An Acrostic Poem about TRANSLANGUAGE!

 Celebration of multicultural and multilingual heritage is becoming more important than ever in America today. As I pointed out through my presentation at the 1st Multilingual Education conference at TX A & M University, ESL educators need to respect and encourage their multilingual students' native languages and cultures so they would become self-empowered, fledging learners who use the full range of their language capabilities as a strong scaffold in the long journey of language acquisition.

Here's my thoughts on TRANSLANGUAGE in the form of an acrostic poem.

                      TRANSLANGUAGE

                           by Jean Lee

 

Tossed into the world of different cultures

Rebuilding your life with a new language

Agitated by letting your originality go

Not ready to acculturate to your new home yet?

Scared of being sidelined in this community?

Let yourself face up to your own fear

Ambivalent feelings towards your new identity

Not a problem to nestle in your mother tongue

Go with the flow of your heart and mind

Unbiased way of teaching and learning a language

Above and beyond will you go

Goal posts in language learning move at your pace

Every single language learner counts for much

Let's Avoid Food that is NO LONGER ALIVE!

 Do you believe storing food in the fridge or freezer will make it safe to eat for good? We all know that such belief is no more than a myth. We need to stay alert when it comes to the shelf life of each and every food we take in, because quite a lot of foods lose their freshness way faster than we could ever expect. Why don’t we fill in the blanks of the following sentences to express that “something is no longer safe to eat” and stay on the safe side?

  

    1.  Check the expiration date and smell the milk before you chug it. It’s been a while since I put that carton of milk in the fridge. Guess it must be sp________ by now.

 

    2.  You could use unsalted nuts as your daily nutritious snack, but make sure they are not ________id.

 

    3.  Just use up cilantro leaves and parsley before they get wil_____.

 

    4.  Will it be safe to eat this Colby Jack cheese if mo____________  parts are cut off?

 

    5.  This leftover potato salad has gone b______.

 

    6.  Thats morning roll is gone st___________!

 

    7.  I know you love overripe bananas with lot of brown spots, but you’d better not eat them. They look totally ro__________.

 

    8.  How could they sell yogurt that is cur___________ like this?

 

    9.  Spr__________ potatoes are dangerous.

 

   10. This creamy clam chowder soup tastes a bit so________. Is it from a store-bought can that’s expired?

 

 

Answer Keys

1.  spoiled

2.  rancid

3.  wilted

4.  moldy

5.  bad

6.  stale

7.  rotten

8.  curdled

9.  sprouted

10.     sour

Time to play the latest Puzzle from NPR Weekend On-Air Challenge! Find 2-word Names or Phrases with Initials G & P!

Every answer today is a familiar two-word phrase or name with the initials G- P-.

 

Ex. Quarry that's the source of road material --> GRAVEL PIT

 

1. What you step on to make a car go faster

 

2. Annual auto race with a French name

 

3. Family doctor

 

4. Large animal that China has lent to American zoos

 

5. Small animal used in science experiments

 

6. Writing material that you might draw a chart on

 

7. Noted political opinion survey

 

8. Actor who co-starred with Ingrid Bergman in Hitchcock's "Spellbound"

 

9. Movement represented by a rainbow flag

 

10. Item used to pluck strings on a musical instrument

 

Answer Keys

    1.  Gas Pedal

    2.  Grand Prix

    3.  General Practitioner

    4.  Giant Panda

    5.  Guinea Pig

    6.  Graph Paper

    7.  Gallop Poll

    8.  Gregory Pegg

    9.  Gay Pride

    10.   Guitar Pick

    11. Goose Pimples

The latest Weekend Word Puzzle from NPR on-air Challenge!!!

Are you good at finding famous US cities and the postal  abbreviation the U.S. States? 

I amgoing to give you some four-letter words. In each case, the first two letters are the first two letters of a well-known U.S. city, The last two letters are that city's state postal abbreviation.

 

Ex. SAGA  -- Savannah, Georgia

 

    1.   GAIN

    2.   DECO

    3.   LINE

    4.   JAMS

    5.   LIAR

    6.   BIND

    7.   POOR

    8.   POME

    9.   PONY

    10. LOCA

 

Answer Keys

1.  Gary, Indiana

2.  Denver, Colorado

3.  Lincoln, Nebraska

4.  Jackson, Mississippi

5.  Little Rock, Arkansas

6.  Bismarck, North Dakota

7.  Portland, Oregon

8.  Portland, Maine

9.  Poughkeepsie, York

10.      Los Angeles, California

Health Series #23. Buckwheat

It is natural to become physically weaker as one ages. However, it is possible to stay younger and healthier than your physical age by what you eat at your table every day. More and more medical research and studies have shown the medicinal properties and benefits of herbs and healthy diet.

As of this new year of 2024, let us stay healthy by looking into a variety of herbs one by one, their nutrition facts, and healthy diet so that we are able to lead a life with more confidence and constantly get ourselves back on track with aplomb even if we happen to deviate from the optimal state of health.

 

# 23. Buckwheat

Do you enjoy cold buckwheat noodle during summertime?

Buckwheat is a highly nutritious whole grain that is considered to be a superfood. The important health benefits of buckwheat include improving heart health, promoting weight loss, and helping manage diabetes.

 

-      Buckwheat is a good source of protein, 1. fi_______, and energy.

-      Buckwheat does not contain gluten, so for people with 2. Ce________ disease or gluten intolerances, buckwheat and buckwheat flour are excellent dietary alternatives.

-      Dietary fiber in buckwheat helps improve blood 3. cho_____________ levels, which, in turn, reduces the risk of 4. ________________ disease, diabetes, stroke, and obesity.

-      Buckwheat also contains vitamins, including thiamin, riboflavin, 5.nia_______, 

   6. fo_________, Vitamin K, and Vitamin B-6.

-      As a whole grain, buckwheat is a source of complex 7. car_________, which can help people manage their blood glucose levels.

 

 

Answer Keys

    1.  fiber

    2.  Celiac

    3.  cholesterol

    4.  heart

    5.  niacin

    6.  folate

    7.  carbohydrate

*source from Medical News Today

 

 

 Acrostic poem using BUCKWHEAT by Jean J. Lee

 

Bowls of buckwheat noodles

Unimaginably refreshing pick-me-up on a hot summer day

Cold buckwheat cereal makes a hearty breakfast as well

Kiss goodbye to the boring white flour

Welcome a lot of buckwheat in your pantry

Healthful grain replaces the bad old ingredient

Ebullient and simple dinner recipe is possible with buckwheat

Appreciate this golden whole grain

To the very last grain of buckwheat!

 

If you’re interested in consulting your health with professional pharmacists, check this out!

SANTA ANA TUSTIN Compounding Pharmacy

A Way With Words #1. Be There or Be Square 2. bushwacking

A Way with Words (aired on NPR September 1^st, 2024)

Today, I am sharing two fun expressions that were explored on NPR.

  

    1.  John in Omaha, Nebraska, wonders about a phrase “be there or be square”  that is a playful invitation that encourages someone to attend an event or risk being left out or feeling uncool. In other words, “to be present at an event or activity, or to be excluded if you don't attend.”

The practice of calling a straitlaced person square goes back at least to the 1500s. The use of square meaning “uncool” or “annoying” dates to around the 1930s. The rhyming phrase be there or be square is surprisingly modern, going back to the 1960s. This is part of a complete episode.

 

    2.  Have you heard of the expression “bushwhacking”?

    We spoke with a listener about the German word querfeldein, or literally “diagonally into the field,” which he used to describe an informal route he and his wife had taken while out for a walk. Many other listeners chimed in with proposed equivalents in English. Many of those involved in orienteering suggested bushwhacking. Others offered jaywalking or walking catty-corner. This is part of a complete episode.

SUNDAY WORD PUZZLE from NPR! By adding 2 same letters to each 5-letter word to make a new 7-letter word!

I'm going to give you two five-letter words. Put two letters after the first one and the same two letters before the second one to complete two seven-letter words.

 Ex. TRACT  CHARD   --> TRACTOR, ORCHARD

 

    1.   AGAIN    RANGE

    2.   SHELL    QUIRE

    3.   DIVER    LATIN

    4.   BREAD   EATER

    5.   ALBUM  GROSS

    6.   CHIME   THOLE

    7.   FINES    ASIDE

 

Answer Keys 

    1.  against, strange

    2.  shellac, acquire

    3.  diverge, gelatin

    4.  breadth, theater

    5.  albumen, engross

    6.  Chimera, rathole

    7.  finesse, seaside