| Curtain Call
One of the opening night leads, Asero (the choreographer), was so perfect as to foil all guesses that she was a last-minute replacement for an ailing star. Bibby has the most impressive voice of all, but Giddings, Juran and Flynt are also excellent singers. Giddings has a fine lilting quality to his voice and a narcissistic but sweet demeanor. Juran’s Pirate King resonates humor and is most watchable for the personal touches he brings to his character. Flynt has a naturally commanding bearing that makes him less of a buffoon than is typical for his role. Their voices blend beautifully, and careful diction makes this the most clearly understandable Pirates that I have ever heard remarkable in light of the dated language and sizable orchestra. In fact, the entire ensemble sings with refreshing tonal and rhythmic precision.
Veteran Tazewell extension agent calling it a career
TAZEWELL, Va. — When this coming Friday rolls around, Mike Harris won't have anywhere he will have to be at 8 a.m."It seems like all of my life, I've had to be somewhere every day at 8 a.m.," Harris, the 23-year veteran extension agent of the Virginia Tech Extension office in Tazewell said. "This Friday, I can sit in the house until 11 a.m., if I want to. I don't have to go anywhere."Harris, 59, has spent a lifetime helping farmers, serving his country, supporting his community and learning how to read the subtle signs of seasonal and cyclical changes in the rhythms of the agricultural universe, and to figure out how farmers can survive those changes."That's not going to end just because I'm not in the office every day," Harris said. "I'll be working on my farm in Thompson Valley. As far as I know, I'm still the only Mike Harris in Thompson Valley.
Diet won't stop me having fun
When I got back home, I took Rocky out for a walk and Steve made beef stir fry for tea with loads of vegetables. One good side effect of my new healthy regime is that the whole family is eating better. We are buying fresh food every day and not buying so many sweets and junk food. I will have a piece of fruit rather than a biscuit and no longer crave crisps after a particularly horrible experiment - one of our experts set fire (don’t try this at home) to a single crisp and you should have seen the fat that oozed out of it. It was truly disgusting and has put me off crisps for life. I’m planning on a big walk tomorrow and will try and do a bit of running as well. I do have such a lot more energy and I feel much better. I hope you do too.
McCrory addresses roads forum
Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, who is running for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, said Monday the state should integrate land-use planning when mapping out its long-term transportation needs. McCrory helped lead Charlotte's push this decade for integrating land-use and public transportation, and said some of those lessons can apply statewide. When the N.C. Department of Transportation widens a rural road, McCrory said it could restrict the number of ways traffic can enter and exit the road. That would cluster business like gas stations and retail at specific interchanges, and would keep traffic moving, he said. McCrory also said the state, when buying land for new roads or to widen existing ones, should acquire enough land for park-and-ride lots and sidewalks.
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