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Francois Brunelle is a French Canadian photographer whose work gives new meaning to the phrase "double exposure."
For the past several years, Brunelle has been documenting doppelgangers — people who happen to look strikingly similar but aren't related. He's on a quest to make 200 black-and-white portraits, and plans to eventually turn the project into a book.
Brunelle tells Melissa Block, host of All Things Considered, that the project started among his friends. One acquaintance worked with a man and woman who shared the same distinct jaw line and skin tone. That was Brunelle's first image for the project.
"I was very proud of this one," Brunelle says. "Since then I've had a couple that are men and women, but it was the first one that [wasn't] the same sex — but it works."
Another time, he swore he saw a friend's husband working at a bank. But when he called his friend, he realized he had just discovered a doppelganger.
"So finally it took me about six months to find the guy. I did the picture with the two men; it was fun to see them," he says. "Each one has two children, they were about the same age, and they were [both] looking for a new spouse. It was very funny."
After his search for pairs ran dry, Brunelle set up a form on his website where visitors can submit themselves for consideration, as long as they have a lookalike in mind. But he says he receives many requests, especially from China, from people hoping he can track down their own mirror image.
"You would be surprised how many people on this planet are looking for their doppelganger," he says. "I've gotten many emails over the years from Chinese people who are asking me, 'Could you please find my lookalike so I can have something to relate to?' "
Brunelle thinks the widespread desire for a familiar face is a symptom of the modern world we live in — where, despite our connections through social media, we can feel more alone than ever.
Brunelle, of course, has identified his own doppelganger. He told the Toronto Star in 2006 that he could pass for actor Rowan Atkinson, best known for his role as Mr. Bean.
Now to a story that has us seeing double. Several years ago, French Canadian photographer Francois Brunelle started a project documenting doppelgangers. He's on a quest to snap 200 portraits of people who aren't related but just happened to look uncannily alike.
Francois Brunelle joins us now from Montreal. Welcome to the program.
FRANCOIS BRUNELLE: Well, I'm glad to be here today.
BLOCK: I've been looking through a lot of these portraits. They're up on our website, npr.org. And they're just strikingly close in appearance, these two people, and you can't believe that they're not related. I'm looking at a pair from Toronto, Sarah Fournier and Alan Madill. They both have these long faces and very strong jaw. They look exactly like a brother and sister, and they're not. They're not related.
BRUNELLE: No, not at all. The - in fact, it's a friend of mine who has a company in Toronto, he told me, oh, you're looking for look-alikes? There are two people. They work at my office, and they look the same, and you should see them. So I went to Toronto, and they came to the place I had found in Toronto to do the picture. And when I saw them, I said, oh, my God, look at the jaws, you know? And the skin is the same, so that was one of my first that I did. And I was very proud of this one, a man and a woman, which was uncanny at the time for me because since then, I've - a couple that are men and women, but the first one, not the same sex, so I thought it was weird. But then it worked.
BLOCK: You know, the skeptic in me does wonder if you do any checking to see whether they might just possibly be related after all, and that's why they look alike.
BRUNELLE: Yeah. It's a good question because I personally ask this question myself every time. But I ask them for, you know, information, and I make sure before they show up that they are not related at all.
BLOCK: And how are you finding the people for these photographs, these doppelgangers?
BRUNELLE: Well, at first, I would know some people, you know, that I met over the years, and then I would try to reach them. I remember there was the husband of a friend of mine. I think he worked at the bank once because I worked at the bank, and I saw this man and I say, oh, my God, that must be him. But, hmm, maybe he's the same. Finally, I call my friend, I say, your husband finally switched jobs for - to be banker. She said, no - what are you talking about?
BLOCK: Ha, wrong guy.
BRUNELLE: Yeah, wrong guy. So finally, I - it took me about six months to find the guy. Finally, he showed up, and I did the picture with the two men, you know, first time to see them. And each one, as the pictures were in, they were about the same age. And they were looking for a new spouse, both of them. So they are (unintelligible) you know? It was very, very, very funny.
But after a couple of good pairs that I found by myself, I was short of people, so I decided to ask the media for help. And people hear about my project and then they just go to my website, which bears my name francoisbrunelle.com, and then they can register and send me a little note about who they are and who is their doppelganger because I'm looking for pairs of existing doppelgangers and not trying to match people with other people in the world. I do not do that. I got a lot of email, especially from Brazil, and they say, oh, please find my lookalike.
BLOCK: Oh, they want to have a doppelganger. They don't know of one.
BRUNELLE: Oh, yeah. It's - you would be surprised how many people on this planet are looking for their doppelganger. And the most interesting example, I guess, would be the Chinese people. I've got many emails over the years from Chinese people who are asking me, could you please find my lookalike, please, so I can have something to relate to? So this is quite amazing. And some of them, they write from Beijing, China. So...
BLOCK: What do you think that says?
BRUNELLE: Well, I think that we live in a world where people are more alone than ever because we're more in contact with people with Facebook and the smartphones and everything. But at the end of the day, you're alone in your room and you're thinking about your life, and it's - you would like to have someone, I guess, to relate to, that could be your partner or your best friend. So someone who looks like you, at least you can share some of your misery, I guess. I don't know. It's a good question.
BLOCK: Well, Mr. Brunelle, good luck with your doppelganger project, and thanks for talking to us about it.
BRUNELLE: Thank you very much, Melissa. That was great.
BLOCK: That's photographer Francois Brunelle of Montreal. He's on a quest to document 200 portraits of doppelgangers. And you can check out the images yourself at npr.org.
BLOCK: You're listening to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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text:
Red Sox - 131 000 000 - 5 11 0The Red Sox got to Morrow (4-8-5-2-4, 112) early, but Lackey turned in a giant turd of an outing (4.2-8-7-6-2, 105).
Blue Jays - 300 221 01x - 9 11 1
It could have been far worse. Lackey wriggled out of a bases loaded/1 out jam in the first -- only two of his 28 pitches in that inning were taken for strikes. He left two more runners on in the third.
The Red Sox did not make much noise over the final six innings.
Blue Jays' pitchers hit four Boston batters, including one in three consecutive innings (6th, 7th, 8th).
Mike Cameron and Terry Francona were both ejected in the seventh after Cameron was called out on strikes by Jeff Kellogg. Pitch f/x data shows that Kellogg was quite generous to Toronto pitchers when facing LH Boston batters (though the pitch to Cameron was clearly in the zone).
The Mariners beat the Yankees 4-1, as Felix went the distance and Joba loaded the bases in the eighth and then served up a grand slam to Jose Lopez. The Rays shut out Cleveland 4-0 and are 2 GB. Boston stays 5 GB.
Victor Martinez will not be able to play right after the break. Jacoby Ellsbury will talk to the media today.Scutaro, SS
Nava, LF
Ortiz, DH
Youkilis, 1B
Beltre, 3B
Drew, RF
Cameron, CF
Hall, 2B
Molina, C
Rotation vs Rangers July 15-18: Tim Wakefield, Clay Buchholz, John Lackey, Jon Lester. Daisuke Matsuzaka would start the series in Oakland on July 19. ... Manny Delcarmen threw 35 pitches in the bullpen yesterday and is hoping to be activated after the ASB. ... Jed Lowrie's rehab tour moves up to Pawtucket (AAA) next week.
Spiders/Rays, 7 PMThe Yankees have an extra day off after the ASB before hosting Tampa Bay for three games. The two teams will also play in Florida July 30 and 31, and August 1. The Red Sox are in New York for four games August 6-9.
Yankees/Mariners, 10 PM
1911 - Phillies outfielder Sherry Magee knocks out umpire Bill Finneran with one punch after being ejected for disputing a called third strike. He is suspended for the season, but upon appeal he will be reinstated after five weeks (36 games).
1935 - Ed Cole of the Galveston Buccaneers pitches the first perfect game in Texas League history. His team beats the Tulsa Oilers 1-0 on an inside-the-park home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.


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Manchester aims to end junk king's reign
October 23. 2013 10:22PM
Someone who lets his front lawn grow as free as the hair of a hippie. Someone who's overhauling a car engine in the driveway. Someone whose front porch has become an extension of the front closet.Then there's 703 Maple St.
The tiny lot at the corner of Maple and Blodget streets has become a way station for all sorts of car parts, lawn furniture, firewood, and other once-valuable items that owner Nadir Atiya has pulled into his orbit.It's the North End's version of Sanford & Son.
For at least six years, city officials and neighbors have tried to get Atiya to clean up his property. They've hauled him to court for violating city ordinances. Neighbors have even played nice and invited him to neighborhood meetings, they say.But the mess continues.
'It's a major annoyance to the people who live next door to him, both sides,' said Will Stewart, who heads the Neighborhood Watch in the area. 'This guy has been working the system for a while.'In fact, the Atiya case shows that when push comes to shove, the city has shown little shove, despite all its inspectors and precisely worded ordinances. That may change next week, however.
After years of writing impotent ordinance citations, the city is bringing a case against Atiya to superior court, where judges wield more power. It's only the second time ever the city has taken such a step. The hearing is scheduled for Oct. 30.'We want a court order telling him to clean it up, as opposed to a fine,' said Peter R. Chiesa, the assistant city solicitor.
Most of the junk on the 0.1-acre lot can be found on the Blodget Street side yard and driveway.There's cushion-less outdoor furniture and three propane and charcoal grills. A car and trailer are parked in the driveway. Six-foot-square office dividers try to shield the rear of the driveway, which is crammed with unstacked firewood, stacked air conditioners and car body parts.
The front porch holds tires, car doors, more chairs and snow shovels.
But Atiya's mess is neat. His car doors, hoods and trunks are aligned like books on a shelf. Many of the tires are evenly stacked atop one another. And the lawn chairs are placed orderly at the tables.I spoke to a man in his 30s wearing a dirty T-shirt after he parked a car and walked up the porch.
'Later, later, later,' he said after I introduced myself. He wouldn't answer questions and never telephoned me.'He's a very personable guy,' said Kevin Kincaid, the city's building licensing inspector who has spoken to Atiya about violations. 'He feels he's being persecuted because of his (Palestinian) nationality.'
Kincaid said that's not the case, and he just wants Atiya to follow the city's ordinances.
The house was once the home of Isadore and Lucille Zimmerman, who moved out after commissioning Frank Lloyd Wright to build their new Manchester home, which now belongs to the Currier Art Museum.Holly Nagle has lived next to Atiya for years. She said his house slowly turn into a junkyard and defacto rooming house. Now he cuts and splits firewood late at night. She erected a privacy fence to keep Atiya from standing in his yard and staring her down, she said. Nagle said she never turns her back to the house when she's outside, and she always carries her phone with her.
'When you live next door when something goes crazy every week, your radar is always on,' she said.
The city has taken Atiya to Manchester District Court for at least 16 violations of ordinances dealing with sanitation, zoning, building and motor vehicles, according to court files there. Three violations are pending.At times the city has dropped the citation. Other times a judge has found Atiya guilty and fined him $100. Other times, the fine was suspended.
Three years ago, he was found innocent after a judge ordered a competency hearing. Months later, Atiya appeared in his court as a witness in an unrelated case, and the judge realized he'd been duped, Stewart said.'Clearly, the law's set up to protect the individual property owner, which this guy is,' said Alderman Ron Ludwig. He wonders if Atiya will even show up in court next week.
Mayor Ted Gatsas, who like Ludwig said he's frustrated with the situation, said he will be there. In the meantime, Gatsas said laws need to be strengthened to give cities more power to address situations like Atiya. In rural communities, nobody notices junk-ridden properties, in part because lots are much bigger, he said.
"It's different living in the city," the mayor said, "and having something next door to you like this."
Mark Hayward's City Matters runs Thursdays in the New Hampshire Union Leader and on UnionLeader.com. He can be reached at email@example.com.
Public Safety Health Human Interest Politics Social issues Derry Manchester


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The Department of Health and Social Services, along with the Blood Bank of Delmarva are partnering to replenish food closets Jan. 11-21 at the 15 state service centers.
The Department of Health and Social Services, along with the Blood Bank of Delmarva are partnering to replenish food closets Jan. 11-21 at the 15 state service centers.
During the food drive, Delawareans are urged to make non-perishable food donations at any state service center or blood bank location during regular business hours. The main administration building at DHSS' Herman Holloway Campus on U.S. 13 near New Castle also will be a collection site.
The list of items most in need include: oatmeal and cereal, canned fruit, pancake mix and syrup, grits, tuna, canned pasta, peanut butter and jelly, crackers, soups, Spam and other canned meats, mac and cheese, stuffing, rice, beef stew, canned vegetables, mashed potatoes, canned potatoes, canned juice, condiments and shelf-stable milk.
State service centers are open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. (State offices will be closed Jan. 21 for MLK Day.) The locations:
New Castle County
Appoquinimink State Service Center, 122 Silver Lake Road, Middletown; (302) 378-5770.
Belvedere State Service Center, 310 Kiamensi Road, Wilmington; (302) 995-8545.
Claymont State Service Center, 3301 Green St., Claymont; (302) 798-2870.
Delawarr State Service Center, 500 Rogers Road, New Castle; (302) 577-2970.
Floyd I. Hudson State Service Center, 501 Ogletown Road, Newark; (302) 283-7500.
Northeast State Service Center, 1624 Jessup St., Wilmington; (302) 552-3500.
Winder Laird Porter State Service Center, 509 W. Eighth St., Wilmington; (302) 577-3400.
Kent County
James W. Williams State Service Center, 805 River Road, Dover; (302) 857-5000.
Smyrna State Service Center, 200 S. DuPont Blvd., Suite 101, Smyrna; (302) 514-4500.
Sussex County
Anna C. Shipley State Service Center, 350 Virginia Ave., Seaford; (302) 628-2000.
Bridgeville State Service Center, 400 Mill St., Bridgeville; (302) 337-8261.
Edward W. Pyle State Service Center, 34314 Pyle Center Road, Frankford; (302) 732-9501.
Laurel State Service Center, 31039 N. Poplar St., Laurel; (302) 875-6943.
Milford State Service Center – Annex, 13 S.W. Front St., Milford; (302) 424-7230.
Thurman Adams State Service Center, 546 S. Bedford St., Georgetown; (302) 856-5574.
The blood banks locations (hours vary) are:
Wilmington Donor Center: 913 N. Market St., First Floor, Wilmington. Parking will be validated.
Christiana Donor Center: 100 Hygeia Drive, Newark (across from Christiana Hospital on Del. 4).
Dover Donor Center: 221 Saulsbury Road, Dover.
For more information, call (302) 857-5006, or visit volunteerdelaware.org.


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Application virtualization platform company GigaSpaces is detailing the mechanics of its new partnership with open source cloud infrastructure automation firm OpsCode.
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The partnership is intended to marry GigaSpace's Cloudify open PaaS stack with OpsCode's Chef, an open-source systems integration framework for automating the cloud.
NOTE: Chef is said to combine the fundamental elements of configuration management and service-oriented architectures with Ruby. Chef users write "recipes" that describe how they want a part of a server (such as Apache, MySQL, or Hadoop) to be configured.
GigaSpaces wants us to focus on the fact that Cloudify supports application-level orchestration on "any cloud" in practice. The firm's VP of product management Uri Cohen says that the flexibility of this product will help development teams move both new and existing apps to the cloud, especially where "massive migrations of tens or even hundreds of apps" are involved.
"With its new built-in recipes, Cloudify provides consistent management and cloud portability for popular big data tools, exponentially reducing the operational and infrastructure costs involved with running these systems," said Cohen.
In turn, OpsCode's Chef is now thought to be in a position where it can help leverage the Cloudify approach to augment and expand the traditional DevOps model to include key on-going management tasks.
"The concept of DevOps and recipes can go well beyond setup, to actually manage the entire lifecycle of your applications — from setup, to monitoring, through maintaining high availability, and auto-scaling when required. This is where Cloudify and Chef come together," said Bryan Hale, director of business development for OpsCode.
In addition to the integration with Chef, this new release also includes the following features:
- Complete application-level orchestration, allowing automated provisioning, deployment, management, and scaling of complex multi-tier apps to any cloud environment
- Built-in, ready-to-use recipes for common big data components, such as Hadoop, Cassandra, and MongoDB
- Support for non-virtualized environments (aka Bring Your Own Node), allowing you to treat an arbitrary set of servers as your "cloud" and have Cloudify deploy and manage applications on these servers
- Comprehensive REST API for easy integration with third-party tooling and programmatic access


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Digger Doug's Underground (Episodes 19 and 20)
Digger Doug's Underground is a children's program based on the characters from our popular children's publication Discovery Magazine. For years, Digger Doug has been working with his good friends at Apologetics Press answering questions from...
Receiving the Gift of Salvation
What the Bible Says About the Church of Christ
Click the following link to visit our Multimedia section.
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text:
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Barbara Mason - Another Man 12 inch
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text: TOPEKA — The Newton High School boys' swimming team ended the season with an eighth-place team finish and six medals at the Class 5-4-3-2-1A state championships Saturday at the Capitol Federal Natatorium in Topeka. Shawnee Mission South won the team title with 236 points, followed by Topeka Hayden at 199, Maize South 183, Bishop Miege at 178, Wichita Collegiate at 156, Blue Valley Southwest at 148, St. James Academy at 145, Newton at 122, Kapaun-Mt. Carmel at 97 and Bishop Carroll at 83. There were 27 teams that scored. "That's pretty good," Newton coach Philip Schmidt said. "We came in not knowing what to expect. We did pretty good the first day (Friday's preliminaries). It comes down to how you talk to the guys and get ready for that second day. We didn't always have that same energy the second day that we had the first day. That happened to us last year. We cut some times in some events and didn't quite hold our spaces in others. "I'm really proud of the guys. We've had a close team this year. It will be hard to see some of these guys go." Alex Trumble finished fourth in the 200-yard freestyle in 1:48.43. Dylan Anderson finished fourth in the consolation finals, 12th overall, in 1:55.63. Trumble finished fourth in the 500-yard freestyle in 5:03.69. Trumble broke five minutes in the prelims, finishing at 4:57.19. Jace Schmidt finished fifth in the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:04.72. Dylan Moore took eighth in the consolation finals, 16th overall, in 1:11.46. Jace Schmidt finished seventh in the 200-yard individual medley in 2:08.27. Trumble and Schmidt both named to the Kansas Swimming Coaches Association All-State second team. The 400-yard freestyle relay team of Preston Ford, Dick, Anderson and Trumble finished sixth in 3:29.71. The 200-yard medley relay team of Nathanael Dick, Jace Schmidt, Trumble and Anderson finished seventh in 1:47.58. The 200-yard freestyle relay team of Dick, Jonathan Paden, Jace Schmidt and Anderson finished fourth in the consolation finals, 12th overall, in 1:36.21. Non finalists for the Railers included Dick in the 200-yard freestyle, taking 22nd in 2:01.16. Newton loses eight seniors, including six state qualifiers. Newton looks to return two state qualifiers. "We lose some really good senior leadership, hard workers," Philip Schmidt said. "We lose some guys who are instrumental in working with the younger guys before the season starter. Some of the younger guys will have to learn from that and step up, working with the new guys next year. I can't be a part of that. That's something the team leaders need to pick up if they're willing. "When I started coaching, I always freaked out about the seniors I've lost. But once those seniors move on, the sophomores and juniors step up. I'm confident some juniors and sophomore will do what they need to do. We'll have some (club swimmers) come in for us next year. I was really impressed with some of the freshmen I had this season. We had one freshman who came out from the club. There were four or five who didn't come in with a lot of experience. Several of these freshmen are capable of making state next year. Hopefully, they keep working in the off-season. I don't do a lot with weights, but they need to work with weights in the off-season."


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When Tami & Celine asked me if I would be a part of their Blog Book Tour, I was totally delighted! This is a book I can really get excited about!
The first thing I wanted to try was the Pav Bhaji sandwiches. I see these everywhere in India, but there they are always dripping with butter, so I've abstained. The last time I came home from India, I brought a little box of Pav Bhaji Masala (spice mix) with me ... and it finally came in handy making these delicious sandwiches. The filling is a lightly spiced mash of veggies cooked up with Indian seasonings, and served on a soft absorbent bread. It's a winning textural combination for sure. I did lighten the vegan butter a little (which I know is very unauthentic indeed!), but we're counting calories these days. I will definitely make them again!
Next up, I decided to try out the French Tofu Salad Sandwiches. I picked this because Mr. VE&T is a real francophile, in love with All Things French. Then, when he learned that there were going to be grapes and almonds on his sandwich, he became worried. Worry not! We both really loved this sandwich. The filling is light and delightful, with unexpected flavors and spices that meld perfectly. I will definitely make it again - either on its own or as a sandwich filling. Plus, it came together really quickly - you can get everything else ready while the tofus are sauteeing. Perfect for work nights!
So far our real favorites were the Tempeh Caesar Wraps. Holy Smokes! These babies were gooooood. I absolutely cannot wait to make these again, and luckily I've got a whole pack of tortillas in the fridge waiting to be filled with Caesary glory. Again, this was an uncomplicated recipe that came together quickly - but together the sum of its parts added up to something truly magnificent. Full of flavor without being overbearing. The bite of the tortillas and tempeh, with the fresh crunch of the greens, and the creamy tang of the dressing - all perfectly balanced together. We are both so in love with Tempeh Caesar Wraps that now we are considering an open relationship.
I wanted to try some of the many wonderful breakfast and sweetie sandwiches in the book too - and somehow I just couldn't stop thinking about these Plumtillas with Vanilla Dipping Sauce. Growing up in California, we had Mexican food all the time and quesadillas were always my #1++ comfort food. Still to this day, a tortilla can touch my heart in a special way. So the idea of cooked plums in a toasty tortilla is absolutely appealing to me. I loved this treat so much. The crispy tortilla with the soft fruit is just great. I made the vanilla sauce, which I really liked - but I think (out of sheer laziness) I'd probably just get a little cup of vanilla yogurt next time.
Last but not least - I made the Berry-Stuffed French Toast Pockets with Brioche Bread. HELLO. I love French Toast so much, and this is a gloriously decadent rendition of this weekend favorite. First, I had to make the Brioche bread a few days ahead of time (some to enjoy then, and some to get stale in time for our Sunday morning french toast treat!).
Celine and Tami say in the book that you need a stand mixer or a food processor with a dough hook to make this bread. I don't have either - but I was determined. Nothing could come between me and the idea of berry-stuffed french toast. In the end, I didn't get a great rise, but everything else about the bread was just perfect. I just used my hand like it was a stand mixer! Ha!
We really loved this french toast. We had it for a special Sunday breakfast together. I loved the fresh berries (I used strawberries) stuffed in the bread, and I loved cooking them on my panino press (genius idea, ladies!) for even browning on both sides. As you can see - lurking in the background - we had pears and oranges too. That makes it healthy, right? :)
~ recipes are beautifully laid out, one per page. Great clean layout with nice fonts, easy to read. Attractive and appealing.
~ loads of beautiful photos! Not every single recipe gets a picture, but a LOT of them do.


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Who will handle complaints about phone service?By DAVID SOLOMON
New Hampshire Union Leader
June 15. 2013 3:28AM
In June 2012, Gov. John Lynch signed into law legislation that rewrote the book on telecommunications in New Hampshire.
Senate Bill 48 was supposed to deregulate the industry and enable local phone carriers like FairPoint Communications to compete with unregulated telecom providers offering phone service over the Internet or on mobile devices.
A year later, the exact scope of the law and its impact on consumers is still being debated, as the Public Utilities Commission finds itself at odds with lawmakers over the power to hear and adjudicate consumer complaints on basic telephone service.
The PUC issued an order on May 28 regarding the implementation of SB 48.
"That order basically said that in spite of SB 48, we are going to continue to regulate in these various ways," said Sen. Bob Odell, R-Lempster, primary sponsor of the legislation in 2012. "That shook the stakeholder community because they had thought the legislation was very clear and that discussions around the bill were pretty clear about what we were doing."
In response to the PUC order, Odell introduced amendments to a House bill that he hopes will tie up any loose ends on telecom deregulation.
But the new wording eliminates valuable consumer protections and constrains the ability of the PUC to act on consumer complaints, according to New Hampshire Legal Assistance and sources in the PUC.
Representatives of FairPoint, which will still face limited regulation as the state's "carrier of last resort," disagree with that interpretation. "The amendment proposed by FairPoint clarifies the Legislature's intent in existing law," said spokesman Jeffrey Nevins. "FairPoint maintains its carrier of last resort obligation to provide service to customers who cannot get any other service. These basic service customers will continue to have rate caps and other protections under the law."
Definition of 'basic' is key
Everyone involved agrees that basic landline service provided by FairPoint should still be subject to PUC oversight.
But critics say the definition of basic service in the Odell amendment is so narrow that few, if any, consumers will be able to enjoy PUC protection.
The section of the law at issue states that "any combination of basic service along with any other service or feature offered by the telecommunications service provider is non-basic service, and shall not be regulated by the PUC." The amended wording is in italics.
According to Dan Feltes, staff attorney with New Hampshire Legal Assistance, that means FairPoint customers could lose their right to a PUC review of service-related complaints if they have features like caller ID, voicemail, call-waiting, call-forwarding or long distance.
Consumers could still complain to the PUC, which would have no power to do anything except pass their complaint along to the telecommunication company, unless the situation was so severe as to merit a referral to the Attorney General's Office.
Legal Assistance lawyers met with lawmakers and Fairpoint representatives on Wednesday in an attempt to achieve a compromise on rules that would maintain existing consumer protections, but according to Feltes, they got nowhere.
"This very narrow interpretation means a senior citizen on a fixed income who gets free call waiting automatically loses their ability for the PUC to enforce protections for basic service," he said.
Legal Assistance on Wednesday proposed a compromise in which a customer who gets cable TV or Internet service "bundled" with telephone service would no longer be a basic service customer. But those who have phone service with basic features would still be considered a basic service customer.
That language was not accepted, and the bill is likely to head to a House-Senate Conference Committee with FairPoint's recommended language intact.
Customer concerns
Nevins argues that the Legal Assistance proposal would, in effect, define basic service as all FairPoint local access customers who sign up for phone service only. "If this were the case, then the intent of SB 48 - to create a level playing field and foster competition - would be moot," he said.
Ellen Scarponi, FairPoint director of government relations, said the company offers features to new customers, but no one is obligated to take them. She challenged the notion that the company could attach features for free and convert a customer from basic to non-basic without their knowledge or approval.
Customers who still want the option of PUC intervention can become a basic customer by calling the company and having all features that are billed separately removed from their phone service, she said.
The handling of phone service complaints is no small matter, given the number of complaints the PUC has received over the years (See related story).
Consumers will still have many options, even if the narrow definition of basic service becomes law.
"Any customer, regardless of service level, has multiple avenues for complaint," said Nevins, "to the provider, to the PUC, to their legislator, or to the attorney general. It's in our best interest to satisfy our customers, and we are diligent in resolving customer concerns."
'Byzantine' process
Feltes agrees that FairPoint has a process for customer complaints in its terms of service, but characterized that process as byzantine.
"I will say, from our perspective, it is easier for our clients to avail themselves of the PUC complaint process rather than going through the provisions of the FairPoint service agreement," he said.
State Rep. Naida Kaen, D-Lee, is the lead sponsor of HB 542, the bill that carries the amendments at issue. She said it's possible the House and Senate Conference Committee could come up with a compromise.
"We are working on it. We have some time yet," she said. "The challenge is, how can we make sure that we are targeting the people who need to be protected, who don't have another alternative, while getting competition going that's going to lower the costs for everyone in the long run?"
Debra Howland, executive director of the PUC, said the commission believes its May 28 order is consistent with the intent of SB 48, but will take its direction from lawmakers.
"As far as the commission is concerned, we are a creature of the Legislature, so it's always our intent to honor the will of the Legislature," she firstname.lastname@example.com
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Yep - only 49 days until Christmas - can you believe it? And if you think that sounds really close...let me tell you that there are only 1174 HOURS until the big day! That number makes it sound even closer, doesn't it?!? Do you already have your shopping done? I haven't even started...I'm feeling like such a procrastinator already!
Even though I haven't done a spec of shopping for Christmas, I've been listening to holiday music for months...and I've been creating holiday paper-crafting projects too!
All of these projects were made with Making Memories brand new holiday line - Mistletoe...and it's definitely one of my all-time favorite programs...I LOVE it!
I am a huge fan of polka-dots, and this line has plenty to go around - The red glitter on these big polka dots is such a fun detail, these big polka dots on green make me giddy, and the little polka dots on a soft black background are the perfect addition to ANY project, in my humble opinion. :)
And those are just a few of the polka-dots you'll find in this line. There are dotted trees and stripes, notebook papers, stickers, tags, stars, and lots more. All of the designs are fresh and fun...yet classic. You definitely need it too - you'd love it.
Have I convinced you to order it right away? I hope so...but maybe I could convince you to enter to WIN it as well!
When Making Memories heard that THREE of their own designers (Laura Vegas, Maggie Holmes, and little old me) had been named to the 2010 CK Dream Team, they wanted to celebrate with us! In true Making Memories style, they offered to sponsor THREE big give-aways - one of each of our blogs. They let each of us choose our favorite program and offered to send it all to a lucky winners! So - now I get to invite you to celebrate with us!
Leave me a comment telling me the first thing you're going to do to start getting ready for Christmas this year (remember...it's only hours away!). I'll choose a lucky winner on Monday and she (or he) will receive a fun package with my current favorite Making Memories program - yep, you guessed it MISTLETOE!!!
After you leave a comment to win Mistletoe, be sure to visit Laura and Maggie to see which collections they are giving away!
And if you'd like a little help getting yourself into the spirit of the season, let me know and I'll send you a link to the station I created on Pandora - I'd love to share it with you - it'll definitely get you in a holiday mood!


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Like Us on Facebook and you are automatically entered to win a free gourmet meal delivered to your home.
For Local Pickup, Call Us at 678-519-0165.
This Americana gourmet dinner gift imparts the flavor of the great outdoors. Entrees from field, stream & sky make this a gourmet dinner they will long remember one of our top selling food gifts. Visit our blog for more on Americana cuisine.


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Spansion buys Fujitsu's MCU, analog business
LONDON – Flash memory supplier Spansion Inc. (Sunnyvale, Calif.) is set to buy the microcontroller and analog business of Japan-based Fujitsu Semiconductor in a deal valued at about $175 million.
Under the terms of the deal, Spansion will acquire assets, intellectual property, products and personnel from Fujitsu. But the deal does not include any of Fujitsu's manufacturing facilities. Spansion also announced first quarter sales that came in short of analysts' expectations.
John Kispert, Spansion's CEO, said the deal positions Spansion to play in a much broader market. "Both sides are very excited about this deal," Kispert said.
Two years ago, when Spansion emerged from bankruptcy as a supplier of NOR flash, the company was serving a total market of about $3 billion, Kispert said. Last year, Spansion inked a deal with SK Hynix Inc. to enable Spansion to offer single-level-cell (SLC) NAND flash devices for the embedded market. Following the completion of the Fujitsu deal, expected to close next quarter, Spansion will be serving a total market worth about $30 billion, Kispert said.
"This [deal] opens up a whole bunch of options for [Spansion]," Kispert said. Among other synergies, the acquisition of Fujitsu--which is the No. 2 supplier of microcontrollers to Japan's automotive market--will give Spansion an in with Japan's massive auto industry, Kispert said. The deal also gives Spansion the technology to offer embedded SoCs with processing, memory and analog functionality, he added.
"This acquisition provides incremental revenue and aligns with our strategy to expand into system-on-chip solutions that require leadership in embedded flash technology," Kispert said.
As a condition of the deal, Fujitsu will continue to build its legacy parts for Spansion at its fabs in Japan for the next two years, Kispert said. Those fabs have been widely seen as in danger of closing as Fujitsu moves to restructure and largely disengage from the semiconductor business (see Fujitsu chip business faces radical restructure). It was been widely reported that one or more of the major foundry companies could be interested in acquiring those fabs.
Spansion said it would combine its flash memory technology with microcontroller and analog products to accelerate the development of system-on-chip ICs for use in the Internet of everything for automotive, industrial and consumer applications.
Kispert said the deal, once closed, will be immediately accretive to Spansion's earnings. The net impact is expected to benefit Spansion's financial results in 2013 and the deal is part of a previously announced restructuring at Fujitsu.
The purchase price includes about $110 million for assets and intellectual property plus about $65 million for inventory. The cost of the inventory is subject to change due to fluctuations in inventory volume and value. The deal is subject to various customary closing conditions and is expected to be complete in the third calendar quarter of 2013.


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Red Kap® - Long Sleeve Industrial Work Shirt. SP14
Red Kap puts the toughest materials and advanced stay-clean technology into this shirt so you get the most out of it. This hardworking IL50 style is tested through 50 industrial launderer washes.


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|Assembly Required
|Meets or Exceeds ANSI/BIFMA Standards
|Overall Dimensions
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|18.5"W x 17.5"D
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OFM was founded in 1995 as a manufacturer, importer and distributor of innovative and economical office furniture which delivers high quality furniture at value prices. OFM's extensive inventory allows 99% of orders to be shipped within 2 days, which increases cash flow for its large dealer network. OFM supplies Furniture for the Real Office for businesses, schools, medical offices, hotels, restaurants, industrial markets, and the Federal government through the GSA program.
OFM Inc hereby warrants that the products distributed by it shall be free of all defects in original material and workmanship for the life of the product under normal use. Limitations involving materials and components: Two Year on all fabrics and upholstery materials. Seven Years on gas lifts.
Exclusions: This warranty does not apply to:
* Normal wear and tear, which are to be expected over the course of ownership.
* Damage resulting from shipment, which will be handled under separate terms.
* Damage resulting from storage, alteration, unauthorized repair, infestation, misuse, abuse, accident, acts of God, natural causes, and/or exceeding listed capacities.
* Products used for rental purposes.
* Failure to provide reasonable and necessary maintenance such as tightening screws periodically.
Note: Normal commercial usage for SEATING is defined as 8 hours a day with weight capacities of 250 lbs. (Models 700 and 800-L have 400 lb weight capacities, Models 241 and 242 can be used for multiple shifts at 250 lb weight capacities. Model 247 is rated for both 400 lb capacity and multiple shift use.)
Within the specified periods of this warranty, OFM, Inc. agrees upon OFM's option, to repair or replace at no further cost to the buyer any portion of the subject products which prove to be defective in material or workmanship, provided that the buyer gives written notice within thirty (30) days of all such claim defects and proof of purchase is provided. OFM, Inc. has the option to examine any and all parts claimed to be defective prior to repairing or replacing said parts. This expressed warranty is exclusive of all other warranties, expressed or implied, including without limitation any implied warranty of merchantability or of fitness for a particular purpose. OFM, Inc. shall be liable under this warranty only for the cost, or, at its option, the replacement or repair of defective products. All incidental or consequential damages which may arise, including but not limited to, business losses, personal damage and third party liabilities are hereby expressly excluded.


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Most of you know I love Emeril. A huge dream of mine is to meet him and cook with him--I mean cook things up to notches unknown! I think he is just absolutely fascinating to watch, always is quick-handed during cooking, knows how to react perfectly with people and just has this contagious energy to get people involved in cooking, just like he did in his show "Emeril Live"!
Remember that show? Good times. Wish they'd bring that one back.
Emeril would get you so engaged, so excited to cook!
Best of all, I love that he likes to think as do I and kick things up a notch; as he would say "why be boring?...we're gonna make it better and badder!" He definitely made you think about doing your same old recipe different; for me anyways.
Here is one of his recipes and one of my very favorite ways to make apple pie. I love hand pies. This way everyone gets their own individual pie, plus you can shape them into any form. Did you know that with hand pies come MORE crust? Think about it, you get more crust per square inch in a hand pie than you would with a slice of pie. For me, the crust is the best part--hands down. It's all about ratio baby! I don't think there should be an equal amount of filling to crust, I think it should be 60% crust and 40% filling.
(my apologies for the dark photos)
apple-cheddar hand pies
adapted from Emeril Lagasse
print recipe
2 golden delicious apples, peeled, cored, & chopped (I used 3 McCoun) 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
Pinch salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (I used pie crust this time, both work great) 1 cup cheddar, shredded
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water (I used no water)
Maple Glaze, recipe follows
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice. Add the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and toss to combine.
In a saute pan, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Cook apple mixture for 7 to 10 minutes until apple juices release and apples are slightly softened. Sprinkle flour over mixture. Cook for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry sheet. With pizza wheel, cut pastry sheet into 6 squares.
Add the cubed cheese to cooled apple mixture.
Divide the apple mixture in the center of each pastry square, leaving a 1-inch border along the long sides.
Carefully fold into triangle shape; crimp the ends together with fork to seal, and place on the prepared baking sheet.
In a small bowl, beat together the egg and water to make an egg wash. With a pastry brush, lightly coat the outside of each square with the egg wash. Using a paring knife, make a vent in each triangle.
Bake until risen and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool slightly and drizzle with maple glaze. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream on the side.
If using pie crusts, they take about 30 - 35 minutes to cook.
Maple Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
7 tablespoons maple syrup
Combine sugar and syrup until smooth.
(I added in about 4 - 6 oz. of softened cream cheese)
These really taste like a pop tart only 1000x's better.


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Huskers Host Iowa, Northwestern in Regular Season Finale
Date: Nov. 21
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Lincoln, Neb.
Arena: NU Coliseum
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Live Radio: Husker Sports Network, Huskers.com
NORTHWESTERN at NEBRASKA
Date: Nov. 24
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Lincoln, Neb.
Arena: NU Coliseum
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Live Radio: Husker Sports Network, Huskers.com
The No. 10 Nebraska volleyball team returns home this week to host Iowa and Northwestern in the final regular season matches of the 2012 season. The Huskers will also honor their five seniors- Lauren Cook, Paige Hubl, Gina Mancuso, Allison McNeal and Hannah Werth- following Saturday's match.
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Iowa, 15-0. The Huskers beat the Hawkeyes 3-0 in their first match-up of the season on Oct. 17 in Iowa City.
The Huskers lead the all-time series with Northwestern 4-1. Nebraska fell to Northwestern last season in a 3-1 battle in Evanston.
Fans can also listen to all of the action this weekend with John Baylor and Lindsay Peterson on the 25-station Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and The Wolf 93.3 FM in Omaha. Fans outside the state will also be able to catch the live audio feed for free on Huskers.com.
In addition, the Nebraska volleyball program will join the annual U.S. Marines Toys for Tots Drive for the Northwestern match on Saturday. Husker fans are encouraged to bring new, unwrapped toys to the game, and cash donations for the cause will also be accepted. The Marines will be stationed near entrances throughout the NU Coliseum to accept donations that will brighten the holiday season for needy children.
Last Time Out- Nebraska at Wisconsin, 11/18/12
The No. 9 Nebraska volleyball team made quick work of the Wisconsin Badgers on Sunday afternoon, sweeping UW 3-0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-18) at the UW Fieldhouse. The win marked the Huskers first sweep since taking down Illinois in three sets on Oct. 17.
Hannah Werth led Nebraska on the day with 15 kills and a .407 hitting percentage, while Morgan Broekhuis recorded 12 kills and had a .440 hitting percentage and Lauren Cook recorded 44 assists.
Nebraska hit .351 in the match, as the Badgers hit .145. Wisconsin recorded nine team blocks, while the Huskers had five. The Husker out-dug Wisconsin 49-46.
Scouting the Iowa Hawkeyes
- Iowa is 10-21 on the season and has an 2-16 Big Ten record. The Hawkeyes are coming off of a weekend where they went 0-2, including 3-0 losses at Wisconsin and Minnesota.
- Against the Badgers, Bethany Yeager paced Iowa with eight digs, giving her over 500 digs in each of the last two seasons. Nikki Dailey recorded 21 assists, while Alex Lovell had seven kills.
- In Iowa's loss to Minnesota, Lovell paced the Hawkeyes with 11 kills and Rachael Bedell added nine. Julianne Blomberg posted eight digs, while Yeager had six.
- Lovell leads the Hawkeyes on the year with 357 total kills and an average of 3.16 kills per set. Bedell has 322 total kills and an average of 2.98 kills per set. Dailey has paced the offense all season with a total of 1,049 assists.
- Yeager leads Iowa defensively, recording a total of 508 digs. Alessandra Dietz has 76 total blocks for the Hawkeyes, averaging 0.71 blocks per set.
- The last time Nebraska and Iowa met, Bedell lead the Hawkeyes with 14 total kills and a .216 hitting percentage.
Scouting the Northwestern Wildcats
- Northwestern is 16-13 on the year and holds a 5-13 Big Ten record. The Wildcats are coming off a weekend, where they beat Michigan 3-1, but fell to Michigan State in straight sets.
- Against Michigan, Stephanie Holthus turned in one of the best performances of her career with 28 kills, 19 digs, four blocks and two assists.
- In their loss to Michigan State, Holthus totaled 11 kills and a .304 hitting percentage, along with 12 digs to lead the team.
- Holthus leads the Wildcats on the year with 443 total kills and an average of 4.22 kills per set. Madalyn Shalter paces the offense with a total of 11,73 assists and an average of 11.17 assists per set.
- Julie Chin leads the Wildcats' defensive effort with a total of 336 digs and an average of 3.20 digs per set.
- The last time the two teams met was in 2011 and Holthus notched 19 kills and 16 digs for the Wildcats.
Noting the Nebraska Cornhuskers
- Nebraska enters this Saturday's match with a 21-6 record and No. 10 national ranking. The Huskers are 13-5 in Big Ten play.
- The Huskers return first-team AVCA All-American Gina Mancuso and AVCA Honorable Mention All-Americans Lauren Cook, Hannah Werth and Morgan Broekhuis to the 2012 roster.
- Nebraska is the second-winningest program in Division I history with 1,161 wins and trails only UCLA (1,180) on the all-time list.
- The defending Big Ten Champion Huskers were picked as the favorite to win the Big Ten title in 2012, while Lauren Cook, Hannah Werth and Gina Mancuso were picked as All-Big Ten selections.
- Nebraska currently has 177 consecutive sellouts at the NU Coliseum, the longest sellout streak across all NCAA women's athletics. The Huskers averaged 4,522 fans per home contest last season.
- Nebraska has 10 players on its 2012 roster who were Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selections, representing the top-50 players in that year's recruiting class. Five of the Huskers' last seven recruiting classes have ranked in the top five nationally, including the 2009 class that was ranked second by Prepvolleyball.com
- Nebraska continued its string of All-America success in 2011, as Gina Mancuso was named an AVCA All-American. Mancuso upped Nebraska's NCAA-leading totals to 35 players and 71 certificates. Nebraska has had at least one All-American every season since 1983, a total of 30 straight seasons, including 36 All-America awards in Cook's 12 years at Nebraska.
AVCA All-America Certificates
No. School Awards
1. Nebraska 71
2. Stanford 65
3. Penn State 54
4. Hawaii 52
- Head Coach John Cook returns a loaded team in 2012 that lost only one starter from 2011 and returns eight letterwinners. His team finished 25-5 last season, while Cook has won over 91 percent (381-39) of his matches in 12 seasons as the Huskers' leader.
The Last Time Nebraska...
- Won a match 3-0: at Wisconsin, Oct. 18, 2012
- Won a match 3-1: vs. Indiana, Nov. 9, 2012
- Won a match 3-2: vs. Purdue, Nov. 10, 2012
- Lost a match 0-3: at Purdue, Nov. 12, 2011
- Lost a match 1-3: vs. Ohio State, Sept. 26, 2012
- Lost a match 2-3: at Minnesota, Nov. 16, 2012
- Had 100 kills in a match: vs. Texas Tech, Oct. 26, 1996
- Had 200 attacks in a match: vs. Iowa State (200), Oct. 21, 2009
- Had .500-or-more hitting pct.: vs. Kansas (.523), Oct. 10, 2001
- Had 10-or-more service aces: at Texas A&M (11), Nov. 5, 2008
- Had 40-or-more total blocks: vs. UCLA (41), Sept. 14, 1991
- Had 100-or-more digs: vs. USC (109), Dec. 11, 2004
The Last Time a Husker...
- Had 30-or-more kills: Sarah Pavan (31) at Kansas State, Nov. 3, 2007
- Had 10-or-more blocks: Brooke Delano (10) at Oklahoma, Sept. 29, 2010
- Had 25-or-more digs: Lara Dykstra (28) vs. New Mexico State, Aug. 26, 2011
- Had two players with 20-or-more kills: Tara Mueller (24) and Jordan Larson (21) at Washington, Dec. 13, 2008
- Had a triple-double: Greichaly Cepero (10 kills, 38 assists, 12 digs) vs. Texas Tech, Sept. 25, 2002
- Is 348-74 (.825) when winning a first set under John Cook and 45-29 (.608) when it loses the opening set
- Has spent 406 weeks in the top 10 and were ranked in the top 10 for 115 consecutive weeks (2004-Sept. 5, 2011)
- Nebraska has currently been ranked in the top 10 for 25 consecutive weeks (Sept. 12, 2011-present)
- Is 211-0 under John Cook when hitting .300 or better
Huskers Earn Big Ten Weekly Honors
Nebraska senior Lauren Cook, junior Hayley Thramer and freshman Meghan Haggerty have all been honored by the Big Ten Conference with weekly Big Ten Awards. Cook was named the Big Ten Co-Player and Setter of the Week three times, while Haggerty has earned four Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors and Hayley Thramer has earned one Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week award.
Cook guided the Husker attack to wins over Saint Louis (3-0), No. 1 UCLA (3-2) and Notre Dame (3-0) during the first weekend of play. She notched double-doubles in all three matches, including 56 assists and 22 digs against the Bruins. Cook averaged 10.7 assists, 4.4 digs and 0.4 blocks per set. She also tabbed 27 assists against Saint Louis and 35 against Notre Dame, helping Nebraska hit .365 against the Fighting Irish.
She earned Setter of the Week honors again after averaging 11.30 assists and 2.1 digs per set in road wins over No. 12 Purdue (3-0) and Indiana (3-2). She led the Huskers to a .348 hitting percentage on the weekend, including a .361 clip against the Boilermakers.
Cook tallied the honor for the second consecutive week after averaging 11.6 assists and 2.3 digs per set in wins over No. 10 Minnesota (3-1) and Wisconsin (3-0) over the weekend. She led the third-ranked Huskers to a .361 hitting percentage for the weekend, including a .396 clip against the Badgers, where she dished out 37 assists.
Haggerty earned Big Ten honors after she hit .545 against UC Irvine, recording seven kills on 11 swings to go along with four blocks to help Nebraska to a 3-0 victory. She also averaged 2.3 kills and 1.3 blocks per set. She earned the award for the second consecutive week after helping Nebraska to the 2012 Ameritas Players Challenge team title. She hit .600 for the week as the Huskers beat Oklahoma (3-0) and No. 19 Kentucky (3-1). She recorded a .818 hitting percentage against the Sooners, posting nine kills on 11 swings. She also averaged 2.4 kills and 1.6 blocks per set.
She was named Freshman of the Week again after posting 12 kills on .333 hitting and seven blocks in Nebraska's five-set win over No. 1 Penn State on Sunday. She also tallied five blocks and seven kills against Ohio State on Friday, as she averaged 1.3 blocks and 2.1 kills for the weekend. Haggerty helped the Huskers to two wins against Indiana and Purdue, hitting .342 over the two matches and averaging 1.9 kills and 0.9 blocks per set. She also posted eight blocks and seven kills against the Hoosiers and recorded 10 kills against Purdue.
Thramer earned the accolade after leading the Husker defense in wins over No. 21 Purdue (3-2) and Indiana (3-1). She notched 17 blocks over the two matches, an average of 1.9 per set, including 10 against the Boilermakers. Thramer also recorded seven blocks, including two solos, against the Hoosiers.
Mancuso Named Senior Class Award Finalist
Nebraska senior outside hitter Gina Mancuso was named one of 10 finalists for the 2012 Senior CLASS Award for women's volleyball on Friday, Oct. 19. A 2011 AVCA All-American, Mancuso leads the Huskers in kills in 2012 and has five double-doubles on the year. She was named a second-team CoSIDA Academic All-District VII selection in 2011, also earning academic All-Big Ten accolades. She is a three-year member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, serving as the community outreach officer for the 2011-12 school year.
Fan balloting consists of one-third of the total vote and is available right now on the award's official web site: www.seniorclassaward.com, while Mancuso's profile is listed here: www.seniorclassaward.com/athletes/gina_mancuso/.
Haggerty's Impressive Debut
Nebraska freshman Meghan Haggerty became just the eighth true freshman to start a season opener during Coach John Cook's career at Nebraska. She posted a team-high 17 kills against UCLA, notching a .600 hitting percentage (17-2-25). Her 17 kills were the most by a Nebraska middle blocker since Tracy Stalls tallied 17 (17-2-26) against UCLA during the 2006 National Semifinal match.
She has not let up after her opening-weekend dominance. Haggerty posted nine kills on 11 swings for a .818 hitting percentage against Oklahoma on Sept. 6. With just one more kill she would have ranked 10th all-time on Nebraska's single-match individual hitting percentage list. She has been named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week four times in 2012.
She posted 11 kills on 25 swings against Penn State, notching five total blocks. In addition, she recorded six blocks against Ohio State. Haggerty recorded a stellar .700 hitting percentage against Michigan State, tabbbing eight kills on 10 swings. She notched a .778 clip against Illinois, posting seven kills on nine attacks and zero errors.
Against No. 1 competition, Haggerty has posted 29 kills, a hitting percentage of .469 and 10 blocks.
Haggerty Leading the Huskers in Hitting Efficiency
With Haggerty's .356 hitting percentage on the season and 393 total attacks, she leads the Huskers in hitting percentage on the season. She is the first freshman to lead a Nebraska team in hitting percentage since Amber Holmquist in 1999.
Tough Competition
With a match against No. 14 Minnesota last Friday, Nebraska was taking on its 13th top-25 teams this season.
The Huskers hold an 9-4 record against top-25 teams, losing to No. 4 Penn State, No. 25 Iowa State, No. 20 Ohio State and No. 14 Minnesota, but topping No. 1 UCLA and No. 19 Kentucky at the Coliseum, No. 24 Ohio State, No. 24 Michigan State, No. 12 Purdue, No. 10 Minnesota, No. 25 Illinois, No. 1 Penn State and No. 21 Purdue.
Werth Notches 1,000 Kills and Digs, Climbs Nebraska Records
Nebraska senior outside hitter Hannah Werth tallied 17 digs against the UCLA Bruins, surpassing the 1,000 career dig mark, becoming just the 11th Husker to reach that milestone. She has a total of 1,294 career digs, and ranks fourth all-time on the Nebraska career digs list.
Werth surpassed the 1,000 career kill mark in 2012; she has 1,214 career kills and is 12th on Nebraska's all-time list. She is also one of four Huskers, joining Jennifer Saleaumua, Jordan Larson and Eileen Shannon, to record 1,000 career digs and kills.
She is the only non-defensive specialist or libero who ranks in the top 10 in digs in the Big Ten Conference.
Mancuso Hot Against Top Competition
Gina Mancuso posted 16 kills against the Penn State Nittany Lions on Oct. 28. With that mark, she has at least 10 kills in all but one (Illinois- nine kills) of the Huskers' matches against ranked teams this year.
Saying Goodbye to the Coliseum
The 2012 season marks the Huskers' final season in the NU Coliseum before the team will move to the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The Coliseum has been the home for Nebraska volleyball since 1975 and provides a unique home-court advantage for NU.
Nebraska too much for Iowa
After grinding out a first-set win against Iowa on Oct. 17, the Huskers won the final two sets by more than 10 points. NU held Iowa to nine points in the final set, tying for the lowest point total by a Big Ten opponent, as Northwestern totaled nine points in the second set in 2011.
Huskers Limit Dukes
The Huskers held the Duquesne Dukes to 39 total points in their match on Sept. 7. Duquesne was out-scored 25-7, 25-12, 25-20 in the match. The fewest points allowed by the Huskers in a three-set match during the rally scoring era was 37 to Alabama A&M in 2005.
Huskers Named to Ameritas Players challenge All-Tournament Team
Three Huskers earned a spot on the 2012 Ameritas Players Challenge All-Tournament Team including Gina Mancuso, Lauren Cook and MVP Hannah Werth.
Cook Reaches Milestones
The Huskers' match against the UC Irvine Anteaters was Head Coach John Cook's 400th match at Nebraska; he holds a 381-39 record at the helm of the Huskers. Nebraska's match with Michigan on Friday, Nov. 2 was Cook's 650th career match as a head coach.
Efficient Hitters
Nebraska has hit better than .300 in 12 out of 21 matches in 2012, including a .383 hitting percentage against Oklahoma, a .391 hitting percentage against No. 24 Michigan State and a .396 hitting percentage against Wisconsin.
Hot in September and November
Historically, the Huskers' two best months are September (303-28) and November (223-23), as they have all-time winning percentages of .915 and .907, respectively. NU has lost only seven matches in September since 2004, including none from 2005-08. After eight wins in September in 2012, the Huskers are 126-10 in the month under Head Coach John Cook.
How the Huskers Rank
As of Nov. 18, Nebraska ranked third in the Big Ten in hitting percentage (.287) and fourth in assists (12.99). NU is also second in blocks (2.66), fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.199), eighth in digs (14.33) and fourth in kills (13.96). Individually, Meghan Haggerty is eighth in the conference in hitting percentage (.356), while Hayley Thramer is fifth in blocks (1.22), Gina Mancuso is 10th in kills (3.41) and seventh in aces (0.29) and Lauren Cook is fourth in the conference in assists (10.98). Hannah Werth also comes in 10th in digs (3.23).
As of Nov. 18, the Huskers rank 52nd nationally in assists per set (12.99) and are 10th in hitting percentage (.287), 28th in blocks per set (2.66) and 49th in kills per set (13.96). Individually, Cook ranks 42nd in assists per set (10.98), while Haggerty is 54th nationally in hitting percentage (.356).
Solid Senior Class
All-American Hannah Werth opened the season by leading Nebraska in kills against Saint Louis, while she then recorded 12 kills against UCLA, notched 11 against Notre Dame and posted 14 against Oklahoma. She also led Nebraska in digs against Colgate (12), UC Irvine (12) and Oklahoma (13). Werth led Nebraska defensively against Penn State, recording a team-high 16 digs. She posted 10 digs and five blocks against Ohio State. She tabbed nine kills on 15 swings for a .467 hitting percentage against Michigan State. She recorded a team-leading 16 digs against the Wolverines on Sept. 30. Werth notched a double-double against Indiana with 12 kills and 10 digs and recorded hitting percentages of .396 and .308 against Wisconsin and Minnesota. She led Nebraska in digs against Illinois, totaling a season-high of 18. She recorded two double-doubles against Ohio State and Penn State, including a career-high 27 digs against Penn State, which ranks 12th among the top 20 individual digs performances at Nebraska. Werth notched 18 kills and 13 digs against Purdue in the Huskers' 3-2 win. She posted 31 total kills last weekend, leading the team in Nebraska's 3-0 win at Wisconsin.
All-American Gina Mancuso led Nebraska in kills against Notre Dame, recorded 15 against UCLA, along with 16 digs, and notched 10 kills against Saint Louis. Mancuso tallied a .412 hitting percentage against Colgate, recording seven kills on 17 swings and also posting six digs. She came on strong for the Huskers against Duquesne and Kentucky with a team-high 15 kills against the Dukes and a team-high 17 kills against the Wildcats. She posted hitting percentages of .375 and .400, respectively. Mancuso led the Husker offense against Iowa State with 18 kills on 47 swings. She also posted 16 digs and three blocks. She led Nebraska against Penn State, recording 12 kills and 11 digs. She recorded 10 kills on 23 swings (.304) and nine digs against Ohio State. She led Nebraska against Michigan State with 12 kills on 25 swings for a .400 hitting percentage. Mancuso posted 12 kills and 16 digs against the Wolverines on Sept. 30. She led NU last weekend with 14 kills and 10 digs against both Purdue and Indiana. Mancuso notched three aces and eight kills against Wisconsin, while she led the Husker offense against Minnesota, posting 14 kills (.343) and recording two service aces. She notched 12 kills and a .300 hitting percentage against Iowa. She led Nebraska in kills against Penn State, notching 16 in the match. She posted a season-high 20 kills in both of the Huskers' matches last weekend. She then led Nebraska with 20 kills and 12 digs against Purdue, notching a .333 hitting percentage. Mancuso led the Huskers against Minnesota, posting 18 kills on the night.
Lauren Cook was stellar for Nebraska against UCLA, posting 56 assists and 22 digs. She also notched three kills against the Bruins. Cook tabbed 43 assists in helping Nebraska beat No. 19 Kentucky. She has 10 double-doubles on the season. Cook finished with 44 assists and 10 digs against Penn State and 35 assists and 10 digs against Ohio State. She notched 39 assists and 11 digs against Michigan State. She paced the Husker offense with 48 assists against Michigan on Sept. 30, also recording 16 digs. Cook narrowly missed notching a triple-double against Minnesota, posting eight kills, 44 assists and 11 digs for the Huskers. She recorded 35 assists and two aces for the Huskers against the Hawkeyes. She posted over 50 kills against Ohio State, Penn State and Purdue, also recording a career-high 25 digs against the Boilermakers. Cook tabbed 47 assists against Minnesota and 44 against Wisconsin, helping the Huskers to a .351 hitting percentage. With 2,957 assists at Nebraska she ranks eighth all-time on Nebraska's career assist chart.
Paige Hubl joins Cook and Werth as one of three captains on the 2012 squad after being a key defensive contributor and serving specialist for the Huskers in 2011. She played in all 30 matches as a junior and posted 12 digs against Kansas State. Hubl notched two digs against Colgate, and posted an impressive performance against Duquesne on Sept. 7, recording a career-high 15 digs.
Allison McNeal is a talented middle blocker returning for the Huskers in 2012 after missing the 2011 season due to an injury. She started 17 matches in 2010, averaging 1.33 kills and 0.88 blocks per set. McNeal exploded offensively for Nebraska against Colgate, recording 10 kills on 14 swings for a .571 hitting percentage. She also notched four total blocks in the match. McNeal posted eight blocks against Duquesne on Sept. 7.
Ostrander Makes Impact
Alicia Ostrander saw substantial playing time for the Huskers against Michigan State. She appeared in a match for just the seventh time during her Husker career, posting five kills and a solo block at a critical moment in the fifth set.
Huskers Find Even More Talent for 2012
Head Coach John Cook's 2012 Huskers include four talented additions. NU welcomes in true freshmen Kelsey Fien, Meghan Haggerty, Alexa Strange and Sheridan Zarda.
All four Huskers have seen valuable playing time this fall. Along with Haggerty's accomplishments, Zarda has been an asset for the Huskers defensively. Strange came on strong for NU against Indiana, totaling seven kills on nine swings (.778). Four of her kills came in the fifth set against the Hoosiers, as she helped the Huskers to the win. Fien had five kills for the Huskers against Michigan State, also recording four digs.
Broekhuis, Thramer Excel for Huskers
Broekhuis proved key for the Huskers in their win over defending NCAA Champion UCLA, notching 15 kills against the Bruins and the final two kills of the fifth set to seal the victory. She also recorded four service aces against Notre Dame. She was solid for the Huskers against UC Irvine, recording 16 kills on 29 swings for a .517 hitting percentage. Broekhuis finished with 15 kills on 36 swings (.306) against Kentucky, also chipping in two service aces and three block assists. Broekhuis excelled for the Huskers against Ohio State, notching a team-high 12 kills on 27 swings (.370). She led the Huskers against Michigan, recording a team-leading 16 kills on 38 swings (.395) and eight blocks for the Huskers. Broekhuis led the Husker offense against Wisconsin as she had 12 kills on 27 swings (.370). She powered Nebraska with 10 kills and a .375 hitting percentage along with two aces and five block assists against Iowa, while putting up 10 kills and three aces against Illinois last Sunday. She led Nebraska against Ohio State, recording 19 kills in the match. She also led Nebraska against Indiana, totaling 19 kills and a .429 hitting percentage. Broekhuis had 12 kills and a hitting percentage of .440 against the Badgers last Sunday.
Thramer recorded a career-high 24 attacks against UCLA on Aug. 25. She also recorded seven kills and six total blocks against the Bruins and a hitting percentage of .467 the following day against Notre Dame. Thramer notched seven kills against Oklahoma and went on to record five blocks against Kentucky. She recorded a season-high nine kills against Iowa State, notching 22 swings for a .318 hitting percentage. She posted 10 kills against Penn State on Sept. 19, also totaling eight blocks. Thramer continued her impressive weekend with seven kills on 10 swings (.700) and three blocks against Ohio State. Thramer was errorless against the Spartans, as she recorded four kills on 10 swings and also notched four total blocks. She notched 12 kills on 20 attacks (.450) as she went on to record seven block assists in the match against the Wolverines on Sept. 30. She posted 10 kills and five blocks against Indiana on Oct. 6. Thramer's stellar work continued over the weekend as she had 11 kills on 20 swings for a .500 hitting percentage against Wisconsin, also posting six total blocks. She went on to record 10 kills on 19 swings (.421) against Minnesota, contributing seven blocks. Thramer notched six kills on 12 attacks and six blocks against Iowa, while posting eight block assists against Illinois. Thramer recorded a total of 17 blocks last weekend, with 10 coming against Purdue. Thramer recorded seven kills against Minnesota.
Dykstra Sets Record, Leads in 2012
In her first season with the Huskers, Lara Dykstra took over the role of libero after all-time Nebraska digs leader Kayla Banwarth graduated in 2010. She set the NU freshman single-season digs record with 399 and finished second on the freshman single-season digs per set list with 3.59. Dykstra also recorded 15 or more digs eight times in 2011. Dykstra recorded 20 digs against UCLA on Aug. 25.
She led Nebraska defensively against Iowa State, posting a season-high 22 digs for the Huskers. She notched 15 digs for the Huskers against Wolverines on Sept. 30. Dykstra posted a team-high 13 digs against Minnesota. She currently has 612 career digs. She led Nebraska in digs against Michigan and Michigan State, recording 24 and 16, respectively.
Huskers Elect Team Captains
Nebraska seniors Lauren Cook, Paige Hubl and Hannah Werth were selected as the 2012 team captains for the Huskers.
Busboom-Kelly Returns to Nebraska
Dani Busboom-Kelly joined Head Coach John Cook's staff in July of 2012 after spending the previous season at Louisville. After successful coaching stints at Louisville and Tennessee, Busboom-Kelly returned to Nebraska where she was a standout libero and setter for the Huskers.


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Fern Gillespie Blunt, 94, Brookfield, died Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013, at Pershing Memorial Hospital, Brookfield.
Fern Gillespie Blunt, 94, Brookfield, died Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013, at Pershing Memorial Hospital, Brookfield.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013, at Park Baptist Church, Brookfield, with Rev. David Blakely officiating. Visitation will begin at 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1, 2013, at Wright-Baker-Hill Funeral Home, Brookfield, with the family receiving friends from 6-8 that evening. Burial will be in Park Lawn Cemetery, Brookfield.
Ellen Fern was born November 9, 1918, in Ethel, daughter of Gilbert and Evelyn (Behymer) Ratliff. On May 1, 1937, she married Joseph Gillespie. On January 23, 1971, she married Wesley Blunt. He preceded her in death April 9, 1991.
Fern was a sales clerk at L & O Sales, Brookfield, for many years, had been a bookkeeper for Mar-Brook Farms, Brookfield, and had worked in sales with Universal Publishing. She was a member of Park Baptist Church, Brookfield, where she was active in many church organizations and was a Sunday School teacher.
Survivors include her children, Margaret Payne, Hannibal, Jean and husband, Larry Shoop, Paola, Kan., Karen Miller, Raleigh, N.C., Homer and wife, Judy Gillespie, Kansas City, Judy and husband, Lester Taylor, Brookfield, Jack and wife, Bridget Gillespie, Lawrence, Kan., Gary and wife, Terri Blunt, Connie Blunt, and Jim Blunt, all of Owasso, Mich., and Robert Blunt, Pittsburg, Kan.; many grandchildren; great-grandchildren; great-great-grandchildren; one brother and sister-in-law, Edgar and Joyce Ratliff, St. Charles; two sisters-in-law, Monti Lou Ratliff, Brookfield, and Evelyn Hessenflow, Heneretta; a brother-in-law and his wife, Larry and Gloria Taylor, Camdenton; and nieces, nephews and other relatives.
She was also preceded in death by an infant son, Jerry Joe Gillespie; two daughters, Donna Bailey and Shirley Simpson; five grandchildren; one great-grandchild; two great-great-grandchildren; two brothers, Reese and Sam Ratliff; and one sister, Ramah Taylor.


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Elway could have lived out his retirement, raking in money and enjoying the life of this city's biggest celebrity, athletic or otherwise. Instead, he has chosen to get back into the football life.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Drive through the streets of Denver, and John Elway is seemingly everywhere.
His name adorns decals on the back of Chevrolets purchased at his three local dealerships. The Cherry Creek steakhouse that bears his name the place to be seen for after-work drinks. His face is on billboards, his voice on radio commercials.
Elway could have lived out his retirement here, raking in money and enjoying the life of this city's biggest celebrity, athletic or otherwise.
Instead, he has chosen to get back into the football life, with early mornings and late nights in the office and frequent scouting trips to small college towns. In his second year at the helm of Denver Broncos' front office, he is proving to be as equally adept at building and running a team as he was in playing for one.
"I've never wanted to disappoint anybody that's entrusted a position on me, whether it was as a player, or the role I'm in now. That's the challenge, and that's what makes me tick – that I want to be good at it." Elway told USA TODAY Sports. "When I got this job and heard the criticism of, 'Oh he's not ready' it was something I was used to, and I used it as an incentive to be able to be good at what I do."
In the 22 months since he was hired as executive vice president of football operations, Elway has taken the Broncos from the franchise's lowest point following their 4-12 season under Josh McDaniels and re-crafted the Broncos' roster to fit his vision . Of the 31 players who have started for the Broncos this season, 23 were drafted, signed or re-signed by Elway.
"In a very short period of time, it's become pretty evident how talented we are on the football field," said veteran linebacker Keith Brooking, who signed with the Broncos in August. "He's done a great job of that."
Elway pulled off the biggest coup of the offseason when he convinced superstar quarterback Peyton Manning to sign with the Broncos. He then traded away popular quarterback Tim Tebow to the Jets for a pair of late-round draft picks.
Brennan: Let Tebow play!
Elway said he believes moving on from Tebow to a more traditional quarterback was the right move.
"I believe that there are Tebow fans, and there are Broncos fans," he said. "My responsibility is to the Broncos fans, and my responsibility is to (owner) Pat Bowlen and what he wants to do, and that's win championships. "
Manning appreciated Elway's perspective on how to win as a quarterback in his late 30s when the two met in March. Once Manning became a Bronco, their conversations continued, and Manning said he has seen Elway take input on personnel moves from everyone to assistant coaches and even players.
"Sometimes people don't want to hear anyone else's thoughts, but John listened," Manning said. "He's got to make the call, but I think if John hears a good idea, and he agrees, he's going to move on it. To me, that's working together as a team."
Risking his legacy
Eight months later, Dove Valley largely drama-free for the first time in years, and the Broncos, at 6-3, seem destined for the playoffs. A win Sunday against San Diego would give Denver a three-game lead in the AFC West before Thanksgiving.
Those two moves only reinforced that Elway's return to the Broncos was far more than a public relations move for a franchise that had seemingly lost its way.
"My reputation probably had something to do with it. With where the organization was at that time, it needed a little boost, and I'm sure that had a lot to do with it also. And then I lacked experience at that level, so they were taking a big step with me, a risk with me," Elway said.
Indeed, the move was a gamble – both for the Broncos, and for Elway, who risked damaging his pristine legacy in this city.
"It was huge, and I respect that. He didn't have to do this, but he's a competitive guy. He didn't do it because he needed the money," Broncos coach John Fox said. "There is no doubt that he put himself out there. There is a lot of criticism that comes with this position, and I have great respect for that."
Elway, despite his Hall of Fame career as a player, had spent more than a decade largely disassociated from the Broncos. He bought an Arena League team, the Colorado Crush, and served as CEO for six years, but had no scouting or management experience at the NFL level. His experience with the Crush taught Elway that he wanted a bigger role with the Broncos, even though throughout the 2000s he was unsure if that opportunity would ever come.
BAD SLIDE: Manning takes flak for ugly play in Carolina
Longtime coach Mike Shanahan was fired in 2008, and McDaniels' disastrous tenure lasted only 28 games. For Bowlen and team president Joe Ellis, hiring Elway was an easy decision, even if the move wasn't widely viewed as a slam dunk .
"He has tremendous knowledge and understanding of football, the NFL and what the Denver Broncos represented in our community. It was a deep resume, and people over looked that," Ellis said. "They'll say he hadn't earned it, hadn't paid his dues. I heard that. Trust me, he was ready to do this job."
Certainly the failures of other players-turned-executives hurt Elway's cause. Dan Marino, Elway's quarterbacking peer, lasted only two weeks in charge of the Dolphins. Matt Millen became a punch line as general manager of the Detroit Lions. Michael Jordan never came close to matching his playing success in his management endeavors.
So why would Elway be more like Ozzie Newsome, with the Baltimore Ravens, or Jerry West with the Los Angeles Lakers, than Millen ?
Ernie Accorsi was the general manager of the Cleveland Browns for part of Newsome's Hall of Fame playing career, and hired him as a scout in 1991. Ellis asked Accorsi to talk to Elway after Elway accepted the Broncos' job, and Accorsi said it was apparent to him that Elway and Newsome had plenty in common .
"Certain players that play with their eyes open. They don't have tunnel vision. Ozzie used to evaluate my drafts when he was a player. John must have done that, too," Accorsi said. "John, with all his fame, probably had a bigger obstacle to overcome. He had to convince people that in his own right he could be a good general manager. Those PR moves don't last very long after the press conference is over. It turns out they knew exactly what they were doing."
Building trust
Elway's first move was to hire a head coach to replace McDaniels. In Fox, Elway chose a man who appeared to be the opposite of the young and notoriously prickly McDaniels : Fox had nine years of head coaching experience, and a reputation of being a coach players loved to play for. They clicked immediately, and the partnership appears to be flourishing. Fox gives his input on personnel matters; Elway offers opinions on what he called "conceptual" football ideas, but they largely let each other run their areas of the organization without interference.
Much of the rest of the Broncos staff has remained intact, though the team fired general manager Brian Xanders just after the 2012 draft. With Elway growing comfortable in his role, the elevation of Matt Russell to director of player personnel and the addition of Mike Sullivan to oversee contract negotiations and the salary cap, Xanders became expendable.
Now, there is little question that the current Broncos team is a reflection of Elway. He scouts for players he would have liked to share a locker room, guys he would like to play with on offense or hated playing against on defense. After about six weeks on the job, he made his first significant player decision when he re-signed cornerback Champ Bailey just before he was set to hit the market.
"Players had to start understanding that we were going to keep the guys that were loyal to this organization and were great players. They had to start having some trust in us as a front office that we were going to start doing the right thing and keeping the right guys. Champ was the guy," Elway said. " The guy that we could hang our hat on and start building around him."
Manning is the headliner on Elway's crop of players, but plenty of other under-the-radar signings have made important contributions, from re-signing linebacker Wesley Woodyard in March (he now leads the team in tackling); signing free agent center Dan Koppen in mid-September (he now starts after J.D. Walton suffered a broken ankle); signing Brooking, 36, during training camp (he unseated starter Joe Mays in October); and claiming kick returner Trindon Holliday off waivers from Houston in October (he scored in each of the previous two games).
The job hasn't come without hasn't been without criticism, especially late last season, when Elway repeatedly declined to endorse Tebow as the Broncos' long-term solution at quarterback. Other personnel moves failed, notably the signing of defensive tackle Ty Warren, who played only five snaps in two seasons because of injuries, yet collected $5.5 million.
His first draft of 2011 appears to be a success, with No. 2 pick Von Miller emerging as one of the league's best defensive players, and three others from that class currently starting. He was criticized for moving out of the first round in 2012 to select defensive lineman Derek Wolfe and quarterback Brock Osweiler in the second round. Wolfe has started every game, but Osweiler (at least the Broncos are hoping) won't contribute for years.
" We want to build something that's going to be solid and be competitive year in and year out," Elway said. "If you look at the good teams and what they've done, they've stacked drafts, and that's really what the goal is: Stack drafts, add smart players through free agency and keep getting better."


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Only five more sleeps until the Family & Local History Fair at Pudsey Civic Hall on Saturday 2nd April.
I'm really looking forward to what should be a good day. The website promises a full programme of speakers although I can't find any information about who they are or what the subjects will be.
There is also a long list of exhibitors. I am particularly looking forward to meeting and talking to the folks from Keighley & District Family History Society; Lancashire Family History & Heraldry Society; Wharfedale Family History Group; and the Guild of One Name Studies.
I suspect that my wallet might take a bit of a hammering as I go in search of new and even more useful resources.
I am a bit disappointed that the West Yorkshire Archives and North Yorkshire Records Office don't appear to be attending – but maybe the show is a bit too provincial for them. Not to worry they will be at the Yorkshire Family History Fair at York Racecourse in June. This will no doubt be the subject of further posts both before and after the event.
I am dragging my wife along on Saturday, although she won't be quite as interested as her ancestors are from Lincolnshire and Staffordshire. However I will need someone to carry my purchases!!


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A prosperous family of merchants and landowners, the Brinleys were well ensconced among the social and political elite of colonial New England. Connected by marriage to other elite families in Rhode Island and Massachusetts — the Auchmutys, Craddocks, and Tyngs among them — the Brinleys were refined, highly educated, public spirited, and most often business-minded. Although many members of the family remained loyal to the British cause during the Revolution, the family retained their high social standing in the years following.
The Brinley collection includes business letters, legal and business records, wills, a fragment of a diary, documents relating to slaves, newspaper clippings, and a small number of paintings and artifacts. A descendent, Nancy Brinley, contributed a quantity of genealogical research notes and photocopies of Brinley family documents from other repositories. Of particular note in the collection is a fine nineteenth century copy of a John Smibert portrait of Deborah Brinley (1719), an elegant silver tray passed through the generations, and is a 1713 list of the library of Francis Brinley, which offers a foreshadowing of the remarkable book collection put together in the later nineteenth century by his descendant George Brinley.
- American loyalists--Massachusetts
- Book collectors--United States--History--19th century
- Brinley family
- Brinley, George, 1817-1875--Library
- Businessmen--Massachusetts--History
- Businessmen--Rhode Island--History
- Craddock family
- Landowners--Massachusetts--History
- Landowners--Rhode Island--History
- Libraries--Rhode Island--18th century
- Massachusetts--Economic conditions--18th century
- Massachusetts--Politics and government--19th century
- Rhode Island--Economic conditions--18th century
- Rhode Island--Genealogy
- Rhode Island--Politics and government--19th century
- Slavery--United States--History
- Tyng family
- United Empire Loyalists
Types of material
- Deeds
- Realia


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Virginia Death Records Index
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It's all about the music. In the '50s, Patsy Cline became the first major crossover success from country to popular music. She died at age 31 in a plane crash in 1963, but her voice, that unmistakable voice, lives on. Her songs are still played, her recordings still sold.
It is Patsy Cline's music — rather than facts about her life and career — that is the subject of "A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline," which opened Friday at Oregon Cabaret Theatre. It stars Kymberli Colbourne, who sounds uncannily like Cline.
Written by Dean Regan with Cline's widower, Charlie Dick, listed as production adviser, and directed by OCT Artistic Director Jim Giancarlo, "A Closer Walk" is an unabashed tribute to Cline's music. The show is at its best when Colbourne is singing — the production features 19 of Cline's hit songs.
They are all there, from the rockin' country tune "Come On In (and Make Yourself at Home)" to Cline standards such as "I Fall to Pieces," "She's Got You," "Sweet Dreams" and "Back in Baby's Arms." In between, we get Texas swing from Bob Wills' "Faded Love", twangy country in Hank Williams' "Your Cheatin' Heart" and even a bit of Irving Berlin in "Always." While "Walkin' After Midnight" was Cline's first big hit, she is probably best known for her recording of Willie Nelson's "Crazy," the big finale to this show.
The songs are bracketed by other stage business, a hillbilly Virginia disc jockey called Little Big Man, a corny Grand Ole Opry comic, a weary Las Vegas lounge comic and an equally corny Carnegie Hall opening comedy act (all played by an engaging Christopher Bange) and snappy renditions of 1950s singing commercials. These bits only serve to give the Patsy Cline character time to change costume, and Bange does a credible job with his "gee golly" disc jockey and comedy routines.
There are some missteps. Inexplicably, Cline's opening act at Carnegie Hall is a comic performing a mournful version of "Jimmy Crack Corn," a song dating to 19th century blackface minstrel shows. Why that song and that comedy act would be the opener for the sleek Patsy Cline at the pinnacle of her career is puzzling. As it is, the song and the act are uncomfortably out of place.
Cline started her career singing to pedal guitar and honky-tonk piano, and this is reflected in the music of the show's first act. After 1957, when the already-established country star was "discovered" by Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts on national television, Cline's recorded music was backed by dramatic orchestrations and lush strings.
For the OCT production, Colbourne is accompanied by a strong, onstage three-piece band. Music director John Taylor is the keyboardist, with Tom Freeman on drums and Fred Epping on guitar and pedal steel. The band and stage manager Kathleen Mahoney provide backup vocals as well. The country sound works best with Cline's earlier hits but doesn't reflect the full, lush flavor of Cline's pop music success.
OCT costume designer Kerri Lea Robbins has a lot of fun with all of Cline's costume looks in this show. Early in Cline's career, she was noted for her fringed cowgirl outfits, made by her mother and copied from costumes on the Grand Ole Opry. The staff on the Arthur Godfrey show put her in a cocktail dress, and thereafter Cline wore a more sophisticated wardrobe.
Robbins also does a fine job with Bange's cornpone comic overalls and Las Vegas lounge lizard looks and provides accompanying and appropriate changes for the band. One quibble: A disc jockey from the Shenandoah Piedmont region of Virginia in the early 1960s wouldn't have worn a Stetson hat.
Craig Hudson's set is clean and straightforward, the better to set off Colbourne and the musicians. Sound design is ably provided by Tom Freeman.
All in all, "A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline" is mostly a concert performance of Cline's music. It comes off as a wonderfully nostalgic look at a music legend, lushly presented through Colbourne's powerful voice. That's what fills the theater and haunts long after the show is over.
Roberta Kent is a freelance writer living in Ashland. Reach her at firstname.lastname@example.com.
'A Closer Look at Patsy Cline' at OCT
It's all about the music. In the '50s, Patsy Cline became the first major crossover success from country to popular music. She died at age 31 in a plane crash in 1963, but her voice, that unmistakable voice, lives on. Her songs are still played, her recordings still sold.


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In the new house, we have a large living room off of the front of the house. Sometimes called a "formal living room" or a "sitting room". While I love the extra space, I've always thought they were kind of a waste. I've always found that they turn into little pretty places just for looks with dainty little chairs and fancy furniture that no one ever actually sits in. We had a similar space at our old house which we put another tv in and turned into sort of a "hidden" man room for Brad with all his game stuff since we didn't have a basement there. It still looked nice, but his "man" stuff sort of hid behind the scenes.
In the new house, Brad has an entire basement to man-out which I love for him (and believe me, he's loving it too). So he's all set. Most of our tv-watching and living is done down there. Plus on the main level of the house, we have our main big family room with larger, more comfortable furniture where we mainly hang out and watch tv.
So here, we were left with what I thought would be not the most functional space with the pretty white couch, two pretty chairs, a tufted ottoman, and some pretty accent pieces to put the room together with. I knew it would look good, but as far as being functional? Not so much. It's such a large space, I felt it was such a waste.
Lightbulb moment.... Combine it with my office! I've always loved offices with sitting areas and I noticed this room had a perfect wall for it. Right around the corner from the main entrance of the room so that when the desk gets
I also loved that it has french doors I can close off when I want some privacy. I love it so much!
I didn't purchase anything new for this room except the "Prada Marfa" print, ghost chair and small gold-foiled print on the desk. Funny how different everything looks in the new house, even though it's mostly the same stuff.
It's such a bright room, I wanted the space to feel fresh and bright too, but with some little eclectic touches. That's sort of my style everywhere else in the house anyway. But I knew in this space, since it's my personal office, I could get away with a few fun touches like the Prada sign which I'm obsessed with.
I love my Liatorp desk from Ikea. I've had it for 3 years now and I still love it just as much as when I first got it. It's genius because it doesn't look like a huge, clunky desk, yet has tons of storage.
In office spaces, I don't like to see a ton of personal, "office-y" things sitting out for everyone to see. Especially when an office is in a more common space of the house, like on the main living floor like mine. By personal "office-y" things, I mean things like personal files (bills, financial things, etc), computers, things like that. That's why this desk is so genius. The sides have space for all the electronic things you'd ever need to store, bills, even file organizers. The center drawer is awesome and holds tons of office supplies too. Keeps everything looking nice, neat, and organized, and best of all? Everything is convenient.
I keep other "craft" type stuff and our printer in a large storage console on the opposite side of the room which is really handy as well. Everything I need fits perfectly in here and I love it!
Here's a shot of the whole room so you can see the layout a bit better. The desk is around that corner on the left. The other part of the room isn't completely done and I'm still shuffling a lot of stuff around, but it's making progress!
Can you spot the puppy? ;)
And yes, by "puppy", I totally mean 80-lb pup at one of his favorite look-out points. He's become a crazy watch-dog since moving here. I swear, he thinks he's a Great Dane. Precious.I hope you guys enjoyed this little peek into my new work space! Funny how productive a new space that is easy to work in makes you feel.
Here's some more details and a little reference list of where things are from.
desk: Ikea Liatorp
ghost chair: found at a local sale
Prada Marfa sign: search Etsy
desk calendar: Tory Burch
gold foil quote print: ssprintshop.com
black and white frames: Target
clear lamp and black shade: Target
gold faux urchin: Target
tufted ottoman: Ballard outlet in Atlanta
2 side chairs: Sears.com
mirrored console table: Ballard outlet in Atlanta
3 sunburst mirrors: Ballard outlet in Atlanta
small gold side table: Home Goods


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Conceiving seems like it should be a natural, easy process. But there are key things to know before you start trying.
Follow our trimester-by-trimester guide to make your nine-month journey as safe and enjoyable as possible.
It's not always easy to soothe a crying baby. We can help you figure out what to do when your baby wails.
Toddlers gain skills at incredible speed. See what's around the corner for your busy little learner.
Time to say goodbye to diapers? We've got you covered with expert and parent-tested potty training tips.
When your child's a picky eater, every meal can seem like a battle. Learn how to win the food wars!
Getting weighed, saying "ahhh" and sometimes "ouch!" – checkups and immunizations are a part of life for kids of all ages.
Establishing good sleep habits can stop baby sleep problems before they start.
See the products that stood out from the rest as voted on by 87,000 picky parents.
Your child may be the apple of your eye, but you also have to take care of yourself.
in 2006
from 2005
First day of your last period