Topic Reading-Vol.3125-10/31/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Dosa: India’s wholesome fast food obsession

Originated in South India over two millenniums ago, a dosa/dosai is a thin pancake made from a fermented batter of rice and black gram. It has been a popular go-to breakfast food especially in South India but as many chefs migrated to other Indian cities recently, the popularity of this south Indian breakfast increased and spread out. Now dosas are eaten anytime and anywhere across the country and even beyond. Among the countless number of variations that are being created, the masala dosa, filled with a lightly cooked potato, is the most popular one around the subcontinent. Furthermore, dosas are not only tasty but also healthy because they are vegetarian and fermented food. In addition, they are prepared with locally available ingredients, which is good for the environment. A dosa is indeed a wholesome food packed with nutrition and wellbeing.

Enjoy reading the article and see the photos to learn curry, tandoori, and naan aren’t the only Indian cuisine.

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20201026-dosa-indias-wholesome-fast-food-obsession?referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.com%2F

Topic Reading-Vol.3124-10/30/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Scotland tells families not to trick-or-treat this Halloween because of Covid-19

Tomorrow is Halloween. Children usually disguise themselves in costumes and go door-to-door in their neighborhoods, ringing each doorbell and yelling, “Trick or treat!” Then, scared-look neighbors treat them with candy or sweet and say, “Happy Halloween.” But this year, this children’s popular event may not be seen around so much because of the coronavirus. In fact, the Scottish government urged people to avoid this social interaction on Halloween day in a news release. They instead encouraged families to celebrate the event at home. Yes, children can still get dressed up and show themselves off to their friends and relatives via Zoom even though they miss the chance to scare their neighbors.

Will zombies be wearing masks to protect themselves from the virus tomorrow?

Enjoy reading the article and watch the video of a haunted house.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/24/world/scotland-halloween-coronavirus-trnd/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3123-10/29/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Uber and Lyft must reclassify drivers as employees, appeals court finds

These two San Francisco-based companies, Uber and Lyft, dominate the vehicle-for-hire market in the US. They are no doubt the leaders of gig-economy, a free market system in which temporary positions are common and organizations hire independent workers for short-term commitments. Combined, around half a million drivers are contracted to work as their drivers in California, though some of them are registered for both. Since these drivers are independent contractors, they work when and where they want but don’t get any benefits or insurance like employees do. This convenient business practice hadn’t been illegal until Assembly Bill 5 took effect January this year in the state of California, which requires businesses to treat their workers as employees rather than independent contractors unless they are totally free from company control. Now, a state’s appeals court upheld an earlier court decision to require Uber and Lyft to reclassify their contracted drivers as employees and provide them with benefits like minimum wage, overtime, paid sick leave, and unemployment insurance. That’s a significant blow to these fast-grown ride-hailing operators for their home ground and the largest market. They are now hoping to get a proposition passed to side-step the law at the coming referendum. But if it is not supported, what will happen next, appeal to the supreme court, follow the ruling, or give up the market? Also, what will happen to other states in the US and other countries?

Enjoy reading the article and think about the balance between freedom and protection.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/23/tech/uber-lyft-california-appeal/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3122-10/28/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Guinness may actually be good for you now: There's a non-alcoholic version

One of the world’s most well-known beer is Guinness, a dark Irish dry stout. It was first brewed in Dublin, Ireland in 1759, and the company has been successfully adding breweries in nearly 50 countries. Interestingly, while an average beer contains about 5% alcohol, Guinness clocks in at just 4.2%. Even though it is lighter in alcohol, it cannot be consumed if one needs to be sober, but not anymore. The old brewery has just introduced new Guinness 0.0, an alcohol-free version without spoiling the taste or flavor of the renowned beer by removing the alcohol through a cold filtration process. Furthermore, Guinness 0.0 has only 70 calories in a standard can, less than half the calory of the traditional beer.

Now, you can enjoy drinking the famous brand beer even while you’re driving or working! The question is if it makes driving safer or work more productive.

Enjoy reading the article and think if you want to try it when it becomes available to your market.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/22/business/guinness-nonalcoholic-drink/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3121-10/27/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

The algorithm tackling the office space crunch

Even though most of the used-to-be office work has been performed from home, there are several priceless, irreplaceable benefits of meeting and working with others in person. Creating collaboration works, building cross-individual and inter-department mindset, and motivating and inspiring each other and with a boss, only to name a few. So, while many companies are closing offices and shrining workspace, many of them are trying to keep minimum space that provides such in-person interactions and creative work at conveniently located places where employees can come by easily. But such places are limited and highly demanded in major cities like even during the pandemic. Also, companies are required to provide appropriate social distance and a clean-air environment to prevent the virus from spreading. As a result, such limited office space needs to be used most efficiently and fairly to everyone. How one can manage such complex work, including organizing office equipment and software and allocating the space and time without being complained?

This is where AI algorithms can help humans. A New York startup company has come up with AI solutions to find and allocate office space to its client companies. Where there are problems, there are businesses that provide solutions.

Enjoy reading the article and learn about this new business solution for the new normal.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20201002-the-algorithm-tackling-the-office-space-crunch

Topic Reading-Vol.3120-10/26/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

'Cooling paint' could cut emissions from buildings

The number of large buildings is increasing as we buy things online, use data, and expand businesses in hotter regions like India, the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Think of office buildings, warehouses, and data centers in those low-latitude regions where a lot of sunshine heats the roofs and walls of the buildings for a longer time throughout the year. They need to be constantly cooled even though the gap between ambient temperatures and the inside is quite wider than in other regions. Accordingly, the air conditioning of those facilities consumes much more electricity, which is mostly generated by fossil fuels. Using solar energy is one thing. But if more sunlight is reflected from the surface of the buildings, a lot of energy could be saved. Is there any coating technology or material that reflects more sunlight?

Recently, some researchers have come up with a special paint that reflects sunlight by as much as 95.5%. The effect is so significant. In one experiment, the specially-painted surface cooled 1.7C below the ambient temperature during the day and up to 10C at night!

Enjoy reading the article and learn about this human ingenuity to help save the world from global warming.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54632523

Topic Reading-Vol.3119-10/25/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

The forklift truck drivers who never leave their desks

Teleoperation is a technology that controls semi-automatic machines, vehicles, or robots from a distance by using fast telecommunication like Wi-Fi and 5G. It’s like a remote control. As more high-speed and reliable telecommunication infrastructures like 5G become available, it is expected to become more common in various areas like remote surgeries, robot operations, and even forklift truck driving in warehouses. This way, skilled surgeons, operators, and drivers can do their jobs from their workplace miles away, which could save time, resources, and money. Imagine operating a bulldozer out in the Sahara Desert in summer or Siberia in winter. How long an operator could work at a time? How much would it cost to have a human go and work in such remote places? Who would dare to work in such a harsh environment?

One day, AI robots will do such jobs autonomously. But for now, teleoperation sounds like a viable method to make use of the skills of humans economically to do the job from distance. However, such a remote operation system must be well protected from hacking or abuse.

Enjoy reading the article and learn about teleoperation.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-54431056

Topic Reading-Vol.3118-10/24/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

US election 2020: A really simple guide

One of the world’s most influential persons is the president of the United States of America, who is indirectly elected to a 4-year term by the eligible voters through the Electoral College.

The US political system is dominated by just two parties, so the president always belongs to one of them. One is the Republicans, the conservative political party has stood for lower taxes, free-market capitalism, restrictions on immigration, increased military spending, gun rights, restrictions on abortion, deregulation, and restrictions on labor unions. Support for the party tends to be stronger in more rural parts of America. The other is the Democrats, the liberal political party that supports corporate governance reform, environmental protection, organized labor and social programs, affordable college tuition, universal health care, equal opportunity, consumer protection, LGBT rights, immigration reform, stricter gun laws, abortion rights, and the legalization of marijuana. There have been 19 republican and 15 democrat presidents until Trump, the 45^th president.

Their candidates compete to win electoral college votes. This means voters decide state-level contests rather than the national one, which is why it’s possible for a candidate to win the most votes nationally (popular vote) but still be defeated by the electoral college (electoral vote) like in the last election in 2016. Since most states lean heavily towards one party or the other, the focus of the election campaign is usually on a dozen or so battleground states or swing states.

Enjoy reading the article and learn about this complex election system in the world's most influential democratic state.

https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-53785985

Topic Reading-Vol.3117-10/23/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
By limiting student visas, the US is losing more than students
This article is strongly opinionated but doesn’t seem so far off the line. There were a little over a million foreign students enrolled in US colleges in 2019, about 430,000 of whom were undergraduate and 378,000 were graduate. As for their nation of origin, China with 370,000, India with 200,000, South Korea with 52,000, and Saudi Arabia with 37,000 students. On the other hand, approximately 340,000 US students studied abroad for academic credit. This imbalance indicates that the US’s higher education is well regarded and beneficial for international students and their parents. This also brings longer-term benefits to the US as was once presented on the Department of State’s website, foreign students yesterday, world leaders today. True. Those who studied in the US are usually influenced by the open-minded culture, practical approaches, open environment, and innovative spirit. Also, they are more likely to become pro-America through education, living, and friendship.
However, the current administration has been extremely stingy about granting student visas not only to the students from hostile countries but also from allies. Many US colleges will lose not only tuition from foreign students but also the diversity on their campuses. In the long run, the US could suffer a loss of intelligence, support, and respect from other countries.
Enjoy reading the article and think about the long-term benefits of having foreign students on the college campus.
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/19/opinions/trump-limits-international-student-visas-dunst/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3116-10/22/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Sweden's new car carrier is the world's largest wind-powered vessel

Although there are many local factories that produce cars for large markets, such as the US, China, and India, there still are quite many cars that are shipped from one continent to another. Think of German luxury brands, Japanese SUVs, and Korean family sedans, many of them are produced in their home countries and shipped to other markets. No matter how clean engines or motors they may be, when they are shipped, the vessel emits a substantial amount of greenhouse gasses. Indeed. The shipping industry is getting pressure to be cleaner by reducing emissions of greenhouse gasses. Now, a Swedish shipbuilder came up with a new idea to use an old method to sail a ship. Wind power. Their newly designed ocean car carrier sails by wind power that is generated by five 80-meter-tall wing sails. Those sails will rise nearly 100 meters above the sea surface, too high to sail under certain bridges and endure severe weather conditions. In such cases, they can be retracted by 20 meters. The ship can carry up to 7,000 vehicles, almost the equivalent capacity as conventional car carriers. There are a few drawbacks. It sails about 40% slower than diesel propulsion ships and costs higher to build.

Will those sails catch enough demand to ship automobiles in a greener way?

Enjoy reading the article and learn about a greener way to sail a ship.

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/oceanbird-wind-powered-car-carrier-spc-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3115-10/21/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Uber launches medicines delivery service in South Africa

South Africa’s economy had been the largest in Africa until populous Nigeria took the place recently. With a population of 60 million, most of whom are black Africans, it is classified as a newly industrialized country by the World Bank. The country is not much behind to recent surge in food delivery services, which has already reached USD600 million, approximately $10 per mouth. Indeed, even though there are many people who are still struggling for the next meal, the country’s smartphone subscriptions have reached 54 million, nearly 90% of the population. There, Uber Eats, the largest food dispatcher in the market, has recently added an app-based over-the-counter (OTC) medicines service to its offering. Though there already are online medicine delivery service chains, Uber Eats offers a one-stop solution with ride-hailing and grocery delivery services to over 2 million users on a single app.

Of course, people want fewer apps on their smartphones and that’s why Alipay and WeChat Pay dominate China’s gigantic and still-exploding everything-in-one-platform market.

Sure, most of the phones are made in China. Why not?

Enjoy reading the article and learn about South Africa’s growing delivery service market.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/15/africa/uber-medicines-delivery-south-africa-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3114-10/20/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Finnair is selling its airplane food in grocery stores

Getting upgraded to business class? Such luck rarely occurs when you travel on an international flight. While buying a business class ticket for an international flight may cost you three times the price of an economy ticket, getting a business class meal is now offered only at around 20 dollars at local stores in Finland.

Just like other international airlines, Finnair has been grounding its fleet. In desperation, they assumed their used-to-be fliers might have missed their travel and inflight dining experiences and came up with this unique offering, ready-made business class meals sold at local supermarkets. What’s more, they were able to rehire the kitchen staff who were once laid-off. If this new business expands to other markets, the airline would bring more employees back on board.

Enjoy reading the article and think if you want to enjoy an upgraded cuisine in your dining room at a reasonable price.

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/finnair-airplane-food-grocery-store/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3113-10/19/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Coronavirus: France reports more than 30,000 new infections

France is an advanced and transparent democratic country in Western Europe. The nation’s population is about 67 million, 65 million of whom live in metropolitan areas, including the three largest cities, Paris, Marseille, and Lyon. As of October 16, 2020, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases passed 800,000, over 50,000 of which were added just in the last two days. Although over 33,000 lives were lost by Covid-19 so far, the death toll hasn’t risen as much as it did back in April recently, thanks to the better prepared and equipped medical services.

But why has this developed and supposedly organized country been experiencing such many new cases of this already-known virus? People could get enough masks, keep social distance, and avoid interacting with others openly like stated in the guidelines. 30,000 new cases a day is just unthinkable. Why and what could reduce new infections in this proud republic? And unfortunately, France isn’t the only European country that has been experiencing the recent surge of new cases.

After all, no matter how restrictive the government measures might be, it’s the people who could stop the spread of the virus.

Read the article and think about what it would take to make Europeans stop the further spread of coronavirus.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54557549

Topic Reading-Vol.3112-10/18/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Why older people are harder to vaccinate

A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease. Though vaccination is the most effective method of preventing infectious diseases, it doesn’t cure or ease the symptoms of the disease. Also, while vaccination reduces diseases, it doesn’t do much to reduce transmission, just like influenza vaccines. Therefore, those who are more vulnerable to the disease should be vaccinated first, in particular, older people whose immune systems have weakened. Even though older people have a better immune memory because of the past encounters with various viruses, they have no memory of a novel virus, like coronavirus.

Younger people need to be aware of the risks to transmit the virus to older people while they experience no or very little symptoms.

Enjoy reading the article and learn about what vaccine and immune systems are and how they work.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201013-why-older-people-are-harder-to-vaccinate

Topic Reading-Vol.3111-10/17/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Online shopping has been turbocharged by the pandemic. There's no going back

The longer the pandemic lasts, the more people buy things online. True. When lockdowns and stay-home orders are in place, people have no choice but to get things online, if delivery services are available. Even when such restrictions are lifted, people are still afraid to go out to shop in crowded malls and busy marketplaces. And it seems that this new shopping behavior stays as more people are infected by the novel virus. As a result, online retail has been and will be growing all over the world.

But just like smartphones bypassed landlines in emerging and rising markets like China and India, it seems that online retail and food-delivery services are taking place of what it could have been dominated by shopping malls and restaurant chains. Now, all over the world, online giants and their competing retailers are in full swing for the holiday season.

Interestingly, this is also a good chance for small businesses to jump on the bandwagon. Many small retailers had been wiped out by malls and chains for the last half-century until the pandemic hit the world. Now, these small online retailers and restaurants can take advantage of the growing online buying habits, retail platforms, and delivery networks., such as Amazon Marketplace and Uber Eats.

There may be places where everything is done by smartphones and delivered at the desired place and time in the very near future.

Enjoy reading the article and think about what the retail landscape will be like a year from now.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/11/investing/stocks-week-ahead/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3110-10/16/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

German ship completes historic Arctic expedition

Floating in ice floes in the Arctic Sea sounds like a one-of-a-kind tour, if only it were just for a few days in summer. However, if you stayed there for a full year, it sounds more like confinement or quarantine rather than traveling. But that is what some researchers have done to study the Arctic climate and how it is changing on a German ship.

True, if they stayed there for a full year, they must have experienced the changing environment and gathered a considerable amount of data that would otherwise never be attained. In fact, they found that the floating ice in the Arctic Sea withdrew to the second-lowest level. They also tried to learn more about how the ocean and atmosphere are responding to global warming. Such in-the-sea research for this long period will surely complement the data gathered by the satellites, and combined, more precise and valuable data will be analyzed by scientists.

Enjoy reading the article and learn about what a-year-long research could bring about.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54515518

Topic Reading-Vol.3109-10/15/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

US and West need to stand solid behind Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia's only democracy

The Kyrgyz Republic, or Kyrgyzstan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia with a population of a little over six million. It is bordered by three -tan countries, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, and Chine to the east, but the most influential country to Kyrgyzstan is Russia, where many Kyrgyz workers are employed. Kyrgyzstan became independent from the former Soviet Union in 1991 and has been keeping democracy intact ever since. For example, electric ballot boxes and biometric data verification systems are already in use in this mountainous country. However, vote fraud and corruption have been undermining the republic’s democracy. In fact, since 1991, the nation has seen two presidents fled out of the country and one is in jail in the capital city. Now, in the 2020 parliamentary election held on October 4, two pro-presidential parties won the majority, which has been contested widely by the public for vote-buying and voter intimidation. The president had no choice but to announce his resignation and cancellation of the election results.

It seems that procedures and systems aren’t enough to maintain fair elections.

Enjoy reading the article and learn about democracy in a small central Asian country.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/10/opinions/kyrgyzstan-democracy-intl-hnk/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3108-10/14/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Covid: The latest on Trump's health in seven graphics

Everyone in the world knows the US president tested positive for coronavirus, which he downplayed the threat openly before and even after the infection to himself. Very luckily, he seems to have recovered from the deadly virus, thanks to the state-of-art medical treatment and drugs, including the one that had yet to be approved. In other words, doctors had to use such risky drugs to treat him. Though details have not been fully disclosed, he must have suffered from severe symptoms. Also unclear is when and how he was infected. Since he had actively engaged in multiple events with numbers of people who weren’t always wearing masks or keeping social distance, neither the person who infected him nor the number of people he has infected is unclear. Furthermore, since he could be infectious over two weeks, more people could be infected as he goes back to business like before.

If the supreme leader offers a handshake without a mask, how one could decline such a rare privilege?

Read the article and learn about how infectious one could be for coronavirus.

https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-54463280

Topic Reading-Vol.3107-10/13/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

All 30 million British homes could be powered by offshore wind in 2030

Once a target is bound legally, it’s no longer lip service for election or at a conference. The government has to work hard for it. Even for a goal that is set to be achieved in three decades, it takes years of investment and works to make a transition to net-zero emissions. Among the renewal energy sources available today, the UK chose offshore wind power to replace fossil fuel energies. Recently, the UK government announced that a new target for floating offshore wind to provide enough electricity to every UK home by 2030.

True, the nation is surrounded by the sea, which provides constant and strong winds. Also, the sea is no one’s property, no need to demolish old buildings or pay rents. Even though it costs twice as much to build as onshore wind farms, offshore wind farms generate more electricity because their wind turbines are larger. In fact, the UK’s investment into offshore wind surpassed the investment to other renewable energies combined.

You may remember that Britain was the nation that initiated the fossil fuel society by burning coal in the 18^th century. Now, they want to revolutionize the source of energy with offshore wind power.

Enjoy reading the article and learn about the UK’s commitment to a net-zero emission society.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/06/energy/offshore-wind-clean-energy-transition/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3106-10/12/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Cruise ships torn apart after coronavirus sell off

A cruise ship is like a floating and sailing luxury hotel that offers all-you-can-think-of entertainment facilities and activities. It is designed to accommodate hundreds to thousands of passengers for days to weeks without boring them a second. The cruise ship industry enjoyed rapid growth and became a major part of the tourism industry with over 300 such cruise ships in operation in the last decade. Those ships brought millions of passengers to popular tourist destinations like the Bahamas, Cozumel, Virgin Islands, and Jamaica each year. However, those luxury cruise ships are just floating in the seas without passengers, just like grounded passenger aircraft because of the coronavirus pandemic. Since there are hardly any investors in the travel and tourism industries, the number of cruise ships that are forced to retire earlier is increasing at an unprecedented and unexpected pace. Once retired, the only value they can produce is their body itself and the materials inside. Those retiring ships make their final voyages to ship breaking yards in Turkey, India, and Pakistan to be completely torn apart. How do they look in their graveyard?

Enjoy seeing the photos of the last moments of once-luxury cruise liners.

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/cruise-ship-demolition-photos-aliaga-turkey/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3105-10/11/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

September was world's 'hottest on record'

How was the last September to you and in your place? Did you feel it warmer or hotter than the previous years or decades ago despite the social distancing from other people? If you live in the northern hemisphere or around the equator, you most likely ran air-conditioning longer in September as it was 0.05C warmer than last year. In fact, it was the hottest September on record. You might think 0.05C is not so worrisome but it adds up in the long run. Imagine the temperatures keep rising at the same rate for decades, it will be 1.5 degrees Celsius hotter by the middle of the century from now, which means it’ll be much higher from decades or a century ago. Please be reminded that a century is much less than a millisecond for earth’s 4.5 billion years history. Indeed, world temperatures and landscapes are changing at an unprecedented pace.

What is needed to avoid disastrous climate impacts is simple. More reduction of the greenhouse gasses than increase, which requires more action than discussion.

Enjoy reading the text and imagine what the summer is like ten or twenty years from now.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54442782

Topic Reading-Vol.3104-10/10/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Singapore will pay citizens to have a baby during the pandemic

The tech-savvy Singapore has deployed measures to battle the coronavirus pandemic, including park patrolling robots to remind social distancing and a smartphone app and device to trace contacts. Along with strict lockdowns and isolation initiatives, the city-state with a population of 5.6 million has recorded less than 30 deaths by Covid-19. Now, they are concerned about a further decline of their already low birthrate due to the pandemic. Although 2.1 babies are needed to sustain the population, Singapore’s fertility rate stands around 1.14 per woman. Since the nation lies on the southern tip of the Malaysian peninsula, there are no natural resources, even drinking water, human resources and population are both vital for their future. Therefore, the government announced a one-time payment to couples to keep their parenthood plans even during the pandemic. The amount of the incentive hasn’t been disclosed, yet.

A progressive move, indeed. Other countries with low fertility rates are also concerned about the number of new-born babies next year.

Enjoy reading the text and think about what could remove or ease the fear of having babies during the pandemic.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/06/intl_business/singapore-childbirth-pandemic-bonus-scli-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3103-10/9/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Tasmanian Devils reintroduced into Australian wild

The Tasmanian devil is a carnivore, an animal that feeds on meat, native to mainland Australia. It looks and weighs like a dog of some kind but has a white stripe on its chest like a bear. They were eradicated by humans and wild dogs on the mainland long ago and now they are endangered species and found only in Tasmania, an island off the south coast of the Australian mainland. Their name came from their distinguish temperament. When they are threatened by a predator, fighting for a mate, or defending a meal, they fly into a rage, such as teeth-baring, lunging, and an array of spine-chilling guttural growls.

This year, conservation groups released some of Tasmanian Devils into a fenced sanctuary in the north of Sydney, 15 in March, and recently 26. Though the sanctuary is protected from humans and other predators, they are on their own to find food, water, and shelter. The conservationists are hoping the number will increase in the sanctuary after the next breeding season. Can they get along with Koalas and Kangaroos in the wild in the future?

Enjoy reading the article and learn about this wild devils.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-54417343

Topic Reading-Vol.3102-10/8/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Have that coffee after breakfast especially if you had a bad night's sleep, research suggests

Does coffee help you awake after a good or poor night's sleep? There are some known benefits of drinking coffee. Coffee may protect against inflammation and can support brain health. It also lowers the risks of neurodegenerative conditions and supports heart health. However, new research has found that having strong black coffee before breakfast seems to increase the blood glucose response by as much as 50%, which could limit the ability of the body to tolerate the sugar in the meal. Since breakfast is usually rich in carbohydrates, it is advisable to avoid kicking caffeine into your body before breaking fast, whether black or sugary.

Are you a coffee drinker or do you have someone in your home who drinks coffee in the morning?

Enjoy reading the article and think about a new way to enjoy the benefits of coffee.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/01/health/coffee-first-thing-in-the-morning-wellness/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3101-10/7/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Geneva adopts what's believed to be the highest minimum wage in the world, at $25 an hour

Geneva is located in the French part of Switzerland and is the gateway to France. The population of the city including the suburban municipalities is around 500,000, the second largest in the mountainous country. There are headquarters of many international agencies and institutions in Geneva, such as the UN and the Red Cross. It is indeed a rich city whose gross domestic production, or GDP, per capita is one of the highest in the world. It is then one of the most expensive places in the world to live in. In fact, this high cost-of-living economy pushes Geneva’s the poverty line to nearly 4,000 Swiss Frac, or about 4,300 US dollars a month, a much higher level than any other major cities in the world. In order to fight this extremely high poverty, the city has decided to raise the minimum hourly wage to 25 US dollars, twice as high as the one of neighboring France, or 10 times higher than Shanghai’s. It was supported by nearly 60% of the voters and will affect 6% of the total, or about 30,000, workers in the canton, two-thirds of whom are women.

While a higher pay sounds alluring, a higher cost of living seems riskier to live in when the world suffers from political and economical uncertainty with the pandemic.

Enjoy reading the article and think about what life is like where everyone earns many times higher wages than your hometown.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/03/world/geneva-switzerland-minimum-wage-trnd/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3100-10/6/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Subway rolls ruled too sugary to be bread in Ireland

Are Subway rolls satisfying to your appetite? Yes, of course. They are made to complement the filling to enhance the taste of the sandwich while filling your stomach. Usually, typical white bread contains sugar less than 2% of the total volume, which came from the flour.

In Ireland, bread is classified as a staple food and exempted a 13.5% VAT, value-added tax. However, Subway's rolls are sugar-enriched, containing as much as 10% of the flour in the dough. Therefore, the rolls are taxed as non-staple food. The sandwich seller wasn’t happy about the tax and appealed but lost the case at the supreme court.

All bread isn’t created equal. Next time you eat your favorite bread, check how much sugar is contained in it if you can.

Enjoy reading the article and imagine how Subway sandwiches would taste if they tasted less sweet than they are now.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-54370056

Topic Reading-Vol.3099-10/5/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Venus isn't habitable -- and it could be all Jupiter's fault
Despite the romantic name, which was named after goddess of love and in Roman mythology, Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system with mean surface temperatures reaching 464 degrees Celsius, hot enough to vaporize lead. The planet orbits the sun in 225 days at around 72% of the sun-to-earth’s distance. It was born about the same time as Earth, 4.5 billion years ago. It is thought that the planet was orbiting the sun in an oval shape at a farther distance from the sun now. But about a billion years ago when the largest and most gravitationally influential planet in our solar system Jupiter moved closer to the sun, it also pushed Venus closer to the sun and also changed the orbit to almost circular, which made the planet too hot for any lifeforms to inhabit. So, Jupiter is to blame to make Venus unhabitable, according to a new study.
Enjoy reading the article and learn about our inner-neighbor planet.
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/01/world/venus-habitable-jupiter-scli-intl-scn/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3098-10/4/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Shell to cut up to 9,000 jobs in shift to low-carbon energy
Royal Dutch Shell is a British-Dutch multinational oil and gas company. It is one of the oil supermajors along with BP, Chevron, Eni, ExxonMobil, Total, and ConocoPhillips, all of which are under the same pressure for their future, the global shift to low-carbon energy which is fueled by the coronavirus pandemic. Many predict that the demand for oil will never get back to the pre-pandemic level as airlines are reducing their workforce and automakers are accelerating the transition to eco-friendly substitutes. Then, those oil majors have no choice but to reduce the future projection for gas and oil. Accordingly, investment, resources, and assets for fossil fuel production and distribution are going to be slashed. That’s why Royal Dutch Shell decided to reduce its workforce by 10%, or 9,000 jobs following British Petroleum’s 10,000 job cuts announced in June.
Which will shrink faster for oil, the demand or supply? Will there be enough gas stations for conventional vehicles if the supply is reduced too fast?
Read the article and think what the roads will look like a decade from now.
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/30/business/shell-job-cuts/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3097-10/3/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Buried lakes of liquid water discovered on Mars
Mars once was a much more habitable planet with an atmosphere, water, and warmer climate, though how warm it was hasn’t been clarified yet. So, scientists have been looking for traces of water that could have harbored lifeforms. Recently, some scientists found four underground lakes near the south pole of the red planet by the data taken from Mars-orbiting European spacecraft. Does that mean Mars colonists don’t need to carry water from Earth? Not likely. The water is thought to be extremely salty, which could refrain water from freezing, and that is why the spacecraft detected underground water, not ice. In fact, highly salt-condensed water could remain liquid at temperatures as low as below -100C. And if the water is that salty, it is not likely for any microbial life to live in, not to mention the extremely cold temperature.
However, we may one day find a trace of living or once-lived lifeform on our neighbor planet.
Enjoy reading the article and learn about what water could mean on the red planet.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54337779

Topic Reading-Vol.3096-10/2/2020

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Why not all screen time is the same for children
Lifelong screen time is increasing rapidly for all ages from toddlers to seniors. Children start watching screens like TV, tablet, or smartphone even before they learn to speak or walk. By the time they become a teenager, they might have spent more screen time than adults. Is this so bad? When TV came to sit in every living room or even bedroom, parents were worried if their children’s eyes would become square. But there are educational TV programs that deliver beneficial content for children to develop cognitive and behavioral skills, like Sesame Street. As for tablets and smartphones, there also are educational and interactive programs that might even attract children’s attention better. In fact, studies found that interactive and live presentations work better than recorded programs. In the meantime, children also need to experience three-dimensional, interactive, and physical real-world to develop their imaginary and cognitive skills.
So, not all screen time is evil. Balancing the real world and screen time is the key.
Enjoy reading the article and think about the pros and cons of increasing screen time.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200925-how-screen-time-affects-childrens-brains

Topic Reading-Vol.3095-10/1/2020

Topic Reading-Vol.3095-10/1/2020
Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Singapore in world first for facial verification
As you probably know, Singapore is a high-tech city-state. For example, they announced to provide a Covid contact tracing token to all residents (Vol.3082-9.18.2020). Now, they want facial recognition technology to the next level to facial verification, which is not only to check if a person’s image matches the one in their database but also to verify if the person is really present. Indeed, it is essential to verify if the person of the image is really the person applying for services, not a manipulated image or deep-fake. If such technology is also used in businesses, no more verifying process needed to open a bank account (if you still need one) or buy a smartphone. Also, such technology could be used to ensure it the test taker is really the person who applied. Of course, this facial verification is used only when the user’s consent is given. But privacy advocates are concerned if consent is enough to deal with biometric data.
Enjoy reading the article and learn about how you could be verified with this new technology.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-54266602