What kinds of questions elicit rich answers and promote learning?
When we start to think about what conversations look like with a computer, we begin to think about what questions the computer can ask that will solicit useful answers, and will allow the momentum of the conversation to continue. Question and answer volleys will have to be considered and refined carefully. We want students to communicate more than simple recall answers. Designing the scope and style of questions will be a significant part of the design process.
One strength of the chatbot construct is the ability to ask questions that will probe deeper or ask students to build on specific answers. If I chatbot is unable to identify or classify a particular idea, it might ask students to restate their concept, which will allow the students further opportunity to clarify and explain their own thinking. This is a built-in redundancy or fail-safe inherent to this kind of assessment. If the computer cannot understand what a student is trying to communicate, it may be that the student is not clear on the idea. On the other hand, when asking the student to clarify, the computer might also produce information from the student that would not have otherwise been given. Part of the conversation can be built such that the chat spot would ask follow-up and helping questions to encourage learners to go deeper.


Review: iPhone 3GS - iPhone J.D.
Over 40 million people owned an iPhone (or an iPod Touch) before Apple released the iPhone 3GS. Because you are reading this website, chances are that number includes you. Should you upgrade to a new iPhone 3GS? It's a big decision, and one that I tried to focus on as I have been using my iPhone 3GS over the past week. If you are a heavy iPhone user and if you are eligible for the discounted price, I think you will really appreciate the upgrade. Here is why.
If you own the original iPhone, sold from June 29, 2007 to July 10, 2008, then it is virtually certain that AT&T will let you take advantage of the discounted prices that it offers new customers, especially if you bought that iPhone in 2007. For you, an iPhone 3GS will cost $199 for the 16 GB version or $299 for the 32 GB version. By paying this price, you will lock in to a new two year commitment with AT&T.
If you are an iPhone 3G owner but don't meet those three requirements, then you cannot take advantage of the discounted price. You will likely than have to pay the Early Upgrade price of $399 for the 16 GB / $499 for the 32 GB. Ouch.
Any customer always has the option of paying the No Commitment price of $599 / $699 which gets you the new phone without a two year commitment to stay with AT&T. Of course, you cannot (legally) use your iPhone with any other carrier in the U.S., so this option will appeal to few people.
An optional battery percentage indicator next to the icon at the top of the screen showing remaining battery life.
In my opinion, the first five features are real reasons for iPhone 3G owners to consider upgrading. The remaining features are nice, but unless you have special needs (perhaps you run with your iPhone and would really appreciate the Nike + iPod feature, or you are a boy scout leader and really want a compass on your iPhone) the remaining features are unlikely to be worth the upgrade price.
There is no real question about the #1 reason that I am happy that I upgraded to the iPhone 3GS. Apple says the "S" in 3GS is for speed, claiming that the iPhone 3GS is twice as fast as the iPhone 3G. I haven't tested the speed myself—and some people who have done so find that the 3GS is even more than two times faster—but what really matters to me is the responsiveness of the phone. The 3GS is much more responsive that the 3G. Launching apps is so much faster. Switching apps happens very quickly. The typewriter is much more responsive, and not once have I seen a key freeze for a second as it raises while I am typing, something that my old 3G did from time to time. Web browsing is so much faster that when you are on 3G, you will think you are on Wi-Fi, and when you are Wi-Fi, you will think that your bandwidth somehow increased.
The increased responsiveness makes the iPhone much more pleasant to use. My calendar and contacts have tons of entries, but on the 3GS they pop right up with no lag as I scroll. Safari on my iPhone 3G was a great experience because Safari does a great job of rendering web pages, but Safari on my 3GS is an excellent experience because pages jump up almost as quickly as they do on my computer. And it is no longer any bother at all when one of my apps (such as a Twitter client or an RSS reader) wants to open another app (such as E-mail or Safari or YouTube) because it all happens so quickly. Also, because part of the speed increase comes from more internal memory on the iPhone, [UPDATE 7/8/09: see here for more on this] games that are memory hogs run much much better on the iPhone 3GS. For example, I have a game called Guitar Rock Tour which, on my iPhone 3G, would sometimes have the flying notes get ever so slightly out of sync with the music, which is frustrating in any Guitar Hero-type game. The game doesn't have that problem on the 3GS, nor have I seen the game crash once.
I realize that part of the charm is that the iPhone 3GS is new. We all know what it is like to get a new computer and have it feel so fast, but a year later the speed just seems "normal" and by two or more years out that same computer starts to feel slow. Perceived speed is relative. There will surely come a time when the speed of the iPhone 3GS will start to feel normal, but even then I suspect that I will still appreciate having a very responsive device in my hands.
In sum, the added speed to the iPhone 3GS is really great. If you are a frequent user of your iPhone, then you will find yourself appreciating the increased speed every day, throughout the day.
The 3GS camera is better in two ways. First, it is a 3 megapixel camera versus the 2 megapixel camera in prior iPhones (2048 x 1536 versus 1600 x 1200). That alone makes pictures look better. Many of the iPhone 3GS reviews have done an excellent job of showing side-by-side pictures that compare the 3G to the 3GS. For example, look at these pictures in the Macworld and the iLounge reviews. Those examples do such a good job that I haven't set up any side-by-side tests myself, but I can definitely tell that my pictures are better. For example, here are two pictures that I took this weekend Click on each picture to see the full size, unedited pictures.
As you can see, the picture quality is actually quite good when you are in daylight. But even more than the increased pixels, what really makes this a better camera is the improved ability to focus. Just tap on an area of the screen. A box will go around whatever is in the image where you touched and the iPhone will adjust not just the focus, but also the exposure and white balance. For example, in the first of these two pictures, I tapped on the desk, and on the second picture I tapped on the face of the watch. Again, you can click for full-size versions, but even from the smaller version you can see that the difference is dramatic.
With the ability to control focus, the camera on the iPhone becomes much more powerful, and this is often the difference between having a usable picture or a useless picture. For example, in the past, I have tried to take a picture of a page of handwritten notes on a legal pad, and the results were almost always terrible. But with the iPhone 3GS I can use the manual focus feature to get images that are very readable, saving me the trouble of taking home a note pad when I just want to have quick access while I am at home to what I scribbled down during a meeting in the office.
Let's be perfectly clear: the iPhone camera is still just a phone camera. I own a great digital SLR camera (a Nikon D50 with an amazing 18-200 mm lens) and for times when I want to take good pictures, there is no question what I will want to use. But for those times when you just want to take a quick picture, having the iPhone 3GS with you means that you can take decent pictures when the light is good, and often a merely decent picture is fabulous when the alternative is no picture at all.
Another key new feature is the ability to take video. Much like with the still camera, when the light is good, you can get decent quality video. For example, here is a quick video I shot of one of my son's games. The quality of what YouTube is showing you seems a little worse than the original file on my computer (the original is a little sharper and less jerky), but this gives you an idea of what you can get with an iPhone 3GS. The colors are actually quite good.
Enough about the negative, let's focus on the positive. The iPhone 3GS takes 640 x 480 video at 30 fps. This doesn't compare to an HD video camera, but it is better than then the VHS-C video camera that I used from 1995 to 2007, and I created a lot of great memories with that old video camera. And that is really why I love having video in the iPhone 3GS. Often, the quality comes not from the number of pixels but instead from the content. The video quality of the iPhone 3GS is good enough that you will pay attention to the content. Perfect example: while playing around with the video functions this past weekend, I took a short video of my son while my wife and I were playing the board game Candy Land with him. The video is great, even when viewed on a large 57" TV screen, because my son said a lot of funny things that were captured in the video. I suspect that years from now I will find myself watching the video again to remind me of the the funny things that a three year old can do and say. I would have never bothered to go and find my HD video camera, but my iPhone 3GS was there, so I used it, and I'm glad I did.
Apple-haters, you may want to look away. The iPhone 3G S performed very, very well under our battery of tests. The color accuracy rivaled that of camcorders in its class and better, including the high definition Flip and Sony Webbie. The low light performance was impressive, making it a good choice as a party camera, considering its diminutive size.
In short, the iPhone 3G S is a surprisingly capable camcorder. It's at least as good as the standard definition Flip Mino, and offers an exceptionally intuitive interface that far exceeds the typical, labyrinthine experience of a full-featured video camera. Lacking HD, it falls short of being a complete replacement, but we are very impressed with Apple's first time out on the field.
Speaking of HD, I have to think that just as Flip and other manufacturers of tiny video camera started out with SD versions and then came out with equally small HD versions, Apple will one day have an HD video camera in the iPhone. In fact, I've seen reports that the iPhone 3GS can technically handle HD 720p video, but presumably Apple is not enabling that feature because, among other problems, it would severely drain the battery. I wonder if the June, 2010 version of the iPhone will be called the iPhone HD and add HD video and better pictures?
Hold down the Home button on the iPhone 3GS and you jump into Voice Control mode, where you can talk to your iPhone to have it call someone or play music on the iPod app. Helpfully, the possible commands that you can say float by in the background when Voice Control is on. In my experiences, sometimes this feature works great, but other times it misunderstands me and reminds me of that classic clip from the Simpsons that makes fun of the handwriting recognition on the Apple Newton.
The advantage of the headset becomes obvious once you've used it a few times. Before I got the new phone here's what would happen if wanted to make a call.
Wait for confirming announcement, which if correct means I just wait for the phone to start ringing.
Ernie makes a compelling argument, and I suppose I'll have to give Voice Control more time. If you are trying to decide whether to upgrade, this feature might be an important consideration.
There isn't much to say here. If you find that your current iPhone is often full, then you can use more storage. If not, then you don't need this feature.
I was frequently running low on space on my 16 GB iPhone 3G, so I appreciate the increased elbow room on the 32 GB iPhone, but it all comes down to video and music. If you don't store a lot of video and music on your iPhone, then you probably won't need extra storage space. With few exceptions like this one, it is rare for iPhone apps to take up much space, and you would have to have an insane number of e-mails, contacts and calendar entries for that data to take up much space.
Although I don't consider the other six new features of the iPhone 3GS important enough to justify the upgrade, they are certainly nice. For example, the compass makes it quick and easy to orient yourself in the Map app. I don't like the feel of the included iPhone headphones so I use the the Apple In-Ear Headphones, but on either headphone I love being able to change the volume on the headset without having to touch the buttons on the side of the iPhone. And the oleophobic coating really does work, helping to resist fingerprint smudges and making removing smudges on the screen as quick as a simple swipe on my shirt.
If you use the first generation iPhone, now is the time to upgrade.
If you use the iPhone 3G, and if you consider yourself just a casual iPhone user, then I probably wouldn't worry about upgrading. Most of what is great about the iPhone 3GS is also in the iPhone 3G. Wait until next year and you can take advantage of these 11 new features plus presumably many more.
But if you are a more serious iPhone 3G user, one who uses the iPhone every day throughout the day, you will want to give serious consideration to the five new features I outlined above. There is little question that the new iPhone 3GS would make you happier, and if you are eligible to take advantage of the $199 or $299 price, then for you it may well be worth it. For less than a dollar a day over the next year, you can have a much more enjoyable iPhone. It was well worth it for me. But it would have been a much harder decision if it would have cost me $499, so if you are in that boat, then that's a tough decision and you have my sympathy.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the iPhone 3GS, including why you did or did not upgrade and, if you did, what you like best about the 3GS. If you have a moment, share your views in the comments.


Write the equation that best fits this explanation: Start at the origin and go up one over one.
Which equation below best fits this explanation: Start at negative 2 on the y-axis and go up one over one because the slope is positive 1.
A Taxi driver charges $2.50 for each trip plus $3.00 per mile. Which equation best fits the total charges?
An Uber driver charges $5.00 for each trip plus $2.75 per mile. Which equation best fits the total charges?


How was the Early life and Education of Benjamin Maisani?
Benjamin Maisani was born in Corsica, France on 27 January 1973 as Antoine Benjamin Maisani. He did not share much information about the days of his childhood and his family. Though he has earned tremendous respect as a celebrity throughout his life. Regarding his educational achievements, he graduated from Hunter College in art history. Maisani said that in an interview he would like to keep a low profile. As a bar owner, he has also won some fame and popularity.
When and how did Benjamin Maisani start his Career in Gay Bar?
It takes some kind of intestine to come out openly homosexual, Benjamin, who moved to New York to study film making with an excellent GPA of 4 at Hunter College. After college, his first job was in the Morgan Library in Madison Avenue but due to low income, he took up a job in Barracuda, a gay bar in Chelsea.
Before started working in a gay bar Benjamin expressed himself as a very disgusting and introverted person. After serving in a bar, he improved his roles and fit a more extroverted person. Now Maisani has his own three gay bars, ‘Eastern Bloc’ which is at 505 E 6th St, ‘Bedlam Bar and Lounge’ located at 40 Avenue C and ‘Atlas Social Club’ situated on 753 9TH Ave. All these gay bars are the main attraction of the gay community in the city.
Who is in the Personal life of Benjamin Maisani?
In 2009, Maisani was first recognized by Cooper, a renowned American journalist and primary an anchor of the CNN news show 'Anderson Cooper 360°.' Benjamin was in a relationship with Anderson but was able to maintain a low-key relationship until 2012 because they rarely talked to the media about their relationship. The rumor started again in October 2016, with Anderson's 92-year-old mom Vanderbilt, her beloved son walked down the aisle. Together, Maisani and Cooper live a very regular life, often walking on the streets of New York or spending quality time with friends like Kelly Ripa, Sarah Jessica Parker, and others.
However their relation couldn’t survive for long, in 2018 the couple finally confirmed their division. According to the source, his long-time boyfriend Anderson Cooper said they had split but remained as a friend and would stay together to live on. However, he did not reveal the reasons for their separation and kept their information low. Some reports suggest that Benjamin was upset because Anderson spends a lot of time concentrating on his career. This might be the reason for their separation.
How much is the Net Worth of Benjamin Maisani?
Benjamin Maisani, a young entrepreneur, has a net value of $4 million. Maisani and Cooper once moved together to a renovated fireplace in Greenwich Village, which they bought for $4.3 million in 2009, and a spacious Rye house in Connecticut worth $8 million. Anderson's net worth is around $100 million dollars.
Maisani enrolled at Hunter College and began working at the Morgan Library on Madison Avenue after graduation. Working at Gay Bars gave him confidence as well as being a quiet and reclusive businessman and Maisani is very protective about his personal life.


Universal to go DRM-free on iTunes?
iTunes Plus currently sells EMI tracks DRM free for 20p more. Could Universal be next?
Rumours are bounding about the web which say that Apple and Universal Music are currently locked in talks which could result in the record label joining British super-label EMI in the iTunes Plus scheme.
If it goes ahead, it would see Universal's music catalogue becoming available on iTunes at a higher bitrate than normal and more importantly, DRM-free. These DRM-free tracks, available at 256kbps, are sold for 20p more than normal - 99p instead of 79p each.
But there are also reports that suggest Universal wants more control over the pricing of these 'special' tracks so it's possible that Universal DRM-free tracks might cost more than the 99p you pay for EMI ones.
Apple launched the iTunes Plus service at the end of May with its iTunes version 7.2 update.
The first time you buy an iTunes Plus song, you specify whether to make all future purchases iTunes Plus versions (where available). You can change this setting by accessing your account information on the iTunes Store. The tracks bought through iTunes Plus replace the lower-quality versions of the track.
The iTunes Plus store has attracted controversy over the last week after it emerged that DRM-free music tracks would be sold with personal data encoded inside them. This is designed so that if the tracks make their way onto P2P sharing networks, they can be tracked back to the source.
But the presence of this personal data in your purchased music tracks is nothing to worry about , say some analysts. That's because the only people it will affect are those who illegally share their music libraries over the web.


It is very important to think about what your ideal home model is and the features that suit you the most, so the future home will be able to meet your needs and, above all, be the best place in the world for you. So, nothing better than drawing on models of houses that already exist so you can describe to the architect or engineer exactly what you want.
Picture 1 - Model of houses: masonry sobrado with details in wood.
The house of modern architecture was richly prized with the wooden details of the facade.
Picture 2 - Model of house of two floors with wooden facade movable.
Picture 3 - Models of houses: roof and walls in the same color.
Picture 4 - Model of house of two floors with plankton.
Picture 5 - Texture on wall enhances construction.
Picture 6 - Model of house of 3 floors with balconies.
Picture 7 - House of three floors with wood lining.
Picture 8 - A tree inside the house.
Image 9 - House model with staircase.
Image 10 - House model of straight and striking lines.
Image 11 - Models of masonry houses with large windows.
Picture 12 - House of masonry of two floors.
Image 13 - Modern masonry house model.
Image 14 - Model of masonry house clad in wood.
Image 15 - Glass and texture.
Picture 16 - Metal clamp around the house.
Image 17 - Columns and metal beams.
Picture 18 - House with metallic structure in the middle of nature.
In the midst of the trees, this metal house does not seem to have been made for this environment. However, the use of wood on the facade joined the site.
Image 19 - Metal house with glass walls.
Image 20 - Metal belt.
Picture 21 - Tearing of light in the facade.
Image 22 - Modern facade of concrete.
Image 23 - Concrete color.
Image 24 - Concrete in two colors.
Image 25 - Concrete house marked by straight lines and gray.
Image 26 - Models of semi-detached houses made of wood and metal.
Picture 27 - Models of semi-detached house of rustic and modern style.
Image 28 - Connected to each other in all respects.
Picture 29 - Townhouses: different only in number.
Image 30 - Street of terraced houses.
Picture 31 - Model of house simple, but of great taste.
Picture 32 - Simple house model well lit and ventilated.
Image 33 - Houses of simple architecture should value the details.
Image 34 - Simple house stands out with modern wall and metallic structure.
Picture 35 - And how about a pergola to make the difference in the facade?
Image 36 - Modern house model with classic elements.
Image 37 - White and gray are the colors of modern buildings.
Image 38 - The design of lighting technology is a differential of modern houses.
Picture 39 - In the limit of the imagination.
Image 40 - Model of houses full of clipping.
Image 41 - Models of rectangular houses.
Image 42 - Models of houses glued to each other need special attention regarding lighting and ventilation.
Picture 43 - Facade cast of wood.
Picture 44 - Modern and relaxed.
Image 45 - Path of stones and garden to enhance the facade of the house.
Image 46 - Models of large houses with valued external area.
Picture 47 - Three story house with bold architecture.
Image 48 - Stones to enhance the facade of the house.
Picture 49 - Light colors further extend the size of the house.
Image 50 - Glasses in place of walls.
Picture 51 - A rustic touch.
Picture 52 - Stones are always present in houses of rustic style.
Image 53 - Facade with crude building stones.
Image 54 - Neutral and earthy colors for a house in the middle of nature.
Picture 55 - Garden can not miss in a rustic style house.
Image 56 - Black is the color of elegance and contemporary designs.
Image 57 - Modern structure amid the bucolic landscape.
Image 58 - Stuck and open.
Image 59 - Simple, but with striking features.
Image 60 - Contemporary construction lined with wood.
Image 61 - House of glass.
Picture 62 - All closed by the wall and gate, the house shows to passers by the second floor.
Picture 63 - Typical village house: lavish sympathy with its strong and vibrant colors.
Image 64 - House style container.
Picture 65 - Charming and cozy.
Image 66 - Sobrado of rustic elements.
Picture 67 - Sobrado without wall and without fence.
Image 68 - Sobrado of straight and modern lines.
Picture 69 - Tiled roof of typical house.
Picture 70 - Townhouse of closed condominium.
Picture 71 - Beach house with European chalet style.
Picture 72 - Modern beach house model.
Image 73 - Beach house with wooden roof and glass walls.
Image 74 - Beach house with clean architecture.
Picture 76 - Swimming pool next to the house seems to form a single structure.
Picture 77 - This model of house extends to the pool with the roof leaked.
Image 78 - Cast wood structure matching the pool deck.
Image 79 - Going around the house.
Picture 80 - House with rectangular swimming pool with wooden pergola.
Picture 81 - Garden always flowery to adorn the front of the house in closed condominium.
Image 82 - Curved shapes bring beauty and originality to the architectural design.
Picture 83 - House in closed condominium of classic style.
Picture 84 - Characteristic of the houses of condominium closed: unique design.
Picture 85 - One of the advantages of gated communities is not having to worry about walls and fences.
Image 86 - A vibrant color values any design, even the simplest ones.
Picture 87 - Twin houses are usually more affordable.
Image 88 - Balcony and garden surrounding the house.
Image 89 - Wood ennobles the facade of the house.
Picture 90 - Container house: cheap and modern option for the current dwellings.
Image 91A - Volumetry of the house: entrance valued by the lawn.
Image 91B - Two-bedroom house plan.
Image 92A - Volumetry of the house: yellow to enhance the facade.
Image 92B - House plan.
Image 93A - Volumetry of the house: rustic style and retro mark the facade.
Image 93B - House plan.
Image 94A - Volumetry of the house: facade of contemporary style.
Image 94B - House plan of two rooms.
Image 95A - Volumetry of the house: rectangular sobrado.
Image 95B - House plan.
Image 96A - 3D design of house with 3 bedrooms.
Picture 96B - Facade of the house with 3 rooms.
Image 96C - Design in 3D bedroom with suite.
Image 97A - Facade of the house with 3 bedrooms: burnt red with concrete color.
Picture 97B - House plan with 3 bedrooms.
Image 98A - Model of facade of house in wood and concrete.
Image 98B - House plan with wooden facade and concrete.
Image 99A - Rosa gives a romantic and delicate style to the construction.
Image 99B - House plan of romantic and delicate style.
Image 100A - Three bedroom townhouse.
Picture 100B - Floor of the 3 bedroom townhouse.


When applying for a mortgage, you will most likely be presented with the option to pay points to lower your interest rate. In order to determine if this investment is worthwhile for you, you will need to know the amount of your loan, the interest rate before the purchase of points, and the interest rate after the purchase of points. You will also need to know the length of the loan and your savings rate.
If you are taking out a $250,000.00 loan with an interest rate of 5.000%, you might be able to buy down the interest rate to 4.500% with points. If you are getting a 30 year loan and paying for your points, your monthly payment (principal and interest only) will change from $1,342.05 to $1,266.71. This will give you a savings of $75.34.
But, if you put your money in the fund with an average savings rate of 5.000% rather than purchasing points to cut an interest rate of your mortgage loan, you might get $10.42 per month from your investment. When you figure in your investment savings, your true savings will be $64.92 per month.
After considering the cost of paying for the points, you will break even after 3 years and 3 months.


Ken Willard, an elected member of the Kansas Board of Education, calls himself a conservative. He opposed the Next Generation Science Standards recently adopted by his state, and he worries about federal intrusion into education. When he first began reading up on new standards in English/language arts and math being discussed by states a few years ago, he was unsure what to think. He's not the most likely officeholder to support the Common Core State Standards. But he does. Why?
I had the chance to ask him during the recently concluded annual conference of the National Association of State Boards of Education, of which Willard used to be the president (he was first elected in 2003 to the Kansas state board, which is now controlled by a coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans). As an elected K-12 official in a state where anti-common-core legislation was introduced this year, and ultimately shot down, he can't consider himself immune from political pressures that surround the new standards in a right-leaning state. Kansas adopted the common core in 2010.
"I've had to part ways with some of my conservative friends," Willard said. "We can't say 'no' just because it's new."
Recently I've been wondering how state boards are feeling about some of the agitation against the standards. Specifically, I've wondered if state boards that adopted the standards a few years ago, and now see a push against the common core from activists and legislators, are somewhat upset that their decisions are causing an outcry, considering that when they initially considered the standards, there was much less—or perhaps zero—political interest.
I asked Willard that, and he replied, "I'm a little annoyed. ... It's also very difficult to [get people to pay attention] to what goes on at state board meetings."
But back to my original question: Why does Willard support the standards? He responded that he saw high school graduates in Kansas falling behind the rest of the world when it comes to their preparedness for the wider world of college and jobs, a trend he said others in his position had noticed across the U.S. That's the competitiveness argument common-core supporters often feature prominently in their remarks. The common core represents a "legitimate effort to try to address very real problems in education," Willard said. Research from state board staff, as well as educators, have convinced Willard that the standards are worth supporting. And note that Willard was not initially very pleased with what he saw regarding the standards, but that eventually he came to support the common core.
Interestingly, Willard said he wasn't sure if he would have formally voted to support the standards back in 2010—he wasn't present when the Kansas board formally adopted the standards, he said, and therefore didn't vote. He supports them now. But his confidence is "not particularly strong" in Kansas' role as a member of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, noting that, in his view, Kansas has a good relationship with the current testing vendor. It might prove politically necessary in the state to drop out of the assessments as a way to preserve some support for the standards, he said.
What about attacks he sees on the standards from Kansas conservatives? He said that virtually all the criticisms he sees are "not based in fact. They're based in fear." The most popular attack he sees, not surprisingly, are charges that the common core is really a Trojan horse for federal intrusion into education. And, he said, data collection practices under the No Child Left Behind Act that won't change "one iota" under common core are "suddenly being viewed as a product of common core."
Willard also remarked that in his experience, legislators he deals with are more likely to be motivated to attack the standards from political pressure they are feeling from constituents, rather than concerns they hold about the common core from their own research.


From dust to pebbles to planets – insight into the birth of a solar system

Scientists theorise that planets form from rotating discs of gas that surround newly formed stars, known as proto-planetary discs. Pebble-sized objects in these discs then clump together to form cores of would-be planets.

Professor Anders Johansen from Lund University in Sweden, has gone right down to the level of atomic nuclei and molecules to try and work out how cosmic dust particles stick together in pebbles and then turn into baby planets, known as planetesimals.

‘Planet formation takes place when these dust particles collide, and they grow to larger and larger sizes,’ he said. ‘This growth takes us then from micrometres, all the way up to 10,000 kilometres or so.’

One clue to how this dust forms into pebbles can be found on Earth in meteorites – pieces of asteroids that are leftovers from the formation of the solar system.

‘There’s a mystery in there,’ Prof. Johansen said. ‘If you look inside an asteroid, you do find millimetre-sized pebbles, which is fine. But the problem with those pebbles is they are not what we expect them to be. We would expect them to be fluffy dust aggregates, a bit like if you have a sandbox after it rains, and you can pick up a piece of dried out sand that is very fragile,’ he said.

Instead, the pebbles are spherical and hard, like they have been heated and cooled – similar to objects that have been struck by lightning.

‘Lightning takes place as thunderclouds discharge their electric charge to the ground,’ said Prof. Johansen. ‘This discharge is very similar to the shock you experience from the static electricity when you put on a jumper.’

‘If we see a certain composition of the system … that might allow us to see that there might be habitable planets in those systems.’

Dr Bertram Bitsch, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg, Germany

Prof. Johansen theorised that there must be a mechanism during planet formation that creates positively and negatively charged particles, and he and his team investigated what that was.

‘While a thundercloud obtains a charge difference between its top and bottom by falling hail particles, we found that in the protoplanetary disc the decay of a radioactive element called Aluminium-26 is very efficient at charging dust clouds,’ he said.

Chemical composition

The finding was part of a project called PLANETESYS, which is using computer simulations to replicate the physical processes taking place when planets form – all the way from dust to a planetary system. It includes details about the chemical composition of each pebble.

One thing Prof. Johansen can examine from looking at this chemical composition is how planets accrete water – a vital ingredient for life.

‘An obvious question is, “How much water does a planet get?” We can begin to speculate about if it’s normal to get the Earth’s amount of water, if it’s a lot of water or a little bit. But maybe you can also get too much water, which may be good for life but not good for civilisations,’ he said.

Dr Bertram Bitsch from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany, says that understanding more about how planets arise would help identify potentially habitable planets elsewhere in the universe.

‘If you understand more (about) the formation process of how we can make a system like the solar system, then we can maybe make predictions (about) how often these systems would exist and how common it would be to find Earth-like planets (orbiting) other stars.’

‘Then, if we see a certain composition of the system … that might allow us to see that there might be habitable planets in those systems.’

Recipe

Dr Bitsch thinks he might know the recipe for how solar systems end up with Earth-like planets. With a careful blending of conditions, from where baby planets form, to their chemical composition and gravitational interactions, he can try to model the conditions to generate solar systems with habitable planets.

But figuring out the right recipe requires working backwards after running many simulations with complex supercomputing power, which he’s doing in a project called PAMDORA which runs until 2022.

‘I want to use computer simulations … where we look at the gravitational interactions between multiple bodies to model the stages from planetesimals all the way to fully formed planetary systems with terrestrial planets, super Earths, and gas giants,’ he said.

In his simulations, Dr Bitsch looks at the how pebbles in the swirling discs form into moon-size planetary embryos, which then develop into fully formed planets.

Altering the different mechanisms at work can influence what types of planets a solar system may end up with.

‘There are many different pathways that can happen, and many different parameters that can influence the outcome of the simulations,’ he said. ‘For example, how big are the pebbles, how many would there be, and where would your initial planetesimals form that would then start to form proto-planets?’

To see which variables matter most, he runs hundreds of computer simulations that last weeks at a time and can simulate tens of millions of years to model the highly chaotic meetings of multiple objects.

For Earth-like planets, one key factor is how close baby planets form to their home star, since the difference in temperature can determine if planets accrete water directly during the gas-disc stage or from a late water delivery from asteroids or comets, like for our own Earth.

‘One thing that is already in the code is looking at the composition of super-Earths. For example, are they rocky or dominated by water-ice?’ Dr Bitsch said.

Super-Earths, which are planets like the Earth, but maybe two to ten times more massive, don’t exist in our solar system, but are relatively common among other stars.

‘Lots of super-Earths have been found and detected, and the question is what are they made of? This can give us the answer to where they have been formed.’

 The research in this article was funded by the European Research Council. If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.

  This post From dust to pebbles to planets – insight into the birth of a solar system was originally published on Horizon: the EU Research & Innovation magazine | European Commission.
‘There’s a mystery in there,’ Prof. Johansen said. ‘If you look inside an asteroid, you do find millimetre-sized pebbles, which is fine. But the problem with those pebbles is they are not what we expect them to be. We would expect them to be fluffy dust aggregates, a bit like if you have a sandbox after it rains, and you can pick up a piece of dried out sand that is very fragile,’ he said.
‘While a thundercloud obtains a charge difference between its top and bottom by falling hail particles, we found that in the protoplanetary disc the decay of a radioactive element called Aluminium-26 is very efficient at charging dust clouds,’ he said.
‘An obvious question is, “How much water does a planet get?” We can begin to speculate about if it’s normal to get the Earth’s amount of water, if it’s a lot of water or a little bit. But maybe you can also get too much water, which may be good for life but not good for civilisations,’ he said.
Dr Bertram Bitsch from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany, says that understanding more about how planets arise would help identify potentially habitable planets elsewhere in the universe.
Dr Bitsch thinks he might know the recipe for how solar systems end up with Earth-like planets. With a careful blending of conditions, from where baby planets form, to their chemical composition and gravitational interactions, he can try to model the conditions to generate solar systems with habitable planets.
But figuring out the right recipe requires working backwards after running many simulations with complex supercomputing power, which he’s doing in a project called PAMDORA which runs until 2022.
‘I want to use computer simulations … where we look at the gravitational interactions between multiple bodies to model the stages from planetesimals all the way to fully formed planetary systems with terrestrial planets, super Earths, and gas giants,’ he said.
In his simulations, Dr Bitsch looks at the how pebbles in the swirling discs form into moon-size planetary embryos, which then develop into fully formed planets.
‘One thing that is already in the code is looking at the composition of super-Earths. For example, are they rocky or dominated by water-ice?’ Dr Bitsch said.
Super-Earths, which are planets like the Earth, but maybe two to ten times more massive, don’t exist in our solar system, but are relatively common among other stars.


Protesters waving placards calling for Islamic law to be imposed in Egypt have demonstrated outside the country's embassy in London.
For several days, a peaceful protest has seen hundreds of ex-patriots and supporters of regime change mass outside the embassy in the centre of the capital.
Today, brandishing signs such as 'democracy will bring oppression' and 'Islam is the solution for Egypt', women in burkas were joined by men in traditional dress for a rally calling for sharia law to be imposed.
Behind barricades, holding flags aloft, they faced a line of uniformed police in the quiet streets of central London, far from the chaos of Tahrir - Liberation - Square in Cairo.
The demonstrations - in varying numbers - have been going on for several days, as crisis has engulfed Egypt and claimed the scalp of President Hosni Mubarak.
The previously peaceful protests in Cairo turned violent once the long-time head of state announced his intention to stand down at the next election, with his supporters clashing with those who want the 82-year-old to step aside immediately.
Many waved banners declaring 'Now!' - a reference to their demand for President Mubarak to go immediately, and not linger for months as he insists he must to ensure a peaceful transition.
Families with children joined the trek to Tahrir Square, despite fears about stone-wielding Mubarak supporters determined to respond to the continuing popular uprising against him.
The 82-year-old president himself has insisted he will serve out the remaining seven months of his term to ensure a stable process.
'You don't understand the Egyptian culture and what would happen if I step down now,' Mubarak said he told President Barack Obama. He warned in an interview with ABC News that chaos would ensue.
The upsurge in violence led Europe's leaders to deliver a warning to the Egyptian authorities today to answer their people with 'political reform, not repression'.
The statement agreed at a Brussels EU summit stopped short of calling on President Hosni Mubarak to step aside.
Instead it challenged the regime to honour the terms of a £150 million-a-year EU 'Association Agreement', under which Egypt is committed to push through political and economic reforms in return for trade concessions and financial aid.
The EU statement came as Barack Obama's administration said it was in talks with Egyptian officials about the possibility of Mubarak resigning straight away, and the formation of an interim government before free and fair elections later this year.
The text urged the Egyptian authorities 'to meet the aspirations of the Egyptian people with political reform, not repression'.
It said: 'All parties should show restraint and avoid further violence and begin an orderly transition to a broad-based government.
The UK government has complained to Egypt after Vodafone Group Plc was ordered to send text messages seen to instigate violence as demonstrators demanded the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak.
Britain's Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt contacted the Egyptian ambassador in London to discuss the order to Vodafone after the company reached out to the government, the Foreign Office said last night.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague yesterday issued a statement calling the 'abuse' of Internet and mobile-phone networks 'unacceptable and disturbing'.
Britons fleeing the violence on a Foreign Office-chartered flight told of the chaos in the country.
Shukria Ahmed-Nur, 16, told how marauding thugs terrorised the streets near where she lived.
She said: 'There were men with samurai swords, machetes and other weapons.
'They were outside our apartments, walking up and down the stairs, which was really scary.
Stephanie Harkin, 25, a teacher from Luton, Bedfordshire, said: 'Our main problem was prisoners escaping from a nearby prison. We had a lot of men outside our house and so we had to create a makeshift neighbourhood watch.
The Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based media watchdog, said it had recorded 24 detentions of journalists, 21 assaults and five cases in which equipment was detained over a 24-hour period.
European leaders have urged Egyptian authorities to protect reporters covering the country's crisis.
The call came as a Swedish TV journalist was reported to be in a serious condition after being stabbed.


Joel: OhÉhow was work today?
Joel: (kisses Crow's beak) Well, aren't you going to bow down and kiss my feet?
Crow: Hey, you may be Queen of the JungleÉ.but I wear the khakis around here! (canned laughter and applause) HeyÉwhat's this mess?
Joel: Oh, it's our neighbor. That "friend" of yours.
Crow: Bill? Did he go on another wild shooting spree?
Joel: I'll say he did, and this time he went too far---he went and shot up my crockpot. I'm not going to be able to make dinner.
Joel: (separating the two 'bots) Oh, now, stop it, you two, stop it. Would you settle down? Mr. and Mrs. Mubutu are on their way over here to play bridge!
Joel: Oh, I'm so sorry, Mrs. Mubutu, that we shot your husband. What were his last words?
Crow: What did she say?


Solution: Number of Mangoes in each basket = 8.
Price of each Mango = $ 2.13.
Hence the price of the basket = $ 17.
What is the answer for dividing 155 ÷ 6 to the tenth decimal place?
a) 25.83 b) 25.8 c) 25.9 d) None of these.
Here 155 is the dividend and 6 is the divisor.
While dividing the quotient is 25.83.
For rounding to the tenth decimal place the number to the right of the tenths place need to be check. Here 3 < 5.
So while rounding the number place a zero in the hundredth decimal place.
Hence rounding the number to the tenth decimal place value = 25.8.


Could Eve's DSP-based approach to monitor design tempt users away from the more established brands?
Founded in 2012, Eve Audio have an illustrious back-story: their founder and owner, Roland Stenz, was CEO at Adam Audio and, having departed that fold, he put together an R&D team to design a new line of active monitors from the ground up. Their strategy is to use on-board DSP, PWM amplifiers and lower-cost Chinese manufacturing, to change the age-old balance of price versus performance.
The first thing I noticed about the SC307 was a certain cosmetic similarity to the Adam A77X that I reviewed (and purchased) last year. Although the twin 6.5-inch bass drivers and the AMT tweeter look familiar at first glance, the absence of front-panel reflex ports and the presence of a chrome control panel, replete with its multi-function controller and the stylish Eve logo, are evidence that the SC307 is no mere clone of its Adam ancestor.
The rear panel is similarly sparse. At one end you'll find the mains IEC connector, on/off switch and voltage selector, and at the other the analogue balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA phono inputs, which sit neatly next to a block of three DSP DIP switches. This trio enables you to lock volume and filter settings, and to decide which of the two mid-range/bass drivers is to handle frequencies below 300Hz. This means that, unlike my Adams, you don't have to worry about left or right variants with the SC307, and also that you can experiment with bass-driver positioning with the monitor in situ.
The twin rectangular reflex ports are positioned at either end of the back panel, which reduces port noise at high levels — although it does mean that you lose the face-cooling effect of front-panel ports in a hot control room. More seriously, the large size and the absence of hard edges in the ports' design aims to reduce port compression and to maintain port efficiency at higher volumes, thus reducing distortion in the lower frequencies.
Overall, it is the front-panel, multi-function DSP encoder that stands out in the design of the SC307. Elegant and restrained, and surrounded by its glowing LED ring, it is the coolest control I have ever seen on a monitor.
Despite the similarity in appearance between Eve's AMT RS2 tweeter and its Adam antecedent, they are somewhat different in design. Internal changes devised by Eve's engineers have resulted in a larger front plate, with larger slots to reduce coloration, and also in a larger magnet assembly that increases the tweeter's efficiency. An Eve innovation is 'The Grid', an acoustically transparent iron grille with a hexagonal honeycomb moulded into it, which latches magnetically to the front of the AMT to protect it from foreign bodies.
The two SilverCone 6.5-inch bass drivers are driven by a 1.5-inch voice coil, and feature a glass-fibre coating over a honeycomb core. The result is a stiff cone that is capable of delivering bass and low mid-range frequencies with precision.
Amplification is supplied courtesy of three Class-D amps — 100W for each mid-range/bass transducer and 50W for the treble unit. In these amps, the modulation of the analogue power stage is driven directly in the digital domain by the DSP. While this in itself is neither new nor unique, it is an area that requires careful application of the available technology if it is to deliver the level of performance required of a monitor.
It's worth noting that, although the quoted frequency response has its -3dB points at 40Hz and 21kHz, the design of the DSP's direct digital drive to the PWM amplifiers means that its high-frequency response is flat to 20.5kHz, before hitting a brick-wall filter and dropping like a stone.
The DSP runs at 192kHz/24-bit, and uses Burr-Brown chips in its A-D conversion circuitry. In addition to taking care of the two crossover points, the DSP is used to control the volume level of the SC307 and the boost/attenuation of its three EQ filters. These filters are designed to allow you to compensate, to some extent, for acoustic anomalies at your listening position, and/or to accommodate personal taste.
The low-shelf filter operates at 300Hz, adjustable in 0.5dB steps and with a +3dB/-5dB range. The high-shelf filter deals in the same way with frequencies above 3kHz. Using these two filters in combination effectively gives you mid-range attenuation if you boost them, and a mid-range boost if you attenuate them.
The Desk filter has two very different functions. Turned down, it acts as a narrow-band EQ centred on 160Hz, which lessens the effect of any low-mid boost arising from console surface reflections. Turned up, it acts as another EQ centred on 80Hz, giving a bit more punch to the bass.
The back panel houses the XLR and RCA analogue inputs, as well as DIP swiches for locking and unlocking the DSP functionality.
The SC307 is intended for midfield and nearfield use, and is one of the easiest monitors around to set up. Set the rear DIP switches to select the bass driver and unlock volume and filter functions, hook up the audio and the mains power, and switch on.
The encoder gives you control over the volume and filter functions, and its red LED ring displays either the volume level or, in Setting mode, the value of the parameter being adjusted. I found the LED ring a little confusing, as it is scaled for the filter setting function (-5dB to +3dB), so I had to memorise the 0dB to -80dB scaling for the volume: flat out is 0db, 0 on the scale is -10dB, 12 o'clock is -20dB, 9 o'clock is approximately -45dB and fully anti-clockwise is -80dB. The LED ring has two modes — bright and dim — and each of those can display the chosen volume as either a continuous ring, or as a single point.
A simple push on the encoder bring up Setting mode, and the desired function is then selected by rotating the control until the required function LED illuminates. Press to select, rotate to tweak, press to return to the menu, and then press and hold for three seconds (or wait for 10) and the SC307 will return to volume mode.
Perhaps the encoder's killer feature is going into (and out of) standby mode. Press and hold it and the LED ring starts shutting down in an anti-clockwise direction until all LEDs are extinguished. To start up, just tap the encoder and the LEDs start illuminating in sequence until the last setting is reached. Incidentally, all settings are saved, so you can turn the SC307 off at the mains with no penalty.
After the usual running-in period, and with all filters set flat, my initial impression of the Eve SC307 was that of a very civilised loudspeaker with a detailed, smooth top-end, real clarity in the mid-range and a defined and well-controlled bottom end. The bass has depth coupled with a lithe, tight character which means that its timing is always spot-on and exhibits none of the slow feeling that you can find in some ported cabinets. Whatever Eve have done with the DSP, amps, drivers and porting, it works extremely well.
The mid-range delivers all the detail and sense of space that I like to hear, and combined with the smooth, detailed treble, this leaves poor mixes and masters with nowhere to hide. The SC307 is also capable of delivering a wide sound-stage and giving individual instruments within it a real sense of scale and depth.
Given its smoothness, I began to think of the SC307 as also having the characteristics of a particularly revealing hi-fi speaker, rather than of a really ruthless monitor. This is no bad thing, as a smooth, controlled speaker is easier and much less tiring to listen closely to for long periods than one with a very in-your-face sound.
Having said that, you can use the filters in the DSP to bring the high end forward, pump up the bass or subjectively lift or drop the mid-range response. While altering all the filter settings changes the sound as specified, even lifting the treble to excess doesn't affect the overall sense of smooth control that characterises the SC307.
Comparing the digitally-driven SC307 directly to its analogue antecedent (my Adam A77X) was an interesting exercise in hair-splitting. Both companies have differing, but equally valid, approaches to the job in hand and have given us excellent monitors, albeit with very different sonic signatures. To my ears, the SC307 has an overarching sense of smooth control and precision, while the A77X is a bit more sonically dishevelled, and that untidiness seems to me to allow it to deliver a slightly more heightened impression of what is going on. While the Eve is deep, tight and lithe in the bass, the Adam is perhaps a bit slower, but sounds, to me, to be slightly weightier. In the mid-range and high frequencies, the Eve delivers a significant level of detail, but the Adam, perhaps only because of its extended high-frequency response and fully analogue signal path, seems subjectively to get me further into the sound.
There's no doubt that the SC307 is an impressive monitor. Its excellent definition, clarity and control in the mid-range and bass, coupled with fine detail and an overall sense of smoothness in the high end, means that it won't wear out your eardrums over long periods of close listening. The one surprising omission is the direct digital input that would have allowed me to remain in the digital domain between source and loudspeaker.
Its price per pair pitches the SC307 in amongst some steep competition, but it is more than capable of carving out a niche for itself. If you're looking for monitors at this level, you really should give the SC307 a serious audition.
If you're looking around the SC307 price point, you'll also run into excellent monitors from the likes of Adam, Dynaudio, Event, Focal, Genelec and Quested. All of these have their own individual pros, cons and sonic characters, so you'll need to spend time listening until you find the ones that suit you.
High degree of clarity and definition.
Smooth character makes it easy to listen to for long periods.
Large rear ports significantly reduce port noise at higher listening levels.
User-configurable bass-driver position removes the need for L/R variants.
Horizontal mounting might not suit smaller spaces.
An impressive monitor that combines DSP control with PWM amplification, to deliver a high level of performance at an interesting price. Its smooth character makes it very easy to listen to for extended periods.
£1920 per pair including VAT.
TruNorth Music & Sound +1 855 878 6668.


There are many sugar traps lurking in seemingly harmless foods. It's helpful to be aware of the most common ones.
A tablespoon of ketchup contains about 4 grams of sugar.
One oz. of barbecue sauce has approximately 8 grams of added sugar.
1/2 cup of tomato sauce has about 7 grams of sugar.
1/4 cup of dried fruit contains 14 grams of added sugar.
Many processed foods contain a tremendous amount of hidden sugars.


It was 9:30 a.m. on a recent drafty morning, and 325 people were wrapped around the La Brea Avenue block outside High Voltage Tattoo. They were gathered to help Kat Von D (born Katherine Von Drachenberg), star of TLC's reality show "LA Ink," set a world record (as in "The Guinness Book of . . .") for completing the most tattoos in 24 hours. It was all being filmed for the show, which begins airing new episodes at 10 tonight.
But there was a slew of problems: The clock that was meant to keep track of the official time fell off a truck and broke. A fire marshal was enforcing strict rules -- mandating limits on the number of people in the shop and cordoning off areas with caution tape. And six L.A. sheriff's deputies were attempting to keep the burgeoning masses orderly, decreeing that many eager fans would have to be sent home without any new ink.
And when Von D arrived at her shop just before 10 a.m., she was greeted with the most recent piece of bad news: The official from Guinness was stuck in a snowstorm and wouldn't be able to make it.
"He's gonna miss a party, dude," Von D said, smiling and shrugging as she took off her jacket. Underneath, she was wearing an "I Heart L.A." tank top, short enough to reveal the cursive "Hollywood" tattoo scrawled over her midriff. She was taking slow drags of a very thin cigarette.
Von D, 25, wears an immense amount of eye makeup -- a blue, glittery shadow both above and below her lids paired with cherry red lipstick. Despite her severe look, she manages to escape looking clownlike -- her dark hair angles around high cheekbones.
Just an hour later, there were a thousand fans trickling over to Fountain Avenue. Mostly twentysomethings, the crowd was largely tattooed and pierced, outfitted in head-to-toe black with the exception of neon Mohawks and knotted dreadlocks. Occasionally, they broke into an uneven chant: "Kat! Kat!"
At the front of the line, Jose Flores was pressed against the shop's glass door. He had camped out since 7:15 the previous evening, eager to receive the first tattoo Von D would dispense.
"It wouldn't matter what the tattoo was of," Flores said. "I just want to get tatted by her because she's a bomb artist."
Flores would be the first patron -- after Von D's closest friends and family, including the likes of Internet personality Jeffree Star -- to receive the tattoo, which says 'LA' and comprises half of the TV show's logo.
Von D charged only $20 for each tattoo, and the profits from them and from the merchandising at the event were said to be going to Vitamin Angels, a charity committed to eradicating childhood blindness by 2020.
Von D said she never expected this many people would show up to the event she posted on her MySpace page, but she also didn't anticipate the success of "LA Ink," which brought in a loyal enough audience since its debut in August to call it a modest hit. Around that same time, Von D's winsome figure was plastered alongside high-rise buildings across the city.
Von D gained recognition for her intricate fine-line, black and gray portraits on TLC's "Miami Ink," where she was featured as an artist for two seasons. But after butting heads with Miami co-owner Ami James, Von D decided to move home and open her own shop.
Her spinoff reality show documents the tales behind the tattoos while trying to further the image of women in the tattoo industry. Von D's shop employs female artists Hannah Aitchison and Kim Saigh, shop manager Pixie Acia, and resident male artist Corey Miller.
Von D was born in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, to Argentine parents and moved to California when she was 4.
As a teenager influenced by the punk rock scene, Von D felt the weight of the stigma of being a girl who was heavily tattooed.
"I'd be at the mall and parents would grab their kids and be like, 'Honey!' It was like that scene in 'Pretty Woman,' where the women on Rodeo Drive think Julia Roberts is going to shoplift," she said, laughing. "Now people just come up to me more out of curiosity -- everyone from grandmas to soccer moms."
Von D's body is a museum, covered with so many tattoos it's hard not to gawk. She's got portraits of her mother, Beethoven and Mexican actresses Maria Victoria and Elsa Aguirre, along with less serious art, some of which was drawn by her friend and MTV's "Jackass" star, Steve-O.
Von D got her first job at a professional tattoo shop at 16.
"This gnarly biker dude hired me, and he knew I was underage but he didn't care," she recalled. "There was a lot of trial and error, because the art was there but the skill definitely wasn't."
A move to True Tattoo in Hollywood aligned Von D with artist and current "Miami Ink" cast member Chris Garver, who helped to bring her to Florida.
"In Miami, the tattoos were very touristy because you had more European tourists," she said. "People were looking for small, collectible tattoos that could be mementos of their vacations. In L.A., I think tattoos are more accepted. You can have a tattoo on your neck and still work at the library."
"L.A. is a mecca for tattooing," Von D continued. "Fine-line black-and-gray is very Southern California because it has a lot to do with Mexican culture. A lot of that realism comes from them because that's what they were doing in jail, making machines out of guitar strings and melting pieces of checkerboard to make pigment with."
The sunny weather, she adds, inspires locals to show off their bodies as well.
High Voltage Tattoo in West Hollywood is surprisingly small and boxy, especially when filled with cameramen. The walls are lined with glam-rock trinkets: black-and-white pictures of Kat, autographed guitars, a poster of the L.A. skyline and a skateboard ramp.
During most of the daytime hours, the shop is closed for filming, but at night, walk-ins are welcome. Those who appear on the show apply through a casting website and receive no monetary compensation.
"You know, I'm 25 years old, and not a lot of 25-year-old girls start a shop and pay taxes and all that," Von D said. "The moment I had to pay my first mortgage payment I was like, damn it, I'm adult now. And I don't always like that responsibility -- the hiring and firing."
Von D said the new episodes will push her to the limits of her artistic abilities as she gets to work on larger back pieces. Viewers will see her attempt to organize a three-day music and tattoo festival, MusInk. And the drama behind the world record attempt will unfold in an episode on March 4.
And the attempt was about to kick off. The crew asked the people in the room to quiet down, and suddenly Von D began talking to the camera, giving a monologue about her nerves and the lack of sleep she got the night before. Amid the tumult, it was easy to forget that there was an actual reality show being filmed.
The cameramen moved over to the two beds where Von D would be tattooing. Von D's boyfriend, Alex "Orbi" Orbison -- son of musician Roy Orbison and drummer in the band Whitestarr -- pressed a clear nicotine patch onto her lower back. Karoline, Von D's sister, lay on a table. The tattoo gun started buzzing and everyone began counting down the seconds in unison.
"You're gonna get the shakiest one," Von D said, grinning.
"I think people should just get a tattoo that they want to look at forever," she said, her eyes darting around her shop. "People read into the meaning behind every tattoo, but in reality it's just aesthetics. It's something you do because you have the power to alter your body. I mean, it's not a doctor's appointment, man -- it should be a party time."


How does Keegan reconcile his statement (“no smaller power has ever won a protracted war with a larger one”) with the American war of independence, American involvement in Vietnam, or the Russian occupation of Afghanistan? Would those simply not be ‘protracted’ wars?
I think it was somewhat of a throwaway statement made in the course of a different argument; there is obviously a large number of cases where it doesn’t hold up. (He was discussing Adm. Yamamoto’s warning that Japan could maintain victories against the US for 6 months to a year, but that afterwards American industrial size would tell and everything would fall apart) I’m pretty sure he didn’t mean it to be a significant statement, and that it’s more indicative of the “traditional wars” mindset that many military people seem to fall into when they don’t think about it.
Fair enough. Yeah, everything I have read or learned about WWII seems to indicate that the Allies won both sides of the war mostly just through brute economic might, and the Axis usually had the advantage in most circumstances. Well, and then some huge tactical blunders later in the war, but by then it probably just affected the time-table of Allied victory, not the existence thereof.
Maybe. You’re right that I think from the point where the USA and USSR were in the war, there was no way the Axis could win in the long term, but I’m not sure that the Axis had the advantage in other ways. The Japanese were very inferior in terms of equipment, and in a lot of cases tactical doctrine. Look at any account of Guadalcanal for an example. Likewise, there’s this myth of the super-motorized German army and its incredibly high-tech supplies, but it took them a long time to produce, say, a tank that could match the capabilities of the T-34.
Oh well, also it’s important to remember that Keegan’s definition of “war” can be … idiosyncratic.
Overall, I agree with the conclusion, though – the Allies’ economic size was going to be the determinant in any really protracted war. Even if the Russian winter hadn’t eaten so much of the German army, and had Britain ultimately fallen, America still had a fairly large reserve to draw upon.
This is the first book of his I’ve read, and at least in this one his definitions have been pretty canonical – but the subjects he covered were mostly things like Nelson chasing Napoleon, the Civil War, and the two World Wars, not cases where there’s too much subtlety about definitions.
Any books of his that you’d recommend looking at?
Well, I haven’t read this one. I found History of Warfare to be overly general. There were interesting observations, but overall it wasn’t as interesting.
The Face of Battle addresses an issue that concerns me a lot in archaeology; when we say “they fought a battle,” what exactly are we talking about happening? It looks at three battles — Agincourt, Waterloo and the Somme — in terms of what the actual experience of the participants might have been like. It’s a good question in the case of Agincourt, and involves some imaginative reconstruction.
I can lend you either of them if you like. They’re both worth reading, although I don’t think Keegan has all the answers. Or maybe not even most of the answers.


I just watched Crank: High Voltage with my friend Marli and her boyfriend.
I was a huge fan of Crank (2006), which is probably grounds for my liking of Crank 2. The easiest way to describe Crank 2, for me, is to say "It's like Crank all over again, but more excessive, trashy and inventive".
The plot of Crank: High Voltage picks up where Crank left off 3 years ago. Chev Chelios (Jason Statham), poisoned by a chinese synthetic by Ricky Verona (Jose Pablo Cantillo) after an intriguing plot to kill Triad leader Don Kim. After a day long chase through Los Angeles, Chev finally tracks down Ricky and the two nemesis face off in a mile high fall to the ground. With both main characters seemingly dead Crank: High Voltage takes off.
Chev chases his heart through Los Angeles all day. During the chase he's reunited with his "Doc" and his girlfriend.
Excessive, hilarious action sequences make the movie what it is. A no-brain-required movie for Statham and action fans alike.
I'll conclude by recommending this movie. I've never laughed so hard during an action movie in my life.


1. A mechanical or electronic analog computer used primarily to solve especially complicated differential equations.
2. A form of analog computer that utilizes interconnected electronic integrators to solve differential equations, an equation expressing a relationship between functions and their derivatives.
An electrophoretic technique (migration of electrically charged particles) which separates proteins by their physical interaction with the supporting medium as well as by electrophoretic mobility.
Proteins migrate through layered gels of differing pore size and/or pH, forming discontinuous and concentrated disks of individual molecules within the gel layers.
An electrode in which a drop of mercury, in the course of its formation, acts as the electrode surface.
It is therefore a fresh surface and of a small area, both advantages in a cathode (terminal or electrode at which electrons enter a system) for polarography or a method for analyzing the composition of a dilute electrolytic solution.
An electrode which is connected to a ground.
A continuous-wave radio navigation aid which uses special radio beacons to provide a number of equisignal zones; usually, there are 24 zones.
1. An insulator carrying a permanent charge similar to a permanent magnet.
2. A solid dielectric with a permanent electric polarization.
This is the electric equivalent of a permanent magnet.
3. A permanently polarized piece of dielectric material produced by heating the material and placing it in a strong electric field during cooling.
Some barium titanate ceramics can carnauba waxes. The electric field of an electret corresponds somewhat to the magnetic field of a permanent magnet.
4. A special plastic piezoelectric element, polarized during manufacture to become the equivalent of a permanently charged capacitor.
It generates an amplitude-responsive output voltage, like a ceramic element, but it requires less energy from the stylus system.
1. An earphone; such as, those used in sound-powered phones, which has a diaphragm of dielectrically (very poor conductor of electric current) charged material including polarized plastic, thereby eliminating the need for an external power source.
2. A headphone consisting of an electret transducer, usually in the form of a push-pull transducer or an instrument; such as, a microphone or electric motor, which converts one form of energy into another form.
1. A microphone that has an electret transducer capable of converting audio waves into electromagnetic waves.
2. A microphone consisting of an electret transducer in which the foil electret diaphragm is placed next to a perforated, ridged, metal or metal-coated backplate, and output voltage, taken between diaphragm and backplate.
It is proportional to the displacement of the diaphragm or a thin, flexible sheet that can be moved by sound waves, as in a microphone, or which can produce sound waves when moved, as in a loudspeaker.
A tool that is actuated by electric waves from one system and which supplies power in the form of electric waves to a second network.
1. Of or having to do with electricity.
2. Charged with electricity; such as, an electric battery.
3. Containing, producing, arising from, or actuated by electricity, or designed to carry electricity and capable of doing it.
Examples are electric energy, electric lamp, electric eel, electric vehicle, and electric motor.
4. Carrying electricity, or designed to carry electricity.
5. Run by electricity; for example a musical instrument like an electric guitar, producing sounds electronically through a speaker.
Electric, in many cases is used interchangeably with electrical, and it is often restricted to the description of particular devices or to concepts relating to the flow of electric current; such as, an electric fire or an electric charge.
A temporary anesthesia caused by the passage of an electric current through a part of the body.
1. A discharge of electricity through a gas, normally characterized by a voltage drop approximately equal to the ionization potential of the gas.
2. A luminous discharge of current that is formed when a strong current jumps a gap in a circuit or between two electrodes.
Electric arcs across specially designed electrodes can produce very high heat and bright light, and are used for such purposes as welding and illumination in spotlights.
Unwanted arcs in electrical circuits can cause fires and lightning is an example of an electric arc between one cloud and the earth or another cloud, as are sparks caused by discharges of static electricity.
Showing page 4 out of 102 pages of 1521 main-word entries or main-word-entry groups.


MONTREAL - A small-town Quebec mayor who has drawn fire for anti-Israel remarks says he's free to speak his mind and is defending himself against critics who say he should resign.
Stephane Gendron, who also hosts a TV show, says he's sorry if he offended anyone when he called Israel an apartheid state that doesn't deserve to exist.
Reading from a statement on Friday, the Huntingdon, Que., mayor said Jews indeed have a right to form a state.
The statement came exactly one month after Gendron, on his show, uttered the latest in a series of controversial comments he has made about Israel over the years.
During the Dec. 27 episode, Gendron called Israel an "apartheid state" while paying tribute to Quebec politician Amir Khadir for his boycott of a Montreal shoe store that sells shoes made in Israel.
He compared that boycott to similar campaigns against South Africa's racist regime in the 1980s, and he expressed hope that Israel would also collapse someday like that regime.
On Friday, Gendron explained that the rapid-fire format of the show didn't allow him to properly express his full opinion.
While Gendron sought to clarify his comment, he also defended it.
"As an engaged citizen, I have the right to denounce the way Israel carries out its policies against the Palestinians," Gendron said before Friday's edition of "Face a Face," the show he hosts.
"I don't believe that denouncing Israeli government abuses is anti-Semitism."
Later Friday, the network that hosts Gendron's show moved to dissociate itself from what it called "unfortunate" comments.
"V Network would like to reassure the public that these types of comments will no longer be tolerated on its airwaves," the network said in a statement.
The network said it would be meeting with two organizations that had complained: the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, and HonestReporting Canada.
The two organizations said they wanted to meet with the network to discuss the "important distinction between legitimate criticism of Israeli policies and the delegitimization of the Jewish people's right to self-determination."
For his part, Gendron said Friday that what he wants is to see Palestinians and Israelis living side-by-side, in peace.
Now the mayor says he doesn't want to talk about the issue anymore.
"I apologize to anyone I might have offended," Gendron said.
"The chapter is now closed."
However, one group that called on Gendron to step down or be taken off the air vowed to continue its campaign.
"It's not just one time that he's spoke out and said outrageous remarks about Israel and the Jewish people," said Meir Weinstein of the Jewish Defence League's Canadian branch.
"In the past he's compared Israelis to Nazis; there's nothing more hurtful and hateful than spreading defamation of that kind."
In 2006, Gendron said he was misunderstood when he was quoted by a Quebec City newspaper comparing Israelis to "modern-day Nazis." He later explained that he was referring to the behaviour of the Israeli government, during that year's bombing of Lebanon.
This week, Weinstein was one of about 20 protesters picketing outside Gendron's office, demanding his resignation or removal.
Weinstein said the pressure will continue and his group plans to continue its complaint with the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council.
Gendron, 44, has been mayor of the tiny town near the Quebec-New York border since 2003, and has been reportedly courted by certain provincial and federal parties. He has gained a reputation for being outspoken and colourful.
He was once removed from television by a now-defunct network for making controversial comments that resulted in complaints. Gendron has been back on the air since last fall.
On the political front, he became known for an attempt to institute a curfew to crack down on alleged youth vandalism.
Last year, he announced plans to boost his town's population by attracting French-speaking Muslims from North Africa. The plan was to build a mosque and slaughterhouse in an effort to attract immigrants to the town.


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The news that the London Interbank Offer Rate (LIBOR) system of setting interest rates is running into trouble was surprising at first glance. It seems some banks are giving phony LIBOR quotations that don't reflect the true rates at which they accept deposits. In the perfect financial system, beloved of regulators and academics, this kind of discrepancy shouldn't happen.
In the real world it does, and I'll explain why.
The LIBOR system was set up in the 1960s, when the market for dollar-denominated bank deposits outside the United States grew big enough to worry about. On a daily basis, the British Bankers Association would go to 16 banks, which were thought to be top quality, and ask those banks at what rate deposits were being offered. Assuming an honest reply, the data would be compiled to determine the average rates at which deposits were offered to prime banks. The average of the 16 banks becomes that day's LIBOR – for 1-month, 3-month, 6-month or other period deposits.
Should be a foolproof system, right?
Not quite. To see what can go wrong, let me share a little personal story. Ten years ago, when I was working in Zagreb, Croatia, I advised on the establishment of a LIBOR-type market between Croatian banks for 1- and 3-month deposits in Croatian kuna. We called it the "ZIBOR" market. Realizing that very few Croatian banks were solid credit risks at that time, I suggested that the bankers' association restrict the system to no more than the three top banks.
Naturally, since I was only the advisor, they ignored me and let in all the large members of the association – seven in all.
The system worked fine for a time, but then a credit crisis struck. NATO got upset about Kosovo and started bombing the neighborhood. Only occasionally did bombs accidentally fall on Croatia, but the bombing played merry hell with Croatia's tourist business. The result was a liquidity crisis in Croatia, and big trouble in the ZIBOR market.
First, one of the ZIBOR banks, Splitska Banka, was in such horrendous shape that no other bank would offer it deposits at all – not at any rate. Splitska was naturally interested in continuing to participate in the immense honor of the daily ZIBOR fixing, so its dealers would insist on going last. They would ask what the other banks had quoted, and then quote the average. Perfectly sensible solution, as I told everybody, provided none of the other banks took to doing it – it just meant there were only 6 banks really quoting ZIBOR, but six was still plenty.
The second problem occurred as liquidity got worse, and consisted of banks complaining that they were actually being asked to place deposits. Other banks would ring them up and ask them to place deposits at ZIBOR. They complained that this was impossible, since most days, they hadn't any money. Admittedly, the ZIBOR "reference amount" (the amount for which the quotation was supposed to be good) was only 100,000 kuna, or about $15,000. But some days even that amount was difficult to find. They wanted to reduce the reference amount to 10,000 kuna ($1,500), presumably so that if they were asked to place a deposit, the bank's chief executive officer could conceivably raise the money on his credit card!
So much for emerging-markets banking. When I returned to the United States in 2000, I thought I had left all that behind me. Apparently not!
Banks are now apparently making fake LIBOR quotes on the grounds that they don't want to be thought of as a credit risk, from which other banks would then demand a premium. Just like the old days in Zagreb!
But given the subprime mess, some large banks are rather dodgy credit risks, and they should be paying a modest premium for their deposits. In the 1974 credit crunch, some perfectly respectable Japanese banks paid a premium of as much as 2% for their short-term dollar deposits.
In these volatile markets, any whisper of trouble over a bank makes other banks' dealers not want to place money with them. Their feeling is that there's no point in getting fired for doing business with another bank that goes bust, especially as you'd probably be losing your job at the bottom of a bear market, when times are tough. So it's not surprising that the LIBOR system is wobbling a bit.
Despite its troubled history, Croatia's ZIBOR has survived to this day. And it's likely that LIBOR will do the same. However, there needs to be some realistic threat of banks being banned from participating in the LIBOR system if they provide false quotes. There also needs to be some realization that, in a tight market, not all banks will borrow at the same rate.
The real problem is the hundreds of trillions of dollars of derivatives contracts that use LIBOR – $382.3 trillion in interest rate swaps alone at the end of 2007, according to the International Swaps and Derivatives Association Inc. Just a 0.10% error on a six-month deposit, quoting 2.75% when the rate is really 2.85%, may not sound like much, but if it's repeated over $382.3 trillion in LIBOR quotes for interest-rate-swap contracts it comes to a fair piece of change. A lot of change. To be precise, we're talking about $194.3 billion.
Now that's what I call an accounting error.
It looks to me like it's a major problem. But it's one the world will just have to live with.
And there seem to be a lot of those kinds of problems, right now.
Bankers cast doubt on key rate amid crisis.
Unicredito's Splitska Banka attracts 900 million euro bid from SocGen – Radiocor.


There are multiple ways of applying for a job. One of the most common is via email. It's easy to over think how you phrase things or what is and isn't appropriate. A poorly written email can create problem, so here are a couple of tips when it comes to applying for a job via email.
The first thing that will be seen is the subject line, so what you write here and what you don't write here is important. As long as you have a professional tone, it's unlikely that youâ€™re going to get rejected simply for what you put in the subject line. But what you write can affect the reader's opinion of you. You don't want the interviewer rolling their eyes because you tried to be clever and it backfired.
These are all professional subject lines and there are many others variants you could use. Basically your subject line should communicate that this email is a job application for a specific position.
Keep your subject line short and specific. If it's longer than one sentence, 10 words or so, then it's probably too long.
I would like to apply for the reception position I saw advertised on SEEK , is too long for a subject line.
Avoid making yourself stand out in the wrong way. Make yourself standout is always the advice you hear when it comes to the job application process. Some people go too far though, or do it the wrong way. While a creative subject line is intended to stand out, it can have the opposite effect. It could make it harder to understand what the email about, or worst case come across as spam.
While I don't think you have to worry about an employer ignoring your emails; if they looks like spam, they may not give your email their full attention.
Things like - Your next great receptionist, I'm the perfect candidate for the job, your search for a receptionist is over, or HIRE ME! These are definitely different, but they arenâ€™t the way to go.
Next comes the salutation. Depending how formal you want your email to be determines what salutation you should use. Think who you're sending the email to, and how it should be addressed.
Formal language is often used when speaking to this in a higher position or when you don't know someone. If you've never spoken to the recipient or been introduced, as is common with job applications, then formal is a good choice. For example, a formal salutation would be - Dear Mr Smith, or Hello Mrs Brown.
In contrast informal language is used to communicate with those you're familiar with. A simple Hi Fred, or just Hello will often do when communicating informally. Match your audience with your language type and you'll come across as polite and respectful.
The email's body of text is where you talk about yourself, what you can offer and why this makes you suitable for the position. Keep in mind that your resume and cover letter are going to be attached to this email, so don't just copy paste that information here. Briefly introduce yourself and what the purpose of the email is, in this case itâ€™s applying for a job in a specific position. You could highlight the most relevant point from your cover letter to grab their interest and then direct them to your attached resume and cover letter.
The final thing you need to do is attach an email signature. Your signature should include your name and contact information to make it easy for them to contact you.
Thatâ€™s the basics of email writing, hereâ€™s a few final things to keep in mind when writing an email.
Donâ€™t rush your email or you risk making mistakes. Once youâ€™ve finished writing an email proofread it to make sure everything is correct. Spellcheck is good, but occasionally things slip through.
Donâ€™t send emails when youâ€™re emotional, you could end up saying things you normally wouldnâ€™t. Come back with a clear mind and youâ€™ll be able to write a better email.
Be concise. Unless it adds something, thereâ€™s no need to say something in a paragraph that can be said in a sentence. It also makes it easier to pick out the important information.
Are you serious about looking for a job?
Welcome to â€œLetâ€™s Get Workingâ€�!


Project Challenges We have to Generate maximum number of potential leads, being a service provider the requirement of campaign is Quality of visitors with maximum quantity of users. Client needs qualified leads maximum only from Houston USA. Keeping these challenges in concern we model PPC campaign for Taylorbus.Com. We developed PPC campaign with the goal \"Maximum Qualified Leads with Minimum Budget\".


After much digging while trying to have a 100% silent install of BizTalk, I have determined that a silent install of the ESB 2.1 Toolkit is not possible.
I have made it as hands free as I think is possible. The below scripts are designed for a single server installation.
2: msiexec.exe /qn /i "\\BizTalk Server 2010 Enterprise\BizTalk ESB Toolkit 2.1-x64.msi"
4: move "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft BizTalk ESB Toolkit 2.1\Bin\ESBConfigurationTool.exe.config" "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft BizTalk ESB Toolkit 2.1\Bin\ESBConfigurationTool.exe.config.old"
5: copy "\\BizTalk Server 2010 Enterprise\BizTalk Server\ESBConfigurationTool.exe.config" "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft BizTalk ESB Toolkit 2.1\Bin\ESBConfigurationTool.exe.config"
6: echo "Run ESBConfigurationTool.exe and press <Enter> when complete"
12: msiexec.exe /qn /i "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft BizTalk ESB Toolkit 2.1\Microsoft.Practices.ESB.CORE_NOBINDING64.msi"
13: msiexec.exe /qn /i "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft BizTalk ESB Toolkit 2.1\Microsoft.Practices.ESB.ExceptionHandling64.msi"
Line 2 actually installs the ESB components, which in turn adds the items to the start menu and unpacks the BizTalk msi’s etc.
Here is a sample of the configuration file, so when you open up the ESBConfiguration tool, you simply need to enable each of the features, press the Apply Configuration tool and walk through it.


Minimum procedures to be conducted by a qualified service technician.
Has all input wiring been inspected for proper entry and termination, including testing for ground faults?
Are all alarms activated and functioning properly?
1. Damaged probes must be cleaned or replaced as appropriate. Probes used in heavier products such as waste oil should be checked more frequently. Heavier products can leave deposits on the probe shaft and float assemblies that may restrict the measurement capacity of the probe.
Remove the probe from the tank and place it carefully on the ground.
Place the water sensor flush with the bottom of the probe shaft and place the product float near the middle of the probe shaft.
Check the height reading on the tank gauge monitor (after allowing sufficient time for the monitor to respond). Measure the distance from the bottom of the probe to the bottom of the product float and compare it with the reading on the monitor.
Using the tank console monitor, take an initial fuel level reading.
Dispense one gallon of product into a calibrated container.
Using the tank console monitor, take a second fuel level reading.
Verify that the change in tank volume is one gallon.
Remove probe from the tank.
By hand, move the water float up the probe to a point higher than the high-water alarm set point.
The monitor should respond with a high water alarm report. (The water height may also appear on the tank monitor display console.
Check this height against its actual location. The high water level alarm should not be set so high that water ingress into the tank goes undetected for long periods of time.
This checklist is not intended to tell the technician how to perform the maintenance and system check. Technicians should follow manufacturers' detailed instructions while making sure that all of the items on the checklist have been covered.
Has the battery been tested within the last 3 months?
1. Damaged probes must be cleaned or replaced, as appropriate. The mass displacement probe is very susceptible to dirt and residue build-up and should be checked semi-annually and cleaned, if necessary. Mass displacement probes used in viscous products such as waste oil should be checked more frequently. Products of this type can leave heavy deposits on the probe which may inhibit the accuracy of the probe. Checking a reconciliation report and/or manual sticking could verify the system's accuracy.
Remove the probe from the tank.
By hand, move the water float up the probe to a point higher than the high water limit.
Check this height against its actual location.
This checklist is not intended to tell the technician how to perform the maintenance and system check. Technicians should follow manufacturers' detailed instructions while making sure that all of the items on this checklist have been covered.
For equipment start-up or annual equipment certification, was a leak simulated to verify LLD performance?
Is the audible alarm operational?
Is the visible alarm operational?
If alarms are relayed to remote monitoring system, is all communication equipment (e.g. modem) operational?
Was monitoring system set-up reviewed to ensure proper settings?
Was the testing apparatus properly calibrated?
For mechanical LLDs, does the LLD restrict product flow if it detects a leak?
For electronic LLDs, have all accessible wiring connections been visually inspected?
For electronic LLDs, does the turbine shut off if the LLD detects a leak?
For electronic LLDs, does the turbine shut off if any portion of the monitoring system is disabled or disconnected?
For electronic LLDs, does the turbine shut off if any portion of the monitoring system malfunctions or fails a self-test?
Were all items on the equipment manufacturer’s maintenance checklist completed?
Were all LLDs confirmed operational and accurate within regulatory requirements?
Line leak detectors should be tested in-place, not removed.
The functional elements of the mechanical LLD are the piston and the diaphragm. To ensure that these elements are functioning properly, the submersible pump can be started and the time that the piston or diaphragm takes to move into a position to enable full flow of the product noted. The range of allowable opening times is specified by the manufacturer and is available in the equipment manual.
Equipment that monitors underground storage tank systems containing hazardous materials must be tested/serviced per regulatory requirements, or on a schedule specified by the manufacturer, whichever is more frequent.
System Set-Up Report - If the monitoring system or diagnostic equipment used in testing is capable of generating a hard-copy report describing system set-up, you should include a copy of the report with this checklist.
Alarm History Report - If the monitoring system is capable of generating a hard-copy alarm history report, you must include a copy of the report with this checklist. This report should be printed before you test any LLDs.
Launched replica watches during Baselworld in 2018, this Grande Seconde collection will add the moon phase sophistication and tribute to the replica watches uk makers' respected moon. The moon phase is reminiscent of the mystical and complex relationship between the Earth and the Sun and the Moon and the Earth. Accurately presenting the phases of the moon phases from the new moon to the bottom of the moon, while extending the replica watches sale pure, minimalist aesthetics of the second hand and the iconic "8" shape of the brand name, is truly a veritable artistic and technical challenge. Black large enamel enamel double dial with three-dimensional satin plate ring, black onyx moon phase display disk is rolex replica decorated with 18K red gold inlaid and 22K gold moon.