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Topic Reading-Vol.1419-2/29/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
The surprisingly complex chemistry of the humble spud.
Potatoes aren’t just one kind. There are several distinctively different ones but not just by the size, color or shape but by how much starch is in them. Some of them have as much as 22% and others have only 16% starch.
Will that make that much difference? Yes, it will. For dishes like fried, mashed and baked potatoes, ones with higher starch offer better taste. But for boiled potatoes, waxy ones with less starch will work better.
It seems what potatoes to buy is up to what dishes you’re going to make. If you can’t plan your menu ahead of time, stick with certain ways of cooking.
Enjoy reading and learning how to make the best use of this usually-friendly companion for your meals. But in case you never cook, don’t be bothered by this.
p.s. What kind of potatoes does Mark Watney grow and eat while he is on Mars? Watch or read “Martians.”


Topic Reading-Vol.1418-2/28/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
How much coffee should you drink?
If you drink coffee, here is something you may be interested to know.
Does coffee, or more specifically caffeine, make you awake or alert? Not really.
What it does is to increase the heart beat and raise the blood pressure, which makes the blood circulate faster. That still sounds effective to sharpen up your physical and mental performance especially in the morning, doesn’t it?
Also, thanks to the rich polyphenols, coffee drinkers are said to live longer.
But there is a downside to excess intake of caffeine. Then how much is too much?
Enjoy seeing the video and think how would you enjoy and make use of the benefits of coffee.


Topic Reading-Vol.1417-2/27/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
When you child is a gifted athlete
Child prodigies. Getting attention and envious eyes from other children and parents makes the parents feel great and proud. However, gifted children seem to require considerable support and guidance from the family to be successful in any given field such as art, music or sport. Parents who have enough time and money to spare for the child are truly fortunate but they are rare. Other parents may face financial challenges to provide the child decent coaching and challenging opportunities. They may have other child or children to grow, too. For parents of more than one child, fair allocation of attention, time and money is always a big challenge. So how those parents manage to grow the potential of a gifted child?
Enjoy reading and learning what it takes to be a parent of an athletically advanced child.


Topic Reading-Vol.1416-2/26/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
The emirate’s elusive taste
What does U.A.E. stand for? It’s United Arab Emirates.
Then what are those united emirates? They are Abu Dhabi, the capital, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain. They are located in the southeast end of the Arabian Peninsula on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman to the east and Saudi Arabia to the south. Of the population of a little over nine million, only 1.4 million are Emirati citizens and the rest are expatriates. You can easily assume there are diverse cultures, lifestyles and foods in the sheikdoms. As a result, pure local foods have not been recognized by foreign visitors because many restaurants serve local dishes as part of Middle Eastern foods such as Turkish kebabs or Lebanese hummus.
In fact, the emirates are in the desert where little agricultural products are available. Bedouins relied on hardy animals for meat and milk, and herbs and vegetables were obtained by trade. So what kind of dishes are there?
Enjoy reading and seeing the photos of some of the traditional Arabian food.


Topic Reading-Vol.1415-2/25/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
How do we know if fish have feelings too?
Do fish feel? According to a study conducted by researchers in Scotland, they seem so. Though they may not show their feeling by smiling or crying like humans, they react differently in accordance with the stress level.
Then what is stress to fish? If you put some fish that are freely swimming in a tank into a small net within the tank for a while, they look quite stressed.
How do we know if they are stressed? How do they react once they got out of the stressful situation? They seem to like to stay in warmer water than usual.
Convinced or still frowning? Enjoy reading and thinking what else could prove fish’s emotional and intelligence level.


Topic Reading-Vol.1414-2/24/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Russia wants to modify Cold War missiles to destroy asteroids
As covered in Vol.1411 on February 21st, asteroids pose potential disaster to our planet.
But why does Russia worry so much? There seem to be several reasons.
Over 1,000 people were injured when a 20-meter-wide meteor exploded in the sky over Chelyabinsk in 2013. Also, Russia exposes larger land surface than any other country on the planet, leading to a higher chance to be hit by asteroids. Another background is that they have nuclear warheads and intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBM, that can be launched within a few minutes that have been kept to defend the nation.
So no wonder why they came up with this idea to use its missiles to destroy asteroids in space because the ICBM uses the similar technology to a space rocket.
The problem is that if an ICBM can be converted to an earth-defense rocket, the conversion of the other way around is possible, which could give an excuse to some countries like North Korea to build a white-knight rocket.
Enjoy reading and thinking if this is a viable countermeasure to save the planet.


Topic Reading-Vol.1413-2/23/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Why India's student protests keep growing
It may be too immense to be united or integrated, India. Now the world second most populated country, which is expected to be the top in a few years over China, has nearly 1.3 billion people. Though the size of the nation’s GDP marks the 7th in the world, it’s still only 141st per capita, which suggests there are still a lot of lower-than-middle-class people out there. Though it’s the single largest democratic country with over eight million voters, social class segregation called castes are still practiced in some part of the culture and society. While 80% of the population believe in Hinduism, there are Muslims and Christians and religious division seems distinct. Even among Hindus, there are some ultra-conservative groups that strictly follow the rules and respect the disciplines.
No wonder why there are protest, disputes and even clashes between different groups in religion, politics and social values.
Enjoy reading and learning how complex India is.


Topic Reading-Vol.1412-2/22/2016

 Dear MEL Topic Readers,
'Shocking' sugar levels in High Street hot drinks, warns charity
Do you drink coke or soda? You probably know that they contain very high amount of sugar. But there are other harmful, yet comforting drinks out there waiting for your sip.
If you regularly enjoy sweet and creamy hot drinks in cafes such as cafe-latte or hot chocolate, you better look at this list. As much as 20 or more spoonfuls of sugar is dissolved in a large cup of such luxurious drinks, according to a survey conducted in England. That amounts 80 to 100 grams of sugar, or nearly 10 cups of coffee or tea with two spoonfuls of sugar in each cup. You probably wouldn’t take that much sugar unless it’s already contained in a very sneaky and subtle way.
What would be your next choice of drink in a café? Are cold drinks less sugary? You may want to check the websites of coffee shops.
Enjoy reading and thinking if you’ll still have someone put sugar in your drinks from now on.


Topic Reading-Vol.1411-2/21/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Scientists seek ways to block 'Armageddon asteroids'
Did you watch a movie called “Armageddon”? After discovering that an asteroid the size of Texas is going to impact Earth, N.A.S.A. sends a team of deep core drillers to the asteroid to blow it up. Will that kind of space accident really happen to Earth?
Well, remember the Chelyabinsk meteor caused by a near-Earth asteroid that entered Earth's atmosphere over Russia in 2013? Imagine if the objects entered earth’s atmosphere hadn’t been just meteor but the mother asteroid.
Still not sure about the impact of an asteroid clash? An animation movie “Dinosaur” would show you the impact and consequences.
Now, scientists from NASA and the European Space Agency are seeking ways to change the course of two asteroids before they hit or come too close to earth. Though the expected time for encounter is still centuries away, it would be nice to start preparing for future actions.
Enjoy reading and imagining what will be world like a year before the impact.


Topic Reading-Vol.1410-2/20/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
$1 billion drug bust in Australia
On top of electronic products and clothes, China exports something much more valuable. Drugs. They aren’t of course legitimate items for trade or sale. That’s the reason they cost fortune to purchase. And Australians are no exception. It is actually a growing problem not only in the major cities but also in rural communities in outback. The police of course have been working hard to crackdown the smugglers and operations.
And they’ve made a historic success in catching the biggest ever drug shipment worth a billion Australian dollars in silicon bra inserts and art supplies. Sounds like a clever attempt but wasn’t good enough to fool the customs officials of the two countries that coordinated their efforts to catch traffickers.
Enjoy reading and learning about this historic seizure of smuggled drug to Australia.


Topic Reading-Vol.1409-2/19/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
When is it safe to reheat leftovers?
To eat leftovers? It’s so simple. All you need is care and implementation. That is to cool the food down to the room temperature, put it in the fridge and heat it thoroughly before you eat.
Even when a microwave is used, make sure to stir the dish so that all part of the dish is heated enough to kill bacteria.
In order to reduce food garbage and waste, there is no doubt that any leftover is kept and reheat properly. It’s good for health, economy and environment.
Enjoy reading and learning easy-to-follow tips to save leftover food.


Topic Reading-Vol.1408-2/18/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Could just two people repopulate Earth?
Just like Adam and Eve. If there were only one male and one female, would it be possible for the species to survive? How long or how many generations would it take to diversify genes enough to ensure safe reproductions?
It seems to have been possible for tree lobsters in Australia when a pair migrated to a steep cliff and generated 9,000 offspring and their offspring in eight years. But for humans, incest is known to cause problems in their offspring in various ways such as immune system, physical or mental disabilities and also color-blindness as proved in European royal families. When genes are passed from one generation to the next, it is crucial to ensure diversity and immunity.
Enjoy reading and learning genetic aspect of incest.


Topic Reading-Vol.1407-2/17/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Religion ban for China Communist Party ex-officials
Sole and forever loyalty. That seems to be part of the qualifications to be a party’s cadre in China.
Being loyal to the central committee of the party in thought, in political views and in action consistently not only during in one’s position but also after retirement sounds very demanding for an atheist country. But it is a one-party ruled, strictly controlled and tightly censored country where rules and justice are under sole discretion of the party. Even hard-core Muslims have no choice but to follow the tight restrictions on their religious activities. No wonder why people become realistic in their views and materialistic in their lives.
Enjoy reading and learning about the loyalty required to be a cadre of the world largest party.


Topic Reading-Vol.1406-2/16/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Japan and the whale
What are the reasons Japan still hunt whales?
Coastal whale hunting doesn’t seem to cause so many international disputes because a few countries still do as part of tradition such as Norway and Iceland.
But whaling in the Antarctic is NOT a traditional practice. It only started after World War II when Japanese were in hunger and encouraged by then de-fact ruler, General MacArthur.
Are Japanese still hungry for meat or desperate for whale meat?
No. Only a few people still enjoy eating whale meat and ingredients nowadays. There all kinds of meats and sea foods available in Japan.
So why is Japan so reluctant to stop catching endangered and controversial whales?
Enjoy reading and finding what drives this unjustifiable practice by pacifist country.


Topic Reading-Vol.1405-2/15/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Gravitational waves open 'a window on the universe,' scientists say
Homework done! It took just a century to detect what Albert Einstein predicted to exist, the gravitational waves. They are ripples in space-time which were created by the merging of two black holes, according to the director who represented the observatory, LIGO in the US.
What they “heard” was the sound when two black holes clashed over a billion years ago in a far-away galaxy. The waves created by the collision had traveled through the universe, passing through everything before they reached Earth.
How is that possible? What is significant about this detection?
Enjoy reading and learning this 100-year pursuit of a wise-man’s prediction.


Topic Reading-Vol.1404-2/14/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
The secret to cooking the perfect steak
The secret recipe sounds too simple. It seems too easy that anyone can do, provided that the beef is tender, aged and cut in perfection. But that’s what “secret” is supposed be, isn’t it?
Simplicity is the key for success for business, politics and even art. But how to get to be simple takes long time and many failures. And not everyone can get through complexity to simplicity.
Anyway, whether you’re a steak fan or not, this easy-to-follow recipe seems worth trying.
Enjoy finding this short guidance to perfection.


Topic Reading-Vol.1403-2/13/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
China to surpass US to be top film market in two years
What a drive by investment and the Internet.
China’s box office sales grew 30% in 2015 to US$6.7 billion and are expected to go over $10 billion in a couple of years, surpassing the US.
Around 8,000 movie screens were added last year to a total of over 30,000 screens nationwide, second only to the US’s 40,000. And the number of screens is expected to reach 50,000 in a few years. Also, thanks to the smartphones, more tickets were sold online than at the theaters especially among the young. More economical and effective marketing promotions will be shown on smartphones to grow the market.
The total revenue generated by foreign movies was roughly the two-third of the total. This is because there are only 34 foreign movies were shown last year due to the country’s quota system, which was agreed by the WTO valid until 2017.
Enjoy reading and guessing what will happen when the current quota is expanded or lifted in 2017, in not only China’s movie market but also the storyline, location, characters of the movies in the future.


Topic Reading-Vol.1402-2/12/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
The TPP Controversy explained
The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, or the TPP, is a trade agreement between 12 pan-pacific countries. It is designed to establish common trade, communication and legal standards to enhance trade exchanges among the participating countries. Though the agreement has been signed by all the participants already, it still needs to be ratified by each country, which is expected to take some time and hardships.
There are strong supporters and opponents to create this largest-ever scale economic zone with a combined population of 800 million, which is larger than the EU’s 500 million. Duties on foods are one of the major disputes within each member states. Safety regulations on foods and drugs are also big concerns as well as jobs and wages in such a highly integrated market.
Enjoy reading what arguments are on the table for this historic agreement.


Topic Reading-Vol.1401-2/11/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
World's largest concentrated solar plant switches on in the Sahara
A bold move by an African kingdom, Morocco. The country locates in north-western Africa and has a population of 34 million. It spans from the Atlantic Ocean, to mountainous areas, to the Sahara desert where unlimited sunshine is available. So why not making use of the renewable energy to power up the homes in the area? It’ll reduce the imported fossil fuels that currently provides 97% of the country’s energy source as well as carbon emissions.
When this project is completed in 2018, it’ll be the world largest solar plant and provide enough energy for over a million homes. It is partly financed by the World Bank expecting this project initiates a clean energy future by a greener, cutting edge solar technology.
Enjoy reading and learning about this mega plant for a greener future in the desert.


Topic Reading-Vol.1400-2/10/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
New protein could help burn fat faster
Which sounds better to you to control your weight, eating less or burning more?
A new study has found that protein called sLR11 undermines the functioning of brown fat cells which create heat and burn energy. People who are overweight or obese tend to have less brown fat than lean people. Therefore, if this protein is reduced, brown fat works more and burns more energy. Also, people will feel warmer when brown fat is burnt, which could help conserve energy for heating. Leaner and greener. Sounds ideal, doesn’t it?
The question is how to reduce this evil protein?
Enjoy reading and learning about this new study that could make people fitter and healthier.
(another hundred volumes to reach the 1,500 mark)


Topic Reading-Vol.1399-2/9/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Why the sun is setting on the Boeing 747
Have you ever air-traveled on one of the B747 jets, or a jumbo jet? The four-engine, wide body partly double-decker passenger aircraft was introduced back in 1969 when men stood on Moon for the first time. It was a game changer for air-travel industry because of the capacity and range it covered. Until then, only narrow body aircraft, which has just one aisle in the cabin, had been carrying limited number of passengers and the range, which kept the ticket price too expensive for most travelers. Because of the power and size, the aircraft was also used to carry a Space Shuttle.
However, as new fuel efficient and economical and reliable two-engine wide body aircraft emerged, such as B777 or A330, and also full double-decker super-jumbo A380 came to the market, the demand for this half-century old aircraft declined. It’ll be used by many airlines for some time to carry passengers and cargo, but will gradually disappear.
Enjoy reading the legacy of this iconic aircraft and learning a bit of commercial aviation industry.


Topic Reading-Vol.1398-2/8/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Dramatic first look at world's highest, longest glass-bottom bridge
Like walking on a bridge? How about this one with heart-stopping view and thrill in China?
These photos show a newly constructed (open in May 2016) glass-bottom bridge over a river 300 below. You can walk 430 meters to the other side of the canyon while looking down the river through the glass-bottom of the bridge. As many as 800 people can walk on the bridge at a time. If you want a more thrilling experience, you can also bungee-jump from the bridge.
Enjoy seeing these amazing photos, and think if you’d like to add this bridge walk to your travel wish list.
Oh, by the way, cracks were found in another newly opened glass walkway in Yuntaishan Scenic Park but the officials said the damage was superficial and there is no safety concern.


Topic Reading-Vol.1397-2/7/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
People aged 65 to 79 'happiest of all', study suggests
On a scale of ten, how happy were you yesterdayWas it worth living?
The answers to these questions were found to vary by age group and gender, according to a survey conducted to 300,000 adults in the U.K.
While people aged 65 to 79 were found to be the happiest age group, those aged 45 to 59 showed the lowest levels of life satisfaction.
Also, women at 39 years on average showed the least happiness, and males did the same at 53 years old.
Numbers of factors need to be looked at to interpret the results, such as employment, marital status, health, physical strength, family obligations, financial burdens, social activities and pastime.
Enjoy reading and thinking what influences the most on your happiness, well-being and anxiety.


Topic Reading-Vol.1396-2/6/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Chinese woman becomes 'world's luckiest passenger'
A golden ticket to fly. This luckiest passenger in aviation history of flight CZ2833 from Wuhan to Guangzhou for her Chinese New Year holiday, found no other passengers but the crew members on the plane. She was flown and served as the only passenger during the hour-and-half flight during the busiest time for traveling in China. Not even the President of the U.S. or China can enjoy such luxury because they are always escorted by Secret Service agents or body guards, not to mention all the staff members of the administration.
Why did this wasteful extravaganza happen while over a hundred thousand of train passengers were stranded in Guangzhou railway station because of the snow?
Enjoy reading why it happened and finding how much this lucky woman paid for this luxurious trip.


Topic Reading-Vol.1395-2/5/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Australian MPs allowed to breastfeed in parliament
Taking a baby into parliament sessions. This sounds like an out-of-question issue for most of the countries. Now, what about feeding a baby during a session, breast or bottled?
This is what Australian MPs and citizens are going to witness in their parliament. Unlike Japan where a young male MP is backfired by his fellow members for his taking a paternity leave from diet (as reported yesterday in Vol.1394), Australian MPs, women or men, can now milk their babies in the parliament either bottle-feeding or breastfeeding.
You may wonder if there is any childcare service in the nation’s lawmaking house or there are any supporters to take care of the babies of the elected lawmakers.
Enjoy reading and thinking if you would vote for a candidate who says he or she will feed his or her baby during the parliament sessions.


Topic Reading-Vol.1394-2/4/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Japan's first lawmaker to take paternity leave faces backlash
Japan’s PM is a keen advocate for women’s participation in the job market to stimulate economy while losing the workforce in a rapidly aging country. And his administration has been encouraging men to taking part in and sharing more domestic roles including child care. However, when one of his MPs tried to take a paternity leave for his first child, the poor young politician not only wasn’t praised but rather criticized by traditional fellow members.
Lawmakers don’t seem to follow the laws they make, and in some cases, they are the ones to break laws.
While Japan has a very generous paternal leave policies at 52 weeks, only 2% of male workers are said to take such leave. Traditional views still seem to hinder men from practicing this unpopular right in many Asian countries.
Enjoy reading and thinking what could make men to share more household chores.


Topic Reading-Vol.1393-2/3/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
China Shandong: Miners rescued after 36 days
Being in a dark cave 200 meters below the ground.
Spending day and night only with three coworkers.
Having foods and drinks that are supplied through a tiny hole.
And for 36 days.
That’s what these four miners had to endure until they were rescued 36 days after the collapse of the mine at a mine in eastern Shandong province, China. It was so deep and dangerous to reach those trapped miners that it took that long for 400 rescue workers to bring them up to the ground.
Enjoy reading about this amazing rescue operation and seeing the moment of their first appearance to the ground level since the last Christmas.


Topic Reading-Vol.1392-2/2/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Google achieves AI 'breakthrough' by beating Go champion
Google won. This time is not in a search engine or smartphone battles but a board game, Go. IT is a Chinese board game that became popular over two thousand years ago. Though the rules are much simpler than other games, there are 10 times more possible choices for each move than chess.
Google’s DeepMind division challenged the European Go champion and the program won five to zero. This was achieved by a technical idea of reinforcement learning - getting computers to learn to improve their behavior to achieve goals. In fact, it learns from its mistakes. The program now plays different versions of itself millions times, and each time it learns and gets incrementally better.
It should no longer be called computer but artificial intelligence program that now could beat human intelligence and experience and possibly assist humans to make decisions.
Enjoy reading and learning what the latest artificial intelligence manes and could mean to you.


Topic Reading-Vol.1391-2/1/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
We have known that Earth is round for over 2000 years
Very simple, yet people denied or didn’t accept the fact. You need neither to sail all around the globe nor go into space to see the earth to find earth is a globe.
Here are some examples that people in ancient times knew.
- the sun’s position at the same time in two different places
- the stars seen in northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere
- only the top of a faraway mountain is seen over the horizon before the rest of it
Enjoy reading and thinking how obvious and convincing these evidences are.