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My kids named this car Louie The Lizard and it has stuck since. The reason is that when I was racing it a few years back I had an issue with keeping it straight. I still ran low 11's looking at the wall several times during the first half the track. Bad steering box. THe kids originally called it a frog but they had seen a Budwiser commercial and liked the name of Louie The Lizard that was in one of the commercials.
I orginally bought the car because it I knew the owner and it was pretty fast but always seemed to break at the race track. I actually hated the body style but it was already tubbed. MY FIRST TUBBED CAR!! Anyway, I found out after the many years of trying to get it to where it ran best at, that it would not handle much more that a low 10 second pass. I was still learning suspensions and realized this car was actually set up wrong. No adjustments for the ladder bars.
Once our local race track closed a couple of years ago I decided to slowly transform it back into a Pro Street car. I have taken it to a few car shows and have won a few first and second place trophies within these last couple of years. Although it is not a major show car it turns the heads as it is different and it just looks and sounds mean. I have a best time of 10.224 @ 130.81 MPH at Nebraska Motorplex (Scribner, NE) on a very cold September night in 2003. Traction became an issue as the temp was in the mid 40 degree area. I have ran many mid 10 second passes with this car and it was still getting faster but eventually could not handle all the power the motor in it at the time had. So now I drive it on the street with a smaller HP 355 and it still runs low 10's in the quarter. This is what makes it a fun toy.
My first car was a Monza hatchback and I have owned many since. I now currently own three tubbed Monzas along with my 1992 Geo Storm I am tubbing, a 1970 & 1/2 Camaro Z-28, 1969 Chevelle SS, 1968 Mustang, 2005 Mustang, 2005 Malibu, and a 1977 4 wheel drive P/U. Most are projects in work. I bought the 68 mustang for my wife and the 69 Chevelle for my son who is now 9 years old and wanting to get started on it. My youngest daughter wants the Camaro if I don't give it to my brother for his expert body work on one of my Monzas.
I bought this LT-1 from a "friend" (no longer) by email who said it was "ready to go." it was not. It had no paint, boxes of parts, engine problems and the interior was in need of much TLC. After much work, it is now the Bat Rod, with a hot, solid-lifter basically-stock engine, factory A/C and much more. It sits low and is bad.
Engine: 355 SB Chevy with 461 HP @ 5500 RPM and 485 TQ @ 5000 RPM to the flywheel. No real fancy racing parts and still has cast heads and a dual plane intake. Even the rods are factory units and it has a stock oil pan on it.
Trans: Turbo 350 with Full competition manual valve body and 4000 Stall Convertor
Rearend: 12-Bolt Chevy with Spool and 33 spline axles
Gears: 4.10
Wheels: 15" x 12" Convo Pro's on the rear
15" x 4" Convo Pro's on the front
Tires: 15" x 18.5" x 32" Hoosiers on the rear -- Street
15" x 14.5" x 33" Goodyears on the rear -- Drag Strip
15" x 4" x 24" Goodyears on the front
Body: All steel with a lift off front clip and deck lid. All windows except for the rear glass are Lexan. The paint is 1999 Chrysler Pearl Alpine Green Metallic.
Interior: All race with the exception for the Thinsulate matting and carpet.
Stock 350 solid lifter
These Monzas were nothing much to talk about. They had either a 2.8 or 3.8 V6 or a 262 or 305 V8 in them. The transmissions were either metric Turbo 250's or a Saginaw 4-speed. They were pretty quick and fun to drive either way as it did not take much to get these little cars moving. They all had single exhaust 13" wheels and tires which made for easy burnouts without trying too hard. They are considered one of the top 10 most overlooked street machines of their era. The shifters were all on the floor and the interior was not very roomy unless you had the hatchback models which seemed to have a little more room in them. The Monza Spiders were considered the performance models with factory suspension upgrades. They also usually were the V8 cars. There some models that had a body kit used for SCCA road racing which included flared out ffront and rear fenders, air dam, and special rear spoiler. These little cars do not have many parts out there from the aftermarket world and and wheels were really hard to find if you wanted a 15" wheel. These cars had factory 4 on 4 bolt patterns and until recent years you had to find a machine shop to redrill the axles and rotors to fit nice 5 lug wheels onto them. The rearends were not very strong as they were only 7.5" diameter ring geared with puny 26 spline axles. They would break with any real power if they hooked up and did not spin at all. With the correct knowledge these cars could be made into quite fast little rides and it did not take much to put a little hopped up 350 and turbo 350 trans into one and run 12 or 13 second quarter mile passes. I have owned many of these cars and always love the looks I get with them when I come rumbling up to a street light and somebody is expecting a Camaro, Nova, Chevelle, Mustang, etc... You get the picture.
LT-1, Fact. A/C, P/S, P/B, P/W
12-Bolt Chevelle rearend narrowed to 35" with 4.10 gears, 33 Spline Moser spool, Moser Axles, 9" Ford big bearing axle ends, ladder bars, QA1 coil over shocks, and an aluminum rearend cover that has cap supports. I use 15" x 12" and 15" x 4" Centerline Convo Pro wheels mounted on 15" x 14" x 32" slicks or 15" x 18.5" x 31.5" Hoosier Quick Time tires on the rear and 15" x 4.5" x 26" front Goodyears.
Turbo 350 Trans with a full manual valve body and a 4000 Redneck convertor.
Custom made interior pieces - door panels, dash, floors, and tunnel are made of .032 thru .080 aluminum. RCI racing seats with custom made seat covers. RCI 5pt harnesses. Cheetah command center shifter cover houses all the switches, covering the Hurst Q-Stick. Autometer gauges and Monster 5" tach with memory and a shift light. Has Thinsulate heat barrier under the custom made carpeting. Has a 14 PT Chris Alston roll cage. There is a SFI approved window net for 10.99 and faster cars too. Custom quick release steering wheel.
Motor is a 355 4-bolt main SB Chevy. Has polished rods with ARP wave loc bolts. Forged steel GM crankshaft turned .010/.010. SFI approved balancer and flexplate. 10.75 to 1 compression hypertuectic pistons with Moly rings. ARP bolts and studs are throughout the motor. Pete Jackson Gear drive, .447/.447 original L79 Hydraulic flat tappet camshaft with lots of duration (284 at .050). It was designed for Super Stock drag racing. The heads are 2.02/1.6 cast units that have been ported polished, and flowed along with the Power Plus Crosswind intake manifold. I use a Pro Comp rocker shaft system. All oiling is handles using a Melling 55HV oil pump and a Milodon windage tray, baffle, and crank scraper hidden under a modified stock oil pan. The lifter vallet has breather tubes for crankcase ventilation and I use a crankcase evacuation system. The carb is a Mighty Demon 850 CFM carb with annular discharge nozzles. I use a K&N 6" tall element with the X-treme top. The alternator is on the passenger bottom side of the motor run using a lawn mower v-belt. All pulleys, timing cover, and valve covers are aluminum. The waterpump is a Proform electric unit. I use an MSD billet distributor, MSD Digital 6 Box, and HVC Coil. The spark plugs are AC Delco and I use Taylor Lime Green 8mm spark plug wires. The exhaust is a set of Hedman Hustler Hedders (no longer made by them) with 1 3/4" primaries and 3" collectors that are designed to be cut to length for tuning. I run them into Warlock (Flowtech) mufflers that have the removeable plug to open up the exhaust for racing, car shows, or just to make a lot of noise. The starter is a Speedway Motors mini starter linked to a Ford solenoid.
The main fuel system is all Magna Fuel using AN12 hose from the 5 gallon RCI fuel cell to the Barry Grant fuel filter mated right to the Quickstar 275 pump into AN10 hose to the Magna Fuel 2 port regulator into AN8 hose into the carb. There is another fuel system for the NOS (once hooked up) from Aeromotive. I have AN8 hose going into the filter then to the pump, then into AN6 to the regulator, and into AN4 to the NOS Cheater solenoids.
The body is all steel. I have all but the back window made out of Lexan. The front clip is made to be removed like a pro stock unit one piece lift off. The front bumper is removeable by pulling two quick release pins. Rear quarter panels have been stretched to accomodate the big tires. The radiator is a Griffin aluminum and it is mated to an electric dual fan set up out of a Suburu. The firewall is made out of .032 aluminum and is split about 2/3rds of the way up to allow access to the wiring, ignition box, gauges, etc... NO need to bend under the dash to get to anything. There is a box mounted on the inside of the drivers compartment (passenger side firewall) that houses all the relays and custom made fuse box. The steering column is a custom made drag racing unit with street rod and aircraft type joints. I use a Vega manual steering box. All suspension has been updated using PST polygraphite bushings, Moog ball joints and tie rods, and a PST centerlink. The battery has been relocated to the trunk and is an Optima. The braking is handled using an Aerospace Components brake kit along with dual Harwood master cylinders and Harwood brake pedal.
Headers. Tremac 5-sp, sidepipes, off-set trailing arms, paint
|Points for Louie The Lizard
|Total Votes
|Points for Bat Rod


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Editor's note: The following is a tongue-in-cheek report about the public library system's recent fundraising gala.
I didn't mean to do it. Honest.
We were just fooling around in the backyard playing. I had on my astronaut costume. Jimmie said that he had invented a time machine and dared me to try it.
Of course, I didn't believe him, but he was so insistent that I went along with the joke and pushed the button labeled "+ 50."
The next thing I knew, I was 50 years in the future - in 2013.
I didn't know where I was, except in some dark closet in a building somewhere. And I could hear the noise of a bunch of people.
When I stepped out of the closet, I was in the middle of a big party.
I thought that I would feel awkward and out of place - but there were many people dressed just like back in 1963. They had on '60s clothing or came as '60s TV and movie characters.
I had no trouble recognizing James Bond and Maxwell Smart.
Boy, what a party.
They even knew about important historical events from my time.
When I talked about the "space race" between the USA and the Soviet Union to get to the moon, they knew all about that and asked me good questions.
I was so distracted by the people that it was only later that I realized that I was in the middle of a public library. Golly.
In my day, you had to be totally quiet in a library, but here were hundreds of people just having a good time at a relaxed, fun party. So, I decided to join them.
The food, drink and music were all first rate. And they were auctioning off things on tables or doing it out loud with a lot of competition to win.
I almost took part, but finally decided not to - a lot of the restaurants didn't even exist 50 years ago and besides, I didn't have any money with me.
Later on I was told that all of this was to raise money for the Live Oak Public Libraries Foundation, which funds children's reading programs and other good things at the libraries.
I thought that this was a terrific idea - really positive and really modern - to have a good time while doing good for your community.
When I get back to 1963, I'm going to try and start a library foundation just like the one that you had here in 2013. I'm really glad that I pushed that button.
Live Oak Public Libraries Foundation
Frequent Obama critic lauds president's trip
I am an avowed critic of President Obama, but I am willing to give the devil his due when it is appropriate, and I believe Obama might be growing up a bit when it comes to correcting his naivety in 2008, in the foreign policy arena.
His recent trip to the Middle East, except for the moment when he told Israelis to stand in the shoes of Palestinians, was a success. The orchestrated kiss up between Israel and Turkey was a noteworthy achievement and took some intelligent preparation before hand.
We now have the prospect of two stable Middle East nations standing somewhat united as a bulwark against Iran and its tottering ally in Syria.
Hezbollah may have overplayed their hand in Lebanon and Hamas is not the Hamas of old though, they still maintain a ton of rocketry as does Hezbollah.
This newfound love affair will also go a long way toward resolving energy issue developments between Greek Cyprus and Turkey because Israel will play a key mediation role.
Obama basically told the Palestinians and Abbas he no longer will press Israel to make peace with you, because he realizes it is foolish to expect such until you are a willing and realistic negotiating party.
Then, we finally have the prospect of the CIA dispensing weapons to Syrian rebels, and that could bode far better post-Assad than what occurred in Libya.
The CIA should be able to have a more controlling influence and we might have a rebel force in control of Syria that we can exercise some influence over, and that, too, is a benefit to Israel and regional peace. Assad, as with Mubarak, was dependable.

subset: commoncrawl


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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Reminders of Flight 93 are everywhere on the USS Somerset, the Navy's newest ship.
From a quilt bearing the names of the 40 passengers and crew to the many street signs from southwestern Pennsylvania's Somerset County, the ship is a floating tribute to those who stormed the cockpit of the hijacked airliner on Sept. 11, 2011, thwarting an attack on Washington, D.C. The plane crashed in a field, killing all aboard.
"Had it not been for their heroic actions, the terrorists would have reached their intended targets, and for sure, countless more lives would've been lost and perhaps even changed the outcome of history as we know it," said Capt. Thomas L. Dearborn, the ship's commanding officer.
The Somerset will be placed into service on Saturday during a commissioning ceremony in Philadelphia, where it's been docked for nearly a week. The Navy gave a tour of the ship on Thursday.
Sailors who were teens and younger during the 2001 terror attack said it's a great honor to serve aboard the diesel-powered, 684-foot Somerset, an amphibious transport dock designed to carry troops and equipment and launch helicopters, tilt-rotor aircraft and assault watercraft.
Petty Officer Patricia Steele, 27, of Oak Harbor, Wash., was in her ninth-grade science class when jetliners slammed into the World Trade Center. She remembers watching the towers fall on TV.
"We sat rigid in our seats, couldn't move, couldn't believe what was going on," she recalled Thursday.
Steele said she's honored to serve on the Somerset because the Flight 93 passengers were "the first crew that fought back against terrorism ... They fought back to preserve and protect innocent lives."
Sailors were getting the Somerset ready Thursday in advance of the commissioning ceremony, swabbing an already spotless upper deck in front of the bridge as a bitter wind howled. The Navy showed off the Somerset's capabilities, having an Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and a SuperCobra attack helicopter land on the flight deck in the shadow of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge.
Saturday's ceremony will feature the ship's sponsor giving the traditional order to "man our ship and bring her to life!" The Somerset will then sail to San Diego, its home port.
It's the third ship to be named in honor of 9/11 victims and first responders. The others are the USS New York and USS Arlington.
Among other references to Flight 93, a plaque on the Somerset says, "The sailors and Marines of this warship will never forget"; the mess is called "Heroes Hall"; a patch sewn into a tablecloth bears the legend "Let's roll," the famous rallying cry of Flight 93 passenger Todd Beamer.
D. Hamilton Peterson, of Bethesda, Md., the son of Donald A. Peterson and Jean Peterson, who died aboard Flight 93, plans to attend the commissioning ceremony with his two sons.
The Somerset "represents that ethos of not lying down, of fighting back," said Peterson, the former chairman of the Families of Flight 93 group.
The vessel was christened in July 2012 at the Huntington Ingalls Industries shipyard in Avondale, a New Orleans suburb.
Associated Press writer Kevin Begos contributed to this report from Pittsburgh.


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Police: Hot day, kids left in car; Derry woman chargedBy ADAM SWIFT
Union Leader Correspondent
June 26. 2013 10:34PM
DERRY — A Derry mother is facing charges after police said she left two toddlers inside a sweltering vehicle outside Walmart Tuesday afternoon.
"The current temperature was in the mid-90s and the vehicle was parked in the unshaded parking lot with its windows open less than one inch," Capt. Vernon Thomas said. "Officers noted that the children appeared to be in distress due to the temperature in the vehicle. They were crying, sweating, and had a red color to their faces."
According to witnesses, Marie Dennis' children had been in the vehicle for about 20 minutes.
Dennis, 33, of 42 Pond Road, was arraigned in Derry District Court Wednesday morning on two counts of second-degree assault, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, and resisting arrest.
Police and fire personnel responded to a 911 call shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday after several people noticed two children locked in a green 2001 Mazda Tribute in the Walmart parking lot on Ashleigh Drive, Thomas said.
As emergency workers tried to get into the vehicle, Dennis approached from the store and unlocked the Mazda with her keys. The children were taken by a medic to a waiting ambulance, according to Thomas.
Fire department personnel began treating the pair at the scene. The children were taken to Parkland Medical Center, where they were treated for heat exhaustion and later released to a caretaker, Thomas said.
Dennis struggled with officers as they tried to arrest her, police said. Her bail was set at $5,000 cash or surety.
Her bail conditions include no unsupervised contact with children under 18.
Dennis remained in custody at Rockingham County Jail Wednesday night.
Crime, law and justice Social issues Derry Top Section Stories


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50 Cent to Donate $750k if Floyd Mayweather Reads 'Harry Potter'
50 Cent is stepping up the money game with the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and he is pledging to donate $750,000 to the charity of his former friend Floyd Mayweather's choice if he can successfully read a full page of a "Harry Potter" book.
"Floyd will you except my ALS/ESL CHALLENGE," the 39-year-old rapper wrote in the caption. "I will donate $750k to a charity of your choice, If you can read a full page out of a Harry Potter book out loud without starting and stopping or f�"king up. lmao"
Later, 50 said that Jimmy Kimmel will let Floyd come on his show to accept the challenge. He also added that he can read "The Cat in the Hat" instead.
50 Cent Challenges Floyd Mayweather to Read 'Harry Potter'
Click inside to watch 50 Cent getting the ice dumped on his head…
50 Cent – Ice Bucket Challenge


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The Dukes County Rodent Control Program was reactivated in June 2001 after multiple requests from the Island selectmen and intensive research by County Manager Carol Borer and Executive Assistant Marsha Smolev.
As far as we know, we can trace the beginning of the Rodent Control Program back to 1944 when Mrs. Wilfred O. White and several friends in the Martha's Vineyard Garden Club, concerned about food production and fish left overnight on the fishing boats, contacted the United States Department of the Interior, Division of Predator and Rodent Control, which in turn sent Federal agent Robert Borge to lay out a rat control program. The Garden Club appropriated $300 to establish the program.
About 1946 the Dukes County Commissioners became interested and decided to make it a Countywide project, with a budget of $3,190. (That's approximately $29,588.95 in today's dollars.) AT that time, the year-round population was approximately 5,000 and summer population 40,000. Louis M. Greene, Benjamin F. Abbott and John Black were its operators.
Louis M. Greene stayed with the program, along with Jacqueline A. Greene until 1980. His number one operator and successor Arnold M. Fischer joined the program in 1970 and along with his wife, Priscilla, served the Dukes County Rodent Control Program for 21 _ years until the program was ended in 1992. Arnold M. Fischer stated in 1992: "When the rats get out of control in the near future, I hope the County Commissioners will reinstate the program for the good of the people of Martha's Vineyard."
The Commissioners did reinstate the program in 1996 with John Tucker as its operator. Mr. Tucker died unexpectedly in 1998 and the program faded away.
Since the State mandate to cap the Island landfills, the Island's abundant natural food sources, the unlimited supply of bird food, the increased year-round (14,208) and summer (105,624) populations and lack of natural predators, the rodents are again making a remarkable negative impact on our Island.
The Dukes County Rodent Control program of today offers a broader range of information and control methods than in 1944. I use a new program based on Integrated Pest Management (IPM). IPM can reduce the quantity of chemical rodenticides entering the environment and can save money. IPM is based on taking preventive measures, assessing the rodent damage and choosing appropriate actions, including cultural practices, chemical rodenticides, glue boards, traps, physical barriers and general public information and education.
Further, I am cooperating with Sam R. Telford III, D.Sc., Harvard School of Public Health, and Dr. Catherine Feldman of the Center for Disease Control, in their ongoing Island-wide investigation and research regarding the host of pulmonic tularemia.
The Dukes County Rodent Control office is located in the new County Administration Building at the Martha's Vineyard Airport.
The cooperation of all is needed for our continued success. At the first sign of a rat or a mouse, please phone T.J. Hegarty, Dukes County Rodent Control Officer, at 508-696-4888.
Ending, I quote Charles G. Norton, 1978 Chairman of the Dukes County Rat Control Program: "It is not a 'shame' to have rats; but it is a 'shame' to keep them, when the Dukes County Rodent Control Program is ready to help."
T.J. Hegarty


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U.S. Catholic bishops have joined an unprecedented coalition of American Christian leaders in an effort to protect social service, health and poverty-mitigation programs threatened by budget hawks in Congress. As discussions begin on a 2012 federal budget, deep cuts on discretionary social spending—child nutrition programs, education, foreign aid, housing and home heating assistance, and more, are already being proposed.
The campaign, "Circle of Protection," joins Christian leaders from Catholic, evangelical and African American churches in a defense of the approximately 19 percent of the federal budget currently devoted to domestic social spending and the 1 percent directed toward international development and relief aid. "The Circle of Protection means if you come after the poor, you will have to come through us first," said Rev. Jim Wallis, president and CEO of the evangelical social justice organization Sojourners.
"Cutting the budget on the backs of the poor ... is simply not worthy of a great nation like ours," said the Rev. Barbara Williams-Skinner of the National African American Clergy Network.
During a press conference to introduce the campaign on April 27, Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, Calif., chairman of the bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, warned, "A just framework for future budgets cannot rely on disproportionate cuts in essential services to poor persons. It requires shared sacrifice by all, including raising adequate revenues, eliminating unnecessary military and other spending, and addressing the long-term costs of health insurance and retirement programs fairly."
Bishop Blaire said, "From across the spectrum of Christian commitment, we agree the moral measure of this budget debate is not which party wins or which powerful interests prevail, but rather how those who are jobless, hungry, homeless or poor are treated. Their voices are too often missing in these debates, but they have the most compelling moral claim on our consciences and our common resources."
The bishop said every budget decision should be accessed by how much it protects human life and promotes human dignity and by how well it protects "the least of these." He added, "Government and other institutions have a shared responsibility to promote the common good of all, especially ordinary workers and families who struggle to live in dignity in difficult economic times."
A plan for 2012 offered by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., already has been adopted by the House. It calls for reducing the tax rates for the top 2 percent of U.S. earners from 35 percent to 25 percent and compensating for the loss of revenues by cutting spending in domestic social services and international development programs. It also proposes a 10-year effort to change the way Medicare and Medicaid operate, turning the former into a voucher program and the latter into direct block grants to states.
Congressional Democrats have opposed the plan, saying it places the elderly and poor at too great a risk.
Bishop Blaire acknowledged that the coalition's message, essentially suggesting that the segment of the budget that has become the most targeted for cuts should actually be the portion most protected from austerity measures, will be a hard sell to U.S. Christians who have grown weary of high taxes and fearful of out-of-control federal spending. "I think there is a lot of conversion work that needs to be done among our own people in the pews in terms of Catholic Social Teaching," he said. He added the church needed to pay attention to the formation of Catholics but that individuals, too, had to take responsibility for their own discernment.
Rev. Wallis suggested that the group would support more attention to the cost efficiency and effectiveness of social programs, but he argued that a similarly sharp focus should be placed according to the same criteria on military spending and direct and indirect supports for U.S. corporations, particularly oil producers who have been experiencing record profits but still insist on federal subsidies. Noting that many foreign aid and anti-poverty programs were effective and low-cost, Rev. Wallis said, "A lot of these budget hawks are not really serious about cutting the deficit because if they were they'd go to where the real money is"—tax breaks for the affluent and military spending. Instead, "the poor are being sacrificed not to reduce the deficit, but to allow more room for tax breaks for America's richest," he said.
Galen Carey, Director of Government Affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals, said that cutting the deficit and the needs of the nation's poor are "wrongly thought to be in conflict." The Christian leaders said that a long-term plan for closing the nation's federal deficit and reducing its debt could coincide with measures to protect the poor, educate children, care for the disabled and assist those struggling with unemployment. "Despite the economic setbacks of the last few years," said Rev. Williams-Skinner, "we continue to live in an age of abundance."
"Things would be much worse if not for [the nation's] modest safety net," said Galen. Spending on health care and nutrition and on America's children, he said, "help[s] all of us. They are an investment in our future."
"We do face tough choices about our fiscal health," said former Ambassador and Congress member Tony Hall, "and we owe to future generations to address [the nation's $14.3 trillion debt].
"But the poor did not create this fiscal mess and hurting them is not the way out of it." Hall is currently the executive director of the Alliance to End Hunger. He said even if the entire foreign aid budget were eliminated "it wouldn't do anything to address the deficit, but it would hurt millions of people." And for some, "it would kill them."
Rev. Wallis complained that he had yet to see a line item reduction from the Pentagon budget but foreign aid programs that would save thousands of lives were already under the axe. "Military spending," he said, "has to be on the table." Rev. Wallis said the choices ahead will reveal what values the country holds highest. "We have to remember that budgets are not just about [financial] scarcity. They're about choices, moral choices. Our choices reveal ... what's important, what's not, who's important, who's not," he said.
For more on the U.S. Bishops and the budget, see:
Bishops highlight moral criteria for budget debate
Bishops ask Congress to remember the poor in budget debate


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Ten Minute Block Coordinate Precision and Other Location Codes
Ten-minute Block Coordinate Precision
All banding and encounter locations stored in the BBL database are assigned coordinates as well as a "Coordinate Precision". This field must be considered when utilizing coordinate data provided by the BBL. The coordinate precision describes the coordinates by identifying them as exact, meaning the coordinates represent exactly where the bird was banded or encountered, or it defines the coordinates as encompassing a broader area, such as a 10-minute block or a state.
Most banding and encounter records stored in the BBL database have a coordinate precision of 10-minute block. A 10-minute block represents an area of 10 minutes of latitude by 10 minutes of longitude, so is a polygon (Figure 1). However, the BBL can only store the coordinate values of the center of the 10-minute block and the coordinate precision indentifies how the set of coordinates should be interpreted.
|Figure 1. The area encompassed by different coordinate precisions: 10-minute block, 1-minute block, and exact. The 10-minute block highlighted in the image would have a Decimal Degree value of 39.08333 -76.08333 and a truncated Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (DMS) value of 390-0760. The box showing the exact coordinate value includes how exact DMS is converted to 1-minute and 10-minute block DMS.
The coordinate values of all BBL records, regardless of the coordinate precision, may be provided in two formats. One is the Decimal Degree value* (e.g. 39.08333, -76.75) and the other is the truncated Degrees, Minutes, Seconds value* (e.g. 390-0764). When using the Decimal Degree value, one must consider the coordinate precision if they plot the data on a map. A Decimal Degree value that has a 10-minute block coordinate precision will plot in the center of a 10-minute block, not exactly where the bird was banded or encountered.
If the complete Degrees, Minutes, Seconds value needs to be translated from the truncated value provided by the BBL, add 5 to the minutes value and 00 to the seconds value (e.g. 390-0764 becomes 39 05 00, 076 45 00). When using this value, one must also consult the value in the Direction field, which indicates if the coordinates are NW, SW, etc.
Conversely, the truncated 10-minute block value can be determined by using the first three digits of the latitude followed by the first four digits of the longitude, using the initial zeros in all cases. For example, 39 degrees 03 minutes and 17 seconds N and 76 degrees 46 minutes and 55 seconds W would be coded as 390-0764. The latitude and longitude are not "rounded off" to the nearest 10 minutes but rather the last digit of the minutes and the seconds are dropped.
*Files from data requests provided by the BBL may have the Decimal Degree value labeled as LAT or LON FLOAT, LAT or LON DECIMAL, GISBLAT or GISBLONG. The truncated Degrees, Minutes Seconds value may be labeled as LAT or LON or LAT or LON 10 MIN BLK.
Other Location Codes
All Coordinate Precision Codes
Direction Codes (Worldwide 10-minute block corners)


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The memory within the iPod.
Use a spudger to pry up the white plastic hold switch.
If present, remove the cap from the USB port.
The following step can be challenging and time consuming. Be sure to go slowly and have patience to prevent damaging your iPod.
Use an Exacto knife to separate the glue holding the USB port on the iPod. Run the knife along the seam between the two sections of the iPod until the glue is separated. Expect to run the knife along this edge 20-30 times before the glue will be entirely freed.
Continue to run the knife around all four edges of the USB port until the glue is released. You may be able to gently wiggle the knife from side to side to help release the glue.
Use a spudger to push on the headphone jack and slide the USB port out of its housing.
After the USB port comes free, carefully slide it out of its housing. Don't pull it out too far because there's still a ribbon cable connecting it to the logic board.
Continue to slide the iPod out of its casing by using a spudger to push on the logic board near the headphone jack.
You can place a piece of tape over the battery indicator in this step to prevent it from falling out in Step 9. :)
Turn the iPod so that the click wheel is facing up. This will prevent the battery indicator from falling out.
Slide the iPod out of its casing.
Use a spudger to flip up the black plastic tab holding the USB port ribbon in place. The black tab will rotate up 90 degrees, releasing the ribbon cable.
Carefully peel the yellow USB ribbon up from the battery.
Start by lifting from the port end of the ribbon; the tape is strongest and easiest to pull up from there. I pulled up from the corner shown in the picture and ended up ripping the tape. :'(
Slide the USB ribbon out of its connector.
Lift the USB port and attached ribbon cable out of the iPod.
If you are only replacing the battery there is no need to remove the memory board. Cut the wires from the old battery as close to the battery as you can. Then cut the black wire from the new battery so that it is about 1/2 inch long. Strip the ends about 1/8 inch and solder. Slip a piece of 3/32 heat shrink tubing over the joint. Now cut the red wire so that it is about 1/2 inch long and strip as above, solder and cover with heat shrink tubing. It works!
If replacing the battery in the first generation , what are the spec's on the battery in order to locat one for replacement. Thanks.
Gently pull back the white plastic framework to free the left edge of the logic board. Pull up on the logic board slightly to prevent the logic board from falling back into place.
Repeat the same procedure on the opposite side to free the logic board from the white plastic casing.
Lift the logic board up to disconnect it from the memory board beneath. Don't remove the logic board from the iPod yet, because it's still connected to the battery.
Turn the iPod over and use your finger to push the battery through the hole in the casing. The battery is attached to the plastic framework with a mild adhesive.
Lift the battery and logic board out of the iPod.
Yeah, how is the battery connected to the logic board? — is it soldered, or what?
Peel up the translucent tape securing the memory board to the edge of the white plastic framework. It is only necessary to peel up the tape on one side, as the other side will be freed while removing the memory board.
Lift the memory board out of the framework and peel the tape off the other side of the framework.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
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text:
New York City police have a suspect in custody after he allegedly pushed another man to his death in front of a subway train in Manhattan on Monday.
Ki-Suck Han, 58, of Elmhurst, Queens, was shoved in front of a Q train at the 49th Street station at around 12:30 p.m., according to NBC New York. He was later pronounced dead at St. Luke's Hospital.
Witnesses said the suspect had been mumbling to himself before getting into an argument with Han on the platform.
RELATED: Subway Killer In Custody After Man Is Pushed to His Death in Manhattan
After being pushed, Han tried to climb back up on the platform but was struck by the train before he could make it to safety.
One witness videotaped part of the verbal altercation and turned the tape over to police, which released it publicly in an effort to identify the suspect.
New York Police Department spokesman Paul J. Browne tells the New York Times that the suspect was apprehended a block from the subway station where the incident occurred. Although he has been placed under arrest and is undergoing questioning, Browne says the suspect will not be identified until witnesses can be gathered and a lineup conducted.


text: Handling Specialty was approached by a large international airport in the US to custom design and manufacture lifts for a truck dock loading and unloading operation for air cargo freight containers. With cargo conveyors mounted on top of the lifts, containers were moved to workstations where they were disassembled and their contents removed. A unique shot pin system on one lift enabled the two units to move synchronously.


text:
Related Media: High Blood Pressure and the DASH Diet
Blood pressure is the force that blood puts on the blood vessel walls. Blood pressure measurements include 2 numbers:
- Systolic pressure: top number, normal reading is 120 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) or less
- Diastolic pressure: bottom number, normal reading is 80 mmHg or less
The American Heart Association (AHA) uses the following blood pressure categories:
- Blood pressure is considered elevated, but not yet hypertension (abnormally high blood pressure) when the:
- Systolic pressure is 120-129 mmHg and the
- Diastolic pressure is 80 mmHg
- Stage 1 hypertension:
- Systolic pressure is 130-139 mmHg and/or
- Diastolic pressure is 80-89 mmHg
- Stage 2 hypertension:
- Systolic pressure is greater than or equal to 140 mmHg and/or
- Diastolic pressure is greater than or equal to 90 mmHg
High blood pressure puts stress on the heart, lungs, brain, kidneys, and blood vessels. Over time, this condition can damage these organs and tissues.
The body has a number of steps to help keep blood pressure in a healthy range. It is not clear what changes happen in this process that causes primary hypertension. It develops gradually over time.
Risk Factors
High blood pressure develops over time. It is most common in older adults, especially postmenopausal women.
Factors that may increase the risk of high blood pressure include:
- Overweight
- Excess alcohol use
- Smoking
- Use of oral contraceptives (birth control pills)
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Family history
- Kidney disease
- Diabetes
- High-fat, high-salt diet
- Stress
High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms.
If blood pressure reaches extreme levels, symptoms may include:
- Headache
- Blurry or double vision
- Abdominal pain
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath
- Lightheadedness
High blood pressure is often diagnosed during a doctor's visit. Blood pressure is measured using an arm cuff and a special device. If the reading is high, you will come back for repeat checks. High blood pressure will be confirmed using the average of more than 2 readings over more than 2 separate visits.
Sometimes people become anxious at the doctor's office. This may result in a higher than normal blood pressure reading. You may be asked to measure your blood pressure at home or in another location.
Treatment will focus on reducing the pressure on the blood vessels. Improving the blood pressure will help to decrease the stress on important organs. It can also decrease the risk of:
- Heart disease
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Kidney damage
Treatment may need to be adjusted over time. Options may include:
Lifestyle Changes
Lifestyle changes may be effective in reducing blood pressure. It is often the first approach. Recommended steps include:
- Achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
- Exercise regularly. Start an exercise program with the advice of a doctor.
- If you smoke, talk to your doctor about ways to quit .
Eat a
healthful diet such as the DASH diet. Heart healthy diets should be:
- Low in fat, salt, and processed foods
- Rich in fiber, fruits, and vegetables
- If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. Moderate is 2 or fewer drinks per day for men and 1 or fewer drinks per day for women and older adults.
- Reduce stress levels—seek out relaxation techniques like meditation or breathing exercises
Medications may be needed to help decrease blood pressure that does not respond to lifestyle changes. Some medication options include:
- Diuretics—decreases the amount of fluid in the blood
- Beta blockers—decreases the force and rate of heart beat
- Medications that help keep blood vessels from tightening and narrowing such as:
- Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors)
- Angiotensin receptor blockers
- Calcium channel blockers
- Alpha blockers
- Vasodilators
- Aldosterone blockers—increases amount of salt that is lost out of urine
To help reduce the risk of high blood pressure:
- Eat a well-balanced diet. It should be rich in fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy foods. It should also be low in saturated fat, total fat, and cholesterol.
- Be regularly physically active.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- If you smoke, talk to your doctor about ways to quit .
- If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. Moderate is 2 or fewer drinks per day for men and 1 or fewer drinks per day for women and older adults.
Revision Information
- Reviewer: EBSCO Medical Review Board James P. Cornell, MD
- Review Date: 01/2018 -
- Update Date: 02/08/2018 -


text:
product description
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Blade length: 10.50 in.Total length: 15.25 in.Blade height (at heel): 1.51 in.Blade thickness (near bolster): 0.09 in.Item weight: 6.16 oz.Shipment weight: 9.92 oz.Blade: Molybdenum alloy stainless steel results in a keen, and long-lasting edgeHandle: Resin impregnated wood
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text:
A $200,000 donation from Grammy winner Jack White has jump-started the movement to organize and preserve the nation's radio, music and recorded sound history.
WASHINGTON - The National Recording Preservation Foundation is finally up and running, thanks to a $200,000 gift from the Grammy-winning rocker Jack White.
The inaugural gift, which is being announced Monday, allows the foundation to award grants and begin work on the National Recording Preservation Plan, which was issued last year. The foundation was created as part of a 2000 congressional act to organize and preserve the nation's radio, music and recorded sound history.
"It's thrilling," Executive Director Gerald Seligman said, to be able to publicly launch the foundation. He cited White and foundation board members as extremely committed to preservation.
"Here we have a whole nation of cultural heritage in recorded sound and a lot of it is in precarious shape," Seligman said. "Some was recorded on very fragile media - like old cylinders, acetates, reel-to-reel tapes - and it's turning into shards."
Now that preservation is underway, he said, time is of the essence: "Some of these things have got to be saved quick."
The foundation is the third component of the National Recording Preservation Act, which involves a partnership with the Library of Congress, which has long worked to preserve recordings.
The act first established a national recording registry for music, radio broadcasts and sounds on any media - including recordings of the "NBC chimes" and AOL's "You've got mail" - that have become part of the cultural consciousness.
The second component, the National Recording Preservation Board, determines what gets put into the registry. The board issued its plan in December after conducting research and consulting with experts.
The foundation was chartered in 2010 as an independent, nonprofit charitable organization that is authorized to raise funds for nonprofit groups, archives, libraries and cultural institutions. As part of this mission, Seligman said, "I even see where a commercial collection" might be included - especially if it has significant cultural importance and funding is needed to preserve it.
Seligman said that the foundation can secure private funds and that it has a government commitment to match. "It's kind of an ideal middle ground," he said, "where we have this collaboration, and we have independence."
Seligman, who heads an international arts consulting firm, has worked part time with the foundation but expects to go full time within six months. The foundation's board and executive-director appointments are made and approved by Librarian of Congress James Billington.
The gift from White - the Detroit musician who formed the White Stripes and the Raconteurs - shows a serious "commitment by a really busy songwriter and performer donating both his time on the board, and money to preserve our national song recording heritage," says Eric Schwartz, the founding director and board member of the National Film Preservation Foundation, upon which the National Recording Preservation Foundation was modeled. Schwartz's group has given out nearly $6 million to fund about 2,000 film preservation projects across the country.
Schwartz calls the donation a great start that he hopes will prompt others to join the effort. "It takes money to both preserve films and recordings and make them available to the public - to transfer items onto digital format and pay for Web site traffic," Schwartz said. "The longer this stuff doesn't happen, the more recordings get lost to history."
In the late 1940s and early '50s, the recording standard was magnetic tape, which is vulnerable to humidity. Most sound archives are on analog tape, which doesn't fare well in the kind of flooding that devastated New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, said foundation board member George Massenburg, who is a record producer, engineer and educator.
Massenburg cites efforts to recover archival tapes - including historic jazz recordings - that were damaged in New Orleans, as well as recovery efforts that he has participated in at libraries and radio stations. "We don't know what we don't know," he said. "We don't know what objects are important until we see inside collections, look and listen to them and identify what they are."
Massenburg said that White's donation is critical not just to the preservation of popular music, but also to the full spectrum of our national sound archives, including old radio shows.
"It's a modern assumption that everything is digital," he said. "Everything is something that can be stored in the cloud. But it's not."
His personal passion has been to preserve recordings made on the bulky and deteriorating four-track and eight-track masters, which are expensive to store and which record companies have been trying to convert to digital.
Massenburg noted that White is a fan of analog recording and methodology. "He doesn't take advantage of the speed and utility of digital methodology and loves the warmth and immersive character of analog," Massenburg said. "He is a traditionalist in that sense."
The engineer said that the United States has a "throwaway culture," but he feels motivated every day "to just find a solution" as more cultural artifacts disappear.
"I hope the donation touches people and that they'll respond," he said.


text:
I have an unopened 30# jug gathering dust in my garage.
I am in Fayetteville, NC.
PM me if interested.
I have a green valve (one way) tank. Dupont R-12 with a (gross) weight of around 34 Lbs. 28-29 lbs Virgin R-12. I paid around 20.00 a Lb when I Purchasted it. I would be happy with 20.00 a Lb to a section 608 certified handling card holder. You pay the shipping.
How much for the R22 jug.. Im in Lillington NC.
gone. today.
Forum Rules


text:
Suffolk, ss. DIVISION OF ADMINISTRATIVE LAW APPEALS
Peter Alves and Lighthouse Masonry, Inc.,
v. Docket Nos. LB-06-466
Office of the Attorney General,
Fair Labor and Business Practices
Appearance for Petitioner:
Harvey B. Heafitz, Esq.
Heafitz & Sullivan
56 Chestnut Hill Ave
Brighton, MA 02135
Appearance for Respondent:
Bruce Trager, Esq.
Office of the Attorney General
One Ashburton Place
Boston, MA 02108
Administrative Magistrate:
Shelly Taylor, Esq.
The Office of the Attorney General cited Lighthouse Masonry, Inc. ("Lighthouse") and Peter Alves for failure to pay prevailing wages to four employees on a public works project at King Phillip High School in Wrentham. Lighthouse and Alves appealed. Kimberly Fletcher, formerly First Administrative Magistrate of the Division of Administrative Law Appeals ("DALA"), heard the appeal on August 3, 2007 at DALA's offices at 98 North Washington Street, Boston. Before her decision was completed, Fletcher resigned her position. After conferring with the parties on July 10, 2008, I assumed this case pursuant to 801 CMR 1.01(11)(e).
The record closed on August 27, 2007. Twelve documents were admitted in evidence. Romeo D'Agostino and Michael Boussy, Senior Project Manager for Lighthouse, testified for the Petitioners. Steven Troiano and Scott Simpson testified for the Respondent, the Office of the Attorney General, Fair Labor and Business Practices Division. There are two tapes of the hearing and one tape of the July 10, 2008 status conference. I have reviewed all the evidence and arguments presented by the parties and render the following decision.
1. On December 2, 2004, the Division of Occupational Safety issued the schedule of Prevailing Wage Rates ("Wage Schedule") for a public works project at King Philip High School in Wrentham, as required by G.L. c. 149, § 27. The schedule lists the applicable wage rates and their effective dates for the various job classifications on the project.
2. The schedule includes rates for the classifications "brick/stone/artificial masonry (incl. masonry waterproofing)" and "laborer: mason tender." The Wage Schedule does not describe the job duties associated with the classifications listed. Ex. 8.
3. Lighthouse was a masonry subcontractor on the project. Lighthouse is a non-union shop. Boussy testimony.
4. David Cubas, Ivan Rivas, Antonio Ferreira and Walter Perdomo worked for Lighthouse on the King Philip High School project. Ex. 9.
5. Scott Simpson is an inspector with the Attorney General's Office. On November 21, 2005, he visited the site and spoke to the clerk of the works for the company, Joe Sullivan. Sullivan told Simpson that Antonio Ferreira had been paid $25.00 per hour for mason tender work on November 21, 2005 by mistake. Ex. 9. The applicable rate was $34.30 per hour. Ex. 8.
6. Lighthouse noted this error and corrected it before any citations issued. Simpson testimony.
7. Steven Troiano is a field investigator for the Masonry Industry Fair Wage Alliance. He visited the work site on several occasions and, with the permission of those in charge of the work site, he observed, interviewed and photographed several employees. Troiano Testimony.
8. On October 18, 2005, Troiano observed Davis Cubas working at the site over a period of about thirty minutes. Troiano saw Cubas preparing to put liquid on a scraper, working with a trowel, and scraping and smoothing masonry wall. He asked Mr. Cubas his name, title and hourly rate and took a photograph of him. Troiano testimony.
9. According to a March 23, 2007 opinion of the Commissioner of Occupational Safety ("Commissioner"), this work should be classified as Cement Mason/Plasterer. Ex. 11.
10. The records of the company show that on the date in question, Cubas was paid at the rate for a laborer: mason tender, and not at the higher rate for cement masonry/plastering. Ex. 8, Ex. 9.
11. On another visit to the site on December 13, 2005, Troiano observed Ivan Rivas at work for about thirty minutes. He saw Rivas on a ladder using a tool, a trowel and cement to patch wall block. He also observed Rivas rubbing the block using a hand stone. Troiano also noted that Rivas had a grinder on the floor. (Troiano testimony).
12. According to a March 23, 2007 opinion of the Commissioner of Occupational Safety, this work should be classified as Cement Masonry/Plastering. Ex. 11.
13. The records of the company show that on the date in question, Rivas was paid at the rate for a laborer: mason tender, and not at the higher rate for cement masonry/plastering. Ex. 8. Ex. 9.
14. On a March 24, 2006 site visit, Simpson observed Walter Perdomo washing a masonry wall with a power washer. Simpson testimony.
15. According to a March 23, 2007 opinion of the Commissioner of Occupational Safety, this work should be classified as Brick/Stone/Artificial Masonry. Ex. 11.
16. The records of the company show on the date in question, Perdomo was paid at the rate for a laborer: mason tender, and not at the higher rate for Brick/Stone/Artificial Masonry. Ex. 8. Ex. 9.
17. On July 12, 2006, the Attorney General's Office's Fair Labor and Business Practices Division cited Peter Alves and Lighthouse Masonry, Inc. for four counts of unintentional failure to pay prevailing wages to employees on the King Philip High School project. A penalty of $500 was assessed for each of the four violations. Ex. 1.
18. Lighthouse appealed the citations on July 14, 2006. Ex. 2.
19. After the appeal was filed, on or about November 2, 2006, counsel for the Respondent wrote to the Division of Occupational Safety requesting an opinion as to the scope of certain job classifications on the project. Respondent's attorney wrote: "The question is whether certain work," i.e. patching block walls, rubbing block walls, cutting concrete block joints on an interior wall by saw and grinder, washing brick exterior wall using water or acid, and using a brush and stone to smooth brick surface, "is under the jurisdiction of the masons/bricklayers or the laborers." Ex 10.
20. Emails subsequent to the opinion request, which the Commissioner characterized in his March 23, 2007 letter as "clarifying e-mails," are not in the record. Ex. 11.
21. The hearing on these appeals was initially scheduled to take place on December 1, 2006.
22. A request by Lighthouse and Alves for a continuance due to a change in counsel was granted, and the hearing was postponed to January 19, 2007.
23. On January 17, 2007, a request by the Attorney General's Office to continue the hearing in order to await the ruling of the Division of Occupational Safety was also granted.
24. In a March 23, 2007 letter, the Commissioner responded to the request for an opinion, stating in part:
I am writing in response to your request for this Office's written opinion regarding the applicability of the Massachusetts Prevailing Wage Law, G.L. c. 149, §§ 26 - 27…. You have asked for the appropriate job classification for the following tasks:
Patching Block Walls (workers patched interior concrete block walls with a trowel and jointer). The proper job classification for this work is Cement Mason/Plasterer.
Rubbing Block Walls (upon construction of the new wall, workers used a rubbing stone and/or grinder to rub the concrete block walls). The proper job classification for this work is Cement Mason/Plasterer.
Cut Joints (workers cut concrete block joints on new interior concrete block walls by saw or grinder). The proper job classification for this work is Cement Mason/Plasterer.
Rubbing, Cleaning Bricks (after installation of the brick-face, workers used water or acid to wash the brick, exterior wall; they also used a brush and stone to smooth the surface of the brick). The proper job classification for this work is Brick/Stone/Artificial Masonry (inc. Masonry Waterproofing).
Installing Wall Ties (wall ties were used to secure the brick face to the surface of an exterior wall; and ties were installed through use of a power screw gun). The proper job classification for this work is Brick/Stone/Artificial Masonry (inc. Masonry Waterproofing) (Ex. 11).
27. Appended to the opinion are the collective bargaining agreements which the Commissioner considered and which detail the various tasks associated with each position. Ex. 11.
28. Lighthouse is a non-union shop and not a party to these agreements. Boussey Testimony.
The citations issued should be affirmed unless "the aggrieved person demonstrates by a preponderance of evidence that the citation or order was erroneously issued," in which case the hearing officer may vacate or modify the citation or order. G.L. c. 149, § 27C(4).
Lighthouse does not dispute that it did not pay Antonio Ferreira the prevailing wage for work on November 21, 2005. Nor does the Attorney General's Office contest that this error was corrected before the citation was issued. Therefore, the citation pertaining to Ferreira (Citation No. PR060049) is affirmed.
As to the three remaining citations, this would be an easier case if the question at issue were simply 'should the employees have been paid at the higher wage rates?' The law is clear that "wage determinations and employment classifications are exclusively within the authority of the [Commissioner of Occupational Safety]." Office of the Attorney General v. Executive Office for Administration and Finance, Div. of Administrative Law Appeals et al., Suffolk Civil Action No. 2006-5393 (Memorandum of Decision and Order on Cross-Motions for Judgment on the Pleadings) (Cratsley, J., January 4, 2008). G.L. c. 149, § 27 (commissioner, subject to the provisions of section twenty-six, shall…forthwith…determine rates to be paid on each job to be employed in public works construction project). See also G.L. c. 149, § 26 (setting forth rules governing these determinations).
Also clear is the Commissioner's determination that David Cubas, Ivan Rivas and Walter Perdomo should have been paid at the higher rates for the work in question. The Attorney General's office did not seek restitution, however. In assessing only a civil penalty without a restitution order, presumably the goal was to punish an employer who failed to pay a rate which was known or at least knowable. The Attorney General asserts that the classifications in this case "are sufficiently precise to permit an average contractor to comprehend that employees who clean and repair masonry walls are masons." Respondent's Trial Memorandum, p. 9. The factual record does not support this contention.
Clearly, Lighthouse and Alves are on notice now of the proper scope of the job classifications at hand, as determined by the Commissioner, but the record does not show that they were on notice before the citations issued. This legislative scheme calls for applicable wage rates and job classifications to be established, and the wage rates published, before the contract is put out to bid. There is no evidence that that happened in this case. Although the rates were published, the prosecuting assistant attorney general sought clarification as to what the proper classifications are, not only after the project was under way, but also after the citations in question had been issued. Thus, there was, at a minimum, some ambiguity as to what the proper job classifications were.
The Commissioner determines the specific duties within a job classification; the duties are determined by reference to "collective agreements or understandings in the private construction industry between organized labor and employers" either in the town where the project is sited or in the construction industry at large. G.L. c. 149, § 26. This necessarily entails reference not only to the rates but to the job duties within each classification as they have been negotiated and agreed on. See Ex. 11 (March 23, 2007 opinion of Commissioner, appending trade autonomy sections of the "relevant" collective bargaining agreements). See also Ex. 3 (August 15, 2002 Division of Occupational Safety opinion on another classification issue, rendered "based on a review of the aforementioned collective bargaining agreements…")
Because the classifications are based on collective bargaining agreements to which Lighthouse is not a party, Lighthouse cannot be deemed to have known the proper classifications based on the terms of those agreements. Moreover, even if the agreements were made available, it is not the agreements per se but the Commissioner's reading of them which the contractor is bound to follow. Here, the contractor had no access to the Commissioner's opinion because it was apparently not rendered until after the citations were issued. In this context, it bears noting that corporate officials can face criminal liability for the very same violations alleged here, for which the maximum penalty is one year imprisonment and a $25,000 fine.
The Respondent points out that a statute which merely regulates business interests need not specify with great particularity the relevant considerations with respect to whether to revoke a license, so long as the board exercises its discretion fairly and does not act in an arbitrary and capricious matter. LaPointe v. License Bd. of Worcester, 389 Mass. 454 (1983), cited in Respondent's Trial Memorandum at p. 9. These principles and the circumstances in this case lead me to conclude that the citations were arbitrarily and therefore erroneously issued, and so must be vacated.
Shelly Taylor
Chief Administrative Magistrate
Dated: July 29, 2008
This information is provided by the Division of Administrative Law Appeals .


text:
This is a poll to tell us who your favorite Wandering Son character(s) are.
Chizuru totally lol, quirky and funny, probably wont get as much depth as the others though.
Probably shuichi is a close follow up though I kinda dont like the shyness though, which is probably me being silly cause I know its all a part of being at that stage with it all, knowing what you want but feeling so insecure about sharing it with the world.
In the anime, I like Chizuru the best. I am a lot like her in my enthusiasm, but I am also talkative a know-it-all.
In the manga, I like Shuichi the best. Nitori has the best, most introspective, and most genuine lines. Shuichi's observations in the manga are amazing.
Spoiler Alert! Click to show or hide
My opinion about the anime might change depending on how they do the climax. The manga has only one big climax so far which is at chapter 65. Based on the listing of the future episode titles, I kinda know a bit about what is going to happen, but the anime adaptation has surprised me thus far by being both true to the spirit of the manga yet having a lot of original material and chronological placement. From what I have seen so far, I have high expectations for the last few episodes.
Takatsuki! Though Nitori is a close second. Chiba usually just annoys me, heh.
Somehow I like Saori Chiba. The way she acts is like: "I will do what I want and no one will stop me."
I think I respect her for that.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ what
Chizuru Sarashina, they've managed to create a spunky, enthusiastic school girl who doesn't come across as annoying, this is rare indeed. In fact she's pretty damn cool!
Takatsuki comes second, I think she's the most interesting character, though I do feel sorry for Chiba sometimes..
Crystabuni wrote:
Somehow I like Saori Chiba. The way she acts is like: "I will do what I want and no one will stop me."
I think I respect her for that.
I agree ^-^
you were a dream. Then a reality. Now a memory.
out of those 5 I would say Saori Chiba...w/ Nitori in 2nd
I also liked the guy Ninomiya-kun, Saori's "friend"
he was hilarious & cute >3<
take hold of your passion!
1. Chiba
2. Chi
3. Sasa
4. Takatsuki
5. Maho / Shuu
The only ones i hate are Momo (super bitch) and manga version of Mako, hejust rubs me the wrong way but past few chapters i'm coming around on him.
Chi's laid-back attitude to everything always amuses me. Such as episode ten when she, Nitori and Takatsuki are in the teacher's office and Nitori bravely explains the choice of uniform.
Nitori - "I want to be a girl."
Chi - "Chi has never wanted to be a boy!"
Teacher - "Sarashina, could you be quiet for a moment please?"
I can't really decide on a favourite character, as I like most of them. Although Chiba's kind of insufferable - cynical and selfish even when she's trying to be realistic, and Chi's friend Momo is really not very nice with no excuse or reason for her actions, whereas Chiba's reaction is kind of understandable.
Yuki is also fun and understanding to Shuuichi and Yoshino. I love how she dragged her partner out of bed to greet the guests... seemingly just to make it absolutely clear to Doi who he'd taken an interest in . I've read that the author wrote an extra manga or something about Yuki's past, and it'd be interesting to read that. Maybe it'll turn up in one of the manga volumes.
Like with the storyline as a whole, I do feel that it may have been better not to start part way through the manga. Flashbacks are all well and good, but throughout it felt as though we were missing significant information that would illustrate what was going on in the present. Particularly where Chiba, Nitori, Takatsuki and Sasa (?) were concerned. This comes across with secondary characters even more such as with Mako and Maho (and Doi, but that background was made clear enough; he simply looked suspicious all along imo).
But I guess there's only so much you can do with eleven episodes of a long and still-running manga. Would love to see the anime be continued.
People are quick to judge, but slow to correct themselves.
I vote for Sasa-san for class president. She is always there for everyone. Nitori-san is a close second and vice president, he's always there when he's not too busy being shy or confused.
Takatsuki-san said it best, everyone is special.
The most interesting character is Doi, though, and he isn't even on the poll. I think he's an awful person but he's the most interesting of the characters, hands down. Every time he's on the screen, I cringe.
Melt away.
Torn between Yoshino and Anna Chan


text:
WASHINGTON (AP) - The nation's top accident investigator says lithium ion batteries like the ones that caused a fire in one Boeing 787 Dreamliner and smoke in another aren't necessarily unsafe for use in aviation, but safeguards are needed.
National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah Hersman says she doesn't want to categorically rule out the use of lithium ion batteries to power aircraft systems, but that manufacturers need to build in safeguards that protect against battery fires.
Hersman told reporters Wednesday the board is still weeks away from determining the cause of the Jan. 7 battery fire in a Japan Airlines 787 while it was parked in Boston.
She also said the board is looking into whether the batteries should have to meet tougher testing standards adopted after regulators certified the 787s batteries.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.


text:
Today marks the official start of a new relationship: the launch of ABC content on Hulu. Things kick off with five episodes of Grey's Anatomy, the primetime drama set at Seattle Grace Hospital, where surgical interns try to navigate the challenges of romance and friendship as they scrub in for complicated medical cases. The videos posted on Hulu will mirror the episodes most recently aired on TV, which includes the two-part Season 5 opener, two episodes from the middle of the season, and another pair that lead up to the heart-wrenching finale.
We have more ABC titles on the way, too. Check our Hulu Days of Summer calendar to see what's new each day this week; we'll also post clues to the next day's content each weekday on our Twitter and Facebook pages. (You can also check the Twitter feed on the main Hulu Blog page for clues if you're not on Twitter or Facebook.
Rebecca Harper ()


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Doesn't this confisier/candy man look like a Religieuse Fraise?
Saturday, August 03, 2013
Angelina - Un cadeau
Doesn't this confisier/candy man look like a Religieuse Fraise?
17 comments:
Bonjour! You have me obsessing over your non slip paper! I love the confisier as well. The Angelina is always an indulgence when in Paris. Your watercolors are perfect!ReplyDelete
That non-slip paper must be made available here! If it were, I might start hunting for paint-worthy pastries, cosseting them all the way home, buying ballerines for insurance....only to slash them open with a knife at the end of the journey.ReplyDeleteReplies
Sandpaper would work as wellDelete
Carol, I am afraid that dessert wouldn't have made it home with me.ReplyDelete
What precious cargo, carried home safely!ReplyDelete
You'll need a small cooler, I am sure the French have some tres chic models. I used to put a cold ice-pak wrapped in a napkin in my children's lunchbox, frozen juice boxes will work too, repeatedly.Replies
They di have these ice bricks...heavy as HellDelete
- Replies
They ARE good tooDelete
Angelina Religieuse Fraise 3 is superb:)ReplyDelete
Tout est si joli à Paris ..vu par tes yeux:)
I hope I see everything the way you do when I go~
That paper is super!
I actually found Macarons in our local grocery store:)
Will try to paint..after I take a decent pic.
Guess what I got at my brocante this morning?
Vintage Gouache pans..not a pretty tin but a nice nice Brocante man.. and decent pans..will play tomorrow.
I can never remember exactly what I always had in Angelinas but it was chocolate and I had a cup of tea with it :)ReplyDelete
Love the watercolors .. un beso, C
You were on a strawberry roll. :) I love the Ice cream thingy outside. tres chic. How cute he gave you the pastry. Happy you got it home in one piece, it made a lovely painting.ReplyDelete


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'And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee: but—.' Luke 9:61
Suggested Further Reading: Matthew 19:16–30
'Lord, I will follow thee: but -.' How remarkably does Scripture prove to us that the mental characteristics of mankind are the same now as in the Saviour's day! We occasionally hear stories of old skeletons being dug up which are greater in stature than men of these times. Some credit the story, some do not, for there are many who maintain that the physical conformation of man is at this day just what it always was. Certainly, however, there can be no dispute whatever among observant men as to the identity of the inner nature of man. The gospel of Christ may well be an unchanging gospel, for it is a remedy which has to deal with an unaltering disease. The very same objections which were made to Christ in the days of his flesh are made to his gospel now. The same effects are produced under the ministry of Christ's servants in these modern times as were produced by his own ministry. Still are the promised hopes which made glad the preacher's heart, blasted and withered by the same blights and the same mildews which of old withered and blasted the prospects of the ministry during our Lord's own personal sojourn in the world. O what hundreds, what myriads of persons have we whose consciences are aroused, whose judgments are a little enlightened, and yet they vacillate—they live and die unchanged. Like Reuben, 'unstable as water' they do 'not excel.' They would follow Christ, but something lies in the way: they would join with him in this generation, but some difficulty suggests itself: they would enter the kingdom of heaven, but there is a lion in the street. They lie in the bed of the sluggard, instead of rising up with vigour and striving to enter in at the strait gate.
For meditation: 'But' is a wonderful word when it expresses God's gracious attitude towards sinful man (Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:4), but a terrible word when it expresses sinful man's disgraceful attitude towards him (Jeremiah 6:16–17).
Sermon no. 403
4 August (1861)


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Elite: Dangerous gets debut artwork, new Kickstarter video
Elite: Dangerous is the long-requested sequel to David Braben's space trading series. The game has currently raised £366,991 of developer Frontier's £1,250,000 goal on Kickstarter. To celebrate, Braben has revealed new concept art and a trailer. Check them out below.
Braben has revealed all of the new content over on the game's Kickstarter hub. and offers a simple game synopsis: "Take a ship and 100 credits to make money legally or illegally – trade, bounty-hunt, pirate, assassinate your way across the galaxy.2
Short but sweet indeed. Check out the first batch of Elite: Dangerous concept art here:


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TALKING POINTS: BAMMA 12 – Big night for Wallhead, Scope & Barnes
After another successful night for the burgeoning promotion, here are the main talking points to take away from BAMMA 12.
- BAMMA 12 looked to be a card that was slowly getting torn apart by injuries. With Lightweight champ Rob Sinclair pulling out of the main event, Luis Santos pulling out of his fight with Jimmy Wallhead and TUF veteran Bola Omeyele getting injured and subsequently scrapping his fight with Wayne Murrie altogether, it was looking like a rather makeshift card. The fighters who did turn up at the Metro Arena, however, managed to put on a fantastic card from top to bottom with slick submission and brutal knockouts.
- After a hit-and-miss stint with Bellator, 'Judo' Jimmy Wallhead came into his fight with veach looking in shape and motivated, and his performance backed that up. In probably his best performance to date Wallhead took the fight to Veach from the bell, overwhelming him and taking a bloody first-round submission win in the process. Still only 28 and with a number of wins over some tough UFC veterans, a call to the big show can't be far away.
- Rob Sinclair's planned title defence against Curt Warburton was one of the more anticipated fights in UK MMA, so after Rob had to pull out of his fight with an Achilles injury, Warburton's replacement, Steven Wray wasn't given much of a chance by the pundits, and Warburton didn't give him much of one in the cage, either. In a fight that won't be on any highlight reels anytime soon, Warburton still executed a professional performance that ensured his status as the number one contender to Sinclair's crown was still intact.
- BAMMA is fast emerging as the number 1 MMA organisation in the UK, if not Europe, and has some of the best young UK talent to boast too. With impressive performances from James Macalister, Thomas Denham and Scott Askham it was Ryan Scope who stole the show with a slick triangle submission . Still only 21, Scope (7-0) has the looks, style and personality to go a long way.
- Leeroy Barnes is one of the most outspoken fighters in MMA, and he has a big personality to match his huge frame, however we saw a new and improved fighter against Steve Watson. After admitting that his almost overly muscled body saw him have no problem getting the girls, he conceded it wasn't helping him get the all important W on his record, not on a consistent basis anyway. Having dropped a shed load of muscle mass, and apparently improving his cardio ten-fold, Barnes put on an outstanding performance, rocking Watson in the opening exchange before jumping on him and submitting him via guillotine in 47 seconds. An impressive performance that's hopefully laid the foundations for Leeroy to rack up a few wins and get the big fights he wants.
- Ken Shamrock's turtleneck…just no.


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Planning a wedding in Millstadt and need a DJ? Searching for the perfect wedding Disc Jockey in Millstadt, IL?
Get a FREE PRICE QUOTE from qualified DJs serving the Millstadt area!
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Get a FREE PRICE QUOTE from qualified Disc Jockeys serving the Millstadt area!
Tips for selecting a Wedding Disc Jockey Wedding General Party Tips
-Start looking 6-18 months before your wedding date (depending on the date). The more popular companies and dates get booked in advance. Sometimes you can hire quality performers at short notice, but don't risk it. -Try not to cut your reception costs by hiring an inexperienced DJ-How much wedding experience does the company have?-Do you get to choose the DJ style you prefer? Outgoing, Quiet, or In Between-What will be the DJs Attire at the reception? (Tuxedo, Suit, or something else)-Do they use professional, commercial sound equipment or a large home stereo-Do you get to choose the music selection?-What is included in their package price?-Does the DJ provide a wireless microphone?-What is the overtime charge?-When will the DJ set up and test his/her equipment?-Does the DJ take breaks?-Do you need to provide a meal for the DJ?-Does the DJ do more than play music? (Make Announcements, Play Games, Participate on the Dance Floor, Instruct Dances)-Can they provide recent references?-Do you want the DJ to take guest's requests?-Do they offer a light show?-Do they have back-up equipment?-Is the DJ fully insured?-What happens if the DJ has a personal emergency?-Do they have a written contract? What is the deposit? Courtesy of Night Magic Entertainment www.nightmagicentertainment.com 618-235-5800, 314-602-5800
Written by Night Magic Entertainment of Belleville, IL
How important is your Wedding DJ? Wedding General Party Tips
WEDDING FACTS:• 72% of today's brides are using professional mobile entertainers for their entertainment choice.• 63% of the guests attending these functions do not remember what was served for dinner but do remember the entertainment.• 4% to 6% is the amount most brides reserve for their entertainment budget.• The national average cost for a mobile entertainer for a wedding is $1,200. The cost is largely dependent upon the experience of a DJ, locale and specific client requests.• The entertainment chosen for a wedding is responsible for 80% of the events' success.AFTER THE VOWS:• 72% of all brides say they would have spent more time choosing their reception entertainment.• Almost 100% say they would have spent more of their budget on the entertainment.• During wedding planning, Brides say their highest priority is their attire, followed by the reception site and caterer - reception entertainment is among the least of their priorities. Within one week after their reception, 78% of Brides say they would have made the entertainment their highest priority!• When asked 81% of guests say the thing they remember most about a wedding is the entertainment.• 65% of all couples that chose a band to entertain at their wedding, said, if they had it to do over again, they would have chosen a disc jockey. *These statistics were published in St. Louis Bride & Groom Magazine in 2003. Sources include: Simmons, 2001; USA Today, 2002; National Bridal Service, 2001; The Knot, 2002; Brides Magazine, 2001; Modern Bride 2003***Courtesy of Night Magic Entertainment, Inc. Specializing in weddings since 1982 and providing the successful entertainment at over 8,000 weddings since our inception. We have grown our business though the referrals of happy brides and grooms. Our business depends on the success of your wedding!
Find the perfect Millstadt DJ or Disc Jockey! Wedding Blast lists professional DJs and Disc Jockeys for weddings in Millstadt, IL.
Other Areas Near Millstadt to Find Wedding DJs:
Saint Clair County,
East Carondelet,
East St Louis,
Fairview Heights,
National Stock Yards,
New Athens,
Saint Libory,
Scott Afb,
Washington Park


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SOURCE: MetaMetrics
January 14, 2013 11:01 ET
DURHAM, NC--(Marketwire - Jan 14, 2013) - Teacher and author Matt Copeland joined MetaMetrics® on December 3, 2012 as a Lexile Curriculum Specialist. A sixth-generation classroom teacher, Copeland most recently served as a Language Arts and Literacy Consultant for the Kansas State Department of Education where most of his work centered on the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Copeland has presented numerous workshops around the country on the topic of text complexity and the Common Core State Standards.
"There is no one in the country who has done more than Matt in helping state and local education leaders implement the Common Core State Standards with a focus on text complexity," said Malbert Smith III, Ph.D., President and co-founder of MetaMetrics. "His work at the Kansas Department of Education and dedication to improving literacy continues to serve as a model for states across our nation."
Recognized as a 2006 Distinguished Kansan of the Year in Education, 2005 Milken National Educator and 2003 Kansas Master Teacher, Copeland is a sought-after presenter at local, regional and national conferences. He has published several books, essays and poems about teaching. His latest book, Socratic Circles: Fostering Critical and Creative Thinking in Middle and High School, guides teachers in implementing Socratic seminars which enhance reading comprehension, listening, speaking and conflict resolution skills while fostering community in the classroom.
Copeland also served as president and executive board member of the Kansas Association of Teachers of English and is a co-editor for the journal Kansas English. He taught high school English for nine years and is currently a part-time adjunct professor for the University of Phoenix. He holds both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree from the University of Kansas.
As a curriculum specialist, Copeland's wealth of experience at the national, state and local level will help guide MetaMetrics as it develops additional tools and resources to prepare all learners for college and career readiness.
About MetaMetrics
MetaMetrics is focused on improving education for learners of all ages and ability levels. The organization develops scientific measures of academic achievement and complementary technologies that link assessment results with real-world instruction. MetaMetrics' products and services for reading (The Lexile® Framework for Reading, El Sistema Lexile para Leer), mathematics (The Quantile® Framework for Mathematics), and writing (The Lexile Framework for Writing) provide unique insights about academic ability and the potential for growth, enabling individuals to achieve their goals at every stage of development. Connect with the organization at: http://blog.lexile.com.
For more information:
Elizabeth Lattanzio
919-354-3482Email Contact
For more information:
Elizabeth Lattanzio
919-354-3482Email Contact
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One item on most developers' wish list is a tried-and-true way to determine the best ways to test for and set NULL values in their applications—regardless of the language the applications are written in. For example, when they need to signify that DateShipped or DateDied dates haven't been reached and aren't known, most relational database developers have to define these and similar data columns to permit NULL values. Note that a NULL value in a data column isn't the same as an empty or NULL string or any other placeholder that can serve to show that the value isn't known. The language you're using can treat an empty string or a placeholder value (such as Unknown) as a string or valid value and can store a NULL as a "known" value in the database. The concept of NULL has been a part of relational databases since their inception, and NULLs have always garnered special treatment. I won't get into a long-winded discussion about the wisdom of using NULLs, but I do think NULL is a better placeholder than BHOM (Beats the Hell Out of Me), which I used when I taught programming for the US Army.
In classic ADO, developers have to deal with NULL values because they can't assign a NULL to a numeric variable, a string, the Value property of a TextBox control, or any control that doesn't accept a variant data type (which you can set to NULL). If you forget to deal with NULL values and try to assign a NULL to a TextBox control, Visual Basic (VB) 6.0 issues an Invalid Use of NULL (94) error message. But ADO.NET and Visual Basic .NET have better support for NULL values. When you're working with the Common Language Runtime (CLR) and the .NET languages, ADO.NET lets you store, set, and test for NULL values in a variety of ways—far more than with classic ADO. This article uses Visual Basic .NET to showcase ADO.NET and Visual Basic .NET's NULL support.
Testing for NULL Values in VB 6.0
In VB 6.0, if you expect that a field might contain a NULL value that will result in an Invalid Use of NULL error, you can short-circuit the problem by concatenating an empty string to the data Field.Value from the Recordset to the display TextBox.Text property as follows:
txtDateSold.Text = rsMyData("DateSold") & ""
This approach converts NULL values to an empty string, which the user doesn't see. If the TextBox is a bound control, this empty string (which represents a NULL value) is written to the database as an empty string unless you add code to convert the value back to a NULL—a must if the database column data type isn't a varchar or char. Concatenating an empty string also works in Visual Basic .NET, but the user still can't tell the difference between an empty TextBox and one that reflects a NULL value in the database—and you still have to add code to convert the empty string and post a NULL value to the database.
The easiest way to test for a NULL value in VB 6.0 is by testing for the Null keyword, as the following code shows:
If Not rs(0) = Null Then Text1.Text = rs(0) Else Text1.Text = "<Unknown>" End If
You can also test for NULL values in VB 6.0 by using the IsNull() function, as the following code shows:
If IsNull(rs("DateShipped")) Then txtDateShipped.Text = "<Unknown>" Else txtDateShipped.Text = rs("DateShipped") End If
However, this approach takes a little longer to code and execute because it uses late binding. VB 6.0's IsNull() function corresponds to Visual Basic .NET's IsDBNull() function, which I show in a moment.
Setting NULL Values in VB 6.0
Setting an updateable Recordset Field object's Value property to NULL is painless: You can use either the DBNull or Null keywords, as the following three code examples show:
rs("Author") = DBNull ' The third (2) Field object ' is "Author". rs(2).Value = Null rs.Fields(enuFields.Author).Value = DBNull
For this method to work, the Field object must be updateable and support NULL values. All three of the above lines of code produce the same result.
Testing for NULL Values in Visual Basic .NET
Visual Basic .NET (and the .NET Framework languages in general) support many techniques for handling NULL values, as the following code examples show. First, open a connection and run a query to return several columns in a rowset; in this case, the first column is always NULL. To simplify the code, I use the dv variable to hold the returned column value:
Dim dv As Object dv = drReader.GetValue(0) ' Capture the first value from ' the data stream. txtDateShipped.Text = "" & dv.ToString
You can use any of the following techniques to test for NULL values in a specific item in the ADO.NET SqlDataReader object's Items collection, as I show later—to learn how to use the IsNULL() function to avoid NULLs, see the sidebar "Using T-SQL to Avoid Unwanted NULLs." Note that because I declare dv as an object, dv can contain a NULL value. If I don't declare dv as an object, ADO.NET will produce the exception message System
.InvalidCastException: Specified cast is not valid—but not until the query returns a NULL.
The first technique I use to test for NULL uses the Visual Basic .NET TypeOf function to examine the object data type:
If TypeOf dv Is DBNull Then txtDateShipped.Text = "<Unknown>" Else txtDateShipped.Text = drReader(0).ToString End If
The next technique compares the data value in dv by using the expression Is DBNull.Value, which returns True if the object referenced is NULL:
If dv Is DBNull.Value Then txtDateShipped.Text = "<Unknown>" Else txtDateShipped.Text = drReader(0).ToString End If
You can also use the IsDBNull expression to test for NULL against a specific SqlDataReader item; IsDBNull returns True if the column is set to NULL:
If IsDBNull(drReader(0)) Then txtDateShipped.Text = "<Unknown>" Else txtDateShipped.Text = drReader(0).ToString End If
And the final technique, which Listing 1 shows, uses the IsDBNull method of the specified SqlDataReader or Rows object, which returns True if the specified column contains a NULL.
Passing a NULL Value Back to the Server
In some cases, you might have to pass a NULL back to the server either as the contents of an updateable DataTable's DataRow or as a parameter in a query invocation. Visual Basic .NET and other languages make this operation easy—but different from what you might be used to. The code in Listing 2 executes the AcceptNullParms sample stored procedure. The stored procedure accepts two input parameters. The first parameter defaults to NULL, so if no parameter is passed, the default value of NULL is applied. The second parameter is required but can be set to NULL in your ADO.NET code (as Listing 2 shows) when you set up the Parameters collection.
The code to execute this stored procedure in Visual Basic .NET isn't complex. Notice that when I set up the Parameters collection, I don't specify a value for the first parameter, so ADO.NET passes default as the first parameter, as the SQL Server Profiler trace below shows. When I ran Profiler on the ADO.NET code that used the DataAdapter Fill method to execute the query, Profiler reported that the following query resulted:
exec AcceptNullParms @DateShipped = default, @QtyOrdered = NULL
I set the second Parameter.Value property to DBNull.Value to pass NULL as the data value, as the code in Listing 3 shows.
When you need to set a data column value to NULL in a DataRow (and the column permits you to set the value to NULL), simply set the object to DBNull.Value:
ds.Tables(0).Rows(0)("ISBN") = DBNull.Value
As more developers wade into ADO.NET, the number of questions about nothing—that is, about handling NULLs—is increasing proportionately. Fortunately, ADO.NET and the .NET languages provide far better support for nothing (er, NULL) than ADO and VB 6.0 do.


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