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I have a post up over at Done Darkness which is in keeping with my recent posts here about hope. Sheryl Sandberg's commencement speech at UC Berkeley provides great advice on surviving adversity. You can read the post here.
Hope Matters
Hope matters. It should not be confused with optimism, though they are siblings.
Vaclav Havel, the Czech playwright, dissident and later beloved statesman, was born in a time and place where it would have been easy to choose hopelessness, but he never did. In his essay, "Never Hope Against Hope," (note the essay in Esquire originally appeared in 1993, this link is taking you to its reprinting in 2011) Havel wrote, "Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It's not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out."
Spring, by its very being, can fill us with hope. As I type this, tear-shaped petals of many shades of pink float on the breezes. They almost seem to giggle on their way down, so those tear-shapes belong with happy tears, not sad ones. Havel believed, as I do, that "Each of us must find real, fundamental hope within himself. You can't delegate that to anyone else."
Havel, a beloved Czech playwright who became the last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic, wrote in that same essay about absurdities we can face in our lives. Indeed, he describes an accident, a night two months before he became President, when he was walking a drunk friend home. "In this total darkness, though completely sober, I suddenly fell into a black hole surrounded by a cement wall. The fact is, I had fallen into a sewer, into what can only be called, you'll excuse me, shit." It's a vivid scene and I recommend reading the whole essay.
I have written before about hope. My personal favorite is from spring, two years ago, Scaffolding & Hope. But there are more: Choosing Hope, a guest post from Jeanette Michalets, I Feather My Nest with Hope, Contentment & Perspectacles.
Is it any wonder then that my first book published, Done Darkness, is really about finding hope? Yes, it's an anthology about living with depression, but more than anything, it is about hope, about seeking hope and light, even in the pits. (Or the sewer as Havel had to.) It has done my heart good to read the reviews on Amazon as readers find this book and leave their thoughts. (Shameless plea — if you've read the book and found meaning, hope or something that connects for you or a dear one, could you please, please leave a review at Amazon or Goodreads? Those reviews help other readers find the book – help us spread hope.) As I wrote earlier this year, Kathy Lanzarotti (my co-editor) and I often said we wished we could have made "Carry On," by Fun, our book's theme song. One verse in particular always speaks to me:
'Cause here we are
We are shining stars
We are invincible
We are who we are
On our darkest day
When we're miles away
Sun will come
We will find our way home
We have a wedding in our family next week. In the life of families in our era of living so separately, weddings seem to be the last remaining time to get-together to share in the celebration of love and hope. My older son, the groom, asked me years and years ago, "Do you have to find meaning in everything?" That was when this blog was called Finding Meaning With Words. Yes, I said. Yes, I do.
And apparently, so did Vaclav Havel, "…life is too precious a thing to permit its devaluation by living pointlessly, emptily, without meaning, without love, and, finally, without hope."
Fearing a New Label: Mother-in-Law
My son's wedding approaches quickly. But first, comes Mother's Day, my last without having the title "mother-in-law" as one of my labels. We've all grown up hearing bad mother-in-law jokes. Even Pope Francis has shared his views:
Yes, il Papa, we're all familiar with the meddling mother-in-law stereotype. It is a great fear of mine, not as great as dying in pain, but close.
Fortunately, my life experience has taught me differently than the overbearing stereotype. My father's mother, my Grandma Parker, had a great relationship with my mother. She lived with us for many years and somehow, was able to maintain that strong relationship when surely living together would be the ripest situation for stress.
My own mother-in-law is an angel. I don't see her often enough, but she has been a constant support for me in the three plus decades we've been joined as family. She is quite frail now, in her nineties. I hate thinking about the inevitable. Here we are together in Florida a few years ago, before my hair got younger and before she needed a walker constantly:
I want to be a mother-in-law who brings smiles, not angst or fears or worst, stress in the marriage.
My future daughter-in-law has been part of my son's life for almost ten years, since their first autumn together at Carleton College in Northfield, MN. When they first met, I was still trying to break from being an ever-present mom who offered her thoughts and opinions too much, to more of a friend, a shoulder and consultant rather than a micro-manager. It wasn't an easy change for me. I suspect her own mother did a better job of this than I did, before and after college.
I also am wired for a strong, strong need for a close family connection, so when my son left for Carleton, I spent at least a week feeling like I was in mourning. And I was. I understood that our family would never again be like it had been. While this is a good and important life step, it crushed me for a time. It didn't help that his comedian little brother in his attempts to make me laugh would say, "He's gone. He's gone and he's never coming back." I didn't believe him, but he was almost right.
Too late this past week, I thought of a small present I could make for my future daughter-in-law for the wedding. And then, I remembered that this dear couple has requested no presents, rather charitable donations if folks are so inclined. Giving them – or her – a present would simply be giving in to my needs and not respecting theirs. So, I could take the frantic worrying away about making the present and maybe put it off until her birthday or Christmas, but I will share the thought here in case others have time/interest in doing this for future sons or daughters-in-law.
My hope is to make her a small photo book called Before You Loved Him, showing and quoting the boy, teen and young man he was before their paths crossed. She will know him most closely for his life from age eighteen onward, but I knew and loved him before then. I want her to know as much as she can about his inner child, the one I sometimes see in my thoughts and memories. I want her to know that while I was praying for the right woman to come along to be his life partner, I was doing my best to raise him to become a good man. I know there are plenty of mistakes I made – what parent hasn't? But I did my best. I want her to know I will do my best to be a mother-in-law who won't have to be the butt of jokes, but one she can grow to love as much as I love mine.
A Special Place: Memories & More
I adore a line from Fyodor Dostoyevsky in The Brothers Karamazov: "You must know that there is nothing higher and stronger and more wholesome and good for life in the future than some good memory, especially a memory of childhood, of home."
Writers live with a keen awareness of memories. (For writers, see an old post on Mining Memories.) We sift through memories in creating our work — poetry, essays, short stories, novels, whatever — something from our past experience plays a role in every creation. For me, memories of place often bubble up in my writing. Particularly memories of childhood places. My stories tend to land in rural New England, the place where my good and strong childhood memories were created. In fact, though I've lived most of my adult life in the Midwest, I've also wasted a lot of mental energy mourning New England. I hated the whole "bloom where you're planted" platitudes. The comparison Wisconsinites make of Door County to Cape Cod made me guffaw. The bump Midwesterners called a mountain five hours from Milwaukee in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan was the same size as a hill twenty minutes from my childhood home in Massachusetts. A two hour drive to Vermont meant arriving at a real mountain with good skiing.
Yes, I got stuck in comparing instead of experiencing. Never a wise move. I'll defend myself by saying I was twenty-three when we moved to Wisconsin — and — hardly anyone in my extended family had left New England. Many hadn't even moved from the town I grew up in. Instead of diving in and exploring my new home, I spent most of my vacations back at my old stomping grounds. Summers always meant a trip to Cape Cod when my kids were little so they would have time with their cousins. I didn't explore much of Wisconsin until having lived in the state for twenty-five years. Cancer and radiation treatment meant I couldn't wander far in the summer of 2008, so my husband and I explored Wisconsin during weekends that summer. I recognized, finally, that my longing for New England had been a hindrance to appreciating where I was.
Lately, I've had to think about my appreciation of and longing for another place. The Marian Center in Bayview, WI has been a special place in my life. For me, its magic has been all about writing, but for others, it holds memories of school days, of contemplating entering the convent. About twenty years ago I brought my son, then in second grade, to a summer writer's camp there offered by Judy Bridges at Redbird Studio. Judy saved his summer. The magical sense of possibility and creativity pulled at me. I recalled a Gertrude Stein line, "This is the place of places and it is here." Someday, I thought. Someday I want to come here and learn more about writing.
My son's sixth grade reader/writer workshop class returned to Judy's studio at the Marian Center and again I thought, someday. Two years later, my someday came. I hiked up the stairs to Judy's Shut Up! & Write! Class. I didn't know how the shape of my life would change. I didn't know how important Judy and my fellow classmates, especially Kim Suhr and Kathy Lanzarotti would become in the coming years.
Writing, and finally owning the label "writer," has been for me an awakening. A grand journey in paying attention. In the Marian Center's walls, my eyes opened to the writer's sensibilities. I had always been someone who paid attention to details, who recalled specific snippets of interesting conversations, who cared about reading body language. Suddenly these things (oddities to some) had a place. I had a place. I had found my tribe.
In time, Judy handed the reins for regular roundtables to Kim Suhr and Red Oak Writing. For years, with Kim and
For years, with Kim and Robert Vaughan, I taught at the Red Oak Young Writers camps — many of which were held at the Marian Center. Some of my fondest memories – for all time – are tied to those camps. It is a beautiful joy to watch a young person take the steps from the hot rush of creating, to the sometimes cold hard truth of editing and arrive at a place where the writing sings. But, while we loved the campus, the lack of air conditioning and accessibility proved to be problematic. The camp has been using new — and equally wonderful — accommodations in recent years.
My tribe is leaving the Marian Center because its Center for Nonprofits is closing in July, 2016. Official word has not come out about the plans for the Center, but I hope the old building will be preserved as much as possible, while being renovated to become handicapped accessible and then, maybe it could become condominiums? Who knows. Not me.
I hope my fellow writers won't waste time mourning the Marian Center. Let's rejoice in the gifts we've received there — but remember that those gifts truly are from the other members of the tribe — not from the floors, the walls, the bricks & mortar. Not even from the gazebo outside, or the grape arbor or the walk to the old cemetery.
The photo below is from our last writer's showcase recently at the Marion Center. It was a beautiful night, food, fun, friends and fantastic readings.
Left to right above are writers whose work you may know of, or, may want to keep your eyes on: Lisa Rivero, Aleta Chossek, Judy Bridges, Carolyn Toms-Neary, Jennifer Rupp, Kim Suhr, Robert Vaughan, Marjorie Pagel, Carol Wobig and me, Pam Parker.
Judy Bridges always loved circular stories, so I return to paraphrase the Dostoyevsky quote I began with. "You must know that there is nothing higher and stronger and more wholesome and good for life in the future than some good memory, especially a memory of finding your place, your tribe."
Update from Kim Suhr:
The Search Is Over!
Last fall when I learned the Marian Center will close on July 1, I set three priorities for our new space. It needed to…
I'm thrilled to report we have a place that meets our needs. The new studio will be in the education wing of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church at 11709 W Cleveland in West Allis, just west of Hwy. 100.
Escape into Stories — Jackie Mitchard
Jackie Mitchard was a known quantity to many readers before her book, The Deep End of the Ocean, was selected as the first book in Oprah Winfrey's famous book club. Longtime Wisconsin residents will remember her essays in the Milwaukee Sentinel, before it merged with the Milwaukee Journal. Since then, Mitchard's life has taken as many twists and turns as the family in Deep End. She openly shared with her readers the death of her first husband, the growth of her mixed race family, her second marriage and second financial catastrophe, her move from Wisconsin to Cape Cod. She is touring now for her latest book, Two If By Sea. I have not read it yet, but look forward to doing so. A recent review by Diana Andro in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says:
Bestselling author Jacquelyn Mitchard (The Deep End of the Ocean) balances love and loss in her new novel, Two If By Sea. It is a sweet story of one man's road to recovery and the challenges he faces to protect the people he loves.
The saga follows American Frank Mercy from a tragic and terrifying Christmas Eve tsunami in Australia to his family's aging Midwestern horse farm and finishes in a quaint, perfect English village straight out of a Bronte novel. (Entire review)
From this review and others, we learn that the sweeping novel involves loss and redemption, but with an unexpected (at least in my experience with Mitchard's works) element of supernatural/magical forces. A young boy named Ian will enter into Frank Mercy's life, along with a new love interest, Claudia, and we'll have to see what happens with that trio.
Mitchard will be in Milwaukee, WI on Sunday, March 20th at Boswell Books and in Madison, WI on Monday, March 21st at the Madison Public Library. Later in the month, she'll bring Two If By Sea to Wellesley and Brewster, MA, Atlanta, GA, Dallas, TX, and Coral Gables, FL. Many more locations are slated for April. Check her exhausting schedule here and see if she will be in your neck of the woods!
Despite this schedule, Mitchard graciously agreed to answering some questions about the book, her life, friends, etc. She even agreed to write a brief comment to her twenty-five year old self! I didn't dwell on writing-specific questions for my readers who are more interested in general topics, but naturally, there's a sprinkling of writer comments. A writer doesn't e-chat with another writer and completely avoid the passion of our lives. 🙂 Enjoy!
- The main character's name in Two If By Sea, Frank Mercy, is a great name! Did that one come to you easily or was he renamed many times? Any challenges with any of the names in the book?
He was always Frank Mercy. His name came to me before the story. And yes, it wasn't until I'd messed around with the plot that I really "got" the name, that it meant, if you will, "genuine compassion" and that Ian meant "gift from God." Those names were always there — before the flood, if you can pardon the joke. ((Note from Pamwrites – I love that the name came before the story. That happens to me often too. The flood joke refers to the critical tsunami event.))
- A Goodreads reviewer says, "…one of her major strengths is writing families in crisis, and that is very evident here." Did you ever consider "writing families in crisis" to be one of your strengths? 🙂
Well, I do, of course, because I think of families as bewitching, and every unhappy one is unhappy in its own way (I just made that up, of course!) Families are our harbor, our harbinger, our horror, our haven. When you put ordinary people under duress, they begin to reveal their truest selves. In life, that's just awful. In fiction, it's interesting.
- You have lived in two of my favorite places – Wisconsin and Cape Cod. I grew up in western Massachusetts and vacation often on Cape Cod in Eastham. While there are similarities in climate in Wisconsin and Massachusetts, I have noted a number of differences in the people. I wonder if you have and what your thoughts about any differences and similarities might be?
Well, they're like the obverse of each other, in a sense. People in Wisconsin, where the temperatures can be harrowing, are generally (it seems) have a warmth and welcoming character as big as the big Midwestern sky. And in Massachusetts, where it's a little more temperate, people can be more withdrawn, a little chilly — at least at first. However, old ways and old fears go deep in Wisconsin, and Massachusetts may be the state with the strongest sense of justice in the whole nation. In both places, I do feel safe, thank goodness, with my odd, mixed-up, mixed-race family of kids. We have been "taken in," in both places, and I'm very shy, so that's hard. ((Note from Pam — Jackie nailed my thoughts on the Wisconsin vs Massachusetts folks.))
- What are your favorite things to do to keep your sanity on a whirlwind book tour?
I would say, I make sure I get a good night's sleep, but that's what I want to say, not what is real. I've had a good night's sleep about ten times in half a century. I try to eat lots of greens and stay away from too much coffee, and, much as I want to, I don't "see the sights" at the wonderful places I go to because I want to give all my energy to readers.
- Please write the first sentence of a letter to 25 year old you, from your perspective now. And, then write a sentence responding to you now from 25 year old you. (Skip this if it's not fun!)
ME TO 25-YEAR-OLD JACKIE: You just think that this is your destiny, but it's not, and it's not your fault. Escape into stories. Stories will always take you in.
25-YEAR-OLD JACKIE TO ME: Can I believe you? For I do feel that it's all my fault, and no one ever said it wasn't my fault. Stories are the place I hide. I would love to write them, but … I don't dare.
- Who is one of the most fascinating people you have crossed paths with in your literary life? Do you keep in touch with this person?
Of course, I know some of the great writers of our age, you bet, and many of them are pals — Lisa Genova, Alice Hoffman, Jodi Picoult, Hollis Gillespie, Karin Slaughter, Chris Bohjalian, Paul Harding, Heather Graham — just people of such great heart and mind … The wonderful novelist Elizabeth Berg (Open House) did something so extraordinarily kind for me once that I can never forget it and I love her for it, as did the gifted novelist Beth Gutcheon (Without a Trace). My best pal, and neighbor, the mystery writer Thomas H. Cook, has just been my great friend for a long time, and my mainstay. I'm privileged in my friends.
- If you could cast a movie of Two If By Sea, who would play Frank Mercy? Ian? Claudia?
Well, my son (an actor) says Tim McGraw should play Frank. I said Colin Firth (with an American accent) or Ryan Gosling. The opinion was, I'm nuts. Claudia, we all agreed, would be Amy Adams. And the little kid who played Ray in Jerry McGuire would be the perfect Ian, but he grew up. (Jonathan Lipnicki)
- Last question — What is one question no one has ever asked you about writing that you wish they would???
You mean NEVER asked me. … No one ever asked me, is it hard? And I would say, yes, it is really, really hard not to do it, but to do it right, and the distance between one and the other is like the distance between Wisconsin and Brisbane!
So, there you have it. Thoughts on friends, living in the midwest vs New England, getting enough sleep and thoughts to a twenty-five year old self. Sending tons of thanks to Jackie Mitchard. I look forward to meeting her Sunday and hope you may be able to join her somewhere along her book tour.
Marilynne Robinson trumps Trump
I've never made it a secret how much I adore the writing of Marilynne Robinson, but today, having just seen her essay in yesterday's The Guardian, I could not admire her more.
Please, take a few minutes and read Trump: the great orange-haired Unintended Consequence. I try to keep politics out of Pamwrites as much as possible — not to avoid conflict or offending anyone, but mostly because my political interest drowned when Watergate was happening in my tween and early teen years. It left me 100% convinced that all politicians were liars, cheats and buffoons. Rarely do I find that negative opinion challenged. I have to force myself to pay attention during political campaigns because my brain is wired to turn the pay attention switch off. This election season, it gets harder and harder for me to listen and focus. This man scares me, and Marilynne would say fear is part of the problem. More on that later.
Like many creatives and educators, I lean liberal in my political choices, but I'm also a fiscal conservative by nature, so that can make my choices challenging. I have been wondering in this election though if we will begin to see a true change from the present party system. And then, I read this from the brilliant Marilynne Robinson:
Trump and the others are the product of the souring of the party system. Someone should point out, in these days when the constitution is so constantly and pietistically invoked, that political parties are not mentioned in the constitution, and that the prescient founders warned emphatically against them for reasons that should be clear to us now.
Robinson mentions the hardening of the Republicans into a faction "who define themselves primarily as the adversaries of the Democrats." (I think we've seen this on both sides unfortunately.) She writes something that perhaps you have experienced too, I know I have: "In fact, the Republican situation is such a tangle of unintended consequences that it is impossible to sort it all out, or to make the attempt without laughing."
Or crying, depending on your point of view.
Robinson has written before — often and well — about the dangers of fear in our society. Here too, Robinson brings the unintended consequences of the great orange-haired Trump back to fear.
In any case, American elections are long and grueling, just as they ought to be. We will spend months learning how things are with us. This is good and necessary, especially now when divisions in the society are deepening. They are deepening not only because of the stresses of the new economy, which a functioning government would meliorate, or the threats brought on by global disorder, which must be managed and will be, but because fear, anxiety and resentment are the stock in trade of important media and the politicians allied or symbiotic with them.
I hope you will read her whole essay. If you do, I would love to hear what you think about it.
Happy Birthday, Bryan Cranston!
Today is Bryan Cranston's 60th birthday! So, I'd like to send Mr. Cranston happy birthday wishes from your Walter White character's twin brother.
This fellow celebrated his 60th last year in Glasgow, Scotland. Yes, we had bacon.
We were in Glasgow while my husband was on sabbatical from his job as a…. wait for it….. an organic chemistry professor. As he traveled all over Europe, he was often stopped, asked for autographs and pictures. I look nothing like Skyler so we didn't have that going for us, but, trust me, the man got a lot of looks.
And, here he is, Bryan. Toasts to you, from Breaking Bill. I wanted very much to get a signed picture of you for him for his 60th, but that didn't work out. Just know that he wishes you the best and even as you read this, he's probably drawing chemical structures that this wife refers to as "space dogs" and in case you're wondering, we don't own an RV. Yet.
Q&A & Giveaway
I have missed you all, blog friends. A few of you might be concerned that my absence indicates a dive into the depression quagmire, but I assure you, not so. Simply busy, busy, busy.
I want to share a quick update of an interview with me that appeared yesterday on Christi Craig's blog. It's about the creation of Done Darkness. She asked some great questions and I hope you might be interested in them and my answers. Here are some of those questions that I loved:
CC: This is a unique anthology on the topic of depression in that it includes not only personal essays but short stories and poetry as well. What sparked the idea for this book, and what was your biggest challenge?
CC: I've edited a few tiny anthologies and know these kinds of projects can be labors of love. When you envision DONE DARKNESS in the hands of readers, what do you hope they will discover?
CC: Instead of dividing the book into poetry, nonfiction and fiction, the collected works fall into chapters of Morning, Afternoon, or Evening. What is the significance of those chapter headings?
CC: Neil Gaiman says, "The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story…." What advice can you offer for writers (or readers) who desire to share their story but don't know where to begin?
To read my answers, please click over to Christi's post and be sure to enter her giveaway for the book. 🙂
Many thanks for the opportunity, Christi Craig!!
Ten Commandments of RSVPs in the Digital Age
Thanks to Mark Zuckerberg and the young geniuses of Facebook, we were introduced to the idea that "Maybe" is an appropriate answer to an invitation. And, sometimes, that actually is sufficient – but not usually. Yes I am human and I have broken some of the commandments I'll be sharing, so no need to shout at me about logs in your eyes, etc. I am trying to be better about RSVPing. As an author, I get invited to a lot of events for book launches, etc., all over the world. And I know that often the host knows I can't be there, but they're just trying to spread the word about their new book. I try to open those invites and reply with a no and good wishes. A reply is the operative word. Reply, response, answer. You don't really want the ghost of Charlton Heston to come after you, right? Manners matter.
Here are some basic things to think about when you are invited to an event. First of all, for those who don't know, RSVP, means "répondez s'il vous plaît," which is French for "please respond." Note: it is not French for, "open the invitation, look at it, and promptly forget about it or to answer." If you know when you open it that you can or can not go, do your host a favor and reply yes or no. If you are uncertain, do whatever you do to remind yourself to get back to the invite in a day or two with your answer. If you don't do anything to remind yourself, it's time to find that thing that works for you. So…..mark your calendar to reply. Send yourself a delayed email. Text yourself. Whatever you need to do to get back to the invite, well in advance of the event, please do it, and then reply with a yes or a no. If you have replied with a yes, mark all your calendars with details about the event so you don't forget to show up. Please, avoid "maybe." Maybe is a pretty inconsiderate RSVP which should be avoided whenever possible. It basically says to the host — I'll be there if I feel like it. Or, I'll be there if I don't get a better offer. Or, I'll be there if the weather doesn't suck (sometimes necessary, but wouldn't replying yes and writing a note to host with that information be more polite?).
And now, drumroll please, I offer you
The Ten Commandments of RSVPs in the Digital Age
- Thou shalt open and reply to every invitation thou receivest. Manners mattereth much. (Modern English M.E.: Got an RSVP invite? Reply. Do it. Manners matter.)
- If thou knowest not thy response upon opening invitation, thou wilst mark thy calendar to reply promptly after checking with friends/spouse/babysitter/hamster watcher/place of employment for conflicts. (M.E.: If you don't know your answer, create a reminder for yourself to a) check any conflicts, b) mark your calendar to reply after conflicts/lack thereof are determined.)
- If thou respondeth in the affirmative, thou wilst mark thy calendars to remember to attend the event. (M.E.: Said yes? Mark your calendar so you remember to attend.)
- If thou respondeth in the negative, thou wilst simply say, "No," and thy responsibilities are fulfilled. (M.E.: Can't go? Said no? You are done.)
- If thou respondeth "maybe," thou ist an inconsiderate lout, in most cases. The Divine Creator of said commandments doth offer certain reasonable exceptions, but hath discovered that many humans abuseth the privilege. Thou shouldst avoid being an abuser of privileges. (M.E.: Maybes suck as an answer. It's a non-answer. Avoid it whenever possible.)
- If thou hath read these commandments and still hath not opened all thine invitations, thou shouldst return to commandment one and proceedeth again. (If you've read to this point and know you haven't opened all your invites, maybe it's time to go back to commandment one and then do that.)
- Thou shalt be a responsible and considerate community member. (M.E.: Really, you need that translated?)
- Thou shalt treat the phrase "RSVP" as an action phrase. Though wilst reply. (M.E.: See RSVP? Respond. Yea or nay)
- Thou wilst not mutter cantankerous phrases against thy host, even when thou canst abide said host or wouldst prefer stepping into a pit of fire than attending the event. Thou wilst keep mean thoughts in thine head. Mean thoughts doeth not deserve utterance from thy tongue or fingers on thy multiple devices. Thou shouldst replyeth in the negative immediately and forgetteth the invitation. (M.E.: Can't stand the host and/or would rather die than go their event? Keep it to yourself and reply no.)
- Thou wilst shareth these commandments with others thou knowest to spread the good news. A good and proper way existeth to handle the mysterious abundance of RSVP invites in the digital age thou livest in. (M.E. – Spread the word that there are ways to handle the abundance of RSVP invites in our digital age.)
A book! A book!
A book! A book! I helped make a book! I didn't quit. I saw it through. I am pleased, proud and just a tad postpartum-ish. 🙂 But reminding myself, that my personal moniker, persevering professional, serves its purpose.
January 7, 2016
We're a week into 2016 and I haven't sat down and written out any resolutions or goals. Resolutions, shmesolutions, I say. Though maybe I'll say more on that tomorrow. My time has been devoted to giving birth to an anthology about a subject close to my heart, depression, and carrying on. The book, Done Darkness: A collection of stories, poetry, and essays about life beyond sadness, is now available!! Working with a fellow Red Oak Writing writer and friend, Kathy Lanzarotti, we have compiled a collection that I'm proud to say shares ideas and thoughts about living with depression that may encourage both empathy and discussion. More than anything, I want to continue to chip away at the stigma surrounding depression and other mental imbalances, and I do believe Done Darkness can play a small part in that process.
If we could have reached the band, FUN, we would have asked them if we could put the lyrics to Carry On in the book. It's our unofficial theme song. Don't know it? Have a listen.
If you happen to live near to southeastern WI, we will be having a launch party on Sunday afternoon, January 31st at 1:30PM CST at ComedySportz, because we all know that laughter truly is the best medicine! We are working on a video which will feature as many of our award-winning authors from across the country and the U.K. as possible. I'll be sure to post a link here. We are so grateful for our authors and our editorial review board. If you haven't ever visited our website, feel free. Will I do a giveaway here or there? Perhaps….
At the moment, the book is only available in print — paperback, not hard cover because THIS writer prefers paperback. (Hard covers are too heavy and hurt to read when wrist joints ache, fyi.) Plus, they're less expensive and who doesn't like that?
If you're interested in ordering a copy, you can do so here.
If you get the book and it speaks to you in some good way, please, please help us spread the word. There are so many easy ways you can do so: like and share our Facebook page with friends, post a review on Amazon — it's painful to say how very, very much this matters, post a review on Goodreads, talk about the book with your friends.
Now, on to postpartum work here, meaning take the Christmas tree down. May your day be full of light and not darkness.
#happywriting — if that's what you do. 🙂


text: Typeface TerrorismJesus Diaz7/21/10 8:40amFiled to: officesComic SansTypography480EditInvite manuallyPromoteDismissUndismissHideShare to KinjaToggle Conversation toolsGo to permalink Very important: This advice/warning extends to any business and individual in the world, not only Fortune 500 companies: Don't use Comic Sans! Or Papyrus. Thank you very much. You can keep going on with your lives now. [Thanks Dave!] Reply480 repliesLeave a reply

subset: commoncrawl


text:
SEATTLE -- One of the NBA's major surprises this season, the
Seattle SuperSonics tried to squelch signs of dissension Thursday,
but didn't convey an overwhelming message of team harmony.
"It's a situation I think you talk out, you get it out and you
move on," Seattle coach Nate McMillan said Thursday.
After Wednesday night's 102-95 loss at Detroit, Sonics forward
Rashard Lewis told reporters that, "it seems like other guys are
on different agendas. Some guys were trying to win, some guys
Lewis wasn't alone in his criticism. Fellow All-Star Ray Allen
complained about his role in the offense and about playing a
season-low 28 minutes.
"I'm not getting any looks," Allen said. When asked about his
playing time, he said, "You'll have to talk to the coach. I'll
tell you, it's a frustrating situation."
On Thursday, Allen said that he and Lewis are the main focus of
Seattle's offense, should be taking the majority of the shots and
that everyone else plays off of them. As for the playing time,
Allen said he felt his minutes in the third quarter have decreased
of late.
McMillan said he met with each player individually Thursday.
Allen said he intended on talking with everyone as well. Lewis did
not speak with reporters.
The rifts appear out of place in a team that found a working
chemistry early in the season and has 43-20 record and a 10-game
lead over Denver in the Northwest Division.
"I think Rashard put that out there just to keep everyone
focused," Allen said after Thursday's practice. "We can't
splinter when we lose a game."
Recently, the Sonics had their first three-game losing streak of
the season, dropping home games to Phoenix, Houston and Chicago,
but seemed to rebound by winning two of three on their road trip.
While Allen brought up concerns with the offense and his shot
total, either he or Lewis has led Seattle in scoring in the last 20
Seattle is still averaging 100.2 points per game -- seventh in
the NBA -- but the Sonics have become more of a half-court team
lately. Seattle has scored 100 points or more just four times in
the last 14 games. The last was a 103-86 win at Cleveland on March
"We're playing in spurts right now," McMillan said. "We're
not getting two units playing well together and those were the
things that we had all season long."
Then there is the pending free agency hanging over most of the
Sonics' roster. Much of the team, including Allen, guard Antonio
Daniels, forward Vladimir Radmanovic and frontcourt players Reggie
Evans, Jerome James and Vitaly Potapenko can all become free agents
in the offseason.
Allen and agent Lon Babby were attempting to get a deal done
with Seattle before the NBA trade deadline. According to published
reports in the Seattle area, Allen wants $90 million over five
years and Seattle countered with a five-year deal for between $60
million and $70 million.
McMillan said he doesn't want the dissension to derail Seattle's
"I really don't like to talk about it, but it's hard not to
because it's on everyone's mind," the coach said. "But we're
trying to keep the focus on what you have to do out on the court as
a unit and what you did to get to this point."
Lewis, Allen voice criticism
SEATTLE -- One of the NBA's major surprises this season, the


text:
|By Michael Nir
Article Rating:
|February 6, 2014 03:53 PM EST
Did you notice that when something happens to you, it seems to occur to other people as well? For example when you have toddlers, suddenly you see toddlers everywhere - and naturally they are all misbehaving compared to yours J, or when you're planning your wedding, all around you, people are planning theirs, and white dresses become scarce. Lately I had this feeling myself; I was reading a David Baldacci thriller, when half way through, he introduces NP problems and the consequences of finding that P=NP. In addition, I have lately been reading many articles about Critical chain project management. I feel compelled to contribute and provide my take and insights.
There are two kinds of problems, the easy ones which we solve at school, and the hard ones. We might remember the method to solve a quadratic equation by using the x = [-b/2 ± √((b/2)^2 - ac)] /a formula. We are less sure on advising a salesperson how to plan a sales trip to 20 cities in which he can visit every city once and has a limited budget (travelling salesperson problem). When it comes to packing for the holidays we are truly baffled. How are we supposed to fit all the stuff into one checked-in luggage? After continuous deliberation, we land in the exotic resort only to find our bathing suit missing...
Unfortunately and also luckily (more on the luck aspect - later) most of the problems around us are unsolvable, or should I say - not computable in an optimal manner in a reasonable amount of time.
How is this related to project management?
The difficulties we are experiencing managing projects successfully in a resource constrained environment stem from the fact that the Resource Constrained Multi-project Scheduling Problem is very difficult to solve in an optimal manner. Moreover it can't be optimized at all. Multi Project Resource Constrained Scheduling (acronym MPRCS) is known as a NP complete (or NP hard - until this day I am not sure if I understand the exact difference) complexity type problem. In a nutshell, NP problems are very complex mathematical problems. Actually, as mentioned above, most of the problems that we are facing are of NP complexity. For example, those of you who like to travel to Alaska and need to choose equipment from a long list of possibilities, with capacity constraints, are facing an NP problem (knapsack problem).
The theory claims that if we solve one NP problem we can solve all of them. As a byproduct of the solution we would receive a noble prize, render the entire world of encryption useless, and probably get kidnapped by the NSA and never heard of again. So far this hasn't been the case and NP problems are not computable in an optimal manner in a reasonable amount of time. Hence - luckily for us - long encryption keys are at present undecipherable in a reasonable time, which enables secure global communication networks. Conspiracy theorists maintain that governments have already developed computational abilities that can solve NP problems - rendering encryption as we know it useless. Dan Brown in his bestseller book Digital Fortress and David Baldacci in his book Simple Genius venture down this path.
Back to project management. Since scheduling is a NP problem, we can't optimally solve a multi project resource constrained system.
Wait just a minute - am I saying that there aren't computerized tools to optimally schedule a bunch of related projects who share resources??? Truth be told, there are tools offering nearly optimal solutions and granted, while they do not provide an optimal solution they calculate, using complex algorithms, a good enough solution. The time required for providing this solution can be very long, depending on the complexity of the problem. There are environments which benefit from these sophisticated optimization tools. Consider for example a medium-size factory with 100 machines and several thousand components. Running the scheduling software for the defined production floor is lengthy and can take up to 3 days. The specific output of the software is a production plan for the explicit setting. The drawback is that once implemented, any unforeseen change in production requires: either rerunning the optimization software which doesn't make sense duration wise, or applying quick fixes which render the nearly optimal production plan obsolete. If ever you watched an operating factory, you have seen the chaotic nature and constant changes with which it is plagued.
There are industries in which nearly optimal scheduling is vital and as the environment is complex, they must invest in a sophisticated software optimization tool (do remember that the solution is nearly optimal). One example is the airline industry. They can't manually allocate numerous aircrafts and particular crews across several hundred destinations worldwide. When Lufthansa allocates specific aircrafts, along with the constraint of having each aircraft operated by a predefined crew, it makes sense to purchase an advanced and pricey optimization tool. Indeed, once a month the scheduling team runs the optimization application which serves as the basis for aircraft and crew allocation, ticket pricing, and routing worldwide. However if one of the pilots is having the shrimp in coconut sauce for dinner and suffers from food poisoning the next day, entire segments of the optimized schedule collapse and emergency escalation protocols are initiated. The central scheduling team in Frankfurt must find a quick fix to the shrimp ordeal.
Ok - for most of our projects it doesn't make sense to invest so much in building the infrastructure to solve, in a near optimal manner, the multi project resource constrained problem. Especially as the plan is useless once changes occur. All it takes is for a critical resource to be sick one day, for the entire plan to go bust. What is then the alternative? Heuristics - or as we better know them - rules of thumb. These enable local and semi global optimizations. The two famous heuristics to resource constrained project scheduling are: Agile and critical chain. One handles the local optimization and the other semi global optimization. While Goldratt who wrote about critical chain project management knew about heuristics and global optimization, Agile proponents don't really think of it as a local optimization mechanism, but we will leave it for future articles.
More on critical chain, and Goldratt's approach to solving the complexity of resource constrained scheduling, some other time.
A FREE voice over recording of this article is found here.
You can check out my book: The Agile PMO - leading the effective, value-driven, project management office. - - where I further discuss these concepts:
SYS-CON Events announced today that Isomorphic Software will exhibit at DevOps Summit at 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Isomorphic Software provides the SmartClient HTML5/AJAX platform, the most advanced technology for building rich, cutting-edge enterprise web applications for desktop and mobile. SmartClient combines the productivity and performance of traditional desktop software with the simp...
Jul. 30, 2016 09:45 PM EDT Reads: 1,317
Sharding has become a popular means of achieving scalability in application architectures in which read/write data separation is not only possible, but desirable to achieve new heights of concurrency. The premise is that by splitting up read and write duties, it is possible to get better overall performance at the cost of a slight delay in consistency. That is, it takes a bit of time to replicate changes initiated by a "write" to the read-only master database. It's eventually consistent, and it'...
Jul. 30, 2016 08:45 PM EDT Reads: 2,400
Node.js and io.js are increasingly being used to run JavaScript on the server side for many types of applications, such as websites, real-time messaging and controllers for small devices with limited resources. For DevOps it is crucial to monitor the whole application stack and Node.js is rapidly becoming an important part of the stack in many organizations. Sematext has historically had a strong support for monitoring big data applications such as Elastic (aka Elasticsearch), Cassandra, Solr, S...
Jul. 30, 2016 07:30 PM EDT Reads: 4,015
Internet of @ThingsExpo, taking place November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA, is co-located with the 19th International Cloud Expo and will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry players in the world and ThingsExpo Silicon Valley Call for Papers is now open.
Jul. 30, 2016 07:00 PM EDT Reads: 2,775
There's a lot of things we do to improve the performance of web and mobile applications. We use caching. We use compression. We offload security (SSL and TLS) to a proxy with greater compute capacity. We apply image optimization and minification to content. We do all that because performance is king. Failure to perform can be, for many businesses, equivalent to an outage with increased abandonment rates and angry customers taking to the Internet to express their extreme displeasure.
Jul. 30, 2016 04:15 PM EDT Reads: 1,720
Ovum, a leading technology analyst firm, has published an in-depth report, Ovum Decision Matrix: Selecting a DevOps Release Management Solution, 2016–17. The report focuses on the automation aspects of DevOps, Release Management and compares solutions from the leading vendors.
Jul. 30, 2016 01:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,865
No matter how well-built your applications are, countless issues can cause performance problems, putting the platforms they are running on under scrutiny. If you've moved to Node.js to power your applications, you may be at risk of these issues calling your choice into question. How do you identify vulnerabilities and mitigate risk to take the focus off troubleshooting the technology and back where it belongs, on innovation? There is no doubt that Node.js is one of today's leading platforms of ...
Jul. 30, 2016 12:45 PM EDT Reads: 808
Adding public cloud resources to an existing application can be a daunting process. The tools that you currently use to manage the software and hardware outside the cloud aren't always the best tools to efficiently grow into the cloud. All of the major configuration management tools have cloud orchestration plugins that can be leveraged, but there are also cloud-native tools that can dramatically improve the efficiency of managing your application lifecycle. In his session at 18th Cloud Expo, ...
Jul. 30, 2016 12:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,373
SYS-CON Events announced today that LeaseWeb USA, a cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) provider, will exhibit at the 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. LeaseWeb is one of the world's largest hosting brands. The company helps customers define, develop and deploy IT infrastructure tailored to their exact business needs, by combining various kinds cloud solutions.
Jul. 30, 2016 11:30 AM EDT Reads: 1,416
SYS-CON Events announced today that Venafi, the Immune System for the Internet™ and the leading provider of Next Generation Trust Protection, will exhibit at @DevOpsSummit at 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Venafi is the Immune System for the Internet™ that protects the foundation of all cybersecurity – cryptographic keys and digital certificates – so they can't be misused by bad guys in attacks...
Jul. 30, 2016 10:15 AM EDT Reads: 1,526
DevOps at Cloud Expo – being held November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA – announces that its Call for Papers is open. Born out of proven success in agile development, cloud computing, and process automation, DevOps is a macro trend you cannot afford to miss. From showcase success stories from early adopters and web-scale businesses, DevOps is expanding to organizations of all sizes, including the world's largest enterprises – and delivering real results. Am...
Jul. 30, 2016 05:45 AM EDT Reads: 2,403
The 19th International Cloud Expo has announced that its Call for Papers is open. Cloud Expo, to be held November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA, brings together Cloud Computing, Big Data, Internet of Things, DevOps, Digital Transformation, Microservices and WebRTC to one location. With cloud computing driving a higher percentage of enterprise IT budgets every year, it becomes increasingly important to plant your flag in this fast-expanding business opportuni...
Jul. 30, 2016 05:15 AM EDT Reads: 2,732
Let's just nip the conflation of these terms in the bud, shall we?
"MIcro" is big these days. Both microservices and microsegmentation are having and will continue to have an impact on data center architecture, but not necessarily for the same reasons. There's a growing trend in which folks - particularly those with a network background - conflate the two and use them to mean the same thing.
They are not.
One is about the application. The other, the network. T...
Jul. 30, 2016 05:15 AM EDT Reads: 3,773
If you are within a stones throw of the DevOps marketplace you have undoubtably noticed the growing trend in Microservices. Whether you have been staying up to date with the latest articles and blogs or you just read the definition for the first time, these 5 Microservices Resources You Need In Your Life will guide you through the ins and outs of Microservices in today's world.
Jul. 30, 2016 04:30 AM EDT Reads: 4,207
Before becoming a developer, I was in the high school band. I played several brass instruments - including French horn and cornet - as well as keyboards in the jazz stage band. A musician and a nerd, what can I say? I even dabbled in writing music for the band. Okay, mostly I wrote arrangements of pop music, so the band could keep the crowd entertained during Friday night football games. What struck me then was that, to write parts for all the instruments - brass, woodwind, percussion, even k...
Jul. 30, 2016 01:45 AM EDT Reads: 2,426
This digest provides an overview of good resources that are well worth reading. We'll be updating this page as new content becomes available, so I suggest you bookmark it. Also, expect more digests to come on different topics that make all of our IT-hearts go boom!
Jul. 30, 2016 12:45 AM EDT Reads: 3,797
Keeping pace with advancements in software delivery processes and tooling is taxing even for the most proficient organizations. Point tools, platforms, open source and the increasing adoption of private and public cloud services requires strong engineering rigor – all in the face of developer demands to use the tools of choice. As Agile has settled in as a mainstream practice, now DevOps has emerged as the next wave to improve software delivery speed and output. To make DevOps work, organization...
Jul. 30, 2016 12:30 AM EDT Reads: 2,370
Right off the bat, Newman advises that we should "think of microservices as a specific approach for SOA in the same way that XP or Scrum are specific approaches for Agile Software development". These analogies are very interesting because my expectation was that microservices is a pattern. So I might infer that microservices is a set of process techniques as opposed to an architectural approach. Yet in the book, Newman clearly includes some elements of concept model and architecture as well as p...
Jul. 29, 2016 02:45 PM EDT Reads: 9,848
This is a no-hype, pragmatic post about why I think you should consider architecting your next project the way SOA and/or microservices suggest. No matter if it's a greenfield approach or if you're in dire need of refactoring. Please note: considering still keeps open the option of not taking that approach. After reading this, you will have a better idea about whether building multiple small components instead of a single, large component makes sense for your project. This post assumes that you...
Jul. 29, 2016 04:15 AM EDT Reads: 4,302
In his session at @DevOpsSummit at 19th Cloud Expo, Yoseph Reuveni, Director of Software Engineering at Jet.com, will discuss Jet.com's journey into containerizing Microsoft-based technologies like C# and F# into Docker. He will talk about lessons learned and challenges faced, the Mono framework tryout and how they deployed everything into Azure cloud. Yoseph Reuveni is a technology leader with unique experience developing and running high throughput (over 1M tps) distributed systems with extre...
Jul. 28, 2016 10:15 PM EDT Reads: 2,271


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text: What's the most adorable creature in all of fiction?Rob Bricken12/30/13 5:11pmFiled to: open channelcutekawaiipokemonfuturamamst3k56113EditInvite manuallyPromoteDismissUndismissHideShare to KinjaToggle Conversation toolsGo to permalink Nibbler. Pikachu. The Adipose. This Futurama alien, Pokémon, and sentient fat-thing from Doctor Who are just three of the many, many hyper-cute character that lurk in movies, TV shows, anime and more. But what's your pick for the emperor of adorability?As an MST3K fan, I have to choose NummyMuffinCoocolButter, if only because the evil scientist Dr. Forrester created it to be the cutest creature in the universe, effectively enslaving everyone who saw it by compelling them to ignore everything else in order to properly fawn over it. This w would allow Forrester to take over the worl, but of course, Forrester himself fell for NummyMuffinCoocolButter's pink, fuzzy charms first. The Earth was again saved — but not before TV's Frank graced us with this haunting song: Advertisement Give us your picks in the comments, and make sure you include pics, of course. How else are we going to judge the cutest of all?Reply561 repliesLeave a reply


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...I have tutored students of all ages in French, from preschool to high school to college age. I earned a Bachelor's degree in Comparative Literature/French from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where I graduated with Honors. I enjoy working with people of all ages and like to get students engaged in the learning process.
Yorba Linda, CAView Tutor
...I have spoken many times in these settings and innumerable more. It would be the utmost pleasure for me to help others with their public speaking, especially considering that it is a skill so many lack. Having even one individual who believes wholly in a student's potential to be a great speaker makes all the difference in the world!
Irvine, CAView Tutor
...I am available during the summer months to keep these student's skills sharp and to prepare for grade level changes. This is the second school year that I have registered with WyzAnt as a tutor. The referrals I have received are excellent.
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...I have a very genuine passion for teaching and helping students learn. As cliche as it sounds, I really find joy in helping others better understand concepts or just help them learn something new. I am very patient, kind, hard-working, and have great communication skills.
San Bernardino, CAView Tutor
...In high school, my 10th grade English teacher inspired me to want to teach because he really made the subject come alive. So, following his lead, I have taught Englishin high school and college, and I even had a stint as a kindergarten teacher. When I saw the opportunity to stay home and teach my own children, I happily took it.
Vista, CAView Tutor


text: Hi. I'm Yamigo100 presenting my newest OU team that I have created. Fell free to critique and criticize something, or just point out a basic flaw. So here's the rundown Team: Orgin: Befroe, I wanted to create a team that centered around Gyarados who would be a dragon dance sweeper, however, I soon realized that he was holding the team back and I switched from Gyarados to Haxorus, a poke who I thought would be more effective. This too, proved not very effective. The probelm with both teams was that in the fights Gyarados and Haxorus would be the last pokemon left at the mercy of half a team of certain death, and all though I could mow down one or two pokes, this still proved o me that the entire time other than the the first team, would be doing the work. I then realized that the team I made to help support/sweep foir Gyarados was in itself a good balanced team. So since the team worked well on its own, I needed a Pokemon who would assist the team but not be a big time setup poke, or another basic sweeper or tank. I decided to use Accelgor as it was the first thing I picked when I got to the Smogon website, and honestly, I'm happy with him. Now for the Team details... Salty(M)-Timid-252HP/4SpA/252Spd Unburden;Focus Sash Spikes Buzz Buzz Knock Off Yawn So he isn't very offensive but he's one salty moutherfucker. With focus sash, I'm almost guaranteed two layers of Spikes, Unless my opponents lead carries a priority attack. Accelgor is the outspeeds EVERYTHING in the tier, unless of course its scarfed, but he won't live long enough to know who's who. Knock off is to ruin the days of evolite pokemon and and other pokemon that depend on their items such as Porygon-2 (in a recent battle) and other pokemon with leftovers who will be a bane. Yawn is for pokes such as Fortress who I will use it on immediately, set up two layers of spikes and switch into Hetran. He's defiantly proving his worth. Sour(F)-Timid-4Hp/252spA/252Spd Volt Absorb; Choice Specs Thunderbolt Volt Switch Hidden Power Ice Shadow Ball* *If you know another good move, please Suggest. Jolteon has been one of my favorite sweepers ever since I first chose him for a failed Keledo team which I think had a Gyarados at one point. But anyways, Jolteon is an amazing special attacker, maiming everything in sight with a STAB Thunderbolt, proving to be a pain in the ass with Volt Switch, or revenging killing with HP Ice. Shadow ball is there because I like the move and again, if you know a better option, please do tell. Spicy(F)-Calm-252HP/4SpA/252SpD Flash Fire;Leftovers Fire Blast Toxic Will-O-Wisp Earth Power So I think it should be said right now that I fucking love Hetran. A defensive Fire-type whom is a very powerful and bulky offender. As my preferred Special Wall, he resist just about everything that isn't a weakness and does her job well in hindering and taking out weakened Pokemon. Fire Blast is basic STAB option and is always a pleasure to have on a team. With both Toxic AND Will-O-Wisp, I can hinder every pokemon except Hetran itself, whom If I can predict it right, take it out (and other Fire Types) with Earth Power, which is essential to ANY Hetran going Specially Offensive in its methods. Crunchy(M)-Impish-252HP/184Def/72Spd Poison Heal;Toxic Orb Earthquake Ice Fang Stealth Rock Roost God I love Gliscor. For a while, I would use a Gliscor with leftovers, which would get poisoned and get bundles of health. But this happened rarely. So I'm going with a very effective and basic physically defensive set with him. Gliscor being Gliscor can take physical hits of neutral damage for days, fearing no unboosted Outrage or even super effective Ice attacks (physically of course. Specially he's S.O.L) Earthquake, duh! Ice Fang, double duh! Stealth Rock, just for more pain in the assiness, and roost, to fuck with folks :p But seriously, this set is built to survive, and unless you outspeed and overpower, you aren't killing this guy without a special move. Bitter(F)-Timid-4HP/252SpA/252Spd Levitate;Black Sludge Shadow Ball Sludge Bomb Thunderbolt Trick Many of my previous opponents in my time as a Competitive Battler have used a Disable and Trick trollish set. I mean it works well, but doesn't do much if he's only on the field for two turns unless against a Choiced Pokemon. I find an offensive Gengar to be much more rewarding and useful, as it provides me with a balanced offensive option, plus I can hinder any wall I come across. First there is Shadow Ball and Sludge Bomb which are great STAB options, and personally two of my favorite attacks of all time, are complimented well by Thunderbolt which provides excellent coverage over much of the OU baring Magnizone, Hetran, and Lucario which are threats off the top of my head (if lucario is special then he's to be feared.) But Trick is a real fun game to play with folks, as she hinders pokemon like Chansey, Blissy, and other would be checks. Also, against sweepers, she's rarely ever 2HKOED, as she can do it to many pokemon back. Sweety(M)-Timid-4Hp/252SpA/252Spd Levitate;Choice Scarf Draco Meteor Psyshock* Surf Thunderbolt *Again, if you know another move, please do tell. The final Member of the team is my choice scarf user of choice (lol see wut i did there?)He's anything but sweet as his main mission is to out speed and wreck havoc, but I fell I'm not using him to his full potential or as good as I should. But that is mostly a matter of skill. Looking at the moveset we have Draco Meteor (basic STAB nothing remarkable,) then there's Psyshock which also works well. Surf and Thunderbolt provide near unresisted coverage and are overall just good moves of their type. So yeah, that's it. Please rate with honesty. Criticism in any form is welcome.


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BOSTON -- The Los Angeles Lakers' dismissal of coach Mike Brown on Friday after only five regular-season games resonated all the way to the other coast as Boston's Doc Rivers and Philadelphia's Doug Collins expressed dismay over the quick hook for a member of their coaching fraternity.
Rivers, though, is no stranger to an early exit. The Orlando Magic fired Rivers 11 games into his fifth season with the team back in 2003 after a 1-10 start (that included 10 straight losses).
"Well, he beat my record," quipped Rivers. "Obviously, I think it's awful. I thought mine was awful, too, by the way, but five games into a season, that's hard to believe. Hard to believe when guys are injured."
Rivers admitted he saw the writing on the wall at the end of his tenure in Orlando.
"When it happens that early, at least in my case, it was probably thought about during the summer and they just never got around to doing it," said Rivers. "When you start out slow, then [they say], 'All right, let's do it.'"
Added Rivers: "I was kinda relieved at that time. I kinda felt like it was coming eventually, it was only talked about every day. I don't think people ever understand, when anybody loses a job, I'm sure you have friends who lose jobs, but when it's done publicly, you have kids in school, and they have to hear that stuff every day. And I don't think people get that with the way our job is public. I had all four of my kids in school [in Orlando] and they had to hear it every day. Kids aren't very nice to kids. For me, I didn't think much about myself, I was far more concerned about my kids."
Collins, fired three times during his coaching career, could feel Brown's pain.
"Well, I feel badly for Mike. This is a tough business, as I said before," said Collins. "I was talking with my coaches today and I said, 'You know, if your only failure in the NBA is getting fired as a coach, you've lived a pretty good life.'"
Was five games too quick for a hook?
"Well, I'm not going to be the one to judge that," said Collins, who later quipped, "I've been fired three times. You're asking the wrong guy."


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I have a rar archive that I downloaded, except some of the filenames are too long to be created by ubuntu. How can I extract all of the files?
The default archive manager on ubuntu goes through most of the files, fails, and deletes the entire folder. Ark extracts them and silently fails on names that are too long.


text:
Pitbull Releases 'Greenlight' Featuring Flo Rida & LunchMoney Lewis"Red light, green light, everybody take a shot!"
Watch Flo Rida's Sunny New Video for 'Hello Friday'Don't miss the moment he straps on a water jet pack and goes flying.
Flo Rida Shows Off His Country Side in 'Who's With Me?'You read that correctly.
[VIDEO] iFLY Like Flo Rida EventCheck out the video from our iFLY Like Flo Rida event at iFLY San Diego.
Flo Rida Drops New Track 'Hello Friday' Featuring Jason DeruloJust in time for the weekend, Flo Ria arrives.
Eva Longoria Performs Flo Rida's 'Low' on 'Lip Sync Battle'Longoria drops it like it's hot, on multiple occasions.
Flo Rida Rap Battles WWE Wrestler Bo DallasWho emerged victorious?
[LISTEN] Robin Thicke Refuses To Quit With New Single That Features Nicki Minaj
If You're Not Excited for Summer Yet, Watch Flo Rida's 'I Don't Like It, I Love It' VideoAnd if that doesn't get you excited for summer, check your pulse.
[LISTEN] Flo Rida ft. Chris Brown "Here It Is"
[LISTEN] Jeremih ft. Flo Rida "Tonight Belongs To U!"
Jeremih & Flo Rida Turn Up for New Single 'Tonight Belongs to U!': ListenGet ready to hear the new high-energy single from Jeremih and Flo Rida on the dance floor all summer long.


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Just returned from a four-night break at this fabulous hotel - booked as a deal on Groupon. Beautiful hotel, gorgeous breakfast, fabulous maid service, lovely room - the Safe is free and easy to use, the plugs take English or European plugs. Had a small problem with the hot water, which was attended to and rectified immediately by a friendly and polite technician. The staff throughout the whole of the place were wonderful and couldn't be more helpful. The food was outstanding. Enjoyed our Hammam (which is a posh shared shower) located in the spa. There is a shopping precinct a few minutes walk away with a huge Carrefour supermarket (The off license is located at one end of it and called the Cave). The free shuttle service into Marrakesh was good Marrakesh is an amazing place which totally assaulted the senses! The mix of trepidation, the unknown, the noise, the smells, the variety of humanity, the unimaginable array of wares from the stalls in and around the souks was, at first, completely overwhelming, but rapidly became a highlight of the holiday and great fun. A real roller-coaster of emotions! Was told by one couple who had a horse and carriage ride that they were taken to a place selling 'spices' and felt compelled to buy before the driver would collect them, so perhaps would avoid those! We came away with wonderful memories of a lovely break and friendly, warm people. Would strongly recommend.
- Official Description (provided by the hotel):
- A 15-minute walk from the Agdal Gardens, this hotel offers a daily breakfast, an outdoor pool and free Wi-fi. It features several restaurants serving a variety of cuisine, including an Art Deco restaurant and one with terrace dining. Each room at Adam Park Marrakech Hotel & Spa is air-conditioned and has a patio or balcony with a view of the surrounding area. All rooms are en suite and include a flat-screen TV with satellite channels. Guests can choose between the Traviata restaurant, with Italian music and specialties served on the terrace with a pool view; Sidibibi restaurant, serving Moroccan specialties; the contemporary-style the Art Deco-styled L'international, both serving international specialties. After a work-out on the cardio machines in the fitness centre, guests can relax with a body treatment at the SPA The Jamaa El Fna Square is a 10-minute drive from this hotel with our FRRE daily shuttle bus, and the El Badi Palace is a 7-minute drive. The hotel is 7 km from the Royal Golf Course and a 20-minute drive from Marrakech Menara Airport with shutle buss on request at a charge. ... more less
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Richards Arons is suing Sony Music claiming he is due a %7.5 cut in royalities from the Jackson 5 music created prior to 1983. Arons who says he is 75 years old and dependent on these payments, is suing in L.A. Superior Court for breach of contract, improper accounting and more. He is asking the court to grant him lost royalties, costs and damages and the continuation of future payments. Arons says he became the Jackson family attorney in 1969 just as The Jackson Five were beginning their rise.
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Alex Vincent-Machado's assertion (Health budget explained, Your Say, August 21) the "efficiency savings" have been ploughed back into the NHS needs to be clarified for readers.
"Efficiency saving" is the gap between the funding allocated and the demand for services.
This gap is supposed to be met by lowering costs and improving productivity.
Hence, if this generates a surplus, there is a possibility of ploughing it back.
But all the evidence is that our hospitals and CCGs are struggling to meet the Nicholson target of £20bn over five years to 2015.
An increasingly large number of hospitals, including our own St Helier, are now in financial deficit.
This is due to the fact that there has been a year on year of reduction in tariffs (payment for
specific services) amounting to 7 per cent in real terms by 2014-15 (information from King's Fund, which monitors NHS funding).
Facing this deficit, many hospitals have cut down staff and services.
Dr Kailash Chand from the BMA estimated that over two years across the country 35,000 staff have been axed, including 5,600 nurses, half of our 600 ambulance stations are earmarked for closure, one-third of NHS walk-in centres have been closed and 10 per cent of accident and emergency units have been shut.
Furthermore, it is unforgivable that the significant savings are delivered by pay restraint for our valued hospital staff whose morale is at their lowest because of the fall in living standards.
Given these financial pressures and the provisions health and social care bill of 2011, more than £10bn worth of the NHS has been put up for sale.
Hence we need to take David Murray's arguments (Call to reverse privatising bill, August 7) seriously and have an informed debate about it.
Sutton Keep Our NHS Public
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- Man, 46, pleads guilty to forcing way into pensioner's home and raping her in 'horrific' attack
- Ben Butler appeals conviction for murdering six-year-old daughter Ellie
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Yields on the U.S. 10-year Treasury note dropped sharply Wednesday, setting up a potential trade in certain areas of the market. » Read More
The Fed is expected to repeat its dovish message in the coming week, which could provide a safety net for the market amid a big wave of earnings and the April jobs report.
We're heading into the end of the heavy period of earnings season. Next week more than a quarter of the S&P 500 is set to report, including big names in media.
The "Fast Money" traders share their final trades of the day.
If you missed the rally don't just stand there kicking yourself. The pros say it's not too late.
Several factors will help lead stocks higher, TheStreet CIO Stephanie Link says.
Take a look at some of Friday's midday movers:
It's a stock-picker's market, Stephen Weiss of Short Hills Capital says.
Here's the "Fast Money" Final Trade.
Some of the names on the move ahead of the open.
Check out which companies are making headlines after the bell Monday:
Liam McGee, chairman, president and CEO of The Hartford Financial Services Group, shares his view on earnings, and discusses the company's state of deleveraging.
Some of the names on the move ahead of the open.
Check out which companies are making headlines after the bell Wednesday:
Check out which companies are making headlines after the bell Wednesday:
Stocks staged a sharp recovery in the final hour of trading Thursday following news that the House of Representatives will reconvene on Sunday evening to resume talks, with less than a week left until the "fiscal cliff" deadline.
Take a look at some of Monday's midday movers:
"Fiscal cliff": Still no sign of market nervousness. No spike in the Volatility Index.
Stocks are ending sharply lower on Wall Street as investors assess the potential costs of Superstorm Sandy. AIG fell 7 percent, Genworth Financial 3 percent and Hartford Financial Services Group lost 3 percent. Two stocks fell for every one that rose on the New York Stock Exchange.
BOSTON-- Shares of property insurers fell more sharply than the broader market on Friday as investors weighed the potential for heavy damages from Hurricane Sandy, which was heading north from Haiti and Cuba toward the East Coast.
Oct 11- The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc:. *S&P Capital IQ raises Hartford Financial Services price target by $2. Reuters Station users, click. 1568.


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|29 July 2016 by WETI
The World Congress on Embryo Transfer & Intrauterine Insemination. Endorsed by IVF Lite Foundation, India and Organized by Zimt Conferences & Seminars Organizing Company, Dubai, UAE. The Second World Congress on Embryo Transfer & Intrauterine Insemination [Read more]
|23 July 2016 by Dr.VM.Thomas
Chennai fertility center and Research Institute cordillay invites to participate 22nd batch of IVF intensive hands on training for clinician as well as Embryologist starting from 1st Aug 2016 to 14th Aug 2016.The Hands on course will run by World renowned Embryologist Dr.VM.Thomas-team. [Read more]
|17 July 2016 by Dr Rosie Gilchrist
A two-year-old girl has become the youngest person to undergo a new technique that could preserve her fertility after chemotherapy. [Read more]
|17 July 2016 by Rachel Siden
Donor-conceived children born to single women are equally well adjusted as those from two-parent donor-conceived families, according to a recent UK study examining the views of single mothers and children aged between four and nine years old. 'At an age at which children begin to understand their family circumstances, they continue to function well,' said researcher Dr Sophie Zadeh of the Centre for Family Research at the University of Cambridge. [Read more]
|17 July 2016 by Dr Lanay Tierney
A little-known virus has been found in the uteruses of around half of women with unexplained infertility, a study has found. The findings, if confirmed, could potentially lead to antiviral treatments for the approximately 25 percent of women whose infertility has no medical explanation. [Read more]
|15 July 2016 by Hans Stöhr
On August 8 United Kingdom National External Quality Assessment Service (UK NEQAS) will start next three distributions for inter-laboratory quality control in reproductive science of periode 2016 - 2017. [Read more]
|14 July 2016 by Ms.Bindu Shah
Learn all about Assisted Reproductive Technology - IVF Lab basics, sterile techniques, culture media, preparation of culture dishes for IVF and ICSI, handling of oocyte under microscope and insemination with sperms, sperm preparation for IVF & ICSI, sigle culture and group culture,day 3 embryo transfers, embryo transfer techniques, setting up of inverted microscope and micro manipulator system for performing ICSI, ICSI dish preparation, doing microinjection (IVF and ICSI hands-on) , advise regarding settings up of IUI and IVFlab,Laser Assisted Hatching, Sperm Freezing,Embryo freezing,PESA, MESA and much more. [Read more]
|13 July 2016 by Matt Holmes
Register today to join Klaus Weimer PhD, Lab Director of the POMA Fertility Clinic in Kirkland, Washington and Mr. Steven Geelhood, SAFE Sens Project Manager on Tuesday August 9th at 11:30 AM PDT / 12:30 PM EDT for a complimentary webinar entitled, "Real World Best Practices in IVF Cell Culturing- Continuous pH Monitoring." Visit the link below to register. https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6349075294819518211 [Read more]
|10 July 2016 by Lone Hørlyck
A study of smokers has found smoking damages their sperm, including their DNA and mitochondria, by triggering inflammatory processes in their semen. Previous studies had shown that smoking causes DNA damage to sperm and mitochondria – the energy-producing centres in cells – but this detailed analysis shows how that may occur. [Read more]
|10 July 2016 by Rachel Brown
Nearly one-fifth of women aged 35 to 44 years have had problems conceiving, according to a survey of over 15,000 British people. The results of the survey, which were published in Human Reproduction, also revealed that, of those who reported experiencing infertility, 42.7 percent of women and 46.8 percent of men did not seek medical help for the problem. [Read more]


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Clip Job: an excerpt every day from the Voice archives. July 22, 1971, Vol. XVI, No. 29
Hitting where it hurts By Mary Perot Nichols
Greenwich Villagers have been noticing for some time now that something weird was going on in their neighborhood. There was the proliferation of after-hours bars, a growing narcotics scene, porno shops, and the notorious and seemingly unclosable (by the local and state authorities) Haven on Sheridan Square. Their suspicions were confirmed early Sunday morning with the dramatic sweep of seven local after-hours clubs by the New York Joint Strike Force Against Organized Crime.
The strike force, made up of federal agents and city police under the leadership of First Deputy Commissioner William H.T. Smith, nailed a Mafia soldier, allegedly part of the Carlo Gambino family, and his stepson, who had been known to be involved in at least eight Village nightspots, including the Haven.
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The key people the strike force team picked up were Paul Di Bella of Jackson Heights, Queens, and his stepson, Nicholas Di Martino, who was well-known as the operator of the Haven. Di Bella was picked up at his summer home at Greenwood Lakes, New Jersey. He is listed as a "corporate officer" of Tel Star Holding Corporation which owns the building which houses the New Showplace, 146 West 4th Street, one of the after-hours bars raided Sunday morning. Stepson Di Martino was arrested in his apartment above the New Showplace, which, ironically, used to house Betty Compton, the mistress of playboy Mayor "Jimmy" Walker when the downstairs establishment was known as the Pepper Pot. Di Bella is a member of the Manhattan International Longshoremen's Association and receives an annual income from the piers under a seniority agreement with the shippers, even though he does not work.
The interesting thing about Tel Star is that this is the name under which the Haven holds a membership charter from the State of New York. According to federal agents, Di Bello has told friends, "I am Tel Star." Other establishments in which Di Bella and Di Martino have an interest, according to federal strike force sources, include 15-15 1/2 Barrow Street, the Tenth of Always at 82 West 3rd Street (both raided Sunday morning), and the Stonewall Inn, which has been preparing for some time for a grand opening after having been busted up in a raid by local police two years ago.
...The rap on which the proprietors of after-hours clubs were booked was a federal one: failure to obtain a $56-a-year tax stamp to sell liquor and conspiracy to evade that law. The lack of a tax stamp is a felony, as is the conspiracy charge...
Narcotics were found at several of the raided premises, including the Tenth of Always, which was described to The Voice by one federal agent as a veritable "den" for the hard stuff...
[Each weekday morning, we post an excerpt from another issue of the Voice, going in order from our oldest archives. Visit our Clip Job archive page to see excerpts back to 1956.]
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I have been single for several months now. But I haven't been married to Son's father for several years. So when I refer to myself as a single parent, the single and the parent aren't necessarily related. But because we hear this phrase so much, and I do at times refer to myself as one, it bears asking the question - what is a single parent?
I am a single parent in the sense that I parent Son on my own when he's with me. I don't mean that Son's father isn't involved, because he very much is - he's a committed and loving father, and Son is with him every other weekend and for some of the school holidays.
But this means that when Son has a moment - if you're a parent, you know what I mean by a moment - there's no other biologically related person present to observe, digest, and deal with it along with me. I deal with it - I define the crime, I dole out the punishment. And I deal with his reaction to the sentence, which means that sometimes I must also extend its length immediately after declaring it because the moment has become an episode in response to the punishment.
When I am parenting, I do so singly, most of the time. But sometimes Son's parents gather together for dinner and at birthdays. The whole experience of those times is another story, but a glimpse of it here will help explain what I mean. Let's stick to the theme of crimes and punishment as just one element of the multi-faceted experience of being a parent.
Once Son's father and his step-mother were over at my house when Son suddenly, and for no apparent reason that we could discern, shouted "FUCK!" We all slowly swivelled our heads in his direction, and I observed that he looked even more surprised by this outburst than we did. Without a moment's hesitation, he explained, "What? I said it with a p - h."
I burst into laughter. Son's father's face grew redder, and Step-Mom fiddled with her fingers and shifted in her seat. But Son was under my supervision, because we were in my house, so I was the one responsible for naming the crime, and for coming up with a punishment that fit.
So I kept laughing. Then I turned back to Son's father and carried on the conversation we had been having, as if what had just happened bore no more importance than something funny on telly. Son very quickly sidled off and escaped the room, as if being observed increased the likelihood that his extreme luck at not being severely punished would vanish. (It might have. He's a smart kid.)
So, you see, even when I am in the company of Son's father - even when, technically, I am not the single parent in the room - I am still parenting singly. That situation brought to life another facet of this experience - shortly after Son left the room, his father interrupted me and asked when and how I was planning to punish him. The ensuing discussion made me feel like I was being assessed for my crimes, and was itself my punishment for thinking that Son had absolved himself of his sin of Tourette's Syndrome-style cursing by being really fucking funny.
Or as Son would say - really phucking funny.
But my decision about whether or not to punish Son was not adjusted as a result of this discussion, despite Son's father's well-honed debating skills. Under ordinary circumstances two parents in the company of a misbehaving child decide between themselves after some period of deliberation (with anything from a single glance to hours of discussion) which punishment fits a particular crime. The way Son's father and I have managed to continue to spend any time in one another's company is by deferring to the supervising parent's parental discretion.
This is just as hard for me as it is for Son's father, who at one point went through a period of requiring that Son not disturb him in the night, even when there were most certainly monsters under Son's bed. When Son told me about it with tears in his eyes, it broke my heart. But aside from having long, laborious discussions with Son's father the merits of such an approach, there was nothing I could do about it. His house, his rules.
Over time and with experience, Son's father and I have negotiated our own Single Parent's Right to Parenting Contract (a.k.a. the Parenting Contract), and while it covers many topics and has been subject to amendments and alterations over time, it primarily reflects, and has mostly adhered to, a single defining principle - Thou Shalt Not Interfere With the Other Parent's Parenting Decisions.
The contract got a little more complicated when Step-Mom came into the picture (a few months after our marriage slowly burned out, following a conflagration that burned for what felt like years). We had to figure out how to make this new person a part of the Parenting Contract, whether this would merely require her to co-sign her name on dotted line of our previously negotiated agreement, or whether we needed to make extensive amendments to deal with the changing dynamics of our extending family.
Part of being a single parent is figuring out how to parent singly, and how to parent together with the other parent, assuming they're still in the picture (my mother's experience of single parenthood without a father around for the first few years of my life looked very different to my experience of it). But that's just one part of it, and it certainly isn't its defining feature.
So what is a single parent? Let's Google it.
Judging by the ads at the top of the results page, a single parent is someone who requires much support (or perhaps that's just what Google tells its advertising clients a person wants when they Google anything to do with single parenthood).
Scroll down a little further and you get a white box displaying the definition from Oxford Dictionaries, "a person bringing up a child or children without a partner." Based on that definition, Son's father is no longer a single parent. One more reason to hate him I suppose (I am kidding).
Wikipedia tells us that "A single parent is an uncoupled individual who shoulders most or all of the day-to-day responsibilities for raising a child or children. A mother is more often the primary caregiver in a single-parent family structure that has arisen due to death of the partner, divorce or unplanned pregnancy."
What strikes me (really hard in the gut) is the phrase "uncoupled individual". Looking at the concept from the perspective of the parent who is not part of a couple, we shine a bright, bare light on one of the most painful parts of my experience of being a single parent. It's the heart of the matter - or the heart in the matter, as it were.
In the deepest, darkest nights of single parenting, when Son has a fever and there's vomit everywhere, it's really hard not having someone by my side, mopping up the mess while I administer medicine and cuddles. But that's just one facet of being a "single parent" - a phrase that shines a light on the fact that I'm a also a single person. And the process of becoming not single, when I have time to focus on it at all, presents its own tangled mess of issues unique to "uncoupled individuals" raising a child...
And this is where I will punctuate the story with a "Part I". The answer to the question posed here didn't start out in multiple parts, but just like single parenthood, it's become far more complex and multi-dimensional than I could ever have imagined.


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Two Lights State Park
|This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. (March 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
|Two Lights State Park
|Maine State Park
|United States
|Cape Elizabeth
|66 ft (20 m) [1]
|43°33′38″N 70°12′21″W / 43.56056°N 70.20583°WCoordinates: 43°33′38″N 70°12′21″W / 43.56056°N 70.20583°W [1]
|41 acres (17 ha) [2]
|Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
|IUCN category
|V - Protected Landscape/Seascape
|Website: Two Lights State Park
Two Lights State Park is a publicly owned recreation area named after the twin Cape Elizabeth Lights on Cape Elizabeth, Maine.[3] The 41-acre (17 ha) state park opened in 1961 and offers views of Casco Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. In addition to rocky headlands, the park includes the remains of a World War II-era seacoast battery bunker and a fire control tower. Note there are no lighthouses in the park itself.
The nearby twin lighthouses were built in 1828, but cannot be viewed from this park. The easternmost light is still active; the other was decommissioned in 1924, served as a fire control tower in World War II, and is now a private home. Although the lighthouses cannot be seen from within the park, they can be viewed from a turnaround at the end of Two Lights Road. Edward Hopper made one of the towers the subject of his 1929 painting The Lighthouse at Two Lights,[4] which was used on a U.S. postage stamp in 1970 commemorating the sesquicentennial of Maine statehood.[5]
During World War II, the park area was the Cape Elizabeth Military Reservation. The coast defense battery in the park was Battery Construction Number (BCN) 201, designed for two 6-inch guns in shielded mounts that would be on the large concrete circles at each end of the battery. However, with the threat from surface ships nearly non-existent by the time the battery was completed, it was not armed. It was part a modernization of the Harbor Defenses of Portland, centered on Battery Steele on Peaks Island. A duplicate of Battery Steele, BCN 101 with two 16-inch guns, was planned for an area near the park but never built.[6][7][8]
Activities and amenities[edit]
The park offers a network of paths of nearly two miles, traversing both forested lands and seaside rock ledges.[9] Facilities include benches along the shore, restrooms, playground, and picnic tables.[3]
- ^ a b "Two Lights State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
- ^ "Outdoors in Maine: State Parks, Public Lands, and Historic Sites" (PDF). Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
- ^ a b "Two Lights State Park". Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ "The Lighthouse at Two Lights". The Collection Online. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ "Cape Elizabeth West". Lighthousefriends. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
- ^ Berhow, Mark A., ed. (2004). American Seacoast Defenses, A Reference Guide, Second Edition. CDSG Press. p. 203. ISBN 0-9748167-0-1.
- ^ "Fort and Battery List". Coastal Defense Study Group. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
- ^ "Cape Elizabeth Military Reservation". FortWiki. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
- ^ "Two Lights State Park". Maine Trail Finder. Center for Community GIS. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
External links[edit]
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Two Lights State Park.
- Two Lights State Park Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry


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This Day in Founding Founders History - Where we bring you important dates in the lives and history of the Founding Generation. On this day in 1861, Kansas became the 34th state to join the Union.….Continue
Mandeville, LA - Exclusive Transcript - What would Jefferson then say about how we're so far out of scale today? What we mean by scale is you can't have representation when your representative represents 709,000 people. That's just a pipedream. What would Jefferson and company then do if they were going to try and arrest this evil that we all seem possessed of? My wager is that they would look towards establishing a much smaller, more representative government under ….Continue
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What Dryden said was this, "Great wits are oft to madness near allied"; and that is true. It is the pure promptitude of the intellect that is in peril of a breakdown. Also people might remember of what sort of man Dryden was talking. He was not talking of any unworldly visionary like Vaughan or George Herbert. He was talking of a cynical man of the world, a sceptic, a diplomatist, a great practical politician. Such men are indeed to madness near allied. Their incessant calculation of their own brains and other people's brains is a dangerous trade. It is always perilous to the mind to reckon up the mind. A flippant person has asked why we say, "As mad as a hatter." A more flippant person might answer that a hatter is mad because he has to measure the human head. - G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy


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