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"We could feel alone when we were together, alone against the others. It has only happened to me like that once." --Ernest Hemingway
I never meant to become that girl
I never meant to become that girl. You know the one I'm talking about. The other woman who…who flings herself between otherwise perfectly happy relationships and wreaks havoc. You know. That one.
I never meant to fall in love at first sight, either. I mean, I always believed that stuff was nonsense. Love was…a concept invented by Hollywood in order to sell tickets to their generic romantic comedies. Love like that had no place in real life.
At least, that's what I believed until the day I met Brody Williams.
"Hemingway is the best band I've ever heard live, Liz. I mean, most bands are horrible live, but they sound just like their CD. You're going to love them." The show hadn't even started yet, and my best friend was already trashed. The vodka in her plastic cup sloshed over the rim. I didn't say anything about how much she was spilling. The less vodka that made its way into Melissa's mouth, the better.
"I'll take your word for it, Melly. Here. Let me take that." I plucked the cup from her wildly gesturing hands. Seeing nowhere to set it down, I threw it to the back of my throat and coughed.
"You drink my drank! I mean, you drank my drink…" Melly dissolved into giggles. The man behind her turned in surprise as she leaned back against him. "Hi," she cooed to him.
"Sorry," I apologized for her, taking her hands and tugging her away from him as the corners of his mouth tugged into an interested smile. "You're pretty much wasted, Mel. Let's take a breather."
"Okaaay." She trilled, her voice getting lost by the sudden screech of a guitar on stage. "Look! Look, Lizzie! They're starting!"
Indeed, the show was starting. The house lights dimmed down, and as if all prompted by a silent cue, the crowd around us thronged towards the stage. I dug my heels down and keeping a firm grip on Melissa's hand, and we managed to not get swept away. Pushing backwards, I found a quiet corner by the bar that still offered a good view of the band fiddling with their instruments on stage.
The same silent cue that had caused the mad rush towards the stage also had caused a hush to fall over the crowd. Even Melly had stopped babbling and leaned docilely against my shoulder. Her golden hair tickled down my bare arm. "They're starting," she crooned softly once more.
I patted her hand absently; watching as the lead singer stood up from poking at his amp and curled his fingers around the microphone like it was made of glass. He looked up, and my heart stopped. My fingers tightened on Melly's.
"Mmm? What's wrong, Liz?" Melly stirred from my shoulder and looked up at me. I ignored her. The lead singer's dark eyes were now piercing through the smoke and the crowd, and I couldn't look away.
His lips curled into a little half smile, and I knew he wasn't looking at anyone else but me. I knew it. I smiled back. Then, someone stepped past us, blocking my line of sight. I pushed forward, fighting for another look, but the moment was over. He was looking out over the crowd.
"Hey guys, we're Hemingway. This first song is called White Elephants. Hope you like it." Then, he strummed a couple chords, and began to sing. Then I understood the strange effect that had fallen over the bar. The lead singer could have been an angel, if angels had lip rings and bright red hair.
"Oh, Mel," I breathed.
"I know. The bassist. He's gorgeous."
"No. Not him. Him." I gestured absently, not caring whether she understood me or not. I couldn't even focus on his words or their music. I just watched him the entire set. Sometimes he whispered. Sometimes he screamed. Sometimes, he sang so sweetly, I was positive he had to be an angel. It was then the band sounded best—hard, clashing instrumentals with that angelic voice. It was like poetry set to music.
"He keeps looking over at you, Liz." Melly whispered in my ear, three songs later.
"Yeah," I answered. Every time his eye met mine across the room, my breath caught in my throat.
The set lasted two more songs, and then it was over. The house lights were brightening, and I could see the entire front row of fans were girls. The lead singer was smiling down at them, screwing the top back on a water bottle as he talked. I felt a pang of jealousy, and then, confusion. Why would I be jealous of a guy I had never even met? This was insane.
"Come on, Mel. I'm done. Let's go home." I looked over at her, but her eyes were glued on the black-haired bassist.
"No. Not yet."
I sighed, following her gaze. Melissa always inevitably found some tattooed member of a band to take home with us. Her long blonde curls and big blue eyes ensured that.
She must have heard my sigh. Her elbow dug into my side. "Elizabeth. You need to lighten up and have some fun once in awhile."
"But I have—"
"—class tomorrow, I know." She scrunched her nose at me. "Stop rubbing in the fact that you actually care about school."
"Fine, fine. I guess we can stay a little longer." I leaned back against the bar, shifting to avoid the damp spot on the counter. Melly beamed, her teeth white against her pink lips and threw her arms up in the air. The motion caused her to nearly topple over.
"Whoa," two pale arms encircled her waist—steadying her on her feet. She looked back and smiled at the bassist of Hemingway. Of course he wouldn't be able to stay away if Melly had made eyes at him.
He smiled back. "Hi."
"Hi!" She breathed back, her blue eyes big.
"Hi," I mimicked softly under my breath, wrinkling my nose, but they weren't paying any attention to me. They were feasting on each other's faces. I sighed and turned away. Melissa was always in her own world when she met a new boy. Hopefully, this new development wouldn't mean that I would be stuck here until five in the morning like the rest of the bar rats. Last time she fell in love, I ended up falling asleep in a corner booth while the new lovebirds made out in the bathroom.
"Hi," I heard behind me. I froze, turning back to face where the angelic lead singer had joined Melissa and her bassist.
I opened my mouth say something brilliant and witty, but the first thing I thought of was something I had read the other day. "Did you know that Abercrombie & Fitch was indirectly involved in Hemingway's death? They used to sell—"
"She means 'hi' back!" Melissa explained helpfully, both her arms already around the bassist's neck.
Chewing on my lip, I forced myself to look up at his eyes. On the stage, I had thought they were dark brown, but this close, they were actually navy. They made his bright hair even brighter—flames shooting out of his scalp like a halo. The dark green and black striped shirt didn't quite reach the waistband of his faded jeans. I could see a glimpse of pale hipbone.
"Hi," he said again. The silver lip ring glinted. I couldn't look away. "And, they used to sell guns. Hemingway, the writer who wrote about a materialistic, lost generation, used to shop at the same store that the current materialistic, lost generation—" He trailed off then. I had been studying his face with such rapt attention, maybe it was intimidating. He had just vocalized the exact subject I had written my last paper on.
"Hi," I finally responded. The room was getting louder, and I had to raise my voice to be heard. I couldn't think of anything else to say.
He said something, but several girls nearby started shrieking in laughter. I shook my head, tapping my ear. The same fingers that had curled so tenderly around the microphone ran down my arm to grab my elbow. The metal of the lip ring brushed my ear. "I'm Brody."
A shiver went down my back. "Elizabeth," I responded, putting my lips close to his ear. We both smiled.
"Can I buy you a drink, Lizzie?" I liked how he called me by my nickname without asking.
"God, yes, buy her a drink!" Melly giggled. "And buy me a drink. Let's all buy drinks!" She squirmed in the bassist's arms.
I couldn't tear my eyes off Brody's. Without turning his head away, he held up four fingers to the bartender. The bartender must have known Brody's preferred drink of choice because several seconds later, we were all holding four shot glasses in our hand.
"To us!" Melissa crowed happily, holding hers up in the air. I should have been worrying about how much she was drinking, but Melissa and her rampant alcoholism was the farthest thing from my mind.
"To us," the bassist agreed, slipping his arm around her waist and smiling indulgently at her.
"To us," Brody said, in an intimate way I knew meant Melissa and the bassist were excluded.
"To us," I replied, smiling at him.
I was in love.
Ironically enough, when I walked into the small coffee bar inside the campus bookstore, he was curled up with a copy of "The Sun Also Rises" on a battered arm chair.
That's when I started believing in fate.
The butterflies frantically beating against the walls of my stomach made me slightly nauseated as I made my way towards him. He gave me that half-smile. "Hey."
"Hi," I said, still slightly amazed. "What are you doing here?"
He shrugged, his thin shoulders rising and falling in a helpless gesture. "I'm an English Music double major. Poetry classes help my lyrics." I must have still been staring. His elbow gently dug into my side. "What are you doing here?"
"I go here!" He raised a brow. "Well, obviously." I blushed. "I'm an English major as well." We were silent for a moment, looking at each other. Finally, I ventured, "What's a famous rock star like you doing still in college?"
He looked pleased. "We're not famous."
"You seemed pretty famous last night." Just until a few hours ago, people I had never talked to were buying us rounds of shots dedicated to the 'genius that was Hemingway'."
Brody shrugged again. "Eh. We just have a big local following. But, one day…" We fell silent again. I couldn't tear my gaze from his eyes. I had never seen such dark eyes that still managed to be blue.
Coffee in the morning turned into lunch in the afternoon that turned into the leisurely walk back to my apartment. He didn't seem surprised to find Brian the bassist just waking up on the couch. "Hey, man." Brian was coherent enough to slap palms with Brody.
"Dude," he replied. I never could figure out how guys could pack so much meaning into one word. I didn't even try to understand.
Melissa wasn't home from work yet, and in the back of my mind, I reminded myself to berate her for letting a stranger stay in our apartment alone. Brody's hand landed on my shoulder suddenly before trailing down to the small of my back. I tried to hide the shiver. "We gotta get out of here." His navy eyes bored into mine. "I'll see you Wednesday after class?"
All I could do was nod. Every time he looked at me like that, I felt incapable of articulate speech. I chewed on my lower lip instead and nodded.
He looked at me for another minute before tugging me against his chest. I scarcely had time to slip my arms around him in response before he was pulling away. "See you, Liz."
Then Brody was gone.
Brody seemed to have been perfected the art of the quick escape. He did it often when we were hanging out before, between, and after our classes. His phone would buzz; he'd check his messages and curse, and then kiss my forehead. Then he'd leave. It was stupid to feel angry, I reasoned to myself. It wasn't like he was my boyfriend. In fact, despite seeing him nearly every day for the past three weeks, Brody had offered no evidence that he was interested in me that way.
Yes, there were the intense staring matches, and the way he touched me without thinking, and the scraps of poetry-covered paper he'd tuck into my notebooks, but there was nothing concrete. Some days, after he'd jump up from the table and leave, I was positive I had imagined every meaningful look and touch.
Then, after we had known each other for a month, he invited me to come to another one of their shows at Fort Orange, a local bar. Melly had enthused all night as she primped, mostly about seeing Brian the bassist, but also about the fact I was actually going out on a school night. She gave me one of her skin-baring tops and did my makeup. I felt pretty, which was sometimes a hard thing to do when someone beautiful like Melly was my best friend.
I only saw Brody for a moment before the show started. The stairs for the stage were in front of the bathroom. On my way out, I ran into him. He'd grinned at me, pulled me into a hug, and then pressed his lips against mine.
He tasted like cigarettes and vodka with orange juice. The kiss seared through my body and warmed me to my toes. Then, before I had realized what was happening, he'd pulled away and stared at me with those eyes. "I'm glad you came." Then, he made a quick escape up the stairs onto the stage to greet the roar of approval from the crowd.
Slightly stunned and very wobbly, I'd made my way back to Melly. "What's wrong?" She demanded, clutching my shoulders. "Are you sick?"
All I could do was shake my head. My fingers rose to my lips, and my eyes rose to the stage. He was staring at me again, grinning before looking away.
The show was as intense as the first one I'd seen. Hemingway had a very distinct sound, and Brody had a very severe voice. It so raw with emotion, it almost hurt to listen to some of the choruses. I wondered if they would ever be able to find a market for what they produced—it was far from mainstream, but almost too out in left field for even the hardcore music fans to appreciate.
Maybe Hemingway was an acquired taste because I found myself more emotional after the end of the second show than the first. Melly was actually speechless. "That's the best I've ever seen them play. Wow." She looked up at me. Her blue eyes were bright. "Did you sleep with Brody?"
I goggled at her. "No." My cheeks burned. "No." I said again.
Melly arched a brow at me. "Right. Well. Whatever you're doing to him, keep it up." We both turned to look at the band members, who were interacting with the fans in the very front. The jealousy I had felt last time was absent. I felt secure in the fact that Brody and I had something special. Something that wouldn't get stolen by a random groupie.
And then, I saw a small brunette sidle up to him and wrap her arms around his waist. The same hands that played with my hair and cupped my cheek and caressed the microphone slid around her for a quick embrace.
I chewed on my lip. Melly made an indignant sound at my side. "Who the hell does she think she is?" She looked at me. "Go claim your territory, Liz. You're much hotter than she is." She nodded encouragingly, like that was the only thing I had to worry about.
It was fortunate I hesitated. Brian found his way to Melly and kissed her soundly before following our gaze. "Who's that, Bri?" Melly asked innocently, her eyes on Brody and the brunette.
Brian followed her gaze and shrugged easily. "That's Sophia. Brody's girlfriend."
I hadn't stayed much longer after Brian's announcement. Surprisingly, Melly had insisted on leaving Brian and coming home with me. I was suddenly thankful for the large cabinet of liquor Melly kept fully stocked. I mixed a White Russian into a chipped coffee mug, and gulped it down. I had used to drink White Russians as a teenager. It calmed me down.
I must have drank too much too fast because the next thing I knew, I was waking up in Melly's bed with a pounding headache and sandpaper eyes.
I ended up being twenty minutes late to the group Brody and I had joined to study for finals. I had ignored all the texts Brody had sent to me all night and morning, asking where I was. Instead, I slid into my usual seat quietly, opting to leave the big black sunglasses over my eyes.
"Hey," he whispered.
I smiled blankly in response. I didn't know what to say to him.
"Are you okay?" he whispered again, leaning in so his lips were on my ear. I always felt like melting when he did that.
I nodded, not trusting my voice to speak.
I could feel his eyes on my face, but I stared determinedly straight ahead for the remainder of the review. The minute we had finished dissecting the authorial intentions of Chaucer in Wife of Bath, he was reaching and pulling the sunglasses off my face. "What's wrong? Tell me."
I winced at the sunlight flooding in through the window behind us. "I'm fine. Honestly," I croaked, trying another smile. He stared at me until I felt forced to say more. "I just had a long night, you know?"
"Where did you go? One minute, I saw you in the back, and the next you were gone." He kept craning his neck, trying to catch my eye. I resolutely pretended to organize my notes.
"I just went home. You played a good show, by the way." I didn't know what to say. On one hand, I could have completely misread everything. The kiss could have been because he was tipsy and filled with adrenaline, and the meaningful looks could have come from his intense personality. It wasn't like we had any claim on each other. It wasn't like he wasn't allowed to have a girlfriend.
I didn't want to bring all this up and then risk losing his friendship. Once I had experienced Brody, I didn't want to not have him in my life. Having Brody as my friend outweighed having Brody think I was crazy for imagining a whole new layer of meaning between us.
Thankfully, the comment about the show distracted him, and he began to dissect each moment into the good and the bad. We walked to the café where we always ate sandwiches for lunch, and the conversation kept flowing like normal.
I felt confused, but mostly I felt stupid. Brody and I were just friends. That love-at-first-sight nonsense was just that. Nonsense.
Over the next few weeks, the story about Brody's girlfriend came out in bits and pieces. The only time Brody ever mentioned her was accompanied by a string of curse words and a fair amount of eye rolling. I learned from Brian that Brody and Sophia had been dating for three years. I also learned that they had a very unhealthy, very volatile relationship.
"Why are they even together, then?" I'd asked Melissa one day, who was relaying all the information she got out of Brian.
"Well, apparently she has one of the mental illness crazy people kind of things. Bipolar? Brian says she takes medication for it, but sometimes she's really bad. Curses Brody out and stuff. For no reason! Crazy, I know."
I had chewed on my thumbnail, deep in thought. Melissa had continued. "And, Brian says that Sophia hates Hemingway. She calls the band the 'other woman' in Brody's life. She rarely comes to shows."
"But Brody loves music. It's his life."
Melly shrugged. "Well, Sophia doesn't agree."
I'd flopped back on Melly's bed, staring at the ceiling where she'd tacked a poster of Justin Timberlake. I idly wondered how Brian was able to sleep with her when he woke up to that every morning. "Brody never really talks about her. When he has to, he always seems angry and closes the subject as quickly as possible."
Melly grabbed my arm suddenly. "Oh, my god! I can't believe I forgot to tell you this! Sophia's dad got mugged and murdered a few years ago! Brody helped her through it, and they've been together ever since!"
I rolled to my stomach, propping myself up on my elbows. "Mel, that's a pretty huge piece of information to forget," I chided her.
"I'm sorry!" Her blue eyes were huge, begging for forgiveness. "But, that's what Brian said! I swear."
"So, he's with her because he feels like she'd fall apart without him," I decided out loud.
Melly nodded. "That has to be the reason. I mean, Liz, you're so much prettier than she is. And, you're nicer. And smarter. And you love the band. And you're not a psycho. I say that the deck stacks up in your favor." She smiled brightly.
I tried to smile back. "I guess. You're a good friend."
If Brody thought my finding out he had a girlfriend affected our relationship, he didn't mention it. In fact, we got closer as the weeks went on. A day rarely went by that I didn't at least talk to him on the phone about something.
"I just don't think I deserve to be happy," he sighed one day as we sat in the grass outside the Fine Arts building. His head was resting on my legs.
"Of course you deserve to be happy. Everyone does," I responded, leaning back against a tree and taking a bite of the grilled cheese we'd bought at the café.
"Yeah. I don't know." His teeth clacked against his lip ring. "I mean, look at me and Sophia. Sometimes, I pray that the band gets signed and we go on tour so that I have an excuse to break up with her."
I froze, the melted cheese lodged in my throat. Swallowing hard, I searched for an intelligent response to extract from amidst the maelstrom of emotions inside me. "Well, Brody, what's holding you back from just…breaking up with her now? Why do you have to wait to go on tour?" I suppressed the notion that suggested I was a horrible person and taking advantage of his confidence in me. Even if I wasn't romantically interested in Brody, I still would have offered him the same advice, I reasoned to myself.
He shrugged, reaching out to take the grilled cheese from my hand and bring it to his mouth. "I don't know." Chewing thoughtfully, he looked up at me. "Your hair is beautiful in the sunlight. It reminds me of the way the sun falls on the leaves during autumn."
"Thanks," I managed to say before his eyes left mine and returned to the clouds.
The night Brody and I slept together wasn't different than any other night they played. Like always, Hemingway had elicited screams and whistles and shouts for an encore. The manager of the bar had asked them to come back and play on a regular basis.
Sophia had shown up that night with an equally short blonde friend. She'd sat at the bar with her back to the stage and drank the entire time, before finally turning to look at her boyfriend when he appeared behind her.
I watched her start yelling, and I watched his eyes focus on a spot above her head. She'd reached out and shoved his shoulder before storming out, and I felt my heart break for him. He looked miserable. After such an amazing performance, he deserved to be celebrating their success and not agonizing over what he did wrong in their relationship.
Perhaps I had been emboldened by the four Blue Mooons I'd imbibed, or perhaps the desire to see him be happy overtook my capacity for rational thought.
Either way, I followed him out the back entrance to where the band's van was parked and watched him light a cigarette.
"Hey," I said softly, hungrily looking at the contours of his face illuminated by the fleeting match light.
His shoulders relaxed at the sound of my voice. "Hey."
I went to his side and leaned against the wall next to him, standing so that our arms were touching. "You were amazing tonight."
He took a long drag of his cigarette, and then exhaled slowly. We watched the smoke swirl until it disappeared. "Yeah. It was a good show."
We stood there in silence, watching the smoke until there was no more. Then, I'd put my hand on his and pulled until he was facing me. "Brody," I began, almost hesitant.
His navy eyes bored into mine. The glow of the exit sign glinted off his lip ring. "You saw, didn't you." It wasn't a question.
I felt his embarrassment at the scene they'd created inside and dropped my eyes in response. I nodded. His hands slid up my arms and then back down again in a familiar gesture. "I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologizing?" The hands stopped and cradled my face.
"Because…" I trailed off and shrugged. "I don't know. You're such an amazing person, Brody. You deserve better than…that." I gestured in the direction of the bar.
Brody leaned down and brushed his lips against the side of my neck in response. He hadn't kissed me since the night I'd found out about Sophia.
Lost between a sign and a moan, I found his hands with mine and pulled him to the back of the van. It was empty. The band hadn't loaded their things up yet. "Liz—" he began as he ran his hands underneath my Hemingway band shirt and slid under my bra.
I silenced him by pressing my lips against his and slipping my hand into his black pants.
After what happened in the van, Brody began to sleep over several nights a week. Sometimes, we would spend the entire day together before coming home to light a few candles and make love. Other nights, he would slip in bed beside me after I had already fallen asleep and kiss my shoulder until I woke up to return the sentiment. Sex with him was better than anyone else I had ever been with—I was no Melly with her innumerable conquests, but I wasn't a prude either. I'd had my fair share of boyfriends.
Being with Brody was different, though. Besides being insanely attracted to him physically, we connected on such a deeper level. Our friendship didn't change when we started sleeping together. In fact, it grew stronger. We almost never ran out of things to talk about, and when we did, the silence we sat in wasn't awkward, but comfortable. I felt safe telling him all my dreams for the future—about one day editing my own magazine and moving to Europe. He talked about his hopes for the band, and what the album cover would be, and about the new songs he was writing.
"I've never written a love song before," he declared one day as we lay in a sweaty, tangled heap.
I pressed my nose against the curve of his neck. "Why?"
"Well, wait. I lied." A hand stroked my leg. "I did write one for Sophia once. On her twentieth birthday, I went to her house and stood in her yard to play it for her through the window." I chewed on my lip, wondering whether he knew I hated talking about her.
"That's nice," I said into his skin. I wished he'd write me a love song.
But love songs were too public. Sophia would know that it hadn't been written for her, and despite all the time Brody and I spent together, he was still her boyfriend. I never came right out and asked why he didn't want to break up with her. I guess I didn't want to nag him. I wanted him to feel peaceful and content when he was with me. Not pressured and forced to make decisions.
Besides the stolen kiss here and there, Brody and I didn't touch each other in public. When I went to his shows, his eyes would bore into mine from the stage while he sang, and sometimes his hand would brush mine as we drank.
Sometimes Sophia came. Most times, she didn't. When she did come, they fought, and it was awkward for everyone involved.
Things got much more awkward the day Brody and I had planned to go to a neighboring city to hand out press kits to bar owners and promote the band. I had been looking forward to this for weeks—being in a different town meant we could hold hands and be affectionate in public.
My phone woke me up. "Hi, babe," I said groggily into the mouthpiece.
"Hey, Lizzie," he said. He sounded odd.
"What's wrong?" I asked, sitting up in my bed.
"Well, about today…"
My heart fell. Was he canceling? "Yeah?"
"Sophia wants to come."
I blinked incredulously. I couldn't keep the disbelief out of my voice. "Your girlfriend wants to come with us on a day trip?"
He sighed heavily. "Yeah. I know."
I chewed on my thumbnail. "You guys should just go." The urgency of protecting Sophia from finding out, despite my intense hatred of the girl, seemed to have been transmitted from Brody to me.
"No. I wanted to go with you," he said stubbornly.
"Yeah, well, is it worth a huge fight with her?"
"I told her that you were my friend, and I was going with you whether she came or not." I inwardly winced at the title he'd given me so easily. "So, she's coming."
"Brody," I said patiently, like I was speaking to a three year old. "I'm not going on a trip with you and your girlfriend, especially if we're spending the entire time wanting to sneak off and have sex. That is fucked up."
Brody was silent for a minute. "I really want you to come. She's…she's been asking about who you are. Apparently, she knows you come to every one of our shows. She thinks we're more than friends..."
I switched from gnawing my thumb to biting my pinky finger. I knew what he was asking, but I didn't want to give him the ease of me saying for him.
After a moment, he sighed. "I just can't break up with her, Liz. Not yet."
"When, then?" I shot back, suddenly annoyed with him.
"I don't know. She's been doing so well in therapy lately."
I snorted. "Yeah."
Another minute of silence. "I'll break up with her soon. I promise. Just, I can't…not right now. Please, baby. Please come."
I couldn't resist the pleading in his voice. "Fine."
At first, meeting Sophia wasn't as horrible as I thought it would be. I was engrossed in a crossword puzzle when they approached the bus stop. "Hi, Elizabeth," he said. I blinked at his use of my full name. He'd never called me that.
"Hi, Brody. Hi." I nodded to her, smiling brightly. "I'm Lizzie." I extended a hand towards her. She looked at it for a long moment, before shaking it. Her brown hair skimmed her chin, and her green eyes were heavily lined.
"Sophia." Her voice was small. She reminded me of a mouse. It was unsettling to think of that tiny voice screaming such loud expletives.
I wondered if she would scream those expletives now, if I smiled calmly at her and said, "I'm fucking your boyfriend." A thrill of guilty pleasure shivered through me, and I dropped my eyes to smile at the newspaper.
The bus had been almost full. There was one seat left, which Brody had insisted Sophia and I share. I chatted politely, dividing my attention between Sophia and my crossword puzzle. I tried to not even look at Brody. I knew that whenever my eyes met his, I could never look away.
An hour later, we'd made it to the city. Brody walked with Sophia, and I walked ahead, prattling on about the weather and the city. I talked to fill the silence. Sophia responded with terse one-word answers or not at all, and Brody shot me pained looks.
I began to regret the decision to come out here more and more. But, I had a purse-full of Hemingway CD's, and I was determined to hand them out to as many club owners as possible. Since I had known Brody, I'd been to every show Hemingway played, and I felt as concerned about their success as they did. The boys had even started referring to me as their official PR girl.
We'd finally found the first club of the list on my piece of notebook paper, after getting lost for ten minutes. "We're here! Finally!" I grinned at them, breathless.
They were both looking at each other, obviously not hearing a thing I said. "Just fucking shut up, Brody. God," I heard her hiss under her breath.
I blinked and swiveled around to gape at them. His eyes met mine for the first time all day, and the usual electricity between us crackled. Then, it fizzled, and he looked back at her. "Liz, we've got to go."
"Excuse me?" My hand was on the metal handle of the door.
"I—ah—we—I have band practice." His lip ring clacked nervously against his teeth. Sophia was looking out at the traffic.
"Brody. We just got here. We have six more clubs to go to." My hands found my hips. I'd actually skipped classes to come out here today. I never skipped classes.
Brody's ring clacked faster. "Yeah. I'm sorry. I forgot we had practice early today."
He was such a shitty liar. "Brody. We just got here," I repeated it again, shocked.
"Liz. I'm sorry. I'm such an ass."
"Brody. Let's go," Sophia broke in. She started walking back towards the bus stop.
I raised my eyebrows at him. "Are you serious? You're leaving?"
He looked at me, and then back at her. "I'm sorry, Lizzie. I can't let her go by herself in the city. We'll just go another day. Come on." He turned to leave.
"No?" He stopped.
"No, Brody. I'm not going. I'm going to hand out these fucking CD's like we planned."
His navy eyes softened. "Liz. Don't stay in the city by yourself."
"I'll be okay. Unlike your girlfriend, I'm a big girl. I can handle myself. See you, Brody." I went inside the club.
"Hey, guys. Sorry I'm late." Brody grinned as he plopped down in the chair beside me and across from Brian and Melly. "Wow. Did you make this, Lizzie? It looks great." He reached forward to grab a drumstick. "I love a woman who cooks."
I tried to not smile at him as he tore into the chicken. Even though it was almost like he had said he loved me, I was still angry at him.
"So, Brody, how many press kits did you get out the other day?" Brian looked up from his plate.
The drumstick hovered halfway between the table and his lips. Brody looked up slowly. Melly shot me a pointed look, but I shook my head quickly. I had told her the whole story after getting back late that night, but I had sworn her to secrecy.
"Uh…I don't…ah…" Brody looked over at me.
I shrugged. "Five. The last place was locked, and I couldn't find a way in."
"Yeah," Brody said, nodded. There was a tense moment.
Brian looked between Brody and I. "Okay. What's going on?"
I shrugged again, looking over at Brody. I wasn't going to say anything. Brody looked back at me, and then after an intense moment, he put the meat down and cleared his throat. "Ah. Well, I didn't stay."
"You didn't…stay? Where?"
"I left early," Brody looked uncomfortable.
Brian pushed his blonde hair behind his ear. "You left early? Dude. Then how did—" He looked at me, and then shook his head. "You left Lizzie there?"
"Uh…I didn't leave her…"
"Dude. You left Lizzie all by herself in the city?! You're a douche."
"I'm not a douche!" Brody shot back. "Sophia wanted to leave."
"Fuck Sophia," Brian snorted. "Why would you abandon poor Lizzie?"
The table had gotten very quiet. Melly was staring at Brian. Brian was staring at Brody. Brody was staring at me. I was staring at my plate. As much as I had wanted this conversation to happen, I felt embarrassed now that it was actually taking place.
"Uh…well. I figured…shit. Well, I mean, I could either have Sophia get pissed at me, or Lizzie, and, ah, Lizzie's kind of a nicer person than Sophia." He grinned at me. I ignored it. "I mean, she's a lot more forgiving because she's an awesome person!" Brody finished like he had just paid me a huge compliment.
"You're a douche," Brian repeated. "Wow."
My cheeks burning, I stood up. "I have to…go…water my ficus." I left everyone sitting at the table, and went into my room—shutting the door quietly.
Oh, god. Was it really that bad? Was I really that…easy to disregard? I flopped on my bed, burrowing my face into the quilt my grandma had made me for my freshman year of college.
I couldn't do this much longer. I loved him. I did. I felt closer to him than to any other person on the planet. I just wanted to make him happy, and I knew he wasn't happy with her. He couldn't be. All he did was talk about how horrible their relationship was and how he couldn't wait to be done with it.
But I couldn't do this much longer. Here I was, waiting around for something that I might never get to have. I felt a spark of anger ignite inside of me. Why wouldn't that bitch just break up with him and be done with it? Why did she insist on holding on to something that obviously wasn't working? She was selfish, and it made me even angrier.
The door creaked open quietly. Brody's fiery red hair peeked in through the crack. "Hey," he said cautiously in his angelic voice.
My heart pulled towards him despite my anger and frustration. "Hi," I avoided looking at his magnetic eyes.
He crawled onto bed with me, slipping his arms around my waist and maneuvering my head onto his chest. "I'm sorry, Lizzie," he half-sang to me, running his fingers down my neck. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay," I heard myself answering in a small voice. He leaned down and breathed a chorus into my ear, his red hair falling softly across my cheek.
I couldn't do this much longer.
Turns out, I didn't have to. A week later, Hemingway was booked to play a huge show at the State Theater—one of the bigger venues in our area. They were opening for a band who was actually signed and had a fan base, and it was going to be a great boost to their career. Bands didn't just play at State Theater. Bands got signed at State Theater.
State Theater had been the second club on my list that day in the city.
I carried a proud glow that bubbled into my smile all night. I had dressed especially careful—I'd let Melly do my makeup again and bought a new dress (navy, to match his eyes) and even put hot rollers in my hair. Walking into the club with Melly and Brian and seeing the crowd of people drinking and waiting in front of the stage made my heart flutter with excitement.
Brian turned to me—both guitar cases in his hands swinging around and almost hitting someone nearby us. "Thanks, Lizzie. We never would have been here without you."
I shrugged modestly, but I couldn't hide the proud grin. "Where's Brody?"
Brian shrugged, flicking his head to get his blonde bangs out of his eyes. "I dunno. He said he had to stop and pick something up."
"Mmkay. I'm gonna go get us a round of drinks."
"Drinks!" Melly giggled, linking fingers with me and following me to the bar. Even though boys in bands carried a bad stereotype of being big partiers, Brian had actually been good for Melissa. If he wasn't playing a show, he liked to just relax at home. Melly only went out when Brian went out, which meant she had cut back on her drinking big time. I was glad it hadn't spiraled into a bigger problem than we could handle.
As the time for their set to start came closer, I began to feel a little flutter of apprehension pierce my happy glow. Why wasn't Brody here yet? It wasn't like him to be late…
Then, he appeared on stage with the rest of the guys, adjusting his mike stand and grinning out at the crowd. The stage lights hit his hair and made it glow like a flaming halo. My heart skipped a few beats. His eyes found mine, and we were locked in the familiar old stare down. Finally, he smiled again before beginning to introduce the band.
I leaned back against the bar with Melly vibrating with excitement at my side. I loved Hemingway. I loved their shows, and I loved singing along with every song. I felt like they were my band, and I felt so jealous for their success.
That's why I was surprised to hear Brody say into the mic, "I'd like to share a new song with you all." The people in the crowd who loved Hemingway like I did began to buzz excitedly. I leaned forward, confused. I hadn't heard about this, and Brody always let me read the new song lyrics when they were written.
"It's about a girl," he said with his half smile. The women in the crowd all sighed in one accord, and my breath caught in my lungs. Brody didn't write songs for girls. He said so himself. "I owe her a lot. She's been there for me for a long time."
Melly's hand squeezed mine in excitement. "Lizzie! It's about you! It has to be!"
But, Brody's navy eyes weren't glued to mine. They were looking somewhere else. My stomach twisted. I followed his gaze franticly. They were fixed on a brunette head. I didn't need to crane my neck further to see to whom he was speaking.
"We've been having a rough time lately, but I know that love can do anything."
I grabbed my purse and fumbled for my keys. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't stay here. I couldn't hear this. As I pushed my way through the crowd, I saw Melly gesturing wildly to Brian, throwing her hands in the air and yelling "What the fuck?!" I couldn't help but see that he looked just as confused as Melly did.
"I love you, Soph. This is for—" I made it outside the minute I heard the guitar fumble a few notes before starting. The tears, mercifully, had waited until I was outside to fall. I stumbled into an alley blindly, sliding down against the brick and holding my head in my hands.
Melly threw her arms around my shoulders and squeezed tightly. "He's a bastard, Lizzie. He's a dick. A douche. Oh, honey." She crooned a stream of comforting phrases, but I couldn't make out any of it. All I could see was Brody's navy eyes looking at her and not at me.
It was over.
Brody called me seven times that night, and then five more times the next morning. I finally turned my phone off. I didn't want to talk to him, and I didn't want to see him. I was done.
Brian came over the next afternoon and apologized. He said that when they had practiced, he had no idea the song wasn't for me. They hadn't even thought to question the lyrics. I had been polite, but I didn't really want to talk to Brian either.
The last thing I wanted was for Hemingway to take sides over something like this. Even though Brody had broken my heart, I still loved the band. I believed in the music. Any friction between the members would be friction in the music.
"You won't talk to him, Lizzie? He's not eating…" Brian looked awkward, running his hand through his blonde hair.
I shrugged and went back to studying. If I didn't think about it, it would be okay. I just needed time to get over this.
It was hard, though. I had talked to Brody several times a day. He was my best friend after Melly. I was so used to having him in my bed and heart and life that it was hard to return to normalcy.
But, if being with Sophia was finally making him happy, then I guess I was happy for him too.
I had lost more than Brody though. I had lost Hemingway, but I had also lost my optimism. Before Brody, I had thought love and romance and the like were silly things for naïve girls. It smarted to know I had been one of those naïve girls for too long.
Time passed. I met a nice guy who worked at a bank, and we had a nice time whenever we were together. I liked him a lot.
Then, one day, Melly came home with a strange look on her face. I sat up on the couch where I had been making out with Peter moments earlier. "What's wrong, babe?"
"Uhm, I just talked to Brian." Brian and Melly had decided to break up a month back, but oddly enough, were still good friends. "Hemingway got signed. They're going on tour."
"Oh." I hadn't thought about Hemingway or Brody for at least eight hours, and that was a new record. Maybe time really did heal all wounds. I was starting to like Peter more and more. Brody was fading away like a ghostly memory.
"Hemingway? Like the author?" Peter didn't know about Brody because I didn't count Brody as a real boyfriend or relationship.
We both ignored him. My eyes couldn't look away from Melly's face. She smiled sympathetically. The apartment grew silent for a moment before I tried for nonchalance. "So, that's good. Everyone's happy?"
"Yeah. They are." She looked awkward talking about this in front of my new boyfriend.
"Hm. Good," I turned back to Peter, who was waiting quietly with his big gray eyes. "Let's go back to my room?" I put my hand on his leg and smiled.
He grinned back. "Yes, ma'am."
It's funny how fate works. Maybe my life was more like a romantic comedy than I thought. Only, things didn't seem that comedic. Perhaps it was more a romantic tragedy. Brody called me the next day, only he had apparently gotten a new cell phone number, so I wasn't able to ignore it.
"Lizzie, don't hang up." He still sounded like an angel.
I surprised myself by answering. "Congratulations, Brody. I heard about the record deal."
"Yeah. Well, it's thanks to you. The exec who signed us actually heard us the first time at State Theater. He came to a few more shows before giving us a deal. It's small, but whatever."
"You gotta start somewhere," I replied mechanically.
A long period of silence. If Brody were here, I knew his navy eyes would be boring into mine. "So, did you hear we're going on tour?"
"Oh? That's nice." Then, I realized what was coming next.
"I broke up with Sophia."
"Mmm. Good for you."
I didn't want to deal with this. Brody had fucked me over—fucked my physically and mentally and emotionally. He had taken advantage of me again and again, and I had let him. Peter was such a nice guy, and I knew he was head over heels for me.
"Brody, I'm happy for you. Really. Look, I have to go."
"Lizzie, come with me."
I stopped mid-hang up. "Come with you where?"
"On tour. You always were there for me. You always believed in us. In me." His voice sounded pleading. "I need you. The shows haven't been the same without you there."
If Brody had said the same thing to me three months ago, I would have caved and already been on the way to his house. But, because fate is a bitch, Brody had realized he needed me right when I had gotten over him.
"Brody, you don't want me. You want your muse. I'm sorry. I'm seeing someone else."
"Lizzie, please, I—"
"Brody, I can't do this. I'm sorry." I hit disconnect before I could stop myself before staring down at my phone in shock.
Peter poked his head in the room then, grinning and pushing his black hair out of his eyes. I stared at him for a long minute.
"Hey, Pete, did you know that Abercrombie & Fitch was indirectly—"
"Honey, I'm starving. Let's go grab some Thai."
"Oh. Okay."
I never meant to become that girl. You know the one I'm talking about. The other woman who flings herself between otherwise perfectly happy relationships and wreaks havoc. You know. That one.
I never meant to fall in love at first sight, either. That stuff is nonsense. It's a concept invented by Hollywood in order to sell tickets to their generic romantic comedies. Love like that has no place in real life.
At least, that's what I believed and how I lived my life until the day I met Brody Williams.


text: It's no secret that I adore autumn. There's something about the change of season that instantly puts me in a cozy, creative, happy mood. Some might look at fall as a time of hibernation. But I seem to come alive during these months. True, fall in Southern California differs completely from fall everywhere else—we're still getting temps in the 80s and 90s (100 on Tuesday. Come. On.) And yet, I've Continue Reading

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Kendo is part of the Adidas AZX project that brought together the most elite boutiques from around
the world. This is Kendo's first sneaker collab and it's a hottie in a dope colorway of purple, grey and turquiose. The LA boutique represents the "K�? and they were the only women's shoe represented in the entire collection. It's crazy how shoe companies just disregard half the population! THIS JUST IN: Ladies Love Kicks too! At least the boys from Kendo represented for the ladies. Hopefully, they'll get some ladies representing for ladies soon The shoes released yesterday and are available at Kendo.
Similar Posts:
- New Arrivals at Kendo
- Claw Money x Nike x Kendo LA!
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text:
The Information Technology Infrastructure Library is coming to America; early adopters say it's a friendly invasion!
Read the article>>
CIO Index is the world's largest professional network for CIOs - of the CIO, for the CIO, by the CIO.
Over 75,000 CIOs and other IT Executives use CIO Index to Learn, Network and Share.
Cioindex, Inc.


text:
Metalunderground.com Official Podcast, Episode 16: A Hat Trick Of Reviews
Band Photo: Arch Enemy (?)
It's a review-o-rama this week on the Metalunderground.com Official Podcast! Your co-hosts Kevin Perez (n0thinghead) and Mike Smith (OverkillExposure) treat you to a whirlwind of reactions to three very different new metal releases - but not before Kevin reminds you of our ticket giveaway for DevilDriver at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale, June 18th. Interested Florida residents should tune in for details.
First order of review business: the self-titled debut of eclectic supergroup Killer Be Killed, featuring Max Cavalera (Soulfly), Greg Puciato (The Dillinger Escape Plan), Troy Sanders (Mastodon), and Dave Elitch (ex-The Mars Volta). This review is mainly Kevin's bag, with a few cents from Mike on some of the distressing "metal hipster" comments on YouTube.
Next, Mike takes over to rave about Arch Enemy's hotly anticipated tenth studio album "War Eternal," the first to feature new guitarist Nick Cordle (ex-Arsis) of Charlottesville, Virginia fame (Mike's proud hometown) and vocalist Alissa White-Gluz (ex-The Agonist) of Montreal, Quebec. As far as Mike is concerned, this is some of the band's strongest material since the classic "Wages Of Sin" [2001] and is a must-buy release of 2014.
Finally, with heavy hearts, Kevin and Mike tackle the unpleasant burden of dissecting the new Mushroomhead album "The Righteous & The Butterfly," which both confirmed fans sadly agree constitutes the band's weakest material to date - a major letdown after a four-year wait and the hyped return of beloved vocalist Jason "J-Mann" Popson. However, they do their best to look on the bright side, though it is admittedly a struggle.
Tune in here, enjoy, and don't hesitate to offer us your feedback.
What's Next?
Please share this article if you found it interesting.
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Jessica Springs Parcel N
10.0 acres - $58,900
Down Payment: $1000.00
Monthly Payment: $597.40
This property displays two extremes: on the one hand, it has this building sort of thing, which is so poorly constructed that we consider it a liability to the price rather than an asset. Even if the photos we've included don't discourage you from the idea that this is a place you can fix up and live in, let me be clear: it isn't. You can't.
That is, while it may be physically possible, like the notion of spending the winter in a tent, it's likely not going to be the romantic episode you anticipate. We see more and more people living very comfortably in very small homes that don't cost a lot more than this shack did. There are more and more people living very easy-going lifestyles in converted portable-buildings. This building, on the other hand, is junk. Use it for storage, then tear it down in a few years.
With the shack out of the way, this parcel of land is exceptionally beautiful, the kind of woods where you'd expect to meet gnomes and fairy princesses, and if you're more impressed by material reality-based assets, it has a modern, deep well of the sort for which you might expect to pay $6-7,000 in cash.
The land is a ten-acre square, 660 feet on each side, which you find at the end of a densely-shaded access road running through a deep arbor of overhanging trees. The north side of the property is partly cleared for the electric easement. That's where the building and well are located. The building has been constructed on a glade area that tends to seep water along the surface of the ground year-round. It's a sort of pretty area to observe, but not a good one to build in. Below this are many small glades and some enormous rock outcroppings, and these give way to big hardwood-timber as you walk down the gentle southern slope to the south boundary.
When you see it, you'll agree that it's a gorgeous forest to build in, with water and electricity already in place.
All these photos were taken on Jessica Springs Parcel N.
Here's what the parcel looks like in winter. This photo was taken January 30, 2017.
- 10.0 acres estimated
Legal Desciption:
JESSICA SPRINGS PARCEL N: All of the Southeast Quarter of the Northeast Quarter of the Southeast Quarter of Section 17, Township 25 North, Range 12 West
- We will pass Fee Simple Title to the purchaser conveying 100% of the ownership of the property including all timber, mineral and water rights. We own this property free and clear of all tax liens, judgments mortgages or other encumbrances. As purchaser, you are not assuming any existing liens. We will record a Warranty Deed to the property in your name after you have made six monthly payments.
- The Parcel is accessed by a private road the maintenance of which is the responsibility of the homeowners. This road leads to Douglas County Road 253, which leads to State Highway 14.
- Water:
- There is a rotary-drilled deep well on the property which was drilled around 2008.
- There is a rotary-drilled deep well on the property which was drilled around 2008.
- Electric:
- Electrical service crosses the parcel. Howell-Oregon Electric Cooperative, West Plains, MO 65775, (417) 256-2131 provides electricity to the property. Electrical hook-up is free to permanent residences; however charges could change at any time.
- Electrical service crosses the parcel. Howell-Oregon Electric Cooperative, West Plains, MO 65775, (417) 256-2131 provides electricity to the property. Electrical hook-up is free to permanent residences; however charges could change at any time.
- Telephone and Internet:
- Telephone and internet services are provided to the property by CenturyLink 1-800-201-4099. http://www.centurylink.com/
- Telephone and internet services are provided to the property by CenturyLink 1-800-201-4099. http://www.centurylink.com/
- Septic:
We do not provide any means of sewage disposal for these properties. Being in a rural area, the most common methods of sewage disposal are by individual on-site septic tanks, however composting toilets and out-houses are permitted.
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has given general approval for this usage of this site for individual sewage treatment systems.
Septic systems must be constructed in accordance with County and State standards, and you must obtain permission from the Douglas County Health Department, 603 NW 12th Ave Ste C, Ava, MO 65608 (417) 683-4174 to install a septic tank. The average cost of a septic tank and drain field is $3500.
- Gas:
- Propane gas is available from local dealers.
- Propane gas is available from local dealers.
- Mail Delivery:
- Mail is delivered to County Road 253. To establish a mailbox there, contact the postmaster at the Gentryville Missouri Post Office.
Deed Restrictions:
These five restrictions apply to all of our older locations.
- No buildings shall be constructed closer than 100 ft. from a roadway or 30 ft. from a boundary. (This may be adjusted in certain locations.)
Explanation: buildings placed closer can cause situations that interfere with road maintenance and utility transmission.
- No refuse, debris, unused building materials nor derelict vehicles shall be allowed to collect on the premises.
Explanation: piles of junk are not only unsightly, but tend to spread to adjoining vacant parcels. Dead cars and junk make it harder for us to sell adjacent properties, or for you to sell yours.
- You may keep whatever livestock or pets you wish so long as they are not allowed to create a nuisance to neighboring land owners.
Explanation: this probably means that if you want to keep pigs in the most common fashion, you need a parcel of at least 5 acres with a back corner located away from anyone else's home. Lots of barking dogs may also cause you problems depending on the size of your parcel and how you locate your facilities.
- No parcel shall be further subdivided.
Explanation: you may build more than one residence on a single parcel, but you may not deed away a part of the parcel to someone else.
- All wastewater treatment facilities shall be constructed in accordance with applicable state water quality standards.
Explanation: if you plan to construct an in-ground septic system, it must meet state standards. We find that the typical state-approved septic system will cost upwards of $3,000 for labor and materials. Additionally, the state says that any septic system on less than three acres be built to Missouri Department of Natural Resources specifications. Parcels of 5 acres or greater are virtually unrestricted. Since they do not endanger the ground-water, composting toilets and outhouses are not restricted.
- $75 (estimate)
Building codes and/or permits:
- Douglas County does not issue building permits and no building codes are in effect. The County Health Department must approve your septic system.
Driving Directions to Locate Jessica Springs Parcel N:
From Springfield, go to Mountain Grove, take Hwy. 95 south to Hwy. 14 then take that east to #14-253 where you will turn Left. Jessica Springs is 6/10 mile north on #14-253. The road leading to the parcel will be the second private drive to the right after you turn off of the pavement. Note two identical large, grey mailboxes opposite the entrance.
GPS Co-ordinates at the parcel:
Lat. 36.844838°
Lon. -92.277467°
(SW Corner)
Lat. 36.844414°
Lon. -92.275242°
(SE Corner)
Lat. 36.8465918°
Lon. -92.275148°
(NE Corner)
Disclaimer: These directions are accurate to the best of our knowledge but cannot be guaranteed. Visit this property at your own risk, we are not responsible for accidents.
Buy This Parcel
10.0 acres - $58,900
Down Payment: $1000.00
Monthly Payment: $597.40
- No Down Payment. Just make the first monthly payment and we'll have a contract package on it's way to you.
- You get a Warranty Deed to the property after six months' timely payments.
- 9% simple interest: 180 months to pay.
- No penalty for pre-payment in any amount, at any time.
- 15% discount for cash.
Initial and subsequent payments may be made online by credit / debit card, or by mail. *
Please read the directions carefully.


text:
Passionate about innovation, New ideas, Fresh outcomes and perfection, multimedia guru, my background has given me hands on experience in all facts, General Multimedia: Interface design, Graphic design, 2D/3D animation, Web design, good level of understandings in development, I am enthusiastic about exploring opportunities, self paced, always up to date and looking to learn more each day.
- A creator and brain storm.
- Solution finder quick & fast.
- Adaptive person, fun to work with.
- Can work long hours. persistence to perfection.
- Self motivated to far more domains that covers technology.
Elie Kattar
- Lebanon Keserwan
- +96170396183
- [email protected]


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Here at Adobe Montessori, we are rooted in the principles laid out by Maria Montessori, an Italian physician, scientist, and eventual educator from the late 1800's. The style and philosophy of early to mid-childhood education has become renowned worldwide, with more than 22,000 schools adopting aspects of her developmental work, now present in more than a hundred countries. Here is the first part of her story:
A child of a mother who came from a family of wealth and prestige, and a father who was a Ministry of Finance official, Maria was born in 1870, and was reared firmly as a Roman Catholic. Due to her family's prowess and prominence, Maria was given the rare opportunity for a female to receive an above-average education, and she excelled. She won many achievements, and was given even rarer access to attend an all-boys engineering school when she turned 13.
Her continued scholarship allowed her the opportunity to attend a technical institute based on Leonardo da Vinci's teachings, and her hard work eventually granted her the opportunity to apply to attend the prestigious University of Rome. Although she eventually garnered entrance to the university, Maria's application was originally turned down simply because she was a woman. She was unfairly required to take and nearly ace several additional high-level courses…which she did.
After an arduous application and proving process, she gained entrance to the school. By this time, she had decided to change her focus from mathematics and engineering to medicine. Despite new subject matter, she rose to the top of her class, and graduated in 1896. She had earned nearly perfect marks, and won several prizes and even authored a few well-respected research writings to her name. Upon her graduation, she entered the field of doctoral academia…
The next part of her story continues in the next Adobe Montessori blog, entitled "Maria Montessori: Her Career"


text:
4 Ways to Engage Managers with HRMS Self-Service
If you want the optimum return on your HRMS self-service investment, you need your managers (at all levels) to be using it as part of their everyday working lives. As well as accessing, maintaining and utilizing their own personal data and thereby role modeling system use to their teams, managers should ideally be leveraging the information that is now directly available to them to make more informed and insightful decisions.
HRMS manager self-service can, as a minimum, allow managers to juggle people data and create reports without the need for HR intervention; they can handle certain transactions – including authorizing pay raises, promotions, approving leave requests, and changing employee data – directly; and they can be more involved in classic HR functions such as performance management, succession planning and onboarding. Put simply, HRMS self-service should help them do their jobs more effectively. The key is to encourage your managers to 'self-serve'.
1. Emphasise the Benefits
It's the classic engagement question: what's in it for me? Well, the answer for HRMS manager self-service and your managers will almost certainly include: improved accuracy of people data; faster transactions and people processes; less administrative interaction with HR staff (no offence intended to those in HR); better real-time decisions on matters such as scheduling; preset alerts and flags will prompt timely management action; and reduced overall people management costs (especially compelling for senior managers and leaders with budgetary responsibilities).
2. Help Them Achieve Better Manage Performance
On a day to day basis, priorities shift, schedules change, rotas are re-shuffled – in other words, your managers are engaged in a constant dance, balancing necessary outcomes and available resources. HRMS manager self-service talent management and personnel records options can give those managers much-needed direct access to people data, including location, availability, deployable skills and knowledge, and so on that makes for much more informed decisions and therefore more efficient workforce management. In the longer term, the same data combined with compensation data can be folded into better strategic succession planning.
Recommended Reading: HRMS Self Service - 6 Steps to Success
3. Offer the Right Metrics
One way to convince your managers of the value of HRMS manager self-service is to offer them genuinely useful metrics and measures that demonstrate the ongoing usefulness of the system. Use the following data to prove that self-service is worth using: track the volume and speed of key transaction types; break down the split of time spent on transactions (HR time vs. management time) both before and after the introduction of self-service; track HR case volumes (and speed of throughput); compare error rates and data quality pre- and post-implementation; and quantify where possible the hard cost savings to the organization.
4. Engage Managers in What Comes next
Like any technology, HRMS manager self-service does not stand still. According to the latest Towers Watson HR technology survey, 36% of respondents implemented and leveraged manager self-service in the last 18 months. As new self-service functions become available, engage your management team at all levels in the process of keeping your HRMS up to date. In other words, ask them what new bells and whistles would help them do their jobs and then do something about it.
Featured white papers
HRMS Self Service - 6 Steps to Success
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Where your HR team could cut time spent on admin to focus on strategic goals.


text: I need help setting up QoS such that it lets me get optimal ping in games while LIMITING ALL P2P/Streaming for everyone else. I am the only person that games regularly, and everyone else just browses/p2p/streams. I've tried most of the QoS setups on this site to no avail. At the very least, I need a way to limit the program, Thunder5. Thanks!


text:
- Lubricants[10]
- Other Consumer Electronics[1]
- Connectors[10]
- Terminals[1]
- Other Electrical Equipment[10]
- Cable Clips[8]
- Cable Ties[10]
- Other Wiring Accessories[2]
- Insulation Materials & Elements[10]
- Electronic Data Systems[3]
- Brackets[1]
- Packaging Label[5]
- Lightning Rod[4]
- Other Security & Protection Products[2]
- Safety Gloves[10]
- Antennas for Communications[7]
- Fiber Optic Equipment[2]
- Repeater[4]
- Telecom Parts[1]
- Contact Person : Mr. Zhou Xiaodong
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Premieres \
Download Thee Oh Sees' Volatile Velvet Underground Cover 'European Son'
From the forthcoming tribute album, 'Velvet Underground and Nico,' due via Castle Face and Universal November 6 on limited, banana yellow vinyl
"It's always a little threatening to take on material I consider perfect as is," says Thee Oh Sees frontman John Dwyer. "The only rule being, don't fuck it up." But in covering the Velvet Underground's "European Son," the "perfect material" in question, Dwyer and his San Francisco garage-punk crew never came close to fucking anything up at all — their faithful contribution to the forthcoming, Castle Face-helmed tribute Velvet Underground & Nico is every bit as volatile as the original. "I thought it was a great closer for that album," he says of the song, coda to the legendary New York outfit's 1967 debut LP. "I figured I could ride the noise-wave pretty far on that particular tune." He definitely does. Hear it for the first time below.


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It will go down as one of the most damaging storms to hit New Jersey in a century, if not in recorded history.
But before Hurricane Irene takes its place in the record books, it has more misery to sow.
The state's rivers, swollen by Irene's relentless downpours, began spilling their banks Sunday, inundating backyards and basements, major highways and downtown streets. Many waterways were still rising, suggesting the worst is yet to come.
Even as 1 million displaced residents began streaming back to their homes along the Shore, tens of thousands of people began evacuating inland flood zones, a vast expanse stretching from the state's northeast corner to Trenton.
The number of homes and businesses without power, meanwhile, multiplied by the hour, at one point reaching 923,000. Sunday night, Gov. Chris Christie said that figure had been reduced to 775,000. Utilities warned it could be more than a week before the last customer is hooked back into the grid.
Transportation, too, is a continuing challenge. All NJ Transit rail service remains suspended today, with the exception of the Atlantic City line, running from the resort to Philadelphia. Bus service will run on a limited weekend schedule.
"If you don't have to go to work tomorrow, don't go to work tomorrow," Christie said last night, noting the Trenton train station remains under 4 feet of water. "(Monday) is going to be a very difficult day to travel around the state of New Jersey."
In Washington, President Obama likewise addressed Irene's lingering dangers.
"This is not over," Obama said, addressing the nation from the Rose Garden. "The impacts of this storm will be felt for some time. And the recovery effort will last for weeks or longer."
Irene, downgraded after it left New Jersey from a Category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm, was centered off the coast of New England on Sunday night, steadily weakening and heading for the North Atlantic. During its four-day journey up the eastern seaboard, it battered 13 states, killing at least 23 people.
In New Jersey, floodwaters swept a 47-year-old man to his death in Kearny and drowned a 20-year-old South Jersey woman trapped in her car.
A 39-year-old Wanaque man out for a walk with friends lost his footing and fell into a fast-moving stream, where he died. In Edison, a 74-year-old man died of a heart attack in his flooded basement, authorities said.
Also, an Orange man working at the US Postal facility on Harrison Avenue died Sunday morning when he tried to walk to safety after his car was disabled in flooding and he plunged into a drainage canal obscured by the flood even though a coworker dove into the water and tried to save him, officials said.
Ronald Dawkins, 47, a supervisor at the US Postal facility at 1200 Harrison Ave., was found dead hours later about 100 yards from the spot where he was last seen, and his death is believed to be the only one in Hudson County caused by Hurricane Irene, officials said.
For every death, there were scores of rescues.
In Cranford and Springfield, state and local police used boats to pluck people from swamped downtown streets. In flooded Manville, authorities used two boats and an ambulance to rescue a woman in labor.
In community after community, officials and residents said the flooding spawned by Irene was among the worst they had seen.
Pompton Lakes Mayor Kathleen M. Cole called the damage to her Passaic County borough "catastrophic in some areas." All of Fairfield, in Essex County, was under an evacuation order as the Passaic River rose. As employees distributed sandbags, township Office of Emergency Management Director Bill Smith said the river is likely to crest tomorrow.
"We haven't seen water like this for the last 100 years," Smith said.
In Middlesex County, "every town has something flooded," said John Ferguson, the county's emergency management coordinator.
Major boulevards turned into streams, low-lying side streets into lakes.
"We've never seen anything like it," Somerset County Emergency Management Director Doug Vornlocker said of the many street closures.
Fourteen areas of New Jersey, chiefly in the northern counties of Morris, Bergen and Passaic, experienced major flooding, including a half-dozen that have — or are expected to — set records.
The Rockaway River at Boonton above the reservoir reached 9.26 feet yesterday, well above the 5-foot flood stage and obliterating the old record of 7.2 feet, according to the National Weather Service. The river at Boonton below the reservoir reached 9.12 feet late Sunday afternoon, besting the record of 8.3 feet. The river isn't expected to return to below flood stage until close to Wednesday.
Records have been or were also expected to be set by the Pompton River at Pompton Plains, the Assunpink Creek at Trenton and the Millstone River at Blackwells Mills, in Somerset County.
Bound Brook, the community hit hardest by Tropical Storm Floyd in 1999, was flooding Sunday even as the Raritan River continued to climb. Sirens wailed throughout the day, signaling the perils to come.
Because of flooding or damage, courthouses in Passaic, Morris, Mercer, Union and Burlington counties will be closed today. Several other courthouses will have a delayed opening.
Christie last night said some 5,000 people remained in shelters, down from 15,000 earlier in the day. That number could climb again as evacuations in flooded areas continue.
State climatologist David Robinson said Irene is likely to go down as the second-most damaging storm in New Jersey history, after what he called the "Great Flood of 1903." The flood, in October of that year, was spawned by a powerful hurricane weeks earlier.
Christie, who viewed the damage caused by Irene during a helicopter tour yesterday, has declined to suggest what the storm will cost beyond saying it's likely to run "into the billions."
Irene dumped as much as 14 inches of rain on the state, with most areas seeing 6 to 10 inches. The downpours contributed to what Robinson said would be the wettest August on record.
Because of the saturated ground, trees toppled by the thousands, blocking roads and downing power lines.
For one Howell resident, the sound of falling timber became all too familiar as Irene swept through.
Six trees fell on Jim Jones' Adelphia Road property. One tumbled onto his Hyundai, denting the roof and cracking the windshield. Another crushed his Chevy Lumina, likely totaling it. A third tumbled onto the back corner of his house.
"Thank God no one is hurt," said Jones, 49. "Now I'm hoping insurance comes in and does the right thing. I'm in fear of what they will determine."
Despite the damage, some signs of normalcy are beginning to emerge. Atlantic City's 11 casinos, shuttered for only the third time since gambling came to the city, will reopen at noon today. The stock market will open in New York City, though subways could still be off line.
In one post-storm irony, many residents in flooded and rain-soaked areas were asked to conserve the water flowing from their taps.
New Jersey American Water, which serves about 2.5 million people in 17 counties, made the plea Sunday after Irene affected operations at water treatment plants in Millburn, Bridgewater and Colts Neck, along with other facilities.
"Irene's historic level of flooding is stressing utilities, including water systems, statewide," said Steve Tambini, American Water's vice president of operations. "Customers can help relieve some of that stress."
The company also issued a boil-water advisory for residents of West Orange, Short Hills, Millburn, Maplewood, Irvington, Springfield and Summit.
Staff writers Stephen Stirling, Susan K. Livio, Eugene Paik, Lisa Rose, Chris Megerian, Jason Grant, David Giambusso, Sue Epstein, Richard Khavkine, Mike Frassinelli, Dan Goldberg, Jessica Calefati and Tom Haydon contributed to this report. Material from the Associated Press also was used.
• More Hurricane Irene coverage
• Hurricane Irene rainfall map: Rain totals for towns across N.J.


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The state insurance commissioner followed up on our stories about Brawley Insurance Services and took steps to stop the company and its owners.
The company's owner, Hussein Ali, had already had his license revoked by the time ABC30 talked to him in October 2011. But investigators determined he was still operating under his wife's license and they say the deception only got worse.
Hussein Ali didn't want to talk to Action News in 2011 as we investigated whether he was illegally operating.
Complaints about Medicare advantage sales methods led to sanctions preventing Brawley Insurance Services from selling Medicare policies.
Former employees say they weren't getting paid, and Ali should've been out of business.
"Jail, prison, whatever it takes," said former employee Sarah Fradue, who says Ali still owes her about $7500. "He should've been gone a long time ago."
But he wasn't.
Ali had already lost his insurance license for being a convicted felon, and investigators say he piggybacked on his wife's license to continue operating.
Landlords booted the business a short time later, but investigators believe Ali's unscrupulous activities continued.
"There have been repeated efforts on the parts of the Alis to violate the law," said California insurance commissioner Dave Jones, who picked up where Action News left off.
State investigators found the Alis opened a new business called Golden Umbrella. Its offices were in a northwest Fresno office complex and its owner was supposedly a former employee at Brawley. But the former employee says he never opened the business and only used the offices because Hussein Ali offered him free rent.
Investigators determined Hussein Ali had fraudulently used the employee's personal information to create Golden Umbrella.
The state investigation could lead to new criminal charges against both Alis and the commissioner says it should end their bad business practices.
"Both their names are flagged in our system," Jones said. "I don't think they're going to have the opportunity to do that sort of thing again."
We tried to track down the Alis, but neighbors say they moved about a month ago. But Jones warns people like them are still around, and seniors better beware.
The state has set up a consumer hotline for anyone who wants to report questionable practices or just to ask insurance questions.
You can call (800) 927-4357 or go online to insurance.ca.gov.


text:
|SKU / ISBN No
|Product Title
|New Era Chemistry Textbook For Class -11 Part-2
|Class 11
|G.R.Bathla Publications
|D.R O.P Tandon
|Publication Year
|Revised Edition
|1135 gms
|Paper Back
|Exam Reference
|Text Books
Product Description
Book Description
We feel immense pleasure in presenting the text book titled New Era Chemistry for class XI The book has been written strictly according to the latest syllabus issued by BSI and the guidelines extended by ICE A sincere effort has been made by the authors to present a text book to fulfill the requirements of students of class XI under 10+2 pattern of education.
The book for class XII consists of two parts; their contents are given separately after the preface. This book not only covers the academic requirements of students but also provides the necessary information's and materials for the aspirants of engineering and medical entrance examinations.
The salient features of the book are described below:
1. The text is well knit to fulfd the requirements of new syllabi.
2. The text is lucid and the topics are explained with proper reasoning wherever required.
3. Conceptual points are illustrated with proper examples and necessary diagrams.
4. The text of organic chemistry has been equipped with general discussion of characteristic groups, latest IUPAC system of nomenclature, isomerism and structure of organic compounds.
5. Great emphasis has been given on reaction mechanism. Fundamentals of physical properties are given at proper places. The characteristics are explained with reasoning as far as possible.
6. Problem based on structure and properties, reactions, reactivity are illustrated whenever required.
7. Problems of various types namely Very Short Answer, Short Answer and Long Answer Type, Fill in the Blanks, True-False and Matching Type Problems have been given at the end of each unit.
8. Matrix Matching Problems, Assertion-Reason Type Questions and Thought Type Problems are also compiled to give definite edge to the aspirants of various competitive examinations.
9. A variety of objective questions with one correct answer, more than one correct answer have been given in each unit of the book.
Table Of Content
1. Redox reaction
2. Hydrogen
3. S-block elements
4. Some p-block elements
5. Hydrocarbons
6. Environmental chemistry
7. Organic chemistry


text:
TEDxDelft 2013 | Do watch this at home! Catarina Mota: Play with smart materials
Smart materials exist. These are materials like ink that conducts electricity, a window that turns from clear to opaque at the flip of a switch and jelly that makes music. Catarina Mota (TEDGlobal, July 2012) inspires amateurs to use these smart materials and play with them, tinker at home and just experiment with it. The talk is right up the alley of TU Delft's resident McGuyver Scientist Rolf Hut (TEDxDelft 2011 performer). Get to know these smart materials now.


text:
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text:
Calhoun North Elementary in the East Garfield Park neighborhood has logged some of the best math scores in the city, but CPS says it's significantly underenrolled and should be closed next fall in a sweeping cost-cutting effort pushed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
Its students will be sent nearly a half-mile north
Source: Chicago Catalyst
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Copyright 2013 K-12 News Network's The Wire


text:
Djokovic, Serena in spotlight after stars slump at Wimbledon
Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams will be under intense pressure at Wimbledon todayat the All England Club comes to terms with one of the most astonishing days in the history of the tournament.sports Updated: Jun 27, 2013 08:18 IST
Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams will be under intense pressure at Wimbledon on Thursday as the All England Club comes to terms with one of the most astonishing days in the history of the tournament.
The famous old courts of the grass-court Grand Slam were rocked like never before on Wednesday as seven former world number ones crashed out, with defending champion Roger Federer and world number three Maria Sharapova the biggest names to fall.
With the established order under threat, Djokovic, the world number one and reigning Australian Open champion, will be desperate to avoid a giant-killing when he faces American Bobby Reynolds, ranked 156th, on Centre Court.
Williams, the women's world number one and defending champion, will be in the same position against France qualifier Caroline Garcia on Court One.
Other big guns hoping to avoid embarrassing exits include Spanish fourth seed David Ferrer, who plays compatriot Roberto Bautista Agut, and former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro, who opens the Centre Court programme against Canada's Jesse Levine.
Polish fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska, beaten by Serena in last year's final here, takes on Mathilde Johansson in the other Centre Court clash.
Federer's run of 36 consecutive appearances at the Grand Slams came to an end in stunning fashion as the seven-time Wimbledon champion was beaten by Ukrainian journeyman Sergiy Stakhovsky -- his earliest exit in south-west London since a first round defeat to Mario Ancic in 2002.
"I won't panic. I will go back to work. This wasn't supposed to happen but I will be back next year," Federer said when asked if the defeat marked the end of his dominance at Wimbledon.
The Swiss great, who has now won a title only once in his latest 14 Grand Slam appearances, wasn't the only high-profile casualty on a day which brought the condition of the slippery courts under close scrutiny.
Sharapova, a former Wimbledon champion, slumped to a shocking 6-3, 6-4 loss against Portuguese qualifier Michelle Larcher De Brito and then hinted the grass was partially to blame.
"I don't think I've ever fallen three times in a match before in my career, so that was a little strange," she said.
Seven players, five men and two women, were forced to either retire during matches or pull out beforehand as a result of injuries.
It was a record for one day at a Grand Slam and started with 18th seed John Isner's exit after just two games against Adrian Mannarino.
World number two and Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka withdrew just minutes before she was due on Centre Court to face Italian veteran Flavia Pennetta for a place in the third round with a knee injury.
"The court was not in a very good condition My opponent fell twice; I fell badly; there were some other people who fell after," Azarenka said.
Steve Darcis, the first round conqueror of Rafael Nadal, withdrew with a shoulder injury.
French sixth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Croatian 10th seed Marin Cilic also pulled out, while former world number one Caroline Wozniacki limped through a straight sets defeat against Petra Cetkovska after suffering an ankle injury.
First Published: Jun 27, 2013 08:15 IST


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Maybe Buddhists and Hindus are just as stubborn as Christians, but I don't think so. We Christians are about as inflexible as they come. Of course many are all too happy with this assessment, equating rigidity with holiness. I'm just not so sure.
Consider our friend Galileo. Remember him from your middle school science class? This father of modern astronomy proposed the heliocentric or sun-centered galaxy. The earth, he said, revolves around the sun, not the other way around. This got Galileo in gobs of trouble.
The church, you see, took the Bible quite literally back in the 17th century. And the Bible says: "The world cannot be moved" (Psalm 93; 95 and 104). So, pitched against the Bible, the pope, and Christendom, Galileo and his telescope were put on trial for heresy.
After the inquisition, his research was condemned as unorthodox, his books were refused publication, and he was sentenced to prison, though later the punishment was commuted to house arrest. It could have all been much worse, had Galileo, under threat of his life, not recanted.
What do we do when facing truths that do not fit into the framework of our truth, our "biblical worldview," whatever that is? The short answer is that we typically refuse all things that don't suit our perspective, labeling it sacrilege.
Don't misunderstand me. I'm not one who thinks that one truth is as good as another so long as sincerity is involved. But I am one who is quick to admit that my particular view of truth is inherently flawed, because I am flawed. We all are.
Truth is out there, and it must be pursued. But most of us in the Jesus camp think that truth is locked in a dusty footlocker and stuffed underneath the church altar. It is a fixed, hard as stone list of propositions without adjustment, no matter what Galileo's telescope or anybody else's research says.
Do you ever vacuum? If you do, I bet you've done this before: You're gliding along on the living room carpet busting dust mites when your trustedHooverencounters a fuzz ball it just can't do anything with. What do you do?
You pick it up. You roll it over in your fingers. You inspect it as closely as possible. Then, inconceivably, you do what we all do: You put it back down on the carpet and roll over it again, and again, usually with the same results.
We do the equivalent when encountering truths that do not fit into our view of the world. We stop, pick them up, inspect them, and then failingly persist in making it fit. We never stop to consider that we can't get the job done with the equipment we have always used.
The problem may not be the novel truth we have encountered. The problem may be our stubborn resistance to reconsider what we believe. The problem might be that the truth to which we have held so tightly, isn't true after all.
Some of the beliefs we embrace we do so only because it is the official party line. We often believe what we do because it is what we have been told to believe. Or we come to our personal conclusions because that smiling preacher on television or behind a pulpit tells us it is the truth. That's not enough.
Granted, this can be frightening. Launch into an examination of all that is locked away in that musty locker and you might get accosted by the establishment. Start assailing the flawless truths of your church, and you may find yourself seated next to Galileo at a heresy trial.
But don't be afraid, because truth can take it; at least those truths worth holding on to. Anything that can't take it should be discarded any way. And especially don't be afraid of examining new truth either. These may be the very wind you need to blow the dust off the past.
Oh, and back to our friend Galileo; things worked out for him in the end. The church ultimately recanted itself, and admitted it was – gasp! – wrong.
On All Saints Day, 1992, Pope John Paul II finally gave in, admitting that yes, in spite of everything, the earth does rotate around the sun. It only took a little more than three centuries to get this modest affair neatly squared away.
- Related Topics
- Apologetics
- Change
- Church
- Faith


text: The Federal Reserve's assets totaled $4.446 trillion in the January 10 week and are down $13.0 billion from the beginning of balance sheet unwinding in October 2017.The Fed's holdings of U.S. Treasury securities were $2.448 trillion in the latest week, down $18.0 billion from October 2017 while holdings of mortgage-backed securities were at $1.765 billion, down $3.0 billion. Note that the winding down of mortgage-backed securities can be uneven due to special factors in the agency market including unscheduled prepayments of principal as well as timing differences in payments and settlements. The weekly change in total assets increased $2.3 billion after decreasing $5.0 billion in the prior week. The gain in the latest week was centered in other assets which rose $2.6 billion.Reserve Bank credit for the January 10 week decreased $2.4 billion after decreasing $10.1 billion in the prior week.


text:
Separate names with a comma.
Discussion in 'Community' started by BakedBeans, Oct 8, 2004.
lets hope its not true..
Not to sound ignorant - but, well, I am I guess....who's Ken Bigley?
he is a man from liverpool england that was taken hostage in iraq and it looks like they beheaded/murdered him
Ah - that's not good. Do you have a link to the story or did you hear about it somewhere.
I'm surprised it hasn't got coverage in the U.S., it's been on almost constantly here...
Blairs been taking some serious sh*t from some quarters for not negotiating with his captures to secure his freedom
The UK doesn't negotiate with scum.
you cant though can you... you cant start bargaining with terrorists... every terrorist and his dog will do it, as hard as it is for his family i can understand why we didnt negotiate,,,, we need to hurt falujah and hit it hard
Err...wasn't that the reason for Ken Bigley being taken hostage in the first place?
some people in this country just don't get that though.
well lets roll over and take it then.... we ENGLISH are not like that..... we need to do something... put this baby to bed once and for all... i would if i were in charge (might well be the reason im not)
No... he was taken hostage because the terrorists hate anyone that is not suffering. They hate civilized world from the ground up. The only response they understand is a physical threat. I feel sorry for Ken, however he knew the risks going into Iraq. IMHO, the Americans and the British need to get more aggressive in their attacks.
And you think that bombing the hell out of al-Fallujah is going to "put this baby to bed once and for all"?
More likely, such an attack would result in the deaths of many innocent Iraqi civilians. In turn, this would lead to more British and American soldiers being killed, and more British and American civilians being captured and murdered.
Nice plan.
well firstly you can STOP putting words in my mouth....
i said we need to hit them hard and were it hurts that doesnt mean bomb them them or kill civis does it??
so yes its a better plan than sitting and doing nothing... how many times can we let this go?? how long before you can just take and kill hostages will no concequences...nice plan brize
Yep, that line of thinking certainly appears to be paying dividends at the moment.
Okay, well what exactly do you mean by hitting them hard and where it hurts?
they have a video of his execution (not confirmed)
tell me brize what would you do???
Its a right bugger knowing what to do, isnt it?
The hostage takers arnt exactly know for telling people where they are. Its a natural instinct to punish them, but how do you do this without making the situation worse for everyone? Its not like you can issue them with an arrest warrant.
And by everyone, I mean innocent Iraqi's, non-iraqi soldiers and non-iraqi contractors like Ken
Whatever the coalition does, it MUST stablise Iraq for things to improve. Offensive operations has only so far made things worse.
Even if we were only attempting to police the area, the terrorists would still be kidnapping people. They don't like "westerners", it doesn't matter why we are there, only that we are there.
War sucks... people die... The current generation is too pampered to realize that people get hurt / die in a war. People think that modern techonology has elimated the risk in war. It hasn't. However, the people that we are attacking are evil people. They must be dealt with, otherwise we will witness another September 11th.
If you believe being a passivist would prevent attacks, look at Russia. They were against the Iraqi war, however they still experienced a terrorist attack.
Sorry for the rant, however too many people think the terrorists think rationally.
they havnt made them worse for the iraqi people in genaral, with sadam hussien out of power that is a good thing... however... i feel we have no choice but to defend ourselves by going on the offensive..
Again, I agree with you AL-FAMOUS. Just playing a defensive game doesn't leave the kind of options that playing an offensive game leaves you. It's often too late once you are backed into a corner and left with little choice. Many of the attrocities of the world could have been prevented if action would have been taken earlier.
Random thoughts this thread sparked in me as I read through it...
I really feel for his family. I cannot imagine the pain they are going through, and I hope I never can.
It is a despicable quandary that the world now finds itself in. If you attack the terrorists in an attempt to eradicate their leadership, you only end up breeding the next generation of terrorists to perpetuate the problem. There does not yet seem to be an effective method of negotiating with terrorists, other than rolling over and giving them whatever they demand (obviously not an option). Reason with them? Hah, reason has nothing to do with it.
With no clear way out, I fear that it is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better.
Sure seems like the bloodiest, most heinous acts are always performed in the name of some god or other. Aren't religion and faith supposed to be good things?
we need to have a plan we need to let every terrorist and potential terrorist know that executing and beheading our civilians for no reason will be punished and will be dealt with, with the upmost severity... they need to be taught that we wont give in to terrorist that there is no chance for that to happen and that it will only disadvantage them
i agree my country negotiated with terrorists and that just made us look weak
This is my plan. I think I would make a good prime minister. I couldn't do much worse than most of the ones we've had.
The aim of the insurgents, al-quaeda, etc is to get westerners (esp soldiers) out of the Arab countries. I don't know the exact numbers, but lets say there are 100,000 US/UK/etc soldiers in Iraq.
We should state publicly that for every month that goes by with no attacks on us, we will withdraw 2,000 soldiers. For every month that goes by where there are attacks on us, we will send 2,000 more soldiers.
So, if the scum stop attacking us, they will get what they want. (This is also what we want in the long run).
Assuming they play ball, we will have withdrawn our soldiers in 50 months, or about 4 years. I don't think we can realistically expect to do it much quicker than that.
This plan would give them some control over us, which is what they want. It would also hopefully stop the awful attacks on our soldiers.
I think we should include the current Iraqi regime, the new police and military in the deal, to protect them as they begin to take control of their country.
Perhaps we could make extra offers, such as we'll withdraw an extra 10,000 troops if they allow the elections to take place with no attacks or disruption.
Many critics of the war would specifically have not waged the war in the first place because they could see no solution to the mess that would predictably follow.
If the US and British participants of this discussion were all to declare why they thought their Governments undertook this invasion, the accounts would vary starkly. Some accounts would appear certain, others confused, but for sure the accounts would differ. That variation alone should alert policymakers to develop a full understanding of the context of these events, and to approach the issue with knowledge and with moderation.
Sounds good in theory, but these terrorists arnt committing these vile acts for a free Iraq. They are doing for power. If Iraq was stable and boring, these people would be ordinary thugs. But when theres an instable government with a foreign power invading their country- BOOM! Look how much power these warlords can suddenly exert.
Thing of these people as Warlords - warlords need war to exert power, and to do that they need to stir it up. A free, peaceful Iraq? Nah, these Warlords arent interested.