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Why Daley Is Wrong to Move Huberman
(Photo: Back to the bad old days? The infamous CTA crash of 1977. Credit: Chicago Tribune.)
This week, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley made his most uninformed, misguided decision in recent memory by deciding to pull Chicago Transit Authority President Ron Huberman out of the post and install him as the CEO of Chicago Public Schools. CPS needed a new leader because the old one, Arne Duncan, was tapped to be Secretary of Education in the new Obama Administration. But Huberman's the wrong man for the job.
That's because he's the right man for the CTA. In his past two years as CTA President, Huberman managed to turn around the long-beleaguered agency, ending decades of decline, disinvestment, deferred maintenance, anachronistic signage, falsified inspection records, feeble employee accountability, and a heretofore near total disregard for customer service or responsiveness that came to a nadir during the reign of his unpopular, unproductive predecessor, Frank Kruesi.
While I have been a frequent critic of some of Huberman's decisions, I still recognize the sweeping wave of positive changes he's wrought at the CTA–changes that would have been unimaginable before he came on the scene. Cleaner buses and 'L' trains, vehicles that don't break down nearly as often and finally arrive on time, signage throughout the system that is actually a.) updated and b.) correct, the disappearance of slow zones, the introduction of an online bus tracker system, a commitment to the adoption of modern technology, an equal commitment to customer responsiveness both in person and via the agency website—these are all Huberman's doing, and the 1.8 million people who ride the CTA every day have him to thank for them.
Much as I admire Mayor Daley and share his deep love for the City of Chicago (of the two of us, I'm sure I'm not the only one who can think about the history of this town and be moved to sentimental tears), I'm fairly certain he's not a CTA rider. I'm sure he has no idea how painfully awful it got for we millions of Chicagoan CTA riders for such a long time.
Before Ron Huberman, the daily expectation of CTA riders was to wait twice as long we we should have on a platform with 1960s-era signage or on a corner with a 1990s-era bus stop sign for a half-broken, foul-smelling bus or 'L' train that would variously crawl down the tracks or bounce violently down the street to get us, eventually to our destinations.
It was depressing. It made a lot of people decide not to take the system at all. And it was embarrassing when friends came to town from other world cities and asked us why our transit system was so poor.
The greatest thing Mayor Daley ever did for the CTA was to put Ron Huberman at its helm–and more than likely the greatest work Ron Huberman has ever done for the City of Chicago was accomplished there, too. Why on earth Daley would consider it appropriate to take Huberman away from the CTA now that he and–for the first time since the 1950s–the agency, itself, together are on such an unbelievably popular roll is mind-blowing.
On Tuesday, Greg Hinz noted in his Crain's Chicago Business blog that when he asked Daley why he was taking Huberman away from transit now, the mayor replied, "Education is the answer to all the ills." What a simple-minded, facetious answer.
Mayor Daley, if that's what you really think, let's get rid of every other Chicago program, unfund everything else, and throw all our tax dollars and our best thinkers into Chicago Public Schools. By your reasoning, since CPS is the answer to everything, maybe the City really wouldn't collapse around our ears.
More reasonable Chicagoans, especially those growing numbers who ride the CTA to work, to school, to fun every day, recognize how rotten this decision is. It is a slap in the face for every CTA rider. And considering those 1.8 million rides taken on the CTA every day, that's a lot of people to thwack.
It isn't as if there weren't other leading candidates for the mayor to choose from. There were–including several top candidates who, unlike Huberman, actually have education experience. You'd think when an outgoing school district head goes to Washington, they would be replaced with someone who at least has education experience.
Not in Chicago, apparently. I've rolled this around in my head for awhile and all I have from it is a headache, as much from the hardship that may again become the average CTA ride once Huberman's gone as from the unacceptable nature of the mayor's likely motives.
That's because it seems to me that Mayor Daley is trying to groom Ron Huberman to be his successor. Huberman sure has made the rounds of City departments–since 1994, he's served at the Office of Emergency Management & Communications at the Chicago Police Department, at the CTA, and prior to that, as City Hall spokesperson. Now he's going to CPS. All positions hand-picked by Mayor Daley. If Daley isn't prepping Huberman to be the next mayor of Chicago, I'd sure like to know why he's taken such a keen interest in the younger man's career.
For too long, Chicago politicians have regarded their elected positions as possessions to be passed down to their heirs. They aren't. Frequently, when parents bless their offspring to be their political successors, the results are less than comforting (Todd Stroger, anyone?)
The best man for the job should be placed at the job he's best at. Ron Huberman and the CTA are a near-perfect fit. If the mayor ever actually rode the system–or asked a rider, for that matter–he might know that.
More to the point, Mayor Daley's job is to be the current mayor of Chicago, not to be concerning himself with who might be the next one. If Mayor Daley is pulling Ron Huberman out of the CTA in order to hedge his mayoral legacy, then he's concerned with wrong era.
Mayor Daley, let us, the voters of Chicago, decide who will lead us tomorrow. We'd prefer you concern yourself with leading us today.
And by taking Huberman away from the CTA, you're certainly not doing that.
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I just don't feel in the mood to cut any local politicians slack given recent issues. Certainly not Daley, who has been under suspicion in several quarters for a long time (i.e. I wouldn't be surprised if he's the next local pol to end up indicted this year.)
As a non-native Chicagoan, while I appreciate Daley's leadership and love for the city, I don't feel I owe him blind faith. I come from a city–New York City–where politics is transparent and the idea that any mayor would shuffle agency heads on a whim like this (seriously, it took one month to find a new CPS chief?) would be laughable.
Then again, in New York, the mayor couldn't remove the head of NYC Transit–unlike in Chicago, NYC's transit agencies are entities of the state.
The whole "education is more important" argument is baseless. There was no breathless need to end the search after one month. It's obvious Daley wanted a loyalist to manage this year's school closings in the face of popular opposition. In other words, he needed somebody now.
I fail to see the contours of any sort of well-thought-out plan in all of this. Certainly not in ignoring many fine other candidates and stifling the CPS CEO search after a month. Certainly not in removing the head of a critical transportation agency without the merest hint of a back-up plan.
In fact, that's what bothers me most of all. After so many years of transit angst and fear in this city, for Daley to think there are no ramifications from suddenly separating the agency from its head is pathetic.
Transit riders in Chicago deserve a lot more respect than that and saying "education is more important" is an infantile answer on Mayor Daley's part–he's hiding behind children to shield himself from questioning on this issue and I'm sorry, but I see right through that and I'm questioning.
As far as why I think the CTA will go downhill without Huberman? Have you been living in the came city I have? The agency only began to improve when Huberman arrived.
His predecessor, Frank Kruesi, brought us falsified safety records, slews of slow zones, and derailment after derailment. Not to mention a sate legislature that hated him due to his douchebag behavior and refused to let him lobby for funding.
Huberman instituted lots of positive changes and brought a lot of good people with him to do it. They'll probably follow him to CPS, leaving behind an agency of the same people that did the same shit job they did under Kruesi.
If the next head of the CTA is able to crack the whip like Huberman did, great. But until then, there's nobody there now to do it. And I fail to see how a quickly elevated CFO is going to have any authority at an agency that the mayor's own actions have so clearly just shown is considered second-class.
That's the problem in Chicago and I thought we had solved it when Huberman was placed at the CTA. If Chicago wants to be a world-class city, you have to consider transit among your most important agencies. It is not less important than education, or fire, or police, or any other department.
Transit, in a world city, is a fundamental pillar of society. When it doesn't work, the city doesn't work. It must be sacrosant. That isn't optional.
Every other world city gets it. New York, London, Paris, Tokyo. Until Chicago gets it, too, it's going to continue to be an also-ran world city. If you think this is the way our competition cities for the 2016 Olympics treat their transit agencies, think again.
If Daley doesn't consider transit a fundamental priority, then he's completely out of touch–and if that's the case, he deserves to be sent off to whatever dinosaur island we stuck Burt Natarus on while this city selects a new mayor who actually rides the transit system.
Mayor Bloomberg in NYC has been taking the subway to work for 8 years. What's Daley's excuse for never setting foot on it like 1.8 million other Chicagoans?
Hi Mike…
Here's the response that I tried to post on Huffington Post. It's too long for them, maybe it will work here. Sorry for the length, but I thought your thoughts deserved a detailed response.
Hi Again, Mike…
First off, you posted an strongly opinionated, but interesting, piece. I disagreed, yet I think I responded in a respectful, intelligent manner. I'm perfectly willing to have a thoughtful dialog on the subject, but how about dialing down the attitude a bit?
Since probably neither of us know who the "other equally qualified" candidates really were, your asking me why I think Huberman is better than they are is a bit silly. How am I supposed to answer that? How are you supposed to disagree?
Plus, I already stated why I think "education experience" is not crucial for this post. Keep in mind, the CPS has had, and still has, an excellent educational leader in Barbara Eason-Watkins, who has said she's staying to work with Huberman. Also keep in mind…the Vallas/Duncan/Huberman post is titled CEO for a reason. They were, and are, there to manage a huge bureaucracy effectively. And the two-person CEO/educational leader management model has worked well.
Second, as I said in my original post, Mayor Daley has always felt, and stated on many occasions, that his number one priority as Mayor is the public schools. I happen to agree with him, and I would speculate, with no proof, that most of Chicago citizens would agree. You, of course, are entitled to disagree.
But if that's what his priority is, if he feels Ron Huberman is his #1 public servant/manager, it makes perfect sense for him to move Huberman to his top priority – the schools.
So now I'll ask you…what makes you think it's a zero-sum game? Your entire assumption in your post seems to be because Huberman is leaving, the CTA will collapse. I'm certainly not ready to assume that yet, and you shouldn't be either.
As for what we do now with the CTA, the answer is obvious. Mayor Daley needs to fill the job with the best person he possibly can (and it's not Frank Kreusi!). Which I'm sure he's going to do. I would respectfully suggest to you, especially since this appointment is a done deal, that you wait to see who Daley appoints, and skip the "sky is falling" rhetoric until when – and if – it actually starts to fall.
And let's look at some history here. You've only been here since 2003. but it wasn't that long ago that the U.S. Secretary of Education called Chicago's schools the worst in the country, and not many people argued with him. Then, in the mid-90's, Mayor Daley, at huge personal political risk, became the first really-big-city Mayor to fight for control of the School Board, and begin to institute long-overdue reforms. And he did it because, as he believes, the schools are the most important thing in a healthy, successful city.
First, Paul Vallas, then Arne Duncan, now Ron Huberman. Under the Mayor's direction, Chicago's schools have made real progress when nobody thought they could, and been in the forefront of urban education reform. And he has yet to make a bad pick for Schools CEO (even though none had "education experience" going in). Heck, Huberman had no mass transit experience going to the CTA, and you seem to think he did OK.
In fact, the Mayor has done such a good job facing up to the challenge of the schools that other big-city Mayors, including in your home town of NY, have emulated his management approach by taking control of the schools and instituting reforms.
So my respectful suggestion to you is to recognize his devotion to the schools, and his success to date in improving them, and cut him a little slack until he replaces Huberman. If you feel Huberman's replacement is a dud and the CTA got shafted, feel free to fire away on the Huffington Post.
To change the subject, I have enjoyed Chicago Carless for some time. I guess you've been here for six years, but anyway, welcome to Chicago! As a suggestion, why don't you get your bike and join us for Chicago Critical Mass tomorrow night. It's our ninth annual Polka Ride, and it's our most fun ride of the year. I'm serious. If you're interested, just reply and I'll let you know how to contact me. And we can continue the conversation, if you wish.
Thanks for listening.
Charles McPhate Reply
It's a done deal, Mike. There's an article on the Trib's website about Huberman being booed at his first public meeting today.
I don't follow the public school system closely, but from what I've read, it was a mess until Daley took control of it and brought in professional administrators to clean it up. Apparently, it's an ongoing process. I think Huberman proved himself a capable manager at CTA, so I'm willing to give him a chance at CPS. It's a big system, and it needs a professional running it – not simply an educator.
I do agree with getting rid of Daley. I've disliked him since I moved here. I also think the City Council is too large. We need city-wide government reform, starting with a council half the size of the current one — and a new mayor. The unions need to be reigned in, and Daley's Democratic machine needs to be shut down.
Of course, it's not just the city; its the county, too. The Stroger Dynasty needs to come to an end.
I think Chicagoans have simply given up on trying to fight the two ruling families.
Zilla Reply
Im tired of hearing about schools. People – schools and healthcare are going to bankrupt this country. There the 2 issues you cant be against or risk being "evil". They've spent billions tearing down schools to rebuild them accross the street. Theyve filled them with computers for no reason other than "its the future" even though the kids cant read or write.
If you go back to the 50s, it wasnt uncommon to see 40 kids in class. And that generation was argueably the best educated, and for a lot less adjusted for inflation.
CPS's problems arent money, arent leadership or visionary schools "ceo", its poverty. Kids comming from poor families, with little support or proper social skills. And the root cause of poverty is jobs loss. And the root cause of jobs losses is taxes/ unions / forign competition. Kids whose parent(s) work at subway are doomed no matter how much money we throw at the schools.
Cheryl, I have to disagree about one thing. This is only a done deal if Chicagoans who don't want this to happen refrain from voicing their concerns–and loudly.
It's 2009, the decades-long idea that any Chicago Mayor with the last name of Daley is above question or correction by the people who elected him has got to go. Just because Mayor Daley says something is a good idea and a "done deal" in no way makes it so.
Not unless we decide to let it be that way. If America can put a black man in the white house, the least Chicago can do is grow some backbone about standing up to its own politicians. I guarantee you, Daley will be the last Chicago mayor who gets away with acting as if he is above reproach by the electorate.
Cheryl Reply
Since this is a done deal I would like to see Ron take Mary Dempsey's example to heart and go back to school. When Daley appointed her head of the public libraries, she got herself an MLS. Ron could avail himself of a number of programs in the city to get a Masters in educational administration, or just become a certified teacher. The public librarians I know appreciate MS Dempsey's commitment to their profession and I would assume teachers would be a little happier if they thought Ron understood their concerns.
Kevin, you raise a good point. People who arrived with Huberman and did great work at CTA are likely going to leave with him–replacing people who were starting to do great work at CPS under Duncan before he left.
Matt B., I also can't imagine what Daley is thinking regarding the Olympic bid, unless either he doesn't think we'll get the games or…perhaps…Huberman wanted out of CTA and won't wait until the IOC decision.
Agreed fully. I was very upset to hear that Daley was reassigning Huberman to CPS. While I think he'll probably do a decent job at CPS, we need him more at CTA.
I'm honestly not too surprised at this decision as I've always heard that Huberman's tenure would be short. Rumor had it that the plan was for him to just solve the operating funding crisis and then move on. The collection of police hats in Huberman's office tells you where his true heart lies, but likely much to his disappointed the police chief job was given to someone else.
While education is important and Chicago's school system could arguably be in worse shape than the CTA, from an Olympics perspective the CTA is a more critical piece. While snubbing education for the Olympics may seem wrong, we all know Daley's #1 priority at this point. That said, I'm surprised Daley didn't at least leave Huberman on board the CTA until the IOC decision.
The other thing to remember here is that it's not just Huberman we're talking about. When Huberman came to CTA, a lot of other people came with him. Presumably, they'll also leave with him. One example is Adam Case, the 26 year old "boy wonder" who helped implement a lot of the recent communication improvements. With the possibility of others leaving as well, I'm concerned about the future administration being able to carry on the positive changes Huberman brought to CTA.
Daley's move doesn't make sense in any regard. His highest priority right now seems to be the Olympic bid, but he's just shooting himself in the foot if that's the case. The city's change relies on our ability ro provide a world-class transit system come 2016. Will Daley find someone (a loyalist, of course) who can get as much done as Huberman did in only a couple years? "Lightning doesn't strike twice."
But we shouldn't be SO surprised. This is par for the course for Daley; just ask John Harris or Paul Vallas. And unfortunately for Huberman, this will be just another setup for failure.
wonder Reply


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If you are a Guilty Gear fan, then you will definitely enjoy Guilty Gear II Overture. It is one of the latest Guilty Gear installments created by Arc System Works for the Xbox 360. What makes it special compared to the previous Guilty Gear games is that it combines the elements of real time action and strategy. The game's platform is similar to Capcom's Devil May Cry and or any game with such a platform wherein you can visually see a lot of adversaries surrounding you and you have to battle it out while searing for the main objective in a particular area. But it still retains the original Guilty Gear fighter's special moves and animation but combined with real time strategy elements.
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May Madness at Te Kiri Hall near Opunake
Sunday, 4 May 2014
Te Kiri Hall, Eltham Rd, Near Opunake, Taranaki
May Madness at Te Kiri Hall near Opunake has 5km and 2.5km fun run and walk events. It is organised by the the Opunake Lakeside Lions.
There will be spot prizes, including dinner and accommodation thanks for Headlands and an MPG scooter thanks to K&D Holley, Collins Sports and K&T Crawford.
There will also be craft stalls, cupcakes, coffee, tea and hot food available.


text: I recently photographed this young family for the third time at their beautiful new home. First came the wedding when I was just getting started, then it was their first born's baptism and now baby A is here! It has been wonderful seeing this family grow and I am so honored to have been with them through all of it.


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With her memoir, Hush Now, Baby (Texas Review Press, May 2015), Angela Williams honors Eva, a central and vital figure in her life from birth...until Eva stepped out of the shadows with a move that sent shock and awe into the heart of the author's world. Williams will be recounting her transformative childhood experiences and autographing copies of her book on Wednesday, October 28th at the Huntsville Public Library from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
As classically Southern as a glass of sweet tea, Angela Williams grew up in a family with deep roots in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. Like others, Williams' family employed African American domestics to keep house and raise children. But unlike most families, the deep affection between Williams and caretaker Eva Aiken bonded them for life, even as the Civil Rights movement shook their worlds, propelling them – and the country – down a rocky path that changed history.
"My Eva and I shared a love that knew no color, knew no bounds, and for that, I'm very grateful. Hush now, Baby emanates from personal reflections of Eva's influence on my life, an exploration of Civil Rights issues, and the subsequent embarrassment that I knew so little, did so little," says Williams, a former Citadel professor and published academic and communications coach. She continues, "The urge to do something, if nothing more than to reach back and touch the "Eva wisdom," plagued me for years. This re-seeing, this re-weaving, gives tribute to the Evas of our country—the long-delayed mourning and glorying of the host of African-American women whose physical strength and courage permeated the lives of Southern families. This is, as they say, 'the rest of the story.' And I've waited 50 years to tell it!" Naturally, Williams acknowledges the seemingly obvious but in reality, only topical comparisons between Hush Now, Baby and The Help. "That simply wasn't my experience. Eva is a major character in my coming-of-age story of how a little white girl climbed out of an uneasy childhood in the segregated South…on the backbone of a black woman who loved me unabashedly."


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ADF official comment
Related Case: DeJohn v. Temple University
PHILADELPHIA — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit Monday upheld a federal judge's ruling against Temple University's former "speech code," which prevented a graduate student from expressing his beliefs and opinions in class discussions and campus conversations, violating his First Amendment right to free speech. Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund Center for Academic Freedom represent the student, Christian DeJohn.
"Christian and conservative students shouldn't fear discrimination or censorship by university officials simply for expressing their beliefs. The university is a 'marketplace of ideas' where all viewpoints are welcomed, and this significant ruling makes that clear," said ADF Senior Counsel Nate Kellum.
"Universities cannot use vague and overbroad policies to stifle student speech. The 3rd Circuit was right to conclude, as the district court did, that the old 'speech code' at Temple University is unconstitutional," added ADF Litigation Staff Counsel David Hacker.
In February 2006, ADF attorneys filed a lawsuit on behalf of DeJohn, who is a sergeant in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. The lawsuit charged that Temple University's "speech code" was vague and overbroad, and stifled student speech on campus, such as DeJohn's religious and conservative views. A federal judge ruled in DeJohn's favor and issued a permanent injunction against the policy in March 2007.
On appeal, the 3rd Circuit upheld the judge's decision, stating that "speech cannot be prohibited in the absence of a tenable threat of disruption.... Furthermore, the policy's use of 'hostile,' 'offensive,' and 'gender-motivated' is, on its face, sufficiently broad and subjective that they 'could conceivably be applied to cover any speech' of a 'gender-motivated' nature 'the content of which offends someone.' This could include 'core' political and religious speech, such as gender politics and sexual morality..... The policy provides no shelter for core protected speech."
The full text of the 3rd Circuit's opinion in DeJohn v. Temple University is available here.
The ADF Center for Academic Freedom defends religious freedom at America's public universities. ADF is a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith. Launched in 1994, ADF employs a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.


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text: Ditto – except for the excessive riding bit! 🙂 I like filling each day to the full with stuff I can choose to do, but committing to as few things as possible I have to do. I aim to end each day physically tired, but mentally relaxed.. I used to think retirement was all about swopping money for time, but I am learning it's much more complicated than that. Congratulations on upping your miles and averages. Good going!


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October 11, 2013
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A few tips for those of you attending Catalyst for the first time this year, or maybe it's your 2nd or 3rd time. Hopefully these are helpful and allow your Catalyst experience to be the best ever! 1. Arrive early. Especially on Thursday morning. The pre-show starts up around 6:55 am, so we'll try our best to entertain you while you wait for the doors to open around 7:50 am.
2. Attend LABS. LAB sessions occur on Wednesday, October 5th, and are a great way to dive deeper into practical topics. All of the LAB sessions will be great, and I recommend every session that we've created. But just want to give you a few names of some of the LAB speakers you may not know but we'll want to hear:
Lisa Borders; Nancy Duarte; Anthony Bradley; Bob Goff; Panel (with Mary Graham, Jo Saxton, Jeanne Stevens); Panel (with Charles Jenkins, Jim Reese, Lisa Sharon Harper);
3. Bring food with you. Because parking is free, and there is now plenty of it because of a new parking deck, you'll be able to get to your vehicle no problem at lunch and dinner. So with that in mind, plan to tailgate! Bring the grill, or just an ice chest and some extra food. It's really a pain to drive somewhere for lunch or dinner, so just hang out and soak up the sun! We will also have food for sale onsite outside, so that is also an option.
4. Attend the evening session on Thursday night. Do not miss Thursday night. Judah Smith, plus Joel Houston and Hillsong NYC band. It will be a great time. You'll be tempted to go back to the hotel room and turn on the baseball game or Thursday night college football, but stick around.
5. Meet other leaders. There is an incredible amount of wisdom and influence gathered in one place at one time, so take advantage of the other leaders who are present.
6. No reserved seating. Because there is no reserved seating, you'll want to arrive early. And if you are attending Catalyst with a big group, make sure you bring some 5 x 7 cards or paper (and tape) to be able to tape on the seat so that you'll remember where you are sitting!
7. Sing loud. 13,000 voices together worshipping our God is epic. Don't stand (or sit) idly by with arms crossed and lips closed. Join in.
8. Catalyst Backstage- if you can't attend, no worries. Join us on CatalystBackstage starting on Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 pm EST, and then on Thursday and Friday mornings at 8:30 am EST. We'll have interviews with speakers, behind the scenes footage, and maybe even a live look-in or two for some of the sessions.
9. Purchase t-shirts and jackets early at the resource centers. If you plan on buying a t-shirt or jacket, purchase them at the first break. They sell out fast, so don't wait.
10. Bring items to give back and help others. We are asking EVERY Catalyst attendee to bring DIAPERS, CANNED GOODS, BLANKETS and TOWELS, and GIFT CARDS to give back to those in need. Please stop on your way into Atlanta and the Gwinnett Arena and pick up these items. We want the collection bins to OVERFLOW! There is a Kroger right across the street if you forget!
11. Bring a jacket and long sleeve shirt- Lows will be in the 50's this week, and if you've attended before, you know that the arena is pretty chilly inside. So bring a jacket and long sleeve shirt just in case.
12. Bring an extra bag for all the Catalyst swag. There are lots of great partners at Catalyst all around the lobby and concourse. Bring an extra bag to collect all the goodies.
13. Hang out in the Reflective Prayer Tent- allow yourself some time to hang out in the reflective worship tent. And, we'll have a prayer team available the entire conference that will pray with you, for you, and over you. Some of us just need a fresh dose of God's provision and goodness, so take advantage of this area.
14. If u tweet, use the hashtag #CAT11.
15. Purchase the Catalyst Experience Kit. Every year we try and put together the best of the best so you can take the Catalyst experience home with you. This year is no exception. You can purchase it before you get to the event and then pick it up onsite without having to mess with the lines. I highly recommend this! Includes all kinds of great stuff, including the talks from this event, plus a best of set from Dallas and West Coast earlier this year.
16. Engage. Many of us tend to go to leadership gatherings and conferences and never really connect. We get distracted by things going on around us. This year we want you to truly Be Present. Laugh. Listen. Sing. Pray. Engage. Be Present.


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Now Google can help with updated health information
In early August, New York City saw an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease, a very rare and sometimes deadly form of pneumonia. As more outbreaks came to light, Google searches for Legionnaires' disease spiked over 1,000%. People wanted to know what this disease is, why it's spreading, and how to prevent it. So we quickly updated our health conditions feature (first launched last February) to provide information on Legionnaires' right up front, from a simple search.
Indeed, health conditions continue to be among the most important things people ask Google about, and one of our most popular features. So today we're announcing broader updates—over the next few weeks, you'll notice:
- Hundreds more health conditions (soon over 900 total, more than double the number we started with) where you'll get quick at-a-glance info on symptoms, treatments, prevalence, and more
- Visual design improvements and some more specific triggering so it's quicker and easier to get the info you need (for example, you can now search for "pink eye symptoms" and you'll get straight to the symptoms tab)
- A 'Download PDF' link so you can easily print this information for a doctor's visit—this has been a top request from doctors
We're making sure to include neglected tropical diseases, a set of infections that affect over 1.5 billion people including 500 million children in poorer regions. We think it's important for people to have facts on these diseases, such as Dengue Fever (already included), Chikungunya, and Leishmaniasis (to be added soon). Today the feature is still only in U.S. English, but we plan to expand it to more languages and regions.
As before, we've consulted and worked closely with a team of doctors to curate and validate this information. We've gotten lots of positive, helpful feedback from our users and medical professionals, and we'll keep working to bring useful health information to your fingertips, whether in the Google app or on desktop.
Check out an example == Here ==


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09 Feb Fix and Flip: Doing It Right the First Time
Your First Fix and Flip
You just acquired your first Fix and Flip property, and are ready to begin your adventure becoming the next Fixer Upper. You've lined up contractors to do the dirty work you aren't able to do yourself. You know the area you will focus on to buy and sell homes. You have a marketing plan to get the house sold as quickly as you finish. What have you forgotten?
Have you considered Investor Insurance?
Because Fix-and-Flip houses do not fit into the molds of a typical Homeowners Policy, you need to shop around for a unique product designed especially for investors.
It will take several months to complete the renovations, causing it to sit Vacant. You want an insurance policy that will protect you against perils while the property remains unoccupied, and such a policy does exist.
APIA offers an investor insurance package designed for a portfolio of fix and flip houses. The policy protects against perils, such as: fire, wind, hail, and vandalism.
Monthly reporting means you are able to add, cancel, and change properties frequently. We bill monthly in arrears, allowing you to make updates as changes occur, and only pay for the days your property is reporting.
We pride ourselves in Customer Service; consequently, it is our mission to better educate our customers about Investor Insurance. Feel free to call our office to talk to a Licensed Agent today for more details. If you're ready to submit your application, visit our website to Get A Quote.
For more information on insurance coverage for vacant homes, visit our website: https://www.apiaprotects.com


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Top 5 Reasons for Businesses to Opt for Mobile Optimized Websites
Modern businesses thrive on digital success. Responsive mobile websites play a huge role in their success on the digital front. The world of consumers is largely dependent on their smartphones. Currently, almost 1800 million customers in the world love to shop through responsive mobile websites designed for mobile devices on the go. This number is expected to touch 2000 millionRead more


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The Korean Central News Agency never ceases to amuse:
Pyongyang, March 27 (KCNA) — There is a 110-year-old apple tree in Ryongjon-ri, Pukchong County, South Hamgyong Province, which is believed to be the oldest in Korea.
Its species is called Pukchong.
When visiting Ryongjon-ri in October Juche 48 (1959), President Kim Il Sung said the tree must be the original progenitor of apple trees in the country.
Beginning to live in 1898, the tree is 4.62 meters high and the perimeter of its lower part is 0.82 meters.
It yields tens of kilograms of apples each year, more than 410 apples in 2011.
The tree was designated as natural heritage No. 285.


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Welcome to EarthTurns
Natural soap is safer for you, your family and the environment because there are no absolutely NO detergents, foaming agents artificial fragrances, dyes, synthetic or harsh, irritating ingredients. The various natural base oils used have properties which provide various degrees of lathering, conditioning and hardening, while pure, steam-distilled essential oils provide light, natural scents.
When choosing a natural soap bar you usually have several natural scents to choose from that derive the smell from natural essential oils, not synthetic fragrance.
We offer several varieties of natural bar soap to choose from. When looking at the ingredients of a natural soap you will immediately realize that there are not the harsh, drying chemicals you've been used to in traditional soaps.
Soap, naturally processed, is one of the very best things one can put on their skin. It cleans and moisturizes yet is gentle and non-agitating.
Sadly, soap recipes began to become adulterated over the years. Sometime around the 18th century bathing became fashionable. For years prior to this, it was actually considered dangerous and unsanitary due to silly superstitions.
Because of the high demand for 'domesticated soaps' companies in Europe began producing new soap concoctions by changing and adding ingredients based on the region. It wasn't until the early 19th century however, that soap companies started appearing in Colonial America. When greedy, commercial companies discovered the shortcuts and figured out how to cut expenses when making 'soap' the quality of the product suffered tremendously. Cheap detergents were added into the process as well as synthetic fragrances. This resulted in the irritation of consumers' skin along with dryness and rash.
In real, genuine soap, fats are saponified by alkaline salts. Saponification occurs as a chemical reaction when a highly alkaline salt meets water and fatty acids. In contemporary soap making sodium hydroxide (lye) or potassium hydroxide is used along with a combination of oils or fats. Because each kind of fat has different properties, the reaction differentiates depending on what which fat or oil is used. For example, soap generated from Coconut oil results is a rich lather but may be harsh on the skin. Whereas soap generated from Olive oil is gentle and soft. Palm oil generates a very firm soap.
Soap makers are very creative and combine different oils for different purposes including beeswax, nut oils and vegetable oils. It's imperative that the right kind of soap be chosen for daily use. Because most popular commercial soaps in well known stores contain synthetic lathering agents, artificial colors, imitation fragrances and a very long list of chemicals that even ivy league educated people cannot pronounce, they market themselves as bath and beauty bars. Knowing that they are indeed not soap.
Cold processed soap is of the highest quality. The bars are made using a combination of oils, fats and lye. The lye causticity is removed during the saponification process thereby creating glycerine when the lye interacts with the oils or fats.
As previously addressed above, how hard or soft the bar ends up being all depends on the types of oils or fats used as well as how well the bar lathers. Conclusively, natural soap is the safest, healthiest way to clean and moisturize ones skin. It's also much better for the earth's eco-system. Natural soap causes no harm to oceans, lakes and drinking water. There are no chemicals in natural soap, therefore no cause for concern.
Natural soap is good for the body and good for the planet.


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When Characters Overrule Their Author
When the characters take over a manuscript, that's usually a good thing – for the reader, anyway. As Stephen King famously said, "How can the author surprise his readers if he can't surprise himself?"
Surprises can have a different impact on the author, though. For instance, when I began DESERT VENGEANCE my new mystery, I had a general idea of the plot: Private Investigator Lena Jones waits in a prison parking lot for the release of the foster father who raped her when she was nine years old. Lena is armed with a large knife called The Vindicator, and she can't wait to use it. Before I even started working on the manuscript, I knew how vengeance would be served, who would serve it and why, and what would happen to the vengeance-server at the end of the book.
All very neat and tidy.
Then I wrote a detailed, chapter-by-chapter, scene-by-scene outline describing how the central theme of the book would be brought to fruition. That accomplished, I felt confident enough to begin Chapter One, which followed my outline perfectly. And so did Chapters Two and Three. Oh, I was smokin'!
Or so I thought. But in the middle of Chapter Four, Lena Jones rebelled. Refusing to follow my directions, she veered off on a tangent I found unsettling, but couldn't seem to control. No respecter of outlines, Lena insisted that the book's other characters join in her rebellion, and Lena being the strong-minded person she is, they followed her orders. Good guys became bad guys, bad guys became semi-good (no one is ever 100% good in a mystery novel), and as the book rolled on, it became a mystery to me, its own creator. As if that weren't enough, Lena even took it upon herself to create several new characters – four women whose children had all disappeared, their kidnapper/s never identified. I tried to edit them out, but it didn't work. Somehow they always managed to fight their way back in.
I no longer knew where the book was going, but after some reflection, I realized that Lena knew what she was doing, from the book's beginning — which had to be rewritten — to the startling reveal.
Unlike the original ending, the ending Lena insisted upon was so disconcerting that even some mystery reviewers were spooked. Kirkus Reviews wrote, "Webb, no stranger to hot-button issues (DESERT WIND, 2012, etc.) takes on child molestation in a page-turner that presents both her flawed heroine and the reader with plenty of challenges to their moral codes." That "moral code" business discomfited the hell out of me, too, but I didn't override Lena's decision. I let her have her way, even when she charged into territory I had never planned to visit.
How does this sort of thing happen? How can a book turn out to be the exact opposite of what it started out to be? More to the point, why can't a writer keep her characters in line? After all, isn't the author the person who is ultimately in control?
You would think that after writing fourteen novels, I would have the answers to those questions, but I don't. The creative process continues to mystify me every bit as much as it did when I wrote my first book almost two decades ago. Being married to a psychologist hasn't helped, either. This morning, when I asked him why Lena could take control away from me, he just muttered something about Carl Jung's theory of the unconscious mind then changed the subject.
His comment about Jung, though, led me to suspect that Lena may be the dark side of my own nature.
But how can that be? I love kitties and puppies and I don't carry a knife. Or a .38 revolver. Over the years I've written about Lena Jones in nine books and one novella, and I almost never see myself in her. And as for our backgrounds… When Lena was four years old, her mother shot her in the head, then disappeared. After Lena emerged from the hospital, she endured a serious of abusive foster homes that would have destroyed a weaker person but instead made her stronger. That's hardly my life story. I've always been surrounded by a large extended family and not one of them has ever tried to kill me. Lena's world is far more dangerous than the one I inhabit.
And yet…
And yet there's something about Lena that reminds me of me. I just haven't figured out what it is. Maybe I never will. Jung, whom I also read and enjoy, devoted much of his writing to what he called the collective unconscious, believing that there is a wealth of universal knowledge that creative minds can tap into. Maybe that's true. Maybe Lena Jones is my conduit to that great collective unconscious. Then again, I could be kidding myself there. It's more probable, I think, that Lena knows more about me than I know about myself, and is therefore better qualified to make the kind of editorial decisions she made, over my protests, in DESERT VENGEANCE.
I suspect Jung – and Stephen King — might agree with that.
BIO: Betty Webb is the author of 15 books, including the nationally best-selling Lena Jones series(DESERT VENGEANCE, DESERT RANGE, etc), and the humorous Gunn Zoo mystery series (THE PUFFIN OF DEATH, THE KOALA OF DEATH, etc.). Before beginning to write fiction, Betty worked as a journalist, interviewing everyone from U.S. presidents, astronauts who walked on the moon, Nobel Prize-winners, and polygamy runaways. She has taught creative writing classes at the university level, and has been a nationally-syndicated book critic for 30 years. In addition to other organizations, Betty is a member of the National Federation of Press Women, Mystery Writers of America, and the Writers Guild. She has also served as a Writer-in-Residence for the Arizona State Library.


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This video contains a recording of "Naples is for Necromancers", a talk I gave as part of the Night of Folk Necromancy event organized by Morbid Anatomy and Radio Free Golgotha.
Litany to the Dead from Naples, Italy
In a previous post, we examined several accounts of the cult of the Holy Souls in Purgatory at Fontanelle Cemetery in Naples. Fontanelle Cemetery is an ossuary occupied Anime Pezzentelle, that is, "lost" souls, or souls without living descendents to perform official indulgences on their behalf. Many of them lost their lives during the great plagues of the 17th century, a time during which the city struggled to keep up with the task of burying large numbers of recently deceased citizens. The Anime Pezzentelle are said to suffer from the heat and pains of Purgatory, where their only solace are the prayers and refreshment provided by the living. Refreshment or refrische can take many forms: cool water, sacramentals such as rosary beads or saint cards, and oil lamps or candles are all common forms of refreshment. The goal of these devotional practices is to establish a bond through which soul can establish contact through dreams. Once this intimate relationship is in place, the soul may reveal more details about who they were in life, divine the future (including lottery numbers), or be petitioned to perform miracles.
The prayer below, originally in Neapolitan and translated into English, may be said by groups or individuals who wish to gain the favor of Anime Pezzentelle, specifically the souls of plague victims. It is traditionally said while in the ossuary, although we might speculate that all cemeteries belongs to the same kingdom. The opening prayer is repeated for the names of all the deceased being invoked. (Anime Pezzentelle are usually said to reveal their names in dream early in the relationship, and often some details about who they were in life such as their gender and occupation.) The closing prayer is said before departing from the ossuary or cemetery.
There are a few traditional elements worth noting. For one, we see mentions of the beatings and nails of the Crucifixion which were also present in the Sicilian rosary for the dead we saw previously. Furthermore, in addition to invocations to Jesus and the Holy Trinity, we also see a powerful image of the female divine in this prayer: an entreaty to "come in the name of Jesus Christ, Saint Anne, and Maria"; a request vindicated "by the tears of the Sorrowful Mother"; and the line "pray to your divine redeemer (the Madonna)", where the word "redeemer" is unmistakbly feminine in the original text. It is worth noting that in Naples, work with the lost souls is predominantly, perhaps exclusively, considered to be "women's work". The gendering is reinforced in the language of the work, which speaks of "adopting" skulls, as well as the objects commonly used in these devotions, which include handmade embroidery and rosary beads. The practitioner quite literally becomes the mother of a lost soul.
(opening prayer)
Guida: Guè, pè l'anema 'e (name of deceased). Coro: Requia materna. (repeat as needed)
(prayer for the plague victims) Io ve chiammo aneme tutte, Aneme appestate cchiù de tutte; Mò che nnante a Dio state A me mischinu scunzulatu E nun ve ne scurdate. Pregate alla nostra divina clemenza, Arapitece 'e porte de la santa divina clemenza pruverenza: Pregate alla vostra divina Redentora, Ce favorite il nostro 'ntenzione; Mille e tanta vote Reque, refrische, repuose, sullievo e pace A chest' aneme appestate mie rilette; Venite a casa mia ca v'aspetto; E paura nun me ne metto. Venite co lu nomme 'e Giesù Cristo, Sant'Anna e Maria; 'E case noste cuntente e cunzulate sia. Pe lu nomme de la Santissima Ternità Tutt'e ppene, tutte 'e turmiente Tutt'e guaie nc'adda acquietà. Pe li voste battitore Fance grazia vosto Signore; Pe tre chiove trapassate Refrische e sullievo a chell'aneme sante appestate.
Gesù mio misericordia; Gesù mio misericordia; P'e lacreme 'e Mamm' Addulurata Refrische all'aneme de l'appestate.
(closing prayer)
Requia materna, erona romine, sparpetua lucia 'nterna schiatte in pace. Amen.
(opening prayer)
Guide: Hail to the soul of (name of deceased). Chorus: Eternal peace. (repeat as needed)
(prayer for the plague victims)
I call you, all souls, Plague victims above all other souls, I pray that near to God you be. Do not forget me, I, a disconsolate wretch. Pray to our divine mercy, Open the doors of holy, divine, merciful providence: Pray to your divine redeemer (the Madonna), That she favor our intentions; Thousands of times Calm, refreshment, rest, solace, and peace To these plague victims' souls, my beloveds; Come to my home where I await you; Because I have no fear. Come in the name of Jesus Christ, Saint Anne, and Maria; And let our homes be content and consoling. By the name of the Divine Trinity All troubles must be calmed. By your beatings Do us grace, oh Lord. By the three nails, Refreshment and solace to the holy souls of plague victims.
My Jesus, mercy; My Jesus, mercy; By the tears of the Sorrowful Mother, Refreshment to the souls of the plague victims.
(closing prayer)
Eternal peace give them O Lord, shine eternal light, may they rest in peace. Amen.
(Source: Luciano Sola – "Il Camposanto delle Fontanelle. Storia e costumi di Napoli")


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240 sec, f/8.0, ISO 100, 10 mm, EF-S 10-22 mm
Took this image on the 2nd of December 2014 when I saw some nice drift in the clouds on Jumeirah Beach. Decided to go a bit under exposed here to give a bit of a silhouette feel which would highlight Burj Al Arab at the backdrop.
I decided not to clone out the people in the backdrop as well since I like the ghostly effect it adds to the image.
Hope I get to see more clouds in Dubai!


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(My little animal is on the left.)
and so did the farm animals.
Say hello to Wooly
...and to Billy
...and of course, Romeo who had a little affair with my son's teacher!
~ ~ ~
The harvest of ghastly and gorgeous gourds was abundant,
so I purchased a few for my table at home.
Enjoy your weekend everyone. Thank you for stopping by.
~ ~ ~
Ciao amici,


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The importance of giving back to Wright State University was not lost on cash-strapped students who filled up piggy banks during April Craze as part of a competition to help fund scholarships.
Colorful porcelain piggy banks lined the Student Philanthropy Council's (SPC) table at April Craze, a celebration that marks the end of the semester. The piggy banks were part of the council's Fund4WrightState competition aimed at raising money toward tuition for four Wright State students. The Student Alumni Association won the competition, with more than $70 filling its piggy bank.
Becky Valekis, assistant director of Annual Giving, said tuition only covers about 59 percent of what it costs for a student to attend Wright State so private support is needed to bridge that gap.
"SPC's goal of the competition was to educate Wright State students on the importance of giving back to the university and help students know about the impact donors have on their education," said Valekis. "We want to encourage students to be philanthropic while they are still students to prepare them to be philanthropic when they graduate."
Holly Gersbacher, assistant director of alumni relations for the Student Alumni Association, said the Fund4WrightState competition was a great way to support the Wright State community.
"The Student Alumni Association has a goal to enhance student involvement in the university," said Gersbacher. "When SPC presented the idea of raising funds for the Fund4WrightState campaign, the Student Alumni Association knew that this was a great way to help introduce students to supporting their university as well as collaborating with another great student organization with a similar mission as us."
The Wright State Alumni Association represents more than 100,000 alumni living in every state in the United States and in 40 other countries. From Legacy Scholarships to networking opportunities, the association strives to provide its members with a wide variety of benefits in athletics, arts, entertainment and education.
Since 1994, the Legacy Scholarship program has provided tuition assistance to students pursuing their Wright State degrees. These scholarships are intended for the families of Alumni Association members and continue to grow the university's institutional heritage.
The Student Alumni Association demonstrated their dedication to helping students with their victory in the SPC piggy bank competition.
"The Student Alumni Association works to facilitate a relationship between students, alumni and the community and works collaboratively with other student organizations to instill a sense of tradition amongst students," said Gersbacher.


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No injuries in Mercer County gas well explosion
Two storage tanks at a natural gas well site in Mercer County caught fire and exploded, but no injuries were reported.
More than a dozen fire departments responded to the blaze in rural Jefferson Township at about 8 p.m. Friday.
Hilcorp Energy Company says that the storage tanks holding oil and gas liquids caught fire at the well pad, and the blaze lasted less than an hour. Hilcorp says the well wasn't involved.
Area residents say they heard explosions and that black smoke from the fire could be seen from miles away, but no homes were evacuated. The state Department of Environmental Protection closed a local road to all nonemergency vehicles.
Hilcorp says the cause of the fire is being investigated.


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Welcome to the second part of a three part series about building a Hackintosh. In the first part we discussed what goes into a Hackintosh, and why I decided to build one, as opposed to buying a Mac directly from Apple. In this part we'll go over the actual build process and the installation of Mac OS X on the system.
Assembling the Components
The assembly of the components is no different for a Hackintosh than any other standard PC build, if you've ever done one before. It had been a while since I've done a PC build, so I was a little rusty. That said, it still only took me an hour to an hour an a half to actually do the assembly.
First, take the motherboard out of the box and out of it's static wrap. Place the wrap on your work surface, and then place the motherboard on top of it. If you have an anti-static strap now would be a good time to put it on and attach it to something metal. If you don't have one, be extra cautious when touching the static sensitive components of your build (ie- all of the components). Touching a bare piece of metal frequently during your build to discharge yourself is a good idea, and a step that shouldn't be overlooked.
With the motherboard on the table (on the static wrap) carefully unbox your processor. It's way easier to install it on the board outside of the case, so that's what we'll be doing now. Attach the processor as per your motherboard and processors instructions. It's usually as simple as dropping it on the pins (carefully) in the appropriate direction and then pulling down the arms to hold it in place. Afterward attach your CPU cooler of choice following the directions that came with your cooler. For me, I used the stock Intel cooler, so it was a matter of lining up the pins with the receptacles on my motherboard, and then pressing down firmly.
Next up is the memory (RAM). Again, it's easier to do this outside of the case. Open up your memory and put it in the slots. If your motherboard has color coded slots (two of one color, two of another) put your RAM in the same colored slots. If it's they're not color coded check with your motherboard's manual to see if your board supports dual channel memory, and if so install your memory according to the instructions to achieve the best performance.
It's now time to start working on the case. The first thing we need to do is install the power supply. Open up the case and remove the power supply. Install the power supply in the appropriate location and use the included screws to attach it to the case. Follow the instruction manuals for your case and power supply for more details.
Now we're ready to drop the motherboard, with the attached CPU and RAM into the case. Assemble the motherboard stands (if necessary) in the appropriate formation to hold your motherboard. Next, attach the IO plate that came with your board to the opening at the back of the case. Once snapped in, carefully place your motherboard on the stands and attach your board with the included screws. Make sure the IO plate is lined up correctly before screwing everything down.
Once the motherboard is installed we need to hook up the power. There should be two connectors on your motherboard for power. One big one and one small one. There should also be corresponding cables from your power supply. Take each cable and carefully plug it into the appropriate spot on your board.
Now comes the most tedious part of the install, snaking all the case wires to the pins on the motherboard. Locate the bundle of wires coming out of your case somewhere. There should be about 6 or 8 little wires that are labeled like "SW RESET", "PWR+", "PWR-", "HDD", etc. You should see a similarly labeled group of pins on your motherboard. Plug each of those wires into the appropriate place. Look at your motherboard's instruction manual for greater detail.
If you have a separate graphics card or any expansion cards, now's the time to install those. For the graphics card, you typically want to use the fastest PCI slot on your board. For me, that was the top slot, so I removed the corresponding plate(s) from the back of the case, and gently pushed in my GPU. Once properly seated I screwed it into the case using the included thumb screw. I installed my firewire card in the same manner.
Last, but not least, comes the installation of your storage media. I have 3 hard drives (two regular one, one solid state) and a DVD writer/reader. I mounted the DVD drive in the top most 5.25″ bay, and then each of my HDDs in the appropriate spots in my case. I plugged in my SSD into a 6 GB/s SATAIII port on my motherboard, and the other 3 drives into the 3 3 GB/s SATAII ports.
The Moment of Truth
It's time to close up your case, and hook it up to some power. Plug in the cable from the wall in to your power supply and hook up your monitor, keyboard and mouse. If you have a graphics card, some suggest to use the on board video for the installation of Mac OS X. I didn't, and I didn't have a problem.
Once you have everything connected, press the power button, and with any luck you should see (and hear) your new toy turn on. Sit back and marvel at your handiwork and your geek prowess for a second.
The BIOS
When you're finished marveling, reboot the machine and head right into the BIOS. In your BIOS you'll need to configure a few parameters before you can start installing Mac OS X. If you chose a Gigabyte motherboard as I did, here's a handy guide to configuring the BIOS for Mac OS X.
Locate the HDD or storage area of your BIOS and look for HDD or SATA mode. You will be prompted with several options, like RAID, IDE and one of those options will be AHCI. Select AHCI.
Boot Order
You'll need to select the drive that you intend to install Mac OS X on. For me, it was the SSD, so that is the drive I selected to boot first.
Installing Mac OS X
There are many different methods to install Mac OS X on a PC. I chose to use tonymacx86's UniBeast method as I believe it is the easiest, and most widely used method. The only problem with this method is you must already have a working Mac to build the UniBeast USB drive. I have a MacBook, so this wasn't a problem for me.
To install, register at tonymacx86.com and download UniBeast and MultiBeast. Run the UniBeast installer on your preexisting Mac, and select the Mac OS X Mountain Lion installer (that you legally obtained from the Mac App Store). The USB creation will take about 30 or 40 minutes to complete.
Once the USB drive is ready plug it in to your new Hackintosh and power it up. Press the correct function key on your keyboard to enter the boot order (F12 for Gigabyte boards), and select "USB-HDD" to boot from the USB drive.
You should eventually see a multi-language welcome screen, which is the installer for Mac OS X.
From there, follow tonymacx86's guide for getting Mac OS X installed. When the installation is finished, come back here for the next steps.
Configuring MultiBeast
Like UniBeast, MultiBeast is a tonymacx86 special. It makes selecting the appropriate drivers for your hardware a breeze. If you have a second USB drive, copy the MultiBeast installer to it from your other working Mac, then copy it to your freshly installed Hackintosh. Once copied to your Hackintosh, run it and select the appropriate options for your hardware.
If you have the same hardware as I do, here's what you'd select:
NOTE: If you don't have a dedicated nVidia graphics card, be sure uncheck the box that says "GraphicsEnabler=No".
As far as System Definitions go, you can choose whatever you'd like here, but I went for "iMac13,1", which is the equivalent of a Late 2012 iMac with an i7 processor. The reason I chose this definition is because it was the closest match to the hardware I have (notably the i7 processor), and because it offers the best compromise of performance and features (such as AirPlay Mirroring).
Once your MultiBeast settings are configured, remove any USB drives and reboot. In a few seconds (or minutes if you don't have a SSD) you should see your Mac OS X desktop! Congratulations! You successfully built a working Hackintosh!
It's not uncommon to run into a few issues when attempting to do a Hackintosh build or installation. Fortunately, I only ran into one, and it was an easy fix. I was getting a "boot0" error when attempting to boot from my hard disk, and luckily it was a very common problem. Check out this guide for help resolving it, if you run into it.
For other problems, I wholeheartedly recommend you join the tonymacx86 forums. There are a bunch of other like-minded folks doing the same thing you are and can help you solve any problems or provide guidance. If I hadn't done my research on these forums prior to doing my build and installation I don't think I would have had as much success as I did.
Final Thoughts
That wraps up this second part in my three part series on building a Hackintosh. So far, I couldn't be happier with my decision to go down this path, and my system is performing wonderfully. I'll report back in a month or so with the third and final installment in this series. For now, here's a time lapse of the build:


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Charlotte Knights
Longoria, Bulls squeak by Knights
Evan Longoria stroked a go-ahead double in the eighth inning as visiting Durham rallied past Charlotte, 4-3, on Sunday.
With the score tied, 3-3, Jon Weber singled to open the eighth and scored on Longoria's hit to center field. Longoria, who made his Triple-A debut on Aug. 2, also walked and scored on Wes Bankston's sacrifice fly in the fourth.
Justin Ruggiano hit an RBI double and Weber followed with a run-scoring single in the fifth to help the Bulls (66-55) erase an early three-run deficit.
Durham starter Jae Seo (6-3) ended a personal two-game skid after giving up three runs on seven hits while striking out seven over seven innings. Chad Orvella worked around two hits and a walk in the ninth for his 17th save.
Earl Snyder and Tomas Perez lined consecutive RBI doubles in the first for the Knights (54-68).
Charlotte's Carlos Vasquez (2-3) allowed a run on a hit and a walk with three strikeouts over two frames. Starter Nick Masset surrendered three runs on five hits and three walks while fanning seven over five innings.


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This site provides information using PDF, visit this link to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC software.
This site provides information using PDF, visit this link to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC software.
Board Member
Terry Clark is the president of Cobalt Boats, joining the company in June of 2015 after 25 years in the aviation industry. Terry joined Cessna in August of 1999 after almost ten years of service with Raytheon (Beech) Aircraft. Assignments with that company include Plant Manager of Salina, Kansas operations and Group Manager of Manufacturing for the JPATS program. Responsibilities at Cessna have included Director of Single Engine and Paint Operations, General Manager of the Independence facility, General Manager of the Columbus, Georgia facility, and President of Citation Air in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Mr. Clark obtained his Master's degree from Pittsburg State University, his Bachelor's from Missouri Southern State University and did other undergraduate work at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College. Mr. Clark is an active commercial/instrument pilot and resides near Independence, Kansas with his wife Patti. Daughter Jennifer is a nurse in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, with his 3 granddaughters. His oldest son Ryan resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma with two sons and his youngest son Ben is employed as an engineer near Atlanta, Georgia. When not building boats Terry spends time on his farm near the ICC campus refurbishing and flying his 1946 J3 Cub, motorcycling and boating.


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This is the perfect time of year to make sure your financial house is in order. Everyone wants to end the year on the right foot, and in order to do so you'll want to revisit your financial big picture by assessing your assets, debts, and investments including your retirement plans, life insurance, as well as your health and homeowner's insurance policies.
A great way to do this is by completing a personal financial inventory.
This worksheet will help you document important information about your personal finances including the location of records, insurance information, and key contacts for your finances. A personal inventory is important for everyone to complete and have readily available not only for organizational purposes but also in the event of emergency situations when others may need to know important details about your personal finances.
Complete a personal inventory and feel more securing going into 2014.
Add new comment
Neil Lunzmann (not verified) April 27, 2014
I have looked for nearly an hour trying to find the "personal financial Inventory" worksheet referenced in this article with zero luck. Would someone please show me what I'm doing wrong.
Also, I can't find any of the financial calculators you used to have on your old web site. Where did you hide those?
Thanks for you help.
site manager April 28, 2014
Hi Neil,
The link has been fixed, but you can also find the worksheet here:
Our financial calculators can be found here:
Thanks so much for bringing the link issue to our attention. Let us know if there's anything else you are having trouble locating.


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KARACHI - Police have arrested a spiritual faith healer after the death of a youth who died during treatment at his 'Aastana' on Monday.
The faith healer was identified as 'Baba Ejaz' after the victim's family, along with his body, staged protest against the incident and demanded the law enforcers to arrest the faith healer.
Upon which, police took action and arrested the faith healer from his Aastana situated in Garden area. The victim was identified as Abdul Ghani, 30, resident of Kala Pull area. The accused is the resident of Maripur and used to run his Aastana in Garden area.
There were reports that Ghani was burnt to death by a spiritual faith healer during treatment, however, police denied it. SP Sheraz Nazeer said the man died after inhaling too much smoke from a pot which faith healer used to treat his patients. He said the body was shifted to Civil Hospital Karachi while further investigation was underway. No case has been registered.


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< Out of Towners Open Day 31 May | Graphic Design Graduate Successful in 2016 ISTD Australasian Student Assessments >
HoD Arts Therapy Amanda Levey has been accepted to co-present a workshop at the 2017 ECArTE (European Consortium of Arts Therapy Educators) conference in Krakow, Poland. ECArTE is a consortium of Universities and currently comprises of 32 member institutions from 14 European countries. Proposals for the prestigious experiential workshop sessions go through a rigorous peer review process. Amanda has received support from the Contestable Research Fund to attend the conference in September 2017.


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Class of 2018
JD Student
Hometown: Reno, Nevada
Undergraduate: University of Nevada-Reno
Major: Political Science and Government
Year/Track: 2018
Tiffani Thomas became part of the McGeorge family in August 2015. While she was born and raised on a cattle ranch in South Dakota, she spent the first half of her childhood in Wyoming. Her family then moved to Reno, Nevada where she attended both middle school and high school.
After the tragic events of 9/11, she decided to serve her country by enlisting in the United States Air Force as a Chinese Linguist. She was trained in the military as a Chinese Linguist and has even spent time in Taiwan where she was recruited and competed as a hair model for a national competition.
While the military was a great experience for her, she knew that she ultimately wanted to go back to school and finish her degree. After completing four years of active duty, she moved to Alaska for a year and went to school at the University of Alaska, Anchorage. After deciding Alaska was not the best fit given the often dark and gloomy winter months, she moved to Reno, Nevada to complete her Bachelor's degree in Political Science. She then went on to complete a Master's degree in Asian History with an additional Master's degree Certificate in Gender, Race, and Identity.
Shortly after defending her thesis, she graduated and decided she needed another change of scenery. Tiffani moved to Maryland, working for a nonprofit organization as a Civil/Legal Advocate in the Annapolis District Courthouse. During her time in the courthouse, she spent the majority of her efforts in assisting people through the process of obtaining peace/protective orders and emergency psychiatric evaluations. This exposure to the legal system led her towards pursuing a career in law.
Because of the fortunate opportunity of having her own personal office in the courthouse, she was able to spend a considerable amount of time each day in the courtroom. Listening to cases while working in the Annapolis District Courthouse bolstered her desire to pursue a career in law. It was this experience that showed Tiffani how important the legal field can be to the everyday lives of many people. She realized that practicing law was a perfect way to make a powerful difference in the community.
Because she knew that she wanted to practice law in California, McGeorge was a natural choice. She also knows many people who have graduated from McGeorge and gone on to have successful careers. In addition to that, she attended the "Admitted Students Day" and felt the welcoming and supportive nature of the faculty and staff. To Tiffani, the "best thing so far about McGeorge is the community" that she is surrounded by. She feels that her "classmates, along with the faculty and alumni, have all come together to foster an environment with a focus on academics, but also an emphasis on the next phase-- life after law school."
While Tiffani has an interest in International Law, she is opened to exploring different
types of law where she can use her foreign language skills, advocacy training, and
familiarity with diverse cultures.


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(CNN) -- The stars of "The 101 Dalmatians Musical" are really a spoiled bunch. They travel in luxury in their own van, are pampered 24/7 and have all their meals catered.
No different from the usual celebrity, you say? In this case, the stars of the show also have to be walked two times a day.
Fifteen Dalmatians go onstage to entertain audiences twice during the musical. They have been trained to do choreographed routines, without any visible human assistance.
"To my knowledge, no one has ever put that on a Broadway stage before," said producer Lee Marshall, referring to this unique combination of actors and live animals.
The dogs were found over a lengthy four-month search, taking producers all across the country.
"Almost all of the animals were rescued," said animal trainer Joel Slaven. "We did not go out and order puppies from breeders to do this project. We went literally from New York to California, to almost every Dalmatian rescue group in the country, and so many humane societies and rescue shelters, to find these dogs."
Slaven said many of the dogs were disowned by previous owners, citing "behavioral reasons." However, he said he was able to create the show around each of the dogs' personalities.
For example, one dog starring in the show was abandoned by its previous owners, who claimed the Dalmatian was constantly chewing and eating up everything in the house.
"We needed a dog that wanted to pull things across the stage," Slaven said. "Well now, he gets to pull things and chew things, and he gets chicken for it, and he gets played with for it, and he gets a tennis ball for it."
"The 101 Dalmatians Musical" is touring the country through the end of 2010, including a three-week engagement in April at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The show stars Drama Desk Award winner Rachel York as the evil Cruella De Vil and is directed by Tony Award winner Jerry Zaks. It also includes a crew of 9- to 10-year-old human actors playing Dalmatian "puppies."
Fans of the animated Disney film and more recent live-action movies will be able to recognize the story, but the producers chose to base the plot instead on Dodie Smith's classic children's book, which is told from the dogs' perspective.
The adult actors are required to act on 15-inch stilts in oversize and elaborate costumes to create the illusion the story is being told from the Dalmatians' point of view. York described this challenge as "absolute insanity" at first, but over time the cast has pulled it off.
Slaven said that once the show ends, the Dalmatians will be set up for adoption. Purina Dog Chow, the official sponsor of the show, even announced that it would give away a year's worth of free dog food to families willing to adopt one of the pooches.
York said she is pleased with how everything has gone, starting with the first performance last month in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
"It went really well," she said. "It was wonderful to hear the reactions of children responding to certain lines or certain characters onstage. ... I think it was even better than we anticipated."
The musical is tailored toward animal lovers, of course, but the show's creators insist families will enjoy it based on the positive message alone, just in time for the holiday season.
"It's a love story, it's a family story," Marshall said. "It's all about the mom and the dad and their children -- how they were born and [then] separated and reunited."
This story -- in real life and on the stage -- seems to have a happy ending for everyone involved.
"Most of the dogs we have are rescued, and if we wouldn't have rescued them, [they] probably would have not had a happy life," Marshall said. "Now they ride around in a rolling doggy palace. ... The dogs are pampered and played with. It's an amazing thing, actually."


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Medicine Hat, Alta, incorporated as a city in 1906, population 60 005 (2011c), 56 997 (2006c). The City of Medicine Hat is one of Alberta's largest cities. It is located on the Canadian Pacific Railway main line and the Trans-Canada Highway in the southeastern corner of the province, bisected by the South Saskatchewan River. Canada's driest city, Medicine Hat averages 271 days of sunshine annually with little precipitation. The area also enjoys a growing season of 120 days. A council of 8 aldermen and a mayor govern the city.
A tent city sprang up in the valley of the South Saskatchewan River in 1883 while work crews were constructing a bridge, the only river crossing in the prairie railway system. The valley was also well known to itinerant Cree and Blackfoot who frequented it. Numerous legends account for Medicine Hat's unique name. Evidence of early native activity is found in the Saamis Archaelogical Site. Located in the valley of Seven Persons Creek, the site is important because of the range of activities represented, the abundance and variety of features and the fact that it has been extensively excavated. Today a gigantic landmark teepee overlooks the site.
Early setlers, some Métis, others Ontario-born, were first to arrive in the area. By the 1890s German-speaking immigrants occupied parts of the hinterland that were not previously set aside for farming and ranching. The discovery of natural gas, coal and clay deposits stimulated early industrial development. Unfortunately, economic depression before and then following World War I, as well as the severe drought conditions during the 1920s and 1930s, drove many from the land and severely curtailed economic development. The years following World War II saw a gradual restoration of prosperity and an increase in population.
The Suffield military base and research station, petrochemical industries and manufacturing industries such as Goodyear Canada and Wittke Waste Products, together with the traditional industries of brick manufacturing and agriculture, form the basis of a robust local economy. Numerous greenhouse operations and other smaller manufacturing outlets enjoy the advantages of reasonable energy costs from city-owned natural gas. Today, Medicine Hat serves a large retail network for southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan. Over 130 000 people regularly shop and use services provided by the city.
Medicine Hat, with its 3 converging valley systems, is an oasis on the vast arid plains. It has numerous parks and provides a variety of recreational facilities. As well, the magnificent Cypress Hills, a favourite recreation area for residents, is located 66 km southeast of the city.
A community college offers post-secondary educational opportunities. Baseball and hockey franchises are also located in Medicine Hat. The city takes pride in a number of visual artists who have won recognition for their work nationally. Area residents are served by a daily newspaper, 2 radio stations, a television station and a community cable company.


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Mom, Apple Pie and an Old Baseball Card
By GEORGE VECSEY
For decades, the mothers of America have been vilified for the heinous act of throwing out their children's shoeboxes full of crumpled baseball cards.
Generations of vengeful offspring have whined that if their mothers had not indulged in mindless spring cleaning, the cards could have been turned into a Lamborghini or an A frame in Vail or an investment with that nice Madoff fellow.
It was all their mothers' fault. It always is, isn't it?
Now there is a phenomenon called Revenge of the Mothers. Good fortune has come fluttering Bernice Gallego's way, out of somebody else's discarded clutter.
Bernice Gallego is not a baseball fan. She loves Pavarotti, for sure, but the only baseball name she knows is Willie Mays, from her mother's listening to the radio when the Giants arrived in San Francisco in 1958.
Fact is, Gallego has never seen a baseball game — majors, minors or Little League. ("My son is a computer person," she said.) But she thinks she could get interested in the sport, given the windfall that has fallen into her life.
Gallego and her husband, Al, frequent estate sales around Fresno, Calif., acquiring truckloads of antiques or just plain junk out of people's attics and cellars. They sort it out later at their shop, Collectique.
Last summer, the Gallegos were going through their accumulation, posting items on eBay, when she spotted a rectangular card, somewhat mussed, with a photograph of 10 dashing young men in uniforms.
The lads could have been the Fighting A's of Oakland of the 1970s, who had mustaches and attitude, but the card definitely said Red Stocking B. B. Club of Cincinnati, and she knew it was a bit older than the 1970s. She put it up for auction at $10.
Al and Bernice Gallego did not get to be 80 and 72 without acquiring some smarts. When the kindly folks out there in Webland seemed a trifle eager to take the card off their hands, the Gallegos took the card off the market and went to discover just exactly what they had.
Turns out, this is probably the oldest baseball card in history. The Cincinnati Red Stockings were merely the first professional baseball team on this continent, or probably any other. Bat and ball games had been played in many parts of the world, but baseball evolved in the northeastern United States in the 1830s and '40s. According to "Playing for Keeps: A History of Early Baseball" by Warren Goldstein, right after the Civil War, an attorney, Aaron B. Champion, assembled 10 amateurs in Cincinnati, gave them uniforms and paid them $800 or more a season, a respectable yearly wage for that time.
The 1869 Red Stockings were undefeated, winning an estimated 65 games, including league games and exhibitions, with one tie against the Troy Haymakers.
That year a card was distributed as an advertisement for Peck & Snyder, a New York manufacturer of both firefighting and sports equipment...
As Bernice Gallego is discovering, the tale of the Red Stockings has a thoroughly modern twist to it. In 1870, they won 27 more straight games but then lost to the Brooklyn Atlantics, which ended their mystique almost immediately.
Attendance dropped, the team could not make a profit, and the Wright brothers took their red stockings and moved to — oh, but you guessed it — Boston. The Peck & Snyder baseball cards went into the shoebox of oblivion.
The Gallegos have no idea where they got the card. They have been told by collectible experts that the card will be worth well into five figures, perhaps even $100,000, depending on the economy. Jay Leno's people and Martha Stewart's people have been requesting appearances. The auction will be scheduled for later this year, in Fresno. (The find was first reported by Mike Osegueda in The Fresno Bee.)...
"I'm learning why people care so intensely," Gallego said. "I can now understand why people collect baseball cards."
Collecting is understandable. Throwing cards out is not so understandable. At least one shoebox has ended up in a mother's hands. It seems only right.
The Mindful, Phenomenological, Existential Talmudic Blog of Rabbi Dr. Tzvee Zahavy
Times: Bernice Finds World's Oldest Baseball Card in the Attic
Hey kids. Not the Bernice you thought it was... I'm going out to the garage right now to start rummaging through those boxes!
3 comments:
In the digital age, collectors are diminishing. Bill Gates has screens alternating images of masterworks at home. His argument is why stock one card when you can superficially view them all? This concept fits the new depressed economy. Moms rejoice. No more clutter.
So Tzvee, what happened to all those old baseball cards?
its not the oldest baseball card according to expert Brian Cataquet
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Montserrat Manzano
Phone:52 (55) 5258-1018
Montserrat is Partner of the Arbitration Practice of Von Wobeser y Sierra. She has approximately, 17 years of experience and has participated in more than 50 arbitrations as party attorney, secretary and/or arbitral tribunal assistant, in arbitrations conducted under the rules of the ICC, AAA, UNCITRAL, PCA, ICSID, complementary mechanism of ICSID and CAM. She has solid experience in dispute resolution related to administrative law and government contracting. Furthermore, she has participated in both commercial and investment arbitrations, in various sectors, including the following: Energy, Construction, Port, Shipping, Chemical involving both Mexican and foreign law.
Representative Matters
Representative in an ad hoc arbitration under the UNCITRAL Rules related to the breach of an investment agreement. The arbitration was held in New York City and the applicable law was Mexican law. USD $1.5 billion.
Assistant of the arbitral tribunal in a PCA arbitration, related to an oil joint venture contract between a consortium and a Latin American state. USD $1 billion.
Assistant to the President of the Tribunal in the ICSID annulment proceeding Ioan Micula, et al v. Romania, related to the annulment of an award issued against Romania. +€84 million.
Assistant of the annulment committee in the ICSID arbitration Standard Chartered Bank Limited v. Tanesco. Amount in dispute USD $250 million.
Secretary of the arbitral tribunal in an ICC arbitration between a state company and a consortium related to an oil company investment. USD $265 million.
Representative of Constructora Internacional de Infraestructura (ICA) in an ICC arbitration filed against the CFE, related to the construction of a hydroelectric dam.
Representative of Gasoductos del Sureste y Gasoductos de Chihuahua in an ICC case filed by the company Techint, related to the construction of a pipeline. USD $69 million.
Representative in an ICC arbitration between a Dutch company and a Mexican company, both in the chemical industry. The arbitration was held in Houston, Texas, and the applicable law was the internal law of New York and provisions of Mexican law.
Secretary of the arbitral tribunal in an ad hoc arbitration under the UNCITRAL Rules. Dispute between a Bolivian company in the telecommunications sector and the Republic of Ecuador in relation to a concession agreement. The arbitration was held in Mexico City and the applicable law was the law of the Republic of Ecuador.
Sole arbitrator in a CANACO arbitration related to an Operations Contract.
Other Practices
Education & Experience
Law Degree (J.D. equivalent), Universidad Iberoamericana, México City.
Diploma in International Arbitration (first in Class), Escuela Libre de Derecho, Mexico City.
Master of Laws Degree (LL.M.) in International Commercial Law, Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge.
Diploma, "Investment Arbitration in Latin America", International Chamber of Commerce/International Bar Association Seminar, Mexico City.
Diploma, "Take the witness cross-examination in International Arbitration", Vienna.
Diploma, "Dispute Solutions in the International Energy Sector", International Chamber of Commerce, Mexico City.
Advanced Arbitration Academy for Latin America, International Chamber of Commerce, México City.
Foreign attorney, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Paris.
Affiliations & Academic Activities
Member of the Young International Arbitration Group of the London Court of International Arbitration.
Member of the International Chamber of Commerce Young Arbitrators Forum.
Member of Arbitral Women.
Secretary, Committee of Relations with other international organizations (International Bar Association, United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, International Council for Commercial Arbitration).
Member of the Latin American Arbitrators Association.
Mediation Committee, International Chamber of Commerce, Mexico City.
Chair, Young Arbitratior´s Initiative of the Institute for Transnational Arbitration (2015-2017).
Member of Abogadas en Arbitraje, Mexico City.
Member of AbogadasMx, Mexico City.
Latin Lawyer 250, Who's Who Legal Mexico Arbitration, Who's Who Legal Arbitration Future Leaders, Who´s Who Legal Mexico. Who's Who Legal Future Leaders Under 45 in Arbitration.
Montserrat Manzano - YAI Talks Miami: Conquering new grounds, the Finance and Banking Industry.
Montserrat Manzano recognized in Who's Who Legal list of Future Leaders Under 45 in Arbitration
Latin Lawyer – Claus Von Wobeser, Fernando Moreno, Marco Tulio Venegas, Montserrat Manzano, Katarina Lundahl y Rodrigo Macin – Techint settles ICC claim over Mexican gas pipeline.
Claus von Wobeser, Marco Tulio Venegas, Montserrat Manzano - The Arbitration Review of the Americas, October 2015
Claus von Wobeser, Marco Tulio Venegas, Montserrat Manzano - GAR-The Arbitration Review of the Americas, 2016.
Claus von Wobeser , Montserrat Manzano - Getting the Deal Through, Arbitration 2014
Spanish and English.


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We are an innovative provider of managed IT services for organisations and companies all over the UK. Founded in 2007, we have many years of experience delivering effective IT, network and security solutions that facilitate real business growth for our clients.
We pride ourselves on having our finger on the pulse of the tech world, always able to predict the latest developments and help our clients remain one step ahead, whether it's in cabling technology or cloud migration. Our services are built on a foundation of expert knowledge and real commitment from our team, who are dedicated to providing an unrivalled experience to each client, at an affordable price.


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DC Comics' Villains Month is right around the corner, and as the September celebration of all things evil creeps up, the publisher continues to release more information about the publishing initiative -- however, the single issues aren't the only way DC plans to give a nod to its villains. The publisher has provided CBR with an exclusive first look at Kevin Nowlan's cover for "Necessary Evil: The Villains of the DC Universe" trade paperback, which collects a number of older stories featuring the massive rogues gallery of the DCU. Nowlan's cover sees the Joker with playing cards representing Catwoman, Lex Luthor, Black Adam and Sinestro. The collection, which hits stores September 4, features backup stories from "Countdown" as well as individual issues of "Action Comics Annual," "Batman," "Wonder Woman," "Green Lantern Corps," "Black Adam" and more.
Check out Nowlan's cover below.