Sunday, November 14, 2010 | By: EmerGence

Word of the Day for Sunday, November 14, 2010

emend \ih-MEND\, verb:

1. To free from faults or errors; correct.
2. To edit or change a text.

Then, wrapped in silence, Nola hurled herself once more against everything she knew she could not remit or revise, could never emend, could only begin to imagine.
-- Susan Dodd, O Careless Love: Stories and a Novella

In editing Griffith, there is a temptation to emend away a considerable number of commas in the copy texts as frank errors, for example, those commas that separate subjects and verbs, in violation of one of our modern rules.
-- Mrs. Griffith (Elizabeth), Cynthia Booth Ricciardi, Susan Staves, The delicate distress

Emend comes from the Latin emendare, "to free from fault."
Saturday, November 13, 2010 | By: EmerGence

Word of the Day for Saturday, November 13, 2010

debonair \deb-uh-NAIR\, adjective:
1. Courteous, gracious, and having a sophisticated charm.
2. Jaunty; carefree; sprightly.
She laughed at the contradictions and said out loud to herself as if she were still talking to the debonair Mr. Raymond Minor, "I've never thought of leaving the South, never."
-- Ntozake Shange, Ifa Bayeza, Some Sing, Some Cry: A Novel
His public image is dashing and debonair, the natural pop star with a beautiful woman on his arm.
-- Neil McCormick, "Bryan Ferry: a shrinking violet not a lounge lizard," Telegraph.co.uk, October, 2010
Debonair is an alteration of the French phrase de bon aire, "of good lineage."
Saturday, November 6, 2010 | By: EmerGence

Teaching challenge for fresh grads

By K.M. LEW
   
     ARE you a fresh graduate who wants an opportunity to make an impact in a child’s life? You may be able to do so once the Teach For Malaysia programme is introduced.
     The programme was announced under the 10th Malaysia Plan tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in June.
     Similar to the Teach for America initiative, the programme will attempt to attract the best and brightest Malaysian graduates to teach for two years at underperforming or rural schools.

Marto says social entrepreneurs who want to start the programme in their respective countries can get help.
     A group of local social entrepreneurs, who declined to be named, said the Teach for Malaysia vision is “for all children in Malaysia to have the opportunity to attain an excellent education”.
     “We are enlisting Malaysia’s most outstanding youth in our mission to end education inequity.
     “Teach For Malaysia participants would serve for a minimum of two years in challenging schools and commit to transforming the educational outcomes of less privileged school children through significantly improving their achievements and aspirations,” they said.
     Eventually the programme’s alumni would form an influential network of leaders, committed in their pursuit of expanding educational opportunities from within and outside the (education) sector.
     Currently in the early stages of development, Teach For Malaysia aims to place its first cohort in challenging classrooms at the start of the school term in 2012.
     On what is meant by challenging schools, the group declined to reveal further details until the programme is launched.
     Malaysia will be the first Asean country and 16th in the world to have such a programme once it kicks off.
     Teach First chief executive officer and founder Brett Wigdortz said a Teach programme is already in 15 other countries including India, Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom (UK).
     “Teach First is a charity organisation that recruits exceptional graduates from all disciplines who want to make an impact in school classrooms in challenging circumstances and who have a desire to address the inequalities in education in the long term.
     “We do not work alone as our success is a result of the quality of our partnerships with a range of organisations, including schools, teaching unions, universities and businesses,” he said.

Wigdortz says the programme needs exceptional graduates from all disciplines who want to make an impact
     The Teach First website states that it “harnesses the energy, enthusiasm and drive of exceptional graduates to provide leadership, motivation and, above all, inspirational teaching in schools in challenging circumstances across England”.
     Since its foundation in 2002, Teach First has placed over 2,520 teachers in such schools.
     “Many children are not getting the opportunities for education.
     “In one London school I visited, the teacher said he was providing a baby-sitting service while another felt his job was to keep his students out of prison until they were 16,” Wigdortz said when sharing his experiences about Teach First and Teach For All in Kuala Lumpur earlier this week.
     “But not everyone makes good teachers, so graduates who are interested in this programme have to undergo a rigorous selection process before they are placed and supported in a school environment with challenging circumstances.
     “Teach First is now the third largest recruiter in the UK and there were 7,000 applications for 800 spots this year,” he said.
     The Teach First website states that of these, over 90% stay for a minimum of two years, over 50% stay longer and 67% of those placed since 2003 remain actively engaged with addressing educational disadvantage through Teach First’s ambassador community.
     Teach For All growth strategy and development managing director for Middle East and Asia Reem Marto said it assists social entrepreneurs around the world who are inspired by the Teach For America and Teach First model and want to adapt it in their own countries.
     “The programme would be tailored to suit each country,” she added.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010 | By: EmerGence

Rove Beetle

By M.K. Lim,

     The Rove beetle that is increasingly common in Malaysia. Their bodies contain the toxin paederin (hence Paederous dermatitis) that causes burns on human skin whenever they are crushed. Interestingly the beetles were used to burn off warts in the past. It starts off with some erythema/redness and then with patches of ulceration where the beetle has been crushed.

Rove beetle
     The rove beetles are surprisingly small and very easy to miss. Normally they fly into your house via the windows as they are attracted to light at night. They can fly up apartment blocks and are common if you live near a hill or jungle.

     The Rove Beetle is less than 1 cm long. The body is dark orange and the tip of the abdomen, the upper abdomen and the head are black. The upper middle iridescent greenish region of the abdomen are the hard wings (elytra). A pair of transparent wings are neatly folded and hidden under the hard wings. During daytime, the beetle will be seen crawling around swiftly with hidden wings resembling ants. When disturbed it raises the abdomen in a threatening gesture like a scorpion and can fly away. It can also run on water swiftly.
 
      The beetle has been observed in the paddy fields (since 1919), school fields - within the grass etc. It is carnivorous and eats smaller insects. Thus it plays an important role as a biological control of ‘paddy pests’. During heavy rains/ floods, the beetle may migrate to drier areas.

Rove Beetle's wounds
     The haemolymph in the beetle’s entire body (except the wings) contains the most poisonous animal contact toxin in the world called ‘pederin’ (C24 H43 O9 N) named in 1953. It is 12 times more poisonous than cobra venom ! Dried and stored rove beetle for 8 years still retained it’s toxicity ! Contact collision with the beetle while travelling or sleeping, crushing it on the body or smearing with soiled fingers can cause conjunctivitis and severe dermatitis known as dermatitis linearis, paederus (rove beetle /staphylinidae) dermatitis, whiplash dermatitis etc. In September 2002 an epidemic of dermatitis linearis caused by rove beetles affected thousands of high rise flat dwellers and dormitory students in Penang, Malaysia.

     Since the beetle is attracted to lights at night, switch off or minimise the lighting and close doors/ windows during the beetle epidemic. Use fine mosquito netting, aerosol insect spray, glue traps etc. Do not sit near lights, do not smash the beetle on the body, just blow it away ! If there is contact with the beetle, immediately wash the affected area with soap and water. Those who suffer severe skin reactions should seek medical attention.

SPM and STPM to go on as scheduled despite floods

By K.M. LEW

KUALA LUMPUR: The SPM and STPM examinations will go on as scheduled even though some states have been hit by floods, said Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
     All state education directors were monitoring the situation and an immediate announcement would be made if there was any change in the dates, he said.