レアジョブ英会話 Daily News Article Podcast

The UK toy market returns to growth for the first time in five years, but it's adults buying toys for themselves who are helping fuel the boom. The so-called kidults have helped the toy market in the UK post a year-on-year growth of six percent, according to figures by the British Toy and Hobby Association, with one in three pounds of toy sales being spent by kidults. Retro arcade cabinets and LEGO floral bouquets are some of the toys kidults can't get enough of. The kidult market now represents one-third of all toy spending in the UK, so it's a sector the toy industry can't ignore. Technically, a kidult is for the 12-year-and-over range, but it's adults who are a major part of this growth sector.  At the Toy Fair in London's Olympia, Kerri Atherton, head of public affairs at the British Toy and Hobby Association, says, “But what I think we've seen shifted a little bit is sort of how wide the audience really is now for toys. So obviously, for a few years now, we've been talking about the rise of kidults, which is toys for 12 plus. But adults are a big chunk of that category as well.” “So three quarters of 18 to 34-year-olds say that they've purchased a toy either for themselves or another adult in the last year,” says Melissa Symonds, executive director of toys for market research company Circana. They have been closely monitoring the rise of kidults, and their love of nostalgia and their spending power is a welcome boost for the toy sector. Another key trend is the growth of Asian-influenced toys. South Korean and Japanese brands like K-POP Demon Hunters, One Piece, and Dragon Ball Z are all contributing to the year's collectibles boom. Collectible toys grew by 12 percent year-on-year in 2025, and Far East Asian licenses were a clear factor in this growth. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Tens of thousands of visitors flocked to Lucerne as the Lilu Light Festival turned the city’s cobbled streets and riverfront into a glowing, interactive art experience. The festival drew artists from across Europe, blending inspiration and technology, to transform the city into one of Switzerland’s most picturesque winter destinations. In the square of Vögeligärti, the planet “Venus” by Immersive Light Factory glowed at the center, radiating warm light and showing one of Earth’s closest neighbors in wonderful detail. The planet installation was flanked on one side by the swirling “Carnival of Lights” by Lightspray Visual. Mechanical structures brought the visuals to life, projecting small light displays onto the walls of Lucerne’s Central and University Library. Nearby, “Coloured” by Immersive Light Factory illuminated the Torbogen arch outside Lucerne’s main rail station. The combination of historic squares and cutting-edge installations created a surreal winter landscape, where centuries-old architecture met modern art and dynamic color. Along the river Reuss, Jesuitenkirche, the Jesuit church is bathed in light. Inside, the ticketed projection mapping show “SOUL” by PROJEKTIL immersed visitors in dynamic visuals all over the church’s interior, creating a spectacular reshaping of the space and music. André Bulli, marketing manager at Lucerne Tourism, says the festival has grown into Switzerland’s largest light event. “It’s the biggest light festival in Switzerland, with around 150,000 people every year. So, we have around 15,000 people in the city each day, which is a lot. We sell more than 80,000 tickets for the light show here in the Jesuit church, and we have more than 70 light shows in the church during the whole festival,” he says. Bulli explains why the festival began in 2017. He says, “The reason was that in January, Lucerne is always empty for tourists and there’s not much going on. It’s cold, and people are inside. So, we tried, in cooperation with the hotels, to do something to attract more people to the city. And this was the light festival.” This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Your watch says you had three hours of deep sleep. Should you believe it? Millions of people rely on phone apps and wearable devices like rings, smartwatches, and sensors to monitor how well they're sleeping, but these trackers don't necessarily measure sleep directly. Instead, they infer states of slumber from signals like heart rate and movement, raising questions about how reliable the information is and how seriously it should be taken. The U.S. sleep-tracking devices market generated about $5 billion in 2023 and is expected to double in revenue by 2030, according to market research firm Grand View Research. As the devices continue to gain popularity, experts say it is important to understand what they can and cannot tell you, and how their data should be used. Whether it's an Apple Watch, a Fitbit, an Oura Ring, or one of innumerable other competitors, health and fitness trackers largely take the same basic approach by recording the wearer's movements and heart rate while at rest, according to Daniel Forger, a University of Michigan math professor who researches the science behind sleep wearables. The algorithms used by major brands have become highly accurate for determining when someone is asleep, Forger said. The devices are also somewhat helpful for estimating sleep stages, though an in-lab study would be more precise, he said. "If you really want to know definitively how much non-REM sleep you're having versus REM sleep, that's where the in-lab studies really excel," Forger said. Dr. Chantale Branson, a neurologist and professor at the Morehouse School of Medicine, said she frequently has patients showing up with sleep scores from fitness trackers in hand, sometimes fixated on granular details such as how much REM sleep they got on a certain night. Branson says those patients are taking the wrong approach: the devices help highlight trends over time, but should not be viewed as a definitive measure of one's sleep health. Nor should any single night's data be seen as significant. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

The United Nations human rights chief has called on the United States to ensure that its migration policies and enforcement practices “respect human dignity and due process rights.” Volker Turk, in a statement relayed by spokesperson Marta Hurtado, decried the “dehumanizing portrayal and harmful treatment of migrants and refugees.” Hurtado said Turk called on leaders "at all levels in the U.S. to halt the use of scapegoating tactics that seeks to distract and divide, and which increase the exposure of migrants and refugees to xenophobic hostility and abuse." As US President Donald Trump marks the first year of his second term, the immigration enforcement and removal operation that has been a cornerstone of his domestic and foreign policy agenda is rapidly transforming into something else—a national law enforcement presence with billions upon billions of dollars in new spending from US taxpayers. The shooting death of Renee Good in Minneapolis showed the alarming reach of the new federalized force, sparking unrelenting protests against the military-style officers seen going door to door to find and detain immigrants. Amid the outpouring of opposition, Trump revived threats to invoke the Insurrection Act to quell the demonstrations, and the U.S. Army has 1,500 soldiers ready to deploy. To be sure, illegal crossings into the U.S. at the Mexico border have fallen to historic lows under Trump, a remarkable shift from just a few years ago when President Joe Biden's Democratic administration allowed millions of people to temporarily enter the U.S. as they adjudicated their claims to stay. Yet as enforcement moves away from the border, the newly hired army of immigration officers swarming city streets with aggressive tactics—in Los Angeles, Chicago, and elsewhere—is something not normally seen in the U.S. Armed and masked law enforcement officers are being witnessed smashing car windows, yanking people from vehicles, chasing and wrestling others to the ground, and hauling them away—images playing out in endless loops on TVs and other screens. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Deep in the Ecuadorian Andes, an ancient forest stands as a final sanctuary against the encroachment of human activity. This is the Yanacocha Reserve, the last refuge for the Black-breasted puffleg (Eriocnemis nigrivestis), a tiny hummingbird teetering on the edge of extinction. Measuring just 9 centimeters (3.5 inches), this emblematic bird of Quito is one of the most threatened species on the planet. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, its global population has dwindled to between 150 and 200 birds. Founded 25 years ago by the Jocotoco Foundation, the Yanacocha Reserve has become a centerpiece for Andean biodiversity. "We realized we were conserving an entire ecosystem, not just one species," conservationist Paola Villalba told The Associated Press. The bird is easily identified by the striking white "trousers" of feathers around its legs, which contrast sharply with its deep, metallic black chest and bronze-green wings. Despite its beauty, its survival is at risk as high-altitude forests are cleared for grazing and agriculture. Shirley Farinango of the Birds and Conservation Foundation notes that the pressure is most intense because the puffleg occupies a narrow ecological niche between 3,000 and 3,500 meters (9,800 and 11,400 feet) above sea level. This specific elevation, she said, is "prime territory" to be converted to agricultural land. On the slopes of the Pichincha volcano, 45 kilometers (27 miles) northwest of Quito, conservationists are now racing to restore this cloud-shrouded forest. For the "smallest fairies" of the Andes, these dense trees are more than just a habitat—they are their last stand. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

A former flight attendant accused of posing as a pilot and working as an airline employee fooled three U.S. carriers into giving him hundreds of free tickets over a span of four years, federal authorities say. But precisely how he is alleged to have done it—and why the airlines wouldn't have caught on sooner—has industry insiders scratching their heads. Dallas Pokornik, 33, of Toronto, was arrested in Panama after being indicted on wire fraud charges in federal court in Hawaii last October. He pleaded not guilty following his extradition to the United States. His federal public defender declined to discuss the case. According to court documents, Pokornik was a flight attendant for a Toronto-based airline from 2017 to 2019, then used fraudulent employee identification from that carrier to obtain tickets reserved for pilots and flight attendants on three other airlines. Court documents contained no explanation of why, in an industry focused on flight and airport safety, the airlines didn't recognize the credentials as invalid. The indictment did not identify any of the airlines involved but said the U.S. carriers are based in Honolulu, Chicago, and Fort Worth, Texas. A spokesperson for Hawaiian Airlines said the company does not comment on litigation. Representatives for United Airlines and American Airlines did not immediately respond to emails from The Associated Press. John Cox, a retired pilot who runs an aviation safety firm in St. Petersburg, Florida, called the allegations surprising, considering the cross-checking that airlines are able to do to verify the employment of a crew member seeking to fly on another airline. Airlines generally rely on databases of active airline employees maintained on third-party websites to check whether someone is actually an employee. "The only thing I can think is that they did not show him as no longer employed by the airline," Cox said in a phone interview. "Consequently, when the checks were made at the gate, he showed up as a valid employee." Passenger airlines typically offer such free or steeply discounted standby seats, when available, to their own crew members or those of other carriers—a courtesy that makes the whole industry function better, by getting crew members where they need to go. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

It's no small potatoes that Rhode Islanders have been able to choose the image of Mr. Potato Head as a specialty license plate for decades. Yet with Hasbro's decision to move its headquarters from the smallest state in the U.S. to Boston, two lawmakers say it's time to hash out whether Rhode Island should continue promoting one of the company's most iconic characters. Under the proposal introduced last month, Rhode Island's Division of Motor Vehicles would stop providing Mr. Potato Head as an option for a specialty license plate. Currently, the plate costs around $40, with half of that amount going to help support the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. Rep. Brian Newberry, a Republican from North Smithfield, said in an email that he filed the legislation because Hasbro leaving the state will cause "untold economic harm and loss of tax revenue." "There is no reason we should be advertising their products on our license plates," Newberry said. "It may seem trivial compared to many other things, but it's a matter of self-respect." Mr. Potato Head license plates were first issued in 2002 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the beloved toy, which has notably appeared in the "Toy Story" films. The plates include a small image of Mr. Potato Head holding a sign of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, with "help end hunger" at the bottom of the plate. "The license plate started at a time when Mr. Potato Head was all over the state and was having a moment," said Kate MacDonald, spokesperson for the food bank, which has received nearly $60,000 over the years due to the plate. "And while it has tapered off over the years, it's been a steady way for people to contribute." An email was sent to Hasbro seeking comment. The toy company announced last year that it would be moving to Boston by the end of 2026 after operating in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, for nearly 70 years. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

A major international research mission, led by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), is underway to investigate a newly discovered phenomenon: powerful underwater tsunamis triggered by collapsing Antarctic glaciers. These hidden waves are created when icebergs calve (shed and collapse) from the fronts of glaciers, and they can reach several meters in height beneath the ocean surface. They create bursts of mixing that churn together different layers of seawater. This process is now understood to be a critical driver in redistributing heat, oxygen, and nutrients throughout the polar oceans, with profound implications for marine life and global climate regulation. Previously, ocean mixing in the region was thought to be primarily caused by wind, tides, and surface cooling. However, early data suggest the force of these calving-generated tsunamis rivals wind-driven mixing in certain areas and exceeds tidal influences in moving ocean heat. The discovery was made when researchers on a previous BAS expedition collected ocean data immediately before and after a calving event. Now, scientists based at Rothera Research Station and aboard the polar ship RRS Sir David Attenborough are conducting a targeted study. The team is deploying a suite of advanced technology, including satellites, drones, underwater robots, and moorings, to capture data from dangerous, inaccessible glacier fronts. The latest technology and underwater imaging are helping scientists, as Dr. Alex Brearley, an oceanographer from the British Antarctic Survey, explains, “At the moment we're waiting for confirmation that our controller back in Cambridge can actually see this. What I always think is really cool about one of these things is I can be sitting in the office in Cambridge, which is 10,000 km away; it's kind of remarkable.” The research aims to determine how different calving events generate tsunamis and how the resulting mixing affects polar ecosystems and climate. Studying deep ice cores is one way scientists can monitor climate change over centuries. There seems to be clearer evidence that human activity has accelerated climate change in the 20th century. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Sparkling Porsches and Jaguars are just some of the sports cars and luxury vehicles that are helping to raise money for a local Detroit charity. About 500 guests spent $250 per person to catch a glimpse of some of the world’s most exclusive cars. The Gallery, a fundraising event for a local food bank, took place in January on the eve of the annual Detroit Auto Show. Attendees got the chance to see dozens of ultra-luxury vehicles, including from Bentley, Koenigsegg, Lamborghini, Maserati, McLaren, Pagani and Pininfarina. Sam Klemet, Detroit Auto Show's executive director, says, “We're at the 2026 Detroit Auto Show, and this evening we're hosting a special event that we call The Gallery fundraiser. And we're doing it in support of Forgotten Harvest, which helps fight food insecurity in Metro Detroit.” Forgotten Harvest delivers 65,000 kg of surplus food per day to local charities five days a week, providing families in need with fresh and nutritious food free of charge. Visitors strolled through the showroom, pausing every so often to pose for a selfie or grab a bite to eat. Sam Klemet adds, “We have more than 40 different vehicles that are on display as a part of our Gallery, and that includes nameplates like Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Pagani, Koenigsegg, Pininfarina. And so, we have all these kinds of brands. They're so special, because you don't see these cars on the street every day. A lot of these are one of 50 that we've seen in The Gallery, and they're very special. They're rare, they're expensive, and it's not something you get to see up close and personal every day. So, to give people close access really makes for a unique night.” It's all for a good cause, but for petrol heads attending the Gallery it's a great chance to get up close to some of their dream cars. Max Muncey, an attendee, says, “It's really exciting. I mean, we're surrounded by multi-million-dollar vehicles, great energy in the room, and it's just the kick-off for a great auto show week.” This article was provided by The Associated Press.

The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate is now down to its lowest level in more than three years. The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage eased to 6.06%, down from 6.16%, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said. One year ago, the rate averaged 7.04%. The last time the average rate was lower was September 15, 2022, when it was at 6.02%. Meanwhile, borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, also fell, dropping to 5.38% from 5.46% last month. A year ago, that average rate was at 6.27%, Freddie Mac said. Lower mortgage rates boost homebuyers' purchasing power, good news for home shoppers at a time when the housing market remains in a deep slump after years of soaring prices and elevated mortgage rates have shut out many aspiring homeowners. Uncertainty over the economy and job market is also keeping many would-be buyers on the sidelines. Mortgage rates began easing in July in anticipation of a series of Fed rate cuts, which began in September and continued last December. The Fed doesn't set mortgage rates, but when it cuts its short-term rate, that can signal lower inflation or slower economic growth ahead, which can drive investors to buy U.S. government bonds. That can help lower yields on long-term U.S. Treasurys, which can result in lower mortgage rates. The pullback in mortgage rates helped drive sales of previously occupied U.S. homes higher on a monthly basis for the last four months of 2025. Even so, home sales remained stuck at a 30-year low last year, extending the housing market's slump into its fourth year. Lower mortgage rates have been helpful for home shoppers who can afford to buy at current rates. The median U.S. monthly housing payment fell to $2,413 in the four weeks ending January 11, according to Redfin. That's a 5.5% drop from the same period a year earlier and near the lowest level in two years. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Without federal subsidies, Breyanna Rodriguez's child care bill for her four children would run $4,400 a month, which would eat up most of her husband's paycheck. With child care assistance, Rodriguez, who lives in Cortland, Illinois, is able to work part-time and take community college classes while she prepares for nursing school. Now, citing concerns about fraud, the Trump administration has said it will withhold frozen federal child care funding for Illinois and other states while it conducts an extensive review. If she loses her subsidy, Rodriguez said, "I'll have to drop out of work. I'll have to drop out of school." “I just wish this administration didn't make such a drastic leap,” she said. “If families can't get child care subsidies, that's going to impact so many people in so many horrible ways that I don't think they're grasping.” The Trump administration's crackdown on the $12 billion Child Care and Development Fund, which subsidizes care for 1.4 million children from low-income households, has rattled child care providers and families that rely on the aid money. Citing unspecified allegations of fraud, Trump administration officials are requiring states to provide extra documentation before receiving the money. It's unclear if or when child care providers and families like Rodriguez's would feel the pinch. The administration announced that state officials will be required to provide additional information to receive the federal child care money. In January, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced it would freeze the funding for child care subsidies until state officials provided even more exhaustive documentation. The department said it also would withhold other federal safety net money for those states—California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York—including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, which supports low-income parents with children under 18 with direct payments and by providing them with child care. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Apple will rely on Google to help finish its efforts to smarten up its virtual assistant Siri and bring other artificial intelligence features to the iPhone as the trendsetting company plays catch-up in technology's latest craze. The deal allowing Apple to tap into Google's AI technology was disclosed in a joint statement from the Silicon Valley powerhouses. The partnership will draw upon Google's Gemini technology to customize a suite of AI features dubbed "Apple Intelligence" on the iPhone and other products. After Google and others took the early lead in the AI race, Apple promised to plant its first big stake in the field with an array of new features that were supposed to be coming to the iPhone in 2024 as part of a ballyhooed software upgrade. But many of Apple's AI features remain in the development phase, while Google and Samsung have been rolling out more of the technology on their own devices. One of the most glaring AI omissions on the iPhone has been a promised overhaul of Siri that was supposed to transform the often-confused assistant into a more conversational and versatile multitasker. Google even subtly mocked the iPhone's AI shortcomings in ads promoting the release of its latest Pixel phone last summer. Apple's AI missteps prompted the Cupertino, California, company to acknowledge last year that its Siri upgrade wouldn't happen until some point during 2026. Getting Apple to endorse its AI implicitly represents a coup for Google, which has been steadily releasing more features built on its Gemini technology in its search engine and Gmail. The progress has intensified Google's competition with OpenAI and its ChatGPT chatbot, which already has a deal with Apple that makes it an option on the iPhone. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Mattel Inc. is introducing an autistic Barbie as the newest member of its line, intended to celebrate diversity, joining a collection that already includes Barbies with Down syndrome, a blind Barbie, a Barbie and a Ken with vitiligo, and other models the toymaker added to make its fashion dolls more inclusive. Mattel said it developed the autistic doll over more than 18 months in partnership with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, a nonprofit organization that advocates for the rights and better media representation of people with autism. The goal: to create a Barbie that reflected some of the ways autistic people may experience and process the world around them, according to a Mattel news release. That was a challenge because autism encompasses a broad range of behaviors and difficulties that vary widely in degree, and many of the traits associated with the disorder are not immediately visible, according to Noor Pervez, who is the Autistic Self Advocacy Network's community engagement manager and worked closely with Mattel on the Barbie prototype. Like many disabilities, “autism doesn’t look any one way,” Pervez said. “But we can try and show some of the ways that autism expresses itself.” For example, the eyes of the new Barbie shift slightly to the side to represent how some people with autism sometimes avoid direct eye contact, he said. The doll also was given articulated elbows and wrists to acknowledge stimming, hand flapping, and other gestures that some autistic people use to process sensory information or to express excitement, according to Mattel. The development team debated whether to dress the doll in a tight or a loose-fitting outfit, Pervez said. Some autistic people wear loose clothes because they are sensitive to the feel of fabric seams, while others wear figure-hugging garments to give them a sense of where their bodies are, he said. The team ended up choosing an A-line dress with short sleeves and a flowy skirt that provides less fabric-to-skin contact. The doll also wears flat shoes to promote stability and ease of movement, according to Mattel. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

At a time when productivity means optimizing every second and screens blur the line between work and home, some people are slowing down and disconnecting by looking at communication devices from the past. Tactile activities ranging from writing letters and typewriter clubs to TikTok communities showcasing calligraphy skills and wax seals are giving retro writing instruments a resurgence. More than quaint throwbacks, the pursuits provide their enthusiasts with opportunities to reduce their technology use, be more intentional with time, and build meaningful connections with others. "I feel as though my pen pals are my friends. I don't think of them much differently than if I were chatting with a friend on the phone, in a coffee shop, or at another person's house," said Melissa Bobbitt, 42, a devoted letter-writer who corresponds with about a dozen people from her home in Claremont, California, and has had up to 40 pen pals at one time. "Focusing on one person and really reading what they are saying, and sharing what's on your heart is almost like a therapy session." In a society shaped by constant availability, hands-on hobbies like writing letters and scrapbooking require focus and patience. The act of picking up a pen, sealing an envelope with wax, and laying out pages may yield aesthetically pleasing results, but it also creates a space for reflection. Stephania Kontopanos, a 21-year-old student in Chicago, said it can be hard to put her phone and computer away, especially when it seems all of her friends and peers are on social media and her classes and personal life revolve around being online. "There are times when I'm with my friends and at dinner, I'll realize we are all on our phones," Kontopanos said, adding that she tries to put her phone down at those moments. Writing and sending letters is nostalgic for KiKi Klassen, who lives in Ontario, Canada. In October 2024, Klassen launched the Lucky Duck Mail Club, a subscription-based monthly mail service that sends participants a piece of her art, an inspiring quote, and a message. She says her membership includes more than 1,000 people across, at most, 36 countries. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Sleep is usually associated with complex animals with brains and nervous systems. But new research suggests it may be far older and far more basic than previously thought. Scientists at Bar Ilan University in Israel studying jellyfish and sea anemones have found evidence of sleep-like states in animals without brains, helping explain why sleep may have evolved in the first place. Unlike humans and other mammals, jellyfish have no brain and no eyes. Instead, it has a simple nerve net, a loose network of neurons distributed throughout its body. Despite this basic anatomy, scientists have found that jellyfish follow regular cycles of activity and rest that meet the biological criteria used to define sleep. To study this behavior, researchers monitored jellyfish and sea anemones continuously using infrared video, allowing them to observe movement during both day and night without disturbing natural light conditions. “The key finding is that you have a very basic organism, doesn’t have a brain or eyes. They still can sleep,” says Oren Levy, a life sciences professor at Bar Ilan University. The researchers found that jellyfish sleep for roughly eight hours a day, mostly at night, with short rest periods around midday. Sea anemones, another simple marine animal, also showed clear sleep patterns, though their rest occurred mainly during the day. To confirm these were true sleep states rather than simple inactivity, scientists tested how the animals responded to stimulation. The most significant findings came when researchers examined what was happening inside the animals’ nerve cells. Using specialized imaging techniques, they measured DNA damage within neurons during wakefulness and sleep. DNA carries the genetic instructions that allow cells to function. Damage to DNA can occur as a result of normal metabolic activity, environmental stress, or prolonged cellular activity. If that damage is not repaired, it can impair cell function or lead to cell death. In both jellyfish and sea anemones, DNA damage in neurons increased while the animals were awake. During sleep, levels of damage decreased, suggesting that sleep allows time for cellular repair processes to take place. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Crowds flooded the freshly opened showroom floors on Day 2 of the CES and were met by thousands of robots, AI companions, assistants, health longevity tech, wearables, and more. Allergic to dogs or cats but still dreaming of a furry companion? Chinese tech brand Ollobot may have an answer in its new “cyber-pet,” OlloNi, which debuted at the show. The company says the furry AI robot on wheels is meant to be a warm and expressive alternative to the rigid humanoid home robot. A screen mounted at the robot’s neck acts as its face, allowing it to make eye contact with humans and respond with thousands of dynamic expressions designed to mirror human emotion and interaction, according to the company. Volunteers at Ollobot’s booth got a reaction when they scratched behind the purple robot’s 'ears' and its 'eyes' instantly widened, like it was thrilled. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride—that’s exactly what some conference attendees did at Strutt’s booth. Curious volunteers sat blindfolded in the robotics company’s new self-driving personal mobility chair called the EV1, which senses its surroundings and navigates on its own. With the push of a button and a forward lever, the chair guided riders through a small course, looping them around without requiring any active control. Tony Hong, CEO and founder of the Singapore-based Strutt, told The Associated Press that the chair has a full suite of sensors that helps it avoid bumps, walls, people, and other obstacles, adjusting in real-time as it drives. In the Nexbie booth, the company is hoping their 3D printed shoes will be a hit with customers seeking comfort, breathability, and a unique style. A mesh-like web of a special plastic forms the entire shoe from sole to uppers in a uniform construction. The brand has adapted the technology into a variety of styles, from leisure to athletic, in a variety of colors. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the entire United Nations climate-fighting apparatus takes America's environmental isolation to another level and is likely to damage both the United States and the world as the planet flirts with ecological tipping points, experts say. Leaders from around the world say the United States will be left behind as more than 190 other nations join in what they call a blossoming green economy that is transitioning from polluting coal, oil, and gas to cleaner and cheaper solar, wind, and other renewable energies. The action on January 7 starts the process to pull the U.S. out of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It's the main way nations negotiate, monitor, and enforce agreements to curb worsening climate change, and is a bigger step than Trump's 2017 and 2025 withdrawals from the bedrock 2015 Paris Agreement aimed at limiting warming. The framework was negotiated in Brazil in 1992, championed by Republican U.S. President George H.W. Bush, and ratified unanimously by the U.S. Senate. It's what Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden used to justify signing and reactivating the Paris deal without needing Senate approval. The Trump administration also withdrew from a United Nations climate science panel, a biodiversity-saving effort, and the Green Climate Fund to help poor nations, as well as many other international collaborations. "It is a more serious step, definitely. The world loses a lot, and it is very damaging," said Johan Rockstrom, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany. "The U.S. turns its back against science, against global collaboration, against any kind of action on climate change. So, yes, in that sense, it's more fundamental and more damaging" than earlier efforts. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in announcing the U.S. withdrawal, said the Trump administration "has found these institutions to be redundant in their scope, mismanaged, unnecessary, wasteful, poorly run, captured by the interests of actors advancing their own agendas contrary to our own, or a threat to our nation's sovereignty, freedoms, and general prosperity." This article was provided by The Associated Press.

The origins of snowboarding go back to Christmas Day 1965, when an engineer named Sherman Poppen strapped two skis together to give his daughters something to do. He called it a "snurfer" and started selling them the next year. Jake Burton came along, refined the toy, and helped turn snowboarding into a mass-market sport. Along the way, superstars like Shaun White and Chloe Kim redefined what could be done in the air, and the sport is always reinventing itself in terms of tricks. There are three snowboarding events in what's called the park (halfpipe, slopestyle, and big air) and two more that involve racing (snowboardcross and parallel giant slalom or PGS). The park contests are the core of the sport. They are judged events that include qualifying and finals, where riders are scored on the complexity of the tricks and how high they fly. Snowboardcross is a rugged form of four-wide racing down a winding course, and PGS is the closest this sport has to Alpine skiing. All eyes are on Chloe Kim's recovery from a shoulder injury to see if she can win an unprecedented third straight title in the halfpipe. On the men's side, the best rider standing in the way of Japanese star Ayumu Hirano's repeat bid on the pipe is Australian Scotty James. Esther Ledecka of the Czech Republic is the GOAT and two-time defending champion in parallel giant slalom. American Red Gerard, the 2018 slopestyle champion, is in good form and looking for a return to the podium after finishing fourth in China. This sport truly put itself on the map when the American trio of Ross Powers, Danny Kass, and JJ Thomas swept the halfpipe podium in 2002 at the Salt Lake Games. The sport then belonged to White, whose third gold medal in 2018 in a narrow victory over Hirano stands out as one of the most dramatic contests the sport has seen. White retired after finishing fourth in an emotional farewell at the 2022 Games. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Dogs are great at learning action commands like "sit" and "stay." They're less good at remembering the names of things, like what their squeaky or stuffed toys are called. Only an elite group of gifted word-learner dogs can retain the names of hundreds of toys. Scientists know of about 50 such pooches, but they aren't yet sure what's behind their wordy skills. Now, new research is pushing the limits of what the dogs can do. Scientists already knew that these extraordinary pups could learn the names of their stuffed pizza and doughnut toys from playtime with their owners. In the latest study, they discovered that the pups can also understand new names by eavesdropping. Ten gifted dogs—including a Border Collie named Basket and a Labrador named Augie—watched their owners hold a new toy and talk to another person about it. Then the pups were told to go to another room and retrieve that specific toy from a pile of many others. Seven out of the 10 dogs successfully learned the names of their new toy stingrays and armadillos from passively listening to their owners. "This is the first time that we see a specific group of dogs that are able to learn labels from overhearing interactions," said study author Shany Dror with Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary and the University of Veterinary Medicine in Austria. The pups even succeeded when the owners put the toy in an opaque box and then spoke to another person about it, creating a disconnect between seeing the object and hearing its name. Only a few other animals, like parrots and apes, have demonstrated a knack for this kind of eavesdropping. It's also essential to human development: Children under age 2 can pick up new words from listening, including ones their parents may not have intended. However, these special dogs are fully grown, so the brain mechanisms enabling them to eavesdrop are likely different from those of humans, Dror said. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

The crisp crinkle of fallen leaves beneath your feet. The swish and trickle of water moving through a stream. A breath of crisp, fresh air. Spending time in nature can be invigorating or produce feelings of peace and calm. But many professions allow little time or access to the outdoors during the workday. After a youth spent climbing trees and playing soccer, Anna Rose Smith found it difficult when her first job as a psychotherapist in Utah required working in a windowless office. So, she spent her lunch breaks outside, walking to nearby fountains or gardens. She picked up flower petals or leaves from the ground and brought them back to her desk, where she would listen to recorded bird songs, sometimes incorporating the soothing chirps into sessions with clients. "It helps to just have that reminder that these things are going on outside," Smith said. "I can remember, no matter what happens in this room or with my job today, there's still going to be birds singing." Getting to trees or shorelines can be challenging during work hours, especially in cold weather and urban environments. But there are ways to enjoy the outdoors and to bring the natural world into your place of work, even if it's a windowless cubicle. Scheduled meetings don't have to take place indoors. An in-person appointment can happen on a park bench. Smith sometimes suggests a "walk and talk" meeting at a nearby greenway. Mobile devices mean virtual get-togethers aren't limited to conventional workspaces. You can also attend Zoom meetings while walking a wooded path. Atlantic Packaging, a sustainable packaging manufacturer headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina, encourages employees to hold meetings in the courtyards of its facilities or while taking a walk, said Becca Schusler, the company's wellness director. Separate from meetings, a group of Atlantic Packaging employees gets together for "Walk it out Wednesdays," a weekly time to take strolls together. "It helps provide a quick break in the day where they can reset and refocus," Schusler said. This article was provided by The Associated Press.