Ghost Pipe Plant & Some (Not Really) Controversy

Typically defined by their autotrophic nature, plants are known for their ability to use photosynthesis via their chloroplasts to survive. This is pretty well-known and undisputed– even a kindergartner could tell you that plants are green and feed from the sun! But what if I told you there were plants out there that didn’t do this? Dun dun dun!

Although not many species have this feature, some plants actually don’t have chlorophyll pigments. The one in particular I want to tell you about today is called the Ghost Pipe Plant (Monotropa uniflora). This plant is a type of mycoheterotroph, which basically means that it feeds off of fungi rather than using the sunlight or other sources for sustenance. For the most part, they stay underground unless they are trying to seed.



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Breaking Out of the Silent Period

The Silent Period is a term used in linguistics/language learning that refers to when a student is taking in the language rather than outputting it in the form of talking. For some, this is a very brief time, while for others it lasts much longer. It depends on things like the speaker’s L1 (first language), how different it is from the L2, how confident the learner naturally is, how much exposure the learner has to the language, and honestly, a lot of small factors that vary from person to person. A certain amount of familiarity is needed in a language before speaking comes naturally, or at least with understanding and confidence. If you, assuming you are a native English speaker, tried to learn Spanish and Mandarin, Spanish would probably have a shorter Silent Period given that its sounds and words are closer to English. Again, if the person in question listens to C-Pop all day, then maybe Mandarin would be a lot easier due to the familiarity. As you can see, personal experience matters.



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Book Review: Perfect Rhythm

When it comes to romance novels, a common trend is girl meets boy, they develop a case of the hots, problem strikes, and with their love they solve the problem and live happily ever after. I won’t lie, they’re fun to read, no doubt. Like any other genre, it gives the reader a chance to jump into another’s life and escape from the mundane. Though, it is a bit more difficult to live vicariously though a character when you can’t relate to them. Sure, use a dash of “suspension of disbelief” and you’re all set, but it really is not the same.



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Book Review: Sweet Success

Ali Thomas, daughter of one of Hollywood’s biggest 60’s stars, owns a chocolate shop in St. Magdelana, CA. There, she takes in the strays of the town, helping those around her through either her desserts or her kind heart. When her local handyman hires a reserved and mysterious worker Matt Baker, it unadmittedly becomes love at first bite of truffle. Together, they realize they need to work through their past demons before their romance can finally be.



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Carnival of Venice – Accordion Solo (Sheet Music & Video)

Prior to the MCAT, I hadn’t had much free time to enjoy music, art, or really do anything other than study. So, since I am finally free of that hell of an exam, I decided to spend my weekend practicing my accordion. Below is the sheet music I used, along with a video of me performing it in my garden. Hopefully you enjoy!

EDIT: Again, this is a repost from August 2020.

Happy reading,
-Beppa

*This is a republished post due to a domain change.*

Book Review: The Starless Sea

Morgenstern’s The Starless Sea melodically tells the tale of booklover and son of a fortune-teller Zachary Ezra Rawlins as he ventures into his story, one beneath the earth in gilded caverns of books and glowing ballrooms. After stumbling upon an old, author-less book in his university’s library, he realizes he is one of the characters within it. Trying to figure out how this could be, he traces the origins of the book and finds himself at a high class, literary-themed party. There, he meets Dorian and Mirabel, learns the truth of the Starless Sea, and goes on an adventure to save it and those he loves.



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