How deep is Labour's support?
A look at the health of the Labour party, its policies and leader.
It's economic winter in Britain and chilling conditions may last for some time. Growth is slow. Cuts are biting. Inflation is rising. Jobs are scarce. David Cameron and George Osborne are digging in for the long haul. They're focused on getting re-elected in 2015 and keeping their coalition together in the meantime. Ed Miliband, meanwhile, is partying as if the General Election is tomorrow. Her Majesty's Opposition is having fun, throwing snowballs at every Coalition minister. A year after it suffered one of its worst ever defeats, Labour is building a big lead in the opinion polls but this may be as wide and thin as the icy surface of a frozen lake. As economic spring arrives, it could crack beneath Ed Miliband's feet.
Is Ed Miliband relying too much on Coalition failure?
Ed Miliband risks putting all of his eggs in the economic disaster basket.
This maximises his support now, when times are tough, but he will suffer if the economy recovers and all the credit goes to the government that cleaned up the mess. A brave successor to Gordon Brown would have acknowledged Labour's wasteful spending during the boom years. A poll last week – for The Guardian – found that two-thirds of people agreed that the state is spending too much money. Twice as many voters blame Gordon Brown's legacy for the cuts, as blame Cameron.
By jumping on every anti-cuts bandwagon Ed Miliband is doing nothing to rebuild his party's economic credibility.
Are Labour activists questioning Miliband's strategy?
Not really. The Labour Party should be in an anxious state, searching its soul to understand why Brown won only 29 per cent of the vote last year – worse than John Major received in his landslide defeat of 1997.
With the honourable exception of Labour's former general secretary, Peter Watt, and a few Blairite columnists, the inquiry into defeat is remarkable for its absence.
The quick recovery in the opinion polls has acted like a tranquilliser.
Moreover, Labour is so scarred by the tensions between Brownites and Blairites that the party is supersensitive to the signs of any new splits. Whenever voices of concern are raised – such as last week by the modernising Shadow Defence Secretary, Jim Murphy – they are quickly silenced.
What about the Ed Miliband problem?
This is the elephant in the Labour room. Ed Miliband defeated his bother, David – who was the first choice of MPs and members – because of the perverse AV voting system used in internal elections and because he was more popular with the Labour Party's union paymasters.
This link to the unions gave him the tabloid nickname of 'Red Ed'.
But the Conservative Party's focus groups are finding that, in voters' minds, the problem is more 'Odd Ed' than 'Red Ed'.
There is the Cain-and-Abel factor of assassinating his brother in the leadership contest.
There is the fact he didn't marry his girlfriend or register as his first child's father. There are his staring eyes. One Tory insider notes that bad first impressions killed William Hague's chances of beating Tony Blair; Ed Miliband's first impressions are at least as bad. Unlike Cameron – who faces no serious internal rival – Ed Miliband could be replaced by the hugely ambitious Ed Balls.
The opinion polls protect Miliband for now but Labour MPs are already ready to turn against him when the need arises. On the day he launched his AV campaign, many Labour MPs sat behind him in the Commons, sporting No2AV badges.
Peter Watt has urged Ed Miliband to stop opposing every cut and focus on the rising cost of living. Inflation is three times as big a problem for most households as cuts and it's the lower income, striving classes that are struggling most as fuel and food prices rise.
Championing what Ed Miliband has called the "squeezed middle" – including their views on crime and immigration – could see Labour begin to recover in Essex and other southern battlegrounds. The party faces a challenge in the South every bit as big as Hague, Howard and Cameron once faced in the north.
Is there any hope for Labour?
Yes, if the economic recovery is sluggish. Yes, if the NHS reforms go wrong.
Yes, if tuition fee-paying students defect en masse to Labour.
But Ed Miliband has to start answering some strategic questions. Does he, for example, want to lovebomb the Liberal Democrats so they become future allies or does he want to destroy them and steal all their voters? Not for the first time, Ed Balls seems to want to do the latter and Ed Miliband isn't really sure.


A night spent singing around the piano…what year is this?
But Shooters Sports Bar's new Blazing Piano parties – every Friday and Saturday night in their Shooters Sports Bar – bring the piano singalong right up to date.
They're a fast, funny 'piano duel' featuring two amazingly talented pianists playing hit after hit – as the audience shouts out what they want to hear.
Their repertoire spans rock, funk, Brit pop, reggae, show tunes, soul, country, Top 40, and more. If you can sing and dance to it, they'll play it.
Both pianists are outstanding performers and masters of fast-paced musical and comedy entertainment. They've been doing this for nearly twenty years, hooking in audiences all over the UK.
So if your 2015 is feeling a little flat, this will crank it right up. It's basically a party night for music fans with audience banter, singing, dancing, and (this being The Bierkeller Complex – home of the stein) drinking.
Entry is free, and there are three sets every Friday and Saturday night at 9pm, 10pm and 11pm.
Just turn up at Shooters Sports Bar in The Bierkeller Complex in The Printworks. If you're a bigger group, give them a call to book on 08455 333 000.


Home › Home and Kitchen › Set Of 2 Double-Wall Insulated Coffee Mug Glass Tea Espresso Cup 8.5 Oz - Uni..
Set Of 2 Double-Wall Insulated Coffee Mug Glass Tea Espresso Cup 8.5 Oz - Uni..
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Enjoy your favorite drink like never before with the unique Jecobi glass cups! Nothing better than a hot steaming espresso in the morning, or an ice-coldrelaxing drink in the evening? How long have you been wishing, for your drinks and coffee to retain theirtemperature for a bit longer, so that the pleasure would linger on? Uniquely heavy duty - resistant cups that only Jecobi offers! Exceptional quality heat-resistant materials (boron trioxide and silica)allows this tumbler set, to handle any temperature variance, without crackingor breaking. Feel free to try them, with your steamy hot brew or even with your ice coldbeverages or drinks. Put them in the dishwasher, microwave or freezer, NORISK. And the best part? You can always hold them with ease, no matter thetemperature of your drink - they will never burn or freeze your hands. The perfect gift idea that anyone would appreciate! If you are looking for a unique present idea, this is definitely for you. No matter the occasion, gift this handy set of glass cups and you will be everremembered for your choice, by your loved ones. As this set of 2 mugs comes in an elegant cardboard gift box, it makes anideal wedding, housewarming, holiday present for anyone! Trust the Jecobi quality - rest assured that the stability and quality of thisbeautiful glass set will never let you down. Place an order now with full confidence! Set of 2 cups Contain: 8.5oz each Cup height: 3.9in Upper diameter: 3.4in Cup weight: 4oz Pack weight: 11.64oz Pack size: 7.9 x 3.9 x 4.5in Each cup is mouth blown and receives personal attention in order to achieve aunique look for an improved drinking experience.


Texas A&M prediction: Can the Aggies get back on track with a win over Ole Miss?
After dropping its last two games to close a three game road trip, A&M is relatively desperate for a win. The Aggies are playing their first game at home in 34 days against one of the SEC's worst teams and are a near two-score favorite. A win could get A&M back on track towards a somewhat successful first year under Jimbo Fisher, but a loss would almost certainly put the Aggies on track to finish below last year's 7-5 regular season finish. Needless to say, A&M needs to win this game. On paper, the Aggies are better, but have trended downwards in the past few weeks. Fisher needs his team to play a complete 60 minutes, something the Aggies haven't done well in the past few games, which has led to losses. Furthermore, a win would make A&M bowl eligible for the 10th straight season.
On the other hand, Ole Miss is eyeing to coming into Kyle Field and damper the Aggies' season even more. The Rebels are essentially playing with house money since they are ineligible for postseason due to NCAA sanctions. Coming into Kyle Field and stealing a win over a frustrated and frazzled A&M squad would bring nothing but joy to those in Oxford. Furthermore, this matchup sets up as a classic trap game with a morning kick.
It's been tough sledding for quarterback Kellen Mond the past two weeks. The sophomore only completed 50 percent of his passes against Mississippi State and Auburn and accounted for only two touchdowns to four turnovers (two interceptions, two fumbles). Mond acknowledged on Monday that he needs to be better going through progressions. He might get one of his top targets back this weekend, as wide receiver Jhamon Ausbon (foot) is expected to return after being sidelined for the last four games. However, the Aggies need to get another key pass catching target rolling again -- tight end Jace Sternberger. The sophomore is the team's leading receiver, but has been held to 5 catches for 72 yards and zero touchdowns over the past two games.
Although the Aggies need to find solutions in their passing game, they might be able to get the Rebels good on the ground. Ole Miss is allowing 210.0 rushing yards per game, which is 109th nationally. Fisher and the Aggies have seemed to expand the game of running back Trayveon Williams over the past couple weeks, giving him carries up the middle and stretching him to the sideline in the screen game. Additionally, A&M has given more carries to freshman Jashaun Corbin in the past two games, who is a bigger bodied back that provides a positive change of pace on offense. The key to the Aggies finding success on the ground will be found in their offensive line. The unit has seen some shifts in the past couple weeks, but should have center Erik McCoy ready to go on Saturday.
The Rebels offense starts with the pass. Quarterback Jordan Ta'amu is the SEC's passing leader and has home run threats AJ Brown and DaMarkus Lodge to throw to. This could be problematic for the A&M secondary that was carved like a Thanksgiving turkey in the fourth quarter against Auburn. However, Ta'amu has been limited in practice this week after suffering a minor ankle injury last Saturday against South Carolina. While he will be ready to go, Ta'amu might not be as mobile as normal. A&M will likely bring the heat often and early and forcing him into scrambles might benefit the Aggies.
A&M has been stout against the run this season, but the Aggie front seven will face a stiff test against Rebel running back Scottie Phillips. Ole Miss is averaging 193.8 rushing yards per game, and Phillips is accounting for 102.6 of them. He is third in the conference in rushing yards (923) and leads the league in rushing touchdowns (12). The Rebels will turn to him in the red zone as 10 of his scores have come from inside the 20.
This matchup has trap game written all over it given Ole Miss' predicament and the Aggies' recent woes. However, A&M will have a key intangible playing at home, whereas playing on the road fed Mississippi State and Auburn much-needed energy over the past two weeks. The Aggies controlled the entire game for 50 minutes last Saturday and showed signs of improvement in their red zone offense and pass defense before falling to shambles. Ole Miss is not as talented as Auburn and Saturday will show why.
The trio of Trayveon Williams, Jashaun Corbin and Kellen Mond run for nearly 200 yards combined against a rough Rebel rush defense. Mond doesn't have noteworthy passing numbers, but throws a key touchdown pass when needed. Jordan Ta'amu will get his through the air, but Ole Miss will be shut down on the ground by the Aggies, just like all of their other opponents. A&M gets back in the win column, but the victory isn't the prettiest.


We've learned that every dive is a decompression dive. You on-gas; you off-gas. Surface with too much of the former and not enough of the latter: You're bent. Safety stops are a decompression stop. Slow ascents are a decompression technique. You're a decompression diver, like it or not.
We're wired. Virtually all of today's dive computers provide the information you need to plan and execute simple forms of decompression diving. Some computers do it with graphic displays and flashing icons. Some talk us through it.
We're stupid. Boiled down, decompression is a relatively simple procedure. You ascend to a given depth and hang out for a period of time prescribed by your computer, then go up another 10 feet and zone out again. Try not to fall asleep.
But don't be fooled: At some point, a few curve balls will get tossed your way and the best laid plans take a turn south. That's why the key to responsible decompression dives is planning and preparing for the things that can go wrong.
Most divers are never taught proper deco technique in traditional diving courses. And that's fine since planned decompression is not part of open-water training. Safety stops receive strong mention, but watching many recreational divers do safety stops is like trying to follow a yo-yo in action.
But with planned decompression, stops are factored into the overall dive profile. If you decide to take your 30-foot stop at 20 or 15 feet, the odds are you may get to experience the reality of decompression sickness firsthand.
Method #1: Use dive tables to predict a dive profile that includes required decompression stops. This allows advance planning for "bottom gas" (what you will need to breathe during the working portion of the dive) and "deco gas" (which you'll need to complete the decompression). Given this scenario, the diver can easily compute a schedule that will allow him to carry enough gas supply for both portions of the dive and allow a contingency factor.
A diver breathing standard compressed air can use that gas for both phases of the dive. Indeed, most tables published for scuba diving assume that any deco will be made on the same stuff that the diver was breathing while he was swimming about on the reef or around a wreck.
However, most divers planning decompression today look for an additional safety edge by using pure oxygen or a nitrox mix to increase the efficiency of off-gassing. These divers carry a smaller cylinder of "deco gas" to switch to, usually around the 20-foot stop, or they use one provided by the dive boat.
Method #2: Plan the dive and the decompression as it occurs. This is done with dive computers and allows a much greater window of flexibility to the dive plan since no rigid profile is set in advance. The governing factor in this type of plan is to allow enough gas to complete whatever decompression may be required. There are endless variations to gas volume management that can be calculated by the diver under water, including the classic cave diving "rule of thirds" (one-third of your gas for the descent and dive, one-third for the ascent and decompression, and one-third for reserve).
Method #3: Divers using secondary deco cylinders have an extra edge on the folks who want to decompress on the remaining air in their primary tanks. Not only will they benefit from the higher oxygen mix, they will also generally have from 20 to 50 cubic feet of additional gas to breathe during the hang.
So you completed your dive and are ready to head up to begin the decompression indicated. Here are some basic do's and dont's.
Know your computer. If you haven't thoroughly familiarized yourself with your computer's decompression functions, don't even think about trying a deco dive just to see what happens. Some units will default if no-decompression profiles are exceeded. Others will scramble if you venture beyond a certain depth limit. Still others have deco models so conservative that you will spend more time at 10 feet than you spent in line at the DMV.
Monitor ascent rate. Your ascent is part of your total decompression profile. If it's supposed to take you two minutes to come up to your first stop, don't do it in 30 seconds. Likewise, don't come up unreasonably slow as this will only increase nitrogen gas loading during the deeper part of the ascent. Your computer should remind you if you ascend too quickly for its deco model by either flashing a warning on its display or beeping at you with an audible signal.
Control your buoyancy. Stay in control by dumping excess air during the ascent, and stop completely at least 10 feet below the first stop to ensure you can hover comfortably. Dive with extra weight to counteract the positive buoyancy of tanks as they are empty.
Stay static. Preferably, your first experiences should include some type of static support like an anchor line or deco bar. This also gives you a firm handhold if current is present or if the dive boat is swinging on its mooring.
Keep it simple. Initially, no decompression should be planned with more than one stop until you are completely comfortable with your ability to maintain depth, predict breathing rate, and manage your gauges.
Do it all. Never cut a decompression stop short. Spend all the time required at the depth prescribed. It's OK to extend the last stop. You can consider that part of your "safety stop."
Assume the position. If you're in a vertical position at your stop, measure the designated stop depth at the chest area. Ideally, try to maintain a horizontal position during the stops as this will subject the body equally to the surrounding pressure.
Chill. Decompression should be a period of relaxation. Mild exercise is fine and benefits outgassing, but activities should be limited to easy swimming while maintaining depth. Arm windmills or bicycling the legs while holding onto a line or bar also can improve circulation.
Don't chill. On long hangs, even warm tropical water can edge you toward hypothermia. You'll often need to be more warmly dressed as a decompression diver.
Stage-decompression divers are forced to stay below a virtual ceiling or face a high risk of DCS. Therefore, they must carry additional equipment that allows them to solve problems at depth, because surfacing is not an acceptable option.
Risk — Dealing with this gear on a dive boat results in a higher risk of physical injury.
Risk — The extra gear results in a larger profile while diving, creating an increased risk of overexertion due to swimming resistance.
Risk — The additional equipment creates a greater number of potential failure points in the gas delivery system, increasing the potential of a failure.
Risk — Because stage-decompression divers cannot rise above the decompression ceiling, should they miss the ascent/descent line, their risk of being carried away from the boat in a current is greater.
Risk — Stage-decompression diving also tends to result in longer in-water exposure times, greatly increasing the chance of hypothermia.
Risk — The extended exposure time also equates to increasing the odds of experiencing a problem while under water.
Bottom Line — Stage-decompression diving requires training and experience beyond the norm. The only way to truly learn to properly execute stage-decompression dives is to seek out a quality training program from an experienced, knowledgeable instructor. While there are increased risks involved, done properly the risks of stage-decompression diving are manageable within an acceptable level.


text:
About TURKPA History Activities Chairman Council of Assembly National parliaments National delegations Commissions Secretary general Secretariat Activities
Plenary sessions Meetings of the commissions Other events
TURKPA OBSERVATION MISSION
About Mission Presidential and parliamentary elections Referendums DOCUMENTS Declarations of the Assembly Reports of the commissions Recommendations of the commissions Other documents Speeches Publications COOPERATION
TURKIC COOPERATION
Turkic Council TURKSOY Turkic Academy Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Bilateral cooperation Interaction with other institutions
Observers in TURKPA TURKPA as observer Cooperation with other international organizations News TURKPA news In mass media Media Videos Photos Contacts
Wednesday, 22 January 2020, 12:37:02 — Baku (UTC+4)
Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic Speaking Countries
EN AZ KZ KG TR
About TURKPA
History Activities Chairman Council of Assembly National parliaments National delegations Commissions Secretary general Secretariat
About Mission Presidential and parliamentary elections Referendums
Declarations of the Assembly Reports of the commissions Recommendations of the commissions Other documents Speeches Publications
Observers in TURKPA TURKPA as observer Cooperation with other international organizations
TURKPA news In mass media
Speech of the secretary general of the parliamentary assembly of turkic-speaking countries, Mr. Ramil Hasanov at the meeting of association of the secretaries general of the parliaments (asgp) in geneva, october 4-7, 2010
DOCUMENTS / Speeches
Mr. Chairman,
Dear participants of the meeting!
First of all I would like to thank the President and Joint Secretary of Association of the Secretaries General of the Parliaments (ASGP) for invitation to this important event and opportunity to address such an honorable audience and also express my gratuity for my acceptance to members of ASGP.
With your permission I would like to inform you shortly about history of establishment of TURKPA and its activities.
The Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic Speaking Countries (TURKPA) was established in November 21, 2008 according to the Agreement signed by the Heads of Parliaments of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, and the Republic of Turkey.
Then, in September 29, 2009 the I plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic Speaking Countries (TURKPA) was conducted in Baku, Azerbaijan. TURKPA Regulations, Statute of Secretariat, Baku Declaration and Statement regarding the permanent accomodation of the Secretariat in Baku city were adopted at the plenary session.
TURKPA Chairmanship annually passes from one country to another by means of rotation in the English alphabetical order and according to this order current Chairman is the Republic of Azerbaijan. At the forthcoming session in 2011 the Chairmanship will pass to Kazakhstan.
The Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic Speaking Countries has an intention to support further development of political dialogue among the countries and create favorable political conditions for elaboration and implementation of different initiatives by means of parliamentary diplomacy as qualitatively new stage of inter-parliamentary cooperation in order to maintain regional and global security. One of the main goals of TURKPA is establishment of new relations and development of the existing ones with parliaments and other international organizations of the countries in the region and all over the world. On this basis I would like to emphasize that our organization has not been established against the third countries. Our goals include only strengthening of political and economic security of the countries on the grounds of refrainment from threat or use of force or economic or any other pressure, growth of national prosperity by means of full and rational use of natural resources; endevour to the further progress in the sphere of parliamentary diplomacy.
3 of 4 our Members has comparatively short history of independence and young parliaments, but nevertheless, they achieved to integrate into world parliamentary community to great extent during such a short period and establish bilateral and multilateral relations with many parliaments and international parliamentary organizations. So that, all our Members are also members of OSCE PA, 3 TURKPA Members are members of Interparliamentary Assembly of CIS, Azerbaijan and Turkey are presented in PACE and are members of PABSEC (Parliamentary Assembly of Black Sea Economic Cooperation), Turkey is a Member and Azerbaijan is an Associate Member in NATO PA, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey are members of Asian Parliamentary Assembly. On other side, the Republic of Turkey has comparatively long parliamentary history what provides a source of good practice for other TURKPA Members.
As TURKPA we are committed to strengthen relations not only among our Member parliaments, but also between them and other parliaments and international parliamentary organizations. I should also mention that Turkey is a parliamentary republic and Kazakhstan is semi-parliamentary republic what means more influential role of the parliaments in these countries.
Anyway, the current trends in politics tend not to leave foreign policy in monopoly of executive and they steer up the borders between domestic and foreign issues. To this end parliamentary diplomacy becomes an instrument to connect legislative bodies with foreign policies. In present world the financial resources is basic in determining policies and planning the government`s actions and the parliaments are those bodies which decide on financial resources that is, the budget for the governments what gives the legislative body another important leverage to influence foreign policy. Therefore, there is a real opportunity to transform parliamentary diplomacy from "another speaker for government" to a "real dialogue among parliamentarians" considering also that parliamentarians can sometimes do what is beyond the competency of the diplomats and become alternative channel in conflict settlements.
Especially in Turkic speaking countries besides many transnational issues concerning all these countries such as energy and logistics projects, many issues of more global importance such as counter-terrorism activities and security issues depend on decisions of the parliaments what presents an effective platform for parliamentary diplomacy.
In this context TURKPA pays special attention to cooperation with ASGP as the international parliamentary organization having great experience and being a high-level platform for discussion of regional and global concerns by parliamentarians from different countries.
Let me take this opportunity to express sincere thanks on behalf of TURKPA management for brilliant organization of this event and for having a chance to address the meeting. I would like to thank everybody who participated in organization of this meeting and wish success to all participants.
Thank you very much for kind attention!
Current TURKPA Chairmanship
Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan
TURKPA Chairman-in-Office
H.E. Mr. Ogtay Asadov
9th Plenary Session of TURKPA - 18 December 2019, Baku, Azerbaijan
Observation of parliamentary elections in Uzbekistan - 22 December 2019
© TURKPA. All rights reserved. Reference and hyperlink required.
Address: 106 S.S.Akhundov str, 7 microdistr., AZ1116
Binagadi / Baku / Azerbaijan
Phones: +99412 5635835/5635836/5635837
Fax: +99412 5635834
E-mail: info@turk-pa.org
It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing
Turkpa Chairman in office
H.E. Mr. Dastanbek Dzhumabekov
It is a long established
It is a long established It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using 'Content here, content here', making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web
It is a long established It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using 'Content here, content here', making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web.It is a long established It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using 'Content here, content here', making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and webIt is a long established It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using 'Content here, content here', making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The new Vlerick logo and name?
Edit on September 9th: here is the new logo and the new name … Now let's wait for the story behind this colourful combination!
They kept us in suspense for more than a year (and Apollo 2012 for even more!) but September 12th should put an end to it: Vlerick Business School will finally unveil its new brand during the official opening of the academic year 2012-2013! It is about time, we were beginning to think of the rebranding of Vlerick as a kind of Flemish Loch Ness living in the river Dijle!


The CommScope LazrSPEED Solution boosts performance to a blistering 10 Gb/s while reducing total system costs by eliminating expensive opto-electronics previously needed to achieve 10 Gb/s speeds on multimode fiber. The LazrSPEED 550 Building cable is constructed with tight buffer fibers, aramid strength yarn, and is available in PVC, Plenum and Low Smoke Zero Halogen outer jacket. These cables are designed for point-to-point applications as well as mid-span access, and provide a high-level of prote ction for fiber installed in the building environment.
The LazrSPEED Building Cables consist of laser-optimized 50/125 µm optical fibers. All LazrSPEED fibers are Differential Mode Delay (DMD) tested. The CommScope Labs use a high-resolution DMD test bench that exceeds standards and is independently certified.


text:
package org.apache.hawq.ranger.integration.admin;

import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
import org.apache.hawq.ranger.service.RangerServiceHawq;
import org.apache.ranger.plugin.service.ResourceLookupContext;
import org.junit.Before;

import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Map;

public abstract class LookupTestBase {

    protected static final Log LOG = LogFactory.getLog(LookupTestBase.class);
    protected RangerServiceHawq service;

    @Before
    public void setup() {
        Map<String, String> configs = new HashMap<>();
        configs = new HashMap<>();
        configs.put("username", "gpadmin");
        configs.put("password", "dQSF8ViAE4/I38xmFwJfCg==");
        configs.put("hostname", "localhost");
        configs.put("port", "5432");
        configs.put("jdbc.driverClassName", "org.postgresql.Driver");

        service = new RangerServiceHawq();
        service.setServiceName("hawq");
        service.setServiceType("hawq");
        service.setConfigs(configs);
    }

    protected ResourceLookupContext getContext(String resourceName, String userInput) {
        ResourceLookupContext context = new ResourceLookupContext();
        context.setResourceName(resourceName);
        context.setUserInput(userInput);
        return context;
    }

    protected ResourceLookupContext getContext(String resourceName, String userInput, Map<String, List<String>> resources) {
        ResourceLookupContext context = getContext(resourceName, userInput);
        context.setResources(resources);
        return context;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
The Edit/Fashion & Beauty
Flying camping chairs, wacky races: adventure club makes life less boring
An outfit calling itself The Adventurists is here to rescue you from safe, dull, 21st-century life — and they're coming to SA for an epic paramotoring event
04 March 2018 - 00:00 By Andrea Nagel
The Mongol Rally.
Image: The Adventurists
If you were north of Johannesburg in October last year and happened to look up, you may have seen a strange sight - a man sitting in a camping chair, drifting through the sky attached to a column of brightly coloured helium balloons. Tom Morgan spent two days inflating the balloons. Then he strapped himself into his chair and flew for more than two hours, covering 25km. "I was somewhere between terrified and elated," he said. "But it was unbelievably cool."
As the balloons drifted towards the inversion layer of the atmosphere - where the temperature rises - his climb began to accelerate quickly. "I had to keep calm and start gradually cutting the balloons one by one to get back down to Earth." Why did he do it? Because getting lost and feeling terrified and in trouble is no longer what life is about. And that was half the joy of being alive.
Tom Morgan flew 25km in a camping chair attached to a host of helium balloons.
"The entire surface of the Earth has been scanned by satellites and shovelled into your mobile phone tagged with twattery about which restaurant serves the best mocha-latte-frappeshite," he says.
And it's true. The world has become a rather sanitised, claustrophobically safe place. A few years ago, when you went somewhere you navigated based on your own knowledge and intuition. But today everybody blindly follows what Waze tells them. If something happened to the application, we'd be completely lost.
The author of the international bestseller Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari, writes: ''Now people reach a juncture on the road, and they trust an algorithm. Maybe the junction is their career. Maybe it's the decision to get married. But they trust the algorithm rather than their own intuition."
There's something very sad about that.
Morgan is the founder of a British entity called The Adventurists, established in 2005. It's the philosophical home of a group of people he calls "a loose band of dickheads flapping about the corners of the Earth trying to create all sorts of wondrous little sticks of chaos to shove under your ergonomically designed office chairs".
WATCH | Tom Morgan flies over Joburg in a camping chair held up by helium balloons
Tom Morgan, a British adventurer, has flown almost 2,500m above South Africa attached to 100 helium balloons with only a camping chair for support. Morgan travelled 24km while attached to the ball...
As a student of fine art Morgan used his student project grant to buy a Fiat. Then he spun the globe, and set off for the place his finger landed on: Mongolia.
Since then he's been dreaming up adventures that challenge the cloistering, over-protective sanity of our daily lives. His first one, the Mongol Rally, travels 16,000km across the mountains, desert and steppes of Europe and Asia each summer.
There's no backup, no support and no set route; just you, in a tiny 1,000cc car you bought from a scrapyard. The rules are you can take only a farcically small vehicle. A telephone box strapped to the roof of the car to hold supplies just adds to the fun of the challenge.
Morgan has ridden a 48cc motorbike - a children's toy, really - across the Sahara, through the Amazon jungle and along the dirt tracks of Romania. He's taken a vintage motorbike and slapped it down on the biggest lake on Earth. In Siberia. In mid-winter. He's sailed across oceans in a dugout canoe made from a mango tree and raced through India in a tuk-tuk - and yes, he's taken to Joburg's skies on a camping chair.
MIDDLE OF FRICKIN' NOWHERE
During his recce for the balloon trip, Morgan met South African Nic Petropoulos, a fellow lover of adventure and an avid paramotorist. Paramotoring is powered paragliding in which a lawnmower-like engine with a propeller is attached to the pilot's back, and the whole caboodle harnessed to a paraglider wing. To take off, you run until the wing has enough lift to set you free from Earth.
Petropoulos's enthusiasm for exploring his country using a paramotor convinced Morgan that South Africa would be the perfect playground for his next adventure, The Icarus Trophy - a near 1,600km paramotor race from Hartbeespoort Dam to Victoria Falls.
"There's no set route, but you must cross the border posts between South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia on foot. With your paramotor strapped to your back of course," says Petropoulos. A minimum number of passport stamps will need to be in your passport when you hit the finish line.
"We thought it was high time to bring the adventure to where the adventurists really are," Morgan says.
A paramotorist gets ready to fly in the Icarus Trophy in Nevada, US,
A number of locals have signed up. Mark Perrow, a South African sprint canoeist who competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, is one of them.
Does he feel prepared?
"I did the Raid Gauloises Adventure race in 1997," he says. ''It was early days for adventure racing in South Africa then. We did 700km of running, hiking, mountain biking, canoeing, climbing and rafting. It took us 11 days, over which I got a grand total of 33 hours of sleep. I had tick bites, flea bites, got scabies from having to sleep in shepherd's huts. Hey, but that was along time ago."
Perrow has finished 32 Dusi Canoe Marathons, has learnt to fly microlights and has done 10 free-fall skydiving jumps.
"This aerial thing is all new to me," he says. ''But hey, you only live once and we still have four months to figure out how these things work. I flew a kite as a kid - it can't be that different."
Top South African mountain climber Alard "Big Al" Hufner has signed up, too. His day job includes aerial stunt rigging for the movie industry. "I love anything that involves ropes, harnesses and rigging," he says.
Adventurists rest under a makeshift tent on the Monkey Run in Morocco.
"This is such a different kind of adventure - we're going to be flying in the middle of frickin' nowhere. You have to land that thing at a petrol station to fill up with fuel and you have to carry everything you need to survive strapped to your back - your sleeping bag, your tent, supplies. For me, that's exciting."
What Hufner loves most about adventure is the element of uncertainty. "Maybe I'll make it. Maybe I won't."
Is it only white men who love adventure? "Chief of Adventures" with The Adventurists, Katy Willings, says no. She quit her job as a management consultant in London a few years ago to join The Adventurists full time after completing one of their challenges - the Rickshaw Run, a 3,000km rickshaw race across India.
"I discovered The Adventurists through a university mate who had entered the Rickshaw Run," she says. ''Tragically my friend died just before the race. At his funeral his mates dared me to take up his entry as a kind of penance - because he could no longer compete. I had low expectations of enjoying myself, but it was a revelation.
"The beauty of the Rickshaw Run is you're passing by people who are living their ordinary lives. Most of The Adventurists' challenges rely heavily on the kindness of strangers.
"They were quite bewildered to see a woman in a cowboy hat in a rickshaw in their village but they were fine with that. All Adventurists challenges involve begging locals for food and water, and sometimes a place to sleep."
Pushing a tuk tuk in the Himalayas for the Rickshaw Run, a 3,000km rickshaw race across India.
Within months Willings was signed up for the Mongol Derby, a gruelling event that traverses Mongolia on horseback.
"We were given two weeks to ride over 1,000km. I did it in nine days. The winner got there in seven," she says. ''The whole thing threw my career into sharp relief for me. I felt as if I was literally just showing up and waiting for time to pass."
Willings says that The Adventurists exists to save the world from the horrors of modern life.
"From coffee cups that warn you they're hot, from training courses to use a ladder, from mobile phones that tell you where you are. No! The world needs to get burnt, fall off ladders and get lost," she says.
She says she believes that the concept of adventure targets men unjustifiably. "I'd encourage dads to make sure they pass on 'dad skills' to their daughters as well as to their sons - empower and enable them. And for the ones like me who didn't get that chance - we need to make resources available to learn those things later in life.
"Netball in PE is fine, but we should also learn scouting, survival and engineering skills. Aiming at a hoop is all well and good, but you'll die about 30 minutes into the apocalypse."
• The Icarus Trophy starts near Hartbeespoort Dam on July 25. See icarustrophy.com
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The Detroit Pistons And Capitalist Racism Part 2
by Ronald Glotta | Oct 4, 2016 | Articles | 0 comments
The article Detroit Pistons and Capitalist Racism now called part 1 was first published in final form on 6/8/05. Written to express and explain the frustration I experienced as a basketball fan, and as a fan of the Detroit Pistons, the article received a surprising response. I passed it out and found people discussing and yes arguing about the content. It was then published in a hip hop magazine and again received intense response.
The theme of Part I was that the "star system" was corrupting the game and in particular corrupting the officiating. At the time, it was openly related to the commercial interests that promoted the game. Their immediate profit depended on the "stars" winning. Their myopic inability to understand that the corruption of the game would ultimately undermine that push for maximum profit meant that they were sacrificing their long-term interest for short-term gain. That process, however, is the essence of capitalism, particularly American capitalism. The inability to plan and preserve, defines the destructive character of the inherent processes of capitalism and is the very reason that it is not sustainable.
But capitalism means ultimately that there is a ruling class. Because the system is so profitable to that ruling class, control becomes the primary focus. Control is always primary because that is the source of profit. It is, therefore, neither surprising nor unpredictable, that this year the Miami Heat would defeat the Detroit Pistons just as they lost last year.
"In a sport where the T in Team often looks like an I, in a league inexorably guided by the shoe company agenda, it should be no shock that the Nets have become Vince Carter's team more than Jason Kidd's." Harvey Araton, NYT 04/26/06 page C21.
For those people who do not closely follow the game, Jason Kidd is not only the quintessential team player, he is also the superior player to Vince Carter. Nevertheless, the market demands that Vince Carter gets the media play; the market demands that Carter get all the shots even though team effort would mean that the best shot taken is the most successful shot. And there is a beauty in such a game that anyone can eventually appreciate even those who are not aficionados. But that is not immediate profit.
"Lip service and Steve Nash notwithstanding, the perception looms large in the minds of those who market the league that superstars and scorers are the sexier sell. They go to bed every night now praying that Detroit and San Antonio fall before they give graying purists another opportunity to hail selflessness, while ratings sag. They continue to show little faith in their core game." Harvey Araton, NYT 04/26/06 page C21. (emphasis added)
It is not "perception and Steve Nash notwithstanding", it is rather that there are contradictions in the very process of the cultural impact of the game. Every day millions of working class people participate in basketball activity and engage in discussion and debate. They necessarily demand the improvement of the game that they support with their time and money. The market, however, demands not only maximum profit, but also immediate maximum profit. In demanding immediate maximum profit at the expense of "selfless purity of the game", they necessarily sacrifice the core game and thereby undermine the very basis of their profit-making machine.
What is important here is the cultural contradiction that is being played out. It is not simply "graying purists" who oppose the "star system"; it is anyone who knows the rudimentary rules of the game. Those who know the game know when the "star calls" favor the privileged and then push certain teams to victory, teams with the stars. There is a very cynical and conspiratorial point of view.
"Kobe Bryant and LeBron James will probably be Olympic teammates in 2008. If the NBA is as much like professional wrestling as I think it is, the league will find a way to manipulate a Kobe-LeBron finals match up within the next two seasons.
They are, potentially, this generation's Magic Johnson and Larry Bird." Wm C. Rhode, NYT 05/6/06 page B11.
As always is the case with cynicism, this statement is facile and inaccurate, but contains a germ of truth. Having watched this process for many years, I don't believe it is simply a process of individuals manipulating the process as puppets on a string as is alleged by Rhoden. It is rather a process where the contradiction between the inevitable and unavoidable demand for immediate maximum profit comes in direct conflict with the need for control over that which produces the profit. The game must have integrity or it will not produce the necessary profit but it is the "stars" that create the immediate and maximum profit. A culture is created where everyone in the game, including the referees, know that "those who market the game" have nightmares about a Detroit/San Antonio finals even though they are the two best teams in the league.
Is this conspiratorial or simply cultural or both? I opt for the conclusion that it is both. There are individuals who make a lot of money this year if their "stars" win and they lobby everyone to insure that those "stars" are given the necessary privilege a star calls. The argument is that they "pay their way" which translates to the conceptual framework that the role players are excess baggage which can be replaced with other role players if necessary.
But that merely represents a self-fulfilling paradigm, one that supports the idea that the rich are supposed to get richer and the privileged are supposed to have privilege. Anyone who disagrees is immediately attacked. For example, I was switching between the national broadcast of the Pistons/Cavaliers game and the local broadcast. The Detroit TV announcer Mark Champion along with Greg Kelser watched as LeBron James made a particularly outrageous and blatant step carrying the ball half way across the court. The announcer Champion said that LeBron had earned the right to get such a call. How can one earn the right to cheat, requiring the referee to make bad calls? Their answer is that he is extremely talented, an athlete with amazing abilities. But if we add to that ability to give him special calls, then that is simply privilege. It is unfair and it is simply wrong! And the announcer had no idea of the impact of what he had said.
On the other hand, it is apparent that the national media has figured out that such a viewpoint is corrupt. For the first time in 16 years, the national announcers and color commentators have abandoned the term "star call". That can only mean that thousands of people have figured out that such a concept is inherently corrupt. The calls are still there but no one says it anymore. Anyone who watches the game regularly knows that there are at least 40 players in the league who could make 30 to 40 points per game if they got the kind of favored calls that are given to LaBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, and Shaquille O'Neal. And that shows how the cultural context is pervasive but uneven. Apparently, the national announcers were specifically told that they could not use that analysis any longer but the local announcers were not let in on the secret. It is therefore both cultural and manipulative.
If this pattern is set and most but not all follow the pattern it becomes a very subtle process. It is neither blatant nor obvious. If those who "market the league" have nightmares about the possibility that the two best teams in the league will make the finals, then is it any wonder that neither team made it to the finals. Do we, as fans, have a right to complain? Of course. Do we, as fans, have a right to become bitter and posit conspiratorial theories as to why we, who love the game, are being cheated by corruption? Of course. But is that enough. No. Because the process is far more complicated than that.
After all, Miami and Dallas are very good teams with tremendous athletes. That does not change the necessity to expose the corruption and to demand more. After the first two games against Cleveland, Detroit did not play that well. It is now clear that the Pistons imploded, became a different team and Ben Wallace was central to that implosion if not the cause of it. He signed with the Chicago Bulls as soon as possible. In the meantime, he destroyed the unity that was the hallmark of the Pistons team. Shooting 23% from the free throw line, Wallace appeared to intentionally throw the game or was in such a pout that he did not care. In either case, it was clear that the Pistons poor play was partly a reason for not reaching the finals. That is the subtly of the process. But in terms of this analysis, it was ego and greed that destroyed their chances of playing in the finals. Ego and greed destroyed unity and the destruction of unity is what the capitalists rely on to preserve control.
In the finals this year, Miami clearly got all the calls. Dallas was not accustomed, as is Detroit and San Antonio, to being mistreated by the referees. Mark Cuban is a person accustomed to privileged treatment and he hated being treated as a second-class citizen. He spoke up and was fined $250,000.00. He has to find his place and accept it. That is how the system works.
"Mark Cuban knows all, so he believes the icon of Stern's vision is Dwayne Wade. He is the humble Heat star with a drama gene, a player who has turned Pool shark in using every angle off the glass, who has soothed Shaq's Hollywood breakup with Kobe." Selena Roberts, NYT, 06/21/06, page C14
In other words, Miami has the bigger stars and the bigger market and the market always wins. Cuban, however, has mistaken money for wealth. He believes money begets privilege and it does, but not at the sacrifice of control. The league must always maintain control. Indeed he learned that privilege will not necessarily give you control.
"Trouble is, Cuban often mistakes his dot-com wealth for worldwide self-righteousness. If Cuban would pause from his various profane rants over his perception of Heat bias which cost him a $250,000.00 league fine yesterday—he would discover he has sabotaged his team as well as his own status as Stern's secret love."Selena Roberts, NYT, 06/21/06 page C14.
Culture, however, is like a huge ocean liner—it takes a long time to turn and it has no brakes. While it may be true that Stern wants Cuban to become the light of the NBA, he has no players with the star power of Wade. O'neal, or for that matter Pat Riley. The bias perceived by Cuban, the coach Avery Johnson and Dirk Nowitzki was real. In one game, Wade went to the line more times than the entire Dallas team. But no matter what Stern wanted, Dallas would not get a break. That is why it is not simply manipulation. As Roberts states:
It's true: Cuban had Stern at hello. But Cuban, the Maverick's owner, is undermining Stern's covert plan to cast him as a league darling. More than the splendid Wade, Cuban is the great hope for a league that has lost suburban fans who feel alienated by players they find to be too urban, hip-hop and well too unlike them." Selena Roberts, NYT, 06/21/06 page C14.
Because of 300 years of struggle by millions of people, Selena Roberts cannot and will not say that Cuban is the Great White Hope. But she can and will use the necessary code words to express the same thing. That is why the term must be capitalist racism, not institutional racism. What institution are we referring to—capitalism. Plus, it is racism that is run by money and dictated by the necessity for maximum profit, immediately, not with planning.
Detroit has always been literally the black sheep of the NBA. When the Pistons win, it is by playing against 8 men on the court—the 5 opposition players and 3 referees. In fact, when the Bad Boy Pistons won in 1989 and 1990, the league added the third referee. In order to keep the vaunted Piston defense under control. It was alleged that the league needed a third referee because two referees could not keep track of all the Piston fouls.
Detroit, however, has the longest running full sellout crowd in the league. The team plays in the suburbs and the majority of the audience is white. But the unity between white and black workers is anathema to the system. Therefore, Detroit continues to be the Black sheep of the NBA. It is the best team in the league precisely because it plays as a team. The team gets no recognition and has the greatest number of technical fouls called on it.
Because they play defense with their feet, the team has the fewest number of fouls, except in crucial games. Then the referees take over. In game 5 against the Miami Heat, the referees called 47 fouls against a team that rarely fouls. Symbolically, Detroit cannot be allowed to win. Even with Detroit in a complete funk, they could have beaten Miami with games being called fairly. That is why it is so subtle. One cannot say Detroit played well but the other side cannot claim that the games were called fairly.
No one can ever step out of the propaganda paradigm. We are constantly, incessantly, without relief, subjected to the rigid and narrow view that the individual, not the union of the team determines success. Even the slightest step out of this viewpoint will be immediately squelched. Detroit as a team creates no identity of the individual and actually rewards cooperation at the expense of individual greed. But with Ben Wallace, the core of that concept, bowing to individual greed and ego, it will be difficult if not impossible for Detroit to come back. With this analysis, however, it will certainly be interesting to see how the whole scenario plays out.
Cuban represented the Great White Hope because he was white and rich. By exposing the unfairness of the referees, he stepped out of the accepted NBA position. Even though Dwayne Wade and LeBron James have inherited the Jordan rule—if you touch them, it is a foul and no one is to dare speak the truth. This cultural rule applies in every aspect of our lives.
That is a clear contradiction of capitalism. It must promote individualism to justify the concentration of wealth in the hands of the few, but it must contain and control individual expression. When Hillary Clinton uses the term plantation, reminding of the history of slavery and Jim Crow segregation, then she is immediately attacked and brought back in line. When Ray Neagin uses the term chocolate city, then he is attacked and rebuked. Any discussion of race necessarily raises the element of class. Racism can be expressed with code words as Selena Roberts illustrates, but that divides the class and is therefore permitted but within very strict boundaries. Open racism will unite the class because the majority of workers will accept that form of racism, even George Bush. When the blatant racism inherent in Bush' actions during Katrina were exposed, Bush responded as follows:
"Asked in an interview with NBC News whether the response would have been the same had the destruction occurred on Nantucket or in Chicago or Houston, Mr. Bush said he was aware of the criticism that the government acted slowly because he was a racist, and he said such criticism was absolutely wrong. 'You can call me anything you want,' said Mr. Bush. But do not call me a racist.' Richard A. Stevenson, NYT, 12/13/05 p.A30
The answer to Bush the Second is that actions speak louder than words. It is important to remember the Kanye West said that Bush did not care about Black people or "poor" people but the controlled media has consistently left out the second part, again because that would lead to unity.
The propaganda paradigm goes even further. The Dixie Chicks, for instance, cannot express even the most minor criticism of Bush the Second, such as saying they are ashamed of him. For this, they were immediately attacked and their records silenced on the largest radio outlet in the country. Why? Because that criticism necessarily would unite their audience (white country) with Black urban population which is 98% against Bush the Second and the anti-war forces that are often suburban. In other words, unity cannot be mentioned, implied, whispered or even suggested.
That is why the term "middle class" is used even though it is completely useless for analysis. In the middle of what—the rich and workers, which implies that, the middle class does not work. Is it between the rich and the poor? If so, which poor. Again, the poor work in order to survive; does that mean that the middle class does not have to work to survive. Of course not. The correct term is the working class because that includes all of those people who must work to survive and excludes those whose wealth makes it unnecessary to work in order to have food, shelter, transportation, and clothing. But that term is never allowed because it raises the specter of class warfare.
This brings us full circle to the Pistons. While LeBron James is called the King and his fans display signs of "we believe" as if proselytized, the Pistons have to regroup after an excellent but disappointing year. It is important to note that even in the quotes from Araton, the media bends the perspective. Why, for instance, are those who struggle for the protection of the core elements of basketball called "graying purists" as opposed to those "who market the game". Why are not those who market the game not called greedy commercialists intent on destroying the integrity of the game. Why are they not exposed as seeking immediate maximum profit at the expense of the long term interests of the game? The answer is that to do so would expose the truth and risk loss of control. As with any part of this society, basketball represents the perfect metaphor for the class war that is waged by the rich in this country. Bush the Second has sacked the national treasury, giving huge riches to the already disgustingly rich and the NBA has awarded their chosen "stars" with championship rings.
Dwayne Wade is a magnificent athlete. Sadly, he is bought and paid for; unable to do anything that will challenge the status quo. Shaquille O'Neal is bought and paid for but he apparently relishes the experience and will always be a lackey for the highest bidder.
Because they are now and likely will always be the black sheep of the NBA, the Pistons can regroup to fight another day. Functioning within a corrupt system, as we must all do, they can symbolize the struggle for unity, that cooperation and team play will always be superior to individual greed. Whether they like it or not and whether they intend it or not, their actions will for the foreseeable future represent a better way to play the game and a better way to organize society. That is why it will be so interesting to see if Detroit can overcome the setback of the loss of Ben Wallace who sold his soul to the highest bidder. We will see if it works for him. Maybe it will maybe not.
For individuals such as myself, the struggle for unity is an end in and of itself. One that contains enormous gratification and therefore enormous wealth—the kind of wealth not measured by money. The unity between white black and black workers, between workers and the undocumented workers, between women and men. The unity of all people who work will make society better for everyone not just chosen individuals who live privileged lives at the expense of everyone else. That struggle for unity is a day to day reality of enormous importance. Wait until next year.
Yours in Struggle,
Ronald D. Glotta
220 Bagley, Suite 808
(313) 963-1320 (313) 963-1325/Fax
rglotta@glottaassociates.com
Third Parties, Republicans and White People
Strom Thurmond and the Lies of Segregation
Serena, Venus and Aretha
Ronald Reagan and Capitalist Racism
The Road to Hell is NOT Paved With Good Intentions – Part 1


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Milano Bakery 100th Year Celebration
Milano Bakery Inc. Celebrated their 100th year anniversary at The Joliet Jack Hammers Baseball at Silver Cross Field in Joliet in 2015. Milano Bakery Inc. started business in 1915. Milano gave away t-shirts, wristbands and cupcakes in addition to Milano's biggest bun toss to date.
Milano Bakery Hits Century Milestone, Featured in Herald News
Baking runs deep in the DeBenedetti family's blood
By LAUREN LEONE–CROSS
The Herald News
Brothers Darin and Mario DeBenedetti III remember walking around their grandfather's basement as young boys – with pairs of ripped-out Italian bread rolls as makeshift shoes.
"I'm thinking 'Dad, instead of throwing these rolls out or making bread crumbs, why don't we make shoes out of 'em?' " recalled Mario DeBenedetti III, 49, of Joliet, on a recent Friday morning. "We grew up sleeping on flour sacks and helping our dad out with early morning delivery runs."
With such stories, it's easy to see how the art of bread baking runs deep in the DeBenedetti family's blood – 100 years deep. Milano Bakery, 427 S. Chicago St., is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.
For many years, the two brothers' childhood home was located next to the Chicago Street bakery. The fourth-generation family business has been in Joliet since 1926, but the bakery has been in the family since 1915, beginning with immigrants Mario DeBenedetti Sr., his sister Mary, and brother-in-law Frank Soffianti.
The family business – named after Milan, Italy – has been passed down from one generation to the next, but "nobody was ever given nothing," Mario DeBenedetti III explained.
"Our father taught us to work hard," said Mario DeBenedetti III, company president, who oversees the business and planning. His brother Darin is vice president and handles production.
"My dad didn't turn the bakery over to me. He sold it to me. He taught me how to survive in the baking business," Mario DeBenedetti III said.
Read the full article at HeraldNews.com
Milano Bakery's 100th Year Celebration on JCTV
JCTV interviewers were Sam DeBenedetti and Richard Fedrickson.
100th Year Celebration Photo Gallery
Milano Bakery
433 S. Chicago Street
Retail Store: (815) 727.2253
2020 Milano Bakery | Site Design by MoatzArt


Currently, a large number of organizations are facing problems related to data availability, generation and refreshing, which prevent them to carry out correctly the testing activities in the environments previous to production.
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A recent survey has found that UK companies regret hiring 1 in 10 (10 per cent) recruits.
The report, published by recruitment firm, Robert Half, also claimed that 70 per cent of human resources directors have regrets about either a contractor or full-time recruit, who have turned out to be a 'bad hire'.
Robert Half claims that contractors can avoid being viewed as a 'bad hire' by continuously developing their skills and knowledge in a professional manner.
However, the recruitment firm claim that 'bad hires' are not entirely the fault of the recruit, and that it is partly a result of recruitment agencies not correctly matching contractors to job opportunities. By doing this, contractors may put forward a candidate with the wrong skill-set for the role.
The 200 human resources professionals were also asked about the consequences of making bad hiring decisions.
The findings showed that 52 per cent experienced a decrease in productivity when they hired an unsuitable candidate. As well as this, 30 per cent said that staff morale was negatively impacted as a result of a bad hire.
17 per cent said that making a bad hiring decision had put financial strain onto the company.
The report revealed that there are major concerns regarding skills shortages, with 91 per cent of the respondents claiming that they were having problems in discovering and hiring skilled contactors and permanent staff.
35 per cent of human resources professional claimed that they had experienced difficulties when recruiting employees with niche or technical skills.
It was also found that demand outweighing supply was also a major issue for 30 per cent of the respondents.


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ECW (Enhanced Compression Wavelet) is een gecomprimeerd bestandsformaat dat geoptimaliseerd is voor de opslag van satelliet- en luchtfoto's. Het is ontwikkeld door Earth Resource Mapping en nu eigendom van ERDAS, onderdeel van Intergraph.

Er is een vrij verkrijgbare SDK waarmee ECW-bestanden kunnen worden gelezen. Er is ook software beschikbaar om ECW-bestanden te schrijven. Zo heeft het gratis verkrijgbare programma Irfanview plugins voor lezen en schrijven beschikbaar.

Afbeeldingsformaat
Bestandsformaat

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Republican status February 23, 1970 and it was party, party, party here , there and everywhere except in Victoria. Victoria was suffering from PTSD after a period of some slight misfortunes. Truth be told Victoria used to be 70 percent black and 25 percent Indians and another five percent were dominated by the Portuguese.


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Nicotinamide Riboside Health Benefits + Side Effects
Written by | Last updated: November 17, 2022
Puya Yazdi, MD | Written by | Last updated: November 17, 2022
Nicotinamide Riboside is a precursor to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, a compound with many purported benefits. Since it activates sirtuins, people claim it has anti-aging properties. Others use it to support a healthy circadian rhythm. Scientists have explored its effects on generating energy in mitochondrial-dense tissues like muscle, brain, and liver. Read more below to get a clear picture of its effects.
What is Nicotinamide Riboside?
Nicotinamide Riboside (NR) is a nucleoside made out of niacinamide and ribose. It is a form of Vitamin B3, which is also called niacin or nicotinic acid [1].
It can be found in cow's milk, brewer's yeast [2], and whey protein [3, 1].
Nicotinamide Riboside supplements have not been approved by the FDA for medical use. Supplements generally lack solid clinical research. Regulations set manufacturing standards for them but don't guarantee that they're safe or effective. Speak with your doctor before supplementing.
Proposed Mechanism
Nicotinamide riboside is a precursor to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), which means it is needed to make NAD+. Most of NR's purported health benefits are claimed to be a result of its formation of NAD+, though no clinical research supports such claims [4].
By carrying and letting go of electrons, NAD+ is necessary for energy creation in the mitochondria. (Watch this 2-minute video to learn how this works.) Therefore, NAD+ is important for mitochondrial health.
NR supplementation is hypothesized to increase NAD+, which then activates the following enzymes [5]:
Sirtuins, a potential anti-aging target
PARPs, which may repair damaged DNA
CD38, a receptor in the immune system which is involved in glucose-induced insulin secretion
Because Sirt1 activates PGC-1alpha, scientists are investigating if NR supplementation stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis and improves mitochondrial health [6].
Proponents say that NR supplementation supports tissues that heavily rely on mitochondria for energy, including the nervous system, the liver, the heart, and the muscles. Yet, their theories are purely theoretical and no valid studies support them.
Researchers believe NR might increase NAD+ regardless of NAMPT activity, which may help mitigate the aging effects of poor circadian rhythm entrainment in animals [7].
Purported Health Benefits of Nicotinamide Riboside
1) High Cholesterol
In one study of 40 obese, sedentary men with high blood fats, nicotinamide riboside did not improve total or LDL cholesterol compared to placebo after 12 weeks [8].
2) Obesity & Insulin Resistance
In a small study of 40 sedentary, obese, insulin-resistant men, nicotinamide riboside didn't improve insulin sensitivity, glucose metabolism, blood lipid levels, or body composition compared to placebo after 12 weeks [9].
3) High Blood Pressure
In a small preliminary study of healthy middle-aged and older adults, nicotinamide riboside increased NAD+ levels, which is thought to help lower blood pressure. It also tended to lower blood pressure, but this was uncertain since it isn't a measure the researchers were primarly interested in [10].
We can't draw any reliable conclusions about the effects of nicotineamide riboside on blood pressure from this study. Follow-up trials are needed [10].
Lacking Evidence For:
No clinical evidence supports the use of nicotinamide riboside for any of the conditions listed in this section.
Below is a summary of the existing animal and cell-based research that should guide further investigational efforts. However, the studies listed below should not be interpreted as supportive of any health benefit.
Remember to speak with a doctor before taking nicotinamide riboside supplements. Nicotinamide riboside should never be used as a replacement for approved medical therapies.
4) Muscle Function
Human data on the effects of NR on muscle function are lacking.
In animals, NR restored muscle mass and preserved muscle NAD levels and exercise capacity in older mice [4].
Mitochondrial myopathy is a disease where the mitochondria in muscle cells are damaged. It can cause muscle weakness and other problems [11].
Oral administration of NR in mice delayed myopathy progression by preventing mitochondrial abnormalities. NR supplementation reduced NAD+ consumption, which improved mitochondrial function [11].
In mice, supplementation of NR (400mg/kg) increased NAD+ levels in muscles, which increased their energy use and metabolism [1].
Scientists are also looking at the effects of NR on stimulated mitochondrial unfolded protein response, which theoretically may protect against mitochondrial disease [12].
5) Antioxidant Effects
The antioxidant potential of NR in humans remains to be investigated.
NR reduced the negative effects of high levels of oxidative stress in mice [13].
Low levels of NAD+ synthesis are hypothesized to cause DNA damage. NR supplementation increases NAD+ levels. Some researchers consider NR may help protect against DNA damage, oxidative damage, and tumor progression, but research is lacking to support this theory [14].
6) Diabetic Symptoms
In prediabetic mice, NR supplementation improved glucose tolerance, reduced weight gain, and reduced liver damage. In Type 2 diabetic mice, NR reduced blood glucose and protected against diabetic nerve problems [15, 16].
However, the effects of NR on diabetic symptoms in humans are not known.
7) Brain Health
According to some yet unconfirmed theories, proper NAD metabolism may help protect the brain. Scientists are exploring whether NR protects the nerve cells in the brain by activating the SIRT3 [17] and PGC1a [18] pathways and delaying axonal degeneration [19].
NR improved cognitive function and slowed the progression of Alzheimer's disease in mice given for 3 months. These findings cannot be extrapolated to humans [20].
8) Liver Health
One research team studied how the oral administration of NR increases NAD in animals. They suggest its properties may help protect the liver. NR stopped fat accumulation, lowered oxidative stress, prevented inflammation, and improved insulin sensitivity in the liver of mice, but additional animal studies and clinical evidence are lacking [21].
9) Hearing Loss
Administration of NR after noise exposure prevented noise-induced hearing loss in mice. It reduced the degeneration of nerve cells caused by noise exposure. The authors suggested that SIRT3 might mediate these effects. Nonetheless, the effects of NR on hearing loss in humans remain unknown [22].
10) Longevity
Some scientists are exploring the potential anti-aging effects of NR in cells and animals. However, no clinical data to date suggests that NR has any longevity-promoting effects in humans, despite some widespread marketing claims.
Research teams investigating whether NR increases the amount of NAD in the body. They think this might, theoretically, help reprogram dysfunctional cells and increase longevity in mammals. Still, such theories remain unproven [23].
Some sources cite an animal study that no valid conclusions can be drawn from. In the study, NR induced the mitochondrial unfolded protein response and synthesis of prohibitin proteins. This was said to "rejuvenated stem cells" in aged mice. Their findings have yet to be replicated and confirmed [23].
11) Mitochondrial Health
Scientists suspect that the nucleus and mitochondria can both metabolize NR. In animals and cells, NR raises the nuclear and mitochondrial NAD+ levels, thereby activating nuclear SIRT1 and mitochondrial SIRT3 respectively. Though these pathways theoretically boost mitochondrial function, the effects of NR on mitochondria in humans are not known [11].
Supplementing with Nicotinamide Riboside
Food Sources of Nicotinamide Riboside
Cow's milk [3]
Whey Protein [1]
Brewer's yeast [2]
Cautions / Side Effects
NR is generally well tolerated.
In clinical trials, no serious adverse effects were reported in patients taking nicotinamide riboside in doses up to 1000 mg twice daily for up to 12 weeks.
In mice, NR supplementation worsens exercise performance. They had a lower physical performance compared to the control group [24].
"The NR group showed a tendency towards worse physical performance by 35% compared to the control group at the final 10% load (P = 0.071)" [24].
Is Nicotinamide Riboside Right For You?
Nicotinamide levels may be influenced by genes. SelfDecode can help you determine how your genetic variations might be linked to your nicotinamide levels and general health. We now offer our own testing kit for users in the United States, but accept many other testing kits.
SelfDecode has the NAMPT gene, which controls NAD+ levels. Genetic variations associated with producing NAMPT less efficiently may, theoretically, increase the need for NR.
Check out your SNPs:
RS1319501 (NAMPT)
NAD(+) level decrease in aged mice and humans, which some scientists think is a result of lower NAMPT. Have in mind that these theories have not been verified in humans [21].
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text:
import 'reflect-metadata';

import * as ts from 'typescript';

import {createLanguageService} from '../src/language_service';
import {Hover} from '../src/types';
import {TypeScriptServiceHost} from '../src/typescript_host';

import {toh} from './test_data';
import {MockTypescriptHost} from './test_utils';

describe('hover', () => {
  let documentRegistry = ts.createDocumentRegistry();
  let mockHost = new MockTypescriptHost(['/app/main.ts', '/app/parsing-cases.ts'], toh);
  let service = ts.createLanguageService(mockHost, documentRegistry);
  let ngHost = new TypeScriptServiceHost(mockHost, service);
  let ngService = createLanguageService(ngHost);
  ngHost.setSite(ngService);

  it('should be able to find field in an interpolation', () => {
    hover(
        ` @Component({template: '{{«name»}}'}) export class MyComponent { name: string; }`,
        'property name of MyComponent');
  });

  it('should be able to find a field in a attribute reference', () => {
    hover(
        ` @Component({template: '<input [(ngModel)]="«name»">'}) export class MyComponent { name: string; }`,
        'property name of MyComponent');
  });

  it('should be able to find a method from a call', () => {
    hover(
        ` @Component({template: '<div (click)="«∆myClick∆()»;"></div>'}) export class MyComponent { myClick() { }}`,
        'method myClick of MyComponent');
  });

  it('should be able to find a field reference in an *ngIf', () => {
    hover(
        ` @Component({template: '<div *ngIf="«include»"></div>'}) export class MyComponent { include = true;}`,
        'property include of MyComponent');
  });

  it('should be able to find a reference to a component', () => {
    hover(
        ` @Component({template: '«<∆test∆-comp></test-comp>»'}) export class MyComponent { }`,
        'component TestComponent');
  });

  it('should be able to find an event provider', () => {
    hover(
        ` @Component({template: '<test-comp «(∆test∆)="myHandler()"»></div>'}) export class MyComponent { myHandler() {} }`,
        'event testEvent of TestComponent');
  });

  it('should be able to find an input provider', () => {
    hover(
        ` @Component({template: '<test-comp «[∆tcName∆]="name"»></div>'}) export class MyComponent { name = 'my name'; }`,
        'property name of TestComponent');
  });

  function hover(code: string, hoverText: string) {
    addCode(code, fileName => {
      let tests = 0;
      const markers = mockHost.getReferenceMarkers(fileName);
      const keys = Object.keys(markers.references).concat(Object.keys(markers.definitions));
      for (const referenceName of keys) {
        const references = (markers.references[referenceName] ||
                            []).concat(markers.definitions[referenceName] || []);
        for (const reference of references) {
          tests++;
          const hover = ngService.getHoverAt(fileName, reference.start);
          if (!hover) throw new Error(`Expected a hover at location ${reference.start}`);
          expect(hover.span).toEqual(reference);
          expect(toText(hover)).toEqual(hoverText);
        }
      }
      expect(tests).toBeGreaterThan(0);  // If this fails the test is wrong.
    });
  }

  function addCode(code: string, cb: (fileName: string, content?: string) => void) {
    const fileName = '/app/app.component.ts';
    const originalContent = mockHost.getFileContent(fileName);
    const newContent = originalContent + code;
    mockHost.override(fileName, originalContent + code);
    try {
      cb(fileName, newContent);
    } finally {
      mockHost.override(fileName, undefined);
    }
  }

  function toText(hover: Hover): string { return hover.text.map(h => h.text).join(''); }
});


text:
Students celebration of WCHS teacher makes national news
Jeremy Fredricks
When students surprised AP Biology teacher Wendy Franklin on their last day, she was overwhelmed with emotion. Their kind act eventually made it to "ABC World News Tonight with David Muir."
By Jeremy Fredricks, Editor-in-Chief
"ABC World News Tonight with David Muir" is watched by an average of 9.6 million viewers on any given night. That is now how many people know the name Wendy Franklin. The AP and Honors Biology teacher appeared on the evening newscast on April 14, alongside some of her first semester AP Bio students, to discuss the special way her students thanked her.
"It was so very amazing and obviously brought tears to my eyes," Franklin said. "It has been an amazingly challenging year and my students and I rallied together in that first semester to really connect with each other and our course content. It is something I will cherish always."
Her students appreciated Franklin's effort and dedication throughout the semester. She was always willing to help her students in their academic and personal endeavors, spending her free time getting to know them better.
"We wanted to do the thank you cards for Ms. Franklin because she has been such a supportive teacher throughout the course of the semester," junior Elisa Zoltick said. "She is one of the most amazing people and teachers- she would oftentimes stay an hour after class helping students with assignments and materials. She made us feel so welcome, which is difficult especially in an online environment."
On the second to last day of the semester, her students asked Franklin to put herself in a breakout room. With the surprisee gone, the suprisers discussed their plans — the first time they could do so as a class because not everyone had a social media account.
"What we ended up doing was asking Ms. Franklin to put herself in a breakout room during our second to last class," Zoltick said. "We then told the class our plan and hoped that everyone would enact it for our last class. Everything worked out perfectly, and Ms. Franklin's reaction was more than we could ever ask for."
With the surprise ready, sophomore Amanda Kossoff decided to take a recording of the event. She then edited it during class, all while completing work.
"It occurred to me that Ms. Franklin will probably want to watch the surprise over and over in the future, so I decided to record my screen during the surprise last minute," Kossoff said. "I ended the recording, and since it was the last class of the semester, and I would soon switch teachers, I realized I needed to edit it QUICK! So, I decided to edit the video, add music, text, backgrounds, etc to make a polished surprise video for Ms. Franklin before the end of class."
Kossoff sent the finished video to @goodnews_movement, an Instagram account focusing on spreading positivity. The account posted the video, which got hundreds of thousands of views, and students assume this is how ABC News found out about it.
"Before we knew it, the video unexpectedly went viral on platforms like Instagram and Tik Tok, and was even posted on a good news account with over 2.3 million followers," Kossoff said. "From there, the press reached out to us wanting to schedule interviews, including CBS, Fox, and ABC. They wanted to hear about why we executed this surprise and our advice for students around the country. We obviously could have never predicted it would get this attention, it was really just a genuine way of expressing our appreciation."
"ABC World News Tonight" eventually found the video and decided to reach out to Franklin and some of her former students. The students who were interviewed in the video — Kossoff, Zoltick and junior Juli Magud — were notified hours before the broadcast was set to air. They filmed at lunch, sent it to the producers and waited for the 6:30 p.m. show to begin. But 50 minutes before the start, they ran into a problem.
"At around 5:40pm on Wednesday, we all got a text from the producer asking us to re-film to say "hi David." We didn't panic, but all rushed to re-film," Zoltick said. "I'd say I probably filmed my little interview over 30 times, because I just couldn't record a segment I liked. This whole process definitely took more time than I expected. It is a little ironic because we all recorded very detailed responses, but they ended up using like 5 seconds of our video."
After going through the headlines of the day, Muir opened the "American Strong" segment — where the video aired — with "we are grateful to our teachers in this pandemic and the students are too."
"Seeing myself and my classmates on ABC World News Tonight was such an exciting experience," Kossoff said. "It is hard to comprehend that around 10 million people saw the video, but my favorite part was getting lots of texts, calls, and emails afterwards from people I actually knew who saw me on the news and were excited as well. It was awesome!"
Franklin received a lot of praise, too from former students, members of her family and coworkers who saw her on the news.
"It was pretty cool to watch the broadcast, my entire family was watching along and were so supportive and excited. My own children seemed less impressed," Franklin said. "I did hear from several former students and coworkers who passed along their congratulations, the entire experience was humbling and so moving. I may have teared up again watching it."
The students had many takeaways from the experience — making sure to show appreciation for those that inspire them, something Zoltick says that she takes away and how making a segment on TV works. But the biggest takeaway: kindness goes a long way.
"It was CRAZY," Zoltick said. "We didn't do the gesture for recognition, nor did we expect such a positive response from it- we simply wanted to thank our teacher."
fredericks
Jeremy Fredricks, Print Editor-in-Chief
Jeremy Fredricks is a senior and one of the Print Editors-in-Chief for The Churchill Observer. He's in his fourth year of Journalism. Previously, he...
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I recently reached out to Glenn Murphy, MA, LPC, a well-respected local counselor to see if I could interview him regarding how divorcing/separating parents can help children through a divorce. Glenn graciously accepted the offer to help, and the following is the transcript of the interview. Please note that the following is general advice, and that as with legal issues, emotional or other issues are best handled by an appropriate expert. For information on how to address your specific issues, you should reach out to the appropriate specialist/expert. Again, I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to Mr. Murphy, and I know everyone will find his answers to be thoughtful, informative, and interesting.
1. What can a parent do to insulate their children from a divorce or separation?
Given the extensive short and long-term impact of divorce (on everyone), couples would ideally commit to work hard on healing their marriage and would see divorce or separation as a last resort. Weekend marriage rebuilding intensives like those offered at "Retrouvaille" and "MarriageMinistry.org" can help couples begin the restoration process, even after an affair. Marital therapy with a professional counselor or psychologist would also be a highly recommended aspect of the healing and recovery plan that hopefully would help protect children from the pain and scars of divorce.
Very young children generally lack the ability to process what is happening or why it is happening. They might blame themselves for the divorce or believe it is their responsibility to try and get their parents back together. Often they will become clingy or show other signs of distress, such as regressing behaviorally.
3. How can a parent prepare a child for a pending divorce?
As stated in the previous answer, when a parent observes that the child's coping skills and internal resources are not sufficient to meet the challenges brought on by divorce, that is the time to seek out counseling. If you've given them some time to grief the loss and sought to personally help them adapt to their "new normal," but they only continue to destabilize and decompensate, seek professional help.
your approach to children's therapy?
Domestic violence can change the approach to therapy in that it may necessitate the therapist's helping the children to detach from the abusive parent until that parent gets help and becomes a safer, non-violent person. This is obviously a very different approach than that of the therapist helping the child to maintain a strong bond with both parents throughout the divorce process, as would be more typical in a case where DV is not present.
The best parenting arrangement would include parents who are equally committed to making parenting a priority, who shared custody, and who live in the same (or nearby) town, so as to minimize disruption and chaos in the child's routine and schedule. Children from divorced families do best when parenting schedules and times are regular, predictable and occur without drama and conflict at the point of dropping off and picking up the children.
children through the parents divorce and separation?
Groups for children of divorce can be helpful for children navigating the divorce process. Children often benefit from having a safe place where they can talk with a safe adult facilitator and with other children going through the same experience. They need to be able to freely express their feelings and grieve their losses without fear that they are hurting mom or dad by what they say. Check with your local school guidance counselors, mental health center, or church/religious organization to see if they run such a group. There are also many helpful books written for every age group from pre-school through adolescence to help children cope with the aftermath and pain of divorce.


Any expert and anyone who has been there can tell you that self-esteem is the thing that takes the biggest hit during unemployment. Trust me, your kids are just as eager to find a job as you are for them to have one. They know you've just spent thousands of dollars on their education, and (I hope) they are endlessly grateful. They desperately want to have an answer to the question, "Where are you working?" Social media is there with unrelenting reminders of what isn't true but certainly feels like it is: "EVERYONE HAS A JOB EXCEPT YOU, LOSER." In short, they're downright terrified (For confirmation on that, just read this piece I wrote last year, "Fears of a New Graduate"). From talking to many friends who have been through this difficult situation with their parents in the past year, here is some friendly advice for being there for your child in a productive way during the job search.
If you're like most, you're held back by fear of the unknown – and of the potential for embarrassment while you navigate the learning curve. If you're not on Twitter yet, it might feel like you're too far behind to ever catch up. But just because you haven't mastered every single existing social network currently in existence doesn't mean it's too late. Morgan's tips – which include advice on crafting a bio that reflects your personal brand, and insight on what makes tweets engaging – will help any newbie get up to speed.
The lament I hear from my aged 50+ clients is: "I get the same question in every interview…Don't you think you are overqualified … which translates into I am too old." However, it is a legitimate question for a company to ask anyone who has done work similar to the job being applied to. After all, you could become bored and quit after the company has invested in you. So, let's recognize the elephant in the room, and tackle it head on with a response that is both honest and shows your determination in getting the job.
Weiser's tips include a few phrases to use in your response … and the all-important advice not to assume that you're being called old, when in fact the recruiter might mean what she says.


Huntingdon Fusion Techniques (HFT®), a worldwide specialist in weld purging products, has manufactured a PurgeGate® Valve System in order to prevent the over-pressurising of inflatable tube and pipe weld purging systems.
During the welding process, inflatable dams are at risk of overinflating as the heat caused by the procedure rises, potentially causing them to burst.
If a rupture occurs, the purge is lost and the weld will immediately oxidise due to the incoming air, causing the whole welding process to start again.
These new valves have been designed to prevent such events and sport a plug and play design with a push fit connection, which can be moved from system to system as required.
Earlier this month, HFT unveiled its HotPurge® Inflatable Pipe Purging System, to prevent the oxidation of extremely hot welding zones. This system has been manufactured as standard with the PurgeGate valve system, preventing excessive rates of gas flowing through and relieving pressure on the inflatable dams.
Weld purging is the act of removing oxygen (O2), water, vapour, and any other gases which may be harmful to a welding joint, from the welding environment. If these gases penetrate the environment, they may combine with the metal to form unwanted compounds which may reduce corrosion resistance or create structural defects.
The Pipestoppers® Division at Huntingdon Fusion Techniques (HFT®) have come up with yet another innovative solution for weld purging needs.
Huntingdon Fusion Techniques (HFT®) has developed a low-cost flexible welding chamber to ensure welding zones are sufficiently purged of oxygen (O2) during operation.
Huntingdon Fusion Techniques (HFT®) have developed the HotPurge® Inflatable Pipe Purging System to prevent the oxidation of extremely hot welding zones.