institutionalism zebulen: May 2012

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Questions for Williams sisters after French flop

FILE - This May 29, 2012 file photo shows Serena Williams reactind during her loss to France's Virginie Razzano in the first round of the French Open tennis tournament in Paris. Almost from the moment Venus and Serena Williams appeared on the Grand Slam scene in the late 1990s, they've been winning titles and transcending tennis, becoming red-carpet celebrities as much as sports stars. (AP Photo/David Vincent, File)

FILE - This Jan. 23, 2007 file photo shows Serena Williams reacting during her quarterfinal match against Israel's Shahar Peer at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne. Almost from the moment Venus and Serena Williams appeared on the Grand Slam scene in the late 1990s, they've been winning titles and transcending tennis, becoming red-carpet celebrities as much as sports stars. (AP Photo/Rick Stevens, file)

FILE - This Nov. 22, 2011 file photo shows Serena, left, and Venus Williams posed during a news conference prior to an exhibition tennis match, in Bogota, Colombia. Almost from the moment the Williams sisters appeared on the Grand Slam scene in the late 1990s, they've been winning titles and transcending tennis, becoming red-carpet celebrities as much as sports stars. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File)

FILE - This June 16, 1997 file photo shows Venus Williams, right, and her sister Serena posing at the Direct Line Ladies Tennis Championships in Eastbourne, England. Almost from the moment the Williams sisters appeared on the Grand Slam scene in the late 1990s, they've been winning titles and transcending tennis, becoming red-carpet celebrities as much as sports stars. (AP Photo/File) UNITED KINGDOM OUT

FILE - This May 26, 2010 file photo shows Venus Williams concentrating before serving during a match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris. Almost from the moment Venus and Serena Williams appeared on the Grand Slam scene in the late 1990s, they've been winning titles and transcending tennis, becoming red-carpet celebrities as much as sports stars. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau)

PARIS (AP) ? Almost from the moment Venus and Serena Williams appeared on the Grand Slam scene in the late 1990s, they've been winning titles and transcending tennis, becoming red-carpet celebrities as much as sports stars.

Every so often, like all elite athletes, they've heard questions about whether their best days were behind them, whether health problems or off-court distractions were taking their toll. And each time, it seemed, one or the other ? or sometimes, amazingly, both ? would promptly reach a major final, as if to say, "Hey, don't count us out yet."

Now that each is past her 30th birthday, and big victories are less frequent than ever, those questions are bound to get more persistent, especially after this week. The 2012 French Open has been the worst Grand Slam tournament in Williams family history, the first of the 43 that both entered at which neither reached the third round.

Venus lost 6-2, 6-3 in the second round Wednesday at Roland Garros, barely providing any resistance against Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, who might be seeded No. 3 but never has been past the quarterfinals at a major tournament. Afterward, Venus spoke about the difficulties of adjusting to living with Sjogren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease that can cause fatigue and joint pain and leaves her listless some days.

Asked whether the thought crossed her mind she might have played her last French Open match, she didn't hesitate for a moment.

"No, not at all," replied Venus, who turns 32 in June. "This is just the beginning for me. This is a process that I have to learn a lot from, working with myself, with my doctors, everything. Like, this is the beginning for me again. I have to be positive. I can't walk out on the court and say, 'Oh, my God, this is it.' That's not the way I see it."

Serena, meanwhile, lost 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the first round Tuesday to Virginie Razzano of France, a woman who is ranked 111th and never has made it beyond the fourth round at a major tournament. Making it more surprising: Serena was two points from victory nine times but couldn't close the deal. It's the only time in 47 career Grand Slam appearances that the younger Williams lost her opening match.

"There's those days someone comes out and they have nothing to lose, so they go for it. ... It's bad luck. She's a great player. I think if she could have gotten through that match, it would have been, this tournament, a lot different for her," Venus said about her sister. "Thankfully she has, like, 20-something majors to keep her warm at night."

That's true: Counting singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles, the 30-year-old Serena actually owns 25 Grand Slam trophies. Her 13 in singles represent by far the highest total among active women and the sixth most in history. Venus stands second among women on tour now, with seven, the last in 2008. They've teamed up to win 12 in doubles.

They've always been each other's fiercest rival and best friend, ever since they emerged as teenagers from Compton, Calif., coached by a father who taught himself tennis by watching instructional videos. They were siblings who competed with each other for top billing in their own home and the entire globe ? and with 120 mph serves and punishing groundstrokes, they ushered in a new brand of power-based play.

All along, they've dabbled in other interests such as fashion (both have worked on clothing lines), interior decorating (Venus' pursuit) and acting (Serena's side project).

"Serena could have been the greatest player ever. Ever," 12-time Grand Slam singles champion and women's sports pioneer Billie Jean King said in a recent interview. "She is the best athlete we've ever had in the game. She and her sister Venus were brought up to do many, various things. So they do go in and out, there's no question. But ... when Serena gets focused, watch out."

Both have been No. 1 in the WTA rankings, but Serena is now No. 5, and Venus is No. 53.

They have played each other in eight Grand Slam finals (Serena leads 6-2), including four in a row from 2002-03, but none since Wimbledon in 2009. Serena's title at the All England Club the next year was the last at a Grand Slam tournament for either Williams; a few days later, she cut her feet on glass at a restaurant, leading to a series of complications, including blood clots on her lung.

Her latest issue was a bad back, although she refused to blame that for her loss to Razzano.

"I've just got to ... figure out what I did wrong and not do it again," Serena said. "You know, learn from it."

There is a new generation of players moving up, and the Williams sisters certainly are at least partly responsible for helping spur the growth of tennis.

Its global reach is such that the top 10 women in this week's rankings represent 10 countries. The past four Grand Slam tournaments were won by first-time major champions ? Li Na of China, Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, Sam Stosur of Australia and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus ? the longest such stretch of debut titles in the Open era, which began in 1968.

Venus and Serena Williams made women's tennis matter more than it had in years, prompting a move from Saturday afternoon to prime time for the U.S. Open title match in 2001, when a pair of sisters met in a Grand Slam singles final for the first time since it happened at Wimbledon all the way back in 1884.

The first all-Williams major final 11 years ago drew higher TV ratings than a college football game the same night between two Top 25 college football teams, Notre Dame and Nebraska.

"I definitely grew up watching them. I've idolized both of them forever. I mean, they were the first players I watched on TV and said, 'I want to be there, one day, playing the tournaments that they're playing,'" said Melanie Oudin, a 20-year-old from Marietta, Ga., who reached the 2009 U.S. Open quarterfinals.

"I just can't see them ? especially Serena ? retiring. Serena's been the best of the best for so long," Oudin continued. "Even when she's out for a while, she comes back, and she can still play amazing tennis and beat everyone."

The world will be watching when Wimbledon begins next month to find out if that's still the case.

___

Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

Associated Press

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Wednesday, May 30, 2012

'Moonrise Kingdom' Record-Breaking Weekend: Experts Weigh In

'The numbers were eye-popping. You'd think Iron Man was in the film,' one box-office expert tells MTV News of new Wes Anderson film.
By Fallon Prinzivalli

Ed Norton in "Moonrise Kingdom"
Photo: Focus Features

As "Men in Black 3" knocked "Marvel's The Avengers" off its record-breaking throne and nabbed the title of #1 film in America over Memorial Day weekend, Focus Features' "Moonrise Kingdom" broke its own box-office records. The Wes Anderson-directed film, which opened in two theaters in New York and two in Los Angeles, grossed more than $669,000 this weekend. It raked in an average of $130,752 per location, setting a new record previously held by 2006's "Dreamgirls."

"Wes Anderson films always open in limited release with very high averages as his fanbase is very loyal," says Box Office Guru editor Gitesh Pandya, "but the 'Moonrise Kingdom' numbers were eye-popping. You'd think Iron Man was in the film."

Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations also attributes the success to Anderson's "ardent" fanbase.

"[His fans] have seen him produce just a handful of films over the course of his entire career, which began with 1996's 'Bottle Rocket.' Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and 'Moonrise Kingdom' is Anderson's first live-action film in five years, so there was no doubt a burning desire to see his latest whimsical dramedy," he says. "Filmmakers with unique and authentic voices are far and few between, and Anderson is something of a national treasure for the hipster collective."

"Moonrise Kingdom" takes place in the summer of 1965 and follows the search for two 12-year-olds who flee their hometown in New England for a wilderness adventure. The film's success follows its debut in Cannes, France, where it opened the city's famous film festival. Bock believes its premiere at such a large venue contributed to the buzz, keeping it in the mind of audiences — despite an influx of blockbusters hitting cinemas around the globe.

"There is always room for a small, original tale amongst the blockbuster giants of summer, and 'Moonrise Kingdom' may just be this summer's 'Midnight in Paris,' " he said, referencing the Woody Allen film that won him an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. "The big test for ['Moonrise'] will be when it debuts in moderate wide release (400-plus theaters), reaching smaller markets that probably haven't seen a film of his since his biggest hit, 2001's 'The Royal Tenenbaums,' which grossed $52 million. While Anderson's films are revered by critics and cinephiles, wide audiences haven't exactly embraced the kooky sensibilities and eccentric outlook he emotes in his films."

But Phil Contrino of BoxOffice.com believes an A-list cast including Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, Edward Norton and Tilda Swinton will help bring the film to a broader audience — though he does think widespread popularity may be limited.

"If you don't like Wes by now, this movie won't change your mind," Contrino said. "He's burrowed very deep into his own style eccentricities."

"Moonrise Kingdom" was too late to earn any Movie Awards nominations at this year's show, but tune in this Sunday at 9 p.m. ET to celebrate your other favorite films, including "Hunger Games," "Bridesmaids" and the final "Harry Potter" film.

Head over to MovieAwards.MTV.com to vote for your favorite flicks now! The 21st annual MTV Movie Awards air live this Sunday, June 3, at 9 p.m. ET.

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Roles of Relationships: Men and Women | love sick diaries

Trouble is part of your life, and if you don?t share it, you don?t give the person who loves you enough chance to love you enough. ~Dinah Shore

From the start of human time, affairs of love, romance flings, couples and emotional relationships there has always been a set of precise roles of gender that have grown and been active to this very day and have furthered from society?s advancements.

Even though our world is being consumed by all things technology, a handful of issues will always remain unaltered, and the roles of relationship and the roles each partner plays in a relationship will remain unchanged. When male and female are attracted to one another, it generally is the girl that provides the signal or light to the male that he may come forward and introduce himself.

Putting these courtship roles aside, and going into a situation in which guy and girl are being locked into each other?s lives routinely and not momentarily creates a system or roles, unconscious character like actions, that is intriguing and interesting to analyze when stepping away from the inside and viewing it as a spectator in a voyeuristic fashion. It is like we become these characters not by choice but rather by that of human animalistic nature, as if we are programmed like a computer. Roles of relationships.

The Role Perceptions

Regardless of whether these perceptions and viewpoints have been suggested by a female or hinted at by a female, they sort of just come into play for the male counterpart in the relationship. Courteousness and Chivalry will always be a role that is present in time, and never outdated, no matter how far we advance in other areas of society. The man must perspire this concept.

Girls still enjoy the little things a gentleman has to offer like opening the car door, walking on the outside of her while strolling down the street, waiting for her food to arrive before you start eating, and so forth; gentleman type things. Basically a gentleman is someone a lady like to keep for while and an arrogant prick is someone she likes to keep until something better comes along.

Now from the other side of the coin, men value and welcome women whom are composed gracefully in a calm and easy going fashion. This is the type of woman that a man would like to bring home to meet his parents, but lets face it a man would still have loads of fun with a hot mess, but they don?t see it as anything permanent in most circumstances.

Men tend have enormous egos and act territorial about their women, a lot don?t want a girl who has had more boyfriends or flings than can be counted on one hand. It?s not whether that?s right or wrong, it just is how a lot men think. On the other hand women generally don?t care as long as they get to be the last girl in their life.

Abundant Societal Beliefs

From the start of time, when Adam and Eve started fornicating there has been specific social norms that have continued throughout time such as that a man is supposed to provide for his family, and women should take care of the children. Than there are some other norms that are becoming more flipped and sort of a role reversal type thing as society advances in time such as men paying for dinner dates, or girls waiting for guys to ask them out, these types of things have been changing and are not as strict as they once were. Women generally wait much more patiently for their male counterpart, whereas if a man were to wait for his lady counterpart to finish with something, he would tend to garner a sense of impatience and squirm a bit. These sorts of things circle the minds of people in relationships, like should I pay for dinner, why doesn?t he ever pay for dinner and so forth.

It?s sort of weird that society expects certain norms of relationships without questioning it, like if I am at dinner with a beautiful girl, just her and I. When the bill comes, the waiter 9 out of 10 times will hand the bill to me, not questioning it but just instinctual. If you break the mold society will snap at you for being different.

A good example besides my dinner dates and the bills is if a very powerful career oriented woman screws up her marriage and get?s divorced, our world will tend to act a certain way. The world society will end up pointing their fingers directly at the woman rather than judging both the man and lady equally at the damage of the marriage.

Now let?s flip it on the other side, if a man were to stay at home and take care of the kids and family, and be a sort of ?house husband? society would probably disapprove. Of course society would disapprove no matter what country you live in or what religion or language you speak, men are not supposed to stay home, we are told men must work and bring home the money, taking care of the children is a women?s job. WRONG! But this is a role of relationships that we tend to follow without questions, you don?t have to be afraid to stop and question these roles.

What Actually Matters the Greatest

When two people are happy about themself and are qualified in fostering a healthy and blissful relationship, they will find out what matters most. What actually matters the greatest is the joy of each partner and growth on a personal level. Yes there are roles in relationships but if you and your partner choose to be different, do not let society standards bring you down or question your relationship as society is just a bystander. Remember if you fall for the traps of society, and your relationship crumbles, society doesn?t suffer, you do.

The roles of relationships are based upon what you two choose to do, and if you let society lead you down the road, and if it?s a road not of your choosing, you will most likely run into a dead end. The most important role in a relationship is the ability to understand each other and to be on the same page with each other?s roles. These roles in your relationship give one another purpose, and give each other specific responsibilities but you both have to be happy with these responsibilities for it to work out. It is simple, just be clear and expressive in regards to what roles you choose in the relationship and are happy with choosing, otherwise arguments occur and your partner meets someone else waiting in the wind.

Mike Ahuja
http://www.lovesickdiaries.com

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Summer restaurant hiring at 19-year high - Handling Hard Times ...

Summer restaurant hiring at 19-year high

May 28th, 2012, 6:00 am ? ? posted by Mary Ann Milbourn

The U.S. restaurant industry expects to hire 450,000 workers this summer, the most since 1993, according to the National Restaurant Association?s 2012 forecast.

Photo by Leonard Ortiz, The Orange County Register

It will be the fourth year in a row of summer job growth in the restaurant industry.

California establishments alone are projected to add 32,900 workers in June, July and August, second only to New York?s 43,800.

?Restaurant industry employment growth will outpace overall employment growth for the 13th year in a row this year, illustrating the key role restaurants play in the nation?s economy,? said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of the research and knowledge group for the Association. ?The boost of this year?s 450,000 summer jobs will propel total eating and drinking place employment to its highest on record. Overall, America?s nearly one million restaurants employ nearly 10% of the nation?s overall workforce.?

Orange County?s restaurant business has been one of the strongest sectors for jobs. Local employers added 2,700 new workers from April 2011 to April 2012. The restaurant industry now accounts for 117,300 jobs in Orange County ? 8.5% of all payroll jobs.

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Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Sex, Love, & Relationships | Straight Up Love ? Blog Archive ...

May
2012 28