レアジョブ英会話 Daily News Article Podcast

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 and counseling to try to coax tea growers to switch to matcha from regular green sencha tea. “We don’t want this to end up just a fad, but instead make matcha a standard as a flavor and Japanese global brand,” said Tomoyuki Kawai, who works at the tea section of the agricultural ministry. Japan's tea exports have more than doubled over the last decade, with the U.S. now accounting for about a third. Much of that growth is of matcha, according to Japanese government data. The concern is that with labor shortages as aging farmers leave their fields, the matcha crunch may worsen in the coming years. Other countries, including China and some Southeast Asian countries, are also producing matcha, so Japan is racing to establish its branding as the origin of the tea. Tea ceremony practitioners aren’t angered by the craze, just perplexed. They hope it will lead to people taking an interest in sado or “the way of tea,” whose followers have been steadily declining. But they aren’t counting on it. Business owner Minoru Handa has a longtime relationship with growers in Kagoshima, southwestern Japan, and has a steady supply of matcha. To guard against hoarders, he limits purchases at his store to one can per customer. Handa, who has exhibited his prize-winning tea in the U.S. and Europe, expects that growers will increase the supply and shrugs off the hullabaloo over the matcha shortage. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

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 now signs the same way a human being does at scale,” explains Elly Savatia, the 24-year-old founder of Signvrse. Founded in 2023 and a recipient of the Kenya Presidential Innovation Award, Signvrse is on a mission to digitize Kenyan Sign Language by using motion capture systems to accurately record sign language motion from real interpreters. The combination of body movement, hand rotation and articulation, and facial expressions allows the application to accurately capture the linguistic and vibrant nature of sign language. Eventually, the company hopes the solution can be used in both business and personal contexts through a subscription. For the deaf community, it could be a very helpful solution to the challenges of daily life. “I had a lot of challenges when searching for a job, and sometimes when I go to hospital, I have a lot of challenges,” says Kelvin Munene, a deaf waiter working in Nairobi. “I think when using this app, it will help those challenges and it will make communication easier,” he adds. However, he says he hopes the application can one day use both English and Kiswahili. Leakey Nyabaro, a member of the deaf community and the founder and director of Galaxy Sign Language Training Centre in Kenya, says, “We find that there are a lot of errors. It’s not that perfect, but somehow I find it more effective when it is sign-to-voice (translation). We find that it is voiced correctly, benefiting more of the hearing community but not the deaf.” This article was provided by The Associated Press.

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 more than unrideable close-outs at Middleton Beach. So, over the last three decades, he’s been at the forefront of efforts to change that. “I think I came back to Albany in 1990. We just felt that’s where we needed the juniors to have something decent to surf at, you know, in town where they can get access to it,” says Bolt. With financial backing from the City of Albany, along with support from both state and federal governments, expert marine engineers have successfully crafted an ideal surfing wave. The 13 million Australian dollar ($9 million) initiative saw 70,000 tons of rock strategically placed on the ocean floor. Yet, there were moments when Peter Bolt doubted it would ever become a reality. Despite strong support from its advocates, the Albany surf reef has faced criticism from some who argue it’s a poor use of funds and worry it could harm the beach environment. For now, though, surfers remain unfazed, saying the beach is in good shape and the investment has been worthwhile. “Well, I’m a surfer. I like a good wave. Don’t really care how much money was spent,” says a surfer who just came out of the water. And Bolt agrees. “When I see the kids come down here before school, in the dark, to get a wave before they go to school, and then they zip down here again after school, I go, yeah, that’s it. That’s what this was all about.” This article was provided by The Associated Press.

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 $75 million—come as the sport's leading players have been in discussions with each of the four major tournaments in a bid to receive a higher percentage of revenues at the U.S. Open, Wimbledon, French Open and Australian Open. Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff and 2024 U.S. Open champions Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner were among 20 players who signed a letter sent to the heads of the four Grand Slam events in March seeking more prize money and a greater say in what they called “decisions that directly impact us.” Since then, some players have held talks with the majors. The previous high amount for a U.S. Open singles championship was $3.85 million in 2019, before decreasing during the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's $5 million check represented a 39% hike from last year's $3.6 million. The same percentage increase was applied to the singles runners-up, who get $2.5 million each. Semifinalists earned about $1.26 million, a 26% rise. The news came after the USTA said in May that its main arena, Arthur Ashe Stadium, would be overhauled as part of an $800 million project touted as the “largest single investment” in U.S. Open history. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

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, children had to run and perform sit-ups, pull-ups or push-ups, and a sit-and-reach test, but the program changed in 2012. It evolved into the Youth Fitness Program, which the government said “moved away from recognizing athletic performance to providing a barometer on students’ health.” The then-first lady Michelle Obama also promoted her “Let's Move” initiative, focused on reducing childhood obesity through diet and exercise. The Youth Fitness Test, according to a Health and Human Services Department website last updated in 2023, “minimizes comparisons between children and instead supports students as they pursue personal fitness goals for lifelong health.” The return of the exam brought mixed reactions from some who study exercise. Trump is putting a welcome focus on physical activity, but a test alone won’t make America’s children healthier, said Laura Richardson, a kinesiology professor at the University of Michigan. The exam is only a starting point that should be paired with lessons to help all students improve, she said. “It’s not just, you get a score and you’re doomed,” said Richardson, whose teaching focuses on obesity. “But you get a score, and we can figure out a program that really helps the improvement.” This article was provided by The Associated Press.

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 asked before a game what he thought of the promotion. "A little late, we've been doing this since 2017," said Murphy, noting he occasionally has been keeping food in his pocket for about that long. "I guess I never did it during an interview (before). It used to be mostly bagels. I had bagels in the morning. ... I'd always have one (at) day games usually—a bagel, a waffle, a pancake rolled up, something. Day games, the day gets away from you and need a little something." The Brewers haven't lost since Murphy whipped the pancake out of his pocket a few weeks ago, building the best record in the Major Leagues. He went on to continue eating his pancake in the postgame press conference while detailing other food items he had brought into the dugout. "Waffles, pancakes, pizza," Murphy said then. Murphy was then asked how he could put a slice of pizza in his pocket without staining the uniform. "If it's cold pizza, you fold it up like a sandwich, you know what I mean," Murphy said. "You can eat it during the game. And then when I wear a hoodie, I have the pocket right here, and that's full of crumbs." This article was provided by The Associated Press.

It’s still not hard to entice the under-5 set to make mud pies, smell flowers and eat string beans off the vine, but as children get older and turn to screens, nature exploration often falls to the bottom of their boredom-buster lists. With a little creativity, however, parents can nurture an interest in the great outdoors and inspire a lifelong love for gardening. The key is starting kids young—and giving them ownership. Take children to the nursery and let each decide what they would like to grow. Vegetables should be ones they like to eat; they’ll take pride in a meal that includes ingredients they grew themselves. Growing edibles can also play a role in influencing a lifetime of healthy food choices. Teach kids that gardens need to eat and drink like they do—and that gardens, too, get cranky when they’re hungry or parched. Show them the symptoms, then let them figure out when their plants need water or fertilizer. Be available to offer advice, but don’t insist on perfection: Teach children not to step on plants, but let them get dirty. Mistakes are often the best teachers, so if they insist, allow them to pick an unripe tomato. They will quickly learn that an unripe tomato doesn’t taste as good as a ripe one, and that an early harvest is wasteful. The same goes for immature potatoes, garlic, carrots and radishes. These are the lessons that stick. Hang a calendar somewhere visible—in their bedroom or on the refrigerator—to schedule watering and weeding. Let them take responsibility for checking it and alerting you when those tasks need to be done. Crossing off completed items will also impart a feeling of accomplishment. Gardening offers food and flowers, yes, but it also teaches patience, responsibility and the satisfaction that comes from nurturing something over an extended period. It’s also relaxing and creates precious one-on-one time that they’ll remember long after the flowers have faded. And that’s the best harvest of all. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

What was intended as a fundraising mission for cancer research has become a nightmare for American teen influencer Ethan Guo, who has been stuck since June in a remote location in Chilean territory in Antarctica. Authorities say Guo landed his small plane illegally after providing false flight plan information to officials who opened an investigation. Guo made headlines last year when the then-19-year-old began a trip in an attempt to become the youngest person to fly solo to all seven continents and, at the same time, collect donations for research into childhood cancer. As part of his trip, the teen, who identifies as Asian American, planned to go to Antarctica, but according to the authorities, he lied to officials by providing authorities with "false flight plan data." Prosecutors said he had been authorized to only fly over Punta Arenas, but that he kept going south, heading for Antarctica in his Cessna 182Q—a single-engine light aircraft known for its versatility. Guo was charged on June 29 with handing false information to ground control and landing without authorization, but a judge dropped the charges as part of an agreement with his lawyers and Chile's prosecutors. It requires the teen to give a $30,000 donation to a children's cancer foundation within 30 days to avoid a trial. He must also leave the country as soon as conditions allow and is prohibited from reentering Chilean territory for three years. After the judge's ruling, Guo told The Associated Press in a text message that he was "relieved by the outcome." For the past six weeks, since being charged, he has stayed at a military base. He was not forced to stay there, only to remain in Chilean territory, but because of the severe winter in that part of the Southern Hemisphere, there haven't been any available flights he could take. And he has been unable to fly his Cessna. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

U.S. scientists believe they've at last solved the mystery of what killed more than 5 billion sea stars. A strain of the bacterium Vibrio pectenicida has been attacking the sea stars—often known as starfish—in a decade-long epidemic on the West Coast of North America. Marine researchers have been searching for the cause of what has become known as sea star wasting disease since large numbers of them perished in 2013 from Mexico to Alaska. The epidemic has devastated more than 20 species and continues today. Worst hit was a species called the sunflower sea star, which lost around 90% of its population in the outbreak’s first five years. The bacterium has also infected shellfish, according to a study published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution. Alyssa Gehman, senior author and marine disease ecologist at the Hakai Institute, says the die-out was a gruesome affair. "So sea stars, when they're looking healthy, have sort of puffy arms, they're straight out, they might curl like turn a bit. But when they're sick, they start to sort of like curl back on themselves, so they look very twisty. They get lesions, so you can see what the lesion looks like on their surface. Then their arms actually fall off and walk away. So it's pretty noticeable when it happens. And that first disease outbreak in particular, it hit sunflower stars which they are, they seem to be our most susceptible ones, and we sort of had the huge losses. So they're now listed as critically endangered. We've lost over 90% of their population from Mexico to Alaska, which is over 5 billion sea stars, might be over 6 billion, it's so many," says Gehman. It took more than a decade for researchers to identify the cause of the disease, with many false leads and twists and turns along the way. Having identified the cause of the epidemic, scientists now have a better shot at intervening to help sea stars, a scientist said. That’s not only important for sea stars themselves, but for entire Pacific ecosystems, because healthy sea stars gobble up excess sea urchins. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

A new report from The Lancet reveals that three out of five liver cancer cases worldwide are linked to preventable risk factors, with obesity-related cases on the rise. The analysis, published on 29th July, estimates that over 60% of liver cancers could be avoided by addressing viral hepatitis, excessive alcohol consumption, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), a condition driven by excess fat in the liver. The situation is particularly urgent in Africa, where liver cancer cases are projected to surge significantly by 2050. In Nairobi, Ahmed Kalebi is the Principal Pathologist at Dr Ahmed Kalebi Labs. “Am I worried about metabolic liver disease being a silent epidemic? I am not just worried, I know, because we see it on a daily basis. The number of cases that we pick silently when we come for health check-ups is shocking, and we actually need to do a lot more to increase awareness for people to come for screening and a change of lifestyle. If we don’t, we will be paying a huge price in the next decade to two decades, and that is why 2050 is seen as the culmination of when there will be an explosion of this liver disease associated with cancer,” he says. Professor Hashem El-Serag believes cases of Hepatitis B and C are causing the increased liver cancer rates in Africa, and that screening and vaccination in the region are lagging behind the rest of the world. However, he stresses obesity—as the continent becomes increasingly ‘westernized’—is also a major factor. “Africa is also not immune to the obesity epidemic. With the progressive westernization of their lifestyle and their diets. So, they might be hit with multiple risk factors. A leftover from the old risk factors that really are not moving fast enough. And the emergence of the new risk factors that are happening as a result of globalization,” he says. Additional measures include public awareness campaigns, improved early detection, and better integration of palliative care for patients. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Germans are in kebab angst. They worry that their most beloved street food option, the spicy, juicy kebab in a pita that can be found on every street corner across Germany, may get more expensive—or even worse, that the country may be sliding into a national kebab shortage. Even if these fears may sound exaggerated at first, they aren't unfounded. Workers at one of Germany's biggest kebab factories are locked in a bitter and ongoing fight with their employer over wages and working conditions. For weeks, workers at the Birtat Meat World SE factory in southwestern Germany have repeatedly stopped the production line by walking off their jobs in "warning strikes," demanding wage increases of 375 euros ($434) per month. Birtat, which is located in Murr, 30 kilometers (nearly 20 miles) north of Stuttgart, has been making kebab skewers for more than 30 years. The company says on its website that it makes skewers of ground beef, veal, chicken or turkey kebab that can weigh up to 120 kilograms (260 pounds). The workers chop up the meat, marinate it and push chunks of the raw meat onto long metal skewers. The meat is then shock-frozen and delivered to restaurants all over the country. Birtat says it supplies thousands of kebab stands and fast-food places and reaches more than 13 million consumers every month. Some restaurant owners worry that should the workers decide to go on a long-term strike, the Germans' favorite fast-food snack may indeed become more expensive or even scarce. Germans already complain that the meaty snack, which used to be a cheap staple that sold for 2.50 euros about two decades ago, has become too expensive, with most places charging at least 7 euros ($8) or more. Halil Duman was pondering the state of the kebab business as he was busy slicing off thin pieces of ground beef at Pergamon Döner, a small eatery at Berlin's Friedrichstrasse train station, where people were lining up for lunch. "It's all getting more and more difficult," the 68-year-old Turkish immigrant said. "The produce is becoming more expensive, and we barely make profit anymore." This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Surveillance systems in American schools increasingly monitor everything students write on school accounts and devices. Thousands of school districts across the country use software like Gaggle and Lightspeed Alert to track kids’ online activities, looking for signs they might hurt themselves or others. With the help of artificial intelligence, technology can dip into online conversations and immediately notify both school officials and law enforcement. Educators say the technology has saved lives. But critics warn it can criminalize children for careless words. A 13-year-old girl arrested in August 2023 had been texting with friends on a chat function tied to her school email at Fairview Middle School, which uses Gaggle to monitor students’ accounts. Taken to jail, the teen was interrogated and strip-searched, and her parents weren’t allowed to talk to her until the next day, according to a lawsuit they filed against the school system. Gaggle’s CEO, Jeff Patterson, said in an interview that the school system did not use Gaggle the way it is intended. The purpose is to find early warning signs and intervene before problems escalate to law enforcement, he said. “I wish that was treated as a teachable moment, not a law enforcement moment,” said Patterson. Students who think they are chatting privately among friends often do not realize they are under constant surveillance, said Shahar Pasch, an education lawyer in Florida. One teenage girl she represented made a joke about school shootings on a private Snapchat story. Snapchat’s automated detection software picked up the comment, the company alerted the FBI, and the girl was arrested on school grounds within hours. Teenagers face steeper consequences than adults for what they write online, Alexa Manganiotis, a 16-year-old student, said. “If an adult makes a super racist joke that’s threatening on their computer, … they wouldn’t be arrested,” she said. School officials have said they take concerns about Gaggle seriously, but also say the technology has detected dozens of imminent threats of suicide or violence. “Sometimes you have to look at the trade for the greater good,” said Board of Education member Anne Costello. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

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 more esoteric ones selling for 20,000 yen ($133). The bug as companion is an essential part of what's observed, enjoyed and cared for in everyday life, reflecting a deeply rooted celebration of humankind's oneness with nature. "They are so tiny. If you catch and study them, you're sure to discover something new," says Munetoshi Maruyama, professor of bioenvironmental sciences at Kyushu University, whose fascination with bugs began as a child, like many Japanese. "They are so beautiful in shape and form." One thrill that comes from studying insects is discovering a new species, simply because there are more than 1.2 million known kinds of insects, far more than mammals, which translates to a lot of undiscovered ones, said Maruyama, who has discovered 250 new insect species himself and shrugs that off as a relatively small number. Japan differs from much of the West in encouraging interaction with bugs from childhood, with lots of books written for children, as well as classes and tours. "In Japan, kids love bugs. You can even buy a net at a convenience store," he said. "It's fantastic that bugs can serve as a doorway to science." The love affair with bugs was clear at an exhibit in Tokyo, aptly called "The Great Insect Exhibition," which ran through the end of last month at the Tokyo Skytree Town, where crowds of children gathered around trees inside indoor cages so they could observe and touch the various beetles. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

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 each other's bounty. The game is low stress, with an aesthetic reminiscent of Minecraft and a soundtrack of soothing classical tunes such as Mozart’s “Rondo alla Turca” playing in the background. Its popularity has further cemented Roblox’s place not just in the gaming world but in popular culture—for better or for worse, it’s where the kids hang out. “The word I keep hearing used over and over to describe this particular game is that it’s chill, which is just such a nice alternative. I get a lot of sort of that Animal Crossing vibe from it. You know, like you can check in, you can check your gardens, you can get some new seeds, you can plant them,” said Betsy Bozdech, editorial director at the nonprofit Common Sense Media. “I have an 11-year-old son who (plays it) and he says to him the big difference is that a lot of games have a big giant objective that you have to do, but in Grow a Garden, you can just kind of hang out and do what you want,” Bozdech said. Coincidence or not, Grow a Garden soared to popularity around the same time that Take-Two Interactive announced it would delay the launch of its wildly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 until next year. In late June, the gardening game logged 21.6 million concurrent players, surpassing Fortnite’s previous record of 15.2 million according to Roblox. Analysts who follow Roblox’s stock say Grow a Garden is helping boost the company’s revenue and will push the company’s quarterly earnings numbers above Wall Street’s expectations. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

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 believe that both enterprises and customers will face pain points," said Wang Yifan, the director of the Robot Mall in Beijing E-Town, about 40 minutes southeast of downtown by car. Many of the companies have no experience in sales and marketing, and there are few opportunities to display their products, he told a pack of journalists at a media preview. The four-story facility is dubbed a 4S store, meaning sales, service, spare parts and surveys—or collecting and analyzing customer feedback. It is the first such store in China, though other cities are building them too, Wang said. Besides those performing tasks, the robots on display include ones that play soccer or Chinese chess, as well as historical figures from scientists Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton to Li Bai, considered one of China's greatest poets. Robots, showing perhaps a humanlike tendency, are not infallible. One was designed to recognize and separate trash from dishware returned by customers at a cafe. Its hand picked up a coffee cup and swung to one side, but then held the blue-green mug in the air, not putting it down on a tray. A worker intervened to reset the software. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

“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 organization focused on health policy. “Medical debt is fundamentally different from other kinds of consumer debt because it’s debt that consumers don’t choose,” said Helen Colby, an Indiana University professor who researches consumer financial and health decision-making. In early January, the Biden administration introduced a federal rule barring medical debt from being included in credit reports. But on July 11, a federal judge in Texas struck down the rule, saying it exceeded the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s authority. Colby said the inclusion of medical debt in credit reports will make it more difficult for people to find apartments, buy cars, and get jobs. Brown said he retired from a 30-year career in hospital transportation and now receives disability benefits. With the help of a lawyer, he filed for bankruptcy last month because the debt had become unmanageable. “I am tired, and I’m getting older,” he said. “I don’t need anything at this age stressing me out.” This article was provided by The Associated Press.

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 increased sharply and made Australian-produced chocolate more competitively priced than ever. “We have the demand, and that’s not just in Australia, we do get inquiries from overseas now that we’re becoming a bit more well-known,” says Jahnke. Cultivated solely in far north Queensland, Australian cocoa production usually caters to a niche, boutique local market. Now, farmers are quickly expanding their plantations by planting more trees. “We just don’t have enough beans, it’s as simple as that. So, we’re furiously trying to do the things that are necessary to expand,” says Jahnke. In Europe, a new trade deal scheduled to take effect later this year may boost demand for Australian-grown cocoa even more. “Effectively, the outline of the agreement is that any cocoa or other commodities which have come from deforested land after 2020 will effectively not be allowed to be imported into the European blocs,” explains Rabobank analyst Paul Joules. And that will put Australian cacao in a very advantageous position. “Deforestation to grow cocoa in Australia doesn’t happen, so right from the get-go, we’ve got a significant advantage in the compliance, especially into the European market,” concludes Jahnke. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

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 enrolled in college, according to National Student Clearinghouse Research Center data. That's compared to 64 percent of suburban graduates and 59 percent of urban graduates. College can make a huge difference in earning potential. An American man with a bachelor’s degree earns an estimated $900,000 more over his lifetime than a peer with a high school diploma, research by the Social Security Administration has found. For women, the difference is about $630,000. A lack of a college degree is no obstacle to opportunity in places such as Wyoming County, where people like to say there are more cows than people. The dairy farms, potato fields and maple sugar houses are sources of identity and jobs for the county just east of Buffalo. Around the country, many students feel jaded by the high costs of college tuition. And Americans are increasingly skeptical about the value of college, polls have shown. In upstate New York, high school junior Devon Wells grew up on his family farm in Perry, but doesn't see his future there. He's considering a career as a welder or as an electrical line worker in South Carolina, where he heard the pay might be double what he would make at home. None of his plans requires college, he said. “I grew up on a farm, so that’s all hands-on work. That’s really all I know and would want to do,” Devon said. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

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 thousands of hours of internet videos to make the annual compilation. “I want to show how broad the idea of a cat video can be, so there’s animated things, music videos, little mini documentaries,” Braden said. “It isn’t all just what I call ‘America’s Funniest Home Cat Videos.’ It’s not all cats falling into a bathtub. That would get exhausting.” Now in its eighth year, CatVideoFest is bigger than ever, with a global presence that’s already extended to the UK and Denmark, and, for the first time, to France, Spain, Japan and Brazil. Last year, the screenings made over $1 million at the box office. In the early days, it was a bit of a process trying to convince independent movie theaters to program CatVideoFest. But Braden and indie distributor Oscilloscope Laboratories have found that one year is all it takes to get past that hurdle. “Everywhere that does it wants to do it again,” Braden said. Current theatrical partners include Alamo Drafthouse, IFC Center, Nitehawk, Vidiots, Laemmle and Music Box. The screenings attract all varieties of audiences, from kids and cat ladies to hipsters and grandparents and everyone in between. “It’s one of the only things, maybe besides a Pixar movie or Taylor Swift concert, that just appeals to everybody,” Braden said. And the plan is to keep going. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

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 Park. The summer months are ideal to spot them as they start to dwindle throughout the month of August. While northeastern nights may seem brighter this summer, the bugs are still on the decline, and they're waning at a faster rate than ever before. "It would be a mistake to say firefly populations are high this year; therefore, there's no decline," said Matt Schlesinger with the New York Natural Heritage Program, who is part of an effort to count fireflies in state parks. Some firefly species could be doing well this year, Schlesinger said, while others are still on the decline. Habitat loss, pesticide use, and light pollution are responsible. In cities, blaring lights from billboards, cars and storefronts can drown out the bugs' glow, making it harder for them to find their kin and pass their genes onto the next generation. Fireflies are part of the story of summer, said entomologist Jessica Ware with the American Museum of Natural History. Her children grew up seeing them flash in her backyard, but the bugs started to disappear once her kids hit their teenage years. In the past few months, her family has seen the fireflies come back. Their return made her think about all the kids who are glimpsing the glowing bugs for the very first time. "It shouldn't be new," Ware said. "It should be something that is a universal part of summer." To look out for fireflies, consider turning the lights off at night and avoiding spraying front lawns with insecticides. This article was provided by The Associated Press.