Discussion topics

A career in sport?

By Chiedza on Σεπτέμβριος 18 2024
Evergreen
Sporting equipment on a turf

After winning two medals at the Paris Olympics, Manu Bhaker encouraged students in India to consider sport as a career. She emphasized that sport offers a lot of experience and personal growth, which makes it a fulfilling and beautiful career. Bhaker also mentioned that sport involves a lot of challenges but it's important to learn from them and keep fighting to achieve your dreams.

Recycling food waste in Japan

By Chiedza on Σεπτέμβριος 4 2024
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Empty comtainers with the recycling symbol in the centre

It was Koichi Takahashi's dream to create a sustainable society through recycling and regeneration. His dream came true when he built a company that turns food waste into high-quality pig feed. In his company, Japan Food Ecology Center, Takahashi made use of the popular Japanese practice, "fermentation".

Alain Delon, an iconic movie star

By Chiedza on Αύγουστος 28 2024
Evergreen
Cinema equipment on table

Alain Delon, one of the most exceptional actors of all time, passed away at the age of 88 on the 18th of August after a few years of poor health. He was known for compelling performances in almost 90 films during his career. The French President, Emmanuel Macron, described the actor as someone who "played legendary roles and made the world dream". 

Disney to expand cruise business

By Chiedza on Αύγουστος 14 2024
Topical
Large luxurious cruise ship sailing in the sea on a sunny day

Disney is expanding its cruise business by adding a new ship in Tokyo. The new ship will go on it's first trip in 2029. Families with children will be able to enjoy Disney activities and characters on the ship.

Currently, Disney has five ships and this ship will be similar to Disney Wish. It will carry 4,000 passengers and it's expected to cost between $600 and $2,000 per person.

Visuals: Japan's population

By Chiedza on Ιούλιος 31 2024
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People walking in a city

Japan's population has been decreasing for the last 15 years. In 2023, it dropped by more than half a million to 124.9 million because of low birth rates and high death rates. However, foreign residents increased by 11% to more than 3 million.

The government has tried to increase birth rates by allocating a $34 billion budget for childcare incentives. This is because many young Japanese are unwilling to marry or have children. 

Please look at the chart and present it to your teacher.

Skateboarding in Tokyo

By Chiedza on Ιούλιος 26 2024
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A young african male teenager on a skateboard

Skateboarding became a part of the Olympics for the first time in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Amazingly, Japan's skateboarding team won three Olympic gold medals that year. After this, skateboarding became very popular in Japan.

The team is now bigger and ready to compete in this year's Paris 2024 Olympics*. As a result of their commitment, the young athletes have successfully blended traditional techniques with innovative styles.

Miyata banned from the Olympics

By Chiedza on Ιούλιος 24 2024
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Female gymnast doing a complicated trick on gymnastics balance beam in a professional arena

The 19 year-old Japanese gymnast, Shoko Miyata will no longer be competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics as she was sent home for smoking and drinking alcohol. Not only is this a violation of the team's code of conduct, but it also goes against Japan's legal drinking age of 20.

Her coach, Mutsumi Harada, confirmed that she was dealing with a lot of pressure as a result of the competition. Therefore, he has urged people to be understanding. Unfortunately, her dismissal means that her team will be at a disadvantage, with only four athletes instead of five.

A six-day work week in Greece

By Chiedza on Ιούλιος 10 2024
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Focused businessman having breakfast

On July 1, 2024, Greece introduced a six-day workweek to reduce labour shortages and eradicate unpaid overtime. This law applies to industrial facilities and 24/7 services but it excludes tourism and food services.

While Greece sees this as a positive step, employee relations experts around Europe argue that the long working hours and inadequate rest will affect work-life balance and productivity. This decision is also quite a surprise because other European countries want to implement shorter workweeks.

AI or human-made?

By Chiedza on Ιούλιος 3 2024
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A camera and laptop on a table

Photographer Miles Astray submitted a human-made image "Flamingone" in an AI competition and won. Unfortunately when the organizers realized his photo was not AI generated, they disqualified him. Astray wanted to highlight the importance of questioning the authenticity of photos, videos and audios.

Following his disqualification, Astray had this to say, "I couldn’t live the life I’m living without technology, so I don’t demonise it, but I think its often a double-edged sword with the potential to do both good and harm.

 

Working in Finland

By Chiedza on Ιούνιος 26 2024
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Woman crossing a suspension bridge in a snowy Oulanka National Park, Finland

Finland is known as the world's happiest country. The country has a unique work culture which makes going to work enjoyable! Framery, a Finnish manufacturing company is one of the many companies that builds this work culture by making these five phrases a part of their daily work ethic:

"What if Trump?"—"Moshitora"

By Chiedza on Ιούνιος 21 2024
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An African American man on voter registration day

Moshitora, a Japanese word that had slipped into the background has re-emerged as Donald Trump returns to the campaign trail. The word moshitora which means "what if Trump", was first used during the 2016 election. It reflects Japan's concerns about the implications of a potential second Trump term for US-Japan relations. 

Ippei Mizuhara pleads guilty

By Chiedza on Ιούνιος 19 2024
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A gavel on a table

The story that had taken many twists and turns since March finally came to an end as Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud. He admitted that he stole nearly $17 million from the baseball star to cover illegal gambling debts.

Mizuhara also confessed that he evaded tax of more than $1million in 2022. He is yet to be sentenced, but it's said that he is likely to spend about 30 years in prison for bank fraud, and additional time for tax fraud​.

A run across Africa

By Chiedza on Ιούνιος 5 2024
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Man runner sprinting outdoor in scenic nature

Imagine the possibility of running across the whole continent of Africa! Well, Russell Cook, known as "Hardest Geezer," proved that this is very possible by running the entire length of Africa. Even though he completed his race, he faced many challenges which include an armed robbery, visa issues and injuries.

He was determined to complete this run because he had struggled with mental health, gambling, and drinking. By taking on this challenge, he was able to make a positive impact by raising almost $1 million for charity.

Oceans heating up globally

By Chiedza on Μάιος 31 2024
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Aegean sea coast with greenery around, rocks, bushes and trees, blue water with waves, Greece

Record ocean temperatures show that the seas are warming faster than expected, with significant impacts globally. Oceans absorb over 90% of the heat trapped by greenhouse gases, and since March 2023, daily global ocean surface temperatures have set new records. February 2024 saw a full year of 1.5℃ surface air temperature warming.