Russell Collins

            On Monday morning I finished memorizing "En rire de peur d'être obligée d'en pleurer" (No Good Crying it's Best to Choose Laughter Always) by Serge Gainsbourg. I looked for the chords but no one had posted them so I worked the first couple out for the intro.

            When I reached for my guitar I saw a bedbug on the wall just below the light switch above the head of my bed. It was full of blood. I still wonder if they are crawling down along the wiring from Cesar's place above me and out into my bedroom through the light switch. 

            My high E string went loose as soon as my hand hit lightly against the machine. It went flat quite a bit during my first song but stayed in tune for the most part after that. I wonder if I need to get the machine tightened. 

            I weighed 85 kilos before breakfast. 

            I left for English in the World class at 10:20. Chuanqi was there when I arrived. He was one of the presenters today. I said that I shouldn't have put a video of myself in my presentation unless I'd memorized the text. He said there's something in Power Point called "Presentation mode" that allows one to do that. I didn't quite understand how but maybe the text runs across the top of the screen like a news feed. 

            Frank came and wanted to show Chuanqi pictures of signs in Shanghai. It related to the zero covid situation in China. Chuanqi didn't want to look. He said it frightened him. He explained that he has OCD and is extremely paranoid. 

            Corinne A. gave the first presentation. Should the pidgin English Kamtok be an official language in Cameroon? 50% of the population speak it. It serves as a bridge between different cultures and a wide range of languages. 75% of teachers lacked proper English pronunciation. Spelling is a primary challenge. Standard engagement. 

            Zahra's presentation was on Pakistan, which has seventy languages but Urdu and English are official. There are four types of schools. English as the language of instruction does more harm than good. It is ineffective in education. Even university profs need instruction in English. There is no benchmark for being an English teacher. English as the language of instruction leads to poor instruction in subjects. It diminishes regional languages; it increases class difference because it is taught in expensive schools. Civil service tests are in English. Improve the quality of English education. English and Urdu are equally used. English is needed for jobs in other countries or communication with other countries. 

            Hayle's presentation was on Kongish. Kongish is on the rise in Hong Kong. It is derived from English and Cantonese. English is faster to type. "Laugh die me". "Solly" for "sorry". Kongish Daily is a Facebook page. It is differentiated from Chinglish. Hong Kong wants to be a gatekeeper. Humourous pronunciations of English. At first accidental but later deliberate. Kongish is a texting style. I asked the difference between Konglish and Chinglish. She said it is more local whereas Chinglish is throughout China. Konglish is casual. 

            Martina's presentation was on Singlish. Universality of English. Chinese and Indian residents identify as English. Multiculturalism is a defining characteristic. Singlish started in 1819 and it is a combination of English, Mandarin, Malay, and Tamil. "Like that" is pronounced "liddat". It makes speakers sound grammatically uneducated. The "Speak Good English" movement. "Lets be understood". There is a lack of grammatical structure and the removal of pronouns. There is advertising in Singlish. 

            Hiba's presentation was on Pakistani English. English was introduced during British rule. Not all education systems are capable of teaching English even though it is an official language. Private schools are a better resource and graduates are more likely to go to university while poor communities are stuck. English is looked up upon. Fluency in English is a symbol of status. English is a language of power. How English is taught depends on who is in power. 

            Syd gave her presentation on English in Kenya. Swahili takes a backseat. English is not always used well in school. There is lack of knowledge on the part of the teachers. There are better chances at job prestige. There is a lack reading material. It is harder because of mother tongues. 

            We took a break.

            Panel 3 presentations. 

            The MC was not there so Chuanqi took the job. 

            Sebastian's presentation was on English language in expanding circle countries in East Asia. English and China are dominant. France and India are used as examples. English has increased as a trade language. Physics and other technical fields are dominated by English. China wants to promote its own heritage and values of harmony and benevolence, and it thinks English interferes. China education tries to keep English at bay. The rich send their children to English schools. English dominates in India. France does step up its English abilities, copying China. France falling behind. 

            Selah's presentation was on Korean. Is English displacing Korean in universities? If there are more English courses then more foreigners will enrol. English is necessary for higher education. The cost is pressure that contributes to suicide. I ask if there is really evidence that English has contributed to suicides. She said it's just one of the pressures. 

            Chuanqi presented on mainland China expanding English STEM languages. Students need to learn stem languages. PEP is used throughout China. Textbook math jargon translation is inconsistent. Jargons are useful to be translated. Code switching. Related jargons are translated. I asked what is a jargon? Jargons are stable technological terminology. 

            Lucas presented on English education in China. The Education Ministry backs English learning but is in conflict with the Chinese government. 200 million have taken English. There is twice as much English in universities than other second languages. Education versus culture. Language is linked to heritage. Some say China is in conflict with the west so that is why it is against English. Authors are chosen for government loyalty. 

            Jameson's presentation was on the Japanese language and education. The government is trying to generate bilingualism. Japan underperforms in international English tests. Japanese is a borrowing language consisting of 70% loanwords: 60% Chinese and 10% English. Some say it is a natural progression. "Engrish". A foundational difference is that Japanese has fewer consonants and vowels. "Cunning" means "cheating". Loanwords should be taught to be understood in terms of English. Science is more universal so it is taught in English. 

            I asked why not teach a given country's culture in English? That way they could learn about their culture and learn English at the same time. Sebastian said it would lead to things like Singlish. I don't see how but even if it did, why would that be a negative? 

            I weighed 84.4 kilos before lunch at 13:55. 

            I weighed 84.9 kilos at 16:35, which is the heaviest I've been in two weeks but shows an overall lightening trend. The heaviest in two weeks has not been below the "85 kilo" range since I've been keeping track. 

            It took me until after supper to finish the Exit Slip survey for today's class because there were so many presenters to touch on. 

            I made a new batch of gravy, though it came out a little too thick this time. I may have to add some liquid later on. I had some with a potato and a chicken leg while watching season 2, episode 23 of The Beverly Hillbillies. 

            Duke the dog is sick and Elly May has sent for Dr. Martin the zoo veterinarian who keeps giving her animals to take care of. Elly secretly has Duke in her bed because Granny doesn't want to clean dog hair from bedsheets. Granny also doesn't appreciate having a college educated doctor chosen over her to treat anyone in the family. Jed tells her that Dr. Martin might be a good prospective beau for Elly and so they ask her to invite Martin to dinner. They are expecting a much younger man. Dr. Martin arrives and he is a man in his late 60s. Elly greets him and takes him upstairs to Duke. 

            Meanwhile a young and handsome travelling salesman named Jim Gardner arrives and when Jed and Granny see him through the window they think he is Dr. Martin. They call Elly downstairs and tell her to be nice to the man. She lets Jim in and he's very impressed with Elly. What he is selling are pest control items to get rid of insects. She invites him into the parlour and then goes upstairs. 

           Granny comes to talk to him and he tries to sell her his products. But since she already thinks he's a critter doctor, hearing him talk about flea baths and things like that she thinks he's a bug doctor trying to make insects feel better. She doesn't like the idea. When Jim meets Jethro and Jed he shakes their hands and tries to say his name but they squeeze so hard that they think his name's "Jim Gaaargh!"

            Granny finally meets the real Dr. Martin and he lays on the charm about how beautiful and young she looks, so she warms up to him. He's invited to dinner but when he learns the main course is stuffed gopher he loses his appetite. Granny and Martin and Elly and Jim go on a double date to a restaurant. 

            Dr. Martin was played by Russell Collins, who studied drama just after WWI and was in the USO entertaining the troops during WWII. His Broadway debut was Success Story in 1932 and in 1935 he starred in the Broadway musical Johnny Johnson. He had a long career on Broadway and after the war he started branching out into film and television. He died about a year and a half after this episode aired. 

            I searched for bedbugs and found one in their current favourite place, the crack in the upper right corner of the old exit door at the head of my bed.