world of words December 2012, issue 80
“The English Language Program’s student magaz ine – a compilation of the fall session’s highlights, student opinions and other features.”
Inside this issue...
Celebrates World of Words it’s 80th Issue
Instructor Linda Prue Prepares for Re tirement
Remembrance Day 2012
World Press Photo Gallery
world of words
inside this issue: October 21st, 2012: ELP students pose for a photo during a photo club trip to Toronto Island
feature articles 80th Issue Celebration 4 Linda Prue 10 Remembrance Day 12 WalkSmart 14 Personal Safety Tips 16
student opinion Falling In Love With Fall 18 The Effects of Stress on Appetite 21 Learning from 3.11 22 Entertainment in Canada 24 Superficiality of Change 25 Saudi Arabia and Canada 26 Minor Criminality in Brazil 26 Financial and Regulatory Failure 27 Homophobia Causes Violence 28
academic life Academic Skills Students 38 Our St. George Campus 42 The Volunteer Experience Program 46 The University Application Program 48 My Experience as a MASc. Candidate 50 Grammar Corner 51
student life Social Activities Galore 54 Movie Night Reviews 56 Taste of the Danforth 57 Gangnam Style Explained 58 Christmas In Toronto 60 Darren’s Music Corner 62
Friendship 30 A Problem-Solving Composition 31 World Press Photo Gallery 32 Disclaimer: Due to our diverse student population, we receive many opinion-based articles relating to global and current affairs. The views expressed in this magazine are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the English Language Program. The English Language Program does not endorse, represent or warrant the quality of products or companies mentioned within.
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issue 80, December 2012
ELP Director’s Message December 2012 Dear all, ♫“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!”♫ It is time to bundle up in your favourite warm sweater and settle in to read our fall issue of World of Words magazine (available in hardcopy as well as online). We have an extra special, extra-large, issue to share with you, so get comfortable and prepare to be ‘WOWed’. At ELP, we feel it is very important to celebrate milestones in life, and in this issue we have plenty to celebrate. I am proud to see World of Words complete its 80th issue, and truly delighted to read responses from staff and instructors who have contributed to WoW over the years. I expect we will see many, many more issues to come. Featured in this issue is an interview with beloved instructor Linda Prue, who after 33 years of tireless service to the English Language Program is preparing for retirement. Linda’s contribution to our school has been immense and we wish her the most rewarding retirement possible. Knowing her endless energy, youthful approach to life and love for people, I am certain she will be kept busy with activities that make the world a better place. We also feature insightful and well written opinion articles from our student body: Ystallone Carlos da Silva Alves of Brazil (studying Academic English as part of the Science Without Borders program) discusses the addiction of consumerism; Andres Felipe Garcia Hernandez of Colombia (studying Academic English) writes on the financial and regulatory failure of 2008; and Yuki Kurisu (a former Comprehensive English student) writes on a class presentation prepared by himself and fellow Japanese students on the effects of the horrific tsunami of March 11, 2011. These articles and more serve to highlight the talent and passion of our student body. Thank you to the staff and students that contributed to the development of this magazine. I am so proud of our work, and I think you will be too. Wishing you all a safe, joyous and loving holiday season, Sherry Yuan Hunter Executive Director, English Language Program University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies
Christopher Chipman Editor and Layout Design Sana Ali, Stephen Bahry, Staff Contributors Ennis Blentic, Maxine Bower, Heather Bryans, Megan Chen, Lily Choi, Andrea Cuellar-Aleman, Visnja Cuturic, Erik Dean, Kimberley Hindy, Rosa Leo, Lily Meshadiyeva, Douglas Orme, Evelyn Pederson, Linda Prue, Darren Rigo, Becky Smith, Rolla Tahir, Claire Wilkinson, Victoria Young, Cindy Zhou 3
World of words
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“The significance of the World of Words cannot be Since its humble stressed enough birth back in 1995 . faithfully chroni , this vibrant mag cled the evolutio azine has n of th e English Langua as well as the pe ge Program, rsonal adventur es and insights population with of the student whom we have been privileged of-a-kind learning to share this on journey. Congra etulations, WoW, on your 80th anniversary issue !” Evelyn Pederson , ELP Instructor world of wor ds
, may 1995
to the World “Congratulations th issue! I’m of Words on its 80 sed with the continually impres d t contributions an quality of studen g in ag in encour have taken pride ion; a published student participat a splendid article in WOW is t ent’s involvemen souvenir of a stud l al d you, Chris an at the ELP. Thank l al for keeping us the contributors, ter issue.” WOWed, issue af , Kimberley Hindy or ct ELP Instru
s e i r o m e M d n o F “I took over the WoW in the Summer of 2006 and World Cup fever was sweeping through the school. We had the school decorated, contests aplenty and we were showing most games in the lobby (to the chagrin of many instructors trying to actually teach!). We even had mini nets set up and actual games going on during the changeover of classes. Well, I had this grand idea of dispatching student reporters from countries participating in the tournament (France, South Korea, Ukraine, Japan, Italy, etc) to pubs and restaurants that were affiliated with their team. They would report back on their experiences and we would publish them in the WoW.
world of words, july 2006
While I think I may have bitten off more than I could chew – that issue was well over a 100 pages – I will never forget the passion and enthusiasm the students showed when writing about their home team and home country. They were bursting with pride and it really elevated that WoW and, right off the bat, set the bar for future issues to new heights. I had so much fun reading through the reports and publishing that first World Cup issue. The icing on the cake had to be that the contest winner, Stefano diLauro, was from Italy, the World Champions that year! I will never forget Stefano in tears when his name was called.” Ennis Blentic, ELP Student Services Coordinator
world of words, decem
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“When ev the EL er I’m abroa d P copy o , I always sh promoting f WOW ow pe ople a . The is alwa re incred ys the same sponse I ge t ibly im . Peop pre le are of the magaz ssed by the quality of activ ine an d it it show ies, articles the variety a cases, which nd opinions divers repres e and ent ou lively Becky student bod r y.” ELP In Smith, ternat ional Marke ting M anage r
world of words,
August 1996
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world of words, June 1998
world of words
After thirty three years of service, ELP Instructor
Linda Prue
prepares for retirement
An interview with ELP Instructor Linda Prue By Christopher Chipman, ELP Program Administrator Q: How did you first get involved with the English Language Program (ELP)? A: “I was educated in London, Ontario and I taught English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at Fanshawe Community College and the University of Western Ontario. I was also one of the founders of the TESL London affiliate of TESL Ontario. I already had some ESL experience and I knew I really, really loved teaching adults, so when I first moved to Toronto, I sent a resume to the University of Toronto and I was interviewed and hired to teach summer English programs. It was in May of 1979 that I was first hired to teach at U of T. At that time we were located at St. Michael’s College (now called University of St. Michael’s College). After we left St. Michael’s, we were housed in University College for a number of summers. A few classes were offered from September to April, and I taught a number of those courses as well. I took a break from teaching in 1985, when I took a six month leave to finish a Masters of Education.” Q: What changes have you seen at the school during your time at the ELP? A: “I am overwhelmed with the enormous changes that I have seen at the English Language Program. As we expanded the program offerings, we found a home of our own after being itinerant for a number of years. There was constant innovation with new materials and new technology. I also think that the administration should be commended for all their hard work and effort, 10
planning, and foresight, to prepare those programs.” Q: Have you seen a change in the students you have taught over the years? A: “Actually, to me, they’re kind of the same. They’re young, they’re full of life and new ideas, they’re preparing for their futures and I’ve always said... I teach the students language - which is really important in your life, but they have taught me about life. They have taught me about their cultures, their feelings, their histories and... they really have taught me so much about life and it’s enormous privilege. I have a lifetime of wonderful memories of students and colleagues from my thirty three years at U of T.” Q: What do you think makes the English Language Program special for students and staff? A: “I believe most students really appreciate how much the teachers care about them and their language learning, and how hard all the administrative staff and cultural assistants work to provide the many services at ELP. Also, the students have a rare opportunity to explore relationships with classmates from other countries and start lifelong friendships. I really think that’s what makes our program special.” Q: What advice would you give to new instructors at the English Language Program? A: “If you don’t care about the students, then I suggest you train for another profession. You need to be interested in people, and you need to care. Always be
issue 80, December 2012
Sundown for Linda by
ELP Instructor, Douglas Orme
*Sung to the tune of I can see her teachin’ Core in her satin dress Gordon Lightfoot’s In a room where ya do what ya don’t confess song ‘Sundown’: Linda ya better take care
If I find you bin creepin’ ‘round the OISE stairs She’s bin lookin’ like a queen in a student’s dream And she don’t always say what she really means Sometimes I think it’s a shame That you won’t be in the staffroom when I’m callin again I can picture every move that a student could make Using the subjunctive was your first mistake Linda ya better take care If I find you bin creepin’ ‘round the OISE stairs Sometimes I think it’s a sin When I feel like I’m winnin’ but I’m markin’ again I can see her standin’ fast in her union jeans She’s a steelworkin’ woman, got me feelin’ mean Sometimes I think it’s a shame That you won’t be in the staffroom when I’m callin again Linda ya better take care If I find you bin creepin’ ‘round the OISE stairs Sometimes I think it’s a sin She’ll be standin’ on the golf course, I’ll be markin’ again
grateful for the collaboration, the input, and the advice from your colleagues because even though we’re in our classroom alone, we’re always team teaching - there’s constant help and advice and I think that’s actually another thing that makes the school special, the teachers really support each other. There’s always more to learn.” Q: Do you have any special plans for retirement? A: “I intend to volunteer at adult literacy programs around Toronto. The reading that we typically teach at ELP is much more challenging, but I think I can learn enough to become useful and helpful at teaching to beginner readers. I also intend to continue to volunteer with the Opera... and I hope to expand and do some volunteering with the Art Gallery of Ontario. It’s a beautiful place and I just love being there. If I’m going to offer some time, it might as well be in a place that’s so beautiful - they also have great programs for kids that I hope to get involved in. Finally, I would like to spend more time with my grandson, which will just be pure pleasure.” 11
A Day to Remember Lifetimes of Change By Erik Dean, ELP Cultural Assistant Every year on November 11th, a day known as Remembrance Day in Canada, special ceremonies are held in memory of those who died fighting in the world wars, during peacekeeping missions, and other war efforts. Remembrance Day first began as a memorial day for those who died in the First World War, but has since come to encompass the sacrifices of all Canadian soldiers to date. Similar ceremonies are held in various other countries on the same day, though the day may be known as “Poppy Day” or “Armistice Day” elsewhere. The ceremonies typically consist of a few key parts, and as a result are similar in each of the countries that observe Remembrance Day. The most visible part of the ceremony is the wearing of the poppy, a red flower used as a symbol for Remembrance Day.
A red poppy flower as seen in the wild
The poppy is a flower that grew naturally in some of the worst battlefields of the war, specifically in the Flanders region of Belgium. The flowers grew in particular abundance due to the large amount of blood spilled in combat, which acted as a fertilizer for the flowers by leaching nitrogen into the soil. One of the main reasons the poppy is recognized as a symbol of the war is because of a popular poem titled In Flanders Fields, which spoke of the war and the flowers that grew in large numbers around the graves of soldiers. The author of the poem was John McCrae, a Canadian soldier and physician who was inspired to write the poem after the funeral of a fellow soldier. Other key parts of observing Remembrance Day include the playing of a song called Last Post: a solo piece for either bugle or trumpet originally played during war time to mark the end of each day, the reading of the previously mentioned poem In Flanders Fields, the flying of national flags at half-mast: a common symbol in many countries of respect and mourning, and lastly a moment of silence lasting a few minutes beginning at 11:11 am, which is when combat during the First World War formally ended back on November 11th 1918.
Two ceremonies were held in Toronto for Remembrance Day, one at City Hall for the city of Toronto, and another in front of the Ontario Legislature Building in Queen’s Park for the province of Ontario, which is where the soon-to-retire Ontario Premier, Dalton McGuinty, delivered his last Remembrance Day address. I attended the Queen’s Park ceremony and found the experience humbling. Despite all my efforts, I believe there is no way for me to truly imagine the full extent of the suffering and horror of war, and the sacrifice that many Canadians before me made for their country.
Dalton McGuinty’s own words, as written in his blog, state that “Remembrance Day is a time to show our gratitude through ceremonies, memorials and by wearing the poppy”, marking the day as a time to be thankful above all else. Whether we agree or disagree, whether we are patriots or not, we have to be able to recognize that the efforts of soldiers in the past world wars have impacted all of us significantly. For this reason alone I feel it’s important for all of us to remember and give respect, without necessarily celebrating the past, but rather, to pay attention to a very important lesson for humanity.
Above: Dalton McGuinty delivering his last Remembrance Day address Left above: Wreaths adorned with poppies in front of the cenotaph at Queen’s Park Left below: The Ontario Legislature Building and citizens observing the ceremonies
world of words
Special Feature - Staying Safe
WalkSmart An Interview with Alan Truong of the University of Toronto Campus Community Police By Sana Ali, ELP Cultural Assistant
A
lan Truong is part of the University of Toronto Campus Community Police and manages the WalkSmart Program on the St. George campus. He agreed to give us an interview in order to increase awareness about the safety resources the University offers to ELP students. Q: Thank you for your time today, Mr. Truong. Can you start by telling us a little bit about WalkSmart? A: WalkSmart is a student escort service between campus buildings. This includes 89 Chestnut, the Dentistry building and all the major TTC stations around campus. It is basically a safer alternative to walking alone at night. Q: ELP students are not attending UofT full-time and as visiting international students they do not pay the ancillary fees that other students do. Is this service still available for their use? A: Certainly. Campus Police services serve the whole university community, not just full-time students. In fact, in the past, we have had several faculty and staff members call for an escort. There’s always visiting or new staff who also request the service. We are happy
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to serve the needs of the whole UofT community in order to make the campus as safe and inviting as it can be. Q: How does a student arrange for a walk? A: Students can call us at 416-978-SAFE (7233) any time to arrange for our escorts to come to their location during service hours, which are 7:00pm to 12:00am Monday through Friday. It is also possible to arrange for regular walks with the same pick up location and time each week. A lot of students who have late classes or finish work after dark on certain days of the week do this. Q: How far ahead of time do you ask that students make the request for a walk? A: We like to ask for at least 10-15 minutes, but it is common for a lot of students to book a certain time for the whole semester. 7pm to 12 am are our main hours, but we won’t turn down a walk at 5 pm. We accommodate it. If someone needs to be walked past midnight, we can usually make that happen too. If you call at 1am and need an escort we can send building patrol guards to walk you.
issue 80, December 2012
“Students can call us at 416-978-SAFE (7233) any time to arrange for our escorts to come to their location during service hours, which are 7:00pm to 12:00am Monday through Friday.“
Q: Can you give us some information about your escorts? What can students requesting a walk expect? A: The main criteria we use when hiring escorts is that they be U of T students. Our escorts are all friendly students who like to meet new people, and know the campus well. They are equipped with handheld radios which enable them to get in contact with our officers at a moment’s notice. While we have both men and women working for us, 90% of the escorts are women. Through the years, we felt more females called for the service so we wanted to pair them with females. When the program is running two people will always come to escort you. Most days days both will be female, but one will always be a female. If you have a regular time that you get walked, you are likely to get the same people, so you can get to know the escort and there is always a level of comfort. Q: Any interesting facts you would like to share about the program? A: We started the WalkSmart program at UofT in 1991. It’s been going on for 20 something years. There are similar services on other campuses in Canada but our program is run by the Campus Police. UofT is a very safe campus, even though we are
downtown and as open as we are. It’s really safe. Stats on our website show crime decreasing every year. We still have a lot of minor incidents. Theft is the most common thing- unattended cell phones taken in libraries during bathroom breaks. We always tell students don’t leave things unattended anytime, anywhere. Q: Who would you recommend WalkSmart to? A: I would recommend the program to anyone. If for nothing else, it is for your peace of mind. If it’s there, use it. Give it a try. It’s okay to call. We’re here 24 hours a day. A lot of students don’t know about the program, but we try to get the word out. First year students get an orientation. But it’s about getting the word out there and letting students know about the services available. WalkSmart is not a female only thing. We’ve had lots of males call for escorts. Campus Police is here to assist with the community. Campus Police is a little different from the city police. We’re with the University, so we are a bit more friendly - more approachable. Don’t be shy to drop by with questions, or if you want to know anything about the campus, or what our role is. We do a lot of talks, and we like them to know we’re here.
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world of words
Special Feature - Staying Safe
Stay Safe! Personal Safety Tips
Rosa Leo offers some tips on staying safe at home and abroad
By Rosa Leo, ELP Program Administrator Walk with confidence. The appearance of a self-assured and empowered man or woman is enough to make a suspect think twice about approaching. The last thing a suspect is looking for is a victim who may fight back or one who will make his or her task a difficult one. Plan your travel ahead of time. If you plan on visiting a friend that takes you outside of the comforts of your own neighbourhood, plan your route ahead of time. Use Google map to get an idea or advance viewing of the address and location you’ll be traveling to. It’s also good practice to contact TTC Information (416-393-INFO) before your trip to obtain bus/subway route times and directions. Be sure to find out when the last bus/subway departs on a particular route to guarantee that you don’t miss it. Plan your travel in advance to avoid appearing lost or vulnerable. Limit the amount of items you carry at one time (and especially after dark). If you know you need to pick up groceries or other bulk items, try to do so during the day. As previously mentioned, a suspect is looking for a victim who will make his/her task easy. If your hands are occupied with bags, books, or groceries, your response time will be slower. Leave both hands (or one) available whenever possible. Avoid appearing distracted. Reading, talking on the phone or listening to music while walking, or napping on the subway, takes your attention away from activity that may be going on around you, or more importantly, behind you. An essential key to avoiding danger is to be able to anticipate it and react to it. If one of your senses is compromised (i.e. your hearing), you will be unable to react in time. If you are intent on listening to music, keep only one ear bud in your ear and the other ear free so you’re able to hear activity around you. 16
Walk facing traffic flow. Avoid walking with your back to vehicles, especially in the evening hours or on isolated streets. Facing oncoming vehicles enables you to anticipate a threatening situation before it occurs. Remember, if you have your back to the action, you won’t see trouble coming. Keep your cell phone fully charged. Get into the practice of charging your cell phone nightly. Should you forget to do so, always remember to save the last battery bar for an emergency phone call. Prevention begins with preparedness! Get to know your neighbourhood. Familiarize yourself with your everyday surroundings; familiar faces and places. Pay attention to the people in your neighbourhood so that you are able to distinguish suspicious faces from the ‘regulars’. Take notice of all-night gas stations, 24 hour variety stores or supermarkets. Should you encounter an emergency situation and require assistance, knowing who/where you can turn to is half the battle won. Watch where you walk. Walk close to the curb. Keep a safe distance from dense tree or shrub lined sidewalks, especially after dark. They make perfect hiding places for suspects in waiting. As well, avoid walking through alleys, or taking short cuts through parking lots. Looks can be deceiving. Don’t assume that an individual in a business suit is less threatening than an individual wearing a skull and cross bones t-shirt. Just because someone appears well groomed and clean-cut doesn’t render them harmless. They are still a stranger. On the same note, assaults or violence isn’t always initiated by a complete stranger, in some cases it can be a friend, relative or neighbour who violates your trust.
issue 80, December 2012
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In an emergency, call Keep your personal details to yourself. It’s sometimes common for strangers waiting collectively at a bus stop to exchange pleasantries. While casual/friendly conversation is fine, questions of a personal nature are not. Be wary of inquisitive strangers wanting to know personal details such as your last name, address, place of work, hours of work, relationship status etc. Protect your personal information. Don't be too predictable. Sticking to a routine can make you predictable to someone waiting for an opportunity to approach you. Every now and again, change things around. Leave 10-15 minutes earlier or later, visit the laundromat on a weeknight if you typically go on a weekend, check out a new study space instead of your usual hang out. Turn ‘I’ into ‘We’. Sometimes, a simple and effective way of handling unwanted attention is to switch pronouns. Using ‘we’, instead of ‘I’ sends a message that you are not alone. You may want to consider switching pronouns when it
comes to your answering machine or your apartment entry code listing. In fact, some people have gone as far as to purchase an inexpensive ring/band that indicates they are partnered or married. Get into the habit of calling friends when you arrive home. After an evening out with friends, get into the habit of calling one another to ensure each person has arrived home safely. If you’re stepping out on a blind date, ensure that someone knows your whereabouts and check in with that individual once you have arrived home safely. Don’t open your door to a stranger. If you are not expecting company and there’s a knock on the door, do not open it without first checking your peep hole. If you do not have a peep hole, speak through the door asking the stranger to slide their contact information or business card under your door and that you will be in touch with them. Should you decide to contact them the following day, remember to block your telephone number. Make eye contact and speak loudly. If you become the target of someone’s unwanted attention, it is essential that others near/around you understand that you are being harassed. It is also important to let the individual who is
harassing you understand that you do not wish to interact with them and if it continues, you will phone police. When confronting them, appear confident by making direct eye contact with the individual and by speaking loudly so that you draw attention to the situation and to the suspect. Attention (and witnesses) is the last thing a suspect desires. The more attention you draw to yourself, the more attention you draw to them. When in doubt, dial 911. 911 emergency responders are there to serve and protect. You may not consider an uncomfortable situation an ‘emergency’; however, an uncomfortable situation can quickly escalate into a violent situation. If you are feeling unsafe and no one is present to assist you, do not hesitate to call 911 or your local police station for assistance or advice. Emergencies are not limited to collisions, robberies or fires. Harassment, too, is a criminal offense.
Be a helpful witness. Police cannot assist you if they do not know who they’re looking for. Should an incident occur, it’s important that you try to observe and retain as much information as possible (ie. description of the suspect or vehicle driven, license plate, etc.). If you don’t have access to paper or pen to jot down all the pertinent details while they’re fresh in your mind, consider texting yourself the information so that you’re better able to assist police once they arrive on scene. Check the Toronto Police Service website for up to date news releases. Not all incidents that occur throughout the GTA appear on the evening news. There are various reasons for this, including newscast time constraints. If you’re interested in learning about what’s taking place in your community or neighbourhood, visit the Toronto Police Service website at: http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/ newsreleases/.
University of Toronto Campus Community Police
(416) 978-2222 17
world of words
Falling In Love By With Fall
Ayumi Nakamura and Erina Shinozuka of Japan, Academic English
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n Sunday, October 21st, my friends and I joined Photo Club for a day trip to the Toronto Islands. Fall season is my favorite season, and on this day, we were able to enjoy the sights of Toronto’s autumn foliage to our hearts’ content. I spent the day taking photos and talking with my friends and with people who I had never met until this activity. I had a great time with them. In fact, it was one of most wonderful and beautiful day trips for me.
“Fallen leaves were scattered everywhere, making the scenery the more beautiful. We enjoyed playing with these fallen leaves.” - Ayumi Nakamura 18
issue 80, December 2012
“These are my best friends, Shiori and Laura, walking along the boardwalk at Ward’s Island. I met Laura when I joined an ELP activity in August. On November 20th, she went back home to Colombia. I miss her a lot, but I spent a lot of great times with her in Toronto. I participated in many ELP activities and volunteering events with her. I’ll never forget all memories we made together, and I will still love her even though we’ll live in different countries from now on. We promised to meet again somewhere in the world, so we said ‘goodbye’ to each other without tears at the Toronto Airport. I hope for happiness and an incredible life for Laura.” - Erina Shinozuka
“This picture with my friends Shiori, Erina, and Andres, in which the sun was setting with a deep red glow, is one of my favorite pictures. It was such a beautiful sunset that I wanted to savour every moment as long as the sunset lasted.” -Ayumi Nakamura “I made a lot of friends here since I came to Toronto. Although I feel lonely sometimes, and though it feels difficult at times to learn English, I am able to keep working hard and will not give up on improving my English because I have great friends who support me. If I hadn’t come to Toronto, I would never have met these amazing people. So, I am very thankful for lucky chance I have been given to get to know them. They are a huge part of the reason why I feel that my time in Toronto is very valuable in my life.” - Erina Shinozuka
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world of words
“This day was my first time going to the Toronto Islands. I really enjoyed my time there. I can’t wait to go again soon with the nice Cultural Assistants and my friends. I love nature, and if you love nature like I do, the Toronto Islands are the best place for you!” - Erina Shinosuka
“We each found our own Canadian maple leaf! Colorful leaves like these may be even more charming than flowers.” - Ayumi Nakamura
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issue 80, December 2012
The Effects of Stress on Appetite By Maxine Bower, ELP Cultural Assistant
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oston Cream, sour cream glazed, old fashion, maple dipped, chocolate dipped, toasted coconut, chocolate glazed, sprinkles, honey cruellers … mmmmm. I never know which donut to eat! There is always an abundance of coffee and donuts at Coffee Chat, which means an abundance of sugar and caffeine! Woohoo. Seeing that coffee chat donuts are entirely free and very delicious, it seems impossible to restrict one’s self to only one. However, stressful days exist and so do sleepless nights. Donuts and coffee makes those sleepless, stressful days and nights a little more bearable. The combination of stress and lack of sleep could be motivating you to consume as much sugar and caffeine as you can because high caloric foods help reduce psychological stress. Cravings for sugary, salty and fatty foods come from the different hormones released by bodily exertion. For example, stress levels raise levels of cortisol, which is excreted by the adrenal gland. The adrenal gland is responsible for regulating bodily functions like heart rates and blood vessel diameters, which are affected by stress. So, when the body experiences changes due to exertion from stress, these changes trigger the adrenal glands that release cortisol. The cortisol that is released is responsible for stimulating appetite. But when we are stressed, we often choose foods that are rich in salt, sugar and fat, such as donuts, because they stimulate the part of the brain that creates the feeling of being rewarded.
in their environment. Since students are always learning and changing, the body will secrete ghrelin often. Because it is a hormone that affects hunger, it will also affect eating habits, making us want to eat more often during times of frequent changes and learning. Be careful also of drinking too much coffee! An overdose of caffeine can make you feel jittery, nervous and panicky. So although you might drink coffee to stay awake to study for your next English test, you could be doing more harm to your studying by making yourself too nervous! Eat donuts if you please because they are delicious and make us feel good. However, if you notice that you are eating a lot of junk food during times of stress the way that I do, I would recommend dealing with your stress in a variety of ways. Grab that donut once in a while at Coffee Chat, but remember to sleep and always prioritize good eating that satisfies your mental and physical health. Or come to Coffee Chat to practice English in a relaxed setting. Think of it as stress-free studying! Here is where I got the information. Feel free to check it out yourself! http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-ghrelin.htm or go to youtube and search for the video called: ‘Stress Eating and the Consequences’.
Another hormone, ghrelin, is a hunger hormone, essential for cognitive adaptation and coping with changing environments. The fast-paced nature of school requires frequent cognitive adaptation or frequent changes that happen mentally. It is also a hormone to help people respond to changes 21
world of words
From 3.11 to 3.12
What can we learn from 3.11? Article Written by Yuki Kurisu of Japan, Comprehensive English Class Presentation Prepared by Juntaro Kitaoka, Yuki Kurisu, Takeya Mizuno, Yuka Nakamura, Yuhi Osanai, Maki Shigehara, Satoko Shimanaka, Shoehei Takayama and Asumi Toribuchi of Japan, Comprehensive English
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n July 31, 2012, we volunteered to gather and give a presentation about 3.11. This day in Japan - when the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear accident occurred, how these disasters gave a lot of damage, and how people live after 3.11. We wanted to tell everyone such things. Also, we wanted to give everyone a reason why you know about 3.11. That’s why we gave the following presentation:
areas with high radiation. Although those products are checked and approved, consumers hesitate to buy them just because of their production area. You think of them as food having radiactive rays. Fortunately, fairs and festivals are ongoing in order to help farmers and fishers suffering from this situation. We still need volunteers; actually, some people keep collecting money for the recovery.
“On March 11, 2011, 2:43 p.m, a very big earthquake struck Japan. The hypocenter was “Sanriku” coast, and the magnitude was 9.0, which is the fourth largest in the world. The earthquake caused a huge “Tsunami”; the height was 20m at the most. In the disaster on 3.11, the main cause of death was drowning by “Tsunami.” In addition, the massive earthquake caused the disaster of the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The damage caused by these disasters was most serious in Tohoku district, including Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate, and so on, and temporary housing was built in this area. The reason is that there are people who lost their house because of the earthquake or “Tsunami” and can’t keep living in their hometown because of high density of radioactivity. Radioactive matter leaked in the accident of the nuclear power plant and the density rose.
The nuclear power plant disaster on March 11 gave many Japanese a reason why everyone thinks about energy problem. Why use nuclear power in the future or why use nuclear energy without nuclear power? There are advocates of nuclear power plants and critics of nuclear power plants. In the political field, among the people in Japan, people are discussing about how we will use energy in the future. At the present, many Japanese are appealing to municipalities and political parties to conduct various activities such as signature campaigns, lobbying, and active demonstrations. Many Japanese are expressing their opposition to nuclear power plants by carrying out demonstrations, with about 100,000 people, in front of the Prime Minister’s official residence in Tokyo on Friday night every week.
There was a lot of damage such as tilting of loose buildings, liquefaction and cracks of the road, the softness of the ground, and so on, even in the areas where the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear power plant disaster were not so bad.
March 11, 2011. The earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear power plant disaster pounced on people who had every day which was not different from usual. These disasters claimed important things from many people and broke every day, which had never changed and was considered to continue existing and every day, which is the proof in which people are simply alive. Families, friends, and sweethearts…when someone is near you, greeting, talking, eating, learning, working, and playing….It was never natural that there would be such a day. A really important
People worried about the influence on their health because the nuclear power plant disaster happened and concentration of radiation became higher. There were many people who moved to other areas to avoid high levels of radiation. After the nuclear power plant disaster, rolling blackouts were carried out in eastern Japan and also saving electricity was carried out in other areas because of a lack of electricity. This disaster of 3.11 gave all of Japan a great shock and grief; therefore, the number of gorgeous activities such as parties or celebrations was decreased. However, many volunteer works were carried out by people who gathered from throughout Japan to dispose of debris and give food aid and necessities of life. And many fundraising campaigns were also carried out. A year and a half has passed since 3.11. Revival of the stricken area is progressing; however, there are a lot of problems remaining: the progress of revival has a different condition. You can still see the places which have not been recovered yet. Some victims are forced to live in temporary housing areas or places with high radiation. We cannot help showing bias against people who come from the affected area and crops and sea products which are produced in 22
issue 80, December 2012
thing is not an especially unusual thing; it is immediately near you and is packed every day. When everything from every day has disappeared, with only a surviving self, one who cannot but live remains. About one year and a half has passed from that time. What can we learn from 3.11? I think that we can learn that every day is really important. A way of life, a position, and the situation differ from each person. But it’s the same that everyone is alive in the inside each and every day. Anyone can live their life freely. Anyone can do and challenge what they want to do freely. Anyone can love someone whom they want to love freely. But can we do that? Are we able to do only that every day? Therefore, I live hard now, standing on each spot each and every day and living now: Valuing now. People who suffered a great deal of damage on 3.11 are alive now. Although they cannot recover every day before 3.11, they turn forward and are alive now. They are alive on 3.12. I think that this is what we can learn from their figure. How do you live now? How do you live every day, which is not understood when lost?�
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Entertainment in Canada:
What kind of nightlife can you expect? By Willian Pulido Beneducci of Brazil, Level 50, Academic English
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nternational Students who like nightlife need to come to Canada. Here we can find great nightclubs and pubs. However, you need to know about some cultural differences that you can face before you enjoy it without problems. After talking about that, I will introduce some terrific places to visit here in Toronto and then talk about one of the best nightclubs I have ever been to in my life. In this country, the laws are very rigorous. Nobody is allowed to drink on the streets even if you are older than 19 years old, the legal age. More than that, no one can drink alcohol in a public place (nightclubs and pubs included) after 2:00 am. Another interesting aspect is about cigars and cigarettes: is not permitted to smoke in closed places. So, to avoid problems with the police and also with your health, just do not drink alcohol or smoke. Now it is time to talk a little about people’s behavior at clubs and pubs. Usually Canadians are polite. Although, often there are fights in the Entertainment district, especially when alcohol is involved. Maybe you will face some crowded places where you will listen to a lot of excuses because they may step on your foot or bump into you. Just prepare yourself to be as polite as them. Also, sometimes total strangers will start to talk with you. Just be friendly and maybe you will meet a lot of interesting people who can help you to improve your English. Finally, if you like to dance, brace yourself. Canadians are energetic and expressive in the dance floor. The first place I would like to introduce is the Madison Pub. This is a really cool place to spend some time with friends. They have a lot of different rooms, places where you can stay to hear some live piano music, dance or just chat with friends. I recommend to everybody who comes to Toronto go there at least once. This is the best place on Thursdays for sure because it is breathtaking. It is exciting and as multicultural as everything here.
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If you prefer to just dance, you need a nightclub. In Toronto they are usually located on Richmond Street, near the Osgoode Subway Station. One good place is the Rich. There you can find an environment with interesting people and the best of electro and Hip Hop music. The Guvernment nightclub is another amazing place. Once it was considered the 27th best nightclub in the world. They have five different floors: Koolhaus, Chroma, Surface, Skybar and Haven. Each one has a distinct kind of music. Just like Rich, it is a nice place on Saturdays. The DaGobert nightclub is located in Quebec, totally worth the 800 km trip between the cities. For me it is the best nightclub I have ever been to. They have two floors. On the first one you can hear live music played by an awesome female band. On the upstairs level you can find the best dance floor ever. Fog and foam machines and a special mechanism which lifts and lowers the lights create an unforgettable environment. I just would like to say that I rated them based on my experience. I hope to have helped you enjoy this impressive city. I am pretty sure, that it does not matter where you will visit; you will have a great time!
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The Superficiality of Change By Ystallone Carlos da Silva Alves of Brazil, Level 60, Academic English
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any consumers are truly addicted to innovation. It is very realistic to assert that the pace which people are updating their gadgets is too frequent. A study by the market-research company Recon Analytics states that “the average American phone is replaced every twenty-two months” (Economist, 2012)1. Nevertheless, it is not always essential to be ahead in terms of progress in technology. Although all the media’s efforts focus on convincing patrons2 that they need another upmarket cell phone, there are many negative impacts that this sociological behavior (an unnecessary consumption of products) can represent. They must be considered as reasons for refusing an upgrade. Environmental consequences, consumer’s psychological control, and financial characteristics are some undesirable effects motivated by the current consumerist society, which will be discussed in the following lines. Worldwide ecological issues are the results of overwhelming consumption habits that people have been acquiring to improve their quality of life. There is an unconceivable quantity of electronic waste generated daily, in spite of the fact that many industries apply sustainable procedures to widely consumed products in order to minimize the effects that all heavy metals and other hazardous materials can cause to the environment; moreover, it is improbable to control the growth of this amount of waste and to elucidate questions referring to its method of disposal. In addition, the space required to properly discard electronic devices is entirely insufficient, and the accumulation in landfills, undoubtedly, can become an inappropriate measure to contain the volume of trash produced. Therefore, even though the above-mentioned companies might encourage the purchase of their “green products”, it is relevant to observe that there is no real guarantee that all products will end in an environmentally responsive disposal.
Another point raised by the consumers who buy a new gadget every time a new feature, a new version, or the latest design is released is that there is a selfesteem aspect under consideration. Additionally, the status of being up-to-date is rewarding to them; in fact, they have the necessity of parading their new devices. On the other hand, if they do not purchase the latest version available for their gadgets, they can become depressed, as there is the circumstance of being possibly rejected by the social group that they belong to. Likewise, this social behavior might also seriously damage people’s personality, and they can be easily led to make decisions deprived of critical thinking and without considering the importance and the consequences that it may characterize. Furthermore, there is the financial element regarding the superficiality that changes can interfere in people’s lives. The cost to purchase the newest, most technologically advanced items is also the highest, most expensive. Essentially, all media’s strategy is concentrated in persuasive advertisements which aim to convince individuals that they always need to buy something. However, the aspect that consumers might already have items with the same functionality and that can even last for decades is never raised. All in all, the exacerbated consumption is pushed by distorted concepts that merely want to persuade consumers to the inconsequent destruction of natural resources, the development of a psychologically affected mentality based on a selfish self-esteem perception, as well as the frenzy of “irresistible” expenditure of money. Consequently, the necessity of an approaching to incorporate ideas that give independence to a defective society and that extricate the thoughts of reckless shopping is indispensable.
1) Economist, T. (2012, October 16). Recycling mobile phones - Move to recycle bin. Retrieved November 26, 2012: www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2012/10/recycling-mobile-phones. 2) A customer, especially a regular customer.
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A Comparison Between Saudi Arabia and Canada By Reham Howsawi of Saudi Arabia, Level 50, Academic English
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hile our world has many different race, societies, communities, and ethnicities, each country has its own culture that makes it different from others. For example, there are three obvious differences between Canada and Saudi Arabia, which make each country distinct. The first clear difference is lifestyle. In Saudi Arabia, living with your family’s even if the persons reach their adulthood is important. It gives family the importance of being unique and stresses working as one unit. In contrast, in Canada adults usually leave their families home. They should live in their own houses, apartments, or condos. The start to live independently early in their lives; however, there are appositive side of that, which it gives them sense of responsibility.
women are not allowed to drive. Wherever you go in Saudi Arabia, you will notice that all drivers are men. Whereas in Canada both men and women are driving cars, buses, trains, or even more airplanes. The third obvious difference between both countries is the weather. Saudi Arabia has almost no winter season compared with Canada’s cold climate. Canada’s temperature exceed to zero and less up to minuses degrees, while in Saudi Arabia temperature is almost about three to four Celsius. To sum up the lifestyle, driving system, and weather are three examples of many differences between both countries. If you go deeper, you will detect more and more interesting area of differences.
Going outside houses and family relations will lead us to the second area of difference, which is the driving system. Saudi Arabia has a custom in which
A Solution to Solve Minor Criminality in Brazil By Melina de Araújo Souza of Brazil, Level 60, Academic English
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inor criminality is one of the most unsolved issues in Brazil given that, although there are numerous children and teenagers committing crimes, they cannot be judged as adults since the Brazilian laws do not permit it. According to the Brazilian Constitution, their sentences can vary from orientation lecture attendances to a maximum 3 years of imprisonment. Ideally, the current solution is viable since, as young individuals, they are receiving a chance to leave the life of crime without going to prison; nevertheless, it does not work as they return to the streets and resume breaking the law again. One of the main causes of this issue is the poor quality of public schools: as it is not effective and private schools are not affordable for poor students, several of them leave the school and begin to commit crimes, thinking that it is the easiest way to earn money. In order to solve the problem, a twopronged solution is necessary: the improvement of the education system and the construction of rehabilitation centers. In the former, the elected officials would build new schools and reform old ones, giving all the structure the students need to learn. To illustrate, numerous abandoned schools
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would be reformed, receiving new laboratories, sports facilities, furniture and materials, such as book; also, new schools, with all those features, would be built in areas in which there are not enough educational institutions. In addition, the elected representatives would increase the teachers’ wages, provide qualification courses to improve current instructors’ knowledge and teaching skills and employ new ones. In the other approach, the government would build residential rehabilitation centers which, on one hand, would work as prisons, in the sense that the juvenile offenders could not leave; on the other, they would be places in which the young individuals would have the opportunity to study and be rehabilitated. In those places, they would have orientation lectures and psychological treatment, practice sports and make handcrafts to raise funds for themselves to pay future costs related to their education, such as tuition fees when they leave the center. Furthermore, they would have schools classes in which they would be prepared to take university entrance exams. It is essential that the elected officials implement this solution so that the problem can be solved.
issue 80, December 2012
A House for Everyone Financial and Regulatory Failure By Andres Felipe Garcia Hernandez of Colombia, Level 60, Academic English
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t the year of 2008, especially in the USA, the rules to apply for a mortgage were not strict. Instead, they were flexible, or there was a lack of rules in that area. For this reason, almost every consumer with access to the financial system could apply for a mortgage, even those who didn´t have the resources to support and pay their home loans. By the end of 2011, four million families had lost their homes after they could no longer afford mortgage payments. For example, in Colorado, eviction teams arrived with court orders and cleared the contents of hundreds of houses on the street. This major problem could probably be attributed to soft laws about payment capacity, soft credit analysis, not enough guarantees supporting the credit and the high prices of the real estate market plus the economic bubble in this sector. Therefore, lost homes and jobs, damaged lives, financial crisis and lower real estate prices were the primary effects that the mortgage problem in the USA caused. Consequently, there might be several possible solutions to address the mortgage problem. First of all, the US congress might have to harden the laws about the payment capacity to be sure that only consumers who can afford the payments would be able to apply for home credits and it would depend on the type of home and prices. Moreover, the banks may have to increase the quantity and quality of the guarantees that support the mortgage; with this measure the investment is safe for both parties, bank and consumer, and in case of non-payment, the bank can cover the credit, making the guarantees effective. In addition, it could be beneficial for the economy, the banks and individual consumers to create a mandatory credit analysis system in order that the banks could accurately assess the consumer´s ability to pay. In conclusion, the entire crisis can be attributed to a lack of hard regulation about the mortgage and home loans, and in order to minimize the effects of this calamity and to prevent something similar from happening in the future, changes in the law have to be made by the regulatory bodies of all countries.
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Homophobia Causes Violence By Roberto Rubem Da Silva Brandeo of Brazil, Level 50, Academic English
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hen we consider human diversity, sexuality is an intriguing topic which has been debated from different angles and perspectives. In spite of the fact that some positions can defend damaging actions, affecting human rights, people have been more willing to consider explanations for human sexuality, in particular to sexual diversity. One first consensus assumed by specialists is that a junction of historical, social, and cultural construction demonstrates the concept of normality and non-acceptable sexual behaviour on society. One part of this context can be furthermore explored in order to overcome a prevalent and serious problem that millions of people face each day: violent episodes that homophobic behaviours produce against Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Transgender (LGBT). Psychological and physical injuries are the most frequent. Each letter of ‘LGBT’ has symbolic aspects, preferences, identities and also desires that people should respect. Instead of that, some people are denigrated due to their sexual orientation, producing undesirable psychological effects. This kind of aggression, in general, consists of verbal injuries related to choices and attitudes such as holding-hands with same-sex partners on the street, types of fashion and behaviour that people adopt. Approximating our view to a substantial social group, the youth LGBT, who are generally demonstrating their sexual preferences, might suffer damage which can change their perspectives on life. In some cases, health problems such as depression or feeling of inferiority considerably affect their integrity. In fact, LGBT in this period of life tend to feel more the consequences of discriminations; they can internalize these prejudiced insults, becoming more introspective
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India Pride: India Day Parade, Aug. 15, 2010, with LGBT participants allowed to march for the first time, since 2000 (Arun Venugopal/WNYC)
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The multi-color flag means diversity and peace. LGBT Pride takes place around the world. This is a day to celebrate sexual diversity, to claim for equal rights and to state against homophobia.
issue 80, December 2012
Toronto Pride: Hundreds of thousands of people, gay and straight, line Yonge St. for the Toronto Pride.
and insecure in life, as a consequence, they seem to consider themselves as ‘errors’ by families, schools, workplaces even the public sector. In addition, physical violence comes as result from sexual discrimination; a considerable number of the LGBT die daily by homophobic attacks throughout the world. In North America the situation is relatively better compared to countries from Africa and Middle-East, although, Canadians and Americans still suffer severe problems associated with sexual discrimination. To illustrate this scenario, data which come from the FBI reported that, on average, about three LGBT suffered homophobic crimes per day, in the United States of America during the 2005 year. Destroying lives because of one’s sexual orientation signify how conservative and intolerant to diversity many people are. Indeed, this sensitive topic has received less attention than it needs to be solved.
Sao Paulo Pride: Brazil’s LGBT pride is the biggest of the world, gathering more than 4 million people at Paulista Avenue, Sao Paulo.
Fundamentally, few actions can endanger lives. This statement would not be a conclusion if avoiding violence would be a real consensus in society. In this current situation, respecting and saving LGBT’s lives is a question related to Human Rights that countries have to support by planning some public polices. Also, social movements play important role in developing discussion, educating the public sector and society about lesser-known topics as this one. Furthermore, people should start reflecting how to respect the individuality of LGBT. Taking a clear conversation with a LGBT should help you understand how great it is the world’s diversity.
Make a difference, be positive. Uganda Pride: Uganda’s first LGBT Pride, 2012.
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world of words
Friendship By Afnan Alabd of Saudi Arabia, Level 50, Academic English
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riendship is a small word; on the other hand, it is large in significance and meaning and content. Friendship is the most beautiful sense in existence and also it’s a humane relationship that expresses a great human connection. Friendship is the masterpiece of integration and interdependence between humans. Friendship is a strong psychological bond between two people and is considered a business deal made between parties with understanding, love and cooperating, sincerity and trusting between each other. The friendship price is not measured by any measure. It is the biggest of all of these things that no one can live alone and in isolation from others, but need help from the friend who is standing next to him. One category of poverty is the lack of friends or poverty of friend. Thus, humans should be slow when they are selecting their friends because it should have a proper thinking with logic and accurate understanding. Friendship has a role in influencing people so these are the arts of influencing people: First, smile - The smile says I love you and you make me happy, and I’m glad to see you, and if everyone is smiling at him you will find him automatically smile. Second, remember names - anyone should care and be proud of his name more than other names. If I call anyone by his name and pronounce it easily, he will be left in the same best effect and it makes him feel important and will earn his love and sympathy. Third, show your interest to others - caring for people will gain you friendship. Remember their birth dates, and events such as holidays, weddings and illnesses as well as attention to their interests, such as hobbies. For example; always remember that the person who cares about others is the person who will be loved by everyone. Fourth, don’t always criticize and respect the opinions of others. If you omit the critical style, don’t say to one what is wrong, and instead give him praise and appreciation. Last but not least, you should care about your friends who share with you joys and sorrows. If you are happy they will be happy with you, and if you feel sadness their shoulders might be more and more shelter. “A friend in need is a friend indeed”.
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issue 80, December 2012
A Problem - Solving Composition By Jose Rodolfo Chreim of Brazil, Level 60, Academic English
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n Afghanistan, poor life conditions and no expectation of life improvement incite young men from rural areas, where they are barely educated, to join the Afghan police solely due to wages, the only option of work that they have since most of the other jobs offered requires high level education (1)(2). Harmful work conditions, absence of equipment and infrastructure, and risk of being killed by the Taliban, leads privates to abandon the army before the end of their contracts, further weakening the security of the country. Proposed solutions such as improvement in education, raise in salaries, and better working conditions in police would solve the problem, if Afghanistan were able to afford these measures. Unfortunately, in a country where more than 90% of the annual US$ 17.1 billion investment comes from donations by developed countries (3), those modifications are clearly unattainable; moreover, they would not address the issues of war and violence. A reasonable measure has been proposed by William Ury, a mediator, writer and speaker from Harvard Law School, namely “The Third Side” (4). Essentially, the solution is based on use of the human value of hospitality in negotiation processes to solve affairs of war by means of a systemic approach, and it could be applied during three different stages of a conflict: - - -
Prevention of emerging incompatibilities; Resolution of already developed conflicts; Contention of oppressive power;
Using the concepts above through benevolent actions, conflicts between the Taliban and the Afghan government might transform Afghanistan into a hospitable country; as a consequence, the end of war itself would convey the nation to a state of harmony and, once this condition is reached, economic problems would start to be solved, for instance with the development of tourism, as has happened in the Middle East (5). The rise in investment in Afghanistan could lead to improvements in education and in rural work conditions, and even the creation of factories and, in turn, job opportunities. It may be argued that the Taliban might not want to drive the conflict in a peaceful direction; nevertheless, even for them it is desirable to solve differences without the need for war. The use of the Third Side is not new in solving disagreements; it was used in Europe after the Second World War, it has already been used in the Middle East and it is a promising answer for solving or at least addressing most of the problems plaguing Afghanistan. References 1 – www.undp.org 2 – www.alljobsinafghanistan.com 3 – www.nytimes.com 4 – www.thirdside.org 5 – Ury, William. “The Walk From No to Yes”, www.ted.com
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world of words
2012
WORLD PRESS PHOTO GALLERY A compilation of essay reviews of photographs at the World Press Photo Gallery. The photographs are reviewed by the following Academic English Level 60 students: Ahmed Abdulmohsen, Nathalie Scaranello Cartolano, Yang Zhao, and Amal Alkebsi.
“World Press Photo is committed to supporting and advancing high standards in photojournalism and documentary photography worldwide.� source: worldpressphoto.org/foundation
Known as the most popular travelling photo event in the world, World Press Photo produces over 100 exhibitions every year. Visit worldpressphoto.org to find an exhibition close to you.
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issue 80, December 2012
By Nathalie Scaranello Cartolano of Brazil, Academic English
The World Press Photo, a recognized international art exhibition, has the noble mission to raise public awareness of impacting newsthrough photographs. Among more than one hundred thousand applicants, the South African photographer, Brent Stirton, had his work selected to form the 167 pictures of the exhibition, and he won the first prize in the category of “Contemporary Issues Singles.” Stirton’s photograph portrays the problem of trafficking women and prostitution. The focal point of Stirton’s photograph is a prominent sex worker, Maria, lying on the floor while in the background is an obscured and extremely precarious habitation, which evokes a very disturbing atmosphere. This picture stands out among the others not only in terms of its artistic value, but also in terms of its social contribution, since it denounces a serious and barely divulged problem
that needs urgent corrective measures. Every year, hundreds of women, looking for better opportunities abroad, are deceived by international traffickers and forced to prostitute themselves in foreign countries. As can be seen in the photograph, besides the sexual exploitation as sex workers, they are victims of physical aggression and are subjected to subhuman living conditions. Most of them are drug-addicted and HIV positive. In general, these poor victims feel trapped by this situation and do not know how to free themselves, which can be clearly noticed in Maria’s face; her expression reflects her feeling of impotence, and her eyes beg for the public’s help. As an aggravating factor, these women are very well hidden, which makes the problem invisible to society. To conclude, this type of art is essential to draw the attention of society to this serious problem and, therefore, to instigate corrective measures by governments.
View the full image online at www.worldpressphoto.org
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View the full image online at www.worldpressphoto.org
Reflections on the Revolution
By Yang Zhao of China,
ICBC Student, Academic English On Revolution Road, by a Russian photographer named Yuri Kozyrev, is one of the first prize winning photos on the 2012 Exhibition of World Press Photo. It is the 55th time that the exhibition has provided the public a visual platform to see what happened in the previous year. In this photo, a group of Libyan rebels are escaping for their lives when a sudden attack happened on their way to a town named Ras Lanuf. Panic faced with fear, dressed like civilians rather than military service men, rebels run away quickly from an antiaircraft warfare. Not far away, the sky is blue and beautiful, but at the corner of this photo, a thick column of black smoke reminds viewers that this is a battlefield. Revolution is not the best solution at times of social stress and change, because too much violence is involved. In Libya’s case, the former dictator,
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Colonel Muammar Gadhafi, perished in a tragic way. The media summarizes his life as “[He] lived like an emperor, but died like a hunted animal” (Olivia Ward, Toronto Star, October 17, 2012). His death did not resume peace in Libya as the revolutionaries once promised, and Libyan people are still suffering from social disorder and civil war. Violence awakes more violence; jungle laws are prevailing once again. On the contrary, Burma’s case is totally different. Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the Burmese democratic movement, has resisted military dictatorship through a firm but nonviolent way. She never advocates a revolutionary overthrow of the military junta which has put her under house arrest for 15 years. Her efforts are now repaid with positive results as Burma is experiencing a peaceful democratic reform. As quoted from Aldous Huxley, “Experience teaches only the teachable.” What can humans learn from historical lessons is that revolution is a high priced option for a better life.
issue 80, December 2012
View the full image online at www.worldpressphoto.org
By Amal Alkebsi of Yemen, Academic English
The World Press 2012 Exhibition, which has been held in many cities worldwide, including Toronto, Paris, Seoul and Moscow, shows photographs of real facts and people, in order to transfer meaningful messages to the whole world. There have been hundreds of documented, photojournalist photos, in which each picture has a different story; the tsunami images in this display are very enthralling and evoking. This particular image, taken by Koichiro Tsunenari, a Japanese press photographer, reflects three focal points: annihilation, grief and caution. To begin with, on March 11th, 2011, one of the strongest earthquakes hit the northeastern coast of Japan, specifically Natori district. Even though there were well-prepared measures for such an earthquake, an unexpected tidal wave struck the coast. Hence, Natori’s buildings
were completely destroyed, leaving huge rubble behind, as is shown in the blurred photo background. Nevertheless, there weren’t any corpses in the picture; it virtually infers a complete eradication of inhabitants in that city, where 2,475 deaths had been confirmed and over 15,000 people were lost. In the foreground of the photo, there is a women bitterly crying and obviously suffering great sorrow. Because she has lost everything valuable in her life, she doesn’t know what to do or where to go. This view evokes people’s sympathy for her and for all the people of Natori as well; it could evoke for some a guilty conscience. In other words, humanity is totally responsible for what is happening around the Earth, such as the climate changes and global warming. These dangerous changes may result in the loss of lives and lands not only in Japan, where the photo was taken, but also in the whole world. To recapitulate, this tsunami photo is a striking example, warning all humankind to save their homeland before it is too late.
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By Joao Batista Da Silva Junior of Brazil, Academic English
World Press Photo, in its 55th year as an organization, showed to Canada and to the world more than 100 impressive photos in an exhibition which occurred in Toronto on October 2012. One of the most impactful pictures was about the tsunami that hit Japan in 2011. This photograph, taken by Koichiro Tezuka, shows the exact moment the waves invade the city of Natori and move toward Sendai Airport, carrying on everything that is in its way. The evoked atmosphere is a mix of sadness, fear, and mainly powerlessness of men. Buildings, cars, houses, roads, trees and people are being dragged by the water, which pushes all of them inland. I have chosen this image because it represents all the weakness of human beings in the presence of the power of nature. Along the history, men have tried to control the nature by changing the route of rivers, building hydroelectric power plants and destroying forests. However, when strong
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natural disasters occur, like tsunamis, hurricanes and earthquakes, humanity restarts to think about our relationship with nature. Are men really prepared to face these events? Do we have the real control or are we just at the mercy of Mother Nature? In this specific disaster, though officials had warned the population about the tsunami, more than 15 thousand people died, and more than 3000 people still report missing. Other examples from the past few years include the Hurricane Katrina in 2005 in the USA, which killed approximately 1800 people, and the tsunami that hit fourteen countries in 2004 in the Pacific Ocean, killing more than 230,000 people. In this way, it is important that mankind keeps in mind how vulnerable we are in relation to the power of nature, which will not ask us if we are prepared to face its strength.
issue 80, December 2012
By Ahmed Al Abdulmohsen of Saudi Arabia, Academic English
View the full image online at www.worldpressphoto.org
For the 55th year, the World Press Photo Gallery contest has prepared its exhibition in order to stimulate "the highest standards in photojournalism" (www.worldpressphoto.org). More than 5,000 photographers from 124 countries competed. While more than 100,000 images were entered in the contest, the jury reduced this number to more than half; about 40,000 images were nominated according to Kiana Hayeri, a professional photographer from Iran. The exhibit, which was recently held at Brookfield Place (October 3rd - October 24th, 2012), represents approximately 125 images which are considered the best in different categories. "Never Let You Go," one of the most wonderful stories, was captured by Alejandro Kirchuk, an Argentine photojournalist born in 1987. Marcos and Monica, who were married for 65 years, are the main subjects in the photograph. Marcos appears to be attentive to his wife, and the image succeeds in showing his faith. The atmosphere that is evoked is one of love. Even though Monica, his wife, was suffering from Alzheimer’s and she could not recognize him, he took care of her. In the photo, Monica was looking at him while he was feeding her. Although many elderly people are being sent to health care centers, Marcos spent his time treating his wife as "a princess" by taking care of her at home. In brief, we can say that Alejandro Kirchuk succeeded in making us meditate on his photograph. It seems full of faith and love.
2012
WORLD PRESS PHOTO GALLERY 37
world of words
Academic Skills Students Kimberley Hindy, instructor for Advanced Academic Skills (formerly known as Academic Skills for University and Colleges Success), highlights a number of her student’s research interests and their academic backgrounds.
MinJeong Kwak
“My discipline, International Relations (IR), aims to analyze the underlying causes of events and predict their potential outcomes...”
of the Republic of Korea
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hanks to mass media, we could easily get informed about what happens around the world. My discipline, International Relations (IR), aims to analyze the underlying causes of events and predict their potential outcomes; however, IR is not limited to current affairs, but covers historic facts since borders between nations have become legitimately clear. Its main focus is debates on what the priority of the state is. The traditional consensus was security of a state for peace against war. IR theorists have investigated wars and their consequences to generalize a cycle of war and peace.
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applying modernization theory to current events such as globalization and global support to the poor and hungry.
In the real world during the Cold War, political scientists in the United States and Western Europe thought that they can keep their states secure if they convert the Third world’s political system to democracy and let them be a wall against the Second World. They developed the ‘modernization’ theory, which maintains that Third World countries should follow the progressive-developmental path from traditional to modern society just like the way the West did. In fact, after two World Wars, even though the increasing importance of world issues moved onto the world economy and the development of underdeveloped countries, this is even because weak countries tend to provoke physical conflicts such as terrorism and interwar.
The research starts with explanations about modernization theory and dependency theory. Whereas modernization theory was developed from the liberal economic stream in the 1950s, dependency theory was established against modernization theory in the 1960s and 1970s. Both of them investigate why some countries experience economic hardship and how to solve that problem. The main idea of modernization theory is that underdeveloped countries are poor because of their traditional systems, so they should follow the progressive path for development to modern society just like West countries; dependency theory maintains that the poverty of developing countries is a component of world economic structure in which most benefit goes to core countries such as in Western Europe and North America. This indicates that the international trade should be more fair. However, there are several limitations: for modernization theory, there are few cases which prove that a state’s economic development triggers democracy. For dependency theory, not only the economic structure within the world, but the political corruption inside a state also can be an obstacle to developing the state’s economy.
The first part of my research is to define modernization theory and dependency theory. By reviewing the backgrounds, main ideas, and limitations of two theories, the research could finally proceed toward
Despite these weaknesses, the theories are revised and seem to be applied to the world policies. The symbol of world government, the UN, is eager to be neutral between the interest of each state and progressive
issue 80, December 2012
to relieve global poverty in the name of humanity. My discussion section of my research started from this point. It is necessary to review to determine if the basis of this economic help is supposed to be in the modernization concept? It is hypothesized that global support by international organizations has a modernization basis. It is obvious that modernization theory was developed in the current stream of global support from international organizations. To avoid indiscreet decisions, the need of reevaluation of the theoretical argument is indispensable. The significant point of this study is to realize the fact that Latin American theorists developed the theory by themselves against the existing theory. We should learn from that attitude as global citizens. The further study should be about the value of democracy itself, reviewing why North American and Western European theorists put value on the democratic system rather than communism or socialism. Because I have just finished my sophomore year in my undergraduate program, I planned to continue my study of IR in South Korea. I want to build up knowledge about world history, philosophy and psychology to understand foreign policies at a deeper level. If I can have a chance to attend graduate school abroad, I would like to come back to North America.
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world of words
“From the world of language mysteries, I came; and because of it’s wonders, I always find myself astonished!”
Arwa Alosaimi of Saudi Arabia
I
am Arwa Alosaimi, from Saudi Arabia. I have a Bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature from King Saud University (2010). I enrolled in this course because I want to get used to the real life in any Canadian university. From the world of language mysteries, I came; and because of its wonders, I always find myself astonished! From an early age, I have that yearning to learn new languages. That definitely helped me a lot and made it easier for me to choose my major in university without any hesitation. Linguistics is my passion, especially the part that is connected to society and how we can track the social factors that might affect any dialect. My goal is to get a master’s degree in sociolinguistics from University of Toronto, but of course I have plan (B) just in case plan (A) did not work well. After fulfilling this dream, it will hopefully open a gate of more opportunities to start a Ph.D. in the same field.
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issue 80, December 2012
Academic Skills Students Prepare for success! Develop and enhance your research and communication skills for academic studies with ‘Advanced Academic Skills’ (formerly Academically English for University and College Success) at the English Language Program
“Translation became my passion, a music that amuses my ears and elevates my soul.” Basmah Othman of Saudi Arabia
I
was born in the 80’s to start an epic of an unbeatable army of ambitions which will leave a bright fingerprint on the high sky. That long trip was crowned with a bachelor’s degree with honors in English and English literature from King AbdulAziz University. During my years of studying English, I depended mostly on machine translation and it evoked my passion. I wondered if I could find an accurate machine translator that is identical to a human translator in terms of the quality of the resulting translation. Moreover, my passion of translation encourages me to complete my Master’s in Translation Studies in the near future at York University. Trusting my abilities as a young researcher, I have become particularly interested in exploring the faults and problems produced by machine translation and propose solutions to reduce these problems in order to help English learners as well as translators to achieve the best translation results.
I believe that one day, I will achieve my goal to be one of the official and eligible translators at one of the Saudi embassies in an English speaking country. For a girl in a conservative society like Saudi Arabia, it would by a challenging process; nonetheless, one of my strongest attributes is my determination. I take on every challenge head-on and do what I need to accomplish my goals, even when the challenge is difficult. Having been fond of books since childhood, I have my own page where I write my diary; one simple event can inspire me to write 3 or 5 long pages. Last year, I decided to write my first book, hopefully to be published one day!
Translation became my passion, a music that amuses my ears and elevates my soul. This passion will be the driving force behind my study efforts that will directly translate into my becoming a knowledgeable and responsible student with a desire for success.
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world of words
photo credit: Rania Sendi
Our St. George Campus
Visnja Cuturic’s Academic English Level 50 class takes a tour of one of the University of Toronto campuses
John (Zhongyang Li) of China The more sites you visit at the University of Toronto, the more you must agree that it is a perfect example of the pursuit of harmony between nature and human beings, tradition and modernization, arts and technologies, a combination of sensibility and humanity. The University of Toronto is a part of downtown of Toronto; however, you do not feel that there is too much noise when you linger here. There are many parks, grass lawns and yards filled with trees, which makes you integrate with nature as much as possible. A large number of traditional buildings with hundred-year-old history are still in use due to the high quality of maintenance. At the same time, more new modern buildings are located just beside them instead of replacing the old ones. They coexist perfectly. In the University College Art Gallery, I not only had the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful paintings of The Group of Seven, seven of the most prestigious Canadian painters of the first half of the 20th century, but also witnessed to the intersection of arts and technologies. The artworks of biomedicine achieve a delicate balance between realistic rendering and artistic vision of the human body. The purpose of building Knox College is full of sensibility and humanity. The names curved on the walls of Soldiers’ Tower are not only a testament to those who have sacrificed their lives
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for the country, but also a valuable symbol in front of which people can think twice about war and peace. The University of Toronto is such a great place and such a prestigious university that it teaches you a lot without even saying one single word. Marilia Carlini Freire of Brazil The University of Toronto is the most renowned university in Canada. On November 9th, my classmates and I had a magnificent opportunity to make a tour of the University of Toronto campus. Our teacher showed us many places that I never thought existed at U of T. My favorite location was Knox College because it reminds me of Harry Potter scenes. The architecture of this building is amazing so I feel like I am in a castle. Also I really enjoyed the University of Toronto Art Center, where a particular piece of art caught my attention. It was like a row of metal faces with circuits and electronic components suspended on the wall. All those faces were connected together and this idea made me think. After I got close, I started to hear recorded voices talking about the brain. Lastly, I loved the design of the classrooms - like a movie theater with two floors - and an enormous blackboard. Then I started to imagine me having classes there in the next academic term!
photo cred
dit: Rania Sendi
issue 80, December 2012
photo credit: Rania Sendi
Viviane Cássia De Paula of Brazil The University of Toronto has been part of Canadian life since 1827. Therefore, it has a lot of history that can be found or even discovered only by walking in its buildings; an illustration of that is Soldier’s Tower. In the Soldier’s Tower there are the names of all alumni, staff and students who fell in the first and second World Was. On the date November, 11th people bring flowers and put them there in respect to the soldiers who gave their lives for Canada. This building was constructed in 1923 and it is one of the most interesting buildings that the University of Toronto has, not only for its history but also for the meaning that it has in Canadian society, and of course, all the foreign visitors are delighted with it too. Albert. J. Ro of South Korea There was a tour to University of Toronto during last Friday ’s class. Considering the routine class held in the classroom, this case made me feel amazing. A tour leads me to the world of imagination and inspiration that can transform what I have, I recognized again. The University of Toronto consists of a lot of buildings featuring older architectural styles, including churches, residences, libraries, a gymnasium and museum as well as main buildings for lessons. These reminded me of the philosophy and the endeavour of Canadian ancestors such as pioneers.
photo credit: Rania Sendi
photo credit: Rania Sendi
While inside these buildings, I was fascinated by sublime matters that led mankind toward the right academic way . I discovered another university within the University of Toronto. I wish I had been here earlier , in twenties or at least in thirties. Can I restart now? Useless speculation like this occurred to me. Anyway, it is true that a school tour gives me new perspective and motivation of what I should do next. Carolina Vitata of Colombia Saint George campus is not only a place to take classes and study, also is a great location to walk, read, and ride a bicycle, it is a peaceful place that inspires you. It is located close to down town in an old neighborhood with antique houses from British colony which are mixed with new architecture. It made a unique and interesting landscape. The university campus at St. George has quiet libraries, traditional churches, cafeterias with delicious food, and many green areas where you can practice sports and enjoy the summer. Their colleges were built as European cloisters with huge gardens inside, and these magnificent buildings look like Hogwarts from Harry Potter, a mystery, magic and beautiful at the same time. St. George campus is a perfect place to walk with classmates, know about Toronto and have fun taking nice pictures.
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world of words
photo credit: Rania Sendi
Murilo Gonçalves Quevedo of Brazil The most surprising thing that we saw in the trip at the University of Toronto was the architecture. Inspired by British Style, the buildings are very beautiful and classical. Hart House and student residences are examples of classical design. Another surprising point at the University of Toronto is the mixture of new architecture with classical style. Inside the building, Convocation Hall is spectacular and unique because of its acoustics. I felt so impressed with the its beauty. It is completely different from colleges in Brazil. Another good point in University of Toronto are the facilities. The infrastructure offers to students a complete environment to exercise your body, brain and muscles with many libraries art galleries and athletic centers. Rania Sendi of Saudi Arabia Studying in Canada, specifically at U of T, language wasn’t the only thing I learned from U of T I also learned lots of different life lessons. I learned that nothing comes easily and no matter what the circumstances are I need to work and finish what I need to do, and to depend on myself and do everything I want for myself without relying on anyone. Also, I learned the meaning of my family because what I learned from all the people around me that no one really cares about everything
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in my life like my family. Since I went to many English schools, what I like the most in U of T is the way that they teach the students. For instance, grouping learning; they put us in-group to talk about a subject to exchange ideas before we start writing. In terms of homework, they give us a good amount of homework that we can do and still have time at home for us to have fun or to do whatever activity we are used to do. Moreover, there are lots of students and teachers from different countries and cities with different cultures. I learned a lot from them and they taught me things to use in my daily life. There are some things considered rude in my culture, but not in Canada, such as interrupting someone while speaking. This is very rude in our culture. In Canada people do it all the time and I started doing it too because I am trying to live my life by using some of the Canadian culture to fit in the society around me. I have also taught them new things about Saudi Arabia. For example, Eid when I brought Arabic coffee and I talked about the Eid in Saudi Arabia, I was so happy and proud. It was my absolute pleasure being with my class and living with the environment in U of T. Sayaka Shigekawa of Japan Our class went on a tour around our university and I found the tour was meaningful for me. We went to several buildings which are parts of U
issue 80, December 2012
of T. We could see a combination of both old buildings and new buildings. The building we visited first, beside the Conservatory of Music, was built in 1901. It is a very historical place because Canada was a new country, and its history is not long. We walked around Soldiers’ Tower and a courtyard. The courtyard at Trinity College was Arabic design. Its was unique and the lawn was beautiful. After that, we visited several churches and a dining hall for special purposes at Trinity College. The atmosphere of these places looks like that of Europe. I could see beautiful stained glass and great portraits there. Next, we went to the Art Center at University College. At the beginning, we saw the pictures of ‘Splice’, which are related to medicine. Then, we went into a room which had many pictures and interesting works. We could look around and experience or try unique art exhibits. The Art Centre also has the works of “Group of Seven” which is very famous in the world as great Canadian artists. I was glad to see those. Finally, we went to the hall at Hart House, which is used for ceremonies and special events. I was fascinated by the grand atmosphere of that place. I think that I am a lucky person to come to Toronto and experience such a tour. If I have free time, I want to walk around and find other places to visit before I come back to Japan.
Marcio Goncalves of Brazil Historians have pointed out that World War 1 somehow brought about a sense of nationalism for many artists. Certainly, this fact may be a reason for the occurrence of some specific artistic events. For example, the Group of Seven was composed of seven Canadian painters who decided to make themselves into a group in 1919. These artists depicted several unique landscapes across Canada. Even though the Canadian culture was almost lost in time, due to the great influence brought by immigration policies, this movement can be understood as a successful attempt to establish a cultural paradigm of the nation. In Toronto, one of the most multicultural cities in the world, tourists can observe their pictures in some historical places, such as the Hart House (which belongs to the University of Toronto), the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), and the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO).
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world of words
v.e.p Cultural Assistant Megan Chen and VEP students show off posters created to support the ELP Food Drive
The Volunteer Experience Program By Chris Chipman and Megan Chen, Volunteer Experience Program
The Volunteer Experience Program (VEP) is designed to allow students to gain valuable volunteer experience at charitable organizations in Toronto. • Gain valuable work experience. • Practice speaking English. • Join exciting events happening around Toronto for free. • Meet new people. Students are awarded a certificate and reference letter upon completion of 20 hours of volunteer work which they can use when applying to academic programs in universities, or when seeking jobs in Canada and elsewhere.
The Volunteer Experience Program is proud to work with the following organizations: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Evergreen Canada Chinatown Buisness Improvement Area The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation Yonge Street Mission Harbourfront Toronto Goodlife Marathon Waterfront Blues Festival Bloor Lansdowne Christian Fellowship Great White North Dragonboat Festival Cultura Festival Dusk Dances Beaches International Jazz Festival Canadian Stage Theatre Company Heart and Stroke Foundation World Short Film Festival
Joining the VEP is easy! Attend the weekly meetings every Wednesday at 5:15pm in Room 4-160. Sign up for upcoming events, check the number of hours you have volunteered, or request a reference letter or certificate.
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issue 80, December 2012
Volunteering at the Bloor Lansdowne Christian Fellowship By Victoria Young, ELP Cultural Assistant
E
very Wednesday from 6:00-8:00, the students who have signed up for V.E.P get the opportunity to help out at the Bloor and Lansdowne Christian Fellowship (BLCF). At the BLCF, students join forces with other volunteers from all over downtown Toronto, to serve dinner to the homeless and whomever else walks through the door. The BLCF provides a nourishing meal to all their guests, and the students are able to add to this meal by creating a welcoming environment. It isn't hard work, all that is required is a smile and friendly attitude. It is the perfect way to give back to the community. For anyone wanting to help out someone in need, this is the perfect V.E.P event, you get to take part in making someone else's day a little bit better. For the past two weeks, I have had the opportunity to take part in this event, and I have to say it is quite heartwarming. The pleasant environment that the
church is able to create is impressive. There is live music, dessert, and us volunteers are even given food to eat. In my opinion, the best part about this is that through helping others out, the students are able to create a bond amongst themselves. It is a wonderful opportunity and anyone who gets the chance to participate should definitely do so. It's one of the easier V.E.P events and totally worth it, not to mention it can help with your listening skills, as you are required to take orders from the lovely lady in charge. When you aren't serving food, you get to just kick back and talk with your friends, you can meet other students from different schools or just horse around with the other volunteers. It is a really relaxed environment and actually a lot of fun! You can learn new things about your friends and Toronto that you never thought you would learn.
o VEP What d s think student eering olunt about v LCF? at the B
Soheilah said:
“I like this volunteer experience because we can meet with new friends!”
William said: Adam said:
“My favourite part about BLCF, was serving the people who came to the church to have dinner. I could distribute food to them, I think they are in need, so when I helped them I felt very happy. Another thing which I liked very much was that I could talk with my friends during the spare time!”
“This is the first time that I volunteer in a church serving the homeless. It was amazing because I never thought about a night that we could stay so close, enjoying the music while having food together. Anyways, I was not just helping them, I was helping myself.”
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u.a.p The University Application Program By Lili Meshadiyeva and Ennis Blentic, UAP Advisors
T
he English Language Program provides assistance to students who are interested in applying to university, through the University Application Program (UAP). This program offers one-onone counselling that provides assistance with the application process, and any relevant questions that students may have. The UAP also provides info sessions and recruiter visits that assist with the application process for several institutions.
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issue 80, December 2012
Six Questions to Answer in a Personal Statement By Lili Meshadiyeva and Ennis Blentic, UAP Advisors
W
riting a personal statement can be an intimidating process. This is especially true when the university does not ask you to answer any questions in particular. Often universities will tell you to put, in your personal statement, the information that you believe will get you admitted into the program. Here are six questions to answer when you don’t know what to include in your personal statement.
#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6
When and how did you develop an interest in this field? Often students become interested in a field because they took a specific course or had a personal experience. Including information about how you became interested in a field of study can show the admissions committee what drives you and allow them to get to know who you are. What have you done to develop this interest (e.g. volunteer work, working in the field, classes, conferences, speaking with professionals in the field etc.)? These experiences show that you have worked on gaining knowledge about the field that you are interested in. Furthermore, these experiences can be used to highlight your abilities. How have these experiences increased your passion for this field? Your C.V. is a place for you to state the facts about what you have done, whereas your personal statement is a place to evaluate how these experiences have influenced you. This is also where you talk about how experiences that may not seem related to the field of study that you are applying for are related. What are your career goals? This is a chance for you to talk about what your future plans are. For students this is often part of what drives them. This does not have to be a large goal; it can be simple and concise. How will completing this graduate program help you reach your career goal? Explain why this graduate program is an important step in accomplishing your career goal. This is especially important if your career goal does not seem related to the graduate program. You never want to make the admission committee think that you are only applying to the program because you do not know what else to do. Why have you chosen to apply to this particular graduate program? Every school is different so you must highlight what makes that program, and institution, unique. You should also look at these differences in order to decide if this is a program that you want to apply to.
While answering these questions you should think about the fact that the reviewer is reading several dozen personal statements from qualified candidates. Therefore, you want your personal statement to stand out in the reader’s mind. You can do this by relating a personal story that is a part of your motivation or that has had a large effect on your life. You can also do this by finding an angle that makes you stand out. Also, make sure that you have someone check your personal statement for grammar and spelling errors. Good luck!
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world of words
Life After the
English Language Program...
My Experience Studying as a MASc. Candidate By Mustafa Sarier of Turkey, ELP Ambassador
I
am Mustafa Ersin Sarier, a first year MASc. (Master of Applied Science) student at the University of Toronto Department of Civil Engineering. I am from Turkey. I was an ELP student at the University of Toronto. I had been studying at ELP for eight months. I studied two sessions of Academic English (Level 50 and Level 60), one session of Comprehensive English, and one session of Speaking English, and I started my MASc. program as a member of Transportation research group in September. As a first point to be successful at UofT, you should improve your English as much as possible before starting your program. I realized that what I learnt at the English Language Program is really essential for my master’s degree studies when I started taking classes. Thus, they don’t give you time to improve your weak points related to your English. For instance, I had to do an assignment which is related to literature review and writing a report related to specific topic for one of my classes at the beginning of the semester; moreover, professor didn’t give us enough time to write a draft and check the mistakes. Hence, they think everybody’s language skills are like native speakers’. Consequently, I got low mark for that assignment. The teaching assistant who marked my assignment was telling me that I should take the English courses which I was taking at that time from the Office of English Language and Writing Support. As you see from this example, you should prepare yourself perfectly in terms of English before starting your program. Even if your English is really good, you might still have difficulties at the beginning. Secondly, University of Toronto is really powerful, especially in Engineering. They provide offices for all MASc. and Phd. students there. They give you the access for all special laboratories; thus, they expect more from you as the studies and knowledge. Besides, you don’t sometimes have enough time to sleep. You have a nice environment there regarding engineering; you have a chance to
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meet new people who are mostly Canadian. Also this is another reason why you should improve your English perfectly to communicate with them confidently. Additionally, you have weekly seminars which are presented by famous people in Civil Engineering. Consequently, they provide you everything for your studies. Hence, they expect a lot from you. To summarize, studying master’s degree at University of Toronto is really beneficial for your future; even so it may be sometimes hard for you until you really get used to system there. ELP is like preparation session which is really useful and crucial for your graduate studies. Honestly, I experienced that I have faced whatever they taught us especially in Academic English courses at ELP although I didn’t really realize that when I was taking those courses. Sincerely, Mustafa Ersin Sarier MASc. Candidate at Civil Engineering UofT
GRAMMAR CORNER
issue 80, December 2012
How is English Grammar like Russian Dolls? By Stephen Bahry, ELP Instructor
M
any of us have seen the famous Matryoshki dolls from Russia, where one doll opens up to reveal a smaller doll inside, which then opens up to show an even smaller doll inside it, which then also opens up to reveal yet another doll. Usually the dolls are in traditional female peasant costume, as in the illustration, but there are also humorous ones where we have one Russian leader, who opens up to show the previous leader, who then reveals his predecessor, and so on. I’m sure you get the picture by now; you know, Putin is hiding Yeltsin who is hiding Gorbachev who is hiding Stalin who is hiding Lenin.
1 Clause:
Any kind of structure where similar things are contained within larger versions of similar things is called nesting. Just as a bird sits in a nest, one doll sits within another, and so these could also be called nested dolls. An interesting connection to English grammar is that English sentences also can be nested with similar things contained in larger versions of a similar thing. English clauses can hold another clause inside themselves, just as Russian matryoshki dolls can hold smaller dolls inside. Look at these examples:
The man taught french.
2 Nested Clauses: The man
who spoke only English
taught french.
3 Nested Clauses: That
the man
who claimed to teach French,
knew no french
surprised us.
Sentences with many nested clauses look hard to say, read, understand and write. And it’s true, if you read all the words in a row without breaking up the sentence into its parts, it can be difficult. Try this one: That the man who said you should have a degree to get a job was unemployed was unusual. But English speakers use pronunciation to show the grammar connections. Whenever you cross from one doll to another there will be a small pause, and also a change in intonation. Clear speakers make the grammar easier to hear, and good readers will read it as if it was written like the examples above, with pauses and changes in intonation. Why not try to make some nested sentences and read them out loud?
How many clauses deep can you go? Good luck! 1. ____________ 2. 3. 4. 5.
____________
____________
____________
____________
____________
____________
____________
____________
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ENGLISH OUTSIDE O
OF THE CLASSROOM
world of words
Social Activities By Andrea Cuellar, ELP Cultural Assistant
T
he English Language Program takes pride in the amazing social activities available for students outside the classroom. They happen every day of the week and are great way for students to practice English, make new friends from different countries, and experience the best of Toronto all at the same time! When students look back on their time at ELP it is usually memories and friendships made during these social activities that they remember most when they leave!
! e r o l Ga “What is your favourite social activity at ELP?”
"I enjoy the Niagara Falls trip a lot, and also the Jazz night. I never miss a Jazz night because I really enjoy the music. The Rex is a good place to talk with friends, they have good food and the bands are always very good." Andres Felipe Garcia
“I love the Taste of Toronto events because I can try food from different countries. In addition, when I’m eating, I can talk with my friends and practice my English.” Adam Ding
“I enjoy the Taste of Toronto nights because Canada has foods from different countries that I can try. Also I like the Sports Club activities so that I can stay fit and healthy while I am here.” David Wu
“Coffee chat is my favourite activity because its nice just to talk off-topic (just topics that are not usual) and the sports days because I got interested in baseball after I played softball with ELP.” Lennard Gizzi
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“I like the outdoor sports events with the Sports Club because I enjoy playing sports with my friends and meeting new ones.” William Fan
“I liked the pumpkin carving competition because of the competition against friends and the prizes. Also I enjoy going to the ROM.” Mai Ogura
“My favourite event to take students on is the Boat Cruise. I like dancing and having fun with the students.” Victoria Young
"The Halloween Boat Cruise Party has been my favourite because I got to party on Halloween with friends and also I won a prize for best costume, and the prize was a free ticket to the Washington trip with ISX." Suguru Chiba
“I really enjoy the Casa Loma trips because it is something that I do not do often and it is fun to share it with the students.” Maxine Bower
"The Photo Club event on Toronto Island was really fun because I love taking pictures and I really enjoyed the scenery and making new friends." Gilvonete Lages
world of words
sinister
Director: Scott Derrickson Writers: Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill
Director: Sam Mendes Writers: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, John Logan
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Juliet Rylance and James Ransone
Cast: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Berenice Marlohe
Plot: “A true-crime writer finds a cache of 8mm films that suggest the murder he is currently researching is the work of a serial killer whose career dates back to the 1960s.” - imdb.com
Plot: “James Bond’s loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As M16 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.” - imdb.com
Movie Night Reviews By
Andrea Cuellar, ELP Cultural Assistant; and Adam Ding, Academic English
A frequent social activity we have at ELP is Movie Night. This is a opportunity for students to go have a night out at the movies together and experience different genres of film, from horror to romance, or action and adventure. We got some perspective on the most recent ELP movie nights from student and movie fan Adam Ding. Here are his thoughts on the films Sinister and Skyfall:
What was Sinister about? "Sinister is a scary movie. A criminal writer moved into a house to find inspiration. He met a lot of strange things in the house which brought danger to his family."
What was the scariest part of Sinister? "I thought it was very scary when the writer found several videotapes which recorded the process of some murders in the house, and in the evening, they played automatically."
Do you usually enjoy watching scary movies? Why or why not? "No. I seldom watch horror movies because after watching this, it is difficult to get sleep, haha."
Did you prefer watching Sinister or Skyfall more? Why? "I like Skyfall a little bit more because I'm a loyal fan of James Bond."
What was your favourite part of Sinister? "My favourite part was that it gave me strong feeling, and made me feel like im in the house with him, so it made me scared."
How did Skyfall compare to other James Bond movies you have seen? "I think Skyfall is the best one. James Bond faces a physical problem because of injury. Although he is injured, he finished his mission at last."
What was your least favourite part of Sinister? "My least favourite part was the ending but I cannot say in case others have not seen it!"
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What was the best part of Skyfall? SPOILER ALERT - "The last scene was best, in the old house when James bond, Mrs M, and the housekeeper defend against a large number of enemies."
issue 80, December 2012
Try the
Taste of the Danforth! By Mehmet Filiz of Turkey, ELP Ambassador
T
aste of the Danforth is one of the annual festivals in Toronto. During this festival, you can try Greek or Turkish origin foods. This festival usually starts on the first week of August. Unfortunately, the majority of ELP students are unable to attend this festival. For this reason, I wrote this article. This article has some information about my favourite restaurants on Danforth including Akropolis, Mr. Pide, Christina’s on the Danforth and Sereno Bakery. First, Akropolis is located at 708 Danforh Ave. I prefer this restaurant for breakfast or lunch for I like their pie. There are different kinds of pie such as cheese, spinach, and meat. Moreover, they have Greek salad and various types of dessert. When I go there, I always order spinach pie with Greek salad and tea.
Akropolis Pastries www.akropolispastries.com
Mr. Pide www.mrpide.com
My second favourite restaurant is Mr. Pide - 800 Danforth Ave. This restaurant is a Turkish restaurant where you can eat pide, which is traditional Turkish pizza, and dessert. The portion of pide is very big so I always go there for dinner. There are different ingredients in pide such as cheese, spinach, chicken, pepper and meat. In addition to pide, you get free unlimited Turkish tea after your meal. Third, Christina’s on the Danforth is located at 492 Danforth Ave. In this restaurant, you can eat delicious Greek foods. When you go there on Friday or Saturday nights, not only can you listen live Greek band, but also you can watch bellydance performance. During this performance, you could dance with the belly dancer. Last one is a Greek bakery called Serano bakery. The address of this bakery is 830 Pape Ave. They bake daily cookies, cakes, desserts, pies… etc. I always go there to get some Turkish or Greek origin dessert before visiting my friends. Moreover, they have awesome birthday cakes for your friends’ birthday.
Christina’s on the Danforth www.christinas.ca
Serano Bakery www.seranobakery.com
To sum up, you should visit these restaurants especially if you are not in Toronto during the festival. The following website provides further information about those restaurants as well as the festival. Taste of the Danforth www.tasteofthedanforth.com
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GANGNAM Finally Explained: An English Translation!
STYLE
Complete with Cultural Annotations --------------------------------------
By Lily Choi, ELP Cultural Assistant Sure, you’ve heard this irritatingly catchy tune and seen the viral music video, which has garnered over 800 million views (and counting) on YouTube since it was posted in July of this year. But really, what is the meaning behind this dance beat and inspiration for mastermind Psy’s signature horse-riding dance? Your favorite Korean-Canadian Cultural Assistant, Lily Choi (who is as bewildered at this phenomenon as you are), explains it all.
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2
3 4 5
Oppa is Gangnam style Gangnam style
A woman who is warm and compassionate during the day 6 A classy woman who knows how to enjoy the freedom of a cup of coffee 7 A woman whose heart gets hotter when the night falls A woman with that kind of twist 8 I’m a guy 9 10 A guy who is as warm as you during the day A guy who downs his coffee in one shot before it even cools down
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A guy whose heart bursts at night That kind of guy Beautiful, loveable That’s you, that’s what you are Beautiful, loveable That’s you, that’s what you are
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I’m a guy 16 A guy who seems mild-mannered but plays when he plays A guy who goes completely crazy when the time is right A guy whose ideas are built rather than his muscles That kind of guy 17 Beautiful, loveable That’s you, that’s what you are Beautiful, loveable That’s you, that’s what you are Let’s see how far we can go from now on Oppa is Gangnam style Gangnam style Eh- sexy lady Oppa is Gangnam style Eh- sexy lady
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Let’s see how far we can go from now on Oppa is Gangnam style Gangnam style Eh- sexy lady Oppa is Gangnam style Eh- sexy lady
A woman who is sexier dressed modestly than if she were dressed in a revealing fashion 15 That kind of sensible woman
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Above the guy who’s running is the guy who’s flying Baby baby, I’m a guy who knows a thing or two Above the guy who’s running is the guy who’s flying Baby baby, I’m a guy who knows a thing or two
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A woman who seems quiet but plays when she plays A woman who lets her hair down when she feels the time is right
You know what I’m saying? Oppa is Gangnam style Eh- sexy lady Oppa is Gangnam style
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issue 80, December 2012
1 Oppa is a Korean term of endearment that a woman
on essentials so they can over-spend on conspicuous luxuries, of which coffee is, believe it or not, one of the most common. "The number of coffee shops has gone up tremendously, particularly in Gangnam. Coffee shops have become the place where people go to be seen and spend ridiculous amounts of money."
uses to describe an older brother, older male friend, or boyfriend; it can be used, as it is in this context, as a first-person pronoun – thus, Psy states that he is/has Gangnam style (see below)
2 Gangnam is an affluent neighbourhood in Seoul,
8 To her personality; or alternatively, “A woman who
the capital city of Korea, which houses the Korean equivalent of the “top 1%” as coined in American politics; in an interview, Psy has described Gangnam as being ”noble in the daytime and crazy at nighttime”, as it is a popular party district for young people
is multi-faceted in this way”
9 Slightly implies brat, or joker 10 Refers to the aforementioned woman
3 Psy compares his ideal woman to the atmosphere of Gangnam – proper and reserved but fun and exciting, depending on the time and situation – and describes himself as being the ideal guy for such a woman; at the same time, Psy pokes fun at the ostentatious habits of the kind of people who frequent this area and satirizes the privileged lifestyle of Gangnam’s inhabitants, which inspires both envy and distaste among the other 99% of Seoul’s citizens 4 The wealthy lifestyle enjoyed by Gangnam’s inhabitants also explains Psy’s signature horse-riding dance – because, yes, Gangnam is home to horse stables for the dressage-appreciating Ann Romney types of South Korea.
11 With passion or excitement 12 In comparison to the aforementioned woman, whose heart only heats up
13 Originally phrased as a question, alternatively, “Shall we see how far we can take this?”
14 In terms of partying, or recreational time in general 15 Modesty and tastefulness in choice of clothing is
widely favoured in Korean culture, especially for women
5 For further reading on the analysis of social commentary given by Psy, see the article “Gangnam Style, Dissected: The Subversive Message Within South Korea’s Music Video Sensation” in The Atlantic.
16 Implies having a calm, dignified disposition 17 As in intellectual and creative thinking 18 The latter refers to himself
6 In terms of time, given that sitting down for coffee
at a café requires one to personally take time out of their workday and give him/herself a break; also connotes luxury, as the kind of coffee consumed, in the geo-economic context of the Gangnam district, would be high in quality and therefore expensive
7 From The Atlantic article: “In Korea, there's a joke
poking fun at women who eat 2,000-won (about $2) ramen for lunch and then spend 6,000 won on Starbucks coffee." They're called Doenjangnyeo, or "soybean paste women" for their propensity to crimp
GANGNAM STYLE
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IN 4 SIMPLE STEPS:
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world of words
Christmas in By Cindy Zhou, ELP Cultural Assistant
T
here’s something special about the Christmas season that sets it apart from all other holidays. The streets come alive with glittering lights. Impressively decorated Christmas trees seem to emerge out of nowhere. Carols are playing nonstop in all the stores. Crowds are bustling about for last-minute Christmas presents, looking stressed yet happy at the same time. There’s a general sense of excitement in the air that you just cannot ignore. Without a doubt, Christmas is my favourite holiday of the year. It’s a time for spending with family and friends, basking in the warmth of fireplaces with a cup of hot chocolate, soft music in the background, and good company. For students especially, Christmas vacation is a time to party and relax after the stress of final exams. To be sure, Christmas can bring warmth to the middle of winter like nothing else. Canadians go all out during Christmas and there are plenty of great events happening all around Toronto. If you are going to be spending Christmas here, why not spice up your vacation and check out some of the events listed below? Christmas Lights in the City If you are the kind of person who enjoys taking aimless strolls through the city, why not discover all the great Christmas lights decorations here in Toronto! Take an evening out of your busy schedule to walk along University Avenue, Bay Street (especially Nathan Phillips Square at City Hall), Yonge Street, and Bloor Street, and you will surely be amazed and astounded at all the festive decorations lighting up downtown Toronto! Lowe’s Toronto Christmas Market Dates: November 30 – December 16 Times: Mon. – Fri. 12pm – 9pm; Sat. & Sun. 10am – 9pm Location: Distillery District Price: Free! Christmas markets are a tradition that originated in Germany and has since spread around the world. Toronto’s annual Christmas market will showcase artisan crafts, various Christmas sweets and delicacies, and lots of musicians. There will be a 45 foot Christmas tree, some of the best Christmas lights and decorations in the city, a fairy tale forest maze complete with Santa’s house and workshop, and a chance to visit Rudolph and his reindeer friends!
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DJ Skate Nights Dates: every Saturday from December 15 Times: 8pm – 11pm Location: Harbourfront Centre Natrel Rink Price: Free admission. $8 for skate rentals. What’s winter without outdoor skating? Join the party every Saturday night at the Natrel Rink where local DJs spin a variety of tunes to create an impromptu dance club on ice. The Natrel Rink is located right by the waterfront and you’ll get a great view of Lake Ontario as you twirl around the rink. It’s even better when there’s a light sprinkling of snow outside because that’s when it really feels like a winter wonderland. So go have a good time, dress warmly, and don’t be afraid of falling! A Christmas Carol Date: December 4 – December 29 Time: various Location: Young Centre for the Performing Arts Price: tickets starting at $32 for students If you like live-action theatre, check out this rendition of Charles Dickens’ classical Christmas tale about an old Scrooge who learns the true meaning of giving and Christmas after being visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, Christmas present, and Christmas future. The story is an enduring and heart-warming tale of how everyone
n Toronto
can learn from their mistakes and change for the better. For more information, visit: www.soulpepper.ca. The Christmas Story at the Church of the Holy Trinity Dates: December 9 – December 24 Times: 4:30pm or 7:30pm Location: Church of the Holy Trinity Price: Free. Voluntary donations recommended. RSVP @ www.holytrinitytoronto.org If you are interested in learning about the origin of Christmas, then consider attending a performance of the Christmas Story. Here you will learn all about the birth of Jesus Christ, Mary and Joseph, the little town of Bethlehem, the three wise men, the North Star, the shepherds, and more. Performed by more than 100 volunteers each year, this event re-enacts the tale which began the tradition. Although the modern holiday has evolved beyond a purely Christian tradition and has incorporated elements of various cultures, its Christian roots are still undeniable. Toronto Zoo’s Annual Christmas Treats Walk Date: December 26 Time: 10am – 11am Location: Toronto Zoo Price: 50% off regular admission, so about $10
If you don’t want to join the mad rush of shoppers on Boxing Day, consider joining the zookeepers at the Toronto Zoo as they celebrate Christmas with the animals! If you go in the morning, you will be able to take a walk with the zookeepers as they present holiday treats to the animals. Otherwise, if you would prefer not to wake up so early, enjoy half price admissions all day when you bring one non-perishable food item for the Food Bank. But remember to dress warmly as it can get pretty chilly in the zoo! The Nutcracker Ballet Date: December 19 – December 30 Time: various Location: The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Price: tickets starting at $52 The National Ballet Company of Canada brings to life Tchaikovsky’s Christmas classic in a spellbinding show of the Nutcracker. If you enjoy ballet, or would like to experience it for the first time, the Nutcracker is the ideal show. The story centers around two children, Misha and Marie, and their adventures in dreamland with their friend, the Nutcracker, as they defeat an evil army of mice, visit the Snow Queen, and attend a banquet at the Palace of the Sugar Plum Fairy. For more information, visit: www.national.ballet.com
world of words
s ’ n e r r Da Corner c i s Mu
The instrument I play most often is acoustic guitar. It is a very versatile instrument because you can play many different songs with it. I learned how to play guitar on my own, by studying chord diagrams, tablature, and practicing a lot! In the March Issue I covered some basic chords. This time around we will be looking at how to tune a guitar and the anatomy of a guitar. E
A
D
e
B
G
E A D G B e
2FC PQR RFGLE WMS LCCB RM ILMU GQ RFC L?KCQ MD RFC ESGR?P strings. They are names for the note they make when you pluck them “open”. From top to bottom the strings are called: “E”, “A”, “D”, “G”, “B”, “e”. To remember you can use the mnemonic: “Every Afternoon Do Guitar Before English”. ,CVR WMS UGJJ LCCB RM LB ? ESGR?P RSLCP JGIC RFC two example pictured on the right. Tuners come in all shapes and sizes but all of them work in a similar way. Begin by plucking your “E” string as clear and loud as you can. Use a pick. Your tuner will show the note the string is making which should be E. If not, turn the “E” tuning peg until you are in the E range. Tightening the peg will make the string higher and loosening will make it lower. Once you are in the E range look at the slider and tighten/loosen the string until it rests in the centre. Repeat this process for the the other 5 strings.
A free iPhone app tuner
A cheap $20 digital tuner
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Contribute to World of Words Magazine! 1) Email your submission to wow.elp@utoronto.ca 2) Attach your text submission to the email in a word document. Attach any photographs or artwork separately. 3) Include your full name, home country, and the course you’re enrolled in.
issue 80, December 2012
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ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAM 252 Bloor St. West, Suite 4-106 Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1V6 t: 416.978.5104 f: 416.971.2839 e: learn.english@utoronto.ca w: learn.english.utoronto.ca SCHOOL OF CONTINUING STUDIES 158 St. George St. Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 2V8 t: 416.978.2400 f: 416.978.6666 e: learn@utoronto.ca w: learn.utoronto.ca