Topic Reading-Vol.4603-11/30/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Stockpile nappies, medication, baby food: NATO members Sweden and Finland advise citizens on how to survive war

1,000 days have already passed since Russia invaded Ukraine. NATO member states in northern and eastern Europe are now more concerned about the possibility of war. In addition to mandatory military service to their citizens, Norway and Denmark distributed updated wartime guidance to their citizens to improve the readiness for potential military conflicts earlier this year. Recently, two newly joined NATO states, Finland and Sweden, updated and distributed booklets on how they better prepared for war, communication outages, blackouts, and extreme weather events. Sweden’s brochure, the fifth version since World War II, recommends stockpiling essential supplies like bottled water, sanitary products, medication, and baby food. Finland’s crisis guidance gives advice on how better prepared for long power cuts, water outages, telecommunications disruptions, and extreme weather events, in addition to military conflict. The better you’re prepared, the greater the chance of survival.

Read the article and learn how NATO states in Europe are preparing for potential military conflicts.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/18/europe/nato-sweden-finland-wartime-guidance-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4602-11/29/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Trump might nix America as a climate tech leader. 5 charts show China winning that

This year is going to be the hottest year on record. Humans need to reduce fossil fuel emissions more and faster to avoid catastrophic outcomes of climate change. China has been the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter since 2005 and is now accounting for 31% of global carbon pollution. However, its emissions growth has been slowing recently not because China is using less energy but because it is rapidly adding wind and solar power to its grid. China is committed to peaking its planet-warming pollution before 2030 when it will generate more power from the sun than US’s total electricity consumption. While China is still the largest contributor to CO2 emissions, it is also the world's largest generator of solar and wind energy, supplier of solar panels, and manufacturer of clean energy vehicles like electric and plug-in hybrids. Also important is its consistent commitment, investment, and competition to a cleaner energy mix.

Read the article and graphs to learn the changes and status of China’s energy mix.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/18/climate/climate-china-solar-wind-dg/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4601-11/28/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

‘Do not pet’: Why are robot dogs patrolling Mar-A-Lago?

Spot is a compact, nimble four-legged robot made by Boston Dynamics that can trot around the office, warehouse, home, or outdoors. It can map its environment, sense and avoid obstacles, climb stairs, and open doors. Spot is easy to use and intuitive to learn, making it quick to deploy for both manual operations and autonomous missions. With 360° perception and athletic intelligence along with 14kg of payload capacity, Spot can be used for surveillance, inspection, transporting, or more. 

Mar-a-Lago is a national historic landmark in Palm Beach, Florida. It has been owned and resided by Donald Trump since 1985. Sport has been deployed by the US Secret Service to provide extra security to the President-elect in a sixty-eight thousand square meter property. Though the robot is not armed, it is expected to detect and deter harmful attempts on Trump and his family. 

Read the article and watch the video of a robot that adds extra security to the President-elect.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c30p16gn3pvo

Topic Reading-Vol.4600-11/27/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

A 'crazy town looking to go fossil free': Sweden's wooden city that was green before Greta

Växjö is a small Swedish city that sits 450 km south-west of Stockholm. Ever since 1996 when the city adopted a policy for the elimination of the use of fossil fuels by 2030, Växjö has been committed to being fossil-free. After 20-some years of work, the city’s per capita carbon emissions were reduced by over 70% from 1990s levels even though the population has grown by a third and per capita GDP has increased by two-fold. Växjö uses a variety of strategies to make progress towards being fossil fuel-free. Waste from the local forest industry is burned to generate power, public and official vehicles run on biofuel made from domestic household organic waste, most energy is sourced from forestry by-products and other biomass, and at least half of new builds are made of wood sourced from nearby forests. Also, restaurants use local, seasonal, and organic dishes, and their food waste is turned into biofuel. Växjö has called itself the greenest city in Europe since 2007. The city’s residents must be very proud of their achievements and themselves.

Read the article and learn about what an ordinary city can do to reduce the use of fossil fuels.

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20241114-swedens-wooden-city-that-was-green-before-greta

Topic Reading-Vol.4599-11/26/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

'Set-jetting': How on-screen locations are becoming travel destinations

Do you want to visit a place you saw in a movie or drama? Set-jetting is the trend of traveling to destinations that were filmed. That could be anything or any place, not only famous spots or monuments but also an ordinary street, building, or shop. For example, New York, London, and Paris are cities that often appear in movies and dramas. There are specific locations in those cities some tourists are eager to visit and take photos of, like a street cafe, busy road-crossing, or neon signs that were shown in the movie. For example, the railway crossing by Kamakura Kokomae station in Kamakura, Japan draws crowds every day because it was featured in the theme song of Slam Dunk and a scene in Tari Tari anime. But what such destinations are shown on screen might not always live up to your idealized portrayal. For example, rooms ordinary New Yorkers can rent might not be as spacious or luxurious as the one you saw in a drama. Also, streets and parks in Paris may be far from as clean or romantic as the one shown in the film. In any case, being on a spot where you saw on the screen might be as exciting as visiting a world heritage site. It sure is a more personal experience.

Read the article and learn about the booming set-jetting.

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20241114-how-on-screen-locations-are-becoming-travel-destinations

Topic Reading-Vol.4598-11/25/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Stressed? Writing down a to-do list might help

If you’ve finished all the tasks needed to have been done during the week, you’ll be a happy person on the weekend. Then you have a better chance of getting to sleep easily on Sunday night because you aren’t worrying about the next day. But if you haven’t, you might be annoyed by the coming week that you have a lot to catch up on and therefore have difficulty falling asleep. You may think you’d better avoid thinking about those unfinished tasks, but an expert suggests you write down a to-do list before going to bed. That sounds awfully frustrating but it actually offloads your worries from your brain, called cognitive offloading. All you need is a sheet of paper and a pen, or a smartphone if you prefer typing or voicing to writing to download your tasks from your mind. And surprisingly, the longer the list is, the faster you’ll get to sleep. Of course, the to-do list will also help you organize the tasks for the new week!

Read the article and learn the benefits of creating a to-do list before going to bed.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20241111-stressed-writing-down-a-to-do-list-might-help

Topic Reading-Vol.4597-11/24/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Don’t sit on the toilet for more than 10 minutes, doctors warn

How long do you sit on the toilet when you try to poop? Do you bring your phone or magazine to the bathroom with you when you’re going number two? That’s not good for your health, according to experts. If you sit on the open oval-shaped toilet seat for a long time, your buttocks are compressed and the blood circulation is affected, which could increase the risk of hemorrhoids. Also, prolonged sitting on the toilet could increase the risk of rectal prolapse, a condition when part of the large intestine slips down inside the anus. So, avoid sitting too long on the toilet or forcing stools to come out. The keys to pooping smoothly are diet, exercise, hydration, and bowel movement, not prolonged time or pressure in the toilet.

Read the article and learn how unhealthy to sit too long on the toilet seat. 

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/12/health/phones-on-toilet-wellness/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4596-11/23/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

How climate change worsens heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and floods

Global warming is melting sea ice and glaciers, rising sea levels, and affecting the environment around the world. But how does global warming affect the climate and weather conditions? First, the higher the temperature is, the more moisture is created in the atmosphere. Then more clouds are formed to cause heavier rainfall events. Second, when the range of daily temperatures shifts to warmer levels, there will be hotter weather, like 40 degrees Celsius or higher even in the UK. Such heatwaves occur when heat domes are created, a high-pressure system way up in the atmosphere that helps build and encase heat, like a lid on a pot that holds in steam. Third, as climate change shifts global rainfall patterns and heatwaves worsen dry conditions, more regions suffer from longer and more severe droughts. The Amazon rainforest has recently seen the worst drought on record. Lastly, climate change is causing more wildfires and helping them spread. High temperatures, dry air, frequent lightning, and deforestation all fuel wildfires. We seem to know enough about the causes and influences of climate change. What should be done is clear but the question is how and how fast.

Read the article and learn how climate change affects weather conditions. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58073295

Topic Reading-Vol.4595-11/22/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Planet-heating pollution to hit all-time high, dashing hopes it would start to drop in 2024

The 2024 United Nations Climate Conference, COP29, is the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference. COP29 has been held in Baku, Azerbaijan from November 11 to 22. COP29 aims to limit global warming to 1.5°C, emphasizing the urgent need for investment in climate action. However, while over 100 heads of state and government pledged their attendance, leaders from the largest fossil fuel emitters, the USA, China, India, Japan, Germany, and the EU didn’t show up at the conference. Before the conference, a report revealed that fossil fuel pollution this year is going to increase by 0.8% from last year. Also, global temperatures are rising to the highest level this year and surpassing the 1.5 degrees above the preindustrial times, threshold countries pledged at the Paris climate agreement in 2015. Efforts and investments have been made but not enough to keep the environment sustainable for the lives and environment. 

Read the article and learn how much fossil fuels the world is still burning.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/13/climate/planet-heating-pollution-record-high/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4594-11/21/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

AI means anyone can be a victim of deepfake porn. Here’s how to protect yourself

Deepfakes are images, videos, or audio that are edited or created by using artificial intelligence tools to depict real or non-existent persons. As AI becomes more capable and agentic, anyone could be a victim of a nonconsensual deepfake. Artificial intelligence tools can easily superimpose someone's face onto a nude body or manipulate a photo to a porn image or video. So, a deepfake photo or video of you, your child, or your friend might one day show up on the Internet without your consent or knowledge. Though you may not be able to prevent such a malicious act, you can still report it to platforms like Google or Meta and request the removal of such images. To do that, you need evidence like a screenshot even though you hate to see it. Also in some countries, there are government or non-profit institutions that help facilitate the removal of such images. How soon will AI prevent or remove such deepfakes from the Internet?

Read the article and learn about AI-created deepfake images.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/12/tech/ai-deepfake-porn-advice-terms-of-service-wellness/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4593-11/20/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Whose döner kebab? Why the beloved late-night snack is at the centre of a meat-fuelled food fight

Doner kebab is a dish of Turkish origin made of meat, usually beef, cooked on a vertical rotisserie, a special kind of oven that keeps meat turning constantly as it cooks. The sliced meat may be served on a plate, stuffed into bread like pita as a sandwich, or wrapped in thin flatbread. In the Ottoman Empire, stacks of seasoned sliced meat were cooked on a horizontal rotisserie but in the mid-19th century, the vertical rotisserie became popular. In the 1970s, the modern sandwich variant of doner kebab was created by Turkish immigrants in Berlin. Today, it is one of the most popular sandwiches for Berliners, and over 1,000 doner kebab shops serve their appetites. Recently, the Turkish government demanded doner kebabs should be recognized as a Turkish specialty and Berlin’s portable version should not be called doner kebabs. Kebabs used to be sheep meat roasted on a horizontal rotisserie, but now it is beef on a vertical rotisserie. In Turkey, the width and thickness of the meat, the amount of animal fat, yogurt/milk, onion, salt, thyme, and types of peppers are all regulated to be called doner kebab. People enjoy not only the original or traditional food but also variations and ethnic foods. Will today’s authentic dish never evolve?

Read the article and learn what authentic doner kebab is about.

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20241028-the-meat-fuelled-food-fight-between-turkey-and-germany

Topic Reading-Vol.4592-11/19/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Why luxury cheese is being targeted by black market criminals

When something becomes excessively valuable because of conflicts, shortages, sanctions, or inflation, criminal activities like thefts, counter-faking, and the black market increase. Recently, premium cheese is one such item that has been targeted. The whole process of stealing cheese in bulk, transporting, and selling it is a complicated procedure as it is bulky and must be kept at specific temperatures and conditions. One likely market for premium cheese stolen from the UK and EU countries is Russia, which bans imports of fresh produce from the countries that have imposed sanctions on Russia since it invaded Ukraine. Also for drug dealers, premium food is another item that they could make use of their trading network to generate handsome profits without as severe convictions as drugs. One thing consumers have to be careful about is counterfeited cheeses, which might contain dangerous ingredients to make them look and taste like genuine ones. Next time you consider buying premium cheese, you may want to check the authenticity of the label, description, and origin more carefully.

Read the article and learn about how premium cheese is valued in the black market nowadays.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crmz42pjpnjo

Topic Reading-Vol.4591-11/18/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Pictures from space show mighty smog choking Lahore

With a population of 13 million, Lahore in Punjab province is the second largest city in Pakistan. It has been the historic capital and cultural center in the region and is now a major industrial, educational, and economic hub. But sadly, Lahore is known as the world’s most air-polluted city, especially in November and December. According to the Air Quality Index (AQI), a value above 300 signals hazardous air quality. Starting from earlier this month, the index of some locations in Lahore exceeded 1,000 repeatedly. The thick layer of smog and fires in Pakistan’s Punjab province and nearby India’s Dehli are seen in satellite images. One of the fundamental factors is industrial emissions from factories, power plants, and vehicles, especially outdated ones. Also this time of year, farmers in the region and in northern India burn crop residue after harvesting, which releases large amounts of pollutants into the air. Geographically, Lahore's location in a relatively enclosed geographic area can hinder the dispersal of pollutants. Along with the cold air flowing down from Tibet that traps pollutants near the ground, Lahore’s air quality has become so bad that offices and schools have been forced to close and hospitals have been crowded with people with breathing difficulties. This is not new to this year but the situation has become just worse in not only the Punjab region but also northern India, particularly in Delhi. Indeed, environmental problems must be tackled beyond national borders, religions, races, and politics because we all breathe the same air.

Read the article and learn about Lahore’s air pollution. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm20k76d5xno

Topic Reading-Vol.4590-11/17/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

What is the Paris climate agreement and why does 1.5C matter?

This year, global temperatures are going to be 1.5C warmer than pre-industrial times, the benchmark period of 1850-1900, the time before human-caused emissions of greenhouse gases significantly impacted global temperatures. (Vol.4589). Why is a 1.5C increase seen as crucial to avoid damaging impacts on our planet and our lives? For example, there will be longer and more severe heatwaves, more intense storms and wildfires, and more frequent floods and droughts. Also, as ice sheets and glaciers melt in polar regions, sea level will rise further. As a result, the natural environment and ecological systems will be severely affected. We’ve already witnessed and experienced extreme weather conditions in the last few years. What have we done and what should we do to avoid catastrophic damage to the lives and environment of the world?

Read the article and learn how seriously the world is becoming warmer.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35073297

Topic Reading-Vol.4589-11/16/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

This year set to be first to breach 1.5C global warming limit

2023 was the hottest year on record, about 1.48C warmer than pre-industrial times, the benchmark period of 1850-1900, the time before human-caused emissions of greenhouse gases significantly impacted global temperatures. The first 10 months of this year have been even hotter, and this calendar year is going to be 1.55C warmer than the benchmark. The warmer climate of this year is partly due to natural factors like the El Niño weather pattern, which raises sea surface temperatures over the tropical Pacific Ocean. World leaders pledged to limit long-term temperature rises to 1.5C at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21). Only less than a decade later, the goal was breached. Even though La Niña, cooler sea surface temperatures over the Pacific Ocean is expected to be developing now, it is uncertain how much it will impact the temperatures next year. China, the USA, and India are the top three greenhouse gas emitters, and combined, they represent nearly 40% of the world population and produce about half of global gas emissions. Their initiatives and actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are essential to curb global warming.

Read the article and see the graphics to learn how fast the planet has been warming recently.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1dpnxnvv2go

Topic Reading-Vol.4588-11/15/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Why coffee could be good for your health

Is drinking coffee good for your health? How much is too much? Which type of coffee is better than others, decaffeinated, espresso, instant, or regular?  Is drinking coffee black better than adding milk, cream, or sugar?  Studies have found that those who drink coffee of any kind seem to have a lower risk of dying from heart disease, stroke, and cancer, provided that the individual is not engaged in unhealthy diets or smoking. There are too many factors to find which type of coffee or how to drink it has more positive effects on our health but in general, coffee doesn’t bring any health problems. However, coffee does affect our brain and nervous system because it is rich in caffeine. And if you put sugar into every cup of coffee you drink, it adds up. So, just like any other food or drink, take it moderately, you’ll enjoy more benefits of coffee for your health and mind.

Read the article and learn about the benefits of drinking coffee.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201028-the-benefits-of-coffee-is-coffee-good-for-health

Topic Reading-Vol.4587-11/14/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

'Sin City could be called Solar City': How Las Vegas is going green

Las Vegas is a resort city in Nevada, USA. It is known as the Entertainment Capital of the World for its gambling, shopping, dining, entertainment, nightlife, and business conventions. It’s luxurious and large casino hotels attracted over 40 million visitors last year. Las Vegas sits in a basin on the floor of the Mojave Desert and is surrounded by mountain ranges. It has a subtropical hot desert climate and much of its landscape is rocky and arid. So, how can this city in the desert get water and power to accommodate this many people and light extensively at night? One advantage the energy-consuming city has is the 320 days of sunshine a year. Many of the large properties generate and purchase solar power to run rooms, casinos, and convention centers. Also, recycling and water conservation are becoming more essential for Vagas as the main water source, the Colorado River, is rapidly depleting. The city and properties have been working diligently on water conservation and recycling, and now, over 97% of the water used in Las Vegas is recycled. Las Vegas might be one of the most sustainable mega-cities in the USA.

Read the article and learn how the power and water-consuming entertainment city is transforming into a sustainable mega-city in the desert.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20241101-how-las-vegas-is-becoming-a-sustainable-city

Topic Reading-Vol.4586-11/13/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Cans of ‘fresh air’ from Lake Como on sale to tourists in Italy

A can of air for a souvenir? Lake Como is one of the most popular tourist attractions with its natural beauty, picturesque towns, and many artistic and cultural gems. There were over five million visitors to Lake Como last year, many enough to create special souvenirs. Recently, cans of freshly captured air from the lake were put on the shelves of souvenir shops. Each can contains 400 milliliters of 100% authentic air for €9.90. Someone who wants to recall the memorable experience in Lake Como might see the photos and smell the can of air. Though the idea sounds novel, some other places sell their fresh air in cans, including Naples, Scotland, and Iceland. How much can you smell out of a can of air? As the air would mix with the one in the room very fast, you need to absorb the contained air as soon as and as much as you can.

Read the article and think if a can of air is a good souvenir.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/04/travel/lake-como-air-cans-on-sale-intl-scli/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4585-11/12/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

China on track to record its lowest number of new marriages, official data shows

Between 2008 and 2018, over 10 million couples married each year in China. Especially between 2011 and 2014, the number of registered marriages exceeded 13 million. However, the number has been consistently declining since 2013 from a record 13.47 million marriages in 2014 to 7.5 million, a four-year average between 2020 and 2023 during and after the pandemic. This year, there were only 4.74 million couples registered for marriage during the first nine months, which is on track to mark the lowest number of marriages for the year. The declining marriages clearly represent the impact of the one-child policy between 1980 and 2016 to curb the fast-growing population. Also, the trend seems to reflect the changing attitude toward marriage especially among women who are more educated and financially independent than their former generations. The same trend is seen in South Korea and Japan, whose birthrate, the number of marriages, and population have been sharply declining. What is common among these three East Asia countries are high education costs, patriarchal traditions, and still-existing inequality in job positions. The value and joy of forming a family might need to be reemphasized or redefined to the younger generation to change the downward trend.

Read the article and learn about China’s declining marriages.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/04/china/china-marriages-on-track-low-intl-hnk/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4584-11/11/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 
Hello Kitty at 50: The mouthless face that launched an $80 billion empire
A fictional character Kitty White, often called Hello Kitty, was born on November 1, 1974, in the design house of Sanrio, a Japanese entertainment company that designs, licenses, and produces merchandise. She is a cheerful feline girl with a red bow on her left head and an oval yellow nose but without a visible mouth. She plays the piano and lives in London’s suburbs. The character was originally marketed towards pre-teenage girls, but as her popularity grew and the fans’ ages became older, its fans and customer base extended to teenage and adult consumers, too. For decades, Kitty White has been regarded as an icon of kawaii (cute) culture. She now appears not only in books, videos, animated TV series, and electronics and kitchen appliances but even on an airplane body. When young kitty lovers become parents, they buy Kitty White goods for their children, which naturally makes them become the second generation of Kitty’s fans. One desperate Kitty fan in Japan owns more than 10,000 Kitty items and still keeps buying more every month. 
Winnie-the-Pooh and Mickey Mouse are both nearly 100 years old but they are both still active. What will Kitty White be like 50 years from now?
Read the article and learn how this cute character has become a world icon.
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/31/style/hello-kitty-50th-anniversary-japan-hnk-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4583-11/10/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

The changing face of Mongolia

Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia and China. It is the world’s 18th largest country with a population of only 3.5 million, the 131th in the world. Approximately half of the nation’s people live in the modernized capital city, Ulaanbaatar, which has experienced rapid urbanization and economic growth. In the meantime, around 40% of Mongolians still live nomadic lives on the Mobolian steppe, a vast area of land with grass. Most of them live in gers, or yurts, their traditional, portable, round dwellings. They move from one place to another a few times a year for their cattle. Even though their traditional lifestyle has been threatened recently by rapid urbanization and more frequent extreme weather conditions, visitors can still enjoy their traditional nomadic lifestyles, friendliness, and hospitality.

Read the article and watch the video to learn about Mongolia’s nomadic lifestyle. https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20241101-the-changing-face-of-mongolia

Topic Reading-Vol.4582-11/9/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Alien worlds might not have a night and day. How would that change evolution

There are over 100 billion stars in the Milky Way only, and there are quite a few planets that orbit each star in the habitable distance that could host liquid water. Many of those stars aren’t necessarily like our sun but cooler red dwarfs, called M-dwarfs, and around 40% of them are estimated to have one or more planets orbiting in the habitable zone, called M-Earths. They are different from our Earth because their suns are redder and cooler, which means M-Earths orbit their M-Dwarfs at a much closer distance than the Earth. This makes the gravitational pull of the M-Dwarf on the M-Earth much stronger than the one on the Earth, which means most M-Earths are locked so that one side of the planet faces the sun while the other always faces the other side, just like our Moon always faces one side to the Earth. In such an environment, what sorts of life forms could evolve and flourish? One idea is to look at deep creatures, which live under high water pressure with no or little light. Also, bacteria in our bodies live without light. Temperature, water, gravity, oxygen, and light all matter to the life forms. 

Read the article and learn about the environment of exoplanets.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20241011-why-alien-worlds-might-not-have-days-and-nights

Topic Reading-Vol.4581-11/8/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Russia fines Google $20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

One million Russian rubles is about USD10,000. A Russian court ordered Google to pay a staggering amount of penalty for refusing to pay fines for blocking pro-Russian channels on YouTube, a subsidiary of Google. The amount is too vast and beyond comprehensive, two undecillion rubles, a 2 followed by 36 zeroes, or roughly USD20 undecillion, 20 x 10 raised to the power of 36. That is much larger than the sum of the global economy. The numbers most of us can literally grasp are as much as billion, 9 zeros, or trillion, 12 zeros. After that, quadrillion, quintillion, sextillion, septillion, octillion, nonillion, and decillion follow, which are Latin figures plus “-illion”, a suffix that represents the power of one thousand. Even though Russia desperately needs money to pay for the war with Ukraine, what could such an unrealistic amount of money possibly mean? 

Read the article and learn about the staggering amount of penalty Russia charges to Google.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/31/tech/google-fines-russia/index.html

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

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

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

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

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

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

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

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

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

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

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

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

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

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

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

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

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

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

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

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

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

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

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

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

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

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

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

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

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

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

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

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Holiday in Greenland? New airports aim to entice tourists

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

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

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

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

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

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

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

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

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