The Kirby Games and Outing Center provides this group of regulars an atmosphere to have fun with each other while playing pool, foosball, darts, pinball machines, watching television, or playing X-Box.

"My buddies are constantly popping in and out. This is definitely our hangout," said sophomore Chris Olsen. "When there's a new face, I notice right away. I love it though. It's nice to see new people coming to hang
out."

"Yeah, I love to come down here. We don't see everybody all the time, so this is a place we can all come and see each other," said one regular, David Comer.

Every day between noon and 2 o'clock this cultured group meets to play pool. When looking around, it's easy to see pool isn't the only reason why they go down there. Two guys are cracking jokes while the rest of the
crew is laughing hystarically. The laughing dies out and the conversation turns in a whole new direction. Three of the regulars start discussing different cultures.

"The conversations get wild down here. We like to debate about religion and politics," said freshman Hana Dinku. "We all clash, but there's no downsizing, just sharing."

A couple of the regulars keep quiet while sitting at one of the tables off to the side. Not only is the Games and Outing Center a place to play around, but it's a popular spot to study.

"I can actually stay awake down here. There's good music and that helps me to study," said Chris Olsen. "It's easy to get distracted, but that's ok because my buddies are around."

The group likes to come to the Kirby Games Center in between classes during the day, but they enjoy going on Thursday nights as well. Usually during the night, the Games Center is slow, but the center has designated
Thursday nights to be "free pool night". This weekly occurrence brings many more people to join the regulars. The Games Center gets very crowded, but it's a great way to meet different people from all sides of the world.

Besides Thursday nights, there are many tables and machines that are open for enjoyment to all students who attend UMD. The Kirby Gaming and Outing Center is open on weekdays from 9am to 10pm and on weekends from 1pm to 10pm.

Uzair spent most of his childhood sailing around the world in a ship he describes as a big city. The Mukadam family base is located in Karachi, Pakistan; however, since Uzair's father was a Captain on a Merchant ship he frequently brought the family along on shipping adventures.

His father's merchant ship, the size of eight football fields, typically contained 35-40 crew members, a chief cook, maids and servants.

"The ships I traveled on were much better then five-star hotels," said Uzair.

The men in the Mukadam family have been the Captain of the Merchant
Army for the past three generations; however, Uzair wanted to find himself and
follow his own dreams.

Uzair could have easily taken his father’s money to pay for his education in the United States. Instead, he decided that the best idea would to pay for it himself through private loans.

On campus, you can usually find Uzair working in one of the computer labs throughout the week.

“It’s an easy and chill job. I like it because I don’t get stressed at all,� said Uzair.

On the weekends, Uzair does everything a normal college kid would do except for drinking.

“I love to play cricket. When I was young, I wanted to become a professional in Pakistan,� said Uzair. “I also really like to cook, play music, and design clothes.�

He will be graduating this spring with a B.A. in business. Uzair loves going to school in America, but he’s very excited to finally graduate.

Uzair hopes his parents will attend the graduation if they can get a visa to come to the United States. It has been a year and a half since he has seen his family.

After graduation, Uzair plan on moving to Minneapolis to set up his own company.

“I would like to retire by age 29. I want a lot of time to spend with my wife and kids,� said Uzair. “I definitely plan on traveling much more in my lifetime.�

Newly appointed City Administrator, Joan Bell, will officially become
administrative head of the Falconville government at the beginning of next
month. Bell will be responsible for the efficient administration of all of
the affairs of the city.

A large reason for inventing this new position of City Administrator
is to keep one person in charge of the department heads especially with
shrinking revenues. Through consoldiating duties into one office, the City
Council will efficiently save money.

"This is the wisest move we've made in some time," says Vice-Mayor,
Luis Gomez.

The City Council has added $90,000 to the new position in the annual
budget, but cut several times that from other parts. One third of that money
is for staff help and set-up supplies.

One main task of the City Administrator is to prepare and submit the
proposed annual budget plan to the City Council for its approval.

"City Administrator Bell can take some credit for whipping the budget
into shape early," says Mayor Henry Smith.

Bell, who has been serving as acting administrator for the past
month, has been praised for adopting the budget early this year which is the
first time in the last 13 years.

"Most employees got a 4% pay raise and the police got a 5% raise. We
also eliminated some duplication and trimmed some costly services. The total
budget is down,"
says Joan Bell.

The City Administrators duties also involve enforcing all the laws
and ordinances of the city.

In other action, the council:

- reviewed the proposed budget and recommended property tax rate for next fiscal year, which begins at the first of next month. The City Council recommends a $2.1 million budget, down from $2.4 million last year.

- resolved that parking shall be limited to two hours between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., on any day, except Sundays and legal holidays, on theNorth side of East Kern Street between J Street and the alley between J
and K Streets.
-reviewed the new Sister City program in Falconville. The city will become a "sister city" with Malsch, Germany, meaning it will have a cultral exchange and a means for people to become better acquainted
with people from another part of the world.

- decided to discontinue the expensive service of police walking
patrols at city Little Leagues games sponsored by the Parks and Recreation Department. Instead, they will be providing the game announcers witha two-way radio in case police presence is needed.

-approved this year's Falconville Gala to be held the last weekend of next month. The Gala parade will be Saturday at 10 a.m.

These are the key elements to the Pilates conditioning of the body. Pilates is a popular form of exercise that focuses on the abdominal muscles also known as the “core�.

“Pilates is wonderful for your mind, body, and soul,� says Kate Harsma.

Harsma, a Pilates instructor for the UMD Fitness Center and Center for Personal Fitness, held a Pilates class during the UMD Health Fair Wednesday.

The UMD Health Services decided to make a change to their annual event held each spring and add three exercise activities including Pilates, Jazzercise, and yoga.

“This way people can try something new that is good for their bodies,� said Harsma.

A few students and a couple professors gathered mats and laid them on the floor to learn the basics of Pilates in the Garden Room. The group of new Pilates participants struggled to find their balance as Harsma taught the basic movements.

“People think Pilates is easy. The only reason I can do these movements is because I’ve been doing this for 3 years,� said Harsma.

Across the hall from the Pilates room, the Rafters were full of students and faculty receiving information about different aspects of life and health. In all, there were 16 different booths set up for everyone to educate themselves on certain health issues such as effects of smoking and drinking, sexually
transmitted diseases, and organ donation.

“The purpose of this annual event is to educate students on their health,� said Shelly DeCaigney, the head coordinator of the Health Fair. “We hold this event every spring before spring break because it is a high target risk to students.�

After the recent Supreme Court Justice was appointed, many United States
citizens are concerned the case Roe vs. Wade will be overturned to the state
government.

Many women and a handful of men showed up to hear Sturdevant voice her opinion about the future of Roe vs. Wade, the case that determined laws against abortion violates the constitutional right to privacy.

“Four of the people on the Supreme Court are for overruling abortion, four aren't, and one is a swing vote,� Sturdevant said confidently. Sturdevant told the audience her reasons why abortion won't become a state by state decision.

“People rely on the law,� Sturdevant said. “They have great respect for previous Supreme Court justices who have made laws in the past. If we constantly change the court all the time, people will start to think it doesn't mean anything.� Sturdevant said, “If Roe vs. Wade is overturned, the United States would become chaos. Girls would leave the U.S. and travel to another country to have an abortion.�

“The one swing vote, Justice Kennedy, is very important in this court overruling,� she said.

If the abortion law is overturned for the state to decide if it's legal or not, Sturvedant said, “it could become troublesome.�

Sturvedant believes states such as North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin,
Alabama, Tennessee, and many other Republican states would probably ban
abortion. States such as California, New York, Maine, New Jersey, Iowa, and
Illinois would probably legalize abortion.

Many women and a handful of men showed up to hear Sturdevant voice her opinion about the future of Roe vs. Wade, the case that determined laws against abortion violates the constitutional right to privacy.

She brought to everyone's attention, “four of the people on the Supreme Court are for overruling abortion, four aren't, and one is a swing vote.� Sturdevant seemed quite confident in her speech that Roe vs. Wade won't overturn.

Sturdevant told the audience her reasons why abortion won’t become a state by state decision.

“People rely on the law. They have great respect for previous Supreme Court justices who have made laws in the past,� Sturdevant said. “If we constantly change the court all the time, people will start to think it doesn't mean anything.�

Sturdevant told the audience that if Roe vs. Wade is overturned, the United States would become chaos, “Girls would leave the U.S. and travel to another country to have an abortion.�

“The one swing vote, by Justice Kennedy, is very important in this court overruling.�

If the abortion law is overturned for the state to decide if it's legal or not, Sturvedant said, “it could become troublesome.� Sturvedant said states such as North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Alabama, Tennessee, and many other Republican states would probably ban abortion. States such as California, New York, Maine, New Jersey, Iowa, and Illinois would probably legalize abortion.

Sturvedant said “Our state of Minnesota would probably be up for grabs. Minnesota could go either way with abortion.�