Topic Reading-Vol.603-12/5/2013

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

People unswayed by calorie counts in fast food restaurants: study

How much do people care or worry about calories of the food they’re going to eat? Maybe more before they’ve decided what to eat but not after, a study found, even though the calorie counts are clearly indicated on the menu.

Some states of the U.S. mandated fast food restaurants, high calorie and cholesterol providers, to indicate the calorie counts on the menu hoping that their customers think again before they order.

However, those who’ve already lined up to order the food seem to be more attracted by the taste rather than the health risk.

Do the warning messages on tobacco make people stop or quit smoking?

Enjoy reading and learning how people react to health warning.

http://news.yahoo.com/people-unswayed-calorie-counts-fast-food-restaurants-study-101638175.html

Topic Reading-Vol.602-12/4/2013

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

Toxic waste 'major global threat'

When you buy a new PC or smartpone, where the old one will go? You can’t simply dump such used electronic waste with household garbage or cardboard. They need to be collected to a designated location or by a recycling vendor. But where will the rest of the e-waste go after they are collected and removed valuable parts?

Electronic disposals are harmful to the environment, releasing toxic chemicals into air, water and soil. Once the soil is contaminated by heavy metals like lead, it can release toxic substances for years and create serious environmental and health risks, especially to women and children.

Enjoy reading and learning about the places at risk of toxic contamination.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24994209

Topic Reading-Vol.601-12/3/2013

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

4 College Admissions Strategies for Students with Bad Grades

One way to be admitted to a desired college is to show descent grades as proof of your academic achievement during the high school days. They could show your consistency, diligence and competitiveness in a certain school environment.

There seems to be another way to show your potential capability to do well at college even though your grades in the early period of high school were not so appealing or even embarrassing ones. That is to show how well and how much you could improve your academic performance when you are determined and committed.

Enjoy reading and learning how college admissions work.

http://news.yahoo.com/4-college-admissions-strategies-students-bad-grades-165232530.html

Topic Reading-Vol.600-12/2/2013

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

Sleeping with the fish: Underwater hotel room opens on remote African island.

First of all, many thanks for reading MEL School’s Topic Reading. Commemorating the 600^th issue on a winter morning, for those who live or happen to be in northern hemisphere, a warming and charming topic is brought to you from a tropical island off the coast of Tanzania, Africa.

You could sleep in an ice cave in Scandinavia or in a tent on Antarctica as introduced in a previous issue. But have you thought of sleeping underwater water without being a submarine crew?

Staying in a three-story suit, roof-top balcony to enjoy the view and sunlight during the day and starts at night, sitting, relaxing or eating in the water-level living room, and seeing and sleeping with fish and other marine creatures underwater. This could be a good reward for traveling all the way to this African resort.

Enjoy reading the introduction and seeing the photos of luxury.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/17/travel/underwater-room/index.html?hpt=hp_c6

Topic Reading-Vol.599-12/1/2013

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

Futuristic airport proposed for island in middle of Thames.

As the world population increases at a historic pace, so does the number of travelers flying across countries and continents. Airlines are adding more aircraft to their fleets. New hotels with any number of stars or category are being built all over the places.

So, a simple question arises. Do already congested airports like London Heathrow have enough capacity to handle the increasing number of flights and passengers?

Here is a very futuristic plan proposed by the city. It looks not only futuristic but very unusual because it’s on the Themes to reduce noise pollution.

Enjoy reading the article and seeing the images of the old city’s futuristic plan.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/18/travel/london-britannia-airport/index.html?hpt=hp_c5

Topic Reading-Vol.598-11/30/2013

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

A solar panel on every home?

Solar panel owners get cheaper electricity bills at the cost of added charges on the bills of others’ who don’t have ones and the taxpayers’ expense, government budget.

That is what government subsidized and promoted renewable energy program is about. And make such attempts more expensive, those programs initially had been incentivized highly when solar panel costs were ten times or more expensive than today.

Now the prices of those power generating panels and the cost of installation have become much more affordable, those subsidized incentive programs are to be blamed as they entice the richer rather than those who aren’t.

Enjoy reading and learning about the once-lucrative solar power programs.

http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20131115-solar-flares

Topic Reading-Vol.597-11/29/2013

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

How Pisa became the world's most important exam?

First, now famous and influential, often bringing shocking impacts to some educational organizations and politicians, “Pisa tests” stands for Program for International Student Assessment. It is developed and offered by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD.

How much and well students gain from the effort and investment on education in one region may not be measured relatively without a comparative standard test. There seems to be good rationale to conduct this controversial test and reveal the results as economy is becoming more globalized and the job market is more converged accordingly.  

"Your education today is your economy tomorrow," says the organizer of the test system.

Enjoy reading and learning what the Pisa tests is about.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24988343