Expert

Pancake Tuesday before Lent

2017年3月31日

Lifestyle

  For a considerable length of time, Britons have observed Pancake Day, which is otherwise called Shrove Tuesday. Pancake Day is the day before Ash Wednesday. Shrove Tuesday got its name from the Christian custom to be “shriven”, to acquire pardon for one’s wrongdoings through confession and atonement before the begin of Lent. The making of pancakes or flapjacks is often associated with Shrove Tuesday as it is a method of spending indulgent foods just before the Lent season. Eggs, milk and sugar aren’t generally consumed during fasting season, thus, consumed the day before. Besides making and eating flapjacks, there is an annual pancake race being held. The idea is…
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Abe ‘builds trust’ with Trump

2017年3月31日

World News - Expert

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe paid an unofficial visit to Donald Trump, the president of the United States of America, in order to maintain a relationship of trust with the latter. Noting that the Japan-US alliance is the axis of Japan’s diplomacy and security, Prime Minister Abe said that he aims to ‘build trust’ with the new US President. Moreover, Prime Minister Abe wants to further bolster the coalition between Japan and the US. It has been reported that the US President has mentioned in one of his interviews that, “Japan is better if it protects itself against this maniac of North Korea,” leaving the officials of Japanese government concerned. Abe…
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Traditional approach of Tokyo hotels

2017年3月31日

Lifestyle

  When Tokyo hosted its first summer Olympic Games in 1964, many Western-style hotels opened one after another to accommodate the increasing number of foreign visitors. Nowadays, some hotels recently unveiled renovated Japanese-style rooms. As a preparation for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, hotels started to offer Japanese-style accommodation and hospitality. Foreign guests can now experience traditional ryokan without even leaving the city. Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa used tatami, paper screens, shiraki furniture, and lantern-like lighting for their rooms. A kimono-clad cadre also welcomes guests upon their arrival. The hotel recently opened their club lounge Oh-sai and spa salon Tayuta for guests staying in Japanese-style rooms. The lounge offers culinary…
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Recipe for success: The growth of team-building cookery classes

2017年3月31日

Business - E

  Company away days are usually spent through team building, seminars or charity which are said to be stodgy and humiliating. Nowadays, cookery classes for companies are offered in some parts of Europe. Food@Work handled cooking classes of SIG, a hardware company based in London. SIG employees say that working in the kitchen loosened taut officers. Belguim-based Waffle Workshop originally targeted tourists but focused on companies instead because of perils that happened last year. Making waffles while knowing their colleagues more made attendees euphoric. France-based L’Atelier des Sens holds at least 150 team building cookery classes with 50 instructing chefs per month. L’Atelier des Sens observed that the organizational chart…
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Japanese government to give scholarships in 2018

2017年3月31日

Education - E

Approximately 20,000 students will be granted state-sponsored scholarsips in Japan in 2018. A monthly allowance of ¥20,000 will be provided to students at public universities who live with their parents; ¥30,000 will be given monthly to students of such schools living away from their parents and students attending private universities who live with their parents; and, students at private universities who live away from their parents will receive ¥40,000. As a precursory action, in 2017, Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO) will give financial support to 2,650 students. The academic grants, which will be introduced to students from low-income households, are a far-reaching step in aiding citizens to achieve higher education…
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Apple cider vinegar for weight loss

2017年3月29日

Health - Intermediate

Apple cider vinegar is known for its beneficial effects to our body. Rumors spread that it helps with type-2 diabetes and teeth whitening. But can it also help lose weight? Carol Johnston, a professor from Arizona State University School of Nutrition and Health Promotion, has been studying the effects of apple cider vinegar for almost a decade. According to her, there’s no concrete evidence yet if ACV truly aids with weight loss; although, the acetic acid in vinegar may activate fat metabolism. A study conducted in Japan back in 2009, revealed the significant effect of apple cider vinegar in weight loss. By taking at least two tablespoons of mixed apple…
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Asia’s fastest growing economies have the fastest growing slums

2017年3月29日

Business - E

  World Bank data states that nations such as Cambodia, Mongolia, Myanmar, and the Philippines have a high number of squatters in key cities. Cities such as Manila and Jakarta offer encroached properties for migrants. World Bank senior specialist Makiko Watanabe said that opportunities in cities lead to the boost of migrants. It is said that people migrate because of the notion that cities offer a lot of opportunities such as employment and convenience. World Bank offers two solutions for governments to cope up with the rising urban population. Solutions are either recasting a rural town into an urbanized city or developing areas outside key cities to decongest the population….
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Turrón

2017年3月29日

Lifestyle

Turrón is a popular Spanish dessert made from honey, sugar and nuts. It was invented in Jijona by the Moors over 500 years ago. It is said to have been brought to Spain in the Middle Ages through colonization by the Moors. Manual de Mujeres (Women’s handbook), a 16th century handbook of recipes for cosmetics and food, contains the oldest living Spanish turrón recipe. Today, the Convent of Hermanas Clarisas is known to be the producer of the best turrón in Spain. Twenty-two nuns work together scrupulously to make perfect batches of turrón. Another secret to the prominence of the convent’s turrón is the fact that the nuns have carefully…
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E.U. fines three banks $520 million

2017年3月27日

Business - E

European Union authorities fined multinational banks JPMorgan Chase, Credit Agricole and HSBC for conspiracy over market manipulation. JPMorgan Chase was charged 337 million euros, Credit Agricole with 114 million euros, while HSBC based in London faced a fine of 33 million euros, with a sum amounting to $520 million. Mergrethe Vestager, the commissioner in charge of European competition policy, said that the financial institutions involved illicitly exchanged classified data to collectively bend interest rates with the intention of increasing their revenue. Barclays, Deutsche Bank, RBS and Societe Generale were charged three years ago for the same violation. Vocabulary: conspiracy – the activity of secretly planning with other people to do something…
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People keep their smartphones longer

2017年3月22日

technology

How long do Americans hold onto their smartphones? That’s the question that Kantar Worldpanel’s 2016 report answered. On average, Americans keep their phones for 22.7 months, while Europeans do so for 21.6 months. The data show an increase by almost two months from when Kantar Worldpanel did a similar report back in 2014. There is a stark difference between the data gathered among American smartphone users and Chinese smartphone users. The Chinese upgrade their phones faster at an average of 20.2 months. The report attributes this trend to the fact that the smartphone market in China is liquid. Moreover, online shopping is more extensive in the country. Vocabulary: stark –…
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