Source: Philip NeeWhang Comments (1) SIU Carbondale School of Music graduate students (top photo Maria Del Mar Añasco and Paolo Chiavaroli will appear with guest artist and Brazilian violist Emerson de Biaggi during a concert Saturday at SIU’s Old Baptist Foundation Recital Hall from left) The SIU-Murray State faculty string quartet will also appear with Emerson de Biaggi violinist Michael Barta and cellist William Cernota CARBONDALE, Ill. — Brazilian violist Emerson de Biaggi will perform with the Southern Illinois University Carbondale School of Music faculty-student Versa’tile Chamber Ensemble as part of a strings masterclass and recitals De Biaggi will perform with Versa’tile during a concert at 7 p.m He will also present a strings masterclass at 9 a.m Each of the events will be in the Old Baptist Foundation Recital Hall, 980 Faner Drive, on the SIU campus and are free and open to the public thanks to SIU’s Fine Arts Activity Fee Donations in support of the Southern Illinois Chamber Music Society (SICMS) Scholarship Fund will be accepted at the door The faculty-student chamber ensemble is under SICMS and School of Music auspices de Biaggi and Versa’tile will perform Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Viola Quintet in C Minor 406/516b” and Antonín Dvořák’s viola “String Quintet in E-flat Major an SIU alumnus and Murray State University faculty member The SIU graduate quartet includes Noah Brown and Iasmim de Carvalho de Biaggi’s lecture recital will also feature SIU Carbondale composer and pianist Thomas Edgar a senior in piano performance and aviation flight Edgar is fluent in both jazz and classical music styles and was a 2023 recipient of the Presser Foundation Award different jazz settings and symphony orchestra Edgar’s orchestral composition “Spring Awakens” won the 2020 Student Composers Competition of the National Association for Music Education and European American Musical Alliance A certified commercial pilot and flight instructor in the School of Aviation Edgar studies piano with School of Music faculty Yuko Kato and composition with Christopher Walczak The Feb.25 performance will feature Brazilian contemporary music for viola and piano and viola ensemble Sivuca (Severino Dias de Oliveira) and Glória Gadelha De Biaggi has been teaching viola and chamber music at Unicamp at São Paulo State University since 1998 He is an active chamber player and has performed as a soloist with orchestras all over Brazil mostly presenting pieces from the contemporary Brazilian repertoire for viola He is a founding member and president of the Brazilian Viola Society De Biaggi earned his bachelor’s degree at University of São Paulo in 1988 a master’s degree from Boston University and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of California For information regarding the performances, contact Cernota at william.cernota@siu.edu or Cauti at rossana.cauti@siu.edu. For information about the School of Music, visit the School of Music website View Description 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM - Student Center The Exchange More SIU Events »Law School Commencement5/9/2025 View Description More SIU Events »Spring Recital View Description More SIU Events »View all Events Email Webmaster Submit an Announcement » Submit a Calendar Event » Create an account for more options or use this form to leave a Reflection now San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department Photo/Video will be published upon admin review and approval When Erem Ujah, a biomedical engineering scholar at Old Dominion University’s Center for Bioelectronics for the World Engineering Education Forum and Global Engineering Dean Council He and the rest of the ODU group that made the trip came away with an unforgettable experience who was born in Nigeria but had never been to South Africa ‘There’s more to come.’ I could travel to more places and do more fun things like this Ujah was one of eight Ph.D.-track students in ODU’s Graduate Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement (G-RISE) program who made the trip Alexander Hunt and Marcus Easterling are also biomedical engineering students They were joined by Nathan Holland (mechanical engineering) Layla Rashad (biomedical sciences) and Brian Hanson (computer science) is designed to increase diversity among students pursuing Ph.D degrees in biomedical research-related disciplines said the trip was part of a collaboration with the University of Maryland called the Global Promise Engineering Institute Alliance which aims to increase the number of minorities in STEM fields Professor Jamie Gurganus and Vice Chancellor of Diversity Equity and Inclusion Renetta Tull lead the efforts at UMBC and UC Davis Slaughter learned about the conference from her mentor, Janet Rutledge, vice provost and dean of the Graduate School at UMBC, in September and worked with ODU’s Center for Global Engagement as she sought funding for the trip. The Center for Bioelectronics and the Graduate School also provided financial support for the program’s first international trip “Most minority students have not been outside of the U.S. let alone having been to Africa,” Slaughter said “The opportunity to take them to Cape Town was really exciting I felt like I had to do everything I could to get them there.” Ujah and Holland were among 10 students who gave Three-Minute-Thesis-style presentations at the conference whose research focuses on biomechanics – specifically using machine learning to try to predict lower-extremity activity levels – knew he would be presenting at the conference who is working on developing ultra-sensitive biosensors that would detect prostate cancer in less-invasive ways than current methods entail Slaughter encouraged him to present after a spot opened “It was definitely interesting,” Ujah said what you’re trying to do and convey everything in three minutes.” “That was a lot of pressure,” Holland added The students made many valuable and meaningful connections at the conference Hanson met an employee at the hotel where the students stayed whose 8-year-old niece had diabetes “I could not believe that this was their reality,” Hanson said “I told him more about my personal research which aligned to the disparity that his niece was experiencing with diabetes and he felt a sense of hope to know that someone was aware of this problem and was developing a solution.” engineering teaching and learning advisor at Stellenbosch University in Cape Town and they discussed the possibility of his returning to South Africa for an internship this summer Rashad met a UMBC student “who is conducting research similar to my own in working with a microorganism.” dean of the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Texas at Dallas and former dean of ODU’s Batten School of Engineering and Technology He attended her presentation on strategic planning “I was very participatory in her session; she even started to call on me by name because of my feedback,” he said “At some point she said something to the effect of ‘and we have a future dean sitting amongst us.’ Her comment hit me in a direct way; I was not expecting it But I left knowing that I want to do high-level academic administrator work like a dean in my career.” He added that UMBC faculty and staff suggested he consider seeking a job there after he graduates in December the students raved about experiencing the culture and scenic beauty of South Africa They described South Africa as culturally diverse They tried variations of food from around the continent “I gained a lot of knowledge from this conference and enjoyed Cape Town’s various attractions in entertainment “As I ate the food from local restaurants and viewed the sights of high-rising mountains that transitioned into beautiful beaches and the ocean I felt like I had the best of everything I could have imagined that a single environment could offer,” Hanson said Holland described going to the Cape of Good Hope and being able to see where the currents from the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet, and seeing African penguins, an endangered species, along the coast. Ujah recalled a hike he and UC Davis students took up 3,563-foot Table Mountain “When we got close to the top of the mountain – such silence,” Ujah said “It’s incomparable to anything I’ve ever felt before “It was interesting because even with all of the landscape and the history there it had a Westernized feeling to it as well,” Holland said but they still have their own distinguished culture.” Perhaps Easterling summed up the trip best “Every aspect of our visit added up to a once-in-a-lifetime trip that I will always remember incredibly fondly,” he said “I am forever grateful for that wonderful opportunity to network and otherwise professionally develop myself and to see a little bit of the beautiful country of South Africa.” Enhance your college career by gaining relevant experience with the skills and knowledge needed for your future career Discover our experiential learning opportunities From sports games to concerts and lectures join the ODU community at a variety of campus events The world titles are just the latest in a long list of medals titles and honors Schafer and his students have won The director and two teen students from Schafer’s ATA Martial Arts in Petaluma took on the best in the American Taekwando Association World Championships held recently in Phoenix founder and lead instructor of the local taekwando school won in the masters 40-49 competition in forms and took second in weapons Anasco won in four classifications – forms In addition to the World Championship Tournament a Super Tournament qualifying was also held in Phoenix Seventeen competitors from Schafer’s school combined for 49 medals Anasco won six gold medals to lead Schafer’s contingent Dziri captured two first place and two second place medals titles and honors Schaefer and his students have won in his three decades of teaching the popular form of martial arts to students of all ages Since beginning what he calls his “martial arts journey” at age 12 Schafer has been a passionate taekwondo devotee “I walked into the American Taekwondo Association as a white belt and found my passion,” he said on his school’s website “I never turned my back and have been training now for 30 years.” I’ve had students from 4 or 5 years old to over 70 I’ve had strong athletes and I’ve had special needs kids you feel part of a team and part of the team environment.” Taekwondo is not only a way of life for Schafer He opened Schaefer’s ATA Martial Arts in Rohnert Park in 2001 starting as a small club in the Rohnert Park Community Center he opened a second club in Petaluma in 2016 He moved into a new home on Redwood Way in Petaluma and the school was doing fine until COVID hit and enrollment dropped from about 240 students to 170 COVID ultimately led to an increase in enrollment Schafer moved instruction to the parking lot in front of the building where young students were clearly visible to motorists using the street as a short connector between North McDowell and Redwood Boulevard By the time students were back in school and back training inside the school’s enrollment had jumped to about 340 and Schafer’s had been chosen American Taekwondo Association School of the Year “I don’t have to do anything other than what I love.” Add the following CSS to the header block of your HTML document.Then add the mark-up below to the body block of the same document This work, Army Reserve Engineers clear roads near Añasco, Puerto Rico, by Thomas Moore, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER “Jurassic Park” gets a bad rap from many Costa Ricans The story of John Hammond and his dinosaur island is set in Costa Rica But the 1993 film adaptation barely mentions Costa Rica One memorable scene purportedly depicts San José … as a small dusty beach town with chickens crowing in the background Even if you give the movie the benefit of the doubt More recently, Dean Cundey, director of photography for “Jurassic Park,” said he had considered filming the movie in Costa Rica because the story “takes place on an island.” As always, Costa Rica continues to not be an island But before it became an iconic film (and eventually “Jurassic Park” was a 1990 novel by Michael Crichton the book is in many ways better than the movie Let’s see if Crichton’s “Jurassic Park” did a better job depicting Costa Rica Jurassic Park: “She liked the isolation of Bahía Anasco Costa Rica had one of the twenty best medical systems in the world Jurassic Park: “The Costa Ricans were not especially superstitious but she had heard the hupia mentioned in the village before faceless vampires who kidnapped small children the hupia had once lived in the mountains of Costa Rica The hupia isn’t a Costa Rican superstition. And Crichton had so many others to choose from! La Segua, El Cadejo, and La Llorona are all examples of supernatural creatures that are well-known in Costa Rican folklore the legend of the hupia in “Jurassic Park” is used to provide specific context when dinosaurs begin attacking children in mainland Costa Rica Jurassic Park: “Mike Bowman whistled cheerfully as he drove the Land Rover through the Cabo Blanco Biological Reserve and the road before him was spectacular: hugging the edge of a cliff overlooking the jungle and the blue Pacific Crichton does well in describing Costa Rica’s protected areas (He also name-drops Carara more than once.) It makes sense he’d choose Cabo Blanco since it’s on the Pacific Coast — closest to the dinosaur-filled fictitious Isla Nublar — and was Costa Rica’s first major nature reserve But you wouldn’t be able to drive a Land Rover “through” the reserve July is rainy season — so the road would probably be far from enjoyable it turned out Ellen had an appointment to see a plastic surgeon in San José That was the first Mike Bowman had heard about the excellent and inexpensive plastic surgery available in Costa Rica and all the luxurious private clinics in San José.” Tens of thousands of people visit Costa Rica each year for cheaper, high-quality private healthcare. In 2011 alone, 48,000 tourists entered the country to undergo a medical or wellness procedure It’s too bad Ellen and Mike’s vacation ended with their young daughter being mauled by a dinosaur Jurassic Park: “Only seventy-five miles wide at its narrowest point the country was smaller than the state of Maine Costa Rica had a remarkable diversity of biological habitats: seacoasts on both the Atlantic and the Pacific; four separate mountain ranges including twelve-thousand-foot peaks and active volcanoes; rain forests Costa Rica is well-known for its biodiversity One caveat: While some parts of Costa Rica can get particularly dry But we’ll give Crichton extra credit for mentioning Costa Rica’s deforestation problem which was particularly rampant in the 1990s Jurassic Park: “I was thinking,” Muldoon said they will probably imagine this island to be a military problem Jurassic Park: “Each day it seemed to Grant he was taken to another government office where he was questioned by another courteous Grant went to different Costa Rican government offices every day and left with the impression that the officials were all courteous and intelligent Grant had to visit a different office every day because he’d waited hours in line before each meeting Now that’s the Costa Rica we all know and love The SIU Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Rossana Cauti assistant professor of practice and SIU Symphony Orchestra director (Photo of Rosanna Cauti by Amihere Benson; Añasco Mina photo provided) — Featuring the works of German composers Ludwig van Beethoven and Max Bruch the Southern Illinois University Carbondale Symphony Orchestra will present a concert The free, public performance, under the direction of Rossana Cauti, assistant professor of practice and SIU Symphony Orchestra director in the SIU School of Music Cauti added this will be the first symphonic concert on campus since 2023 and will feature María del Mar Añasco Mina “The SIU Symphony Orchestra continues its tradition of delivering compelling and memorable performances,” Cauti said “This concert is a must-see for classical music enthusiasts and newcomers alike offering a night of profound storytelling through music.” Cauti said the evening’s repertoire includes: For more information, contact the School of Music at music@siu.edu Or how the president of a tenant association in Manhattan Valley survived the killer hurricane that lashed Puerto Rico — and used her organizing skills to heal and care for others Carmen Quinones had never seen anything like it: “It was almost like a movie where God opens up the oceans,” she said She was describing the Biblical deluge she witnessed in Añasco on the west coast of Puerto Rico as Hurricane Maria mercilessly battered the town and wind-whipped surging seas engulfed everything in sight A little black dog trying to swim got lost under the water,” she recalled “You couldn’t see anything but a sea of water that went on for miles and miles and miles.” “It was enough to make you go crazy,” she said “It was like a wolf howling.” She corrected herself “It was more like a pack of wolves howling and howling for two days.” she’s been president of the tenants association at Frederick Douglass Houses 4,500-resident city housing project in Manhattan Valley where she’s lived for 35 years She’s also run political campaigns for 10 years through Grassroots Inc. and has served as a Democratic district leader for eight years and Democratic state committeewoman for four years The 59-year-old Quinones had come to the island to say goodbye to her 84-year-old father I’m coming,” she told him via phone from New York “Then he kissed me and went into a coma.” He died on September 14 in his hometown and then the viewing and cremation on September 19th she went back to the one-story home of her sister she was able to find the strength to open the door put one arm around her sister to guide her out of the house and found refuge in the second-floor apartment of a friend of her sister September 20th and 21st — subsiding on some water and a bag of pretzels as doors and poles and wires and cars and houses went flying by outside as the howling intensified — until finally they ventured into a world of knee-high mud and tree trunks and auto parts and made their way to the makeshift shelter at the Isabel Suarez Añasco Elementary School that would be their home for the next eight days 37 — hadn’t heard from her in nine days and didn’t know if she was alive or dead She suffers from lupus and a thyroid condition and didn’t have all her medications organizer and political savant rose to the fore and so this was my way of honoring him,” she said I started using my political pull from New York talked to the elected officials who stopped by.” conditions in the shelter began to improve But there were angels and kind hearts in Añasco who were laboring mightily to mitigate its ruinous impact Quinones got a refresher course in the power of faith in times of adversity: “We did a lot of prayers,” he said MassDevice The Medical Device Business Journal — Medical Device News & Articles | MassDevice October 8, 2014 By Alexander Soule Integra LifeSciences (NSDQ:IART) said the FDA determined its remediation efforts at a Puerto Rico manufacturing plant flagged with a warning letter last February have been effective The FDA issued a Form 483 after inspections in the fall of 2012 Integra said it hired 3rd-party consultants to assess its procedures and processes to ensure products manufactured at the plant were in accordance with applicable regulations the FDA found that the Company had addressed the issues raised in the Warning Letter and previous inspectional observations and it issued no other inspectional observations the FDA determined that the Company’s remediation activities were effective and its quality management system was adequate," Integra said in a regulatory filing including DuraGen Dural Graft Matrix and OEM products sold on a private-label basis products manufactured or packaged at the Anasco facility constituted 18% of Integra’s annual revenue the company said it had duplicate production capabilities at its headquarters in Plainsboro which was the focus of a separate FDA warning in 2011 Integra reported revenue increased slightly to $836 million but a $17 million loss that year interrupted what had been a steady stream of annual profits Copyright © 2025 · WTWH Media LLC and its licensors The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media Privacy Policy Learn how to describe the purpose of the image (opens in a new tab) Leave empty if the image is purely decorative We're working on a visual shortcode editor until then please follow these instructions Email us to support@plugin.builders for any problems SearchDriven by Pro-Life Beliefs, Missionary in Thailand Shares True Love With Sex Trafficking VictimsThe Christian Post To enjoy our website, you'll need 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Please click here to learn how You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience 2016Christians pray during mass at Assumption church in Phuket | (Photo: Reuters/Chaiwat Subprasom)In a nation where women and children are sold for sexual exploitation one mother and her family have become agents of change — living out a message of unconditional love "The quest for love is really driving this degrading market," says Christine Anasco who has served for 12 years in international missions work with her husband David and their four children "Our aim is to show these women they are valued." Since moving to Thailand in 2014, the Anascos have come to know firsthand the faces of human trafficking. Every year, innocent people are trafficked worldwide by the tens of millions; the U.S. State Department includes Thailand on its Tier 2 watch list one of many nations not fully complying with anti-trafficking policies though making progress Briefly in the United States to speak at churches backing their missions work Christine Anasco reveals how pro-life outreach first inspired her what motivates those trapped in sex trafficking and why every believer should have a global outlook Christine and David Anasco serve in international missions with their four children | (Photo Courtesy of Anasco Family)Bound4LIFE: During your formative years how did standing for life start you on a journey of doing justice Christine Anasco: I recall one day in my high school health class They asked everyone to take sides — pro-choice stand on one side of the room Though I really didn't know anything about the issue at the time Pro-life seemed like a better stand to take than pro-choice I realized I was the only one on that side; I thought Bound4LIFE: When did you become a follower of Christ Christine Anasco: I was raised in the church — so I knew religion a friend introduced me to what it means to have a relationship with Jesus Children of sex workers eat in their room at Soma Home in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata July 14 set up to protect young girls from being sexually abused or trafficked is named after a girl who died due to lack of medical attention | (Photo: Reuters/Parth Sanyal)Being pro-life became even more a part of what I believed where everybody was pro-choice — except five or six of us on campus who were believers we would raise questions about abortion and have discussions I began to work at a pregnancy care center in Laurel counseling women who were thinking about abortion we ministered in a transition home for women who were single Seeing the value of every life has always been a huge part of what I believe in; it reflects the heart of Christ for justice Bound4LIFE: What led you to be involved in international missions and aid work Christine Anasco: Between my junior and senior year of college I went to Trinidad and was awakened to the poverty that is in the world I knew there were impoverished areas but I never knew how bad it could be It really changed my perspective and what I wanted to do with my life I went back again and the Lord began to work on my heart but the Lord spoke to me until I knew: This is something I want to do Since 2003, our family has served with the missions sending agency Go To Nations Bound4LIFE: Why did you and your family's missions team begin to serve people who are victims of sex trafficking Christine Anasco: As we saw the need in Thailand, the agency encouraged us to begin this outreach called Restoration 61 — taking a stand against human trafficking. It is a reference to Isaiah 61 In this foundational stage, we are seeking what the Lord's purpose is and where he would have us serve those in this industry — primarily women We go to the red light district weekly and we talk to the women We are just building relationship with them their lives have meaning and God really values who they are Bound4LIFE: Understanding that every person's journey is unique are there patterns you see with those vulnerable to being trapped in this industry Many of the women we meet come from the nation's most impoverished areas But our organization has really wrestled with what the deeper need is; over time what we've found is that everyone is looking for a form of love The quest for love is really driving this degrading market Even the men who are coming to take part in the sex trafficking are looking for love They are trying to find it; they are just looking in the wrong place The desire of these women too is I need love That's their heart cry and it's all of our hearts' cry: we are looking for love Bound4LIFE: Some regard advocacy against sex trafficking as separate from pro-life outreach Christine Anasco: I see such a connection, because we are all created in God's image. The pro-life movement often turns to Psalm 139 which speaks of how God formed each of us in our mother's womb We tell the same thing to the women we meet: Jesus knows you, He formed you, He has a place and a plan for you. When they experience love, they can begin to shift from a mindset of fear to faith these women were created in His image and He has designed them for something more than what they are living and both of these areas are great injustices His heart is to rescue both children who are being aborted and women who are in this industry Bound4LIFE: Today in his message your husband David said: "Seeing the sorrow the world is in is our greatest suffering." When feeling such heartbreak what is the key to being steadfast in your mission Sometimes it is hard to see people who are living in sin doing things that you know aren't good for them we desire to reflect how Christ really loves them and He hungers for relationship with them Prayer is foundational to our ministry. Without the Holy Spirit, nothing can change. We spend a lot of time in prayer, just seeking God's heart because we want to do what He is doing We don't want to do what we think is best or what we think will work All of us can know that there will be an end to the suffering every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord Bound4LIFE: Clearly you've seen a lot in 12 years serving oversees with your family Why should Christians be involved in world missions Christians should be involved in world missions because that was the final thing Jesus told His disciples There is such value in people coming to the mission field — whether for weeks I was called to be a missionary because I went on short-term missions this is also their story: they went on one trip their eyes were opened to see a different aspect of the world then they were called to full-time missions I don't think you can put a price tag on that If you are called to stay in the nation that you were born in But everyone is called to go in some way to a different nation; to send to go and to pray for those who are doing world missions As full-time missionaries with the nonprofit ministry Go To Nations, Christine and David Anasco are supported by generous donations from individuals and churches Help keep The Christian Post free for everyone By making a recurring donation or a one-time donation of any amount you're helping to keep CP's articles free and accessible for everyone Hope you’ll give us another try and check out some other articles. 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January 20, 2015 By Brad Perriello The FDA officially cleared Integra LifeSciences (NSDQ:IART) of violations at a plant in Puerto Rico that led to a warning letter back in February 2013 The FDA issued a Form 483 after inspections in the fall of 2012 turned up process validations and inadequate systems for corrective and preventative actions and document controls In October 2014 Plainsboro, N.J.-based Integra said a follow-up FDA inspection found that the company had addressed the problems at the plant in Añasco 14 letter from the safety bureau to Integra made it official "Based on our evaluation, it appears that you have addressed the violations contained in [the] warning letter," wrote Edwin Ramos director of compliance for the FDA’s San Juan office Integra had said it hired 3rd-party consultants to assess its procedures and processes to ensure products manufactured at the plant were in accordance with applicable regulations "Over the last few years, we have made significant investments in both people and processes to enhance our global quality assurance programs," president & CEO Peter Arduini said today in prepared remarks "The lifting of the warning letter at our Añasco facility is evidence of the progress we have made in improving our quality systems throughout the company." including Integra’s DuraGen Dural Graft Matrix and OEM products sold on a private-label basis products manufactured or packaged at the Añasco facility constituted 18% of Integra’s annual revenue At that time Integra said it had duplicate production capabilities at its headquarters in Plainsboro which was itself the focus of a separate FDA warning in 2011 View the discussion thread. Anasco has a very high level of seismic activity Based on data from the past 55 years and our earthquake archive back to 1900 there are about 644 quakes on average per year in or near Anasco Anasco has had at least 5 quakes above magnitude 7 since 1900 which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently probably on average approximately every 23 to 27 years Anasco has about 327 quakes of magnitude 3 or higher per year (Mag 4+: 16.2 quakes per year) The quake had a shallow depth of 41 km (26 mi) and was not felt (or at least not reported so) Anasco has had 9 quakes of magnitude 3.0 or above and 21 quakes between 2.0 and 3.0 There were also 2 quakes below magnitude 2.0 which people don't normally feel The quake had a very shallow depth of 24 km (15 mi) and was not felt (or at least not reported so).