text:
In good company.
It was only a kiss.
A simple kiss, you know? Nothing fancy. Not with even a fraction of tongue. Why did I give him my phone number? Perhaps out of pity? Nah. He could have just as easily gotten a phone number from any girl in the room—but why mine? I get it. He pitied me. That figures. Every guy I met this year rejected me, and all of a sudden, it's on New Year's when someone finally held any interest in me. That kiss expelled an entire year of first dates, paying for my half of the meal, and finding out what a good friend I am.
Fuck it. I'll take what I can get.
That was before I changed my mind about going to dinner with him on Friday. I saw him waiting with my best friend in front of her apartment. I saw him, but he didn't see me. Maybe he doesn't know me well enough just yet to "see" me. I am sure we were both drunk that night. It's not like our souls existed in some metaphysical place and we were already in love. Somehow I was able to convince myself it was only a New Year's kiss and that the mention of dinner was only happenstance as a formal response to kissing a complete stranger after downing one too many Amaretto sours. I just find it difficult—well, impossible—to convince myself that that kiss may have been the start of a symmetrical intimacy that will put an end to my late night funk of eating sliced cucumbers dipped in ranch and watching Iron Chef ® episodes on Netflix. I will be polite. Pay for my half of dinner. Find out what a good friend I am before heading back home.
I had decided all this before I crossed the street.
"It's about time you got here!" Ashley said.
The first time Ashley said that to me, she had just lost her grip from a frayed rope we used to swing from my parent's back yard to the top of the picnic table stationed under a tree in her back yard. I ran from our back yard and around the block to her parents' house to ask if she could come outside to play. It took me a whole four minutes and thirteen seconds to get there. Ashley believed she lay there for at least an hour before I showed up, and when I did she let out a wail so loud that whenever I thought about it, to this day, my ears would instantly ring. Although it wasn't my fault she fell, my parents punished me for an entire month after that.
"Yeah! I know, sorry about that." I said.
I don't think she ever forgave me for being late to come to her rescue after that frayed rope incident—or the time she landed on the ground flat on her back when she fell from the monkey bars in the school playground—or the time her father decided to go on vacation with his secretary and forgot that it was his weekend to pick her up in front of the Dairy Queen. I ran an entire eight blocks it took me to get there, only to have to run back because she neglected to tell me that her mom had already picked her up and gave her a ride home.
The larger issue is that I'm mostly dependent on Ashley's friendship. I was never any good at being on my own. Most of what I could recall about my childhood was that it was spent in front of the television. My dad would spend the evenings in his La-Z-Boy recliner, avoiding my grandmother's centerpiece gossip. My mother spent most of her time hording bingo ink daubers in an array of colors and clipping coupons. When she wasn't waiting in line to get in the bingo hall—she was waiting in line at the bingo hall clipping coupons. You might think I've had a lonely childhood, but on the contrary, the rest of my time was spent shadowing Ashley.
Ashley is pretty and popular. Always has been. Her green eyes are round and large like anime eyes, framed with long parallel eyelashes. Her face, a flawless smile, and her heavy chest made her popular all through high school. Even though she thought of herself as being average looking, she's the center of attention. Still, she always considered me a close member of her family. And I considered myself to be very lucky.
When my grandmother died, I spent a whole summer trying to keep my mother happy. I believe I'd never seen my father happier. He began staying away from home often, so taking care of my mother became my primary job after school. At the same time, being in sub-service to Ashley's friendship often made an unfortunate mess of things. I had to hurry home to prepare dinner for my parents and for myself. After dinner and after all the dishes were cleaned, I had to hurry around the corner to do Ashley's homework. While she won praises for her grades, I was failing all my courses. In between playing maidservant to my mother and my father's drinking habit, I was often tired and too busy to make time for myself.
Needless to say, I have a history for always being late.
"You're not late," He said. "You're just on time."
"On time for what?" I forgot his name.
"My God, let's just go," Ashley, said. "I don't want to be late meeting Colin at the restaurant. Save the re-introductions for later."
With that, we followed Ashley in cadence to meet Colin at an undisclosed restaurant hand in hand with a man I 'd met only once.


text:
Who am i?
Helen Foulkes, BA Hons, PGCE, RSLT, MASLI
BSL Translations:
I am a freelance qualified Sign Language Translator registered with both the National Registers of Communication Professionals Working with Deaf and Deafblind People (NRCPD) and the Association of Sign Language Interpreters (ASLI).
I offer a reliable and professional translation service from written English into BSL.
High quality work is a given and as a reflective practitioner, I strive to give you my very best. Every translation assignment I undertake will be delivered with integrity, within my competence and to the highest professional standards.
Confidentiality is paramount to my work unless the translation is to be shown in the public domain.
All my work is covered by Public Indemnity Insurance.
Other Services:
As a qualified teacher, I can also offer bespoke training to a variety of audiences such as university students, trainee interpreters, families wanting to learn to sign with their Deaf children, private 1:1 or small group sign language tuition.
Deafblind Guidance and Communication:
There are approximately 23,000 Deafblind people in the UK and I can offer Deafblind Visual Frame, Deafblind Hands-On and Deafblind Manual Communication for Deafblind individuals.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Archive for February 2010
Book giveaway!
So my blog has been going for about 2 months now and I would like to thank my readers by holding a giveaway. While I wish I could give away gift cards or brand new releases of books or something fun like that, I'm not Ms. Moneybags, so that may have to wait for awhile. My first giveaway ever will be the book "One Fifth Avenue" by Candace Bushnell (my fav author ever).
I ran out and purchased this book the week it came out and BARELY opened it, so essentially, it is in perfect, brand new condition (it's the hardcover version, if you haven't noticed). Here's the excerpt from Barnes & Noble's website:
One Fifth Avenue, the Art Deco beauty towering over one of Manhattan's oldest and most historically hip neighborhoods, is a one-of-a-kind address, the sort of building you have to earn your way into – one way or another. For the women in Candace Bushnell's new novel, One Fifth Avenue, this edifice is essential to the lives they've carefully established – or hope to establish. From the hedge fund king's wife to the aging gossip columnist to the free-spirited actress (a recent refugee from L.A.), each person's game plan for a rich life comes together under the soaring roof of this landmark building." This book is a modern-day story of old and new money, that same combustible mix that Edith Wharton mastered in her novels about New York's Gilded Age and F. Scott Fitzgerald illuminated in his Jazz Age tales. Many decades later, Bushnell's New Yorkers suffer the same passions as those fictional Manhattanites from eras past: They thirst for power, for social prominence, and for marriages that are successful – at least to the public eye. But Bushnell is an original, and One Fifth Avenue is so fresh that it reads as if sexual politics, real estate theft, and fortunes lost in a day have never happened before.
While I was not a fan of the book for whatever reason, it did make it onto the NY Times Best Sellers list and I know a bunch of other people who love Candace Bushnell's work.
Here are the rules:
- One entry per person.
- You must leave a comment here telling me what your favorite book EVER is and why.
- The contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Sunday, February 28th.
- The winner will be chosen by the Random Number Generator based upon the number of your comment (the comments are not numbered, so the first comment is #1, second is #2, etc – that is why you're only allowed one comment/entry). I will draw the winning comment number on Monday.
- You'll be contacted by email if you've been chosen, so make sure you leave a valid email address so I can contact you and arrange to ship the book.
Hope you enjoy, and I promise that I'll come up with some better ideas for giveaways in the future. Thanks so much for reading!!!
Odd Mom Out by Jane Porter
Recently I wanted to download a new book and was trying to pick one of the books off of the Chick Lit 100 list and just couldn't decide. I asked my lovely boyfriend to pick a random number from 1 to 100 and he chose 73, which was this book, "Odd Mom Out" by Jane Porter.
Marta is a single mother raising a 9-year old daughter named Eva. Eva does not act like typical 9-year olds and it seems like she's maybe 12 or 13 instead. Marta and Eva have moved from New York City back to Seattle to be closer to Marta's ailing mother. The other parents who live in the wealthy suburbs of Seattle are comprised of a mix of Microsoft-working dads and stay-at-home moms; Marta just doesn't fit in. Oh, and by the way, Eva was conceived by a sperm donor, so she's never had a father-figure in her life. Eva has become obsessed with two things: marrying off her mother and fitting in at school with her snobby, rich classmates.
Here's where I become iffy about the storyline. Marta runs her own advertising agency and doesn't wear designer clothes and rides a Harley. Eva wants her to dress pretty and look like the other moms in their fancy clothes and nice cars. Marta seems happy doing her own thing and doesn't want to change and doesn't WANT to fit in. Yet she does make an effort to try, just to make Eva happy, and even starts to volunteer at the school with the snotty moms because that's what Eva wants. Now, I don't have kids, but I'm sure that a parent would do anything to make their child happy. But would you do that to sacrifice your own happiness and uniqueness? I'm not sure. I didn't really like that message… do you really have to change if there's nothing wrong with the way you are? Who cares if you are different?
Marta does end up meeting a man that she is crazy about – the first time she's dated in the 9 years that Eva's been alive. As she falls head over heels for Luke, she finds out some things about him that she doesn't like, because it goes against everything she believes in (hint: he's more like one of "them" than he is like her). She has to weigh her options and think about what is more important to her.
I am really not sure how I feel about this book. It wasn't bad to read, but I just didn't like the whole idea of "you have to change to fit in". I think that sends a bad message. But that's just me.
Jane Porter has some other chick lit books out that I'd like to check out, though. Apparently, she also writes Harlequin romance novels. Yeah… I don't think "The Sicilian's Defiant Mistress" will be on my reading list.
Special delivery!
OMG! Look what I got in the mail today!
Remember a few weeks ago when I wrote about "Holly's Inbox" and said that there was a sequel that was ONLY released in the UK? Well, guess what. I FOUND IT! When I was originally looking, it was not available for sale on the UK version of Amazon, although now it is.
I searched high and wide on the web and ended up finding it for sale on Alibris.com. I'd never heard of this website before, but they sell used books, movies, music, textbooks, etc., and have a special section for rare and collectible books. This book only cost me about $7 total. Yes, I said $7. The book itself was $3 and shipping was $4. I know… crazy cheap, huh? It was shipped from a seller in NY but it did originally come from the UK (see the British Red Cross price tag on it?). It's kind of yellowed and some pages are slightly ripped, but it was $7. I'll deal with it.
I can't wait to start reading it! I have to finish my current book first though ("Winter Garden" by Kristin Hannah); I can't handle reading multiple books at one time.
Not My Daughter by Barbara Delinsky
I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me a lot of Jodi Picoult's novels for some reason; I think it was the writing style or maybe just the topic. Jodi Picoult did tackle a similar topic in her book "Plain Truth."
Barbara Delinsky writes about a New England high school principal named Susan who finds out that her 17-year old daughter and her two best friends (the daughters of Susan's two best friends) have all gotten pregnant. Ripped from the headlines, anyone? While one teen pregnancy in their small town is a concern, three pregnancies sends the town reeling. Fingers are pointed at Susan for being an irresponsible parent – she had also gotten pregnant at the age of 17. In addition to Susan dealing with her daughter's pregnancy and wondering if she was a bad mother, her job is in question and there are calls for her resignation. Susan's best friends are also struggling with the news from their daughters, but in different ways.
The reviews of this book by other Amazon readers were not as good as I expected and I'm not sure why. Many people said that it was unrealistic and the parents didn't scream at or punish their daughters for getting pregnant… but would that have really been the best way to handle it? I think most works of fiction are unrealistic in one way or another and you just have to take it for what it is.
Barbara Delinsky has a ton of other books (nineteen total!!) that seem to have a common theme around mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends. She has another new novel coming out in March called "More than Friends".
The Crossroads Cafe by Deborah Smith
I would have never picked this book up off a shelf; the cover doesn't particularly appeal to me. I know all that stuff about not judging a book by its cover, but come on. I know you do it too. I read this book because it was free on the Kindle a few months ago.
"The Crossroads Cafe" is about the most famous actress in the industry, Cathryn Deen, who has the world in her hands. Suddenly, she is in a disfiguring accident and her life completely changes. To run away from the paparazzi, the people who caused her accident in the first place (hmmm… just realized the whole Princess Diana/paparazzi/tragic accident similarity), she flees to her grandmother's old house in a small town in the mountains of North Carolina where her distant cousin, Delta, runs a cafe. Cathryn and Delta had never spoken or met before this until Delta reached out to offer her support when Cathryn was in the hospital recovering from her wounds. At the same time, Thomas is a male widow (is that the right word for a man who loses his wife?) due to September 11th and has also fled to the same small town to start over. He's rough around the edges but somehow forms a strange relationship with Cathryn. They are both struggling to get through each day and end up helping each other survive and move forward with their lives.
This book was on the longer side, a little under 400 pages, but it kept my interest the entire time and was so much more than I expected. The story and the characters were well-developed and even though you may not have liked Cathryn, the rich, has-everything actress at the beginning of the book, you fell in love with her by the end. I also liked the goat in the story. I'm weird, I know.
Deborah Smith has a number of other books out and I hope they're as good as "The Crossroads Cafe". I guess next time I won't be judging books based on cover alone.


text:
The 22-year-old newly qualified midwife will be working on the maternity wards at Coventry's University Hospital.
Manvir from Wolverhampton said: "Midwives are very privileged, supporting women as they go through one of the biggest events of their lives, turning from a woman to new-mother. I am delighted to be able to provide the best care for women and their babies at such a time in their lives at a fantastic hospital."
Manvir is no stranger to University Hospital as she completed three years of her clinical training on the same wards – delivering 40 babies as a midwifery student with Coventry University. Student midwives undertake clinical placements at University Hospital on wards and in the community.
Now a fully qualified midwife she will be part of a team caring for women with some of the most complex cases in the NHS. University Hospital has a national reputation for treating women with complex medical needs including pregnant women with diabetes, heart problems and obesity. Coventry also has one of the the biggest birth rates in the West Midlands, a trend which is expected to continue until 2016.
Manvir said: "The opportunities to work at UHCW are fantastic. As a large teaching hospital I will support the wide variety of patients that you only get to care for in specialist centres. As a new midwife I want to be experiencing all aspects of the women and their babies. I am very excited to be working here and the start of my career."
Teaching Hospitals gives midwives, at whatever stage they are at in their careers the opportunity to continually learn and develop their skills. This is best practice because they are able to provide the optimum care for women and their babies based on the latest teaching and research.
Over 100 applications were received for the posts as midwives competed to work for one of the best maternity units in the Country. Applications were received from as far afield as Ireland and mainland Europe.
Carmel McCalmont, Head of Midwifery said: "We are proud to provide care at the highest levels to more women and babies, so the dedication and skill of all of our midwives, whether they are new to the hospital or have been with us for some time, is extremely important. I am delighted to welcome the midwives to the Unit."
Staff at University Hospital deliver more than 6,000 babies a year and 229 midwives are currently employed by the Trust.
For more information please contact Communications on 02476 967598.
Photo Caption: Midwife Manivr and baby Logan Sharp.


text:
ASUR operates nine airports in southeastern Mexico that handle 23 million passengers a year and is a 50% joint venture partner in Aerostar Airport Holdings, LLC, operator of the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
1st Airport group in Mexicoand worldwide to trade on the
Mexican (BMV) and New York (NYSE) stock exchanges
In the period 1999 - 2013, the company reported
- A compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in total revenues of 12.8%
- A CAGR of 14.7% in EBITDA
Over the last 24 years (1990 - 2013)
- < Passenger traffic has grown at a CAGR of 5.9%
In the current 5-year period (2014 - 2018)
- ASUR has investment commitments totaling $7.0 billion Mexican pesos.
- Fuente Grande
- Fuente Normal
- Fuente Pequeña
- Imprimir


text:
November 19, 2019 at 11:38 pm
Hello Manoj
any Helpful link on this blog to pass the MTA database fundamental exam
January 8, 2019 at 2:34 am
Just passed my 70-461 3 hours ago. Thank you
November 14, 2017 at 3:08 pm
HI Manoj, how are the exam points allocated? For example, if we have to write a select statement and only get 1 piece correct, will we still get those points or will we get 0 points for that question?
March 22, 2017 at 8:44 pm
Hey Manoj,
I've already read all the book and seen the videos in Microsoft Virtual Studio Academy.
How do you think I should pratice from now on to get my preparation right to the exame? I have exame next week.
Thanks in advance.
February 23, 2017 at 2:02 am
I have heard that Microsoft going to change the pattern by March 2017. Is that true or false?
If true then do you still prefer practicing with the old edition. Will that effect the current materail that sujested by Microsoft 2012 edision. Because I'm planning to take a test in the month of April. How long certification will be Valid
January 25, 2017 at 3:39 pm
Will the official book "Training Kit (Exam 70-461): Querying Microsoft SQL Server 2012" stillbe sufficient to pass the exam now as it now includes SQL Server 2014 as well?
January 17, 2017 at 11:18 am
Manoj, Can you please provide cerfification data dump for SQL Sever 2012
January 15, 2017 at 12:43 am
Hello manub22
I have some question to ask you please. I do not understood why I failed the exam SQL SERVER 2012-2014 two time with the same result. First exam I took was 08/08/2016 and my result is 674 and the second exam was 14/01/2017 this now and my result again is 674. In my time exam I try to fill the question to say yes for answer but is not accept the click. and that happened The First exam and the second exam Also.
my email address is email@example.com.
Please if you can help me that will be helpful.
December 22, 2016 at 12:23 am
i have issues reading complex queries and determine the outcome of the query especially during the exam. Does anyone know of a tip that can be used? i tried the exam once and did not make it. I need help and guidance to clear this exam as soon as possible. This is for 70-461 exam
October 15, 2016 at 1:42 am
Hey Manoj, I've been following your blog in the last days and I liked what I read, especially the tips on the exam 70-461, and video tutorials, for I will make my second attempt in a few days.
I would suggest the following link reference to the indexed views:
July 17, 2016 at 12:54 pm
Do we get a certificate , after clearing 461 ? Or only after clearing 461,462,463 we get a certificate ? I only want to appear for 461. I'm not interested in getting the MCSA tag.
July 8, 2016 at 12:05 am
Hi Manoj,
I cleared my 70-461 (Querying Microsoft SQL Server 2012/14) on 5th of july with 810 points.:)
I had a total of 2hrs to complete 49 questions,which included MCQs,Choose all that apply type questions,around 10 queries to write,5 questions on code arrangements,3 questions where i had to mark statements whether true/false.I studied from Training kit by Itzik Ben-Gan and Jumpstart videos from Microsoft Virtual Academy. Overall it was a complete awesome experience.
Thanks for all your support and useful tips.Now working on 70-462,Hope to clear it soon.
August 28, 2016 at 8:47 am
Hi Shivraj,
Could you please let us know about the writing queries? On which topic those were based on!!
July 3, 2016 at 6:19 pm
Hi Manoj!
I cleared my 70-461 (Querying Microsoft SQL Server 2012/14) exam on 02nd Jul 2016.
My doubt is, I am studying in Final-Year of Engineering(IT) and I have some previous knowledge about Data Warehouses and Data Mining(Informatica and SPSS Clementine).Now I am in a fix whether I should proceed with Exam 70-462 or 70-463.
Note: I have no knowledge about ' Database-Administration'.
August 31, 2016 at 11:21 pm
congrats for your certification.
It will be great help for me ,if you share any model questions(dumps) for"
070-461 – Querying Microsoft SQL Server 2012″ exam.
Please forward to "email@example.com".
Thanks in Advance.
May 11, 2016 at 1:53 am
Hello everybody. First of all, thank you Manoj, for this very usefull topic who helped me, and a lot another people, to pass 70-461.
I took exam yesterday, passed with 700 points(walking on the deadline :)), 49questions, 2hours of time.
I had 10 questions to write a code, they were hard-medium. Generally whole exam was, I wouldnt say hard, but very close to that. A lot of question to think about, and to realize what is actually needed for correct answer. I studied from Training kit who covers everything but the exercises from that kit are much easier than on exam so be sure to read forums, blogs and to exercise as much as you can on internet from all sources. Also I found very usefull video tutorials from Indian guy, named Pragim I think(just type Pragim Technologies), you will find him on YT for sure. Be sure to undetstand XML things cause I got 5 questions on exam related to xml chapter. Ofcourse you dont need to study theory from the book like a nerd, you just need to understand what is happening and to know when you need to use it, especialy in Optimization parts of the book. Also transactions are very important for exam. The part that was making me confused during the exam was that, that when I checked syntax with provided option in the questions where my task was to write queries, it was telling me that I have "spelling errors" on places where I put aliases in my code, and that was the case not in one, but in few questions. If somebody can explain it to me I would be very gratefull.
I'm happy that I passed the test, I have studied for it about 2 months active, never had experience with sql.
Next task for me is: 70-463, and ofcourse getting certs for W Server, and probably programing(480 or 483).
Good luck to everebody and keep studying! 🙂
Nicholas, Serbia
March 22, 2016 at 4:19 pm
Have passed 70-461 an hour ago with score 800. 43 questions and 2 hours of time. Whole spectrum of tasks and topics. Nothing extra hard, but few complex questions were related to cursors which aren
t my favorite topic. So before taking the exam ensure you have covered syntax and understand all main features of the topics mentioned on the official Microsoft page, you must be sure all of them will be asked on exam (except spatial types in my case).t found any question which wasn`t covered with the Training Kit.
Regarding preparation, I have worked with Training Kit book, Nugget video and read various blog regarding SQL, job was related partially with SQL so active phase of the preparation took 1 month. I haven
February 20, 2016 at 3:05 pm
I am working in MNC from last 1.5 years as DBA. As part of my 2016 goal requirement and promotion I need to get the certification for 2012 server.
Can you please advice me do I need to give 70.461,462,463 all the three exams or there is specific exams to be given ? Also can you please provide me the links to prepare these exams.
Please help me. Waiting for you reply
February 16, 2016 at 8:58 am
Passed…! got 833. I got 44 questions
Thanks Manoj for your guidance.
February 9, 2016 at 12:03 am
Thanks for the update. Found your blog and appreciate the information and your thought process in regards to Dumps. I studied the dumps and failed. They do not prepare you for the exam.
January 6, 2016 at 10:32 pm
I passed 70-461 exam on December 10th.
I got 816 out of 1000. passing mark is 700. 43 questions 15 query writing, MCQ 20 , matching 5 , multiple check-box 3 may be.
January 25, 2016 at 4:49 pm
Hi mohammad, do you have dumps or studying material i am writing next week email:email@example.com
January 6, 2016 at 10:25 pm
I passed the test on December 10th.
I got 816 out of 1000. passing mark is 700. 43 questions 15 query writing, MCQ 20 , matching 5 , multiple check-box 3 may be.
December 6, 2015 at 10:08 pm
Hope you are doing good…
I would like to do a microsoft sql DBA certification. could you please guide me.
How to register and where can i get the study material and cost of the examination etc..
October 29, 2015 at 5:08 pm
for a beginner how much time do i need to practice for 70-461 exam?
September 9, 2015 at 6:52 pm
Can anyone recommend a good study source for this exam? i purchased Trancender questions (105 in total), but did not find these very useful. Some subject matter appeared in exam, but no similar questions unfortunately.
August 29, 2015 at 3:59 pm
Ok .. I failed in my exam today like 2 hours ago… feeling bad but I believe I was not prepared.
Some points to be noted.
A) There was a small survey before the exam with questions like experience with SQL Server, proficiency in each section (very high, high, moderate, low) I chose moderate in all (just want to know if this affects the level of questions in exams).
B) I bought the Training kit and practiced the questions in the Exam Prep. There were 200 questions, answered almost 70-80 then I had to stop as they were more or less same. This practice test was very simple and not a single question in the exam was even slightly close to practice set.
C) Questions were very long and took time to read and understand the requirements. there were some words which i never came across during my prep.
D) Not sure how the marking is done, for example in case of writing the code for a question, i wrote 2 requirements out of 4 and checked syntax which was correct, do i get 50% marks ?
I am a computer science graduate working in finance field, I know I can do it with more focus and practice.
Can someone suggest me good study material , videos, or any website where i can register for tutorials.
I am appearing again in the third week of September.
September 9, 2015 at 6:50 pm
HI Amir,
I sadly failed my first attempt of this exam on Monday. I do not believe the survey before the exam has any impact on the difficulty of questions that come up.
It would be interesting to see which type of questions are worth more points than others. I purchased the trancender questions before hand to prepare, a big mistake. Questions were totally different and did not prepare me very well.
I only got 40% which is not great, i need to go back to basics and relearn!
August 11, 2015 at 12:10 pm
In the introduction page of the Training Kit it only few lesson of some specific chapters are mentioned.
do i need to go the whole whole or only those lesson of respective chapters ?Please advise. Thanks.
July 27, 2015 at 12:11 pm
Hello Manoj Sir,
Yesterday(26 july 2015) i have also Passed this exam.i have 10 month experience in Querying Microsoft SQL Server.now next step is 70-462 but i don't have much idea about administrator can you please guide me how to prepare for this.should i take this exam asap or wait and gain some experience with it.
July 16, 2015 at 2:40 pm
I have been working on sql server for more than 2.5 years and I am considering giving this exam. I have already got the book T-Sql fundamentals by iztik ben. I am also planning on buy 70-461 exam kit. what more do you think will be required to pass this exam ?.
June 29, 2015 at 3:08 pm
Hi Manoj,
I am a application developer in a MNC with 2 yrs experience. I had worked in SQL. I wanted to ask that how should be the approach of studying for this exam. Book first and then dumps. or how it should be. How much focus on book and dumps. I ahve 2 months time to study. I have bought the Training Kit Book recommended on MSDN. But I could not find any dumps. ..Can you provide me the dumps for this Exam. 70-461..Hope to get your reply. Thanks in advance..
June 25, 2015 at 2:30 am
Is the test simular to the Microsoft Press Practice Exam? It seems too easy.
June 6, 2015 at 4:11 pm
hi mate, could u please give me a link where i can get sample questions.
June 6, 2015 at 4:12 pm
exam 70-461
June 6, 2015 at 11:16 am
Hello Sir, now i am studying training kit of 70-461 exam and practicing according to that . is it enough for exam or do i study something else .. ?? and what about future scope of this exam in career ? thnx in advance
June 3, 2015 at 12:08 am
Is it enough to prepare Training Kit (Exam 70-461): Querying Microsoft SQL Server 2012 this book or do I need to go through any other study material before appearing for this exam.
May 23, 2015 at 10:26 pm
Hi Manoj
I have completed 70- 462 exam. What title i can get for this. shall i put it as MCSA?
May 15, 2015 at 1:03 pm
Hi ,
The information is so helpful! Thank you for writing.
I'm a computer science student. Still I have very minimum knowledge on SQL because of bad profs I've got in my college. But I'm interested in learning SQL.
How much time will it take for a beginner like me to prepare for the exam? Will it take more than a month considering I'm a slow learner?
Is the exam standard very high?
Please help!
Thank you 🙂
May 8, 2015 at 4:48 pm
ok..thanks a lot for your ans with explanation..
May 8, 2015 at 1:29 pm
Below is the question from training kit , i think correct answer is D.But still confused,is book's ans is correct?
3. Which clause of the MERGE statement isn't standard?
A. The WHEN MATCHED clause
B. The WHEN NOT MATCHED clause
C. The WHEN NOT MATCHED BY SOURCE clause
D. All MERGE clauses are standard.
3. Correct Answer: C
A. Incorrect: The WHEN MATCHED clause is standard.
B. Incorrect: The WHEN NOT MATCHED clause is standard.
C. Correct: The WHEN NOT MATCHED BY SOURCE clause isn't standard.
D. Incorrect: The WHEN NOT MATCHED BY SOURCE clause isn't standard.
April 23, 2015 at 5:34 pm
Hello! Thank you for your very useful blog! last year in December I tried to pass, but got only 350 of 700 passing score…now I am preparing with training kit!
Manoj, I need an advice, in what language I must take examination? does it matter if I take it in English or in Russian? whether is it important for certification? please, tell me, if don't then I will take it in Russian? =)
April 3, 2015 at 6:38 am
Thank you!! This blog has been super helpful and informative in preparing for the exam and tips & tricks for work! I still have 3 weeks to study, I feel confident following your guide. 😀
April 30, 2015 at 3:56 pm
March 20, 2015 at 10:58 pm
For any microsoft certification exam dumps kindly contact firstname.lastname@example.com
March 17, 2015 at 5:15 pm
My name is Tonia-Rex chukwuyenum i wrote Querry microsoft sql server 2012 (70-461) exam on the 18th of November 2014. my Reg no. is z74lon5198, candidate no. cd1176381,score 700 and site number nk49k. please i will be happy if you could provide me a link to print my certificate.
thanks as i look forward for your reply.
Tonia-Rex Chukwuyenum
March 10, 2015 at 8:35 pm
Thanks. Not sure if anyone asked this. I could not find above. Can you review questions at the end and go back and change the answers? And is time provided plenty to finish exam? Do you get time for reviewing?
March 10, 2015 at 8:40 am
Thanks for your reply. I was wondering if Amir had those because he took the exam recently. Some people said they didn't get any. So was checking.
March 29, 2015 at 10:53 pm
Hello, I'm sorry I haven't replied earlier – I didn't get the notification that someone replied to my post. If it's not too late already, I just wanna let you know that I indeed had several questions including typing queries. But don't worry, there was a spellcheck option and tasks weren't too hard. Everything you need to know is listed in this blog.
Good luck!
April 1, 2015 at 9:01 am
No problem Amir. I had already passed on March 10th and I also had query typing questions,
April 2, 2015 at 2:43 am
Yeah, I noticed that too after i replied. Congratulations and sorry once more I wasn't too helpful. Just a note to everyone else taking this exam soon: Make sure you know EVERYTHING being discussed in this article, watch this video https://youtu.be/Kp3dS-T16x4?list=PLahhVEj9XNTct1VslZ_LhNSI8F5_8Ikve and I'm sure you'll pass. At first this video doesn't look too helpful, however it does have a couple of great tips for this exam (I know it helped me get 3 questions on the exam right).
Good luck to everyone!
February 6, 2015 at 11:58 pm
I've passed the exam today, even though it was pretty tricky. Thank you Mr Pandey, you've been of great help!
March 9, 2015 at 10:37 am
Did you have any questions where you had to write queries?
February 5, 2015 at 9:57 pm
I have recently passed the 98-364 exam database fundamentals and i am considering taking the 70-461 exam. Are their any good free study materials that will help me revise. I am currently working as a Junior DBA and any help would be appreciated
February 2, 2015 at 11:42 pm
Hi manoj,
can you send me some materials to me on firstname.lastname@example.com for 70-641 course. Thanks!
February 2, 2015 at 11:43 pm
sorry correct Email Id is firstname.lastname@example.com
February 2, 2015 at 12:23 pm
Hello Sir,
1st of all Thank you .. Your blog is one of those blogs which really helped me a lot while studying SQl Server! The posts were very illustrative . Thank you very much . Infact I got to know about the Microsoft 70-461 exam through this blog itself .
I just gave the exam and passed it with 914 score.. They gave me my test score card. I wanna ask is that it ? I mean is there any more certificate which I am gonna get via email ? Please Reply soon …
January 1, 2015 at 6:53 am
I followed your study guide a passed the 461 exam today with a score of 828. Thank you for sharing your experience and breaking down the topics into such a succinct and helpful manner.
December 6, 2014 at 3:20 pm
Could you please let me know.. after writting exam, How can we find marks we have scored in the exam? Is there any site for this available or they will tell the marks there it self
November 2, 2014 at 10:41 am
Hello Manoj,
I am thinking to give 70-461. While going through Microsoft Learning, I got to know that it has a long list. Also some topics have huge subtopics. Do we really need in depth knowledge like exact query to view the definition of table (or) how to create fileTable with all details is needed? or Just knowledge how it works is enough?
September 23, 2014 at 9:25 pm
i passed 70-461 exam..but i dont know its an mcp or mcsa..can i use any logos in my resume??
September 17, 2014 at 1:01 pm
Hello Manoj –
Thank you for all your advise and direction you are blessing us with on this site. I have a question myself.
I am a bachelors degree holder in Computer Software Engineering. My work background is Desktop Support (IT). I want to upgrade my skills – So, I picked up MS SQL 2012. I am currently studying for the 70-461 exam ( for about 3 weeks now). And I look to write the exam by November 1.
I am doing a lot of hands-on practicals and labs – as you advised. But, HOW do I dive into the SQL DBA Job market Please? Any advise for me/us please? Any resources?
Thank you for all you do Manoj ~
September 15, 2014 at 12:45 pm
Hi , i want to give exam 70461 , i have read training kit exam 70-461. I have exp of 4 years in sql server.Is it necessary to go through practice test like measureup or any other? As most of people are saying training kit test are easier then actual exam.
September 7, 2014 at 2:55 pm
I read all ur comment block it's very helpful, thx for important information.
I did my mcsd course in 2010 but not able to appear in certification exam, I worked with sql-server 2008 and VB6 (developed software for automobile n payroll) , now I want to go for certification, kindly guide me .
August 21, 2014 at 8:34 pm
i m working on sql server dba and i want to do certification but i m confusion on code like 70-462 etc and 70-64 can u expln wts dis And which one i have to take
August 18, 2014 at 3:06 pm
Hi Manoj,
I passed my 70-561 yesterday with great passing score. Yours blog was the first thing that I saw on 70-461. It have put may things in simplified form which made me belive that I can pass this exam easilly.
I read the book training kit for 70-461 twice, I practised a lot to write queries and read many blogs on internet on various topics to gain the knowledge.
It took be about 45 days (daily 2-3 hours) to prepare for this exam.
Thanks again
August 5, 2014 at 6:36 pm
Hello Manoj
Thanks for Sharing all the info about certification.
I am MSBI Developer.
Suppose if I want to pursue certification for BI 70-463 (MCSE Level) then shall i need to clear out first 70-461 (MCSA) or shall i directly attempt 70-463 which is more relevant to me.
Please advice
July 10, 2014 at 9:08 pm
Awesome..Thanks a lot for the quick response!
July 10, 2014 at 7:54 pm
Hey Manoj, thanks for lot of informative links, it really gave me a kick start. Just wanted to check, i want to practice SQL queries at home. How can i do that? Which DB to download and install.
Thanks in advance!
July 5, 2014 at 12:31 am
actually really surprised ppl got questions for writing their own query. Passed mine Jan 2014 and was informed that in the new edition of the exam there were minimal query-composing questions. Anyway, good job for ppl who got those questions and passed but felt extremely sorry for my friend to whom I told about the no-query-writing-question policy which led to him failing the exam because he got about 10 of those questions………………..
July 2, 2014 at 2:45 pm
Hello Manoj,
Your blog is too good, it is a guide for all those who are interested in giving Certification.
Am planning to give 70-461 exam but am bit confused whether we need to give 2012 or 2014 exam? Please Manoj let me know what exam will be good 2012 or 2014
Thanks a lot for the blog !!
May 28, 2014 at 12:11 pm
Thanks for your blog. I passed 70-461 exam today. Your articles were very helpful in passing the exam.
May 28, 2014 at 12:48 pm
Hello Padma, congratulations. please I am actually prepared to take this exam but I do not knoew how I can schedule for it. pleas can someone help me out with the possibilities to schedule and take this exams. I will be very greatfull.
May 14, 2014 at 4:43 am
I recently passed 70-461 exam with 737 score. I am quite happy with the score considering the fact that I have just few months of experience with SQL Server. I just studied the training kit for about 4-5 months and practiced by creating a database on Evaluation copy of SQL Server 2012. The exam was quite hard and different with what given in Training kit simulated exam. You need to have a thorough understanding of ranking functions along with grouping function and for XML. A good link for XML is mentioned below:
I had just referred this link for XML queries and its quite informative. All the best! 🙂
May 18, 2014 at 3:03 am
Hello Pooman, congrats. Thanks very much for the feedback and the link. it was very helpful to me. I am currently preparing for this exam to the take it in about 1 week time.
May 1, 2014 at 5:23 am
Hi Manoj. My Name is Mesfin. I am new to SQL SERVER & I want to take exam 70-461 but I am worried from where I can start preparing. How many days it will take for the new learners to pass the exam? I am quick learner. Please I need advice.
April 26, 2014 at 9:43 pm
Hello guys good day. In preparation for this exams, i have gone through the training kit text book and and Training kit exam prep. i wish to ask anybody who has gone in for this exam if this material can be enough preparation for the exam?
I also wish to know the differences and similarities between the exams and the Training kit exam prep. Thanks in advance for your responce
April 17, 2014 at 2:25 pm
Thanks manoj, I've started my preparation with this info.Will update as soon as i take up the exam
April 16, 2014 at 3:32 pm
Hi Manoj
First up thanks for such a helpful archive.
I am new to SQL server. I want to change my career path to sql server dba hopefully.
As you know sql server 2014 is already out. I have materials from sql server 2012. Are they sufficient to cover the exam? Because query part should be the same for both right?
April 10, 2014 at 5:35 am
Hello guys, I wish to ask if the multiple choice questions found in the Training Kit can really help one pass this exam.
April 10, 2014 at 2:27 pm
They are not the same questions, but I think that most of them will be helpful.
April 3, 2014 at 11:58 am
In section "–> Troubleshoot & Optimize | 25%", "- Query Hints (OPTION (OPTIMIZED FOR … [UNKNOWN]))" should be "- Query Hints (OPTION (OPTIMIZE FOR … [UNKNOWN]))"
there is no "D" in OPTIMIZE clause 🙂
March 31, 2014 at 5:48 pm
Nice blog Manoj,
Keep the good work……..
March 31, 2014 at 1:21 pm
Hi Manoj,
Please let me know the procedure to apply for 70-461 exam second shot.
March 27, 2014 at 8:33 pm
Any thoughts about "code non regression" ? This is listed in the 70-461 subject list
March 26, 2014 at 1:01 pm
Hi manoj
can you send me some materials to me on firstname.lastname@example.com for 70-641 course.
March 13, 2014 at 9:44 am
Hi Manoj! Could you please throw some light on the difficulty level on the 'Optimizing SQL Queries' part of the exam 70-461?How hard are the questions for this subset of the exam? I have enough of experience working on SQL queries. But, I have nil experience in optimizing SQL queries and having difficulty preparing for the same. Thanks in advance!
February 19, 2014 at 2:54 am
Hey, Manoj thanks for the detailed information about the test format. I hear different things from trainers regarding what I should focus on for this test…a lot of it is conflicting. Nice to have the particulars from someone who actually took the test.
February 12, 2014 at 11:50 pm
Hey Manoj, I'm Guy.
I took my exam 70-461 last week and I failed. I used the training kit "Querying SQL server 2012" and some others books, but apparently it was not enough. So I would like to have some advices . I just read here that people used in addition to the training kit, the transcender's practice exam simulator, the measure-up and you said that we don't have to rely on dumps in order to succeed.
How do I work with the training kit? do I buy the extra resources? what about the dumps? do I need to pay the same amount in order to retake the exam?
Thank you already for advices,
February 12, 2014 at 11:01 am
Hi Manoj ,
Which Version of sql server i have to select for exam ? (2012 or 2014.) . I have started preparation from this month.
From which book i have to start reading.? bcz i have three to four books ..so confused from where to start !!
February 2, 2014 at 8:11 pm
thanks manoj.. my 2nd cumment here. really helpful post.. passed in second shot wid 756..
February 1, 2014 at 1:07 pm
Hi guys, I don't have any working experience on SQL. Can I clear exam with Training Kit.
what is the cost of training kit for 461, could you please suggest.
February 1, 2014 at 4:12 am
Hi Manoj,
I've only been using SQL Server 2012 for 5 months and passed the test with a 793 today. I used your advice on here coupled with the 70-461 Training Kit Book. Thanks for the insight!
January 16, 2014 at 3:22 pm
Hello Manoj – I would just like to drop you a note to say thank you for this very helpful post. I passed my 70-461 exam just today 🙂 Wish you all the best!
January 26, 2014 at 11:44 am
Hello @RADL,
I had a question regarding the exam. Did you get any question where you had to write the code
February 3, 2014 at 8:00 pm
I was sitting this exam on 31st Jan and no questions with writing the code.
I also attended training course recommended for this exam and we have been told that they take off all questions with writing the code.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Manoj for this website, I found it quite helpful while preparing for the exam(pass 887)
January 15, 2014 at 5:15 pm
Hello manoj , i have to take this before 31st.. can you send me some materials to me firstname.lastname@example.com specially the 70 461 training kit book in pdf.. i am not getting it , i know SQL and i will prepare thouroughy from now. i guess 15 days is ok .
January 12, 2014 at 12:47 am
hello manoj , hope ur doing well.. i m currently a 3rd year student frm chennai
This month i.e on 26th jan .. i am planning to give my 70-461 exam.. meanwhile i've a doubt .. that whether this certification wil really help me to boost up in my career ??
like does this certification keep me apart frm a normal student during placements ???
January 9, 2014 at 9:29 pm
Is there a prerequisite for this MCSA?
January 9, 2014 at 12:29 am
Hi Manoj,
My name is Pulkit and I am working as Software Tester from past 4 Years. Can I also appear for exam 70-461 querying microsoft sql server 2012 ?
December 26, 2013 at 8:51 pm
I am planning to get certified. Is this book good enough:http://www.amazon.com/Training-Kit-Exam-70-461-Microsoft/dp/0735666059?tag=651998669-20 I donot want to be using too many references
December 17, 2013 at 5:35 am
Can anyone please tell me whether there are any questions on DMO and whether you need to know the different ones? also how in depth will it go into optimization and what typical question should I expect for optimization?
Thanks you in advance so muchhhh! 🙂
December 6, 2013 at 9:20 am
Thank you Sir.
December 5, 2013 at 5:24 pm
Hi Readers,
I would like to Write SQL Certification Exam (Microsoft SQL Server 2012 ) can i know the COST of this Exam. As per Indian Rs?????????????
November 18, 2013 at 6:02 pm
Hi, Manoj!
I'm from Brazil and I have made the exam in the last friday, november 15. I follow your script, and read the book "Training Kit". After this, I have practiced a lot with the Transcender's simulations and tests. My score was 902.
November 12, 2013 at 12:19 pm
Hi Manoj,
I'm from b'lore India, i need to give this exam 70-461, I've registered on prometric site, but it's asking me to pay in USD currency, is this the same way you made the payment.
November 7, 2013 at 3:14 am
Goodday good people,
I have a few questions , Do you know the result immediately after the exam, Anyone know how the scoring is done 45-55 questions 1000 ???
October 4, 2013 at 11:38 am
Thanks a lot, again!
October 4, 2013 at 10:46 am
First of all thank for the quick responce! Yes it answers my second question.
Do you have any idea about the first one? I'll give some additional examples:
I can put parentheses after RETURN when I create an inline table-function, but it'll work fine without them, I can use alias or real column name in order by, I can use Max() function in inner join select instead of main select, my point is that if there is more than one exact way to write a query(even after following all their requirements) is the correct result of the query will by checked or the specific code?
October 3, 2013 at 3:48 pm
Hello I have a question about typing code questions in 70-461 exam.
Is there only one possible way to answer those questions right?
For example if I wrote alias to sum() function in query or wrote column names without table name?
Another question is there would be any mark that my query at least has right spelling?
Thanks in advance!
August 3, 2013 at 3:02 pm
Nice Inormation keep up the good work
August 2, 2013 at 12:16 am
Hi Manoj,
Thanks for sharing data with all of us ,I am planning to write 70-461 Exam ,Can you please explain me how to schedule the exam means how to pay the exam fee and how many attempts for one time payment..Is there anytime period to write the exam after paid the exam fee.
July 30, 2013 at 3:47 pm
Hi Manoj,
I appreciate your quick reply. Could you please suggest me in context to following:
I am majorly working into SQL Server Reporting Services 2005/2008 with SQL Server 2005/2008 as back-end. Also, working on Integeration Services and Analysis Services.
As I explained you above that am planning for a certification.
Actually, I would like to do a certification in Business Intelligence; could you please guide me what all necessary exams I would require to take in order to get BI Certification?
Also, what should be the sequence of exams?
Thank you very much!
July 30, 2013 at 2:40 pm
Hi Manoj,
I am a SQL developer. I have good 3-4 years of experience working with SQL Server 2005/2008. I am planning to take certification exam (Exam 70-461: Querying Microsoft SQL Server) now. My question is can I take an exam on SQL Server 2008 rather than SQL Server 2012?
And how much time would it take to prepare for this exam if you have a good experience working on it?
July 10, 2013 at 10:54 am
Is it worth buying dumps to prepare for these exams?
July 8, 2013 at 7:28 pm
apart from Microsoft
July 8, 2013 at 6:08 pm
Hi Manoj,
I am also planning to write 70-461 exam can you please suggest any book for exam.
Parashuramu .F
June 17, 2013 at 3:28 pm
Hello Manoj,
How are you doing?
I need some info about getting the certificate after passing the 70461 exam.
I recieved a mail from Microsoft with MCID and other details to access the MCP site.
But I need to know whether we will get any hard copy from Microsoft for passing the exam.
Can you please let me know the process of getting the certificate?
Thanks in advance..!
Srikanth M
June 16, 2013 at 4:04 am
Thanks everyone for the updates here… I have been looking for such info since long time…
Srikanth, Congratulations firstly, have 2 questions for u.
1. u mentioned that the 70-461 exam cost is 80USD, but it shows 150USD in prometric… Did u use any coupon? Just wanted myself to be on the right window 🙂
2. What was the passing % for u? Is it the same for all 700/1000?
Manoj, are u really sure that we can skip an exam and directly go to 70-463 after 70-461, because when I spoke to one of the customer care executives of Microsoft they said we should take the certifications in sequence…
Also, do anyone have any dumps available for this exam… I'm planning to give this exam on 28th June.. If anyone can share that would be of real help for me…
Thanks everyone in advance…
June 16, 2013 at 4:36 am
Srikanth got an answer for the first question myself 🙂 It is 80USD in India and 150USD in US… Thanks
June 24, 2013 at 12:42 pm
Hello Anusha,
The pass percentage was 70% for me i.e., 700/1000.
Yes,it would be the same for everyone even though the number of questions change.
Wish you all the best for ur exam..
June 14, 2013 at 4:02 pm
How to enroll for this exam and what is the cost for enrollment ( in india ) ??
June 14, 2013 at 4:23 pm
Hello Gaurav,
You need to register yourself at Prometric (https://www.register.prometric.com/Login.asp ).
Once you are successfully registered then you need to login and schedule your exam as per your convenience.
The cost for this exam (70461) is 80USD.
Wish you all the best..!!!
June 10, 2013 at 1:18 pm
Hello Manoj,
Today I have passed the 70-461 exam with all the support and guidance u gave here.
Thanks a lot , i expect this to continue with you ahead in future.
Srikanth M
June 6, 2013 at 6:58 pm
Hi there, just wanted to thank you for your post as it was the single most useful resource I found for the exam. For info to others REALLY go deep on things like ranking functions and FOR XML. The press kit exams and measure up exams arent enough, get out your TSQL and I used a DB I had already been working with and practiced a lot.
May 4, 2013 at 10:07 pm
Hi Narda, I'd say I've average knowledge regarding SQL Server. Of the topics microsoft listed maybe 15% were completely new to me. I learned for 1 and 1/2 months (parallel to work – min 30 minutes per day and on the weekends maybe 5 full days total) and now think I'm ready for the exam.
May 9, 2013 at 1:51 am
Hi Dirk, Go luck on the exam, keep us posted and thank you for the information.
June 6, 2013 at 7:27 pm
Passed with 925. No questions where I had to write code (those I was afraid of, because I feared a simple forgotten ";" would strip me of all the Points). I strongly recommend studying and trying out ALL there is to "FOR XML" also. The questions aren't really evenly distributed among the study material and not everything was answered in there – I'm thinking of "merge".
June 20, 2013 at 1:26 am
Congrats again Dirk, wow I started studying and fell off track, can you share some of your studying materials? What material did you you to study.. I need to get back my motivation.
June 20, 2013 at 12:12 pm
I used the materials you get when taking the 10774A Querying SQL Server 2012 course – which I recommend for motivational purposes. But I suggest finding a instructor who compresses this in two days.
April 29, 2013 at 11:20 pm
Hello, Thank you so much for the information you have posted, I really need to get my certification. I am a SQL Novice and would like to make a career change. I want to schedule the exam first for motivation to study the material. How much time do you recommend I give myself to study?
Thank in advance,
April 29, 2013 at 7:21 pm
Hello Manoj, As u said that we have 54 questions in the exam, Is that same for everyone or will it change?
And the pass mark u mentioned is 700 at one place and 750 in the above comment, Can u plz confirm the pass mark?
Thanks in advance
April 22, 2013 at 6:53 am
Is it just pass/fail, or different grades of pass?
January 30, 2013 at 5:48 pm
could you please elaborate more on the subjective question. would we be asked to open SQL Server Management Studio with a database and write queries to fetch data according to the requirement in the question?
Thank you.
January 7, 2013 at 3:26 pm
Hi, i'm not sure I understand what you mean by objective type? 5-10 choices sounds like multiple choice to me. Can you explain further, thank you
December 22, 2012 at 1:19 am
When you say that most of the questions were "Objective type" what does that mean. Could you elaborate please.
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February 12, 2013 at 2:59 am


text:
West Ham and Newcastle United both had frustrating ends to their January schedule. Both had chances to put the game away in the first half. Both conceded goals in second half injury time, denying them the full three points of victory.
West Ham especially needed the points. Stuck at the bottom of the Premiership table, West Ham are in dire need of a three game win streak to save their season. They need momentum. But the fear is that their undefeated streak in late December and early January might have been all the momentum they are going to get this season.
West Ham did have a very promising start in their game against Everton. American midfielder Jonathan Spector scored the opening goal with a well controlled strike of a sweet rebound of the Everton keeper. He absolutely had to score that goal, and he came through, notching his first ever goal in the English Premiership (he scored two goals in League Cup action in November).
And that's how the game would go into halftime, with West Ham in control, up one-nil. Everton eventually won back control and equalized in the second half with a blast from Diniyar Bilyaletdinov. But then the game became very memorable for the wrong reasons (at least for West Ham).
The Hammers regained the lead with an impressive strike from Frederic Piquionne. However, he was swiftly shown a red card for excessive celebration. In less than a minute, the Hammers went from estactic joy to feelings of dread and hopelessness. And so, in injury time, Everton attackers weaved around the tired West Ham defenders, with the final turn and shot performed by the afroed Moroccan-Belgian, Marouane Fellaini, who shot the ball into a low corner to secure the draw. Fellaini gave Newcastle bruises and headaches early in the season, and he broke the Hammers' hearts on Sunday.
Newcastle 1 - Tottenham Hotspur 1
What is it with Newcastle? Are they underachievers? Why must they learn one of the most fundamental lessons of football in two consecutive weeks? If you can keep your opposition scoreless through 80 minutes, then you have to bring in fresh legs and tell your lads to double their efforts for the final 15 minutes. You don't sit back. You are supposed to step up and finish the game strong.
The curly haired Argentine defender, Fabricio Coloccini, celebrated his 29th birthday by scoring his second precious goal of the season (and second in this league). He chested the ball down while in the box and just hammered it home at the 60 minute mark. Newcastle had this game in the bag.
But then a long, legal pass to Aaron Lennon stunned the Mags. Two defenders, Fabricio Coloccini and Danny Simpson failed to slide, poke, or otherwise deny Lennon his shot. There was nothing keeper Steve Harper could do as the ball rolled into the bottom left corner. It wasn't Harper's fault. His back four, who had been excellent all day, simply failed to tap or block the ball in their opponent's final attack. Perhaps if they had fought for the ball, rather than appeal for off sides, their team would have 32 points instead of 30.
I'm being harsh. But someone has to yell at these Lads. They are better than this. True, they could so easily be stuck at the bottom with West Ham. But they have shown that they can place themselves in the top half of the table (this draw actually lifted them to seventh place!). You would think that with a tight relegation battle occuring just beneath them, Newcastle would work hard to stay above the fray.
Andy Carroll was not available in this game. But they didn't need Andy Carroll in this game. They had plenty of chances to score the necessary second goal. All Shola Ameobi and Leon Best could do is miss, again and again. And even then, substitute strikers Peter Lovenkrands and Nile Ranger nearly put it away in the final 10 minutes.
I realize, as a Newcastle supporter, that I should feel fortunate that this team has depth, a good defense, five strikers, and amazingly, only eight or so more points to earn to guarantee another season in the greatest professional football league on the planet. Newcastle is still recovering from a giant blow to their prestige and finances. However, I also have that passionate Geordie optimism, that expects to win a game if the Mags are in the lead with 10 minutes remaining. Newcastle are in a title drought, of course. But surely they are a big enough team to prevent disasterous endings to games like the ones they've had these last two weeks? There's a Geordie fan in me who still sometimes treats this team like it is 1996, when it could beat anyone.
Paul over at Black & White & Read All Over is correct. It isn't a question of talent or drive. It is a lack of fitness compared to more stable squads that have not suffered the setback of relegation. That might also explain the more numerous injuries this season compared to last.
Okay, on to the quality Newcastle United Blogs.
Black & White & Read All Over (same post by Paul): "The fact that we were even in a position to rue the points dropped is credit to the team, who struggled to get hold of the ball thanks to Spurs' slicker passing, but who looked the more threatening in front of goal, with Leon Best, Peter Lovenkrands and Nile Ranger all guilty at points of failing to score when gilt-edged opportunities came their way."
View From The Shite Seats: "Somfor the Geordies it's four points dropped from winning positions in a week, but it is also another good point against a high flying side and another closer to safety."
Blog on the Tyne (Lee Ryder): "Newcastle's service has been so poor out wide this season they have had to re-invent Joey Barton as a right winger."


text:
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Capital One, Origins Asian Business Resource Group New York
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Baayork Lee has performed in a multitude of Broadway shows and created the role of Connie in A Chorus Line. As Michael Bennett's assistant choreographer on A Chorus Line, she has directed and choreographed for many national and international companies in Klagenfurt, Austria, Santiago, Chile, Hollywood Bowl and Pace University. Her directing and choreography credits also include The King and I and Bombay Dreams (National tours), Rodgers & Hammerstein Cinderella (NYC Opera), Barnum (Australia), Carmen Jones, Kennedy Center), Porgy and Bess, and Jesus Christ Superstar (European tours), Gypsy, and A New Brain. She has also choreographed other shows including: Miss Saigon (KC Starlight), Mack and Mabel (Shaw Festival), Animal Crackers, South Pacific (Helen Hayes nominations), Coconuts, Camelot, and Damn Yankees all at Arena Stage in Washington, DC. She was the resident choreographer for the Washington Opera. Goya with Plácido Domingo, Sly with José Carreras, and The Merry Widow are just a few of her opera credits. Baayork has restaged Michael Bennett's choreography for the Wynn Hotel's musical review ShowStoppers and choreographed Goliath and David for the season 5 of The Good Wife for CBS. Through her nonprofit organization, National Asian Artists Project, Baayorks' vision includes educating, cultivating, and stimulating audiences and artists of asian descent through the many programs the company offers. The organization has produced Oklahoma!, Carousel, Hello Dolly!, OLIVER! and Honor (NAAP's first collaboration with Prospect Theatre Company) with all Asian American casts. Using classical musical theatre shows, NAAP has made audiences more aware that talent goes beyond ethnicity. Baayork has made it a large part of her mission to educate aspiring artists in musical theatre. She has created Musical Theater Schools in Seoul, Korea, Tokyo, Japan and a Theater Club at the Yung Wing Elementary School (PS124) in Chinatown, NY. Lee has also taught masterclasses at NYU, Pace University, Temple University, Tokyo Showa University, Stauffer Dance Center, Switzerland and The Triple Threat Program in Munich, Germany.She has received the 2014 Paul Robeson Award from Actors' Equity Association, the Asian Woman Warrior Award for Lifetime Achievement from Columbia College, Asian/Pacific American Heritage Association Achievement in Arts Award and Dynamic Achiever Award from OCA Westchester as well as others. Most recently, Baayork Lee was the recipient of the 2017 Isabelle Stevenson Award. Ms. Lee is honored for her commitment to future generations of artists through her work with National Asian Artists Project and theatre education programs around the world.
Roberta Uno is a theater director, writer, and national arts leader. She is the Director of Arts in a Changing America, a national project on changing demographics and the arts based at the California Institute of the Arts. She was the Program Officer and then Senior Program Officer for Arts and Culture at the Ford Foundation 2002-2015. From 1979-2002, she was the founder and Artistic Director of the New WORLD Theater, a theater dedicated to the work of artists of color, at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a Professor of directing and dramaturgy in the university's Department of Theater. As a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, she directed, produced, presented, and dramaturged over 200 works at New WORLD Theater archived here. Her publications include The Color Of Theater: Race, Culture, and Contemporary Performance, UK: Continuum Press, 2002; Unbroken Thread: Plays by Asian American Women, Amherst: UMass Press, 1993. She is the editor of new editions in 2015 of Monologues for Actors of Color: Women and Monologues for Actors of Color: Men, UK: Routledge. She was inducted into the College of American Theater Fellows in 2014 and has been recognized for her leadership at New WORLD Theater through numerous awards including from the Association for Performing Arts Presenters, the Association for Theater in Higher Education, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Her efforts in philanthropy to build a diverse American arts sector have been recognized by awards from 651 Arts, Chen Dance, Cornerstone Theater, the First People's Fund, the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture, and the National Black Theater.
Shoey Sun was born in China and started piano lessons at the age of four. She moved to Houston, Texas, when she was eight, where her parents encouraged her take dance lessons with renowned Chinese dancer/actress, Zhou Jie at J&L Dance School. After falling in love with dance, she continued her studies at the Princeton Ballet School and the Pennsylvania School of Performing Arts when her family moved to the East Coast. Going against the grain, Shoey decided to pursue a major in Political Science with a minor in Chinese Language at New York University. During her time at NYU, she co-founded an extracurricular hip hop dance team that has evolved into an artist-run entity now celebrating its 10th active year. EPIC Motion Dance Company has since been a nurturing home to over150 dancers. After graduation, Shoey pursued her dance/choreography career full-time. She has featured in shows for Icona Pop, Pharrell, McQ by Alexander McQueen, APAP Dance Festival, and has studied and worked with choreographers Rhapsody James, Fatima Robinson, Brice Mousset, Dana Foglia, Nadine Bommer, and more. In 2015, she co-founded | vessels |–a project based movement-theatre company–with long time collaborator Kris Seto. Their work has been featured in Mare Nostrum Element's Emerging Choreographers Series, White Wave Dance Festival, Idaco NYC dance festival, New York Fashion Week, and INSITU Dance Festival. | vessels | will be a recipient of the 2018 CUNY Dance Initiative grant. Shoey is currently a dance lecturer at LaGuardia Community College. She is also a lover of photography and design.
Pawan Benjamin, a saxophonist, flautist, and composer, started his musical training at a young age in Madison, Wisconsin, receiving guidance and mentorship from jazz luminaries such as bassist Richard Davis, saxophonist Hannah Jon Taylor, and AACM founder Roscoe Mitchell. In 2006 he left Wisconsin to attend the Manhattan School of Music, where he plunged headfirst into the diverse music scene of New York City, performing and recording with musicians from around the globe and across genres, including Jazz, Hip Hop, Nepali Folk, Indian Classical Music and more. Pawan has collaborated with artists such as Roscoe Mitchell, Ranjit Barot, Taufiq Qureshi, Marc Cary, Rez Abbasi, Bill T. Jones and many others. Performance credits stretch across the globe at venues including the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC), the Rose Theater, Celebrate Brooklyn, the National Center of Performing Arts in Mumbai, India, the Bimhuis in Amsterdam, and countless other venues in between. www.pawanbenjaminmusic.com
Rob Rusli is an artist, film composer, and rap music maker. He has written music for many films, including the feature film, Good Game, which won Best Original Score at the 2015 IndieCapitol Film Festival, as well as two new feature films, Corridor Four, being released in 2017, and Moko Jumbie, which recently premiered at Los Angeles Film Festival 2017. He has collaborated with artist Casey Tang on a Sinofuturist soundscape for his Untitled (Rivers) video installation at the Queens Museum, and frequently collaborates with poet and drag performer Wo Chan. He composed music and worked sound design for Wo Chan's WHITE FLAG/WHITE FACE, and together they created I <3 U ALWAYS 4EVER, a performance art piece combining pop music, drag, and an emotional soundscape threading interviews with people of color about loss and separation. The film also features music that premiered at BAM Next Wave Festival. He has worked on various experimental rap projects that have been featured on Tinymixtapes, Okayplayer, BBC6, Earmilk, Twitch, and Said the Gramaphone. Through his most recent rap project, OHYUNG, he's released an EP titled Yellow Jesus, and performed at SOB's, Trans-Pecos, as well as collaborated with rapper Kool AD on his 2016 mixtape PEYOTE KARAOKE. http://robrusli.website/
Kelly Tsai is an award-winning writer, performer, and filmmaker based in Brooklyn. In 2017, Kelly was honored as a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow in Non-Fiction Literature (Memoir) and poet-in-residence for the Taipei Poetry Festival. Her work as an artist and her views on the unique nature of artist entrepreneurship will be the subject of a forthcoming profile on Forbes.com. Kelly's spoken word poetry has been featured at over 700 performances worldwide including the White House, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Apollo Theater, BAM, HBO's "East of Main Street: Asians Aloud" and three seasons of HBO's Russell Simmons' Def Poetry. She has performed at events featuring leading thought leaders like Bill Clinton, Gloria Steinem, and Donna Brazile, and entertainers like Tyra Banks, Harry Belafonte, and Drake. In 2016, Kelly was named a Woman of Distinction by the American Association for University Women. In 2015, she was recognized by Americorps Alums' National Leader Award, New York Historical Society's "Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion" exhibit, and NBC's News' "Asian American Poets to Watch." Kelly is an alumna of writing workshops and residencies for her poetry, fiction, and theatrical work: Callaloo, Cave Canem, Hedgebrook, Kundiman, New York Live Arts, VONA, Rising Circle Theater. She has received grants from Asian American Arts Alliance, Asian Women's Giving Circle, and Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. Her theatrical work has been developed and presented by Ars Nova, Downtown Urban Theater Festival, Museum of Chinese in America, Brooklyn Museum, BRIC, El Museo del Barrio, Culture Project, University of California-Santa Cruz Rainbow Theater, and more.
www.kellytsai.com, @kellytsai_nyc, www.youtube.com/kztsai,
David Thai (dj shakez) grew up in Brentwood, Long Island and has been djing for 10+ years. Growing up in the 90s, Hip-Hop and R&B (check out his Spotify playlists!) was a major cultural influence, from dance to style. DJing is a passion and the ability to get people moving and having a fun time is such a joyous feeling. Shakez has had residencies in the Lower East Side (Foundation) to Midtown (Aspen Social) and has played at for other Asian organizations like APEX, Chinese-American Planning Council, Taiwanese American Professionals and the Singapore Tourism Board. During weekdays, David works at an advertising agency, specializing in Search Engine Marketing. His favorite pastimes include shopping, playing volleyball, discovering new coffee shops and traveling!
IG: @djshakez | Facebook: /djshakez | Spotify: david shaekz thai
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I almost forgot about this, it's time for my TUSAL update.
I've added another jar to the update for my DMC wrappers, it won't be in every update just when I've add several extra wrappers.
Here is my TUSAL ORT jar. lots more black, yellow, brown & green threads from two more pieces for my "Bee Sunny" collection and of course the snips from the Shamrock biscornu.
Here is my pint Ball bail jar just for the DMC wrappers, it has 8 skeins worth in it so far.
It's been raining here for most of the day, but all that changed about an hour ago to my most favorite fluffy white crap from the heavens. {And yes, that last bit was typed with all the sarcasticness I could muster up.}
That's it for today everyone, I want to say a great big THANK YOU to everyone who stops by and leaves their thoughts behind on all of my posts, I appreciate each and every one of them.
Take Care & Happy Stitchin'
Hugs, Sandy


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After a hard-fought and contentious midterm election, NAHB is ready to work with the new Congress to address critical housing issues.
Election Day brought significant changes to the electoral map. Now, leaders from both parties will be setting the legislative agenda for the next two years.
NAHB's government affairs team looks forward to working with the new Congress and the Trump Administration on a range of key issues, including workforce development, lowering the cost of regulation, investing in infrastructure, and refining and expanding tax reform and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.
This summary of the 2018 midterm election results offers election-outcome maps of important races and provides a snapshot of the committees with oversight over key housing issues in the 116th Congress.
Split Decision: Republicans Expand Hold on Senate, Democrats Win the House [PDF]
(updated Jan. 3, 3 p.m.)
NAHB Chief Executive Officer Jerry Howard and Jim Tobin, NAHB's Executive Vice President for Government Affairs and Communications, provide an expert analysis of the election outcome.


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The 2018 Utility Digital Experience (UDX) index provides an objective and informed view of best practices, emerging solutions and performance of the top 16 residential public utility websites.* Using a rigorous combination of data and expert observation, the UDX Index benchmarks how leading public utilities:
- Support key customer tasks effectively
- Engage customers in energy programs
- Help resolve issues through online self-service
The UDX will be a valuable reference for marketing and technology leaders looking to improve digital engagement with their customers.
The UDX Index will be published in Q1. Sign up today to request an advance copy and to receive a complimentary UDX review of your public utility website.
*As reported in the J.D. Power 2017 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study


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Living Hope
Today's reading: 1 Peter 1:1-12
Today were starting into 1 Peter. This short Book is rich with encouragement for believers to joyfully stand strong in a world that doesn't embrace God's ways or those who are living for Him.
As we take in the first two verses, we see Peter's greeting to a group of Christ-followers who are in a tough situation. They are exiles who have been removed from their homeland and are surrounded by, and living in, cultures that don't acknowledge or follow God. Thus, Peter immediately jumps in with encouragement, reminding this group of the "living hope" they have through Christ's resurrection and the fact that they have an "inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading" kept in heaven for them (vs. 3-5). But the added boost of encouragement comes in verse 6 with Peter's call to be joyful. "In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials..."
Did Peter's words lift your spirits today? What encouragement do you draw knowing that as a believer you, too, have a "living hope" and an imperishable, unfading inheritance kept for you in heaven? Tami
Join the discussion on the P4 Blog
Powered by 4 is all about engaging God's Word and living it out--in community. So if it's encouragement you want or motivation you need, join the discussion on the P4 Blog--a place to weigh in on the daily scripture as well as share thoughts & questions.


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Police in Southern California located a man suspected of a homicide and the stabbing of another individual in Berkeley on Friday.
The Berkeley Police Department on Saturday reported that authorities found 24-year-old Pablo Gomez, the primary suspect of the homicide and the stabbing, in Burbank. Gomez is a resident of North Hollywood.
At about 11:42 a.m. Friday, police responded to a call about a stabbing in the 2600 block of Ridge Road in Berkeley.
Upon arrival, officers found a woman seriously wounded, as well as the person who called police on her behalf, police said.
Officers provided medical attention until the Berkeley Fire Department arrived and transported her to a hospital, where she is receiving treatment and was listed in stable condition Friday night.
During the investigation, officers were lead to an address in the 2400 block of Ashby Avenue.
According to police, evidence at the scene clearly indicated a violent crime had occurred there.
Much later, the body of an unidentified person was discovered, police said.


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A family moves into Heelshire Mansion, unaware about its sinister history. Soon the young son becomes friends with an eerily lifelike doll named Brahms.
Sorry! None of the critics have had a chance to review this movie yet.


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Lotus 72, March 701 and March 711
By now you will all have heard the good news that Policar is making a return to slot cars in 2013. As way of a little history, Policar produced 1/32 and 1/24 scale slot cars from the 1950's through till the mid 1970's.
You may also know that Policar has a very close association with Slot.it (note the 'Slot.it inside' labelling on the below posters) and the Italian manufacture plans to release the Ferrari F40 and Ferrari 312 models. Both of these models will use Slot.it moulds so we can expect well detailed slots of the highest engineering standards and quality.
What you may not know is that Policar will be releasing classic F1 slot cars as well; Lotus 72, March 701 and March 711 to get the ball rolling. Slot.it has developed a special gearing (see bottom poster) to allow for high levels of rear detail and scale accuracy on the cars. I've seen this style of gearing before and I wasn't that impressed but this is Slot.it engineering - so it's bound to work.
When can we expect to see a Policar release? Still later this year is the word on the street.
Want to find out more Policar?
Be our guest and CLICK HERE


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Keira (brunette) and Kamilia (blonde) are spending their afternoon watching a football match on television. Their playful rivalry, because they support opposing teams, soon turns into a very sexy bet. Whoever's team loses the match will have to be a slave for the winner for the rest of the afternoon. That should raise the stakes and make the game much more exciting and now both girls are really keen for their team to win. I just hope we don't get a draw!
Find out what happens next – Buy the full photo set here for only $0.99.


text: MUSIC 50 Cent "Will Continue With Business Interests" Despite Bankruptcy Filing 11:45 AM PDT 7/13/2015 by Joe Lynch, Billboard FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME AP Images/Invision 50 Cent "This filing for personal bankruptcy protection permits Mr. Jackson to continue his involvement with various business interests and continue his work as an entertainer," the rapper's counsel said in a statement. 50 Cent isn't going to let a little thing like bankruptcy stop him from doing business. Lawyers for Curtis Jackson confirmed the rapper-actor-mogul filed for bankruptcy under the chapter 11 code in Hartford, Connecticut, on June 13. The chapter 11 filing allows him to reorganize his business interests, as opposed to a chapter 7 bankruptcy filing, which would mean liquidation of his assets. So despite the setback, 50 Cent's run as a business mogul is far from done. "The filing allows Mr. Jackson to reorganize his financial affairs, as he addresses various professional liabilities and takes steps to position the future of his various business interests," says William A. Brewer III, partner at Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors, and counsel to Mr. Jackson, in a statement. "Mr. Jackson's business interests will continue unaffected in the ordinary course during the pendency of the chapter 11 case. "This filing for personal bankruptcy protection permits Mr. Jackson to continue his involvement with various business interests and continue his work as an entertainer, while he pursues an orderly reorganization of his financial affairs." 50 Cent's bankruptcy filing follows close on the heels of a court order that he pay a woman $5 million for posting her sex tape online without permission. The woman in question shares a child with Rick Ross, who 50 taunted during his narration of the sex tape. This article originally appeared on Billboard.com. FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Joe Lynch, Billboard firstname.lastname@example.com @thr