Wednesday Addams, Russia and our ancient fears

Russian vs English facts and much more

Ever had someone else ruining a date between you and your crush? Or just a friend that's ruining the mood between you and another? A third wheel? In Chinese we call that  
 
电灯泡
diàndēng pào

Example:

你今晚和我们一起去看电影吗？

nǐ jīn wǎn hé wǒmen yīqǐ qù kàn diànyǐng ma?

Are you going to the movie with us tonight?

不了，我不想当电灯泡哈哈。

Bùle, wǒ bùxiǎng dāng diàndēngpào hāhā。

Nah, I don't want to be a "light bulb" haha.

Learn Chinese with Sophie

电灯泡

Today we're going to learn some really useful idioms for talking about your holiday. Whether you plan to 'put your feet up' or 'let your hair down', these idioms will ensure that you have 'a whale of a time' whenever you next 'hit the road' and 'get away from it all'. 

Learn English with Cambridge David

Idioms for your holidays

Talk about family, alphabet part 2 & the w-question sentence, verb conjugations plural: (wir, ihr, sie, Sie) kommen/kommt, wohnen/wohnt, arbeiten/arbeitet.

Paul and Anna talk about their friend Tim and his family photo. His sister is getting married tomorrow. Anna's meeting with Meili was great. Both think Meili is nice. But why is Anna invited to the wedding when Paul is not?

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8: Ein Familienfoto | A family photo

一叶障目
古时候，楚地有个穷苦的读书人，读《淮南子》这部书时，看到书上有这样的记载：螳螂用树叶遮住自己的身体，其他小昆虫就看不见它，要是有人能得到那片树叶，就能用它隐藏自己的身体。
看到这里，书生呆呆地想：要是我能得到那片树叶，该有多好。我用树叶遮住自己，想要什么只管到集市上去拿，再也不会过这苦日子了。
想到这里，他扔下书就往树林跑去，想找那种螳螂藏身的树叶。他抬着头，一棵树一棵树地找过去，脖子都酸了，也没找到那种叶子。
忽然，他看见一只螳螂躲在一片树叶的背后。他高兴极了，赶紧爬上树，准备采那片叶子。可巧，一阵风吹过来，树叶纷纷飘落，他要采的那片叶子也落到地上。
究竟哪片树叶是螳螂藏身的那片，他怎么也分不清。好不容易找到的宝贝树叶总不能不要呀！它准在这堆树叶里。书生脱下衣服，把地上的树叶都包了回去。
回去之后，他一片一片地拿起树叶遮住自己的眼睛，问他妻子：“你能看见我吗？”起初，他妻子老老实实告诉他：“看得见。”后来，见他没完没了地问，他妻子不耐烦了，说：“别问了，看不见了。”他高兴地跳起来，大声喊道：“宝贝可找到了！宝贝可找到了！”说完，拔腿就往市场跑。
市场可真热闹，什么东西都有。书生满心欢喜，一只手拿树叶遮住自己的眼睛，另一只手去偷人家的东西，结果，给人当场抓获，被扭送到县衙门。
县官审问他的时候，他老老实实地说：“我找到了一片能隐身的树叶，用它遮住自己的眼睛，什么都看不到，这才去拿人家的东西。不知怎么搞的，这片树叶失灵了，我给别人看见就被逮住了。”县官听了，忍不住哈哈大笑起来，知道他
是个书呆子，训斥了一顿就把他释放了。

成语故事 Idiom story

一叶障目

CHISTES MEXICANOS

ESCRITOR

Monday, April 15, 1912
2:00 Am
On The Deck Of RMS Titanic

I Survived The Titanic

Chapter 1

Listen and repeat:

kangaroo, koala, komodo dragon, kiwi, kookaburra, ketchup, keys, kite, koi 

Flashcards free download: https://supersimple.com/free-printables/captain-seasalt-and-the-abc-pirates-k-flashcards/

Video: https://youtu.be/F1EMmCTsQMo?si=vKScHDSPHjsm2mK6

Captain Seasalt And The ABC Pirates

Letter K

In an executive order signed on January 20, President Donald Trump instructed the US attorney general to pause enforcement of the US ban on TikTok for 75 days while his administration decides the platform's future.

US officials and lawmakers have long been concerned that TikTok's ownership by the Chinese company ByteDance poses a threat to national security. Under a federal law passed in Congress last year and upheld by the Supreme Court last week, ByteDance was required to sell the platform to an approved buyer by January 19 or face a nationwide ban.

On the evening of January 18, a few hours before the ban took effect, TikTok became unusable for US users. But it came back online the following day, after Trump said on social media he would order the ban to be paused.

However, Trump's order could face legal challenges because he does not have the power to overturn a law that Congress has passed and the Supreme Court has upheld.

Nevertheless, Trump's order will buy time for ByteDance and TikTok to figure out their next move.

Trump has proposed terms in which the US would have a 50% stake "in a joint venture" with ByteDance, but it was unclear how this would work.

Trump has also not addressed whether he will allow ByteDance to keep controlling the algorithm that controls what users see on TikTok. The algorithm is maintained by ByteDance engineers in China and is one of the main concerns among supporters of the law.

After the law was passed last year, ByteDance fought a legal battle against it for months. ByteDance and TikTok have not said whether they are willing to cut ties with each other within the new 75-day extension period.

On January 21, Trump was asked whether he's installed the app on his phone. The US government has banned it from federal devices due to concerns it could lead to spying by Chinese intelligence agencies.

