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<b><u>Beth Steel Builds IT Edge</u></b><@SM><@SM><i>CommerceQuest Partnership Will Optimize Connectivity</i><@SM><@SM><TAB>Bethlehem Steel Corp. has selected a technology partner to handle its enterprise application integration complexities and ensure secure message delivery within the company and among its trading partners.

<TAB>Baltimore County officials yesterday combined the humor of an Elks Lodge roast and the class of an upscale awards production in presenting this year

<TAB>In the spirit of Chicago

For many Americans the holidays are times when families celebrate together with a great meal. A number of great meals typically mark the holiday time: Thanksgiving, Christmas or Hanukkah and New Years. And we do celebrate at these meals with copious amounts of food.

The Daily Record publishes Calendar, a daily listing of special events and ongoing programs in Baltimore and the surrounding communities. For inclusion, send items to The Daily Record Calendar, 11 E. Saratoga St., Baltimore, Md. 21202. Thursday, November 30Army-NavyUSS McInerney, ...

Ask a handful of adults to go on the record and name the most useless, inane, or downright stupid holiday gift they ever received and virtually all will invoke their constitutionally guaranteed right to remain silent.<@SM><@SM><TAB>The reason for anonymity, of course, is that invariably such a gift originated with a spouse -- at least in the case of those still married and wishing to remain married to that particular individual -- or from a still-living in-law.

<TAB>The parents of the Columbine High School gunmen and one of the people who supplied them with weapons have offered a $1.6 million settlement to dozens of victims and their families.<@SM><@SM><TAB>The money, apparently to come from homeowners insurance policies, could be divided among as many as 37 families of those killed or injured in the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history.

<TAB>When the owners of <b><a href="http://www.macdonald-starling.com" target="_blank">Macdonald-Starling LLC</a></b> discovered that being too quick and efficient on the job

After the initial run in local bookstores last holiday season of “The Golden Ring,” Maryland author and businessman John Snyder is anticipating even stronger sales this year for his novel.<@SM><@SM>[IMGCAP(1)]<TAB>Snyder published 5,000 copies of the Christmas novel last year, just in time for the holidays. This season, Snyder increased the number to 32,000. And he is taking his book nationwide.<@SM><@SM> <TAB>“My reason for getting it out last year,” he said, “was the story was inspired by my Grandmother and she was getting up in years. I wanted to make sure she got to see it. I’m glad I did that because literally days after I gave her the copy, she passed away.”

<TAB>The public face of the White House battle has changed — from dimpled ballots and tense recounts to legions of lawyers and dozens of lawsuits. Just as the nation’s patience is wearing thin, the case is in the hands of a profession that America loves to hate.