Told by the vice principal they could sit wherever they pleased, the student and his pals plopped down under the sprawling branches of a shade tree in the campus courtyard.

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The traditional sit-down lunch with the plat du jour at the local brasserie is, it seems, under threat.

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"When you came on his staff, you'd better be ready to coach because he wasn't going to sit you down and tell you what he wanted you to do, " said Bill Brashier, who coached under Fry for more than 20 years.

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So this year, we'll gather a half-hour later than usual, just as the show is getting under way, and instead of plopping down in front of the TV, we'll sit down to a nice dinner.

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"Marcegaglia indicated that under the right circumstances they were willing to use their good offices to encourage their partners to sit down with Corus in the UK to explore new possible commercial solutions which will preserve production and assist the process of safeguarding jobs on Teesside, " it said.

BBC: Talks in Italy over Corus future