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A unique and different kind of TV action series, MacGyver made its television premiere in the Fall of 1985 to widespread fanfare. Audiences immediately responded to the title character and his unusual penchant for turning everyday items like chewing gum and paperclips into elaborate life-saving contraptions. In this way, it maintained a slight resemblance to The A-Team, and this recurring plot device helped MacGyver build a strong cult following…

Richard Dean Anderson plays the title role of MacGyver, an energetic employee of the fictional Phoenix Foundation for Research. An unorthodox hero by action series standards, MacGyver has a deadly fear of heights. A pacifist who refuses to use weapons, he relies heavily on his ability to use his brain and tinker with the various materials at his disposal. MacGyver’s best friend, and the director of the Phoenix Foundation, is Pete Thornton (Dana Elcar). Pete often sends MacGyver on Foundation missions and sometimes comes to his aid (usually after MacGyver has saved the day). In addition, MacGyver is joined on a regular basis by his airplane pilot friend Jack Dalton (Bruce McGill), a man who constantly entangles himself in illegal activities and other troublesome situations. Between the usual slew of bad guys, the vendetta of archenemy Murdoc (Michael Des Barres), and his multitude of troublesome friends, MacGyver is always in the midst of interesting and dangerous events, and the show’s true entertainment value derives from watching MacGyver’s distinctive method of dealing with each one…

The MacGyver (Season 2) DVD features a number of action-packed episodes including the season premiere “The Human Factor” in which MacGyver and the Phoenix Foundation are called upon to test the security of a top-secret military installation. When MacGyver makes a bet with the security designer, Dr. Jill Ludlum, he successfully gains entry, but the automated system traps them both inside (with a dwindling supply of oxygen) where they’re forced to race for their lives against a ticking clock… Other notable episodes from Season 2 include “The Road Not Taken” in which MacGyver encounters his former fiancée while helping a nun, and “Birth Day” in which MacGyver must guard a pregnant woman from her husband, who’s out to kill her…

Below is a list of episodes included on the MacGyver (Season 2) DVD:

Episode 23 (The Human Factor) Air Date: 09-22-1986
Episode 24 (The Eraser) Air Date: 09-29-1986
Episode 25 (Twice Stung) Air Date: 10-06-1986
Episode 26 (The Wish Child) Air Date: 10-20-1986
Episode 27 (Final Approach) Air Date: 10-27-1986
Episode 28 (Jack of Lies) Air Date: 11-03-1986
Episode 29 (The Road Not Taken) Air Date: 11-10-1986
Episode 30 (Eagles) Air Date: 11-17-1986
Episode 31 (Silent World) Air Date: 11-24-1986
Episode 32 (Three for the Road) Air Date: 12-15-1986
Episode 33 (Phoenix Under Siege) Air Date: 01-05-1987
Episode 34 (Family Matter) Air Date: 01-12-1987
Episode 35 (Soft Touch) Air Date: 01-19-1987
Episode 36 (Birth Day) Air Date: 02-02-1987
Episode 37 (Pirates) Air Date: 02-09-1987
Episode 38 (Out in the Cold) Air Date: 02-16-1987
Episode 39 (Dalton, Jack of Spies) Air Date: 02-23-1987
Episode 40 (Partners) Air Date: 03-02-1987
Episode 41 (Bushmaster) Air Date: 03-23-1987
Episode 42 (Friends) Air Date: 04-06-1987
Episode 43 (D.O.A.: MacGyver) Air Date: 04-27-1987
Episode 44 (For Love or Money) Air Date: 05-04-1987

About the Author

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a thedvdreport.blogspot.com movie review site where you can find more reviews like this one of the

Of all the different kinds of magic tricks that you can find, the easiest and most varied ones are those that use cards. The number of magic card tricks available reaches the thousands; any of them can be taken for granted. Card tricks are a dime a dozen, so it takes a good magician to make a card trick an unforgettable one. As with any magic trick, things always start with the magician. Here are some tips for would-be magic card trick aficionados.

Pace Yourself

Cards can be quite tricky, and the first step is establishing a pace that makes card dealing seem effortless in the eyes of your audience. The only thing that gives a good card trick away is if you break the rhythm of the routine, which is most probably the part where your sleight-of-hand action is done. Practice in front of a mirror as fast or as slow as you can, trying to get a feel of how you move the cards in order to perfect the illusion.

Practice Makes Perfect

Never practice in front of an audience until you have mastered the trick to the letter. The process of creating magic is a mental one, and you need to know the way a trick is done, step-by-step. Once this is accomplished, your hands will follow until your illusion is seamless.

Try It Out

The real test begins in front of a discriminating audience. Being watched can be quite unnerving, but this is the only way to see if what you have practiced really works. You have to get a feel for the audience, as well as what words or spiels to use in order to get them under your spell. Try it out. Getting their feedback will be valuable in your next performance. After the initial thrill, the rest, as they say, is history.

i-MagicTricks.com Magic Tricks provides detailed information on Magic Tricks, Free Magic Tricks, Magic Card Tricks, Free Magic Tricks Online and more. Magic Tricks is affiliated with Magic-resource.com Black Magic.

In part 1 of this series we covered the some of the simplest poker strategy of all, playing no limit hold’em with only ten times the big blind before the flop. This is highly profitable, but unfortunately many online poker sites do not allow such a small buyin. At most sites you must buy in for a minimum of twenty times the big blind. The change in strategy as a result of this concept is enormous. Instead of simply pushing all in or folding, because 20bb is too many chips to risk 1.5bb in most situations, a different strategy must be used. And after the flop there are usually enough chips left for flop and occasionally turn betting.

Still, there is a big edge to be had buying in for 20 big blinds when your opponents are playing with full stacks, and most of this edge comes preflop. Especially in aggressive games, many players are opening for a raise with hands that would not be correct to play if they knew someone with a short stack could come in behind them. The classic example is hands like suited connectors and small pairs. In full stack, 100bb no limit hold’em, these are nice hands to raise with. While they aren’t big hands that one is raising for value, they are certainly playable for the amount of the raise, but more importantly, raising with these hands balances ones strategy, making them harder to read as they could have a wider range of hands than just big pairs.

The problem with these raises is that these hands wouldn′t be worth raising with if one was simply trying to win the blind money in the pot. After all, you don′t raise a hand like 22 even in limit holdem for twice the big blind, so how can a 4x raise be right? The answer is of course that 22 is much stronger played for 100bb when one can bet larger amounts than in a game like limit. One can win the pot with a bluff which is much stronger in this game, win a big pot with a set, or take the blinds right there - the combination of these three things make such a raise profitable. But with 20bb stacks, two out of these three options go away. Hardly anyone is going to fold a hand beating 22 with only enough chips in their stack to have to call a 1.5x pot bet on the flop, and there aren′t enough chips to win to justify playing the hand for a set alone. If everyone was playing with 20bb stacks, players who raised 22 would go broke quickly.

Herein lies the effectiveness of the short stack strategy. By buying in with 20bb, you control the size of the stacks that the hand is being played for, not your opponents. Most of your opponents will be making plays preflop that are suitable for a full stack game but would be losers against 20bb stacks, and therefore losers against you. They take the worst of it against you to play better against the others, and you profit from this. Many players will complain about short stack players, claiming they are “lame″ or “unskilled”. And they are right. It is lame, and it does take less skill to play a short stack. But it is very profitable, especially in today’s games. Furthermore, unlike most strategies, short stack play actually becomes more effective as you move up in limits, because other players tend to be more aggressive preflop, meaning they are putting more money in with hands they would not raise if they were only playing against you.

In the next article we will begin talking about actual preflop strategies to be used in a 20bb buyin game.

Brian Stubiak is an experimental physicist and longtime winner at online poker. Having beaten the games for over five years, Brian now hopes to give something back to the game by sharing some of his winning strategies. You can see the full collection of Brian’s strategy articles at donkeydevastation.com donkeydevastation.com

In addition to considering the time frame and logistics of a TEFL job search, you should consider taking a pilot trip to the one or two city destinations you have in mind. Allow at least three weeks for a trip that covers, say, Mexico City and Monterrey. You’ll need eight or nine days in each city plus a day or two of travel time between them. But why, o ye of little faith may ask, should I go there and then come back home?

Well, conditions permitting, there are a number of good, solid reasons to consider planning a pilot trip. Let’s look at some of them.

First you’ll be looking at the city with the eyes of an English language teaching resident, not a tourist. You’ll pay more attention to availability, or lack thereof, of goods and services. What do local supermarkets stock? What do staple items cost?

Next, look through the classifieds at apartment and housing prices. Look for other amenities like new and used furniture items. Note transportation costs. How much is a haircut or visit to the hairstylist?

After that, check out local pharmacies. Browse the Farmer’s or produce markets on Saturday or whatever day the market is in session where you’re planning to live. Note products and prices.

Then, go to nightclubs, if that’s your thing. Check out entertainment options. Where are theaters and how much are movie tickets? Visit local malls or shopping districts. Note what’s available and prices for items from household goods to clothes. Remember, you’ll need to furnish an apartment with essentials; … things for the kitchen, bathroom and your bedroom. If it’s cheaper to bring in items you already have, do so. If not, you can budget what to buy and from where.

How about day or weekend trips? How much from your new city to the nearest beach? To the mountains? To go on hiking, fishing nature or other types of tours?

How will you meet new people? In church, practicing a sport or hobby, at discos, while strolling the park or neighborhood? Don’t forget your family and friends back home, either. Find out about internet cafes, postal services and parcel post services. You’ll likely need them all. Make a listing of places, prices and other useful info.

What teaching materials, books, resources and accessories are available? Make note of what you’ll need to bring vs. what can be bought locally. Assemble a collection of paraphernalia from home such as photos, postcards, maps, newspapers, magazines, advertisements, classifieds, music, anything you can think of which won’t be obtainable in your new home.

If this all sounds like a lot of things to do, that’s why a pilot trip is essential. You’ll have time to do just these things without the pressures of going to work, planning lessons, and taking care of the essential but mundane chores of everyday living. These don’t go away just because you live in an “exotic” location. You still need to wash clothes, cook, clean (including sweeping, mopping and dusting), put out the trash, wash dishes and perhaps – gasp! – iron, even if you live in Acapulco or Cancun. While you’re at it, check on the affordability of having a maid.

I know it just doesn’t sound right – that’s why I’m here giving you a reality check.
Is everybody awake now? Don’t forget to get yourself some good local maps of the city, the region and the country. Start memorizing them – now.

Finally, a pilot trip can be done at almost any time. You needn’t concern yourself with the right time to TEFL job hunt just yet. You need to focus on the area where you want to live. If you have the time, the pilot trip can certainly also serve for your English language teaching job search. Especially if you’re locked in on a specific location like Mexico City, Guadalajara or Monterrey, your pilot trip can encompass many aspects. Once everything’s more or less in place, take your final swing back home to pick up what you need (now you know exactly what that is).

Making a pilot trip can greatly ease any “culture shock” you might experience later. Say “see you later” to friends, family and former co-workers, then light out to your new home, a host of new friends, co-workers, experiences and adventures you’ll never forget.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an ELT Teacher Trainer, English language learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. He has published more than 350 articles and academic papers and presented at numerous EFL teacher training and TEFL conferences throughout North America, South America and Europe. For comments, questions, requests, to receive more information or to be added to his free TESOL articles and teaching materials mailing list, e-mail: mailto:lynchlarrym@gmail.com lynchlarrym@gmail.com

Although the song “Sultans of Swing” might have introduced the world to Mark Knopfler’s band Dire Straits back in the late 1970s, it was a cynical little song about music videos that captivated the world back in 1985 and shot their “Brothers in Arms” album into the musical sales stratosphere. The song was called “Money for Nothing.”

In a 1985 interview for Musician Magazine, Knopfler explains the genesis of the tune: “The lead character…is a guy who works in the hardware department in a television/custom kitchen/refrigerator/microwave appliance store. He’s singing the song. I wrote the song when I was actually in the store. I borrowed a bit of paper and started to write the song down in the store. I wanted to use a lot of the language that the real guy actually used when I heard him, because it was more real.” The line “money for nothing, and your chicks for free” ultimately became part of 1980s pop culture history.

Sting, who takes writing credit on the song, was only responsible for the “I want my MTV” line in the song – which was sung somewhat to the tune of “Don’t Stand So Close to Me.” Sting happened to be in Montserrat during the recording of the song, and that’s why he appeared. He also joined Dire Straits on stage in London during Live Aid in July 1985, and the live performance of the song is widely credited for the huge worldwide success of the song several months later and the international multi-platinum sales of the “Brothers in Arms” CD.

Another possible reason for the song’s success was the adoption of the groundbreaking video (one of the first to utilize computer animation) in “heavy rotation” status on MTV in the U.S. It later became the first music video played on MTV Europe in 1987.

Although deemed by some to be offensive for some of the language used, and subsequently edited for airplay, Knopfler was adamant that the song was written and sung in character, and in no way reflected his personal feelings. In a 1985 Rolling Stone interview, Knopfler said, “I got an objection from the editor of a gay newspaper in London - he actually said it was below the belt. Apart from the fact that there are stupid gay people as well as stupid other people, it suggests that maybe you can’t let it have so many meanings - you have to be direct. In fact, I’m still in two minds as to whether it’s a good idea to write songs that aren’t in the first person, to take on other characters.” It was a small controversy, and didn’t take away from the song’s amazing popularity. It hit the top spot on the Billboard Charts in September 1985, and went on to win awards for Knopfler and the band at the Grammy’s, the Brits, and the MTV Music Awards.

“Money for Nothing” trivia:

- Knopfler allegedly adapted his line “with the earring and the tutu,” when Jack Sonni, his rhythm guitarist at the time, suggested substituting the word makeup for tutu.

- Terry Williams, Dire Straits drummer, is not the only drummer recorded on this particular track. Famed session musician Omar Hakim, who has performed with Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Weather Report, and many many others, also provided some of the percussion work.

- In an article in Mix Magazine, engineer Neil Dorfsman recalls that Knopfler now-famous guitar riff was accomplished using a “Les Paul Junior through a Kelly amp miked with two Shure Sṍs, one close and the other ‘in that weird spot, like seven inches back and pointing to the side.’”

- In 1989, “Weird Al” Yankovic recorded his own version of the song by blending Knopfler’s music with the lyrics from the Beverly Hillbillies television show theme tune. Knopfler allowed the parody as long as he was able to perform the guitar solos, which he did. The video can be seen in the feature film UHF.

Mark Knopfler is a singer, songwriter and guitar player touring in 2006 with Emmylou Harris to promote their new album “All the Roadrunning.” For Mark Knopfler news, biography, photographs, and tour information visit the site: knopfler.info knopfler.info

The world survived 6-6-06 with just the usual share of disasters such as dust storms and volcano eruptions.

One offshore book, taking $500 limit wagers at 100,000/1 that Earth would make it through another day, had to pay off people at the rate of half a penny or so.

According to one spokesman, folks bet both sides.

There would have been some mighty big payoffs due had the apocalypse come, though collecting might have been a problem.

“I’d would’ve liked to have taken bets on on that one, as long as people put their money up up front,” well-known Las Vegas sports gambler Lem Banker said.

“They could have set their own odds and made them anything they wanted.

“If they won, they could have come looking for me … not in heaven, but in hell.

“That’s what I think of those things.

“And that’s your answer.”

Some Las Vegas bookmakers believe the offshore gambling industry may be going too far with certain betting propositions, but are reluctant to go on record as saying so because, as one put it, “I don’t want 20,000 e-mails.”

Others say, “Let them have their fun, it’s legal.”

The Nevada Gaming Control Board strictly regulates what Silver State books can offer and bans wagering on anything that isn’t pure sports.

Anything that involves voting is verboten in Nevada … except boxing, which is somewhat difficult to understand, considering the number of bouts in which judges’ decisions have been questioned.

Most offshore stores are loosely regulated.

Last week media wires were inundated with stories about wagering on the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., as well as betting on when and where hurricanes will hit hardest this year.

“It’s morally wrong to bet on people’s lives, but yeah, they can do it,” Stratosphere Tower Race and Sports Director Robert Jaynes said.

“On the flip side, people always look for odd things to bet on.

“Some people even bet on whether Elvis or Jimmy Hoffa will be found alive, even though it’s been proven they won′t.

“People like to sit around bars and bet on things, anything … whether the next guy who walks in will have a moustache or be wearing a tie.”

John Avello, the race and sports director at Wynn Las Vegas, is known throughout America for formulating exotic entertainment odds on things like the Oscars, Emmys and “American Idol.”

Avello was peripherally involved in hurricane forecasts in that he was contacted by some oddsmakers.

“I looked at it from the viewpoint that it was just predicting the weather and said it would be a light hurricane season,” Avello declared.

He thinks “it would be fun” if bookmakers could spread their wings some, but draws the line on events that involve youths, such as the National Spelling Bee.

“The Spelling Bee, no,” he said.

Politics would be “fun,” Avello added, “but we have to stay away from that.”

Some offshore books have posted odds, averaging about 300/1, that Bill Clinton will win the 2008 U.S. Presidential race, even though he is constitutionally forbidden from serving a third term.

Lynda Collins is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers
League.
Read all of her articles at

Atlantis is often described as paranormal or mythical, but is it really? In two of Plato’s great works, the Timaeus and the Critias, Plato describes an Athenian civilization in diaglogue between Critias, Socrates, Timaeus and Hermocrates. (Predating Plato by 9,000 years, or 9,600 BC) Atlantis, according to Critias, was a great Athenian city which, by the hand of mankind, met with cataclysmic destruction. By his (Solon) grandfather’s education, Critias retold the story of an Athenian civiliation. Critias claimed that Solon (not only his grandfather, but a Greek traveler and historian from Egypt), stayed and interrelated with great Egyptian priests. The recordings from Solon were then given to Plato by Critias. Because Plato’s works are considered historical fact, one can only assume that Atlantis DID indeed exist.

According to Plato’s historical literature, Atlantis was an organized , massive military state that at the end of its realm, met with great, natural calamity during the planning stages on an assault on Egypt.

Agriculturally, the Athenian nation was well educated and able to create herbal remedies from plants. Their irrigational skills were very advanced, as they constructed muliple canals to irrigate their plains and farmlands. Due to their superior intelligence, reservoirs and buildings like the Metropolis were constructed, hydraulically-engineered machines and bridges were built, literary pieces and laws were written; and most often, their objects were coated with bronze, copper or gold.

Based on a monarchy and systemized class, the Atlantis civilization also held a valuable status for women. Historically thought to be the greatest of all nations, Atlantis ruled all surrounding land with their emperiorical laws.

Apart from being an advanced civilization, Atlantis (according to Plato), was a massively-sized continent. By Critias′ measurements, Atlantis would have been about 3,400 x 2,300 miles in size - this is larger than some, major oceanic basins. Critias accounts that Egyptian priests told of Atlantis being located beyond the Pillars of Hercules (the Strait of Gibraltar); this, where the Atlanic Ocean and the Mediteranian Sea intercede one another. Today, some evidence has been provided that denote underwater walls and roads, and a set of islands resembling the shape of Atlantis in the Caribbean Sea. Another possible theory would be that Atlantis could possibly rest on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, (a beneath-ground mountain range); while some researchers believe that Atlantis could be in the Azores, Crete or the Canary Islands.

Unfortunately, (according to the Egyptian priests), Atlantis was continually pounded by catastrophic earthquakes and floods until one day when the whole continent sunk beneath the sea and disappeared. They were also quoted as saying that where Atlantis vanished, became an area in the ocean that was impassable and undiscoverable. The theory behind the sinking of Atlantis was that mankind had become so corrupt, that by their own hands, created their own demise.

In closing, Atlantis brings to mind the biblical stories of Sodom and Noah. It also interrelates with the continental shifts throughout the ages of the earth’s history, but could Atlantis really have existed? The evidence, whether circumstantial or philosophical literature, the fact remains that Plato only wrote historical truth. This being said, what message was Plato trying to convey to the future of mankind? To the reader, I conclude this article with a quotation from Critias, from the literature of Plato, “There have been, and will be again, many destructions of mankind arising out of many causes; the greatest have been brought about by the agencies of fire and water, and other lesser ones by innumerable other causes.” A thought to ponder.

© 2003

C. Bailey-Lloyd is a professional writer of search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?r=1&ean=9781424130900 poetry books, geocities.com/somewherealongthebeatenpath/index.html poetry and informative articles on many subjects. More in-depth biographical information can be found at myspace.com/somewherealongbeatenpath Somewhere Along the Beaten Path at MySpace.com.

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