Wide range of music to accompany faculty and guest performers.
NACOGDOCHES, TX., Jan. 22, 2009 -- The Stephen F. Austin State University Repertory Dance Company will perform in concert Jan. 29-31 in W.M. Turner Auditorium. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and 3 PM on Saturday.
The concert features choreography by dance program faculty and guest artists. Dance majors Ashley Dodd and Taryn Taylor also have been invited to have their senior choreographic projects produced.
Musical genres that accompany the dances span a range from classical to rhythmic percussion. SFA dance faculty member Stan Bobo, director of the dance company, has contributed his modern work, Ritual, as well as a re-staging of Anton Dolin’s Pas de Quatre, a tribute to 19th century Romantic ballet. Elizabeth Rhodes has set Suite Balletto, which received accolades from National Dance Association reviewers in a Fort Worth performance last spring. Adjunct faculty member Julie King’s original work, Sunrise to Sunset, features lyrical group design.
Guest artist Tiffanee Arnold from Collin College also worked with the dance company in the fall semester to restage her work Momentum. The dance is an exploration of balance, quick energy changes and group dynamics. Rashana Smith, an independent choreographer, has staged Notes on Life, a driving quartet to music by Philip Glass. In addition, former faculty member Christy Gorman worked with two company members to elicit the fluid, languid qualities of movement required in Lowland Lullabye.
The dance program, which is part of SFA’s Department of Kinesiology and Health Science, will collaborate once again with faculty and students from the School of Theatre to bring the works to full production.
Tickets, which will be sold at the door, are $15 for general admission, $10 for SFA faculty, staff and senior citizens, and $5 for students. For further information, call (936) 468-3503 or email dance@sfasu.edu.
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Musicians Matthew Dane, Greg Sauer to perform.
NACOGDOCHES, TX., Jan. 22, 2009 -- The SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Music will present guest musicians Matthew Dane, viola, and Greg Sauer, cello, in a recital, “Around the World in Sixty Minutes,” at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26, in Cole Concert Hall.
The musicians, both of whom are serving as judges in the Senior Division of the Schmidbauer International Young Artist String Competition Jan. 24 and 25 at SFA, are extending their visit to Nacogdoches to give the recital. Gene H. Moon, SFA director of orchestral activities, will join the duo on piano.
The program, which consists of both solo and duo works, will include music by J.S. Bach, Gaspar Cassadó, Franz Danzi, György Kurtág, Astor Piazzolla and Walter Piston.
Dane is a member of the music faculty at the Metropolitan State College in Denver and the University of Colorado. He is also a member of the Boulder (Col.) Piano Quartet. Sauer, associate professor of cello at Florida State University, is the assistant principal cellist of the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra.
The recital is free and open to the public. For more information, please call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.
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Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott explains the whys and wherefores of the Feb. 17th TV switchover.
By: Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott
By now, you've no doubt heard about the upcoming changes coming to your favorite television channels. Television watchers need to be prepared for a significant change that may affect their ability to watch broadcast stations with existing equipment.
Beginning Feb. 17, all full-power broadcast television stations in the United States will switch their broadcasting signals from an analog to digital format. While this change may sound technical and complicated, Texans do not need any technical expertise to successfully navigate the transition to digital TV (DTV).
The switch to digital TV, which was mandated by Congress, will end analog television signal broadcasts. These soon-to-be-extinct transmissions are received via a traditional set-top (“rabbit ears”) or rooftop antenna. DTV will enable broadcast TV stations to provide an improved digital picture and sound quality. It will also give viewers a wider array of programming options.
Importantly, digital signals require less bandwidth, so television stations can provide many digital channels using the same amount of broadcast spectrum required for one analog program. The DTV transition will free up parts of the broadcast spectrum for public safety communications, such as those used by police and fire departments. More airwaves also will be available for advanced wireless service providers, like those that offer broadband Internet connections.
Many television sets are already equipped to receive digital signals. Since March 1, 2007, all televisions imported to or shipped through the United States have been required to include a digital tuner. Texans can look through labels or statements in owners’ manuals to learn whether their television contains a digital tuner. Words commonly used to indicate digital-ready equipment include
* Integrated Digital Tuner
* Digital Tuner Built-In
* Digital Receiver
* Digital Tuner
* DTV, ATSC or HDTV
Devices that are labeled “Digital Monitor,” “HDTV Monitor,” “Digital Ready” or “HDTV Ready,” may not have digital tuners and will therefore likely need a separate converter box. Texans who are unable to determine whether their television set is digital ready may want to contact the device’s manufacturer.
To continue watching television on an analog device, Texans can obtain a digital-to-analog converter box. Connecting a converter to an analog TV allows nondigital devices to play over-the-air digital broadcasts.
To help consumers with the DTV transition, the federal government established the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program. This program allows each U.S. household to receive up to two $40 coupons that can be used to purchase qualified digital-to-analog converter boxes.
Texans can use these coupons at participating consumer electronics retailers. Most converter boxes are priced between $40 and $70 each. The coupons expire 90 days after they are mailed to the requestor.
For more information about the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program, visit www.dtv2009.gov, or call (888) 388-2009.
Cable television subscribers already receive digital signals and will not be affected by the Feb. 17 cut-off date for analog broadcasting.
Satellite TV subscribers who receive their local TV stations through their satellite service will not be affected. If local TV stations are not available through the satellite service, viewers may have to obtain a converter box to receive those stations.
The majority of broadcast stations in U.S. television markets are already broadcasting in a digital format. To verify the channel numbers currently broadcasting digital programming, Texans should contact their local broadcast stations.
Texans who choose to discard old analog televisions may want to participate in a TV recycling program. The Web site www.MyGreenElectronics.org explains disposal options and offers help locating recycling programs in their area.
Texans with questions about the DTV transition can find out more at
www.dtv.gov, a Web site run by the Federal Communications Commission.
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Midlife coffee drinking can decrease the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) later in life.
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, Jan. 4, 2009 -- That startling conclusion was reached in a Finnish study published in the January 2009 issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
"We aimed to study the association between coffee and tea consumption at midlife and dementia/AD risk in late-life, because the long-term impact of caffeine on the central nervous system was still unknown, and as the pathologic processes leading to Alzheimer's disease may start decades before the clinical manifestation of the disease," says lead researcher, associate professor Miia Kivipelto, from the University of Kuopio, Finland and Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
The study was conducted at the University of Kuopio, Finland in collaboration with Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, and the National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland.
The study included participants from earlier surveys in 1972, 1977, 1982 and 1987 (midlife visit).
After an average follow-up of 21 years, 1409 individuals (71%) aged 65 to 79 completed the re-examination in 1998. A total of 61 cases were identified as demented (48 with AD).
At the midlife examination, the consumption of coffee and tea was assessed with a questionnaire. Coffee drinking was categorized into three groups: 0-2 cups (low), 3-5 cups (moderate) and >5 cups (high) per day.
The study found that coffee drinkers at midlife had lower risk for dementia and AD later in life compared to those drinking no or only little coffee. The lowest risk (65% decreased) was found among moderate coffee drinkers (drinking 3-5 cups of coffee/day).
Kivipelto also notes that, "Given the large amount of coffee consumption globally, the results might have important implications for the prevention of or delaying the onset of dementia/AD. The finding needs to be confirmed by other studies, but it opens the possibility that dietary interventions could modify the risk of dementia/AD. Also, identification of mechanisms of how coffee exerts its protection against dementia/AD might help in the development of new therapies for these diseases."
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As more Texans use propane to fuel fireplaces, following some simple safety precautions can save money and lives.
AUSTIN, TX, Jan. 13, 2009 -- The Railroad Commission offers the following safety tips for Texans enjoying the cozy warmth of a propane gas log set this winter. As the state’s chief energy agency, the Railroad Commission has been in charge of propane safety in Texas for more than 50 years.
“More and more Texans are fueling their fireplaces with clean-burning propane gas,” said Railroad Commission Chairman Michael L. Williams, “And it’s easy to see why. Gas logs don’t smoke up the neighborhood, and they turn on at the flip of a switch. But they don’t turn off by themselves like a wood fire, so remember to switch off your gas log when you leave the room for an extended period and before you go to sleep.”
Even though gas log owners no longer have to split and stack firewood or haul ashes out of the fireplace, gas-fired logs do require some maintenance.
“Have a trained technician install the units and schedule a regular maintenance checkup at the start of the heating season,” said Commissioner Victor G. Carrillo. “The checkup should include cleaning the control compartments and burner as well as checking all the components for proper operation.”
Gas logs may be vented or unvented. Unvented units do not have a chimney or flue. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, unvented gas heaters are gaining in popularity because they are relatively inexpensive, easy to install and efficient.
“Consumers should know whether their gas logs are vented or unvented,” said Commissioner Elizabeth A. Jones. “If they’re vented, make sure the fireplace where the logs are installed is designed for actual use, not just for decoration. Inspect it to see that it has adequate protective linings and smoke ducts, and that the chimney is clear and in good repair,” Jones said.
Vent-free models are easier to install, but they can pose a health hazard because they draw their combustion air from inside the room, which can deplete the room’s oxygen level and may produce some carbon monoxide (CO). They also produce water vapor, which can cause problems when they are operated often or for a long time, especially in a “tight” home. Newer models of vent-free appliances come with an oxygen depletion sensor that will automatically turn off the unit if the oxygen drops below a specified level.
For more information on how to stay warm safely with propane this winter, view the following website link at: http://www.propane.tx.gov/ or call the Railroad Commission’s Alternative Fuels Division at (800) 64-CLEAR.
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