the Editor,

Your recent article, “Sex Encouraged with Comprehensive Education,” questioned the effect of comprehensive sex education on sexual activity. Many people worry that giving youth accurate information about sexual health will encourage them to have sex, but this isn’t so.

Studies have proven that those of us who receive comprehensive sex education are more likely to delay sexual activity and to use contraceptives when we do become sexually active. Even the Surgeon General has declared that it is “imperative and clear that youth need accurate information about contraceptives.” Yet, the current administration chooses ideology over science and spends millions of dollars on ineffective and inaccurate abstinence-only programs. 

The Responsible Education about Life (REAL) Act would provide states with funding to implement school-based sex education that includes information about both abstinence and also contraception. It is imperative that we urge Congress to support the REAL Act. 

Sincerely,
(Your Name)
(City, US State)

Dear Editor:

Your article on the challenges of schizophrenia. published on August 30, states it perfectly. Canada is the only G8 country without a national strategy for mental illness. Considering the fact that 20 per cent of Canadians will experience a mental illness in their lifetime, it is critical that our country establish a national body to oversee mental health and illness issues.

Millions of Canadians who are directly and indirectly impacted by mental illness have waited long enough. There is a significant and immediate need for a national mental health commission to begin making improvements to our mental illness system.

It is time for the government to act on this issue.

(Name)

(City, Province)

Sample letter from The Denver Post:

Re: “Proposed Colorado marijuana edibles ban shows lingering pot discord”

It seems hard to believe that many forms of edible marijuana are made to look like candy and treats that children often eat, yet the public is supposed to believe that the marijuana industry isn’t marketing to the youth. 

It has been reported that nine children have been treated at local hospitals after ingesting marijuana edibles. Further, one college student jumped off of a balcony after eating a cookie that contained marijuana. Now, parents are being warned more than ever before to check their children’s Halloween candy, suggesting that if they see anything that looks unfamiliar or strange, it could be a form of edible marijuana and should be thrown out. 

For these reasons and for the health and safety of all youth in Colorado, banning edible marijuana seems like the clear choice.

MC, Lakewood, CO

Help with your Writing

Hello Everyone,

Here's a message from the Coordinator at the VCC Learning Centre:

As we are now midway through the term, I thought I’d send a quick reminder of our WriteAway service at http://writeaway.bceln.ca/. 

The WriteAway online service this term is open until Dec 7^th. 

You are invited to use WriteAway to receive free feedback, strategies and resources to help improve your writing. 

Please go to the Learning Centre webpage to learn more and create an account.

Thank you,

Francesco

Learning Centre Coordinator



If you have any questions, please let me know. 

Earthquake Preparedness

Hi Gang,

Here's the link to the earthquake video we watched:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_IWJx-mOw0

More Good Resources for your Presentations

Hi Everyone,

Here's a good source for basic information about various types of government, with an excellent review of vocabulary. The reading are short and readable!

Here's a great chart with excellent information on where the federal parties stand on key issues, such as the role of government, taxes, social services, health care, and the environment.

Here's a good overview of the major political parties, including some key history that you may want to mention in your presentations. It's slightly out-of-date, but uses language appropriate for ESL learners.

Here's a detailed review of where the major political parties stand on immigration policy. It has a lot of information, but it's nicely divided into Liberal, Conservative, N.D.P, and Green. It summarizes party policy from the last federal election (2015).

Here's a good resource on local (municipal) government with information on the organization of city councils and election of mayors (for Geli and Jerry!)

Here's a good overview of the requirements to become a school board trustee.

Here's the Canadian Encyclopedia entry on School Boards, explaining basic structure.

Here's a new article on the current Vancouver School Board crisis.

I hope these webpages help you in preparing your presentations.

Please let me know if I can offer any assistance!

Doug

Thanksgiving

Hello Everyone,

Here's a great overview of Thanksgiving from engVid.

And here's a good short comparison of American vs. Canadian Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Doug

Compare and Contrast Essay

Hi Everyone,

Here are some good examples of both block and point-by-point comparison essays.

Researching your presentations

Hi LINC 8 Morning Students,

I've posted the schedule for presentation in October. We'll just have one per day in weeks 3 and 4.

Here are some useful websites to help you:

Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship

Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship (government booklet online)

Canadian Rights and Freedoms



Municipal Government 1

Municipal Government 2

Levels of Government YouTube video



Vancouver Board of Education

What Do School Boards Do? (Alberta)

Community Organizations

School Board Cuts

Vancouver School Board rejects cuts


Conservative Party (Canadian Encyclopedia)



Liberal Party (Canadian Encyclopedia)



N.D.P. (Canadian Encyclopedia)



Green Party of Canada (Canadian Encyclopedia)



Green Party Platform


Health Policy (the introduction of Medicare in Canada)

Tommy Douglas (founder of the NDP and Canada's Health Care system)

Presentations on Governance

Hi Everyone,

I hope you'll enjoy working on your group and individual presentation on governance and citizenship!

Here's one way to divide up the topic if you are presenting on a federal political party:

1. Introduction

2. History of the party (e.g. the N.D.P. party grew out of the C.C.F. party)

3. The party's stand on key issues, such as immigration, the environment, the economy, health care, and education   (NOTE: This can't be partly covered in the introduction.)

4. Famous leaders of the party (e.g. Pierre Trudeau)

Please ask me if you are doing a topic that isn't a political party and I'll try to help you structure the presenters and the content of your presentation. :)

Levels of Government in Canada

Hello LINC 8 Morning Students,

As we move into Unit 9, Governance and Citizenship, here's an excellent overview of the three main levels of government in Canada. Please read it over so you have a general idea of what federal parties are concerned with.

Reference Letters

Hello LINC 8 Morning Students,

Please read over the following tips for writing a reference letter. This webpage contains a good example of a letter of reference for an employee.

Here's another useful link with another sample reference letter. You can get some good ideas here.

Please use these resources and complete the WRITING TASK as homework. You can hand it in on Monday!

Running Your Meeting

Hello LINC 8 Morning Students,

I hope you are having fun preparing for your meeting!

Here are a couple of videos about conducting a successful meeting:

This video focuses on the Chair's job.

This video focuses on Debating during a meeting.

These videos are both about six minutes long, but I encourage you to watch them several times and watch them with the captions (text of what is said) on. :)

Writing Minutes for a Meeting

Hello LINC 8 Morning Students,

Here's the link to audio 6.16 (Part 1). Please listen to it and correct any errors in the minutes on p. 289.

Here's the link to audio 6.16 (Part 2). Please listen to it and write your minutes on the back of the handout.

And here's the link to the "Small Talk" video we watched. Please view it again and see what you see the second time! :)

Have a great weekend!

Doug

Formal Meetings

Greetings LINC 8 AM students,

Here's the link to the audio about formal meeting procedures that we listened to in class on Monday.

Here's the link to the audio of a Parent and Community Council Meeting from Wednesday's class.

Doug

Running Effective Meetings

Hi LINC 8 AM Students,

Here's the link to Running Effective Meetings.

Please watch it again and take notes on the "timekeeper" and "recorder" roles.We'll discuss this video in class on Wednesday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtzXHre536M

This is now a LINC 8 Blog!

Welcome LINC 8 AM Students!

For the sake of simplicity, I'm just going to use my fully established blog -- no longer for LINC 7.

This is now for my morning and afternoon LINC 8 classes, although everyone is welcome.

It's easy to access -- all you have to do is type in "newlinc7" into Google.

I hope you'll check it out on a regular basis! Especially when I ask you to go there do complete homework assignments!

Since we are investigating group dynamics, personal interactions, and meetings, this weekend I'd like you to review Parts 1 and 2 of this set of steps on "How to Conduct Effective Meetings":

http://www.wikihow.com/Conduct-Effective-Meetings


Take some notes on the material in Parts 1 and 2 only. Please come prepared to discuss the most important points on preparing for a meeting.

Cheers,
Doug

Have a great summer everyone!

Hello Everyone,

Another term is over and we start the summer break with Canada Day tomorrow. Have fun!

A huge “thank you” to all of you who worked so hard this term and accomplished so much! Congratulations to all.

It has been a pleasure teaching you and I hope you all have a great summer!

See you in September!

Best wishes,

Doug 

By the way, here's an excellent resource for practicing English during the summer break. It is called "Learning English with Michelle" and it was created by a VCC instructor who recently retired. It has great links to plenty of useful websites, exercises, readings, etc.

For example, here's a great video on how to reduce your accent if your a Chinese speaker.

LINC Survey!

Hi LINC 7 Students,

Please take a few minutes and complete the LINC survey.

Here is the link to access the LINC survey.

This survey is very important for the LINC department, so please do it before JUNE 30.

Helpful information:

First Day of the term:   April 11, 2016    TYPE:   04/11/2016

Last Day of the term:   June 30, 2016     TYPE:   06/30/2016

Days of week:     Just click on "Monday"

The second page is most important.

At the end, you must click on the SUBMIT Button for the responses to be counted.

http://tinyurl.com/ofsrfjp

   

Thanks!

Residential Schools

Hi LINC 7 Students,

Here are some great short videos on residential schools.

First, the government propaganda film made in 1955 describes how "great" the schools were. This is just two and a half minutes long.

Next, the real pain and suffering caused by the schools is described in this video. It's 4 minutes long.

Finally, here's a video with a song soundtrack and photographs with captions (2:39).

Alcoholism and drug abuse were common ways that First Nations survivors of residential schools have used to cope with their pain. Many First Nations people died in these schools and many committed suicide after attending the schools.

This is indeed Canada's "dirty little secret".

The last residential school closed in 1996.

Here's the link to the Prime Minister's apology in 2008.

STEPHEN HARPER:
"I stand before you today to offer an apology to former students of Indian residential schools. The treatment of children in these schools is a sad chapter in our history.

For more than a century, Indian residential schools separated over 150,000 aboriginal children from their families and communities.

In the 1870s, the federal government, partly in order to meet its obligations to educate aboriginal children, began to play a role in the development and administration of these schools.

Two primary objectives of the residential school system were to remove and isolate children from the influence of their homes, families, traditions and cultures, and to assimilate them into the dominant culture.
These objectives were based on the assumption that aboriginal cultures and spiritual beliefs were inferior and unequal. Indeed, some sought, as was infamously said, "to kill the Indian in the child".

Today, we recognize that this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused great harm, and has no place in our country. One hundred and thirty-two federally-supported schools were located in every province and territory, except Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

Most schools were operated as joint ventures with Anglican, Catholic, Presbyterian and United churches.
The Government of Canada built an educational system in which very young children were often forcibly removed from their homes and often taken far from their communities.
Many were inadequately fed, clothed and housed. All were deprived of the care and nurturing of their parents, grandparents and communities.

First nations, Inuit and Métis languages and cultural practices were prohibited in these schools.
Tragically, some of these children died while attending residential schools, and others never returned home."

Emily Carr - BC's Most Famous Artist

Hi LINC 7 Students,

Here's a video of some of Emily Carr's paintings with a nice piano soundtrack.

Here's a video that tells you something about Emily Carr's life. Her talent as an artist was not recognized by many people when she was alive. Today, her paintings are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. The Vancouver Art Gallery has an extensive collection of Emily Carr's work.


Also, here's the link to an excellent short video on the Building of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Congratulations to all our presenters this week! Well done folks!!

Canadian Artists

Hi LINC 7 Students,

The "Introduction to Ontario" reading mentions some famous Canadian artists, including the Group of Seven, seven male painters who painted in northern Ontario in the 1920s and 1930s.One of my favourites in Lauren Harris, who painted the dramatic Mt. Lefroy.

Tom Thomson was not a member of the Group of Seven, but also painted the Canadian wilderness in the early years of the 20th century. Some of his most famous paintings are The Jack Pine, The West Wind, and Northern River. You can see them by clicking on the painting title on this website.

On the West Coast, our most famous artist was Emily Carr.  Her work is often shown at the Vancouver Art Gallery, which has a large collection of her paintings and drawings. Emily Carr lived from 1871 - 1945. This website has some good short videos that show her work. Some of my favourite paintings are Big Raven, Vanquished, Indian Church, Red Cedar, Kitwancool, Odds and Ends, and Cedar Sanctuary.

These are some of the most famous and most respected Canadian painters.

Researching Canadian history

Hi LINC 7 Students,

Here are some useful links to help you with your research:

The First Nations: BC aboriginal life                

http://www.maltwood.uvic.ca/nwcp/coastsal/intro.html

http://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/assets/2009-11-17-Coast-Salish-Fast-Facts.pdf

https://orcaspirit.com/2013/06/the-coast-salish-early-inhabitants-of-victoria/

France vs. England: the struggle for power      

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Canadas

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/upper-canada/

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/battle-of-the-plains-of-abraham/

The Fur Trade: Settling the West                               

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/fur-trade/

http://firstpeoplesofcanada.com/fp_furtrade/fp_furtrade2.html

http://www.canadahistoryproject.ca/1500/1500-13-effects-fur-trade.html

Building the Railway: the CPR  

http://vcn.bc.ca/pmmuseum/Programs/Building%20the%20Trans%20Canada%20Railroad.pdf

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canadian-pacific-railway/

http://www.mhso.ca/tiesthatbind/ChineseRailWorkers.php#

                         
     

Canada and the World Wars       

http://www.japanesecanadianhistory.net/the_war_years.htm

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/japanese-internment-banished-and-beyond-tears-feature/

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/dieppe-raid/

                               

Modern Vancouver: EXPO 86                      

https://www.biv.com/article/2016/4/expo-effect-how-expo-86-changed-vancouver/

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/expo-86/

http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/expo-86-when-vancouver-wooed-the-world-30-photos-30-years-later