Topic Reading-Vol.3337-5/31/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Cat jumps from fifth floor of burning building, bounces and strolls away

Cats are good at jumping up a tree or wall. You might have even witnessed a cat jump up to the roof without difficulty. But what about jumping down? How high can they jump and land safely? Of course, cats won’t jump down from an extremely high place unless it’s necessary. Recently, a video captured a black cat jumped out of the fifth-story window of a burning building and landed elegantly in Chicago, USA. You can assume that the cat must have been so desperate that it had no choice but to make the once-in-a-lifetime live-or-burnt dive.

Enjoy watching the video of this live performance by this athletic cat.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/14/us/cat-fire-jump-scli-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3336-5/30/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

How Vienna built a gender equal city

Located at the easternmost extension of the Alps, Vienna is the cultural, economic, and political center of Austria. The historic capital of the Holy Roman Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austrian Empire, and the Republic of Austria while having been the resident city of the Habsburg Dynasty, regained independence when the four-power control ended in 1955. As so many renowned composers like Mozart, Beethoven, and Strauss resided in the city and created masterpieces, many people think Vienna is a classical and conservative place. To your surprise, it is quite the opposite when it comes to gender equality. Vienna is trying to achieve gender equality in society based on equal structures, settings, and conditions for women, men, and LGBTQ. For example, almost anywhere, most of the parks you see are designed by male predominant city planners. But when women’s perspectives are included, you’ll see smaller spaces and more seating areas instead of a large football field. Interestingly, when such gender and age-sensitive designs are well made and implemented, they will look not absurd but natural, like the newly designed or renovated parks in Vienna. Also, when it comes to LGBTQ, the city came up with the first transgender crosswalk in pink, blue and white color. Surprisingly, that colorful crosswalk proposal was supported by all political parties including the most conservative.

So, if you have a chance to visit this traditional, historical, and cultural capital, you might also pay attention to their progressive attempts to be more liberal and open to any gender. (and of any religion or race?)

Enjoy reading the article and learn about

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20210524-how-vienna-built-a-gender-equal-city?referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.com%2F

Topic Reading-Vol.3335-5/29/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

What happened when I ate ultra-processed food for a month

Ultra-processed food does impair your physical health and brain functions as presented in Topic Reading-Vol.3329 on May 23, 2021. But how much harm does it actually cause to your health, weight, or brain? In fact, it is estimated that over half of the energy from food comes from such processed food in the UK, where one in four adults and one in five children are obese. So, one British doctor and a TV presenter of a food program tried to find out the effects of an ultra-processed food diet for himself. Having increased ultra-processed food intake from 30 percent to 80 percent for a month, he gained seven kilograms and became overweight. He experienced poor sleep, heartburn, unhappy feelings, anxiety, sluggishness, and low libido. Sounds bad enough to realize how unhealthy processed foods are. Other studies found that consumption of ultra-processed food increases the hormone that makes you feel hungry and decrease the one that makes you feel full. Thus, people eat more and even faster because processed foods are easy to eat. Furthermore, since ultra-processed foods are carefully engineered, produced, and marketed, they are quite palatable and attractive. You can be easily addicted to such convenient and fulfilling food. What should you do?

Enjoy reading the article and find how you should manage your diet.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/van_tulleken

Topic Reading-Vol.3334-5/28/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Lego unveils first LGBTQ set ahead of Pride Month

Legos’s colorful interlocking plastic bricks are popular around the world. They consist of bricks, gears, minifigures, and various others parts. Their business soared last year because of the pandemic as people spent more time at home. Starting from June, a new set of products will be added under the LGBTQ theme, called “Everyone is Awesome,” to celebrate Pride Month. It is when the world’s LGBT communities come together and celebrate the freedom to be themselves. There will be 11 rainbow-colored figures in the 346-piece set, which is intended to include and celebrate everyone regardless of their identity of themselves and their lovers. If children grow up with such gender-neutral toys and talk and work naturally with their family members, they will have less or no prejudice or bias against LGBTQ people. In fact, other toy makers like Mattel are also introducing gender-inclusive toys. Toys are indeed an influential tool to develop children’s mindsets. It might be getting more important to have children play with toys before they start indulging in smartphones.

Enjoy reading the article and learn about this recent move by a toy giant.

https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/lego-lgbtq-set-pride-intl-scli/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3333-5/27/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Google AI tool can help patients identify skin conditions

When a problem or trouble occurs, many people search for information on the Internet trying to find the cause and solution. For example, when you have a reddish, raised patch, or irritated area, or a shiny pink, red, pearly white, or translucent bump on your skin, you may check on the Internet what that symptom might be to decide whether you can leave it, should get some medicine, or need to have it checked by a dermatologist. In order to do the search, you describe the symptom by typing or speaking to the browser, which will then show you relevant information. In fact, there are as many as 10 billion searches for skin, hair, and nail issues on its search engine each year. But it is a bit cumbersome to describe visual and sensational symptoms. So, Google came up with an AI tool that helps spot skin, hair, and nail conditions based on the visual images that are uploaded by the patient. The dermatology assist tool can recognize over 280 skin conditions based on a dataset of 65,000 images of diagnosed conditions and millions of images. The app doesn’t diagnose the symptoms but can help doctors provide more tailored treatments to patients. Indeed, skin conditions and symptoms vary by race, age, and person. Combined ingenuity of an expert and AI may identify skin problems and gives proper treatments more appropriately

Enjoy reading the article and learn about another use helpful usage of Artificial Intelligence.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-57157566

Topic Reading-Vol.3332-5/26/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Drinking any amount of alcohol causes damage to the brain, study finds

Bad news for anyone who drinks any type or any amount of alcohol. A new study among 25,000 people in the UK found that even a small amount of alcohol consumption damages the structure and function of the human brain, especially on the gray matter, which includes regions of the brain involved in muscle control, and sensory perception such as seeing and hearing, memory, emotions, speech, decision making, and self-control. It was found to cause the same impact as aging, volume reduction of the brain. This means no health benefits of moderate or safe drinking to the brain as often recommended by dietitians. Indeed. Since a cure for neurodegenerative diseases hasn’t been found yet, preventing brain harm plays an important role in our brain health. In the meantime, if you enjoy some wine with your family or friends for dinner, you can enjoy the meal more and eat more slowly, which is good for both mental and physical health. So, it is you to balance your mental, physical, and brain health.

Enjoy reading the article and learn what alcohol does to your brain.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/19/health/alcohol-brain-health-intl-scli-wellness/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3331-5/25/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

They could become more common as the planet warms

Since the beginning of the millennia, the Arctic has become warmer twice faster than the rest of the globe. For example, Alaska is now about two degrees warmer than in the early 20^th century. Because of the warming temperatures and climate change, there have been more wildfires in the Arctic regions during non-winter seasons. Though most of them usually extinguish in winter, there are some undetected wildfires under the surface that can survive the severe winter and reemerge in spring and cause more wildfires. The problem is that these regions contain huge stocks of not only trees and plants but also flammable peat. Also known as turf, peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. Since peat has a high carbon content and can burn under low moisture conditions, it burns sluggishly without flame for a long time releasing the contained CO2 into the atmosphere. Such peat burnings tend to last under the surface and never extinguish, they are called zombie fires. Now you see that the warming of arctic regions not only melts ice sheets and glaciers but also burns trees, plants, and peatland, increasing the release of more greenhouse gasses.

Enjoy reading the article and learn about what zombie fires are and do in the arctic regions.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/19/weather/zombie-fires-arctic-forests-climate-change-scn/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3330-5/24/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

5 ways to repair a friendship

What is friendship to you, a choice, luxury, or necessity? How long has the best friendship lasted? The best friendship you have today may not be the same tomorrow, just like the one in your old days is no longer the same today. Your interest, lifestyle, and priorities will change from time to time and so as your friend’s. In the meantime, you may build a new friendship while losing touch with the old ones. Also, you may have a conflict or argument with your friend from time to time despite your desire to keep the friendship valuable and enjoyable. In that case, you may want to mend the relationship rather than ending it. But how? Experts suggest these five tips to repair a friendship.

- Reflect on the time you enjoyed or valued with your friend.

- Try writing a letter or sending something that your friend likes.

- Take some time to ease the tension and conflicting feeling.

- Adjust the relationship in accordance with the new situations and priorities.

- Evaluate the relationship to judge if it’s worth mending rather than ending.

You won’t lose anything by trying any of the above methods. So, why not?

Enjoy reading the article about how to reestablish friendship and think if you want to try any of the tips to mend your troubled friendship if you have any.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/18/health/how-to-repair-a-friendship-wellness/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3329-5/23/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

How processed food drives diet-related diseases

It’s not just the calorie that you should worry about for a healthy diet but what is added to your food. Basically, all food is inherently good for you. For example, a whole apple is of course a good fruit and keeps the doctor away. Even if the fruit is sliced, it is still good food. But when an apple is processed and added other ingredients like applesauce, it loses the original nutritious benefits. And if the matrix of the original food is destroyed, processed, and added more ingredients to make it a palatable item like an apple pie, only the flavor and ingredients remain like sugar and butter. Indeed, when food is processed, unhealthy ingredients, such as sugar, salt, and fat are added while the inherent nutrients like vitamins and fiber are lost. A study found that liver fat was reduced substantially when sugar is substituted by starch while maintaining the same calorie intake. Experts suggest we eat food with no labels. If there is, you may want to avoid ones whose label doesn’t include sugar among the top three ingredients.

Enjoy reading the article and learn about how unhealthy processed food is.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/13/health/processed-food-chronic-disease-wellness/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3328-5/22/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Battery swaps could boost EV adoption, say industry experts

Over 1.3 million new energy vehicles were sold in China last year alone, and the figure is expected to rise to 1.8 million this year. Are there enough charging stations on the roads? In fact, there are over 63,000 charging stations across the country, and 284,000 public EV charging outlets were added last year alone. But in order to replace more fossil fuel-guzzlers with cleaner EVs, battery swapping may help EV fleet users operate their vehicles more efficiently. Battery swapping, either at home or on the road, is a common practice for small motorcycles and scooters. As for car battery swapping, it is not as simple as motorcycles, but it takes only a few minutes to swap the battery automatically, almost as fast as charging gas. There already are over 600 such battery swapping stations across the country. Sounds like an ideal solution for fleet users whose vehicles are equipped with the same type of batteries. Along with charging stations, battery swaps may help China achieve the challenging goal to have 80 percent of new vehicles sold in major cities be EVs.

Enjoy reading the article and learn about another way to charge

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202105/17/WS60a1b90ca31024ad0babe2bb.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3327-5/21/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Tokyo Olympics: Why doesn't Japan cancel the Games?

A coronavirus state of emergency has been extended in the capital Tokyo and five other major prefectures as cases continue to rise. Also, Japan’s vaccination rate is one of the lowest among developed countries. While polls show about 70% of the responses are not in favor of hosting the games, the International Olympic Committee and Japan’s government and games organizations remain committed to the sports event. Why?

The contract between the IOC and host city Tokyo states that the cancellation is only opted by IOC. So, if the host city wants to cancel the Olympic games, it will likely have to bear all the risks and losses, including the penalty to IOC, costs for already-completed event facilities, associated expenses, sponsorship obligations, and indirect expenses of the organizers, sponsors, local governments, and related businesses such as hotels, transportation, and travel agencies. In case both parties agree not to have the event, there will be another business that has to endure the financial burden, insurance companies. In fact, only three modern Olympic Games have been canceled so far, the one in 1916, 1940, and 1944, all of which were scheduled at a time of world wars.

As the Beijing Winter Olympic Games scheduled in February next year, another rescheduling doesn’t seem to be an option for Tokyo/Japan. So, even though six prefectures including Tokyo are under coronavirus state of emergency and despite the criticisms and concerns by athletes around the world, doctors’ union, business executives, and some politicians, it is still unclear if and how the already-postponed event is held.

Enjoy reading the article about the doomed Olympic games.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-57097853

Topic Reading-Vol.3326-5/20/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Xi sends congratulatory letter on Mars probe's historic landing

Though it is a neighboring planet, the distance to Mars ranges from 55 million to 400 million kilometers depending on the two planets’ orbits. With that distance, it takes about five to 20 minutes for a radio signal to travel. Though Mars's surface gravity is only less than 40% of that of Earth’s, any object will fall on the ground. Though the air on Mars is less than 1% as dense as that of Earth, a high-speed falling object will encounter a significant force of air resistance. Now you understand why sending a probe and landing on Mars is such a challenging task for any space agency that only one Soviet and five US rovers had been successfully landed on Mars until May 15 when Chinese robotic probe Tianwen 1 touched down and deployed Zhurong rover, the name of an ancient Chinese god of fire. It was surprising to astronomers and space agencies of the world because China did these three difficult tasks with just one probe and in the first attempt, orbiting Mars for observation comprehensively, landing on the planet autonomously, and deploying a rover to conduct scientific operations successfully.

Enjoy reading the article and watching a two-minute video to learn about how China accomplished this astonishing space mission.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202105/15/WS609f18aaa31024ad0babe089.html

Mars Landing-May 19

The distance to Mars ranges from 55 million to 400 million kilometers depending on the two planets’ orbits. 
With that distance, it takes about five to 20 minutes for a radio signal to travel. 

=> How can you communicate or operate a landing module from Earth?

Though Mars's surface gravity is only less than 40% of that of Earth’s, any object will fall on the ground. 

Though the air on Mars is less than 1% as dense as that of Earth, a high-speed falling object will encounter a significant force of air resistance.

=> How can you reduce the falling speed and landing impact?

Now you understand why sending a probe and landing on Mars is such a challenging task for any space agency that only one Soviet and five US rovers had been successfully landed on Mars until May 15 when Chinese robotic probe Tianwen 1 touched down and deployed Zhurong rover, the name of an ancient Chinese god of fire. 

It was surprising to astronomers and space agencies of the world because China did these three difficult tasks with just one probe and in the first attempt,

 orbiting Mars for observation comprehensively,

 landing on the planet autonomously,

 and deploying a rover to conduct scientific operations successfully.

Video 

Topic Reading-Vol.3325-5/19/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Can 'ghost kitchens' help save South Africa's restaurants?

Restaurants are one of the hardest-hit businesses by the Covid-19 pandemic. Many doors are closed, employees are let go, and the owners are out somewhere holding their heads. But people still want to enjoy professionally-prepared meals at home when they can’t or don’t want to go out. In fact, the food delivery industry had been on the rise even before the pandemic. And now, food delivery apps are out everywhere on the globe, such as Uber Eats, Grubhub, Gojek, Doordash, Ele.me, and Koubei. Also, fast food restaurant chains like McDonald’s are reinforcing delivery business as fewer diners come to their doors. But for small independent restaurants, using delivery apps is sometimes even more costly than serving customers at their restaurant as those apps charge as high as 30% of the bill for taking orders and delivering the food. So, a new collaborative business emerged known as a ghost kitchen, which are also called a cloud kitchen or dark kitchen. (Note: there aren’t any ghosts or clouds in the kitchen, though.) They aren’t an ordinary dine-in restaurant but a dedicated kitchen to prepare food for delivery and some for takeout. They usually contain kitchen space and facilities for more than one restaurant brand so that small restaurants can share the operation cost for delivery orders. In fact, restaurants can keep ghost kitchens as their delivery hand in addition to their dine-in restaurants.

Read the article and learn how small restaurants are managing their businesses in South Africa under the pandemic.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/14/africa/south-africa-ghost-kitchens-mpa-spc-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3324-5/18/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Covid: The race against the variants 

More than a billion Covid-19 vaccines have gone into arms around the world. As more people are vaccinated, some countries have started easing the coronavirus restrictions, such as lockdowns, social gatherings, restaurants, and even face masks. But as worldwide variant cases increase, the first generation of vaccines might become ineffective if enough people are vaccinated. As viruses aren’t bothered by national borders, vaccination shouldn’t be limited only to countries that can afford and prepared. In fact, the UK variants and B.1.617 have been on the rise. And India has been seeing a skyrocketing number of cases since the religious ceremonies and political rallies for elections, marking over 400,000 new cases a day. As the more contagious and deadly variants spread from India, many countries have suspended entries from India. But that won’t stop the virus from spreading as the world is more connected than ever before. Indeed, vaccination and strict lockdown surely reduce the number of new cases but if lockdown is eased too prematurely, more people still get infected. It seems that the world is entering a complicated stage of the pandemic. While vaccination rates vary by country, region, and generation, coronavirus has no such borders, just like climate change.

Enjoy watching the video and learn about the next stage of the fight against the novel virus and its variants.

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-57091041

Topic Reading-Vol.3323-5/17/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

It's a boat? It's a plane?

If you want to travel from a port town to another over water, you may take a boat or ferry, or helicopter or seaplane, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. Boats and ferries can transport more people at cheaper costs but they are slow. Helicopters and seaplanes are faster but they carry only a few people at a time and cost much more. Another problem, which is common to all these vehicles, is that they all burn fossil fuel in one way or another. Are there any greener ways to travel over water? To tackle this problem, a Boston-based tech company came up with a hybrid of a boat and a plane to fly close to the water. The unique aerodynamic design allows the vehicle to fly more efficiently than conventional aircraft. The all-electric “Seaglider” will carry dozens of passengers in the future for over 250 kilometers in an hour. Another sleek and clean way to travel over water. Speaking of air taxies, what is happening to Volocopter, the world's first flying taxi, now?

https://edition.cnn.com/videos/business/2021/05/11/all-electric-ground-effect-vehicle-seaglider-regent-orig.cnn-business

Topic Reading-Vol.3322-5/16/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

China census: Data shows slowest population growth in decades

According to the once-a-decade census in late 2020, only 12 million babies were born last year in China, 20% percent fewer than the previous year and six million fewer than in 2016. The world’s most populous country with a population of a little over 1.4 billion is now facing fast-aging and fewer children problems, which are going to affect the nation’s workforce and social welfare system. The trend hasn’t changed even after the controversial, decades-long one-child policy was lifted in 2016. It is now just a matter of time when the nation’s population starts to decline like South Korea where the fertility rate is under 1.1 births per woman. Accordingly, China’s working-age population, aged between 16 and 59, declined by 40 million in the last 10 years. Though the trend isn’t limited to China, it is still the most populous country and its economy is the second-largest in the world. Both their production capacity and consumption power affect the world’s economy. One way to cope with the workforce decline is to extend the retirement ages, 60 years for male workers, 55 for female office workers, and 50 for female workers for now, which are much younger than other developed nations. But will people be willing to work longer? Also, young people aren’t rushing to marry, and even after they get married, they are not encouraged to have more than one baby because of the attention and money needed to raise children. Indeed, most of them are the only child of their families. It might have become the most common lifestyle in China and other eastern Asian countries like Japan and Korea.

Enjoy reading the article and learn about what China’s census report tells us.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-57067180

Topic Reading-Vol.3321-5/15/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

China: Man left dangling from bridge after glass breaks

Glass-bottomed bridges are very popular in China. There are over 2,000 glass bridges along with many glass walkways and slides to lure tourists across the country. Pedestrians can enjoy seeing a spectacular view through the glass panels and feel thrilling excitement being on see-through floors, which are built strong enough to sustain the designed weight and impact of falling objects. In fact, they won’t break even if they are hit by an iron hammer. However hard they might be, an unexpected incident will occur and damage the bridge. On May 7, a man was left dangling from a 100-meter-high glass bridge in Jilin province, Northeast China when several glass floor panels were blown away by strong winds. Fortunately, he managed to get back to the cliff without injury. He must have wanted to have an exciting walk over the 100-meter-high valley but got a more thrilling experience than he had expected.

Were those blown-away glass panels broken?

Enjoy reading the article about a scary experience the Chinese man had in a holiday week.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-57058247

Topic Reading-Vol.3320-5/14/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Hundreds party in Spain as coronavirus curfew ends in most of the country

Young people tend to gather and party to celebrate when they feel liberated. Before a lockdown took place to prevent the coronavirus from spreading, bars, pubs, and streets in European cities were packed with people who wanted to socialize with others. Now, when the 11 pm curfew was lifted in many regions in Spain, large crowds gathered and partied in parks and beaches without face masks or social distancing. Though the number of positive tests has been declining and the number of people who had received vaccination has been increasing, thousands of new cases are being reported each day in the country. Yes, Spaniards are known for eating and drinking with family and friends. Also, they eat dinner very late and enjoy night activities afterward. So, it must have been so frustrating for them not to go out with their friends late at night than others. Still, Covid-19 is spreading and evolving. And there is no effective medication to treat the patients. If one is infected, he or she could infect more than one person. Have they forgotten how deadly and contagious the coronavirus is? Nearly 80,000 people have lost their lives in Spain.

Read the article and think about what makes people behave themselves and feel liberated.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/09/europe/spain-covid-curfew-party-intl-scli/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3319-5/13/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Retired circus elephants get new home with plenty of room to roam

Founded in 1871, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey had been the most famous and long-lived American traveling circus company until the last performance was shown in 2017. The circus traveled across the country on two special train units, each of which was a mile long with 60 cars. Among other show animals were 12 female Asian elephants, ranging from 8 to 38 years old, that were all born in the US. So, what do you think happened to those no-longer-employed giant mammals? Fortunately, there is a wildlife refuge in Florida that took all of them. When they arrived, the carers were worried if those completely domesticated elephants in their entire lives would adapt themselves to the new wild environment. To their surprise, it didn’t take days for them to get used to the sanctuary and now they seem to enjoy their retirement life in the new habitat.

Even though they were used to live with humans, elephants are elephants. DNA matters. They are fortunate partly because they are endangered species, but not all the animals can enjoy this happy retirement.

Enjoy reading the article and seeing the video to see how retired circus elephants are enjoying their life in a sanctuary.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/06/us/circus-elephant-refuge-trnd-scn/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3318-5/12/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Why treating Covid-19 with drugs is harder than you think

A vaccine is a biological preparation. It provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease but doesn’t cure the disease. So, the development of new antiviral drugs is essential in order to cope with the coronavirus. But it takes years to develop new antiviral drugs while the novel virus is already mutating and evolving rapidly. One way to deal with the present symptoms is to reuse existing drugs that have already been approved and used. Unfortunately, there are only a few effective antivirals because viruses are more diverse than bacteria. Also, viruses sometimes become inactive and later become reactivated. This makes the treatment more complex and repetitive especially for patients whose immunity is weak.

All in all, the race against the coronavirus is ever-challenging. This is where human ingenuities, artificial intelligence, and corporations beyond borders are more essential than ever before.

Enjoy reading the article and learn about how difficult to overcome the coronavirus.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210430-why-arent-antiviral-drugs-as-effective-as-antibiotics

Topic Reading-Vol.3317-5/11/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Zoom CEO: My advice for remote workers who are on video meetings all day

Since the pandemic began last year, many people have been working or studying more remotely than before. Some people found it more convenient, efficient, and productive, and now prefer online work or study to onsite. But other people are experiencing fatigue with video meetings, conferences, and classrooms. One reason for this is that people haven’t learned to manage or cannot schedule video meetings. Yes, video meetings give people the chance to interact with anyone, anywhere, and anytime, which might have added more meetings than they normally have in a single day. It is indeed an advantage but is also stress and pressure. And such video meeting fatigue is experienced not only by frontline workers and managers but even by the CEO of Zoom! Now, the founder and CEO of the video meeting giant gives his users some advice to limit strain from a high volume of video conference meetings.

In the end, what is essential is to enhance both productivity and satisfaction like work-life balance.

Enjoy reading the tips to work online by Zoom CEO.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/04/perspectives/zoom-ceo-eric-yuan-video-meetings/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3316-5/10/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Taiwan Strait: Claim man who crossed sea in dinghy investigated

The Taiwan Strait is a 180-kilometer-wide strait separating the island of Taiwan and mainland China. Though the narrowest part is only 130 kilometers, the strait divides the two sides the most widely even though many of the inhabitants share the same roots and speak the same language. Unlike the Berlin Wall or the 38th parallel north, both of which were created by foreign pressure during the Cold War, The People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC) have been separated by their own wills since 1949 when the Chinese Civil War ended. While China considers Taiwan as part of their territory, Taiwan claims as a sovereign state. As China’s naval power grows, the tension between the two has also increased. In fact, the Taiwan Strait is one of the most heavily policed waterways in today’s world.

Recently a Chinese man was found near the port of Taichung, a central town on the island’s west coast. He claimed he had crossed the strait in a rubber dinghy by himself for defection. Taiwan’s officials are very much worried if there are any loopholes in their coast guard. It is also assumed that China’s coastguard is under scrutiny if what the defector claims is true.

A solo journey in a rubber boat may be too ambiguous to detect for the state of art radar systems, other technologies, or human eyes.

Enjoy reading the article about a recent annoyance to both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-56971823

Topic Reading-Vol.3315-5/9/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Consumption month launched nationwide to encourage spending

China’s consumption is on the rise. In March, retail sales in China grew 13% over that of March 2019, the same period before the pandemic. And the government is promoting consumption to boost the domestic economy further. They started the 2021 National Consumption Promotion Month on May Day in Shanghai to boost consumption. Indeed, an increase in consumption spending drives retail sales, increases production, and stimulates employment especially for the industries that were affected by the pandemic. The nationwide event was first held in September last year. Then, about 100 large and medium-sized cities in 31 provinces across the nation organized 10,000 key enterprises and major e-commerce platforms to host consumption promotional activities featuring the integration of online and offline channels, combination of products and services, as well as integration of business, travel, culture, tourism, shopping, and entertainment elements.

While many countries are still struggling to contain the coronavirus, China seems to be already stepping ahead of the world to recover the economy.

Enjoy reading the article and learn what is China doing while India is marking more Covid cases and deaths every day.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202105/02/WS608e228aa31024ad0babbb7c_1.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3314-5/8/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Then and now: When silence descended over Victoria Falls

Located on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls is one of the largest waterfalls in the world. As it stretches 1.7 kilometers in width and drops water 100 meters, it is one of the natural wonders and world heritage sites. However, the gigantic falls became silent in 2019 when the water flow of the Zambezi river decreased severely because of the worst drought in a century. It affected tourism, hydroelectric generation, and food production in Zambia. Just like glaciers are retreating and ice sheets are melting, silenced waterfalls are another clear evidence of global warming. As Africa’s population is expected to increase from 1.3 billion now to 4.3 billion in 2050, the continent, especially the sub-Saharan region, is going to be affected the most by climate change. While Africa is the land of opportunity as an increasing number of younger people become workers and consumers, it is also on the front line of the battle against the climate crisis and the subsequent consequences like water shortage, food security, droughts and floods, and biodiversity.

The silence in Victoria Falls is one of the most vocal calls for immediate action.

Enjoy reading the article and think about how the world should tackle the population increase and climate crisis at the same time.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56902340

Topic Reading-Vol.3313-5/7/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

India Coronavirus

A nurse's story of fighting the virus

Each day, India added hundreds of thousands of Covid infections. Hospitals are overwhelmed by desperate patients whose lives are in danger. Recently, younger people have been infected and carried to hospitals where there are no available beds, medical supplies, or oxygen. Medical workers are under extreme stress with not only the long hours they have to work for but also the helplessness and hopelessness they feel. Still, they are trying their best to save lives. Here is a story told by a head nurse in a hospital in Delhi.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-56926119

Round-the-clock mass cremations

Despite their effort, thousands of people are dying as oxygen supplies run low and hospitals are overwhelmed by the sheer number of patients. When those patients breathed the last time, their bodies need to be cremated with respect as it is the most important part of the funeral rites for Hindus. But as the death toll continues to rise, cremation sites are overflooded by bodies from all over the place. Families have to wait and even help carry wood to burn their loved ones.

https://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-56913348

Read the two heartbreaking articles about India’s Covid situations and think if people’s lives are as well respected as democracy and human rights there.

Topic Reading-Vol.3312-5/6/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

What everyone gets wrong about cholesterol in food

Most of you know there are good and bad cholesterols. The bad one, so-called LDL cholesterol, can build up inside the arteries and could clog blood flow to the heart and brain. This LDL isn’t really all created by the food that is high in cholesterol but the saturated fat, which is contained in animal fat and dairy products, not eggs. In fact, eggs do contain cholesterol but if cholesterol intake rises, your body produces less cholesterol to balance because a proper amount of cholesterol is essential for your health and physical performance. The problem is what you eat with eggs, such as bacon, ham, and cheese that are high in saturated fat. Also, along with red meat and dairy products, processed foods and sugary drinks increase the risk of heart diseases. Now you know what not to eat too much. One easy way to maintain a good diet is to eat more food that doesn’t have nutrition labels.

Enjoy reading the article and learn about what the real culprit of heart disease is.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/23/health/cholesterol-versus-saturated-fat-wellness/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3311-5/5/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Space junk map tracks 200 ‘ticking time bombs’

Space debris is nonfunctioning human-made space objects around the Earth. Examples are abandoned launch vehicles, debris from the breakup, erosion, collision, and waste of spacecraft. Of over 26,000 individual objects in various sizes that are being tracked, most of them are rubbish. They need to be predicted their behaviors because they are like ticking time bombs. When they either explode or being hit by other space debris, they will become tens of thousands of smaller pieces. Since this orbital debris is traveling at a speed of over seven kilometers per second, even a tiny object will cause significant damage to a functioning satellite or manned space station once they collide. The more nonfunctioning and uncontrollable space objects orbit the earth, the higher the risk will be to hit functioning satellites for GPS, weather and climate monitoring, military, and scientific observations. Such risks are becoming even higher as more space satellites are being launched to orbit the earth and more debris is being created.

The environment isn’t limited only to the Earth, but to space as well now.

Enjoy watching the video and learn about how space junk threatens space safety and the environment.

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-56845104

Topic Reading-Vol.3310-5/4/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Electric cars: What will happen to all the dead batteries?

More electric cars are replacing conventional fossil fuel vehicles, which are believed to be better for the environment. They are indeed carbon neutral while they are driven on the road. But at the end of their vehicle lifetime, there will be parts and materials that need to be reused, recycles, or dumped. For conventional vehicles, there already are established systems and businesses to take care of unused vehicles at least in developed countries. But there is something in electric vehicles that cannot fit the existing recycle or reuse systems, the lithium-ion batteries, which contain hazardous materials and require careful handling to disassemble. While some of the materials used in the lithium-ion batteries like lithium, manganese, cobalt, and nickel, are reusable, it requires energy-intensive processing to recover them from the battery. So, the industry and society are facing new challenges to make electric cars cleaner and safer after their lifetime. But new challenges are also the chance for innovation and new businesses. Fortunately, there is still some time before millions of electric cars will end their lives on the road. After all, electric cars are for the environment.

Enjoy reading the article and learn about the other side of the clean vehicle.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56574779

Topic Reading-Vol.3309-5/3/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Turkmenistan now has a national holiday in honor of its 'wolf-crusher' dogs

Turkmenistan is a Central Asian country surrounded by Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and the Caspian Sea. The population of the Muslim state is just around six million and the capital city is Ashgabat, near the border with Iran. The country is rich in natural gas, which is the main source of national revenue. The reclusive state has been ruled by authoritarian President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow since 2007, who has been exercising totalitarian control over the country and people. His own gold-coated statue was built in 2015 at a major road junction in the capital. Last year, another gold-coated statue was unveiled, not of himself or any other person but a dog. The Alabai is a Turkmen-bred shepherd dog and is a symbol of national pride. Then, on April 25 this year, the first national holiday honoring the native dog was celebrated. The breed has been helping people of Turkmenistan guard their sheep and goats as well as their homes. It is surely a nice touch to show respect to their canine friend. In the meantime, people there seem to have been suffering from inflation and human rights abuses. What are the priorities to rule a country?

Enjoy reading the article and learn about how Turkmenistan’s dog breed is honored.

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/turkmenistan-dog-national-holiday-scli-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3308-5/2/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

The European Super League was three years in making. It took 48 hours to unravel

The European Super League (ESL), was a proposed annual club football competition to be contested by twenty prominent European football clubs. It was supposed to be formed by 15 permanent founding member clubs and five other qualified European football clubs for each season. It was intended to depart from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League which is competed by 32 teams each year. After three years of planning and under-table negotiations, the new elite club league was announced on April 18 but survived only two days because of the heavy and wide criticisms across Europe, including the fans of those founding and other clubs, media of all types, and political bodies and leaders of European countries. The ESL concept seemed to have missed what makes football so important for fans and people in Europe. Indeed, it is the fans that make the professional football league exists, not for the greed and pride of the club owners. Instant and fierce criticisms and protests made the club owners realize what mistake they had made all almost overnight., and all but two clubs admitted their withdrawal from the ESL.

A hard lesson is learned. Sport is business for those who make money from it, but fans are the ones that create the business. Though the fire was extinguished, the ash and remains will stay on the club owners’ faces for a while.

Enjoy reading the article and learn about the recent ESL fiasco.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/24/football/super-league-how-it-unraveled-cmd-spt-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3307-5/1/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Autonomous, artistic cars shine at Shanghai auto show

China is the world’s largest auto market, both for gas and electric, production and sales. Accordingly, automakers and soon-to-be automakers are presenting their upcoming technologies, concepts, and designs in two major biannual auto shows in China, Beijing Auto Show, and Shanghai Auto Show. This year, Shanghai hosted the event amidst the coronavirus pandemic. Unlike the previous auto shows which exhibitors tried to woo and excite the visitors and press by performance or luxury, it was the technology and artistic designs that drew attention, such as 5G connectivity, autonomous driving, air filtration, and aesthetic design. In the old days, horsepower, sporty design, and luxury interior and brand were the catch of most auto shows, which later taken place by fuel efficiency, compact size, and electric power. The barrier to entry has been lowered as electric cars became popular. Also, IT is playing a much more important role in driving cars. Apple, Sony, and Foxconn, formally Hon Hai Precision, are the only few examples that have been working on building new kinds of cars. Another industrial transition seems to be occurring.

Enjoy seeing the cars that were spotlighted at the Shanghai Auto Show.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202104/23/WS608262d6a31024ad0bab9e79_1.html