Most of us would be shocked and afraid if a doctor told us we needed brain surgery. But imagine how much calmer you’d be if you could get inside your skull to navigate the path the surgeon will take? Technology can now make that happen. VOA’s Carolyn Presutti takes us to the Stanford Medical Center in Silicon Valley to see how virtual reality can get patients into their own heads.
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As the U.S. Supreme Court considers a case about privacy and technology, Los Angeles, California, is becoming a city that is ever more connected. From cell phones to televisions to refrigerators, more devices are being connected to the Internet. L.A. wants to use the prevalence of these “smart” devices to help the city run more efficiently, turning it into a city of the future. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee has the details of the project and the security and privacy implications of a more connected city.
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Something extraordinary happened last week at the bottom of the world: 55 very determined, possibly crazy people participated in a marathon on the continent of Antarctica. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports.
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The world’s biggest lithium-ion battery has plugged into an Australian state grid, delivering on a promise by Tesla Inc. chief executive Elon Musk.
Musk said he would build the 100-megawatt battery within 100 days of contracts for the project being signed at the end of September or hand it over to the South Australia state government for free.
South Australia Premier Jay Weatherill said Friday the battery had begun dispatching power to the state grid Thursday, providing 70 megawatts as temperatures rose above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit).
The official launch came a little more than 60 days after the deal was signed. But crucially, it came on the first day of the Australian summer, the season when power usage soars because of the use of air conditioning.
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The new head of the U.N. cultural agency has called for greater protection for cultural heritage sites, especially in conflict zones.
Audrey Azoulay told a U.N. Security Council meeting Thursday that of 82 UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Arab world, 17 are on a danger list.
“All six Syrian World Heritage sites have been severely affected, including Palmyra and the fabled city of Aleppo, one of the oldest cities in the world, now reduced to rubble,” Azoulay said.
She also told the council that more that 100 cultural sites across Iraq have been damaged.
Azoulay said she was encouraged by the council’s adoption of a resolution in March condemning the unlawful destruction of cultural heritage and warning Islamic State, al-Qaida and other combatants that such attacks may constitute war crimes.
But she said countries need to do a lot more, including improving data collection and information sharing on trafficking routes, and better damage assessments.
U.N. counterterrorism chief Vladimir Voronkov called for a stronger focus on investigations and cross-border cooperation, and on bringing in collectors, art dealers, auction houses and the tourism sector to stop the illegal trade in stolen cultural items.
Voronkov said the “looting and illicit trafficking of cultural objects leads to the financing of terrorism and criminal networks.”
Yury Fedotov, head of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, told the council that “the art market and museums should pay special attention to the provenance of cultural items that they are considering for acquisition, or with which they otherwise come into contact.”
Fedotov said there needs to be international cooperation in investigating, prosecuting and adjudicating cases related to trafficking cultural property.
“Only in this way can we protect precious cultural heritage from being lost forever,” he said.
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U.S. President Donald Trump and his family have lit the National Christmas Tree at the White House.
The White House tree lighting took place on the White House Ellipse, where the national tree and smaller trees representing each of the 50 states are placed each year for visitors to Washington to enjoy.
This year’s event was hosted by talk show host Kathie Lee Gifford and actor Dean Cain. The event featured musical performances by the Beach Boys, the U.S. Navy Band, Mannheim Steamroller and other musicians, including Jack Wagner, Wynonna, Craig Campbell, the Texas Tenors, and the young-adult group Boys II Bow Ties.
This year’s ceremony was the 95th tree-lighting celebration, started in 1923 by President Calvin Coolidge. The tradition was even carried on in 1941, just two weeks after the United States entered World War Two.
In fact, at that event on Dec. 22, 1941, there were surprise appearances by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway, whose country had been occupied by Germany one year earlier.
The tree was not lit during the later years of the war due to the need to conserve power, but local schoolchildren donated ornaments for the National Christmas trees of 1942, 1943 and 1944. With a patriotic theme and tags with the names of U.S. servicemen accompanying the ornaments, the national tree became a symbol of patriotism in troubled times.
Later in 1980, the national tree remained largely dark, except for 417 seconds, to remind people of the 417 days that a group of 52 American hostages had then been held by militants in Iran. The hostages were released in January 1981 after 444 days, and the tree was re-lit to welcome them back to the United States.
Today, the National Christmas Tree is lit early in the holiday season to kick off a month-long Pageant of Peace, meant to inspire goodwill and holiday spirit among all people and religions in the United States.
Tourists may walk among the trees, peek through the fence at the White House, take photographs, enjoy performances or recorded music, and view other displays such as an electric model train, a Jewish menorah, a yule log, and a Christian nativity scene.
Both the menorah and the nativity scene have withstood legal challenges centered on separation of church and state.
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