With a bushy gray beard

Health issues forced Robin Williams to cancel a planned 2009 Broadway engagement of his standup tour, Weapons of Self Destruction. So it seems oddly fitting he should arrive instead in a fascinating role that combines profane comedy, war and existentialism. Think of him as Lenny Bruce meets Friedrich Nietzsche in the body of a man-eating predator.

With a bushy gray beard, ragged clothing and no hint of a tail or stripes, Williams plays the surly old beast in the title of Rajiv Joseph’s bracingly original Pulitzer-shortlisted play, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. He spends most of his stage time, however, not prowling the cramped confines of a mangled cage in the bombed out zoo, but wandering the burning city as a ghost, tormented by soul-searing doubts.

Contemplating his damnation over the basic primordial impulse to kill and eat, the atheistic Tiger asks, “What if my very nature is in direct conflict with the moral code of the universe?” His quest for atonement is just one of the mordantly funny philosophical threads of this imaginative work.

Set in the early days of the American occupation, the play was inspired by a news item about the Baghdad Zoo. It’s a black comedy, a grisly horror show and a metaphysical ghost story.

Two U.S. Marines guard the Tiger’s cage. Tom (Glenn Davis) gets a little too close while taunting the animal, and loses a hand. This prompts his dim buddy Kev (Brad Fleischer) to shoot the Tiger with a gold-plated pistol looted from the Hussein Brothers mansion. As opening scenes go, it’s an attention-grabber.

Cut to Kev attempting, or not, to explain the colloquial usage of "bitch" in a knock-knock joke to Musa (Arian Moayed), a former gardener at the Hussein Palace, now working as a U.S. military interpreter. During a tense night raid, Kev’s fragile equilibrium crumbles, landing him in hospital on suicide watch. A visit from Tom, returning from the U.S. with a prosthetic hand, does little to calm him. The presence of the Tiger’s ghost does even less.

Much of the play takes place in a garden full of tattered topiary animals sculpted by Musa at the behest of Uday Hussein (Hrach Titizian). “This place is lousy with ghosts,” observes the Tiger. Designed by Derek McLane against a backdrop of dusty Middle Eastern splendor and exquisitely lit in sepulchral gloom by David Lander, the garden makes an arresting, other-worldly home for those unquiet spirits. In this decayed playground, the dead gain unexpected knowledge, even if true enlightenment often eludes them.

The urge to destroy is passed from character to character and from the dead to the living. The most unsettling transactions are those between the teasing, sadistic Uday and Musa, whose sister (Sheila Vand) died at the hands of the despotic scion.

Moises Kaufman (The Laramie Project, 33 Variations) directs this beguiling play with quicksilver shifts in tone to match the volatile, questioning nature of Joseph’s writing. Scenes of macabre, circus-like atmosphere segue to dream-like fugue states; biting humor is interspersed with poetic musings; symbolic imagery abounds; shocking violence gives way to wrenching despair.

Those altered states are also channeled by the gifted cast. Fleischer and Davis, whose characters are first depicted as gung-ho grunts, grow steadily more affecting in different ways. Titizian and Moayed are standouts, the former as an egomaniac with a malevolent sense of irony, his basest instincts fed by war, and the latter as an artist whose purity of heart is perverted by cruel experience.

Williams has not given a performance this subdued in years. He commits to being part of an ensemble, never ramping up into a star turn. There’s no comic shtick in his thoughtful Tiger, yet in the animal’s eye-rolling disdain for the idiotic lions that fled the zoo early, his playful needling of Kev or his antagonistic dialogue with a God he doesn’t believe in, the ripples of humor are rich and flavorful.

Americana Sounds on the New Album Drive Time

Innovating Bluegrass band Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver again breaks the mold of convention with their latest album Drive Time, set to release on March 29, 2011 on the Mountain Home Music label, a division of Crossroads Entertainment & Marketing, Inc.  The album is available in a limited-run vinyl edition as well as CD and digital downloads.

The very first cut on the album enters new territory for Lawson - a vibrant version of Paul Simon's "Gone At Last," of which Simon says, "Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver have done one of the best covers I have ever heard of a song of mine. It's definitely the fastest."

The entire recording contains explorative arrangements that stretch the band's traditional bluegrass sound, including an original country/bluegrass mix of "Love On Arrival" (debut single) and "Country Store," and the intricate genre-bending instrumental "Greenbriar Hop." A compelling remake of "Precious Memories" is the sixth track on the album and all the tracks are driven by the flawless musicianship and heart-stopping vocals for which Lawson is known.

Lawson adds, "I'm so excited about this new release. It is a unique and fresh new sound for us. I love this combination of songs because I believe each one flows into the next, complementing the song before it."

Following numerous Bluegrass awards, a National Endowment for the Arts award, and multiple Grammy nominations, Lawson's stretch into new territory with Drive Time is evidenced with corresponding appearances on Paul Simon's April release So Beautiful or So What and the new Mark Twain: Words and Music CD along with other notables Clint Eastwood, Garrison Keillor, Emmylou Harris, Sheryl Crow, and Vince Gill.

Doyle Lawson and Hepatica

No, Doyle Lawson did not change the name of his band.  It is still widely known as

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, and what a school of bluegrass it is.  I got to hear it

live for the first time Saturday night.

Out of respect, I am even distinguishing between the ampersand that pairs Lawson with

Quicksilver, a printer's mark that signifies a strong partnership between the

legendary mandolin player and the younger musicians, and the simple word "and."

The "and" means that the two, Doyle Lawson and Hepatica, are connected but not at the

hip.  So, no, I am not lobbying for a new name or executing a typo.  I have simply

paired Doyle Lawson here with a spring flower in honor of a day that gave me precious

memories that will linger ever near me.

Family is precious to me, it is true.  The dear mother and dear father in "Precious

Memories" that the band performed drew tears.  Spring wildflowers create precious

memories too.  They bloom right at my feet as sacred scenes unfold from the Virginia

Creeper Trail to the woods behind my house.

Saturday morning, before I headed to the concert up the road, I walked on the

Virginia Creeper Trail from Watauga towards Abingdon in search of Hepatica.  Ever

since one of my friends had called the week before to tell me that she was looking at

Hepatica near Alvarado, I knew I had to find time in my schedule to go for a walk.

As we travel on life's pathways, sometimes we need to slow down.  I did, walking

along the trail hoping specifically for Hepatica, an official sign of spring, I first

encountered more Bloodroot than I had seen in my life up to that point.

I dubbed that stretch of the trail Bloodroot Heaven.  Only whose heaven was it?  My

heaven, with all the Bloodroot you could ever hope to find in one setting, or

Bloodroot's heaven, a place where Bloodroot reappears each year like hope?

Let me not forget the Rue Anemone.  Its blossoms lined the course of my walk too.  I

got down on the ground and studied its blossoms, counting petals, counting and

comparing petals to the petals of the Virginia Spring Beauty and wondering when or if

I would spot Hepatica.

Since we do not always know what the years or trails may hold, the morning could have

enchanted me with Rue Anemone, Virginia Spring Beauty, Violets, and Spice Bush. 

Still, I was longing for Hepatica, finding at first only a flowerless leaf.  Then on

a rock, just as I was thinking I had missed the harbinger of spring because I had

delayed my first wildflower hike, I saw Hepatica blooming.

Finally, patient or lucky, I found the wildflower whose memory kept me warm with hope

all winter long.  Lavender petals teetered over variegated leaves.  One open blossom

leaned towards the sun, with two others about to open.  I took a photo.  Maybe I

should write a bluegrass song.

Quicksilver Disperses Committee

Quicksilver Resources Inc.'s (KWK - Analyst Report) board announced that it will discontinue with the operation of the transaction committee as the company’s private takeover bid has been withdrawn. The bid was initiated by the family group, which owns 30% of the Quicksilver stock.

Quicksilver's board had formed this committee comprising independent directors to evaluate a potential transaction or other possibilities that might have been proposed by the family.

However, the family decided against carrying out the bid as it considered Quicksilver Resources' current capital structure and governance to be superior to other alternatives. Thus, the withdrawal of the family from the attempted bid rendered redundant the existence of the transaction committee. The board now hopes to work together in the best interest of the company, looking for growth and further development.

Quicksliver's strong financial position is reflected in its year-end results. Cash and cash equivalents of the company as of December 31, 2010 were $54.9 million versus $1.03 million as of December 31, 2009. Total debts at year end were $1.74 billion versus $2.3 billion at prior year end.

Quicksilver's earnings per share of 18 cents in the fourth quarter and 70 cents in fiscal 2010 beat the Zacks Consensus Estimates. The Zacks Consensus Estimates for first-quarter 2011, fiscal year 2011 and fiscal year 2012 are, respectively, 5 cents per share, 24 cents per share and 39 cents per share.

Quicksilver Resources currently retains a Zacks #3 Rank (short-term Hold rating) on the stock. The operating margin of the company was better than its peers Chesapeake Energy Corporation (CHK - Analyst Report) and Denbury Resources Inc. (DNR - Analyst Report) in the trailing twelve months.

Based in Fort Worth, Texas, independent exploration and production company Quicksilver Resources is primarily engaged in the development of long-lived, unconventional onshore natural gas reserves in the North American continent.

Crusaders beat Sharks in a glorious showcase for Super 15 quality

Adversity brings out the best in some people. It will take more than a decent 80 minutes of rugby to rebuild the ruins of central Christchurch but a spectacular win for the Crusaders achieved some important goals in the London sunshine. The occasion not only raised £175,000 in ticket revenue alone to help victims of last month's earthquake but will have done almost as much for the morale of those clearing up the mess.

Last but by no means least this was the day when several fond, smug northern hemisphere assumptions were systematically torn apart. Yes, the weather was glorious and conditions perfect for running rugby. Yes, there were 22 internationals on the field at kick-off. Yes, a few tackles went astray. But long before the Crusaders wing Sean Maitland scored the decisive ninth try of a pulsating match it was equally clear that those who reckon the Super 15 has nothing to teach its European counterparts inhabit the myopic land of cloudy cuckoos.

It is not to denigrate the competitiveness of the Aviva Premiership to suggest the Crusaders, particularly in the first half, played rugby the like of which the English domestic game is not familiar. A more direct comparison is with a cross-border competition like the Heineken Cup but even Leinster, Toulouse, Leicester et al would have been suitably impressed. In terms of attacking running lines it was like being transported in from a distant galaxy.

Candyfloss? Hardly. The Sharks pack averaged almost 18 stone per man. Owen Franks, the All Blacks prop, smashed everything that moved and it was a minor miracle Ryan Kankowski played on after receiving a shoulder hit from Sonny Bill Williams which would have hospitalised most players. Just as striking was the scrummaging venom of the Crusaders' forwards as they splintered an all-Springbok front-row comprising John Smit and the Du Plesis brothers. In such circumstances, the Sharks did well to stay in the contest at all. It is doubtful whether even England's Six Nations winners on home turf would have lasted the pace.

From first to last it amounted to a crusade for positivity. Williams, the king of the offload, was even more impressive at times than he looked against England in November and the entire Crusaders backline buzzed with intent. Orchestrating it all was Dan Carter, who scored 22 points before limping off with a tweaked right hamstring. If British coaches want a microcosm of what a decent 10-12 axis looks like, they should simply watch the fly-half's 21st-minute try, a gloriously slick blur of motion which saw the big Williams give the perfect one-handed scoring pass to his quicksilver team-mate.

The precision-engineered interplay between Andrew Ellis and Robbie Fruean for Israel Dagg's subsequent score was almost as good, a far cry from the own-brand bashing which passes as backline sophistication in certain English clubs. Maybe it would have been a fairer comparison in less spring-like conditions but you suspect the Crusaders would still have adapted accordingly. The Sharks, who were 34-10 down at one stage, had few doubts about the quality heading their way. "That's the best side they've had for a while," said John Plumtree, the Sharks' Kiwi head coach. "They're the benchmark of the competition. Everyone's going to have to lift their game to get up to where they are."

The same, of course, applies to New Zealand's opponents at this autumn's World Cup. British administrators will also be wearing quizzical expressions this morning. This was supposed to be the weekend the Premiership and the Magners League wrested back the baton from their Six Nations counterparts. Nor does it take a genius to imagine more Super Rugby being staged in the north, with over 35,000 tickets sold in barely a fortnight. "Today had a little bit of everything," said the Crusaders' coach Todd Blackadder. "I'd like to think it could happen again. I thought it was just superb. It was just a wee taste of what our competition is like."

Just to rub it in, Blackadder said his team would be "disappointed with a lot of that second half", having seen the Sharks mount a stout fightback on the back of two tries in three minutes by Alistair Hargreaves and Odwa Ndungane. With 28 minutes left they trailed by just nine points at 37-28, finished off only when Zac Guildford's neat pass sent Maitland in for his second try.

Any other result would have been immensely harsh on the likes of Matt Todd, the Crusaders flanker who turned 23 over the weekend. Richie McCaw is a tough act to follow but Todd is already having a good stab at it. It is New Zealand rugby's speciality to produce barely heralded players who would walk into most Six Nations sides. Nor does it matter much what country they happen to be playing in. The next stop for the Crusaders is Timaru in a fortnight's time. Trust me, this is a travelling circus worth watching. They are welcome back in Britain any time.

Australian Tourism and Quicksilver announce contest to win a trip to Australia

Tourism Australia and Quiksilver have launched a Facebook contest that will send one lucky winner to Australia to be the official blogger for the 2012 Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast.

ETA Visa

Sharing your favourite Australian adventure could win you a two-week trip to the country.

The competition, "Surf, Sun and Social Networking in Australia", gives contestants the opportunity to upload their best adventure photo to either Facebook.com/AustraliaWorkandPlay or Quiksilver and describe in 100 words or less what they think is the best adventure Down Under.

For those who aren't familiar with Australia, they can get inspired by visiting Australia.com or Quiksilver.com.   The winner will be determined by who has the most 'likes' at the end of the contest period.

"There's nothing like an Australian adventure," said Daryl Hudson, vice president, the Americas for Tourism Australia.  "From our iconic beaches, to our world-class cities and of course our native wildlife, the winning blogger will be on the front lines of some amazing experiences."

The winner will receive a two-week trip to Australia including round-trip international economy airfare from Los Angeles, Dallas, San Francisco, or New York to Australia; one week in Queensland attending and blogging from the 2012 Quiksilver Pro, and vacation and blogging for one week in another Australian state of their choice.

All international visitors to Australia, unless they have an Australian or New Zealand passport, must have an Australia Travel Visa. The most popular of these is the ETA Visa, as it can be quickly applied for online and once approved it is electronically added to your passport.

"The Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast is the premier surf event in all of Australia and the kick-off to the world tour every year" said Eddie Anaya, Marketing Director of Quiksilver.

"It's exciting to partner with Tourism Australia to offer one of our fans a behind the scenes experience where they get to blog and rub elbows with the best surfers in the world at one of Australia's legendary surf breaks - Snapper Rocks."

School officials getting plenty of input on cuts

Proposals to close a $3.75 million gap in the Grand Island Public Schools budget provide

something for everybody to hate.

"Hate" is probably too strong a word considering the civility that has been part of the

debate so far, although it is clear that nobody likes the proposed cuts.

The district started off with a deficit of $12.8 million that it needed to close. Cutting the

first $8 million to $9 million caused little outcry, but it is the final several million

dollars, which are affecting personnel, that has caused more debate.

The Independent asked permission to see the e-mails with the understanding that e-mailers

would be called to see if they would be willing to share their views in the newspaper. While

many people were passionate in their views, everybody was very civil, both in the 39 e-mails

submitted and also in the few interviews The Independent was able to conduct.

Gary Swallow, who said he worked at a manufacturing plant for 37 years, including 10 years as

plant manager, said his e-mail suggested cutting administrators, not classroom teachers.

Swallow said he did not believe that administrators have as big an impact on what happens in

the classroom as teachers, and that is one reason he favors cutting administrative personnel.

He also said administrators make more money than teachers, so a reduction eliminating one

administrator saves more money than eliminating one teacher.

He said he was not impressed that central office administrators have offered to have their

salaries frozen for the coming year. He said that prevents costs from rising, but it does not

lower costs to help close the deficit.

Kris McElligott is another person who questions whether enough has been done to cut

administrative costs, specifically at central administration.

When questioned by The Independent, Finance Director Virgil Harden said the district has the

right to issue reduction-in-force notices to building principals, as well as to teaching

staff. He noted the RIF notices that have already have been publicly discussed include a

half-time elementary principal.

Harden said he believes the superintendent would have the right to trim personnel in the

central office. Any administrative change would need approval or at least acquiescence by the

school board.

Harden also was questioned on whether the school district could unilaterally cut

administrative pay. After thinking the question through, Harden said he believes interim

Superintendent Harrison Cass could propose a cut in pay for both central office and building

administrators. He said pay cuts would have to be approved by a vote of the school board, who

would have earlier voted to approve the existing pay packages.

The district theoretically could cut that pay because administrators are not organized as a

formal bargaining group like the Grand Island Education Association.

But Harden said that might be a short-term solution with long-term consequences. He said

employees who have seen their pay cut could be motivated to form a bargaining unit to protect

themselves in the future.

The current situation for the Grand Island school district is that central office

administrators have offered to freeze their salaries for the coming year. GIPS classified

staff members have made the same offer.

Despite that pay freeze offer from classified staff, 8.84 FTE paraprofessionals with the

Grand Island school district are being laid off, Harden said.

While McElligott joined Swallow – and other e-mailers – in concern over administrative

costs, the original issue that prompted her e-mail was the proposal to cut back the amount of

time devoted to middle school math instruction, as well as the proposal to integrate the

middle school technology program with science.

McElligott said middle school is a critical time for math instruction. She said her concern

is that only the best math students will be able to grasp the increasingly difficult math

concepts introduced in middle school, while more students will struggle.

As a result, McElligott is worried that fewer middle school students will go on to take the

higher level math courses at Senior High, which can end with some students taking AP

calculus. She said a greater number of students will opt to take the less demanding math

track in high school because they spent less time on math while in middle school.

McElligott also objected to integrating middle school technology with science because she

believes it could hinder student achievement in both subject areas. She said the applied

science and applied math in middle school technology courses can help students decide if they

want to pursue careers such as engineering.

She said the middle school modules in technology give students hands-on experience in areas

such as robotics. McElligott said another concern is that the district's investment in the

technology modules will go to waste if technology and science are integrated.

She questioned why the district is cutting back on middle school technology instruction at

the same time it is planning on greatly expanded career and technology education (CTE) course

offerings at Senior High.

If middle school students somehow manage to get all the technology they need, then McElligott

said there is a danger those students will need to learn all the basic science they need to

know.

McElligott said a secondary issue for her is that it seems as though the cuts to athletic

programs are not balanced. She wondered why school officials are considering eliminating the

swim program – which is a relatively low-cost sport – and not making bigger cuts in the

more expensive sports programs.

Mikki Vlach and her husband were among several swim parents who sent e-mails to the school

district asking that the high school swim team not be eliminated. During an interview, Vlach

said their 10-year-old daughter, Izzy, is on the Quicksilver swim team.

Vlach believes her daughter will stay interested in the sport all the way through high

school, a view she also noted in her e-mail when she wrote, "she (Izzy) is already talking

about being a member of the high school swim team even though she has only been swimming for

a year."

Vlach said swim team is a relatively low-cost program, so she questioned the proposal to end

it. Because the sport is a cooperative program involving several schools, Vlach also wondered

whether other school districts could make a greater financial contribution to the program.

It sometimes seems as though the school district focuses its resources on "at-risk" students

to the detriment of motivated students like the ones on the Quicksilver team, who have swim

practice four days per week, 10 months per year, Vlach said.

Another proposal before the board is to cut fifth-grade band and orchestra. At the time, the

proposal was presented as simply delaying student participation in band and orchestra for one

year. But Walnut Middle School band instructor John Schultz was part of an e-mail that

reminded everyone of a possible unintended consequence of the delay.

Under the current system, band and orchestra teachers travel from building to building to

give lessons to small groups of students who are just learning how to play a band instrument

or string instrument, Schultz said. But those small groups add up to big numbers. During the

current school year, 374 fifth-graders began learning how to play a band instrument and 85

students began learning how to play a string instrument.

Those fifth-graders are spread over 14 elementary schools. But as sixth-graders, those

students would be concentrated in just three middle schools, creating problems both in terms

of staffing and perhaps physical space.

"Teaching beginning students in small groups leads to a better chance of success," Schultz

said.

Quicksilver Resources Trading Higher on 1.1x Above-Average Volume

Shares of Quicksilver Resources (NYSE: KWK) are trading up 1.8% to $14.87 today on above

average volume. Approximately 2.8 million shares have traded hands today vs. average 30-day

volume of 2.5 million shares.

Spikes in volume can validate a breakout or signify a potential turning point. As such,

SmarTrend will continue to monitor shares of KWK to see if this bullish momentum will

continue.

SmarTrend currently has shares of Quicksilver Resources in an Uptrend and issued the Uptrend

alert on September 07, 2010 at $12.89. The stock has risen 13.3% since the Uptrend alert was

issued.

In the last five trading sessions, the 50-day MA has remained constant while the 200-day MA

has risen 0.56%.

In the past 52 weeks, shares of Quicksilver Resources have traded between a low of $10.53 and

a high of $16.15 and are now at $14.64, which is 39% above that low price.


Atlas Pipeline Partners(APL), owner and operator of natural gas pipeline gathering systems in

U.S., gained 3.4%. Morgan Stanley raised its price target on Atlas to $38 from $35 and

maintained its overweight rating on the stock. The bank sees Atlas's 2011 earnings at $1.68

per share and 2012 earnings at $2.23 per share.

Sunoco(SUN) surged 2.2% last week after reporting better-than-expected quarterly numbers. Net

income increased to $87 million or $0.72 per diluted share for 2010 fourth quarter, compared

to $26 million or $0.22 per diluted share during the same quarter in 2009. The yearly

financial numbers also staged a comeback. Sunoco reported net income of $234 million for 2010

versus a net loss of $329 million for full-year 2009.

Chesapeake Midstream Partners(CHKM) and Quicksilver Resources(KWK) advanced 2.1% and 1.95%,

respectively.

Sinpoec(SNP) gained 1.6%. The company said it has met or even surpassed the operational

targets for the first quarter of 2011. During the week, the company asked its refining plants

to boost gasoline output, says parent China Petrochemical.

Other movers TransCanada(TRP), Weatherford International(WFT), OGE Energy(OGE) and

PetroChina(PTR) were flat, up 0.96%, 0.7%, 0.14% and 0.11%, respectively.

LDK Solar(LDK) was the top loser, plummeting 15.3%. Lazard Capital downgraded LDK Solar to

hold from buy. Lazard Capital expects industry pricing to decline faster than expected, given

the expected policy changes in Italy and Germany.

Alfred application tries to up your productivity

Alfred, a productivity app for the Mac meant to help you search and optimize your computer,

may prove indispensable as your computer's right-hand man. The program launched a year ago

and as with the (rarely updated) Quicksilver launcher, the app pulls up a menu bar from which

you can launch programs, control iTunes, conduct Web searches, log into e-mail services and,

of course, search your computer for key phrases.

Mac users know that Alfred shares many of its key functions with the Spotlight feature built

into Mac's OS. Why would you need a launcher? Alfred learns what applications and commands

you use most often and adapts its actions over time.

All that, plus seeing its delightful bowler hat icon sitting in your Mac's menu bar can be

oddly comforting. Alfred is a free download from the Mac App Store.

Incat Crowther to design 42 m cat for Indonesia

Incat Crowther has secured a contract to design a 42 m wave piercing catamaran ferry for

Indonesian operator Quicksilver Bali.

Quicksilver runs day tours and dinner cruises out of Bali, using the Incat Crowther-designed

wavepiercer Quicksilver 6.

Under construction at PT Caputra Mitra Sejati Shipyard, the new vessel will be built to

Lloyd's Register class and carry 450 passengers in two salons and on three outdoor decks.

quicksilver500


In addition to passengers, the vessel will carry up to 50 crew and Quicksilver personnel,

many of whom work at the operator's pontoon at Nusa Penida Island. At this pontoon, the

operator offers activities including snorkeling, semi-submersible scuba, jet skiing and even

tattooing.

The vessel is configured to not only transport this small army of support staff to the

pontoon, but also to allow meetings and briefings onboard during the outbound voyage.

Incat Crowther worked in close collaboration with Quicksilver Bali to develop a vessel

optimized for the service being offered. Many features have been implemented to increase

passenger comfort, such as window washing platforms on both decks. Safety demonstrations and

live music shows performed on the main deck are relayed throughout the vessel via the

integrated AV system.

The main deck interior cabin features seats for 268 passengers, and has a large bar at the

aft end. Adjacent to the bar is a dual-entry cool room, which allows for quick loading of

supplies, and immediate access from the bar. Behind the bar and cool room are extensive

amenities. A total of 15 toilets are provided.

The mid deck cabin seats 168 passengers, with a small servery aft. The servery is linked to

the main deck bar via a dumb waiter.

The aft mid deck has 42 exterior seats. Stairs lead from this deck to a large sundeck, with

50 outdoor seats and ample standing room.

The vessel will have multiple boarding points to allow quick embarkation and disembarkation.

Large aft quarter decks are provided for transfer of passengers to the pontoon. These load

into broad stairs that link to the main deck boarding area. Large passageways and stairs are

provided to the main deck cabin and the mid deck. There are also passenger loading gates on

the mid deck.

At the aft end of the main deck is an area reserved for luggage trolleys and supplies for the

pontoon. These are loaded by a pair of davits outboard allowing loading and unloading on both

sides.

The design of the vessel pays particular attention to adequate access for maintenance of

machinery and to the fast and easy removal of engines for major overhauls.

The vessel is fully compliant with IMO HSC stability regulations, providing a level of safety

exceeding regulations for domestic use.

The vessel will be powered by four Caterpillar C32 Acert C engines, each producing 1,080 kW.

Propulsion is carried to KaMeWa 50A3 waterjets via ZF3050/D gearboxes and cardan shafts. The

vessel will have a service speed of 26 knots and a top speed of 30 knots. Extensive long-

range fuel tanks will be fitted, giving the vessel a delivery range of 800 nm.

Horror day at Quicksilver Pro

JOEL Parkinson was the remaining Gold Coast surfer left in the Quiksilver Pro after a

horror day which saw Mick Fanning and Josh Kerr eliminated.

The Snapper Rocks event is one locals have dominated in its 10-year history, with

Fanning, 29, and Parkinson, 29, having taken two each and Dean Morrison, 30, another.

With Fanning's frustrating round-three loss to Dusty Payne, then Kerr's close defeat

to Adrian Buchan, it was left to Parkinson to keep the Gold Coast flag flying and he

did just that, by defeating Kai Otton in the second-last heat of round three.

Twice world champion Fanning failed to catch a wave in the final 10 minutes of his

heat and was eliminated by less than a point, 11.77 to 11.

"I am the only one of the three local boys left now, so hopefully I'm the lone

standing at the end too," Parkinson said after his heat.

Fanning's was the first men's heat of the day and it certainly wasn't classic Snapper

Rocks conditions, especially in the early heats on high tide. With the dropping tide

barrels came on offer in 1.5 metre swell and Parkinson got plenty of them to beat

Otton 14.14 to 7.17.

South Africa's Jordy Smith, 23, put in the performance of the day, posting a 17.17

out of a possible 20 for an unmatched affinity with the barrel, massive turns and

aerials. The high-fi exhibition was enough to eliminate replacement surfer Cory Lopez

(USA), 33.

"I was pretty nervous going into my heat," Smith said. "Cory (Lopez), I know how well

he surfs and I didn't want to get stuck behind the rocks. Matt (Wilkinson) and those

guys psyched me up and it was fun out there surfing with one other guy."

Finishing runner-up at this event last season as well as in the hunt for the ASP

world title, the big South African is confident in his abilities and mind frame in

2011. "I'm feeling really good," Smith said. "I feel confident. I have nice boards

under my feet and am taking it one event at a time. I'm having fun with it."

Keeping Australian hopes alive are Matt Wilkinson, 22, Adrian Buchan, 28, and

defending champion Taj Burrow, 32.

Wilkinson put on an electric performance to beat Heitor Alves. The progressive goofy

-footer blasted away at the bowly righthanders, netting a 9.27 out of a possible 10

for one of the highest single-wave scores of the day.

The performance included a nearly-completed rodeo flip that had the thousands in

attendance on their feet.

Burrow beat world tour rookie Julian Wilson to advance.

Drill-site leak shows need for master plan for Lake Arlington

In July, a small amount of water from a Fort Worth natural gas drilling site leaked

into Lake Arlington after the shutoff valve of a frac tank was apparently left open.

Arlington, which owns and controls the lake, conducted immediate and follow-up testing

to check for metals and volatile chemicals such as benzene and chlorine but found no

contamination related to the incident, Water Utilities Director Julie Hunt said.

But the spill from Quicksilver Resources' Olcott South drill site is a perfect example

of why city officials are drafting a Lake Arlington Master Plan and other ordinances

aimed at protecting the lake, which supplies drinking water to more than 500,000

people, including Arlington residents.

The City Council is considering, for example, requiring gas-drilling sites to be at

least 600 feet from the lake.

"If an event did occur on-site, you are putting a buffer between the drinking-water

reservoir and the gas-drilling sites," Hunt said. "Giving that extra distance allows

there to be less influence if there was a spill that was not contained."

On Tuesday, Hunt presented a draft of the lake master plan to the council. The

document is meant to help protect water quality, serve as a planning tool, optimize

recreational opportunities, manage the lake ecosystem and identify the potential

impact of development.

City officials have worked with their counterparts in Fort Worth, which borders the

western shoreline, as well as with the North Central Texas Council of Governments to

facilitate communication with the 10 other cities and two counties in the lake's

watershed. Part of the plan addresses ways to reduce litter and polluted runoff from

upstream.

Several natural gas sites are along the lake, mostly on the Fort Worth side. Arlington

plans to ask Fort Worth to also consider the 600-foot setback for future drill sites,

Hunt said.

After the spill, the city did detect bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, used to make

plastics, at levels above the maximum contaminates allowed for drinking-water

standards, a staff report shows. City officials attribute the results to plastic

litter in the lake, not the drilling site spill.

Quicksilver paid all costs -- just under $10,000 -- associated with the soil and water

testing and has implemented measures to prevent future lake contamination from water

runoff, according to the staff report.

After Hunt's presentation Tuesday, Councilwoman Kathryn Wilemon praised the two

cities' cooperation on the lake plan.