Category Archives: Life Extension

WASHINGTON, June 8, 2017 Defense officials outlined the need for consistent congressional support for the critical mission of modernizing and maintaining effective nuclear deterrent systems during testimony on Capitol Hill yesterday.

James A. MacStravic, performing the duties of undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, told the Senate Armed Services Committee's subcommittee on strategic forces that because the systems require modernization at the same time, the Defense Department needs sustained support from Congress to ensure adequate, consistent funding for the programs.

"Delaying modernization and warhead life extension efforts would degrade the effectiveness of these systems and would put at risk the fundamental objective of these systems: nuclear deterrence," he said.

As the delivery systems and warheads reach their limits for sustainability, the choice is not between keeping or updating the forces, he told the panel.

"Rather, our choice is between modernizing those forces or watching a slow and unacceptable degradation in our ability to deter adversaries who represent existential threats to our nation," he said.

Nuclear Posture Review

In January, President Donald J. Trump directed the Defense Department to conduct a nuclear posture review to assess the roles of nuclear weapons in national security, the strategy to fulfil those roles and the capability requirements to implement that strategy, MacStravic pointed out.

The president's fiscal year 2018 budget request demonstrates DoD's commitment to strengthening and modernizing an aging nuclear triad, he said, referring to the three categories of nuclear delivery vehicles: land, air and sea.

In his written statement, MacStravic said the president's budget request includes $14 billion for nuclear force sustainment and operations and $5 billion for associated recapitalization programs.

The hearing on DoD's nuclear acquisition programs and nuclear doctrine also included Robert M. Soofer, deputy assistant secretary of defense for nuclear and missile defense policy; Air Force Gen. Robin Rand, the commander of Air Force Global Strike Command; and Vice Adm. Terry J. Benedict, director of the Navy's Strategic Systems Programs.

The nuclear posture review directed by the president is expected to be complete by the end of 2017, Soofer told lawmakers. The review will examine all elements of U.S. nuclear forces and posture to ensure the nation's nuclear deterrent is modern, robust, flexible, resilient, ready, and appropriately tailored to deter 21st-century threats, he said.

Russia, China, North Korea and Emerging Challenges

The critical mission of ensuring an effective nuclear deterrent is the highest priority of DoD, and one it shares with the Department of Energy and Congress, Soofer said.

"Effective deterrence requires a deliberate strategy and forces that are structured and postured to support that strategy within the existing security environment," he said.

U.S. policy must address changes in the world scene in recent years, Soofer said, listing concerns with Russia, China and North Korea.

"Russia has undertaken aggressive actions against its neighbors and threatened the United States and its allies," he said. Russia has elevated strategies of nuclear first use, is violating the landmark Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, and is modernizing a large and diverse non-strategic nuclear weapons force, he added.

In the Asia-Pacific region, China's increased assertiveness suggests a desire to dominate the region, he said.

Meanwhile, Soofer said, North Korea's leadership has "demonstrated a willingness to accept economic countermeasures and international isolation in order to advance its nuclear capability and develop ballistic missiles able to strike the U.S. homeland, as well our allies in the region."

In addition, he said, new threats are emerging from non-nuclear strategic capabilities, most of which are not constrained by treaties or agreements. "Technological advancements mean that proliferators might seek weapons of mass destruction development paths that are different from the ones we are accustomed to detecting and countering," he told the panel.

(Follow Lisa Ferdinando on Twitter: @FerdinandoDoD)

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Modernizing Nuclear Deterrents No. 1 Priority, DoD Officials Tell ... - Department of Defense

CHICAGO (CNS) -- Thirty-four Latin American sisters who are working as missionaries in poor Latino communities in the United States recently gathered for a 10-day retreat and meeting in Chicago.

They were joined by their mother superiors and, for a vocation retreat over the final weekend, by 20 young Latinas interested in learning more about religious life.

Working in underserved areas in 12 dioceses, the Mexican, Puerto Rican, Colombian, Venezuelan, Guatemalan, Salvadoran and Honduran sisters come from 12 religious orders and are part of the U.S.-Latin American Sisters Exchange Program. Catholic Extension partnered with the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to create this program.

The Latin American sisters reach out to and minister with Spanish-speaking immigrant families, providing leadership in religious education, migrant farmworker outreach, home visitations, youth and young adult ministry, spiritual guidance, vocations promotion and other ministries.

The sisters are currently in their third year of this five-year initiative, designed to strengthen Catholic ministries to immigrant communities, promote vocations among Latino Catholics and develop greater Hispanic leadership in the U.S. Catholic Church.

For the participating sisters from Latin America, the program offers pastoral experiences as well as educational programming that is preparing them for greater leadership in their religious congregations.

The May 19-28 Chicago encounter included a retreat for the sisters and their mother superiors at the Cenacle Retreat Center; a vocation retreat, also at the Cenacle; a workshop at Loyola University Chicago; meetings with Chicago Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, Catholic Extension staff and the director of the Hilton Foundation's Catholic Sisters Program; as well as visits to several Chicago parishes, including a "Sisters' Serenade" at St. Teresa of Avila Parish.

Fun agenda items included attending a Chicago Cubs game and taking in some sights of Chicago, where Catholic Extension is based. The organization is the leading supporter of missionary work in poor and remote parts of the United States. Extension's hashtag #SistersintheCity accompanied those outings.

Welcoming the sisters to Chicago, Cardinal Cupich addressed them in Spanish during a meeting in the Chicago Archdiocese's St. James Chapel. The cardinal blessed them and thanked them for their great gift to the U.S. church.

Catholic Extension said that as its chancellor, Cardinal Cupich has been instrumental in developing and guiding the program.

He asked a "special favor" of the sisters: "When you meet our immigrant brothers and sisters throughout the country, please share this message with them from me: Tell them that God is with them in this challenging time and that the church will never stop advocating for them. Tell them that their culture and language are beautiful and that they enrich us. And tell them that I will pray to our Mother Mary that she protect and cover them and their families in her mantle."

During Sunday Mass May 21 at Old St. Patrick Church in Chicago, Father Jack Wall, president of Catholic Extension, recognized the sisters for "having left behind their families and their country to come into a strange land to serve among the poorest of the poor." He praised their "powerful witness to the power of God's love."

Father Wall said, "At Catholic Extension, we have come to know that you cannot go to the poorest places in the United States and not find the presence of the Catholic Church. And the face of ministry among the poorest of the poor so often is women religious. They are there with a profound joy in their hearts."

Addressing the sisters directly, he said, "Sisters, Hermanas, we are so grateful for your walking together with us in hope. Your acceptance of this mission to come to this country has been a great blessing to us."

At a meeting May 25, Sister Maria Teresa de Loera said the sisters participating in the U.S.-Latin American Sisters Exchange program see themselves as being on the frontlines of answering Pope Francis' call to "go out to the peripheries of migration."

A member of the Mexican order of Catholic Teachers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus who now works in the Diocese of Little Rock, Arkansas, Sister de Loera said, "We are listening to, suffering with, giving hope to, and sharing our lives with the immigrants. Our best contribution is our prophetic witness of unity and joy."

She told Extension magazine that the 10-day encounter in Chicago was recharging them, saying, "It makes the Holy Spirit be reborn in us as women religious."

Through Catholic Extension's partnerships with U.S. Catholic universities, the sisters in the U.S.-Latin American Sisters Exchange Program several times a year receive extensive language, cultural, theological and pastoral training. At the end of the program, they will return to their Latin American congregations, which will in turn benefit from their increased skills and expertise.

Sister Brenda Hernandez Valdes is one of three Daughters of Mary Immaculate of Guadalupe from Mexico who work at St. Joseph Parish in Williston in the Diocese of Bismarck, North Dakota. She said that for her the program has been "a great opportunity in my life to grow in many ways -- as a human person, spiritually and in my apostolic life. This Catholic Extension program has been a godsend not just for the people but also for us, for every sister in the program."

As the parishioners in Williston grow in their faith, Sister Hernandez said, "we see the fruits in their lives. For me that is the best part of the experience." Prior to the sisters' arrival, the immigrant workers did not have anyone in the area's parishes speak their language. "The Catholic Church had been losing people in North Dakota," she said. "With our presence, we have been helping the church to save and to keep people."

She explained that many of the workers in North Dakota's oil fields around Williston arrive alone. "Some of them don't have relatives or friends. Everybody needs family, and in our church, everybody is family, we are God's family."

During the sisters' first year in Williston, Sister Hernandez said, the first Communion of 25 Hispanic kids also had a ripple effect: Some of their parents hadn't been receiving Communion because they were not married. When their children asked them why they didn't go to Communion, they decided to get married in the church. "We evangelized the kids," Sister Hernandez said, "and then the kids evangelized their parents. It is awesome."

Sister Maria Catalina Carrillo, who traveled from Mexico to represent Sister Hernandez's religious order at the Chicago meeting, said, "So many congregations are here, but together we feel united as one church. The sisters in this program are the bridge between the Hispanic and Anglo cultures. They bring the two communities together."

For many of the sisters, it also has been an eye-opening experience with respect to the realities of life for immigrants in the United States.

Sister Carrillo said, "In Mexico we think that the people who move from Mexico to the United States have an easy life, but they don't. They have to face so many difficult things, and the sisters bring them joy through the church and make them feel welcome."

Sister Marite Gutierrez, a Catechist Sister of Jesus Crucified working at Madonna del Sasso Parish in Salinas, California, said many of her parishioners are farmworkers who face many problems.

She cites the example of a young mother, who is struggling to make ends meet and lives with her two daughters in a small room in an apartment she is sharing with another family.

"I believe that is not what God wants for his children," Sister Gutierrez said. "The first thing I can do for this mother is to be her friend, to listen and to reach out so that she and her children can feel God's love and care for them. Faith can be a small window for light, for God to enter into their lives."

This year has been more difficult for many of her parishioners. "They don't know what is going to happen to them," she said. Because of the widespread fear of deportation, "they don't know if at the end of the day they will be able to return from their work. The children don't know if their parents will be home when they come back from school."

Sister Gutierrez added, "Immigrant people are our brothers and sisters, and as the church, we need to help them in whatever way we can. The first and most important thing is always to give hope."

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Latin American sisters in US 'build bridges' during 'challenging time' - Catholic News Service

Blackburnnews.com stock photo By Janice MacKayJune 8, 2017 3:29pm

A technology company is expanding its Kincardine location to include a substantial design, procurement and project controls capability in Bruce County.

RCM technologies will increase to over 4,000 sq ft of space on the second floor of the Kincardine Municipal Administration Centre building to support Bruce Powers Life Extension Program.

We are extremely pleased to announce this expansion, says Rocco Campanelli, chairman and CEO of RCM We have been a partner with Bruce Power since its inception in 2001, working on numerous capital and Operations and Maintenance projects. Expanding our local presence will enhance the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of delivering our services, while improving the local economy through job creation and increased spending in Bruce County.

RCM is also hiring office staff and senior management personnel as they increase their workforce to about 80 people.

We are pleased to see RCM Technologies expanding its presence in our region and establishing such a significant footprint, says Bruce County Warden Mitch Twolan. Their investment in our economy is a great win for the entire region.

RCM provides business and technology solutions to maximize the operational performance with advanced engineering and information technology.

This is a fantastic win for our regional economy, said James Scongack, VP of corporate affairs at Bruce Power. RCM Technologies will bring highly skilled, value-added jobs, supporting our vision of a long-term, sustainable regional economy that is able to facilitate and move forward innovation in the nuclear industry.

Bruce Power launched a regional economic development initiative last year to support the expansion of its suppliers during the multi billion dollar multi-year Life Extension Program of the nuclear plant.

Janice MacKay graduated from Journalism at Humber College in Toronto. Janice was raised in Kincardine. She and her husband Steve live just outside of Wingham. They have two sons. Email Janice MacKay More Articles

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Kincardine Company To Add Jobs To Support Bruce Power - BlackburnNews.com

On Tuesday, May 23, the Trump administration released its Fiscal Year 2018 (FY2018) budget request. I am doing a three-part analysis of the National Nuclear Security Administrations budget. That agency, a part of the Department of Energy, is responsible for developing and maintaining US nuclear weapons. Previouslywe focused on The Good and The Bad, and today we have The Ugly.

The NNSAs FY2018 budget request includes what might seem to be a relatively innocuous statement:

In February 2017, DOD and NNSA representatives agreed to use the term IW1 rather than W78/88-1 LEP to reflect that IW1 replaces capability rather than extending the life of current stockpile systems.

In other words, rather than extending the life of the W78 and W88 warheads via a life extension program (or LEP), the NNSA will develop the IW1 to replace those warheads.

To my mind, that is an admission that the IW1short for Interoperable Warhead Oneis a new nuclear weapon, as UCS has been saying for quite some time.

The Obama administration was loath to admit as much, arguing that the proposed systemcombining a primary based on one from an existing warhead and a secondary from another warheadwas not a new warhead. That reluctance stemmed from the administrations declaration in its 2010 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) that the United States would not develop new nuclear warheads or new military capabilities or new missions for nuclear weapons. Declaring the IW1 a new warhead would destroy that pledge.

That semantic sleight of hand by the Obama team was somewhat ugly: the IW1 is a new warhead. (For a lot more detail on the IW1 and the misguided 3+2 plan of which it ispart, see our report Bad Math on New Nuclear Weapons.)

However, what might be coming from the Trump administration is truly ugly.

The fact that the FY2018 NNSA budget admits the IW1 is a new warhead may be signal that the Trump teamwhich is doing its own NPRwill eliminate the Obama pledge not to develop new weapons or pursue new military capabilities and missions.

That change would send a clear message to the rest of the world that the United States believes it needs new types of nuclear weapons and new nuclear capabilities for its security. This would further damage the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which is already fraying because the weapon states are not living up to their commitment to eliminate their nuclear weapons. Deep frustration on the part of the non-nuclear weapon states has led to the current negotiations on a treaty to ban nuclear weapons. New US weapons could also damage our efforts to halt North Koreas nuclear program and undermine the agreement with Iran that has massively reduced their program to produce fissile materials for nuclear weapons.

Moreover, a likely corollary of withdrawing that pledge would be to pursue a new type of nuclear weapon, or a new capability. Some options have already been suggested:

Those options are contrary to US security interests. Nuclear weapons are the only threat to the survival of the United States. Given that, and because there will not be a winner in a nuclear war, the US goal must be to reduce the role that these weapons play in security policy until they no longer are a threat to our survival. Continuing to invest in new types of nuclear weapons convinces the rest of the world that the United Stateswill never give up its nuclear weapons, and encourages other nuclear-weapon states to respond in ways that will continue to threaten the United States.

Make no mistake, the United States already has incredibly powerful and reliable nuclear weapons that would deter any nuclear attack on it or its allies, and it will for the foreseeable future.

So the idea that the United States should pursue new types of weapons? That is truly ugly.

Posted in: Nuclear Weapons Tags: arms control, new start, nuclear disarmament, nuclear posture review, nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons budget, obama administration

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The Ugly: Post #3 on the NNSA's FY2018 Budget Request - All Things Nuclear

In the weeks before Canadas largest defense and security tradeshow, the Minister of National Defence and a Senate committee gave military helicopter manufacturers, many of whom have seen a sales slump in recent years, reason for optimism.

Midlife upgrade programs for both the CH-146 Griffon transport and tactical helicopter and the CH-149 Cormorant search-and-rescue helicopter have been on the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) project list for several years, but neither have had funding approved to launch into project definition.

In an address on May 3 foreshadowing this weeks defense policy review announcement, Minister Harjit Sajjan described the dismal state of military spending and flagged both helicopters as part of a growing list of unfunded equipment and technical capabilities urgently required for the armed forces to meet domestic and international operational demands.

A week later the Senate Standing Committee on National Security and Defence also raised both helicopter projects in a report outlining a plan to reinvest in the military, recommending a Griffon replacement program be prioritized and that the government move forward with a proposal to expand the Cormorant fleet by upgrading the 14 CH-149 aircraft and converting seven VH-71 airframes currently in storage to the same operational capability.

While the RCAF has outlined a limited life-extension project for the CH-146 that would upgrade avionics and some communications systems, it has also assessed whether it might be better to invest in a new platform, bringing the tactical aviation capability on par with the CH-147F Chinook.

The prospect of a new helicopter acquisition program was clearly welcomed by Airbus Defence & Space. Romain Trapp, president of Airbus Helicopters in Canada, led off the companys corporate press briefing at CANSEC on June 1, highlighting the capability of the H145M as an option for the Griffon replacement.

With the rapid introduction of new technologies in its aircraft, Trapp said Airbus eventual offering would depend on when a request for proposals is issued. But the company has been pushing for an accelerated program, he said, and has provided the RCAF with recent a white paper and customer analysis as well as cost projections.

We made the business case by showing [the Air Force] that simply by going to a new platform, the Canadian taxpayers would save more than $1 billion 10 years from now, he said.

Today our current proposal is the H145M, which is a proven platform, he added, noting that the multirole aircraft is ideally suited for the Canadian tactical reconnaissance utility helicopter requirements.

The U.S. Army ordered the UH-72A Lakota, a variant of the H145M, in 2006 as its light utility helicopter and currently operates a fleet of 400. The aircraft is also in service with German special forces, possibly a key consideration in a Canadian procurement given that 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron also operates the Griffon.

All deliveries were done on time, on budget, on quality, said Trapp.

Airbus is now investing heavily in autonomous flight technologies and will soon develop fully autonomous versions of some of our helicopters, he added. This will allow us to respond to the emerging needs of our defense customers all over the world.

For Leonardo Helicopters (formerly AgustaWestland), increased activity around a Cormorant midlife upgrade program was reason enough to put the band back together. Days before CANSEC, the company announced the reassembly of Team Cormorant, the industry partnership of Leonardo, IMP Aerospace, CAE, Rockwell Collins Canada and GE Canada that delivered the CH-149 in 2000.

Team Cormorant is proposing a modernization project based on the Norwegian All-Weather Search and Rescue Helicopter (NAWSARH) program, which selected the AW101 in 2013 to replace its fleet of Sea King aircraft and is expecting delivery of the first helicopter later this year. The CH-149 is a variant of the AW101 medium-lift helicopter now in service with over a dozen militaries.

The team is also proposing to expand the Cormorant fleet from 14 to 21 aircraft by converting seven VH-71 airframes, airworthy variants of the AW101, that were acquired from the U.S. government in 2011 for spare parts, to the same configuration. The additional aircraft would allow the air force to return the Cormorant to 424 Transport and Rescue Squadron at 8 Wing Trenton, Ontario, which currently operates a fleet of Griffon helicopters.

Leonardo has argued that, with an average of over 5,000 hours on the airframes, all of which are around 16 years of age, and growing concerns about parts obsolescence, an immediate update is required if the RCAF wants to meet its service life target of 2040.

The upgrades would include new cockpit displays, avionics, digital automatic flight control system, aircraft management system, electro-optical surveillance system, and weather radar as well as a new 3,000 horsepower CT7-8E engine.

Leonardo is also offering a new Obstacle Proximity LiDAR System that would provide directional audio and visual warning when the helicopter blades get too close to obstacles, and mobile phone detection technology that would effectively turn the aircraft into a mobile phone cell and allow its onboard system to identify and track a mobile phone within a 25-mile range.

The Cormorant fleet had problems with availability in the early years of the program, but John Ponsonby, managing director of Leonardo Helicopters, said dispatch availability is over 98 percent with the current fleet. We continue to support IMP and we provide the level of support expected by the customer.

The Air Force has been supportive of the VH-71 conversion proposal but RCAF commander LGen Mike Hood toldVerticalin an interview last November that repair and maintenance costs of the extant fleet would need to be reduced before the air force could move ahead with the plan.

I believe once we get there, the conditions will be set for me to drive forward with a Cormorant midlife update and I want to see the VH-71s included in that, he said. But until such time as they can deliver on what the department has asked in the way of reducing cost, Im a little stuck.

Ponsonby acknowledged the issue and said large strides have been made in recent years to reduce the cost of ownership. We have committed to a significant program of cost reduction and we have delivered a significant percentage of cost reduction alreadywe are focused on providing best value, we are taking action, and that action is delivering results.

As part of its options analysis, the Air Force had considered the possibility of replacing the CH-149, but an upgrade program now appears to be the preferred option. Ponsonby believes its the correct decision.

Our argument is that we can insert the capabilities you are looking for, and the reliability and cost of ownership are reduced, he said. You have used this platform for 18 years, it has done absolutely great service, there is nothing better on the market, so a [midlife upgrade] does make sense.

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Cormorant, Griffon upgrade projects get new lift - Vertical Magazine (press release)

The US Air Force will move ahead with its existing JSTARS recapitalisation strategy, even as a recent report indicates some aircraft in the fleet could fly longer.

In March, the service completed a fuselage widespread fatigue study to determine the service life of individual JSTARS aircraft.

Based on data provided by Boeing, which manufactured the original 707-300 airframe, the programme office determined the service life of fuselage is several years longer than previously expected, according to a document obtained by FlightGlobal.

The service will not conduct a service life extension programme (SLEP) on the existing JSTARS fleet, the document states.

The E-8C fleet, which is composed of 16 individual aircraft with varying maintenance issues and track records, was set to phase out from Fiscal 2017 through 2022. But the studys results extended the service life projections from FY2023 through FY2034.

The USAF did not detail how many aircraft in the fleet will be available through 2034. Boeing plans to complete additional studies to assess remaining structural areas, such as the wings.

Still, the USAF does not plan to change its JSTARS recapitalisation strategy given current aircraft availability.

The USAF anticipates a contract award for a new JSTARS platform in FY2018 and plans to reach initial operational capability by the last quarter of FY2024. Due to ongoing delays with maintenance at Northrop Grummans sustainment facility in Lake Charles, Louisiana, aircraft availability remains low with 42% of aircraft in the depot today.

Aircraft availability continues to decrease and sustainment costs are unsupportable, the document states. These two factors were the catalyst for initiating the JSTARS recapitalisation programme.

Unlike the air forces EC-130H Compass Call cross-deck effort, which will move old mission systems onto a new platform, the JSTARS recapitalisation is meant to overhaul the entire weapon system, USAF chief of staff Gen David Goldfein told reporters following a 6 June Congressional hearing. The USAF examines extending aircraft service life through rigorous testing, which helps the service identify items that will likely break and should be funded in the future, Goldfein says.

We only fund against what we predict and then youve seen in the past all of a sudden a part on an F-15C comes out and we havent manufactured that in the last five or 10 years, he says. So the reality is, we have to look at how we extend the weapon system, but it does not change the strategy at all about how we recapitalize to get into a new aircraft.

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Some JSTARS aircraft could fly into 2034 - Flightglobal

Montreal Gazette

New life breathed into decades-old dream of a Cavendish extension ... Montreal Gazette You may have heard this before, but there are signs the city will soon move ahead with the decades-long stalled extension of Cavendish Blvd. and more »

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New life breathed into decades-old dream of a Cavendish extension ... - Montreal Gazette

MCOR's advanced mechanical polymers have been developed specifically for the rebuild, repair, improvement and maintenance of machinery, equipment and other industrial assets. These solutions are used with repair polymers and protective coatings.

The company's products range from exterior and internal component coatings and liners, to reclaiming and cladding polymers, as well as elastomers and polymeric cements. The portfolio of MCOR solutions will address repair and protection requirements for both steel and concrete assets.

MCOR has invested significantly in the research and development of its product line to continuously enhance industrial performance and reliability, while expanding various applications needed to combat corrosion and wear. The result is a product line for protection and restoration to extend the operational cycle and life expectancy of existing equipment.

MCOR products serve a variety of industries, including water and wastewater, oil and gas, petrochemical, marine, power, facilities maintenance, pulp and paper, as well as general manufacturing, while focusing heavily on mining and quarrying.

These industries are exposed to adverse environments and any downtime needed to repair or replace equipment leads to decreased productivity and increased costs. MCOR looks to bridge this gap by offering efficient cold-weld alternatives, rebuilding grade epoxies and high-performance coatings to further protect the asset exposure and maximise its life and performance cycle. MCOR's technologies are designed to provide a fast return to service to ensure customers avoid costly downtime.

The company's internal and external coatings are formulated with fast-curing novolac, ceramic, and similar epoxies, designed to handle extreme chemicals, abrasion and high-temperature environments. While the restoring compounds are made for alternative tooling and machining metal needs, in addition to other rebuild, form, fill, reclaim, line and repair solutions for metal, rubber and concrete.

MCOR product lines start with the 1000 Series, which are high-performance coatings for exterior protection in adverse environments.

The 1000 Series products are component coatings exposed to caustics, acids or other corrosives. Often used as a coating solution for submersed parts, the immersion grade coatings are industrial-type for high chemical contact protection and general protection against industrial, elemental or corrosive attack or containment.

The 2000 Series products are also component coating technologies for interior protection against caustics and acids, but further enhanced to combat high-velocity abrasion, wear and heat. The line is made to offer high-performance coatings and liners for internal mechanical components.

The 2000 Series is often utilised as a coating solution for the interior surfaces of parts, pumps, impellors and other flow or transfer areas. Typically formulated with either a high content of ceramic or metal, the protective coatings in this line offer asset life extension solutions on wearing areas.

For a metal repair solution, alternative weld solution, machinable and non-machinable grade epoxies or for lining alternatives to steel plates, look no further. Exploring the MCOR 3000 Series brings you advanced and high build repair polymers for precision reclaiming, metal filling, and high build wear with cladding.

The mClad product line provides machinists and mechanics solutions in their toolbox to perform cold-welding, repair and reclamation of steel parts; whether filling scores, reclaiming warped housings, or seeking weld or sacrificial steel alternatives, the mClad series provides the solution. Line troughs, reline volutes, rebuild and tool with machinable epoxy, the 3000 Series kits are a must for robust repairs to asset fixes with a quick turnaround.

Similar to the 3000 series, the 4000 mFlex series provides fillers, seals, and repairs to flexible components or areas needing elongation. They create or repair seals, gaskets, belts and other field abused rubber parts.

In addition, the 4000 mFlex series can also be used on unique items to absorb vibration and impact with flexible foundation materials and padding polymers.

The 5000 Series is specifically formulated and organised to offer various concrete repairs and protection.

The mCrete line of products is an extension to the maintenance tool box, offering quick and lasting repair solutions. Whether filling, patching or injecting structural grade epoxies for concrete spalls and cracks, the mCrete products will go beyond and seal, provide structural reinforcement, create permanent patches and offer sectional lining to concrete components and other masonry structures.

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Advanced Mechanical Polymers for Industrial Repair and Protection - Mining Technology

By Bob Meister

(Mrs.) Schwartz is 78. While she thinks her husband does better at home Hes getting 24-hour attention, and you dont get that in a nursing home, she said. friends point out that the arrangement is much harder on her. She worries, too, about costs climbing as Mr. Schwartzs health declines and his needs increase. For now, though, she manages, part of an apparently growing phenomenon: the old taking care of the old. New York Times,July 3, 2015, by Paula Span

The demographic shift I call life-extension means it is no longer rare for folks to live to age90 and older. For example, the Social Security life expectancy calculator concludes that a man who is now 83 years old could expect to live to age 90.6 years. Of course, that doesnt mean he will be healthy during his remaining years and that there will be a Mrs. Schwartz to care for him. Its time for adult children and grandchildren to get involved in caregiving.

A couple of years ago, the AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving published a study that included results about the unpaid caregivers who are age 75 and older. There are more than three million of them; about half of them care for a spouse, while the others help siblings and relatives. And some, about 8 percent, provide care to their parents.

For several years, my wife cared for a gentleman who was in his mid-90s. John had five children and a large number of grandchildren who didnt find the time to communicate. The two oldest were institutionalized with their own problems, but out of the remaining group, only one took the time to visit once or twice each year.

In part, Johns circumstances encouraged me to begin writing this column. I thought it would be a way to educate Christians about the need to help their parents deal with issues of aging and health problems. Most of all, I was hopeful of influencing churches to incorporate eldercare into senior programs. I thought there would be a stronger family affinity within church groups and therefore greater interest in caring for their own. It hasnt worked out that way.

As I made connections with mega-churches and Christian denominations to get a handle on how they were addressing caregiving and eldercare in particular, I found just one that had started an eldercare program a few years ago. Wynelle Stevens, assistant director forAdventist Community Services has implemented programs for church congregations that emphasize regular communication between family members as a catalyst to caring for each other, especially parents. Anyone interested can see what a comprehensive eldercare program looks like at http://www.communityservices.org/elder-care-tools.

I have decided to take a break from writing this column in order to attend to some other responsibilities. In the meantime, please feel free to contact me at church7@cox.net if you have questions or comments, or you think I could help in any way.

Take care!

Bob Meister is a certified care resource specialist who has been studying Americas aging demographic and has been involved in caregiving and health care since 1989. He can be contacted by email at church7@cox.net.

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Family Caregiving: Adult children need to get involved in caregiving - Times Record

Photo Credit: Robert Couse-Baker / Flickr Creative Commons

The airport protesters may have gone home, but the fight for immigrant rights in the era of Trump continues. While much of the work to fight the Muslim ban is taking place in courts rather than in the streets, activists still see multiple causes for alarm and protest. Late Thursday night, the Department of Justice asked the court to review its appeal and allow the federal government to reinstate the March version of the travel ban while the appeal is in process.

At the same time those affected by the Muslim ban worry about the future of their travel ability to and from the U.S., Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests have increased sharply, and the Trump administration has offered a much less than expected extension of a program providing temporary residency for Haitian refugees. And these are just three of the issues immigration advocates are currently concerned about.

Fear of Travel: Lingering Impacts of the Muslim Ban

While the deluge of detentions following the first Muslim ban has slowed following an appeals court decision against it, refugee advocates and citizens of the six majority-Muslim countries named in the ban, including residents of those countries who served alongside American soldiers, are still experiencing an alarming number of secondary detentions at the hands of Customs and Border Patrol agents at airports.

Theres an increasing number of strange incidents involving special immigrant visa holders, explained Elizabeth Foydel, policy counsel at the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), in a phone interview. Theyve already gone through a pretty intense security process to get the visa in the first place. Prior to the Trump administration, Foydel had never heard of a special visa recipient being detained when they arrive.

Every case is different, she said, but collectively, we're seeing a pattern of much lengthier secondary inspection, refused entry or deportation without a lot of reason behind it. Foydel has heard similar reports from Indian passport holders, even though India was never on Trumps list. Part of the issue is that even without a specific executive order, CBP has a high "level of discretion... over who should be kept in secondary detention for a long time or even deported. Within that discretion there is potential for abuse."

That means even when detention isn't imminent, fear of it is. Camille Mackler, director of legal initiatives at the New York Immigration Coalition, explained that "people are pulled into secondary inspection, but... not necessarily because of the ban." While she's not hearing as many reports of detentions on January's scale, "people are afraid of traveling, absolutely... It was never about just the seven countries [in the original ban]. People all over the world were worried... our most frequent calls are from people afraid to travel." There's a sense, though Mackler was clear to mention it's just a guess, "that America isnot quite welcoming."

Sharp Increase in ICE Arrests

Activists are also alarmed by a sharp increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests in the first 100 days of Trumps presidency, an increase in secondary detentions at airports (despite multiple legal challenges to the travel ban) and a new end date for a program designed to protect those seeking asylum from wars and natural disasters.

ICE agents arrested 41,000 undocumented immigrants during Trumps first 100 days in office, a 38 percent increase over the same three-month period in 2016.

Those arrested during the raids are not the gang members and high-powered drug dealers Attorney General Jeff Sessions would have America believe. As the Sacramento Bee reported, arrests of those without criminal recordsof immigrants whose only violation was being in the country illegallyincreased by 156 percent, from 4,242 people in 2016 to 10,845.

Instead, they include kitchen staff at an Ann Arbor restaurant detained in the middle of a shift; parents arrested during once routine immigration check-ins; and a DREAM program recipient arrested after a press conference speaking out against Trumps immigration policies. A U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officer even showed up at a school in Queens, New York, sending the community into an uproar. USCIS officials were quick to report that the visit was simply to confirm information reported on routine paperwork, but as Natalia Renta, a staff attorney at the advocacy organization Make the Road New York, told AlterNet, it's unacceptable to have immigration officers in school."

Advocates say that while deportation was alarmingly common under the Obama administration (a record 2.8 million people were deported), there was frequently more advance warning. As Renta explained, he had a list of people who were priorities. We could give people a good assessment... It takes a lot less... Theres definitely been a change in the sense that there are more people being apprehended, and it's more unpredictable.

As a recent NPR report explained, many undocumented immigrants were previously not in hiding: Hundreds of thousands of them report to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on a regular basis. They've been allowed to stay because past administrations considered them a low priority for deportation.

Many of Rentas clients dont even need to be in an immigration office to be in danger. She explained that a lot of these raids happen in someone's home." Even worse, ICE agents often dont have warrants from a judge, just a piece of paper that says 'warrant.' Now, during Know Your Rights trainings, Make the Road New York organizers make sure to explain that attendees understand that they dont have to open the door when someone shows up claiming to be police or ICE. Organizers also provide materials showing what real warrants look like.

The End of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians

Temporary programs are also under attack. On May 22, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly announced a six-month extension of the Temporary Protected Status designation for 55,000 Haitian citizens living in the United States. The program grants short-term work permits and relief from deportation to immigrants from nations experiencing war, natural disasters and epidemics.

Haitians received the designation following the devastating 2010 earthquake that killed approximately 316,000 people and displaced 1.5 million. The program was first renewed to Haitians following a cholera epidemic, food shortages and extensive poverty.

That first extension was set to expire in July, with advocates lobbying for at least an additional 18 months for citizens to return to what remains the poorest nationin the Western Hemisphere.

Secretary Kelly defended the small extension in a statement:I believe there are indications that Haitiif its recovery from the 2010 earthquake continues at pacemay not warrant further... extension past January 2018.

The announcement was met with fear and anger from Haitians living in America, and their advocates. We have a lot of families that are in shock right now, Nancy Trevio, spokeswoman for Haitian Women of Miami,told the Washington Post.

Assessments as recent as December 2016 indicate that conditions continue to warrant a full 18-month extension. Anything less would be irresponsible and reckless, said Tiffany Wheatland-Disu, community outreach manager at the New York Immigration Coalition, in a statement. "Our government has already failed to extend needed TPS protections to the three West African nations of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in the wake of the 2015-16 Ebola epidemic. Forcing Haitians to return to a destabilized Haiti will impose a similar fate on the more than 55,000 Haitians currently protected by TPS."

The current ruling has impacts for additional countries. Next year, the Trump administration will determine whether 86,000 Hondurans will be allowed to stay beyond January, and 263,00 Salvadoreans beyond March.

Ilana Novick is an AlterNet contributing writer and production editor.

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The Mere Proposal of a Muslim Ban Has Made Life More Oppressive for Visa Holders and Travelers - AlterNet