Topic Reading-Vol.2827-1/7/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Democracy has taken a detour this century. Can it get back on track?

What is democracy? It literally means rule by the people, derived from Greek “Demos” (people) and “Kratos” (rule). The term was first used in the middle of the 5th century BCE to denote the political systems then existing in some Greek city-states like Athens. Today, it is defined as a system of government by the eligible members of a community or state themselves or through elected representatives.

In the 20^th century, democracy became popular in many states as a result of wars, revolutions, decolonization, and economic circumstances. The most significant example is India, the largest democratic state with over 800 million eligible voters. In the meantime, moves to abuse or reverse democratization also occurred from time to time, like in the 1920s, 1930s, 1960s, 1970s, and in the 2010s when elected leaders or parties autocratize the nation. Hitler’s Nazi was one of the most radical examples of democracy-turned-autocracy. Recently, such regression of democracy or transformation to autocracy has been seen in Russia, Turkey, and India only to name a few. Another setback of democracy has also been seen in once regarded the most democratic nations like the UK and the US, where people’s interests and opinions are distinctly polarized like in Brexit and Trump’s impeachment trial cases.

According to the Varieties of Democracies Institute (V-Dem), over a third, or 2.3 billion suffer from such regression of democracy in 2018 compared with just over 400 million people in 2016. What happened in 2016? Someone was elected in the US, or Americans chose someone who changed the view of democracy. Is democracy now becoming a system to create or justify autocracy?

Enjoy reading the article and think which area you will see more radical changes a decade from now, in technology or politics.

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/12/28/world/democracy-21st-century-analysis-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.2826-1/6/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Will 2020 break the curse of the folding phone?

Which type of smartphone do you prefer, one that can be folded to carry easily or one that can be unfolded to double the screen size? Whichever the type is, the screen needs to be flexible and durable for daily use. The stress the folding part gets, especially the screen, is very severe as it could be opened and closed dozens of times each day. Today’s technology is nearly there to provide such durability but not yet at a marketable or affordable level. Some manufacturers launched folding phones last year, but the deliveries were delayed. One manufacturer says that their model can be folded over 100,000 times, which means you could fold it nearly 100 times a day for three years. But will it hold any residual value after three years? Also, folding phones still cost staggering prices, around or over $2,000. You could buy two or three iPhones at the price that usually keep a reasonable resell value after two years.

The question is whether the functions or style that people value more for their smartphones? Well, if you add two more zeros to smartphone prices, you can compare them with new cars. A conventional passenger vehicle costs around $20,000 to $40,000, a luxury sedan or SUV costs $50,000 to $120,000, and a super sports car may carry a $200,000 or higher price tag.

Since no more camera lenses are needed to already-loaded today’s smartphones, folding phones may be one of the hottest gadgets this year.

Enjoy reading the article and think about how much you’d spend on your next smartphone and which type.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-50891446

Topic Reading-Vol.2825-1/5/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Japan's birth rate hits another record low in 2019

In Japan, a few years after WWII ended, over 2.5 million babies were born each year. The period is called the first baby boom. Decades later, that newborn generation produced a great number of offspring, as many as two million a year for a few years. It was called the second baby boom. However, those second baby boomers weren’t so enthusiastic about producing a new generation. The number of Japan’s newborn babies has been in consistent decline for the last 45 years due to the declining fertility rate. As the rate settled around 1.4 children per woman, the number of newborn babies went below one million mark in 2016 for the first time and dropping rapidly since then. About 979,000 babies were born in 2016, 946,000 in 2017, 912,000 in 2018, and in 2019, there were only 864,000 in 2019, a staggering five percent drop from the previous year!

In the meantime, over 1.3 million people died last year alone in the fast aging country. As a result, Japan lost over a half million population from the total of around 124 million. Since fewer babies are born from fewer mothers, people are living longer than any other country, and more people are dying of old age, Japan’s population is estimated to decline to below 100 million mark before 2015 and aging fast. This means that younger generations are going to have to support the elderly population for taxes, healthcare, pensions, and daily lives.

Who could have imagined that once rising Asia’s superstar nation is facing such a drastic population loss? Will the relatively isolated nation from foreign immigrants maintain its economy and workforce to sustain social infrastructures and welfare? Will they open the doors to welcome young immigrants?       In rural areas, over 20% of the houses are unoccupied. There surely are rooms for more people and will be more.

Enjoy reading the article and watching the video and learn how serious Japan’s population decline is and will be.

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/12/25/asia/japan-birthrate-hnk-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.2823-1/4/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Kung Fu Nuns in Nepal boost their health in the fight for women's rights

One can sit in a Zen temple and learn meditation for their soul, sit in church and learn to feel compassion for others, and sit in a classroom and receive education to help each other. But how can they learn to put meditation, compassion, or education into action? Knowing is one thing but doing is quite another. Look at politicians, priests, bureaucrats. Most of them are well educated and informed, many of them a well-paid, and some of them are well disciplined. But not so many of them go out of their nestles and try to help others with their hands.

Nuns of the Drukpa Order nunnery in the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, practice Kung Fu. 800 nuns, aged from eight to eighty, undergo vigorous daily mental and physical practices starting at 3:00 am, including meditation, bicycle riding, jogging, running stairs up and down, and kung fu training with swords, sticks, and flags. With these ordeals, they are spiritually, mentally, and physically trained and disciplined not only for themselves but more importantly for others in a place where women have long been socially and religiously discriminated against and mistreated.

Enjoy reading the article and learn how women can rise in a severely discriminated region.

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/12/20/health/kung-fu-nuns-wellness/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.2822-1/3/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Russia 'successfully tests' its unplugged internet

The Internet is the global system of interconnected computer networks that links devices in the world. It is a network of networks that carries a wide range of information resources and services, such as the inter-linked hypertext documents and applications of the World Wide Web (WWW), electronic mail, telephony, and file sharing.

In most countries, access to the global network is not restricted. However, in some countries, it is closely monitored and controlled, like the great firewall of China which blocks access to some foreign internet services, or Iran’s National Information Network that polices all content on the network and limiting external information.

Recently, Russia successfully isolated the net connection from the global network and made the nation’s network a gigantic intranet like an inter-campus or inter-office network. They could have full control over what can be shown, spoken, sent or received via the “Internet.” That could enhance the security of the state and connectivity with devices and systems like the Internet of Things in a way that the authority wants to regulate. Along with text, facial and voiceprint recognition systems, any individual who posts or voices unfavorable remarks could be identified by the authority as well. Also, people with limited access to such a national intranet may develop different views on people and things from others in the world.

A “free Wi-Fi” sign may not always mean a free access to the Internet in more places in the world.

Enjoy reading the article and think how influential the Internet could be for both  

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-50902496

Topic Reading-Vol.2821-1/2/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

World 'faces 80% calorie increase by end of century'

Half a century ago, there were about 3.7 billion humans walking on the planet. The population doubled by 2016 and today, there are about 7.8 billion people living in the world. As the average fertility rate keeps rising from today’s 2.47 to 2.95 in the next three decades, two billion more people will be eating everyday meals in 2050. That’s a 25% increase from now. Though the rate of increase is expected to slow down, one billion more stomachs will be added by the end of the century, bringing the total population to 11 billion. The majority of the increase will come from Africa, whose population is expected to grow from today’s 1.3 billion to 4.3 billion in 2100. Furthermore, as people become taller and heavier, their stomachs become larger and more demanding, meaning they need higher calories to survive. Recently, some researchers estimated that around 250 more calories are needed in one’s daily diet in the future.

Will the world be able to feed that many more stomachs if the size of cultivable land doesn’t expand accordingly? Will agricultural productivity improve more than the rate of population increase? Will people have no choice but to depend on junk food only to fill their stomachs in Africa? What if global warming deteriorates food production?

Enjoy reading the article and think about how humans, their cattle and birds, and fish will survive to the next century.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-50856049

p.s. If you’re interested in a population update of the world and by country, check this out. https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/

Topic Reading-Vol.2821-1/1/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Over 3.4m sit for postgraduate exam

Happy New Year!

20 years have already passed since the turn of the millennium. What significant changes have you seen or experienced? Probably many would name the smartphone, YouTube, SNS, and global warming have been the ones that changed our lives.

Also, the rise of China’s influence in the economy, technology, and military is remarkable, which is supported by rapidly increased enrollment in higher education. These days, around nine million students take gaokao, China’s national entrance exams for universities and colleges, and around six million students are enrolled, which represents over 40% of high school graduates. They are hoping to get better jobs in the future because academic achievement and success are important for employment. But competition doesn’t just stop there to find better job opportunities. In 2019, over three million over 3.4 million students, about half of the students who enrolled in universities four years ago, took exams for postgraduate education. Recently, over two million students are enrolled in postgraduate courses, and nearly 400,000 students are studying to earn a doctor’s degree. Postgraduate courses are essential to developing prospective careers, especially in tech and information industries. Also, over three hundred Chinese students are studying in colleges and universities in the US. Yes, English also plays an important role in good careers.

But how good the return on investment or education? Will they be more successful in their careers or personal lives?

Enjoy reading the article and think about what higher education does to one’s wealth, wellbeing, and happiness on your new year's day.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201912/21/WS5dfd75dea310cf3e3557fb26.html