レアジョブ英会話 Daily News Article Podcast

Agriculture is among the largest sources of climate-warming emissions in the U.S. Though tractors are a small culprit, experts believe an environmentally friendly machine would still attract buyers interested in sustainability. At an August event, researchers at Michigan State University asked farmers what they thought of a new electric tractor. The market is so new they’re still trying to figure out if they’ve designed it well enough to excite growers of specialty crops like carrots, asparagus and blueberries. The small, battery-powered machine isn’t meant to replace the giant diesel tractors used on big commercial soy or corn o...

Meta has unveiled its latest AI-powered smart glasses at its annual developers’ conference in California. The device, created in partnership with Ray-Ban, is pitched as the next step in wearable technology, combining a high-resolution display with voice, camera and gesture controls. The launch is part of a trend that has seen major tech firms racing to position glasses as a platform for artificial intelligence, combining fashion and computing. On stage at Meta’s Connect conference in Menlo Park, CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the device as part of a wider pitch about how artificial intelligence could become seamlessly integrated into everyday task...

Plans to build the Big Apple's first full-service casino in the heart of the city have run out of luck. A local panel on September 22 rejected the last of three Manhattan proposals that had been among those vying for a new state license to operate a Las Vegas-style casino in the lucrative New York City market. The proposal—a six-acre project near the United Nations headquarters dubbed "Freedom Plaza" and operated by Mohegan, the gaming company run by Connecticut's Mohegan Tribe—was denied by a state-commissioned community advisory committee on a 4-2 vote. A Jay-Z-backed plan to build a Caesars Pala...

Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield is leaving the ice cream brand after 47 years, saying that the independence it once had to speak up on social issues has been stifled by parent company Unilever. In a letter that co-founder Ben Cohen posted on social media platform X on Greenfield’s behalf, Greenfield said that he felt the independence the brand had to speak on social issues and events was lost to Unilever. “For more than 20 years under their ownership, Ben & Jerry’s stood up and spoke out in support of peace, justice and human rights, not as abstract concepts, but in relat...

School is back in session, bringing new routines—and new milestones for students. For some, this is the year they are allowed to go home to an empty house instead of an after-school program or day care. It's a decision faced by many parents whose work or other obligations keep them from coming home until long past school release time. With after-school care often expensive and hard to find, parents have reason to encourage independence. But how can they be sure their child is ready to navigate home on their own, even if only for an hour or two? A ha...

Robin is an artificial intelligence-powered therapeutic robot programmed to act like a little girl as it provides emotional support at nursing homes and hospital pediatric units while helping combat staffing shortages. “Nurses and medical staff are really overworked, under a lot of pressure, and unfortunately, a lot of times they don’t have capacity to provide engagement and connection to patients,” said Karen Khachikyan, CEO of Expper Technologies, which developed the robot. “Robin helps to alleviate that part from them.” As AI increasingly becomes a part of daily life, it's found a foothold in medical care—providing everything from note-taking during exams...

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and a bipartisan group of state attorneys general sued Ticketmaster and its parent company, saying they are forcing consumers to pay more to see live events through a variety of illegal tactics. The FTC said Live Nation and its subsidiary, Ticketmaster, have deceived artists and consumers by advertising lower ticket prices than what consumers must pay and falsely claiming to impose strict limits on the number of tickets consumers can buy for an event. In reality, the FTC said, Ticketmaster coordinates with ticket brokers who bypass those ticket limits. The FTC said brokers use fake...

Ford is moving its headquarters (HQ) for the first time in seven decades. The company's current headquarters, colloquially called “The Glass House,” opened in 1956. The carmaker is relocating to a newly constructed building 3 miles away in its longtime home of 1 American Road in Dearborn, Michigan, in November. The new 2.1-million-square-foot structure will formally be called “Ford World Headquarters” when it opens in November. It is part of a larger campus that will take the name of the current HQ: Henry Ford II World Center. Henry Ford II was the grandson of company founder Henry Ford and the uncle of Bill Ford, th...

From surfing the waves to paddling along the powerful Fitzroy River, people in Queensland, Australia are discovering creative ways to keep active as they grow older. While physical activity is key to maintaining good health, experts highlight that the social connections formed by exercising with friends are equally vital for overall well-being. Every week, the “Gold Coast Granny Grommets” meet to surf waves and age gracefully. “We've got a group of about five of us that come every week without fail and get in the cold water regardless of the temperature,” says surfer Caroline Holliday. Surfing in their sixties, they understa...

A top Google scientist and 2024 Nobel laureate said that the most important skill for the next generation will be "learning how to learn" to keep pace with change as artificial intelligence transforms education and the workplace. Speaking at an ancient Roman theater at the foot of the Acropolis in Athens, Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google's DeepMind, said rapid technological change demands a new approach to learning and skill development. "It's very hard to predict the future, like 10 years from now, in normal cases. It's even harder today, given how fast AI is changing, even week by week," Hassabis told the...

Stephen Curry is going down memory lane, though he still has eyes on what’s next. Curry's book Shot Ready was released in September, and the immediate reviews are overwhelmingly positive. Amazon quickly had it ranked among its top 10 current best-sellers and atop its sports book charts. Over more than 400 pages and with more than 100 photographs, many of them of the behind-the-scenes variety, the Golden State Warriors star guard—a four-time NBA champion, an Olympic gold medalist and the league's career 3-point leader—said he's simply trying to give fans a new look inside his mind and at his process. “We wante...

Albania's prime minister tapped an artificial intelligence-generated "minister" to tackle corruption and promote transparency and innovation in his new Cabinet. Officially named Diella—the female form of the word for sun in the Albanian language—the new AI minister is a virtual entity. Diella will be a "member of the Cabinet who is not present physically but has been created virtually," Prime Minister Edi Rama said in a post on Facebook. Rama said the AI-generated bot would help ensure that "public tenders will be 100% free of corruption" and would help the government work faster and with full transparency. Diella uses AI's...

Volleyball, basketball, ping pong, dancing rehearsals or simple chats. Dozens of teens are rediscovering how to reconnect to the real world after a school in Santiago, Chile, implemented a pioneering program in the country that blocks cell phone signals. Now, instead of compulsively scrolling through their Instagram feeds or sharing choreographed TikTok dances, students spend time at the library, the café or along the several courts of Lo Barnechea Bicentenario school. “Breaks are very lively now,” the school’s principal, Humberto Garrido, told The Associated Press. In order to stimulate bonding among youngsters, the school also put in place a “comprehen...

Used condominium prices in the Tokyo metropolitan area have hit an all-time high, a trend driven by a combination of factors, including a shortage of new properties and ongoing low interest rates. In this environment, real estate investment is gaining attention as a stable way to build wealth. Real estate investment is attractive because it could provide stable returns and capital gains with less volatility than the stock market. However, it also comes with its own unique risks. Potential owners face challenges such as vacancy risk, unexpected repair costs, and low liquidity, which means it can be difficult to sell...

Braxton Kimura dreads eating at restaurants. The California teenager is severely allergic to peanuts, shellfish and most tree nuts. Consuming even a tiny amount could send him to the emergency room. “Eating out is definitely really dangerous. It’s something that I try to avoid,” Kimura, 17, said at his home in San Jose. “When dining out, obviously, I always bring my EpiPens, and I’m really nervous all the time.” Restaurant dining in California could soon become less stressful for Braxton and the growing number of Americans with severe food allergies. State lawmakers are set to vote on legislation that would make C...

As an ominous storm approached Buddy Anthony’s one-story brick home, he took shelter in his new Ford F-250 pickup truck parked underneath a nearby carport. Seconds later, a tornado tore apart Anthony's home and damaged the truck while lifting it partly in the air. Anthony emerged unhurt. But he had to replace his vehicle with a used truck that became his home—the spot where he slept for weeks while waiting for President Donald Trump to issue a major disaster declaration so that federal money would be freed for individuals reeling from loss. Disaster survivors such as Anthony are havi...

Nothing makes Brad Lancaster happier than a monsoon downpour. The tall 58-year-old jumped like a kid in the puddles on the sidewalk one August afternoon after a half-inch (1.3 centimeters) of rain suddenly fell in Tucson, Arizona, during an especially dry summer. "Sweet!" Lancaster exclaimed, beaming when he saw how the water pooled in a basin he had dug earlier in dirt planted with native vegetation along the public walkway. "It's really important that you are ready to plant the rain when it comes, even if it is a small amount," he said, referring to a simple type of rainwater harvesting...

Cindy Eggleton has always believed in the power of a story. But the CEO and co-founder of Brilliant Cities, a Detroit-based early childhood development nonprofit that supports learning in underserved communities, never expected someone to tell hers. “It’s never been about me,” said Eggleton, adding that participating in the Nevertheless: The Women Changing the World documentary series on YouTube was her way of honoring her late mother, Geraldine, who inspired her to speak out and help others in their community. However, as they face an increasingly uncertain funding landscape, nonprofits are focusing more on storytelling in outreach to donors—both big...

Global warming in the United States is amping up the country's sweet tooth, a new study found. When the temperature rises, Americans—especially those who are poor or have less education—drink lots more sugary beverages and a bit more frozen desserts. That amounts to more than 100 million pounds of added sugar (358 million kilograms) consumed in the nation a year, compared to the past, according to a team of researchers in the U.S. and the United Kingdom. “Climate change is shaping what you eat and how you eat, and that might have a bad effect on your health,” said study co...

Ballerina Cappuccina, an AI-generated cartoon ballerina with a cappuccino teacup for a head, is one of the most prominent characters in the internet phenomenon known as “Italian brain rot,” a series of memes that exploded in popularity this year, consisting of unrealistic AI-generated animal-object hybrids with absurdist, pseudo-Italian narration. The trend has baffled parents, to the delight of young people experiencing the thrill of a new, fleeting cultural signifier that is illegible to older generations. Experts and fans alike say the trend is worth paying attention to, and tells us something about the youngest generation of tweens. Fabian Mosele, 26, calls them...

A ship likely cut cables in the Red Sea that disrupted internet access in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, experts said, showing the lines' vulnerability over a year after another incident severed them. The International Cable Protection Committee told The Associated Press (AP) that 15 submarine cables pass through the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the southern mouth of the Red Sea that separates East Africa from the Arabian Peninsula. Authorities in multiple countries identified the cables affected as the South East Asia–Middle East–Western Europe 4, the India–Middle East–Western Europe and the FALCON GCX cables. Then that list expanded...

For more than 20 years, a self-proclaimed “Cycling Chef” has been giving two-wheeled gastronomic tours of the Danish capital, Copenhagen. He even cooks on the go, leading guests on a foodie adventure with his kitchen-bike. Pedaling through the streets of Copenhagen on his custom-built bicycle-turned-portable kitchen, chef Morten Kryger Wulff flips prawns in a frying pan while leading guests on a culinary tour with a twist. In a city famous for fine dining—including Michelin-starred restaurants Noma, Geranium and Alchemist—Kryger Wulff’s five-course tour may be the most unique dining experience of all. “We have, over the last 20 years, been working on t...

School attendance rates in the Australian state of Victoria have declined and remain lower than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, one school is thinking outside the box. It's reconnecting with its students via a food truck—bringing education beyond the classroom. Called the Bitter Sweet Café, this hands-on environment is delivering lessons in literacy and numeracy. It's an initiative set up by MacKillop Education—a school designed for children who are disengaged or at risk of disengaging from education. "I've learnt how to make coffees is one thing I do, I interact with people, so my people skills have...

Rick Clough spent some four decades fishing for lobsters and sea urchins off the Maine coast before spotting one of the ocean's most recognized predators—a great white shark. The approximately 8-foot (2.4-meter) shark, seen off the beach town of Scarborough in July, surprised Clough, but didn't make him fear the ocean—though he admitted, "I'm not sure I'd want to go urchin diving now." Boaters, beachgoers and fishermen like Clough who spend time in the chilly waters of New England and Atlantic Canada are learning to live with great white sharks, the creatures made famous by the 1975 film Jaws. Sigh...

The ‘kidult’ market is keeping the toy industry buoyant in Japan. At Tokyo Big Sight, a trade show in Tokyo, toys specifically aimed at adults grabbed people’s attention. More than 35,000 products were on display from 200 different companies. Japan’s toy market has expanded for five consecutive years and now tops 1 trillion yen ($6.8 billion) according to the Japan Toy Association. At the Tomica booth, some of the toys on display were produced with adults in mind. “The biggest factor is what we call ‘kidults.’ With this target in mind, more and more products have been introduced into the market, and the success th...

A driver was clocked going 27 kilometers per hour (17 mph) over the speed limit on a street in the Swiss city of Lausanne, and now he's facing up to 90,000 Swiss francs (over $110,000) in fines as a result. But he can afford it. Why the eye-popping penalty? Because the speedster, a repeat offender, is one of Switzerland's wealthiest people, and the Vaud region serves up fines based on factors like income, fortune or general family financial situation. The Swiss are not alone. Germany, France, Austria and the Nordic countries all issue punishments based on a person's wealth. The recent fine isn't even...

Before New York Fashion Week kicked off in Manhattan, some of the incoming brands made an early first stop elsewhere—out in Queens, on the blue hard courts of the U.S. Open. In a sport where brands like Nike and Adidas were once the only players, the logos of Gucci and Miu Miu have started to weave their way in. Tennis fashion has been surging, and the luxury fashion industry doesn't want to feel left out. Luxury fashion partnerships in the tennis world have historically been somewhat sparse. They've been testing the waters in recent years, and lately, the de...

Sales of non-alcoholic (NA) drinks are soaring as more people rethink their relationship with booze. But experts warn these alcohol-free alternatives may not be the right choice for everyone. Moderate drinking was once thought to be good for your heart, but recent research shows that drinking less, or nothing at all, is a much healthier way to go. Alcohol has been linked to cancers, injuries, cardiovascular disease and a host of other problems. So the low- or no- alcohol drinks are seen as an attractive alternative. "They have less than 0.5% alcohol by volume. So that's compared to a standard beer...

Honey bee researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) are enlisting a four-legged ally to sniff out a disease that threatens the vital insects. Maple, an English Springer Spaniel, used to work for law enforcement, but now she's doing her bit for the planet to help keep nature's prized pollinators in good health. In her latest role, she's the queen bee among researchers at Michigan State University—helping to sniff out danger to honey bees. The Pollinator Performance Center's wide range of projects includes developing a training program for dogs to use their sensitive noses to uncover a bacterial disease called Am...

For more than 150 years, horse-drawn carriages have been trotting through Manhattan’s Central Park, weathering the arrival of the automobile, years of criticism from animal rights activists and even a mayoral administration that vowed to ban the tourist activity. But now the influential nonprofit that manages the 843-acre park—and has previously stayed out of the debate—has thrown its support behind a proposal to wind down the industry as early as next summer. The Central Park Conservancy argued in an August 12 letter to the City Council that horse carriages have an outsized impact on public safety and road infrastructure in the...

Banks in Thailand are now required to set a daily limit of 50,000 baht ($1,537) on many online transfers to lessen financial fraud, particularly those involving customers judged vulnerable, such as children and older people. The rule announced by the Bank of Thailand is meant to help combat the huge criminal industry of online scams, which makes billions of dollars annually and is especially active in Southeast Asia. In many countries, there is increasing pressure on banks to play a more active role in safeguarding the assets of customers targeted by scammers. The new measure aims to curb financial fraud by preventing...

A medical museum in Philadelphia has redrawn its policies on the collection and display of human remains, limiting its acceptance of additional specimens and working to follow “evolving modern medical ethical standards” in how it handles the 6,500 organs, bones and other body parts in its collection. The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, which owns the Mütter Museum, announced it is restricting the taking of photos and videos of human remains, allowing it only with the museum’s permission. Photography by the public will remain prohibited. The museum “will allow photography as long as it sort of serves an educational purpose,”...

Wiesława Juroszek was only 6 years old when she learned the intricate handicraft of lace crocheting from the women in her family as part of a long tradition in their little mountain village. Now, 53 years later, she is part of a new generation of women using those skills to make Koniaków famous far beyond Poland's borders. Their uniquely crocheted, beautiful wedding dresses, skirts, blouses and even traditional tablecloths are enjoying a surge of popularity and elevated prices for the skilled work. "In Koniaków, almost all the women do hekla, as we call it," Juroszek told The Associated Press. "For...

On the Mercator projection, one of the world’s most popular maps, Greenland and Africa appear to be about the same size. But on the Equal Earth projection showing continents in their true proportions, 14 Greenlands would easily fit inside the African continent. Criticism that the Mercator projection does not accurately reflect Africa’s real size is not new. However, a recent campaign by African advocacy groups is gaining momentum online as it urges organizations and schools to adopt the Equal Earth projection, which they say more accurately displays the size of the continent of more than 1.4 billion people. The African Unio...

Matcha is suddenly popping up in all sorts of things, from lattes and ice cream to cakes and chocolate. No one knows for sure who started the global matcha boom, which has been going on for several years. But it's clear that harvests, especially of fine-grade matcha, can't keep up with demand. Matcha is a type of tea that's grown in shade, steamed and then ground into a very fine powder. It's processed differently from regular green tea. The Japanese agricultural ministry has been working to boost tea growth, offering help to farmers with new machines, special soil, financial aid...

A young Kenyan entrepreneur is harnessing AI to break communication barriers for the deaf community. His web app, Terp 360, aims to become Africa’s first sign language translation platform built for local use. Signvrse’s Terp 360 claims to be Africa’s first AI translation platform built specifically for local use. It translates text and speech into Kenyan Sign Language through avatars, enhancing communication for both deaf and hearing individuals. “We like to call it Google Translate for sign language—and how this works is it interprets text and speech input and outputs very fluid natural avatars, which is a digital human that...

How much is a wave worth? It’s a question gaining global attention as surfing evolves into a booming commercial industry. Locals on the southern coast of Western Australia believe they may have found a solution: an artificial reef they hope will revolutionize the town’s surfing landscape. Wave riders are taking full advantage of the ideal conditions at Middleton Beach in Albany. But things weren’t always like this. Longtime surfer Peter Bolt, who was raised in Albany, has strolled this stretch more times than he can count to check the waves. For much of that time, he saw little...

Prize money at the U.S. Open rose to nearly $85 million across all competitions this year, including a record $5 million each to the women's and men's singles champions, and total player compensation jumped 20% to $90 million, the most in tennis history. The U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) announced the payouts for the year's last Grand Slam tournament, which began with the new mixed doubles event and its $1 million top check on August 19-20. Singles competition started on a Sunday for the first time—August 24—as those brackets expand from 14 days to 15. The increases at Flushing Meadows—where last year's total compensation was $7...

President Donald Trump reestablished the Presidential Fitness Test for American children, a fixture of public schools for decades that gauged young people’s health and athleticism with 1-mile runs, sit-ups and stretching exercises. “This is a wonderful tradition, and we’re bringing it back,” Trump said of the fitness test that began in 1966 but was phased out during the Obama administration. An executive order he signed in August also reinvigorates a national sports council that the president stocked with former and current athletes and other figures from the sports world. Several prominent athletes joined Trump and top administration officials. In the test...

The Milwaukee Brewers are bringing manager Pat Murphy's strange eating habits to fans. Murphy went viral in a recent interview for pulling a pancake out of his uniform pocket and taking a bite—sharing the flapjack with the reporter—as he detailed different ways he shoved food into his pockets to snack on in the dugout. The moment has spawned quite the movement in Milwaukee. The ballclub announced that "Murph's Pocket Pancakes" would be sold at American Family Field during Sunday games for the rest of the season, starting with the August 10 series against the New York Mets. Murphy was aske...