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Art gallery director discovers his inner artist - Inside Eau Claire

Tom Wagener prepares a frame for an upcoming art exhibition. ?2013 Zhen Wei Yap

By Zhen Wei Yap

Tom Wagener still remembers the time his parents took him to the Art Institute of Chicago. He was in his seventh grade. It was his first recollection of appreciating art. Looking around the Andrew Wyeth exhibit, he was bored. Nevertheless, there were a few pieces that caught his eye.

?Most seventh graders, if you take them to the art museum they?ll be looking for the gift shop and the cafeteria, I was no different; but there was something about Andrew Wyeth.? Wagener said.

It was years though before Wagener?s art appreciation really developed. He did visit different art galleries through the years, but nothing clicked. It wasn?t until he started working at the University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire that he began looking at art differently.

Wagener started in 1994 as a woodshop worker before he was appointed as the Foster Art Gallery Director in the summer of 1997. Now he is a dual-role employee, working full time as a woodshop supervisor on top of being the gallery director.

Ever since Wagener started working with the university, he slowly developed a stronger affection toward the arts. He said by working in close proximity to the arts, prompted his inner artist to emerge. Day after day, looking at art trained Wagener to have an eye for visual aestheticism. Wagener enjoyed looking at art pieces that trigger different emotions.

Wagener considers himself a realist. He is especially fond of realism art because of his hands-on personality. Wagener says he prefers art that is concrete and tangible.

?I particularly like realism,? Wagener said. ?I?m a person that is grounded in reality and not a real philosophical thinker. I like to see something and think, ?Oh that?s what.??

Wagener is particularly interested in the rugged beauty of nature. Because he lives 30 minutes away from work, he has the chance to drive past the countryside every day. Wagener says he takes the time to enjoy the beauty of realism present in the landscape.

?Beauty in itself, real world suddenly comes to life,? Wagener said.

Wagener works closely with the faculty and the students of the Fine Arts department. Being the woodshop supervisor, Wagener seems to be the answer to a lot of the students? prayers when it comes to preparing their work for public display.

Melanie Ripley, a senior graphic design major said Wagener dedicated a lot of his time helping the students putting up frames, polishing glasses as well as giving advice on ways to improve visual attractiveness of artworks. Wagener?s expertise in putting together a show is well-known.

?He?s really knowledgeable about how to put a show together and how to showcase work in its the best way,? Ripley said.

In his role of art gallery director, Wagener has the responsibility to piece shows together. He organizes everything from the negotiations with artists to the placement of the works. Wagener is the man who makes the aesthetic decisions concerning the display of the shows.

Dalan Hartmann, an art education major recalled an incident when Wagener saved her painting. The frames of her painting were crooked and were nailed sloppily. Before she knew it, he fixed the problem and it was ready to be displayed.

?If you ever need anything done and you?re not sure which professor to ask, Tom is the one you go to. He?s like the ?save all, catch all?,? Hartmann said.

Jason Lanka, the assistant professor in sculpture said that Wagener?s contribution often went by unnoticed. Being a man tasked with so many levels of responsibilities, he had to make sure everything is in good shape before the exhibition is open to the public.

?What I think an average person doesn?t realize is that, the amount of work to put together a show,? Lanka said. ?Just to get it prep, to get it ready, get it hung, do all the promotional materials, it takes a lot of time.?

Wagener is not a person who is all about work and no fun. He enjoys various outdoor activities. From skiing, canoeing, kayaking to snowshoeing, Wagener appreciates the wonders that nature can offer. If he were to choose an alternative career, he would be doing something that involves the outdoors.

?My wife is an office worker. She sits in a cubicle all day long and goes through paperwork. I?ll slash my wrists if I?ve had to do that every day,? Wagener said.

All in all, Tom Wagener is a contented person. He gets the exhibit prepared. He gets the artworks delivered. He gets things done. He might not get the credit he deserves but he goes about completing his duties without much complaints.

Wagener have no regrets getting into this job. He enjoys helping students realizing their dreams of being an artist.

?For me it?s about getting the students to know what it takes to get into a show, and hopefully, have a goal of someday becoming an artist, getting their arts on display.?

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Source: http://www.insideec.com/?p=33119&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=art-gallery-director-discovers-his-inner-artist

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Insurer Aegon first quarter profits drop

AMSTERDAM (AP) ? Aegon NV, the Dutch insurer that does most of its business in the United States under the Transamerica brand, says first quarter profits fell sharply due to stock market losses.

Net profit was 204 million euros ($267 million), down from 525 million euros in the same period a year ago. Aegon said Wednesday that it lost 286 million euros on a stock market hedge intended to insulate the company from market fluctuations, but will book gains if markets fall. The company says that in the long run, its earnings would reflect only the underlying performance of its businesses.

On an underlying basis, earnings increased 1 percent to 445 million euros, with earnings from the Americas rising 3 percent on growth in Transamerica's pensions and life insurance businesses.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/insurer-aegon-first-quarter-profits-drop-065758667.html

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Bangladesh braces for unrest as judges prepare war crime verdict

By Serajul Quadir

DHAKA (Reuters) - A Bangladeshi war crimes tribunal is due to pronounce judgment on a top Islamist politician on Thursday, raising fears a guilty verdict could ignite a fresh round of clashes between members of his party and security forces.

Bangladesh, reeling from a factory collapse that killed more than 700 people two weeks ago, is navigating one of its most turbulent periods since independence as a series of political conflicts converge ahead of elections due early next year.

Protests over the war crimes trials are one of the main challenges facing the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who opened an inquiry into abuses committed during a 1971 war for independence from Pakistan in 2010.

The tribunals have angered Islamists who say they are a politically-motivated attempt to persecute the leadership of Jamaat-e-Islami, the main Islamist party in Bangladesh and a key part of an opposition coalition.

Bangladesh became part of Pakistan at the end of British colonial rule in 1947. The independence war claimed about 3 million lives. Thousands of women were raped.

Some factions in Bangladesh opposed the break with Pakistan, including Jamaat. Its leaders have denied involvement in abuses.

On Thursday, judges are due to hand down a verdict in the trial of Muhammad Kamaruzzaman, a leader of Jamaat who is accused of involvement in the murder and torture of several civilians.

Syed Haider Ali, the lead government prosecutor, said he expected the court would sentence Kamaruzzaman to death.

"On the basis of our arguments we are hopeful of getting the highest punishment," Ali told reporters.

Kamaruzzaman was arrested in a separate criminal case in July, 2010, and was charged with war crimes the following month. He has pleaded not guilty through his lawyers.

Dozens of people have been killed in clashes between security forces and protesters opposed to the tribunal since the first guilty verdict was delivered in January. Kamaruzzaman's judgment will be the fourth since the trials began.

The tribunal has been criticized by rights groups for failing to adhere to international standards. Human Rights Watch said lawyers, witnesses and investigators reported they had been threatened.

In a separate challenge to Hasina's government, tens of thousands of members of the hardline Islamist Hefajat-e-Islam movement massed in the capital Dhaka this week to demand the imposition of a new blasphemy law.

At least 20 people were killed in some of the worst violence seen in the city in decades when police used water cannons to disperse the gathering.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the main opposition party, has also turned up the heat on Hasina's secular Awami League government by calling a series of strikes to demand she resign.

Bangladesh has been rocked by protests and counter-protests linked to the tribunal since January, when it handed down its first sentence by condemning an expelled Jamaat member to death. In the second case, a Jamaat leader was given life in jail.

About 60 people have been killed in protests since the tribunal's third conviction in March, when another member of Jamaat, Delwar Hossain Sayedee, 73, was sentenced to death for abuses including murder and rape during the war.

Jamaat and the BNP both accuse the prime minister of using the tribunal to persecute them. The government denies that and says justice must be served.

(Editing by Matthew Green and Andrew Heavens)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bangladesh-braces-unrest-judges-prepare-war-crime-verdict-163413482.html

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Watch: Arizona Man's Runny Nose Caused by Leaking Brain Fluid

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Phoenix man what a runny nose year round was shocked to find out what was really causing it turns out. His brain was actually leaking if you can believe that -- nagging went to a specialist after dealing with the embarrassing nasal drip for eighteen months. Doctors able to patch up a small hole in the membrane that surrounded his brain to keep the fluid from seeping out. Were this clear liquid dribbled out -- way north like just like tears at your eyes and what what is -- These -- can be very very tiny. A little bit like a puncture on a bicycle tire that some -- you have to wait and finding where it is. All right -- -- -- say many things -- caused the -- including a Spinal -- her head injury they advise people suffering from a constant runny nose. To first consult specialists are now -- get all like paranoid -- every -- runny nose and -- my brains -- The F comforting to know that it looks -- just like -- Well I'm very delicate cleared up. Thank you know -- little for the breakfast -- so hopefully nobody's the public know and growth pact. I think that story irony did I can't really -- I don't I don't maybe a little while anyway.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/video/arizona-mans-runny-nose-caused-leaking-brain-fluid-19131687

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Sleep problems may increase risk for prostate cancer

May 7, 2013 ? Men who reported sleep problems, including difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep, had up to a twofold increased risk for prostate cancer, according to data published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

"Sleep problems are very common in modern society and can have adverse health consequences," said Lara G. Sigurdard?ttir, M.D., at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik. "Women with sleep disruption have consistently been reported to be at an increased risk for breast cancer, but less is known about the potential role of sleep problems in prostate cancer."

Previous studies have generated conflicting results for an association between sleep disruption from working night shifts and the risk for prostate cancer. Sigurdard?ttir and her colleagues, therefore, investigated the role of sleep in influencing prostate cancer risk.

The researchers followed 2,102 men from the prospective Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility-Reykjavik study, which involved an established, population-based cohort of 2,425 men aged 67 to 96. Upon enrollment into the study, the participants answered four questions about sleep disruption: whether they took medications to sleep, had trouble falling asleep, woke up during nights with difficulty going back to sleep or woke up early in the morning with difficulty going back to sleep.

Among the participants, 8.7 percent and 5.7 percent reported severe and very severe sleep problems, respectively. None of the participants had prostate cancer at study entry. The researchers followed the participants for five years, and during this period, 6.4 percent were diagnosed with prostate cancer.

After the researchers adjusted for age, they found that compared with men who reported no problems with sleeping, the risk for prostate cancer increased proportionately with reported severity of problems falling and staying asleep, from 1.6-fold to 2.1-fold. Further, the association was stronger for advanced prostate cancer than for overall prostate cancer, with more than a threefold increase in risk for advanced prostate cancer associated with "very severe" sleep problems.

To rule out the possibility that the problems with sleeping were because of undiagnosed prostate cancer or an enlarged prostate, the researchers reanalyzed the data after excluding men with symptoms of sleep disturbance that might be indicative of nocturia (waking up during the night to urinate). The results remained unchanged.

According to Sigurdard?ttir, these data should be confirmed with a larger cohort with longer observation times. "Prostate cancer is one of the leading public health concerns for men and sleep problems are quite common," she said. "If our results are confirmed with further studies, sleep may become a potential target for intervention to reduce the risk for prostate cancer."

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/x2g3Fnd_BnE/130507061137.htm

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Dr. Phil Sues Gawker For Ganking Manti Te'o Hoax Interview

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/05/dr-phil-sues-gawker-for-ganking-manti-teo-hoax-interview/

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