Topic Reading-Vol.2255-6/14/2018

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

10 things about Harvard graduates: Liberals, virgins and iPhones

Established in 1636, Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts is the oldest higher education institute in the U.S. It is regarded as one of the most prestigious universities having produced leaders in various fields, including eight of 45 US presidents, 62 living billionaires, 157 Nobel Laureates, 10 Academy Awards, and 48 Pulitzer Prized. Although the door to this prominent university is open to all ethnicities, with now the majority of the new students being non-white, only about 5% of applicants are accepted. Along with the brand reputation, its tuition is one of the highest among all higher education institutions. The university offers various grants and scholarships to maintain the diversity of the students.

So, you may wonder what those Harvard graduates are like. Were they mentally stable during their college days? Did they drink or smoke? Are they politically liberal or conservative? Where do they find their first jobs?

Enjoy reading and learn what those promising students are like.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-44361026

Topic Reading-Vol.2254-6/13/2018

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Key 'step forward' in cutting cost of removing CO2 from air

A new idea and technology have gotten closer to reality. Extracting carbon dioxide, or CO2, from air sounds like a great solution to cope with global warming. However, it still is too costly to commercialize or mandate to the emitters. Also, what to do with the extracted CO2 is another issue needs to be resolved.

Now, a Canadian company backed by the Microsoft’s founder Bill Gates has come up with practical and economical solutions to remove CO2 from the air. The system sucks air and extracts CO2, and then use the gas by combining with hydrogen derived from water to produce carbon-neutral fuels. With its advanced technology and engineering work along with the generated renewable energy, the entire process of removing CO2 has become substantially more economical than other methods.

However, the world still seems to need legislative supports, incentives, or obligations to make use of any advanced solutions to combat global warming.

Enjoy reading and think if ever humans prioritize the environment over immediate benefits.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-44396781

Topic Reading-Vol.2253-6/12/2018

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

San Francisco bans sales of flavored tobacco products

Some may wonder what flavored tobacco products are. They include menthol cigarettes, flavored cigars and vaping, or e-cigarette liquids. Vaping works by heating a liquid to generate vapor that the smoker inhales. Though it doesn’t produce as much smoke or odor as an ordinary cigarette, it is not permitted in most smoke-free environments. Also, despite the uncertainty of its health risks, vaping is not allowed in schools because many e-smokers are also or turn to smokers. In fact, vaping is spreading widely among children because of various kids-enticing flavors, such as Blue Raz Cotton Candy, Peach Green Tea, and Frozen Lime Drop. It is a promising product for tobacco companies.

Now, voters in San Francisco chose overwhelmingly to ban the sales of flavored tobacco products in a referendum. They don’t want their children to see fancy ads in convenience stores and buy vaping liquids like sodas or candy bars. Even a grandson of the founder of Reynolds, a giant tobacco company, promoted the proposition along with numbers of health advocate groups.

Will the Bay community move to ban sugary drinks to refrain their children from becoming overweight?

Enjoy reading and think if child vaping is going to be banned in other communities.

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/06/06/health/san-francisco-flavored-cigarettes-proposition-e/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.2252-6/11/2018

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

The invented language that found a second life online

Have you heard Esperanto before? It is a constructed language created by a Polish eye doctor in 1887 to be used as the second language for people all over the world. Esperanto means “a hopeful person” in Esperanto. Though the language is easy to learn, the number of its speakers is small and uncertain. Since the language isn’t particularly popular in any country or region, people try to learn it mainly for interest, not for practical purposes.

However, the Internet has been helping the speakers and learners of the language. There are online communities and exchanges that connect people beyond borders and languages.

The language survived two world wars in the last century. Will it survive another century?

Enjoy reading and think which is and will be more popular as an international communication tool, Esperanto, English, or Emoji.

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20180110-the-invented-language-that-found-a-second-life-online

Topic Reading-Vol.2251-6/10/2018

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

The jobs in India that attract thousands of applicants.

What are your priorities to find a job? There are factors such as challenge, satisfaction, salary, benefits, job security, work environment, location, flexibility, and status only to name a few. In India, a government job of any kind, such as police, military or railway, seems to be one of the most demanded and highly esteemed occupation. For example, over 23 million people applied for 100,000 posts in the national railway services, including porters, electricians, and trackmen. Also, a local government received 2.3 million applications for just 368 secretariat jobs.

Why over 6,000 people compete for a secretarial job? Surprisingly, many of those applicants are overqualified for those government jobs whose salaries are just competitive with private sectors. There seem to be both tangible benefits and intangible motivations for government jobs in India.

Enjoy reading and learn what drives people to look for a government job in India.

http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20180601-the-jobs-in-india-that-attract-millions-of-applicants

Topic Reading-Vol.2250-6/9/2018

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Cancer blood test ‘enormously exciting’

The earlier the better to detect a cancer for treatment. But it is neither practical nor economical to use colonoscopies to detect colorectal cancer to every adult or mammograms to check breast cancer to every woman every year. If there were easier and cheaper ways to test and detect cancers, many lives would be saved not to mention the pains and expenses for the treatment.

A team of scientists at John Hopkins University has announced a universal blood test for cancer. The new blood test hunts for mutations in genes that arise in cancer and proteins that are often released. When these early signals are detected, more specific tests can be conducted to identify if and what type of cancer is developing. This could make a significant difference to treat patients if early-stage tumors were removed or killed.

Enjoy reading and learning about this breakthrough medical advancement.

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-42736764

Topic Reading-Vol.2249-6/8/2018

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

10 'pitiful' excuses companies use not to hire women execs

Pay gap isn’t the only gender inequality in the U.K. (Vol.2190). Much fewer women are sitting on the board or taking senior positions in the corporations and even central bank in the kingdom where both the monarch and the prime minister are both females. The UK government disclosed 10 most common excuses by corporate execs why they hadn’t nominated women for the board or senior positions. Those excuses are shocking with full of discrimination and prejudice, such as “don't think women fit comfortably into the board environment,” and “other board colleagues wouldn't want to appoint a woman on our board."

Despite the government’s effort to narrow the gender inequality in pay and positions, there seems to be quite significant, prevailing boys’ club culture in the queendom. And please be reminded that this survey was conducted by the government whose head is a woman. What those respondents have in their mind could be even more staggering.  

Enjoy reading and learn the perception that corporate executives have on women.

http://money.cnn.com/2018/05/31/news/women-boards-excuses-uk/index.html