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It's the time of year when card shops, chocolatiers and florists go into overdrive. Valentine's Day is here. To celebrate we've picked out our favourite romantic ballets, famed for their passionate pas de deux and amorous adagios:
Romeo and Juliet
Ultimately doomed, yes, but Kenneth MacMillan's stunning adaptation of William Shakespeare's iconic play deserves its place at the top of any Valentine's Day ballet list, such is the allure of (possibly) the greatest love story ever told. A lesser choreographer might struggle to reflect the passion and lyricism of the Bard's writing in movement, but in creating moments like the intensely tender Balcony pas de deux, MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet is as vital and thrilling as the play it was based upon:
The Sleeping Beauty
Marius Petipa's iconic Sleeping Beauty offers up an enchanted world of princesses, fairy godmothers, magic spells and a charming prince, the ballet includes many memorable moments including technically demanding choreography such as the famous - and influential - Rose Adagio. But for heartwarming romanticism, few moments beat the Awakening scene, in which dashing Prince Florimund breaks Aurora's spell-induced slumber:
Don Quixote
Packed full of sunny Spanish flair, Don Quixote shifts the focus from bumbling knight Don Quixote - as in Cervantes's 17th-century novel - to the sparky relationship between young lovers Kitri and Basilio. Ludwig Minkus's score incorporates some appropriately Iberian touches, including seguidilla and habanera rhythms, and the clack of castanets, as seen in this pas de deux from Act II:
La Fille mal gardée
Frederick Ashton's pastoral ballet may appear whimsical on first glimpse, but La Fille mal gardée packs a virtuoso punch, featuring some of its creator's most brilliant choreography. Inspired by Ashton's love of the Suffolk countryside, it contains a series of energetic pas de deux for Lise - the wayward daughter of the title - and her farmhand lover Colas. Chief among them is the pas de ruban, a ribbon dance that captures the elan of young love:
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
The most recently-created inclusion on this by no-means-exhaustive list, Christopher Wheeldon's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is largely faithful to the source material of Lewis Carroll's much-loved novel. One addition in the balletic adaptation however, is the inclusion of a love interest for Alice, who is depicted as a teenager instead of the younger girl of Carroll's original text. Jack (otherwise known as the Knave of Hearts) is on the run for stealing the Red Queen's tarts and sweeps Alice off her feet, culminating in a tender, loving pas de deux in the penultimate scene:
Something of a wildcard (to put it mildly) in this list, MacMillan's intense adult drama Mayerling is an exploration of the darker side of love based on the true story of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria-Hungary, who, following a downward spiral of drug abuse and violence, committed suicide with his mistress Mary Vetsera in 1889. The Prince's emotional decline is charted through a series of shocking, highly-charged pas de deux, which push the limits of classical ballet:
Which are your favourite romantic ballets?
La Fille mal gardée runs 16 April-5 May 2015. Tickets are still available.
The production is staged with generous support from Mrs Aline Foriel-Destezet, the Paul Ferguson Memorial Fund, Celia Blakey and Marina Hobson OBE and Peter Lloyd.
Tutus, tiaras, pirouettes and pas de deux – that's what ballerinas are made of. Or are they? Alongside the fairies, princesses and girlish heroines stand another group of women who defy the mould. Encompassing parts that range from protective mothers to powerful sorceresses, these so-called 'character roles' make use of acting and mime in addition to dance. And they're often as vital to the drama of a narrative ballet as that decorated leading lady.
At The Royal Ballet, most character roles are undertaken by Character Artists. These dancers tend to have performed with the Company for several years and risen through the ranks. They therefore bring to their roles an understanding of the movement and characterization inherent to classical ballet – Genesia Rosato, one of the Company's current Principal Character Artists, explains that performing character parts is 'just an extension of what we have been taught classically'. However, without the technical framework of a fully danced role to fall back on, these performers must go beyond choreographed steps to create convincing personas – they must, as Rosato explains, have 'a natural feeling for acting'.
Dancers with a flair for acting and mime in fact often take on character parts relatively early in their careers, watching and learning from those who have experience of performing the roles. This tradition is particularly strong within The Royal Ballet; Rosato describes how she was 'taught in my early days in the Company by Julia Farron, Gerd Larsen and Derek Rencher, who nurtured my dramatic tendencies'. Fellow Principal Character Artist Elizabeth McGorian remembers her training in mime with Anthony Dowell – 'a stickler for detail but never afraid to update it or experiment with it' – and Peter Wright, 'who knows everything there is to know about classical mime and is such a perfectionist'.
Christina Arestis – a current Royal Ballet Soloist who performs both dance and character parts – draws on her training to immerse herself in a particular role: 'Monica Mason once said to me, the most important thing when approaching any role is first to consider how that particular character would walk. That is always my starting point. Once you have established that, you can start to build the layers of your character from there.'
Of the many choreographers who include character roles in their narrative ballets, Kenneth MacMillan is particularly revered for the imaginative, complex personalities he created. For McGorian, 'MacMillan was the master. Character roles were such an intrinsic part of all his story ballets and he was groundbreaking with the way he made the storytelling so naturalistic'. She names Lady Capulet from MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet as her favourite role, 'not least because of the heartbreaking, gut-wrenching reaction she has to her nephew Tybalt's death… the build up to that scene and performing it leave me emotionally and physically shattered'.
The female character artist's repertory includes a number of other powerful mother figures: Berthe in Giselle and the Princess in Swan Lake are each complex characters, caring for their children but powerless to avert disaster. Though less prominent, the dignified presence of Madame Larina in Onegin provides valuable background detail for the behaviour of her two very different daughters. But character artists are by no means restricted to depictions of maternal love. The plethora of women they portray range from glamorous, independent figures such as Madame in Manon to the demented, knife-wielding young cook in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. They can be some of ballets most famous baddies – the wicked fairy godmother Carabosse in The Sleeping Beauty and the witch Madge in La Sylphide.
None of these characters conform to the stereotype of a ballerina. But without them, and the skilled dance-actors who bring them to life, ballet's most famous stories could not be told.
Onegin runs until 27 February 2015. Tickets are still available.
The production is given with generous philanthropic support from Simon and Virginia Robertson, David Hancock, Lady Jarvis, Lindsay and Sarah Tomlinson, Sir Roger and Lady Carr, The Artists' Circle and The Royal Opera House Endowment Fund.
Swan Lake runs 10 February–9 April 2015. Tickets are sold out but returns may become available, and there are 67 day tickets for each performance.
Swan Lake will be broadcast live to cinemas around the world on 17 March 2015. Find your nearest cinema.
The production is given with generous philanthropic support from Celia Blakey, John and Susan Burns, Doug and Ceri King, Peter Lloyd and Gail Ronson. Original Production (1987) and revival (2000) supported by The Linbury Trust.
Flowers, gardens and waltzes seem to go well together – at least in ballet. In Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the tantalizing garden that Alice glimpses through an impossibly small door becomes the object of her searches through Wonderland, the place she hopes to find the Knave of Hearts.
A waltz characterizes this desirable garden, and as its composer, Joby Talbot, describes it: 'whenever Alice hears the flower waltz, she knows she should head towards it. Sometimes she thinks she's there, sometimes she's so close but gets lost and finally, when she arrives, we hear the Flower Waltz in its entirety as the culmination of a journey.' The waltzing flowers have an exuberance to match the music, which is reminiscent of a fairground carousel.
There is a rather different tone of waltz for the Queen of the Dryads in Don Quixote. The hapless hero of Petipa's ballet, knocked unconscious by a rampaging windmill, dreams he is among tree-dwelling spirits and their queen. An association with flowers in such a bosky setting is inevitable, not least with the imagery of the round spreading tutus, decorated with petals and flowers, and the sinuous, elegant bending of classical choreography. The queen is introduced with a gentle waltz in which the choreography captures the pendulum-like, easy flow of the waltz's three-in-a-bar rhythm and the rise and fall of the melodic phrases.
Probably the most famous of all flower waltzes is Tchaikovsky's for Act II of The Nutcracker. Again, the setting is a garden (a Sugar Garden, no less), where Clara and her Nutcracker are entertained after victory over the Mouse King and his army. The Waltz follows a series of short character dances, and fills the stage with the corps de ballet in a joyful climax. In fact, these concerted waltzes for the corps de ballet and some of the principals are often the conclusions to scenes. The seemingly perpetual, uplifting motion of the waltz lends itself to celebratory finales.
All of these three waltzes personify flowers in various ways: the spreading shape of the tutus as though the petals of a flower, pastel colours, decorations of flowers and petals on the costumes, swaying movements like the gentle wafting in a breeze, arm gestures like the opening from bud to bloom, or turning and spinning that emphasize the circular symmetry of the flower.
But flowers are used for their romantic symbolism too. In Act I of The Sleeping Beauty the Garland Dance takes place as part of the celebrations of Princess Aurora's name day. The corps de ballet dance with hoops and garlands of flowers to create elegant, evolving shapes, and also bring a bucolic and charmingly youthful quality to the party. The Garland Dance is a waltz, naturally. Continuing the flower significance, it is followed by the famous Rose Adage, for Princess Aurora and her suitors, in which the presenting of a flower from each suitor to her expresses a profession of love.
Perhaps most distinctive of all the flower ballets is not part of a large narrative work, but a short, self-contained pas de deux based on a poem by Théophile Gautier: Fokine's Le Spectre de la rose. In it, a rose worn by a young girl at a ball manifests itself in her dreams as a romantic ideal; its beauty and grace represents the physicality of a lover. It was a signature piece of the creator of the title role, Vaslav Nijinsky. His leap through a window into the girl's bedroom has become the defining image of the work, but the work is more properly an exquisitely tender interpretation of a young girl's romantic longing. And the music for this ballet? Carl Maria von Weber's piano piece Invitation to the Dance – a waltz.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland runs until 16 January 2015. Tickets are sold out but approximately 67 day tickets will be available on the day of the performance from the Covent Garden Box Office.
The production is sponsored by Van Cleef and Arpels and is given with generous philanthropic support from Celia Blakey and The Royal Opera House Endowment Fund. It is a co-production with The National Ballet of Canada.
Don Quixote runs until 22 January 2015. Tickets are still available.
The production is generously supported by The Friends of Covent Garden.
You come from a ballet family – did this inspire you?
My mum and dad were both principal dancers in Chelyabinsk, where I grew up – sometimes they even danced together. Now they have retired and are teaching. But my sister is a ballerina and still dancing in Chelyabinsk. When I was small it just seemed natural I should dance too. It also seemed natural I should go to the Perm State Choreographic College, as both my parents had studied there and my sister was already there, in her graduation year.
You went when you were nine – that's very young.
I was very little and happy to go but didn't know it was going to be so hard. I went on the overnight train because at the time we couldn't afford the plane and I still remember the view as the train moved off – watching my parents waving goodbye to me, and I was crying. The first nights in the dormitory at school were difficult too. You couldn't show you were crying and missing your mum. You had to hide it. But it got easier later and technology became better so I got a mobile phone and could reach my parents that way. I remember when I entered the arabesque competition. My dad had promised me a laptop computer if I won a prize – and I did, I got the silver medal. I was the first boy at school with a laptop. Suddenly there was a queue of boys all wanting to try it out.
How did you come to study at The Royal Ballet School? Was this your preferred choice or were there other schools in the frame?
After six years at Perm I entered the Prix de Lausanne competition and won a study scholarship – I had lots of schools to choose from, including the Vaganova Academy in St Petersburg, and The Royal Ballet School. To be honest I chose The Royal Ballet School mainly because it was in London. I was a teenager and fed up of Russia and thought it would be amazing to live in a great city in Europe. It was very difficult at first because I didn't speak any English. I shared a room with Benjamin Ella, who is a dancer with The Royal Ballet now, and a good friend, and we created a hybrid language of English and Russian to get by. I actually didn't expect to stay longer than a year, but after my first year Gailene Stock [the former Director of the Royal Ballet School] asked me if I wanted to continue and graduate, so I stayed. After graduation I was offered a contract with English National Ballet right away.
Tell us about your dream partnership at English National Ballet with Czech prima ballerina Daria Klimentová.
We get on so well together. We match each other in physique and she is Czech and the Czech and Russian culture is a bit similar. And our sense of humour is also the same. When you are really relaxed in rehearsals it gives you the confidence to explore new things. We can make jokes, or be really honest and say what's on our mind, then just let it go. If you're dancing with someone you don't feel so comfortable with you can feel scared and shy, which might mean you don't give your best.
Daria retired in May this year and has been quoted as saying she waited 20 years to find a dance partner like you.
That's lovely. At first I don't think either of us thought we were a particularly amazing partnership. We were just working on dancing together as well as we could and enjoying it. We weren't trying to push it and create something special, it just came naturally and it was up to the audience to decide whether we were good together or not.
And now you have joined The Royal Ballet. What are you most looking forward to?
It is a really exciting time because every role I will dance with The Royal Ballet will be a debut for me. There is Manon with Lauren Cuthbertson and also Don Quixote, Onegin and Swan Lake. I've already danced The Sleeping Beauty and The Winter's Tale with the Company. The Winter's Tale was particularly interesting for me to do because I'd never really done this style of choreography before, so it was a big challenge, and when you are young it is good to always challenge yourself.
What other highlights are you looking forward to?
I'm looking forward to all the different classes I will take part in – particularly to work with the Russian teacher, Alexander Agadzhanov. What I also love about The Royal Ballet is that, unlike other companies, you have your own dressing room inside the Royal Opera House itself and sometimes before you rehearse there are operas going on – it makes you feel closer and more connected to the stage. I think I will enjoy this aspect a lot. I hope to guest for other companies sometimes too. It improves you a lot as a dancer because you go to a new company and the production and the ballerina you dance with are both new, so you have to push yourself. It's a pressure, but a good one that makes you stronger. Then when you come back 'home' it makes you feel more special.
Tell us about dancing the role of Lensky in John Cranko's Onegin for The Royal Ballet.
I am really looking forward to this – it's a great story, a Russian classic, of course. A few years ago I was only thinking about cabrioles and pirouettes and how to jump high. Now I realize there are lots of amazing ballets where I can be an actor as well as a ballet dancer.
Do you enjoy the challenge of acting through dance?
Yes I do, especially when you know a ballet well enough, as then it seems to come naturally. Once you have mastered the steps and they are in your body and muscles, you can start to let go. That is when the acting comes in. But I don't like to force it as it is sometimes hard to push the acting in the rehearsal studio – the best time for me is on stage when I have danced two acts already. By that time I am so tired I don't think about the steps at all, they become automatic and that's usually the best moment when I can let go and really go for it.
You are a product of both Russian and English schools of ballet – have you developed an individual style?
I think I have. I can't say I am 100% Russian now, because I have worked at The Royal Ballet School for three years, and with English National Ballet for four and a half years. So I am a mixture of my Russian blood and training and the English school, which have very different styles. I don't want to change that though – it is good to have a bit of everything.
Vadim Muntagirov will appear in Manon, Symphonic Variations, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Don Quixote, Onegin and Swan Lake in the 2014/15 Season.
This article first appeared in the Royal Opera House Magazine, which is sent quarterly to the Friends of Covent Garden. Find out more about becoming a Friend.
Over the summer, Sky Arts is broadcasting a number of Royal Ballet productions, including La bayadère, The Metamorphosis, Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Swan Lake.
Full details of upcoming Sky Arts broadcasts:
Broadcast times are subject to change, so do check Sky Arts listings for final confirmation, and to find out what other dance programmes they are screening this summer.
Behind the scenes films about all these Royal Ballet productions can be found on our YouTube Channel]]>
Six winners have been chosen for this year's Design Challenge, which was focused around The Royal Ballet's The Sleeping Beauty.
The competition, now in its fourth year, invites students from National Skills Academy colleges across England, Wales and Northern Ireland to create, develop and showcase designs for a production.
Students were able to focus on one of five categories: Set, Costume, Marketing, Digital Learning Resource or Hair, Wigs & Make Up. This year, entrants also had to choose one of four director's visions, structuring their work to reflect their choice.
A total of 57 shortlisted entries were exhibited in the Crush Room during a Schools' Matinee performance of The Sleeping Beauty in March. The shortlist was chosen by a team of Royal Opera House judges.
'The standard of entries was exceptionally high and the judging panel were extremely impressed with the level of research, innovation and skill that was on display,' said ROH Director of Learning and Participation, Jillian Barker, who announced the category winners to a crowded Crush Room after the Schools' Matinee performance:
The five category winners now have the opportunity to have a tailor-made backstage experience at the Royal Opera House that relates to their specialism, whilst the winner of the Director's Choice Award will win a signed copy of this year's Royal Ballet Yearbook.
The Design Challenge is kindly supported by the Paul Hamlyn Education Fund.]]>
Former Director of The Royal Ballet Anthony Dowell recently coached The Royal Ballet's Yuhui Choe and Benjamin Ella through a pas de deux from The Sleeping Beauty.
The session was watched by a live ROH Insights audience.
To see more footage like this, subscribe to the Royal Opera House YouTube channel:
#ROHbeauty always wanted to see Sleeping Beauty. Not disappointed. Just brilliant. Sarah Lamb fab as Aurora :-)
— helen emmett (@hellbell31) March 19, 2014
#ROHbeauty loved Elizabeth Harrod as Fairy 'Violente' as well as in the Pas de trois of the third act @TheRoyalBallet
— dansomanie (@dansomanie) March 19, 2014
SO in love with Sarah Lamb and @_stevenmcrae as a couple. Or just Steven McRae on his own... #ROHbeauty
— Georgina Wells (@Wells15G) March 19, 2014
Absolutely the best way to spend a Wednesday evening, I think I was 6 when I last went to the ballet #beautiful #ROHbeauty
— Cathryn Rogers (文音) (@CathrynJane_x) March 19, 2014
That was a fantastic performance from Sarah Lamb and Steven Mcrae as normal! Of course everyone else who danced :) #ROHbeauty
— KT (@kaatieTompkins) March 19, 2014
#ROHbeauty ... lilac #fairy u were my favourite! The music was soooo BEAUTIFUL :)))
— Tara von Spreckelsen (@Tara_Harmony) March 19, 2014
Broadcast technology obviously not up to the genius that is @_stevenmcrae He turned into a spinney blur at one point #ROHbeauty
— Rosie Cox (@RosieCox007) March 19, 2014
told my mates I'm watching Man U but enjoying this much more with Mrs McKinney #ROHbeauty in Paisley Showcase
— Stephen McKinney (@Glasgow0141) March 19, 2014
Everything to do with #ROHbeauty was flawless. The music, dancing, costumes, just everything was complete perfection.
— Jessica Williams (@JessieWills1005) March 19, 2014
What did you think of The Sleeping Beauty in cinemas?
The next live cinema relay will be The Winter's Tale on 28 April 2014. Find your nearest cinema and sign up to our newsletter.]]>
The Royal Ballet's The Sleeping Beauty, starring Sarah Lamb and Steven McRae, was relayed live in cinemas across the world on 19 March as part of our Live Cinema Season 2013/14.
The relay featured backstage films offering an exclusive glimpse behind-the-scenes with members of the cast and creative team. In case you missed them, or just want to find out more about The Royal Ballet classic, here they are again:
Re-awakening The Sleeping Beauty
When the Royal Opera House stopped performances during World War II, it was Oliver Messel's production of The Sleeping Beauty that was selected to re-open the theatre in 1946; a fairytale based around the re-awakening of a Princess, it was the ideal production to mark the opening of the theatre. The opening night, starring Margot Fonteyn and Robert Helpmann, was a tremendous success and the production remains a signature piece for The Royal Ballet. Find out more from Former Director of The Royal Ballet Monica Mason, Senior Teacher and Répétiteur to the Principal Artists Alexander Agadzhanov, Head of ROH Collections Francesca Franchi, and members of the cast about why The Sleeping Beauty holds such a special place in the repertory:
Rehearsing The Sleeping Beauty
Set to a passionate score by Tchaikovsky, The Sleeping Beauty contains many memorable moments; the Rose Adagio, in which Princess Aurora performs eight very exposed and challenging unsupported balances, has become one of the most famous set-pieces in ballet. 'One of the most difficult parts of dancing Aurora is the stamina, particularly in Act One,' says Sarah Lamb, who is performing the lead role. 'It is both a technical challenge and an artistic challenge.' Find out more about the challenges of the choreography from Sarah, Steven McRae, Alexander Agadzhanov and Monica Mason:
The Royal Opera House Cinema Season relays our performances to over 1,000 cinemas in 40 countries around the world. Upcoming productions in the 2013/14 Cinema Season include The Winter's Tale and Manon Lescaut.
The Royal Ballet production of The Sleeping Beauty, starring Sarah Lamb and Steven McRae, will be screened live in cinemas across the world on 19 March.
Ahead of the screening, find out more about the production with our Digital Guide, which allows you to access specially selected films, photos and exclusive articles about the production while on the move.
The Story
When a wicked fairy places a fatal curse on the baby Princess Aurora, King Florestan and his Queen are distraught. However, the good Lilac Fairy promises that Aurora will not die but fall into a sleep of 100 years, a spell that only a prince's kiss can break. Find out more in our Ballet Essentials article.
The Production
Although The Sleeping Beauty wasn't an instant hit when it had its premiere at the Mariinsky in 1890, the ballet is now a firm favourite of The Royal Ballet repertory. When the Royal Opera House stopped performances during World War II, it was Oliver Messel's production of the ballet that was selected to re-open the theatre in 1946. The production performed today retains much of Messel's original design and is considered to be one of The Royal Ballet's defining works. Find out more about Oliver Messel's iconic production.
The Sleeping Beauty. The Royal Ballet. Sarah Lamb as Aurora and Steven McRae as Prince Florimund. October 2011. Photo by Johan Persson
Elizabeth Harrod and Ryoichi Hirano in The Sleeping Beauty, The Royal Ballet © ROH/Johan Persson, 2011
Sarah Lamb as Princess Aurora and Steven McRae as Prince Florimund in The Sleeping Beauty © Johan Persson/ROH 2011
The Choreography
The version performed at the Royal Opera House today combines Marius Petipa's classic 19th-century choreography with newly created sections by Frederick Ashton, Anthony Dowell and Christopher Wheeldon. Set to a passionate and iconic score by Tchaikovsky, it contains many stand-out moments, from the famous Rose Adagio in Act I, to the divertissements in the final act - a series of fairytale showpieces that feature characters including Little Red Riding Hood and Puss-in-Boots. Find out more about divertissements.
The Sleeping Beauty opened on 22 February. Read audience reactions to the opening night and add your own review.
The Sleeping Beauty will be screened live in cinemas across the world on 19 March. Find a cinema screening near you and sign up for our cinema mailing list.
The remainder of the ROH Cinema Season 2013/14 sees Christopher Wheeldon's The Winter's Tale live in cinemas 28 April, followed by Jonathan Kent's Royal Opera production of Manon Lescaut on 24 June.]]>


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ST.HELENS, ORE-- Where will the next great apps come from? Probably from a school near you.
Two Oregon schools are contenders to win Verizon Innovative App challenge. It's a chance to win $20,000 for the school.
This is the second year for the national event. St. Helens Middle School and the School of Science and Technology in Beaverton are Best in State. Some 1,300 teams from across the country entered the contest.
The challenge was to create an app that identifies a problem or need and find a solution. The 8th grade technology class at St. Helens Middle School came up with a periodic table of interactive elements. Their app even comes with 3D models to make it easier for students to understand chemistry.
At the School of Science and Technology, the computer club met twice a week for a month to develop its Student Connect app. It keeps students, teachers and parents communicating.
We know they love cell phones and hey, with a little creativity, a little thought, you can work yourself into a career, said Scott Charleston with Verizon Wireless Communications.
Both schools will move forward to the next round. On February 4th, the Best in State winners will be pared down to 24. On February 19th, that group will be whittled down to eight teams.
The national winner will be announced in June in Washington, DC. The winning school will receive $20,000. Team members will take home new Samsung tablets, plus help from MIT to bring their app to life.

subset: commoncrawl


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Fantasia Barrino is still in the hospital recovering from an overdose.
The "American Idol" winner was admitted to a North Carolina hospital at 8:55 p.m. on Monday where she was treated after taking too many pills. "She took an overdose of aspirin and a sleep aid," Fantasia's manager Brian Dickens said in a statement. "Her injuries are not life-threatening. She was dehydrated and exhausted at the time."
Brian told S2S that Fantasia "is stable now. She will be released from the hospital soon. "
Fantasia OD'd just hours after reading the allegations made against her by Paula Cook in a divorce filing. Paula is married to the singer's on-again-off-again boyfriend Antwaun Cook.
From the statement we received, it seems as though things between him and Fannie are off at the moment. However, her camp does admit that she and Antwaun spent a lot of time together when things were good. "Fantasia loved Mr. Cook and thought he loved her," Brian explained to S2S. "Fantasia is heartbroken. She feels betrayed. She is also sorry for the pain she has caused."
Paula charges that Fantasia was an active and willing participant in breakdown of her marriage to Antwaun. Fantasia claims she had nothing to do with the conditions leading up to their divorce. Supposedly, Antwaun told Fantasia that he was in a loveless marriage and that he and Paula had actually separated back in 2009. But after reading court papers yesterday, Fantasia is confused.
"Fantasia does not know what to believe now," Brian said. "She knows some of the allegations in [Paula's] complaint are totally false. There are others she strongly doubts. There is plenty she does not know."
All this drama comes at a very hectic time for Fantasia, who is getting ready to release her next album, Back To Me, on August 24. The project features 12 tracks, including "Move On Me," "Even Angels," "Bittersweet" and "I'm Doin' Me."
— Sonya Eskridge
Here's more:
Fantasia, FeFe sing the blues
Fantasia delays 'Back To Me'
Fantasia finally graduates


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2 Secret Service supervisors in prostitution scandal identified
Thursday - 4/19/2012, 10:19pm EDT
By ALICIA A. CALDWELL
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - The identities of two Secret Service supervisors who have been pushed out of the agency in the wake of a prostitution scandal have been revealed.
Lawrence Berger, the general counsel for the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, said Thursday he is representing Greg Stokes and David Chaney.
Chaney and Stokes were part of the agency's uniformed division. A third employee, who was not a supervisor, has resigned. Berger said he could not comment on the investigation.
Eleven Secret Service employees are accused of misconduct in connection with the prostitution scandal at a Cartagena, Colombia, hotel last week. The tawdry affair erupted after an argument over payment between a Colombian prostitute and one of the employees spilled into a hotel hallway.
Ten military members are also being investigated.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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Earlier this week, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced that the long-delayed Silver Line will begin moving passengers on July 26.
News of the rail line's launch fueled a string of glowing endorsements from elected officials across the county. Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins (D) characterized it as "a testament to the ingenuity of the entire Washington metropolitan area." Board Chairwoman Sharon Bulova (D) called it "terrific news" and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said rail "will improve daily life for thousands of commuters and that the long-term benefits in improved traffic, economic development and livable communities will be worth the wait."
Hopefully, the end of that decade-long wait will shift the Silver Line debate from cost overruns and construction delays to a more basic discussion — one that involves getting 150,000 Fairfax- and Loudoun-based commuters to trade in their car keys for a Metro farecard.
Getting people to change age-old habits is never easy. For starters, how many of the folks rolling up Route 7 in their Lexus GS or BMW X1 have taken Metro in the past year? Just as important, how many plan to ride the Silver Line during its first week? What about in its first month? 2015? 2020?
The answer to those questions, obviously, will go a long way toward determining whether the project's $5.7 billion price tag — $2.9 billion for the just-completed first phase and $2.8 billion for the yet-to-be-built second portion — can be justified.
Among rail proponents, ridership forecasts often include a fully redeveloped Tysons Corner with 100,000 residents and 200,000 others visiting daily to work or shop. Problem is, those numbers won't become reality until 2040, at the earliest. Today, roughly 22,000 people call Tysons home, meaning drivers from Great Falls, Herndon and points west will largely determine the Silver Line's success over the next 20 years.
Depending on the year and the study, monthly ridership forecasts for the Silver Line range from 480,000 to 750,000 by the end of next year.
If Metro officials hope to get within shouting distance of that 750,000-rider figure, they'll have to make significant progress on a few fronts.
None is more important than implementing an effective marketing campaign, one that educates drivers on the benefits of public transportation and incentivizes them to use it and stick with it. Based on dozens of informal conversations we've had with potential riders, many could use a Metro 101 course. With rail slated to roll through western Fairfax County in less than 30 days, far too many people remain in the dark about station locations, parking availability and fare costs. There also are questions about operating hours and the availability of local bus service from each station.
Even more troubling, many don't yet know where the Silver Line's first phase begins and ends. Some believe it ends in Tysons, while others are convinced it comes to a stop at Dulles Airport.
Fortunately, a few are aware that it branches off from the Orange Line at East Falls Church and adds five new stations, including McLean, Tysons Corner, Greensboro, Spring Hill and Wiehle-Reston East.
Boosting the public's awareness level over the next month is critical in any success Metro has between now and 2015. Offering a free one-day pass from each of the new stations would be a wise idea. So would deeply discounting a one-month pass for those who intend to use Metro five days a week going forward.
Everyone who lives in this region — including residents of Arlington, Loudoun and Prince William counties — has a vested interest in the Silver Line's success. At the end of the day, higher Metro ridership translates to cheaper tolls, cleaner air and fewer cars on our traffic-choked roads.
Spread the word.


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Psychopharmacology Demystified, 1st Edition | 9781435427877
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Author(s): Lichtblau
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The goal of Psychopharmacology Demystified is to get the internal light-bulbs of insight to glow by using every-day situations and personal vignettes to illuminate complicated ideas and concepts usinglanguage that nursing students can understand. The text begins with a primer on neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, since this knowledge is a prerequisite for understanding the ensuing chapters covering antidepressants, mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, anxiolytic-sedative-hypnotics and cognitive enhancers, as well as a chapter on substance abuse and addiction. Each chapter begins with a personal story, followed by an overview of the topic, the history of pharmacological management, a review of the major drugs in use, and concludes with current insights and future directions of therapy. While it can be used as a free-standing text, it is meant to be used in conjunction with more traditional psychiatric nursing books and pharmacotherapy textbooks.
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Antro SOLO human-electric-hybrid aims for double the fun
The SOLO prototype on the road - sure to attract attention
The team hopes that the lightweight construction and unique design will help achieve 150mpg fuel efficiency when a fuel motor is added
Driver and both passengers can manually power the vehicle via pedals in front of them
Photovoltaic cells in the roof provide power for electric propulsion
Comfortably seats three people, the driver in the middle
Article Summary
Hungarian designers Antro are aiming to introduce a new fuel efficient vehicle to the consumer market by 2012 which will rely on the muscle-power of driver and passengers as well as a hybrid fuel/electric engine. The designers are also looking to have the three-seater SOLO link up to another to make one vehicle capable of carrying six people.
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investment seems justified. Decreasing the sample sizes in national population surveys or limiting population coverage may cause compromises in data quality or generalizability. A related issue is that it might take very large population surveys to adequately cover important demographic subgroups of interest, such as pregnant women or certain minority groups. Thus, it may be more efficient to have separate surveys or surveillance surveys of special populations than only one large population survey. A comprehensive surveillance system, as described in this chapter, could also be critical for other disease control activities that are not tobacco-related, and conceivably the cost of the system could be shared.
Another important limitation is that many aspects of population surveillance depend largely on self-report, which can be subject to error. In some instances, tobacco product usage can be validated by external means, but not in all circumstances. There are also limitations to predicting behaviors based on self-reported personal knowledge and attitudes, although both are important. Here, too, there are mechanisms to improve the validity of these reports.
There may not be suitable or logistically feasible biomarkers of exposures for the range of important tobacco products and toxicants to which users are exposed. Some of the biomarkers of exposure used in the past, such as cotinine, may still have utility for assessing conventional tobacco product exposure, but as new PREPs come to the marketplace, these markers may no longer be fully suitable because they won't necessarily serve as adequate surrogate markers for the range of major tobacco constituents.
Some elements of a comprehensive surveillance system, such as mandating tobacco manufacturers to report product characteristics, ingredients, additives, and brand-specific sales and distribution data might require a legislative or regulatory approach to enforce. Without this information, a comprehensive surveillance program would be much weaker.
Finally, it should be noted that it is not the burden of surveillance systems per se to relate PREPs or other tobacco product exposure to specific health outcomes or altered levels of those outcomes. That is usually the function of targeted epidemiological studies such as cohort studies of persons using PREPs to monitor for long-term health effects, with suitable contrast groups. Well-designed case-control studies may also be appropriate vehicles for exploring certain tobacco-disease associations, although the retrospective recall of the past product usage may not always be credible. As always, epidemiological studies should be accompanied by the best basic science and clinical research to guide the study design, apply the most modern markers of exposure and disease, and optimally interpret the findings.


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Bowel Diversion Surgery Ileostomy, Colostomy Center - Dearborn Heights, MI
WebMD Physician Directory
Dearborn Heights, Michigan
Bowel Diversion Surgery: Ileostomy, Colostomy, Ileoanal Reservoir, and Continent Ileostomy
What Is Bowel Diversion Surgery?
Bowel diversion surgery allows stool to safely leave the body when (because of disease or injury) the large intestine is removed or needs time to heal. Bowel is a general term for any part of the small or...
Read the Bowel Diversion Surgery: Ileostomy, Colostomy, Ileoanal Reservoir, and Continent Ileostomy article »
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Thru-deck 12v connectors?
Can anyone point me to thru-deck power connectors for 12v?
Trailer boat, removable mast, want to mount a tri-color & antenna set on the masthead. Would prefer to use disconnects instead of having pigtails flopping out of clamshells on the deck.
Any ideas?
Thru-deck 12v connectors?
Sailnet has 2 pin connectors that would work for your tricolor. See, http://www.sailnet.com/store/item.cfm?pid=13253
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