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Ontario high school teachers cancel extracurricular activities for ...

Q: What is at the root of this dispute? A: The fight centres on Bill 115, a piece of legislation that allows the province to impose on teachers new contracts that include a two-year wage freeze and a reduction in bankable sick days. It also gives the government power to intervene to prevent or end a strike. While unions representing French and Catholic teachers accepted that deal, the OSSTF and the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario remain at an impasse with the province. Unlike their secondary school counterparts, however, elementary teachers are not in a legal strike position and consequently cannot take formal job action. Instead, they have protested in other ways, such as retreating from extracurricular activities. “Nobody wants any of this,” OSSTF president Ken Coran said Monday, noting job action could be suspended if the province shows “movement” on certain sticking points. “What we want is a collective agreement that could be ratified by all parties.”

Q: How are students be! ing affected, and for how long will this last? A: The substantive strike action cannot continue past Dec. 31, after which point the province will impose new contracts. Twenty boards are engaged in job action, but as others enter a legal strike position in the coming weeks, that number is expected to grow. In Toronto, TDSB spokesman Ryan Bird said students have thus far seen little change, with the action centred on administrative matters. “To my knowledge, there really has been no direct impact on students,” Mr. Bird said. There have been disruptions to extra-curricular activities, though, as teachers, for example, cut back on their time volunteering to supervise sports teams. Toronto students will still stay home from school for a scheduled PA day on Nov. 16, even though teachers will not participate in professional development activities that day.

Q: What is the Education Ministry’s response to this? A: Education Minister Laurel Broten issued a statement Monday encouraging unions to continue negotiating at the local level toward new collective agreements â€" provided those agreements are “substantively identical” to to the memorandum of understanding between the province and its French and Catholic teachers. She also denounced the OSSTF’s decision to launch strike action. “This is disappointing and makes clear that discussions at the provincial level are no longer possible. It’s also very disappointing that these strike actions will put students and families in the middle,” Ms. Broten said, noting the ministry would closely monitor the situation in the days ahead. “We have the tools to act and will fully explore those options.”

Q: What are teachers doing? A: After discussions with the province broke off, the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation announced Monday morning that strike action would begin in 20 regional school boards, including the Toronto District School Board. The federation issued a broad list of directives for affected teachers, requiring that they cease to do any of the following: attend staff or departmental meetings, participate in professional development, complete annual learning plans, complete ministry reports, accept supervisory assignments outside of regular classroom duties, participate in parent interviews outside of the regular school day or provide written progress reports beyond those given at the middle or end of a term.

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“Our decisions, as a government, have been to put students first, to keep dollars in the classrooms and in continuing to invest in public education, keeping our teachers there, employed and focused on student success,” she said. “That’s what I’m asking teachers to do. I am extremely disappointed by early indications of what is transpiring.”

Analysis

Iran’s Goverment Officals act like children. Iran Considers Canada’s cutting of political ties as “Hostile Behavior”. Oh yeah? Iran has 1) threatened to Close the striat of Hormuz (threating world economy) 2) Sacked the American embassy along with the hostage sitiation 3) Allowed Britians Embassy to be sacked 4) threated to wipe isreal off the map, say they dont have right to exsist 5) Have death the isreal and american parades (writing that on missles) 6) Sabber rattle about the damage there gunna do to “the enemy” 7) Hiding a supposed nuclear weapon program (and refuse to prove it) 8) use terroist organzations to attack us and our allies

Still, the announcement came on the same day that Canada designated Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism. A new Canadian law required the government to come up with a list of state terrorism sponsors by Sept. 13, and many feared such a declaration could have sparked reprisals in Tehran if Canadian diplomats had stayed. Canadian officials were mindful of the storming of the British Embassy in Tehran last November after a tightening of banking sanctions. The incident led London to close the embassy.

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Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.

The Canadian announcement offered a long list of reasons for cutting ties: Iran’s nuclear programme, hostility toward Israel, Tehran’s military assistance to Syria, and what Ottawa said was Iran’s support for terrorist groups. But none of those reasons had surfaced overnight, leaving people asking, why now? Indeed, the decision appeared to catch Canada’s Western allies off-guard.

But Canada is the one with ! “Hostile Behavoir” and need to be retialated again! st…. Please. Iran must assume the rest of the world has the intelligance of a 3rd grader. They certianly act like a 3rd grader. The Islamic Republic of Iran is Evil and Childish and must be disposed off as fast a possible for everyone’s sake.

Still, the announcement came on the same day that Canada designated Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism. A new Canadian law required the government to come up with a list of state terrorism sponsors by September 13, and many feared such a declaration could have sparked reprisals in Tehran if Canadian diplomats had stayed.

“Canada wants to be able to continue to speak up on the Iranian regime’s behaviour, and we didn’t want our guys in there as hostage,” said Andrew MacDougall, chief spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, explaining the decision to close the Tehran embassy and order Iranian diplomats out of Canada.

He added: “The prime minister’s not willing to have civil s! ervants who don’t get paid to go to war for their country to be pawns in any dispute. The prime minister and minister of foreign affairs didn’t feel that they could guarantee the safety of our diplomat personnel there, and so got them out.”

"Canada wants to be able to continue to speak up on the Iranian regime's behavior, and we didn't want our guys in there as hostage," said Andrew MacDougall, chief spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, explaining the decision to close the Tehran embassy and order Iranian diplomats out of Canada.

Rice Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Asparagus and Parmesan Rice

Ingredients

  • 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, or more as needed
  • 1 cup chopped fresh asparagus
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, or to taste
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • 4 slices deli ham
  • 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 2 tablespoons butter, divided
  •  
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 cup uncooked white rice
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with onion and celery, drained
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste

Chicken Stew

Recipes for southern chicken stew vary slightly from person to person, but it is usually made by first cooking a whole chicken by boiling or parboiling, allowing a rich broth to form. The chicken is then removed from the pot and the meat is pulled from the bones or cut off with a knife. The skin, bones and fat are removed as well. Sometimes boneless, skinless chicken breasts are used instead of a whole chicken. A thickening of flour and milk or cream is made and added to the broth. The chicken is then added back into the liquid along with salt, pepper and butter or margarine. Various other ingredients may be added to the stew according to local tradition; a more common addition is varying amounts of hot sauce.The stew varies in color from white to pale yellow, depending on the amount of butter or margarine used. It can vary in thickness from very thin and soup-like to thick and creamy. Saltine crackers are commonly served with chicken stew, either on the side or crumbled into the bowl.

Grilled Chicken Salad with Seasonal Fruit

Chicken salad is any salad that comprises chicken as a main ingredient. Other common ingredients include mayonnaise, hard-boiled egg, celery, and a variety of mustards.In the US it refers to a salad consisting primarily of chopped chicken meat and a binder such as mayonnaise or salad dressing. Like tuna salad, it may be served on top of lettuce, tomato, avocado, or some combination of these. It may also be used for sandwiches. Typically it is made with leftover or canned chicken.In Europe and Asia the salad may be complemented by any number of dressings, or indeed no dressing at all, and the salad constituents can vary from traditional leaves and vegetables, to pastas, couscous, noodles or rice.The American form of chicken salad was first served by Town Meats in Wakefield, Rhode Island, in 1863. The original owner, Liam Gray, mixed his leftover chicken with mayonnaise, tarragon, and grapes. This became such a popular item that the meat market was converted to a delicatessen which still stands to this day.

Buttermilk Chicken Tenders

Buttermilk Chicken Recipe

Recently at dinner my father instructed me, "tell your website readers that your dad says this is a good one." Done, dad. This chicken was good - perfectly tender, well flavored, crunchy - just what one wants in fried chicken.Searching around for a buttermilk fried chicken recipe, I adapted this recipe from various sources. Many recipes I found seemed to be rather dated as they called for frying the chicken in vegetable shortening. Most shortenings on the market have transfats in them, which we now know are very bad for us. We do our frying, of anything, in grape seed oil, which as the name implies, comes from the seeds of grapes. It is a high smoke-point oil, which means that you can get it pretty hot before it begins to burn, making it perfect for deep frying. It also has many known health benefits . The recipes also called for frying the chicken in a cast iron frying pan. We love our cast iron pans, but they tend to be quite heavy, and retain heat so well, that if you have a problem and have to lower the heat rapidly, you won't be able to do it. Anodized aluminum can also take the heat without warping, but will be more responsive for heating and cooling. 

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/buttermilk_fried_chicken/

Buffalo Chicken

Buffalo wing, hot wing or wing is a chicken wing section (drumette or flat) that is traditionally fried unbreaded and then coated in sauce. Classic Buffalo-style chicken wing sauce is composed of a vinegar-based cayenne pepper hot sauce and butter.Buffalo wings are traditionally served with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing.Buffalo wings were created in Buffalo, New York. The residents of Buffalo generally refer to them as "wings" or "chicken wings" rather than "Buffalo wings."