Field Trip to Harbourfront ... More Pix! and Yet More!

Thanks to Marta Benko for the latest batch, above. Almost makes me glad I didn't bring my camera!









This bunch courtesy of MicroSkills participant Géza Péntek!

Thank you, Géza!

Field Trip to Harbourfront, including Queens Quay and Union Station

A group photo after potty time (all uploaded pictures courtesy of Cindy Zhao)


Were there fifty of us in this MicroSkills multi-site event?

It was Donald Crowe, Esq., to the fore again, as our LINC school took to the streets of Downtown Toronto to visit the Harbourfront.


Everyone seems to want to be the official photographer, including the idiot who climbed a chair to take this one!

From Union Station, we wended our way through (what I later found out to be the) Bay Wellington Tower, turned south past the Hockey Hall of Fame, marched down Yonge to Captain John's floating restaurant, turned right on Queens Quay, checked out Harbour Square Park, grabbed milk samples at the Natrel booth at East Pier, and hoofed it past the Sirius Stage to York Quay Centre as the heavens opened.



Guess which one's Donald ... in the belly of the Bay Wellington.


Various modes of travel

For the return journey, some wanted to ride the streetcar and others preferred to take in the weather, which had cleared. I wanted to see the Via Rail strike at Union, but when I got back there an hour and a half after it had been declared, there were only a battery of TV cameras and one or two reporters on Front Street and indoors.




LINC Level 4 at the Harbourfront!


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If you were they, would you try to look into the sun?

Millions of people, many with flimsy pieces of plastic in hand, gazed into the sun today to watch the solar eclipse of the century:



For the risks they are taking, I think the intellectual eclipse blocks out any solar eclipse. We'll see how many people will be signing up for braille classes in August.

What would you do if you were in their shoes?

Field Trip Friday: Toronto's HarbourFront

Our LINC school is planning to go visit the HarbourFront on Friday. Toronto's beautiful HarbourFront is located on the southernmost shore of the city and welcomes families and tourists alike to enjoy its amazing sights and attractions. Our field trip will be led by Donald, and, as usual, we'll be meeting at:

• The Southbound Platform of the Sheppard-Yonge Subway Station


• Leaving the station at 10 a.m. for Union Station

Those going directly to Union Station will want to meet under the big clock of the main hall at 10:30 a.m. Please remember to bring walking shoes, water, snacks, a camera, sunscreen lotion, and a big sense of adventure. Also, don't forget to save your transfers for reimbursement.

See you there!

Free Ride on the Space Shuttle (Return via parachute)

Wow, you gotta see this!



Go for your free ride. Then feel free to Comment!

PS: More fun here--Congratulations, Canada!



Who can transcribe what Canucks Robert Thirsk and Julie Payette say?

Life in Rural Ontario - A Listening Exercise

Here's a great video of someone who's 106 and who's experience life in a small town in Ontario:



Why not listen to Ada Johnson's story of her life and take dictation of her words and post them on your own blog? Have fun!

"When you think back on your life, you wonder how you did it ...."

Back This Summer: That big white landmark behind Walmart

Can you rewrite the above in the active voice in the above banner for a very visible fixture in the Agincourt (Kennedy-Sheppard) neighbourhood?

What about the following--can you rewrite passives as actives, and vice versa? Also, can you pick out the infinitives and gerunds, and explain how they're used?

We want to encourage you to come for an hour that could change your life!
Enthusiastic singing, interesting seminars, and a very special welcome are
waiting for you this summer any night you are able to come. All are very
welcome, including children and teens - the whole family can come. There is a
children's meeting each night in a special tent, as well as the regular sessions
for adults.

Check out the rest of the website at here.

Theme for next week: Online Shopping

Try this challenge: which online stores offer the best deals on an SD Card with a capacity of--

1. 4GB
2. 8 GB
3. 16GB
   

Check out Futureshop.ca, Bestbuy.ca, Factorydirect.ca, Tigerdirect.ca, Ledshoppe.com, Ebay.ca, Staples.ca, Google Shopping, etc.

Remember to figure in taxes and shipping. Submit your answers under Comment (below).

Where's the CPR? Aren't they supposed to keep pumping till the ambulance arrives?

This is one horribly sad sight of an accident scene. If you're uncomfortable with accident scenes and bodies, do not watch the video:

I think the police and people did a brilliant job of reporting the accident and focusing on the culprit driver, but was there a chance the woman might've recovered if she got CPR rather than getting tossed into the back of a pickup, head banging hard on the tailgate?
Scary.

Today's MicroSkills Inter-Centre Field Trip to North York Centre

Starting out at North York Subway Station are: Joseph, Stephania, Cindy, Janice, Yulia, Jade, and Garry (l - r: in italics are participants from LINC Level 4, MicroSkills Language Program at 250 Consumers Rd; the rest are from LINC Level 5, Centre of Excellence for Women and Newcomers at 200 Consumers Rd).


Having toured North York Central Library, where Yulia introduced the ESL sections and listening studios, we proceeded to North York Civic Centre, which was closed due to the labour disruption.


Participants had the opportunity to see the picket line up close and interview various strikers.


Among the leaflets distributed were: Why we are on strike and The facts on sick days.


Here's the list of questions drawn up by the Level 4 class yesterday. I wonder how many were asked of the strikers.


Yulia then leads us over to Canterbury Place Park for a picnic.


Fed and watered, we head back to Mel Lastman Square.


A quick peek into Douglas Snow Aquatic Centre, which was also closed due to the strike, and a last look at the strikers. I was outvoted from a detour to York Cemetery; apparently, not everyone thought it was a lively or child-appropriate point of interest for a field trip.


Final stop: the Farmer's Market at Mel Lastman Square--I finally got my Thai food (the $7 combo: pad thai, 1 stick of satay, a patch of cashew nut chicken) from the a la Cart there.



Hmm, let's just say I'd have enjoyed it better if I'd never been to Southeast Asia. But you'll have to interview the others who went for their opinions on the fare or read their blogs.

Field Trip to North York Civic Centre--Thursday, July 9th

WELCOME TO TEACHER YULIA AND OUR LEVEL 5 SCHOOLMATES!

It would be an interesting time to visit NYCC this Thursday--what with the forecast break in the clouds, the ongoing labour disruption (a.k.a. garbage strike), and hardy entrepreneurs soldiering on. We will depart from the ticket counter of North York Centre Subway Station at 10 a.m.; so please make arrangements to get there on time.

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North York Civic Centre represents the community and cultural hub of North York. Although access to NYCC and Douglas Snow Aquatic Centre may be limited or completely cut off due to the strike, we might have the chance to interview striking workers there--a good listening/speaking exercise! Those interested in the Toronto District School Board or North York Central Library (any events there on July 9th?) may wish to take the opportunity to pay a visit to either place. York Cemetery, perhaps not the most conventional of LINC field trip destinations, is also right around the corner, offering a peaceful venue for historical or idyllic interests (or both: a good place to find a shady spot and sketch a WWII tank, for instance).

According to the City's labour dispute site, the farmers market will go on every Thursday, albeit without garbage support from the city. Can you find where the following pictures came from?

By lunch time, we may want to grab a bench in Mel Lastman Square (who was Mel Lastman?) and catch a bite. There's a Loblaw supermarket and Wendy's fast food nearby, as well as lots of restaurants lining both sides of Yonge Street. But who's interested in Nancy Senawong's Toronto a la Cart "menu board boasting satay, mango salad, chicken cashew, pad Thai and rice"?

Make sure you save your TTC transfers and have your walking shoes, snacks, and sunscreen lotion for the field trip. And don't forget your cameras!