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Texas Escapes
Online Magazine

Bosque County, North Central Texas
Highway 144 and Farm roads 927 and 203
14 Miles S of Glen Rose
8 Miles NW of Meridian
52 Miles NW of Waco

Population: 755 (2000) Up from 716 in 1990

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Walnut Springs Bridge, Walnut Springs TX ca1910

Walnut Springs Bridge, Walnut Springs, Texas ca1910
Courtesy Will Beauchamp Collection
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History in a Pecan Shell

The town's name is a rare of example of "what you see is what you get." The community developed around springs (still flowing today) that surfaced in the shade of Walnut trees. The town's history is directly related to that of the Texas Central Railroad.

The railroad arrived in 1880-81, building machine shops which burned in the 1920s and weren't rebuilt. The railroad later joined the long roster of defunct Texas railroads, but its impact on the town is still being felt (see letter below).

A post office was granted in 1883, however the name Walnut Springs wasn't applied until 1892. In 1885 Central College was opened, becoming part of the public school system seven years later.

From a high-water mark of 1,449 before the railroad fire, it declined to 723 as the Great Depression wound down. In 1961 the population was just under 500 and growth has been slow but steady - reaching the current number of 755 residents.
Downtown building, Walnut Springs Tx
Downtown Walnut Springs
Photo courtesy Barcly Gibson, July 2007
Downtown building, Walnut Springs Tx
Downtown Walnut Springs
Photo courtesy Barcly Gibson, July 2007
Walnut Springs Tx Baptist Church
Baptist Church
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Walnut Springs Tx Memorial United Methodist Church

Memorial United Methodist Church
Photo courtesy Barcly Gibson, July 2007
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Downtown Walnut Springs Tx
Downtown Walnut Springs
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Walnut Springs Tx Old Gas Station
Old Gas Station
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Walnut Springs Tx Lions Club Sign
Lions Club Sign
Photo courtesy Barcly Gibson, July 2007
Walnut Springs Tx Silo Ghost Sign

Silo Ghost Sign
Photo courtesy Barcly Gibson, July 2007
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Walnut Springs Tx Silo
Photo courtesy Barcly Gibson, July 2007
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Walnut Springs Tx Tabernacle
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Walnut Springs Tx Oak Grove Cemetery gate
Walnut Springs Tx Oak Grove Cemetery
Photo courtesy Barcly Gibson, July 2007
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Walnut Springs TX Old Downtown
"This is the Old Town Of Walnut Springs, TX. Not much left... In it's day it was a busy town with the trains. The Katy Park is still there." Paula Mc Michael Athey, 2008
Walnut Springs Tx Katy Park Fountain
Katy Park Fountain
Photo courtesy Barcly Gibson, July 2007
Hwy144 between Walnut Springs TX and Glen Rose TX
"Hwy 144 between Walnut Springs and Glen Rose. The big hill on the right down the hwy. is where I lived in a country house. Another house is there now. The old house is gone now." - Paula Mc Michael Athey, September 28, 2008

Walnut Springs, Texas Forum

  • Walnut Springs Today
    Letter from the Walnut Springs City Engineer -
    I have been the city engineer for the City of Walnut Springs, Texas, for about 10 years. While trying to use a magnetic locator to find a cast iron pipeline, I was getting readings all over the place. An old timer came by and told that my location was very near the boiler shop of the [now defunct] Texas Central Railroad. [In the 20s when the fire occured] there were explosions in the boiler shop that covered the area with debris. The Texas Central Railroad was created in the 1880's and I believe the last of it was shut down in 1936. The street and utilities were given to the City of Walnut Springs. In the downtown area, there is still the foundation for a steam engine to drive the water works.

    Due to the decline in the railroad, and the ranching businesses, the town fell into disrepair for years. In the late 1980's a sewer system funded by the FHA was installed along with a treatment plant. In the late 1990's, we replaced a jerry-rigged water pressure system with a new 40,000 gallon standpipe along with a 1,000 gpm pumping station and a revised power system for the plant. In the year 2000, we installed a new well with a 230 gpm capacity, a 44,000 gallon ground storage tank, and another 1,000 gpm pump station new the Hornet Stadium just south of city hall. This vastly improved the water reliability since during the storm of 1998, the only water pipe crossing Steele creek washed out. The concrete in-ground tank is still there and the last time I checked, it was still in great shape.

    In 2002, we replaced the old 1922 vintage concrete tank improved the plant piping. I had the old 1922 vintage concrete ground storage tank removed and replaced with a new welded steel tank constructed by Bulldog Steel of Clyde, Texas. There were several wall cracks, but the slab was as sound as new. The new tank sits on the 1922 slab. A new grade beam was poured around the tank. The reinforcing steel was square stock and twisted to deform it to obtain a good grip to the concrete. It has the historic Lone Star Steel trade mark on it as I recall. It was all poured by hand, the workers placing and mixing it in shifts, working around the clock.

    With this project, the City is now current with all TCEQ regulations. The City and Walnut Springs ISD have begun to grow and have already attracted several retail businesses.

    The City Secretary, Kay Offutt (her husband is Welsh, and manager of the Flat Top Ranch), sent me an extremely interesting book about the history of the Texas Central Railroad and Walnut Springs as a Christmas present . While doing the land acquisition to expand the football field from the required 80 yards for 6 man ball to the full 100 yards, I determined the football field to be located very near the historical site of the boiler shop. There was a round house there and it is my understanding, it is located about two hundred yards behind the new post office fronting Texas 144.

    A gentleman named Murphy Bruns, retired at Tow, Texas, further told me how the town was bustling when he was foreman for the construction of the REA-funded rural power lines in the area in the 1930's. His company was owned by a Mr. Taylor, who was Lady Bird Johnson's father.

    The railroad sold out to the Missouri Kansas and Texas "Katy" railroad at some point. The Katy park still exists as a city park today and houses and protects the Walnut Springs. These springs still flow several hundred gallons a minute and have never gone dry. In the northeast part of town, you can still see the influence of the railroad houses. Most have been changed and some replaced, but if you stand at the end of street you can see that the gable roofs line up exactly.

    The city is currently being repopulated by the 1980's generation that work mostly in other cities. - City Engineer, Walnut Springs, Texas, December 13, 2005

  • Walnut Springs: Union Veteran & the Confederate Widow
    I find your [magazine] unique and very interesting. I was especially interested in Walnut Springs since my Great Grandfather Franklin Estein is buried in the cemetery. He was a German immigrant who fought in the civil war as a Union soldier having joined in New Orleans where he landed from Germany. He was a stone mason and many of the stone structures in Walnut Springs were built by him. He married a widow of a Confederate soldier and for most of his life he never told her he had been in the Union army, only when he applied for his pension did she find out. I intend to visit Walnut Springs next year and do more research. - Dean Thompson, President, 9/11 Flight Crew Memorial, November 30, 2006
  • Walnut Springs, Texas
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Hyperkin breathes new life into old games

  • Los Angeles (CA) - Has all the hype and chaos of E3 left you feeling nostalgic for the old days of 8 and 16 bit gaming? Do you have a sudden urge to play The Legend of Zelda or Golden Axe instead of waving a Wii controller, holding a vibrating Xbox 360 pad and dreaming of the new PSP Go?

    I know I did. Luckily, I stumbled into the Hyperkin crew who were showcasing the FC Mobile II, Firebox Diamond and the Digital Pocket Handheld System. These shiny plastic devices may not look or feel as slick as a PS3, but they do allow veteran gamers to dust off their old Sega and Nintendo cartridges and relive the glory years of console gaming.

    FC Mobile II

    The FC Mobile II provides gamers with the opportunity to play NES games on a 2.5 inch LCD screen. Other features include TV-out capability, two wireless controllers, auto-fire buttons and a wireless rifle for virtual duck hunters.

    Firebox Diamond

    The Firebox Diamond console is packaged with 20 embedded 16 bit Sega Genesis games, including my personal favorite: Golden Axe. The unit also includes a cartridge slot (Genesis and Mega Drive compatible), two controllers and wireless capabilities.

    Digital Pocket Handheld System

    Like the Firebox, the pocket handheld system is packaged with 20 embedded Sega games and offers a cartridge slot for additional titles. The Pocket's design is similar to that of the FC Mobile II, albeit with a slightly smaller 2.4 inch screen. The unit also includes a TV output connector, recharagable battery and an AC adapater.

    As I noted earlier, modern games are undeniably smooth - rendered without the annoying lag that plagued early consoles and PC's. But there is something missing, something that can perhaps be found only in classic 8 and 16 bit titles.

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Recent California fires consistent with climate change models, says study

November 14th, 2007 - 2:49 am ICT by admin
Prof. Ronald Neilson and his team developed a fire forecast model and combined it with the one developed by the Forest Service department.

Findings revealed that when combined, the model accurately predicted both the Southern California fires that were happening, and the drought that had recently hit parts of the Southeast, including Georgia and Florida.

Neilson, a professor at Oregon State University and bioclimatologist with the USDA Forest Service said, the latest models suggested that parts of the US might be experiencing longer-term precipitation patterns - less year-to-year variability, but rather several wet years in a row followed by several that are drier than normal.

“This is exactly what we’ve been projecting to happen, both in short-term fire forecasts for this year and the longer term patterns that can be linked to global climate change,” said Prof. Neilson.

“You can’t look at one event such as this and say with certainty that it was caused by a changing climate. But things just like this are consistent with what the latest modelling shows, and may be another piece of evidence that climate change is a reality, one with serious effects,” he said.

Prof. Neilson said, as the Earth warmed, more water was being evaporated from the oceans.

All that water came somewhere as precipitation, which at times led to heavier vegetation loads popping up, thereby creating a tremendous fuel load, he said.

“But the warmth and other climatic forces are also going to create periodic droughts. If you get an ignition source during these periods, the fires can just become explosive,” he said.

He added that events such as El Ni

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Punjab to name district after Bhagat Singh

September 27th, 2008 - 8:02 pm ICT by IANS

Khatkar Kalan (Punjab), Sep 27 (IANS) Honouring freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, the Punjab government Saturday announced that a district in the state will be named after him.The announcement was made by Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal at a function at this ancestral village of the martyr to mark his 101st birth anniversary. Badal said Nawanshahr district would be renamed as Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar.

The headquarters of the district, Nawanshahr town, is located 100 km from Chandigarh.

Badal said the requisite formalities of issuing orders for renaming boards of the offices, milestones, signages in the entire district would be issued within a week.

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Our customer report

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Connections is our twice yearly report to our customers. You'll be able to keep track of whether we have met our targets and commitments, and read about our plans for the future. We will also report on what improvements you said you'd like to see and what we are doing about them.

The latest edition of Connections is available here (download a copy in pdf format below). You can also ask our customer services team to send you a copy.

In this issue we focus on bringing you up to date with what has been a very busy and challenging summer.

Connections (Issue Five)


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Today in History

The Associated Press Published: June 29, 2014 4:00 AM

Today is Sunday, June 29, the 180th day of 2014. There are 185 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On June 29, 1974, Isabel Martinez de Peron was sworn in as acting president of Argentina, two days before the death of her ailing husband, President Juan Peron.

On this date:

In 1613, London's original Globe Theatre, where many of Shakespeare's plays were performed, was destroyed by a fire sparked by a cannon shot during a performance of "Henry VIII."

[Article continues below]

In 1767, Britain approved the Townshend Revenue Act, which imposed import duties on glass, paint, oil, lead, paper and tea shipped to the American colonies. (Colonists bitterly protested, prompting Parliament to repeal the duties -- except for tea.)

In 1880, France annexed Tahiti, which became a French colony on December 30, 1880.

In 1913, the Second Balkan War broke out as Bulgaria attacked Serbia and Greece, its former allies from the First Balkan War.

In 1927, the first trans-Pacific airplane flight was completed as Lt. Lester J. Maitland and Lt. Albert F. Hegenberger arrived at Wheeler Field in Hawaii aboard the Bird of Paradise, an Atlantic-Fokker C-2, after flying 2,400 miles from Oakland, California, in 25 hours, 50 minutes.

In 1941, Polish statesman, pianist and composer Ignacy Jan Paderewski died in New York at age 80.

[Article continues below]

In 1954, the Atomic Energy Commission voted against reinstating Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer's access to classified information.

In 1967, Jerusalem was re-unified as Israel removed barricades separating the Old City from the Israeli sector.

In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a trio of death sentences, saying the way they had been imposed constituted cruel and unusual punishment. (The ruling prompted states to effectively impose a moratorium on executions until their capital punishment laws could be revised.)

In 1988, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Morrison v. Olson, upheld the independent counsel law in a 7-1 decision (the sole dissenter was Justice Antonin Scalia).

Thought for Today: "A hypocrite is a person who -- but who isn't?" -- Don Marquis, American journalist-author (1878-1937).

In 1992, the remains of Polish statesman Ignace Jan Paderewski, interred for five decades in the United States, were returned to his homeland in keeping with his wish to be buried only in a free Poland.

In 2003, actress Katharine Hepburn, one of the last stars from Hollywood's Golden Age, died in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, at age 96.

Ten years ago: A United Nations helicopter crashed in Sierra Leone, killing all 24 peacekeepers, aid workers and others on board. The Supreme Court blocked a law meant to shield Web-surfing children from online pornography. Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks became the fourth pitcher to record 4,000 career strikeouts (however, his team lost to the San Diego Padres, 3-2).

Five years ago: U.S. combat troops withdrew from Iraqi cities, the first major step toward removing all American forces from the country by Dec. 31, 2011. Disgraced financier Bernard Madoff received a 150-year sentence for his multibillion-dollar fraud. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that white firefighters in New Haven, Connecticut, were denied promotion because of their race. Indoor tennis came to Wimbledon as the new retractable roof over Centre Court was closed after rain halted play during a fourth-round match with Amelie Mauresmo leading top-ranked Dinara Safina, 6-4, 1-4. (Safina ended up winning, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.)

One year ago: Paying tribute to his personal hero, President Barack Obama met privately in Johannesburg, South Africa, with Nelson Mandela's family as the world anxiously awaited news on the condition of the hospitalized 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader. (Mandela was discharged from the hospital on September 1, 2013; he died the following December.)

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From home to Rome

Published: May 15, 2000 12:00 AM

I'm beginning to panic.

My bags are almost packed and I'm running out of room.

For the past few days I've been desperately trying to figure out how to squeeze everything I'm sure I'll need for the next two weeks into a suitcase that's way, way too small.

Tuesday I'll be joining 42 other area residents as we embark on a travel adventure to Italy. Most of the men and women on the tour are researching their ancestral roots. They want to see first-hand where their families came from and meet the relatives still living there.

The customized trip, sponsored by the Lamplighters Civic and Social Club of Wooster, is called "Viaggio In Italia 2000." Family surnames represented on the tour include Carafelli, Del Proposto (Del Propost), Gentile, De Salvo, DiGiacomo, Massaro, Vitallo, Cicconetti, Iacapraro (Yacapraro), Grande, DiOrio, Iannarelli, Moretti, Gasbarre, DiVito, Dorazio, Noletti, Dellafava (Dellafave) and Tomassetti.

[Article continues below]

Although I'm not of Italian descent (my ancestors came from Ireland and England), I'm looking forward to seeing first-hand the picturesque hill town of Collepietro which was once home to my late husband's parents and grandparents.

Located in the mountainous area northeast of Rome, Collepietro is where many of the Italian immigrants who settled in the Wooster area were born or came from. Visits to other ancestral towns and villages will round out the itinerary as well as stays in Venice, Florence and Rome.

I'll be keeping a travel diary and hope to send back some interesting stories.

Three months ago when I discovered I would be chronicling the travel adventure for The Daily Record, I asked the two women who spearheaded this trip to fill me in on what forms I needed to fill out and what items I needed to pack.

Organizer Fran (Grande) Fuller took time away from a busy Saturday evening at El Rancho Grande in Wooster to walk me through the required paperwork. Her enthusiasm was contagious. She's passionate that everyone (whether they're taking the trip or not) learn where the local Italian families came from, why they celebrate life the way they do and how much the Italian immigrants and their families have contributed to Wooster and Wayne County over the past 130 years.

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TABLE BORDER=0 WIDTH="145" CELLPADDING="8" ALIGN=LEIMG SRC="daily_images/italymap1.jpg" ALT="" WIDTH="145" HEIGHT="192" HSPACE="3" VSPACE="3" BORDER="///TAB

Co-chairman Mary Lou (Di Giacomo) Kerr is equally enthusiastic. A talented seamstress and costume designer for local high school plays and musical productions, she counseled me on the need for fashion improvisation. Fuller stressed the importance of "packing light."

I think I'm flunking their course.

First of all, I get the impression that many in the group have already mastered the fine art of traveling with minimal wardrobe. The women will no doubt toss a few wash-and-wear coordinates into their suitcases and -- upon arriving in Italy -- effortlessly transform their monochromatic separates into a wide variety of mix-and-match outfits that will have them looking great.

Not as focused, I feel the desperate need to pack everything in my closet.

Just about everyone I've talked to has given me travel advice. A fellow Kiwanian suggested slipping dry cleaning bags over any crushable clothing items before hanging and folding them in the suitcase. She swears by it and claims that the trapped air prevents wrinkling. Another friend warned me about packing too many shoes. Footwear, she reminded me, takes up a disproportionate amount of space.

A few days ago, when I phoned my daughter in New Jersey to discuss my wardrobe dilemma, Maria said, "P-l-e-a-s-e, Mom ... don't dress like a tourist." An experienced world traveler, she quickly offered me two words of practical advice -- "wear scarves."

Also handing out advice was local hair stylist Nick Calabretta. When the women in the tour group asked him about easy-to-maintain coiffures, he recommended short "wash and wear" hairstyles which would eliminate the need to pack a hair dryer, curling iron and adapter.

I thought to myself ... But, you don't understand, I'm not a 'go natural' kind'a gal. I'm more what you call "super high maintenance." I'm one of those women who -- when feeling a little under the weather -- might think twice about venturing out to buy a bottle of aspirin but who would most certainly drag herself out of bed to keep a beauty shop appointment.

More advice was found in the information packet distributed to each traveler. A suggested list of necessary items included a caution that cosmetics be kept to a minimum. The sheet stated that lipstick and mascara would be all the female traveler would need.

Yea, sure ... You're talking to someone who gets up early each morning hoping that the extra time I spend in front of the mirror will result in a younger looking me.

With a little more packing yet to go, I've finally come to the conclusion that travelers are faced with a no-win situation -- either they'll overpack or they'll underpack. There doesn't seem to be any in between.

Go ahead, label me an "overpacker" -- my daughter would approve. In addition to taking everything I think is essential for the trip, I've decided to take the advice of my first-born child.

I'm packing lots and lots of scarves.

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Follow us on

Movie Websites Launches

February 19th, 2003

During the past week promotional websites for several movies were launched. Here’s the first, of what should be a weekly list of those sites and a breakdown of their content.

Ghost of the Abyss
Current Content: None

Current Content: Synopsis and two photos.

The Hunted
Current Content: Synopsis, Trailer, Photo, Cast and Crew Bios, Production notes, Survival Tips and Fighting Styles descriptions.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Current Content: Trailer

The Lizzie McGuire Movie
Current Content: Synopsis and Trailer

Poolhall Junkies
Current Content: Synopsis, Trailer, Wallpaper, Reviews, Release Dates, Cast and Crew Bios, Press Kits, Photos, Merchandise links, rules to pool and a funny little pool game you can play. Definitely the most deserving of Site of the Week.

Rugrats Go Wild
Current Content: Synopsis and Trailer

Spring Break: The Movie
Current Content: Synopsis

Till Human Voices Wake Us
Current Content: Synopsis, Trailer, Movie Clips, Cast and Crew Bios, Reviews, Press Kit, Theatres and a rather involved Flash Site

Van Helsing
Current Content: Synopsis

Submitted by:

Filed under: The Hunted, Poolhall Junkies, Till Human Voices Wake Us


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Romney campaigns for small-business vote in VA

KASIE HUNTAssociated Press Published: May 2, 2012 8:36 PM
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CHANTILLY, Va. (AP) -- Kicking off his Virginia campaign, Republican Mitt Romney said Wednesday he'll do "the opposite" of what President Barack Obama has done to help the economy. His wife, Ann, chipped in by appealing to women voters in a key region of a state both candidates will fight over until November's election.

"What I would do? People ask me, 'What would you to get the economy going?' and I say, 'Well look at what the president's done and do the opposite,'" Romney told a group gathered at a warehouse in northern Virginia.

Romney also mocked Obama's recently unveiled slogan: "Forward."

"Forward is his new slogan, and it's like, forward, what, over the cliff?" Romney joked Wednesday night with donors who gathered at the Ritz Carlton in Pentagon City, just outside Washington.

Romney was in the Washington area to raise money and hold a series of meetings at the Republican National Committee, where he's working to integrate his campaign with the national party apparatus. He planned a meeting Wednesday with RNC Chairman Reince Priebus.

[Article continues below]

Priebus and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell introduced Romney at the evening fundraiser, the first such event that was opened to media coverage. Only two reporters were given access to Romney's 20-minute speech to donors, and no television cameras or photographers were allowed inside.

The northern Virginia suburbs of Washington are a region of a key swing state that will be critical for Romney. Obama won Virginia in 2008 after back-to-back Republican victories by George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004. Romney aides say driving up Republican turnout in this area of the state could make a difference for the former Massachusetts governor. The campaign moved Iowa operative Sara Craig, partially credited for Romney's stronger-than-expected performance in the Iowa caucuses, to Virginia to run the state in the general election.

The campaign's recent days have been marked by foreign policy issues, with the anniversary of the death of Osama bin Laden. On Wednesday night, Romney made reference to Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng, the blind activist who sought asylum at the U.S. embassy in Beijing, saying that Chen chose the American embassy because the country represents freedom.

But Romney's campaign largely returned Wednesday to familiar themes of the economy and jobs. He painted small businesses as heroes of the economy and said legislation Obama signed to regulate the banking industry has ended up hurting smaller institutions.

"They've gotten bigger; and the small community banks are the ones that have been most hurt," Romney said.

Ann Romney introduced her husband with an appeal to the women in the audience.

"We appreciate all these women being here," she said, noting that Exhibit Edge, the company where the event was held, is run by a woman. "We know what women can do ... how women actually do make the world go round."

Polls have shown Romney trailing Obama by a significant margin among women voters.

As his wife appealed to women, the candidate made a plea for voters to put aside identity politics, saying he has visions of "people coming together in America, of people putting aside differences, putting aside ethnicity, race, gender, just coming together and saying we stand as Americans."

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Alliance student charged with inciting panic

By GEORGE SALSBERRYThe Review Published:

A 12-year-old boys Monday morning actions ran him afoul of school officials and police. The boy was

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Louisiana-Lafayette finally found a way to stop Ryan Harrow when it mattered most.

After making a dramatic comeback at the end of regulation, the Ragin’ Cajuns forced Harrow into an off-target bank shot in the final seconds of overtime, beating top seed Georgia State 82-81 in the Sun Belt Conference tournament title game Sunday at Lakefront Arena.

The win sent UL-Lafayette (23-11) to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2005. On Friday as a No. 14 seed in the West Region, they’ll face No. 3 seed Creighton — and Doug McDermott, the nation’s leading scorer — in San Antonio in the tournament’s second round.

Harrow torched UL-Lafayette for 37 points, including 10 in a row on an array of acrobatic layups as Georgia State appeared to take control in the second half, but he came up empty on his final attempt. Trying to dribble to the basket in the final 5 seconds, he could not get past Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year Elfrid Payton (a John Ehret product), settling for a low-percentage attempt out of desperation.

Payton had checked Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year R.J. Hunter for most of the game, and Hunter made only 4 of his 12 shots.

“Ryan was dribbling to the basket and making tough layups and beating us off the dribble,” UL-Lafayette coach Bob Marlin said. “Elfrid said, ‘Coach, let me guard him.’ ”

Said Payton: “We just tried our hardest to keep him out of the paint. I guess he was due for a miss.”

The clock ran out right after Elridge Moore secured the rebound, sparking a wild celebration as third-seeded UL-Lafayette took out the top-seeded Panthers (25-7).

Xavian Rimmer scored a career-high 27, draining seven 3s to keep UL-Lafayette close most of the way. Payton added 19 points. Bryant Mbamalu, named tournament MVP, scored 13, and Shawn Long had 11 points and 14 rebounds.

Georgia State, which won the Sun Belt by five games in the regular season, had lost only once in its past 23 games.

“We’re a team to watch out for,” Payton said. “We can score in so many ways, and now that our defense has picked up these last 11 or 12 games, we can play with anybody.”

Trailing 70-61 with three minutes left, UL-Lafayette looked like it would have to settle for its first winning season in nine years. But the Ragin’ Cajuns had other ideas.

They scored on a five-point possession when Payton hit his only 3 of the game and the Panthers were whistled for a foul under the basket while the shot was in the air. Mbamalu drove for a layup to cut the deficit to 72-66 and, after the teams traded baskets, Payton scored on a layup off a steal to make the score 72-70 with 46.2 seconds left.

Mbamalu capped the frantic comeback with a tying putback with 1.4 seconds left in regulation after Long came up with an offensive rebound and found him open by the rim.

“I was kind of nervous when I caught it,” Mbamalu said. “Thank God I was able to put it in.”

UL-Lafayette scored six straight points in overtime to take the lead for good.

“What a basketball game,” Marlin said. “Ryan Harrow was sensational, but we made enough plays to win the game.”

The Ragin’ Cajuns were particularly strong after missed shots, grabbing 20 offensive rebounds that led to 17 second-chance points while limiting the Panthers to two points on four offensive boards.

That has been the blueprint to beating Georgia State, which plays zone exclusively and is the worst rebounding team in the Sun Belt. UL-Lafayette was tough enough to execute it, with the final basket of regulation a perfect example.

“It gives you an opportunity to get a lot easier shot than the first one,” Marlin said. “It was a big factor in my mind.”

The large contingent of Ragin’ Cajuns fans in Lakefront Arena cheered all the way through the break from the end of regulation to overtime. Marlin’s first three years as coach were frustrating as he tried to revive the program, but the payoff came Sunday.

“It’s satisfying for me to get the tradition going again,” he said. “We have a great basketball tradition. We’re excited to get the fans excited again about basketball.”


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Zach Mettenberger’s long wait finally ended on Saturday when the Tennessee Titans took the former LSU quarterback with the second pick of the sixth round (No. 178 overall).

Mettenberger had been projected to go as high as the second round, but health concern saw his stock drop.

Four other quarterbacks went ahead of Mettenberger Saturday, including Aaron Murray of Georgia to Kansas City and AJ McCarron of Alabama to Cincinnati, both in the fifth round.

Three picks after Mettenberger, running back Alfred Blue became eighth LSU player taken when the Houston Texans tabbed the ex-Hahnville High standout.


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License article

Jana Pittman and Astrid Radjenovic, old track friends, form winter duo

Jana Pittman and Astrid Radjenovic are at pains to tell you they won't win a medal in the two-man women's bobsled in Sochi.

They've seen reports in which they have been rated "medal chances", and they realise better than anyone these are overestimations they can't fulfil. More like 10th.

"The highlight will be having made it," Pittman said last week, when she was selected in Australia's largest-ever team to compete in a Winter Olympics.

"Having made it" will make her the first Australian female athlete to compete at both a Summer and Winter Games.

It is a remarkable journey when you consider the woman who will be with her in the bobsled trained alongside her as a teenager in the lead-up to the Sydney Olympics in 2000 under coach Jackie Byrnes.

The pair competed in the 400 metres hurdles at the Pacific School Games in Sydney, oblivious to the fact they would be competing in Russia 14 years later, in a sport best described as formula one racing on ice; speeds of 130km/h are reached on an icy track.

"We pinch ourselves all the time," Radjenovic said from Sochi. "Of course, back then, I always thought I would try and make a Summer Olympics and knew that Jana was going on to do great things. I never imagined I would ever do three Olympics in bobsleigh, and this last one Jana would join my team."

Many former track athletes have made the transition to bobsled.

American hurdler Lolo Jones - who finished fourth behind Australia's Sally Pearson in London - and 100 metres Olympic sprinter Lauryn Williams are both competing for the US.

Jones' selection has sparked controversy, with some claiming she was picked because of her fame.

"Jana spent many years at a very elite level in athletics in 400 metres hurdles, which is a totally different concept to a power sport," Radjenovic said. "I've spent eight seasons over 11 years in bobsleigh.

"The basics of being a brake-woman are quite easy to pick up initially, and it mostly comes down to raw athletic talent. However, it does take years to perfect and fine-tune the push technique. Jana is only in her second season and she has been selected because her raw push times are faster than the other athletes in the squad.

"However, we are still constantly working on our push start together and fixing technical issues to improve. As for the other sides of bobsleigh - sled work, sled movement and logistics, polishing runners, mechanics - Jana was another rookie like all others who has to start from scratch and learn on the job.

"She does learn fast. But, hilariously, she often still calls a 'nut' a 'bolt' and a 'bolt' a 'nut'."


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What makes something theater?

It’s a question that increasingly preoccupies me, even as my own artistic ambitions don’t seem to have flowed yet in that particular stream. The theater is a primary art form, like dance and painting and music, engaged in intuitively by small children, but it occupies a strange locus in a culture like ours defined by mediated experience, where people sitting across from each other at a table communicate by text. Thanks to Baumel’s Cost Disease, live theater keeps getting more and more expensive, but it also keeps getting more and precious. And as it does, theater artists necessarily ask more and more what is essential to that experience, and how to make what is essential more predominant.

I’ve written a lot about immersive theater as one direction theater can go to emphasize what makes it distinctive as an art form – the interaction between audience and performer. But there are plenty of other directions to go. And one of my favorite theater companies is exploring  an entirely different path.

The company is Elevator Repair Service, and their particular “thing” is exploring the relationship between text and performance. We tend to think of drama in terms of roles – characters that the actors pretend to be – and the text as the dialogue that these characters say. But there’s an older concept of theater according to which the text itself is the thing to be performed by the actor, the role referring merely to the selection of text that is a particular actor’s responsibility.

In their most celebrated work, GATZ, Elevator Repair Service scrambled these two conceptions of how theater works. GATZ was, on one level, an eight-hour reading of the entirety of The Great Gatsby. In that sense, it was a performance of  the text – not an adaptation of the text for performance, but the use of the actor’s voice to make the text come alive in our minds. But GATZ was much more than that, in that the actors didn’t speak the text as themselves; they spoke them as a set of characters. GATZ is set in a depressing basement office of some nondescript company in the age of the hulking desk-top PC. When said PCs won’t turn on one morning, one of the office grunts starts flipping through his Rolodex, and happens upon a copy of The Great Gatsby therein. He starts reading – and bit by bit, his office-mates join the game, passing the book around to take different parts.

What made GATZ so compelling was the combination of disjunctions and convergences between these office characters and the characters in the novel, the ways in which we saw them merging into one another and the ways in which we saw the yawning gap between them. That pattern, in turn, said something about our own relationships, as readers, to a book like The Great Gatsby – a classic, something from a different time, about people from a different society, but containing something universal that we relate to across that distance. When the burly, beer-bellied maintenance guy reads Tom Buchanan, a comment is being made about where Tom’s personality and views resonate in our world – what kind of man might think, hey, Tom’s actually got a point or two – particularly about Gatsby.

Well, ERS has a new show out now, not as profound in its effects as GATZ, but a whole lot of fun. And they continue to explore the intersection of text and performance, in this case with material that is explicitly about that intersection – and the question of when performance communicates meaning.

Their new piece, Arguendocurrently on view at the Public Theater in New York, is a performance of the oral argument before the Supreme Court in Barnes vs. Glen Theatre. Barnes was a First Amendment case, a suit brought by a group of go-go dancers challenging an Indiana law that banned public nudity, which had been construed to prohibit nude dancing at strip clubs.

The substance of the case is somewhat abstruse. As quickly emerges, the two key questions are whether nude dancing is, as such, expressive, and, if so, whether the Indiana ban on public nudity was an acceptable infringement on freedom of expression because it was content-neutral. The former provides occasion for a great deal of the humor. Can nudity itself be a message? If so, isn’t everything expressive? On the other hand, counsel isn’t suggesting that hanging a sign saying “this performance is intended to convey an erotic message” on each side of the stage would suddenly trigger First Amendment protection for the dance?

But the latter is really the heart of the case, and the plaintiff’s argument rested on the thin reed of an Indiana Supreme Court case opining that the ban on public nudity would not apply to works that necessarily would be protected by the First Amendment, such as, for example, a performance of the musical, Hair. I call that a thin reed because the statute itself is content-neutral, and I don’t see why the Supreme Court would be obliged to endorse the Indiana Supreme Court’s First Amendment analysis – if the Court found that a content-neutral statute were permitted to ban performances of Hair that included the nude scene, then the Indiana Supreme Court ruling would not, in fact, have carved out an exception for such a performance, and we’d be dealing with a content-neutral statute that had the effect of preventing certain types of speech or expression.

The audience, of course, is free to disagree about the merits of the case and the constitutional analysis – ERS’s point isn’t to convince the audience that the Indiana law was or was not constitutionally valid (though I suspect they were out, in part, to prove that it was silly). So what is their point – and why is the show so much fun?

First of all, the text itself is wonderfully theatrical, and the personalities involved are fascinating. You really get a sense of who Scalia, O’Connor, Rehnquist, White, and the other Justices are. And if the two lawyers appear to be more types, they are types that connect immediately to their respective positions on the law – the counsel for the defense buttoned-up and nervous (and wearing a dreadfully dead-looking toupee), the counsel for the plaintiff loose-limbed as a disco dancer and condescending as a, well, as a Harvard-trained lawyer (and wearing an exceptionally silly curly gray wig). You also see how many of the Justices – Scalia in particular – enjoy the process of argumentation, of whittling an argument down to its defensible proportions, irrespective of whether they are ultimately inclined for or against.

But more than that, it’s a fascinating experiment in performing a text. Trials are classic examples of real-life theater, with lawyers and judges playing prescribed roles and speaking in “unrealistic” rhetorical language. But ERS didn’t simply stage the trial. They messed with it, having actors jump from playing one Justice to another, or to one of the counselors, or to one of the members of the press (or a go-go dancer from Michigan who showed up to observe), doing impersonations that, like any good caricature, captured the character better than a pure imitation would. They acted out the emotional dynamics of a situation in expressionistic fashion – rolling their chairs close to counsel to make him uncomfortable, flipping through legal references on a huge screen behind, or, finally, stripping naked and dancing through a parodic rendition of Wilde’s Salome to bring the trial to a crescendo.

They didn’t stage the trial; they staged a play using the trial transcript as a text. But what is the play? As with GATZ, there are two layers – the text, which has its own theatrical power, and the performance, which demonstrates, with its every move and gesture, every swivel of a chair, adjustment of a scalp rug, or jettisoning of the undies, how essential performance as such is to communicating meaning (and hence knocking the stuffing out of the defense’s contention that it isn’t). This is a case for theater as a uniquely expressive medium and also for the Dadaist notion that every action is theater.

And then, when all has returned to stillness, there’s an epilogue that makes an even more compelling argument in favor of the expressive value of costume (or, presumably, lack thereof) than all the wildness at the trial. The epilogue is the transcript of a press conference that Justices Ginsburg and Rehnquist held the latter had a bunch of gold stripes added to the sleeves of his robes. They were an allusion to the robes worn in a production of Iolanthe that the Chief Justice had seen and, as Justice Ginsburg relates, an effort to increase the theatricality of the Chief Justice’s appearance so that he wouldn’t be upstaged by the female Justices, who had taken to wearing decorative collars with their robes. It’s a delightful little text, and beautifully acted, and makes its point quietly and more effectively than the wild dancing that preceded it could ever do.

But that’s just my aesthetic judgment. Not a legal or Constitutional one.

Arguendo will be performed at New York’s Public Theater through October 27th – and will then go on tour around the country. See here for dates in other cities.


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FARMERS will be gathering en masse at the National Sheep Association’s South Sheep show.

The large-scale agricultural show, which will be held at Black Cap Farm, Firle, near Lewes, will play host to a wide range of activities aimed at promoting sustainable farming and engaging the next generation of sheep farmers.

The event will include demonstrations and workshops on topics such as shearing, sheep dogs, cooking, crook-making and spinning.

Trade stands will be on show as well as representatives of the breed societies and individual breeders.

Festivities run from 9am to 5pm on Saturday, June 28.

Entry is free to members of the National Sheep Association and for guests under the age of 16.

Entry for non-members is £12.

For more information about the show, visit


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Friday, February 12, 2016

Review: The Music and the Mylar

Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the acclaimed musical, the Secret Theatre's production of A Chorus Line reminds us why we love this musical. Between the music from Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban, the book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante and the captivating dancing originally choreographed by Michael Bennett, A Chorus Line will forever be a classic, entertaining musical. But it also reminds us how desperately it wants to be modernized.
Directed by Tom Rowan, the scribe of “A Chorus Line FAQ”, this revival is a celebration of the original musical. A Chorus Line is the story of the ultimate theatrical job interview. A group of young, eager dancers seek an opportunity to dance on the line in a new musical. They just have to face an audition like no other. Complete with iconic dance routines and one singular sensational score, A Chorus Line is a piece of theatrical history. No matter where you see this show, shades of the 1975 production will be incorporated. And no matter who's at the helm, it proves that the show is formulaic. The costumes are throwbacks to the original, though costume designer Heather Carey takes some liberties like placing Mark in a baseball tee reminiscent of Zac Efron in " High School Musical." If you know the original show, you can easily pick out the characters simply by their dance attire. And you have to wonder how much fun that actually is. When it comes to the choreography, the Secret Theatre's production is led by Geena Quintos, who also portrays Diana Morales. While the text prescribes certain steps, Quintos sticks to the stuff we know.
photo by David Krochalis
With all the beats nearly spelled out already and all mystery gone, I suppose the reason to experience A Chorus Line is for the talent on stage. And this production certainly was filled with it. Though Cassie and Zack may be the central players, this production highlighted the featured players of the ensemble. Madeline Fansler is feisty as Sheila. Fansler has a bitter bite that furthers Sheila's jaded persona. Markus McLain is simply endearing as Mark. As the resident youngster on the line, McLain's Mark is filled with life and hope. A late addition to the role, Kelly Barberito is stunning as Maggie. Barberito has a purely divine vocal, capturing hearts in "At the Ballet." As Bobby, Caleb Schaaf serves up the funny. When it comes to the other couple in the story, Adrian Grace Bumpas as Kristine carries the duo, outshining Kevin Lagasse's Al. Bumpas is a natural. In the end, it's a bit shocking that Barberito's Maggie and Bumpas's Kristine don't make the cut. Especially over some of those who do. As Diana, Geena Quintos has a fine voice with two of the best numbers in the score but it seemed to be lacking the passion. In the ensemble numbers, Jennifer Knox’s Cassie can't seem to hit the heights of the score but easily redeems herself by the time we reach "The Music and the Mirror." There's something interesting about Matthew LaBanca as Zach. To play with the original concept, LaBanca is relegated to an unseen voice. The struggle is it's hard to tell if it's live or simply a series of sound cues. The way LaBanca reacts to his fellow actors doesn't quite seem accurate. It feels like monotonous canned reactions. If it is a live microphone, the problem may be the physical inability to connect. And it's a shame because when he is seen, LaBanca is a strong leader. Nevertheless, the entire ensemble does exactly what they need to do. And that's dance. And somehow they don't seem to break a sweat until they finally do gas out in the finale. And rightly so.
From a production standpoint, A Chorus Line encountered some major obstacles. The first being that tiny stage. Fitting this dance heavy show on the stage of the Secret Theatre seemed near impossible. But they managed, though some dancers were sacrificed. Due to the lay of the land, an intermission was built in. And nothing kills momentum like an intermission, though the company was likely grateful. With the show being set in a theater, there was little to be done to transfer the space. The essential scenic element is the iconic mirror. Instead of a mirror wall, scenic designer John Lavigne gave us a mylar mirror wall which is all well and good had the seams been fixed and the track used to strategically hide it not been as loud and distracting. Speaking of distractions, the buzz and feedback from the sound system during Zack's dialogue remained present in certain key moments. Thankfully it was missing during Paul's monologue of vulnerability.
The Secret Theatre presented a solid production of A Chorus Line filled with many unavoidable restrictions. I can only imagine what could have been explored with freedom. Perhaps one day when permission is granted, A Chorus Line will be given a breath of new life by being transported to the 21st Century. It may be a period piece in the eyes of some, but the stories the dancers share are still prevalent. And that's why A Chorus Line will always be relevant, regardless of time.

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Newtown Asks People to Stop Sending Gifts

Volunteer Anthony Vessicchio of East Haven, Conn., helps to sort tables full of donated toys at the town hall in Newtown, Conn., Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. Credit: AP

NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) — Officials in Newtown, Conn., are asking people to stop sending gifts to the grief-stricken community following the deadly school shooting, saying they’re deeply grateful but can’t handle the donation deluge.

The town’s first selectman, police chief and schools superintendent made the request Wednesday through an editor at The Newtown Bee newspaper.

They say since a gunman killed 20 first-graders and six educators Dec. 14, gifts from school supplies to artwork have arrived in such numbers they’ve overwhelmed the small community’s ability to process them.

The officials are asking people to temporarily stop sending gifts. They say once they process the “warehouses full of items,” they’ll detail the best ways to help.

Meanwhile, the United Way of Western Connecticut announced Wednesday that a fund established after the shooting to support Newtown has grown to $3.5 million.


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Hallmark Introduces New Greeting Cards Honoring Lesbian Moms

Hallmark is expanding its greeting card line to keep up with evolving social structures, rolling out two new Mother’s Day messages specifically written for lesbian moms.

One of the cards addresses “two moms” and the other is intended for partners to give to one another, according to Hallmark spokeswoman Kristi Ernsting.

“Moms do it all and they do it with ease, from helping with homework to bandaging knees. They’re coaches and confidantes, role models, too…whatever it takes they’ll do,” reads one of the cards. “When it comes to big hearts, moms are second to none.”

While the outside of the greeting card seems fairly general, the inside gets more specific: “How does anyone ever get by with just one?”

Image source: Hallmark Inc.
Image source: Hallmark Inc.

A second design includes the line, “So happy I get to share this day with you — my partner, my love, my best friend.”

The move to include gay-friendly greetings follows Hallmark’s decision to sell similar Valentine’s Day cards earlier this year as well as offering other cards for same-sex weddings and anniversaries, NBC News reported.

Hallmark Inc.
Hallmark Inc.

American Greetings, one of Hallmark’s top competitors, has not followed suit with Mother’s Day cards, with spokeswoman Patrice Saad explaining that the holiday is really “about a one-to-one relationship.”

Since there is a unique relationship that a child has with each parent, the need for a card addressing two moms hasn’t yet been seen by American Greetings. There’s also the natural inclination that a single card for two separate mothers actually cuts down on business for greeting card companies, as NBC News highlighted.

It is entirely possible, though, that Hallmark is hoping to pick up a positive reputation by being ahead of the curve — one that could potentially lead to an uptick in business as gay partnerships become more accepted.

Hallmark has discussed its plans for same-sex greetings in the past, with Andre du Broc, a senior writer with the company, telling NPR in 2011 that he believes a line of gay-friendly greetings would eventually come.

So far, Hallmark has been slowly slow to release these cards, but has done so nonetheless.

“They’re performing on par with our regular wedding cards,” he said of cards commemorating same-sex unions at the time. “So we’re validated there that people do want these.”

Hallmark has more than 900 Mother’s Day card designs, making this year’s two lesbian-specific card offerings miniscule in comparison. Still, their inclusion indicates the company is anything but afraid to dive into the same-sex marketplace.

(H/T: Christian Post)


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Kelly Brakenhoff

Death by Dissertation by Kelly Brakenhoff

When Student Affairs Vice President Cassandra Sato moves from Hawaii to tiny Carson, Nebraska, to work at Morton College, she predicts adjusting to Midwestern food and frigid winters will be the most difficult obstacles to her success.  Turns out after a couple of months, even a dream job at a sedate private college can become a labyrinth of politics and treachery.

When 20-year-old work-study assistant Austin Price falls to his death outside the science lab, Cassandra is selected to manage the college’s investigation and media response.  Police unwind a complicated trail of connections between housing food service, a local farmer’s beef, and the science lab’s cancer research.  Meanwhile, she must deal with bungling office helpers, old school male faculty and exasperating student disciplinary appointments.  Once Austin’s Deaf roommate and a PhD student become investigation targets, Cassandra enlists her sign language interpreter co-worker, Meg’s, assistance to protect the accused students’ rights.  Together they resist overbearing Dr. Schneider, the PhD student’s adviser and Morton College Board Chairman, who busily covers his ties to the victim’s death. An ensemble cast of engaging characters in the vein of Janet Evanovich befriend Cassandra, including sexy housing director Marcus Fischer. Can she move beyond her workaholic comfort zone, overcome racial and sexual stereotypes, and make Nebraska her home?

Drawing upon my experiences living in Hawaii and Nebraska and 25+ years as an ASL interpreter, I weave in Hawaiian and Deaf cultures and my insider observations working as the fly on the wall.

The Book Doctors: Great title.  We have read a few dissertations, and we almost died doing it.  We like the setup of moving from the Paradise of Hawaii to the tidiness and Nebraskaness of Morton College.  It might be cool to throw in a couple of word pictures, palm trees to frozen tundra.  That kind of thing.  We also very much enjoyed how once the murder happens, we are off and running.  And it’s great that there’s this strange connection between food services, local farmers, and cancer research.  It sounds mysterious and deadly.  Which is just what you want in this kind of book.  We’d like a little more detail. Show us your writing chops when you’re describing the bungling office helpers, the old-fart professors, and the ridiculous student disciplinary appointments.  It might be also nice to throw a little political correctness into the mix.  We want to know a little bit more about our villain, Dr. Schneider.  Give us some more reasons to hate him.  And if you’re going to call out a character like the sexy housing director, give us some more details about who he is, how he operates, what he looks like, how our heroine sees him and what their relationship is.  We also need to see some more of action: How does the murder investigation manifest? What are some of the dangerous and ridiculous circumstances that our heroine finds herself in that she has to wriggle out of? Where are the racial and sexual stereotypes?  These seem a bit out of left field given what we’ve just read.  While we’re on the subject, we’d like to see more about what’s inside Cassandra.  What makes her tick?  What does she desperately want that she doesn’t have?  No comparable titles, but we have a great one for you: Dear Committee Members.  It might be more of a comedy than what you are working on here, but it’s definitely about the absurd, maddening, ludicrous, stupid, and sometimes dangerous behind-the-scenes antics at college. So perhaps you could combine that book with a murder mystery for your comparables. Very appealing Hawaiian fish-out-of-water-in-Nebraska story about a college administrator thrown into the ridiculous college politics to follow a murder.  We need to see more of the interior life of our main character, and see more plot points of how the story plays out.

Vote for your favorite pitch. The pitch that receives the most votes will be awarded the “Fan Favorite,” and the author will receive a free one-hour consult with us (worth $250).


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The School Newspaper for California High School, San Ramon CA

The Californian

Sabrina Clayton is a sophomore sensation

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By Ritika Iyer, Staff Writer

Sophomore Sabrina Clayton has been killing it on the court this season, averaging five kills per volleyball match. By Mauricio Vargas

On freshman sports night last year, Cal High’s head volleyball coach Todd Baham was approached by a parent. Baham was told that the man’s daughter, an incoming freshman, was going to try out for varsity volleyball.

Baham laughed in the parent’s face because he never allowed freshman onto varsity. And now, he is eating his words because that girl is the best player on his team.

“That girl” is sophomore volleyball star Sabrina Clayton.

Standing six feet tall, Sabrina is one of the youngest and tallest members of the varsity volleyball team for the second place Grizzlies. She’s also one of the best.

Sabrina started playing volleyball when she was in fifth grade. What started out as a innocent game, soon became her biggest passion and main activity.

“My sister and I would play in the backyard, and ever since then I thought it was really fun,” said Sabrina. “I was in fourth grade when my sister began to play, so she is my main inspiration.”

Sabrina said her mother and sister were both volleyball players in high school, which sparked her interest.

When Sabrina decided to try out as a freshman for the volleyball team at Cal, the captains and coach decided she deserved to be on varsity, instead of the JV or freshman teams like the other girls her age.

They saw a potential in Sabrina, and knew she would be an important part of the team for years to come.

“Last year, we all thought we should bring her up to varsity automatically, because she was too good to be on JV,” said senior co-captain Lauren Beyerle.

An offensive force on the court averaging about five kills per game and over 200 attacks this season alone, Sabrina has also established herself as one of the team’s defensive leaders.

Baham considers her the best player on the team without doubt, and said she is the third best player in EBAL.

“She is our powerhouse, our go-to player,” said junior Ali Good, Sabrina’s close teammate and friend.

Sabrina‘s talent is not going unnoticed either, as she already receiving letters of interest from colleges.

Sabrina has been contacted by Arizona State University, Penn State, Louisiana State University (LSU), Duke, and other schools as well.

“I think it would be really cool if I got to [play in college],” said Sabrina. “I want to play in a Division I school.”

Sabrina said her top college choices are ASU, because of the weather, and Brigham Young University (BYU) in Utah.

Baham has absolutely no doubt in his mind that she will play for college.

“She is going to have a lot of schools to choose from,” he said.

Being so young in such a high position, one would think that Sabrina would be under a lot of pressure. But Sabrina thinks otherwise, saying she doesn’t feel any pressure because she is doing what she loves to do.

If she does feel nervous, Sabrina said she talks to Ali.

“I just try to forget all my mistakes and start off new,” said Sabrina. “I think about how badly I want to win.”

Sabrina also gets a lot of support from her older teammates.

“The captains are really helpful,” she said. “When you get down, they say things to pump you back up.”

With her team, coach and family supporting her, don’t be surprised to see the face of Sabrina Clayton on the television someday.

“Sabrina is one of the most talented players I have ever coached,” said Baham. “Whatever ‘it’ is, she has it.”

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Sabrina Clayton is a sophomore sensation


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[Untitled] Stonnington Literary Festival – Think, Talk, Read

Laptop in classic library

Laptop in classic library[Untitled]Stonnington Literary Festival 2016,  Melbourne, November 16 – 23, 2016 is all about expanding people’s experiences of literacy through a myriad of inventive ways and is held annually in the City of Stonnington, which incorporates the cities of Malvern and Prahran within greater Melbourne.

It covers part of the indigenous Boonwurrung language area associated with the Yalukit-willam clan and comprises the inner south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, located some 3 to 13 km from the CBD.

The festival will be held in five locations. The Malvern Library in High Street, The Phoenix Park Library in East Malvern, Toorak – South Yarra Library, the Prahran Library and the Stonnington History Centre.

The History Centre is located in the historically important house Northbrook, now a stunning archive centre, which is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the history of the city and the former cities of Malvern and Prahran.

Northbrook was formerly an Italianate styled house designed by prominent London born architect Charles Abraham D’Ebro (1850-1920).

stonnington-mansionHe also designed the Stonnington Mansion the city is named for, the Prahran Market, Prahran City Hall, the Fremantle Town Hall, the Princes Bridge and his own home Prado [now demolished] in St George’s Road, Toorak.

Built 1888-1889 for Donald Munro son of the Victorian Premier of the time, Northbrook had a ballroom added in 1897 by a later owner of the property, which lent itself well to stylish entertaining and it became a place where local dignitaries and merchants met.

Today the former ballroom functions as a gallery and while the festival is running will host an exhibition Threads of History: Dressing Stonnington through time during the festival.

The exhibition highlights the work of the seamstress, the tailor, the fashion designer – and the garments made and worn in Stonnington by the community since the 1850’s examining seven stages of attire; infancy, kids, teens, working life, married life, civic and social life and old age.

costume-lecture-1On the final day I will be offering a fully illustrated presentation Costume Candlelight to Haute Couture at NorthbrookIt is all about gaining an understanding of how beauty, function, tradition, style, affluence and innovation helped to shape society from England and France to Australia from the age of Revolutionaries and Romantics to the sensational ’70’s in Australia.

EducationThe [Untitled] festival has been designed to ensure those attending are motivated to be involved while thinking, talking, listening, looking and reading. It is all about changing culture in community where languages other than English reveal its multi-cultural nature. They include Mandarin, Greek, Cantonese, Italian, Polish, Russian, Indonesian and more.

The Winner of the What’s your Story Competition will be announced at the  [Untitled] Launch Luncheon, which will be held at South Yarra Library on November 16. You can book Online.

There is a Make & Do session for Kids with Beci Orpin, Writing Historical Fiction, Writing for Children, Literary Mayhem with Stig Wemyss and Stonnington’s Best Short Stories.

Ballet-ShoesSure to be a popular pastime for young mothers are the four (4) Dancing Story sessions with the Australian Ballet. To be held on November 18, pre-school children are invited to be part of an interactive workshop, which is free. Bookings are required.

From literary conversations to preschool story time or from book sculpting with Nicholas Jones to Dancing with the Australian Ballet (four sessions), there is a plethora of events to involve everyone in the community.

Nicholas Jones: Book Sculpture, Dream

Spend the morning with book sculptor Nicholas Jones who will provide yet another forum for establishing in-depth conversations, communication in community and intercultural connections.

He enjoys the ‘physical act of folding, tearing and sewing book leaves’ and is insure to inspire new modellers to learn the art of how to ‘highlight the beauty of the book through a process of changing it’.

Books and materials will be provided however Nicholas Jones is encouraging participants to bring along an old book of their own.

marsdenThere will also be an exciting array of author talks; a highlight will be Multi-award winning author John Marsden discussing the enduring popularity of his acclaimed Tomorrow series.

Tomorrow When the War Began, published and translated all over the world, was made into a highly successful movie in 2010 and this year, an ABC TV series and it is influencing generations of readers and writers, today.

Carolyn McDowall, The Culture Concept Circle, 2016

Open Book[untitled] Literary Festival, City of Stonnington

Threads of History: Dressing Stonnington through Time

Program & Bookings

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‘Missing’ Daughter Resurfaces for the Custody Case From Hell

Mary Nunes vanished in 2004, amid unsubstantiated claims of sex abuse. Now 19, she’s returned to the U.S. as her mother and stepfather go to trial on kidnapping charges.

04.16.15 2:35 PM ET

One could forgive Mary Nunes for having selective memory. After all, the 19-year-old was just 8 years old when her mother, Genevieve Mary Kelley, allegedly defied a court order and reportedly took the girl to Central America, amid sexual-abuse accusations against Mary’s father, Mark Nunes.

At the time, Nunes’ parents were in the classic custody battle in New Hampshire that many divorcing couples face as they try to carve out new lives with new spouses and families. Genevieve Kelley had apparently been keeping a diary in which she wrote she feared that Mary was being sexually abused by her father, according to supporters on a  Friends of Genevieve Kelley Facebook page. Authorities in New Hampshire reportedly investigated the allegations and found them without merit.

Nunes has been listed as a missing child since her disappearance in 2004.  Her father hired a private investigator who led him to Central America, but no one has been able to find the missing child or her mother. Mary’s story has been a subject of television programs that deal with such not-so-rare events.

Her mother and stepfather, Scott Kelley, have both been issued international arrest warrants for non-custodial kidnapping and fleeing prosecution.

According to New Hampshire court records, Mary Nunes didn’t show up for a scheduled visit with her father in New Hampshire in 2003, after which her mother missed a custody court hearing to address the matter. Kelley had apparently moved to Colorado without telling her ex-husband, who she claims authorities refused to investigate because he was a military doctor—Kelley herself, also a physician, met her husband while both were serving in the Air Force.

After the split, Kelley had primary custody on the condition that she not move out of New Hampshire. But by not honoring visitation agreements and skipping court, those rights were stripped and custody was awarded to Mary’s biological father in 2005. By then, it would seem, the girl was already on the lam with her mother and stepfather, and, according to press reports from the time, several horses, implying that they escaped by land.

Last November, after CNN aired an episode about the case on The Hunt (hosted by missing-child champion John Walsh), Mary’s mother returned to America and turned herself in. She was freed on $50,000 bond and a hearing is set for early May.

Upon her arrest, Genevieve Kelley was ordered not to have any contact with her daughter, who, at the time, was still a missing person. According to the New Hampshire Union Leader, Kelley’s lawyer Alan Rosenfield says his client had no choice but to flee to protect the child’s safety. He is asking the court to give Kelley a jury trial to determine whether she should be convicted of kidnapping. He says she should not—based on her sincere belief that she was protecting her daughter.

On Wednesday, Mary Nunes reappeared. She returned to the U.S. with her stepfather after requesting temporary American passports from a consulate office in Costa Rica on April 13.  According to CBS News Crimesider, authorities alerted the U.S. Marshals and missing-persons agencies to warn them that the pair were on their way back. “During this process, it was learned that [Scott] Kelley had an outstanding arrest warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution and that Nunes, 19, was a missing person,” according to a statement reported Crimesider. “Given this information, Kelley and Nunes were issued temporary passports for travel back to the United States.”

Scott Kelley was immediately arrested in Atlanta, and Nunes was allowed to travel to Colorado with Rosenfield, according to the Union Leader, though she is apparently not able to reunite with her mother due to the conditions of her mother’s bail. Because she has not seen her father for 11 years, and very likely has been told that she was sexually abused by him, she has not yet been reunited with him. Scott Kelley faces extradition back to New Hampshire. A trial date has not yet been set for him.

According to the Associated Press, Nunes’ father looks forward to setting the record straight. “It’s very hard for us to reconcile our mental image of her as a 7-year-old girl with the reality that she’s a gawky, beautiful, 18-year-old teenager that we could pass on the street and might not even recognize,” Mark Nunes said in a statement in November. “We love Mary and are overjoyed that she is alive and back in the U.S. Our hearts and home are open to her, and we will do everything we can to insure she remains safe and healthy. We look forward to the day our family is finally reunited.”


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Tampico Seafood & Cocina

Row 1

10125 North Fwy
Houston, TX 77037
(281) 445-2525

Foursquare Tips

  • Awesome customer service and friendly! The chips and warm salsa are the bomb! I'm going to try the red snapper with shrimp and salad:)
  • Tilapia and shrimp platter
  • Luscious tilapia and shrimp platter, the most delicious and delightful mexican seafood
  • Get the red snapper a la diabla
  • The michelada is awesome! Must have drink!


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What Is Your Online Persona?

Friday, January 8, 2016

Years ago Nadine wrote a post about the way we present ourself online vs who we are in "real life" and it's something I've frequently thought about ever since.

I try to keep my blog personality as close to how I am in real life but the fact is it will never match 100%. There's always some parts of me I'm leaving off, or other parts I'm enhancing without even realizing.

For instance I feel like I'm louder in my blog and more outgoing. I've come to this conclusion after I've had several of you tell me you can't believe it when I say I'm an introvert and that I prefer the corner of the room to the front. I guess something about my writing makes me seem otherwise?

Just for the record I'm not shy, I just usually like to observe more than talk when I'm in a new setting. And it only seems to be getting worse as I get older... and have less and less human contact because being a hermit is just SO FUN.

It's not even just bloggers who have online personas, I think we all do. Everyone who uses Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, ext. So I guess I should retract what I said and say everyone but my dad has an online persona because he doesn't use any type of social media. He has Linkedin, but he's never been on it and he still calls it "La-Kid-Ean." But that's beside the point.

The interesting part about this whole online persona thing is that it sometimes makes me feel like I have multiple personalities when I really look at it. Because it's not just my blog personality, there's also who I am on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat... yikes I do a log of self promotion. gag.

So let's take a closer look. In my humble opinion, this is how I view my different personas.

The worst version of myself, I think. I try to approach this app playfully, but honestly normal-me isn't really into the persona I sometimes present. I'm not saying I'm above it, because clearly I'm not, I just don't particularly like the whole "look at all of my new stuff and how cool I'm trying to make my life look" aspect of Instagram.

Online and in real life, I'm most comfortable with self deprecation, so maybe that's why Instagram kinda eats my soul sometimes. Even when I present a pretty photo the voice inside of me is always screaming caption it with, "don't let this pic fool you, I'm a big old sloppy mess still," which maybe isn't the best route either? And I know it's my choice to use Instagram the way that I am so I have no one to blame but myself, but given my job and the way I pay my bills, I sometimes feel like I don't have a choice.

Boo who. Feel bad for me and my HARD hard life. Ugh, see what Instagram makes me do?

The person I am on snapchat might be as close as it comes to who I really am (when I'm alone) scary huh? I'm odd AF. I talk in weird voices and accents all. day. long. And I talk to Harlow way too much, just ask him.

I also get jollies off of doing really stupid shit that probably doesn't humor anyone else but myself. I don't know why. I've just always been this way. And I can't help it. Being a clown is fun to me. When I see something that bugs me or annoys me, the only way I can process it is by making my own, more heightened version of it. I guess I feel like Snapchat allows me the release from my dirty Instagram self.

Meh. Do I have a persona on Twitter? Barely. I usually just show up here to test out a new joke and promote my blog posts. So I'd this is the most boring version of me.

My get shit done persona. I have four different pages I'm always managing so it's safe to say I'm a big time pusher on FB. I'm not here to play games, Facebook is all business to me. And a few stupid jokes and status updates...

And finally my BLOG:
I think my blog persona is a mix of everything mentioned above, plus some added emotion and vulnerability? And more animal talk.

Or maybe I'm just kidding myself here and I actually have no idea how people view me? I DON'T KNOW. And that thought makes me nervous. Internet world is weird.

What do you think?

How do you match up to your online persona? Do you think there's a difference?

  1. I never really thought about this... at not in the way of different social media platforms can be different aspects of your personality.. cool post! I'm a loser on Twitter.. I have no idea how to really use it, try to Tweet but doesn't really pan out.. FB and Blog I'm pretty much myself.. a little weird and sarcastic and don't takes things seriously often.. and Instagram?? that's my "I wanna be like Mike" side.. where I TRY and be cool.. but...

  2. Girl, I love your SnapChat persona, haha. (And the blog one, for that matter.) All of them are good personas (Personi?). But the SnapChats seriously crack me up.

    1. Same - I LOVE your snaps! They are sooooooooo freaking funny and I totally look forward to seeing them on my commute home from work :)

  3. I love this post, it really gets you thinking about your personal online/in person persona.

    I have 2 Instagrams, 1 Twitter, 1 snapchat, 1 Facebook, 1 Blog. and I think I'm about the same on each.

    Instagram #1: It's a private insta, for friends and family, I made it private about 2 years back after a falling out with 2 recent friends of mine who I found out was taking screen shots of my posts and sending them to each other to talk shit about me and my life. and so, I keep to myself on that account and only post what I'm really proud to post. I'm not one of those "look at my new TV" types either.

    Instagram #2: Is Public. and it's my Beauty (Makeup) outlet. I post a lot of my blogs on there and my makeup looks. As a freelance makeup artist and blogger you gotta promote some where. But I'm pretty straight forward there.

    Twitter: Boring. Just a promotion site for me.

    Facebook: My personal FB. I'm the exact same in person. weird. cool. funny. opinionated. shy. loud. Ashlee.

    Blog: I like to say that I'm the same in person as I am on my blog. I guess on my blog I seem to "have it together" most of the time. but in real life I'm a hot mess.

    -Ashlee Michelle

  4. I totally miss Nadines blog :) lol.

    1. I do too. I check it from time to time hoping for a post..

    2. Samesies. I follow her insta. Her wedding is this month!!!

  5. You are totally killing it on posts this week. This is another winner! I hate who I have become on Instagram. Is that weird? I like to look at pretty photos and sometimes I will make the caption a little more accurate but let's get one thing straight...9 times out of 10 I'm sitting at my computer in my underwear, not at the beach. Also, I miss Nadine's blog!!!

  6. Google "outgoing introvert". It's similar to what your'e describing. People always think I'm an extrovert but then I found that and it's on point.

    Also - watching your snaps.. your voice is 100% not what I was expecting you to sound like! I don't know why but it threw me off at first! But they are always hilarious.

  7. I am, but I'm also more business oriented. i agree that on snapchat I can be really weird. which is 100% my personality.

  8. Love the honesty of this post-- I think you nail pretty much 75% of female Insta user's thoughts on the platform (totally legit percentage...). And for the record, I really enjoy your weird Snapchat bits :D The "makeup tutorials" are my fav haha

  9. Interesting because I've always just assumed you are playing it cool when you talk about being an introvert. I just imagine you going out a lot and having a good old time. Kind of funny the conclusions we draw about people we don't know.

  10. I would like to say I am pretty dead on with my persona, but yet I am not at all. I am extremely introverted and shay as all heck. In real like I hate sharing anything, yet I write a blog where I share everything. Hmmm. It's like my blog is everything I am always thinking but never say out loud.

  11. Like you, I'm an introvert who probably appears more extroverted online simply because I speak more.

  12. I gotta say, I never really thought about it before but I think my online persona is damn near identical (if not, pretty close) to my real life one. I've had people say "you write the way you talk." I take it as a compliment even though they may mean it like, "you're not actually a good writer." Whatever. But in life I have a self-deprecating, sarcastic and silly sense of humor - but also have a more serious side. All of that is conveyed on my IG, FB, Twitter and blog. I REALLLLLLLY don't like seeing people portraying themselves inaccurately on social media. Be a real human, for the love of God!

  13. I love your snapchats! Your snapchat is one of the only ones I drop everything to watch because it's so funny! I'd like to say that my online persona is pretty similar to my real life one, but I am so much more articulate online than in real life, but that's always a given because you have more time to process your thoughts online. Certain aspects of myself are enhanced with certain people, so my personality overall is probably a surprise to some that stumble upon my online avenues.

  14. I think Twitter gets closest to the real me- sometimes I think it is closer to the real me than how I actually am in person. 140 characters of this is who i am and you can take it or leave it. Harder to do with people in real life because you can't make them magically disappear forever by clicking a button.

    Snapchat is just me making really stupid jokes that I think are hilarious and everyone is kind enough not to inform me otherwise.

    Facebook is the biggest lie, honestly. Gotta put up the front for family and such and (sad as it is) its just easier to filter the parts they want to see and pretend that's you're life. *shrugs* My tweeps understand the nerd; a lot of my IRLs don't, I guess.

  15. I think Twitter and my blog are the closest it comes to the "real me." I agree about Instagram. It's basically just a platform for people to make their lives seem more glamorous. I'm guilty of it too. I'm also an introvert but I think I come off less so on the internet.

  16. My experience with each platform that I use:

    Facebook: I use it to promote my blog posts, put up random pictures that I take (which are not filtered whatsoever--only the choice of photos, but even then, I show the good and the bad and the weird). I never hide behind any person that I am not.

    Twitter: I mostly use it for posting blog posts, checking sports news live, and sometimes adding comments about said events. But, again, no hiding!

    Blog: This is really where I show myself. I write like how I talk, and all of my posts come directly from my mind and heart, with little filtering (excluding opinions of specifically-named people).

    Comment sections: I'm never a troll. I may be honest, but I won't use gratuitous put-downs, following the idea, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." Particularly in the relative anonymity...

    Snapchat, Pinterest, and Instagram: I don't use 'em.


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Brainstorming dissertation topics: how to come up with a new idea

Dissertation writing

Writing a dissertation can turn out to be very demanding if you do not have clear directions. It is not like an ordinary essay or academic assignment. You need to pay proper attention, plan your paper, create an outline, adopt the right research methodology, and write your dissertation. This is not going to be your final version that is ready to submit. You will have to edit and re-edit your paper. Rephrase the sentences, cut down material and sometimes you may have to cut down a whole paragraph. Remember, the idea is very important, but what’s more important is the right execution of your idea.

The topic of a dissertation

The topic of a dissertation is the most critical phase in your dissertation. Many students spend weeks and months in choosing the right topic for their dissertation. You might think they were wasting time but, no, you need to spend some time with the topic selection so that you do not have to come all the way back. Writing a step is a gradual process, if you build the first step strong, the rest will be easier.

Brainstorming is an excellent method to use your productivity to the maximum and get superb results. However, it needs to be done right. If you are sitting in front of the television where your favorite movie is playing, you will never be able to concentrate on your ideas. Brainstorming is a process that demands attention. You need to do it when you are not occupied anywhere else and your mind is completely free of worries and thoughts. Here is the right method to do brainstorming and get fresh ideas. Your mind is capable of doing wonders, only if you know how to use it right.

  • Look for a calm place
  • Empty your mind of all thoughts
  • Take a pen and paper
  • Think about your dissertation subject
  • Write anything that comes to your mind
  • Do not worry about logic
  • Do not think about grammar
  • Look at your ideas
  • Try to relate them
  • Choose a few
  • Rephrase and edit

These are all the important steps for brainstorming. If you follow them gradually, you will have an excellent topic at the end of the process. However, make sure you follow each step.


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 Contact Us

Contact Us

The Dermatology Practice
Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital
38 Irrawaddy Road, Singapore 329563

T: (65) 6694 3290 After hours: (65) 65358833
E: appt@thedermatologypractice.com

Opening Hours: Mon – Fri 9am – 530pm, Sat 9am – 1230pm, Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays

For further enquiries and information about our products and services, you can contact us by filling out the form below and we will get back to you the soonest. Please see below for directions to our skin centre.

Contact Number:
Email Address:

Getting to The Dermatology Practice:

MRT Station: Novena MRT (NS20) – Exit A. 1 min walk

Bus: 21, 56, 57, 131, 166, 851, 980. Bus stop ID 50038 (in front of Novena Square Velocity)
5, 54, 143, 162, 167. Bus stop ID 50037 (in front of Novena Church)

Car: From PIE – exit Thomson Road (towards city). Travel 1km. Turn left onto Irrawaddy Rd. Destination is on the left

From CTE – exit Moulmein Rd. After 1.5km, turn right onto Thomson Rd. Make a U-turn. Turn left onto Irrawaddy Rd. Destination is on the left

Centrally Located Singapore Skin Clinic

Visit our state of the art practice located just outside the centre of the city. Our skin centre is one of the best in Singapore and over the years we have steadily gained a reputation for our high standard of care and superior treatment outcomes. Our dermatologists, Dr Lynn Teo and Dr Lim Kar Seng are consummate professionals with extensive clinic experience. They are more than capable of providing you with the care you need and will work with you to quickly identify the best course of care for your needs.

Our onsite facilities are also outstanding and enable our doctors to perform a number of advanced procedures as well as minor skin surgeries. We’ve worked hard to develop facilities and services that accommodate the cosmetic and healthcare needs of a diverse range of patients. It’s this comprehensive range of services combined with a superior standard of patient care which has seen us develop a loyal client base of patients who continue to return to our clinic as their skin concerns and needs change.

Located just outside the CBD, our skin centre can easily accessed by public transport

Given we are located in the centre of Singapore, accessing our skin clinic by public transport such as trains and buses is incredibly simple with a number of bus lines passing through Novena where we are located. Our skin centre is highly visible as it is located in the Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital. If you find yourself lost, the friendly professionals at hospital reception will be able to direct you to our clinic.

As a prominent skin care centre, we are dedicated to providing high quality care for patients of all ages and means. Whether you need treatment for an ongoing skin condition or wish to undergo treatment to improve and restore the appearance of your skin as it ages, our talented specialists will be able to work with you toprovide an exemplary level of patient care.


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Arc earns highest accreditation

DOWNEY - The Arc Los Angeles & Orange Counties has earned the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded by CARF International, an independent accreditor of health and human services.CARF awarded a three-year accreditation in Community Employment and Organization Employment Services, which covers The Arc's employment center and vocation education center, including the Southeast Industries packaging and assembly plant. It is the seventh consecutive three-year accreditation The Arc has earned. To earn the accreditation, The Arc put itself through a rigorous peer review process and demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit that its programs and services "are of the highest quality, measurable and accountable." "We are proud to receive the highest accreditation and our thanks go to the outstanding staff that keep the services going every day, a dedicated board of directors and a community that supports people with disabilities," said Ray Brown, president of The Arc. The Arc is a private, non-profit organization that provides services for people with intellectual and development disabilities. Its offices are located in Downey. For more information about The Arc, call CEO Kevin MacDonald at (562) 803-4606, ext. 223.

********** Published: May 16, 2013 - Volume 12 - Issue 05