MORRIS COUNTY Lanes will be closed and traffic shifted on eastbound Interstate 280 beginning Friday night as crews continue to replace bridge decks over the Whippany River between Parisppany-Troy Hills and East Hanover.

Traffic is to be shifted left onto a temporary bridge built in the highway median, state Department of Transportation officials said.

About 62,000 vehicles a day use the bridges to cross the Whippany River, officials said.

Once the eastbound bridge deck reconstruction is finished at the end of summer, the DOT will shift eastbound traffic onto the newly rebuilt mainline bridge and divert westbound traffic onto the temporary bridge to allow the reconstruction of the westbound bridge to begin, officials said.

The $5.2 million project started in February when Scafar Contracting Inc. built the temporary bridge, enabling the DOT to maintain two travel lanes during daytime and peak period hours and accelerate construction of the new cast-in-place concrete bridge decks, officials said.

When the project is completed next spring, guide rails will be along the new bridge decks and for 700 feet along I-280 west of the bridge, officials said.

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Bridge work causes lane closures, traffic shifts on Interstate 280 in Morris County

MANILA, 1 November International Boxing Federation (IBF) super bantamweight titlist Manny Pacquiao floored Thai mandatory challenger Fabbrakob Rakkiatgym four times in the first round and retained his crown in just 160 seconds into their scheduled 12-round title fight at the Rizal Memorial College gym in Davao.

Referee Bruce McTavish of New Zealand halted the bout at the 2:46 mark after the Thai kissed the canvas for the fourth time, a victim of a non-stop blitz mounted by the Filipino champ before a packed crowd of nearly 3,000. A mean right cross by Pacquiao that caught Rakkiatgym while he was backing up to avoid a left started the end for the Thai fighter, who first hit the deck halfway through the round. Although he managed to beat the count, it was clear his eyes were glassy and his legs wobbled.

Sensing blood, Pacquiao, 23, went for the kill, throwing a variety of punches to the head and body of the dazed challenger who tried to cover up, in vain.

The Filipino champ landed more or less 20 punches in that barrage, his last, a right, felling the Thai for the fourth and last time. Even before the Thai, 27, hit the deck, McTavis stopped the fight.

Reyes settles for runner-up

finish in Masters

Efren Bata Reyes bowed to German Ralf Souquet, 9-4, in the finals of the 2002 World Pool Masters at the Woughton Center in Milton Keynes, England.

The Filipino ace settled for the second prize of $7,000 (364,000 pesos) while Souquet, who took a record fourth masters crown, pocketed $15,000 (780,000 pesos).

Against Souquet, Reyes was never in his element. Though he took the first rack, Reyes started missing his pot shots, allowing the German to surge ahead at 4-1. Reyes took the next rack when Souquet missed a Masse shot, but the Filipino scratched and Souquet proceeded to clinch the match.

Reyes downed Nick Van Den Berg of Holland in the quarterfinals and Fabio Petroni of Italy in the semifinals.

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Pacquiao decks Thai in 1st round

07:07 GMT, May 29, 2012 The Daily Mirror has reported that there is a risk that the new Joint Strike Fighter jets set to fly from the Royal Navy's new aircraft carriers may melt the ships' decks when they land.

It claims the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is seeking help from the Americans to develop a new 'super-tough, heat-resistant deck-coating'. The paper also suggests that this issue is a further setback for the programme following the decision not to go ahead with fitting the carriers with catapults and arrestor gear ('cats and traps') technology.

The MOD will save 2 billion by not fitting 'cats and traps' and this will greatly offset the relatively small cost of deck paint. Deck-coating was always part of the short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant ship specification.

Work to identify a suitable deck-coating is ongoing with our American partners in this project, so exact costs are not yet available.

---- Official Blog of the UK MOD

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UK MOD Reacts to Media Report About "Melting" Aircraft Carrier Decks

Jim Noonan walked through the cavernous decks of the Keewatin as workers hustled up and down the stairs. The Saugatuck man had spent 15 years as a tour guide on the historic Great Lakes cruise ship docked at the end of Union Street in Douglas.

It feels like theres a little hole in our heart, he said, knowing the ship will soon be towed out of Kalamazoo Lake to return to its home on the Georgian Bay in Ontario, Canada. But it will be in a good harbor.

Q: How will the ship be removed from the harbor?

A: The 105-year-old ship is scheduled to be pulled out of its dock Wednesday weather permitting by King Company of Holland.

Huge 5,000-gallon containers that once held vodka will be filled with water. The bladders are in the bow of the ship. While holding the front down, they will raise the back of the ship so its easier to pull through the lake, said Eric Conroy, spokesman for the Canadian owner of the ship.

The 48-foot-wide vessel will be guided through a freshly dredged channel 50 feet wide along the west end of Kalamazoo Lake to the deeper water in front of Coral Gables. From there, the vessels will head out of the channel into Lake Michigan.

Tugboats from the St. James Marine Co. of Beaver Island will pick up the work from there.

One tug will be pulling from the front and the other guiding from behind, said John Fogg of the towing company. On Friday, he was at the bottom of the grand staircase checking the emergency sensors that will detect any water leakage, fire and heat during the trip to Ontario.

Its shipshape, Fogg said about the Keewatin.

The U.S. Coast Guard gets the final say, according to Cmdr. Mike Farrell, Section Lake Michigan based in Milwaukee. The agency will inspect the ship, make sure its structurally sound, stable and wont pollute the water or be a hazard to other vessels.

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Final preparations keep historic Keewatin in Douglas shipshape

David Eichler Photos / Blockshopper

Built in 1949, this Traditional trilevel in Haskins Estates has been remodeled. It provides more than 3,600 square feet and offers multiple decks.

2104 Forest Ave., Belmont - $1.23 million

The basics: Built in 1949, this Traditional trilevel in Haskins Estates has been remodeled and offers multiple decks with bay, canyon and city views.

The home sits on 0.45 sloping acres and includes a guest house, a spa and a wine cellar for 1,500 bottles. The property has a large, fenced backyard with oak and fruit trees as well as a creek.

There are two master suites, with one on the main level. The lower-level suite offers access to a private deck.

Vaulted ceilings with beams and hardwood floors highlight the formal dining and living rooms, which both open to a wraparound deck. The living room also has a wood-burning stone fireplace.

An eat-in kitchen features tiled flooring and granite countertops.

A second fireplace can be found in the lower-level recreation-media room, which has French doors to a deck with a spa that overlooks the bay. This level includes a separate au-pair or in-law quarters with a living room, kitchen, bedroom and bath.

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Belmont trilevel home features two master suites

New Delhi, May 23: Parliament will soon have Bosch digital audio-conferencing systems that will enable UN-style simultaneous translation of speeches made in the House in six languages, including Bengali.

The Supreme Court today cleared the last legal hitch in the way of awarding a contract to Bosch, a German company. Bosch will replace the Brahler ICS systems that have been in place for 18 years in the House as well as at 7 Race Course Road and Vigyan Bhavan.

The new system will have digital conference, digital simultaneous interpretation, digital automatic voice vote recording, voting display system, digital recording and transcription, sources said.

At present, speeches in Parliament are translated manually and notice has to be given in advance that an interpreter will be required on a particular day.

Brahler, also a German company, lost out despite its long track record because it does not have a permanent office in India. It has supplied audio systems for the Bhutan Parliament and several Assemblies in the country.

Brahler admitted that its franchisee AKG Acoustics India, which had installed the equipment, had some problems in 1999-2000 and had turned irregular in its performance.

But Brahler alleged that the CPWD kept the manufacturers out of the servicing scheme, handed out tenders to other companies and later blamed it for not responding to requests for services or spares.

The tender floated by the government clearly specified that any company that would bid would have to have a Delhi office for the last seven years to facilitate smooth maintenance and service. The seven-year specification was later changed to two years.

The tender said applications of a company without an India office would not be considered and would be rejected at the pre-qualification stage itself.

Danish company DIS Danish Interpretation Systems is the other company that lost out in the tender process as it did not have an India office. Both Brahler and DIS relied on Indian dealers for their service and maintenance.

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UN-style speech translation in House - SC clears decks for installation of Bosch audio systems

SEATTLE, May 24 (UPI) -- The flight decks and avionics of the U.S. and NATO Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft fleet will be modernized under a $368 million Boeing contract.

The Engineering, Manufacturing and Development contract for the E-3 707s was given by the Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts.

"This move from analog systems to a digital flight deck will enable the U.S. and NATO AWACS fleets to meet current and identified future air traffic management requirements for flying in worldwide airspace," said Jon Hunsberger, AWACS program manager for Boeing. "They also provide growth capability for any future requirements and solve the problem of diminishing manufacturing sources for flight avionics."

Boeing said it will integrate new and existing avionics and communications systems; develop a design for installation of new equipment; upgrade one aircraft for each AWACS fleet; flight-test the new systems; develop logistics support data; and train flight crews and maintenance personnel.

The upgrade on the first NATO aircraft will begin next year, while work on the first U.S. E-3 707 will begin in 2014. Completion of the work on the initial aircraft is expected to be completed by 2015.

Boeing said production contracts for the remainder of the U.S. and NATO AWACS fleets will be given in the future.

Rockwell Collins will supply the flight management system suite, Boeing said. Telephonics of New York, Thales of Belgium, EMS of Canada and Raytheon of Maryland will also contribute to the upgrade program.

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Boeing modernizing AWACS aircraft

May 24 2012

Joint strike fighter

NEW JUMP jets could melt the decks of Navy aircraft carriers, it is claimed.

Tests in the US found that exhaust fumes from the Joint Strike Fighters damaged the ships when they landed vertically.

Now its feared the Navys 6.2billion new warships will suffer the same problem.

It follows David Camerons humiliating U-turn over which planes to fly from the carriers.

Hed wanted to adapt the ships so that they could carry the conventional version of the Joint Strike Fighter, which cost up to 500million each.

The PM had already cancelled an order for Harrier-style jets placed by the last Labour government.

But he was forced to abandon his plans when costs soared. His bungling has cost taxpayers up to 250million.

Now the UK will have to go cap in hand to the Americans, who are developing a new super-tough deck coating to deal with the problem.

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Jump jets could melt decks on new British aircraft carriers, tests show

mindy.m@ecm-inc.com

Two of Champlin's city ordinances underwent some housecleaning as the council approved amendments to make allowances for changes in above ground pools and decks on homes.

SWIMMING POOLS

Residents in Champlin looking to add an above ground pool to their summer plans may be heartened to hear the setback regulations will been lessened, offering more flexibility in placement of such a pool.

Champlin's swimming pool ordinance was reviewed extensively in 2010 resulting in changes to the ordinance addressing all aspects of private swimming pools. The 2010 ordinance included establishing a 10-foot setback from buildings for all swimming pools, both above and in-ground.

Since the ordinance was adopted, residents have provided feedback o the city suggesting the increased setback for above ground pools is overly restrictive.

City Planner Scott Schulte discussed details in a report prepared by City Building Official Jerry Hart. Schulte said that after comparing the city's setback regulation to neighboring cities, the discovered several cities didn't require a building setback at all. Those that did required only a 6-foot setback.

The council approved the change allowing for above ground pools to require only a 6-foot setback from buildings.

Schulte reiterated that due to structural considerations accompanied by in-ground pools, the setback for those types of pools will remain at the 10-foot restriction.

DECKS

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Champlin amends ordinances dealing with swimming pools and decks

ROCKVILLE, MD--(Marketwire -05/20/12)- Deck Helmet is a company that offers its deck finishing, restructuring and repairing services in the Washington, D.C., metro area. Their Deck Resurfacing system protects decks for 10 years, eliminating rotting or cracks. The company offers customizable options for every homeowner, reduces maintenance issues and promises safety for the whole family. Furthermore, the method they have adopted is environmentally friendly and is considerably cheaper than deck replacement.

The company has received many positive reviews from its customers recently -- its technicians are skilled and professional, work in a timely fashion, and are consistently voted as the top patio repair, replacement, installation, and restoration company in the D.C. metro area. As clients say, the company has great customer service and provides an affordable alternative to deck replacement. Alison, in Bethesda, Maryland, states: "The company did a really good job with my deck. I was really impressed with their quickness and professionalism."

The Leading Consumer ratings magazine recently rated Deck Helmet number 1. The company takes pride in being a BBB member. The green method used by Deck Helmet to restructure decks increases the value of the customer's home and lengthens the life of their deck.

The company's official website, deckhelmet.com, offers an online scheduling option customers can use in order to set up an appointment with Deck Helmet professionals. Customers can receive accurate quotes from the beginning, so there are no hidden costs. Homeowners who do not know which color to pick for their deck restructuration can receive helpful advice from Deck Helmet experts around the clock.

On the website, customers can read more about pricing and the benefits of the Deck Helmet method. Satisfied customers share their reviews of the Deck Helmet services on the Testimonials page. Also, the answers to any question customers might have can be found on the FAQ page.

Lately, the ratings of the company have increased significantly thanks to the revolutionary deck restructuring method used and the high quality of the services offered.

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Deck Helmet Ratings: Introduces an Environmentally Friendly Method of Resurfacing Decks