Stuff YOU Should Know
Robin Williams
Oscar-winner, comedian and supporter of many charitable causes died on August 11 of an apparent suicide in his home. Your parents might remember him from his break-out role on the 1970s sitcom Mork and Mindy (which was a spinoff from the wildly successful sitcom Happy Days). You are likely to remember him from his title role in the comedy Mrs. Doubtfire, or the voice of the rapid-fire genie in Disney’s animated feature, Aladdin, or his most recent turn as former President Teddy Roosevelt in the Night at the Museum franchise. While he was lauded for his uncanny ability to improvise clever dialogue on the spot, he proved equally capable at dramatic roles. He was nominated for an Academy Award four times, winning for his role as Matt Damon’s therapist in Good Will Hunting.
In addition to the tributes to his talent and legacy, Williams’ untimely death has sparked a broader conversation about mental illness, addiction, and chronic conditions. Williams suffered from depression; he had reportedly relapsed after 20 years of sobriety; and he was reportedly in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease.
What Do You Think? Find one Op-Ed essay from a major national periodical responding thoughtfully to Williams’ passing and the issues it raises.
Stranded Iraqis Receive Assistance
Since officially withdrawing troops from Iraq back in 2011, the United States is still invested in humanitarian issues that face the Middle East. Last month, tens of thousands of Yazidi (one of Iraq’s oldest minorities) had been reportedly trapped on a mountain by Sunni militants and were starving. Recently, President Obama met with his national security advisors (including Secretary of State John Kerry, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and National Security Advisor Susan Rice) to discuss both relief and military efforts.
Fortunately, recent news of the condition was better than expected. The numbers of people stranded had been reduced to less than 5,000 thanks largely to the efforts of a Kurdish group call the Peshmerga fighters who were responsible for moving thousands of the refugees to safety. American drops of food aid were also being dispersed in effective ways on the ground due to the help of British forces. A Pentagon representative put the situation in perspective by saying, “We get paid to think in worse case scenarios; that’s what we do” President Obama announced that air strikes in Iraq would continue in order to protect those threatened by Sunni militants.
Dig Deeper Continue to follow this story. Despite the intervention, ISIS is reportedly well-funded and have many new recruits. See what efforts are developing to slow their spread.
Rand Paul in Iowa
It seems to have become a trend that it is never too early to begin running for office, particularly when that office is President of the United States. Rand Paul, the Republican senator from Kentucky, recently spent time in Iowa, causing many to believe Paul is likely to make an official announcement for his bid as a candidate soon. While in Iowa, Paul met with several different factions of the population, from one-on-ones in a local coffee shop, to lunch with the city’s pastors, to a roundtable of business leaders in a department store. Senator Paul did, however, upset a number of people by skipping out on a private reception, claiming a family obligation.
So why Iowa? Because it is the location of the Iowa Caucus, a set of votes cast by its citizens. Other states have primary votes, but Iowa’s comes first and is considered a big test of a potential candidate’s ability to connect with voters, spar with opponents, and test out a political platform on various issues facing the country. Because candidates spend so much energy in Iowa, so does the media. Reporters flood the state, following presidential hopefuls everywhere and hoping to gain insight.
What Do You Think? We are still 100 days away from the official Iowa Caucus. Read some reports about Paul’s visit and see how you think he did.
Robots!
Using robots to solve problems is not a new occurrence, but rather a seemingly continual series of improvements, as new technologies become increasingly available. In the latest experiment, engineers have created a “swarm” of miniature robots that, together, are accomplishing complicated tasks. What happens is that each robot (about the size of a sushi roll) is given a picture of a particular shape and, collectively, they all work together to create it, by shuffling on three legs. The process takes an average of 12 hours to complete.
[Video sources from: http://online.wsj.com/articles/harvard-scientists-devise-robot-swarm-that-can-work-together-1408039261]
The purpose of the experiment is to replicate systems like cells that can create organs or individual ants that are capable of building bridges. Dr. Michael Rubenstein, the leader of the study, published his findings in Science magazine. He calls the process “self-assembly.” Researchers involved in this project have been getting a lot of attention for their findings, accepting invitations to show and speak about their work. Making sure the technology is affordable and easy to use is another important factor.
Dig Deeper Check out the video above, displaying the self-assembly process. Can you think of advantages such robot swarms might provide in the future?