Topic Reading-Vol.354-3/31/2013

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

Louvre is most visited venue of 2012.

Are you one of those museum goers? If so, Louvre may be one of the museums you’d like to visit someday, if you haven’t because it was the most visited of this kind in 2012 with nearly 10 million visitors. One surprising fact is that they drew a million more visitors over the previous year, thanks to its new wing of Islamic art. Other most popular museums are Metropolitan Museum in New York and three of such in London.

So, a simple question arises. Are those most popular museums are mostly visited by the visitors of the cities or its residents? As you may know, Paris, New York and London are all world most popular tourists’ destinations anyway.

Enjoy reading and learning about world most popular museums!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21965220

Topic Reading-Vol.353-3/30/2013

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

Gordon Brown: 32 million girls not at school, we must push for change.

Can you imagine a remote village where girls haven’t been allowed or expected to attend even elementary schools in Indian subcontinent, Pakistan, Afghanistan or some part of Africa? You might be even more surprised to hear that not only female students but also teachers who are brave enough to teach them are in need for armed guards to attend school to protect them from Islamic extremists who believe girls shouldn’t be educated but be treated in their traditional way to do domestic works, deliver and raise children, and serve men. And even more surprising fact to learn is that there’re millions and millions of such girls who are in such discriminatory situations that need to be helped immediately.

Enjoy reading a report by one of the former premiers of the U.K. who has been trying to offer those girls and teachers help, and think about what need to be done for the people and places that are so different from yours.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/28/opinion/gordon-brown-girls-education/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

Topic Reading-Vol.352-3/29/2013

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,
Airline 'fat tax': Should heavy passengers pay more?

Some of you may know that there are several surcharges flyers may be required to pay on their flight, such as on fuel and excess baggage. But have you ever thought of being charged on your excess weight or getting discount on your lower-than-standard weight?

Some people take up more space than standard seats and cost the airline extra fuel, which produces more CO2 into the air. Therefore, the heavier the passengers are, the higher the economic and environmental burdens are, both inside and outside the cabin. Does it mean airlines can simply charge more to overweight people for the same flight, space and services than ordinary passengers?

Enjoy reading and learning about a radical paper published by a Norwegian scholar.  

http://travel.cnn.com/airline-fat-tax-should-heavy-passengers-pay-more-619046?hpt=hp_c4

Topic Reading-Vol.351-3/28/2013

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

Obama gives Secret Service its 1st female director.

The US army is going to have female combat troops as early as next year. US Secret Services, that protects America's leaders, visiting world leaders, national special security events, and the integrity of the nation's currency and financial systems,  the long has been thought as defending team of men wearing dark sunglasses and earphones, not to mention their trademark black suits, is now going to have the first female officer to head and manage the organization. Many would agree to have someone with discipline on their top position after the inconsiderate acts took place in Columbia last year before their POTUS (Secret Services nick name for President of the United States) arrived there.

Enjoy reading and learning about the historic assignment for the essential and prominent organization in the US.

http://news.yahoo.com/obama-gives-secret-1st-female-director-200139194--politics.html

 

Topic Reading-Vol.350-3/27/2013

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

Charm offensive: Peng Liyuan, China's glamorous new First Lady.

Now, China has not only a new leader but also a first lady who appears in public in front of both domestic and international media. The one-party-ruled nation has been keeping low profile on the wives of their top leaders ever since their founding father Mao Zedong’s wife, Jiang Qing, who had led the disastrous Cultural Revolution, was arrested and jailed in the late 1970s.

Some Chinese proudly blogs, “The U.S. has Michelle Obama, we have Peng Liyuan.”

Enjoy reading and learning about China’s proud first lady who has debuted in front of international media.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/23/world/asia/china-peng-liyuan-profile/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

Topic Reading-Vol.349-3/26/2013

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

Sydney dims down for Earth Hour climate change protest.

How many of our Topic Readers turned off the lights at 8:30 pm on March 23^rd, or knew about The Earth Hour? It is a globally organized event by World Wild Fund for Nature that has been held since 2007 to raise awareness about the need to take action on climate change. The participating households and businesses are encouraged to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour. This year, the energy-exporting giant, Russia took part in the event by turning the lights off at his palace, the Kremlin.

Enjoy reading and learning about this grassroots event which has spread throughout the world. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21909619

Topic Reading-Vol.348-3/25/2013

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

Slumbering Sun Should Wake Up This Year.

Do you think our star, the Sun, is sleeping? It comes out of the eastern horizon every morning and wakes us up and sets in the west to welcome the night.

It seems to have an eleven-year cycle to be more active than other periods of time, which occasionally blasts out a cloud of superheated plasma to our planet.

Enjoy reading and learning about our star’s activities. 

http://news.yahoo.com/slumbering-sun-wake-134357020.html