Topic Reading-Vol.2320-8/18/2018

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Selfie violence and illegal bathing at Rome's Trevi Fountain

Have you seen Trevi Fountain in Rome? Created in 1762, this 49-meter wide Baroque fountain is one of the most famous fountains in the world. It was featured in old movies like Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita, the eponymous Three Coins in the Fountain, and Roman Holiday.

The fountain draws not only visitors but also coins in large numbers, as much as 3,000 euros daily because visitors throw a coin with the right hand over the left shoulder as shown and sung in a 1954 movie Three Coins in the Fountain. How many of those coin throwers have seen the movie?

Anyway, the more crowded a hot spot is, the higher the chances of disputes among visitors and violations of the law. And that is not limited to this popular fountain in Italy.

Enjoy reading and learn some don’ts in this Europe’s popular travel destination.

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/selfie-fight-trevi-fountain/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.2319-8/17/2018

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

India’s impressive concept about nothing

Zero is fundamental to math, physics, engineering and modern technologies. As you might know, today’s computers use the binary number system that is made up of only 0s and 1s.

The concept of zero was developed in ancient India, where nothingness is embraced as part of teachings in Buddhism and Hinduism, as well as in meditation of yoga.

While the Ancient Greeks only counted up to 10,000, ancient Indians did over trillions. They also had the concept of infinity. No wonder many IT experts and executives are from India these days.

Enjoy reading and learn how zero came to the world.

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20180807-how-india-gave-us-the-zero

Topic Reading-Vol.2318-8/16/2018

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Good cod! A bitesize history of fish and chips

Yesterday in Volume 2317, stories of French Fry were introduced. Today, let’s learn about one of the most popular ways of serving fried potatoes in Britain, Fish and Chips.

You may wonder why two distinct foods were combined and became one popular dish. When and how each food became popular, and who ate them in the early days. Back then, fried food was a luxury. It was only enjoyed by the rich and served on plates. As the two fried foods became popular, they were wrapped in old newspaper. Today, the combined dish is served anywhere in the UK with lemon and/or vinegar.

Enjoy watching the video, of course in a British accent, and learn this popular British dish.

https://www.bbc.com/ideas/videos/good-cod-a-bitesize-history-of-fish-and-chips/p06gh8y8

Topic Reading-Vol.2317-8/15/2018

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Can Belgium claim ownership of the French Fry?

No matter how you call it, French Fry, Chips, or Steak Fry, it is deep fried potatoes. Though how, when, and where it was invented is still unsure, somehow the dish is often called French Fry. Today, this popular dish is enjoyed in distinct ways around the world. For the British, chips must be provided with fried fish, called fish and chips. In America, fries always come with burgers. In Belgium, double-fried French Fry is eaten with a touch of mayonnaise. And each claims that it is their cultural heritage.

Interested in the origin of this popular dish?

Enjoy reading and learn how fried potatoes were invented and are enjoyed in different places around the world.

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20180730-can-belgium-claim-ownership-of-the-french-fry

Topic Reading-Vol.2316-8/14/2018

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Australian hotel chain fined $2.2 million for manipulating TripAdvisor reviews

Do you check any user reviews when you book a hotel or restaurant?

TripAdvisor is a website that shows users’ reviews of hotels, restaurants, accommodation bookings and other travel-related content. While most of the content is created by the website users, their revenue is generated by advertisement by the hotels and restaurants. It sounds like a well-balanced business model provided that the user reviews are properly shown. Nowadays, hotel staff these days try their very best to get good reviews, or not to get bad ones, because such reviews show up immediately on this or other review websites, which could significantly affect the reputation of the property.

However, some of the properties have made a malicious effort to hide negative reviews. For example, a large Australian hotel chain gave an invalid email address to TripAdvisor for negative reviews. It is a violation of the consumer protection law, and the hotel chain was fined $2.2 million by the federal court.

Now you may wonder if positive reviews were truly contributed by the guests or hotel staff.

Enjoy reading and think how to use or discount the reviews on travel websites.

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/australia-tripadvisor-hotel-fined-trnd/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.2315-8/13/2018

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Don't pressure your picky eater -- it doesn't work

Eat it! It’s nutritious and good for you.

Some parent pushes their child to eat carrots or string beans that the child is reluctant to put into the mouth. Though such parent feels responsible to make sure their child gets enough and balanced nutrition, forcing young children to eat certain food seems to cause a negative effect. After all, food is not just one of the necessities for a healthy life but also for fun. So, for picky eaters, encouragement works better to remove the barrier to try eating unfamiliar or unfavorable food. Yes. Put the food on the child’s plate and encourage them to try eating it. Ideally, if you put the food that was grown in your own yard or bought from a store with the child, they may eat it with curiosity. It is also suggested that eating with other family members naturally encourage children to try the food that everyone else is eating.

Enjoy reading and learn dos and don’ts to feed young children.

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/07/30/health/picky-eater-toddler-study/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.2314-8/12/2018

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

China has an online lending crisis and people are furious about it

Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending is a method of debt financing that enables individuals to borrow and lend money. P2P platforms connect borrowers and investors online. They attract lenders with interest rates that are much higher than conventional saving or investment financial options like bank saving accounts or money market funds. They also provide borrowers, such as start-ups and small businesses with access to financing that traditional lenders don’t. Sounds like a win-win business model, doesn’t it?

However, there is a fundamental rule in financing. The higher the expected return is, the higher the risks are. And in the market where such financial service is loosely regulated, there are cases that the promised returns on investment are not paid, and in some cases, the initial money invested is entirely gone when the lending service company suddenly disappears. That is what is happening in China where there are a lot of eager investors who believed that the money invested was secured and the promised interests would be paid.

However, such rapidly increasing alternative financing services had not been strictly regulated like traditional banks, and as a result, there have been increasing cases of fraud. Then what happens to the investors?

Enjoy reading and learn the promises and risks of P2P lending service.

https://money.cnn.com/2018/08/08/news/economy/china-p2p-lending/index.html