Serving the NATO, Naples and Gaeta Military Community in Italy Russell Egnor Navy Media Awards – 2016 Best Newspaper in the Navy
62nd year, No. 47
Friday, December 15, 2017
Naples Community Theatre’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ Shines Brightly From Naples Community Theatre
The Naples Community Theatre production of “A Christmas Carol” closed after a highly successful run at the Naples American Middle High School last Saturday evening. Director Mark Reid, Stage Manager Erinn Sudol, and the shows’ 30 talented performers brought the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge to life, and brought a touch of Christmas cheer to the community. Highlights included the performance of Jim Farmer as Scrooge, skillfully displaying Scrooge’s mercurial personality from a dark and dismal miser to being a gleeful member of his community. “Scrooge represents a collection of primal fears in all of us: fear of being poor, hungry, and alone,” Farmer said. “His reclamation is the story of salvation, not of the individual, but of the community to which he belongs. In transiting through Scrooge’s dark side, the audience sees the cold and unfeeling miser not as a villain, but as someone to be pitied and reclaimed. As the three ghosts pull Scrooge through his past,
Officials Announce First DoD-Wide Audit, Call for Budget Certainty By Jim Garamone DoD News
The Ghost of Christmas Present (Meghan Berryman) offers the “milk of human kindness” to the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge (Jim Farmer) from the Naples Community Theatre in the second act of the final performance of “A Christmas Carol” after a highly successful run at the Naples American Middle High School last Saturday evening. Photo by Gary Nichols
present, and future, the audience gets to go along for the ride. Hopefully, the audience gets to review and relive decisions made during their own lives, and find the magic that made them who they are today.” Another audience favorite was the role of Ghost of Christmas Present, played gloriously by Meghan Berry-
man. In her soaring rendition at the opening of the second act, Berryman’s operatic talent was on full display as she effortlessly scaled the challenges of “Oh, Holy Night.” “The song represents the birth of the savior, and the rebirth of all humanity,” Berryman explained. CHRISTMAS CAROL Page 6
Grand Opening for Spinz at Bowling Alley
USO TOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Taxpayer Confidence The audit is massive. It will examine every aspect of the department from personnel to real property to weapons to supplies to bases. Some 2,400 auditors will fan out across the department to conduct it, Pentagon officials said. “It is important that the Congress and the American people have confidence in DoD’s management of every taxpayer dollar,” Norquist said. Audits are necessary to ensure the accuracy of financial information. They also account for property. Officials estimate the department has around $2.4 trillion in assets.
WORD SEARCH / COLOR ME 14
DOD AUDIT Page 7
Dominick Corrado, Mission Essential Program Manager (MWR); Anthony Smith, MWR Director; Captain Todd Abrahamson, Commanding Officer, Naval Support Activity Naples; and Ronald Hodgen, Business Activities Manager (MWR) participate in the grand opening of Spinz, a new restaurant at the bowling alley onboard Support Site. Photo by Felicia Williams, MWR Marketing See More Page 7.
CAPTAIN’S CORNER. . . . . . . . . 2
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BASE NOTES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 HISTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 FFSC CALENDAR . . . . . . . . . . . 5 SOUND OFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 MOVIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 JOBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 PREMIERE Of STAR WARS THE LAST JEDI . . . . . . . . . . page 5
CHRISTMAS TREE ORIGINS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 14
The Defense Department is starting the first agencywide financial audit in its history, Pentagon officials announced December 7, 2017. Defense Department Comptroller David L. Norquist and chief Pentagon spokesperson Dana W. White spoke during the Pentagon news conference, in which they also addressed the possibility of a government shutdown when the continuing resolution that has been keeping the government running expires tomorrow. Norquist said he received the DoD Office of Inspector General’s notification that the financial statement audit begins this month.