Topic Reading-Vol.1968-8/31/2017

 Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Is 'killer robot' warfare closer than we think?

Machines have overwhelmed humans in battle the field since the end of the 19^th century when 700 British troops swept away over 5,000 worriers in the Shangani River, Zimbabwe. Only four casualties were reported by the British side while 1,500 or more warriors were killed mainly by the Maxim Guns, the first powerful and practical machine gun in history.

Also, when the Persian Gulf War ended in 1991, thanks to the guided missiles and bombs, the number of both human casualties and destroyed tanks of the coalition forces was less than one-hundreds of Iraqis respectively.

So what if fully autonomous Ai-controlled killer machine robots or drones were deployed like the scenes you might have seen in Terminator series? Would ordinary human soldiers or human-operated tanks be any match to those autonomous killer machines? It sounds like ideal weaponry to fight against ruthless extremists but what if …

Enjoy reading and thinking if or when the world would see Ai-powered RoboSoldiers or RoboCops soon.

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-41035201

Topic Reading-Vol.1967-8/30/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

World's fastest-growing tourist destinations for 2017

Nearly 370 million people traveled internationally in the first four months of 2017. The figure shows an increase of 6%, or 21 million more travelers, from the same period last year, according to the data compiled by The United Nations World Tourism Organization, or the UNWTO.

What is surprising is both Palestinian territories and Egypt were visited by 50% plus more international tourists than the previous year. Do you feel these places, despite their renowned ancient monuments, can be traveled more safely and comfortably than before?

Over all, economically undeveloped countries are the places that attract more tourists. Is that because they are friendlier to tourists’ budget than developed countries, or there are more alluring things to see or experience to international travelers?

Enjoy seeing the list of top 10 popular countries and think if you want to plan to visit any them before it gets too expensive or crowded.

http://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/worlds-fastest-growing-tourist-destinations-2017/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.1966-8/29/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

German supermarket clears foreign goods from shelves to make point about racism

It seems like just a reminder to the public about how diverse today’s world is. Imagine how much of the merchandises sold at a supermarket come from other countries. Also, look around your house. How much of the clothes, foods, toiletries, electronic devices and furniture are made in your own country? You’ll be surprised to find how internationalized your life is.

One of the supermarket chains in Germany removed all the merchandises that came from other countries and show the nearly-empty shelves to their customers and the public. The purpose? To show how diverse the world is at a time when anti-immigrants movements are arising. If diversity of product origins provides us with a variety of daily necessities, what about diversity of community and society?

Enjoy reading and seeing the “what if” photos, and think if you want to watch a TV channel that shows only about your own community but nothing else.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/41037316/german-supermarket-clears-foreign-goods-from-shelves-to-make-point-about-racism

Topic Reading-Vol.1965-8/28/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Indian Supreme Court in landmark ruling on privacy

Which should be more concerned, privacy or security?

The Aadhaar database of India is the largest biometric ID card program in the world with over a billion individual records. The database stores very sensitive personal data, such as finger print and iris scan. And the ID card is necessary to file tax returns, open bank accounts, secure loans, buy and sell the property, and also to make purchases of 50,000 rupees, or about $780, and above. This means illegal or suspicious money transactions could be traced by the authority easily. Not a bad idea where underground economy and corruptions are major problems to modernize the country’s economy and practices.

Though the government claims that the system is well secured, the petitioners are worried that the data could be leaked some way or another and virtual personal profiles could be created by the authority.

Enjoy reading and thinking whether the usage of the data base outvalues the risk of data security and safety.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-41033954

Topic Reading-Vol.1964-8/27/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

How Western civilization could collapse?

Will it collapse again, like Rome did? Some scholars predict so unless the underlying problems are solved before they become out of control. They think there are mounting problems that could, or probably will, disintegrate Western civilization; the cost of complexities, retraction of people and resources to their homeland, and a widening gap between the rich and poor. And global warming seems to be causing and precipitating the downward movement.

Enjoy reading the article, and also watch this video that presents the core problems briefly.

   
  Video: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20170818-the-two-ways-that-western-civilisation-could-collapse

  Article: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20170418-how-western-civilisation-could-collapse

Topic Reading-Vol.1963-8/26/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Cambridge University Press reverses China censorship move

Cambridge University Press, or CUP, and its archrival Oxford University Press (OUP) are two of the most renowned university press houses in the world. They started publishing academic materials even before the invention of Johannes Gutenberg’s movable-type printing press.

When the publisher was threatened to be banned to publish their publications in China, they agreed to censor and block access to some of the articles, including The China Quarterly, that the Chinese authorities don’t want their people to look at such as the Tiananmen Square massacre.

So, if The China Quarterly is a leading scholarly journal that covers ALL aspects of contemporary China including Taiwan and publishes high-quality, authoritative research, keeping readers up to date with events in China providing readers with historical perspectives, in-depth analyses, and a deeper understanding of China and Chinese culture, how is it possible to disregard one of the most historic civil movements of the country’s modern country?

Such decision to undermine academic freedom and integrity caused a severe backlash from the academic community that the publisher was left no choice but to reverse its decision.

Enjoy reading and think which seems to be more significant for CUP, the steak they could have lost in business or price they paid to restore their academic integrity. 

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-40998129

Topic Reading-Vol.1962-8/25/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Could new China railway put Laos on the tourist map?

Laos is an inland country in the Indochinese peninsula, surrounded by Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and China. Approximately three-fifths of nation’s population is Lao people and the rest are diverse indigenous peoples. The capital city is Vientiane, which is neither as popular nor busy as other fast-growing cities like Hanoi or Yangon in the region. One of the famous travel destinations in Laos is Luang Prabang, the ancient capital of the province where traditional Lao wooden houses and hints of European architecture that were built during the French colony era are seen.

Now, what does it take to make this under-developed country to catch up its neighbors? Building railroads may sound like a little old-fashioned approach but it is a surer way to boost passenger and cargo traffic. The problem is that it takes time, fund and know-how to construct railroads including bridges and tunnels where needed, as well as to set operating systems and run trains. Who has them all? China does. They are so fast and experienced to complete such a large-scale project in an unbelievably short period of time.

Also, if the project works as planned, it’ll be the first of that kind to welcome Chinese tourists first before others, unlike other popular tourist spots.

Enjoy reading and thinking if you’d like to visit this mysterious country before it’s gotten crowded.

http://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/could-china-put-laos-on-the-tourist-map/index.html