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The crisis with the novel coronavirus is teaching us some hard lessons about the importance of national preparedness and collective action. With the economic shutdown and social distancing causing many to head to nature preserves for solace and exercise, the pandemic can also help us better understand our relationship to nature. As explained below, that relationship plays out in every breath we take.

The power of natureFor one, the viruss capacity to shut down an economy shows how powerful nature is, and the perils of placing all value on economic growth while taking nature for granted.

Internal vs. external threatsThe pandemic also shows how much more seriously we take problems that affect us internally rather than externally. Coronavirus, which attacks us from the inside, has achieved in three months the sort of concerted action and acceptance of sacrifice for the greater good that an external threat like climate change has yet to spur in three decades. Environment by definition refers to what is all around us, and has historically achieved political priority only when the sight or smell of pollution caused in us a visceral response, or an invisible menace like radiation threatened us internally. A CO2 buildup in the atmosphere may threaten our collective future, but it is neither a direct threat to our senses nor our health.

The fallacy of individual innocenceWhile posing a physical threat to our insides, this coronavirus is also changing our perceptions of ourselves. Because the virus can be asymptomatic, each of us could potentially, unwittingly put others in danger simply through proximity. It shows how our bodies and our actions can pose a threat despite a complete lack of intention.

Libertarianism, which opposes government interference and believes that people should be free to live their lives and pursue their interests as they see fit as long as they do no harm to another, has long foundered on its second principal. Weve known for many decades that it is impossible to do no harm to others when we each as individuals use machines whose exhaust is altering the atmosphere, radicalizing the weather and flooding coastal cities. Our lack of ill intent, our view of ourselves as good people, our noble motivations for using the machinesthese have nothing to do with actual collective consequence. What each of us does has a small but collectively vast global impact. Again, coronavirus is teaching us in three months the lessons that many have resisted learning from climate change over three decades.

The biggest threats are not always the most lethalAnother lesson this particular coronavirus teaches is that the biggest threats are not always the most obviously lethal. There have been more deadly coronaviruses. SARS killed 10%, MERS more than 30%, of those known to be infected, but their higher kill rates actually served to inhibit their spread. Though COVID-19 has a relatively low mortality rate, it has caused the most disruption. The most dangerous kind of coronavirus, it seems, is one that can spread rapidly by being very contagious but selectively lethal. Similarly, the biggest threat to the earths climate is excess CO2, a molecule with less power than some but which has become dramatically more abundant and persistent in the atmosphere. Its lethal consequencesa superstorm here, a megafire thereare also selective, leaving many thus far unscathed.

The magic and power of CO2 in our bodieshow carbon serves as natures batteryCoronavirus is additionally relevant to climate change through the mechanism by which it threatens peoples lives. By inflaming the lungs and thickening their walls, the virus not only slows the transfer of oxygen from the air into the bloodstream, but also prevents CO2 from escaping from the body. Exhaling excess CO2 is just as important for our survival as inhaling oxygen.

Its worth taking a moment to explore the elegance and beauty behind the normal breathing we usually take for granted. Our breathing is part of a magic show that perfectly matches the plant worlds own brand of magic. A plant takes invisible carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air, strips the carbon of its oxygens and packs the carbons with energy from the sun, much like we charge a spent battery. The plant builds these energized carbons into visible tissues full of sugars, carbohydrates and fats. We in turn eat the visible food, extract the energy from the carbons, then send the spent carbons flying out of our mouths as CO2, now invisible and airborne, to fly back to plants on the wings of oxygen. Blow into your hand and feel the carbons you ate as food just hours before. Breathing is how we lose weight. Our consumption and respiration is the equivalent of now you see it, now you dont.

Coronavirus causes CO2 to build up to dangerous levels in our bodiesThough the CO2 constantly building up in our bloodstreams is essentially exhaust, a bi-product of our internal combustion, nature in its brilliance makes use of what seems like mere waste. Our bodies use the CO2 to strictly regulate our bloods acidity and flow. Though the CO2 floating in the air all around us poses no threat to our bodies, CO2 in our bloodstream is a powerful molecule that must be carefully regulated. Any significant rise or drop in concentration could be life-threatening. Many thousands of times a day, the constant streaming of CO2 from cells into our bloodstream triggers an impulse to breathe, not only to take in more oxygen but to keep ridding the body of excess CO2 that otherwise could do damage. Coronavirus sabotages this beautiful, elegant, essential system, blocks the CO2s escape from the bloodstream, and thereby prevents our bodies from regulating themselves. Thus the critical need for ventilators.

The magic and power of CO2 in natureThe critical importance of regulating CO2 levels extends to nature. As soon as the CO2 exits our mouths, it loses its power over our bodies but becomes active in the earths atmosphere. Nature, again in its brilliance, utilizes our exhaust not only as a convenient, ever-ready food for plants to build their bodies with, but also to regulate the temperature of the earth and the acidity of the oceans. As with a tiny coronavirus, CO2s invisibility is part of its power. Floating like an invisible blanket in the atmosphere, CO2 lets the suns light energy reach the earth unimpeded. But when that light hits the earth, or the roof of our homes, or our skin, the light energy is transformed into heat. Our skin burns because of this instantaneous change of solar energy from light to heat. The CO2, which affects the earth like the glass windshield affects the inside of a parked car in the summer, lets light through but prevents the resultant heat from escaping. Thats the greenhouse effect, and that, too, is a beautiful part of the earths functioning until somethingour machinesputstoo much CO2 in the atmosphere, causing too much heat to be trapped.

Because the livable planet is only skin-deep, human activity beginning with the industrial revolution has increased the atmospheres concentration of CO2 by nearly 50%. The earth heats up and radical changes in climate and sea level are set in motion. Like with our bodies, a change in overall temperature of even one degree can have consequences.

Nature as a body we live withinThat is how I came to view naturethe plants, animals, oceans, air and soilas a body, as much in need of careful regulation as our own bodies. The plants are the earths lungswhisking away excess CO2 and supplying oxygen. Animals are the earths cellsconstantly burning energy and releasing CO2. The atmosphere and oceans are the earths circulatory system, carrying oxygen to the animals and CO2 to the plants in a mutually beneficial exchange. We live in this body, the body of nature, as if it were a womb that feeds us and, in past eras, conveniently absorbed and cleansed all our waste. Its a body that is not much more than a skin on the earth. That is how the famous blue marble photo of earth, said to have transformed our awareness of our place in space, is both informative and deceptive. The living earth is not a massive solid ball, but more like the skin of a balloon, barely penetrating into the ground, and rising only a mornings vertical walk into the sky. Our world is vast only when viewed horizontally. Look up or down and the boundaries of the living world are close at hand.

Like coronavirus, a fossil fueled economy causes CO2 to build up to dangerous levels in natures bodyWhat a glorious systemthis thin-skinned body of a living eartha system whose built-in stability and predictable cycling of the seasons has allowed all of life, including us, to thrive. And how are we unintentionally but knowingly and profoundly messing up that system? It is not us so much as our machines, not our machines so much as the combustion by which they are powered, and not so much their combustion as the nature of their fuel. Fossil fuelI wish there were a better name, what with its forced, phoo-phoo doggy alliteration and wimpy consonants that defeat an emphatic delivery. But there it is. Were stuck with the name and increasingly stuck with the consequences. Fossil fuel means buried fossil life converted by intense pressure over eons into fuels deep underground. All that carbon safely sequestered down there in deposits of coal, oil, and natural gas. Wise it would be to leave it there, keep it out of action so that the concentration of carbon in the atmosphere remains within a stable range. But no. The stuffs just too good to leave alone, too extraordinary in its concentration of power, too useful.

Imagining natures trauma in our own bodiesThis is where viewing ourselves as inhabiting the body of nature can help us understand what our machines and the economy they supercharge are doing to the earth. Imagine your body were the living skin of the earth, and you were doing just fine, combusting and exhausting carbon, keeping your CO2 levels within a safe range, when an invasive civilization of microscopic creatures began constructing a whole new network of roads, airports, and homes inside your skin. And that tiny but expanding network had minute machines for mobility and comfort that began to emit a steady pulse of more CO2 into your body, so much that it outstripped your lungs capacity to expel the excess. Your body, unable to accommodate this additional burden of exhaust, would be in mortal danger.

The body of nature needs a ventilatorThis is what our coal- and oil- and natural gas-combusting economy has been doing to that surprisingly thin, skin-deep body of nature we live within. The plant world and the oceans cannot accommodate the extra load of CO2 constantly being emitted by the economy we have installed on this planet.

Though nature here is being portrayed as a body, I have not seen any evidence that nature is an entity that can intentionally communicate with us in any way. There have, however, been two crises that seemed uncanny in their timing. One was Hurricane Sandy, which arrived in the last week of the 2012 presidential election, during which climate change had gone nearly unmentioned. The other is the arrival of the COVID-19 coronavirus, which imposes on the human body an imbalance not unlike what is being perpetrated upon nature. It could be seen as a See how it feels! moment, meant to inject the perpetrators with a dose of empathy for the nature we inhabit and abuse, just before the 50th Earthday.

But my guess is that nature doesnt work that way. If portrayed as a character in a play, Natures personality would be one that quietly serves while stoically enduring relentless mistreatment. As the play continued, Nature would increasingly lash out with randomly deployed superstorms and megafires. Maybe the other characterspeoplewould come to their senses, would extend to Nature the empathy they feel for each other, begin to give back to Nature and work with it, and most importantly, stop overwhelming its lungs with exhaust.

This post originally appeared on Steves Princeton Nature Notes blog.

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CO2 and You-What the Pandemic Teaches Us About Nature - Planet Princeton

What changes is your warehouse implementing this year to increase your operational efficiency? A lot of warehouses will be looking at factors like implementing the ABC system, optimizing receiving areas, and reducing overall inventory levels. While these are valid ways of increasing productivity within the warehouse environment, it's not addressing one of the most fundamental parts of the materials handling process: how you handle the product.

Improving how your team handles product can be a key factor in increasing productivity and achieving operational efficiency. Through an examination of your current methods, you may find that it's time for your warehouse to put Intelligent Assist Devices (IADs) to work. Here's why more and more warehouses are using them and how they might be the right solution for your efficiency concerns.

Many warehouses augment their labor force's ability to quickly, safely, and efficiently handle materials through the use of Intelligent Assist Devices (IADs). If you don't know what IADs are already, you will soon. They are quickly becoming a mainstay in the materials handling industry. So much so that the Robotics Industries Association put together a team to define what IADs are and how they function.

At the most basic levels, IADs are ergonomic handling equipment that augments the user's lifting capabilities with servo drive systems. IADs can take a variety of forms, but one key feature is that they are ergonomic. IADs behave like a natural extension of the worker's arms and hands. The IADs using sensing technology that allows them to translate the user's force into precise movements.

The applications for IADs are nearly limitless in the manufacturing, distribution, and assembly industries. IADs are being incorporated in factories and warehouses to assist the human labor force with repetitive, difficult, or time-consuming lifting and moving tasks. As more and more people see the technology in action, they are finding ways to put it to work on their own material handling needs.

Increase Speed on the Production, Assembly, and Distribution Line

IADs move as fast as the operator wants them to move. That means workers are able to move even heavy, awkward items much faster than before. Since the speed is variable, IADs are also great for operations where workers need to move quickly at some points and slower at others. The IAD empowers the worker to increase their pace and provide greater efficiencies on the line.

Users can also program some IADs to return automatically to the start position. This eliminates the time the user would need to spend putting the tool back "home" after each use. They can instead focus their attention on the next task while the IADs readies itself for its next use. That can eliminate wasted time on the job and vastly speed up production times.

Improved Ergonomics in the Workplace for the User

IADs act as a natural extension of the worker's arms and hands. The devices seamlessly integrate into the workstation, providing a safer way for the worker to do their job. Improved ergonomics translate to higher production numbers with fewer accidents and injuries.

The devices also offer automatic weight compensation. If users need to pick up items in a variety of weight classes, the IAD will automatically adjust to compensate for the weight. That means users get the same benefits no matter how much weight they are lifting and there is no need to stop and reprogram the device.

Easy to Train Workers on Their Use

Because IADs are ergonomic in nature and respond to the user's intent, training on the devices takes only minutes. Users will be able to put the new machinery to work almost immediately. That means there is little downtime for training and managers see improvements to productivity right away.

Quick training times give IADs another operational efficiency advantage: worker acceptance. Because of their seamless integration into the work station and ease of use, workers are far more likely to put IADs to work than traditional lifting devices. That means capital invested in the systems won't go to waste. If workers decide they don't like to use a lifting device, they put themselves at greater risk of injury by working around it. Not only is it a waste of time and resources, but unused lifting equipment can also result in more downtime. Worker acceptance of IADs is high and a key to their success in the materials handling industry.

Reduced Risk When Moving Delicate Products

The computer sensors inside the IADs provide precise, controlled movement. That helps the user guide delicate machinery into place, even if it's heavy or awkward. The controlled movements and variable speeds mean workers can move as slowly as needed to get products into place. This gives a big advantage when it comes to positioning delicate machinery.

Controlled movements mean there is less risk of user error and accidental damage to materials. It's human error that's responsible for most of the damage that happens in production or during pick and pack. An automation hybrid like an IAD helps reduce that risk. Lower shrinkage means a healthier bottom line.

Help Lower the Incidence of Injury from Strain and Repetitive Motion

Repetition and strain injuries are two of the most common causes of worker injury in the materials handling environment. IADs can greatly reduce the risk for workers, giving them the means of performing difficult tasks safely. That means fewer worker's compensation claims, fewer sick days, and higher productivity (not to mention happier, safer workers).

IADs help to reduce the risk of strain by compensating for the weight of the item. Assembly Magazine notes that Gorbel's G-Force IAD makes a 150-pound load feel like three pounds. That means users don't need to stress their musculoskeletal system to get heavy loads moved into place.

IADs are safer, faster, and more user-responsive than traditional handling devices. While the benefits are numerous, it's important for individual warehouses and manufacturers to carefully weigh the pros and cons of putting these devices on the line.

If you are curious about the benefits of bringing IADs to your warehouse, check out this case study from the Rochester Institute of Technology.

There is no one-size-fits-all IAD solution for materials handling. Which device, where it's installed, and how it's used will all depend on the individual application needs. That's why it's important to consider all the IAD options and carefully weigh the features and benefits. Then you can determine which device is right for your material handling needs. Gorbel offers several customizable IAD solutions for the material handling industry, offering benefits such as:

The G-Force Q and G-Force iQ

Gorbel offers two intelligent lifting devices that adapt to a variety of environments, the G-Force Q and the G-Force iQ. Gorbel offers G-Force options for higher capacities, faster speeds, and more responsive performance. That way you can get the device that's needed to get the job done. This lifting device is ideal for applications in the automotive industry, heavy equipment manufacturing, parts assembly, repetitive lifting tasks, and much more.

The Easy Arm Q and Easy Arm iQ

The Easy Arm is an intelligent lifting arm that uses the G-Force device in combination with an articulated jib crane. This is a great option for smaller workspaces looking for a plug-and-play solution. The units are ready to install when shipped and simply bolt to the floor. That makes them easy to reposition in the future, too, if the needs of your materials handling team change. These Easy Arm systems are especially useful if users need to reach around obstructions, work overhead, or unload machined parts.

Ready to implement technology into your warehouse that can help you achieve your operational efficiency goals? Talk to the Gorbel IAD team to learn more about which intelligent lifting device may be right for your materials handling needs. Get in touch with us today by giving us a call at 1-844-268-7055 or filling out the form on our contact page.

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How to Leverage The Power Of Intelligent Assist Devices To Achieve Operational Efficiency - Assembly Magazine

EvergreenHealth, located in Kirkland, Washington, was unexpectedly the first U.S. acute care hospital with COVID-19 patients and has been at the forefront of early learnings ever since. Mary Shepler, CNO at EvergreenHealth, spoke with Carol Boston-Fleischhauer, Chief Nursing Officer at the Advisory Board, about the hospitals early experiences and key advice she would give to health care executives that are bracing for a COVID-19 surge.

Slide deck: How to support your workforce and shore up resiliency during an emergency

Question: Mary, thank you so much for the opportunity to talk about EvergreenHealth's early response to COVID-19 and what you have learned. In many ways your health system is leading the country on this, and leaders would appreciate hearing your story. Could you review what steps you initially took when you realized you had the first U.S. hospital cases of COVID-19?

Mary Shepler: As you know, EvergreenHealth was the first hospital to care for inpatients who tested positive for COVID-19. While those first two cases of COVID-19 hit us very quicklyin fact, almost overnightwe had been planning for and anticipating its arrival, just like all other hospitals and health systems across the country.

So when we received the positive results for COVID- 19 on the evening of Friday, February 28. We immediately activated a full-scale incident command center, which I believe was one of our early success points.

To support the needs of these critically ill patients, we rapidly converted a number of our inpatient units to negative airflow; and we designated half of our ICU unit for ICU patients and the other half for progressive care patients. We quickly updated our employees involved in caring for these patients on guidelines being released by the CDC. Subsequently, we also closed off half of the 48 treatment rooms in the ED that also provided negative airflow for the care of COVID-19 patient.

We also launched a multi-tiered communication strategy. We began immediately with communication to patients who had tested positive and their families; other patients hospitalized in our organization in the ED or other areas of care; our staff who had cared for the positive patients; and all staff and providers. We also prepared for the immediate and ongoing communications to the community at large.

Beyond daily updates to our employees and physicians, we needed to work with local and national media in order to support and ensure accurate and transparent information was being shared at both local and national levels. We welcomed the CDC and the health department within days after the first diagnoses. So, another lesson: As you prepare for the surge, be sure you have a communication strategy, for both internal and external audiences. Be prepared to advance a plan and messaging that creates understanding and builds trust though an active and engaged dialogue.

Q: It sounds like your incident command center was critical to early decisions. But, were there any challenges that presented themselves in the first two weeks?

Shepler: Given that we had two undiagnosed COVID-19 patients in our organization without initial knowledge, one of our trials was determining how to support all of the employees who had been inadvertently exposed.

Using the EMR as a tracer, we confirmed that approximately 200 employees had been exposed prior to the diagnosis being confirmed, including several physicians. As you can imagine, the consequences of furloughing all employees who had come in contact would significantly impact those staff members and the organization. So, working with the CDC we were counseled that as long as the employees were asymptomatic and wearing appropriate PPE, including a mask, they were safe to come to work.

As guidelines changed regarding safety practices for employees, our policies changed alsoabout three times in the first 10 daysresulting in frequent and ongoing communications and, most importantly, adjustments in practice for the staff involved.

We quickly decided to do active monitoring of all employees, including all those at the bedside. Anyone who touched a patient was having their temperature taken twice a day and their symptoms documented. For testing criteria, we stuck to a temperature of 99.5 or asymptomatic. We have since moved to screening all employees in the organization, and guests and visitors, as well.

Hindsight being 20/20, we struggled over that first weekend to figure out testing criteria and the process for quickly getting symptomatic employees tested. It was at this point when we also looked into purchasing an in-house analyzer that allowed us to do COVID-19 testing in our own laband we were able to get that up and running in a matter of 7 days.

We also set up two drive-thru testing station processes: one for area first responders and a second for our staff and patients.

Q: That's a lot of exposed staff. Did you have to augment the workforce with other employees?

Shepler: Beyond extending traveller contracts, we brought in crisis RNs, which to no surprise, increased the operating expense of COVIDas we've learned about every aspect of our care and operations related to the virus. We also changed the nursing ratios in our progressive care unit, adjusting for patients' acuity and support neededobviously some patients needing more support than others.

Following CDC guidelines, we were early to suspend elective surgeries, and consequently, we've included nurses in the ICU schedule who typically work in the OR or PACU, and we provided educational resources to support their clinical skills to work in acute care areas.

Q: How are you managing PPE?

In the first three days we noticed, as expected, our supply was dwindling, so we started even more purposeful conservation methods early and immediately began ordering and purchasing new PPE and other supplies, including ventilators. We launched a centralized PPE committee that manages the distribution of PPE across departments to mirror patients needs. We also provide refreshed training to ensure that everyone knows the importance of appropriately using PPE and is accurately donning and doffing their equipment.

Im especially proud of the creativity my team has applied in anticipating our staffs needs as our patient volume increases. Clinicians use Capris, which safely allow them to share hoods with colleagues and sanitize them as required. Clinicians also now store our N95s in Tupperware containers to ensure they can be safely reused. Additionally, in some cases, we transitioned from exclusively using disposable gowns to using reusable gowns, which allows us to launder them and get them back within 12 hours.

Q: Now I'd like to shift the focus a bit to discharging COVID-19 patients. Given you're so far ahead of the rest of the country, you're likely one of the first health systems to actively face this question. What have you done to coordinate patient care and transfers to post-acute organizations?

Shepler: Yes, we have discharged people from our hospital and I think that's one of the stories thats underreported. Patients get better and go to a post-acute care setting, if not home. So, we standardized a process to carefully manage our discharges, whether from the ED or an inpatient unit, to the correct next level of care.

Most nursing facilities require two negative COVID-19 tests for a patient to be admitted. While this has presented a challenge, we have found a solution to meet their requirements. So, we work very closely with the receiving post-acute care organization, and we assess each transfer to ensure the care they will be receiving is acceptable for the level of care that they require. To support our patients needs, we ensure the post-acute provider has adequate PPE, and if necessary, we help them find the appropriate resources.We cant afford the post-acute care providers to not be ready, that will only create another surge for us down the line.

For inpatients discharged to home, our homecare nurses and staff follow up with consistent standard protocols to ensure continued healing. Families of our patients need additional support in the home setting, as well. Emotional support is especially critical as they learn how to take care of their family member as well as themselves, and our home care team is trained to help them learn new protocols for their own safety as well as their loved ones safety.

Q: How are your employees holding up?

Our employees, physicians, volunteers have been incredible in terms of stepping up over and over to the meet the needs of our patientsand each otherin this community health crisis.

But they all feel painfully the fear of coronavirus. They fear for the safety of their family and friends, their own personal safety, their financial survival and of course uncertainty about the future we have yet to see, and grief for the loss of a life that is forever changed. Together we are defining a new norm and supporting each other along the way.

We have continued to put in place support for our employees and physicians. For example, our social work department and behavioral health staff are doing regular debriefs and counseling on the units. We continue to have solid communication channels with all leaders and employees regarding this ever-changing situation.

What weve learned most is that this is a marathon; and every day we look forward to taking on the next two miles. So, you have to focus early and stay with it, learning to pivot and make changes, often working under the pressure of having very little time to act. Managers, as always, bear much of the weight of the changes in routine operations and no less so during a pandemic. Anything that can be done to support their emotional needs and their workloads, beyond operational support, needs to be put in place as well.

Q: Given that you are one or two weeks ahead of a lot of other hospitals as far as a COVID-19 response, what advice would you offer your peers in other locations?

Shepler: If I have to pick one point of wisdom for my colleagues, its this: if YOU have time, do your planning now. Again, we were a hospital that literally had no warning that we had COVID-19 in our communityand, that COVID-19 was already present in our patients. So, we needed to redesign our entire clinical and support operations within 48 hours, and continue to redesign given the changing guidelines and changing circumstances. There was no map for this marathon we were running in and within an hour of receiving those first two test results. Every hospital in the country is now at various stages of a potential surge, some in dire circumstances; but in many cases, you have some lead time. Use it.

Monitor the modeling for your community and consider resourceshuman and material, not just PPE. Be sure your disaster planning structure is in place and that it can be quickly implemented. You've got to think about supplies and not just PPE, but other supplies such as ventilators and EKG pads, medications and the like; supply chain planning is critical. Model the surge and the staff and supplies needed to reflect the needs, and know you are already in the marathon, and have miles ahead.

Workforce planning, clarity about employee testing criteria, and mechanisms to support employees and physicians getting to work is all important to plan for. Ensuring employees and physicians are safe at work is critical in your initial planning. Think carefully about your staffing model; these patients are extremely ill and require greater staffing than the typical vent patient; so, consider how you will support patient care at the bedside. Who will you redeploy to help with basic physical care and support, and how will your care model change?

One final point of learning: Plan early with your ethics committee to be prepared should any ethical decisions be necessary that are not routine in nature.

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'Do your planning now': EvergreenHealth CNO's stark warning to American hospitals - The Daily Briefing

A cycle computer provides a range of information about your ride, from basics like speed and distance to time to your destination, bragging-rights fodder like maximum speed and even the time of sunset. And cyclists love numbers weights, wheel sizes, frame geometries so a cycle computer can add a useful extra dimension to your riding. Here's a look at what a bike computer can do for you.

The way a cycle computer works is simple. Each time a magnet on the wheel passes a sensor on the fork a signal is generated. The bike computer measures the time between those signals and works out how fast you're going, based on the wheel dimension you gave it on initial set up.

From that measurement the computer can also work out a whole range of information including distance, average speed, ride time and maximum speed. Depending on the designer's choices it may also have features like auto on/off pausing the stopwatch when you're stationary and different types of timing and average speed. You may get average speed only when you're moving, or for the whole ride, and likewise for time.

More sophisticated cycle computers may also be able to warn you if you drop below a target average speed, say, or provide an estimate of how long it'll take to arrive at your destination.

Some bike computers can measure your heart rate by picking up signals from a sensor strapped to your chest. Heart rate is a useful indicator of how hard you're working if you're riding for fitness or, say, to lose weight.

Some cycle computers with heart rate function will also provide an estimate of how many Calories you've burned. With rare exceptions, these should be taken with more than a pinch of salt. They are useful for comparing one ride with another, but don't hit McDonald's hard just because a computer says you've burned off the equivalent of three Big Macs.

In cheaper bike computers the sensor and handlebar unit are connected with a wire; more expensive computers use a wireless transmitter in the sensor. Wired cycle computers only have one battery to run down, but make your bike look untidy and the wires can get damaged. Wireless bike computers need a battery in the transmitter as well as the head unit, but are tidier and have no wires to snag.

If you're going to use a computer with a turbo trainer, the magnet and sensor need to read from the rear wheel. Some wired cycle computers won't reach far enough and (more rarely) some wireless units have sensors that won't fit the chainstays.

Cycle computers will usually keep out heavy rain, but experience shows the level of water resistance varies. In particular, models with altitude functions should not be immersed in water. They need a vent in the case for the altimeter to work, which can let water in.

The level of water resistance is indicated by the IP Code, which shows the level of vulnerability to dust and water ingress. Not all manufacturers provide it, but it's a useful guide if they do.

You'll find these features on bike computers priced between about 10 and 40. More expensive units in this price range have bigger screens so they can display more information at once. Some have extra features such as the ability to switch between preset wheel sizes so you can switch them between bikes.

Speed How fast you're going.Average speed Can be measured only when the computer detects movement or for the whole period between starting and stopping the timer.Maximum speed For gravity-assisted bragging rights.Cadence How quickly your legs are turning. Needs an extra magnet and sensor on the crank.Average cadenceMaximum cadence For 'how fast can you spin' contests in bike shops on rainy Wednesday afternoons.Ride time Can be measured only when the computer detects movement ('moving time') or for the whole period between starting and stopping the timer.Time of day For people who still think digital watches are a pretty neat idea.Over/under average speedRide/trip distance How far you've been on this ride.Odometer How far you've ridden. Some cycle computers allow you to set an initial value so you can carry your records over from a previous unit. Or cheat.

From about 50 and up you get extra features such as heart rate detection, altitude and the ability to add even more features by pairing with your smartphone.

Heart rate How fast your heart's beating. Requires monitor strap round your chest.Average heart rate Indicates how hard you have worked over a whole ride.Maximum heart rate The biggest effort you've put in.Altitude Height above sea level. The unit measures atmospheric pressure and extrapolates your altitude from that.Maximum altitude The highest point you reached.Total ascent Bragging rights for Alpine pass-storming. Less useful in Cambridgeshire.Total descent What goes up must come down.Temperature Often comes with altitude as it's needed to interpret the pressure sensor data.

Different computers will have different sets of secondary functions that rely on these. These include heart rate zones and targets for training, elevation profile, lap timers, averages and maximums per lap and so on. You may also be able to download ride data from the computer to analyse later.

The latest generation of cycle computers come with apps that wirelessly connect the head unit and your phone. That means as well as its built-in functions, the computer can access your phone's sensors to provide functions such as using Global Position System (GPS, the basis of satellite navigation) to record where you've been.

Why not just use an app on your phone? The main advantage of a phone/app combination is battery life. A phone running GPS and screen will drain its battery in a matter of hours. Turning the screen off increases the run time.

Another advantage is that instead of being perched on your handlebar, your expensive phone is safely tucked away in a pocket or bag.

Bike computers with smartphone pairing also record data from your ride for later analysis.

Computers that pair with smartphones cost about 100.

As mentioned above, if you have a smartphone, the cheapest way to get GPS recording is to get a computer that will talk to it. If you prefer to have everything in one box, then you'll need a GPS-enabled computer.

Cheaper models use GPS to record where you've been and may have minimal navigation functions, but if you want full sat-nav capability you'll need a more expensive model with a screen large enough to display a map.

Basic GPS-enabled computers can be had from around 80, while a unit with maps and sat-nav functions will cost from 140.

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Cycle computers everything you need to know - road.cc

By December 1918, the number of new cases tapered off, and American society began to return, gradually, to normal. (PUBLIC WILL GET ITS FIRST LOOK AT 1918 FOOTBALL, WHEN BAN LIFTS, TOMORROW, read a headline in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.) However, the solitary aspect of the epidemic also affected the way that it was memorialized. As the disease stopped its spread, the publics attention quickly shifted to the end of World War I, undermining the cathartic rituals that societies need to get past collective traumas. In the decades after the sickness, the flu lodged in the back of peoples mind, remembered but not often discussed. The American writer John Dos Passos, who caught the disease on a troop ship, never mentioned the experience in any detail. It never got a lot of attention, but it was there, below the surface, Barry said.

More than 80 years later, the novelist Thomas Mullen wrote The Last Town on Earth, a fictional account of the 1918 flu. In an interview after the books publication, Mullen commented on a wall of silence surrounding survivors memories of the 1918 flu, which was quickly leading to the very erasure of those memories. The historian Alfred W. Crosby deemed it Americas forgotten pandemic.

In many places, the loneliness and suspicion caused by the flu continued to pervade American society in subtle ways. To some, it seemed that something had been permanently lost. People didnt seem as friendly as before, John Delano, a New Haven, Connecticut, resident, said in 1997. They didnt visit each other, bring food over, have parties all the time. The neighborhood changed. People changed. Everything changed.

Read: The coronavirus is no 1918 pandemic

However, Barry reassured me, this was not universally the case. In his research, he found that communities came together in places where local leadership spoke honestly about the danger of influenza. There was certainly plenty of fear nonetheless, you didnt seem to find the kind of disintegration that occurred in other places, he said. In cities where proactive public-health commissioners exhibited strong leadership, he argues in his book, people maintained faith in one another.

Seattle Commissioner of Health J. S. McBride, for instance, rapidly imposed firm public-health measures and even volunteered his services at an emergency hospital. In November 1918, he commended Seattle residents for their co-operation in observing the drastic, but necessary, orders which have been issued by us during the influenza epidemic. McBrides actions may have been what allowed Seattleites like Violet Harris to remember the epidemic as a somewhat boring time.

After six weeks of lockdown, public gathering spaces in Seattle finally reopened for business. School opens this week, Harris wrote in her diary. Thursday! Did you ever? As if they couldnt have waited till Monday!

We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.

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How the 1918 Pandemic Frayed Social Bonds - The Atlantic

After a last-minute shuffle pulling the ASX's first-quarter loss lower yesterday, Aussie shares have kicked off the new quarter with a bang.

Despite historic quarterly losses across global economies, the final quarter of the financial year has started with some optimism. Today, all 11 of our market sectors closed green.

There was no sudden sell-off on the ASX 200 this time around as the index quickly put on some weight then held steady. When the closing bell rang, the index was 3.58 per cent higher at 5258.60 points.

Today's surge was spearheaded by a rebound in the energy sector as our big oilers posted some healthy gains. Woodside put on 7.85 per cent, Origin Energy 5.02 per cent, and Santos 9.65 per cent.

Oil Search soared 12.61 per cent ahead after striking some healthy oil flows in Alaska.

Shopping centre operators staged their own comeback today. Part of the recently-established real estate sector, Scentre Group gained 12.46 per cent and Vicinity Centres 11.59 per cent. Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield gained 4.87 per cent.

As for the other real estate companies, Goodman Group gained 2.98 per cent, Dexus gained 5.94 per cent, and Mirvac gained 5.74 per cent.

After leading yesterday's sudden loss, our resource stocks regained their momentum today and posted some healthy gains across the board. BHP climbed 4.31 per cent and Rio Tinto 4.53 per cent. Andrew Forrest's Fortescue Metals, back now to third-place in the sector behind Rio, gained 3.5 per cent.

Meanwhile, our financials sector barely held on to green today until a sudden upswing across our big banks. Commonwealth Bank and Westpac posted 2.99 per cent and 1.21 per cent gains, respectively. NAB and ANZ almost missed out but a last-minute rise saw them close 1.62 per cent and 0.53 per cent green, respectively.

The generally-volatile technology sector was once more relatively stable. A 9.89 per cent incline from Afterpay offset a 7.02 per cent decline from WiseTech. Xero gained 2.34 per cent and Computershare 3.81 per cent.

The new quarter was not off to as strong a start for our neighbours to the east. Of the Asian markets, only the Shanghai Composite was showing green when the ASX closed. The Asia Dow was lower by 0.87 per cent, Japan's Nikkei 225 by 1.94 per cent, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng by 0.92 per cent.

Today, one Australian dollar is worth 61.23 US cents, 49.46 pence, and 10.97 South African Rand.

Noxopharm (ASX:NOX) is the latest biotech company to announce a potential COVID-19 related treatment. The company told shareholders today it would be trialling its idronoxil drug as a treatment for the inflammatory "cytokine storm" condition responsible for the many COVID-19-related deaths. Eager punters jumped at the opportunity to grab a piece of another coronavirus player and Noxopharm shares gained 92.86 per cent today to close worth 27 cents each.

Real estate group The Agency (ASX:AU1) lost a fifth of its share price today after extending its debt repayment deadline once more. In a tough economy, the company was granted an extension for some debt repayments to a major bank in late March as The Agency works on some refinancing negotiations. Today, a further extension until April 14 has been granted, suggesting the company is still struggling to refinance. Shares in The Agency lost 20 per cent today to close worth four cents each.

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ASX Today: Final quarter kicks off with a bang - The Market Herald

Motorcycles are meditative objects capable of clearing lifes chaos and worry by the simple fact that if your mind wanders, you die. That sounds like metaphysical bullshit, something from a man whos too into crystals with #livefortoday splattered across his Instagram. Yet, when something like the 2020 Honda CB650R comes along, you learn to embrace each moment with a hippyish zeal, even when life is throwing curveballs.

The entry-level sport cruiser came to me at a time in 2019 where mental clarity was in short supply. A couple weeks before the CB650R showed up, a friend tragically passed away during a solo motorcycle trip (though not in a crash). A few weeks before that, another friend was seriously injured on a bike when a drunk driver plowed into him at a stoplight. All the while, for the fourth time in my ongoingfoster-to-adopt story, I'd once again become a father. Every risk on the road suddenly felt magnified. The deck was stacked against the Hondaas it would be if this was happening today amid the coronavirus outbreak

But the open road still tugged at me, and somewhat hesitantly, I put a leg over the saddle. And while the specs belie a machine that isnt as addictive as others, Honda's CB650R is the purest distillation of motorcycling, a bike of simple joys that helped me feel comfortable riding once again. Its what every motorcycle should try to emulate: Always able to deliver the freedom, tranquility, and perspective riders seek, whether they know it or not.

Jonathon Klein

At the fringe of a desperate manhunt, I watched helplessly as the world searched for my friend and renowned automotive journalist Davey Johnson last spring after he disappeared while riding a motorcycle through northern California. A week later, the news I and so many others dreaded came inwhile riding, Davey had stopped at a river and went for a swim, as he was wont to do. He never got out. It wasn't the middle-of-nowhere wreck we'd imagined, but his sudden, unexpected passing still felt like an earthquake that reordered things on a deep level.

A few weeks prior to Daveys passing, another good friend was nearly killed when a drunk driver plowed into him and three others on their way home after a day of hard riding. All were wearing proper protective gear, and though his riding partners escaped with cuts and bruises, my friend wasn't as lucky. His head injuries have forever changed his life even as he continues an incredible recovery.

The short interval between both incidents meant that when I picked up the CB650R two weeks after Daveys death, my thoughts dwelled on both men. I know the danger of riding. I found out firsthand years ago when I broke my shoulder, bruised my lung and spine, and took a nasty concussion while laying a Kawasaki Z1000 down on a canyon road. Bad, but the quarter-inch-deep gashes across my helmet told a story that couldve ended much worse. These two men were comrades in arms, riders to their cores. And now neither would ever ride again.

Jonathon Klein

Adding to that anxiety of my first ride after all that were thoughts of my wife and kids. My heart skipped a few beats as thoughts about me going down rocketed around my head. What would they do if I never came home?

Riding tends to be an insular experience. Its just you, the road, and your thoughts. Theres no texting, answering emails, crying children, crying adults, meetings, chores, or any of lifes tedium. But hopping on the CB650R that first time, all I felt was terror.

My thoughts dwelled on every single life-ending potentiality. I couldnt do my job. Did the CB650R turn in quickly? Did it feel light and maneuverable? Was it heavy? Was there enough power? Was the experience fun or middling or terrible? I couldn't say. My thoughts evaporated as soon as they formed. The zen of motorcycling, and indeed one of the most fun parts of this job, was shattered. The ride ended early.

I let the CB650R sit for two weeks, during which time I talked to other friends who rode. They told me to take my time, to relax. But the best advice was to not push myself to get back into it if I wasn't ready, because if I did try and force it without keeping a cool head, I'd be in even more danger. Their pep talks helped, so gingerly, I got back onto the CB650R and pointed it toward the mountains.

Jonathon Klein

Hondas 2020 CB650R has all the right specs for a middle-weight motorcycle. Powered by a 649cc four-cylinder engine, and coupled to Hondas always brilliant six-speed sequential manual transmission, the CB650R puts down what well call 94 horsepower (93.9 according to Honda), and 47 pound-feet of torque.

That isnt what anyone would call explosive, especially considering the bevy of brutes available in the segment, i.e. Ducati Hypermotard, KTM 790 Duke, Kawasaki Z650, and even some of the electric models that have begun to pop up. But where the CB650R lacks in power, it makes up for it in its chassis dynamics and weight.

Both motor and the Hondas aluminum frame are integral chassis components, which, in addition to the Showa-sourced suspension and a full tank of fuel, give the CB650R a wet weight of 447 pounds. Dual disc brake rotors with four-piston calipers handle stopping up front, while the rear is serviced by a single disc, single-piston unit. Summed up, its the right recipe to get you riding when your comfort zone has moved miles away from where it once was.

Jonathon Klein

A quarter way up Angeles Crest Highway, Tom Misch and De La Souls It Runs Through Me began streaming through my helmet. The song is a soothingly pop-centric jazz medley. The tempo, the beat, the snappy drums are perfect to groove to. Everything, every worry, every anxious thought, and the rest of the world faded away. I felt myself getting back into the ride; part of that is because of how approachable the sporty CB650R remains.

Through the canyon roads, I began to see just how lovely the bike can be as a companion. Its light, not overly powerful, and responds to your thighs whims. You dont steer with your hands or lean with your shoulders like other motorcycles as much as you tango with the bike, your hips and legs dancing with the machine between them.

Powering ahead, its readily apparent that this isnt a motorcycle for attacking corners, nor is it one demanding knees be dragged across the gritty pavement. Theres no aggression to the throttle or telepathic turn-in like a race bike. Like Mischs song, its all about flow. The CB650R wants you to just ride, feel comfortable, and let everything else fall away.

Jonathon Klein

The warm wind blowing through my jacket, I hopped onto a particularly desolate canyon offshoot thats long, flowy, and always empty. A damn-near perfect road. Throttling up, the four-pot engine is peppy at low RPMs but begs to be revved out and reach its 12,800 RPM redline. Jokes about Honda's VTEC (variable valve timing and engine control) kicking in come naturally, as the motor finds its stride past 8,000 RPM and shoots toward its peak with an urgency not felt below that mark. It took me a while to find the balance and not forget a surge was imminent, but once that learning period is over, it pulls like a dream.

Easy to feather, the CB650R's brakes are lovelyprogressive and smooth yet able to arrest your momentum safely in a panic stop (say, when you're lane-splitting and a car pulls into your path without looking). They're responsive enough that even in my hyper-cautious state, I eventually felt confident enough to trail-brake the rear as turn after turn fell behind.

Truly, the sum of Hondas CB650R is that the more you ride it, the more confident you are, and the more you want to swing your leg over its seat. Youll yearn for short and long rides, trips to the market, the gas station, or even a midnight run to CVS when your kid is sick. After my three months with it, I didnt want to give it back or give up riding, and thats down to Hondas superb engineering. Because without its presence at a trying time, I might have never gotten back on two wheels.

Jonathon Klein

There was good evidence that it was time to hang my helmet up for good. I know my mother would love for me to do just that. But something kept tugging at my psyche. Why should fear bring about the end of something that I love? Riding a motorcycle is my preferred method for self-reflection, and Ive begun to pull my helmet on more and more, each time feeling better than the last. As I said, Honda gets a lot of credit here. But so does Davey.

Recently, I was reading through an old Car and Driverarticle Davey wrote after he had a brush with death behind a motorcycles handlebars. In it, he writes, Long-distance riding is meditative, and I find I prefer it on a naked bike, wholly exposed to the elements. All the while, the world is benignly conspiring against you. Road imperfections, inattentive motorists, trucks shedding tire tread, rain, deer, snow, crosswinds, dehydration, hail, lightning. Sure, all might find a way to kill you in an automobile, but theres no omnipresent specter hanging just outside your peripheral vision. There should be, but there isnt.

Jonathon Klein

He continued, summing up my feelings perfectly: Not to go back up again, or not to get back on the bike, would be completely understandable. But to give up either thing would surely be a loss. My parents, Lemmy, Bowie, Prince, Merle, Gene Wilder: Im quickly losing the adults I grew up with. Im not going to lose the joy and peace that motorcycling brings, too.

Fear helps you survive, but it can cause you to overcompensate and no longer live. Life is full of dangers, terrors, and what-ifs. If you dont face them head-on, you end up at the end of your life regretting not doing what you actually loved.

So, Im not giving up riding. At least not yet. I dont know what the future holds, but two-wheel machines are still in it for me. Maybe its on the back of Hondas joyously rideable CB650R, maybe something else. All I know is that if anyone hankering for a great riding bike, they should head to their local dealer and slap $9,199 down for a CB650R. As a machine, as a piece of fine engineering, that's already a steal. But add in its ability to soothe the soul, and it gives you far more than you ever bargained for.

Link:
2020 Honda CB650R Review: The Right Salve for These Chaotic Times - The Drive

LIFE is no laughing matter at the moment but an hour or so in the company of a hilariously silly, self-deprecating Shane Todd may just be the tonic we all need right now.

We meet pre-Covid-19 restrictions to chat about his upcoming tour, Somebody Told Me, opening in September and taking in 21 dates across Ireland and England.

In the circumstances, we dont shake hands and you can almost see the Co Down comic taking a mental note this aspect of coronovirus, along with stockpiled toilet rolls, panic buying and hand sanitiser, is sure to end up in a show some day.

For the popular Holywood entertainer, nothing is off limits in stand-up, having kick-started his career on a show based around his own health crisis when diagnosed with Crohns disease a type of inflammatory bowel disease more than four years ago.

It is a condition, he says, in a conspiratorial whisper, that he still doesnt fully understand and still cant spell properly but being able to always see the funny side helped pull him through.

I still dont really know what Crohns is, says the personable 31-year-old, but I do look after myself diet and lifestyle-wise, although Im not one of those people who Googles every symptom.

I was told it was a condition for life but luckily Im a very happy-go-lucky kind of person. Pretty much the week I got diagnosed, I thought, This is going to dominate my life for the next while, so I can either sit and be sad, or start making a note of the funny things that happen. So, it just started with a couple of little things and then grew into an entire show.

Medical professionals still arent sure what causes Crohns disease but it is believed to be linked to a flaw with the immune system, causing it to attack the sufferers digestive tract and resulting in symptoms of varying severity, among them diarrhoea, cramps, fatigue and weight loss.

The weight loss was the only thing that really affected me, Todd reveals. Im naturally pretty skinny, so when I lost three and-a-half stone over a number of weeks, it was difficult because I am pretty vain. I mean, every car I pass, I do have to have a wee look in the window

At the start, though, there wasnt much to laugh about when he started having excruciating cramps that would come and go and felt like a tight knot in his stomach. A keen amateur sportsman, he had been playing football for his team in Holywood when, one evening, the pain became overwhelming and he took himself off to A&E.

They thought it was my appendix, so they took it out and sent me home, he recalls. I did a lot of sport football and street fighting so thought I would recover quickly, but I didnt. Then, at a family wedding about a week later, I was talking to my cousin, a consultant in gastroenterology, and he thought I didnt look too good. I got admitted to the City Hospital and was there for a couple of weeks while they tried to figure out what was wrong with me.

It was a shock when I was eventually diagnosed, especially as I had just given up a job in a call centre to work full-time in comedy, but I was also glad because I think its better to know what you are dealing with some people have something bothering them for years and dont know what it is.

Today, he is still adapting his diet and being as proactive as possible.

I very rarely drink now, I exercise every day and I try to get enough sleep. At the moment, I am getting an infusion with a new drug at the Royal Victoria Hospital called Infliximab and they are happy with my progress. I felt great before going on it and I still feel great, so its definitely not doing me any harm. Crohns is an unpredictable condition, but diet is the number one thing Ive worked on.

Currently living in Ballynahinch with his wife, Stacey, the comic still plays football for Dundrum FC hosts a show on BBC Radio Ulster, has a role in BBC Ones Soft Border Patrol, his own Toddcast and is now looking forward to what will be his fifth themed tour, with Somebody Told Me based on urban myths.

It follows on from the Crohns show and others including The Toddfather, which played to sell-out audiences last year, coming about after the comedian lost a bet to friend and fellow comedian, Dave Elliot.

We did a show on Radio Ulster in which we featured a general-knowledge quiz and the loser had to have a tattoo chosen by the winner, Todd explains. I lost the quiz, somehow; I still think it was fixed because Im very, very intelligent and Dave isnt Id like you to print that and I had to have this Toddfather tattooed on my leg. My wife hates it, but it gave me an idea for another show.

Comedy, for this master of silly, observational humour, delivered with such deadpan precision that you never quite know when he is being serious, is a "dream" career for Todd, who spent his formative years as the "class clown", mercilessly mimicking teachers and fellow students.

I never take myself too seriously, he affirms, and I think theres humour in the sub-elements of most subjects, even the most unlikely ones.

"Northern Ireland people especially have a trait of being able to laugh in the face of tragedies and that is how we survive if you didnt laugh, youd cry, sort of thing.

My sense of humour was definitely influenced by my gran who I spent a lot of time with at her White City home in Holywood. It was this kind of environment where everybody took the hand out of everyone else in a loving way. I grew up with that, where you always had to defend yourself and be prepared for a light-hearted roasting.

Career-wise, Todd never had a Plan B and, luckily, doesnt need to, having been making people laugh at themselves, at him and at life in general, for 13 years now (five years full-time), in auditoriums across Northern Ireland, as well as in the US, Canada, France, Holland and Britain.

Its my dream job, but it comes without a safety net, he admits. Sometimes, people say they have no fall-back, but you know they secretly have some kind of medical degree. I dont delve too much into the psychology of it, but I think when people come to see a comedy show, theyre there to get away from whatever is going on that day in their head.

"People who have been having a bad time of it have paid good money to come and see the show, so the game is to make those people just forget about whatevers happening and try to have a laugh. It's all we can do.

:: Details and tickets at shine.net/comedy

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Shane Todd: Even now, life is still a laughing matter for The Toddfather - The Irish News

When Stuart Olson Inc. (TSE:SOX) reported its results to December 2019 its auditors, Deloitte & Touche LLP could not be sure that it would be able to continue as a going concern in the next year. It is therefore fair to assume that, based on those financials, the company should strengthen its balance sheet in the short term, perhaps by issuing shares.

Since the company probably needs cash fairly quickly, it may be in a position where it has to accept whatever terms it can get. So current risks on the balance sheet could have a big impact on how shareholders fare from here. The biggest concern we would have is the companys debt, since its lenders might force the company into administration if it cannot repay them.

View our latest analysis for Stuart Olson

As you can see below, Stuart Olson had CA$119.9m of debt, at December 2019, which is about the same as the year before. You can click the chart for greater detail. On the flip side, it has CA$8.21m in cash leading to net debt of about CA$111.7m.

The latest balance sheet data shows that Stuart Olson had liabilities of CA$262.8m due within a year, and liabilities of CA$187.3m falling due after that. Offsetting this, it had CA$8.21m in cash and CA$294.7m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So it has liabilities totalling CA$147.2m more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

The deficiency here weighs heavily on the CA$21.4m company itself, as if a child were struggling under the weight of an enormous back-pack full of books, his sports gear, and a trumpet. So we definitely think shareholders need to watch this one closely. After all, Stuart Olson would likely require a major re-capitalisation if it had to pay its creditors today. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Stuart Olson can strengthen its balance sheet over time. So if youre focused on the future you can check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts.

Over 12 months, Stuart Olson made a loss at the EBIT level, and saw its revenue drop to CA$929m, which is a fall of 3.9%. We would much prefer see growth.

Importantly, Stuart Olson had negative earnings before interest and tax (EBIT), over the last year. Indeed, it lost a very considerable CA$5.1m at the EBIT level. Reflecting on this and the significant total liabilities, its hard to know what to say about the stock because of our intense dis-affinity for it. Like every long-shot were sure it has a glossy presentation outlining its blue-sky potential. But the reality is that it is low on liquid assets relative to liabilities, and it burned through CA$6.7m in the last year. So we consider this a high risk stock, and were worried its share price could sink faster than than a dingy with a great white shark attacking it. Were too cautious to want to invest in a company after an auditor has expressed doubts about its ability to continue as a going concern. Thats because companies should always make sure the auditor has confidence that the company will continue as a going concern, in our view. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But ultimately, every company can contain risks that exist outside of the balance sheet. Take risks, for example Stuart Olson has 5 warning signs (and 2 which are a bit unpleasant) we think you should know about.

If, after all that, youre more interested in a fast growing company with a rock-solid balance sheet, then check out our list of net cash growth stocks without delay.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.

Link:
Auditors Have Doubts About Stuart Olson (TSE:SOX) - Simply Wall St

I confess: I have a sugar problem. I love to addspoonfuls of sugar in my green tea, which when I need a little break or quick jolt of energy while working from home.I know this is bad, but everybody has their thing.

So I called MichelePromaulayko, who wrote the book on how to quit sugar, to get her help in ditchingmy bad habittoset myself on apath toward being fitter by the time this whole working from home thing is over (hopefully soon). She wrote Sugar Free 3, a plan thatguides the readerto be sugar-free in three weeks. The full title of the book is

Q: How Can I resist heading to the cabinet for a sugar fix at 4 p.m. every day?

A: You have to know where it's coming from. For most people, one of the reasonsthey crave sugar is that they are on the dependency cycle. They are eating more than they realize.You have these really intense cravings because you are on the cycle of dependence because you're eating it in hidden resources, like savory sources -- bread and tomato sauce or granola, Think what you had for breakfast. Was it toast? Cereal? Chances are you got on the cycle then.

Eating breakfast with hidden sugar starts the day with a surge of quick energy and then it dips again, about an hour and a half later. So that keeps you on the highs and lows. The more sugar you have, the more you want.

Q: Got it. True. Toast this morning was the culprit. Let's diagnose the problem of why we crave sugar, and then give people (okay me) five tips on how to solve it.

A: You need the awareness piece. So the first piece is the ingredient education. You have to have the awareness piece.

Most of it is from a hidden source. There are about 70names for sugarso it can bein your food and youprobably don'tknow it. Sugar, the simple kind (not fruit or whole grains) exists as table sugar but also in agave or honey or food additives. It's in oat milk, and of course dairy milk as lactose. Anything with an "-ose" at the end of the word. Lactose is sugar. There is naturally occurring sugar in things like milk or in fruit (whole fruit).

Finding the hidden sources by knowing how to read the labels is the key to getting off sugar. You can't get off it if you don't know where it's coming from!

You have to understand that packaged foods generally include added sugars, so you need to learn how to look ata label and see the added sugars. It's added to make the food more palatable and addictive, but don't fall prey to that. You just don't want hidden sugar in your tomato sauce or your crackers.

So instead of cereal or toast, start the day with whole foods -- even if it's fruit, you can have that because of the fiber, which will keep your blood sugar steady. The point is to avoid the spikes because it sends you on a sugar roller coaster, and for every spike, you experience a dip. That dip is when you feel low energy and reach for more. Instead, curb your consumption from the first thing during the morning and eat more vegetables and protein, and no added sugareven from hidden sources and when you do that you will crave it less.

A side note about plant-based products and sugar. Beware of the health halos, so just because something says organic or enriched or natural or gluten-free does not mean it doesn't contain added sugar. Basically whole foods are the ones to eat, not processed.

This is controversial since fruit has a lot of naturally occurring sugar. But here is the difference: It also contains fiber, and that means that your body breaks it down slowly, and the steady form of energy is going to keep you going, but not make you fat. It's hard to eat enough whole foods of any type to gain weight.

We are not a nation that is grappling with obesity or being overweight because we are hooked on whole fruit. I have never heard of someone being overweight or obese by eating too much fruit. If the sugar is naturally occurring in whole food, such as an apple or an orange, you should have it, because it comes with vitamins, nutrients, antioxidants and is packaged with fiber,which keeps fruticose from entering your bloodstream all at once, so it gives you a steadier form of energy and your blood sugar stays steady.

On the Sugar-Free 3 plan, you are allowed to eat whole foods because you are eating naturally occurring sugar. It comeswith healthy fiber and nutrients that allow this natural energy to enter your bloodstream slower and keep your energy going, like a natural time-release capsule.

And more good news: You can eat whole grains, such as wild or brown rice or quinoa becausea whole grain has all of the nutrients. But not processed or white rice, since the minute you process the rice, you strip away all the fiber and it becomes empty calories.

Let's purge from your mind thatsugar is a quick source of energy. since the opposite is true. In adults -- and in kids --sugar becomes energy-draining becauseitactually makes you more tired. Your body needs some sugarto function but you are already getting it from natural sources, so don't add more, since the spike of quick sugar then mobilizes insulin, which tells the body to store the extra as fat, and then you have no energy at all since it's tucked away into fat storage. So you end up feeling drained and gaining weighta bad combination.

Stress eating? We all do that. One of the things I really truly believe is that there is such an ingrained thought process in our brains, that habitually we have been socialized to think sugar is harmless and celebratory and it's our friend, so when we are stressed we reach for this "harmless" reward. Its' also really too easily accessible and you can pop it in your mouth when stressed. It might even be crackers or chips, something you don't think of as sweet, but it has simple carbs that act like sugar when it hits your system. So next time when you think let me just throw it in the pie hole, stop yourself and do something else. Breathe, walk, call a friend, drink a glass of water. Just don't mindlessness eat a source of sugar.

Q: How about alcohol or wine? Are those allowed? Please?

A: We drilled down on this one. During the three weeks, I askyouto give up alcohol. The reason is that alcohol is a sugar. And it is a disinhibitor.What that means is that when you drink, you eat, and when you eat while drinking, you throw caution to the wind. It's true that you can get the drunk munchies, but you can also just eat more than you intend to, including bread and simple carbs. The one exception is that red wine does not actually have a lot of sugar. Almost all of it is gone in through the fermentation process. But basically you have to think of all alcohol as a sugar and a toxin. So why challenge your body more with this adjustment.It's hard enough to break bad habits so for three weeks try to limit your alcohol intake. Now, of course, there is an exception. Read on.

Once a week during this three-week period you can have a mindful indulgencereally goodpizza or something you miss. But think about what that is. There might be a certain cookie or treat. You have to let yourself have it if it means that much to you. It's okay in life to indulge mindfully once in a while. It's unrealistic to say "I am never going to have birthday cake again" or if you are in a special place, like when I was in Italy last summer, I let myself have gelato and you can tell yourself "I am going to mindfully enjoy it."

We know that these are the exceptions and if you feel too guilty about it, the stress of guilt can change the way the body takes calories and holds onto them. The feelings you attach to a thought -- the cortisol created by that stress can actually cause your body to maintain the calories as body fat. Healthy, naturally slender people indulge from time to time and don't sweat it. They enjoy it.

For my birthday last week, I enjoyed myself. I was with a friend and she has a pizza oven. So we made homemade pizza and a dessert pizza. The whole thing was full of refined carbs. It was not a Sugar-Free 3 approved meal, but it all worked because a lot of other ingredients were healthy like I added broccoli to the pizza, but more importantly, I was withmy friend in a joyous moment and we had dessert pizza and toasted with wine. And the next day I was back on track. That's how to stay healthy, and sugar-free, now.

To watch the videoand learn more about how to kick off your three-week Sugar-Free 3 plan, click here.To try The Beet's Clean Eating Plan, sign up here.

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6 Easy Tips to Sugar, Lose Weight and Have More Energy Right Now - The Beet