Topic Reading-Vol.4386-4/27/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,  

Can AI help solve Japan’s labour shortages?

For job markets where there are enough human workers, AI or robots might pose a threat to job security. However, in places where the population or the workforce is shrinking like Japan, they are savoirs. As the country’s population is declining faster than ever and the workforce is rapidly aging, especially in labor-intensive industries like agriculture and service, AI is becoming a reliable and productive workforce. For example, AI-powered cameras are used to detect any faulty dumplings on the production lines. Also, AI helps identify diseases, pests, and weeds when smartphone photos of struggling crops are uploaded and then suggests which pesticide might be needed. Though changes occur very slowly to improve productivity in Japan, people and businesses are now desperate to bring in whatever workforce to fill the worker shortages.

Read the article and learn about how Japan is using AI workforce to deal with labor shortages.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-68225115

Topic Reading-Vol.4385-4/26/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,  

270 million people are living on sinking land in China’s major cities, new study finds

Land subsidence is the gradual sinking or settling of the Earth's surface due to natural processes and human activities. The primary causes of human-caused land subsidence include groundwater extraction, mining activities, and urban development. If more groundwater is extracted than it is replenished, the water table is lowered and the overlying land sinks.  Also, the land sinks due to the growing weight of cities themselves, such as roads, bridges, and buildings. A new study found that nearly half of China’s urban areas are sinking faster than 3 millimeters a year, and over 20% of the areas are subsiding faster than 10 millimeters per year. When land subsidence is coupled with sea level rise in coastal cities like Shanghai, the area could face more severe and frequent flooding. One effective but expensive patchwork is to build physical protection like a dyke. In fact, Shanghai’s dyke system stretches along the coast of the East China Sea, spanning approximately 120 kilometers from the mouth of the Yangtze River in the north to Hangzhou Bay in the south. Can other coastal cities in the world afford to build and maintain such costly dyke systems to prevent flooding?

Read the article and learn about land sinking in major cities in China.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/18/climate/china-sinking-cities/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4384-4/25/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,  

India election: A visual guide to voting in the world’s largest democracy

With a population of over 1.4 billion, India is the most populous and largest democratic country in the world. There are over 960 million eligible voters for this year’s general election. In India, voters must be Indian citizens, 18 years of age or older, and be on the electoral register. Voter turnout in the last general election in 2019 was around two-thirds, roughly the same as the 2020 US election. Women’s turnout has been higher than that of men’s and more women voted than men in the 2019 election. 543 MPs will be elected for a five-year term in the lower house of parliament, and an individual party or coalition needs at least 272 seats to form a majority to govern. There are 131 seats reserved for MPs from so-called "scheduled castes" and "scheduled tribes". These are groups officially recognized as disadvantaged, and make up about a quarter of India's population. There are no fewer than one million polling stations across the country, the highest one being at 4,650 meters above sea level. Voting is taking place in different parts of India on seven polling days between April 19 and June 1. The results will be announced on 4 June. How does India register and implement this large-scale election without fraud or flaw?

Read the article and learn about the scale and mechanisms of the world’s largest general election.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/17/india/india-election-2024-hnk-intl-dg/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4383-4/24/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,  

What’s the cheapest way to the edge of space? Ride a balloon

What extraordinary condition, experience, and view do you want to enjoy in or near space? If you want to go to space, orbit the Earth, and experience zero gravity at 300 kilometers above Earth, you can get a seat on SpaceX and fly like an astronaut. If you want to enjoy the taste of a weightless feeling at around 100 kilometers above Earth for a short time, you can book at Blue Origin or Virgin Galactic. Since all of these space flight vehicles have some sort of rocket engine, you’ll need to bear with a strong G for ascending, clumsy space suits, and economy-class seating. If you just want to enjoy a magnificent view from 25 to 40 kilometers above the ground, which is twice or three times higher than the cruising altitude of modern jetliners, in first-class seating and environment, you’ll be able to take a balloon flight serviced by a Spanish startup HALO. Their balloon departs pre-dawn so that the passengers will enjoy a white sunrise at the edge of the stratosphere with the deep black of space beyond. Since there is no steep ascending or zero-gravity experience, the passengers can wear their favorite costumes and enjoy drinks and food during the flight. Which special experience are you interested in trying?

Read the article and learn about space trip options that are and will be on sale.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/16/travel/halo-space-near-space-balloon-trip/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4382-4/23/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,  

Sudan on brink of collapse and starvation as country marks one year of civil war

Sudan lies in Northeast Africa just in the south of Egypt. The population is nearly 50 million, most of whom are Sunni Islam, and the capital is Khartoum. Today’s Sudan was the northern region of the former Sudan that was split in 2011 when the southern region, mostly Christians, voted to become independent after decades of religious and ethnic conflicts. Since a power struggle started about a year ago between two military factions, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), millions of civilians, including two million children under five years old have been forced to flee. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled to neighboring countries or returned home in adverse circumstances – notably to the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. Others self-relocated within Sudan, and thousands of homes, schools, hospitals, and other civilian structures have been destroyed. Despite the call for humanitarian aid to the international community, not enough funding has been obtained. Also, aid items are hardly delivered to those who want them the most because of the upheaval caused by the conflict. At the moment, little or no hope is seen for the future of Sudan.

Read the article and learn about what the situation has been like in Sudan in the last 12 months.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/15/africa/sudan-civil-war-marks-one-year-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4381-4/22/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,  

Sikhs celebrate harvest festival of Baisakhi, marking new year

Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent in the late 15th century by Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Sikhs believe in one formless, timeless God, and the teachings of Sikhism emphasize equality, compassion, hard work, and service to others. Sikhs don’t have their hair cut, and Sikh males wear a turban and females often wear a headscarf to cover hair. There are around 30 million Sikhs worldwide, most of whom live in India. On April 13 or 14, they celebrate Baisakihi, symbolizing the new harvest season and the beginning of the solar new year. They gather at Sikh temples for special prayers, devotional singing, and community meals. The Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab, India, is one of the holiest sites in Sikhism, where as many as 100,000 free communal meals are served daily. 

To pray, sing, bathe, and eat at the Golden Temple seems to be a great event for Sikh devotees to start a new year.

Read the article and see the photos to learn about Sikh’s New Year festival.

https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2024/4/13/sikhs-celebrate-harvest-festival-of-baisakhi-marking-new-year

Topic Reading-Vol.4380-4/21/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

The ski resorts saving snow over the summer

As global temperatures rise and winters become warmer, ski resorts are struggling to get enough snow to draw skiers and snowboarders, especially in the early seasons. Many now try to make the slopes skiable with snow guns, especially in the early season. However, that is when snow guns are least efficient in making snow because of the warmer temperatures. Then how about using the leftover snow from the previous season? You might wonder how snow is preserved through the summer to the next season. But as winters become warmer and snow starts falling later, many ski resorts are storing snow for the next season. Towards the end of the season, snow that is left on the slopes and the mountain is pushed together and covered with insulation. Then at the beginning of the next season, the snow is uncovered and spread to the slopes. To your surprise, around 80% of snow mass is found to be kept over the summer. Nowadays, utilizing what is left seems essential not only for food or water but also for snow.

Read the article and learn about how ski resorts are keeping snow for the next season.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240410-the-ski-resorts-saving-snow