Topic Reading-Vol.2029-10/31/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Why China has so few female leaders

Phew! He looked so relieved from the stress. Xi Jinping, China’s strong leader, showed a smile after having formed his new management team for the next five years.

Right after the highly intense backdoor talks and struggles before and during the 19^th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the faces of the new leaders were shown to the public. No female leader is found among the top-seven Communist Party Politburo Standing Committee members. There is only one female politician in the next level 25-member Politburo. They are the top leaders for the next five years, beyond 2020.

Why so? Are there any rules that restrict or limit women’s activities or presence on the political stage in China? Not officially. Theoretically, women should have been treated in the same way as men ever since the founder of the nation declared so. In practice, no female party leader has reached the top management group and very few party secretaries of the province or government ministers are seen even today. Even for rank-and-file workers, women’s retirement age is five years younger than men’s 60.

Are Chinese women physically or professionally inferior to men in politics or workplaces?

Enjoy reading and learning about China’s glass ceiling.

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/10/22/asia/china-female-leaders/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.2028-10/30/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

For $60, woman gets an entire plane to herself during a flight to Greece

Usually, flight crew members match or outnumber the passengers. On a commercial flight, at least the captain, a co-pilot and flight attendants are onboard to fly the airliner and serve the passengers. And there usually are more passengers than those crew members onboard unless the flight is canceled for the airline’s sake. In rare cases, you may find very few passengers onboard and feel either empty or luxurious.

A Scottish woman who was going for a late vacation found herself alone on her flight to an island in Greece. “Alone” doesn’t mean that she had no traveling companion, but there were no other passengers on her flight. Yes. She was the only passenger on the 189-seat jetliner. She paid only $60 to hire a private jet for her vacation!

Enjoy reading and think if you’d like to fly totally alone or with fellow passengers around, but not so close to you.

http://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/only-passenger-in-plane-trnd/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.2027-10/29/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Amazon's new service will allow drivers to enter your home to deliver packages

Another eye-opening announcement by Amazon. This time, it’s a door opening service. It seems like a cloud-based home security system rather than a delivery option as they claim.

The question is if you want a delivery person to enter your home to drop off the package you ordered while you are out. Frist, this innovative service requires your permission when the delivery person arrives at your doorstep. With your permission, the door will be unlocked for an indoor delivery. And the online-monitor will allow you to see the real-time delivery scene on your smartphone or PC. You could use this delivery option even if you’re in the house but don’t want to or can’t receive the delivery yourself. Sounds very convenient, doesn’t it?

Which online merchant will follow suit the next?

Enjoy reading and think what benefits you see in this new service.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/amazons-service-drivers-inside-home-deliver-packages/story?id=50694370

Topic Reading-Vol.2026-10/28/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

India, notorious for malnutrition, is now a land of obesity

Sounds very contrary to the general perception of India. While over 40% of the children are underweight, there is a growing number of kids who are getting too much weight, some of them are even classified as obese. Why?

This is a country where being fat has been regarded as a sign of wealth and status. Once parents become able to afford to feed their family with any food, they seem to let their kids eat what and as much as they like. When that happens, they jump on Western-style fat and carb rich fast food and sugary drinks, such as burgers, fries, pizza, and sodas.

To make the situation even worse, those kids of growing middle-class families are expected spend a lot of time on sitting at their desks to study in their air-conditioned rooms. When they aren’t studying, they prefer sitting in their rooms playing with their tablets or smartphones to playing with other kids outside, where the temperatures go over 40 degrees and the air is heavily polluted in major cities like Delhi.  

Children are so vulnerable to this kind of radical shift in lifestyle that they are losing the balance between calorie intake and consumption.

As overweight or obesity from early ages could lead to diabase, “diabesity” has become a common phrase to describe the problem.

Enjoy reading and learning how this under-nutrition country has become an over-nutrition country so fast.

http://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2017/10/health/i-on-india-childhood-obesity/

Topic Reading-Vol.2025-10/27/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

The search for a male South Korean major champion

Are Korean women more competitive, both mentally and physically, than Korean men to compete in international sports games? Whereas a little over a half of the last 30 LPGA, Ladies Professional Golf Association, major titles have been won by South Korean women, only one male player from the country was honored one of the men’s major titles in PGA history.

In South Korea, all able-bodied men are required to serve the military at least two years before they turn 35. Only the medalists of the Olympic games or gold medalists at the Asian Games are exempted from the conscription, mandatory military service. Leaving from professional career for two years especially during the developing period sounds like quite a handicap in any sports in global competitions, doesn’t it? In the meantime, such extraordinary period offers a chance to develop patriotism and strong willpower to win games.

Enjoy reading and think if conscription simply interrupts one’s career, in either sports or business, or gives chance to be tougher in the long run.

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/10/19/golf/golf-south-korea-cj-cup-ye-yang-kj-choi-siwoo-kim-an-byeong-hun/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.2024-10/26/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

New study suggests insect populations have declined by 75% over 3 decades

Only a quarter of insects are found to live in nature reserves in Germany now compared to 30 years ago, a new study says. Some may say that’s good news as they are less bothered by bees, ants, or cockroaches. But as insects make up about 70% of all animal species, they are crucial to biodiversity. They pollinate crops and plants, reduce pests, and control waste. It’s obvious that such drastic reduction in the population of insects could have significant impacts on the environment.

Why has their population decreased that much only in three decades? Various contributing factors are suggested for this decline, such as climate change, use of pesticides, and lost habitation.

How did they count the number of such small creatures for some period? They didn’t but measured.

Enjoy reading and learn how the scientists measured the number of insects, and think what sorts of impacts will the world see in the near future.

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/10/19/europe/insect-decline-germany/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.2023-10/25/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

The woman who cleans up after 'lonely deaths' in Japan

Living alone gives a person the luxury to do anything and in any way they want. But who gives help to the person when something happens that cannot be managed by themselves, such as a sudden injury, illness or even death? Feeling so lonely and helpless but nothing he or she can do until they are found by someone. In some cases, the person breathes his or her last unattended or unnoticed.

The number of such incidents in Japan is increasing as the nation’s population is aging fast. Also, there are more senior people who live by themselves. Some are being left and others choose to or have no choice but to live alone. Whatever the reason might be, there are mementos in the place that needs to be dealt with when such lonely resident passes away.

There is a young woman who chose to do the job that is usually unwanted by young people, especially women. But she seems to be very serious about the job, does her best to take care of the things left, and talks with the family members or relatives of the person.

Enjoy reading and thinking what it’s like to organize mementos of a person who you have never met.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/10/woman-cleans-lonely-deaths-japan-171012115412607.html