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Clinical Microbiology Issues Update - December 2013
- Professional Affairs Committee Members Attend Reimbursement Seminars
- ASM Attends CDC Board of Scientific Counselors Meeting
- ASM Attends CCCLW Meeting
- ASM Attends Joint CDC-AdvaMedDx Hill Briefing
- ASM Participates in CDC Grand Rounds: Advanced Molecular Detection
- ASM Participates in CDC Telebriefing on Serogroup B Meningococcal Cases in the United States
- ASM Staff Meets with Senate HHS Staff
- ASM Signs CLC Letter Requesting Negotiated Rulemaking
- ASM Comments on CMS Proposed Proficiency Testing Referral Enforcement Flexibility
- Minority Microbiology Mentor Newsletter
- ASM Conferences
- ASM Journal Articles of Interest
- ASM Press
- Budget Deal Finalized by Congress
- National Influenza Vaccination Week
- World AIDS Day Commemorated
- FDA Releases Guidance for In Vitro Diagnostic Products Labeled for RUO or IUO
- FDA Approves First Adjuvanted Vaccine for Prevention of H5N1 Avian Influenza
- Malaria Cases in U.S. Reach 40-year High
- CDC Answers Meningitis Questions
- Get Smart about Antibiotics Week
- NIH Mouse Study Finds Gut Microorganisms May Determine Cancer Treatment Outcome
- NIH Launches Trial of Investigational Genital Herpes Vaccine
- FDA Allows Marketing of Four "Next Generation" Gene Sequencing Devices
- FDA Investigates Outbreak of E. coli O157 Illnesses Linked to Pre-packaged Salad Products
- MMWR Articles of Interest
- Control of Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases Course: January 6–11, 2014
- Waste Not Want Not: Tips and Tricks for Reducing Waste in the Clinical Lab
- Articles of Interest
Professional Affairs Committee Members Attend Reimbursement Seminars
The PSAB Professional Affairs Committee has been monitoring key developments in reimbursement for clinical laboratory tests. The final CMS rules "Revisions to Payment Policies under the Physician Fee Schedule, Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule & Other Revisions to Part B for CY 2014 [CMS-1600]" https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2013/12/10/2013-28696/medicare-program-revisions-to-payment-policies-under-the-physician-fee-schedule-clinical-laboratory and the "Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems and Quality Reporting Programs (OPPS) [CMS-1601]" http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-12-10/pdf/2013-28737.pdf that were posted December 10 were subjects of webinars sponsored by G2 Intelligence and CodeMap® which PAC Chair Vickie Baselski and member Scott Riddell attended. CMS also still plans to implement its overhaul of the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS) starting in 2014. The public will have a chance to comment on the proposed changes, and, after analysis, rates may be adjusted. As of CY 2014, CMS also plans to bundle clinical laboratory tests into the OPPS and will no longer pay separately for clinical laboratory services performed for hospital outpatients.
ASM Attends CDC Board of Scientific Counselors Meeting
ASM staff attended the December 11-12 meeting of the Board of Scientific Counselors, Office of Infectious Diseases. Topics for discussion on the first day included updates from the Influenza Coordination Unit (ICU), the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), the Center for Global Health (CGH) and Global Health Security (GHS). The second day's discussion covered updates from the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP) and updates on CDC's Advanced Molecular Detection (AMD) for Infectious Disease Prevention and Response activities. PSAB Laboratory Practices Committee Chair Susie Sharp now co-chairs the AMD laboratory working group. For more information on the BSC OID, see http://www.cdc.gov/oid/BSC.html.
ASM Attends CCCLW Meeting
ASM staff attended the first Coordinating Council on the Clinical Laboratory Workforce (CCCLW) web conference meeting on December 9. PSAB Professional Affairs Committee Chair Vickie Baselski discussed current CMS proposals on CPT codes, as she serves as the chair of the CCCLW reimbursement subcommittee. Other topics included the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the role of clinical laboratories, a new practitioner survey update, and the 2014 dues packet for CCCLW members. The next meeting will take place in March 2014. To read more about CCCLW, please go to the website http://ccclw.org/.
ASM Attends Joint CDC-AdvaMedDx Hill Briefing
On December 5, AdvaMedDx and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cosponsored a briefing in the Rayburn House Office Building entitled "Innovative Technologies for Better Health: How Diagnostics are Accelerating Progress against HIV/AIDS: TB, Malaria and Emerging Infectious Diseases in the U.S. and Abroad". This briefing focused on point of care testing and featured speakers Beth Bell, Director of the CDC National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; Douglas Bryant, President and CEO of Quidel; John Hackett, Senior Research Fellow and Director of Diagnostic Infectious Diseases, Abbott; Tom Kenyon, Director of the CDC Center for Global Heath; and Todd Summers, senior advisor the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Global Health Policy Center. To read more about the briefing, please go to http://advameddx.org and click "Events."
ASM Participates in CDC Grand Rounds: Advanced Molecular Detection
The Public Health Grand Rounds is a monthly webcast created to foster discussion on major public health issues. Each session focuses on key challenges related to a specific health topic, and explores cutting-edge scientific evidence and potential impact of different interventions by CDC and its partners. The December Grand Rounds explained the new CDC Advanced Molecular Detection Initiative to improve the ability to diagnose infectious diseases, investigate, and control outbreaks. To view, please click the following link http://www.cdc.gov/about/grand-rounds/archives/2013/december2013.htm.
ASM Participates in CDC Telebriefing on Serogroup B Meningococcal Cases in the United States
ASM Staff joined Amanda Cohn, National Center for Immunizations and Respiratory Diseases, in a November 25 CDC telebriefing to provide an update on serogroup B meningococcal cases in the United States and meningococcal disease treatment and prevention. The transcript is available at the following link http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2013/t1125-serogroup-b-meningitis.html.
ASM Staff Meets with Senate HHS Staff
ASM Staff joined members of the Coalition for Health Funding in a November 18 briefing with staff from the Senate Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee. Key staffers and their assignments for 2014 were introduced; most of the discussion that followed focused on the upcoming budget negotiations and how they may affect funding for healthcare related agencies.
ASM Signs CLC Letter Requesting Negotiated Rulemaking
ASM signed onto a November 12 letter with other members of the Clinical Laboratory Coalition urging the Congress to consider legislation requiring the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to enter into negotiated rulemaking with stakeholders to develop an updated clinical laboratory fee schedule. To see the full letter, please click the link: http://www.asm.org/images/PSAB/NegRule-2013.pdf.
ASM Comments on CMS Proposed Proficiency Testing Referral Enforcement Flexibility
ASM provided comments to CMS regarding Changes to CLIA Enforcement Actions for Proficiency Testing (PT) Referral described in the Proposed Rule CMS-1443-P. This rule provides tiers of sanctions against laboratories referring PT samples. To see the letter, click http://www.asm.org/index.php/publicpolicy-2/statements-testimony/137-policy/documents/statements-and-testimony/92462-clia-11-13.
Minority Microbiology Mentor Newsletter
The December issue of the Minority Microbiology Newsletter has been published by the Committee on Microbiological Issues Impacting Minorities (CMIIM). ASM members can read the newsletter by going to this link:https://www.asm.org/index.php/publicpolicy-2/newsletters/minority-microbiology-newsletter/135-policy/documents/newsletters/minority-microbiology-mentor-newsletter/92686-mmm-12-13.
ASM Conferences
The ASM Biodefense and Emerging Diseases Research Meeting
January 27-29, 2014
Washington, DC
4th ASM Conference on Enterococci
March 5-7, 2014
Cartagena, Colombia
12th ASM Conference on Candida and Candidiasis
March 26-30, 2014
New Orleans, Louisiana
For a complete list of upcoming ASM conferences, please see http://conferences.asm.org/
ASM Journal Articles of Interest
Copious Community-Associated MRSA in Nursing Homes
More than one quarter of residents of 26 nursing homes in Orange County, California carry community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), according to a manuscript published in the November 2013 issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology.
Irreproducible and Uninterpretable Polymyxin B MICs for E. cloacae and E. aerogenes
In this study involving clinical isolates, susceptibility testing methods with polymyxin B were analyzed. Due to heteroresistance, interpretation of polymyxin susceptibility tests for Enterobacter species should be undertaken with extreme caution.
Clinical Evaluation of BacT/Alert FA Plus and FN Plus Bottles Compared with Standard Bottles
Clinically significant bacteria, including Gram-negative bacilli, were isolated more frequently from the resin bottles than from the standard bottles. Clinically significant bacteria were detected faster using the aerobic resin bottles than using the standard aerobic bottles.
Evaluation of Pneumococcal Serotyping by Multiplex PCR and Quellung Reactions
Screening of 1,750 pneumococcal isolates for common serotypes by PCR was followed by Quellung reaction analysis of PCR-negative isolates with a comparison to the conventional approach. PCR agreed with Quellung reaction results for 99% of isolates.
Interlaboratory Optimization and Evaluation of a Serological Assay for Diagnosis of Human Baylisascariasis
A Western blot assay using a recombinant protein, recombinant Baylisascaris procyonis RAG1 protein (rBpRAG1), was developed for the diagnosis of human baylisascariasis concurrently by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, and the National Reference Centre for Parasitology (NRCP) in Montreal, Canada.
ASM Press
Color Atlas of Medical Bacteriology, Second Edition
Authors: Luis de la Maza, Marie T. Pezzlo, Janet T. Shigei, Grace L. Tan, and Ellena M. Peterson
ASM member price: $139.95; Hardcover, 366 pages, color illustrations
(978-1-55581-475-5) for more information, please visit the e-store at: http://www.asmscience.org/content/book/10.1128/9781555814755
Budget Deal Finalized by Congress
The House and Senate have passed a budget compromise measure (HJ Res 59), which allocates to appropriations committees an increase in fiscal year 2014 spending levels and rolls back budgetary sequestration requirements that were due to impact research programs. Congressman Ryan and Senator Murray, chairs of a bipartisan and bicameral "Budget Conference Committee," established by passage of the "Continuing Appropriations Resolution of 2014," negotiated the "Bipartisan Budget Agreement Act of 2013 (BBA)." The agreement reconciles spending cap differences between the House and the Senate for FY 2014. The Ryan-Murray deal finalized discretionary spending for the current fiscal year (FY) 2014 at $1.012 trillion, roughly halfway between the House budget level of $967 billion and the Senate budget level of $1.058 trillion. The BBA also provides partial relief from sequestration in FY 2015. The agreement allows appropriators to draft spending bills for the remainder of FY 2014 and provides $63 billion in relief from sequester cuts over the next two years for both defense and non-defense discretionary programs. The Bipartisan Budget Agreement is a step forward in mitigating some of the harm from the random cuts of sequestration. The ASM has been urging Congress to end sequestration and will continue to advocate for robust investment in basic research, public health and clinical lab policy as the appropriations process proceeds for FY 2014 and FY 2015. The Bipartisan Budget Act is designed to restore order to the federal budget and appropriations process and to allow some reinvestment in domestic priorities, such as research and public health. The BBA restores almost two-thirds of the scheduled non-defense discretionary cuts in 2014. House and Senate appropriations committees are beginning the process to write FY 2014 spending bills before the expiration of the current Continuing Resolution on January 15, 2014. Information and updates on appropriations bills will be available at http://www.asm.org/ResearchFunding.
National Influenza Vaccination Week
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, state and local health departments, and other health agencies observed National Influenza Vaccination Week December 8–14, 2013, with educational and promotional activities scheduled across the country. To read more, please go to http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6248a5.htm?s_cid=mm6248a5_w.
World AIDS Day Commemorated
World AIDS Day draws attention to the current status of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) epidemic worldwide. The theme for this year's December 1 observance was "Shared Responsibility: Strengthening Results for an AIDS-Free Generation." To read more, please go to http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6247a1.htm?s_cid=mm6247a1_w.
FDA Releases Guidance for In Vitro Diagnostic Products Labeled for Research Use Only or Investigational Use Only
On November 25, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released "The Distribution of In Vitro Diagnostic Products Labeled for Research Use Only or Investigational Use Only - Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff". To see the final guidance document, please go to:
FDA Approves First Adjuvanted Vaccine for Prevention of H5N1 Avian Influenza
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first adjuvanted vaccine for the prevention of H5N1 influenza. The vaccine, Influenza A (H5N1) Virus Monovalent Vaccine, Adjuvanted, is for use in people 18 years of age and older who are at increased risk of exposure to the H5N1 influenza virus.
Malaria Cases in U.S. Reach 40-year High
In 2011, 1,925 malaria cases were reported in the United States, according to data published in a supplement of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). This number is the highest since 1971. For more, see http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2013/p1031-malaria-cases.html.
CDC Answers Meningitis Questions
CDC answers questions on the recent outbreak at Princeton University and on serogroup B meningococcal vaccine. To read the answers to 27 pertinent questions, please go to http://www.cdc.gov/meningococcal/vaccine-serogroupB.html.
Get Smart about Antibiotics Week
Get Smart about Antibiotics Week was observed November 18-24. The video and presentation slides from the November session of CDC's Public Health Grand Rounds, "Combating Resistance: Getting Smart about Antibiotics," held on Tuesday, November 19 are now available at http://www.cdc.gov/about/grand-rounds/archives/2013/November2013.htm.
NIH Mouse Study Finds Gut Microorganisms May Determine Cancer Treatment Outcome
NCI scientists found that tumors of germ-free mice (mice completely lacking these microorganisms), or mice treated with antibiotics to deplete the gut of bacteria, were largely impaired in their ability to respond to immunotherapy that slows cancer growth and prolongs survival. To read more about this study, please go to: http://nih.gov/news/health/nov2013/nci-21.htm.
NIH Launches Trial of Investigational Genital Herpes Vaccine
Researchers have launched an early-stage clinical trial of an investigational vaccine designed to prevent genital herpes disease. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is sponsoring the Phase I trial, which is being conducted at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD. To read more, please click the link http://www.niaid.nih.gov/news/newsreleases/2013/Pages/HSV11-8-13.aspx.
FDA Allows Marketing of Four "Next Generation" Gene Sequencing Devices
On Nov 19, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allowed marketing of four diagnostic devices that can be used for high throughput gene sequencing, often referred to as "next generation sequencing" (NGS). These instruments, reagents, and test systems allow labs to sequence a patient's DNA. For more on the NGS, please see http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm375742.htm.
FDA Investigates Outbreak of E. coli O157 Illnesses Linked to Pre-packaged Salad Products
The FDA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state and local officials are investigating a multi-state outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses possibly linked to prepackaged salad meals. Read the latest on this update by clicking http://www.fda.gov/Food/RecallsOutbreaksEmergencies/Outbreaks/ucm374327.htm.
MMWR Articles of Interest
Extent and Effects of Recurrent Shortages of Purified-Protein Derivative Tuberculin Skin Test Antigen Solutions: United States, 2013
Two purified-protein derivative (PPD) tuberculin skin test (TST) antigen solutions are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA): Tubersol (Sanofi Pasteur Ltd.) and Aplisol (JHP Pharmaceuticals, LLC). Tubersol was out of production in late 2012 through April 2013. Shortages of Aplisol resulted from increased demand as practitioners have sought a substitute for Tubersol. Tubersol production resumed in May 2013, and supplies had been nearly restored by early June. However, in mid-July, state tuberculosis (TB) control officials notified CDC of difficulty obtaining Tubersol and Aplisol.
Outbreaks of Human Metapneumovirus in Two Skilled Nursing Facilities: WV and ID, 2011–2012
During January and February 2012, state and local public health agencies in West Virginia and Idaho, with assistance from facility staff members and CDC, investigated outbreaks of unexplained respiratory illness characterized by high proportions of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) at two skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). Influenza was initially suspected; however, human metapneumovirus (hMPV) was identified as the etiologic agent.
Outbreak of Tuberculosis Associated with a Newly Identified Mycobacterium tuberculosis Genotype: NYC 2010–2013
In January 2010, the New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) identified a tuberculosis (TB) case caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis with a genotype not reported previously in the United States.
Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis Associated with Ritual Nasal Rinsing: St. Thomas, U.S.V. I.
On November 21, 2012, the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) Department of Health documented the first case and death from primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) in the territory. The patient was a man aged 47 years whose only reported freshwater exposures were the use of tap water for daily household activities and for ablution, a ritual cleansing that he practiced several times a day in preparation for Islamic prayer.
Multistate Outbreak of C. jejuni Infections Associated with Undercooked Chicken Livers
In October 2012 the Vermont Department of Health (VDH) identified three cases of laboratory-confirmed Campylobacter jejuni infection in Vermont residents; the isolates had indistinguishable pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns.
Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in HIV-Exposed and HIV-Infected Children Now Online
The Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in HIV-Exposed and HIV-Infected Children are now available on the AIDSinfo website. These guidelines update the last version of the guidelines published in 2009.
Salmonella Typhimurium Infections Associated with a Community College Microbiology Laboratory: Maine, 2013
In May 2013, multiple cases of salmonellosis were reported to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory (HETL) determined that the clinical Salmonella isolates from stool specimens provided by outside hospital laboratories from both patients were indistinguishable by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis from a specimen used by the students during the microbiology class.
Control of Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases Course: January 6–11, 2014
CDC and Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health will cosponsor a 6-day course on Environmental Microbiology: Control of Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases at Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health. This course on the surveillance of foodborne and waterborne diseases is designed for public health practitioners and other students interested in the safety of food and water.
Waste Not Want Not: Tips and Tricks for Reducing Waste in the Clinical Lab
This program is part of the 2014 Seattle Children's Hospital Series. These webinars are co-sponsored by AACC and Seattle Children's Hospital, and conducted by Seattle Children's Hospital. This particular webinar is designed to help participants identify and remove waste in the lab, simplify their systems, make fewer errors, and gain efficiencies.
Articles of Interest
Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Chicken Prompts Call for Action
USA Today
December 19, 2013
A national outbreak of antibiotic-resistant salmonella that's been ongoing since October has sickened more than 389 people in 23 states and is hospitalizing them at double the rate expected. In light of that, and recent tests finding high levels of salmonella in raw chicken nationally, a report issued Thursday by the Pew Charitable Trusts says that current policies don't protect public health and need to be changed.
CDC Issues Travel Health Advisory for St. Martin
Washington Post
December18, 2013
U.S. health authorities have issued a travel advisory for the French Caribbean dependency of St. Martin because of a mosquito-borne viral disease that is apparently being spread locally at the start of the winter tourist season. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is closely following reports of the Chikungunya virus among residents of the French side of the small island in the northeast Caribbean.
F.D.A. Restricts Antibiotics Use for Livestock
New York Times
December 11, 2013
The Food and Drug Administration put in place a major new policy to phase out the indiscriminate use of antibiotics in cows, pigs and chickens raised for meat, a practice that experts say has endangered human health by fueling the growing epidemic of antibiotic resistance.
Measles Cases in U.S. Rise; Most Unvaccinated, CDC Says
USA Today
December 5, 2013
The USA is experiencing a spike in measles, with 175 confirmed cases and 20 hospitalizations so far this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 98% of measles patients were unvaccinated, CDC Director Frieden said.
Frederick Sanger, 95, Two-Time Winner of Nobel and Pioneer in Genetics, Dies
New York Times
November 21, 2013
Frederick Sanger, a British biochemist whose discoveries about the chemistry of life led to the decoding of the human genome and to the development of new drugs like human growth hormone, earning him two Nobel Prizes, a distinction held by only three other scientists, died on Tuesday in Cambridge, England.
Hospitals Try Yogurt to Prevent Infections in Patients
Wall Street Journal
November 17, 2013
At Holy Redeemer Hospital in Meadowbrook, PA, a worrisome trend emerged in 2011: an uptick in cases of C. difficile, despite measures to battle the bug by scrubbing surfaces with bleach and isolating affected patients. But the hospital was able to drive down cases last year after adding a new weapon to its arsenal: probiotics, the small organisms that help maintain the natural balance of bacteria in the intestines.
Obama Selects Health Policy Advocate as Surgeon General
New York Times
November 14, 2013
President Obama nominated Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, as surgeon general on Thursday. Dr. Murthy, 36, is a founder and the president of Doctors for America and a physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and an instructor at Harvard Medical School.
Hepatitis C, a Silent Killer, Meets Its Match
New York Times
November 4, 2013
Medicine may be on the brink of an enormous public health achievement: turning the tide against hepatitis C, a silent plague that kills more Americans annually than AIDS and is the leading cause of liver transplants. If the effort succeeds, it will be an unusual conquest of a viral epidemic without using a vaccine.


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You're viewing a comment by _Mark_ and its responses.
Aww, I was disappointed by the power set example. You see, back in the mid 1990's, when we were implementing gcc multilib support (this is the idea that if the user gives gcc flags that lead to incompatible ABIs, you need to supply corresponding libgcc and possibly libc/libm that match...) at Cygnus (mostly for embedded work) I had to implement power set in sh (after all, the user could combine the incompatible options) - and not even full POSIX sh, but a subset that pre-autoconf configure scripts were allowed to use (so that they actually worked on things like LynxOS.)
I mostly remember it being unpleasant, and hoped I'd find something more modern and elegant here :-)
(Eventually Ian Taylor rewrote all that, and I don't know what the current gcc-multilib packaging does - avoiding the problem and specifying the desired combinations explicitly would not have been wrong...)

subset: commoncrawl


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There is a day in August that I yearn for: when crickets begin to chorus, when the light shifts and the nights go cool. There it is, the turn of summer, and with it the urge to make ready once again for the next season. As surely as Monarch butterflies are once more migrating to Mexico and my neighbor repeats his annual stacking of a third cord of firewood, I lift the lid of my cedar chest and breathe in the scent of wool.
The cedar chest is a memory cave. In a moment akin to meeting dear friends after a long separation, I peer in and fondly survey a collection of scarves, sweaters, and mittens dutifully folded away at the first heat of summer. At least eight weeks have passed without wearing wool! My impatience with late July's heat and humidity fade. In that heap of color and texture is the promise that sweater weather is imminent. Here begins my autumnal ritual of renewing my acquaintance with my three-season companions. I'm caught up in the joy of reunion and, on closer observation, practicality. What? Missing buttons? Spaghetti sauce on the elbow of my best pullover? Holes in my cashmere scarf?


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Meanest: Ate my sister's water ice.
Nicest: Cooked breakfast for everyone.
Purple wedding - greatest wedding in TV history
Nice then mean.
Helped someone then they said shut up. Very rude imo.
I forced my friend to tell me what was bothering them and then made them feel better about it. Nice or mean thing.. ? Ahaha.
Trying to make the impossible, possible !
Laughing and talking about people with my girlfriend while we were out shopping and hanging out in the city. Some
pretty brutal stuff was said but it made my girlfriend laugh and I love her laugh.
Life is short. Watch more anime.
Nice - clean most of the house
Mean - telling the people in my group for a project that they're SOL because I stayed home and they didn't do anything.
[Enter life resembling quote here]
Nicest: I stayed home with mom tho I wanted to go out so much
Meanest: Emm.. I let my sis do things I should do ;D
Music ~
Nice: I was nice to someone who disgusts me.
Mean: I got nasty back at a nasty (and a liar) person. I usually don't do that, but what the hell, I was bored.
Watching K-dramas instead of sleeping....;D
I did a good deed.
Bought my friend her ticket to the
Anime convention in Boston.
She doesn't have to pay for anything.
Lucky girl to have a friend like me o;
Fucking bitch D:
Mean: I used the bathroom an didnt spray.
Yeaa I just shitted on em /// come and go.
I did two nice things today.
- Wednesdays are the day before the city's waste service comes to collect. I left a boxed trench coat, some money, and packaged snacks on top of one of the bins, there's a homeless man that comes scrounging around every so often, I know some of you might question that anyone can take the package or that homeless man might just buy alcohol with mention money, but what's done is done, though I highly doubt anyone will take the package, people in my neighbourhood just aren't like that, least most of them.
- I did not run over any slow crossing pedestrians or ram any $h*tty drivers off the road for being $h*tty drivers today.
Shall be absent from CR for undisclosed and indefinite period of time.
My co-worker is extremely prejudice, and today she just set me off. So I told her to stop being an intolerant hooker. And almost got into a fist fight because she just couldn't handle the truth.
xoxo_akatsuki_xoxo wrote:
My co-worker is extremely prejudice, and today she just set me off. So I told her to stop being an intolerant hooker. And almost got into a fist fight because she just couldn't handle the truth.
I commend such an action and that statement "stop being an intolerant hooker", that made me burst out in laughter.
Shall be absent from CR for undisclosed and indefinite period of time.
Held the door open for some girl (na who am I kidding, she was hot!!)...didn't hold the door open for a girl (na who am I kidding...).
chase6565 wrote:
Started drawing a thought up birthday present for my brother.
compared to http://xakum3tsux.deviantart.com/art/My-try-at-coloring-315133430
Although it sucks. I'll see what I can wip out in 2 months(MAY).
That is awesome bro! You need to draw some manga or something.
agrees, really good character design for sure.
um meanest thing i done today was pushing a brick wall hurting myself.
and nicest thing i did was giving someone blue buff on league of legends. if that doesn't count that i was an asshole all day.
on my way to my DREAMS- your smile - through food
i opened a door for a few people at uni today haha I guess that was the nicest thing i did..
A pregnant chick dropped her box of Cup Noodles soups, and nobody around would help her (in fact, some jerk just walked by her and over her soups to the register >:( ). I was already near the exit when I saw her (and the butt-faces who walked by!) but I ran over and picked them up for her. I don't think this was particularly 'nice' or whatever, it was the right thing to do as she couldn't get them herself! I did insult the fellow who just ignored her, though, so that was the "meanest" thing I did today
My legend begins in the 12th century...


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Pseudopod 319: Cell Call
by Marc Laidlaw
"Cell Call" first appeared in BY MOONLIGHT ONLY (2003), a British small press collection edited by Stephen Jones. It has been reprinted several times since then. It has been adapted twice by independent film directors – once in the U.S., under its original title, and another version currently underway in Ireland under the title NIGHTLINE. "I was one of the last people I know to get a cell phone… I wrote this story around the year 2000 and was afraid it would date very quickly as cellphones became historical artifacts. If I were writing it now, I would probably have to update it and call it something like "Text Mess."
MARC LAIDLAW published published half a dozen novels and many short stories before becoming a writer at Valve Software, where he wrote the HALF-LIFE series of games, and for the past few years has been writing dialog and lore for the competitive online game DOTA 2.
George Cleveland – is your reader this week. George lives in Tamworth, NH where he cares for cats with Attention Deficit Disorder. He is the Executive Director of the Gibson Center for Senior Services in North Conway. For many years, George was known as The Voice of the Valley on New Hampshire radio, where he conducted over 3500 interviews with newsmakers from all parts of the world – George has spoken with most major Presidential candidates, a representative of an interplanetary confederation and many noted authors and musicians. An avid collector of tales and legends, he sniffs out new hauntings and reports of long lost treasure. He has frequently written on people and places of interest, including musicians and artists and has appeared before numerous historical and school groups in the United States and Hawai'i speaking about his grandfather, former President Grover Cleveland. He was featured on C-SPAN's 'American Presidents' series when they broadcast from Cleveland's birthplace in Caldwell, New Jersey.
""I have to throw on some clothes. I'll be there in a few minutes."
It was an unusually protracted farewell for such a casual conversation. He realized that he was holding the phone very tightly in the dark, cradling it against his cheek and ear as if he were holding her hand to his face, feeling her skin cool and warm at the same time. And now there was no further word from her. Connection broken.
He had to fight the impulse to dial her again, instantly, just to reassure himself that the phone still worked – that she was still there. He could imagine her ridicule: he was slowing her down, she was trying to get dressed, he was causing yet another inconvenience on top of so many others.
With the conversation ended, he was forced to return his full attention to his surroundings. He listened, heard again the wind, the distant sound of still water. Still water which made sounds
only when it lapped against something, or when something waded through it. He couldn't tell one from the other right now. He wished he were still inside the car, with at least that much protection.
She was going to find him. He'd been only a few minutes, probably less than a mile, from home. She would be here any time. "


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NEW YORK (AP) — For about an hour Wednesday afternoon, people could flip through different television channels and hear completely different accounts of the investigation into the Boston Marathon explosions: Some news organizations reported the arrest of a suspect and then took those claims back.
CNN, Fox News Channel and the Boston Globe said that a suspect in Monday's bombing had been arrested. The Associated Press said a suspect had been taken into custody. Within an hour, the FBI denied that a suspect had been captured, leading the three news organizations that had reported the arrest to back down from those claims.
The AP, while reporting the federal denial, said that its original source was standing by its claim that a suspect had been taken into custody. The news cooperative said its source was a law enforcement official speaking on condition of anonymity.
ABC, CBS and NBC all broke into their regular programming to report progress in the case, but did not say there was an arrest or someone brought into custody.
The frantic afternoon presented another example of news organizations being embarrassed by a race to report information under intense competitive pressure. It was reminiscent of the day last year that the Supreme Court handed down its decision on President Obama's health care plan, when both CNN and Fox initially got the ruling wrong in their haste to report it.
In Wednesday's scenario, CNN's John King had jumped out early around lunchtime, saying that a department store's surveillance camera had helped law enforcement spot a person dropping a container on the street that was believed to be the second of two bombs that detonated near the race's finish line.
King reported at 1:45 p.m. that an arrest had been made. The Boston Globe tweeted the same thing at 1:53, attributing it to an unnamed official. Six minutes later the Globe sent out a second tweet, saying CNN was the source of its arrest report. Fox News Channel's Megyn Kelly said at 1:55 that the network had been told of an arrest.
The Associated Press sent out a NewsAlert at 1:53 saying that an arrest was imminent. At 2:14, the AP said a suspect had been taken into custody, but did not say there was an arrest.
The three biggest broadcast networks jumped into the story with cautious reports of progress within five minutes of each other shortly before 2 p.m. NBC reporter Pete Williams was insistent that news organizations reporting an arrest had jumped the gun.
"From the beginning of this, this has been the hallmark of this story — information going in totally different directions coming from normally very reliable sources," Williams said. "We can't just flip a coin on this."
At 2:15 on MSNBC, Williams said that "at the end of the day, somebody is going to be right, because every news organization is reporting something different."
King's exclusive then began to be shot down by three different CNN reporters giving their own on-air reports: Fran Townsend, Joe Johns and Tom Fuentes.
As Chris Cuomo was saying on the air that "we don't know what's right or not right at this point," the onscreen crawl was still reporting that an arrest had been made.
CNN spokeswoman Barbara Levin noted that the network had three credible sources on the local and federal levels for King's initial report. "Based on this information, we reported our findings," she said. "As soon as our sources came to us with new information, we adjusted our reporting."
On Fox, Kelly was dialing back that network's arrest claim, noting the conflicting reports. At 2:15, Kelly told viewers that two law enforcement officials had told Fox there had been an arrest.
"Other news outlets — some are reporting that an arrest has been made and some are reporting that that is not the case," she said. "Here's the truth: We don't know ... We just want to be transparent with you on the information that is coming in a breaking news situation that seems to be anything but clear at this moment."
The Globe at 2:40 p.m. reported that both the United States attorney and Boston police said there was no arrest.
The FBI statement denying the arrest, which was transmitted on the AP wire at 2:59, quieted the television chatter about whether a suspect had been captured.
During his initial reporting, King had said that law enforcement officials had told him that a "dark-skinned male" had been spotted leaving the package believed to be a bomb. King said he was reluctant to give that description, which can inflame racial sensitivities. An hour later CBS News contradicted him, tweeting that authorities are seeking a "white male" as a bombing suspect.
None of the news organizations named the officials that they were speaking to during their reporting.
Amid the confusion, the Columbia Journalism Review offered a one-word tweet: "Sigh."
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Salesforce.com Adds Another Brick to Social Media Edifice
Jul 10, 2012 5:00 AM PT
Salesforce.com is acquiring GoInstant, according to a blog post on the startup's site. The development was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous sources who said Salesforce.com was paying US$70 million for the company.
The news generally fits the "another day, another Salesforce.com acquisition" story line. The CRM cloud vendor has been on an acquisition binge -- it bought at least six companies in 2011 alone. It is on track to match that rate in 2012; besides the GoInstant acquisition, it recently acquired Buddy Media for a reported $800 million.
The Buddy Media deal fits into the happening social space, however, while GoInstant falls more into the workhouse category of service.
Salesforce.com declined to comment for this story. GoInstant did not respond to our request to comment for this story.
A Specific Service Niche
Launched in 2010, GoInstant is the developer of an application that allows users in different locations to browse websites together without having to download software. It's purpose is to allow companies to create "unique, personalized customer experiences through real-time collaboration," according to cofounder Jevon MacDonald.
Service is an area that Salesforce.com has tended to partner on, as opposed to building out its own advanced functionality, Nucleus Research Vice President Rebecca Wettemann told CRM Buyer.
Developments in the space are changing that, however -- starting with Oracle's acquisition of RightNow Technologies, arguably the leading provider of cloud-based service technology.
"I think we will continue to see Salesforce.com invest in and build out service cloud functionality to be competitive," said Wettemann. One example is last year's Assistly acquisition. In February 2012, Salesforce.com debuted a new customer service help desk tool called "Desk.com," which is based on the Assistly technology.
In general, "we are starting to see significant announcements not only from Salesforce.com but also its competitors around the customer experience management space," Wettemann said.
The idea of being able to link media, for instance, is of chief interest, she noted. "Companies and customer want to be able to have a customer interact on different channels -- say a website or Twitter -- and keep those interactions as one single record."
Many have tried or claimed to actually do that, she acknowledged -- but even in single channels, failures still abound.
"We have all heard the jokes of customers having to enter their customer number three times before speaking with a rep who then proceeds to ask for it again," said Wettemann. "Companies that can manage the various interactions as a single record will be the differentiators in the marketplace."
GoInstant provides just a piece of this grand vision, but it is an interesting piece, she said.
"Co-browsing integration into the service cloud gives a user a richer understanding of what the customer knows about an application," explained Wettemann.
It also gives the user better insight into what it has to do to make customers buy more or promote the company more enthusiastically on social media, she added.
A Larger Strategic Vision
It may be a mistake to pigeonhole this acquisition as strictly a service play, Jeff Bunch, account director of digital media at Lane PR, told CRM Buyer.
"Salesforce has been taking a clear strategic path with these acquisitions that is allowing it to essentially create a whole digital category," he said.
When Salesforce acquired Radian 6, it made a statement that it saw analytics as important, Bunch pointed out. When it acquired Buddy Media it underlined -- to the market at least -- that Salesforce.com viewed social media as essential to its CRM vision.
"I believe it is heading in the direction of future social/e-commerce: an end-to-end solution that connects the dots between an enterprise-class CRM and world-class social media tools," Bunch said.


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From 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., participants will walk around the high school's track with cancer survivors to raise money for life-saving treatments and research.
The event will also feature food from Wahoo's, Puesto and Jamba Juice, as well as entertainment from La Jolla High's band, The Saline Solutions, featuring Tim Rayner, Skip McCullough and Daniel O'Keefe. LJHS student David Schultz will also entertain under his pseudonym, DJ 2B.
Walkers are asking for donations to sponsor their journey around the track, and funds are being accepted in any amount.
Tom Atwell, LJHS teacher and coach, will provide a keynote address alongside cancer survivors.
All funds raised for the event will be donated to the American Cancer Society for cancer research.
To sign up or donate to the event, visit www.relayforlife.org/lajollaschoolsca, where a new team can be created or donations made to an existing team. Donations can also be made at the event. All donations are tax deductible. More information can be found on the event's Facebook page.
For volunteer opportunities or questions, contact ASB president Daniel S. Hamilton at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Ryan White @ AIDS 2012: Stigma Still?
Ryan White—the boy and his mom Jeanne—were a focal point for battles against HIV stigma and discrimination in the U.S. that took place over 20 years ago. They were the victors in many ways. But not all. The topic was everywhere at AIDS2012. Use the search terms "stigma" and "discrimination" in the Programme-at-a-Glance and uncover, respectively, 250 and 146 oral sessions. Poster sessions were equally focused on the matter. Below are highlights from Thursday.
- Stigma in the Middle East. In Egypt, 35% of surveyed persons believe PLWHA should not be allowed to work. Egyptian health care worker bias against patients with HIV is reportedly highest among female workers (Breaking the Silence: Challenging HIV and AIDS Related Stigma and Discrimination in Egypt, WEGS03).
- Provider Attitudes in the Southwest U.S. A Pacific AETC poster session on beliefs of clinicians along the California-Arizona border with Mexico reads: "qualitative focus group results identified clinicians' stigmatized views of HIV as a major barrier to HIV testing and care" (Stigma and HIV Testing: Measuring Change among Pacific AIDS Education and Training Center's [PAETC] Low Prevalence Providers, THPE467).
- Aging and Stigma. A long-term survivor speaks in the Global Village. His anecdotal evidence is clear on the exclusion faced by older people living with HIV/AIDS. Chats on health ailments—a favorite topic for older people—glide easily along the lower gastrointestinal tract. HIV/AIDS, however, stops the conversation (Music and Musings from the Life of a 27-Year Survivor, THCA05). With one-third of Americans living with HIV/AIDS over 50, and the proportion rapidly increasing, will isolation also grow?
And in 2012, 30 years since the epidemic's beginning, the UNAIDS Director is compelled to call for an end to HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination.
Responding: Training and Education
Ryan White's work continues by the program that bears his name, like health provider training through the AIDS Education and Training Centers or AETCs covered in numerous poster sessions. Some highlights over the week:
- HIV/AIDS Provider Training Network—U.S. and Global. The AETC training network in the U.S. started out as 5 regional centers 25 years ago and now is comprised of 11 regional, 5 national, and 2 programs supporting telehealth and graduate medical education. On the global front, the international AETC, I-TECH, has been around 10 years and supports health systems strengthening in 16 countries (Building the HIV Health Workforce: Innovations from the U.S. and Abroad Through HRSA AETCs and I-TECH, THPE683).
- Training on the U.S. Border. A U.S.-Mexico cross-border AETC project has trained over 5,000 providers and delivered 500+ hours of technical assistance on clinical and other topics. The site presents a directory of HIV/AIDS resources along the border and houses materials like a recent fact sheet, Information for Health Care Providers with Patients Who Have Been Detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (HIV Clinician Training on the United States/Mexico Border: Experiences from a 10-Year Multi-Center Collaborative of the HRSA AETCs, MOPE726).
Browse for More


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Where Did It All Go Wrong?
If we write another blog post about Jimmie Johnson or Matt Kenseth, it might be time to send a letter to Lowe's and/or Dollar General/Husky/Home Depot asking for some royalties for all the free advertising. Of course, those two drivers deserve the press they're getting, it's what comes along with the success of being in contention for the championship throughout the Chase.
But, I really don't have a lot to add to what I've said the past couple weeks: Johnson will go down as one of the most successful drivers of all time, and Kenseth has competed with him throughout the Chase by using Five-Time's championship formula for consistency. Nothing that happened during Sunday's AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway did anything to alter that line of thinking.
With those two firmly entrenched in a head-to-head battle for the championship, it's a good time to lay to rest those that won't be raising the Sprint Cup Trophy. Each had a shortcoming that will need to be addressed should they choose to unseat the driver who goes on to win the ultimate prize.
14. Brad Keselowski - This list is really for Chasers only, but the 2012 winner should be on here to acknowledge when his title went from "defending champ" simply to "reigning champ." He failed to capitalize on strong runs early in the season, and when the hot streak ran out, he didn't have the luck nor the wins to even make the Chase.
To win in 2014, Keselowski will need to get his mojo back.
13. Kasey Kahne - He's had a miserable Chase, but having picked him preseason to win, I bailed before the postseason even started. He was inconsistent and finished 13th in the points during the regular season. He also finished second on four different occasions before the Chase started (and once during the Chase). Some might consider that good, but it also showed an inability to step up come winning time.
To win in 2014, Kahne will need to figure out how to cap off good days with wins.
12. Ryan Newman - Let's play Devil's Advocate for a second: when the final race of the regular season ended at Richmond, Newman wasn't in the Chase. Perhaps anything he got past the berth should have been considered gravy. He's led a total of 97 laps this season. That ranks behind drivers like Juan Pablo Montoya and Mark Martin and certainly doesn't lead to championship success; Jimmie Johnson, by comparison, has led 1,984.
To win in 2014, Newman needs to run up front much more often.
11. Carl Edwards - "Where did it all go wrong?" is a very fitting question for the No. 99. Edwards actually led the points before they reset for the Chase, so why didn't he stick around and contend for the elusive title? He had bad luck at two tracks where he's normally very strong: Dover (35th) and Texas (37th), but he also only managed to run on the cusp of the top-10 in most of the other Chase races.
To win in 2014, Edwards needs to get back to the consistency he defined in 2011.
10. Kurt Busch - There's nothing to be ashamed of here. Busch got his emotions under control and took a single-car team to the Chase. The team, as a whole, just ran out of skill, and never really gave its driver a chance to compete for the championship.
To win in 2014, Busch needs to stay mentally strong. The switch to Stewart Haas Racing will certainly give him the chance to compete.
9. Joey Logano - He's not a very consistent driver. It seems that every time Logano got on a hot streak, he put together a few momentum-killing clunkers. Consider this: on three different occasions in 2013, he followed up a top-five finish with back-to-back finishes of 22nd or worse. That's no recipe for success. It's definitely been more steps forward than back for Logano in his first year with Penske Racing, but the consistency isn't there.
To win in 2014, Logano will need to eliminate his propensity for bad days.
8. Greg Biffle - His four top-five finishes leaves him with half as many as every other Chase driver with the exception of Ryan Newman (six). Combine that with Biffle's average starting position of 16.0 (worst in the Chase) and you can see why he's not in contention: he doesn't start up front, so he doesn't finish up front.
To win in 2014, Biffle needs to find more speed throughout the race weekends.
7. Clint Bowyer - It's pretty clear where it went wrong for Bowyer: he hasn't been the same driver since the debacle with Michael Waltrip Racing after the race at Richmond. He even admitted that it affected his mental game, and that's been evident, as he's only finished better than ninth once in eight Chase races.
To win in 2014, Bowyer needs to refocus on competing.
6. Jeff Gordon - It wasn't until Martinsville on Oct. 27 that Gordon picked up his first race win of the season. Sure, NASCAR gifted him a 13th spot in the Chase, but that all could have been avoided. If he'd found victory lane once during the regular season, he would have been among the original 12. He's still good, but he no longer flashes greatness on the track.
To win in 2014, Gordon needs to win at least three races.
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. - He only has one win since the 2008 season and none in 2013, yet he's still fifth in the points. Junior has definitely learned the art of points racing, and while that will get him into the Chase every year, it won't lead to him being crowned a champion.
To win in 2014, Earnhardt Jr. needs to win a race. Seriously, one would be a good starting point.
4. Kyle Busch - Toss out a bad luck 35th-place wreck at Kansas (photo above), and Busch would have been putting together a pretty solid Chase campaign with five top-fives. All in all, it wasn't a bad season, as he proved he has the patience and consistency to run for a championship.
To win in 2014, (it sounds odd to say about someone that wins as much as he does, but ...) Busch needs to win a couple Chase race.
3. Kevin Harvick - He's known as "The Closer" and is considered to be someone that makes up a lot of ground late in the race. He needed that too this year, as his 15.8 starting position ranked only in front of Greg Biffle among Chase drivers. He runs with a lot of consistency and seems to stick around for most of the Chase, so there's no reason that he can't win a championship with a few improvements.
To win in 2014, Harvick needs to qualify better. (Four top-five starts through 34 races makes for a lot of ground to cover.)
That wraps up the list of drivers that are no longer within reasonable striking distance of the Chase. Only seven points separates Kenseth from pulling even with Johnson at the top of the standings, and it's only two more weeks until we'll be analyzing what led one to a championship and the other to come up just short.


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James Boswell died in 1795 believing he had touched and kissed a cache of Shakespeare's original letters and papers discovered by a Mr. Ireland. His friend, Edmond Malone, publicly exposed the lot as a forgery just a year later.
Biographies of the people in Boswell's life
One of the amazing things about Boswell's journals is the sheer amount of persons that he met and described. Some are still famous, some forgotten and some have never been known to the public outside of their own narrow circles. This is an evolving catalogue of those people. Until now, more than 90% of the persons encountered in Journal of my Jaunt, Boswell's London Journal and Boswell in Holland are included, and work is under way for the journal of his German and Swiss travels.


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It's spring again
A pair of osprey have returned to the ball field lights at Mickey Stevens Sports Complex to build their nest. Actually, there are nests on two poles, which has left some observers to wonder if word has gotten out that this offers a warm roost, especially at night, from which to watch the world and start a family.
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In last month's column, "The Fill-Factor Truth," I demonstrated how you can use two undocumented commands—DBCC IND and DBCC PAGE—to answer the question, What is the difference between a fill factor of 0 and fill factor of 100? Using the DBCC IND command, I found the page numbers of the pages within each level of an index; I then used the DBCC PAGE command to examine each page's contents to see how many rows were on the page. For my investigations, I didn't even need to see the data on the page; I only needed to see the page header that contained a value called m_slotcnt, which denotes the number of rows on the page. Using the m_slotcnt value, I established that as of SQL Server 7.0, no difference exists between a fill factor of 0 and a fill factor of 100.
My next test was to run the same script I used to create the table and its clustered index with a fill factor of 100, but this time I added the PAD_INDEX option:
CREATE UNIQUE CLUSTERED INDEX indx1 on ff1(col1) WITH FILLFACTOR = 100, PAD_INDEX GO
Using DBCC IND and DBCC PAGE, I determined that the PAD_INDEX option caused SQL Server to completely fill all levels of the index instead of leaving an extra row—as it would if I didn't specify this option.
When you use DBCC PAGE to look at the m_slotcnt values on the pages in this new index, you'll see that all the pages except one are full (i.e., contain 20 rows). The table in my example had 1000 rows, so it should have 50 completely full data pages. The DBCC IND output from last month shows that this table did in fact have 50 data pages. (You can determine this fact by counting the number of pages in the output where the PageType value is 1.) However, the first level of index pages contains one index row for each data page, resulting in 50 index rows, so you'll have two full index pages and one page with 10 rows.
You can identify the last page of an index by looking at the m_nextPage and m_prevPage values in the page header. When I ran the above script and created a clustered index with a fill factor of 100 and PAD_INDEX enabled, the non-root pages of the index were 310, 321, and 284. However, page 321 isn't the last page of the index as you might expect it to be. Using DBCC PAGE to look at page 321, I found that the value for m_nextPage in the page header was (1:310), which means file 1 and page 310. The m_prevPage value for page 321 was (0:0), which means that 321 was the first page in its index level. Page 284 had an m_nextPage value of (0:0) and an m_prevPage value of (1:310), so it was the last page in the index level, and its value for m_slotcnt was 10, as I expected.
A New Mystery
Something interesting happened to me just as I was finishing last month's column. A colleague who teaches SQL Server classes called with a question from one of her students. According to the student, an instructor in a previous SQL Server class had told the class that if SQL Server inserts a row that causes a page to split but then rolls back the INSERT transaction, SQL Server usually leaves the page split. (I agreed with the statement.) But the former instructor had gone on to say that if the index into which you're inserting a new row was created with a fill factor of 100, SQL Server undoes the split if it rolls back the transaction. I was positive that the former instructor was incorrect in the second half of her premise, but I decided to prove it. For this month's column, I wanted to use some additional fill-factor examples about page splitting, so this problem was right on time.
First, let me give you some background about page splitting in SQL Server. SQL Server always keeps the keys in an index sorted, and an index's leaf level contains every key value in sorted order. Remember that for a clustered index, the leaf level is the data, so SQL Server sorts all the data by the clustered index key. If a new row is inserted into the table, that row must go in its proper sorted position in the leaf level of every index on the table. The problems I present in the next section are relevant both to the table itself, as the leaf level of a clustered index, and to the leaf level of any nonclustered indexes. But for simplicity, I'll discuss just the clustered index leaf level.
If a page is completely full and an INSERT operation tries to insert a new row on that page, SQL Server must split the page. This split involves finding another free page and linking it into the logical sequence of pages for this index. SQL Server needs to adjust the m_nextPage and m_prevPage values so that the new page now follows the split page, and the page that formerly followed the split page now follows the new page. Instead of using DBCC PAGE to look at the m_nextPage and m_prevPage values, you can refer to the output from DBCC IND, which shows the next page's Page ID in the NextPagePID column and the previous page's Page ID in the PrevPagePID column.
After the new page is part of the list of pages at the leaf level, SQL Server moves approximately half the rows from the full page onto the new page. Now both pages are about half full, and the new row can go onto one of the half-full pages.
Roll It Back
But what happens if, after all this work, the INSERT transaction is canceled and SQL Server must roll back the insert? In SQL Server releases before 7.0, SQL Server would undo the page split, put all the rows back where they came from, and unlink the new page from the list. But if another process immediately needed to insert into that full page, SQL Server would have to split the page all over again. Starting with SQL Server 7.0, after the page split has occurred and SQL Server has moved the rows from the full page to the new page, that activity is committed. Even if SQL Server rolls back the INSERT operation, the page remains split.
Here's what I suspect the other instructor might have been thinking. In general, you use a fill factor of 100 only for a table that is completely—or almost completely—static. Inserting a row might be a rare occurrence, and if SQL Server rolled back the insert after the page split, you'd no longer have perfectly full data pages. In that case, undoing the split might make sense because future inserts would be rare.
To demonstrate an example of splitting completely full pages, let's create a table like the one I created last month, but insert only even numbers as values. Then, insert rows with odd-numbered values between the even-numbered rows. The script that Listing 1 shows creates the table. On the table, the script builds a clustered index that has a fill factor of 100, so all the data pages will be completely full. We don't need many rows, so let's just insert rows containing all the even numbers from 2 to 100.
For this example, you only need to use the DBCC IND command and find out how many data pages are in the leaf level of the clustered index. Running DBCC IND on the table shows you five rows, representing five pages: One is the Index Allocation Map (IAM) page, one is an index page, and the other three are data pages. Listing 2 shows a transaction containing a statement to insert a row with a value of 11 on the first page of the table between the "10" row and the "12" row. Before terminating the transaction, the script executes DBCC IND again; you can see that the table now has four data pages. The script rolls back the transaction, and the table still has four data pages: SQL Server didn't undo the split.
Now run the script from Listing 1 again, but this time take out the comment markers to drop the previous table and set the fill factor to 100 for the clustered index. DBCC IND will initially show you three data pages again. Running the code in Listing 2 will give you identical results: The INSERT causes a page split and a new data page, and that new data page remains even after you roll back the transaction.
Listing 3 shows three more inserts you can use as a final test to see what happens after SQL Server splits the page. First, the script inserts the 11 again, then it inserts a 23. Because SQL Server had already split the first page of the table, it has room to insert both rows, so no additional page splitting occurs. However, when the script tries to insert a row containing 55, that row must go on the original second page of the table, which is still full. Another split occurs, and DBCC IND shows that the table now has five data pages.
One way you can know that a page has split is to run DBCC IND to determine how many pages are in the table after an INSERT or UPDATE operation. But you might want to know which rows moved to the new page and which ones stayed on the original page. You might also wonder where the split occurred. If SQL Server splits a page in half, does that mean half the number of rows or half the number of bytes? The two answers could be different if you have variable-length rows and the page contains both short and long rows. To answer these questions, I'll examine the DBCC PAGE command in more detail next month.


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Ball joints and tie rods are key components in your Volvo's front suspension and steering system. Since the late 1960's, the ball joints on most Volvos have been of the lifetime design, i.e. no grease fittings for lubrication.
Under normal conditions they can last for over 100,000 miles. When abused or used in unusually rough road conditions the life span can be greatly reduced. When a ball joint or tie rod begins to wear it will usually increase the amount of effort required to steer the car.
Once wear has started, these parts usually will deteriorate rapidly as the load generated by the suspension and transferred through the ball joints and tie rods is very great. Typically you will begin to notice some looseness in the steering or you may notice that your Volvo has a difficult time holding a straight line down the road.
Although the parts aren't terribly difficult to inspect, you should have a good workshop manual handy for reference. If you suspect you've got a problem in the front end, make a point of inspecting these parts soon.
Adding items to your shopping cart and placing an order is only an intent to purchase. We will not charge you for anything until we can ship the products you ordered (if paying by credit card. PayPal is a prepayment method.) We will do everything we can to fill your order in a timely manner. You can cancel your order at any time prior to shipment.
This stocked product is available to order plus backorders are allowed.
We consider this a stocked product and normally try to keep some in stock. If you need more than we have available, feel free to order it and we will get it for you. It typically takes 3 days for additional stock to arrive and be packed for shipping.


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A Look Back: The Best Music of 2011
- Ryan Duncan and Contributing Writers
- 2011 17 Dec
December is coming to an end, as is the year of 2011, and as tradition dictates the writers and editors of Crosswalk.com and TheFish.com have taken a moment to make our choices for best music of the year. Some have chosen to list their favorite albums, while others focused on a particular song or artist. Either way, in case the world ends in 2012, here is the music we recommend you listen to before then.
Ryan Duncan
TheFish.com Editor
#5: Switchfoot - Vice Verses: Switchfoot has matured a lot since their 2009 release of Hello Hurricane. While Vice Verses still has plenty of their signature heavy-hitting adrenalin tracks, it's also scattered with a number of slower, and more reflective songs. It's very hard for Christian artists to deliver a message without sacrificing their music in the process. Switchfoot not only pulls this off, but sounds great while doing it.
(Album Highlights - The War Inside, Restless, Dark Horses)
#4: Owl City - All Things Bright and Beautiful: The music of Owl City is anything but normal, and the latest album is no exception. Playful, odd, and perpetually happy, All Things Bright and Beautiful certainly lives up to its name. The music may not be for everyone, but it's still a nice change of pace from the usual selection of songs about love gone wrong. So give it a try, you may like it.
(Album Highlights - Galaxies, Kamikaze, Alligator Sky)
#3: Angels and Airwaves - Love Parts 1&2: Technically, this album by Angels & Airwaves is a movie soundtrack, and technically a portion of it was already released back in 2010, but it's only with the completed tracks that this album can be fully appreciated. It may not have the most inspired lyrics, but the music is recklessly creative, and being in two parts means there are a lot more tracks to explore than your average album.
(Album Highlights - The Flight of Apollo, Hallucinations, Moon as My Witness)
#2: Adele - 21: British bombshell Adele has made a lot of headlines with her sophomore project 21, and few people are surprised. In an age where many singers rely on shock value and meat dresses to garner attention, Adele wins her place on raw talent alone. Her powerful voice, coupled with some impressive versatility, mean this album is definitely worth checking out.
(Album Highlights - Rolling in the Deep, Rumor Has It, Someone Like You)
#1: Coldyplay - Mylo Xyloto: Coldplay is constantly reinventing itself, but it never strays too far from its roots. Mylo Xyloto, aside from having one of the strangest names in music history, still carries some shades of former albums in its background. At the same time though, the band's tracks take on a newer, hipper persona that make for a unique music experience. It's a great album for Coldplay fans and newcomers alike, with plenty of tracks worth a second play-through.
(Album Highlights - Charlie Brown, Princess of China, Every Teardrop is a Waterfall)
Stephen Sanders
A/V Editor-Salem Web Network
#5: Gungor-Ghosts Upon The Earth: If you were like me and didn't value the commercial success of their Grammy Award Nominated album, "Beautiful Things", then you should at least give this one a try. It's much less radio-friendly and much more experimental. They come across more like an indie band than a contemporary Christian act…definitely worth checking out.
#4: August Burns Red-Leveler: So much hardcore/metal stuff these days is more about the egos than it is about the music. These guys have basically been dominating this scene since their first release in 2005. The riffs on "Leveler" are more of what you've grown to know and love about the band. The lyrics on are edgy, convicting and sometimes even a bit worshipful.
#3: Burlap to Cashmere-Burlap to Cashmere: Unlike a lot of people, I was unfamiliar with this band prior to sampling this album. It's the kind of timeless album that, like their earlier stuff, you'll be able to listen to 10 years from now and appreciate just as much…a great album to toss in on a road trip.
#2: Foo Fighters-Wasting Light: If you are a Foo Fighters fan like I am, then you probably bought this album the 1st week it came out. "Wasting Light" is the first album from the band to debut at #1 on the Billboard Top 200. It still remains on that list almost 40 weeks later.
#1: MuteMath-Odd Soul: If we could journey back to the early 70's and pile Stevie Wonder, Steve Miller Band and The Jimi Hendrix Experience into a big recording studio and create one epic album, it would sound a lot like this. It's the most impressive thing I've heard in a very long time…and I'm very, very, very hard to impress.
Honorable Mentions:
Radiohead-King of Limbs
Switchfoot-Vice Verses
Wye Oak-Civilian
Stephen McGarvey
Executive Editor - Salem Web Network
Top 10 Albums:
1) The Decemberists: The King is Dead
Best song "Down By the Water"
2) Coldplay: Mylo Xyloto
Best song "Charlie Brown"
3) 3 Doors Down: Time of My Life
Best song "Every Time You Go"
4) Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds: Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
Best song "Dream On"
5) Owl City: All Things Bright and Beautiful
Best song "Dreams Don't Turn to Dust"
6) Gungor: Ghosts Upon the Earth
Best song "This is Not the End"
7) Angels & Airwaves: Love, Part 2
Best song "Surrender"
8) The Naked and the Famous: Passive Me Aggressive You
Best song "Young Blood"
9) Yellowcard: When You're Through Thinking Say Yes
Best song "Hang You Up"
10) Augustana: Augustana
Best song "Counting Stars"
Top 10 Songs (from albums not listed above):
1) "Walk" : The Foo Fighters
2) "Gimme Some" : Peter Bjorn and John
3) "Lonely Boy" : The Black Keys
4) "Someone Like You" : Adele
5) "Dark Horses" : Switchfoot
6) "Hey Mama" : Matt Kearney
7) "It Will Rain" : Bruno Mars
8) "Pumped Up Kicks" : Foster the People
9) "Beautiful Trash" : Lanu
10) "Thinking of You" : The Maine
Christa Banister
Contributing Writer
#1 The Civil Wars, Barton Hollow
While I've enjoyed interviewing Joy Williams in the past and have always liked her as a fellow human, I was never all that fond of her music. Sure, she had a pretty-enough voice, but there wasn't anything in her pop songs that ever really grabbed my attention. But as one-half of Civil Wars, that's all changed in a hurry. Maybe it's being free of a record label that's freed her up creatively or perhaps, it's finding the ideal collaborator in fellow musician John Paul White. But whatever her secret to success is, it's all working on the Civil Wars' debut, Barton Hollow. Who knew that simple vocal melodies and harmonies could be so incredibly affecting?
#2 Florence and the Machine, Ceremonials
That voice. Those songs. Can we say nothing short of spectacular?
#3 Switchfoot, Vice Verses
Spiritual themes and a thoroughly rocking soundtrack coexist meaningfully yet again.
#4 Ryan Adams, Ashes & Fire
Getting back in touch with his acoustic self, not to mention saying sayonara to his vices, has done a world of good.
#5 Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto
Just when you thought you heard everything Coldplay was capable of, they apparently have a few more tricks in their Brit pop playbook.
Honorable Mentions:
Jill Phillips' In This Hour, Death Cab for Cutie, Codes and Keys, Feist, Metals
Glenn McCarty
Contributing Writer
For this music lover, 2011 was the year the Internet killed the radio star. Sites like Spotify, Noise Trade, and Twitter provided access to music in unprecedented ways. Here are six albums I'll be listening to for years to come:
Gungor, Ghosts on the Earth is remarkably rich in sonic texture and philosophical vision. The collective resembles Arcade Fire, but also invites comparisons to innovators David Crowder Band. The Decemberists' The King is Dead is a mature, thrilling mix of, rock, blues, folk and Americana, and more accessible than previous work from the band. The Civil Wars' Barton Hollow is a luscious, lovely folk/country album so mature and confident it's hard to believe it's a debut.
Gillian Welch's The Harrow and the Harvest is a bluegrass gem; feels ripped from another century. Over the Rhine's The Long Surrender benefited from Joe Henry's production, resulting in arguably the most impressive album yet from this duo. Sara Groves' Invisible Empires is full of the lovely, piano-driven meditations on life Groves has become known for, and contains my favorite lyric of 2011: "Are you and I an apparition, Flickering up on the screen, Sending out our best transmissions, Waiting in our velveteen?"
Other great titles: Tom Waits (Bad as Me), Ryan Adams (Ashes & Fire), Paul Simon (So Beautiful or So What), Joe Henry (Reverie), Shaun Groves (Third World Symphony), Burlap to Cashmere (self-titled), Radiohead (The King of Limbs), The Hawk in Paris (His & Hers EP), Ben Shive (The Cymbal Crashing Clouds)
Susan Ellingburg
Contributing Writer
Sometimes the best new songs are the old ones—especially when one of the classic voices of our time decides to re-imagine classic songs from musical theater. Enter Sandi Patty's new Broadway Stories CD. If you're expecting a collection of nothing but big, "blow out the speakers with a high note" songs, Sandi's smooth, lazy (in a good way) rendition of "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" will be a revelation. The energy kicks up a notch in the toe-tapping "Swingin' Love Medley," a track that evokes a 1940's radio broadcast. Other standout songs include the poignant "Send in the Clowns," a version of "Love is Only Love" that gives Barbra Streisand's "Dolly" a run for her money, and an irresistible "Sound of Music Medley." (Don't even try to fight the urge to sing along with that last one. Resistance is futile.)
Noting that the best Broadway songs often go to male leads, Sandi includes medley called "A Doll Sings the Guys" that's probably my least favorite track—at least until she gets to "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables. Like any good Broadway production, the collection wraps up with a big finish, a quintessentially Sandi rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone." For us theater buffs, especially those who are also Sandi Patty fans, Broadway Stories is a must-have.
Chad Estes
Contributing Writer
Adele, the amazing singing-songwriter from England followed her debut release 19 with the amazing compilations of songs that compiled her album 21.
Amazingly, the female crooner covers rock, pop, country, R and B, and gospel music genres. But instead of feeling like a shotgun of styles Adele pulls the songs together with two powerful themes - heartbreak and her deep, soul-filled voice.
None of these 11 songs want to make you rush to the marriage altar. Adele has apparently experienced some relational pain in the past couple of years. It has fueled her lyrics and inspired music anthems that resonate with anyone that has been damaged by love. However the album is far from being fatalistic about opening your heart. If anything the songs speak of self-realization, understanding, voicing the truth, and then moving forward and risking again.
One of the reasons I loved this album so much is it made me go back and listen to 19 again to hear what was happening in Adele's life with her first album. It also makes me eager to hear what will come in the future - hopefully no later than her 23rd year. If she continues on this same path her albums will be a music reflection of her life, which is so much more enlightening than just a dozen songs put onto an album for entertainment reasons.
21 is one of the few albums this year that my whole family agreed to keep in the rotation in our living room stereo. Whether it is the music, the themes, or Adele's amazing voice there are six people in Boise, Idaho that are huge, huge fans.
ED Cardinal
Contributing Writer
While some tunes rocking the Cardinal house in 2011 reflected current chart-topping realties (Adele, Lady Antebellum), given a chance to recognize five top albums from the year of the Kardashian (that received much less attention than those sisters), it goes something like this.
Hands down, Paul Simon's So Beautiful or So What proved to be an essential work of art; a legend turning 70 and still arranging easy pop melodies, poetic lyrics, and world rhythms into fresh creations that are often spiritually engaging ("The Afterlife," "Questions for the Angels").
On a related note, Burlap to Cashmere by the long lost New York band of the same name was a nice surprise, bursting with Simon & Garfunkel influence ("Love Reclaims the Atmosphere") and passionate Greek-folk roots ("Orchestrated Love Song"); the comeback of the year.
Switching gears, Augustana's self-titled set met the goal put forth by cool singer Daniel Layus: "to make a big, catchy American rock record" in the spirit of early Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty albums; definitely check out "Wrong Side of Love."
On that note, Relient K Is for Karaoke was an all-out tribute to other artists where the seriously talented, often comical punk-pop group devotedly carbon copied "The Distance" by Cake and made Justin Bieber's "Baby" sound a lot less cheesy. Great fun!
And finally, a wild card; Michael W. Smith's second instrumental project, Glory, bears witness to a remarkable melodist who could be scoring Hollywood films were he not such an in-demand pop and worship performer.
*This article first published 12/16/2011
**Listen to the albums on Spotify


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Car Video
2014 Toyota Corolla: First Look - Video
If the cars of the world were entered in a popularity contest, it would be hard to beat the Toyota Corolla. We recently got an exclusive, up close and personal look at the newest version, the 2014 Toyota Corolla, at the automaker's USA Automobile Museum in Torrance, Calif.
It's not that Corollas past and present are amazing at any one thing (except maybe reliability), but they have a well-rounded reputation and are appealing across the globe. They offer good value, are long lasting and have enough convenience options to keep most buyers happy.
Driving enthusiasts would rather have a Mazda3. Hip, young families would likely opt for a Ford Focus. College kids who want the Corolla's reliability -- but with a little edge -- would probably get a Honda Civic Coupe.
But the Corolla appeals to so many precisely because it's not too dramatic. It's not too much of any one thing. Some think the Corolla is reliable but a little bland. That's exactly what Toyota wants to change with the 2014 model.
At first glance, it's clear Toyota wants this new Corolla to really stand out. The exterior look is sharp, and the interior has a more contemporary look. There's also a lot more space.
The 2014 Toyota Corolla will come in four trim levels: base L, mid-grade LE, sporty S and efficiency-biased LE Eco. The first three will share the same engine, a 1.8-liter 4-cylinder from the previous Corolla. It's rated at 132 horsepower. However, the LE Eco gets more power.
The LE, S and LE Eco offer a new CVTi-S transmission that will help the car go farther on a gallon of gas.
Check out the video for more about the 2014 Toyota Corolla's expected fuel economy and horsepower, as well as the new transmission.