レアジョブ英会話 Daily News Article Podcast

The pet of choice in Japan, as much as cuddly kitties and playful puppies, is the humble bug. The bug has been a key part of Japanese culture from the Heian era classic The Tale of Genji to popular modern-day manga and animation like Mushishi, featuring insect-like supernatural creatures. Japanese people appreciate the glitter of fireflies let loose in the garden or the gentle chirping of crickets kept in a little cage. You can feed the bug pets watermelon, but special jelly pet food for bugs is also available at stores. Naturally, bugs are for sale as well, with the...

Whether it serves as a chill escape from the onslaught of the real world or simply a way to beat vacation doldrums, a viral Roblox game about gardening has become the surprise hit of the summer. Grow a Garden, created by a 16-year-old in a few days, has shattered records for the most concurrent players of any game in history, beating out video games that take years and millions of dollars to develop. Grow a Garden is as simple as its name suggests—players can fill a plot of land with plants and animals, harvest and sell, trade or steal ea...

A high-tech district in the Chinese capital opened an all-service robot store on August 8 to push a national drive to develop humanoid robots. From plucking boxes off a pharmacy shelf to serving drinks from behind a bar, robots at the government-run facility showcase how far humanoid robot development has come—and how far it has to go. The goal is to help robotics companies commercialize what has been largely a research-focused endeavor to date. China has produced eye-catching shows of two-legged robots dancing in sync, but can they be put to practical use? "With the mass production of humanoid robots, we...

“I have been receiving medical bills my whole life,” said Leroy Brown, a 61-year-old part-time worker at a local nonprofit in Indianapolis that helps people in prison. Brown said he was diagnosed with diabetes in 1997, a condition that requires regular doctor visits. He also underwent knee surgery after a workplace accident. These medical conditions have left him with a debt of $40,000, which is the amount not covered by his health insurance. About 41 percent of American adults have some form of medical debt, according to a 2022 survey, the most recent healthcare debt research conducted by Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), a nonprofit orga...

Australia’s cocoa industry is poised for significant growth, driven by rising demand for high-quality, locally made chocolate. With global supplies under pressure, producers in Queensland are aiming to seize the opportunity to fill a gap in the market. Australian-grown cocoa beans are at the heart of the country’s premium chocolate industry, and demand for them is the highest it’s ever been. “I’ve actually got a waiting list of people wanting to buy Australian cocoa beans, and we just don’t have enough to supply them,” says cocoa farmer Chris Jahnke. Since the drop in cocoa supply, prices have in...

Many rural school districts have begun offering college-level courses and working to remove academic and financial obstacles to higher education, with some success. But college doesn't hold the same appeal for students in rural areas, where they often would need to travel farther for school, parents have less college experience themselves, and some of the loudest political voices are skeptical of the need for higher education. College enrollment for rural students has remained largely flat in recent years, despite the district-level efforts and stepped-up recruitment by many universities. About 55 percent of rural U.S. high school students who graduated in 2023...

The best of the internet’s cat videos came to the big screen earlier this month. CatVideoFest is a 73-minute, G-rated selection of all things feline—silly, cuddly, sentimental and comedic—that’s playing in more than 500 independent theaters in the U.S. and Canada. A portion of ticket proceeds benefits cat-focused charities, shelters and animal welfare organizations. Since 2019, it’s raised over $1 million. The videos are curated by Will Braden, the Seattle-based creator of the comedically existential shorts, Henri, le Chat Noir. His business cards read: “I watch cat videos.” And it’s not a joke or an exaggeration. Braden watches t...

Fireflies are lighting up summer evenings across the U.S. Northeast, putting on dazzling shows in backyards and city parks. There's no official count, but experts say a particularly wet spring may have created the ideal conditions for young fireflies to grow into adults to set summer nights aglow. Fireflies light the night everywhere: There are over 2,000 known species across the globe. They use their characteristic flashes to communicate and find the perfect mate. In New York City, the lightning bugs are out in the five boroughs, sparkling once the sun goes down in places like Central Park and Prospect...

A promenade of strollers, mothers wearing red sashes and toddlers trotting to keep up was part of a little festival in Flint, Michigan, where families received diapers and children gleefully played with each other and their parents. It’s called a “baby parade.” The sashes indicated the women were participants in a growing program that aims to help pregnant women and new moms by giving them cash at one of the most expensive times of their lives. Backed by a mix of state, local and philanthropic money, Rx Kids gives mothers of newborns up to $7,500, with no income requirements and no con...

Fatigue is a major challenge in today's fast-paced world. As the need for efficient rest and recovery grows, the recovery wear market is seeing a significant boom. This trend is not just about passive rest—it’s about actively promoting recovery simply by wearing specialized garments. From business professionals to athletes, a wide range of people are taking notice. This market expansion is fueled by increased health consciousness, driven by tools like smartwatch sleep trackers and the growing popularity of high-performance mattresses. Going beyond typical loungewear, the novel concept of "promoting recovery by wearing" perfectly matches the needs of busy mode...

Nishijin-ori is the intricate weaving for kimonos that dates back more than a thousand years. But the traditional Japanese craft is getting some high-tech assistance from artificial intelligence (AI). Giant looms clatter inside a textile shop in the Nishijin district of Kyoto, a city where ancient weaving arts are still preserved to this day. Despite the craft’s heritage, its future is uncertain. Demand for kimonos has declined sharply in Japan, particularly among younger generations. Many now rent formal wear for special occasions, if they wear it at all. In response, some artisans are turning to technology to help sustain th...

New York City is going car-free this summer, turning normally congested streets into pedestrian and cyclist-friendly roads. “Summer Streets is an opportunity that we have to give a break to our streets, not to have cars and trucks and those vehicles and open the streets for fitness, wellness, cultural, entertainments, walking,” Ydanis Rodriguez, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation, said. The annual tradition began in 2008 in Manhattan, closing almost 7 miles along Park Avenue and Lafayette Street to motorized vehicles. Summer Streets has expanded to all five boroughs. This year, the program has added over 22 miles of car-free road...

Coffee hasn't always been an easy sell in Nepal. The Himalayan country is a major tea producer, as well as a major consumer. When people greet each other in the morning, they don't ask, "How are you?" They say, "Have you had your tea?" Tea—usually served as a sweet, milky beverage in a piping hot glass tumbler—is as much a part of Nepal's culture as rice, a constant presence at homes, meetings and social gatherings. But a growing number of Nepalis are warming up to coffee, as trendy cafés spring up on street corners in cities and towns...

For the past couple of years, concerns about cheating at school have dominated the conversation around kids and AI. But artificial intelligence is playing a much larger role in many of their lives. AI, teens say, has become a go-to source for personal advice, emotional support, everyday decision-making and problem-solving. More than 70% of teens have used AI companions, and half use them regularly, according to a new study from Common Sense Media, a group that studies and advocates for using screens and digital media sensibly. The study defines AI companions as platforms designed to serve as “digital friends,” like Character.AI o...

Manuka honey often steals the spotlight when it comes to honey's healing properties. However, stingless bees also create a type of honey known as sugarbag honey. Used in Indigenous Australian medicine for thousands of years, scientists now believe it could play a role in combating antibiotic resistance in the future. These tiny bees may be no bigger than a matchhead, but they pack a powerful punch. Their sugarbag honey has been a cornerstone of First Nations bush medicine for millennia. Now, researchers suggest that even a small amount could outperform certain antibacterial and antifungal treatments. “When we talk about natural pr...

As higher education costs have grown to heights many U.S. residents find unattainable or illogical, some adults are looking to their employers for help defraying the expense of college and professional credentials. Nearly half of public and private employers have a tuition reimbursement program for employees, according to the Society for Human Resource Management, or SHRM. Many employers that provide tuition assistance reimburse staff members up to $5,250 per year because that amount is tax-deductible, said Amy Dufrane, CEO of the Human Resource Certification Institute. Some companies offer more, including Bank of America and Spectrum. “For companies who are looking to...

An electrical engineer by trade, Patrick Schlott has spent countless hours tinkering with new and old technology. But it wasn't until he found himself living in rural Vermont that he realized his penchant for repairing old pay phones could provide a public service. "I realized, wow, there's no cell service for 10 miles (16 kilometers) in either direction," he said. "The community could really benefit from something like this." Schlott, a full-time engineer at electric airplane manufacturing company BETA Technologies, decided to approach the owners of his local general store with the idea to install old pay phones around town and make...

As the holiday season approaches, toy trends are emerging, but prices may be on the rise as tariffs loom, with some items already seeing slight increases. At the annual Sweet Suite event in New York, Toy Insider Editor-in-Chief Ali Mierzejewski shared insights on potential price hikes, the hottest toys of the season, and key trends to watch this year. "Some big things we're seeing this year is food toys, whether it's play food that seems magical or food that you can actually make with your toys. That's a really big trend. We're calling it ‘Yes, Chef.’ It's kind of like that...

An iconic Tokyo building has found a new home in New York—at least part of it has. The Nakagin Capsule Tower hosted 140 tiny homes, and now one of those pods is on display at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). The stacks of boxes with their distinctive circular windows were a local landmark in the Ginza District. Each was a ‘micro-dwelling,’ a tiny home just about big enough for one. The Nakagin Capsule Tower was designed by architect Kisho Kurokawa and was added to Tokyo’s skyline in 1972. In 2022, the building was demolished—but it wasn’t the end for all its...

Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced that Google will partner with his administration to provide free and low-cost artificial intelligence certification courses to Virginians as part of his office's ongoing effort to connect citizens to new jobs amid changes to the state's economy. The partnership, which he has described as an AI career launchpad, will provide Google-sponsored AI training courses for up to 10,000 Virginians at any given time, officials said at Google's office in the northern part of the state. The training opportunities will be listed on a job website that Youngkin launched earlier this year, in response to significant layoffs...

The largest solo exhibition of Valerio Berruti, an Italian artist renowned for his artworks depicting children, has opened in Milan. The exhibition uses the metaphor of childhood to suggest a more human approach to major current issues. Don’t be fooled by appearances. The art of Valerio Berruti isn’t really about children. At first glance, the ‘More Than Kids’ exhibition at the Palazzo Reale in Milan seems to place children at its center. Statues and paintings of children stare at each other, embrace, gaze at the sky, or kneel quietly. There’s even a carousel, a real one, the quintessen...

Side by side on a sofa inside the National Comedy Center, Gail and Mario Cirasunda chuckled at a clip from the 1980s sitcom Family Ties that was playing on a TV screen. The show's oldest daughter, Mallory, was introducing her unconventional artist boyfriend Nick to her bewildered television family. "I think our daughter brought him home once. Maybe two of our daughters!" Gail said with a laugh over coffee and donuts later. "Five daughters, two sons," her husband Mario, 85, chimed in. "Sometimes I'd wonder," he smiled, shaking his head at the memories of the couple's own family antics over their 59...

New research finds that more Americans are shifting their money from checking and savings accounts into financial vehicles that pay investment income—a trend that helps to explain the resilience of the U.S. economy after a bout of high inflation and recent uncertainty due to tariffs. The analysis by JPMorganChase Institute examined the accounts of 4.7 million households and found that people’s total cash reserves are increasing when including new amounts going into brokerage accounts, money market funds and certificates of deposit to assess people’s well-being. Inflation-adjusted cash balances in checking and savings accounts “remain low with a flat-gro...

Two milestones revealed a few weeks ago illustrate the diminishing power of broadcast television in the media world—one fueled by the habits of young people and the other by their elders. During June, viewers spent more time watching streaming services than they did for broadcast and cable television combined. That happened for the first time ever in May, by a fraction of a percentage point, but the Nielsen company said that gap widened considerably in June. For years, the mantra of media executives was that streaming represented the future for in-home entertainment. Now, that future has clearly arrived. In Ju...

Colossal announced an effort to genetically engineer birds resembling the extinct South Island Giant Moa—which once could stand 12 feet tall (3.6 meters)—in collaboration with the New Zealand-based Ngāi Tahu Research Centre and Peter Jackson. Together with his partner Fran Walsh, Jackson is investing $15 million. “The movies are my day job, and the moas are my fun thing I do,” said Jackson, adding that he hopes he sees the project succeed in his lifetime. “Every New Zealand schoolchild has a fascination with the moa.” Outside scientists say the idea of bringing back extinct species onto the modern landscape is likely imposs...

As much of the UK experiences its first official heatwave of the year, Vauxhall City Farm in central London is putting measures in place to help its animals stay cool. The UK’s national weather agency, the Met Office, forecast that temperatures could have reached 32 degrees Celsius in southern England in June. That’s above the official heatwave threshold for London, and hotter than predicted conditions in cities such as Lisbon and Barcelona. To manage the heat, animals are given ice blocks filled with fruit and vegetables. The frozen treats are prepared by young volunteers who help on weekends. The same...

Ice cream makers representing about 90 percent of the U.S. supply of the frozen treat have pledged to remove artificial dyes from their products in less than three years, federal health officials said. The move is the latest voluntary effort by food manufacturers to heed calls from the Trump administration to remove synthetic dyes over concerns about potential health effects. In recent weeks, companies including Nestlé, Kraft Heinz and General Mills said they would pull artificial colors from their foods, too. "This is a renaissance moment for health in America," U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary said a...

More than 20 states sued President Donald Trump’s administration over billions of dollars in frozen education funding for after-school care, summer programs and more. Some of the withheld money funds after-school and summer programming at Boys & Girls Clubs, the YMCA or public schools, attended by 1.4 million children and teenagers nationwide. Congress set aside money for the programs to provide academic support, enrichment and childcare to mostly low-income families. But Trump’s administration recently froze the funding, saying it wants to ensure programs align with the Republican president’s priorities. Led by California, the lawsuit alleges withholding the money violates the Consti...

You may be seeing elaborate shower cleansing routines on social media: daily exfoliation, double cleansing, antibacterial soap, loads of scented body scrubs and shower oils. "I'm kind of appalled by the shower routines," said Dr. Olga Bunimovich, a practicing dermatologist and assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh. The multistep processes that have inspired people to spend endless amounts of time sudsing up can harm your skin—and the environment. Dermatologists say it's all mostly unnecessary. "Your skin is a barrier," said Dr. Nicole Negbenebor, a dermatologic surgeon at the University of Iowa Health Care. "It's one of the biggest ba...

India’s government is seeking to limit temperature settings on new air conditioners to save electricity in the country, which is considered the fastest-growing market for them. The power minister proposed a rule in June requiring air conditioners sold in the country to have thermostats that can be set no lower than 20°C (68°F). Officials hope the small change will create massive energy savings in the country of more than 1.4 billion people. About 10 million to 15 million air conditioners are sold annually as incomes and urbanization increase, along with the temperatures. The current lowest setting is 17°C (62°F). Officials say each degree...

Tens of thousands of centuries-old books are being pulled from the shelves of a medieval abbey in Hungary in an effort to save them from a beetle infestation that could wipe out centuries of history. The 1,000-year-old Pannonhalma Archabbey is a sprawling Benedictine monastery that is one of Hungary's oldest centers of learning and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Restoration workers are removing about 100,000 handbound books from their shelves and carefully placing them in crates, the start of a disinfection process that aims to kill the tiny beetles burrowed into them. The drugstore beetle, also known as the bread beetle...

A pungent fog of malt and yeastiness hangs over Murree Brewery, Pakistan’s biggest and oldest producer of alcoholic drinks. The company is an outlier in a country where alcohol is outlawed for everyone except non-Muslims, who make up some 9 million people out of 241 million. Pakistan, an Islamic republic, banned booze for Muslims in the 1970s. But Murree Brewery has strong financials despite the prohibition, thanks to its history, scant competition, and a small, thirsty and predominantly elite consumer base. But the government exerts significant control over the sale and marketing of alcoholic beverages through red tape and high taxes, pu...

The future of space is privatized. Exploring the solar system is now not just the preserve of government agencies—private companies are finding it’s a profitable place to do business. There’s a whole industry around supplying equipment to space agencies, and some projects will never make it off Earth. But that’s why private companies are brought in—they can develop new tech without spending money from the public purse. “You can take much more risk. … This is the reason why having not public fund but private fund, you can push at the limit. So you can allow yourself to ma...

Vaccine hesitancy in the U.S. is pushing immunization rates down, fueling a rise in illnesses like measles and whooping cough. Devastating infectious diseases ran rampant in America, killing millions of children and leaving others with lifelong health problems. These illnesses were the main reason why nearly one in five children in 1900 never made it to their fifth birthday. Over the next century, vaccines virtually wiped out long-feared scourges like polio and measles and drastically reduced the toll of many others. Today, however, some preventable, contagious diseases are making a comeback as vaccine hesitancy pushes immunization rates down. And vaccines...

On June 30, the president of the United States was just another person complaining online about his service provider. Donald Trump wrote in a pair of posts on Truth Social that he was trying to hold a conference call with faith leaders from all over the country but was unable to start the call because of technical difficulties. “AT&T is totally unable to make their equipment work properly,” the Republican president said in a post. “This is the second time it’s happened. If the Boss of AT&T, whoever that may be, could get involved—It would be good. There are...

Morocco is laying down foundations to build a homegrown gaming industry by establishing a developer hub in the capital, training coders and launching programs to draw tech-savvy youth into the sector. State officials invited developers, students and tech companies from around the world to a gaming expo in Rabat, where guests tested new games, competed in e-sports tournaments and heard about new initiatives to bring the burgeoning industry to Morocco. The event, in its second year, is one of the few ways in which African countries are diversifying their economies and attracting new industries for their young workforces. Morocco is...

The humble road rumble strip, used around the world to alert drifting drivers to potential hazards or lane departures, can play Beethoven on a mountain highway in the far reaches of the United Arab Emirates. For nearly a kilometer (a half mile) along the E84 highway—also known as the Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Road—motorists in the right-hand lane coming into the city of Fujairah can play Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony where the rubber meets the road. “The ‘Street of Music,’ of course, is an art project that exists in some countries ... but we wanted this project to be in our...

The operators of the last operating nuclear power reactor at Three Mile Island say they will re-open it, now a year ahead of schedule, in 2027, instead of 2028, because grid operator PJM Interconnection says they can speed up the process of reconnecting the plant to the power grid. During a media tour, Constellation Energy said that not only would the plant be generating power for artificial intelligence products, but that, with the help of Microsoft, AI would be implemented into the daily process of generating nuclear power. Meanwhile, in the main control room, most of the controls are still analog. The...

After nine years scurrying in the shadows, the two-person Swedish street art collective known as “Anonymouse”—dubbed “Banksy Mouse” by Swedish media—has finally stepped out of the dark and into a museum exhibition. The mystery began in late 2016 when miniature homes and businesses, all measuring well below knee height, began appearing on the streets of southern Sweden. It looked like a bunch of mice had opened a tiny restaurant named Il Topolino and neighboring nut delicatessen Noix de Vie, but there was no clue to who created it besides a signature from an anonymous artist group “Anonymouse.” The original creation on Berg...

Greenland’s tourism industry is expecting a boom this year following the launch of its first airline route between its capital, Nuuk, and the U.S. The mineral-rich Arctic island already offers whale-watching, birdwatching excursions and guided charters. Now locals want to show visitors why the island’s unique beyond a recent diplomatic dustup with U.S. President Donald Trump. Staff member Nukartaa Andreassen is happy to welcome visitors, but she’s keen to stress the importance of people experiencing real Greenlandic culture. “It’s important for me to show our own culture, our own nature, not by television or like not b...