Topic Reading-Vol.4768-5/14/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

How to flourish –– even when you aren’t at your happiest, according to research

Both "happy" and "flourishing" relate to well-being. However, while happiness is primarily an emotional state, flourishing involves experiencing a sense of purpose, meaning, and positive relationships, in addition to positive emotions. Nordic countries like Finland, Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden are often ranked among the happiest countries. Recently, a new study was conducted with 200,000 people in over 20 countries in a broadly inclusive understanding of what it means to flourish: living in a state in which all aspects of a person’s life are going well. It found that Indonesia had the highest flourishing score 8.10, followed by Israel’s 7.87, the Philippines’s 7.71, and Mexico’s 7.64. Japan landed at the bottom of the list with a considerably lower score of 5.87 compared to Turkey’s 6.32, the second lowest. The “Flourish” measure consists of two questions or items from each of six domains: happiness and life satisfaction, mental and physical health, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, financial and material stability, and close social relationships. Each of the questions is assessed on a scale of 0 -10, 0 being negative or the least agreeable and 10 being positive or the most agreeable. These are the 12 questions that were asked in the research.

1. Overall, how satisfied are you with life as a whole these days?

2. In general, how happy or unhappy do you usually feel?

3. In general, how would you rate your physical health?

4. How would you rate your overall mental health?

5. Overall, to what extent do you feel the things you do in your life are worthwhile?

6. I understand my purpose in life.

7. I always act to promote good in all circumstances, even in difficult and challenging situations.

8. I am always able to give up some happiness now for greater happiness later.

9. I am content with my friendships and relationships.

10. My relationships are as satisfying as I would want them to be.

11. How often do you worry about being able to meet normal monthly living expenses?

12. How often do you worry about safety, food, or housing?

The report also found that flourishing tends to increase with age. What is your score?

Read the article and learn how flourishing people feel around the world.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/30/health/global-flourishing-study-wellness/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4767-5/13/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Americans still don’t know how and when to wash their hands

When do you usually wash your hands, and how long? While we all know that routine and proper handwashing reduces the risk of infecting or spreading infectious diseases like the flu, COVID-19, or norovirus, we tend to forget or ignore the practice. A survey of nearly 3,600 adults in the USA found that people most often wash their hands when using the bathroom, handling waste, and handling food. However, only 30% said they wash their hands after sneezing or coughing, when respiratory diseases like the flu can spread. Also, older adults tend to wash their hands more regularly after using the bathroom or when handling food. That may be because they are more health-conscious or they have developed the habit throughout their lives. It is evident that timely and proper handwashing can prevent infectious diseases much more efficiently than going to the doctor and sleeping for days when infected. We’d better keep or revive the habit that we got accustomed to during the pandemic for our health.

Read the article and learn how essential it is to wash your hands timely and properly. 

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/05/05/health/handwashing-habits-survey-wellness

Topic Reading-Vol.4766-5/12/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

After 50 years, Thailand finally strikes down strict rules on students’ hair lengths

In 1975, Thailand's Ministry of Education issued a directive that heavily restricted students' hairstyles and makeup to promote a more disciplined and uniform appearance among students. The directive required male students to keep their hair short and forbade mustaches, while female students were restricted to ear-length bobs and prohibited from wearing makeup. It reflects Thailand’s conservative, hierarchical Buddhist society under years of authoritarian rule, as well as the influence of the military that staged coups over ten times in the last 100 years. Schools regularly checked students’ appearances and hair lengths, enforced the rules, and deducted academic points from the students who didn’t comply with the rules. However, things began to change after the nationwide student protests in 2020, and in March this year, the highest administrative court announced that the 50-year-old directive was unconstitutional and revoked it. Even though it is unclear how soon and how much the hairstyle and appearance regulations will be loosened in schools across the country, the change has begun. 

Read the article and learn about Thailand’s half-century-old school rules.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/05/03/style/thailand-hairstyle-dress-code-students-intl-hnk-dst

Topic Reading-Vol.4765-5/11/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Oscar-winning director reveals the secret lives of pangolins

Pangolins are solitary, nocturnal mammals that live in South Asia and Africa. There are nine existing species that range in size from 30 to 100 centimeters. Pangolins have a long, toothless muzzle, and their legs are short with sharp claws for digging to eat ants and termites. They have large, protective keratin scales, similar in material to fingernails and toenails, covering their skin. When threatened, they can curl up into a tight ball for protection. Like rhinoceroses and elephants, pangolins are one of the world’s most trafficked mammals for their meat and scales used in traditional medicine and folk remedies, especially in China and Vietnam. Protection and rescue efforts to save these scaly anteaters have been made, but it is challenging. For example, when in captivity, they don’t eat at all. So, in order to feed a pangolin, the carer has to walk wth the pangolin for hours. Recently, Netflix created a documentary of a rescued pangolin called “Pangolin: Kulu’s Journey.” It hopes to raise awareness of this fragile, scaled mammal for conservation. 

Read the article and learn about this unique endangered mammal species. 

https://edition.cnn.com/world/pippa-ehrlich-pangolins-kulus-journey-cte-hnk-spc

Topic Reading-Vol.4764-5/10/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

When the world’s tallest dog met the world’s tiniest

Originating from Mexico, the Chihuahua is one of the smallest dog breeds, with a height ranging from 15 to 23 centimeters and weighing between 1.4 and 2.7 kilograms. Known for their large personalities and loyalty, Chihuahuas are a popular companion animal, often kept as city pets due to their compact size. In contrast, the Great Dane is a large working dog breed originally from Germany. Males typically stand between 76 and 81 centimeters at the shoulder and weigh between 54 and 79 kilograms. As they are friendly, gentle, and loyal family dogs, they are often referred to as the Apollo of dogs. The world’s shortest living dog is Peral, a 9.14-centimeter-tall female Chihuahua in Florida. She traveled to Idaho with her owner to meet the world’s tallest living dog, Reggie, a meter-tall male Great Dane. What happened to them?

Read the article and see the video to find out how they got along with each other.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/30/us/worlds-biggest-tiniest-dogs-meet-intl-scli/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4763-5/9/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

AI turns old photos of the Borders into 'motion pictures'

An AI video generator is a tool that uses artificial intelligence to automatically create video content from various inputs like text descriptions, images, photos, or existing videos. AI video generators automate tasks like script creation, visual generation, voiceover, music addition, and even stock footage licensing by utilizing advanced machine learning. Recently, a young Scottish man created a moving montage from old still shots of the town where his grandparents lived long ago by using an AI video generator. It greatly pleased his grandparents and also others in the wider community, so he created similar videos of neighboring towns. Now, those videos are not only enjoyed by older people’s social groups but also used in history classes in local schools. There are so many still photos taken in the last century. We can turn them into montages to revive the scenes and memories in just a few minutes. 

Read the article and watch the videos of old towns revived by an AI video generator. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/cq5wx27gne1o

Topic Reading-Vol.4762-5/8/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

What you need to know about US Real ID

In order to establish more stringent security standards for identification documents like driver’s licenses, the US citizens and residents aged 18 and older are required to present a REAL ID-compliant document or other TSA-accepted ID, such as passports, to board domestic flights and access secure federal facilities starting May 7.  A REAL ID is a federally compliant driver’s license or non-driver ID that is more difficult to forge. The document is indicated by a star in the upper right-hand corner of the ID. If an American traveller cannot present a REAL ID, they will be asked to complete an identity verification process by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers, which would take extra time and create longer lines at airport security checkpoints. So, air travelers in the USA, whether US citizens or visitors, are advised to arrive early for their flights. 

Read the article and learn about a new, tighter security policy implemented recently in the USA.

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250505-real-id-the-big-change-affecting-us-air-travel