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rigelmejo · 4 years ago

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listening reading method updates

Some updates because I’ve done Listening Reading Method maybe 10-15 hours within the past week and wow is it worth doing (for me) if done properly:

First some notes of what “properly” means for me: It means I’ve done step 2 at some point (since I’m using all books I have at least vague prior context for whether its this past year or in life I’ve seen them before). It means I do step 2 first. Then I do step 3, with parallel text so I keep my place OR do it in Pleco (doing step 3 in Pleco is strangely super effective for me).

So, I’ve been testing my general listening comprehension. How I’ve tested it: listening to some audio file of a chapter I did with L R method, and see if I can understand it better. So no text aid. Also generally some time gap (at least a few days) between when I did L R, and when I listen to test my comprehension.

Limits of test: this is not new material - I have both prior context of the plot, and doing L R method on the material before means I have intensively studied that audio material with L R method at one point. I’m trying to find some ‘totally unknown’ stuff to test with too we’ll see.

Benefits of the test: its easy to compare my progress, because I’ve listened to these audios many times so I know where my ‘comprehension’ of them was at a few months ago. I can more easily compare.

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So anyway, has L R Method helped listening comprehension? YES god oh my god.

I listened to Chapter 9 of Guardian’s audiobook just falling asleep, because I didn’t feel like full on L R Method the chapter (I have done Listening Reading Method for chapters 1-8). I could understand enough to follow the entire main plot and all the main scenes - a few descriptive sentences lost me, but I got all the action-related (touched reached stood cried shouted left side pocket held objects movement and set phrases priest uses for certain expressions), key emotion related (like sad cold warm kind sharp worried investigated pushed shivered and set phrases I remember priest using for certain expressions) details, and got all of the main dialogue (this part context helps for though since words like reincarnation and sundial are fairly new to me and I only understand since I already ran into them in previous chapters I’ve done L R Method with).

I was freaking FLOORED I could just listen and enjoy the story, so today I listened to chapter 1 again. And YEP - same thing applied. I could follow all of the main plot, main scenes, and certain details. I totally missed the part where he talks about his aunt/uncle but I heard his bad grades, got the letter for a job notice, how he hates phone calls, his plan to go, him getting to the place, what the place looked like and Wang Zheng and all the scenes at the job - so like I mentioned, actions/emotions/real objects being interacted with I can mostly follow. The paragraphs of description background (like Guo Changcheng’s upbringing and how his uncle got him a job) are harder for me to catch everything - I am guessing because there’s more description phrases and less straightforward action=response. (For example - xiao guo sees Lao Wu, they respond, so its easy to follow, or he sees Wang Zheng and faints, or he walks into the courtyard and reads the address - all of these moments directly focus on things and react which is easier to follow).

For the first time I can say I can listen to just the audiobook and follow it enough to enjoy the plot and what’s mainly going on without any text aid. And I’ve only done the listening reading method for 8 chapters! That’s 40-50 minutes a chapter, around 360 minutes or 6 hours. 6 hours spent Listening Reading Method Guardian, and I already see a huge boost in what I can comprehend in listening! (I also did some random L R method chapters of other stuff so add 1-2 hours - that’s still like 8 hours total... that ain’t much).

Last time I listened to guardian audiobook without any text aid (a few months ago), I could hear some words I knew and some phrases, and had a vague understanding of when he got to the job (heard courtyard and si ming hao), met Lao Wu (i heard him report for duty), when he talked to zhao yunlan and got generally welcomed, met Wang Zheng and thought ‘he has no feet’ and got scared. No fucking details. The vaguest impression of the main plot mainly because I’ve read the chapter before and knew the scenes coming. But that was still eons better than Before That - around 6 months ago i listened to chapter 1 like 5 times until i could hear some phrases instead of just isolated words.

This time, I could follow things because I could HEAR what was actually going on, not just because I heard some keywords. I could clearly hear the details about Guo Changcheng entering the courtyard, reading the address and special investigations name, go up to Lao Wu and report in and Lao Wu greet him warmly and excitedly mention how lucky it is he came today that their boss is there! And fawn over how cool the boss is, and all the specifics of the convo with Zhao Yunlan (and half of his appearance like how he’s handsome and heroic looking and had a hand in his pocket and seemed cold until he noticed them and smiled and acted warm and friendly). And all the scenes were like that - like with Wang Zheng I could hear all the details of Guo Changcheng freaking out, eventually noticing her head had been cut and it wasn’t a necklace it was like sewn on and how he passed out. It was soooo much better ToT. The amount of comprehension is sooooo much higher than the last time I tried to listen! It shocks me how much better! This is enough comprehension to actually listen and just enjoy it. ToT

So yeah, I’d say Listening Reading Method, as I’m doing it right now, is making noticeable improvements in my reading skill and listening skill.

So yeah I’m super curious how listening comprehension is gonna be 20 chapters into Listening Reading Method.

What I do think this would be good for, if you were studying short term? If you wanted to understand a specific audiobook - doing L R Method with the book until you can listen to the rest. It would probably take a short enough amount of study to do within a month if you already have some skills in the language (since this is with 6-8 hours of study). I saw someone once do SRS Flashcard study based on a show they liked in a foreign language, and within a month they could watch that show they liked without english subs and follow the main plot. I think L R Method with a novel works kind of similar - its intensive study on one story. So within a reasonably short amount of time (10-50 hours maybe, something that can be done within a month) you can get enough comprehension skill of that One story to understand it ok.

I imagine you need to do L R Method longer, and with either a word dense material (lots of varied vocab) or else multiple stories (ideally different authors and genres), in order to get broader listening skill improvement. Like right now my listening skill in general seems to have improved somewhat... but its more like ‘listening to a show without subs’ is now easier. Not like I can turn on a brand new audiobook and follow it this well. So some slightly easier listening activity is now easier, but for other audiobooks I am probably comprehending more but the listening skill improvement is NOT as drastic as it is specifically with Guardian.

Testing listening comprehension with materials I have not L R Method with:

Alice in Wonderland (story is shorter/simpler than novel): I can follow it mostly when listening only. I can follow it near entirely (know exactly what’s going on just a few words I don’t recognize) if I’m looking at the video (since it has pictures for context - like watching a show). My listening comprehension drops noticeably if I do NOT look at the video visuals for an aid - since I am used to Alice in Wonderland hitting the original novel beats, not this shorter movie-based version. This level of comprehension makes sense, as its written simpler than Guardian so I should have an easier time following details in this. But lack of context means I have to put more effort into figuring out what scene is what if I don’t have any visual cues. So easier ‘written’ audiobook material is much more comprehensible now (easier than Guardian even since I know most words), but I still need context like an image or prior awareness of the overall plot or else I need to pay more careful attention to follow everything: https://youtu.be/HqCg5y8Nwhg

Sherlock Holmes 血字的研究: Some benefit just like Alice in Wonderland in that I have broad context (I know Watson and Sherlock live and work together to solve issues, Watson is a verteran and doctor). First 5 minutes I can vaguely tell its probably Watson narrating, that he lives in London, that before he might have been injured (I heard bing like sick or?) - I’m truly not sure what happened, and now after 5 minutes I heard ‘great friend’ and ‘touched shoulder’ and ‘gaoxing’ so happy. So I’m guessing Sherlock and Watson are interacting now. What improvement in my listening comprehension I can Notice - is that words stick out, phrases, and sentence structures (like finally, since, therefore, actions). So I feel if I paused I might be able to look up some words I notice but can’t understand, to follow along better. As the 2 of them have their conversation I can catch SOME details and I could probably follow what’s going on IF I had some prior context (like what the general case is about). But I only hear - its a pity, what happened last night, poor lad, fangzi, destination. So i’m not sure if someone died or was hurt or what happened the other night?? But again, conversations seem to be the easiest part to follow. For this particular audiobook I almost feel like if I just kept consistently listening or re-listening, I could understand more... like I probably know more words than I’m catching, but since my brain’s working on trying to catch the main gist plot right now its not grasping any details I might otherwise be able to notice. No prior context of plot, no image - hard lol. Unlike guardian, I cannot follow most of it. But I can catch bits of each scene, most clear are the dialogue parts (but cause I have no surrounding contexts I’m still pretty lost). Also the clear action parts are easier to follow (he spoke, moved, reacted to something). Mostly the lack of context is what’s making me struggle. In the descriptions I hear a lot phrases and words I recognize, but I’m struggling to comprehend them together. Unfortunately context is mostly in the description parts I can’t figure out lol. https://youtu.be/J1sbP6_3680

I suspect an audio DRAMA might be a little easier now. Since they’re mostly dialogue, and dialogue seems to be what I’m finding the most improvement in (from very vague to some of the clearest comprehended parts). I listened to tian ya ke audiodrama a few days ago and it was doable to follow along with - but that was before more Listening Reading Method, and of course my prior context (having seen the show/read part of the novel) means it was muchhhh easier to follow cause I had enough context to guess which scene each moment was supposed to be - so I didn’t have to figure out overall context, just details.

#rant #may #may progress #listening reading method #l r method #i'm also hella curious if just listening to guardian audiobook would produce any benefit - perhaps consolidate my skills and help make #future audiobooks easier?#anyway basically my summary is: how i have BEEN doing L R method this month is hugely effective for me rn #and note to future self: SPECIFICALLY doing it THIS way - with pleco or a parallel text for step 3. and doing STEP 2 (which is helping with #reading).#i am mostly surprised by how Little time investment this has taken. i've done maybe 1-3 hours a day. i remember on the l r method original #article site - the person said 30 hours for a closely related language. and like 50-100 hours for a less transparent language #and like. i have only done maybe 8 hours max this month. and maybe 15 hours MAX the entire time i've tried l r method this past year #so i'm not even at 30 hours - which is when i should start understanding 'some'. im wondering if the improvement is faster since #im not an actual beginner in chinese. i have some base skill #which - since im only trying l r method in languages ive already studied i have some base skill any time i try this #anyway 6-8 hours so far is NOT a very big time cost to get the reading/listening improvements im seeing #like? i talked about listening in this update because thats what l r method is SUPPOSED to improve

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mental-autopsy · 2 years ago

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The life-cycle of the Bristlenose Catfish (also known as the Bristlenose Pleco)

Starring my pair, Milton (the girl) and Titan (the boy). By the way, don’t worry about the fact the eggs are out of the water, I remove the eggs from the tank before babies can develop as a single batch can produce more than a hundred babies.

#bristlenose catfish #bristlenose pleco #bristlenose #catfish #pet fish #aquarium #fish #fish tank

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garden-ghoul · 2 years ago

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Happy gushiwensday Monday! This week, Laurence has chosen us a love poem by Li Qingzhao, whose title I have translated “Lady-love.”

your lovely face is like a lotus that blooms when you laugh and the jewelled duck flying through your hair somehow makes your cheek look more kissable and the way your eyes move over me--well, anyone could guess what you're thinking! your whole bearing, your everything is deeply charming. oh, this half-letter won't hold all this sweet-bitter longing, my faraway heart, and watching the flowers' moonshadows creep across the garden makes me want to see you again.

this one’s heavily interpreted, notes and original text under the cut!

浣溪沙·闺情

绣面芙蓉一笑开，斜飞宝鸭衬香腮。眼波才动被人猜。一面风情深有韵，半笺娇恨寄幽怀。月移花影约重来。

My primary goal for this one was to produce something I wouldn’t be ashamed to send to MY girlfriend in a fit of tender horny longing, so I went a more interpretive and less literal route with my translation. I actually didn’t know that Li Qingzhao was a woman when I translated it, so this is officially a homosexual translation I guess.

Lady-love --- this is a pun, kind of. The title could also be translated as “woman emotions,” maybe. Maybe given that the poet is also a woman it’s a TRIPLE pun??

lovely face --- originally 绣面, which reads more literally as “embroidered surface.” Lol. It confused us a lot. But 面 can also be face like someone’s face, and 绣 is frequently used as a metaphor for more general beauty, as in 绣房 (embroidered room, or a boudoir) and 锦绣 (brocade embroidery, or beautiful).

makes your cheek look more kissable --- 衬香腮, “against skin fragrant cheek.” Gushiwen suggested that the duck ornament brings out vividness in her face through contrast. My lovestruck poetsona is somewhat less coherent about it.

the way your eyes move --- this entire sentence has extremely puzzling syntax, but the driving image here is 眼波, the wave of a person’s eye---I imagine the glance as a fluid moving over someone. It’s an interesting idiom! Pleco tells us it’s specifically a flirtatious look, but 波 evokes more crashing waves or rushing water, so maybe it’s a glance that takes your breath away?

this half-letter... heart --- it’s really not clear to me what Ms Li intended the poetic function of the half-letter to be; all it says in this line is “half letter tender regret send faraway heart.” So I’ve done a lot of interpretation to fill in the gaps, including casting the lady love as the poet’s heart which has been removed.

and watching... see you again --- the stunning conciseness of 约重来, “invites starting over,” demands a better poet than me to translate it. The implication in this line is just that a moonlit night is the best time to see your girl, but it’s worded wonderfully... I think the flowers’ shadows 移 “altered” by the moon brings a little bit of the implication of the poet as the humble flower made more special by a lady’s light.

#gushiwensday #li qingzhao

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pumpkinpaix · 4 years ago

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this is gonna sound so harsh but im legit tired of chinese diaspora people who think that bc they are of chinese descent and they have pleco they can act like voices of authority in the fandom. if modao is the 1st chinese book you have read pieces of with a dictionary, if you have never interacted with the actual chinese fandom, you are not part of the intended audience and your biased opinion is not the One And Only Valid Truth 🍵

genuinely cannot tell if you’re trying to shade me here anon lmao 😂

this got long and rambly (of course) asldkjfslj. i would love to make the excuse that it’s bc i’ve got a migraine and had No Sleep but. let’s be real i’m always like this.

ok i’ll start with where i agree: i don’t think anyone has the right to act like an ultimate voice of authority in fandom. i think different people with different backgrounds have varying realms of expertise and they should be respected when they share that knowledge, but that the instant someone starts to use that kind of power as a weapon against people they personally don’t like, i think they forfeit that privilege. no one has the one and only valid truth about a piece of media because that’s fundamentally impossible. i have definitely interacted with diaspo who behave like their heritage gives them some kind of incontrovertible authority over everyone else, and they’re fucking insufferable and often rather cruel, even/especially towards other diaspo. meet me in the denny’s parking lot and fight me for real. i’ll kick ur ass. >:c

however, I also think it’s true that there’s a lot of dismissal of heritage fans in this fandom, if that makes sense, from both sides of the equation: non-Chinese fans ignore our cultural hangups because they’re inconvenient, and non-diaspora disdain us for being not Chinese enough. that puts a lot of us in a position of feeling disrespected just for being who we are, or having our very real knowledge and unique experience as individuals devalued because of it.

regardless of my identity, I have formally studied a lot of things: literary translation, media analysis, the politics of oppression, film critique, religious studies, philosophy, four foreign languages etc. and that is all knowledge that I had to work for, and work hard for. I do have a certain measure of authority on all of these subjects over a layperson (to varying degrees), and there are going to be times when i will be more correct than someone who disagrees with me -- but I’ve also absolutely experienced people talking over that specialized knowledge because of who I am, which is, to be clear. extremely infuriating and hurtful. like, i have cried so much about it in the last 18 months. people see my racial and cultural identity before they see anything else, which is understandable to a degree, but upsetting when it becomes the basis for how my work is judged, whether positive or negative. i don’t want you to trust me blindly because i’m abc. I want to you to trust me because you have examined my work critically and judged it to be trustworthy!

so i guess this is getting into the strongly disagree part of the answer: i’ve been speaking a lot with other diaspora fans lately, and it’s been simultaneously hugely relieving and also really saddening. relieving because oh thank god someone else Gets It, and saddening because pretty much all of us, no matter what kind of diaspo we are (north american, european, SEA, taiwanese etc), we’ve all experienced a lot of pressure in this fandom, from non-Chinese, Chinese, and other diaspora fans alike. we’re all acutely aware that we are not modao’s intended audience because being diaspora vs being “from the mainland” or whatever, are actually quite different things, but modao still feels close to home. even if it was not written FOR us it is still familiar to us.

and, because so many of us are multilingual and multicultural, we end up being the bridge between the “actual” chinese fandom and the english-speaking fandom, which is largely made up of non-chinese. (sidenote: I hate it when people say things about being “actually” any identity because it’s almost always for the exact reason you brought up: to use heritage as street cred. it’s like damn, being “actually” chinese doesn’t make ur opinions any less rank. sure you might be “actually” chinese, but do you have basic reading comprehension and literary criticism skills? no? ok then sit your ass back down) many of us are most comfortable in english! so we produce our content in english! but we also DO often have a somewhat privileged access to the culture that underlies mdzs and can explain it in a language that other non-Chinese fans can understand. so it’s not surprising that people flock to us for answers to their cultural questions. and like. if we think we know the answer, it’s natural for us to try and help. this is fandom! we’re here to have fun and find community! and it is definitely a little bit nice to have my culture treated as something desirable for once instead of just like. a weird exotic curiosity that no one really cares too deeply about. and, since a lot of us are able to do things that non-Chinese fans can’t (research in chinese, for example. ask family members for help and more information etc.) we end up just having more information to share.

I think this sometimes results in a tendency for fandom at large to put heritage/diaspo fans on pedestals and tout them as authorities (or use our conflicting viewpoints as ammunition in fandom drama) when the diaspo in question have repeatedly stated that they should not be taken as authorities on something -- and then, once you reach critical mass, your reputation starts to precede you, and I think there’s a lot of misconceptions of how a lot of diaspo act in this fandom simply because of that phenomenon. most of us know that we’re not ultimate arbiters of some kind of cultural gateway, and it can be very tiring both to be treated as such when we insist we are not, and then punished by other people who assume that we acted like we were.

i don’t think there’s a benefit in trying to keep en fandom and cn fandom totally separate, and I also think it’s unfair to consider the cn fandom the “real” fandom. i think that way lies deeper misunderstandings, gatekeeping, etc. i think we can definitely acknowledge the differences between them, but i think trying to make meaningful connections between fandom circles is really valuable! i don’t think i’ve ever made it a secret that modao is my first cmedia fandom? so it’s also the first time i’ve had reason to interact with chinese fandom, which has been super enlightening and interesting! i’ve made some super cool friends and learned a lot about how fandom works in china, how it’s similar and how it differs from the fandom i’m familiar with.

and then, kind of circling back around, there’s also a bit of a sense like, okay, so if diaspo don’t belong in the CN fandom, but we can’t talk about our own culture with some degree of confidence in EN fandom, then like..... where do we go...? if we see EN fandom doing something that contradicts our cultural knowledge, do we just. not say anything? do we not count unless we’ve already ingratiated ourselves to CN fandom? that’s probably where the core of my strong disagreement comes from, because criticism of diaspora fans as like, acting above their station so to speak, feels just like a tired continuation of the same shit we’ve had to deal with for our whole lives, being told we’re not good enough for anywhere and that we should just be quiet and keep our heads down and get over it. that our opinions, despite coming from a unique perspective with a unique relationship to the subject in question, are less valid or real than “actual” chinese people, you know? and sometimes i see that and im like lmfao just sneer at me for being jook-sing and leave then if you’re so eager to think of me as lesser.

so yeah, basically im of a few minds: true! diaspora fans don’t get to throw their weight around just because they’re diaspo. they don’t get carte blanche to act like bullies or try to shape the fandom to their own personal liking and crusade against people who disagree with them. they don’t get to pretend their heritage makes them superior to everyone else, and i think western diaspora especially need to be careful when asserting any kind of moral lens over the text to acknowledge that we have our own biases to interrogate. i am not immune.meme etc. on the other hand, this vein of criticism tends to put all diaspo in a bit of a double-bind, and also, however unintentionally, plays into the general, continuous trend of dismissing diaspora for being diaspora, and i’m really not about that. i don’t think that’s the motivation behind opinions like this, but i do think that when the basis for the argument hinges on the idea that diaspora are not “real” chinese, no matter how much I too have beef with certain diaspora fans, the argument needs to be revisited.

(ko-fi)

🍵 ((un)popular) opinions meme

#Anonymous #asks and replies #cyan gets too deep in the weeds #race #chinese diaspora #statistically average #mine #mymeta #mdzs #ummmmm #politics #??#opinions meme #ask meme

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linghxr · 4 years ago

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倒序词：Inverted/Palindromic Words

I’m sure you’ve noticed in your Chinese studies that there are some words for which you can switch the order of the characters and get a new word! In Chinese these can be called 倒序词. I’ve put together a list of 20 倒序词 pairs, most of which I’ve stumbled across over the past couple years. It’s so interesting to see the relationships between the words! Most example sentences are via Pleco.

牙刷 yáshuā - toothbrush 一把牙刷刷牙 shuā//yá - to brush one’s teeth 我每天睡觉前刷牙。

开放 kāifàng - to bloom / to open / to be open (to the public) / to open up (to the outside) / to be open-minded / unrestrained by convention 图书馆从上午9点开放到下午6点。放开 fàng//kāi - to let go / to release 妈妈放开了女儿的手。

喜欢 xǐhuan - to like / to be fond of 你喜欢不喜欢中国音乐？欢喜 huānxǐ - happy / joyous / delighted / to like / to be fond of 她心跳加速，满心欢喜。

著名 zhùmíng - famous / noted / well-known / celebrated 我们的中文老师是一位著名的小说家。名著 míngzhù - masterpiece, famous book, celebrated work 我最近读的名著有点太多了。

犯罪 fàn//zuì - to commit a crime / crime / offense 听到她的犯罪历史，我大吃一惊。罪犯 zuìfàn - criminal 警察还没有抓到那些罪犯。

事故 shìgù - accident 事故的原因还在调查之中。故事 gùshì - old practice || gùshi - narrative / story / tale 这是一个真实的故事。

女儿 nǚ'ér - daughter 他们的三个孩子都是女儿，没有儿子。儿女 érnǚ - children / sons and daughters 儿女有赡养老人的义务。

蜜蜂 mìfēng - bee / honeybee 一只蜜蜂蜂蜜 fēngmì - honey 一罐蜂蜜

讲演 jiǎngyǎn - to lecture / to speak publicly 他的讲演你听了没有？演讲 yǎnjiǎng - lecture / to make a speech 演讲深深地打动了听众。

适合 shìhé - to fit / to suit 这种电影不适合儿童看。合适 héshì - suitable / fitting / appropriate 这个词用在这里不合适。

代替 dàitì - to replace / to take the place of 你要是自己不能去，可以找个人来代替。替代 tìdài - to substitute for / to replace / to supersede 他在这家公司被认为是不可替代的。

感情 gǎnqíng - emotion / sentiment / affection / feelings between two persons 你要理解她的感情。情感 qínggǎn - feeling / emotion / to move (emotionally) 我们之间的情感很深。

语言 yǔyán - language 学一门语言，就是多一个观察世界的窗户。言语 yányǔ - words / speech / (spoken) language || yányu - to speak / to tell 他这个人不爱言语。

人情 rénqíng - human emotions / social relationship / friendship / favor / a good turn 他很重人情，朋友的事总是愿意帮忙。情人 qíngrén - lover / sweetheart 他始终爱着初恋的情人。

带领 dàilǐng - to guide / to lead 老师带领同学们去参观博物馆。领带 lǐngdài - necktie 一条领带

愿意 yuànyì - to wish / to want / ready / willing (to do sth) 父母都愿意自己的孩子幸福。意愿 yìyuàn - aspiration / wish / desire 他们违抗父母的意愿结婚了。

人名 rénmíng - personal name 这些外国人名和地名都译了音。名人 míngrén - personage / celebrity 这个名人的手笔值几千块。

笔画 bǐhuà - strokes of a Chinese character 这个字笔画太多。画笔 huàbǐ - paintbrush 一支画笔

生产 shēngchǎn - to produce / to manufacture / to give birth to a child 这家工厂去年生产一万辆汽车。产生 chǎnshēng - to arise / to come into being / to come about / to give rise to / to bring into being / to bring about / to produce / to engender / to generate / to appear / appearance / emergence / generation / production / yield 新科技的应用产生了一些新的社会问题。

实现 shíxiàn - to achieve / to implement / to realize / to bring about 她实现了当演员的愿望。现实 xiànshí - reality / actuality / real / actual / realistic / pragmatic / materialistic / self-interested 现实往往不那么美好。

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fishfactsfriday · 2 years ago

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Fish Facts #11 Catfish

Catfish are a very diverse group of critters, living all across the globe, in costal waters and inland (that means both salt and fresh water) and in every single continent minus Antartica!

Catfish are generally bottom feeders, evident by there whiskers which is where they get the cat in there name from. Those whiskers are actually called barbels but some catfish don’t even have them! They also have downward facing mouths, consuming whatever might lurk in the mud like larvae for younger fish and plants, crawfish and snails for some adults. However they can become carnivores, swallowing some fish whole.

Most catfish don’t have scales and instead are very slimy leathery skin, and they don’t have skin for a particular reason, they are simply built different.

However there is a catfish that has armor, the aptly named armored catfish. It is covered in triangular bony plates and are one of the few catfish that use there eyes rather then relying on sense of smell.

Catfish drastically differ in sizes, such as the small Bristlenose Pleco often kept in aquariums to feed on algae which only reaches about 5 inches (12.7 cm) at maturity,

to the gigantic Mekong catfish which can get up to a record 9 ft (2.7 m) and weighed at 646 lbs (293 kg)!!

catfish also make a sort of growling sound out of water, a sound produced by the air going through its gills

Originally created June 25, 2021

Sources lost

#fish #fun facts #interesting facts #marine biology #marine life #sea creatures #fishes #animal facts #random facts #miscellaneous facts

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vocaloidcurated · 5 months ago

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4 5 7 and 27 !! is that too many

i will answer as many as people deign to ask!

as my response to the previous question proves, nilfruits/niru kajitsu is my favorite producer lol.

historically v flower has been my favorite voicebank. as of recently i've really been digging chis-a's voice. among the newer crop, i've enjoyed her musical versatility the most.

too many v flower faves to count, for now i'll pick grave jack night by zensen. it's so fun and halloween-y!

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if i'm counting chis-a i'll say grotesque tempura lover by pleco.

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i was actually torn on the "makes me cry" song, because i've had a few contenders. i'll go for a perennial personal fave and pick paradise lost dive by REISAI. bittersweet devotion always gets me...

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additional shout-outs in this category include shama by niru kajitsu (very bittersweet), machine love by jamie-p (definitely more sweet) and elopement by kashii moimi (quiet and depressing).

thank you for asking!

#v flower #chis-a #zensen #pleco #reisai #vocaloid ask

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cheysfishblog · 3 years ago

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What Is the Actual Care Sheet for Goldfish?

There is no right way to take care of goldfish. Every fancy goldfish keeper has a method to their madness. There are though, a few important key points that every goldfish keeper should keep in mind:

1) Some varieties of fancy goldfish do better in low and wide tanks than tall and short tanks.

2) Fancy goldfish do better in room temperature like conditions. Even though, having them outside does get them more conditioned to varying temperatures.

3) Fancy goldfish can be kept outside or inside

4) You can grow your goldfish just fine in natural or tank light, one light isn’t better than the other.

5) Unless you are breeding your goldfish, there should be more females than males in the tank. This is important so there wouldn’t be so much breeding aggression, less stress from female fish and less fighting among the males

6) Sometimes water changes and salt is the best medicine. Not everything needs to be treated with medications. Overtime, you can make your fish sicker and develop an immune compromised fish from over medicating.

7) Under-stocking or rightly stocking your tank is better than overstocking, especially for goldfish

8) The common pleco is NOT a good tank mate for goldfish, they growth bigger than goldfish and can actually kill them

9) You can use wave makers in a goldfish tank, please don’t let Facebook tell you otherwise

10) Vitamin supplementation is an interesting thing to get into for goldfish health

11) It`s okay to have a bare tank for goldfish, for some varieties, this is necessary

12) Goldfish really shouldn’t eat fruits and starchy vegetables, I don’t know why this is a thing??

13) Please don’t feed goldfish rice………. Why is this a thing??

14) Goldfish can actually produce gas if they are not kept full from continually grazing. That’s why small, frequent meals are more important then less, frequent large meals.

15) Anyone using an HOB filter for goldfish, don’t wait your money on filter cartridges, pimp up the filter instead. More money is saved and it last longer

16) For anyone using carbon media in a goldfish tank, it doesn’t expire and it doesn’t leach into the water. It just gets weaker at absorbing toxins.

17) Pay attention to the personality and behavior of your goldfish, some do better hanging around more females, being lonesome, etc.

18) Goldfish do have teeth

19) Goldfish yawn for two reasons: to clean their gills or its bad water quality

20) Goldfish don’t get itchy, if they are scratching( or flashing) : its either parasite related or environmental related that is causing them to be stressed. Or they got spooked by something.

#goldfish #blogger #fancy goldfish #fishblr #aquarium #fish keeping #science #fish #blog #fishkeeper #research #fishkeeping #biology #aquariums #fish health #animals #animal blog #blog post #aquatics

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sagessoftwings · 4 years ago

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Could I get a Marvel ship? I'm a 5'0 straight female with freckles (like a lot) (I'm pale as heck and I don't tan I just burn and then get freckles) , green eyes, and brown hair (I used to have a Mohawk that I dyed different colors and its still in that awkward growing out phase).

I am a Sagittarius (tho I don't really belive in that sort of stuff) and have a mediator personality on the Briggs scale.

I love to bake, sew, crochet, draw, etc... Basically anything where I get to create something. I love seeing an idea come to life. I'm constantly making things and I like to fidget with anything I get muy hands on (meaning I have a habit of breaking stuff) (oops).

I also keep freshwater aquariums and love the process of building tanks and decorating them. I especially love shrimp because they are adorable. (And kulhi loaches) (and plecos) (and mystery snails) (and everything else I own). I love my fish....

I constantly crave affection (but will never admit to that) I really love cuddling, and am definitely touch starved but anyone who knows that has figured it out themselves. Because for some reason my brain thinks I don't deserve any of it.

I am way too nice to everyone, even at my own expense and tend to Bury my emotions when I am in pain. I have Depression and some anxiety and tend to worry about if anyone I know actually likes me while simultaneously thinking that I don't deserve anyone to love me.

I also tend to go into self hatred spirals that make me try to isolate myself (and do some other stuff that's not so good for me).

I am shy and awkward as heck. But I will talk your ear off if you get to know me.

I like being nature, alone and far from others. I like hearing the birds calls and the other noises. (Plus if there is a lake I will stare at fish) (yes I have problems).

Anyway thanks in advance if you do answer this :)

Hi hi!! I ship you with Loki!!

He has such a soft spot for you and everything you do

Loves how many hobbies you have

And your fish ugh, that’s so cute to him

Takes the liberty of learning their names and talking to them when your gone our out

Will feed them too and loves to listen to you talk about them

He is such a good listener and loves to watch your face light up with glee when you talk about something you like

LokI also like to learn about your hobbies and would oh so appreciate it if you would teach him

Loves how you just create, it amazes him how one mind can produce so much creativity he adores that about you

Tells everyone and will brag ‘Oh please! Y/n could make this in the blink of an eye’

Will bring you the Asgardian equivalent to a shrimp which is actually really pretty and brightly colored

He loves to give you affection and will drown you in it

Kisses you everywhere and whispers sweet nothings to you

Loki and you both have the problem of self hatred and then end up ranting about how perfect the other is

Love to hear your voice, he always tells you it sounds like the beautiful sirens of his realm

Loki amy or may have not snuck you into asgard to adventure in the forests so you two could see the nature and go swimming in the many beautiful lakes

He teaches you about the many fish and even take you to their ocean and show you even more

He loves that teaching and learning is such a great link between the two fo your because he loves to watch your face when talking about fish and wild life

It’s so cute <33

#loki imagine #loki x reader #loki fluff #marvel pairings #marvel match up

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catfoodblogs-blog · 3 years ago

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cat food wet

he time does fly. It seems only Cat Food a short time ago that I was sitting at the same desk writing an article for the 50th anniversary issue of this magazine. Now the 60th anniversary has arrived. Ten years ago, I presented an overview of 50 years of the magazine. Although a lot has happened with the magazine over the past 10 years, it felt best to take a different tack this time around. So to this end, I am presenting a combination of two of my favorite topics: catfishes and their aquarium feeding.

The feeding of aquarium catfishes, or all fishes for that matter, has in many ways changed immensely since this magazine first debuted in late 1952. Commercial fish food formulas have gone through a lot of improvement, and these have benefited both keeper and pet. But what goes around also comes around, and many hobbyists are rediscovering some of the good parts of fish feeding from the 1950s and forward (more live foods, custom-blended homemade fish foods, etc.). This is not to say that many, if not most, of the—how shall I put this—more mature fishkeepers ever stopped their "older" ways. They continued along with these and have adopted (and adapted to) some of the newer aspects of the feeding of their charges.

Plecos and Other Veggie-Eating Catfish

For quite a few years, loricariids have been at the zenith of their popularity, and it only seems to keep peaking. For many years (decades, actually), they were basically the clean-up crew and were seemingly tolerated because of their algae-eating habits. Their detritus-eating character (utilizing for food much of that gunk [mulm] that can accumulate on the bottom of a tank that receives less than favorable maintenance) was also appreciated. But there was always a small group of aquarists who appreciated them more for what they were than for what they did.

Times have changed; loricariids are now one of the hottest groups of catfishes going and are appreciated by both dedicated catfish fans and general aquarists alike. Gee, do you think that the zebra pleco (Hypancistrus zebra) and the constantly growing list of similarly beautiful catfishes have had something to do with this?

A Varied Palate

First it must be noted that not all loricariids are primarily vegetal-feeding catfishes. The aforementioned H. zebra has shown itself, in the wild and captivity, to have a predilection for meatier foods. Although algae and detritus are eaten in the wild, this species also feeds on bryozoans (moss animals), non-shrimp crustaceans, and insect larvae (bloodworms).

Other loricariids also show a more carnivorous diet: Scobinancistrus spp., at least in the minimal literature available, are apparently totally carnivorous, although their main prey (bivalve mollusks and possibly snails) would provide some green material that they had ingested to the nutritional profile of these species.

Loricaria spp. Diet

Other loricariids, such as some Loricaria spp. and some other genera will, at least seasonally (or based on food in the environment), also feed heavily on meaty foods, such as various insect larvae, mollusks, and sponges. This situation needs to be kept in mind and researched when you might be considering picking up a new species from this large family of catfishes.

Commercial Diets

Loricariids adapt very well to commercial captive diets overall, and generally these should consist of foods with a higher percentage of vegetal material. Such foods also provide animal-based material to round out the nutritional profile. Most commercial foods tend to utilize Spirulina as their primary vegetal base. This is actually a cyanobacteria, but that is a tale for another time. Nonetheless, it is a wonderfully healthy food source for both fish and man. Although the name Spirulina is generally used, the most commonly farmed species belong to the genus Arthrospira. But the name Spirulina persists in general use and will probably do so for some time to come. There is also some increased use of Chlorella algae (a single-celled microalgae), which is a promising development.

Additionally, some formulas are utilizing various vegetables that you might expect to find at your dinner table. At least a couple of such foods are noted to contain (in addition to Spirulina) the following ingredients: carrots, celery, beets, parsley, lettuce, and spinach. Wow! Sounds like my supper. Of course, these foods have many additional elements, including vitamins and minerals, to round out their nutritional profile. Many of these commercial foods will be found in various formats—flakes, discs, sticks—so you can choose whichever fits the needs of your particular catfishes.

Algae

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But, in using the above items, don't overlook the use of the real things. The first to be considered is algae. As noted above, algae is a major food item for many loricariids. Providing living algae for these catfishes is a goal to strive for; it gives the fish a more natural experience in that they can graze the food as they would normally do in the wild. But as anyone who has kept even a single bushy nose pleco(Ancistrus spp.) can attest, these fishes are very determined. Little natural algae growing in the tank will remain.

The Feeding Platform Method

The best way to remedy this is to grow algae elsewhere and move it into the tank containing target species. This can be done by the feeding platform method. You take a suitable platform (a rock, piece of driftwood, flowerpot, etc.) and, in the absence of any fishes that will feed on algae, let it develop some nice green growth. This platform can then be moved to a tank containing your loricariid(s), and they will be supplied with a living green treat. Such platforms can be moved from other aquaria that might be growing algae. Such a tank could even be set up for this specific purpose, with numerous platforms that can be used on a rotating basis. But be sure that there are no health problems with any contained fishes that might potentially be transported along with them.

Outdoor Algae Growth

This can also be done outside (at least for warmer times of the year in more northern latitudes). I use Styrofoam fish boxes filled with multiple platforms making sure that they get full sun. Although algae will just grow there, I usually inoculate such containers with an initial algae dose from a tank, or tanks, in the fishroom. Such a set up of two or three boxes can provide a large amount of living algae as food. I will note my wife, Aline, was less than amused with such use of our patio, but she finally warmed up to it. Should you want to be specific with your algae type (e.g., Chlorella), you can purchase starter culture units, although these will end up having to compete with Mother Nature's choice of greens.

Vegetables

The feeding of real vegetables, as noted in some commercial foods above, is a tried-and-true method of providing green food to loricariids, and many other catfishes for that matter. There are numerous veggies that make an excellent and appreciated food source. This is an area wherein you can experiment to find your catfishes’ tastes.

Zucchini

A good place to start is with zucchini (or other squashes). These can be washed and then sliced (long- or cross-way, your choice) and offered to the fish. There are varying opinions as to whether such food should be served raw or lightly cooked (for about a minute or so in boiling water). I prefer the cooked method. First, such produce sinks easily and doesn't have to be tied down. Second, research has shown that lightly cooking zucchini makes more nutrients available by starting the breakdown of cellular walls. Note: With zucchini, make sure that your catfishes eat the skin—this is where the majority of the vitamin A is located. Sometimes this takes a bit of training because the softer middle will often be eaten and then the fish moves on. If you leave the skins in the tank and hold off on other foods a bit, they will take to it. Also, if you use across-cut rounds, slice the skin in one place so that you are not left with a skin ring. These can be a problem, and I have seen loricariids become entangled in them and die.

Other Veggies

From zucchini, let your imagination run wild and try a variety of veggies. The FDA publishes nutritional charts for vegetables, and these can be a good guide to help you choose a good mix. Among others, I really like canned (or frozen) green beans. I most often have used French-cut style as a constantly present food for baby loricariids. The French style is good in that it exposes large areas of the softer pulp on which the young fishes initially feed.

Whichever way you go with veggies, and if you do your own light cooking, you can take the end product, freeze it on cookie sheets, and then store it in the freezer in air-tight containers. Then you just take out what you need and add to the tank(s).

Meaty Supplements

As a last thought, it should be noted that even the most algae eating of grazing loricariids do regularly ingest smaller quantities of meaty foods as part of the process. This may include insect larvae, small crustaceans, etc. So in addition to regular commercial-style foods, algae, and vegetables, do, in small quantities, regularly add foods such as frozen or freeze-dried brine shrimp, bloodworms, small krill, etc. for that extra flavor and nutritional punch. You can offer it right alongside the other foods or as a separate treat.

Other Herbivorous Cats

Three genera of the African catfish family Mochokidae (Atopochilus, Euchilichthys, and Atopodontis—the latter has never been imported, as far as I know) mentioned are basically ecological equivalents of many of the loricariids and enjoy a similar diet. Even visually there is at least enough of a resemblance that sometimes they have been sold as "African plecos," a name that I distinctly dislike, but that is another story for another time.

Predatory Catfishes

There are many aquarium-popular catfishes that are generally considered as a fish-eating group, but it can be taken beyond this in general principle. This diet grouping is not necessarily correct, as other foods such as shrimp, crabs, mollusks, etc. may also be eaten depending on the environment and/or time of the year. Many such predatory catfishes are also known to eat various fruits, again depending on the seasonal availability. The South American redtail catfish (Phractocephalus hemioliopterus) is such an animal, and its diet of such items has been well documented. Such work has also shown them to pass the seeds of such fruits, which then germinate and grow under proper conditions.

Vegetal Material

Even catfishes that may not specifically eat fruits do often ingest vegetal material in other ways. One way is that when prey items are digested, the contents of their gut then become food for the fish that ate them. At least some of the various prey fishes for a wide variety of predators are known to be vegetarians or detritus eaters. Detritus is broken-down vegetal material, generally with a good complement of micro and macro invertebrates. It has also been noted that predatory fishes may secondarily ingest some vegetal material when they are chasing and capturing their prey. This is no doubt true, but in some cases there may be more to the situation.

Meat

A case in point to the last situation is one of my favorite smaller (max size around 10 inches TL) predatory catfish, the auchenipterid Ageneiosus magoi. Two diet studies on this species do show it to be primarily a meat eater with fishes, frogs (in breeding season), shrimp, and insect larvae making up the bulk of its diet. But these two studies did show vegetal material (plants and detritus) present at respective values of 1) approximately 1.4 percent by weight and 2) 8.6 percent by occurrence. These figures don't, and really couldn't, show the additional vegetal percent comprised by the gut contents of their prey.

In any case, I was walking around the fish room one day, passing out small pieces of lightly boiled zucchini to a variety of tanks. As I went by the Ageneiosus tank, which contained six individuals around 5 to 6 inches long, I said “what the heck” and tossed in a couple of pieces. These were gobbled up as fast as something more meaty (bloodworms, guppies) would have been. More was added, more was eaten—and I know that the fish were not nutritionally deprived. The vegetal food then became, in small amounts, a regular part of their diet. Does this one example prove something? I think that it does, and it makes a point worth pondering and worthy of more experimentation with other catfishes.

Feeding Your Predatory Catfish

So for any predatory catfishes that you might keep, do work on getting some vegetal material into their diet. Direct feeding of vegetables or fruits is ideal if possible, but if not, do feed them prepared foods (at least in part) with a good algal/vegetable formula. If you are a live-fish feeder, do use healthy fish and make sure to gutload them with a similar food before introducing them to the predator's tank.

Omnivores

Another group of predatory catfishes to be considered are the insectivore/mixed carnivore type. Actually, many of these might be more properly classified, for aquarium feeding purposes, as omnivores. This basically means that they take good amounts of meaty and vegetal foods. This includes many smaller and medium-sized catfishes that make their living by feeding primarily on insect larvae and pupae. Such a diet may also include terrestrial insects that unluckily fall into the water and other small meaty foods such as crustaceans, mollusks, etc.

Looking for Food

Many of such catfishes may be deemed speculators in that they swim around “looking” for (by vision and tactile methods) and selectively take in promising foods. Such catfishes include many smaller pimelodids, doradids, and Corydoras and Synodontis species. This, as with the larger catfishes noted above, is often accompanied with the ingestion of some plant material (higher plants and/or detritus). This can often, at least seasonally, make up a pretty good part of the diet.

Variety

And their prey items are often life forms that make their living feeding on vegetation-sourced foods. Again, this is another good, and necessary, reason to make sure that this group of catfishes gets some green foods added to their diet. Many of these will take small amounts of regular vegetables but will do equally well on some of the available prepared foods (flakes, discs, sticks) that have a decent vegetal content. Just remember, pleco foods aren't just for plecos! They are an excellent addition to the diet of any catfish that will eat them—and that includes just about all of them.

These catfishes also appreciate live foods as part of their diet, and these can often be gutloaded with a number of vegetal-based foods. An outstanding guide to managing this feeding situation is the book Culturing Live Foods by Michael R. Hellweg (T.F.H. Publications, 2008). All aquarists should seriously consider having this book in their aquatic library.

Additional Considerations

As a final note, there are some topics that must be passed on, such as an initially planned discussion on the growing use of duckweed as an important fish food. But that’s for another time, and we will take it from there. Think green, feed green, and eat green.

See the full article on TFH Digital http://www.tfhdigital.com/tfh/201209#pg63

Zebra Pleco (Hypancistrus zebra) Species | Tropical Fish Hobbyist Magazine

Giant Pleco Care | Tropical Fish Hobbyist Magazine

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