【661-663】Robots in the Field: Farms Turning to Autonomous...
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AS IT IS
Robots in the Field: Farms Turning to Autonomous Technology
December 10, 2018
Joe Allnutt, lead roboticist at British startup company the Small Robot Company, inspects a farming robot named Tom as part of a trial in East Meon, southern England, Friday Nov. 30, 2018. (AP Photo / Kelvin Chan)
Farmer Jamie Butler is testing a new worker on his farm in England’s Hampshire countryside. Butler hopes the new worker will help the 180-hectare farm produce more wheat and not harm the environment.
The laborer does not say a thing while inspecting Butler’s winter wheat crop for other plants and insects. Why all the silence? Because it is a four-wheeled robot named “Tom.” It uses signals from satellites orbiting the Earth, artificial intelligence and communications technology to map the field.
Tom’s creator is the Small Robot Company of Portsmouth, England. It is one of several start-up businesses working to change the way crops are produced.
Farmers are facing economic pressures because of the need to keep down food prices, a rising world population and climate change. Most robots are still being tested, but they show ways that automated machines can move from manufacturing businesses to farm communities.
Holding costs down “by being on the leading edge of technologies as one method of doing that, then that’s a really, really good thing,” said Jamie Butler. He is one of 20 British farmers taking part in a yearlong experiment.
Next year, the British company plans to start testing two more robots controlled by an artificial intelligence system that will work alongside Tom. It will be doing “seeding, feeding and weeding” without human involvement.
The aim is to cut down on fertilizer and pesticide used to lower costs and increase profits for struggling farmers. This not only helps them economically, but it also lowers the effects of farming on the environment.
“What we’re doing is stuff that people can’t do,” said Ben Scott-Robinson, who helped to set up the Small Robot Company. He noted that his company’s robot can inspect each plant and treat its condition as needed, something a farmer cannot do.
Sales of the autonomous robot system are still years away, with more testing planned for 2021. The tests represent the next step in the growth of automation for farms. Self-driving farm equipment and robotic milking machines have been in use for years. Recently, unmanned drone aircraft began watching crops from the sky.
Soon, farms “will be able to automate…everything,” said Tim Chambers, a fruit farmer who is not involved in the tests. Some jobs are harder to automate, such as collecting fruit by hand, but even that is coming, said Chambers, a member of Britain’s National Farmers Union.
The United States, Spain, Britain and Belgium all have companies that are developing robots for harvesting fruits such as strawberries, but there are problems.
The main issue “will be the cost of building those robots and the research that has to go into making them,” Chambers said. The low cost of air shipping could still make it less costly to fly in fruit from other countries, where labor is also less costly, he said.
To ease financial pressure on farmers who are afraid to make a big investment in equipment, the Small Robot Company plans to sell its services at a monthly cost, charging about $765 per hectare a year.
On Butler’s farm, Tom takes hundreds of thousands of pictures of crops during the growing season. The images are fed to Wilma, the artificial intelligence platform, which is being trained to tell the difference between wheat and weeds.
In 2019, the company will start trials for two more robots, Dick and Harry. Dick will provide fertilizer directly to plants. Harry will put seeds into the earth, and there will be no need for tractors.
I’m Susan Shand.
The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
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Words in This Story
artificial intelligence - n. an area of computer science that deals with giving machines the ability to seem like they have human intelligence
automate - v. to run or operate something, such as a factory or system by using machines, computers, etc., instead of people to do the work
weed - n. a plant that grows very quickly where it is not wanted and covers or kills more desirable plants
pesticide - n. a chemical that is used to kill animals or insects that damage plants or crops
tractor - n. a large vehicle that has two large back wheels and two smaller front wheels and that is used to pull farm equipment
drone - n. a type of small aircraft that flies without a pilot
platform - n. a program or set of programs that controls the way a computer works and runs other programs
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AS IT IS
Iraq Marks Anniversary of Islamic State Defeat
December 10, 2018
Iraqi security forces raise Iraqi national flags in a parade marking the year anniversary of the defeat of the Islamic State group in Iraq in Tahrir Square, in central Baghdad, Monday, Dec. 10, 2018. (AP Photo/Ali Abdul Hassan)
Iraq has celebrated the anniversary of its costly victory over the Islamic State group.
The government declared victory last December after a three-year war that killed tens of thousands of Iraqis and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes.
The Islamic State has lost nearly all the territory it once held. But its forces continue to carry out attacks on Iraqi targets.
The government declared Monday a national holiday. Security stations in Baghdad, were covered with Iraqi flags and balloons, as security forces walked the streets, playing patriotic music.
As part of the celebrations, the government plans to reopen parts of Baghdad’s well-guarded Green Zone to the public. Officials hope the move will calm protests against corruption and poor public services. The Green Zone is home to major government offices and foreign embassies.
The celebrations come as political disputes have affected efforts to form a new Iraqi government.
Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi spoke to a group of military officers about the anniversary. He described Monday as a great “day for all of us when our brave country defeated the enemies of life, dignity, freedom and peace.”
Abdul-Mahdi congratulated the security forces as well as the country’s top Shiite clergyman, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. The clergyman approved a fatwa, or religious order, that brought in volunteers after the Iraqi army seemingly collapsed in June 2014. Tens of thousands of volunteers joined state-supported militias, many of them financed by Iran.
That fatwa laid “the foundations of the victory,” Abdul-Mahdi said. He called on Iraqis to leave behind their differences and to come together for a better future.
“The time has come to leave behind all the past mistakes…to open the doors of hope for our children for a better future,” he said. He promised to rebuild the destroyed areas and help displaced people return to their homes.
“All Iraqis took part in this fight, those who couldn’t take up arms fought with words and donations,” said Qassim al-Fatlawi, who lives in Baghdad. He helped raise money for the militias.
Songs praising the militias, also known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, could be heard coming from his small business in the city’s Karrada neighborhood. On Monday, the area was filled with Iraqi flags.
“That victory…is a golden opportunity for the government to rebuild the country and to meet the needs of its people,” said Sameer al-Obaidi. He led a group of people who presented flowers to security forces in Baghdad’s Azamiyah neighborhood.
“It is important to treat all Iraqis equally so that they feel that their sacrifices are appreciated,” al-Obaidi added.
The Islamic State (IS) group grew from the violent opposition that followed the United States-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Based in Syria, IS forces crossed in Iraq in the summer of 2014. The Iraqi army collapsed, leaving the group to govern with a crushing form of Islamic rule. Thousands of people were killed. The group also kidnapped thousands of women and girls from the Yazidi religious minority and forced them into sexual slavery.
Iraqi forces aided by a U.S.-led coalition fought to remove the group from all the territory it once held in Iraq. They fought to free Iraq’s second-largest city, Mosul. Today, Islamic State controls a small piece of territory in Syria, near the Iraqi border.
Iraq is still badly affected by the violent rule of Islamic State.
More than 1.8 million Iraqis remain displaced across the country. More than 8 million require some form of humanitarian aid. That number comes from the Norwegian Refugee Council. Those with suspected links to IS have been rejected by their communities. Thousands of children fathered by IS militants are still unrecognized by the state.
Nearly two-thirds of displaced people say they are unwilling or unable to return home in the next year. And more than half say their homes were damaged or destroyed, said the aid group.
“If this is what ‘victory’ looks like, then there is little to celebrate…” said Norwegian Refugee Council Secretary General Jan Egeland. “They have largely been forgotten by their own government and the international community.”
I'm Bryan Lynn.
The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for VOA Learning English. The editor was George Grow.
Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
patriotic – adj. having or showing great love and support for your country
dignity– n. a way of appearing or behaving that suggests seriousness and self-control
foundation– n. something such as an idea, a principle, or a fact that provides support for something
mobilization– n. to make soldiers, or an army, ready for war
opportunity– n. a chance; possibility
appreciate– v. to admire and value something or someone
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AS IT IS
Church Repairs Renew Christian Attention to Bethlehem
December 10, 2018
In this Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018 photo, visitors stand bellow a renovated part of a fresco inside the Church of the Nativity, built atop the site where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born, in the West Bank City of Bethlehem. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Major repairs to the Church of the Nativity are lifting spirits in the town of Bethlehem just before Christmas.
Many Christians around the world celebrate Christmas on December 25. That is the day they believe Jesus was born. Many believe the Church of the Nativity was built on the site where Jesus was born.
Bethlehem city officials hope the repairs to the church will bring in more visitors and improve the weak economy in the West Bank. They also hope the repairs might help keep more Christians in the area.
Bethlehem Mayor Anton Salman told the Associated Press that Christians are leaving the area, known as ‘the Holy Land,’ because of conflict and economic difficulties.
Repairs to the Church of the Nativity started in 2013. That came a year after the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, declared the church a world heritage site.
The repairs are expected to be completed by the end of next year. The Palestinian Authority, which governs the territory, formed a committee of local Christian leaders to lead the project. They also employed an Italian company to carry out the repairs.
Ziad al-Bandak is head of the committee. He said the group has collected $14 million out of $17 million needed. Almost half of the money has come from the Palestinian Authority, and local Muslim and Christian businesses. The rest came from foreign donations.
“It has become such a beautiful church,” he said. “Every Christian in the world would love to see it now.”
The church is considered one of the holiest places in Christianity. It was built in the 4th century by Saint Helena over a cave where the Virgin Mary, Jesus’s mother, is said to have given birth. The church was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in the 6th century under Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.
For years there had been no repairs done to the building. The roof of the church was leaking, windows were broken, art was covered in dirt and walls and support structures were damaged.
After five years of work, it has been completely changed.
Emad Nassar is a Palestinian engineer with the repair project. He said the project started with the roof. Some of the roof supports were replaced with wood imported from old destroyed churches in Italy. Windows were fixed, and outside stones and walls were repaired.
The biggest problem has been repairing the badly damaged 2,000 square meter wall mosaic. So far, 120 square meters have been cleaned, showing images of Jesus and other Christian figures. Workers are also repairing a floor mosaic.
Why was the church left in such condition?
Under a 19th-century agreement, the Roman Catholic, the Greek Orthodox and the Armenian churches have been responsible for their own areas of the church.
Disagreements among the three Christian organizations have left the church in a state of disrepair. The Palestinian Authority has been credited with settling the dispute. But the repairs have not included the altar with the 14-point silver star that marks where Jesus was said to have been born.
Bethlehem depends heavily on visitors around the Christmas holiday. Local hotels, restaurants and gift stores do much of their business during the short holiday season. The repaired church has become a popular destination.
After dropping in 2015 and 2016, the number of visitors has risen in the past two years, officials say. The mayor said he expects 1.2 million visitors this year.
I'm Caty Weaver.
And I’m Ashley Thompson.
Mohammed Daraghmeh wrote this story for the Associated Press. Pete Musto adapted this story for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. What affect do you think these repairs will have on the numbers of Christians living in the area? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
church – n. a building that is used for Christian religious services
nativity – n. the birth of Jesus
original – adj. happening or existing first or at the beginning
heritage – n. the traditions, achievements and beliefs that are part of the history of a group or nation
roof – n. the cover or top of a building or vehicle
replace(d) – v. to be used instead of something
mosaic – n. a decoration on a surface made by pressing small pieces of colored glass or stone into a soft material that then hardens to make pictures or patterns
altar – n. a raised place on which sacrifices and gifts are offered in some religions — sometimes used figuratively
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