Topic Reading-Vol.3490/10/31/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

What does being a 'cultural fit' actually mean?

Similarity may create smooth connections among colleagues and team members while diversity brings about new, innovative perspectives to the group and organization. In fact, some research shows that teams with a diverse mix of genders, races, and sexual orientations show better performance than those that keep mono-culture. However, in the real world, many companies are reluctant to hire candidates who aren’t likely to fit the existing culture. Job interviews of such companies are not just checking job qualifications but also assessing the candidate’s compatibility, such as working style, behaviors, and personal profile such as appearance, preference, and interests. These assessments can be subjective and biased, but they have the final say as to whether to hire the candidate who qualifies for all the requirements. This, in turn, might not be all bad for the candidate, either. It could be stressful to work in an environment where he or she feels isolated or foreign.

Companies seem to choose either cultural fit for harmony or cultural add for diversity when they interview candidates.

Enjoy reading the article and learn about what cultural fit could mean in the hiring process.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20211015-what-does-being-a-cultural-fit-actually-mean

Topic Reading-Vol.3489/10/30/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Vikings settled in North America in 1021AD, study says

Vikings are seafaring people who sailed from Scandinavia, including Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, to the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Middle East, and North America from the late 8^th to the 11^th centuries. They raided coastal dwellings, pirated merchant ships, and traded goods and people. Some of them also settled in places like England, Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, and North America. This means that Vikings were the first people who reached North America before Christopher Columbus did in 1492. But the exact year in which they arrived there had not been clarified until recently. Now, a new study found that Vikings settled in the northern tip of Newfoundland, Canada as early as 1021CE. This was revealed from pieces of cut wood found in the site by using the radiocarbon dating technique. However, it does not prove that was the first year they were there. They or other Vikings might have been there even earlier, which needs to be proved by other pieces of evidence that may be discovered in the future. New history is being revealed by science nowadays.

Enjoy reading the article and learn about Viking’s settlement in North America.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58996186

Topic Reading-Vol.3488/10/29/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Royal Caribbean announces nine-month world cruise

Booking a cruise trip that sets off two years later? Marking most of the 2023 calendar now? Spending 274 nights abroad in the same cabin with over 2,000 fellow passengers? Going to Miami, Florida to set out and visit 150 destinations in the world including 31 countries at 66 ports including the Caribbean, Australia, India, Egypt, and Europe in one trip? That is what the world’s largest cruise line, Royal Caribbean is offering now as the Ultimate World Cruise. Once onboard, you’ll be a passenger of a 20-year-old, 293-meter long, 90,000-ton, 12-deck cruise ship, Serenade of the Seas. During the 274-day trip, you can also choose to visit famous tourist destinations such as Iguazu Falls, the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, and the Pyramids of Giza. A very inclusive cruise trip, doesn’t it? The ticket price ranges between $66,000 and $112,000 per person. If you divide the fare by 274 nights, that’ll be about $240 to $400 per night including meals. Compare this to a 10-minute or a day trip to space which could cost even more with no or tube-meals, it might be a bargain. And of course, there is no pre-flight training or G-force pressure during the cruise trip. It is scheduled to commence sailing in December 2023.

Enjoy reading the article and think if you may want to enjoy a long, slow journey in 2023.

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/royal-caribbean-nine-month-world-cruise/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3487/10/28/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Students sue Texas school district for banning long hair on boys
A dress code is a set of rules of clothing groups of people should wear. Different societies and cultures have different dress codes, and they tend to change from time to time. Many schools implement dress codes to prevent students from wearing inappropriate clothing items to school. Some schools have school uniforms and others set guidelines as to what is recommended or prohibited to wear at school. But how far does a school or school district enforce the dress code? One of the school districts in Texas, a conservative southern US state, maintains and enforces its dress code policy that prohibits boys from having long hair. In one school, a 9-year-old student was barred from recess and lunch breaks as punishment. Boys and non-binary students claim that the dress code is an act of segregation. One student says that long hair is a part of his family’s heritage and another student argues that it is part of their gender expression.
Can such a gender-based dress code be justified in a co-ed environment in the 21^st century?
Enjoy reading and think about the school dress code from social, cultural, and educational aspects.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59013608

Topic Reading-Vol.3486/10/27/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Keep your brain sharp by finding your sleep 'sweet spot,' study says

How long do you usually sleep a night? If you regularly sleep at least seven hours, you are not in big trouble. But if you are in bed only for six or so hours on weekdays and ten or more hours on weekends, that doesn’t work well for brain function recovery. Also, if your sleep is constantly interrupted by noise, light, or a toilet, the quality of your sleep declines. You want to go through a 90-minute sleep cycle four to six times a night. In the first two stages of the sleep cycle, your body begins to decrease the rhythms to prepare for deep sleep, called delta sleep, which restores your brain and body. Then comes rapid eye movement sleep, or REM sleep, which makes you dream. This is an important stage to consolidate and store information and experiences in memory. In order to go through these stages four to six times a night, you want to sleep in an appropriate environment for six to eight hours, ideally straight. To avoid interruptions, you don’t want to eat or drink too much in the evening. Of course, there is no need to check your smartphone until the next morning.

Enjoy reading the article and learn about what good sleep does to your brain and body.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/20/health/sleep-sweet-spot-brain-health-wellness/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3485/10/26/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

The nightmare of India's tallest rubbish mountain

India is the world's most populous democratic country with a population of around 14 billion. It has satellites, an aircraft carrier, and a high-tech hub like Bengaluru, but unlike China, social infrastructures like transportation, public facilities, and waste management system are lagging behind the pride and promises of the nation. Even though the national government passed rules to have municipalities process waste, there are not enough waste treatment plants to deal with increasing waste. In fact, there are over 3,000 waste mountains containing 800 million tons of rubbish across the country. For example, Mumbai, India’s commercial and entertainment capital with over 20 million population, has eight rubbish mountains in a suburb, which are the largest and oldest dumpsite in the country. Over 16 million tons of trash are sitting there and more are being brought in every day. The piles reach as high as 36 meters, like an 18-story building. Surprisingly, there are people who enter those trash mountains daily to fetch sellable items, such as plastic bottles, glass, and wire, though it is prohibited. It is dangerous and unhealthy, but such scavenging is necessary for them to make their living. There seems to be a lot to do for India to create a sustainable economy and environment.

Enjoy reading the article and learning about India’s waste mountains.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-58866834

Topic Reading-Vol.3484/10/25/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

The battle to make lighter life-saving body armor

Body armor is protective clothing designed to absorb or deflect physical attacks like a bullet or a piece of shrapnel. It is usually worn by soldiers, police officers, or security guards. The ones used by combat soldiers use metal, ceramic, or compound material plates in their bullet-resistant vests. For those working on the battlefield, body armor increases the chance of survival or protects the wearer from injuries. However, the more protective the armor is, the heavier it becomes. Since soldiers need to carry kilos of items or supplies, such as a gun, ammunition, food, and communication equipment, they are already heavily loaded. Also, they sometimes have to run or climb a hill as quickly as they can. As new materials have been invented and used for modern armors, they’ve also added more weight as much as 10 kilograms compared with the ones used in the Vietnam War. Will there be a breakthrough invention or technological innovation that reduces the weight while enhancing the protection?

Enjoy reading the article and learn about what body armor means and does to a wearer.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58793826