Solemn Christmas Greetings from Toronto

Click below to see what it looks like:

Listening Exercise: The Original X'mas Story

What is Christmas about? This well-loved holiday in Canada has long roots in history. How long? Well, some people think it goes back to Santa Claus at his H0H 0H0 (Ho Ho Ho!) postal code in the North Pole. Others trace it back to Saint Nicholas of Myra (in today's Turkey), a generous church leader whose name later became "Santa Claus." Or does that history trace yet further back?

Fortunately, we still have hundreds of historical documents of the event, and they have been translated into English. Following are excerpts from a couple of those documents. Do the listening exercises, record your answers under Comments, and discuss them with your instructor.

Listen to this reading (right click and click on Open in New Tab) and take dictation on the following blanks:

1 Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. 2 In these last days, ___  ____  _______  ___  ___  ___  ____  ____. God has appointed Him heir of all things and made the universe through Him. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. 4 So He became higher in rank than the angels, just as the name He inherited is superior to theirs.

 Listen to this narration (right click and click on Open in New Tab) and fill in the ten blanks:

2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole empire should be (1) _____________. 2 This first registration took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So everyone went to be registered, each to his own (2) _____________.

4 And Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David, 5 to be registered along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was (3) _____________. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to give (4) _____________. 7 Then she gave birth to her firstborn Son, and she wrapped Him snugly in cloth and laid Him in a feeding trough—because there was no room for them at the lodging (5) _____________.

8 In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were (6) _____________. 10 But the angel said to them, “Don’t be (7) _____________, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the (8) _____________: 11 Today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for you in the city of David.12 This will be the (9) _____________ for you: You will find a (10) _____________ wrapped snugly in cloth and lying in a feeding trough.”

13 Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:

14 Glory to God in the highest heaven,and peace on earth to people He favors!
15 When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
16 They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the feeding trough. 17 After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard, just as they had been told.

Check your answers in Hebrews 1 and Luke 2.

Are You Going to a Remembrance Day Service on November 11?

Here are a couple of exercises online for some background information on Remembrance Day (what else is it called?):

1. Take dictation from the following Vocaroo audio, check it with a partner, and post it on your blog:

Audio recording and upload >>
2. Listen to the following WWI diary entry, following along with the text with blanks below, and post the missing words on your blog:

Audio and voice recording >>


Sunday, December 19
No words can adequately describe the conditions. It’s not the (1) _____________ we’re fighting, but the weather. Within an hour of moving off, we were up to our knees in mud and (2) _____________.
The mud gradually got deeper as we advanced along the trench.
We hadn’t gone far before we had to duck; the enemy were sending over their evening salute of shells.



Pals battalion: Harry (centre left, marked in blue ink) joined the Second Birmingham Battalion alongside friends from home. Most of them died by the end of the war


To move forward, I had to use both elbows for leverage, one each side of the trench. After about one and a half hours of this, we reached the firing line. Later, I groped my way to our dugout. What a (3) _____________.
Imagine a (4) _____________ underneath the ground, whose walls are slimy with moisture. The floor is a foot or more (5) _____________ in rancid-smelling mud.*
3. Check out on Youtube.com, and perhaps learn to sing Canada's Royal and National Anthems; O God Our Help in Ages Past; Eternal Father, Strong to Save; and O Valiant Hearts, Who to Your Glory Came.
4. Watch the following video of the most famous poem of Remembrance Day. What is its title? Google for it. Discuss your thoughts with a partner.

* You can check your answers below:

Congratulations, Adelfa, Lorelei, and Luanne

Your classmates Luanne, Lorelei, and Adelfa have done it again--gotten published in the fall edition of LINC Home Study's student newsletter, NewsLINC!

Be sure to read their stories and many others.

And then spiff up your stories on your blog, and remind your instructor to submit them for the winter edition.

Which Halloween?

October 31, 2010 - "Halloween 1517" - Pastor Neil Franks from FBC Branson on Vimeo.

Watch this Video (focus on 1:08 - 2:09): Can you list 3 modern approaches to Halloween and 1 historical one that's affected the nation of Canada? Write the answers on your blog.

Listen again, following along with the transcript:

We just kind of embraced (1) Halloween, and sometimes churches do that. 

Then there are *(indistinct)* churches. They kind of attack everything Halloween. You shouldn't (2) trick-or-treat, couldn't do anything with the celebration. You need to get rid of all the black cats. So whatever this kind of thing, they kind of come out and take major stand against Halloween. It's of the (3) devil; we want to have nothing to do with it.

And then there are those churches, in most of the responses, we just try to (4) ignore Halloween, and we just try to pretend it doesn't happen, and we'll come back next year, and we'll think about it again, and we'll try to do any one of those things.

Well, today, instead of telling you my opinion of what the church ought to do of those three and cause controversy within our congregation, what I want to do is not to talk about a modern Halloween Day. But I want to take you back hundreds of years ago. In fact, I want to take you back and talk about a Halloween almost 500 years ago, and to come to a certain day, on Halloween October 31, in (5) 1517.

Doubleclick on the blank to reveal the answer.

Thanksgiving Meditations 2013

John A. MacDonald, then Attorney General

The Ecclesiastical Gazette, Nov. 8, 1859
Courtesy of research at York University in 1999.

O give thanks unto the Lord, and call upon his name; tell the people what things he hath done. Psalm cv 1
O let your songs be of him, and praise him: and let your talking be of all his wondrous works. Ver 2
The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all that have pleasure therein. Psalm cxi 2
His work is worthy to be praised, and had in honour: and his righteousness endureth for ever. Ver 4
He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he shall ever be mindful of his covenant. Ver 5

Rather than offering largely random, undirected thanksgiving, the original framers of the Thanksgiving Day petition to Queen Victoria clearly knew who they were giving thanks to: "Almighty God." Their choice of quotations from the Bible reflects that.

They also remembered those who were in need, asking for:

grace that we may learn alike from Thy mercies and from Thy judgments our entire dependence on Thee for the supply of our daily bread and that being fully persuaded that whatever blessing we receive at Thy hands is designed for our trial as well as for our comfort, we may impart a share of Thy bounty, in dutiful accordance with Thy holy will to the afflicted and indigent, the widow, the orphan, and the aged, and thus obtain for ourselves that mercy which Thou in Thy word hast promised to the merciful: through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen 

This Canadian Thanksgiving, 150 years on, can you think of anything better than to give thanks to this same Almighty God who still vouchsafes (gives) to "Canada the blessings of an abundant harvest" and gives "meat (food) unto them that fear him."

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2013!

Why Learning English Is So Crazy

The ancient Egyptians wrote in hieroglyphics, a secret language written by priests using pictures. The Sumerians used a stick to write on wet clay in a writing called cuneiform. Some languages today write from right to left, or up or down. There are languages that have thousands of unique characters to memorize or have an alphabet of over 100 letters. Yet, even though English has just 26 letters, it's not as easy to learn as some might think.

Why's that?

Well, for one thing, English is an international language and borrows from all other languages. So the vocabulary is nuts. Also, since the vocabulary comes from all over, the grammar is affected, too!

Consider this poem:

We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes;But the plural of ox should be oxen not oxes.One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice,But the plural of house is houses, not hice.If the plural of man is always called men,Why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?
If I spoke of my foot and showed you my feet,When I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?
If the singular is this, and the plural is these,Why shouldn't the plural of kiss be kese?Then one may be that, and three would be those,Yet the plural of hat would never be hose.
We speak of a brother and also of brethren,But though we say mother, we never say methren.So plurals in English, I think you'll agree,Are indeed very tricky--singularly.

So the plural of an English word may be +s, +es, or something way out! The good news, of course, is that there are more regular plurals (those that use +s or +es) than irregular plurals. Can you google for more examples?

I found some on google images:

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Welcoming Winter Articles for NewsLINC

Some of you have survived one or more winters in this your new country. How did it go? Did you fall sick? Did you have fun in the snow or on ice? How was the driving like?

The door is now wide open for your sharing of tips and experiences about the winter, or any of the regular NewsLINC topics: celebrations, recipes, what-have-you. Just make sure to post your entries to your blog by November 6, and we'll have a chance to spiff it up for final submission.

Category	Description / Idea Prompts
Activity	Submissions reflecting sports and leisure activities.
Arts	Submissions related to the arts (visual arts, crafts, design, dance, film, literature, music, theatre). ·         Write a short story or poem. ·         Share your artistic talent/hobby. ·         Provide a review of your favourite book / movie / artist / etc.
Bios	Student profiles that exclude information about birth date or age.
Canada	Submissions which highlight Canada. ·         How do you describe Canada to your friends or family living abroad? ·         What do you like about living in Canada? ·         Write about a famous Canadian personality, landmark, historical event, etc. ·         Recommend places to visit or day trips in Ontario / Canada
Celebration	Occasions or events that result in celebration! ·         Share a personal success story (big or small) ·         Write about a special/milestone life event (wedding, birth, anniversary, etc.) ·         Write about a traditional celebration
General	If the submission does not fit with any of the other categories.
Heritage	Student reflections about their homeland or ethnic origins. ·         What do you miss the most about your homeland? ·         Describe a custom from your homeland ·         Write about where you came from
Recipe	Special recipes that have not been reproduced from the web or a book.
Seasonal	Submissions related to seasonal themes. Some ideas for the winter: ·         Christmas ·         New Years ·         Family Day ·         Winter outdoor activities – skating, skiing, sledding, etc. ·         Winter driving tips ·         My first winter in Canada ·         Ways to beat the winter blues ·         Favourite cold remedies
Settlement	Student settlement stories. ·         Share a funny story about settling in Canada ·         What has surprised you the most? ·         What are some of the challenges you have faced? ·         What or who has helped you to adjust?
Skills	Tips, challenges and experiences related to finding work, working or learning in Canada. ·         Workplace culture ·         Looking for work / networking / volunteering ·         Studying / learning new skills

Two Cool Articles in the Telegraph

One doesn't always come across good articles on learning a second language in a newspaper. But here are two that come from the British newspaper The Telegraph:

1. Are children really better at foreign language learning?
2. How to pronounce foreign languages

Check out the articles and think about:

1. What you agree with
2. What you disagree with
3. What you are surprised to read
4. What you plan to:

• Start doing with regard to learning English
• Stop doing with regard to learning English
• Continue doing with regard to learning English

Share those ideas--and a link back to this blog post--on your blog.

Is It More Mouthwatering or Tongue Twisting?

Ever walk into a restaurant and wonder how order the bruschetta or bowl of pho?

Or that package of quinoa or gnocchi on the supermarket shelf?

Here's a guide to help you with the iconic Canadian dish poutine and more:

As the original website disappeared ere a link could be created, here's a cheat sheet from some place else.

Welcome to a new spread of multiculturalism!

How do you say Jiaozi and Guotie?

Thank Heaven for Seven

Helpful neighbours, fresh air and clean water, a decent income, crime-free streets, time for leisure, good health, and toilets that work--some of the features of your dream country.

But how does Canada rank among the countries of the OECD? What is it like to live here compared to living in Australia, the U.S., the U.K., Japan, etc.?


Well, we might not be number one in everything, but here's an article listing seven things we can be thankful for, living here in Canada.

And while we're on the topic of "seven," here's a page on "seven things you can't say in Canada." But it lists only one and doesn't allow you to click beyond (tried it in Chrome and IE!). How appropriate!

A Tale of True Cities

 
From Town of Merchants the order came to audit the LINC schools in Meeting Place. Or was it Place Where Trees Stand in the Water? This caused a bit of concern in nearby Rugged Land Farm, Unfordable River Town, and Cape of Strangers. Beyond Boar's Head Lake, the news was met at St. Contumacy Falls, Battle Cry, Honouring God, and Goblin with less concern. They didn't think their dependence on LINC Home Study would be as greatly affected by federal concerns.

Check out these funny-sounding towns and their modern names in this article. Put your answers in the Comments below. Who'll be the first?

Congratulations, Adelfa, Luanne, and Min!

Three of our classmates got published in the latest NewsLINC, the summer edition, and I'd invite everybody to join me in congratulating them.

You guys don't have this problem.

Even more, let's all work hard and hurry up to submit our stories for the fall edition of the magazine. Check out the post below for details and instructions.

Adelfa (Maria C.), Luanne, and Min, you've done us proud. Yay, keep up the good work!

Calling All Writers for the Next NewsLINC

Fancy getting published in English?

Some of your classmates already have! And you've been invited to submit an article for the fall edition of our NewsLINC magazine.

Check out the ideas below for a topic and post your first draft on your blog by August 10, 2013.

Category	Description / Idea Prompts
Activity	Submissions reflecting sports and leisure activities.
Arts	Submissions related to the arts (visual arts, crafts, design, dance, film, literature, music, theatre). ·     Write a short story or poem. ·     Share your artistic talent/hobby. ·     Provide a review of your favourite book / movie / artist / etc.
Bios	Student profiles that exclude information about birth date or age.
Canada	Submissions which highlight Canada. ·     How do you describe Canada to your friends or family living abroad? ·     What do you like about living in Canada? ·     Write about a famous Canadian personality, landmark, historical event, etc. ·     Recommend places to visit or day trips in Ontario / Canada
Celebration	Occasions or events that result in celebration! ·     Share a personal success story (big or small) ·     Write about a special/milestone life event (wedding, birth, anniversary, etc.) ·     Write about a traditional celebration
General	If the submission does not fit with any of the other categories.
Heritage	Student reflections about their homeland or ethnic origins. ·     What do you miss the most about your homeland? ·     Describe a custom from your homeland ·     Write about where you came from
Recipe	Special recipes that have not been reproduced from the web or a book.
Seasonal	Submissions related to seasonal themes. Some ideas for the fall: ·     Thanksgiving ·     Halloween ·     Remembrance Day ·     Back to school ·     Fall colours ·     Fall fairs
Settlement	Student settlement stories. ·     Share a funny story about settling in Canada ·     What has surprised you the most? ·     What are some of the challenges you have faced? ·     What or who has helped you to adjust?
Skills	Tips, challenges and experiences related to finding work, working or learning in Canada. ·     Workplace culture ·     Looking for work / networking / volunteering ·     Studying / learning new skills

You Probably Already Know About the Skidoo and Canadarm (You Should!)

 

But here are 19 more things invented in Canada!

 

 

And a whole bunch more ... check them out at this brain-flossing website!

What's Your Success Story?

Has LINC Home Study enabled you to find employment?

Has it helped you make friends in Canada?

Have you felt more confident picking up the telephone?

What new life experiences would you like to share?

How has LINC Home Study changed your life in this new country?


Please update your blogs with your success stories this week! I look forward to reading and working with you on each of your stories!

So You Think You Know Where Our Southern Border Is

You've probably read or heard of the forty-ninth parallel, latitude 49 degrees north, that neatly separates  Canada from the U.S.

Sort of.

Well, check out this video and see if you have any comments about the geographical boundary with our neighbour south of the border.

Happy Victoria Day! No Classes Today--So Enjoy Your Day Off

This being a statutory holiday, please enjoy the day off and let's talk again next Monday.

But what about Victoria Day?

Well, Canadians love their queens, and Canadians love long weekends and fireworks.

So what a better way to get it all than to celebrate the birthday of the queen who ruled over one of the most significant periods of modern history, the Victorian Era.

Today, Victoria Day is well-known as the day for many Torontonians to drive up north to open and fix up their cottages, which have been winterized and unused over the winter months. And the Ontario Provincial Police are happy to hand out fines on those highways leading out to the cottages on this particular weekend. But that's for people in Ontario.

How is Victoria Day celebrated in your city? How did you celebrate it this year? Click on Comments below to tell your story!

Congratulations to Our NewsLINC-Published Classmates!

Hearty congratulations to Loralei, Boris, Shohreh (twice!), and Emad for not only contributing but also getting published in our latest spring edition of NewsLINC!

Great work! Keep it up!

Everybody's got until this Friday to update your blogs with your new stories, and I wish you all the best for the summer edition.

Your Next NewsLINC Submission

It's that time of the year again when you think of Mother's Day, Father's Day, Victoria Day, and Canada Day. You think of summer vacation coming right up and all the opportunities to go camping. Or you may be itching to wiggle your green thumb. At the very least, it's the season to get published in our LINC Home Study student magazine, NewsLINC!

This season's submissions are due on May 17, when you should have posted your first draft to your blog. I will be checking. We will then begin a correction/editing process that will complete when your writing is submitted to the LINC Home Study office.

Please check out the following topics for this season's NewsLINC:

Category	Description / Idea Prompts
Activity	Submissions reflecting sports and leisure activities.
Arts	Submissions related to the arts (visual arts, crafts, design, dance, film, literature, music, theatre). ·         Write a short story or poem. ·         Share your artistic talent/hobby. ·         Provide a review of your favourite book / movie / artist / etc.
Bio	Student profiles that exclude information about birth date or age.
Canada	Submissions which highlight Canada. ·         How do you describe Canada to your friends or family living abroad? ·         What do you like about living in Canada? ·         Write about a famous Canadian personality, landmark, historical event, etc. ·         Recommend places to visit or day trips in Ontario / Canada
Celebration	Student success stories or special life events. ·         Share a personal success story (big or small) ·         Write about a special life event (wedding, birth, anniversary, etc.) ·         Write about a traditional celebration
General	If the submission does not fit with any of the other categories.
Heritage	Student reflections about their homeland or ethnic origins. ·         What do you miss the most about your homeland? ·         Describe a custom from your homeland ·         Write about where you came from
Recipe	Special recipes that have not been reproduced from the web or a book.
Seasonal	Submissions related to seasonal themes. Some ideas for the summer: ·         Mother’s Day ·         Father’s Day ·         Canada Day ·         What are your summer vacation plans? ·         Share your favourite summer destination ·         What does “having a green thumb” mean? ·         Write about your favourite summer sport or activity ·         Describe your first fishing or camping trip in Canada
Settlement	Student settlement stories. ·         Share a funny story about settling in Canada ·         What has surprised you the most? ·         What are some of the challenges you have faced? ·         What or who has helped you to adjust?
Skills	Tips, challenges and experiences related to finding work, working or learning in Canada. ·         Workplace culture ·         Looking for work / networking / volunteering ·         Studying / learning new skills