300? 400? 1,000? How fast can you read ... in English?

Source: Staples eReader Department

Did you break the record of 4,700 words a minute?

Who knew? Rags to Rideau ...

Like many rags-to-riches stories, these work histories in the National Post newspaper trace what jobs several Members of Parliament worked at before they became MPs in Ottawa. These politicians include NDP leader Thomas Mulcair, Liberal MP and son of a former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and the Minister in charge of Immigration and our LINC program Jason Kenney. What were some of the poorly paying jobs before they got to Ottawa and very close to the Governor-General's residence at Rideau Hall?

Read this report titled "From Rags to Rideau: Politicians share stories of their lousiest jobs."

Then, under Comments, list five of the lousiest jobs mentioned and any thoughts you have about the story.

Great Reads for the Victoria Day Long Weekend

To improve one's reading skill, it's important to read not just utilitarian texts, those that have an obvious use, such as phone messages, hydro bills, and elevator messages. The reading of beautiful and moving texts is important, too, such as poetry, novels, and short stories. The Toronto Star recently ran a contest for short stories, and the results were published today.

The top three winners were announced as follows:

• 

  Toronto Star short story contest winner

  Tom McMillan takes top prize in Star short story contest with "Survivors"
• 

  Toronto Star Short Story Contest second-place winner

  "After Red" by Olivia Anastasia Arnaud won second place in the 2012 Toronto Star Short Story Contest.

• Third place winner: The Rabbit

If you're looking for an inspiring and not-too-long read this long weekend, how about picking one or more of these short stories, making a big mug of hot chocolate, and curling up on the sofa for a good time? You may be surprised how little you need to consult a dictionary!

A Chili Cookout! A Great Pre-Summer Listening Challenge!

Summer will be here soon!

Listen to the following video on a North American outdoor cultural tradition:

1. Pick any 60-second segment to transcribe, e.g. 00:00 - 01:00 or 9:00 - 10:00.
2. Place the transcription on your blog to let your classmates to check it.
3. Feel free to highlight any words you can't really understand so that your classmates can help you out.
4. Include your thoughts about the event.
5. What's the name of the person going around and taking the video (he introduced himself many times)?

Congrats, Damaris, Sergio, Anjin, and Dalin!

Hello everybody,

I hope you're all enjoying the spring weather. I've just been informed the good news that Damaris, Sergio, and Anjin have just been published in the LINC Home Study Canada Forum:

1. Damaris: Life is short and Honour to My Mother
2. Sergio:  How to Enjoy the Winter: A Colombian's Advice
3. Anjin:  Kimchi Recipe

I was also told that Dalin's article was selected for publication in the summer issue of NewsLINC! Look out for it when it's published!

Congratulations, and keep up the good work! If you read your classmates' articles, please feel free to leave a comment!

Summer Issue of NewsLINC

Hard to believe, but summer will soon be upon us, and it's time once again to submit articles to our NewsLINC newsletter. The last two issues can be read at the following links:

Winter

Spring

The topics for the summer issue are as follows:

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. Suggestions for the summer edition: · Mother’s Day · Father’s Day · Canada Day · Summer Olympics · What are your favourite summer foods? · What do you think about camping? · How do you stay cool in the heat? · What was your best summer vacation? · What do you look forward to this summer?
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

Please submit your entries to me by the end of April 2012, which should give us tie to polish up your work for publication.

All right, this has nothing to do with ESL or settlement, but ....

Just an awesome report ... Enjoy it!