Migrants in the Canary Islands

The radio programme "All Things Considered", has recently reported about the African migrants that are temporarily being sheltered in hotels in the Canary Islands.  Here you can find a link to the audio (3':42") and the transcript on NPR's webpage. 

And on this link, you can download a lesson plan which includes a listening comprehension exercise, the key and some questions for discussion which can be used as oral exam practice for a monologue or an interaction at C1 level.

The vocabulary is not particularly difficult, some of the words you will come across are: pandemic, to halt [global travel], to host, a wave [of visitors], a surge, packed with [tourists], the occupancy, to be down to [COVID restrictions], to soak up [the sun], asylum seekers, [to play] draughts, apprehensive, to flee [conflict], risky, to starve, to scrape a living, the mainland, to bounce back.

Abelone Kelley March 21, 2021 0

Michigan: The great St. Patrick’s Day weekend ice storm of 1997

The recent extreme weather event in Texas where the entire electric grid almost shut down, reminded me of a similar (but much less threatening) ice storm that occurred in Michigan in 1997. I thought about subtitling this “Little House on the Prairie with Wheelchairs". I’m sure there were many Texans who went through a similar experience, trying to survive with disabled or medically fragile family members who did not stop needing care and support just because everything that depended on electricity stopped working.

This is how the National Weather Service described the Ice Storm of 1997:

“ …From Detroit and Ann Arbor south to the state-line, the freezing rain changed to rain, but not before heavy ice accumulations occurred. Total precipitation amounts ranged from 1.5 to nearly 2.5 inches from Detroit and Ann Arbor south to the Ohio state-line. … In the Detroit Metropolitan area, the ice storm resulted in power outages to over 425,000 homes and businesses; the 3rd largest outage in history, and the worst ever for an ice storm. Several thousand residents were without power for as long as 4 days. In addition to powerlines, falling trees damaged dozens of cars and houses throughout the area. Most were closed, and there were numerous auto accidents.” 

Here is how I remember it…

It began last Thursday night [3/13/1997] with hard rain falling into below freezing temperatures at ground level. By morning we had had 1.6 inches of rain with a 1/2 inch coating of ice on every tree limb, pine needle, and blade of grass in Southeastern Michigan. It was the worst ice storm since records have been kept here for more than 100 years.

The roads had icy patches, but the main problem was trees and tree limbs that toppled onto roadways and power lines, confounding morning commuters and cutting power to some 12,000 homes. Needless to say, schools were closed. Later, something like 425,000 homes and businesses would be affected.

Our lights were dim all morning and the microwave did not work right.

Late in the morning, the temperature dropped and a wind started to blow, knocking out more power lines all day. Our power went out completely a little after noon.

At our house, when the electricity goes, so does the heat and running water. We set up camp in the evening by the fireplace and John got our small gas-powered generator out to run the sump pump, refrigerator, and food processor. We had McDonald’s stuff for dinner and I studied for my midterms by oil lamplight.

[The boys, Danny and Ian, needed their food ground to a consistency where they would not choke on it - swallowing problems often accompany severe cerebral palsy - hence the importance of powering up the food processor. And for those of you who do not have a well and septic system for water and sewage, the sump collects clean water that would otherwise flood the basement. The sump pump pumps it outside where it drains off with the rest of the rain water. If the sump pump stops working, the basement floods. The one benefit of this is that we had plenty of water to flush toilets that we hauled up from the basement sump in buckets.]

It was 16 degrees outside Saturday morning and about 40 degrees in the house. I really flubbed my midterm, partly from not studying and partly because I was suffering from borderline hypothermia.

The rest of Saturday was cold and miserable. We had a constant fire and heated water in old camping pots.

We ate McDonald’s stuff again and snuggled and huddled around the fire singing songs. Jennie [who was ten years old] sang songs I have not heard her sing for some time. And of course we compared our lives to that of the Little House on the Prairie family. [Read “The Long Winter” by Laura Ingals Wilder to get the feel for wind and snow drifting through cracks in the house and the long trek to bring wheat into the starving town that had been cut off from its food supply by the relentless winter storms.]

The most exhausting part of the whole ordeal was being cold much of the time. I’m sure the pioneers could eat so much because they burned up so many calories trying to stay warm. And of course there were the chores we had to do to survive - stoking the wood pile, feeding the fire, washing dishes in heated water, lugging up buckets of water from the sump to flush the toilets, and keeping Danny and Ian warm.

[I don’t remember precisely, how we kept Danny and Ian fed, bathed, and warm, other than it was superimposed on the added chores of running a house without electricity. I do remember that they were somewhat excited and stimulated by living in front of the fireplace most of the day and going to bed with blankets and sleeping bags mounded on top of them.]

The temperature Sunday morning was 10 degrees. It really did not get above freezing until Monday, when it went into the 50’s. Jennie's school was still closed Monday, but Danny and Ian’s school was open. Jennie and I hung out at the mall and the library. We had a very good breakfast at Big Boy.

When we came home for short intervals, the smell of woodsmoke was overpowering and the chill disheartening. Just when it seemed that we might have to spend another night without electricity, the lights went on and transformed us back into our civilized selves.

It’s appalling how almost worthless our house is without electric power. And we are so wasteful, but so happy to be among the lighted.

[Unlike the weather event in Texas, Ann Arbor was not totally shut down and many families decamped to motels for the duration. This was not an option for us - imagine a family of five with two big wheelchairs, a dog, and two cats holed up in a motel room for four days. We couldn't imagine it either.]

Abelone Kelley March 17, 2021 0

St. Patrick's Day

With social restrictions in place because of COVID19, St. Patrick's Day is going to be celebrated differently again in 2021, but, it is still going to be a worldwide online celebration.  To join in the fun, and feel the spirit of Paddy's Day, here you can watch a selection of videos and a quiz.

The first video comes from The Economist, and it explains the history and relevance of St. Patrick's Day as a celebration of the brand "Ireland" and "Guinness", Ireland's main export to the world. The video is only 2':22" long, the pace of the narrator's voice is not fast, and there are good subtitles, so it is suitable for B1 students and above.

For a more institutional version of the "Ireland" brand, you can watch this serious 2021 video produced by the Irish Foreign Ministry, which lasts 3':06", and has subtitles, but whose language and background music, make it more suitable for B2 students and above.

SmarterTravel shows a tourist view of St. Patrick's Day celebration in the streets and pubs of Dublin back in 2018, in this 1':13" video with big, simple text and no voice, which is also suitable for B1 students.

C1 students and above can visit the webpage of the Irish Times and do a general knowledge test about Irishology.

And finally, to rejoice your heart, you can tap your foot to the catchy rhythm of an Irish song and enjoy this cute video by Jess Glynn, published in 2014, which can be recommended for B1 students and even for lower levels. Happy Paddy's Day!

Abelone Kelley March 16, 2021 0

COVID-19 and people with Down syndrome

According to an article in USA Today, “COVID-19 is especially deadly for adults with Down syndrome, but many can't get a vaccine shot", by Marc Ramirez, 3/8/21, families and advocacy groups for people with Down syndrome are pushing local, state, and federal agencies to prioritize people with Down syndrome for Covid-19 vaccinations.

Increased vulnerability

“Recent studies indicate that adults with Down syndrome, specifically those 40 and older, are three to 10 times as likely to die from COVID-19 than the general population. The findings confirmed what many had already suspected – that those with the genetic disorder, already prone to respiratory issues, heart conditions and other risk factors for coronavirus, were more susceptible to the virus’s harmful effects. 

“A 40-year-old with Down syndrome faces the same COVID-19 risk as a typical 70-year-old, according to the most recent study led by researchers at Emory University in Atlanta, part of an international collaboration. The results, researchers and advocates said, indicate the need to prioritize vaccination for individuals with Down syndrome, especially adults.

“While the growing body of research helped spur the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to add Down syndrome to its list of high-risk groups for priority vaccination in December, advocates said many states still aren’t sufficiently emphasizing the population.”

The status of people with Down syndrome for Covid vaccination varies from state to state

“According to the Global Down Syndrome Foundation, at least 29 states now place those withDown syndrome in the CDC’s recommended high priority category for vaccination, based on the foundation’s interpretation of state guidelines.

“While the landscape continues to change as advocacy efforts ramp up nationwide, individuals with Down syndrome remain in lower-than-recommended tiers in eight states, according to the association’s last tally. As for the remaining states, the group said guidelines did not definitively cite priority status for those with Down syndrome.”

Risk Factors

“The primary COVID-19 risk factors faced by individuals with Down syndrome are immunodeficiency issues and conditions associated with premature aging, said Anke Huels, chief author of the Emory University study and assistant professor of epidemiology and environmental health.”
….

“Moya Peterson, director of the Adults with Down Syndrome Specialty Clinic at University of Kansas Medical Center, said it was clear that “if they got COVID, they got sick, very fast. We knew this was going to be a problem.

“The population contracts pneumonia easily, she said, and is prone to weight issues, heart issues and autoimmune disorders.

“The list also includes obstructive sleep apnea, which some studies have linked to a higher risk of COVID-19 and which can be experienced by between 40 to 70% of individuals with Down syndrome, depending on age.”

COVID restrictions have also caused problems - “Caregivers said that in addition to anxiety and depression, people with Down syndrome have suffered physical and intellectual setbacks as a result of COVID-19 lockdowns.”

Abelone Kelley March 09, 2021 0

Michigan Expands access to COVID vaccines

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

From the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services:

Following the announcement of a ramped-up effort by the Biden Administration to produce enough doses to vaccinate 300 million Americans by the end of May, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced that it is expanding vaccination eligibility beginning 3/8/21:

“MDHHS is moving forward with the vaccination of Michiganders age 50 and older with medical conditions or disabilities and caregiver family members and guardians who care for children with special health care needs. Beginning Monday, March 22, vaccine eligibility will again expand to include all Michiganders 50 and older. To date, more than 40% of Michiganders age 65 and older have been vaccinated.” 

"All vaccine providers may begin vaccinating the two new priority groups of 50 and older with medical conditions or disabilities and caregiver family members and guardians who care for children with special health care needs by Monday. Those eligible to receive a vaccine should:

• Check the website of the local health department or hospital to find out their process or for registration forms; or
• Check additional vaccination sites, such as local pharmacies like Meijer, Rite Aid or Cardinal Health (U.P. residents); or
• Residents who don’t have access to the internet or who need assistance navigating the vaccine scheduling process can call the COVID-19 Hotline at 888-535-6136 (press 1), Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. or can call 2-1-1.”

All this depends on vaccine availability that is increasing but has not yet kept up with demand.

*************
People living in long-term care facilities, including nursing homes and licensed group homes, along with staff, have been a priority in Michigan. Washtenaw County is also vaccinating people with severe disabilities, along with their caregivers and family members, who live in their own or their family’s home. 

For people with developmental disabilities who are eligible for Medicaid-funded Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), their eligibility is based on their need for an institutional level of care (meaning a nursing home or an Intermediate Care Facility for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities - ICF/IID), but they choose to receive those services at home. 

In other counties where vaccinations have not been made available generally for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, I think there is a good argument for asserting rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act that prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities - in this case, people with the same eligibility for institutional services who choose to live in their own or their family’s home. Their risks of contracting COVID and the probability of severe complications are likely as high as for those who live in nursing homes and have been a priority for vaccination. Why should they not be considered a priority because they live at home and not in a long-term care facility?

Abelone Kelley March 09, 2021 0

Women's Struggle Around the World

On International Women's Day, Rappler, publishes the video "In Contested Cybercrime Laws, Activists and Women Are in Danger" (6':49") about the repression of women's activism around the world.  Authoritarian regimes and dictatorships have passed cybercrime laws that punish feminist activists and other dissidents with imprisonment like Loujain-Al-Hathloul in Saudi Arabia, but also in other parts of Asia, like Myanmar, Thailand, Fiji, or the Philippines, where María Ressa, the CEO of Rappler and winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize for Peace, has been accused of "ciber libel" and has been jailed for writing critical articles against President Rodrigo Duterte's brutal anti-drug policies. At the end of the video, three women activists leave a final message: Momoko Nojo (Japan), Marine Maiorano Delmas (France) and Frida Guerrero (Mexico). 

This video with subtitles contains a lot of legal vocabulary, but the subtitles can allow even B2 students to follow it.  In the video you will find less frequent words to enrichen your vocabulary like: released [from prison], to be jailed, to fast-track, the lifting of prohibition, the male guardianship system, counter-terrorism law, [sexually] assaulted, a travel ban, vague [laws], dissent, a bill, a military takeover, [a law] to be in place, to stop [the state] from intervening, impinging on [public order], online abuse, a Trojan horse, uncanny [similar provisions], to engage in acts, cyber libel, a conviction, [an act] hotly contested, rendered, a tradeoff, chilling, most targeted groups [for harassment and attacks], [cases] recorded, perpetrated, intimidation, oftentimes, to defame, to rape, outspoken [women], submissive, domesticated, hate speech, sexist remarks, utilized, to assassinate their characters, divergent tactics, crackdowns.

If you are interested in the topic, you can read the article Women in South Asia: Hostile Encounters, published by Dawn (Pakistan), and International Women's Day: Plight and  Right of Nigeria Women, published by Vanguardngr.com (Nigeria). You can also listen to this 36 minute NPR radio interview where, María Resa talks to Terry Gross in Fresh Air about the crackdown on the press in the Philippines, a long interview with a script for C1 students and above.

Abelone Kelley March 08, 2021 0

Genevieve Bell, a Leader to the Future of Artificial Intelligence

Professor Genevieve Bell is a cultural anthropologist, a technologist and a futurist. She is the head of the 3A Institute (3Ai), at the Australian National University, where she is building a new branch of engineering to explore the impact and the management of artificial intelligence, data and technology on human behaviour. She previously worked for 20 years at Silicon Valley, leading a team of 100 scientists at Intel, as The New York Times reported in 2014. 

Genevieve Bell has recently presented the line of research in the 3Ai, which brings together experts in the fields of culture, technology and the environment, with the TED Talk below, entitled "6 Big Ethical Questions About the Future of AI". In this 14':48" video with subtitles, professor Bell speaks with a vey clear, educated, Australian accent and she uses academic words which might be transparent to a Spanish learner, but the cultural and engineering concepts she explains make the talk suitable for C1 students and above. I would like to thank my former student May L. for sharing this video with us.

Some of the words you can find in the video are: algorithm, to make sense of [something], AI, system.level scale, mechanization, automation, digitization, deceptively, sustainably, to research into existence, to theorize into existence, critical thinkers, critical doers, collaboratively, to frame the questions, to decolonize our imagination, work in progress, a glimpse, to gather, [fish] traps, fish holding pens, remarkable, an inspiration, meaningful, to sustain [systems], [our] legacy, a sense of purpose, a [clear] framework, an approach [of problem solving], question framing, to open up, challenges, autonomy, agency, assurance, interfaces, indicators, intent, to wander [down the street], controls, limits, a keyslot, to override [the system], trust, liablility, explicability, manageability, policy, regulation, the electrical grid, productivity, efficiency, sustainable, to articulate [a conversation], decommission, a [new] path, to draw the boundaries, to convene, a banner, cybernetics, a holistic [system], to reclaim, to accommodate, a physicist, a heady mix, expertise, diverse, to launch, a cohort [of graduates], to range, backgrounds, committed, a lone [inventor], a shared sense of purpose, owners, ceded, sacred, to pay my respects to, to dwell on [what they mean], a protracted [period of time].

If you are interested in AI and education you can listen to this podcast which includes a conversation with Professor Genevieve Bell and Dr. Amy McLennan, a research fellow at the 3Ai Institute from the New South Wales Department of Education. You can use the transcript, if you do not understand parts of the conversation.

Abelone Kelley March 01, 2021 0