July - LEAD | Home Study
Transcription
July - LEAD | Home Study
July 2010 The Official Newsletter of LINC Home Study The LINC Home Study program is funded by: NEWSLINC July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 2 LINC Home Study LINC Home Study is an English language program for new com ers to Canada w ho w ish to im prove their listening, speaking, reading and w riting skills. This program provides students w ith the opportunity to learn English in the com fort of their hom es and is open to im m igrants w ho have perm anent resident status and convention refugees 18 years or older. Classes are taught by certified TESL instructors, w ho contact students every w eek to review hom ew ork, practice speaking and answ er questions. Students have a choice of using their com puter to study English or having a traditional textbook. All the study m aterials are based on the Canadian Language Benchm arks standards. Is there a fee for this program ? No. The program is funded by Citizenship and Im m igration Canada, and as such, all study m aterials are provided free of charge to participants. LINC Hom e Study students are encouraged to study independently for betw een 5 to 10 hours a w eek, and to finish hom ew ork on a regular basis. To be successful students have to study hard, and com m it their tim e to im proving their English skills. The teacher is there to guide students along on their path to significant language im provem ent. The LINC Hom e Study program offers m any other study options, including drop-in conversation classes, additional phone conversation classes, a seniors program and instruction for deaf and blind clients. We encourage all LINC Hom e Study students to take advantage of the options available to them , to participate in the online LINC Hom e Study forum, to contribute to our m onthly new sletters, and to their journey in learning English. July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 3 Index EDITOR’S NOTE Feature Article World Cup 2010………………………………………………...…...……...……pg7 Welcom e to the July issue of the LINC Hom e Study new sletter. Our feature article focuses on the w orld w ide phenom enon that is the soccer w orld cup. As usual, w e have som e great subm issions from students in the program , including a couple of fantastic recipes to tickle your taste buds. We w ould like to say thank you to all those w ho subm itted articles in June. Please continue to send us your articles, feedback and com m ents every m onth. Readers w hose com m ents on the featured articles are published in future new sletters m ay be aw arded a prize! Enjoy! Staff Reflection A Day in the Park – LINC Picnic 2010 by Edith L...........................….........pg8 A Whole Lot of Shaking by Lillian W…………....……………………...........pg9 Student Reflections M y Favourite Soccer Team by M oham m ed A.…………………...……….pg10 Canada Day by Fania J………………………………….………….…............pg11 Rene Higuita by Paula S……………..………………………….…...........….pg12 Coming to Canada by Santosh P.K………....………..…………….….........pg13 Swimming by Larysa S………..……………….……………..…………........pg13 Encouragement by Tao Z……………...…..…………...….………………….pg14 Father’s Day by Sajida S…….………………………………..……….….…..pg15 M y Dad by M illie P……………..…………....…………...…..….………..…...pg15 Banking in Africa by Ida D……….……………...…………..…..……………pg16 Advantages of Distance Education by Rana A.…………...……………….pg17 A Way to Improve Your English by Liang L………..….…………..……....pg18 Carassauga by Am m al H………………………...……….……...…………...pg19 July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 4 Student Reflections Recipes Cheese Cupcake by Lianita S….………………………………..…….………pg20 Kleicha by Rana A..…………….….……..……………...……..….…………..pg21 Lemon Rice by Sriranganayaky S…………….....…………………………..pg22 Kimchi Nabe by Ela M .W………...…..……………..…...……………...….…pg23 Activity Central Word Search.……………………………...…………………………………….pg24 Name the Sports…….......................…………………………….……………pg25 July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 5 LINC Home Study Program Updates What’s new? The LINC Hom e Study program held its first Drop-in Conversation session in Toronto on Saturday, June 19, 2010. The session w as held at the YM CA Dufferin Street location in North York. Tw enty one students attended and they w ere quite excited w ith the lesson as w ell as the venue. The students‟ feedback w as positive and w e are hoping to m ake this an on-going event. Stay tuned for updates on new locations. LINC Graduation: The annual Halton LINC graduation w as held at the Halton Regional Building in Oakvi lle on June 15, 2010. The LINC Hom e Study program had 155 graduates this year. Erick Diaz Benitez w as the LINC Hom e Study guest speaker. The cerem ony w as covered by Cogeco TV. Peel LINC Picnic: The annual Peel LINC Picnic w as held on Friday, June 18, 2010 at the M ississauga Valley Park. It w as w ell attended by students and teachers from m any LINC pro gram s in the Peel regions. LINC Hom e Study staff, teachers and students attended. Highlights of the day‟s event w ere m usic, dances, a w ide variety of gam es and selection of different types of food. The picnic ended w ith the singing of the O Canada anthem and the cutting of a cake. Program Activity: The num ber of seats in the program for 2010-2011 is 1250. As of today, the program currently has 1140 students. Drop-in Conversation Sessions: Drop-in Conversation sessions are going very w ell as students continue to use this opportunity to im prove their com m unication skills. The w eekly feedback is quite positive. Unfortunately, the program cannot accom m odate all the w ishes of the students w ith regards to child care and bus tickets. Additional Conversation Classes (by phone): 78 students are enrolled in 6 conversation classes and 82 are on the w aitlist. The new session for additional conversation w ill b egin in August. Additional conversation classes are offered as 8 w eek sessions to interested students in the LI NC Hom e Study program . Students are encouraged to speak w ith their teachers if they are interested in participating in these sessions. LINC Seniors & LINC Women: These Discussion Groups are delivered in partnership w ith NIC at 4 of their locations: M ississauga, M alton, Bram pton East and Oakville. LINC Seniors: M ississauga Oakville LINC Wom en: M ississauga Oakville Bram pton East - Wednesdays 10:00 a.m . - 12:00 noon Fridays 1:00 p.m . – 3:00 p.m . Fridays 10:00 a.m . – 12:00 noon Saturdays 9:30 a.m . – 11:30 a.m . Wednesdays 10:00 a.m . – 12:00 noon LINC Home Study Canada: This program (form erly National Delivery), spans the country from the Atlantic Provinces (NB, NS, PE and NL) to the w estern regions (AB and SK) of Canada. Under the capable supervision of the 10 LHS Canada TESL-certified teachers, 178 new com ers across the country are developing their English skills in listening, speaking, reading and w riting from their hom es. For m ore inform ation on any of these program s, please em ai l the LINC Hom e Study office at help@linchom estudy.ca or LINCNDhelp@linchom estudy.ca OR visit the w ebsite: http://www.tcet.com/linchomestudy/ July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 6 Feature Article WORLD CUP 2010 The 2010 FIFA World Cup is the 19th FIFA World Cup, the prem ier international association football tournam ent, being held in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July. It is the first tim e the finals of the tournam ent have been staged in an African host nation. South Africa w ere selected as hosts in M ay 2004 over M orocco and Egypt, follow ing a bidding process open only to African nations. The previous World Cup finals w ere held in 2006 in Germ any, w hile the next World Cup is due to be held in Brazil. The finals tournam ent sees 736 players representing 32 qualifying team s com pete in gam es held in ten stadium s across the country for the World Cup trophy. The 32 qualifying team s w ere selected from a pool of entrants com prising 204 of the 208 FIFA national team s in a qualification process that began in August 2007. With 204 initial entrants, the 2010 World Cup equals the 2008 Sum m er Olym pics as the sports event w ith the m ost com peting nations. The m atch ball for the 2010 World Cup, manufactured by Adidas, is nam ed the Jabulani, w hich m eans "bringing joy to everyone" in Zulu. It is the eleventh World Cup m atch ball m ade by the German sports equipm ent m aker; it features eleven colours, representing each player of a team on the pitch and the eleven official languages of South Africa. The 2010 FIFA World Cup is expected to be the m ostw atched television event in history. Hundreds of broadcasters, representing about 70 countries, are transm itting the Cup to a cum ulative TV audience that is predicted by FIFA officials to reach m ore than 26 billion people. Adapted from Wikipedia The finals began on 11 June w ith the group stage, in w hich the 32 qualifying team s w ere reduced by half by playing in groups of four team s for points over three m atches per team. The 16 rem aining team s advanced to the knockout stage, beginning on 26 June. Ties after norm al time are settled using extra tim e or a penalty shootout if necessary, up to and including the World Cup Final, scheduled for 11 July at Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg. The official m ascot for the 2010 World Cup is Zakum i, a leopard w ith green hair. His nam e com es from "ZA" (the international abbreviation for South Africa) and the term kum i, w hich m eans "ten" in various African languages. The m ascot's colours reflect those of the host nation's playing strip – yellow and green. The official song of the 2010 World Cup "Waka Waka" is perform ed by the Colom bian singer Shakira and the band Freshlyground from South Africa, and is sung in both English and Spanish. July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 7 Staff Reflections A DAY IN THE PARK – LINC PICNIC 2010 by Edith L. On Friday, June 18th, a celebration took place at the M ississauga Valley Park. Two days prior to the picnic, the skies w ere filled w ith dark clouds and raindrops. But on this day, the sun w as shining brightly w ith light cool breezes in the air. It w as a perfect day. It w as perfect for a celebration of hard w ork and dedication. It w as a celebration for all LINC students in the Peel region. Upon arriving at the park‟s parking lot, w e w ere led to the center of the celebration by a trail of energetic and upbeat m usic. In the heart of the celebration w as a crow ded „dance floor‟ on the open law n, w here people gathered to perform dance m oves from all around the w orld – belly dance, reggae, disco… and the list w ent on. The dance floor w as surrounded by a sea of people, banners and posters. While students engaged in activities such as badm inton and volleyball w ith teachers and fam ily m em bers, children roam ed around the park playing skip rope and bubbles. M idw ay through the celebration, the em cee quieted everyone dow n for the singing of our national anthem , the „O Canada‟. While everyone proudly sang the national anthem at the top of their lungs, the m em bers of the Canadian Hearing Society w ere busy gesturing hand signs for those w ith hearing im pairm ent. After the national anthem , Karen M cNeil, director –represented from the Centre for Education and Training – thanked all of the attendees for their continuous com m itm ent to the LINC program s, and for m aking the Peel LINC picnic yet another great success. The speech ended and people quickly got in line for the m ain course, cakes! Then the celebration gradually cam e to an end. Everyone packed up their banners, equipm ents and leftover foods and headed to the parking lot. All the w hile, w ith sm iles on their fatigued faces. Edith L. is an Adm inistrative Assistant w ith LINC Hom e Study program . July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 8 A WHOLE LOT OF SHAKING by Lillian W. Where w ere you w hen the earthquake shook? Did you feel the building m ove? Is it som ething you‟ll rem em ber for a long tim e? Yesterday‟s earthquake w as the biggest new s of the afternoon. It pushed the World Cup Soccer Gam es and G20 Sum m it conversations on the backburner for rest of the day. It invoked em otions of excitem ent, fear, disbelief and aw e all at once. For m any, it w as a shock, sim ply because they had not associated earthquake w ith Canada. Living on an island in the St. Law rence River is peaceful and serene. Sitt ing on our porch, w atching the large, cargo ships, navigate by, is our pastim e during the summ er m onths. As a rum ble began to pass through our hom e at 1:42 p.m . on Wednesday, June 23, 2010, I thought it m ight be one of those ships cruising by, aw fully clo se. I ran upstairs to go outside, all the w hile, the floor underneath m e vibrating and the glasses could be heard rattling in our kitchen and dining room cupboards…” This couldn‟t be the result of a ship passing by.” I thought to m yself…no ships in sight…. As I stood there, alone, a sensation of panic m oved through m e…I f elt m y heart stop m om entarily…I im m ediately picked up the phone and called m y husband to confirm m y disbelief…as he answ ered, I knew instantly that an earthquake had struck…m inutes later, I heard on our local radio station reporting the 5.0 quake, 53km north east of Ottaw a…only an hour aw ay from our hom e. Luckily, there w as no dam age in our area. As the day progressed, the talk about the earthquake that shook South-eastern Ontario, and could be felt in Toronto and M ississauga, continued. The last tim e such a thing happened, in this neck of the w oods, w as in 1944. At around 7:00pm , that evening, w e received a call from a good friend of ours, w ho w anted to know if w e w ere all right. He infor m ed us of the tornado that had just com e through their tow n, M idland…The nightly new s w arned of possible tornadoes com ing our w ay during the night...needless to say, w e w ere in total disbelief of the day‟s events. No tornadoes cam e. rd Wednesday, June 23 , 2010 is a day our fam ily w ill not soon forget. Lillian W. is a teacher w ith LINC Hom e Study program . July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 9 Student Reflections M Y FAVOURITE SOCCER TEAM by M ohammed A. Everybody has different hobbies that they like to do for fun. They can be either physical activity like football, sw im m ing and skateboarding, or m ental activities like reading, w atching m ovies, and playing chess. The hobbies are different from person to person depending on each personality. For m e, soccer is m y hobby because soccer is the king of sports in the M iddle East. It is not surprising that I grew up w ith a soccer ball. Playing soccer is still m y favourite sport and it is m y hobby w henever I have free time. It is interesting and am azing, especially the feeling w hen I or m y team mates score a goal. That feeling fulfills m e like I have just achieved som ething very im portant. Playing soccer also helps m e to relax and be confident w hen I have stress and frustration. M oreover, soccer is not only about passing and kicking the ball, but also requires a lot of thought and som e basic skills. So, I often practice it and obviously, I feel healthy and stronger. Besides that, soccer has also taught m e the spirit of team w ork. How ever, I not only like playing soccer but also enjoy w atching soccer on TV. Soccer is very popular all over the w orld now adays, especially w ith the World Cup in South Africa. I am so excited to watch the gam es w hich have m any fam ous team s playing such as Brazil, Germ any, England, Spain, Holland, etc. M y favourite team is Brazil. Brazilian soccer is m ore than just a game, it is a national pastim e; in Brazil, the sport w ould be considered by some to be a part of their heritage. M any of the young boys start learning the fundam entals of the game at a very young age just like Ronaldo, Zico, and others. I am so happy w henever Brazil w ins but I w ill get angry and do not sleep w ell that night if they lose. That is m aybe the only disadvantage of m y lovely hobby. London Region – M ohammed A. is a Level 5 student. His teacher is Lesley H. July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 10 CANADA DAY by Fania J. Canada Day celebrates the event that occurred on July 1, 1867, w hen the British North Am erican Act created the Canadian federal governm ent and allow ed Canada to becom e an independent country w ith its ow n governm ent. Canada Day is considered a Fam ily Day w ith outings, picnics, and celebrations of the birth of our nation. We w ave flags, sing songs, and enjoy the day. This day unifies all Canadians w ho go outside to celebrate the day in different w ays and show their love and their pride for their country. For m e, as a new Canadian, I feel that it is very im portant for m e to celebrate the day w ith m y fam ily, to share the love Canadians have for their country, a country that gave us a lot and w elcom ed us from the very m om ent w e became m em bers of this w onderful country. M y fam ily and I usually go to the park w here there is a big picnic w ith different kinds of activities for kids and a barbecue. We finish our enjoyable day by w atching the firew orks at night. M y kids love and enjoy celebrating Canada Day and so do I. It is a w onderful day that gives you a feeling of belonging to the great country of Canada. Newfoundland and Labrador – Fania J. is a Level 6 student. His teacher is Rachel B. Comics July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 11 Student Reflections RENE HIGUITA by Paula S. Rene Higuita w as a goalkeeper w ith the Colom bian Football League. He w as born on August 27, 1966 in M edellin, Colom bia. Rene w as a fam ous Colom bian Football goalkeeper. He played for the Colom bian side Atletico Nacional in M edellin. He played for this club for m ost of his career. His Club w on m any cups in Colom bian and South Am erica; one cup they w on w as the Libertadores Cup of Am erica in August 1993. Rene Higuita became a fam ous goalkeeper in the football w orld because his team played against m any of the m ost im portant football team s in w orld. He m ade m any great saves and w as a very active m em ber of his team . He invented the Scorpion Kick. One of his best and m ost important gam es w as against Diego M aradona, a very fam ous star from Argentina. In this gam e, Rene Higuita‟s team w on 5 to 0 against Argentina. That gam e becam e fam ous all over w orld. Rene Higuita dem onstrated great skill and ability for the gam e. After that gam e Higuita becom e a huge star and he had m any offers to w ork in Colom bia for different clubs and he also received offers from around the w orld. Rene Higuita retired from playing football in 2007.In January 2008 he started to teach the Second Division team Deportivo Rionegro. He retired from teaching in January 2010. He is m arried to M agnolia. He has three children. Rene has a son and daughter w ith M agnolia, and one daughter from a previous m arriage. Rene Higuita‟s son plays w ith the Juvenile Football Division, Deportivo Cali and represented Colum bia at the South Am erican U15. In 2005, Higuita participated in the reality TV program The Island of the Famous: A Pirate Adventure. This TV show is sim ilar to the Survivor reality TV show . Peel Region –Paula S. is a Level 3 student. Her teacher is M ichelle C. July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 12 COM ING TO CANADA by Santosh P.K. I cam e from India. I cam e to Canada in 2004 w ith m y family. We cam e by air and w e landed in Canada at the Toronto Pearson Airport. M y sister and her family received us at the airport and w e w ent to m y sister's hom e, but I w as scared because I cam e to Canada for the first tim e. M y first year w as very hard, because everything w as new for us. After tw o w eeks m y husband got a job and m y children w ent to school. After tw o years w e started our ow n business. Now w e are happy here. We like Canada because Canada is a good country for living and the living standard is good and there is a bright future for our children. Also, the rules and regulations are good. Canada is becom ing m y home. Peel Region – Santosh P.K. is a Level 4 student. Her teacher is Carla M . SWIM M ING by Larysa S. People started to sw im ages ago. If you look in history books, you can find early records of sw im m ing; som e are around 7000 years old. Sw im m ing is different from other sports because you don‟t have to buy any equipm ent to do it. You just need a few lessons about how to be safe in the w ater, and how to do the different strokes, e.g. front craw l, back craw l, and the butterfly stroke. M ost schools try to involve kids in extracurricular activities such as sw im m ing. Sw im m ing teaches kids how to be active, and how not to be afraid in the w ater. I used to be a part of that process in Ukraine. I w as born near the Azov Sea, Ukraine and used to go to the school over there. We took sw im m ing lessons in second grade, and had sw im m ing tests every year until the end of the school year. It is very important to be able to sw im , especially w hen you live near a pool. I rem em ber the day at sum m er cam p w hen one girl tried to teach m e how to sw im on m y back. I w as so proud of m yself at the end of that day w hen I w as able to lie on m y back on the top of the w ater and didn't go underw ater. It w as an am azing feeling. Today, I still like to sw im in sum m ertim e, and go to the lake. Even in w intertime, I am able to go to the sw im m ing pool in M elford. When I‟m in the w ater, I feel relaxed. I can play w ith m y kids. M y daughter is only a year old, so she hasn‟t gone sw im m ing yet, bu t I hope she learns. We are going to Ukraine this sum m er, so w e‟ll try and introduce her to w ater before w e go. Saskatchewan – Larysa S. is a Level 5 student. Her teacher is Andrew V. July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 13 Student Reflections ENCOURAGEM ENT by Tao Z. In the long journey of learning English, there are plenty of variables affecting our study. Experts have already suggested m any, like initiative, practise, insistence, m em orization and conversation. But, just recently, I realized that encouragem ent plays an im portant role in learning a language. I w as inspired by a sm all event. I phoned m y friend and the phone autom atically directed m e to leave a voice m essage, so l left a short m essage. After m any years of learning English, I w as confident to leave a short m essage. Unfortunately, my friend called me back the next day and told m e he listened to m y m essage three tim es to figure out the m eaning. He enhanced his tone w hen he said, “ three.” I felt uncom fortable im m ediately and felt depressed for a couple of days. I asked m yself m any times if I w as as bad as he said. As a result of this experience, I fear speaking w ith this friend in case he laughs at m e again. I shorten m y conversation w ith others in case they give m e negative com m ents that bring m e dow n. I hesitate in a conversation if I need to repeat m yself in case I am not understood. I have totally lost m y confidence. I believe m any learners w hose English is their second language have the sam e feeling. In a class or in a w orking place, som e people don‟t know how im portant encouragem ent is w hen som eone is learning a language. M aybe just a sm all recognition of m y efforts, a positive w ord, even a greeting or gesture can light the fire of confidence, and initiate talk w ith others and the sharing of opinions. What‟s m ore, if som eone points out your positive actions w hen you m ake m istakes, you w ill get rid of depression quickly and engages in figuring out the solution from the m istake. That‟s exactly w hat our teachers or our bosses expect as an outcom e. I like talking w ith m y teacher through the phone as she indicated that our conversation is m ore like friends talking instead of teaching, w hich encourages m e to talk a lot and m akes m e confident talking in an open conversation. Therefore, encouragem ent looks like a dose of m edicine not only to stim ulate a learner persisting in their studying, but also to enhance their efforts. Toronto Region – Tao Z. is a Level 7 student. Her teacher is Brenda V. July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 14 FATHER’S DAY by Sajida S. Father‟s Day is a holiday w hich honours fathers around the w orld. It is celebrated in Canada on the third Sunday of June. This year it fell on th June 20 . Father‟s Day is not a public holiday because it falls on a Sunday each year. M ost of the countries celebrate Father‟s Day on the sam e day as in Canada except Thailand. They celebrate it in Decem ber on the sam e day as their King‟s Birthday. Father‟s Day has different origins. For exam ple, the pagans related this day to the Sun. In paganism , the Sun is the father of the Universe. The th first tim e Father‟s Day w as celebrated w as in 1910, in the 20 Century, in United States. It w as the idea of Sonora Sm art Dodd w ho w as inspired by the M other‟s Day celebrations in the United States. It soon becam e very popular in the US and around the rest of the w orld. th On June 19 1910, young m em bers of the YM CA w ent to church w earing a different coloured rose to honour their fathers. If they w ore a red colored rose, it m eant that their father w as alive. If they w ore a w hite coloured rose, it m eant that their father had passed aw ay. Although the name of this day is Father‟s Day, it is related to all the paternal figures such as Step Father, Godfather or other „father‟ figures. Everyone celebrates this day w ith their loved ones. People give their fathers cards and gifts. Children celebrate w ith their fathers by taking him out to dinner and playing gam es. My children are planning to buy a tool kit for their father. Peel Region –Sajida S. is a Level 4 student. Her teacher is Jonathan B. M Y DAD by M illie P. Every year around the w orld, m any families celebrate Father's Day. Som e people are especially sad if they have lost their father, w ho had been such an im portant m em ber of the fam ily. M y dad, passed away 19 years ago, I felt very sad for m any years. I w ould like to have my dad alive and by my side to enjoy w ith him this rem arkable day. For eight years he fought w ith cancer and he never stopped w orking until 12 days just before he died. He was a strong m an, w ho w oke up every day early in the m orning, to go about his daily routine. I don't feel sad any m ore. I have my dad in my m ind and I think of him every day because he was an exceptional m an, a father, husband, a loyal friend and a good neighbor. He taught m e m any things, how to be patient, persistent and w ork hard. He raised his fam ily in struggling financial circum stances, in Cuba. In the early years during the last century, life in Cuba was hard and a real struggle. The best celebration I can give to my father is to cherish his m em ory every day, rem em ber his good attitude, his respect for people even for a child, and w hat he taught m e, to study, to w ork hard and learn how be a better person every day. He was my hero. In som e countries m any fathers‟ lives are in danger every day, due to constant war or w orking in the hardest conditions, fighting against nature and struggling or fighting for freedom . Every father in this w orld deserves a good day every day of his life, not only on Father's Day. On this special day in June w hen w e celebrate Father‟s Day w ith fam ilies and friends it is a good tim e to give a card or a special gift to your daddy. I w ish a Happy Father's Day to everyone w ho is a father. London Region –M illie P. is a Level 6 student. Her teacher is Jonathan B. July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 15 Student Reflections BANKING IN AFRICA by Ida D. I com e from West Africa, the Ivory Coast. My country is beautiful and plays an im portant role in the econom y of the neighboring countries because of its‟ agriculture (producer of coffee, cocoa, pineapple, w ood, cotton, etc.), logistics (bearing, an international airport, roads, etc.), m ining, industry, com m erce and potential. The banking sector is very im portant in the econom ic system of m y country. The bank began in the Ivory Coast in 1939, initiated by France, the colonizing country. After independence, the banking system w as organized into four big groups: the com m ercial banks, the deposit banks, the m erchant banks and the developm ent banks. Today, w e speak about credit institutions including banks and financial institutions. This system is just like banks in m ost non-developed countries. It is w eak and still doesn't m eet the needs of the population. There are several com m ercial banks w ho w ork in reality as deposit banks. It is partially the fault of the population w hich is not used to repaying their loans. In Canada, according to m y reading, three reasons explain the population‟s trust in the Canadian banking system : the caution of banks in loans and investm ents, a better m anagem ent of the Canadian banks and the regulation of the banking sector by the governm ent. The proof w as that the USA financial crisis in 2009, w hich caused several bankruptcies, did not affect the Canadian banking system . The banking sector in Canada is healthy and helps to support its‟ econom y. The using of debit cards, credit cards and online banking in Canada are current and secure. In conclusion, the banking system in Africa is still w eak but m any efforts are being m ade to m ake it m ore com petitive and secure. Toronto Region –Ida D. is a Level 5 student. Her teacher is Rose D. There is, in reality, no database containing all the inform ation about the custom ers - so the risks of fraud and the loans not being reim bursem ent can be reduced. Besides, the electronic system is still not very reliable. The debit card is used but the credit card is alm ost non -existent. When I w as in Africa, I had a bank account. I notified m y bank of m y departure from m y country. I couldn‟t close m y account before leaving because som e m oney w ould be paid to m e at the end of the m onth. I left the country w ith m y debit card. When I arrived in Canada, I couldn‟t get the balance from m y account using m y card so I continued to w ithdraw m oney until it w as not possible any m ore. It m eant I didn‟t have m oney anym ore in the account. Som etim e later, I received notification that I had w ithdraw n from m y account m ore m oney than I had. I ow ed m oney so I had to pay it back. How w as it possible? How could I w ithdraw m ore m oney than I had? I understood that it w as one of the w eaknesses of the banking system in Africa. July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 16 ADVANTAGES OF DISTANCE EDUCATION by Rana A. Have you ever w ondered w hat is distance learning or e-learning? Distance learning is a term used to describe the process of teaching and learning w here the instructor (teacher) and the learner (students) are separated by time and/or physical place. In the sam e w ay, e-learning involves the use of the com puter and internet technologies to deliver the know ledge and to com m unicate. Over the last years, distance learning has been rapidly grow ing by leaps and pounds for its m any significant and considerable benefits. The follow ing are som e of these advantages. Distance learning is economical not only for the learners, but also for the learning institutions. Students do not have to com m ute w hich saves m oney usually spent on fuel, parking, car m aintenance, or transportation. Furtherm ore, they do not need to be in the sam e city or country of the learning institution. As a result, there is no m oney to be paid out on board and lodging. On the other hand, distance education is econom ical for the learning institutions as no classroom s or other m aterials have to be provided for the teachers and students. For all of the above w e can conclude that distance education can be considerably cheaper than attending a traditional college. We can see from all of the above that distance learning has m any benefits in com parison to its traditional coun terpart. In short, it provides a great opportunity for people to gain higher education for their career prom otion or to upgrade their know ledge at their convenience and the com fort of their hom es. And w ith the increased use of the internet and the availability of m any degrees w ith the e-learning, from high school to post-graduate degree, the future is for the distance learning. London Region – Rana A. is a Level 6 student. Her teacher is Art R. One of the m ost im portant advantages is its flexibility. Distance learning gives the students the opportunity to enjoy the freedom to balance their study, w ork, fam ily, and social life. For instance, people w ho w ork full-tim e or w ith changing w ork schedule, parents w ho take care of young children, those w ith health problem s, and seniors can continue their education as they do not have to attend classes at a specific tim e or location. Distance learning certainly allow s students to flexibly schedule their classes around w ork and fam ily. The third feature of distance education is that it‟s convenient. Students can study anyw here and anytime they have access to a com puter w ith an internet connection. They can study at the com fort and luxury of their hom e. In addition, they can review assignm ents, get announcem ents, access notes, take practice quizzes, discuss questions w ith their instructor, and chat w ith fellow students at any time they w ant. Thus, w ith distance learning students can com plete m ost of the classes at their convenience. Another feature of e-learning, w hich the traditional one lacks, is that it can be self-paced. In other w ords, students can study on their ow n speed. Students actually can skim over m aterial that is already m astered by them, and concentrate their effort to learn a subject containing new inform ation. This reduces stress or increases satisfaction not only for a slow learner, but also for a quick one. Self-paced learning is a special feature of e-learning. July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 17 Student Reflections A WAY TO IM PROVE YOUR ENGLISH by Liang L. Do you know that public speaking is the number 1 Top Ten Fear for m ost North Am erican adults? Do you know how to overcom e this fear, and at the sam e time, im prove your English skills? The answ er is to join a Toastm asters club. Toastm asters is a non-profit educational organization w here m em bers at all levels learn how to com m unicate m ore effectively through speaking and listening. The organization also helps m embers to develop their leadership skills. There are thousands of Toastm asters clubs across Canada. Each club is com prised of a group of enthusiastic people dedicated to the art of public speaking. M y experience w ith Toastm asters started in February th is year. As a m em ber, I can participate in m y club m eetings every Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m . When a m eeting is conducted, m em bers volunteer for or are assigned different roles. You can choose to be a speaker delivering your prepared speech w hereby the audience w ill give you an evaluation. This is a great w ay to sharpen your English and speaking skills. You m ay also be asked to “ speak on your feet” w hen a Table Topic Session is held. Table Topic is a creative and fun format designed for m em bers to think of and deliver an im prom ptu speech sim ultaneously. Since it is like giving an instant speech, it doesn‟t take long. The tim e assigned for each speaker is about 1 or 2 m inutes. The other roles you can play w ith during each m eeting are: The gram m arian, the joke m aster, the ah counter, the tim er, the evaluator and even the chairperson. Toastm asters clubs are all over the place in Canada, so you can easily find one w hose m eeting location is closest to your hom e or your w orkplace. I certainly recomm end everyone Google the Toastm asters Club and find one club near you. You can visit the club a couple of times as a guest before you m ake a yes or no decision to becom e a m em ber. Toronto Region – Liang L. is a Level 7 student. His teacher is M arjorie F. July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 18 CARASSAUGA by Ammal H. Carassauga is the nam e of M ississauga‟s annual festival of cultures; it is a huge celebration of m ulticulturalism . It is Ontario‟s largest m ulticultural festival and M ississauga‟s largest cultural indoor festival. The origin of th e w ord Carassauga is a com bination of Greek - Cara m eans “ friend” in Greek, and the name of city of M ississauga. Carassauga is an incorporated non-profit volunteer com m unity organization, celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2010. It operated for the first tim e in 1985 w ith 10 pavilions. The Festival w as developed in response to a challenge put out by M ayor Hazel M cCallion to all ethno cultural groups at a m eeting of her calling in the old City Hall in the fall of 1985. So the first Carassauga w as held in M ay 1986. That year, it attracted approxim ately 10,000 visitors. This year, the organizers expect approximately 250,000 visitors over three days. At Carassauga w e can take a trip around the w orld w ithout leaving M ississauga. We sw ing around the w orld, spend the m orning in North Am erica the afternoon in China, and m ore. It opens the doors to a festive show case of foods, arts, cultures, perform ances, and m erchandise. There are thirtyone pavilions, and sixty-eight countries are participating in this year‟s event. I enjoyed the presentations of this event. We celebrated w ith people from all around the w orld, got to know their culture, w hat they eat, how they do their cultural celebrations, and w hat their traditional dress is like. It is a great idea to gather people together to let them know about each other , to appreciate their sim ilarities and their differences. I think it is a very im portant event for each com m unity because it opens up the eyes of all residents to the cultural diversity and m entalities that w e m ust learn to love and accept. Peel Region – Ammal H. is a Level 6 student. His teacher is Angela R. July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 19 Recipes CHEESE CUPCAKE by Lianita S. Ingredients 4 egg yolks 2 egg w hites 90 g granulated w hite sugar 60 g all-purpose flour 75 g m elted butter 50 g shredded gouda cheese Directions Preheat oven to 180 c. M ix eggs and granulated sugar at high speed until stiff. Add flour and m ix w ell. Stir in m elted butter. Place cupcake cups into m uffin pan and filled each half-w ay; sprinkle w ith grated cheese leaving enough room for second layer of batter and cheese. Bake for 15 m inutes or until tops are brow n. Peel Region – Lianita S. is a Level 6 student. Her teacher is M orley M . Cheese cupcake is a Filipino com fort food that is synonym ous w ith home-cooked m eals. It is also associated w ith street food such as balut, isaw , m ani, m ais, chocolate, and the ubiquitous ice cream . July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 20 Ingredients 3 cups w heat flour 1 cup m elted butter 1 cup w ater or m ilk 1 tbsp. baking pow der 1 tsp. salt 1 egg (beaten) Date Filling 2 – 2 ½ cups dates (pitted) 3 tbsp. butter 2 tsp. ground cardam om Directions Place the dates and butter into a saucepan. Cook over low heat and stir occasionally until the dates soften and becom e like a paste. Add the cardam om and set aside to cool. In a bow l, m ix the dry ingredients: the flour, baking pow der, and salt. M ake a hole in the center of the m ixture. Pour the m elted butter into the hole of the flour m ixture. Then rub flour w ith fingertips until the butter is distributed evenly. Then add the w ater or the milk and knead until it form s a sm ooth dough. Adding m ore w ater if necessary. Allow the dough to rest for 30- 60 m inutes. Divide the dough into three parts. With a rolling pin, shape one part of the dough to a rectangle w ith ¼ inch thickness. Then take one third of the date paste and m ake it as a long roll w ith same length as the dough and place it along w ith one edge of the dough. Then roll over to enclose the filling. Rem ove the excess dough. Cut into sm all pieces. Arrange the cookies into a baking pan. Brush the cookies w ith the beaten egg and bake in a preheated oven w ith 350 degree F for about 15-20 m inutes or until the Klaicha turns golden brow n. London Region – Rana A. is a Level 6 student. Her teacher is Art R. Kleicha m ay be considered the national cookie of Iraq. It com e in several traditional shapes and fillings. The m ost popular are the ones filled w ith dates. There are also sw eet discs, as w ell as half m oons filled w ith nuts, sugar and/or desiccated coconut. KLEICHA by Rana A. July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 21 Recipes LEMON RICE by Sriranganayaky S. Ingredients 1 cup basm ati rice 2 lem ons (juiced) 1 tsp. m ustard 2 green peppers (chopped) 4 stem s of coriander (cut into sm all pieces) 3 tsp. ghee or butter A pinch of salt Directions Cook the Basm ati rice. When you have cooked it, add a pinch of salt (1/2 tsp). Cut the green pepper into sm all pieces. Place the frying pan on the stove, and add the butter or ghee. When it is m elted, put the m ustard into the pan. Then add the chopped peppers. M ix it w ith a w ooden spoon and add the cooked rice little by little. M ix until com bined Sprinkle the balance of the salt (1/2 tsp) into the rice. Add the lem on juice and coriander leaves and m ix it w ell. Toronto Region – Sriranganayaky S. is a Level 7 student. Her teacher is Joanne P. Lemon Rice is a delicious South Indian dish you can easily put together w hen in a hurry. Serve Lem on Rice w ith a Raita (yogurt salad) for a sim ple yet tasty m eal. July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 22 Ingredients 1 cup coarse sea salt 2 heads Napa cabbage (cut into quarters) 1 bulb garlic (separated and peeled) 1 (2 inch) piece of ginger root ¼ cup fish sauce or Korean salted shrim p 1 Asian radish (peeled and grated) 1 bunch green onions (cut into 1 inch lengths) ½ cup Korean chilli pow der 1 tsp. sugar Sesam e oil (optional) Sesam e seeds (optional) Directions Dissolve 1 cup salt in 1/2 gallon w ater. Soak cabbage in the salt w ater for 3 to 4 hours. Com bine garlic, ginger, and fish sauce or shrim p in food processor or blender until finely m inced. In large bow l, com bine radish, green onions, m ustard greens, garlic m ixture, chili pow der, 1 tablespoon salt and optional sugar. Toss gently but thoroughly. (If m ixing w ith your hands, be sure to w ear rubber gloves to avoid chili burn.) Rem ove cabbage from w ater and rinse thoroughly. Drain cabbage in colander, squeezing as m uch w ater from the leaves as possible. Take cabbage and stuff radish m ixture betw een leaves, w orking from outside in, starting w ith largest leaf to sm allest. Do not overstuff, but m ake sure radish m ixture adequately fills leaves. When entire cabbage is stuffed, take one of the larger leaves and w rap tightly around the rest of the cabbage. Divide cabbage among 4 (1-quart) jars or 1-gallon jar, pressing dow n firm ly to rem ove any air bubbles. Let sit for 2 to 3 days in a cool place before serving. Rem ove kim chi from jar and slice into 1-inch-length pieces. If serving before kimchi is ferm ented, sprinkle w ith a little bit of sesam e oil and sesam e seeds. Refrigerate after opening. Peel Region – Ela M .W. is a Level 4 student. Her teacher is M arjan B. Kim chi is a traditional Korean dish m ade of vegetables w ith varied seasonings. It is m ost com m only m ade w ith napa cabbage and other vegetables such as radish, green onion, chive, and cucum ber. KIMCHI NABE by Ela M .W July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 23 Activity Central Games and Puzzles Word Search Find the follow ing w ords w ithin the puzzle below . July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 24 Name the Sports 1 5 2 6 3 7 4 8 July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 25 Activity Central Answers Word Search Name the Sports 5. BADMINTON 1. GOLF 6. BASKETBALL 2. BASEBALL 7. TABLE TENNIS 3. SOCCER 8. VOLEYBALL 4. TENNIS July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 26 If you would like to participate in the Student Corner, please contact us at: help@linchomestudy.ca Student Corner Haider H. I w as born in Baghdad, Iraq. M y language is Arabic. I studied in the University of Technology in Baghdad and I finished m y studies in 1993. I w orked as a M echanical Engineer for 17 years in the field of building construction, specializing in m anage m ent of site activities and construction for m echanical w ork including electrical w ork for m ulti -stores and high rise buildings. The first project I started as an (M echanical, Electrical, Plum bing) M EP Coordinator in 1993, I w as responsible for electrical and m echanical w ork in the tallest building in the w orld, the Petronas Tw in Tow ers project in Kuala Lum pur, M alaysia. The tw in giant buildings have 88 floors each, in addition to six underground floors. M y w ork included m onitoring, inspecting, testing and com m issioning. Also I w orked for different prestige projects in countries such as M alaysia, Qatar and The United Arab Em irates. I have m em berships w ith the Iraqi Engineering Union and The United Arab Emirates Society of Engineers. Peel Region – Haider H. is a Level 4 student. His teacher is Cathy D. Yessica T.H. M y name is Yessica T. H. I w as born in Bucaram anga, Colom bia, w here I lived w ith m y fam ily. I did m y studies in that tow n, like prim ary school and part of m y high school. When I w as a child I loved to play w ith m y friends in parks, pools and m any other places. When I w as 15 years old m y fam ily and I decided to m ove to another tow n, Cartagena. I finished m y high school there but I w anted to do m y university studies in Bucaram anga. When I finished school I returned to Bucaramanga again w ith m y father because he had all of his business there. How ever in that year, m y life changed very m uch because m y father died of a heart attack, so I had to return to Cartagena, where I started the university. I studied International Business. I also w orked in Public relations then I w orked in the reception in Hotel Las Am ericas. That w as the year I m et m y husband. One year and a half later I got m arried and I started the process of im m igration for m y permanent visa. Now m y life is different because there are different cultures, languages and w eath er but I feel fine here. Finally, I am w ith m y husband and m y great desire is to learn English very w ell and I have been thinking about starting m y ow n business here. I w ou ld like to m ake accessories like necklaces, earrings and bracelets in a traditional w ay. I w ould like to achieve these objectives in the future. For now I need to learn English to have a good job. After a year I w ill have children and I w ill travel to Colom bia t o see m y fam ily. Durham Region – Yessica T.H. is a Level 3 student. Her teacher is Rozita B. July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 27 Student Corner Nenita F. M y name is Nenita, I w as born in the Philippines. M y parents are Filipino, I have 4 brothers. Before I came to Canada I w orked for the Philippine National Oil Corporation as a M edical Radiation Technologist. I w orked for that com pany for eleven years. I travelled a lot because of the nature of the job. Being part of the M edical Team in the com pany, w e travelled all o ver the Philippines, visiting m any cities. The com pany had different field proj ects, and w e w ere required to conduct the annual m edical check-up of all the em ployees w orking in different cities at various job -sites. Canada is the first country I visited after m igrating from the Philippines. I arrived in Canada in 2006 and soon I w i ll be a proud Canadian. I plan to visit the United States of America, Germ any and m any other countries. I w as very lucky to get m y visa to com e to visit Canada in Novem ber 2006. I lived in Scarborough before I m oved to live in Orillia. I prefer to live in a sm all city than to live in a big city. In a sm all city, it's very quiet and everything is easily accessible. It is convenient to travel to any place in a sm all city like hospitals, schools, clinics, m alls and shopping centers. It doesn't take long to go from one place to another. I love the w inter because I did not experience w inter in the Philippines. I like the w hite snow all around and the cold. But I like the other three seasons as w ell. It gives m e great pleasure and arouses in m e the spirit of adventure. I like to w atch ice-hockey, car racing and basketball. In the Philippines, I played volleyball and liked to go bow ling. Cooking is m y hobby and I like to do a lot of baking. M y other hobbies are m aking som e handicrafts, art, like greeting card s, thank you cards and m any m ore handicraft w ork. Before I cam e to Canada I travelled all over the Philippines. In Canada I visited the beautiful Niagara on the lake, Niagara Falls, M ontreal and other big cities like Toronto, Cobourg and Sim coe County. M y husband and I love to travel in the country-side. When w e visit Toronto, on our return to Orillia, w e take the country -side roads so w e can see the beautiful w onders of nature like the greenery and farm s, farm animals like horses and cow s on the farm s. Barrie Region – Nenita F. is a Level 6 student. Her teacher is Jonathan B. July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 28 Student Feedback The article, “ Sorry M omm y” w ritten by Suely R. in the June edition of the LINC Home Study New sletter, is a story about the author‟s grandfather w hen he w as a sm all child. His m om taught him that “ sorry” is not a m agic w ord w hich m akes everything fine. When he spilled coffee on a beautiful tablecloth he couldn‟t m ake the spot of coffee disappear by just saying “ sorry” . I like this article because it rem inds m e of m y son w ho is ten years old. He alw ays says “ sorry” very easily. In m y opinion, I think m any people use this w ord too quickly. It‟s not a m agic w ord to use w hen you hurt som eone‟s feelings or to fix m istake s. This w ord can‟t solve any problem s. We should say “ sorry” w ith m ore responsibility and take action w here it‟s possible to fix w hat w e did w rong. Kitchener Region – Adriana T. is a Level 5 student. Her teacher is Susan M . In the M ay edition of the LINC Hom e Study New sletter, M artha Z w rote an article w hose title is Spring Tim e. It w as good. It said that the spring has sm ells, sounds and colours. That is so true. In the article, the author w rote that the spring is the happy prognosis for the entire year . Yes, I agree w ith this. For m e, the spring m eans a brighter and m ore agile time com pared w ith the depressive w inter. People go out m ore and m ore in the spring to hug the sunlight. People w ear less and less so they w ill feel freer and freer. We can see people in parks, lakeshores and other outdoors areas. They are happy, amused and jubilant. They w ill live like this all the w ay through until next w inter. Trees and grasses sprout in spring and they bring delicate natural sm ells to us. Birds happily sing on trees and their songs com fort people. The flow ers bloom in the spring, em it fragrant sm ells and produce different coloured bloom s. I think nature i s m ost beautiful in the spring. How ever, the author did not m ention that the spring is also a w orking season . In m y hom e country of China, people, especially the farm er, w ork hard in the spring for a good harvest in the fall. After the w hole w inter off, farm ers in particular have recovered from their w ork of last year. They step into a new w orking part of the year. I like spring. I like to w ork in the w arm tem peratures. People w ork m ore efficiently in the spring than the w inter. You know there is no heating system in the houses in m y hometow n because it is a variable zone. Therefore, it is cold in the w inter due to alm ost no temperature difference betw een inside and outside the house. In m odern society, m ost people in m y hom etow n have installed an air-conditioner in their room s. Nevertheless, because of budget problem s they do not run the machine all day, so the people like the spring m ore. Peel Region – Luoning D. is a Level 6 student. His teacher is Terese C. July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 29 Glossary Here is som e vocabulary from this m onth‟s new sletter. Do you know w hat the w ords m ean? M atch the definitions below w ith the correct w ord on the left. Entrant (pg.7) Knockout (pg.7) - to send out gas, heat, light, sound etc - belief in a pagan religion - done or said w ithout any preparation or planning M ascot (pg.7) Reggae (pg.8) Em cee (pg.8) Invoke (pg.9) Paganism (pg.15) Reim bursem ent (pg.16) Lodging (pg.17) Counterpart (p.17) Im prom ptu (p.18) - som eone or som ething that has the sam e job or purpose as som eone or som ething else in a different place - extrem ely happy and pleased because of a success - a judgment about the future, based on information or experience - to pay m oney back to someone w hen their m oney has been spent or lost - the belief that it is im portant and good to inclu de people or ideas from m any different countries, races, or religions - able to m ove quickly and easily - type of competition in w hich only the w inning players or team s at each stage continue to play until there is only one w inner - som eone w ho takes part in a com petition - an anim al or toy, or a person dressed as an anim al, that represents a team or organization, and is thought to bring them good luck M ulticulturalism (p.19) Prognosis (p.29) Agile (p.29) Jubilant (p.29) Em it (p.29) - to m ake a particular idea, im age, or feeling appear in people's m inds by describing an event or situation, or by talking about a person - kind of popular m usic originally from Jamaica, w ith a strong regular beat - som eone w ho introduces the perform ers on a television or radio program m e or at a social event - a place to stay July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 30 LINC mailbag What are your thoughts or com m ents on the articles printed in this m onth‟s new sletter? Do you have suggestions for articles or sections you w ould like to see? Let‟s hear from you. e-m ail us: help@linchom estudy.ca LINC Hom e Study Forum users! Rem em ber, you can interact w ith other students in the LINC Hom e Study program and discuss topics such as Fam ily, Fun, Health & Travel, Job Search & Netw orking and m ore! Please go to the follow ing w ebsite and log in from Quick Login. Have fun! http://w w w .linchom estudy.ca/online/forum / submissions Please e-mail your submissions for the newsletter by Friday July 30 th NOTE: Articles should not exceed 500 w ords. Articles that exceed 500 w ords m ay be subject to editing for inclusion in the new sletter. If you w ould like to subm it your biography for the “ Student Corner” , please DO NOT include inform ation on your birthday or age. Brought to you by the LINC Home Study team. For any questions regarding subm issions and guidelines please e-mail us: A special thank you to all the students and staff who submitted their stories, recipes and activities for this issue. help@linchom estudy.ca July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 31 July 2010 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC 32