This is the first part of a murder mystery story by Edgar Allan Poe, one of the most famous American writers and poets of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is surprisingly easy to follow but will have you gripped til the very end!

Stories to Stimulate!

The Murders in the Rue Morgue

When we talk about Lionel Messi, it's easy to talk about numbers. He has been named the best men's player in the world eight times. He has won one World Cup, four European Champions League trophies and an Olympic gold medal.

He has scored more than 800 goals for his clubs and his country.

But these numbers only tell some of the story. It's also his balance, the way he moves his feet, slides the ball through another player's legs and finds space on the field.

Soccer is often called "the beautiful game," and for many people, no one has ever played it quite as beautifully as Messi.

His story began in Rosario, Argentina, where he was born in 1987. There, when he was a child, he played for a club called Newell's Old Boys.

Clubs around the world soon heard about the young star in South America, and aged 13 he moved with his family to Spain, where he joined FC Barcelona's junior team.

By the age of 16, he was already playing for the club's adult team. Goals, then trophies, came quickly, and he never looked back.

He was soon a global star, and one of the world's highest paid sportspeople.

Messi left Barcelona in 2021, having scored more goals for the club than anyone else. He joined Paris Saint-Germain, and then, two years later, Inter Miami in the US.

In 2022, he was Argentina's captain and the star player in his country's World Cup win. Messi, at just 170 centimeters tall, had become a giant of the sport.




Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

A Giant of the Sport: The Lionel Messi Story

ACL Podcast🎙episode #46

This is the Anyone Can Learn English podcast, episode #46

My name is Spencer and I’m an English conversation teacher. 

For English Conversation lessons, you can find me on Italki.com/spenceramansick 

This podcast is a weekly collection of my student questions and answers or (Q&A). Some Q&A may repeat. 

Today, we are covering 5 topics:

Brunch
Home stay
Corridor
Pile and piled up
The proposed rule 

 - - REVIEW - -

During my HOMESTAY in America, the family I stayed with had a PROPOSED RULE to never PILE UP dirty laundry in the CORRIDOR before BRUNCH.

My daughter’s friend from Japan is on HOMESTAY with us and they both ate a PILE of pancakes each for BRUNCH while walking through the CORRIDOR back to my daughter’s room.

Thank you for your time!

Please contact me for a copy of today’s script or video.

For English conversation lessons, you can find me on Italki.com/spenceramansick 


Thank you for listening to episode #46

Until next time!

This is Spencer from anyone can learn English podcast! Catch you later. 

Anyone can Learn English Podcast

ACL Podcast🎙episode #46

Сегодня читаем отрывок из рассказа "Легкие шаги" Вениамина Каверина. Объясняю некоторые слова и фразы, а остальное, надеюсь, вы поймете сами! 
Слова из эпизода: натира́ть полы́ - мыть, делать чистыми полы - to rub floors; кружи́ться - делать движения по кругу - whirl, circle; застила́ть крова́ть - make the bed; произноси́ть - выговаривать - pronounce; привы́кнуть - привычка к чему-нибудь - get used to, be accustomed to; ненагля́дный - любимый, дорогой - beloved; гляде́ть - смотреть - look, see; бессо́нница - insomnia, sleeplessness; устро́ить - сделать, создать, организовать, (разг.) помочь в получении, в достижении чего-либо - arrange; пе́карь - специалист по выпечке хлеба - baker; не случа́ться - не было, не происходило - not happen; пошути́ть - joke, kidding; раста́ять - melt; до после́дней снежи́нки - until the last snowflake; кля́сться - давать клятву - swear, vow; пове́рить - believe; ничу́ть - нисколько - not a bit, not at all; со́лнце стоя́ло ни́зко - the sun was low; над по́лем - over the field; и́зо всех сил - очень - with all my might; зака́тываться - (о солнце) опуститься за горизонт - set; взлете́ть - подняться и полететь - take off, zoom, take wing; подхвати́ть - поддержать, поднять, держа снизу, схватить - pick up, catch up; разделя́ющая - separating, dividing; хлебну́ть - пить, выпивать - drink, take a sip; выпива́ть - (разг.) любить пить алкоголь - drink, liquor; ла́сточка - swallow; не реши́лась - didn't dare; стоя́ли моро́зы - there were frosts.
Пишите в комментариях, какие произведения или каких авторов вы хотите почитать вместе со мной? И помните, что чтение по-русски углубляет ваши знания языка! 
Хороших вам книг, друзья!

Reading Russian

Отрывок из рассказа "Легкие шаги" В.А. Каверин

Today I will read out an article that I came across and found very interesting. Its an article by Chiara Leone-Ganado. It discusses three studies that show that we are less willing to help others when we do not get good sleep. I always talk about how sleep is connected to all aspects of health and wellness but who knew it could affect our sense of generosity?

Matcha & Meditation

Poor Sleep Makes People More Selfish

Hi there! This is Ken, your Japanese teacher.
Today I am going to talk about "Memories from the trips that I took."
Hope you enjoy the episode and don't forget to take a comprehension check quiz after listening to the episode.

けんと日本語/Japanese with Ken

旅行の思い出/Memories from oen of the trips that I took

第五天，还是羊的事，把小王子的生活秘密向我揭开了。
On the fifth day again, as always, it was thanks to the sheep–the secret of the little prince's life was revealed to me.
好像默默地思索了很长时间以后，得出了什么结果一样，他突然没头没脑地问我：
Abruptly, without anything to lead up to it, and as if the question had been born of long and silent meditation on his problem, he demanded:
羊，要是吃小灌木，它也要吃花罗？
A sheep–if it eats little bushes, does it eat flowers, too?
“它碰到什么就吃什么”，我说。
"A sheep," I answered, "eats anything it finds in its reach."
连有刺的花也吃吗？
Even flowers that have thorns?
有刺的也吃！
Yes, even flowers that have thorns.
那么刺有什么用呢？
Then the thorns–what use are they?
我不知道该怎么回答。
I did not know.
那会儿我正忙着要从发动机上卸下一颗拧得太紧的螺丝。

At that moment, I was very busy trying to unscrew a bolt that had got stuck in my engine.
心里很着急，我发现机器故障似乎很严重，
I was very much worried, for it was becoming clear to me that the breakdown of my plane was extremely serious.
饮水也快完了，担心可能发生最坏的情况，
And I had so little drinking-water left that I had to fear for the worst.
那么刺有什么用呢？
The thorns–what use are they?
小王子一旦提出了问题，从来不会放过。
这个该死的螺丝使我很恼火，
我于是就随便回答了他一句：“刺么，什么用都没有，这纯粹是花的恶劣表现。”
And I answered with the first thing that came into my head: "The thorns are of no use at all. Flowers have thorns just for spite!"
噢！
Oh!
可是他沉默了一会儿之后，
There was a moment of complete silence.
怀着不满的心情冲我说：“我不信！”
Then the little prince flashed back at me, with a kind of resentfulness: "I don't believe you!"
花是弱小的、淳朴的，它们总是设法保护自己，
Flowers are weak creatures. They are naive. They reassure themselves as best they can.
以为有了刺就可以显出自己的厉害。
They believe that their thorns are terrible weapons.
我默不作声。
I did not answer.
我当时想的，“如果这个螺丝再和我作对，我就一锤子敲掉它。”
At that instant I was saying to myself: "If this bolt still won't turn, I am going to knock it out with the hammer."
小王子又来打搅我的思绪了。
Again the little prince disturbed my thoughts.
你却认为花…
“嗷，不，”我哭着说，“算了吧，算了吧！我什么也不认为！”
我是随便回答你的。
I answered you with the first thing that came into my head.
我可有正经事要做。
Don't you see–I am very busy with matters of consequence!