Introducing Namesakephotos.com

A local couple has launched Namesakephotos.com (warning: sound), where they have cataloged some 1,400 photos of "name" signs. And at 1,400-plus signs, there's a good chance that your name is available. Buy a print for a gift for your parents. Or maybe get your family name on a mug (as I did).

The idea began, says the site's creator Ellen Nightingale, "as we were expecting our first child and looking everywhere for name inspiration. The more we looked, the more we found! Soon we were tracking down sign names for interesting baby gifts and holiday presents. A Frank Street picture was a perfect gift for Frank's 5th birthday. A Marshall Street photo was a cool shower gift for new baby Marshall. A Hanna pic was a meaningful gift for the Hanna wedding."

Most of the photos are of street signs; and most Ralwegians will recognize a majority of the names. The owners are constantly adding photos, so keep checking back.

NCSU's Jenkins MBA program among Forbes' 'Most Innovative' list

Kudos to the Jenkins MBA program at N.C. State University for being recognized by Forbes.com as one of the 10 most innovative school courses in the country for its Product Innovation Lab.

The Product Innovation Lab, a practicum course in the MBA program’s innovation management concentration, has been providing real world experience for graduate students since the course was established in 2002, says this press release.

“The Product Innovation Lab is one example of the real world approach that we take to our curriculum and student experiences here at the Jenkins MBA program,” said Steve Allen, associate dean for graduate programs and research in the NC State College of Management. “We are honored to be recognized by Forbes, as it reflects the real world value that our students gain through our program.”

“The course brings together business, engineering and industrial design professors who challenge graduate students in management and engineering to provide innovative marketable solutions in response to loosely defined needs provided by the project’s sponsoring companies,” said John McCreery, associate professor in the NC State College of Management and instructor in the innovation management concentration. “This push toward innovation began to grow about five years ago, when companies started realizing that it’s not just about operations and cost reduction. It’s about how do I – or my company – position myself so that I can compete effectively as the market changes.”

Also represented on Forbes’s top 10 Innovative Course List are: University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business; John Hopkins University’s Carey School of Business; Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business; Case Western Reserve’s Weatherhead School of Management; University of California, San Diego, Rady School of Management; University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business; University of Oklahoma’s Price College of Business; University of Washington’s Foster School of Business; and Babson College’s Olin Graduate School of Business.

The Jenkins Graduate School of Management is part of the North Carolina State University College of Management in Raleigh, N.C. In addition to the Jenkins MBA program, it offers graduate programs in accounting and economics.

The Jenkins MBA program was established in 2002 to provide graduate management education with an emphasis on technology and innovation. Its real world approach to learning brings students, top educators and professionals together in a research and technology focused environment that supports the knowledge, skills and leadership development needed for today’s global marketplace.

The Jenkins MBA program offers concentrations in biosciences management, entrepreneurship and technology commercialization, financial management, innovation management, marketing management, services management and consulting, and supply chain management for both full- and part-time students. Consistently rated among the top 75 MBA programs, the Jenkins MBA continues to receive national and international attention for its commitment to quality education and research. For more information, visit http://mgt.ncsu.edu/mba/.

Raleigh Roundup: Train ridership up, and N.C. roots feed comic Reep

Amtrak ridership surges in N.C., on Triangle route

"North Carolina’s Amtrak ridership grew 15 percent in fiscal year 2010 – more than double the national Amtrak ridership growth rate during the same period, according to a statement issued Friday by the North Carolina Department of Transportation," says the TBJ.

"The state-owned Piedmont, which travels four times daily between Raleigh and Charlotte, had the largest percentage increase in the nation at 46 percent. One reason for this increase is that mid-day service was added in June, NCDOT said.

"Piedmont revenue grew 39 percent in the past year, from $1.12 million in fiscal year 2009 to $1.56 million in fiscal 2010. Revenue on the Carolinian line, which also runs through the Triangle, jumped 18 percent from $14.71 million in 2009 to $17.33 million in 2010. ..."

N.C. roots, L.A. life feed Reep's shows

"Jon Reep was that kid we all know who loved to make us laugh and then got in trouble for it. Maybe you were that kid.

"Except that Reep was lucky," says the Star-News. "His third-grade teacher recognized something remarkable in her student and encouraged him. And from elementary school in Hickory to his undergraduate days at North Carolina State University, Reep seemed destined to become an entertainer.

"Many fans became acquainted with Reep, who will perform two shows at Thalian Hall on Sunday, during a brief stint as Metro Jethro on Comedy Central and through the Dodge Hemi ad campaign. But it was his 2007 victory on NBC's 'Last Comic Standing' that was a beginning and an ending of sorts. Years of hustle and honing his craft paid off, and his career rocketed to the next level – an opening act no more. ..."

'They're banning smoking indoors? What's next, pig pickins'?'

Maybe.

"Until recently, no one in North Carolina, home to so many tobacco companies, could have imagined a statewide smoking ban in public buildings.

"And yet it’s possible that federal environmental regulators could target another signature Tar Heel State tradition: the pig pickin’," says the Carolina Journal.

Several cities in California, Colorado, and other states have banned outdoor grilling — particularly where wood or charcoal is involved — at parks and other public areas and at events including weekend festivals. And if the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tightens its regulations covering coarse particulate matter in 2011, mobile smokers could be endangered.

Outdoor barbecues would not be the main target of the new federal regulations. Instead, the rules seek to limit farm and rural dust, placing the nation’s farmers, ranchers, livestock producers, and miners on notice.

Some activists are even suggesting all unpaved roads be paved as a way to curb dust creation.

I've heard that Chapel Hill has banned outdoor char-coal grilling, but has that happened anywhere else?

The banning of smoking in public buildings was, as far as I can tell, welcomed by almost everyone. A banning of pig pickins' (ludicrous to even imagine) would be a travesty to North Carolina's culture and history.

(Image from marvsbbq.com)

Texas Rangers party with ginger ale

The Texas Rangers soberly celebrated their series win ... unlike last time they partied.

"After the Texas Rangers clinched the American League East in Oakland in September, the champagne and beer celebration quickly swept through the visiting locker room.

"The celebration took place though without one key figure…the Rangers’ MVP-candidate outfielder Josh Hamilton.

"Hamilton, whose battles with substance abuse are well documented, avoided the alcohol, dressed in a side office and went back into the stands to speak to a church group about his life," says FoxSports.

"But a team that has driven itself all season on unity and family made sure that no one was excluded from the party in Tampa Bay Tuesday night.

"Shortly after Cliff Lee finished his magnificent performance in closing out the Rays 5-1 on the road, it wasn’t beer and champagne that was on ice in the locker room.

"It was ginger ale. ...

"It was a respectful gesture by a team that many thought had no chance to make a splash this season. Facing an unsure ownership situation and bankruptcy, the players all season had each other’s backs and pulled together to shock the baseball world. ..."

Did Union Square always have trees? Naturally.

It's funny the things you see everyday but never stop to really see. I can't tell you how many hundreds of times I've walked and driven by our Capitol. Heck, I've even taken quite a few pictures of it there on Union Square and then one day it hit me... You really can't see it!? Maybe at the corners and yes, from Fayetteville Street but not from what I consider the most prominent view down Hillsborough Street nor many other angles. Without looking for pictures, I had a sense that other state houses I have ever seen have a very prominent perch. On a hill. Or at the end of a grand boulevard. Certainly visible. But ours shares space with oaks here in the City of Oaks. I felt for sure that the original idea was a beautiful grassy space or a formal French garden. Maybe even a small fountain or two. Certainly these trees wouldn't fit with the landscape architecture ideals of the 19th century would they? With these questions, I contacted State Capitol Research Historian Tiffiana Honsinger. Her answer unveiled the true history of our Capitol's grounds over the past 2+ centuries and I found it a most interesting story. Many, many thanks to Tiffiana for taking the time to share this as well as including photos from the North Carolina State Archives (below.)

The landscaping here has a long history beginning when Union Square and the old State House were created between 1794 and 1796. No known site plans exist from this period, but we do know that in 1796 the Square was enclosed with a wooden post, plank, and rail fence with entrances at the four ordinal points. Additionally, many of the trees on site were left in situ during and after the construction of the State House.

Little else is known about the earliest landscape here. Henry Clay, while advocating for a new fence in 1844, mentioned "glorious old oaks" and the "beautiful environs" of the Capitol building, while a contemporary newspaper article said the site "contained more than 150 virile and healthy oaks with an intermingling of hickory trees." (Raleigh isn't called "The City of Oaks" for nothing.) The earliest landscaping was indeed a half-hazard forest of volunteer oaks and hickory trees with swept dirt paths. There were no grass or lawn areas. Of course, the Square also housed, not only the State House (burned in 1831) and later the Capitol (completed 1840), but a bell tower, a woodshed, outhouses, an arsenal, a separate building for the Governor's Office, one for the Treasurer's Office, and one for the Secretary of State. This is in addition to the carriage way and horse paths that crisscrossed the grounds.

In 1844, Henry Clay and several members of the General Assembly held a mock legislative session calling for funds for an iron railing enclosing "this great Temple...and these glorious old Oaks." Two years later, an iron fence was installed with gates at the four ordinal entrances.

In 1857, Governor Bragg commissioned William Henry Hamilton, an English born landscaper living in Raleigh, to improve the grounds. Hamilton drafted the first true grounds plan, which included symmetrical walks, lawn areas and 4 small flower beds. The statue of George Washington, cast by William Hubard after Antoine Houdons's original, was installed with a fence and terrace on the south side of the Capitol.

Union Square suffered neglect and landscape destruction during the Civil War. Townsfolk in Raleigh during the occupation lamented the fact that the grounds had become an encampment for Federal soldiers, as well as a hog and turkey run. In 1868, William Hamilton planted new trees and shrubs to replace plants damaged or lost during the conflict.

Incremental changes to the Hamilton plan for Union Square continued through the turn of the 20th century. The perimeter fence and remaining outbuildings were removed, allowing pedestrian access from the corners of the site. Steps were added at all entrances to the square, except the north Edenton Street side. The paths within the square became more uniform and the ornamental borders along the walks were removed. This grounds survey shows shade trees of various sizes spaced irregularly throughout the square.

During this period, several monuments were added to Union Square, including:

Confederate Monument, 1895
Zebulon Vance Monument, 1900
Worth Bagley Statue, 1907
Charles McIver Statue, 1912
Henry Lawson Wyatt Statue, 1912
Women of the Confederacy, 1914
Charles B. Aycock Monument, 1924


Unfortunately, these monuments were placed randomly about the grounds, interspersed with what remained of the original oaks and hickories, the Hamilton lawn segments, and intersecting dirt trails. In 1927, Governor McLean engaged the Olmsted Brothers firm to revise the design of Union Square as "a setting commensurate with the importance and dignity of the Capitol of the State." At the time, this nationally prominent landscape architectural firm was working on a project at Duke University and was involved with landscaping and planning for the US Capitol. They had also done the landscaping at Biltmore Estate, among others.

The plan, drafted by Percival Gallagher, introduced a new pattern of walks, including more curves and circular forms. Gallagher relocated existing monuments, organizing them symmetrically around the Capitol. Memorial Mall was added to the south grounds and a terraced area with fountains was constructed at the east entrance. His planting plan added a variety of canopy trees to the many existing trees, understory trees and shrubs, and he removed all but one of the flower beds.

This is where the current Unions Square landscape comes from. It is made largely of trees and lawn - a simplified version of the 1928 plan. Many of the existing trees include predate the Olmsted Brothers plan (from the Civil War and a few from before) and some 1928 plantings, as well as more recent additions of long leaf pines (1960s and 1990s) and the former State Christmas Tree.

As you can see, the current tree-scape is actually the most original thing about the Square,the paths, flower beds, and monuments all being later additions. We never had a French formal garden, though that would have been quite beautiful. In fact, due to the age of many of the trees, plans are being worked on for replacing the canopy trees--our youngest canopy trees are in the 60 year old range. Just this past year, we had to remove one White Oak, due to its age. And in 2008, one of the 1860s oaks came crashing down in a wind storm... Every single tree removed from the grounds does cause an upset, especially since many of them are so very old.

I've attached for your enjoyment two photographs of the grounds taken before the Civil War, shortly after the Capitol was finished. The first of these is of a man and a boy with an oxcart from the 1850s. This is actually taken on Hillsborough Street. It shows the 1846 iron fence (this fence was removed and now surrounds Raleigh's City Cemetery) as well as the "glorious old oaks" Henry Clay talked about. It's also a view of the building no longer afforded viewers on Hillsborough after the installation of the Confederate Monument in 1895. The second was taken from the northeast in 1861. In it you can see the brand new grass and walkways, as well as the old trees.

While I still wish we could see this historic structure a little better, it is great knowing that we have preserved the spirit of the original forested design. Interestingly, on a recent visit, I also learned that while the Greek Revival style is quite symmetrical, the original "front" is the East facade facing New Bern Avenue with the servants entering and carrying firewood through the Hillsborough Street doorway. Also, the story of presidential candidate Henry Clay in Raleigh mentioned above is worth checking out as well. While here he wrote his historically significant "Raleigh Letter" which may have cost him the election.

Winterfest to return with bigger outdoor ice rink

One of the coolest things last year during the winter was walking downtown and seeing a real, honest-to-God ice rink.

It is coming back.

After the successful inaugural year attracted nearly 20,000 ice skaters to downtown Raleigh’s City Plaza, Mayor Charles Meeker and the Downtown Raleigh Alliance (DRA) today announced a deal with Polar Ice House, which operates year-round ice skating facilities in Cary, Garner and Wake Forest, to keep Raleigh ice skating outdoors for at least another three years.

A new, larger (45 x 90 feet) outdoor ice rink will anchor AT&T Raleigh Winterfest, a two-month holiday entertainment extravaganza that will open December 4, 2010 with the Mayor’s tree lighting, a special visit from Santa, performances from local choirs, bands and dance companies, local crafters and artisans, in addition to Victorian carolers and carriage rides. The headlining concert performance will be announced at a later date. AT&T Raleigh Winterfest will conclude January 30, 2011, after the city hosts crowds for the NHL All-Star Game which will be played at the nearby RBC Center. (Emphasis mine.) ...

Ice rink admission will be $8 (including skate rental) during regular hours. The rink will be open six days a week and closed on Mondays for private parties, which are open for booking now by contacting Polar Ice House at (919) 460-2756 or www.polaricehouse.com. ...

John Tesh: 'Being expelled from NCSU changed my life'

I once saw a TV interview with former "Entertainment Tonight" host John Tesh where he was wearing an N.C. State soccer t-shirt. I did some digging (the Internet) and was shocked to learn that Tesh not only attended State but played a little futbol while in Raleigh. (Joe Ovies calls Tesh -- who dated Oprah -- State's greatest alum.)

Tesh, a Rural Hall, N.C., native, returns home on October 10 for a show at Meymandi. In an interview with the Wilmington paper, Tesh says being expelled from N.C. State changed his life.

Garage bands were Tesh's favored avenue for musical expression in high school (his favorite was a Blood, Sweat and Tears cover band), though he also played in the school orchestra. But music wasn't seriously considered a career path, and he studied textile chemistry until his junior year at North Carolina State University. He was about 20 at the time, and was about to get an education he didn't expect.

“I don't tell this story very often, but at about the time I switched from textile chemistry to communications I tried to drop a class I was taking,” Tesh said. “But I had missed the deadline and the professor wouldn't sign the drop-add form. A friend suggested that I sign the professor's name myself, thinking that no one would pay that much attention. But I was caught and because I broke the honor code I was kicked out of school. That was nothing compared to what my Southern Baptist parents did. I was kicked out of the house. I lived in tent at a campground and scraped by, pumping gas and whatever else I could do for about a year. That changed everything.”

Tesh said he learned two very important things from his year in emotional wilderness – the value of being honest as well as the confidence to sell himself, and both have stayed with him.

Click the link above to read the entire article.

WRAL's Bill Leslie and Tesh go way back. (Leslie calls him the "Human Yield Sign.")

The human yield sign is returning to Raleigh. That was how radio personality Pat Patterson described John Tesh back in the 1970’s. John took a semester off from NC State to learn how to be a radio newsman. Sporting a bright yellow leisure suit John showed up at our station day after day basically begging for a part-time job. Finally, Patterson who was program director and news director Scott White relented. John did stand tall at 6’6” and we needed a new center for our radio station basketball team. John was hired because of his height and not because of talent. Of course he quickly proved that he had a wealth of talent.

...

John and I were Raleigh roommates just after college. John went to NCSU and I graduated from UNC. I taught John how to run the radio news console and helped him become a reporter. We also jammed a little musically during our roommate days at Meredith Village Apartments off Lake Boone Trail.

Avett Brothers bring their show to Raleigh on Friday

Just a heads-up: Concord's Avett Brothers will bring their uber-high-energy show to Walnut Creek this Friday night.

Our sister blog, The Dare Society, has asked the question: are the Avetts the "most Carolinian" of musical artists? The evidence sure points to it.

North Carolina can lay claim to its fair share of noteworthy musicians over the years. Just off the top of my head I can think of James Taylor, Doc Watson, Randy Travis, Ryan Adams, Tori Amos, Ben Folds, The Connells, Petey Pablo, Corrossion of Conformity, and a slew of American Idols or almost-Idols. Not too bad, and I'm sure I'm missing some other important ones.

But perhaps no artist of note "name drops" North Carolina as much as Concord's The Avett Brothers. Heck, the band has albums titled A Carolina Jubilee and The Robbinsville Sessions.

Among their many songs are a series of songs about "pretty girls" from such places as Raleigh, Matthews and even Locust. They sing about "40 East," and "Greenville Town." They even mention relaxing on the shores of Lake Junaluska.

In addition, our friends over at New Raleigh recently conducted a Q&A with Scott Avett, where he is asked what he misses most about touring and being away from N.C.

What do you miss most about North Carolina when you’re gone on tour?

This time of year; the smell of fall. Man, I just can’t articulate how close and dear that is to me. It’s always painful to be away in October.

(Avett also waxes nostalgiac for Sadlack's and Kings.)

So head out to The Shed on Friday for some great music by some loyal Carolinians.

Raleigh is brainy

Raleigh ranks fourth -- behind Washington, D.C.; San Fran; and San Jose -- in the list of America's "brainiest cities," according to CNNMoney.com.

In the District and surrounding suburbs, 47.3% of people 25 years or older have bachelor's, master's, professional school or doctorate degrees, according to new Census Bureau data released Tuesday. The national average barely tips 25%.

The figures don't surprise John Schmidt, senior economist with the Center for Economic and Policy Research in D.C. The city is built on jobs that require degrees.

"There's a very high share of federal government employees here," he said, "and people dealing with the federal government, including defense contractors, lobbyists, businesses that want to influence the regulatory process; there's lots of lawyers."

"Clearly, the biggest factor is still the presence of federal government jobs," he added. "But a lot of people in the 20s and 30s come here interested in public policy. There's an excitement about being in Washington, especially among young people who want to make a difference in the world."

In second-place San Francisco, 43.5% of residents have college degrees or better; San Joe, Calif., the hub of Silicon Valley, ranked third at 43.2%; and Raleigh, N.C., one of the points in that state's "Research Triangle," came in fourth at 42.2%.