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University of Oxford ranked best in the world

2016年12月27日

Oxford University gained the top spot among the best ranking universities for the year 2016. Oxford surpassed California Institute of Technology this year because of a more substantial research budget and increased international reception. Oxford is really excited by this recent turn of events, being that the recent Brexit could have entirely jeopardized the university’s funding, collaborative projects and international reception. Joining Oxford are Cambridge and Imperial College London in the fourth and eight spots respectively. They join the ranks of top Amercian universities like Stanford, Harvard, Princeton & MIT. The recent positioning of the universities likewise demonstrates the rising impact of Asian universities, especially those in China, which are…
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Labor shortage

2016年12月23日

Japan’s apparent aging and decreasing population is causing the greatest shortages of manpower for labor-intensive sectors. Industries like hotels, restaurants, and elderly care facilities are less capable of offering competitive wages as they hit lowest on productivity per employee. Also, the elderly care system is undermined by government efforts that set the compensation down. In 2015, the average monthly wages in Japan fell for the fourth consecutive year. The central bank’s target for the average monthly wage increase is 2% for 2016, but the labor ministry data records an increase of only 1% in September. Adding to this labor predicament is the sabotage of employees’ bargaining power due to the…
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A winter deer-calling event

2016年12月23日

According to folklore, deer are considered sacred. People believe that deer were messengers of the Gods. That’s why all the wild deer must roam freely. The Shikayose or deer-calling in Kasugataisha Shrine, Nara prefecture is held every morning during winter. Shikayose is also held during summer. As people wait in Tobihino, a man blows a horn, then hundreds of wild deer begin running to gather around. Tourists can play with the deer, pet them or take pictures with them. They can also buy some shika senbei or deer crackers for 150 yen per pack. After that, most of the deer will leave and go back to their routine. Don’t miss…
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Japan broadcasters to air in advanced TV formats

2016年12月22日

  A good portion of Japanese broadcasting companies is setting high expectations on advanced television broadcasting formats. The Association for Promotion of Advanced Broadcasting Services(A-PAB) conducts tests on 4k and 8k, which are higher resolution broadcasting formats, through satellite channels. Home electronic companies sign up to change their current airing formats to 4k and 8k. The 4k format is expected to deliver four times the number of pixels of the current high-definition format and 8k should be around sixteen times better. Although the technology is looked forward to, large sums should be invested to make the technology widely available.   Vocabulary: format – the form, design or arrangement of the…
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Fake U.S. embassy in Ghana shut down after a decade of issuing visas

2016年12月22日

  GHANA—A fake U.S. Embassy was discovered in the capital city of Accra. It was issuing illegally obtained authentic visas for the past decade. The fake embassy was operating in a dilapidated pink two-storey building with a corrugated iron roof, along with the U.S. Flag outside and a portrait of President Barack Obama inside. The fake embassy was said to be operated by both Ghanian and Turkish organized crime rings, along with a Ghanian lawyer practicing immigration and criminal law. Turkish citizens who can speak English and Dutch posed as consular officers. Investigations revealed that the crime ring charges $6000 for illegally obtained U.S. Visas, identification documents and birth certificates….
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New Lung Transplant Technique To Save More Lives

2016年12月19日

  A new life-saving method has been devised to lengthen the time needed by doctors to perform lung transplants. Surgeons will be given double the time to perform each operation with the ex-vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) in contrast to their typical six hours. The technique works to keep the lungs functioning, given that they are out of the human body for almost half a day, that is crucial to the recipient’s survival. Getting the organs to the patients on time is a matter of life and death. Fortunately, the EVLP can push the organ delivery for over 12 hours to the operation. The EVLP ices the lungs and pumps liquid…
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Amazon Limits Customer Reviews

2016年12月16日

  Online store Amazon has set a cutoff point on the allowed number of reviews per user. The site’s revised rules consent five ratings per week only, of items not purchased via the website. This is to abolish feigned ratings on the online marketplace – an act to regain the customers’ trust. On top of that, Amazon has engaged in a lawsuit against sellers that trade complimentary merchandise in exchange of affirmative ratings. This act also intends to clamp down people exploiting online merchants through such agreement. The online store also targets to hamper reviews of purchased products if it has an unusually huge number of reviews in an instant….
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Online market competitions

2016年12月16日

  Online shopping giants are going extreme to outdone each other as demands for goods online intensifies. Amazon Japan upped its game by expanding target areas on its 1-hour delivery service called Prime Now. Ratuken, Inc., on the same level, does not back down on the challenge by introducing more points, which you gain after every purchase and can be used to avail their merchandises. The Yahoo! Shopping site also employed the same strategy. The companies are all stepping up their strategies to gain more customers. The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry said in a statement that the e-commerce market is worth a whooping ¥13.8 trillion just in 2015. The…
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Naganuma for Olympics 2020

2016年12月16日

  A change of plan has crossed out Miyagi Prefecture as a venue for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The International Olympic Committee, the national government, the Tokyo metropolitan government, and the organizing committee have removed Miyagi Naganuma boat race course in Tome, Miyagi Prefecture from the list for the Tokyo games in favor of the initial venue, Sea Forest Waterway on Tokyo Bay. Holding the games at Naganuma had seemed practical as the cost could be kept around 15 billion yen to 20 billion yen in comparison to the initial 32.8 billion yen on the Sea Forest Waterway plan. However, pursuing this Naganuma plan would divide the Olympic village and…
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University officials say undocumented students studying abroad should go home

2016年12月16日

  Undocumented immigrant students who are studying abroad are advised by colleges in the United States to return home before Donald Trump assumes presidency in January. This is due to Trump’s campaign for deportation of 2 to 3 million undocumented immigrants. This opens up the probability to cancel the former administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program which provides provisionary relief to youths from expatriation. California State University advised its 23 campuses to convince DACA beneficiaries abroad to return home before January 20. University of California’s 9 campuses are coordinating with students participating in Education Abroad Program to inform students of possible implications of leaving the country. Pomona College…
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