In this podcast, we will discuss relevant English topics from a fair point of view.  

The Inside Scoop on English

Part 2 of 6. 

Jack, a pocket-sized blue book with yellow text and white pages, climbed up the library steps, knocked on the modern glass doors and was let in by the security guard. It was an hour before the library opened to the public. 

“Mornin’ Jack,” said the security guard. “I’ve been dying to see you this morning. Could you whip me up a Frappuccino?” 

Jack’s life swirled around coffee. Not only was it his profession, it was his passion and life’s purpose. The library café had been in his family for six generations. Ever since Jack was capable of walking on his two feet, he was working at the café. In due time, Jack had mastered all aspects of coffee making, from grinding and roasting beans to excellent customer service, and everything in between. His father supervised him closely, making sure their state-of-the-art coffee machine was used properly. When Jack was ready, his mother showed him how to create artistic designs using the frothed milk. 

“You’ll have to wait a bit longer,” replied Jack. “I’ve got some extra housekeeping to do this morning. I’ll get it to you at opening time.” 

The island café was placed in the center of the public sitting area. It was surrounded by seven medium-sized tables. Today Jack had to prepare a new shipment of Columbian beans by grinding them and storing them away. After doing that, he mopped around the seating area and wiped the tables. Finally, Jack sliced some cheese for his most popular item, the cheese bread rolls. 

Jack switched on his beloved coffee machine and listened to it hum as it warmed up. With his hand on the steam wand, Jack caught his reflection in the pressure and temperature dials of the machine. Looking back at him was a newly-discovered shiny white hair. 


Being a Cloud

Jack the Coffee Book

The Migrating Warblers concerns issues of racism. The titular birds have just returned to Texas from their migration in Guatemala. When they return, they relate tales of Central America that they find to be scandalous or gruesome. They recount their experiences in a sort of mangled "Spanglish" that disrespects the region from which they've just returned.

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk ( Adult 18+) 

The Migrating Warblers

【なぞなぞとは、ちょっとおもしろい問題のことです。言葉遊びです☆】

① どんな力持ちにも止められないで過ぎていくものってなんだ？

② ボールを3つもらった人はなんと言ったかな？

③ 畑で歯を隠したら、そこから何が生えてきたかな？

なぞなぞで遊びながら、
いろいろな単語を覚えていきましょう！

レッスン待ってます♪

答え
①時間
②サンキューThank you
③竹


なぞなぞPodcast

〈#9〉止められないもの？

En este episodio les cuento sobre una situación muy triste que se está viviendo en la Argentina relacionada con la justicia, en el cual un joven de clase media humilde es brutalmente asesinado a golpes por ocho jugadores de rugby de clase media alta/acomodada. Todavía no se sabe si serán declarados culpables o no...

Argentina en carne propia

Episodio 1: Crimen de Fernando Parte 1

TOYOTA、SONY、HONDA…日本の有名な会社の名前を、どのぐらい知っていますか。車関係、AV（オーディオビジュアル）関係が多いと思うんですが、今回はそのAVの会社についての悲しいお話です。

スクリプトと文法や言葉のリストはこちら。
https://chivalrous-wallaby-f5c.notion.site/11-CD-c40c1bd535d6478fb845988e85c47a72
楽しみ方はこちらを見てください。
https://chivalrous-wallaby-f5c.notion.site/116c436c16ed4055a68ddb2c4624cd96

じゃあ、またね！

すずまりの日本語「ききみみ」ずきん

第11話　さよならCD

How long do you want a movie to last? When do you start looking at your watch and wonder when you can leave the darkness of the cinema?

Or maybe it doesn't matter because you watch everything on streaming services, and you can pause anytime you like.

But according to a survey from the US, the perfect movie length is 92 minutes — about the same as a soccer match.

A polling company called Talker Research asked 2,000 people how long movies should be.

Only about 2% said they thought movies should be longer than two and a half hours, while just 15% want to watch a movie that's more than two hours long.

Movies like Dodgeball, Kung Fu Panda and Toy Story 2 are all about 92 minutes long.

But data suggests that the most popular movies are getting longer and longer.

A website called What to Watch found that the average length of the most successful movies has increased from 110 minutes in 1981 to 141 minutes in 2022.

The Guardian reports that nine out of the top 10 most successful films of all time are longer than two hours. Three of them are longer than three hours.

However, some say it's not the length of the film that's important, but how good it is.

There are really long films that feel much shorter because they're so interesting, and there are shorter movies that you wish would just end fast!

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Survey Reveals the Perfect Movie Length

Oxitocina, serotonina y dopamina son liberadas causando una sensación elevada de bienestar con un abrazo. En este episodio te hablo sobre mi perspectiva de los abrazos y por supuesto te dejo unas preguntas para que pongas a prueba tu comprensión auditiva. 

La magia de la vida

Episodio 7: El poder de un abrazo

Convergent Thinking vs. Divergent Thinking: Why Planning Isn’t Always the Right Thing to Do

You’re overseeing a project and have all the pieces in place.

Your detailed timeline is mapped out. You’ve set expectations with leaders and team members. You’re prepared to keep all the deliverables organized.

Halfway through the project, a team comes to you with a suggestion—they think they’ve found a better way to handle a piece of the process.

Your stomach drops into your shoes. You’re the taskmaster. The organizer. The keeper of the schedule. This change in direction will only throw a wrench into the flawless plan you spent hours agonizing over. Even if it is a better way to go, you’re cringing at the idea of straying from your beloved system.

Sound familiar? It’s a common scenario for project managers. When you’re the one who’s solely responsible for keeping everything on track, it’s understandable that you’ll white-knuckle your tried and true processes.

But, think about this: You may be limiting the wiggle room team members need to take that project to the next level. By planning away every last inch of flexibility, you’re making it that much tougher to adapt to new information and evolving demands.

So, what do you do? It’s time for project management professionals to not only think of themselves as the keepers of plans, but also the ones responsible for pulling the very best out of teams.

To do so, they need to encourage and enable both pieces of the creative problem-solving process: divergent thinking and convergent thinking.