Topic Reading-Vol.1152-6/7/2015

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

Whatever happened to Psy and K-pop’s bid to conquer the world?

Whether you are a K-pop fan or not, you probably have seen Gangnam Style video on YouTube, haven’t you? That’s what you’re going to read. Psy was such a big star in 2012 that his music videos were seen more than anyone’s then. He even performed at the inauguration of his country’s newly elected president the year after. But where is he? That’s one thing you’ll find in today’s Topic Reading.

Another thing you’ll learn is how K-pop stars are being created. It seems quite different from the way western entertainment industry has been practicing.

Enjoy reading and learning about K-pop!

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-32811867

Topic Reading-Vol.1151-6/6/2015

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

'Virgin-born' sawfish are a first in the wild

Reproducing alone, or virgin born, does occur. As was presented in The Lost World, an insightful novel by Michael Crichton which was also filmed by Spielberg, some species reproduce under extreme conditions such as captivity or isolation. This time, researchers studied and concluded such reproduction in being made in the sawfish, critically endangered ray, in an open sea. The population of this endangered species is so sparse that finding a mate is an extremely challenging task. The female sawfish might have left no choice but to reproduce without mating. The virgin born sawfish the researchers identified are all female. Will this practice avoid extinction?

Enjoy reading thinking the difference of captivity, isolation and extremely-sparse population.

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-32958033

Topic Reading-Vol.1150-6/5/2015

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

Street art in the heart of Morocco

Can you tell the difference between graffiti and street art?

Both are murals in the city, aren’t they? True. Graffiti artists, or taggers, want to mark their names to be known. They usually do their jobs when they aren’t watched to avoid being caught. Street artists, on the other hand, aim to appeal to viewers to interpret their thoughts and impressions. Their works are usually done on authorized walls or spots and the process created is seen by anyone.

Morocco, a small kingdom in northern Africa, hosted an international street art festival in the capital. It actually is an ideal place for street artists to paint murals because there are more than enough white walls in the city. Passersby and onlookers were interested in the work by the renowned street artists and took photos or asked questions. Though the festival ended, the works are going to be kept until the end of the year.

Enjoy seeing some of the works and thinking of visiting the kingdom to see them.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2015/05/street-art-heart-morocco-150525113208831.html

Topic Reading-Vol.1149-6/4/2015

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

Half of college students want to work in second-tier cities: Survey-China

Job seeking in China isn’t that easy. Although GDP has been growing over seven percent for the last several years, China’s job market for college graduates doesn’t seem to have enjoyed that much growth. One reason is that the number of college graduates has been increasing at a higher rate than that of having been created by the robust economy. There are nearly 20 million college students in China. Nearly 10 million students take the national entrance exams each year. At the end of this school year in June, approximately 7.5 million students are graduating and entering the job market. While over 20 percent of new college graduates are said to be unable to find a job, this year’s new graduates are expecting to earn over 50% higher salary than the last year’s respondents to the survey.

Are they more qualified or simply just too confident? As the economy isn’t expected to grow or create new jobs as much as the previous years, Chinese students will surely have to work very hard to find a job that meet their expectations in such a highly competitive and saturated job market.

Enjoy reading and learning about the challenges of the youth in China.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2015-05/29/content_20855784.htm

Topic Reading-Vol.1148-6/3/2015

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

What makes Swiss cheese? You don't have the hole story

Holes, or eyes, in Swiss cheese. Nothing new. Some holes are larger than others. But have you recognized those holes have gotten smaller these days? Well, if you buy cheese by the gram, it doesn’t matter. You’re paying as much as you get. It’s kind of odd though to buy something with holes in it, which don’t seem to add any value or flavor to it but identity.

Recently, science was applied to find why and how such holes are created in this particular cheese. The research didn’t show anything new but to confirm what has been known practically.

Enjoy reading and thinking if you like larger or smaller holes in Swiss cheese.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/29/living/feat-swiss-cheese-holes/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.1147-6/2/2015

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

India's Mysore crowns new maharaja Yaduveer Wadiyar

He would have been educated in England if it was half a century ago. But like other prospective Indian students, he chose to study in America, namely in Boston where talents from the worlds gather to Harvard and MIT. Another notably interesting fact is that the newly crowned maharaja of Mysore graduated from neither of the prominent private universities despite his wealth and status. He attended and earned a BA economics from University of Massachusetts, a public school.

The 23-year-old new maharaja succeeded not only the crown, palace, properties and assets of the 600-year-old dynasty but also a legal battle against the provincial government for the property right of the palace and possible a legal challenge by his cousins for the crown.

Enjoy reading and learning about this latest coronation of the legendary dynasty in India.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-32911649

Topic Reading-Vol.1146-6/1/2015

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

Cuba officially off U.S. terror blacklist

The move looks at least historic. The U.S. removed its neighboring island country from its list of countries that sponsor terrorism. It’s the first step to restore normal relationship, diplomatically and economically. Currently, they don’t have embassies or trade businesses, so they need to start and keep official and regular diplomatic dialogues. The next step seems to be the lift of the embargo on Cuba by the U.S. that's been in place since 1960. However, there are concerns and worries in America to treat Cuba in a same way as other countries because of their communism and dictatorship regime.

The distance between Havana and Key West, Florida is only 180km, which was swam by a 65-year-old woman, and another 180km to reach Miami. While one senior citizen can reach the other shore of the water, diplomats still seem to face difficulties to normalize the bilateral relationship.

Is this one of the second-term president’s efforts to mark a symbolic milestone during his leaving the office?

Enjoy reading and learning this new move to normalize a relationship between neighboring countries.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/29/politics/cuba-terror-list/index.html