Topic Reading-Vol.4389-4/30/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Can touchless tech create 'equitable' gaming?

Games, online games, in particular, give people the chance to compete with others who play thousands of kilometers away beyond borders, ages, and colors. Most players use their mouse or game controller with their hands. However, there are people who are unable to use their hands to control such devices. If they can play games in some way or another, they’ll be able to not only enjoy playing games by themselves but also interacting or competing with others around the world. Some devices track eye movement but they work only on particular equipment. Now, comes new software called MotionInput that allows users to create any new inputs for clicks or controls, including facial expressions or physical gestures. Then the computer’s webcam reads those movements and the software controls the movements and actions in the game accordingly. What is so special about this touchless computing technology is that it is designed to operate any game on any standard PC. Can ordinary people also use the software in the classroom or office to play games without being known to others?

Enjoy reading the article and learn about this new enabling technology.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cyxen4v97dro

Topic Reading-Vol.4388-4/29/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,  

Ocean heat is driving a global coral bleaching event, and it could be the worst on record

Coral reefs are diverse underwater ecosystems found in shallow, warm waters, typically in tropical and subtropical regions, such as the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Belize Barrier Reef in Central America, and the Red Sea Coral Reef. Coral reefs not only attract tourists and divers but also provide habitat, shelter, and food to countless marine species. It also acts as a natural barrier from the impacts of waves, storms, and sea level rise. When corals are exposed to stress from marine heat or pollution, they spit algae from their tissue and lose energy and colors, called coral bleaching. If ocean temperatures remain too warm, corals will die and threaten the lives and ecosystems around them. Since global sea surface temperatures marked the highest record in February and March due to global warming and El Niño, warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, coral reefs around the world are bleaching at an unprecedented scale. Although the opposite phenomenon of El Niño, La Niña, is expected to arrive soon this year, global warming hasn’t shown any sign of slowdown. Experts warn that coral reefs are facing existential danger now.

Read the article and learn about what problems coral reefs are facing.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/15/climate/global-coral-reef-mass-bleaching-climate-hnk-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4387-4/28/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Stayed up all night? Here’s how to feel better

People sometimes stay up too late or all night for fun, preparations, or deadlines. If there isn’t anything special that requires good physical or mental attention on the next day, that might be ok. But staying up all night will certainly affect your physical conditions, including upper respiratory issues and gastrointestinal problems. Also, lack of sleep slows reaction times, worsens logical reasoning, and impairs brain performance. But what if you stayed up all night? First, you want to get lights, natural or artificial, to wake up your body clock. Then move your body to boost circulation and increase alertness. If you feel still sleepy, take a short nap or two, but not longer than 20 minutes, to boost energy in your brain. However, these are all countermeasures after all. You’d better avoid staying up late or all night in the first place if you drive, work, study, or take exams on the following day.

Read the article and learn about what helps you to survive after a non-sleep night.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/19/health/lost-sleep-taylor-swift-album-wellness/index.html

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

Topic Reading-Vol.4379-4/20/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,  

California just hiked minimum wage for fast food workers. Some restaurants are replacing them with kiosks

As a home of strong industries such as high-tech, entertainment, and agriculture, California is one of the richest states in the USA. Accordingly, its cost of living is higher than in other states or countries. For example, a Big Mac costs nearly six dollars in Los Angeles while it costs less than four dollars in Tokyo or London. Also, California’s labor movement and worker advocacy groups are influential on the minimum wage. From this month, the minimum wage for California’s fast-food workers is raised by $4 to $20, which is around or over the minimum wage of newly hired United Auto Workers (UAW). The increase is expected to further accelerate the use of kitchen robots, self-order kiosks, and online orders. In fact, fast-food chains have found it not only helpful but also beneficial to use technologies rather than employing human workers when they have difficulty employing workers after the pandemic. Also, customers nowadays are more accustomed to ordering and paying by machines than by humans. In addition, restaurant operators found customers seem to be comfortable using machines and spend more than conventional order processes. Since food inflation is already suffering in fast-food restaurants, they are trying harder to manage the balance between cost, price, and customer satisfaction.

Read the article and learn about a recent minimum wage hike in California.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/11/business/california-minimum-wage-fast-food-kiosks/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4378-4/19/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,  

Canary Islanders call for hunger strike to protest against overtourism they say is pricing them out

With a population of 2.2 million, the Canary Islands are a Spanish archipelago off the coast of Northwestern Africa. In its year-round mild climate, the Canary Islands are a popular tourist destination where visitors can enjoy stunning natural landscapes, beautiful beaches, cultural heritage, and more. Since the islands are well-connected by air and sea, with international airports and regular ferry services, they used to attract as many as 12 million visitors per year. However, the number has increased to around 16 million in the last decade, over seven times the islands’ population. Residents feel there are too many tourists for limited space, water resources, and housing supply and are now protesting against excessive tourism for raising housing prices and causing environmental damage. Local government is pushed to hold meetings to design more environmentally and economically sustainable strategies. After the Covid pandemic, many popular tourist destinations, such as Venice and Barcelona, have been visited by way more tourists than they can sustainably manage, and have introduced restrictions on number of visitors or hotel development. Indeed, tourists spend money and support the local economy as long as there aren’t too many for the local community and environment.

Read the article and learn about what over-tourism has brought about in the Canary Islands.

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/canary-islands-cost-of-living-protest-scli-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4377-4/18/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,  

Climate change: 'Uncharted territory' fears after record hot March

El Niño and La Niña are two phases of the Southern Oscillation cycle, which interplay between the ocean and the atmosphere in the tropical Pacific Ocean. They have significant impacts on weather patterns around the globe. During El Niño, warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures develop in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. It tends to bring above-average rainfall in the western Pacific and leads to warmer temperatures in many parts of the world. On the contrary, during La Niña, average sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean are cooler than average. The last El Niño, which started last June and peaked in December, seems to have added heat into the already warming global atmosphere. As a result, March 2024 marked 1.68 degrees Celsius warmer temperature than “pre-industrial” times, and it was the 10^th consecutive month of high-temperature records. Since the El Niño cycle had been there before we started burning massive fossil fuels in the late 18^th century, it was not the El Niño that raised the temperature to an unprecedented level but the greenhouse gas emissions by humans. It now seems unrealistic to count on the upcoming La Niña to cool the global temperatures so much.

Read the article and see the graph to learn about how warmer the Earth is becoming.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-68665166

Topic Reading-Vol.4376-4/17/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Chechnya bans all music deemed too fast or too slow

Chechen is one of the 21 internationally recognized republics of Russia. It lies between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea and has a population of around 1.5 million, most of whom are Muslims. Chechen traditional music reflects the culture's history, values, and way of life. It often features vocal performances accompanied by traditional instruments. Songs may be narrative, celebrating heroic deeds or love, or they may be performed at cultural events and celebrations. Recently, the government of the republic announced a decision to limit all forms of music compositions to a tempo ranging from 80 to 116 beats per minute to ensure that Chechen musical and dance creations align with its mentality and musical rhythm. Since 2007, the republic has been ruled by Ramzan Kadyrov, who has been accused of human rights abuses and authoritarian practices, including crackdowns on political dissent and LGBT rights. Unlike Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, music itself isn’t banned entirely in Chechen, but tempo requirements by the government sound like an ancient or medieval ruling.

Read the article and learn about what music means to the Chechen’s conservative leader.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/08/europe/chechnya-music-ban-scli-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4375-4/16/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,  

Teachers are using AI to grade essays. But some experts are raising ethical concerns

Nowadays, many students use AI tools to create their works, like essays, reports, and research papers, and some schools have policies or guidelines on how AI tools can be used for schoolwork. But should teachers be allowed to use AI tools at their discretion to grade and give feedback on assignments? In fact, AI can provide dependable numerical scores on structure, language use, and grammar much faster, more accurately, and more consistently than human teachers do. Then teachers can focus on assessing the novelty, creativity, logic, coverage, and depth of insight of students’ works. So, it seems to benefit both students and teachers. However, uploading students’ works might breach their intellectual property as AI tools read and learn from uploaded content. It has only been a year and a half since ChatGPT was launched, and other generative AI tools have been emerging ever since. As they evolve, both writers and assessors also need to learn how to use them efficiently and with integrity.

Read the article and learn about how AI tools are being used in higher education.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/06/tech/teachers-grading-ai/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4374-4/15/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,  

Botswana threatens to send 20,000 elephants to Germany

Botswana is a landlocked country north of South Africa. With a population of just over 2.3 million, it is one of the world’s most sparsely populated countries. In the meantime, Botswana has the world’s largest elephant’s population, around 130,000 individuals. The country has been known for its strong conservation efforts and wildlife management policies, which have contributed to the maintenance of healthy elephant populations. In order to finance the conservation efforts and keep the elephant’s population under control, Botswana sells hunting permits. When German environment ministry suggested that they limit on importing trophies from hunting animals, Botswana’s president said they might send 20,000 elephants to Germany because there are too many of them for his country and people. Indeed, trophy hunting has been practiced in Africa for centuries and generated millions of dollars of revenue for local communities and governments. This could help finance the conservation efforts of the wild animals and compensation for inhabitants whose lives are affected by the wild animals. Even though hunting quotas are issued annually to sustain the elephant’s population, animal rights groups argue that trophy hunting should be banned. How the world can balance the wildlife conservation and human lives?

Read the article and learn about Botswana’s elephant’s population and trophy hunting.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-68715164

Topic Reading-Vol.4373-4/14/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,  

White House wants Moon to have its own time zone

Does a clock brought from the Earth to the Moon work accurately there? Not exactly. Since the gravity on the Moon is slightly weaker, the time on the moon moves slightly faster than on the Earth by nearly 60 microseconds every day. So, if you put an atomic clock on the Moon, it will tick faster than the ones on Earth. This could cause a catastrophic problem when absolute precision is required for coordinating activities, such as spacecraft docking on or above the Moon or data transfer at a specific time to and from the Earth. Recently, NASA, the US space agency, was directed to work with other government agencies to develop a lunar-based time system, called Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) before the agency’s scheduled manned landing mission on the Moon in 2026. Since a number of national and private missions to the Moon are also planned, it is essential to coordinate time between the Moon, spacecraft, and the Earth. But will there be only one timezone on the Moon?

Read the article and learn about time the new time zone for the Moon.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-68722032

Topic Reading-Vol.4372-4/13/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,  
Japanese people could all be called Sato by 2531, study warns. But they’d need to get married first
In patrilineal societies, the surname is passed down from father to children, creating a line of descent that tends to preserve the same surname within a family lineage. Over generations, this can lead to a consolidation of surnames within certain family lines. In such societies, surnames are lost or die out over time with each new generation as women take on their husbands’ surnames. In Japan, married couples are legally required to share the same surname, and most couples choose the husband’s surname. According to a new study, if the requirement were to be kept, all Japanese people could have the same surname, Sato, the most common surname in Japan in the next two centuries. In fact, the five most common surnames in Japan are; Sato, Suzuki, Takahashi, Tanaka, and Ito, and combined, they represent nearly 6% of all the surnames. But the more pressing issues are the number of marriages, new births, and population, which are all declining fast. Indeed, if the denominator shrinks and the numerator increases, the fraction will become closer to one.
Read the article and learn about Japan’s shrinking population and surname variations.
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/03/asia/japan-people-could-all-be-called-sato-by-2531-intl-hnk/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4371-4/12/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,  

Exploding craters and overflowing landfills are unexpected sources of methane

Methane is a colorless, odorless gas that occurs abundantly in nature and as a product of certain human activities. Methane is lighter than air and only slightly soluble in water. It burns rapidly in the air, forming carbon dioxide. It has a much higher global warming potential (GWP) than CO2 over a 20-year period, although it eventually breaks down into CO2 in the atmosphere over a longer timeframe. Naturally occurring methane is found both below ground and under the seafloor and is formed by both geological and biological processes, including permafrost, glacial meltwater, wetlands, and wildfires. Methane is also produced directly by human activities, such as hydro power, landfills, and agriculture. The Earth’s atmospheric methane concentration has been increasing rapidly caused mainly by human activities and global warming. Methane is no less harmful to the environment than CO2.

Read the article and learn about what methane is and from what source it is released into the air.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240402-the-surprising-sources-of-methane

Topic Reading-Vol.4370-4/11/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,  

OpenAI says it’s working on AI that mimics human voices

Last month, OpenAI introduced Sora, a video tool that creates realistic-looking 60-second videos from text instructions that include scenes with characters, motions, and elaborated background details. Then on April 1, it revealed a new AI tool called Voice Engine that can mimic human voices from a 15-second sample. Once a text is provided, the text-to-voice AI tool reads it in a way that the voice sample speaks not only in the original language but also in other languages like Chinese, German, or Japanese. Since text can be created by a speech-to-text app easily and quickly, the voice AI tool can be used for simultaneous translators in multiple languages. But if this kind of voice-mimicking app becomes widely available, voice can no longer be used for authentication. Also, one can call you to do something as if he or she is your boss, or disinformation can be easily created and spread. For example, if such mimic voices are incorporated into fake videos or Sora, one can become the President of the USA and speak in the Oval Office.

How easily will AI help or deceive humans?

Read the article and learn about OpenAI’s new voice-mimicking AI tool.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/01/tech/openai-ai-voice-generator-tool-voice-engine/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4369-4/10/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,  

Air defense for $13 a shot? How lasers could revolutionize the way militaries counter enemy missiles and drones

A directed-energy weapon (DEW) is a ranged weapon that damages its target with highly focused energy like lasers and microwaves without a solid projectile, such as bullets, cannonballs, and missiles. For example, laser guns and beams are often seen in science fiction films like Star Trek or Star Wars. Since a laser beam travels at the speed of light, it hits the target immediately without giving the target the time to maneuver. Once developed, laser beam weapons cost much less than conventional kinetic weapons like missiles or bullets. Also, laser weapons don’t require an ammunition supply as long as enough energy is provided to power them. For example, the recently tested UK’s laser weapon, DragonFire, costs only $13 a shot, much cheaper than million-dollar missile interceptors currently used. As unmanned aerial vehicles, drones, and missiles play pivotal roles in battle space, more precise and cost-effective defense systems are highly demanded. However, laser beam weapons have been tested by major military powers including the US, the UK, Russia, and China, for years, it’ll take at least some years before they are actually deployed.

Read the article and learn about the laser-directed energy weapon.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/13/europe/britain-air-defense-laser-dragonfire-intl-hnk-ml/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4368-4/9/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,  

Taiwan needs more babies. But conservative traditions are holding back some fertility solutions

The population of Taiwan was about 23.4 million last year and has been declining in the last few years as the number of newborn babies shrank from 165,000 in 2020 to 135,500 in 2023. It is one of the East Asian countries whose birth rates are much lower than 2.1, a birth rate to maintain a stable population; South Korea’s 0.78, Taiwan’s 0.87, and Japan’s 1.26. As the population, particularly the young people declines, the island state is now facing shortages in labor and military. While industries like manufacturing, construction, and agriculture, are trying to fill positions with immigrant workers, the military hasn’t done so. As a result, the number of professional military forces declined to 155,000 last year from 165,000 just two years ago. That’s a critical national security concern for Taiwan as the cross-strait tension is increasing. Will allowing same-sex couples or single women to have In-Vitro-Fertilization (IVF) or egg-freezing help solve the fertility problem? What about artificial reproduction for gay couples? Since Taiwan’s population is relatively small, every newborn counts.

Read the article and learn about Taiwan’s shrinking population and potential fertility solutions.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/30/asia/taiwan-population-fertility-barriers-hnk-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4367-4/8/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,  

'The extra shift': The unpaid emotional labour expected of women at work

Displaying a genuine smile and nodding can convey warmth, sympathy, and acceptance. But while empathy and compassion are essential to providing good care work and customer service, these emotional factors are often not described in job qualifications or praised in performance appraisals. In general, physically demanding jobs like firefighters or construction workers are often considered male jobs but emotionally sensitive jobs, such as care workers and kindergarten teachers, are thought to be suitable for women. Are women more empathetic and compassionate than men by nature? While there is no physical evidence to show that women are better at performing such emotional labor than men, women are expected to be inherently better than men. In reality, women are expected to perform such emotional labor but are not compensated or rewarded for it. For example, while male engineers are expected to show confidence and competency to keep the job or advance, female engineers are expected to be considerate and compassionate as well. Shouldn’t emotional labor valued more financially and professionally?

Read the article and learn about how emotional labor is undermined even in today’s workplaces.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20240313-invisible-emotional-labour-women-in-workplace

Topic Reading-Vol.4366-4/7/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,  

Spain’s siestas-and-late-nights lifestyle is making some people unhappy. Here’s why

First, you may wonder why Spain’s time zone isn’t the same as the one in the UK but Germany despite the location. It is because in 1940, then the fascist leader, Francisco Franco, changed Spain’s time zone to Central European Time (CET) to be in line with Nazi Germany and its occupied lands. Second, Spaniards eat meals much later than others in European countries, with lunch around 2:00 pm and dinner around 10:00 pm. What time do they go to bed and how long do they sleep at night? Third, some Spaniards take an afternoon nap known as “Siesta.” It is a custom in the Mediterranean region like Italy where midday heat is so intense in the summer. In general, Spaniards sleep shorter than other Europeans, and their productivity lags behind others in Europe. People in Spanish seem to enjoy a very unique lifestyle.

Read the article and learn about Spain’s unique time zone and lifestyle.

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/spain-late-night-culture-end/index.html

 

Topic Reading-Vol.4365-4/6/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,   

The world wastes more than 1 billion meals every day as hundreds of millions go hungry, UN report finds

There are a little over eight billion people living on the planet. Approximately one in every ten persons cannot eat enough food because of inequity and poverty, climate change and extreme weather conditions, and wars and conflicts. In the meanwhile, a significant amount, around 13% of the world’s food is lost during production, harvest, processing, and transportation. Also, over one billion tons of food is wasted by households, stores, restaurants, and other food services. Combined, around one-third of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally. Theoretically, if all food produced is distributed properly and consumed, no one is hungry. At least, if we purchase, store, prepare, and consume food more wisely, we can reduce food waste, which would also reduce plant-heating emissions when discarded in landfills. So, why don’t we try cooking with what we have instead of making what we just want to eat.

Read the article and learn about how much food is lost and wasted in the world.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/27/climate/un-food-waste-one-billion-meals-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4364-4/5/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,   

Japan nappy maker shifts from babies to adults

Of Japan’s 124 million population, around 1.26 million are over 80 years old and 273,000 are over 90 years old. While the total population has been decreasing, the number of elderly people has been increasing. At some point in later life, many of these seniors start using diapers and keep using them for the rest of their lives for years or even longer than a decade. In the meanwhile, the number of newborn babies has been decreasing in Japan, and last year, there were only around 750,000 babies were born, a 5% decline from the previous year. Usually, babies need diapers only for two to three years. Accordingly, Japan’s nappy makers have been selling more adult diapers than those for babies in the last decade. Recently, one of the major nappy manufacturers announced that it would discontinue baby diapers and focus on adult diapers in Japan’s market. Indeed, businesses should be focused on the growing market, not the shrinking market. China and South Korea are no different from Japan in terms of declining birth rates and fast aging.

Read the article and learn about a radical market shift occurring in Japan.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-68672186

Topic Reading-Vol.4363-4/4/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,   

China is trying to connect Southeast Asia by high-speed rail. Here’s how that’s going

The 1,000-kilometer rail line, which links Kunming, the capital of China's Yunnan province to Vientiane, the capital of Laos was completed in December 2021. If you take the 8:08 am train at Kunming South Railway Station, you’ll get to Vientiane Station at around 5:38 pm. For Laos, an economically lagging small landlocked country, such a mega-infrastructure wouldn’t have been built without China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Although the number of Chinese tourists to Laos has been increasing since the opening of the high-speed train line, will the money spent by Chinese tourists and investments made by Chinese firms pay the toll? Furthermore, the high-speed railway is planned to be extended to Bangkok, Thailand, one of the most popular destinations for Chinese tourists. Then it is also projected to connect to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and finally to Singapore. This ambitious project isn’t just for tourism but it is thought to be part of the Road and Belt Initiative to expand China’s economic, cultural, and geopolitical influence over Southeast Asia. Since China already has the technology and know-how to build and operate the world’s most extensive high-speed railway network. it is certainly beneficial to have more sustainable transportation infrastructure in other countries of the region, whatever the intention might be.

Read the article and learn about high-speed railways in Southeast Asia.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/25/travel/china-south-east-asia-travel-train-infrastructure-intl-hnk/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4362-4/3/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,  

Bottled water packed with nanoplastics, study finds

If particulate matter in the air smaller than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) is inhaled, it penetrates deep into the lungs, increasing the risk of health problems like heart disease and asthma. So, what will happen if we take in small particles like microplastics from water? Microplastics are polymer fragments smaller than 5 millimeters, and nanoplastics are less than 1 micrometer in size or about 1,000^th of a human hair. Nanoplastics are small enough to migrate through the tissues into the bloodstream. New research found that there are as many as 240,000 micro and nano plastics in a liter of PET bottled water. Some of them come from leakage of the plastic bottle and others are created each time the bottle is opened, closed, or crushed. So, if you regularly consume PET bottled drinks, your body is accumulating tiny plastic particles that go into the bloodstream, then to organs and the brain. Doesn’t this sound scary?

Read the article and learn about what nanoplastics could do to our health.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/08/health/bottled-water-nanoplastics-study-wellness/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4361-4/2/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,  

Chongqing lets farmers carry large baskets to market on subway line

With a population of around 17 million, Chongqing is one of the largest metropolitan cities in China. It serves as a center for finance in the Sichuan Basin and the upstream Yangtze, as well as for manufacturing and transportation. Passengers on Line 4, one of the nine subway lines in the city, may find farmers carrying large bamboo baskets filled with fresh vegetables even during rush hours. This allows the farmers to sell their produce at a higher price in the heart of the city than in the nearby villages of their farms. Also, city residents can get fresher vegetables at lower prices at the morning markets in the city center where farmers bring their produce on the early morning trains. It may look odd to see some passengers punching their PCs on their way to work while farmers carrying farm produce on the city subway, but it might be a new way to create a more sustainable and harmonic city life.

Read the article and learn about how Chongqing farmers use subways.

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202403/25/WS6600d041a31082fc043be6ca.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4360-4/1/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

The world’s 100 worst polluted cities are in Asia — and 83 of them are in just one country

Air pollution has a significant impact on our lives. Millions of people die each year from air pollution-related health issues. According to the Swiss air quality company IQAir, over 90% of cities analyzed worldwide didn’t meet WHO’s air quality standards. Outdoor air pollution is caused by combustion processes from motor vehicles, solid fuel burning, and industry. Another major source of air pollution especially in Southeast and South Asia is seasonal agricultural burning by farmers to remove crop residues left in the field after harvesting grains. Also, more wildfires have been occurring because of global warming and polluting air quality significantly especially in North America. In addition, cooking and heating with unclean fuel, such as firewood, charcoal, grasses, and animal dung create indoor pollution, which is no less harmful than outdoor air pollution. Which cities and countries have worse air pollution than others?

Read the article and learn about how badly air is polluted around the world.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/18/climate/air-pollution-report-2023-asia-climate-intl-hnk/index.html