無人機

Insurance industry expanding drone use

Dec 14, 2016
By CHRIS LUSVARDI H&R / Staff Writer

DECATUR — The use of drones is enhancing the ability to spot issues developing in farm fields.

Country Financial is among the insurance companies looking for the most ways to benefit from the capabilities of drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles or UAV's. The company held a seminar Tuesday at the Macon County Farm Bureau office in Decatur to update area farmers on its latest uses for drone technology and possible changes to crop insurance coverage.

The ability to use drones is helping to identify issues in fields more quickly than traditional scouting methods from the ground and share the gathered information with customers, said Todd Manning, a Country crops claims coordinator.

“We're still going to have boots on the ground,” Manning said. “What we see will ease the peace of mind that everything is being looked at. It keeps getting better but it won't replace people in the field.”

Manning said drones have been used to see areas of damage in the middle of corn fields that can't readily be spotted from the road and guide those interested to that area for further inspection.

“We didn't see any of this,” Manning said while showing a photo of a field with evidence from the air of grain snap and wind damage. “It looked like a healthy corn field.”

It's not always easy to reach some areas on the ground, as hazards such as flooding could get in the way, he said. Besides agriculture, Manning said other potential uses of drones for insurance companies include inspections on roofs of buildings.

Drones in general are increasing in usage as regulations of who can operate the systems has changed, Manning said. New regulations allow for system operators for commercial purposes to pass a test and receive a certificate rather than being a licensed pilot.

As the use of technology used in identifying claims expands, farmers also have more information to consider when choosing amounts crop insurance coverage.

Farmers have been protected by the ability to choose higher levels of coverage, said Doug Yoder, Country crop agency manager. More insurance plans now can be based on an enterprise level rather than relying on county numbers, Yoder said.

That allows for farmers to benefit from more cost savings, Yoder said.

“We know we need the coverage,” Yoder said. “We don't lose a third of the crop very often in this area. Farmers shouldn't voluntarily lower coverage levels. We're going to need every dollar we can get.”

Farmers have until March 15 to buy crop insurance for the next growing season.

Yoder said crop insurance will once again be in question as discussion on the next Farm Bill begins. The Farm Bill enacted in 2014 is due to expire in 2018.

http://www.salina.com/sections/farm_and_ranch/insurance-industry-expanding-drone-use/article_83651f7a-bc93-510b-879c-364088476209.html

Structure of the Lead：
WHO-not given
WHEN-Tuesday
WHAT-the use of drones is enhancing the ability to spot issues developing in farm fields
WHY-to update area farmers on its latest uses for drone technology and possible changes to crop insurance coverage.
WHERE-Macon County Farm Bureau office in Decatur
HOW-not given


Keywords：
1. seminar:研討會
2. coordinator:協調人
3. readily:迅速地
4. hazard:危險
5. certificate:執照
6. enterprise:冒險精神
7. enact:制定
8. expire:滿期

巴黎氣候高峰會

India to ratify Paris climate change agreement at UN

Sunday 2 October 2016
Writer was not found

India will ratify the Paris climate change agreement at the United Nations, an environment ministry official said.

Narendra Modi’s cabinet had given its approval on Wednesday to ratify the Paris agreement on Sunday. The date is the birth anniversary of India’s independence leader Mahatma Gandhi, who led a life of minimum carbon footprint, said Modi.

Environment ministry spokesman Himank Kothiyal said Indian officials would hand over the ratification instruments to UN officials in New York on Sunday.

India accounts for about 4.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The Paris agreement will come into force when 55 countries contributing to at least 55% of total global emissions ratify the deal. So far, 61 countries have deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance or approval, accounting for 47.8% of global emissions, an Indian government statement said.

The Paris agreement was adopted by 185 nations in December. It asks both rich and poor countries to take action to curb the rise in global temperatures that is melting glaciers, raising sea levels and shifting rainfall patterns. It requires governments to present national plans to reduce emissions to limit global temperature rise to well below 2C (3.6F).

India has committed that by 2030, at least 40% of its electricity will be generated from non-fossil sources. This includes 175GW renewable energy capacity by 2022.

Manish Bapna, executive vice-president and managing director of the World Resources Institute, said India “has one of the boldest renewable energy targets in the world, making it destined to be a major player in solar and wind markets”.

Money will be a big challenge for India, which says it will require over $2.5tn (£1.9tn) to meet all its targets. It says it will achieve the targets only if other countries give it money and discounts on new technology.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/oct/02/india-paris-climate-change-agreement-un-narendra-modi

Structure of the Lead：
WHO-India
WHEN-Wednesday
WHAT-India will ratify the Paris climate change agreement at the United Nations
WHY-not given
WHERE-not given
HOW-not given


Keywords：
1. ratify:批准
2. emission:散發
3. deposit:放置
4. glacier:冰川
5. commit:作出保證
6. generate:產生
7. destine:注定

李奧納多(神鬼獵人)

Leonardo DiCaprio Meets With Donald Trump on Environment

December 7, 2016
By Debbie Emery

Leonardo DiCaprio met with Donald Trump on Wednesday to discuss a matter very close to the “Revenant” actor’s heart — the environment.

The Oscar winner, the president-elect, Ivanka Trump and Terry Tamminen, CEO of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, had a meeting at Trump Tower in New York City to discuss how jobs that center on preserving the environment can boost the economy, the Associated Press reported.

DiCaprio and Tamminen presented Trump’s team with a “framework” on how focusing on renewable, clean energy could create millions of job, the spokesperson said.

Green issues have long been of great interest to DiCaprio and he has been an outspoken advocate for action on climate change for many years.

His latest documentary on the crisis, “Before the Flood,” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in October, where it was described by TheWrap’s Steve Pond as “a straightforward, elegantly presented survey of the science on climate change — and suggestions on how humans can halt the potentially catastrophic damage we’ve created.”

With the film being released just weeks before the presidential campaign, DiCaprio was already looking toward the future while at the festival.

“We cannot afford to have leaders in office who do not believe in the modern science of climate change,” he said during a Q&A in Toronto. “This needs to be at the forefront of every conversation in world politics.”

According to the Associated Press, DiCaprio gave Ivanka Trump a DVD of the film earlier this week.

The “Departed” star was a vocal supporter of Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign, however he was forced to pull out of hosting a fundraiser for her in August due to scheduling conflicts.


http://www.thewrap.com/leonardo-dicaprio-meets-with-donald-trump-to-talk-green-issues/

Structure of the Lead：
WHO-Leonardo DiCaprio&Donald Trump
WHEN-Wednesday
WHAT-discuss a matter very close to the “Revenant” actor’s heart — the environment
WHY-to discuss how jobs that center on preserving the environment can boost the economy
WHERE-Trump Tower in New York City
HOW-a meeting

Keywords：
1. Revenant:亡魂的
2. preserve:保護
3. advocate:提倡
4. premiere:初次露面
5. catastrophic:災難的

歐洲難民

Five days in and I’m exhausted: Life in a greek refugee camp

Thu, 01 December, 2016
By Lucy Mansfield

Five days in and I’m absolutely exhausted.

We begin our days by distributing bananas, eggs and bread to the 160 refugees living in Thessaloniki.

Whole families are taking shelter in half built factories, derelict train stations and apartment cellars.

Afterward breakfast, we drive to the outskirts of the city to a warehouse to prepare lunch for the refugees on an industrial scale. It involves frantic chopping and stirring of gargantuan cauldrons.

Trays of hot stew are then handed out at central points across the city.

With sub zero temperatures and snow settling, many of the refugees roam in t-shirts and sandals. They are only too pleased to see their hot lunches arrive.

What struck me immediately about the homeless refugees was how chipper they were, how high their morale was - even though many of them were hungry, cold and facing extreme hardship.

We spend the rest of the day sorting through towers of donated clothes, getting them ready to hand out in the camps.

New estimates say there are more than 22,000 refugees living in the vicinity. With the recent militarisation of the camps, it’s increasingly difficult for volunteers to enter - but today, we will head in.

http://www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/five_days_in_and_i_m_exhausted_life_in_a_greek_refugee_camp_1_4801365

 Structure of the Lead：

     WHO-Not given

     WHEN-Not given

     WHAT-Life in a greek refugee camp

     WHY-Not given

     WHERE-Thessaloniki

     HOW-Distributing bananas, eggs and bread

Keywords：

   1. distribute:分配；分發

   2. derelict:棄置的

   3. frantic:瘋狂地

   4. gargantuan:巨大的

   5. chipper:精力充沛的

   6. vicinity:鄰近地區

   7. militarisation:軍事化

巴黎恐攻

French terror suspects 'were planning attack on Paris'

25 November 2016
Writer was not found

Five men arrested last weekend in raids in France were planning a terror attack next Thursday in the Paris area, the city's chief prosecutor says.

Francois Molins said the suspects were receiving orders via encrypted mobile apps from a commander of the so-called Islamic State based in Iraq or Syria.

The raids, in Strasbourg and Marseille, also turned up automatic weapons.

The five are to be placed under judicial investigation on suspicion of terror crimes.

Mr Molins said investigators had not established the target of the planned attack, but he said GPS co-ordinates were found on a USB stick.

Possible targets included the Paris law courts, the nearby headquarters of the judicial police, the Christmas market on the Champs-Elysees and the Disneyland theme-park east of the city, French media say.

Surveillance

The four arrested in the eastern city of Strasbourg - said to be in their 30s - are all French nationals of North African origin. Two of them had traveled to Syria last year, investigators are quoted as saying.

The fifth man, a Moroccan arrested in the southern city of Marseille, did not know the other four but was receiving orders from the same source, they say.

According to the prosecutor, the group had been under surveillance for several months, and police moved in to arrest them to avert imminent bloodshed.

France remains under a state of emergency following the attacks in Paris in November 2015 that killed 130 people.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38106683

Structure of the Lead：
WHO-Five men
WHEN-last weekend
WHAT-Five men arrested last weekend in raids in France were planning a terror attack next Thursday in the Paris area
WHY- the suspects were receiving orders via encrypted mobile apps from a commander of the so-called Islamic State based in Iraq or Syria.
WHERE-in Strasbourg and Marseille
HOW-not given

Keywords：

   1. encrypt:加密

   2. raid:突襲

   3. judicial:司法的

   4. coordinate:座標

   5. Surveillance:監督

   6. prosecutor:檢察官

   7. avert:防止；避免

   8. imminent:即將發生的

馬拉拉

Malala Calls on World Leaders Provide Education to Refugee Girls and Save Them from Early Marriage and Child Labor

Thu, Sep 22, 2016

By Beth Golden, UniversityHerald Reporter

Last week, the youngest Nobel laureate, Malala Yousafzai, called on world leaders to provide for the education of young girls in refugee camps to help them and save them from early marriage and child labor.

The UN Refugee Agency estimates about 21.3 million refugees worldwide and more than half of them are children. A significant number came from people uprooted last year from the atrocities in Afghanistan, Syria, South Sudan and Burundi.

According to a report from the Malala Fund about 80 percent of these refugees are adolescents, most of whom are girls and these children are out of school. The report also highlighted the lack of programs for secondary education.

The report also said that, "By underfunding secondary education, donor countries are increasing the threat of conflict and instability in fragile host countries, denying the rights and concerns of children and leaving girls vulnerable to early marriage, child labour, exploitation and more."

The Malala Fund campaigns for education for girls and it started with Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani teenage girl who rose to prominence after surviving an assault from the Taliban.

"Why do world leaders waste our time with this pageant of sympathy while they are unwilling to do the one thing that will change the future for millions of children?" Yousafzai said in a statement earlier this month.

The report pointed the lack of education programs for the refugee children to the donor countries for failing to deliver on pledges made earlier this year and to wealthy donor countries that diverts resources away for their own domestic refugee costs.

The Malala Fund recognizes that education is not some magic formula that will immediately create world peace, several studies have pointed out that it is positively correlated to "positively correlated with reducing economic insecurity, poverty and inequality - factors contributing to state fragility - and increasing social mobility and labour opportunities."

Their report is concluded by urging donor countries to, "Commit to provide $2.9 billion by September 2019 to the Education Cannot Wait Fund to support education for more than 25 million children, including nearly four million out-of-school refugee children under UNHCR's mandate."

Malala Yousafzai said, "Survival is not enough. We must put those most affected - girls and boys - at the heart of substantive commitments."

http://www.universityherald.com/articles/41502/20160922/malala-calls-world-leaders-provide-education-refugee-girls-save-early.htm


Structure of the Lead：
WHO-Malala Yousafzai
WHEN-Last week
WHAT-Malala called on world leaders to provide for the education of young girls in refugee camps to help them and save them from early marriage and child labor.
WHY-According to a report from the Malala Fund about 80 percent of the refugees are adolescents, most of whom are girls and these children are out of school. The report also highlighted the lack of programs for secondary education..
WHERE-not given
HOW-We must put those most affected - girls and boys - at the heart of substantive commitments.

Keywords：

   1. laureate:得獎人

   2. labor:勞工

   3. uproot:遷離

   4. atrocity:殘暴的行為

   5. adolescent:青少年

   6. underfund:對...提供資金不足

   7. fragile:虛弱的；脆弱的

   8. campaign:從事活動

   9. pledge:保證；許諾

  10. substantive:堅固的；實質性的