Leaving Dodge at 7 a.m.
Over the past seven days, we've covered more than 260 miles to reach Denman Island following our departure from Whistler, BC. It's been go-go-go in an attempt to see as much as we could and that's meant not wasting a minute of the day. Tonight we have chosen to slow down, and yet keep going, by kicking back with a few suds in what can only be described as the Canadian dream: a cabin, on the waterfront, with a fire roaring.
We're staying on Denman tonight, but the reason for our visit to this zone was to experience the trails on neighboring Hornby Island. On any other day, we'd hardly bat an eye at the small punchy climbs on Hornby's flowing trails. Today though, every slight, short incline was a brutal reminder of the cumulative hours we've spent on the road reaching this island. Despite the pain, we found good (and weird) times on Hornby with the assistance of local Cumberland riders Jeremy Grasby, proprietor of the Riding Fool Hostel, and Martin Ready, of Island Mountain Rides .
Hornby Island juts out of the Georgia Straight with a wall of trees and rock that are visible from nearby Denman Island. Hornby, largely settled decades ago by American draft dodgers, is home to about a thousand year-round residents and a huge network of fast and flowy singletrack that covers much of the island's 11.5 square miles. The atmosphere on the island is rural and clearly left-leaning; sightings of grey beards, dreadlocks and tie die are the norm. Really though, you might never guess what is hidden on this island.
Our day began with a quick, pre-dawn ride downhill from Cumberland's Riding Fool hostel towards Buckley Bay where we'd caught the ferry to Denman Island. Joining us on the day's adventure was Martin Ready of Cumberland's Island Mountain Rides. Fueled only by coffee, we made the hour-long ride just in time to grab a quick bite to eat and roll our bikes onto the 10:00 a.m. ferry.
Jeremy Grasby rides a singlespeed, but rides it like it's a bitchin' Camaro.
We dropped the trailers at our accommodations for the night and with only a few minutes to catch the ferry over to Hornby, the four of us set out for some exploration and sampling of Hornby's finest. Martin and Jeremy have been riding these trails for more than a decade, and were happy to share their knowledge.
A steep twenty-minute gravel road climb straight from the ferry took us to the beginnings of the vast network. From the entrance, you continue climbing a mellow cliffside trail with spectacular views of the Georgia Straight. Today, sea mist and a brisk wind created constantly changing light and contrast. It didn't take long to reach the 1000-foot summit where the top is demarcated by a collection of Nepalese prayer flags and a rocky cairn.
We turned the bikes around pointing them downhill, temporarily forgetting our tired and aching legs, and began the first of several swoopy and perfectly flowing trails. As has been the case with much of the riding on this trip, it was all a blur of green as we booked on down to the bottom of the hill.
Jeremy and Martin suggested ending the ride with a visit to Tribune Bay Provincial Park. This time of year, the beach is deserted yet still stunningly beautiful. In the summer, it's packed with holiday beach goers and sun seekers. The view was a fitting end to our descent.
With another hour ride back to the ferry at Gravelly Bay, we made a quick stop to refuel at the local food co-op. We picked up more food than we could possibly eat, devoured much of it on the patio, and met a friendly golden retriever who'd just received an application of mascara by a middle-aged woman who was, to use a technical term, clearly tripping balls.
A ferry hop and a quick pedal and we were back to the cabin. Although our group was largely made up of new and unfamiliar folks, the ride, a great meal and malty beverages made it feel like we were old friends.
We are past our halfway point now, a way marker that means things can only get easier, and yet harder still, from this point on. Thankfully, when our legs tire, the proximity of good folk keeps us smiling at our surroundings.
This is where the Canadian dream starts and finishes.


When cigar smokers light up, they hope to experience an explosion of flavors described by one cigar maker as a "party in your mouth." Hoping to discover a blend of distinctive flavors that will become your new favorite is part of the appeal of sampling cigars. But cigars generally contained nicotine, which can affect your health for the short term and the long term.
Cigars contain varying amounts of nicotine though, unlike with cigarettes, smoke isn't inhaled if cigars are smoked properly. Most cigar smokers don't smoke every day; some smoke only a few times a year. They enjoy the taste of premium tobacco smoke as hobbyists and shouldn't automatically be considered addicts, just as wine connoisseurs aren't automatically labeled alcoholics. So the effects of nicotine are a lesser health concern for occasional cigar smokers than for cigarette smokers because of the manner and frequency with which cigars are smoked.
The nicotine in cigars does have an effect on cigar smokers, and not just cancer and other long-range health risks. Nicotine causes temporary effects that one may notice while smoking cigars, excluding medically measurable issues that aren't significantly noticeable while smoking, such as blood pressure and heart rate fluctuations, as well as temporary effects such as coughing and halitosis that may result from other substances contained in cigars or by the smoke itself.
The level of nicotine in most cigars shouldn't be enough to produce immediate and significantly noticeable effects if the cigar is smoked properly. However, nicotine levels do affect the taste of cigar tobacco, especially the stronger Ligero tobacco leaves from the top of the plant. Aging also affects the taste and level of nicotine, making the flavor more mellow over time as nicotine and other substances dissipate. Nicotine is a necessary "evil" in cigars and can't be removed or reduced drastically without adversely affecting flavor.
Level 1 nicotine effects: The effect of smoking a cigar with higher than normal nicotine content is similar to that produced by caffeine in a cup of coffee. Your senses seem to sharpen, your vision becomes clearer, and you might feel a greater awareness or cognizance, but without the jittery nervous energy generated by caffeine.
Level 2 nicotine effects: The next level of nicotine impact is similar to the effect of drinking several alcoholic beverages. You might become a bit dizzy or light-headed, but without the euphoria that alcohol produces. Avoid driving or operating heavy machinery until you know how a particular cigar affects you.
Level 3 nicotine effects: Cigar sickness from nicotine occurs when you experience a feeling similar to seasickness. You are not only dizzy; you are sweating and feel nauseous. If this happens, eating something sweet and drinking plenty of water will help reduce the effects.
The vast majority of premium handmade cigars don't produce noticeable immediate nicotine effects. If you smoke a variety of brands, however, you are more likely to encounter a cigar that is just too strong for you. For typical cigar smokers, the chance of getting sick from smoking one brand of mild cigars is significantly less than for those who smoke a different cigar every time they light up.


Music to my ears!! The sound of the Town of Lusk rotary snow plow going by and picking up the ridge of piled high snow in the middle of the street on a Saturday when the hard-working town employees are usually "off" for the weekend. Many Thanks to those who made sure travel was safe for Lusk residents. The time was well-spent while homebound after the snowstorm. I made several kinds of cookies, including pecan grahams.


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With direct flights to Chicago from Heathrow reinstated in May 2011, travellers to Chicago have more options for travelling to this great destination.
Chicago hosts festivals and events throughout the year and, by planning ahead, visitors can get the most from their trip to the Windy City. The spring and summer months offer everything from art fairs to wine festivals and from special museum exhibits to parades. The autumn and winter months are also packed with activities, including Celtic festivals and Christmas fairs making Chicago a year-round destination.
For music fans, particularly blues fans, Chicago is a great destination. The Chicago Blues Festival is not only Chicago's largest music festival, it is also the world's largest, free musical festival. Held every year in June in the beautiful Grant Park, the festival attracts more than 500,000 blues fans from across the world. Each year, the festival has a theme such as paying homage to a legendary blues musician of the past. The festival lasts three days with performances spread across five stages. In the past, the festival has played host to some of the biggest names in blues music, including BB King, Bonnie Raitt, Ray Charles and the late Bo Diddley as well as international musicians from Latvia, Japan, Switzerland, Australia and the UK attesting to Chicago's position as the blues capital of the world. Visitors to the festival can enjoy a pleasant day in the park listening to old favourites and also hear some new songs. Food and drink is available throughout the day and evening.


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Decision implies real choice. The more feasible the options you have to choose from are, within the broad constraints of time and space, the better your decision is likely to be.
Even if there appears to be one course open once the truth has been established, an experienced manager will cast around in their mind to see whether there is another option.


text:
A Word of Precaution
Harrison Reed, PA-C, practices critical care medicine in Baltimore, MD.
When I try to explain the art of medicine to people –family, friends, strangers on airplanes—I scare them a little. You see, I sometimes say, in medicine there is often not a right or wrong answer. Two clinicians, both competent, might approach the same problem in two very different ways. We don't refer to one great cookbook of medicine for every problem; our actions are a combination of knowledge, training, experience, preference, and environmental influences.
I understand why that concept might frighten laypeople. They imagine medicine as a magic curtain behind which centuries of flawless science coalesce to a complete consensus. To think that two renowned hospitals or two decorated surgeons might take opposite approaches to the same ailment sounds a lot like tossing a coin.
But variation in practice is unavoidable. Our collective pool of medical and scientific knowledge expands and morphs at breakneck speed and the implementation of that knowledge often lags behind. We try to balance the early adoption of sound evidence with the threat of overreacting to every signal that emerges from the cloud of theory and research. And each of these decisions are complicated by a long list of biases.
In medicine, we have another tendency that is often left off the list of sneaky cognitive effects: a bias toward action. It makes sense to have this. After all, patients come to us with a problem on which they expect us to act. We have a massive and growing tool belt and a general agreement that it's better to fail in heroic attempts than in passive observation. Want a simple test of this theory? Next time someone asks you for your patient care plan say "nothing" and watch the scoffs and eye-rolls begin.
Of course, experienced clinicians know that doing nothing is sometimes a fantastic choice. We don't work on motorcycle engines. The human body comes with its own plan. We are just the co-pilots.
So how do we balance these concepts: the ever-evolving scientific data pool, our propensity toward action, and the knowledge that sometimes the best course is no action at all? The answer may rest within the precautionary principle.
The precautionary principle states that if an action has the potential to cause harm, in the absence of scientific consensus, the burden of proof that it is not harmful falls on those taking the action. In other words: before we do something, it is our responsibility to prove that it is safe.
It seems like a pretty basic concept and you might think we already incorporate this into our practice of medicine. Often, we do. Drugs undergo a lengthy approval process, new procedures are piloted before they become the standard of care, and randomized controlled trials are the mainstay of evidence-based practice.
But the history of medicine and public health is also riddled with instances of throwing precaution to the wind. The dangers of radiation exposure, for example, had plenty of early whistleblowers, including famous ones like Thomas Edison, and we still took many decades to appreciate the fallout. Asbestos was flagged as an "evil," harmful material by British factory inspectors in 1898 but it was stuffed into our schools and homes almost 100 years later. And where was the precautionary principle when thalidomide sat on pharmacy shelves despite crippling thousands of infants? Or when the fatal effects of the synthetic estrogen DES, prescribed despite a lack of good evidence of its efficacy, finally came to light? Or when Vioxx hit the market?
It may seem like this is a principle only relevant to environmental safety advocates and federal regulators. But every day we have a chance to apply to the precautionary principle. Perhaps you had an (asymptomatic, non-hemorrhagic) anemic patient whose hemoglobin nudged just below 7.0. Did you order a unit of blood, a treatment with plausible and documented harms, despite any real proof that 7.0 is safer than 6.8?
We could have all used more of the precautionary principle before the recent explosion of opioid prescribing led to epidemic levels of heroin and narcotic drug abuse. If every legislator, drug manufacturer, and prescriber had accepted that burden of proving safety before taking action, thousands of lives might have been saved.
Of course, the very nature of precaution means that at some point we can't just look back on mistakes of the past. We must consider what we are doing right now. And what we are about to do. We must remember that a bias toward action comes with an obligation to ensure we take the safest course.
And that sometimes restraint is the most heroic action of all.
Tags: medical knowledge, precautionary principle
6 Responses to "A Word of Precaution"
Max Voysey says:
Aren't almost all the "precautionary" adverse scenarios mentioned related simply to corporate greed. Shouldn't it be the Pecuniary Interest principle ("Follow the money")?
Harrison Reed says:
I think many follies in medicine and public health have an element of prioritizing things (i.e. money) over patient and public safety. However, in many of these instances it is only one contributor to the problem.
Throwing up our hands and distilling all of the problems in our industry to an ambiguous and uncontrollable element like Big Greed is counter-productive. Were some people over-radiating patients with X-rays because they reaped some kind of profit from this? Sure, but lack of education and investigation is/was a far greater contributor to this problem.
In the same way, many have laid much of the blame for the opioid crisis on pharmaceutical companies. And while they no doubt hold a portion of the responsibility, that mindset ignores the fact that every prescription bore the signature of a licensed medical professional.
I find it far healthier to admit that, while some things are out of our hands, in many situations there are elements we can and should control.
-Harrison
Whilst I completely agree that considered wisdom is a great thing in medicine – as many other areas of life, I am worried about three examples –
1. Doctors promoted smoking cigarettes DECADES after the scientific evidence was in. Why? What happened to the "precautionary principle?
2. What has been the medical systems response to pollution, and nuclear war (hey, throw the whole lot in) – "not much" would be a good answer.
3. What has been the medical systems response to the over whelming tide of evidence that suggest that our food system is currently like smoking was 50 years ago – controlled to our adversity by limited (financial) interests.
I am passionately engaged in all these ideas – and would not suggest for a minute that you or I are throwing up our hands, but why are so many reasonable intelligent well off people (i.e. doctors) behaving – literally- the opposite of your suggestion?
BOB HODGSON says:
Watch , stop,waite look,observe,monitor,think,research,investigate,externalise the problem by talking to others,ask advice,seek help.allthese are active processes and describe my emergency management in anaesthetics .it's also a list I could apply in all medicine before doing anything to a patient
Susirith Mendis says:
This is a good considered view that needs more advocates among physicians. The comments are very valid too. The pecuniary interest has affected medical decision-making for far too long. Medical judgement has been thus clouded on too amy ocasions that often leads to fatal outcomes.
But what is the way out of this? How on earth are we to curb the natural instinct of self-interest? The need for pecuniary gain? The capitalist system has been so succesful as a political system the world over because it caters to that instinct. Medical men/women are mere pawns in this game….
But try we must …… Man's striving for perfection to be one with the universe is an invigorating driving force of life itself.
So deliberately leaving tens of thousands of legitimate, responsible chronic pain patients to suffer in unbearable agony is preferable to the possibility of "making" one more addict? How about instead of torturing the truly innocent, we impose a little personal responsibility on the addicts choice to abuse a drug they had no legitimate need for and leave Doctors to treat actual, legitimate patients with compassion and the drugs they need to control their pain? That sounds more common sense to me.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Like a lactose intolerant cheesemaker, the cuttlefish is unaware of its own gifts.
They also give good face. You'll see.
Posted in Nature, Video and tagged species, zoology at 2:25 pm on November 1, 2013 by Broadsheet.


text:
Abandoning the Common Core Is Taking the Easy Way Out
Mar 31, 2014 by Sonja Brookins Santelises
This post originally appeared at the Fordham Institute's Flypaper blog.
While the New York State United Teachers and the National Education Association have withdrawn their support for the Common Core State Standards, it's important to recognize that the teachers' actions had nothing to do with the standards themselves. This blowback is yet another example of how concerns about implementation are being conflated with the actual merit of the standards.
Even among educators committed to serving children in poverty and kids already performing far below their potential, there is widespread agreement that these rigorous standards will help move more of our young people toward true college and career readiness. The recently released Primary Sources survey found that nearly 75 percent of teachers expressed enthusiasm for the Common Core. Further, more than half said they thought the standards would be positive for most students.
What many object to are the rushed timelines for implementing the standards and tests, a lack of adequate support for teaching the standards, and the simultaneous rollout of new educator evaluation systems based partly on student performance on these brand new tests.
These are valid concerns. Expecting educators and young people to adjust to such sweeping changes within a year or two, as do current federal and state policies, is unrealistic. But our response to these concerns can't be abandoning the standards themselves, for in doing so we would abandon the best chance we have had in a very long time to focus all of our schools on the things that will really matter for young people after they graduate. Instead, we need a more balanced and reasonable approach to bringing the standards to classrooms, schools, and communities.
State and federal leaders should follow the lead of states like Louisiana, Massachusetts, and Connecticut and wait before using student results on the new assessments for educator evaluations, student promotion, or graduation. These leaders also need to set new expectations for school and district accountability —expectations that are based on data from robust assessments.
Ultimately, the way to ensure that the Common Core's impact meets its intended goal is to seek regular and systematic feedback from those charged with bringing the standards to life for students. Teams of teachers, principals, and district support staff at the local level must be given quality materials, classroom support, and time to work together. This type of meaningful collaboration will support more successful applications of the standards in real classrooms with real students. Learning from these successes and challenges is essential in maximizing the promise of the standards.
Abandoning the Common Core is taking the easy way out. Supporting effective implementation takes more thought, persistence, flexibility, and collaboration. These are the very characteristics we hope our young people will demonstrate. We owe it to them to model these same behaviors.
Why Statewide Assessments Matter: Parents Need to Know How Their Children Are Doing
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April 8, 2021 by Denise Forte
Over the last year, students have learned to cope with significant uncertainty and navigated learning in new ways. With…
NAEP Results Make it Clear: States Must Have Transparent College and Career Readiness Data
November 19, 2020 by Sarah Mehrotra and Jonathan Davis
In October, the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) 2019 12th grade reading and math scores were released and with them came an…
Advanced Coursework Equity Act is a Big Opportunity for Students of Color to Access Advanced Courses
August 13, 2020 by Courtney Bollig and Kayla Patrick
Our national attention span is currently functioning like a TV that switches between several anxiety-inducing channels. On one channel:…
Poll: TX Parents Very Concerned About Children Falling Behind During School Closures
June 1, 2020 by Ed Trust
WASHINGTON (June 1, 2020) – As state and district leaders in Texas are deciding how to best open schools,…
John King Speaks with College Students About the Nation's Failure to Fulfill Brown v. Board
October 3, 2017 by John B. King Jr., J.D., Ed.D.
On October 3, John King spoke with undergraduate and graduate students studying at Georgetown University about the nation's collective…
Getting Students Over the AP Finish Line: Hear From Schools Already Doing It
August 11, 2017 by Lynn Jennings
In implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), states are choosing how to measure and hold schools responsible for…
Tell Congress to Make #EducationalEquity a National Priority
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Fast Fact: Join Us for #EdEquityChat June 8
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text:
Visionary Movie Turns Out to Be One's Imagination
Aiming to provide entertainment access to those with hearing and vision impairments, Charter Communications, Inc. announced the launch of Spectrum Access, an app that allows customers to further immerse themselves in a movie's story, thanks to the audio description or closed captioning played by the app directly from phone or tablet.
To promote Spectrum Access, the broadband company which serves its customers through its Spectrum brand, joined hands with Something Different agency, helping it introduce a new campaign with a dramatic spot. The "Desert" video, the first of four ads for the company, each with a focus on a single solution to real customer problems, begins as a visionary movie, which later turns out to be the imagination of a visually impaired woman, as she uses the app's audio description to follow the action of a film.
The curtains of the video reveal images dressed in purple colors, merging to contour a desert landscape. A black car speeds on a dusty road. A man walks to the top of a large dune. But when he turns his head, he sees a band of armored vehicles waiting to spring a trap, leaving the viewers uncertain about what may happen next.
The video's action then moves to a visually impaired young lady, played by Natalie Trevonne, who is clearly captivated by the movie. Narrated by the app, the viewers notice that the images at the beginning of the video campaign are actually born out of the woman's imagination.
"There has never been a more important time for brands to be empathetic, and there are a lot of brands out there talking the talk, but Charter is actually living it," says Richard Ryan, Something Different's Creative Director. "This product is a perfect example of that. The spot is essentially a product demo, but it's very powerful because it's seen from inside the mind of a young woman. By creating thoughtful solutions to everyday predicaments, Charter made it very easy for us to tell four fun stories of how the right products can make our lives so much more enjoyable."
The campaign was directed by Noam Murro through Biscuit Filmworks. Speaking about this specific ad, Murro said: "When I read the script for the first time it got me really emotional. I think the beauty of this wonderful service that Charter offers, and the beauty of this specific script lies in taking the word disabled and completely diffusing it. It's different but abled. This is celebrating the human spirit. It reminded me of one of the greatest quotes I've ever read, where J.D. Salinger explains that Beethoven wasn't disabled, he was unencumbered by a sense of hearing."
Available for free for iOS devices, the app was developed by the company's Accessibility Center of Excellence team, who is focused on designing inclusive products and services for Charter's Spectrum brand of TV, broadband, voice, and mobile products.
Client: Charter Communications, Inc.
Agency: Something Different
Co-Founder / Managing Partner: Patti McConnell
Co-Founder / Chief Creative: Tommy Henvey
Creative Director, Writer: Richard Ryan
Special Ops / Producer: Garrett Crabb
Director of Accounts: Meghan Linehan
Biscuit Filmworks
Director: Noam Murro
Partner / Managing Director: Shawn Lacy
Executive Producer: Andrew Travelstead
Producer: Emily Skinner
Head of Production: Sean Moody
Director of Photography: Eric Schmidt
Production Designer: Brock Houghton
Work Editorial
Editor: Biff Butler
Assistant Editor: Audrey Weiner
Executive Producer: Erica Thompson
Producer: Brandee Probasco
VFX: Parliament
Halo Music and Sound
Founder / Creative Director: Peter Gannon
Sound Designer: Gus Koven
Color Collective
Founder / Colorist: Alex Bickel
Elevensound
Mixer: Jeff Payne


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Scary stuff, indeed. Well, let's skip on inside and see what evidence Newsweek must have to make such a huge claim.
Millions of people travel over the holiday period and Newsweek has strategically decided to fill the newsstands with this sensational cover.
In the first paragraph, author Owen Matthews offers us three pieces of information to back up his claim: 1. Russian TV has been broadcasting a lot of footage of Russian planes in action over Syria. 2. A Russian political analyst recently said that his country had achieved a "great victory" in Syria — and 3. Vladimir Putin himself commented in November that his country's security relies on the ability of its economy to increase military production at any given time.
All three claims check out — but none of them mean that Putin is preparing for a third world war. In fact, it soon becomes clear that the piece, which an editor evidently felt was convincing enough to be a cover story, is littered with contradictions and presents horribly simplistic analysis.
If Russia's current military engagements are so small, why, the author asks, is Putin "building up the idea" that Russia is on the verge of a "cataclysmic conflict" that will require full-scale mobilization of Russia's military?
Frankly, he seems confused by his own answer. In one paragraph, Matthews suggests that Putin is maliciously using the spectre of an unlikely war against an "imagined external enemy" to unite the country in an effort to distract from its domestic problems. This "myth of perpetual war" has become a mainstay of Putin's survival, he says. Yet, in the next paragraph he contradicts himself and tells us that Putin genuinely is "convinced war is imminent".
So, which is it? One continues reading in hope that Newsweek will produce some information which matches the shock value of the front cover — but surprise, surprise, that never happens. I guess the silver lining here is that Russians, at the very least, can be glad theirs is a "myth" of perpetual war — a stark contrast to genuinely perpetual war, which Americans have grown accustomed to.
The really baffling bit comes, however, when the author claims that Putin has ordered a massive increase in military spending: "…even as the Kremlin's revenues have plummeted, thanks to falling oil prices and sanctions, Putin has ordered a massive increase in military spending," Matthews writes.
This is odd, because actually, the opposite is true. In early 2017, Russia slashed its defense budget. IHS Jane's, one of the most authoritative sources on defense news, called it "the largest cut to military expenditure in the country since the early 1990s." Admittedly, the cuts came after big increases in previous years and the Russian defense budget is hardly being stripped to skin and bones, but it has been decreased nonetheless.
The reasons for the cuts were obvious: The impact of Western sanctions and reduced oil and gas prices have both put the Russian economy under significant pressure. But slashing the defense budget would surely indicate that in fact Putin does not see Russia as being on course for a massive military conflict with the West in the near future?
Let's be clear: Russia does not want war. It particularly does not want war with the United States. The country spends roughly ten times less on its defense than the US. Putin is not preparing for war. He is preparing the country to defend itself in the event that war, despite all efforts to prevent it, happens anyway. But that wording would not have sounded quite so menacing and would surely sell fewer copies.
Let's be clear: Russia does not want war. It particularly does not want war with the United States. The country spends roughly ten times less on its defense than the US.
Talking about war and training for war (which is, generally speaking, the job of all militaries everywhere) are not the same thing as itching for war or believing a war is imminent.
Interestingly, the Newsweek cover story relies almost entirely on the word of one Russian military analyst, Pavel Felgenhauer, who writes a column for the Russian opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta and is a senior fellow at the neoconservative American think tank The Jamestown Foundation. Using Felgenhauers's opinion is all well and good, but one would expect something a little more heavy-hitting in an article purporting to predict World War 3.
To get a flavor of the reaction to Newsweek's story, look no further than the comments underneath it. For this headline to ever see the light of day, one reader laments, Newsweek "must be staffed by a collection of morons". Frankly, readers everywhere must be sick and tired of looking at pictures of Vladimir Putin splashed across the front pages of newspapers and magazines with dire warnings of impending doom. Nonetheless, editors seem happy to keep recycling the story.
Newsweek's headline is a disingenuous attempt to sell a few extra magazines. The content of the article provides nothing of substance and offers an almost juvenile analysis of complex issues. It is an obvious attempt to scaremonger about Russia's military capabilities and Putin's intentions — and it proves nothing, other than the fact that the publication must take its readers for fools.
Putin for all is faults is the good guy, without is intervention in Syria there would be no end to this war, the deep state would like all there wars in the middle east to continue.
I say an end you now have to get un-invited America out of the country or should I say the 13 families who run the show, all jews.
Our MSM has gone literally insane and is trying to lead us into a disastrous war with a nation that doesn't want war – a la "Weapons of Mass Destruction." And some people will Still be fooled by the madness of Russiagate.
Doesn't matter what Newsweek readers think, sadly. The average Joe Blow in the US just has to see the cover and hey presto! Evil Putin! Mission accomplished!


text:
@implementation GPBStructRoot

@end

#pragma mark - GPBStructRoot_FileDescriptor

static GPBFileDescriptor *GPBStructRoot_FileDescriptor(void) {
  // This is called by +initialize so there is no need to worry
  // about thread safety of the singleton.
  static GPBFileDescriptor *descriptor = NULL;
  if (!descriptor) {
    GPBDebugCheckRuntimeVersion();
    descriptor = [[GPBFileDescriptor alloc] initWithPackage:@"google.protobuf"
                                                     syntax:GPBFileSyntaxProto3];
  }
  return descriptor;
}

#pragma mark - Enum GPBNullValue

GPBEnumDescriptor *GPBNullValue_EnumDescriptor(void) {
  static GPBEnumDescriptor *descriptor = NULL;
  if (!descriptor) {
    static GPBMessageEnumValueDescription values[] = {
      { .name = "NullValue", .number = GPBNullValue_NullValue },
    };
    descriptor = [GPBEnumDescriptor allocDescriptorForName:GPBNSStringifySymbol(GPBNullValue)
                                                   values:values
                                               valueCount:sizeof(values) / sizeof(GPBMessageEnumValueDescription)
                                             enumVerifier:GPBNullValue_IsValidValue];
  }
  return descriptor;
}

BOOL GPBNullValue_IsValidValue(int32_t value__) {
  switch (value__) {
    case GPBNullValue_NullValue:
      return YES;
    default:
      return NO;
  }
}

#pragma mark - GPBStruct

@implementation GPBStruct

@dynamic fields, fields_Count;

typedef struct GPBStruct__storage_ {
  uint32_t _has_storage_[1];
  NSMutableDictionary *fields;
} GPBStruct__storage_;

// This method is threadsafe because it is initially called
// in +initialize for each subclass.
+ (GPBDescriptor *)descriptor {
  static GPBDescriptor *descriptor = nil;
  if (!descriptor) {
    static GPBMessageFieldDescription fields[] = {
      {
        .name = "fields",
        .number = GPBStruct_FieldNumber_Fields,
        .hasIndex = GPBNoHasBit,
        .flags = GPBFieldMapKeyString,
        .dataType = GPBDataTypeMessage,
        .offset = offsetof(GPBStruct__storage_, fields),
        .defaultValue.valueMessage = nil,
        .dataTypeSpecific.className = GPBStringifySymbol(GPBValue),
        .fieldOptions = NULL,
      },
    };
    GPBDescriptor *localDescriptor =
        [GPBDescriptor allocDescriptorForClass:[GPBStruct class]
                                     rootClass:[GPBStructRoot class]
                                          file:GPBStructRoot_FileDescriptor()
                                        fields:fields
                                    fieldCount:sizeof(fields) / sizeof(GPBMessageFieldDescription)
                                        oneofs:NULL
                                    oneofCount:0
                                         enums:NULL
                                     enumCount:0
                                        ranges:NULL
                                    rangeCount:0
                                   storageSize:sizeof(GPBStruct__storage_)
                                    wireFormat:NO];
    NSAssert(descriptor == nil, @"Startup recursed!");
    descriptor = localDescriptor;
  }
  return descriptor;
}

@end

#pragma mark - GPBValue

@implementation GPBValue

@dynamic kindOneOfCase;
@dynamic nullValue;
@dynamic numberValue;
@dynamic stringValue;
@dynamic boolValue;
@dynamic structValue;
@dynamic listValue;

typedef struct GPBValue__storage_ {
  uint32_t _has_storage_[2];
  BOOL boolValue;
  GPBNullValue nullValue;
  NSString *stringValue;
  GPBStruct *structValue;
  GPBListValue *listValue;
  double numberValue;
} GPBValue__storage_;

// This method is threadsafe because it is initially called
// in +initialize for each subclass.
+ (GPBDescriptor *)descriptor {
  static GPBDescriptor *descriptor = nil;
  if (!descriptor) {
    static GPBMessageOneofDescription oneofs[] = {
      {
        .name = "kind",
        .index = -1,
      },
    };
    static GPBMessageFieldDescription fields[] = {
      {
        .name = "nullValue",
        .number = GPBValue_FieldNumber_NullValue,
        .hasIndex = -1,
        .flags = GPBFieldOptional | GPBFieldHasEnumDescriptor,
        .dataType = GPBDataTypeEnum,
        .offset = offsetof(GPBValue__storage_, nullValue),
        .defaultValue.valueEnum = GPBNullValue_NullValue,
        .dataTypeSpecific.enumDescFunc = GPBNullValue_EnumDescriptor,
        .fieldOptions = NULL,
      },
      {
        .name = "numberValue",
        .number = GPBValue_FieldNumber_NumberValue,
        .hasIndex = -1,
        .flags = GPBFieldOptional,
        .dataType = GPBDataTypeDouble,
        .offset = offsetof(GPBValue__storage_, numberValue),
        .defaultValue.valueDouble = 0,
        .dataTypeSpecific.className = NULL,
        .fieldOptions = NULL,
      },
      {
        .name = "stringValue",
        .number = GPBValue_FieldNumber_StringValue,
        .hasIndex = -1,
        .flags = GPBFieldOptional,
        .dataType = GPBDataTypeString,
        .offset = offsetof(GPBValue__storage_, stringValue),
        .defaultValue.valueString = nil,
        .dataTypeSpecific.className = NULL,
        .fieldOptions = NULL,
      },
      {
        .name = "boolValue",
        .number = GPBValue_FieldNumber_BoolValue,
        .hasIndex = -1,
        .flags = GPBFieldOptional,
        .dataType = GPBDataTypeBool,
        .offset = offsetof(GPBValue__storage_, boolValue),
        .defaultValue.valueBool = NO,
        .dataTypeSpecific.className = NULL,
        .fieldOptions = NULL,
      },
      {
        .name = "structValue",
        .number = GPBValue_FieldNumber_StructValue,
        .hasIndex = -1,
        .flags = GPBFieldOptional,
        .dataType = GPBDataTypeMessage,
        .offset = offsetof(GPBValue__storage_, structValue),
        .defaultValue.valueMessage = nil,
        .dataTypeSpecific.className = GPBStringifySymbol(GPBStruct),
        .fieldOptions = NULL,
      },
      {
        .name = "listValue",
        .number = GPBValue_FieldNumber_ListValue,
        .hasIndex = -1,
        .flags = GPBFieldOptional,
        .dataType = GPBDataTypeMessage,
        .offset = offsetof(GPBValue__storage_, listValue),
        .defaultValue.valueMessage = nil,
        .dataTypeSpecific.className = GPBStringifySymbol(GPBListValue),
        .fieldOptions = NULL,
      },
    };
    GPBDescriptor *localDescriptor =
        [GPBDescriptor allocDescriptorForClass:[GPBValue class]
                                     rootClass:[GPBStructRoot class]
                                          file:GPBStructRoot_FileDescriptor()
                                        fields:fields
                                    fieldCount:sizeof(fields) / sizeof(GPBMessageFieldDescription)
                                        oneofs:oneofs
                                    oneofCount:sizeof(oneofs) / sizeof(GPBMessageOneofDescription)
                                         enums:NULL
                                     enumCount:0
                                        ranges:NULL
                                    rangeCount:0
                                   storageSize:sizeof(GPBValue__storage_)
                                    wireFormat:NO];
    NSAssert(descriptor == nil, @"Startup recursed!");
    descriptor = localDescriptor;
  }
  return descriptor;
}

@end

int32_t GPBValue_NullValue_RawValue(GPBValue *message) {
  GPBDescriptor *descriptor = [GPBValue descriptor];
  GPBFieldDescriptor *field = [descriptor fieldWithNumber:GPBValue_FieldNumber_NullValue];
  return GPBGetMessageInt32Field(message, field);
}

void SetGPBValue_NullValue_RawValue(GPBValue *message, int32_t value) {
  GPBDescriptor *descriptor = [GPBValue descriptor];
  GPBFieldDescriptor *field = [descriptor fieldWithNumber:GPBValue_FieldNumber_NullValue];
  GPBSetInt32IvarWithFieldInternal(message, field, value, descriptor.file.syntax);
}

void GPBValue_ClearKindOneOfCase(GPBValue *message) {
  GPBDescriptor *descriptor = [message descriptor];
  GPBOneofDescriptor *oneof = descriptor->oneofs_[0];
  GPBMaybeClearOneof(message, oneof, 0);
}
#pragma mark - GPBListValue

@implementation GPBListValue

@dynamic valuesArray, valuesArray_Count;

typedef struct GPBListValue__storage_ {
  uint32_t _has_storage_[1];
  NSMutableArray *valuesArray;
} GPBListValue__storage_;

// This method is threadsafe because it is initially called
// in +initialize for each subclass.
+ (GPBDescriptor *)descriptor {
  static GPBDescriptor *descriptor = nil;
  if (!descriptor) {
    static GPBMessageFieldDescription fields[] = {
      {
        .name = "valuesArray",
        .number = GPBListValue_FieldNumber_ValuesArray,
        .hasIndex = GPBNoHasBit,
        .flags = GPBFieldRepeated,
        .dataType = GPBDataTypeMessage,
        .offset = offsetof(GPBListValue__storage_, valuesArray),
        .defaultValue.valueMessage = nil,
        .dataTypeSpecific.className = GPBStringifySymbol(GPBValue),
        .fieldOptions = NULL,
      },
    };
    GPBDescriptor *localDescriptor =
        [GPBDescriptor allocDescriptorForClass:[GPBListValue class]
                                     rootClass:[GPBStructRoot class]
                                          file:GPBStructRoot_FileDescriptor()
                                        fields:fields
                                    fieldCount:sizeof(fields) / sizeof(GPBMessageFieldDescription)
                                        oneofs:NULL
                                    oneofCount:0
                                         enums:NULL
                                     enumCount:0
                                        ranges:NULL
                                    rangeCount:0
                                   storageSize:sizeof(GPBListValue__storage_)
                                    wireFormat:NO];
    NSAssert(descriptor == nil, @"Startup recursed!");
    descriptor = localDescriptor;
  }
  return descriptor;
}

@end

// @@protoc_insertion_point(global_scope)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


'Cassandra Heeded' is Book 2 of N W Moors' Second Chances series. If you have always loved Greek myth and legend, as well as ancient history, don't bother to read any further. Just buy the book. If not, stick with me, then buy the book anyway.
N W Moors has cleverly placed human figures from the past in a modern setting. Specifically a small town in Connecticut, the state where she and I grew up. They are persons who have, arguably, been dealt a bad hand by the gods. Now they have a chance at redemption. In Book 1, 'Icarus Rising', Daedalus' son, Icarus, flew too close to the sun on man-made wings and offended Apollo. He was banished to Hades with a pair of wings painfully embedded in his back. Cassandra was a priestess in ancient Troy who could foretell the future, whose curse was that no one would ever believe her prophesies. You can read more backstory in the novel, but suffice it to say Apollo once again was chapped. Seems as if he had a very thin skin.
Cassandra was raped by Ajax Minor, the smaller, swifter version of the Ajax Major we all know and love, after the fall of Troy. Then she was carried off by Agamemnon and subsequently murdered on the way back to Greece. The gods took a measure of pity on her and let her exist for eternity in the Elysian fields. She was spared Hades. But she became horribly bored after two thousand years of bliss. Apollo shows up and offers her the chance to shed the curse of prophesy. But as in 'Icarus', Cassandra must recover an object for Zeus. Cassie, as she is called in contemporary Connecticut, decides to take the risk.
I'll won't discuss the plot but will tell you that Russ (Icarus) and his girlfriend, Eve, appear again as important characters in the tale. As does Artemis, Apollo's sister and goddess of the Hunt and the Moon, who works, quite happily, in the kitchen of Eve's Bookstore/Café. No spoiler but she is very good at baking and thoroughly enjoys it! Go figure. Athena is also in the story, enjoying the modern world immensely as a high-powered financial dynamo. That you can figure.
As with 'Icarus', the book is just plain fun to read. Unlike 'Icarus', in which Russ and Eve had to pull off a heist to satisfy Zeus, 'Cassandra' is more subtle. And as we are introduced to Hephaestus, the lame god of Fire and Forge, it can also be touching. The main characters, Cassie Troi (clever) and Jack Burnett, reveal more of the inner workings of their psyches than did Russ and Eve.
This is something not uncommon to novelists who write a series. As with many things, authors grow along with their stories. I've found this to be the case with my own 'Ur Legend' series. I write under the pen name Ajax Minor and my story is about a second chance as well. Ironic, huh?


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text:
Home World Headlines Buckethead Bear Cub Removed From Plastic
Buckethead Bear Cub Removed From Plastic
Buckethead Bear Cub Removed From Plastic.
Spectators attending the annual Autumn Glory Festival in Garrett County last weekend saw more than fall foliage and art shows. Onlookers saw the end of a three-day pursuit by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Wildlife and Heritage Service, with help from the Maryland Natural Resources Police, to safely capture a young black bear with its head stuck in a plastic jar.
The DNR said in a news release Monday that its officers tranquilized the 100-pound male bear cub so the could remove the plastic. The rescued cub, affectionately known as "Buckethead" by wildlife agents, was freed near the Wisp Resort in McHenry during the festival.
"The crowd was very happy to see the cub safely handled and reunited with the sow and another cub," Wildlife and Heritage Service Director Paul Peditto said in a statement. "Our response staff did an outstanding job dealing with this very public situation, and handled it in a most professional and responsible manner."
After the plastic jar was removed, the healthy cub returned to the woods to reunite with its sow.
Black bears are beginning to binge-eat as they store up for winter, and that could bring them closer to people than normal, the DNR warned last week. Residents and visitors should remember that black bears are beginning a period of increased feeding activity in preparation for winter hibernation or torpor. Black bears in Maryland are concentrated in Allegany, Frederick, Garrett and Washington counties.
During this time, bears may become more attracted to human-provided food sources and lose their natural fear of people, which can lead to potentially dangerous encounters.
"Keeping bird feeders, pet food and trash in a place where bears can't get to them is the best way to avoid interactions," Peditto said in a news release. "Marylanders should delay filling songbird feeders until the winter to avoid attracting these mammals."
Maryland highways also pose a hazard as bears roam the state in the summer. About 55 bears are killed on state roads each year, Maryland Natural Resources Police told WBAL.
Typically, Maryland's black bear population is concentrated in Washington, Allegany, Frederick and Garrett counties, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Most bears are about 125 to 400 pounds and stay within a 10 to 25-mile radius of where they live.
Sightings in populated areas are most common in June and July, when young bears wander away from rural areas as they look to establish their territory during the late spring through summer months.
After a period of wandering, young bears usually settle in places with established bear populations in western Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. They typically make dens in wooded areas.
What To Do If You See A Bear
Stay inside. If you encounter a bear while outside, go indoors.
If you must remain outside, leave distance between you and the bear. "If a bear woofs, snaps its jaws, slaps the ground/brush or bluff charges, you are too close," the Maryland Department of Natural Resources advises. When bears stand on their hind legs, they are not showing aggression, officials note, but are instead trying to see or smell better.
Make loud noises to get a bear to leave your area. Ensure you have given the bear an escape route.
Never feed bears. Feeding bears is illegal in the State of Maryland.
Report bear emergencies to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources at 410-260-8888.
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text:
Le gouvernement Cameron  () est le gouvernement du Royaume-Uni de Grande-Bretagne et d'Irlande du Nord entre le  et le , sous la  de la Chambre des communes.

Il est dirigé par le conservateur David Cameron, vainqueur des élections générales à la majorité relative, et repose sur une coalition entre le Parti conservateur et les Libéraux-démocrates. Il succède au gouvernement du travailliste Gordon Brown et cède le pouvoir au gouvernement Cameron  après que les conservateurs ont remporté la majorité absolue des sièges aux élections générales de 2015.

Historique du mandat
Ce gouvernement est dirigé par le nouveau Premier ministre conservateur David Cameron, précédemment chef de l'opposition officielle. Il est constitué et soutenu par une coalition entre le Parti conservateur et les Libéraux-démocrates (LibDems), qui disposent ensemble de  sur 650, soit 55,8 % des sièges de la Chambre des communes.

Il est formé à la suite des élections générales du 6 mai 2010.

Il succède donc au gouvernement du travailliste Gordon Brown, constitué et soutenu par le seul Parti travailliste (Labour).

Formation
Le Premier ministre Gordon Brown annonce le  que les prochaines élections générales seront convoquées le  suivant. Le scrutin aboutit pour la première fois depuis février 1974 à la formation d'un  () dans lequel les conservateurs disposent du plus grand nombre de sièges, suivis par les travaillistes.

Six jours après la tenue du scrutin, le chef du Parti conservateur et chef de l'opposition officielle David Cameron est nommé Premier ministre par la reine  et annonce qu'il formera un gouvernement de coalition avec les LibDems. Le pacte entre les deux formations accorde cinq postes au sein du cabinet aux libéraux-démocrates, dont celui de vice-Premier ministre qui revient à Nick Clegg le lendemain, lors de la formation effective du nouvel exécutif. Une première démission intervient moins de trois semaines après la mise sur pied du nouveau gouvernement : reconnaissant avoir perçu indument des notes de frais, le secrétaire en chef du Trésor David Laws renonce à ses fonctions le  au profit de Danny Alexander, jusqu'ici secrétaire d'État pour l'Écosse.

Succession
Au cours des élections générales du 7 mai 2015, le Parti conservateur remporte une courte majorité absolue des sièges alors que les sondages auguraient d'un résultat très serré face au Parti travailliste, tandis que les Libéraux-démocrates enregistrent une déroute. Reconduit, le Premier ministre sortant annonce dès le lendemain un certain nombre de ministres et complète la liste des membres de son second gouvernement le .

Composition

Initiale ()

Remaniement du
 Les nouveaux ministres sont indiqués en gras, ceux ayant changé d'attributions en italique.

Remaniement du
 Les nouveaux ministres sont indiqués en gras, ceux ayant changé d'attributions en italique.

Notes et références

Voir aussi

Articles connexes
 Élections générales britanniques de 2010

Gouvernement du Royaume-Uni
2010 au Royaume-Uni
2011 au Royaume-Uni
2012 au Royaume-Uni
2013 au Royaume-Uni
2014 au Royaume-Uni
2015 au Royaume-Uni
2010 en politique
2011 en politique
2012 en politique
2013 en politique
2014 en politique
2015 en politique

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The Items Import process read files from ./Incoming/Items/ in the SFTP. These files will be moved to the archive folder located at./Incoming/Archive/Items/ before being processed in alphanumeric order.
Item uniqueness is based on a combination of Supplier, Supplier Part Num, and Contract.
You can update the Item Name using Item Number or update the Item Number using the Item Name. All of the other fields can also be updated.
Item Number or Name plus Supplier (Standard or Background loader through the UI) or Supplier Number(Standard loader).
You cannot update Contract Number or Supplier Part Num on a supplier item.


This article was posted in $USD, Basics, Buy Food, Buy Silver, COMEX, History, JP Morgan, News, research, silver is the new, Silver Market, Silver Shortage, silverfuturist, video and tagged $USD, Basics, Buy Silver, Comex, Dollar Collapse, Fiat Currency, Gold, History, JP Morgan, metals, News, Research, Silver, Silver Crash, silver is the new, Silver Manipulation, Silver Market, silverfuturist, Video. Bookmark the permalink. Follow comments with the RSS feed for this post.Post a Comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL.


If you want to succeed, you've got to learn to write well. And to write well, you've got to be clear, informative, concise and persuasive.
Fortunately, you can learn to become a good writer. But it takes practice.
Thankfully, there are plenty of resources on the Internet that can help you improve your business writing immediately. One of our favorites is this video from Harvard Business Review, featuring the aforementioned Bryan A. Garner. In "Five Ways to Improve Your Writing," Garner, a noted legal writer and teacher, offers up a short list of concrete ways to make you a better writer right now.
His first tip? Use personal pronouns skillfully. Garner advocates avoiding the (over)use of the word "I." Instead, he urges you to deploy the much more engaging and friendly pronouns "we," "our," "you" and "your." These pronouns shift focus away from you and pull your reader in.
His second tip is to use contractions. That's right: Use "can't" instead of "cannot" and "won't" instead of "will not." Garner says many writers are afraid of contractions because they've been taught to avoid them. But in the business world, he argues, using a contraction here and there doesn't break any real rule. Besides, contractions help you to sound less stuffy and stilted.
Watch the video for Garner's other three tips. They're just as commonsense as you'd might expect — but no less helpful. Take advantage of these great reminders the next time you sit down to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard.
Let us know what you think. Did Garner miss any important points? What's the best writing tip you can offer?


text:
Q: Computing small time differences in Singapore adds 30 minutes when converted to hh:mm:ss.mmm I have this Perl script where I need to monitor the execution time of DBI calls.
In Europe (France), I have no problem:  2 seconds execution time is reported 2 seconds.
This same script running on a computer in Singapore reports 30 minutes and 2 seconds.
Why ?
use strict;
use Time::Format qw(%time);
use Time::HiRes qw(gettimeofday);

my $time_start = gettimeofday();

sleep 2;  # some action goes here

my $stat_perf = gettimeofday() - $time_start;
print STDOUT $time{'mm:ss.mmm', $stat_perf} . " \n";

The output in France is
00:02.000

The same script running in Singapore yields:
30:02.001

Why ?

A: According to this documentation, the gettimeofday function returns seconds or microseconds since the unix epoch, which is 1/1/1970 UTC.  Because it is in UTC, it is not affected by time zones at all.
Also, in your original code you are just using gettimeofday, which is going to be returning timestamps from now, not from 1970.  But in your suggested answer, for some reason, you have hard-set the timestamp, which won't help you do much.
Yes, there is history to just about every time zone, including Singapore.  You can see it in the TZDB here.  But you are incorrect about it being +8:30 at the epoch. It was actually +7:30.  You can verify also on this site.  But it doesn't matter anyway because like I said, gettimeofday works strictly in UTC.
I think the problem is in how you are interpreting the results.  You have as your last line:
print STDOUT $time{'mm:ss.mmm', $stat_perf} . " \n";

But $stat_perf is the elapsed duration of time, not a value that you can treat as a timestamp.  You probably shouldn't be passing it to $time, since that will use the local time zone and be expecting a full timestamp.
Also, you may want to use tv_interval, as shown in the examples.
Update
I searched through the CPAN archives and I'm sure somewhere there is a module for formatting an elapsed duration of time, but I can't seem to find it.  Anyway, it's not too hard to write this on your own.  Here, this should work:
my $min = $stat_perf / 60;
my $sec = ($stat_perf * 1000 % 60000) / 1000;
my $elapsed = sprintf("%02u:%06.3f", $min, $sec);
print STDOUT $elapsed . "\n";

A: The anser is ...
Singapore is now 08h00 offset from UTC. In 1970, it was offset by 08h30. Asking for the conversion of a few seconds into a string will get us to 1970, not today's date, and timezone.
By requesting
print STDOUT $time{'mm:ss.mmm', 2} . " \n";

the system adjusts to 1970 (epoch) timezone offset.
In order to get a correct result in Singapore, we must shift to after 1982, when Singapore made its last timezone change.
print STDOUT $time{'mm:ss.mmm', 2 + 1356994800} . " \n";

as
UNIX_TIMESTAMP('2013-01-01 00:00:00')  = 1356994800

We are only concerned by the time of day portion of the date, so this does it.
Check with
zdump -v Asia/Singapore

This is the trick.

A: Here is a script that emulates $time{} in converting a real number into a string representing the mm:ss sexagesimal conversion of its integer part, concatenated with the decimal remainder formatted as microseconds.
As this is going to be part of a library, there are protections set to avoid invoking it with bad arguments.
I hope I didn't miss something.
use strict;
use Time::Format qw(%time);

# ----------------------------------------------------------
# A substitute to $time{} as we have issues with TZ offsets at epoch days in some part of the World
# A real to sexagesimal converter
# Format will be set to match $time{'mm:ss.mmm', $stat_perf};
sub microTime {
  return '' unless (my ($intertime) = @_);
  return '' unless (ref ($intertime) eq '');
  return '' unless (sprintf("%s", $intertime) =~ m/^(?:[\d]+)(?:\.(?:[\d]+))?$/);
  my $intNum = int($intertime);
  "a" =~ /a/; # Resets regex buffers
  sprintf ("%.03f", $intertime - $intNum) =~ m,\.([\d]+),;
  my $intDec = $1;  # It's always defined
  my $intUnder = $intNum % 3600;
  my $intMin = int($intUnder / 60);
  my $intSec = $intUnder % 60;
  return sprintf ("%02d:%02d.%03d", $intMin, $intSec, $intDec);
}

  my $stat_perf;

  $stat_perf = 345.987;
  $stat_perf = 345;
  $stat_perf = 3945.987;
  $stat_perf = 0;
  $stat_perf = 3945.918733;

  print STDOUT sprintf (" >> %s\n", &microTime ($stat_perf));
  print STDOUT sprintf (" == %s\n", $time{'mm:ss.mmm', $stat_perf});

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Friday the US economy remains strong, and the recent decline in the stock market was "just a natural correction".
After two days of sharp declines in US and global stock markets over fears of rising interest rates and the US trade conflicts, Mnuchin said in an interview on CNBC that markets "tend to go too far in both directions" and will have natural corrections.
But he said it was a "good thing" that Wall Street as poised to recover Friday.


← Riding the Blue Wave to VICTORY!!!
Voting Day itself was so enjoyable this year. For a split second We-the-Constituents get to put our hands on the steering wheel. It reminded me of July 2016 when I was filled with hope for Bernie Sanders' nomination. #Possibility!
Meanwhile the internet was bursting with a downright celebratory mood, as people from all corners posted pictures of themselves wearing their "I Voted" stickers.
This friend here [L] made a "VOTE" collage with her kids and dog, while this one over here [R] shared this amazing shot of her daughters (whom I adore) as suffragettes!
Q: When will Kentucky stop shitting on us with this McConnell Scourge?
Then there was this "Me in 2016 vs. 2018" trend, with one friend featuring her own daughter [R].
And also my super engaged, super pissed fellow liberal mom right here [L].
Overall a very unifying feeling of a day.
My friend and colleague, Yo Joe What a Guy.
This entry was posted in activism, Bernie Sanders, education, faith, fight, fighting Fascism, history, parenthood, patience, politics, racial injustice, social justice, The Progressive Movement, work and tagged Democracy. Bookmark the permalink.


text:
The rock coast of the British Isles: Shore platforms
Cherith A. Moses*
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article (journal) › peer-review
Rock shore platforms, present on at least half of the 20 500 km-long coastline of the British Isles, are usually backed by cliffs of varying heights. They form in a range of material types from soft cohesive sediment to sedimentary and metamorphic rocks of varying strengths to very resistant igneous rocks. Lithology influences platform erosion rates: glacial till > London Clay > chalk > schist > limestone > basalt and granite. Chalk platform erosion rates adjacent to engineering structures are significantly higher than elsewhere on the platform. There are no published reports of erosion rates on British platforms developed in igneous rocks such as basalt and granite because they have proved too resistant to record values using a micro-erosion meter. The most intensively studied shore platforms in the British Isles are on Blue Lias limestone in south Wales and Cretaceous chalk in SE England and there is a need for more detailed studies on additional rock types, particularly for understanding key controls on platform morphology and rates of erosion. The issue of whether the shore platforms exposed at present day mean sea-level are inherited from earlier periods remains. The role of platform erosion in helping to drive cliff retreat is understudied and evidence that engineering structures may enhance platform erosion rates comes from only one rock type. Predicted climate change and sea-level rise scenarios combined with more intensive management of coastal systems mean that it is important to improve understanding of platform systems and their link to cliffs. There is much scope, using established and new methods of investigation, to address the issues raised by existing studies of shore platforms of the British Isles.
Geological Society Memoir
https://doi.org/10.1144/M40.4
10.1144/M40.4
Dive into the research topics of 'The rock coast of the British Isles: Shore platforms'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
shore platform Earth & Environmental Sciences 100%
erosion rate Earth & Environmental Sciences 69%
chalk Earth & Environmental Sciences 54%
cliff Earth & Environmental Sciences 53%
coast Earth & Environmental Sciences 39%
erosion Earth & Environmental Sciences 34%
igneous rock Earth & Environmental Sciences 33%
rock Earth & Environmental Sciences 32%
Moses, C. A. (2014). The rock coast of the British Isles: Shore platforms. Geological Society Memoir, 40(1), 39-56. https://doi.org/10.1144/M40.4
Moses, Cherith A. / The rock coast of the British Isles : Shore platforms. In: Geological Society Memoir. 2014 ; Vol. 40, No. 1. pp. 39-56.
@article{58456d06547d4f03bcf64e5296120fb8,
title = "The rock coast of the British Isles: Shore platforms",
abstract = "Rock shore platforms, present on at least half of the 20 500 km-long coastline of the British Isles, are usually backed by cliffs of varying heights. They form in a range of material types from soft cohesive sediment to sedimentary and metamorphic rocks of varying strengths to very resistant igneous rocks. Lithology influences platform erosion rates: glacial till > London Clay > chalk > schist > limestone > basalt and granite. Chalk platform erosion rates adjacent to engineering structures are significantly higher than elsewhere on the platform. There are no published reports of erosion rates on British platforms developed in igneous rocks such as basalt and granite because they have proved too resistant to record values using a micro-erosion meter. The most intensively studied shore platforms in the British Isles are on Blue Lias limestone in south Wales and Cretaceous chalk in SE England and there is a need for more detailed studies on additional rock types, particularly for understanding key controls on platform morphology and rates of erosion. The issue of whether the shore platforms exposed at present day mean sea-level are inherited from earlier periods remains. The role of platform erosion in helping to drive cliff retreat is understudied and evidence that engineering structures may enhance platform erosion rates comes from only one rock type. Predicted climate change and sea-level rise scenarios combined with more intensive management of coastal systems mean that it is important to improve understanding of platform systems and their link to cliffs. There is much scope, using established and new methods of investigation, to address the issues raised by existing studies of shore platforms of the British Isles.",
author = "Moses, {Cherith A.}",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Geological Society of London 2014.",
doi = "10.1144/M40.4",
journal = "Geological Society Memoir",
publisher = "The Geological Society of London",
Moses, CA 2014, 'The rock coast of the British Isles: Shore platforms', Geological Society Memoir, vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 39-56. https://doi.org/10.1144/M40.4
The rock coast of the British Isles : Shore platforms. / Moses, Cherith A.
In: Geological Society Memoir, Vol. 40, No. 1, 24.05.2014, p. 39-56.
T1 - The rock coast of the British Isles
T2 - Shore platforms
AU - Moses, Cherith A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Geological Society of London 2014.
N2 - Rock shore platforms, present on at least half of the 20 500 km-long coastline of the British Isles, are usually backed by cliffs of varying heights. They form in a range of material types from soft cohesive sediment to sedimentary and metamorphic rocks of varying strengths to very resistant igneous rocks. Lithology influences platform erosion rates: glacial till > London Clay > chalk > schist > limestone > basalt and granite. Chalk platform erosion rates adjacent to engineering structures are significantly higher than elsewhere on the platform. There are no published reports of erosion rates on British platforms developed in igneous rocks such as basalt and granite because they have proved too resistant to record values using a micro-erosion meter. The most intensively studied shore platforms in the British Isles are on Blue Lias limestone in south Wales and Cretaceous chalk in SE England and there is a need for more detailed studies on additional rock types, particularly for understanding key controls on platform morphology and rates of erosion. The issue of whether the shore platforms exposed at present day mean sea-level are inherited from earlier periods remains. The role of platform erosion in helping to drive cliff retreat is understudied and evidence that engineering structures may enhance platform erosion rates comes from only one rock type. Predicted climate change and sea-level rise scenarios combined with more intensive management of coastal systems mean that it is important to improve understanding of platform systems and their link to cliffs. There is much scope, using established and new methods of investigation, to address the issues raised by existing studies of shore platforms of the British Isles.
AB - Rock shore platforms, present on at least half of the 20 500 km-long coastline of the British Isles, are usually backed by cliffs of varying heights. They form in a range of material types from soft cohesive sediment to sedimentary and metamorphic rocks of varying strengths to very resistant igneous rocks. Lithology influences platform erosion rates: glacial till > London Clay > chalk > schist > limestone > basalt and granite. Chalk platform erosion rates adjacent to engineering structures are significantly higher than elsewhere on the platform. There are no published reports of erosion rates on British platforms developed in igneous rocks such as basalt and granite because they have proved too resistant to record values using a micro-erosion meter. The most intensively studied shore platforms in the British Isles are on Blue Lias limestone in south Wales and Cretaceous chalk in SE England and there is a need for more detailed studies on additional rock types, particularly for understanding key controls on platform morphology and rates of erosion. The issue of whether the shore platforms exposed at present day mean sea-level are inherited from earlier periods remains. The role of platform erosion in helping to drive cliff retreat is understudied and evidence that engineering structures may enhance platform erosion rates comes from only one rock type. Predicted climate change and sea-level rise scenarios combined with more intensive management of coastal systems mean that it is important to improve understanding of platform systems and their link to cliffs. There is much scope, using established and new methods of investigation, to address the issues raised by existing studies of shore platforms of the British Isles.
U2 - 10.1144/M40.4
DO - 10.1144/M40.4
M3 - Article (journal)
JO - Geological Society Memoir
JF - Geological Society Memoir
Moses CA. The rock coast of the British Isles: Shore platforms. Geological Society Memoir. 2014 May 24;40(1):39-56. doi: 10.1144/M40.4


Location: Quandary is pretty close to Breckenridge, which puts it about 2 hours hours away from Denver. Check here for detailed directions.
Elevation/distance: There are several ways to Summit Quandary, but I would definietly recommend the Class One Route. The higher the "classes" get, the more intense they become. Class one is a regular hike, class two has more scrambling/light climbing involved, and so on. The class one total elevation gain is 3,450 feet, for a total of 14,265 feet at the Summit (the trailhead starts at 10,850). Your total mileage from start to finish is just a little over five miles.
Views on the way to the summit (aka the top).
Description: Absolutely breathtaking, summiting Quandary is also absolutely painstaking- HA! It's a hard climb. Five-ish miles is relatively a short distance to summit a 14er, so your have a pretty intense upward climb for the majority of the hike. It's well wroth it, though, because the views the entire way are just stunning. We saw tons of mountain goats, and were just surrounded by snowcapped mountains the entire way. Since the trailhead starts pretty high up, you get above the tree line pretty quickly (aka you are very high up very fast). If you have ever hiked above tree line, you know that the views are expansive and the pain is well worth it. Be aware of the false summit, which is basically when you think you have reached the top, and then you realize that, well, you haven't. Quandary's false summit is at least home to herds of mountain goats, which makes the disappointment a little more bearable. ;) (PS- research this hike before going! Depending on the time of year, make sure you pack the appropriate clothing. As you can imagine, the top is much colder than the base. I started in half tights and a t-shirt, and by the summit I was wearing a couple sweatshirts and coat because it is CHILLY at the top. We hiked Quandary the beginning of July and there was still snow at the top, if that tells you anything.
Who I would recommend to: Those who are looking for a "real" mountain hike experience. 14ers (aka freaking high mountains) are no joke, so take it seriously. Quandary Peak is known as one of the "easier" 14ers because you don't need climbing gear to summit the peak. Don't be fooled, though, because it's definietly still difficult. Drink TONS of water. You will be affected by the altitude here, whether that mean you are more out of breath or that you feel dizzy, you are high up. We did this one with our friends back home, who flew in the night before (!!!) for a visit. Their bodies were NOT acclimated to the Colorado altitude, but they still made it no problem. It should be noted that they are also in great shape. :) We just took lots of breaks and made sure to pack lots of water. Don't let the terms like "altitude" or "14er" or "intense" scare you, though. If you are in decent shape, you will be able to do it. It will be a challenge, but so worth it when you reach the top and mountains on mountains on mountains are staring you in the face. There is really nothing like it.


text:
How to Execute Better Strategy
Andrew Rudin
In these tumultuous times, I lust for every bit of surety I can find. I search for rules, immutable truths, and superlatives. My motive is patently self-serving. Limiting my perspectives saves time. Nuance? Things to consider? Outliers and exceptions? Too squishy! Give me something concrete I can hold onto for dear life.
Here's a superlative that has endured since I learned it in graduate school in 2005:
"All business failures result from using the wrong strategy, or executing right strategy the wrong way."
If only I could find more like this one.
Over many years, I've experienced revenue craters fomented by bad decisions, misguided assumptions, and cruddy planning. I blame myself for some of them. That's between us. Regardless, this trusty superlative worms its way into every aftermath I've analyzed. Thank you, Professor Todd.
When planning and executing strategy, companies must grapple with uncertainty. There's no avoiding it. Executives must recognize what they don't know, and make assumptions to fill the gaps. That requires a remarkable blend of intelligence, prescience, confidence, and courage. No wonder strategy development scares the bleep out of people. "Our current engineering, supply chain operations, and product planning are based on our expectation that 25 years from now, there will be a robust global market for long-range jetliners. Please pass the Maalox."
Strategy is defined as a plan of action or policy designed to achieve a major or overall aim. Companies should develop strategies whenever any crucial resource or result is constrained or difficult to achieve. For most companies, that includes securing capital, innovating new products or services, hiring human talent, or capturing revenue. Similarly, strategies are instrumental for achieving objectives such as high customer satisfaction, customer success, and market share percentage. Stuff that every company wants, but there simply isn't enough to go around. None of these outcomes can be left to chance, assuming, of course, that your goal is longevity.
Organizational vitality depends on sound strategy. Without strategy, the central mission of an organization – finding and capitalizing on opportunities – would depend on happenstance. A company without a strategy is like an untethered ship at sea without power, steering, or means for navigation. Unable to harness the forces of wind, tide, or other locomotion to go anywhere, the vessel just bobs around. Many businesses operate the same way, abdicating their outcomes to vicissitude. Que será, será. This is the mantra under which many companies operate, though it's never used as braggadocio.
But how much does strategy matter? The Evergreen Project, conducted between 1986 and 1996, asked that question, and the study revealed that companies with a strategy performed better than those without. That seems obvious, but the study offered another insight by revealing the magnitude of benefits over time:
"Financially successful companies all had a clearly defined and well-articulated strategy. No exceptions. These companies outperformed the losing companies by a 945% to 62% margin in total return to shareholders, had a 415% to 83% advantage in sales, a 358% to 97% advantage in assets, a 326% to 22% advantage in operating income and a 5.45% to -8.52% advantage in return on invested capital," wrote Rich Horwath in an article, Does Strategy Matter?
"While many companies have been able to survive without a clearly defined strategy in written form, a question looms: How much better could they be doing with a strategy? The 22% gain last year might seem impressive, unless of course it could have been a 65% gain with a solid strategy behind it." Of course, Horwath can't posit the answer, other than "A company or product or service can certainly survive without strategy, but it will never thrive."
I agree. But even for companies that envision and execute strategy, there's no such thing as certain survival. More Maalox.
When I taught an undergraduate class, Strategic Uses of IT, I used case studies, and asked my students questions to pique their strategic thinking. "What did [Company X] trade off when its executives decided to implement [name of project]" Many students were able to go well beyond connecting the dots. But some delivered a common response: "they traded off money." While that's technically correct, I was looking for deeper insight.
I followed the first question with, "when company X implemented this project, what didn't – or couldn't – they do as a direct consequence of that decision?" Examples: Providing customers high-touch luxury experiences trades off low-price leadership. Generating large profit margins sacrifices high inventory turnover. Offering extensive point-to-point airline routes precludes maintaining hub-and-spoke operations.
Over time, I learned that this strategy exercise can be vexing for students and seasoned executives alike. I also learned that when executives are vested in their strategy, the common response changes to "I don't think we're trading off anything." Early-stage strategy ossification, happening before our eyes.
The trade-off concept is key to understanding strategy. When you can parse the answer into more than one outcome or consequence, you're thinking strategically.
Key to executing better strategy is understanding its characteristics:
Strategies are based on assumptions – e.g. existence of a customer need, economic forecast, availability of key operational or technological capability, continuation of a trend or trends
Every strategy involves making trade-offs – "instead of pursuing [X], we will pursue [Y]"
Strategies create potential weaknesses –Effective strategies provide strength, but choices not taken present future vulnerabilities. It's important to recognize what they are.
Strategies contain inherent risks and opportunities – By definition, the purpose of strategy is to capitalize on opportunities, and achieving them carries inherent risks.
Strategic execution requires committing and consuming resources – including time, money, and/or physical and mental energy
While understanding the characteristics of strategy is an important first step for success, I've discovered through practice that effective strategies tend to . . .
be original, and different from competing strategies.
be capable of mutating and evolving. Strategies that can't adapt to changing conditions risk becoming ineffective.
identify and address consequential matters. Start by asking the right questions. One client told me that they wanted to direct their strategy toward "providing every user in the agency a suite of desktop applications software." That vision didn't overcome the "so what?" test. I recommended the organization ask a different question about the results they wanted, and focus effort on a more meaningful outcome.
use sound assumptions. Many strategies are based on outsized or unrealistic estimates, or tenuous predictions.
be clear and unambiguous. An example of one that's not: Customer Obsession is an Employee Engagement Strategy, Too.
be difficult to replicate. FedEx, Amazon, Zappos. These companies have been endlessly analyzed, and their strategies are well-known to competitors. But they are also complex, involving the entire company for execution, not just a department or two.
be underpinned by sufficient risk capacity. Strategies are more likely to be successful when companies can sustain the risk of failures.
minimize potential conflicts of interest.A colleague recently shared with me that his company developed a strategy that rewards Sales for capturing revenue, but penalizes Operations for failing to meet customer demand. I predict constant bickering until the strategy is scrapped.
Ethics and strategy – it's complicated, but I'd be remiss if I didn't address it. For society, business strategies can produce outcomes that are beneficial. The credo for Conscious Capitalism provides both inspiration and guidance:
"We believe that business is good because it creates value, it is ethical because it is based on voluntary exchange, it is noble because it can elevate our existence, and it is heroic because it lifts people out of poverty and creates prosperity."
Contrast that lofty ideal with Theranos, a once high-flying startup which used strategy for nefarious purposes. Stakeholders were harmed. People likely died as a direct result of the company's activities. For a time, the company's strategy was considered effective, but now Theranos is defunct, leaving destruction and pain in its wake. Never assume an effective strategy is also kind and benevolent.
Ethics problems start when strategies give paramount importance to generating revenue and profit. Every year, I call out a new list of offenders in the Sales Ethics Hall of Shame award – a showcase for executives who believe the revenue-profit ends justify the means to achieve them.
Ethical strategies don't occur by prescribing rules or steps, but by asking questions:
Is the premise of the strategy good? This is a central question behind the ethics and efficacy of for-profit prisons. Does a business model that that depends on the incarceration of people for revenue and profit help society as much as it rewards the owners and investors of the company?
Are the intentions of the strategy honest? Strategies that depend on customer coercion, opacity, and factual obfuscation are not ethical, and may be illegal.
Does the strategy protect stakeholder interests? Put another way, does the strategy unfairly exploit stakeholder weaknesses, vulnerabilities, or information imbalances? Ethical strategies avoid these problems at the beginning, and include mechanisms for ensuring bad ethics and dishonesty don't metastasize and harm employees, vendors, customers, and investors.
Does the strategy reward – or penalize – employees who exercise sound moral judgment? Every company inducted into the Sales Ethics Hall of Shame has failed this question.
If we've learned anything from the Wells Fargo and VW scandals, protecting companies from calamitous risks requires answering these questions not just in the C-Suite, but by corporate boards. Especially by corporate boards.
Strategies are a progression, a continual work-in-progress. On November 8th, 2018, The Wall Street Journal reported these artifacts:
"Ford is getting into the electric scooter business."
"Vice Media plans to shrink its workforce by as much as 15%."
"Google is gearing up for an expansion of its New York City real estate that could add space for more than 12,000 new workers."
Each, representative that the companies have set their sights on goals necessary for survival or growth. And these objectives will evolve into new ones. With strategy, there is no "final triumph." There are also no superlatives, rules, or immutable truths to ascribe. Is Vice Media's plan to shrink its workforce the best strategy? It's impossible to say. In the strategic analysis, all we can do is judge is whether it was effective at achieving the intended goal – and move on.
The post How to Execute Better Strategy appeared first on Contrary Domino.
Republished with author's permission from original post.
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Contrary Domino, Inc.
Andrew (Andy) Rudin is Managing Principal of CONTRARY DOMINO. Andy provides expertise and solutions to companies seeking to strengthen sales governance, revenue risk management, and ethical compliance (GRC). His cross-industry background in marketing, sales, and product management uniquely positions him to help companies in many industries manage a wide range of revenue growth challenges. Andy has a BS in marketing and an MS in information technology, both from the University of Virginia.