Topic Reading-Vol.2552-4/7/2019

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

One in five Chinese children is overweight or obese, and the booming economy may be to blame, study reveals

That figure was only one in 20 children back in 1995 when China’s economy was just about to start booming. Back then, studies focused mainly on undernutrition as poverty was their main concern. But a new study evaluated the effect of economic growth on malnutrition in all its forms and found that Chinese children who were classified as overweight or obese exceeded 20 percent in 2014, a huge increase from just two decades ago.

During the time, more people moved to urban cities, kids spend more time at home playing games and staring at smartphones or at cram schools to study for exams, and families eat more packaged or delivery food and consume sugary drinks but walked much less, thanks to the rapid motorization and urbanization.

The problem is that such excess weight gain in childhood is often carried into adulthood and raise the risk of diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular problems.

It seems that China’s economic growth has also created a serious domestic problem.

Enjoy reading the article and think about the ways to keep children’s mental and physical health.

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/03/19/health/china-obesity-kids-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.2551-4/6/2019

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Ground Force tests proficiency of top officers

Once you’ve reached a general’s rank in the military, you may think you will no longer be bothered by exams. However, it seems that no one is free from examinations in China’s People’s Liberation Army, the world’s largest military unit to climb the ladder. As many as 52 top commanding officers, mostly major generals, and some senior colonels, took the examination simultaneously across the county in early March. The examination was designed to check their capabilities in organizing training and commanding their troops, including theory, strategy and command skills.

Originated in ancient China to select bureaucrats, tests have been widely used in China, Korea and Japan for public service posts and school enrollments. While testing offer fair opportunities to the candidates and applicants, it hardly measures or predicts how well they could perform in the real world. Also, many parents in those countries spend fortunes to have their children attend private cram schools to prepare for the exams, which is thought to be one of the major reasons why their birthrates have been dropping.

Are there any prep schools for generals?

Enjoy reading the article and think which measures or enhances the capability of individuals better, paper tests or simulation games.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201903/28/WS5c9c1eaaa3104842260b2fd9.html

Topic Reading-Vol.2550-4/5/2019

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Bangladesh woman with two wombs has twins one month after first birth

A 20-year-old Bangladeshi woman was not knowingly pregnant with one baby and twins at the same time. The woman delivered her first baby normally in a hospital and came home happily with her first child. But just 26 days later, she went to another hospital and found that she had twins about to be born. She underwent an emergency Caesarean and had a twin boy and girl. Why could that happen? Why didn’t the twins come out at the same time as the first baby? Didn’t she or her doctor know that she had triplets?

No, the babies were not triplets but one baby and twins because they developed in two different wombs, or uteruses. In fact, it is estimated that one in 1,000 women in the UK has double uteruses. The young mother seems to have ovulated three eggs, and they were fertilized at the same time and became three embryos, one settled in one of the two wombs and the other two did in the other womb. That’s why there were one baby and twins but not triplets.

But why wasn’t she or her doctor aware of her condition before the first delivery? That’s because she and her husband were so poor that she had never taken an ultrasound scan until she was taken to the hospital where she delivered the twins.

Now, the poor but happy young parent working busily with their hands full.

Enjoy reading and learn about this possible but amazing story.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47729118

Topic Reading-Vol.2549-4/4/2019

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Wow Air failure: 'They gave us pizza - then cancelled our flight'

Can you imagine a situation where the ticket you have just booked online or a boarding pass that you have in your pocket at the gate becomes suddenly invalid because the airline has just ceased operations? Unfortunately, this is what happened on March 28 to Wow airline passengers and ticket holders. The Icelandic low-cost carrier started services in 2012 and had been operating between Iceland, Europe, Asia, and North America until the sudden death. Waiting passengers had been told at the gate that their flights were delayed until the final call. Those who were about to go home from their travel destinations were affected the most. They had to, and some are still struggling to find a way to fly back. Some airlines have been offering “rescue fares” for those whose tickets become invalid. Also, tickets had been sold until the last moment. Those who used credit cards might get a refund from the card issuers, but they have to claim and re-arrange their travel plans. And of course, the airline employees lost their jobs while they were working on the ground or in the air.

Before you book your next flight, you may want to check not just the airfare or cancellation policy of the ticket but also the financial statement of the airline.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-47731043

Topic Reading-Vol.2548-4/3/2019

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Europe will require carmakers to install speed limiters from 2022

Some cars are equipped with cruise control, auto driving or parking, and/or emergency braking systems. And auto-driving or self-driving cars are about to be introduced. However, most cars are still and will be driven by human drivers. Whether to keep or exceed the speed limit is still at the driver’s discretion, at least for a while. But after 2002, that freedom is going to be limited by the safety mechanism in EU countries. Under the new safety rules, all new cars need to have intelligent speed assistance systems as standard equipment. No particular technologies or specifications are announced to meet the new rule. Auto manufacturers and their technology partners have to come up with practical solutions to safely control the speed whether by using the digital map data or checking the signs on the road, neither of which is updated regularly or standardized. In any case, such a speed control system is required for auto-driving vehicles. So, why not?

Enjoy reading and imagine the traffic that all cars drive at the same speed.

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/03/27/tech/europe-speed-limits-scli/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.2547-4/2/2019

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

The Haka: What it means and how it's performed

All Blacks, the New Zealand national rugby union team, does something very intriguing before their games. Stomping their feet, pumping their fists, and staining their vocal chords, all in unison. The Haka is a ceremonial dance or challenge in Maori culture. War Haka was originally performed by Maori warriors before a battle to displaying their strength to intimidate the opponent. Various versions of Haka are now performed by men, women and even children to welcome guests, to acknowledge achievements, or to show a sign of respect and unity in special occasions including funerals. Recently, Haka was performed in many places in New Zealand to mourn the victims of the mass shooting in Christchurch.

Haka seems not only to boil the blood of the performers but also appeal to the heart of onlookers.

Enjoy reading the article and watching the videos of various Haka to learn what could unite people and raise their spirits.

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/03/26/sport/haka-new-zealand-all-blacks-rugby-spt-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.2546-4/1/2019

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Health apps pose 'unprecedented' privacy risks

Is it a personal benefit or privacy breach? When you use health apps, you store a lot of personal health information knowingly or unknowingly; such as your blood pressure, heartbeat, the type and time of exercise, calorie consumption, and diet, along with your medical records, not to mention our personal profile information, such as your age, gender, race, blood type, color, weight, height, and BMI.

Yes, the more information you are known, the more personalized diagnoses and recommendations could be provided. You also could get target ads by relevant marketers that could suit your present or potential needs, such as supplements, exercise machines and sports gyms.

If it stops there, it may not cause you too much trouble. But once such information is leaked or sold to more aggressive parties that try to exploit or abuse personal information for their benefit, you’ll be in a big problem. Can that happen even if you use an app in anonymity? Yes, the information here and there could be artificially linked to form a unique identification.

This is no April fool.

Enjoy reading and learn about potential danger and disaster you could face from your health app.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-47652611