News from around the web.
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• The Family History Library (FHL) is starting
  to roll out online microfilm ordering in the United States and Canada, meaning
  you soon won’t have to visit a FamilySearch Center to order microfilmed records (you’ll
  still need to go in person to view them, of course). First, you’ll find the film you
  need in the FHL online catalog, then you’ll order
  it here. California, the Pacific Northwest and other points West were first to
  get online ordering, with the rest of us still to be added in phases.

• UK subscription genealogy site FindMyPast.co.uk is
  adding a million 20th-century merchant navy seamen records (Britain’s Merchant Navy
  Day, is Saturday, Sept. 3). The records name crew members of UK merchant ships from
  1918 to 1941, offer physical descriptions and include photos.

• Genetic genealogy company FamilyTreeDNA discovered
  through its Family Finder test that NFL players Xavier Omon of the San Francisco 49ers
  and Ogemdi Nwagbuo of the San Diego Chargers are half brothers. You
  can read more about their story on ESPN.com. 

• As an update to our November 2011 online newspapers article, which highlighted the
  subscription website Paper of Record in
  addition to other online sources, Rick Crume gave me a heads up about some improvements
  to the site: First, highlighting of your search terms has been restored on the digitized
  newspaper pages in your search results. Second, you now have the option to search
  a broader date range than five years within a single title.