Topic Reading-Vol.2880-2/29/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Coronavirus: Mass masked wedding in the Philippines

Amid coronavirus outbreak, wearing blue surgical masks amid a coronavirus outbreak, as many as 220 couples tied the knot in an elaborate event held at the Bacolod City, Philippines on February 20. The participants to the annual event held in the city center were also required complete health declarations detailing a travel history for 14 days, the quarantine period across the globe for arrivals from China, and the maximum incubation time for the virus.

Though it must have felt different to kiss while wearing masks, the newly-wed couples had a very memorable wedding ceremony.

Enjoy watching the video of this unusual annual event in the Philippines.

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-51604625/coronavirus-mass-masked-wedding-in-the-philippines

Topic Reading-Vol.2879-2/28/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Florida surfer uses drone to capture awe-inspiring views of sharks

There are a lot of surfers and beachgoers in warm and sunny Florida. The beaches are beautiful and the waves are great. In the meantime, Florida has the most reported shark attacks. Of the 64 unprovoked attacks worldwide last year, 21 of them were in Florida, which represents one-third of all shark attacks in the world.

Located on the central east coast of the state with the Atlantic Ocean to the east, New Smyrna Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, unofficially known as the shark attack capital of the world. In fact, there were three shark attacks only in a day last year. On February 18, a 33-year-old surfer shot a video by a drone of the sea where he just surfed in. He was shocked to see how many sharks swimming around the area were. He was grateful that he hadn’t been encountered any of them. A close encounter, wasn’t it?

Enjoy watching this amazing video clip to see how crowded this shallow water is with sharks.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/19/us/shark-new-smyrna-beach-trnd/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.2878-2/27/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

As a kid, America sent him to live in barracks with 18,000 others. Now, decades later, he's getting an apology

The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 by the Imperial Japanese navy shocked and angered Americans. Then-President Franklin Roosevelt authorized an executive order to relocate and incarcerate American people of Japanese ancestry, most of whom lived on the West Coast. 120,000 of the first, second and third generation of Japanese Americans were forced into concentration camps, some were sent to other states as far as Arkansas. They lost what they had had, their freedom, civil rights, and contacts with others outside of their camps. This forced relocation and internment lasted for four years even months after the end of the Pacific War. Sounds like the detention camps that the US is criticizing nowadays, doesn’t it?

It took decades for the US to start reflecting what they had done to their own people and it was 1988 when President Ronald Reagan signed a law apologizing for the internment on behalf of the U.S. government and authorized a payment of $20,000 to each camp survivor. Now, the state of California, where most of the relocated Japanese American lived, is about to pass a resolution to formally apologizing for the act.

Why does it take too long for a government to admit its own mistake?

Now as the coronavirus outbreak is spreading around the world, such forced detention by race or nationality is another concern.

Read the article and learn how the US detained its own people during the war.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/20/us/california-apology-japanese-internment-survivor-story/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.2877-2/26/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

This violinist played her instrument as surgeons removed a brain tumor

A brain tumor is a mass or growth of abnormal cells in one's brain. While primary brain tumors can begin in the brain, cancer in other parts of the body could spread to the brain.

A 53-year-old female professional violinist in the UK suffered a brain tumor. It was important for her career and life to have the tumor removed without impairing her abilities to play the musical instrument. So, when she underwent surgery to remove the tumor from her right frontal lobe, she was asked by the surgeons to play the violin to make sure her musical abilities were not damaged. That sounds like pretty much a hands-on surgery, doesn’t it?

Fortunately, the surgery went well, and she was released from the hospital only three days later.

Enjoy reading the article to learn about this extraordinary brain surgery, and if you’re interested, watch the video of the violinist playing the violin during the surgery.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/19/world/violin-brain-surgery-trnd/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.2876-2/25/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

'Movement, vibration, dynamism': The helmet-cam that is revolutionizing Formula E

Started in Beijing in 2014, Formula E is a single-seater electric-powered car race. Racing takes place on 1.9 to 3.4 km long temporary city-center street circuits. The 2019–2020 FIA Formula E Championship is the sixth season of the FIA Formula E championship and will make its debut in Seoul, South Korea in May.

Can you imagine what the car race drivers are looking at and feeling in the cockpit during the race? Some might have seen racing scenes from an onboard camera attached to the car. It shows you what the car racing is like on the street level. Now, thanks to the miniaturizing technologies, a micro camera is attached inside of the driver’s helmet. This Driver's Eye camera allows viewers to be immersed in the dynamic Formula E car racing in tight corners of the city streets. Since the camera is mounted inside the helmet, you can not only see what the driver is looking at but also feel the vibration. You’ll be surprised to find how little a racing driver can see in the cockpit.

Enjoy watching the video and immerse yourself in a Formula E car racing.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/19/motorsport/drivers-eye-camera-formula-e-supercharged-spt-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.2875-2/24/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

The price of wine is dropping fast

California supplies nearly 90% of the American wine production. There are over 1,200 wineries in the state ranging from boutique wineries to international sellers like Mondavi.

California's wine regions are generally classified as a Mediterranean climate, perfect to grow grapevines. Of the four wine regions, Central Valley produces nearly three-quarters of the state wine production. On the North Coast, there are famous valleys like Sonoma and Napa where world-famous wines are produced.

California wine industry had been enjoying steady growth until recently and expected the growth would continue and grew more vines. However, consumers’ demand for alcohol diverged to spirits and ready-to-drink cocktails while baby boomers age and thus consume less wine. As a result, there is more supply than demand. It seems that they have to wait for some time until the larger millennial population starts to enjoy dining with wine. The good news is that high-quality California wines are expected to become more affordable.

Enjoy reading the article and learn about the challenges of vine growers.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/16/business/grape-surplus-cheap-wine-trnd/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.2874-2/23/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Jeff Bezos: World's richest man pledges $10bn to fight climate change

The founder and chief executive officer of the world’s largest online sales, internet company by revenue, and AI assistance provider, Amazon, Jeff Bezos, is known to many in the world. As Amazon’s market capitalization reaches one trillion US dollars, his net worth exceeds 120 billion. Now, he is named the richest man on Earth.

So, what does he do with that much money? As he’s only 56 this year, there are many things he can do. So far, besides Amazon, he founded Blue Origin, the aerospace manufacturer and sub-orbital spaceflight services company and bought The Washington Post, the major American newspaper, neither of which is an environmental or philanthropic organization. So, he’s been criticized for not being generous to others or conscious of the environment.

Now, he pledged 10 billion dollars to help preserve and protect the natural world by exploring new ways of fighting the impact of climate change.

10 billion dollars to start a fund for a philanthropic cause! It is surely a huge amount of money and if it is well invested and used, it’ll help save the environment a lot.

In the meanwhile, the new fund represents about 8% of his wealth. What will he do with the rest of his money?

Enjoy reading the article and think about what he is interested or expected to do the next.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-51539321