“My mission is very focused on liberating black people and brown people because that is my life. I live every day as a black woman,” says Cierra Britton. “The lack of representation of women and women of color, particularly in the gallery space, creates this distorted notion that these artists don’t exist. I make it my mission to make sure these artists get the platforms they deserve.”

Cierra Britton, 26, talks about why she decided to open her gallery, the only one of its kind in New York, dedicated to representing BIPOC womxn artists. Her chance story illustrates the power of community support and the way chance encounters can change the course of your life.

Britton, a Baltimore native and New School graduate who earned her BA in Visual Studies in 2018, didn’t know when or how it would happen, but she was determined to one day open her own gallery. Certain that New York was the right place, she hatched a plan to leave her parents’ house, but was forced to move out in 2020 due to Covid, her expiring lease and the impossibility of living in New York without a steady income.

In February 2021, she returned to the city that had nurtured her creativity. New York was energetic, vibrant and full of opportunity. A fateful meeting with Thelma Golden, director of the Studio Museum in Harlem, led to an internship at the Jack Shainman gallery.

One day, while working at the women-only co-working space The Wing, Britton overheard two women talking about a gallery in Brooklyn. She shared with Victoria Alexander, the space’s owner, that she was an aspiring curator. This interaction led to Britton’s first exhibition with fellow Harlem-based photographer Flo Ngala, who had worked with rapper Cardi B and rapper and record executive Gucci Mane. The exhibit chronicled the life of a school of young black ice skaters in Harlem, entitled Harlem Ice: The Selects Folder. The show brought in press Teen Vogue, beingsand Amsterdam News.

Britton has worked with the non-profit art collective Artnoir, where she was responsible for content management, planning coordination and general support for the co-founders, who all have full-time jobs, with Artnoir as her passion project. At Artnoir, Britton was encouraged to trust her gut and open her first gallery.

“I do my best when I’m in a safe Place. I’m comfortable with sharing and contributing and moving forward and building,” she explained. Artnoir, the majority-women and minority-run organization, helped Britton see the endless opportunities for her own career and how a healthy work environment allows talented people to reach their full potential.

Since opening her pop-up gallery at 347 Broome Street – she’s looking for a space for next year – in September, Britton has had the work of over one Dozen artists including Ambrose Rhapsody Murray, Adama Delphine, Myesha Evon Gardner, Alisa Sikleanos-Carter and Jewel Ham, who opened the gallery’s first solo show, “stay sweet,’ with an exhibition of paintings that focuses on the duality of the black femme experience. The prices of the works range from 800 to 20,000 US dollars.

Each opening, followed by each closing party, was packed with young fashionable black creatives, fellow artists, writers, gallery directors, DJs and aspiring entrepreneurs. Earlier this year she also featured Bre Andy, Jewel Ham and Lewinale Havette at her booth 1-54 African Contemporary Art Fairwho organized the fair in Harlem for the first time.

With the help of IF and Women of Color, Britton participated in weekly Zoom meetings with other members and shared ideas that provided invaluable insight into the ins and outs of first-time entrepreneurship; such as creating pitch decks, writing business plans and proposals, and raising capital.

Britton remembers working in the Toxic, racist work environment at The Wing and the chance meeting with Golden as major turning points in their journey. “I found out about her [Golden] during my time at the New School, and it’s the main reason I wanted to be a curator practice,” says Britton. After two years as a receptionist at The Wing, she was passed over for higher positions and was told by another staff member that they didn’t know if she had the personality or ability to “be her authentic self in a corporate role”.

Britton could see the handwriting on the wall and the microaggressions filled with the encoded language Black People are often confronted in American companies. Worst of all, The Wing touted itself as a champion of inclusivity. “As a black woman, I know what that means. It’s code for you being too black for the role,” says Britton. She left shortly after and never looked back.

In March 2020, The New York Times wrote an article about The Wing, which opened in New York in 2016 and expanded to multiple cities across the country, detailing how it fell short of its feminist and diversity goals. The Wing told the Times that staff concerns have been incorporated into a “major recalibration of the business.” In late September, The Wing was shut down by its parent company, which cited the Covid pandemic and “global economic challenges” in a letter to members, the Times reported.

But while she was still there, Britton emailed Golden, a member at the time. Her approach paid off, and that email was followed by a personal coffee that led to a meeting with Joeonna Bellorado-Samuels, Jack Shaimain’s director Gallery. Bellorado-Samuels offered Britton a place in the gallery’s internship program the following spring, opening up new opportunities for him.

When it came time to open her gallery, Britton was encouraged by the co-founders of ARTNOIR, where during Covid she had been instrumental in transitioning the non-profit’s in-person events to online virtual studio visits with artists.

“The passion, the drive and the determination what Cierra showed when she told me about her desire at such a young age to open a gallery dedicated solely to showcasing and providing spaces for women of color felt really real, honest and contemporary,” says Danny Baez, one of the founders of Artnoir and owner of the Regular Normal gallery. “Despite the obstacles, their dedication to achieving this in such a short time is definitely impressive and no small feat.”

While she looks forward to more exhibitions and future projects, Britton acknowledges the role that community has played in her career. “I started my crowdfunding campaign and we ended up raising $30,000, all thanks to my family and supporter community. I couldn’t have opened this space without these people,” she says. “It was so reassuring to see how many people have made it their mission to support me and this mission for this gallery.”

Her commitment to amplifying the marginalized voices of BIPOC women artists and her timely rise into the art world builds on the mentors, advocates, friends and family who not only believe in her vision, but support and uplift her through the spirit of community .

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Although it is difficult to confirm, scientists believed that the explosions at Ahyi Seamount began in mid-October. The site is approximately 3,800 miles west of Honolulu.

In the US Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, a volcano may be erupting deep under the Pacific Ocean, but scientists don’t know for sure because it’s so inaccessible.

Ahyi Seamount

Considering all the evidence, the Ahyi Seamount eruption may have started in mid-October, the US Geological Survey reported Monday.

Honolulu is 3,800 miles west of the Northern Mariana Islands.

According to Matt Haney, a research geophysicist at the USGS, scientists are trying to determine if the activity is due to shallow earthquakes or if something erupted from the crater.

According to him, researchers are examining satellite data to see if water is discolored, which could indicate material is erupting from the volcano.

Haney claimed there is currently no indication that the outbreak will become more intense or larger.

However, seafarers are advised to stay away from the area.

Hydroacoustic sensors on Wake Island, 1,400 miles away, have detected underwater volcanic activity for the past month.

Scientists analyzed the signals to determine that the source of the activity was most likely Ahyi Seamount, the USGS said. They did this with assistance from the Laboratoire de Geophysique in Tahiti and data from seismic stations in Japan and Guam.

According to the statement, there has recently been a drop in activity.

According to the USGS, the highest point of Ahyi Seamount, a sizable conical underwater volcano, is 259 feet below sea level. It is about 11 miles southeast of Farallon de Pajaros, also known as Uracas, the island.

The agency said there are no regional monitoring stations near Ahyi Seamount, making it difficult to identify and classify volcanic unrest there.

The Agency will be remotely monitoring the currently available satellite, seismic and hydrophonic data closely.

A report by NBC News states that the seamount is a component of the Mariana volcanic arc, a chain of over 60 active volcanoes that stretches 600 miles west of the Mariana Trench and parallels the lowest point on Earth.

Also read: Mapping of ancient underwater volcanoes reveals peaks teeming with marine life – Australia

Detected volcanic activity

According to the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program, the most recent report of volcanic activity for Ahyi Seamount is November 9-15 with reports of consistent submarine volcanic activity.

Prior to this report, the last reports were dated April-May 2014, tracking an explosion and some seismic activity.

At 06:35 on April 24, 2014, seismic stations on Pagan, Anatahan, Sarigan and Saipan began recording signals believed to be from an undersea volcanic source.

Although the vent may have been found on one of the volcanic seamounts in the region, wake island hydroacoustic sensors implied the source was on or near the Ahyi seamount.

Divers working for NOAA reported hearing loud explosions and experiencing shock waves while surveying Farallon de Pajaros’ coral reefs.

The crew heard a loud explosion echoing through the ship’s hull, one of the larger ones. Color code changed from Unassigned to Yellow on April 27, 2014.

Seismic activity was still high on April 30, 2014, according to a report released at 05:36.

Related Article: Sharkcano – Underwater volcano eruption near thriving shark community continues in Pacific Ocean

Although code books are written in black and white, everyone in the industry knows that the way requirements are applied in real life is far from made up out of thin air.

Digital platforms enable teams to organize workflows efficiently and share information with interactive notes, bookmarks and collection functions. Project stakeholders can use keyword search capabilities to quickly find relevant requirements across all National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) publications at once, add notes and color-coded bookmarks, and create a collection of these bookmarks that can be shared with both internal and external parties Contractor. For example, teams can create a collection of safety issues that need to be addressed before approaching the AHJ. They can also leverage this capability throughout the permitting process by creating a collection of plan review redline requests that are returned by the AHJ. And once construction begins, teams can create collections for any issues that arise.

Although code books are written in black and white, everyone in the industry knows that the way requirements are applied in real life is far from made up out of thin air. Digital tools can help add context and helpful information to codes and standards with supplemental content. This can include expert commentary, images, added manual content, or situational navigation. For example, in a less sophisticated code review where a contractor has very specific issues, he or she could use situational navigation to refer to a labeled representation of a fire pump to examine the various elements that contribute to its compliance. This type of content can also be used to train or onboard new employees. And as a bonus, because digital platforms are not static, which means they can constantly update new content as needed.

Reducing miscommunication

It is not uncommon for disputes or misunderstandings to arise between trades during a code review. The sprinkler system contractor may say one thing, while the architect and mechanical engineer may say another. Or sometimes, during a final check or tour, AHJ or the insurance carrier can point out a specific aspect that doesn’t meet the code without providing much further context and send contractors to search through their code books to try to send the right thing find requirements to rectify the situation.

When these conversations happen, the ability to quickly pull up any digital NFPA publication on any device, search for any section or keyword in those publications, and find the relevant section of code to share with all parties for discussion is a huge benefit. That way, contributors can make sure they’re referring to the same section of code in the same edition, and work from there. Digitizing this process helps reduce misunderstandings, resolve disputes more quickly, and complete projects faster, while ensuring that all aspects of building and life safety are accurate and compliant.

Fire and life safety regulations are constantly evolving and it is crucial that teams have real-time access to the latest editions. Digitization contributes to the fact that new information on codes and standards, e.g. B. Interim Provisional Amendments (TIAs), errata, and formal interpretations, are propagated quickly and accurately to keep projects compliant. Digital platforms not only update new releases or changes in real-time, but also mark these significant changes with interactive change marks to ensure nothing goes unnoticed. This helps teams know any requirements that may have changed between code editions and understand what aspects of the building need to be changed.

Resilience is the key to safety, and complying with the code is the key to resilience. Code reviews are a critical aspect of maintaining the highest level of safety for employees, customers, and first responders during an emergency. Therefore, it is important that trades take advantage of new digital tools to conduct code reviews efficiently and effectively.

Ray Bizal is the director of regional operations for the NFPA. He oversees the Canadian and US regional directors who reach out to NFPA stakeholders regarding the association’s many activities. With over 30 years in the fire protection profession, Bizal has also worked with the Lockheed Missiles and Space Company Fire Department as a fire protection specialist and with the Factory Mutual Engineering Association as a loss prevention consultant.

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Soccer
11/11/2022 6:00 p.m

Horses will lead the team on the Eagle Walk and will be available for photos

CITIZEN – The world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales, a symbol of Anheuser-Busch quality and tradition since 1933, are produced in the
area on November 19, including one at Paulson Stadium in conjunction with Saturday’s Eagle Walk.

On November 19, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., the team of eight will be hitched up and attached to the famous red beer wagon in the university bookstore. The “gentle giants,” as they’re often called, will take part in Georgia’s southern football Eagle Walk ahead of their home game against Marshall. The Clydesdales’ route begins at the Bookstore, continues through the tailgates at the PAC and RAC, and ends by taking the Georgia Southern football team onto the Eagle Walk outside of Paulson Stadium. The Eagle Walk begins at 3:45 p.m

The hitchhiker’s ceremony is open to the public and fans are encouraged to attend.

The Clydesdales’ appearance in Statesboro is one of hundreds made annually by the traveling supporters. Canadians of Scottish descent brought the first Clydesdales to America in the mid-19th century. Today, the huge draft horses are mainly used for breeding and show.

Horses selected for the Budweiser Clydesdale hitch must be at least three years old, stand approximately 18 hands – or six feet – at the shoulder, weigh an average of 2,000 pounds, be brown in color, have four white legs and have a blaze of White in the face and black mane and tail. A gentle temperament is very important as draft horses encounter millions of people every year. A single Clydesdale hitch horse uses up to 20-25 liters of feed, 40-50 pounds of hay and 30 gallons of water per day.

Every hitchhiker travels with a Dalmatian. In the early days of brewing, Dalmatians were bred and trained to guard the horses and guard the wagon when the driver went in to make deliveries.

Budweiser Clydesdales can be viewed at Anheuser-Busch Breweries in St. Louis, Mo.; Merrimack, New Hampshire; and ft. Collins, Colo. They can also be viewed at Grant’s Farm in St. Louis and at Warm Springs Ranch, the 300-acre Clydesdale breeding farm near Boonville, Mo.

SILER CITY — Earl Daniel Jr. is a natural problem solver.

Whether he’s on call for his loyal customers at Clapp Tractor – a farm equipment dealership in downtown Siler City – or waking up in the middle of the night because he’s finally found the answer to a nagging problem on an engine that has experienced mechanics a parallel commitment to his craft.

And amidst a rapidly changing era of agricultural advances and machinery, Daniel has managed to build a commendable career in the same place where he began as a teenager. The 70-year-old has been working as a technician for Clapp tractors for half a century.

Colleagues and customers are quick to confirm that Daniel is patient, precise and has a thorough knowledge of mechanics like no other. But most important of all: He has a golden touch.

And tractors are his forte.

beginnings

Daniel started his career with Clapp Tractor in August 1972 at the age of 19. Sharing his memories from the company bench recently, he recalled how much the wartime building has changed since he was a boy. Windows that once functioned as skylights in the engineering room are now replaced with wooden beams. The tractor dealership at 202 North 2nd Ave. is a treasure trove of history, opened in 1937 and was once under the National Guard Armory at the end of World War II.

“He’s definitely our mentor, not just in terms of gear knowledge because he knows all that, but he knows all the quirks of this old building, the comings and goings,” said business owner Al Clapp of Daniel.

Daniel’s interest in tractors began at a young age. As a child, his grandparents would take him and his brother to the airport and to various tractor dealerships in Greensboro, where they would spend countless Sunday afternoons admiring airplanes and tractor equipment (he said his favorites had always been the red tractors). His father also worked as a mechanic for Dixie Sales, an independent repair shop that repaired various makes of cars in Greensboro.

And once, his grandfather traveled to Siler City from Summerfield, where the family lived, just to buy a tractor – from the same Clapp Tractor then called the Clapp Brothers Tractor & Implement.

“I think that [those trips] probably had an impact on why instead [focusing on] In the automotive field, I went to tractors,” said Daniel. “I just enjoyed working on them.”

Clapp and Daniel say that Clapp Tractor is now occasionally visited by the next generation of aspiring mechanics, children who are eager to accompany their parents or grandparents on trips to see the tractors lined up in the parking lot next door.

Daniel jokes that he was trained at the School of Hard Knocks and often finds out the hard way what kind of device works and what doesn’t. His advice, gleaned from years of frustration with failed attempts to fix a part, is to walk away and then turn back to the problem.

“The best thing is to walk away for a minute, regroup, go back and try again,” he said.

These days, Daniel is frequently asked questions by other mechanics in the shop when they stumble upon equipment issues, and serves as a reliable second opinion.

Customers will also specifically contact Clapp Tractor, knowing that Daniel has experience with older equipment.

“Imagine there are tractors that he developed maybe 45, 50 years ago that he’s still working on that are coming back and that he’s working on today,” Clapp said.

Joe Welborn, 58, is one of Daniel’s longtime clients and owns Welborn Farms in Randleman. He has purchased at least six tractors from Clapp Tractor, having bought his first from the company in 1996, and said he prefers Daniel to maintain all his equipment in the workshop.

“I mean, if Earl doesn’t know, nobody else does,” Welborn said.

Welborn appreciates Daniel for his technical skills, he said, but also because he is a good listener and goes out of his way to give his clients the opportunity to walk through and solve problems themselves.

“All those tractor dealers and stuff [have] I have a book to tell you what to look for, whatever, and Earl is good at finding things the book doesn’t tell you,” he said. “So it’s just part of his genetics, I’d say.”

Similarly, Clapp said being a good mechanic is something “like a gene,” noting the natural problem-solving instinct and constant persistence he sees in Daniel when tackling repairs.

“It’s just something you either have or you don’t have,” Clapp said.

Methodical and meticulous

Daniel is reserved. He answers questions methodically and earnestly, much like his peers describe how he approaches his craft.

He keeps notebooks that began compiling reference papers about eight years ago at a request from Clapp’s sister-in-law, who worked at the company.

Dressed in a gray mechanic’s shirt, his fingertips smeared with grease—a testament to his craft—he leafed through one of the legal pads he keeps. Rows of neat handwriting lined the page, tagging the day’s work with the model of a particular tractor and the time it took to fix a particular piece of equipment.

“Because it’s easier if they ask me something,” he said. “A lot of times I can go back and make notes, write wires, color-code a plug-in that I’m disassembling.”

His colleagues describe Daniel as meticulous, citing his meticulous note-taking and extensive knowledge base when repairing tractors.

Ivey Morgan, the company’s service manager and Al Clapp’s daughter, also called Daniel “humble” and said she only discovered this year was celebrating his 50th anniversary at the company because she wrote the words “43 years” next to Daniel’s name noticed – which were engraved in the pavement next to the building where concrete was poured seven years ago.

“He comes in, he’s so calm and he just sits there and works,” she said. “And sometimes it’s until lunchtime, I haven’t seen him — he’s just back there working.”

When asked if he decided to do anything to celebrate his 50 years with Clapp Tractor, Daniel laughed.

“Not really,” he said. “Only being able to go back to work the next day.”

Keep up with the changing times

Daniel, who grew up in Summerfield and Silk Hope and graduated from Jordan-Matthews High School, has lived in Siler City for several decades. From the corner of downtown Siler City where the dealership is located, he’s watched the city change and expand and sights come and go.

He has held various leadership positions at Clapp Tractor, beginning when Al Clapp’s grandfather’s cousin, Sam Clapp, was the original owner.

John Winslow, who owned Clapp Tractor from 1994 to 2006 and worked as a former agent for farm equipment manufacturer New Holland, has worked closely with Daniel over the years.

Winslow, 79, said when Daniel retires a lot of knowledge will leave him. Daniel takes his time fixing a tractor, Winslow said, but once he’s touched a piece of equipment, customers know they don’t have to go back and fix it.

“He’s focused on what he’s doing … he wants to do it right and he’s in no rush,” Winslow said.

Aside from witnessing the changing face of Siler City and Clapp Tractor, Daniel noticed the incredible growth of the tractor industry, which he had to keep up with.

His tools of the trade have evolved from a screwdriver and an adjustable wrench to a laptop and more sophisticated technology, he said. Today, the tractor manufacturer John Deere even builds driverless vehicles.

At Clapp Tractor, all tractors sold now come from overseas markets. Clapp said the main lines the company carries are tractors from Mahindra, New Holland and Bad Boys, but the parts Daniel grew up with and knows best are from International Harvester — once a dominant farm equipment maker , which went bankrupt in the 1980s.

Well, most of the problems Daniel deals with on repairs are user error, often because a customer forgets to replace a filter, he said. In addition, mechanics in the workshop are increasingly experiencing delays in sourcing parts, increasing the amount of time farmers are unable to use their equipment.

As the agricultural sector has changed, so have the customers it serves, Daniel said.

“I think a lot of the farmers who were here when I started here are gone now,” he said. “And so the equipment was sold and then you’re like, ‘Well, I remember this tractor, but the original owner isn’t here.'”

Just two weeks ago, for example, Daniel began repairs on a 1984 International 5088 Harvester – a tractor he first worked on decades ago.

Clapp said the store is planning a small celebration for Daniel in December. After 50 years in the same job, Daniel said the best part is that he really likes what he does for a living.

Regarding retirement, Daniel said he expects it to slow down, but not for a few years. It’s a job that has kept him busy and one that he expects will continue to do so.

“Things have gotten a lot more complicated,” Daniel said. “And the thing that you might say, ‘Well, I’ve seen everything now’ — you never see everything, you never will see everything.”

Reporter Maydha Devarajan can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter at @maydhadevarajan.

After a tenure in which the US Supreme Court delegated abortion legality and other key issues to states, Ohio courts have never been more decisive. In the coming year, our Supreme Court could rule on everything from the future of abortion access to upholding LGBTQ+ rights to protecting our right to vote under fair tickets. And so much more!

The fact is, the rights and freedoms of all Ohio residents will be on the ballot next month. Candidates running for our state Supreme Court—the most powerful court in Ohio—can be found on your ballot at the bottom of the first column and at the top of the second column. Up for grabs this year are the court’s chief justice position and the seats of Republican Justices Pat DeWine and Pat Fischer, who are being challenged for re-election by Democrats Marilyn Zayas and Terri Jamison, respectively. Should either incumbent lose, control of the court would shift. So much leeway will there be to decide what the future of the court looks like over the next few years.

Ohio’s judicial elections are notorious for their low turnout, as many voters chose not to fill out their ballots in full. That must not happen again this year. The stakes are way too high.

Just think of the multitude of bills proposed in this session by politicians attacking LGBTQ+ rights. A bill would ban gender-affirming tutoring for minors who identify as transgender or non-binary, while also forcing school counselors to out their own students to parents if they find the student is thinking about their gender in a way that does not View politicians as “non-compliant.” Another bill would censor the discussion any LGBTQ+ issues for all Ohio students from kindergarten through high school. Should any of these bills become law, the state Supreme Court will likely be our last line of defense in protecting LGBTQ+ rights.

And then there is abortion. With the fall of Roe v. Wade, state courts and constitutions now play a much larger role in determining reproductive health care. Abortion is still legal in Ohio, but not for lack of attempts by politicians determined to deprive us of our rights to our bodies, our medical privacy, and our health care. Currently, the only standing between Ohioans and a six-week abortion ban is a judgment by a Hamilton County judge, who found that our state constitution protects the choice to have an abortion. Like many important cases, this case is likely to end up in our Supreme Court. And that’s why it’s so important that we elect fair and impartial judges who will defend our rights and freedoms, rather than representing the interests of extremist political parties and partisan groups.

As if abortion and LGBTQ+ rights weren’t enough, our country’s highest court is also deciding the pivotal issues of voting rights and fair cards. Ohio’s electoral districts determine how much of our tax dollars go toward public transportation, hospitals, and other necessary services. Fair District maps are also critical to ensuring the voices of Black, Brown and immigrant Ohioans are heard.

Ohioans of every race, creed, background and zip code agree that it should be voters who choose our state’s leaders, not the other way around. Elected officers should not be allowed to manipulate the election process in their favor, but that is exactly what has been happening in Ohio for several years. In recent times, extremist politicians responsible for drawing our national maps have refused to respond to multiple court orders asking them to develop new maps that are fair and constitutionally sound. In 2023, they won’t be able to delay redrawing any longer, but there’s no guarantee the new court will still be against unfair, rigged cards. It’s up to us to make sure they are.

The bottom line is that the future of our Supreme Court is far too important to Ohioans to sit out this election. Courts decide the vital funding of our schools, the safety of our neighborhoods, and the quality of our water and air. They are the last defenders of our constitutional rights and freedoms. This November, do what is right for your community and vote in our state Supreme Court elections. The future of Ohio depends on it.