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Ours can be an industry of big ideas.
Certain ideas can quickly transform the landscape much the way a summer thunderstorm can quickly form and unleash powerful forces around it.
Such appears to be the case with "private clouds".
Starting as an obscure concept introduced at the beginning of this year, it now shows the promise of becoming not only the dominant model for next-gen enterprise IT, but perhaps service providers as well.
While no one in this industry is a definitive authority on anything, I do have the pleasure of being at "ground zero" as this concept was formed and communicated.
And exactly why this concept is becoming so popular is a story in itself.
In The Beginning
Towards the end of 2008, VMware, Cisco and EMC realized that we all had a shared view of how enterprise IT was likely to evolve.
Virtualization would continue apace, and enable entirely new operational models for IT. Service providers would enter the marketplace with compatible offerings based on virtualization.
And enterprise IT organizations would have entirely new options about how they consumed IT infrastructure.
We felt so strongly about this shared vision that we took the step of forming a small team to formalize the share concepts, and start using the same words and pictures to communicate with our various stakeholders.
This shared effort was only one of many shared efforts we were starting to do in the context of our partnership.
Defining Terms
What we needed early on was a generic industry term to define the category we were thinking about.
If you've ever tried to name something -- and get everyone to agree! -- you'll realize it's a bit more involved than throwing names against a wall and seeing what sticks.
We knew that we wanted the word "cloud" somewhere in the term -- the environment we were considering had many cloud-like attributes -- elasticity, geographic independence, etc. -- but was a specific kind of cloud, hence the need for a modifier to go with it.
At that time, most enterprise IT groups weren't enthusiastic about most of the cloud offerings being bandied about from Amazon, Microsoft, Google and others.
Most of these offers presumed that applications would be re-written or modified to run in a cloud. Not good, from an enterprise IT point of view.
Few, if any, offered IT any control over how the resources got used: service delivery, security, policy compliance, etc. Most enterprise IT activities require that enterprise IT be in control of what goes on.
And, finally, interoperability choices were few -- there was no talk at the time around federating internal and external resources together, or interoperability between service providers. Also a non-starter for most enterprise IT groups.
We finally settled on the word "private" to describe the kind of cloud we were envisioning -- private clouds were different in that (a) they didn't require applications to be re-written, (b) they used any combination of internal and/or external resources, and (c) there would be an open marketplace of compatible service providers to offer enterprise customers choices.
At the time, the term "private cloud" was not in general use as an industry model. There were a few smaller vendors using the term to describe a proprietary offering, and a few insightful analysts probing around at the concept, but -- generally speaking -- not much out there.
Update: @sfoskett tweeted that I was somehow claiming credit for coming up with the term. Not true -- I later found some great work done by Thomas Bittman at Gartner using the term "private cloud" written a few months earlier in 2008. If anyone should get credit for originally coming up with the term, it'd probably be him, and not me. Since the "who was first" debate can consume an inordinate amount of time, feel free to offer up any examples prior to Sept 2008.
We Start Telling The Story
If you're interested, you can see my very first post on the topic, way back from January of this year. You also can watch a short, 7-minute video with me sharing the key concepts from that time.
The first target audience was uber-large IT organizations who had a serious effort underway to re-define their IT infrastructure strategy. We wanted to see how our ideas stacked up against other concepts and approaches out there.
Frankly speaking, we were a bit surprised by the strong positive reaction. Yes, there were questions and concerns, but -- generally speaking -- these large customers liked the architectural approach, and liked the fact that three industry leaders were working together to make it happen sooner than later.
Before too long, we became backlogged with requests to have these sorts of customer meetings, and we got busy training more people who could tell the story and engage with customers. Despite our best efforts, we still haven't been able to keep up with demand to this day.
The Cloud Community Weighs In
In one regard, we were entering an ongoing cloud discussion from an entirely new perspective. Understandably, there were reactions from people already immersed in this stuff.
One early reaction was "you can't call it a cloud if it involves assets inside the data center" or something similar, the idea being that clouds could only be called clouds if they were completely external to IT.
We saw that as only one potential consumption option in a much broader set of choices: use external resources, use internal resources -- or any dynamic combination. It turned out it was hard to argue with that kind of logic.
Another reaction was "you can't call it a cloud unless applications have been re-architected and optimized to take advantage of cloud services". Again, there's nothing wrong with rewriting an application for a particular deployment model, but we felt that shouldn't be the price of entry.
Indeed, we could clearly see many compelling cloud-like advantages that could be gained by simply encapsulating existing server and desktop applications in virtual machines, and orchestrating at that level rather than forcing it on the application.
Now that I think about it, there were many people who perhaps thought cloud had to be difficult and revolutionary to be a meaningful topic. Confronted with a view that showed a path to cloud benefits that was comparatively evolutionary and non-disruptive brought out a fair amount of emotion.
Over time, these discussions died down, and you rarely hear them anymore.
It's Not Just Big Enterprises -- Duh!
As time went on, we started sharing these discussions with audiences other than uber-large IT strategy groups, and were surprised by the positive responses we saw from these groups.
We ended up talking to IT organizations large and small, and -- generally speaking -- if they were committed to a virtualization strategy, it seemed the most logical thing to extend notions of fully virtualized environments to private clouds.
We started to talk to our partner community: resellers, integrators and the like. We were surprised to find out that -- generally speaking -- EMC partners were also VMware partners and likely Cisco partners as well. Needless to say, they really liked the story, and especially the fact that the three companies were working closely together to accelerate the vision.
As of this writing, the private cloud story is our preferred strategic vision for most any IT infrastructure audience.
Formal Outings Begin
It's one thing to be sharing these thoughts in small audiences, it's another thing entirely when CEOs take the big stage and do the same.
The first such public outing was done by Joe Tucci and Paul Maritz together at the EMC Strategic Forum last March in front of hundreds of analysts and press.
You can see the material in blog post form here, here and here. Or, visit this page for video highlights.
Paul Maritz and the VMware team repeated the theme at VMworld in Cannes, as well as during the vSphere announcement earlier this year.
EMC repeated the them as part of the Symmetrix V-Max announcement, and later the Ionix resource management announcement -- not to mention heavy coverage at EMC World.
And Cisco used these themes as part of their UCS announcement, and later from the stage at Padmasree Warrior's Cisco Live event.
There's more, but you can see what's already starting to happen -- all three companies are lining up behind a shared vision.
Customers Want To Take The Next Step
Before too long in all this, we started meeting customers who wanted to go from vision to action.
The road ahead for these customers generally evolved into a couple of coherent themes.
One dominant theme was needing help in virtualizing tier 1 applications (e.g. the ones that could get you fired). These customers had successfully virtualized most non-critical applications, but were having trouble tackling the big ones.
We started using our EMC Proven Solutions capabilities -- coupled with professional services -- in an effort to assist with this. We could show exactly how to do this, and what you could expect if you did. Eventually, though, the challenge turned out to be less around technology, and more around changing mindsets -- a theme I'll come back to in a while.
Another dominant theme was optimized infrastructure -- making sure the technologies that they were deploying would not only solve today's challenges, but serve them well in fully virtualized environments leading to private clouds. We started changing our product presentations to reflect these themes.
A special discussion emerged around management and security disciplines. It was easy for us to see that these capabilities could be far better in the virtual world than the physical world, but to get these advantages, customers were going to have to change how they did things.
We needed to be upfront with people that learning to manage and secure IT infrastructure in new ways was not going to be easy, but was going to be essential to gain not only the potential resource efficiencies, but the operational efficiencies as well.
A more interesting set of themes evolved around next-gen operational models and policies. Yes, the newer tools were capable of all sorts of cool things, but IT's operational models and associated policies had evolved in the physical one, and not the virtual one This turned into a consulting-style relationship to not only identify these new models and policies, but to identify change management techniques to move from legacy thinking to newer thinking.
And a surprisingly large number of customers wanted to shortcut all the people, process and policy issues using an entirely different approach: stand up a baby private cloud, move some sample workloads over to it, get comfortable with the new processes, workflows and policies, and measure the results.
The idea was to start with something new, move some representative applications to it, and gradually expand the bounds of confidence without bringing forward legacy technology, tools, processes and policies.
Of course, that sort of thinking really gets me excited. It's a blast to meet customers who want to do this sooner than later.
The Federal Government Responds
The other gratifying response came from various US government agencies.
They liked the idea of evolving what they had (rather than starting over again). They liked the idea of an open marketplace of compatible service providers, including running in their own data center. And, since timelines tend to be long in this space, I think they liked the appeal of a simple idea that could be uniformly communicated, and no need to wait for new technology to be invented.
The Industry Responds
You know you're having an impact when you see your competitors starting to respond, either validating your ideas or sometimes the exact words you've chosen.
Amazon, for example, has now started to offer virtual machines that don't require using all of Amazon's stack. They're also talking more about offering IT shops more control around more aspects of how the resources get used. All steps in the right direction.
At the recent Microsoft conference, Steve Ballmer and others started talking about "private clouds" and the need to offer customers choices as to whether workloads run internally, externally or any combination. No specific offerings yet, but they're thinking in the right direction, I'd offer.
IBM did something very clever indeed. Previously, they had been positioning cloud-for-enterprises as a variation of outsourcing -- move extra workloads to an IBM-branded outsourcing facility. Not exactly what most customers were looking for.
Their new approach was to deliver a "private cloud in a box" -- servers, storage, VMware and a bit of management software -- and target a very specific use case: test and development. Lots of missing pieces in their story, but you can see how they're working towards the broader concept, albeit from a different direction.
Oracle offered up a unique, Oracle-centric view of "private clouds" -- talking about offering to manage Oracle environments in customer data centers on behalf of their customers, and being able to do the same in their managed data centers. Interesting, but I think most customers will want to choose who controls their environment, and will probably want more choices than A or B in terms of infrastructure models. Not to mention that their approach is -- of course -- limited to Oracle-based applications.
HP might be doing something in this space, but I haven't heard anything definitive. One can only wonder what the Oracle/Sun combination will produce, but there might be an interesting model emerging from this combination.
The pure storage plays (3Par, NetApp, etc.) are starting to talk about how their storage will play in service provider clouds that look similar to the type of private clouds we're discussing here.
Sure enough, there's plenty of evidence that more and more IT infrastructure players are starting to line up behind the concepts, which is a good thing. If you don't believe me, feel free to search for "private cloud" on Twitter, Google, etc.
Even Service Providers And Outsourcers Are Responding
You might be tempted to think that people who rent infrastructure as a service might be farther along than the customers they're targeting. There are plenty of large players, but we haven't seen many announcements -- yet! -- from some of the more familiar name brands in this space.
Part of the challenge is nailing the business model. To these people, it's less about the technological glitz, and more about offering, pricing, go-to-market, synergies and competitors. It's taken a while to ramp up these discussions, but I think you'll be seeing far more public engagement in the near future.
And There's A Bunch You Can't See As Well
The private cloud story is compelling enough in its own right.
But -- for me -- the exciting part of the story is how the three companies are working together in some innovative ways to make this all happen sooner than later.
Right now, there's a ton of activity going on at VMware, Cisco and EMC to line things up -- product roadmaps, integration efforts, solutioneering, support, customer engagement, partner engagement, etc. -- all with the same goal: to help customers and partners transition to fully virtualized environments (and private clouds) sooner than later.
I've never seen anything like it before. It's pretty exciting.
The specific details (and they are considerable) will have to wait for a formal announcement at some point, but there is already plenty to talk about, with more coming at a regular cadence.
And, of course, we all have our own ecosystems of partners we work with that may or may not be friendly to the others -- this is not an exclusive relationship by any means. But, frankly speaking, this isn't your usual alliance relationship that's typically based on powerpoint and little else of substance.
So, Where Do We Go From Here?
First, I'll continue to blog on this as one of my major themes. Not only is it related to my role at EMC, but it's one of the more fascinating industry transformations I've ever been associated with, and there's so much to talk about.
Just as an example, here are some of the posts I've offered up over the last few months:
- some relatively clear thinking about clouds, around three key aspects: architecture (how they're built), operations (how they're run) and consumption (how they're paid for).
- trying to identify big policy issues that will undoubtedly get in the way, such as getting comfortable with oversubscription as well as other barriers to adoption.
- getting people to think about desktop experiences as an integral part of the private cloud.
- Lots of discussion for telcos and service providers, not only identifying the opportunity, but a few prelim discussions around business models.
- Opening discussions around traditional disciplines such as management, backup, business continuity and security.
- A few experiences I've had with customers who are actually building these things.
- Some generic reaction from press and analysts, for those who follow that thread.
You might think this is a lot of material for a single topic. These are just highlights -- you can see all my related posts here. The scary part is that there's at least several dozen posts to be written -- not only on these themes, but other related ones.
Second, maybe you've seen what's being referred to as the "private cloud / VCE" material. If you have, I'd be interested in your reactions. If not, we'll have to find a way to get the story to you in such a way that you can engage and react. The good news is that our collective bandwidth for doing so is increasingly dramatically.
In particular, if you have some time, one of the more popular items is this 30 minute video from last April of me outlining the whole story. Warning: 140 MB, wmv format.
Third, I hope you'll be interested in hearing more -- not only from VMware, Cisco and EMC -- but from other vendors and ecosystem players. I'm betting that the industry-wide story lines up and becomes widely compelling before the end of this year -- although fiercely argued at the detail level!
The party has just started ...


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micoach is all you need to get the results you want.
(75 Products)
Your Selection
I work in the fitness industry and have always struggled to find a sports bra that does what it's supposed to. My chest is sort of heavy for my fit/thin frame, and nothing keeps the ladies in place (without the dreaded uniboob look). This bra comes *close* to being my favorite, thus far. I am 5'8" 130 lbs. I typically wear a 32C and that is what I bought. It runs true to size, I would say. Perhaps ever-so-slighty "small" if you don't like your bras to be compression-like tight, as I do, especially for running. But If you have a toned back, you should be fine with your normal size. If you're weary of bra bulge/back fat... or if your back is not your favorite feature, maybe size up on the band. As someone recommended to me long ago, ALWAYS BUY YOUR BRAS SO THEY FIT TIGHTLY ON THE LAST (3rd) SET OF HOOKS. Elastic is known to stretch out over time, therefore... when the bra *especially a sports bra* begins to "break-in" and stretch out with wear, movement, washing, drying, abrasion, and well... generally bending and breathing.. it will continue to fit as it should, even if this means you need to move to the 2nd or 1st hooks to keep it fitting snug to your ribcage. But... to each their own. Anyway, this bra fits that way which is AWESOME! If you're buying your bras how you should be and wearing the "right" size to begin with (as many women do not) it will be tight at first... but wear it around and it will conform to your body with time, I promise. In the long (distance) run, it's worth it! My only complaint is that I would prefer the front to not have a princess seam (like the same style but in the D/DD sizes, for example) This would allow the bra to be more versatile and lay better (flatter) under tight fitness apparel. Also it would give your bust a slightly more "rounded" look. But all and all, I can't complain. I may try to order the a 32 or 34 in the D cup style and see if this fits me as well... sometimes I can go either way (32/34/C/D) and each size gives me a different "look". The D cup style appears to offer a little more fabric and coverage, and would be better for layering vs. wearing alone. This 32 C gives me some cleavage, which I personally like. The padding is minimal, more like a lining cup, actually, which is nice... because I have piercings that elicit attention sometimes.. which I don't always like to advertise to the lovely people on the streets of NY. This nicely keeps things, covered and concealed without adding bulk to my bust. Another nice feature is the glue-dot like grips on the inside of the elastic band (the part that touches your skin). I'm not sure they really "do anything" so to speak... but I'm hoping once I start sweating they will reduce chafing and keep the bra in place. Hope this helps. ... read more
Really great product, amazing quality, fabric is light and breathable but not see through at all, very durable feeling product, small extras add to the value and quality feel such as ankle zips, and small pocket on the waist band, not to mention hey're both fashionable and practical. I would definitely recommend! ... read more
I'am 5 45, 160lbs. I usually wear slim-fit medium shirts and pants from both adidas performance, and originals. If you want a slim-fit/muscle-fit, buy a small size, which is what I did and still comfortable. But if you want some more room and does not care about the shape of your body, but a medium. ... read more
These shorts are comfortable and have the added benefit of coming with a liner. The one thing they need is side pockets; a single zip pocket isn't enough when you have to stop at the store on the way to or from a run. ... read more
I wear a 34D or 32DD in other bras...imagine my surprise when after trying on multiple sizes I found the best fit in this bra to be a 36B! In addition to being supportive this bra is very good looking. In fact, I've started wearing it in the pool for swimming lessons with my kids. There is no cleavage/spillage/risk of showing too much - yet, I still look supported and sporty. I also wear this bra when exercising...I am a personal trainer and fitness instructor. My workouts are intense and high impact...this bra can withstand it all. PLEASE make it in more colors!! ... read more
I found the bra hard to get on as the clasp in the back is hard to do by yourself once the bra is on. I kept the clasp secured & put the bra on that way. Was harder to adjust, but once the straps were loosened a little, the bra was a great fit. ... read more
I'm usually an XS but I always buy my shirts a size bigger so I can truly feel comfortable whenever, I'm training but this shirt was definitely huge on me. (Adidas is made big. Stay true to your size.) ... read more
I have bought these shorts because I love the Adidas Response range. They are a good quality short, fit great and a very comfortable. Great for running, gym, lounging around in the sun or tale on holiday. Hope there are more colours. Find the men's range of running gear can be quite boring. But love these shorts. Will be getting the black ones. ... read more
Amazing bra. I do kickboxing and this bra didn't disappoint me in support and keep everything in place. Very easy to put on and super comfortable to wear while I worked out. I ended up getting 2 more :) ... read more
I love the care and detail put into this bra like the ridges along the band and the soft wicking material along the neckline, but man if this thing ain't a doozy to get on! I'm a big girl and I unfortunately don't have the super power of being able to fasten my bra behind my back. I couldn't get this things on no matter what kind of MacGuyver ways I tried. I knew if I tried to slip it on still clasped, I'd stretch it out and ruin it. I'm sending this back, I'll have to find some better plus-sized sports bras. ... read more
I've used mine for a while now and its pretty good. Material quality is very good, no itching or rubbing so far. I am 5.8" and size small fit is decent, but I wish it to be just a bit shorter in sleeve and hem length. ... read more
I have bought these in the sale for the gym. They are a bit on the small side so I have ordered a size XL and I am keeping the large size for the future. Great shorts, light weight, and really comfy. As usual great service from Adidas. ... read more
Run Tee is lightweight, can be thrown in the gym bag and does what it says on the tin. It's allows for movement and keeps you looking dry. I have found it perfect for combat and power exercise classes. The colour is stunning. Love it. ... read more
Good fit for me in a medium - I am 6'-2", 155 with waist of 32inches. Lighter and cooler than expected. Mesh inner liner is a waste of material IMO - I need more support than that! Generally good initial quality. Curious to see how they hold up to repeated washings. ... read more
I was excited to find a Boston Marathon hoodie. I get chilled easily so my hope was to have something casual representing the Boston Marathon that I could use daily with regular street clothes. The fit of the hoodie is nice and has a half-zip at the back that can be un-zipped at the bottom for a looser fit. Nice color and the emblem on the front is visible but not too flashy. However, the "reflective details" as listed in the description are unfortunately much too flashy. The entire hood (which is also much too big and loose in my opinion) has about 1/2 inch wide reflective material around the entire edge of the hood. When I put this hoodie on and looked in the mirror for the first time it literally looked like the hood was plugged in. This is great if you want to be noticed at night by oncoming traffic but not good if you are just shopping around town. The same reflective material also outlines the back zipper. So, this is a nice hoodie to run in on cold days but unfortunately odd looking for every-day wear. ... read more

subset: commoncrawl


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This year, my son decided to build a "Dukes of Hazard" inspired HMMWV (Humvee). These steps can be used to make any number of vehicles.
Disclaimer: The use of power tools in tales certain inherent risks. Proper protective equipment should always be used and tools should be properly maintained. Children should be closely monitored and aided if they are to use any power tools. I am not responsible for any injury you may sustain.
Step 1: Materials, supplies, and tools
1 pinewood derby kit
additional wood (we used balsa, so as to minimize additional weight)
wood glue
wood filler (sandable)
primer (optional)
sand paper (we used 120 and 220 grit dry, and 320 and 600 grit wet)
carbon paper
masking or painters tape
saw (a band saw works great)
power sander (optional)
Dremel tool (optional, but very helpful).
Step 2: Pick a design
As I said earlier, my son wanted to build a HMMWV. So, we did an image search on Google for an M-998. We found these illustrations from the military training manual for the HMMWV. We decided that a "fastback" design would work best for my son's plans, so I added a couple of lines to the design.
We then printed out our design with a length of 6.5 inches, since that size best fit our block of wood.
Note: Make sure that your design meets the specifications in the rules. You may also want to check to see if there are other restrictions imposed by your pack or counsel.


text: Gold is described as a "sparkly chunky gold." It contains small, gold glitter particles that go between champagne gold and a more coppery gold. It's part of the permanent PRO range. I don't have another glitter in this color that I can recall, though I'm sure it is something dupable by brands with full glitter ranges (Lit, OCC, etc.).


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Document Type
- Article (2) (remove)
- Fluctuations and correlations from microscopic transport theory (2009)
- The multiplicity fluctuations in A+A collisions at SPS and RHIC energies are studied within the HSD transport approach. We find a dominant role of the fluctuations in the nucleon participant number for the final fluctuations. In order to extract physical fluctuations one should decrease the fluctuations in the participants number. This can be done considering very central collisions. The system size dependence of the multiplicity fluctuations in central A+A collisions at the SPS energy range – obtained in the HSD and UrQMD transport models – is presented. The results can be used as a 'background' for experimental measurements of fluctuations as a signal of the critical point. Event-by-event fluctuations of the K/p , K/p and p/p ratios in A+A collisions are also studied. Event-by-event fluctuations of the kaon to pion number ratio in nucleus-nucleus collisions are studied for SPS and RHIC energies. We find that the HSD model can qualitatively reproduce the measured excitation function for the K/p ratio fluctuations in central Au+Au (or Pb+Pb) collisions from low SPS up to top RHIC energies. The forward-backward correlation coefficient measured by the STAR Collaboration in Au+Au collisions at RHIC is also studied. We discuss the effects of initial collision geometry and centrality bin definition on correlations in nucleus-nucleus collisions. We argue that a study of the dependence of correlations on the centrality bin definition as well as the bin size may distinguish between these 'trivial' correlations and correlations arising from 'new physics'. 5th International Workshop on Critical Point and Onset of Deconfinement - CPOD 2009, June 08 - 12 2009 Brookhaven National Laboratory, Long Island, New York, USA
- Dynamical study of fluctuations in relativistic nuclear collisions (2007)
- Event-by-event multiplicity fluctuations in nucleus-nucleus collisions from low SPS up to RHIC energies have been studied within the HSD transport approach. Fluctuations of baryonic number and electric charge also have been explored for Pb+Pb collisions at SPS energies in comparison to the experimental data from NA49. We find a dominant role of the fluctuations in the nucleon participant number for the final hadron multiplicity fluctuations and a strong influence of the experimental acceptance on the final results. Critical Point and Onset of Deconfinement - 4th International Workshop July 9 - 13, 2007 Darmstadt, Germany


text: Hogo? Yeah, I'd never heard of it either. Here's how David Wondrich lays out the term in his new book, Punch, (which if you haven't bought it yet or put it in a place of prominence on your Christmas list, I'm really wondering why you have any business reading this blog): The Victorian free-love advocate… Continue Reading


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(skip this header)
Friday, July 31, 2015
Michael Pineda is just the latest to get caught. Here are some other athletes who have cheated the game.
In 2003, Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa was busted for using a corked bat. The former Cubs superstar said that he mistakenly used the bat he swings in batting practice in a real game. Yeah, right. Sosa was suspended for seven games.(AP Photo/Roberto Borea)


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text:
DSTRUX, The Platform With The Power To Delete Upon Command.
The easiest and most advanced way to restore control on information sharing, DSTRUX, has recently announced the debut of its cloud-based technology fit for all desktop operating systems. The advent of DSTRUX solves the main dilemma that affects anyone who sends out a document, image or even video. The capability of controlling ownership and track on what is shared online after hitting the "send" button.
CEO and founder of DSTRUX, Nathan Hecht says:"DSTRUX was created for the millions of everyday people and companies who lose control of their images, sensitive documents, files and intellectual property."
DSTRUX will provide its users with the opportunity to maintain control over every sensitive online documents by monitoring the status and location of all the sent files using the home interface. It has become one of the first platforms to not only set up a pre-determined time limit for its recipient that will self-destruct but will also disallow any altering, printing, copying, forward and screenshots of the document without the original senders permission.
Furthermore, the sender is able to control whom the recipient forwards the document to and can restrict access on it any given time. All documents can be shared through the use of any email platforming or even Facebook messenger and there will be no necessary sign ups to be done.
Hecht adds, "We have been programmed to accept a complete loss of control online and the consequences that follow. When files leave a computer for another, there is no telling where they will wind up or how they may be altered. The idea that society has become complacent is mind-boggling and disturbing. Too often sensitive documents and pictures come back to haunt people and companies for simple errors. We want DSTRUX to be a platform that impacts society in both the virtual and real worlds, and I am truly proud of what we've accomplished."
To sign up for DSTRUX, vising the main site, in order to receive the first 3 months of use for gree. DSTRUX will also become available for iOS during May and Android in summer of 2014.


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Creating the costumes for LITTLE MERMAID, Jr. (Middle School version) has been such a fun adventure for our artists at Heartland Costumes.
We love them – we hope you do, too.
Contact us for more details & pricing by visiting our 'Contact Us' page.
We are offering TWO COSTUME PACKAGES for LITTLE MERMAID, Jr. The quality of each is the same, and one is a subset of the other. The costume package that is right for you will depend on your budget, your own costume inventory, and the time and creativity you and your team can devote to costuming.
Our PRINCIPLE PACKAGE includes 30 characters:
- -Ariel (mermaid)
- -Triton
- -Ursula
- -Sebastian
- -Flounder
- -Scuttle
- -Flotsam
- -Jetsam
- -6 Mersisters
- -4 Seagulls
- -2 Seahorses
Our COMPLETE PACKAGE includes the Principle Package plus: 10 "Under the Sea" characters,14 "Kiss the Girl Characters" and 10 "Unfortunate Souls" for a total of 54 characters.
We have been so busy building that we haven't had time to take proper photos. But until then, please visit our FaceBook Page "Heartland Costumes" for informal photos of costumes in various stages of completion. (Note: The costumes ARE all built, we just haven't taken the final photos yet.)
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text:
The fixture on 15 November will be the last at the National Stadium before it is closed for redevelopment ahead of the Commonwealth Games, which are being staged in Glasgow next summer.
The match gives the Dark Blues the chance to gain revenge for the 5-1 mauling handed to them by Jurgen Klinsmann's side in Jacksonville, Florida, last year.
Former boss Craig Levin was in charge for that humiliating display but this fresh test will be a chance for current boss Gordon Strachan to shape his side ahead of the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign.
Scotland have already seen their hopes of qualifying for next year's World Cup in Brazil dashed, but the US have already booked their place at next summer's showcase.
Strachan said: "I am looking forward to playing the USA at Hampden Park in November. While it would be great to be preparing for the World Cup in Brazil, or taking part in the play-offs, this match will give us another opportunity to maintain the momentum achieved with the results and performances against Croatia and Macedonia.
"I have been greatly encouraged by the improvement shown by the squad in recent months and by the unwavering support of our excellent fans. I am sure both the players and the Scotland supporters will look forward to the opportunity to finish the year positively."
Klinsmann added: "The game against Scotland is crucial for us because we have so few games between now and when we name the roster for the FIFA World Cup.
"It's a huge opportunity for the players, and we are excited to play against a team and in a venue that has so much tradition and history in football."
The SFA also hopes to announce plans for an away friendly - scheduled for Tuesday, November 19 - in due course.


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Cliff Asness, Chief Investment Officer at AQR Capital Management, sat down with me to discuss his unique quant strategy. A video and transcript of our conversation follows.
Steve Forbes: Cliff, thank you for joining us. You approach investing with an even more unusual background. Can you first tell us about AQR?
Cliff Asness: Sure. It stands for Applied Quantitative Research.
Forbes: Which already tells you something.
Asness: Yes. It definitely is a quant firm. I do let people believe that I'm the A in AQR on occasion. I'm one of the founding partners but I'm not the A. An easy way to think about what we do is we came out of academia. This is more than 20 years ago now, so we're certainly not academics. But I was a teaching assistant and he was my dissertation advisor, Gene Fama, who just won the Nobel prize.
A lot of what we do, a fair amount original at our firm, a lot of it taken from academia, is to say, "Can we make clients real money with this stuff?" If academics find that this type of stock or this type of currency or this type of commodity wins on average, is that something you'd actually want to bet on, can do in a practical way and what forms can you do it in?
And today we manage about $100 billion. It goes anywhere from very traditional long-only equities, try to do a little better than the benchmark, all the way up to market-neutral, very diversified levered hedge funds. But it all gets down to the same kind of thing. What have we and others found that seems to work over the long term, that we think we understand why it works and can be implemented in a practical way? And not everything can.
Forbes: Isn't it all about probabilities? You can't predict the future, but do you feel you can find patterns that generally hold up?
Asness: It's all about probabilities. And I love that you put it that way. I don't think it's different necessarily for non-quantitative firms. We just might acknowledge it a little more explicitly. But I'm in a business where if 52% of the day I'm right, I'm doing pretty well over the long term. That's not so easy to live with on a daily basis. I like to say, when I say a strategy works, I kind of mean six or seven out of 10 years. A little more than half the days. If your car worked like this you'd fire your mechanic. But we are playing the odds. Some famous findings, cheap stocks, defined simply, price-to-book, cash flow, sales.
You can try to do better, but define it simply. Beat expensive stocks. They beat them on average with a small margin and you want to own a ton of them and be underweight or short a ton of the expensive ones because something like this for one stock means almost nothing.
Forbes: In a moment we'll discuss the seeming paradox of Fischer for that high-risk, low-risk.
Asness: Oh sure.
Forbes: But sum up your philosophy then. That you believe that numbers and study can give you that edge.
Asness: I do believe numbers and study can give you that edge. I think it has to be blended with a fair amount of both economic and common sense. One danger of people who look at numbers, even people like myself, is that you will simply assume what has worked in the past will continue to work.
Forbes: Rear view mirror.
Asness: Rear view mirror. We call it data mining in our field. There are really only two cures for that. Having a real consistent investment theory that even if you see evidence to the contrary it would take a lot for you not to believe that. Like if you believe cheap beats expensive and you find some weird market where for the last, whatever period you could test, expensive beat cheap, it would take a lot to budge me from that. So having a philosophy.
And then what the geeks call an out-of-sample test. In English, "All right, I've tortured the data here. Can I go look somewhere else? Can I go test this in another country? Can I go look at another asset class?" If I told you value and momentum, you're about to talk about Fischer's low beta phenomenon. If I told you we went to go look at bond markets, and pretty exact analogies for these things do help you choose bond markets.
Forbes: Oh, we're talking about bond markets, currencies, bonds.
Asness: Those are out-of-sample tests. That's something you haven't looked at yet. I started my career in 1990 so I'm on 24 years of an out-of-sample test. That was not a particularly helpful one 24 years ago. I was at Goldman Sachs and to tell them, "Here's what we do. Let's wait 24 years and if it really works well, let's pounce." It might have been intellectually honest, but not too helpful. But looking around the world, finding it holds up, take common sense things, a lot of them out of academia, cheap beats expensive. Sadly for pure efficient markets guys, good momentum tends to be a good thing in the short-term.
Forbes: We'll discuss that in a minute. Sort of the investing equivalent of horoscopes.
Asness: Low volatility. Low beta, like you mentioned. And then make sure it works, or at least doesn't utterly fail in a very broad way. And that you can implement it cheaply. It's not a pithy one-line philosophy but it sums it up.
Forbes: How do you defend your approach? Not in the specifics, but the whole thing on indexing. We all know Malkiel and others, Charlie Ellis, will tell you that if you have the discipline to stick to an index, low fees. Your fees are relatively high. Wouldn't you just be better off saving all that brain power and just riding the wave?
Asness: Sure. Off the bat I'll tell you my two investing heroes, and there are a lot of good ones to choose from, are Jack Bogle and my dissertation advisor, Gene Fama. So I can't sit here and put down indexing too much. And in fact when I'm asked, "What advice would you give individuals who are not going to dedicate themselves to this and what not," I tell them, "The market might not be perfectly efficient, but for most people acting as if it is," and this is not the only way to get to an index fund, but it's one route to get to it, it's certainly one route that implies an index fund. I tell them to do that.
Having said that, there are a lot of ways to get here, but there's a central paradox to efficient markets. Efficient markets says you can't beat an index, the price contains all the information. For a long time we've known, academics have known, that somebody has to be gathering that information. The old conundrum: What if everyone indexed? Prices would be wildly inefficient.
So I do take what ends up being an arrogant view, and I admit it, that on average people don't beat the index. Here are the mistakes they make. Here are the risk premiums you can pick up. I do think it's somewhat profitable, and we want to be some of the people helping make the markets efficient and we think you get paid for that. So that is both how I reconcile it and how I sleep at night.
But if an individual came to me and said, "What should I do?" I don't say, "Pour your money into my fund," because, for one thing, they don't know that much and if we have a bad year they won't stick with it. I tell them, "Study the history a little bit, just a little bit, and put it in the most aggressive mix of stocks and bonds that you wouldn't have thrown up and left in the past. And go to Jack Bogle to get it."
Forbes: One of the papers your firm put out had the word which seems to go against quantitative, and that is intuition.
Asness: Yes. Well, intuition, when I say intuition, I think we use that word for the shock value, admittedly.
Forbes: It works.
Asness: As much as intuition I mean common sense. And common sense as it applies to economics. And it does tie in with what we've already been talking about. If you find a non-intuitive, non-common sense result, don't do it. We have an investment philosophy that we apply again and again and again. We don't reinvent it in each place.
Our economic intuition has been, for quite a long time, that cheap things beat expensive. That that can be quite a painful route on its own that could be made more consistent by waiting until they start to get better. That if on top of that you can add low risk and a decent positive carry that's great.
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Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
November is Financial Literacy Month (FLM) in Canada. FCAC is proud to
raise awareness and mobilize organizations across Canada to spread the word
about the importance of financial literacy.
FLM 2014 exceeded our goals for participation and impact. It started
with an engaging national conference, where FCAC launched our new Canadian
Financial Literacy Database and self-assessment quiz. Businesses and
organizations across the country held over 1,200 events to teach the knowledge, skills and confidence to make
responsible financial decisions. FCAC joined in many FLM events and
Stakeholders' and
consumers' engagement on social media also broke records. FLMCanada's Facebook page and #FLM2014 Twitter hashtag have never been more active.
FCAC thanks all
who participated and hosted events in November. Let's now make it a year-round
effort to raise awareness of the importance of financial literacy.
FCAC is pleased to announce the winners of the #FLM2014 My Financial Literacy Selfie contest. Thank you to all who entered.
Explore the Canadian Financial Literacy Database! Find the tools you need to improve your knowledge and skills to make better financial decisions. This is your one-stop shop for information on budgeting, money management, insurance, saving, investing, taxes, fraud prevention and so much more.
**Organizations that want to showcase resources or events in the Canadian Financial Literacy Database can submit them for consideration using the database input tool.**
How do your financial knowledge and skills measure up to other Canadians'? Take the new Financial literacy self-assessment quiz today to find out!
Download marketing and social media materials to promote your activities and to help spread the word.
For more information about FLM or to be added to our contact list, contact FCAC at firstname.lastname@example.com.
You can also subscribe to FCAC's Financial Literacy Newsletter to learn more about the financial education programs, workshops, tools, publications and activities offered by stakeholders from across the country to help Canadians manage their personal finances successfully.


text: by Rev. Irene Monroe — In the past, Oprah has had presidential hopefuls on her show, for example, Al Gore and George Bush during their 2000 bid. By having both candidates on her show, Oprah not only appeared bipartisan but also catered to her audience comprised of both Bush Republicans and Gore Democrats.


text:
Lodging close to National Guard are listed below sorted by distance (closest first). Use our search tools to find cheap hotel rates near National Guard in Carlisle PA for your upcoming individual or group travel.
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text: OCC Cruising Nail Lacquer ($8.00 for 0.50 fl. oz.) is described as "brassy gold shimmer." It is supposed to coordinate with Cruising Loose Colour Concentrate. It's a warmed-up yellow-tinted gold glitter mixed with brassier gold glitter particles. In lower light conditions, it looks warmer, more gold against my skin tone (which has yellow undertones), but under brighter light, it has a brassier look (more like the loose eyeshadow). The color reminded me most of China Glaze Midnight Kiss, except Cruising is the glitter version of it.


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You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'Anti-Choice Zealotry' tag.
An antidote to all the hyperbole and foolishness recently emanating from American fetus-fetish brigade. So, my anti-choice friends, stop wallowing in your gullibility and for *once* try to face the facts of the situation.
Originally posted on Pro Abortion - Pro Life:
Why would anyone want to collect fetal tissue, you may be asking… (By the way, this is not something only Planned Parenthood does as you'll see below. It is perfectly normal and legal, not to mention beneficial to the field of medicine and science. Planned Parenthood has been attacked with false videos, so let's first start with what fetal tissue (not a baby, mind you) is used for. I'll quote from the site I've linked after the video:
"Researchers use fetal tissue to study and develop treatments for diseases and conditions like H.I.V., hepatitis, congenital heart defects, retinal degeneration and Parkinson's."
So much research has been conducted on the highly edited video this extremist anti-choice group has put out proving that it was indeed extremely edited to make it look like Planned Parenthood engaged
in the selling of baby parts. Few issues with this, though. The woman in the below…
View original 350 more words
"If a woman has (the right to an abortion), why shouldn't a man be free to use his superior strength to force himself on a woman? At least the rapist's pursuit of sexual freedom doesn't (in most cases) result in anyone's death." – Lawrence Lockman, Republican and elected official in the United States of America.
Nice to have a handy reference poster to deal with our anti-choice, forced birth friends.
It is amazing the fuck-wittery that metastasizes when you combine religion and anti-choice thinking. I'm so disgusted and anguished over the deceptive practices at these so called Crisis Pregnancy Centers that I'm reproducing the entire article by Caitlin Bancroft written on the Huffington Post Blog. A big hearty frak-you goes out to our anti-choice christian friends. Read on about how the work of good christians in action.
"I wasn't considering abortion. I wasn't considering adoption, or parenting, or childcare. I wasn't even pregnant, and I definitely wasn't scared — at least not at first.
When I volunteered to visit multiple crisis pregnancy centers in Virginia, I thought I knew what I was getting myself into. Crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) are the foot soldiers in the war against women. These anti-choice non-profits pose as women's health clinics then use lies and manipulation to dissuade pregnant women from considering their full range of reproductive options (ie: abortion and birth control).
CPCs use a variety of tactics to lure women into their buildings: they offer free pregnancy testing, are known to list themselves under "abortion" in online directories and search results, and may use misleading names with the hope that women will confuse them for legitimate healthcare providers. Once inside, women are treated to a carefully crafted program of manipulation designed to dissuade them from choosing abortion, birth control, and if they're not married – sex.
In Virginia, there are over 58 CPCs, more than double the number of comprehensive reproductive healthcare centers in the state. Still, most people are unaware that CPCs exist — let alone understand the harm they cause. But I knew exactly what I was up against when I walked into "AAA Women for Choice" in Manassas, Virginia.
At first glance, the center resembled a doctor's office. The waiting room looked like it belonged to a pediatrician, complete with magazines and children's toys. The atmosphere provided a sense of credibility and legitimacy. Under different circumstances, I would have trusted this façade; it would have put me at ease.
After checking in, I was introduced to my "counselor," a conservatively dressed middle-aged woman who led me to one of the back rooms. She sat across from me with some forms on a clipboard I was not permitted to see. Much like the décor, the set-up reinforced the sense of professionalism and expertise. The consultation began with the standard questions: name, address, age, date of last period?
Right as I began to relax, the Q&A took a turn for the personal and invasive. "What is your relationship with your parents like?" "How is your financial situation?" "Have you told the father?" "What is his religion?" "Are his parents religious?" "How many people have you slept with?" "Would your parents be excited about a grandchild?"
As I sat there having my life probed, the purpose of the questions dawned on me. In case the test was positive, my "counselor" wanted to know which tactic to use to persuade me to continue the pregnancy — exactly where my resolve was the weakest. Was there a loving Christian boyfriend who would make a great dad? Did I have kind supportive parents who would be excited by the idea of a grandchild? I knew I wasn't pregnant — knew exactly what she was doing — knew she wasn't a doctor. But my body reacted instinctively to her questions with guilt and shame. It felt like a kick in the gut when she asked if I had told my brother about the baby, and I felt a creeping sense of selfishness as I imagined the door slamming on my shared apartment, my twenties, my life. Would my parents want me to have this child? Would it matter?
The woman stopped between questions to comment on my answers and lie. "Oh, you've taken birth control. Let me tell you how that causes cancer and is the same a medication abortion." I was told abortion would scar me for the rest of my life — would damage all of my future relationships and leave me "haunted." I was told the pill could cause breast cancer, that condoms are "naturally porous" and don't protect against STIs, and that IUDs could kill me. She lectured and lied to me for over an hour before I even received the results of my pregnancy test.
Also interspersed in the deception were subtle judgments of my life decisions. "So you do have some scruples about you," she said at one point, referring to my low number of sexual partners. One of the most disturbing comments came when I was pressed about the sexual experience leading to my visit, the reason I supposedly needed a pregnancy test in the first place. I told her an all too common story of acquaintance rape. I had been at a party, I said, severely intoxicated and unable to consent, "I didn't remember anything… I just wished it hadn't happened." Her response made it clear that the situation was my fault, "Oh so he took advantage of you. Well just don't do it again sweetie; just don't do it again." It made me sick.
It only got worse after a positive pregnancy test. At another CPC (the deceptively named "A Woman's Choice" in Falls Church, Virginia) I could hear two employees whispering before entering my room, plotting strategies to reveal the test results and best manipulate my reaction. When they did finally clue me in, my concerns were casually brushed aside and used as ammunition for their agenda: I could care for a baby with no job, my parents would certainly help, and I could absolutely handle the stress. They even argued that I could be a law student while pregnant: "It will probably be good for the baby," the woman said, "because you will be sitting down all of the time."
At this center and elsewhere, the conversations were always the same. It didn't matter how many times I said that l didn't want to be pregnant or be a mother the CPC staffer would continue to bully me. Their tactics were so blatantly manipulative that I should have been able to fight back. I wanted to have a response, some kind of self-defense. But I couldn't find anything to say. I am pro-choice feminist activist and I often discuss these kinds of difficult and emotionally sensitive topics at work and in school. Yet these women's so-called concern left me defenseless, struggling to find a response that didn't play right into their hands.
The way that these women treated me made one thing very clear: they didn't care about me, my future, my happiness, or my relationships. I was simply a shell that needed to be distracted and kept questioning until it was too late for me to make my own choices, and too late for me to decide if this is what I wanted — or not. I truly can't imagine the pain that CPCs inflict on women who are actually struggling with an unintended pregnancy. I left each CPC feeling humiliated, terrified, and panicked… and I wasn't even pregnant.
I think we can all agree that it is wrong to shame someone seeking guidance. It is wrong to lie to someone in order to manipulate her future. It is wrong to treat women like walking wombs. Yet these tactics are core to the mission of Virginia's crisis pregnancy centers. They advertise to scared women who need help, and they claim to offer unbiased information, guidance, and support to those who need it. But instead CPCs treat women the way they treated me — like disobedient children who need to be schooled in religion and saved from their own decisions. To them a woman is a vessel for a future baby, nothing more.
Ultimately, my undercover CPC investigations allowed me to witness firsthand the cruelty and deception at the heart of the anti-choice movement. As a result, I am even more dedicated to ensuring that every woman has the freedom to make her own deeply personal reproductive health decisions. Surprisingly, I also realized that I agree with Virginia CPCs on one point: when a woman walks through their doors, a life is at stake. But throughout all of my investigations, I was the only one who thought it was mine."
PZ Myers discusses abortion and how asinine the anti-choice positions actually are. From the article Abortion rights are human rights.
However, the equivalence of mother and fetus is an untenable proposition. A mouse has more complexity and autonomy than a fetus, and we don't even hesitate when the choice is between the life of a mouse and a human being. We don't even argue about it. And to argue that a single-celled zygote or even an embryo with a few dozen cells at implantation is anything but a negligible component of any moral equation is utterly absurd. It's a fantasy of the deeply ignorant, the kind of people who think the babies on Pro-Life Across America billboards are actually accurate representations of the age-specific fetus, to think that there's something cute, adorable, personable about a self-organizing mass of cells.
So I have to agree, and think the only reasonable conclusion, is reflected in this memorial to Dr George Tiller, the man murdered by an anti-choice fanatic.
Dr. Tiller listened to his patients, he trusted their decisions, and he knew that the people he was helping deserved his ear and his trust. He treated his patients like people (which really shouldn't be such a radical position but, because of how anti-choicers have shaped the narrative around abortion, it is). He believed that those he helped were more important than the fetus inside of them. That is not a morally-bankrupt position. THAT IS THE MORAL SIDE.
Trusting patients, seeing them as individuals, believing in their abilities to make decisions for their own specific lives: THAT IS THE MORAL SIDE.
Thank you for everything you did, Dr. Tiller. Thank you for everything and everyone you championed. Thank you for risking your life to provide your patients with a safe and legal medical procedure. Thank you for doing so with no regrets, no animosity, no judgement, and no apologies.
You, sir, were a moral man on a moral mission. And I won't forget it. WE ARE THE MORAL SIDE.
Well said. Also, a brief summation from the comments section of that same post which bears repetition; many thanks to mythbri for making clear and concise argument:
This conversation has been had over and over again with other similar commenters here. Is any further evidence necessary to demonstrate that there are non-religious folk who are still anti-choice (even though both of these commenters seem to be in the "I'm pro-choice, but" category)?
Here is why I despise "I'm pro-choice, but" people more than people who are just plain anti-choice:
You are setting arbitrary conditions on my humanity.
Do you understand this? Do you get that I am a person with bodily autonomy 100% of the time. Not just for 20 weeks. Not just for two trimesters. Not even 99.95% of the time.
I am a person (with all the rights that entails) 100% of the time.
That does not magically change when or if I become pregnant, and honestly, it scares the SHIT out of me that anyone thinks that it does.
You know why the anti-choice and the "I'm pro-choice, but" positions are necessarily misogynistic? Because you are making the assumption that there are women out there that are making choice that you don't approve of, and that your opinion of their choices is even remotely relevant or worth respecting.
You think that it's okay for a woman's choice about her own body to be irrelevant. You're okay with the fact that arbitrary "viability" restrictions on abortions DO cause women to have children they don't want. You're okay with the fact that these arbitrary restrictions DO cause women to lose their health or their life. And while you'll probably claim that you're not "okay" with these things, this is the fucking reality of the situation. Okay? Your wishfulness for a perfect legal solution does not magically make this solution the reality, and if you're aware of that and are okay with the collateral damage this causes to some women who slip through this imperfect and wrong system, then I've got nothing further to say to you.
You know why I despise you "I'm pro-choice, but" types? Because I don't see you doing anything to curb the erosion of reproductive rights that we face in the U.S. I see you shrugging your shoulders and saying "That's plenty of time" or "They can always go somewhere else for an abortion."
You know why I despise you "I'm pro-choice, but" types? Because in these discussions, there is barely a smidgen of difference between you and an anti-choice type.
Deal with it.
Make no mistake, the pro-life-forced-birth lobby are advocating slavery for women. Dianne, in a comment on Pharygula, captures exactly the position our anti-choice friends would like to put women in.
Query: Why are they talking about the circumstances of the conception as though that matters? A forced pregnancy is slavery, regardless of the circumstances that led to the pregnancy. In the US, at least, people are never, under any circumstance other than pregnancy, required to give use of their body to another under any circumstance, even to save the life of the other person. Why are fetuses granted more rights than living people?
Hypocrisy is flowing from the anti-choice sites like turds from a overfull diaper. The idea that they are somehow committed to the preservation of life is the weapons-grade bullshite that religious thinking actively promotes. The pious f*cks are equating abortion to the recent mass murder at Sandyhook Elementary School.
How dare you?
You (fetus fetishists) purport to have moral standards and then crassly use the murder of children to further your own anti-woman agenda. I'm certainly glad that religion is such a fine moral compass and guide for behaving as a caring empathetic, human beings.
An image repost, but hey its still amazingly relevant.
So stop, just stop with the "what about the baaaaby" whinging and try to clear your addled cotton-filled heads for one microsecond. Promote your toxic anti-female agenda – go to town (usually church) – awesome, we need exemplars to show how incredibly wrong you are.
But don't use the deaths of innocent people to enhance(?) your attack on women. It is gross and disgusting.


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183 Drive-In
2014 N. Britain Road,
2 people favorited this theater
Showing 10 comments
I saw a double feature there after a brief appearance at the prom in 1981, My Bloody Valentine and Friday the 13th. The Denny's was just to the west and open all night.
The venerable 183 Drive In opened in Irivng in 1950 designed by architect Raymond Smith. The 450-car drive-in theater was a rarity lasting almost 35 years just into the home video era. Irving Mayor Hans Smith co-owned the drive-in with W.P. Gandy at its opening. The owners of the Uptown Theater in Grand Prairie, Mr. and Mrs. Leroy Fischer, then bought the 183 Drive-In and the Irving Theater in November 1959. In the 1960s, Jerry A. Meagher's Meagher Theatres Circuit took on the 183 Drive-In and the Irving Theater, created the Chateau indoor theater, Buena Vista, Park Plaza Drive –In and would take on the unique Texas Stadium Drive-In from McLendon.
The theater may be best known for its role in the 1988 documentary, "The Thin Blue Line" by Errol Morris and real-life trial of Randall Dale Adams. Adams was wrongfully convicted of murdering police office Robert W. Wood and sentenced to die by lethal injection. Adams had gone with another man, David Ray Harris who had stolen the car they were in, to the 183 Drive-In where they watched "The Student Body" and "Swinging Cheerleaders." The investigation would lead to Harris who – in turn – would pin the murder on his 183 Drive-in partner, Adams. There was no doubting the staying power of the 183 Drive-In which closed in 1984 with almost 35 years of ozone service.
My first job of any kind was in the concession stand at the 183. They were showing THE TRAIN. Worked there for a while before transferring to the Park Plaza Drive-In further west. After work at the 183 some nights, my friends and I would come back and break into the concession stand and sit around eating stale popcorn at one in the morning. Master criminals.
The entrance was just north of 2014 North Britain Road (VIP Finance). Drive time's actual address is on East Freeway (where the screen was located).
I remember as a young one sitting on the porch of my boys scout hut facing the drive-in screen in early '70s. This drive-in taught me about exploitation T & A flicks. The Pam Grier prison flicks. The 'Teachers" and 'Nurses" movies. Oh, how I remember those hot flicks, its weird people seeing mainstream films there. I tear up ever time I drive by the location. What memories!!
Today it looks like the lot is occupied by Drive Time Used Cars & J R's Auto Services …. Per Google-maps….
The film: The Thin Blue Line (1988) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096257/ makes numerous references to this theatre
Address should be changed, as current map link takes you to the cloverleaf, several blocks to the west of the Britain Road area.
Theatre closed for good at the end of 1983. Final feature was "Return of the Jedi".
This Drive-in was operating into the late '70's with the entryway marquee on Britain Rd still up into the late '80's-early 90's. My family saw It's A Mad, Mad, Mad world there in 1963 and in 1972, I was a relief projectionist for a night and ran the double-bill of Joe Kidd and Play Misty For Me.


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By Mary-Austin Klein
Uploaded on 15 January 2008
1065 views
Cast resin gears, for what I don't know, but I could have bought one in each size and hue.
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text:
assuage[ə swāj′, a-]
- Assuage is defined as to make better or lessen.
An example of something that a nurse might assuage is someone's pain with the distribution of medicine.
- The definition of assuage is to fulfill the needs of.
An example of something that you may assuage is your need for sleep.
- Assuage means to pacify.
An example something that a parent may assuage is a child's fear of the monster under the bed.
Related Forms:
- assuagement
transitive verbas·suaged, as·suag·ing, as·suag·es
- To make (something burdensome or painful) less intense or severe: assuage her grief. See Synonyms at relieve.
- To satisfy or appease (hunger or thirst, for example).
- To appease or calm: assuaged his critics.
Origin of assuageMiddle English asswagen, from Old French assuagier, from Vulgar Latin *assuāviāre : Latin ad-, ad- + Latin suāvis, sweet, delightful; see swād- in Indo-European roots.
Related Forms:
- as·suage′ment
(third-person singular simple present assuages, present participle assuaging, simple past and past participle assuaged)
Middle English aswagen, from Old French asuagier ("to appease, to calm"), from Vulgar Latin assuaviō, derived from ad- + suavis ("sweet") + -ō.


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Nightlife in San Jose
San Jose Nightlife
The metro area's hottest nightlife has migrated to the Central Valley suburbs of Escazú and Heredia these days. Both are about 20- to 30-minute taxi rides from downtown San José. The capital isn't devoid of places to go in the evening, however. There are still plenty of bars, dance clubs, and restaurants and cafés where you can spend the evening. Take taxis to and from when you go; it's the
safest option if you're out after dark. Most places will be happy to call you a cab—or, if there's a guard, he can hail you one—when it's time to call it a night. Remember that all venues are nonsmoking.
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North and East of Downtown 7
Downtown 3
South of Downtown 1
West of Downtown 1
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Bars/ Pubs 4
Cafes–Nightlife 4
Dance Clubs 2
Music Clubs 1
Themed Entertainment 1
Wine Bars–Nightlife 1
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Gay and Lesbian 2
San Jose Nightlife
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Summary: The Application Support Specialist will be the primary point of contact for users operating within a custom developed merchant record database. Day-to-day activities will include account management, training, and documentation and product demonstrations. Under the direct supervision of the Director of Information Technology, the Applications Support Specialist performs the following duties and responsibilities:
Essential Duties and Responsibilities: include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Experience in supporting business applications in higher education
• Working knowledge of relational databases, in particular MSSQL
• Good hands-on working knowledge of SQL language
• Good working knowledge of the Windows (Windows7, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008)
• Good working knowledge of Excel and Word
• Strong analytical and investigation skills
• Ability to resolve issues in a high-pressure & time critical environment
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Proactive, positive & enthusiastic team player
• Ability to multitask
• Assists in the installation of new computer equipment and performing repair & maintenance tasks on all related systems.
• Assists users in the utilization of database related software
• Assists other IT personnel in the implementation of training programs
• Assists in the design and development of the college telecommunications network
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the Administration
• Assist with Mac OSX issues and applications
Strong verbal and written communication skills are critical for this position. The candidate must be able to offer assistance one-on-one either in person or via phone/email.
Required Education and Experience:
A Bachelors Degree (major or minor in Computer Science), with experience in the higher education environment.
Software Experience:
Microsoft Office 2007, 2010, 2013; Microsoft SQL server; Microsoft active directory; Ellucian PowerCAMPUS and PowerFAIDS; Microsoft Dynamics.
Other Skills:
Analytical and problem-solving abilities and the ability to communicate easily with system users regarding their needs.
Experience and proficiency with the following are required:
Microsoft Office – including Word, Excel and Powerpoint
Submit an Application to:
Sean Bates
Director of Information Technology
100 Alumni Drive
Cleveland, GA 30528
706-865-2134 x 184
For Questions:
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Results: 1 - 3 of 3
Health & Fitness
The best of the worst choices on the beverage cart
Let's be honest. There are times when a bottle of water simply won't cut it. You want something unhealthy from the beverage cart. But not all bad beverages are all that bad. If you're undecided,...
Wednesday, 10/8/2014 at 8:00AM
- keywords:
- Arnold Palmer,
- Ron Kaspriske,
- beer,
- beverage cart,
- calories
Health & Fitness
How many calories are burned walking instead of riding
By Ron KaspriskeFrom time to time the question comes to us at Golf Digest about how much more beneficial is it to walk when playing golf versus riding in a golf cart. The answer: How...
Wednesday, 4/30/2014 at 7:23AM
Health & Fitness
Three reasons to back off of diet soda
By Ron KaspriskeHow bad is soda for you? Forget the calories. Forget the sugar. Forget the general lack of nutrition. All you need to know is that mechanics sometimes use cola to take the corrosion...
Saturday, 4/19/2014 at 8:00AM
- keywords:
- Calories,
- Diet Soda,
- Fitness,
- Health,
- Ron Kaspriske
Results: 1 - 3 of 3


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It's Fall Festival time in Kansas, which means weekends of homespun parades, carnivals, live music, and plenty of family fun that fits in the family budget. These are the festivals in Kansas I know of, but please feel free to let me know about any I may have missed. This list will be updated with links to more information. September 20-22 Sedgwick Fall Festival September 20-21 Valley Center … [Read more...]
2013 Greater Andover Days
The city of Andover, Kansas will be having its annual fall festival this week, September 26-28, 2013. The Greater Andover Days celebration will be filled with food, fun, and family entertainment, with an expected attendance of 5000 people! The festival includes a KidFest, parade, fun run, fishing clinic, car show, pet show, craft fair, food court, carnival, ice cream social, hot dog eating … [Read more...]
Buhler Frolic 2013
Happy 125th birthday to the Buhler Frolic. The town of Buhler, Kansas is celebrating 125 years of frolicking at its annual fall festival on Saturday, September 28, 2013. Buhler, which is northeast of Hutchinson, will be the spot for fall small-town fun this weekend. The Buhler Frolic includes a pancake feed, 5k fun run, parade, live entertainmnt, kids' pedal pull, food and vendor booths, BBQ … [Read more...]
Sedgwick, KS Fall Festival 2013
The Sedgwick, Kansas Fall Festival 2013 opens today, Friday, September 20 and continues all weekend. Friday festival fun includes an ice cream social and live music by Made from Scratch, and continues Saturday with a parade, kids' activities, biscuits and gravy breakfast, bake sale, book sale, the Rod Run and Bike Show, more live music and a street dance, pony rides and a petting zoo for the kids, … [Read more...]
Valley Center Fall Festival 2013
The Valley Center Fall Festival 2013 is this weekend in downtown Valley Center, Kansas. The festival starts Friday at 4 p.m. and goes until Saturday at 11 p.m. Enjoy good family fun, including carnival rides, crafts, music and live entertainment, food, and a parade on Saturday morning. The theme for Valley Center's 52nd annual festival is "Back to Our Future." Find craft booths outside on … [Read more...]
Haysville Fall Festival 2012
This weekend is the 28th year for the big Haysville Fall Festival in Riggs Park. The festival begins on Friday, October 19 with amusement park rides and live entertainment from the Last Chance Rock Band. The fun continues on Saturday with the parade at 9 a.m., lots of activities throughout the day, and more entertainment in the evening with Piper Leigh and Levi Riggs. Sunday is another full day of … [Read more...]
Clearwater Fall Festival
It's Fall Festival time in Kansas, which means weekends of homespun parades, carnivals, live music, and plenty of family fun that fits in the family budget. This week, the town of Clearwater, Kansas will hold its annual Fall Festival, complete with all the classic festival events and a citywide garage sale. The 2012 Clearwater Fall Festival activities begin on Thursday, September 27 with garage … [Read more...]


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South Point woman seeking subject of photo taken by her father in studio
HUNTINGTON -- A local woman is searching for the subject or family members of the subject of a portrait her father took in his Huntington studio, Proctor Studios.
Maxine Slack of South Point has had the photo, along with many others, since her father, Lowell McComas, passed away in the early 1990s. The black and white photo is of a young girl, possibly from the 1950s or '60s, wearing a white dress and holding a small toy car. It's titled "Wistful Miss."
"I've had it for all these years, and I have no idea who the young girl is," Slack said. "I just want to find someone who will appreciate it."
Slack said she hopes someone will recognize the young girl.
"Odds are it would be wonderful for someone to have," she said.
McComas learned photography while in the Navy, then went on to be a photographer at The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, before opening his own studio, Proctor Studios, in Huntington.
Slack said she thinks the photo may have won an award at one time during a state convention. Anyone recognizing the girl in the photo may contact The Herald-Dispatch at 304-526-2788.
The Herald-Dispatch welcomes your comments on this article, but please be civil. Avoid profanity, obscenity, personal attacks, accusations of criminal activity, name-calling or insults to the other posters. Herald-dispatch.com does not control or monitor comments as they are posted, but if you find a comment offensive or uncivil, hover your mouse over the comment and click the X that appears in the upper right of the comment. If you do not want your comment to post to your personal Facebook page, uncheck the box below the comment.


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The Logan Palettes Collection offers pre-cut beveled mats in dozens of colors, sizes and styles. Palettes pre-cut mats feature quality 100% buffered acid free white core mat board.
Family owned and operated since 1974, Logan Graphic Products, Inc. is the recognized industry leader offering a vast line of mat cutting equipment and accessories. The Logan product line offers solutions for crafters & hobbyists, artists & photographers, and heavy-duty products for professional framers.
Key Features
•Pre-Cut Double Mat
•8.5x11" Print Size
•11x14" Outside Size
Reviewed by 2 customers
I have been trying to order this item 4 times and it has never been correct. It is the Logan Graphics Palettes Collection, Pre Cut 11x14" Double Mat with Opening for a 8.5x11" Photo, Colors: Antique White / Maroon. I first ordered it through your amazon store on 3/18/13. I received the wrong item. It had a 9X12 opening instead of the 8.5x11 that I want. I field a claim and received a refund. I ordered it again on 5/13/13 and the same thing happened. I spoke with Sean I. in customer service and he said that the stock numbers were wrong and that it had been corrected. I ordered it again on 7/14/14 and still got the wrong size opening. I called customer service and they assured me that they would have someone double check the size of the opening before sending the item to ensure it was 8.5x11". I just received the replacement and it is once again, a 9X12 opening. Is there any way to actually get the 8.5X11 opening? I am extremely dissatisfied that I have not received the proper item in 4 different instances. I wonder if it is possible to have a real person go to the shelf in the warehouse and measure the opening to ensure I get the item I need. Both your site, and the Logan Graphics company web site indicate that they make one with an 8.5X11" opening. Do I just need to give up and get a refund? Do you know of another vendor that sells the item and can deliver the one I need?
I was disapointed that it took so long for two of my mats to arrive. I have yet to receive them. The quality of the ones I have received are excellent. Unfortunately, I needed all of the mats within 10 days for a photo show.


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Rehabilitation is an integral part of the recovery and treatment of transverse myelitis (TM) patients. The Johns Hopkins Transverse Myelitis Center works closely with the Johns Hopkins Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation to constantly assess and seek effective rehabilitation measures and management.
Transverse myelitis patients are often left with permanent weakness and spasticity, which limits the extent of recovery. Patients often report stiffness, tightness or painful spasms in the buttocks and legs.
The Johns Hopkins Tone Measurement and Biomechanics Lab focuses on quantitative measurements associated with movement disorders. Two of the devices applied are the Lower Limb Spasticity Measurement System (LLSMS) and the GAITRite Portable Walkway System.
What is the Lower Limb Spasticity Measurement System (LLSMS)?
The LLSMS measures qualities of the muscles around the ankle, such as muscle tone.
Lower Limb Spasticity Measurement System
- The subject relaxes prone on an adjustable bed with the tested foot fitted into the LLSMS boot which oscillates across a frequency range for about a five to ten-minute period.
- The LLSMS oscillates the ankle joint in a sinusoidal motion at a fixed range of motion of five degrees.
- A computer measures the muscle's torque response (passive stretch and resistance) as the ankle is moved in the controlled pattern. To ensure that only the passive (non-voluntary and non-reflex) qualities of the muscle are measured, the muscle's electromyography (EMG) is monitored and recorded using two surface (no needles) electrodes.
What is the GAITRite Portable Walkway System?
The GAITRite Portable Walkway System has been commercially available for several years as an economical tool used internationally to obtain quantitative gait parameters.
- The walkway is a thin, roll-up vinyl carpet encapsulating an active grid area of two by 12 to 24 feet.
- The portable pad or carpet lies over a flat, non-slope, solid surface and connects to a laptop with easy setup and operation.
- The minimum testing area is five feet wide by 35 feet long, allowing for a walking assistant, and five foot acceleration and deceleration zones with added turn-around area. Input data includes the gender, height, weight, and right and left leg lengths (used in normalized computations).
GAITRite Portable Walkway System
As the subject ambulates across the walkway, the system captures the relative arrangement, geometry, and applied pressure of each footfall as a function of time and derives objective spatial and temporal parameters along with their coefficient of variation. Data is stored in an Access database and a variety of individual and group analyses and reports are possible along with progress comparisons to self and normal values.
The system can test subjects with or without shoes and allows the use of assistive or ambulatory aids, such as crutches, canes, or walkers. Outcome measures differentiated as right and left include the following:
- step, cycle, swing, and stance time
- velocity
- cadence
- step and stride length
- H-H dynamic base, single, and double support
- toe in and out degrees
- step/extremity ratio
- functional ambulation performance (FAP) score
These measures give quantification of walking speed, stride length, step length, symmetry, base width, and consistency from step to step along with the variability from stride to stride (heel-strike of one side to heel-strike of the same side).


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MMA News
UFC Champ Jon Jones Misses His Friend Rashad Evans
"We trained together and we had good times, but this competition has come between our friendship, which sucks. I do miss being friends with the guy. But it's business, and he's coming after my championship. I've gotta do what I've gotta do. It might be a little awkward punching him in the face, but I'm sure the first time he swings at me, it will get reactionary. I'd like to get to a point of being cordial, but to be friends again is not necessary. There's thousands of wonderful people in the world I can meet. After all that's been said, we can just live our lives. Respect is all that's necessary for me."
UFC champion, Jon Jones recently told Laurence Holmes (via Yahoo! Sports) that he misses his friend and former training partner Rashad Evans.
The two are documented to have one of the biggest rivalries in MMA today, yet Jones now comes out and offers kind words towards his upcoming opponent.
Genuine? Or a bit of verbal warfare going on here? Sound of BJPENN.COM!
Read More: UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans, Jon Jones (News), Rashad Evans (News)
23 Responses to "UFC Champ Jon Jones Misses His Friend Rashad Evans"
Of course it's genuine. Jon Jones is nothing but genuine. Business is business.
Wtf..first he says they were never all that close now it seems like he really misses his friendship hmm
I wonder if he does this on purpose to mess with everybody…That was just LAST WEEK! 😀
yo be real if u had a long list of all the things jones says in interveiws all he does is contradict himself jon jones a beast but he doesnt do himself any favors when he talks he puts on a front every other interveiw i dont like rashad but at least he seems like a real person
i'm w/you on that… jon jones is a talent, no doubt. but the kid needs to stfu or be real for once. i hated rashad before this… but i'm liking him more b/c i hate jones more and i want someone to put a beating on him.
Maybe someone dropped the soap after gym time…? Thats why he misses his bro Rashad
Jon Jones is the man plain and simple. How does he "contradict" himself? Because he doesn't stoop to their level and talk trash? In every one of his fights he's amde his opponents eat their words. Period.
Wow…just wow…we weren't close now he misses him. Please please someone knock this lying poser out already. I'd like him much better if he'd just quit trying to be the nice guy and failing at it…he'd be better suited as a "bad" guy
Few days ago this same jon Jones said they were never that close. I think the Jon jones from a few days ago was the genuine one, this is the JJ trying to mess with Evans' mind.
dont try to make it seem you dont want to fight him. ur baloney.
Jon Jones' fakeness is really irritating. Stop trying to be Mr.Perfect and be yourself and more people will like you. Dude can fight like few others but him trying to hide his arrogance is annoying
Man, it kills me how a lot of these tough ass UFC badasses are also super sensitive too.
Just the human condition my man. I understand what you're saying though.
my opinion is, he is gettin frustrated on how he has become a star, but not a star that everyone loves, ppl are starting to see that hes a fake stooge, aside from him being great at fighting tall at 205 but a fake stooge at that.
you guys are saying youve never gotten in a fight/argument with a friend, said you never wanted to talk to him, then apologized/ started talkin again? hahaha
i bet after the match is over we'll ATLEAST see a handshake
Jones is an asshole. after i heard he wouldn't sign a childs replica belt he lost all respect from me. he is a great fighter but has a shity perona around him for some reason, i dont know if he is just not that articulate when he speaks and comes off as arrogant and cocky or what.
He didn't sign a child's replica belt ?? O the horror !
are you freakin serious??? he wouldnt sign his belt?! wow what a cocky son of a bitch!
Rashad is a great fighter who can't just see the sport as a competition. He gets whiny and says stupid crap to everyone he fights. It's gotten worse lately with Rampage, Phil Davis (seriously that Sandusky stuff was RIDICULOUS) and Bones Jones especially and how that makes him more real than Jones is beyond me. Jones is a little blunt and a little awkward sometimes but he seems like he believes what he says. Besides, it's gotta be tough to manage all these expectations and pressure at such a young age. If you're telling me you've never contradicted yourself or said something you've regretted, you're better than me. He didn't win the belt for being a personal PR master, he won it by beating the lights out of every single person the UFC put in front of him. Lighten up on the Jones hate. Enjoy a transcendent fighter in his prime, because you don't see it every day.
Part of the source of JJ's issues lay in his surroundings professionally. He is with First Round Management which is known for being kinda arrogant themselves, and that's who is "guiding" his career. Then he thinks he needs to go to HW?!?!? Sorry but that would be BAD for his career because he lacks HW power.
thats a shity attitude to have MO. its for the kids man lol.
Jones is a wank stain , stop trying to be Gsp (mr nice guy) . I use to like this fool til he opens his mouth
Haters are such over-emotional whiners. You can have a friend that you enjoy hanging out with and still not be bestest bosom buddies. Jones is a kid, Rashad was a former champion, no doubt Jones liked hanging out with Rashad. That doesn't mean they were in the same knitting circle, crybabies.
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Lesson I'm learning: when my mind feels like it's swirling out of control, I need to take a moment and stop. The swirling means I'm over stimulated. The answer isn't more stimulus via music or some other distraction in my phone. The answer is to just stop everything.
I downloaded Eve's new album Liplock and I love it. I didn't expect to like anything so poppish and Euro-influenced, but I vibe to it. Even the first single "She Bad Bad"–which I thought was awful at first–grew on me. This isn't a review or recommendation, by the way. I have long retired from debating and explaining my likes, so I won't be responsible for you giving the album a listen.
I watched an interview of hers on the Breakfast Club where she discussed the process of creating music as an independent artist. She didn't have grandiose expectations or need to make a huge imprint on the industry again. She did the album because she wanted to. Because she enjoyed the process of recording. She said she let the album happen organically; that she didn't force collaborations. So much of this spoke to the space I'm creating in my life with detaching from outcomes and focusing on the process. It meant a lot to me to hear an artist whose rhymes influenced so much of my adolescence continue to speak from a place I could relate to. To top it off, she seems to be enjoying the hell out of her life.
I've struggled lately with whether I'm an optimist or pessimist, but I'm neither. Both pessimism and optimism rely on expectations and I'm working to release those. If I must be labeled, I'm a que sera sera-ist.
On a suggestion from a Twitter friend, I wrote myself a love letter. I was anxious about it because trying to hype myself up only triggers my self-loathing and creates noise in my mind, but that anxiety is why I wanted to do it. I don't know that I'll ever be able to stop my depressive thoughts, but I can work alongside them. Good news? I pushed through the turbulence and finished the letter. Bad news? It's so corny that it's damn near unreadable. But hey, at least I did it.
"That's one thing I know, you don't know shit." I saw this in an argument this week and cracked the hell up laughing. I'm waiting for an opportunity to say this to someone.
I had a real "old bitch in the club" moment last Friday. Not that I'm too old to go out and turn up, but there is a scene in Cleveland that I've aged out of. Provided great memories for my 20s, but it's time for something new.
Y'all. Mad Men had a storyline during Sunday's episode where Don Draper played out a dominant/submissive scene with his mistress that was sexy as hell. I still don't know if I could execute the dom/sub thing, but I crossed and uncrossed my legs several times during the episode.
The Heat are in the Eastern Conference Finals. Pray I can stay Zen about it. #GoHeatOrWhatever


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The Universal Notebook: Confessions of a helicopter parent
You should have seen my daughter Tess when I mentioned to her not long ago that when Robert Peary, destined to become the great Arctic explorer, graduated from Portland High School and went to Bowdoin College, his mother rented an apartment for them to share in Brunswick.
Tess looked stricken as the color drained from her face.
"You're not going to move to Brunswick!" she declared.
"Well, with Brunswick Naval Air Station closing, there are going to be a lot of good real estate deals," I replied, stringing her along. "And it might save us some money on room and board."
Poor Tess. As the youngest of our three daughters, she's essentially been an only child since Hannah and Nora went off to college and out into the world in 1999 and 2001. On the plus side, she's moved in on her older sisters' room and possessions. On the other hand, she's probably been smothered by my attention.
Though I hate to admit it, I have been something of a helicopter parent, one of those protective, involved fathers and mothers who is always hovering nearby, ready to help out whenever necessary (or unnecessary). It doesn't help that Tess is the athlete of the family, either. Hannah and Nora warned her years ago not to play any sport that dad could coach (such as softball or basketball), but she didn't count on dad becoming the secretary of the local soccer boosters and manager of her premier soccer team.
I have tried not to live vicariously through her athletic accomplishments in soccer, track and lacrosse, but it's hard to say where paternal pleasure and pride cross the line into cathartic over-identification. As I have said too many times, there is nothing I would rather do than watch my daughter play. Her speed and grace and beauty never cease to amaze me.
Tess worries that, both because I've been so involved in her young life and because I often write for the Bowdoin alumni magazine and frequent the Bowdoin library and museum, she'll have to be looking over her shoulder all the time for the Old Man. So I have taken an oath not to show up on campus next fall unless she has a soccer game. Even then, I plan to be less conspicuous than I have been in the past, pacing the sidelines, following the action, unable to relax unless or until a game is clearly in hand.
When Tess goes off to college in the fall, Carolyn and I will be left alone here at home with the dog and the cat, empty-nesters disconnected from the Yarmouth schools after 22 straight years. Around graduation week, a lot of folks started asking me how it felt to have all my girls grown, was I looking forward to having them all out on their own? Absolutely not.
Frankly, I do not understand – more to the point, I do not approve – when some parents talk enthusiastically about their new-found freedom as empty-nesters. No more school functions to attend, no more games to watch, no more being tied down by the school calendar. But there's nowhere I want to go and nothing else I'd rather do. I love it when the girls are home. I like their friends. I like having young people around. I'm not looking forward to the freedom to be alone at all.
Though I was 32 when our first daughter Hannah was born, I don't remember what it was like not to have children in my life. Or maybe I just don't want to remember. It wasn't all that great. I love being a father. I love watching children play and grow.
So, I'm pretty sure you'll still find me on the Yarmouth sidelines next year, watching and cheering other people's daughters as they play and grow. It'll probably be a relief not to be so heavily invested in the outcome, but it won't be the same.