A Collection of Daily Wisdom by Dennis Sylvester Hurd since September 2003.

I am suffering a little. Day in and day out, I add something to this space. Sheer fortitude carries me forward. I realize if I were to skip a single day, then the whole thing could fall like a house of cards.

I frequently look at a site that provides me with visitor statistics. I see how many people come here because of typing baby monkey, or the Jetsons in Google's image search. It is interesting to see the IP lookup and realize that guests are as likely to be from Australia as Vancouver. It is a bit of a disappointment to realize that friends seldom even make it here.

This begs an important question. One of the most important points of my courses, is to differentiate technical writing from other types. An underlying factor is the realization that our writing is for a specific audience. It is designed to help a particular person or set of people with a specific solution. Although I'm approaching the third anniversary my eJournal and images, I have yet to figure out who I'm writing this for.

Here's a copy of a document that I put on my online course page. I believe it was written by a colleague, Autumn Winter. Its inclusion may prompt a future visitor to arrive here via a search engine. If so, let me extend my greetings!

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What is Comm 0004?
It is a course to help you learn English, which means learning listening, reading, speaking, and writing. When you write, you write using a business/technical style.

How do you pass Comm 0004?
You pass Comm 0004 by demonstrating competence in English at a level that is equivalent to Grade 11 English. The results may be very different than with other courses you have taken. In other courses, you may have worked hard, studied hard, and then passed the course, maybe with a high grade. You may not pass Comm 0004. This does not mean that you have not studied hard enough or that you not a good learner. It just means that you are not at the required level of English competence. In fact, you may be the best English learner in the class and not pass. You may just be starting off at a lower level than everyone else.

What is the ideal classroom environment?
It is an environment in which all the students try to take charge of their own learning. It is an environment of English language immersion rather than an environment of English language abstraction.

How do you write well in Comm 0004?
If you want to write and speak well, you must have acquired enough English language experience first. Writing well in Comm 0004 is not about:

Using words that you have just looked up in a dictionary that
translates from you first language

Writing essays

Using linking words, set phrases, or writing formulas in your writing, without having enough experience to know if you are using them appropriately

Using fancy language.

Writing well in Comm 0004 is about:

Knowing your purpose and your audience

Writing in a business/technical style

Controlling the correctness and accuracy of your writing

Writing clearly.

What about Grammar?
Learning to speak and write correctly is very different than having an abstract understanding of grammar rules.

Some of you probably know too much grammar. By this, I mean you may have a lot of abstract understanding of grammar rules, but you may not be able to express yourself in English while conforming to the grammar rules. You may be spending too much time in a world of English language abstraction when you should be spending more time in a world of English language immersion.

Some of you may need to improve your understanding of certain grammar rules. It is your responsibility to figure out what you have to learn and to learn from your mistakes. You may need to purchase a grammar book.

What grammar instruction will you receive?
At the Comm 0004 level, you should already have good sentence structure skills. You will receive limited formal instruction and some handouts related to sentence structure. You will receive ongoing feedback on the correctness/accuracy of your speaking and writing. This will be provided within the context of language tasks.

What writing tasks will you have?
You will have writing tasks of varying lengths, and you will do all of your writing in a business/technical style.

Sometimes, you will be given a general topic and you will have to supply most of the details yourself. You may work together in a group to come up with this detail.

Sometimes, you will be given most of the detail and you will have to come up with the appropriate language to explain this detail in complete and correct sentences and paragraphs.

Sometimes, this detail will be provided in the form of a graphical organizer, a business graphic, or an article. You may have to analyze the text or visuals before you write.

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Labels: BCIT

Where I live, we can't say the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. In the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, the grass usually stays green through the entire winter.


Yet, we've hit quite a dry stretch. Presently, it's unusually brown!

Labels: weather

We have completed plans to visit our sponsored child next month. We have independently arranged for a van and driver to take us to the World Vision office in Anamaduwa, Sri Lanka. It will take us approximately two or three hours to get there from Minwangoda.

I first made mention of our sponsorship in February of last year. That month, I also blogged the text of a letter sent to Isuru. On two occasions, I blogged drawings of an elephant and a village that we received.



Making the arrangement was a bit complicated as local police checks were required from here. I suppose this is a wise way to protect the children. The Canadian office was very helpful. They were in contact with the local site. Someone from that office will provide access. This is the planned itinerary for September 6th.

Orientation & presentation about area development activities at project office

Child and family visit

Project Activities

- Home Gardening Program
- School Building
- Clinic Center & Community Hall
- Agree- wells, Rainwater Harvesting Ponds, tanks
- Housing Project

This work are done in the area where child lives. If the sponsor wants to see more community activities we would like to bring him to those places too. They are: the Cashew Processing Center, Irrigation Tanks. Drinking Water Projects etc. The sponsors will be shown these development and community activities which have been done by WV, on the way to child's home.

Labels: World Vision

I try hard not to grow too attached to physical possessions. After all, it's likely that everything I own will be dust in 100 years. Most items, of course, will turn to trash long before that time.

Last October, I discussed our Hitachi television with genuine respect. I can hardly calculate the number of hours that I've spent looking at its screen. It's captured broadcasts such as newscasts and weather from Dubai TV in PAL. It's shown NTSC programming on Rogers cable and Shaw cable. More recently, it's been attached to an ExpressVu satellite PVR. It has also been connected to several VCRs and even two DVD Players. A lot goes on in nearly thirteen years.

Unfortunately, it has died.

The other evening, the picture suddenly became just a bright horizontal line across the middle of the screen. Initially, I thought it was a fault in the broadcast. I suppose it's fitting that Monty Python was on. No other inputs worked either. The following day the old TV only showed a picture for about 15 minutes.



Now, a cheap TV from the bedroom is a temporary replacement. We will make do until after we get back from Sri Lanka and Hong Kong in October. The little 19 inch tube doesn't have a s-video connector; it doesn't even have RCA plugs! I had to pull old antenna wire from the bottom of my wire and connector box and switch the set to channel 3. I wonder if you remember what I'm talking about.

I'm sure I'll be happier in the autumn when I get the chance to use an HDMI input port.

Labels: Dubai, television

Over we weekend, we walked around two public gatherings: the New Westminster Show & Shine and the PNE. At both places, it was good to see a US automaker actively pushing innovative, new models. The only of the big three that has a perky attitude and possible future is Daimler-Chrysler. Ford's laying off and there nothing special about any products that GM is producing. Just as in the 1970's, when the foreign car makers got their foothold in North America, Detroit is producing monster tanks. I cannot believe that it's what the buying public wants. Well wait; the market is proving me correct at the moment, isn't it?

Twice over the weekend, I ran into a new Dodge. The little 2007 Dodge Caliber is so me, it hurts.

I've had my Ford Ranger for ten years now and I know it will last a lot longer as it's only got 66,000 miles at present.

It's not so much we don't go anywhere. For example, the truck brought us out to Newfoundland and back on one journey. It's more that I don't work much. Most people's daily commute is what racks up the mileage. For many days, I leave it in the stall downstairs. Surely, when going downtown, public transit is faster, cheaper, and less stressful.

Still, I'm blogging this because I frightened myself. I really considered looking into buying a Caliber. Thankfully, reason and logic have returned. Phew, it was a close one though.

Labels: cars

Labels: Flickr

I have never been one to photograph strangers out in public. People come in such a tremendous number of shapes, shades, and sizes. It's going to take additional practice, but I am really starting to warm up to the idea.

Just carrying around a camera all the time has been a tough chore to get used to. First, I used to pretend I was a tourist. Now, I've developed a don't-fool-with-me, damn-it attitude.

I have always been hesitant to make anyone in a crowd feel nervous about being in a photo. There are some tricks I'm discovering. For example, one can pretend to be focusing on a distant object and suddenly frame the subject at the last moment. Not letting 'em even know they're being captured would probably be an excellent way as well. I am sure a nice telephoto lens would be useful!

Labels: camera

Yesterday's entry mentioned two things which proved summer was ending. Here is another one.

Labels: food