Air Show Junkie

You know you like planes when you go to an air show alone. It was well worth it to take the drive to Brantford a couple days ago. It's not just the sight of the warbirds, but it's the jet planes are what really gets me excited. Here are some of the highlights.

The Lancaster bomber cooling down after its flight. Really shiny, imposing, classy. One of only two remaining operable craft in the world.

The Snowbirds, with the Hawk One commemorative F-86 Sabre jet, painted like the Golden Hawks from air shows past. This marks the 100th anniversary of air flight in Canada.

Trivia question: Who was the first Canadian to succeed in powered flight, what was the plane and where and when did it happen? (Answer at bottom) Below, you're looking at a specially painted CF-18, the F-86 (backswept wings) and a tutor jet, similar to the snowbird planes.

The f-86 Golden Hawk colours. Flown in air shows around N.A. until 1964.

Snowbirds final fly-over. Nice.

Trivia answers: February 23, 1909

Canada takes fiight: With men on skates to steady the Silver Dart’s wings, J. A. D. McCurdy pilots the biplane for 0.8 kilo-metres over the ice-covered surface of Baddeck Bay, N.S., completing the first flight in Canada by a powered heavier-than-air machine. The plane was developed by Aerial Experiment Association members Alexander Graham Bell, F. W. Baldwin, Glenn Curtiss and McCurdy. Two years later, they are granted United States Patent No. 1,011,106 for their “flying machine.” (from http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/Magazine/so00/aviation_history.asp)

What the Heck am I Reading? - pt. 7

'Into The Wild' - Trailer 01 - Moviefone

Shared via AddThis

This was an audiobook, by Jon Krakauer. The true story is of a young guy named Chris McAndless who took seriously the idea of living simply and morally true by leaving material comforts behind and living off the wilderness in Alaska. Very touching, thought-provoking and inspiring story.
Perhaps someday I'll see the movie.

Hiking Along the Lake, and What Do I See?

This was a surprise: a beautiful (dead) specimen of a coho salmon, freshly washed up on shore. He was about 2 feet long. Would've been a real catch.

Then, we saw about 6 newly dead cormorants, who had hit the power lines high above the beach when crossing over from the Lake to their nesting ground in Hamilton Harbour. Up close they are a beautiful bird, although I hear that they are becoming pushy and crowding out other bird species. They no longer require government protection; a success story of species comeback. Now the anglers and hunters want them culled regularly because of their appetite for game fish!

Why Do I Have to Oppose Early Childhood Educators?

Once again, my union has put me in a spot where I have to defend something I don't believe in. The following letter, found in thestar.com, sums up the issue:

As a long time elementary teacher, I was ashamed to read that the ETFO voted against sharing their classrooms with early childhood educators.

It appears to be a vote of (mostly) women against women. We have waited decades for universal childcare in Ontario and now teachers are standing in the way of progress. Our ECE grads are also professionals and they are trained to work with babies, toddlers and preschoolers. Most have not been recognized for their dedication to the important work they do and most are underpaid.

We, as teachers, should be the first to acknowledge their worth and expertise in the future of childcare.

Anne Mare McMullen, Stratford

The first thing our new ETFO provincial leader, Sam Hammond put on his agenda was staking out the territory of the newly enlarged, full-day kindergarten program, claiming it for elementary teachers. The ETFO took a survey of 800 Ontarians to back them up in saying, "People want a certified teacher providing instruction within a full-day kindergarten program." But I'll bet the questions were limited in scope and context.

The only reason I could oppose ECE people in the classroom is because there was evidence that they were somehow incompetent or underqualified.

Why not propose a partnership of Early Childhood Educators and certified teachers? E.C.E.'s have training, they have great skills, they create programmes, they have a heart for kids, they know how to work with parents, they are sensitive to health and safety issues. Surely a partnership is better than an us-or-them approach, don't you think?