Today's phrase is "to be rigged" which means something has been set up to operate in some kind of unfair way. 

Today's phrase is to be rigged. Now when something is rigged, it is believed that it's operated using some kind of dishonest behaviour to promote a desired outcome. Now, let me just give you some examples to show you what I mean:

So, if we say, for example, 

The job vacancy has been advertised in the newspaper but I believe it's been rigged. We all know who's going to win.

 The football match was definitely rigged. I don't think the football players were playing in their usual way today. 

The competition to win a holiday in the local newspaper has been won by an employee of that newspaper. That was definitely rigged.

The full transcript is here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EAOtcKX3LOgmTEWRU5SaEV4pLLDDtzx9/view?usp=drivesdk

Teacher Joseph's Podcast

To be Rigged (with transcript)

Talk about what we've heard a lot from our parents and family

Blabla Chinese 

15. Family Education in China 中国的家庭教育

提起甘肃，人们脑海中很少会出现车水马龙的繁华或花红柳树的秀美。When it comes to Gansu, the bustling traffic and the beauty of red flowers and willows rarely appear in people's minds.
十有八九会浮现出很多历久弥新、脍炙人口的诗词佳句。Nine times out of ten, there will be a lot of old and popular poetry sentences.
比如：such as
《诗经》中有一首叫《蒹葭（jiān jiā）》的诗歌这样写道：There is a poem in the Book of Songs called "jian jia" that goes like this:
（《诗经》是中国最早的诗歌集，收集于西周初年至春秋中叶（即前11世纪至前6世纪）。The Book of Songs is the earliest poetry collection in China, which was collected from the early Western Zhou Dynasty to the middle of the Spring and Autumn period. (i.e. from the 11th century BC to the 6th century BC）
蒹葭苍苍，白露为霜。Reeds green, white dew for frost.
所谓伊人，在水一方。The beautiful girl is on the other side of the water.


新鲜事儿（Anecdote）

诗词中的甘肃

10 Most Important Verbs in Thai (Part #1) 

Which verbs do you like most ka? KruPloy chob gin maak maak loei kaa 😅😭🤣

━━━━━━━✿━━━━━━━

to have = mii มี
to do = tam ทำ
to go = bpai ไป
to sleep = nɔɔn นอน
to eat = gin กิน
to speak = pûut พูด
to walk = dəən เดิน
to want = yàak อยาก
to like = chɔ̂ɔp ชอบ
to buy = sʉ́ʉ ซื้อ

━━━━━━━✿━━━━━━━

Learn Thai with Pailin

10 Most Important Verbs in Thai 🐟🐟

If you see someone sitting alone in a restaurant, you might assume they're waiting for someone, or perhaps they're grabbing a quick lunch on their break.

But more and more people around the world are purposely dining alone.

Japan has a special word for this: ohitorisama, which refers to people confidently doing things alone without worrying about what others think.

A recent survey found that 23% of Japanese people eat out alone, up from 18% in 2018. And in the US, solo dining reservations have risen 29% over the last two years, according to restaurant reservation site OpenTable.

OpenTable CEO Debby Soo thinks remote work is one reason for the increase, with people looking for a break from their home offices.

The increasing popularity in solo dining comes as more people are living alone. In 2019, the Pew Research Center found that 38% of US adults ages 25 to 54 were living without a partner, up from 29% in 1990. In Japan, single households now make up one-third of the total; that’s expected to increase to 40% by 2040, according to government data.

Growing interest in solo travel — particularly among travelers ages 55 and over — is also leading to more meals alone.

But Soo thinks there could be more to it than that.

"I think there's a broader movement of self-love and self-care and really … enjoying your own company," Soo said.

As a result, many restaurants are redoing their seating, changing their menus and adding other special touches to appeal to solo diners.

But some aren't always happy to seat one diner. A Michelin-starred London restaurant caused a stir last year when it started charging solo diners the same price as two customers. The restaurant, which has 34 seats, offers an eight-course menu costing about $280 per person.

Other restaurants say it's worth seating one person because solo diners will often come back and eat there again.

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Party of One: Solo Dining Increasing in Popularity

Hi, and welcome back to All About Cats! In today’s episode, we’ll be diving into everything you need to know about bringing home a new kitten. Whether you already have a cat or you’re thinking of getting one, this episode will guide you through the essentials of kitten care, adoption, and setting up your home for your furry friend. Let’s get started!
How to preparing for a New Kitten Bringing a kitten home is exciting, but preparation is key! Here are some crucial steps to take before your new kitten arrives:
•	Set up a designated space: Choose a quiet room with a litter box, food and water bowls, a cozy bed, and some toys.
•	Kitten-proof your home: Remove toxic plants, small objects, and anything dangerous a curious kitten might chew on or swallow.
•	Find a veterinarian: Schedule an initial checkup to ensure your kitten is healthy and up to date on vaccinations.
•	Gentle handling and socialization: Spend time bonding with your kitten and introduce them slowly to new experiences, people, and sounds.
Adoption vs. Buying a Kitten When deciding whether to adopt or buy a kitten, adoption has many benefits:
•	Saves a life: Many cats in shelters need loving homes.
•	Cost-effective: Adoption fees are often lower than breeder prices and usually include vaccinations.
•	Reduces overpopulation: Adopting helps create space for other homeless animals.
Of course, there are some challenges with adopting strays. They may have health issues, as I experienced with my own kittens, Maggie, Nikko, and Lily. Maggie unfortunately didn’t survive due to a virus, and Nikko has neurological issues, but Lily is thriving. Despite the challenges, adoption is incredibly rewarding!

Thanks, joining me. Until next time, keep your whiskers twitching and your tails high! Bye



All About Cats

Bringing Home A New Kitten

This episode gives three idioms using the noun moon. Each idiom has three examples. Listen to hear how to use this idiom in your speech. 

Idiom Corner

Moon

Many students ask me "is a 45 minutes class long enough?" Or "how many minutes should our future classes be?" My advice is always the same...

Transcript here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Me6ol5u8H20IcAMVKEIDoN1BnCv6HFjq/view?usp=sharing

Schedule a class with me here: https://teach.italki.com/teacher/12103910

Lisa's Podcast

How long should the lesson be? 

I'll tell you a folktale "Defeating a big octobus"  from Hyogo pref. in Japan.
『大だこ退治』 
むかし、明石の西に、二人の美しい貴婦人がいました。
名前を西窓后（せいそうごう）と東窓后（とうそうごう）といいました。
二人の美しさに　勝てる人はいませんでした。
さて、そのころ　明石の海には　悪い大だこが住んでいました。
大だこは、二人の評判を聞くと、一人を自分の妻に、もう一人を食べてやろうと考えました。
「西窓后と東窓后のどちらを　嫁さんにしようかな。　食べておいしいのはどちらかな」
大だこは　ぶつぶつ　ひとりごとを言って、笑っていました。
ところが、　浜辺で　ひとりの漁師が　その大だこのひとりごとを聞いて　びっくりしていました。
そして、二人の貴婦人たちに　知らせに行きました。
二人は　話を聞いて　青ざめて、生きた心地もしないようでした。
それから二人が毎日泣いて暮らしているという噂(うわさ)が　すぐに広がりました。
やがて二見浦（ふたみがうら）の浮須三郎左衛門（うきすさぶろうざえもん）もその噂を聞きました。
三郎左衛門は、二人の貴婦人をとてもかわいそうに思い、大だこを退治することにしました。
まず、大きな大きなたこつぼを作りました。それを海に浮かべて　明石の浜まで
舟で引っ張って行き、西窓后と東窓后の家がよく見える海に沈めました。
一方、そうとは知らない大だこは、その夜、西窓后たちを見ようとやってきました。
三郎左衛門のたこつぼにとても喜び、つぼの中に入ると　ぐうぐう眠ってしまいました。
次の日の朝早く、三郎座衛門は、大だこが起きる前に、力いっぱい　たこつぼをひっぱり上げました。
朝日に目をさました大だこは、大きなあくびをしながら八本の足をつぼから出しました。
三郎座衛門は、すかさずその足を全部切り落としました。
「ギャー」
頭だけになった大だこは　カンカンに怒りましたが、もうどうすることもできません。
しかたなく切れた足を集めて、魔法をつかって　山伏になりました。
山伏になった大だこは　ありったけのスミを三郎座衛門に浴びせ、北の方へ逃げました。
しかし、つぎはぎだらけの足なので、うまく走ることができません。
あっちへグニャリ、こっちへグニャリところんでしまいます。
とうとう三郎座衛門に追いつかれ、さんざんに切られて、石になってしまったということです。
その石は、いまも林神社の東の谷にあって、山伏塚（やまぶしづか）と呼ばれています。
貴婦人→ a noble lady / an elegant lady
評判→ reputation / rumor 
漁師→ fisherman
青ざめて→ turn pale / go white
生きた心地もしない→ feel terrified　／　feel like I’m going to die (very scared)
噂→ rumor
退治する→ defeat / get rid of / destroy (a monster, enemy, etc.)
たこつぼ→ octopus pot (a pot used to catch octopus)
沈めました→ sank (it) / sank down
力いっぱい→ with all one’s strength　／　as hard as possible
あくび→ yawn
すかさず→ right away / immediately
魔法→ magic
山伏→ mountain monk (a Japanese ascetic monk)
ありったけ→ all (that there is)　／　everything one has
スミ→ ink
つぎはぎだらけ→ full of patches　／　patched up all over
ころんで→ fall down
さんざんに→ badly / terribly　／　completely (messed up, beaten, etc.)
