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text:
News Archives: Art Department
HPU sophomore Haleigh Clevenger receives PACCAR Foundation scholarship
Howard Payne University sophomore Haleigh Clevenger, a sophomore from Brownwood majoring in English and studio art, has been selected to receive a scholarship from the PACCAR Foundation provided by the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas (ICUT) Foundation and its national partner, the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC).
Her parents are Patrick '95, who graduated from HPU with a major in practical theology and Spanish, and Elizabeth, who worked at the university from 1993 to 1995 with the university's English as a Second Language program. Clevenger attended Midland Classical Academy until her junior year of high school. After moving to Brownwood, she graduated from Brownwood High School in 2018.
"I am so very thankful for what the PACCAR Foundation has done for my family and me," Clevenger said. "Their generosity in granting me this scholarship is greatly appreciated and will bless my time here at HPU immensely. This gift will allow me to continue growing academically, in an environment that will, likewise, be maturing me spiritually. The foundation's support is such an encouragement to me and inspires me to keep learning, achieving and setting goals within this community that I love."
The PACCAR Foundation is a philanthropic branch of the auto production and financial corporation PACCAR. The foundation was formed in 1951 and grants millions of dollars each year for education, social services and the arts.
The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) is an association of more than 700 nonprofit independent colleges and universities and higher education affiliates and organizations that has worked since 1956 to support college and university leadership, advance institutional excellence and enhance public understanding of private higher education's contributions to society. CIC is the major national organization focused on providing services to leaders of independent colleges and universities as well as conferences, seminars and other programs that help institutions improve educational quality, administrative and financial performance and institutional visibility. CIC conducts the largest annual conferences of college and university presidents and of chief academic officers. CIC also provides support to state associations that organize programs and generate contributions for their member colleges and universities, including the ICUT Foundation. The council is headquartered at One Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.cic.edu.
Applications for admission are being accepted for the spring 2020 and fall 2020 semesters at Howard Payne University (www.hputx.edu/apply). For more information about HPU, including the wide range of available financial aid options, contact HPU's Office of Admission at 325-649-8020 or by e-mail at enroll@hputx.edu.
Cutline: HPU sophomore Haleigh Clevenger, an English and studio art major from Brownwood, was recently named a recipient of a PACCAR Foundation scholarship.
HPU exhibiting "Contemporary Vanitas," artwork by David E. Harmon
BROWNWOOD – October 24, 2018 – Howard Payne University's Department of Art is exhibiting "Contemporary Vanitas," pastel still-life drawings by David E. Harmon, department chair and professor of art. The exhibition is open now through November 3 in the Dorothy and Wendell Mayes Art Gallery, located in HPU's Doakie Day Art Center.
Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Fridays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The gallery will be open extended hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. throughout HPU's Homecoming weekend, Friday, November 2, and Saturday, November 3.
Vanitas is a genre of still-life painting, popular in the Netherlands in the early 17th century. Harmon's modern vanitas have been created from a Christian perspective, drawn from his experiences, favorite Bible verses and thoughts about life.
"Most of the works were created out of my personal experiences, but I encourage viewers to take the time for self-reflection and ponder what the drawings may mean to their own lives," he said.
For more information about the exhibition, contact HPU's School of Music and Fine Arts at 325-649-8500. A complete list of Homecoming 2018 activities is located at www.hputx.edu/homecoming.
Cutline: David Harmon, professor of art and chair of HPU's Department of Art, poses with artwork from his "Contemporary Vanitas" exhibition. Photo by Katie Cravey, HPU junior.
HPU's Drew McNeill to present senior art exhibition through May 4
BROWNWOOD – April 17, 2018 – Howard Payne University's Drew McNeill, from Brownwood, will present his senior art major exhibition through May 4 at the Dorothy and Wendell Mayes Art Gallery, located in HPU's Doakie Day Art Center.
In 1997, McNeill began his higher-education journey at Baylor University in Waco and returned to that same university in 2015. Following in the footsteps of his mother, Connie Drew McNeill – a 1978 HPU graduate, he transferred to HPU. After taking a single art class at HPU, McNeill decided that art was the path for him. He is on track to graduate in May with a Bachelor of Science degree in studio art.
"The work in this exhibition is a comprehensive visual journey toward the attainment of my Bachelor of Science degree in studio art," said McNeill. "All of the art works were created from several studio art classes I have taken since spring 2016. There is decisive progression to the work done in numerous media or art forms. One art class builds into another with two- and three-dimensional visual explorations."
David Harmon, chair of the Department of Art and professor of art, commented that McNeill has made many educational strides since transferring to HPU.
"His openness to learning and experimentation is a testament to the background and life skills that he utilized in his coursework in both art and other HPU courses," said Harmon. "His current senior comprehensive exhibition demonstrates this commitment."
McNeill said his growth and success as an artist can be attributed to his art professors, David Harmon, chair of the Department of Art and professor of art; Susan Harmon, adjunct faculty of art; and Julie Mize, adjunct faculty of art (photography).
"I appreciate the opportunity to exhibit my work in this public venue," said McNeill. "Without the guidance of the art faculty, I would not have grown as an artist as quickly as I did. I am grateful to HPU for providing me this opportunity to return to school and complete my education as a non-traditional student. It is truly a place where students can find themselves and explore the possibilities that higher education can provide."
The Dorothy and Wendell Mayes Art Gallery, located in HPU's Doakie Day Art Center, is open on Mondays, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; and Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The gallery is closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
For more information, contact David Harmon at 325-649-8088 or dharmon@hputx.edu.
Applications are still being accepted for the fall 2018 semester at Howard Payne University (www.hputx.edu/apply). HPU offers a variety of financial aid options. For more information about HPU, contact HPU's Office of Admission at 325-649-8020 or by e-mail at enroll@hputx.edu.
Cutline: 1. Artwork by HPU student, Drew McNeill of Brownwood, is on display through May 4 in the Dorothy and Wendell Mayes Art Gallery in the Doakie Art Center on the HPU campus.
2. Drew McNeill's artwork on display includes a wide range of media and subject matter.
HPU hosts art show by four Waco artists
BROWNWOOD – January 26, 2018 – Howard Payne University's Department of Art will host an art show through February 27 titled "Intimate Studies: Nature and Landscape Forms." The exhibit is available for viewing at the Dorothy and Wendell Mayes Art Gallery in HPU's Doakie Day Art Center on the university's campus. There is no cost to view this exhibit.
"The work in this exhibition is comprised of four Waco-based artists who all studied visual art at Baylor University," said David Harmon, professor and chair of the Department of Art. "Each artist brings her unique vision in terms of interpretations of nature and landscape forms in various art media including charcoal, graphite, oil and acrylic."
Featured works of art in the exhibit are by artists Kim Abercrombie, Katherine Makowsky, Jennifer Seo and Trisstah Wagstaff.
According to Abercrombie, her work, a lithograph titled "Flower Study #4," is a visual interpretation and documentation of the familiar. She captures reflections of the past and present and takes in what draws her to nature by bringing it to the canvas.
Makowsky, a native of Waco, was trained as a printmaker but says her artistic influences derive from a wide variety of mediums in nature. Her featured work is graphite on Mylar and paper and titled "Forest Track I." Makowsky's says her art seeks to uphold the classical ideals of goodness, truth and beauty and is inspired by local and familiar landscapes.
Seo is currently a candidate for a Master of Fine Arts degree at The University of Texas-San Antonio. She says her artwork, including her exhibited acrylic and charcoal work titled "Sanctum," is based in personal memories to explore the cognitive process of an experience becoming a memory and how those memories are built into self-perception.
Wagstaff is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting from Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia. She says her acrylic on canvas painting titled "The Kind Storm" explores how people are affected by beauty and how that beauty is found and experienced even through deep loss and sadness. She says her paintings also acknowledge hope as something sacred and spiritual.
"We are pleased to have these artists exhibit their artwork here at HPU and encourage the public to come view each of the pieces," said Harmon. "Information on each of the artists' inspirations and works will be available at the exhibit."
The gallery is open 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Fridays and is closed on weekends. The Doakie Day Art Center is located on the HPU campus, on Center Avenue, near Lipscomb Street in Brownwood.
All inquiries may be directed to Harmon at 325-649-8088 or dharmon@hputx.edu.
Cutline: Photo 1: HPU's Department of Art will feature the works of four Waco-based artists who each bring unique vision in terms of interpretations of nature and landscape forms.
Photo 2: Available for viewing through February 27, HPU's art show titled "Intimate Studies: Nature and Landscape Forms" features artwork in various media including charcoal, graphite, oil and acrylic.
HPU art faculty members exhibit work, publish article
BROWNWOOD – November 10, 2017 – Works by Howard Payne University's David Harmon, professor of art and chair of the Department of Art, and his wife, Susan Harmon, adjunct instructor of art, are available for viewing in a variety of locations this month with exhibitions in Temple, Austin and Brownwood and an article published in the "International Journal of Arts and Humanities."
The couple has a two-person exhibition of their paintings at the Saulsbury Gallery of the Cultural Activities Center in Temple, open to the public through November 15. In conjunction with the Temple exhibition, the couple recently held a combination lecture and workshop in watercolor with 35 people in attendance.
The Harmons' works are also featured in a group exhibition at the Austin Artists Gallery throughout the month of November.
The paintings of Susan Harmon are on exhibit in HPU's Dorothy and Wendell Mayes Art Gallery inside the university's Doakie Day Art Center through December 1. The exhibition consists of large-format abstract paintings based on her study of tragic events during the 21st century. She has extensively exhibited her work both domestically and internationally with recent gallery and museum exhibitions in Asia and Europe. HPU's gallery hours are Monday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
"Her work is full of expressive painterly marks with the goal of providing healing amidst tragic circumstances," said David Harmon.
David Harmon was recently notified that his article, titled "Modernism and the Machine," will be published in the November issue of the "International Journal of Arts and Humanities."
For more information please contact David Harmon at 325-649-8088 or via e-mail at dharmon@hputx.edu.
Cutline: The artwork of Susan Harmon is on display in HPU's Dorothy and Wendell Mayes Art Gallery inside the university's Doakie Day Art Center through December 1. Pictured is a painting titled "Of Jimmy."
HPU hosts Brownwood Art Association Self-Curated 2 Art Exhibit
BROWNWOOD – September 29, 2017 – Howard Payne University's Department of Art will host an art exhibit titled "Brownwood Art Association Self-Curated 2 Art Exhibit" through Friday, October 27. This free exhibit is open to the public and available for viewing at the Dorothy and Wendell Mayes Art Gallery in the university's Doakie Day Art Center.
The art exhibit, by members of the Brownwood Art Association, features works of art including photography, acrylic and oil paintings, and pencil and watercolor sketches.
"The Brownwood Art Association is a wonderful group of local artists who have 'The Art Spirit,'" said David Harmon, chair of the Department of Art and professor of art. "In 2013, we hosted a self-curated exhibition that involved the artists' selections of their best works and have decided to repeat the process with this exhibit. I am sure everyone will be delighted to see the best of local Brownwood visual talent."
The exhibit will be open to the public on Mondays, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; and Fridays, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The Doakie Day Art Center is located on the HPU campus, on Center Avenue, near Lipscomb Street in Brownwood. For more information, contact David Harmon at 325-649-8088 or dharmon@hputx.edu.
Cutline: Howard Payne University's Department of Art will host an art exhibit titled "Brownwood Art Association Self-Curated 2 Art Exhibit" through Friday, October 27.
Works of HPU art faculty exhibited at United States Air Force Academy
BROWNWOOD – April 19, 2017 – The recent paintings of Howard Payne University art faculty David and Susan Harmon are on exhibition at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, through April 26. Titled "Painterly Expressions of an Artistic Couple," the exhibition is located in the Permanent Professors Art Gallery on the third floor of the Academy's Fairchild Hall.
Though the painters have entirely different approaches to their art, the exhibition displays unity and a holistic environment in a single venue.
Two large canvases by Susan Harmon, HPU adjunct art faculty member, cover more than 17 feet on each side of the gallery walls and zig-zag high and low because the canvas pieces were sewn together in irregular sections. Just the shapes themselves are interesting, but with color the walls pop and attract passersby into the gallery to see more.
Once inside, viewers experience smaller works created by David Harmon, professor of art and chair of HPU's Department of Art. Eighteen square panels spiral and rotate with abstract thick slashes of blue tones. The pieces hang in a variety of heights to exaggerate the overall effect.
David Harmon earned a Master of Fine Arts degree at Pennsylvania State University. Susan Harmon earned her Master of Fine Arts degree in painting from Georgia Southern University. Both have participated in long lists of juried, invitational and solo exhibits, including many international venues. Each has a solid reputation based on many excellent conference presentations as well as notable residencies, special events and publications.
"The exhibit not only highlights painterly expressions of an artistic couple, but emphasizes two professional career paths woven together to facilitate a strong collaborative project," said Pam Aloisa, professor of art and gallery director at the United States Air Force Academy.
For more information, contact Aloisa at 719-322-8244 or by e-mail at pam.aloisa@usafa.edu.
Cutline: Paintings by HPU art faculty David and Susan Harmon are on exhibition at the United States Air Force Academy through April 26.
HPU hosting juried student art exhibition through March 20
BROWNWOOD – March 3, 2017 – Howard Payne University's Department of Art is hosting "Best of 2016-2017: A Juried Student Exhibition" through March 20 in the Dorothy and Wendell Mayes Art Gallery inside HPU's Doakie Day Art Center. The exhibition features more than 50 works of art by 18 students.
Curating the exhibition were HPU art faculty members Julie Mize, adjunct instructor of photography; Susan Harmon, adjunct instructor of art; and David Harmon, professor of art and chair of the Department of Art. Featured artworks include mixed media, felt weavings, collages, ink on paper, screen prints, charcoals, ceramics and more.
Students who won awards for their art are Travis Adams, junior from Brownwood; Christy Ash, senior from Brownwood; Colby Compton, senior from Early; Lydia Conrad, junior from Brownwood; Kaeli Goodgion, junior from Comanche; Ally Henry, freshman from Canyon Lake; Cecily McIlwain, sophomore from Dayton; Drew McNeill, senior from Brownwood; and Corey Ross, freshman from Navasota.
Additional student artists featured in the show are Ryan Adams, junior from Brownwood; Keith Baker, freshman from Houston; Joy Hall, freshman from Fort Stockton; Caelob Hardman, sophomore from San Saba; Sheena Nalley, freshman from Rochelle; Amy Pitman, communications assistant/web editor and student from Zephyr; Tiffani San Miguel, senior from Burleson; Doris Walton, senior from Weesatche; and Trey Weidner, freshman from Cedar Park.
David Hill, assistant professor of art at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, served as juror for the exhibition. He called jurying an art exhibition a rewarding yet challenging task.
"How does one select any individual artwork over another, especially given the often subjective qualities and intensely personal act of making art?" he asked. "It can take courage for an artist to submit work to be judged in a competition, so I want to acknowledge that fact and congratulate all the students who have work included in the exhibit."
In examining each artwork, Hill looked for evidence of technical skill and craftsmanship with the chosen media as well as an understanding of composition and the formal elements and principles of making art.
"Having narrowed down my selection, I then looked for artwork that resonated with me, whether it be with content, creativity or an exceptional use of materials," he said. "I want to congratulate all the winners and encourage all of the students to continue to pursue their art."
The gallery is open weekdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will be closed for the university's Spring Break, March 13-17. The Doakie Day Art Center is located on the HPU campus, on Center Avenue, near Lipscomb Street in Brownwood. All inquiries may be directed to Harmon at 325-649-8088 or dharmon@hputx.edu.
Cutline: HPU's Department of Art is hosting "Best of 2016-2017: A Juried Student Exhibition" through March 20.
HPU extends call for entries for "I-10 Two" contemporary juried-art exhibition
BROWNWOOD – February 22, 2017 – Howard Payne University's Department of Art has extended a call for entries for its upcoming juried-art exhibition, "I-10 Two: A National Exhibition of Contemporary Two-Dimensional Art." Artists may enter up to three pieces of art and entries will be accepted through March 20.
This exhibition is open to all living U.S. contemporary artists residing above and below Interstate 10, the southernmost transcontinental highway ranging from San Diego, California, through several states including Texas and onward to the east in Jacksonville, Florida. Submissions of all 2-d art forms in abstract, non-representational/non-objective and realist imagery will be considered.
The exhibition's organizer, David Harmon, chair and professor of art, shared his thoughts on the event.
"HPU's Department of Art is excited to provide this exhibition for a second time – this time in the spring semester," Harmon said. "We hope to have a large variety of contemporary 2-d artwork entries from all over the area and around the country. This is a great opportunity for the university, those entering artwork and patrons who will visit the exhibit. Art is a wonderful thing."
The exhibition will be held March 29 through May 5 at the Doakie Day Art Center, located on the HPU campus on Center Avenue, near Lipscomb Street in Brownwood. The gallery is open weekdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Please visit www.hputx.edu/i10artexhibit for further information including entry guidelines. Direct all inquiries to David Harmon at 325-649-8088 or dharmon@hputx.edu.
HPU exhibiting sculptures of David Hill
BROWNWOOD – November 14, 2016 – Howard Payne University is exhibiting "Whole," the sculptures of David Hill, through Friday, December 2, in the Dorothy and Wendell Mayes Art Gallery inside HPU's Doakie Day Art Center. Gallery hours are Mondays and Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and Fridays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
"David's ceramic works in this exhibition are very sophisticated," said David Harmon, professor of art and chair of HPU's Department of Art. "They speak of our human condition as broken vessels, a metaphor of human pain and suffering in need of Christ's healing which makes us whole."
Hill was born in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, and raised by missionaries. His artwork focuses on and is inspired by his Christian faith. In 2005, he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Shorter University in Rome, Georgia, and, in 2010, a Master of Fine Arts degree from Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina. Before going to graduate school, Hill worked as a production potter at The Mark of the Potter, a pottery store in the mountains of northern Georgia. As a result of his studies and work experience, he was able to gain an expertise in a wide range of ceramic and sculptural methods.
Hill has exhibited nationally and internationally, at events such as the Workhouse Clay National 2011 Juried Exhibition at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, Virginia, as well as the Medalta International Cup Show 2013 in Alberta, Canada. He currently serves as assistant professor of art at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton.
Hand-built ceramic coiling technique is present in Hill's sculptural works, said Harmon, with themes of ancient and contemporary martyrs such as Jim Elliot and Nathan Dabak.
"The holes we see in the sculpture can be made 'Whole,' hence the title of this exhibition," Harmon said.
The Doakie Day Art Center is located on the HPU campus, on Center Avenue, near Lipscomb Street in Brownwood. For more information about the exhibition, contact David Harmon at (325) 649-8088 or dharmon@hputx.edu.
Cutline: HPU is exhibiting the sculptures of David Hill. Hill's artwork features themes of ancient and contemporary martyrs and those who exhibit the spirit of martyrdom such as this sculpture of Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


These are NHL premier jerseys by Reebok. New with tags. We bought these direct from Reebok. This style is no longer available and these are the last of the Reebok jerseys.
These are full cut jerseys. Nice and big.
Size 3X: 60"-62" chest and 36" top to bottom.
Size 4X: 62"-64" chest and 38" top to bottom.


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Inflation Can't Put a Dent in Smartphone Purchases
May 24, 2022 Topic: Smartphones Region: North America Blog Brand: The Buzz Tags: IPhonesSamsungAppleSmartphoneMotorolaInflation
Apple and Samsung made up the vast majority of smartphone sales, with Apple shipments increasing 19 percent year-over-year.
by Stephen Silver
While concerns about inflation continue, shipments of smartphones in the first quarter of 2022 were up 3.7 percent in North America compared to the same period the year before. That's according to data released last week by the research firm Canalys.
About thirty-nine million smartphone units shipped in the first quarter of the year, and more than half of them were iPhones. Apple's shipments grew 19 percent over the same time the year before, largely due to the strength of the iPhone 13 series. An additional 27 percent was made up of Samsung products—helped out by the S series and A series devices—which saw a 1 percent decrease from the same period in 2021.
Motorola was third in market share, followed by TCL and Google. In the first quarter of 2021, Apple's market share was only 45 percent, while Samsung's was 28 percent. Lenovo, which owns Motorola, posted a 2.6 percent market share in the first quarter of last year, which rose to 4 percent in 2022.
And in 2021, the "other" category was 15 percent of the market, although in 2022 it is just 5 percent.
"The North American smartphone market has been buoyed by Apple's strong growth," Canalys Analyst Brian Lynch said in the release.
"This quarter, the iPhone 13's high popularity was the key driver. With global demand more uncertain, Apple has shifted more devices back into North America after prioritizing other regions in Q4 2021, allowing it to greater fulfill demand and deliver on backorders from the previous quarter. In addition, the launch of the latest edition of the iPhone SE offers an affordable option for many of North America's fiercely loyal iOS users. Despite not being mmWave-enabled, carriers' increasing investments in C-band and sub-6GHz spectrums will open the door for the iPhone SE's market growth in the coming quarters."
Another big part of the story, Canalys Research analyst Runar Bjørhovde said, was the comeback of Motorola, which has emerged as the third most popular brand in the smartphone market.
"Motorola is the new third brand in North America after it replaced LG last year," Bjørhovde said.
"Motorola used its wide carrier presence—particularly with prepaid- and mid-range-focused carriers—to discover and rapidly leverage new opportunities, while also forming new supply partnerships. Google is on the offensive to take market share, building on its wide carrier presence and unprecedented investment in the Pixel brand, both on traditional advertising campaigns and a new NBA partnership. It focused on the Pixel 6 in Q1 but will look to expand further in the rest of the year, with a recently launched portfolio including the upcoming Pixel 7 flagship, affordable Pixel 6a, Pixel Watch, and Pixel Buds."
Stephen Silver, a technology writer for The National Interest, is a journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philly Voice, Philadelphia Weekly, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Living Life Fearless, Backstage magazine, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.


Italian-American artist Salvatore Scarpitta's (b. 1919 – d. 2007) multimedia oeuvre remained on the fringes of most defined movements of his time, despite associations with both Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art. Scarpitta's work employed a certain brand of Americana combined with an Arte Povera sensibility, resulting in paintings and sculptures that are emotive and overarchingly hopeful. For Scarpitta, the personal narrative was inseparable from the work, which could be classified in three distinct groups: wrap paintings, cars and sleds. The artist's early bandage paintings begun in 1958 reveal a desire to heal and reconcile the horrors of WWII, while simultaneously expressing the contemporary ideals of redefining painting. His early racecars were inoperable simulacra, but later cars made in the 1980's, with Castelli Gallery as sponsor, went from the studio, to the track, to the gallery—laying the groundwork for performance art, concurrently melding the Readymade and Futurism. Finally the sleds combine wrapping elements with elements of life from birthing gowns to funeral biers. For Scarpitta the cars and sleds were literal expressions of what he felt was embodied within all of his work: life, death, rebirth, and movement.


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President's Commissions for Equity now accepting appointment nominations
Nominations will be accepted through July 16
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Commission for Women, the Commission on Racial/Ethnic Diversity, and the Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Equity are accepting appointment nominations through July 16.
Those who would like to nominate a student or employee for membership on a commission, may complete a nomination form.
Meeting once per month, the President's Commissions for Equity serve as advisory groups to Penn State's President, providing recommendations germane to issues of women-identified; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer; and/or, racially or ethnically diverse people at Penn State. The commissions are charged with the identification of barriers that inhibit the full inclusion and advancement of persons from underrepresented and/or underserved populations in order to forward innovative, evidence-informed recommendations that support the creation of an inclusive and welcoming campus climate.
In May it was announced that the President's Commissions for Equity, beginning July 1, will see changes to their activities and memberships to better reflect their charges as advisory bodies to Penn State's leader. The changes are intended to strengthen the individual and collective impact of each of the three commissions, while ensuring that each commission's goals align with the University's priorities and strategic vision.
Questions may be directed to Sonia DeLuca Fernández, assistant vice provost in the Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity, at szd197@psu.edu.
Members named to President's Commissions for Equity
Commission on Racism, Bias, Community Safety in search of experts, contributors
President's Commission on LGBTQ Equity is now accepting nominations
Administration, Campus Life, President
CFW, CLGBTQE, Commission for Women, Commission on Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Queer Equity, Commission on Racial/Ethnic Diversity, CORED, Equity Commissions, President's Commissions for Equity
Faculty and Staff, Students


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Flin Flon mine closing in 2021, eliminating 900 jobs
By: Martin Cash | Posted: 11/28/2018 7:00 PM | Comments:
This article was published 28/11/2018 (418 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Northern Manitoba's economy received another body blow this week with the announcement that Hudbay Minerals Inc. will shut down its 90-year old mining operation in Flin Flon in 2021.
Hudbay told its Flin Flon employees — about 900 of them — that it would not be economically viable to keep any of its operations there open past 2021.
Flin Flon, which has a population of just over 5,000, was built around the first mine that was founded in 1927. Since then, more than 25 satellite mines have come and gone, as have the owners of the mines. (Hudbay bought the operations from Anglo American in 2004).
The Flin Flon area has been almost totally dependent on the Hudbay operations for its existence. But the Toronto-based company — which now has the bulk of its resources concentrated on a big mine in Peru — had made it clear for some time that its anchor mine in the north, the 777 mine whose headframe is right in the town, had run out of ore and had reached the end of its lifecycle after extending its operations a few times.
What's new is that it has also determined the zinc processing plant in Flin Flon will also have to shut down by 2021. That will eliminate all the company's activities in the city.
In addition to the 800 to 900 employees in Flin Flon, Hudbay has another 400 or so in Snow Lake, about 200 kilometres east of Flin Flon, where it operates the Lalor gold-copper-zinc mine that opened in 2012.
In 2015, the company acquired the dormant New Britannia Mine in Snow Lake and is in the process of refurbishing the gold processing plant there, which could add another 80 jobs.
Company officials were not available for interviews Wednesday.
In a memo to the Flin Flon workforce, Hudbay's vice-president of its Manitoba business unit, Robert Assabgui, said, "We understand that this will have a large impact on our employees and the communities we operate in... Even though we do not have all answers at this moment, the respectful thing to do is to start the planning process for an orderly transition to a smaller mine and mill operation based in Snow Lake."
WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES
Flin Flon, 1930
Cal Huntley, the mayor of Flin Flon, said the company has a good track record of providing retirement packages, and a company official said in an email exchange that about 300 of Hudbay's Manitoba workers are eligible for retirement.
"Obviously, it is very upsetting to the community," Huntley said. "This was one of the scenarios that was discussed over the past several years. So it was not totally unknown, but it is not the option we were hoping for."
In his message to employees Assabgui said, "Understandably, everyone will want to know what this means for jobs."
But the company does not have the answers to that question. Assabgui said there will be a need for more workers at its Snow Lake operations, which includes a zinc mill and the soon-to-be-revived New Britannia mine operation. The company is investigating the potential of a small deposit near the Lalor mine, called the Pen deposit, but if it is developed, it will be very small.
Hudbay has budgeted US$19 million for exploration in northern Manitoba in the coming year, but it takes many years from discovery of a mineral deposit to the point where a producing mine could be developed.
DEPARTMENT OF MINES AND NATURAL RESOURCES
Huntley said most of the Lalor workforce in Snow Lake are Flin Flon residents. There may be the opportunity for more Flin Flon residents to work there, perhaps replacing underground contractors who have been used because the company was unable to recruit enough full-time workers there.
"That certainly won't be the case three years from now," Huntley said.
The mining industry in Manitoba has become so hampered, that this week the Mining Association of Manitoba eliminated its executive director position. It said the provincial workforce is becoming so small that membership dues — levied at a certain rate per employee — would not be enough to cover the executive director's salary.
The Flin Flon closure is the latest a series of challenges faced by northern Manitoba's economy in the last few years.
In Thompson, Vale closed its nickel smelter this summer and put its Birchtree mine in the city on care and maintenance a year ago. The paper mill in The Pas almost closed a couple of years ago. Hudbay's small Reed Lake mine was shut down this summer after a brief five years of operation. The disruption in rail service to Churchill, which went on for 18 months until it was restored this week, caused significant uncertainties for the north.
MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES
The building that sits on top of the 777 mine at the HudBay Minerals mining facility in Flin Flon.
Easily more than 2,000 very high-paying jobs are being eliminated from the northern economy.
Chuck Davidson, the CEO of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce and the co-chair of the provincial Look North task force on economic development, who hails from Snow Lake, said northerners are amazingly resilient, but they are facing very tough times.
"A big part of the entire Look North strategy was recognizing that we need to start looking at other opportunities," he said. "The mining industry is always going to be a key contributor to the northern economy but are there ways we can diversify? The challenge in northern Manitoba is that they continue to have setback after setback."
Huntley said Flin Flon has been working on a plan to diversify its economy.
"It would have been nicer if we were a little further down that road," he said. "But we have three years. Who knows what can happen over that time."
The provincial government has been tinkering with its minerals branch while exploration has been lagging for several years now. At a provincial mining conference last week, Blaine Pedersen, the minister of growth, enterprise and trade, was optimistic about the industry's fortunes.
On Wednesday, he said, "The community of Flin Flon has known for a long time that the lifecycle of Mine 777 was limited. In the meantime the Lalor mine... is ramping up. But by no means is this the end of life of Flin Flon."
But Tom Lindsey, the NDP MLA for Flin Flon, said the Pallister government has not done nearly enough to bolster the faltering northern economy.
"Part of the answer is that government needs to do things to at least satisfy some of the concerns with the mining (sector) so they know where they stand," Lindsey said. "But what has the government done to try to encourage Hudbay to keep its operations in Flin Flon? As far as I know, absolutely nothing."
martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
Martin Cash
Martin Cash has been writing a column and business news at the Free Press since 1989. Over those years he's written through a number of business cycles and the rise and fall (and rise) in fortunes of many local businesses.
Martin Cash:
Solomon Israel:
Biz leaders got lowdown on pot-workplace issues
Bill Redekop :
Winnipeg pastor collects $1.1-M prize after Jets star scores five goals in one game
Katie May:
MMF and province heading back to court after injunction bid fails
Mike Sawatzky:
Jets looking for answers after blowing third-period leads
Alison Gillmor:
Capital Grill's downtown location offers familiar fare with fresh take
Randall King:
Cast of MTYP production ready to bring 'stuffies' out of storage for The House on Pooh Corner
Ontario law offers buffer-zone blueprint
Crossword for Wednesday, Nov. 28
Editorial cartoon for Nov. 28, 2018


text:
Nacházíte se zde: Domů » Knihy » Cizojazyčná literatura » English literature
Picasso Mania: Picasso and the Contemporary Masters Didier Ottinger, Diana Widmaier Picasso
Picasso Mania: Picasso and the Contemporary Masters
Didier Ottinger, Diana Widmaier Picasso
Picasso's work appears never to have ceased to haunt the imagination of his peers. The great stylistic periods and certain emblematic works by Picasso like Les Demoiselles d'Avignon or Guernica will be answered by contemporary artworks. The nbsp; publication will showcase the rich confrontation with Picasso's work undertaken by contemporary… Přejít na celý popis
Picasso's work appears never to have ceased to haunt the imagination of his peers. The great stylistic periods and certain emblematic works by Picasso like Les Demoiselles d'Avignon or Guernica will be answered by contemporary artworks. The nbsp; publication will showcase the rich confrontation with Picasso's work undertaken by contemporary artists since the 1960s. Pablo Picasso's vibrant presence struck a chord in the 1960s with the return to Picassien archetypal figures by Pop Art and Narrative Figuration by Warhol, Lichtenstein, Equipo Cronica, Erró. Martin Kippenberger's self-portraits reveal the impact of Picasso's public image on the imagination of 20th century artists. David Hockney's Polaroid composites and multi-screen videos echo Picasso's Cubism and his exploration of a polyfocal space. Picasso's stylistic eclecticism, his "cannibalism" of the old masters, the free craftsmanship of the later paintings inspired a new generation of artists like Georg Baselitz, Jean-Michel Basquiat, or Julian Schnabel. Rineke Dijkstra's video installation I See a Woman Crying (Weeping Woman) , (2009-2010) will demonstrate the presence of Picasso's work in contemporary imagination, in its most diverse means of expression (cinema, digital images, from videos to comic strips).With works by Francis Bacon, Georg Baselitz, Jean-Michel Basquiat, David Douglas Duncan, Rineke Dijkstra, David Hockney, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Martin Kippenberger, Jeff Koons, Paul McCarthy, Richard Prince, Sigmar Polke, Julian Schnabel, Andy Warhol.
Didier Ottinger | Diana Widmaier Picasso
Knihy » Cizojazyčná literatura » English literature
21383. v English literature | 21491. minulý týden
Duchové jsou zpátky!
A zlobí se ještě o trochu víc než v předešlých knihách Darcy Coates
Chci se bát


text:
Q: Why should i need the bind when using event in React could someone explain to me why i need to use binding this.handleClick = this.handleClick.bind(this); when using event?
class Toggle extends React.Component {
  constructor(props) {
    super(props);
    this.state = {isToggleOn: true};

    // This binding is necessary to make `this` work in the callback
    this.handleClick = this.handleClick.bind(this);
  }

  handleClick() {
    this.setState(state => ({
      isToggleOn: !state.isToggleOn
    }));
  }

  render() {
    return (
      <button onClick={this.handleClick}>
        {this.state.isToggleOn ? 'ON' : 'OFF'}
      </button>
    );
  }
}

ReactDOM.render(
  <Toggle />,
  document.getElementById('root')
);

And why the value of 'this' is defined?
class Person {
    constructor(name, yearOfBirth) {
        this.name = name;
        this.yearOfBirth = yearOfBirth;
    }

    calculateAge() {
        console.log(this);
    }
}

const john = new Person('John', 1993);
john.calculateAge();

But the value of 'this' is undefined when clicked?
function ActionLink() {
    function handleClick(e) {
      e.preventDefault();
      console.log('The link was clicked.');
      console.log(this);
    }

    return (
      <a href="#" onClick={handleClick}>
        Click me
      </a>
    );
}

ReactDOM.render(
    <ActionLink />,
    document.getElementById('root')
);

A: this is always executed in the context of where the function was invoked.
So when a React component renders, the elements and the event handlers will be attached to the DOM and will be executed in the DOM's context. So if you don't bind the method to the component, you cannot use this inside the method.
// this will be window and window.setState will be undefinedd
this.setState(state => ({
  isToggleOn: !state.isToggleOn
}));

When you bind the method to the Component, this will execute in the Component's context and you will be able to invoke .setState.
Interestingly, if your method doesn't use any this invocations, you won't have any problems even if you don't bind.
As quirimmo pointed out in the comments, in strict mode, this will be undefined by default and ES6 Classes are executed in strict mode by default even if not specified explicitely. That's why this will be undefined if not bound to the class.

A: This is undefined in the snippets you've posted for just that reason, they are undefined.
In the first, you ask why you need to for the function to work- its because you're trying to call the components 'this' to call set state. So to do that you just bind this from the components constructor so that when you call that function 'this' is defined and set to the components 'this'.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


An open letter to Father God.
Author Note: This is an open letter I wrote to God when diagnosed with cancer. It's raw, it's vulnerable, it's my heart served up for everyone to see. I know you've probably felt like this at some stage to....I get it. If you like what you read, please feel free to go and download my my new e-book "PURPOSE DRIVEN", which is where this letter is featured.
I have a question I want to ask you. It's a big one, and just the thought of it makes me feel unworthy.
Nobody likes talking about miracles these days – I think we're all just a little scared that the God we read about in the bible is finished doing miracles on our behalf. After all, when did we last see someone walk on water, or being raised from the dead?
Then there's the ones who don't believe in you at all, but are secretly watching and waiting for evidence of your goodness. "Miracles? What miracles!!?" their hurting hearts scoff.
And yet, I see miracles every day. 'You in Me' is a modern day miracle after all.
What is it that will move your hand on our behalf? And do we dare to think, hope and speak our need out loud – not just for your ears but for the world to hear as well. Not to prove that miracles exist because you just have to look at my life story to know that is true. But to dare to open my mouth and let those impossible words whisper, and my faith roar louder than the ocean of doubt that surrounds me.
Not just for me…but for those in my world and beyond.
That they may see and know that you are everything they dare to dream about. That you are worth them opening up the door to their hearts, even if its just enough to let you slip in. That You are worth their thoughts, their desire, their love…as difficult a thought as that may be for some. That even in the darkest times, you are right there – an eternal light that destroys fear and warms the deepest recesses of our hurting hearts.
Only you can do these things God. Only You.
If I could just help introduce this truth to those who need it. If I could be so bold to ask. My heart cries knowing words only go so far God!
"So won't you do this miracle for me?" Not just for me, but for the world.
I will shout it from the rooftops. I will declare your reality and glory to anyone who will listen. You know I will. You know me.
I trust your will for my life – I gave it all over to you a long time ago and I will leave this world a happy, content and fulfilled woman whatever you end up deciding. That right there is the gift of peace one gets when they give their life to You.
You know what will happen if you do this miracle for me – yes?
But do you know what will happen if you don't?
I will still shout your name from the rooftop and declare your goodness over all who speak with me.
I will walk through this valley with my eyes fixed firmly on you.
I will speak of your goodness and tell the world how you saved me – too many times to count.
That cancer may inhabit my body, but you have my life.
I will glorify you always because you are my God, my rock and my salvation. And yes my healer. Thank you Jesus.
You have me forever – regardless of whether or not you do this miracle for me.
Because Your will is more important to me than anything, including this question I must ask of you.
Always and forever - yes or no.
I wrote this letter to God just over a year ago and as you can probably imagine, a lot has happened since then. The journey has been one of the most challenging in my life but I have learnt so much, and experienced not just one, but SO MANY miracles along the way.
Click the Button to get your Special Offer Right Now!


Check out the information below to join 4-H in Bastrop County!
4-H is a community of young people across America who are learning leadership, citizenship and life skills. Any youth may become a member of 4-H when he or she has reached 9 years of age, or 8 years of age and has entered the third grade. There is a program called Clover Kids that younger youth can participate as long as they are in K-2nd grade. Their experience may vary from club to club based on what the club offers. Bastrop County has 9 different clubs from which families can choose! The 4-H experience can vary from club to club, so the first step in joining a 4-H Club is to review the List at the bottom of this web page and see if there is a Club that stands out to you. There might be a club that meets in your neighborhood or one that some of your friends belong to. We recommend that you look into the monthly club meeting location to determine what is feasible for your family.Once you have decided on a club, you will need to contact the Club Manager contact the leader and discuss the club's activities and programs to ensure that it will be a good match for your family. Clubs usually meet monthly from September to May. The clubs themselves have different project areas that they work on based on the interest and experience of both the youth and volunteers involved. We recommend attending one of the club meetings to decide whether or not that club is a good fit for your family with regard to meeting days, times, locations, and programs/activities before you decide to commit to one.Once you find a club that is a good fit for your family, the last step in joining 4-H is to enroll online in the 4-H Connect System. This is a very important step because it gives us information about you! Not only do we use this information to send you newsletters and other important information, but we also need it to verify age requirements and your involvement in the program. Enrollment fees for youth are $20.00 on or before October 31st of each year and increase to $25.00 on or after November 1st. Instructions are available to help with enrolling a youth 4-H member or adult 4-H member. (Please note there is a required background check involved for all adults working with youth.)Our Club Managers and Adult Leaders help facilitate most project areas that 4-H offers; however, if you find that there is one that your children would like to participate in that is not currently offered by that club we will help you find a club that does offer it or we can provide training to facilitate the projects! Check out the Texas 4-H Project Page to find more information on projects offered by Texas 4-H!
Welcome to Bastrop County 4-H!


In our town of Halloween"
Click here to go to the Fall Dance Page.
Print out a page of these little trick or treaters to play with.
Click on a box to download a Halloween pattern to print.
What will you make? A box? A bag? Be creative!
To See the Small Dog and the Zombie Finger Click Here.


Carrying his grandfather in his heart, Byron Marshall will try to provide a more substantial role with Oregon.
EUGENE, Oregon -- Byron Marshall's body was at Autzen Stadium on May 3, but his mind was somewhere else.
Oregon's starting running back played in the spring game with a heavy heart after his beloved grandfather, Bobby Sullivan, died in April after suffering a heart attack.
"It crushed me. I played terrible after that, honestly. It was just hard," Marshall said. "My mind was just kind of all over the place because I wanted to be back at home with my family. But they kind of put off the funeral so I could finish off spring ball.
The Pac-12's most productive returning rusher hasn't been in the spotlight much through the first two weeks of fall camp. Coach Mark Helfrich is asked about Thomas Tyner, the tantalizing sophomore talent, during most of his post-practice sessions with the media. For two weeks coaches have been crowing about Royce Freeman, a 6-foot, 229-pound bulldozer, who Helfrich included on a list of true freshmen on track for playing time.
Meanwhile, Marshall -- who emerged as the starter over De'Anthony Thomas and Tyner last season -- is stealthily preparing for a more substantial role in 2014.
With Thomas leaving for the NFL, the graduation of Josh Huff and Bralon Addison out with a knee injury, there is an opportunity for the Ducks' running backs to catch more passes from Marcus Mariota this season. However, Helfrich isn't shy about voicing his opinion that Marshall needs to improve his practice habits to take his game to the next level.
Marshall had four carries for five yards in the spring game. Meanwhile, Tyner averaged 5.8 yards on 10 attempts and caught a touchdown pass from Mariota.
Marshall grew up in San Jose, but his parents, Greg and Tammie Marshall, frequently drove their three children to Stockton, California to visit Bobby and Dorothy Sullivan. Those treasured childhood memories endure, which might be why Marshall struggled accepting his grandfather's sudden passing.
Sullivan's sense of humor and pride in his grandson's accomplishments can still wrest a million-dollar smile from Marshall on a hot August afternoon.
If anyone knows how to grieve and grind entering a season, it's Marshall's position coach. Friday was the one-year anniversary of the death of Campbell's son, Bryan, who bravely fought Wednig-Hoffman syndrome and its cruel effects for 29 years. After a brief hiatus from the 2013 fall camp, Campbell returned to the sideline for his 31st season at Oregon. The Ducks led the Pac-12 in rushing offense, averaging 273.5 yards a game per game with 42 touchdowns.
"That's my role here. When I sit in their living rooms, I assure their parents that's what I'm here for and they can count on me to do that," Campbell said of being a father figure for his players while they're at Oregon. "When Byron [Marshall] was going through that, I sat down with him and we talked and I let him know that if there was anything I could do I would certainly be happy to do it.
Marshall, a junior, has some important business to attend to between the lines this fall. The 5-foot-10, 205-pound speedster has the physical skills and instincts for the game to make a run to the NFL as Arizona's Ka'Deem Carey (1,885 yards, 19 touchdowns) and Washington's Bishop Sankey (1,869 yards, 20 touchdowns) did after battling for the Pac-12 rushing title as juniors last season.
"He's a guy, just because of his natural talent, we see this vision of what he can be and we want it to happen as soon as possible," Helfrich said.
Marshall rushed for 1,038 yards and 14 touchdowns this past season despite playing only nine snaps in the loss at Arizona and missing the Civil War against Oregon State because of an injury.
Marshall can't wait to take the field at Autzen Stadium again on Aug. 30 for the opener against South Dakota.
When he runs out of the tunnel, his mind will be focused on the game and his grandfather will remain in his heart.


text:
Lottery winner wanted
A LOTTERY jackpot prize of £448,851 is yet to be claimed and players are being urged to check their tickets for this life-changing prize. The search is now on to find the owner of the winning ticket, bought in the Bromley area, who matched all six number
A LOTTERY jackpot prize of £448,851 is yet to be claimed and players are being urged to check their tickets for this life-changing prize.
The search is now on to find the owner of the winning ticket, bought in the Bromley area, who matched all six numbers in the Lotto draw on September 3.
The winning numbers were 3, 5, 7, 9, 24 and 35 and the ticket-holder has until 5.30pm on March 2, 2009 to make their claim.
If no one comes forward with the winning ticket before the prize claim deadline, the prize money, plus all the interest it has generated, will go to the lottery's 'Good Causes'.
A National Lottery spokesperson said: "We're desperate to find this mystery ticket-holder and unite them with their winnings. This amazing prize could really make a difference to somebody's life. We're urging everyone to check their old tickets again or look anywhere a missing ticket could be hiding. Try checking in the pockets of clothing, in wallets, bags and down the back of the sofa. Someone out there could literally be sitting on a fortune."
Anyone who believes they have the winning ticket for any of the National Lottery draws within the 180-day deadline should call the National Lottery Line on 0845 910 0000.


The Power and Energy Systems Group focuses on electricity generation, and transmission and distribution systems to study various design and operation issues for effective utilization of electrical energy. The group also focuses on exploration and applications of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar.
In one project sponsored by the K-State Electrical Power Affiliates Program, researchers are studying voltage stability issues related to the fundamental nature of voltage collapse, modeling of the loads and their relationship to voltage stability, and effects of the integration of wind turbines on voltage stability. The research includes the utilization of artificial intelligence, primarily artificial neural networks and fuzzy logic, to identifying load models for classification and prediction of voltage stability problems. Another project, also supported by the Power Affiliates Program, focuses on improving the robustness of the power grid through distributed solar and wind generation. The power grid is being evaluated as a complex network with the aim of improving the robustness of the grid against cascading failures by adopting strategies such as intentional detachment of a part of the network to reduce the effect of failure of a node or a link on other connected components of the network. This detached portion can be powered by distributed sources of energy such as wind and solar power. Work is in progress to simulate the cascading effect and to evaluate the impact of topology of the network on the cascading failures.
The National Science Foundation provided funding for a project on investigation of influence of environmental factors, such as lightning, wind, trees, and squirrels on outages in electricity distribution systems. Several models based on neural networks, wavelet transform and Bayesian models have been developed to analyze these effects. These models are useful for electric utilities for year-end analysis of the performance of their system. Results of these analyses provide guidance to utilities on future operation and maintenance expenses to improve system performance. In addition, research was conducted on optimal utilization of small wind and solar generation systems with energy storage. An intelligent dispatch algorithm was developed, which uses load profile of the house, energy available from the on-site renewable generator, and battery conditions to make decisions on buying, selling or storing the energy on an hourly basis under different rate scenarios. Research is in progress to include options of real-time price and of deferring loads in the household to a later time for optimizing the benefits. This research, supported by the K-State Engineering Power Affiliates Program, is very important for promoting small wind and solar generation projects and to meet the renewable portfolio standards.
This project will demonstrate a Holonic Multiagent System Architecture capable of adaptively controlling future electrical power distribution systems (PDS), which are expected to include a large number of renewable power generators, energy storage devices, and advanced metering and control devices. The project will produce a general, extensible, and secure cyber architecture based on holonic multiagent principles to support adaptive PDS. It will produce new analytical insights to quantify the impact of information delay, quality and flow on the design and analysis of the PDS control architecture. Finally, it will develop a novel methodology for comprehensive automation of PDS for higher efficiency, reliability, security, and resiliency with high penetration of distributed renewable resources.
Environmental factors such as lightning, wind, tree, and squirrels cause a majority of outages in distribution systems. Their effects follow random processes with higher probability of outages under worse conditions. Understanding effects of environmental variables is important for utilities to increase reliability of electricity distribution systems. The National Science Foundation is providing funding to Dr. Anil Pahwa and Dr. Sanjoy Das to investigate these effects. Due to the complex nature of interaction of these factors with distribution systems, modeling becomes difficult. In this project, we are investigating regression, neural networks, wavelet decomposition and Bayesian models to study effects of environmental variables on distribution systems. For example, to study the influence of lightning and wind, we have used non-linear regression models with maximum daily wind gust and sum of lightning strokes in a day as inputs and outages as outputs. Applying these models to five years of data (2005-2009) obtained for service territories of Manhattan, Lawrence and Topeka show that the model with linear relationship for lightning and quadratic relationship for wind to outages gives the best performance. Future research will focus on exponential regression models, neural networks and Bayesian models.
development of curricula for use in K-12 and informal educational settings, such as 4-H, focusing on topics of energy and sustainability.
The WAC also runs the Wind for Schools program in which small wind turbines are installed at K-12 schools throughout Kansas for educational purposes. Undergraduate students assist with school selection, communications and siting. The WAC coordinates a variety of industry donors to accomplish the installations with minimal costs to the schools and enhanced cooperation with electric utilities. Through 2009, seven turbines had been installed at Kansas schools. The Wind Applications Center is funded by the Department of Energy under its Wind Powering America program.
Wind generation has received significant attention over the past decade, but most of the focus has been on large wind farms. The focus of this project, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, is to investigate the feasibility of owning a wind generator by electricity distribution co-operative. Dr. Anil Pahwa and a graduate student are using the hourly load data of a co-operative in western Kansas and weather data for this research.


As part of our continuous innovation service with partner a major remittance money transfer companies to change the perception of their brand and make them innovative and avant-garde while simplifying the process of sending money to abroad.
We build a simple to use and delightful add-on for their mobile app to enable customers to perform recurrent transfers using their smartwatch.
Then the amount is set automatically based on the transfers history of for selected recipient.
If they want to assign a different amount they can just tap on the mic icon and speak out the desired amount.
Easy navigation with swipes to move on.
Customer confirms their funding option which could be any of the option already registered in their profile such as bank account or credit card.
A summary of the transfer is displayed asking for confirmation. Is that simple and convenient.
However, we wanted to go further, we thought this could even simpler and funnier, so we partner with Finland based sensor manufacturer to elaborate a finger control gesture so we could the same operation but just by moving your fingers, no need to touch any screen either watch or phone.
The result, the most accurate sensor for wrist devices capable of monitoring the fingers movements and gestures. The biometric signals generated by the tension and movement dynamics of the tendons and body tissues on the wrist are transformed into electrical signals. Machine learning algorithm analyzes these signals and recognizes the gesture performed.


text:
housing & urban development
Planning students' event highlights community center
The Carver Community Center in Navasota, Texas, once the site of the town's African-American high school, was the scene of "Navasota Neighborhood Day," organized Nov. 23, 2013 by Master of Urban Planning students at Texas A&M University.
EVENTS FEATURE
'Designist' discussed changing urban, rural sites at Nov. 6 lecture
Frances Whitehead, a self-described "designist," talked about how she combines art and design to help transform distressed urban and rural sites at a Nov. 6 public lecture.
FEATURE STUDIO PROJECTS
TTC helping small towns make plans
In partnership with Texas A&M's AgriLife Extension Service, the Texas A&M College of Architecture is expanding its 25-year-old Texas Target Cities program that helps communities lacking resources and expertise resolve issues critical to their future.
Public interest design projects recognized
Five projects selected as outstanding examples of public interest design, which addresses social, economic and environmental issues for a community, rather than an individual client, were named by a jury of designers and social justice advocates as winners of the Mitchell-Dockery Prize in Public Interest Design.
Mapping at-risk populations aids hazard mitigation
Emergency management planners could reduce losses and strengthen community resilience by mapping socially vulnerable areas and focusing hazard mitigation efforts where they are most needed, said Shannon Van Zandt, a Texas A&M urban planning professor.
Lecture highlights tactical urbanism uses, strategies
Urban planner Rik Adamski discussed "tactical urbanism," the implementation of small scale, typically low-cost, community-led improvements to public space, Feb. 20.
CLASS ACTS VIDEO
Design group, residents renew neighborhood
The revitalization of an isolated, impoverished East Dallas neighborhood, a collaboration between its residents and a design group led by Brent Brown '91, a former architecture student at Texas A&M, was highlighted at a recent conference at Southern Methodist University.
Students develop housing prototypes for refugee camps
Graduate architecture students prepared prototype low-cost housing solutions for long-term inhabitants of some of the world's largest refugee camps for a presentation to the United Nations High Commission on Refugees.
Alum assists Costa Rican region with flood aftermath
A group of villages in Costa Rica hard hit by recent flooding received watershed management, drinking water and waste disposal guidance from an interdisciplinary United Nations-sponsored team that included a former Texas A&M environmental design student.
HRRC research links home, business disaster recovery
Relief efforts after a natural disaster should include local businesses as well as households, because "one can't return without the other," said researchers at the Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center investigating Galveston's recovery after 2008's Hurricane Ike.
Urban science Ph.D program sets open house Oct. 21-23
Prospective students can learn more about Texas A&M's Urban and Regional Science doctoral program during an Oct. 21-23 open house, to be held in conjunction with the 14th annual College of Architecture Research Symposium: Natural, Built, Virtual.
ACADEMICS FEATURE RESEARCH
New CHUD director shares vision for center's expansion
Shannon Van Zandt, the new director of the Center for Housing and Urban Development, is redefining and expanding the center's mission after its separation from the Colonias Program, the center's primary focus since its inception in 1991.
LAUP, TTI enjoy close relationship
For centuries, a symbiotic relationship between planning and transportation has existed. "For most of the 20th century, engineers decided what needed to go where. In the 21st century, that's changing a bit," said Forster Ndubisi, head of Texas A&M's Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning.
College partners with TAMU-G on coastal research institute
A new research institute dedicated to a better understanding of establishing sustainable and resilient coastal communities, places and landscapes will combine resources of Texas A&M's College of Architecture and Texas A&M University at Galveston.


text:
The US Government Will Pay Doctors to Use These AI Algorithms
Small company
Some artificial intelligence breakthroughs happen in computer science labs or tense televised board games between a person and a machine. The latest advance in medical AI has less glamorous origins: the depths of US government bureaucracy.
The US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently said it would pay for use of two AI systems: one that can diagnose a complication of diabetes that causes blindness, and another that alerts a specialist when a brain scan suggests a patient has suffered a stroke. The decisions are notable for more than just Medicare and Medicaid patients—they could help drive much wider use of AI in health care.
Both products are already cleared by the Food and Drug Administration and are in use by some providers. But new devices and treatments generally aren't widely used until the US government authorizes payments for Medicare and Medicaid patients. Private insurers often take their cues on whether to cover a new invention from CMS, although they usually pay higher rates.
Last month, CMS began paying for the use of AI software called ContaCT, from San Francisco startup Viz.ai, under a program that encourages adoption of new technologies. ContaCT is installed in a hospital emergency department to alert a neurosurgeon when algorithms see evidence on a CT scan that a patient has a blood clot in their brain. Speeding up stroke diagnosis and treatment, even by minutes, can dramatically reduce a person's disabilities and recovery time.
Supersmart algorithms won't take all the jobs, But they are learning faster than ever, doing everything from medical diagnostics to serving up ads.
By Tom Simonite
The agency has also said it will soon pay for software called IDx-DR, which analyzes photos of a person's retinas to diagnose diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes that can cause blindness. CMS proposed in August to pay for the software, which was created by Digital Diagnostics of Coralville, Iowa.
Viz and Digital Diagnostics both received FDA approval in 2018, making them pioneers in convincing regulators that AI can improve health outcomes. IDx was the first AI product approved to diagnose disease, a clinical call previously made only by human physicians. Convincing CMS that taxpayer dollars should be spent on medical AI could be considered a similar milestone.
"This is very important for everyone in AI," says ophthalmologist Michael Abramoff, the executive chairman of Digital Diagnostics. The proposal to pay for IDx would also cover other AI tools that diagnose diabetic retinopathy.
Government willingness to pay for use of AI tools could be good news for other companies working on medical AI products. Analysts CB Insights reports that $4 billion was invested into AI health care startups in 2019, up from nearly $2.7 billion in the previous year.
CMS valued the brain and eye scans very differently—highlighting the complexity of US health care and a challenge for new AI technology. In each case the agency faced a question with philosophical dimensions: How do you value the work of a piece of software that by design performs a task typically done by a highly skilled human? It came up with two very different answers.
In the case of Viz's ContaCT, CMS ruled that hospitals should be eligible for up to $1,040 for using the software for certain patients, citing evidence that it substantially improves stroke treatment. The agency pondered whether AI software that merely speeds work typically performed by humans was novel enough for a program reserved for new technologies, noting that "human intelligence and human processes are not FDA approved or cleared technologies."
Chris Mansi, CEO and founder of Viz, says CMS' approval has already encouraged more hospitals to sign up for ContaCT. It was previously used in about 500 major hospitals, who went ahead without the promise of government reimbursement because identifying stroke patients faster can increase the number of lucrative, time-sensitive surgeries they perform. "The people benefiting were major hubs," Mansi says. "More hospitals can now use the software and get paid for it."
CMS has proposed that physicians get paid much less for retina-checking software like IDx. Abramoff says it would be generally less than $20, though the amount varies depending on geography and other factors.
Gregory Nicola, chair of the American College of Radiology commission on economics, says the retina-scan payment will probably be more typical of how early AI imaging apps are valued. The new technology program Viz qualified for is tilted to be more generous, but it lasts only three years. Payments are reevaluated after the first year, and generally lowered. Apps that detect traces of a disease in an image are useful, but they don't dramatically change the human-dominated work of treating a patient, Nicola says. "The AI we're seeing coming onto the market is very narrowly focused," he says.
Abramoff and some others, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology and competing startup AEYE Health, have asked CMS to boost the payment for AI retinopathy diagnosis. They argue that providers need to get paid more for using IDx for it to be economically attractive. The Connected Health Initiative, an industry group, suggested the payment be set at $55. CMS said it does not comment on pending rules.
Ravi Parikh, a retina specialist in Manhattan who is on the faculty at NYU Langone Health, coauthored a paper published in July estimating that clinics wouldn't find IDx financially viable if CMS reimbursed at rates similar to those it has proposed.
He says the agency could help both diabetes patients and the prospects for AI in health care by paying more. "This has to be incentivized to push adoption," he says.
Ashok Subramanian, CEO of CareportMD, is among those using IDx with patients. His company has five of the machines installed in clinics inside Albertsons stores in Delaware and Pennsylvania, and also rotates them to other clinics for diabetes screening days. He has billed insurers for the AI eye checks using codes that cover conventional retina photos read by a doctor. That works out economically as part of an appointment with a package of tests, he says. But it won't make financial sense simply to screen patients unless the payments are increased, he says. "Diabetes is an epidemic, and diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of blindness," he says. "Hopefully, new reimbursement models will enable this technology to propagate much faster."


I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book. It seems like almost every other novel about Druids and Druid-related fantasy is overly stereotypical and predictable … but this book breaks from such predictability, yet still does contain many of the expected tenets of a novel about Druids. Yes, there is magic; yes, there are fey creatures; yes, there are transformations; yes …. However, there are some unique elements to it as well that make it an engaging read for those who enjoy Druid stories.
This novel is a sequel to an earlier novel about the same Druid clan. From what I gathered from the opening chapters, these Druids, headed by the brave and philosophical Ainvar, hail from Gaul. After being grossly defeated in battle by Julius Caesar, they set sail for Hibernia to start life over. All seems well for a while, but shortly after they arrive they learn that strong magical forces are afoot in this new land, and Ainvar must learn to come to terms with these spirits and beings not only for his safety, but also for the safety of the entire clan.
To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. I was not expecting it to be any good, but several things made it a worthwhile read for me. First, I liked that these Druids were from Gaul and not your stereotypical magicians born and bred in the British Isles. That was just a nice twist on something that is often taken for granted in a lot of fantasy novels. I also liked that the story was rooted in history — the novel seemed well-researched and well-composed in that regard and also more powerful because of that real-world connection.
Second, I also liked the way that the author narrated the story from Ainvar's perspective, a first-person account. I think she did a good job of writing from the male perspective. Ainvar's voice was coolly soothing and his emotions engaging, his anger at the Romans and also his lust for his wives perfectly balanced, never hyper- (or hypo!) masculine. There were times, of course, when his coolness was more than I would've liked. Particularly at the beginning of the novel, Ainvar seemed detached and almost robotic, but things solved themselves later on as the action picked up. Perhaps it was only because the novel was a sequel and thus much of the first chapters is explaining backstory and not truly beginning the "present" story. Don't worry — any slowness or coldness of the beginning of the novel is rapidly forgotten once several chapters have progressed. Action paves the rest of the way, shaping the novel into a true adventure story. The reader can expect to see the creatures of traditional fantasy, but when glossed with Ainvar's gentility and his wife's strong lead, plus other plot twists thrown in, the novel is hardly drab or mundane. I don't want to give away too much, but let's just say that there is a great deal of magic in the air, including some shapeshifting, and — even yes! — a terrifying banshee.
The third thing that I really liked about the novel is the presence of strong female characters. All of Ainvar's wives are interesting and fascinating women who hold power in their own ways, but particularly Ainvar's wife Briga was a stunning and excellent example of a strong female character in a fantasy novel. The way that she supports and guides Ainvar through the later stages of the novel is heartwarming and invigorating, to say the least, almost or entirely a character with equal power to him. After reading about her, she will be a hard woman to forget.
I personally will not be reading another novel in this series, but I would recommend it to anyone who likes fiction about the Druids, especially fiction that adds a few extra knots and interesting twists to a tried-and-true fantasy tradition.


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Logic and illogic in education
By Ramon Thomas on June 10, 2014 Respond Tags : Aristotle, Education, Jon Rappoport, logic
This week's guest blog is by Jon Rappoport. I've engaged with Jon Rappoport since 2012 and studied his material on imagination. I'm confident this course in logic is worth the investment.
In two of my collections, The Matrix Revealed and Power Outside The Matrix, I include training in the art of logic and critical analysis.
The basic fact is: students in schools are rarely taught how to follow a line of reasoning from beginning to end. Nor do they practice analyzing half-formed, specious reasoning.
Who teaches young students, these days, how to distinguish between a polemic and a formal argument?
Teachers spend little or no time discussing hidden premises or assumptions, which color subsequent arguments.
Increasingly, people are "learning" from watching videos. Some videos are well done; many others intentionally omit vital data and make inferences based on "shocking images."
A focused study of logic can illuminate a range of subjects and disciplines. It can suddenly bring perspective to fields of inquiry that were formerly mysterious and impenetrable.
Logic is the parent of knowledge. It contains the principles and methods common to all investigation.
Being able to spot and understand logical flaws and fallacies embedded in an article, essay, book immediately lifts the intelligence level.
Logic isn't a prison; one isn't forced to obey its rules. But the ability to deploy it, versus not understanding what it is, is like the difference between randomly hammering at a keyboard and typing coherent paragraphs. It's the difference between, "I agree with what he's writing," and "I know exactly how he's making his argument."
In the West, the tradition of logic was codified by Aristotle. Before him, Plato, in the Socratic Dialogues, employed it to confound Socrates' opponents.
Reading the Dialogues today, one can see, transparently, where Plato's Socrates made questionable assumptions, which he then successfully foisted on those opponents. It's quite instructive to go back and chart Socrates' clever steps. You see logic and illogic at work.
High schools today don't teach logic for two reasons. The teachers don't understand the subject, and logic as a separate discipline has been deleted because students, armed with it, would become authentically independent. The goal of education rejects independent minds, despite assurances to the contrary.
Logic and critical analysis should be taught in phases, with each phase encompassing more complex passages of text offered for scrutiny.
Eventually, students would delve into thorny circumstantial arguments, which make up a great deal of modern investigation and research, and which need to be assessed on the basis of degrees of probable validity and truth.
It's like a climbing a mountain. The lower paths are relatively easy, if the map is clear. At higher elevation, more elements come into play, and a greater degree of skill and experience is required.
My college logic teacher introduced his subject to the class this way: Once you've finished this semester, you'll know when you know, and you'll know when you don't know.
The second part of his statement has great value. It enables real research beyond egotistical concerns, beyond self-serving presumptions, beyond secretly assuming what you're pretending to prove.
read the complete article on the Jon Rappoport blog…
Went to university, got a worthless education
By webmaster on September 28, 2013 Respond Tags : America, curriculum, Education, government, Jon Rappoport, liberal arts, logic
This is an article by Jon Rappoport, who created a home study course in Logic for both teachers and children. This course can be easily incorporated into your home schooling curriculum in South Africa. Please contact our office for to order the product.
Here's one of his recent articles about the absurd amount of money parents spend on university education in United States. In South Africa, can we really afford this "investment" in worthless education?
Yes, a whole lot of boys and girls are paying $150,000 for a T-shirt. Now that's a sales job. We're not talking about about a purse that costs three grand or a $500 bottle of bitter champagne or 10 grand for a vacation cruise that gives you a solid case of dysentery.
This is a really sublime con. And I have a solution for it. The student enrolls in what I simply call The Course.
He goes to the library once a week and checks out a stack of books. Any books. For four hours a day, five days a week, for six years, you chain him to a table in a quiet room at home.
There's a thick notebook on the table and pencils. And the books. No computer. No phone. No videos. No music. No nothing. You walk out and close the door.
The rest is up to him.
During his six years, the student might read and/or write about television, space travel, the process of elephants giving birth, soldier ants, the CIA, God, the suppression of bubblegum sales during World War 2, an analysis of photographs of desert mirages, Jesus, the Rockefellers, malaria, ghosts, football, worship of idols in ancient Polynesia, the evolution of the hot dog, syphilis, leprosy, plutonium, Plato, gastric ulcers, Middle East wars, building houses out of rubber tires, the Federal Reserve, cell phone radiation…
Or he might do nothing.
It's his choice.
Nobody teaches him anything. Nobody checks up on him. Nobody encourages him. Nobody guides him. Nobody tests him or grades him or graduates him.
"This is the first and last time I'll be speaking to you about The Course. You're going to start today. Good luck."
I'll put that up against any liberal arts curriculum in America.
And of course, it has a Zen component. Silence. Inevitable confusion. Resentment. The need for answers which never come. Frustration. Choice.
And it's free. No T-shirt, no student loans, no government interference, no administration, no brainwashing, no social agenda, no sense of entitlement, no hype.
There's a chance the student may actually become interested in something ON HIS OWN.
If not, so be it. He has no one to blame.
"I guess I'm not curious about what I don't know. I'm a robot. So I'll just go to the nearest programming center and sign up. They can make me over into whatever they need. No problem."
In case you haven't noticed, our society has become obsessed, at every possible level, with meddling in other people business. I'm not talking about honest prosecution of crimes. I'm talking about downright interference.
"Don't you think you should be doing THIS?" Shouldn't you stop doing THAT?" "Don't you care about what your grandmother THINKS?"
The Course is meddle-free. So even if a student comes out of his six years with nothing, at least he know what's it's like to exist, for four hours a day, in a non-meddling space.
And his parents get the message as well.
"I just want to take Jimmy some tea and cookies while he's studying."
"Hold on, Martha, don't you remember when we signed the contract, it said no interruptions? If you walk in there, they can come and shoot you. And I believe they will. They were very emphatic on that point."
"I want to make sure he's all right."
"Here…let me read from their leaflet: 'You as the parent may experience a grinding need to walk in on your precious little doofus while he's doing The Course. Recognize this comes from your craven fear of being alone with nothing but your own thoughts. You're assuredly deranged. Should you ignore this warning, your child will be only too happy to report you, we will take you out, and it won't be pretty…'"
I believe The Course is an idea whose time has come.
Bonus: you can ignore the towers of absolute crap the government shovels about education.
The Course is stark and uncompromising. Beauty comes in many forms.
Jon Rappoport: The author of two explosive collections, THE MATRIX REVEALED and EXIT FROM THE MATRIX, Jon was a candidate for a US Congressional seat in the 29th District of California. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, he has worked as an investigative reporter for 30 years, writing articles on politics, medicine, and health for CBS Healthwatch, LA Weekly, Spin Magazine, Stern, and other newspapers and magazines in the US and Europe. Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global politics, health, logic, and creative power to audiences around the world. You can sign up for his free emails at No More Fake News.
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This is an article by Jon Rappoport, who created a home study course in Logic for both teachers and children. This course can be easily incorporated into your home...
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