Topic Reading-Vol.3641-3/31/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

What we know about North Korea's new ICBM

From North Korea’s view, it was attached by the United States of America during the Korean War between 1950 and 1953. Though it was North Korea that initiated the war, it was nearly defeated by South Korea and the US-led UN forces. Several hundreds of thousands of soldiers and over a million civilians lost their lives in North Korea alone. If China hadn’t intervened, the North Korean regime wouldn’t have survived. Though the war is considered to have ended in 1953, there is no peace treaty between the two Koreas. In order to deter US aggression, North Korea has been conducting over 150 strategic missile tests since 1984, most of which were under the incumbent leader, Kim Jong-un. Recently, it test-fired a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which reached over 6,000 kilometers high and flew a distance of over 1,000 kilometers for 68 minutes. If the missile was targeted, it could have reached any place on the US mainland. Though it is still uncertain if the tested missile can carry a nuclear warhead, Kim Jong Un seems to believe that his country is getting closer to preventing an adversary from the US.

North Korea is the poorest country that has ballistic missiles. Its GDP per capita is ranked 178^th in the world and most people are poor and hungry. What should be protected first in the country?

Read the article and learn about North Korea’s ICBM test.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/25/asia/north-korea-new-icbm-test-explainer-intl-hnk/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3640-3/30/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
What stops people from being kinder?
Do you often offer help to strangers? Or, are you often offered to help you do something? A recent study from 144 countries found that even though many people want to help others, they are afraid that their offer to help might be taken wrongly. For example, don’t you hesitate to help someone who looks like being lost? Do you offer a seat on a bus to a middle-aged woman with a swollen belly even though you aren’t sure if she is pregnant or just too fat? You might have a lot of cases where you wanted to help but decided not to because you were unsure about the situation and response. However, you don’t have to worry about how your offer is perceived so much. The survey also found that most people feel happy, grateful, or pleased when they receive a kind act. Also, people seem to be more pleased than you think when they are spoken to by a stranger. After all, you’ll feel happier if you help others and others appreciate your help.
Enjoy reading the article and learn about what kindness means to you and others.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220323-what-stops-people-from-being-kinder

Topic Reading-Vol.3639-3/29/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

The Taliban closes Afghan girls’ schools hours after reopening

When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001, girls weren’t allowed to attend schools, and women were prohibited to be employed. Last August when it took the power to rule the country again after repelling the US forces, the Taliban government pledged to provide education to girls and job opportunities to women. When schools resumed classes two months later after the Covid-19 closure, only boys and primary school girls were allowed to go back to school. Then about six months later, the Ministry of Education announced that school for all students, including girls, would open from the new school year on March 23. However, when secondary and high school girls went back to their schools, they were told that girls’ high schools would be closed until a plan was made in accordance with Islamic law and Afghan culture. Not knowing how long that planning process will take, those schoolgirls are going to suffer significant learning deficits (Voc. 3638). 

The Taliban is always talking about Islam. But does Islam say girls shouldn’t be educated?

Read the article and learn about the latest move by still-unstable Afghanistan’s ruling body.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/23/taliban-orders-girls-schools-shut-hours-after-reopening

Topic Reading-Vol.3638-3/28/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Countries around the world are slashing education budgets.

Most schools for primary or secondary education usually teach standard curricula that are set by the ministry of education of the state for the country. And those curricula are usually designed for students’ age and grades. Students are expected to attend classes and learn the curriculum, and then advance to the next grade. However, many students have missed classes because of the Covid pandemic. In South Asia, where many schools have been closed longer than other regions, students have missed classes for as long as over half of the school years. They had longer school closures than other regions. Also, there are students who don’t have access to the online classes that substituted the in-person classes. Now, those students who missed classes for so long have accumulated learning deficits. Imagine some students have never had a chance to learn and use basic arithmetic, how will they study algebra or geometry? They may have a lifetime learning deficit. So, if schools resume classes according to the standard curricula, they may produce students who have serious difficulty catching up with the classes in the subsequent years.

What should be done?

Read the article and learn about the learning situations during and after the pandemic.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/21/perspectives/imf-children-education-pandemic/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3637-3/27/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

How vegan cheese is made without milk

Demands for plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy products are soaring as people are becoming more conscious of the environment and animal welfare. And where there is demand, there will always be supply. Food suppliers and restaurants have been making substantial investments in creating plant-based alternatives. Vegan meat, for example, is becoming popular on the menus of hamburger shops, restaurants, and even home kitchens. Another rising demand is vegan cheese. Cheese has long been used as the main ingredient of certain dishes like pizza and cheese fondue as well as an enhancer of flavor and taste for sandwiches and pasta. But there aren’t so many kinds of dairy-free cheese alternatives available on shelves. That’s partly because of cheese’s unique characteristic, being solid at room temperature and melts when heated, which is not easy to replicate. Some ingredients have been used to make cheese alternatives more like real cheese by using cashew nuts and palm. However, there are questions about workers’ safety and welfare, most of whom are in poor countries in Asia and Africa, and nutritious benefits and concerns for consumers. Do we really need to replace cheese with something that is not compatible with it? How about levying a heavy tax on cheese to curb consumption?

Enjoy reading the article and learning about cheese alternatives.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220317-what-is-vegan-cheese-actually-made-from

Topic Reading-Vol.3636-3/26/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Tokyo schools drop controversial dress code on hair and underwear color

Tokyo, Japan’s capital, is a modern and international city, where many high-tech and global companies have offices and headquarters. But surprisingly, there still are decades-old dress codes for students even in Tokyo’s public schools. School uniforms by gender, hairstyle and hair color, and even the colors of underwear. After having been criticized, Tokyo has finally removed regulations on such rules in their 200 public schools. But similar dress codes are still in place in most parts of Japan mainly because they have been observed without major complaints.

Now, the world is moving toward 3D virtual reality or Metaverse. Will there be a dress code for avatars in the metaverse?

Enjoy reading the article and think if Japan is keeping up with the changes in the world?

https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/japan-tokyo-schools-dress-code-dropped-intl-hnk-scli/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3635-3/25/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Covid-19: Is the world ready for a great reopening?

We seem to see the light at the end of this 24-month-long tunnel. As fast and widely spreading Omicron variant has been found not as deadly as the previous ones, things have started to change. Life has returned to near-normal, or in some places, in full swing as most or many of Covid measures are being lifted, including, lockdowns, curfews, alcohol sales, mask mandate, contact tracing, quarantine and isolation requirements, social distancing, and bars and restaurant closures. Now, with a vaccination certificate or passport, more countries are allowing people to eat and drink with others, attend concerts and events, and travel domestically or even internationally. In the meantime, the number of new infections is surging in some places like South Korea, Vietnam, and even China, where the zero-tolerance policy is still taking place.

Now a few months before the summer. Is it too early to plan the summer vacation?

Enjoy reading the recent moves from Covid restrictions in various places around the world.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60758401

Topic Reading-Vol.3634-3/24/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Taiwan question not same as Ukraine

On October 1, 1949, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was established in mainland China

by the Communist Party. Taiwan had been governed as the Republic of China (ROC) by the Kuomintang since the end of World War II. The PRC took over the “China” position in the UN from Taiwan in 1971. When the semiofficial representatives of PRC and ROC, represented only by the Kuomintang party, met in Hong Kong in 1992, both parties, agreed that there is only one China. While PRC interprets the “one China” means PRC, Kuomintang considers it is ROC that was founded in 1911. The other major party of Taiwan, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ignores the consensus. Now, Russia’s military invasion into Ukraine has been referred to as the cross-strait relations between China and Taiwan as both Ukraine and Taiwan are heavily supported by the US. But what does China say?

Enjoy reading and learning about China’s view on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the cross-strait relations.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202203/11/WS622a9424a310cdd39bc8bd83.html

You may also want to check how Chine regards the 1992 consensus?

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202203/17/WS623264f3a310fd2b29e51576.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3633-3/23/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Gen. Petraeus: Invasion reveals a host of weaknesses in Russia's military

It was supposedly a quick and easy operation for Russia to invade and control Ukraine. But why did things turn so badly? When the Soviet Union and its allies suddenly invaded Prague back in 1968 with 200,000 troops and 2,000 tanks, it took only a day to occupy then Czechoslovakia. Fewer than 100 USSR soldiers were killed, mostly in accidents, and 137 Czechoslovakians lost their lives. But since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the death toll of Russian forces, Ukraine military personnel and its civilians have been rising. Surprisingly, four Russian generals have been killed in less than a month in the operation of Ukraine.　 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60767664

What is going on? Doesn’t Russia have a much superior and well-equipped forces? A retired US general, who led the forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, and ex-CIA director Petraeus [pɪˈtreɪ.əs] gives his analysis on the surprisingly unorganized Russian military and its operation.

Read the article and learn about what it would take to invade another country.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/15/opinions/russia-ukraine-petraeus-bergen/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3632-3/22/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Sleeping with even a small amount of light may harm your health, study says

Yes, most of you can probably sleep with some or a little light on. You may think closed eyelids block a dim light. But in fact, even if your eyes are tightly closed, a dim light still enters the eyelids and disrupts your sleep, according to a study conducted on 20 healthy young adults. The researchers found that even very little light disrupted the slow-wave and rapid eye movement sleep, more known as REM sleep, where most cellular renewal occurs. Also found were higher heart rate and insulin resistance, and unbalanced nervous systems, which could cause higher blood pressure. So, if you want to have a goodnight’s sleep and a sharper brain the next morning, make sure to turn all the lights off and never look at your mobile phone before going to bed. If you still need some light for safety reasons, choose reddish or brownish colors, but not blue.

Enjoy reading the article and learning how lights affect your sleep.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/14/health/sleeping-lights-danger-wellness/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3631-3/21/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

The surprising benefits of eating together

Do you like eating alone or with others? That may be depending on the meal, work, or situation. For breakfast, everyone is busy preparing for the day that starts at a different time and place. So, eating breakfast together is a bit difficult. As for lunch, you may want to chat with your friends at school or coworkers at the office to have fun or just to relax. Then for dinner, you probably want to sit at the table with your family at home or with someone somewhere. Indeed, eating together seems to improve our wellbeing, health, and nutrition. It is also a valuable opportunity to communicate with children and educate them on what and how to eat. Of course, someone needs to prepare or get the food to eat together, but it still seems worthwhile doing or sharing. We should all also appreciate the food and the occasion.

Enjoy reading the article and learn how beneficial eating together is.

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

Topic Reading-Vol.3630-3/20/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Ford will start shipping Explorers without all the parts — and add them later

Automakers have been struggling to keep up with the demands. Unfortunately, it’s not because the demands are higher than their production capacities but because they cannot build as many cars as they could because of the year-and-half-long computer chip shortages. Nowadays, chips are an integral part of vehicle production. So many features are controlled by computer chips to drive and navigate a car and provide safety features and in-car climate controls. Missing just one chip stops the vehicle’s production. But not all the chips are equally essential to drive the car. There are chips that could be missed at the time of delivery but added at a later time, such as rear-seat climate control and auto-engine stop-start feature. Well, if you don’t have a car, you can’t go anywhere, why not bear minor inconvenience? Also, it is the right time to sell your old car as the resell prices have reached a record high level due to the supply shortage. Recently, Ford Motor Company announced that it will deliver some vehicles without non-essential chips and add the missing chip when it becomes available at no extra cost to the car buyer. They don’t seem to need to offer additional incentives as buyers are already waiting in line.

Enjoy reading the article and learning about how automakers are trying to ship as many cars as they can.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/14/business/ford-gm-eliminate-options-chip-shortage/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3629-3/19/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Digital yuan will make payments easier and curb corruption

China is advancing payment digitalization even further. Most people have been using mobile payments for nearly everything, including shopping, transportation, and even loan applications extensively or even exclusively. Alipay and WeChat Pay are the dominant mobile payment platforms. Now, the central bank is issuing Digital RMB (renminbi), or e-CNY, to replace physical currency and internationalize the digital currency. The e-CNY is basically the same as physical money but it is transferred in a digital form. It has been tested in various places for some time, and nearly 17 million apps had been installed as of the end of February. It seems we will soon find another QR code shown at retailers and online shops for payment options. Since the e-CNY won’t accommodate money laundering or secretive monetary transaction, bribery and tax evasion may be eradicated if it takes place for physical currency.

If Harry Potter saw Muggles (humans) paying by smartphones, would he want to switch his wand with a smartphone?

Enjoy reading the article and learning about China’s new digital venture.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202203/10/WS62294310a310cdd39bc8b939.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3628-3/18/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Turkmenistan votes, president’s son expected to win

Among the ex-soviet successor states, Azerbaijan became the first country to make a father-to-son leader succession. Also, Tajikistan is preparing for the same succession by putting the incumbent leader’s son as the head of the upper house. Now, Turkmenistan, a landlocked Central Asian country that lies in the east of the Caspian Sea, has elected the son of Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, the incumbent president of the state and chairman of the People’s Council, who assumed the role after the death of the nation’s tyrant Saparmurat Niyazov in 2007. When Berdimuhamedow was elected to those leading roles, he won over 97% of the votes. And the same thing happened in the snap election held on Mar. 12 when his 40-year-old son was unanimously elected to assume the presidential role. Turkmenistan is a small country with a population of just about six million whose economy is heavily dependent on natural gas sales. Officially, there has been no report for coronavirus cases in the country.

In Central Asia’s ex-Soviet states, democracy seems like a convenient way to succeed the leadership to the next generation.

Enjoy reading the article and learn about the born of a new leader in Turkmenistan.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/12/turkmenistan-votes-presidents-son-expected-to-win

Topic Reading-Vol.3627-3/17/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

North Korea breaks ground on 10,000-home residential project in major housing drive

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea, DPRK or North Korea, lies in the northern part of the Korean peninsula. It divides the peninsula with South Korea at the Korean Demilitarized Zone at 38th parallel north. The population is just about a half of South Korea’s 52 million but its GDP per capita is less than 5% of its southern rival. In short, most people in North Korea are poor, hungry, and oppressed while only a handful of government and military officials enjoy modern standard life in the capital city, Pyongyang. Now, while launching high-speed missiles to the Sea of Japan, they also launched a new project to build 10,000-apartment residential buildings in the capital. The renderings show towers, which appear to have 40 or more stories, rising on a modern street. This project is just part of the 50,000 new homes that the government had promised to develop by 2026. Who can afford, or are entitled, to live in those prestigious homes? North Korea has the money and power to launch high-tech missiles to show off its military might to the southern rival and the US. Also, they seem to have the money to accommodate selected elites to live comfortably in the capital. And they had the money to construct a 3000-room hotel in 1992 but just have left it unfinished for the last two decades.

North Korea is indeed a mysterious country.

Enjoy reading the article and learning about North Korea’s new housing project.

https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/north-korea-housing-hwasong/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3626-3/16/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

How South Korea's new president could shake up the region

The population of South Korea had been increasing for the last several decades until 2000 and the current population is about 51 million. However, because of the hypercompetitive job market, super-expensive educational expenditures for private tutoring, skyrocketing housing prices, and persistent anti-feminism, South Korea’s fertility rate has been drastically declining recently. In fact, it marked 0.82 last year and experienced the first decline in the population in history. If you look at Seoul, the capital and the most populated area, the total fertility rate was only 0.64, and it was 0.75 in the second-largest area, Busan. This is one major economic and demographic problem in South Korea. On March 10, the next president was elected. He will lead the nation for the next five years from May. In addition to the aforementioned problems, South Korea has very sensitive and explosive issues with its neighbors, border and military tensions with North Korea, heavy economic dependence on China, and territorial and historic disputes with Japan. Though the power of South Korea’s president is substantial, his term is limited to five years and no re-election. Also, he won with a less-than-one percent margin in the election. Will the conservative, ex-prosecutor Yoon Suk Yeol manage and lead the nation to a brighter future in the volatile environment?

Enjoy reading the article and learning about the challenges that the newly elected South Korea’s president is facing.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/10/asia/yoon-suk-yeol-new-south-korean-president-stance-intl-hnk/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3625-3/15/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Amazon rainforest reaching tipping point, researchers say

The Amazon rainforest is a tropical rainforest that covers most of the Amazon basin of South America. The majority of the forest is in Brazil and the rest is in Peru, Columbia, and some other surrounding countries. It represents more than half of the world’s remaining rainforests and is home to one out of every 10 known species on the planet. It had been thought the rainforest produced over a quarter of the Earth’s oxygen but is now estimated that the balance of oxygen production and carbon absorption is about break even. Moreover, about one-fifth of the rainforest has already been lost since the industrial revolution took place. Now, new research from satellite data between 1991 and 2016 found that the health of the Amazon rainforest is in great danger. The data shows signs of a loss of resilience, meaning trees now take longer to recover from effects and damages caused by droughts, deforestation, and fires. If human destruction and global warming continue, a large part of the rainforest is feared to be transformed into a savanna, a mixed woodland-grassland area that has a very different ecosystem from rainforests. Will we be able to breathe the air in the near future?

Read the article and learn about the changes in the Amazon rain forest.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60650415

Topic Reading-Vol.3624-3/14/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Want to sleep better? Lift some weights

Sleeping is a restorative process for the brain and body. It is essential for our mental and physical health. Then, how can we have a good night’s sleep? You probably agree that physical exercise helps you sleep better. But do you know what types of exercises are better than others?

It has been thought that aerobic exercise is the best sleeping aid. It is the kind of exercise that makes the heart pump more for a continuous period of time, like 15 to 30 minutes. Jogging, fast walking, bike riding, jumping rope, and swimming are among typical examples. But a new study in the UK found that resistance exercise, a form of exercise that improves muscle strength and endurance, is even more effective to make you sleep better and longer. Resistance training includes machine weights, squats, and push-ups. They give the person more strength and force the body to build it back up. The study found that resistance exercise added more sleep time while reducing wakeups during the night. This finding doesn’t undermine the health benefits of aerobic exercise, which strengthens muscles, enlarges the heart muscle, improves circulation, reduces the risk for diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. So, if you want to sleep better, why not try some muscle training?

Enjoy reading the article and learning about the benefits of resistance exercise.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/03/health/weight-training-sleep-wellness/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3623-3/13/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Scans reveal how Covid may change the brain

It has been reported that many people who contracted the Covid experienced loss or impaired sense of smell and taste, especially by the original or early variants like Delta. This could be explained by recent research of 400 individuals who had had mild Covid. Researchers compared the brain’s magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before and after the infection and found that the brain size shrunk as much as 2%. Those losses were found in grey matter in the parts related to smell and memory. It is still unclear if the loss is permanent or all variants of the virus cause the same damage. This still sounds awful for those who contracted the disease even the symptoms were mild. However, the researcher stressed that the brain can heal itself so that the harmful effects of infection could ease or heal. For example, those who caught Covid and lost the sense of smell can regain the sense after training.

Read the article and learn about the damage to the brain by Covid.

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-60591487

Topic Reading-Vol.3622-3/12/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Greenland's ice is melting from the bottom up -- and far faster than previously thought, study shows

The Greenland ice sheet is roughly 2,400 kilometers long and 1,100 kilometers wide and covers 1.7 million square kilometers. The ice sheet is two to three thousand kilometers thick. It is the second-largest ice body after the Antarctic ice sheet. The Greenland ice sheet gives researchers records of past climate as it consists of layers of compressed snow from over 100,000 years. It is estimated that the ice sheet would completely melt should the temperatures rise two to three degrees Celsius, which would raise global sea levels by 7.2 meters. Recently, researchers found that the ice sheet is melting faster at its base and injecting more water into the ocean than previously thought. They think the gravitational potential energy of the melting water is converted to kinetic energy, which warms at the bottom of the ice sheet. It is like falling water from a hydroelectric dam generating electricity, but under the ice sheet, it just warms and melts the ice instead. Indeed, once energy is created, it needs to go somewhere or do something. In short, it was found that the Greenland ice sheet, and probably any other ice sheet, is also melting from the bottom up.

Enjoy reading the article and learning about how the massive ice sheet in Greenland is melting.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/22/world/greenland-ice-melting-sea-level-rise-climate-intl-scli-scn/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3621-3/11/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Trendy business

Have you ever heard of an esport hotel? It’s a new kind of hotel that accommodates diehard esport players who want to play online games hours after hours. Such hotels appeared in China a few years ago. Their rooms basically have two to five bunk beds and high-performance PCs with special screens and headsets dedicated to esports so that the guests can play games as much as they want during their stay. But why do those hotel guests stay in a hotel just to play games which could be played anywhere, anytime? Well, esport hotels provide an environment and equipment that are hard to attain by individuals or in internet cafes. They also organize events and matches that the guests can take part in. The guests can enjoy playing games in a closed environment only with their friends so that they can share the experience and talk when they aren’t playing. Well, you can listen to your favorite music from the earphones by yourself but you may enjoy the same music more with your friends from large speakers at high volume.

Enjoy reading the article and seeing the photos of China’s esport hotel.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202203/05/WS6222c4f7a310cdd39bc8a892.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3620-3/10/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Just one drink per day can shrink your brain, study says

There aren’t any health benefits of drinking alcohol. Alcohol contains more calories than most people think, ranging from 100 to 300 calories per drink. Also, excessive alcohol could not only cause unusual heart rhythms, higher blood pressure, and damage to heart muscles but also damage your immune system and then weaken your ability to fight infections. Now, a large-scale study of over 36,000 adults in the UK on the effects on the brain shows that alcohol intake seems to shrink brain volume, just like aging. Not good news for those who enjoy drinking beer, wine, spirit, or any kind of alcoholic drinks regularly or occasionally. The more you drink, the more your brain seems to age. Of course, there is a nonnegligible pleasure that alcohol provides. For example, with a glass or two of wine or beer, you can enjoy meals better, relax after a stressful day, smooth the conversation, and so on. Indeed, some parts of the brain may want the toxic effects of alcohol but the overall brain is damaged. Is this a good trade? Is sugar, caffeine, or nicotine any better for your health?

Enjoy reading the article and think about the best reward for your brain.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/04/health/alcohol-brain-shrinkage-wellness/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3619-3/9/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Slow progress for India's high-speed rail revolution

India’s first railways opened in 1853 in then-Bombay, now-Mumbai. Today, the Indian Railways is operating 19,000 trains daily with 76,000 passenger coaches and three million freight wagons by 1.4 million staff. In 2020, the railway network carried over eight billion passengers and 1.2 billion tons of freight. However, the average speed of long-distance express trains is just around 50 kilometers per hour. Can’t they run faster? Physically yes but operationally no. Since the maximum speed of freight trains ranges between 55 and 75 kilometers per hour, there are always congestions on the rails. The government has been trying to upgrade the train network to accommodate increasing needs for passenger travels and freights by building high-speed railway lines and adding dedicated freight corridors. However, the world’s largest democratic country is always slow to move. There already are approved plans, some of which are supposedly near completion by now but none of these have shown good progress. In the meantime, the railway giant had to double the staff wages recently. Also, their pension costs account for over 70% of operating expenses. A former railway minister mentioned that India Railways is expected to earn like a commercial enterprise but serve like a welfare organization. Indeed, they have difficulty raising cheap passenger fares because of political pressures.

Will they run like a 21st-century transportation company?

Enjoy reading the article and learn about India’s proud railway operation and ambition.

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/india-high-speed-rail-cmd/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3618-3/8/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

UN agrees to create world's first-ever plastics pollution treaty in a blow to big oil

Plastics are made from fossil fuels. The production and development of plastic products were accelerated in the latter part of the 20^th century. Today, life without plastics would be unthinkable and unbearable. However, it is as problematic as global warming to the environment. The economy and convenience of plastics come at the cost of the environment. Much of the planet is swimming in discarded plastic, which is harming animals and eventually human health. Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental issues around the world. Indeed, plastic trash has become so ubiquitous that it has prompted efforts to write a global treaty negotiated by the United Nations. On Mar. 2, a landmark agreement was reached to create a global plastic pollution treaty at the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA). The resolution is regarded as the most significant environmental agreement after the 2015 Paris climate accord. Now, a legally binding pollution treaty is expected to be finalized by 2024. 

Will the treaty be signed by all the member states?

Enjoy reading the article and learning about this landmark agreement on the environment.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/02/world/plastics-treaty-environment-climate-un-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3617-3/7/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

World's most delicious pancakes

A pancake is a flat, thin, and usually round cake that is cooled on a hot pan. It is made from batter, often but not necessarily, containing eggs, milk, and butter. The shape and structure of pancakes vary from place to place and culture to culture. For example, Socca, popular in Provence in France and Liguria in Italy, is crafted from chickpea flour, water, and olive oil. In Russia, thin and round Blinis is eaten with gourmet toppings like caviar and smoked salmon. Japanese hotcakes are tall and fluffy and topped with cream, syrup, jams, or anything. And crepes in France are popular not only there but also in many parts of the world served on a plate on the table or folded and wrapped for takeout. As for Americans, they love thick and fluffy buttermilk pancakes often drenched with butter and maple syrup, just like the way they pour spoons of dressing on a salad.

Enjoy seeing the images and reading the brief descriptions of popular pancakes around the world.

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/worlds-most-delicious-pancakes/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3616-3/6/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Your delivery orders are making restaurants mad. Now they're fighting back

Delivery service is on the rise anywhere in the world. In fact, food delivery had been expanding all over the world especially in the US, China, and Southeast Asian countries even before the pandemic. Restaurants saw additional business opportunities in addition to their in-store and takeout services. Food delivery service providers were well funded by hawk-eyed capitalists that were looking for rising business opportunities. For gig workers, food delivery was one of the cheapest and easiest ways to make money in their spare time. Indeed, unlike the rideshare service, it doesn’t require owning a vehicle. Then, the Covid pandemic arose, which put many restaurants left no choice but to take as many delivery orders as they could to survive. However, as delivery orders increase, restaurants have to bear increasing delivery costs while paying the rent for the empty dining space. Then inflation has come and labor costs have risen quickly. So, restaurants are now desperate to make delivery businesses more profitable or encourage customers to order online and pick up their orders at their storefronts while competing with delivery-only ghost kitchens, which don’t have to bear the rent for dining rooms. Indeed, the coronavirus pandemic has changed the landscape of restaurant businesses. Taste and service don’t seem to be enough for restaurants.

Enjoy reading the article about how restaurants have been converting their businesses during and after the pandemic in the USA.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/23/business/restaurant-delivery/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3615-3/5/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

This is what a $1 million home looks like in 4 European cities

One million dollars is a lot of money, at least for most people. Nowadays, wage workers earn $10 to $15 an hour in many developed countries. So, if you make $15 an hour and work eight hours a day for five days a week and take two weeks off a year, you’ll make $30,000 a year. Then, you’ll need 33 years to earn one million. But you’ll need to eat, pay rent, and buy clothes. Now you kind of know what one million means for low-wage workers in developed countries.

Then, what kind of home can you buy with one million dollars in major cities in Europe, such as central London, near a historic center Salamanca in Madrid, a good neighborhood in Paris, and eastern Berlin (former communist zone)?

Enjoy watching the video that features examples of apartments priced at one million dollars.

https://edition.cnn.com/videos/business/2022/01/31/1-million-dollar-home-europe-orig.cnn/video/playlists/business-real-estate/

Topic Reading-Vol.3614-3/4/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Life may actually flash before your eyes on death - new study

A brain monitor of an 87-year-old epilepsy patient recorded his dying brain by chance. There were brainwaves that look identical to high-cognitive demanding tasks like recalling memories or dreaming before and after a fatal heart attack. One of the neurosurgeons of the patient thinks during the last 30 seconds before the patient’s heart stopped supplying blood to the brain after the heart attack, he might have a last recall of memories. Since this was not a planned study but just an accidental recording of the brainwaves right before and after the patient’s death, it surprised the neurosurgeons who analyzed the recording. Do we really have a last moment recall of our life or experience before the brain dies? If so, we wish to have a happy ending.

Enjoy reading the article and learning about this accidental but interesting finding of the last moment brain activity.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60495730

Topic Reading-Vol.3613-3/3/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Uttar Pradesh elections: The crushing pain of India's job seekers (8:16)

Uttar Pradesh is a state in northern India. It is the most populated state in India with a population of over 200 million, which also is more populous than any other subdivision in the world. It is known for the Taj Mahal and a few other world heritage sites. The services sector is the largest industry in the state, including travel, tourism, hotel, real estate, and insurance. Also, the agriculture industry employs the most workers in the state. However, Uttar Pradesh now has the highest youth unemployment in India. Young people are frustrated over a lack of jobs. As of December last year, only 12 million of the state’s 70 million youth had a job. So, many of those unemployed students are left no choice but to look for government jobs or move to other states, but no students want to work in farming because it provides enough income only for living but not enough for their future family. In any case, the odds to get a job seem very slim.

Watch the video and learn about students’ desperate situation in the most populous state of India.

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-india-60491427

Topic Reading-Vol.3612-3/2/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Metaverse app allows kids into virtual strip clubs

Meta, former Facebook, says it is committed to making and keeping the metaverse safe for everyone (yesterday’s Vol.3611). But in a metaverse, developers can create a virtual space where people can use their avatars to do anything they want, including a space that isn’t appropriate for children to enter. For example, inside a metaverse app, VRChat, there are rooms where users’ avatars can meet at a dancing club or strip bar. The problem is that anyone at any age could go into this virtual space only with a Facebook account, whose identity isn’t usually verified. So, a primary school kid could enter this adult space and be sexually intimidated or assaulted by adults. It is far from just playing a VR game. Since the virtual space is totally immersed once you put on a VR headset, it is quite dangerous. Also, it is difficult for parents to find out what their child is experiencing in the headset. And remember, it is 3D, where things look and feel very real. Are the ways to protect children from such harmful experiences?

Read the article and learn about the dark side of the metaverse.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-60415317

Topic Reading-Vol.3611-3/1/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Zuckerberg reveals AI projects to power Metaverse

The metaverse is the next evolution of social connection, and 3D spaces in the metaverse will let the users socialize, learn, collaborate and play in ways that go beyond what we can imagine, Meta’s introductory site says. In the 3D world of virtual reality, augmented reality, and AI-generated world through special goggles or eyeglasses, you can experience an imaginable world, enjoy concerts and shopping, not just play but play in games, and interact with the avatars of other people. Recently, Meta, former Facebook, unveiled some ambitious AI projects to realize the Metaverse. As nearly anything could be created, it could be a dream world for many. But it could be a nightmare if it is used for malicious purposes, such as 3D deepfake, sexual experience and assaults, privacy breaches, and so on. Can Metaverse platformers be responsible for keeping their virtual world in order? Can they manage better in the 3D world than they are doing (or failing) in the 2D world?

Enjoy reading the article and learn about what Meta is committed to doing in the metaverse.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-60492199