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One of the new card types Magic introduced in the original Innistrad block were double-faced cards for changeling creatures. On one side would be Dr. Jekyll, on the other, Mr. Hyde. In this case (as in many others), the double-faced card represented a werewolf. In the first go around with Innistrad, I got to do art for one of these (link). This time, however, the art would require something a bit different. The starting point would be the wolf rather than the human, and card's other face would reveal the horror that that wolf would become.
While I could go on about Magic's storyline and the implications for the sets "Shadows Over Innistrad" and "Eldritch Moon," suffice it to say that this return to Innistrad reveals that something has entered that world and has begun to change it. People and creatures are becoming deformed, buildings are changing shape, tentacle-like vines are cropping up everywhere. There is clearly something more horrifying than usual going on. The result being that much of the art done for these bits of story required some pretty weird deviations to the usual Innistrad nightmares.
Anyway, I seem to have lost my art descriptions on these two but as memory serves, in the first piece I was asked to paint a werewolf with some minor, subtle deformities in an alley. Perhaps there might be some people running for their lives. In the second piece, I was asked to depict the horrifying, tentacle-covered creature that that werewolf turned into about to pounce on a villager. This horror needed to be somewhat recognizable as having been a werewolf at some point. Seemed pretty clear to me, and so I went to work.
|©Wizards of the Coast
Here's our werewolf with a few elongated fingers and hints of tentacles in his fur.
|©Wizards of the Coast
And here's our horror, lunging at a poor villager.
The Art Director approved the werewolf piece, but felt I could push the horror further. It was decided that the creature felt too much like a werewolf, and so I was asked to give it another go.
|©Wizards of the Coast
|©Wizards of the Coast
Here's the finished Tangleclaw Werewolf. The painting is oil on paper on hardboard and it measures twelve inches wide by nine inches tall.
|©Wizards of the Coast
Looking at these pieces, I don't have a lot to say. I don't have any distinct memories of working on either one and I remember them being pretty straightforward. The only thing that really sticks out at me on these pieces is how dark I got with both of them. I treated them more graphically from the start and I feel like that's somehow evident even in the finish. Normally it takes me a while to build up to the level of darkness seen in this work, but I remember going for those darks pretty early in the painting process. Maybe it was the gothic horror aspect of it, maybe it was the digital color studies I'd done, or maybe these pieces were just in my comfort zone. Whatever the case, they came pretty easily for me, which is unusual.
In the end, I'm pretty pleased with how both paintings came out. Subject matter-wise, they have a pretty small audience and probably aren't the kind of thing most folks want to hang in their house, but that's hardly the concern of the assignment. Whatever the case, they're done and out there, and I get to move on.


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A license to love, insurance to hold, melt all your memories and change into gold. His eyes are like angels but his heart is cold. – Smooth Operator – Sade
I wish I was one of those people that are only interested in world current affairs. In an ideal world my internet search history should only include sites like BBC , CNN and FT. But when has the world ever been ideal? I am very involved with keeping up to date with celebrity gossip and am always in the market to get onboard with new reality shows. Maybe this is to compensate for my boring life. Last month while scrolling on my twitter timeline I came across a tweet with a mug shot of a very chiselled, almost perfect jaw boned man along with a link to an article.
The man goes by the name Jeremy Meeks and his mug shot was posted up by the Stockton police department along with other criminals. An unexpected turn of events turned him to an over night viral internet sensation, with women fawning over him. He has since been covered by many media outlets including respected fashion magazines (hello Vanity Fair). He has been subject to many internet memes, as well as photoshopped into faux fashion campaigns such as Calvin Klein and Givenchy. Okay ladies I am not being judgemental here because I was among the bandwagon for a hot minute too. However we all know how America loves these kind of stories and so the media has decided to drag this along. His case has been heavily covered by the media and suddenly we know so much about a supposed to have been random criminal. He is an ex convict who previously served 10 years in Jail, he is married and has a son and oh he has a good looking brother too. His mom has even used his rise to fame as an opportunity to start a high profile fundraiser ( good luck to her to LOL its set at $900,000). In her defence she believes he has been stereotyped because of his past and body drenched in tattoos. Yes I see how that could be a factor considering he also has a tear drop tattoo under his eyes, which is normally associated with people who have killed someone before.
Anyway word on the street is that even while in jail Jeremy has now been signed by an agency with post jail modelling offers pouring in. So my question to you today is does his beauty make him any less guilty? Why are the same media outlets who complain about crime rates glamourising this felon even dubbing him "hot mug shot guy"? What happened to the other guys whose mug shots were released the same day by the police department? I think I can answer that actually, they have been forgotten, no modelling contracts, no bail money fundraisers, no love lost. Its mind boggling that we are somehow desensitised by good looking people, giving them chances upon chances and throwing them life lines. Cause lets face it Jeremy Meeks alleged crimes are serious including street terrorism. I am not saying people don't deserve second chances, but why do we choose who deserves it based on appearance?
We have seen a different yet similar situation happen in pop culture, the story of how a sex tape rose an entire family to world wide fame. Kim Kardasian is not the first to have a leaked sex tape but perhaps her beauty is what got people interested to see what she did post that. And it's been 8 years after and she is still relevant, and always in the year end top 5 of most googled celebrities. Who am I to blame her for capitalising on the world's shallowness ( I don't watch her show by the way, just thought to drop it out there). In any case I am interested to see where Jeremy Meeks will be in a couple of years from now, behind bars? Or will he be on the most talked about "Keeping up with the Meeks" , "What Jeremy did next", or "Turing a Felon to a Baron" reality shows. Or will hot mug shot guy be the face of Armani, or will he just be forgotten?
Beautiful people win, we let them steal our hearts, we forgive them crimes because they are easy on the eyes and today I have coined this phenomena The Jeremy Meeks Theory. But hold on i'm not done yet here is one more picture for the road. So ladies are you donating to the fundraiser?
With Love,

subset: commoncrawl


text: Marines from Kilo Battery, 2nd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment, reassemble an M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) after being transported on an Air Force MC-130, at Dugway Proving Grounds, Utah, March 30, 2018. Marines from Kilo Battery flew from Fort Campbell, Ky., to Dugway where they offloaded and fired four HIMARS missiles, demonstrating a unique capability that will give commanders more options to deal with threats when other options are not appropriate. (Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Niles Lee)


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My GranFondo Niagara experience
This is our gang of Cyclists – we trained, we ate, we rode! Road Cycling that is. (From left to right) Myself, Al, Grant, Bob, Rick, Larry & Jay. Our … Continue reading
Ladies of the GranFondo
Ladies, if you are wondering if a GranFondo Cycling event is for you, this video might help answer that question. These ladies just completed the GranFondo Canada Whistler (British Columbia, … Continue reading
Training is over : Countdown to GranFondo NF
Training is now over. It is hard to believe it is the week before the inaugural GranFondo Niagara Falls! Whatever training I needed to do to get ready for this … Continue reading
Guidelines for road cycling in a group
So you've been invited out on a group road ride! But…. you're a little intimidated because you are a newbie road cyclist. You should be! It is fast paced, … Continue reading
Cycling and Music – what a great combination
Barney Bentall and Jim Cuddy to perform in Niagara! Did you know there is going to be a FREE CONCERT featuring the Juno award winning Jim Cuddy and the legendary … Continue reading
Bicycle built for a Granfondo Gal
Ladies of the Gran(fondo) – part 1 What bicycle do I need to ride in a GranFondo? It is a simple answer…a road bike. There are a variety of road … Continue reading


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Part 5 – Who You Gonna Call?
If you recall from the last installment, I had just managed to navigate the Scylla and Charybdis of Henry Winkler and his alter ego, The Fonz, to be faced with concocting a suitable alternative to the 'Hourglass' concept that preserved the notion of a single-lead, action/adventure series. Piece of cake, you're thinking, right?
And I'd like to report that, having repaired to my office in Santa Monica, I cogitated for a brief period and—in a stunning epiphany—the concept of MacGyver in all his inimitable details simply sprang full-blown into my fertile mind. That's what I'd like to report, but no such luck I'm afraid because it took a good deal more than that for Mac to enter the world.
As I had yet to develop my soon-to-be-published 'Yurika Method' for solving nearly any creative problem, I paced my office, made copious notes on my computer, and generally pounded my head against the walls until I finally thought I had something that might fit the bill. Alas, I can't for the life of me remember what that was but it was obviously enough for the studio to arrange a meeting with the network so I could pitch it to them.
So Henry, John Rich, Grant, Tony and the rest of our merry entourage eventually headed over to the looming ABC Network tower of offices in Century City for me to present this new gem to the TV development executives.
Suffice it to say that, despite their abiding enthusiasm for this 'arena', the concept was met by a stony silence and a polite but irreversible 'pass'. Thanks, but no thanks. I had stepped up to the plate and whiffed with an ignominious strike out. Hey, it happens. After all, Hollywood is practically a business of failure: most pitches don't become scripts, most scripts don't get made, most pilots don't make it to series, and– even of those that do– most new series don't last so much as a season let alone become hits.
Except that my strike out was soon to become a serious batting slump, as my next two attempts were equally unsuccessful, and my woe-filled trips to the network were becoming so frequent that their parking attendants knew me by name and were offering me snarky smiles as they returned my car as if to say 'Better luck next time, chump."
I was fast becoming as desperate as I was frustrated. So seeking at least some understanding if not support for my plight, I rang up my agent Marty to perform the time-honored tradition of all TV writers which is, well, whining—
'Hey, what's the deal here?" I moaned, "This was supposed to be a pre-sold concept that I only had to write, remember? Now I'm cranking out ideas like a fricking vending machine! Can't you do something about this?"
To which Marty calmly replied, "Hey, what do you want from me? You're the one that told them 'Hourglass' wouldn't fly. Am I right, or am I right?"
He was right, of course. I had made my bed on this one and was now consigned to sleep in it—not that I was getting much sleep anywhere at the time.
So there I was, trapped in a deal that could have me churning out series concepts—for no additional compensation I might add– until the cows not only came home but were turned in MacDonald's hamburgers– (more about that part in a moment).
Well, desperate times call for desperate measures. And as my creative confidence was steadily sinking with each 'no' from the network, I reached back to the lessons from my college days where, when I reached an incomprehensible impasse in some great book, I would bring it up in seminar and hope that the group could knead it around enough that it eventually generated a meaningful insight or at least made some kind of sense.
So I put out an SOS to all my writing friends, gathered as many of them as I could wrangle into my office, offered them the inebriant of their choice (sometimes writers need such things to get the juices flowing, 'cause if you think even Homer sang his way through the Iliad and the Odyssey without a jug or two of wine, think again), then I locked the door and announced "We're not leaving this room until I have a kickass idea to write my way out of this predicament." There it was: the gauntlet had been thrown and the clock was definitely ticking.
Now it's a funny thing about writing or other creative challenges, but when it's not your problem, and the pressure's not on you, it's amazing how easily the ideas can start popping.
"So what have you got?" they asked me. And after quickly outlining the basic premise of a single-lead action/adventure show, and running through all my previous failed attempts, I was forced to confess that I had nothing.
That of course was followed by a long beat of collective silence until somebody piped in with "Okay then, let's go with that." "Go with what?" I replied, thinking it was a joke on my pathetic quandary.
"Go with nothing. Your guy, whoever he is, don't give him anything. Like that's his deal: he's got nothing." He's got nothing?
And then—BOOM—just like that—there it was– as we all fell silent– and that insane but brilliant germ of an idea started ricocheting around in our heads. And the talk started spewing so fast there was no point or need to try and take notes—
Most action heroes have at least a fast car and a big gun—lose 'em. No flashy car and no gun. James Bond has all those whiz bang toys handed to him by Q at the outset of each story, right? Banish them. No high-tech toys. Hell, even Indiana Jones has a fedora and a bullwhip. Forget that. This guy—our guy— HE'S GOT NOTHING!
Now, no matter how hard I rack my memory, I honestly can't recall who it was that threw out that notion of nothing. Fact is, I can only faintly remember who exactly of my writing friends were there except that I'm certain two of them were George Lee Marshall and Susan Baskin—both of whom went on to successful writing careers in Hollywood. And though I'm sure there were others, please accept my sincere apologies if not my heartfelt thanks for your participation in that fateful encounter, whoever you were.
But, as you can imagine, the room was suddenly abuzz with energy and ideas, and the black hole I'd been staring out for weeks if not months was suddenly transformed into a cornucopia of possibilities—
So if our guy's got nothing how does he overcome the threat or the jeopardy? He uses whatever he can find—and his genius is that he knows how to make something out of nothing. But with no tools or anything?
It was around then of course I shoved my hand into my pocket and pulled out the SWISS ARMY KNIFE my father had given me when I was all of about twelve—my father being a quintessential jack-of-all-trades in his own right– telling me it was one of the best tools I'd ever have, and that I would be wise to keep it with me all the time…because, well, you just never know when you'll need to FIX something. And God knows, at that moment, my writing conundrum was in dire need of being fixed. (And I've kept that knife and followed that particular piece of advice to this day)
Perfect!—Our guy's got nothing but an amazing mind of incredible know-how and a Swiss Army Knife—with which he can make whatever he needs, from whatever he's got, to take on the threats or the bad guys. What a concept! This was 'Hourglass' on steroids! And I knew it was a keeper because we'd just done the very essence of what this character was about: namely, we'd just made something out of nothing!
(I'm afraid I also don't remember if it was in that meeting or sometime later when duct tape became a part of his repertoire—but this too was another of my Dad's 'must-haves' so no surprise it found its way into that pouch as well).
Then all I was missing at that point was what to call this gun-less and minimalist hero. Since we'd be referring to him throughout the session as "this guy" or "our guy"—and in keeping with our vibe of using what we already had—I suggested we just call him 'Guy'. But the room felt that was a tad too obvious and on the nose. Point taken.
Now we were in the early 80s at the time, when the MacDonalds hamburger chain was literally exploding around the country—and their signs were still crowing with how many burgers they'd shuffled off their grills into the American gullet: "10 Million Sold"…"50 Million Sold". In fact, it had become such a phenomenon that anything that went viral or was suddenly popular was dubbed with a "Mac" before it. For example, the daily paper USA Today, which had recently been launched to great success, was nicknamed MacNewspaper. So, only too happy to jump on that bandwagon in the wild hope this character might one day achieve such popularity, I said "Okay then, why don't we call him MacGuy?" This drew a few interested nods from the group but the consensus was that it was still missing something, and that perhaps three syllables might be better than two.
Well, we were clearly on a roll so I certainly wasn't inclined to argue. And after chewing on it for another minute or two I took another shot. "Then how about MacGyver? That's got a nice ring to it, don't you think?"
And suddenly the room was all smiles: yeah, MacGyver sounds just right. A good Scottish name which certainly fit as the Scots were known for being a scrappy, frugal lot that clung to their tough turf in regular resistance to being ruled by the high and mighty British. Thus making our hero a proud and pure descendant of the sturdy, shrewd and indomitable clan MacGyver.
And I was suddenly more psyched and excited about this project than I had been since even agreeing to take the job. Forget 'Hourglass', we had MACGYVER!
The rest, as they say, is history. The network liked the pitch and I wrote the script in record time—weaving in all the elements of my experience on the project: hanging off a cliff, being trapped in an high-tech complex gone haywire, ticking clocks and bombs, you name it. Next thing I know they're making the pilot and we're on the air. And though I elected not to continue on the series as a writer, the show went on to run for a total of seven seasons, not just five, and became an international sensation that continues to air around the world even to this day nearly 30 years later!
And, while that may conclude the tale of how MacGyver got started, it's far from the end of the story as—due to you– his literally billions of fans around the world—I now spend the better part of my creative energies 're-imagining' this amazing character in forms that didn't even exist at the time of his creation. And even more excited to be doing it now than I was when he was born.
So, for those of you who are interested, you can continue following this whole unfolding saga on the new website macgyverglobal.com where another truly talented band of Mac freaks and I promise to keep you up on all the when, wheres and whyfores of a character that has not only changed our lives, but who may just yet help save us all from ourselves. And wouldn't that be something to see?


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I've attended countless 'knife crime', 'gang crime' conferences, youth violence round-tables and one of the key things I've taken from them is that the spaces tend to be filled with older non Black or Asian faces ( now, don't get me wrong, I'm not insinuating that this shouldn't be the case), it just startles me that the issues we are discussing and trying to solved during such events concern predominately Black and Ethnic minority communities, in particularly young Black man within inner London, yet these faces more times than none are nowhere to be seen in these spaces. And yes, I have an issue with that.
How do we shape our response to the amount of young Black males losing their lives to stabbings and shootings in London without taking into consideration their voices in our policy responses, strategies and interventions?
When will we stop discussing issues that face predominately young black males in spaces full of White middle-class men who have very little understanding of the issues these young men are facing, the root causes of the gang violence and youth crime and the realities of being a young Black male in London.
Yes, tackling these issues requires a joint effort across the board, however there is a necessity for more people of colour in leadership roles across government, policing and parliament involved in decision making who look like those affected and have a real sense of the issues affecting young people in Black and Ethnic Minority communities.
If we are making important decisions around people's lives, surely, we should have a variety of individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences around the table to inform such decisions.


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cup and the lips
Mrs. Grantly has just begun to feel the triumph that her daughter's match with Lord Dumbello will not be stopped–this contrasts with her worries in London that the "cup might…be dashed from her lips before it was tasted." The image of the cup being dashed from the lips comes from the Latin proverb (recorded by Erasmus): Multa cadunt inter calicem supremaque labra which translates as "Many things fall between the cup and the last lips." For the mythological origin of the proverb, see the commentary for Chapter 24 of Barchester Towers. [JC 2004]
epic poet
Trollope compares Griselda's approach to designing her wedding dress and an epic poet's approach to producing a great piece of literature. Of all the brides-to-be in this novel, Griselda Grantly is the one for whom this is a most fitting comparison. She has always been praised for her stunning beauty and concern for appearance, so it is not surprising that the process of choosing a wedding gown is of utmost importance to her. [JC 2005]
invocation of a muse
". . .as the poet, to whom I have already alluded, first invokes his muse, then brings his smaller events gradually out upon his stage, so did Miss Grantly with sacred fervour ask her mother's aid. . ." In this comparison, Griselda is still the poet, but now her mother is her helpful muse. [JC 2005]
face like Acheron
". . .Mrs. Proudie's face was still as dark as Acheron when her enemy withdrew. . ." Trollope describes Mrs. Proudie in this way just after Mrs. Proudie and Mrs. Grantly have had a battle of words in which Mrs. Grantly was the victor. Acheron is the River of Woe in the Underworld. [JC 2005]


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How your ancestors' farms shaped your thinking - life - 08 May 2014 - New Scientist: "students from all-wheat areas were 56 per cent more likely to think analytically than students from all-rice areas. For example, when asked to match the two closest of sheep, dog and grass, they grouped sheep and dog, which appear most similar. Students from rice-growing areas grouped sheep and grass, as these have the closest relationship to each other in real life, and to them this relationship mattered more than physical resemblance."
Vox Day shared that to support his belief that "culture is genetic". But if a single test with variables that aren't mentioned in the article is significant, the students from the rice-growing areas are the ones who think more analytically. A slightly higher percentage of students from the wheat-growing areas made the superficial connection of sheep and dog based on their appearance, while a few more students from the rice-growing area saw the deeper relationship: A sheep is not a dog, but sheep eat grass and dogs do not.
Ah, well. Some people are just desperate for a reason to feel superior, no matter how silly the example. Confirmation bias can make fools of us all, and the stronger our belief, the more likely we are to accept the flimsiest support for it.
ETA: New book on race by Nicholas Wade: Professor Ceiling Cat says paws down « Why Evolution Is True


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How to Change a Gas Furnace Filter
One of the easiest and cheapest ways to maintain a gas furnace plus save energy is to change the furnace filter. The filter takes particles of dust and debris out of the air before it goes into the furnace to become warm. A new filter will allow more air to be draw into the furnace and allow for more efficient running of the furnace.
Locate the furnace filter. The filter is usually between the cold air intake and the furnace. Cold air from your house's cold air registers comes into the furnace to become heated air. When the furnace runs, cold air is drawn through the cold air registers and into the furnace passing the filter along the way. Many times the filter compartment will be marked which makes this easier.
Get the right size filter. Each furnace has a correct size filter. The easiest way to find out which size your furnace needs is to look at the old one. It will say on the filter the size. It maybe 18x20x1 or something like this. The manual to the furnace may will have the filter size in it. Heating and air conditioning shops can also help with this. You can purchase furnace filters at all hardware stores.
Changing the filter. Changing the filter is really quite easy. Make sure that the furnace is not running. Pull out the old filter making sure to check the air direction flow on the filter. This tells you the way the air should flow through the filter. Usually this will point into the furnace itself. Replace the filter with the new one.
Mark your calendar that you changed the filter. It's easy to forget when you changed the filter. The filter purchased will dictate the frequency of changing the filter. Some filters are once a month while others are longer. The lower the frequency of changing usually means more cost for the filter. Changing the furnace filter is one of the easiest home maintenance jobs that can be done. Changing the filter can save money and make the quality of air in your home better.
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Anyone who thinks the path to "fiscal discipline" is through higher taxes ought to look at the current budget spectacles in New York and California. The two liberal states have among the highest tax burdens in the country, yet both now find themselves with huge budget deficits and are debating still higher taxes to close the gap.
California has the highest state income tax rate in the country (10.3%), while New York State also has a high income tax rate (6.85%), with the combined state and city rate rising to 10.5% in New York City. Their overall government spending totals also happen to top the national charts. And, what do you know, California is $15 billion in the red this year while New York is trying to close a $6.4 billion 2009 budget hole, which budget expert E.J. McMahon of the Manhattan Institute expects to grow to $26 billion over three years.
California hasn't even passed a budget yet, many weeks into the fiscal year. The Democrats in Sacramento have proposed a series of new taxes on businesses and individuals with incomes above $1 million. Their plan would raise the top income tax rate to 12%, which would be the highest in the nation. They would also repeal a tax law allowing businesses to carry forward losses against future profits.
In August, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger abandoned his promise not to raise taxes and proposed a hike in the sales tax — by one percentage point for three years, which would bring the rate in many cities to as high as 9%. California taxpayers are fortunate that state law requires a two-thirds majority to pass a budget, which gives Republicans in the legislature leverage to block these tax hikes. They realize that these budget showdowns are the only chance they have to force even modest spending restraint.
A similar mess is playing out in Albany, where Assembly Democrats and Republicans have passed a budget with two added tax rates. Millionaires would face a one-percentage-point rate income tax hike (to 11.5% in New York City), while anyone making more than $5 million would get hit with another 0.85-point hike (to 12.35% in NYC). A new business tax of 4% would also apply to hedge fund managers.
The politicians who want all these new taxes are the same ones who scratch their heads and wonder why so many hedge funds are already based in Connecticut, or why Manhattan is losing its status as financial capital of the world. So far the only voice of reason has been Democratic Governor David Paterson, who has attacked the tax increase and wants spending cuts first.
Mr. Paterson knows what he's talking about, as New York State spending has climbed by 45% in the last five years, according to the Manhattan Institute. As for California, its spending soared to $145 billion in 2008 from $104 billion in 2004. Every time the politicians raise taxes, they merely lift their spending by as much or more, and then plead poverty and demand another tax hike during the next economic slowdown.
The "progressives" who dominate politics in these states target the rich on grounds that they have the ability to pay. They also have the ability to leave. From 1997-2006, New York State lost 409,000 people (not counting foreign immigrants). For every two people who move into the state, three flee. Maybe the problem for New York is merely bad weather, not high taxes.
Except that sunny California is experiencing a similar exodus. Over the past decade 1.32 million more native-born Americans left the Golden State than moved in — despite beaches, mountains and 70-degree weather. Mostly the people who have fled are the successful, the talented and the rich.
If taxes don't matter, then maybe someone can explain the divergent economic paths of California and New York and America's two other most populous states, Florida and Texas. The latter two states have no personal income tax. Personal income has been growing about 50% faster in Florida and Texas than in California and New York. (See chart.) This year Texas became the No. 1 state for Fortune 500 corporate headquarters. About a dozen of those 58 corporations once called New York or California home, and taxes are one reason they departed.
We realize that none of this will matter to the Sacramento and Albany politicians, whose only priority is taking ever more money from the private economy to feed their patronage interests. But perhaps it will serve as a lesson to other states that haven't yet embarked on this tax-and-spend road to red ink and slower growth.


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|This table setting was inspired by the color combination of Hershey's Kisses for Valentine's Day which are pink, red and silver. I used a pink table cloth with red and white accents.
|I put the Kisses in a silver swan bowl on the table. The swans represent love since they mate for life.
|Also, for your valentine, add a red valentine hung on the back of the dining chair.This red heart was purchased at Michael's.
|Theses glasses are a combination of Waterford Sheila crystal, a cranberry pink Murano crystal flute and an everyday red water goblet.
|The silver candlesticks are the perfect accent for a Valentine's Day dinner.
Written by Reba


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This segment of The Law and You gives insight and context to the often shrill claim that we are a lawsuit-crazed society, pointing out that the number of lawsuits has been decreasing over time and the criticism about huge jury awards has been overblown.
JOEL: This is Joel Block for The Law and You with Eugene attorney Don Corson. Don, most of us have little experience with our civil justice system, but we hear that we are a lawsuit crazed society.
DON: Well, actually the number of lawsuits is decreasing. The courts protect people's rights through our existing laws and resolve disputes in a civilized way. In Colonial America, people used the courts frequently, for all kinds of disputes. Today, there are fewer cases on average than then. For example, in the federal courts, the number of personal injury trials has gone down 79% since 1985.
JOEL: But what about the reputation juries have of sometimes giving huge verdicts?
DON: Juries are usually more conservative than judges. In my entire career, insurance companies always take a jury over a judge. The occasional larger verdict is almost always for a catastrophic loss, like paralysis.
JOEL: Thanks, Don. Learn more at CorsonJohnsonLaw.com. The Law and You is part of Corson & Johnson's work to make communities safer.
The Corson & Johnson Law Firm, a Eugene, Oregon personal injury trial law firm, produces and distributes The Law and You as a continuing public service to help families and consumers answer questions about our legal system and how it works for them. The Law and You spots are aired on KKNU, KMGE, KEUG, and KODZ in Eugene, Oregon. If you have suggestions of legal questions or topics you would like addressed by The Law and You, please contact us.


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Our Staff
Brewster Hamm
President and CEO
About Brewster
Brewster began his relationship with MOWWM in January of 2013. Prior to that, he founded and led an Organizational Consulting firm, The Brewster Group, which focused on helping individuals and organizations to function more effectively. He also held a variety of leadership positions at Steelcase for over 20 years. When asked to join the MOWWM team, Brewster accepted with the knowledge of our mission being critical to keeping seniors healthy and independent. The demographics show that the need for helping seniors is growing at an astounding rate. He was eager to join in the fight against senior hunger and isolation. Within the next 20 years, seniors in Kent County are expected to double due to the aging of the Baby Boomer demographic. Brewster sees his role as being strategic in helping move the organization forward and as a barrier remover to assist in forward growth for the staff and the organization as a whole. Aside from Brewster's commitment to serving the senior community, he is also an active member on the Board of Michigan Coalition against Homelessness, where he served 8 years as the Board Chair and 12 years as a member. "We have a great team! Without them we could not do what we do; last year over 450,000 meals were delivered to homebound seniors! I'm fortunate to have a job that I love and feel grateful every day for the opportunity to help our seniors thrive."
Darin Hodde
Chief Financial Officer
About Darin
Darin Hodde, our CFO, started at MOWWM in June 2010. Before coming to the agency, he gained experience in many industries in the profit and not-for-profit arenas. When he came to MOWWM, he was looking for a position that enabled him to be making a difference in people's lives. He feels that he has found that place here at Meals on Wheels. "All of our decisions are made with the impact to better the lives of seniors that we serve." In his free time, Darin enjoys performing through barbershop singing with the Great Lakes Chorus, where he is the current Treasurer of the organization.
Lisa Wideman
Chief Operating Officer
About Lisa
Lisa Wideman started at MOWWM in April of 2009 as Director of Operations after 12 years at Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan. Her change in roles had largely to do with her wanting to make a more direct impact on the lives of older adults. Lisa loves working with the team to make our program better for our clients. Lisa, who has a B.S. in Foods and Nutrition from Michigan State University, is heavily involved in menu planning and ensuring our meals meet strict nutrition guidelines. "I can't think of a better way to use my education and experience than helping older adults", says Lisa, "I love this program."
Tammy Mick
Kitchen Manager and Community Programs Manager
About Tammy
Tammy Mick is the Community Programs Manager for Meals on Wheels Western Michigan, beginning her role in 2015. She ensures that our Dining Centers exceed the expectations of our funders and meet the requirements of our local Health Department. Tammy enjoys working with the aging population because of their interesting stories and diverse backgrounds. She believes that seniors have a vibrant energy that many may fail to recognize. The seniors she sees makes coming to "work" not a job but a lifestyle. "I love working here because it seems we serve a forgotten population that has driven our society for many years and as they pass the torch, we have the privilege to nourish the mind and body of the thousands of seniors we serve."
Dave Woudstra
Delivery and Distribution Manager
About Dave
In December of 2009, Dave began his work with MOWWM as a driver. His role has since gone through many changes, from a driver, to Distribution Clerk, to Congregate Supervisor, to Delivery Supervisor, and finally to his most current role as our Delivery and Distribution Manager. Dave specializes in logistics management. He oversees the details/scheduling/systems involved in MOWWM's delivery processes, as well as manages the personnel required to do so. As a very mission-minded person, Dave feels right at home at MOWWM. Working with MOWWM has allowed him to be creative and have a focus that is in helping people. "I am a strong believer that access to food is a RIGHT, not a privilege." As lifespans get longer and the senior demographic grows, "I would hope for a boundary-less culture both inside and out, where caring and compassionate agencies and likeminded folks all over the community come together with those of us at MOWWM and accept nothing less than making a space for all 'at-the-table.' I would hope for us to come together, and meet these challenges not with apathy, but rather with a zealousness, and a fundamental vision that all will 'eat.'"
Riana Pearce
In Home Services Manager
About Riana
Riana Pearce began her journey at MOWWM in 2012 as a volunteer delivery driver. While working towards her B.A. in Social Psychology she became interested in working with the elderly and thought this experience would be a perfect way for her to "test the waters" and also give back to the seniors in her community. "I was raised to believe that volunteering should be a constant in my life and knew I had a passion for serving the elderly." Through Riana's volunteering, she ended up building very strong relationships with many of the seniors, and her six month volunteering plan quickly turned into a year and a half of life-enriching experiences. It was clear that Riana had fostered a passion for MOWWM's work when she was hired as a Client Assessor in 2013. Visiting with our clients and seeing the need in our community first hand reinforced her belief in the strong impact our program has on the lives of seniors. After two years as an Assessor, Riana was offered the position of Volunteer Administrator, which she held for a number of months before transiting into her current role as In Home Services Manager. "For me, my journey here has come full circle, and I am driven by my dedication to see that our seniors, the wisest of us all, receive the help and care they deserve."
Danielle Simmons
Food Pantry Manager
About Danielle
Danielle Simmons started at MOWWM as the Food Pantry Manager in May 2000. Before pursuing this career, Danielle worked in retail and distribution for 10 years. Her background in the grocery business gave her the knowledge and experience to operate successful food pantries for the elderly. Danielle oversees all pantry operations, which includes: purchasing food orders, coordinating volunteer projects, maintaining all records, organizing food drives, coordinating Project Fresh (a farmers market program), and serving as a community liaison on related committees to coordinate efforts with other older adult programs. "I believe the food pantry is a blessing in many ways. With the rise in food costs, seniors need additional help to ensure they are receiving an adequate amount of food and nutrition. Our pantry is able to provide them with these needs."
Krissy Thomas
Volunteer Manager
About Krissy
Krissy began her journey at MOWWM in October 2016 after graduating from Grand Valley State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies. Throughout her time at GVSU, Krissy was involved with a student-run volunteer organization called Alternative Breaks that brought together groups of students looking to give back to their community in different ways. Involvement in this organization, as well as her study of general communication behaviors, cemented her passion for people and the desire to help those in need. Krissy had been looking for a place like Meals on Wheels to begin her career in the non-profit world, where she is surrounded by like-minded co-workers whom are all working toward something bigger than themselves. She was drawn to the mission and wants to bring to light a community that may be too often forgotten, especially among young people. "Education is huge for me, if people simply know more about an issue, they are more inclined to help," she says. As the Volunteer Manager, Krissy strives to engage volunteers in the mission of caring and learning from the seniors in our community, as well as to further expand the involvement of volunteers within the organization. "For me, it's the connections we make with others that give our lives meaning."
Michelle Bottrall
Development Manager
About Michelle
Caleb Caterino
Facilities Manager
About Caleb
Caleb began working at Meals on Wheels in early 2010. What started as a part time delivery job turned into a passion and career. Caleb quickly fell in love with helping the seniors, especially those in inner city Grand Rapids. He found too many people living alone and in need of help. He decided his calling was to help those people.
In his current role as Facilities Manager he works on the building upkeep and improvement projects. He also works with equipment maintenance, safety, and product storage. Caleb has worked in several roles within the company, doing what needs to be done. He says "I have done several things here; I want to help where I can. I love improving systems, processes, and our facility to better support our clients, employees, and volunteers. I just want to make things better."


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Who Stands to Lose the Most if the NEA Is Eliminated?
Isaac Kaplan
Jan 30, 2017 9:26pm
Photo by Brandon Mowinkel.
Most Americans are less familiar with the National Endowment for the Arts's mission than with its reputation as a source of controversy and Republican ire. The NEA has long been a target for elimination by Republicans, but they've never succeeded in wiping it out altogether. Until, perhaps, now. Pressing fears about the agency's future arose after a report by
The Hill
that an early Trump budget proposal is based heavily off plans drawn up by the right-leaning Heritage Foundation, which prescribes eliminating funding to the NEA and its sister agency the National Endowment for the Humanities. Several
come out debunking the idea that cuts are fiscally necessary, given how little the NEA actually receives in government funding—about $147.9 million in fiscal year 2016, or 0.004% of the $3.9 trillion federal budget. Since the original report in
The Hill
, there hasn't been much by the way of confirmation.
Regardless of the NEA's future, it's worth pausing to examine what it actually does and why it's significant, beyond its role as one of the few dedicated government patrons of art organizations, education programs, exhibitions, festivals, and more. In response to the potential elimination of the agency, Australian artist Tega Brain
a running list of the projects it funded last year. On its relatively miniscule budget, the agency has an outsize impact, both through its grants programs as well as an indemnity program that saves museums millions of dollars. It helps arts organizations raise private funds, and its geographical mandate ensures that funds reach beyond the nation's cultural capitals. Here are three key things to know about the NEA.
Geographical Distribution
A crucial aspect of the NEA is that it is a national organization with a mission to "promote equal access to the arts in every community across America,"
to its website. This means the agency's impact reaches beyond just cultural capitals or the coasts. Instead, NEA "funds are geographically distributed so that they're touching counties, states, communities throughout the country," says Zannie Voss, director of the National Center for Arts Research (NCAR). "There's no other support source that is able or in a position to provide that kind of national elevation of arts and culture."
According to the NEA, it awarded over 2,500 grants this past fiscal year, spread across all 435 congressional districts. Smaller organizations, defined as those who spent less than $350,000 the prior year—received 30% of NEA direct grants. Major institutions, those that spent over $1.75 million, got slightly more, at 35% of all direct grants, and mid-sized institutions got the other 35%. So while large institutions in big cities would likely be impacted by cuts, "there's a lot more funders in New York, in L.A., in Chicago, who can pick up the mantle," said Meg Leary of United States Artists (USA), an independent private arts nonprofit that provides grants directly to artists—something the NEA hasn't done, except to writers, since the bruising culture wars of the '90s. "It's the rural areas of the country, it's places that have not that much access to cultural resources already who will be incredibly affected," she added. Along with more private donors, big cities also have stronger public arts funding as well. For example, New York City's cultural agency would be the largest public funder of the arts in the entire nation if the NEA were to be eliminated.
The NEA also
awards its funding to "economically diverse communities," meaning they have a high percentage of households that are wealthy
of those that are below the poverty line. And while absolute NEA grant dollars rise in accordance with population size (bigger cities get more money overall), the actual per capita value of NEA grants increases as population lessens (smaller communities get more NEA dollars per person).
Straddling the Public / Private Divide
Often the debate over the NEA implies a clear distinction between public money and private money. The latter is abundant, the former is scarce—so why do we need it at all? In fact, those meager public dollars have a multiplier effect because of how the NEA operates, enabling arts organizations to raise lots more of the same private dollars that groups like the Heritage Foundation argue make the NEA superfluous. So yes, the average American taxpayer gives the NEA less than pennies on the dollar per year while total private arts funding amounted to about $42 dollars per person in 2012. But because the NEA puts grantees through a rigorous vetting process before doling out a funds, recipients are more likely to receive further funding once they've secured the NEA imprimatur.
In 2016, the NEA allocated about $71 million for its grant and awards program. So how does an exhibition organizer or an arts nonprofit go about getting an NEA grant? Unsurprisingly, it begins with a grant application. We won't bore you with too many details, but these applications are reviewed by some 75 panels convened annually and staffed by professionals from a specific discipline (arts education, museums, folk and traditional arts, etc.) along with at least one lay person. The panels' recommendations are then sent to the National Council on the Arts, which is comprised of artists, scholars, arts patrons—appointed by the president and approved by the Senate—as well as six non-voting members of Congress. After the NCA weighs in, the final recommendations head to the NEA chair, currently Jane Chu, for final review.
So if you get one of the thousands of grants awarded each year, "it's a statement saying that you've made it," which in turn helps raise more funds privately, said Leary. Often, NEA grants are also conditional on raising matching funds from other sources for the amount of the grant.
to the agency, every $1 of public money resulted in $9 of private and other public dollars in 2016. The NEA calculates that grants resulted in arts organizations bringing in roughly $500 million in such funds in 2016.
States, Diversity, and Indemnity
State arts agencies are also the recipient of federal funding through the NEA, which gives about 40% of its grant and awards budget, around $47 million, to the states (although state-level arts agencies themselves
have been targeted
by local Republicans for elimination). State money then sometimes trickles down to local arts authorities as well. Significantly, the NEA runs a National Heritage Fellowship program geared towards
folk and traditional arts and artists
, which provides over $4 million annually in grants and awards.
The NEA also administers an important federal indemnity program that allows museums to collectively save $30 million each year by offsetting insurance costs. Created in the 1970s, the program has only paid out two claims, totaling $104,700, while helping museums put on expansive exhibitions they might not be able to afford if they had to pay for private insurance for each and every work. It's been used by numerous institutions to ease their financial burden this year alone, including by the
Philadelphia Museum of Art
's "International Pop" show and the Taft Museum of Art's "Daubigny, Monet, Van Gogh: Impressions of Landscape" exhibition.
Beyond all of these important measures, the NEA's elimination would be a deeply symbolic loss. Today there is, in this country, a national arts agency that rewards and fosters the culture and creativity necessary for any healthy democracy. As the
Washington Post
's culture critic Philip Kennicott
, what's at stake is the very notion of a democratic space in which art, ideas, and information are produced beyond the constraints of commerce. The attack on the NEA is part, he writes, "of a nascent but ominous larger movement to eliminate the last vestiges of a public realm free of the dictates of the market."
Isaac Kaplan is an Associate Editor at Artsy.
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May 29, 2020
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May 27, 2020
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Jaelynn Walls
May 27, 2020


text:
Cattle Call
On Sunday I had the pleasure of attending the open casting call for the upcoming Hugh Grant/Sarah Jessica Parker movie, " Did you hear about the morgans?". It's supposedly about an urban couple who has to be put in the witness protection program and end up in a rural small town. I think its supposed to take place in Wyoming but is being shot here. The fun part was that the ad had called for folks to come in Western wear. People take that seriously out here, they wear it day to day, bolos and such. In LA, this might have manifested itself all Coyote Ugly – hot chicks in cowboy hats and daisy dukes. Here is authenticity: cowboys in chaps with fringe, mustached men in duster coats, girls in wranglers sporting jackets with rodeo patches on the back. On my way up to the location of the affair, I passed a cowboy grazing his horse on a patch of grass stuck on an island in the middle of the street. People brought their own horses for goodness sake! These were not wannabe starlets like myself. The parking lots was all trucks, an f-250 sidled up to a suburban with a patient grandma waiting in the passenger seat. Inside, waiting in line is a kid on crutches who looked like he might lack access to modern health care. These people are what Hollywood hires make- up and wardrobe to create… but this was the real thing. These are folks for whom the movies cast a spell of fantasy and escape and who thought it'd be fun to see behind the curtain. I guess in this we are not dissimilar. A three year old buckaroo is holding the paper that has his number on it, under his chin, his tiny spurs clicking together on the back of his cowboy boots, while his grandpa stands awkwardly next to him, as a casting assistant takes their picture. This is the whole point of their having waited in line for the last hour, this portrait. The one that may lead to a phone call that brings them into the sphere of the stars. The scene makes me understand the appeal of shooting here as opposed to in the simulcrum of La-La Land. Here you get real cowboys and ranch hands at 8.50 an hour.
Sikh Soul Train
Doing some Pre-Passover cleaning in the house I just moved into, turns out even if dirt is old, it comes off if you scrub at it enough. It's a satisfying way to feel invested in my new space and Jewish at the same time. As to the title, above, I had the priviledge, recently, of attending an event I believe was called "Bollywood Club Invasion" at one of the local fancy hotels. My prescence was owed to the friends crashing on my floor at my, soon to be vacated, old apartment. They knew the DJ, Miss Ginger. I was happy to go, as i'm a big Bhangra fan ; gotta love the booty shaking music. Anyhow, the stand out feature of this festivity and inspiration for my headline was the enthusiastic dancing of the turbaned contingent dominating the dance floor. Upon approaching the entrance to the dance space, I realized this was not not just a benefit to feed the hungry as one of my dumster diving visitors had said. This was an event for Amma to feed the hungry. Hence the many non-indians in indian garb, some of whom looked dressed for a costume party, others of whom looked like they wore this every day. In a circles, carved out of the dancing masses, those who appeared the most accustomed to the dress code were enacting a performance worthy of the most devoted dervishes. I saw the dance I most associate with "Fiddler on the Roof" , with people squatting and jumping back and forth to the knees. Lots of big movement !!! What, in experimental theater school, when we were learning to dance like the fluids of the body, was described as being the way you dance Fascia- the lining around the cells. Big bold movements. It was the sort of situation where I couldn't believe people were entering the middle of the circle of their own accord, but lo, they were, and leaving it with ecstatic smiles caressing their faces. Me, I stuck to liquor as usual. Santa Fe is full of American Sikhs, with whom i've been fascinated since moving here. I follow them a few steps at the farmer's market before catching myself and going back to my routine. Maybe it's because they are as fringe as I am and I am interested consequently in their experience. Voyeuristic but in a sympathetic sense? I like seeing the blond children in turbans having breakfast across from me at Chocolate Maven. I imagine the sensation they must create when they visit India, how they must stand out in Punjab. Here, in the ballroom full of white people wrapped in colorful saris and shalwars, they do not stand out at all. A black man in a turban and striped poloshirt is dancing in the middle of the circle, whirling around, limbs racing . Around him, his smiling community and me watching from the edge, thinking this is some strange amalgam. A little seventies TV, a little something verydifferent.


text:
Bassindale, Alan R.; Parker, David J.; Taylor, Peter G. and Turtle, Robert
|DOI (Digital Object Identifier) Link:
|Google Scholar:
|Look up in Google Scholar
A model system for the exploration of nucleophilic substitution at a pentacoordinate silicon centre is reported. The degenerate nucleophilic exchange of free N-methylimidazole (NMI) with coordinated NMI in a chiral pentacoordinate silicon compound, 4, has been studied by dynamic NMR spectroscopy. In 4 the axial ligands are N-methylimidazole and an intramolecularly-coordinated and chelating oxygen atom of an amido group. The equatorial ligands are N-CH2, Ph and Me. Two competing mechanisms for the nucleophilic substitution at silicon have been distinguished from the data. One mechanism takes place with retention of configuration at silicon and is zeroth order in added nucleophile. This is interpreted as involving rate limiting dissociation of the N-methylimidazole followed by rapid re-association of another NMI molecule. The other mechanism takes place with both inversion and retention of configuration at silicon but is also of zeroth order in added nucleophile. A mechanism for this reaction in which the O-Si coordination is lost in the rate-determining step is consistent with the data. In this particular example there is no evidence for a mechanism in which pentacoordinate silicon is attacked to give a hexacoordinate intermediate or transition state.
|Item Type:
|Journal Item
|Copyright Holders:
|2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
|silicon; nucleophilic substitution; reaction mechanisms; hypercoordination
|Academic Unit/School:
|Other Departments > Vice-Chancellor's Office
Other Departments
Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) > Life, Health and Chemical Sciences
Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
|Item ID:
|Depositing User:
|Peter Taylor
|Date Deposited:
|28 Dec 2010 16:24
|Last Modified:
|07 Dec 2018 09:46
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O'Brien Ancient Ireland Map - Tube $0.00
Ancient Ireland Map - Tube
This is the land of our forefathers around 1779 - the roads on which they travelled, the towns and villages of their birth and the lakes, rivers and mountains they knew so well. All editions are reproduced with great care and in fine detail on parchment type paper.
The Ancient Ireland Map is supplied in a range of 3 sizes, and in a range of finishes from rolled to mounted and even framed in a Classic Gold Profiled frame. The full range of options is shown below.
16 inches x 20 inches (40 x 60cm) - Fits standard Frame. - supplied rolled in a protective clear tube


text:
Read First Installment - Part 1
Dangly McDaniels' House of Whores, Shady St.
O' Halloran and Pip roll up to the curb and get out.
"O' Halloran?"
"Why'd we roll instead of drive? We had a car after all? Seems kinda...retarded"
"Thats just the way i roll, Baby".
"O...K...". Pip rolls his eyes - its a medical condition.
The front of Dangly McDaniels' House of Whores is a garish mess of neon signs. Words like SEX and PENIS PUMP and SHEEP plastered across its filthy windows and entrance.
A large fat bouncer patrols the door.
O' Halloran slips off his shades and approaches the guy.
"Is Dangly in?".
"What's it to you?"
O' Halloran flashes his badge - a shiny one with a picture of Davey Jones from The Monkees, circa 1965 - and the doorman immediately steps aside to let him through.
O' Halloran grins slyly.
"Works every time. Doormen can't resist the twinkly eyes of Davey boy".
If the outside was garish then it is tame by comparison with the interior. It's like the interior designer was a gay marshmallow: pastel hues of various pink shades cover every available surface.
"Jesus, O' Halloran. This place gives me the creeps".
"You get scared of the colour pink?". O' Halloran looks Pip up and down.
"Nah. Thats what you'd call an irrational fear of the colour red. They don't have a name for a fear of Pink".
"Maybe you're gay?"
Pip nods in partial agreement.
"Maybe. I am a 19th Century time traveler from Devon so anything's possible". Pip shrugs.
"Hmmmm". O' Halloran lets it rest for now.
They walk up to the reception area. It's pink - no surprises there. The lady behind the desk is short, squat and wrinkly. She's knitting.
"What can I do you for, hon?"
"We wanna see Dangly". O' Halloran's voice is strong and assured.
The woman reaches under her desk and preses a buzzer.
"You calling her?", O' Halloran enquires.
"Nope. Thats my vibrator seat control", she smiles sarcastically, but O' Halloran can detect a very distinct humming sound coming from beneath her chair - plus that wide smile across her face is a giveaway.
Within seconds there is the sound of soft footsteps descending the plush pink carpeted staircase.
Pip and O' Halloran gape open-mouthed at the vision before them: tall, thin, curvaceous, long blonde hair slicked back sexily, perfect pout, come-to-bed eyes - why, if it isn't Father Putrid, the Parish Priest of St. Massacre's Church.
"God bless you, my children. I was just giving the ladies their...Holy communion", he fibs. "They swallowed it"
He blesses O' Halloran and Pip with his hand and slinks out the door with a wide smile on his face and a bulge in his pants.
Following him down the stairs is a buxom elderly black woman dressed in a pink chemise.
"I'm Dangly. Someone lookin' for me?". Her voice is ragged and croaky like a woman who smokes 80 a day and gargles with rusty nails.
"O' Halloran. Homocide. We have a few questions we wanna ask you?"
Dangley seems nonplussed. "Shoot".
Pip pulls his firearm and discharges it in her general direction. All hell brakes loose and O' Halloran grabs the gun from his hands.
"She meant figuratively not literally, you fool", he snaps.
"...ooops...", Pip shrugs.
O' Halloran takes Dangly into a quiet pink corner.
"We've just come from a murder scene with two dead bodies and a wall plastered with Penny Black stamps. What do you know about it?".
O' Halloran is unimpressed.
"I know you're hidin' something. I can tell by your eyes".
"I don't have eyes. These are fake.". She pops out both eyeballs and drops them in his fat hands. "See?"
O' Halloran juggles them then hands them back to her.
"Come on, Dangly. Give me something to work with here."
She takes pity on him. "Ok. Well, there is this weird dude comes in here every so often. Likes the girls to lick him."
"Sounds naughty". O' Halloran smirks.
"Not when he's dressed like a giant stamp it aint". She rolls her head the way a black woman rolls her head when she's showing attitude.
"This guy, he got a name".
"And what is it?"
"Doctor Huckleberry Fudgecicle Stickybum Baboon IV"
O' Halloran gives her a raised eyebrow look.
"You're kiddin' me?".
"I only lie when I'm flat on my back being pumped hard by a large Denzel lookalike with a ten-inch penis, Detective, never about serious things like the names of people who pass through here - particularly men who dress like stamps".
O' Halloran writes down the name in his notepad - one of those kiddy ones with glitter and sprinkly fairy dust on the cover.
"Thank you, Dangly. You've been a real lady".
He motions towards the door and Pip heads towards the exit with him before Dangly calls out:
"Don't you wanna make sweet, erotic love to me, O' Halloran?", she purrs.
He stops in his tracks and tightens the knot of his neck tie before turning back to her.
"Sorry, baby. I've already wanked. Maybe another time".
With that, he and Pip walk confidently outside and get in their car.
"Jeez, O' Halloran, that was one hell of a hunch you had. She gave us a name and everything. But, say, why didn't you make sweet erotic love with her?".
O' Halloran combs his hair back and looks at his reflection in the mirror.
"I'm afraid of commitment, Pip. If I told her the truth - that I wanted to spread her on that pink mattress and screw her brains out - I'd then fall in love with her. And with my crazy private life that would only lead to one thing - death. Everybody I've ever fallen in love with has either been decapitated, tortured by aliens, flayed alive with a hedge-trimmers or sucked into a toilet. I can't let that happen again - so I wank, and each time I do I die a little inside...".
Pip shakes his head. "Boy-of-boy, O' Halloran. You sure have troubles".
O' Halloran shrugs.
"Well, thats enough pointless back story and sorrow for one chapter. We've got some investigating to do, Pip. We need to find this Doctor Huckleberry Fudgecicle Stickybum Baboon IV and question his ass - by that I mean him, not his bottom".
Continue to CHAPTER 3


text:
Alright...do this with me...something to blog about when you don't have anything else to blog about...or when you are procrastinating doing other more important things!
The concept:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd's mosaic maker.
The Questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.
1. Toni Frissell (1947), 2. suck up! a.k.a. you suck! :), 3. Untitled, 4. Autumn walk, 5. I've been setting aside time........................... To clear a little space in the corners of my mind..........................., 6. there's nothing better than summer, 7. I think this sums it up nicely... (365 days shot, too!), 8. lemon_meringue_pie_mini_4049.jpg, 9. Bokeh Melody, 10. dVan, 11. one with the sea, 12. Reflections of a little girl
Tuesday, 10 June 2008
.a game.
Posted by make it perfect at 16:46
Labels: Inspiration
4 comments:
- Tayla Joyce said...
Toni, I'm dead bored. I played your game and I really like it. I love that site. :D
- 10 June 2008 at 17:59
- Carli said...
That's cool - I was wondering what you'd get for Toni.
- 11 June 2008 at 21:44
- Tayla Joyce said...
I actually have spent heaps of time on Flickr.
Its so abstract and all, thanks for giving me the idea. :D
- 11 June 2008 at 21:52
- sm[ash]. said...
i didn't even know of flickr till now and it has the best photos!
i love photos and abstract and artistic photos especially so i scored.
- 12 June 2008 at 17:45
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text: Steam Locomotive Information The Steam Locomotive Information Site CFR No. 764.051 Cluj-Napoca, Romania Wheels: 0-8-0 Builder: Fabryka Lokomotyw, Chrzanow Build Date: 1948 Construction No.: 1992 Empty Weight: Unknown Weight on Drivers: Unknown Driver Diameter: Unknown Tractive Effort: Unknown Boiler Pressure: Unknown Cylinders: Unknown Fuel: Unknown Gauge: 760mm Location: Station Status: Unknown Views: 506 Record Created: Before June 10, 2017 Record Updated: December 2, 2019 Action: Details Editted This site and its content Copyright © 2020, by Douglas C. BaileyImages and Video Clips © by the photographer/videographer indicated. Used by permission.


text:
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Bird Girls
Dreaming : We all do it, some of us remember it all and some don't.
My dreams come and go ( the remembering side)and when I need a cosmic ass kicking..that's when they get full on.
You can google the dream meanings and most of the time it doesn't make sense ( well to me anyhow).
So over the years I have learnt to trust my own journey in and of the dream. The theory is, it's our higher consciousness talking to us and we get to work shit out when we dream.
I can still remember dreams that have had a massive impact on me in my waking life. These ones I know they were messages/teachings/learnings from the universe.
Then I get the knowing dreams, like the one I had last night and it always seems to be around animals.
A member of the Parrot family visited me last night, he died and was showing me how he wanted his body honoured.
It was beautiful dream , no sadness just a honouring of body and spirit.
He reminded me of the great Thunderbird or Phoenix. The great Death/Rebirth cycle.
The way that we can use the medicine and honour it at the same time.
He showed me how to pin his wings as if in full flight to represent LIFE
There was fire pit and singing. I was with a couple my sisters who I consider to be "bird Girls".
I don't actually know what type of parrot he was, I think he was a Macaw?
Whether or not he comes to me in real life, remains to be seen.
However I thank his spirit.
So in paying attention to dreams, they always reveal the meaning , maybe not straight away, but eventually
Dream on
Firebirds Child
It's supposed to be spring in the great southern land :)
We have had wild weather, particularly in Melbourne : Torrential rain/Floods/wild winds and still quite cool for this time of year .
It's like winter is refusing to let go?
Today it's going to be lovely, however I sorta feel the sluggishness of spring waiting ?
I think she's still in hermit mode, just starting to peak a toe out of the cave.
Like most: the cycles affect me in the body. I can't be "bothered" !! It's like yeahh...next week I'll get to it.
Normally I'm bouncing off the walls with magical energy that spring brings.
Just started to feel a little of the energy return today :) Yay!
We are counting down to Beltane in the southern hemisphere
Beltane is a season of fertility, fire & renewal and we often find this reflected in the magic of the season. Spring magic, from ritual sex to fertility magic, along with the magic found in gardens and nature.
Northern Hemisphere Date: May 1st
Also known as Bealtaine, Walpurgisnacht, May Day, (Northern Hemisphere) & Novey Eve (in Southern Hemisphere).Beltane, the beginning of the summer months is at the November cross-quarter. This is the festival of the Great Rite - of sexual union between Goddess and God. Beltane is the spring fertility festival and there is feasting and celebration - a great festival for lovers! Beltane is the most popular time for Witches to be hand fasted. This is the time when the brilliant red flowers of the Flame Trees highlight Australian forests and gardens. Our famous horse race, the Melbourne Cup, is happily coincident with southern Beltane, being run on the first Tuesday in November and taken as an unofficial holiday across Australia.
Love beltane, because it brings back the sun ,fire and warmth after the long winter when we are still, it's time to be back in nature and align with earth after hibernation.
My body is slowly coming back and I find myself longing to lay in warmth of the rays and watch as the flowers bud.
It's been a long time coming.
Rock on
Hail and welcome spring :)
Random Musings
February 2020


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for THE FREAKING HOBBIT…
You're welcome!
Psych has so much going for it – a great cast with excellent chemistry, who seem to genuinely enjoy working together; some of the tightest writing in the bizz – by people who have clearly watched every television show and film in the history of time and aren't afraid to admit to it; pop culture references from the current to the obscure and some great plots and crimes (so often neglected in primarily comedic shows).
That's not what makes it work though – it's the relationships within the show. Sure, they are exaggerated, but they are also fresh, realistic, occasionally poignant and allowed to evolve. Shaun and Gus are the sort of best friends that we all wish we could be. They don't always agree but they have each others back through thick and thin; they know each other backwards and forwards and they never hesitate to be honest with one another.
And every single relationship in the show is executed that well. Shaun and his near-estranged disappointed father, Henry. Heck, Shaun and his near-permanently elsewhere mother – these bonds are usually played for comedic effect but they feel no less authentic for it.
Shaun and Gus as the dynamic duo toying with the Santa Barbara Police department.
Lassie and Jules (and will they ever actually hug like friends?). Police Chief Vick – who knows there is something fishy going on but willingly looks the other way as the Psych results are too good to ignore.
Hell, even the secondary guest stars get to be real people with funny quirks – not just background bods – take a bow Buzz, Woody and Ken – I'm looking at you!
And Shaun and Jules. This relationship deserves a special mention. The only reason that the show hasn't gone bad in that Moonlighting-shoot-me-now-king-of-way is that for a built up lovely dovey storyline – you never get to see it. They're a couple but only really off screen. But I defy anyone who saw the resolution to the missing Nintendo not to have had a major awwwww session, despite the lack of PDA!
As if that weren't enough, it's the show that brought Steve and I together – it's still the one that we chat about the most; we're still intrigued by it and after nearly 6 years or viewing, that's a pretty great sign!
Raising Hope – our great new hope (pun intended and instantly regretted) is the second in our special award recognition blog…thingy.
Unfortunately, Psych probably won't run for ever – no matter how much we might want it too!
Raising Hope leads us to dream that we might still be able to giggle and laugh and aww and secretly sob at a show without having to hide it from friends and family!
It based on a very simple premise – a very young minded young man called Jimmy is unexpectedly called upon to raise the child he didn't know existed. Okay – it isn't quite so simple. Jimmy had a one night stand with a serial killer – Lucy. She contacts him from death row so that he can take care of his baby girl. He – with more than a touch of the simpleton about him – is forced to rely utterly on his chain smoking mother, Virginia and his more idiot than not loser father, Burt. Despite their horror at being grandparents – the whole family (*not forgetting Great-Grand-Mother Maw-maw – who has alzeihmers) pulls together to raise Hope and provide her with a loving home.
Clearly from the same stable as My Name is Earl; this show avoids some of the unfortunate pitfalls of its predecessor. What could be a repetative storyline is adroltly avoided within it's ever-growing cast and expanding scope.
Jimmy and his functional disfunctional family provide a wonderful baseline – however secondary characters like the delightful Sabrina (whom Steve luuuuuves), her musical cousin Shelly, Jimmy's boss Barney and the FANTASTICALLY FABULOUS Frank keep the comedy fresh and provide wonderful tangents. Meanwhile the whole task of raising a child is handled in a senstive rather than slapstick way.
There you have it.
Two shows – very different but each worthy of…
Please see the totally wacky tailer below to get a sense of what we're loving about it!
Agree? Great, feel free to leave a comment.
Or pull faces at the computer screen…
for THE FREAKING HOBBIT…
You're welcome!
However…next year…NEXT YEAR it will all be different!
#CultFix Season 3 will be starting in January.
It'll be bigger…
It'll be betterer…
It will be regular-er…
Listen below as Steve does the official sign off for the year.
Looking forward to chatting with you all properly again soon!


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I'm going to take a step back from Peru here, because a tiny island in Bolivia where we spent just one night deserves a special mention. Situated on the shores of high-altitude lake Titicaca, the little town of Copacabana is a quiet little fishing port. With a small main square, tiny market and a handful of traveller-friendly shops, there's nothing particularly remarkable about Copacabana (one astonishingly good hotel withstanding – Las Olas). Basically, it's as far from it's Brazilian beachside namesake as you can get.
Category Archives: Bolivia
Dicing with Death Road
Bolivia does seem to pride itself on extremes, and to some people I met, these can get a little tiring. 'World´s highest city', 'World's highest capital city', 'World's highest pub pretending to be Irish', etc, etc….
I personally don't mind the superlatives, even if some are just hackneyed marketing gimmicks. So I was more than happy to be reeled in by el Camino de la Muerte, aka the 'World's most dangerous road'. The road is now barely used by traffic, as they opened a new safer section in 2006, but its still pretty damn hairy cycling down it, especially in rainy season when it turns into a deadly slip and slide!
Monkey Business in the Bolivian Amazon
After spending three chilly weeks at high altitude, it was something of relief to land in the sweltering heat of the rainforest town of Rurrenabaque. The little 19 seater plane touched down at the smallest airport I have ever been to. Only the runway was tarmac, the plane had to taxi over grass and mud to reach the terminal building where pigs roamed freely. No such thing as airport security here.
The Mountain that Eats Men
In the Bolivian city of Potosi lies the infamous silver mine, Cerro Rico. It looms over the town like a towering tomb, and locals say 'we eat the mountain and the mountain eats us.'
We had our doubts before going, having heard stories of the dangerous, claustrophobic conditions, and read repeated warnings of safety (and the general lack thereof). And we were right to be worried, but, while at times shocking and frightening, the experience was one of the most eye-opening and rewarding of our trip.


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Four Prominent Physicians to Join Cellectis Clinical Advisory Board
Published on January 23, 2017
New Board Members Include Professors John Gribben, Koen van Besien, Kanti Rai and Catherine Thieblemont
January 23, 2017 – New York (N.Y.) – Cellectis (Alternext: ALCLS; Nasdaq: CLLS), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing immunotherapies based on gene edited CAR T-cells (UCART), today announced that four new members joined Cellectis' Clinical Advisory Board (CAB). The CAB serves as a strategic resource to Cellectis as the Company enters the clinical development of allogeneic CAR T immunotherapies lead by its wholly owned product candidate, UCART123.
The CAB initially comprises Pr John Gribben, Lead of the Centre for Hemato-Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute of London, UK; Pr Koen van Besien, Director of the Stem Cell Transplant Program and Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, NYC, USA; Pr Kanti Rai, Professor of Medicine and Molecular Medicine, Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine, Hempstead, USA and Pr Catherine Thieblemont, Professor of Hematology in the Paris VII- University, France and Head of the Hemato-Oncology Unit of St-Louis Hospital in Paris.
"We are honored that these leaders have agreed to join Cellectis' Clinical Advisory Board as forward-thinking experts, innovators and visionaries in their respective fields," said Dr. Loan Hoang-Sayag, Chief Medical Officer, Cellectis. "Professors Gribben, van Besien, Rai and Thieblemont are strong supporters of Cellectis' allogeneic, 'off-the-shelf' approach to developing immunotherapies. The in-depth experience of these leading physicians across the hematologic malignancies / stem cell transplant, immunotherapy and hematology-oncology clinical research fields will greatly inform our ongoing work to address the unmet needs of different patient populations globally."
Professor Gribben holds the Gordon Hamilton Fairley Chair of Medical Oncology at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary, University of London, where his research group is currently focused on immunological approaches to the treatment of hematological cancers. He was a research fellow at University College London and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School. He joined the faculty at Harvard Medical School, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital in 1992. He is a founding member of the CLL Research Consortium, was Associate Editor of Blood from 2008-2014 and was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Science. He will be President–Elect of The European Hematology Association (EHA) from 2017 to 2019.
Professor van Besien serves as Director of the Stem Cell Transplant Program at Weill Cornell Medical Center and is an Attending Physician at New York Presbyterian Hospital. A graduate of the College ND de la Paix in Namur, Belgium, and University of Leuven, Belgium. Professor van Besien also holds a PhD from the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands. He completed a hematology/oncology fellowship at Indiana University and in Bruges, Belgium, and was a faculty member of the transplant program at MD Anderson Cancer Center. The Professor also directed the transplant program at the University of Illinois and the transplant and lymphoma programs at the University of Chicago. He is Editor-in-chief of Leukemia and Lymphoma.
Professor Rai, an internationally renowned leukemia researcher and hematologist, brings extensive knowledge and experience from his 50-year career spanning groundbreaking clinical leukemia research. He is the Joel Finkelstein Cancer Foundation Professor of Medicine at the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, where he is also Professor of Molecular Medicine. He is currently Chief of the Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) Research and Treatment Program at Northwell Cancer Institute and an Investigator at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research.
Professor Thieblemont is Professor of Hematology in the Paris VII- University, France, and Head of the Hemato-Oncology Department in the Hospital Saint-Louis – Paris, France, where she develops specific therapeutic programs for refractory/relapsed lymphomas and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. She belongs to the administrative and scientific committees of the LYSA, the lymphoma study association, to the board of directors of the IELSG, the International extranodal lymphoma study association, and to the Fellowships and Grants Committee of The European Hematology Association (EHA).
"As Cellectis is expected to start the world's first clinical trial to ever use an allogeneic CAR T therapy in the U.S., the Company's Clinical Advisory Board will greatly guide us in moving full steam ahead," added Dr. Hoang-Sayag. "The goal is that the allogeneic CAR T cell approach will lead to a drug that is cost-effective, easily distributed across all geographies and immediately available to patients in need. We are thrilled to have Professors Gribben, van Besien, Rai and Thieblemont onboard as we inch closer to reaching this monumental milestone for cancer patients everywhere and revolutionizing cancer treatment as we know it today."


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25Oz Tritan Frosted Bottle- Grey
$12.00 $10.00
Made from high quality tritan material- BPA free. The bottle has a double lock lid system to ensure that the bottle stays 100% leak proof. You can use one hand to open and lock lid- this makes it convenient for multitasking at the gym, at the office or at events. Break resistant and leak proof for easy carry in your bag. Has a clean, elegant and professional look that fits any occasion.


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Answered by:
Permanently disable driver signature enforcement on Win 7 x64
I would like to install latest Catalyst drivers for Win7 but the problem is that I would have to disable driver signature enforcement on every reboot in order for the driver to work..
Is there a way to permanently disable driver signature enforcement ?
- Moved by OthorvathModerator Saturday, February 7, 2009 2:48 PM (Moved from Windows 7 Installation, Setup, and Deployment to Windows 7 Hardware Compatibility)
Ati Tray Tools doesn't have a signed driver since its a community application with no $$$ to spare for certification program
- Marked as answer by Mark L. FergusonModerator Monday, February 23, 2009 12:48 AM
All replies
Try disabling signature check using easybcd free tool, that you can get from http://neosmart.net/dl.php?id=1
Run easybcd, click advanced options button.
Enabling loading of unsigned drivers is security risk!
- Proposed as answer by Ventsislav Alexandriyski Saturday, February 7, 2009 1:17 AM
- Unproposed as answer by ashrack Saturday, February 7, 2009 11:02 AM
Ati Tray Tools doesn't have a signed driver since its a community application with no $$$ to spare for certification program
- Marked as answer by Mark L. FergusonModerator Monday, February 23, 2009 12:48 AM
Open a command prompt as an admin and type
bcdedit -set loadoptions DISABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS
bcdedit -set TESTSIGNING ON
See security risk warning above.
If it doesn't work for whatever reason you can just remove loadoptions with bcedit and switch testsigning off.
bcdedit /deletevalue loadoptions
bcdedit -set TESTSIGNING OFF
if this breaks something for whatever reason sorry, goodluck.
- Proposed as answer by daat99 Thursday, February 3, 2011 2:44 PM
Turning off the digital certificate signed driver mandatory requirement in Windows 7 64-bit is not supported.
Carey Frisch
Well thanks for that, this pretty much completely blocks several free programs like PeerGuardian that don't have money to pay for the signing. Please tell me there is a chance there will be an option for this in final release, at least some registry hack if not something more user-friendly. There is no reason to force a security option on users. If you wish, you can hide it deep inside some settings that only expert users will know how to get to anyway.
In Vista, the solution was to sign the driver yourself. You can see how to do it here
Look at "Proj X11: Digitally Signing an Application". I know that works for applications, and I think it works for drivers too, but I haven't tested it.
- Proposed as answer by Jason Pirok Thursday, August 28, 2014 7:30 PM
Here's a link with instructions on how to do it legit from within Windows using the Group Policy Editor.
This does not work as I have just tried it. And all i'm trying to do is install official updated sound drivers.
This has to be one of the biggest pains in the ____ ever.
You can install unsigned drivers using DSEO and testmode. It is a permanent solution, but you have to sign drivers individually.
Follow the steps of this somewhat related guide , omitting the part about old driver version, and this is how to get Ati Tray Tools to work.
- Proposed as answer by BATP Saturday, March 6, 2010 6:48 PM
These two commands alone worked great for me on Win7-64:
bcdedit -set loadoptions DISABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS
bcdedit -set TESTSIGNING ON
- Proposed as answer by Brian Borg Wednesday, December 19, 2012 2:21 AM
Reboot using advanced start up options and there is an option to turn off signature enoforcement.
Reboot as normal and press F8. Then select " Disable Driver Signature Enforcement". Then install the unsigned driver. I had to do this for development using libusb.
- Proposed as answer by Charles1979 Saturday, January 29, 2011 3:18 PM
Doing it the first time failed for my problem but here is what i did
go to start button and type in cmd highlight over it and right click
select run as admin
typed this (for whatever reason i thought it was odd to have a random directory):
"cd\" and then i hit the enter button
then the command prompt did the thing it was supposed to and said:
THEN... and only then did following your instructions worked when using:
bcdedit -set loadoptions DISABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS
bcdedit -set TESTSIGNING ON
i seriously do not know how and what it had to do with it but i don't care as it worked.
thank you
- Edited by Endorakai Saturday, February 15, 2014 5:19 AM
for those of you who want to bypass the security dialog which occurs when installing non-MS-WHQL-signed drivers on Windows 7 64Bit (and Windows 8, 8.1) there was only a single solution for me that worked for scripted, automated, unattended or silent installations: import the certificates prior to install
Follow these steps:
1. install the software once manually by confirming that the unsigned drivers shall be used
2. go to %windir%\inf and search for the latest OEM??.INF file; open it (notepad) and verify by its contents that this is the driver you wish to install automatically next time
3. go to %windir%\system32\catroot\{any ID}\OEM??.CAT (<- same number as in step 2); right click on this file, select properties, go to "Digital Signatures" tab, mark the certificate, click on details
4. on the next window click "Show Certificate"
5. on the next window open the "Details" tab and click "Save to File..."
6. collect this/all certificates
7. deploy these certificates
7.1 either in a batch /cmd script using "certutil.exe -f -addstore "TrustedPublisher" "MYFILE.cer" prior to setup
7.2 or by Group Policies (computer \ Policies \ Windows \ Security \ Public Key Policies \ add your files here )
8. run your setup just the way you wanted :D
I was not able to bypass windows driver signature checks on Windows 7 SP1 Enterprise x64 using
- Bcdedit.exe /set nointegritychecks ON
- Bcdedit.exe /set testsigning ON
- Bcdedit.exe /set loadoptions DDISABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS
- Group Policy / Users / Settings / Administrative Templates / System / Drivers / Signature = ignore
- Application Compatibility (ApplicationCompatibilityToolkitSetup.exe http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=7352 ) set NoSignatureCheck, Export DB, sdbinst -q \\path\dbfile.sdb)
- Proposed as answer by Andy Leibundgut Wednesday, April 23, 2014 8:53 PM
I was so excited after seeing this, then I started to try it and ... :/ I got to step 3... In step 2 my file is called "oem4.inf", but on step 3 there is no file called "oem4.CAT". There are a few others but not "4".
Also, is there a way to tell what drivers are currently NOT signed on my server 2008 r2 box?
Thanks for the attempt. :/
Arvo Bowen III
It totally worked for me, thanks Gizmo0001 i've been banging my head against the wall on an automated install all day.
I too did not have a matching .cat file, but the oem*.inf file had a "[Version]" section. In there it has a "CatalogFile=" parameter or whatever its called where it lists the name of the associated .cat file. Once you have that just do a search for that file name and walla, you're set to proceed with Gizmo0001's procedure.
In my case I had been trying to manually export the cert after a manual install from the "Trusted Publishers" in certmgr.msc and then import it elsewhere. For some reason it didnt like that. It could be that I was importing it manually and didnt use the certutil.exe so maybe thats where the hangup was. Anyway Gizmo001's method will without a doubt get you to the correct certificate at least.
Also i'd like to mention that although I dont know what that bcedit stuff is, the certificate option Gizmo0001 offered sounds like a better option to me from an automated install standpoint and possibly more secure? Maybe someone with more expertise in this area can weigh in on that?
- Edited by Andy Leibundgut Wednesday, April 23, 2014 9:08 PM
Hi! Thanks for your help!
I can follow your advice to number 4. but I cannot understand after number 5.
there are some questions
1. In number 5, "Save to file..." ---> where is the exact directory that save the file ?
after click the save button, i must designate the directory that file would saved.
2. In number 6, what means 'collect this / all certificates' ??
i have problem with my oem13.cat (newly installed driver) , do I save all oem file ? (oem0 ~ oem12 ?)
3. Deploy this certificate in a batch or by group policies
1) i saved my file(certificate) in backgroud,
and prompt that script using cmd, but there are message something like this ' cannot find file'
2) So, I tried second method. but i cannot understand thie method
what is group policies? and i cannot find that directory (computer \ policies \ windows \ security \ public key policies \ )
Please help me.
i am not good at english, sorry
These 2 steps worked for me on my windows 7 laptop.
1. Go to Start menu and type cmd.exe in the Search Bar and press Enter. (Remember you must be logged on as Administrator - if you're not, logout from your current user and login as Administrator. Or right-click the "Command Prompt" link in the start menu / accessories and select "Run as Administrator")
Now type the following and press Enter:
bcdedit.exe -set loadoptions DDISABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS
bcdedit.exe -set TESTSIGNING ON
I also did the following:
2. Go to Start -> Run -> GPEdit.msc
Now go to User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System -> Driver Installation -> Code signing for drivers
Click on "Disabled", then on "OK".
Microsoft pushed an update recently that forced this insidious setting back on and removed the options to disable it again.
I REFUSE to upgrade to the virus they name Windows 10 as my work requires a high level of confidentiality and Microsoft Windows 10 constantly monitors your activities, all for the benefit of their marketing department.
The US needs a GPDR
bo billy bo
- Edited by boboofthedallasbobos Monday, August 27, 2018 5:35 PM


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Yes. Some hosts require guests to sign contracts or rental agreements prior to check-in.
For hosts
If you require guests to sign a contract, you must disclose the actual contract terms to them prior to booking. The easiest way to do this is to mention the contract in your listing's description, and include the terms in your message thread with the guest.
Book Halal Homes can't help enforce any special policies in your contract.
For guests
Hosts may ask you to sign a contract, but they must disclose this requirement and its terms prior to booking.
If you're not comfortable with the contract, you may want to discuss your concerns with the host or look for another place to stay.
If your host asks you to sign a contract that you weren't notified about before you made the reservation, you can decline to sign the contract and ask your host to cancel your reservation instead.