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LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE SERIES #50. What I Talk About When I Talk about Running (authored by Murakami Haruki)

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LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE Do you take delight in watching films, listening to pop music, or reading books? For English learners, movies, songs, and books are one of the most wonderful sources to explore the language! You can indulge in your favorite pastime and still learn some expressions, words of wisdom, and oftentimes good lessons while you’re at it.   #50. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: A Memoir (authored by Haruki Murakami) This book offers a personal exploration of writing and running, and the remarkable ways they connect, from acclaimed bestselling author Haruki Murakami. It is a memoir in which Murakami reflects on his dual passions for long-distance running and writing. He shares insights from his marathon training and explains how the discipline of running has influenced his creative journey of writing since he began in 1982. Blending elements of a training journal, travel narrative, and introspective essay, the book recounts his racing experiences, h...
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LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE SERIES #49. The Cider House Rules (authored by John Irving, 1985)

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LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE Do you take delight in watching films, listening to pop music, or reading books? For English learners, movies, songs, and books are one of the most wonderful sources to explore the language! You can indulge in your favorite pastime and still learn some expressions, words of wisdom, and oftentimes good lessons while you’re at it.   #49. Cider House Rules (authored by John Irving’s book, 1985) This is a novel authored by John Irving in 1985, which was made into a film in 1999. The story is taking place before and after World War II, following a young man named Homer Wells as he is raised in an orphanage under the care and tutelage of a troubled M.D. Wilbur Larch, an obstetrician who also performs abortions. This coming-of-age story portrays Homer’s journey into adulthood as he ultimately leaves to find his own path.   (Dr. Wilbur Larch said): “People only ask questions when they're ready to hear the answers.” =>  This line of Dr. L...
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LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE SERIES #48. The Good Girl (film, 2002)

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LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE Do you take delight in watching films, listening to pop music, or reading books? For English learners, movies, songs, and books are one of the most wonderful sources to explore the language! You can indulge in your favorite pastime and still learn some expressions, words of wisdom, and oftentimes good lessons while you’re at it.   #48. The Good Girl (film, 2002) The narrative centers on a thirty-year-old woman named Justine (played by Jennifer Aniston) who works as a clerk in a discount store (called Rodeo retail). She feels deeply confined and frustrated by her repetitive, unfulfilling life, sharing a home with her unmotivated, pot-smoking husband. Over time, she becomes romantically involved with a younger coworker (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) who sees himself as a modern-day version of Holden Caulfield, the central character from the once-controversial coming-of-age novel The Catcher in the Rye authored by J.D. Salinger.   (Justin said to...
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It's time to play the puzzle from the latest NPR on-air challenge! Find familiar 3-word phrases that have the same first and the last words connected by 'to'!!

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  Every answer is a familiar three-word phrase , in which the first and last words are the same, and the middle word is "to."   Ex. Like a lease that has no expiration date    -->    MONTH TO MONTH   1. Consecutive, as wins   2. Like carpet that fully covers a room   3. Clear across the United States   4. [Fill in the blank:] ___ resuscitation   5. Deeply personal, as a conversation between two people   6. Like heavy traffic   7. How a traveling salesman may go around a neighborhood   8. The time 9:50   9. Like two people directly in front of each other   10. When making a comparison, things you should compare because they're alike 11. Kind of defense in basketball   12. [Double:] Line from a burial service suggesting the transience of physical life   Answer Keys      1.   BACK to BACK     2.   WALL to WAL...
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LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE SERIES #47. The Seed of the Sacred Fig (film, 2024)

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LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE Do you take delight in watching films, listening to pop music, or reading books? For English learners, movies, songs, and books are one of the most wonderful sources to explore the language! You can indulge in your favorite pastime and still learn some expressions, words of wisdom, and oftentimes good lessons while you’re at it.   #47. The Seed of the Sacred Fig (film, 2024) By incorporating real footage from the 2022–2023 Iranian protests (sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death and violently suppressed by the state), director Mohammad Rasoulof blurs the line between fiction and reality, reinforcing its sense of urgency and political immediacy. He weaves real-life protest footage and scenes of police violence into the film, giving it a striking documentary immediacy. The movie follows Iman, a newly promoted investigative judge. He grows increasingly paranoid amid the unrest in Tehran. When his gun goes missing, he turns his suspicion toward his own family,...
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About the NATIVE SPEAKERS of a Language (e.g., English)

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  Who are the “native speakers” of English? Jean J. Lee   As Kachru et al. (cited in McKay & Hornberger, 1996) put it, “native speakers” can be defined as people who acquired a language as their first language from birth in a natural setting. Then who would be classified as the native speaker of English? For may years in the past, although people have broadened the associations of people and places with English (i.e., the Britain, Canada, the U.S., and Australia), they still believed that native English speakers are Anglo-Saxon, which refers to white Americans. However, since several decades ago, this type of simple distinction between native vs. non-native speakers of English has been seriously doubted. In other words, this type of association of language and its native speakers was not sufficient to explain the wide range and depth in language varieties (i.e., world Englishes). Therefore, the first step to take in viewing English as a world language would be to get...
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LIVE, LEARN, & LIVE SERIES #46. The Cat and the Moon (Zen Stories by Kai Tsukimi, 2025)

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LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE Do you take delight in watching films, listening to pop music, or reading books? For English learners, movies, songs, and books are one of the most wonderful sources to explore the language! You can indulge in your favorite pastime and still learn some expressions, words of wisdom, and oftentimes good lessons while you’re at it.   #46. The Cat and the Moon (Zen tales by Kai Tsukimi, 2025) This is a compilation of Zen stories that guide you to peaceful temples, tranquil gardens, and quiet moments of reflection, accompanied by an enigmatic cat. Each story encourages you to pause, release overthinking, and notice subtle awakenings—known as “Satori ( 悟り ) ”— woven into everyday life. With soft humor, evocative beauty, and understated wisdom, the stories avoid lengthy explanations, instead allowing you to experience their meaning on your own.   (excerpted from “The Cat who Sat in a Circle”) The children were playing in the temple courtyard, dra...
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