Barbara (Yakovleva)

Varvara Alexeyevna Yakovleva (Russian: Варвара Алексеевна Яковлева; died July 18, 1918), called Nun Barbara, was a Russian Orthodox nun in the convent of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Fyodorovna. She was killed by the Bolsheviks along with the grand duchess and Prince Ioann Konstantinovich of Russia, Prince Konstantin Konstantinovich of Russia, Prince Igor Konstantinovich of Russia, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich of Russia, Fyodor Remez, Grand Duke Sergei's secretary, and Prince Vladimir Pavlovich Paley at Alapaevsk.

She was later canonized as a martyr by both the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church within Russia.

Life

Varvara Alexeyevna Yakovleva, small in stature and deeply pious, served as Grand Duchess Elizabeth's maid before taking the veil. Her nickname was Varya. On April 15, 1910, she took vows as a Russian Orthodox nun. The Grand Duchess and other women also took vows on that date. As sisters of Grand Duchess Elizabeth's convent, the women were well known throughout Moscow for performing acts of charity. They took food to the homes of the poor, set up a home for women suffering from tuberculosis, established a hospital to care for the sick, established homes for the physically disabled, pregnant women and the elderly. They also established an orphanage. Their charitable efforts later spread to other cities in Russia.

Barbara (singer)

Monique Andrée Serf (June 9, 1930 – November 24, 1997), whose stage name was Barbara, was a French singer. She took her stage name from her Russian grandmother, Varvara Brodsky. Her song "L'Aigle noir" sold twenty four thousand in twelve hours.

Childhood

Born in Paris to a Jewish family, Barbara was ten years old when she had to go into hiding during the German occupation of France in World War II. After the war ended, a neighborhood professor of music heard her sing and took an interest in helping her develop her talents. She was given vocal lessons and taught to play the piano, and eventually she enrolled at the Ecole Supérieure de Musique. Money was a problem and she gave up her musical studies to sing at "La Fontaine des Quatre Saisons," a popular cabaret in Paris.

She was deeply scarred by the war and her family's plight. The feelings of emptiness experienced during childhood showed in her songs, particularly "Mon Enfance". She said in her uncompleted autobiography, Il était un piano noir (assembled from notes found after her death), that her father sexually abused her when she was ten and she hated him for that. He later abandoned the family.

John Boy and Billy

John Isley (born August 15, 1956) and Billy James (born August 31, 1957), known as John Boy & Billy are American radio hosts based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Their comedic morning program The John Boy & Billy Big Show broadcasts from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time in several Southern and Midwestern states via syndication through Premiere Networks, primarily airing on classic rock, active rock, and country stations.

The show is syndicated to both classic rock and country music radio stations. The format consists of talk segments intermixed with music, contests, and skit-based humor. Current events, politics, sports (mainly NASCAR), and male-oriented problems are common topics of talk. Broadcast states include North Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.

The duo frequently interviews musicians, comedians, NASCAR drivers, professional wrestlers, and other public figures. Robert Earl Keen, Killer Beaz, Manny Pacquiao, Rodney Carrington, and James Gregory are occasional guests. The show also markets a line of Bar-B-Que sauces (named John Boy & Billy Grillin' Sauce).

Townsend

Townsend or Townshend may refer to:

People

Places

United States of America

Canada

United Kingdom

Townsend, Massachusetts

Townsend is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,926 at the 2010 census.

For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Townsend, please see the article Townsend (CDP), Massachusetts.

History

Townsend was first settled in 1676, and was officially incorporated in 1732. The town was named after Charles Townshend, English secretary of state and an opponent of the Tories.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 33.1 square miles (85.8 km²), of which 32.9 square miles (85.1 km²) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.6 km²) (0.72%) is water. Townsend has the largest land area of any town in Middlesex County.

Townsend is bordered by Mason, New Hampshire and Brookline, New Hampshire to the north, Pepperell to the east, Groton and Shirley to the southeast, Lunenburg to the south, and Ashby to the west.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 9,198 people, 3,110 households, and 2,475 families residing in the town. The population density was 279.8 people per square mile (108.0/km²). There were 3,184 housing units at an average density of 96.9 per square mile (37.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.54% White, 0.73% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.39% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.17% of the population.