The blaze at Hayhoe Mills on Pine Grove Rd., east of Islington Ave., began around 7:39 p.m. and it took a dozen fire trucks and around 40 firefighters from Vaughan, Richmond Hill and Markham to get it under control just after midnight, a spokesperson for Vaughan Fire & Rescue said.

Fire officials say it will take a few more hours to put out “smaller spot fires.”

Officials were concerned chemicals inside the large structure could explode, so they evacuated a nearby apartment building as well as Pine Grove Lodge, a neighbouring retirement home on Islington. (news)

I shoot with a high school comrade, Stephanie Pyne, and models Erin and Jolande.  Jolande completely outshone poor Erin, who was such a beautiful girl and has the Marilyn body that all men love but couldn't pull her weight in front of a camera.  Jo looked like a glorious English Rose mixed with a bit of that New-New-Guard OMG-I'm-so-close-to-Upper-East Side Socialite chutzpah.

We shot at our old stomping ground, Unionville, where there is absolutely nothing to do other than wallow in your parents' upper-middle class plus wealth.  It turned out to be perfect for our Stepford Wives/Hearst Sisters theme.

Jo looks so fabulously Get-Off-My-Lawn-You-Peasant in this pic that I could just die.  All she needs is a series of scared strawberry blond toddlers to complete the picture.

And this one?  So Uma Thurman's Poison Ivy.

I think this one is just so pretty

EEEE. Love. Love. Love.

I grabbed a nice purple sea wool (with sock pattern) , it's $28 regular price, and now 25% off! :)
how nice !

There are some Classic elite yarn (summer ones) and some other summer/winter yarns on sale too.

the sale will last till Sat (Jun 21st) , if you live in Toronto/Scarborough/Markham... , better go and check them out!

Mary's Yarn Store Hours

Monday- closed
Tuesday- 10-5
Wednesday- 10-5
Thursday-10-5
Friday- 10-5
Saturday -10-5
Sunday- closed

Address: 136 Main Street, Unionville, Ontario. L3R 2G5
Phone #: 905-479-7833

Ya habíamos comprado para entonces algunos vinos americanos, por lo que recorriendo la 29rd. Te puedes encontrar todos estos nombres ya conocidos, Domaine Chandon, Sutter Home, Beringer, Niebaum-Coppola, Jessup, Monticello.

Pero la propiedad que nos llamó la atención fue “Beringer”, con una entrada bastante espectacular con rejas muy elegantes, la casa principal era una mansión victoriana que parecía sacada de una postal europea, el jardín era enorme, estaba justo al frente de sus viñedos y cavas, la sala de degustación estaba también atestada, pero igual nos volvimos a hacer lugar a codazos.

Los vinos no estaban tan mal, aunque no con la calidad que uno se espera estando en “NAPA” estaban disfrutables, pero sin sobresalir, nos dejaron algo decepcionados, sobretodo después de aquella impresionante entrada y aquellas instalaciones tan lujosas y exclusivas.

Ya comenzaba a gestarse en nosotros la idea de “no dejarnos llevar por la pantalla de las grandes bodegas”. Halloween era ese fin de semana, todo estaba inundado de calabazas y decoración acorde, Beringer no era la excepción, de hecho en la siguiente foto esta mi esposa con un vegetal que había ganado un premio (Vero es la de la derecha... aclarando).

Saliendo, casi justo en frente, estaba la entrada a “Imagery Winery” propiedad de la familia Benziger, con excelentes propuestas de tipo varietales y mezclas francesas. Tienen una línea de vinos que se llama “Artist Collection” y que las etiquetas de sus botellas son obras pictóricas de artistas locales, lo cual me parece una excelente opción ya que las botellas son muy decorativas además de que impulsan a los artistas de la zona, lo mejor que ofrece la colección era un Chardonnay, con buena crianza, de buena acidez y fruta, también incluyen un barbera muy bien domado, uno que me encantó que es un pinot blanc de postre, pero el que nos trajimos a casa fue un Petit Verdot, que extrañamente a pesar de la cepa era robusto, con sabores a fruta maduras y sabores a roble, y un final bastante sensible y largo. También el Sangiovese nos dejo muy buen recuerdo. Creo que lo interesante de este viñedo fue la sensación de modernidad y la intención de los Benziger de adaptar sus productos a un nuevo mercado.

El siguiente viñedo que visitamos fue Markham Vineyards, según nos explicaron ahí, hacen vino desde el siglo XIX, y fue una de las primeras vinícolas de Napa, fundada por un inmigrante francés. Esta bodega fue una de nuestras favoritas, tenían un Pinot Noir excelentemente logrado, bastante expresión, frutas negras, Nueces, aterciopelado, muy bueno. Otro que nos gusto bastante fue el Zinfandel que estaba también bien expresivo y frutal. Pero definitivamente el que nos hizo exclamar un ¡woow! Fue el Syrah, voluptuoso con una expresión a frutas rojas, mermelada, madera, ahumado, canela y especias, mi esposa es fan del Syrah, y ella calificó este como el mejor de todo el viaje, por supuesto que nos lo llevamos con nosotros a casa y mi esposa lo consideraba como uno de sus tesoros.

Felices de habernos encontrado con el Syrah de Markham Vineyards íbamos saliendo del estacionamiento y enclavada en la colina de enfrene se alzaba la figura bastante llamativa, una sombra con silueta de casa victoriana delante del sol que nos daba en la cara – Ese se ve interesante – dijimos, y a pocos metros por la 29rd. Estaba la entrada a “St. Clement”. Según nos comentaron los dependientes de la barra, tiene una historia bastante particular este viñedo, comenzó en el siglo XIX siendo propiedad de una familia mexicana, hasta que fue vendida durante la gran depresión a un Ingles, este a su vez la volvió a vender a manos norteamericanas, luego hubo un tiempo que fue propiedad de japoneses, de la compañía cervecera Sapporo para ser mas exactos, y estos la vendieron a los actuales dueños, la familia Beringer.

Entre los vinos que probamos estaban 2 Cabernet Sauvignon los dos excelentemente tratados, un Merlot muy bien desarrollado y de gusto elegante.

Pero estábamos apunto de probar, el que mi esposa y yo consideramos la estrella de todo el Viaje, un vino que de verdad nos puso en las nubes, el fabuloso y sublime “OROPPAS”. Una mezcla bordelesa con base en la Cabernet. Ya nos podíamos imaginar la calidad de los vinos que estábamos probando por los 3 anteriores, pero desde que comenzamos a percibir los aromas de este vino supimos que estábamos ante la presencia de un Sr. Vino, recuerdo voltear a ver a mi esposa y ella con la copa en la nariz asintió levantando las cejas en señal aprobatoria. Con un suave olor a frutas rojas, pero combinado con aromas complejos de Rosas y madera, al agitarlo nos recordó esos deliciosos postres a base de chocolate y fresas, luego lo pusimos en la boca y nos la inundó a frutas rojas dulces, probablemente caramelizadas o confitadas, notas a canela, todo en un perfecto balance y de noble elegancia, aunque de buen cuerpo, y con un final sedoso y sin aristas.

Hasta los dependientes sonrieron al vernos la cara, que mi esposa y yo pusimos y la sincera exclamación que liberamos cuando bebimos este delicioso vino.

Decidimos que no teníamos que buscar más, e instalamos nuestro pic-nic en la terraza de esta vinícola, con unos emparedados que habíamos comprado, y acompañado por estos exquisitos vinos.

Nuestros estándares se habían elevado al cielo cuando salimos de St. Clement y probablemente debido a eso nos llevamos tan mala impresión del siguiente viñedo que visitamos.

Sterling Vineyars se encuentra en la cima de una colina en la parte este del valle de napa, teníamos un cupón de descuento para la entrada, porque para llegar a la cima de la colina, donde esta el tasting room te llevan en un teleférico, la verdad que a la mera hora, y después de todo el día de estar probando vino, hasta el cupón se nos olvidó. Total que nos subimos al “tram car” que nos llevó hasta las instalación en la cima de la colina, la verdad era uno de los más espectaculares que visitamos, con dominio del valle desde las alturas, los paisajes que observas desde este viñedo, son de postal:

Te bajas del funicular y entras a un edificio estilo post-moderno con detalles de misión como falsos campanarios, almenas, pérgolas, y que te recuerda al “Notre Dame du Haut” del arquitecto “le Corvousier”.  Vas recorriendo la bodega por un pasillo que a veces se convierte en pasarela y estas encima de las barricas de fermentación, avanzas un poco más, y te encuentras que estas arriba de las cavas de crianza, luego avanzas mas y pasas por en medio del laboratorio enológico, en los puntos de interés te encuentras con pantallas de plasma y sonido envolvente que te explica el proceso que se lleva a cabo en el área donde te encuentres: “estamos en el área del laboratorio, donde se diseñan las nuevas mezclas... donde se experimenta con nuevas tecnologías de fermentación a base nuevas enzimas de levadura genéticamente modificada...” y rollos como ese acorde al tema de cada punto. También durante el recorrido te vas encontrando que instalaron pequeñas barras en las cuales te sirven los diferentes vinos que se incluyen en la prueba. Hay un punto donde sales a una terraza panorámica que si vas en un día muy concurrido, no podrás encontrar lugar para acercarte al barandal y tomar excelentes fotos del valle. Te regresas por el mismo pasillo y continúas con el recorrido para al final terminar en el “tasting room”. Donde te sirven el último probete.

Si los vinos hubieran estado la mitad de espectaculares que las instalaciones y los paisajes, todo hubiera sido un éxito, pero la verdad era que los vinos estaban... medianeros, no con la calidad que uno se espera de Napa.

Ya cuando veníamos de regreso, otra pareja tuvo el infortunio de subir con nosotros en la cabina del funicular . Al principio no nos sentimos con mucha confianza, pero apenas nos dieron pié, y no cerramos el pico en todo el camino, ya los teníamos mareados. Nada más nos preguntaron: “¿y ustedes de donde son?”, y ya no paramos de hablar hasta que llegamos al pie de la colina. Y para su mala fortuna el “tram car” se detuvo justo en medio del recorrido, y nosotros seguíamos sin dejarlos decir palabra, yo hasta vi que el cuate se asomaba por la ventanilla como pensando «¡¿porque no avanza esta madre?!», y mi esposa y yo desatados platicándoles hasta lo que no nos habían preguntado, todo esto también considerando que ya habíamos estado probando toda la tarde y con un par de copas el inglés nos salía mejor que nunca. Cuando por fin llegamos al final, abrieron la puerta y bajaron como disparados – see you around folks¡ – fue todo lo que dijeron.

Ya en el coche mi esposa y yo recordamos que ni siquiera tuvimos la cortesía de devolverles la pregunta – ¿y ustedes de donde son? – y ahí fue cuando caímos en la cuenta que no los habíamos dejado decir ni pío. Han de haber pensado: “pobres, tienen muchas ganas de platicar”.

Definitivamente Napa es la capital del vino en América, en ningún otro lado hay tantas vinícolas juntas con tan buena calidad; aunque hay bodegas en donde han puesto mucho énfasis en el turismo, y han descuidado un poco la calidad en los vinos, parafraseando a mi esposa, en lugares como Sterling Vineyards o Beringer, te hacen sentir como si estuvieras en el “disneyland de los vinos”, y no dejas de percibir que se ha perdido un poco el alma de la vitivinicultura al despersonalizar con lujo excesivo, funiculares y pantallas de plasma, la exquisita experiencia de visitar un lugar donde se produce una bebida con tanta tradición como el vino.

Se puede entender un poco esto debido a la extrema cultura consumista que tienen un gran porcentaje de los norteamericanos, que es el nicho al que están dirigidas todas estas “Bodegas Boutique”. Pero como les dije a los cuates de otro viñedo, te dan ganas de dejar en el buzón de sugerencias: “deberían vender el funicular y contratar un buen enólogo”.

A pesar de esta... digamos, no tan grata sensación, si vale la pena como turista, no como enoturista, visitar estas bodegas, son, en una palabra: espectaculares, te dejaran una buena experiencia y conocerás lugares muy bonitos, además que podrás tomar las mejores fotos del recorrido.

• La tarifa por probar los vinos (2 oz de c/u mas o menos) anda entre $5 y $15usd según el viñedo e incluye varios vinos.
• Lo bueno de esta zona es que los viñedos están cerca uno de otro, así que inclusive si llegas al área sin un plan, podrás gozar de excelentes paisajes, fabulosos tasting rooms, muy buenos restaurantes, etc.
• Pero de igual manera si ya tienes en mente las casas que desees visitar, será mejor que planees una ruta, ya que el tiempo vuela en ese lugar y así podrás aprovechar el horario en el que te reciben en los tasting rooms que son mas o menos de 11:00am a 5:00pm.
• El hospedaje en esta área no es barato, con lo que te pagas una noche de hotel en un lugar mas o menos, puedes conseguir algo mejor en los alrededores, nosotros por este motivo escogimos como centro de operaciones la Cd. De Petaluma California, y nos resulto bien ya que estaba a casi en medio de las zonas que visitamos, y ni tuvimos que viajar mucho para llegar a ninguna.
• Lo mismo sucede con la comida, los restaurantes son caros, y aunque vale la pena probar la exquisita gastronomía local, si quieres ahorrar un poco, puedes ir a los supermercados y comprar comida preparada, que por supuesto no es mala como la que consigues en los superes de México. Hay emparedados gourmet con panceta, prosciutto, tomates secados al sol, jamón serrano, roast beef, de carne italiana, etc. O compras unos higos secos, un lomito embuchado o jamón, queso, tostadas estilo mediterráneo o italianas, Compras tu botella de exquisito vino y te sientas en las terrazas a almorzar bajo el agradable sol de napa, su fresca brisa y con la excelente vista de sus legendarias vides.
• Para mas información: http://www.napavalley.com/

Even among the most educated of us, our ideas about the world are never the same as something we were thinking about, say, last year. As you keep finding things out, you tend to grow in our world view or even change your world view altogether. Either way, you never have the same opinions on things over the course of time.

This has become a value fondly held by many school boards in their brochures. They all try to give that warm, fuzzy feeling in talking about the life cycle, and of lifelong learning. Lifelong Learning is associated with good mental health, and with keeping old folks from senility. It also is associated with career changers (either voluntary or involuntary).

One would think that therefore, the primary focus of our school boards ought to be to enhance lifelong learning. But when I see the inequities in the system, I see that an adult credit in English is not taught the same way as a regular high school credit in high school English, due to substandard facilities, resources, and overpopulated classrooms. I hear that in Toronto, class sizes can climb as high as 55 students per class. But I am "reassured" that most of them are un-motivated people who are only there because their welfare officer ordered them to take a course. That was offered as reassurance, because they apparently don't count in any real sense. Sometimes they show up, sometimes they don't. After awhile, they find they have been absent so many times that the course has become incomprehensible to them, anyway. That means that they face the prospect of, on orders of the welfare officer, to get a zero or close to it on their transcript, thus effectively sabotaging any chance at a future, if that was ever a possiblity.

Toronto has no upper limit on the number of times an adult can be absent. That allows students to stay on the class list for the whole semester, which maximizes their funding. The "55" figure is still intimidating, since they still have to do all that correcting. Apparently, they lose about 1/3 of the class, still leaving them with 37 students. That is still more than the cap size in our district. Our cap size is 35, maximum. That's still well above the average of 24 promised by Ontario Education Ministry. The thing I like about Toronto, though, is at least the hourly wage is capped at around $55/hour, on a seniority grid. (making that $1 per student).

after i cleared customs and picked up my luggage, i exited into the general population of the airport. i stepped through the double doors onto an elevated platform with railings on three sides. the platform was surrounded by people -- people crying, people with cameras and signs, people shouting and singing for their loved ones. it was a surreal couple of moments. i had no idea what it was like to be an 'international arrival.' it was exciting, and even if there weren't any signs or songs or people waiting just for me, i felt loved and welcomed just the same.

all in all, canada treated me well. it was strange looking up and seeing a foreign flag flying in the breeze, and hearing the majority of sentences ending in the trademark 'eh', but all of those things endeared me to my northern neighbors. it was interesting to be the outsider, the person from the states.

i am happy to be back home, under the red, white and blue*, but i feel certain that my first visit to canada won't be my last.

*as a completely unrelated footnote, three weeks before publication, f. scott fitzgerald tried to change the title of 'the great gatsby' to 'under the red, white and blue'. but by then it was too late.

sunset over markham, ontario, canada

Indudables campeones del Torneo Apertura resultaron los jugadores del club Old Markhamians, quienes luego del fallo final de la Federación Peruana de Rugby se colocaron en el primer lugar de la tabla.

Desde la primera fecha los equipos fueron demostrando lo mejor de sí y todo lo aprendido en estos años; presentaron a sus mejores jugadores, derrumbaron al rival tackle a tackle, anotaron un try tras otro e hicieron gala de sus mejores pateadores en cada conversión.

Cada equipo ansiaba llevarse el título de Campeón del Torneo Apertura 2008 y sólo uno lo logró en la cancha, demostrando porque son los campeones del 2007 y sobre todo mostrando un gran desarrollo físico y estratégico. Pero en esta ocasión se alejan del primer puesto al incluir en dos partidos a un jugador amonestado con tarjeta roja y suspendido dos fechas; hecho que no pudo ser pasado por alto por la Directiva de la Federación.

No basta mostrar las agallas en cada partido, sino conducta y respeto por el campeonato y es por tal motivo que la Federación Peruana de Rugby reconoce oficialmente como Campeones del Torneo Apertura 2008 a los Old Markhamians RFC, quienes fueron recuperándose poco a poco, manteniendo su perfil de juego que hoy les permitió llevarse la victoria.

El club Estudiantes Universidad de Lima asciende al segundo lugar de la tabla, dejando en tercer puesto a los Flaming Lions – Newton UPC y en cuarto lugar a las abejas del Club Alumni, que empezó mal el torneo pero partido a partido demuestra un crecimiento y que seguro nos tienen una sorpresa para el Torneo Clausura 2008.

Ahora queda a todos los clubes intentar ganar el clausura y a fin de año poder disputar la copa con los Old Markhamians, sin permitirles ser los campeones absolutos.

En las categorías Intermedia y Femenina el campeonato continúa cada fin de semana, en que los equipos locales reciben a todos los amantes de este deporte sin costo de entrada.

Comisión de Campeonato

Federación Peruana de Rugby

To this day, adult credit teachers, their school boards and the government that oversees them have gotten complacent about the 70% cut in funding and have both acknowledged and acquiesced in being treated as second-class citizens within the public education system. It is a legacy of the Harris government that few have addressed.

First, let's list some programs aimed at young adults that are aimed at helping them if they are in need, or to give them some kind of help or guidance:

These are programs people most identify with "handouts" to the poor. I mention the prison system, because many poor people who end up there have little or no education, are regarded disparagingly as "burdens on society", and it is where they purportedly learn to rehabilitate themselves. In reality, most jails are training grounds for further criminality, and many of them re-offend, because that is what they know. I would agree that jails seem to break "something" in the human psyche, but it is not the kind of breaking that ends their cycle of poverty or that improves their lives.

I didn't really mean to lump temp agencies and employment agencies with the "handouts", but what are these mostly commercial enterprises, really? They help you pay the bills, they provide stop-gap jobs that keep you fed, clothed and sheltered. And you are working and probably living independently. If your goal is to survive and subsist, then by all means look no further, and best of luck to you. You are usually stuck with zero benefits and zero job security, so chances are you will want to look elsewhere for a more secure form of employment somewhere down the road. The upshot is that it is not permanent, it is a temporary "quick fix", which doesn't get at the heart of the dependence problem. They may well need welfare or EI again if they go through another dry spell.

Soup kitchens, food banks, welfare, EI and detox centers all give what are famously referred to as "handouts" to the poor, but getting off drugs for the time being, getting a food donation or getting a couple of hundred dollars will only help you get by temporarily. Breaking the cycle of poverty means earning your own money on an ongoing basis.

But without an education you are stuck in menial jobs. Some people like that, and if that is your choice then I am happy for you; but to those who know their capabilites are evaporating with each day on an assembly line; or to those who stock shelves at department stores who know they can do better; it is something that causes inner conflict. With this conflict, either two things can happen: they can use their energies more effectively to improve the world around them; or the can use their energies to make their lives and those around them worse. This can be mistaken for "mental illness", but it must not be ignored that education is a non-medical intervention that breaks the poverty cycle, and ends the stigmatization and labelling that also serve to keep them down. In the end, education makes people feel better about themselves, which is the aim of the mental health industry.

None of the items in the above list put an end to poverty. None of these programs can claim to break the cycle of dependence on still further handouts and all of them cost society a great deal of money, especially the prison system and the psychiatric system. Employment agencies could do the same thing, but if you desire a more successful career to make something of your gifts, then just "getting a job" isn't going to necessarily give you that, especially if you haven't even got the necessary high school courses.

Of all of the programs that claim to provide an end to the poverty cycle, education is the only area I can think of where the claim is most legitimate. Education has always been the doorway to the better jobs and careers. The colleges and universities which supply the training demand that students come in with the necessary high school credits before they participate in their programs. Adult credit education is that doorway. I can't think of a program which more fittingly gets young adults off the streets and helps people to help themselves. Or, which helps older adults turn around years of living in compromise, and gives them an opportunity to get the life they want. It helps to break the poverty cycle, which provides opportunities for a better quality of life for adult learners and their families.

Adult education not only gives the public the best bang for their tax dollars comapred with anything in the above table, but its effect on the economy are more immediate than for child education. Adults return to the economy typically within 3 or 4 years, or less, and contribute to the economy right away. With their youthful mistakes behind them, adults appreciate the opportunity they are given, are more than willing to make the necessary sacrifices, and are least likely to squander these opportunities. Together with their families, their children are likely to become better adjusted to a classroom environment.

This is not to ignore those who are not foolish at all, but instead need extra credits to get into university. In our school, the lion's share of these kind of adults are immigrants. Many of these immigrants haven't the slightest clue about what equal opportunity would mean in a country like ours, so they enter our school and acquiesce in the substandard conditions we all face. They indeed make the most of their opportunities but by and large they mostly don't realise that the system seems to be set up to shaft them.

Adult credit teachers offer the same school credits that high school students enjoy. This makes our job just as important as teachers in the secondary school system, if not more. We deserve the same computers, lab facilities, rates of pay and benefits and the same modern clasrooms with the same standards of cleanliness and administrative support that other schools take for granted.

But it pays to just go out there and do things. I advise anyone reading this that if you are in Adult Ed, make sure your own local knows you exist. Speak to people at the OSSTF District level. Find out who represents you if you don't know. This is where I had to start from. But someone has to get the ball rolling. And if it is you, then so be it. This might even be your first semester teaching. But with your humble and imperfect tools, try to make a difference. The only thing worse than doing something is doing nothing.

The interviewer did not know the name of this school any more than I did. To this day, I scratch my head as to why the school had no name. Hardly a way to inspire pride in your school, if the administrator can't even get the name straight. But of course, knowing the admins, this is never something that is slipshod; it was deliberate. Must have been. But what would be the purpose of hiding the name of a school? Can't fathom it. Except that it is a political embarrassment that needs to be hidden. If people really knew the inequalities that this school is suffering from, they would be up in arms.

There is a great gap between the expansive rhetoric of government press releases and the reality we all face. Rather than an offer of a "hand up" to those willing to better themselves and improve their lives; it seems more as if adult ed is regarded as a "handout" as if we are running a soup kitchen or a hostel.

Students (who are not really students by government policy) are taught by teachers (who are paid as casual labourers -- at least in our board -- maybe we are not really teachers anymore than they are not really students) who have their hands tied by policies that seek to throw out teaching equipment in favour of packing the classroom as full of students as possible to levels not seen since the baby boom. This policy assumes that our clients are a burden on society by having the audacity to ask the government to offer them courses to earn credits they were not able to earn at an earlier time in their lives. It is the exact opposite of what I see in my class. Humble as my students are, they try really hard in conditions that some compare to the third-world countries they came from. They deserve better.

Lastly, teachers in adult credit courses offer the same credits as teachers in a regular high school. Yet, regardless of the number of courses we teach (I once taught 4 courses in a 3-month semester -- 133% of what a regular high school teacher would teach), we are always considered part-time, and temporary. I've heard of a basic labour standard that is followed almost everywhere else in the job market: it's called equal pay for work of equal value. An adult ed credit in English or Social studies is of equal value to a student as one that comes from high school. It gets you into the same universities and colleges, and leads to the same careers. Our pay for the same amount of work can be as low as 50% of that of a regular teacher ("as low as", because regular teachers are on a salary grid and we are paid hourly with no benefits  or holiday pay).

But only for a moment. The current funding formula for students means that, as my administrators (my bosses) honestly point out -- that this is a numbers game, and it is all about cramming as many people into a classroom as the Education Act and Fire Code regulations will allow, so that the board can save money. This is done to the point of throwing out lab benches, storage cabinets, and equipment if more seating can be placed in a classroom. The willingness to throw out teaching equipment (without replacement) on a whim if it will save money shows the real priorities at the Ministry and Board level.

Who recommended that the equipment be thrown out? Would you believe a health and safety inspector from OSSTF? There is no thought given that some of this stuff, such as it is, may be needed for teaching. They could at least replace it. But the purpose is not to replace, it is to overcrowd the class with 35 or more students. They can't do that if lab benches and bunsen burners are in the way.

I just love how I have to temper each sentence with "likely", and "to my understanding". Yes, my current knowledge of how my money travels within my own local is that wishy-washy. The only thing I can be absolutely sure of beyond any doubt is that every 2 weeks, $24.29 disappears out of my paycheck, marked as "union dues". I would suppose that it goes to the OSSTF district. But a full-time teacher in my board (in OSSTF circles, the name of this teacher is so feared and hated, such a persona-non-grata, that like Sauron and the Dark Speech of Mordor, his is a name which I shall not utter here) tells me that my dues probably go to Mobile Drive. That's a strange place for it to go, without going to a local first.

The Nameless One says that we may have no representation in the local at all, and that is why the union dues would go straight to the OSSTF central office. Of course, our voice needs to be heard (as it should be, by law), so if I raise this concern with them, the central office would likely give us a seat on their committee of 30 members or so (thereby silencing us by nearly guaranteeing that we are always out-voted). Another option they would consider is that they would give us back to the local district and subsume us into one of their bargaining units. This would likely have the almost the same effect. We are small in number and are likely to be outnumbered by the incumbent members. The third option which we have to find on our own because no one will ever make us aware of it as an option is to go out and form our own separate bargaining unit. It will annoy the OSSTF for us to do that, but it will probably be more effective, since we would be voting and meeting at the local level.

I remarked to The Nameless One that I find it hard to believe that I would be the only one in Ontario going on this fact-finding mission and finding things out. He said he wouldn't be surprised if I was, actually. The OSSTF, he says, have been very efficient at silencing opponents, and in keeping certain issues off the bargaining table.

I am glad to see this, since this is a move to try to reverse a lot of the disenfranchisement we have seen among adult educators.

As for adult "credit" teachers (those offering high-school Ontario credits), they are stuck in a bind. They are already dues-paying members of OSSTF or OECTA as they case may be, but their problem is more a combination of Ontario legislation (see my other articles) and the union which represents them. Always a person who gives credit where it is due, I like the admin we have at our school, and I recognise that they are doing as good a job as they can with the resources we have all been given (next to nothing, actually). This may sound like an unusual thing for me to be saying --- moi, a union person giving compliments to management. But just think about it. They don't need to be "mean" to us. The die has been already cast due to the 70% cut in funding.

I have heard students from third-world countries come to our school and say that it compares to a third-world school. Dingy, mouldy, what little equipment we have is aging or malfunctioning. The board responds by throwing out old equipment rather than replacing it. The fact is there is really no formal budget targeted for adult ed; our board just looks to another fuding source to finance it. And of course, that means that that other funding source has to do with less.

I'd say I'm a Banana because:

• Barely read/write Chinese (I speak fluent Cantonese though.....pretty much accentless, because my grandmother took care of me when I was little, and I learned to talk from here)
• I don't really have the baby voice/Hong Kong mall rat voice that is really common with women under 40, though I sometimes speak with the equally bad "valley girl" mall rat voice (like, I'm soooooo sorry, okay?)
• Went to a university that the so-called "majority" sees as being "very white" (ummm, no, the school is NOT "very" white, at least not compared to smaller schools.  It's only "very white" compared to places like the University of Toronto, UBC and Waterloo.)
• Took lots of drama and social science courses rather than sciences or even business (I was one of two Asian students in my high school drama classes (out of a class of between 15 and 20) and probably the only one in my year who actually majored in the subject in university.
• Didn't highlight my hair in high school (the majority of the Chinese kids who highlighted their hair at my high school were foreign students or recent immigrants).
• Didn't (and still don't) follow Cantopop bands or HK movie stars...unless you count the few days when the Edison Chen scandal hit the news EVERYWHERE
• My boyfriend isn't Asian
• I don't play badminton (the badminton teams at my high school were OVERWHELMINGLY Chinese...I think there was only like one white girl on the team)
• I'm not obsessed with big brand names
• I didn't live in an area that is "seen" as a Chinese suburb (i.e. Markham, Ontario)
• Most of my closer friends aren't Chinese
• I do volunteer work for non-ethnic-specific organizations

But the following are kind of questionable:

• I played piano from ages 4 to 17
• I actually SPEAK Cantonese
• I'm fairly familiar with Chinese (or at least Hong Kong) culture
• A manicurist in Hong Kong didn't believe that I was CBC - she thought that I went to school abroad at a young age (i.e. high school) - probably because of my lack of an accent

I also don't understand why some people are so critical of the banana (or Oreo, apple, coconut, etc) identity.  A person's identity is what he/she chooses! And no, I don't think it's derogatory, as one of the commentators has indicated.  It's just part of me.

UN CLÁSICO SE JUEGA CON EL CORAZÓN.-

Alumni y Markham protagonizaron una nueva versión del Clásico del Rugby Peruano.

El sábado 12 de Abril, en horas de la tarde en la cancha de la Universidad Católica se dio inicio al Apertura 2008 con el encuentro de los equipos más coperos del rugby nacional. Los equidistas de Alumni como los del Markham, vienen de una intensa temporada de seven’s donde los de amarillo y negro tuvieron una destacada participación.

El rugby day inicio con el cotejo de la Intermedia, entre los chicos del Alpamayo y los Cruzados de la PUCP. Fue en un encuentro reñido, con garra por ambas escuadras y con momentos de muy buen rugby. Todo quedaba listo para el partido de fondo, la cancha en buen estado, la gente que ansiosa de ver el partido que se presagiaba como un buen  encuentro. 

Salieron los 15 de amarillo y negro y el “referee” dio inicio al encuentro. Si bien en la primera parte no vimos rugby fluido debido a la marca asfixiante planteada en todo el campo parte de los centros y de las terceras de Alumni, ello ocasiono desconcierto en los de Markham, causando que las primeras acciones de peligro sean en las “22” de los miraflorinos. El encuentro pasó luego a ser muy “peleado” en los rucks y mauls donde los del Markham querían hacer prevalecer el mayor peso de su “pack” fruto de ello y de controvertidas decisiones del árbitro se empezaron a caldear los ánimos y comenzaron a aparecer las primeras amarillas para ambos equipos. Así termino la primera mitad jugada con mucha pasión pero sin abrir el tanteador.  

En los segundos 40, los quince de Alumni salieron más ordenados debido a los cambios en la pareja de medios, y comenzó a empujar a su rival hacia su ingoal, pero aún no podían definir. El rival respondía con patadas al fondo y con escapadas de su buen centro y del fullback que siempre eran conjuradas en el medio de la cancha por los de amarillo y negro. Así llegamos al minuto 15 donde los locales pusieron una bonita patada al fondo y recuperaron a la ovalada y luego en rápido juego de manos el wing Alegría definía junto a la bandera, conversión a palos sin comentarios, 5-0 a favor. Se reinicio el juego y los del Markham atacaron con furia por medio de su “pack” por lo que el partido se torno más violento aún y por ende más desordenado, en su búsqueda de proteger a la ovalada, los de Alumni comenzaron a ceder terreno, hasta que llego el minuto 22 y a causa de un intento de robo en las propias 22 abrió un hueco en la defensa local y vino la igualdad 5-5, inmediatamente después los markhanians pasaron adelante al ejecutar la conversión 5-7.

Con la herida abierta, los de Alumni se fueron hacia terreno de los markhanians a buscar la victoria, los de miraflores respondieron cerrando sus 22 con sus gordos y pateando a los laterales, así transcurrieron unos minutos cuando tras una buena jugada de la línea de Alumni se creo un espacio por la banda que fue bien capitalizado por L. Alegría para convertir su segundo ensayo de la tarde y darle la ventaja a Alumni 10-5, la ejecución de la conversión fue para el olvido 10-5.

La respuesta del visitante fue contundente, a través de sus gordos buscaron arrinconar a Alumni contra su ingoal, los locales respondieron parando al pack visitante con lo que se elevo nuevamente la violencia en la cancha, fruto de eso se vieron más amarillas para el local y una roja para el visitante.

Se acababa la luz y con ella las ideas de la pareja de medios del visitante, sus ataques chocaban siempre con la bien parada defensa de Alumni. Por alto y por bajo intentaron los leones, y siempre fueron conjurados, algunas veces el milagroso tackle, otras los gordos mordiendo los tobillos al pie del ruck, si bien la quincena local estuvo mermada buena parte del segundo tiempo, los que quedaron en la cancha se multiplicaron y no parecían rendirse ante las arremetidas de los markhanians. Cuando parecía que la defensa local no cedería, la falta de luz, el árbitro y los constantes penales hicieron lo suyo. Al minuto 82 (¿?) un penal dudoso dejo al pateador del markham en inmejorable posición para anotar, y eso hizo. 10-10.

Con ello se termino en tablas un encuentro reñido como todo clásico que se respete, tuvo chispazos de buen rugby y dejo a la afición satisfecha aunque este partido no entre a la historia como uno de los más goleadores, si lo hará pues, seamos claros: los empates no son muy comunes en el rugby nacional, y este es uno en el que ambas escuadras pusieron todo el corazón y la garra que era necesaria para no dejar al rival llevarse la victoria resumiendo con ello en escasos 80 minutos, como entendía cada uno el rugby.  

Por Jorge Morales "El Pirata"

But maybe, it's a cultural thing, and not class or education.  Compare the stereotypical Chinese Canadian living in Markham, Ontario (a Toronto suburb with a BIG Chinese population) with a South Asian Canadian family in Brampton (a Toronto suburb with a BIG South Asian population).  As they are suburbanites, they likely have the requesite 2,500+ sqare foot house with a double garage, shop at Costco and probably university degrees.  But wait....there are differences.  Once in a while, you'll see the wife and female children of the South Asian family in ethnic clothes.  As for the Chinese family?  Western clothes, even for Chinese New Year (unless you're a kid under 5).  Of course, this isn't to say that the South Asian family isn't as culturally integrated as the Chinese family.  In general, South Asian Canadians are more likely to run for office.  There are more MPs, provincial reps and city councillors who are of South Asian descent than of any East Asian ethnicity.  This is likely because India gained independence in the 1950s while Hong Kong still doesn't have universal suffrage.  The Japanese Canadian population isn't all that big compared to Chinese, and it seems that Taiwanese people prefer the US over Canada.  Another interesting point is that I personally can't think of any Chinese Canadian politician who is CBC or CRC (Canadian Raised Chinese...must arrive in Canada before junior high).  Adrienne Clarkson, who was Governor-General until 2005 and Norman Kwong, Alberta's current Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta do not count, of course. 

Another case:  I attended a program with two girls who were from similar cultural backgrounds, ethnically speaking.  One grew up in a middle class neighbourhood and the other grew up in an area that people in Toronto would classify as "rough."  The girl from the rough neighbourhood was shocked to hear that the suburban girl's brother played hockey.  To the rough neighbourhood girl, people from her culture weren't supposed to do so.  She kind of thought that the suburban girl's brother was whitewashed, which to her, wasn't a good thing.  Now, I don't know too much about rough neighbourhood girl's background, whether her parents have degrees and just couldn't find jobs in what they were trained for or if they're just very old country, while the suburban girl was not.  To me, however, the rough neighbourhood girl was nutso.

So readers, time for your input.  What do you think?  Is it education?  Class?  A combination or none of the above?

The census metropolitan area (CMA) of Toronto had the largest proportion of visible minorities among all CMAs in Canada. 94.0% of the visible minority population in Toronto (CMA) lived in one of six municipalities: the City of Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Markham, Richmond Hill, or Vaughan. The municipalities of Markham and Brampton had the highest proportion of visible minorities within the Toronto CMA.

Markham: 65.4% visible minorities

The municipality of Markham, Ontario had the highest percentage (65.4%) of visible minorities in Canada, surpassing the visible minority percentage of Richmond, British Columbia (65.1%). The two largest visible minority groups in Markham are Chinese (89,300) and South Asian (45,000).

Brampton: 57.0% visible minorities

The municipality with the second-highest proportion of visible minorities within the Toronto CMA was Brampton, Ontario, with 57.0% visible minorities. The largest visible minority groups in Brampton were South Asian (136,800) and Black (53,300).

Visible minorities made up 49.0% of Mississauga, 46.9% of the City of Toronto, and 45.7% of Richmond Hill.

Sources:

• Statistics Canada. 2007. 2006 Community Profiles. 2006 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 92-591-XWE. Ottawa. Released March 13 2007.
• Statistics Canada. 2008. Canada’s Ethnocultural Mosaic, 2006 Census. 2006 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 97-562-X. Ottawa. Released April 2, 2008.

From the Ontario Learns document (2005, Ontario Ministry of Education p35-6):

Adult educators as a professional community lack
recognition. There is no systematic professional
development aimed at improving adult education
practice: courses in adult education are not required
in faculties of education, education students are not
encouraged to consider a career track in adult
education, and the Ontario College of Teachers does
not address adult education in its Standards of
Practice for Ontario Teachers.

The adult education stream of non-credit programs
has a different level of pay and benefits and lacks
job security. As well, the level of pay for educators
even of credit courses offered through continuing
education is lower than that offered in regular secondary
school programs. The low pay and the uncertain
employment future mean that educators leave,
and administrators find it hard to recruit new educators
to what is viewed as a “second-class” teaching
environment.

Principals of adult day schools do not receive professional
development targeted to the differences in
offering an educational program geared to adults or
to developing staff in that environment. The shortage
of specialists in adult education — counsellors,
skilled assessors of prior learning, translators, and
interpreters for other languages (either spoken or
signed) are also concerns. Nevertheless, learners
spoke warmly about their educators and instructors,
about those who were patient and respectful, who
showed real love of teaching and went the extra mile
to help learners, sometimes by helping them address
personal problems outside their educational program.
They also spoke of other educators who were
not as good and some who needed to work on their
own language and literacy skills before they could
help other adults learn.

Learners also talked about what they needed as
adults. Some felt that a lot of flexibility was needed
in order to respond to their requirements as adults.
Others felt that there was a need for stricter standards
of participation and achievement to keep learners
on track. Although learners want to be respected
as contributing, capable adults, they recognize that
at times they need feedback to help them keep
focused on their learning goals.

Practitioners spoke about the importance of developing
communities of practice among adult educators,
opportunities to learn from one another, to share
best practices, and to work on continuous improvement.
Sharing the results of research in adult education
is vital to improving practice — practitioners
need opportunities to reflect on practice and on the
results of research so that they can incorporate
improvements into teaching and learning.

The building I work at has no shortage of rodents and mould; and in order to maximize the number of seats per class, the administration has resorted to throwing out lab equipment, chemicals, and ripping out lab benches in order to fit more desks. That being said, our building is probably one of the best and largest adult sites in Ontario.

No, there is plenty of room to teach, and there is actually a shortage of adult students from what I remember over the past 5 years. Classrooms are lying empty for some periods. What I think is likely to be happening is that certain periods are being crammed with the most students so that they can pay the fewest teachers. Common sense will tell you that both the teacher and the student lose in this arrangement. A semester starting with 35 students is typical, whereas in all other schools, the government is capping the numbers at 24.

For those who don't know about our situation, which I think is province-wide,
we are a group of teachers who are not on any career-track job, who are actually paid by the hour and whose job can be terminated at the end of any semester when our contracts end. Yes, we are working in the public system. I have to sign a new contract every three months. There is no paid prep time, and we thus work usually of less than 6 hours per day (that is teaching time), which in the majestic rationale of the employment system, makes us part time workers. For the record, anyone working even 3 periods (4.5 hours class time in our school) really has no life, especially if the teacher's goal is to provide education of any quality in the 3-month, 80 hour semester we are given.

Ideas for contributions would apply to:

History of adult education in Ontario (since 1980s)

Local stories about the current state of adult ed in Ontario

Provincial stories about the current state of adult ed in Ontario

Newspaper/web references about adult ed in Ontario

Government actions, past (since 1980s) to present:

• Links to key legislation
• Policy document references
  • the idea of "lifelong learning"
  • definition of a "student" in Ontario
• hansard references
• ministry quotes

I am still coming up with some ideas. This blog is entirely a volunteer effort.