Blind Bonnet flange

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Blind Bonnet flange
I got an ITB which has an instruction i.e To enable process line cleaning butt-welding-end control valves shall be supplied with Blind bonnet Flange, together with gaskets sufficient for three changes. what does BLIND BONNET FLANGE mean?

Ten Things You Don’t Know About Comets | Bad Astronomy

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I love me some comets.

I’ve seen quite a few in my time. Some were faint smudges in a big telescope’s eyepiece, some seen only in distant spacecraft images, and some so bright they were obvious and awesome to my naked eye.

They used to be considered harbingers, omens up for interpretation by mystics and people looking for reasons things happened the way they do. In reality, comets are just a class of objects in our solar system along with planets, asteroids, dust, and one biggish star.

comet_halley_1910

Hmm. Did I say "just"? That’s unfair. They are gorgeous, interesting objects, worthy of study. And 100 years ago today — April 20, 1910 — we got a pretty good look at the most famous of them all, Comet Halley, as it passed the Earth at a distance of just 23 million km (14 million miles). It got so bright that it was obvious even when seen from cities. As geometry would have it, the Earth even passed through the comet’s tail, sparking fears of widespread death (cyanogen was detected in the comet, making people think it would poison them). It was the talk of the planet, featured in magazines and papers across the globe. For your history enjoyment, here is one of those articles from the 1910, transcribed by James Brooks. It gives a great flavor of the times.

To celebrate this remarkable centennial anniversary, I have put together Ten Things You Don’t Know About Comets. I imagine some readers will know some of these, and some will know all ten, but if you do you can still enjoy the pretty pictures — and make sure you click on them to embiggen ‘em. And if you like this, I have several others, too (Ten Things You Don’t Know About… the Earth, Black Holes, Hubble, the Sun, Pluto, and the Milky Way), so check ‘em all out and see how many things you don’t know.

ENTER TEN THINGS YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT COMETS

 


Rotor Resistance Box

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Please help me to calculate the resistance box for a slip ring induction motor. It is to use as a Bow Thruster motor in a dredger.

STATOR-415 V, 50 Hz, 1100 A, 630 Kw, 1490 rpm

ROTOR-660 V, 50 Hz, 590 A

Stupid volcanoes… | Not Exactly Rocket Science

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This is a quick announcement to say that you might experience a slightly reduced service on this blog in terms of not responding to comments or fixing errors. I am currently in Perth and stranded by the continued eruption of Eyshsknaahskkehallyffelejokull. I have a roof and somewhere to work during the day, but everything’s a bit surreal and disjointed with no real word as to when the homeward flight will happen.

There’ll still be posts though. Probably.

E

Discovery to Land

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UPDATE: Picture perfect landing, welcome home!

Deorbit burn complete. Discovery to land at Kennedy Space Center at 09:08 ET.

It’s all but a sure bet the landing will be today, the question is: where is it going to land?

The first Kennedy Space Center opportunity was waved off due to weather constraints.  It sounds like the next orbit will probably see a deorbit burn and a return.  This one is interesting because they can choose either Edwards (landing at 09:01 ET) or Kennedy (09:08 ET) with just a few changes in flight logistics.

The training aircraft are up taking air-data for landing at both locations.

As of 06:57 am it appears KSC is going to be the spot.  Deorbit burn to occur at just after 8 am ET.

Below are the groundtracks for orbit 238 landing:

Orbit 238 groundtrack. Credit: NASA

Orbit 238 groundtrack. Credit: NASA

Flight Control Technology Enters Hall of Fame

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Vought F-8C Crusader jet fighter that was modified to be the test aircraft for NASA's Digital Fly-By-Wire in flight
The now-retired Vought F-8C Crusader jet fighter that was modified to be the test aircraft for NASA's Digital Fly-By-Wire flight research remains on display today at the Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
Digital Fly-By-Wire technology pioneered at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center has been inducted into the Space Foundation's Space Technology Hall of Fame, which honors outstanding technologies developed for use in space and adapted to improve life on Earth.

The induction ceremony, which featured former Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy as keynote speaker, was held April 15 in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Digital Fly-By-Wire – or DFBW – flight control technology is a computerized system used today on many civil and military aircraft that provides real-time analysis of control inputs made by pilots. Multiple flight control computers continuously evaluate aircraft speed, weight, atmospheric conditions and other variables to arrive at optimum flight control surface deflections that will achieve what the pilot has requested. Pilot inputs are filtered through a digital computer to the hydraulic actuators that actually move an aircraft's flight controls.

The heart of the Digital Fly-By-Wire control system was this backup Apollo space capsule computer that was adapted to the F-8C test aircraft's flight control system"Digital Fly-By-Wire had its origins in the Apollo program," said NASA Dryden center director David McBride, who received the award on behalf of NASA and the center. "Rugged and reliable flight avionics developed for our space mission to the moon was brought to an aviation application by Neil Armstrong while he served as NASA's Deputy Associate Administrator for Aeronautics after his lunar triumph.

"The validation work performed at Dryden enabled the technology to return to space as the space shuttle flight control system," McBride added. "The application of the technology at Dryden continues to impact the safe and efficient operation of nearly all modern aircraft."

Digital flight control systems improve flight safety through use of redundant systems. They also improve aircraft maneuverability because computers can command adjustments more quickly than human pilots. With DFBW technology, aircraft designers are no longer confined to designing features that make aircraft more stable but less maneuverable.

In airliners, computerized flight controls ensure a smoother ride than traditional hydro-mechanical systems alone can provide.

Chief NASA DFBW project pilot Gary Krier posed beside the modified F-8C Crusader for this 1972 photoDigital flight control systems are also more efficient because they are lighter and require less volume aboard aircraft than hydraulic or mechanical controls. This serves to either reduce the amount of fuel required to fly with extra weight or accommodate a larger payload. Digital flight controls also generally require less maintenance than the systems they replace.

Now retired from NASA, the DFBW project’s chief research pilot, Gary Krier, remembers the significance of the work begun 38 years ago.

"We at the Flight Research Center knew that successful implementation of Digital Fly-By-Wire would turn imagination into reality," Krier said. "We could envision control-configured vehicles and aircraft with lightweight, reliable and expandable control systems being enabled by this technology. We were confident we could do it, and do it first.

"Everyone who worked on the program has to be pleased at the recognition of our efforts by the Space Foundation," he added.

The Apollo flight control computer for the Digital Fly-By-Wire flight test project was installed in the left-side gun bay on the modified Vought F-8C test aircraftNASA’s DFBW flight-test program encompassed 210 research flights over a 13-year period from May 1972 through April 1985. The heart of the system was an off-the-shelf backup digital flight-control computer and inertial sensing unit obtained from the Apollo space flight program that transmitted pilot inputs to control surface actuators. The now-retired test aircraft, a modified Vought F-8C Crusader jet fighter obtained from the Navy for the project, is on public display at NASA Dryden.

In cooperation with NASA, The Space Foundation created the Space Technology Hall of Fame® in 1988 to increase public awareness of the benefits resulting from space exploration programs and to encourage further innovation. To date, 61 technologies have been inducted into the foundation's Hall of Fame, honoring the organizations and individuals who transformed space technology into commercial products that improve the quality of life for all humanity.

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Helicopter Helps Test Radar for 2012 Mars Landing

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a radar that will serve during the next landing on Mars used prescribed descent paths flown by a helicopter carrying an engineering test model of the landing radar for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory

This spring, engineers are testing a radar system that will serve during the next landing on Mars.

Recent tests included some near Lancaster, Calif., against a backdrop of blooming California poppy fields. In those tests, a helicopter carried an engineering test model of the landing radar for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory on prescribed descent paths. The descents at different angles and from different heights simulated paths associated with specific candidate sites for the mission.

The Mars Science Laboratory mission, managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., for NASA, is in its assembly and testing phase, in advance of a launch in autumn 2011 and delivery of a rover named Curiosity to Mars in summer 2012.

During the final stage of the spacecraft's arrival at Mars in 2012, a rocket-powered descent stage will lower the rover on a tether directly to the ground. This rover is too big for the airbag-cushioned landing method used by NASA's Mars Pathfinder mission in 1997 and Mars Exploration Rover landings in 2004.

At Mars, a radar on the descent stage will track the spacecraft's decreasing distance from the surface. Additional helicopter-flown testing of the mission's radar system will include checks of whether the suspended rover might confuse the radar about the speed of descent toward the ground.

Wolfe Air Aviation, of Pasadena, Calif., is providing the helicopter and flight services for the testing by a team of JPL engineers. The engineering test radar is affixed to a gimbal mounting at the front of the helicopter, which is more often used for aerial photography.

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NASA Continues to Track Persistent Iceland Volcano

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Satellite image of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull Volcano
On Monday, April 19, 2010, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument onboard NASA's Terra spacecraft obtained this image of the continuing eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano. › Full image and caption

The continuing eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano was observed Mon., April 19, 2010, by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument onboard NASA's Terra spacecraft. The new image shows a white eruption column being carried toward the south by prevailing winds. The image is dominated by the gray, ash-laden eruption cloud dispersed south and east by the winds, blowing from the southern Iceland coast toward Europe. The bright red areas mark the hot lava at the current vent (upper left), and the still-hot lava flows from the earlier phases of the eruption (upper center). The high-temperature material is revealed by ASTER's thermal infrared bands.

This image covers an area of 58.6 by 46.8 kilometers (36.3 by 29 miles). The resolution is 15 meters (49 feet) per pixel.

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Students Send Balloons to the Stratosphere

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A weather balloon launched by local high school students travels 100,000 feet above Earth’s surfaceHow different does the world look from 100,000 feet in the air? How do cities and suburbs, fields and forests appear when viewed from a vantage point of nearly twenty miles above Earth's surface?

Through an innovative program at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, local high school students have the opportunity to make these discoveries firsthand while learning practical math, science and engineering skills. Participants in the BalloonSAT Exploring Program launch a 6-foot diameter weather balloon, complete with experiments and cameras, into the space-like regions of Earth's upper atmosphere.

Exploring with Balloons

The Exploring Program is affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America. This program is designed to give high school students opportunities to experience different potential careers. Throughout the country, students in the Exploring Program learn from various professionals -- like firemen, police officers and medical workers -- about the skills necessary for these jobs. At Glenn, students explore what it's like to be a scientist or engineer in one of four Exploring Posts: Aeronautics, Computer, Human Space Exploration and BalloonSAT. Stephanie Brown-Houston, from the Glenn Educational Program, is the program manager for the Exploring Program ? at Glenn.

The use of weather balloons as satellites (BalloonSAT) first began at Glenn a decade ago as a way of investigating solar cell calibration in space. A small payload which tracked the sun was suspended by a weather balloon and flown to gather data. The balloon served as an inexpensive high-altitude launch system.

High school students in the BalloonSAT Exploring Post at Glenn work with NASA scientists and engineers to launch a 6-foot diameter weather balloon into the stratosphereThe BalloonSAT Exploring Post 632 began in 2004. Dr. David Snyder, a physicist and electrical engineer in the Photovoltaic and Power Technologies branch of the Power & In-Space Propulsion division at Glenn, is the lead advisor for BalloonSAT Exploring Post.

"The overall goal is to give high school kids a chance to explore these professions," Snyder says. "It's about getting them interested in science and space and technology."

Learning by Doing

Each academic year, a group of 10 to 15 high school students join the BalloonSAT Exploring Post. These diverse students, from multiple high schools around the Cleveland area, work together to perform one or two launches every year. When the first launch occurs, it is more of a demonstration launch and takes place early in the program, in the fall. The second launch, which takes place in early spring, is coordinated and executed by the students and features the experiments they designed.

"BalloonSAT attempts to simulate a satellite mission," Snyder says. "We give students the chance to design experiments and fly them with a flight program, and get results."

The students work all year to research, develop, design and fabricate experiments that will be flown when they launch their balloon. In the seven missions that BalloonSAT has flown, dozens of student-designed experiments have been launched 100,000 feet in the air.

Previous experiments have included:

  • Exposure experiments with rubber bands, seeds and mold
  • Light and temperature sensors
  • Aerogel particle capture
  • Cosmic ray detection
  • Geiger counters
  • Electronic compass correlation
  • Carbon Dioxide/Ozone detectors
  • Solar cell measurements
  • Latex balloon expansion
  • Yeast growth and carbon dioxide generation
This year's launch, which is schedule for April 24, includes a variety of experiments such as:
  • 3-D photography
  • Video image transmission
  • Chemical hand warmer testing
  • Electric field disturbances
  • Glass fragility during flight
  • Wood glue exposure
  • Humidity measurements
The students spend the year preparing for the launch; the multi-faceted project teaches the students numerous skills.

"The idea is to use the balloon as a launch vehicle, and then have a whole mission that's like a satellite mission. There is a lot of science, there is a lot of pre-flight testing and there is designing the flight plan," Snyder says. "There's a wide range of activities in addition to their experiments. It's a whole flight project."

Skills from many fields are developed in the BalloonSAT project, including:

  • Communications and telemetry
  • Problem solving
  • Power and battery issues
  • Tracking
  • Flight Prediction
  • Coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
Up, Up and Away

Cameras carried by the balloon take photographs every 30 secondsOn launch day, all of the students' and their mentors' hard work comes to fruition at the exciting launch. The latex balloon, initially 6-feet in diameter, is launched into the mid-to-upper stratosphere, about 100,000 feet above Earth's surface. The mid-to-upper stratosphere is above 99% of the atmosphere -- much higher than even commercial aircraft fly. The conditions here are similar to conditions on Mars.

The balloon rises at a rate of 1,000 feet a minute, so it takes about 2 hours for the balloon to reach its apex. It then bursts, and returns to Earth in about an hour. The balloon, which expands to about 18-feet in diameter as it passes through different temperatures during its ascent, is typically visible to the naked eye throughout its entire journey.

"It's kind of amazing," Snyder says.

The BalloonSAT team tracks the balloon visually and via GPS and Ham Radio, and collects the deflated balloon after it lands. Then the team starts investigating the results of their carefully-planned experiments, and reviews the footage the cameras on the balloon produced.

The digital cameras installed on the balloon take a picture every 30 seconds. The sideways shots display the atmosphere and some of the ground, while the straight down shots display details of Earth. The photographs are taken by inexpensive, point-and-shoot digital cameras that have been modified to have an external switch rather than the factory-installed button. The resulting images are informational and visually intriguing.

"It's impressive to see the images," Snyder says.

Mentoring Young Scientists

NASA funds the Exploring Program at Glenn, including the BalloonSAT post. A minimum of $1,000 provides supplies for the activities, including the cameras, equipment to build and construct payloads, balloons and helium.

The BalloonSAT Exploring Post has proven so successful that a nation-wide competition for high school students will be hosted by Glenn this May. Winning entries were submitted by schools in Utah, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia, and the students will converge at Glenn to launch their experiments aloft in a balloon.

The pairing of high school STEM students and experienced NASA scientists has proven effective -- many of the students who have participated in the program have gone on to study engineering and related fields in college. This experiential learning, as one of Snyder's Exploring Program students told him, brings science to life.

"She said that this is not just learning in a book. It is a chance to actually do things and have the experience. The hands-on aspect, to her, was very important," Snyder says.

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Testing Future Engine Technology is a Work of Art

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An engine nozzle turns a dramatic array of colors during a recent hot-fire test at NASA's White Sands Test Facility near Las Cruces, N.M. A team of engineers from Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., and Johnson Space Center in Houston conducted tests on a cryogenic liquid oxygen and liquid methane engine to measure the engine’s performance for future use with in-space vehicles.

Last month, eight altitude chamber tests were performed using an Aerojet workhorse engine to gather design data for future lander and in-space engines. Using the altitude chamber, which simulates the space-type vacuum environment, engineers were able to attach a larger nozzle and vary the propellant mixture ratios to test the engine's overall operating capability. This technology could be selected for future use with vehicles designed for transport, descent, or ascent to another planetary body or asteroid.

The nozzle, or large bell-shaped hardware, directs the flow of the combustion products from the liquid methane fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer mixture and accelerates the exhaust gasses to generate thrust. The nozzle material is made of columbium and heats up during the test causing the color change. The nozzle is radiatively cooled and once the engine shuts down, the nozzle returns to its previous color.

Another test objective was to look at the specific impulse, or gas mileage, this engine could provide to a space vehicle. Specific impulse is simply a measurement of the amount of thrust that can be attained per mass of rocket propellant consumed. The higher specific impulse attained improves the overall rocket performance and reduces the weight of propellants that need to be carried on the vehicle.

Overall, the test series was successful and valuable performance data was obtained. Data received from the tests is currently being reviewed to ensure the engine performed as expected on a continual basis with each individual test.

Engineers will continue to vary and refine the engine test parameters to evaluate the technology further. Developing technology is a test-rich process to ensure as many unknowns are worked out on the ground before this technology is put into application in a space environment.

The cryogenic liquid oxygen and liquid methane effort is part of the Propulsion and Cryogenics Advanced Development (PCAD) project at Glenn, which is developing cryogenic propulsion technologies for future space exploration missions. The PCAD project is funded by the Exploration Technology Development Program in NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate.

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A New Oral History: Where Words Touch the Earth

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Students from Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kan., filmed a segment in August 2008 for the documentary Where Words Touch the Earth.Native Americans have a long tradition of preserving history and culture through oral storytelling, such as the tale of Crazy Horse, a war leader of the Oglala Lakota during the late 1800s. This word-of-mouth legend of Crazy Horse has inspired a project through which tribal college students are now relating a modern oral history -- about climate change.

The video series, "Where Words Touch the Earth," documents environmental changes observed by Native Americans. Each 12-15-minute episode is fully developed and produced by Native American students representing different ecosystems across the United States. NASA selected the schools and provided the funding, but it was the students who retained complete creative control of the production and its content.

"I wanted them to tell their stories -- that's the only way you're going to get a jewel," said David Adamec, a scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., who had the vision for the project.

Adamec conceived of the project while visiting the Crazy Horse monument in South Dakota for a summer vacation in 2007. "Why not take advantage of the information contained in oral history and combine it with the climate resources we have at NASA?"

Now, students and elders from Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kan., have produced a segment that explores the dramatic changes observed in the plains ecosystem. Producers from Northwest Indian College in Bellingham, Wash., portray how climate change has impacted salmon populations in the coastal ecosystem.

Students from Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kan., were responsible for all aspects of producing a segment for Where Words Touch the Earth, from writing and directing to camera work and editingTribal colleges in New Mexico, North Dakota and Wisconsin representing a desert, prairie and woodland environment, are now beginning to film. The final product aims to weave together all the perspectives and achieve a cohesive story of the Native American perspective on climate change.

Already, the student films are reaching and educating students across the United States. In fall 2008, public television production house WGBH Boston started working closely with the Bureau of Indian Education providing digital content and working with students and their teachers. "We started learning more about the intersection between traditional tribal communities and science education, and specifically around climate change," said Howard Lurie, Associate Director of Educational Productions for WGBH Boston.

On March 31, WGBH's Teachers' Domain launched the "Where Words Touch the Earth" collection, an online collection that disseminates repurposed versions of the documentaries so that they can be integrated into sixth- to 12th-grade classrooms. Teachers can download short clips, essays and discussion questions -- all linked to state standards.

"We think that it’s a unique way for elementary, middle and high school students to get deeper into the science," Lurie said.

The exchange goes both ways. "We might have assumed a disconnect between the traditional tribal community and hard science, but there's not," Lurie said. "Being connected to tradition doesn't mean you can't be a scientist."

Today, the educational dialogue continues, as students and instructors from Navaho Technical College in Crownpoint, N.M., visit Goddard to meet with Adamec and video specialists at Goddard, tour the center, and lay the groundwork for a new oral history.

Related Links:

> The complete Where Words Touch the Earth collection

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MF

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in the line circuit ct is 1000/5 and meter ctr is 1200/5 so pls let me know the exact Multiplying factor to know the consumption

Has the Insane Clown Posse gone insane? | Gene Expression

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I’ve heard some buzz about some weird new video that the Insane Clown Posse came out with, but after watching this strange parody on SNL I had to check out the original. So first the parody:

You can see the original video here. It’s actually pretty strange in and of itself. Here’s a more typical video from the group. Their stuff normally reminds me of the movie Gummo. I assume they’re mellowing since they’re pushing beyond their mid-30s and both have replicated (”Shaggy 2 Dope” up to replacement).

Note: The videos are NSFW if you have the volume on. But really, if you’re at work you should have headphones on.

Its all go!

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Puffins now on eggs!
First Eider duck eggs discovered
Sandwich terns settling early
Sunday 18th April comments:
Take it from me – the seabirds have started early and I mean early. The generally settled weather has allowed birds to arrive early and to get on with the business of breeding. We’ve had Shags on eggs since late March, the earliest ever Guillemot eggs and now we’ve now gone one better – Puffins on eggs! The early start has even brought Sandwich terns onto the island, inspecting nest sites – some two weeks before we expect that behaviour. I’m not sure what is going on, but we’ll blame climate change or too much ash in the atmosphere. Regardless of what is happening – it’s been a strange start to the 2010 season – let’s just hope the birds don’t regret the decision to start early in the near future.

Shag 28th March (earliest since 1997)
Ringed Plover 15th April
Guillemot 11th April (earliest ever!)
Eider 17th April
Puffin 18th April (earliest since 1993)

It remains quiet on the migration front with light scatterings of Wheatears, Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers moving through the islands. A male Ring Ouzel graced Inner Farne yesterday whilst the female Sparrowhawk reappeared, but lets hope she does not linger for too long!

Piopiotahi Magnificent Milford Sound

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Well just settle in and get comfortablehellipitrsquos gonna be a long blog.For everyone who has been waiting for some truly spectacular sceneryhellipfor everyone who was wondering when wersquod see the ldquorealrdquo New Zealandhellipthis blog is for you. If you donrsquot read any of our other blogs or look at any of our photos read and look at these. This is the one yoursquo

Granada pt. 1

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There's a lot of pics from Granada so I might have to do this in two parts. I spent a weekend in Granada in febrero. Absolutely beautiful It's a five hour bus drive south of Alicante. So Friday we met down at the Plaza Los Luceros and headed out. While on the bus a few kids in the program and I played stupid bus games like Mash and talked about old tv shows we used to love Hey Arnold Rugrat

Rent motorbikes Saigon

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Need to rent a motorbike scooter or moped in Saigon VietnamOur rental service can provide a motorbike ideally suited to your needs. We have been offering motorbike and scooter rentals in Saigon for many years .We provide homedelivery regular maintenance and emergency repair and replacement motorbikes or scooters at NO EXTRA CHARGE. So if you need a motorbike in Saigon Vietnam just contac