Topic Reading-Vol.1937-7/31/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Where the elderly take care of each other -- because no one else will

There seems to be another way to develop new careers in this fast-aging society, Japan.  Care-giving for elderly people, but not by young people but by seniors who are looking for another career or chance-to-contribute after their own retirement.

“Seniors take care of other seniors” may sound a little odd, but if you look at the Japan’s population and demography now and the future, there is no other way around to cope with this situation, unless they accept more foreign workers to fill the roles.

Gig economy (Vol.1937, yesterday) is a work style to do various jobs at a time, but this “Seniors-help-other-seniors” seems more like a life style for the second life. Either case, it’s not just for money but also for the value of life.

Enjoy reading and thinking what you would be interested in doing when you retire for the first time. 

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/07/22/asia/japan-nursing-home-old-workers/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.1936-7/30/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

The gig economy of the 18^th century

“gig economy?” It’s a working style doing temporary or separate jobs when available and getting paid separately, instead of working for one employer. Some people do an additional job to just to make a living and that’s normal. But thanks to the sharing economy and networking platforms, there are more people out there who choose not to commit themselves to just one job but to be engaged in various jobs. Why?

Some people feel more comfortable doing the things they like. Others enjoy building different relationships, reputations or satisfactions by other types of jobs. It seems that social and cultural value and aspiration drive people to do more than one thing. And this is not a new style of working. Even some people in the 18^th century took more than one job for living and fun.

Gig economy surely keeps people busy with the tasks that others need help. It sounds complementary and may create new opportunities to those who want to do other things.

Enjoy reading and thinking if you’re interested in doing multiple jobs.

http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20170721-the-gig-economy-of-the-18th-century

Topic Reading-Vol.1935-7/29/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Shenzhen's never-ending skyscraper boom

China’s economy is somewhat slowing down but it is still growing. But which city in China do you think is the richest? Shanghai or Beijing, or Hong Kong if included?

It’s Shenzhen. This economically huge but geographically small city is located immediately north of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Thanks to high-tech industry, this booming city has the highest per capita GDP in China.

In fact, Shenzhen was ranked number one in the mainland’s most expensive property market in 2016. Because of the soaring land prices, Shenzhen has been building more sky scrapers than any other city or even country for the last few years, maybe more than what businesses need.

Enjoy reading and thinking if google map helps you preview the place you are looking for in this 3-D city.

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/07/23/architecture/shenzhen-skyscraper/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.1934-7/28/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Why Switzerland never takes sides?

Modern Switzerland was formed in 1848, though its history dates back to the 13th century. This small country in the Alps is known for a few distinctive characteristics.

Geographically, it is a landlocked country, so they have army and air force that mainly consist of conscripts or volunteers but no navy. This military is solely for defense as the country is strictly neutral. Politically, it adopts direct democracy. Diplomatically, it is extremely independent. Though it has the United Nations offices in Geneva, the nation became a member of the UN in 2002. It isn’t an EU member state and maintains its own currency, Swiss franc. Though German is the language spoken the most, there are three other official languages in the country, French, Italian and Romansh for only eight million plus population.

How has this small country remained neutral and been free from wars for centuries?

Enjoy reading and learning what it’s like to stay neutral.

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20170717-the-country-that-cant-choose-a-side

Topic Reading-Vol.1933-7/27/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Watch your waste: The problem with airline food and packaging

Do you always finish everything served on your flight? With just a few exceptions, such as fancy wine in the first class, coffee or tea in any cabin, almost everything served on a flight is individually packaged. This means anything unfinished becomes garbage. As there are thousands of flights in the sky today and that number is increasing almost every day, how much food waste is being, and will be produced in the air daily?

Because of customer satisfaction, competition, low cabin air-pressure and food safety regulations, meals served on the flight are quite different from the ones you find on the ground. And plenty of food is stocked to make sure all the passengers are fed, even though there are always quite a few passengers who decline to eat. Though new technologies are going to help reduce such waste by more accurately predicting what and how much should be served on each flight, there still is quite a lot of food waste discarded from each flight.

What about preorder meals or in-flight convenience store?

Enjoy reading and thinking why such dish meals, mostly salty and greasy, not just sandwiches, are served on the flight in the first place.

http://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/airlines-cabin-waste/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.1932-7/26/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Disney reveals plans for 'Star Wars' immersive hotel

There are games, toys and costumes beyond screens. That’s quite norm for any big hit movie and Star Wars is no exception. And ever since the movie franchise was acquired by Disney, the universe of the movie is further expanding at a speed of light. New episodes are being produced not only to entice hardcore Star Wars fans but also to create new fans in younger generations. Also, the Star Wars-themed lands are expected to open in 2019. And now an immersive "Star Wars"-themed hotel in Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

It looks like Hollywood is the place to invest, or bet, money on producing movies and Orlando is the place to reap the fruits. And Disney does it well and entertain more people.

What’s wrong with Disneyization?

Enjoy reading and thinking which character’s costume you’d be wearing if you stay in the hotel.

http://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/star-wars-hotel-disney-world/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.1931-7/25/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Earth is becoming 'Planet Plastic'

Convenient and inexpensive. Over eight billion tons of plastic products have been produced in the last 65 years. Plastic is so easy to be produced, used and thrown away but so hard to be recycled, incinerated, or biodegraded. Once the plastic product is made, most of them are used in a very short time, like plastic shopping bags or packages. Then they are thrown away or collected with quite a lot of effort. But less than 10% of such discarded plastic is recycled, and most of them are used only once. The rest goes to landfills or floats in the oceans and seas.

While Elon Musk’s Space X is trying to reuse rocket multiple times, plastic bags are reused only once in the best case. Is rocket science needed to reduce or reuse plastic products?

Enjoy reading and thinking what the Planet Plastic is going to be like.

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-40654915

Topic Reading-Vol.1930-7/24/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Missing Swiss couple found frozen in Alps after 75 years

An ordinary couple suddenly disappeared near their home in Swiss Alps on a peaceful summer day 75 years ago. They just went out to milk their cows but never returned to their six children. Despite the long and continual search effort by their children, their bodies had never been found until this year when the retreating glacier finally uncovered them. It seems the couple fell into a rift of the glacier together, and were preserved in the ice. Though the couple had been separated from their children for such a long time, they have been together and are now met by their children at last.

Will there be more discoveries like this as glaciers or ice sheets retreat because of the global warming?

Enjoy reading and imagine what a reunion after 75 years is like.

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/07/19/europe/swiss-alps-couple-frozen-75-years/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.1929-7/23/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

How did dogs become our best friends? New evidence

Dogs have been human’s friends for thousands of years. As you know, there are all kinds of dogs out there like, companion dogs, guard dogs, hunting dogs, herding dogs, and working dogs, just to name a few. And there are over 300 breeds of dogs that are divided into 10 groups based on the purpose, function, appearance or size, such as Sheepdogs, Terriers, Dachshunds, Pointers, and Retrievers. They all look quite different, don’t they?

Now, a new study suggests that they all evolved from wolves in one location over 20,000 years ago. Even though dogs have a faster breeding cycle, or dog year, physical changes and evolutions they’ve made are quite significant. It’s hard to imagine that toys dogs like the Yorkshire Terrie and the Chihuahua share the same ancestor as the Foxhound and the Bernese Mountain Dog.

Enjoy reading and thinking what dogs will be like in the next millennium.

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-40638584

Topic Reading-Vol.1928-7/22/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Apple unveils new emoji, including breastfeeding mom

There is such a day. World Emoji Day is celebrated on July 17.

 http://worldemojiday.com/

It is a day to celebrate emojis mainly online. There are 2,666 emojis in the Unicode Standard as of June 2017, including some sequences for gender or skin tone, flags, and the components that are used to create keycap, flag, and other sequences.

On that very day, Apple announced quite a few new emojis, including genie, t-rex, yoga master, zebra, elf and even a zombie. These are Apple’s interpretation of the 69 new symbols approved by the Unicode Consortium, which sets the standard for emoji and text characters. Android devices have their own interpretations of these symbols, so they don’t look the same as Apple’s.

How often do you use emoji? Are there more words represented in emojis than texts in your recent messages?

Enjoy reading and thinking how dependent you are and will be on emoji in day-to-day communication.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/07/17/technology/apple-emoji-2017/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.1927-7/21/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Why China censors banned Winnie the Pooh

Winnie the Pooh, or just Pooh Bear, is a fictional teddy bear created by an English author nearly a century ago. The bear became globally known after Disney adapted him into series of features in theaters a half century ago. No wonder why so many people associate Winnie the Pooh with Disney and think him as one of its original characters like Micky Mouse.

Within the Great Firewall of China, this animated plump bear is no longer been seen on the web. Did he say anything that upset Chinese people? No really.

He was compared to its supreme leader by some bloggers on the net. It seems to have triggered a warning to the authority because it could be used to protest against the government or the top leaders. But the bear is not alone to be censored and blocked. Liu Xiaobo, the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize who died in custody recently, is not known much in China.

Enjoy reading and thinking what they are doing with the students who have studied abroad.

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-china-blog-40627855

Topic Reading-Vol.1926-7/20/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Tour de France: The history of the La Caravane Du Tour

This multiple-stage bicycle race is by no means the most prominent bicycle race in the world. Tour de France has been held since 1903 annually, except during the World Wars. Now over 200 teams race every year to earn the title and the iconic yellow jersey.

Another thing that makes this racing event more exciting and attracting to the roadside spectators is the publicity caravan, La Caravane Du Tour. This promotional caravan not only generates needed fund for the racing event but also creates opportunities for marketers and consumers to meet. In fact, many fans along the way are even more attracted by this caravan than the race itself.

              Tour de France guide: publicity caravan

While the main racing competition has suffered from the doping allegations, cyclists, organizers and fans are still enjoying this tour event.

Enjoy reading and learning what this world and historic cycling event is about.

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/07/17/sport/tour-de-france-caravan/

Topic Reading-Vol.1925-7/19/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

This is what happens if you open a plane door mid-flight

Though the incident occurred at a relatively low altitude, it was scary enough for all the passengers and crew members abroad.

45 minutes after departure, a first-class passenger on the flight bound for Beijing allegedly tried to open one of the exit doors of the Boing 767 aircraft. Flight attendants used their best force and tools to stop his attempt but the man was too tough to be subdued, even after being smashed by a wine bottle over his head.

Fortunately, with the help of other passengers, the man was restrained and tied, and the aircraft landed safely at the airport it departed. The details of the incident will become available as the investigation progresses. But what could have happened if the man had ever succeeded in his attempt to open the exit door in the mid-flight?

Enjoy reading the article and think what you could have done if you had been one of the passengers sitting near the door.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/item/a69fdc7e-7fb5-43ce-977f-1e88de99e0dc

Topic Reading-Vol.1924-7/18/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Where many of the clothes you throw away end up

Have you ever thought of where donated or collected used-clothes go? Basically, most of the clothes that are still in good shape are sent or sold to those in need. But the others are often sent overseas for recycling, mostly to India, where there are numbers of vendors that buy, recycle and sell them to even poorer countries in Africa.

It sounds like an environmentally friendly cycle before the carbon footprint of the transportation and working and processing conditions are taken into calculation.

But there is severe pressure to this recycling model in India. Man-made fabrics such as polyester are getting more economical than these recycled materials and many of such recycling operators have gone out of business.

Enjoy reading and learning what the recycling process of clothes is like in India.

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-40352910

Topic Reading-Vol.1923-7/17/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

No, poor people don't eat the most fast food

Fast food is most popular among low-income families. This easy assumption found out to be untrue, according to a new survey.

Why do people eat or buy fast food, such as hamburgers, fried chickens or burritos?

Is that because of the price, convenience or taste? As more people become overweight or obese in America, fast food is blamed the most because of its high-calorie menus enhanced by sugar, saturated fat, and sodium. But it is, still a very popular meal option for many Americans.

Convenient,? Of course, yes. Most fast food can be eaten by fingers rather than a knife and fork. It can be eaten conveniently in a car, at the desk or on a bench.

The price? Not really. An average fast food meal could cost as much as a minimum hourly wage. It may be a cheaper lunch option for medium-income families but it is, in fact, a special treatment for low-income families.

The study found that there is no significant gap by income level as to how often people go to a fast food restaurant. Rather, it is people’s craving that drives people to fast food restaurants.

While many people are aware of the unhealthiness of fast food, guilty indulgence seems to create substantial business and weight problems in America.

Enjoy reading and thinking if you sometimes are fooled by groundless assumptions.

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/07/12/health/poor-americans-fast-food-partner/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.1922-7/16/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Credit Card Fraud: What you need to know

Online shopping has been increasing everywhere in the world. But is online payment safe? Whether for online or onsite payment, whenever you use a plastic card, credit or debit, there is always a chance for cybercriminals to seal precious information from the card for fraud.

One typical method to steal card information is “phishing.” It is often carried out by email spoofing or instant messaging, to direct users to enter personal information at a fake website that looks almost identical to the legitimate or trustworthy one.

Another way, though not as often as in the past, is to steal card information by swiping a card by a special device, called “skimming.” For example, when a server takes your card away for payment, he or she could swipe the card to steal the information.

How should you protect yourself from such frauds?

Enjoy reading and learning what you should and shouldn’t do to avoid being a victim of such fraud.

http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20170711-credit-card-fraud-what-you-need-to-know

Topic Reading-Vol.1921-7/15/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Paris and Los Angeles set to get 2024 and 2028 Olympics

Do you remember the last three cities that hosted the Olympic Games? Do you know where the next games will be hosted?

2008: Beijing, China

2012: London, the UK

2016: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

2020: Tokyo, Japan

2024: Paris or Los Angeles

2028: Los Angeles or Paris

You can see that all these cities are mega cities that can host such huge game events and accommodate a large number of athletes and visitors from all over the world for a short period time.

But the truth is that this once-every-four-year prestigious sports extravaganza costs more than the projected revenues or budget. In fact, these two cities are the only competitors left for the 2024 games.

Now, the IOC has given a chance to these two cities to decide which will host 2024 games and which will wait until 2028. If they can’t reach an agreement, the IOC will decide which city to host 2024 games and leave 2028 event for open.

Enjoy reading and thinking which year would you like to host the games if you sat in the mayor’s chair of either city.

http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20170502-what-your-handwriting-says-about-you

Topic Reading-Vol.1920-7/14/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Okinoshima: Japan's UNESCO World Heritage Site that's banned to women

To be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list is a great honor for those who inhabit the site. But there aren’t any residents in this newly listed world heritage site in Japan.

The sacred island of Okinoshima lies at 77km off the coast of Fukuoka, Japan. It is one of the newly designated World Heritage Sites with historical significance. It is privately owned by Munakata Taisha, a large Shinto shrine in Fukuoka, and is prohibited for visitors on any day but May 27^th every year when they hold a grand festival. It’s too early to mark your calendar because only 200 men, no women, are allowed to land this mysterious island in order to maintain their purity

Though it is unclear why women are banned from visiting this island, the tradition has been kept since the fourth century. Even for lucky men who get permissions to visit the island, they must bathe in the sea naked to purify their body and soul before landing.

Enjoy reading and thinking what pure means to you.

http://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/okinoshima-japan-unesco-men-only-island/index.html

If you are interested in this mysterious island, visit the website below;

http://www.okinoshima-heritage.jp/en/

Topic Reading-Vol.1919-7/13/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

What's behind the India-China border stand-off?

China and India shared a 3,500km border, and a number of disputed regions lie along this border. In 1962, during the 13-day Cuban Missile Crisis, the Chinese launched simultaneous offensives in two of the disputed lines. Their troops advanced over Indian forces in both theaters during the month-long Sino-Indian War whose battles took place at altitudes of over 4,000 meters. This inland territorial dispute wasn’t paid so much attention by the global community then because of the intense and critical US-USSR conflict over Cuba in the Caribbean Sea was taking place at the same time.

Now the two neighboring countries have been involved in a stand-off along some part of the shared border. Why has such a dispute arisen again? Well, when it comes to a border dispute, the stories told by either side never matches what the other says, such as who shot or invaded first.

Enjoy reading and learning the complex and sensitive argument over the border between these two gigantic countries.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-40478813

Topic Reading-Vol.1918-7/12/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

China’s impossible engineering feat

It seems they’ve been building bridges all over the world, including the highest, longest, and also the shortest one in life.

The Beipan River Guanxing Highway Bridge in Guizhou Province, China is one of the highest suspension bridges in the world. This 388-meter suspension bridge overlooks the Beipan River 366 meters below its deck. It was constructed in 2003 and still is in use.

How did they construct a bridge in such a high position in the air?

Enjoy watching the video to learn how this mid-air bridge was constructed.

              http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20170531-chinas-impossible-engineering-feat

China’s enthusiasm to build high-rise bridges didn’t stop there. Above 565 meters of the same river, Beipanjiang Bridge in a remote, mountainous region was completed in 2016 and holds the world highest bridge title.

              http://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/news/beipanjiang-bridge-worlds-tallest-opens-traffic-rural-china/

Just a reminder. While these amazing bridges are still in service, a Chinese-built Sigiri bridge in Kenya collapsed just before its completion. (Listed in Topic Reading-Vol.1914 on Jul.8^th)

              http://edition.cnn.com/2017/07/03/africa/kenya-bridge-collapse/index.html

Enjoy checking out these amazing Chinese-built bridges.

Topic Reading-Vol.1917-7/11/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

World's prettiest Starbucks? New Kyoto outlet set inside 100-year-old townhouse

When you’re in Kyoto, do as Kyotonians do. Unlike other 26 other Starbuck coffee shops in town, this one is quite distinctive.

First, the legendary mermaid green logo is hardly recognizable. There are no glass windows or open terrace that you can see from outside. The only identity is a subtly printed logo on Noren door curtains.

If you want to go up to the second floor, you need to take your shoes off first. Then you can sit on tatami mats and enjoy viewing a traditional Japanese garden and silk cushions while sipping your usual coffee.

And this isn’t the only unique Starbucks coffee shop in the world.

Enjoy reading and seeing the photos of some of the uniquely set-up coffee shops of the world’s largest coffee chain.

http://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/kyoto-traditional-starbucks/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.1916-7/10/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

France set to ban sale of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040

More electric cars will soon be seen on the street. Norway is leading the move to remove gasoline or diesel powered cars from the street. The Netherlands is following the same path and China, the world largest CO2 emitter has been seriously incentivizing the sale of zero-emission electric vehicles to bring back the blue sky.

Now the host country of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 21, has announced to join the race under the initiative by the newly formed government.

Also, just this week alone, a few other environmental initiatives were announced like;

              Volvo goes electric across the board            

              Hanoi plans to ban motorbikes by 2030 to combat pollution

While such progressive initiatives are being taken among civilized countries, there is one big CO2 emitting country that is heading the other way, the U.S.A.

Enjoy reading the text and think which brings better solutions, democracy or one-party ruling.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40518293

Topic Reading-Vol.1915-7/9/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Canadian baby given health card without sex designation

Gender is usually determined by sex, which is easily found by a genital inspection. It is stated in the birth certificate or health document, depending on the administrative body, based on the application made by the baby’s parent. But what happens if the parent refuses to identify the gender of the baby?

This is what happened in British Columbia, Canada. It seems too controversial that it took some time for the provincial ministry of health to issue a health card for the baby. In the card, the sex is listed as "U” instead of “M” or “F”. The parent believes that the baby is the first to be registered without sex or gender being specified in Canada. He wants his child to decide his, her or else’s gender when he, she or else is ready.

In the meantime, he gave the baby a name, Searyl.

Enjoy reading the text and think which or both you want to choose yourself, your gender or/and name.

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/07/04/health/canadian-baby-gender-designation/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.1914-7/8/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

How did a $12 million bridge collapse in Kenya

Phew! Unfortunate but fortunate. A landmark bridge in Kenya that had been under construction collapsed just before completion and a presidential election. If the bridge collapsed after completion, there would be quite a few casualties and damages to the passersby of the bridge.

Kenya is one of the African countries that are heavily depending on China’s financing, engineering and constructing forces to build new infrastructures, such as roads, bridges and tunnels, railways and stations, and ports and building constructions. Their generous and economical proposals have allured interest of political leaders of developing African countries who are looking for ways and funds for an economic leap. And China has been working on such projects for a while.

But if one nearly-completed bridge collapses like this, what about quality and reliability of other on-going and already-completed construction works?

Read the article and think if this incident has caused any significant damage to the president’s election campaign in Kenya.

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/07/03/africa/kenya-bridge-collapse/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.1913-7/7/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Mindful eating: 'Suddenly, you have power over food'

There are many ways to control weight. Some are initially effective but often end up falling into yo-yo effect, the cyclical loss and gain of weight, like the up-down motion of a yo-yo. Though it may sound like the difference in medical treatment between Western and Oriental, which is more essential to be in a good weight range, mind control or weight control?

There is a new Western-Oriental hybrid-kind of idea to control weight, called mindful eating. You may wonder what mindful or mindfulness means. It basically means to maintain a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, as well as the surrounding environment.

Sounds like Zen meditation? Well, there don’t seem to be so many zen practitioners who need serious weight control, do they?

Enjoy reading, and try asking yourself during your next meal if you’re eating because you’re still hungry. 

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/14/health/mindful-eating-lose-weight-hospital-profile/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.1912-7/6/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Most US women won't dine alone with opposite sex, survey suggests

US Vice-President Mike Pence says he isn’t going to dine alone with a woman who is not his wife. Do you think he is too old-fashioned or right about marital commitment?

To find out what people really think about this controversial topic, the New York Times conducted a poll among 3,500 people. It revealed that quite a few number of respondents agreed that a married person shouldn’t have a meal or drink alone with a non-family person of the opposite sex. It also found that the responses vary widely by gender, education, political stance, and religion. For example, people who are college educated or have liberal views seem to think it’s ok to have a one-on-one occasion.

Enjoy reading and thinking if everything can be determined by the gender or marital status.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40473553

Topic Reading-Vol.1911-7/5/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Volvo's driverless cars 'confused' by kangaroos

Hands Off the Wheel. Self-driving cars are on the way not only in tech-savvy Silicon Valley or over-congested Beijing but also the Outback in Australia. Each market seems to require distinct challenges for the driving computer of such vehicles. On a busy highway, there are many cars around you that may change the speed, lane or direction at any moment. In a residential area or on a busy downtown street, there are kids and bicycles that could suddenly make an unpredictable move or appearance. And on a rural road, there are wild animals that run or jump across the street suddenly. Cars drive by themselves need to be able to detect such moves and react without delay.

In Australia, of the 20,000 or so animal collisions each year, and around 16,000, or 80%, of such animal-caused accidents involved kangaroos. The problem is that kangaroos apparently make quite different moves from other large animals, so that the latest Large Animal Detection system is fooled by their distinctive jumping and landing.

Enjoy reading and thinking what your course of action would be when you saw a kangaroo by the roadside.

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-40416606

Topic Reading-Vol.1910-7/4/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

How do Navy ships operate?

Accidents happen no matter how well you are trained or how careful you are. That’s why it’s accident, not incident. So then, it’s the matter of how well you manage the damage and situation caused by an unpredicted occurrence. That is when how well you are trained matters.

On June 17^th, a US Aegis destroyer, the USS Fitzgerald, was hit by a container ship off the coast of Japan and suffered substantial damage and casualties. How did such a collision occur? Since an Aegis destroyer is well equipped with state-of-art radar, detection and navigation systems, the Fitzgerald must have known what was coming to her course. And of course, she must have had watch team on duty at all time.

Enjoy reading and learning how an US warship is operated in the sea. 

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/18/politics/how-do-navy-ships-operate/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.1909-7/3/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Canada 150: Huge crowd celebrate nation's anniversary

Every year on July 1^st, Canada celebrates its birthday as Canada Day (French: Fête du Canada). But this year is special as it’s the 150^th anniversary that enacted the Constitution Act in 1867, which united the three separate British colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick into a single country. Probably known to more people around the world, it’s neighboring country, the United States of America, celebrates its 91-year-older birthday just three days later on the 4^th of July every year.

This milestone anniversary was celebrated in all over the country by many, but not all. There are as many as 1.4 million indigenous people, such as First Nations, Inuit and Métis, whose ancestors were displaced, segregated or assimilated by the European settlers. Though the government has been trying to reconcile the past mistakes, such a history of oppression doesn’t seem to be forgotten in just a century or two.

At any rate, the last 150 years were quite eventful; the second industrial revolution, two world wars and the cold war, and full-independence from the UK in 1982. What will the next 150 years be like in Canada?

Enjoy reading and thinking what the next 150 years will be like in your country.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40468161

Topic Reading-Vol.1908-7/2/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Is India descending into mob rule?

Silenced, ignored or even supported. That’s what seems to be the case in India when it comes to lynching beef eaters or handlers regardless of the age especially in BJP-ruled states like Haryana where a 15-year-old Muslim boy was brutally assaulted and killed on the train by 20 or so mobs. His three other brothers who were on board the train with him were also attacked by knives and wounded because they ate beef (though not on the train).

In Hinduism, the cow is thought to be sacred, respected and honored in society, and its meat is not eaten by most Hindus, which makes up about 80% of India’s population. On the contrary, pork is the meat that should never be touched or eaten for Muslims because it is regarded as impure.

The problem is that even some lawmakers think and even publicly say that lynching or hate crimes are not new to their country and that they should not be over-stated or over-reported by media.

Is India the largest not only democratic but also mobocratic nation?

Enjoy reading and learning about this India’s underlying social problem.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-40402021

Topic Reading-Vol.1907-7/1/2017

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Baboon troops clash in epic battle

Baboon troops usually live in a hierarchical group. The size of the group varies from 50 up to 250, depending on specific circumstances, especially species and time of year. They mainly eat plants but they also eat grasshoppers, ants, and sometimes small gazelles and chickens. In order to find food, they walk as long as 10 kilometers in their territory every day.

That was when these troops of baboon encountered other intruding troops. They needed to protect their own turf and females from the enemy. There didn’t seem to be any room for peaceful interaction or negotiation but to fight. The monkeys have sharp canines mainly to protect themselves or attack other animals, including the members of their own group, enemies of the same species and preys such as gazelles. The battle looks quite fierce and bloody.

Enjoy watching this amazing video to learn what the life of baboons is like.

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20170627-baboon-troops-clash-in-epic-battle