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There is a rising awareness of the power of the public sector in enhancing sustainable consumption and production practices, in particular related to food procurement and its social, ethical, economical and environmental implications. School meal services have a high resonance in the debate on collective catering services because of the implications on the education to sustainable dietary habits and the orientation of the production system. This contribution focuses on the reciprocal relationship between professionals and users of school meal services as a driver to mobilize new resources—according to the theory of co-production—that steer service innovation and a shift towards more sustainable practices. We illustrate this through a case study on the school meal system in Pisa (Italy), where the Canteen Committee represents an institutional arena for participation and empowerment of actors that has gradually gained a central role in shaping this school meal service. Despite the challenges and obstacles, the institutionalized co-production of services allows consolidation of trust among key players and the introduction of innovations in the service, in the form of several projects oriented to sustainability which would not take place without the joint effort of actors involved, parents in the first place.
There is a rising awareness of the power of the public sector in enhancing sustainable consumption and production practices by changing food procurement strategies [
Public procurement as a lever to achieve sustainability objectives is at the center of a larger debate on the role of public institutions in society. Furthermore, compared to other sectors and industries, food entails a range of issues, which lie at the heart of current sustainability debates: from public health to social inclusion, from sustainable consumption to environmental implications [
The dynamics of public food procurement and collective catering services, schools and hospitals in the forefront (but also universities, care homes, prisons,
Public school meals have a higher resonance in the public procurement debate than other public food services. This is linked to the implications on the production system and the education of children to sustainable consumption [
The role of new "public-private" partnerships in fostering a shift towards more sustainable school meal services is gaining the attention also of the scientific community. Such new relationships may be fostered by promoting the transition management from existing practices and rules to new ones [
The present contribution explores the role of new public-private partnerships for the promotion of more sustainable school meal services by drawing from the theory of co-production [
The following paragraph recalls the foundation of co-production in public services and develops a theoretical framework on co-production in school meals, by drawing from the literature on public education services. Paragraph 3 provides information on methodology and data collection. Paragraphs 4, 5 and 6 develop the case study by presenting respectively: the context, the role of different actors and the main innovations introduced in the school meal service in Pisa (Tuscany, Italy). Paragraph 7 concludes.
In the past forty years, the limitations of welfare state in terms of its ability to face inequalities, increasing demand, constrained resources and environmental degradation are becoming increasingly evident. Moreover, the downward pressure on costs faced by urban governments has exacerbated and at the same time, expectations of citizenry on the quality of services have risen. The dilemmas deriving from these trade-offs have stimulated research to identify possible avenues of solution.
Coproduction has emerged as a concept of the service delivery process, which envisions direct citizen involvement in the design and delivery of city services with professional service agents [
The potential of collaborative approaches to innovation and improvement of public services, as opposed to purely competitive forms of public procurement, continues to suggest new avenues for research also today [
Ostrom [
Contributions from the literature widely illustrate how co-production is put into practice and how it improves the quality of services—showing, in other terms what improvements cannot be achieved otherwise. Case studies from developing countries illustrate how the concept of co-production is operationalized into services often when the organizational power of the state is weak and thus unorthodox organizational arrangements become more suitable [
Several studies provide evidence on the role of co-production in adult social care [
Co-production of education services is a particular type of co-production [
The present article contributes to the debate on co-production and education services, by illustrating how co-production occurs in school meal services. As it will be explained further in the following paragraphs, school meal services in Italy are increasingly assimilated to education services, as it is also recognized by recent legislation. Co-production in school meals is visualized in
Co-production of school meal services.
This process of co-production involves parents in a positive, voluntary and active interaction with the providers of the service [
As for education services, a fundamental nexus is established during school lunch time between students, teachers and the personnel of the collective catering firm in charge of preparing and serving lunch. It is not enough to put lunch on the table if students do not eat it. Beyond the material preparation of meals by the personnel, teachers (especially in pre-primary and primary schools) play an important role in guiding children during lunch time and being an example for them. If co-production doesn't occur at this level, the lunch experience ceases to be an educational experience, and the levels of food waste are one of the consequences.
Furthermore, other contingent inputs originating outside the school canteen impact on the service, but usually none of the costs for these resources are included in the school budget. In the private sphere, the most important contribution derives from parents who imprint children behavior towards food. Beyond the family, other civil society actors engaged in food issues—associations, civil society organizations and media—have an influence. In the public sphere, the municipality defines the service features by commissioning the service though a contract. The local health authority is responsible for the enforcement of food safety standards, which have a strong effect on the way the service is delivered. As shown in the case study, this second type of co-production takes place within the Canteen Committee, a non mandatory body at municipal level, which enables different actors—including parents—to actively engage in the provision of the meal service from planning, delivering up to the monitoring phase. This represents an institutional means to favor the co-production of school meal services by orienting different stakeholders and perspectives towards the innovation of school meal services.
The present research is developed within a collaborative project funded by the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Commission, denominated Foodlinks (see acknowledgements for details). The project entails different themes related to sustainable consumption and production practices among which "revaluing public procurement". Part of the project work is based on the definition and analysis of cases representing best practices in Europe. The timeframe covered by the present case study research is from 2011 to 2013.
The case of Pisa school meal service well fitted the objectives of the Foodlinks project for the effort towards sustainability practices and innovation. In fact the province of Pisa is the protagonist of a rising urban food strategy [
Exploratory semi-structured interviews were carried out addressing the main stakeholders involved in the school meal service in Pisa: the officer and its staff members responsible for the school meal service, together with the representatives of the catering company, allowed to obtain general information on the service and access to relevant documents (including details on the tender documents, technical specifications customer satisfaction assessments performed by the catering company, the results of monitoring sessions performed by parents) and on the projects being developed (described in Paragraph 6). Throughout years 2011–2013, we participated directly to Canteen Committee meetings and this allowed us to gain direct insights on the features and challenges faced by this participatory body. Alongside in-depth interviews to the city councilor for education services were performed, explicitly focusing on the role of the Canteen Committee and its development. Parents nominated members of the Executive Board of the Canteen Committee were contacted several times, either directly or by e-mail, to elicit the amount of time and resources dedicated to fulfill the Canteen Committee duties. A regular observation of the functioning of the school meal service was facilitated by the ICT instruments available: the web log of the Canteen Committee, the school meal service website run by the municipality and the interactive website made available by the catering company, particularly aimed at direct contact with parents.
In the next paragraphs, after a brief presentation of the context, we illustrate how co-production is activated, put into practice and the main challenges encountered. We document the process through which the city authorities have engaged with the actors of the chain of school meals provision, and in particular parents who expressed a strong motivation to push the system towards sustainability, as a means to promote better dietary habits, in and beyond school canteens.
Italy has quite a long history in terms of sustainable public procurement: the orientation towards organic food in the school meal system dates back to the mid 1980s and since then a priority towards local food, attached to seasonality and territoriality, has gradually gained ground [
School meal services in Italy developed since the 1970s, when the school day in pre-primary school level (
The "Italian National Guidelines for School Catering Services" released in 2010 [
Development of technical specifications in the call for tender: these are elaborated by the municipality and state the characteristics of the school meal service; Procurement and menu composition: preference should be given to seasonal and fresh products with reduced environmental impact ( Safeguard of hygiene, nutritional content and taste of food during cooking and transport. In fact, the quality of raw materials can be enhanced or undermined by the technological processes; Food presentation and comfort of canteens: it represents a condition to the appreciation of different types of food, for lunch to become a pleasant shared moment among children and teachers (e.g., noise reduction in the room). Other encouraged practices are the use of non-food products with limited environmental impact (reusable dishes, plates, napkins, Monitoring and assessment of the quality of meal service, also in view of reduction of high levels of waste especially linked to some foods served (e.g., in particular fish and vegetable side dishes).
Development of technical specifications in the call for tender: these are elaborated by the municipality and state the characteristics of the school meal service;
Procurement and menu composition: preference should be given to seasonal and fresh products with reduced environmental impact (
Safeguard of hygiene, nutritional content and taste of food during cooking and transport. In fact, the quality of raw materials can be enhanced or undermined by the technological processes;
Food presentation and comfort of canteens: it represents a condition to the appreciation of different types of food, for lunch to become a pleasant shared moment among children and teachers (e.g., noise reduction in the room). Other encouraged practices are the use of non-food products with limited environmental impact (reusable dishes, plates, napkins,
Monitoring and assessment of the quality of meal service, also in view of reduction of high levels of waste especially linked to some foods served (e.g., in particular fish and vegetable side dishes).
The supply chain of school meals: critical features indicated by the Regional Guidelines.
In fact, Tuscany anticipated times in 2002 with a Regional Law (L.R. n.18/2002) that aimed at compensating local authorities for the introduction of organic and traditional ingredients, by financing the price differentials. During the following years, the use of organic products in schools became more widespread (over a million organic meals in Italy today) [
Along this line, several municipalities throughout Tuscany successfully activated short chain contracts with local farmers, with the aims of improving the quality of dishes and at the same time supporting the local economies. The Region officially supported this ferment by signing a protocol in 2012 with farmers' organizations, cooperatives and caterers, with the objective of supporting and activating a network to facilitate the introduction of local products (originated in Tuscany) into public canteens.
This issue was tackled also by the municipality of Pisa, whose school meal service covers 41 schools for a total of 3200 scholars daily, worth almost 4 million euro per year overall. 40 per cent of overall value is drawn from the municipality budget and 60 per cent from fees paid by families. Family fees per meal range from zero to 5.30 euro according to a synthetic income indicator—which combines ten income intervals—associated to other wellbeing indicators. In the words of the councilor for education services, Maria Luisa Chiofalo:
"Making the service available to everyone is a crucial issue and, in perspective, this could also represent a challenge in providing a complete meal to children while the number of families facing difficulties due to the current economic crisis is increasing".
The school meal service is completely outsourced on the basis of a competitive tender, subject to the European law on public procurement, to the multinational Elior Restauration, who is in charge of the chain of delivery, from procurement to preparation and delivery of meals for five years. The last contract was assigned for the time frame 2011–2015 and was worth 16 million euros. The three award criteria for selection (and relative weights) were: service plan (65 per cent), price (35 per cent) and quality projects (5 per cent).
In terms of logistics, more than two thirds of overall meals are prepared in one of the two centralized cooking centers (situated in the hinterland, 20 minutes drive away from the city center), the remaining meals are prepared in the second centralized cooking center (situated on the coast), or in kitchens that are inner to each of the 17 nursery schools (as required by regional Tuscany law limitedly to nurseries). During the previous legislation, the municipality had to choose whether to invest in the refurbishment of the existing structures (
As described in the previous paragraph, Tuscany region and Pisa municipality provide a favorable context, on the social and political level, in which school meal services can express their potential in educating children to sustainable consumption behaviors, thus re orienting production and practices (
Within school meal services, the network responsible for different aspects of the service is composed of several actors. We recall the main ones:
The municipality or the private school, who decides the service features (through the technical document) and the extent of the investment; the catering firm, who provides the service according to local regulations, contractual commitments and quality standards; Teachers and school staff who participate to lunch time and play a key educational role in favoring its livability and appreciation; The final users, namely children and their families. These are crucial in shaping the food habits and behaviors of the young users of school meal services; The food safety authorities (on the local and national levels) who provide surveillance on the hygienic and nutritional characteristics of food, in accordance with regulations (including inspections and audits on the basis of risk criteria) and support in food and nutrition education.
The municipality or the private school, who decides the service features (through the technical document) and the extent of the investment;
the catering firm, who provides the service according to local regulations, contractual commitments and quality standards;
Teachers and school staff who participate to lunch time and play a key educational role in favoring its livability and appreciation;
The final users, namely children and their families. These are crucial in shaping the food habits and behaviors of the young users of school meal services;
The food safety authorities (on the local and national levels) who provide surveillance on the hygienic and nutritional characteristics of food, in accordance with regulations (including inspections and audits on the basis of risk criteria) and support in food and nutrition education.
Several factors may hinder the development of a positive climate of trust: in economic terms, the down-pressure on resources (
Canteen Committees are bodies of representatives at the municipal level that are not mandatory by law, but warmly suggested by national and regional guidelines on school catering services. These committees play a liaison role between the network of actors involved in the provision of school meals and are seen as "fundamental tools to empower consumers in and
For what concerns the planning and commissioning phase, the Canteen Committee now plays a key role in discussing and developing a shared definition of the priorities to be followed by the municipality in the development of the tender documents. The delivery of the service is full responsibility of the catering company, although the Canteen Committee plays a role on one hand in the realization (and adjustments during progress) of projects set to translate in practice the priorities identified previously. For example in tackling obstacles encountered in the fruit snack scheme: the health authority played a crucial role in the Committee in motivating the pursuance of the project (
Actors' involvement in each macro phase of the school meal service in Pisa.
On the other hand, the Canteen Committee contributes to the daily functioning of the service by promptly communicating the variations on the planned daily menu. This relates to the monitoring phase, which aims at verifying the correspondence between the services and products offered and the specifications of the tender. Monitoring develops contemporarily to the delivery phase (but also after, through the customer satisfaction carried out by the catering company). Members of the Commission carry out assessments by sampling food and ascertain the size and quality of the portions offered to children, the hygienic conditions of the service and the expiration dates of the ingredients utilized to prepare the meals with the support of a standardized checklist. All evaluation forms filled by Canteen Committee members are scanned and published on the website and also communicated personally to parents representatives concerned, in order to broaden knowledge of the results. At the same time Committee members work on building awareness among final users on the effective procedure to follow to signal faults of the services to the competent office.
Transversely to the three phases of planning, delivering and monitoring, Canteen Committee facilitates communication flows between public administration and parents, teachers and students and all actors participating to the school meal system. For example the activation of different IT instruments: the parents' weblog and the website established by the company to enable direct communication between users and firm. The latter provides access to information about menus and recipes and all technical forms with food products characteristics; it allows people to get in touch directly with the company, with suggestions and criticisms.
In broader terms, the Canteen Committee works on increasing the awareness, first of all of its members, on all implications of such a complex public service. In the words of Maria Luisa Chiofalo, the city councilor for education services:
"Real and effective participation to public decision making is based on the knowledge of facts and processes. Making the whole system transparently available has improved the ability of the Canteen Committee members to identify problems, which effectively shortens the way towards their solution".
In this spirit, the city councilor invites Canteen Committee members to the annual meeting for the approval of the municipal budget, to make them even more aware of the financial implications. Trainings on specific matters organized within the Committee have analogous purpose (for instance on particular dietary needs of children with diabetes or celiac disease, the relationship between eating habits and quality of life, or the importance of breakfast).
The improvement of communication between Canteen Committee members and other parents/citizens represents a challenge and an opportunity to enhance the benefits of the Canteen Committee work with respect to the rest of the community. In fact, Canteen Committees include parents actively involved on the basis of a self selection and a personal interest in food issues, with the risk of isolation. Moreover, it should be considered that the relationship of trust that allows a fruitful collaboration among public administration, caterers, final users and citizenship takes a significant time and commitment in order to establish and bring positive results. This may find an obstacle—but also an opportunity—in the turnover of members participating to the Canteen Committee, and the possible political change. Thus the need for a balance between political will and the strong motivation of civil society in pushing the system towards sustainability.
Assessment of free resources provided by parents of the Canteen Committee.
|School year 2012-2013
|Parents involved (number)
|Meetings per year (number)
|Duration (h)
|Cost (€/h) ***
|Canteen Committee
|Executive board
|Blog setting ** and facilitation
|Others (informal discussions, extra meetings, mailing
|potentially all (54)
Notes: *completed checklists published on the website; ** the blog setting on the web is free; *** average hour cost for low grade civil servant.
This simple exercise yields an overall contribution by parents equal to roughly 15 thousands euro per year. This represents an estimation of the resources that the public administration would need to destine to activities that are taken care of by the parents for free, through voluntary and active co-production. However, this co-production also developed, as it will be illustrated in the evolution of the Canteen Committee described in the following paragraph, as a consequence of the impossibility of the public administration to respond by itself to the call for change that emerged from civil society. In other words, it would not be possible for the PA to deliver the same service—although it is an ongoing process that can be improved—without the co production effort of all participants.
The Canteen Committee in Pisa is the protagonist of a gradual but deep change in the encounter between the municipality and the stimulus coming from civil society. The shift towards an educational approach to school lunch mentioned above, emerged also during the meetings as the focus gradually extended from mere monitoring to other aspects of the quality of lunch experience and livability of school canteens (e.g., the importance of teachers behaviors in supporting children during meal time and the presentation of dishes to increase appreciation and reduce waste).
This change is also reflected in the evolution of the governance mechanisms of the Committee. Up to 2010, the president of the Committee was a nominated parent who decided the agenda but was essentially alone in coping with a very conflicting climate, while participation was strongly diminishing. The conflict was a consequence of a mutual mistrust between parents and public administration but was also the result of a clash between parents representatives (there were 60 overall) and a small group of motivated parents (less than 10) who tried to direct the discussions on topics other than the strict monitoring of meals, with the aim of revaluing the overall service, but with very little results and low impact on the rest of the group. It is to be noted that among these parents there were also professionals who could provide valuable input to the discourse (e.g., veterinarians, public officials,
This municipality pandered this input in two ways. Firstly, it supported the establishment of an "executive board" formed by the six motivated parents who could support the president in managing the activities and the relationships with the rest of the committee. It also could bring specific actions and projects to the attention of the plenary meetings. This helped to reduce conflict because the parents interested only in service assessment could limit their participation to that, while leaving space to the others who want to experiment new ways of revaluing the service. The unclear division of roles and the non formalization of relationships among Canteen Committee participants got to a turning point with the approval of an official disciplinary (in September 2012). Competence and functionality of the Committee was formalized by a local regulation, drafted and approved by the municipality, which specified lines of action and relationships among its members. It provides indications on functions, compositions, and terms of appointment. This is at the same time a resultant of the recognition of the relevance of the Committee and a condition for its correct functioning in the future.
Secondly, the municipality supported the involvement of external stakeholders who were able to give responses and corroborate the discussions stimulated by the small group of motivated parents. Stakeholders such as Slow Food representatives, nutritionists, researchers in local policy, consumer education and agriculture provided expert advice to the discussions and allowed the development of several initiatives, for example aiming at other parents in individual schools to discuss more in depth the quality of the service but also develop projects, such as vegetable gardens and to encourage vegetable consumption among children. This diversity of specialists and experts in various field, widely recognized among local civil society has also succeeded in easing the conflict between the municipality and the parents.
One of the most valuable contributions of the executive council and experts is to provide guidance to the municipality in setting the priorities for the new tender contract. A statement on these priorities and principles is made public on the internet web log managed by parents in the Canteen Committee. Part of the requests coming from the Canteen Committee were directly included (e.g., the mid-morning fruit snack scheme) and the hardest ones were mediated by the municipality. For example, the introduction of menus based on short food supply chains ingredients was not feasible all at once but was established through gradual steps during the five years of contract (see
|The short food supply chain meal has been included as a step by step project, twice a month in the first year of contract, up to five times per month by the fifth year;
|Turkey, beef, pork, extra virgin olive oil, soft cheese, pasta, ricotta, bread. Fruits and vegetables according to seasonality: apricots, asparagus, chard, carrots, cabbage, cucumber, onion, aromatic herbs, fennel, lettuce, kiwi, eggplant, apples, melon, potatoes, pepper, peaches, tomatoes, leek, chicory, celery, spinach, plums, grapes, pumpkin, squash, zucchini;
|17 farms involved, who become accredited into the caterer's suppliers list;
|Ameliorative offer of the caterer: organic AND localDifficult to interfere with the procurement policy of the multinational catering company (strict standards)Few organic farmers on the territoryLow flexibility to adjust strict menus based on available products
Another innovation was the substitution of mineral bottled water with tap water served in glass pitchers. In terms of costs, and net of the initial structural adjustments, the comparison between bottled and tap water yields a slight cost increase. This is due to the extra costs for the filters against chlorine and the extra working time for the staff to wash and fill the water pitchers. The administration decided to support the project anyway, because of the environmental gain (less plastic bottles) and the possibility to educate children on the safety of tap water.
Another innovation oriented towards social sustainability was related to meals prepared with produce grown on lands confiscated to criminal organizations (Libera Terra, free land), while during lunch volunteer operators talk to children about the origin and history of the food label Libera Terra.
Other innovations aiming at children education to healthy food habits are the mid morning fruit snack project, the single dish menu and the introduction of dinner suggestions to parents. The fruit snack project consists in offering fruits not after lunch, but during the morning and discouraging parents from providing high calories pre-packaged snacks, generally because of lack of awareness on food contents or for convenience reasons. Consuming a fruit instead allows to give children the energy needed to keep the attention and at the same time to get to lunch-time with the enough appetite (thus also reducing leftovers). This project has no economic cost but introduces an important innovation for the caterer in organization and logistics (e.g., delivering fruits the day before, washed and stored in appropriate containers). It also implies an extra effort for teachers, who must help children during fruits consumption (
The single dish menu is another relevant innovation within the traditional meal system (generally composed in Italy by the first course, the second course with side dish and fruit or desserts). The reason behind the introduction of a single dish in the menu is related to the possibility to taste dishes that would be difficult to introduce into two courses menus (e.g.,
Finally, a priority issue is the amount of leftovers. The last two customer satisfaction reports developed by an independent consultant (one relative to January–June 2012 and the following relative to September 2012–June 2013), show that around 20 per cent of meals is wasted, and that this figure is not reducing in the short run. The leftovers concern primarily the vegetable side dish and the fish second course, often not appreciated by small children. Parents again play a crucial role in educating their children to a variety of dishes, to try new foods and flavors, to stimulate children's curiosity about the colors of the food and thus reducing the reluctance to sample. An indirect contribution to this is given by the fruit snacks scheme, whose success is strictly related to the awareness of parents in not providing high calories snacks in the morning, which impact on appetite and lunch appreciation, but still there is much to be done to address this issue.
The present article focuses on the relationship between different stakeholders involved in school meal services as a means to reach sustainability goals in public service delivery, by framing it within a co-production theoretical framework. Public procurement as a lever to achieve sustainability objectives is at the center of a larger debate on the role of public institutions in society, particularly between "paternalistic" and "libertarian" approaches in food policies, for the impact that these have on human health and sustainability of diets. Revaluing public food procurement implies a change/transition in the public sector purchasing choices and has implications on the way services are oriented, structured, managed and monitored. Within public collective catering, school meals are visible and have a higher resonance.
The present contribution asserts that co-production in school meal services is crucial to pursue sustainability objectives. Starting from the theory of co-production in education services, and based on the principle that school meals represent a moment for education, we develop a reflection on the nexus between service users, professionals and market actors and the inputs needed to activate co production in school meal services.
The case study on the school meal service in Pisa (Tuscany region, Italy) proves effective in showing how co-production in school meal services occurs in different phases of the school meal supply chain. The fundamental nexus between students, teachers and professional caterers is backed by a wider co-production activity that takes place among public actors, market actors and parents within an institutional body, denominated Canteen Committee. Co-production processes in the school meal service take place through a governing arrangement where the public authority directly engages with non-public stakeholders in a collective decision-making process that is formalized, consensus-oriented, and deliberative and that aims to make or implement public policy or manage public programs or assets [
The overlap area that defines co-production in school meal services refers to different phases of the school meal supply chain, from planning, to delivery, communication and monitoring functions carried out by the members of the Canteen Committee. In particular, parents play a direct role in carrying out the monitoring function, but also contribute to the definition of the contract, which binds the caterer in charge of the school meal service and has a strong impact on communication flows occurring within the system.
Co-production resulting from the integration of free and paid resources is a condition for a welfare improvement, also as a consequence of the impossibility of the public administration to respond by itself to the call for change that emerges from civil society. The assessment of the value of time that parents dedicate voluntarily to Canteen Committee functions represents an approximate estimation of the resources that the public administration would need to destine to activities that are taken care of by parents for free, through voluntary and active co-production. In fact the co-production activities carried out by parents, allow a reduction of transaction costs that are necessary to develop innovations. Furthermore co-production leads to the introduction of innovations in the service, in the form of several projects oriented to sustainability, which would not take place without the joint effort of all actors, especially parents.
The authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the European Community under the Seventh Framework Programme theme "Environment" for the collaborative project ENV.2010.4.2.3-3 FOODLINKS.
Francesca Galli contributed to research design, case study development, data analysis and writing of the article, Gianluca Brunori and Francesco Di Iacovo contributed to study conception and design, structure of text and improvement of following drafts, Silvia Innocenti contributed to data collection and interpretation.
The authors declare no conflict of interest.


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Season Three Nashville Star blogger (and full-time music/TV junkie) Lyndsey Parker is back! And she's brought her characteristically strong opinions about this year's show with her. Whether you agree with her or not, you've got to admire her enthusiasm.
Well, this was the week we'd all been waiting for -- the week when the finalists' fate was thrust into the grubby little hands of Nashville Star's judges, who were solely in charge of choosing the songs for this make-or-break episode.
No doubt the contestants fretted like crazy during the past seven days, fearing the worst. Would a vindictive Anastasia Brown force respiratorily challenged Joshua Stevens to sing all 87 or so bars of "Bohemian Rhapsody," just to be mean? Would troublemaker Blake Shelton make Meg Allison do an Alison Krauss B-side, just to get Randy Owen's goat? Would David St. Romain, who's admitted that guitar playing ain't his strong suit, be required to play the entire 12-minute solo of "Free Bird"? Who knew what was in store for these poor guys?
Anyway, I too spent my between-blog downtime contemplating this all-important issue of song selection. I kept imagining that Anastasia and company were no doubt relishing their sudden surge in power (after all, I remember their barely concealed delight when they used their power to send Tim LaRoche and Rickiejoleen packing in week 1). And I couldn't help but be, well, a little envious. I mean, I certainly would love to be in their position. And that got me thinking...what if I got to choose who sang what? What would my song picks be? Hmmm...
Now, it'd be all too easy for me to suggest normal country songs for these folks. But that's not very creative, is it? No, if it were up to me, I'd give 'em a real challenge, something that'd separate the amateurs from the pros: I'd have the finalists take non-country songs and "countrify" them, make them truly their own. You know, just like Jack Ingram covering Hinder's stadium-rock power ballad "Lips Of An Angel," Mark Chesnutt singing Aerosmith's "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing," Johnny Cash reinterpreting Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt," or the Dixie Chicks doing Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide." Any contestant who managed to pull that off would definitively prove that he/she could sing just about anything; and hey, if a contestant failed, at least it'd make for an amusing, YouTube-ready trainwreck, right?
Therefore, I put together the following wishlist of unexpected songs I personally would've chosen for each contestant. My choices may seem a bit insane, but I swear, there is a method to my madness. I guess, as Ricky Ricardo would say, I have some 'splaining to do. So let's compare and contrast my song selections with the judges' choices now...
Zac Hacker
MY CHOICE: Elvis Presley, "Burning Love"
JUDGES' CHOICE: Montgomery Gentry, "Something To Be Proud Of"
In my blog last week, I explored some of the juicier conspiracy theories I saw posted on the Nashville Star messageboard, but there was one I didn't get around to writing about: that the Hackers are supposedly distant relatives of the King himself. I'm not really sure about that, but after watching Zac cut loose in a rhinestone-festooned Vegas jacket to "Memphis Women & Chicken" last week, I wouldn't be surprised if this rumor was true. So I thought it'd be a kick to see Zac tear it up with a real raucous Elvis number.
Sadly, 'twas not meant to be. Instead, Randy mandated that Zac sing a ho-hum Montgomery Gentry tune. Zac wasn't thrilled about the choice, and Randy subsequently wasn't thrilled about Zac's supposed attitude. But I think the judges were overreacting a bit. OK, more than a bit. C'mon, it wasn't that bad. It's not like Zac threw a TV out the window or punched a hole in the wall or hit someone over the head with a cell phone or anything like that. He simply got a tad sulky for about 15 seconds, then he got over it and pulled himself up by his bootstraps. Eventually he had a total turnaround and said he finally connected with the song, but oddly, the judges opted not to mention that. I wonder why?
Anyway, I think Zac did the best he could with what he had to work with. Unfortunately, I don't know if his best was quite good enough this week. His lack of enthusiasm did come through in his somewhat lackluster performance; there was little of the Hacker swagger from last week, at least not until the song's climax, when he finally belted it out in a way that would've made Elvis himself proud. I'm just hoping Zac's shaky start, combined with his "attitude problem," doesn't hurt him in this week's voting round. (I'm telling you, Zac, you should've done the Elvis song. You would've brought the house down.)
Joshua Stevens
MY CHOICE: Justin Timberlake, "Cry Me A River"
JUDGES' CHOICE: Alabama, "I'm In A Hurry"
OK, in past blogs, I have admittedly made several boy-band references regarding Josh, whether it's about his snazzy stylist-appointed wardrobe, his impeccably moussed coiffure, or his lilting vocals. So who better for him to cover than the ultimate boy-bander-turned-credible artiste, ex-*NSYNC heartthrob Justin? Really, I'm being serious here. "Cry Me A River" is in fact a classic you-done-me-wrong breakup ballad in the same vein as many cry-in-yer-beer country tearjerkers, and since I think Josh definitely shines brightest when he's singing five-hanky weepers (like the lovely Vince Gill number he did last week), I can really imagine him working some magic with this maudlin tune. Plus, let's be honest, the girlies would totally swoon for it.
Apparently the judges didn't want to see Josh bring sexy back to Nashville Star, but I think he did an all right job with the Alabama tune he was stuck with instead -- especially since it's such a difficult, breathless song to power through. Seems like all those breathing techniques he learned a couple weeks ago in yoga class worked. Namaste, Joshua. You did good.
David St. Romain
MY CHOICE: Hall & Oates, "Family Man"
JUDGES' CHOICE: The Doobie Brothers, "Listen To The Music"
Now, I've given Dave a hard time about his constant fawning over and babbling about his white-hot wife and infant daughter. But I suppose I should cut the guy a break; his daughter was only born a few weeks ago, which means he's still in that gooey-brained, new-parent stage when he probably thinks every detail about his baby is utterly fascinating and assumes everyone is clamoring to see his accordion-folded walletful of baby pictures. My point is, he's a proud family man right now, but what will happen if he wins Nashville Star and has to go out on the road for months at a time, where he'll be pursued by sex-starved groupies 24/7? Will he remain a dedicated daddy then, and resist all those scantily clad homewreckers throwing their panties -- and themselves -- at him? Most likely. He know he's got a good thing going, and he wouldn't want to mess it up.
So I believe this monogamy-minded Hall & Oates song (about a married man who is tempted by, but ultimately turns down, a wanton 'n' willing floozy) will surely put his wife's mind at ease and remind all those potential groupies that he's an upstanding, one-woman man. Plus, it's a fun, nervy little song; I could see David totally rocking on it.
Turns out he rocked out on the judges' choice anyway. He really seemed to be having fun with the Doobies tune they gave him. Of course, it was pretty obvious that he'd performed it before, which gave him somewhat of an unfair advantage, and hey, whaddya know, he also didn't have to play guitar. So he was one of the few contestants who actually got a lucky break this week.
Whitney Duncan
MY CHOICE: INXS, "Suicide Blonde"
JUDGES' CHOICE: Dwight Yoakam, "Ain't That Lonely Yet"
I merely chose "Suicide Blonde" because after her dismal performance last week, I was convinced that Whitney had committed career suicide. Oh yeah, and also because she's, well, blonde. After wincing through her dishwater-dull rendition of "The First Cut Is The Deepest" (a Cat Stevens classic that, incidentally, Sheryl Crow quite capably countrified a couple years back), I was sure Whitney would be the one to go this week. Turns out I was wrong -- go figure. Think her looks had anything to do with why she made it through another elimination? Um, could be. Blake even flat-out said this week, "Everyone's talking about how hot Whitney is, but make sure your singing is at that level also." Ouch.
This week was no different -- she looked hot; even Randy said so -- but then she delivered yet another blah performance. To her credit, Whit did seem to make a little extra effort this week; at least this time she didn't stay rooted to one spot on the stage, she worked the crowd, and she even managed to crack a smile or two. But still, it was nothing special. She probably wouldn't have done that INXS song any justice either, come to think of it.
Angela Hacker
MY CHOICE: Donna Summer, "She Works Hard For The Money"
JUDGES' CHOICE: Barbara Mandrell, "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool"
Honestly, I really could've picked a song out of a hat for Ange. Heck, I could have asked her to sing a few pages from the Yellow Pages (or even "Mary Had A Little Lamb," a song she ruefully joked about on this week's show) and she would've made it sound great. I truly believe she is incapable of ruining a song. But I picked this Donna Summer anthem for working-class women because, well, Angela's led a rough life. She's slaved, she's scrimped, she's saved, and she's sacrificed. No doubt she could've really related to this tune's lyrics. Plus, I know Angie has the vocal range to pull off an octave-straddling powerhouse number by a diva like Donna.
Guess that's why Angela was slightly disappointed by the less showy song selected for her this week -- although, once again, I think her reaction was completely over-criticized by the judges. Er, Anastasia telling her that she "needs to be spanked"? What is up with that? I don't get it. Since when did having an opinion equal having a "bad attitude"? Anyhoo, Angela needn't have worried. Turned out she kicked butt on that Mandrell tune. I'm telling ya, the lady can do no wrong. No matter what kind of 'tude she and her brother supposedly have, I'm still a Hacker backer all the way.
And finally, Meg Allison, another one of my faves, got cut this week; sadly, this means she never got to sing whatever song the judges' had planned for her. (However, looking at some of their other song choices this week, perhaps that's a blessing in disguise.) But in case you're curious as to what my choice would've been for Meg, it was Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." Actually, at first I was going to go with Fergie's "Fergalicious" (retitled "Megalicious"), but then I realized that only a pro like Cowboy Troy himself should attempt to mix country and rap. Also, I figured the Fergie song might be a little too PG-13 for a nice family-fare show like Nashville Star. Anyway, my intention was just to get Meg to loosen up, to be a little silly and carefree.
I know Blake said he found her nervousness endearing, but apparently the voting public didn't agree, and it was probably her reserved demeanor that sabotaged her in the end. It certainly couldn't have been her creamy singing voice, which was always pretty darn flawless if you ask me. Sigh...I'm sad to see Meg go, and I do hope this girl goes off to have fun in her career. Hopefully she'll leave the show inspired by this week's performances by the Wreckers (featuring former pop princess Michelle Branch) and Nashville Star's own Jewel, because those crossover acts both prove it's possible to successfully branch (no pun intended) the country and pop worlds. I think that's something Meg is fully capable of, as long as she just lightens up a bit. Then she truly will be Megalicious.
And then there were five. Who do I think will get cut next week? Well, if the voters pay too much attention to the judges' sniping, it might very be Zac. But I really hope not. I do think Whitney is still in danger, perhaps even more so now after delivering two yawn-inducing performances in a row. I think viewers are coming to the realization that it's not enough that Whitney's easy on the eyes; the next Nashville Star has to be easy on the ears as well. So yeah, I'll predict now that Whitney's going down next week. Will I be right this time? You'll have to tune in next week to find out. Until then, keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the Nashville Stars.
Past Entries:

subset: commoncrawl


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Socialism was supposed to be in its death throes when the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics dissolved on Christmas Day in 1991. But, like Freddie Krueger, it refuses to die.
Perhaps it is the infiltration of "social justice" teaching into our schools, or our cultural ignorance of history. Whatever the reasons, a full 43% of American 18- to 29-year-olds (and 33% of 30- to 49-year-olds) had a positive reaction to the word "socialism" in a recent Pew Research Center survey. If you know some of them, please get them a copy of 10 Truths About Socialism.
This pocket-sized book shows how socialism has failed every time it has been tried, from the ardently Christian Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock in 1620 to today's Venezuela under Hugo Chavez. Early chapters concisely explain how the philosophies of Rousseau, Marx and others paved the way for both the Nazi-Facist and Communist versions of socialism that led to the deaths of more than 110 million people in the 20th century.
The authors clarify how socialism's insistence on the primacy of the state over individuals, families and churches is at odds with man's very nature. As the Jamestown and Plymouth Rock settlers learned and recorded for posterity, people work much harder when they get to keep the fruits of their own labor, and they resent providing for lazy neighbors.
The book also addresses a point of confusion for many: Does Jesus' concern for the poor justify support for socialism? No, say the authors, because biblical teaching upholds private ownership of property and condemns stealing what belongs to others — and Caesar is not exempt.
Furthermore, neither man nor God attributes virtue to those coerced into giving. Also significant, say the authors, is that "Governments do not give in the name of Jesus. They give in their own name, and the politicians who pass the entitlement legislation to 'redistribute the wealth' get the 'glory.'"
Socialism is not just an economic program to make sure everyone has "enough." It is a worldview at war with the rule and sovereignty of God. Despite attempts by some to reconcile Marxist socialism with Christian faith, one indisputable fact remains: wherever socialism has prevailed, Christians have been systematically attacked and persecuted. And why not — if the state is man's master and provider, God is quite unnecessary. And that, according to its founding fathers, is precisely the point of socialism.


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Mr R S Mani is the Scout Master, the scouts take an active
participation during all school functions.
Dance: Conducted by Mrs. Roja
Venkatachalam on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3.00 pm 4.30 pm in the Primary GC room
Music: Conducted by Mrs. V. Nandini on Wednesdays and Fridays from 3.00 pm 4.30 pm in the Primary Language room
Karate: Conducted by Sensei S.
Vikram on Saturdays and Sundays from 2.30 pm 4.00 pm in the Primary Block
Conducted by Mrs. Vidya on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3.15
pm 4.15 pm in Class 2 A.
Conducted by Mrs. Geetha Kailasam on three Saturdays per month from 10.30 am
11.30 am in in the Primary GC room.
The school
has an active RSP group comprising of around 60
cadets under the guidance and training of Mr.
V. Vishwanathan (Teacher and Traffic Warden). They control the
flow of traffic near the school main gate and Kalvivaru
Street. The functioning of RSP has made the flow of
traffic easy. From 2009 onwards, many of our cadets have been
selected for the state Republic Day Parade held at Marina.
The School is very well-recognized in
cricketing circles and TNCA coaches offer training. Classes
are conducted for different age group of student from 3.30pm
to 5.30 pm on all days. For the past 7 years we have been
holding a prestigious tournament sponsored by Sportstar for
the Under 13 category.
Tennis: Coaching is offered on Monday,
Wednesday and Thursday by Mr. Prasad from 3.15 pm to 4.30
pm in the Sripad Hall.
Chess: Coaching
is offered from Monday to Friday by Mr. Rangan and
Mr. Anand from 3.15 pm to 4.30 pm in the room next to the PT
Coaching is offered from Monday to Friday by coaches
Mr. Ragupathy and Mr.David from 3.15 pm to 4.30 pm
in the VM Field.
Basket ball:
coaching is offered from Monday to Friday by coaches Mr. Gopi
(Senior batch) and Mrs. Sunitha Suren (Beginners and Juniors) from 3.15 pm to 4.30 pm in
the VM Basketball court.
For the past 5 years we have been hosting an invitation Basketball
inter school tournament sponsored and conducted by the PTA


text:
Est Ship Date: Ships 2 week(s) after order placed.
- King/Cal King: 102" x 96"- Comes with (2) king pillow shams
- Set includes one Duvet shell with solid underside and corresponding pillow shams
- Fade and stain resistant
- Ultra-soft brushed microfiber
- Machine wash warm with like colors / Do not bleach / Tumble dry low
- Made in the USA
** Pillow Cases may not one up exactly as pictured
Refund Policy: Unless otherwise stated on the product page, no Returns will be given due to product being manufactured specifically for your purchase. We'll do our best to facilitate swapping out unwashed, unworn and unaltered items for a similar style or store credit. If you have any questions don't hesitate to email us.


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Running BT5R3 amd64. Ran update/upgrade...wicd wouldn't work so I looked and looked and looked, but the solutions didn't seem to work in my case. I reinstalled and ran into more wicd issues such as it disappearing entirely. So, here is what worked for me. I hope maybe it will help someone down the road.
I had to install several packages. This was a challenge since I was trying to connect via usb tether as it was my only choice at the time and location. What I did was download the packages from Windows 7 since that is my primary OS. I then rebooted in BT and moved the files over. I think this took about 10 reboots in the end, but I got there. Here are the packages and order I installed them:
dhcpcd-dbus_0.5.2-2_amd64.deb #this ended up not being needed
dhcpcd5_5.2.12-1_amd64.deb #this might not be needed. I have not removed it, but after installing it I still had no working wicd.
dhcpcd_3.2.3-9ubuntu0.1_amd64.deb #i think this was what I really needed as opposed to the previous 2 ^^^
wicd-kde_0.2.1-5_amd64.deb #after this and reboot I now had working wicd and also an icon in the systray which was not my goal, but a nice bonus
After this I went into wicd and connected via usb0. I got an IP address, but my internet connection still wouldn't work. After glancing at more topics I did 2 things:
in /etc/network/interfaces I added "auto usb0 iface usb0 inet dhcp" #I don't think I needed this
in /etc/resolv.conf I added a line "nameserver 192.168.x.x" #the IP I used was the gateway listed after running the "route" command.
#after this I tried again and had a successful connection.
I hope someone out there finds this helpful!


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Joyeux Noel, about a troops armistice during the First World War, was queried as it is not out until 9 November, according to Screen Daily.
A film must have been released for a week between 1 October and 30 September to be up for a foreign language Oscar.
March of the Penguins is France's most successful film at the US box office.
It is also a strong contender for the Academy's documentary feature award.
Merry Christmas, directed by Christian Carion, is currently playing a one-week engagement in the north of France that technically makes it eligible for consideration.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences also stipulates the chosen film must be supported by an advertising campaign "normal and customary" to the industry.
In addition, the French body that selects the film - the Centre National de la Cinematographie (CNC) - has an unofficial rule saying it must have sold 200,000 tickets.
Marie Masmonteil, president of France's Independent Producers Union, told the Screen Daily website she believed France's Oscar decision was a political one.
An international co-production featuring French, German and English dialogue, Merry Christmas' Cannes premiere in May was attended by all 25 European culture ministers.
"I'm not contesting that it's a beautiful film," she is quoted as saying. "It just has a lesser chance of winning."
According to the Hollywood Reporter, March of the Penguins is one of many feature-length documentaries vying for Oscar consideration.
Others include The Aristocrats, a comic expose of the dirtiest joke ever told; Murderball, a film about quadriplegic rugby players; and Why We Fight, a look at US foreign policy.
Film-makers hoping to compete for the best documentary award were required to submit entry forms, exhibition plans and DVDs to the Academy by 1 September.
The line-up of likely candidates firmed up on Wednesday when the International Documentary Association (IDA) announced the 13 nominees for its Distinguished Documentary Achievement Awards.
With the awards season under way, the Independent Feature Project - the body behind the annual Independent Spirit Awards - announced it is to raise the budget ceiling for eligible titles to $20m (£11m).
According to Screen Daily, the decision follows criticism at this year's awards when Sideways - which cost $16.5m (£9.2m) to make - was considered eligible while Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - which cost about $20m - was not.
Dawn Hudson, executive director of Film Independent, said its board of directors felt the $20m ceiling "gave the committee wide latitude in choosing original, provocative films that are still made with an economy of means".
The deadline for submissions for the 2006 awards is 14 October.


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Father: Washington S Shaw b: 29 MAY 1812 in South Carolina
Mother: Nancy Tolleson Harvey b: 02 FEB 1813 in Spartanburg District, South Carolina
Marriage 1 James Lavell McKee b: 26 JUN 1831 in Kershaw District, South Carolina
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Minnie Driver hints at the father of her baby
Minnie Driver hinted at who the father of her child might be to The Independent and denied rumors that it's San Francisco musician Craig Zolezzi. Also, judging by her information, the father is not Criss Angel. Great, so I built this bunker for nothing. Sonofa… :
The only clues Driver will offer about the identity of her "baby daddy" are that he is English, and "sort of in the same business", and that they have evaded detection because "he's really busy, like me". She is so far undecided whether to have her baby in England or the US: "A big part of me wants my child to be English. My family are here and I'm sure I'll move back here one day. It's just that my work, and the opportunities I've had, have been so varied and wonderful in the States that I've just followed my nose really.
Holy shit. It's Eddie Izzard. You heard it here first*. And before the comment board fills up with a hundred messages from a gaggle of homophobes with broadband, Eddie Izzard is 100% straight – despite all the cross dressing. According to his Wikipedia bio, he considers himself a "male lesbian" which is interesting because I consider myself a "female lesbian but with a penis, y chromosome and an Adam's apple chiseled from steel."
*Or 1,547th.


text:
Give us a call to get our secret deals 1-800-468-3578
Property Location
With a stay at Hotel Niseko Alpen in Kutchan, you'll be minutes from Niseko Mountain Resort Grand Hirafu and close to Niseko Village. This ski hotel is within close proximity of Noasc and Niseko Hanazono Resort.
Make yourself at home in one of the 124 air-conditioned rooms featuring refrigerators and flat-screen televisions. Complimentary wired and wireless Internet access is available. Private bathrooms with shower/tub combinations feature bidets and hair dryers. Conveniences include phones, as well as safes and coffee/tea makers.
Enjoy the convenience of ski-in/ski-out access at this hotel, which also features hot springs and an indoor pool. Additional amenities at this hotel include complimentary wireless Internet access, shopping on site, and tour/ticket assistance.
Satisfy your appetite at one of the hotel's 2 restaurants.
Business, Other Amenities
Featured amenities include complimentary wired Internet access, complimentary newspapers in the lobby, and luggage storage. Free self parking is available onsite.


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One of my 4 month old budgies is balding around his vent, he had this when we first picked him up from the store. His stool looks normal in consistency, nothing that would indicate diarrhea. We never see him or his cage mate pulling feathers out of the area. We purchased them from bird store that sells birds from local breeders. He was in a cage with multiple other budgies. He also seems to have a lump in the vent area as indicated in the picture.
I have read on the internet one such possibility could be other budgie cage mates picking out the feathers.


text:
The imagery, topography, and free-air gravity data for Atla Regio (2°N, 196°E) are all combined in this image. The nearly 12 kilometers of topographic variation are displayed in color with violets as lows ranging to reds at maximum elevation. SAR imagery is used to modulate the intensity, and the free-air gravity data is contoured at 50-milligal intervals. The apparent offset between topography and gravity may be an artifact of the low resolution of the spherical harmonic gravity model, which has a resolution of only a few hundred kilometers.
Click here to view a high-resolution version of the image (2.30 MB)


text:
The founding purpose was to reach the needs of mothers and their
unborn children. Today with this focus, the Lord has continued to
lead us to expand our ministry.
compassionate support to over 2000 fathers, mothers, grandparents,
and other family members.
family center that provides resources, mentoring, and
education for life skills.
At The Open Door, we cover a variety of important topics such as abortion information, sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy and much more. Click here to see the list of issues we cover at our center.
Call Us Today at:
About Us
Services Provided
Contact Us


text:
Overall, a fantastic cruise!: Liberty of the Seas Cruise Review by TimATL
Overall Member Rating
Overall, a fantastic cruise!
Destination: Western Caribbean
Embarkation: Miami
Embarkation was very smooth. We arrived at the port at about noon and we were on board 40 minutes later. The majority of that time was spent in line for security. Once through security, there was no line at all for check-in. I used priority check-in, as a platinum Crown & Anchor member, but there didn't appear to be much of a line for regular check-in either.
Once on board, we got our soda package at Boleros Lounge on deck 9 (where we entered) and grabbed a chair while we waited for the 1pm availability of our stateroom.
When we got to our stateroom, our attendant was there to greet us. I selected an inside stateroom on deck 9 close to the forward staircase and elevators. I like being on a high deck, to be as close to the pool as possible. It also makes it easier to More be near the staircase and elevators, so you don't have to walk along a long stretch of hallway to get to your stateroom each time.
I was initially concerned about the fact that our stateroom had Pullman beds, even though there were only two of us. I didn't want the Pullman beds to make the stateroom feel even smaller than it already was. As it turned out, on Freedom class ships, the Pullman beds disappear completely into the ceiling. We didn't even know they were there.
I elected to carry my own bags on board so that I could have them immediately. My partner's bags arrived well before we started getting ready for dinner.
With the exception of the Flow Rider and the cantilevered whirlpools, the Liberty of the Seas was much as I remembered the Navigator of the Seas. The public spaces are amazing, especially the Royal Promenade. Sorrento's pizza was a good place to go for a snack; and who could resist a latte at Cafe Promenade or an ice cream at Ben & Jerry's? We also spent a lot of time at Schooner Bar having drinks and listening to the resident piano man, Kory, who was awesome! I really enjoyed watching college football at On Air Club and Olive or Twist was the perfect place to go for pre or post dinner drinks. The night I went there, The Catacombs was still hopping at 3am when I left.
The Platinum Theater was the venue for the three shows: In the Air, Ever After and the name of the third one escapes me. They were all pretty entertaining. The best show by far, however, was the ice show called Encore, performed on the ice rink at Studio B.
My only complaint about the ship itself is that there's almost too much to do; there's little time to relax if you want to experience it all! I didn't have time to do the Flow Rider, the rock climbing wall or the ice skating. You have to fill out a waiver form to do all three, and then you have to wear a wrist band indicating that you've filled out the waiver form. The gym on board was large and more than adequate.
I preferred to lounge in the sun on deck 12 in between the main pool and the solarium. For one, you're close to the Sky Bar; and secondly, this area seems to have more room to spread out. Nothing is worse than laying out two inches away from a stranger.
In the main dining room, the food was usually good and the service was excellent. I could not stand the Windjammer because it was always so crowded, but it was the most convenient place to go for breakfast and lunch because it allowed you to get in and out quickly (hence why it was so popular). I ate at Chops twice and Portofino once. They were both impressive and worth the extra cost. I messed up my reservations, and management was very accommodating in getting it fixed. I ate a Johnny Rockets once for lunch and it was worth it for the milkshakes alone.
We got an excellent deal on this cruise. Then the price went down even further after our final payment, so a credit was applied to our stateroom. Knowing how little we paid for this cruise made me feel even better about all of the fun that we squeezed into it. Less
Published 12/09/09
Cabin review: L9531 Interior Stateroom
The Pullman beds tucked completely away into the ceiling. It was close to the staircase and elevators.Read All Interior Stateroom (L) Reviews >>
Port and Shore Excursions
Read Cruise Critic's Liberty of the Seas Review >>
Anniversary get-a-way
Lots of winners and few losers...
Great company, great people, l...
Great first cruise !
Liberty of the Seas July 2017
Cruising the seas with RC on t...
Carnival actually wins (?!)
Positive Cruising Experience!
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text:
- Ink & Toner
- >
- Samsung
- >
- Samsung 103L Black Toner Cartridge (MLT-D103L); High Yield
Samsung 103L Black Toner Cartridge (MLT-D103L); High Yield
- Cartridge Series: Samsung 103
- Yield Type: High Yield
- Page Yield (Up to): 2,500
- Yields up to 2,500 pages
Samsung High-Yield Laser Toner Cartridge for Expert Prints
Don't disappoint your office staff with generic toner cartridges. Designed for use with Samsung printers and machines, this toner cartridge ensures the toner is distributed uniformly across your copies and printed pages for professional-looking results every time. Regardless of the printing job, this toner stands up well to repeated use and features an easy-to-use design that reduces leaks and other accidents.
Produce Large Projects and Presentations
Nothing is worse than an executive who can't print out needed materials when he hits the print button on his computer. With the ability to print up to 2,500 pages at a time, the Samsung high-yield laser toner cartridge is perfectly designed for busy offices, so you can print large projects and documents quickly and efficiently.
Create Professional-Quality Documents
When your boss calls for a company newsletter or memo to be printed and sent out to the staff, the last thing you want is faded print or print that looks like it came from an old copy machine. Manufactured using the deepest black toner, the Samsung high-yield laser toner cartridge produces easy-to-read text and a high contrast between white paper and monochrome images. The result is professional-looking projects and printed pages you can be proud to claim.
Keep Employees Busy and Productive
Keep downtime to a minimum and prevent employees from sneaking a level of Candy Crush in during work hours by loading your printer with the Samsung high-yield laser toner cartridge. A larger cartridge means less time is spent idle and less time is spent changing ink between jobs. The result is productive employees who can stay busy throughout the workday.
|Yield Type : High Yield
|Cartridge Series : Samsung 103
|Page Yield (Up to) : 2,500
|Ink/Toner Color : Black
|Ink/Toner Pack Size : 1/Pack
|Ink/Toner Cartridge Type : Original
|Supply Type : Toner
|Wide Format Compatibility : No
|High Yield : Yes
|Multipack : No
|Brand : Samsung
|Quill Plus : Yes
|Weight : 2.30 lbs. per Each


text:
Despite heavy lobbying and GDP growth of almost 10 per cent, India is to all intents and purposes still off-limits to foreign law firms and likely to remain so for at least another one to three years, according to most expectations.
But many global legal players are already lined up in the starting blocks, with some twitching in anticipation of the liberalising shot that will begin the race in earnest.
One strategy for UK firms until that time has been to frantically set up shallow friendships with Indian firms. Another has been to build up teams of Indian lawyers outside India, a project made all the easier by the excellent common law schooling that most Indian lawyers receive.
UK and US firms, as well as reportedly Singaporean, Malaysian and other Asian firms, have been hiring significant numbers of trainees straight from Indian law schools or poaching associates directly from Indian firms.
The foreigners' push has sent pay for young Indian law school graduates soaring by more than 50 per cent in the last year at top Indian firms, as reported by The Lawyer (7 April).
"This year we've had three salary raises already," says Rajiv Luthra, managing partner at Indian firm Luthra & Luthra. He says the firm adjusts the salaries based on the competition and that graduate salaries have increased by up to 80 per cent this year.
But fighting a recruitment battle with foreigners leaves Indian firms at a disadvantage. "Our hands are a bit tied to compete with international law firms," says Luthra. "We don't have the same facilities, don't have the same size, can't have websites and are restricted by law. We can't fight with the same sort of weapons and pay the same salary – fees are less than 40-50 per cent of those of UK firms."
Salaries for a law school graduate at a top Indian firm can be £15,000, with the average market rate still below that amount. But that is not the whole picture. "Luckily it's much cheaper to live in India," says Luthra. "A second-year associate normally has a chauffeur-driven car and be driven to work reading the newspaper in the back. It's about the quality of life."
The story is corroborated across all large Indian firms, but the salary war is not entirely the fault of foreign predators. Internal competition between local firms and Indian corporates hiring in-house lawyers has pushed salaries up still further. All of which sounds remarkably similar to the London salary war of 2000, when UK firms were pitched against US firms and in-housers were forced to respond with gritted teeth. Salaries spiralled, but only by a fraction compared with what is now happening in India.
Clifford Chance graduate recruitment partner Lynne Johannson visited three of the top Indian law schools in 2007 to formally present the firm to students. A large Indian alumni also helps spread the word. Clifford Chance took on more than 10 trainees from India in the last round after reportedly receiving more than 100 applications.
By itself this is still a drop in the (Indian) ocean, but Allen & Overy, Herbert Smith, Linklaters, Olswang, SJ Berwin and others are all recruiting from India – and the number of unsolicited applications almost certainly received by other firms pushes that number up further.
No firm has a formal milk round of UK proportions yet, but Clifford Chance India practice head Chris Wyman says: "We get so many applications anyway from a large number of Indian lawyers, from Indian partner level right down to law students."
He attributes the interest to Indian lawyers looking for international experience and wanting to improve their CVs, comparing it to what Antipodean lawyers have been doing for years.
What is clear is that the Indian legal market is becoming more global, with liberalisation neither here nor there. But the important question is how and if Indian firms will adapt and survive once the market does open up.
"I'm not particularly sympathetic to the argument that they haven't had time to prepare," says one UK partner. "We've been knocking on their door for more than a decade – it's always been clear it was going to happen."


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Zack Piazza led the way with four goals, as the Lodi Flames varsity boys water polo team improved to 2-0 in San Joaquin Athletic Association play and 14-3 overall with an 18-8 win over the Franklin Yellowjackets.
Anthony Leon, Michael Bria, Garrett Burkhard, Federico Scolaro, Glen Isola and Jake Noori all scored twice. C.J. Porter and Kevin den Hartog each found the net once, while Josh Veit had six saves in the cage.


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But as the old Avis ad goes, as No. 2, Oklahoma (with a solid 111 kills) tries harder.
Soon Westin, Expedia, Hotels.com, and Avis asked to be removed from CGBG.
Microsoft-Yahoo becomes a genuine Pepsi to Google's Coke, Burger King to their McDonalds, Avis to their Hertz.
Nobody volunteered for the disagreeable task, and Avis suggested that Winnie herself might be suitable.
In a kindly voice he said, "You must have heard of Avis Solis."
Even Jean and Avis were too far away to speak to, and she was yet an absolute outsider to everyone else.
The Avis is omitted in that edition, and in all the later impressions which I have seen.
His ears felt hot, as often of late when he tangled with Avis, and he unlimbered only a few choice oaths.
Avis Manning's "Company" was one of the events of the season.
You are sad—I think I will send for Avis to come over and cheer you up.
U.S. car rental company, according to company history, founded 1946 at Willow Run Airport in Detroit by Warren Avis.


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|Properties of R134a (H2FC-CF3 ) and other Refrigerants
|Hands-On Tutorial
||TEST Home Page>
|Utility Applets>
Welcome to the The Expert System for Thermodynamics (TEST) : H2FC-CF3 module of the thermodynamic property tables (calculators) to evaluate states and properties of hundreds of working substances. TEST is a network of HTML pages with embedded Java Applets that helps users solve thermodynamic problems and perform parametric studies visually without any programming.
The Smart Thermodynamic Table is more than a visual thermodynamic state calculator for H2FC-CF3 . In this refrigerant (H2FC-CF3 ) property table, a state is visually presented (see the examples below) as a collection of properties (such as p, T, v, h, s etc.). Known properties are entered in any order and in any units (see Fig. 3) and a click on the Calculate button evaluates the states partially or fully (including phase composition) if sufficient information is entered. The calculated states are auto-saved and can be plotted on a p-V, T-s or other thermodynamic diagrams by choosing a plot-type from the diagram selector (see Fig. 2). The solution can be saved or shared through TEST-codes, which are generated when the Super-Calculate button is pressed.
While evaluating two related states (say, two isentropic states), algebraic expressions involving state variables can be used. For instance, to evaluate State-2, isentropic to State-1, one can enter s2 as =s1. Once a series of states are evaluated, updating all calculations for a change in any input variable is a snap. Simply change the value and click on the Super-Calculate (see Fig. 4) button. In addition to update all calculations, a printer-friendly output is generated on the Output window of the daemon (see Fig. 2).
Because all the State variables are exposed, changing one or more input variables and evaluating their effects is really a matter of two clicks (Calculate and Super-Calculate) , making TEST an exciting visual design tool for the what-if people. The working fluid as well as the material model (ideal gas vs. phase-change model, for instance) used can be changed without much effort.
A more comprehensive introduction can be found in the Tutorial page which is highly recommended for all users.
The examples below contain images of the H2FC-CF3 table in action. Once you get a rough idea about how the smart table works, you can start using the real thing by following these instructions.
There are two ways of doing anything, the quick way and the right way.
If you are in a hurry, do the following: (a) Browse the examples below (takes only a minute), and (b) Launch the customized Java applet (called a daemon) by clicking the appropriate link at the top of this page (beginning TEST 7.5, registration is required for all users). If you have a modern browser (Netscape 6.1 or better, Microsoft IE 6.0 or better), the daemon will appear in about 10-50 seconds (1-5 second if locally installed from a TEST-CD). (c) Begin exploring (a tour of the Tutorial/Slide Show is strongly recommended even for those who hate manuals).
To fully exploit TEST follow these steps: (a) Browse the Slide Show (at least the first 20-30 slides); (b) Read the Introduction and Navigation sections of the Tutorial. (c) Explore a few daemons systematically as explained in the Tutorial. (d) Browse the Problems page to see what kind of problems these thermodynamic calculators can help you solve. (e) Browse the VT (Virtual Thermo) animations to see how thermodynamic systems work. (f) Once you master the TEST approach (you will love it or hate it, no in between!), you can use the TEST-Map to quick-start a desired daemon.
|Example-1: Determine
the enthalpy of liquid H2FC-CF3 (H2FC-CF3 ) at a temperature of 20oC.
What is the final phase composition (quality) and pressure if the refrigerant
is throttled (at constant enthalpy) to produce a temperature of 0oC?
Solution: To bring up the appropriate daemon (applet) navigate to TEST Home Page, Daemons, States, Volume, and H2FC-CF3 in sequence (or directly using the 'H2FC-CF3 Applet' link at the top).
The daemon page will be displayed in about 30-60 seconds (the more you use these calculators the faster the access speed becomes due to cashing by modern browsers). You may open a separate window and browse the Tutorial while waiting for the daemon to load in the other window.
Trouble Shooting: If the daemon (as pictured below) does not show up even after a minute, may be your browser is unable to run Java applications. There may be several reasons: (i) Your browser has not been updated since the Jurassic age (you need Netscape 4.5+ or IE 4.0+), (ii) Java is turned off, (iii) Security is set to 'high' (in case of Internet Explorer). (iv) Your computer is behind a firewall that filters Java Applets. (v) The connection is too poor for the demanding Java applications to be loaded. Most of these problems (except the access speed) can be remedied by downloading a new version (Window update or download from www.netscape.com) of a modern version of the browser, then download java from www.java.com (Sun's one click java installation), and Flash Player from www.macromedia.com. If you acquire a TEST-CD, speed is no longer a problem; also, you can install TEST on your notebook or desktop and work off line.
Enter the values of the known variables,
temperature and quality (x=0 for saturated liquid) (Velocity and height
z are set to 0 by default), and click the 'Calculate' button to obtain
the complete state. All the properties have a suffix '1' as the state is labeled as 'State-1'.
Now choose 'State-2' from the state
selector, enter the known temperature and enthalpy (note the use of algebraic
expression rather than absolute value), and click the 'Calculate' button
to obtain the complete state. Note that the phase composition is evaluated
as part of the solution. The H2FC-CF3 table offers many other smart
features like this, some of which are highlighted in the slide show (link
at the top margin) and some are left for the users to explore.
|Example-2: How
would the answer in Ex. 1 change if the initial temperature is 50oC
Solution: After
Example 1 has been solved, simply change the temperature T1 in State-1
to 50 C, click the 'Calculate' button to register the change and then the
'Super-Calculate' button to update all calculations. The ease with which
a parametric study can be performed without any programming is one of the
many features of the H2FC-CF3 (Refrigerant R134a) property calculator. Some of these features are highlighted
in the slide show (link at the top margin) and some are left for the users
to explore.
Note: These examples are only meant to give the reader the flavor of a daemon (applet). Go to the Problems pages to see the range of thermal systems problems that the TEST can help you solve. The property tables will be updated in the future to include thermal conductivity, viscosity, etc.


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The 901 has the Intel Atom chip which, as stever mentioned, increases battery life by at least a couple of hours.
I'm on the cheapest bad boy out there -- 900 16G, at only $350 -- so I can't find a reason not to love it. The MSI wind looks awesome, but the price point is a bit higher.
I also love the Eee community -- seems like there's always someone else out there who has had similiar troubles as me. That said, the documentation is pretty sprawled around the web, so it's not always inherently clear.


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Simple Plan is a Canadian band. They have had their music featured in What's New, Scooby-Doo?, and even voiced themselves in an episode. They have also had their music featured in the first two live-action films.
- Pierre Bouvier (lead vocals)
- Jeff Stinco (lead guitar)
- Sébastien Lefebvre (rhythm guitar, backing vocals)
- David Desrosiers (bass guitar, backing vocals)
- Chuck Comeau (drums and percussion)
Songs performed
- "Grow Up" (Scooby-Doo)
- "Don't Wanna Think About You" ( Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed )
What's New, Scooby-Doo?
- Main article(s): What's New, Scooby-Doo?
- What's New, Scooby-Doo? theme song
- "I'd Do Anything" (It's Mean, It's Green, It's The Mystery Machine)
- "You Don't Mean Anything" and "Worst Day Ever" (Simple Plan and the Invisible Madman, archived performancs for animated selfs)
Voice roles
What's New, Scooby-Doo?
|Season 2
|9. Simple Plan and the Invisible Madman
External links


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Indonesia Tops List of Nefarious Internet Traffic Sources
By Drew FitzGerald
Indonesia surged past China this summer to become the top source of an export that few countries are keen to peddle: Internet attacks.
The volume of so-called "attack traffic" coming from Indonesia soared in the second quarter, according to the latest State of the Internet report from Akamai Technologies, which runs a global network of machines equipped to monitor the unwanted transmissions. Its measurements of traffic passing through its own services showed 38% of dangerous traffic came from Indonesian addresses, up from 21% three months earlier. The surge pushed the archipelago past China, which accounted for about a third of attack traffic during both periods.
Researchers warn that such attacks–which run the gamut from scattershot blasts of server requests to targeted probes–are hard to quantify because many attackers hide behind infected computers in other countries. A network of infected computers, or botnet, directed from Eastern Europe, for instance, can commandeer a horde of Indonesian computers to attack targets elsewhere.
"It's not necessary that the attackers themselves are sitting in Indonesia," Akamai analytics director David Belson said. "There's obviously a set of systems that have been compromised."
Mr. Belson pointed to several potential culprits, including pirated Windows software that leaves computers vulnerable to infection. The Business Software Alliance, a Washington industry organization that represents the likes of Microsoft, found 86% of Indonesian PC software installations in 2011 came from pirated copies.
Indonesia can also thank faster networks for some of the undesirable side effects apparently affecting its domestic Internet. The average user there still had to contend with a relatively sluggish 1.7 Megabits per second—excluding mobile networks—but that was more than double the average speed last year.
A spokesman for Indonesia's ministry of communication and information technology said it hasn't seen the report from Akamai and will seek clarification from the company. But it "serves as a reminder for Indonesians to use the Internet wisely," he said.
Indonesia and China might be the biggest source of unwanted requests, but Akamai's report showed plenty of bad actors in the United States. Malicious traffic from U.S. addresses made up nearly 7% of all attacks in the second quarter, putting it in the No. 3 spot.
I-Made Sentana contributed to this article.


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Farmer Mac Increases Quarterly Dividend Rate on Common Stock
The Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac) today announced that it has increased the quarterly dividend paid on the Corporation's common stock by 20 percent from the previous quarter. Farmer Mac's board of directors has declared a first quarter dividend of $0.12 per share on each of the Corporation's three classes of common stock – Class A Voting Common Stock (NYSE: AGM.A), Class B Voting Common Stock (not listed on any exchange), and Class C Non-Voting Common Stock (NYSE: AGM). The quarterly dividend for first quarter 2013 will be payable on March 29, 2013 to holders of record of common stock as of March 15, 2013.
Farmer Mac's board of directors has also declared a quarterly dividend on the Corporation's Series A Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock (NYSE: AGM.PR.A). The quarterly dividend of $0.3672 per share of Series A Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock is for the period from but not including January 17, 2013 to and including April 17, 2013, and shall be payable on April 17, 2013 to holders of record of preferred stock as of April 2, 2013. Each share of Series A Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock has a par value and liquidation preference of $25.00 per share.
Farmer Mac's President and CEO Tim Buzby stated, "Farmer Mac's decision to increase the quarterly dividend across all classes of common stock reflects our continuing commitment to shareholder value while fulfilling our mission of delivering capital and liquidity to rural America. Farmer Mac's financial condition and earnings outlook remain strong, and the dividend increase underscores our confidence in Farmer Mac's future financial performance and capital position, which was enhanced as a result of the new Series A Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock offering completed earlier this year."
© 2017 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.


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Your browser does not support iframes.
Los Alamos County leads the state in positive health outcomes, according to County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, a study published by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute (UWPHI) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).
Results of the study were released just in time for National Public Health Week (April 2–8).
The study – in its third year – has ranked Los Alamos number one three years in a row. Thirty-two of New Mexico's 33 counties are included in the survey. The Rankings are based on the latest publicly available data.
Two incidents of theft at Los Alamos National Laboratory were reported last week and in one of the incidents a $1,200 computer monitor went missing.
Los Alamos Police Department dispatch logs show that on March 26 an unidentified woman called at approximately 10:52 a.m. from TA 3 Building 1888 stating that she had purchased a 30-inch Dell computer monitor for $1,229 for her office, which was delivered on March 23.
The monitor was left in its packaging over the weekend in the reception area, however when the woman returned on Monday the package and the monitor were missing.
For the 557 employees who decided to take the voluntary separation program at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, today was the final day of work.
"I would like to thank each and every employee who volunteered for the program," said LANL Director Charlie McMillan. "Some of them devoted their entire careers to serving the nation during a truly historic time for the country and the lab. They set the example that we will continue to follow."
McMillan said during an all-employee meeting last week that LANL will not file an involuntary separation plan for the regular workforce this fiscal year.
SANTA FE — As part of this column's centennial coverage, I am pleased to write about colorful legislators. I may miss a few from the early days before I arrived on the scene.
I begin with Louise Coe, the first woman elected to the state Senate. Her political rise was not easy. Women had attained the right to vote only six years earlier. Coe went on to become president pro tem of the Senate. She is the only woman ever elected to that position.
A strong, determined woman, Coe married into a Lincoln County ranching family that included George and Frank Coe who rode with Billy the Kid. Her husband Wilber Coe stayed home to run the Coe's Ranch on the Ruidoso, the title of Wilbur's autobiography.
Cancer and Faith, particularly religious faith, is a complicated and empassioned subject, one I usually steer clear of. But a recent article in the Los Angeles Times, by Lawrence Krauss, questioned what faith really is, given our ever increasing knowledge of cosmology and quantum mechanics.
It's a subject which is especially soul searching for cancer survivors, who are forced to address their own mortality and the meaning of their lives frequently. For some, it reaffirms their religious faith in which they find solice. For others, it reawakens years of separation from their faith as they start to understand their God's plan. And for the rest of us it raises many unresolved questions.
'Topper baseball game postponed Wednesday
The Los Alamos Hilltopper baseball team's game with the Capital Jaguars, which was set for Wednesday afternoon, was postponed. No make up date has been announced.
Los Alamos manager Mike Gill reported Wednesday around noon that Bomber Field still had big clumps of snow, some as deep as three inches, in spots. The snows were from storms on Monday night and Tuesday morning .
The Hilltoppers are currently sitting at 4-1 in District 2-4A play (12-6) overall. They split a doubleheader against Española Valley Saturday but are still one game ahead of Española Valley in the 2-4A standings.
Chamber golf tourney is May 11 in Española
Here are the results from the Los Alamos Hilltopper girls junior varsity track and field team from the Albuquerque Public Schools meet March 23:
3200 meters
Ruth Taylor, 14:30.96; Chloe Keilers, 15:35.96.
400 relay
Los Alamos (Becky Martin, Samantha Courtney, Megan Kuzmack, Jessica Allen), 57.88.
100 hurdles
Destiny Fellers, 18.07.
100 meters
Jackie Cooke, 13.64; Isabelle Coons, 14.16; Meryl Delano, 14.33; Maddy Whitacre, 15.04; Eva Huaszar, 15.42; Katey Thomas, 15.53; Keiko Tanski, 16.84; Sarah Tripplehorn, 17.14.
1600 meters
Rosa Durrer, 6:18.01; Katie Bowman, 6:36.34; Alex Chavarria, 6:51.04; Ruth Taylor, 7:08.97; Chloe Keilers, 7:16.28.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Jabbed, prodded and poked repeatedly about a topic that never really goes away, Billy Payne wouldn't budge.
Faced with questions at his annual news conference about when a woman would become a member at the home of the Masters, the Augusta National chairman gave different variations of the same answer: That's our business, not yours.
The topic was on the front burner again Wednesday, the eve of the year's first major, because one of the club's longtime sponsors, IBM, has a new CEO — Virginia Rometty. The last four CEOs at IBM, all male, have been invited to be members.
The Los Alamos Hilltopper softball team ran its District 2-4A record to a spotless 6-0 with just six games to play.
The Hilltoppers thumped the Capital Jaguars Wednesday at Overlook Park. They scored five runs in the bottom of the first and four more in the bottom of the second en route to a 16-0 victory in 4-1/2 innings.
Alyssa Mojica, batting in the cleanup spot, hit a three-run home run in the first inning to get the rout started, while Los Alamos (12-4) pounded out 10 hits in four trips to the plate against the hapless Jaguars.
Art openings
To promote the appreciation and development of the glass arts and to support the community of artists who work with glass, Zane Bennett Contemporary Art will feature four glass artists in the gallery during the month of April. The show opens with a reception from 2-4 p.. April 14. The gallery is located at 435 S. Guadalupe St.
Zane Bennett Contemporary Arts announces a video installation and exhibition of prints by Santa Fe artist Mitchell Marti. Also showing are works that reflect Baltimore artist Soledad Salameé's passion for the Earth's natural resources. The shows open April 27 and continues through May 18. The reception will be from 5-7 p.m. at the gallery, 435 S. Guadalupe St.
Book sales
Copyright © 2017
The Los Alamos Monitor is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Los Alamos County and Los Alamos, NM, and the surrounding area.


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Sorry, this specific festival is no longer held. However, Holmes Beach continues to hold festivals on their field each spring. Sign up for Island Real Estate's newsletter to get all the latest events happening on Anna Maria Island.
This year marks the official launch of the Sham Rocks the Island Fest! The 1st annual festival will be held at City Hall Field in Holmes Beach on Sunday, March 27th from 11am to 10pm. The St. Paddy's Day Parade will begin at 5:30pm with VIP Stadium seating available. Live music can be heard throughout the day with Kettle of Fish headlining and MCing by Chris Grumley! The food court will serve beer, wine and soda. Art, Craft, and Retail Vendors with a Kids Area and a G Rated Movie offers entertainment for all ages.
All for the benefit of The Anna Maria Island Community Center.


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Father Richard Salas is still listed as Parish Administrator for St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Parish, Gander, but he is no longer ministering to the congregation.
The Bishop for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Falls, Most Rev. Robert Anthony Daniels, confirmed for tc• Media that Father Salas is under investigation by the RCMP in Gander.
The Bishop declined to comment on the matter under investigation, directing the media to the RCMP for information.
He did say, however, that Father Salas was withdrawn from public ministry several weeks ago.
Sgt. Phil Matthews of the Gander RCMP said he is unable to fully discuss the matter at this time, but did confirm Father Salas has been under investigation following the RCMP receiving a complaint more than a month ago.
The investigation is ongoing.
Twitter: @beaconnl


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Have Relationship Questions? Ask a Counselor for Answers ASAP
Hi, I'd like to help you with your question.
It sounds like you have a lot of doubts about both relationships. It is a difficult decision. One relationship offers you stability and someone who you feel comfortable enough to talk to for hours. The other relationship with your ex offers extreme ups and downs and a bit of a challenge, since the two of you butt heads.
You do want to consider that if you and your ex break up a lot, that is an issue to be wary of. There is something fundamentally wrong with the relationship and it would not get better without a lot of work. Although this breaking up and getting back together may be ok now, if you tried to have a future together and possibly children, that type of behavior would not work. You need to find a way to address the problems in the relationship and resolve them before you consider a future together.
The relationship with the nurse sounds like it does not challenge you enough. You indicated that you would not mind if the relationship did not continue. That is a sign that you are either not into the relationship enough yet to see it's potential, or it would just make a great friendship rather than a love relationship.
There is also the issue of trust. You mentioned wanting to be sure that any girlfriend you choose will stay faithful. This could either be an issue with trust with you, or you expect your being away will cause someone to cheat. If the relationship is good and solid and there is love and respect, there is no need to cheat. So looking at it from that perspective may help you. There is never a guarantee with anyone, but building a strong relationship with the qualities above will help you feel more secure in your relationship.
Let me know if I can help in any other way,


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Al Masaood is constantly seeking talented individuals with an interest for career challenges and a passion to work within a multicultural environment.
The Group works on the premise that each employee is its most important and valuable asset and that his or her appointment, development, participation, motivation, promotion, reward and health and safety are critical to the success of Al Masaood.
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