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A former Top Chef Just Desserts contestant who lives in Plano faces felony counts of child pornography.
Morgan Wilson was indicted on three second-degree felony charges of possession and intent to distribute child pornography.
He was arrested in December 2010 after undercover investigators received file transfers from Wilson's computer via the file-sharing program Limewire, according to the arrest affidavit.
The latest news from around North Texas.
The images allegedly contained photos and videos of sexual acts performed by children as young as 2 years old.
According to court documents, Wilson admitted to downloading images and videos of child pornography.
No one answered the door at Wilson's Plano apartment on Thursday.
Plano police declined to comment on the case.
Wilson, a divorced father of a 7-year-old boy, was listed as the executive pastry chef of The Lobby Lounge at the Dallas Ritz Carlton hotel until Thursday.
Wilson is free on a $10,000 bond under an agreement that he not access any computer without monitoring software. He will go before a judge Oct. 27.
NBC 5's Ellen Goldberg contributed to this report.


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School's out and it's time for some holiday fun. There are loads of activities on offer at the library these school holidays.
Get into coding with our tiny tinker Ozobots, get up-close and personal to a scaly reptile, meet and greet our NAObot Kevin, get crafty at our create stations or take an iconic photo in our photo booth!
Come in and take part in our Scavenger hunt during the holidays. Challenge yourself to find all the hidden characters and check them off as you find them in the Library.
Due to popular demand, your booking will be held for 15 minutes after the session begins, after which, Sunshine Coast Libraries may give away your place.
Bookings open Monday 11 September, 9.00 am.
School Holiday Activities
Snake Boss reptile show (5+)
Julia Baker, star of Animal Planet's TV series Snake Boss is bringing some of her favourite Aussie reptiles!
Activity suitable for ages 5+.
Monday 18 September, 10.30 am Beerwah
Monday 18 September, 1.00 pm Caloundra
Tuesday 19 September, 10.30 am Maroochydore
Tuesday 19 September, 1.00 pm Coolum Civic Centre
Sunshine create station (4+)
Get your craft on! Celebrate all things sunshine and make some fun paper sunnies or try crafting your own masterpiece.
Activity suitable for ages 4+.
Wednesday 20 September, 10.30 am Kenilworth
Thursday 21 September, 10.00 am Caloundra
Wednesday 27 September, 10.00 am Beerwah
Wednesday 27 September, 10.00 am Kawana
Thursday 28 September, 9.30 am Maleny
Thursday 28 September, 9.30 am Nambour
Thursday 28 September, 10.00 am Maroochydore
Talk like a pirate day (4+)
Come dressed as your favourite pirate and create piratey things.
Activity suitable for ages 4+.
Tuesday 19 September, 9.30 am Maleny
Tuesday 19 September, 9.30 am Nambour
Tuesday 19 September, 10.00 am Beerwah
Tuesday 19 September, 10.00 am Caloundra
Tuesday 19 September, 10.00 am Kawana
Bookings required for many of the above, please visit "Sunshine Coast Libraries School Holidays" to book specific events where required.
50 years photo booth (all ages)
Turn back time and snap a photo against some iconic backdrops of the Sunshine coast over the last 50 years. Activity suitable for all ages.
Thursday 21 September, 9.00 am Kawana
Tuesday 26 September, 9.00 am Maroochydore
NAObot (10+)
Come and meet Kevin the humanoid robot and see him in action as he interacts with his environment using words, gestures and movement. Activity suitable for ages 10+.
Thursday 21 September, 9.30am and 11.00am Nambour
Wednesday 27 September, 9.30am and 11.00am Maroochydore
Friday 29 September, 10.30 am Kenilworth
Ozobots (8+)
Learn all about these tiny tinker robots to discover the fundamentals of coding. Activity suitable for ages 8+.
Thursday 21 September, 9.30am & 11.00am Maroochydore
Monday 25 September, 9.30am & 11.00am Nambour
Monday 25 September, 1.00pm & 2.30pm Beerwah
Wednesday 27 September, 9.30am & 11.00am Caloundra
Wednesday 27 September, 9.30am & 11.00am Maleny
Friday 29 September, 9.30am & 11.00am Kawana
Pyjama Storytime (all ages)
Come dressed in your PJ's and join us for a fun and interactive storytime for the whole family. Activity suitable for all ages.
Thursday 28 September, 6.00 pm Kawana
Robot Mouse (6+)
Come in and learn basic coding skills with the Robot Mouse. Challenge yourself to build a maze and get the mouse to navigate it successfully to find the hidden cheese. Activity suitable for ages 6+.
Monday 18 September, 9.30am & 11.00am Kawana
Wednesday 20 September, 9.30am & 11.00am Beerwah
Friday 22 September, 9.30am & 11.00am Maleny
Tuesday 26 September, 9.30am & 11.00am Caloundra
Friday 29 September, 9.30 am Nambour
Beerwah Library, Beerwah
All Sunshine Coast events, gigs, functions etc... onsite are correct as per information provided at time of uploading, please always verify times or dates directly with the venues to avoid disappointment.
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subset: commoncrawl


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At Air America we strive to provide you the customer with the most exceptional service this industry has to offer without compromising on luxury, safety or quality service. We provide a diversity of quality services for the aviation industry from aircraft charters to management and maintenance solutions. Air America is a FAA licensed air carrier who has been providing incident free service to our customers with the up most satisfaction. With locations in Tampa and West Palm Beach we have the capabilities to be there when you need us most. Let Air America be part of your aviation endeavors.
Data is submitted by registered FlightAware members on 2009-Jul-28 14:19.You must register or login to edit FBO information.
Jet A and 100LL airport fuel prices for all FBOs at KSPG


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Event box
Widener Library Tour
Join us for an introduction to Widener Library's collections, an orientation to the building an an overview of services available to library patrons.
Weekly tours are open to Harvard affiliates, begin in the main lobby of Widener, and last approximately one hour.
Registraion is not required.
- Date:
- Thursday, May 16, 2019 Show more dates
- Time:
- 2:00pm - 3:00pm
- Location:
- Widener Library


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Contact Us Today
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Successful products must have compelling value stories for all key stakeholders: providers, regulatory agencies, HTA bodies, payers, and patients. IQVIA can help you protect and expand your product's commercial success by demonstrating the unique value and outcomes your advances bring.
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Talk to us about crafting your product's value story.
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"The Call," (season 2, episode 3; originally aired 9/18/1994)
There are a couple dangers in writing about something old, especially if it's something you harbor any kind of nostalgia for. First off, there's the golden haze trap. This is the one that befalls most of the Internet, and it's where a person, show, or concept can do no wrong, no matter how shitty it turns out to be in actuality. Second and no less dangerous, though, is the "meh" hole, where you actually remember something, but you don't remember it being any good.
Now, the "meh" hole, while dangerous, can also be totally justified. Maybe a particular episode of Hey Dude just wasn't up to snuff. Then again, maybe you were pissed at your brother the day you watched it, or at nine, you were just too young for the subtle romantic subtext that was woven throughout.
For this week's episode of The Adventures Of Pete And Pete, I nearly lost out to a gigantic "meh" hole, one that had been building all week since I glanced at the DVD cover to see what episode I was reviewing this week. "The Call," an episode about a ringing payphone that plagues Wellsville, hardly existed in my Pete memory bank. I remembered the phone, and I remembered the episode being kind of blah, and that was it. Boy, was I wrong.
Strike that, actually. I was wrong about everything except the existence of the ringing phone that is, in fact, the spoke around which this episode's proverbial wheel spins. There's so much more to this episode, though, like this oppressive, steamy heat that permeates the whole town and every person in it which, when combined with the ringing, drives people slowly crazy. Mailwoman McGinty, played by Bebe Neuwirth, tries to break free of the Earth's gravitational pull just to get away from it. Also, a psychologist tries to shoot the phone with a harpoon gun.
It's an incredibly effective plot device, that heat. Even now, sitting here in near-frozen Chicago, I can feel the sweat building on the back of Little Pete's shirt as he lies in the grass of his front lawn. I can sympathize with Big Pete, who is perfectly content lying on the cement floor of his basement. (My brother and I basically spent our entire young lives lying in our basement, though some of it was carpeted.) I can't quite get behind Little Pete and his crew's attempt to slog through the humidity to answer the phone, but, hey, I don't deal well with heat.
Meanwhile, Joyce Wrigley, Ellen, and Big Pete all man the Ringing Phone Crisis Hotline, helping people who have a screw loose because, well, that's what they do on this show. Big Pete has only been there for one day, but that's all it takes for him to figure out the phone, which has been ringing since May 15, 1967, is ringing for his mom.
Cue the climactic music as everyone in the whole town races to the phone, where we discover—gasp!—that Hub, the phone company man, has kept the phone ringing because he's been in love with Joyce since seventh grade. He called her one day when she walked by and since she didn't answer it, he just kept hoping she would—for 27 years.
Maybe it's because I saw Breaking Dawn last night or because I'm a sap in general, but I'm a sucker for this kind of romance, and that's something I've come into as an adult. I'm sure I liked princess movies and Christian Slater growing up or whatever, but a true, adult-on-adult—don't go there, pervs—romance, that's kind of sweet. When Joyce joins Hub in his phone company lift bucket, he tells her that he "just hoped that some day [she'd] pick it up." Joyce looks into his eyes and says, "Well, Hub, I like you, but I love my husband. You understand, don't you?"
Frankly, Hub's much cuter than Don, but that's not what it's about, and I know that now, as a 30-year-old woman. At the time, I was probably disappointed that the caller on the other end of the phone didn't, as Mailwoman McGinty surmised, tell you the exact "day, hour, minute, and second that you die." That drama would have been a lot more, well, dramatic. Finding out a phone call was about a crush? That just didn't stick with me.
That's why this episode was all the better now, though. Watching it with these grown-up eyes, I saw it anew, and frankly, when Big Pete's voiceover chimes in at the end, saying "Hub knew that mom would never pick up the phone, but to him the rings were like an eternal flame he kept lit by simply staying on the line. To this day when we hear the phone, it reminds us that true love, if it's really true, doesn't need an answer," I damn near shed a tear. Call me crazy, but that's sweeter than most romantic schlock out there these days, and I almost let it pass me by. Not only did I pull myself out of a "meh" hole, I now have a whole new sap-imbued way to look at ringing phones.
Stray observations:
- Little Pete insult of the week: "See you later… when we're on a lunchbox."
- It's episodes like these where you realize that long underwear really doesn't hide much, particularly on a flexing man in full lunge. Toby Huss, God bless you for just going for it.
- Big Pete's giant shirt in the opening scenes is so 1994, it's amazing.
- The way Joyce keeps breaking the glass when a phone rings is comic gold, really. I laughed out loud several times.
- "Soon you will be as cheese, boy. Melty, melty, melty."
- Little Pete's special power is that he can "produce seven kinds of body cheese." Clem Linnell can hypnotize dogs.
- Love the poster in the Crisis Center that reads, "A phone booth is not your enemy. It is your friend."
- "Would you rather have your face on a postage stamp or a license place? Or you know one of those cereal bowls where you eat all the cereal and see a face?"
- I love that Joyce says, "You could have just called me at home." It suggests a level of simplicity that this show just doesn't have. Why drive a car, for example, when you can take a lawnmower?


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David James Elliott (photo credit: Hallmark Channel) played baseball star who was spurned by Paige on "Knots Landing." Then he played a sex-addict football star on "Melrose Place" who cheated on Allison. Now he is an advertising star who is fired by the company that he helped build on the Hallmark Channel original movie "Dad's Home." David plays a widowed father who is suddenly out of a job and thrown into his children's lives, just in time to heal his almost-broken family.
Daytime Dial: "Dad's Home" premieres on the Hallmark Channel just in time for Fathers' Day. When you read the script for the movie, what was is about the movie that made you want to be a part of it?
David James Elliott: My very good friend Bradford Lake worked on the movie, so right away, I knew that was something I wanted to do. And then we found something that we thought we could jam on, and that is kind of what we did with the movie. It was more of a jam session almost. We would come in and kind of rework the scenes. It was like jamming on a riff. It really felt like we could do something with it.
DD: One aspect of the movie I liked was that it was told from the male perspective. We get a lot of these kinds of movies of the single mom trying to juggle all these things, but I really liked that the single father is the protagonist, having to make family versus career choices. Was that appealing for you?
DJE: Absolutely. It was a scenario that I believed that I could talk to. I have two children of my own — a boy and a girl — so it was very accessible to me. It was easy to get there for me. It's pretty interesting because, like I said, I have a boy and a girl, and we're completely different. We're different animals. I have a friend who's an indigenous person, North American Indian. He told me that his grandfather said: "A long time ago, there used to be just men on the Earth. We lived on corn and cocaine. One day, women came down in a spaceship. They're better than we are, but they're not the same." There's a lot of wisdom in that.
DD: How was the cast, especially the actors who played your children, to work with? They are such great young actors!
DJE: Both of the kids were really good, which was great. They were just really available and talented. Madison (Davenport, who plays his daughter) was exactly the right level of precociousness. She was a spunky, smart girl. Confident. Very much like my real one. It's like talking to an alien sometimes. How do I get in there? What do I have to say that opens the door? Are you listening to what I'm saying to you?
DD: I've interviewed Sharon Case (Sharon Newman on "The Young and the Restless") — who plays your romantic interest — a few times and she is always such a sweetheart. How was she to work with?
DJE: Very nice lady, very professional. She was easy to work with. It was great. We had a good chemistry, I thought. She gets it. She's been working steady her whole life and has a great career. She's just a really nice girl.
DD: Tell me about "Scoundrels" and about your character, Wolf West (photo credit: ABC).
DJE: This is a dynamite project. It came about in such a funny way. I had just come back from the Amazon, and I got a call, "Hey you want to do this show?" And I said yeah, because I already knew about it — I'd had a meeting about it before. It's a based on a series that's been very successful in New Zealand called "Outrageous Fortune." Great characters. It's about a family of small-time criminals. That's how they put food on the table. The first episode opens with what we believe is going to be a short stint in jail for my character. I figure I'll walk away with four months. That's OK; I'm setting everything up to exist while I'm gone, and then I end up getting five years. So, the husband is in jail, and the wife is struggling to hold the family together. Virginia Madsen plays my wife.
DD: How is the cast to work with?
DJE: It's been a lovefest since I got there. Everybody has just been great. Everybody is getting along like a house on fire. It's just a gas to go to work every day. The scripts are dynamite. I can't find a thing wrong with it. It's just bummer when I'm not there.
DD: Because your character is in prison, how/will we still get to see you on the show often?
DJE: Yeah, I'm involved in a lot of ways. He will eventually get out of prison when the show gets picked up.
DD: The show got an eight-episode order for the summer season — if it does well, it is possible it could be picked up for the fall?
DJE: You hear a lot of scenarios and only those guys who wear the suits and work in the big building know. Steve McPherson is the guy who is going to make that decision one day. So anything is possible.
DD: This character seems to be different from the type of character we are used to seeing you portray. Was that part of its appeal to you?
DJE: It would be great for people to see me in another role. I look for things I can embody. This guy, he has a lot of me and he's got a lot of people that I know in him. It's just a great opportunity that came along and I'm just happy to be a part of it. He's completely different from Harmon Rabb (from "JAG"), and that's dynamite.
Speaking of "JAG," that was a difficult show to get off the ground, especially when we started. We started under the Clinton administration, when things were going extremely well and there was no thought of war. And to have pulled off what we did and to have lasted as long as we lasted is pretty amazing. The 10th season just came out on DVD, I understand. The timing is all good for me. My stars are aligning — finally. Mercury is leaving retrograde.
Don't miss David in Hallmark Channel's "Dad's Home," airing Sunday night at 9/8c (and repeating throughout this weekend and next), as well as "Scoundrels," which begins this Sunday on ABC at 9/8c.
Friday, June 18, 2010
David James Elliott Portrays Two Distinctly Different Dads
David James Elliott (photo credit: Hallmark Channel) played baseball star who was spurned by Paige on "Knots Landing." Then he played a sex-addict football star on "Melrose Place" who cheated on Allison. Now he is an advertising star who is fired by the company that he helped build on the Hallmark Channel original movie "Dad's Home." David plays a widowed father who is suddenly out of a job and thrown into his children's lives, just in time to heal his almost-broken family.
Monday, June 14, 2010
AMC Archive Photos Available for Purchase
In honor of All My Children's 40th anniversary, special archive photos from the series entire history will be available for purchase beginning today, June 14, at www.abcdaytimefans.com. The official All My Children photo gallery is the sole home of 40 special cast images from every year of AMC going back to the series premiere in 1970.
Captured in time, the photos depict some of AMC's most classic and endearing moments, featuring a young Erica Kane (Susan Lucci) flaunting her very first engagement right to her mother Mona (Frances Heflin). Remember when teenager Hayley Vaughan (Kelly Ripa) arrived in Pine Valley dressed in punk with black hair, and who could forget the time when Leo du Pres (Josh Duhamel) and Greenlee Smythe (Rebecca Budig) were stranded on the deserted island? All those classic moments and more are included.
AMC has created many romantic moments which are also featured including daytimes' first location shoot in St. Croix with Erica Kane and her first husband Tom Cudahy (Richard Shoberg) on their honeymoon (above). There are also fan favorite couples including; Chuck Tyler (Richard Van Vleet) and Donna Tyler (Candice Early), Tad Martins'(Michael E. Knight) proposal to Dixie Cooney (Cady McClain), young lovers Jesse Hubbard (Darnell Williams) and Angie Baxter (Debbi Morgan) (top left), and the fairytale wedding of Maria Santos (Eva La Rue) and Edmond (John Callahan). Available sizes and pricing can be found on www.abcdaytimefans.com.
For those die-hard Erica Kane fans, Susan Lucci has also signed a limited number of photos of Erica Kane from her first month playing the legendary character from 1970. These photos (above), also available for purchase, will come with a certificate of authenticity.
B&B: Such a Tease!
· A couple makes love for the first time.
· A mother feels guilty about unintentionally hurting her child.
· A young man fears that his secret will be revealed.
· Family members attempt to end a relationship that they don't approve of.
· An evil plan of revenge goes into effect.
Y&R: Such a Tease!
* An attraction sparks between Abby and Daniel but Abby's intention may not be entirely pure.
* Tucker entices Ashley to take a business trip with him that could send them on a head-on collision with Billy and Victoria.
* When Snapper (see clip above) brings an ill Liz to town, she ends up revealing a secret to him about Jill.
* Michael realizes Phyllis could be the key to Nick's case but she could also be his undoing.
* Jack and Victor team up to settle an old score.
Interview (Desperate Housewives): Helena Mattsson Gets Some Summertime Action
Dubbed "The Swedish Bombshell," Helena Mattsson surely is making her mark in Hollywood. With a part in prime time's hottest show, as well as 2010's biggest summer blockbuster (so far!), Helena is no longer flying under the radar. I caught up with her recently to talk about Iron Man 2, working with Robert Downey Jr., and playing a gold-digging manipulator on Desperate Housewives.
Daytime Dial: Iron Man 2 debuted at No. 1 its opening weekend and still dominates the box office. It's well on its way to becoming Summer 2010 biggest blockbuster. This all must be very exciting.
Helena Mattsson: Very exciting. It's just a really fun movie that I am so glad I got to be involved in. I saw the first movie and I really liked it. I was really excited to be part of this one. I have a really small role, but that doesn't matter because it's an appealing thing.
DD: Tell me about your character, Rebecca.
HM: I can't say too much (to not give anything away for those who haven't seen the movie yet), but I'm playing Rebecca, and I have this one big party scene where I sort of challenge Iron Man with his weapons, and there's a lot of crazy stuff going on. I throw stuff up in the air. It's a really big, crazy party scene.
DD: Was yours a physical role?
HM: Not so much. I get to run around quite a bit. I ended up taking my shoes off when we were shooting because I was running around. It was pretty exhausting. I wish I had more of the action stuff to do, that would have been fun.
DD: Is this the biggest project you've worked on so far? And what was the vibe on the set?
HM: It was just such a big set with so many people involved. They build all of these beautiful setups for the scenes and they had a lot of extras — just such a big production. It was really, really exciting to step into that and be part of it, and also to get to work with Robert Downey Jr. was really a dream come true. He is such an amazing actor and I admire him so much. I was a little nervous, but it was so exciting to get to work with him and everybody else on set.
DD: Is Robert a lot like his Tony Stark character?
HM: Yeah, I think he brings a lot of himself to his character. He is a character — very much a character himself. He's a really, really nice guy and a lot of fun.
DD: It must have just been a very surreal experience, to be a fan of the first Iron Man and of the actors in it, and then you get to be in the sequel.
HM: Definitely. It was very surreal just to be a part of something you've seen. You've seen the first movie and it was such a big hit. Like I said, even though I have a small role in it, it was really, really exciting anyway just to be part of a project,
DD: It would seem to me that there are no small roles in a movie of this caliber!
HM: Definitely. I also definitely realized going to the premiere that this movie was very anticipated. People really loved the first movie and this one is going to be really big too. There were so many people at the premiere. It is definitely the biggest project that I've been a part of, which was really exciting. I wish I had a bigger role in it. Shooting was so much fun. I just wanted the shoot to go on. It was that much fun.
DD: Last fall, you also were in another action/sci-fi movie, Surrogates, with Bruce Willis, which is now on DVD. What was that movie like to work on?
HM: That was another really huge set with so many people. We shot in Boston and I was there for a few weeks. It was a great, great experience. That one was about robots, surrogate robots. It was really cool to be a part of an action film like that. It's sort of a dream come true as well.
DD: You also have a role on Desperate Housewives as Irina, who happens to be Russian. You do a really good Russian accent. Did you work with a professional coach on that?
HM: My accent was really heavy when I first came here. I had a heavy Swedish accent. Although it's not quite the same as the Russian. I have some Russian friends, and I really wanted the part so I made sure to really look to my Russian friends, and I really started to get the accent down. For some reason, it came easy to me. It's really fun to do an accent like that because it brings a lot to the character.
DD: I think you are doing a great job with it, because it sounds very authentic.
HM: I was really nervous about that at times because they gave us the lines and the scripts and everything so last minute each time. At one point they gave me a long speech in Russian, and I had like no time to prepare. By the time I got it down completely, they changed it again. So I was really stressed out about that. Just to speak the language properly, you don't think about that when you watch it. Sometimes there's no time to prepare.
DD: I love the tug-of-war relationship Irina has with Lynette. It is fun to watch. Is it fun to play those scenes?
HM: Oh my God, it is so much fun to be the villain and to be manipulative. There are so many off-tones and so many layers that only the women understand among themselves. You can always read between the lines. It was a lot of fun. It is also a lot of fun to play a character that's really far from yourself and really have fun with that and be the villain. So, I'm very excited about that.
DD: What do you like, if anything, about Irina, and how do you relate to her?
HM: Every time you play a character you have to justify everything that they do. As Irena, I had to justify what I was doing and everything, and sometimes that's tricky to justify some of the things she does, but I made it work for myself. I justified my actions to myself. Purely for the fun too.


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An exhibition entitled "Not All Heroes Wear Capes" will be held at ArtInsights in Reston Town Center through the end of November. Exclusive images by DC and Marvel artists will be on display. Visit www.artinsights.com.
A holiday exhibition of original art and unique gifts entitled "Art for Giving" is on display at the Greater Reston Arts Center in Reston Town Center Nov. 26-Dec. 23, Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
An exhibition entitled "Landscapes Through New Eyes" is on display at the Reston Community Center's Jo Anne Rose Gallery in Lake Anne Village Center, 1609 Washington Plaza, through Dec. 1. Call 703-476-4500.
An exhibition entitled "World View: Greece and Italy" is on display at Reston Art Gallery and Studios in Lake Anne Village Center, 1609 Washington Plaza, through Dec. 4. The gallery is open Saturdays and Sundays, 12-5 p.m. Call 703-481-8156.
Photographs by Northern Virginia photographer Lillis Werder are on exhibit at Washington Dulles International Airport through December. Two series of work by the artist, "Washington DC War Memorials" and "Venice, Italy" are on display. Visit www.gallery222.com or www.loudounacademy.org.
Mandarin Oriental, Washington D.C., in association with Galerie Brigitte of Reston, presents an exhibit of modern lacquer, Vietnamese paintings, "Blending Traditions: Contemporary Lacquer by Duong Sen." The Gallery,
located on the ballroom mezzanine level of Mandarin Oriental,
Washington D.C., will run the exhibit now through
February 2009. The artwork is available for purchase through Galerie Brigitte. Call 703-860-2345 or visit www.galeriebrigitte.com.
Local artists are invited to enter up to two pieces of original two-dimensional art suitable for gift giving in the tenth annual "Gifts from the HeART" exhibition at the Jo Ann Rose Gallery at the Lake Anne Community Center in Reston. The exhibit runs Dec. 1-Jan 4. Call Gloria Morrow at 703-476-4500, ext. 3012 or visit www.restoncommunitycenter.com to register.


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Building Borobudur -- the world's largest stupa, or Buddhist shrine -- required several thousand workers and the better part of a century. For its construction, peasant laborers assembled a casing of unmortared stone over a hillock in central Java, Indonesia. This feat required them to hew and transport one to two million stones without modern engineering techniques or tools -- only ropes, hammers, rolling logs, and muscle power.
Even more incredible than its scale is the fineness of Borobudur's carvings, which have been called "a magnificent Buddhist rosary in stone." The carvings are mounted along an ascending three-mile path that represents the journey of the human spirit along the road to spiritual perfection.
mandala, or spiritual diagram of the universe." src="https://cdn.hswstatic.com/gif/borobudur-landmark-2.jpg" />
Seen from above, Borobudur resembles a mandala, or spiritual diagram of the
universe. See more pictures of famous landmarks.
At the base, a series of bas-reliefs depict the transitory Sphere of Desire, with its earthly pleasures and punishments. This base has now become nearly covered by earth and stone. Moving higher on the processional path through five square levels, the pilgrim encounters a more spiritually elevated world, the Sphere of Form, with carved scenes from the life of Prince Siddhartha as he progresses toward enlightenment as Gautama Buddha.
The more than 1,200 bas-relief panels on the five levels also depict scenes of life in Indonesia more than a thousand years ago -- vibrant with farmers and warriors, musicians and dancing girls, ships and elephants and kings. More than 400 carved Buddhas appear along the path as well.
The next levels are three circular terraces, representing the Sphere of Formlessness, where 72 latticed stupas hold statues of the Buddha. Reaching through the open mesh to touch one of the figures is thought to bring good luck. The pilgrim's final steps upward, as he ascends from the material world to the sublime, reach a large central stupa. This summit represents release into nirvana, an ineffable state of wisdom and compassion. Now the pilgrim has reached the center of the universe, or the center of the self -- or perhaps they are the same thing.
Here are links to dozens of other world-famous landmarks:
To learn more about other landmarks and vacation destinations, see:
Jerry Camarillo Dunn, Jr., has worked with the National Geographic Society for more than 20 years, starting as a staff editor, writer, and columnist at Traveler magazine, then writing travel guides. His latest work is National Geographic Traveler: San Francisco. Dunn's Smithsonian Guide to Historic America: The Rocky Mountain States has sold more than 100,000 copies. His travel pieces appear in newspapers such as the Chicago Tribune and The Boston Globe. Jerry Dunn's stories have won three Lowell Thomas Awards from the Society of American Travel Writers -- the highest honor in the field. He also wrote and hosted a pilot episode for a travel show produced by WGBH, Boston's public television station.


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Studies Link Students' Boredom to Stress
One glance, and any teacher knows the score: That student, halfway down the row, staring blankly at his tapping pen, fidgeting, sneaking glances at the wall clock roughly every 30 seconds, is practically screaming, "I'm bored!"
While boredom is a perennial student complaint, emerging research shows it is more than students' not feeling entertained, but rather a "flavor of stress" that can interfere with their ability to learn and even their health. An international group of researchers argues this month in Perspectives on Psychological Science that the experience of boredom directly connects to a student's inability to focus attention.
"I think teachers should always try to be relevant and interesting, but beyond that, there are other places to look," said John D. Eastwood, an associate professor of psychology at York University in Toronto, Canada, and the lead author of the study. "By definition, to be in the state of boredom is to say the world sucks out there in some way. But often that's not the case; often it's an interior problem, and [students] are looking in the wrong place to solve the problem."
Boredom is one of the most consistent experiences of school and one that can be frustrating and disheartening for teachers. According to findings in the High School Survey of Student Engagement, conducted by the Indiana University Bloomington, boredom is nearly universal among American students. Of a representative sample of more than 275,000 high school students surveyed in 27 states from 2006 to 2009, 65 percent reported being bored in class at least once a day.
Lack of Focus
Under Mr. Eastman and his colleagues' definition, a student who is bored cannot focus attention to engage in the class activity—and blames that inability to focus on the outside environment. A dry lecture style or an uninteresting topic might trigger boredom, Mr. Eastman said, but so can other issues that interfere with a student's attention and working memory.
When students feel bored, research shows they are aware of their own difficulty paying attention. A student may attribute the experience to not being interested in the material or the lecture style. But new studies show that any stress or distraction that takes up working memory—from emotional trauma to attention deficit hyperactivity disorders—all could be contributing to the problem.
For example, students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are more likely to report feeling bored than students with normal attention. Students tackling material that is too difficult for them—and thus taking up more working memory—also are more likely to report it is "boring" rather than simply frustrating, Mr. Eastman and other researchers found.
"When people are in a negative emotional state, discouraged, or down, we know that causes attention problems," Mr. Eastman said. "We know when people are stressed it makes it harder to focus and pay attention at a very basic, fundamental level."
Like any type of stress, boredom hampers the prefrontal cortex, the brain area positioned just behind that student's furrowed brow that allows a student to reason and hold different facts in working memory.
Disrupting the brain's executive function also allows its emotional center, the amygdala, to take over, which might explain why bored students are more likely to feel tired, anxious, or depressed, and why they sometimes respond by either "acting out or zoning out," according to Judy Willis, a neurologist and teacher educator from Santa Barbara, Calif., who was not part of the report.
In fact, boredom and other types of stress appear to feed on each other. Students who are stressed due to emotional trauma, for example, are more likely to disengage and feel bored, which adds to their stress.
Likewise, everyday stresses, like a noisy classroom, can sap students' attention and contribute to their boredom.
In a separate study, Clark University psychologists Robin Damrad-Frye and James D. Laird asked students in 1989 to listen to material while a television played in the next room—either silently, at full volume, or low enough to be heard but not noticed. Students were still distracted by the television even when played at the lowest setting, and they misinterpreted their inability to focus as boredom.
Physically, a bored student will go through cycles of higher and lower energy; he or she might fall asleep during a down period, then squirm or doodle in an attempt to "wake up" and pay attention. Teachers often try to stop the fidgeting, but a 2009 study suggests doodling can help focus attention. In that study, researchers from the University of Plymouth, England, asked adults to listen to a monotonous voice recording that identified guests coming to an event. Participants who were allowed to shade in shapes while listening were better at identifying the guests; later, they recalled 29 percent more information on a surprise memory test.
'Reappraising' Dull Tasks
Reducing boredom and its underlying stress can reduce misbehavior and increase focus—in both the bored child and in surrounding students, Ms. Willis said.
Effective ways to reduce boredom can be counterintuitive to students looking for a quick fix, though. "I think if someone is bored, the worst thing you can do is respond to it by overstimulating," Mr. Eastman said. "It's like quicksand; if you just thrash around, you're even more stuck."
Ulrike E. Nett, a student motivation researcher at the University of Konstanz, Germany, studied the coping strategies of 976 students in grades 5-10 who were given a mathematics problem selected to be potentially boring and difficult. Some "avoided" the task, either by studying a different subject or by talking with friends. Others criticized it and asked for more interesting material or assignments. Still others "reappraised" the situation for themselves, considering ways it could be relevant to them and how to combat their own boredom.
For the student, "it's important to learn, when I feel bored, that's an opportunity for me to become aware of my disengagement and address it," said Mr. Eastman, who was not part of Ms. Nett's study.
The last group of students had higher academic achievement in the task and reported both more enjoyment and less anxiety. Moreover, Ms. Nett found that students who were able to identify and reappraise their own feelings of boredom had fewer bored episodes over time.
"Although teachers try to create interesting lessons, they must be aware that despite their best intentions, some students may still perceive interesting lessons as boring," Ms. Nett concluded. "What is imperative to underscore at this point is that both teachers and students must take some responsibility for boredom, and both must be involved in finding an adequate way to reduce this emotion in their classrooms."
Vol. 32, Issue 07, Pages 1, 16Published in Print: October 10, 2012, as Researchers Argue Boredom May Be 'A Flavor of Stress'
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The Sims 3
Register the Sims 3 with Origin, get a free stuff pack
EA is in a generous mood; in an attempt to consolidate their PC games under the Origin banner, the company is providing an incentive to register your copy of The Sims 3 with an Origin account: doing so will get you a free copy of the Town Life Stuff Pack through this link. You also […]
The Sims 3 headlines
The Sims 3: Into the Future Expansion Pack now available on PC, Mac
The Sims 3: Into the Future Expansion Pack is now available across North America on PC and Mac through Origin. Into the Future contains the Ceate-A-Plumbot feature allowing you to customize unique Plumbots with traits of their very own and the ability to affect the outcome of the future based off the Sim's present day […]
Humble EA Bundle has raised over $3 million so far
There's a new Humble Bundle in town, and it is sponsored by EA. But this is no THQ-esque cash grab; EA will be receiving not even a penny of the proceeds, opting instead to make this a charity drive of sorts.
The Sims 3: Movie Stuff and Into the Future announced
The Sims 3 is getting a couple new packs titled: Movie Stuff and Into the Future.
The Sims 3: Dragon Valley DLC out now
The Sims 3 has gained a new piece of DLC called Dragon Valley, available via the in-game store. The $25 pack adds a new storyline about rival families and includes baby dragons as well as a slew of medieval-themed costumes and the like. Hmm. If you're keen to recreate Game of Thrones – even after […]
The Sims 3: Island Paradise producer walkthrough takes you to the beach
The Sims 3: Island Paradise is out next month, and EA has released a video walkthrough for the expansion in which the producer introduces you to the sunny shores and glistening waters of Isla Paradiso. Sims can build and customize houseboats and resorts, and scuba dive to explore the ocean floor. The Sims 3: Island […]
The Sims 3: Dragon Valley video shows off the new pets
The Sims 3: Dragon Valley has a new trailer available from EA. The game extension contains "mystical surprises," now locations and pet dragons which can be used to boost moods, and other nifty things. Depending on the color of your dragon, it will do different things: a red dragon shoots fire which can be used […]
The Sims 3: Aurora Skies due this month
The latest content drop for The Sims 3 is called Aurora Skies, and is due sometime this month. The pack promises "breathtaking scenery and vast, unspoiled nature within a quaint coastal town". It includes a hot air balloon which can be used for romantic or friendly outings, new locations and items, and a Sims 2 […]
The Sims 3 - 70s, 80s, and 90s Stuff Pack lands on PC, Mac
The Sims 3 has a new pack of goodies available called The 70s, 80s, & 90s Stuff Pack. It features the obvious clothes, hair, and other retro goodness.
Tax on "violent" videogames proposed by Missouri representative
Republican Diane Franklin of Camdenton, a representative of Missouri, believes a sales tax should be placed on violent video games following the elementary school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut.
The Sims 3 to get three expansions and two Stuff packs
The Sims 3 has lined up two new expansions – University Life and Island Paradise – as well as two major Stuff packs this year.
The Sims 3 Seasons Expansion Pack now available at retail, on Origin
The Sims 3 Seasons Expansion Pack is now available at retail and through Origin on PC and Mac, EA has announced.
The Sims 3: Seasons expansion will link with Supernatural content
The Sims 3 is all set to receive its eighth batch of extra content. Seasons seems like a jolly old time for all, right? Wrong. If you own the Supernatural expansion, Maxis has got one or two tricks up its sleeve.
The Sims 3 to receive content from three decades
The Sims 3 developer, Maxis, has announced its to release an expansion in January 2013 that will add content from the 70s, 80s and 90s. The expansion is cannily titled "70s, 80s & 90s Stuff". Grab the full video broadcast on Origin, which features updates on The Sims 3 and SimCity. Details of the 70s, […]
The Sims 3 Supernatural magically lands on PC today
The Sims 3 Supernatural has launched and EA is celebrating the fact with new screens and a launch trailer. The shots below show folks casting spells, looking goth, fairies kissing, and a monster under a child's bed. The video shows all sorts of things, courtesy of GreatScottOTT.
EA Summer Showcase: FIFA 13, ME3 for Wii U launch
EA's Summer Showcase today confirmed both FIFA 13 and Mass Effect 3 for Wii U launch later this year, as well as nailing Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel for a gamescom reveal.
Zombies and fairies step into The Sims 3 Supernatural spotlight
EA has released a new set of screenshots and character renders for The Sims 3 Supernatural, and some gameplay details to go along with the images.
Supernatural Expansion Pack for The Sims 3 releases in September
EA Maxis has announced the Supernatural Expansion Pack for The Sims 3. The expansion allows players to live as a witch, werewolf, vampire or fairy. Players will have new traits as well as new gameplay aspects for each character such as spell casting, "volatile elixirs and magical abilities in a world of strange happenings, spooky […]
The Sims 3 - Katy Perry's Sweet Treats launch trailer may rot your teeth
Thanks to the latest expansion for The Sims 3, you can have bike made of candy, and ask your virtual dates to ride back to your gingerbread house on it. Life goal achieved.
The Sims 3 Showtime goes behind-the scenes with Katy Perry
A new video for The Sims 3 Showtime has been released featuring a behind-the scenes with popstress, ex-Mrs. Russell Brand, Katy Perry. It is what it is. The Katy Perry themed Collector's Edition and a Limited Edition version of The Sims 3 Showtime feature the Ultimate Stage bonus venue. Get more information through Origin and […]
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The Sims 3 latest
The Sims 3: Into the Future Expansion Pack now available on PC, Mac
The Sims 3: Island Paradise producer walkthrough takes you to the beach
Tax on "violent" videogames proposed by Missouri representative
The Sims 3 Seasons Expansion Pack now available at retail, on Origin
The Sims 3: Seasons expansion will link with Supernatural content
Zombies and fairies step into The Sims 3 Supernatural spotlight
Supernatural Expansion Pack for The Sims 3 releases in September
The Sims 3 – Katy Perry's Sweet Treats launch trailer may rot your teeth
Quick Shots: Get into the holiday spirit with The Sims 3 Pets
Thursday Shorts: Garriott, The Sims, Nintendownloads, Firefall, Gaikai
Friday Shorts – ESPN 3, The Sims leaks, IndieCity announce, more
Tuesday Shorts II: Phantasy Star, FFT-0, Sims, MSP, Humble Bundle
Thursday Shorts evening edition: Deus Ex music, Crytek SDK, Donations, Sims Royal Wedding fun, more
The Sims 3: Generations enables "bigger, richer and deeper" stories


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» Plug & Sense! – Quick Overview (v12)
"What's Waspmote Plug & Sense!? How is it different than Waspmote?". Plug & Sense! is Libelium's Waspmote transformed into a ready-to-install, outdoors-reliable device. This document explains Waspmote Plug & Sense!'s key features and benefits. You'll also find information on available models and connectable sensors.


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Oak Bluffs Bluewater Classic
Castafari and Falmouth Bait and Tackle present the 2014 OAK BLUFFS BLUEWATER CLASSIC. This event will be held at Oak Bluffs Marina, bringing New England a world class summer bluewater fishing event which will take place July 23 - 26, 2014. The FIRST ANNUAL 2014 OAK BLUFFS BLUEWATER CLASSIC will be open to the public, catering to all fishing enthusiasts with vessels that have the range to fish in the vicinity of northeast canyons. Visit www.obbclassic.com for details.
Promoted by:
OBBC Classic
OBBC Classic
Venue Information:


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Meet Your Team
Trevor Worth MBA TEP
Chief Executive & Founder
With 30 years experience in the legal services profession, Trevor specialises in estate planning, bringing the expertise needed to protect clients and their families, after creating the business…
Margaret Gallagher LL.B (HONS)
Head Of Compliance
Mags joined Portcullis in January 2014 as In-house Solicitor. In a 'previous life' Mags worked for 10 years in International Banking & Financial Control (in and around the City of London)…
Nick James A.IPW AFF.STEP
Client Services Director
Nick joined Portcullis Legals in 2013 after working in financial services in the South West for over 26 years in retail, business, and private banking. He is an Associate of the Institute of…
Yasmin Serter
Client Services Team
Yasmin was enrolled on the Portcullis Apprenticeship Scheme at the start of 2017 having previously finished her studies at Plymstock School. Yasmin provides essential support to the Client…
Sarah Doidge
Partnerships Manager
Sarah joined Portcullis in September 2017. Sarah has had a varied career based around administation and customer care. Her aim is to use her 'many years' experience to help the team moved forward…
Paula Andrew
Personal Assistant to Trevor Worth
Paula joined Portcullis Legals in September 2017 to assist our Managing Director, so that he can focus on what's important – our clients! Paula has had a varied background, having worked as a…
Make A Free Enquiry Today
We would love to help you today, please get in touch by calling us on 01752 401 401, completing our Free Online Enquiry or emailing us on email@example.com.
What clients say
We met Trevor and the team and found their service to our needs second to none. We would recommend anyone to contact Portcullis Legals Ltd to help with their needs. We are not just saying this for the sack of saying it. We truly believe the Personnel service, and Professional help and advise given was second to none.
Mark Swift
November 8, 2018
Trev wrote my will for me. He is a lovely man and puts you at ease.
Liz Kinsman
November 8, 2018
My wife and I used Portcullis for our wills. They were extremely helpful and talked us through all the aspects that we needed to think about.
Chris Dorey
November 8, 2018
Portcullis legals are a very professional friendly company who were very thorough in our writing of wills. Nick James was very nice and came to our home at a convenient time for us. Many thanks.
Elizabeth Whitford
November 8, 2018
We originally used Portcullis Legals after a recommendation from our Independent Financial Adviser, and found the service to be very professional and informative, no legal jargon, with some thought provoking guidance with regards our Wills. All processes and procedures were explained, plainly, but in depth, allowing us to feel confident when making our decisions. We have used Trevor and the team numerous times, covering various legal matters, since we received this superb service and have had no hesitation in passing on our own recommendation to family and friends, all, who have had nothing but praise for Portcullis.
Johnny May
November 8, 2018
I received such a warm and friendly welcome from Morgan and Kelly when I turned up for my appointment today. Morgan even stood up to shake my hand and said "You must be Max?" Unbelievable customer service! Highly recommended.
Max Thompson
November 8, 2018
Excellent, professional service.Very happy with the service and would thoroughly recommend the firm to all my friends. Definitely a 5 star company.
Trish Griffith
November 8, 2018
I cannot say a big enough "THANK YOU" to Trevor for all your hard work, help and advise regarding my mum's estate. Your knowledge and professionalism is second to none and it has been an absolute pleasure to deal with you! Today your hard work paid off, thank you so much!!
Tracey Pitman
November 8, 2018
My wife and I recently contacted our local Portcullis branch at Plymstock for guidance on writing our wills, we were recieved by Kelli Wakeham, who treated us with total respect and professionalism. She is a very able and knowledgable representative of Portcullis Leagals, and is also friendly and easy to talk with, hence the 5 star rating!
Michael Blackaller
November 8, 2018
Losing a parent is a very stressful time. Finding a drafting error in my late fathers will meaning his final wishes wouldn't be carried out added another layer of upset. Reviewing my fathers will, Trevor spotted the drafting error and set about getting it corrected. Trevor and his team took my problem,dealt with it efficiently and is now completely sorted,all without my having to worry about the process. I am delighted with the outcome and would recommend Trevor and the Portcullis team without hesitation.
Julie Robotham
November 8, 2018
Excellent, patient, professional service and highly recommended for the quality of the finished documents. We're confident that our wishes are accurately captured and that our Wills will be legally watertight.
Thomas Coles
November 8, 2018
Fantastic service, staff are very helpful and friendly with a highly professional attitude. Thank you very much.
Rachael Tarrant
November 8, 2018
Trevor recently prepared Wills for my parents. They were very happy with the service and work received. Trevor and his team were very patient and amenable to my parents which was greatly appreciated.
Highly recommended!
Steve Doyle
November 8, 2018
My husband and I first met Trevor when we wanted to write our Wills a few years ago and since then we have returned again and again to use the services of Trevor and his team. They have always been knowledgeable, professional and efficient. They use plain English, make the whole process as simple and stress free as possible and are always just a call away to clarify, explain or offer advice. The team have always provided us with outstanding customer care and genuinely care about their clients. They have a unique ability to put you at ease and make you feel you are in the company of trusted friends.
We feel very lucky to have met Trevor and would highly recommend him.
Leah Sansom
November 8, 2018
Helpful, knowledgeable, friendly and professional.
Tom Jane
November 8, 2018
Thank you for your professionalism and knowledge – you sorted out our fairly complicated wishes with care. We are very pleased and have recommended you to others.
Joe Flynn
November 8, 2018
We were very pleased with the service from Nick and the team. A very welcoming, professional and thorough experience. We would recommend.
Zac Gribble
November 8, 2018
We dealt with Nick who we found efficient, professional and total understanding of our needs. He was able to make the whole process of writing Wills painless and simple.
Alex Harris
November 8, 2018
Trevor and his team are absolute professionals and I know my clients will always be dealt with fairly and honestly so I have no hesitate to recommend them to Portcullis Legals
Jo Pond
November 8, 2018
Really pleased with the service. Me and sister both wanted to make separate wills. Nick James came out to our house at a time that suited us. The service was very professional and we both received our wills promptly. I would definitely recommend using Portcullis Legals.
Roisin Hyland
November 8, 2018
Having never made a will before I have to say that Nick James took me through step by step on each point and option available so that I felt comfortable with the whole process. He was not only very professional but a pleasure to deal with and took as much time as was needed over any questions I may have had. I will definitely be recommending Nick to my friends and family.
Siobhan Hyland
November 8, 2018
Trevor was very friendly and the service was second to none. The will was drafted quickly and the amendments completed very quickly. Couldn't be more pleased.
Chris Barker
November 8, 2018
We have always found Trevor & his team excellent. When dealing with your personal details & Will wishes, it is important to have an undividual service. Which is what we have always received, so thank you. Lili & Chris Blight
Lili Blight
November 8, 2018
The service I have received from Portcullis Legals has been second to none. The staff are extremely helpful, friendly and knowledgeable. They made the whole process of writing my Will easy to understand and effortless. I have recommended them to several friends and family members who have been equally delighted with their service.
Sue Wilson
November 8, 2018
I highly recommend Portcullis Legals as they were very efficient, knowledgeable and friendly when they helped me with my Will. I was thoroughly pleased.
Teresa Yeomans
November 8, 2018
I can highly recommend this company. I have been with them for over 17 years and Trevor and his staff have been so professional and friendly. Nothing is too much trouble.
Elissa Marshall
November 8, 2018
Excellent, professional service. Quick, efficient and straight forward advice with no unnecessary legal jargon or waffle. Would definitely use again.
Karen Brindley
November 8, 2018
My folks and I were really delighted with the service provided by Trevor & the team. They were professional, approachable, helpful & kept us fully informed throughout everything.
I would definitely recommend Portcullis Legals!
Tina Blagdon
November 8, 2018
Superb customer focus and thoroughly professional service from start to finish. Trevor ensures the whole process is stress-free and removes all the perceived fears surrounding making a Will with his expertise and reassuring manner. I can sleep better now knowing that the future of my family and loved ones is taken care of exactly as I want.
A Matthews
November 8, 2018
Very professional, providing excellent advice tailored to our needs.
Caroline Adams
November 8, 2018
We have worked with Trevor at Portcullis for several years now, for both our professional and personal requirements. We would not consider using anyone else.
Excellent service!
Jane Brightman
November 8, 2018


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CBS has chosen Ted Danson as the man to inherit Laurence Fishburne's crime lab on CSI, and all the attendant mangled bodies with their case-breaking traces of blood, semen, and rare chemical compounds that come with it. According to a press release, Danson will play the new supervisor of the graveyard shift, joining the investigation team as they are "still grappling with the professional and personal fallout from last season's take-down of serial killer, Nate Haskell." Presumably the sort of breezy, charming self-confidence that Danson embodied on shows like Cheers and Bored To Death (which Danson will continue to co-star in) will aid them in their getting over all of that, rather than the sort of oily, evil self-confidence that Danson displayed on Damages. Or maybe his tenure will play out like one long, exceedingly gruesome season of Becker?
More from The A.V. Club


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Weekend Confirmed 181 - Xbox One, Lost Planet 3
It's a Weekend Confirmed Birthday Celebration! Host Garnett Lee celebrates his birthday, along with co-host Jeff Cannata, "Indie" Jeff Mattas, and The Escapist's Andrea Rene. They talk about the Xbox One release date and the landscape of the gaming world this fall.
It's a Weekend Confirmed Birthday Celebration! Host Garnett Lee celebrates his birthday, along with co-host Jeff Cannata, "Indie" Jeff Mattas, and The Escapist's Andrea Rene. They talk about the Xbox One release date and the landscape of the gaming world this fall. That leads to discussion of the many games covered at this year's PAX Prime, including those featured at this year's Indie Megabooth. Everyone's also been playing a number of games themselves, including Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, Lost Planet 3, and Outlast. And then it's full-speed ahead on the new NFL season, so the Finishing Moves segment is cut a little short to help make way for the year's first Tailgate.
Weekend Confirmed Ep. 181: 9/06/2013
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Weekend Confirmed comes in four segments to make it easy to listen to in segments or all at once. Here's the timing for this week's episode:
Show Breakdown:
Round 1 - 00:00:38 - 00:15:15
Round 2 - 00:16:20 - 01:02:16
Round 3 - 01:03:14 - 01:31:41
Round 4/Finishing Moves - 01:32:34 - 01:55:37
Tailgate - 1:56:25 - 2:09:19
The Press Row Podcast is the official podcast of Operation Sports, your home for sports video games. The best sports game writers in the business from Kotaku, Polygon, GamesRadar, Joystiq, PastaPadre and Operation Sports join host Rich Grisham to analyze the victories, struggles, challenges, and solutions that creators and consumers face in modern sports game design.
Follow the Weekend Confirmed crew on Twitter, too!
Weekend Confirmed @WeekendConfirmd
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Remember to join the Official Facebook Weekend Confirmed Page and add us to your Facebook routine. We'll be keeping you up with the latest on the show there as well.
Original music in the show by Del Rio. Check out his latest music video, I Brought It Here, featuring cameos from Jeff Cannata and Christian Spicer on YouTube. Get his latest Album, Club Tipsy on iTunes. Check out more, including the Super Mega Worm mix and other mash-ups on his ReverbNation page or Facebook page, and follow him on twitter @delriomusic.


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JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Pete Carroll doesn't make sense. Football is a coach's domain, a place for obnoxious power and eye-shifting paranoia. The NFL makes the CIA look like casual Friday. Carroll has teeth. He smiles. He lets players have opinions and, amazingly, express them. In print. On the Internet, on TV.
"That's our coach, man," linebacker Malcolm Smith said. "He allows us to be ourselves. On other teams you hear guys talk about being afraid of the coach or the man at the top. We have freedom as long as we are doing what we are supposed to."
Head coach of an NFL team is a dream job because of the complete control. Even the president has to deal with Congress. A head coach's biggest annoyance is the media. Carroll jogged back into this NFL world four years ago, leaving Southern California with two national championships and 97 victories — and the NCAA nipping at his heels.
His hiring by the Seattle Seahawks was greeted with shrugged shoulders. He had been a head coach twice before in the NFL. He lasted one complicated season with the New York Jets and, feeling powerless in New England as Bill Parcells' replacement, he left the Patriots without leaving his mark.
Seattle represented something different. Carroll was told he could do what he wanted, which, more than most head coaches, he needed to hear. He isn't unconventional, just built with elasticity. His philosophy is a hybrid of old-school staples with a modern twist. He wants to "win forever," and "practice is everything," but he does it with a pat on the back, not a shaking fist in the face.
"There's a lot of discipline in everything we do around here," said Carroll, who still talks to mentors such as Bud Grant, who led the Minnesota Vikings to four Super Bowls, and former two-time Super Bowl-winning San Francisco 49ers coach George Seifert. "But we also celebrate the individual."
It worked at USC. But a college head coach holds the hammer over his players, an environment that forces compliance. Carroll was super successful by any measure. But critics didn't believe his corny tactics and boyish enthusiasm would play with pros.
"He has shown that you can be positive and get results," said Richard Sherman, Seattle's all-pro cornerback.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson compares the team to a collegiate atmosphere. Carroll makes it interesting, finding unique ways for players to reach their potential. He plays music at practices. Basketball games are played before team meetings. Practices are graded, with "Turnover Thursday" as heated as some games. There is constant competition camouflaged by fun.
"We never give up on our guys and we will never fail to be there for them. We care, and it makes a big difference to us," Carroll said. "Sometimes we go overboard and individuals get out of bounds. Then you have to step back and get them in bounds. We understand that. It might sound different to you, but it's how we operate."
Carroll, trying to bring Seattle its first NFL title, loves the details. For his players, however, he keeps it simple. Beyond making everything a competition, he has three simple rules to raising a championship team:
"Guys have to always abide by them: Take care of the team, no whining/no complaining, and be early. Those are the simplest rules ever," Sherman said.
Seattle's players have reciprocated with accountability. They know there is room for "me in we" as long as they take ownership of the process. Carroll allowed himself to enjoy the moment two weeks ago after Seattle won the NFC championship. He laughed. He hugged. And he walked off the field to Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York."
"It is different than what you hear about around the league," Sherman said. "But he's done it his way."


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MIAMI – A passenger arriving at Miami International Airport from Boston apologized for leaving a grenade-shaped lighter in his bag, which prompted authorities to evacuate part of the airport Thursday morning.
"Well, first of all, I want to apologize," he said. The man didn't provide his name because he was too busy explaining to police why he had the grenade-shaped lighter in his carry-on bag.
The man told Local 10's Roger Lohse he forgot the lighter was there.
"I asked them, 'What's the problem?' and they refused to tell me," he said. "So I said, 'Is it the lighter? I have a lighter in there,' and that was it from that point on."
The novelty item forced Transportation Security Administrator agents to reroute hundreds of passengers to the other end of Concourse D. No flights were affected but the commotion confused travelers.
"They did not say," said one man who was standing in the parking garage with his luggage. "All they said was there is a threat on the inside so they are telling us to stay on this side."
A member of the Miami-Dade Police Department's bomb squad suited up and x-rayed the item, confirming it wasn't a threat. Passengers were relieved but not amused.
"Was it actually grenade sized? Probably not that clever in a heightened state of alert," said one man when told what happened.
The twin bombings at the Boston Marathon have authorities on edge, but TSA spokeswoman Lauren Stover said the grenade-shaped lighter was reason to react regardless of recent events.
"If your going to an airport, don't bring a grenade lighter because you'll likely miss your flight and cause a disruption at the airport and you may get arrested," she said.
The passenger stopped in Miami on his way to Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
It's unclear why his lighter didn't prompt security concerns when he boarded his flight in Boston. He won't face criminal charges because despite its shape, lighters are not among the TSA's list of prohibited items.
On Christmas Eve, TSA agents found a grenade-shaped lighter on a woman flying to Honduras.


text:
SANAA (Reuters) - Five suspected militants linked to al Qaeda were killed by a U.S. drone attack on Sunday in central Yemen, in what appears to be stepped up strikes by unmanned aircraft on Islamists.
The strike took place in the city of Radaa on a vehicle which was believed to be carrying militants, officials said.
"Five were killed and eight injured and we are still investigating who these men are and in what way they were linked to al Qaeda," one official said.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is based in Yemen and has mounted operations in neighboring Saudi Arabia as well as attempting to launch attacks against the United States.
Washington, which fears the spread of Islamist militancy in Yemen, has stepped up drone attacks this year. At least 14 suspected militants have been killed in air strikes apparently carried out by drones since Friday.
Earlier on Sunday, two al Qaeda-linked militants and a pro-government tribesman were killed in clashes in Yemen's restive south, a local official and a tribesman said.
The Yemeni army helped by local tribes launched a U.S.-backed drive in May to drive Islamist militants from Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), an offshoot of al Qaeda, out of several southern towns they had held for more than a year.
The two militants killed in Sunday's violence in Abyan province were from Somalia and Pakistan, the tribesman said.
Ansar al-Sharia has attracted hundreds of foreign fighters since it seized the towns in the south and declared them Islamic emirates. Some of those militants had previously fought in Afghanistan.
A Defence Ministry website said an al Qaeda commander, Khaled Batees, was among eight militants killed by a U.S. drone strike in the eastern province of Hadramout on Friday.
Batees had previously been captured by security forces but escaped prison last year.
Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari; Additional reporting by Dhouyazen Mukhashaf in Aden; Writing by Mahmoud Habboush and Amena Bakr; Editing by Diana Abdallah


text: You have uploaded each folder "separately" in the archive (digi, digi_darkblue, digi_darblue2, etc ...) in your folder 'styles' or just one? Color variations are dependent on the default style (digi).ForgedRbest wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2017 3:33 pmI uploaded this to my forum but it doesn't show in my ACP as a style I can add. I am running 3.2.1.


text:
WTF? Am I a Marriott?
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Welcome to McGrumpys, May I Take Your Order?
WTF? Am I a Marriott?
26 comments:
Sweet Jesus. Why not add a drive-through to your office to keep those early morning patients happy?
- September 15, 2009 at 10:07 AM
- CrownedwithVictory said...
If my doctor served coffee and bagels I would get sick a lot more often!
- September 15, 2009 at 10:11 AM
- ERP said...
What!??! No scallion cream cheese?!?!?! I am getting a new doctor.
- September 15, 2009 at 10:20 AM
- Ed said...
Nothing says "I care about your health!" more than a nice big tray of donuts in the waiting room.
- September 15, 2009 at 10:22 AM
moldy rye bagels, poppy seed bagels and highly caffeinated coffee with aspirin dissolved in it.
- September 15, 2009 at 10:24 AM
- Amanda said...
I'm flabbergasted. These are real people who really call your office. How can you take them seriously?
- September 15, 2009 at 10:28 AM
- Grumpy, M.D. said...
I don't take them seriously. If I did, I'd be out buying bagels.
- September 15, 2009 at 10:31 AM
What I want now is to see the blog of the person that comes up with these ideas and convinces themselves they're logical and thought out. I would love to see the world through their eyes.
- September 15, 2009 at 10:38 AM
- ♥ Braja said...
Apparently, yes....:))
- September 15, 2009 at 11:10 AM
- Gert said...
Every day! This stuff happens to you every day! Unbelievable!
- September 15, 2009 at 11:31 AM
- auffer said...
I thought those of us in pharmacy were the only ones in health care who resembled fast food workers with our $4 Scrips and all you can eat transfer coupons.
Some auto shops serve coffee and bagels in the mornings I guess but a neurologist? Ayyyy.
- September 15, 2009 at 11:42 AM
Is this craziness at all related to why they are seeing a neurologist?
- September 15, 2009 at 11:45 AM
- Frantic Pharmacist said...
Maybe you could set up an omelette-made-to-order station. As I double as a grocery clerk, I still don't understand why anyone would want to EAT in the middle of a doctor's office or medical clinic. It amazes me!
- September 15, 2009 at 12:05 PM
- Amanda said...
I'd tell 'em the chef has swine flu.
Note, I realize it's H1N1, but these people are asking if a doctor's office serves breakfast -- I think the subtleties of terminology are a bit past them.
- September 15, 2009 at 12:39 PM
- Grumpy, M.D. said...
Yeah, right.
If I tell them the chef has swine flu they would say "Okay, then I just won't eat any bacon".
- September 15, 2009 at 12:45 PM
What does she think you are, anyway- a drug rep?
- September 15, 2009 at 12:47 PM
- The Lonely Midwife said...
How about a machine for espresso? It may help some of those headache patients. There must be a CPT code for that??
- September 15, 2009 at 12:56 PM
what??? you don't serve coffee and bagels in your office???
- September 15, 2009 at 1:13 PM
- Grumpy, M.D. said...
Do you serve them in your pharmacy?
- September 15, 2009 at 1:14 PM
Occasionally, pts or drug reps (in the past) brought us home-made cookies (the wife of the Pfizer rep had a secret ingredient in her choc. chip cookies-- orange essence or a drop or two of sweet orange oil --'secret' is out?
- September 15, 2009 at 2:07 PM
She should have woken up earlier. Problem solved.
The sense of entitlement some have is disgusting.
- September 15, 2009 at 2:33 PM
All you can eat Namenda samples! Hot cups of Depakote Sprinkles. Would you like one lump or two (said hiding reflex hammer behind back)?
- September 15, 2009 at 4:04 PM
- jamiegirl said...
At least I know I can count on one constant, Dr. G's wacked out patients. Thanks again, for another laugh!
- September 15, 2009 at 4:40 PM
Waffle station. Like the Marriot has.
Seriously, though I did go to a cardiologist who DID have coffee (reg and decafe)and bagels.
Stupid thing is this office did cardiac works, and you weren't suppose to use anything with caffeine 2 days before testing. This included the decafe coffee.
That office smelled so good with the free roasted coffee.
Maybe the cardio doc is a sadist?
LD50 Rat
- September 15, 2009 at 4:44 PM
"WTF? Am I a Marriott?"
That is just too hilarious!
Only medical place I've seen that had a public coffee pot was at a lab...maybe it was to help out the folks who had to give a urine sample.
- September 15, 2009 at 8:39 PM
ets not forget people, that Mary would have to take these food orders had you added this addition to the office. We cant forget about poor corrupted Mary!!! Im sure she has her hands full between pulling her hair out due to a confused patient on the phone, or guiding the demented through the hallways to find the correct exit, or spraying the waiting room down with lysol after an elderly, that lost their marbles, urinated all over the waiting room chairs. Lol. Poor Mary!
- September 16, 2009 at 6:35 PM


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With his new book ready to ship (How We Decide - Amazon, B&N, Powells, Borders), Jonah Lehrer decided to post an interview he conducted with himself about the new book.
I thought I'd post an interview I conducted with myself a few months ago. (Once upon a time, I read these author Q&A's that are used for publicity purposes and thought that someone else was asking the questions. Now I know better. But feel free to put your harder questions in the comments.)
Q: Why did you want to write a book about decision-making?
A: It all began with Cheerios. I'm an incredibly indecisive person. There I was, aimlessly wandering the cereal aisle of the supermarket, trying to choose between the apple-cinnamon and honey-nut varieties. It was an embarrassing waste of time and yet it happened to me all the time. Eventually, I decided that enough was enough: I needed to understand what was happening inside my brain as I contemplated my breakfast options. I soon realized, of course, that this new science of decision-making had implications far grander than Cheerios.
Q: What are some of those implications?
A: Ever since the time of the ancient Greeks, we've assumed that humans are rational creatures. When we make a decision, we are supposed to consciously analyze the alternatives and carefully weigh the pros and cons. This simple idea underlies the philosophies of Plato and Descartes; it forms the foundation of modern economics; it drove decades of research in cognitive science. Over time, rationality came to define us. It was, simply put, what made us human. There's only one problem with this assumption: it's wrong. It's not how the brain works. For the first time in human history, we can look inside our brain and see how we think. It turns out that we weren't engineered to be rational or logical or even particularly deliberate. Instead, our mind holds a messy network of different areas, many of which are involved with the production of emotion. Whenever we make a decision, the brain is awash in feeling, driven by its inexplicable passions. Even when we try to be reasonable and restrained, these emotional impulses secretly influence our judgment.
Q: Can neuroscience really teach us how to make better decisions?
A: My answer is a qualified yes. Despite the claims of many self-help books, there is no secret recipe for decision-making, no single strategy that can work in every situation. The real world is just too complex. The thought process that excels in the supermarket won't pass muster in the Oval Office. Therefore natural selection endowed us with a brain that is enthusiastically pluralist. Sometimes we need to reason through our options and carefully analyze the possibilities. And sometimes we need to listen to our emotions and gut instinct. The secret, of course, is knowing when to use different styles of thought--when to trust feelings and when to exercise reason. In my book, I devoted a chapter to looking at the world through the prism of the game of poker and found that, in poker as in life, two broad categories of decisions exist: math problems and mysteries. The first step to making the right decision, then, is accurately diagnosing the problem and figuring out which brain system to rely on. Should we trust our intuition or calculate the probabilities? We always need to be thinking about how we think.
Q: Why write this book now?
A: Neuroscience can seem abstract, a science preoccupied with questions about the cellular details of perception and the memory of fruit flies. In recent years, however, the field has been invaded by some practical thinkers. These scientists want to use the nifty experimental tools of modern neuroscience to explore some of the mysteries of everyday life. How should we choose a cereal? What areas of the brain are triggered in the shopping mall? Why do smart people accumulate credit card debt and take out subprime mortgages? How can you use the brain to explain financial bubbles? For the first time, these incredibly relevant questions have rigorously scientific answers. It all goes back to that classical Greek aphorism: Know thyself. I'd argue that the discoveries of modern neuroscience allow us to know ourselves (and our decisions!) in an entirely new way.
Q: HOW WE DECIDE draws from the latest research in neuroscience yet also analyzes some crucial moments in the lives of a variety of "deciders," from the football star Tom Brady to a soap opera director. Why did you take this approach?
A: Herbert Simon, the Nobel Prize-winning psychologist, famously compared our mind to a pair of scissors. One blade, he said, represented the brain. The other blade was the specific environment in which our brain was operating. If you want to understand the function of scissors, Simon said, then you have to look at both blades simultaneously. What I wanted to do in HOW WE DECIDE was venture out of the lab and into the real world so that I could see the scissors at work. I discuss some ingenious experiments in this book, but let's face it: the science lab is a startlingly artificial place. And so, wherever possible, I tried to explore these scientific theories in the context of everyday life. Instead of just writing about hyperbolic discounting and the feebleness of the prefrontal cortex, I spent time with a debt counselor in the Bronx. When I became interested in the anatomy of insight - where do our good ideas come from? - I interviewed a pilot whose epiphany in the cockpit saved hundreds of lives. That's when you really begin to appreciate the power of this new science--when you can use its ideas to explain all sorts of important phenomena, such as the risky behavior of teenagers, the amorality of psychopaths, and the tendency of some athletes to choke under pressure.
Q: What do you do in the cereal aisle now?I was about halfway through writing the book when I got some great advice from a scientist. I was telling him about my Cheerios dilemma when he abruptly interrupted me: "The secret to happiness," he said in a very authoritative voice, "is not wasting time on irrelevant decisions." Of course, this sage advice didn't help me figure out what kind of cereal I actually wanted to eat for breakfast. So I did the only logical thing: I bought my three favorite Cheerios varieties and combined them all in my cereal bowl. Problem solved.


text:
I have a bit of an interest in cakes tagged with 'favourite of' or 'liked by' the Queen Mother, our present Queen's mother who passed on a number of years ago now. I'm not sure where this interest comes from, but it is undeniably there. I've collected three recipes so far, one from a Maida Heatter book for a chocolate cake, a date pudding liked by her in The Fabulous Baker Brothers by Tom and Henry Herbert, and this glorious one here.
Cake Magic by Kate Shirazi published by Anova in 2011. It a lovely colourful book, and I like the layout and patterns here and there. Not all the cakes are pictured, but a large percentage of them are. There are a few 'getting started' pages covering *The outs and ins of tins* Basic ingredients* Timing and testing* and * Troubleshooting*. The recipe chapters are: *Everyday Cakes* Posh Cakes* Little Cakes* Tea Breads, Buns and Loaves* and * Cheesecakes*. Plus of course it has Kate's commentary and introductions, in her frank and often amusing style.
I've marked a number of cakes I'd like to try in this one including: Famous Five Cake, Chocolate Orange Loaf, Orange and Sultana Cake, Fig and Raisin Tea Bread, The Fondant Fancy, A Sophisticated Cake (almond and lemon flourless with icing and rose petals), Chocolate Meringue Tower and Chocolate Chestnut Cake to name but a few…
This recipe here is one Kate found in her Grandma's recipe book. The sheet with the cake recipe on it was titled 'Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother's Favourite Cake'. Now I'm not making any claims here, it may or may not have been a favourite. It was the reason I was particularly drawn to make this cake first, rather than some of the others above. I have always wanted to go up to visit the Castle of Mey, her Scottish home latterly, way up north, and one day hopefully I'll get there.
Anyhow, in the meantime I would like to think she liked this cake, and if she did well and good, but if not; well it's a fantastic sticky toffee cake to have with tea or coffee. The topping is almost like a thin (though not too thin!) layer of fudge, and the cake is moist and sticky because of the dates, especially the day after making.
HRH Fave Cake
Posted here from Cake Magic by Kate Shirazi published in 2011 with kind permission from Anova books, thank you.
150g / 5 oz / ¾ cup stoned and chopped dates
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
250ml / 8 fl oz / 1 cup boiling water
200g / 7oz / 1 cup caster (superfine) sugar
200g / 7oz / 1 cup unsalted butter – (divided see recipe)
250g / 9oz / 2 ¼ cups self-raising flour
1 large free-range egg, beaten
300g / 10oz / 1 ½ cups light muscovado sugar
4 tablespoons double (whipping) cream
1. Preheat the oven to 160 oC / 325 oF / Gas mark 3. Grease and line a 20cm / 8 inch square cake tin. Put the date and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl, pour the boiling water over and leave to soak for 5 minutes or so.
2. In a big bowl (or mixer), beat the caster sugar and 50g / 1 ¾oz / scant ¼ cup butter, flour and egg, then stir in the date / water/ bicarbonate of soda mix.
3. Put the mixture in the tin, level out the surface and bake for about 35 minutes or until firm and springy to the touch. Cool on a wire rack (in the tin) while you get on with the topping.
4. Put the muscovado sugar, remaining butter and the cream in a pan. Gently heat to melt the sugar (stirring often) and then boil rapidly for 1 – 2 minutes stirring all the time. Leave the mixture to cool a little, then spread all over the cake and leave alone for 1 – 2 hours for the topping to fully set. Serves 8.
My Note: I cut this into 16 squares, and also beat the cooling topping to thicken a little.
Next Up: Even More Nigella Kitchen!