Topic Reading-Vol.3685-5/14/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

How fast food giants like McDonald's found their Indian soul

When you get into a Starbucks outlet in any place in the world, you’ll find almost the same menu. But when you eat at a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant, you’ll find almost the same renowned fried chicken but also some locally adapted menu, like the Teriyaki chicken sandwich in Japan. If you get into a McDonald’s restaurant in India, you’ll find an almost completely different menu from other countries and even find a very distinct menu in each region. Why so different in India? First, about 80% of India’s population is Hindus, many of whom avoid eating beef. Second, over 30% of Indians are vegetarians. Also, unlike Americans who are mostly happy with just ketchup and mayonnaise, people in India like a wide variety of local flavors, spices, and ingredients. Accordingly, American fast-food restaurants adapted their standard menu to appeal to local customs and tastes. For example, Vada is a greasy, hot, and spicy doughnut that tests your gastronomic endurance. You can enjoy very different kinds of food in the same atmosphere and services as McDonald’s restaurants in other countries.

Enjoy reading the article and learning about how to develop a local business while maintaining global brand recognition.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-61268771

Topic Reading-Vol.3684-5/13/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Food apps and online gaming driving obesity – WHO

Europeans are getting fatter. Almost 60% of adults and a third of children are either overweight or obese, according to the WHO. Being too fat increases the risk of various health problems, such as cancer, diabetes, heart and lung problems, and even disability. The WHO estimates that the weight problem is causing 1.2 million deaths each year in Europe, which represents about 13% of all deaths. Sadly, the rise in overweight and obesity is seen in all European countries. The health organization says the Covid pandemic and food apps have made people eat more unhealthy food, which is high in calories, salt, and sugar. Also, they say online gaming has made children eat irregularly and sit too long instead of being engaged in physical activities. It seems that working from home has affected people’s working and eating habits, too. But are just apps and games to blame? They are mostly used by smartphones, which meanwhile make our lives engaged at work and at home. We seem to need to find a way to balance physical health and mental well-being.

Enjoy reading the article and learning about the weight problem in Europe.

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-61307316

Topic Reading-Vol.3683-5/12/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Climate change: Spring egg-laying shifts by three weeks

The tit is a common small wild bird found in the northern half of the world. They live less than two years. So, if you study their habitats and behaviors for 75 years, you can track nearly 40 generations. That is what researchers in Oxford, England have done to learn about how the birds have evolved and changed to cope with the climate and environmental changes. They have marked and counted the birds, and recorded the date that females lay their eggs and those eggs hatched. What they found is that those birds now lay eggs three weeks earlier than 75 years ago. That is a staggering behavioral change even for this short-lived species. You might also recall the time when certain spring flowers now bloom earlier than decades ago. Do you remember when cherry blossoms fully bloomed when you were a child? Indeed, flora and fauna need to adapt to climate change.

Enjoy reading the text and learning about how spring has been changing around us.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-61314226

Topic Reading-Vol.3682-5/11/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Why India's real Covid toll may never be known

To improve health, it is important to get information about death and disease. For example, an increase in lung cancer death rates among men in the 1930s led to the identification of smoking as a major cause. Also, a surge in deaths among young gay men revealed HIV/Aids as the cause. However, causes of death aren’t always available or reliable in many countries including India whose population exceeds 1.4 billion. In India, approximately, half of the 10 million deaths each year occur at home, especially in villages where record-keeping of the cause of death is not well reported or even identified. So, it is uncertain how many people died of Covid in India as the government has been reluctant to identify or reveal the numbers because of lack of such data or their pride. In fact, India reported 481,000 Covid deaths in 2020 and 2021 combined, but the World Health Organization estimates the figure would have been 10 times higher than that, which accounts for nearly a third of the world’s Covid deaths during the period. How did WHO estimate the figure? Excess deaths, a simple measure of how many more people died compared with previous years.

Read the article and learn about how difficult it is to identify the number and the cause of death in India and the world.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-60981318

Topic Reading-Vol.3681-5/10/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Rocket Lab: Helicopter catches returning booster over the Pacific

The first stage booster of a rocket is used to provide thrust in spacecraft launches from the initial launch through the first ascent. Once its propellants are expended, it falls back towards Earth. Most of the boosters are uncontrollable and burn until exhaustion by the heat generated during the fall. Those single-use boosters are expensive and make the launch costs high. Only one rocket launch company reuses the booster to reduce cost. Space-X’s Falcon 9 is a reusable, two-stage rocket whose first stage has already been reused multiple times. After stage separation, the booster flips around, an optional boost back burn is done to reverse its course, a reentry burn, controlling direction to arrive at the landing site, and a landing burn to affect the final low-altitude deceleration and touchdown. This complicated process is done autonomously. Now, another way to reuse the first booster had been engineered and recently tested, which uses a parachute to reduce the falling speed to be caught by a helicopter. This mid-air catch test was conducted over the Pacific Ocean after a mission to orbit 34 satellites. Which way will become popular, the autonomous landing system or the human-controlled helicopter catch? Whichever the case might be, the cost to launch a satellite is going to become cheaper and the space is going to be even more congested.

Enjoy reading the article and learning about this mid-air rocket booster catch by a helicopter.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-61307512

Topic Reading-Vol.3680-5/9/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Why May 9 is a big day for Russia, and what a declaration of war would mean

While most European countries observe Victory in Europe Day, or VE Day, on May 8, Russia commemorates the victory over Nazi Germany on May 9. Because of their massive losses, including over 20 million civilian and military deaths during Great Patriotic War, Victory Day remains one of the most important and emotional dates in Russia. The day is celebrated by many Russians around the world, organizing public gatherings and parades. The victory speech by the Russian president and the parade on Red Square are both broadcasted and watched by more audiences than any other Russian event. Also, there is a minute of silence at 6:55 pm MST. So, it is a big day for Russia’s leaders to praise their leadership, show their military strength, and inspire patriotism. As the military operation in Ukraine has shown great losses with limited success and the nation suffers severe economic sanctions from the US and its allies, how this year’s commemoration day is celebrated in Russia? What message is given by the president who initiated the invasion of Ukraine? One thing is for sure. Russia is not in a state to declare victory over Ukraine yet.

Enjoy reading the article and learn about what today means to the Russian people and their leader.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/05/03/europe/russia-victory-day-explainer-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3679-5/8/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Qantas promises direct flights from Sydney to London and New York

If you leave London at 09:25 and fly for 13 hours, you’ll arrive at Singapore Changi Airport at 05:30 the next day. After an hour and 45 minutes layover, you’ll leave there at 07:15 and fly for another seven hours and forty minutes, you’ll get to Sydney Airport at 16:55. The total flight time is 22 hours 30 minutes including the 1:45 layover. Now, if you had a choice to go to Sydney from London, which would you prefer, the aforementioned one-stop flight, or a 20-hour-non-stop flight? The latter option will become available in a few years as Qantas Airways, Austria’s flag carrier has signed a deal to purchase a fleet of the A350-1000, Airbus’s super long-range aircraft, to be delivered from 2025. The airline is also planning to start a non-stop service to New York. While there are a number of options as to where and how long to layover, from a few hours to a day or two, once you get on a 20-hour non-stop flight, you’ll be attached to the seat and sandwiched by fellow passengers during the long journey. As for the ticket price, non-stop is always much more expensive than lay-over flights. Again, which would you prefer?

Enjoy reading the article and think about a travel plan sitting on a set for 20 hours.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-61294894