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Quantum computing is gearing up for prime time. Honeywell International and the U.K.s Cambridge Quantum Computing are merging their fledgling quantum-computing efforts into a company that combines Honeywells hardware expertise with privately held Cambridges software and algorithms. Its as if the two were forming the Apple of quantum computingnot because its about to be a consumer product, but because Apple marries hardware, operating systems, and software.

Honeywell believes quantum computing, which exploits quantum effects to outperform traditional computers in some calculations, can be a trillion-dollar-a-year industry someday. We are at a phase where people are looking to hear more about practical quantum use cases, and investors want to know if this is investible, says Daniel Newman, founder of Futurum, a research and advisory firm focused on digital innovation and market-disrupting technologies.

This deal will speed investor education. [Wed] be disappointed if we were only at a billion [dollars in revenue] in a few years, says Ilyas Khan, Cambridges founder and CEO. Hell be CEO of the new company, which he says will decide by year end whether to go public. He also hopes by then to have products, initially in web security (with unhackable passwords), followed by chemicals and drug development.

The new enterprise will have about 350 employees, including 200 scientists, 120 of them Ph.Ds. Honeywell, which will own 54%, is putting in some $300 million in cash. Honeywell stock didnt react to the news. Quantum computing is still too small to move the needle on a $160 billion conglomeratefor now.

Roche Holding presents data on its spinal muscular atrophy drug, Evrysdi, at the 2021 CureSMA annual meeting.

Activision Blizzard and General Motors hold their annual shareholder meetings.

Oracle announces fiscal fourth-quarter and full-year 2021 results.

Humana hosts its biennial investor day virtually.

The National Association of Home Builders releases its Housing Market Index for June. Economists forecast an 83 reading, matching the May figure. Home builders remain very bullish on the housing market but are concerned about the availability and cost of building materials.

The Census Bureau reports retail-sales data for May. Expectations are for a 0.5% month-over-month decline, following a flat April. Excluding autos, spending is seen rising 0.6%, compared with a 0.8% decrease previously.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the producer price index for May. Consensus estimate is for a 0.4% monthly increase, with the core PPI, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, expected to rise 0.4% as well. This compares with gains of 0.6% and 0.7%, respectively, in April.

The FOMC announces its monetary-policy decision. With the federal-funds rate all but certain to remain near zero, Wall Street is looking for clues as to when the Federal Reserve might scale back its bond purchases.

Lennar reports quarterly results.

The Census Bureau reports new residential construction data for May. The economists forecast a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.63 million housing starts, slightly higher than Aprils data. Housing starts are just below their post-financial-crisis peak of 1.73 million from March.

Adobe and Kroger hold conference calls to discuss earnings.

DXC Technology and NRG Energy hold their 2021 investor days.

The Conference Board releases its Leading Economic Index for May. The LEI is expected to rise 1.1% month over month to 114.5, after gaining 1.6% in April. The index has now surpassed its pre-Covid peak, set back in January of 2020. The Conference Board now projects 8% to 9% annualized gross-domestic-product growth for the second quarter, and 6.4% for the year.

The Department of Labor reports initial jobless claims for the week ending on June 15. Jobless claims this past week were 376,000, the lowest total since March of 2020.

The Bank of Japan announces its monetary-policy decision. The central bank is widely expected to keep its key interest rate at negative 0.1%. The BOJ recently updated its GDP forecast to 4% growth for fiscal 2021 and 2.4% for fiscal 2022.

Write to Al Root at allen.root@dowjones.com

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Honeywell Does a Quantum Computing Deal. Is This the New Age of Computing? - Barron's

Intel's 17-qubit quantum test chip.

Source: Intel

Stefan Thomas really could have used a quantum computer this year.

The German-born programmer and crypto trader forgot the password to unlock his digital wallet, which contains 7,002 bitcoin, now worth $265 million. Quantum computers, which will be several million times faster than traditional computers, could have easily helped him crack the code.

Though quantum computing is still very much in its infancy, governments and private-sector companies such as Microsoft and Google are working to make it a reality. Within a decade, quantum computers could be powerful enough to break the cryptographic security that protects cell phones, bank accounts, email addresses and yes bitcoin wallets.

"If you had a quantum computer today, and you were a state sponsor China, for example most probably in about eight years, you could crack wallets on the blockchain," said Fred Thiel, CEO of cryptocurrency mining specialist Marathon Digital Holdings.

This is precisely why cryptographers around the world are racing to build a quantum-resistant encryption protocol.

Right now, much of the world runs on something called asymmetric cryptography, in which individuals use a private and public key pair to access things such as email and crypto wallets.

"Every single financial institution, every login on your phone it is all based on asymmetric cryptography, which is susceptible to hacking with a quantum computer," Thiel said. Thiel is a former director of Utimaco, one of the largest cryptography companies in Europe, which has worked with Microsoft, Google and others on post-quantum encryption.

The public-private key pair lets users produce a digital signature, using their private key, which can be verified by anyone who has the corresponding public key.

In the case of cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, this digital signature is called the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm, and it ensures that bitcoin can only be spent by the rightful owner.

Theoretically, someone using quantum computing could reverse-engineer your private key, forge your digital signature, and subsequently empty your bitcoin wallet.

"If I was dealing in fear-mongering ... I'd tell you that among the first types of digital signatures that will be broken by quantum computers are elliptic curves, as we use them today, for bitcoin wallets," said Thorsten Groetker, former Utimaco CTO and one of the top experts in the field of quantum computing.

"But that would happen if we do nothing," he said.

Crypto experts told CNBC they aren't all that worried about quantum hacking of bitcoin wallets for a couple of different reasons.

Castle Island Ventures founding partner Nic Carter pointed out that quantum breaks would be gradual rather than sudden.

"We would have plenty of forewarning if quantum computing was reaching the stage of maturity and sophistication at which it started to threaten our core cryptographic primitives," he said. "It wouldn't be something that happens overnight."

There is also the fact that the community knows that it is coming, and researchers are already in the process of building quantum-safe cryptography.

"The National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) has been working on a new standard for encryption for the future that's quantum-proof," said Thiel.

NIST is running that selection process now, picking the best candidates and standardizing them.

"It's a technical problem, and there's a technical solution for it," said Groetker. "There are new and secure algorithms for digital signatures. ... You will have years of time to migrate your funds from one account to another."

Groetker said he expects the first standard quantum-safe crypto algorithm by 2024, which is still, as he put it, well before we'd see a quantum computer capable of breaking bitcoin's cryptography.

Once a newly standardized post-quantum secure cryptography is built, Groetker said, the process of mass migration will begin. "Everyone who owns bitcoin or ethereum will transfer [their] funds from the digital identity that is secured with the old type of key, to a new wallet, or new account, that's secured with a new type of key, which is going to be secure," he said.

However, this kind of upgrade in security requires users to be proactive. In some scenarios, where fiat money accounts are centralized through a bank, this process may be easier than requiring a decentralized network of crypto holders to update their systems individually.

"Not everybody, regardless of how long it takes, will move their funds in time," said Groetker. Inevitably, there will be users who forget their password or perhaps passed away without sharing their key.

"There will be a number of wallets ... that become increasingly insecure, because they're using weaker keys."

But there are ways to deal with this kind of failing in security upgrade. For example, an organization could lock down all accounts still using the old type of cryptography and give owners some way to access it. The trade-off here would be the loss of anonymity when users go to reclaim their balance.

More here:

Hacking bitcoin wallets with quantum computers could happen but cryptographers are racing to build a workaround - CNBC

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Multinational conglomerate Honeywell said it will combine with Cambridge Quantum Computing in a bid to form the largest standalone quantum computing company in the world.

According to Honeywell, the merger will be completed in the third quarter of 2021 and will set the pace for what is projected to become a $1 trillion quantum computing industry over the next three decades.

In the yet to be named company, Honeywell will invest between $270 million and $300 million, and will own a major stake. It will also engage in an agreement for manufacturing critical ion traps needed to power quantum hardware.

The new company will be led by Ilyas Khan, the CEO and founder of CQC, a company that focuses on building software for quantum computing. Honeywell Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Darius Adamczyk will serve as chairman of the new company while Tony Uttley, currently the president of HQS, will serve as the new company's president.

"Joining together into an exciting newly combined enterprise, HQS and CQC will become a global powerhouse that will develop and commercialize quantum solutions that address some of humanity's greatest challenges, while driving the development of what will become a $1 trillion industry," Khan said in a statement.

With this new company, both firms plan to use Honeywells hardware expertise and Cambridges software platforms to build the worlds highest-performing computer.

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Honeywell joins hands with Cambridge Quantum Computing to form a new company - The Hindu

Cambridge Quantum Computing, a quantum computing and algorithm company founded by Ilyas Khan, Leader in Residence and a Fellow in Management Practice at Cambridge Judge Business School, announced it will combine with Honeywell Quantum Solutions, a unit of US-based Honeywell, which has been an investor in Cambridge Quantum since 2019.

Ilyas was also the inaugural Chairman of the Stephen Hawking Foundation, is a fellow commoner of St Edmunds College, and was closely involved in the foundation of the Accelerate Cambridge programme run by the Business Schools Entrepreneurship Centre.

The new company is extremely well-positioned to lead the quantum computing industry by offering advanced, fully integrated hardware and software solutions at an unprecedented pace, scale and level of performance to large high-growth markets worldwide, Cambridge Quantum said in an announcement.

The combination will form the largest, most advanced standalone quantum computing company in the world, setting the pace for what is projected to become a $1 trillion quantum computing industry over the next three decades, Honeywell said in a companion announcement.

The new company, which will be formally named at a later date, will be led by Cambridge Quantum founder Ilyas Khan as Chief Executive with Tony Uttley of Honeywell Quantum Solutions as President. Honeywell Chairman and CEO Darius Adamczyk will serve on the board of directors as the Chairman. Honeywell will have a 54% share of the merged entity, which was dubbed by publication Barrons as the Apple of Quantum Computing, and CQCs shareholders will have a 46% share.

In addition, Honeywell will invest between $270 million to $300 million in the new company. Cambridge Quantum was founded in 2014, and has offices in Cambridge, London and Oxford, and abroad in the US, Germany and Japan.

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New quantum computing company will set the pace - Cambridge Network

Trinity and Microsoft join forces to accelerate next-generation quantum technologies. Cathriona Hallahan, managing director of Microsoft Ireland and Prof Linda Doyle, who will become Provost of Trinity College Dublin later this year at the announcement in Trinity on Friday.

Trinity College Dublin has joined forces with Microsoft Ireland to accelerate the development of next-generation quantum technologies and support future leaders in the field.

Under the agreement, Microsoft will provide funding to support quantum research PhD students in Trinity College, while also establishing a female scholarship programme for the colleges MSc in Quantum Science and Technology.

The collaboration will support quantum research teams in Trinitys School of Physics and foster links with research teams in the private sector.

Having emerged from fundamental science over the last two decades, quantum research is now blossoming and promises to revolutionise technology in the coming years with discoveries and innovations that promise to power a more sustainable, advanced future, said Prof John Goold, who is directing the new MSc in Quantum Science and Technology course.

Microsoft recently announced a full-stack, open-cloud quantum computing ecosystem, named Azure Quantum. Quantum computers can solve in a matter of seconds problems that would take the fastest computers today thousands of years to solve, presenting the opportunity to address climate change, significant pharmaceutical advancements, and so on.

Quantum computing presents unprecedented possibilities to solve societys most complex challenges and help to secure a sustainable future. At Microsoft, were committed to responsibly turning these possibilities into reality for the betterment of humanity and the planet, Cathriona Hallahan, Managing Director, Microsoft Ireland said.

The introduction of the female scholarship programme is a welcome one and I believe more focused mechanisms such as this will help us to attract more females not only into the area of next-generation quantum technologies but also wider STEM related industries.

Prof Goold also praised support for the female-only scholarship programme.

As diversity has grown in my research team at Trinity, we have been more creative in pursuing and delivering high-quality science. Female uptake in certain STEM subjects remains low but initiatives like this are helping to drive positive change he said.

The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris welcomed the collaboration. I am delighted to see this strong collaboration between Trinity College Dublin and Microsoft. Quantum computing technology will be instrumental in solving some of societys biggest challenges and seeing Ireland at the forefront of this research is tremendously important, he said.

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Trinity College teams up with Microsoft on quantum computing programme - The Irish Times

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Topics Markets|Market technicals|Stocks to buy today

Osho Krishan | Mumbai Last Updated at June 1, 2021 08:20 IST

BUY DABUR INDIA LTD | TARGET: Rs 574 | STOP LOSS: Rs 518

DABUR has been trading in a cycle of higher highs, higher bottoms, and has recently seen resurgence from its 2000DEMA. With Mondays closing, the stock has surged above all its major exponential moving averages on the daily time frame, indicating inherent strength. On the oscillator front, the 14-period RSI has seen positive crossover affirming the bullish stance in the counter from a short to medium-term perspective.

BUY ICICI PRUDENTIAL LIFE INSURANCE | TARGET: Rs 596 | STOP LOSS: Rs 525

ICICIPRULI has recently corrected from its lifetime highs towards the previous swing high zone from where the momentum seems to reverse at the higher side. The stock has taken support from its 21-DEMA which even collides with the lower band of the Bollinger (20, 2) on the daily time frame and is headed towards the mean, suggesting more upside potential in the counter in the coming future.

Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request.

As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.

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First Published: Tue, June 01 2021. 08:14 IST

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Dabur, ICICI Pru: Stocks that Osho Krishan of Anand Rathi is bullish on - Business Standard

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Topics Stock calls|Market technicals|Anand Rathi

Osho Krishan | Mumbai Last Updated at May 28, 2021 09:08 IST

BUY HDFC LIFE | TARGET: Rs 704 | STOP LOSS: Rs 635

HDFCLIFE has been consolidating in a narrow range near its 200 DEMA from the last couple of trading sessions and at the same time has managed to sustain above its previous swing low. Even the 200 DEMA and the previous trend-line breakout coincide near the 650 zone suggesting it to be a strong support zone and any sustenance above the same could be utilized to accumulate the counter from short to medium-term view.

BUY SYNGENE INTERNATIONAL LTD | TARGET: Rs 640 | STOP LOSS: Rs 575

SYNGENE has witnessed a significant trend-line breakout in the last trading session which was being backed by robust volumes, confirming the bullish stance in the counter. In the present scenario, depending on the price extension parameter, the stock is looking lucrative from the risk-reward ratio. And even on the oscillator front, the 14 period RSI has witnessed a positive crossover affirming the bullish view from a short to medium-term perspective.

BUY L&T INFOTECH LTD | TARGET: Rs 4,260 | STOP LOSS: Rs 3,700

LTI has reversed its trend from the previous swing low and is currently placed well above all its major moving averages on the daily chart. The 14 period RSI has witnessed a rounding bottom pattern with a positive crossover on the daily time frame indicating the stock to surge higher in the coming future. Also, the stock price has breached the sloping trend-line and has headed northwards on the back of increased traded volumes in recent time, affirming a bullish stance in the counter.

========================= Disclaimer: Osho Krishan is senior manager - equity research at Anand Rathi Shares & Stock Brokers. Views are personal

Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request.

As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.

Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.

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First Published: Fri, May 28 2021. 07:19 IST

Originally posted here:
Top stocks of Osho: HDFC Life, Syngene International, L&T Info. Check why - Business Standard

When I spoke with Sadhguru he was in a camper van in El Paso, Texas, trucking around the United States on his book tour. I was instantly relieved. This was a long way from Osho, the Rolls Royce guru or Bikram with his fleet of Bentleys.

The humility of it made me excuse moments where the book goes beyond the limitations of my ordinary Western brain, like when he writes about sitting in a cave and perceiving the energy of a dead monk whose left leg was amputated nineteen hundred years earlier.

So, I suspended my disbelief and listened as he explained that karma is often misunderstood, especially in the Western world.

For example, we often talk about good karma and bad karma, as if theres someone sitting on their throne in the sky pointing their finger at each of the 7.8 billion of us and doling out rewards or punishments for our thoughts and actions.

People dumb it down to a simple reward and punishment But karma is neither good nor bad, Sadhguru says. Karma is the residual impressions of all the actions we perform, physically, mentally, emotionally and energetically.

From the moment we are born till this moment, he explains, all that we have seen, all that we have heard, every thought or emotion we have experienced and action we have performed or not performed inaction matters too has a consequence on the person that we have become.

The person that we are is also the result of our connection to one another, to the world around us and to our history as humans.

If you ate what a parrot eats for the next 10 years, would you become a parrot? The evolutionary memory will make sure you stay a human being no matter what crazy thing you do, he says. Similarly my physical structure is my genetic memory. You might have forgotten what your great, great, great grandmother looked like but her nose might be sitting on your face. Your body remembers.

From the perspective of karma, this means that the outcomes in our lives are the consequence of our own behaviours, the behaviours of those around us and of those who have come before us. Despite this, we can learn to control one significant aspect of our karma from this point onwards.

What the world throws at us is not always our choice, what we make of it is 100 per cent our choice... So this is the karma.

Karma by Sadhguru

The quality of our life is not determined by what we have[it is] determined by how we experience it This choice every human being has at every moment of their life.

His book aims to help us mortals choose a more joyful inner landscape regardless of our circumstance. He remains joyful despite 15 to 20 people he knows very well dying each day as a result of the pandemic ravaging India.

If you want to become part of the solution, you dont succumb to the misery do you want to infect the world with your misery or with your joy?

Simplistic as this may seem and he acknowledges he hasnt always been blissful, but spent many years under a huge black cloud of anger at all the injustice in the world intention matters and the concept of karma captures this, according to Sadhguru.

Dr Khalsa, a researcher in mind-body medicine, agrees.

We dont have a term in the West for that, Khalsa says. If you drive a Hummer youre polluting the atmosphere. Ultimately thats going to come back and hurt you or your ancestors. It happens on global levels and it happens on personal levels.

He adds: Its become part of parlance in the West. I think the West has adopted a number of constructs from other cultures which are now part of Western dialogue.

The term guru is another one of these somebody is a fashion guru, a beauty guru or a guru of the stockmarket.

The Indian term originally referred to someone who is a spiritual teacher or a master, but Khalsa points out anyone can call themselves a guru.

Theres no academy, theres no registry, theres no government agency that determines who is a guru. Ive seen people who suddenly decide that they want to call themselves a guru and Im saying Hey, wait a minute?

Allwell says there are a lot of false gurus out there.

There are also gurus who started out from a pure place and as they become more powerful things change, she adds, suggesting choose your guru wisely.

But, she believes Sadhguru is the real deal, a sentiment echoed by Khalsa who says he is considered by many as bonafide.

Sadhguru insists he is not part of the guru club: Misuse and corruption are in every industry there are bad police, bad journalists, bad politicians, there are unfortunately bad gurus too.

An action taken 24 years ago however has had lasting karmic consequences, complicating the reputation of this guru too.

In 1997, Sadhguru was accused by his father-in-law of murdering his 33-year-old wife Vijaykumari, mother of his then-7-year-old daughter. The accusation came after Vijaykumaris body was cremated before her father arrived to say goodbye. To complicate matters, Sadhguru said her death was the result of mahasamadhi during meditation.

Theres no academy, theres no registry, theres no government agency that determines who is a guru. Ive seen people who suddenly decide that they want to call themselves a guru and Im saying Hey, wait a minute?

Mahasamadhithe coveted goal of many a spiritual seeker [is] a practice where accomplished yogis with mastery over their life process consciously choose to exit their physical body at an auspicious time, Sadhguru wrote in an email after our interview.

The police report, which dismissed the case, said a doctor present at the time of death noted Vijaykumari most likely died of a heart attack.

Khalsa explains mahasamadhi is a common term used in India and is based on the belief that yogis can self-regulate internal states, controlling their metabolic rate and, through practice, choose to leave their physical bodies at will to merge with the infinite.

Samadhi the term used for transcendence is a real, biological state that can be induced through contemplative practices like meditation, Harvard Medical Schools Khalsa says, and mahasamadhi is seen as the next step. Whether someone chooses to die or died because their body gave out you cant validate that in anyone.

Good guru, bad guru, good karma, bad karma? It is as hard to reduce the human as it is the concepts.

Khalsa says Sadhguru remains one of the three biggest gurus in India and in the world and seems copasetic, but remains human.

Oftentimes you see a guru say dont worship me, worship what I teach because what I teach is coming from that state of consciousness... Im a human being and Im subject to my own frailties and weaknesses so dont follow me as a person, follow the teachings, Khalsa says. Its very complicated to be a human being.

And this is what Sadhguru, in his book, suggests. I am often asked what my message is as a guru, he writes. It amuses me because I have none. I tell people: You are not studying with me. I have nothing to teach. I want you to get lost!

Get lost how? Into ourselves, into the present moment, into the experience of being human because we are the only ones who can free ourselves from the karma of our past.

The past you cannot change, the present is to be experienced, and the future has to be crafted, he says. People are... trying to change the past in this effort of trying to change something that you cannot change, the possibility of experiencing the present moment is gone and the possibility of creating your future is also gone in many ways when I say my life is my karma, I am saying my life is my making.

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Hes among the biggest celebrity gurus. And he wants to craft your destiny - The Sydney Morning Herald

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WV News) Gordon Gee, current president of West Virginia University, has what some may call a friendly disposition the bow tie, the round glasses, the friendly smile. The same cannot be said for Alexander Martin, the first president of WVU, who served from 1867-1875.

Evidently, he was quite a character, said Jay Cole, a senior adviser to Gee and a WVU historian. Hes got this really imposing, stern look to him. I can imagine him being the kind of president who could intimidate students with just a glance.

Not a lot is known about Martin, aside from the fact that he came from Scotland, was a clergyman before becoming WVU president, and died somewhere between the age of 60 and 70. But one thing we know Gee and Martin have in common is a dedication to the university and a desire to see it succeed.

Martin was a strong believer in the power of education, Cole said. He represented that new type of leader who helped higher education evolve in America from private and religious to public and more secular.

In the early days of higher education, it was generally religious-based, with a heavy emphasis in philosophy and speech. Colleges were primarily in large cities and available only to the wealthy. That changed with the Morrill Land-Grant Acts statutes.

Justin Smith Morrill was a U.S. senator from Vermont. In the late 1850s, he introduced the idea of creating a way to provide funds to states to create comprehensive colleges or universities.

Sen. Morrill said lets make it more democratic, lets expand the access, increase the availability of opportunity for students from all over the country to receive a higher education, Cole said. After a little bit of political maneuvering it didnt pass the first time, but a couple years later, 1862, he was able to line up the votes politically and it was signed into law by President Lincoln.

The goal of the act was to ensure that colleges provided a good education in areas such as engineering and agriculture.

The Agricultural College of West Virginia officially opened its doors Feb. 7, 1867. It was renamed West Virginia University on Dec. 4, 1868.

The importance of being a land-grant university is not lost on Gee.

Land-grant universities are about changing lives and building communities, Gee said. That is our history, and I think the good thing about it is that we have been very solidly centered as a land-grant institution; we havent tried to be who were not. We have been very focused on the peoples university in West Virginia, and I love that history.

The WVU of the 1800s was a far cry from what we know today.

When you think about what it was 150 years ago, it was much smaller, Cole said. The number, literally youre talking about students you could count by the dozens, and just a handful of faculty members. It was a slow start. It grew steadily. A lot of things helped with that growth. I would characterize it as a slow but steady start from 1867 into the mid-20th century.

Federal legislation created the Agricultural Extension Service in the early 1900s, and that helped give a boost to WVU.

That was the basis of the Extension services you take the scholarly activity of the university and you extend it beyond the campus walls into local communities, Cole said. That was huge, and a big part of WVUs growth in the early part of the 20th century.

The mission was now to share the results of their research.

Whether it was the best kind of crops to plant in certain soil, or the best kind of conditions to maintain livestock, Cole said, WVU was charged with making sure that knowledge got extended from the campus out into the community.

The second World War helped change the perception of universities on a national basis.

By the time we get to World War II, we start seeing the federal government specifically look to universities for research and help with the war effort, Cole said. Whether it was sonar, radar, and so many of the things that had military applications you began to see this relationship forming between research universities and the federal government developing new technologies.

The GI Bill after World War II helped WVU and universities around the nation expand.

You had a large increase in the universitys enrollment, with all of the returning servicemen, Cole said. A lot of them wanted the benefits of a college education, and they came back home and came to WVU having experiences in the military and overseas. They brought with them a more worldly view, and also more self-discipline from their military training.

Students who were more serious and committed to their studies helped fuel the growth of the university into the early 1950s.

Many notable figures helped WVU grow in not only public perception, but also through their in-school accomplishments. The first major sports celebrity to come from WVU was Jerry West, who played on the Mountaineer basketball team from 1956-1960. He won an Olympic gold medal in 1960, then became one of the most successful NBA stars of all time.

He meant so much to the university back when he was on those teams in the late 1950s and early 60s because it was one of the first ways WVU became known to a national audience, Cole said. Those great runs in the national tournaments really introduced the name WVU and helped put it on the map.

In the decades since, West has given both his time and resources to WVU.

Hes somebody who had a big impact while here as a student, but continued to serve and give back, Cole said. Thats what you hope for the university helps somebody succeed and achieve, and that person then gives back.

Another notable figure Cole said was vital to the success of WVU through his extraordinarily generous philanthropy was Milan Puskar. The WVU football stadium was named after Puskar in 1980.

At the same time, I think its important with him in particular, what he did for the Morgantown community as a whole region with Mylan Pharmaceuticals had a huge impact on the university, Cole said. You had a thriving pharmaceutical business that served as an economic anchor for the Morgantown region.

Cole said that if you think of Morgantowns economy as a triangle in those days, there were three major components: WVU, Mylan Pharmaceuticals, and J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital.

They were the anchors of the regional economy there was a lot of synergy, in terms of research and development, Cole said.

Cole noted that there was some debate when WVU was launching the medical school, and political pressure being put on them, to have the school located in Charleston.

If the medical school had been in Charleston, I think the history of the university and history of the state would be very different, Cole said. We wouldnt have, I dont think, as comprehensive and as strong an academic health sciences center as we do today. The medical service that members of all 55 counties receive, thats life changing and life-saving.

The past for WVU has led to a future for WVU that is bright, according to President Gee.

Weve moved from being a nice place you send your kids to college to have four years of fun joining a fraternity or sorority, to really being the economic engine, Gee said. We are the largest employer in the state, and we also create more economic activity than any entity in the state. By any measure, the university has been a great investment for the state of West Virginia.

WVU is built on the shoulders of faculty, staff, students, and alumni, Gee said. He hopes that people look to WVU as a bright spot in the state that is doing many good things.

I hope the legacy of the university is the people realizing in their hearts and their minds that this university is theirs and is making a very solid difference in their lives, Gee said. I want it to not be viewed as an external entity, but as a great partner in this thing we call West Virginia.

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Reflecting on 154-year past for motivation, West Virginia University recommits to land-grant university mission - WV News

Dan Beineke/NFL Photo Library Bill Cowher during a game against the Baltimore Ravens on December 24, 2006.

Last season Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster sparked an ongoing debate about whether his pregame dancing provided added motivation for opposing teams.

Reading Bill Cowhers new memoir, Heart and Steel, its clear where the former Steelers head coach stands on this issue.

Respect may well be the strongest motivational tool for professional athletes, writes Cowher, which is why he and his staff compiled the juiciest opponent quotes from the week and [would] stick them in the players lockers.

I always tried to make each game personal, writes Cowher, elaborating about his philosophy. We played just sixteen, so each of them had significance. I wanted to find ways to make sure each individuals pride was at stake every game.

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That sometimes included using video clips to make his point. For example, in December 2005 the Steelers lost to the Bengals in Pittsburgh by a score of 38-31. After the game, Cincinnati wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh wiped his shoes with a Terrible Towel.

As soon as I saw that clip (which the Bengals tweeted out prior to playing the Steelers in 2020), I thought, Ill remember that one, recalls Cowher in the book.

A little more than a month later, the No. 6 seeded Steelers faced the No. 3 seeded Bengals in an AFC Wild Card game in Cincinnati. The night before the game Cowher wrapped up a team meeting by replaying the Houshmandzadeh clip.

When we win, we win with humility. And if we lose, we lose with grace. That wasnt humility, he told his team. So tomorrow, when you go out there, just think about him wiping his shoes with something that signifies us as a team. And if you have a chance tomorrow, let him know you didnt appreciate it. Thats it. Good night.

The clip did the trick adds Cowher, recalling how Houshmandzadeh got hit all game long en route to a 31-17 victory, one which sparked the following locker room celebrationa celebration that former Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis later tried to turn into a rallying point of his own.

Last season Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster provided a steady stream of bulletin board material to Pittsburghs opponents, including the Bengals. Prior to a Monday night game in December, Smith-Schuster danced on Cincinnatis logo, prompting a response from the Bengals that included a monstrous hit on Smith-Schuster, courtesy of safety Vonn Bell.

A week earlier, Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer claimed that Smith-Schusters pregame TikTok video gave the Bills extra fire on the way to a 26-15 win over Pittsburgh.

Then, most famously, Smith-Schuster made his Browns is the Browns comment just prior to Januarys Wild Card game between the two teams, which the Steelers went on to lose 48-37.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin tried to discount the notion that Smith-Schusters dancing and quotes served as added motivation for Pittsburghs opponents, saying, Were professionals. I doubt any of those antics or things of that nature are legitimate motivating factors as you step into professional stadiums. But its about respect, and so well have a conversation.

Of course, the Steelers went on to re-sign Smith-Schuster to a one-year deal that keeps him with the team through the 2021 season. He has insisted that he wont stop being authenticthat he wont stop being himselfso it ought to be interesting to see if hes more restrained in terms of his self-promotional activities in 2021, at least in terms of those that have a direct impact on his coaches and teammates.

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Bill Cowher: Respect the 'Strongest Motivational Tool for NFL Players - Heavy.com