Latest news with #HighStakes
Arab News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
The Russian past of Alaska, where Trump and Putin will meet
WASHINGTON: Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will hold a high-stakes meeting about the Ukraine war on Friday in Alaska, which the United States bought from Russia more than 150 years ago. Russian influence still endures in parts of the remote state on the northwest edge of the North American continent, which extends just a few miles from Russia. When Danish explorer Vitus Bering first sailed through the narrow strait that separates Asia and the Americas in 1728, it was on an expedition for Tsarist Russia. The discovery of what is now known as the Bering Strait revealed the existence of Alaska to the West — however Indigenous people had been living there for thousands of years. Bering's expedition kicked off a century of Russian seal hunting, with the first colony set up on the southern Kodiak island. In 1799, Tsar Paul I established the Russian-American Company to take advantage of the lucrative fur trade, which often involved clashes with the Indigenous inhabitants. However the hunters overexploited the seals and sea otters, whose populations collapsed, taking with them the settlers' economy. The Russian empire sold the territory to Washington for $7.2 million in 1867. The purchase of an area more than twice the size of Texas was widely criticized in the US at the time, even dubbed 'Seward's folly' after the deal's mastermind, secretary of state William Seward. The Russian Orthodox Church established itself in Alaska after the creation of the Russian-American Company, and remains one of the most significant remaining Russian influences in the state. More than 35 churches, some with distinctive onion-shaped domes, dot the Alaskan coast, according to an organization dedicated to preserving the buildings. Alaska's Orthodox diocese says it is the oldest in North America, and even maintains a seminary on Kodiak island. A local dialect derived from Russian mixed with Indigenous languages survived for decades in various communities — particularly near the state's largest city Anchorage — though it has now essentially vanished. However near the massive glaciers on the southern Kenai peninsula, the Russian language is still being taught. A small rural school of an Orthodox community known as the 'Old Believers' set up in the 1960s teaches Russian to around a hundred students. One of the most famous statements about the proximity of Alaska and Russia was made in 2008 by Sarah Palin, the state's then-governor — and the vice presidential pick of Republican candidate John McCain. 'They're our next-door neighbors, and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska,' Palin said. While it is not possible to see Russia from the Alaskan mainland, two islands facing each other in the Bering Strait are separated by just 2.5 miles (four kilometers). Russia's Big Diomede island is just west of the American Little Diomede island, where a few dozen people live. Further south, two Russians landed on the remote St. Lawrence island — which is a few dozen miles from the Russian coast — in October, 2022 to seek asylum. They fled just weeks after Putin ordered an unpopular mobilization of citizens to boost his invasion of Ukraine. For years, the US military has said it regularly intercepts Russian aircraft that venture too close to American airspace in the region. However Russia is ostensibly not interested in reclaiming the territory it once held, with Putin saying in 2014 that Alaska is 'too cold.'
Otago Daily Times
28-04-2025
- Science
- Otago Daily Times
Teen robot builder to take on world's best
Rhys Lewis is heading to Dallas for the VEX V5 Robotics World Championship in May with Quasar the robot. Photo: Geoff Sloan Christchurch student Rhys Lewis is set to fly to the United States next Saturday to take on the world's top young robotics experts. The 17-year-old from Papanui will take part in the Vex V5 Robotics World Championship high school competition in Dallas, Texas, from May 6-8. 'It is pretty cool – it has been the goal to get to the worlds.' Rhys and his teammate Alex Griffin are students at Ao Tawhiti Unlimited Discovery. Under their team name Maverick, they designed, built and programmed Quasar, the game-playing robot, over the past year. Quasar is an expert at the game High Stakes, which involves picking up coloured plastic rings and using them to score goals over a two-minute period. Rhys and Alex have competed in local scrimmages and dedicated many hours to perfecting their robot. Quasar has been programmed to play the game High Stakes using coloured plastic rings. Photo: Geoff Sloan Rhys said competing against teams from the United States and China will be vastly different because of the level of investment those countries put into robotics. "The USA and Chinese teams, to them, these are full sports. Robotics have similar clout to rugby teams over here.' Rhys said the robotics community in Christchurch is small but supportive. 'It is a tight-knit community, we were borrowing a field to practice on and now we are about to compete and compare ourselves against 800 teams of the best of other countries.' The starting point to build a robot was about $3000, Rhys said. Rhys Lewis and Alex Griffin. Photo: Geoff Sloan Alex has only been involved in robotics competitions for one season so far and says making the world champs was a proud milestone. "In my first season to make worlds is an achievement in itself. It is quite exciting. "There are only two teams from the South Island going over and they're both from Canterbury," Alex said. Said Rhys: "No matter where you place, you are in the top 5%." The pair are both set to fly out to Texas on Saturday, May 3.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Middle school students use STEM skills for robotics competition
BRISTOL, Tenn. (WJHL) – The bots have returned to Bristol for the 2nd annual Vex Robotics qualifying event at Bristol Motor Speedway, hosted by Vex Robotics and Sullivan County Schools. On Thursday, over 60 middle school robotics teams from across the world put their skills to the test as they competed to earn a spot in the world championship in Dallas. 'Students are building robots to play a game called High Stakes, and they have to build and design their robot to compete at a high level,' said Margaret Trent, robotics coach at Sullivan East Middle School. This is the second time the competition has taken place in Bristol. Many of the students participating this year are returning with experience. 'It was very cool to be able to see teams from all over the country just come in and see how they performed and see ways I could improve whenever I went back to school,' said Sullivan East Middle School student Jayleigh Barrett. 'It really helped me prepare,' said Sullivan Heights Middle School student Iris Gordon. 'And I know how to drive better.' For others, the competition was a new experience and served as an opportunity to compete against some of the best competitors in the world. 'It's been really good because some of the teams I would never see in a regular tournament. It's really cool because you never see them, and their robots are cool,' said Kayleigh Sopsher, a Sullivan East Middle School student. The competition was about more than just the robots. The students said they learned skills that will benefit them outside of the competition. 'There's a lot of teamwork, building skills, and just kind of communication skills,' said Sullivan East Middle School student Eli Stanley. 'And there's also a lot of STEM skills are being taught.' 'Definitely teamwork and being able to talk to other teams and figure out how they work and just different things of that nature,' Barrett said. The competition will continue through the weekend. High school teams will begin their portion on Friday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
