*This episode is about "Hamedan" a city in western Iran. It is located in the Central District of Hamadan County in Hamadan province. 

**Book Podcast lesson to discuss the topic and access the texts

Persian Podcasts / پادکست فارسی 

شهر همدان

In this heartfelt episode, Teacher Ian opens up about his personal journey as a non-native English speaker—from struggling with grammar and confidence to finding purpose and strength through the English language. Discover how learning English became more than just a goal—it became a path to global competitiveness, personal growth, and resilience. If you've ever doubted yourself or needed a reason to keep going, this episode is for you.

English Learner's Boost

My English Journey

Sit Less, Move More, Live Longer, Says Study
As a new year begins, many of us have been making plans for the months ahead — things we want to do, places we want to go, and parts of our lives we want to change.

And one study from 2022 has some simple advice to share that we might be able to use in 2023: sit less, move more.

Okay, so it's not a new message, but the researchers found that the results of their large study provide more evidence that long periods of sitting are bad for our health.

This is true across the world, but especially in lower-income countries, they said.

The researchers followed more than 105,000 adults — aged between 35 and 70 — for an average of around 11 years.

They looked at how much time the participants — who were from 21 different countries — spent sitting down each day.

And they also wanted to know about their health as the years passed. In total, there were more than 6,200 deaths and almost 5,700 cases of serious heart problems during the study.

Using this information, the researchers found that people who said they sat for eight or more hours per day were at a much higher risk of early death or serious heart disease.

These people were increasing their risk by as much as 20%, according to the researchers, but they added that doing exercise could help reduce these risks.

Scott Lear, who was one of the study's authors, said: "It's a global problem that has a remarkably simple fix. Scheduling time to get out of that chair is a great start."

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

 Sit less, Move More

¿ Qué es la motivación? ¿ Por qué es importante no perderla? 😄 

Spanish Now 

La motivación 

After 15 months, three Israeli hostages have left Hamas captivity as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took hold on the morning of January 19.

Dozens of Palestinian prisoners also walked free from Israeli jail as the skies above Gaza and Israel were silent for the first time in over a year, stirring modest hopes for ending the Israel-Hamas war.

The ceasefire deal, with an initial phase lasting six weeks, calls for the entry into Gaza of 600 trucks carrying humanitarian relief daily. Over the course of the deal's first stage, 33 Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity in Gaza will also be released in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Many Israelis stayed glued to TV screens to glimpse the three hostages — Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher — being released as militants handed them over to the Red Cross on a packed street in Gaza City.

In videos released by the Israeli government, the women were seen weeping and hugging family members. Damari raised a bandaged hand in triumph.

The military said she lost two fingers in the Hamas-led militant attack on October 7, 2023, that killed over 1,200 people and resulted in the abduction of some 250 others.

Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, crowds flooded the streets around 1 a.m. on January 20 as white buses carrying 90 Palestinian detainees — all women or teens — exited the gates of Ofer prison.

Fireworks erupted, and several men climbed atop one of the buses to raise Hamas flags.

All of those being released had been detained for what Israel called offenses related to its security, from throwing stones and promoting violence on social media to more serious accusations such as attempted murder.

Khalida Jarrar, one of the freed detainees, told The Associated Press: "There's this double feeling we're living in, on the one hand, this feeling of freedom, that we thank everyone for, and on the other hand, this pain, of losing so many Palestinian martyrs."


Gaza Ceasefire Brings Exchange of Prisoners and Hostages

Si no eres escritor o literato favor de abstenerte de escuchar este chiste mexicano...

CHISTES MEXICANOS

La portada de un libro.

In this short episode, you will learn the meaning of the term ( Expensive )

Engsavvy ( 504 Absolutely Essential Words )

Lesson 3  Word 9 (   Expensive  )

あれから月日がたち、カンパネラが３０歳になったとき、帝国の極秘任務として『森』の地質調査をまかされました。調査隊は防護スーツに身をつつみ、高速エレベーターで5000メートル下へおりていきます。

調査隊員になっとたき、カンパネラは人類の進化の歴史をしりました。
700年まえ、人口の増加にともない、超高層ビルが立ちならびました。それでも人口においつかないため、ビルはどんどん高くなる一方でした。やがて、ビルの上層階どうしが蜘蛛の巣のようにつながっていき、あっというまに空中帝国が生まれました。

多くの人間は、進化したゆたかな生活をもとめ、空中帝国へとうつり住みましたが、一部の人間は『森』にのこり、『森』とともに生きる暮らしをえらびました。
空中帝国に住む人間と『森』に住む人間は、そのときにわかれてしまったのです。