Home / Posts Tagged "heart scan"
A new study was published in the October 13, 2015 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 1 This study – involving CT calcium testing in a large patient population – has potential to significantly refine conventional wisdom regarding long-term statin therapy for cholesterol, as well as favorably impact and lower medical costs and provide more flexible treatment options for high cholesterol.
Statin prescription medication [e.g. Lipitor, Pravachol, Crestor, etc.] for high cholesterol has been shown to be very beneficial in broadly lowering cardiac risk across a number of populations; but the issue is that the medications may not be appropriate for all patients with high cholesterol.
These new data in a very large cohort confirms CAC also to discriminate those at a low risk of events, potentially allowing for de-identification of therapy. Experts suggest that this will reduce costs and potential downstream side effects of medical therapy in patients highly unlikely to benefit from such treatments using statins.
Nearly 2/3 of adults aged 45-75 years are either recommended or considered for statins by current guidelines.
Almost half of these candidates have no coronary artery calcium, and their actual risk is much lower than the threshold suggested by the guidelines to consider statin therapy. The greatest reclassification was noted in those at intermediate level of estimated risk by traditional risk factors.
The knowledge of significantly lower reclassified risk with absence of coronary artery calcium can be valuable in better informing patients of choices, who may consider avoiding statins to focus on prudent lifestyle changes.
From a societal prospective, the estimated number of individuals to treat in order to prevent one cardiac event is very high. This finding should stimulate dialogue on best strategies for appropriate resource allocation in the healthcare system.
At the Princeton Longevity Center we feel that it is necessary to define absolute cardiovascular 'risk' in a given person/client/individual. That is why all patients at least get a non-contrast CT CAC [coronary artery calcium] scan to estimate their individual coronary 'atherosclerotic plaque burden'. We use this information to then determine if further testing [such as Cardiac CT Coronary Angiogram – also available] is necessary and to design the prevention and lifestyle plans and whether statin therapy is appropriate. The above study further emphasizes the use of CAC scanning to assist physicians in counseling their patients on risk versus benefit.
The coronary calcium scan or HeartScan has been available since the early 1990's and is the main subject of the documentary 'The Widowmaker' [Netflix] regarding the controversy of finding early heart disease through non-contrast CT and the very profitable treating of advanced heart disease using stents and other devices.
Heart disease remains the single largest cause of death in the US, killing 40% more people than all cancers combined – but unlike screening tests supported by the American Cancer Society such as mammography or colonoscopy – screening for heart disease has not been adopted by the American Heart Association or the American College of Cardiology.
The coronary artery [Agatston] 'score' [CAC] is a measure of the volume of the calcified coronary artery plaque which was demonstrated 20 years ago to be a reliable surrogate to the coronary atherosclerotic plaque burden. The supposition has been that the higher the score, the higher the risk – this has essentially been demonstrated in studies with 3 to 5 year follow-up and the question remains if the CAC score retains its predictive power out beyond a decade.
A recently published study [Ann Intern Med, July 7, 2015, vol. 163:1, pp 14-21] in nearly 10,000 asymptomatic individuals who had a non-contrast CT HeartScan in Nashville, TN between 1996 and 1999 looked at a 15+ year follow up on all-cause mortality.
Much has been written in recent years about the potential harm from radiation associated with medical imaging, such as CT Scans. These sources have tended to assume as proven fact that the radiation doses associated with medical imaging are harmful while also tending to neglect the potential benefits from those procedures.
On December 13, 2011, the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) released their Position Statement on Radiation Risks from Medical Imaging Procedures. AAPM is a scientific and professional organization dedicated to ensuring the safety and quality of radiation in medical procedures. They are one of the most authoritative voices in the field of medical radiation and its benefits and risks.
Medical imaging procedures should be appropriate and conducted at the lowest radiation dose consistent with acquisition of the desired information.
Discussion of risks related to radiation dose from medical imaging procedures should be accompanied by acknowledgement of the benefits of the procedures.
Risks of medical imaging at effective doses below 50 mSv for single procedures or 100 mSv for multiple procedures over short time periods are too low to be detectable and may be nonexistent.
Predictions of hypothetical cancer incidence and deaths in patient populations exposed to such low doses are highly speculative and should be discouraged.
These predictions are harmful because they lead to sensationalistic articles in the public media that cause some patients and parents to refuse medical imaging procedures, placing them at substantial risk by not receiving the clinical benefits of the prescribed procedures.
Many of the articles we have seen in the media cite dose for a single CT scan as high as 25 mSv. While there may be imaging centers that still routinely expose patients to doses that high, improvements in technology coupled with careful attention to techniques for minimizing dose have resulted in dramatically lower radiation doses in recent years.
For example, atPrincetonLongevityCenterthe average dose for a Coronary Calcium Heart Scan is about 1.5 mSv and is often as low as 0.7 mSv. The dose for a Cardiac CT Angiography average 3 mSv and is often less than 1.0 mSv. A typical Full Body Scan will average 5-7 mSv.
These doses are substantially lower than the 50 mSv threshold for which AAPM's experts say the risks may be too low to be detected.
As with any medical procedure, the risks and benefits must be carefully weighed in order to make an informed decision. The statement by AAPM is helpful in clarifying that the risks of radiation are frequently overstated while the benefits of early disease detection and more precisely guided therapy afforded by medical imaging are often insufficiently considered.


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Cantor Kevin Margolius
Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Cantor Margolius graduated with a BS in Quantitative Economics from Tufts University and received an MA in Jewish Studies and cantorial ordination from Hebrew College. While at Hebrew College, he was awarded the Myer and Anna Wolf Prize for Judaic and Hebraic Studies, the Cantor Rick Boyer Prize for Hazzanut, and an honorary diploma from the Prozdor High School for leadership in creating new curricula. He is a member of the Cantors Assembly (Conservative), American Conference of Cantors (Reform), and Guild of Temple Musicians (Reform).
Before coming to Touro Synagogue, Cantor Margolius served as cantor and religious school director at Temple Beth Tikvah in Madison, CT, and the music director and cantorial intern at Temple Beth Shalom in Peabody, MA (now Temple Tiferet Shalom). He was previously the student cantor at Temple Ohabei Shalom in Brookline and at Ahavath Torah Congregation in Stoughton, and on the faculty of the Prozdor High School of Hebrew College. He also completed a unit of chaplaincy training at Brigham and Women's Hospital and served as the conducting fellow of the Zamir Chorale of Boston.
While at Tufts University, he recorded three award-winning albums with the Jewish a cappella group Shir Appeal. His arrangement of "Le'an Shelo Telchi" (with Scott Weiner) was selected for The Best of Jewish A Cappella, vol. 2.
Cantor Margolius enjoys distance running, composing music, playing piano and guitar, and collecting books. He lives in Uptown New Orleans with his husband, Dr. Jason Gaines.
Touro Synagogue | 4238 St Charles Avenue, New Orleans, La, 70115 | (504) 895-4843 | Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM | Photos courtesy of Scott Saltzman

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Q: Apply command to list of elements separated by \and I am trying to build a command similar to the \author command. It takes one argument with is actually a list of arguments separated by \and. The command needs to apply another command like \underline or \emph to each element of the list. My current approach is
\documentclass{minimal}
\newcommand{\mylist}[1]{%
    \def\and{\noexpand\endgroup \noexpand\underline\noexpand\begingroup}%
    \edef\myinternallist{\noexpand\underline\noexpand\begingroup #1\noexpand\endgroup}%
    \show\myinternallist%
    \myinternallist%
}
\begin{document}
    \mylist{Element1 \and Element2}
\end{document}

and \show\myinternallist yields
> \myinternallist=macro:
->\underline \begingroup Element1 \endgroup \underline \begingroup Element2\endgroup .

which looks ok to my untrained eye. However, the above code does'nt compile and I have no clue why it does'nt. The expected result looks like this:

A: If you want a solution not requiring a package, use braces {}, but you'll need balance them in the definition. To hidden them when expanded just use \iffalse .. \fi:
\def\and{\unskip\iffalse{\fi} \noexpand\underline{\iffalse}\fi}%
\protected@edef\myinternallist{\noexpand\underline{#1}}%

\edefcannot be used with arbitrary stuff, so I use \protected@def, which means you must enclose the whole definition with \makatletter .. \makeatother. I've also added \unskip (to remove the space at the end of each block) and a space.

A: You indeed get
\underline \begingroup Element1 \endgroup \underline \begingroup Element2\endgroup

but unfortunately \underline\begingroup Element1 \endgroup is illegal, because \begingroup and \endgroup can't be used for delimiting a macro argument.
There are various tools for this; I'll show a solution based on expl3, the programming layer of the future LaTeX3.
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{xparse}

\ExplSyntaxOn
\NewDocumentCommand{\mylist}{ O{\underline} m }
 {
  % transfer control to an internal function
  \porst_mylist:nn { #1 } { #2 }
 }

\seq_new:N \l__porst_list_items_seq
\seq_new:N \l__porst_list_output_seq

\cs_new_protected:Npn \porst_mylist:nn #1 #2
 {
  % clear the output sequence
  \seq_clear:N \l__porst_list_output_seq
  % split the input at \and
  \seq_set_split:Nnn \l__porst_list_items_seq { \and } { #2 }
  % append each item to the output sequence
  \seq_map_inline:Nn \l__porst_list_items_seq
   {
    % #1 is the given argument, ##1 represents the current item
    \seq_put_right:Nn \l__porst_list_output_seq { #1 { ##1 } }
   }
  % output the sequence with something between items
  \seq_use:Nn \l__porst_list_output_seq {,~} % adjust
 }
\ExplSyntaxOff

\begin{document}

\mylist{Element1 \and Element2}

\mylist[\emph]{Element1 \and Element2}

\end{document}

The first step is splitting the input at the \and tokens; trailing and leading spaces will be removed; the second step is storing the "formatted" items in another sequence, for using this one with some separator between the items.

Another possible tool is etoolbox; but, as you see, it's much more complicated.
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{etoolbox}

\makeatletter
\DeclareListParser*{\andlist@do}{\and}
\newcommand{\andlist@sep}{, }
\newcommand{\mylist}[2][\underline]{%
  \def\andlist@output{\@gobble}%
  \andlist@do{\andlist@handler{#1}}{#2}%
  \andlist@output
}
\appto\nocorrlist{\andlist@sep}

\newcommand{\andlist@handler}[2]{%
  \appto\andlist@output{\andlist@sep#1{#2\unskip}}%
}
\makeatother

\begin{document}

\mylist{Element1 \and Element2}

\mylist[\emph]{Element1\and Element2}

\end{document}

A: Here is a common solution without any expl3, etoolbox etc. The \and macro can be defined as required. We need only three lines of macros:
\def\mylist#1{\mylistA #1\and\and}
\def\mylistA#1\and{\ifx\and#1\and\else \and{#1}\expandafter\mylistA\fi}
\def\and#1{$\underline{\rm #1}$ }

\mylist{Element1 \and Element2}

Edit: Egreg's comment here includes question, how to print separator only between items. This is simple. We stay in three lines and without additional packages and without any hassle:
\def\mylist#1{\def\mylistS{\def\mylistS{, }}\mylistA #1\and\and}
\def\mylistA#1\and{\ifx\and#1\and\else \and{#1}\expandafter\mylistA\fi}
\def\and#1{\mylistS $\underline{\rm #1}$}

\mylist{Element1 \and Element2}

Edit2: If somebody needs to print another separator between last two items then he can use following code. Of course, it is slight more complicated:
\def\mylist#1{\def\mylistS{}\def\andA##1{\let\andA=\andB}\mylistA #1\and\and}
\def\mylistA#1\and{\ifx\and#1\and \and{}\else \and{#1}\expandafter\mylistA\fi}
\def\and#1{\ifx\mylistS\empty\else\andA{#1}\fi\mylistS \def\mylistS{$\underline{\rm #1}$}}
\def\andB#1{\ifx\and#1\and{ and }\else{, }\fi}

The comma is printed between elements but the word " and " is printed between last two elements.

A: If you are not bound by the idea to limit items by \and you may want to take a look at the packages commado or dowith that I recently discovered when having a similar problem.
With the former you could try something along the lines
    \usepackage{commado}
    % ...
    \newcommand{\myList}[2][\underline]{\doWithCSL{#1}{#2}}

and call it like
    \myList{Element1, Element2}

As this would not produce any space between the elements, the following additions will (almost) reproduce the above examples
    \usepackage{commado}
    \usepackage{xspace}
    \newcommand{\myul}[1]{\underline{#1}\xspace}
    \newcommand{\myem}[1]{\emph{#1}\xspace}
    \newcommand{\myList}[2][\myul]{\doWithCSL{#1}{#2}}
    % ...
    \mylist{Element1, Element2}!

    \mylist[\myem]{Element1, Element2}!

(the exclamation mark shows that the \xspace helps suppressing the trailing space if not needed)
All packages are part of the standard distribution.

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text:
QUEER TEXT SERIES: THE QUEER SHELTER PROJECT STORIES WORKSHOP AT DIXON PLACE
Author: Kelli Dunham
On a beautiful fall evening at New York's Dixon Place on Tuesday October 5, writer Dinick Martinez took the stage, reading from a black and white composition notebook; "It's hard to forget the harrowing moments when I was blind in love with the wrong man."
The audience murmured an understanding response to the experience and the specificity of the language, perhaps remembering moments when they were also blind in love with the wrong person.
Martinez, who developed the piece during the Queer Shelter Project Stories Workshop led by author Sassafras Lowrey as a part of Queers for Economic Justice's (QEJ) arts programming was just getting started.
Martinez read a total of half dozen short pieces, touching on themes of love, loss, family rejection and fear and ended with a piece about the decision to tell his grandmother that he's gay, concluding "Even though I was afraid to lose her love, at this point it doesn't matter to me, I love myself."
The event, part of the Queer Text series at Dixon Place curated by Nicholas Boggs. was introduced by QEJ Interim Executive Director Amber Hollibaugh who explained that it was part of the QEJ mission to nurture the "creation of art by people who are not usually brought to the table."
Set against the backdrop of the October 1 police shooting of NewProvidence shelter resident Yvonne McNeal, who marched with QEJ at the Gay Pride March earlier this year, the stories carried a particular urgency.
Lowrey later explained how the workshops leading to the event unfolded: "The premise behind my workshops is the idea that everyone has a story to tell, and that storytelling is social justice work. In order to truly understand an issue like homelessness, you must hear from the people who are living that reality. Additionally, it can be personally transformative to tell our stories including those of trauma and survival."
Lowrey added, "These writers, these stories are at the core of who we are as a community and where we need to be focusing. They are bringing realness to the page that many writers only dream of being able to capture."
Writer Gykyira Rodriquez who began sharing with a piece entitled "The Last Kiss" perfectly illustrated Lowrey's point.
"I am dying," Rodriquez explained, giving voice to a man she described as her first love, " I didn't know how to tell you but I wanted to give you one last kiss."
Jay Toole, the director of QEJ's Shelter Project as well as a workshop participant was the last reader of the evening to take the stage. She squinted under the DP Lounge lights and joked, "So glad to be under bright stage lights rather than the bright lights of a line-up." She went on to read a piece that explained her comments, detailing all the different jobs she has held: "Bookbinder…care thief to transporting stolen cards….bike messenger at least for two days, bike dispatcher, panhandler, pimp, armed robber." At this point Toole looked at the audience and with perfect comic timing and quipped, "talk about upper mobility."
Her next piece was less tongue in cheek: "I am dying; life on these empty streets is too hard. Because I am a stone butch I had to be strong. There are times I am so overwhelmed that I can't think straight or gay."
The last piece Toole read spoke directly to the incident the previous weekend: "Who cares if another homeless person is killed. Who cares if another queer person is killed."
Perhaps the event itself was a partial answer to Toole's rhetorical question. Perhaps if we listen to the stories of other LGBT people, particularly those whose voices are often ignored, we will begin to care in a way that makes a difference.
Photo: Jay Toole (courtesy of Kelli Dunham)
In Italics: Queer Latino Nuances in American Literature
New In December
Top 10 Most Memorable LGBT Teen Fiction Characters According to Brent
About: Kelli Dunham
Jay Toole
Nicholas Boggs
QUEER TEXT SERIES
Sassafras Lowrey
THE QUEER SHELTER PROJECT STORIES WORKSHOP AT DIXON PLACE


My brother, who is Downs, also autistic spectrum, and with a dose of brain damage at birth thrown in is almost certain to live in an assisted home of some sort. I'm frightened that people won't take proper care of him or will take advantage of him. So my main idea is to raise money so that you can help stop it happening.
Madi is raising money in an incredibly physical, and hugely impressive way, by paddling 125 miles in a race known as the Canoeist's Everest. This race is a mean feat for anyone, never mind a 15 year old. Not only do they race 125 miles over four days but they have to carry their boats around 77 locks on the route.
I'm paddling in the 125mile Devizes to Westminster race #dwcanoerace. Historically a bet, but now grown into an annual international marathon race. I've paddled racing kayaks since I was 8 years old and I'm the youngest taking part this year. I'm racing with my coach (Ian) in the junior vet class. We've been training throughout the winter and really started in late October to train hard.
Finally Madi's family are supporting her and you can tweet Jo here or George here, if you'd like to wish Madi luck or send her a message and let her know how truly awesome she is (and indeed her whole family is for supporting us; you don't get to paddle 125miles without a lot of support). Thank you Madi, Ian and Team Barnicoat.
This entry was tagged #dwcanoerace, 107days, 125 miles, Boat 54, canoe race, devizes to westminster canoe race, Ian, justiceforLB, Madi Barnicoat, paddle, paddling, paddling for Justice, paddling for JusticeforLB. Bookmark the permalink.


Ranging among the most reputable hotels in Golden Sands, Ljuljak Hotel is located at a distance of 17 kilometres from the centre of Varna and only 400 metres from the sunny beach. Overlooking the Bay of Varna and surrounded by the golden sands of the resort, the three-star Ljuljak Hotel is a unique gem which will fulfill your dreams of a romantic blue summer.
You will find warm hospitality and unforgettable peace and quiet in an oasis of greenery and arches of rose bushes. You will feel a raise of spirits and a surge of energy in the sprightly water of the huge swimming pool, surrounded by green trees, and enjoy refreshing sips in the summer cocktail bar. Your vacation will be satisfying and delightful in the relaxed and comfortable atmosphere of the 82 spacious double rooms and 16 apartments. You will be lured by the splendid garden of the restaurant of the hotel Ljuljak and its impeccable service and tempting culinary offers.
Welcome to one of the "greenest" hotels in Golden Sands!
Celebrations in hotel Ljuljak Everyone has moments in life that should not pass. We will take care to turn those moments into unforgettable memories.
Family holiday For all of you, who want to enjoy one unforgettable holiday with their children, we present special offer of hotel Ljuljak.
© 2019 Hotel Ljuljak. All rights reserved.


Join us on Sat., Apr. 20, 1:30-3:30 p.m. for a traditional, family-friendly, free community event! This year, the 44th Annual David & Margaret Community Easter Egg Hunt will feature some new activities for even more fun.
In addition to the traditional Easter Bunny appearance, egg decorating, games, and face painting, we will have food for sale and live music! Of course, there will be an Easter egg hunt for the kids and prizes for "golden eggs" in each age group. The Easter Egg Hunt is just one of the ways David & Margaret strives to strengthen and engage our community.
But wait, there's more: Our first-ever La Verne Business Scavenger Hunt, Monday, April 8, through Saturday, April 20. There will be a raffle during the Easter Egg Hunt for all those who participate in the Business Scavenger Hunt, with lots of prizes, including four tickets to Disneyland!
Get a scavenger hunt flyer, which includes participating businesses' locations and hours. Flyers will be distributed to Bonita Unified School District students, and be available at The Store @ David & Margaret and Dave & Maggie's Café, as well as on our website. One flyer per person, please!
Visit the participating businesses (see below) between April 8-20; have them stamp your scavenger hunt flyer. Each stamp will be worth one raffle ticket at the Easter Egg Hunt.
Participating businesses will have a special David & Margaret Easter egg. Find it, take a picture of it, and put it on your social media account(s) with #dmHunt and the business's hashtag or website (it will be on the egg). Each social media post will be worth one additional raffle ticket.
Bring your scavenger hunt flyer to the Community Easter Egg Hunt to receive your raffle tickets.
Tickets will be drawn for a variety of prizes during the event. Stay and have fun: You must be present to win!
Top prizes will be awarded after the winner's social media posts have been verified.
For more information, contact: Julie Griffith at (909) 596-5921, ext. 3180 or click here to email.


text:
Share this Story: NHL playoffs: Capitals edge Bruins to secure third seed in East
NHL playoffs: Capitals edge Bruins to secure third seed in East
Washington moves on to face the New York Islanders in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Boston Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk fights for position between Washington Capitals defenseman Nick Jensen and goaltender Braden Holtby during the first period of the Eastern Conference qualifications at Scotiabank Arena. Photo by John E. Sokolowski /USA TODAY Sports
T.J. Oshie and Tom Wilson each scored a goal to lift the Washington Capitals to a 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins on Sunday afternoon in the Eastern Conference round-robin finale in Toronto.
Braden Holtby recorded 30 saves as the Capitals (1-1-1, three points) clinched the third seed in the East. Washington next will face the New York Islanders as the league returns to traditional postseason formatting for the remainder of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
NHL playoffs: Capitals edge Bruins to secure third seed in East Back to video
Jake DeBrusk scored midway into the third period for the Bruins (0-3-0, zero points), who will be the fourth seed in the East despite entering the round-robin with the best record in the NHL. Boston will next face the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Capitals came out slow in the first period and were held to one shot on net over the first 19 minutes. With 16 seconds remaining, Oshie made the most of shot No. 2, wedging the puck off the stick of Bruins captain Zdeno Chara and past Tuukka Rask for a 1-0 lead.
Oshie's goal was his 20th career in the playoffs with Washington, becoming the seventh player in franchise history to reach the mark.
The Bruins, who have yet to lead in any of their games since the season restarted, had a chance to knot the score early in the second on a partial breakaway shot by defenseman Charlie McAvoy that Holtby snagged out of midair. Boston held a 16-15 edge in shots through two periods.
Wilson beat Rask top shelf to double the Washington lead with his first goal of the playoffs at 2:49 of the third period, but DeBrusk got the Bruins on the board when he put beat Holtby between the pads with 9:30 left. Boston pulled Rask with one minute remaining but failed to convert.
The Capitals remained without Norris Trophy finalist John Carlson, who missed the entirety of the round-robin tournament with an undisclosed injury. Game-time decision Nicklas Backstrom played after missing practice Friday for undisclosed reasons.
-Field Level Media


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Africa's Fight Against Islamic Extremism
"This message of extremism is alien. It's alien to their culture, it's alien to their communities, it's alien for their future."
(Amb. Phillip Carter, former Deputy to the Commander for Civil Military Engagements, United States Africa Command)
In Colombia's decades-long civil war, one community vows neutrality
In the midst of Colombia's long-running civil war, between a rebel movement known as FARC on one side, and paramilitaries and the government on the other, a small group of poor farmers, also known as campesinos, is refusing to take sides.
How a non-profit in India is fighting corruption with fake money
Inspired by the nonviolent activism of iconic social reformist Mahatma Gandhi, an Indian non-profit organization called 5th Pillar is addressing the country's problem of corrupt officials by handing them fake money.
Despite government surveillance, Tibetans turn to WeChat messaging app
Imagine living across the world from your family and friends and not being able to use Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp and other social media and messaging apps to communicate.
Civil Resistance: The Power of the People


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Q: Expected behaviour with Arrow Builder schema change on existing ArrowDB records? I'm in the process of building a custom ArrowDB model through Arrow Builder and have published it using "appc publish" - let's call this schema "v1". I inserted a record into my custom "Customers" table after first publishing it. Later on, I added a new photo_id field to the Customers model - let's call this schema "v2" - and published again, forcing an overwrite of the existing model.
Now, when I try to issue an Update (through the generated API for Customers) to the existing record to add a value for photo_id, I get a 204 response from the call, but the photo_id value is not updated. If I add a new record at this point, I can add and update the photo_id with no problem.
So my question is - is this expected behaviour? If so, how do I update all the v1 records to the new v2 schema?


Some productivity experts recommend that you schedule tasks you want to accomplish on your calendar each day. I don't, and I wanted to tell you a little more about why I think this practice won't help your productivity.
When you schedule tasks on your calendar, it's too easy to break the appointment with yourself.
I'm grateful to the article's author, Gwen Moran, for citing my work. She quotes me regarding the potential pitfalls of working freelance from home, and I offered some ideas for how to minimize distractions.
I want to offer a counterpoint, though, to some of the other tips provided in the article. I'm a fan of author Kevin Kruse and I think he is a source of really smart content. On this one issue, though, I have to respectfully disagree. In this column, he recommends that you shouldn't keep a to-do list but rather schedule tasks on your calendar.
Our days tend to be filled with disruptions, distractions and surprises. And when it comes down to it, you're more likely to break your appointment with yourself to do the task rather than put off or turn down someone else who needs you. In my experience, people who try to schedule tasks spend way more time reconfiguring their calendars after they miss their scheduled time to do a task than they do actually getting things accomplished.
So if you're not going to schedule tasks on it, how should you use your calendar? In my book, Personal Productivity Secrets, I talk about how your calendar and your task list are both part of a successful personal productivity system. Your calendar is for things that have a strong relationship to time, like appointments and meetings. Your task list is for items that have a weak relationship to time: all the things that you want to get done but that don't have to happen at a specific time.
If you're really determined to schedule tasks on your calendar (and I still wish you wouldn't!), at least do it in the most efficient way. My friend Francis Wade is a fan of an app called SkedPal. It automatically schedules your tasks based on your commitments, priorities and energy levels so you don't have to enter each task manually.
While I agree with not scheduling specific tasks on a calendar, it is valuable to schedule blocks of time dedicated to addressing tasks in general. This provides a dedicated time (and deadline) for moving certain efforts forward. More importantly, in offices where people can view other people's calendars, it minimizes the chance of having someone book meetings during a time when you could otherwise have focused on getting work done. This helps ensure you have a block of time rather than many small chunks in between meetings.


Keep oils in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight. This will preserve the life of the oil.
Essential oil is responsible for the aromatic expression of a plant. Approximately 10% of the world's plants contain essential oil, each of them metabolizing the elements of its environment in a different way resulting in a specific scent. These oils act as part of the immune system of the plant by helping it to survive among parasitic insect and microbe communities and to cope with environmental changes. Essential oils also play an important role in attracting pollinating insects and other mutually symbiotic organisms, including humans who have learned to cultivate these plants and extract their oils for a variety of uses.
Throughout history, people have looked to plants for natural healing due to their therapeutic properties. Essential oils are antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, skin rejuvenating, blood revitalizing, and soft-tissue healing. Oils can be helpful for hormone balancing, fertility, and mood stabilization. They are also used to soothe, relax, energize, uplift, focus, and restore energy. Essential oils help enhance sensory experience and to deepen meditation.
Enjoy oil by placing on pulse points.
Use essential oil to deepen your practice. You can inhale directly from the bottle or place a drop or two of essential oil onto your palms. rub together, and breathe in.
Use one of Rootfoot's tree essential oils, such as Eucalyptus or Frankincense to support your respiratory health. Place a few drops of oil on a damp towel or in a bowl of hot water and breathe deeply.
For atmospheric purification, aromatherapy, and ceremony use oil with diffuser.
Take a bath for relaxation and rejuvenation. Place 5-10 drops of your desired essential oil in a tub of warm water. You'll notice that essential oils vary in the amount of oil needed. Some oils will be fragrant with 1 or 2 drops while others may need close to 10.
To enhance physical and emotional benefits to self-massage and bodywork, use a carrier oil such as sesame oil or jojoba and add 10-20 drops of essential oil to every ounce of carrier oil.
For bumps and bruises, make a compress with a cold or warm damp towel. Drop 1-3 drops of essential oil directly onto the towel. Lavender or Frankincense essential oil work well for this method.


Integrative medicine blends the best of traditional/conventional medicine with the healing philosophies of a variety of non-traditional therapies. These therapies emphasize caring for the whole person and focus on healing as much as curing. Integrative medicine engages the mind, body and spirit.
Most of our patients have already tried many approaches and treatment for their condition. Because of our integrative approach, we are frequently told by patients that only we have made a real difference in their health after they had given up hope of living a pain free life.
We believe people have a good sense of what is going on with their health and wellness. While we use tests and examination skills, the most important information comes from taking the time to hear your story. It is common that we develop a working diagnosis which ties many of your symptoms together that you thought were unrelated.
We schedule adequate time to discuss your concerns and answer your questions. At our clinic we try our hardest to stay on schedule so you don't experience prolonged waits.
To make sure your healing journey a positive experience.


text:
BAS Winter Symposium
1:00-5:15 pm EST
Gods, Religion, and Sacred Texts in Ancient Israel
Theodore J. Lewis, Erin Darby, Mary Joan Leith and Christopher Rollston
The BAS Winter Symposium brings together top biblical scholars and archaeologists to present the latest discoveries about the origins, development, and practice of Israelite religion from the Iron Age (1200–586 B.C.E.) through the Exilic period. Presentations and case studies will explore such topics as:
The origins and background of Israel's god, Yahweh
Jerusalem, Solomon's Temple, and "official" Israelite religion
Everyday religious practice in ancient Israel and Judah
Art, imagery, and iconography in Israelite religion and worship
How Israel's sacred texts evolved during the Babylonian Exile
This online event will bring you the most recent scholarly perspectives on ancient Israel and its religious practices, with special presentations by leading experts in the field:
Theodore J. Lewis, Johns Hopkins University (and winner of a BAS 2021 Publication Award)
Erin Darby, University of Tennesse, Knoxville (and past lecturer at BAS's St. Olaf Seminar)
Mary Joan Leith, Stonehill College (and frequent speaker at BAS's Bible & Archaeology Fest)
In addition, Christopher Rollston, renowned scholar of ancient texts, will lead a lively discussion among the scholars, and BAR Editor-in-Chief Glenn J. Corbett will moderate the symposium and give you the chance to share your own questions and comments with the presenters.
Israelite Religion: When and How Did It Emerge?
Theodore Lewis, Johns Hopkins University
Israelite religion is well documented in Iron Age texts (the Hebrew Bible and the extra-biblical inscriptional record) and material culture. But what if we step back to ask the "origin" question? When and where did it all start? And how did ancient Israel's religious understandings emerge out of much older Near Eastern cultures that predate Israel by thousands of years? As a test case, we could ask: If Israelite religion is marked in particular by the god Yahweh, when and where does he first emerge on the scene? In the well-documented ancient Near East, how is it that Yahweh fails to appear in neighboring cultures of the Late Bronze Age? When does he first appear? In short, how do historians use the Bible, ancient texts, art, and archaeology to reconstruct the earliest history of Israel's god?
Theodore J. Lewis is the Blum-Iwry Professor of Near Eastern Studies at Johns Hopkins University. He is the author of several books on Israelite and Near Eastern religion, including... Read More
Unearthing the Religions of Ancient Israel
Erin Darby, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
What does archaeology tell us about the religious lives of ancient Israelites? This lecture will review the role archaeology has played in reconstructing Israelite religious practices in the home and beyond. Taking a whirlwind tour through the material culture of the Iron Age II, we will encounter the types of artifacts archaeologists use to understand religion at all levels of Israelite society, and we will explore the intriguing debates and unresolved questions that remain even today.
Erin Darby is Associate Professor of Early Judaism in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She is an expert in the archaeology... Read More
Persian Surprise: A Key Period for Biblical Studies
Mary Joan Leith, Stonehill College
Long ignored by biblical scholars, the Persian period (539–332 B.C.E.) has become the darling of biblical scholars over the last half-century as it became apparent that this was the time when the Hebrew Bible, at least as we know it today, first began to come into being. The archaeological record has provided a crucial source of light on this obscure period, but has also raised challenging questions about how, when, and why certain religious concepts developed among the biblical authors and editors.
Mary Joan Leith is Professor of Religious Studies and Theology at Stonehill College. Trained as an archaeologist, her research and publishing has centered on three disparate areas... Read More
Christopher Rollston, George Washington University
Special Discussant
Christopher Rollston is Professor of Northwest Semitic Languages and Literatures, and Chair of the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the George Washington University. Read More
Full payment due at time of registration
Early Bird Rate (Ends January 28, 2023): $79
Regular Rate: $99
Student Rate: $49
Cancellation: You may request a refund until January 30, 2023. You will be refunded the full amount less a $20.00 administrative fee.
If you are unable to fill out the electronic registration form, please contact the Travel/Study department at 1-800-221-4644, ext. 424.
Peter Megginson
Biblical Archaeology Society
800-221-4644, ext. 424 (Toll-free)
5614 Connecticut Ave. NW #343


A hosting provider will also make sure that your website loads quickly and won't go down. Before on Wix, this is something they provided for you automatically behind the scenes, but you will need your own to migrate your Wix data into.... Reduce and minimize, only have critical content on the site. This goes for any website, but wix has a lot of cool widgets and features. Many times, I will see people go overboard with the amount of cool features they try to put on their website.
In this example, the code dictates that your website's page will take 100% of the window, regardless of the viewing screen's size. If you'd like your page to appear slightly smaller, we recommend setting your width to no less than 80%, or you risk that your content will appear too small on-screen. If you define a smaller width, you can focus your screen using... 4/12/2015 · Tutorial on getting your Wix website basic SEO and getting indexed and listed on major search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo etc. Easy step by step guide and descriptions.
One link from a very well trusted site in your niche can improve how much trust Google has in your website, but they want you to create 'buzz' about your site, rather than build links in a mechanical fashion. Editorial links from media sites also still carry a lot of weight in 2018. how to change your keyboard This lesson will show you the basics of creating a website on Wix, from signing up for an account to picking a template for your website to putting it together, all the way to publishing it! To create a website with Wix, you first have to sign up.
To get the full power of Google Maps you need to create your map on the Google Maps site and then embed the code on a page of your Wix site. Creating a map on Google Maps The first step is to create a map on the Google Maps site.


text:
Trump Is Stocking, Not Draining The Swamp
For investigators of the massive oil and gas corruption that curses the world, the swamp just got more dangerous, because the sunlight was just snuffed out.
Carl Pope
Obama and Financial Regulation: The Dodd-Frank Legacy
Douglas Holtz-Eakin
Middle Class Finally Gets a Raise
A new rule just announced by the Obama administration will, effective December 1, double the overtime-pay salary threshold and set it to automatically increase every three years. It's about time.
Harlan Green
United States Rewards International Whistleblowers for Help in Uncovering Fraud
Tim McCormack
Financial Reform Is Working
The critics of the financial reform Dodd-Frank Act are fond of saying that it doesn't work -- some going so far as to say that the financial system is just as much at risk as it was in 2008, if not even more so.
Dennis M. Kelleher
The Whistleblowers' Third Lemon Award Is to Fannie and FHFA
The Bank Whistleblowers United's third weekly lemons award is made jointly to the Federal Housing Finance Agency and Fannie Mae (with a dishonorable mention to the federal judiciary). The award goes for these entities' indifference and even hostility to whistleblowers.
William K. Black
The Democratic Party and Obama's Fragile Legacy
Yes the Affordable Care Act passed, as did Dodd-Frank, the stimulus bill, and a host of other important measures he described in his speech. But somewhere along the line the Obama realignment collapsed, dead by 2010. Why?
David Schultz
Candidate Bernie Is Candidate Obama
What I learned from last Sunday's Charlotte, South Carolina Democratic debate, the last debate before the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries, is that Bernie Sanders the idealist is almost a reincarnation of candidate Barack Obama in 2008 when Barack Obama was the fiery progressive on the campaign trail.
Why Does Bernie Love Denmark?
Why does Senator Bernie Sanders love Denmark, and has been mentioning it and the other Scandinavian countries as ideal models for a developed country, one he would like the U.S. to emulate?
A Stronger State of the Union Begins With Reining in Wall Street
As President Obama prepares to deliver his final State of the Union address on January 12, it's difficult to remember how incredibly bad the economy was when he took office seven years ago and how important financial reform is to getting the economy working again for all Americans.


Waag Society researches, and develops concepts, pilots, and prototypes at the intersection of new technology and art. The project-oriented foundation aims for social innovation, focusing on healthcare, art and culture, education, sustainability, and society in general.
Waag Society conducts experimental, interdisciplinary research, in close cooperation with a relatively small number of users: 'creative research'. Users have a central position and a large influence on the final project result: 'users as designers'.
Some particular user groups have difficulties accessing the Internet. Waag Society enables these people to do so by, for example, The Storytable, a multimedia table for the elderly to share stories, and Pilotus, an icon-based communication tool for the mentally impaired. As one of the founders of Creative Commons Netherlands, Waag Society helps authors, artists, scientists and teachers to handle their copyright in a flexible way. Waag Society cooperates with public and private parties.
Many of Waag Society's projects found national and international acclaim and were awarded over the years.
Waag Society is housed in the Waag and since 2006 in cultural hotspot Pakhuis de Zwijger as well. The Waag is the oldest secular building in Amsterdam. Pakhuis de Zwijger is a renovated warehouse in the former Amsterdam dock area.


By now you have probably heard about our decision to publish the Danish cartoons -- those same cartoons that have been the excuse for riots around the world.
We believe that reprinting the cartoons is essential to properly telling that news story, which is why we did it. We also published them as a symbol of our freedom of the press, and in defiance of those around the world who would censor us through threats of violence.
I've never been more proud of our magazine.
Not everyone is happy with us, of course. A Calgary Muslim leader has reported us to the police, trying to get them to charge me with hate crimes. He has also filed a complaint against us with the human rights commission on the same grounds. Ironically, he has called our freedom of the press "intellectual terrorism".
Those are nuisance suits, of course. But the idea is to cost us money and time, break our spirit, erode our freedom of speech, and teach a lesson to all other media: that anyone who doesn't censor themselves will be made to wish they did.
The threats are working. Already, many Canadian magazine retailers who normally carry the Western Standard have caved in, announcing -- even before they see our new issue -- that they won't put us on their shelves. Again, the purpose of the censors is obvious: hurt our magazine economically, and make an example of us as a warning to all other media.
1. Let me know how you feel.
If you support our magazine's decision, let me know. Send me an e-mail to info@westernstandard.ca and I'll share it with the rest of our staff, to help buoy their spirits as we face this hurricane, to let them know we're not alone.
Magazine retailers need to know that you value freedom of the press and your freedom to make up your own mind, and to not be censored by them or anyone else. Ask them to stock the magazine, or even to order it in just for you. You'll not only help us survive the boycott, but you'll put some steel in the spine of your local retailer.
3. Help us out directly.
If you're not yet a subscriber, now's the time to sign up -- a subscription is 37% cheaper than buying the magazine at the newsstand, and the money goes directly to us. If you're already a subscriber, consider renewing your subscription today, or extending your subscription, or even joining one of our clubs for enthusiasts by becoming a Sustaining Subscriber or a member of the Publisher's Circle.
It's fast, easy and secure -- and it helps us stay strong, and keep growing.
When we started the Western Standard nearly two years ago, I never imagined that we would have been at the center of a fight for our culture's basic freedoms -- or that the rest of Canada's media would be so silent, leaving us to fight this fight by ourselves.
But we're not all by ourselves. We have you.
Thank you for your help -- I look forward to your e-mails.
P.S. The best way to help us right now is to click on http://www.westernstandard.ca/subscribe"
LOL! Desperate and pathetic. And he exposes the real reason he's doing all this in the link at the end of the letter.
Ezra is simply jumping on the bandwagon publishing inflammatory depictions based on religious intolerance from the press, contrast that with legal arguments from the Moslem horde---hmmm.
Obviously the WS is just using this to try and increase sales of their rag.
Does anybody know who, if anyone advertises in the Western Standard? Simply not buying the magazine isn't all that satisfying a protest since I'd never pick it up anyway but a letter or two to advertisers might make me feel better. I'm assuming it's just Calgary real estate agents and used car dealerships but it would still give me some peace of mind.
Ah Caliope, you just reminded me of something I wanted to say about the magazines views on censorship. In all of this uproar over the decisions by media outlets to publish objectionable material I get the impression that when people react to this 'freedom' of the press by refusing to buy the dross and to pressure their favourite bookstore to not carry the offending publication, that reaction is confused with censorship.
Just as the media has the right to be assholes by publishing pointless provacative garbage, we have the right to ignore them, not support them financially, and pressure our favourite media outlets to remove them from our sight.
Freedom of speech gives you the right to speak but it doesn't guarantee you will be heard.
I think the Western Standard demands to be heard.
I think it was a CBC news report, about McNally Robinson stores refusing to stock the issue with the Danish cartoons, that concluded by saying the Calgary store usually sold fewer than a dozen copies. It is said to have a circulation of 40,000; let's see if it goes down or up.
Levant's all over the place with his outrage, first it was "Canadians don't burn down embassies to show their displeasure" but nobody burned anything down in Canada.
Then "Canadians don't make death threats when they read something they don't like" but by his own admission nobody's threatened him.
When a Muslim group went to the police and the Human Rights Commission he spoke out on CBC that "Canadians don't call the police when they have a disagreement, they write letters".
Well now that Canadians have written letters and retailers have listened apparently he doesn't think we should do that either.
Please, please, please -- can't we just stop talking about him? Attention is the oxygen he breathes. Let him rant in obscurity. In fact let's not even mention his name.
Quote: Please, please, please -- can't we just stop talking about him?
Unsurprisingly, the ra*dian institute sides with Levant - "Muslim Opinion Be Damned" - in a recent op-ed where they said "America's attempts to appease 'Muslim opinion'" were depraved and suicidal.
George Bush must have missed the memo, or Cheney forgot to tell him what to think, as even Bush said, while defending freedom of speech, that people have "a responsibility to be thoughtful about others."
Funny, I didn't think launching a war in the middle east was an effective form of appeasement, but I guess it certainly is Ra*dian.
... they said "America's attempts to appease 'Muslim opinion'" were depraved and suicidal.
You mean like when Ann Coulter tours America encouraging violence against [disparaging term omitted because even ironic racism is frowned on here] and receives boisterous applause and gets her picture on the cover of Time magazine? That kind of appeasement?
The Hell you say. All clichés are true: wonders will never cease.
Now, to be fair, I can imagine the ra*dian institute defending "freedom of speech" even were the cartoons anti-Christian or anti-Semitic. They're known for a certain kind of consistency.
Of course, they're also known for providing proof that a certain kind of consistency is indistinguishable from a certain kind of stark, staring, daylight madness. As if we needed such proof.
That was my opinion at first, but this issue is not going to simply go away. These jerks need to be heard loud and clear for being the kooks they are. As each distributor decides to pass on this pile of trash, the WS looks more and more extreme.
A great post. Maybe this just shows that the folks at WS are out of touch with Canada. They think that hatred sells, but it appears that few are buying.
I have this fantasy where Coulter and Rachel Marsden, Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, David Frum and yes lets include Ezra - are all spirited off to some other planet or remote island, left to populate a new master-race, and that the TV networks turn it into a new form of reality TV.
I predict they kill each other within a single season but not before at least half of them start a religious war chanting "Death to the Other Side".
That would be fun to watch. One would horde the food, one water, another would have the copyright on fire. They'd all end up dying of hunger, thirst and exposure respectively. Ezra might be left to write about it but alas like in real life nobody would read it.
I think this Island of the Ultra Right Nuts deserves a thread of its own, where we contribute to the story line. Maybe we can sell it as a concept to CTV or FOX.
I hereby grant permission to appropriate my fantasy and start up a new thread if so inclined. I'll be back later.
And they would fight over the last box of cereal going "cuckoo for cocoa puffs".
Yeeesh. I just got this queasy sensation. Y'all will excuse me a few minutes, I hope?
After a dizzy night of agreeing with each other as to the fate of the Middle East ("nuke-em, danno!"), the shipwrecked neanderthal-conservatives suddenly found their life was without purpose.
Without Paul Begala to beat upon, without their ceremonial John Kerry Dartboard, without their cherished Jacques Chirac Punch-O-Rama (the one that lights up for each solid hit) punching bag... the castaways truly were lost.
So, they took to mating, well, those that survived the head butting at least, and what evil blond-haired and corpulent offspring came forth from their loins.
. . . So, they took to mating, well, those that survived the head butting at least . . .
Barring twins that would limit the next generation on the Island of Shipwrecked Neanderthals to four, since immediately after mating with Bill, David, Rush, or Ezra, Coulter would bite off their head.


While some cannabis lovers get an energy boost from the Sugar Shack strain, this sociable hybrid is low key and mellow overall. An excellent afternoon strain, this plant often inspires a slight body sedation that relieves stress and promotes relaxation. Fairly high in THC, this pine-scented flower is recommended for those with some cannabis experience.
Peaceful and engaging, this cannabis strain is a flower meant to be shared. While this plant can be slightly sedative, it frequently inspires a talkative and sociable attitude that makes it easy to enjoy the company of others.
Giggly in nature, this bud has a light-hearted attitude and a friendly nature. Yet, though this plant offers a pleasant mood boost, many find that the experience is predominantly physical.
This contented herb offers a chill vibe that makes it easy to kick back and relax. So, this flower is best during the afternoon or evening. After too much of this bud, you may find yourself a little too relaxed.
Sugar Shack Oil Pens may be available from select brands, depending on the region.
Sugar Shack shatter, Sugar Shack wax, and other Sugar Shack concentrates may be available from a number of retailers.
This marijuana strain is considered mild in nature, though very little is known about this mysterious flower. This plant is thought to be a 60/40 indica-dominant hybrid with calming effects.
Fairly high in THC, the plant often expresses up to 19 percent of the psychoactive. While those with prior cannabis experience will find that this flower is an easy smoke, novices and those sensitive to THC may experience some lightheadedness or paranoia from this charming herb.
The buds tend to be pointed and semi-dense. Featuring dusky sage green coloration, this plant almost has a yellow hue with golden trichome crystals. When it comes to aroma, the name of this strain may be slightly misleading. The plant presents a slight sweetness, but strong notes of earth and wood make up the base of this plant.
Tired of tight, tense muscles? This cannabis strain is a popular choice for muscle spasms, cramps, and tension.
Slightly sedative in nature, many find that the herb is useful for improving sleep.
This soothing herb is also a popular choice among experienced consumers seeking daytime pain relief.


Integrated Resource Management (IRM) is a process that promotes integrated management of solid and liquid waste residuals to maximize resource recovery through combined processing of some, or all of these materials.
At their meeting on May 9, the Board asked staff to proceed with the development of a Hartland Renewable Natural Gas project plan for approval and funding through the 2019 budget process.
At their January 10 meeting, the CRD Board directed staff to focus on two discrete IRM procurement opportunities in lieu of comprehensive technology procurement for all solid and liquid waste residuals.


Lovely, well maintained chalet in the quiet residential area of Servoz-le-Lac, with an attractive garden and garage. Easy access to the Chamonix valley via the train, or direct access onto the Motorway. The chalet is made up as follows; Ground floor: Spacious lounge, kitchen, laundry room & WC. Upstairs: 3 bedrooms, large bathroom, WC In addition, a Cave & boiler room in the basement level, and a separate garage measuring approximately 25m2. Views of the Domes de Gouter & the Mt Blanc massif.
Large living room, kitchen, laundry room & wc.


Bonds... Why do people bother with them. ?
I'm all in on stocks and for the tax advantaged 401k and IRA plan to stay that way. But for the regular index account I have been thinking about moving 25k (10% of total holdings) into Mid term or total Bonds is there a way to structure the move so taxes are lower or should I just pick a total bond fund I like and tell vanguard "do it tomorrow"?
Re: Bonds... Why do people bother with them. ?
You say that "everyone says bonds help long term returns" but I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone actually say this.
Maybe not directly. But if some bonds keep one from panicking in a bad market, it will indirectly contribute to better overall returns. A lot of people aren't old enough to remember 22% decline in one day. My spouse was in the business (buy side, small cap) in 1987. We used to joke (mostly a joke) about staying out of the financial district during the daytime to avoid getting hit by falling portfolio managers.
All of those getting started articles that people link for newbs seem to take it as an article of faith that 25% is the lowest amount of bonds that is reasonable. Lots of talk about three funds where 1/3 total stocks 1/3 international and 1/3 bond.
I want someone to rationalize my current positions and re-enforce my current basis or explain a reason for bonds beyond the sometimes people get scared and make moves that hurt them.
My friend, allow me to introduce you to EDV, the Lebron James of bond funds.
If you had invested 80% Total Market / 20% EDV since EDV was introduced in 2008, you would have reduced your portfolio's volatility by 1/4 AND increased your total return by 10% over these ten years as compared to 100% Total Market.
Bottom line: a portfolio of uncorrelated assets can not only reduce risk but can boost absolute return as well.
Last edited by HEDGEFUNDIE on Mon Oct 01, 2018 4:10 pm, edited 2 times in total.
How many people on here were 100% stocks in 2008?
This is another straw man: this forum contains many people who think stock allocations of 90%, 100%, or even more can be totally reasonable.
The larger point is that the whole point of portfolio diversification is to manage risk. Asking for reasons to diversify that don't have a basis in risk management is like asking someone to explain why oceans make you wet , without mentioning water.
The point of bond a bond allocation is to reduce portfolio volatility (risk), and so help avoid panic during a stock market crash.
It is easy for investors who had little or no money in the stock market in 2008 to feel that they would be brave and not panic during a stock market crash. It's harder to do that (avoid panic selling, continue regular contributions, and make additional contributions) during the stock market crash, than it is to feel brave ahead of time.
You cannot simply decide in advance that you won't feel the emotion (panic) just because you are intelligent and know better.
I suggest reading Your Money and Your Brain by Jason Zweig.
Nah, I think a better period to use is 1974-1975. I realize some posters may not have been born yet, but it was a brutal time to own equity only.
There is no right number as an absolute. There is usually a range of what is reasonable depending on many factors, including personal preference.
vineviz wrote: The larger point is that the whole point of portfolio diversification is to manage risk. Asking for reasons to diversify that don't have a basis in risk management is like asking someone to explain why oceans make you wet , without mentioning water.
OP, you do not need to have bonds. If you have a high risk tolerance and you are investing purely return, you can go 100% stock. I have bonds because I have been saving for 20 years and could not endure a Great Depression or Japan scenario at this point in my life.
If you hold bonds, you should do so primarily in your 401k. If you hold all stock in your 401k, the gains will be taxed as income. Keeping your bond allocation in 401k allows stocks to grow in Roth or brokerage account.
At age 30 I do not see the need for you to be in bonds. When you start getting into your forties you may start feeling different especially after you see savings grow and you want to start preserving some portion of it. Basically you may find your risk tolerance changes as you get older.
How much did you have invested in 2008? Now multiply that by 100. Would you have reacted the same way?
I am asking because I've never 'got' bonds except as a hedge against the market falling the day after you retire and even then if you have enough you would still be better off just riding it on the long term.
There is no guarantee that this will be true in the future. The market could drop by 50% tomorrow and not come back to even for 20 years. Do you want to bet your retirement standard of living that that won't happen, if you don't need to. The closer you get to retirement, the more that possibilities like this can weigh on you, since it becomes harder to bounce back.
If you know that you want a certain percentage of bonds at retirement, how do you plan to reach that percentage? Will you go 100% stocks until the day before you retire? Will you start buying bonds 5 years out? What happens if the market crashes 6 years before you plan to retire? Or you lose your job or get sick or get injured 6 years before you planned and then the market crashes. That is why many folks like to gradually add bonds starting 20+ years from retirement.
...So risk tolerance is not an issue...I want someone [to] explain a reason for bonds beyond the sometimes people get scared and make moves that hurt them.
Risk tolerance should always an issue, and "sometimes people get scared and make moves that hurt them" is a good, valid reason. It is a big mistake not to consider risk in investing, and it is a big mistake to assume that one has a high risk tolerance. However, you don't want me to discuss risk tolerance, so let if I can make a two analyses, that do not mention panic-selling, each of which shows that 100% stocks is not an optimum.
This is theory. It's a thought experiment. This isn't a suggestion about anything to actually do.
First, if all you care about is expected return (based on extrapolation of past data), it makes no sense to limit yourself to 100% stocks. There's no magic about the number 100. You have to start without preconceptions and decide whether or not to use leverage, and, if so, how much. You then get into a difficult mathematical, logical, and philosophical thicket. Under one analysis, you should be using as much leverage as you can get, without limit. Another analysis (using the "Kelly criterion,") based on something that is curious but (I think) true: increasing leverage simultaneously increases your expected return while also increasing the probability of personal ruin. I have read that such analysis suggests that the optimum is somewhere around 140% leverage. The real-world cost of leverage will affect the analysis, of course.
Second, in most analyses, mixtures of stocks and bonds have had higher risk-adjusted return than 100% stocks. So here is a very carefully-phrased statement about return. Please read all of it.
Whatever your risk tolerance, high or low, assuming it is not infinite, there is some amount of risk you want to take. For that personally chosen level of risk, a portfolio of stocks and bonds that is adjusted to your chosen risk level will have higher return than a portfolio of stocks alone. But you have to equalize the risk of the portfolios you are comparing. You equalize it by adding cash if it is too higher, or using leverage if it is lower.
As you've noted, simply adding bonds lowers both risk and return. But it lowers risk more than it lowers return. So, if you are happy with the risk level of 100% stocks, you can boost a stock/bond portfolio to the same risk level by using leverage. That will result in higher return than with stocks alone.
There are several different ways to decide on that portfolio. The traditional one can be called "MPT." A newer one can be labeled "risk parity," because the idea is to balance your portfolio in such a way that you are getting equal amounts of risk from both stocks and bonds. In order to do that, since stocks are much riskier, you have to cut them way down and boost bonds way up. In either case, the result you get is that the optimum portfolio is very bond-heavy! It's in the ballpark of 25% stocks or less, 75% bonds or more.
So, a risk-tolerant investor would not eliminate bonds at all. A risk-tolerant investor would use a bond-heavy stock/bond portfolio and leverage.
I'm not, not, not suggesting really doing this. I'm just saying: here is an example of a rational strategy that does not include any assumptions about panic-selling, yet does lead to a portfolio that includes bonds.
Last edited by nisiprius on Tue Oct 02, 2018 9:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
Agreed. Many seem to assume that the market will recover in a few years at most, but there's actually no guarantee of that.
I'm not sure the answer is to have a large percentage in bonds, CDs, etc. The return is too low - under 0% real after taxes. I personally believe in diversifying to direct real estate (rental properties) instead. For people who have a nest egg that's so big that they don't care about the drag of bonds, it's not an issue. For people who want/need better returns, this is a reasonable approach in my view.
OP, you experienced 2008, right?
But, were you depending on your portfolio to support you? I think probably not. If you have been a new retiree about that time, you would have been helped having bond holdings. I wasn't retired in 2008, and I picked up additional equities when I could. But, as I got really close to retirement, I switched to a 50/50 balance of equities and bonds. The difference for me between 2008 and now is the fact that now I must live on my portfolio. With a large percentage of bonds I can cover my expenses for years without having to sell equities. I might even be able to buy more equities when they are distressed.
But, for now I think OP can stay at 100% equities. But I think at some point OP will find bonds more to his liking. Of course it is possible that staying at 100% equities will grow his portfolio so large that even a huge downturn might be possible to weather. Or, maybe not.
You buy bonds (or similar) so that when the stock market crashes you still have some money. Perhaps to invest in stocks (at a discount).
You mean buying tons of equities at 100/0 during the bear market and then watching your network explode?
100/0 over here, no plans to change unless a windfall hits or 10 years goes by.
What's interesting is the incongruity of advocating for bonds to moderate volatility, while also claiming that lump sum investing is always better than DCA. If all we cared about is expected return, then lump sum over DCA and no bonds would be the theoretically appropriate choices. however we tend to choose maximizing expected return over moderating volatility in one scenario (lump sum over DCA) but not in the other (bonds or no bonds).
Not sure what you mean by index account, but if you mean stock index fund holdings in a taxable account, it is not the best asset to move into bonds. You would benefit by holding whatever allocation to bonds you choose in a tax-deferred 401K or IRA. That is a more tax-efficient location mapping for bonds (and a taxable account is better for stock index funds). Thus. move some stock holdings in your 401K or IRA to bonds if you want a bond allocation.
If you saved over your whole career, putting all your savings in stocks, and then lived another thirty years after you retired in September, 1929 or January, 1966, you would have have seen the market drop and not return to your pre-retirement level for the rest of your life. Eyeballing the numbers, it looks like you would have had to sell your stocks at a 50% average loss over the next thirty years after 1929 and at a 33% average loss over the next thirty years after 1966. Can you be sure the same thing won't happen if you save all your money in stocks and retire twenty or thirty years from now?
Another way to look at it is to ask how certain you can be that the market will never drop 30% just before you get laid off and a recession keeps you out of work for two years. Or that the market will never drop just before you have a car crash that keeps you out of work for two years. If you have children, how certain can you be that a market drop, followed by your lay-off and a recession, will not hit right when they are starting college?
I actually have a very high tolerance for market risk. I have had savings in the market since 1973 and I never sold a single stock during the market drops in 1974, 1982, 1987, 2002, or 2008 (the year I retired). However, I have always worried about the risks of lay-offs and recessions, car crashes, or worse. When my wife and I started saving I kept our AA at 60% bonds until we had three years of living expenses saved in bonds, then I re-adjusted to 30% bonds and stayed there until I retired. Now, at age 70, with a pension, social security, and RMDs covering most of our expenses, I have let our bonds drop to around 20%.
If you saved over your whole career, putting all your savings in stocks, and then lived another thirty years after you retired in September, 1929 or January, 1966, you would have have seen the market drop and not return to your pre-retirement level for the rest of your life. Eyeballing the numbers, it looks like you would have had to sell your stocks at a 50% average loss over the next thirty years after 1929 and at a 33% average loss over the next thirty years after 1966.
Are you just looking at a price history chart and ignoring dividends? Because there definitely hasn't been 2 independent 30 year periods of negative real returns in the last 100 years of US equity markets. I don't think there's even been a single 20 year period.
I was 100% stocks through the dot bomb and through the financial crisis. I added a modest fixed income allocated two years ago.
OP, I cannot answer whether you need bonds, and you probably can't either. Until you've sharpened your chops with a big portfolio plummeting in a bear market, you do not truly understand your risk tolerance. I don't think it's a mistake at the age of 30 to forego bonds if you believe 100% that you will hang on in a gut wrenching drawdown, and that your employment will survive in such a market. Despite all the opinions here you'll just have to decide for yourself.
Sometimes bonds do better than stocks, even over decades, in many different countries, over many time periods. Stocks are riskier so we expect them to do better more but it's not guaranteed.
Next time the market takes a dive, we'll see threads on why stocks? when they can lose so much, 100% bonds is the best bet, 100% long treasuries and so on. Don't get why people can't just pick an allocation and stick with it for most of their life until their personal circumstances change?
In a recession, stock market crashes and many people lost their jobs. If you are one of them, how long before you used up the emergency fund and start selling your stock at a big loss?
Historically, since 1836, US has at least one recession every 10 years. The last recession was 2008/2009. We are overdue for the next one. I wish you the best of lucks with 100% of the stock. You would need it.
How does one decide their risk tolerance if they've never been in a bear market?
I had minimal assets in 2008. I have much more today and am in the early part of my career at age 32. I was 100% equities, but recently switched to 10% bonds after reading some of the older doomsday threads from 2008. While I know I would not need to sell any stocks during a major crash in the near future, I believe 100% equities during a crash would cause me significantly more stress than if I have a modest bond allocation.
I am thinking of adding more bonds, but then feel like I'd be missing out on longer term returns. For now I simply put 'age - 20' in bonds on my IPS so I don't make any sudden changes.
There are several different ways to decide on that portfolio. The traditional one can be called "MPT." A newer one can be labeled "risk parity," because the idea is to balance your portfolio in such a way that you are getting equal amounts of risk from both stocks and bonds. In order to do that, since stocks are much riskier, you have to cut them way down and boost them way up. In either case, the result you get is that the optimum portfolio is very bond-heavy! It's in the ballpark of 25% stocks or less, 75% bonds or more.
Great post. I'm not the OP, but IMO your post cuts straight to the heart of the question and provides a very satisfying answer.
Heh, you were 20, and probably had $1000 invested... Good to know you were able to handle the $500 loss without freaking out.
This. You can be 100% stocks at 30. You have an emergency fund, so that's good.
Me, I'm about to hit 50, and plan to retire in 5 years or so, so I'm 50/50 stocks/bonds. Because I don't need the gains nor the risk from a 100% stock portfolio to meet my goals at this point.
If a crash happens tomorrow, you have plenty of time to wait for the rebound.
I don't have plenty of time to wait for a rebound. Especially if I lose my job at the same time.
You asked why people bother with bonds. That's why.
Last edited by HomerJ on Tue Oct 02, 2018 12:55 am, edited 2 times in total.
This is why those risk calculators based on percentages are not so good.
For accumulators, they should ask you 'How many years of maximum 401k contributions are you willing to lose and have stay underwater for 5-10 years?"
I wouldn't argue that everyone should own bonds. You could put some extra money in a interest vehicle like CDs or a MM that pays slightly less, or have a bit more in your emergency fund. People have done this in the short-term to avoid the effect of rising interest rates. But you'd still be engaged in some form of market timing. I do think in terms of risk-adjusted return, 100% equities doesn't make a lot of sense, unless one is willing to take a significant loss. A portfolio that contains some bond holdings makes sense, whether it's 80/20 or more, depending on age and risk. If you're young, you can handle more risk.
Bonds might fall if market valuation declines and there's a hunt for yield. The economy could keep chugging like Thomas the Train and rates could keep going up. But we don't know that. Recessions happen regularly. Sudden market events happen.
With government bonds, you always get paid, even in a negative growth or recession environment. And they often become more attractive in those environments.
As for interest rates, it's never pretty to see the drop. My bond funds have made new lows this year. But the main concern is not rising rates but rates that rise faster than expected. Part of the expected rate impact has already been factored in.
I was in a similar situation. I had a Roth worth 10k during the time. As sometime who'd just graduated college, that was a sizable sum relative to my assets (it could have purchased a car!). I consider that my ability to keep contributing in 2009 (maxing out in January) is evidence of a high risk tolerance.
Now I sometimes lose 10k in a day, but it's a non event. The relative (percentage) loss of wealth is what stings. I contend that how you deal with such pain is evidence of risk tolerance, regardless of the total amount lost.
I think it is a combination of age and amount. 10k invested in all stocks dropped what, 40% or so in 2008? So the 10k fell to 6k. A 4k loss was what percentage of your yearly income? It's not like the entire 10k went away.
Crashes are much much more interesting when you are older and your portfolio drops a year or three worth of your annual salary (which is a lot more than it was when you are in your 20s). Also the sharp rebound in 2009 makes for "fond" memories of that crash. The pain doesn't always end so quickly.
I'm all in on stocks ...is there a way to structure the move so taxes are lower or should I just pick a total bond fund I like and tell vanguard "do it tomorrow"?
I am asking because I've never 'got' bonds except as a hedge against the market falling the day after you retire and even then if you have enough you would still be better off just riding it on the long term. I feel like bonds just kill return.
OP, 1st congrats on reaching the level you are now. It would be helpful to me if you explained more about how you settled in on your current approach. Before I elaborate on that, I'll say that I don't know that you need bonds now. I'm not a fan of the 1 size fits all approaches. Advice for a 30 year old should be different than for when you are 80, etc. Also, all bonds aren't the same & lumping all bonds into 1 item makes it hard to explain their usefulness at any point.
So, here's where I challenge your thinking. You say you are "all in" on stocks....but really you are only in to a limited degree. If someone were to ask me to guess the allocation for a 30 year old that has high risk tolerance, long time horizon & wanting to avoid 'return killers'....I'd probably guess micro caps & emerging markets. Don't have international due to geopolitical concerns? yet you have only large/mega caps that in many cases are over 50% exposed to international....Not adding up. (btw, not advocating for micro & EM -- just saying their more zealoted advocates would look at sp500 as you do bonds....).
As for your potential move to either midcap or total bond....if you did in one of your ROTH accounts, there'd be no tax considerations. Otherwise, your approach may depend on if you have been re-investing distributions.
If you laid out your investing goals (including time horizon, etc) and why you chose to solely go with sp500, it might be easier to highlight how certain types of bonds might help. Personally, I don't expect the next decade of investing to mirror the last. Since I don't know what it will be like, I prefer to not be as concentrated as you are. Even so, investing solely in sp500 from now on will still have you in better shape than many who don't invest at all & I know that is benchmark for some.
Yes exactly OP! This is the big reason for a 30 year old to have some useful amount of bonds. In any fairly deep & longish recession where you lose your job, your puny $15k emergency fund will soon be gone. Then what's left to tap but the taxable account and 401k? Those are always going to be your backup emergency fund.
Many people who got in trouble in 2002 or 2008 needed to start burning up their retirement investments. If they had some bonds in there maybe those got them through.
OP: Bonds are to reduce portfolio volatility, and for some small return. If your investing horizon is long and you can stand highly volatile returns (i.e. steep drops) without selling as equities fall, then don't hold bonds. There's no law against being 100% stocks.
I use bonds as a buffer. I keep one full year of expenses in them. That's a small part of my portfolio so it doesn't inhibit returns much, but it'll definitely help me sleep if the market crashes!
Pick one. And if you choose option 1, make sure you can handle bad cases emotionally and (if approaching or in retirement) unfortunate sequence of returns.
If all your money is for retirement, and your source of income is secure, and you can handle volatility, and you are under age X (YMMV for X), you may be a good candidate for no bonds. Money you may need soon (YMMV for soon definition) for house purchase, college, car, whatever, clearly shouldn't be in stocks IMHO.
Another reason for bonds: Rebalancing helps you make money off volatility.
Me. Didn't sell anything. Maxed-out 403(b) in the new job in the midst of the free-fall. It paid-off handsomely.
Look at a chart of the stock market (DJIA or S&P 500) from the 1970's. The market went nowhere for over a decade.
Anyone who would ask this does not understand risk nor investors.
Some people do have a risk-taking gene, and you probably qualify. Fine, but let's not compare to 2008, let's look at 1929.
Our family owned "Larimore's Diner" in Foxboro, Mass. in 1929 (I was 5 years old at that time). When the depression hit, we lost the Diner and moved into my grandfather's home in Miami. Grandfather, who was a millionaire investor and chief executive of an investment trust company, lost everything--including the Miami home we lived in.
Your friends and relatives urge you to sell. Nearly all financial experts recommend "sell". You are ridiculed for trying to hold on. You begin to have self-doubt. Despair sets in. Buying stocks is unthinkable. Suicides increase. That's a REAL bear market.
"Experienced investors know that future expectations must be balanced with the consequences of being wrong"
Bonds, why do people bother with them?
Because they want to control risk and potential plan-altering losses.
They believe in asset class diversification.
If you want to be 100% stock, that is OK, but don't knock the great majority of investors who don't look at risk potential as simply a minor and temporary inconvenience.
My story is similar. I am 52 and in the *accumulation* stage. If stocks go up, my old shares are now worth more. If shares go down, then my fixed contribution buys more shares. So its dollar cost averaging 24 times per year.
That may change as retirement gets closer.