Here are the three books mentioned in this episode:
Enlightenment Now - Steven Pinker
Superabundance - Marian Tupy, Gale Cooley
Factfulness - Hans Rowling

In this episode, Karen and Baiwei chatted about their struggles with reading news and finding a balance between being overly worried and prepared in advance. 


Chillchat (Learn Chinese and Chill)

杞人忧天还是未雨绸缪？Are You Being Overly Anxious Or Proactive?

Improve your English listening skills with our expert tips and strategies. Discover how to enhance your comprehension, tackle different accents, and become a confident listener in just a few minutes a day.

Zia English Corner

Boost Your English Skills: Effective Tips for Better Listening

日本語の先生のTinaです！
今日は、上級者向けです。「の形容詞」を紹介します。

レッスンの予約もお待ちしています♪
いっしょに、日本語の勉強をがんばりましょ〜！

Tina Japa Go!

Episode 41. 【上級者向け】　の形容詞？！

        李白(701- 762), 是中国唐朝时期著名的诗人，他小时候对学习很不感兴趣，经常跑到外边玩儿。一天，李白在河边发现一位老婆婆竟然在磨一根铁棒子。李白觉得很好奇，就走过去问老婆婆在干什么，原来老婆婆的孙女要学绣花，她要给孙女做一根绣花针。
        李白听完以后，像大部分孩子一样哈哈大笑，因为他认为把铁棒子磨成绣花针太浪费时间了，等老婆婆磨好了，她孙女可能也变成老婆婆了。可是，老婆婆自信地告诉他：“只要功夫深，铁杆磨成针。”
        听完老婆婆的回答，李白突然明白了一个道理：无论做什么事情，只要坚持就可能成功。从此，李白就开始努力学习、积累知识，最终成为一名伟大的诗人。

        看完这个谚语故事，你知道努力和坚持对成功有多么重要了吧？

功夫 [gōng fu] workmanship; skill
铁杵磨成针[tiě chǔ mó chénɡ zhēn]
an iron pestle can be ground down to a needle — perseverance will prevail
老婆婆[lǎo po pó] granny(used by children in addressing an old woman)
绣花[xiù huā]embroider; do embroidery


Li Bai (701- 762) was a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty of China. When he was young, Li Bai was not interested in learning at all, and he often went out playing. One day, Li Bai saw an old woman grinding an iron pestle by the river. He felt so curious that he went over and asked the old woman what she was doing . It turned out that she was making a needle for her granddaughter to learn embroidery. 
Having heard this, Li Bai laughed as most kids would do, because he thought it was a waste of time to grind an iron pestle into a needle and that by the day the needle was made, her granddaughter would have turned into an old woman herself. However, the old woman told him with confidence: "As long as you work hard enough, an iron pestle can be ground down to a needle." 
Suddenly Li Bai realized that perseverance would help one succeed in everything. From then on, Li Bai began to study hard and accumulate knowledge. He finally became a great poet! 
After reading this story, you must have learned how important hard work and perseverance are to success.

HSK6 Vocab Based - Short Story Podcast

04. 中国谚语--只要功夫深, 铁杵磨成针 Chinese proverb - As Long as You Work Hard Enough, an Iron Pestle Can Be Ground Down to a Needle 

Feeling burned out by language learning? 😓 You might be all Fire and no Water.

In Episode 105 of 111 Tips for Learning a Language, we dive into the healing power of the Water Element (Shuǐ, 水). Discover why forcing yourself to study is draining your core vitality (Jīng, 精) and how to learn in a way that actually RESTORES your energy.

We'll show you how to:
💧 Learn through "marination," not just memorization
🧘 Heal your body's energy systems by learning calmly
💪 Build unshakable willpower (Zhì, 志) without the struggle

Stop fighting the current. Start flowing with it.

Ready to learn from a deeper well?
Tap the link in our bio to listen to "The Deep Well: Learning Languages with the Power of the Water Element (Shuǐ, 水)" 🎧

Episode 105 explores how to harness the Water Element (Shuǐ, 水) from Chinese philosophy for transformative language learning. This episode reveals why passive immersion, rest, and deep listening are not signs of laziness, but essential practices for building intuition and fluency. Learn how this approach conserves your vital energy, heals your Kidney (Shèn, 肾) and Bladder (Pángguāng, 膀胱) systems, and strengthens your core willpower (Zhì, 志), protecting you from burnout and fear.

💃🏻111 Tips for Learning a Language 

Tip 105 - How🐳The Water Element 🐳can help you learn a language

週末はいかがお過ごしですか？
今日は長男の９歳の誕生日でした♡
みなさんのお誕生日の思い出はなんですか？



Natural Nihongo Chat

あなたのお誕生日の思い出はなんですか？🎁

There's an old English saying that goes: "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."

But according to a recent study, "late to bed and late to rise" may actually be better for your brain — though researchers didn't check if it does anything for your health or your wallet.

A study published in BMJ Public Health looked at data from nearly 27,000 people who reported how long they slept, and whether they were a "morning lark" — someone who wakes up early — or a "night owl," who sleeps late.

The participants, aged between 53 and 86, also did cognitive tests that checked their reasoning, memory, and how quickly they could process information.

It was found that night owls performed best on the cognitive tests — ahead of those who described themselves as neither morning people nor night people. And morning larks had the lowest cognitive scores of all.

People's bodies have times when they naturally prefer to sleep. And Raha West of Imperial College London, the study's lead author, said that while it's possible to gradually shift your sleeping times, it's very difficult to completely change from a morning person to a night person.

However, she also said the results just show the trend, and not the truth for every individual.

The authors also noted that their results, which focused on older adults, contrasted with past research on adolescents, which found that young morning larks actually had better health and better mental well-being.

Speaking to The Guardian, Jacqui-Ann Hanley of Alzheimer’s Research UK, who wasn't involved with the study, also said it isn't clear if being a morning person leads to poorer cognitive results in older adults, or if the weaker cognitive abilities that come with aging just make people get up earlier.

The study also found that people generally got better cognitive scores if they reported sleeping between seven and nine hours each night.

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

'Night Owls' May Have Better Brains

Aside from being a communications teacher, I'm also an audiobook narrator and producer.... so I hope you 'll enjoy listening to me narrate this classic tale of horror from Edgar Allen Poe, 'The Telltale Heart'!  This also gives students a chance to hear my accent, pronunciation, and delivery, in case they would like me to assist in these areas.  Check out more of my audiobooks and long form audio on Audible, Apple Books, Spotify, Google Play audiobooks, and other platforms.

ABOUT the TELLTALE HEART:

"The Tell-Tale Heart" is Edgar Allen Poe’s renowned and chilling tale of murder and terror, told by a nameless homicidal madman, brought to life in this audiobook edition. This short literary masterpiece is often considered a classic of the Gothic fiction genre, and is one of Poe's best known short stories.

"The Tell-Tale Heart" influenced later stream-of-consciousness fiction and helped secure the author’s reputation as master of the macabre. Poe’s novel introduction of the narrator’s madness is a classic study in psychopathology; as his victim shakes with fear, the narrator confides: “I knew what the old man felt, and pitied him, although I chuckled at heart.”

Although Poe was only paid $10 for the story upon its original publication in 1843, his contribution to classic Gothic literary culture and the has been priceless, as the story continues to provoke and disturb fans to this day.

Teacher JR Public Speaking's Podcast Wonderworld

'The Tell-Tale Heart' by Edgar Allen Poe - Narrated by Me!



lesson on italki 
https://www.italki.com/ja/teacher/9451959/japanese

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ccr9nwq8ytV

こんばんは！
Japanese daily life podcast のAtsushiです。
このPodcastは、日本語を勉強しているみなさんに向けたPodcastです。

今回は、〜をきっかけに、についてです。
これもよく使います。
では、早速例文、行きましょう！


・旅行がきっかけで日本語に興味を持ちました。

・漫画がきっかけで、日本のカルチャーが好きになりました。

・仕事がきっかけで、ジャズに興味を持った。

・コロナがきっかけで、日本語教師の勉強を始めました。

・日本語教師がきっかけで日本を出ることに決めました。


こんな感じですね。

みなさんも口に出して言ってみたり、例文作って練習したりしてください！

ということで、今回も最後まで聞いていただき、ありがとうございます！ではまた！