レアジョブ英会話 Daily News Article Podcast

Large crowds, loud music, and time pressure aren't typically considered the best environments for artistic expression. But in Sydney, on-stage art battles are turning painting into competitive entertainment. Artists are taking part in a new type of competition where their painting skills will be tested to their limits. In just 20 minutes, they need to come up with a work of art and convince the li...

A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that even in the most optimistic scenarios, grass-fed beef produces no less planet-warming carbon emissions than industrial beef. The finding calls into question the frequent promotion of grass-fed beef as a more environmentally friendly option. Still, other scientists say grass-fed beef wins out on other factors like animal welf...

Oregon transportation officials say that without more funding, residents could see further declines in the quality of roads, highways and bridges starting this year. But revenues from gas taxes paid by drivers at the pump are projected to decrease as more people adopt electric and fuel-efficient cars, forcing officials to look for new ways to fund transportation infrastructure. States with aggress...

At Fishtown Seafood, owner Bryan Szeliga is trying to navigate Trump’s on-again, and off-again tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods. Szeliga, who operates three retail and wholesale locations in Philadelphia and Haddonfield, New Jersey, sells a range of seafood. He said a fair amount of shrimp comes from Mexico and briny, slurpable oysters are the biggest part of his overall business, with 60% to...

James Delaney wants his public art in South Africa's biggest city to be more than a magnet for selfies and a delight for children. He's determined to have the vibrant metal sculptures change the mood of its gritty and sometimes dangerous neighborhoods. Over the past decade, artist James Delaney has designed more than 100 sculptures for The Wilds Park in Johannesburg. Authorities in Johannesburg ha...

The New York Yankees dropped their ban on beards 49 years after it was imposed by owner George Steinbrenner, in a move aimed at improving player recruitment as the team tries to win its first World Series title since 2009. Current owner Hal Steinbrenner, son of The Boss, announced the change before the team's spring training opener. He called the ban "outdated" and "somewhat unreasonable." "This g...

Until recently, most Americans had never heard the term “seed oils,” even though they’ve likely cooked with and consumed them for decades. It’s the catchy description coined by internet influencers, wellness gurus and some politicians to refer to common cooking oils—think canola, soybean and corn oil—that have long been staples in many home kitchens. Those fiery critics refer to the top refined ve...

Most of the world has dirty air, with just 17% of cities globally meeting air pollution guidelines, a report found. Switzerland-based air quality monitoring database IQAir analyzed data from 40,000 air quality monitoring stations in 138 countries and found that Chad, Congo, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India had the dirtiest air. India had six of the nine most polluted cities, with the industrial town...

Birkenstocks: They are ubiquitous in summer, comfy and very German. Sometimes they look chic and sometimes shabby. But can these sandals be considered art? That's the question Germany's Federal Court of Justice wrestled with in February, and it ruled they're just comfy footwear. Birkenstock, which is headquartered in Linz am Rhein, Germany, and says its tradition of shoemaking goes back to 1774, f...

A cybercrime crew stole and then resold more than 900 digital tickets to Taylor Swift concerts and other pricey events on StubHub, according to prosecutors in New York. The international scam involved people working in Jamaica for a firm contracted by the online ticket marketplace, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. The contractors stole the URLs of tickets purchased on StubHub and emaile...

Mobile technology is predicted to generate $11 trillion for the global economy by 2030, according to a new report. The analysis was released by the organizers of the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the tech show which opened in Barcelona on March 3. It’s the ‘who’s who’ of the mobile technology industry. MWC is billed as the biggest connectivity event in the world. It attracts everything from multina...

A device aimed at keeping teens safe and two more for football fans—these are the latest offerings from phone maker HMD. The Finnish manufacturer, famous for making Nokia phones, revealed the details on the opening day of the MWC tech show in Barcelona. HMD unveiled its first smartphone specifically designed to protect teens. Parents can control the Fusion X1 with a monthly Xplora subscription. Th...

President Donald Trump's administration backed off its demand for an extra layer of federal scrutiny whenever states seek even minor changes to their transportation plans after the rescinded requirement sparked concern that some payments for roads, bridges and transit would be delayed or even halted due to policy differences. Most of the federal money used for transportation projects flows to stat...

Microsoft is closing down Skype, the video-calling service it bought for $8.5 billion in 2011, which had helped spark a transformation in how people communicate online. The tech giant said it will retire Skype in May and shift some of its services to Microsoft Teams, its flagship videoconferencing and team applications platform. Skype users will be able to use their existing accounts to log into T...

Sunday night, March 2 marked Hulu's first time airing the Oscars (or the Academy Awards) live. But its Academy Awards debut ended on a chaotic and frustratingly premature note. Hulu's livestream cut off in the final moments of the show—with two major award categories, best actress and best picture, still to be announced because of a scheduling system issue. Those viewing the awards ceremony on Hul...

A group of lobster fishermen can sue one of the world’s largest seafood watchdog groups for defamation, a federal court has ruled, over a report that described Maine lobster as an unwise choice for consumers. The threat to a rare whale species from getting tangled in fishing gear has prompted Monterey Bay Aquarium in California to caution against eating a variety of lobster that New England fisher...

In Tasmania, a school lunch program is giving children a healthy diet and building relationships around the dining table. The number of schools taking part in the scheme is expected to double in the next two years. At least once a week, the school provides students with a healthy meal and snack as part of Tasmania’s school lunch program. It encourages youngsters to try new food and develop healthy...

Huawei tri-foldable phone—an industry first. The Mate XT has been launched to the international market in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. Its 10.2-inch screen is similar to the most compact Apple iPads. The company says the phone, first released in China six months prior, is the thinnest foldable phone at 3.6 millimeters (0.14 inches), and though dubbed a trifold, the phone has three mini-p...

A push to ban sugary drinks, candy and more from the U.S. program that helps low-income families pay for nutritious food has been tried before—but it may soon get a boost from new Trump administration officials. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the newly confirmed Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, and Brooke Rollins, the new Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary, have both signaled that they f...

Missy Vraney and Kristin Westphal didn't go to Marquette University. Neither did any of their relatives. Yet their family tradition of attending Marquette Golden Eagles basketball games spans generations. They're still supporting the school regularly—just in beer money rather than tuition fees. It happens every time they buy a Marquette Golden Ale before heading to the Fiserv Forum stands. This ma...

A group of seniors is learning beauty secrets. They draw in their eyebrows, select their favorite lip color and apply blush. The event is run by Japanese cosmetics company Shiseido Co. It's holding these free courses for older people across the country. Japan is the fastest-aging society in the world. More than a quarter of its population is over 65 and older, at 36 million people. In about a deca...

Thieves used a stolen card to buy a winning French lottery ticket worth 500,000 euros ($523,000). But they vanished before cashing in—and now they’re among France’s most famous fugitives. The man whose card was stolen, identified in police documents as Jean-David E., is offering to split the cash with the lucky winners. He wants his wallet back, too. The thieves, meanwhile, face the risk of arrest...

Top-ranked chess player Magnus Carlsen turned his controversial denim into some greens—for charity. The Norwegian chess grandmaster announced in February that he is auctioning off the Italian luxury brand jeans that started a dress code dispute at December's World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships. Carlsen ultimately quit the New York competition after accepting a $200 fine while refusing to cha...

As a citizen of both France and America, Margaux Lantelme has noticed a difference in how store cashiers work in the two countries: in France, they do their jobs sitting down. In the U.S., where Lantelme works a register at REI, cashiers typically spend eight hours a day on their feet. For Lantelme, a former kayaking instructor, prolonged standing can trigger flare-ups of chronic pain that limit h...

A jury sat solemnly in a gilded hall in central London, presided over by a bewigged representative of the crown in flowing black robes, but there were no criminals in the dock. Britain’s coinage was on trial. In a ceremony that dates back to the 12th century, the jury filed into the Livery Hall of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths to begin the process of weighing and measuring hundreds of coins...