HK$260m cocaine haul concealed in planks
Customs officers have made their largest ever cocaine seizure - 290kg of the drug hidden inside two containers that arrived from Bolivia.
The consignment, with an estimated street value of HK$260 million, was concealed in 88 hollowed-out wooden planks that were mixed among about 10,000 planks.
The haul, on December 29, is the second largest in the city's history. Police seized 372kg of cocaine last April. Including the latest find, Hong Kong authorities confiscated at least 845kg of cocaine last year, about seven times more than the 121kg seized in 2009. A total of 64kg of cocaine was found in 2008.
John Lee Cheung-wing, head of the Customs Drug Investigation Bureau, announced the latest seizure yesterday after seeking help from mainland authorities in investigating a trading company in Qingyuan , Guangdong, which was named as a recipient of the shipment.
So far, no one has been arrested in connection with the case. Inquiries, with the help of mainland authorities and the US drug enforcement agency, are continuing.
'We have some clues to the case. It is possible arrests will be made soon,' Lee said.
Although Hong Kong authorities last year confiscated three large hauls of cocaine destined for other countries, Lee said: 'There is no evidence indicating that Hong Kong is being used as a drug trafficking transit centre.'
He said the shipment in last month's haul was scheduled for re-export to Qingyuan early this month, but no one came to collect the consignment.
It came from Bolivia and was trucked to Chile where it was loaded onto a container ship. It arrived via Taiwan on December 27 and was inspected by customs officers at a Kwai Chung container terminal two days later.
Hidden in each of the 88 hollowed out wooden planks were three slabs of cocaine in plastic wrap and carbon paper. Each slab weighed 1.1kg.
Carbon paper is used to escape detection by X-ray machines. Lee said the plastic wrap and glue were probably used to prevent detection by sniffer dogs.
Describing the concealment method as sophisticated, Lam Tak-fai, head of Customs Ports Control Group, said the shipment was checked because officers were suspicious about finished wooden products being imported from South America. 'It is common for timber and logs to be imported from South America but it's rare to see processed wooden products,' he said.
It was difficult to find the haul because the hollowed-out wooden planks were intermingled with 10,000 genuine planks.
The drugs were found after 20 pallets loaded with 10,000 wooden planks were removed from two containers. Two sniffer dogs gave them a positive indication. Lam said it took a team of 15 officers more than 12 hours to X-ray all the planks and to open the hollowed-out ones.


Responding to the announcement from the Government that the cap on medical school places will be lifted in England to allow all students who received the required A-level grades to go to their first-choice university, Dr Helena McKeown, BMA representative body chair and BMA education, training and workforce lead, said:
“Following the A-level results disaster the BMA was clear that universities should honour all original offers so that able students from across all backgrounds are able to pursue a career in medicine, so today’s announcement is a positive step.
"However, along with the lifting of the cap on medical school places, we need a cast-iron commitment to support and funding for universities and their staff and guarantees on increasing training capacity and investment in the NHS further down the line. If, in the future, we don’t get an increase in the number of places in the foundation programme for students who graduate, we will face the catastrophic situation of young doctors finishing university with no job to go to.
“This would be unforgivable at a time when the NHS is so desperate for staff.”
Notes to editors
The BMA is a trade union and professional association representing and negotiating on behalf of all doctors in the UK. A leading voice advocating for outstanding health care and a healthy population. An association providing members with excellent individual services and support throughout their lives.


Back in 2004, the Public Art Fund sponsored a photography exhibit called "Governors Island," shot by Lisa Kereszi and Andrew Moore. In it, a new generation of New Yorkers were introduced to the creepy old abandoned buildings on the former military/Coast Guard base?chief among them the bowling alley, the Burger King and the Super 8 motel. Now that there are some big changes in store for Govs Island, it's safe to assume that many of these spooky set pieces will not survive the transition. Indeed, at tomorrow's Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing, the LPC will consider an application to demolish Building 293 in the Governors Island Historic District, so that new landscaping can be installed. Building 293 is the Super 8 motel, seen above in a photo by Lisa Kereszi. Will it be missed? Probably not, given the years of inactivity and unfortunate choice of carpeting. However, while looking for more info on the Super 8, we stumbled upon the online resumé of Bee Dalton, who was the assistant manager of the motel from 1987-88 and helped implement a "reservations check system, reducing errors in reservations." You never forget your first implementation of a reservations check system, so somewhere out there, Bee Dalton is shedding a tear.
· NYU Targeting Governors Island for Expansion [Curbed]
· Governors Island React-o-Matic: Stunning, Inspired, Swampy! [Curbed]
· Governors Island Going Dutch [Curbed]


Before you can increase website traffic, and improve your online marketing and personal branding, you really need to know a few things. Installing a way to track traffic is the first step in learning how to increase website traffic.
Today, I wanted to address a little bit about tracking traffic, a necessary component to improving your online marketing and branding efforts. That’s tracking where your visitor comes from (how they found you) and where they go within your site. Their navigation path is a wealth of information if you will take the time to follow along.
What page are they on when they lose interest and move on? That one website tracking metric alone could be worth a sack of gold coins to you if you know what to do with it.
There are quite a few different types of website tracking scripts and plugins you can use for your blog, but for today, let’s not get fancy… let’s get detailed.
Google is probably the single best form of traffic tracking you can have on your site. Multiple views into the exact traffic patterns of your visitors — means understanding how to increase your blog traffic If you know what is working, do more of that. See what’s failing? Do less of that.
It does require a Google Analytics or Adwords account though. If you haven’t taken the plunge on one or both of those yet, it’s time.
There are a few reports that I strongly recommend you get into the habit of checking if you are a blogger (which you are or you probably wouldn’t be reading my site).
The Google Analytics interface allows you to save these reports to your dashboard (using the “Add to Dashboard” button at the top left), so you can quickly review your favorite reports without all the fuss.
For more advanced tricks, here is a PDF I found on the net that I used to get up to speed on some of the other features. It goes into a lot of detail so print it and keep it handy: Complete Google Analytics Power Users Guide
I love Firestats for the quick views and immediate traffic patterns that are visible when you view the dashboard. There are a few sections to the statistics tab, all of which I review pretty frequently.
Like Google Analytics, there are also views into my visitors machines, operating systems, browsers, and country of origin to help me understand my target audience a little better.
There isn’t a reporting mechanism yet, but the daily view is very intriguing to me and worth the time to review from time to time.
You can start tracking traffic by downloading FireStats for WordPress here.
Not strictly a tracking metric, this plugin shows me what my visitors were searching for on my site, once they got here. This is more about learning what they want from me, once they find me, than how they found me.
And this can be very powerful information if you think about it. They found my site because of a keyword they typed in, but once they got to explore a little and see what I offered, it prompted them to look closer. For something specific. Hear me?
Now, all I have to do is deliver what they are looking for. Can you say … this is my next post?
You can get Psychic Search from MaxBlogPress right here. And check out some of the other plugins he offers. I use two or three of his since they are so well written, do exactly what they say they will do and are a bloggers best friend.
Okay, this isn’t all the traffic tracking I use, but this does represent the minimum I put on each blog.
I also use Where Did They Go From Here? A WordPress plugin modeled on the Amazon feature that helps them sell millions of dollars of products by placing unique views into their other products. Same concept, you just show them that visitors that read XYZ also enjoyed ABC. But that isn’t really about tracking traffic either, and is probably best served by a post all its own.


RECORD: Darwin, C. R. Geological diary: Bay. N. of Orange bay. [2.1833] CUL-DAR34.181-182 Transcribed by Kees Rookmaaker, edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Kees Rookmaaker, corrections and editing by John van Wyhe 4.2011. RN1
NOTE: This document, part of the largest scientific document composed by Darwin during the voyage of the Beagle, is written mostly in ink. Marginal notes are here integrated into the text.
Editorial symbols used in the transcription:
[some text] 'some text' is an editorial insertion
[some text] 'some text' is the conjectured reading of an ambiguous word or passage
[some text] 'some text' is a description of a word or passage that cannot be transcribed
< > word(s) destroyed
<some text> 'some text' is a description of a destroyed word or passage
Text in small red font is a hyperlink or notes added by the editors.
Reproduced with the permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin.
See the introduction to the Geological Diary by Gordon Chancellor.
Bay. N. of Orange bay. —
Rock. generally feldspathic with few few crystals of feldspar. Sometimes slaty — Othertime with angular cleavage, showing a tendency to become columnar. — (
Traversing the Hardy peninsula
Hills not lofty, become quite irregular & generally in rough paps. protruded irregularly from the outline of the hills. A slate range would appear to run in a line with Cape Weddell & bearing from West coast WNW. All the southern part would appear to be of the following description:
rocks. very various. of 5 or 6 small hills which I ascended: one was fine hornblende: — another feldspathic with crystals of feldspar & [acecular] one of hornblende. —
Another good trap (988.) with hornblende rock with much pyrite: — another hill. was greenstone
& feldspathic rock. — The most lofty hill was slaty feldspathic rock. — cleavage running about SE by E (true). — This is very remarkable as showing the intimate relation between this rock & the slate. — NB. these hills were surrounded on all sides by the crystalline rock. —
Another hill of large size was of a most singular nature being basaltic (easily fusible) with numerous yellow crystals. & dividing into
an angular small concretionary pieces: decomposing easily the detritus consisting of their pieces. rem on a large scale columnar. but not very regular — the rock very constant in character. reminded me of volcanic rock. — I have reason to believe. that
(991. —2. 3:
precisely similar rock (specimen & memory of Mr Bynoes) in the gulf of Penas: This hill. as the others is quite unconnected with all others & entirely formed of this rock. Yet the surface was covered by angular fragments of several varieties of greenstone:
There is a mass of rock lying between all these hills. & which would appear to be syenite. & resembling that on the southern arm of Beagle Channell. — The irregular form of hills, if submerged would explain the numberless islands of West coast. —
I imagine all these rocks, & the whole S. — Trap formation to be slate altered: (where the hills are conical mostly fused). — Perhaps
when after all the central granite chain was upheaved. we may suppose this great attention & disturbance in
in the slate formation:
((the quantity of pyrites in hornblende rock, accounted for by the iron formation in the slate))
Guanaco by the disjunction of alluvium in Navarin island. —
The anticlinal arches & dykes of greenstone show that since the SSW elevation there has been grand disturbance
The islands in [illeg] bay greenstone (?)
T. del Fuego. —
T. del Fuego. —] written perpendicular to other entries on the page, as a heading or title to these notes.
Return to homepage
Citation: John van Wyhe, editor. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
File last updated 22 March, 2013


Quality Management - Recommended Sources
Listed below are some specialist e-resources that are bought by the University that you may wish to explore.
There is also a list of useful websites.
Do remember to look at other subject pages such as Business and Management.
AccessEngineering is a collection of critical, regularly updated engineering reference information. It includes instructional videos, interactive tables and charts, as well as personalization tools.
Also includes key texts on operations management covering such areas as Kaizen, project management and Six Sigma.
This fantastic resource has captured UK terrestrial TV and radio programmes from 1998 onwards for anyone in UK universities to watch for free. You can create playlists and clips to embed in presentations, as well as putting in requests for recording. Look out for all the useful documentaries. (Not available to anyone outside the UK.)
A variety of reference works, including dictionaries, which tutors may well prefer to Wikipedia, and it even tells you how to set out a reference to what you find. Try out the 'Mind Map' option to see how your keyword links to others - useful for essay planning and dissertation work (use the arrow next to Basic Search to get to it).
Also includes the New Penguin Business Dictionary, Manufacturing Engineering Handbook and QFinance: The Ultimate Resource.
Useful short articles in their Knowledge Center plus selected articles from their Six Sigma Forum magazine.
A major professional body - some introductory factsheets and articles.
Contains useful introductory information about the EFQM model and some brief case studies of Prize winners of EFQM awards.
Good for practitioner articles from the Quality Digest Magazine but there are some interesting short videos too.


Okay, fine. They’re not completely whole grain. They’re fortified!
This is kind of a big step for me. I’m not the healthy-living blogger.
I honestly can’t tell you what you could use in their place if you don’t have them. I’m no expert in this arena (the component-gluten-free-flour-arena). All I can really tell you is that this combination works to make a crunchy, satisfying cereal with a really nice, wheat-like taste.
And it’s cute as the dickens.
Can you tell that I’m dying to make gluten-free Lucky Charms? After that, Fruit Loops. It has to be done!
Can I do it? I have no idea (that’s your cue to build me up with all sorts of false confidence).
But I’m going to try. Apparently I have nothing better to do.
See the teff? It’s the brown seedy stuff. The rice bran is on top of it. They’re mingling.
The moisture balance is really what this recipe is all about. So you may need to add more all-purpose flour as you go along. Just knead it in. There’s no butter and no oil. No eggs, either.
And the dough was well-floured enough that I was able to roll it out without covering it in parchment paper. If you find it’s sticky, flour it.
I used that sweet little star cutter you see in this mosaic. See how neatly they all fit in there, like a puzzle? I never take out more than 2 cutters at a time.
I’m fairly certain that I wouldn’t be able to put the whole puzzle back together with ease. So one or two at a time works just fine for me.
Be sure to flour that cutter.
Let’s face it. They’re adorable. Why is anything miniature … adorable? Because of babies?
Bake them 5 minutes, flip them, and bake 5 minutes more.
Then turn down the oven low low low, and crisp them as much as you like. I like them pretty crispy. Serve them in milk! Have them over yogurt!
This is super exciting. It’s a whole new category of somewhat senseless recipes that I see before me. Fun!
Here’s how I did it…
|Crunchy Whole Grain Cereal|
- 2 cups (280g) all-purpose gluten-free flour (I use Better Batter), plus more by the tablespoon
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if using Better Batter)
- Scant 1/3 cup (35g) gluten-free stabilized rice bran
- 2 tablespoons (25g) teff
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- pinch (1/8 teaspoon) baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup (109g) light brown sugar
- 2 cups buttermilk
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Set aside a nonstick rimmed baking sheet or a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, rice bran, teff, salt, baking soda, baking powder and brown sugar, and whisk to combine well. Add the buttermilk, and mix until the dough comes together. If the dough is sticky, add more flour by the tablespoon. Knead until smooth.
- Place the dough between lightly floured sheets of unbleached parchment paper, and roll it out 1/4 inch thick (see photo). Peel back the top piece of parchment paper, and cut out shapes in the dough a small, well-floured star-shaped cookie cutter (see photo). Place the stars right next to one another on the prepared baking sheet (they will not spread at all). Gather and reroll the scraps and repeat until no scraps remain (or you lose your patience – it gets tedious).
- Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 5 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and turn over each of the stars. Return to the oven and bake for another 3 to 5 minutes, or until beginning to brown on the underside. Turn the oven temperature down to 250 degrees and bake until nearly crunchy – checking every 10 minutes until done. It should take about another 20 minutes, depending upon how crunchy you prefer your cereal.
Don’t be afraid to add more all-purpose flour by the tablespoon if the dough is sticky. There aren’t too many ingredients to unbalance (no egg, no oil, no butter). The moisture level is really the only one, so tinker with it until it’s right.
Don’t skip the baking soda just because it’s present in such a small amount. It’s essential.
Have a spoonful. I’ve got plenty.


To educate, entertain, and enthuse those who venture beyond the shore. Over 15,230 articles on solo swims, pro races, relays, charity events, ice swims, eco-swims, stage swims, marathon swims, trends, products, services, personalities, coaches, governing bodies, rules, demographics, books, films, blogs, conferences, camps, clinics and happenings in oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, dams, canals, channels, fjords, estuaries, lochs, coves, firths, straits, bays, and harbors. Sponsored by WOWSA.org.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Hallucinations In The Open Water Swimming World
Swimmers can zone out for long or short periods where their mind thinks of nothing concrete, one specific thing over and over again, or lots of different thoughts crisscrossing the brain all at once.
Open water swimming can be relaxing and an effective means to get away from the pressures and stresses of the land.
It is alluring and inviting to achieve this level of separation from the responsibilities faced on terra firma. Renowned for its powers of re-invigoration and rejuvenation, swimming has an allure and a healthfulness about it that is undeniable.
While the repetitive act of pulling and kicking does require a level of focused thought, it is like riding a bicycle or driving a vehicle after learned and mastered. That is, the intensity of focus to actually be able to swim is not that high.
But there are times among certain athletes when the intensity of experience and chemical firings in the brain go into overdrive. Usually these athletes place themselves in extraordinarily extreme conditions where either the natural elements or sheer amount of time in the water push them over the brink, mentally. It is at these times that open water swimmers can begin to hallucinate in the water.
Hallucinations by swimmers in the open water occur, albeit rather infrequently. To the swimmer, these hallucinations are as vivid as real life, substantial enough to cause specific (negative) reactions, and occasionally involve marine life (e.g., sharks), imaginary creatures (e.g., monsters), or a transformation of oneself (e.g., into a tiny being), one's crew (e.g., into pirates), or other involvement by people in one's life (e.g., friends or family members).
Hallucinations can be potentially dangerous as channel swimmers can choose to swim away from their escort boat due to innate fear (of their crew) or misperceptions of intent (by their crew). Hallucinations can also lead to unintentional actions by the swimmer (e.g., punching of a crew member or yelling violently at a friend or spouse onboard the boat). The hallucinations can be visual (e.g., large creatures emerging from the depths), auditory (e.g., hearing of voices or orders to do something), tactile (e.g., a feeling of shrinking or enlarging), or a wide host of other sensory reaction to the environment or one's own self because of hypothermia, hyperthermia, fatigue, pain, or hunger.
More often than not, the hallucinations tend to be malicious, fearful, or scary. These bouts of perception can cause the swimmer to occasionally make self-determined decisions that are not in their best interests (e.g., not drinking or eating because they think their crew is feeding them poison or swimming away from their boat or support crew). At these times, the escort crew must make quick decisions whether to immediately pull the swimmer from the water or add another safety element to the equation (e.g., place a pace swimmer or additional kayaker near the swimmer) if so judged by the coach and crew. For once the swimmer starts to hallucinate, the inherent risk of the swim increases significantly and the probability of an unanticipated emergency occurring goes up substantially. If the swimmer and crew are far away from shore or qualified medical assistance, this is most definitely a situation to be avoided.
Photo shows an alert support crew, a pace swimmer, and kayakers supporting a channel swimmer in the Catalina Channel escorted by John Pittman on the Outrider.
Copyright © 2013 by Open Water Swimming
A Thank You Gift from WOWSA
|WOWSA is celebrating the|
1-Year Anniversary of the monthly Open Water Swimming Magazine
by giving you a free copy of the anniversary issue.
Open Water Swimming Magazine Anniversary Issue
File Size: 13MB
Download the file to your computer, and then right-click to extract the magazine which is inside the zip folder. The magazine is in PDF format.
CLICK HERE to download your free copy now.
Open Water Swimming Magazine
Open Water Swimming MagazineThe Open Water Swimming Magazine is the monthly magazine entirely focused on open water swimming heroes and heroines of every age, ability, and background. Published by the World Open Water Swimming Association, the Open Water Swimming Magazine is a free benefit to WOWSA members.
WOWSA Member Benefits include 12 issues of the Open Water Swimming Magazine, the annual 276-page Open Water Swimming Almanac, a free listing in Sponsor My Swim, outstanding product discounts from FINIS, an entry in Openwaterpedia and more...
The Other Shore
The Other Shore follows world record holder and legendary swimmer Diana Nyad as she comes out of a thirty-year retirement to re-attempt an elusive dream: swimming 103 miles non-stop from Cuba to Florida without the use of a shark cage. Her past and present collide in her obsession with a feat that nobody has ever accomplished. At the edge of The Devil’s Triangle, tropical storms, sharks, venomous jellyfish, and one of the strongest ocean currents in the world, all prove to be life-threatening realities. Timothy Wheeler’s documentary brings Diana Nyad’s extraordinary adventure to life as Diana sets out to prove that will and determination are all you need to make the unimaginable possible.
2014 Open Water Swimming Almanac
An Almanac for Open Water SwimmingAn almanac is essentially a body of knowledge which is so complete that it enables people in different fields to make predictions about the future of their respective industries.
This, for example, was the purpose of the traditional farmers almanacs. It enabled farmers to determine as accurately as possible which crops to plant for the greatest harvests in a given year.
But the farmers almanac was just one example among many.
There are, of course, many different kinds of almanacs.
In fact, there is even one for open water swimming...
Preview the Open Water Swimming Almanac:
The trends are very clear.
The tide is rising for open water swimming.


Welcome to Diamond Head Parasail, Oahu's premier parasail company. Founded by Greg, Mike and Mamie Longnecker. Greg is a big wave surfer and parasailer with over 30 years of experience. Parasailing tourists and water enthusiasts have been Greg's passion for over 2 decades. When he decided to start Diamond Head Parasail, he sought to bring an experience to the Islands that they have never seen before. With Greg's family and team of experienced captains and crew, your fun on the water is guaranteed! The family at Diamond Head Parasail is happy that you've found us online, so we invite you to book online with us now, and we will see you when you get here! We are conveniently located just 5 minutes from Waikiki.
Plan your own idyllic getaway with the Hawaii travel experts. Our partner, Pleasant Holidays, has created unforgettable vacations to the Hawaiian Islands for more than half a century, and can help you with all your travel arrangements.
Enhance your vacation with activities and experience the very best of the islands. From helicopter flights to snorkeling adventures, from luaus to eco-tours, Pleasant Activities has hundreds of engaging activities that will catch your fancy.


Gifted and Talented
How do you identify gifted and talented students?
Children are considered gifted and talented when they show evidence of the potential for high performance in intellect, creativity, artistic ability, leadership capacity, or a specific academic field. These students often require services outside of typical school activities to fully develop their capabilities.
All students deserve a chance to soar
The National Association for Gifted Children makes this compelling observation:
“Too often, giftedness is viewed exclusively as a trait that is manifested in high performance on ability tests, and as something that is inborn, fixed, and unchangeable. This conception persists in spite of the fact that the majority of states include potential to achieve in their definitions of giftedness.”
– Clarenbach & Olszewski-Kubilius (2012)
If we limit the definition of gifted and talented to only high-achieving students, then we miss a large population of students who have the potential to achieve greatness, if only they were given a chance to try.
How can I help potentially gifted students?
Renaissance assessment programs help identify students with the potential for giftedness.
Assess to screen & identify
Study growth data along with achievement
Identifying potentially gifted students helps you
- Create a rich environment where each child feels engaged, curious, and eager to learn more
- Be inclusive of many students’ potential to be gifted & talented
By giving all students an opportunity to excel
An ideal assessment solution simplifies the identification of gifted students by:
- Saving time by analysing data in a similar way to screening students for intervention and displaying that data on intuitive dashboards
- Providing a trustworthy growth measure to accurately represent student growth
- Showing you exactly what students know and what to teach next, with resources embedded to guide instruction


When ineptitude goes nuclear
The decision by the Morrison government to get nuclear-powered submarines rather than conventionally powered ones is correct. But like so many other decisions of the past 10 years, it has been carried out with a stunning ineptness and in a way that damages Australia’s national interests.
Why is the decision correct? Because our strategic needs have fundamentally changed. China is asserting a right to regional dominance in an increasingly aggressive way.
To get a flavour of how China sees us and other countries in our region, it’s useful to recall the words of then Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi at the ASEAN Regional Forum in July 2010. At the time, the ASEAN countries were raising their concerns about China’s actions in the South China Sea. Yang Jiechi said, “China is a big country, and other countries are small countries, and that is just a fact.”
This message, that the rest of us should know our place, permeates the language of China’s leaders and spokespeople. It’s a modern version of the Athenian Empire’s message to the Melians in Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War: “Right, as the world goes, is only in question between equals in power while the strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must.”
Our strategic maritime concerns relate now not just to the archipelago to our north but the wider Pacific. Conventional submarines are better suited to the former, but nuclear-powered submarines have much greater range and much greater speed, enabling them to carry out different tasks in the latter.
So if the decision was correct, what was so inept about the Morrison government’s performance?
First, it is the wild exaggeration of what had been achieved. AUKUS is not a treaty. There are no guarantees of mutual defence. Nor is it, as Prime Minister Scott Morrison cheesily described it, a “Forever Partnership”. In international affairs, nothing is forever. Rather it is a sensible arrangement with our longstanding defence matériel partners, the United States and Britain, for access to the latest and best technology – a significant forward step built on existing habits and practice.
The government presented this as the single most important defence and foreign policy development since the ANZUS Treaty in 1951. Wrong. Along with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990, the most important strategic development since ANZUS is the rise of China, which the West did everything it could to support and encourage as peaceful but which on the Chinese side has turned to increasingly hostile words and deeds.
The Morrison government’s absurd overcharacterisation of the deal, and its risible, third-grade marketing of it, made something worthwhile appear, depending on your viewpoint, to be either epochal or ridiculous, neither of which is true. Further, the government’s exaggeration of its importance made it seem like a turn from our long-worked-for engagement with Asia to seeking refuge and comfort in the Anglosphere’s bosom.
The negative Chinese reaction, of course, reeks of hypocrisy. The Chinese military build-up on land, sea, in the air and in space has exploded in the past 10 years. China has submarines to burn and plans to build plenty more. It can hardly complain about Australia going a small way down the same path.
Nevertheless, the way government did this has deeply offended many countries who are our friends and supporters. The outrage of France is entirely justified. Australia had every right to make this decision, but we did not have the right to keep suggesting to France, during the many months the government negotiated the new deal with the US and Britain, that while there were problems with the French project it was still possible to work them out.
The blindsiding of French President Emmanuel Macron is a blow to French prestige and his own personal standing. Macron and his government are important players in the Pacific, had taken our side in our problems with China, had intended to do much more in strategic co-operation with us, and were bringing the European Union with them. France remains a major power. With Angela Merkel’s departure as German chancellor, Macron will be the major player in the EU.
France’s justified upset over the government’s subterfuge and cowardly deceit will weaken us severely in the EU. Even worse, it undermined the confidence of France and the EU in the US, which once again left its European allies in the dark. The behaviour of President Joe Biden in this episode is seen as being as bad as that of Donald Trump before him. Biden has Scott Morrison to thank for putting him in that position.
It was always going to be uncomfortable to explain this decision to France, but it was not impossible. It is deeply worrying that Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade should have become so weakened in influence that it did not, or could not, persuade the government to deal with France in a timely, honest and straightforward manner.
We needed to tell France well in advance, quietly, from prime minister to president, from foreign minister to foreign minister, from defence minister to defence minister, why Australia had decided that strategic necessity now demanded nuclear-powered rather than conventionally powered vessels.
We could have explained that while France’s Barracuda nuclear-powered submarine is excellent, its nuclear propulsion system would require development in Australia of a domestic nuclear industry – for us, not politically tenable. The Barracuda’s American equivalent does not because its reactor lasts for the life of the submarine.
France would not have been happy but it would not have been grotesquely deceived and humiliated, rather treated with the respect to which friends are entitled.
This is Diplomacy 101, but diplomacy seems to have been forgotten in the febrile alarmism that has taken hold in Australia’s security establishment and now dominates our national discourse on external relations. The relative decline in DFAT’s resourcing and influence is a critical related factor.
Of further concern is that balanced, calm and professional US State Department influence was nowhere evident. How could the State Department be so clueless as to let this happen? Biden quickly made contact with Macron and acknowledged it was a serious mistake not to tell France well in advance – something the US had unwisely left to Australia to do.
There is another deep, domestic concern to policy in this area, and that is the fact this submarine debacle has run for nearly a decade. When Tony Abbott became prime minister in 2013 he set out to implement Kevin Rudd’s commitment several years earlier for 12 new conventionally powered submarines. Abbott wanted a Japanese submarine but that fell over. His successor, Malcolm Turnbull, decided on the French submarine. That’s been axed.
Now we have a plan to have an American or British submarine that will not be delivered until close to 2040 at the earliest. What do we do in the meantime? We have six ageing conventionally powered subs needing major refurbishment during that time, reducing the number available at any moment to, at best, just four. Perhaps we should ask the Chinese to put off any military action until after 2040 when we will be ready, sort of.
Further, continuation of the idea that we can build these extremely complex and sophisticated subs from scratch in Adelaide is some sort of joke. This fact bedevilled the now jettisoned deal with France from the outset. The requirement for an Australian build from day one was unnecessarily welded onto it for political reasons by the government with marginal South Australian seats in mind.
To state the obvious: security and defence needs should guide Australian policy, not the political needs of the government of the day. The first few subs of the new deal should be built in Britain or the US, with Australian engineers, technicians and seafarers on site and part of the build, learning the necessary capabilities as the prelude to transferring the skills here. Even then, it will be decades, if ever, before we’re capable of doing this on our own.
In the meantime, Australia needs to fill the gap by leasing a number of these submarines as soon as possible, something the government has belatedly canvassed.
Lastly, Australia’s habit of requiring massive modifications to our defence acquisitions, which create significant operational problems, huge additional lead times and vastly higher costs, must end.
It is to Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese’s credit that he instantly recognised the basic strategic decision underlying the new subs deal as correct. If it wins the next election, Labor will face a huge challenge remedying the stunning incompetence of recent defence matériel decision-making. With Penny Wong as Foreign minister, Australia may once again recognise the importance of diplomacy rather than fall into the lazy chest-beating characteristic of the Morrison government.
For too long the government and security community have sounded as though they could hardly wait to get into a biff with China. This way lies disaster for our nation, especially when we can’t organise a submarine fleet to save ourselves.
This article was first published in the print edition of The Saturday Paper on Oct 9, 2021 as "When ineptitude goes nuclear".
A free press is one you pay for. In the short term, the economic fallout from coronavirus has taken about a third of our revenue. We will survive this crisis, but we need the support of readers. Now is the time to subscribe.
Letters & Editorial


|Mark gets ready to band|
the Nixon quints
There is lots of action at Meadow Glenn these days. Our quintuplets are doing well—eating regularly and rapidly growing both in size and feathers.
Our quints are baby bluebirds. A bluebird pair chose our front-yard bluebird box as their nesting site this spring. Four weeks ago, Mark Wallace, whom we call “Our Bluebird Guy,” announced that the box contained five light-blue eggs. Then for about two weeks, the parent bluebirds brought insects to their brood of five every few minutes from sunrise to sunset—and occasionally carrying away the bird equivalent of dirty Huggies.
We think Mark is a neighborhood hero. He monitors nesting boxes in Howard County and a few neighborhoods in nearby counties—more than 600 boxes. He visits some of the boxes as many as six to eight times over the nesting season, and he’s been doing it for 40 years.
Why? “It’s just my contribution,” he answered.
Mark checks the condition of the boxes in early spring. When nesting begins, he monitors more closely. His years of experience give him a pretty good idea of when the eggs will hatch and when the young birds will fledge—leave the box on their first flights.
That’s why Mark came on a recent Friday afternoon. He wanted to band the young bluebirds before they fledged, and he was concerned that he might have waited a day or two too long and they might have left.
Mark removed the screw that holds the top on the box, and mounted the five-gallon bucket he carries as his ladder, and looked in.
“I’ll have to be careful. I don’t want to have to chase and catch one that decides to take off now.”
Mark reached in, and brought out a nestling, which he held gently in his left hand. The bird was calm.
“Female,” Mark said, and he attached a numbered band on the bird’s right leg. He put the baby back into the box, to one side, to help him keep track of which birds had been banded.
How does he know females from males? Baby females have much less blue in their feathers.
“Female,” Mark said, as he repeated the process.
|One of the three males|
“Male,” he said again.
“Male,” he said for the last time. Three males, two females—the Nixon Bluebird Quints.
“When do you think they’ll leave?” I queried.
“They could leave today if they wanted,” Mark replied.
Saturday evening the parent bluebirds still were taking food into the box. On Sunday all was quiet. The flights had ended. The nest was empty. But now I hear a delightful sound, the “Cheer, cheer” songs of seven bluebirds. I hope they’re saying, “Let stay here at Meadow Glenn and search the gardens for our favorite insects to eat.”
One day soon Mark will drive his gray Ford pickup down our driveway, park, and walk over to the bluebird box. He’ll open it and clean out the old nest, so the box will be ready for the bluebirds—or another pair—to start building a new nest. Some pairs will nest three times in one year.
Most of the boxes he monitors and the birds he bands are bluebirds, but his nesting list is much longer: tree swallows, chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, even great crested flycatchers and wood ducks.
When Mark finished banding the Nixon Bluebird Quints, he looked at this watch, said he had to leave to go to work in 15 minutes, and walked across the lawn to the box on the fence by the Gabels’ swimming pool.
“Three females, two males—about two days younger than yours,” he said, when he returned to his truck. “Not bad—five females, five males in the two boxes.”
Mark looked at his watch again. “I’ve got to get going.”
Thank you, Mark, Our Bluebird Guy.


Free Week 1 Prediction: Tigers vs Green Wave Odds
Looking for Grambling Tigers vs. Tulane Green Wave free picks? Week 1 betting sees the Tigers taking on the Green Wave Saturday, September 2nd at Yulman Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana. Cappers Picks provides complimentary handicapping picks all NCAA football season long so stay tuned for more FREE college football predictions like this Grambling Tulane free pick.
College Football Handicapping: Week 1
(0-0) Grambling Tigers vs. Tulane Green Wave (0-0)
Date: Saturday, September 2nd
Time: 8:00 pm EST
Venue: Yulman Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana
NCAA Football Spread: OFF
NCAA Betting Total: OFF
Live CFB Odds
Updated Sportsbook Bonuses For Today
We have finally reached week one of the college football season with a full plate of games. The best part of a new season is that every team feels like they can have a good season, and that this is the season where they can reach all their goals.
One of the games to take place in week one takes place at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans. The Grambling Tigers come to town to take on the Tulane Green Wave.
This is the first meeting between the teams in recent history.
The Grambling State Tigers had an impressive 2016 season in which they finished with an 11-1 record and first place in the SWAC West division. The only loss all season came against the Arizona Wildcats.
Coming into this season the Tigers have been getting all kind of praise. They are the favorites to win the SWAC conference this year, and they have all kinds of players on preseason watch lists.
Back for the Tigers is quarterback Devante Kincade, who had a special year last year. He threw for 3,022 yards and 31 touchdowns and limited his interceptions, only throwing four of those.
On the defensive side of the the ball Grambling was good too. They shutout two teams last year, and with almost all of the pieces back for this team, they should be a force to be reckoned with.
To win this game they can’t be over confident. They know they have the players and the talent to win this game, but they need to be fundamental and make sure they come out fast.
Tulane Green Wave
The Tulane Green Wave look to have a much better year this year, as they had a really down year last year. They finished last year with a 4-8 record and 6th place in the American West conference.
The Green Wave is a run first offense, but if this team wants to improve, the offense needs to pass the ball better.
Last year they were the third worst passing team in all of the country. Now they don’t need to throw 300 yards a game, but even if they are a threat to throw the ball, that will really open up the running game even more.
On the defensive side of the ball the Green Wave were good, but the wins didn’t come because of the offense. They finished 31st in all the country in total yards allowed.
In this game the Green Waves defense needs to be good. If they aren’t good in this game, the Tigers will just run up the score on them and the game could get really ugly early.
The offense also needs to play better, because this game isn’t going to be a 10-7 final score, it’s going to be a lot higher then that.
Free Week 1 NCAA Football Pick
The Grambling State Tigers are going to get their season off to a really nice start in this one.
4* Free NCAA Betting Pick: There is no line yet. A final score prediction is provided below.
Their offense is going to be too much and there is no way that the Green Wave and their offense will be able to keep pace.
The Tigers will win this gam, and it won’t really be close.
Week 1 Free Score Prediction: Tigers 35 – Green Wave 17
If you’re looking for more picks like this Grambling Tigers vs. Tulane Green Wave matchup we’ll be providing 4* free College football game predictions on the blog all bowl season long, and check out our Experts for guaranteed premium & free CFB Football picks!
Check out our Updated College Football Betting Odds.


Expanding a Program at St. John’s: Facility Rental
For the new year, the Vestry wants to expand our missional focus of sharing our space and resources. They have voted to expand our rental program to include a focused effort on renting our commercial kitchen. Not only will this expand our reach into the community, it will also enable new entrepreneurs who are a part of the evolving Kingston “foodie” scene, to have a place to develop their craft and their business.
Because we will increase the income we receive from this part of our budget, we are hiring two new part time employees to support the rental program – a Sexton and a Rental Manager. These two positions will directly support the rental program. The Sexton will ensure that the facility is clean and well-maintained (this includes the Rectory and the grounds) and the Rental Manager will ensure that people know about our facility and will manage communications and contracts with all of our renters.
We need your help! You can find these job descriptions on our website at Employment Opportunities – St. John’s Kingston. Will you please share these job descriptions with people you know? You may know someone looking for a job like this or you may know someone who can get the word out to a wider group of people. You can download them from the website and email them as attachments or just email the link to this page of the website.
And stay tuned for more information! Soon, we will have a page on our website devoted to our expanded rental program and other ways to pass along information to those who want to become a part of our extended St. John’s Community.
Rectory Heating Update!
The Buildings and Grounds Committee worked hard over the Christmas season to do some good, solid research on options – including those that explored the possibility of getting the Rectory off of fossil fuels. There were several options to choose from and they also consulted with the architect who is consulting on our larger project of roof repair and accessibility concerns in the church building. In the end, because the Rectory is an historic structure with stone walls, the choice was clear and the Vestry voted unanimously to accept the recommendation by the Buildings and Grounds Committee.
Rev. Michelle is deeply thankful for the ministry of both groups and the effort they made to expand their knowledge and ask the right questions. Well done!
The Endless Season of Uncertainty
I love to make plans. You can ask my wife Ana… I spend so much time and effort creating my own planner each year out of a dot journal, including pages for planning my garden, my wish list for books to read, and my plans for liturgy and formation at St. John’s. This year, Ana and I also spent a few days doing some vision boards together so that we could become more intentional about our life together.
I find this to be an extremely life-giving practice every year because it offers an opportunity for reflection about what’s important in my life and my ministry. In other words, it’s a form of prayer – listening to God’s Holy Spirit inform my choices so, when I’m tired or become upset about something, I can refocus myself instead of just waiting for the next thing… which is more like a default setting for me. It’s an opportunity to recommit myself, just as prayer always is.
It was during this process over the past couple of weeks, that I realized the exact source of why this Christmas has been so difficult for so many of us – uncertainty. Last Christmas was challenging but this Christmas, we were hit with a new surge just when we thought we might have figured a few things out. This pandemic has most definitely created a great deal of fear and anxiety in our lives. So much life has been lost. And, underlying all of this, is this endless season of uncertainty. So much for all my planning, right?
When the pandemic started, we thought if we marshalled our efforts, we could “get back to normal.” Soon, of course, we realized that wasn’t going to work because, as we’ve observed, vaccines are a big help but they aren’t eradicating anything. And I don’t know one person who isn’t tired of masks and Zoom. The deeper issue is that we are wholly uncertain, and we don’t know when our uncertainty is going to end.
In our liturgical life of the church, we are given seasons of uncertainty to dwell in the experience of not-knowing – Advent and Holy Week come to mind. Even still, neither of those quite hold the space for what we are going through, mostly because we know those seasons end in our two most joyous festivals and… they are short. The reality is, we don’t know what’s at “the end” and we don’t know when that end will be.
What I do know, is that God is in this with us. I believe that with everything I am. But I also know that it helps to acknowledge just how helpless and vulnerable and, perhaps, angry, all this uncertainty makes us feel. To give it a name gives us the power to lift ourselves and reach out a hand to help lift others. In so doing, we usually find that God is right there doing all the lifting for us.
So, in the midst of this season of uncertainty, what is it that we can make plans for? How do we recommit ourselves to our deepest values and our own heart’s desire?
I offer a quote from Madeleine L’Engle who lived nearby in Litchfield, CT and wrote A Wrinkle in Time – a beautiful mix of Christian faith and science. This quote isn’t from that book, but from her larger work.
Unclench your fists
Hold out your hands.
Let us hold each other.
Thus is God’s Glory
As we begin this new year, having knelt at the manger of Love’s birth among us, may we recommit ourselves to this path and to one another as we follow Christ’s light in the way of truth and love.
In God’s love and mine,
January 9, 2022
Page Turners Book Club: The books for the next several months have been announced: February 1- Oh, William, by Elizabeth Strout; March 1-The Rules of Magic, by Alice Hoffman; April 5- Cloud Cuckoo Land, by Anthony Doerr; May 3- The Murmur of Bees, by Sofia Segova. Speak with Lynn Dennison for more information.
EfM- Education for Ministry: Participants in the Episcopal Church program, EfM, spend a year studying each of these 4 topics: Hebrew Bible, New Testament, church history, and theology/ethics and commit to one year at a time. While the course materials provide academic content, the focus of the program is on understanding the call to ministry in our daily lives. EfM provides Christians with a life skill which creates a foundation for Christian ministry — theological reflection. A new group is forming soon in our area! If you are interested, please contact Deacon Teri Jones, group mentor, at firstname.lastname@example.org or 845-453-0422.
Announcing a new program at St. John’s!
Click here for more info!
Have an announcement?
Please send by Wednesday at noon to email@example.com.
St. John’s Upcoming Schedule
Jan 30: St. John’s Annual Meeting and Ministry Fair
Feb 27: Building the Lent Ark, from 2-4 pm at St. John’s
Mar 1: Shrove Tuesday
Mar 2: Ash Wednesday
Mar 5: Vestry Retreat at Huntington House
Apr 10: Palm Sunday
Apr 14: Maundy Thursday
Apr 15: Good Friday
Apr 16: Holy Saturday and Easter Vigil
Apr 17: Easter Sunday


This was a cookie-cutter book up until the last quarter. It's very formulaic - in lieu of Twilight and 50SoG and similar romance novels. You even get a first chapter from Marcus's POV in the end.Boy meets girl. Girl thinks she's nothing special. He has never loved before, but falls madly in love with her, and after three days together they are both in too deep and their love is eternal. There's a best friend that the hero is jealous of, and the heroine is jealous of all the women flocking over hero. Et cetera, et cetera.Don't get me wrong - I did like it. I liked Mia even though she turns from this strong female character into a sad pathetic girl and generally contradicts everything she tells us about herself.My main problem with her was - I know she's in love (as unreasonable as it may be) but I still thought she should have ran away after she learned the kind of business he was in. Then I thought it again, after she learns she is pregnant. Especially when she learns she is pregnant. I honestly don't have a maternal bone in me, but I thought she should have left him for the sake of that child involved. And because she didn't, I thought she was extremely selfish and immature - and there goes that strong female character right out the window. That is no life for a child, not if she could do something about it, and she chose not to.Marcus is the weakest, saddest hero I have read in quite a while. For the duration of ~320 pages he is constantly whining, crying, self-pitying, apologizing, wallowing, and just generally being pathetic. Wasn't he supposed to be a capable, strong man? Certainly, with his way of life I expected a lot more backbone from him, a little more control of his feelings - and temper! Again, don't get me wrong, I understood his "situation". I ended up warming up to him but in the end I still wasn't fully convinced. While I don't mind a little bit of man-crying, after a while whenever he would cry or do the whole self-pitying thing I was rolling my eyes.There is a plot twist you wouldn't expect. I didn't see it coming and I thought it was great and it actually made sense.Writing wise, I'd say it was okay. Of course, it could have used some more editing, but I didn't mind so much. What I did mind was the way author just sort of told us what happened - like a recap every once in a while, instead of showing us. There was a part where Mia says that they got to know each other better (something about talking about movies, foods, hobbies, making fun of each other, sneaking a pizza into her room, etc) and I felt cheated because we didn't get to see it, she just told us about it.Another thing I really disliked was the "mmmmh" - it's used 11 times in both dialogue and narrative, and from all three characters' POV.I just wish the majority of the book was as the last quarter, after the breakup, when things kind of start happening and it gets interesting. I will read the sequel, because I want to know what happens next, though.


I can’t believe we haven’t done a post of Takashi Miike’s Audition yet. I was looking through a list of the top horror movies of all time. There were only 2 in the top 20 that we haven’t covered and one of those was Audition
. This is one of the few posters I’ve posted that scares me. I’m not a big fan of needles, which is like saying I’m not a big fan of getting punched in the face.
The first movie I saw by Takashi Miike was The Happiness of the Katakuris. I watched it with Streebo and it was odd to say the least, but fun. I’ve seen many others since, the most recent being Sukiyaki Western Django which starred Quentin Tarantino of all people. If you check out Takashi Miike’s IMDB page, you’ll notice that he puts out a ton of films. He doesn’t do the one film every 5 years thing. He’s directed 89 films since 1991 (Straw Shield is still in post production at this time).
Learn more about Audition after the leap.
IMDB describes Audition as, “A widower takes an offer to screen girls at a special audition, arranged for him by a friend to find him a new wife. The one he fancies is not who she appears to be after all.” This is a movie that people talk about, I remember when people started talking about and discussing the twisted things this girl does….horrible things. Audition stars Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Tetsu Sawaki and Jun Kunimura. One interesting thing about the film is when the film was screened at the Rotterdam Film Festival 2000 it had a record number of walkouts. At the Swiss premiere someone passed out and needed emergency room attention. Now that is an intense film.
It seems that most of the scenes from Audition on YouTube are blocked for content (which is understandable) so I can’t really put them on here. It also seems that there aren’t many English interviews with Takashi Miike. So I’ll just show some pictures.


Catering to the demands of customers for unparalleled quality FRP related products is what we are appreciated for doing. We are Vikas Fiber
, a Faridabad settled manufacturer
. We started functioning in the year 2014
and since then we have been bringing forward corrosion resistant, structurally perfect, strong and durable FRP Tank, FRP Dome, FRP Cooler, FRP Door
, with a plethora of many other FRP Products. Using composite material fiber-reinforced plastic, we manufacture aforesaid products in many sizes and designs.
We have a modern production unit, fitted with advanced moulding, cutting, shaping and other machines. Our 10 experienced experts handle all the tasks, from production to delivery. Customers being the center of all our policies like us because we provide to them products, particularly doors and domes in preferred size. Handling the company so well that it keeps on setting milestones every year are Mr. Subhash Kumar and Mr. Vikash Jha. They are the pillars of the company, who have been making sure that customers requirements are properly and perfectly met. Market Expertise
Its been five years since we started manufacturing FRP Door, FRP Dome and many other FRP products. In these years we have gained huge market knowledge. From customers requirements to their expectations, we now know it all as we have many years of experience in dealing with clients serving and working in different industries. Why FRP Dominates Our Range?
There are many materials using which we can make dome, door, cooler and other products but yet we are choosing FRP fiber-reinforced polymer every time to manufacture aforesaid products because we want to give customers a complete value of what they are investing in. FRP, needless to say dominates our range and behind this there are many reasons. A few reasons are as follows:
- Using FRP sturdy and strong products are made which are likely to not get affected due to harsh environment and weather conditions. Also, they serve for a longer time period.
- The potency of corrosion resistance in our FRP Door, FRP Dome and other products is excellent and that's because we conduct Pultrusions process while making FRP products. The structural integrity stays same unlike most metal products which corrode with time.
- FRP creations have the ability of withstanding fumes, spills and submersion.
- Easy installation helps customers to not overspend on installation as some products do. Only simple and easy to handle tools are used in installation.


Breasts are an important factor for many women regarding their femininity, figure, and appearance. Some women with naturally smaller chest sizes may want a rounder, curvier look. Breast augmentation is a way of achieving a more balanced, enhanced appearance with long-lasting results. Additionally, the operation could counteract changes to breast size and shape resulting from weight loss, aging, or pregnancy.
In addition to physical improvements, our clinic offers breast augmentation in West Hills to help boost a woman’s confidence and self-esteem. If you are considering this procedure, schedule a consultation with AESTHETICA LA today to learn about your options from a board-certified surgeon.
Many women want to enhance their breast size for a wide variety of cosmetic and physical reasons. Typically, patients seek out the surgery because they feel their natural breast size is too small or their breasts have changed due to pregnancy, aging, or weight loss. The procedure restores breast volume and contours using either implants or fat transfer.
Beyond increasing breast size, breast augmentation surgery provides several other physical enhancements. For example, the procedure could improve breast symmetry, lift breast placement on the chest, and balance body proportions. Experienced surgeon Dr. Yaghoubian consults with patients on a plan to create the perfect harmonious proportions of the chest and hips, a crucial factor of an hourglass figure.
At our West Hills clinic, we offer two surgical methods for breast augmentation, depending on a patient’s specific goals.
Most patients opt for the traditional use of silicone or saline breast implants during the procedure, which allows them to choose their ideal implant material, size, and shape. Implants result in breasts that are firmer, rounder, and project farther from the chest than with fat transfers. Breast implants will require replacement every ten to 15 years.
Breast augmentation using a fat transfer produces more natural-looking results due to the natural body materials used. As a result, breasts enhanced with this method are not immune from natural aging signs, such as breast sagging and stretched skin. Some women may not qualify for this procedure if there is not enough extra tissue in other body areas for the transfer. In an initial consultation, Dr. Yaghoubian can help a patient determine whether they are a good candidate for breast augmentation through fat transfer.
Recovery after a breast augmentation takes several weeks before swelling, bruising, and soreness subside. A patient should wait at least two weeks before returning to work and resuming strenuous activities. Our skilled surgeon can further explain the recovery process for a breast augmentation surgery and help a patient prepare for the post-operation.
Though many people think breast augmentation surgery is solely for increasing breast size, the operation provides various physical enhancements. Additionally, most women gain higher self-confidence and self-esteem levels after the surgery. Ultimately, there are many different reasons for seeking breast augmentation in West Hills, and the skilled surgical team at AESTHETICA LA can help you reap the benefits and meet your specific goals.
In a consultation, our doctor will help determine which surgical method and plan is right for you and your needs. If you are considering this surgery, call us today and get answers to all your questions.


The Tektronix P6230 and P6231 are passive ×10 (450:50 Ω) probes with 1.5 GHz bandwidth and DC offset capability, intended to minimize DC probe-loading effect when used on logic circuits.
The P6230 has an offset control potentiometer in the termination box and connects to the scope, e.g. 7000 series scopes, through a BNC connector with ×10 readout pin. It can be powered from 7000 series mainframes having LEMO S-series connectors for probe power, or compatible units such as the 1101.
The P6230/6231 shares accessories with many other Tektronix subminiature modular probes although the input hybrid is unique. Tip color is yellow, connector end color is blue, part number 206-0279-00. Its end to end resistance is 400 Ω.
|Bandwidth||DC to ≥ 1.5 GHz|
|Rise time||≤ 230 ps|
|Input Impedance||450 Ω // 1.3 pF (1.6 pF guaranteed)|
|Signal delay||8.7 ± 0.1 ns|
|DC Offset range||-5 V ≤ (Vsignal + Voffset) ≤ +5 V|
The P6230/6231 probes are sometimes described as FET probes or active probes, however, as the circuit diagram clearly shows, this is not correct. After the 400 Ω input hybrid, the AC component of the input signal is connected directly to the scope input through a 1 μF capacitor, then terminated in 50 Ω either in the scope input or the switchable terminator. The active circuit in the P623x, a standard NE5532 dual opamp, has the function of restoring and offsetting the input signal's low-frequency and DC components. This approach is similar to the feed-beside technique used in the 7104 scope and 7A29 amplifier.
Tek explains the raison d'être for the P6230/P6231 thus:
The P6230 acts as a standard 500 Ω passive voltage probe with the additional capability of having an adjustable tip "nulling voltage." This feature reduces the dc-loading effects on the probe when it is used to measure signals whose mid-voltage value is other than zero volts, or in circuits where the termination impedance is returned to other than ground level. The Input Bias/Offset Voltage may be adjusted so that at a particular test-signal voltage both ends of the probe input-resistor are at equal potentials and no current is flowing through the resistor.
ECL logic is most commonly operated from a -5.2 V supply with Vcc connected to ground. The output of an ECL gate is the emitter of an NPN emitter follower stage. The output is pulled down to a negative supply (about -2 V) with an external resistor (50 Ω to 100 Ω). Since speed is a major consideration in ECL designs, the interconnections between gates are often transmission lines, and the pull-down resistor doubles as a line termination.
If a standard 500 Ω, 10× probe without the input Bias/Offset feature were used to examine an ECL output, the probe's 500 Ω resistance to ground would form a voltage divider with the gate's output-termination resistor. This divider can cause distortion of the output signal levels, shift the DC operation point of the output transistor, and reduce the gate's noise margin.
The DC-load nulling capability of the P6230 helps to solve this problem. By adjusting the Input Bias/Offset Voltage to the ECL low level or to the termination voltage, the only effect of the probe resistance will be a small decrease in the ECL output-termination resistance. The effect of the probe on output voltage levels is negligible.
- P6230 Operator's manual (PDFl, OCR)
- P6231 Instructions manual (PDF, OCR)
- Tektronix P6203 P6204 P6205 P6217 P6231 Catalog Specs (PDF)
|P6230 Catalog price||$385||$395||$395||$420||$525||–|
|P6231 Catalog price||–||–||$410||$410||$525||$799|


Five Ways to Improve your Science Writing
By Gwen Pearson
Quick: You have 10 seconds. Make me care about your research.
You have only 10 seconds to engage someone’s attention and get them to read your article, before they move on and click away. Online information is cheap and easy to find; it’s attention that is expensive and hard to get.
Which of these is more engaging?
Technical version: Insect exoskeletons pass through a bat’s digestive tract relatively unchanged other than mastication and mechanical damage. Therefore, the reflective properties of the cuticle remain unchanged.
Public version: Bats have sparkly poop because they eat insects.
Which can you read in 10 seconds?
Which can you read in 10 seconds at the same time that your email is popping up notifications on your computer, someone is texting you on your phone, and you’re wishing your empty coffee cup was full?
This is the challenge of writing for the general public — or for that matter, for anyone not in your particular sub-field. Scientists writing for a general audience compete in a space already bursting with exciting media. We’re up against teams of creative professionals producing content with cute baby mammals, clever graphics, professional athletes, explosions, and cleavage.
How can you grab someone’s attention long enough to get them interested in your information? What tricks can you use as a writer to make your writing more interesting? At the 2014 ESA Annual Meeting I facilitated a session to share what I’ve learned as an entomologist turned professional writer. Here’s a summary of what I talked about, and a handy PDF Checklist you can use in your writing.
1. Start with a great title.
Begin with the ending in mind. A reader should be able to tell what your story is about from just the headline. Ideally, your headline will be seven words or less to aid in scanning by a busy reader.
When someone is searching for information, or your story is posted on Facebook, all a reader sees is the title and first line or summary of the article. Fine-tuning those to be attention-getting ensures that people click and read on your information. Adding in a cute or interesting photo helps the information spread.
One of the exercises I gave people to do in the workshop was to rewrite their dissertation title or last publication as a “click-bait” title. Here’s a great example:
Technical Version: The Effects of Kernel Feeding by Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) on Commercial Hazelnuts. Hedstrom, C. S.; Shearer, P. W.; Miller, J. C.; Walton, V. M. Journal of Economic Entomology, Volume 107, Number 5, October 2014.
Public Version: Four Ways Stink Bugs Will Shrivel Your Nuts.
As entomologists, we have interesting and useful information to offer. Because much of it is buried in jargon, it’s passed over in favor of more accessible information — which may or may not be correct.
2. Have a great first sentence and a grabby first paragraph.
From the moment we draft our first lab reports, scientists are trained to be passive and highly detailed. Our scientific papers start with tons of background information and minutia. That’s our default setting. Unfortunately, that’s the worst possible way to write for a popular, non-scientist audience.
“Don’t Bury the Lede” is journalism slang that describes a common failure of scientists writing for the general public. The lede (or lead) is buried when you don’t mention the most important, interesting, or attention-grabbing elements of a story in the first paragraph.
Once someone has clicked on your story, the first sentence needs to be interesting enough on its own to make them keep reading. Each sentence should tug the reader along until they are hooked.
Remember, at each step, you are competing with all the other things in the world demanding attention. Front-load your article so a reader in a hurry could read just the first paragraph and get the gist of the story.
3. Make it clear why the reader should care.
The biggest hurdle you face in spreading your science is the “So What?” response. Make it clear to readers why your information is relevant to their lives. If your message is scientifically accurate but not relevant to cultural understanding, it will not be useful. You need to know your audience, and write using their language and motivations. “Everyone on the Internet” is not a realistic target audience.
Clearly signal if you are writing a “How-To” for a common problem; those are some of the most popular articles on the Internet. Surprise and curiosity work too for getting readers engaged.
4. Use the Power of Narrative.
We all have great stories about our research; some are hilarious, some terrifying. Add those into your work. Humans are programmed to love a story, and will remember facts embedded in stories longer than just factoids alone. By making humans (including researchers) characters in your writing, your story will be more engaging. Photos help draw the reader further into the world you are describing to them.
Without a human context, data is just a confusing list of facts. Using emotions can make the story come alive for readers; humor, surprise, or pathos can all create a mood. Make the research and the people doing it active players. Don’t use passive voice (i.e, passive voice is to be avoided).
5. Keep Facts and Sources Clear.
A critical way people evaluate online information is trust. It’s important that conclusions can be traced back to their source, and that funding and possible conflicts of interest are made clear. Transparency creates trust in readers — and lets them fact-check you, if they are so inclined.
You can prime a reader for complex information with warning language (for example, by using phrases such as “this part is complex” or “but that is a myth”) that tells them they need to take their brains off auto-pilot and pay attention. Ideally, introduce just one new concept per paragraph; don’t overload in an info-dump.
Specialized jargon should be removed or explained; a great way to test your writing is to use a readability test, or if you really want a challenge, Up-Goer Five. When using acronyms, make sure you spell them out.
The average reading level in the U.S. is at the eighth-grade level. Usually when I mention reading levels, there is a great deal of huffing and puffing about “dumbing down.” In response to that, I have several short pithy words that I’m not allowed to print here at Entomology Today.
We aren’t making information simple for stupid people; we are translating our complex disciplinary language for non-native speakers of science. Those non-native speakers are busy and smart. Ed Yong described this process this nicely as “rounding ideas.” It’s imprecise, but not incorrect. If people don’t understand scientific information, it’s because we haven’t explained it well.
Sometimes this is because we forget that some information is “Nice to Know,” not “Need to Know.” Not every bit of information is needed for an informed citizenry. Cut, chop, and cut again all the details that aren’t essential. And get someone who is not a scientist to read your work and tell you what they find confusing.
The single best way to be a better writer is to write. So get busy.
Handy Resources and Data:
Not on the PDF, but useful:
- SciComm Resource Guide from Ecological Society of America
- AAAS Communicating Science Resources
- Plain Language Training Exercises
- How to interview a scientist, for beginners
- Advice for Writers and Journalists of Color
- Science of Virality
Gwen Pearson is the entomologist formerly known as Bug Girl. She obtained her PhD in entomology from North Carolina State University, and her Charismatic Minifauna blog appears in WIRED Magazine. Follow her on Twitter at @bug_gwen. In case anyone is interested, she edited this post over 40 times and is still not completely satisfied with it.


Where is Chris Kirkland now?
Ex Liverpool and Coventry City goalkeeper Chris Kirkland retired from playing professionally in 2016 after a brief spell at League One side Bury.
Kirkland originally joined Bury on a one-year contract but left the club weeks later after making the decision to put his “family’s future and wellbeing first“.
Check out these great deals on replica football shirts and grab yourself a bargain.
When Kirkland was eight-years old, his father and a few of his friends put a £100 bet on him at 100/1 to play for the England national side before he reached the age of 30.
They won their bet in 2006 when Kirkland came on as a second-half substitute in a friendly game against Greece.
Since retiring from playing Chris Kirkland has largely been seen on our screens as a pundit and analyst for the likes of Sky Sports News and BBC’s Football Focus programme.
In January 2017 Kirkland joined his former Wigan Athletic team-mate Michael Brown at Port Vale as his first team goalkeeping coach.
Follow Chris Kirkland on Twitter @ChrisKirkland43
Chris Kirkland’s #One2Eleven
Chris Kirkland was a guest on Sky Sports programme The Fantasy Football Club in October 2016 where he picked the eleven best players he had ever played with in their #One2Eleven section of the show.
GK – Steve Ogrizovic – I still speak to him now and go to him for advice.
RB Ryan Taylor – probably the best right-foot I have seen in football. So comfortable on the ball from right back.
LB – Leighton Baines – was with Baines at Wigan. Fantastic passer and used to make such an impact going forward.
CB – Sami Hyypia – when he played with Stephane Henchoz at Liverpool they complimented each other so well and were very hard to get by.
CB – Arjan de Zeeuw – what a gentleman, everyone had respect for him. He was a very good player and a very quick brain. Really good with the younger lads too.
CM – Steven Gerrard– the talisman for Liverpool and one of the club’s all-time best players. We always looked to him to pull us out of trouble and nine times out of ten he did.
CM – Xabi Alonso – never gave a pass away in training or in games. It looked so easy for him. Very well liked.
CM – Gary McAllister – make the game look so easy. Had such a big impact on the other players pulling everyone together.
Striker – Antonio Valencia – a great guy and an absolute steal when Steve Bruce bought him for £600k and later sold him on for £20 million. A big part of the Wigan team with his pace and power.
Striker – Emile Heskey – the main focal point when we were at Wigan together. On his day he was unplayable.
Striker – Robbie Keane – a fan’s favourite at Coventry and was just a box of tricks. A real joker in the dressing room too.
Chris Kirkland: Premier League Statistics
|Premier League Teams Played for||Coventry City, Liverpool, Wigan Athletic|
Statistics courtesy of www.premierleague.com


31 May Living Island Life in Phuket, Thailand
Sometimes a girl just needs a little beach time.
There’s nothing I love more than feeling the sand between my toes and the sea salt in my hair, which is why I decided to hang out in Phuket for a month! After my very exciting but busy trip to Malaysia, I decided it was time to slow it down a little and get some work done, so I’ve been hanging out down in Rawai in the southern part of Phuket.
I don’t do much here except blog, work out, eat delicious Thai food, lay on the beach and watch incredible sunsets. The locals around here look at me a little oddly because you would think a girl traveling by herself might stay in a busy area like Patong, but I like it this way. I’m happy being in a quieter part of the island away from the hustle and bustle, and did I mention I have a place with great Wi-Fi?
I get to wake up to incredible views like this one every day…
And this is the same beach at sunset with the tide out…
At one end of Rawai Beach there is a cool sea gypsy village where the fishermen sell their catch of the day. You can buy your seafood from them and then pay one of the restaurants opposite to cook it for you. There are also lots of stalls selling pearls and sea shells; it’s a cool little spot that’s definitely worth visiting if you are ever down this way!
After my scooter accident in Bali I vowed I would never hire a scooter again, and rental cars can get pretty expensive if you’re here for a full month. On average it’s about 1,000 Baht per day which is roughly £20, so this would definitely add up over 4 weeks! So my nearest beach is Nai Harn Beach, which is a really beautiful beach on the southern tip of Phuket.
I walk to this beach quite regularly so I can get my daily exercise, and I love it down here because it’s nice and quiet with no beach sellers. The beach is popular with expats and locals, and on the right day the waves can be good enough for surfing. I noticed there is quite a lot of building work going on in the area, so I’m sure over the next few years this will become more and more touristy.
Of course one of my favourite things about Thailand has to be the food! I love the papaya salads, the green curry and the stir fry! Rawai beach is known for its seafood restaurants so I can take my pick of places to eat.
After a few weeks of hanging out by myself I’m now planning a trip to the Philippines so I’ll be looking forward to be getting on the road again and meeting new people. But for now, island life in Phuket has been just what I needed.
Competition! Come to Thailand Too!
If you want to go to Thailand, First Choice are offering the chance to win a 7-night stay at the 4-star Best Western Premier Bangtao Beach Resort in Phuket. All you have to do is visit https://www.happinessincluded.co.uk/ and click your way through their little animated tool. Each step helps you discover what your dream holiday would be like, and at the end you enter your details then share it with your friends for a chance to win. Easy peasy.
The prize is for two adults and two children staying in two deluxe rooms on an All Inclusive basis departing from London Gatwick on 10th December 2013. Closing date for the competition is 30th June 2013 at 23:59 UK time. Winner will be selected at random on or before 15th July! Good luck!


The Flambeau Waterproof container from the Tuff-Tainer series is a heavy-duty, polypropylene plastic that is extra-sturdy for heavy-duty use. This waterproof box securely holds and protects important supplies or documents, keeping them free from dirt, moisture and debris.
Container has a rubber seal gasket and 3 tight sealing latches to provide waterproof protection. The walls are ribbed to provide extra strength and protection. Single compartment without dividers or compartments. Dimensions are 9 5/16 x 5 13/16 x 1 1/4 inches.
Great waterproof box to fill with first aid and safety supplies for your boat, RV, car or personal watercraft.
To Make A Custom First Aid Kit, select the Make A Kit Tab next to the product details tab or give us a call, we're here to help!


Who the hell is Steve Chapman?
“I wanted to do a book launch that was completely different,” Steve Chapman told me this week. “To practice what I preach in the book – which is to do scary stuff, and see if it's as scary as you think it's going to be.”
We were at London's South Bank. Steve had brought a pile of copies of his book, Can Scorpions Smoke?, along with a guitar and a harmonica. His plan: to improvise songs about the book that might lure passers by to take a copy. I went along with my camera to film this bold venture. It was the least I could do.
In less than an hour, Steve had got rid of all his books, and made a lot of people smile. “I'm pleased,” he said, before bursting into a few bars of paradoxically cheerful blues.
The book, subtitled Creative Adventures in the Corporate World, captures much that Steve has learned from impro, gestalt psychology, and organisational development – including lessons about creativity, play and the fear of failure. Truly, he has taken those lessons to heart.
I first met Steve two years ago, learning theatrical improvisation on a course run by the legendary Keith Johnstone. I had no preconceptions about Steve, but was surprised to find myself playing an outrageously violent two-man scene with him. (As i recall, I poked his eyes out, then he cut off my bollocks (his words) before we were both run over by a train. It was entirely exhilarating.)
Later, we played a scene from The Life Game that really stuck in my head, in which Steve played me, aged 20, while I played myself, now – but I've written and spoken about that elsewhere.
After the course finished, we agreed to work together in some way, though we had little idea what that might be. (Just to be clear: it was probably the uncertainty that made the idea compelling.) And one of the first things we did was compare notes about book ideas we both had, then still rather formless.
I interviewed Steve into his iPhone about what was to become Can Scorpions Smoke? And he raised several exciting ideas about my forthcoming historical novel, What If The Queen Should Die?
Since then, we've run impro workshops together at The Idler, and Steve created one of the most exciting days of my life when he organised a one-day musical impro workshop, in which I sang publicly a number of songs that I didn't know until they came out of my mouth (again: entirely exhiliarating).
Now here is Steve's book, published (as he wished) on April Fools Day. Congratulations, Steve.


Three-dimensional perpetual calendars, clocks, ironic and sophisticated, to measure time with pleasure.
150 YEARS OF UNIFICATION OF ITALY
Board games inspired by the 150 years anniversary of the Unification of Italy. Produced in collaboration with the Faculty of Design at Politecnico di Milano.
The evolution of time, punctuated by three-dimensional perception of a stainless steel bearing. Originally designed as a navigation tool, compasses became a point of reference to guide us during the daily journey in the sea of time.
Three rows, originally together, once separated give life to a perpetual calendar for every day of the year


SolarCity Corp shares were more than 3 percent lower than Friday’s close on Monday morning after an analyst from Axiom Capital took a look at the firm and decided he didn’t like the price being charged for shares.
Gordon Johnson from Axiom put a Sell rating on shares in Elon Musk’s solar vehicle, and put a price target of just $24 on the stock. At time of writing shares in SolarCity were selling for $42.66. Mr. Johnson is, according to the Financial Times, the only Wall Street voice calling for clients to sell shares in SolarCity. 8 research houses advise Buying shares, 6 reckon the firm will Outperform, and 3 say to Hold the stock.
SolarCity isn’t in the Solar business
Johnson, taking a contrarian line that has been well worn when it comes to firms run by Elon Musk, says that SolarCity Corp isn’t even a solar power firm. In his view it’s just a leasing firm, and its success is based on a few things that just may not support it going forward.
He says that the firm’s value relies on borrowing costs staying low, defaults on its 20 year contracts coming in as low as assumed, little to no effect from an ongoing Federal Investigation into the way the firm values some of its contracts, and modules from the firm’s GigaFab being able to out compete.
One of the single most important factors, and one that Mr. Johnson reckons SolarCity is likely to lose support from, is net metering. That’s a system where households are able to feed power back into the grid and only pay for what they really use.
Mr Johnson reckons that Net metering laws are changing, and they’re turning against firms like SolarCity. The main reason to buy the firm’s service is if it pays off through a lower power bill. If those benefits recede the firm is likely to lose some volume of business, and that could lead to worse issues for the firm ahead.
SolarCity loses exec support
Johnson says that recent moves by the firm’s CEO has compounded his thesis about the firm’s future. He says that a recent sale of shares by man-in-charge Lyndon Rive means that he “actually seems to agree with us.”
Mr. Rive has sold shares worth around $54M in the last two years according to data compiled by Axiom. Elon Musk, on the other hand, lent the firm a hand in recent months. After a major dip in august the Tesla Motors Inc CEO bought $5M of shares in the firm.
Shares in the firm have not gained a huge amount in recent years as the CEO sold shares. In the last two years of trading the firm’s shares have lost more than 9 percent of their value.
Whether or not Mr. Johnson is right about SolarCity being a solar firm, however silly the argument might seem, his thought’s on the firm’s valuation, and the large risks apparent in its business model going forward, are worth taking into account.
Wall Street Research houses as a whole have a mean price target of $75 on shares in the firm. There’s a reason those shares are nowhere near that level today, and Mr. Johnson may have some insight into why that is.


If you’re curious about what women of all ages Latin require in a marital life, you need to understand that their demands are different from the own. They’re not looking for your husband that will devote himself to all day long. Nor do they need to be caught in a romance that they are not sure will last. To be able to please these types of women, you have to be able to carry out their wishes and wishes, and this means understanding the pursuits and wants.
Latin women are looking for a husband that will treat associated with respect and curiosity. They need to understand that they’re appraised and cared for. It’s important for guys to remember this kind of. While women of all ages want guys to treat these respect and dignity, they’re also trying to find someone who will be willing to spend time with them. You will need to find the right way to get in touch with your wife to make certain that she’s pleased with your relationship.
Also to value, Latin women need males who will be loyal. Many Latin women are unhappy with the relationships and end up being betrothed to abusive guys who under no circumstances leave. A girl who is faithful should be able to work two jobs, prepare two foods a day, and pay her individual bills. A female who is faithful to her hubby will be able to keep her freedom http://xcellentpackers.com/trends-in-intercontinental-brides/ and handle her children. If your wife is not really loyal with her spouse, she could be disillusioned.
Latina women as well want a gentleman who will handle mail order bride dominican republic them well and stay interested in them. They want a husband whom displays them dignity, but they also want a man who’s interested in these people. This way, they will not feel brushed aside by their spouse. Finally, men need to learn the right way to express all their thoughts in a way that will probably be acceptable to her. While you might become thinking about relationship, you must keep in mind that you need to be able to communicate with your partner so that she gets comfortable and secure in your relationship.
A man should have credibility in his relationship with his wife. A female needs a person who is sincere. A man probably should not hide specifics about his personal your life from his wife. The woman should be start about all kinds of things with her husband. It is vital meant for both of them to be trustworthy and respect each other. If their girlfriends or wives feel their very own husbands aren’t true to their particular values, they may not be completely happy in their marriage.
Latina women desire a man who will be faithful. Most Latina women marry men who happen to be abusive to them. They are going to never leave them unless that they ask them to. A lady that is loyal to her husband can do anything for their family and can take care of her children. She is going to also be devoted to her job and her family. An appropriate man will respect her wife and treat her as his equal. For anyone who is able to provide all of these things, she’ll become happier plus more likely to stick to you.


How to use LDAP ACLs for selective replication
This article describes the possibility of selective replication but in most cases you pobably should not use it, as it may not offer the advantages your are expecting. Instead, it will have a couple of side effects or drawbacks.
Recommendation is not to change LDAP ACLs to configure selective replication!
Situations where you might consider using selective replication
In order to reduce traffic between sites (and to UCS slave servers) you may want to synchronize only a part of the LDAP information to a remote site.
For security reasons you may want to only have a dedicated part of the directory tree available at branch offices or remote company sites.
In case you are using Samba/AD it is not enough to restrict OpenLDAP replication using LDAP ACLs because Samba/AD will synchronize between all Samba/AD domain controllers independent from the OpenLDAP replication. You will always have all information in Samba/AD on all sites. Samba/AD does not support selective replivation.
For reducing traffic restricting OpenLDAP replication is helpful, but again as Samba synchronizes the data anyways only a minor percentage of the data will be blocked for synchronization by using OpenLDAP ACLs. Additionally if a user from a filtered OU logs in (i.e. someone switching working locations) some things will not work as expected, as this user is not known to the local UCS. In particular the users Posix-UserID will not be known and files created by the user will be stored with an arbitrary numerical uidNumber, that is only valid on a specific server.
So in most of the cases you will not get the result you have expected, especially if you are using Samba/AD!
If you still want to do this after carefully onsidering the warnings above, you can follow the steps documented in our developer guide.
As developers are the target audience, the following is only a rough description of the procedure. You will have to read further and add your own steps.
Separate your directory into organizational units ("
ou="). Move the objects as needed to theses OUs.
Create additional OpenLDAP ACLs to prevent reading from the slave UCS (except the right one) and allow read access to this OU only by the one slave assigned to it. Be sure master and backup servers still need full access!
Also be aware that the following adjustments need to be done not only on the UCS master but also on each UCS Backup server in the same way. The reason for this is, that UCS Slave servers are free to dynamically chose Master and Backup servers as their source of OpenLDAP replication.
You need to identify the allowed servers based on their DNs to generate the ACLs. Here a short example for an UCS template in case the container
cn=example,cn=users should not be replicated at all to any slave server:
access to dn.subtree=cn=example,cn=users,@%@ldap/base@%@" by group /univentionGroup/uniqueMember="cn=DC Slave Hosts,cn=groups,@%@ldap/base@%@" none by * +0 break
For UCS you will need a so called UCR-subtemplate for the
slapd.conf so it has to fit to the naming conventions () which would be located at
/etc/univention/templates/files/etc/ldap/slapd.conf.d which will contain your additional ACLs defined as above.
Once created you have to register the extension to your OpenLDAP server with the help of a script called ucs_registerLDAPExtension.


While most acne treatments such as Benzagel can be used by both men and women, there are significant differences between male and female skin that may affect how the products are used. Skincare products targeting either gender exist for a reason, and it’s important to understand both the biological and lifestyle differences affecting healthy skincare. The facts may surprise you!
What’s Unique About Male Skin?
The first big difference between male and female skin is the influence of testosterone. Testosterone levels cause male skin to be thicker; up to 25% thicker compared to women. In addition, men’s skin is also tougher in texture, and contains more collagen. This means that along with being tougher, the appearance of aging is less apparent causing them to look younger for longer.
Another big difference is sebum production, which is double that of women. Sebum is naturally occurring oil that our skin needs, however this means male skin is oilier and shinier than female skin. As a result, the skin’s pH is lower than that of female skin and is especially prone to acne and breakouts. Age is a big factor: after puberty, sebum production is greater in males than in females and accounts for why men have longer lasting acne.
Males have more Lactic Acid in their sweat, which accounts for a lower pH (.05 lower) when compared to female sweat. Men also sweat more than twice as much as women and are more prone to sweating, which means that men have greater opportunity to purge the toxins in their pores that can lead to acne.
Essentially, men’s skin has more natural benefits, but that same natural process that delays visible aging is the very thing that leads to greater incidents of acne, especially during puberty. These natural defenses often lead men to thinking they don’t need a skincare routine until it’s too late.
What’s Unique about Female Skin?
The skin on a woman’s face – even if she never used a skin-care product in her life – is naturally thinner than that of a man. The thickness of a woman’s skin remains constant until about the age of fifty, whereas men’s skin thins. This means that skincare routines for women can be more consistent for a longer period of time.
While the defining characteristic of male skin is related to testosterone, for women it comes down to estrogen. Estrogen, while giving women softer skin, also has the side effect of decreasing collagen synthesis. As collagen content is directly related to the signs of skin aging, it has been said a woman’s skin is about 15 years older than a man’s of the same age. Women lose about one percent of their collagen per year after their 30th birthday.
Men have more active sebaceous glands, which mean women have fewer pores than men which results in relatively fewer breakouts due to clogged pores. Despite this, women are still more likely to experience acne than men on their face. Women experience acne far less on the rest of the body, but this seems to be related to testosterone production (and why oral contraceptives such as birth control lower testosterone and have a marked effect on hormonal acne.)
Another big difference – possibly the biggest one – is behavioral. For example, women are much more conscious of sunblock than men. Which is to say, men use it less in general and could contribute to why the “15-year” skin age-difference is not so apparent despite the biological influences listed above. This is part of the larger trend of women having more robust daily skincare routines, preventing everything from dryness to skin cancer.
Basic Solutions for Men and Women
When you’re dehydrated, your skin is dehydrated – and this will show up in terms of dry skin, as well as more wrinkly or saggy skin. Whether you’re a man or a woman, a common thread in this article has been to make sure your skin is clean and hydrated regardless of thickness or size of pores.
The most important thing to remember is your skin will change as you get older; thickness, sensitivity, and reactions to diet are all things that change abruptly during puberty but never truly stop. The relationship men and women have with their skin is an ongoing negotiation, so do yourself a favour and develop at least a baseline skincare routine early on with the knowledge that it will evolve throughout your life just like you do!


Associated Factory Team Parts for the APEX, ProSC, and ProRally
Everybody loves bling parts, especially bashers. To help set your Apex, ProSC, and ProRally apart from the crowd, Associated has announced Factory Team Aluminum Upgrades. These high quality aluminum parts were designed to take a beating, to tighten up slop, and are anodized in blue for a trick look.
* Made to fit ProSC 4×4, ProRally, APEX Scion tC, APEX Scion FR-S, APEX Lexus
* #7243 – Aluminum Steering Blocks, $39
* #7244 – Aluminum Caster Blocks, $39
* #7245 – Aluminum Rear Hubs, $39
* #7246 – Aluminum Steering Set, $39
* #7247 – Complete Aluminum Options Set, $149