Bees

Hello Everyone,

Here's the link to the short (4 minute) video about the honey bees on the roof of the Vancouver Convention Centre West. Please watch it and answer the questions I gave you.

This video will give you an "up close" experience of bees, following a local TV news reporter. The head beekeeper is Allen Garr, and this is not his ONLY job!

Note the special headgear and clothing that will keep them both safe from bee stings!

Enjoy!

Humour

Hello LINC 7 Students,

Today we were talking about understanding humour in English. It's certainly one of the most challenging aspects of learning a new language!

Here's a website with several classic Far Side cartoons. They often have a "dark" sense of humour!

Enjoy! :)

Preparing for our Tour

Hi LINC 7 Students,

Here's the link to the video on the green roof we'll visit on Wednesday, May 16.

Listen and complete the handout for Monday.


In class on Thursday, we were talking about the process of gentrification or making a "poor" neighbourhood into a more "wealthy" neighbourhood -- for profit!

Here's the link to a news article on this topic.

There is a shift happening in the makeup of Vancouver's downtown eastside, known as home for people struggling with mental illness, addiction and homelessness. Today, entrepreneurs, developers and more wealthy residents have moved into the edge of this neighbourhood at an alarmng rate, thanks to skyrocketing real estate prices and relaxed zoning restrictions.

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