Lake Hiwassee: 5 miles from Murphy NC on Joe Brown RD
Lake Hiwassee, also called Hiwassee reservoir, is 22 miles long, covers 6,090 acres and is more than 200 feet deep in places. The lake's 163 miles of shoreline is almost entirely controlled by the National Forest Service as part of the Nantahala National Forest. The lake was created and is managed by the Tennessee Valley Authority as part of the Tennessee River system. The Tennessee River system's primary purpose is to provide low-cost, reliable hydroelectric power to the residents of the Tennessee Valley.
Lake Hiwassee was formed by the construction of Hiwassee Dam for the purpose of generating hydroelectric power (see diagram). Built in 1935, Hiwassee Dam is the tallest overspill dam in the world at 307 feet tall and 1,376 feet wide. In 1955, a second generating unit was added to the dam, along with the world's largest electric motor and reversible pump-turbine. This enables water from the dam to be used to generate electricity during peak hours. During off-hours, water is then pumped 205-feet back into the Hiwassee reservoir for reuse.
Lake Hiwassee and other lakes in the Tennessee River system are also used by the TVA to control flooding. For this reason, Lake Hiwassee's water level is reduced by as much as 60 feet in the winter months. This reduction in lake levels is due to increased power generation and in anticipation of any heavy snowfalls and spring rains the area may receive. Mountain View Marina has been designed to cope with these lake level changes. Lake Hiwassee does not freeze and remains navigable so our boat owners enjoy year round access to the lake.
Murphy NC Downtown snow 2/25/2015 Part 1
Just looking down the road in downtown Murphy. A Snowy morning.
Hiawassee Lake
TVA Hiawassee Lake
morris motel murphy,NC LOCATION: consideration
Who owns this?
356 Bear Mountain Cottage-Branded
Perched on the western slope of Bear Mountain our cottage, Noah's Lark, provides stunning year 'round views of the Appalachian Mountains and the Cherokee National Forest. The cottage is located in a tri-state area. From the wrap around deck one can see portions of Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina. Noah's Lark is located in North Carolina and is 25 miles west of Murphy NC and 20 miles north of Blue Ridge Georgia.
Over the years whitewater rafters and kayakers have used the cottage as a base of operations because of its proximity to the Ocoee Rivers rapids, site of the 1996 Olympics for whitewater rafting. We have made it a priority to provide a comfortable setting suitable for family vacations, a couple's secluded get away, nature lovers and sports enthusiasts. Unlike many mountain cabins there is ample parking space for cars.
5324 Hope Rd. Vale, NC 28168
To view property details click here - Vale NC HUD Homes - 5324 Hope Rd. Vale, NC 28168. Cozy almost new singlewide w/ over half acre lot & porch, located at the Northern outskirts of Vale, NC. Good size 3 bedrooms w/ a slightly larger master suite. Very open Living/Kitchen/Dining combo w/ a bar-like setting, perfect for entertainment. Very spacious front and backyards surrounded by mature large trees & bushes. To view, paste this link into your browser
26 Sunset Drive, Lake Nantahala NC Real Estate for Sale
Beautiful 3500+sf home on pristine lake Nantahala! The home offers single level living with 2 master suites on the main level, two car garage with storage, a very open concept with soaring stacked stone fireplace, and accommodations for 5 bedrooms. Home also features an elevator. Gentle paths with professional landscaping, or a driveway, lead to the private boat dock. Relax on the spacious porch and enjoy the mountain and lake views. Sitting at 3000' ft elevation to enjoy the cooler mountain summers. This is truly a piece of paradise and one of the nicest settings on Lake Nantahala!
Lake Chatuge Boating July 4th, 2010
This is a brief complication of footage that was taken during a boat ride to fetch ice cream.
420 Adams Mill Road Mauldin SC 29662 864-399-7899
420 Adams Mill Road Mauldin SC 29662
***For a personal showing, contact Bruce or Jennifer at 864-399-7899*** Very nice home! You will love the great space of this home. As you enter the generous foyer, it flows easily to the classic kitchen and the cozy den with a brick fireplace plus easy access to a downstairs bedroom or possible office and laundry access as well. Patio doors exit from the great room to a fabulous backyard. Plus a separate shed for lots of storage. You will love the over sized patio, great for cookouts. The kitchen is beautiful with an abundance of storage, smooth top range, and stainless steel sink. The kitchen is open to the den and easily accessed from the dining room. The dining room and living room are substantial. The bedrooms upstairs are very nice as well. An abundance of closets and storage space. This home is placed on a convenient, quiet, corner lot. You will love the side entry garage. Schools are Greenbriar Elementary, Hillcrest Middle, and Mauldin High School. Don't miss this one, you had better hurry!! Do you have a home to Sell? Visit
Discovery Map - Estes Park, CO
Produced by Nick Mollé Productions
The 58th Presidential Inauguration of Donald J. Trump (Full Video) | NBC News
Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States on Friday, outlining his forceful vision of a new national populism and echoing the same America first mantra that swept him to victory last November.
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The 58th Presidential Inauguration of Donald J. Trump (Full Video) | NBC News
Santa Cruz Board of Supervisors 12/11/18
UCLA | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
00:03:09 1 History
00:08:24 1.1 Maturity as a university
00:10:37 1.2 2016 shooting
00:11:06 1.3 Sexual assaults
00:12:25 1.4 2019 admissions scandal
00:13:05 2 Campus
00:16:04 2.1 Architecture
00:18:32 2.2 Filming
00:20:36 2.3 Transportation and parking
00:21:33 3 Academics
00:21:43 3.1 Divisions
00:21:52 3.1.1 Undergraduate
00:23:59 3.1.2 Graduate
00:24:08 3.2 Healthcare
00:25:59 3.3 Rankings
00:28:00 3.3.1 Global
00:30:25 3.3.2 National
00:32:04 3.3.3 Graduate school
00:32:56 3.3.4 Departmental
00:34:09 3.3.5 Academic field
00:35:47 3.3.6 Student body
00:36:38 3.4 Library system
00:36:47 3.5 Medical school admissions
00:39:28 4 Admissions
00:41:00 4.1 Undergraduate
00:41:31 4.2 Graduate
00:43:07 5 Economic impact
00:44:19 5.1 Trademarks and licensing
00:50:30 5.2 Commerce on campus
00:53:53 6 Athletics
00:56:56 6.1 USC rivalry
00:58:18 7 Student life
01:04:07 7.1 Greek life
01:08:24 7.2 Traditions
01:10:34 7.3 Student government
01:13:19 7.4 Media publications
01:14:21 7.5 Housing
01:15:25 7.6 Hospitality
01:17:25 7.7 Chabad House
01:26:04 7.8 Healthy Campus Initiative
01:26:32 8 Faculty and alumni
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
Listen on Google Assistant through Extra Audio:
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Speaking Rate: 0.8203242201971667
Voice name: en-US-Wavenet-C
I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public research university in Los Angeles. It became the Southern Branch of the University of California in 1919, making it the third-oldest (after UC Berkeley and UC Davis) undergraduate campus of the 10-campus University of California system. It offers 337 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in a wide range of disciplines. UCLA enrolls about 31,000 undergraduate and 13,000 graduate students and had 119,000 applicants for Fall 2016, including transfer applicants, making the school the most applied-to of any American university.The university is organized into six undergraduate colleges, seven professional schools, and four professional health science schools. The undergraduate colleges are the College of Letters and Science; Samueli School of Engineering; School of the Arts and Architecture; Herb Alpert School of Music; School of Theater, Film and Television; and School of Nursing.
As of 2017, 24 Nobel laureates, three Fields Medalists, and five Turing Award winners, and two Chief Scientists of the U.S. Air Force have been affiliated with UCLA as faculty, researchers, or alumni. Among the current faculty members, 55 have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, 28 to the National Academy of Engineering, 39 to the Institute of Medicine, and 124 to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The university was elected to the Association of American Universities in 1974.UCLA is considered one of the country's Public Ivies, meaning that it is a public university thought to provide a quality of education comparable with that of the Ivy League. In 2018, US News & World Report named UCLA the best public university in the United States.UCLA student-athletes compete as the Bruins in the Pac-12 Conference. The Bruins have won 126 national championships, including 116 NCAA team championships, more than any other university except Stanford, who has won 117. UCLA student-athletes, coaches and staff won 251 Olympic medals: 126 gold, 65 silver, and 60 bronze. UCLA student-athletes competed in every Olympics since 1920 with one exception (1924) and won a gold medal in every Olympics the U.S. participated in since 1932.
Earl Watkins Interview by Monk Rowe - 8/7/2002 - San Francisco, CA
Drummer Earl Watkins talks about the rich history of music in San Francisco/Oakland, including stories of segregated venues, stylistic changes in popular tastes, and the integration of the musicians union.
Use of these materials by other parties is subject to the fair use doctrine in United States copyright law (Title 17, Chapter 1, para. 107) which allows use for commentary, criticism, news reporting, research, teaching or scholarship without requiring permission from the rights holder. Any use that does not fall within fair use must be cleared with the rights holder. For assistance, please contact the Fillius Jazz Archive, Hamilton College, 198 College Hill Road, Clinton, NY 13323.
Visit the Fillius Jazz Archive Website
UCLA | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
UCLA
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), is a public research university in Los Angeles. It became the Southern Branch of the University of California in 1919, making it the second-oldest (after UC Berkeley) undergraduate campus of the 10-campus University of California system. It offers 337 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in a wide range of disciplines. UCLA enrolls about 31,000 undergraduate and 13,000 graduate students, and had 119,000 applicants for Fall 2016, including transfer applicants, the most applicants for any American university.The university is organized into six undergraduate colleges, seven professional schools, and four professional health science schools. The undergraduate colleges are the College of Letters and Science; Samueli School of Engineering; School of the Arts and Architecture; Herb Alpert School of Music; School of Theater, Film and Television; and School of Nursing.
As of 2017, 24 Nobel laureates, three Fields Medalists, and five Turing Award winners, and two Chief Scientists of the U.S. Air Force have been affiliated with UCLA as faculty, researchers, or alumni. Among the current faculty members, 55 have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, 28 to the National Academy of Engineering, 39 to the Institute of Medicine, and 124 to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The university was elected to the Association of American Universities in 1974.The Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2018–2019 ranked UCLA 17th in the world for academics, second U.S. public university for academics, and ninth in the world for reputation. In 2017, UCLA ranked 12th in the world (10th in North America) by the Academic Ranking of World Universities and 33rd in the 2017–2018 QS World University Rankings. In 2017, the Center for World University Rankings ranked the university 15th in the world based on quality of education, alumni employment, quality of faculty, publications, influence, citations, broad impact, and patents. In 2018–2019, US News & World Report ranked UCLA as the top public university in the U.S.UCLA student-athletes compete as the Bruins in the Pac-12 Conference. The Bruins have won 126 national championships, including 116 NCAA team championships, more than any other university except Stanford, who has won 117. UCLA student-athletes, coaches and staff won 251 Olympic medals: 126 gold, 65 silver and 60 bronze. UCLA student-athletes competed in every Olympics since 1920 with one exception (1924), and won a gold medal in every Olympics the U.S. participated in since 1932.
University of California, Los Angeles | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
University of California, Los Angeles
00:03:01 1 History
00:07:12 1.1 Maturity as a university
00:09:00 1.2 2016 shooting
00:09:24 1.3 Sexual assaults
00:10:28 2 Campus
00:12:51 2.1 Architecture
00:14:48 2.2 Filming
00:16:26 2.3 Transportation and parking
00:17:13 3 Academics
00:17:22 3.1 Divisions
00:17:31 3.1.1 Undergraduate
00:19:13 3.1.2 Graduate
00:19:21 3.2 Healthcare
00:20:54 3.3 Rankings
00:23:31 3.3.1 Global
00:25:27 3.3.2 National
00:26:46 3.3.3 Graduate school
00:27:28 3.3.4 Departmental
00:28:26 3.3.5 Academic field
00:29:45 3.3.6 Student body
00:30:27 3.4 Library system
00:30:36 3.5 Medical school admissions
00:33:13 4 Admissions
00:34:29 4.1 Undergraduate
00:34:55 4.2 Graduate
00:36:12 5 Economic impact
00:37:10 5.1 Trademarks and licensing
00:42:03 5.2 Commerce on campus
00:44:43 6 Athletics
00:47:10 6.1 USC rivalry
00:48:17 7 Student life
00:52:53 7.1 Greek life
00:56:17 7.2 Traditions
00:58:01 7.3 Student government
01:00:13 7.4 Media publications
01:01:02 7.5 Housing
01:01:54 7.6 Hospitality
01:03:29 7.7 Chabad House
01:10:20 7.8 Healthy Campus Initiative
01:10:44 8 Faculty and alumni
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), is a public research university in Los Angeles. It became the Southern Branch of the University of California in 1919, making it the second-oldest (after UC Berkeley) undergraduate campus of the 10-campus University of California system. It offers 337 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in a wide range of disciplines. UCLA enrolls about 31,000 undergraduate and 13,000 graduate students, and had 119,000 applicants for Fall 2016, including transfer applicants, the most applicants for any American university.The university is organized into six undergraduate colleges, seven professional schools, and four professional health science schools. The undergraduate colleges are the College of Letters and Science; Samueli School of Engineering; School of the Arts and Architecture; Herb Alpert School of Music; School of Theater, Film and Television; and School of Nursing.
As of 2017, 24 Nobel laureates, three Fields Medalists, and five Turing Award winners, and two Chief Scientists of the U.S. Air Force have been affiliated with UCLA as faculty, researchers, or alumni. Among the current faculty members, 55 have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, 28 to the National Academy of Engineering, 39 to the Institute of Medicine, and 124 to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The university was elected to the Association of American Universities in 1974.The Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2018–2019 ranked UCLA 17th in the world for academics, second U.S. public university for academics, and ninth in the world for reputation. In 2017, UCLA ranked 12th in the world (10th in North America) by the Academic Ranking of World Universities and 33rd in the 2017–2018 QS World University Rankings. In 2017, the Center for World University Rankings ranked the university 15th in the world based on quality of education, alumni employment, quality of faculty, publications, influence, citations, broad impact, and patents. In 2018–2019, US News & World Report ranked UCLA as the top public university in the U.S.UCLA student-athletes compete as the Bruins in the Pac-12 Conference. The Bruins have won 126 national championships, including 116 NCAA team championships, more than any other university except Stanford, who has won 117. UCLA student-athletes, coaches and staff won 251 Olympic medals: 126 gold, 65 silver and 60 bronze. UCLA student-athletes competed in every Olympics since 1920 with one exception (1924), and won a gold medal in every Olympics the U.S. participated in since 1932.
List of federal political scandals in the United States | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
List of federal political scandals in the United States
00:00:10 1 Scope and organization of political scandals
00:02:50 2 Federal government scandals
00:03:00 2.1 Donald Trump administration (2017–present)
00:03:11 2.1.1 Executive Branch
00:08:36 2.1.2 Legislative Branch
00:11:53 2.1.3 Judicial Branch
00:12:12 2.2 Barack Obama administration (2009–2017)
00:12:24 2.2.1 Executive Branch
00:15:59 2.2.2 Legislative Branch
00:25:36 2.2.3 Judicial Branch
00:27:12 2.3 George W. Bush administration (2001–2009)
00:27:21 2.3.1 Executive Branch
00:45:15 2.3.2 Legislative Branch
00:52:39 2.4 Bill Clinton administration (1993–2001)
00:52:51 2.4.1 Executive Branch
00:54:44 2.4.2 Legislative Branch
00:59:56 2.5 George H. W. Bush administration (1989–1993)
01:00:05 2.5.1 Executive Branch
01:01:44 2.5.2 Legislative Branch
01:02:40 2.5.3 Judicial Branch
01:03:06 2.6 Ronald Reagan administration (1981–1989)
01:03:19 2.6.1 Executive Branch
01:15:06 2.6.2 Legislative Branch
01:19:52 2.6.3 Judicial Branch
01:20:21 2.7 James E. Carter administration (1977–1981)
01:20:30 2.7.1 Executive Branch
01:20:47 2.7.2 Legislative branch
01:23:29 2.7.3 Judicial
01:24:07 2.8 Gerald Ford administration (1974–1977)
01:24:20 2.8.1 Executive Branch
01:24:52 2.8.2 Legislative Branch
01:26:53 2.9 Richard M. Nixon administration (1969–1974)
01:27:02 2.9.1 Executive Branch
01:31:48 2.9.2 Legislative Branch
01:34:06 2.9.3 Judicial Branch
01:35:11 2.10 Lyndon B. Johnson administration (1963–1969)
01:35:20 2.10.1 Executive Branch
01:35:41 2.10.2 Legislative Branch
01:36:54 2.10.3 Judicial Branch
01:37:14 2.11 John F. Kennedy administration (1961–1963)
01:37:23 2.11.1 Legislative Branch
01:38:05 2.12 Dwight D. Eisenhower administration (1953–1961)
01:38:14 2.12.1 Executive Branch
01:39:09 2.12.2 Legislative Branch
01:40:29 2.13 Harry S. Truman administration (1945–1953)
01:40:38 2.13.1 Executive Branch
01:41:11 2.13.2 Legislative Branch
01:42:20 2.14 Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration (1933–1945)
01:42:34 2.14.1 Executive Branch
01:42:53 2.14.2 Legislative Branch
01:43:29 2.14.3 Judicial Branch
01:44:22 2.15 Herbert Hoover administration (1929–1933)
01:44:34 2.15.1 Legislative Branch
01:45:13 2.16 Calvin Coolidge administration (1923–1929)
01:45:25 2.16.1 Executive
01:45:57 2.16.2 Legislative
01:46:48 2.16.3 Judicial
01:47:08 2.17 Warren G. Harding administration (1921–1923)
01:47:16 2.17.1 Executive Branch
01:48:51 2.17.2 Legislative Branch
01:49:42 2.18 Woodrow Wilson administration (1913–1921)
01:49:55 2.18.1 Executive Branch
01:50:24 2.19 William Howard Taft administration (1909–1913)
01:50:37 2.19.1 Legislative Branch
01:51:13 2.19.2 Judicial Branch
01:51:43 2.20 Theodore Roosevelt administration (1901–1909)
01:51:56 2.20.1 Legislative Branch
01:52:40 2.20.2 Judicial Branch
01:53:01 2.21 William McKinley administration (1897–1901)
01:53:14 2.21.1 Executive Branch
01:53:55 2.21.2 Legislative Branch
01:54:35 2.22 Grover Cleveland administration (1885–1889)
01:54:47 2.22.1 Legislative Branch
01:55:09 2.23 Chester A. Arthur administration (1881–1885)
01:55:18 2.23.1 Executive Branch
01:55:49 2.24 James A. Garfield administration (1881–1881)
01:55:58 2.24.1 Legislative Branch
01:56:21 2.25 Rutherford B. Hayes administration (1877–1881)
01:56:30 2.25.1 Executive Branch
01:56:50 2.25.2 Judicial Branch
01:57:28 2.26 Ulysses S. Grant administration (1869–1877)
01:57:37 2.26.1 Executive Branch
01:59:45 2.26.2 Legislative Branch
02:00:53 2.26.3 Judicial Branch
02:01:54 2.27 Andrew Johnson administration (1865–1869)
02:02:07 2.27.1 Executive branch
02:02:25 2.28 Abraham Lincoln administration (1861–1865)
02:02:38 2.28.1 Executive Branch
02:03:15 2.28.2 Legislative Branch
02:04:05 2.29 James Buchanan administration (1857–1861)
02:04:18 2.29.1 Legislative Branch
02:05:01 2.30 Zachary Taylor administration (1849–1850)
02:05:13 2.30.1 Executive Branch
02:05:44 2.31 Andrew Jackson administrations (1829–1836)
02:05:57 2.31.1 Executive Branch
02:06:41 2.31.2 Legislative Branch
02:07:07 2.32 James Monroe administrations (1817–1824)
02:07:20 2.32.1 Legislative Branch
02:07:36 2.33 Thomas Jefferson administrations (1801–1808)
02:07:48 2.33.1 Executive Branch
02:08:36 2.33.2 Judicial Branch
02:09:08 2.34 John Adams administration (1797–1800)
02:09:20 2.34.1 Executive Branch
02:09:49 2.34.2 Legislative Branch
02:10:18 2.35 George Washington administration (1789–1796)
02:10:30 2.35.1 Legislative Branch
02:10:49 2.36 Government under the Articles of Confederation (1777–1788)
02:11:03 2.36.1 Executive Branch
02:11:24 2.36.2 Legislative Branch
02:11:47 3 See also
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening s ...
2017 Berkeley College Commencement
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Auburn Coach Wife Kristi Malzahn Agrees with Match & eHarmony: Men are Jerks
My advice is this: Settle! That's right. Don't worry about passion or intense connection. Don't nix a guy based on his annoying habit of yelling Bravo! in movie theaters. Overlook his halitosis or abysmal sense of aesthetics. Because if you want to have the infrastructure in place to have a family, settling is the way to go. Based on my observations, in fact, settling will probably make you happier in the long run, since many of those who marry with great expectations become more disillusioned with each passing year. (It's hard to maintain that level of zing when the conversation morphs into discussions about who's changing the diapers or balancing the checkbook.)
Obviously, I wasn't always an advocate of settling. In fact, it took not settling to make me realize that settling is the better option, and even though settling is a rampant phenomenon, talking about it in a positive light makes people profoundly uncomfortable. Whenever I make the case for settling, people look at me with creased brows of disapproval or frowns of disappointment, the way a child might look at an older sibling who just informed her that Jerry's Kids aren't going to walk, even if you send them money. It's not only politically incorrect to get behind settling, it's downright un-American. Our culture tells us to keep our eyes on the prize (while our mothers, who know better, tell us not to be so picky), and the theme of holding out for true love (whatever that is—look at the divorce rate) permeates our collective mentality.
Even situation comedies, starting in the 1970s with The Mary Tyler Moore Show and going all the way to Friends, feature endearing single women in the dating trenches, and there's supposed to be something romantic and even heroic about their search for true love. Of course, the crucial difference is that, whereas the earlier series begins after Mary has been jilted by her fiancé, the more modern-day Friends opens as Rachel Green leaves her nice-guy orthodontist fiancé at the altar simply because she isn't feeling it. But either way, in episode after episode, as both women continue to be unlucky in love, settling starts to look pretty darn appealing. Mary is supposed to be contentedly independent and fulfilled by her newsroom family, but in fact her life seems lonely. Are we to assume that at the end of the series, Mary, by then in her late 30s, found her soul mate after the lights in the newsroom went out and her work family was disbanded? If her experience was anything like mine or that of my single friends, it's unlikely.
And while Rachel and her supposed soul mate, Ross, finally get together (for the umpteenth time) in the finale of Friends, do we feel confident that she'll be happier with Ross than she would have been had she settled down with Barry, the orthodontist, 10 years earlier? She and Ross have passion but have never had long-term stability, and the fireworks she experiences with him but not with Barry might actually turn out to be a liability, given how many times their relationship has already gone up in flames. It's equally questionable whether Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw, who cheated on her kindhearted and generous boyfriend, Aidan, only to end up with the more exciting but self-absorbed Mr. Big, will be better off in the framework of marriage and family. (Some time after the breakup, when Carrie ran into Aidan on the street, he was carrying his infant in a Baby Björn. Can anyone imagine Mr. Big walking around with a Björn?)