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(Yes, I'm aware that capital letters = shouting, but that's how excited I am! I want you to hear an announcer's voice at the NBA Finals with the crowd cheering and pom-poms waving—they still use those, right?—and really big dudes running out in shiny jerseys. Never mind. Scratch the big dudes).
Because I'm finally delivering on the master closet reveal that I've hinted at a few times over the last week or so, and it's big.
I've always wanted a pretty closet (sometimes I wish I could add a line-per-line soundtrack to my posts; if I could, you'd hear violins playing a haunting, nostalgic score right now).
But when we moved into our house (95% of which we built ourselves), the closet was pretty much the last thing on a looooooong (add about 4,567 more "o's" and you'll have a better idea of how not a priority it was) list of projects.
So, in went the clothes, the shoes, the jewelry, the hair doodads, the suitcases (?), the leftover home décor (??), the…scuba-gear (??!). Yeah. Our closet was pretty much a dumping ground for anything we couldn't find a place for somewhere else in the house.
And it was anything but pretty.
But enough of my jabbering. Let's let the pictures do the talking, shall we?
Okay, obviously not the world's worst closet. I mean, I have a built-in shoe shelf (c/o my amazing husband) for crying out loud. But there was just too much stuff in too little space…space which was not being utilized to its highest (or even middling) potential.
All the "extras" that had trickled into the closet over the past two years, only to be shoved under the clothes racks.
$5 garage sale "chandy." It more or less got the job done (i.e. I usually came out of the closet with two matching shoes).
Good shoe-shelf. Bad styling.
A view of the opposite side. Again, the bones are good. My husband made built-in cubbies, a laundry chute, and shelves…that got swallowed whole by my expansive scarf collection. Also, "non-cute" books and all my old issues of Fitness and Martha, were just jammed, willy-nilly into whichever space would fit.
Pretty much everything out. Aaaaah…it already feels so much better, but a closet's not much of a closet unless it's actually closeting stuff…right? (You're nodding your head, but you look confused).
But before we could put it all back in, we had a few teensy changes to make. The first order of business was to add a little color to the space. If you've seen my DIY Tufted Ottoman tutorial (which gave you a quick glimpse of our living room), Della's red and aqua nursery, any of my Wardrobe Wednesday posts, or my new 100% thrifted fashion site, Second Hand or Bare Bottom (oh yes, I did), you've probably been able to gather that color and me…we're likethis. So white walls—even in the closet—were not okay.
I knew I wanted to use some paint samples I had left over from our living room redo, so I intentionally bought a too-dark blue-green shade from Lowe's called Blue Shamrock intending to lighten it up. Then I opened it and got totally fooled by how light it was in the can (I'm not a paint amateur, I promise. I know it dries darker, but this was really light) and ended up cutting in the closet 3 times because my color kept ending up too dark.
Boy, those were good times.
I finally got a clue and dumped a bunch of white paint into the blue mix I already had going on, and came up with this (the best indication of the color is on my shorts):
Yeah, that's what happens when you let a 5-year-old press the drill button when you're custom-mixing your own paint. But it's pretty impossible to get too upset when he looks like this:
Then, of course, you gotta do some of this:
A little of this:
Apparently, flexed toes are essential to effective decoupaging!
Until finally (and I do mean finally), you have…
BEFORE (just to refresh your memory):
Is anyone else hearing the Hallelujah Chorus right now?
(Okay, officially on the to-do list: make blog soundtrack).
For the scrolling-averse, I've compiled a collage of my favorite little vignettes (but I do hope you'll scroll too…your finger probably needs the exercise).
I hope you're ready for pictures, pictures, and more pictures, folks, because I am beyond happy with the "after," and Momma wants to show off her new baby!
Believe it or not, that's the same $5 chandy from the pic before, just reversed so that the lights point upward. Oh yeah. And painted Sherwin William's Quite Coral with new Tiffany shades (that I had stashed from a different chandelier that I…oh, never mind…my point is I already had them).
If I had really wanted to impress you, I would have ironed a couple of those blouses. Oh well.
We took the single pole that was on this wall and pushed it up to the ceiling, adding another pole below to maximize the space. Shaun's clothes are on the top pole since he can reach without a step-stool. Man, I love tall husbands.
Two of my favorite thrift-store bags now hang from a pretty dress-form I found at Ross. I got the "door" mirror a long time ago at a "barn-sale."
I love this "bird verse" print from Jones Design Company! It reads: "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well," Matthew 6:33. Above the mirror was really the best/only place for it, but I'm really happy that it's perched there reminding me every time I analyze my reflection that God wants my first order of business to be, not my outward appearance, but my inner holiness.
Hats and scarves are bundled away in those cute jute baskets that I got at Hobby Lobby for 50% off. Isn't it nice when your shoes just happen to match your baskets? (I promise I didn't buy those just for this picture).
I took a rolling rack that used to reside in our last kitchen, spray-painted it champagne and loaded it up with the random books, magazines, and, of course, my Anthropologie catalogues that had been jammed into the cubbies. A simple row of hooks was all it took to take my belt collection from a tangled mass to serene order. *Contented sigh.*
Now, that's a shoe shelf. I bought white paintable, textured wallpaper at Sherwin Williams ($6.99 for singles rolls, but, of course, as with all wallpaper, it only come in doubles…why do they do that? I could write an entire rant post about that very topic—and I just might some day) then painted it Quite Coral and gave it a metallic craft paint glaze to highlight the detailing in the texture.
I'm not sure if that lamp (GW, $3, with a Target shade) will stay, but for now, it brightens up the space nicely.
More hooks now hold my necklaces, which act as wall-art all up and down the sides of the shoe shelf.
If I were worth my decorating salt, I would have stuffed all my bags with paper to make them stand at attention, but a) my taxidermist skills are sketchy at best, b) I'm a real girl with a real house who is too lazy to pull paper out of her bags every time she uses them, and c) I can cram more bags up there this way, and more bags = happiness.
Raise your hand if you love organization…especially in shades of aqua and white. Since we moved so many of our things up, that little teal step-stool from Marshall's ($10) comes in very handy.
Perfectly patterned aqua and white condiment bowls from Marshall's make for wonderful accessory holders.
Really, who doesn't need a fat, white ceramic pig in her life? I found each of the animal figurines (which are actually piggy banks) at the Dollar Store for $1 each (that may sound repetitive, but not everything at the Dollar Store is actually one dollar…sneaky).
The aqua tea-light holders came in these gorgeous boxes that now hold my scarves:
I was so thrilled to find something so beautiful and functional (clear plastic tops so I can see everything!) that already had something I wanted inside (I'm going to hang the rest of the tea-light holders from our pergola outside). And at $4.99 per box of holders (from Ross), it was a steal (especially when you consider that all the other pretty storage boxes I found were $5 all by their lonesome).
I found this little girl at Goodwill for $5, cleaned her up, decoupaged her with (Christmas!) wrapping paper, and changed out the knobs for my favorite white flower versions from Hobby Lobby (50% off, of course). It houses bigger bags like backpacks and totes. I got the vintage suitcase at Goodwill for $2.
I bought this jewelry tree from Marshall's a while back and found that magenta basket @ Goodwill for fiddy cent.
Fuchsia velvet hangers are definitely a girl's friend.
I think my favorite element of the entire closet is the "Mr. and Mrs." poles. I ran across this wrapping paper in the wedding section at Walmart and knew it was just the thing to spruce up plain, white poles. A little Elmer's glue/water concoction and a sponge brush were all it took to create closet pole magic!
Honestly, magical might be the best word to describe how it feels when I walk into my very own dream closet. It is humble, certainly, by fancy-house standards, but it is perfect for me, and I couldn't be more thrilled (unless maybe I could have closed my eyes, clapped my hands, and then opened my eyes to discover it all done for me…hmmm…yeah, not so much).
I've mentioned the sources and prices for several items already, but here's a quick (though not exhaustive) reference for the other items:
Velvet Flocked hangers: Fuchsia (Marshall's, $20 for 36), Cream (Ross, $40 for 100)
Rug runner: Ross, $9
Jute "bird" baskets: Hobby Lobby, $5 each
Dress form: Ross, $40 (I had store credit I needed to use, or I probably wouldn't have splurged)
Aqua hanging shoe holders: Target, $2.50 each
Apple green crates: Walmart, $4 each
White flower knobs: Hobby Lobby, $2 each
Aqua and White condiment bowls: Marshalls, $1.75 each
Magenta laundry basket: Walmart, $2
I haven't done an official tally, but I guestimate the entire transformation to be at around $150 (including the dress form). Not too bad considering the drastic change.
I hope you've enjoyed viewing my closet as much as I enjoy having it (I think I get the better end of that deal).
Me? I think I'm going to round up the kiddos and just go sit on the floor in—you guessed it—the closet.
If you have any questions, or I've left something out that you're interested to know, don't hesitate to email me or leave me a comment! I love hearing from you!
Don't forget to come on back tomorrow for a Flicky Friday movie recommendation! I'll even throw in a 5 Things list for free (I bet you can guess one thing I'm thankful for this week!)
Linking up with:


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Complications of Multiple Pregnancy
Why is multiple pregnancy a concern?
Being pregnant with more than one baby is exciting and is often a happy event for many couples. However, multiple pregnancy has increased risks for complications. The most common complications include the following:
Preterm labor and birth
Over 60 percent of twins and nearly all higher-order multiples are premature (born before 37 weeks). The higher the number of fetuses in the pregnancy, the greater the risk for early birth. Premature babies are born before their bodies and organ systems have completely matured. These babies are often small, with low birthweights (less than 2,500 grams or 5.5 pounds), and they may need help breathing, eating, fighting infection, and staying warm. Very premature babies, those born before 28 weeks, are especially vulnerable. Many of their organs may not be ready for life outside the mother's uterus and may be too immature to function well. Many multiple birth babies will need care in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Gestational hypertension
Women with multiple fetuses are more than twice as likely to develop high blood pressure of pregnancy. This condition often develops earlier and is more severe than pregnancy with one baby. It can also increase the chance of placental abruption (early detachment of the placenta).
Anemia is more than twice as common in multiple pregnancies as in a single birth.
Birth defects
Multiple birth babies have about twice the risk of congenital (present at birth) abnormalities including neural tube defects (such as spina bifida), gastrointestinal, and heart abnormalities.
A phenomenon called the vanishing twin syndrome in which more than one fetus is diagnosed, but vanishes (or is miscarried), usually in the first trimester, is more likely in multiple pregnancies. This may or may not be accompanied by bleeding. The risk of pregnancy loss is increased in later trimesters as well.
Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome
Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) is a condition of the placenta that develops only with identical twins that share a placenta. Blood vessels connect within the placenta and divert blood from one fetus to the other. It occurs in about 15 percent of twins with a shared placenta.
In TTTS, blood is shunted from one fetus to the other through blood vessel connections in a shared placenta. Over time, the recipient fetus receives too much blood, which can overload the cardiovascular system and cause too much amniotic fluid to develop. The smaller donor fetus does not get enough blood and has low amounts of amniotic fluid. Learn more about TTTS.
Abnormal amounts of amniotic fluid
Amniotic fluid abnormalities are more common in multiple pregnancies, especially for twins that share a placenta.
Cesarean delivery
Abnormal fetal positions increase the chances of cesarean birth.
Postpartum hemorrhage
The large placental area and over-distended uterus place a mother at risk for bleeding after delivery in many multiple pregnancies.

subset: commoncrawl


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Within BeerTools Pro you have access to your personal, favorite and library recipes saved in My BeerTools. Because BeerTools GOLD increases these quotas you have a wealth of recipe ideas at your fingertips.


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Daring Bakers Challenge May 2008
Oh the woes of an eager beaver Daring Baker. This month's challenge was rather messed up for me. The funny thing was, I actually found each component of the challenge simple enough and did not even know I was messing up until it was too late.
I decided to tackle the challenge this month very early on in the month. I had the weekend to myself and thought it would be the perfect opportunity to come face to face with the Opera Cake. However, what I did not know, that very weekend I decided to make the cake, a slight error in the ingredients would be discovered in the all new Daring Bakers forum and corrected. How I wish it was possible to sound alarms for the over 1000 Daring Bakers - I am imagining something along the lines of a fire alarm. When a fire breaks out the firemen and women are alerted by a shrill alarm. Something like that should be given to each DB - just in case.
This month's challenge was selected by our gorgeous founders Ivonne and Lis with co-hosts and DB newbies Fran and Shea. They wanted something melodic and challenged us with the grand Opera Cake. As I read the ever so long instructions my knees began to go weak. The four ladies decided to honor Barbara's LiveSTRONG efforts and dedicate the challenge to the cause. As LiveSTRONG is in May this year the fantastic girls decided to keep the Opera cake in simple whites and yellows calling it A Taste of Light!
Traditionally the Opera cake is flavored with the the darker colors of chocolate and coffee. It's how I always enjoyed the cake. I admit I was a bit disappointed that these flavors were to be substituted for other lighter colored flavors. But I liked the idea and soon decided on my flavors and colors.
What is an Opera cake?
It's an elegant French dessert made up of five elements:
- a jaconde - which is the cake layer
- a syrup to be drizzled over the cake
- a buttercream that fills the cake layers adding additional layers to the cake
- a ganache or a mousse
- a glaze to cover the top layer
It did not take long for me to settle with my flavors. I wanted to keep the cake in different shades of white and decided on a coconut and lime combination.
I added coconut cream to the syrup, lime zest to the buttercream and a splash of Batida de Coco. Yummy I can tell you! So where did I go wrong. It was the buttercream. I had never made buttercream quite in this fashion before. I also made the buttercream according to the ingredient amounts given initially. Then someone discovered a typo and after that things got very confusing. It was too late for me though because my buttercream was completed and in the refrigerator waiting to thicken. But it did not - not even after 4 hours in the fridge! I was running out of time and had to finish the cake.
Let's cut the long story short. As my buttercream was in the fridge I took a break and visited the DB forum. By then the news of typos and changing ingredient amounts was full blown. Well I had to laugh when I pulled out the buttercream and tried to spread it - nope it was more like pouring it. No surprise that it soon ran down the sides.
Well I quickly assembled the cake relieved to get it over and done with. In the end there was a very thin layer of buttercream, the rest I scooped off the pan. Shame! It was not as knee rattling as I expected it to be. Each component was quite easy to follow. It also tasted fantastic. I loved the white mousse and the harmony of lime and coconut.
The Opera Cake
from Dorie Greenspan's Paris Sweets and Tish Boyle and Timothy Moriarty's Chocolate Passion
Printable version of recipe here.
For the joconde
(Note: The joconde can be made up to 1 day in advance and kept wrapped at room temperate)
What you'll need:
- 2 12½ x 15½-inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans (Note: If you do not have jelly-roll pans this size, do not fear! You can use different-sized jelly-roll pans like 10 x 15-inches.)
- a few tablespoons of melted butter (in addition to what's called for in the ingredients' list) and a brush (to grease the pans)
- parchment paper
- a whisk and a paddle attachment for a stand mixer or for a handheld mixer
- two mixing bowls (you can make do with one but it's preferable to have two)
6 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 tbsp. (30 grams) granulated sugar
2 cups (225 grams) ground blanched almonds
(Note: If you do not want to use almond meal, you can use another nut meal like hazelnut. You can buy almond meal in bulk food stores or health food stores, or you can make it at home by grinding almonds in the food processor with a tablespoon or two of the flour that you would use in the cake. The reason you need the flour is to prevent the almonds from turning oily or pasty in the processor. You will need about 2 cups of blanched almonds to create enough almond meal for this cake.)
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
6 large eggs
½ cup (70 grams) all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. (1½ ounces; 45 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Divide the oven into thirds by positioning a rack in the upper third of the oven and the lower third of the oven.
Preheat the oven to 425◦F. (220◦C).
Line two 12½ x 15½- inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans with parchment paper and brush with melted butter.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a handheld mixer), beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the granulated sugar and beat until the peaks are stiff and glossy. If you do not have another mixer bowl, gently scrape the meringue into another bowl and set aside.
If you only have one bowl, wash it after removing the egg whites or if you have a second bowl, use that one. Attach the paddle attachment to the stand mixer (or using a handheld mixer again) and beat the almonds, icing sugar and eggs on medium speed until light and voluminous, about 3 minutes.
Add the flour and beat on low speed until the flour is just combined (be very careful not to overmix here!!!).
Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the meringue into the almond mixture and then fold in the melted butter. Divide the batter between the pans and spread it evenly to cover the entire surface of each pan.
Bake the cake layers until they are lightly browned and just springy to the touch. This could take anywhere from 5 to 9 minutes depending on your oven. Place one jelly-roll pan in the middle of the oven and the second jelly-roll pan in the bottom third of the oven.
Put the pans on a heatproof counter and run a sharp knife along the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Cover each with a sheet of parchment or wax paper, turn the pans over, and unmold.
Carefully peel away the parchment, then turn the parchment over and use it to cover the cakes. Let the cakes cool to room temperature.
For the syrup
(Note: The syrup can be made up to 1 week in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator.)
What you'll need:
- a small saucepan
½ cup (125 grams) water
⅓ cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
1 to 2 tbsp. of the flavouring of your choice (i.e., vanilla extract, almond extract, cognac, limoncello, coconut cream, honey etc.)
Stir all the syrup ingredients together in the saucepan and bring to a boil.
Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
For the buttercream
(Note: The buttercream can be made up to 1 month in advance and packed in an airtight container. If made way in advance, you can freeze the buttercream. Alternatively you can refrigerate it for up to 4 days after making it. To use the buttercream simply bring it to room temperature and then beat it briefly to restore its consistency.)
What you'll need:
- a small saucepan
- a candy or instant-read thermometer
- a stand mixer or handheld mixer
- a bowl and a whisk attachment
- rubber spatula
1 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
¼ cup (60 grams) water
seeds of one vanilla bean (split a vanilla bean down the middle and scrape out the seeds) or 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract (Note: If you are flavouring your buttercream and do not want to use the vanilla, you do not have to. Vanilla will often enhance other flavours but if you want an intense, one-flavoured buttercream, then by all means leave it out!)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1¾ sticks (7 ounces; 200 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
flavouring of your choice (a tablespoon of an extract, a few tablespoons of melted white chocolate, citrus zest, etc.)
Combine the sugar, water and vanilla bean seeds or extract in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves. Continue to cook, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 225◦F (107◦C) on a candy or instant-read thermometer. Once it reaches that temperature, remove the syrup from the heat.
[*Note: Original recipe indicates a temperature of 255◦F (124◦C), however, when testing the recipe it was found that this was too high so it was heated to 225◦F and it worked fine]
While the syrup is heating, begin whisking the egg and egg yolk at high speed in the bowl of your mixer using the whisk attachment. Whisk them until they are pale and foamy.
When the sugar syrup reaches the correct temperature and you remove it from the heat, reduce the mixer speed to low speed and begin slowly (very slowly) pouring the syrup down the side of the bowl being very careful not to splatter the syrup into the path of the whisk attachment. Some of the syrup will spin onto the sides of the bowl but don't worry about this and don't try to stir it into the mixture as it will harden!
Raise the speed to medium-high and continue beating until the eggs are thick and satiny and the mixture is cool to the touch (about 5 minutes or so).
While the egg mixture is beating, place the softened butter in a bowl and mash it with a spatula until you have a soft creamy mass. With the mixer on medium speed, begin adding in two-tablespoon chunks. When all the butter has been incorporated, raise the mixer speed to high and beat until the buttercream is thick and shiny.
At this point add in your flavouring and beat for an additional minute or so.
Refrigerate the buttercream, stirring it often, until it's set enough (firm enough) to spread when topped with a layer of cake (about 20 minutes).
For the white chocolate ganache/mousse (this step is optional)
(Note: The mousse can be made ahead and refrigerated until you're ready to use it.)
What you'll need:
- a small saucepan
- a mixer or handheld mixer
7 ounces white chocolate
1 cup plus 3 tbsp. heavy cream (35% cream)
1 tbsp. liquer of your choice (Bailey's, Amaretto, etc.)
Melt the white chocolate and the 3 tbsp. of heavy cream in a small saucepan.
Stir to ensure that it's smooth and that the chocolate is melted. Add the tablespoon of liqueur to the chocolate and stir. Set aside to cool completely.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream until soft peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate to form a mousse. If it's too thin, refrigerate it for a bit until it's spreadable.
If you're not going to use it right away, refrigerate until you're ready to use.
For the glaze
(Note: It's best to make the glaze right when you're ready to finish the cake.)
What you'll need:
- a small saucepan or double boiler
14 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ cup heavy cream (35% cream)
Melt the white chocolate with the heavy cream. Whisk the mixture gently until smooth. Let cool for 10 minutes and then pour over the chilled cake. Using a long metal cake spatula, smooth out into an even layer.
Place the cake into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set.
Assembling the Opéra Cake
(Note: The finished cake should be served slightly chilled. It can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 day).
Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Working with one sheet of cake at a time, cut and trim each sheet so that you have two pieces (from each cake so you'll have four pieces in total): one 10-inch (25-cm) square and one 10 x 5-inch (25 x 12½-cm) rectangle.
Step A (if using buttercream only and not making the ganache/mousse):
Place one square of cake on the baking sheet and moisten it gently with the flavoured syrup. Spread about one-third of the buttercream over this layer.
Top with the two rectangular pieces of cake, placing them side by side to form a square. Moisten these pieces with the flavoured syrup.
Spread another third of the buttercream on the cake and then top with the third square of joconde. Use the remaining syrup to wet the joconde. Spread the remaining buttercream on top of the final layer of joconde and then refrigerate until very firm (at least half an hour).
Make the glaze and after it has cooled, pour/spread it over the top of the chilled cake. Refrigerate the cake again to set the glaze.
Serve the cake slightly chilled. This recipe will yield approximately 20 servings.
Step B (if making the ganache/mousse):
Place one square of cake on the baking sheet and moisten it gently with the flavoured syrup. Spread about three-quarters of the buttercream over this layer.
Top with the two rectangular pieces of cake, placing them side by side to form a square. Moisten these pieces with the flavoured syrup.
Spread the remaining buttercream on the cake and then top with the third square of joconde. Use the remaining syrup to wet the joconde and then refrigerate until very firm (at least half an hour).
Prepare the ganache/mousse (if you haven't already) and then spread it on the top of the last layer of the joconde. Refrigerate for at least two to three hours to give the ganache/mousse the opportunity to firm up.
Make the glaze and after it has cooled, pour/spread it over the top of the chilled cake. Refrigerate the cake again to set the glaze.
Serve the cake slightly chilled. This recipe will yield approximately 20 servings.
Although it did not go right for me, the cake still tasted fabulous. I took some of it to work for my new colleagues and told them about the Daring Bakers. They loved the cake and I was quite happy to bring back an empty cake box. Now they are looking forward to the challenges each month - just as much as I do. Lime and coconut was completely a gorgeous flavor combination. It added the perfect touch of tropical zest. My favorite element was the white chocolate mousse. I was happy that I had a bit leftover and made another dessert creation out of it. I'll share that with you in a few days.
Would I make this again?
Yes definitely - this time I will be going with the original flavors of chocolate and coffee. I will also be making the buttercream differently. LOL!
What did I learn from this challenge?
The method for the butterceam was totally new to me. I have never actually worked with adding a heated syrup into the butter, but it was interesting. I might give the method another go, but it was too much work, while other methods of making buttercream give better results.
Thank you to Ivonne, Lis, Fran and Shea. I liked this challenge - confusing and all! Hugs to you four.
I'd also like to send special birthday wishes to Mansi with this cake. From one Gemini to another ;-)
All photographs and written content on What's For Lunch, Honey? © 2006-2008 Meeta Khurana unless otherwise indicated. | All rights reserved | Please Ask First


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This is not a game.
Bateman and McAdams star as Max and Annie, whose weekly couples game night gets kicked up a notch when Max's charismatic brother, Brooks, arranges a murder mystery party, complete with fake thugs and faux federal agents. So, when Brooks gets kidnapped, it's all part of the game...right? But as the six uber-competitive gamers set out to solve the case and win, they begin to discover that neither this game--nor Brooks--are what they seem to be. Over the course of one chaotic night, the friends find themselves increasingly in over their heads as each twist leads to another unexpected turn. With no rules, no points, and no idea who all the players are, this could turn out to be the most fun they've ever had...or, it's game over.


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Yahoo's purchase of the blogging site Tumblr sent shockwaves through the Tumblrverse. Is that actually a word now?
WNYC's Ilya Marritz reports that the site's users want to keep Tumblr out of the mainstream.
ILYA MARRITZ, BYLINE: When word got out about the acquisition, Tumblr users reacted in their distinctive way. Homemade, quirky, sharp. One site showed an animated gif of Marissa Mayer, Yahoo's CEO, wearing a diabolical smile as $20 bills rain down over her. Another Tumblr shows a cartoon Yahoo brownshirt drinking from a jug of Tumblr tears.
LAURA OLIN: I was kind of upset at first.
MARRITZ: Laura Olin ran the official Obama 2012 campaign Tumblr. She didn't take the news well.
OLIN: Just because I was a Flickr user and also actually a Delicious user and both of those acquisitions didn't seem to go well.
MARRITZ: Yahoo bought both Flickr and Delicious in 2005, and managed to alienate existing users. Yahoo's challenge now is to keep the trust of the people who've created more than 100 million blogs through Tumblr. People like...
DAVID FUNG: David Fung, I'm the co-founder of mensweardog.tumblr.com.
MARRITZ: That's Menswear Dog. You really need to see Fung's shiba inu mugging for the camera while wearing an Armani leather jacket, to get it. Fung has 100,000 followers.
FUNG: You know, I spent a day putting it together and then the next day it blew up and GQ was calling me. It just speaks to the power of that community.
MARRITZ: The Tumblr community. Since the acquisition became official, the blogs have calmed down somewhat. Laura Olin says it helps that Yahoo CEO Mayer made the announcement in Tumblrese.
OLIN: You know, like, the words we won't screw it up, so I think they're doing a really good job of acknowledging the anxiety that Tumblr users have.
MARRITZ: Now, Olin says, just don't screw it up.
For NPR News, I'm Ilya Marritz in New York.
Tumblrese. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Safety Notice: Lithium-Ion Battery Pack
Users of Canon camcorder products have reported to Canon incidents of leakage and/or
explosions of rechargeable batteries. These incidents appear to have been caused by
NON-CANON LITHIUM-ION BATTERY PACKS marketed by non-Canon companies for use with
Canon camcorders and digital cameras. Use of these battery packs may therefore result in
damage to your Canon product and, potentially, damage to you (including fatal bodily injury) or to
your other property.
A LITHIUM-ION BATTERY PACK, as opposed to a nickel-cadmium battery pack and other types of
battery packs available to users, requires the incorporation of certain protective devices in order to
prevent malfunction and, consequently, damage to you, your Canon product and your other property.
Certain NON-CANON LITHIUM-ION BATTERY PACKS may not be equipped with such protective devices.
Canon therefore recommends that you use CANON GENUINE LITHIUM-ION BATTERY PACKS,
which are equipped with the required protective devices, with your Canon camcorder and digital
camera product.
Please be advised that Canon has assumed no liability for any damages caused by NON-CANON
LITHIUM BATTERY PACKS in your Canon camcorder or digital camera.
Contact Information for Inquiries
Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Customer Support Center
Phone: 1-800-OK-CANON (toll free)
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Support options and hours of operation: www.usa.canon.com/support


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Josh Beckett (5-12, 5.21) vs. Tyler Skaggs (1-1, 2.92).
Did you hear Don Mattingly held another team meeting after last night's loss? We hear his speech went something like this:
"Okay, guys, something's gotta change. There's only thirty twenty-nine games left in the regular season. We've lost seven eight in a row to the Diamondbacks, and mustering only five six hits and zero three runs over nine eleven innings is completely unacceptable.
"Now, I know it looks like we've lost a valuable contributor in Kenley Jansen Chad Billingsley, but that doesn't mean you just give up. Pitching reinforcement is on the way, with Matt Guerrier Javy Guerra soon to join us.
"So get out there and give it your all. You won't want 2012 to be as disappointing as 2010 2011, do you?"


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We are all used to judicial nomination fights, but what has been remarkable in the Obama administration has been the molasses-like confirmation process for noncontroversial nominees, especially federal district court nominees.
The numbers tell the story. If there is no agreement to hold a vote, it takes 60 votes to "invoke cloture" and vote up or down on a nominee. Only one of President Clinton's district court nominees faced sufficient stalling that a cloture vote was filed to force a vote. Similarly, during the George W. Bush administration, there was only one cloture petition filed to force a vote on a district court nominee.
But during the Obama administration, so far, there have been 21 cloture petitions filed to force votes on 21 district court judicial nominees. All of these nominees were subsequently confirmed, most of them with fewer than a half-dozen no votes.
On Monday, the Senate is scheduled to hold a cloture vote on the nomination of Michael Shipp, a federal magistrate judge in New Jersey, nominated for a district judgeship and reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee by a 17-to-1 vote three months ago.
Since then, Republicans have refused to agree to a vote on his nomination. So Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid filed a cloture petition to force a vote. Democrats are still holding out hope that Senate Minority Leader McConnell, R-Ky., will agree to a vote, as he has when push has come to shove in some other similar cases.
Federal district court judges are the workhorses of the federal judiciary. They are the trial judges, and they typically have heavy workloads.
At the moment, though, those workloads are even higher than usual because of a large number of vacancies, many of them in areas of the country that are designated as judicial emergencies by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
Even in the last few decades, as judicial nominations have became more and more the focus of partisan controversy, district court nominees remained largely immune.
During the Obama administration, however, district court nominees, though largely uncontroversial, have been drawn into the web of partisan stalling.
There are currently 21 federal judicial nominees pending before the Senate. Four are uncontroversial appeals court nominees reported out of committee months ago. Seventeen are district court nominees.
The Senate is rapidly approaching the point past which it generally does not consider controversial judicial nominations. Usually, in a presidential election year, the Senate wraps up action on appellate nominations before the August recess.
District court nominations, however, usually keep moving, in part because they are such an essential part of the nation's legal machinery. In 2008, for instance, the Democratically controlled Senate confirmed 10 Bush district court nominees in late September.
In the current environment, however, past is rarely prologue.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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The other week while I was enjoying the exquisite caramelized pear and gorgonzola omelette with bacon and pecans I thought that apples also go well with gorgonzola. I just bet that an apple version would also be amazing! My thoughts drifted a bit then and I was thinking about how caramelizing the apples in the butter and brown sugar reminded me of apple pie. Then I had a strange thought; I had heard of apple pie being served with cheddar cheese. How about a caramelized apple and cheddar omelette? Once again, I could not resist throwing on some bacon and I had some candied walnuts on hand so they went on as well. The caramelized apple and cheddar omelette with bacon and candied walnuts turned out amazingly well! The sweet caramelized apples and the melted cheddar and the salty bacon flavour combos were so good and the crunchy candied walnuts added a nice contrasting texture. I really like the way the cheese and the caramel melted into the eggs infusing them with a mouth watering blend of sweet and savoury. I will definitely be making this omelette again and again. A perfect breakfast for a weekend morning!
Caramelized Apple and Cheddar Omelette with Bacon and Candied Walnuts
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 granny smith apple (cored and sliced into big chunks)
- 1/4 cup cheddar cheese (grated)
- 1 strip bacon (cooked and crumbled, optional)
- 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
- 1 tablespoon candied walnuts (or just walnuts, or pecans etc.)
- Melt the butter in a non-stick pan.
- Add the sugar and cook until bubbly minutes.
- Add the apple and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Lower the heat and and sprinkle on the cheese and bacon and let the cheese melt just a bit.
- Pour the eggs into the pan and let them cook without disturbing them until they have set, about 2-4 minutes.
- Slide the omelette out onto a plate and garnish it the candied walnuts and enjoy.
Caramelized Apple and Gorgonzola Omelette with Bacon and Pecans
Caramelized Pear and Gorgonzola Omelette with Bacon and Pecans
Caramelized Apple Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Granny Smith Apple and Gorgonzola Pizza
Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Omelette with Gorgonzola and Sage
Mushroom and Thyme Omelette with Gorgonzola
Guacamole Omelette with Salsa
Apple and Cheddar Tart
Apple and Cheddar Quiche
Apple Cinnamon Swirl Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Slow Cooker Apple Pie Steel Cut Oatmeal
Caramel Apple Grilled Cheese Sandwich (with Bacon)
Apple, Cheddar and Bacon Fritters in Caramel Sauce


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A federal indictment unsealed in New Orleans claims BP well site leaders Robert Kaluza and Donald Vidrine acted negligently in their supervision of key safety tests performed on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig before the explosion killed 11 workers in April 2010. The indictment says Kaluza and Vidrine failed to phone engineers onshore to alert them of problems in the drilling operation.
Another indictment charges David Rainey, who was BP's vice president of exploration for the Gulf of Mexico, on charges of obstruction of Congress and false statements. The indictment claims the former executive lied to federal investigators when they asked him how he calculated a flow rate estimate for BP's blown-out well in the days after the April 2010 disaster.
Before Thursday, the only person charged in the disaster was a former BP engineer who was arrested in April on obstruction of justice charges. He was accused of deleting text messages about the company's response to the spill.
Earlier in the day, BP PLC said it would plead guilty to criminal charges related to the deaths of 11 workers and lying to Congress.
The day of reckoning comes more than two years after the nation's worst offshore oil spill. The figure includes nearly $1.3 billion in criminal fines - the biggest criminal penalty in U.S. history - along with payments to certain government entities.
"We believe this resolution is in the best interest of BP and its shareholders," said Carl-Henric Svanberg, BP chairman. "It removes two significant legal risks and allows us to vigorously defend the company against the remaining civil claims."
The settlement, which is subject to approval by a federal judge, includes payments of nearly $2.4 billion to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, $350 million to the National Academy of Sciences and about $500 million to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC accused BP of misleading investors by lowballing the amount of crude spewing from the ruptured well.
London-based BP said in a statement that the settlement would not cover any civil penalties the U.S. government might seek under the Clean Water Act and other laws. Nor does it cover billions of dollars in claims brought by states, businesses and individuals, including fishermen, restaurants and property owners.
A federal judge in New Orleans is weighing a separate, proposed $7.8 billion settlement between BP and more than 100,000 businesses and individuals who say they were harmed by the spill.
BP will plead guilty to 11 felony counts of misconduct or neglect of a ship's officers, one felony count of obstruction of Congress and one misdemeanor count each under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Clean Water Act. The workers' deaths were prosecuted under a provision of the Seaman's Manslaughter Act. The obstruction charge is for lying to Congress about how much oil was spilling.
The penalty will be paid over five years. BP made a profit of $5.5 billion in the most recent quarter. The largest previous corporate criminal penalty assessed by the U.S. Justice Department was a $1.2 billion fine imposed on drug maker Pfizer in 2009.


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Hyperglycemia, which is more commonly known as high blood sugar, occurs when the body is incapable of shuttling glucose out of the bloodstream so it can be transferred to cells for use as energy. In most cases, this condition is only a problem for diabetic individuals because these people suffer from dysfunction of insulin, the hormone used by the body for regulating blood sugar levels.
Symptoms of high blood sugar
Symptoms of hyperglycemia usually take several weeks to develop and can involve:
- Dry mouth and an unusual degree of thirst, which prompts the person to drink more water than normal. This condition is called polydipsia.
- Polyuria, which refers to an increased frequency of urination, particularly during nighttime.
- Polyphagia, which is an increase in both appetite and food consumption.
- Irritability
- Fatigue
More serious symptoms, which are generally caused by prolonged periods of high blood sugar causing damage to body tissues, often take longer to occur and can include:
- Losing weight despite increased food intake
- Kidney disorders
- Blurry vision
- Diminished hearing
- Nerve damage, nerve pain and numbness or tingling in the extremities (peripheral neuropathy)
- Cardiovascular diseases
Causes of Hyperglycemia
Individuals with diabetes are not able to convert blood sugar into energy either because on insufficient levels of insulin or because their insulin is simply not functioning correctly. This means that glucose stays in the bloodstream, resulting in high blood sugar levels. Diabetes takes two distinct forms: Type 1 and type 2.
Diagnosing and Treating Hyperglycemia
Diagnosing hyperglycemia is done by assessing symptoms and performing a simple blood glucose test. Depending on the severity of the condition and which type of diabetes the patient is diagnosed with, insulin and a variety of medication may be prescribed to help the person keep their blood sugar under control. Insulin comes in short, long and fast-acting forms, and a person suffering from type 1 diabetes is likely to be prescribed some combination of these.
Individuals who are either diagnosed with type 2 diabetes or are considered at risk for the disease are recommended to make alterations to their diet, lifestyle habits and exercise routine in order to lower blood sugar and keep it under control. These changes generally help to improve blood glucose control, individuals with type 2 diabetes may require medication eventually. These can include glitazones, acarbose, glucophage or sulphonylureas.


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Implementing Half Floats in D
written by Walter Bright
Programming languages usually come with a suite of built-in types, such as int, long, char, float, double, etc. Built-in type enjoy advantages over library types such as better optimization, compile time execution, specialized literals, etc. D has an unusually large set of them. But there are never enough, and there's always pressure to add more.
For example, some graphics systems employ a half float type. This is a 16 bit type used to store an IEEE floating point value. (Floating point types are normally 32 or 64 bits.) The half float type is used only for compact storage - it is expanded to a 32 bit float type for computation, and crushed back down to 16 bytes for storage.
The alternative to a built-in type is, of course, a user defined library type. How close can D get to implementing a half float type as a user defined type? Is it close enough that the pressure for making it built-in is eased? Let's find out.
Laying down some requirements:
- Implicit promotion to float to do any computations. This is because the hardware floats are so fast, they are sure to beat a software emulated 16 bit computation. And besides, 16 bits loses too much precision in intermediate results.
- Explicit conversion from float to half float.
- A nice literal for the half floats.
That doesn't look so daunting. The promotion rules mirror that of C for shorts (and floats, too, which C allows to be promoted to double for computation).
Starting with the obvious,
struct HalfFloat { private: ushort s = 0x7C01; }
The 0x7C01 forms the default initializer, and that value is the NaN value for half floats.
In order to enable casting to a HalfFloat, add a constructor:
this(float f) { s = floatToShort(f); }
The floatToShort() function abstracts away the dirty details of manipulating floating point values elsewhere, so our struct will just focus on the mechanics of creating a new type. Back to the constructor - it's a bit greedy. It'll accept any argument that implicitly converts to a float. In order to restrict it to only accepting floats, turn it into a template and check the type with static if:
this(T : float)(T f) { static assert(is(T == float)); s = floatToShort(f); }
And now we can write expressions like:
float f; HalfFloat hf = cast(HalfFloat)f;
Implementing implicit conversions to float is a bit less obvious:
@property float toFloat() { return shortToFloat(s); } alias toFloat this;
The alias toFloat this construct is unusual - it tells the compiler that if it can't find the struct member it is looking for, to resolve it to the toFloat member. The toFloat member is a property that yields the HalfFloat converted to a float. Again, we've abstracted away the bit twiddling into shortToFloat().
Now, we can write:
HalfFloat g;
HalfFloat hf = cast(HalfFloat)(g + 3.2f);
and g gets implicitly converted to a float before being added to 3.2f using the floating point hardware.
No, I didn't forget the HalfFloat literals. They're as simple as:
template hf(float v) { enum hf = HalfFloat(v); }
and used like:
HalfFloat h = hf!1.3f;
The template takes a single argument of type float, which is the 1.3f, constructs a HalfFloat out of it and assigns it to the manifest constant hf, which becomes the result of the template.
I know what you're thinking, like hell that's a user defined literal. It's calling a bunch of runtime code! Allow me:
HalfFloat foo() {
return hf!1.3f;
Compiling it, then disassembling the code generated for foo():
push EAX mov word ptr [EAX],0x3D33 pop ECX ret
The 0x3D33 is, indeed, the half float representation of 1.3f. What happened is the compiler, in turning HalfFloat(v) into a manifest constant, ran the constructor, and the floatToShort(f) all at compile time.
So there we have it, a nice user defined half float implementation, and one that can serve as a model for creating many other types of unusual user defined arithmetic types.
Here is the complete half float implementation, unit tests and all.
While the half float type looks and acts pretty much like a built-in type, there remains some subtle differences. Built-in types tend to run faster because the optimizer can take advantage of mathematical identities, any available hardware acceleration, and the back end optimizations often can only deal with builtin types.
D offers a set of features, the confluence of which enables the creation of user defined types that work well enough to take the pressure off of adding more built-in types. Adding a built-in type is a major disruptive change to any language, and so there's a really high bar to justify it. But a user defined type can be quickly added by anyone with just a few lines of code.
Thanks to Jason House for reviewing a draft of this.


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After wearing neck-covering knitwear with long chunky necklaces in Winter, I'm ready for lower necklines and short necklaces. It's refreshing to show some skin for a change and wearing lower necklines instantly sparks off my urge to purchase a fresh set of short chunky beads or eye-catching pendants. Enter Spring update #3 (I described #1 and #2 earlier this week).
I normally wear necklaces that incorporate some form of pearl, but occasionally I step out and sport a pearl-less piece that feels just as fab. This dear little arty glass pendant is a fun addition to my wardrobe. I smiled as soon as I saw it because it mirrors my Spring mood. I replaced its original cheap silver chain with a leather cord to give it a more modern, graphic appeal.
The fun, informal edge of this playful accessory makes my old clothes blossom. At a price point of $15, it's amazing how it has refreshed my existing smart casual and casual ensembles. Mums-on-the-go I hope you're listening. An interesting pendant looped through a leather cord is an unfussy addition, but adds an excellent textural dimension to a simple, casual outfit.
Apart from the new necklace, everything I'm wearing is between one and six seasons old (handbags included). I hope that this inspires you to start building your accessory collection. And once you start, remember to actually wear the accessories that you've purchased!


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Overview of Immigration Research
This article originally appeared in "Immigration Records" by Loretto Dennis Szucs, FUGA, Kory L. Meyerink, MLS, AG. FUGA, and Marian L. Smith in The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy
We are all descended from immigrants. Whether they came to America in prehistoric times via the Bering Strait or later on ships or airplanes, at some point in history, every person's ancestors came from somewhere else. And almost everyone has a strong desire to know why, when, and from where their ancestors emigrated. Most of us begin with the simple goal of finding 'Old Country' origins. Yet the quest usually does not end when that discovery is made. Once we begin tracking ancestors back in time and across continents, we are often drawn so deeply into the story that it's difficult to stop searching. There are always a few more relationships to be proved and details to be learned. And when finally discovered, the ancestor's homeland takes on a fascination of its own. We find ourselves intrigued with histories and cultures, wanting to know as much as possible about 'our people.' Scarcely any phase of family history research is as fascinating as tracking immigrant origins'and scarcely any phase is as challenging.
Knowing the immigrant's birthplace or last place of residence before emigrating is essential to finding more information in the native land. Yet, unless the ancestors arrived relatively recently in the United States, family origins may have been forgotten. Because most foreign records are kept at the town level, discovering the name of a native town, county, or parish is an important goal. Without that information, it is impossible to know where to conduct research in the country of origin.
Every American hoping to link generations and reach back in time will ultimately be faced with immigration questions. The twofold purpose of this chapter is to facilitate the search for immigrant origins by (1) identifying the principles of immigration research, and (2) describing a vast body of American sources that document immigration.
The sources described in this chapter focus on the original records most likely to provide key immigration information about ancestors and other relatives who came to North America, specifically the United States. Many such sources have been indexed, abstracted, or transcribed into books, and in recent years, onto CD-ROMs and Web pages. The growing body of published immigration sources is the subject of an extensive chapter, 'Immigration Sources,' in Printed Sources: A Guide to Published Genealogical Records, edited by Kory L. Meyerink.<ref>Kory L. Meyerink, ed., Printed Sources: A Guide to Published Genealogical Records (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1998).</ref>
Principles of Immigration Research
There is no 'universal' record source that can be counted upon to provide the name of an immigrant's ancestral home. Rather, there are dozens of records that may, depending on the time period and ethnic nature of the family, provide the necessary information. For this reason, it is important to follow certain principles when researching an immigrant ancestor. These principles include
- identifying the immigrant clearly,
- learning the historical background,
- using the right research approaches,
- searching American records thoroughly first, and
- knowing the process of immigration.
Identifying the Immigrant
The ability to trace individuals and families successfully is greatly enhanced if researchers begin by making every effort to learn everything possible about the immigrant or family using U.S. record sources. An immediate concern should be to learn the full name of the immigrant and the names of as many other family members as possible. It is sometimes necessary to trace the lives of all the immigrant's children in order to obtain the critical clues that will tell exactly where the immigrant was born.
Biographical Information
To clearly identify an immigrant in records of the country from which the person came, you must know:
The full name. Given names and surnames (last names) are necessary. It is useful to learn all of the immigrant's given names, such as Johann Wilhelm Karl Hummel. Some individuals went by a second name, a confirmation name, or a nickname. Not only will learning the full name help to identify a person in the records of the country of origin; sometimes the name alone, or part of the name, can be a clue to the immigrant's original country or region.
A date. A birth date is preferable, but a date of marriage, a record of a religious event, military release, or other such information may substitute for a birth date, as long as the event took place in the native country. A complete date (day, month, and year) should be sought, but it is sometimes possible to identify an individual with only the year of an event.
A place of origin. Eventually, you must determine the specific place (town or parish) where the immigrant was born or lived before coming to the United States. This is the focus of immigrant origin research for most researchers. Sometimes it is possible to learn the specific town from records in the native country, but you should try to determine it from American records.
A relative. Family relationships'especially parentage'are important. The more you know about a family as a whole, the easier it is to correctly identify the immigrant in records of his or her native country. If it is not possible to discover the father's name, seek the mother's name or the name of a spouse, brother, sister, or other close relative (uncle, aunt) as a substitute. Not only will this information help identify the person in native records, but you may be able to learn more about a brother's or son's place of origin than about the ancestor who is the subject of your search. Many of the sources discussed in this chapter might name the native towns of some family members, yet not include your immediate ancestor.
While some records might not indicate specifically where the person came from, they might provide clues that will lead to others until you find a record that finally shows the town of origin. If at all possible, learn the following about the immigrant:
Family stories, traditions, and heirlooms. Surprising clues may survive in family traditions, letters, diaries, journals, religious records, postcards, photographs, scrapbooks, and mementos that have been saved over the years. Linked with a basic knowledge of the immigrant's homeland ' including the leading industry of the native district, common occupations, names of nearby towns, rivers, mountains, and other features of the area ' a family story, a tradition, or an heirloom could provide the breakthrough that will identify the exact immigrant origins.
Friends and neighbours. Many immigrants traveled together or settled among friends from their native land. When a particular immigrant cannot be located, track neighbours and associates. When you find their places of origin, see if your ancestor is nearby. In Duke University Library in Durham, North Carolina, is an account book among the personal papers of Zachariah Johnston. It includes money loaned to family members and close associates from the time the Johnston family left Ireland, to their initial settlement near Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to their stop in Augusta County, Virginia, to their residence in Lexington, Virginia, just south of the Augusta County line. The same names appear and reappear. The whole group left Ireland in 1709 and stayed together at least until Zachariah died in 1800. They are recorded, along with their specific townland in Ireland, in that little account book. These families intermarried more than ten times during that century. For other examples of this approach, read Hank Z. Jones Jr.'s 'Finding the Ancestral Home of a Palatine Forefather: The Case of Martin Zerbe,' in Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine; and 'The Braun and Loesch Families: Neighbors in Germany and America,' in Quarterly of the Pennsylvania German Society.<ref>Henry (Hank) Z Jones Jr., 'Finding the Ancestral Home of a Palatine Forefather: The Case of Martin Zerbe,' Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 29 (1975): 129'32; 'The Braun and Loesch Families: Neighbors in Germany and America,' Quarterly of the Pennsylvania German Society 10 (April 1976).</ref>
Religion. Records created by religious organizations comprise a likely source of information in the country of origin. By learning the immigrant's religion, you can further identify him or her, limit your searches to records most likely to include the immigrant, and gain clues to more specific geographical origins. For example, a Protestant German ancestor was more likely to have come from northern Germany than from a southern area. Often, entire religious colonies traveled together and are documented in religious literature. Knowing, for example, that an immigrant Englishman was a Quaker can significantly change your research approach. (See Overview of Church Records.)
Ethnicity. The natural security of living among people who speak the same language and have the same cultural or religious background is the bonding force that has traditionally kept ethnic communities together. Immigrants, particularly those who did not speak English, tended to settle in enclaves within cities and to cluster in specific regions of the United States. It was common for immigrants arriving in large numbers as a result of difficulties in their home countries to settle together on this side of the ocean, and then to migrate en masse within the United States. Many immigrants felt a need to transplant and preserve, as much as possible, their culture and lifestyle as it existed in their native lands. Immigrant groups frequently founded their own churches, schools, banks, boarding houses, and other institutions. They also had their own academic, athletic, charitable, fraternal, occupational, and social organizations. Volumes have been written about virtually every ethnic group. Ethnic presses generated newspapers and histories that focused on specific communities. Many ethnic publications survive that could be invaluable for those who want to learn more about the lives and times of their immigrant ancestors. Biographical sketches of Mrs. Isabella Atlanta Anderson and Jonas Anton Anderson, published in Algot E. Strand's A History of the Norwegians of Illinois (figure 9-1), are typical of those found in ethnic publications.<ref>Algot E. Strand, A History of the Norwegians of Illinois (Chicago: J. Anderson Publishing, 1905).</ref> In most cases, birthplace, names of parents, spouse, and children, details of the family or individual's arrival in the United States, and other interesting information will surface in these historical sources. To learn what motives your ancestor may have had in coming to the United States, which groups came in what time period, where large concentrations of national groups typically settled, and other important information about settlement patterns, consult one or more of the works that focus on the specific ethnic group.
Name changes. Sometimes immigrants chose to change their names. A surname change was the result of a conscious choice to become Americanized, but usually it simply evolved during years of life in a new culture that used a language foreign to the immigrant. Name changes are therefore most common among foreign-speaking immigrants. Many individuals went to court to register and make a name change official, while others never bothered with the formalities. If a name change is suspected, a look at court records might be well worth the effort. Some preliminary reading can be interesting and will almost always enhance the potential for success in the long run. (Several useful titles are identified in the chapter reference section.)
Where to Look for Immigration Information
There are advantages to beginning a search with at least some knowledge about the immigrant's voyage. Certain tactics used to learn the place of origin require knowing as much as possible about when and where the immigrant arrived in America, and from where in the native country he or she came. Try to calculate the date of immigration as closely as possible. Knowing the name of the ship that brought the individual or family to the United States is desirable, but it is not entirely impossible to discover that specific information at some later point in the project. Because so many passenger lists have been digitized in recent years, searches of online immigration databases or CDs are logical starting points. It should be noted, however, that names of individuals may have been missed or deciphered incorrectly in indexes. Searching passenger lists, page by page, may be the only way to find someone if a specific time frame of arrival is known. (See American Sources for Documenting Immigrants#Immigration Records.)
Date of immigration. If the approximate date of immigration can be determined, it is usually possible to locate passenger lists and records of ethnic or religious groups. Census records are particularly useful for learning this information. The 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 U.S. Federal Censuses usually provide the approximate year of arrival, though census information is not entirely reliable. Children's birthplaces in the 1850 through 1880 censuses can also help determine the year of arrival.
Once the date of immigration has been established, it is easier to determine the location of other important records, including naturalization papers. A date of immigration may also suggest when the immigrant was granted a release from military service in the native country.
Place of departure. If American records document the port or city the immigrant left, a number of records from the country of departure may indicate the name of the hometown. These include emigration lists (departure lists), indexes, newspapers, church records, and other records at the port of departure. From these, it may be possible to learn the date of immigration as well as the ship's name, which may be necessary to locate your ancestor in U.S. arrival records.
Port or city of arrival. Immigrants often stayed in the city of arrival for months or years before moving on. If you learn where your ancestor arrived in America, it may be possible to find applications for naturalization, church records, and government vital records, including marriage, death, and birth records. Any of these are likely to provide more clues about the ancestral home.
Name of the ship. The name of an immigrant's ship is more than an interesting biographical footnote. It may be necessary to find passenger lists, place of departure and arrival, and the names of other immigrants in the group. Sometimes the name of the ship that brought an immigrant ancestor to America will be remembered and handed down as the only clue to native origins.
Reason for immigrating. Biographical and family sources often imply why the immigrant came to America. In some cases, knowing why a person immigrated can help in locating ethnic or religious group records, the date of immigration, or the places of departure and arrival.
Immigrant's original country or region. Sometimes knowing the country or region a person left is enough to begin a search in the records of that area, and those records may suggest the place of departure.
Historical Background
Since 1607, some 57 million immigrants have come to America from other lands. Approximately 10 million passed through on their way to some other place or returned to their original homelands, leaving a net gain of more than 47 million people:
1607'1790: | 900,000 |
1790'1819: | 250,000 |
1820'1860: | 5,000,000 |
1861'1880: | 5,100,000 |
1881'1920: | 23,400,000 |
1921'1960: | 8,200,000 |
1961'1990: | 14,000,000 |
Additional immigration statistics can be found at the U.S. Census Bureau.
In 1907, immigration peaked at 1,285,349.<ref>An Immigrant Nation: United States Regulation of Immigration, 1798'1991 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, 1991), 34.</ref>
Between 1607 and 1790, early European immigration was mostly from Britain (England, Scotland, Ulster Ireland, Southern Ireland, Wales) and Germany. However, the largest number of immigrants were the forced immigrants from Africa, who accounted for approximately 40 percent of the colonial immigrants to the future United States. Based on a careful review of current demographic studies by immigration historians, the approximate distribution of immigrants before 1790 was as follows (see figure 9-4):<ref>These numbers are based on a careful reading of the works of major American immigration historians, including Bernard Bailyn, Voyagers to the West (New York, Knopf, 1986); David Cressy, Coming Over: Migration and Communication between England and New England in the Seventeenth Century (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1987); Roger Daniels, Coming to America (New York: Harper Collins, 1990); Marcus Lee Hansen, The Atlantic Migration, 1607'1860 (New York: Harper and Row, 1940); and Maldwyn Allen Jones, American Immigration (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1960).</ref>
Africa 360,000 | |
England | 230,000 |
Ulster | 135,000 |
Germany | 103,000 |
Scotland | 48,500 |
Ireland | 8,000 |
Netherlands | 6,000 |
Wales | 4,000 |
France | 3,000 |
Jews | 2,000 |
Sweden/Finland | 500 |
Before 1790, North America's Anglo population was confined to the area east of the Appalachian Mountains, with only a scattering of Americans over the line along the frontiers. However, as the numbers of immigrants continued to climb, the frontiers had to be constantly pushed back, eventually bringing the immigrants to the Rocky Mountains and northern plains states. During the last two hundred years of immigration to the United States, the numbers of immigrants have risen and fallen in response to conditions in America as well as abroad.
The ethnicity of immigrants also changed considerably over time (table 9-1). Between 1820 and 1855, Ireland contributed the largest single group of immigrants. Germany, especially Prussia, contributed 20 percent of the immigrants during those years. A smattering from other parts of Europe and an introduction of people from China and Mexico rounded out the population.<ref>John F. Vallentine, 'Tracing the Immigrant Ancestor,' Genealogical Journal 3 (1974): 5.</ref>
Before 1885, most European immigrants originated north of the Alps and west of the Elbe River. After 1885, the so-called New Immigration came from southern and eastern Europe, with the largest number of immigrants from Italy and Russia (mostly Jews). These immigrants concentrated in urban centers where jobs were available and where synagogues, churches, neighbors, and immigrant aid societies cushioned the immigrant experience. Most of these families were too poor to buy land when they arrived in America, and many heads of family had skilled and semi-skilled occupations.<ref>Peter Roberts, The New Immigration: A Study of the Industrial and Social Life of East Europeans in America (Reprint, New York: Arno Press, 1970).</ref>
In 1910, Russian immigrants comprised 20 percent of the foreign population of New York State and 25 percent of New York City; immigrants from Austria and Hungary comprised 12 percent and 14 percent, respectively; and Italians comprised 17 percent of the foreign population in New York, 18 percent in the city. By 1910, one-fourth of the foreign-born population of New York City had arrived within the previous five years; they spoke a variety of languages, practiced a variety of religious customs, and demanded a wide range of food.<ref>Philip Taylor, The Distant Magnet: European Emigration to the U.S.A. (New York: Harper and Row, 1971).</ref>
By the time of the 2000 census, immigrants had come to the United States from virtually every country on the earth. That census revealed that English ancestry no longer prevailed. German was the leading ancestry, followed by African American; Irish was third, followed by English. The others comprising the top ten were Hispanic, Italian, French, Polish, American Indian, and Dutch. The following tables identify each ancestry group with more than 1 million claimants in 2000.
1790 U.S. Ancestry (Based on Evaluated 1790 Census Figures) | ||
Ancestry Group Number | (1790 Estimate) | Percentage of Total |
English | 1,900,000 | 47.5 |
African | 750,000 | 19.0 |
Scotch-Irish | 320,000 | 8.0 |
German | 280,000 | 7.0 |
Irish | 200,000 | 5.0 |
Scottish | 160,000 | 4.0 |
Welsh | 120,000 | 3.0 |
Dutch | 100,000 | 2.5 |
French | 80,000 | 2.0 |
Native American | 50,000 | 1.0 |
Spanish | 20,000 | 0.5 |
Swedish and other | 20,000 | 0.5 |
Total U.S. population | 4,000,000 | 100 |
Meyerink based this table largely on the analysis of 1790 census data by Thomas L. Purvis in 'The European Ancestry of the United States Population, 1790,' William & Mary Quarterly, 3rd series, 41 (1): 85'. There has been much discussion about the ethnic stock of colonial America as various scholars have tried to use the 1790 census to arrive at precise figures. This cannot be done precisely, as the method depends on assigning every 1790 head of household to one, and only one, ancestry based on the presumed origin of the surname. American ancestry, even in 1790, was not always from only one race or nation. At that time many Americans already had five to seven generations in America, including ancestors from different countries.
Purvis and others have been criticized for their methodology in determining these figures (e.g., Akenson, same issue, p. 102'), but this is the best estimate available and is defended by Purvis (in the same issue). While not specifically accurate, the numbers are surely close. However, Purvis and earlier studies focused only on the white population in 1790. Meyerink has rounded Purvis's figures to the nearest percent (to account for the lack of precision), then adjusted them (to the nearest half-percent) to include the non-white (i.e., African and limited [eastern] Native American) population. The actual census count (including African Americans) for the area enumerated was 3,929,625, but did not include the Northwest Territory and areas under French or Spanish control (upwards of 50,000 people), nor most Indian tribes. Hence the rounded figure of 4 million.
Earlier studies attempting to discern America's colonial 'ethnic stock' include: American Council of Learned Societies, 'Report of the Committee on Linguistic and National Stocks in the Population of the United States,' Annual Report of the American Historical Association, 1931, vol. 1 (Washington, D.C.: 1932), as well as A Century of Population Growth, 1790'1900 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1909).
2000 U.S. Ancestry (groups with more than two million)<ref>From: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, table DP-1 and DP-2</ref> | Ancestry | 2000 count | Percent |
German | 42,885,162 | 15.2 | |
African American | 36,419,434 | 12.9 | |
Irish | 30,594,130 | 10.9 | |
English | 24,515,138 | 8.7 | |
Mexican | 20,640,711 | 7.3 | |
Italian | 15,723,555 | 5.6 | |
Franco-American<ref>Franco-American comprises French (except Basque), French Canadian, and Acadian/Cajun. Hispanic does not include those specifically claiming Mexican, Puerto Rican, or other country specific ancestry.</ref> | 10,846,018 | 3.9 | |
Hispanic<ref>Franco-American comprises French (except Basque), French Canadian, and Acadian/Cajun. Hispanic does not include those specifically claiming Mexican, Puerto Rican, or other country specific ancestry.</ref> | 10,017,244 | 3.6 | |
Polish | 8,977,444 | 3.2 | |
Scottish | 4,890,581 | 1.7 | |
Dutch | 4,542,494 | 1.6 | |
Norwegian | 4,477,725 | 1.6 | |
Scotch-Irish | 4,319,232 | 1.5 | |
American Indian | 4,119,301 | 1.5 | |
Swedish | 3,998,310 | 1.4 | |
Puerto Rican | 3,406,178 | 1.2 | |
Russian | 2,652,214 | 0.9 | |
Chinese | 2,432,585 | 0.9 | |
The Value of History
Millions of immigrants from all over the world have brought unique customs and great diversity to the United States. And while certain principles of research may be applied to almost any country, there comes a time in every investigation when something of the specific history and the customs of the place from which our ancestors emigrated must be understood. Immigrants' experiences were not isolated. Groups were forced to leave by religious oppression, famine, agricultural and industrial revolution, the threat of conscription, and war. Other groups were lured by the American dream'the idea of commoners being able to own their own land.
From the documented and well-studied experiences and patterns of a national group, we can begin to understand the motives and individual histories of our own ancestors as they molded their destinies by leaving behind all that they had known. With an understanding of the customs and regulations of the time in which our ancestors traveled, we can know what kinds of records may have been created. Some of these record sources are unique to particular groups and might be the sole means of discovering the specific origins of ancestors.
America's immigration history is two-sided. To search records successfully, it is most helpful to study the newcomer both as emigrant (leaving the old country) and immigrant (coming to America). A brief outline of almost any nation's history can be gleaned from a standard encyclopedia, but the deeper the understanding you have of a specific group of people, the more likely you are to find clues to continue a search and to understand the personalities of individuals. For example, how might an ancestor's life have been radically changed by the pogroms in Russia? Nicholas V. Riasanovsky addresses that and a number of other issues that a diligent researcher should know about the country in A History of Russia.<ref>Nicholas V. Riasanovsky, A History of Russia, 2nd ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1969).</ref> Riasanovsky describes and illustrates the cultural, economic, geographical, and social aspects of 'Russia before the Russians,' 'Appanage Russia,' 'Muscovite Russia,' 'Imperial Russia,' and 'Soviet Russia.'
If you want to know more about living conditions and concerns of your British grandparents from 1830 to 1902, for example, a book like G. M. Young's Victorian England: Portrait of an Age will provide an unusual degree of detail.<ref>G. M. Young, Victorian England: Portrait of an Age (New York: Oxford University Press, 1964).</ref> Histories of this sort abound, and they provide not only the necessary background information for the researcher, but they also enhance appreciation of the lives of ancestors who lived in times very different from our own.
Besides learning something of the history of an ancestor's national group, it is beneficial for the family historian to understand what occurred after an immigrant arrived in the United States. Were entrance records kept on this side of the ocean? Where might an immigrant have chosen to live immediately after his or her arrival? Where did others of the same nationality settle, and what kinds of documents survive from ethnic communities? Was the immigrant likely to have been naturalized? If so, where and when?
Researchers will find a rich storehouse of printed material to expedite their immigration research. Consider such important immigration sources as Roger Daniels's Coming to America: A History of Immigration and Ethnicity in American Life, Philip Taylor's The Distant Magnet: European Emigration to the U.S.A., and Oscar Handlin's Immigration as a Factor in American History, which cover the emigration experience and its broadest implications; or the histories of particular groups, such as James G. Leyburn's The Scotch-Irish: A Social History, Rowland Tappan Berthoff's British Immigrants in Industrial America, 1790'1950, Andrzej Brozek's Polonia Amerykaska: The American Polonia, Albert Camarillo's Chicanos in a Changing Society: From Mexican Pueblo to American Barrios in Santa Barbara and Southern California, 1848'1930, and Jay P. Dolan's The Immigrant Church: New York's Irish and German Catholics.<ref>Roger Daniels, Coming to America: A History of Immigration and Ethnicity in American Life (New York: Harper Collins, 1990); Taylor, Distant Magnet; Oscar Handlin, Immigration as a Factor in American History (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1959); James G. Leyburn, The Scotch-Irish: A Social History (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1962); Rowland Tappan Berthoff, British Immigrants in Industrial America, 1790'1950 (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1953; reprint, New York: Russell and Russell, 1968); Andrzej Brozek, Polonia Amerykaska: The American Polonia (Warsaw, Poland: Interpress Publications, 1980); Albert Camarillo, Chicanos in a Changing Society: From Mexican Pueblo to American Barrios in Santa Barbara and Southern California, 1848'1930 (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1979); Jay P. Dolan, The Immigrant Church: New York's Irish and German Catholics (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1975).</ref>
History journals and dissertations often provide even more detailed discussions of why people emigrated, when and how they traveled, what they did when they got to the United States, and what kinds of records will divulge their individual names and personal facts. Not only do writings such as Oliver MacDonagh's 'The Irish Famine Emigration to the United States,' in Perspectives in American History, Robert Swierenga's 'Dutch Immigrant Demography, 1820'1880,' in Journal of Family History, or Paula Kaye Benkart's 'Religion, Family, and Community Among Hungarians Migrating to American Cities, 1880'1930,' provide critical insights in themselves, but they will usually point to original and often obscure records used by the authors to prove their theses.<ref>Oliver MacDonagh, 'The Irish Famine Emigration to the United States,' Perspectives in American History 10 (1976): 357'446; Robert Swierenga, 'Dutch Immigrant Demography, 1820'1880,' Journal of Family History 5 (Winter 1980): 390'405; Paula Kaye Benkart, 'Religion, Family, and Community Among Hungarians Migrating to American Cities, 1880'1930' (Ph.D. dissertation, Johns Hopkins University, 1975).</ref>
Ethnic and Religious Groups
It would be impossible to cite all of the sources valuable for immigration research, but the determined researcher will find an abundance of published material on specific ethnic and religious groups available in or through public, university, and private libraries. Because every national and religious group of people can be considered an ethnic group, 'ethnic' is an important subject heading to consider when searching any library catalog.
Probably one of the most definitive and useful background sources for all ethnic groups is Stephen Thernstrom's Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups.<ref>Stephen Thernstrom, Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups (Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1980).</ref> This reference work, found in most large libraries, includes the basic information about the multitude of people who make up the population of the United States. It is a succinct, authoritative treatment of the origins and histories of 106 ethnic groups; it includes twenty-nine thematic essays, eighty-seven maps, and a critical bibliography for each section. Among the many important points made by the Encyclopedia is the fact that few ethnic groups are evenly distributed throughout all regions of the United States. There is a definite tendency for ethnic groups to concentrate in some areas and to avoid others. Though somewhat dated, the depth and scope of the work and the many specialized bibliographies make the Encyclopedia a very useful source for ethnic research.
If religion was a catalyst that sent many an immigrant from his or her homeland, it was also the glue that bound ethnic communities together in the new country. The immigrant church and synagogue were extensions of Old World traditions and provided forms of assistance that were often an integral part of immigrants' lives. Records kept by religious institutions can be among the most useful in tracing immigrant origins. It is not uncommon for immigrant church registers to note the foreign birthplaces of those baptized, married, confirmed, transferring in or out of a church, or buried. Native towns or parishes are sometimes listed for sponsors or witnesses of religious events as well. The records of religious organizations, such as schools, orders, newspapers, orphanages, hospitals, old people's homes, and fraternal organizations are other potential sources for biographical information that may be otherwise hard to find for an immigrant. Methods and sources for finding immigrant church records are discussed in the church series and Jewish records are discussed in Jewish American Research.


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Thursday, October 25, 2012
No. Noooooo. NO. NO. NO.
31 comments:
- Anonymous said...
UUUUGGGGHHHH! I was watching this yesterday morning. I looked at her and she at me, then she started to laugh! I told her I will turn the inside of our house into the haunt this time.
We must of been watching the same forcast at the same time.... - October 25, 2012 at 7:19 AM
- Rot said...
So frustrating.
Though if I have to set up my display on November 2nd to get good photos, I'll do it.
Being a one-night Haunter is stressful.
: ) - October 25, 2012 at 7:30 AM
- Anonymous said...
I was thinking of taking photos and video this Friday and Saturday night. I was hopeing for a nice chilly windless evening so my fog would actually stay on the ground and hover for once.
- October 25, 2012 at 7:41 AM
- NoahFentz said...
Same here....Pictures and video on Friday...
Looks like it might be another flashlight haunt.... - October 25, 2012 at 7:55 AM
- Pam Morris said...
I was hit with that nor'easter last year and it was devastating so with some trepidation, I decided to go ahead and set up another outdoor haunt for this year (a 2 night event with 20 actors, etc) thinking that surely, something like that could not happen again--not 2 years in a row. Well, lo and behold--here I am, just a trifle west of Cape Hatteras and looking at the prospect of something even worse--a bloody hurricane for Halloween. Right now, I'm working feverishly to finish up the haunt simply so that I can take pictures before we have to scramble to take everything down before the wind does that for me. We've been constructing this Haunt in the woods for the past 2 months after even more months of planning, so this is a real bummer--a true Halloween nightmare.
- October 25, 2012 at 8:20 AM
- Rot said...
Just terrible.
I'm getting really demoralized. - October 25, 2012 at 8:27 AM
- Rot said...
I'll probably be setting up Friday night since rain is in the forecast for the weekend. Have some fun..take some photos.
Not taking any chances with power outtages or a flooded basement. - October 25, 2012 at 8:42 AM
- Rania said...
I am freaking out. At least my 18' Pumpkin Monster will be haunting this Friday and Saturday. UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- October 25, 2012 at 9:19 AM
- Rot said...
Yeah. Pretty depressing news.
The horror of all Haunters - RAIN.
The worst nightmare of all Haunters - A Hallocane - October 25, 2012 at 9:23 AM
- Rania said...
Where I am, it is looking like 70 mph winds and heavy rain and then it will be gone for Halloween. Which means i have to weatherproof and take big hanging props down and then re-install all over again, including spider web. OMG DIE
- October 25, 2012 at 9:28 AM
- girl6 said...
what a Bummer!!!... :(
Wish i could help in some way.
Unfortunately tho, i can't..
i'll just keep Hoping for a miracle.. - October 25, 2012 at 9:30 AM
- Ragged Grin said...
Yeah. I've been dreading this. I'm looking in to possibly having it the weekend after. There have been murmurs about such a thing with some of the neighbors so we will see. Of course it would have to be cleared with town officials, etc.
If not it looks like another washout, or worse. I was so upset last night I reminded my wife of various job opportunities out west which would move us away from family. She was unamused. - October 25, 2012 at 10:10 AM
- The October boy said...
I feel for all you. I'm dealing with gusty winds today in the midwest and complaining...guess I should count my blessings. Will be hoping that things change for the east, after last year, you all deserve it.
- October 25, 2012 at 10:28 AM
- Sara said...
Very appropriate pic on your header. :( So sorry to hear the bad forecast. Hope you all stay safe and dry!
- October 25, 2012 at 10:29 AM
- Terrormaster said...
We're considering running this weekend. Sunday will be bad because rain is in the forecast for that evening and the storm should start blowing through Monday. Just not enough time to take everything down for the storm if we run Sunday. Saturday would be great but there's the issue of my wife working on Saturday nights and a family birthday party between 4 and 6. Friday night is a no go. And next weekend is just not gonna happen either. I see rain all week next week and I just don't have the energy to tear it all down this weekend to put it all back up next weekend just to tear it all down again. It's gotta be this weekend or bust.
Wife is considering passing out flyers to the neighbors to let them know we're running early and welcome them by. Such last minute notice though doubt a lot will come especially with this weekend being the BIG Halloween party weekend for most people.
Majorly depressed... - October 25, 2012 at 11:05 AM
- Liz Dearth said...
..ok so I take it this isn't just another horror story you've come up with?
So sorry for you guys! - October 25, 2012 at 12:29 PM
- Rot said...
: )
Can't believe this is timed so perfectly to ruin Halloween for so many folks.
Not to mention the predicted damage to people's property up and down the coast.
What a crock. - October 25, 2012 at 12:52 PM
- Terrormaster said...
It's official, arrangements have been made... Gonna set up in full Saturday and run full lights, sound, and fog Saturday 6-8. Tear down the display on Sunday. And then set up something small and simple on 1031 (probably garage only) providing our community has power and the town doesn't up and cancel Halloween like they did last year in the wake of Alfred. If anything I'll have some great pics to show as well as getting to celebrate two days instead of just one.
- October 25, 2012 at 1:19 PM
- Stephanie D said...
I'm thinking it's time to incorporate hurricanes into my haunt theme.
- October 25, 2012 at 1:45 PM
- The Creeping Cruds said...
Rot, you are invited (any time actually) to set up at my place in Franklin, TN. :-) which should miss the brunt of these system,
Regardless I'm sending good weather vibes and thoughts north to all the mighty Halloweeners in hopes of having a milder evening than predicted..
The wife and I have agreed that if weather ruins plans we'll set up the next "nice" night in honor of Halloween..
Best of luck to all... - October 25, 2012 at 2:20 PM
- Rot said...
Thanks, man : )
- October 25, 2012 at 2:22 PM
- Mr Black said...
I am sorry that so many people are having their Halloween threatened by the hurricane. I hope it is not as bad as expected. It would be tragic for such talented haunters to miss the big night. In addition I hope you are all at least kept safe from the storm and that property damage isn't an issue. More to the Nashville area like The Creeping Cruds said. We have great music and amazing cemeteries.
- October 25, 2012 at 2:54 PM
- SPOOKSHOWS.COM said...
I feel SO bad for the east coast haunters! I'm so sorry! Even here on the left coast we are expecting winds up to 60 mph tonight. By morning everyone will have their neighbor's tattered skeletons in their trees and Halloween inflatables blown into the trenches of the freeways. (Not a fan of inflatables)
Can we change Halloween to Friday or Saturday this year? Or better - Friday THROUGH Wednesday. - October 25, 2012 at 3:19 PM
- Terrormaster said...
Spookshows, funny you should mention moving Halloween. Up until today I've always been a staunch supporter of KeepIt31. But now I just don't care. Halloween is in our hearts and souls. It doesn't matter if it's 10/31, 10/27, or 11/3. It's the spirit that counts. If our town wants to move it for whatever reason let them be it for something serious as a Hallocane (liking that name Rot, much better than what NOAA's calling it - Frankenstorm) baring down or something petty as moving it in favor of a Friday night football game. As long as we get our day and our local communities participate and ToTs show, it doesn't matter anymore.
- October 25, 2012 at 3:46 PM
- Sam Kadi said...
Im so sorry for my East Coast brethren, as a Haunting community we all feel your pain and hope that you still are able to enjoy the season. Best of luck my friends, make it work.
- October 25, 2012 at 4:13 PM
- Anonymous said...
Matbe if all of us east coast haunters get together and set up our haunts in the same spot, it will push this "Hallocane" away from us......
Haunters, unite!!!! - October 25, 2012 at 4:55 PM
- Amy said...
Rot..keep the faith. I think this will clear out by Weds morning and we will be left with chilly temps and a gusty wind.
DONT YOU QUIT ON ME! - October 25, 2012 at 6:45 PM
- suzanne said...
Yeah. Warnings have started for Nova Scotia too. We've had a string of perfect Halloweens. I knew it couldn't last. *sigh* :O(
- October 25, 2012 at 7:19 PM
- Colleen said...
yup. I know all about it. I kinda don't want to believe it. I'm sad Rot. Very sad...
- October 25, 2012 at 7:23 PM
- Yellow Phantom said...
Hang in there ROT. The weatherman is wrong most of the time anyway. Hopefully this is one of those cases. I'll be sending positive thoughts your way man!
- October 25, 2012 at 11:56 PM
- ShellHawk said...
Oh, crap! That sucks!
Don't you have a nearby coven to witch the weather for you? If not, you should consider making some contacts... ;o) - October 26, 2012 at 9:30 AM


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- Collection
- [1952?]-[197-?]
Collection consists of menus from various regions of Brazil. Restaurants are located in Sobra-Loja, Rio de Janeiro, Londrina, Sao Paulo, Leblon, Bahia, and Sao Lourenco. Bar fare, breakfast menus, steakhouse, hamburger house, and pan-American cuisine are just some types of dishes and restaurant represented.
A portion of the menus are from hotels. Menu types include trifold, booklet, seven-fold, placemat and bookmark style. Several menus are laminated or in vinyl enclosures. A portion of the menus have prices written in by hand in various colours of ink and are stained.
Freeman, Matthew (Doctor)


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Three Dead in New Jersey Supermarket Shooting [VIDEO]
A disgruntled employee entered a Pathmark supermarket in Old Bridge, New Jersey at 4:30 this morning and shot and killed two people before turning the gun on himself.
One of the victims was reportedly an 18-year-old female. Details on the second victim are unknown. The shooter, 23, allegedly entered the store dressed in body armor. He has been identified as ex-Marine rifleman Terence S. Tyler.
Old Bridge Councilman Richard Greene said he was informed by the mayor that the shooter was a former Marine. He apparently had an argument with coworkers, left the store, went to his car and returned a short time letter, cloaked in camouflage and brandishing an AK-47 and an automatic pistol.
Employees noticed his actions and locked the doors, but a source said he shot out the windows and went inside, killing two people. He then killed himself.
It is believed that Tyler worked at the store for about two weeks and had a history of depression and mental illness.
Details are unfolding and the story is still developing.
It's the second fatal shooting in the New York area in a week. Last week, another disgruntled man in Manhattan killed a former co-worker near the Empire State Building before he was killed, as well.


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Feathertouch SCT MicroFocuser - Celestron 14" (Old Style)
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More on the way:
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This version of the C14 MicroFocuser will fit the old-style 14" SCTs from Celestron. The "old-style" C14s have a ribber rear cell, unlike the 3-lobed pattern on the new rear cells. Current non-HD C14s will use the "new-style" version of the focuser. C14s more than a few years old will use this "old-style" version.
The Starlight Instruments SCT MicroFocuser provides the smoothest control for fine focusing. Two focus knobs allows for standard or 1/10th-speed focusing, making the MicroFocuser extremely accurate. Excellent for both imaging or visual observing, this focuser is precision-machined and anodized black with a brass fine-focus knob.
The SCT MicroFocuser is easily installed in place of the original focus knob on most Celestron 14" SCTs. A built-in stop prevents the primary mirror from detaching from the focuser.
For transporting, the 14" SCT MicroFocuser includes a reversible protective collar. The photo above shows the collar covering the focus knobs for transport and reversed for normal use.
View the instruction manual for this product