Final Full Day of ICCL and Fanfare

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

And Old Panama on Saturday

The final day of this wonderful gathering of scholars concluded with considerable and excellent fanfare, as the photographs underscore.

Although I missed the morning session at the University of Panama, the remainder of the afternoon and into the evening kept my

cameras busy and more busy.  And what a pleasure!

Lunch teated us to a satisfying meal and yet another edifying talk, this one by Quince Duncan, Costa Rica's premier author in Spanish.

Quince Duncan Part One:

Quince Duncan Part Two:

All became rather hectic after lunch, making sure that photographs and video got downloaded to the computer. 

 I did manage, however, to attend an excellent session in which three student from Morehouse College presented papers on Earl Lovelace, one of my favorite authors.  

 

We all enjoyed an evening of excellent fellowship and

entertainment to bring this year's conference to a conclusion.




After the farewell speeches, we all enjoyed dinner, wine, and some superb performances.  


I captured some of each of the performances for your enjoyment.

Part One:  The Dancers

Part Two:  The Diva

  

Part Three:  The Band

ICCL in Panama Part Two (Thursday)

Thursday got off to another quick start at the University of Panama.

And I attended the morning sessions, both just excellent as was the case pretty much all the presentations at this rewarding conference.
I was pleased to hear my friend Swift Dickison's discussion of Lamming and the "Tempest" and the other three presentations in this group. 

The photographs from this busy day include pictures from these

two impressive sessions and the other events, including a post-lunch address by Melva De Goodin from the University of Panama and a trip to the Panama Canal.

After yet another good meal, Melva De Goodin treated us to a discussion about Afro Caribbeans who worked  on the Panama Canal and their depictions in a number of works by Caribbean writers and musicians.

I captured around twenty-minutes of Goodin's address and post two videos from the talk:

Part One:

Part Two:

Quick Trip to the Panama Canal

After Melva's presentation, we all gathered and took a not-quickbus to the Panama Canal, for the week-day traffic in Panama City and surroundings areas moves with glacial rapidity.

But no complaints, for I welcomed this first look for me of one of the world's great technological wonders.  And the canal continues to expand, with new construction underway.

Owing to our tight schedule, we spent around an hour at the canal, turing the museum andwatching a couple ships enter the locks.  I also enjoyed the Egrets, Pelicans, Magnificent Frigates, and a flock of Black-bellied Mexican Ducks.

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

And Old Panama on Saturday

Talia Cole Senior Recital

 On Sunday afternoon in the Fine Arts Recital Hall, Talia Cole entertained an appreciative crowd and fulfilled your Senior Recital Requirements.

I enjoyed the music and uploaded some

photographs from the event and the reception following Talia's presentations that included a charming collaboration with Kathleen Schaffer and a few numbers on the American Indian flute.

In addition to the photographs, I also created a video of Talia's playing.

Enjoy the photographs and the video--and congratulations to Talia Cole.

 

Trebuchet at PSC

Students, as part of the Student Engagement and Enhancement program, built three Trebuchet "engines" this term as part of Paul Hinrichs' Physics Course.

And today, November 20, I took photographs and video of the testing of the Trebuchets the students constructed.


Dr. Paul Hinrichs, who teaches the Physics Class, sent me the following description of the project I filmed:

The physics class built three types of trebuchet this year.  A trebuchet in general is stored potential energy in a counter weight transferred to kinetic energy of a projectile.  

A traditional trebuchet has the counter weight on one end of a throwing arm and a sling with projectile on the other end. The

counter weight then swings through the frame, launching the projectile. Extra motion in the arm after release is lost transfer energy--we made one but it had to be scavenged to fix another.  

The second type of trebuchet is a floating arm trebuchet.  The counter weight falls straight down and the throwing arm glides along a rail through the frame throwing the projectile.  

The final type is a multi-arm trebuchet.  This type results in the

least amount of lost potential energy. The weight falls straight down spinning a multi-radius throwing arm around a fixed axle. The multiple arms allow for an efficient transfer of energy to the projectile.  This type of design has tossed golf balls over half a mile with very little counter weight.  

The projectiles today consisted of  Osage Oranges and small gourds; enjoy the HD Video of the event and even some slow motion: