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Corporate Address: P.O. Box 1942, Winter Park, Fl 32789Phone (407) 252-6123 Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
By TaMaryn Waters Tallahassee Democrat
An uneasiness swept over Agnes Furey the first time she met the charming 19-year-old man standing next to her daughter, Patricia Reed.
It was 1996 when they all three stood in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Sarasota.
Reed, an alcoholic, met Leonard Scovens in drug treatment. Furey, a retired nurse who worked with addicts for 30 years, knew instantly this man was still using crack cocaine.
"I have known too many crack addicts," she said. What she didn't know was that
Scovens would go on to steal Reed's valuables — a VCR, a television and videos of Bambi, the Lion King and the Wizard of Oz — so he could score crack.
She didn't know her daughter would give Scovens, by then Reed's lover, another chance by letting him stay with her. And Furey didn't know Scovens would murder her daughter and strangle her grandson.
Scovens strangled Reed to death in March 1998, along with her 6-year-old son Christopher Reed, who was in the tiny Sarasota apartment when Reed's lifeless body fell to the floor. She was 40. In 15 seconds of madness, Scovens ruined Furey's life. Despite the anger and her quest to forgive more than a decade later, she has learned to do what many would consider unthinkable — Furey has befriended her family's murderer.
The 74-year-old has lost all of her children tragically — one to SIDS in 1960, another, who had a heroin addiction, to AIDS in 1996 and the last to murder in 1998. However, she believes in restorative justice, a process that allows victims and offenders to "rebuild relationships" by holding offenders accountable for their actions.
She reached out to Scovens, 36, now sentenced to life in prison for the two murders, in January 2005. She sent a Christmas-themed card on recycled paper with a dove on the cover. "I wish you peace," she wrote to her daughter's murderer.
They have exchanged hundreds of letters and phone conversations since then. She said there's healing laced in every letter, every conversation.
"When you are carrying anger, it's like letting someone live rent-free in your head," Furey says. She now shares how Scovens' crimes have impacted her and her family to other inmates in a volunteer program at the Wakulla Correctional Institutional in Crawfordville.
She's one of about half a dozen volunteers in the state who volunteer in prisons by telling their personal stories.
"My definition of forgiveness is that it's an internal process and it has little to nothing to do with granting forgiveness to someone or responding to someone being sorry ... It took me a while, and I got to a place where I thought, 'OK, it's time. I want to talk.'"
Reed had her demons
Reed grew up in an inner city neighborhood in Jersey City, N.J. She loved music. The Monkees and the Jackson Five were among her favorite heartthrobs.
Vivid memories of live productions of Shakespeare in New York City's Central Park flood Furey's thoughts when she talks about Reed's childhood.
They went to zoos. And they enjoyed the awe of the World's Fair.
The memories also are stained by Reed's alcoholism, evident as early as age 15. She checked into a day-treatment facility as a teenager for about 10 months. Yet the thirst was strong.
Furey said her daughter was often angry when she drank and, at times, acted "embarrassingly stupid."
Reed later had two children — Jason and Alicia, who were 14 and 16 when their mother was murdered — with her ex-husband, David Reed. Christopher wasn't David Reed's biological son, but Furey said her son-in-law loved him like he was his own.
As time passed, Pat Reed couldn't conquer alcohol.
Christopher moved to Tallahassee and lived with Furey for 18 months after Reed checked herself into First Step of Sarasota, a substance-abuse treatment and recovery program run by one of Furey's friends.
She went in "kicking and screaming."
"I was angry at the alcohol," said the retired substance-abuse nurse. "(Pat) needed to be somewhere quickly because everything was falling apart."
'I was really hopeful'
Ten days into the program, Furey already saw a difference.
Furey had called in a favor to get her daughter into the program, and she was thrilled to see Reed responding to treatment.
"I was really hopeful everything was going to be fine," Agnes confessed, running her bright orange nails across a table surface. "Now she had an opportunity to be who she was. Alcohol had her trapped."
Once out of the program and its halfway house, Reed landed a modest office job manning phones. She rented a one-bedroom apartment in a run-down neighborhood that had once been a migrant-worker camp, within walking distance of the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota.
It wasn't ideal, but Reed didn't care. It was a start.
Reed had begun to pursue a sober life when she met Scovens toward the tail end of her treatment.
He was a drifter when they met at First Step. Scovens traveled from Baltimore to Miami with $15.
In his drug-hazed mind, he thought he could "jump on a boat with some Haitians" and get away from the drugs sucking life from his lanky body. His plan crumbled, so he hitchhiked his way up the Sunshine State.
"It was dysfunctional thinking," Scovens said recently, sitting at a large wood desk in the Wakulla Correctional Institute Annex facility in Crawfordville.
His raspy voice grew thick with regret when he talked about Reed.
The whites of his eyes are crimson. Tears streamed down his dark-skinned face.
"Pat and I cared about one another," he said. Then he paused. "You know, she was a good girl. She fought hard to overcome the demons she was dealing with and she believed that if I worked hard I could overcome the demons I was dealing with.
"I needed a friend and she said 'Come on.'"
Furey gets the call
Shortly after Scovens began living in Reed's apartment, he stole from her.
He disappeared and moved back to Baltimore two months later, where he went back to teaching English and social studies at the Catonville Center for Alternative Studies in Baltimore, Md. It wasn't long before crack called him again.
Scovens believed he had a better chance at sobriety in Florida than at home. Reed agreed. Furey was alarmed.
The mother's uneasiness returned, and she pleaded for Reed to reconsider. They argued, and Furey remembers her daughter's rebuttal, "You always said everyone deserves a chance."
Furey often said that, but she also told her children they are not required to provide those chances.
"That was our last conversation," she whispered in the recent interview.
Agnes hadn't heard from Reed in days. She was working a late shift at the Apalachee Center in Tallahassee, when a Tallahassee Police officer delivered the news: her daughter and 6-year-old grandson had been killed.
According to Sarasota police reports, Scovens confessed to the murders. He told officers Reed confronted him about stealing her car, along with other belongings, and she was going to notify the police. Scovens had been to prison for other crimes. Scovens said he strangled Reed because he feared going back to prison.
He didn't want Christopher to reveal his crime to police so he strangled Christopher, too, reports said. Scovens covered his small body with a pile of clothes in a closet.
Furey wanted answers. But Sue Sims, Furey's boss and director of nursing at the Apalachee Center, didn't want Furey to drive to Sarasota alone. It was a "very sad ride," she remembers.
When they arrived at Reed's apartment, police officers met them and Sims said the outline of Reed's body was still on the floor. Scovens' unpacked bags were still at the door.
"It was one of the worst things I had ever seen," Sims said.
Furey went to the morgue. The medical examiner tried to convince Agnes she didn't want to see Reed like this.
"I had to make it real," she said, remembering the ME and another staffer by her side when the sheet was pulled back. "I could barely recognize her but I knew it was her … She was stiff and cold."
She says she didn't utter a word. She felt numb. Empty.
Furey couldn't view Christopher's body. It was too badly decomposed.
Hundreds of letters
At Scovens's sentencing, Furey read a nine-page victim's statement to the court. She was furious, but she didn't want Scovens to get the death penalty.
"There is a part of us that needs to rage. Sometimes we could take a few cues from children. They pound their fists, yell and scream at injustice. God bless my anger and grief fills my eyes with healing tears of rage," Furey said.
"I am afraid to be angry. Rage betrays the need to accept what has happened."
Restorative justice was a foreign concept to Furey at the time, but the murders transformed her into an expert.
She's traveled the country talking to national experts. In 1999, Furey was picked to serve on Florida's team for Balanced and Restorative Justice, a federal program at Florida Atlantic University. Florida was one of 10 states picked for the program, said Dale Landry, the former restorative-justice coordinator for the state-funded Neighborhood Justice Center in Tallahassee in 1998.
He met Furey a year after the murders. Landry, an expert in restorative justice, was instantly impressed by Furey's quest for knowledge and understanding and her ability to share her pain.
"Agnes is a remarkable and unique woman. Agnes's journey through this process is one that she has become a teacher," said Landry, who said Furey has received national training that even he has not had yet. "Agnes is a giant of a woman."
Could he forgive like Furey has?
Landry admits he doesn't know if he's that strong.
Years went by before she sent the dove-decorated Christmas card that sparked their friendship.
She learned about Scovens through his letters: his life as a young boy shuffled between crime-infested ghettos and middle-class neighborhoods; his experiments with drugs; his abuse and his rage.
In a letter to Furey dated Feb. 10, 2005, Scovens wrote,
"In '96, I was so lost ... so lost and wild and confused and needful. Pat saw beyond that fire searing me inside to the soul of a man struggling to survive ... And I saw her too, you have to understand, I saw this bright, courageous, incredibly loving, generous, awakening woman struggling against her own demons. I did love her and was amazed by love for me and acceptance of me."
Scovens was amazed by Reed's ability to see past his addiction and now is amazed Furey can see past his crimes and forgive him. But, she doesn't let him forget.
"When it's their birthday, she lets me know. When it's the anniversary of their deaths, she lets me know," Scovens said, glancing down at the multi-colored string he fingered. "We deal with that. It can be rough but it's nothing compared to what she's gone through."
A new purpose
Scovens' forearms are scarred with self-inflicted cuts, some deeper than others. He's been suicidal several times, including after he was sentenced.
The friendship forged between Scovens and Furey has given him hope, especially since she believes he still has the ability to reach others behind bars.
Furey and Scovens have written a book together called "Wildflowers in the Median" that's scheduled to be published in December or January.
In a volunteer program at the Wakulla prison, Furey also talks to inmates about how Scovens' crimes have affected her. He talks to inmates and tries to teach them the benefits of recognizing how their crimes have affected others.
The teachings have given them both an unexpected purpose.
"Even if they are not coming back," Furey says, "they are making a difference for somebody who is."
Scovens was transferred to faith-based Wakulla prison in November. The state has roughly 5,000 beds in faith and character-building facilities.
Furey wants to meet him in person, but a Florida rule prohibits offenders meeting victims or a victim's family members, said Alex Taylor, chaplain services administrator for the Florida Department of Corrections.
He said the rule is in place so offenders won't have a chance to continue victimizing those affected by crime.
Some national experts say rules like this one should be removed from the books since restorative justice is about meeting a victim's need. They argue that if a victim needs to meet with an inmate, it should be allowed.
"The people who are part of this ought to be a part of the resolution. The more victims are involved, the more they feel justice is done," said Howard Zehr, professor of restorative justice at the Eastern Mennonite University's Graduate Center for Justice and Peacebuilding who also serves on a victim advisory group for the U.S. Sentencing Commission.
He said he grows "increasingly impatient" with states that rest on the need to ensure security as the reason why face-to-face meetings are prohibited.
Zehr said states such as Texas and Pennsylvania have waiting lists of victims wanting to meet with willing offenders that have affected their lives.
Furey is one of a growing force of Floridians hoping to get the rule changed. If she ever gets to meet Scovens in person, she doesn't think she'll offer him a hug or handshake immediately. She envisions sitting down at a table and having a conversation. "I want to look into his eyes like real people," Furey says.
'Not a monster'
Holidays are hard.
All of Furey's children are gone, and most of her family lives outside the city and state.
Sims, a registered nurse at Big Bend Hospice and Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare and Furey's dear friend, invites Furey to her home for major holidays. Sims' grandson, Tyler, and Christopher used to play with each other as children when Furey's grandson lived for a year and half in Tallahassee. Sims' voice swells with pride when she talks about her now 18-year-old grandson.
Christopher would be 20 years old if he were alive today. Furey says she can't help but look at teenagers now and wonder what kind of man her grandson would be today.
She often looks at one picture in particular: Reed and Christopher dressed in a W.T. Moore Elementary School T-shirt. They are both smiling wide. They are happy.
Reed would have been 54 years old if she had lived. She would have been a grandmother. Her now adult son, Jason, lives in California and has two children of his own. Reed's daughter, Alicia, lives in Alaska and recently married the man of her dreams.
Sometimes, sadness takes over when Furey says she thinks about the lives Reed and Christopher could have had; but she is no longer angry at Scovens.
"He is not a monster," she said. "He's a man who did a terrible thing."
Furey has given Scovens a life purpose he never imagined. She tells him he can't fix what happened, but he can make a difference where he is, even behind prison walls.


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MM#209 / JapanJoyful#803
Ben Beach - Boston Marathon no. 50 (2017): "I'm going to keep running it until I can't do it anymore."K
Recent Best times: None recently
Lou, (aka Mr. predawnrunner), MD, USA | Lou's Brews | email@example.com
Back on Stride
Doug, Runnin' in Rochester, MI
And you can quote me as saying I was mis-quoted. Groucho Marx
Top 'O the World!
aka Mrs. WillRunForBeer, MD, USA Marathoning, the triumph of desire over reason
Marathon Maniac #957
Life is a headlong rush into the unknown. We can hunker down and hope nothing hits us or we can stand tall, lean into the wind and say, "Bring it on, darlin', and don't be stingy with the jalapenos."

subset: commoncrawl


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Lacrosse news straight to your inbox.
Sunday June 22nd, 2014 9:40pm
Eight champions were crowned Sunday in Truckee, California at the first-ever Lake Tahoe Summit Classic. The host team, Chris Rotelli's ADVNC program out of the San Francisco area, won two of the top divisions, taking the U-15A and U-11 championships, while an impressive Alcatraz Outlaws team took the boys U-13A division over Nate Watkins' Colorado Wild team. Bearlax out of the San Francisco area beat El Dorado in the girls 2018-2020 division with an 8-5 win, while Sacramento-based American River beat Trojan Select 13-12 in the girls 2015-17 division.
In one of the best games of the weekend, ADVNC held off the 925 Rippers from Sacramento with an 8-7 win in the U-11 final. ADVNC got a goal from Paul Barton, son of San Francisco 49ers Pro Bowl offensive lineman Harris Barton, with about a minute remaining to take the win.
The Outlaws, who draw from the entire Bay Area, fell to ADVNC in the U-15A final on Sunday morning, but the Alcatraz program got a win in the U-13A final with a 6-4 win over the Wild.
Check out LakeTahoeLacrosse.com for the full results. Also be sure to check out IL's Day 1 and Day 2 posts, as well as Casey Vock's Day 1 and Day 2 ILGear stories. Also be sure to check out @il_photos, @il_gear and @laketahoelax on Instagram.
Can't say enough how impressive some of these young players are from the West Coast. The skills and fundamentals are all there, and there are some tremendous athletes with a passion for the sport coming up through the ranks getting great coaching from former NCAA All-Americans throughout the West. A host of top players have come out of the West Coast in recent years, but expect even more to be emerging in the next decade.
Among the people we talked to on Sunday, we were able to catch up with Matt Ogelsby from All West Lacrosse. The three-time Duke All-American is one of the original pioneers of the sport in Northern California and has seen tremendous growth in his San Francisco-based All West program.
We also caught up with Watkins of the Colorado Wild. Also the coach of Wheat Ridge High outside of Denver, Watkins has seen his club grow as the sport has evolved in Colorado.
Last but not least was Joe Thompson, the former Virginia captain and Northern California resident who's now back on the East Coast as an assistant at St. Mary's High. Thompson coached the ADVNC U-11 team to the Lake Tahoe Summit Classic title and has been involved with a lot of the program's growth.
Check back in the coming weeks for more videos; Inside Lacrosse filmed instructional segments with John Christmas of the Encore Brand, Thompson, and Michigan sophomore Mikie Schlosser. And we'll be filming more on Monday at ADVNC's Lake Tahoe Camp at the Squaw Valley Academy.


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Camilla Belle: Beautiful in Blue
Proving blue is her color, the always darling Camilla Belle met up with a male friend for lunch at Sant Ambroeus Restaurant in New York City on Thursday (August 16).
Giving cameras a friendly wave, the "When a Stranger Calls" actress made herself comfortable on an outdoor patio table in a beautiful blue dress decked out with a printed floral design.
Since ending her relationship with Joe Jonas, Camilla's career has been incredibly successful as she's currently filming two movies and preparing to start production for three more.
While waiting for "Open Road" to hit theaters, the 25-year-old actress is working on separate lead roles in "Bumped" and "I Brake for Gringos" before diving into a new characters for "Of Corset's Mine," "Bangkok Love Story" and "Love Is All You Need."


text: Visit us online at www.equinox-consulting.com.About Cognizant Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) is a leading provider of information technology, consulting, and business process outsourcing services, dedicated to helping the world's leading companies build stronger businesses. Headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey (U.S.), Cognizant combines a passion for client satisfaction, technology innovation, deep industry and business process expertise, and a global, collaborative workforce that embodies the future of work. With over 50 delivery centers worldwide and approximately 164,300 employees as of June 30, 2013, Cognizant is a member of the NASDAQ-100, the S&P 500, the Forbes Global 2000, and the Fortune 500 and is ranked among the top performing and fastest growing companies in the world. Visit us online at www.cognizant.com or follow us on Twitter: Cognizant. Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes statements which may constitute forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the accuracy of which are necessarily subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied include general economic conditions and the factors discussed in our most recent Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Cognizant undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. SOURCE Cognizant


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I am Mihai, a UX Designer based in Iasi, Romania.
A user-centered mindset and attention for details are my strong points. I don't like linear approaches. I like to explore and find the best solutions for a problem focusing on user needs.
From my over 8 years experience in digital design I've learned that to be a UX designer "nija" takes patience, passion, seeing failure as a good thing and continuous learning.
One more think that I've learned is that having a design process is crucial. Why?...
On the other hand, in my spare time I like coding in HTML/CSS and javascript and try to stay up to date with the constantly changing technologies.
If you would like to have a chat, send me a word. Thanks!
"Youtheme" WordPress is a simple, clean, flexible and friendly theme exactly what you need for personal blogs, business sites, magazine sites or personal portfolios.
Spirit is a theme for Wordpress based on the Gantry Framework.
A story, a day! A video blog with stories all arownd the world.
Mabstheme is a theme for Wordpress based on the Gantry Framework, a project created for cmsdesigns.net.
Minimal Theme for Wordpress based on the Gantry Framework, a project created for cmsdesigns.net.
Intelli Security is a branch of the Intelli Group Company founded in 2008 in Suceava, RO. They approached me in 2010 and asked me to create a usable and business-friendly site based on their existing logo and provide them with backend functionality.
Suceava Business Park is a logistic company based in Suceava, RO. They wanted a site that expresses all the facilities offered by their children companies.
This is my first real portfolio. A lot of my Photoshop skills were learned in the process of creating this project. I presented a series of projects along with a part of my drawings collection.
This is a theme for an online music store with a simple and modern design, intended to help the user to search for your favorite products. It started as a proposal for a client, but I decided to sell it as a html/Wordpress theme.
In 2009 we had the chance to build from scratch a site design that offers psd slicing to html. Starting from the idea to personalize this business, I made the logo and site design.
Magic Button is a service designed to facilitate serving in restaurants. They needed a powerful website that expresses perfect their business and offered services.
A design proposal for a site that provides video presentations for websites.
A Wordpress theme for a blog about cities.
The official site for Marginea City Hall designed to share local public information and news.
TemplatesBook is a place where you can find free psd resources and tutorials, free html templates and most important: inspiration. This site is intended to help and also to ease your creation.
Through music we can feel many emotions and do extraordinary things, more that we can probably imagine. You can discover on a fascinating journey, what can we do through music to make the world a better place!
This is a initiative inspired by the Playing For Change movement, Global Music Foundation and Music Crossroads.


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Ventura, CA, USA < change city >
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JANA'S CREATIVE CAKES < this is my business >
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2646 Palma Drive
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Jennifer and Justin's Wedding
"Jana made us the most beautiful and delicious wedding cake! I literally gasped when I saw my cake on my wedding day. It was PERFECT! She is great to work with and made our experience such a great one. I will be using her for all future events."
Erin and Adam's Wedding
"Jana made the most beautiful and delicious wedding cakes! Yes, we had one large three-tier cake, then she made five smaller two tier cakes to surround the large one. It looked amazing! Her work is phenomenal and we got SO many raves about how good the cake was! That was all people could talk about after the wedding! We are going to have her make a small duplicate for our anniversary in our same flavors (lemon layer and coconut layer). I can't wait!"
Jana's Creative Cakes
2646 Palma Drive
Ventura, CA, United States


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Want to try a new pattern but need to make sure I understand the directions. One is - k3tog tbl. I know that means knit 3 together through back of loop. Then comes the p2tog-b. What does the b signify?From Knitting Help I found p-b = purl stitch below. This doesn't make sense to me. Please help.
Hi, sometimes "b" can mean below, which means not in the stitch on the needle but in the row below it. I have never heard of p2tog below. I just tried it and couldn't get anything to work. Sometimes they use "b" for tbl, but since they also use that term maybe they don't mean that in this case. I'm sorry I can't be of anymore help than that.
I thinks it's p2tog tbl, but don't know why they didn't write it the same as k3tog tbl. I don't thinkk you could p2tog in the stitch below.


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Welcome to our West Palm Beach Dental Practice.
Welcome to our dental website! We are a traditional family dental practice that truly cares about the people we meet. Dr. Mark Grumet has been serving the West Palm Beach community for 28 years and has provided many people with healthy, happy smiles. Our goal is to take care of oral health needs and wants. We diagnose problems and work with patients' abilities to correct them. We provide a wide range of services, offer patient financing, accept many insurance plans, and are centrally located in the heart of Palm Beach County. Many of our patients travel from north and south Palm Beach County to see West Palm Beach dentist, Dr. Grumet. We hope you decide to visit us too. Call us at 561-683-0903 and see the difference for yourself.
We can help you restore your smile and feel good about yourself again with Mini Implants!!
Ask us about MINI IMPLANTS. Mini implants replace missing teeth or hold removable dentures in place in a much less invasive and more affordable way than conventional implants. We are very excited to offer this new service to our patients in our West Palm Beach dental office. Contact us for more information.
Please read reviews about our dental practice!!
Here are a few more reviews from our satisfied patients!!
As you can see from our patients' testimonials, we take pride in providing the utmost in customer service. We strive to be different from the dental chains so we can give you a more personal, comfortable experience. Your concerns and questions will be addressed during your first telephone conversation with Rhona. Kayla will ensure your dental hygiene visits are caring and comfortable and she will provide you with advice and instruction to help your smile remain healthy at home. Dr. Grumet will give you all his attention at your dental visits for your diagnostic and restorative needs. His 33 years of experience in practicing general dentistry has given him the means to truly understand and care about the needs of his dental patients.
As a side note, the beautiful pictures on the homepage of our website were taken at Grassy Waters Nature Preserve located in West Palm Beach, Fl.
Contact us now at 561-683-0903 and see the difference for yourself. Rhona will answer all your questions and be happy to schedule your appointment.
Irene Gives Her Testimonial for Dr. Mark Grumet's West Palm Beach Dental Office


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Bachelorette Recap: Hang Loose
11 hours ago
Yum! You'll have to share the recipe:)ReplyDelete
That looks delicious!! I agree with Erica - where's the recipe?
Love, Aunt Angie
That looks super yummy! Did you make the crust??ReplyDelete
Yummmm! Margherita?ReplyDelete
That looks amazing! Did you buy or make the crust? Share the deets please!ReplyDelete


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Jobseekers using the government's new jobs website, Universal JobMatch, have been receiving messages encouraging them to participate in clinical trials. Users have received multiple messages from the service inviting them to apply for jobs, only to find these 'employment opportunities' are actually clinical trials.
Non Jobs
The Scriptonite Daily blog was contacted by 37 year old Job Seeker Chris Morgan, of Dartford, Kent – who logged in to Universal Job Search today to find five messages in his Universal JobMatch inbox inviting him to apply for jobs. These jobs were actually invitations to join a clinical trial.
Mr Morgan lives with his partner and two children aged 9 and 11 and has been seeking work since losing his role in Health and Safety for retail giant Marks and Spencer's in November 2012. He had been with the company for five years before being dismissed. He has subscribed to Universal JobMatch in hopes of finding employment.
He logged in this morning to find five jobs recommended to him by the government's online job service. He has been left feeling "sick to my stomach" after realising the government considers partaking in a clinical trial for £100 a day as his best current option of 'employment'.
(Click images to enlarge)
Speaking to Scriptonite Daily Mr Morgan said:
"I was dumbfounded, shocked and so angry that my government would send me on clinical trials…I didn't think I'd be put out to pasture this early in my life, to go and become a lab rat."
He is now concerned that by declining this recommendation he would be considered as turning down an employment opportunity and therefore stand to lose his eligibility to claim social security.
The Desperation of UK Jobseekers
The UK Govt was today cheerleading the latest jobs figures which appear to show a mere 0.1% drop in unemployment rate in the last quarter. But the government simply ignored the bad news in the figures.
The number of men working full time fell by 272,000 and those in part time work rose 281,000. This is the highest number of people in part time work since records began in 1992. A third of those men in part time work stated they held those positions because they could not find full time work.
Unemployment among 16-24 year olds was up 34,000. This means the UK has an unemployment rate of 21% among young people, with 960,000 now jobless.
And the picture was no rosier for those who had managed to gain employment. While unemployment may well remain lower than equivalent austerity nations, the nature of employment is shifting in a worrying direction.
Wages have fallen for 36 of the 37 months of the Coalition government. This makes Cameron's Coalition the the worst performing government in UK history on wages. No former Prime Minister in the history of our parliamentary democracy has seen wages drop for this length of time – not Thatcher, not Harold Wilson, not Ted Heath.
There has also been the rise of Zero Hours contracts, which mean working people are not guaranteed regular hours by their employer, or access to basic employment rights such as sick pay, paid annual leave or a notice period before dismissal. A recent survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, found more than 1 million UK workers is now on a Zero Hours contract. Unison claim the figure could be as high as 5.5m but Full Fact found some issues with the methodology by which these figures were derived. Be it 1 million or 5.5 million – this is more than enough to seriously skew the unemployment figures, which showed a drop of just 24,000.
Professor Kim Hoque, a Professor of Human Resource Management at Warwick Business School, comments on the long term role of zero hours contracts and job insecurity on the UK economy.
"The flexibility they provide may well have enabled the UK to avoid higher levels of unemployment during the economic downturn. They may also have enabled some people to maintain an attachment to the labour market who would otherwise not have been able to do so. That said such contracts could also be seen as part of the wider underemployment problem that has affected the UK economy in recent times, with large numbers of workers on part-time or casual contracts wanting to work more hours but being unable to do so."
The claimant count for Jobseekers Allowance also fell 32,600. Whilst this is being billed as good news, this has more to do with changes in eligibility criteria. All the government has to do to reduce the claimant count, is make people ineligible to claim. The Thatcher government was able to show a drop in unemployment of 550,000 in July 1986, and 668,000 in 1989 by transferring those unemployed into work programmes (workfare). They also kept an average 90,000 unemployed under 18 year olds off the books by making them ineligible to claim benefits.
In short, where once people could have claimed Job Seekers Allowance while searching for new employment, people are being forced to accept ever worsening working conditions or join exploitative government work programmes to attempt to stay afloat while the social safety nets are ripped away
Enough is Enough
The rising number of unemployed and underemployed citizens of the UK are having their desperation to survive exploited, encouraged into Zero Hours contracts, Workfare and now Clinical Trials. It is time for the UK public to say enough is enough.
Get Involved
If you have a job opening for Chris Morgan, or would like to send a message of support – you can find him on twitter here.
Contact the Secretary of State Iain Duncan Smith to let him know your views. You can email him here.
Scriptonite Daily is a citizen funded news site. If we want to make an alternative media, then we need to build it. Your donations make the difference.
Become a regular subscriber here


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Friday, July 18, 2014
board sketches aaand warm ups
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text:
Cinema makes low-key Saudi return, angers critics
By Souhail Karam
RIYADH (Reuters) - Cinema has made a low-key return to Saudi Arabia after a three decade absence but a sharp reaction by the religious police chief shows efforts to relax Saudi's strict Islamic laws face tough opposition.
A locally produced comedy, "Menahi," premiered in two cultural centers in Jeddah and Taif this month before mixed-gender audiences, a taboo in Saudi Arabia whose strict Islamic rules ban unrelated men and women from mixing.
Turnout for the movie, produced by billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal's media company Rotana, was so big the film had to be played eight times a day over a 10-day period, the organizers said.
It had to be stopped in Taif due to overcrowding in the hall, Rotana spokesman Ibrahim Badi said.
Showing the film was the latest attempt to introduce reforms by King Abdullah, who has said the world's largest oil exporter cannot stand still while the world changes around it.
Political analysts say Alwaleed could not have gone ahead without the blessing of royals with key decision-making roles.
"We have obtained permission from the Information Ministry and from the governorate of Mecca to show the movie in Jeddah and Taif," Badi said. The province of Mecca is governed by Prince Khaled al-Faisal, a pro-reform son of late King Faisal.
Badi could not immediately say if Rotana intended to show the movie in other provinces of the kingdom. Continued...


text:
|1,918 sq. ft.
|Property type
|Minimum Stay
|3 nights
We love our recently purchased home that's been remodeled with you in mind. As you enter you'll see the large, heated pool and separate hot tub through one of three sets of French doors leading to the huge (37' X 50') lanai. The spacious comfortable living room has enlarged photos of birds you may see in the area. Included are free cable (3 TVs) and wireless Internet.
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We're located on a canal, so you may see an anhinga drying its wings on our private fishing dock while you breakfast on the screened-in lanai. Hear the fish splash in the canal. Catch-and-release bass or bluegill off our private dock (No license required). Notice the palms swishing in the ever-present breeze, thanks to the nearness to the ocean, which makes both summer and winter enjoyable. Besides the heated pool (85 degrees) and hot tub (103 degrees), the lanai has three tables for dining, plus a double swing, lounge chairs for sunning, and a 4 burner gas grill. It's hard to leave the spacious lanai and our quiet neighborhood, but there's much to do in Sebastian or nearby Vero Beach or Melbourne. Uncrowded sandy beaches are just a few miles away.
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NO pets or indoor smoking allowed.
Owners are a former university professor and a retired military officer originally from Pennsylvania who now make their primary residence in Northern Virginia.
Merilyn Hamburg purchased this house in 2012
We were attracted to Indian River County due to the centralized location on Florida's east coast. The constant ocean breeze refreshes us. Sebastian in particular has an interesting history dating back to 1715. The locally owned, not national chain, restaurants provide excellent dining opportunities. We are close enough (12 miles to Vero Beach and less than 30 to Melbourne) to larger metropolitan areas to partake of all they have to offer without having to live in congestion. You may even see the plumes of rockets when they launch from the Kennedy Space Center.
We love that the house has cathedral ceilings, elevated niches, all tile or laminate floors, and the largest lanai we've seen. The rooms all are light and airy allowing plenty of sunlight. We were impressed with the canal location and the many birds visible throughout each day.
We have shared this house with another couple each of the last two years. It is a very quiet neighborhood. The furnishings are comfortable and the lanai and pool make this a perfect retreat. It is less than 10 minutes to the center of Sebastian and 20 minutes to Vero Beach. A great base!
We had the most amazing time at Seaglass Sojourn! It was perfectly located for visiting my family and they were shocked at what an amazing rental we found in their area. The villa had everything we needed and the pool and hot tub were great. We tried fishing but we are very inexperienced so no luck but looking at the size of a fish in the canal I'm pleased we didn't catch it!! We did have 2 turtles appear and we fed them! Absolutely amazing stay and will definitely love to stay again! The owners communication was also fantastic and very lovely people!
Very Nice clean home with lots of amenities.Owners were quick to respond to any questions we had.. My wife even found some gardening to do. She really enjoyed taking care of the Herbs.She even planted some new ones. :) Please be sure and give them a little water.
We enjoyed everything about the property, neighborhood and Sebastian. Loved the pool and hot tub. Thank you for providing the perfect vacation get away.
To start at the very beginning.. dealing with Bob and Merilyn was such a joy!! God truly blessed us with wonderful people and an incredible home!! From the moment we walked in.. we loved the decor, the cleanliness, & spaciousness!!! The house had everything and more to have a fabulous week!! The kitchen was beautiful and well stocked so that meal prep was a joy!!!! Thank you for this wonderful opportunity!!!!
Whether you prefer sky-diving, deep-sea fishing, shopping or antiquing, water-side restaurants,or the ocean, you'll find plenty to do in this best kept secret in Florida. Pelican Island in Sebastian was our first National Wildlife Refuge. Stop in at Sebastian Inlet State Park to kayak or picnic while you watch the dolphins frolic. Explore the Indian River Lagoon and the St. Sebastian River. Just don't tell everyone or it may become overcrowded. Did we mention we're in the USA's top five areas for clean air according to the May 3, 2012 issue of the Indian River Press Journal? If you're retired, vacationing, have relatives in the area, or just want to get away from it all, Seaglass Sojourn is the place for you.
|Rental Period
|Minimum Price
|Additional Nights
|Weekend Night
|Event Price
2017 Off Season
1 May 2017 - 4 Nov 2017
3 night minimum stay
for 3 nights
High Season
5 Nov 2017 - 28 Apr 2018
3 night minimum stay
for 3 nights
2018 Off Season
29 Apr 2018 - 30 Nov 2018
3 night minimum stay
for 3 nights
|One-time Cleaning
|Tax Rate
Discounts for repeat guests. Discounts for 4 week stays. Three day minimum does not include long weekends.


text:
Everyone from private homeowners to construction materials suppliers is feeling the ripple effects of slower residential construction in 2007. Even with public and commercial construction activity steady, equipment manufacturers have experienced slowing new sales.
Frank Manfredi, president of Manfredi & Associates and publisher of the Machinery Outlook monthly newsletter, is in a good spot to forecast new equipment sales. He recently provided his subscribers a snapshot of the construction equipment market in his "Heard in the Dirt" editorial.
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It's the economy...
His outlook also corresponds with the Portland Cement Association's forecast: Economic growth will be slow this year and next, with "more downside risk than upside potential in construction equipment markets." In fact, Manfredi has seen the equipment market decline even further since his forecast was published. He has a warning for equipment manufacturers: Watch your inventories.
While equipment sales may be flat in the U.S., Manfredi says the global picture is far different. Equipment manufacturers continue to expand in other parts of the world while continuing to invest in technology. Developments within just the last six months include Cummins building a fuel systems plant in China, Volvo expanding into Russia, and Caterpillar acquiring Euronov, a European remanufacturing company.
Manufacturers are now enjoying strong sales in Europe and in developing markets like Russia and India. Depending on inventories, they may not have to cut prices here. In fact, if sales are down in North America and the U.S. dollar remains weak, U.S. equipment manufacturers would profit more from exporting.
But not all equipment manufacturers adopt this strategy. Manfredi believes North America still appears to have more excess new equipment inventory than the rest of the world. With this in mind, producers may find their dollars stretching further, especially with North American-based equipment manufacturers.
This could mean producers should start buying. Even though many may trim capital expenditures until the construction outlook improves, it might pay to watch for lower end-of-the year equipment prices. Investing in discounted equipment now could translate to extra money in the 2008 budget.
Visitwww.machineryoutlook.comor telephone Manfredi & Associates at 847-949-9080.


text:
Prakash Chawla
Davos, Jan 30 (PTI) In a clear message to global retailgiants like Walmart, Tesco and Carrfoure, the Indiangovernment today said it will not rush into allowing FDI intopolitically sensitive multi-brand retail sector.
"Until a decision is formally taken to allow foreigndirect investment (FDI) in front-end multi-brand, the bigchains can come to India and build up infrastructure andintegrate (with) the (small) retailers," DIPP Secretary R PSingh told PTI at the annual WEF meeting here.
The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP),an arm of the Industry Ministry, responsible for FDI relatedmatters.
Yesterday, India''s Commerce and Industry Minister AnandSharma had asked the global retail chains like Wal-Mart andTesco to invest in the back-end infrastructure.
"Multi brand can only come when the back-endinfrastructure is created, that is where the farmer will getthe remunerative prices at the door step," Sharma has said.
Pointing out that the FDI in multibrand retail alonecannot solve India''s supply chain problem, Singh said, "Weneed end-to-end solutions starting with procurement at farmgate to final consumer. We need to carry crops from peakseason to off season both through cold chains as well as foodprocessing."
On India''s concerns on opening the sector for big foreignplayers, the secretary said the sector, which is primarilydominated by small retailers in India, is the largestemployment provider in the unorganised segment afteragriculture.
The sector employing over about 33 million people isdominated by mom-and-pop stores.
"(The) right model for India, therefore, will have to bebig chain taking care of a whole infrastructure fromprocurement to processing as well as transport logistics," headded.
In July last year, the Indian government had floated adiscussion paper on liberalising the politically-sensitivemulti-brand retail.
The minister has also said that investors need to deviseIndia-specific model and replicate.
While FDI in multi-brand retail is prohibited in India,FDI upto 51 per cent is permitted in single brand retail.
Pointing that India was losing agri products, fruits andvegetables to the tune of Rs 1 lakh crore annually, thediscussion paper had said that establishment of cold chainsand back-end infrastructure could cut down the losses by morethan half.
As per the Indian Planning Commission, infrastructure forthe farm sector such as cold chain would need an investment ofRs 64,312 crore.


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When we calculate how many calories we burn in a day (in order to justify dessert!), we often only consider workouts -- running, strength training, Zumba, etc. But the truth is, there are other extracurricular activities (ahem ... sex) that should be counted in that tally.
From a good romp to holiday shopping, we asked personal trainer Pete McCall for five everyday ways to burn more fat over the course of a typical day (calories are based on a 135-pound woman).
Taking the stairs
7 calories a minute
Going to the bathroom one or two floors away can burn an additional 350 calories a day (assuming five bathroom breaks), according to McCall, a spokesman for the American Council on Exercise. "Walking up the stairs sideways is an effective way to strengthen the muscles of the inner and outer thighs," he says. If walking with your left side facing the stairs, cross the right foot in front; if you're leading with your right side, cross your left foot in front.
Walking to work
113 calories in 30 minutes
"If commuting, getting off a stop or two early [so you have, say, a 20-minute walk] to include some additional walking can burn an additional 100 calories," says McCall. Keep the pace brisk and swing those arms!
Check out our editors' favorite travel-friendly workout gear.
Biking to work
255 calories in 30 minutes
According to McCall, biking 30 minutes each way to work can burn an additional 500 calories a day (SELF's editor in chief does it and so can you!). If you live closer or further than that, park your car a strategic distance away, then bike in. To up the burn, boost the intensity a few times throughout your ride — going extra hard for 5 blocks — and alternate riding while seated and riding with your bum off the saddle.
Having sex
90 calories in 30 minutes
It's simple: Get on top, where you'll do all the work! Two or three romps a week will burn 200-plus calories.
Power shopping while carrying heavy bags
186 calories in an hour
Ditch the heels and wear sneakers on your shopping trips so you can walk at a decent pace (try to feel your heart rate rise). And, of course, take the stairs instead of the elevator!
Related links:
How do you turn everyday activities into calorie burners?
KEYWORDS: calorie burners,Fitness Tips,Sex


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I'm not good at keeping secrets. It's too much work. For instance - please don't invite me to a surprise birthday party three months before it's scheduled to happen, thereby enslaving me to weeks upon weeks of watching what I say around someone who is way too old to be celebrating insignificant birthdays anyway. Congrats on turning 32, here's a f*cking cupcake. Additionally, you probably don't want to give me any sensitive information about the girl in your office who is totally sleeping with her boss, the fact that your roomate got an STD, or the cheat codes to BioShock Infinite. As a matter of fact, I don't even want the code to the hallway bathroom at the doctor's office. I just can't be trusted not to share that information, either accidentally or because I don't care.
Which brings me to Bohemian. This "secret" restaurant behind the Japan Premium Beef butcher on Bond Street doesn't have a published phone number. You're supposed to obtain it from a friend who has already dined in the restaurant, just as they do at the original location in Japan. It's basically a marketing gimmick, and it's one that always seems to work in New York. People love to feel like they have the hook up. So after hearing chatter about this place since it opened up back in 2009, we finally played the game, tracked down the number, and made it in for dinner. And as you might imagine, we felt the need to talk about it. Bohemian is amazing.
What impressed us the most about Bohemian is that it's not impressive because it's exclusive. Usually these "hidden" or "private" restaurants are a huge let down, like when you actually get inside the Soho House and see that it's nothing but a bunch of trust fund dudes and the least famous Jonas Brother hanging out together. Much to our surprise, the food is absolutely excellent here, and the environment delivers too. And the key to it all is simplicity. The room is small and vibey and very relaxed, with couches and lounge chairs and low profile tables. It's about as perfect as a Date Night restaurant can get, because it's comfortable. As for the food, you might think a secretive place like this would serve some crazy sh*t like blowfish sashimi or live scorpion tacos. But instead, the best things to eat are a whole branzino with brussel sprouts and olives and wagyu beef steaks from the butcher out front. There's even a reasonably priced tasting menu at $55, and they were playing old school Phoenix for two hours straight during our dinner. Not bad.
So now that you know about Bohemian, all you have to do is figure out how to get the phone number. Good thing you've got a friend that's bad at keeping secrets.
Food Rundown
A simple and delicious vegetable fondue, even though it's pretty much just an upscale crudite. Start your meal off with one of these.
We liked this salad a lot, especially because we were drinking a good bottle of red wine and getting amped up for the steak. That said, there's a lot of good things to eat on this menu, and a salad may not be worth it for you.
Yes, you really do want to eat some raw beef while you're here. These pieces of incredibly tender marinated Washu short rib are nice and bite-sized so that you're not dealing with more than you can chew. A must order.
One of the best miso black cod dishes that we've ever come across. The fish is perfect, and on the side is a little dish of uni gratin, which was incredible.
You need this on your table. This branzino is one of the best plates in the house at Bohemian, and we love it because for its simplicity. It's just a really well cooked fish sitting in a cast iron pan with potatoes and
Remember, Bohemian is situated behind one of the best butcher shops in all of New York. So guess where they get their steak? The waitress will hand you a little board in the shape of the cow that lists the available cuts for the evening. Go big. You won't regret it.


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THE SQL Server Blog Spot on the Web
Hi Folks,
That Power Query webinar that I'm doing for the global Power BI team is on this week.
Love to see you attend.
Registration is here: https://info.microsoft.com/CO-PowerBI-WBNR-FY17-08Aug-25-PowerQuery-PowerBI-Registration.html
I've been writing articles for SQL Server Magazine as part of my Data Tales series.
Over the last couple of months, I've been writing a min-series about a database on a diet.
Earlier parts described the need for size reduction, how ROW and PAGE compression come into play, how to choose between them, etc.
Part 4 (the final part) is now online here:
It covers GZIP compression of large string fields, PDF size reduction in BLOBS, and more.
Enjoy !
Want to get your head around Power Query in both Excel and Power BI Desktop?
I've got a webinar happening for the Power BI team later this month: https://info.microsoft.com/CO-PowerBI-WBNR-FY17-08Aug-25-PowerQuery-PowerBI-Registration.html
The link below is to quite a fascinating article that on the surface is about why Uber moved to MySQL from PostgreSQL.
What it really is about is a severe limitation in how PostgreSQL indexes are updated.
With SQL Server, if you update a few columns in a row, only the indexes that have that column are updated. In PostgreSQL, all indexes still need to be updated. I understand why they've done that but it's not a good outcome.
SQL Server shines in this regard.
It's hard to believe that it's only a year, given how far Power BI has come.
Many of us in the community got together under the lead of Paul Turley and Adam Saxton and created a short video for Power BI's birthday.
Looks good:
So to James Phillips, and all the Power BI team, happy birthday from Down Under, Power BI !
(Good to see some locals in there too )
I've been using the Polybase services in SQL Server 2016 all throughout the pre-release period without any issue.
When I tried using them in the GA (Generally Availability) release, I could never get the two Polybase services to start. They were always stuck in a "Change Pending" state. Trying to start them in SQL Server Configuration Manager basically made SSCM look like it was hung.
Trying to use the Polybase services to create an external data source returned:
TCP Provider: No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it.
Fellow MVP John Paul Cook came to the rescue today. He previously had an issue with TCP Chimney support and noted that it looked similar.
True enough, the problem was that TCP wasn't an enabled protocol on my SQL Server install on my machine. Enabling TCP and restarting made all good.
Thanks John !
When I work in customer sites, there is a quite a difference between how different sites get data for testing. But it basically comes down to a variation of one of these five:
It's the last option that I'm concerned with today. Masking data is challenging and usually much more difficult than imagined. This week, I was working with a masked database and we ended up finding all client details tucked inside a chunk of XML that was used to hold the metadata for a series of images. They had done a good job of removing it from all the normal columns from all tables in the database, but it's so easy to miss extras like this.
So after we fixed the issue, I was left wondering how effectively it really had all been masked.
The following script takes a while to run on a large database. It takes a string to search for, and looks to find any locations in the database that hold that string. Optionally, it dumps out a copy of all rows containing the string. It does this for char, nchar, varchar, nvarchar, varchar(max), nvarchar(max), and xml data types.
I hope someone finds it useful.
-- Search for a string anywhere in a database
-- v1.0 Dr Greg Low, 11 June 2016
DECLARE @StringToSearchFor nvarchar(max) = N'Jones';
DECLARE @IncludeActualRows bit = 1;
DECLARE @SchemaName sysname;
DECLARE @TableName sysname;
DECLARE @ColumnName sysname;
DECLARE @IsNullable bit;
DECLARE @TableObjectID int;
DECLARE @Message nvarchar(max);
DECLARE @FullTableName nvarchar(max);
DECLARE @BaseDataTypeName sysname;
DECLARE @WereStringColumnsFound bit;
DECLARE @Predicate nvarchar(max);
DECLARE @SQL nvarchar(max);
DECLARE @SummarySQL nvarchar(max) = N'';
DECLARE @NumberOfTables int;
DECLARE @TableCounter int = 0;
IF OBJECT_ID(N'tempdb..#FoundLocations') IS NOT NULL
DROP TABLE #FoundLocations;
CREATE TABLE #FoundLocations
FullTableName nvarchar(max),
NumberOfRows bigint
SET @NumberOfTables = (SELECT COUNT(*) FROM sys.tables AS t
WHERE t.is_ms_shipped = 0
AND t.type = N'U');
DECLARE TableList CURSOR FAST_FORWARD READ_ONLY
SELECT SCHEMA_NAME(schema_id) AS SchemaName, name AS TableName, object_id AS TableObjectID
FROM sys.tables AS t
WHERE t.is_ms_shipped = 0
AND t.type = N'U'
ORDER BY SchemaName, TableName;
OPEN TableList;
FETCH NEXT FROM TableList INTO @SchemaName, @TableName, @TableObjectID;
SET @TableCounter += 1;
SET @FullTableName = QUOTENAME(@SchemaName) + N'.' + QUOTENAME(@TableName);
SET @Message = N'Checking table '
+ CAST(@TableCounter AS nvarchar(20))
+ N' of '
+ CAST(@NumberOfTables AS nvarchar(20))
+ @FullTableName;
PRINT @Message;
SET @WereStringColumnsFound = 0;
SET @Predicate = N'';
DECLARE ColumnList CURSOR FAST_FORWARD READ_ONLY
SELECT c.name AS ColumnName, t.name AS BaseDataTypeName
FROM sys.columns AS c
INNER JOIN sys.types AS t
ON t.system_type_id = c.system_type_id
AND t.user_type_id = c.system_type_id -- note: want the base type not the actual type
WHERE c.object_id = @TableObjectID
AND t.name IN (N'text', N'ntext', N'varchar', N'nvarchar', N'char', N'nchar', N'xml')
AND (c.max_length >= LEN(@StringToSearchFor) OR c.max_length < 0) -- allow for max types
ORDER BY ColumnName;
OPEN ColumnList;
FETCH NEXT FROM ColumnList INTO @ColumnName, @BaseDataTypeName;
SET @WereStringColumnsFound = 1;
IF @Predicate <> N''
SET @Predicate += N' OR ';
SET @Predicate += CASE WHEN @BaseDataTypeName = N'xml'
THEN N'CAST(' + QUOTENAME(@ColumnName) + N' AS nvarchar(max))'
ELSE QUOTENAME(@ColumnName)
+ N' LIKE N''%' + @StringToSearchFor + N'%''';
FETCH NEXT FROM ColumnList INTO @ColumnName, @BaseDataTypeName;
CLOSE ColumnList;
DEALLOCATE ColumnList;
IF @WereStringColumnsFound <> 0
INSERT #FoundLocations (FullTableName, NumberOfRows)
SELECT N''' + @FullTableName + N''', COUNT_BIG(*) FROM '
+ @FullTableName
+ @Predicate
IF (SELECT NumberOfRows FROM #FoundLocations WHERE FullTableName = @FullTableName) > 0
SET @SummarySQL += N'SELECT * FROM ' + @FullTableName + N' WHERE ' + @Predicate + N';' + NCHAR(13) + NCHAR(10);
FETCH NEXT FROM TableList INTO @SchemaName, @TableName, @TableObjectID;
CLOSE TableList;
DEALLOCATE TableList;
FROM #FoundLocations
WHERE NumberOfRows > 0
ORDER BY FullTableName;
DROP TABLE #FoundLocations;
IF @SummarySQL <> N'' AND @IncludeActualRows <> 0
EXECUTE (@SummarySQL);
There's an interesting scenario that's come up in creating some new samples for SQL Server 2016.
I know that for many, many years people have asked for a way to limit developer edition to only use standard edition features, or at least to have a way to flag them. I've often thought that I'd like a way to set a "target environment" and have the colorization change anything that I can't use in standard to an obviously different color.
However, previously, if you used developer edition to create a database, as long as you didn't use any enterprise features, you could then backup and restore that database to a standard edition server.
That's no longer the case with SQL Server 2016.
If you create a temporal table in a database on developer edition, it automatically chooses PAGE compression for the history file. There is also no DDL to avoid this. The database can no longer be restored on a standard edition server. To work around it, you would need to rebuild the table without compression after it's created.
I see this as quite a change in behavior. I don't think that features that are only available in enterprise (or other perhaps Azure) editions should be "auto-injected".
Clearly, if you script out the database and create a new database on standard edition using the script, it will create the history table without compression. But I suspect that many people create DBs as starter DBs using developer edition, and then deploy them to other editions that don't support compression.
I'd be interested in thoughts on how common this practice currently is.
There is an endless discussion in the development community about whether databases should include declared foreign key constraints or not.
As a consultant, I regularly visit a wide variety of client sites. Many of these have applications designed without constraints. When I ask why there are no constraints, the response is invariably one of the following:
Most of the sites that I work with have sizeable databases. This discussion is important in those situations.
The app ensures that it's right
In most enterprises, most large databases end up being used by more than one single application, and often each application will be made up of many sub-applications or modules. That means that every place that accesses the data needs to apply the same rules. (The same issue applies to other forms of constraints as well).
Worse, the databases often end up being accessed by applications from different authors, and often with different technology stacks.
ETL processes are often used to move data into the databases or to update that data.
Even worse, in real production scenarios, data-fixes often get applied directly to the database.
A view of the world that says that it will be ok because everything goes through a single application is a very narrow view of the world.
They don't work well with our application development
What this really boils down to in most cases is that the developers didn't want to work out the order for updates and it's just easier for them without constraints as they can update any table they want, in any order.
That means that the data is periodically in invalid states and (hopefully) eventually consistent. But it also means that the data has many interim states that are actually invalid states. What happens with concurrent access at that point? What happens to a reporting application that finds invoices for customers that don't exist?
It would be helpful if SQL Server supported deferred constraint checking but today it doesn't. I've been formally asking them for it for over 10 years: https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/details/124728/option-to-defer-foreign-key-constraint-checking-until-transaction-commit
I still think it's one of the most important enhancements that could be made to SQL Server from a development point of view.
They are too slow
So often I'm told "we can't do it because it would be too slow". Yet almost every time I ask if they've actually tested it, I'm told "no".
The reality is usually that someone's brother's cousin's friend read it somewhere on the Internet so they decided it would be a problem.
Whenever I really test it, I find very little impact as long as appropriate indexing is in place, and sensible options are chosen when bulk importing data.
I do occasionally find specific constraints where I decide to disable them but they are few and far between. And even then, I like to see the constraint still be in place (so it can be discovered by tools, etc. ) but just not checked. It certainly never applies to all constraints in a database.
What's a foreign key constraint?
Sadly this is also a common question, fortunately mostly only on smaller databases and applications. Some developers really just don't understand the issue but this is not most developers.
Bottom Line
When I do a detailed check on a system that has run without constraints for quite a while, I almost always find data integrity issues.
When I show the integrity issues to the customer, they look surprised then say something like "ah, that's right, we had that bug a few weeks back". Pretty much every time, there are some issues somewhere.
That's ok if you're building a toy application; not ok if you're building a large financial application.
At the very least, sites that decide not to have constraints should have a process in place that periodically checks data integrity. Most sites that don't have constraints don't do this either.
It's important to find issues as soon as they occur. Finding issues well after they have been created always makes them much harder to fix. At least with constraints, you get instant feedback that something's wrong. If you have a bug in your ETL process that is messing up your data in some subtle way, you don't want to find that out several weeks later after other processing has occurred on that data.
I like to see constraints in place until it's proven that a particular constraint can't be in place for a performance reason. Then, I like to see it (and only it) disabled rather than removed. A bonus is that it can usually still be discovered by tools.
My series of articles for SQL Server Magazine continues. Last time, I continued a short series about a large database that needed to go on a diet. Last time, I look at the internals of row and page compression, to see what happens when they are used. We saw the significant differences in how ROW and PAGE compression are implemented. So how do you decide what to use?
This time, we look at when ROW and PAGE compression make sense, and provide detailed guidance on how to decide which should be used for which tables and indexes, or even for which partitions of which tables and indexes. A blended approach is usually the appropriate outcome.
Several of my customers lately have mentioned that when they've added a node to a Windows failover cluster for supporting an Availability Group, that they've ended up with an outage because the non-shared drives have been taken offline by the installation process. All commented that it didn't use to happen on Windows Server 2008 R2 and they were taken by surprise when it happened on Windows Server 2012 R2.
I mentioned it in the MVP list and one of my US buddies Allan Hirt said that we need to uncheck the relevant checkbox during the install.
I stepped through another one today and this is the culprit:
The default is now to add all eligible storage to the cluster.
That is perhaps a reasonable default when setting up most Windows failover clusters, but it is really not a sensible default when working with Availability Groups. It ends up adding all your other drives and then puts them offline.
Unchecking that box while performing installs/validations should avoid the issue.
Thanks to Allan for pointing it out.
One of the intriguing options that's coming as part of SQL Server 2016 is StretchDB. I've been spending some time working with it and learning about it, and I've ended up with lots of questions.
It was great to get an opportunity to speak to Joe Yong to get all my questions sorted.
Hope you'll enjoy it too. You'll find it here: http://sqldownunder.azurewebsites.net/Podcasts
Last week I had an opportunity to record a new podcast with Kasper DeJonge from the SQL Server Analysis Services team. Kasper has also been working on Power Pivot and many other areas.
SQL Server 2016 is lining up to be a great release for Analysis Services with significant enhancements for both tabular and multi-dimensional data models.
I hope you enjoy the show. You'll find it here:
I spend a lot of my time working with ISVs (or software houses) and with individual developers. For SQL Server to have a long-term future, we need to be appealing to more and more new developers, to get them to understand that SQL Server is a great platform for building their applications above.
One of the most important aspects of this right up front, is making it really frictionless to get started with SQL Server.
In the past, it has at times been very difficult to purchase SQL Server Developer Edition. To me, that's been ridiculous if we want to attract new developers to the platform. I have a friend who, a year or so back, wanted to get Developer Edition and spent weeks (literally) trying to find out how to buy it. In the USA, it was available in the Microsoft store. You could pay $40 and download it. If you had an MSDN subscription, it was also just available for download. But for some reason that I'll never fathom, it wasn't available in the Australian Microsoft store and you had to purchase it from a license vendor instead.
Because Developer Edition was a low-cost item, the license vendors weren't interested in it. Even when I spoke to the local Microsoft sales subsidiary, after two weeks I couldn't find out how to buy it either. The local sales team seems to be basically goaled on Enterprise Edition sales, so a Developer Edition license didn't even feature on their radar.
Sadly, by comparison, my friend downloaded PostgreSQL and was using it 15 minutes later. This situation could not continue.
The Visual Studio team had been rightly proud of their Visual Studio Community Edition and how well it was going. It was just a free download.
I was a very vocal member of a crowd asking "Where is the SQL Server Community Edition?".
Well this week, our pleas have been answered. Any developer can just join the Visual Studio Dev Essentials program and then download SQL Server Developer Edition for free.
I've got much more to post about what else we need to do to help get the new developers but credit must be given where it's due. Thanks for listening Microsoft !
I had a former colleague ask me the other day if he should learn Cantonese or Mandarin. He was going to spend a few months in Hong Kong and southern China.
Here are my opinions. I'm sure there are many who might differ but this is how I see it today.
Hong Kong is a tricky one. A large number of people there can speak Mandarin given the difficult relationship between "mainland" China and Hong Kong, even locals who can speak it don't treat you the same as if you speak Cantonese. Many just aren't happy about aspects of how China now runs Hong Kong. But the way that I see it, is that resist as they might, they will be "integrated".
In the meantime, and probably for another generation, Cantonese is certainly where it's at. Already though, China makes all children in Hong Kong learn Mandarin.
People don't seem to understand how determined the Chinese government is to achieve standardisation. In the end, it's the only way you can run such a large country without anarchy. They even have a single time zone for the whole of China. I can't see any chance of them supporting 900 or so dialects going forward. It would probably scare the Cantonese speakers today to think about it, but I think that eventually Cantonese will be like Aboriginal languages are in Australia: more of a curiosity. Clearly, that will take some time.
Personally, I wouldn't put any effort into Cantonese but you might decide differently if you are intending to be in a majority Cantonese-speaking country for quite a while. You certainly get treated better by locals if you use at least some of their dialect. Same thing happens in Shanghai. Add some Shanghai-ese into your Mandarin, and they are so happy.
Another thing I've liked about learning Chinese is that the writing system is essentially the same for all dialects. So even when I see signs written in Hong Kong, I can still read most of it. I have no idea what the words are in Cantonese (although I can easily guess some), but I know what the sign means, and that's what counts the most.
The challenge with Chinese reading and writing is simplified vs traditional systems. In the 1950's and 1960's, the Chinese government decided to simplify the writing system as they had so many people that were illiterate. So they took a bunch of characters and made simplified versions of them. The simplified ones are now used widely. However, once again, Hong Kong is a hold-out. Most people in Hong-Kong or Taiwan still use traditional characters. So there are some characters that I have to stop to try to work out what they are.
The younger people in Hong Kong are learning Simplified characters. Other countries like Singapore have standardised on Simplified. Even in the middle of China, however, there are movements to try to reinstate Traditional characters as they are seen as more meaningful. I can't see that prevailing and simplified characters will be the future.
Most older Chinese writing that I see in Australia is Traditional as many of the Chinese that originally came here did so from Hong Kong, and many came before Simplified writing was introduced. Most new Chinese that you see in Australia is Simplified. That's what all the Chinese tourists and students tend to use. When I ride the trains in Melbourne, I used to predominantly hear Cantonese. Now I predominantly hear Mandarin, largely due to an influx of people from other areas of China, and particularly due to younger students.
I've been using a variety of methods for learning Mandarin over the years. My main effort at present is to attend 3 x 1 hour one-on-one lessons from Hanbridge Mandarin each week. (http://www.hanbridgemandarin.com)
I've got other posts that I'll update soon, on the other methods that I'm using, but the online lessons (my current teachers are from ShenZhen) have increased my abilities the fastest of any method that I have tried.
And I just speak to every Chinese person that I get an opportunity to do so.


text:
MusiCares and the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary will sponsor free voice screenings for professional singers. Leaders in otolaryngology will provide individualized comprehensive voice screenings. These tests will be provided free-of-charge at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. Appointments must be scheduled in advance. For information or to register, contact 212.245.7840, or email email@example.com.
- The Recording Academy
- MusiCares
Who We Are & Contact Information
Affordable Care Act Information
- GRAMMY Foundation


text:
Mom & Pop Getting the Good Food
Co-op Trade Foodshed Initiative – Part 3
In this third installment on the Co-op Distribution Center, we'll look at how the CDC helps small, rural co-ops and mom and pop grocery stores keep healthy and clean food on their shelves, and they, in turn, help our rural neighbors have access to good food. Unlike conventional distributors, the CDC's size and scale accommodate service to more remote locations and to smaller stores through out New Mexico.
For distributors of all sorts of goods, including groceries, unless they can fill a truck, and unless a store is on a regular route off a major transportation corridor, they won't make a delivery. Small grocers, particularly in rural areas, struggle to make orders large enough to meet minimum requirements for delivery through providers like Sysco or UNFI. Often, it is only once a month, and sometimes less frequently, that this sort of grocery store will make an order through one of these companies. Perishable items usually only last for a short period at the beginning of the month, if they get ordered at all. The items ordered are highly processed, very shelf-stable goods, frequently with low nutritional value, meaning these are the foods rural New Mexicans, in recent years, could choose from if they shopped at their local grocery store.
The CDC provides access to natural foods and perishable items for small grocers on a more regular basis than larger distributors. Currently, the CDC can make weekly deliveries to stores like the Silver City Co-op, Dixon Co-op, Mountain View Co-op, Los Alamos Co-op, Gallup Co-op, Tesuque Village Market, Sol Foods in Arroyo Seco, The Bodega in Taos, Inn and Mercantile in Ojo Caliente, and Kaune's Neighborhood Market in Santa Fe, if they need to make an order. In addition, the CDC can deliver locally sourced items, like Estancia beans or Freeana Yoghurt, not available through other distributors.
For New Mexicans living in rural communities, this translates into healthier and more locally sourced food in stores closer to home. Rather than having to drive to Santa Fe or Albuquerque to shop for groceries and to find items like fresh veggies, real cheese, or brown rice, they can shop at the small grocer down the road. Rather than having to load up at Costco or Sam's Club once a month when they journey to town, they can shop more frequently for fresher items. By providing smaller grocers access to healthy food, the CDC helps to water and green the immense food deserts created by the limitations of more conventional food distribution systems.


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I have seen a nice intro wich i really would like to use on my website to create a wow-factor on my site. When i watched the movie Transformers i saw the menu of it and brought me up to this idea.
This is what i am talking about: http://www.rhjvisscher.nl/Example/Example.html
What i want to have is an identical thing on my website. Offcourse not the arm and the cube in the center. I want to place this in the top part of my website and use it for references of my customers.
So every image is a logo of a company and when you click it a page will be opened with the story of my customer.
I have found some carousel things on this website and they are really nice, but nowhere near as nice as this one.
Is there someone who could make this?
I don't have exactly that type of carousel, but I'm currently in the process of creating some original carousels that will be posted on flashden. If you want to wait, you'll see. I could provide you with some screenshots of the ones that are almost done, if you like. Just drop me a line if you're interested.
I can do it also, you can contact me through my profile.