Topic Reading-Vol.994-12/31/2014

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

Missing planes and air disasters: How bad was 2014?

There was another disaster in aviation record just before the end of the year, Air Asia’s flight QZ8501. Because of the mysterious causes, such as two Malaysian Airlines 777 aircraft, one which disappeared in the Indian Ocean, presumably, and the other Malaysia Airline’s that was shot down over Ukraine by a missile, many might feel uneasy to travel by air. But is it true that 2014 was a year of aviation disasters?

It depends on how you look at the numbers of such incidents, number of casualties and also versus the number of total flights around the world, which significantly have increased of the last decade, particularly in Asia where there hadn’t been so many air accidents until recently.

Enjoy reading and learning how safe or unsafe air traveling is.

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/12/29/travel/aviation-year-in-review/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

Topic Reading-Vol.993-12/30/2014

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

How many penguins can you count today?

There are as many as 50 surveillance cameras in Antarctica to monitor the lives of penguins in Antarctica. And the scientists want you to help count number of penguins in the photos taken by those cameras. Why is it so important to count penguins?

As ice melting on and around Antarctica, the lives and future of penguins are threatened. It is getting more important to monitor and learn how those walking and swimming birds live more precisely to protect them from being endangered. In order to automate the process of counting how many penguins live or move in the monitor, there don’t seem to be any other viable options but to count them by human eyes first.

Enjoy reading and learning how important to count penguins in the photos to save them.

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20141215-how-many-penguins-can-you-count

Topic Reading-Vol.992-12/29/2014

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

China on track for world's largest subway

Which subway system is the largest in the world? The answer depends on which measurement you look at, such as the total length, number of passengers, or number of stations. Here is the list of subway systems in the world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_metro_systems

Subway, or metro, system is essential for metropolitan cities to transport people to one place to another and also to smooth the traffic congestion on the ground while not emitting as much carbon emissions as other means of transportation such as cars and motorcycles.

When you look at China where both traffic congestion and air pollution are the major problems, the speed of expanding its metro systems is much faster than any other part or history in the world. The total length of the subway systems there will reach over 8,500 kilometers by the end of 2014. In order to operate such huge public transportation systems, safety and security must be the top priorities.

Enjoy reading and learning about how China is trying to manage its growing transportation systems.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2014-12/05/content_19028186.htm

Topic Reading-Vol.991-12/28/2014

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

North Korean defectors share their ordeals as pressure mounts

The world knows how cruel North Korean ruler is in indirect ways. But when the firsthand stories and experiences are told by the defectors, such blur image becomes real picture.

The UN, the International Criminal Court, and even a comedy movie The Interview whose characters are tasked by the CIA to assassinate the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, all accuse the world most closed and dictated country but no action has ever been taken or unlikely to be taken in the foreseeable future. Of course, the world and neighboring countries don’t wish to see another devastating war in the peninsula.

Read the article and see the video of the firsthand stories by the defectors.

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/12/10/politics/north-korea-defectors-share-stories/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

Topic Reading-Vol.990-12/27/2014

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

Birds 'heard tornadoes coming' and fled the day before

How could birds sense extreme weather conditions? It has been said in Japan that catfish can sense an earthquake coming. Sometimes birds fly away to somewhere when nothing seems unusual to human’s eyes. Then, how come these little golden-winged warblers that weigh only less than nine grams flew hundreds of kilometers just in time to avoid the tornadoes that devastated their nesting area?

The researchers think that the deep rumble that tornadoes produce, infrasound whose frequency is well below what humans can hear, might have been sensed by the birds to take an such evasive action. If that is the case, humans may be able to develop something that hears or detects such infrasound, just like infrared, to warn occurrence of extreme weather conditions like tornados or thunderstorms or even an earthquake in the future.

Enjoy reading and learning about the latest finding of Mother Nature.

http://www.bbc.com/newTR89K2s/science-environment-30531060

Topic Reading-Vol.989-12/26/2014

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

Spectacular Real Virgin Births

This might be a good topic to look at on the day after Christmas, or Virgin Maria’s giving birth to Christ. It seems real in some species such as snakes, reptiles, birds and even sharks. Though scientists still aren’t sure what causes or triggers the female to lay fertilized eggs fully capable of produce offspring, numbers of such cases have been observed and identified.

Does such self-reproduction process occur only under extreme situations where no other options available for the female? Are those cases are so rare?

Enjoy reading and learning what virgin birth is about and how much people know about it.

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20141219-spectacular-real-virgin-births

Topic Reading-Vol.988-12/25/2014

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

Pope Francis attacks 'diseases' of Vatican in Curia address

Bureaucracy in the highest office in Catholic? It seems that way according to the Pope’s remark in his annual Christmas address.

Ever since the return of the Popes from Avignon, France in 1377, Vatican has been the center of now 1.2 billion Roman Catholics in the world. That is nearly the same size as China’s population as well as India’s. So long and so huge the history and the size of the church to be run by humans that cannot be fair and faithful all the time. Thus, there is no wonder bureaucracy, favoritism, corruption or vainglory could be seen within the organization and among the priests who are working in the office.

Enjoy reading and learning about this harsh criticism to its own organization and people by the Pope in holly Christmas.

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/12/22/world/pope-francis-curia/index.html?hpt=hp_c5