Topic Reading-Vol.4580-11/7/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Sugar in first 1,000 days linked to poor health later

Attention women in the stages of preconception, expected mothers, and parents of babies and toddlers. Reduce sugar intake and refrain from giving sugary food to your children if you want them to start the best lives. In the UK, between 1940 and 1953 sugar was rationed, not really for health benefits but because of World War II. Researchers analyzed 60,000 people who were born during the sugar rationing and those who were born shortly after and found that the risk of developing type 2 diabetes was 35% lower and high blood pressure was 20% lower than those who were born after them. A healthy maternal diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding seems to help prevent pregnancy complications and adverse child health outcomes. Also, early exposure to sugar could affect metabolism and how the body responds to food throughout life. A good start, a good life.

Read the article and learn how early sugar intake affects children’s lives.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c93qlyp42jyo

Topic Reading-Vol.4579-11/6/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

How the coldest place on Earth became one of the world’s hottest vacation spots

Expeditions used to be the way to travel to Antarctica until the last decade. Passengers had to endure days on a clumsy ship and bear small beds, shared bathrooms, limited food choices, if any, and no or few windows. In the 1990s, there were only around 7,000 visitors to Antarctica a year. But as tour operators offer more inviting and enticing tour packages with luxurious cruise ships, more people are attracted to visit the coldest continent. In fact, the number of visitors to Antarctica jumped to 122,000 this year, which was just below 44,000 in 2017. Those visitors enjoy walking on the ice, seeing majestic views and cute penguins, and breathing the dry and cold air. Another more affordable and physically less demanding option is to just cruise to Antarctica on a large ship without stepping on the ice. The passengers can still enjoy seeing the majestic views of icebergs and glaciers and feeling the icy air from the deck. Whichever the travel options might be, there are concerns about the lives and environment in Antarctica, including black soot from cruise ships, carbon dioxide from humans, and human-borne bacteria and viruses to the wildlife. Over-tourism is happening on all continents after the pandemic.

Read the article and learn about new tourism options for Antarctica.

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/antarctica-cruise-ships-tourism-boom/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4578-11/5/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Lost Chopin music unearthed nearly 200 years after composer’s death

Born in 1810, Frederic Francois Chopin was a Polish composer of piano works and virtuoso pianist. After finishing his musical education in Warsaw, he settled in Paris at the age of 21. His piano works include ballades, etudes, impromptus, mazurkas, nocturnes, polonaises, preludes, scherzos, sonatas, and variations. He also wrote eight waltzes between 1831 and 1847. Recently, a curator at a museum in New York discovered another waltz written by Chopin in the 1830s. Because of the size of the sheet of paper and the length of the work, it is believed to have been written for a gift but was not sent. It was the first discovery of Chopin’s work since the late 1930s. Indeed, there are famous musical works that had not been published or premiered until decades or even over a century after the composer's death, such as Bach’s Cello Suites and Schubert’s Last String Quartet. Though the newly-found Chopin’s waltz lasts only a minute, it is a new piece of work by the great piano music composer.

Read the article and learn about Chopin’s newly found pian work.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/29/style/new-chopin-waltz-discovered-scli-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4577-11/4/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

More than 1 in 3 tree species are at risk of going extinct, new analysis shows

Trees play a major role in the ecosystem by producing oxygen, absorbing heart-trapped carbon, providing food and habitat for wildlife, and sourcing medicine. However, a decade-long study has found that of the 47,000 tree species assessed, over 16,000 are at risk of going extinct. Global warming, pollution, deforestation for agriculture and urbanization, invasive species, and diseases are to blame. Because of trees’ vital role in the ecosystem, the extinction of tree species threatens thousands of other wild species. Also, our life without tree diversity is unthinkable. Only humans are responsible for and capable of conserving tree species, not other creatures that live around trees.

Read the article and learn about the threats to tree species.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/28/climate/tree-species-threatened-extinction/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4576-11/3/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

'We are in danger' - Spanish anti-tourism spills into winter season

Spain lies in the Iberian Peninsula and includes the Canary Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. With the sunny Mediterranean climate, glistering beaches, historical monuments, and palatable foods and wines, the country receives nearly 100 million tourists this year, about twice the size of its population. Indeed, tourism in Spain contributes about 13% of its GDP. However, the tourism recovery after the coronavirus pandemic has been so drastic that residents of popular tourist destinations have staged protests against overtourism. For example, tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Madrid last month demanding more affordable housing amid rising rental prices as Airbnb and Booking.com dominate the short-term rental market. Also, thousands of protesters in popular tourist destinations like San Sebastian, Seville, and the Canary Islands are complaining that over-tourism has put too much pressure on their lives, including soaring rental prices, overcrowded public spaces and transportation, and distorted harmony of their communities. Balancing the harmony of businesses, cultures, and daily lives seems like another challenge after the pandemic. What will the new international airports do to the lives in Greenland? (Vol.4575)

Read the article and learn about Spain’s over tourism.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy19egx47eo

Topic Reading-Vol.4575-11/2/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Holiday in Greenland? New airports aim to entice tourists

Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark and the world’s largest non-continental island. As it lies between latitudes 59° and 83°N, it is icy and cold. In Nuuk, the capital of the autonomous country, the average daily temperature varies over the seasons from - 5 to 10 °C. The population of the capital city is just around 20,000, about 35% of the total population of the island. There are no direct flights to Nuuk either from Europe or North America, but that will soon change. A new international airport is to open this month that is capable of handling a jet carrying over 300 passengers. Then in 2026, another international airport is set to open in a popular tourist destination, Ilulissat, where huge icebergs are floating off the coastline. Since Greenland can be flown just in four hours either from North America or Europe, it is expected to become a popular tourist destination in a few years. But how many tourists will be too many for an island with a population of just 56,000? While tourism will certainly stimulate the economy of Greenland, over-tourism and environmental impacts on the icy island, though it is becoming greener these days due to global warming, are concerns of many. 

Read the article and learn about the change Greenland is about to make.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy4dz7l181wo

Topic Reading-Vol.4574-11/1/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

A loneliness epidemic is spreading worldwide. Seoul is spending $327 million to stop it

When do you feel lonely? Dining alone in a restaurant where families, couples, and friends are chatting and laughing at other tables most likely makes the solo diner feel lonely. Also, unlocking the door to a dark and empty room reminds the occupant that there is no one to talk to even at home. However, the time someone may feel lonelier than ever might be when he or she is on a deathbed alone. Last year there were over 3,600 lonely deaths in South Korea, and the number has been increasing. Surprisingly, over 84% of the lonely deaths were male, and more than half of them were in their 50s and 60s, who still haven’t reached their senior years yet. Besides the factors now common in other developed countries like Japan such as rising single-person households and declining social interactions, South Korea’s competitive achievement-oriented culture might have made some men in their upper-middle ages feel unneeded or less valuable in society. Indeed, comparing oneself to others can generally lead to negative thoughts. While dying alone might be situational, dying with a lonely feeling can be avoided.

Read the article and learn about how someone feels lonely when they die.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/24/asia/south-korea-loneliness-deaths-intl-hnk/index.html