May Day 2018

Hello LINC 7 Students,

Today is May 1, May Day.

In BC, celebrations often take place not on May 1, but during the Victoria Day long weekend, later in the month, when the weather is likely to be better.

The longest continually observed May Day in the British Commonwealth is held in New Westminster. There, the first May Day celebration was held on 4 May 1870!

Here's an interesting article on jobs coming back to the United States.

Please read this online article and answer the questions on the handout. We'll discuss this on Wednesday in class.

Earth Day 2018

Hi Everyone,

Sunday is Earth Day -- a day to consider our impact on our planet!

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on April 22. Worldwide, various events are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection. Earth Day was started by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental "teach-in" first held on April 22, 1970. Since then, it has grown and grown, and is recognized around the globe.

There are lots of activities going on in Vancouver on Sunday to celebrate Earth Day. Please check out this page, which lists many different events around the city!

Enjoy Earth Day!

Social Isolation and the Internet

Hello LINC 7 Students,

In discussing culture shock, we talked about the increase in alienation and social isolation, particularly for young people in our culture.

Here's a great webpage on five different ways that social media can contribute to social isolation. Each of the five ways is on a different page -- just click on "NEXT". Each page is short!

https://www.activebeat.com/your-health/women/5-ways-social-media-contributes-to-social-isolation/


By the way, regarding the confusion between 'lay' and 'lie':

You lie down on the sofa (no object), but you lay the book down on the table (the book is the object). This is in the present tense, where you are talking about doing something now: you lie down on the sofa, and you lay down a book.

How do we remember?  
Well, remember that lay, which begins with the letters L-A, has a long A sound like its definition: to place. On the other hand, lie, which starts with the letters L-I, has a long I sound like its definition: to recline.

Carbon Footprint

Hi LINC 7 Studnets,

In class this week, we've been discussing our individual and collective "carbon footprint" as part of our inquiry into the environment.

A carbon footprint is defined as:

The total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support an individual's activities, usually given in tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, are produced by burning fossil fuels, such as gas and oil.

For example, when you drive a car, the engine burns fuel, which creates a certain amount of CO2, depending on its fuel consumption and the driving distance. When you heat your house with oil, gas or coal, then you also generate CO2. Even if you heat your house with electricity, the generation of that electrical power may also have emitted a certain amount of CO2. When you buy food and goods, the production of the food and goods also created some quantities of CO2.

Your carbon footprint is the sum of all emissions of CO2 (carbon dioxide), which were caused by your activities in a given time frame. Usually a carbon footprint is calculated for the time period of a year.

Please watch this short video explaining your carbon footprint. (2 minutes)

And here's a website where you can actually calculate your own personal carbon footprint! Remember: smaller is better (more green) when it comes to carbon footprints!

https://www.nature.org/greenliving/carboncalculator/index.htm

Welcome to the Spring Term 2018

Hello Wonderful LINC 7 Students!

Our first theme this term will be The Environment -- starting with your personal environment: your home. Whether you live in a small rented apartment or own a large house, your home says something about you and your life.

In North America, people often talk about "spring cleaning." The season of spring brings new life into our world, and so cleaning and clearing out the old stuff allows room for the new.

Here's a good website to give you some practical examples of how to clear out the old and declutter your space:

https://www.thespruce.com/decluttering-your-entire-home-2648002

Lots of clutter is often a symptom and a cause of stress -- and can affect every part of your life. Clutter can distract you, weigh you down, and in general it invites stress into your life.

Often, however, clearing out the clutter can seem a huge task if you don’t know where or how to start. 

The best way to tackle the decluttering of your home, your work space, and your life is to take things one small step at a time.


Small steps will lead to big improvements that will be easier to maintain over the long-run.