Topic Reading-Vol.264-12/31/2012

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

What were 2012's top 10 films?

A day before the last day of the year, here is a list of the top 10 movies selected by BBC, which seems to be balanced in terms of the locations, genres, directors and actors/actress. At least, they didn’t put their proud hero, James Bond, on top but placed American’s proud president, Abraham Lincoln, much higher on the list.

Enjoy watching brief previews of the highlighted movies of the year before turning your calendar to the next.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20798481

Topic Reading-Vol.263-12/30/2012

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

China approves tighter rules on internet access.

The Great Firewall of China is raised again by requiring “real names” of the users to the service providers, in any Internet access including micro-blogging and phone lines. This seems to be a clear sign that the new leaders of the ruling party, despite its attempt to show its closeness to the public and commitment to be less-corrupted governing, is very much concerned about how the social media and Internet communication are threatening to their ruling. How much they can enforce this new policy remains to be seen but it is surely a threat to today’s online freedom.

Enjoy reading and learning about the Great Wall in the 21^st century. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20857480

Topic Reading-Vol.262-12/29/2012

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

Philadelphia high schools to welcome students back with free condom dispensers.

You may think it’s absurd to install a free condom dispensers at high schools but after hearing that a quarter of patients who are infected with sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, are teenagers in some district of Philadelphia.

Could this publically admitted yet heavily disputed issue be a family matter? Is condom distribution so different from preventive vaccination? If you were a parent of a high school student of one of the selected 22 schools there, would you opt-out?

Enjoy reading and learning the situation and action in an urban city in America. 

http://news.yahoo.com/philadelphia-high-schools-welcome-students-230700988.html

 

Topic Reading-Vol.261-12/28/2012

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

West Antarctic Ice Sheet, WAIS, warming twice earlier estimate.

Although it seems to be colder in some places around the northern hemisphere this winter than usual with blizzards and snowfalls, global warming seems to be on track to melt ice and bring rainfall in some area of Antarctica. Global warming is a change in climate, not the weather that changes every day and every hour. A cold winter doesn’t mean global warming is stopped or slowed.

Enjoy reading and learning what’s going on in and on the icy continent.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20804192

 

Topic Reading-Vol.260-12/27/2012

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

The Tricked-Out A380 A Saudi Prince Is Buying For $500 Million

This super rich Saudi prince already has a Boeing version of private jumbo jet, 747-400, which doesn’t seem to satisfy his desire for more space and luxury even in the air. It seems that he wants to enjoy his life in palace wherever he is or travels.

Some of the details of his soon-to-be-delivered super luxurious private jet have been found; five suites, 20 first-class sleepers and concert hall with a grand piano and 10 seats for the floor space large enough for two tennis courts or 800 economy-class passenger seats.

Questions such as what he’s going to do with his 747 jet or how often he’ll use this flying palace seem to be just trifles.

Enjoy reading and learning how to spend a lot of money.

http://www.businessinsider.com/prince-alwaleeds-tricked-out-a380-jet-2012-12

Topic Reading-Vol.259-12/26/2012

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

Food waste: From farm to fork and landfill.

A staggering figure to learn during the holiday season when many people enjoy big meals, which also means a substantial amount of food waste is created at the same time, that at least one-third of all food produced for human consumption, or 1.3 billion tons a year, is wasted or lost globally.

Some people may argue saying that they eat everything they buy or get so that no food is wasted or lost at least in their part of the world. That may be true but there still seems to be huge amount of food waste or loss is taking place in its producing, collecting, processing, delivering and merchandising processes.

Enjoy seeing and learning this amazing yet easy to learn chart to learn how the food is lost or wasted!

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/12/21/world/food-waste-infographic/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

Topic Reading-Vol.258-12/25/2012

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

A Christmas Present from NASA - Backlit Saturn Shines in Stunning New Photo.

This time is not one of those photos of retiring fleet of Space Shuttles marching on the street of LA or flying over the Golden Gate Bridge, but a composed photo of the ring planet, Saturn with its two orbiting moons.

A very hardworking spacecraft Cassini, a joint project to research Saturn by NASA, the European and Italian Space Agencies has been orbiting this cold planet since 2004, seven years after it was launched in 1997, and is expected to continue to do so at least until 2017.

Enjoy reading the article and seeing the beautiful, mysterious photo of the planet far away from our troubled planet with wars, guns and violence. 

http://news.yahoo.com/backlit-saturn-shines-stunning-photo-201934552.html;_ylt=AsJObYu8Tq7nXDxGIjqFr.Cs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNsZGUzODdmBG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBGUARwa2cDN2U1ZjU5ZmMtOGQ2OC0zYjkwLWFkYTItYWUwMTNiNzEwZTJlBHBvcwM2BHNlYwN0b3Bfc3RvcnkEdmVyAzM1MTIzZGIxLTQ5NTItMTFlMi05ZGVkLTEwODU0YzZlODcwZA--;_ylg=X3oDMTFpNzk0NjhtBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25z;_ylv=3