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$10 DOWN LAYAWAY DETAILS: Offer valid on in-store, online and mobile Kmart layaway contracts. $10 due at contract initiation. All fees nonrefundable. Service and cancellation fees apply. No cancellation fees in Ohio. Requires biweekly payments. Total layaway contract amount spread over 4 biweekly payments for an 8-week contract or 6 biweekly payments for a 12-week contract. Maryland, Washington D.C., online and mobile offer 8-week contracts only. 12-week layaway option available on purchases of $300 or more.
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4 easy steps to get what you want
Shop for what you want.
Add your items to cart and go to check out. If in store, head to the layaway counter.
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This includes the service fee, and is due when you initiate your contract.
Make payments every two weeks.
Store pickup contracts can make payments online at kmart.com/layaway or at the store where the merchandise will be picked up.
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Once your last payment is made, or schedule your pickup online.
By texting the keyword, you agree to receive recurring autodialed messages from Kmart layaway alerts to my mobile number regarding payment reminders and also agree to the program terms and privacy policy at www.shcterms.com/mobile. Message and data rates may apply. Recurring messaging and frequency may vary. Reply STOP to cancel. Reply HELP for more information. Consent is not a condition of any purchase.
Layaway Options
Requires down and biweekly payments. All fees nonrefundable. Cancellation fees apply. No cancellation fees in Ohio. Not available at all Kmart stores. 12-week layaway option available only on in-store purchases of $300 or more. Exclusions apply. See associate for further details.
Except where prohibited by law, in which case the down payment would be less than the amount shown above. See stores for state specific fee limitations. Down payment includes a $5 Service Fee for an 8 week contract and a $10 Service Fee on a 12-week contract. No partial cancellations are permitted. Cancellations can be made only in the store where you opened your contract.
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Layaway contracts are 8 weeks. For purchases of $300 or more, a 12-week option is available in-store.
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Except where prohibited by law, an 8 week contract requires a $5 Service Fee and a 12-week layaway contract requires a $10 Service Fee.*
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Items that are available for online layaway will be identified as "Available for Layaway" on the individual product page.
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4 easy payments of balance due are required after down payment for an 8 week contract and 6 easy payments of balance due are required for a 12-week contract.
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You have a 7-day grace* period after your payment due date before your contract is cancelled and items are returned to stock. A nonrefundable Cancellation Fee will apply.*
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You can make a payment at any register in the store that holds your contract or online at kmart.com/layaway.
Leasing and Sears Card also available at Kmart
Reserve now and pay as you go with Kmart layaway online
With Kmart layaway online, those big purchases won't have to wait until later. Take advantage of current deals and lock in today's great values with our online layaway store. Just start your schedule of payments and your brand new television, dining table or sofa will be waiting for you when you're finished.
If you're shopping for big ticket items, Kmart layaway makes it easy. You can pick and choose your own payment plan to find an option that works for you. You can opt for four biweekly payments over an eight-week period. For purchases over $300, you have the option of setting up a 12-week, six-payment contract at your closest Kmart store. Don't forget that our layaway online service is low-risk; you can cancel at any time to receive a full refund, minus a small cancellation and service fee. Whether you're buying toys for holiday presents or looking for a new kitchen table, Kmart makes it easy to pay according to your schedule.
If you see a deal you like in the Kmart online layaway store, don't delay. Take advantage of our great prices and convenient layaway payments at Kmart today.


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As I write this a tropical storm is passing over Orlando and has turned out to be milder than expected (good) and authorities have taken steps to cancel school and ask people to stay at home if at all possible just in case (also good in my view). Yes, you can drive in 40-50 mph winds if you have to, but why take chances if you don't have to? Let the first responders work on important stuff, not having to come bail you out because you just couldn't miss a day of work.
An old friend emailed to say his employer was not closing for the day or even giving employees the option, because the winds wouldn't be that strong. In this case the winds are lighter than expected, but just as easily could have gone the other way. It's not just employee safety that's an issue though, local schools are closed - what do single parents do on 4 hours notice that they need a sitter for the day? Does the employer let them bring the child to work? Is this really taking care of employees?
Some businesses need to be open as long as possible during these events - grocery stores, gas stations, home improvement, and of course police/fire/medical staff. Part of the job for all of them, but even for them it's useful to remember that they'll be more effective if they know what will be expected of them well in advance and you help them take care of family in whatever ways you can.
For many businesses it's about lost profit more than anything. Close for a day and you miss out on 1/20 to 1/30 of the planned monthly revenue. Miss your numbers and your President/Board start getting itchy. There's going to be a few days a year where stuff goes wrong, from storms to bad software upgrades!
And what about us might ask, we run a training business here in Orlando, what steps do we take? Typically we follow along with whatever the local school distict does. If they close, we close. As I write this I'm sure that it's safe enough to be out and about, but at 7 am I couldn't have guaranteed that for the day. Safety of our students come first - not out of fear of some lawsuit but because it simply should come first. We also try to be good citizens as part of our community, and if they want us off the roads, we'll do that if we can. Students are stuck at their hotels of course, not the most fun venue, and we call to check on them to be sure all is well. Easy for us because we charge by the class? Our primary plan is to make up the hours after the storm passes. Should that not be possible, we'll refund them a pro-rated amount based on lost hours. It's not perfect, but it's a decent compromise.
Personally I don't find it too hard to decide what to do in these situations, I want to treat clients/employees the way I want to be treated, and I'd prefer to be at home with my family. Work in important, but not that important.

subset: commoncrawl


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We are looking for clear english speaking cold calling representatives. We offer a marketing service to our clients and our looking for highly energetic, motivated individuals to work M-f 10am-4pm EST making outbound calls. Thing is an ongoing project. If you are looking to join a company with results and provides bonuses, then we would love to speak with you. To apply please use [url removed, login to view] to record you auto application. Please record your name, where you live, work experience you previously have, specify type of computer you have, if you have a quiet work environment and your availability. Once your done please include the [url removed, login to view] recorded link in your bid. Upon your interview we will discuss weekly compensation options. Look forward to speaking with you further.
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Of Certain Customs
people want a fortune to become ennobled.
Some of these would have been ennobled if they could have put off their creditors half a year longer.
Others, again, are commoners when they lay down, and rise noblemen.
How many noblemen are there whose relatives are commoners?
(2.) Some man disowns his father, who is known to keep an office or a shop, and only mentions his grandfather, who has been dead this long time, is unknown and cannot be found now; he enjoys a large income, has a grand post, great connections, and wants nothing but a title to become a nobleman.
(3.) Formerly the words granting letters of nobility were considered good French and habitually employed, but now they have become antiquated and out of date, and the courts of justice use the word rehabilitation. To rehabilitate supposes a wealthy man to be of noble descent,for it is absolutely requisite he should be so,and also his father to have forfeited the title by ploughing, digging, by becoming a pedlar, or by having been a lackey; it also supposes that the son only desires to be restored to the rights of his ancestors, and to wear the coat of arms his family always wore, though, perhaps, one of his own invention, and quite different from that on his old pewter ware; thus the granting of letters of nobility does not apply to his case, for they only confer an honour on a commoner, that is, on a man who has not yet discovered the secret of becoming rich.
(4.) A man of the people, by often affirming he was present when some prodigy happened, persuades himself that he has really seen it; another person, by concealing his age, comes to believe at last he is as young as he would be thought; and thus a commoner, who habitually asserts he is descended from some ancient baron, or from some noble lord, has the ideal pleasure of fancying himself of such illustrious descent.
(5.) What man is there, however meanly born, who having acquired some fortune, can be in want of a coat of arms, and with this coat, heraldic devices of the highest rank, a crest, supporters, a motto, and perhaps a war-cry? What is become of the distinction between head-pieces and helmets? They are no longer in use and not even mentioned; it does no more matter if they are worn in front or profile, open or closed, and with more or less bars; such niceties are out of date; coronets are worn, which is far simpler, for people think they deserve wearing them, and, therefore, bestow them on themselves. Some of the better sort of citizens have still a little shamefacedness left which prevents them using the coronet of a marquess, and they content themselves with an earls, whilst a few do not even go a long way for their coat of arms, but take it from their sign-boards to put it on their carriages.
(6.) Provided a person is not born in a city, but in some lonely thatched house in the country, or in some ruins in the midst of marshes, dignified with the name of castle, he will be taken for a nobleman upon his own affirmation.
(7.) A man of noble descent wishes to pass for a small lord, and he compasses his end; a great lord pretends to be a prince, and employs so many precautions that, thanks to some fine appellations, quarrels about rank and precedence, and a genealogy not recognised by DHozier, he at last is allowed to be a petty prince.
(8.) In everything great men mould themselves, and follow the example of people of higher rank, who, on their side, that they may have nothing in common with their inferiors, willingly abandon all honorific appellations and distinctions with which their rank is burdened, and instead of their slavery prefer a life of more freedom and ease. Those who follow their steps vie already to observe the same simplicity and modesty. And thus, through a feeling of pride, all will condescend to live naturally and as the people do. How horribly inconvenient they must feel!
(9.) Some people are so fond of names that they have three for fear of wanting some; one for the country, another for the town, and a third which they use when on duty or in their office; others have a dissyllabic name which they ennoble by the particle du or de as soon as their circumstances improve; some, again, by suppressing a syllable make a name illustrious which was before obscure; by changing one letter of his name another person disguises himself, and he who formerly was Syrus becomes Cyrus. Many suppress their whole names, though far from ignominious, to adopt others which sound better, and by which they get nothing but to be always compared to the great men from whom those names are borrowed. Finally, there are some, who, though born within the walls of Paris, pretend to be Flemish or Italian, as if every country had not its commoners, lengthen their French names, and give them a foreign termination, as if names were the better for being far-fetched.
(10.) The want of money has reconciled the nobility to the commoners, and put an end to all disputes about the quartering of escutcheons.
(11.) How many persons would be gainers by a law which should decree that nobility can be inherited from the mothers side, but how many more would be losers by it.
(12.) There are few families but who are related to the greatest princes as well as to the common people.
(13.) There is nothing lost by being a nobleman; those who have a title neither want franchises, immunities, exemptions, privileges. Do you think it was purely for the pleasure of being ennobled that certain monks have obtained a title? They are not so foolish; it is only for the advantages they receive from it. It is, after all, much better than to get money by having an interest in farming the salt tax, and that not alone for every individual of the community, for it is against their vows, but even for the community itself.
(14.) I here declare openly and desire all men to take notice of it, that none may hereafter be surprised: if ever any great man will think me worthy of his patronage, if ever I happen to make my fortune, I then shall claim descent from a certain Godfrey de la Bruyère, whom all chronicles of France mention as one of the many French noblemen of the highest rank who followed Godfrey of Bouillon to conquer the Holy Land.
(15.) If nobility be virtue, a flagitious man loses his title; and if it be not virtue, is a very trifling thing.
(16.) Certain things are astonishing and incomprehensible if we consider their principles and why they were established. Who could imagine, for example, that these
who dress and are as effeminate and vain as any man or woman of rank can well be, and who vie for the ladies favours with a marquess or a financier, and defeat them both, were originally and etymologically the fathers and heads of holy monks and humble anchorites to whom they should be exemplars. How powerful, how absolute, how tyrannical is custom! And, not to mention greater irregularities, is it not to be feared that one day or other some young
will figure in grey-flowered velvet dresses like a certain cardinal, or will paint and wear patches like women?
(17.) That the obscenities of the gods, the Venus, the Ganymede, and all the other nudities of Carracci are represented on pictures painted for certain princes of the Church who style themselves successors of the apostles, may be proved by visiting the palace of the Farnese.
(18.) A thing, however handsome, loses somewhat of its beauty by being out of place; decorum adds a certain perfection and is based on reason; thus we never behold a jig danced in a chapel, or hear stagey elocution in the pulpit; whilst no profane imagery is seen in churches, nor a crucifix and a picture of the Judgment of Paris in these same holy places, nor the dress and retinue of a military man in a churchman.
(19.) Shall I freely declare my thoughts about what the world calls a fine morning choral service, decorations often profane, places reserved and paid for, books distributed as in the theatre, frequent assignations and interviews, deafening murmurings and talk, a certain person mounted in the pulpit, who holds forth in a familiar and jejune manner, without any other ambition than to get the people together and to amuse them until an orchestra begins to play, and, shall I say it, until singers are heard who have rehearsed for a considerable time? Does it become me to exclaim that I burn with zeal for the Lords house? and must I draw aside the slender curtain which covers those mysteries, witnesses of such gross indecencies? What! must I call all this the church service because they do not yet dance at the TT .
(20.) We hear of no vows nor pilgrimages made to any saint, in order to attain a higher degree of benignity, a more grateful heart, to be more just and less evil-doing, and to be cured of vanity, restless activity, and a propensity for buffoonery?
(21.) What can be more eccentric than for a number of Christians of both sexes to meet on certain days in a large room to applaud and reward a company of excommunicated persons, who are only excommunicated for the very pleasure they give, and for which already they have been paid beforehand? Methinks either all theatres should be shut or a less severe anathema be fulminated against actors.
(22.) On those days which are called holy a monk confesses, while the vicar thunders from the pulpit against the monk and his followers. A pious woman leaves the altar and then hears the preacher state in his sermon that she has committed sacrilege. Has the church no power either to make a clergyman hold his peace, or to suspend for a time the authority of a Barnabite?
(23.) The fees in a parish church are higher for a marriage than for a christening, and amount to more for a christening than for confession; people would think them a tax laid upon the sacraments, which seem to be appreciated
ad valorem;
yet, after all, this is not the case; and those persons who receive money for these holy things do not think they sell them, whilst those who pay for them as little think they purchase them. Such an appearance of evil might indeed be avoided as well for the sake of the weak as for that of the scoffers.
(24.) A ruddy and quite healthy-looking parish priest, wearing fine linen and Venice lace, has his seat in church near the cardinals and the doctors of divinity, where he finishes to digest his dinner, whilst certain Bernardine or Franciscan monks come out of their cells or deserts to which decency and their own vows should confine them, to preach before him and his flock, and to be paid for their sermons as if they were vendible commodities. You will not let me continue, and you remark: That such a censure is novel and unexpected, and that this shepherd and his flock ought not to be deprived from hearing the Word of God and receiving the bread of life. By no means, I would have him himself preach that word as well as administer that bread morning and evening, in the churches, in the houses, on the market-places, from the housetops, and have none assume such a grand and laborious office but with intentions, capacities, and physical strength deserving of the handsome offerings and wealthy emoluments belonging to it. However, I am compelled to excuse the vicars conduct, for it is customary, and he found it already established and will transmit it to his successors; but still I must blame this strange, unreasonable, and unwarrantable custom, whilst I approve still less the habit of his being paid four times for the same funeral, once for himself, a second time as his fees, a third for his being present, and a fourth for his officiating.
(25.) Titus served the church these twenty years in a small living, and is not yet held worthy of a better which becomes vacant; neither his talents, knowledge, his exemplary life, nor the wishes of his parishioners are sufficient to get him promoted; another clergyman starts up, as it were, from underground, and he obtains the preference; Titus is sent back and put off, but he does not complain, for custom will have it so.
(26.) Who, asks the precentor, will compel me to come to matins? Am I not master of the choir? My predecessor never went there, and I am as good a man as ever he was! Shall I allow my dignity to be debased while I hold office, or leave it to my successor as I found it? The head of the school says: I do not battle for my own interests, but for those of the prebend; it would be hard indeed for a superior canon to have to do duty with the choir, whilst the treasurer, the archdeacon, the penitentiary, and the grand vicar think themselves exempt from it. It is my right, argues the head of the chapter, to claim my dues, even if I should never come to prayers; for twenty years I slept every night without being disturbed; I will go on as I began, and never act derogatory to my dignity. Else, why should I be head of the chapter, if my example should be of no importance? Thus each strives not to praise the Lord, and to show that, for a long time, it was neither customary nor compulsory to do so; whilst the emulation not to repair to divine service cannot be greater nor more fervent. The bells toll in the stillness of the night, and the same sounds which awaken the choristers and the singing-boys, lull the canons into a more sound and pleasant slumber, interspersed by delicious dreams; they rise late, and go to church to be paid for having slept.
(27.) Who would ever imagine, did not experience daily show it, how difficult it is for people to resign themselves to their being happy; and that there should be need of men dressed in a certain fashion, who by tender and pathetic speeches prepared beforehand, by certain inflexions of the voice, by tears and gestures, which make them perspire and exhaust them, finally induce a Christian and sensible man, who is desperately ill, not to be lost for ever but to ensure his own salvation.
(28.) Aristippus daughter lies dangerously ill; she sends for her father, and is anxious to be reconciled to him and die happy. Shall so wise a man, the oracle of the whole town, take such a sensible step of his own accord, and persuade his wife to do the same? No! they will not stir without the interference of a spiritual director.
(29.) If a mother does not yield to the inclinations of her daughter, but induces her to become a nun, she takes upon herself the charge of another soul beside her own, and is responsible for such a soul to God. Such a mother will be lost for ever if the daughter be not saved.
(30.) A certain man gambles and is ruined, but nevertheless, when the eldest of his two daughters gets married, he gives her as a dowry all he has been able to rescue out of the clutches of some cheat; the younger will shortly become a nun, without any vocation for it, but compelled by the losses of her father at play.
(31.) Certain maidens, virtuous, healthy, enthusiasts in religion, and who feel they have a call, have not sufficient money to enter a wealthy nunnery and to take the vows of poverty.
(32.) A woman who hesitates whether she shall enter an abbey or a nunnery revives the old question about the advantages of a popular or a despotic rule.
(33.) To play the fool and marry for love is to marry Melita, a handsome, sensible, thrifty, charming young woman who loves you, but is not so wealthy as Ægina, whose hand is proposed to you, with a large dowry, but who feels a strong inclination for spending it all, and your own fortune as well.
(34.) Formerly it was considered no trifling affair to get married; it was a settlement for life, a matter of importance which deserved a great deal of consideration; for a man had to take a wife for all his life, for better or worse; the same table and the same bed served them both; there was no getting rid of one another by separate maintenance, and a man with a household and children did not seem a rollicking bachelor.
(35.) I commend the bashfulness of a man who avoids being seen with a woman not his wife, and I can also understand his being loth to frequent persons of bad reputation. But what an impertinence for a man to blush being in the company of his own wife and being ashamed of appearing in public with a lady whom he has chosen as his companion for life, who should be his joy, his comfort, and his chief society; whom he loves and esteems, who adorns his home, and whose intelligence, merits, virtue, and connections reflect credit on him. Why did he not begin being ashamed of his marriage?
I am well aware of the tyranny, of custom, how it sways the mind and constrains the manners of men, even in things which are most senseless and needless; but I feel, nevertheless, I could be bold enough to walk on the Cours to be stared at in the company of the lady who is my wife.
(36.) It is not a fault in a young man to marry a lady advanced in age, nor should he be ashamed of it, for he not seldom shows his prudence and foresight by acting thus. But it is infamous to treat his benefactress disgracefully, and to let her see she has been imposed upon by a hypocrite and an ungrateful fellow. If dissembling be ever excusable, it is when it is done out of kindness; if deception is ever to be allowed, it is when sincerity would be cruelty. No man should behave cruelly even if his wife should live longer than he expected; for he did not stipulate, when he married her, that she should give up the ghost immediately after having made his fortune and paid his debts. Has she no longer to draw breath, and has she to take a dose of opium or hemlock after having performed such a fine stroke of business? Is it a crime in her to live? And is she to be blamed if the man should die before the woman, for whose funeral he had already made such nice arrangements, and for whom he intended to have the biggest bells tolled and the finest trappings brought out?
(37.) For some time a certain method has been in use for making the most of ones money, which is still practised by some of our gentlemanly people, though it has been condemned by our most eminent divines.
(38.) In every commonwealth there are always some offices apparently created for no other purpose but to enrich one man at the expense of many; the property and the monies of private people flow continually and uninterruptedly in his coffers, and they hardly ever come back, or if they do, it is after a long while. Each of these chests is like an abyss, a sea, which receives the waters of many rivers but disgorges none; or, if it does, it is imperceptibly, through secret and subterranean channels, without in the least abating its size and volume, and not till it has enjoyed these waters for a good while and can keep them no longer.
(38.) To sink money in an annuity was formerly considered quite safe; it was sure to be paid, and inalienable, but, now, through the fault of administrators, it may be considered irretrievably lost. What other means are there for doubling an income or for hoarding? Shall I trust my money to the farmers of the
huitième denier,
or to those of the indirect taxes? Shall I become a miser, a farmer of the revenue, or an administrator of a hospital?
(40.) You have a silver coin, or even a gold coin in your possession, but that is not enough, for such coins only exercise their influence in large quantities; collect, if you can, a goodly number of them, make a heap of them, and then leave the rest to me. You are neither well-born, intelligent, talented, nor experienced, but what does it matter? only keep up your heap and I will take care to place you in such an eminent position that you shall stand covered before your master, if you have one; and he must be a very great man indeed, if, with the help of your daily increasing coin, I do not make him stand bareheaded in your presence.
(41.) Oranta has been at law these ten years to know in what court her cause is to be tried; her pretensions are well founded, of great importance, and her whole fortune is at stake. Perhaps about five years hence she may know who her judges are to be, and in what court she is to plead for the remaining years of her life.
(42.) The custom which has, of late, been adopted by our courts of judicature, of interrupting barristers whilst speaking, of preventing them from being eloquent and witty, of making them go back to the mere facts of a case, and to the bare proofs on which their clients base their rights, is very much approved of. This harsh measure, which makes orators regret they have to leave out the finest parts of their speeches, banishes eloquence from the only spot where it is not out of place, and will make of our Parliaments mute judicial tribunals, is founded on this sound and unanswerable argument, that it expedites the dispatch of business. I also wish the clerks would not forget to accelerate their business in the same way it is now done in court, and that not only barristers speeches but the reports in writing might be curtailed.
(43.) It is the duty of a judge to administer justice, but it is his profession to delay it; some judges know their duty and practise their profession.
(44.) Whenever a judge is solicited it reflects no credit on him, for either his knowledge or his honesty is considered doubtful, and an attempt is made to prejudice him or to get him to commit an injustice.
(45.) With certain judges court favour, authority, friendship, and family connections, damage a good cause, and an affectation of wishing to appear incorruptible induces them to become unjust.
(46.) A magistrate who is either a dandy or a gallant has a far worse influence than if he were a dissolute man, for the latter conceals his behaviour and intrigues, so that often it is not known how to approach him, whilst the former with many professed foibles may be influenced by every woman he wishes to please.
(47.) Religion and justice are almost alike respected in a commonwealth, and the character of a magistrate is considered nearly as sacred as that of a priest. A legal dignitary can hardly dance at a ball, be seen in a theatre, or doff his plain and modest apparel, without bringing contempt upon himself; it is strange a law should be necessary to regulate his outward appearance, and compel him to assume a grave and highly respectable air.
(48.) There exists no profession in which an apprenticeship is not necessary; and in considering the various stations of men, it is manifest that, from the highest to the lowest, some time has been allowed to every person for qualifying himself by practice and experience for his profession, when his errors have been of no importance, but, on the contrary, led to perfection. War itself, which seems to owe its origin to confusion and disorder, and to be fostered by them, has its own rules; people do not destroy one another in the open field, in platoons, and in bands, without having been taught it, for killing is practised methodically. There is a school for military men; then why should magistrates not have one? There are established practices, laws, and customs, but no time is allowed, or at least not sufficient time, for digesting and studying them. The first attempt and apprenticeship of a youth who, fresh from school, dons red garments, and has been made a judge on account of his money, is to decide arbitrarily of the lives and fortunes of men.
(49.) The chief qualification of an orator is probity; without it he is no more than a declaimer, and disguises or exaggerates matters of fact, makes use of falsified quotations, slanders, adopts all the injustice and malice of his client, and may be ranked among those advocates of whom the proverb says, that they are hired to insult people.
(50.) I have heard it said: It is true I owe a certain sum to such and such a person, and his claim is indisputable; but I wait to see if he will execute a small matter of form, and if he omits it, he can never retrieve his error; consequently he will then lose his debt, and his claim will be undoubtedly superseded. Now, he is pretty sure to forget it! The man who utters such words has a real pettifoggers conscience.
An excellent, useful, sensible, wise, and just maxim for all courts of judicature would be the reverse of that which prefers form to equity.
(51.) Torture is an admirable invention, and infallibly destroys an innocent man who has a weak constitution, whilst it saves a guilty man who is hardy.
(52.) The punishment of a villain is an example for his fellows; in the condemnation of an innocent man all honest men are concerned.
Speaking of myself, I would almost affirm never to become a thief or murderer, but I would not be so bold as to infer that I might never be punished as such.
Deplorable is the condition of an innocent person whose trial has been hurried, and who is found guilty. Can even that of his judge be more lamentable?
(53.) If I had been told that in former ages a
or one of those magistrates appointed for the apprehension and destruction of rogues and thieves, had been long acquainted with all such rascals, knew their names and faces as well as the number and quantity of their robberies, and all particulars about them; and had so far penetrated all their actions and was so completely initiated in all their horrible mysteries that, to prevent the clamour some great man was about to raise for the loss of a jewel, stolen from him in a crowd when coming from some party, he knew how to restore it to him, and that Parliament interfered and had this magistrate tried; I should class such an event with many others in history, which in the course of time have become incredible. How, then, can I believe, what may be inferred from recent, well-known, and clearly proved facts, that such a pernicious connivance exists even at the present time, is made a jest of, and is looked upon as a matter of course?
(54.) There exists a large number of men, imperious towards the weak, firm and inflexible when solicited by commoners, without any regard for the inferior classes, rigid and severe in trifles, who will not accept the smallest present, nor be persuaded by their dearest friends and nearest relatives, and who only are to be bribed by women.
(55.) It is not absolutely impossible for a man who is in high favour to lose his suit.
(56.) A person who is dying may expect his last will to be listened to as if it was an oracle; every man puts his own construction on it and explains it as he pleases, or rather, as it will suit his inclination or his interest.
(57.) There are some men of whom we may truly say that death does not so much determine their last will as that it deprives them of life as well as of their irresolution and restlessness: a fit of anger moves them to make a will, whilst they are living, but when the fit is over it is torn to pieces and burnt. They have as many wills in their strong box as there are almanacs on their table, for every year is sure to produce a new one; a second will is annulled by a third, which is rendered void by another better drawn up, again invalidated by a fifth and holographic will. Yet if a person who has an interest in suppressing this last will has neither an opportunity, nor a desire, nor the means of doing so, he must stand by its clauses and conditions; for what can more clearly prove the intentions of a man, however changeable, than a last deed, under his own hand, made so lately that he had no time to change his mind?
(58.) If there were no wills to regulate the rights of lawful heirs, I question whether men would need any tribunal to adjust their differences; the functions of a judge would almost be reduced to the sad necessity of sending thieves and incendiaries to the gallows. Whom do you see in the galleries of the court, in the waiting-rooms, at the doors or in the rooms of the magistrates? Not heirs-at-law, for their rights are immutable; but legatees, going to law about the meaning of a clause or an article; disinherited persons who find fault with a will drawn up at leisure and with circumspection by a grave, able, and conscientious man, and not without the aid of a good lawyer; with a deed in which some cunning legal practitioner has not omitted an iota of his professional cant and his ordinary subtleties, signed by the testator and public witnesses, duly initialled, and which, notwithstanding all this, is set aside by the court and declared null and void.
(59.) Titius is present at the reading of a will; his eyes are red with weeping, and he is overcome with grief for the loss of a friend whose heir he expects to become. One clause of the will bequeaths him his friends official position, another his municipal bonds, by a third he becomes master of an estate in the country, and a fourth gives him a furnished house in the middle of town, with all its appurtenances. His grief increases, his tears flow abundantly, and he cannot contain himself; he already beholds himself in an official position, with a town and country house, both furnished in the same style; he intends to keep a good table and a carriage. Was there ever a more gentlemanly or a better man than the deceased? he asks. But a codicil is joined to the will which must also be read, by which Mævius is appointed sole heir, and Titius is sent back to the suburbs to trudge without money or titles. Titius wipes away his tears, and it is now Mævius duty to grieve.
(60.) Does not the law, in forbidding to kill, include also stabbing, poisoning, burning, drowning, lying in ambush, open violence, in a word, and all means tending to homicide? Does the law, which restrains husbands and wives from bequeathing property to one another, only refer to direct and immediate ways of giving? Has it made no provision against those that are indirect? Was it the cause of the introduction of trustees, and does it even tolerate them? When the dearest of wives outlives her husband, does a man bequeath his estate to a trusty friend as an acknowledgment of his friendship, or is it not rather a proof of his complete confidence and reliance on that friend who will make a right use of what has been intrusted to him? Will a man make over his estate to anyone whom he even suspects of not restoring it to the person for whom it is really intended? Is any speech or any letter needed, and is a contract or an oath necessary for such a collusion? Does not every man on such an occasion feel what he can expect from another man? If, on the contrary, the property of such an estate is vested in a trustee, why does he lose his reputation by retaining it? What, then, is the reason of all these satires and lampoons? Why is he compared to a guardian who betrays his trust, to a servant robbing his master of a sum of money he has to take somewhere? Such a comparison is wrong. Is it considered infamous not to perform a piece of liberality, and for a man to keep for his own use what is his own? How strangely perplexed, how terribly burdened, must such a trustee feel! If a man, out of respect for the laws, appropriates to himself a trust, he can no longer be thought an honest man; if, out of love for a deceased friend, he fulfils his intentions, and restores to the widow what has been intrusted to him, he lends his name, and transgresses the law. The law, then, does not harmonise with the opinions of men. Perhaps so, but it does not suit me to say whether the law is wrong or whether the people are mistaken.
(61.) I have been told that certain individuals or certain bodies of men contest with one another for precedence, and that presidents of Parliaments and peers dispute as to who shall go first. In my opinion either of the contending parties who avoids appearing when Parliament meets, yields, is conscious of its own weakness, and decides in favour of its competitors.
(62.) Typhon supplies a certain nobleman of high rank with horses, dogs, and everything. On the strength of that lords protection he behaves most audaciously, and does what he likes in his own province, without fear of being punished; he becomes a murderer, perjures himself, sets fire to his neighbours houses, and needs not look for a refuge. At last the prince is obliged to punish him himself.
(63.) Stews, liqueurs, entrées, side dishes, are words which should be foreign and unintelligible to us; such words should not be employed in times of peace, as they are only incentives to luxury and gluttony; but how come they to be continually mentioned in times of war, amidst public calamities, before an enemy, and on the very night before a battle, or during a siege? Where do we find any mention made of Scipios or Mariuss table? Do we read anywhere that Miltiades, Epaminondas, and Agesilaus were fond of good living? I should like no general to be commended for the goodness, elegance, and sumptuousness of his table, till everything that could be said about him had been told, and people had expatiated on all the details of some victory or the taking of some town. I should even be glad to see a general desirous of avoiding such commendations.
(64.) Hermippus makes himself a slave to what he calls his little contrivances; all habits, customs, fashions, decency itself, must be sacrificed to them; he looks for them everywhere, discards a lesser for a greater, and neglects none which is practicable; he studies them, and there is not a day but what he discovers a fresh one. Other men may take their dinners and suppers, but he objects to the very name of them, eats when he feels hungry, and then only of what he likes best. He must see his bed made, but no one is so skilful or fortunate to make it in such a way that he can sleep as he likes. He seldom leaves his house; he is partial to his own room, where he is neither idle nor busy, where he does no work, but muddles about in the garb of a man who has taken medicine. Other people are obliged to wait the leisure of a locksmith or a joiner, whenever they want them; but he has everything at hand: a file, if anything has to be filed: a saw, if anything has to be cut off, and a pair of pincers to pull out. You cannot mention any tools he has not got, and he fancies they are much better and more convenient than these workmen use; he has some new and unknown tools, without any name, of his own invention, and of which he has almost forgotten the use. There exists not a man who can be compared to him for performing in a short time and without much difficulty some labour which is perfectly useless. He was compelled to take ten steps to go from his bed to his lavatory; he has now so contrived his room as to reduce these ten to nine, so he saves a good many steps during the whole course of his life! Other people turn a key, and push and pull before a door opens, but this is very fatiguing and unnecessary, so he does without it. But he is not going to reveal by what means. In fact, he understands the use of springs and machinery, above all, of such machinery as the world can very well spare. Daylight is not admitted in Hermippus apartment through the window, but in quite a different way; he has also discovered a secret for going up and down the house otherwise than by the stairs, and is now studying how to go in and out more conveniently than by the door.
(65.) Physicians have been attacked for a long time, and yet every one consults them; neither the sallies of the stage nor of satire diminish their fees; they give dowries to their daughters, have sons magistrates and bishops; and all this is paid for by the very persons who make fun of them. People who are in good health fall ill some day or other, and then they want a man whose trade it is to assure them they shall not die. As long as men are liable to die, and are desirous to live, a physician will be made fun of, but he will be well paid.
(66.) A good physician is a man who employs specifics, or, if he has not got any, allows those persons who have them to cure his patient.
(67.) Quacks are rash, and therefore rarely successful; hence physic and physicians are in vogue; the latter let you die, the former kill you.
(68.) Carro Carri lands in France with a recipe which he says cures in a short time, and which, sometimes, is a slow poison; it has been in the hands of his family for many years, but he has improved it. It is a specific against the colic, yet he cures quartan ague, pleurisy, dropsy, apoplexy, and epilepsy. Rack your memory a little, and mention the first disease you can think of, let us say hemorrhage; he can cure it. It is true he raises no one from the dead, and does not restore men to life, but he keeps them, of course, till they are decrepit, for it is by mere chance that his father and grandfather, who were acquainted with the secret, both died very young. Physicians receive for their visits the fees people give them, and some are even satisfied with thanks; but Carro Carri is so certain of his remedy, and of its effect, that he does not hesitate to take his fee beforehand, and expects to receive before he has given anything. If the disease be incurable, so much the better; it will be the more deserving of his attention and his remedy. Begin with putting into his hands thousands of francs, make over to him some bonds, and then you have no longer any need to be more uneasy about your cure than he himself is. The world is full of men with names ending in
most respectable names, who are all rivals of this man, and impose on the patients and the disease. Fagon, you will admit that neither your physicians nor those of all the faculties in the world always cure or are certain of their cure; but those who have inherited their empirical medicine from their forefathers, and whose experience has come to them in the same way, always promise, and even pledge themselves by oath, to cure their patients. How sweet it is for men not to abandon hope even when attacked by a mortal disease, and still to think they are pretty well when expiring! Death is then an agreeable surprise, and comes without striking terror beforehand; so that a man feels it before he has thought of preparing for it and giving himself up to it. O Esculapius, Fagon! Establish throughout the world the reign of Peruvian bark and of emetics; carry to its perfection the science of those plants which are given to man for prolonging life; observe in your practice, with more exactness and judgment than was ever done before, the influence of climate and weather, the various symptoms and the natural disposition of your patients; treat them in the only way which suits them and by which they can be cured; eradicate the most obscure and inveterate diseases from the human body, which has no secrets for you; but do not attempt the diseases of the mind, for they can never be cured, and leave, therefore, to Corinna, Lesbia, Canidia, Trimalcion, and Carpus, the passion, or rather the mania, they have for quacks.
(69.) Astrologers and fortune-tellers, who practise palmistry and calculate nativities, guess at things past by the motion of a sieve, and show undimmed truth in a looking-glass or in a cup of water, are publicly tolerated; such people are, indeed, not without their use; they predict to men theyll make their fortune, to girls they shall marry their sweethearts, console those children whose fathers are too long dying, and calm the restlessness of young women married to old men; in a word, they deceive, but not at a very high rate, those who wish to be deceived.
(70.) What is to be thought of magic and sorcery? Its theory is very obscure; its principles are vague, uncertain, and visionary, but some facts have been produced which are perplexing, and certified by serious-minded men who were present when they happened, or learned them from other men as reliable as they themselves are. To admit or to deny all these facts seems equally absurd, and I venture to say that in this and in other extraordinary things which deviate from natures laws, a middle course has to be steered between mere credulity and obstinate rejection.
(71.) Children can scarcely know too many languages, and methinks, all means should be taken to facilitate their acquiring them; there is no condition of life in which they are not useful, for they clear the way for the acquisition of solid learning, as well as for easy and pleasant acquirements. If this somewhat difficult study is put off to that more advanced age which is called youth, people have no longer the strength of mind and the will to follow it up, and if they do, they find it impossible to persevere; for in studying those languages they consume that very time which should be applied in speaking them, and confine themselves to mastering words when they wish to proceed beyond, and require facts; and thus they lose the first and most valuable years of their life. Such a grand foundation can never rightly be laid, unless it be when the soul naturally receives everything, is deeply impressed by it, and when the memory is fresh, quick, and steady; when the mind and the heart are yet void of passions, cares, and desires, and when those who have a right to dispose of us, induce us to labour for a considerable time. I am convinced the small number of true scholars and the great number of superficial ones is owing to the neglect of this rule.
(72.) The study of the original texts can never be sufficiently recommended; it is the shortest, the safest, and the most pleasant way for all kinds of learning. Take things from the beginning, go to the main spring, read over the text repeatedly, learn it by heart, quote it upon occasions; above all, apply yourself to penetrate the sense of it to its fullest extent and in all its circumstances, reconcile an authors various sentiments, settle his principles, and draw your own conclusions. The early commentators were in the very position I should wish you to be; never borrow their explanations nor adopt their ideas unless your own fail you, for their interpretation is not yours and may easily slip out of your memory; on the contrary, your observations have sprung up in your own mind, will abide with you, and more readily recur in your conversations, consultations, and discussions. You will be delighted to observe that in your reading no insurmountable difficulties will present themselves except those that have nonplussed commentators and scholiasts themselves, who, moreover, have at their command such a rich and abundant store of vain and useless learning when passages are sufficiently clear and present no difficulties to themselves nor to others. This system of studying the original texts will convince you that mens laziness has encouraged pedants to increase the bulk of libraries rather than their worth, and to crush the text under a weight of commentaries; by doing this they have injured themselves and acted contrary to their own interests, as those same commentaries have caused an increase of reading, researches, and of that kind of labour which they intended to render useless.
(73.) What is it that governs men in their way of living and in their diet? Is it health and sobriety? That is the question. Whole nations first eat fruit and meat afterwards, whilst others do quite the contrary, and some begin their meal with one kind of fruit and finish it with another. Does this proceed from reason or custom? Is it for their healths sake that men wear their clothes buttoned up to their chin, and put on ruffs and bands after going for so many ages quite open-breasted? Is it for the sake of decency, especially at a time when they have found the means of appearing undressed though they are dressed? On the other hand, are women who expose their breasts and shoulders, less delicate in their constitution than men, or less inclined to decency? It is a strange kind of modesty which induces them to hide their legs and almost their feet, and at the same time allows them to bare their arms to the elbow. How came men formerly to think they had to attack or defend themselves whilst waging war, and who taught them the use of offensive and defensive arms? What obliges them to-day to lay these aside, to put on boots to go to a ball, and to support the pioneers in the trenches, exposed to the whole fire of a counterscarp, without having any arms, and only dressed in a doublet. Were our forefathers wise or senseless in not deeming such a practice useful to their king or their country? And who are our heroes renowned in history? A du Guesclin, a Clisson, a Foix, a Boucicault, who all wore helmets and buckled on breastplates?
Who can account for the introduction of certain words and the proscription of others?
is lost; the vowel beginning it, and which could so easily be cut off, could not save it; it gave way to another monosyllable which at best is but its anagram.
is beautiful in its old age, and has yet strength, though declining; it should be used in poetry, and our language is under some obligation to those authors who employ it in prose and defend it in their works.
is a word which should never have been forsaken, and on account of its adaptability for any style and for the sake of its French origin.
though descended from the Latin, possessed in its time the same merit, and I do not see why
should be preferred to it.
has endured some persecution, and if it had not been protected by some men of culture, it would have been shamefully banished from a language which it had served so long; and this without knowing what word to put in its place. When
was in fashion it was one of the prettiest words of the French language; and it is a sad thing for the poets that it has become antiquated.
is, of course, derived from
and so are
is going out, though it enriched our tongue, and was employed quite correctly when
was not the right expression.
ought also to have given us
valeureux; haine, haineux; peine, peineux; fruit, fructueux; pitié, piteux; joie, jovial; foi, féal; cour, courtois; gîte, gisant; haleine, halené; vanterie, vantard; mensonge, mensonger; coutume, coutumier;
just as
should have produced
partial; point, pointu
pointilleux; ton, tonnant; son, sonore; frein, effréné; front, effronté; ris, ridicule; loi, légal; cur, cordial; bien, benin;
mal, malicieux. Heur
was allowed when
did not suit; from the first arose
which is so French and yet exists no longer; if some poets have employed it, it is more for the sake of the measure than from choice.
prospers, and comes from
no longer in existence.
is used, but not
which is derived from it, whilst
are still flourishing.
no longer gives
fête, fétoyer;
larme, larmoyer;
deuil, se douloir
se condouloir;
joie, séjouir;
though it still makes
se réjouir
se conjouir,
was used, as in
le corps gent;
this easy word is not alone no longer in use, but it has involved
in its ruin. We employ
which proceeds from
which is out of date, and
is derived from
now obsolete. It was much better to say
si que
de sorte que
de manière que, de moi
instead of
pour moi
quant à moi; je sais que cest quun mal
je sais ce que cest quun mal,
whether you consider the Latin analogy, or the benefit we often derive from using a word less in a phrase. Custom has preferred
par conséquent
par conséquence,
en conséquence
en conséquent; façons de faire
manières de faire,
manières dagir
façons dagir ;
in the verbs
ouvrer; être accoutumé
souloir; convenir
duire; faire du bruit
bruire; injurier
vilainer; piquer
faire ressouvenir
ramentevoir ;
and in the nouns
which is such a beautiful word and so suited for poetry;
grandes actions
prouesses; louanges
los; méchanceté
mauvaistié; porte
huis; navire
nef; armée
ost; monastère
prées ;
all words, equally fine, which might have been used together and rendered the language more copious. Through adding, suppressing, changing, or displacing some letters, custom has formed
fralater; prouver
preuver; profit
proufit; froment
froument; profil
pourfil; provision
pourveoir; promener
This same custom upon occasion makes the adjectives
habile, utile, facile, docile, mobile,
of different genders, without changing anything in their spelling; whilst, on the contrary, the masculine
change in the feminine and become
It has altered the old terminations, and of
mantel, manteau;
capel, chapeau;
coutel, couteau;
hamel, hameau;
damoisel, damoiseau;
jouvencel, jouvenceau;
and yet all these differences and changes have been of no perceptible advantage to the French tongue. Is it, therefore, a progress for a language to be governed by custom, and would it not be better to shake off the yoke of such despotic sway? Or shall we in a living language only listen to reason, which prevents the use of words having a double meaning, traces these words to their roots, and discovers what relation they bear to those languages from which they sprang, if that very reason bids us follow custom?
Whether our ancestors wrote better than we do, or whether we excel them in our selection of words, style, and expression, perspicuity and brevity, is a question often debated but never yet decided. But this question is not at an end, if people will compare, as they sometimes do, a dull writer of a past century to the most celebrated authors of the present age, or the verses of Laurent, who is paid for not writing any more, to those of Marot and Desportes. In order to judge sensibly in this case we should compare one age to another, and one first-rate piece of literary work to another, such as, for example, the best
of Benserade and Voiture to the following two, which tradition has handed down to us, but without transmitting to us the name of the authors, or the time when they were written:
In timely sort Ogier came into Fraunce,
Of Paynim misbegot to rid the lond;
Needs not that I should tell his puissaunce,
Sit never foeman durst his glaunce withstond.
Tho when he hath set all in happy chaunce,
Forth on a perlous jorney bent, he fond
In Paradise the well of youths joyaunce,
Wherewith he thought to stay times threatening hood
In timely sort.
Tho by this well his body, weak with years,
Upon a sodain changéd quight appears
To youthful wight, fresh, limber eke, and straight.
Great pitye tis such lesinges tell no truth!
Virgins I wot of that bene past their youth,
To whom this bath had come, ere yet too late,
In timely sort.
. . . . .
Of this prow knight full many clerks have penned
That never daunger could his corage scare:
Whom natheless the foul fiend, which unaware
He spoused in womans shape, did foully shend.
So piteous case left his stout heart at end
Without one taint of fear or sordid care:
Whereof great praise throughout the world he bare
If aught of credence we to tales may lend
Of this prow knight.
Eftsoones it chaunced the daughter of the king
Earned for his love, and made free offering
To Richard, of herself for second wife.
Then, if to keep a woman or a fiend
Be better, and which stirs more hellish strife,
He that would weet may question which was weened
Of this prow knight.
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World Lit


text:
Christina Aguilera Covers October Issue of 'Maxim'
Vocal powerhouse Christina Aguilera is showing off a little more than her killer pipes this fall.
The blonde bombshell flaunts her effortless beauty and enviable physique (as reaffirmed by the mag's coverline "Hear the Voice, See the Body!") on the October cover of Maxim. In the story, the pop icon and judge on NBC's The Voice talks about the awkwardness in being serenaded, the kind of men she's drawn to and what it means to be sexy. The October issue is currently on stands.
Flip through for more from the sizzling shoot, which was photographed by Mark Liddell.


text:
OVB Outside Vertical Bar
VRCB Volatility Reduced Compression Bar
Brent Crude Oil (April '13):
- Short Term Trends are bullish.
- Confirmation of a bottom with a range violation on 01/15/13 @ 110.39. Confirmation of a bottom with a close violation on 12/12/12 @ 106.48. Upside Targets = 117.89 – 121.21.
- Inside compression day generated on Monday.
- April Brent Crude dropped back lower on Monday in early trading before finding support as U.S. traders came online to help push the market back up near the day's mid-range.
- Look for Monday's weakness to be short-lived as the market continues to work its way back higher and extend the gains above $120.
- Projected Daily Range: 1.47
- Projected Weekly Range: 3.71
- Projected Monthly Range: 6.75
WTI Crude Oil (March '13):
- Short Term Trends are bullish.
- Confirmation of a top with a range violation on 02/01/13 @ 96.83. Confirmation of a top with a close violation on 02/04/13 @ 96.17. Downside Targets = 94.84 – 93.99.
- Bullish OVB generated on Monday after making new lows on the current move @ 94.97. Downside Target 97% achieved.
- March WTI Crude Oil reversed course from its early session declines to close just off the session's high and above the 10-day moving average.
- Based on Monday's bullish price action, look for an extension of the projected weekly trading range to take the market back up through last week's highs and toward new contract highs above $100.
- Projected Daily Range: 1.70
- Projected Weekly Range: 2.49
- Projected Monthly Range: 6.42
Natural Gas (March '13):
- Short Term trend is bearish.
- Confirmation of a top with a range violation on 02/08/13 @ 3.281. Confirmation of a top with a close violation on 02/08/13 @ 3.272. Downside Targets = 3.189 – 3.109.
- March Natural Gas fell through the previous four weeks' lows on Monday before finding support on the exact tick of the daily SBB to rally and close just off the session's high.
- Traders should look to sell any ensuing rally hard as an IT TREND REVERSAL to bearish has been partially confirmed with a range violation and should natty settle this week below $3.232, will open the gates to sub-$3 gas nearing the $2.823 mark.
- Projected Daily Range: .110
- Projected Weekly Range: .206
- Projected Monthly Range: .492


text:
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – On an intermittently blustery and sunny day at Campus Diamond, UC Santa Barbara (12-19) closed out the Gaucho Classic II with a pair of wins over San Jose State (16-16) on Sunday.
The Gauchos opened the tournament with losses to Wisconsin and Oklahoma State on Friday before Saturday's action was cancelled due to a storm. UCSB came back to the diamond focused, rattling off a 4-1 and then a 7-2 victory over the Spartans, who they had lost to just one week prior at the Santa Clara Bronco Classic.
In the first game, Jessica Soria led off the bottom of the first inning with a base hit to left field before she stole second. Senior Allison Taylor continued her clutch hitting as of late by driving Soria home with a double hit to right center field.
The Spartans knotted the game at the top of the fifth. Vanessa House and Jessica Garcia led-off the inning with a pair of infield singles before advancing a base apiece on a ground out by Breanna Lopez. A sacrifice fly from Cheryl Freitas hit to center field sent House home for the tying run.
The deadlock was short lived though. A trio of fielding errors by the Spartans allowed the Gauchos to load the bases with one out before Taylor once again put UCSB ahead when she drove Shelby Wisdom home with a single hit to left field. A fourth San Jose State error allowed Soria to score her second run of the game before DeJanee Moore's ground out sent Kane sprinting across home plate for the 4-1 lead.
Taylor's 2-for-3 performance with two RBI and a double led UCSB offensively while Wisdom (7-9) grabbed the win in the circle. She tossed a complete game in which she allowed just one run on nine hits. She walked two and struck out five.
In game two, UCSB ran into some early trouble as Sadie Coenen and Garcia hit consecutive singles with one out to put runners on the corners. Lopez hit a ground ball up the middle of the field to send Coenen home and give the Spartans their first lead of the day.
The top of the Gaucho order countered at the bottom of the first. Soria led off with her second base hit of the day before stealing second. One out later, Taylor blasted her second double to the far corner of the left field to send Soria home. Jenny Liepman came in to pinch run for Taylor and she had no time to get comfortable at second base as Keilani Jennings hit a double to deep right center field, giving the Gauchos a 2-1 lead.
One out later, Kathryn Pilpil singled to left center field to drive Jennings home.
San Jose State continued to fall victim to its own poor defense when at the bottom of the second, Lauren Boser led off with a double before moving to third on a Spartan throwing error in center field. Two outs later, an overthrow by the third baseman after a hit by McKenzie Kane allowed her to dash to second and Boser to tag home. An RBI single to second base by Taylor scored Kane and put the Gauchos up, 5-1.
Pilpil and Soria each scored runs at the bottom of the third and fourth innings, respectively, to add to the UCSB lead.
The Spartans attempted to battle back at the top of the fifth as Nicole Schultz led off with a double before moving to third on a ground out. Coenen's single to left field sent the runner home, but it would mark the last run of the game as UCSB grabbed the 7-2 win.
Taylor added a 2-for-4 showing with a double and two RBI to her day's resume. Soria was 2-for-4 with two runs and a pair of stolen bases, Lainey DePompa went 2-for-3 and Jennings reached four times, going 2-for-2 with an RBI double and a pair of walks.
Andriana Collins (5-10) captured the win after limiting the Spartans to two runs on seven hits. She walked three and struck out five.
UCSB will be back in action a week from today, March 25 when it hosts UCLA for a single game at Campus Diamond at 1 p.m.


text:
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: July 29Afternoon Cruise
Later Event: July 29Dinner Cruise
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Colon cancer
|Normal anatomy
The colon, or large intestine, is a muscular tube that begins at the end of the small intestine and ends at the rectum. The colon absorbs water from liquid stool that is delivered to it from the small intestine.
Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States. Risk factors include a diet low in fiber and high in fat, certain types of colonic polyps, inflammatory bowel disease (such as Crohn disease or ulcerative colitis), and certain hereditary disorders.
The treatment of colon cancer depends on the stage of the disease. Stage I cancer is limited to the inner lining of the colon; stage II cancer involves the entire wall of the colon; stage III cancer has spread to the lymph nodes; stage IV cancer has spread to other organs (metastasized).
Surgery is the main treatment for colon cancer and removal of the involved colon is required. If the cancer is located near the rectum, a colostomy may be necessary. For stage I and II colon cancer, surgery is usually the only treatment. For stage III or IV colon cancer, chemotherapy is necessary after surgery. There is also some suggestion that chemotherapy may also be helpful in some selected stage II patients. Chemotherapy involves a course of drugs which are toxic to cancer cells.
Stage I and II colon cancer have very high cure rates (60% to 90%); lower cure rates are seen with stage III and IV colon cancer. To detect colon cancer early, when it is most curable, everyone over the age of 55 should have bi-annual endoscopic examinations of the colon.
Review Date:
Reviewed By: Richard LoCicero, MD, private practice specializing in hematology and medical oncology, Longstreet Cancer Center, Gainesville, GA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.


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Used to describe someone who has just failed at life. Molido, the Spanish term for ground, as in ground meat, can be mistaken by English speakers for ground, as in the ground below your feet. This mistake can then be transferred to a description of someone who failed so hard, that they belong on the ground, below the rest of society.
Jeff: Wow, I just got lemonparty'd.
Darryl: Yeah, you're on the molido.
Darryl: Yeah, you're on the molido.
by Chubbiness April 03, 2011
buy the domain for your art site


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During the recent 7th World Urban Forum (WUF) in Medellin, the talk was not just about the hundreds of millions of people coming to cities—but also the tens of thousands of city managers and local governments who will need to manage cities more effectively to unleash the promise of urbanization. The WBI urban team, together with the Institute of Housing and Urban Studies and UN-Habitat's Capacity Development unit, convened over 40 partners for a day of reflection on this challenge.
Such a gathering had happened twice before— in preparation of Habitat II in Istanbul (1996), again in the run-up to the third WUF in Vancouver (2006)—and now on the cusp of the next milestone (Habitat III in 2016). It is helpful to consider where we have been and where are we now on this critical (and somewhat slippery) subject, given the 20 years' worth of perspective in this area.
The participants—representing a wide range of institutions including NGOs, universities, think tanks, IFIs, and private agencies—reaffirmed certain principles of capacity development endorsed 10 to 20 years ago and summarized in the points below:
- It's not just about training (knowledge transfer), but more about the development of human resources (individuals) plus effective organizations plus enabling institutions.
- Capacity development (CD) programs and activities need to be integrated into CD strategies embedded in city development plans and strategies.
- Design of interventions must be based on solid needs assessments, so capacity development responds to real demand.
- Strong political backing is needed to ensure that knowledge is implemented.
- Supply capacity should also be strengthened in domestic knowledge and learning institutions.
Who Needs to Learn, and Who Has Relevant Knowledge?
Urban capacity development will still focus mostly on local governments and professionals, such as city planners, but there is a sense that space needs to be made for more collaborative learning and shared knowledge production. Participants spoke of "institutionalizing mutual learning" (by bringing communities and local governments to act together), and "recognizing the practical value of different sources of on-the-ground knowledge and wisdom." "Co-production of knowledge" implies joint research and data collection among teams from academia, communities, practitioners and the commercial market, leading to wider understanding of problems—e.g., combining slum dwellers' efforts of self-enumeration (documenting resident households and their living conditions) with more formal data collection initiatives, to influence how governments and service providers see informal settlements. Both tacit knowledge (what individuals know from experience) and codified knowledge (widely recognized and structured content) are needed.
One idea that was embraced quite strongly by the group was the value of networks of learners—including formal (associations of local governments and of planning professionals) and informal (such as virtual communities of practice). Both types can use social media and a variety of methods to offer timely and very practical knowledge-sharing and learning activities for members.
What Has To be Learned (What Are the Problems Seeking Solutions)?
What is a key problem, and what are possible solutions, may look quite different to different stakeholders—confirming the importance of widening the circle of learning. Is city accessibility a question of better roads, or is it about integrating and connecting neighborhoods, people and businesses? Are the urban poor best served by building them a house, or by breaking down walls? Once the desired impact is agreed on, knowledge and learning can be used to help drive change. "Action learning" is a classic concept, but more recent success is in maximizing peer-to-peer dialogue—observing what other practitioners have done and how they handled familiar issues. Learning can be linked not only to case studies but also to real-world problems. This is critical for educating both current and newly minted practitioners. And it is equally critical for institutions like the World Bank Group, to tie in learning with operations—truly making the analytical, financial, and knowledge and learning resources complementary.
How to Learn—New Modalities.
In part, learning is evolving because new communities of learners are being included in the discussion around cities. Increasingly, capacity development interventions may integrate new technologies, multimedia, and new learning formats; feature games, which tend to help people retain learning particularly well; involve the application of practical tools, such as self-assessment instruments; and include crowd-sourced knowledge for thorny questions. However, if capacity development doesn't address the incentives for and institutional barriers to changing behavior, innovative methods alone won't be meaningful. Global knowledge can be pulled and packaged off the internet everywhere now—but the key is to contextualize and localize it for learners who need to act on it together.
Applying knowledge and learning to development problems is essentially about the challenge of managing change. This requires using the full range of emotional intelligence, political acuity, and ability to frame consensus, to work across disciplines and across domains—building coalitions and exercising leadership through them. Managing change is not just a matter of agreeing on a goal or vision (a difficult first step), or identifying technical options, but mobilizing broad-based support to get there—which means not merely focusing on content or pedagogical methods, but embedding knowledge and learning in a sustained process of implementation.
This is a profound challenge for professional education programs such as urban planning schools, which need to rethink curricula to be adaptive and flexible enough to develop practitioners who can handle uncertainty and continuous change. Politicians, news media and well as technocrats all need to learn these skills, and apply them collectively. And what it takes to initiate change in initial contexts (as pilots) may not be the same as what it takes to reach scale.
How Do We Know Capacity Development Matters?
It bears repeating: when designing capacity development interventions, it is critical to define the problem clearly from the outset. WBI's Capacity Development Results Framework helps outline the logic of change: how and where could knowledge, learning, collaborative actions and innovations intervene in affecting individual behavior, organizational or policy actions, and the institutional environment. Getting the evidence often takes a while. This is all the more reason why capacity development belongs on the frontline of development activities – integrally connected to operations and policy dialogues—and not tucked away in a virtual ivory tower. Participants at the Medellin workshop agreed that this message needs to be carried forward in planning for Habitat III, making knowledge and learning a pillar of the global agenda for urban change.
Photo Credit: Gerardo Pesantez via World Bank's Photo Collection, available here
Very relevant reflections on
Very relevant reflections on capacity building Christine. Capacity building needs to find a strong place in our own narrative on development and definitely going forward into Habiat 3
Nice Christine, the piece
Nice Christine, the piece summarises the outcome well. Let's hope also that we can keep the discussion going with our fellow partners from the sessions!
Thanks on this Ms. Christine.
Thanks on this Ms. Christine. An excellent guide in designing capacity building programs for urban development practitioners i.e local governments, particularly, in the context of developing countries like the Philippines.
I have applied to study
I have applied to study Master Program of Eco-Cities at Cardiff University in United Kingdom over 2014/2015 academic year. I think there has to be a Student Assistance Program which intends to assist students that are studying Cities related qualification. This will help to provide a pool of City Planners and City Researchers.


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Hyde Chapel May Queen circa 1935
Margaret Baddeley is 2nd from the left.
Miss Seddon's Dancing Class circa 1945
Joyce Baddeley Back row,third from right.
Hyde Chapel May Queen circa 1941-42
Hesba Craig
Joyce Baddeley First on left, centre row
Leigh Street School May Queen
Barbara Merrick circa 1942-43
Barbara was the daughter of Mr Merrick who had the bakers shop on Stockport Road in Gee Cross.
Margaret Baddeley, far left.
Many thanks Graham and Joyce. :)


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New Fujitsu Smart Scanner Combined with CDA Clinical Document Standard Make for Interesting HIE
John Lynn is the Founder of the HealthcareScene.com blog network which currently consists of 10 blogs containing over 8000 articles with John having written over 4000 of the articles himself. These EMR and Healthcare IT related articles have been viewed over 16 million times. John also manages Healthcare IT Central and Healthcare IT Today, the leading career Health IT job board and blog. John is co-founder of InfluentialNetworks.com and Physia.com. John is highly involved in social media, and in addition to his blogs can also be found on Twitter: @techguy and @ehrandhit and LinkedIn.
Today at MGMA, Fujitsu together with Osmosyz announced a new scanner that supports the relatively new CDA "Unstructured Document" HL7 standard at MGMA 2011. I must admit that the press release is a little intense. However, I find what they're doing with a hardware product to support HIE is quite interesting.
I don't want the title of this post to be misleading. While certainly HIE has generally become synonymous with some large health information exchange entity, in this case I'm describing a hardware device (a smart scanner if you will) that acts as a small health information exchange. Basically, it's more along the lines of Direct Project as opposed to NHIN. Although, I imagine that it could send the documents to some larger health information exchange if someone wanted to do so.
The larger application I see of this technology is as a replacement for the fax machine. In some ways, it's like a second generation fax machine. The major differentiation I see between a document sent using the CDA "Unstructured Document" HL7 standard and a fax is all the meta data that comes with the CDA document.
The fax or scanning workflow for most EHR software consists of receiving faxed documents or scanning documents into what amounts to basically a bucket of all the scanned documents. Then, it's up to the user to go in and sort through all the various faxes that have been received or documents that have been scanned. At this point, the user can assign the document to a patient in the EHR. You can imagine the challenges that this can pose. I wonder how many documents scanned or faxed into an EHR have been assigned to the wrong patient accidentally.
That's what makes this new Fujitsu scanner quite interesting. If it's receiving the document from an outside source, it will come with the meta information for the document as part of the CDA standard. That can then be leveraged to more quickly assign that document to the patient. Not to mention, then all of that CDA information is available for other uses within the EHR.
For inside documents that are scanned in through the Fujitsu device you can actually assign the document to a patient on the scanner itself. That's right, you can identify which patient a scanned document belongs to while you're holding the document in your hand. A much better way to ensure that the document you scanned gets attached to the right patient in your EHR.
I'm just touching on a few of the features of what's possible with this new Smart Scanner from Fujitsu and smart documents. You can do other things on the scanner like dividing document scans between multiple patients.
Meaningful Use Monday Angle
Of course, as most of you know, on Monday we usually do our regular Meaningful Use Monday series. Turns out that the CDA Clinical Document standard that I discuss above is being adopted by ONC as part of meaningful use. I'll be interested to see how this plays out over time, but don't be surprised if EHR software has to support this standard in the future.
What I find more intriguing is that the above scanner could be used by someone who doesn't have an EHR, but wants to exchange patient information. I still think that the long term solution to interoperability of patient information has got to come from connections with EHR software. However, this does illustrate that technology solutions can and will be created to exchange health information. In fact, some combination of these solutions could be a way to meet some of the meaningful use requirements around exchange of health information. You still can't get the EHR stimulus money without an EHR, but technologies like this could help you achieve meaningful use.
I'll keep an eye on how this technology progresses. I wonder how many EHR vendors will integrate with this type of technology. Whether we like it or not, documents are going to be a major part of healthcare for the foreseeable future. We'll see if smart documents and smart scanners are an intermediate step to the health information exchange nirvana (whatever that might be).


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In this Issue:
Hollywood's 100 favorite movie lines. Read about the latest in Hollywood and entertainment news from The Hollywood Reporter, your source for detailed movie reviews, celebrity styles, and industry blogs. Take a look for yourself.
Get every issue of The Hollywood Reporter and unlimited access to over 150 top magazines in one app, including back issues. Try Free at Texture.com
About The Hollywood Reporter Magazine:
The Hollywood Reporter magazine has the reputation of being Hollywood's first daily entertainment newspaper that gives you access to all the drama, celebrity news, and movie updates as they unfold in the magical world of Beverly Hills. This weekly publication carries the latest Hollywood scoop in an oversized format that boasts exquisite photography and wonderful feature content.The latest The Hollywood Reporter digital magazine issue is now available on the Texture Magazine App for iPad, iPhone, Android tablets and smartphones as well as Windows 8 devices.
Also try other popular digital magazines like New York, Vanity Fair in our Entertainment section.
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CoB Spring 2013 Convocation
Friday, May 24, 2013
On May 24th, the Lucas College and Graduate School of Business will hold its Spring
convocation, celebrating the accomplishments of its Spring and Summer graduates. If
you are registered to graduate in Spring 2013 or will graduate in Summer 2013 we invite
you, your family and your guests to attend the ceremony.
This event is wheelchair accessible. For event center seating questions please contact the event center box office at 408-924-6360. Graduating students that need special accommodations should send an email to email@example.com immediately.
Unlike the SJSU Commencement (on May 25) the Lucas College and Graduate School of Business spring convocation is only for Lucas College and Graduate School of Business students. During the ceremony, each student's name will be announced when then they cross the stage and they will be congratulated and photographed with the Deans from the College. Your official SJSU diploma will be mailed to you at a later date by the University. If you participate in the CoB spring convocation you can still participate in the SJSU Commencement on May 25.
Below is a FAQ section that should answer your questions about the CoB convocation ceremony. Should you need additional information, please send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com. In the meantime you can view the Convocation picture album here.
We look forward to seeing you on Friday, May 24!
P.S. Please consider sending an email invitation to your favorite professor to attend the ceremony. You will not have to purchase a ticket for them, but they are as eager to cheer your accomplishments as your family and friends!
1. When is the Lucas College and Graduate School of Business Convocation?
2. Where is the Lucas College and Graduate School of Business Convocation?
3. How do I participate in the Lucas College and Graduate School of Business Convocation?
4. IMPORTANT Instructions to follow BEFORE and DURING the ceremony.
5. Student Message & Picture presentation
6. Other Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Lucas College and Graduate School of Business Convocation?
Friday, May 24, 2013
7:45am - 8:30am - Light breakfast will be provided to guests and students in attendance in the BBC courtyard. In case of rain this breakfast is cancelled.
8:30am - Event Center doors open to the public.
8:30am - Graduating Students Line-up for Processional March*.
9:30am - Ceremony starts with Processional March.
Please note that the CoB convocation ceremony will be videotaped in order to produce
a video of the ceremony. By attending the ceremony you will be giving your permission
to be recorded and for your likeness to be used in the final product.
Where is the Lucas College and Graduate School of Business Convocation?
Event Center Arena
How do I participate in the Lucas College and Graduate School of Business Convocation?
1. RSVP by May 21, midnight, PST.
2. To celebrate your academic accomplishment, your name will appear in the CoB Convocation booklet. If you do not want your name to be included in the booklet, please send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com by April 17th, 2013.
3. Purchase your GUEST TICKETS from the Event Center box office on campus, from March 18 – May 24 (depending on availability, and on a first-come, first serve basis). Tickets are not guaranteed.
IMPORTANT Instructions to follow BEFORE and DURING the ceremony.
Undergraduate students come dressed in regalia (cap, tassel and gown: wear the tassel on the right side of the cap.)
Master students come dressed in regalia (cap, tassel and gown: wear the tassel on
the left side of the cap) please carry your hood. For instructions on how to wear the hood please
go to the hooding instructions.pdf document.
1. Students will line up under their major / concentration, in two lines. Students
with double majors will line up under their primary concentration. Gary J. Sbona students
will line up under the Gary J. Sbona Honors designation, not their individual concentration.
The lineup order below is how students will walk into the arena. Line up order may
change slightly by May 24, due to rsvps submitted. Please look at the arena floor plan.pdf document for the estimated line-up location.
How do students walk the stage?
12:00pm RECESSIONAL MARCH (CEREMONY ENDS).
Faculty will walk off the stage, down the middle aisle, and out of the event center, followed by the students, and then the guests in the bleachers. We suggest that you and your guests identify a meeting point outside of the event center, to meet after the ceremony.
A PowerPoint presentation will be shown as guests seat themselves, before the ceremony begins.
If you wish to include a personal message to family and friends, please provide us
with a digital image and text by Thursday, May 16, midnight PST (no submissions will
be accepted after May 16).
Q: Do we receive caps, gowns and tassels? How about hoods?
Q: Will there be any food or drinks served at the event?
Q: Is there reserved seating in the Event Center Arena?
If you are holding tickets for somebody you can leave them at the Will Call window of the event center box office. There are no in-and-out privileges for this event - once guests enter the event center and hand over their ticket they can't go back inside.
Guests enter through the Arena Entrance stairs, located on the left side of the box office and the Sport Club. Disabled guests
enter through the disabled entrance, next to the Sport Club entrance. See photo below.


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Choosing My Religion
If there's one thing the majority of young people believe today it is that there is no such thing as absolute truth. Truth is relative. Unfortunately, this way of thinking is not limited to unbelievers; young Christians have also been influenced by this way of thinking. And other false philosophies have been influential as well. In Choosing My Religion, Dr. R.C. Sproul uses interviews with Christians and other young people to address the questions and false assumptions of modern culture.
Watch Lectures in this Teaching Series
- Image Is Everything?
- The Ultimate Spring Break
- Whistling in the Dark
- Rude Awakening
- Asleep in the Light
Purchase Options
All purchases include online streaming and audio and video downloads.
Choosing My Religion series (all 5 lectures)$8.00 Buy Series


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Metallica Take 3D Film to Cannes Film Festival
The 'Metallica Through the Never' 3D film will screen on one of the world's biggest stages as its now booked as part of the Cannes Film Festival, which kicks off today (May 15) in France.
Variety reports that Exclusive Media will take the film to Cannes in order to shop it to potential backers and give it one of the world's biggest showcases. Drummer Lars Ulrich says, "After wading through multiple international distribution options for our film, we are excited to be partnering up with the folks at Exclusive Media, who we feel understand Metallica and understand our film better than anyone else."
He added, "Throw in the cherry-on-top, launching our international sales with a couple of screenings at the film market during a little up-and-coming film festival in Cannes, and it feels like we're off to a pretty rockin' start."
Though the film features Metallica concert footage, it also focuses on a member of the band's road crew, played by Dane DeHaan, who has his life turned completely around while running an errand during one of the band's performances.
North American audiences will get their first taste of the movie when the band screens the film in IMAX theaters Sept. 27. The movie will then expand to other theaters on Oct. 4.


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KENWOOD DDX9902S Multimedia Receiver Firmware 1.6.0
Improved functions
- Changed the specification of Volume function.
- Improved stability.
Updating the Program
1. Touch the [SETUP] to display the Top Menu screen.
2. Touch the [System Information] to display the System Information screen. 3. Connect the USB memory.
4. Touch the [Update] to update starts. (It takes about 5 minutes.)
Caution: The screen may go blank for a few seconds. Do not unplug the USB memory or Power Off the unit during the Update Procedure.
5. System Reboot & Software Update Screens.
6. Once the "Update completed" screen is displayed, remove the USB memory.
7. Reset the unit. 8. Check that the firmware version is updated, by referring to "Checking the Firmware Version".
About Media Player Firmware:
Installing a firmware update for your Media Player improves the general user experience by adding new features, fixing bugs, and enhancing the compatibility of your device, in order to play various formats of audio and video content.
By updating your Media Player, you can actually prolong the device's life because, this way, it will be in sync with the new industry standards for content creation.
However, the process of updating your device is a risky one if not done according to strict instructions, such as: make sure that the firmware you have downloaded is compatible with your device, and don't interfere with the player during the update process.
The most common method of upgrading your Media Player is by using a USB stick or update DVD. Although this process is very straightforward, each device has certain particularities that you must take into account.
If you consider using this update for your Media Player, feel free to click the download button, install the firmware and enjoy. Check out our website as often as possible to keep your Media Player up to date with the latest software and firmware.
Примечание: Ссылка "скачать" может вести как непосредственно на файл, так и на сайт производителя, на котором Вы можете найти нужный файл.
Это связано с тем, что некоторые производители не позволяют размещать прямые ссылки на файлы.


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Favorite Screenplays
With the enormous success this past weekend of THE AVENGERS, written and directed by Joss Whedon of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER fame, I started thinking about my favorite screenplays. I enjoyed the witty quips of the superhero rag-tag Avengers crew, but is it this ah-mah-zing film everyone is making it out to be? With lines like, "Clench up, Legolas!" you can see why people loved the film. It's witty and there is a huge directorial task to manage so many characters and story lines. But is THE AVENGERS an all time classic? I'm not so sure. The ultimate combination of witty dialogue, solid structure and memorable characters – seems to be the elusive triumvirate of filmmaking. Some of the scripts that articulate these qualities with their memorable writing are listed below – no offense to Thor or anything because after all he does sound like 'Shakespeare in the Park' (oh Robert Downey Jr., we do love you so).
Written by Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin, dir. Darren Aronofsky
Right from the start, the opening pages of Black Swan suck you into an off kilter world of ballet and twisted familial relationships. Within those first few pages, the reader is filled with dread, expectation and intrigue. This is exactly what any screenwriting book – or any professional screenwriter or teacher will always tell you – "Grab your audience's attention in the first ten pages." The script for BLACK SWAN does this brilliantly – and is echoed onscreen by the visually disorientating cinematic style, creating a haunting and memorable film.
Except fromBLACK SWAN:
Nina rides inside a crowded subway, staring absentmindedly at her faint reflection in the train's window.
Suddenly, another train roars by on the opposite track, snapping her awake.
In the next train car, she sees the back of a BALLERINA standing in the midst of the crowd. Her head bops to music playing through iPod earphones.
Nina moves a strand of hair out of her eyes, and at that exact moment, the girl in the next car moves in the same way. Mirroring her.
Unnerved, Nina slowly lowers her arm. So does the other girl. Although Nina can't quite see her face, the girl seems IDENTICAL from Nina's vantage point.
THE ICE STORM written by James Schamus, dir. Ang Lee
This brilliant script (adapted from Rick Moody's best-selling novel of the same name) about the ennui of life in the suburbs and a search for meaning in 1970s America is still relevant today. James Schamus does a convincing job of articulating characters that have a comfortable existence, but are incredibly uncomfortable in their day-to-day lives. Schamus' characters are complex and flawed – in all the ways we know ourselves to be – but don't readily like to admit. We may not be throwing our keys into the punch bowl to 'swing,' but we've all had our moments of foolish mistakes and searching for meaning in our relationships.
Excerpt from THE ICE STORM:
The party progresses. Mikey and Sandy are lying on their
stomachs at the top of the stairs, out of sight.
And to think — they met at a key
party of all things.
A key party?
You know, it's a California thing.
That scuzzy husband of hers dragged
her kicking and screaming to one
when they were out in L.A. you
know, the men put their car keys in
a bowl, and then at the end of the
evening the women line up and fish
them out and go home with whoever's
keys they've got. Anyhow that's how
she met this Rod person or whatever
his name is and he's left his wife
and she's packing for California.
Irwin is devastated. It's so
ANNIE HALL written and directed by Woody Allen
This classic Woody Allen film, exploring the relationships of fraught New Yorkers, is written in his imitable neurotic style. His characters waning expectations regarding romance and life in general, mirror the equally vacillating environs of the place they call home, New York City. Woody Allen's gift for memorable characters is only bested by his sharp, observational, often times biting description of people, places and philosophies. Diane Keaton set the world ablaze with her relaxed, Charlie Chaplin-esque fashion and Woody Allen inked himself on the minds of a million pretenders who wish they could articulate their life experience with the same kind of witty quips and asides. He broke down the forth wall, bringing the audience even closer to the character's existential angst.
Excerpt from ANNIE HALL:
…Alvy and his best friend, Rob, deep in conversation. They eventually move
past the camera and off screen. Traffic noise is heard in the background.
Let's get the hell outta this crazy city.
Forget it, Max.
-we move to sunny L.A. All of show business
is out there, Max.
No, I cannot. You keep bringing it up, but
I don't wanna live in a city where the only
cultural advantage is that you can make a
right turn on a red light.
There are of course, many more brilliant scripts out there, too many to list in a few short paragraphs. Film writing that resonates with audiences is usually filled with characters that speak to our flaws, hopes, insecurities and triumphs. Yes, we love watching Mark Ruffalo turn into the Hulk and kick some butt in THE AVENGERS, but sometimes it's great to see characters less green in their quest to find what ever it is they're looking for. Maybe we'll find what we're looking for too in the shared humanity of great screenplays and writing. If not, there's always IRON MAN 3.