text:
Nowadays options for authors to publish their books are bountiful.
Unlike past decades when acceptance by a traditional publishing house was required to put one's book to print, writers today can access the services of dozens of companies to assist with all aspects of the process.
Local dentist and author Dr. Lundon Albrecht chose the publishing services provider Xlibris when looking to get his book "I'm Not Just a Penny" off the ground.
His initial goal of working with Scholastic Inc., a large publisher and distributor of children's books, was bumped to the back burner after contacting the company and receiving the response -- "Unless you've published you can't publish with us."
They also recommended that he work with an agent.
"But just to land an agent is tricky," Albrecht said. "It takes a lot of time and unless you're familiar with the writing industry it's tough. Literary agents get thousands of queries a week."
Major differences between working with traditional companies as opposed to independent ones include the direction in which the money flows.
The former normally fronts money to authors for their work while the latter requires payment from writers for services rendered.
Albrecht, who lives in Perry Township and works with the Albrecht Family Dentistry group in Mentor, said he's happy with his decision to use Xlibris.
After contacting the company he was set up with a person to guide him through the process. He noted that "the self-published author has pretty much the say on how they want things to look" though they may work with an illustrator and receive pertinent information and advice.
After some months of collaboration, Albrecht approved the final draft.
"Basically ... they'll send you a copy of the book," he said. "You open up your package and see your book. This story idea you've had for years has come to life. That was probably the coolest part for me."
Albrecht said he never considered authorship during his dentistry studies at Ohio State University. But then came an interesting turn of events when his 18-month-old son actually swallowed a penny. He decided the saga would be the makings for a good book.
Since its release in November, Albrecht has visited about 20 area schools reading the story to youngsters and talking to them about writing books.
He noted that teachers often weave history and creative writing lessons around the children's tome.
Once "I'm Not Just a Penny" becomes a little more familiar with reading audiences he plans to present it to Scholastic, Inc. for hopeful publication.
His advice to those considering publishing their work?
"If you believe in your book and your story then do it," he said. "If you don't do it I feel you'll always regret it."
Alynn Mahle of Mentor is in the process of searching for the right company to help get her book "Cooking Fresh: Healthy Eats from the West Side Market" into print. Publishing a book of poems in 2000 has provided her with some experience.
One tip that she offers is to begin marketing long before the book is complete.
"Talk to everyone -- friends, family, co-workers," she said. "Read books about publishing and marketing. Create professional-looking business cards, stationery, postcards with a central theme -- the cover of the book is an ideal image."
She also advises creating a blog, website or a Facebook page for the book and to contact local bookstores and gift shops that may have a connection to your book topic. Ask appropriate venues if they would accommodate a book signing. Libraries often are willing to allow authors to sell and sign books in conjunction with an author talk, she said.
Milann Daugherty of Silver Lake worked with an editor and graphic designer at Word Association Publishers to produce her book, "Your Affectionate Son -- Letters from a Civil War Soldier."
"So few people are able to send a manuscript off to a regular publishing house without getting pink slips back," she said. "The odds are pretty much against you. I think if people want to publish, you pretty much have to pay someone. You have to be realistic."
Ruth Fawcett of Timberlake formed her own publishing company, Ambrosia Press LLC, in 2003 to begin publishing her "Praise for the Poore Pond" series.
"By default, I found myself helping other authors self-publish by acting as part publisher, part consultant -- my own version of publishing assistance which just evolved," she said.
Fawcett also joined the Independent Book Publishers' Association which she claims was "literally a roadmap" for her company in terms of advice on markets, technology, policy, writing, cover designing and other topics.
Fawcett's advice to authors is to set aside a fund of $3,000 to $4,000 and start educating yourself in terms of publishing options.
Christina Wilkinson of Mentor, author of "Bicentennial Barns of Ohio, said much has changed since the book was published in 2003.
"Online publishing sites make it much easier to produce a quality book at a reasonable price, but if you have photographs, the equation changes," she said. "My book was a series of interviews, accompanied by color photographs. I created my own company, hired an editor, a graphic designer, a book manufacturer, and then sought fulfillment services. It was a long, tedious process, but the book looked as good as any that was professionally published."
The number of self-published books produced annually in the U.S. has nearly tripled, growing 287 percent since 2006, and now tallies more than 235,000 print and "e" titles, according to an analysis of data from Bowker Books In Print and Bowker Identifier Services.
The research also revealed that while production increases are occurring in both print and e-book formats, the latter is driving the greatest percentage gains.
Some traditional companies such as Simon & Schuster have realized the growth of the self-publishing business and are launching their own services. Their new company, Archway, will offer various publishing packages.
"Some people really want to have full control over their project, or they select a topic that publishers do not consider in vogue," Wilkinson said. "If they cannot interest a traditional publisher in their manuscript, and are still determined to turn their work into a book, then self-publishing may be the right choice.
She added that before making the decision to self-publish, a writer should give serious consideration to the amount of time they have to spend on the effort, and also think about their goals. Doing research and networking with other authors to hear of their personal experiences also can prove helpful.
What is self-publishing?
Self-publishing will be defined differently depending on whom you ask. According to people who work in traditional publishing houses, authors who pay for their editing, formatting or cover design are self-publishing their work. The book is traditionally published only if the publishing expenses are paid by the publisher. However, this often excludes marketing services.
Self-publishing independently
In the purest sense, self-publishing occurs when an author handles the entire book publication process, including printing, distribution, and marketing. Author execution of all details during the self-publishing process is also commonly called independent publishing.
The author either has the skill set to carry out the book publishing step, such as book formatting, or employs professionals to complete the process for them. The author largely creates his or her own self-publishing experience, rather than purchasing a company's services.
Independent publishing requires that authors have in-depth industry knowledge, cultivated management skills and complete commitment to their entire publishing process.
Self-publishing with a company
Authors who publish with the help of a self-publishing company are also self-publishing. This is because the author is financing the majority of the publishing process. There are many different self-publishing companies available to authors who want to self-publish.
Some self-publishing companies offer publishing services to authors who are unable or would rather not deal with the details of the publishing process.
In this instance, the author pays the self-publishing company to handle the publishing process for them.
Examples of services commonly provided include International Standard Book Number assignment, book cover design, interior layout, editing, distribution and marketing. Some self-publishers are designed only to get the book printed, while others mimic traditional publishing houses and provide a full set of publishing and marketing services.
The key to choosing a self-publishing company is doing your research. Generally the self-publishing company that can offer all, or most, of your publishing and marketing services adds cohesion to your final product. Choose a self-publishing company (or a person in the business) you trust and let them guide you.
Print-on-demand self-publishing
Some kinds of self-publishers specialize in print-on-demand (POD) and commonly work specifically with authors who need very small quantities of printed books.
POD publishers don't screen submissions, and primarily offer printing and design services.
POD is also used by larger companies occasionally to do test marketing or while reprinting out-of-print books.
-- Information from www.Go-Publish-Yourself.com.


text:
NetWellness is a global, community service providing quality, unbiased health information from our partner university faculty. NetWellness is commercial-free and does not accept advertising.
Saturday, September 23, 2017
Complementary Medicine
Will bee pollen help gout?
I am 50 years old and I`ve recently started taking bee pollen (3/4 tsp twice daily) and feel better than I have in years. I do not have any health issues. I have a friend who is a black male, 42 years old and suffers from gout. I know bee pollen contains many amino acids including alanine, asparic acid, glutamic acid, and glycine which are natural inflammatory. Will taking bee pollen help people with gout?
While bee pollen is used for many things, there is little to support its use for gout.
Glen F Aukerman, MD, DABFP
Professor of Family Medicine
College of Medicine
The Ohio State University

subset: commoncrawl


text:
A PORTUGESE national caught stealing aftershave from Debenhams told police; "It's not murder or anything, it's only shoplifting."
Blackburn magistrates heard Carlos Pina had been cautioned for shoplifting on June 4 and then convicted on June 10, 14 and 21 before the latest offence.
Pina, 38, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to stealing aftershave worth £173.
He was made subject to a six months drug rehabilitation requirement.
Ian Huggan, defending, said his client's offending was linked to his addiction to heroin.


text:
Hulk and Batman Resin Bust Banks...
Monogram shares with collectors their first two San Diego Comic-Con 2013 exclusives. These include two mighty superhero bust banks from both Marvel and DC Comics: The Incredible Hulk (pictured above) and Batman (pictured below). Made of resin, each detailed 7-inch collectible is priced at $25 and limited to only 250 pieces.
Featuring Comic-Con packaging, both The Incredible Hulk and Batman Resin Bust Banks will be available at San Diego Comic-Con, July 17-21, at Monogram's booth #3744.
To insure your action figure collection, get in touch with Collectibles Insurance, the official insurance company of the Figures.com network. Say "Figures.com" to get 5% off your first term premiums.
To buy action figures, take a look at BigBadToyStore.com, AlterEgoComics.com, PlasmaInfusion.com, Toynk.com, BriansToys.com, ToyWiz.com, and MonkeyDepot.com.


text:
Russian citizen the new PM in breakaway Ukrainian enclave
Kiev: It is a strange revolution unfolding in the east of Ukraine. Moscow repeatedly denies it is stirring the secessionist drive in a restive border region, but in a matter of days Russians have slipped into two senior positions in the organisation that calls itself the Donetsk People's Republic.
On the weekend, reporters were summoned to a hotel in Donetsk, where rebels occupy key buildings but do not control the city, to meet the man they were told was prime minister of the breakaway enclave.
Describing himself as a "professional consultant", a thickset Aleksandr Borodai, 41, introduced himself as a Russian citizen who recently had worked in Crimea, explaining he had helped to manage Russia's annexation of the strategic Black Sea peninsula.
"In essence, I am what can be called a professional consultant," he said, according to a report from the gathering. "I have resolved all kinds of complicated conflict situations. For that reason, personally speaking, my specialisation was what was needed here."
Mr Borodai's appointment, apparently by the body that calls itself the people's parliament, was announced days after the man who has regularly featured as the leader of the breakaway, Denis Pushilin, announced a new "main commander" had been appointed by the movement. He was talking about Igor Girkin, whose nom de guerre is Strelkov, meaning "the gunman", whose face now adorns pro-secessionist billboards on highways in the east of the country.
Mr Girkin was on the airwaves on the weekend, too, pleading for locals to volunteer as fighters. But while people in the east are willing to vote "yes" in big numbers in a secession referendum, it seems they are less willing to put their lives on the line.
"For over a month now, we, a small group of volunteers from Russia and Ukraine, responding to calls for help, came to Donbas to counter the Ukrainian army," he said. "If men are not willing, we have no other option than to call up women.
"I would have expected there would have been at least 1000 men willing to risk their lives not just in their home towns but on the frontlines."
He said many who asked to be issued weapons merely wanted to protect their homes.
With just a week to go before a presidential election that the rebels claim will not proceed on their territory, the less daring business of simply attending a secessionist rally drew just a few hundred in Donetsk on Sunday.
Given Moscow's efforts to portray the breakaway movement as home-grown in Ukraine, one of the mysteries of the crisis is a video interview Mr Girkin gave to a Russian news crew last month. Dressed in combat fatigues, he explained matter-of-factly that he had come to the eastern part of Ukraine, bringing his men from Crimea, which Russia annexed in March and only belatedly acknowledged that its troops were on the ground there.
He further undermined claims about the strength of anti-Kiev sentiment in the east, saying: "The [secessionist] militia is, of course, strongly sprinkled with volunteers from other regions," before estimating that as many as two-thirds of the rebel fighters were not locals. In a subsequent interview, he backtracked, arguing that locals accounted for 90 per cent of his force.
"The unit that I came to Slaviansk with was put together in Crimea. I'm not going to hide that," Mr Girkin told the Moscow-based Komsomolskaya Pravda tabloid, referring to the one town in the Donetsk district that is under rebel control. "It was formed by volunteers - I would say half or two-thirds of them are citizens of Ukraine."
Paul McGeough is chief foreign correspondent for the Sydney Morning Herald.
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text:
The last time we saw Jermaine Crawford, his hair was an unkempt mess and his face was riddled with the pains of a drug-addicted homeless teenager. That was some 10 months ago when Crawford closed the storyline for Duquan "Dukie" Weems, his character in the final season on the critically-acclaimed HBO crime drama, "The Wire".
Crawford has been up to a lot since the lauded cable show's closing music followed his fictional character and his unhappy ending into the darkness of an alleyway full of junkies.
Today, the lanky 6'1" teen actor is clean cut. His wide-eyed face tells a different story. He's hungry. Not having eaten all day, Crawford buries his face inside the menu of a hip bohemian restaurant called Busboys & Poets, in Northwest Washington, D.C. He's trading menu suggestions and inside jokes with his mother, Wanda Crawford, with whom he has a very close knit relationship.
They settle on buffalo wings and Maryland crab cakes before talking about a new documentary film project that has him working on the opposite side of the camera lens.
"My character really motivated me," Crawford says. "My character was homeless. No one was really there for him except for his friend [Michael Lee]. His parents sold his clothes for money…"
After spending the Wire's last two seasons playing the fictional abandoned youth named Duquan Weems, Crawford thought it was time that somebody told the story of the "real Dukies" of America.
"Teenage and Homeless in America: Change is Gonna Come" is, as the title suggests, Crawford's documentary about teenage homelessness. The one-hour television project will focus on the lives of five young "sofa surfers"- kids who live anywhere they can lay their heads.
"The idea to do a documentary came up not long after the show ended," he says. Crawford shares that he and his management were exploring the young actor's different post-show opportunities. He thought it would be interesting to document the lives of teens who really had to go through what was scripted for his character.
"[Being in Baltimore,] we were actually filming the show in a place where a lot of people go through this sort of thing," Crawford says.
Many of the documentary's subjects, whom they refer to as "the five heroes", will parallel Dukie's hard knock upbringing. But, unlike the HBO show, these kids have yet to face the anecdotal dark alleyway.
"The way we selected our five [subjects] was when we were listening to their stories we tried looking at their hearts," says the native of Mitchellville, Md. "We just went with the most touching stories."
In order to find his "five heroes" Crawford dug deeper with his research- starting with a simple Google search and ending at the Sasha Bruce House on Maryland Avenue in Northeast Washington.
The Bruce House, which is operated by Sasha Bruce Youthwork, is renowned short-term emergency shelter for homeless and runaway youth in the DC area. After Jermaine's mother talked with Sasha Bruce Youthwork about what her and her son wanted to do they agreed to open their doors to support the project.
"There was a room full of kids and we just talked. It was really powerful stories," Crawford shared about the sorting process. "It's astounding because people actually go through these types of things, and the Wire was just a description of what people go through."
The five that Crawford and his production team selected include Derek, a 17-year-old that has dreams of becoming a fashion designer but abuse from his schizophrenic mother has driven him to different shelters and drugs, which he uses and sells to support himself. Derek's only escape has been his art and design.
Eighteen-year-old Stewart is another young man being profiled that uses art to break away from his abusive childhood. Stewart describes that the abuse in his household was so bad that it made him "numb to emotion". After finally running away with his younger brother, Stewart, turned to rap as a way to deal with his pain. He sees rap as a way to tell his story to the world.
A third hero is Vincent. With his father having been murdered and his mother strung out and incarcerated, the 16-year-old lives on the streest because he has no place permanent to go. He robbed and sold drugs to get by but after getting shot in a botched car theft, Vincent wants to become a truck driver just so he can see the world beyond his unforgiving streets.
Being 16 himself, Crawford is able to relate to the teenagers he's documenting.
"It's like, I'm the same age as these guys," Crawford says. "All it takes is one mistake, one slip up and I could be right in their position. Kids are one mistake away. Parents are one pay check away. It's not impossible to end up in their situation. And so, I'm just really grateful."
The National Runaway Switchboard estimates there are between 1.6 and 2.8 million runaway and homeless youths in America. The non-profit also estimates that one out of every 260 homeless youths will die due to drug overdose, murder, illness or suicide.
Reasons why youth become homeless vary. But the The Young Adult Guidance Center, an Atlanta-based youth outreach organization, states that the root causes fall into three distinct yet interrelated categories – family problems, economic problems and residential instability.
"Many homeless youth leave their homes after years of physical and sexual abuse, strained relationships, addiction of a family member and parental neglect," the website explains.
"When you see somebody and realize that could've just as easily been you it's very humbling," says the first time director. "It's like a wake up call. It's like, 'That could have been me. That could have been my mom or dad on drugs."'
Crawford is counting his blessings that he is even getting entrusted with a production budget. He's even gotten a nod from noted Hollywood veteran Nigel Nobel to take the lead in this project. Nobel, who serves as the documentary's executive producer, is an Academy Award-winning film and television producer and director. He lends instant credibility and direction to the upstart project- direction in which Crawford latched onto wholeheartedly.
"I prepared myself by listening to the producer, Nigel Noble, and following the pointers he gave me," Crawford says. "I really just tried to follow his direction and absorb the things I've learned as an actor on the opposite side of the lens."
He envisions making impact on the lives of people.
"I just want to be rested so I can be full of energy and full of life so I can motivate people around me. That's really what I want to do as a director and an actor. I've always wanted to be that person that brings the best out of people."
His mother interjects.
"This documentary isn't just to expose these kids and their situation. But rather, if you lend a hand you can help them," says Wanda Crawford. "It's just not the kids' journey, but it is also Jermaine's journey and responsibility to help these children get to the next level…I always taught Jermaine to be grateful for what you have. Life isn't just about what you can get, but what you can give. And with this documentary, Jermaine has to give himself."
Spearheading a documentary is time consuming. Jermaine balances the demand of Hollywood with the demands of being a teen, which means making time for school. He's home-schooled, which gives him that flexibility to manage his time. A graduate student from the University of Maryland comes in and teaches Jermaine his curriculum. His mother stays at home and works as his manager.
"It's a full-time job," she says about the workload her son's job requires. "With acting, typically you'll only get a day's notice for anywhere you need to be tomorrow, so, it's very demanding. Jermaine's dad and myself, we believe in his dream a lot. For a parent, the most beautiful thing in life is seeing your child reach his dreams. It's demanding, but we're willing to make the sacrifice for it."
Mrs. Crawford says that it's a challenge raising a child actor because the entertainment world has a way of making kids adults.
"Like when you go check into a hotel, you go check in under Jermaine Crawford's name," she says. "It has a way of forcing adult things on you. And sometimes we have to say, "Jermaine, you have plenty of time. Don't rush your life. Enjoy where you are right now, and what you have. We keep him humble that way."
Despite all of his successes as an actor and now a budding film-maker, that humility comes out in his honesty as he enjoys life and experiences all the real life lessons that come as a teen:
"You're 16 now. Did you treat yourself and buy a car?" the reporter asks.
"No. I failed my permit test," he says. Chuckling and speaking playfully in teen colloquialism, he concludes, "I won't be buying no car no time soon. I have to go retake my test."


text:
THE SQL Server Blog Spot on the Web
How do you validate what is stored in a specific partition and the filegroup the partition resides on? I have found this handy when designing a partition strategy and to double check it is behaving as I expect and my data is stored correctly for the requirements. It also can help if you document as part of your disaster recovery planning, you can then quickly refer to your documentation and identify the specific filegroup you need to restore to recover specific partitions.
For example, you have a data warehouse that stores previous fiscal year data by quarter for Fiscal Year 2005 through 2006. Your partition function and scheme are defined as follows (see end of notes if you want the filegroup creation so you can step through these commands):
create partition function pf_MyFyQuarters (datetime) as
range right for values
'2004-10-01 00:00:00','2005-01-01 00:00:00','2005-04-01 00:00:00','2005-07-01 00:00:00', -- 2005
'2005-10-01 00:00:00','2006-01-01 00:00:00','2006-04-01 00:00:00','2006-07-01 00:00:00') -- 2006
create partition scheme ps_MyFyQuarters
as partition pf_MyFyQuarters
(fgBefore2005, -- partition 1
fg2005Quarter1,fg2005Quarter2,fg2005Quarter3,fg2005Quarter4, -- partition 2, 3, 4, 5
fg2006Quarter1,fg2006Quarter2,fg2006Quarter3,fg2006Quarter4, -- 6, 7, 8, 9
fgAfter2006) -- partition 10
When SQL creates the partition scheme, it maps in order each partition to the filegroup(s) listed and each are numbered in order as the comments demonstrate above. In this example, because the partition function is defined with a 'range right' - partition 1 (assigned to file group fgBefore2005) stores all values less than 10/1/2004. Partition 2 (assigned to file group fg2005Quarter1) stores values >= 10/1/2004 and < 01/01/2005 and so on through partition 10 (assigned to fgAfter2006) that stores values >= 07/01/2006.
Next, to validate the scenario, create a table on the partition scheme with some data:
CREATE TABLE [dbo].[PartitionTable]
[DateColumn] [datetime] NULL
ON ps_MyFyQuarters (DateColumn)
insert PartitionTable
Values('09/30/2004') -- This will go on partition 1 (file group fgBefore2000)
Values('09/30/2005') -- partition 5 (file group fg2005Quarter4)
Values('10/01/2005') -- partition 6 (file group fg2006Quarter1)
Values('03/31/2006') -- partition 7 (file group fg2006Quarter2)
Values('07/04/2006') -- partition 9 (file group fg2006Quarter4)
You can then use the $PARTITION function to validate what is actually stored by the partition number and the corresponding filegroup based on what you defined in your partition scheme earlier:
SELECT * FROM PartitionTable
WHERE $PARTITION.pf_MyFyQuarters(DateColumn) = 1
WHERE $PARTITION.pf_MyFyQuarters(DateColumn) = 5
WHERE $PARTITION.pf_MyFyQuarters(DateColumn) = 6
WHERE $PARTITION.pf_MyFyQuarters(DateColumn) = 7
WHERE $PARTITION.pf_MyFyQuarters(DateColumn) = 9
You can also query from the DMV to list out the partition/scheme and validate what is stored on your filegroups. For example, another administrator created another partition and scheme - but accidentally stores it on the same filegroups. Note what the DMV query returns after you create another partition function and scheme:
create partition function pf_MyFyQuarters_B (datetime) as
'2002-10-01 00:00:00','2003-01-01 00:00:00','2003-04-01 00:00:00','2003-07-01 00:00:00', -- 2003
'2003-10-01 00:00:00','2004-01-01 00:00:00','2005-04-01 00:00:00','2005-07-01 00:00:00') -- 2004
create partition scheme ps_MyFyQuarters_B
as partition pf_MyFyQuarters_B
(fgBefore2005, -- partition 1
fg2005Quarter1,fg2005Quarter2,fg2005Quarter3,fg2005Quarter4, -- partition 2, 3, 4, 5:
fg2006Quarter1,fg2006Quarter2,fg2006Quarter3,fg2006Quarter4, -- 6, 7, 8, 9:
fgAfter2006) -- partition 10:
-- this DMV query will list out what schemes and partition numbers are stored on your filegroups
-- note the different scheme and partition on the same filegroups
select ds.name AS [Filegroup Name], ds.type, destination_id AS [partition number], dds.partition_scheme_id, ps.name as [partition scheme]
from sys.data_spaces ds
join sys.destination_data_spaces dds
on (ds.data_space_id = dds.data_space_id)
join sys.partition_schemes ps
on (ps.data_space_id = dds.partition_scheme_id)
order by ds.name, ps.name ASC
--------- File/Filegroup Script For Examples Above --------------
create database my_db
-- Add filegroups that will contains partitioned values
alter database my_db add filegroup fgBefore2005;
alter database my_db add filegroup fg2005Quarter1;
alter database my_db add filegroup fg2005Quarter2;
alter database my_db add filegroup fg2005Quarter3;
alter database my_db add filegroup fg2005Quarter4;
alter database my_db add filegroup fg2006Quarter1;
alter database my_db add filegroup fg2006Quarter2;
alter database my_db add filegroup fg2006Quarter3;
alter database my_db add filegroup fg2006Quarter4;
alter database my_db add filegroup fgAfter2006;
-- Add files to filegroups
alter database my_db add file (name = 'fF05Q1', filename = 'C:\fF05Q1.ndf', size = 2 MB ,filegrowth = 2 MB ) to filegroup fg2005Quarter1;
alter database my_db add file (name = 'fF05Q2', filename = 'C:\fF05Q2.ndf', size = 2 MB ,filegrowth = 2 MB ) to filegroup fg2005Quarter2;
alter database my_db add file (name = 'fF05Q3', filename = 'C:\fF05Q3.ndf', size = 2 MB ,filegrowth = 2 MB ) to filegroup fg2005Quarter3;
alter database my_db add file (name = 'fF05Q4', filename = 'C:\fF05Q4.ndf', size = 2 MB ,filegrowth = 2 MB ) to filegroup fg2005Quarter4;
alter database my_db add file (name = 'fF06Q1', filename = 'C:\fF06Q1.ndf', size = 2 MB ,filegrowth = 2 MB ) to filegroup fg2006Quarter1;
alter database my_db add file (name = 'fF06Q2', filename = 'C:\fF06Q2.ndf', size = 2 MB ,filegrowth = 2 MB ) to filegroup fg2006Quarter2;
alter database my_db add file (name = 'fF06Q3', filename = 'C:\fF06Q3.ndf', size = 2 MB ,filegrowth = 2 MB ) to filegroup fg2006Quarter3;
alter database my_db add file (name = 'fF06Q4', filename = 'C:\fF06Q4.ndf', size = 2 MB ,filegrowth = 2 MB ) to filegroup fg2006Quarter4;
alter database my_db add file (name = 'fBefore05', filename = 'C:\fBefore05.ndf', size = 2 MB ,filegrowth = 2 MB ) to filegroup fgBefore2005;
alter database my_db add file (name = 'fAfter06', filename = 'C:\fAfter06.ndf', size = 2 MB ,filegrowth = 2 MB ) to filegroup fgAfter2006;
Recently I had a few questions about how to go about partial restores if you have media failure that affects only specific filegroups, and your database is inaccessible because of the missing file(s). The steps while simple, are not readily apparent in example form in books online.
In this example you have a multi filegroup database in bulk_logged recovery model. The database consists of read/write and read only filegroups. I throw these factors in to add a little bit more variance to the example.
-- create example database and filegroups
CREATE DATABASE my_db
ALTER DATABASE my_db
SET RECOVERY bulk_logged
alter database my_db add filegroup fg_static_A;
alter database my_db add filegroup fg_static_B;
alter database my_db add filegroup fg_static_C;
alter database my_db add filegroup fg_readwrite_A;
alter database my_db add file (name = 'f_static_A', filename = 'C:\f_static_a.ndf', size = 2 ,filegrowth = 2 MB ) to filegroup fg_static_A;
alter database my_db add file (name = 'f_static_B', filename = 'C:\f_static_b.ndf', size = 2 ,filegrowth = 2 MB ) to filegroup fg_static_B;
alter database my_db add file (name = 'f_static_C', filename = 'C:\f_static_c.ndf', size = 2 ,filegrowth = 2 MB ) to filegroup fg_static_C;
alter database my_db add file (name = 'f_readwrite_A', filename = 'C:\f_readwrite_A.ndf', size = 2 ,filegrowth = 2 MB ) to filegroup fg_readwrite_A;
You have done some bulk loads of static data to partitions in specific filegroups. You then mark these filegroups as read only:
MODIFY FILEGROUP fg_static_A READ_ONLY
MODIFY FILEGROUP fg_static_B READ_ONLY
Your next scheduled full backup occurs. The full backup captures both read only and read/write filegroups:
BACKUP DATABASE my_db
TO DISK='C:\my_db_full.bak' WITH INIT
You then do some more bulk loads of static data and mark that specific filegroup as read only:
MODIFY FILEGROUP fg_static_C READ_ONLY
You don't have the maintenance window right now to do perform a differentail or full file backup, and decide to do a transaction log backup. At this point, you will want to switch to full recovery before your next transaction log backup, take the transaction log backup and then switch back to bulk_logged. Otherwise, your bulk logged extents will keep getting backed up for your read only filegroups.
BACKUP LOG my_db
TO DISK='c:\my_db_log.bak' with init
Your database continues to be used and data is inserted/modified in the read/write filegroups. You then perform a partial backup of just your read/write filegroups:
TO DISK='C:\my_db_read_write.bak' with init
More data modification activity occurs on the database and then unfortunately you have drive failure that results in one of your read/write filegroups to disappear. SQL Server was restarted and queries on the database fail because the file is missing.
To simulate this, stop SQL, move file f_read_write_A somewhere else and restart SQL. Try quering the database, it should fail because of the missing file.
What do you do next if you want to just restore the read/write filegroup in question and get your database back online as quick as possible?
-- #1 back up the tail of the log with no_truncate. You *must* do this before you can do anything else.
TO DISK='c:\my_db_log_tail.bak' wth init
with NO_TRUNCATE
-- #2 then restore just the damaged file(s)/filegroup from the *partial* backup you took earlier
RESTORE DATABASE my_db FILE='f_readwrite_A' FROM DISK='C:\my_db_read_write.bak'
-- #3 restore all transaction log backup sequences ending with the latest tail you backed up.
RESTORE LOG my_db
from DISK='c:\my_db_log.bak'
with norecovery
from DISK='c:\my_db_log_tail.bak'
with recovery
Your database is now back online.
However, what if you lost one of your read only filegroups instead? For example, FILEGROUP fg_static_C. In this scenario, keep in mind that you've not yet performed a differentail or full backup since populating that filegroup and marking it read only. What steps would be required to restore that filegroup?
TO DISK='c:\my_db_log_tail.bak'
with NO_TRUNCATE, init
-- #2 Start your restore sequence from the last full backup. In this scenario, you must go back to the full backup because the partial only captured the readwrite filegroups.
RESTORE DATABASE my_db FILE='f_static_C' FROM DISK='C:\my_db_full.bak'
Your database is now back online and ready to go!
Here is a situation one of my client's recently encountered on SQL Server 2005. It was incredibly painful and a challenge to determine what was happening, plus it's an issue that is supposed to be fixed in SP2. So wanted to share the details of the symptoms in case you experience it too.
My client is on a SP2+ build. They recently conducted a successfull migration from SQL Server 2000 to 2005. They have a very high heavy rate of OLTP activity. Things were chugging along just fine for a couple of hours after migration, and then all of a sudden web servers started throwing connectivity errors. A local connection to the server could not even be made. After establishing a connection using the DAC, first thing checked was the state of the SPID's on SQL - I fully expected to see excessive waits due to blocking or some other type of wait. However, in this case it was strange - everything looked as I would expect for a normal functioning system - a small handful of SPID's were waiting on something with short waits you would expect to see at any period in time, but nothing excessive or abnormal looking (no high cpu, no indication of any runaway or expensive queries etc.) The majority of SPID had a zero waittype and none were waiting on working thread. This is a very key symptom of the issue we encountered - that SPID do not look problematic and you do not have a blocking or other wait type of bottleneck. There also are no network connectivity issues or anything else that is typical of this type of symptom.
We then issued a DBCC FREESYSTEMCACHE ('TokenAndPermUserStore') and then immediately, the issue cleared and connections could be made to SQL and processing continue. (Some notice resolution with DBCC FREEPROCCACHE - it is because freeing the procedure cache also dumps this store. For this issue, you only need to dump the tokenandpermuserstore.) I was very surprised since my client was already on SP2. So it appears there still is a different flavor of this issue out there with some varying symptoms. (RE: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927396)
My client has a support case open with Microsoft and is still being investigated and debugged. In the meantime, the workaround was to monitor the size of the TokenAndPermUserStore and free it when it got over 40MB. Initially we started with a size of 100MB but still sporadically encountered the problem. (I suspect it may be more related to number of entries, but size is what we were able to work around with.) Below is a query you can use that will report the size and number of objects in the store if you want to track and trend. You can add in additional logic if you need to free the cache if it is over a certain size or number of objects.
SELECT SUM(single_pages_kb + multi_pages_kb) as CacheSize, entries_count,entries_in_use_count FROM sys.dm_os_memory_clerks WHERE name = 'TokenAndPermUserStore'
Hope this helps! And I will post with any new updates.
Hello, I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself with my first blog and give you a bit of background about me. While I am new to blogging, I am not new to SQL Server. I started with SQL Server 4.2 back in the early nineties. I was supporting an application that was written in PowerBuilder that did screen scraping off of a CICS IBM mainframe, and it had a SQL Server database as its back end. One of my many different computer related responsibilities at the time was writing adhoc green bar reports in assembly on the mainframe. Once I learned the power of results set programming with T-SQL, I then wrote the minimum amount of assembly needed to create a text file and import it to SQL - then did all the rest of my scrubbing and report writing on SQL. No more moving registers around and packing and unpacking bytes for me!
My passion for SQL continued from there. I eventually went to work for Microsoft in 1998 because I wanted to really know the internals - especially corruption and performance. Since then I have worked with SQL Server in many different applications in the enterprise and have been through consulting with my clients on 4.2, 6.5, 7.0, 2000 and 2005. My focus has especially been on performance and tuning in the enterprise. This last May I finally decided to break out on my own and start my own consulting and explore the product again from the industry.
I am excited to start blogging. One of my passions is making concepts clear, understandable and easy to digest. My goal with my blogging is to bring to you examples, tips and tidbits from real world situations that are easy to understand, repeatable and have real world application. I expect to focus primarily in the area of performance and scalability, especially the nuances and changes from 2000 to 2005 and things you may see during or after migration. I hope you find my posts helpful and I look forward to hearing any comments and feedback from you!


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PMantle wrote:andrew wrote: I'd add to give it more mustard-.
This is what I shall do. Unfortunately, putting with mustard seems to take longer than throwing a driver far. Well, and I have T-rex arms.
I agree, you have to get the disc moving through air for it to generate lift and glide, so you have to throw harder downwind...throwing at wind speed is like not throwing at all, it just drops dead. You have to throw above the wind speed, just give it a bit more snap and slam center chains. Also, putting with a lot of nose up/down in wind can tend to make the disc dance in the chains, and blow out (I had a 4-putt like this during a windy tourney, I was putting nose down, each one hit dead center of mass, danced around, and then blew out...going flat instead fixed this issue). Another alternative: you can also turn the putter upside down and practice putting like that...an inverted disc has less lift anyways, so the wind will have less effect (I've known several 1010+ rated players who always putt like this inside 10' regardless of conditions).


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Ok, so AJ's been great in this series. But it leaves me wondering: what's this mean?
Can AJ continue to play at this level? Would you feel comfortable with this AJ as your starting point guard next year? If so, do you think we'll continue to get this AJ?
Last year AJ had a 2-and-a-half week stretch where he was out of his mind. But then he came back to earth, and when he fell he fell hard.
Is that likely to happen again?


text:
Translation Disclaimer
Berkeley, California (Tuesday, June 18, 2013) - Berkeley, California (June 18, 2013) – City of Berkeley Police Department (BPD) Homicide Detectives have arrested a suspect in connection with the murder of Zonte Jones. Jevon Calland, 21, of Oakland, was arrested and booked into the Berkeley City Jail on June 16, 2013 for murder, PC 187.
On February 4, 2013 at approximately 11:08 a.m., BPD patrol officers responded to multiple reports of shots fired, with a victim down near the intersection of Delaware Street and San Pablo Avenue. BPD officers arrived on scene and discovered a single victim down, suffering from gunshot wounds. The victim, Zonte Jones was transported to a local hospital by the Albany Fire Department. The victim was pronounced deceased at the hospital.
Detectives have been gathering evidence and pursuing leads in relation to Jones' murder since February. Detectives developed information implicating Calland as a suspect in Jones' murder and an arrest warrant was sought. Calland was arrested by the Alameda County Sheriff's Office in Hayward on an unrelated warrant. BPD was then notified that he was in custody. BPD took custody of Calland and booked him into the Berkeley City Jail. The case has been forwarded to the Alameda County District Attorney's Office for charging.
This morning based on information gathered during the investigation BPD Detectives along with BPD's Special Response Team executed a search warrant in the City of Antioch. BPD Detectives are continuing their investigation into the murder of Zonte Jones.
BPD would like to thank the Antioch Police Department, Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office and East Bay Regional Parks Police Department for their assistance provided during this morning's operation.
In the interest of maintaining the integrity of this investigation, BPD will not be releasing anything further at this time.
Keep up with City of Berkeley news via our News page, email or Follow @CityofBerkeley


text:
NetWellness is a global, community service providing quality, unbiased health information from our partner university faculty. NetWellness is commercial-free and does not accept advertising.
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Complementary Medicine
Green Tea Diet Pill
Is the green tea diet pill a good pill to take while trying to lose weight? I only take one a day and I want to make sure I`m not hurting my body by taking this pill!! Please let me know what you think. Is this a good weight loss pill? Thank you.
Green tea pills are not effective but not likely toxic.
Glen F Aukerman, MD, DABFP
Professor of Family Medicine
College of Medicine
The Ohio State University


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Its a a cent, a single penny,(not even 2 cent, doesnt add up to your 2 cents), its useless on its own in the real world, It looks, feels, sounds just like every other penny, its not unique,the only difference from penny to penny is the road it has traveled to reach its current place at the end of the road, yes the end of the road because you are single minded just like the penny a single cent, a single penny, or single minded person(penny) will never go anywhere, but travel in the lowest of places(bottom of purses,wallets,old jars), disregarded, not respected by people, it has no real obtainable value, but at the end of the day, or year or after many years ...the pennies will eventually add up, now in vast numbers, they may appear to hold MORE value, but not really, they are still the same old dirty pennies, that dont hold much value, and the general population could care less, and will toss them aside!
steve says "I think all pit bulls are mean and aggresive, and should not be bred", so I say your" just another penny in the bucket"
by shammallamadingdong January 04, 2013
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 9/7/2014 (1168 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Heavy rains in western Manitoba and Saskatchewan recently have raised the level of the Assiniboine River, causing it to overflow its banks, flooding roads and farmers' fields. Photos by Ruth Bonneville.


text:
Total Hockey is now
Learn more
The Supreme One70 catch glove is a "butterfly" style glove made for maximum net coverage and rebound control. It fits and feels much like the Supreme One60 catch glove, with a few key differences to help maximize performance.
The most noticable difference in the ONE70 catch glove is the one piece cuff and thumb. This rigid design stabilizes a large portion of the glove's blocking surface, which makes rebound control more predictable on shots to the cuff. A slight flare at the very top of the cuff helps deflect rebounds forward and prevents puck skip over.
The pocket features a wide, deep double-T web which expands upon impact to stop puck rotation and helps eliminate pop outs. The T-bar at the top of the pocket is pre-molded for easy closure.
Measure your hand from the heel of the palm to the tip of the middle finger, then consult the chart below to find the size that will work for you.
Keys to a Proper Fit:


text:
The new observation deck at Zurich Airport opened its doors to the general public on schedule on 1 December. The wait has been worth it: hordes of visitors arrived on the first weekend.
As 1 December drew closer we were admittedly rather nervous, not only because passengers would pass through the new security checkpoint building and use the new Dock B for the first time but also because we would also be opening the new observation deck on the same day.
Two years of hard work were about to be presented to the travelling public – following abundant testing of the augmented reality telescopes ( a world's first just like the accessible apron tower) and the flight information displays. A mini-airport complete with ATC tower serves as a play area for children, while roomy benches invite adults to stop for a while and take in the scene. An audio system allows visitors to listen to the radio contact between the air traffic control tower and pilots in the cockpit, and special information displays present data about docked aircraft.
Ahead of the opening at 09:00 on 1 December, numerous airport and aircraft enthusiasts were ready and waiting with their cameras at the entrance to Check-in 2. Their patience was rewarded with a good view of aircraft taking off. Visitors to the observation deck appeared in large numbers on Saturday and Sunday, topping 6,600 even though the weather on this first weekend was not always favourable. This figure certainly surpassed our expectations. For me personally, this was a wonderful one-time experience following the lengthy preparations and waiting to finally see the observation deck come to life. And although long waits were occasionally necessary en route to the security checkpoint , the mood on and around the observation deck remain good throughout.
Here you can find more information about the project and the new observation deck.


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Former MoD police officer Paul Findlay's long wait to open his own cafe came to an end last Saturday, when customers came into Findlay's for the first time.
Mr Findlay worked for the MoD at Boscombe Down, Amesbury, for 20 years, before using his redundancy money to set up the cafe in Warminster.
The 53-year-old planned to move into The Gorge when it closed, but was unable to secure a lease, so waited for another place to become available and then for planning permission.
His cafe, in a former toy shop in Three Horseshoes Walk, offers homemade favourites such as cottage pie, as well as baguettes, sandwiches and salads.
Mr Findlay, of East Street, said: "I have always wanted to own my own business and when The Gorge became available I thought it would be ideal, but when that fell through I had to wait.
"Eventually, the old toy shop became available, but we still had to get planning permission and meet the building control regulations, which took longer than we anticipated.
"It's great to finally be open and we have been delighted with the number of people we have had so far, especially as the snow at made it difficult for many to come out.
"Warminster has been really supportive. We will take suggestions from customers about food and, if a particular dish is popular, we will put it on the menu."
Mr Findlay is running the cafe with his partner, Jenny, and has previous experience in catering after serving in the Royal Navy as a cook for 12 years.
Snow stopped the delivery of his freezer before the cafe's opening day.
He said: "We still have some little touches to finish off, like getting the menus printed and the blackboards with specials up. However, considering what we've had to deal with, the first week couldn't have gone any better."


text:
Safety Study of DanshenDuofensuanyan(a Chinese Medicine Injection)Used in Hospitals in China
Recruitment status was: Active, not recruiting
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
This study was advocated by Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences in January 2013.
It was funded by China major scientific and technological specialized project for 'significant new formulation of new drugs'.
DanshenDuofensuanyan is kind of Chinese Medicine injection used for treating coronary heart disease and angina pectoris in many Chinese hospitals.
The purpose of this study is to determine adverse drug events or adverse drug reaction in large sample size 30,000 patients.
|Coronary Heart Disease Angina Pectoris
|Study Type:
|Observational [Patient Registry]
|Study Design:
|Observational Model: Cohort
Time Perspective: Prospective
|Target Follow-Up Duration:
|14 Days
|Official Title:
|Safety Study of DanshenDuofensuanyan(a Chinese Medicine Injection)Used in Hospitals in China
- Number of participants with adverse events; incidence of DanshenDuofensuanyan'adverse drug reaction(ADRs)and identify factors that contributed to the occurrence of the adverse reaction [ Time Frame: to assess DanshenDuofensuanyan's 'adverse event' and 'drug adverse reaction' during patients' hospital stay. The registry procedure will last 2 years only for patients using DanshenDuofensuanyan ]All patients will be measured and assessed at the time DanshenDuofensuanyan is administered to them until they discharge. Patients using DanshenDuofensuanyan will be registered on a registration form including disease background, DanshenDuofensuanyan's administration, and extraction information from hospital information system. An adverse event or drug adverse reaction form also will be used to describe any doubted symptoms or signs from patients. A judgment will be made by doctors directly and a further analysis will be conducted by researchers to decide those potential side effects of DanshenDuofensuanyan.
Biospecimen Retention: None Retained
|Estimated Enrollment:
|Study Start Date:
|January 2013
|Estimated Study Completion Date:
|December 2015
|Estimated Primary Completion Date:
|December 2014 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
It is very common that Chinese Medicine Injection used in hospitals in mainland China. However safety problems rose in recent years. There could be many uncertain factors influence Chinese Medicine Injection in clinical practice.
In order to ensure the safety of public drug use and lower drug-induced risks, a registry study for DanshenDuofensuanyan injection safety surveillance with 30000 patients will be conducted from Jan.2013 to Dec.2015.
Eligibility criteria Patients who will use DanshenDuofensuanyan injection in selected hospitals.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|Child, Adult, Senior
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
|Sampling Method:
|Non-Probability Sample
Inclusion Criteria:
- Patients using DanshenDuofensuanyan injection from 2013 to 2014
Exclusion Criteria:
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01814566
|Principal Investigator:
|Yan M Xie, BA
|Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences
|Responsible Party:
|Yanming Xie, Deputy Director, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01814566 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|March 14, 2013
|Last Updated:
|May 13, 2013
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Heart Diseases
Coronary Disease
Coronary Artery Disease
Myocardial Ischemia
Angina Pectoris
Cardiovascular Diseases
Vascular Diseases
Arterial Occlusive Diseases
Chest Pain
Neurologic Manifestations
Nervous System Diseases
Signs and Symptoms
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 19, 2017


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2010 Stroller Models
2010 Strollers: New Models Versus the Old Ones
2010 Strollers: New Models Versus the Old Ones
Strolling with your tot has never been easier, or more fashionable, than it is now. In addition to the new crop of pushchairs that have hit the market, manufacturers are introducing new models of some of the most popular prams to hit the pavement. We've rounded up some of the new models that have made their debuts lately. Take a look and tell us if you prefer the new or old model.
0previous images
-22more images


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VZ Could Issue up to $80B Debt to Buy Out VOD Wireless Stake, Says Citi
Shares of Verizon Communications (VZ) are higher by 61 cents, or 1.3%, at $48.63 after Citigroup's Michael Rollins today raised his rating on the shares to Buy from Neutral, and raised his price target to $54 from $46, postulating that there's a greater likelihood than he thought that the company could buy out the 45% of Verizon Wireless owned by partner Vodafone (VOD).
In collaboration with his European colleague, Simon Weeden, who follows Vodafone and has a Buy rating on that stock and a $32.50 price target, Rollins opines that there's now a heightened prospect of a leveraged buyout of the Vodafone stake:
We believe the window of opportunity for VZ to pursue an accretive buyout of VOD's VZW stake, even at elevated EV/OIBDA multiples, is more open today from a combination of low-interest rates, favorable VZW performance, lower debt leverage at the VZ parent level, strong dollar vs. Sterling & the Euro, VZW already paying a dividend to its parents, & improvement in domestic Telco valuations.
Mind you, Vodafone may be the bigger beneficiary, both analysts agree:
While both companies under our scenario analysis can benefit their respective shareholders through a range of transaction scenarios that we analyzed, we believe Vodafone stands to be the greater beneficiary and should outperform Verizon over the next 12-months.
Vodafone shares today are up 40 cents, or 1.4%, at $28.05.
Rollins's and Weeden's conviction seems to come mostly from a survey of chatter in the media, with Rollins writing, including an interview with Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam at a Citigorup conference on January 7th, and a Wall Street Journal interview with Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao on February 21st.
Rollins writes that there are multiple paths to a deal, including a "partial or outright sale of the Verizon Wireless stake to Verizon" by Vodafone, an "outright merger between Verizon and Vodafone, and a scenario in which "Verizon exchanges Verizon Wireless with Verizon Stock."
Rollins sees the first option as having a 55% probability, the second a mere 15% probability of happening, and thinks the third option "would likely not suit Vodafone relative to the status quo of owning the wireless assets."
Here's Rollins examination of the prospects for an outright sale by Vodafone to Verizon:
Citi's European Telecom Team has reassessed Vodafone's tax situation regarding a US exit and believes that a deal is achievable with an acceptable level of tax leakage. They estimate up to $5bn in CGT (capital gains tax) to extract non-US assets from the US holding company and none on a subsequent sale of the stake in VZW via an offshore transaction. They expect Vodafone to be dispassionate about remaining invested in the US as see a deal depending upon price, mix of cash, stock or preferred stock, and tax structure. As shown in Figure 10, we graphically describe our understanding of Vodafone's ownership structure for its Verizon Wireless stake at a very high-level. We believe an Off-Shore Sale Scenario is now possible given the drop in value of the Non-U.S. assets relative to the rising value of Verizon Wireless. In the first step, we believe Vodafone would need to transfer the non-US assets from Vodafone Americas/AirTouch to another subsidiary under the Vodafone Group. Such an event could trigger capital gains tax on the Non-US assets to the U.S. Government. By way of reference, assets AirTouch owned, at acquisition by Vodafone, included 34.8% of Vodafone Germany and 17.8% of Vodafone Italy among a number of others. Verizon Wireless now represents most of the value within Vodafone Americas Inc. Citi's European Telecom Team estimates the value of the non-US Assets at around $15bn implying a potential capital gains tax bill of up to $5bn to Vodafone, depending upon tax base and other mitigation options. As a second step, Vodafone then sells part or all of Vodafone Americas Inc. (US) from Luxembourg or Holland on a tax free basis to Verizon […] we estimate a valuation range of 7-9x OIBDA, representing an equity value for Verizon Wireless of $236 billion - $303 billion. Vodafone only owns 45% of Verizon Wireless, implying a value for its stake of $106 billion - $136 billion. Normalizing 2013 free cash flow for full corporate taxes, excluding the impacts of bonus depreciation, should result in a free cash flow yield of roughly 5.0-6.4% Normalizing 2013 earnings for full corporate taxes given the partners are largely responsible for the taxes should result in an earnings yield of roughly 5.2-6.6% Hence, we believe a leveraged buyout of Vodafone's Verizon Wireless stake by Verizon can be meaningfully accretive given Verizon's current 8-year duration debt is yielding roughly 3.4% and its 28-year duration debt is yielding roughly 4.75%, according to FactSet and Bloomberg.
Funding for a deal could include as much as $70 billion to $80 billion of debt issuance, writes Rollins, or could issue preferred shares:
Based on our research, we believe the company could consider the use of some form of perpetual preferred that can provide some advantages from a credit ratings perspective and possibly a tax perspective that could attract roughly 50% credit as debt and 50% credit as equity. We are essentially envisioning a preferred stock structure similar to AT&T's pending wireless preferred issuance to partly fund its pensions. Verizon could embed call provisions as well as an eventual step-up in the coupon rate to encourage Verizon to redeem the instrument within a 5-10 year period.
Issuance of common equity would be the least preferable option available to Verizon, he thinks.


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Posted 6 years ago
(830 items)
Top one is same size as a standard full size wing (3") and has a "U.S." officers collar device attached. This was made from aircraft plexiglass.
The other one is 2 1/2" across and finely engraved "5th Air Force, With Love, New Guinea 1944". The top pin bar is also engraved with palm trees. The wing is made of plexiglass with a painted blue backing. The top is sterling silver and typical of New Guinea construction. I have many smaller New Guinea sweetheart items where the silver coin face can be discerned on the back of an engraved piece.
Both of these would also fall into the Trench Art category since they are constructed of war refuse.


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Off the Charts
The bond markets were closed in observance of Veteran's Day, and the way it turned out, the stock market may as well have been closed, too. It was a very quiet day in the market as both the Dow and S&P 500 finished exactly even. Stocks opened slightly higher this morning, but couldn't build on the pre-market strength.
We continue to believe a cautious approach to the market is best at this stage, which is the stance we taken since the S&P broke its 50-day moving average on Oct. 19. We believe it is best to be a more short-term scalper during market corrections than a multi-position swing trader. At this point, the S&P is hovering around the 200-day moving average and has already seen a 6.5% correction from the September highs. What's next for the market?...761 more words left in this article. To read them, just click below and try Real Money FREE for 14 days.
There's no substitute for a trading floor to get great ideas, so Jim Cramer created a better one at Real Money and blogs there exclusively. We then added legendary hedge fund manager, Doug Kass, with his exclusive Daily Diary and best investing ideas. Staffed with more than 4 dozen investing pros, money managers, journalists and analysts, Real Money Pro gives you a flood of opinions, analysis and actionable trading advice found nowhere else, and allows you to interact directly with each expert.
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Topic: Supreme Court Ruling
I am overjoyed over today's decision. The positive impact it has on the patient community is long overdue. Obama took on one of the most challenging issues of this society.
I am leaving Philadelphia for home today - equally exhausted as exhilarated, but with renewed hope for all.
Hugs to all,


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O's send utility player Flaherty to Minors
BALTIMORE -- The Orioles optioned infielder Ryan Flaherty to Triple-A Norfolk following Saturday's 10-6 loss, and the club will announce a corresponding roster move prior to Sunday's game.
The move is the Orioles third transaction of the day, and it's more likely that they will add another position player given that manager Buck Showalter said following the game he felt the team's bullpen -- which has pitched 29 2/3 innings in the last seven games -- was in good shape.
Flaherty has struggled offensively since the season began, and while the team likes his defense, he was replaced by Yamaico Navarro at second base for the past two games. Flaherty, a Rule 5 Draft pick last year, hit .133 in 30 games with two homers and 26 strikeouts in 90 at-bats. He opened the year 0-for-17.
If the Orioles do opt to add another position player, they could go with an outfielder, given Saturday's decision to put Nolan Reimold on the disabled list, or promote someone from Triple-A Norfolk who is versatile enough to play multiple spots. With Rays lefty Matt Moore on the mound Sunday, a right-handed bat would make sense, and Danny Valencia seems to be the most logical candidate.
Brittany Ghiroli is a reporter for MLB.com. Read her blog, Britt's Bird Watch, and follow her on Twitter @britt_ghiroli. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Red Sox Activate RHP Andrew Bailey; Option RHP Jose De La Torre
The Boston Red Sox today activated right-hander Andrew Bailey from the disabled list. To make room for him on the 25-man roster, right-hander Jose De La Torre was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket after yesterday's game in Minnesota.
Executive Vice President/General Manager Ben Cherington made the announcement.
Bailey, 28, is 1-0 with five saves and a 1.46 ERA (2 ER/12.1 IP) in 13 outings for the Red Sox this season, including 11 scoreless appearances. With 20 strikeouts, he ranks fourth among qualifying American League relievers with 14.6 strikeouts per nine innings. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on May 6 (retroactive to April 29) with a right biceps strain. Bailey struck out two batters and allowed one run in 1.0 inning during a rehab appearance with Pawtucket on Saturday night.
Recalled on May 9, De La Torre made two relief appearances for the Red Sox during his first career major league stint. He allowed two runs over 2.0 innings and recorded two strikeouts. The 27-year-old has appeared in 10 games for Pawtucket this season, all out of the bullpen, going 1-0 with one save, a 1.56 ERA (3 ER/17.1 IP), and 17 strikeouts.


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Brilliant Kluber picked up by 11th-inning walk-off HR
Indians ace strikes out 10 before Aviles launches winner in extras
CLEVELAND -- Corey Kluber prides himself on his composure. No matter the situation at hand, there is no flash or frustration on display when the leader of the Indians' rotation is on the mound working.
In the third inning on Friday night, Kluber briefly broke character.
With the bases loaded and two outs, Kluber fired a curveball that was tempting enough to induce a feeble swing from Adam Jones. After first-base umpire Ron Kulpa confirmed that Jones' went far enough for a strikeout, Kluber quickly gave a hard slap of his glove, celebrating an impressive escape act early in Cleveland's 2-1, walk-off win in 11 innings at Progressive Field.
"I just thought it was a big moment in the game right there," Kluber said. "I felt like, to be able to work out of that jam kind of shifted the momentum in our favor a little bit."
Kluber exited in line for a win, but a lack of offense and a late lapse by Cleveland's bullpen saddled the starter with a no-decision, necessitating another night of late-inning heroics for the Tribe. In the decisive 11th frame, Mike Aviles pulled a pitch from Baltimore's Brian Matusz to the Home Run Porch in left field, delivering the victory as fireworks popped overhead.
The blast was the first career walk-off home run for Aviles, who stopped short of home and held out his arms, savoring Cleveland's traditional water dousing before proceeding to touch the plate. Aviles' shot marked the ninth walk-off win of the season for the Indians, who have enjoyed a Major League-high seven game-winning homers.
"It feels good," Aviles said. "I can honestly say, when I'm an old person and I've got grandkids, I can tell them, 'Yeah, that really did happen.' I'm excited for that one. They can't take that away from me."
The path to that moment was paved by Kluber.
Kluber, who has a 2.41 ERA this season, continued his unexpected American League Cy Young Award campaign with yet another stellar gem for the Indians. In his latest act, the right-hander stymied the Orioles for 7 2/3 strong innings, keeping Baltimore off the board for his first seven innings, while piling up 10 strikeouts and scattering five hits.
With his showing against the Orioles, Kluber became just the sixth Cleveland pitcher in the past 100 seasons, and first since Dennis Eckersley in 1976, to have at least eight double-digit strikeout games in one year. The others on that short list include Tribe greats Sam McDowell (five times), Herb Score (twice), Luis Tiant and Bob Feller.
Asked if he was running out of superlatives for Kluber, Indians manager Terry Francona smiled.
"My vocabulary's not that good, but I would attempt to," Francona said. "He's just worked himself into being one of the premier pitchers in the game."
Kluber also logged at least six innings with no more than one earned run allowed for the fifth consecutive start. That represented the longest such run for an Indians pitcher since Orel Hershiser had five such games in a row from June 19-July 12, 1996.
In the eight outings since Kluber's last loss on June 30, the right-hander has gone 6-0 with a 1.31 ERA, 70 strikeouts and nine walks in 62 innings. In the second half, all Kluber has done is spin a 0.76 ERA with 55 strikeouts, six walks and a .161 opponents' average across 47 2/3 innings (six starts).
"I think it's just kind of getting on a roll," Kluber said, "and continuing to do what I've been doing the previous starts. I'm not trying to go out there and do too much or change anything. I'm just kind of trying to stay the course."
The Indians' lone run against Orioles left-hander Wei-Yin Chen came in the fifth inning, when Zach Walters lifted a 2-2 pitch just over the wall in left field for a leadoff home run. The home run, which was confirmed by a crew-chief review, snapped a 16-inning scoreless streak for the Indians, whose previous run also came via a shot from Walters.
Baltimore effectively erased that run following Kluber's departure in the eighth inning.
After Nelson Cruz sent Kluber's 116th pitch (a season high) up the middle for a two-out single, Francona turned to setup man Bryan Shaw. Delmon Young and J.J. Hardy then connected for consecutive singles, the latter of which scored Cruz to pull the contest into a 1-1 deadlock.
In the midst of the top of the eighth, Orioles manager Buck Showalter stormed the field and wanted to challenge a check-swing strike call on Jones. Showalter argued that Kluber's one-out offering struck Jones in the hand, but the play in question was not one that could be challenged. The umpires reviewed the play and determined that it was a strike, as called.
Showalter continued to argue -- the delay lasted nearly four minutes -- making it appear that he was trying to throw Kluber off.
"I just didn't think it got handled correctly," Francona said.
"I'm not sure exactly what [Showalter] was asking about or arguing," Kluber said. "It was pretty lengthy. I don't think that's why we have the replay system, for him to go out there and try to interupt the flow of the game. In the end, it didn't really affect me."
When Kluber retired Jones on a comebacker to the mound, the pitcher's poise was again on display.
"Klubes didn't show any emotion, which is no different than any other time," Aviles said. "He still went out, kept doing what he had to do and that's the beauty of a guy like Klubes. Regardless of what's going on, he can still take a step back, take himself out of the situation, calm down and attack the hitter."
Jordan Bastian is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Major League Bastian, and follow him on Twitter @MLBastian. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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A CARER from Burnley cleared of placing an incontinence bag over the head of a dementia sufferer as she sat on the toilet has spoken of her 16-month 'living nightmare'.
Jurors at the town's crown court took just over half an hour to acquit Susan Larkin of ill-treating Celia Handley at the Peel Gardens home in Colne.
She had insisted that the allegation had been concocted by colleagues after she had stolen some sunglasses at the home and management had taken no action.
Defence barrister Philip Holden, in his closing speech, said that it was difficult for Mrs Larkin to refute the claim as the alleged incident had only been witnessed by one other care worker, Sahra Suleman.
He told the jury that it took Sahra nearly a fortnight to report her concerns, with the help of co-worker Wendy Davis, to management.
Mr Holden said Sahra's sister, Sumara, who also works at the home, claimed she only heard of the allegation when it was raised with senior staff.
"It is nonsense to suggest that the two sisters would not have talked about something like that," he added.
The court heard that Mrs Davis had also been 'angry' over the theft of the sunglasses, feeling she had been unfairly placed under suspicion, and had confronted Mrs Larkin about the matter.
Mr Holden said the evidence of care home manager, Malcolm Rowley, who said that he was surprised the alleged incident involving the bag had not been reported sooner, was significant.
Mrs Larkin, 35, of Bouldsworth Street, Burnley, who was found not guilty after a four-day hearing, had admitted a theft charge in relation to the sunglasses and will be sentenced at Preston Crown Court on September 19.
Speaking after the case, Mrs Larkin, who had been carer for more than 20 years, said: "I am just so relieved it's over. It has been a living nightmare for 16 months."
She was supported throughout her court ordeal by husband Anthony and her extended family.


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MIAMI BEACH, Fla. - A third public meeting was held on Wednesday for competing developers to show off revamped plans to transform the Miami Beach Convention Center.
Both Portman CMC and South Beach ACE revised plans based on input from the community.
Portman CMC, led by developer Jack Portman, is also working with Cirque du Soliel, and has indicated plans to bring the art-inspired circus act to South Beach. Renderings provided to Local 10 include a raised hotel with green space below.
The group's plans can be seen at www.portmancmcmiamibeach.com.
South Beach ACE, led by developer Daniel Tishman, provided renderings that include inside views of the convention center space with towering ceilings and a modern, glass-topped atrium in the concourse.
South Beach ACE launched www.sobeace.com, where more plans can be seen.
The Miami Beach Commission is expected to make a selection over the summer.
Copyright 2013 by Local10.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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We played our 13th scholarship player and walk ons meaningful minutes. We were pathetic from FTs. And we still dropped 99 points on a team that was trying to slow it down.
And our defense with our core players showed alot of good things. This team is crazy.
Etherington is really f'ing good. Remember the kid was a 4 star recruit. He's a good athlete with a smooth outside shot. If he was on the roster of our neighbor's to the north he'd probably start.
After Zeller leaves and Mo Creek gets Roth'ed, isn't Etherington the primary candidate expected to be gone next year?
Or does one of the signees appear headed the way of Ron Patterson?
"I had to take her down like Chris Brown."
-Lance Stephenson
I don't know. It's possible, but I don't want to see it happen. I think Etherington is a much better player than Colin Hartman and he may be better than Devin Davis too. This kid is not a slouch. He is just playing on a very stacked team.
Creek isn't getting "Roth'ed." As of this past Wednesday he is now a father and he'll have his degree in the spring. He's going to try and either get a job or play in Europe to support his daughter and girlfriend.
Word is Davis doesnt have his grades in order to make it into IU btw
No he was not. Etherington was a three star recruit, much in the mold of Collin Hartman.
That development would shock me very little. Not because I know anything about Devin Davis' academics, but because he is very redundant with the much more heralded Troy Williams and Noah Vonlehs.
Last edited by Trader Joe; 11-17-2012 at 02:30 AM.
Etherington's stars/rank were hurt by a few injuries, if I am remembering correctly. Hartman's has been hurt by his wildly mediocre play.
I heard Crean got Creek's girlfriend pregnant to provide a pretext for the Creaning that will come next year.
"Nobody wants to play against Tyler Hansbrough NO BODY!" ~ Frank Vogel
"And David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone and slung it. And it struck the Philistine on the head and he fell to the ground. Amen. "
In football...
IU D looks like it will again flirt with giving up 50+.
If Cam Coffman had any accuracy at all, we probably are at least tied, if not leading. But they guy can't consistently hit open receivers.
I'd rather die standing up than live on my knees.
-Emiliano Zapata
Defense still needs some help.
So the NCAA can blow me. Shabazz has been reinstated which is fine, but here's the thing, he's eligible to play immediately as long as he repays the $1600 cost of his impermissible benefits. The 3 games he's missed so far were deemed enough of a suspension. But yet, Jurkin and Perea for things that weren't even visit violations like Shabazz's were are both suspended 9 games each after they repaid their $1500 or so? THAT IS A JOKE. Talk about a ridiculous double standard.
I mean good God they are breaking their own rules."UCLA acknowledged amateurism violations occurred and asked the NCAA on Friday afternoon to reinstate Muhammad," the NCAA said in a statement. "The university required the student-athlete to miss 10 percent of the season (three games) and repay approximately $1,600 in impermissible benefits."NCAA student-athlete reinstatement guidelines say that when the value of benefits are greater than $1,000, the punishment is "withholding of 30 percent of eligibility for one season of competition and repayment." Thirty percent of a college basketball season is considered nine games.
Muhammad received the suspension penalty normally associated with benefits ranging between $500 and $700, yet still has to repay "approximately $1,600."
When asked by ESPN about the discrepancy, NCAA spokesperson Stacey Osbourn replied, "We don't have anything to share beyond the statement at this point."
Maryland and Rutgers are set to join the B1G. Well, okay.
This joke is ironic considering Painter's history with Purdue cheerleaders.
Ex-Mrs. Painter disapproves of your humor.
So IU won the first appeal on Perea and Jurkin, they will be able to travel to NYC tonight and meet up with the team, but appeal on shortening 9 game suspension not til Friday. Oh well UNC is the game we could really use their size for though I would love to have them for tomorrow.
I'm really bummed that I'm stuck at work during today's game. Is anyone taping it?