World of Words; Spring, June 2010

Issue 70, June 2010

World of Words “The English Language Program’s student magazine; a compilation of the spring session’s highlights, students’ opinions and other features ”

“Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” ELP’s Geordie’s Jam & the Guitar Club

Focus on: Switzerland, Venezuela & Saudi Arabia

Plus: Students uncover the mysteries of Surveillance Societies, the life of CAs & Secret Scientists

Inside this Issue

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World of Words

Artistic Insights ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊

Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction Automotive Design ”Nights in Rodanthe” Movie Review “Persepolis” Movie Review A Ghost in the City—a short story

Cultural Insights ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊

Assisted Suicide in Switzerland Cultural Events in Saudi Arabia Difficulties in Owing a House in Saudi Arabia Homosexual Parenting Seol-nal Pollution in Venezuela Venezuela’s Power Crisis Overuse of Alcohol by Swiss Youth Travel Diary: Western Canada

Beyond the Books: ELP Happenings ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊

The Secret Life of CAs Student Profiles: Sean Kim & Kosei Kitano Geordie’s Jam & Guitar Club Music Brings People Together

Student Reflections ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊

Dear Friends by Ji-Hye Kim One Boy Who Wants to Make His Parents Proud Do You Like Horses?

The Most Embarrassing Event of My Life Compulsory Foreign Languages in School Physical Education Nelson Mandela Secret Scientists Surveillance Society Nuclear Energy’s Impact The Olympics

Issue 70, June 2010

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ELP DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE – JUNE 2010

Dear all, Welcome to yet another exciting issue of WoW. The warm spring session has inspired many outdoor events and the ELP has been keeping students busy with various activities, taking full advantage of the weather, despite the occasional rain fall. Our cultural assistants have been working non-stop to prepare for the summer session, organizing events for the photo club, soccer club, softball club and the newly introduced guitar club! Summer is such a great time to be studying in Toronto!

Did you know? This year we are celebrating the 15th anniversary of the publication of WoW! Our little magazine has certainly come a long way since it was first published, with the help and enthusiasm of many staff members and students. We hope that you enjoy reading it; you will find interesting and engaging features, which will no doubt inspire further discussions and stir memories. In this issue, our student writers cover serious issues, such as nuclear energy, pollution, assisted suicide and surveillance cameras, and on the fun side, we also highlight the musical talent of students, instructors and staff at Geordie’s Jam. Keep an eye out for our next two issues, which will include articles about some of the founding members of WoW! On behalf of everyone at the ELP program, I wish you the best of luck in all your future endeavors. Congratulations to all of you who are continuing their studies in university. Do not forget to share your success stories with us so you can get a chance to be highlighted in our upcoming issues!

All the best, Sherry Yuan Hunter Executive Director, English Language Program School of Continuing Studies University of Toronto

It has been a wonderful and exciting session , and from all the staff at ELP, we wish you all the best!

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World of Words

The Secret Life of a CA (Your Cultural Assistants): What is it really like?

By Janet Cao In this picture: Introducing the CAs: Darren is tall, smiling and wearing a stripped shirt, Shirley is waving hello and wearing sunglasses, Toni is ready to give you a hug with arms wide open, Marianne is trying to scare you off with that face, Janet & Anna are the two normal looking ones, and Yoon is the one with the little Mohawk! Tope is also a CA but he is there only in spirit …

We always hear about the wonderful experiences international students who have attended the English Language Program have had, but what is it like to work as a Cultural Assistant at the ELP? A short story behind what the life of a CA really is…enjoy!

This is one of the most rewarding student jobs at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies. First, we make long lasting friendships not only with each other but with students from all over the world that we might not have known otherwise: Brazil, Japan, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Korea, Spain, France, China, and so many more. Secondly, through assisting with planning, promoting and leading students on events, parties, activities and clubs we have a great opportunity to further

improve our leadership, communication and problem solving skills. Essential skills needed in today’s workforce. Furthermore, the ELP working environment is a combination of professionalism, openness, and incredibly friendly staff.

The balance level of autonomy and supervision we get as CAs encourages us to take initiatives to become better at what we do and the actual tasks that we do are very diverse: from helping with the volunteer club to administrative prep to front desk to experiential activities with students. Lastly, our experience has changed our lives; some of us have decided (after working as a CA) to go into teaching after our undergraduate degree – so you see, it’s more than just a job for us!

Issue 70, June 2010

Tope loves volunteering with students because he loves interacting with people from across the world. Having worked with the volunteer club and international students for a while, he knows how to say 'hello' in several language. Do you think you can beat him?

I’m majoring in Human Geography and Urban Studies at UofT. I would like to teach geography, own a co-operative farm, or work in the area of urban agriculture.

Friends and family play an important role in my life and I love everything related to food (growing it, cooking it, sharing it, and eating it)! One of my favourite things about Toronto is its diversity, and my family and friends who are here. Best recent volunteer club memory: Going out to eat with students after Marianne, the students and I finished volunteering at a Church collecting food for their food drive. Several ladies gave us a cheque of $500 and $50 for the food drive; people in Toronto are so considerate of others!

Darren just graduated from OCAD university with a degree in photography. It is only appropriate then that he is in charge of the English Language Program’s photo club. Join him on city explorations to take photos and enter them into ELP’s photo contest for a chance to win prizes!

I majored in Radiation Therapy and Physiology. I would love to travel and learn about different parts of the world, and also gain weight. My interests include music, art, friends, shopping, and collecting musical instruments.

My favourite thing about Toronto: is needless to say, its multiculturalism. Best volunteer club memory: Waking up at six on a Sunday morning to go to the Toronto Islands by 8am to volunteer for the Canadian Running Series when most of the students showed up at 9am... Alright, there were better memories...I'll let you know next time.

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My name is Marianne and I’m a student at UofT in the Commerce program. My goal in the next few years is to become an accountant. I am quite active and enjoy being outdoors. I like to run and go camping or hiking. I am also part of the Commerce dragon boat team and in the summer, we race against other universities at different regattas. My favourite part about Toronto is its diversity. In my spare time, I like to explore different neighborhoods and try unique restaurants that offer foods from different cultures. I am excited to be part of the English Language Program and I look forward to getting to know you.

I was born in Manila, Philippines. I moved to Canada when I was 5. My hobbies include physical acticity; I go to Muay Thai classes (thai Kick Boxing) when I can and I also play sports such as volleyball, tennis, and rugby. However I recently quit rugby because it's such a tough game. I lost some of my toe nails (gross!), injured my ankle and shoulder, and even got a concussion! I'm not all about sports though, I'd like to think I'm a pretty good artist, I like painting. Since I am fresh out of high school, working here at ELP has been a great and fun experience so far. I love meeting students from around the globe and I find different cultures very interesting. I only hope to continue learning more about you guys!

I’m currently a TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) program graduate, while I previously majored in Psychology and Employment Relations. I want to teach English in South Korea, Hong Kong or Japan. My dream is to live in San Francisco because it's such a beautiful city! My interests include traveling, musicals, food, culture and languages. My favourite thing about Toronto is its diversity.

Did you know? Yoon was a cultural assistant before he worked at the English Language Program! Even before that, he was a student himself at the English Language Program! Check out the next issue of WoW for a profile on Yoon—a true ELP alumni.

MUSICAL TALENTS AT THE ELP

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World of Words

Geordie’s Jam is a unique event that brings together students, teachers, and CAs to share their musical interests. It all started with the teachers Dave, Jesse, and Steve, whose wonderful performances inspired the rest of us to join in. During this session, we were fortunate enough to have ELP student and Guitar Club founder Sean, as well as the club members Kosei, Philip, Minsoo, Carmelo and others perform for us on the guitar, drums, piano, and vocals. Students from different parts of the world also sang songs in their own languages such as Arabic, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Chinese and Japanese. At one of these events, your fun-loving CAs even transformed into actors and actresses as they put on their costumes to act out the music video for Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me”.

We gather at the Transac Club every other Tuesday evening. Whether you want to share your musical talents or just grab a drink and relax to the music, we would love to have you join us!

GUITAR CLUB The Guitar Club is open to students interested in learning how to play the guitar or students who want to learn some new songs and improve their guitar skills. We also welcome singers.

We meet every Thursday at 5:15pm in Rooms 4-272 and 4-270.

No experience is required. We will teach you everything from scratch! At the end of the session, you’ll get to perform in front of your classmates at the Final Event!

Issue 70, June 2010

Music is a great way to get people together.

Every other Tuesday evening the students, cultural assistants and some teachers of the English Language Program get together to share music at the Tranzac Club on Brunswick Avenue.

Last Tuesday, June 8th 2010, we all got together for a variety of folk, jazz and traditional songs.

Many students sang songs from their countries which were so beautiful. As we sipped on some juice or held a pint of beer, we listened to students’ songs performed from Korea, Japan, Benin, Saudi Arabia and Italy, among others. The cultural assistants played instruments and sang for us and some of the teachers also played the guitar and sang. We even had a guest performance by David Bahry, an amazing trumpet player, who accompanied his father, teacher Steve Bahry, to play a sultry rendition of “Round Midnight”.

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her by the arm to the piano and she sat on the bench, poised to play. Then, there was silence in the room.

Laila said she would like to play the theme song from The Lord of The Rings, and then she began. Her performance was flawless, beautiful and full of emotion.

Why was it the most moving performance? Because Laila has been blind for most of her life. It was truly impressive to watch her play this piece and one can only imagine what effort she has put forth to do what she did that night.

She has risen above her personal challenges and developed remarkable strategies to meet them.

We can all learn from Laila the importance of working with our personal challenges to rise above them.

You are invited to come out and listen to some music together with your fellow classmates at the next Geordie’s Jam – Tuesday June 22nd at the Tranzac Club.

Hope to see you there. In the meantime, check out slideshows of the event at www.geordiewilson.com/ geordies-jam.html.

All students face personal challenges in their efforts to live in Toronto and learn English, so it is really encouraging to see how each student is supported by everyone at this music event, affectionately called ‘Geordie’s Jam’. Every performer was given a warm round of applause, followed by supportive cheers, after BY their performance. However, the most moving performance that evening came from a student from Switzerland named Laila. Before the end of the evening, teacher and performer, Dave Wilson, asked if anyone would like to go up to perform the last song of the evening. From the back of the room, Laila raised her hand.

The audience looked at her with eager anticipation and began to cheer her on. One of her classmates guided

Jesse Khudoo

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World of Words

The Boy Who Wants to Make His Parents Proud

by Axel Mensah When I was younger, my parents told me that after my h i g h school, I will go to Canada e i t h e r Montreal or Toronto. I did not want to leave my family, my country and my friends due to the fact that I could not imagine me living without them, so far and alone. Even though people told me that Canada is an amazing country and I will be happy to live there, I always did not want. My parents did all their best to convince me to go because they wanted a good education and teaching for me. Finally, I told them that there is just one condition for me to go; one member of the family had to go with me.

Thence, they looked for someone ready to go with me. Unfortunately, they found someone, my cousin Clovis, who was applying for University of Toronto. I did not wish that my parents found someone, but they found; so, I had to go. After I got my High School Diploma, my parents did all the formalities for my travelling. I was sad, really sad, and my cousin Clovis told me:

“do not be sad Axel, we are together, you need to have trust in you, you have to be confident, I am confident and I know we will go, succeed in our studies and come back in our country to make our parents happy and proud of us. �. When I heard that, I began to understand the real reason why my parents wanted to send me studying in Canada and I forgot my sadness, I took my courage in my hands and decided to make my parents proud of me. I swore to never be sad again about my travelling for the happiness of my parents even if I did not want to be separated of my family for a long time. Now, I am in Toronto where I am studying English at University of Toronto. I passed my first level, level 40, with a good grade, A-. Actually, my parents are really happy about my studies and want that I continue like that until the end of my formation. For this reason, I promised to my parents to get an A+ for this present session in level 50 and to always continue to study hard to encourage them for sending money for my studies. Sometimes, I feel some uncertainty about my studies because I am waiting for acceptance from University of Toronto for my major computer science. I just hope so that they will take me to obtain my diploma and make my parents proud of me. That is my first goal in my life; see my parents proud of me.

Issue 70, June 2010

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The Most Embarrassing Event of My Life “learning life lessons the embarrassing way” There are lots of memorable moments in one’s life. Those events are worth remembering for feeling happiness, sadness, sympathy or admiration. For me, I will never forget the most embarrassing moment of my whole life while I was a volunteer teacher in a countryside orphanage.

Fortunately, the awkward event not only embarrassed me, but also taught me an invaluable lesson which has been useful ever since.

It was two years ago, when I was in Grade 11. I volunteered to be a one-day teacher in a countryside orphanage. I even could not fall asleep the night before I went there since I kept thinking about how I could have comfortable conversations with the children. Also, I prepared for the questions they might ask and answers for some tough ones. In the end, I fell asleep unawares and dreamed of many lovely faces that would probably appear tomorrow.

When the day finally arrived, I started my teaching with noticeable dark circles around my eyes.

During the class, I carefully introduced myself to the children and tried to remember their names as soon as possible. Fortunately, everything seemed alright as half of the class time was gone, but I was still afraid that they would ask some challenging questions for me to answer.

And the most difficult question I have ever heard just came in the next moment. A slight seven-year-old girl, with a twinkle in her eye, asked a tough question for which I was unprepared. “Teacher, can you tell me why an orange has so many sections, but an apple does not?” she asked with intense eagerness. Meanwhile, my brain stopped working; a blush suffused my cheeks and my face was just like a Red Delicious apple. All of students stared at me closely, curiously, and intently. At that moment, kids were no longer lovely for me, but frightening because they were all waiting for my answer. I was acutely embarrassed at being in a situation of ‘holding a wolf by the ears’. After approximately

tell you later.”As I said that, the smiles had vanished on their faces.

I thought of telling them that it is just about the nature, fruits grow that way. But I thought I should have a better answer. I did not find any answers until I saw a little girl gave half of her orange to her grandmother. This action reminded me of an old saying. Then, I went back to that orphanage again and told them the answer, “An orange has many sections to teach us to share,”and I continued,“if you share them with your loved ones, all of you would feel happy.”Afterwards, the slight girl asked“But, apples do not have sections, does it mean that apples cannot be shared with others?”I smiled, and answered“It is ‘no’ for sure. The reason why apples do not have sections is that sometimes you need to give the whole thing to others.”After I explained my answer to them, I noticed that they all looked at me in an admiring way.

I have always remembered the embarrassing event, for it has taught me sharing and giving, which are helpful life lessons.

What’s the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you?

Don’t be shy! Share your stories by sending two minutes, I said to the class“Sorry, I don’t them to be published for the next issue of know the answer either, but I will look it up and WOW!

World of Words

Milena Petkova offers her views on teaching foreign languages in schools ...

Compulsory Foreign Languages in Schools

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The world is a diversity of people, conversing with each other in different languages. At the present time, with instant communication and widespread travel, we humans come into contact with people of other lands, other cultures, and speak foreign languages much more frequently than in former times.

Today’s children will be called to reach out and embrace the world; becoming fluent in a second language during their school years is a worthy place to start .Although the compulsory language lessons in the UK have no longer been required to children over 14 since September, 2004, students in most other European countries have to learn at least one foreign language. (BBC NEWS, UK, November 4, 2004).

All schools should encourage children to become bilingual at an early age. There are many benefits to learning more than one language. Not only will this skill give pupils more opportunities in the world, which will be profitable for the economy, it will also allow them to understand other cultures and lead them to continue learning languages at university to become language teachers. Every school that adopts this policy will surely see the positive outcomes.

One of the major sectors in our society is the economy, which correlates with knowing at least one foreign language. Children who know how to speak a common second language such as French, Spanish, English and Chinese will have more career opportunities in those populations which are increasing.

Global communications are now becoming commonplace in almost of any type of business, which can be researched or even completed by the Internet. Therefore, languages cannot not be a boundary for business people. When children become adults, and they wish to travel because of their interest in business, or they want to live abroad, it will be easy and convenient for them. Having a foundation in a second language will increase the children’s self-esteem because they can go to different places and understand events that happen around them without a translator.

Sometimes it is difficult to find a good interpreter at a low cost, so to speak another language is important; we feel delighted to understand another person’s language and save money. As an example, in the post-communist countries, Russian was the only mandatory language in schools. As a result, the economy of these nations was only dependent on export and import of products from Russia. It was an acceptable way of communication because many people knew Russian, but later, after communism, there was a problem - lack of Anglophones. To find a solution, most governments implemented learning foreign languages in primary school as obligatory.

Some officials were opposed to that idea because of their belief that many young people struggle with reading and writing in their own language. In their opinion, the more important factor is that students should focus on achieving their basic skills, instead

of foreign languages. Besides, not every worker needs to know a second language, so there is no reason to make everyone learn it. However, governments should make young people learn modern languages to promote economic growth.

Learning a language is not just about speaking another tongue; it gives children a unique opportunity to explore other cultures and to at look the life of individuals through another pair of eyes. When children are familiar not only with their own backgrounds but also with others, they become openminded. That trait will help them to be more compassionate and empathetic to people around them. Besides, pupils can associate with a variety of individuals, which will lead them to learn useful strategies and methods to solve problems in their future life and to adapt to modern life. For instance, many immigrants who came to Canada speaking English or French are more successful and confident in themselves because the language and the cultural issues are not a barrier for them. Another example is the international students who came from countries, such as France with the Baccalaureate system, in which all students in their final year of secondary school take exams, including foreign languages; it is easier for them to study, to pass the exams with high scores, and to make a lot of friends. Having knowledge and understanding about other cultures because of the language they learn, students are able to avoid the stress and loneliness that others meet.

The opponents of compulsory foreign languages in school claim that there has recently been a lack of language teachers in many countries. In addition, they believe if second languages are obligatory, the need for qualified teachers will be huge. In some nations like Bulgaria, most of the staff is unqualified; as a result, students are not interested in acquiring knowledge in English, French or German. They just drop the classes, or if they are in class, do not pay attention to the lessons. However, if the government establishes as mandatory learning foreign languages, in the long term, the problem will be solved. If the officials give as a reward extra money to language graduates, it will stimulate them to continue to gain knowledge in languages at university and possibly become language teachers.

Every child should learn at least one foreign language in school. According to Lord Dearing, one of the UK supporters of compulsory modern languages, all primary schools should start teaching the process of languages at age 7 to 14 by 2010 ( Andolo,2007) Because language is like the heart of the economy, learners will acquire more visits abroad and work experience. Moreover, through language, children will build their knowledge and confidence. Therefore, teachers and institutions should promote mandatory studying of foreign languages at an early age.

Issue 70, June 2010

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BOAT CRUISE PARTY!

by Lujain Halawani

Mandating Physical Education in Schools

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World of Words

Physical education and school sports should be an important issue for most students, but it doesn't seem to be important for those don't have time to add PE class to their schedule.

Opponents of mandatory PE say that the time spent on this subject in schools has little effect on performance ( Cowley, 2006). They believe that students in high school or college should not be forced to take PE “at the ELP we encourage students to engage in physical activities” class, and the time should be spent on basic skills, such as mathematics and science. prevalence of overweight children in the U.S However, this argument fails to consider has tripled from 5% to 15% in 2000,(CDC. the benefits of physical education, so it 2003). The main reason is that many are not should be required in schools . very physically active. One explanation for One of the main supporting arguments is that vigorous exercise can affect students' academic performance. Physical education can increase students’ participation in class, help them to gain knowledge, skills, and self-esteem which would improve classroom behavior as well as performance. Children who are more physically active tend to perform better academically. "They are going to be in school, and they are going to be connected with the teacher in a better way", according to Pelletier (New York Times, 2004). Moreover, about fourteen published studies and eight health surveys predict that there is a correlation between PE and academic performance, even though one study conducted in Canada found a negative connection between them (CDC, 2010). It is clear that students who include PE are stronger in concentration skills and classroom behavior.

this is that they spend hours in front of TVs and computers. In fact, more than 2 hours a day of regular TV viewing time has been linked to overweight and obesity (National Heart Institute, 2010). Furthermore, physical education improves students' health and academic achievement by focusing on activity and fitness in the class instead of simply sport (New York Times, 2006). It is important to teach children about a variety of activities that are enjoyable and help them to continue physically active lifestyles. This has to be done at school as well as the home.

School policies and programs, including PE, are generally decided and funded in many countries, such as the United States. Physical education is one of the best courses a school can teach its children. In today's society, children are unhealthy and few people think about bad eating habits they teach their children or the lack of PE in their life.

This is where schools come in to help. Thus, maintaining PE programs at school as well as making it mandatory is a wonderful way The link between physical education and to impact children positively. obesity can also be clearly seen. The

Issue 70, June 2010

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DO YOU LIKE HORSES? Have you ever ridden one?

Do you know the advantages of riding a horse? I will tell you about the benefits of riding.

The horse is a hooved mammal, a subspecies of the family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multitoed creature into the large, single-hoofed animal of today. Humans began to domesticate horses around 4000 BCE, and their domestication is believed to have been widespread by 3000 BCE. It’s one of the smartest animals in the world.

Horse riding is a hobby enjoyed by all ages and although many start horse riding when young, more people are taking up horse riding for the first time later in life.

I started to ride when I was 10 years old. In the beginning it was a big challenge for me, but after a while I got more confident, and started to learn how to treat the horse from getting on it until dismounting it. Also, I found out that the horses understand if the rider is afraid or not, and a poor or good rider. I think it is better to start with an experienced instructor, because there is important information you should know. For example, always get on the horse from its left side, and before mounting approach the horse and gently stroke its neck so it knows you're there. Talk to the horse and let him know your voice. Those were some riding tips.

There are many advantages for your health and psychology.

Since riding always happens outdoors , that will help the body to get a good amount of oxygen which will lead to improved breathing, better blood circulation, and a lowered heart rate, It also increases the attention span and improves the ability to control the movements of the body, maintains balance, and gives more energy to the nervous system. Some studies show the benefits of riding in the treatment of diseases of the back, joints and the muscles. It also develops self confidence.

Hippocrates, the most noted physician in the fifth century BCE who first dealt with many chronic diseases, enjoyed riding.

He believed riding was good for one’s health. With advances in medicine and science in the twentieth century there is particular interest in studying this issue in the U.S.A and Germany. Because of the observations and discoveries 700 specialized centers for treatment using horse riding have been set up the United States and Canada.

I recommend every one should try horse back riding. It’s really beneficial and a great sport for all ages.

by Alaa Altaf

HORSEBACK RIDING TIPS • Always approach a horse on the

•

side near the shoulder. Horses have blind spots directly in front and directly behind them because their eyes are placed on the side of their heads so if you come straight at them they won't see you. Approaching at the shoulder is safe because there is no way for the horse to kick you.

NEVER SIT DOWN NEXT TO A HORSE! This sounds like fairly common sense but if your horse has a lot of gunk in his hoof, it can be tempting to get down on your knees to get it out. The problem here, is that on your knees you do not have the ability to get up in time if the horse was to kick. If you are standing you may have a chance to get out of the way before he kicks you.

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While riding, always look where you want to go, don't look down.

Horses are very sensitive to the slightest body movement and will generally go where you are looking, especially horses that beginners would be riding.

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HEELS DOWN! You will hear this constantly from your trainer but always, always, always keep those heels down. Keeping your heels down is kind of like your break mechanism. If the horse stops suddenly you have a way to stop yourself from flying forward over the horse's head.

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Always mount the horse on the left side.

Paint balling!

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World of Words

Check out the monthly activities calendar to go paintballing with the ELP!

Issue 70, June 2010

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World of Words

CULTURAL EVENTS IN SAUDI ARABIA

A cultural event is the way of life for people as part of their routine. In this way, festivals and events are an inseparable part of Saudi culture. Specifically, events highlight customs and traditions, so they give distinct perspectives on the National Day, Islamic New Year and Eid Al Fitr Festival.

The National Day is a designated date that marks celebration of the nation. It is a symbol of independence when Saudi Arabia become a republic and was a significant date for the ruler Abdul Aziz, who marked the unification as a national day in Saudi Arabia. Indeed, September 23, 1932, represented the identity of the country and its unification.

The Muslim New Year is celebrated with great pride and reflects the culture on the first day of Meuharrom, which is the first month of the year in the Islamic calendar. It is considered the official calendar in Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, it is used to mark events in many other Muslim Countries. The Islamic calendar is based on 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. In the month of Meuharrom, the Islamic New Year activities normally begin at the sight of the new moon.

Eid Al Fitr festival ranks as one of the most significant among all the Saudi Arabia cultural events. The festival comes after the Ramadan fasting period. It is better known

as “festival of breaking the fast.� Muslims follow the lunar calendar and the ninth of their calendar is called Ramadan. This is the holy month when people follow three principles of charity, fasting, and prayer. Ramadan is important due to the fact that it was during this month when Allah (God) revealed the first verses of the Quran.

Many cultural events in Saudi Arabia express the traditions and history and symbolize the genesis of the Kingdom. In addition, some events during the year such as the Islamic Day and the first day of breaking the fast are as ceremonious as Christmas celebrations in Saudi Arabia.

by Wael Insaif

Issue 70, June 2010

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DIFFICULTIES IN OWNING A HOUSE IN SAUDI ARABIA

Owning a house in Saudi Arabia is not easy.

Statistics show that only 30% of the people in Saudi Arabia have their own houses ( http:// www.alrroya.com/node/56944), while the rest -70%- rent or live with their parents. This figure, when compared to other neighboring Gulf States, is considered high, especially in our country where the land is huge and unexploited. This staggering problem, which appears to be the concern of most Saudi families, will persist, unless some actions are taken quickly. High prices of housing or undeveloped lands contribute greatly to it. For instance, a piece of land that is five hundred square meters could be bought for $ 100,000 while a twostory house, though not enough houses are for sale, could be bought for a minimum of $ 400,000. People planning to own their own house have to wait for a long time if they are to buy one. Taking into consideration the low salaries or wages they receive annually and the always-rising prices, they will most likely not be able to afford one because they will be in constant quest for the best price and deal. Only in recent years has a group of activists and real estate researchers demanded the issue be properly solved. Action was taken: introducing mortgages to the Saudi people. After rigorous campaigns by banks, which have the monopoly of lending money, a heated debate was sparked; people could not afford paying for the

house or the very high interest rates that could reach 100% by the end of the loan. Few of them, as newspapers reported, tended to adopt this difficult choice.

Officials need to make more realistic and people-friendly decisions. They may, for example, build new cities which can accommodate those who do not have full financial capacities of owning houses in the short term. Since the government owns the land, locations must be identified and tracts could be given to potential builders at suitable prices. Services and governmental institutions should be established there to encourage fast growth of the new cities. People who are given these lots must not be allowed to sell them at higher prices within 10 years. This is to prevent repeating the same problem that existed in "old" cities and trading with what initially was intended for good will. If this solution is applied, prices in old cities could drop significantly, allowing other people to own their own.

In conclusion, Saudi officials need to think of meeting peoples' needs rather than just setting rules which may be hard to follow. Building new cities could prove worth trying, especially when millions of people could benefit from such action.

By Jameel Alwabari

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World of Words

“Works of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”

by

Niloufar Motaref

Repetitive and reproduced art’s job is lowering viewers’ dignity and paralyzing their imagination and their power of independent thinking. This is what all the repetitive arts are based on, making independent thinking impossible. Mechanical reproduction’s job is reducing thoughtful and intellectual human beings to the same level as the international market centers; because they have to be mass-produced, they do not need to be creative any more.

For each individual, with diverse knowledge and accomplishments, there should be suitable cultural goods, from the weekly women’s magazines (which have higher or lower degrees of quality, for instance, there is a great difference between “Vogue” which has Richard Avedon as its photographer and the ordinary ones at supermarkets) to all the political, critical, scientific and other issues. Soap operas, paintings, sculptures and all other forms of art are playing their roles in the same tautology. They are not cultural products.

They are copies of ready- made products for ready-made needs of indistinctive and ordinary people.

Creative and original art has always had an ultimate goal: the deliberate choice of time and space as a symbol of free will, as a sign of freedom and salvation. A cultivated person in this culture is a unique individual who knows how to think independently and creatively. There is a wellknown belief among those who research art history which says that the art of each period is a mirror of the culture of that era.

Unfortunately, the reflected image of our culture and art, at the age of mechanical reproduction, is not attractive.

Mechanical reproduction has changed the meaning of art forever. By devaluing the importance of authenticity of an art piece, its ritual function has been transformed to a political one. That is, accessibility to art’s masterpieces has become a conductive power for expanding basic knowledge, cultural belief and behaviors. These are echoes of most of the Marxist aesthetes who are still dominant in the theory’s domain. The problem is that the lost “aura,” that is, “the unique presence of a work of art in just one place,” (Benjamin, 1936) and cheap and accessible art pieces, lead to no cultural transcendence; they just lower all reproduced masterpieces to the level of pop art.

Mechanical reproduction has ruined the authenticity and the aura of art. As a result, the genuine excitement of studying the original “Mona Lisa”, hanging on the Louvre museum’s wall, could never happen again. The great Mona Lisa has become omnipresent, mass-produced and therefore cheap and no longer noble. At the best, the viewer’s only response in front of the original Mona Lisa would be:” Aha! This is the famous Mona Lisa!” Because of its numerous reproductions from low quality posters and fridge magnets to the best art history books of the finest quality, Mona Lisa has become more a cliché than a unique masterpiece. This amount of repetition makes any kind of masterpiece like the sounds of everyday life in the streets; because of their banality and omnipresence, they are no longer bothersome and we hardly hear about them anymore. Thus, the lack of originality inevitably will lead to a lack of creativity. Next page: Variations of the Da Vinci’s The deceptive world of imitation and repe- Mona Lisa— CAN YOU SPOT THE ORIGItition will inevitably take the place of crea- NAL MONA LISA? tive world of art.

Issue 70, June 2010

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Variations of The Mona Lisa

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World of Words

“Persepolis”

by Leah Preisig

Directed by: Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi Based on the comic book by: Marjane Satrapi Year: 2007 Country: France/USA

Nilufar is an Iranian who completed her university degree in Film Studies in her home country.

To give us an impression of the current situation in her country, Nilufar, who is in the Academic English Program, Level 60 B, presented the famous film “Persepolis” to two level 60 classes.

Nilufar is a representative of the Iranian population who witnessed the time of the Iranian revolution and therefore has a special connection to the context of the film.

The animated movie “Persepolis” is based on an autobiographical book with the same title written

by Marjane Satrapi. With her film, Marjane shows how she, as a growing young girl, sees the time of the Iranian revolution compared with the peaceful life in other countries from 1978 to today. The scene begins in Teheran, Iran where the nine year-old Marjane lives with her parents as a middleclass family in the middle of the revolution. From her uncle Anouche, who was in jail for several years, Marjane learns that it is dangerous to be rebellious. Nevertheless, over time, Marjane turns out to be exactly as her uncle. She wears rock t-shirts and listens to forbidden music, even though she has to visit a strict school with a lot of rules. Because Marjane always stands up for her rights and states when she

thinks something is not right, a lot of problems and discussions follow. As a consequence, her parents fear that she could be punished by the government for her behavior and therefore send her to Vienna. During this time, Marjane lives a completely different life from her family with sex, drugs and rock’n’roll. However, she has problems feeling at home in this foreign country and cannot enjoy the time because she knows that her family suffers in Iran. Her grandmother supports Marjane during this difficult time and reminds her of Iran and her origins. Returning to Teheran in 1992, she learns that the revolution is over, but the situation is still bad. Although Marjane is back home, she feels like a stranger because she is the only one who did not suffer from the terrible situation in Iran. At the end of the film, it is again her mother who sends Marjane away for the second time with the words “today’s Iran is not for you”.

In the discussion between the level 60 students, the role of the grandmother stood in the foreground. Everyone agreed that she had an essential role by giving her granddaughter advice, teaching her what is wrong and right, and reminding her of her origins. The students stated that they were very impressed with the movie and the situation in Iran. Although the topic is severe, the film offers a lot of funny passages.

However, the context of the movie will stay in our mind for a long time.

Issue 70, June 2010

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Nights in

Rodanthe Directed by: George C. Wolfe Year: 2008 Country: USA/Australia

by Mai Jarad Nights in Rodanthe is based on the novel he meets Adrienne Willis, a betrayed wife who published by the brilliant writer Nicolas Sparks. Other enchanting stories by Sparks, such as The Notebook, and the wonderfully heart-breaking Message in A Bottle, were also turned into captivating dramas.

In that regard, Nights in Rodanthe is no exception. It is the tale of a mother and wife dealing with a wounded present and a past with its lost dreams, and a man looking for redemption from past mistakes. They meet in a small town hidden away from the passage of time, as the sole guests at a charming inn with quaint blue shutters and ocean waves lapping at the foundation. In this place wild horses still run free, and the ocean is so beautiful and pure that you can almost believe it has the power to wash your pain away. This story is about storms: the natural ones that could take away your physical shelter, and the emotional ones that could steal your soul and heart. But it’s also about facing past failures, and looking for forgiveness in the hearts of the people we have hurt.

Estranged for almost a year from his son, Dr. Flanner seeks redemption from failures both as a father and as a doctor. In his quest

is undecided about what course her life should take. Can a love found in the heart of a storm survive the challenges of the real world? And is it too late to atone for past mistakes?

When I watched Nights in Rodanthe, my mouth curled with a smile and at some points the film left me gasping and drying away my tears. A wonderful movie like this is not to be missed. If not for the beautiful storyline, then take the time to see Nights in Rodanthe for the elegant soundtrack, and the moving performances by veteran actors Diane Lane and Richard Gere.

Mai Jarad is presently an advanced student in the Comprehensive English program. But long, long before she watched films with classmates in our English Through Movies Focus class, she was enjoying movies every opportunity she could in her home country! Mai converses with ease, and uses a wide range of English phrases and collocations. When asked about the secret to her success in English, Mai replied, “Watching movies, of course! That’s where I picked up so much vocabulary and how I learned to speak English with confidence. ”

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Sean Kim and Kosei Kitano What will we do without the two of you?

For the last session and a half, the ELP was lucky enough to have two stu‐ dents share their musical talent with the rest of school. Sean Kim and Kosei Kitano are two very active students in our program who have graced us with their talent. They are responsible for the songs you hear in the lobby, in the student’s room and at Geordie’s Jam. They have truly left their mark at ELP by helping Yoon and Shirley create ELP’s first official Guitar Club.

Their time, energy and talent are greatly appreciated by all of us. Thank you, Sean and Kosei, for everything that you have done for the program.

These past few months have truly been a pleasure and the two of you will be missed!

World of Words

Playlist:

More than Words To Be With You Falling Slowly Shape of My Heart Hajimete‐no Chu (My First Kiss) My Immortal

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Issue 70, June 2010

The ELP Stars Kosei Kitano

AKA: Monster Hometown: Nara & Yokohama, Japan Languages: Japanese, English Instruments: Guitar, Drums, Piano, Clari‐ net, Violin Can be found: wherever the beautiful girls are, eating ice cream and sitting under the sun with an umbrella

Sean Kim

AKA: Juan Pablo Hometown: Seoul, South Korea Languages: Korean, Spanish, English Instruments: Guitar, Drums, Bass, Har‐ monica Can be found: in the ELP lobby playing “More

than Words” and being an assistant to the CAs (haha just kidding!)

FOCUS ON VENEZUELA

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World of Words

Pollution in Venezuela

by Victor

One of the most important problems in Venezuela is pollution. This problem has existed for several years because the country has had a lot of old cars and trucks which produce dangerous emissions. Additionally, a lot of factories have produced goods without ambient control, and today we can see more Venezuelan people with different problems in their respiratory system. In addition, the price of gasoline and diesel oil are much cheaper than other countries, and this has permitted their greater use rather than other energy alternatives that can permit controlling emissions into the atmosphere.

This environmental problem has produced a bad international image and reputation for Venezuela, and it has caused serious problems: economic, social, environmental, political, educational and legal.

Delascio

The solution for the government is to increase the environmental laws to regulate this situation and it will permit the reduction of out-of-control emissions. This process will take many years and will have to include the renovation of cars and trucks with cleaner systems. The use of energy will have to change, maybe to propane, which is a more clean energy source and has renovated the process in factories to reduce the levels of dangerous emission into the air and make a better work place with a clean environment. We need the environment free of substances which have harmful or poisonous effects. Therefore, Venezuela has all the material resources to effect these changes; it only lacks the political will to do so.

Venezuela’s Power Crisis Venezuela has been experiencing a very unusual drought for the last two years. 80% of the power in Venezuela is generated from hydro-electric resources; as a result, the country is running out of electric power because of this drought associated with the “El Niño” phenomenon. This weather abnormality is part of the problem; however, the lack of maintenance, planning, and investment by the government in the electric power system, also referred to as the power grid, are the real reasons behind this situation. Due to this problem, the quality of life has abruptly decreased because of two main causes: first, the rising costs of goods related to a lower production for factories; second, the direct result of citizens having no electricity in their homes.

The government had been trying to solve the issue with two different focuses. The first one was the implementation of programmed stoppage of the electrical service, leaving houses, factories, businesses and even education centers without electricity for up to four hours per day. The second one was the installation of portable generation plants, leading to a distortion in voltage signals wit-

hout satisfying the constantly increasing demand for electric power. Both proposed solutions failed, yet the problem is getting worse every day.

A short-term solution could be wellplanned, hierarchically-selected programmed stoppages of the electrical service by zones in addition to an equal load distribution on the power grid. This, combined with a massive campaign to teach citizens how to save and efficiently use electric energy, should be a good short-term solution to the problem. In conjunction with this, the government has to re-arrange the annual budget, focusing on the reactivation of thermoelectric generation plants. This type of extreme measure is the only viable way to prevent a general blackout. In addition, the power grid will be stronger to handle peaks of demand in the future, giving more time to engineers to come up with new sources of electricity generation. The implementation of these criteria is vital to solve the problem, since we have to act as soon as we can to prevent a blackout to ensure that no further electric power issues of this magnitude happen again.

by Carlos Arias

Issue 70, June 2010

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Algonquin Park Day Trip

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World of Words

SECRET

SCIENTISTS WHO ARE THE SECRET SCIENTITS AND WHAT DID THEY DISCOVER? For centuries after the fall of ancient Rome scientific progress slowed down . Europe entered the Dark Ages while the Islamic empire entered into a golden age.

When the Islamic empire was established in the seven century, they focused on translation of the scientific materials from different civilizations. Al-Mamoon, who was a king of the Islamic empire, created the House of Wisdom in Baghdad . There the scientists discussed politics , culture ,science and philosophy .

Muslim scholars contributed to the foundation and development of most of the Applied Sciences up to the seventeenth century and most of the manuscripts, theories and theses taught in the most prestigious universities in the world .For example, the scientists created and improved the knowledge of Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Medicine, Geography, Philosophy and most of the other branches of science.

Geber (Jabir Ibn Hayyan) 721-815 CE , was considered a pioneer of chemistry as he was responsible for introducing an early experimental scientific method within the field. He also studied and discover the chemical processes of pure distillation, filtrations, sublimation, liquefactions, crystallisation and purification.

Al-Razi, 864-923 CE , was the first to prove both Aristotle's theory of classical elements and Galen's theory false using an experimental method; In addition, Nasir al-Din al-Tusi stated an early version of the law of conservation of mass, noting that a body of matter is able to change, but is not able to disappear. The scientist Alexander von Humboldt and the

historian Will Durant consider medieval Muslim chemists to be the founders of chemistry.

Among the achievements of Muslim mathematicians during this period are the development of algebra and algorithms by Muhammad Ibn Musa alKhwarizmi 780-850 CE , the invention of spherical trigonometry, the addition of the decimal point notation to the Arabic numerals, and the discovery of all the trigonometric functions besides sine.

Al-Kindi, 805-873CE, introduced cryptanalysis and frequency analysis .He also introduced algebraic calculus and proof by mathematical induction. Furthermore, he developed analytic geometry and the earliest general formula for infinitesimal and integral calculus .

To sum up, these are some Muslim contributions to the renaissance of modern science and mathematics. In spite of all efforts few people know about them.

by Rami Abuzeid

Issue 70, June 2010

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Nelson Mandela: a True Hero

by Axel Mensah Since the creation of the world until these recent days, there have been some people full of heroism who have aided others to keep peace and order on the earth. These people are different from others, and they are usually called heroes. There are multiple methods to identify them. In fact, when people think about a hero, the first image they visualize is a strong person with muscles who is really powerful and brave. The reason why they think that is because movies show heroes as winners: courageous, resistant people who fight very well and always win in the end no matter how hard the situation is. To illustrate, in the movie “Batman,� the principal actor is strong, has a large amount of powers, fights like a God and finally wins every time. In addition of his strength and powers, a hero has to keep peace in the world. Due to the fact that there are many villains who make some troubles for money or just for their pleasure, people who are really weak and do not have strength or any power need help from heroes who are the complete opposite. Policemen who have the power to stop thieves, robbers, and people who do not respect the law by bullying or killing other people are the real examples of heroes. Again, a hero is a person that everyone respects because he has done some benevolent actions by helping people, supporting disabled and disadvantaged men and women, or stopping villains. He has acquired great consideration from people due to his heroic acts for them. Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa, had worked for the ONU

(Organization of Union Nations) and fought for a long time to give the same rights as white people to black people. Because of his considerable efforts, he was sent to prison where he spent 27 years. When he was arrested, all black people and even white people protested. Then, with the march of protesters, Nelson Mandela was released and was completely free; he was not only free, but he also attained his goal which was to give black people the same rights as white people. For this reason, he is highly respected around the world. To conclude, a hero is a powerful person, who is very strong, who has responsibility to satisfy people and protects them. The world needs more heroes to regulate all problems, and then maybe life will be better.

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World of Words

The Olympics Although the Olympics Games are an international event, they are fraught with pros and cons. In fact, they make the whole country wake and sleep on every event; besides, the Olympics’ news will reach every citizen in every place in this country and around the world. Hosting such a great event has, of course, many advantages, such as, creating more job opportunities, making the country the centre of the world and increasing the country's pride as well as national unity. Even though hosting the Olympics may carry a lot of merits to the host country, in fact many drawbacks, which could affect its economy, are more significant.

The high cost of hosting the Olympics and its bidding process are the main disadvantages of holding such an event. The host country usually allocates a huge amount of its public funds to bid for the competition and moreover, has to establish new temporary buildings and new stadiums as well as transportation .For example, the cost of bidding alone for 2010 cost each city around $ US 20 million. The government will spend a lot of money on these projects which might not be used after the Olympics. The Bird's Nest Stadium in China, which is now disused, is an example of the

economic loss because its cost reached $ 450 million (U.S), $ 1.5 million to maintain .This financial loss would fall on the government, small companies and individuals .The small companies may not be able to compete with the conglomerates which dominate international trade, Furthermore, individuals could be affected as a result of taxes which the government would need to raise.

Even though the government of the host country usually tries to reuse the buildings that it constructed for the Olympics, most of them become abandoned later. At the same time, the government sometimes tries to make use of these new stadiums by using them in other business, but this use would be occasional in most cases. For instance, the Chinese government may change the Bird’s Nest stadium into shopping malls. Athens’ buildings, which cost 14 billion, are also empty now. The Montreal Olympic Stadium is another example of this situation because it was used only for one year after the 1976 Games as a home for the Montreal baseball team; it is now used by “a commercial firm” (“Games Legacy: A herd of White Elephants” Emily Mathieu, 2010 ) as an attempt to regain its cost. Even though the governments usually attempt to find ways to get back the cost of the buildings by using them in

Issue 70, June 2010

another trade, the revenues that are returned for their infrequent use just do not measure up.

Tourism during the Olympics could also be affected for different reasons such as security fears, overcrowding and high cost. The Olympics usually capture the world‘s attention; as a result, the hosting city could be a possible target for a terrorist attacks. This may make many tourists avoid visiting it during the two- week period. Overcrowding may also keep away the tourists because they might think that the crowds could restrict and slow their movement as well as prevent them from visiting all the interesting places. The high prices also might make the tourists rethink visiting the city and the country as well because of the cost of transportation, food and accommodation are often higher as a result of holding this event. A European Tour Operators Association report shows that the Olympics Games sometimes “put a downer on”( Mathieu ) tourism because individuals would avoid the crowds and the higher prices. This is what happened in Beijing and Sydney, where the number of the tourists decreased during the Games.

Although the whole country participates in the Olympics bidding process, only one city, usu-

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ally the capital may experience “a feel good factor”( “Is it Worth Hosting the Olympic Games?”

Jonathan Bailey,2008) . Other cities which may need the government’s revenue to improve its infrastructure, have no chance to organize this event.

For example, cities like Birmingham in 1992 and Manchester in 1996 and 2000 failed to win the competition of hosting this event, because the I.O.C (International Olympic Committee) informed the United Kingdom that only a bid from London could win .As a result, construction, maintenance of the old stadiums and infrastructure repairs would affect only these cities where they are least needed.

In conclusion, taking in consideration the advantages of hosting the Olympics, which almost certainly would affect only one city, it is obvious that the demerits might influence the whole country .As a result, nations should create solutions to reduce the economic loss of hosting the Games , for example by always hosting the Olympic Games in the same country. Finally, the drawbacks of holding them are more important than their benefits; therefore, governments and nations should start thinking of no longer hosting the Olympics.

by Khalid Edrah

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World of Words

Final Event BBQ @ Woodsworth College

@ the Toronto Harbourfront

Canoeing with ELP

Issue 70, June 2010 Page 31

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World of Words

Assisted Suicide in Switzerland:

only 619 members decided do die a peaceful and painless death with the organization.

It is important for Switzerland to have clear rules in the law and organizations like Dignitas as support for terminally ill people, so the number of suicides can be controlled and minimized. A person, who really wants to die, will always find a way to end his life. We have to ask ourselves the question if it is better when someone jumps in front of a train and therefore causes psychological problems for the driver, or if this person can leave the world in a dignified and painless way.

When someone suffers from a fatal illness like advanced pulmonary cancer, it is certain that this person has no chance for a cure and will suffer a terrible death, so assisted suicide can be an option. Instead of going through a lot of pain, a terminally ill person can end his life earlier in peace and harmony. Switzerland offers the possibility of assisted suicide for terminally ill people from every country because it is not right to make a difference between a Swiss and, for example, a German person; both of them are suffering and both of them need help. In fact, it would be a crime to refuse our help.

As a lot of sad destinies have shown in the past, assisted suicide prevents terminally ill people from suffering a painful death. Therefore, all individuals should have the right to decide how they want to end their life. With the legality of assisted suicide, nobody is forced to choose this way, but everyone has the option.

However, it is easy to judge something that does not concern us; who could say with the diagnosis of terminal cancer that suffering is better than leaving this planet in peace?

Tourist Attraction or Necessity?

Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland are the only countries worldwide that have a law which allows assisted suicide. Whereas Belgium and the Netherlands complement euthanasia the active abetting of suicide by the doctor by administering a mortal drug, Switzerland only allows assisted suicide, where the patients have to be physically capable of taking the medicine on their own. Furthermore, Switzerland is the only country that accepts foreigners who wish to end their lives, which means, the right to die is not limited to the Swiss population. Therefore, opponents maintain that assisted suicide in Switzerland is a business with the goal to profit from the hopelessness of ill people. Moreover, ending the life of a person is, according to these opponents, always a crime because it is an interference in God’s work. However, since there are many positive aspects of assisted suicide, it is an option that we all should have in our life.

Switzerland has two organizations that support assisted suicide; one of them is called Dignitas. The main purpose of the organization is to help ill people by searching for acceptable solutions. If an ill person wants to end his life with the help of an organization like Dignitas, he has to go through intensive and personal conversations with a psychologist and a doctor. The purpose of this is to find a way to increase the quality of life of the individual with special measures like therapies, so death is no longer the only solution. As a result, 70% off all members who contact Dignitas and have this personal problem-solution conversation with experts chose to go on with their lives. Since Dignitas was founded in 1998,

Sources: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/02/12/60 II/main540332.shtml; accessed June 6, 2010 http://www.dignitas.ch; accessed June 6, 2010 http://www.debatepedia.org; accessed June 6, 2010

by Leah Preisig

Issue 70, June 2010

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by Leah Preisig Over the last years, the consumption of alcohol, especially by Swiss youth, has increased to a dangerous level. On a Friday or Saturday evening in a city like Basel, for example, there can be seen a lot of drunk people who behave like children because they lost control over their actions. The main problem is that these regular drinkers have become younger. In 2003, a study showed that 45% of all males and 31% of all females 15 years old are regularly drunk.

Hospital statistics show that on average 3.5 individuals per day between the age of 10 and 23 need to be taken to hospital because of an alcohol toxicity. (www.infoset.ch accessed May 20, 2010) Therefore, it is clear to everyone that Switzerland needs to find a solution for this problem; otherwise, the youth will go on destroying their lives.

In Switzerland, the legal age to buy alcohol is 16 for beer and wine and 18 for all the other alcoholic substances. However, a huge number of the serious alcohol-related hospitalizations concern teens under the age of 16. This raises the question where they get the alcohol. The government established two solutions to the alcohol problem. First, shops are no longer allowed to sell alcohol after 10 pm, even though in pubs and bars alcohol is sold all night. Secondly, the controls on shops became stricter. If a shop sells alcohol to a person under 16, it has to close.

These solutions are a beginning, but they were not successful enough. To solve the problem of the overuse of alcohol, we have to search for the causes. One of the

most probable reasons to drink alcohol is the lack of opportunities. The youth do not know what to do in their free time; there are no places where they can go, except the bars and clubs in the cities. Therefore, it is important to offer alternatives to drinking.

The government must create activities like billiards, sports or skating parks which are attractive for adolescents. Youth and recreation centers would be especially pleasing for the really young segment of drinkers. With these options, the young will have a good alternative to drinking and will spend time involved in more useful activities. The past has shown that punishments and stricter rules do not work. Therefore, we have to face the problem from another direction with more positive solutions.

FOCUS ON SWITZERLAND

Overuse of Alcohol by Swiss Youth

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South Africa is not the only place buzzing with soccer fever—summer in Toronto inspires all kinds of outdoor activities, most famous among them is, none other than, soccer!

Join the soccer club to get a chance to play with fellow students every Saturday afternoon!

World of Words

Issue 69, January 2010

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World of Words

Dear MY FRIEND, Hi~ my friends~ I’m Ji-hye. Everyone calls me “Kelly” It is indeed very rare in this day and age to find true friends who we can completely rely on and trust. Yet, when we do find such true friends, it is also so easy to take them for granted. But today, I would like to thank you for being my friend and making that special difference in my life.

I also want to write this letter to you. Hopefully it is something you will read with a smile and keep for a very long time. I feel honored to have known you guys in Toronto! All of you are like my family, so I am very happy, and I also enjoy the pleasure of life with you every single day. I would not do anything if I had not met you. * Here are short comments to you guys!!!

We have met for a few months, but it is really sad that we have to say “good-bye” to each other so soon. It has always been my pleasure to have you guys as my friends. Thanks for the memories and everything again. We may not be able to see each other again, but I want to believe that we will see each other again if we keep in touch I hope you will all find success in your careers. I will miss you guys very much!

Be healthy until the day we meet again.

With best wishes, Ji-hye(Kelly) kim

Issue 69, January 2010

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+ Wasilah- My dacing partner!! I will never forget it until the end I love youᇡ + Sanaz- The best pretty girl in our school! I see your courage, your loyalty to your friends and family. You are so lovely!! + Jackie – I like you because you are the only person who answers me without complaint. I will introduce some girls to you after your military service + Amy – Don’t cry when I am not here!! Call me when + Shirley – I could learn to play the guitar because of you get married~ I will prepare something for you!! you! I think you are so talented, and your voice is sooooooooo nice!!! + Anna – My Girl-friend :] I felt I was able to talk and share anything with you, so we could be closer! + Jay – you have a very bright and outgoing personality. I like having conversations with you! + Sean – I am thankful you always take care of me!!

But you should buy fried chicken and beer in Korea!!! + Axel – Party, Party, Party I like your dance! But I cannot follow youL + Tope – I think you are very a trustworthy companion. It makes you a cooooool guy!!! + Clovis – Charming Guy! You smile very often when greeting me, so I can turn to you with a smile + David – you are mature even if you are younger than me! You have something that is attractive + Aziz – you are a very mischievous boy! Everybody say “be nice!” to someone Teresa – you were so familiar to me! I love your personality! Let’s try Soju and Beer someday again!!

+ Kosei – Your Korean pronunciation is so cute! I will miss it very much!

Haneen – You have a warm heart. I could feel it when + Yuya – My first classmate! We just greet each we work together! other nowadays. How’s it going? + Halil – Amazing guy! Study hard! I am sure you will get what you want!

+ Yoo-mi – What are you doing today?? You are always busy!!!!

+ Mehmet- One of my genius friends! You taught me something new every day!!!

+ Janet – sometimes you have corny jokes, but “Never Mind!!!” I like your jokes

+ Volkan- I want to follow you~ let’s enjoy our life together!

+ Deigo – Soccer BOY! When will you show me your ability in the game??

+ Meng- Cute Meng! I always think I want to have a sister like you!! Keep going my sister!! You can do everything! You are young

+ Marianne – I enjoyed Volunteer Club every time because you always help us work together. Thanks for your information

+ Vasken - you always cherish the special moments and memories of life with another person. That is why I like you :p + Duc – hardworking man ~ If you keep studying as hard as you are right now, you will be successful! + Helen – Your laugh and shy feelings are so cute!

Shake your Body!

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World of Words

Issue 69, January 2010

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World of Words

Sae-hae bok mah-he pah du sae yo!"

"

because we wish people would be pure and live long like white and long rolled rice cake. After finishing their meal, the younger generations bow to the elders and they usually say to elders "Make a lot of blessings this year". This first greeting of the year is called Sebe. Traditionally, the elders offer well-wishing remarks them when young people greet to them. Children, especially, like Seolnal because they can receive money as a New Year's gift. People also play traditional Have you heard "Sae-hae bok mahn-he pah game together like Yutnori, kite flying, or Hwatu

du sae yo!"? It is the New Year's greeting in Ko- for entertainment while they take a rest. Acrea!! In Korea, one of the most important cul- cordingly, Seol-nal is a great opportunity for tural events is Seol-nal. This is the day when the people to be closer with their relatives.

Lunar New Year is celebrated. In that day, many people leave to their hometown because their parents live there. Therefore, all the relatives gather together at the same time. They used to dress up with Korean traditional clothes called Hanbok, but nowadays they wear suits or simple cloths. On that Morning, they hold a memorial service for their ancestors by offering food to them since Koreans believe ancestors return to enjoy the food prepared for them on that day.

People eat Teok-guk, which is made of rice cakes and cooked in beef soup and many other delicious traditional foods after they finish ancestral rites. The reason why we eat Teok-guk is

by Ji- hye (Kelly) kim

Issue 69, January 2010

Page 41

Unfortunately, couples of the same gender sometimes have to deal with discrimination. As a result, it can be a bigger challenge for these couples to stay together and face problems that other couples do not have to deal with. Consequently, homosexual partners who resist this intolerance of some members of the society have a strong connection to each other and stay together out of love. The positive relationship between parents is extremely important for a child; it makes it possible for these parents to offer their children a good environment full of love and tolerancethat is essential for the positive outcome of the offspring.

Homosexual Parenting

By Leah Preisig In 2010, Canada and other countries like Spain and Sweden legalized same-sex marriage and homosexual parenting (www.depatepedia.com, accessed June 2, 2010). Therefore, couples of the same gender have the opportunity to adopt children and raise them like a “normal” heterosexual couple would. Nevertheless, opponents state that this is against the rules of nature; children of such couples are less happy; and that it is important for children to have a mother and a father as role-models. However, there is no evidence that homosexual parenting has a negative influence on a child; on the contrary, children raised in a same-sex household can profit from their situation.

Children who live in a household with two parents of the same gender are as happy, healthy and well-educated as children from heterosexual households. This has been demonstrated by several studies.

The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, for

example, surveyed 12,000 high school students from different backgrounds. The results of this study show clearly that there is no correlation between parents’ gender and their children in fields like intelligence, gender role behavior, moral development and self- concept (“What Happens to Kids Raised by Gay Parents”, CNN, 2007).

At the current time, heterosexual, homosexual and single parents can be found in different countries, but only same-sex parenting stands under criticism. Numerous studies show that the most important factor for a child is to have two parents, hetero- or homosexual.

Children raised in a single parent environment are more likely to develop psychological and behavioral problems than children from a two parent household. Furthermore, children do not distinguish between having gay or straight parents; they just see that there are two people who love them and take care of them (www.debatepedia.org, accessed June 2, 2010). Therefore, it is inappropriate to differentiate between homo- and heterosexual parenting.

To conclude, the disadvantages of homosexual parenting for children have never been proved; on the contrary, several studies show that children raised in a same-sex household are as happy and healthy as other children. Moreover, children with gay parents learn to be fair and tolerant towards others because their parents know how it is to be discriminated against. However, it does not matter if a child has parents of the same gender or not; what is most important for a child is to grow up in a healthy environment where the family members love and respect each other.

Nuclear Energy’s Impact on Human Society

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by Carlos Arias

Nowadays, the world is experiencing an alarming increase in energy demand which has to be met. In the US, The Department of Energy “projects that the nation will need 45 percent more electricity by 2030” (Whitman and Moore, 2006). That means that almost double the electricity has to be generated in the next 20 years. Nuclear energy seems to be the best solution since fossil fuels are both a scarce and a polluting source to meet this need; hydroelectric power requires many rivers with the appropriate water flow; new renewable energies, such as photovoltaic, biomass, and geothermic have lowefficiency. Even though there were fatal catastrophes worldwide in the past, such as Chernobyl and Three Mile Island, when nuclear reactor workers died and large amounts of radiation were unleashed into the environment, nuclear energy should be embraced as the new clean, efficient and valuable source of power it is.

Nuclear power plants use nuclear fission within the nucleus of the atom as a chain reaction to generate electricity. The most commonly used fuel in this process is a chemical element called Uranium, which is contained inside a nuclear reactor, and then exposed to very fast neutron blows so the chain reaction is capable of starting. Due to the fact that there is no combustion involved, this process of generating electricity is substantially cleaner and more environmentally-friendly than those implemented in thermo-electrical generation plants. As a result, there is no carbon dioxide or any other type of dangerous gas emission into the atmosphere. Another advantage is that all radioactive waste is contained, so it can be safely stored and carefully manipulated.

All these nuclear energy features clearly suggest that this is one of the cleanest methods to obtain electricity by decreasing the negative effects on the environment at the same time.

There have been big improvements in nuclear reactors’ technology in the last 30 years, so nuclear energy is safer to produce than before. Learning from our mistakes in the past (Chernobyl in 1986 after Three Mile Island in 1979), scientists and engineers have been doing research and designing im-

provements to ensure the safety of workplaces for both humans and the environment. One example of these newly- developed and safer designs is the AP1000, a nuclear reactor designed by Westinghouse, that “requires only half as many safety-related valves, 83 percent less safety-related pipe and one-third fewer pumps” (Wald, 2009).

Another example is the developing of the EPR – European Pressurized Water Reactor – designed by a French company named Areva, which has four emergency core cooling systems instead of two, which is the common design. This feature not only presents more safety for the power reactor working environment, but it also allows managers of the nuclear plant to schedule programmed stops for cooling system maintenance. All of these new developments and the quick evolutionary technology have improved the safety and reliance on these power factories.

Another positive characteristic of nuclear energy is that it is less expensive than most of the current sources of electric power. Only hydroelectric power offers lower energy costs, but not all rivers have the appropriate flow or enough space to build a dam to produce electricity. Thermo-electric plants need to be constantly fed with very expensive fossil fuels such as gasoline, diesel, coal or fueloil, raising the cost of the electricity produced by these factories. However, once the nuclear reactor is built and the chain reaction has begun, it could last for years and the only work left to do is to manage the power output from that power plant. By using nuclear energy, fossil fuels can be saved for other purposes.

Our energy demand is increasing by the minute, but our fossil fuel sources are going in the opposite direction at the same speed.

Something has to be done as soon as possible to maintain our quality of life. Being cleaner, safer and less expensive than other power sources, nuclear energy seems to be the best solution to confront this problem. All the countries that already have the knowledge related to nuclear power generation plants should start implementing this technology as soon as they can. In addition to that, these governments should try to encourage other countries to learn and develop the required “know how”, in order to apply this valuable technology to satisfy their own power needs.

Issue 70, June

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SURVEILLANCE

SOCIETY.

Over the last decade, big cities’ citizens have been feeling that they are constantly observed by the eye of “Big Brother”. For some of the citizens, it is the best way to control society because police and government should work together to fight against crime and anti-social behavior. However, the use of surveillance cameras must be controlled by governments because if this technique of protection is expanded, it would affect society’s development and citizens’ freedoms.

First of all, even though surveillance cameras observe our movements to control behavior, many citizens might feel afraid to behave in the way that they are used to and gather in public places under monitoring. As a result, in societies where the government tends to restrict some of the citizens’ rights, there are some individuals who try to be careful instead of acting as usual.

To illustrate, in Venezuela, where a very unstable political system now exists, it is common that

citizens prefer to avoid going to places that they used to go to and meeting people that they used to meet since they prefer to remain in anonymous. This situation is even worse when these people know that the government has the power to record every single movement they make, making them an easy target to be arrested as criminals for acting in ways that are prohibited.

Secondly, it is a fact that the number of crimes are substantially decreasing in places where surveillance cameras now exist. However, recent research has shown that criminals now try to move the crime to places where they know there are no cameras monitoring everything (Surveillance Camera Players, March, 2001).

Even though most of the cameras are invisible, criminals have found ways to avoid the law and they have developed new techniques to commit crimes without being monitored; in this scenario, it does not matter if citizens are under the eye of “Big Brother” because they will always be vulnerable in the case of committing crimes.

In short, surveillance cameras have been taking a very important place in developing and developed societies as a way to combat crime and maintain the social order. The problem comes when governments do not apply in an effective way this powerful technique that technology gives us, resulting in an excuse to attack citizens without paying attention to its use in the case of crime. For that reason, it is important that societies take into consideration the by disadvantages of this system and make sure to pressure governMaria ments to obtain better regulaTrivella. tions of surveillance cameras.

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Pancake Breakfast Almost every session the CAs organize pancake breakfasts for students in the morning before classes start.

Students can also volunteer to help the CAs and get volunteer hours!

Issue 70, June 2010

VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE PROGRAM:

Evergreen Canada We asked one student what she thought of the experience, she said:

“Today, I gave life to a tree.”

You can plant trees too, once you join the volunteer experience program!

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Automotive Design: Car Design and Manufacturing People enjoy, today, different ways to move: terrestrial (cars), air (airplanes, rocket), maritime (boats).

However, the most common transport is car.

Automotive design focuses on developing the appearance or the body of any motor vehicles, specifically cars. As a result, automotive designers think and create cars.

How designers and engineers proceed to obtain a serial car?

The first step is the concept sketching. At this step, designers draw the car and work on three important parts: exterior design, interior design, and color and trim design. They give the shape and the style of the car, they think all interior elements and they choose the right material for each part of the car. When thought and sketched, the car will be reproduced as a mock: it is the clay modeling step. Designers use clay, a material that can be easily shaped, to have an idea of their product. This step is automatically followed by the ``class A surfaces`` which is to give a smooth and nice aesthetical aspect to the mock car. Designers are assisted by computer to perform this task accurately. Advanced tech-

World of Words

nologies have allowed engineers to do amazing work over the two latter centuries. In fact, the Computer Aided-Design or CAD, the use of computer to design any products, is the more advanced tool currently used. Therefore, engineers can make a prototype or the first copy of the car and test it. Car`s performances are reviewed and the prototype is ready for the manufacturing which is the last step. The manufacturing is the production line of the car. The power train which includes engine, transmission and so on is established in a strong frame. After, the interior and fashion elements are achieved.

As we can notice, it is a big work to create a car.

Without a doubt, the most common and fashioned transport, the car, requires much imagination to be designed and more efforts to be produced than we could think. We should thanks automotive designer for their amazing jobs. Drawing a car is just a passion for me and I want to dedicate this article to all English Language Program students and personnel. If this program was a car, it would be a nice SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) which would lead each ELP student easily on the English ease road.

By Clovis Adjou-Moumouni

Issue 70, June 2010

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scared. He was staying all the night at home because he was afraid of going outside. At 3:30 am, there was a strange shuffle on the first floor when he was lying in his bed . He was so scared that he got up and went downstairs to see what had happened .While he was walking on the stairs, he fell down to the first floor . When he tried to get up, he briefly saw something move behind him. He turned around to look, but he didn't see anything! After that, he called the police; nobody answered his call. Then he went upstairs. When he opened his bedroom door, he saw something lying in his bed under the covers and he felt afraid. Then he pulled off the covers. SudOn a dark night in the city there was dead denly, a black cat ran away ... The next day he read in the newspaper, "Do you think the silence. A man who was 22 years old was livblack cat is a ghost?” ing alone in a big house. On that dark night, he felt something happened and he was

A Ghost in the City

“

Western Canada My name is Koichiro Tokumitsu and I am in an Academic English class at level 40. I took days off the class and went to western Canada. This is my report of the trip.

May 29th, 30th 2010 Vancouver, We flew to Vancouver at 9:00am. The plane was flying at a low altitude and we were able to see towns and lakes clearly. After about a 5hour flight, we arrived at Vancouver. It was cold and rainy in Vancouver and the temperature was much lower than Toronto, so it was as if winter had come back. After lunch my fiancé Ayako, who is a judge in Japan, and her friend who is also a judge and studied law in Vancouver, walked around Vancouver. We went to Stanley Park, Gas Town, and the Beach.

Vancouver is a beautiful city. The road is paved with bricks and the streets are wider and cleaner than in Toronto. The bus and subway are also clean. The town seems a comfortable and easy place to live.

Vancouver Harbour

May 31st, June 1st … a scene from the train

Vancouver to Banff via Kamloops, We got up at 5:45am on May 31st to ride on the Rocky Mountaineer train from Vancouver to Banff. It was a 2day train trip. We stayed in Kamloops for one night. We saw beautiful lakes, breathtaking waterfalls, and rare animals like mountain goats and deer during this trip. The train had a detailed guide in English and it was easy to understand the sightseeing spots.

The food was also very nice. We arrived at Banff at 5:00pm on June 1st and it was raining again.

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June 2nd, 3rd, 4th Banff, We got up at 8:00 on June 2nd and went hiking. We had already made a reservation on the Internet for a Japanese hiking tour. There are many Japanese guided tours in Banff, so my fiancĂŠ selected a scenic hiking tour. We hiked to Yamnuska Mountain and Glacier Lake. The Yamnuska means a giant monolith in a native language. It took 2 hours to go up the mountain slope giving us a sweeping view over the lakes, grasslands and the Rocky Mountains.

Although the guide said we might see a bear, we did not come across a bear that day.

Then, we headed for the Glacier Lake. It was also a 2 hour hike to the lake. That lake was so beautiful. The water was totally clear and reflects the mountain whose top was slightly covered snow. The color was a deep blue and beyond description. We also saw people climbing the cliffs there, incredible!

On June 3rd, we walked around downtown Banff and went shopping for a souvenir for my mother. I bought hand gloves with an ox design made from musk ox hair. We also visited the famous Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel which looks like a castle. I hear that people all over the world want to stay at this hotel. However, the room fee was naturally expensive. What a luxurious place!

On June 4th, we headed for Jasper with a Japanese guide because there was no train service from Banff to Jasper. We dropped in at Lake Louise, Crow Foot Mountain, Peyto Lake and the Colombia Ice Field. Peyto Lake was especially beautiful. Some ice remained on the lake surface and the color was deep blue mixed with bright moss green.

We could also see the snow covered mountains in the distance. It was like a post card.

We happened to come across animals on the way to Jasper. We saw a black bear eating dandelions along the road and mountain goats climbing on the rocks.

The distance from Banff to Jasper is about 300km. We arrived at Jasper at 5:00pm.

Peyto Lake June 5th Jasper, We slept in until 9:30. After having breakfast at a restaurant, we rented a bicycle and biked around Jasper. It took 1.5 hours to bike uphill to the Pyramid Lake where we rented a canoe. On the way to the lake, we saw a deer family.

After we had drifted in the canoe for 1 hour, the wind suddenly got strong and we were not able to control the canoe. Fortunately, the canoe was thrown up on the shore. Then, we went cycling around Jasper and went shopping for souvenirs.

We got on the train for Toronto at Jasper station at 5:00pm. It took 4days to reach Toronto. On the way to Toronto, the train stopped at Edmonton and Winnipeg. We were temporarily able to get off the train and walk around these towns.

We saw many fantastic vistas we had never seen in our life and met a variety of people from all over the world during this trip. We will never forget the wonderful memories of the scenes, animals, and people. As you can imagine, this trip cost a lot of money, but this valuable memory is priceless for us.

Pyramid Lake

Ayako & Koichiro at Lake Louise

Issue 70, June 2010

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Get your friends to autograph your magazine ‌

Toronto—June 2010

Suite 4-106, 252 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON M5S 1V6 P. (416) 978-5104 F. (416) 971-2839 E-mail. learn.english@utoronto.ca Website. www.learn.english.utoronto.ca