EASY NEWS

Tongue-untied

Here are news stories that recently appeared in the Bangkok Post. They have been shortened, but are otherwise unchanged. There are some words you will probably not be familiar with. We have explained some of them, but others you can probably guess just by reading the stories. Read the stories and answer the questions that follow.

By Ellen Wulfhorst

Ian, a 25-year-old tattoo artist, had his tongue split as a form of body art. Forking one's tongue like a serpaent is a growing art trend for people looking for the next step after piercings and tattoos.

Ian, a 25-year-old tattoo artist, had his tongue split as a form of body art. Forking one�s tongue like a serpent is a growing art trend for people looking for the next step after piercings and tattoos.

Despite the bone through his nose and pierced face, 25-year-old Ian admitted that he was terrified of what he was about to do.

But after a few minutes in the basement of a storefront tattoo parlour, he closed his eyes and let a friend split his tongue down the middle with a scalpel.

��The latest trend among teenagers who like to do extreme body modification is forking one�s tongue like a serpent�s,� said T.J. McGillis, who offers the service. ��Everybody wants to get it done.��

The process is gory. Ian�s tongue had to be clamped in place, numbed and slit 5 centimetres up the middle. In the end it looked like a piece of raw liver freshly cut by a butcher.

Another body-piercing freak, Emrys Yetz, 20, said it wasn�t too long before he could move each half independently and do party tricks like picking up pens and pencils.

��It�s done to better yourself,�� he said, opening his mouth to wiggle each half like a snail waving its antennae.

The only downside, he said, is eating ice cream, since it�s harder to make a scoop of your tongue when it�s split in two. Not surprisingly, doctors say there are more downsides to tongue-splitting than dripping ice cream.

��There�s the potential for life-threatening infection,�� said Dr Lee Pollan, an oral surgeon.

��If that�s not enough, he added, tongue-splitting can damage speech and taste and cause permanent numbness.

And reattaching a split tongue can be a complex process of surgery,�� the doctor added.

discussion

1.    What are your thoughts on body art and body piercing among young people? Is it art or just a fashion trend?

2.    What are some of the social problems people get into when they have tattoos and piercings done?

3.    Some people say that the only thing that they can control in life is control over their own bodies. What do you think about this statement?

4.    Can you name some animals that have forked tongues?

Questions

1.    Which one of the following do you think is not a downside to tongue splitting?

      a. damaged speech

      b. eating ice cream

      c. wiggle each half like a snail

2.    What were some of the forms of body art mentioned in the story?

3.    Emrys Yetz can whistle with his split tongue. True or false?

4.    What was the tongue compared to after it was split?

5.    Was Ian terrified of the operation?

Plan to save at-risk species

By Ranjana Wangvipula

Wildlife experts are drafting a plan to stop rare animals from becoming extinct, the natural resources and environment minister said recently. "The law only says whether certain species are near extinction and classifies them, but it does not mean rare animals will not disappear,'' Praphat Panyachartrak said

Wildlife expert Theerapat Prayurasiddhi said at least three types of animals were of concern: Siamese Eldi deer (La Mang), some species of wild cattle such as Gaur Banteng (a local bison) and Gurney Pitta (a rare bird with a black stomach). But a good plan to protect these animals might prove unsatisfactory if the government did not pay attention to the habitats of endangered species as well as the high demand for wildlife products, said Surapon Duangkhae, secretary-general of Wildlife Fund Thailand.

discussion

1. Is it a good idea to preserve wildlife and beautiful landscapes? Why?

2. Why might it be bad to feed wild animals as if they were pets?

3. What do you think is meant by the terms "wildlife products"?

Vocabulary

scalpel (n): small sharp knife used by doctors in medical operations
gory (adj): involving a lot of blood or violence
slit (v): make a long narrow cut or opening in something
wiggle (v): move from side to side or up and down in short quick movements
draft (v): to write the first rough version of something
rare (adj): existing only in small numbers and therefore valuable or interesting
extinct (adj): no longer in existence
classify (v): to arrange something in groups according to features that they have in common
type (n): a class or group of people or things that share particular qualities
unsatisfactory (adj): not satisfactory; not good enough
habitat (n): the place where a particular type of animal or plant is normally found