To my beloved students, it is very likely I will be leaving Direct English in the near future. For those of you I am in contact with online, please keep in touch. For those of you who I have your business card, who knows what will happen to those, hahahah. In any case, I greatly enjoyed taking class with all of you, and you have made my time at Direct English great, so thanks! Don't be a stranger. Facebook me, or email me. You can find me in various places on the web like Twitter, Facebook, Google Chat etc. by searching my e-mail address: nathanksimpson at gmail dot com. Thanks again all. I will not be answering any questions regarding the reasons for my leaving here on this blog so do not ask.
I will leave this blog open for you go back and see what I'm up to, or review some resources I have put here. Perhaps I will keep updating it with my current events and daily life wherever I end up. Hope to see you checking back in often. Please leave comments.
P.S. tonight will be my last group class for a month. Hopefully my managers will let me have one last round in November or December.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Wednesday ATC: An Author's Path To Success: Quitting Your Day Job
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130101936
Before he became a writer, Sonny Brewer held the position of chief chicken fryer at Woody’s Drive-In in Millport, Ala.
He followed that up with a stint in the Navy, then as singer in a honky-tonk band. Brewer has also worked as a car salesman, a construction worker and a coffee house manager — but in his spare time, he was always writing.
One day, Brewer finally quit his day job. That was four novels ago. Brewer made it as a writer, but he never forgot his earlier jobs — and he figured other successful writers didn’t either, which is how his latest project was born.
Don't Quit Your Day Job is an anthology of 23 southern writers reminiscing about former jobs. Brewer tells NPR's Mary Louise Kelly about how he recruited writers for the project.
"I said to William [Gay], 'Would you write about hanging sheet rock in the hills of Tennessee, before you were what Stephen King referred to as an American Treasure?'" Brewer recounts. "And he said, ‘No, I’ll write about working at the pinball factory, though.'"
Appalachian Writer of the Year Silas House agreed to write about his time as a mailman; author George Singleton shared his experience as a garbage truck driver; and Winston Groom, of Forrest Gump fame, wrote about being an Army officer in Vietnam.
Groom tells Kelly that the novelty of Brewer's project was what initially made him want to be a part of it.
"I [had never] thought about anything like that," he says. "But you are what you do. I think that … experience in life is informed by all the things that you do, and work is most of it."
Groom says he had never realized how many different jobs he had held — and what he had gotten out of them — until he started looking back. His first job as a newsboy taught him he wasn't an early riser; his work in construction taught him he didn't like hard, manual labor; and the Army gave him enough experience to write a book about — his first novel, in fact, Better Times Than These.
"And that’s what got me out of the newspaper racket," says Groom, who had ended up a reporter at the now-defunct Washington Star. "That book launched my career. That was 30 years ago, and I haven’t worked a day since.”
Groom says that while the old adage "Write what you know" proved good advice for his literary debut, it shouldn't always be taken as a rule. After all, his book Only was written entirely from the point of view of an orphaned Old English sheepdog, and it's not like the sheepdog can correct him. (Though Groom insists the dog loved the book.)
Brewer offers some more advice for aspiring writers:
"Truman Capote just said, 'Write something true,'" Brewer says. "It doesn’t matter if it fits in the book or not, but if it’s true that the wind is blowing and that the sky is blue … write the truth for a minute."
"Then, start lying," Groom adds. "A very convincing lie."
Before he became a writer, Sonny Brewer held the position of chief chicken fryer at Woody’s Drive-In in Millport, Ala.
He followed that up with a stint in the Navy, then as singer in a honky-tonk band. Brewer has also worked as a car salesman, a construction worker and a coffee house manager — but in his spare time, he was always writing.
One day, Brewer finally quit his day job. That was four novels ago. Brewer made it as a writer, but he never forgot his earlier jobs — and he figured other successful writers didn’t either, which is how his latest project was born.
Don't Quit Your Day Job is an anthology of 23 southern writers reminiscing about former jobs. Brewer tells NPR's Mary Louise Kelly about how he recruited writers for the project.
"I said to William [Gay], 'Would you write about hanging sheet rock in the hills of Tennessee, before you were what Stephen King referred to as an American Treasure?'" Brewer recounts. "And he said, ‘No, I’ll write about working at the pinball factory, though.'"
Appalachian Writer of the Year Silas House agreed to write about his time as a mailman; author George Singleton shared his experience as a garbage truck driver; and Winston Groom, of Forrest Gump fame, wrote about being an Army officer in Vietnam.
Groom tells Kelly that the novelty of Brewer's project was what initially made him want to be a part of it.
"I [had never] thought about anything like that," he says. "But you are what you do. I think that … experience in life is informed by all the things that you do, and work is most of it."
Groom says he had never realized how many different jobs he had held — and what he had gotten out of them — until he started looking back. His first job as a newsboy taught him he wasn't an early riser; his work in construction taught him he didn't like hard, manual labor; and the Army gave him enough experience to write a book about — his first novel, in fact, Better Times Than These.
"And that’s what got me out of the newspaper racket," says Groom, who had ended up a reporter at the now-defunct Washington Star. "That book launched my career. That was 30 years ago, and I haven’t worked a day since.”
Groom says that while the old adage "Write what you know" proved good advice for his literary debut, it shouldn't always be taken as a rule. After all, his book Only was written entirely from the point of view of an orphaned Old English sheepdog, and it's not like the sheepdog can correct him. (Though Groom insists the dog loved the book.)
Brewer offers some more advice for aspiring writers:
"Truman Capote just said, 'Write something true,'" Brewer says. "It doesn’t matter if it fits in the book or not, but if it’s true that the wind is blowing and that the sky is blue … write the truth for a minute."
"Then, start lying," Groom adds. "A very convincing lie."
Sunday, September 26, 2010
ATC NOT Monday but TUESDAY: Driving into the American Dream - The Globe and Mail
We'll be discussing part of this article for class tomorrow Tuesday! We didn't use this on Monday: Driving into the American Dream - The Globe and Mail
Even without the escaped murderer roaming nearby, this was by any reasonable measure a terrible campsite. The grass was dry and mixed with thorns, the ground was dusty and infested with a plague of grasshoppers that twitched over everything. Worst of all, not far from the site, we had seen a snake that looked an awful lot like a rattler. Shotgun shells littered the ground, and lying next to them chunks of white plastic emblazoned with the NASA logo. There were no hot showers, no water, not even a campfire ring.
But somehow, we had stumbled into the American dream, or at least a version of it that remains surprisingly easy to find in the western states, where the fireworks are cheap, the beer even cheaper and, best of all, great parts of the sprawling landscape double as a giant campsite that is free of rules and free of charge.
The idea that we could camp just about anywhere was a wholly unexpected discovery – but, of course, so were the free copies of the U.S. Constitution at a Wyoming gun shop, and the man who insisted we hold his Honk If You Heart Drilling sign on a busy Utah street corner.
Sometimes, serendipity happens with a full gas tank and no real itinerary. We had left Calgary with a vague plan to thread through Montana into Yellowstone National Park.
Then, if we had time, head to parts beyond. We were two couples – my wife and me, plus close friends of ours – whose normal idea of adventure involves a place where English isn’t spoken. This time, we wanted to see if our own backyard might brings us the thrill of the far away.
We turned south with our camping gear, a dog-eared road atlas and fingers on the AM dial – conservative talk radio seemed like a suitable soundtrack for this foray into the heart of Red America and its odd attractions. We were, after all, pointed toward some of the continent’s strangest vistas – geysers and lava fields; red sandstone arches and salt flats.
Vocabulary
by any reasonable measure
littered
free of charge
serendipity
itinerary
dog-eared
AM dial
vistas
Discussion:
We will be discussing the themes here: freedom, serendipity, adventure, wilderness, friendship, road trip, camping
Even without the escaped murderer roaming nearby, this was by any reasonable measure a terrible campsite. The grass was dry and mixed with thorns, the ground was dusty and infested with a plague of grasshoppers that twitched over everything. Worst of all, not far from the site, we had seen a snake that looked an awful lot like a rattler. Shotgun shells littered the ground, and lying next to them chunks of white plastic emblazoned with the NASA logo. There were no hot showers, no water, not even a campfire ring.
But somehow, we had stumbled into the American dream, or at least a version of it that remains surprisingly easy to find in the western states, where the fireworks are cheap, the beer even cheaper and, best of all, great parts of the sprawling landscape double as a giant campsite that is free of rules and free of charge.
The idea that we could camp just about anywhere was a wholly unexpected discovery – but, of course, so were the free copies of the U.S. Constitution at a Wyoming gun shop, and the man who insisted we hold his Honk If You Heart Drilling sign on a busy Utah street corner.
Sometimes, serendipity happens with a full gas tank and no real itinerary. We had left Calgary with a vague plan to thread through Montana into Yellowstone National Park.
Then, if we had time, head to parts beyond. We were two couples – my wife and me, plus close friends of ours – whose normal idea of adventure involves a place where English isn’t spoken. This time, we wanted to see if our own backyard might brings us the thrill of the far away.
We turned south with our camping gear, a dog-eared road atlas and fingers on the AM dial – conservative talk radio seemed like a suitable soundtrack for this foray into the heart of Red America and its odd attractions. We were, after all, pointed toward some of the continent’s strangest vistas – geysers and lava fields; red sandstone arches and salt flats.
Vocabulary
by any reasonable measure
littered
free of charge
serendipity
itinerary
dog-eared
AM dial
vistas
Discussion:
We will be discussing the themes here: freedom, serendipity, adventure, wilderness, friendship, road trip, camping
Friday, September 24, 2010
Friday ATC: Spanish take first Korean proficiency test
BARCELONA, Spain -- Spain for the first time held the Test of Proficiency in Korean this month along with 23 other countries, becoming the 39th ninth in Europe to conduct the examination.
The TOPIK, administered by the Korean government, is a certification test on the use of the Korean language for people who do not speak Korean as their mother tongue.
A total of 39 examinees, most of whom were students of the Korean Language Department at the Official School of Languages of Barcelona, attended the test on Sept. 11 in the city to have their Korean language ability evaluated.
The department presently has about 85 students, most of them local Spanish youngsters who took an interest in the language through Korean pop culture, according to professor Hwang Seung-ok in charge of the department.
“Though the Korean language remains a minority foreign language, especially compared to Chinese and Japanese, it is significant that the students have been given a chance to have their level evaluated officially by the Korean government,” she said.
“This test is to be a major step in promoting Korea, its culture and its language here in Spain.”
A majority of the students studied Korean for less than two years and took the beginner’s level test.
“I started to learn Korean in 2008 after I was attracted to the pop group Dongbangsingi,” said 26-year-old Sara Martinez.
“Though I found the test quite difficult, I am excited that I took my first official test in Korean.”
Like most of the other students in her class, Martinez is learning the language out of pure personal interest and has no specific plan to pursue a related career, she said.
Some, on the other hand, have academic or career reasons for taking the test.
Oriol Pallares, 27, has been on an exchange program at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, majoring in foreign relations, and has long-term plans to go back with a teaching post.
Foreign students or job seekers may submit their TOPIK results in order to gain an advantage in joining Korean schools or public firms.
Ethnic Koreans, who do not speak the language as their mother tongue, may also apply to take the test.
“I wanted to see how fluently I could speak and write in my parents’ mother tongue,” said 21-year-old Anna Ban, who immigrated to Spain with her parents aged 5.
The test, however, has not sufficiently been promoted in the local Korean community, let alone the Spanish one, she also pointed out.
“I would not even have heard about the exam if not for my Spanish friend who learns Korean in the Barcelona language school,” she said.
“I hope that in the future, the test will be promoted through various channels other than the school.”
The total number of applicants who took the test this month was 81,076, a 14.6 percent increase from that of the 18th test which was implemented this April, according to officials at the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation.
The test was first implemented back in 1997 when only 2,692 people from four countries applied. The accumulative number has, however, reached 710,000 people from 39 countries and is generally on a steep rise, said officials.
In response to the growing demands, the Korean Education Ministry decided to hold the test from this year on a quarterly basis instead of the formerly bi-annual basis.
The administering body is also to be changed from next year to the National Institute for International Education, in order to promote the test as a means to educate overseas Koreans and to attract foreign students, said officials.
The test is divided into the Standard TOPIK, evaluating basic knowledge of Korean language and culture, and the Business TOPIK, focusing more on the communication skills required in business transactions.
Applicants are to be tested in four categories vocabulary and grammar, writing, listening and reading.
The September results will be published on the website (http://topik.or.kr) on Nov. 3.
By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldm.com)
(Korea Herald correspondent)
The TOPIK, administered by the Korean government, is a certification test on the use of the Korean language for people who do not speak Korean as their mother tongue.
A total of 39 examinees, most of whom were students of the Korean Language Department at the Official School of Languages of Barcelona, attended the test on Sept. 11 in the city to have their Korean language ability evaluated.
The department presently has about 85 students, most of them local Spanish youngsters who took an interest in the language through Korean pop culture, according to professor Hwang Seung-ok in charge of the department.
“Though the Korean language remains a minority foreign language, especially compared to Chinese and Japanese, it is significant that the students have been given a chance to have their level evaluated officially by the Korean government,” she said.
“This test is to be a major step in promoting Korea, its culture and its language here in Spain.”
A majority of the students studied Korean for less than two years and took the beginner’s level test.
“I started to learn Korean in 2008 after I was attracted to the pop group Dongbangsingi,” said 26-year-old Sara Martinez.
“Though I found the test quite difficult, I am excited that I took my first official test in Korean.”
Like most of the other students in her class, Martinez is learning the language out of pure personal interest and has no specific plan to pursue a related career, she said.
Some, on the other hand, have academic or career reasons for taking the test.
Oriol Pallares, 27, has been on an exchange program at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, majoring in foreign relations, and has long-term plans to go back with a teaching post.
Foreign students or job seekers may submit their TOPIK results in order to gain an advantage in joining Korean schools or public firms.
Ethnic Koreans, who do not speak the language as their mother tongue, may also apply to take the test.
“I wanted to see how fluently I could speak and write in my parents’ mother tongue,” said 21-year-old Anna Ban, who immigrated to Spain with her parents aged 5.
The test, however, has not sufficiently been promoted in the local Korean community, let alone the Spanish one, she also pointed out.
“I would not even have heard about the exam if not for my Spanish friend who learns Korean in the Barcelona language school,” she said.
“I hope that in the future, the test will be promoted through various channels other than the school.”
The total number of applicants who took the test this month was 81,076, a 14.6 percent increase from that of the 18th test which was implemented this April, according to officials at the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation.
The test was first implemented back in 1997 when only 2,692 people from four countries applied. The accumulative number has, however, reached 710,000 people from 39 countries and is generally on a steep rise, said officials.
In response to the growing demands, the Korean Education Ministry decided to hold the test from this year on a quarterly basis instead of the formerly bi-annual basis.
The administering body is also to be changed from next year to the National Institute for International Education, in order to promote the test as a means to educate overseas Koreans and to attract foreign students, said officials.
The test is divided into the Standard TOPIK, evaluating basic knowledge of Korean language and culture, and the Business TOPIK, focusing more on the communication skills required in business transactions.
Applicants are to be tested in four categories vocabulary and grammar, writing, listening and reading.
The September results will be published on the website (http://topik.or.kr) on Nov. 3.
By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldm.com)
(Korea Herald correspondent)
Proficiency
Youngsters
Ethnic Koreans
Quarterly
Bi-annual
Basis
Discussion
- Why do you think there has been such an increase in TOPIK test takers over the past 5 years?
- Do you think this trend is good or bad, and why?
- What kind of influence do you think Korean culture will have globally in the next 5 years?
- If you were to choose to import a culture to Korea whose culture would it be and why?
- What aspects of that culture would you hope to import?
Friday, September 17, 2010
Friday ATC Class
Woah! Sorry folks I totally forgot to post what I had planned for this class!
http://www.flowtown.com/blog/idiots-guide-to-understanding-todays-marketing-catch-phrases
Great for getting into the English business world. We'll just be discussing these points and some of the language used in this article. We won't go over everything in detail.
http://www.flowtown.com/blog/idiots-guide-to-understanding-todays-marketing-catch-phrases
Great for getting into the English business world. We'll just be discussing these points and some of the language used in this article. We won't go over everything in detail.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Thursday ATC
We will be discussing the SLE article number 6: Illegal Plastic Surgery Ends In Death
You can find this article throught Direct English website if you want to preview.
You can find this article throught Direct English website if you want to preview.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Most of Gen Y Can't Identify Colonel Sanders
The geezer with the goatee that appears on KFC's logo -- real person or a cartoon character? In a new survey of Americans 18-25, more than 60% of respondents didn't know that the geezer, Colonel Harlan Sanders, was a real person and founder of the fried chicken empire. How fleeting is fame.
Don't expect that ignorance to last much longer, though, as the company has announced one of the most esoteric PR campaigns in recent memory. The winner of the KFC Cooks Up Challenge will be commissioned to paint a portrait of the Colonel using paint supplied by the company, paint "infused with original recipe herbs and spices."
Don't try this at home, though -- your dog might lick the Colonel right down to the gesso.
Luckily, you won't be competing against Norman Rockwell (you do know who he is?), who painted the Colonel back in 1973. To enter the contest, you can upload a sketch of your proposed work to a dedicated website before the end of the month. The winner will get $1,100 (11 herbs and spices -- get it?) and the chance to paint the portrait, which will hang in the company's headquarters.
The contest could be an attempt by the company to emphasize its roots after taking heavy criticism from franchisees who felt that, in introducing grilled products and using KFC in place of the Kentucky Fried Chicken moniker, the company was abandoning the core of its market strength; fried food. Sales suffered as a result; during the second quarter of 2010 they were down 7% over the previous year among stores open more than a year.
As a result, franchisees represented by the KFC National Council & Advertising Cooperative have sued KFC owners Yum! Brands and attempted to take control of ad strategy. They should be pleased with this campaign, since it hearkens back to the days before we worried about cholesterol and obesity, when flavor was king and the Colonel reigned supreme
See full article from WalletPop: http://srph.it/dCStTE
Don't expect that ignorance to last much longer, though, as the company has announced one of the most esoteric PR campaigns in recent memory. The winner of the KFC Cooks Up Challenge will be commissioned to paint a portrait of the Colonel using paint supplied by the company, paint "infused with original recipe herbs and spices."
Don't try this at home, though -- your dog might lick the Colonel right down to the gesso.
Luckily, you won't be competing against Norman Rockwell (you do know who he is?), who painted the Colonel back in 1973. To enter the contest, you can upload a sketch of your proposed work to a dedicated website before the end of the month. The winner will get $1,100 (11 herbs and spices -- get it?) and the chance to paint the portrait, which will hang in the company's headquarters.
The contest could be an attempt by the company to emphasize its roots after taking heavy criticism from franchisees who felt that, in introducing grilled products and using KFC in place of the Kentucky Fried Chicken moniker, the company was abandoning the core of its market strength; fried food. Sales suffered as a result; during the second quarter of 2010 they were down 7% over the previous year among stores open more than a year.
As a result, franchisees represented by the KFC National Council & Advertising Cooperative have sued KFC owners Yum! Brands and attempted to take control of ad strategy. They should be pleased with this campaign, since it hearkens back to the days before we worried about cholesterol and obesity, when flavor was king and the Colonel reigned supreme
See full article from WalletPop: http://srph.it/dCStTE
| 1. Geezer 2. Empire 3. Fleeting 4. Esoteric 5. PR 6. Commissioned 7. Infused 8. Gesso 9. Moniker | · lasting for a markedly brief time conglomerate: a group of diverse companies under common ownership and run as a single organization a man who is (usually) old and/or eccentric confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle; "a compilation of ~~~~~~~ philosophical theories" · public relations · given official approval to act · steep: let sit in a liquid to extract a flavor or to cleanse; "steep the blossoms in oil"; "steep the fruit in alcohol" · gypsum or plaster of Paris spread on a surface to make it suitable for painting or gilding · A moniker (or monicker) is another term for a nickname, pseudonym, or cognomen. Typically, the title is used as a personal or professional name |
Discussion
- What are some of your favourite brands/ads?
- What some brands that have tried to distance themselves from the negatives of their brand image?
- How did they try to distance themselves from that negative aspect?
- Are there some past commercial icons you think people of a younger generation will not recognize in Korea?
- How do you think advertising affects your culture?
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Announcements!
For the month of October, my schedule will be available for booking 7:30AM-9:30PM, Saturday Schedule TBA
Friday, September 10, 2010
Monday and Tuesday ATC Class
Monday Class: We will be using the materials which I passed out on Thursday, if you don't have them don't worry because I'll be bringing them to class. No preparation is required. We will be practicing and learning some English through dramatic exercises.
Tuesday Class:
http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/09/09/most-of-gen-y-cant-identify-colonel-sanders/
Tuesday Class:
http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/09/09/most-of-gen-y-cant-identify-colonel-sanders/
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
ATC Class Thursday And Announcements!
To all my students in the Wednesday class, I would like to apologize for my lateness. I usually am quite strict about time for all my classes, and I will redouble my efforts to make sure this does not happen in the future. I appreciate that you pay good money to spend time with me, and should therefore get your money's worth!
To my, at this point, lone CC class student for this date we can do whatever you'd like but I have some drama activities that could be fun, or we could just freetalk. If other students show up maybe we can free talk.
To my, at this point, lone CC class student for this date we can do whatever you'd like but I have some drama activities that could be fun, or we could just freetalk. If other students show up maybe we can free talk.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
Announcements!
To all students. Sometimes my name is hard to pronounce, and it feels a bit unfriendly to me. So instead you can call me Nate if you wish. It would make me feel much better. Thank you!
Saturday, September 4, 2010
ATC Monday: New Honeybee Breed Key to Combating Colony Collapse Disorder : TreeHugger
New Honeybee Breed Key to Combating Colony Collapse Disorder : TreeHugger
A British beekeeper has been working on creating a new strain of honeybee resistant to the varroa mite, a prime suspect in colony collapse disorder (CCD), and it looks like he's hit a high note after 18 years of careful observation and selective breeding. Ron Hoskins found that bees in one of his hives figured out what a great idea mutual grooming can be -- they learned to clean the mites off one another. Hoping that this learned behavior is hereditary, he spread the genes of bees from this colony to his other hives. It worked. Now, combating CCD could be linked in no small part to how quickly the new strain of bee spreads across the country.
Daily Mail reports that the British Beekeepers Association is excited about the work Hoskins has done, and the hope is the drones from his "grooming" bees will mate with wandering female queens to spread the heartier genes across Britain. It could take quite a long time, and a lot of generations of bees before the behavior becomes normal, but if it's a way to combat the mites that wipe out entire colonies, then it's quite an exciting evolution to witness.
Hoskins, who is from Swindon, has named the new strain the "Swindon Honeybee" and all his colonies consist of this new breed. And the behavior might be the only thing that can save honeybees from the verroa mite:
Martin Smith, president of the British Beekeepers' Association, said: "The varroa mite is probably the single most important factor that has caused the reduction in bee numbers worldwide. It has now become resistant to chemicals we have used in the past so we are being forced to look into other methods."
The evolution of natural behaviors is certainly a good method to fall back on, with a little nudge from beekeepers. It might not be a silver bullet for CCD -- the cause of which is still under hot debate -- but it certainly doesn't hurt to have bees taking care of mite infestations on their own.
A British beekeeper has been working on creating a new strain of honeybee resistant to the varroa mite, a prime suspect in colony collapse disorder (CCD), and it looks like he's hit a high note after 18 years of careful observation and selective breeding. Ron Hoskins found that bees in one of his hives figured out what a great idea mutual grooming can be -- they learned to clean the mites off one another. Hoping that this learned behavior is hereditary, he spread the genes of bees from this colony to his other hives. It worked. Now, combating CCD could be linked in no small part to how quickly the new strain of bee spreads across the country.
Daily Mail reports that the British Beekeepers Association is excited about the work Hoskins has done, and the hope is the drones from his "grooming" bees will mate with wandering female queens to spread the heartier genes across Britain. It could take quite a long time, and a lot of generations of bees before the behavior becomes normal, but if it's a way to combat the mites that wipe out entire colonies, then it's quite an exciting evolution to witness.
Hoskins, who is from Swindon, has named the new strain the "Swindon Honeybee" and all his colonies consist of this new breed. And the behavior might be the only thing that can save honeybees from the verroa mite:
Martin Smith, president of the British Beekeepers' Association, said: "The varroa mite is probably the single most important factor that has caused the reduction in bee numbers worldwide. It has now become resistant to chemicals we have used in the past so we are being forced to look into other methods."
The evolution of natural behaviors is certainly a good method to fall back on, with a little nudge from beekeepers. It might not be a silver bullet for CCD -- the cause of which is still under hot debate -- but it certainly doesn't hurt to have bees taking care of mite infestations on their own.
Vocabulary
strain
mite
colony collapse disorder
grooming
heartier
fall back on
silver bullet
infestations
a particular type, a species
a small insect
a disease in which a group of bees suddenly and inexplicably dies
cleaning one's body
healthier and stronger
to use something as a secondary safety option
a solution that solves all the problems quickly
a group of animals living somewhere unwanted
a particular type, a species
a small insect
a disease in which a group of bees suddenly and inexplicably dies
cleaning one's body
healthier and stronger
to use something as a secondary safety option
a solution that solves all the problems quickly
a group of animals living somewhere unwanted
Discussion
This article is discussing the importance of something very small; what are some small things you don't think about often that if you lost them you would be sad about?
Explain.
What do you think would happen if there were no bees on the earth?
What is one small thing you think the earth would be better without?
Why?
This article is discussing the importance of something very small; what are some small things you don't think about often that if you lost them you would be sad about?
Explain.
What do you think would happen if there were no bees on the earth?
What is one small thing you think the earth would be better without?
Why?
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Lungs rebuilt in lab and transplanted into rats
In a lab at Yale University, a rat inhales. Every breath this rodent takes is a sign of important medical advances looming on the horizon, for only one of its lungs comes from the pair it was born with. The other was built in a laboratory.
This transplanted lung is the work of Thomas Petersen and a large team of US scientists. Their technique isn’t a way of growing a lung from scratch. Instead it takes an existing lung, strips away all the cells and blood vessels to leave behind a scaffold of connective tissues, and re-grows the missing cells in a vat. It’s the medical equivalent of stripping a house down to a frame of beams and struts and rebuilding the rest from scratch. The whole process only took a few days and when the reconstituted lung was transplanted into a rat, it worked.
This is important because the lungs are notoriously bad at regenerating and repairing themselves. If a person’s lungs are severely damaged, the only real solution is a lung transplant. But that’s easier said than done. The procedure is expensive, only 20% of patients at most are still alive ten years later, and the demand for donor lungs far exceeds their supply.
Peterson’s ultimate vision is to solve these problems by fitting patients with a transplanted lung grown using their own stem cells. The scaffold would come from a dead donor, or possibly even a primate or pig. Its own cells would be stripped away and the patient’s stem cells would give the scaffold a personalised makeover, seeding it with the various types of cells in the lungs. The whole process should only take around 1-2 weeks. Laura Niklason, who led the study, says, “The value here is that the resultant lung would not reject, which is the key that limits survival of lung transplant patients right now.”
The team’s latest success in rats is a proof-of-concept – it shows that the technique should eventually be possible. But as Petersen notes, there are many technical hurdles to overcome before it could ever used in humans. That achievement is still years of hard work away. “I think that 20 to 25 years is not a bad time frame,” says Niklason. “I previously developed an engineered artery that will be ready for patients next year. It was first published in 1999. If an artery takes 12 years from first report to patients, then a lung will take 20-25.”
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