Article Notes

1. A remark by Prince Akishino, who will become first in line to the throne next year, has stirred controversy over how freely members of the Imperial family can speak about contentious matters because the Constitution prohibits the head of the family from being involved in politics. 2. In a rare move for a royal, Prince Akishino, second son of the outgoing Emperor Akihito, questioned the government’s decision to use a massive amount of public money for a Shinto-related ritual to take place in November next year as part of the ascension of Crown Prince Naruhito. 3. “I wonder whether it is appropriate to cover the highly religious event with state funds,” the prince said during a recent news conference for his 53rd birthday, baffling senior bureaucrats of the Imperial Household Agency as well as many experts on royal family matters. 4. Major Japanese media outlets covered his comments extensively Friday morning, prompting many in Japan to revisit not only the principle of t...

1 WASHINGTON — Humans are transforming Earth’s natural landscapes so dramatically that as many as one million plant and animal species are now at risk of extinction, posing a dire threat to ecosystems that people all over the world depend on for their survival, a sweeping new United Nations assessment has concluded.        2 The 1,500-page report, compiled by hundreds of international experts and based on thousands of scientific studies, is the most exhaustive look yet at the decline in biodiversity across the globe and the dangers that creates for human civilization. A summary of its findings , which was approved by representatives from the United States and 131 other countries, was released Monday in Paris. The full report is set to be published this year.                                                           ...

Can Evolutionary Logic Help Cultivate a Better Future for the Human Body? All that we can do is to keep steadily in mind that each organic being is striving to increase in a geometrical ratio; that each, at some period of its life, during some season of the year, during each generation, or at intervals, has to struggle for life and to suffer great destruction. When we reflect on this struggle, we may console ourselves with the full belief that the war of nature is not incessant, that no fear is felt, that death is generally prompt, and that the vigorous, the healthy, and the happy survive and multiply.  CHARLES DARWIN, On the Origin of Species. 1. There’s a popular joke about a group of octogenarians discussing their health problems. “My eyes are so bad I can no longer see clearly.” “The arthritis in my neck hurts so much, I can’t turn my head.” “My heart medication makes me dizzy.” “Yes, that’s the price we pay for living so long, but at least we can still drive!” In m...

A dozen or so Japanese tourists a year have to be repatriated from the French capital, after falling prey to what's become known as "Paris syndrome". That is what some polite Japanese tourists suffer when they discover that Parisians can be rude or the city does not meet their expectations.  The experience can apparently be too stressful for some and they suffer a psychiatric breakdown.  Around a million Japanese travel to France every year.  Shocking reality Many of the visitors come with a deeply romantic vision of Paris - the cobbled streets, as seen in the film Amelie, the beauty of French women or the high culture and art at the Louvre. The reality can come as a shock.  An encounter with a rude taxi driver, or a Parisian waiter who shouts at customers who cannot speak fluent French, might be laughed off by those from other Western cultures. But for the Japanese - used to a more polite and helpful society in which voices are rarely raised in anger ...

Super-rich get richer - Advanced 1 . If someone is described as ____________, they are considered to be a suitable marriage partner because they are rich or attractive in some other way. 2 . If someone or something is ____________, they are interesting enough to be noticed. 3 . If you ____________ a place, you search it thoroughly. 4 . When you ____________ something, you make a list by bringing together information from different places.  5 . An ____________ is someone who uses money to start businesses and make deals. 6 . A ____________ is a rich and powerful person involved in business or industry. 7 . A ____________ is a successful, powerful and important businessman, particularly in the elds of oil, shipping and the media. 8 . If you ____________ wealth, you receive it from someone who has died. 9 . The process of selling goods direct to the public is known as ____________. 10 . A person who starts a company or an organization is known as its ______...

Super-rich get richer - Intermediate 1. If you ____________ money, you get it from someone who has died. 2. The verb to ____________ means to make something such as a list, report or book by bringing together  information from many different places. 3. An ____________ is someone who uses money to start businesses and make business deals.  4. A ____________ is a rich and powerful person in business or industry. 5. A ____________ is a very large amount of money. 6. A ____________ is a man who has never been married. 7. A ____________ is someone who starts an organization or business. 8. ____________ is the process of selling goods directly to the public. 9. ____________ are things that can be bought or sold, especially basic food products or fuel. 10. An ____________ is a woman who will receive money or property when another person dies.  Look in the text and and this information as quickly as possible. 1. Who is the world’s richest man? 2...

Super-rich get richer - Elementary 1. A ____________ is a man who has never been married. 2. ____________ are things that people buy or sell, especially food products, metals and fuels like oil.  3. A ____________ is the person who starts an organization or a business. 4. An ____________ is someone who uses money to start a business and make business deals. 5. A ____________ is a very rich and powerful businessman. 6. An ____________ is a woman who receives a lot of money from a person who has died. 7. A ____________ is a very, very large amount of money. 8. A ____________ is someone who has more than a billion pounds or dollars. 9. ____________ is the process of selling goods directly to the public. 10. ____________ is land and the buildings on it.  1   The richest people in the world are getting richer and richer. Forbes magazine has just published its latest list of dollar billionaires. The list shows that...

TOKYO  - Cherry blossoms make unexpected appearance The delicate blossoms of the cherry tree might be synonymous with the onset of spring in Japan -- except this year they're also blooming in autumn, a weather forecasting company said Wednesday. Experts told local media that the rare late blooms could be the result of this year's unusual weather, including a particularly active typhoon season.  Weathernews, a meteorological firm, said more than 300 people across Japan had reported cherry blossoms were blooming in their neighborhood, in a survey conducted last week.Local media spotted clusters of the famous pink and white blooms at several popular cherry blossom spots. Hiroyuki Wada, a tree doctor at the Flower Association of Japan, speculated that unusual weather patterns could be responsible for the blooms' surprise appearance.  He told public broadcaster NHK that violent storms had stripped trees of their leaves, which usually release a chemical that inhib...

Sapporo expected to drop out of 2026 Winter Olympic bid race In this Jan 23, 1972, file photo, members of Japan's self-defense ground forces raise Olympic Flags in Sapporo at Makomanai speed skating stadium in a rehearsal of ceremony at the official opening of the Winter Olympics. 1. The Japanese city of Sapporo is expected to stop pursuing the 2026 Winter Olympics, leaving four possible candidates as the IOC struggles to find hosts - particularly for the Winter Games. A city official said Deputy Mayor Takatohsi Machida and Japanese Olympic Committee president Tsunekazu Takeda will meet International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach on Monday.  "We haven't officially announced other items to be discussed with the IOC, however, I understand various matters might come up," city spokesman Akihiro Okumura said Friday. 2. The expected withdrawal - widely reported in Japan - isn't a surprise. It comes a week after an earthquake killed about 40 people...