Portuguese translation aids central Japan school with 40% foreign student roll - The Mainichi - The Mainichi - Translation

Hidemi Yamanaka, second from right, a third-year student at Homi Elementary School in the Aichi Prefecture city of Toyota, and other students read pamphlets on safe internet practices, which were translated into Portuguese and distributed by Aichi Prefectural Police on Sept. 21, 2021. (Mainichi/Ayaka Morita)

NAGOYA -- A municipal junior high school in the central Japan prefecture of Aichi, which has the second-highest number of foreign nationals in Japan after Tokyo, has been providing language assistance through translations of distributed materials and printouts for its large body of foreign students and their parents, many of whom are not fluent in Japanese.

Foreign nationals make up about 40% of the student body at Homi Junior High School in the prefectural city of Toyota. In addition to information relating to school life, the school also asked police to cooperate and translate information connected to people's lives, such as crime-prevention information. The school says it wants to ensure that such information is distributed fairly.

As of May 1, 2018, Aichi Prefecture had 9,100 foreign children requiring Japanese language instruction, the highest level among Japan's 47 prefectures. Toyota, meanwhile, an area with a concentrated automobile industry, has many foreign laborers. Of Homi Junior High School's approximately 320 students, about 130 are of foreign nationality, and 90% of them speak Portuguese as their mother tongue.

The school has a "Support Center for Foreign Children and Students" operated by the municipal government, and one Japanese-speaking staff member permanently stationed there provides Portuguese translations of all notices and other materials distributed by the school regarding sports festivals, school trips, excursions and other such events, along with PTA notices.

According to the school, it is unclear when the translation started, but in 2007, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology cited the school as an example at a study meeting on enriching the education of foreigners of elementary and junior high school age.

Principal Yoko Hirabuki commented, "Rather than just passing off all the material to the Japanese language instructor, we go back and forth with them and have it translated in a way that is easy for anybody to understand." The instructor also provides interpretation for students who are unsure about daily conversation, and keeps an eye on their homework.

One issue was how to deliver information pertaining to students' safety and lives to their parents. The school distributes materials created by police and other external organizations in Japanese, but it had refrained from translating them due to concerns they could be translated in a way unintended by the creators. However, there are some parents who do not even understand the significance of the numbers 110 and 119 (the emergency numbers for police and fire/ambulance services in Japan), and there were cases in which people approached the school about crimes, accidents and other trouble that the school was unable to respond to.

In May, Hirabuki visited Toyota Police Station, and asked that the material distributed to the school be translated into Portuguese. In September, police responded by translating a pamphlet on safe internet practices into Portuguese through the prefectural police headquarters' interpretation center. Hidemi Yamanaka, a 15-year-old third-year student at the school, who is of Brazilian nationality, commented, "My parents can only understand hiragana and katakana. If it's written in our own language, I can read it with them."

The translated pamphlet was also distributed to the Kyuban Danchi housing development in Nagoya's Minato Ward, which is home to many residents of foreign nationality. A 32-year-old woman from Brazil who lives there said with a smile, "I feel at ease because it's in my native language. If I can understand it, I can also call out to children (to follow the guidelines)."

Hirabuki commented, "By having people understand important information in their own language, we can provide appropriate guidance to children. We want such efforts to spread among many other schools."

(Japanese original by Ayaka Morita, Nagoya News Center)

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Made in St. Louis: Love of art, words combine in 'dictionary poems' - STLtoday.com - Dictionary

Jane Birdsall-Lander's "ride"

Jane Birdsall-Lander

Jane Birdsall-Lander's "new year"

Jane Birdsall-Lander's "solar eclipse"

Jane Birdsall-Lander's "thank you"

Jane Birdsall-Lander's "fingerprint"

Jane Birdsall-Lander's "their story"

By Pat Eby Special to the Post-Dispatch

Artist and poet Jane Birdsall-Lander has always loved words, writing and art.

“I was that kid who read the dictionary. I know. That’s weird; and I read encyclopedias. So, when a word seems important to me, or there’s a word that tweaks my curiosity, I look it up in different dictionaries. I like to see the origin first, to start right from the beginning with a word,” Birdsall-Lander says.

Words weren’t the only thing that thrilled her. “I’ve always made art, ever since I was a child,” she says. It seemed perfectly logical she would major in English and minor in art at the University of Michigan.

Birdsall-Lander united her two loves in the sculptures she’s exhibited at local galleries and in shows. “My sculptures and three-dimensional work always involved language,” she says. “I’m thankful to have been represented by Elliot Smith first, and then Duane Reed with those sculptures,” she says.

Writer’s block • Artists are often asked to donate works to fundraisers and charity auctions and Birdsall-Lander was no exception. “I was finishing up making a piece called ‘Writer’s Block’ for a fundraiser for the literary magazine River Styx.

“I was thinking, I wish I had something easily reproducible that I could share with people that took less time. Then I grabbed a dictionary and looked up ‘writer’ and ‘block.’ And that’s how dictionary poems started, and the project rolled off from there,” she says.

Presented like a dictionary definition, a word or phrase evolves through associations and meanings. She set parameters on size and style for the process. “They would not be precious, and they would be available at a very reasonable cost. I am not showing them in galleries,” she says. Instead she sells the artworks online through the project’s website.

Editions 1 and 2 • She’s produced two editions of dictionary poems, with a third waiting in the wings. The poems are available as 17-inch-by-22-inch giclee prints and as notecards with envelopes with six different designs in a set. Her sales are split evenly between prints and cards.

Birdsall-Lander begins each poem with a deep dive into a word, words that connect, divide and illuminate. “The poems start out literal and then it drifts off into the metaphorical. I think of it more like jazz. They start out much more literally and then riff off into poetry, into my thoughts, what I’ve taken in from the culture. And then it’s fun to put the graphics with them. It’s great for me,” she says.

“If you break it down, with the cards, you can have a piece of artwork for less than the cost of a cup of coffee at Starbucks. I like that, and people send them, too. People are still sending cards through the mail as well as keeping them for themselves,” she says.

Pandemic dictionary poems • “On March 6, 2020, I had an opening of the Dictionary Poems at the High Low, a literary cafe in the Grand Center Arts Districts. We were just at the beginning of the pandemic. Everyone was tapping elbows, and laughing a bit, but the following Wednesday, the shutdown happened,” she says.

During the pandemic, Birdsall-Lander produced a third, pandemic edition of the project, which has not yet been released. “It was very conscious on my part. It was therapeutic: a way to contain all my feelings and thoughts about everything that was going on. I tackled hard words that really made me search myself, as well as the roots of the of the language, she says. “I’m part of the culture. I’m part of a bigger whole, and it’s not just me in isolation. I was reading all the newspapers and watching the news and yes, it affected me and my family.”

The Missouri Historical Society has taken six of her prints into their collection. “They will have an exhibition in the future, probably scheduled out a few years,” she says. “The curator felt the words, and the poems, would be good jumping off points for discussions about this time,” she says.

The Dictionary Poem Project

Artist • Jane Birdsall-Lander

Age • 75

Family • Birdsall-Lander and her husband, Rob Lander, have been married for 52 years. They have two adult children, Noah and Samantha Lander.

Home • St. Louis

Where to buy • Dictionary Poem Project posters and cards from Editions 1 and 2 are available at dictionarypoemproject.com. Watch the website for the release of a new edition, created during the pandemic, in the near future.

How much • Dictionary Poem Project unframed 17-inch-by-22-inch prints giclee prints are printed with light-fast ink on 100% cotton mould-made paper. They are priced at $250 each. Birdsall-Lander also offers cards. Two sets of six different images from Editions 1 and 2 are available for purchase. The 5-inch-by-7-inch blank cards with envelopes are $25 per 6-card set.

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'Heart language' Marion man plays a role in Bible translation - The Southern - Translation

Jay Gunn is the assistant director of discipleship for Wycliffe Associates, an international organization that translates the Bible into native languages.

Byron Hetzler

Jay Gunn does not speak Cape Verdean Creole. Nor is he able to communicate in Dutch or in the native English-Creole spoken in Turks and Caicos.

In fact, he does not speak any tongues other than English, yet he has a hand in the translation of the Bible into these and 839 other languages.

Gunn, 43, is the assistant director of discipleship for Wycliffe Associates, a role which he says is a perfect fit, giving him an opportunity to serve and care for those around the world who are working on active translation projects.

Think of Gunn as a staff pastor for all of the other employees and volunteers of the not-for-profit organization.

“My primary role right now is to be a sort of chaplain for our team,” Gunn explained. “I am the one who just checks in with people, making sure they are being taken care of. To use a phrase from my days as a United Methodist pastor, my job is to ask them, ‘How is it with your soul?’”

Gunn used a Biblical example to describe his position.

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“In the Book of Exodus, it was the job of Aaron and Hur to help Moses hold up his hands so Israel would prevail. It’s my job to keep our guys’ hands in the air as they go and do what God has called us to do as an organization,” he said.

How Gunn landed in the role is a story in itself. Having worked as a conductor with Amtrak for eight years, he said in 2020 he could sense cutbacks and layoffs coming because of the pandemic. He saw an ad for a regional director position with Wycliffe Associates. The Orlando-based group was looking for someone to handle relationships with churches and translators in the Pacific Region. His application led to several conversations with administrators and leaders, who eventually invited Gunn and several other applicants to an in-person, multi-day interview in Florida.

Despite being in meetings with others competing for the same job, Gunn said he felt, not animosity toward the others, but rather a sense of shared mission.

Gunn shared his experience. “Through the beginning of the week, I had this thought that I just wanted to take care of these guys, but there was nothing in the organizational chart for that,” he said. “Then on Wednesday, Sam, who would be our director opened up and said he was creating a new position with the organization. He said, ‘We’ve been doing this for four years and I have this desire for someone to take care of my guys, to look out for them, sort of like a chaplain. Do you guys have any ideas?’ he asked. I had goosebumps and told him what I had been feeling.”

Wycliffe Associates had found their man and Gunn had found a new calling. Today, working remotely from his home in Marion, Gunn leads regularly scheduled staff devotional videos, making face-to-face check-ins over Zoom, leading team chapels and prayers as well as just checking in with people, providing support and encouragement and helping however he can. He said his role is ever-changing.

“One of the cool things is it’s always in process. We don’t know how it will look in the future,” he said. “Right now we are looking at how best to do the team care aspect of things.”

Gunn said the goal is to lend support to those placed internationally, who work with locals, training and helping them translate the Bible into their native tongues – what Gunn calls “heart languages.”

“Heart language is what people speak when they are at home, when they are with their families. It’s the language they dream in and they language they speak from the heart, whether or not it is the official language in their country,” he explained.

He said the work is overwhelming, but very rewarding.

“There are still thousands of languages that do not have a Bible. In my Midwestern American church context, I’ve never known life without the Bible. I can’t imagine those who do not have that,” he said. “To hear people read from the Bible in their own heart language for the first time, it is a feeling you never forget. It’s life-changing and I am excited to be part of that.”

Climate change is having an impact on the amount of snow we see in Illinois. Chief Meteorologist Matt Holiner takes a look at how things have changed so far and what we can expect in the future.

MATT HOLINER, LEE ENTERPRISES

11 delicious Christmas recipes

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 4 teaspoons instant espresso powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Prep: 1 hour, 22 servings

Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking power, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.

Get another bowl, whisk brown sugar, eggs, espresso powder and vanilla together in large bowl. Microwave chocolate and butter in a bowl, then stir until fully melted.

Whisk chocolate mixture into egg mixture until combined. Fold in flour mixture until no dry streaks remain. Let dough sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Spread granulated sugar in shallow dish. Spread confectioners' sugar in second shallow dish. Working in batches, drop 2-tablespoon mounds of dough directly into granulated sugar and roll to coat. Transfer dough balls to confectioners' sugar and roll to coat; space dough balls evenly on prepared sheets.

Bake cookies for about 12 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through baking. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes, then serve.

Carl Tremblay via AP

Gingerbread Layer Cake

Ingredients: 

• 1 3/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (3/4 ounce) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 cup brewed coffee
• 3/4 cup molasses
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
• 5 cups frosting
• 1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger (optional)

Prep: 3 hours 30 minutes, 12-16 servings

Directions: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans and line pans with parchment paper. Whisk flour, cocoa, ground ginger, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and cayenne together in large bowl. Whisk coffee, molasses, and baking soda in second large bowl until combined. Add sugar, oil, eggs, and fresh ginger to coffee mixture and whisk until smooth.

Whisk coffee mixture into flour mixture until smooth. Pour 1 1/3 cups batter into each prepared pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cakes cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes.

Remove cakes from pan, discarding parchment, and let cool completely on rack, about 2 hours. Wipe pans clean with paper towels. Let pans cool completely, regrease and reflour pans, and line with fresh parchment. Repeat process with remaining batter.

Line edges of cake platter with 4 strips of parchment to keep platter clean. Place 1 cake layer on platter. Spread 3/4 cup frosting evenly over top, right to edge of cake. Repeat with 2 more cake layers, pressing lightly to adhere and spreading 3/4 cup frosting evenly over each layer.

Top with remaining cake layer and spread remaining frosting evenly over top and sides of cake. Garnish top of cake with crystallized ginger, if using. Refrigerate until frosting is set, about 30 minutes, before serving.

Carl Tremblay via AP

Holiday Cookies

Ingredients: 

• 2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) superfine sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and softened
• 1 ounce cream cheese, softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups (8 ounces) confectioners sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 ounce cream cheese, softened
• Food coloring (optional)

Prep: 2 hours, 36 servings

Directions: Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix flour, sugar, and salt on low speed until combined. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, and mix until dough looks crumbly and slightly wet, 1 to 2 minutes. Add cream cheese and vanilla and beat until dough just begins to form large clumps, about 30 seconds.

Transfer dough to counter; knead just until it forms cohesive mass and divide in half. Form each half into disk, wrap disks tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Working with 1 disk of dough at a time, roll dough 1/8 inch thick between 2 large sheets of parchment paper. Slide dough, still between parchment, onto baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 10 minutes.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Working with one sheet of dough at a time, remove top piece of parchment and cut dough into shapes with cookie cutters. Using thin offset spatula, transfer shapes to prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart.

Bake cookies, one sheet at a time, until light golden brown, about 10 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Let cookies cool on sheet for 3 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Let cookies cool completely before serving.

Mix confectioners sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, 1 ounce cream cheese and food coloring in bowl until smooth. Spread on cookies once cooled.

Daniel J. Van Ackere via AP

Kugelhopf (Sweet Bread)

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup dried cherries, chopped coarse
• 1/3 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) kirsch or other cherry-flavored brandy
• 3 1/2 cups (17 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup (5 1/3 ounces) whole milk, room temperature
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 6 tablespoons (2 2/3 ounces) granulated sugar
• 8 tablespoons (4 ounces) butter, softened
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• Confectioners' sugar

Prep: 9-10 hours, 16 servings

Directions: Microwave cherries, raisins, and kirsch in covered bowl until steaming, about 1 minute. Let sit until cherries and raisins have softened, about 15 minutes. Drain fruit and reserve kirsch.

Whisk flour, yeast, and salt together in bowl of stand mixture. Whisk milk, eggs, granulated sugar, and reserved kirsch in 4-cup liquid measuring cup until sugar has dissolved. Using dough hook on low speed, slowly add milk mixture to flour mixture and mix until cohesive dough starts to form and no dry flour remains, about 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed.

Increase speed to medium-low and knead until dough begins to pull away from sides of bowl but sticks to bottom, about 5 minutes. With mixer running, add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, and knead until butter is fully incorporated, about 4 minutes.

Continue to knead until dough is elastic and slightly sticky, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low, add fruit mixture, and mix until incorporated, about 1 minute. Transfer dough to lightly greased large bowl or container, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let rise for 30 minutes.

Using greased bowl scraper (or your fingertips), fold dough over itself by gently lifting and folding edge of dough toward middle. Turn bowl 90 degrees and fold dough again; repeat turning bowl and folding dough 2 more times (total of 4 folds). Cover tightly with plastic and let rise for 30 minutes. Fold dough again, then cover bowl tightly with plastic and let dough rise until nearly doubled in size, 1 to 11/2 hours.

Grease 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan and sprinkle bottom with almonds. Press down on dough to deflate, then transfer to lightly floured counter. Using your lightly floured hands, press dough into 8-inch round.

Using your fingertips, press through and stretch center of dough to create 2-inch hole.

Place dough in prepared pan and gently press into even thickness. Cover loosely with greased plastic and let rise until loaf is level with lip of pan, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 F. Bake until golden brown and loaf registers 190 F to 195 F, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let loaf cool in pan for 10 minutes, then invert loaf onto wire rack and let cool completely, about 3 hours. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve.

Daniel J. Van Ackere via AP

Sausage-Egg Casserole

Ingredients: 

• 1 pound pork sausage
• 8 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 6 slices bread
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Prep: 1 hour 15 minutes, 12 servings

Directions: Brown the sausage in a skillet, drain and discard excess grease.

Beat eggs in a large bowl, stir in milk, salt and mustard. Then add the bread cubes, cheese and sausage into the egg mixture.

Pour it all into a greased baking dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Take the casserole out of the fridge 30 minutes before baking. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. If you want a little more kick, you can use spicy sausage or top with a little hot sauce.

Photo by Val Vesa on Unsplash

Chocolate-covered Peanut Butter Balls

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound dipping chocolate

Prep: 15 minutes, 10 servings

Directions: Mix powdered sugar and peanut butter. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls and place them on a sheet of waxed paper.

Melt the dipping chocolate (you can also use chocolate chips; add a scoop of shortening and melt over a double boiler). Using a tooth pick, dip peanut butter balls into the chocolate.

Place back on the waxed paper and let them cool, then store in the fridge.

Photo by Tom Hermans on Unsplash

Ratatouille (Sauteed Provencal Vegetables)

Ingredients: 

• 3 cups washed, peeled sliced eggplant
• 2 cups sliced zucchini
• 2 cups sliced button mushrooms
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium pasta or tomato sauce
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Prep: 20 minutes, 2 servings

Directions: If eggplant slices are large, cut them in half. Add eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms and pasta sauce to a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Lower heat and cover. Simmer 15 minutes. Vegetables should be cooked through but a little firm. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Photo by Rogers Neves on Unsplash

Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients: 

• 1 ¾ Cup All-Purpose Flour 
• 1 Cup Granulated Sugar 
• 2/3 Cup Cocoa Powder 
• 1 ½ Teaspoons Baking Soda 
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder 
• 2 Large Eggs 
• ¾ Cup Buttermilk 
• ½ Cup Vegetable Oil 
• 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract 
• 1/3 Cup Tony's Praline Honey Ham Injectable Marinade 
• 1/3 Cup Strongly Brewed Hot Coffee
• ¼ Cup Cold Water 
• 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch 
• ¾ Cup Chopped Pecans 
• ½ Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar 
• ¼ Cup Cocoa Powder 
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract 
• ¾ Cup Tony's Praline Honey Ham Injectable Marinade
• ¾ Cup (3 Sticks) Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature 
• 3 ¾ Cup Powdered Confectioners' Sugar 
• 9 Ounces Cream Cheese, Softened 
• ¾ Cup Vegetable Shortening 
• ¼ Cup Cocoa Powder 
• ½ Tablespoon Tony's Praline Honey Ham Injectable Marinade

Prep: 1 hour 30 minutes, 16 servings

Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pans with parchment paper. 

Whisk together cupcake dry ingredients. Whisk eggs and then cupcake liquid ingredients. Combine hot coffee. Add cupcake batter to cups. Bake for 20 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Cool, then refrigerate.

Whisk together cornstarch and water in saucepan. On medium heat, whisk in remaining praline filling ingredients. Frequently whisk mixture; 7 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. Refrigerate saucepan to thicken; 40 minutes.

In a large bowl fit with a mixer, beat butter and powdered sugar. Beat in cream cheese and shortening until smooth. Beat in cocoa powder, then Tony's marinade. Cover bowl and refrigerate until hard.

Fill cupcakes with 1 teaspoon chocolate praline filling into center.To pipe cupcakes, fill a pastry bag with frosting and a tip. Refrigerate cupcakes.

Tony Chachere via AP

Turkey Sausage Lasagna Dip

Ingredients: 

• 1 green bell pepper
• 1/2 yellow onion
• About a 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1-pound package of turkey sausage links
• 24-ounce jar marinara sauce
• 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• a few leaves fresh basil
• baguette
• 1 garlic clove

Prep: 30 minutes, 6 servings

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a cast-iron pan over medium heat. Crumble the sausage into the pan; stirring to break up. Saute until meat is cooked through and browned. Remove meat from skillet to a bowl.

Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and drop the diced pepper and onion into the pan. Stir occasionally and cook until browned. Remove to bowl with sausage.

To assemble the dip for baking, mix pepper-onion mixture with sausage. Put that mixture into the bottom of a medium-sized baking dish. Top with half of the jar of marinara sauce and smooth the top out. Sprinkle grated mozzarella on top, then dollop ricotta on top. Then repeat with another layer of marinara and mozzarella.

Put the baking dish on top of a sheet pan and place in the oven. Bake until warm and bubbly, about 20 minutes. If you want to brown it more, place the dish under the broiler for a few minutes more.

Garnish with grated Parmesan and torn basil leaves. Serve with olive-oil brushed toasted baguette slices that are have been gently rubbed with a cut garlic clove.

KTLA-TV

Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Prep: 1 hour, 20 servings

Instructions: In a large bowl, mix together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until just combined. Add vanilla. Add flour and salt and mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together.

Dump the dough onto a floured surface and shape into a flat disc. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Unwrap dough and roll to 1/2-inch thick and cut into cookie shapes. Place cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool at room temperature.

Photo by Hello Lightbulb on Unsplash

Italian Porchetta

Ingredients: 

• 3 tablespoons fennel seeds
• 1/2 cup fresh rosemary leaves
• 1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves
• 12 garlic cloves (60 grams), peeled
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 5 pound boneless pork butt roast, trimmed

Prep: 20 hours, 10 servings

Directions: Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 145 F in 12 quart container. Grind fennel seeds in spice grinder or mortar and pestle until finely ground. Transfer ground fennel to food processor and add rosemary, thyme, garlic, 1 tablespoon pepper, and 2 teaspoons salt. Pulse mixture until finely chopped, 10 to 15 pulses. Add oil and process until smooth paste forms, 20 to 30 seconds.

Using sharp knife, cut slits in surface layer of fat on roast, spaced 1 inch apart, in crosshatch pattern, being careful not to cut into meat. Cut roast in half with grain into 2 equal pieces.

Turn each roast on its side so fat cap is facing away from you, bottom of roast is facing toward you, and newly cut side is facing up. Starting 1 inch from short end of each roast, use boning or paring knife to make slit that starts 1 inch from top of roast and ends 1 inch from bottom, pushing knife completely through roast. Repeat making slits, spaced 1 to 1 1/2 inches apart, along length of each roast, stopping 1 inch from opposite end (you should have 6 to 8 slits).

Turn roast so fat cap is facing down. Rub sides and bottom of each roast with 2 teaspoons salt, taking care to work salt into slits from both sides. Rub herb paste onto sides and bottom of each roast, taking care to work paste into slits from both sides. Flip roast so that fat cap is facing up. Using 3 pieces of kitchen twine per roast, tie each roast into compact cylinder.

Combine 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Rub fat cap of each roast with salt mixture, taking care to work mixture into crosshatches. Place each roast in 1 gallon zipper-lock freezer bag. Seal bags, pressing out as much air as possible.

Gently lower bags into prepared water bath until roasts are fully submerged, and then clip top corner of each bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen one corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for at least 20 hours or up to 24 hours.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 500 F. Set wire rack in aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and spray with vegetable spray. Transfer roasts, fat side up, to prepared rack, leaving at least 2 inches between roasts. Discard twine and pat roasts dry with paper towels. Roast until exteriors of roasts are well browned, about 20 minutes.

Transfer roasts to carving board and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Slice roasts 1/2 inch thick and serve.

Joe Keller via AP

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First Chinese-Arabic dictionary of TCM basic terms published - Global Times - Dictionary

Photo: VCG

After years of effort, the first Chinese-Arabic Dictionary of Basic Terms and Specifications for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been published, breaking language barriers to help bring TCM culture to the Arabic world.

The dictionary was edited by Li Jinli, a professor at Qinghai Minzu University and vice president of the Hui Ethnic Medicine Research Institute, who spent more than two years translating and editing, the China News Service reported on Wednesday.

According to the report, the dictionary has eight sections that cover content such as professional terms in TCM, pathology, names of Chinese medicines and acupuncture. The dictionary boasts more than 6,000 entries.

Li told media that TCM is the quintessence of Chinese culture, recording the rich experience and theoretical knowledge of the Chinese people in their fight against disease over thousands of years. 

Li pointed out that over the years, various versions of the dictionary have mainly been translated into English, French, German, Russian and Japanese, while other languages have been left out in the cold for the most part. 

"Now some foreigners are attracted by the effectiveness of TCM, and our medicine's influence in international society has been increasing," a doctor at a TCM Department of a hospital in North China's Shanxi Province told the Global Times on Thursday.

The doctor added that he believes that translations of the dictionary will help people in other countries further understand TCM and therefore increase its effectiveness. 

"TCM can also be beneficial to Arabic people," he said.

Tan Qilong, head of the Hui Ethnic Medicine Research Institute, praised the dictionary for opening another window for TCM to reach the rest of the world and allow more people benefit from the curative effect of simple and convenient TCM.

The Chinese-English dictionary of TCM Basic Terms was published in 2008 and a Chinese-German version was published in 2017. These versions were edited with cooperation from overseas institutes.

The Chinese-German version was worked on by the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies and Technische Universität München and covers 6,526 entries. Each entry includes Chinese pinyin and corresponding terms in German, while entries are arranged according to the academic system of TCM.

Many doctors have said they believe that TCM can play a bigger role in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. During the outbreak in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, in May and June, among the 166 local cases in hospitals, 118 were treated solely with TCM therapy, accounting for 71 percent of total treatment. TCM helped 57 patients who were vulnerable to severe illness from experiencing such severe symptoms, Zhang Zhongde, deputy head of the COVID-19 Response Group led by the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said at a press conference held in December.

The international influence of TCM is expanding. International students from the China University of Petroleum attended classes about TCM culture at the TCM Cultural Base at the Traditional Chinese Medical Hospital in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province, in April 2021.

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