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Holiday postmarks from certain towns are sought after
LEXINGTON, Ky. — The holiday season has begun and so, too, has the most popular time of the year for post offices in a few communities with Christmas-themed names.
The post offices in Bethlehem, Nazareth and Partridge, Ky., annually receive Christmas cards from all over the world with requests they be canceled and mailed from their locations.
The Bethlehem Post Office in Henry County has offered a special cancellation during the holidays since 1947, and typically postmarks around 50,000 cards during the Christmas season, according to the U.S. Postal Service. This year's postmark proclaims "Christmas greetings" and shows a picture of the three wise men on camels.
"There is no comparison between the Christmas season and the rest of the year," Bethlehem Postmaster Susan Leopold said in a statement. "Usually, this office operates with one person. During Christmas, we have three to four volunteers here every day, all day, cancelling letters with the special cancellation.
"I have regulars who come every year, starting the day before Thanksgiving. In fact, if I don't see my regulars, I worry about them. It is a special and exciting time, and I look forward to it all year long."
In Nazareth in Nelson County, Postmaster Norine Masterson canceled more than 16,000 letters last year. This year, she designed a postmark showing the traditional manger scene to pay tribute to the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth ministry, which is celebrating its 200th Christmas.
In Partridge in Letcher County, the post office does not have a special cancellation postmark, but Postmaster Joy Short does use red ink in her date stamp to provide a Christmas cancellation when requested. Christmas isn't the only time of interest in Partridge. Short gets requests throughout the year for whatever reason.
This year, the postal service has also released a "Holy Family Forever" stamp that depicts Joseph leading a donkey carrying Mary and baby Jesus. The stamp is available at post offices nationwide.
"The holiday mailing season is time for the postal service to shine," said spokeswoman Susan Wright. "And we're happy to do whatever we can to help make our customers' holidays special."
Scott Sloan is a staff writer for the Lexington Herald-Leader.
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FLORENCE, Ore. — Traffic is moving again on Highway 101 about 10 miles north of Florence after the highway was shut down Saturday afternoon due to a slide. ODOT engineers are working to come up with a plan for how they can fix that section of Highway 101. The road collapsed 18-24 inches last weekend … Continue reading »
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FLORENCE, Ore. — Drivers can expect delays on Highway 101, north of Florence, next week while crews replace guardrail along two sections of the highway. Starting Monday, Sept. 17, ODOT crews will work from just south of the Cooks Chasm Bridge near milepost 167 to just north of the entrance to Devils Elbow State Park … Continue reading »

subset: commoncrawl


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"n/a "
- Comp & Benefits
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I have been working at Cablevision Systems (more than 5 years)
Has good benefits. Free cable services
learn to stand by their representatives choices. Their customers are rude and treat you like crap.
learn how to deal with their representatives in a professional manner.
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"Upper Management - Greedy, Crooked and Deceiptful I give Dolan a 1 percent approval rating "
- Comp & Benefits
- Work/Life Balance
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I worked at Cablevision Systems full-time (more than 8 years)Pros
Benefits - Healthcare/401k and pension plan and that's about it.Cons
Too much to list. It's a call center environment, turn over rate is extremely high, the call center environment is extremely micro-managed. If you're a good employee and you're nearing 10 years tenure, they'll look for every way they can to get rid of you. I worked there 9+ years , and it happened to me and MANY MANY other employee's before me. They even denied us our unemployment, we had to fight for that too. I fought and won !!!!!! They wouldn't let us have a union - another reason I probably got fired. I was a very good loyal employee, they abused me.Advice to ManagementAdvice
Advice to Mr Dolan and upper management - you all need to get off your high horse - quit being so damned greedy.....give the employee's a good raise and give them "job security" . You took people that were good reliable workers and destroyed their lives. And quit flying your damned helicopter to work !Doesn't RecommendDisapproves of CEO
1 person found this helpful
I worked at Cablevision Systems as a contractor (more than a year)Pros
BAs, Developers and QA are professional and talented.Cons
Unit testing does not seem to be a part of the process. It is rare for basic functionality to work the first time the code is deployed to QA.Advice to ManagementAdvice
The development test environment should be maintained.RecommendsNegative OutlookNo opinion of CEO


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Granite Falls preparing for LGA cuts
GRANITE FALLS -- An expected $102,994 cut to local government aid dominated discussions Monday at the Granite Falls City Council meeting.
Council members reviewed an estimated $115,310 in cuts department heads proposed in response to the LGA reduction, City Manger Bill Lavin said.
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NCAAB Basketball - Preview
|Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs. Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks
The fans at Fant-Ewing Coliseum will be treated to a game between the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks when they take their seats on Sunday. Louisiana Tech was a 64-50 winner in its last match at home against McNeese State. Louisiana-Monroe was a 75-62 loser in their most recent outing on the road against Mississippi. They covered the 16-point spread as underdogs. Louisiana Tech:
Team record: 9-3 SU, 2-4 ATS
is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
When playing on Sunday are 4-6
Team record: 3-3 SU, 4-0 ATS
Current streak: lost 2 straight games.
is 5-20 SU in its last 25 games at home
When playing on Sunday are 7-3
Louisiana Tech at Oklahoma, Monday, December 30
Louisiana-Monroe at Ohio State, Friday, December 27


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CRIME AND COURT ROUNDUP: Man gets 225 years prison for multiple sexual assault charges
A 45-year-old man has been sentenced to 225 years in prison for creating a Facebook club for teenage girls, and sexually exploiting two of them. Robert Huber had just left prison, and was living in a halfway house when he created the Kittens Incorporated club on Facebook last year. Authorities said he later used it to lure teen girls as "members," and he had bondage sex with two victims. Officials said he threatened the girls and their families if they told their parents.


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Great book, lots of colors. Only downfall is my kids wants to read it every.single.night. Long, with three stories!Published 4 months ago by 6wasafraidof7
My grandson LOVES these books! He was always a big fan of Mater's Tall Tales video and the book(s) are true to the video.Published 13 months ago by carsonbomba
liked very well and read every day. sometimes a couple of times a day. He'll just sit and look at the pictures. THANKSPublished 14 months ago by Tesa Rue Decker
I love that there are 3 stories in one book and it makes it easy to take with us where ever we want to go.Published 22 months ago by Tracy Patterson


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India needs to address Chinas expansionist policies: Jurist Ved Nanda
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International jurist Prof Ved P Nanda of Denver University expressed grave concern at the manner in which China has been aggressively pursuing expansionist policies, economically and territorially, which, he said, needed to be addressed urgently. He said this while delivering the 22 nd annual lecture of the Panchanad Research Institute at Panjab University on Monday.
He said that since both India and China are potential superpowers in the region, it was imperative that India engages China diplomatically, commercially and culturally.
Prof Nanda, who has been a John Evans University Professor at the University of Denver and Professor of Law and Director of the International Legal Studies Programme at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, suggested that India, in tune with its cultural and historical heritage, should diplomatically use "soft power" to increase its influence in the region and wield a small stick as well to dispel the impression of being a soft state.
He said India had never demonstrated expansionist tendencies in its foreign policy.
"Our culture in which mottos like universal brotherhood and well-being of entire humanity have been the cornerstones, should become the language of our diplomacy and foreign policy to increase our influence on foreign lands," he added.
Without compromising its cultural values, India needed to balance its interests in the region. For instance, he said, as China has been deploying a large number of surveillance ships in the Indian Ocean and making territorial gains in the POK, India should counter it firmly to re-assert its position.
"We could be partners with China on some grounds, yet be rivals with it to gain political influence in the region," Prof Nanda stated.
Commenting on the FDI controversy, he said, it was for India to decide what should be the limit to the FDI in retail and how did it regulate and monitor the foreign investments.
... contd.


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Frontier Natural Products, Tahitian Vanilla Extract, Farm Grown , 2 fl oz (59 ml)
By Frontier Natural Products18 Reviews
Expiration Date:?Oct 2017
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Our receiving department does its best to verify and then enter the correct expiration dates for all incoming products. However, discrepancies do occur from time to time. This being said, the exceptionally high turnover at iHerb ensures that our inventory is among the freshest in the industry.
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- Product Code: FRO-23126
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Beautiful vanilla taste and smell, very aromatic, I used it in home made ice cream, it came out great! Click on my username for more reviews. If you thought that this review was helpful please feel free to press the 'yes' button.
les circuits commerciaux francais faisaient venir la vanille de Tahiti. Tres differente de la vanille de Madagascar, cette vanille a un gout d'enfance. Utilisee pour la premiere fois dans du riz au lait, mon fils m'a fait remarquer qu'il etait delicieux.


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|Jun 06, 2005, 07:49 AM
GLMBA Model Expo 2005...July 2-3, 2005
I just received the following information:
Golden Triangle Marine Modelers are hosting the Great Lakes Model Boat Association Model Expo 2005:
Kitchener City Hall,
Kitchener, Ontario
July 2-3, 2005
7 classes of judging, with prizes for scratch-built, semi scratch, and kit-built. I have posted the flyer and registration form I received, If anyone from the Golden Triangle Club is a participant here, would it be possible to post an itinerary?
|Jun 13, 2005, 03:30 PM
Last day for pre-registration is June 15th.
Is anyone else planning on attending? I am hoping to bring the new boat in whatever condition she is in.
|Jun 15, 2005, 09:09 AM
I spoke to Jack Kipfer last night, and got a few more details on the Expo. There will be in the neighborhood of 100 boats at this show, with builders coming from all over Ontario, and many from "south of the border". Many of the boats are reported to be museum quality.
Setup begins at 6:00 am, with things getting under way around 10:00 am. There will be narrated runs in the 60' x 100' pond in fromt of Kitchener City Hall.
I've never met Mr. Kipfer, but apparently he knows what he's talking about ... Some of Jack Kipfer's Models.
So... my registration has been sent in, the boats not finished, and I suspect I'm a lot out of my league, but I'll be there with a camera!
|Jul 03, 2005, 04:51 PM
What an eye-opener.
Here are some pics from the show. I didn't get as much opportunity to browse and chat as I would have liked, as we were there with three young children. (I think I understand why the average age of the serious modelers was about 20 years my senior.)
The pictures don't do the boats justice. This was the first show of this nature I have attended, and the workmanship was a pleasure to behold.
|Jul 03, 2005, 04:52 PM
More pics
|Jul 03, 2005, 04:54 PM
And some more
|Jul 03, 2005, 06:11 PM
Beautiful models! Thanks for posting the pictures.
Those identical twin brothers with identical wooden runabouts are amazing.
|Jul 03, 2005, 06:18 PM
I'll leave the duplicate there just so everyone will get the joke .
|Jul 03, 2005, 07:31 PM
Nice pictures RG.
Looks like a lot of large scale or just large boats.
I want to know what the "whale" does!?!
|Jul 03, 2005, 07:39 PM
Sorry I can't tell you a whole lot about the whale. When it was on the water I was up to my uhhh... "elbows" in gremlins. I believe my son said it squirted water, but aside from that it was a pretty "simple" model.
There were a lot of large scale boats there; Hood, Bismarck, Prinz Eugen, and Graf Spee all 5' or longer, plus the big freighters.
All in all nearly 120 boats were entered
|Jul 03, 2005, 07:58 PM
The water was pretty shallow at maybe a little over 6". (I need to get more memory for my camera!) There was no submerged subs running, but boat launch and retrieval was easy .
The pond was plenty big enough for more than a dozen boats to be on the water with no cramping.
|Jul 04, 2005, 03:07 PM
Each boat was judged by three people.
I entered my boat in the competition for the feedback this would provide.
Ok... Well thats what I'm telling myself now.
Prior to realizing my boat wouldn't be finished, and before seeing the competition, I may have had delusions that I would stand a chance at placing.
Considering the fact I brought a simple, incomplete boat to stand amongst the masterpieces you see, I was quite happy to recieve an average score of 61 out of 100 possible points! With the judges scoresheets in hand, if I can complete the boat by next year, I may even manage a solid 'B' .
|Jul 04, 2005, 06:15 PM
Joined Feb 2005
39 Posts
RGin,You get a 100 in my book for the legacy you have left your boys,and for the integrety this will no doubt instill in your kids.Bet your budget is 10% of any of those boats, built by hand starting with 2x4 lumber? Pricless!! There is nothing you can do for the world that could mean more. Hats off to ya mate!! P.S. start that doll furnature yet?
|Jul 04, 2005, 08:10 PM
Tha whale actually has a working rowboat that runs in front of it and yes it does squirt water. The model is affectionately named Mobey Dick if I remember correctly and is one of a few funny boats run in the clubs in Southern Ontario. There is also a water spitting duck made from a decoy, An RC Shark Fin (My creation) that is a full working submarine and a Radio Controlled Iceberg that sinks when hit by a model of the Titanic.
I have had the pleasure of running with most of the boats you saw at the show as I was once Vice President of the Metro Marine Modellers. The Golden Triangle Modellers are also a great bunch of guys with some exceptional modellers.
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Sub-Ice Antarctic Lake Vida Abounds With Life 122
from the time-to-make-a-pan-galactic-gargle-blaster dept.
We've improved Slashdot's video section; now you can view our video interviews, product close-ups and site visits with all the usual Slashdot options to comment, share, etc. No more walled garden! It's a work in progress -- we hope you'll check it out (Learn more about the recent updates).
The find increases the chances that life may exist (or have once existed) on planets such as Mars and moons such as Jupiter's Europa.
So life on other planets is dependent on our knowledge? Sounds doubtful. It may increase our reason to believe that such life is possible, but not whether that life actual exists/existed.
Maybe you're not clear on the concept of probability. This is used to reason about things of which we lack certain knowledge.
Life on other planets is not dependent on our knowledge, but the probability of life on other planets definitely is.
A clue that probability is being referred to is the use of the phrase "increases the chances".
Antarctica wasn't always icebound. Once it would have been filled with life until plate tectonics moved it to the south pole. So there is a significant difference to the likes of Mars and moons orbiting the gas giants in that life under the ice first evolved under different conditions somewhere else and has adapted to the changing conditions as the land iced over.
Everywhere we've looked on this planet, including sulfuric volcanic fissures miles under the surface [nationalgeographic.com], where there's water we've found life. Clearly this planet is infested with it.
At some point finding life in a weird new liquid water-based environment on Earth has to cease being news.
So.. the aliens are cats?
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'90s Nostalgia Revisited: 6 Musicians We Miss
Originally published on Fri September 13, 2013 8:11 am
By Ann Powers
At the audio link hear Ann Powers and Morning Edition host Renee Montagne on defining '90s music and the reasons the sounds and artists of that era are re-emerging now.
1990s nostalgia has been bubbling to the surface, like a mastodon in a tar pit, for a while now. We all know what's most often excavated: Nirvana's roar (this week, the band's third album In Utero gets a super-deluxe 20th anniversary reissue), Biggie's cool murmur, the futuristic sigh of Aaliyah. But there's more to the decade than those obvious landmarks. Here we remember six artists huge in the '90s, who don't always get their deserved props today.
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I'm a former marine and
Submitted by More_Liberty on Thu, 01/26/2012 - 08:04. Permalink
I'm a former marine and veteran of Iraq. There are plenty of us that support Dr Paul as we all know. However, I would not push this thing using Adams name. Many of us do not care for him because of some past actions and comments of his. Be very careful.
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January 3, 2013
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In "Zero Dark Thirty," the key American film of 2012, now going into wider release, Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal ¿ the pair behind "The Hurt Locker" ¿ are after something truer and more lasting than getting an audience to burst into applause when the bad guys are outfoxed. Nothing in the climax of "Zero Dark Thirty" settles for easy triumphalism. Everything about the film is potentially controversial, yet hardly any of it can be pigeonholed by way of ideology or politics. -- Michael PhillipsRead the full "Zero Dark Thirty" movie review
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Baseball America shuffles Astros' deck with new rankings, 2016 projected lineup
It was only a few years ago that Baseball America projected Tommy Manzella, Sammie Gervacio, Jiovanni Mier and Mark Melancon as the Astros' next generation of stars. Carlos Correa, the Astros' #1 draft pick this summer, not surprisingly has ascended to the top of the list of best prospects in the organization. [Read More]
Former Astro Biggio admits Hall consideration never figured into career plans
All Craig Biggio could think about when he entered professional baseball in 1987 was surviving. Maybe he could carve out a decent MLB career. If so, hopefully he could stick around long enough to earn a pension. [Read More]
Luhnow says Astros will definitely add Rule 5 player
Luhnow said Astros also expect to extend offers to all of their arbitration-eligible players. [Read More]
Tender/non-tender decisions next up in Astros' methodical off-season
The methodical winter for the Astros' rebuilding, retooling, restructuring of the organization continues this week. After establishing its 40-man roster (currently stands at 36) with new additions like Jarred Cosart, Chia-Jen Lo, Robbie Grossman and Jonathan Villar, Houston reaches another milemarker this week with four players. While these decisions don't seem difficult, GM Jeff Luhnow will […] [Read More]
Astros set 40-man roster; Storey claimed by Yankees
The Houston Astros added seven minor league players to the 40-man roster Tuesday, general manager Jeff Luhnow announced. [Read More]
4 free agents who would help the Astros in 2013
The Astros won't be shopping in the expensive stores this winter, but it doesn't mean they won't be shopping. Here are some free agents that could help the Astros in 2013 without breaking the bank. [Read More]
Berkman has several suitors, including Astros
Talks in a "tire-kicking" mode he says. [Read More]
'Status quo' Astros setting roster for Rule 5 draft
Luhnow expects Houston's roster – which is currently smaller than normal and loaded with minimum contracts – to fall more in line with the MLB standard once the December draft and winter meetings pass. [Read More]


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Gong Li and Zhang Yimou Reunite in Coming HomeWhen it comes to the Cultural Revolution in China, there are a million different aspects to mine when it comes to the minefield of destroyed lives. The renowned Chinese director Zhang Yimou takes a hard look at mental illness featuring his past muse ... Huffington Post, 6 days ago
Zhang Yimou and Gong Li for ACMI - Sydney Morning Herald, 3 weeks ago
Zhang Yimou and Gong Li: ACMI screens the work of a mythic partnership - Melbourne Age, 3 weeks ago
Hong Kong property boom poised to end as Fed preps for rate hike
By Yimou Lee and James Zhang HONG KONG (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Reserve is likely to succeed in reining in home prices where Hong Kong's government has failed and property investors in one of the world's most expensive real estate markets are ...Metro.us, 1 week ago REUTERS - Hong Kong property boom poised to end as Fed preps for rate hike Namibia Press Agency, 1 week ago
Truth behind Zhang Yimou's split with producer
A controversial new book is set to expose how Chinese director Zhang Yimou parted ways with his longtime collaborator and producer Zhang Weiping, who is now threatening to sue the book's author. The book, entitled "Fate: Lonely Zhang Yimou," was ...China.org.cn, 1 week ago Mud flys the other way CHINAdaily Europe, 2 weeks ago Book reveals real drama in Chinese filmmaker's life CHINAdaily.com.cn, 2 weeks ago Taken for a ride? CHINAdaily Europe, 2 weeks ago
Cast confirmed for Zhang Yimou-helmed …
Washington, Mar 12 (ANI): It has been announced that the cast for the Zhang Yimou-helmed epic 'The Great Wall,' that can be a game-changer as a rare U.S.-China co-production, has been locked. As per Deadline.com, in addition to Matt Damon, who ...Yahoo! India, 2 weeks ago Zhang Yimou's new film reveals star-studded cast CHINAdaily.com.cn, 2 weeks ago Zhang Yimou's new film China.org.cn, 2 weeks ago Zhang Yimou's 'The Great Wall' Adds Andy Lau, More Chinese Actors Yahoo! News, 2 weeks ago
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An unusual kiss-and-tell style biography of Zhang Yimou portrays the leading Chinese director as stubborn yet credulous and manipulable, lousy at personal communication, and a victim of emotional blackmail. The book, Fate: Zhang Yimou The Lonely, ...Variety, 2 weeks ago REUTERS - Biography of Zhang Yimou Reveals Scandalous Underbelly of Chinese Film Namibia Press Agency, 2 weeks ago
Films coming up: That Sugar Film, French Film Festival, Zhang Yimou, Gong Li and Paul Thomas Anderson
THAT SUGAR FILM PG, 90 minutes. Q&A screenings until Thursday, March 5 (see thatsugarfilm.com) Australian actor turned director Damon Gameau, who surprises his body with 40 teaspoons of sugar a day from supposedly healthy foods in this brightly ...Melbourne Age, 1 month ago
In pictures: Director Zhang Yimou and his family
Zhang, his mother, wife and children Zhang 's wife Chen Ting and their three children Chen Ting plays with her sons Chen Ting and the kids Zhang Yimou and his sons Zhang Yimou and his kids Pose for a group photo A happy family Zhang and his mother ...SINA, 1 month ago
Zhang Yimou awarded lifetime achievement at Macau Film Festival
Chinese director Zhang Yimou, center, poses with his trophy during the 6th Macau International Movie Festival in Macau, China, Dec 30, 2014. Chinese film director Zhang Yimou has been awarded with a lifetime achievement award at the sixth Macau ...CHINAdaily.com.cn, 2 months ago
Andy Lau rounds off cast for Zhang Yimou's The Great Wall
"Internal Affairs" actor Andy Lau has joined the cast of Legendary Entertainment's "The Great Wall," which is set to go into production at the end of this month. Lau is among the final additions to the US-China co-production, alongside other ...Yahoo! News, 2 weeks ago Andy Lau joins cast for Zhang Yimou's The Great Wall Malay Mail, 2 weeks ago HK actor Andy Lau roughing it out in new movie Asiaone, 5 days ago Andy Lau returns to CCTV's Spring Gala Festival Yahoo! Singapore, 2 months ago
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Ipe price rise
After 3 years of stable prices, my price for Ipe has finally gone up. I've been expecting it, as the dollar has been getting weaker.
My old price for 1x6 was $2.88 per linear foot. new price $3.82. I have some bids out, and I may have to adjust prices on them. What is your price per LF?
It is interesting to note the cost of most domestic building materials has decreased over the last couple of years, at least around here. The rise in Ipe has to be a combination of the weakening dollar and the rapid economic growth in Brazil. It certainly isn't because of increased demand or consumption in the US market.
According to my supplier, the Ipe prices went up March 2. The new price is $3.50 for 4/4x6 for a unit, or $3.75 for a small order.
Good heads up, Steve. It's important to be on top of the materials costs when scoping jobs. It looks like I'll be pitching Cumaru or Garapa instead of Ipe, (if anybody even asks.)
The last few deck jobs I looked at, I started talking about prices for a new deck, and the next thing I am explaining to the customer that if they only want the deck repaired to last another year or two, just leave it alone, maybe don't have too many guests out there...save up your money for when you can afford to do it right.
Oh, well. Good thing I have foreclosures to fix. And businesses with tennant turnover. And plenty of facilities that have to last a few more years befor they can afford to build new.
I talked to the guy locally - and he said that his new cost will be close to what he is selling his current warehouse full for. He will be raising his price as soon as the first new shipment arrives. Which sounded better than raising it before (like a gas station)
he said that the cost went up for him, citing mainly the dwindling value of the dollar.


text:
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Video: Tags: dance
A tag is a word or phrase that helps you find video clips with similar content. View all tags »
L.A. Holiday Celebration | Performance | L.A. Contemporary Dance Company | PBS
L.A. Contemporary Dance Company performs at the LA Holiday Celebration. 03:50
L.A. Holiday Celebration | Inside The Artistry | Catch Me Bird | PBS
Marriage provides rich source material for the dance duo. 01:45
L.A. Holiday Celebration | Performance | Sharanya Mukhopadhyay | PBS
Sharanya Mukhopadhyay performs at LA Holiday Celebration. 04:34
L.A. Holiday Celebration | Inside The Artistry | Sharanya | PBS
Sharanya performs Durga Stuti at the LA Holiday Celebration. 01:41
L.A. Holiday Celebration | Inside The Artistry | LA Contemporary & Pacific Dance | PBS
Pacific Dance performs at the LA Holiday Celebration. 01:27
Conversations with War Vets | Victoria Marks: Memory, Loss and Dance | PBS
Conversations with War Vets | Peace. Be Still: Cid Williams | PBS
War veteran Cid Williams talks bout being diagnosed with PTST and collaborating with choreographer Victoria Marks. 02:36
Conversations with War Vets | John H. Tingley II: Faking Normal | PBS
With war veteran John H. Tingley II on being diagnosed with PTST and collaborating on dance project "Veterans". 03:04
Circus | Singing in the Rain: Evolution of an Act | PBS
Barry Lubin and Mark Gindick cook up a clown gag inspired by "Singin' in the Rain." 02:46
Circus | The Creation of Olympia | PBS
The creation of Oliver Taquin's new act begins with a unique collaboration. 03:04
Cirque du Soleil: Flowers in the Desert | Trailer | PBS
Trailer for "Cirque du Soleil: Flowers in the Desert". Mesmerizing performances from six Las Vegas Cirque du Soleil shows that have never been broadcast on television or presented on DVD in the... 04:00
CIRCUS | Meet the Rodion Trio | PBS
See the graceful Russian barre routine and meet the people behind the act in this clip. PBS' CIRCUS takes an unforgettable trip with the legendary Big Apple Circus — from the big top to the "back... 02:29
Great Performances | A Ballet in Sneakers: Jerome Robbins and Opus Jazz | PBS (#3508)
Watch the documentary that contextualizes the importance of Opus Jazz and Robbins' career 09:48
Great Performances | Improvisations, Movement #3 | PBS (#3508)
Watch the third movement from Jerome Robbins' ballet, NY Export: Opus Jazz 04:26
Circus | Behind the Trick: Wire Walking | PBS
Circus performer Sarah Schwarz describes what it feels like to perform her tightwire act. 00:45


text:
Dr. Thomas C. Spoor, MD
- 2595 Harbor Blvd Ste 105
Port Charlotte, FL 33952
- 3 Locations
- (941) 627-3238
Dr. Thomas C. Spoor graduated from the University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio in 1974. He works in Port Charlotte, FL and 2 other locations and specializes in Ophthalmology. Dr. Spoor is affiliated with Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, Saint John Hospital & Medical Center, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, St John Macomb-Oakland Hospital Macomb Center and St John River District Hospital. He speaks English and Spanish.View More
Gender: Male
Languages Spoken: English, Spanish
Medical School: University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio; Graduated 1974
*This physician has multiple office locations. See Office Information for details.


text:
Latest News
- J-Buckle All Natural Cattle Exceed Niman Ranch Specifications
- J-Buckle Genetics Document Increased Profitability for Commercial Bull Customers
J-Buckle Ranch's
7th Annual Angus Sale
Monday, March 30, 2015
At the ranch • Willow, Oklahoma
Selling approximately
75 Angus bulls and 35 bred Angus heifers
View sale book
View Current EPDs (3/20/15)
Watch the sale and bid live online at LiveAuctions.tv
See photos and video of some sale highlights
If you are searching for a seedstock supplier, we encourage
you to consider J-Buckle. Our goal is to produce Angus
seedstock that provides profitable marketing opportunities
for our customers. Contact us if we can help move your beef
operation forward.


text:
"Better seen on tv"
Nice to listen to but I think you get a better understanding and better perspective on the debate if you watch it instead. However, if you don't have time to watch it, I recommend listening to it.
The spin both camps put on the debate make it hard to understand what really happened.
Report Inappropriate Content
If you find this review inappropriate and think it should be removed from our site, let us know. This report will be reviewed by Audible and we will take appropriate action.


text:
Tag: analogue
Lomography Singapore and Parallel Planets Present: 'Façades: Neo-Noir Portraits Exhibition'written by edwinchau on 2015-03-25 in #world #events
Lomography Singapore plays host to Parallel Planets' first exhibition, "Façades: Neo-Noir Portraits Exhibition," featuring all-analog photography: a sea of black and white film portraits. This exhibition serves as a platform where both local and international photographers can express themselves by injecting individual perspectives into their craft. It also encourages viewers to look through the lens of the photographers, to see the subjects as who they are – flawed, alive, and breathing – and to also see beyond the façades we all choose to don.5 12 Share Tweet
Competition: Lomography x The Staveswritten by lomographyfrance on 2015-02-24 in #world #competitions
Do you know the folk rock trio The Staves? You will undoubtedly love them with this competition! On the occassion of their upcoming release of their new album "If I was" on 23rd March, we offer tickets for their concerts, vinyl records and Lomography cameras!2 11 Share Tweet
Art Shack Art Supply Storewritten by rviferreira on 2015-01-11 in #world #locations
At the geographic center of the Canadian Maritime Provinces, right at the heart of Moncton city lies the Art Shack, an art supply store and studio. Originally established in Sackville NB, the Art Shack art supply store and studio is run by local artists. It provides a myriad of art materials and framing, and focus an approach of education through art to the surrounding communities. Some of the most iconic Lomography analogue cameras are available at the store.4 Share Tweet
My Key to Escaping Digital Confinement: The Lomo LC-Widewritten by nickpage on 2015-01-09 in #lifestyle
I'm Nick Page, a graphic designer based in the UK. After 20 years of working in advertising, I returned to film photography five years ago and found that the analogue life was just what I needed to get away from the "pixel perfect" images I deal with every day in my job.4 14 Share Tweet
Film Lesson: Take Photos of the People and Things You Lovewritten by cheeo on 2014-11-21 in #lifestyle
It's been more than a year since I started shooting film again and I can only hope to shoot more.4 Share Tweet
Trucks: An Obsessive Series of Polaroids by French Artist Clément Sannawritten by clementsanna on 2014-11-10 in #lifestyle
French artist Clément Sanna collects Polaroid snapshots of trucks.3 Share Tweet
Sebastemulsion: A New Revolution in 35mm Filmwritten by sebastemulsion on 2014-10-10 in #lifestyle
Are you bored with standard color negative films? Check out these new kinds of film!22 Share Tweet
The Analogue Quiz: What 35mm Slide Film are You?written by andie_sollmer on 2014-09-17 in #news
Cross Processing can turn out to be great fun if you are using the right film. Ever wondered which slide film fits your character? Find out in our second Lomography Analogue Quiz!13 9 Share Tweet
Lomography Petzval Lens Photography Tipswritten by gothcupcake on 2014-08-14 in #gear #tipster
My boyfriend Scott (@xtharnx) and I are based in Phoenix, Arizona and enjoy experimenting with the Lomography Petzval Lens for its fabulous bokeh effects and dreamy, swirly portraits. Here are a few tips for getting the most out of your Petzval Lens.7 Share Tweet
The Petzval Apprentice Winner Announcementwritten by shhquiet on 2014-08-06 in #competitions
Last month, we launched the very first photo competition to honor the phenomenal New Petzval Lens. With over 300 submissions, choosing the very best ones was certainly a challenge! Are you ready to see who made the cut?6 9 Share Tweet
Zines and Lomo: The Perfect Analogue Attitudewritten by mikekumagai on 2014-07-23 in #lifestyle
At the Auckland Zinefest 2014, photographer/lomographer Mike Kumagai took to the event to explore the indie world of self-publishing. Unique, eccentric, and with an attitude of doing something different - zines and Lomo share the perfect analogue lifestyle.2 2 Share Tweet
The Petzval Apprentice Competitionwritten by shhquiet on 2014-07-21 in #competitions
Calling all Petzval Fans! We're inviting you to participate in a special photo competition that aims to highlight your Petzval prowess. The Petzval Apprentice Competition is the first photo contest that is dedicated to the esteemed New Petzval Lens; it's your chance to make a mark in analogue history! Start polishing those optics and get ready to begin shooting your winning masterpiece. The 5 winning photos will even be displayed in our Lomography Gallery Stores worldwide and you can get your winning photo as a print to keep!16 32 Share Tweet
World Chocolate Daywritten by andie_sollmer on 2014-07-07 in #news
Gather all the muffins,chocolate bars and chocolate cookies you can find, because it's World Chocolate Day!2 Share Tweet
Is Having Your Analogue Treasure Repaired Worth It?written by inrod on 2014-06-30 in #gear #tipster
Sometimes it is worth having your analogue camera repaired instead of getting a replacement. Read on to find out why.9 12 Share Tweet
Petzval Lens User Review: An Unexpected Happinesswritten by sanamiii on 2014-06-06 in #reviews
It is my first time to use the New Petzval Lens outside of work and I got some surprising photos!3 Share Tweet
Proudly Introducing the Lomo'Instant Camera!written by shhquiet on 2014-05-27 in #news
Yes it's here! We are incredibly proud to launch our first dedicated instant camera via Kickstarter, available in four editions and packed with features for limitless and instant experimentation. Find out more here ...6 13 Share Tweet
Postcards from Rzhavchinowritten by alexander_krolikowski on 2014-05-23 in #lifestyle
I would like to tell you about the Zhuzhalka. Zhuzhalka is the slag waste that remains after coal mining. But in this story, in our case, we have another meaning for this word. Here, the Zhuzhalka is a Ukrainian group of young photographers. These photos are by artists from Donetsk city in eastern Ukraine. The name of the project was influenced by the geographic specialization of Donetsk.8 Share Tweet
Large-scale Scarlet Camera Oscura Photgraphs by Motohiro Takedawritten by cheeo on 2014-05-12 in #lifestyle
As if using a camera obscura isn't cool enough, photographer Motohiro Takeda ups the ante by adding the human figure and other objects as photographic subjects in this series of fiery-red analogue photographs.1 Share Tweet
Analogue Diary: The Way of St. Jameswritten by lomographyembassyspain on 2014-05-12 in #people #lomoamigos
Our LomoFriend @mmeolenka is enlisting in an passionate analogue adventure.Share Tweet
Create a Variant MX with Various Types of Filmswritten by ekeupratama on 2014-05-05 in #gear #tipster
This is the magic of analogue photography. This is one of the so many reasons why we choose Lomography. This is Multiple Exposure photography.4 10 Share Tweet
An Analogue Roadtrip to the Petzval Museum in Spišská Belá, Slovakiawritten by pan_dre on 2014-04-08 in #world #locations
Once we heard that just a few hours away from Vienna in a small town called Spišská Belá exists a Joseph Petzval Museum, we knew we had to pack our cameras and hit the road.1 18 Share Tweet
Film Photography Day 2014 in The Netherlands and Belgiumwritten by anna-lomo on 2014-03-31 in #news
It's Film Photography Day on April 12, and at the Lomography Stores in Amsterdam and Antwerp you can participate in exciting activities with us - a Diana F+ workshop, the opportunity to borrow a Lomography camera for the whole day, and so much more! Check out all the details after the jump!Share Tweet
Lomography Konstruktor- Perfect for newbieswritten by el-bateman on 2014-03-25 in #reviews
Looking for reference when building your Konstruktor? Here's a review for use of beginners with pictures of the building process.2 1 Share Tweet
Analogue meets Digital - The new Instax Share Printerwritten by pearlyo on 2014-03-18 in #reviews
Using the Fuji Instax Mini film, this handy little printer does everything that her camera counterparts do...and more.2 2 Share Tweet
Film Swap with Javiergapwritten by cohetesnaranjas on 2014-03-11 in #lifestyle
Uncertainty, curiosity, and surprise are heavy enough reasons as to why you should never refuse an offer for a film swap.1 Share Tweet
My Analogue Alphabetwritten by atria007 on 2014-03-11 in #lifestyle
The alphabet is composed of letters that form words when they're put together. But I've given a different meaning to the alphabet by creating an analogue alphabet. I'm sure you'd have other words to represent these letters, but these are the ones I've chosen. Which one do you think is my favorite?3 Share Tweet
A Film Nightmarewritten by emmaalouise on 2014-03-09 in #lifestyle
"Haunted by the present, she looks to the past" tells the story of a woman reflecting her life through memory in an audio-visual soundscape. Traveling into the past in a sometimes nightmarish state of mind, the narrative blurs and distorts into a new reality - revealing a somewhat colorful, burning new picture of truth.4 Share Tweet
A 52-Week Film Project Will Keep You Shootingwritten by zombiesinmygarden on 2014-03-01 in #gear #tipster
Here's one idea for a 52-week film project, you simply shoot and develop one roll of film, every week for a year. It will keep you shooting film throughout the year, saving you from falling into a photography slump. It will also allow you to experiment with your ever growing camera collection.2 14 Share Tweet
Do You Know LomoAmiga: Oleñka Carrasco?written by lomographyembassyspain on 2014-02-27 in #people #lomoamigos
Let us introduce you the analogical artist Oleñka Carrasco. This Thursday, she inaugurates her exhibition in Lomography Echegaray and Saturday, she offers a workshop with Lomography Spain full of creativity. Here you'll start to know a bit more about her.1 Share Tweet
Studio Portraits of Vintage Gear by Julian Calverleywritten by cruzron on 2014-02-24 in #lifestyle
These are beauty shots that'll really make you swoon! Photographer Julian Calverley puts old analogue cameras on a pedestal and shoots them to look their very best. Check them out after the jump!3 Share Tweet


text:
The present invention relates generally to global noise or sound control and, more particularly, to the control or sound radiated from stationary induction apparatus such as power transformers and shunt reactors by use of active enclosures and active panels. The purpose of the invention is to markedly reduce the radiation of sound from the machine to all observation points in the surrounding field with a very lightweight, compact, non-airtight structure which does not impair maintenance or repair of the machine.
1. A quiet stationary induction apparatus comprising:
induction means,
a tank means surrounding said induction means so as to provide a space therebetween,
a fluid medium in said space, said induction apparatus adapted to produce vibration phenomena in said medium and on said tank means,
an active noise attenuation means including a control means associated with said tank means and adapted to produce counter vibration phenomena in an acoustically coupled fashion to thereby attenuate noise resulting from said vibration phenomena, said active noise attenuation means including an actuator means located adjacent said tank means including curved surface actuators having their curved surface facing standing wave forms of vibration phenomena on said tank means, and an accompanying sensor means associated therewith for sensing the residual signal resulting from the interaction of said vibration phenomena and counter vibration phenomena, said sensor means including first sensors located approximately midway between said tank means and said curved surfaces,
said actuator means including piezoceramic actuators mounted on said tank means over localized areas of high vibration, and
said sensor means further including second sensors located on said piezoceramic actuators to thereby provide residual signals to said control means to enable it to attenuate both standing wave forms and localized areas of high vibration phenomena.
2. A method of quieting stationary induction apparatus using active noise cancellation techniques, said method comprising:
measuring the areas of maximum deformation adjacent said apparatus caused by vibratory phenomena,
placing actuator means in those areas of maximum deformation including placing large actuator means adjacent areas where the deformation phenomena takes on the shape of a standing large wave form, and
placing small actuator means adjacent areas having a local deformation phenomena,
hooking said small actuators together electronically into one channel, and
activating said actuator means so as to cause counter and opposite vibratory phenomena to thereby attenuate said deformation and quiet said apparatus.
3. An active noise attenuation system for controlling vibration phenomena produced by a stationary induction apparatus, said system comprising:
adaptive controller means with control channels for generating control signals,
active acoustic actuator means having a sound radiating surface operatively connected to said controller means and adapted to be placed adjacent said stationary induction apparatus for controlling said vibration phenomena by emitting counter vibration phenomena derived from the control signals into the acoustic space between said sound radiating surface of said acoustic actuator means and said apparatus, and
acoustic sensor means located in the acoustic space between said acoustic actuator means and said apparatus and operatively connected to said adaptive controller means for providing error sensor signals thereto to constantly update the attenuation process.
4. A system as in claim 3 wherein said acoustic actuator means include panels which are curved in one direction and flat in the other direction wherein said counter vibration phenomena are caused by flexural vibrations in said panel.
5. A system as in claim 4 in which the curved surface of said panel is directed to face the surface of said apparatus.
6. A system as in claim 3 and including vibration actuator means attached to the surface of said apparatus.
7. A system as in claim 6 and including vibration sensing means attached to the surface of said apparatus, said vibration sensing means being operatively connected to said controller for providing error sensor signals thereto to constantly update the attenuation process.
8. A system as in claim 6 wherein said vibration actuator means comprises piezoceramic actuators attached to said apparatus on areas producing localized high vibration.
9. A system as in claim 8 wherein said sensor means includes accelerometer means mounted on said piezoceramic actuators.
10. A system as in claim 6 in which said acoustic actuators are used to control said vibration phenomenon in a prescribed low frequency range and said vibration actuators are used to control said vibration phenomenon at other frequencies.
11. A system as in claim 3 and including additional acoustic sensors in a region removed from said acoustic actuators and said apparatus.
12. A system as in claim 11 in which said additional acoustic sensors are acoustic intensity probes.
13. A system as in claim 6 in which a plurality of said vibration actuators are electronically linked to a single channel of said controller.
This application is a continuation of application No. 08/118,839 filed Sep. 3, 1993, now abandoned.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a noise-reduction system for reducing the noise generated from the tank of a stationary induction apparatus such as a power transformer or a shunt reactor. It is a particular implementation of an "Active Acoustic Transmission Loss Box" described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. PCT/US92/08401 filed 8 Oct. 1992.
2. Background Art
Stationary induction apparatus such as power transformers and shunt reactors are used in utility substations and elsewhere for electric power transmission. These devices produce a low-frequency hum that is a source of noise pollution for persons working or living near the substations. The noise is due to magnetostriction of the core being transmitted to the tank (either directly or through the oil). The vibrating tank in turn radiates acoustic energy to the far field. The stationary induction apparatus in North America generate 120 Hz tones (plus harmonics of the 120 Hz fundamental).
Passive techniques have been tried to decrease noise of stationary induction apparatus with only limited success. One method requires surrounding the transformer or reactor with an expensive masonry building. Another approach discussed by Minoru Kanoi, et al., "Noise Reduction Device for Stationary Induction Apparatus," U.S. Pat. No. 4,514,714 dated Apr. 30, 1985, incorporated by reference herein, requires completely covering the tank with complex, multilayer sound-damping panels. Each of these panels also require finely tuned absorbers. Both of these approaches are expensive and limit maintenance and repair. In addition, the passive panels are not suitable for use as a retrofit. Noise reduction is limited to only about 10 dBA with these passive techniques.
Active techniques also have been tried to decrease noise of stationary induction apparatus with only limited success. For example, Conover, "Noise Reducing System for Transformers," U.S. Pat. No. 2,776,020, Jan. 1, 1957, incorporated by reference herein, mounted an array of loudspeakers along one side of a transformer and was able to reduce the noise from one side of the transformer for brief periods of time, at which time his circuitry required readjustment. More recently Angevine "Active Cancellation of the Hum of Large Electric Transformers," Proceedings of Inter-noise '92, July 20-22, 1992, Toronto, Canada, incorporated by reference herein, repeated this experiment using an array of 8 loudspeakers, and two 4-channel, adaptive controllers to adjust the signals to the loudspeakers. Angevine used loudspeakers located a few meters from the transformer, and microphones about 30 m from the transformer. It is very difficult to obtain adequate noise measurements with the microphones so far removed from the transformer. Low background noise is required to obtain adequate signal-to-noise ratios. Small amounts of wind or small changes in temperature will degrade the transfer function measurement. Angevine reports limited reduction over a narrow angle (30�) or less. Angevine reports degraded performance with wind or thermal changes. This approach is of little commercial utility because it does not provide continuous, global cancellation of the transformer noise, and is physically obstructive.
Another active method that has been tried with limited success is the use of vibrators attached to the tank walls as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,751. The difficulty with this approach is that the tank vibration can be decreased locally where the vibrator is attached, but the vibration invariably increases elsewhere on the tank when canceling the first harmonic. This difficulty is due to a volumetric change in the transformer core at the fundamental frequency of the magnetostriction. Since the transformer oil is essentially incompressible, decreasing the vibration at one point on the tank likely results in increasing the vibration in other uncontrolled areas of the tank. Controlling the entire tank surface is not practical, with the net result that global noise reduction is not obtained.
What is required to obtain continuous, global cancellation of the transformer noise is a particular implementation of an "Active Acoustic Transmission Loss Box" as described by Fuller, McLoughlin and Hildebrand in PCT Application PCT/US92/08401 filed 8 Oct. 1992 (incorporated by reference herein), together with a multiple-interactive, self-adapting controller, as described by Tretter, "Repetitive Phenomena Cancellation Arrangement with Multiple Sensors and Actuators," U.S. Pat. No. 5,091,953 dated Feb. 25, 1992 (incorporated by reference herein). As described by Fuller et al, active enclosures and active panels can be used to reduce noise from machinery such as power transformers. However, there are certain unique and unusual modifications that are required for the "Active Acoustic Transmission Loss Box" to be commercially successful for the control of noise from power transformers and similar machinery.
The invention described herein consists of a system of actuators and sensors attached to a transformer and connected to a multiple-interactive, self-adaptive controller, with said system producing large global, far-field sound reductions at reasonable cost. The method for determining where to place the actuators and sensors is a claim of the invention. Also claimed are preferred embodiments of actuators necessary to achieve said sound reduction, which are suitable for use outdoors exposed to the environment for many years.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to achieve high attenuation of radiated sound from stationary induction apparatus without the disadvantages of the prior art. This is achieved with a particular implementation of an "Active Acoustic Transmission Loss Box" utilizing both an active-enclosure and active-panels.
It is another object of the invention to achieve very high global (here global means throughout an extended volume) reduction of sound with the above active panels constructed from very lightweight thin material, and the sides of the tank itself used as an active-enclosure to reduce radiated noise.
It is also an object of this invention to achieve very high global sound attenuation with active-panels which do not completely surround the machinery (i.e., are not airtight), rather they have significant air gaps or holes located between the active panels.
It is another object of this invention to achieve very high global sound attenuation with sensors located very close or on the surface of the transformer or machinery, in order to mitigate otherwise crippling noise due to the environment (e.g., wind or road noise), or adjacent machinery (e.g., adjoining transformers).
It is another object of this invention to achieve very high global sound attenuation with a multiple-interactive, self-adapting controller which has the ability to automatically recalibrate on-line (i.e., on-line system identification) to remain effective with large changes in load to the machinery, or large changes in environmental factors (e.g., temperature or humidity).
It is still another object of this invention to achieve very high global sound attenuation with actuators and sensors located on the top, sides and bottom of the transformers, as necessary to obtain a large global noise reduction.
It is a further object of this invention to achieve said reductions using sensors consisting of microphones measuring sound pressure, accelerometers measuring tank vibration, or a combination of microphones and/or accelerometers measuring sound intensity with appropriate signal processing.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a method of optimizing the noise attenuation of an induction apparatus by measuring sound intensity, creating a plot from said measurements and actively quieting said induction noise based on said plot.
These and other objects will become apparent to those reasonably skilled in the art when reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a transformer showing actuators used for the active enclosure and active panels, and microphone sensors.
FIG. 2 shows three views of a transformer tank.
FIG. 3 shows a vibration test result for the east side of the transformer tank shown in FIG. 2 at 120 Hz.
FIG. 4 shows the sound intensity for the east side of the transformer tank shown in FIG. 2 at 120 Hz.
FIG. 5 shows a vibration test result for the east side of the transformer tank shown in FIG. 2 at 240 Hz.
FIG. 6 shows the sound intensity for the east side of the transformer tank shown in FIG. 2 at 240 Hz.
FIG. 7 shows a vibration test result for the north side of the transformer tank shown in FIG. 2 at 120 Hz.
FIG. 8 shows the sound intensity for the north side of the transformer tank shown in FIG. 2 at 120 Hz.
FIG. 9 shows a vibration test result for the north side of the transformer tank shown in FIG. 2 at 240 Hz.
FIG. 10 shows the sound intensity for the north side of the transformer tank shown in FIG. 2 at 240 Hz.
FIG. 11 shows a detailed view of a multilayer ceramic with a cut-away view of the tank wall such that the tank wall acts as an active enclosure.
FIG. 12 shows a cut-away view of a tank wall showing two horizontal ribs. Also shown is a typical scheme for locating the piezo-actuators on the tank wall.
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of one configuration of an active panel.
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of one configuration of an active panel.
FIGS. 15a and 15b show how an active panel is tuned for optimal performance.
FIG. 16 is a cut-away view of a rib of a transformer tank with an adjacent view of an active panel. This figure shows a typical interaction between a transformer tank and an active panel.
FIGS. 17 and 18 show a preferred layout of piezoceramics and active panels for the east and north sides of the transformer shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 19 shows a cross-section of a different transformer tank design. Note the supports between the tank and the foundation. FIG. 19 shows some typical alternative locations for the piezo-actuators and active panels, including the use of actuators and sensors to quiet radiator noise.
FIG. 20 shows a block diagram of the complete active control system.
FIGS. 21 and 22 show the noise reductions obtained with active control system installed on the transformer for which the tank is illustrated in FIG. 2.
Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description in which has been shown and described only the preferred embodiments of the invention by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated for carrying out the invention. As will be obvious this invention is capable of other and different embodiments and its several details are capable of modifications in several obvious ways without departing from the invention. Consequently the drawings and description are to be regarded as merely illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.
Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals are used throughout the various views to designate like parts, and more particularly to FIG. 1; 1 denotes a transformer tank and 2 denotes the transformer core and core windings. Filling the tank 1 and surrounding the core 2 is the transformer oil 3. The transformer tank 1 rests on the foundation, 4. Typical side stiffeners 5 are shown in four places.
A typical active control system configuration is shown in FIG. 1. A side view of active panels, 6 is shown in four places. These are supported from a stand 7 or attached via support 8 directly to the transformer. A side view of the piezo-actuators, 9 is shown in six places. These are attached directly to the tank 1. Several microphones are also shown. One microphone 10 is located between the active panel 6 and the rib 5. Another 11 is mounted directly to the tank. Another microphone 12 is mounted on its own stand.
FIG. 2 shows a typical transformer tank 1. This tank is about 8 ft. wide by 4 ft. deep and 10 feet tall, and is for a 7.5 MVA transformer. In order to determine the manner it is producing noise, an "operating-deflection-shape" is taken for each side of the transformer. Specifically, one accelerometer is held stationary (e.g., placed on a corner of one side of the tank 1), and a second accelerometer is used to "scan" the surface of the tank 1. That is, the magnitude and phase relative to the reference accelerometer is measured every few inches along the surface of the transformer tank 1. This measurement is performed with the primary-side of the transformer energized and the secondary-side under normal load. The resulting measurements are broken into frequency components, and the resulting spatial wave forms of the surface of the tank are determined. A view of the east side of the tank 1 motion at 120 Hz is shown in FIG. 3. This figure is a "snapshot" of the peak motion of the surface of the tank at 120 Hz, frozen in time. A series of horizontal lines representing the surface of the tank are shown. These horizontal lines would appear as straight lines on the undeformed surface. There is a gap along the vertical centerline because the left and right sides were measured separately and pieced together. Notice how both horizontal ribs 5 appear to be bulging outward. They both "bulge" inward 180� later in phase. This vibration data can be used to calculate the radiated sound field, using either the Rayleigh Integral (by treating each side of the transformer as if it were in an infinite baffle) or the Boundary-Element-Method. The sound intensity for the east side was calculated at a few inches from the surface of the tank using the FIG. 3 measurement data and the Rayleigh Integral, and the results are shown in FIG. 4. The sound intensity at the same distance from the east side was also measured with virtually identical results. The two "bulges" in FIG. 4 correspond to the horizontal ribs. Clearly the rib motion is the primary acoustic source at 120 Hz. The operating deflection shape for the east side at 240 Hz is shown in FIG. 5, and the corresponding predicted sound intensity is shown in FIG. 6. For the east side at 240 Hz, both the ribs 5 and the tank 1 between the ribs 5 are significant sources of acoustic energy.
This process was then repeated for the north side of the tank shown in FIG. 2. The operating deflection shape for the north side at 120 Hz is shown in FIG. 7, and the calculated sound intensity is shown in FIG. 8. The bottom of the tank 1 on the north side is a primary acoustic source at 120 Hz. The operating deflection shape for the north side at 240 Hz is shown in FIG. 9, and the calculated sound intensity is shown in FIG. 10. The two ribs 5 of the tank 1 on the north side are the primary acoustic source at 240 Hz.
The process was repeated for the west and south sides. Higher harmonics (i.e., 360 Hz, 480 Hz, etc.) could also have been evaluated in a similar manner, but it was concluded that the higher harmonics were not significant acoustic sources for this transformer.
Understanding the transformer tank as an acoustic source as described above is a vital first step in developing an active control strategy. Previous active-control approaches utilizing loudspeakers and microphones distant from the transformer failed due to their inability to recognize the importance of tightly coupling the anti-noise sources to the noise sources. By "tightly couple" it is meant for the anti-noise source to match as close as possible the location, distribution and level of the noise source. Tight coupling is essential in active control to obtain global reductions with minimal cost. Of course, this first requires performing baseline measurements as discussed above to understand the transformer tank as an acoustic source, so the location, distribution and level of anti-noise sources can be determined. The method of performing baseline measurements for locating actuators is an aspect of this invention.
For controlling transformer noise, the best coupling is obtained by attaching actuators directly to the transformer tank, such as piezoceramics. However, a special precaution is necessary for controlling the first harmonic of the transformer noise (120 Hz). This is because magnetostriction in the core causes a volumetric change of the core. Thus the core is effectively a displacement source at the first harmonic. Since the transformer oil is incompressible, the displacement source of the core transfers directly to the tank, so that the tank becomes a large displacement source. Controlling the vibration of this large displacement source is not practical--an excessive amount of force would be required (i.e., there would be a lack of sufficient "control authority"). Previous attempts at controlling the first harmonic failed because they tried to control the tank vibration. The satisfactory approach is to use active panels mounted close but not touching the tank. These active panels act as tuned absorbers which capture the acoustic energy before it can be radiated to the far-field.
FIG. 11 shows a detailed view of the piezo-actuator 9 attached to tank 1. This is typically a multilayer device with integral sensor, 12. Such a device is described by Hildebrand in "Low-Voltage Bender Piezo Actuator," U.S. patent application, Ser. No. 08/057,944 filed May 5, 1993, incorporated by reference herein. FIG. 11 shows the wiring configuration for a two layer device; however, many layers typically are used. The piezoceramic is suitably coated for environmental protection. The sensor can be a microphone or an accelerometer, or a combination of the two. The signal from these sensors would typically be filtered in such a way that the signal represents a far-field sound pressure measurement (unless both an accelerometer and a microphone are used, in which case the filtered signal represents the sound intensity).
Once it has been determined from base-line testing which tank modes are the primary acoustic sources, these tank modes can be controlled using properly-placed piezoceramics for the second and higher-order modes. When the piezoceramics are placed on the tank, the tank becomes an active enclosure for the transformer (or reactor) core. FIG. 12 shows the method for placing the piezo-actuators on the tank. FIG. 12 shows a portion of the transformer tank 1 between two ribs 5. Superimposed on the tank is an operating-deflection-shape x typical of what might be measured for the second harmonic. Let's assume that the baseline testing has shown this operating deflection shape is occurring at the second harmonic, and that it is a significant acoustic source. Piezoceramics 9a, 9b and 9c are placed at the center of each area of maximum dynamic strain energy. An actuator may not be required for each half wavelength--sufficient control authority often can be obtained using the single piezoceramic 9b depending on how hard the tank is being driven by the core.
If the resonant frequency of the tank mode being excited is close to a harmonic of the excitation frequency, then the tank mode will appear as a standing wave with opposite half wave lengths 180� out of phase. This is the case illustrated in FIG. 12. The piezoceramics 9a, 9b and 9c can then be tied to the same control channel, with the leads to the middle actuator (9b) reversed to obtain the 180� phase shift. If the resonant frequency of the tank mode being excited is not close to a harmonic of the excitation frequency, then the tank mode will appear as a traveling wave with each half wavelength having a slightly difference phase. Then each piezoceramic 9 must be tied to a different control channel.
Note that the piezoceramics for this active enclosure typically consume very little power--less than 25 watts, and more typically less than 5 watts.
Typically piezoceramics will not provide adequate control authority for tank modes near the fundamental excitation frequency (120 Hz). This likely is due to a volumetric change in the core at the fundamental frequency, together with the incompressibility of the transformer oil. For this case, active panels are more effective than active enclosures. The compressible air between the active panel and the tank sufficiently decouples the actuator so that control-authority is not a problem.
A cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of an active panel is shown in FIG. 13. Item 13 is a panel sheet with a slight curvature, made out of metallic or non-metallic material preferably with low structural damping. The curvature is provided since it is dimensionally more stable than a flat panel--thus it is easier to tune and keep tuned. This sheet 13 is clamped to a flat plate 14 using square tubes 16 and fasteners 17.
Another view of the active panel is shown in FIG. 14. The curved sheet is driven with a piezoceramic actuator 15 which has been attached such that it assumes the curvature of the curved sheet. Since the tones produced by the transformer are stationary, the active panel can easily be tuned to increase acoustic output. The sides of the panel are baffled in the preferred embodiment.
The preferred tuning method is shown in FIG. 15 which shows the curved sheet as flat for illustration purposes only. Superimposed on the flat sheet are the mode shapes to which the device is tuned. The dimensions of this sheet 13 are selected such that the (0,3) mode of FIG. 15a is excited when actuator 15 is driven at the fundamental resonance frequency of 120 Hz. The (1,3) mode is another effective anti-noise source; this mode shape is illustrated in FIG. 15b. Tuning the panel for the (0,3) mode to be at the fundamental excitation frequency of 120 Hz will result in the (1,3) mode being at a greater resonance frequency than the second harmonic (i.e., greater than the desired 240 Hz). However, the resonance frequency for the (1,3) mode can be lowered to the desired frequency (240 Hz) without affecting the (0,3) mode by placing weights 18 (see FIG. 13) along the nodal lines for the (0,3) mode where the peaks for the (1,3) mode are located. Using this approach to tune the panel, very little power is consumed by the panel when canceling transformer noise--typically less than 5 watts per panel, and often as little as 50 milliwatts per panel. This active panel arrangement is preferred to conventional loudspeaker designs because the distributed nature of the active panels couples much better with the distributed nature of the tank noise, and the piezoceramic driver 15 and sheet 13 are inherently more reliable than a moving coil and speaker cone. The active panel is fundamentally robust in design--it can easily be designed to be used outdoors exposed to the elements for many years without failure.
Interaction of the active panel with the transformer tank is illustrated in FIG. 16. FIG. 16 shows a section of the transformer tank 1 together with rib 5, with an operating deflection shape typical of the first harmonic shown with dashed lines. Also shown is an active panel 6, with the operating-deflection-shape typical of the first panel resonance. The phase relation between the tank and the active panel is clearly indicated--as the tank is a volumetric source, the active panel is a net anti-volumetric source. The error microphone 10 is sandwiched between the tank and the active panel, and the sound pressure level at the desired frequencies is minimized at this location. In this way, the active panel can absorb acoustic energy before it is radiated to the far-field.
This microphone/active panel arrangement is preferred for several reasons. First, placing the sensor near the tank ensures a high signal-to-noise ratio (thus limiting problems with noise such as those due to wind) and reduces cross terms between curved panels. Second, this arrangement results in global cancellation in the far-field even though the microphones are located very close (usually less than an inch) from the transformer surface. The curved panel can also cancel higher order harmonics. This results in fewer actuators since the active panel can now take the place of piezoceramics on the tank. For this case, a microphone location external to the active panel also may be required.
Using the actuators discussed above, an active control scheme was developed for the transformer shown in FIG. 2. Active panels were mounted on the tank over acoustic "hotspots" for 120 Hz noise. The active panels also were used to cancel any 240 Hz sources for which they coincidentally happened to be properly located. The remaining 240 Hz noise sources were canceled using piezoceramics attached directly on the tank. The actuator placement for the east and north sides of the tank is shown in FIGS. 17 and 18.
Piezofilm can be used instead of microphones or accelerometers to sense far-field noise (with appropriate signal filtering). Alternately, a pair of microphones (or an accelerometer plus a microphone) can be used to sense intensity (with appropriate signal filtering) as the error signal to be zeroed rather than sound pressure or tank acceleration.
Still another view of a transformer tank 1 is shown in FIG. 19. Here the transformer is mounted on supports which result in the bottom of the transformer tank being an acoustic source (in addition to the top being a potential acoustic source). FIG. 19 shows piezoceramics 9 being attached to the top, bottom, and bottom-supports of the tank 1, resulting in the top, bottom and bottom-supports becoming part of the active enclosure. Active panels 6 are also shown at the top and bottom of the transformer 1. Also shown in FIG. 19 is a radiator bank 20. If the radiator bank is an acoustic source, piezoceramics with integral sensors 9 can be attached to control the fin vibration. Alternately, inertial shakers such as 21 attached to the radiator fin can be used to control vibration. In addition, these piezoceramics or shakers on the fins can be used to drive the radiator fins as loudspeakers, with external microphones or intensity probes used as error sensors.
Operation of the "Global Quieting System for Stationary Induction Apparatus" is as follows as illustrated in FIG. 20. This particular control arrangement embodies a multiple-interactive, self-adaptive controller as discussed by Tretter (U.S. Pat. No. 5,091,953 incorporated by reference herein). For this example, the controller is "personal computer" (PC) based. This controller, built by Noise Cancellation Technologies, Inc. allows up to 64 inputs and up to 32 outputs. The inputs and outputs are fully coupled. Operation is such that the line voltage from any local 120 volt outlet is stepped down to about 1 volt using transformer 23 and sent to a processor board 25 in the PC based controller. This reference signal, 24 is related to the frequency content of the noise to be canceled. The reference signal 24 is also highly coherent with the output of the microphones (or other) error sensors.
The sound pressure level adjacent to the tank is measured by the microphones 10. The microphones convert the sound pressure to voltage signals which are routed to junction box 32 adjacent to the transformer. The error sensor signals are then routed by trunk cable to input filters 36 which are located in the control building in the substation yard. The filtered error-sensor signals are then sampled with Analog-to-Digital converters, 37 and sent to the processor board, 25. The digital error-sensor signals are then used in conjunction with the reference signal 24 and a filtered-X update equation in the processor board 25 in order to adapt or change the coefficients of adaptive digital filters in 25 and generate output signals which minimize the error-sensors as far as possible. The digital output signals from the processor board 25 are sent to Digital-to-Analog converters 27. The analog output signals are amplified by amplifiers 29 (powered by power supplies 30) and are routed by trunk cable from the substation building to the junction boxes 31 at the transformer. The amplified output signal is next routed to the active panels 6 and actuators 9 on the tank. The actuators 9 on the tank thereby cancel acoustically-radiating modes on the tank which are excited by the second harmonic of the excitation frequency (240 Hz). The active panels 6 on the tank thereby cancel noise radiated by acoustically-radiating modes on the tank which are excited by the fundamental excitation frequency (120 Hz). To decrease the number of actuators and control channels, the active panels 6 on the tank may also cancel noise radiated by modes on the tank which are excited by the second harmonic of the excitation frequency. The error sensors (shown as microphones 10 in FIG. 20) must be positioned near the transformer in a manner such that there is a large global reduction in the far-field. The PC based controller includes a modem (38) to allow remote communication and operation of the controller.
Note that for this system to work properly, terms in the transfer function matrix at 120 Hz typically must be zeroed for the piezoceramics on the tank, otherwise the signals to these actuators will include a 120 Hz component which will soon clip (due to the low control authority of piezoceramics on the tank at 120 Hz).
Large global reductions in far-field transformer noise were measured when the system described above was installed on the transformer, the tank for which is shown in FIG. 2. For example, reductions of 15 dBA were measured for the first and second harmonics. FIG. 21 shows the control-off/control-on performance of the system by transformer side for the 120 Hz tone. FIG. 22 shows the control-off/control-on performance of the system by transformer side for the 240 Hz tone. These measurements were made 10 meters from the transformer using a Bruel & Kjaer sound level meter with a one-third octave band filter. These measurements of sound reduction were limited by the background noise level in the vicinity of the sound level meter. Greater reductions were measured with lower background levels. For example, reductions of up to 28 dBA were measured for the first harmonic with low background noise-levels as would occur in residential areas at night or in the early morning. Note that the performance of the quieting system does not change with the background noise, because there is ample single-to-noise with the error microphones close to the transformer tank. It is only the perceived reduction measured by the sound level meter which varies with the background noise level.
The power consumed by the active control system is minimal. The most power measured for an actuator is 5 watts. Typical power consumption is 1 watt per actuator. Thus even for 50 actuators, total power consumption would be much less than 1 kilowatt. Thus power consumption by the system is not a problem.
Note for the active-control setup, all actuators and sensors are either on or immediately adjacent to the transformer. Thus there are no actuators or sensors in the yard where they are susceptible to damage or interfere with maintenance or repair at the substation.
Older existing transformers are particularly noisy. Substations in residential areas with these transformers installed typically do not meet current laws for property-line noise limits, and are often a source of complaints for utilities. There is often enough land area in these substations that newer, lower noise transformers would meet property-line noise limits. However, the older transformers may have decades of useful life remaining. Replacing the transformers strictly to lower noise is very expensive. Building passive enclosures around the noisy transformers is nearly as expensive. However, installation of the invention described herein allows transformer noise to be reduced to much lower levels at a fraction of the cost of transformer replacement or building a passive enclosure.
There are two types of losses in a transformer: winding losses and core losses. Most of the losses are in the windings, and these are easily reduced by adding winding material, with little increase to the overall size and weight of the transformer. However, the primary means available to the manufacturer to decrease noise is to decrease the electro-magnetic flux density in the core (i.e., increase the core material). This results in substantial increase to the size and weight of the transformer. So the manufacturer decreases losses while decreasing noise by adding core material, with substantial increases in the size, weight and cost of the transformer. If noise were not a concern, the transformers could be built smaller, lighter, and with low losses (i.e., lower cost). Lower size and weight also mean easier shipping and a smaller foundation, which translates to lower cost.
High anoise levels from transformers often result in utilities locating substations in industrial areas, near highways, or other areas where transformer noise is less of a nuisance. Utilities prefer to locate transformers close to the end-user in order to reduce their line losses. When utilities locate transformers in residential areas, they typically must buy large tracts of land (to use distance to reduce the effective noise from the transformer) and/or buy expensive low noise transformers, or buy regular transformers and surround them with expensive passive enclosures.
The invention claimed herein not only decreases transformer noise to background levels, but also holds promise to radically change how transformers and electrical distribution networks are designed and built, to allow more compact substations and more efficient networks, potentially lowering overall network cost.
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