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LKQ (LKQ) Q2 2018 Earnings Conference Call Transcript
LKQ earnings call for the period ending June 30, 2018.
Motley Fool Transcribing
(MFTranscribing)
Jul 27, 2018 at 11:23AM
LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ)
Q2 2018 Earnings Conference Call
Jul. 26, 2018 7:00 a.m. ET
Joe Boutross -- Director of Investor Relations
Thank you, operator. Good morning, everyone, and welcome to LKQ's second-quarter 2018 earnings conference call. With us today are Nick Zarcone, LKQ's president and chief executive officer, and Varun Laroyia, executive vice president and chief financial officer. Please refer to the LKQ website at lkqcorp.com for our earnings release issued this morning as well as the accompanying slide presentation for this call.
Now, let me quickly cover the safe harbor. Some of the statements that we make today may be considered forward-looking. These include statements regarding our expectations, beliefs, hopes, intentions, or strategies. Actual events or results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors.
We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. For more information, please refer to the risk factors discussed in our Form 10-K and subsequent reports filed with the SEC. During this call, we will present both GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures. A reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP measures is included in today's slide presentation.
And, with that, I'm happy to turn the call over to Mr. Nick Zarcone.
Dominick Zarcone -- President and Chief Executive Officer
Thank you, Joe, and good morning to everybody on the call. We certainly appreciate your time and attention at this early hour as we adjusted the timing of our call. We are pleased to share both the results of our most recent quarter and the progress made on the various initiatives we've implemented since our first-quarter call. I will provide some high-level comments and then Varun will dig in a bit further into the segments and related financial details before I come back to discuss our updated 2018 guidance and make a few closing remarks.
Overall, we had an excellent second quarter, highlighted by exceptional revenue growth in each of our segments, progress on improving margins and a successful closing of the Stahlgruber acquisition. As noted on Slide 4, consolidated revenue was a record $3.031 billion, reflecting a 23% increase over the $2.458 billion recorded in the second quarter of last year. This is the first time the company has crossed the $3 billion threshold in a quarter. Total revenue growth from parts and services was 22.8% during the second quarter, while organic revenue growth in parts and services on a global basis came in at a robust 7.2%.
As mentioned over the past several quarters, very few companies in our sector are generating organic growth anywhere close to our level. Diluted earnings per share attributable to LKQ stockholders for the second quarter of 2018 was $0.50, as compared to $0.49 for the same period of 2017, an increase of 2%. On an adjusted basis, diluted earnings per share attributable to LKQ stockholders for the second quarter of 2018 was $0.61 a share, an increase of 15% as compared to the $0.53 for the same period of 2017. These EPS results were slightly above our expectations and due largely to the strong revenue growth and progress on the profit enhancement plans discussed last quarter.
Let's turn to the operating highlights. As you'll note from Slide 6, total parts and services revenue for our North American segment grew 8.3% in the second quarter of 2018 compared to the comparable quarter of last year. Organic revenue growth for parts and services for our North American segment during the quarter was 7.4%, which was ahead of our expectations. We continue to perform well in North America, especially when you consider that, according to CCC Information Services, collision and liability related auto claims on a national basis were essentially flat in the second quarter of 2018 compared to last year and down sequentially from the 0.8% growth recorded in the first quarter.
As was the case in Q1, there continue to be meaningful variances in growth rates across the geographic regions of North America. We believe that significant outperformance in our growth relative to the CCC data for repairable claims is due to the continued increase in the number of vehicles in our collision sweet spot, that being model years 3 to 10 years old as well as a continued market share gain. Also, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, our performance in Q2 was achieved, while miles driven in the United States were up only 0.8% on a nationwide basis in May, although like the claims data there were significant regional differences.
The organic growth for aftermarket parts continued to outpace that of salvage parts, as the repair shops continued to focus on improving cycle times given the increased volume of work they were processing. Importantly, we continue to see increases in the total aftermarket collision SKU offerings as well as the total number of certified parts available, each growing 5.7% and 12.6%, respectively in the second quarter. Our North American team made solid progress with their recovery efforts related to many areas, including reducing unwarranted discounts, driving higher levels of stops and orders per vehicle per day with Roadnet, and reducing fleet maintenance cost per mile. These are just a sample of the several initiatives in play.
We know there is more opportunity to be garnered and we are not done. Importantly, we have the right team in place to execute on our plan and capture these opportunities. Lastly, on North America and as many of you know, during Q1 and Q2 of 2018, three U.S. Code trade statutes were cited by the President of the United States as requiring investigation due to national security concerns and intellectual property rights violations.
Today, under the enacted round one of Section 301, there has been little impact on LKQ from the tariffs or the subsequent Canadian countermeasures, given that most of the U.S.-origin product shipped to Canada are indirect or stocking transfers. With that said, if the imposition of tariffs gains further traction and leads to price inflation in our North American segment, we, like many other domestic distributors exposed to tariffs, expect to pass along these increases to our customers. That said, it'll be important to keep in mind that we will not be able to earn a profit on any increases related to cover the tariffs. So, should tariffs become a real consideration, it will appear as though gross profit and EBITDA as a percent of revenue will be a bit lower.
Moving to the other side of the Atlantic, our European segment achieved total parts and services revenue growth of 44.2%. Organic revenue growth for parts and services was a very strong 8.3%, reflecting a significant snap-back from Q1 levels, and performance well ahead of our expectations. Acquisitions added an additional 28.8% to revenue growth in Europe during the second quarter of 2018, due largely to Stahlgruber being included in the June 2018 results, while the strengthening of the euro and sterling when compared to the second quarter of last year resulted in an FX-related revenue increase of 7.1%. All of the major operating units in Europe achieved organic growth in excess of 7% with the strong results reflecting both the reversal of the negative impact of the timing of Easter experienced in Q1, and the absence of major weather disruptions.
In addition, you will recall that the UK had soft revenue growth in Q1 due in part to some of the branch replenishment issues related to bringing the T2 distribution facility online. During the last call, we mentioned that the software issues related to the automated elements of this large distribution center appeared to have been largely rectified in early April and sales were trending back to normal levels. Based on the excellent Q2 revenue growth at ECP, you can see that that was indeed the case. As you know, there were two redundant distribution facilities that were slated to close as part of the overall T2 project plan.
As previously disclosed, one closed at year-end and, as expected, the other was vacated and handed back to the landlord in the second quarter. So, those costs are now fully behind us. With respect to Andrew Page, we continue to integrate and rationalize the Andrew Page branches that we were allowed to retain. And I am happy to report that the entire Andrew Page branch network is now completely being replenished out of the T2 distribution facility.
Additionally, Andrew Page's national distribution center was vacated and returned to the landlord a few weeks ago, with the head office functions still to be consolidated by year-end. At this time, we are in the process of selling 11 Andrew Page branches, including the nine required by the U.K. competition authorities and two additional branches that are focused on the commercial vehicle markets. We anticipate the divestiture will close shortly.
During the second quarter, we opened up a total of 17 new branches in Europe, including two new locations in Western Europe, and 15 new locations in Eastern Europe. Overall, it was a terrific quarter for our European operations from a revenue perspective, and we made meaningful positive progress on the margin front, which Varun will discuss in more detail. Let's move on to our specialty segment. During the second quarter, specialty reported total revenue growth of 13.6%, including organic revenue growth for parts and services of 4.1% and then the Warn acquisition added an additional 9 points of growth.
As you may recall, specialty was negatively impacted by the harsh March storms both on the demand side for our RV-focused products and our ability to distribute and serve certain markets. Given this dynamic, we believe that during the second quarter, there was a bit of pent-up demand that we were able to capture, further validating the sustainability and resiliency of our business model. Also, the industry leading product design and development efforts at Warn continues under LKQ's ownership. Warn recently introduced the next generation of powersport winches called AXON and VRX, products that have received tremendous positive feedback from both our customers and industry press.
Moving on to corporate development matters; on May 31 of 2018, the company announced the closing of its acquisition of Stahlgruber. This transaction demonstrates our ongoing strategy to expand our European footprint. We believe that Stahlgruber's leading market position in Germany, unparalleled distribution network, unique value proposition and strong leadership team will play a pivotal role in our efforts to grow LKQ's business in Europe. As many of you know, prior to the closing of the Stahlgruber acquisition, the European Antitrust Commission cleared the transaction with the exception of the wholesale business of Stahlgruber in the Czech Republic, which was referred for review to the Czech Republic competition authority.
Accordingly, the operations in the Czech Republic, which represented an immaterial portion of Stahlgruber's revenue and profitability, have been temporarily retained by the seller. That said, we have filed our application with the Czech Republic antitrust authorities and have responded in early July to their comments. We remain optimistic about receiving clearance to acquire the Czech-based business of Stahlgruber and we'll report on our progress during our Q3 call. In addition to our acquisition of Stahlgruber, we completed four small acquisitions of wholesale businesses in Europe, including one in the UK and three in Sweden for a total net consideration of approximately $7 million during the quarter.
And I will now turn the discussion over to Varun who will run through the details of the segment results.
Varun Laroyia -- Chief Financial Officer
Thanks, Nick, and good morning to everyone joining us on the call. I will take you through our consolidated segment results for the quarter and cover our current liquidity before turning it back to Nick for an update on full-year guidance. Overall, we are pleased with our results for the quarter. After a disappointing start to the year, we feel we're headed back in the right direction.
While there is still a ways to go to get our margins back to the desired levels, the initiatives we've put in place are showing promise with some benefits reflected in the second quarter and others primed for the rest of the year. As Nick mentioned, we closed the Stahlgruber transaction in late May. So, we have one month of operating results in our Q2 figures. I'll highlight the impact of Stahlgruber in the quarter as relevant later in my remarks.
As noted on Slide 13 of the presentation, the consolidated gross margin percentage was down 100 basis points quarter over quarter to 38.3%. Roughly 70 basis points of the decrease is attributable to our Europe segment, with the balance relating to our North America segment. Segment EBITDA totaled $342 million for the first quarter, reflecting a $36 million, or a 12%, increase over the comparable quarter of 2017. As a percentage of revenue, segment EBITDA was down 110 basis points to 11.3%.
We saw a 30-basis-points increase in our operating expenses, largely due to freight and vehicle expenses in our North America segment. And during the second quarter of 2018, we experienced a $13 million increase in restructuring and acquisition-related costs compared to the prior year and a $10 million increase in depreciation and amortization expense, both largely due to the Stahlgruber acquisition that we closed on May 30. With that, operating income for the second quarter of 2018 increased by about $12 million, or roughly 5%, when compared to the same period of 2017. Non-operating items were unfavorable by about $6 million versus Q2 of 2017.
The change in gains on bargain purchase and an impairment loss on Andrew Page related to the branches to be divested represent $5 million of the unfavorable variance. Other non-operating income primarily related to foreign currency losses represented the remaining variance. Interest expense was up $14 million year over year due to higher average balances and higher interest rates. And interest in the second quarter related to the Stahlgruber financing was $11 million.
Pretax income during the second quarter of 2018 was $218 million, down $8 million, or 3%, compared to the prior year. Moving to income taxes, our effective tax rate was 27.9% for the quarter. We updated our estimate of the annual effective tax rate during the second quarter to 27%, up 100 basis points from our previous estimate in Q1. The higher rate is driven mostly by the effects of the Stahlgruber transaction, including non-deductible interest and deal costs, as well as the higher effective tax rate in Germany.
For your long-term forecasting, please note that about 60 basis points of the rate increase is related to non-deductible interest and deal costs, and should fall off in 2019. Diluted EPS from continuing operations attributable to LKQ stockholders for the second quarter was $0.50, up $0.01 relative to the comparable quarter a year ago. Adjusted EPS, which excludes restructuring charges, intangible asset amortization, acquisition and divestiture-related gains and losses, and the tax benefit associated with stock-based comp, was $0.61, reflecting a 15% improvement. Stahlgruber's results were consistent with the projected impact as we discussed during Investor Day with a negative impact on the quarter totaling approximately $0.02.
While the Stahlgruber operating results were solid for the month of June, the negative impacts from pre-acquisition interest cost related to the euro note offerings, the tax impact from non-deductible interest cost, and the dilution effect from issuing 8 million shares caused the overall negative impact on the quarter, as we had communicated on May 31 at our Investor Day. Moving to the segments, with North America on Slide 16, gross margins during the second quarter were 43.1%, down 80 basis points over the 43.9% reported a year ago. The decrease was primarily attributable to mix, with strong revenue growth in some of our lower-margin product lines, including batteries and reman engines. Additionally, we experienced some softening in salvage margins, as a result of increasing car costs.
The base aftermarket business performed consistently with the prior year comparable period. And while we don't typically talk much about sequential changes, I want to highlight a few points related to activities in the second quarter. Our second-quarter gross margin percentage declined sequentially by 20 basis points. Though this variance was driven mostly by our self-service business as a result of the rising cost trend we referenced last quarter.
On a positive note, our aftermarket business increased its gross margin percentage sequentially by 30 basis points. The North American management team has made a good start toward addressing cost pressures, by adjusting net prices in aftermarket to boost margin without sacrificing revenue growth. We are encouraged by the progress the team made in the quarter and are optimistic about our ability to maintain these net pricing levels. Moving on to operating expenses as a percentage of revenue in our North America segment, these increased by 30 basis points compared to a year ago, but were down 20 basis points sequentially.
Consistent with last quarter, we're still facing headwinds related to freight and fuel costs like many other distributors, and these costs drove a 60-basis-point increase over the prior year. We are actively working to address these headwinds to the extent we can, given the macroeconomic scenario, including adjusting third-party freight costs to reduce freight surcharges, sourcing less expensive freight options, and resource management. Going in the other direction, we had a partial offset of 30 basis points from a non-recurring charge in Q2 of 2017 related to a contingent liability. Non-operating income and expenses had a negative impact on segment EBITDA of 20 basis points in 2018, due to an increase in various miscellaneous expenses in the second quarter of 2018.
In total, segment EBITDA of North America during the second quarter of 2018 was $175 million, roughly flat compared to last year, and as a percentage of revenue was down 130 basis points from the prior-year quarter. Sequential EBITDA margin is down 30 basis points, which reflects a seasonal pattern in our North America business. Prior to 2018, four of the prior five years had lower margins in Q2 versus Q1 in a range of 20 to 140 basis points. We also started to incur the incremental employee benefit costs as discussed on prior calls in Q2, which negatively impacted our sequential margin.
In this context, we're encouraged by the relatively small sequential decrease, but we're clearly not where we think we can be. Looking at Slide 18, scrap prices were up 33% over the comparable quarter last year and flat relative to Q1 of 2018. The benefit from scrap reflects the sequential movement in pricing, as car costs will generally follow scrap prices higher or lower over time. As such, there was minimal year-over-year impact from changes in scrap prices on our reported results.
Moving on to our European segment on Slide 19, gross margins in Europe were 36% in Q2, a 120-basis-point decline over the comparable period of 2017. The decrease is attributable largely to our UK operations and to the mix shift given the acquisitions and organic growth of the Central and Eastern European region which has structurally lower margins. As we've discussed over the past few months, the migration issues with our T2 facility in the first quarter had an ongoing negative impact in Q2, as some of the incremental costs capitalized into inventory were recorded in the income statement as the inventory turned. Going forward, we expect to see the remaining incremental capitalized costs flow through COGS in the second half of the year, primarily in Q3.
We did have some positive news on gross margins in Europe with our centralized procurement, yielding a 30-basis-point improvement from supplier rebate programs. Also, our Sator business in the Benelux region showed continuing margin expansion, contributing a 30-basis-point improvement to the segment with a specific strength in private label sales and the ongoing move from a three-step to a two-step model in that market. The Stahlgruber impact on gross margin percentage was immaterial in the quarter. With respect to operating expenses as a percentage of revenue, we experienced a 30-basis-point decrease on a consolidated European basis versus the comparable quarter a year ago.
The improvement was primarily attributable to leverage as we could grow revenue at a greater rate than our costs, including facility, freight and advertising expenses. European segment EBITDA totaled $111 million, a 33% increase over a year ago. As shown on Slide 21, relative to the second quarter of 2017, the British pound was up 6%, and the euro had strengthened 8% against the U.S. dollar.
Segment EBITDA as a percentage of revenue was 8.6% for Q2 2018, down 80 basis points from the same period a year ago. Our goal for Europe remains double-digit segment EBITDA margins over the next 36 months. Excluding the impact of the Stahlgruber acquisition, which was dilutive by 10 basis points, Q2 was a step in the right direction with a sequential margin improvement of 130 basis points. We have more work to do and the European management team are intensely focused on this task.
Related to Europe, I'd also like to share some news on our equity interest in Mekonomen, a leading car parts and service chain in the Nordic region. We don't control the entity and so do not consolidate Mekonomen's results in our reported figures. Instead, we record our share of its income in the equity earnings of unconsolidated subsidiaries line on our income statement. Since we acquired our shares of Mekonomen, its market cap has declined by approximately 25% as of June 30.
While we concluded that no permanent impairment has occurred as of June 30, we will be monitoring developments closely over the next quarter as we evaluate the possibility of an impairment. That said, we remain optimistic about Mekonomen's future prospects, including its recently announced acquisition in Denmark and Poland. And we look forward to continuing our partnership with them in Europe. Turning to our specialty segment on Slide 22, the business continues to deliver solid results.
The Warn business is performing well and, as previously disclosed, has a higher margin profile than the base specialty segment. Warn contributed 90 basis points to the growth in the gross margin percentage. The base specialty business, i.e. without Warn, generated a 4.1% organic revenue growth rate in the quarter, which was a nice rebound from Q1 and we were encouraged that we were able to do so while maintaining gross margin expansion.
Specialty underwent a program to rationalize some low-margin business which had a positive impact on the overall gross margin percentage in the quarter. Operating expenses as a percentage of revenue in specialty were 120 basis points higher relative to the prior year. The primary variances related to higher personnel, vehicle and fuel expenses and the impact of Warn, which has a higher overhead expense structure than the base business. Segment EBITDA for specialty was $56 million, up 15% from Q2 of 2017.
And as a percentage of revenue, segment EBITDA was up 20 basis points to 13.6%. Moving on to capital allocation and the balance sheet, as presented on Slide 24 you will note that our cash flow from continuing operations for the first six months of 2018 was $329 million. We talked in February about the growth in inventory related to buying opportunities in our North American business. In the first half of the year, we've maintained a modest cash outflow of $13 million related to inventory, as we could support our strong organic growth without a significant investment in inventory.
Receivables represent an outflow through the first six months which follows the seasonality of the business with our highest sales in the first half of the year. Payables represent a $25 million outflow through June of this year, which is nearly a $90 million swing to the negative relative to a year ago. Payables fluctuate from period to period based on purchasing activity and timing of payments. Payables is one of the more volatile line items on the cash flow, and historically we've seen periods with inflows followed by outflows and vice versa.
So, I expect to see some bounce-back in the second half. Overall, we remain optimistic about our ability to generate strong cash flows from operations for the full year of 2018. Capex for the quarter was $53 million and $115 million for the year-to-date period. The largest capital changes reflect the impact of the Stahlgruber transaction.
In April, we issued 1 billion euro senior notes in eight- and 10-year tranches at a weighted average rate of 3.75% to fund the Stahlgruber transaction. Additionally, we borrowed approximately $80 million on our line of credit and issued 8.1 million shares to complete the financing of the transaction. Moving to Slide 25, as of June 30, we had approximately $4.5 billion of total debt outstanding and $345 million of cash, resulting in a net debt number of about $4.1 billion, or 3.1 times last 12 months' EBITDA. Excluding the Stahlgruber transaction, with the debt pay-down in the first quarter and a further pay-down in the second quarter totaling $162 million for the first six months, we continue to make good progress in reducing our net leverage.
At this net debt ratio, our credit facility margin increased by 25 basis points in June. So, we'll see a higher interest cost on all of our credit facility borrowings until we reduce our net leverage ratio below the 2.75 times tier of the credit facility. The impact of this interest rate increase was included in our Stahlgruber accretion estimate. And finally, we have approximately $1.6 billion of availability on our credit facility, which together with our cash yields total liquidity of $1.9 billion.
With that said, I'll turn the call back to Nick to cover the updated guidance.
Thanks, Varun. In light of the results achieved in the second quarter and the closing of Stahlgruber, we have adjusted our annual guidance on a few of the key financial metrics. With respect to organic growth for parts and services, we anticipate all the segments will continue to report reasonably strong results, though not quite at very high levels achieved in the second quarter. Accordingly, we have adjusted the bottom end of the full-year guidance range for global organic growth up from 4% to 4.5% and have kept the top end of the range steady at 5.5%.
In terms of adjusted earnings per share, we have moved the range up to $2.25 to $2.33 a share, with a midpoint of $2.29. This reflects both the better-than-anticipated results for the second quarter, the anticipated accretion from the Stahlgruber transaction, offset by the weaker euro and sterling which are down 4% and 6% respectively from when we set guidance last quarter, and the slight uptick in the estimated effective tax rate as we continue to refine the impact of the tax law changes and the Stahlgruber acquisition. Currencies and taxes collectively account for approximately a negative $0.04 a share impact relative to our prior guidance. So, as to be clear, starting with the midpoint of our prior guidance which was $2.25 a share, we added $0.05 for Stahlgruber, $0.03 for the strong Q2, and then backed off the $0.04 for the negative currency and tax rate impacts to get to the new midpoint of $2.29 a share.
Those adjustments yield a range for adjusted net income of $710 million to $735 million. We also anticipate that the higher earnings will have a positive impact on cash flow from operations and have revised the guidance range to $660 million on the low end and $710 million at the high end, a $35 million increase. We have also increased our capital spending plan a bit to a range of $255 million to $285 million, reflecting the inclusion of Stahlgruber and the addition of a few large facility expansion opportunities, primarily in our North American wholesale operations. We believe the effective tax rate will be approximately 27% and the guidance assumes the current levels as it relates to FX rates.
This guidance does not include any impact from the pending tariffs nor does it assume any meaningful impact from scrap price fluctuations, though there is a reasonable amount of speculation in the market that prices may come under pressure if the Chinese restrict the amount of imported recycled material. In closing, I am very proud of the hard work and dedication of our 49,000 employees and I am equally proud of the team's efforts to effectively address the headwinds encountered in the first quarter. While we have made good progress, there is substantial room for improvement and I am confident in our team's ability to effectively implement their respective plans. Finally, I would like to publicly welcome the entire Stahlgruber organization to the LKQ team.
We could not be more excited to have you as our colleagues and partners, and we look forward to working with you in the months and years ahead. And with that, operator, we are now ready to open the call for questions.
[Operator instructions] And your first question comes from the line of Craig Kennison with Baird. Your line is open.
Craig Kennison -- Robert W. Baird & Company -- Analyst
Hey, good morning. Thanks for taking my question. Nick, I realize the trade dynamics are fluid, but a bigger picture, how would you frame your sourcing exposure geographically? I guess, I'm asking, for example, what percentage of European costs of goods sold would be sourced from Europe, the U.S.A. and China and maybe the same question for the U.S., just so we can put some context around these tariffs.
Thanks, Craig, and good morning. Yeah. The tariff issue is trying to hit a moving target, right, because there's five different programs under two different trade statutes that are somewhere between 40 and 60 years old that are currently at play. The reality is in our North American business, the entirety of the salvage supply chain is from the U.S.
So, there's no impact related to our salvage business. The vast majority of our aftermarket product comes from Taiwan. And Taiwan is not deemed to be China, so it's not really impacted by the tariffs that are exclusively kind of focused on China. But the last of the five programs which has very little detail around it, Craig, relates to Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 where the President is talking about putting a 20% or 25% tariff on all imported automobiles and auto parts.
But that's on a country-by-country specific basis, and they haven't been clear as to what countries are included in that. So, that's probably potentially the biggest exposure. When you look at the original tariff item related to steel and aluminum under Section 232, there is really no impact on us because that really related to raw materials. Under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, there's three different rounds.
Round one put the tariffs on 818, what they call, tariff headings. That went into effect actually on July 6, so that's real and live. We have about 60 products that fall under those 818 headings and so the tariff impact there will be less than $5 million. Round two, which was proposed on June 20, it put a 25% surcharge on another 284 tariff headings, and we think the impact there is rather minimal.
The round three, which was just kind of introduced as a possibility a couple weeks ago, put another 10% surcharge on another 6,031 tariff headings. And that's probably going to have a bigger impact actually on our PGW business, because a lot of the windshields that we distribute on the aftermarket side come from China and our specialty business, if you will. We don't see a lot of impact on our European business from the tariff structure and the trade issues that are in the press these days, because almost all of the inventory that we sell in Europe is procured either from European or Asian sources. We're not buying product from the U.S.
and moving it over to Europe. So hopefully that helps.
It does. Thank you, Nick.
And your next question comes from the line of Ryan Merkel with William Blair. Your line is open.
Ryan Merkel -- William Blair & Company -- Analyst
Thanks. Good morning, and congratulations on the quarter beat.
Thanks, Ryan.
So, I have a question on North America aftermarket gross margins. I think – it sounds like you've made some progress on passing along product price increases that you've seen from your suppliers, along with passing on for higher freight. Did I hear that correctly? And then, the second part of that question is, by the end of the year, do you think you'll make more progress such that price/cost in that aftermarket piece can be neutralized?
Hey, Ryan, good morning. It's Varun Laroyia calling in. Yes, listen, to your question about aftermarket, the base business, which is our traditional crash parts, we have been able to offset some of the margin pressures. As we'd mentioned, our recovery plans are well under way.
The North American management team has been working hard on these pieces and they continue to go through tiers of customers, as we had spoken about previously. So, yes, they've made good progress. But again, as we'd mentioned previously, given the size and scale of the activity, this element will keep ramping up through the second half also. So, while we were in a position to essentially get our aftermarket margins flat on a year-over-year basis in the second quarter versus where they were trending previously, so that's been stabilized.
And, yes, we do expect that piece to continue to ramp up through the back end of the year.
Great. Thank you.
Your next question comes from the line of Ben Bienvenu with Stephens, Inc. Your line is open.
Ben Bienvenu -- Stephens -- Analyst
Hey, thanks. Good morning, guys.
Good morning, Ben.
I want to ask about the relationship in North America, the relationship between organic growth and margins. I suspect April was a challenge to the quarter as it relates to the disparity in demand across geographies that you saw in the first quarter. And I'm just curious as to how much of that sustained inclement weather into April lifted organic growth but also suppressed gross margins. And then, as we think about the sequential move into the back half of the year, do you think you can show margins up year over year in the back half?
Ben, this is Nick. I'll start and I'll let Varun jump in afterwards. So, there's no doubt that the demand in our North American business, particularly on the collision side of the business, has been very strong. You saw some very good growth in Q1, some continued excellent growth in Q2 and that growth was really pretty consistent throughout the quarter.
On the margin side, we were coming off of a soft Q1 and so the margins in the quarter actually got better as we marched through the three months of the quarter. That's why Varun indicated just a moment ago that we anticipate that we're going to continue to make good progress through the back half of the year. But, Varun, do you want to add?
Yeah, absolutely. Hey, Ben, good morning. Yes. Listen, I think to the second part of your question in terms of what we anticipate versus a year ago for North America margins and if you turn to Slide 16 of the earnings deck, you'll see that the first half typically is a strong set of results for us from a margin perspective.
And then, typically seasonality does tend to play its part with regards to mix. So, for example, in the first half of the year, we do tend to have more collision parts in the North America mix and that typically tends to tail off. But if you think about the dip that we have traditionally experienced first half to the second half, we don't expect that to be as significant to what we've seen in prior years. So, back to the point about a year ago 12.9% and 12.7% in Q3 and Q4 for North American margins, we would not see that, call it, 160-, 170-point decline from the first half that we just reported for 2018.
Understood. Thanks so much.
Your next question comes from the line of James Albertine with Consumer Edge. Your line is open.
James Albertine -- Consumer Edge Research -- Analyst
Great. Thank you. Good morning. Appreciate taking the question.
Good morning, Jamie.
Good morning. Wanted to ask sort of more of a strategic question and congratulations on closing Stahlgruber. But wanted to look – kind of looking ahead and you traditionally take some time off after larger scale deals like Stahlgruber. But wanted to see kind of what your view was on sort of the growth strategy looking out over the longer term.
Or are you at a size now where it makes more sense to sort of reinvest in sort of internally making sure the margin trajectories in North America, Europe, and so forth sort of stabilize and start to grow again? And we can kind of think of this as about sort of optimizing the portfolio you have versus growing via acquisition and sort of via roll-up into the future.
Yeah. Jamie, this is Nick. And I'll just take everyone back to May 31 at our Investor Day at T2. And what we mentioned then is we've just come off the largest acquisition in the history of the company, the acquisition of Stahlgruber which, again, we are thrilled to have as part of our family of companies and we think there's huge benefits that will accrue in the years to come, but that's – there's a big integration to go on there.
But the reality is we expect to do both. We'll continue to grow our business through acquisition over the next three to five years. Having said that, we also need to optimize – I think that's the word to use and I think it was a very good choice of words – we need to optimize what we currently owned. And so, it's not really an either/or.
As I indicated back on May 31, no one should expect another blockbuster transaction, anything close to something like Stahlgruber in the near term, right, because we have a lot on our plate and we're going to be focused on making sure we get the integration right. But over time as our leverage comes down and the like, if and when the right opportunity arises, we would be willing to again do something on a slightly larger scale, but we need to get our – we need to get Stahlgruber integrated, we need to get our leverage down. But that doesn't in any way, shape or form take our eye off the ball of optimizing what we own, getting the margins up in not – in all of our businesses really. Again, we've been very clear about the goals in Europe.
We absolutely want to drive higher margins in North America. There's a lot of blocking and tackling that goes into that. And so, we're focused on both.
OK. Great. Thanks so much, Nick, and best of luck.
Your next question comes from the line of Bret Jordan with Jefferies. Your line is open.
Bret Jordan -- Jefferies -- Analyst
Good morning, guys.
Good morning, Bret.
Hey, good morning.
Could you give us an update where we are as far as sort of purchasing synergies in Europe? I think you said you picked up 30 bps on some supplier rebates. But maybe how much of our purchasing has been consolidated and you talked at Sator about the private-label programs, how are we across the board in private label and maybe percentage mix, and where you see that going?
Hey, Bret, it's Varun. Good morning. Yeah. Listen, in terms of our overall European procurement program, continues to make great strides.
We have a team that's been actively working with our key suppliers, and so that's how you've kind of seen that improvement come through on a year-over-year basis. We haven't given exact numbers in terms of what level has been covered at this point in time. But clearly, I can assure you, we'd call it 45 to 50 days into the Stahlgruber transaction, the teams have been spending a lot of quality time out there also to consolidate as to what the opportunity is with the Stahlgruber transaction, obviously net pricing analysis being done on several thousand SKUs at this point of time. And so we remain optimistic not only about the Stahlgruber purchasing synergies, but the overall European procurement program.
With regards to your second part of the question on Benelux and Sator, yes, absolutely. Listen, we've talked about this previously, the rise of private label brands. Certainly, Sator has been making great strides on that from that perspective. But really, I'll probably take you back in terms of one of our core critical businesses, ECP.
They're the ones that have actually been going down the path of the private label brands. So, they've certainly shown the path to the European teams. Sator has picked up on that also. And then, obviously, we do know through our equity investment in Mekonomen in terms of the margin profile of private label brands.
So, we do see that to be a key pillar for our European margins getting to that double-digit EBITDA margin rate by the end of the 36-month period that started January 2018.
Yeah. And, Bret, what I would add is, obviously, when you make a large acquisition, you don't get the procurement savings day one, right? So, if you go back to when we bought Rhiag back in 2016, we put out some broad guidance as to what we thought we could get from a procurement benefit across the European platform by combining purchasing, negotiating kind of common elements, common contracts with our suppliers, if you will. At the time, we thought we could get $10 million of procurement. And we're very well on the way of getting that.
With respect to Stahlgruber, we really won't see the benefit of that really until very late in the first year of acquisition, which would put us into kind of mid-2019. One is you need to go and actually renegotiate some of the contracts, then you need to actually start buying at those new levels. But then you need to turn the inventory, right? And so, there's a little bit of a time lag, but we are very confident in our ability to really get our arms around all of the procurement savings that we've noted, both as it relates to the historical acquisitions and obviously, as it relates to Stahlgruber.
OK. Do you have a feeling for what percentage of your sales are private label?
It really varies business by business. We don't disclose this, but ECP has the highest level of private label and Stahlgruber probably has the lowest level of private label business. And Sator and Rhiag are kind of in between, if you will.
OK. Great. Thank you.
Your next question comes from the line of Chris Bottiglieri with Wolfe Research. Your line is open.
Chris Bottiglieri -- Wolfe Research -- Analyst
Hi. Thanks for taking the question.
Good morning, Chris.
Hi, good morning. I was hoping, given the rapid moves in commodity, and just give us a quick refresh, a primer on the puts and takes to your P&L. So you're hit on the self-service side, but what about your core North American wholesale business? That's where you have inventory on hand. Initially, you would think increases are positive to get LIFO liquidations, but as you kind of turn through it, how should we be thinking about them? How that impacts margins?
Yeah. So, the impact to commodities has a very little impact on our, what we call our full-service North American salvage business, if you will. These are the cars that we're buying at auction and dismantling. Because the real commodity play there is the scrap.
And the scrap is a couple hundred dollars on a $2,000 purchase for which we're hoping to park the car out for maybe north of $4,000. So, there's a very little impact. Biggest impact clearly on the self-serve business where the majority of the revenue from the self-serve, more than 50% of the revenue is actually from the residual metals that we end up selling off in the form of scrap. On the aftermarket part side in North America, a lot of the product that we bring in from the Far East is either made of steel, think about hoods and fenders and the like, or plastics.
The shallow, the mirror, the bumper covers, grills and so resin prices are really key there. And so, like in any business as the cost of raw materials for the suppliers that we buy from moves around, they're going to try and recoup some of their cost through higher selling prices to their customers. And we've seen a little bit of that, we talked about that in Q1. We're doing what we can to adjust our prices to take care of that.
Gotcha. OK.
Does that help?
Yeah. That does help. And then as a related follow-up, you had referenced in the call something, the effective -- the Chinese considering pulling back from purchasing recycled materials. Just want to get your -- what are the puts and takes that they actually do do that? Do you have less competition for buying parts? Are there like lateral effects that we should be aware of? And then, like do you have an ability to source more aftermarket to offset that, if it is problematic? Just overall picture there would be helpful.
Yeah. So, the reference that I made about the Chinese is earlier this year, the Chinese government put in regulations to effectively limit the volume of recycled materials. That's everything from paper to cardboard to metals and the like flowing into China. And really as it related to metals is they wanted a cleaner source of metals because sometimes when the metals that they were bringing into the country, you think about copper wiring, right, the copper is always coated with something, fabric or plastic and the like.
And they basically put a halt on the importation of some of that material. And so, at first, their ports weren't fully compliant with the law and more recently we're hearing that they are by the end of the year going to put a hard stop. And that's going to have potentially an impact on prices. We just don't know where.
But that's why I made the comment. The reality is, again, in our core North American business, most of the product comes in from Taiwan. Taiwan is deemed to be a different country. And so, the Chinese import laws as it relates to recycled materials do not relate to Taiwan.
Gotcha. OK. Thank you. Appreciate it.
Your next question comes from the line of Michael Hoffman with Stifel. Your line is open.
Michael Hoffman -- Stifel Financial Corp. -- Analyst
Thank you very much, Nick, Varun and Joe, for taking the question. Could we look at Page 17 on your deck, and could you help us bridge what is in the 90 basis points of headwind from gross margin? What's making up that 90 basis points so we understand what you're dealing with and can get a hand around?
Yeah. Michael, good morning. It's Varun Laroyia out here. Yeah, listen, going back to the margin decline on a year-over-year basis in our North America business, really it's the vast majority of it is mix driven.
If you think about the base aftermarket business, as I mentioned on the call, and then to one of the questions earlier also, that was pretty much comparable on a prior-year period. But if you think about the strong revenue growth similar to what we had called out even in Q1 in some of our lower-margin product lines, think about batteries, this is coming off the FCA Mopar deal that we announced and essentially got the first full quarter in Q1. While it has contributed to organic revenue, we are nowhere close to getting the margins that we would on our traditional aftermarket crash parts, or for that matter reman engines. Again, great from a revenue-growth perspective, but again significantly lower-margin business.
And then, finally, with the salvage side of it, also specifically on our self-service business, the rising car cost trend as a result of scrap metal prices going up, that obviously doesn't allow us to get the same level of margin for the parts we pick off those vehicles. So, that really is what comprises the kind of 90 basis points kind of down on a year-over-year basis.
OK. But can you give us the actual portions of that? So, how much of this is batteries versus reman engines versus salvage?
Yeah. Michael, we don't typically disclose that entire piece in terms of what the key elements of that would be. But if you think about the key components, roughly call it 50 basis points, 30 basis points, 20 basis points between aftermarket, the salvage, self-service operations. So, that really is what we say.
So, again, I would not call out anything that was de minimis, but again full-service and salvage are a key piece of it. And in the aftermarket, outside of the base business, which has some of the lower-margin product line that also roll up, those are the key pieces.
So, if I may follow on it, when we were in England and the presentations were given, there was a high degree of confidence that the company would return to the starting year margin by year-end. Is that still the case in North America?
Yes. Well, if you think about – when we've kind of broken out our Q1 headwinds specifically on the gross margin piece of it, you'll recall one of the key pieces we had called out were rising commodity prices in our traditional aftermarket crash part piece. And so, I think that really is where the key piece was. The team has been successful in being able to offset those prices.
But with regards to the mix, given what we see from scrap metal prices in the full-service salvage or for that matter what we've seen come through on some of the other product lines, that is something, will just be a mix piece. So, to the time we don't lap the comps on, say, the battery business which will be in Q1 of 2019, we will see that, but in terms of that is a small part of our business, but the big base of our North America wholesale by far is the aftermarket. And that's trending well. OK?
And your next question comes from the line of Stephanie Benjamin with SunTrust. Your line is open.
Stephanie Benjamin -- SunTrust Robinson Humphrey -- Analyst
Hi. Good morning.
Good morning, Stephanie.
Good morning, Stephanie. And again, welcome to the LKQ call and we appreciate you initiating coverage on us.
Absolutely. Thank you. So, just kind of looking back at the European margins during the quarter, obviously, a lot of moving parts. Just looking at the apparent mix between Western Europe and Eastern Europe and just kind of the margin gap there, is there anything near term or long term that can be done to kind of close the gap between those two regions' margin structure?
Stephanie, the difference between Eastern Europe and Western Europe, that's really structural, if you will, almost across the board and we've seen financial statements from a lot of different companies, obviously, all over Europe. The Eastern Bloc just structurally has lower gross margins and lower EBITDA margins. The market there seems to be willing to work for just a lower level of profitability. And to be competitive, our Eastern Bloc countries also have lower margins than in the West.
We think that's going to persist for the foreseeable future. We don't see a huge shift in the market. That said, we still believe we can earn a good return on capital on the Eastern Bloc operations, if you will, because those companies are growing a lot faster. And so from an absolute euro perspective, if you will, we can grow the EBITDA faster in Eastern Europe than Western Europe just because of the top-line growth.
The only one additional piece I'll add to just complement Nick's comments here, are if you go back to our Investor Day and John had laid out the key pillars of the margin enhancement for our European business, there was some of the slightly longer-term initiatives which will actually benefit all of our European segment. So, things such as logistics and warehousing optimization or for that matter shared services, back office, rationalizing the infrastructure side a bit, that certainly is a slightly longer-term piece of it, but that really allows us to make some significant moves into our cost structure. So, as Nick mentioned, the margin is what those markets will bear. But in terms of us being able to further optimize relative to competition given our size, scale and footprint in that region, we believe we will be best-in-class even on segment EBITDA margins relative to competition in that market.
Great. Very helpful. Well, thanks so much.
And your final question comes from the line of Scott Stember with C.L. King & Associates. Your line is open.
Scott Stember -- C.L. King & Associates -- Analyst
Good morning, and thanks for taking my question.
Good morning, Scott.
Can we just maybe just go back to price increases that we have talked about in the aftermarket business in North America? Last quarter you guys had talked about having to be careful with raising prices, just given the fact that you need to stay within a certain pocket below the comparable OEM prices. Can you maybe just talk about what you're experiencing on that front and maybe that just will give us a gauge of how quickly you can get through the price increases that you need altogether? Thanks.
Yeah. Sure, Scott. I mean, the reality is in Q2 and true going forward, it has less to do with actually raising prices and it has more to do to make sure that the level of discounts that we're giving to our customers are actually earned. The reality is not everyone earns the same level of discount.
And clearly, the bigger customers who buy large volumes consistently over a longer period of time get a higher level of discount off a list than the smaller customers, and it's making sure that our sales team is being incredibly rigorous and focused on giving the right level of discount. And that's where we've made some progress here in Q2. We think we're going to make continued progress through the back half of the year. And it gets you to the same spot, right, that if you're really being more disciplined on the level of discounts, if that can increase revenue that helps obviously improve your margins, if you will.
But again, we want to be – we are very careful. It's a tightrope that we need to walk. We don't want to turn off the revenue growth by being too aggressive on the price front, right, because at the end of the day, we want to continue to take market share and we want to continue to broaden the overall base.
Got it. That's all I have. Thanks.
And I'd now like to turn the call back over to CEO, Nick Zarcone, for closing remarks.
I would like to thank everyone for their time and attention here today. I know we ran a little bit long. Sorry about that, but we wanted to answer everybody's questions. Again, we think we had a great quarter, but we're not done, and we're working really hard and we'll continue to focus on improving the margins of all of our businesses around the globe.
And we look forward to sharing our further progress with you at the end of October when we report third-quarter results. And we hope to have another good report for you at that point in time. So, again, thanks for your time and attention and we'll talk to you in about 90 days.
[Operator signoff]
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Q: MySQL: Strange behavior of UPDATE query (ERROR 1062 Duplicate entry) I have a MySQL database the stores news articles with the publications date (just day information), the source, and category. Based on these I want to generate a table that holds the article counts w.r.t. to these 3 parameters.
Since for some combinations of these 3 parameters there might be no article, a simple GROUP BY won't do. I therefore first generate a table news_article_counts with all possible combinations of the 3 parameters, and an default article_count of 0 -- like this:
SELECT * FROM news_article_counts;
+--------------+------------+----------+---------------+
| published_at | source     | category | article_count |
+------------- +------------+----------+---------------+
| 2016-08-05   | 1826089206 |        0 |             0 |
| 2016-08-05   | 1826089206 |        1 |             0 |
| 2016-08-05   | 1826089206 |        2 |             0 |
| 2016-08-05   | 1826089206 |        3 |             0 |
| 2016-08-05   | 1826089206 |        4 |             0 |
| ...          | ...        |      ... |           ... |
+--------------+------------+----------+---------------+

For testing, I now created a temporary table tmp as the GROUP BY result from the original news article table:
SELECT * FROM tmp LIMIT 6;
+--------------+------------+----------+-----+
| published_at | source     | category | cnt |
+--------------+------------+----------+-----+
| 2016-08-05   | 1826089206 |        3 |   1 |
| 2003-09-19   | 1826089206 |        4 |   1 |
| 2005-08-08   | 1826089206 |        3 |   1 |
| 2008-07-22   | 1826089206 |        4 |   1 |
| 2008-11-26   | 1826089206 |        8 |   1 |
| ...          | ...        |      ... | ... |
+--------------+------------+----------+-----+

Given these two tables, the following query works as expected:
SELECT * FROM news_article_counts c, tmp t
WHERE c.published_at = t.published_at AND c.source = t.source AND c.category = t.category;

But now I need to update the article_count of table news_article_counts with the values in table tmp where the 3 parameters match up. For this I'm using the following query (I've tried different ways but with the same results):
UPDATE
  news_article_counts c
INNER JOIN
  tmp t
ON
  c.published_at = t.published_at AND
  c.source = t.source AND
  c.category = t.category
SET
  c.article_count = t.cnt;

Executing this query yields this error:
ERROR 1062 (23000): Duplicate entry '2018-04-07 14:46:17-1826089206-1' for key 'uniqueIndex'

uniqueIndex is a joint index over published_at, source, category of table news_article_counts. But this shouldn't be a problem since I do not -- as far as I can tell -- update any of those 3 values, only article_count.
What confuses me most is that in the error it mentions the timestamp I executed the query (here: 2018-04-07 14:46:17). I have no absolutely idea where this comes into play. In fact, some rows in news_article_counts now have 2018-04-07 14:46:17 as value for published_at. While this explains the error, I cannot see why published_at gets overwritten with the current timestamp. There is no ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP on this column; see:
CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `test`.`news_article_counts` (
  `published_at` TIMESTAMP NOT NULL,
  `source` INT UNSIGNED NOT NULL,
  `category` INT UNSIGNED NOT NULL,
  `article_count` INT UNSIGNED NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
  UNIQUE INDEX `uniqueIndex` (`published_at` ASC, `source` ASC, `category`  ASC))
ENGINE = MyISAM
DEFAULT CHARACTER SET = utf8mb4;

What am I missing here?
UPDATE 1: I actually checked the table definition of news_article_counts in the database. And there's indeed the following:
mysql> SHOW COLUMNS FROM news_article_counts;
+---------------+------------------+------+-----+-------------------+-----------------------------+
| Field         | Type             | Null | Key | Default           | Extra                       |
+---------------+------------------+------+-----+-------------------+-----------------------------+
| published_at  | timestamp        | NO   |     | CURRENT_TIMESTAMP | on update CURRENT_TIMESTAMP |
| source        | int(10) unsigned | NO   |     | NULL              |                             |
| category      | int(10) unsigned | NO   |     | NULL              |                             |
| article_count | int(10) unsigned | NO   |     | 0                 |                             |
+---------------+------------------+------+-----+-------------------+-----------------------------+

But why is on update CURRENT_TIMESTAMP set. I double and triple-checked my CREATE TABLE statement. I removed the joint index, I added an artificial primary key (auto_increment). Nothing help. I've even tried to explicitly remove these attributes from published_at with:
ALTER TABLE `news_article_counts` CHANGE `published_at` `published_at` TIMESTAMP NOT NULL;

Nothing seems to work for me.

A: It looks like you have the explicit_defaults_for_timestamp system variable disabled. One of the effects of this is:

The first TIMESTAMP column in a table, if not explicitly declared with the NULL attribute or an explicit DEFAULT or ON UPDATE attribute, is automatically declared with the DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP and ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP attributes.

You could try enabling this system variable, but that could potentially impact other applications. I think it only takes effect when you're actually creating a table, so it shouldn't affect any existing tables.
If you don't to make a system-level change like this, you could add an explicit DEFAULT attribute to the published_at column of this table, then it won't automatically add ON UPDATE.

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text:
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Your Royal Highness
Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester
British Royal Line of Succession: 27
High Royal Highness Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester is Queen Elizabeth's first cousin. He was born Richard Alexander Walter George on August 26, 1944. He's the second son of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester. At birth, he was 5th in line to the British throne.
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Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster (Oct 24, 1974)
Lady Davina Lewis (Nov 19, 1977)
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Alexander, George, Richard, Walter
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His Royal Highness Prince William
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Prince Henry of Wales
Archie Mountbatten-Windsor
His Royal Highness Prince Andrew
Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice of York
Her Royal Highness, Princess Eugenie of York
His Royal Highness, Prince Edward, The Earl of Wessex
James, Viscount Severn
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Ethiopian Royal Family
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Princess Sophie of Romania
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Lady Rose Gilman
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Archduke Dominic of Austria
ROYAL LINE OF SUCCESSION is Copyright © 2020

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text:
Department Of Mathematics, IISc
Tagged: department, mathematics
What's the specific order of occasions for the end of all issues? Computing energy is used extensively in fashionable mathematics. Mathematical language may be obscure for freshmen. An honours diploma usually takes 4 years, full time, you research levels 1-4, as described below. This module is obligatory for all Level 1 students on Mathematics (together with Mathematics combined) degrees.
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HIS BEATITUDE PATRIARCH THEOPHILOS III ADDRESS TO HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCE GHAZI – JORDAN FEBRUARY 2015.
HIS BEATITUDE PATRIARCH THEOPHILOS III...
CategoriesSpeeches
High Level Meeting at the Dead Sea, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
8-9 February, 2015
The hand of evil has stretched to Jordan and its neighbors this week, spreading violence and ignorance to a region striving to counter extremism with moderation and coexistence. The people of the Middle East, not in spite of, but because of their shared Abrahamic values, are unified in celebrating the sanctity of life. Our common religious foundations are built on the right of our Creator alone to bring about life. We strongly condemn such ugly, inhumane acts as they betray the keystone of our shared faiths: love. It is categorically incorrect to claim violence and killing as part of a God-inspired campaign. Carrying out such horrors in the name of religion is a crime against the Creator as well as against all humankind.
In Ephesians 6:11, Paul directs his audience to prepare for a battle, to "Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." Paul's words echo through the centuries to meet us at a time when we are threatened by a force of evil far removed from the goodness of God's creation. Paul would advise us to take the same stand today, against terrorist groups whose ambitions to rule through death and destruction are none other than evil incarnate. These fighters, masquerading as Muslims, seek not to exalt the name of the Creator but to corrupt a religion of balance and peace. We know this from the scriptures of our Muslim brethren and from the leadership of King Abdullah II himself, who described this group as criminal and misguided; a band of brutal men who have nothing to do with the great faith of Islam. We join in denouncing the violence and oppression manifested by terrorists who have hijacked Islam to their own gain. We stand here today to proclaim that these acts of hatred are carried out neither in the name of the Creator, nor in the name of religion.
The language of the verse from the Epistle to the Ephesians provides a martial image of troops preparing for battle. The troops of Paul's vision were legions of those striving to live faithfully, united in their commitment to dismantle corruption of God's creation. What, then, is this 'armor of God,' which Paul invites us to wear? The armor is none other than God's commandment to us to seek justice, and love and kindness, and walk humbly with our Lord. Our counter-terrorism mission should be informed by our God-given directions to spread neither hatred nor violence, but to counter evil with a resolute gospel of moderation and harmony.
We do not stand here today to defend religion. The spermatic Divine Logos, i.e. the truths of our faith, can be found in the holy texts of all Abrahamic religions. Instead, we are here to refuse the claim that any terrorism can be led by God and that the Creator calls us to violence. We dress ourselves in the armor of peace and inclusiveness against the forces of evil at work in the world today, with the same assurance that the love of the Creator will guide us through these times of turmoil.
We suggest some practical steps to target and educate today's young generation of men and women so that we fight radicalization, which is fueling these things that are alien to our region and have nothing to do with the Islamic faith.
We have to especially target the social and media outlets, which have the power to perpetuate or magnify messages.
We would like to end by expressing our utmost thanks to His Majesty the King for this generous and cordial hosting, and not in the least His Royal Highness Prince Ghazi for his dedicated and continuous efforts in promoting interfaith harmony and building the much-needed bridges of communication.


text:
Minnesota, USA: 55.405 locations
Average temperature in June
Average rainfall in June
Small patches of islands with dense tree cover in the scenic Bear Head State Park in Ely, Minnesota, with the vast landscape seen
Junio, the first month of the summer, in Ely, is a pleasant month, with average temperature fluctuating between 51.1°F (10.6°C) and 73°F (22.8°C).
In Junio, the average high-temperature slightly increases, from a comfortable 64.9°F (18.3°C) in Mayo, to a pleasant 73°F (22.8°C). The average low-temperature, in Junio, is 51.1°F (10.6°C).
The month with the most rainfall is Junio when 4.19" (106.4mm) of precipitation is typically aggregated.
With an average of 16h of daylight, Junio has the longest days of the year.
What is the temperature in Junio in Ely?
The average high-temperature, in Junio, in Ely, Minnesota, is 73°F (22.8°C), while the average low-temperature is 51.1°F (10.6°C).
How much does it rain in Ely in Junio?
Throughout Junio, 4.19" (106.4mm) of precipitation is accumulated.
What is the wettest month in Ely?
Junio is the month with the most rainfall in Ely, Minnesota, with 4.19" (106.4mm) of accumulated precipitation.
When are the longest days in Ely?
The month with the longest days in Ely, Minnesota, is Junio, with an average of 16h of daylight.
How many hours of daylight does Ely have in Junio?
In Junio, the average length of the day in Ely is 16h.
Average high temperature in June: 73°F
Average low temperature in June: 51°F
The coldest month (with the lowest average low temperature) is January (-9°F).
Average rainfall in June: 4.2"
The wettest month (with the highest rainfall) is June (4.2").
The driest month (with the lowest rainfall) is February (0.8").
Average daylight in June: 16h
Weather Atlas: Ely, MN - June weather forecast and climate information. Ely, Minnesota, USA - June weather averages including high and low temperatures, humidity, rainfall, snowfall, daylight, sunshine, UV index, and sea temperature. [2362551]


text:
Dow Chemical: Innovating for Sustainability
by Robert G. Eccles, George Serafeim, Shelley Xin Li,
Dow Chemical: Innovating for Sustainability ^ 112064
Robert G. Eccles
George Serafeim
Shelley Xin Li
Strategic planning,Innovation,Globalization
Source: Harvard Business School
Dow Chemical is one of the few major American industrial corporations that was founded in the late 19th century that is still in existence. From its origins producing bromine out of the brine underneath Midland, Michigan, the company has evolved from a diversified commodity chemical company to an advanced materials company whose products and services can make its clients more sustainable. During the 1960s and 1970s the company received a series of external shocks in the form of negative public opinion for some of its activities. These challenged the company's perception as being a "good company" and made it realize it needed to more proactively seek outside perspectives on how the company was viewed and what it should do. This led to the formation of the Corporate Environmental Advisory Council in 1992 which was renamed the Sustainability External Advisory Council (SEAC) in 2008. With substantial input from the SEAC, the company set two ambitious sets of ten-year goals: 1996-2005 and 2006-2015 and was largely successful in meeting them or on the way to doing so. In 2011, Neil Hawkins, Vice President of Sustainability and EH&S (Environmental, Health and safety) is trying to decide what the content and format of the next ten-year goals should be to ensure the company's viability on its 200th birthday. Should they be incremental goals like the ones for 2005 or ambitious stretch targets like the ones for 2015? Or should they be broad statements of principles that encourage innovating for sustainability throughout the company? A further challenge facing the company that it was rapidly globalizing with a large portion of its workforce outside its Midland, Michigan headquarters, making it even more difficult to preserve a common culture and commitment to sustainability.
Related Topics: Strategic planning, Innovation, Globalization,
Internal Entrepreneurship at the Dow Chemical Co.
By Bala Chakravarthy, Hans Huber,
International Lobbying and The Dow Chemical Company (A)
By Arthur A. Daemmrich,
Dow Chemical Co.: Big Data in Manufacturing
By Mustapha Cheikh-Ammar, Nicole R.D. Haggerty, Darren Meister, R. Chandrasekhar,
Sustainability and Post-Merger Integration: The Dow Chemical Company's 2009 Acquisition of Rohm & Haas
By Andrew Hoffman,


Walk in closets designs & ideas by california closets, interesting walk in closet design inspiration taking. Bedroom closet dimensions handballtunisieorg. Luxury walk in closets designs home design ideas.
Walk in closet and bathroom ideas 15 ways to make your, master bedroom designs with walk in closets master closet. Contemporary master bathroom designs, master bedroom walk. 14 walk in closet designs for luxury homes.


This experience has been Sold out weekly for 2.5 years - 3 AND A HALF PLEASE straight: don't miss out on top-notch food, killer drinks, silly DINNER PARTY games and did we mention there's a DJ?! Just knock on the Little Blue Door and lets boogie the night away.
Well, quite simply it's what we do best! The weekend beckons, and the Flatmates can't wait to celebrate with a few cocktails, some great food, and even more fun and games! We can all agree that the best parties are dinner parties and house parties- so what could be better than doing both on the same night?!
Our dinner parties are a great way to meet people - come with 3 friends and leave with 10 we always say!
After the dinner party finishes at 9:30pm, head over to our living room where our resident DJ will be spinning house party classics to get you dancing on the tables and boogying your way into the weekend.


text:
var http = require('http'),
    https = require('https'),
    EventEmitter = require('events').EventEmitter,
    inherits = require('util').inherits,
    extend = require('util')._extend,
    fs = require('fs'),
    path = require('path'),
    express = require('express'),
    favicon = require('serve-favicon'),
    WebSocketServer = require('ws').Server,
    Session = require('./session'),
    buildUrl = require('../index.js').buildInspectorUrl,
    OVERRIDES = path.join(__dirname, '../front-end-node'),
    WEBROOT = path.join(__dirname, '../front-end');

function debugAction(req, res) {
  res.sendfile(path.join(WEBROOT, 'inspector.html'));
}

function handleWebSocketConnection(socket) {
  var debugPort = this._getDebuggerPort(socket.upgradeReq.url);
  this._createSession(debugPort).join(socket);
}

function handleServerListening() {
  this.emit('listening');
}

function handleServerError(err) {
  if (err._handledByInspector) return;
  err._handledByInspector = true;
  this.emit('error', err);
}

function DebugServer() {}

inherits(DebugServer, EventEmitter);

DebugServer.prototype.start = function(options) {
  this._config = extend({}, options);
  this._isHTTPS = this._config.sslKey && this._config.sslCert ? true : false;

  var app = express();
  var httpServer;

  if (this._isHTTPS) {
    httpServer = https.createServer({
      key: fs.readFileSync(this._config.sslKey, {encoding: 'utf8'}),
      cert: fs.readFileSync(this._config.sslCert, {encoding: 'utf8'})
    }, app);
  } else {
    httpServer = http.createServer(app);
  }

  this._httpServer = httpServer;

  app.use(favicon(path.join(__dirname, '../front-end-node/Images/favicon.png')));
  app.get('/debug', debugAction.bind(this));
  app.use('/node', express.static(OVERRIDES));
  app.use(express.static(WEBROOT));

  this.wsServer = new WebSocketServer({
    server: httpServer
  });
  this.wsServer.on('connection', handleWebSocketConnection.bind(this));
  this.wsServer.on('error', handleServerError.bind(this));

  httpServer.on('listening', handleServerListening.bind(this));
  httpServer.on('error', handleServerError.bind(this));
  httpServer.listen(this._config.webPort, this._config.webHost);
};

DebugServer.prototype._getDebuggerPort = function(url) {
  return parseInt((/\?port=(\d+)/.exec(url) || [null, this._config.debugPort])[1], 10);
};

DebugServer.prototype._createSession = function(debugPort) {
  return Session.create(debugPort, this._config);
};

DebugServer.prototype.close = function() {
  if (this.wsServer) {
    this.wsServer.close();
    this.emit('close');
  }
};

DebugServer.prototype.address = function() {
  var address = this._httpServer.address();
  var config = this._config;
  address.url = buildUrl(config.webHost, address.port, config.debugPort, null, this._isHTTPS);
  return address;
};

exports.DebugServer = DebugServer;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Vimeo videos not showing up in ShadowBox I'm at a loss for why my Vimeo videos aren't showing up in a Shadowbox.
I think I have gotten to the simplest point I know how to do, which is to copy and paste the example straight from the github page and then change the shadowbox paths to the correct places on my server (for the .js and .css files).
When I click on the link to the video, I expect the video to display in a shadowbox.
Instead, the page just goes dark (so I know shadowbox is TRYING to do something), but no video, or box appears on the screen.
I added a simple image link to the example page just to test that a simple image will work. It does.
My example code is from: https://github.com/mjijackson/shadowbox/blob/master/examples/vimeo.html
The code is supposed to work like the Vimeo link towards the bottom here:
http://www.shadowbox-js.com/index.html
My actual working page can be found at:
http://zanezmiller.com/hidden/video-test.html
Here is the complete code to the sample page I am attempting to get to work:
(Thanks in advance for any help)

<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/shadowbox/style.css">
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/shadowbox/shadowbox.css">

This example demonstrates how to display a Vimeo video in Shadowbox.

Click Here

This file is part of Shadowbox.js.

This shows images work

A: Glad it worked, I'll re-word the comment so random visitors would find it helpful as well. :)
Make sure that you build the shadowbox library with the appropriate options otherwise the specific shadowbox mode you want to use works. See: http://shadowbox-js.com/download.html


text:
Ways to Fix "exe/bad_challenge" Error — Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Post author By Vansh Gulati
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 might be an incredibly enjoyable experience for many but thousands of players are facing an issue which leads to them not being able to play the game properly.
The new Modern Warfare 2 exe/bad_challenge error sends players back to the menu after loading for a few minutes, barring them from playing the multiplayer. Console players are suffering the most due to this error, especially players on last generation consoles.
There is currently no official way to fix the error. The only way to bypass this error is to join a lobby, and then create a class menu as if you're editing your classes. Do not sit on the lobby screen where you can look at all the players. You can also try the following potential fixes:
Task Force 141 — Modern Warfare 2 | Source: Call of Duty
Re-installing Modern Warfare 2
Restart your console
Constantly check for updates
About Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
You can uninstall and re-install Modern Warfare 2 to check if the error gets fixed or not. Completely uninstall the Modern Warfare 2 on your console or PC from Steam and re-install it. There are high chances that the error will be fixed via re-installing the game.
You may even try to change the DNS server for your console to check whether the issue gets resolved or not.
Captain Price & Sergeant Garrick — Modern Warfare 2 | Source: Call of Duty
If you are on PlayStation, Xbox or PC, you may try and restart your console to see if it's fixed or not. Even if it is a server problem, it's definitely worth a try. Turn off the console, unplug it and wait for two minutes before switching the console on again.
Sometimes turning the console on and off can fix a lot of problems present within the game.
Keep an eye out for updates related to Modern Warfare 2 and their blogs. Updates are an integral part of multiplayer games which is why plagers should constantly keep an eye out for updates related to the game.
An official update from Infinity Ward is exactly what players need right now. Hence, it's always advised to check for updates constantly.
General Shepherd, Ghost & Captain Price in Modern Warfare 2 | Source: Call of Duty
It is a shame that so many players are facing this issue and no official update has been deployed as of now to solve the error. However, the above method seems to be working for a lot of people so it's worth a try.
While you wait for an official update on the fix from developers Infinity Ward, keep an eye out on the Modern Warfare 2 Trello Board which will provide you with the latest updates, bug fixes, and recent patches for Modern Warfare 2.
Ways to Fix "Showcase Not Working, Stuck on Fender" Error — Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is a first-person shooter game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision. It is a direct sequel to the 2019 reboot and will serve as the nineteenth installment in the CoD series. It was released on October 28, 2022, for PS 4, PS 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Categories Categories: Blogs, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
Tags Activision, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, exe/bad_challenge Error
Vansh Gulati
Gaming has always been my nirvana! To relax and get my thoughts to zen mode - just like how it should be! My favorite- Assassin's Creed franchise, hands down!
Ps...bless the makers of San Andreas for letting me swim after Vice City. ;)
More from Vansh→
How Progress Moves to the Full Game & More – CoD Modern Warfare II Beta
What is the Detrick Guernsey error? – CoD MW II Beta Failed Connection
Campaign Length, Mission List & Pre-Order Bonuses – Modern Warfare 2
Steps to Fix Modern Warfare 2 Beta Connection Failed Puget-Altus Error
Best Controller Settings for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Who is Simon "Ghost" Riley? Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
How to Unlock & Use – Weapon Tuning Explained – CoD Modern Warfare II


A big thank you to Jim Charlier and Leslie Bethel for a fantastic webinar on March 22nd! Jim and Leslie led a lively discussion on how parking management can be used to shape and support a vibrant downtown with thriving businesses. If you missed the webinar, be sure to click the link below to watch a recording and access the presentation slides.
Even with extra time budgeted in for a long Q&A session, there were a handful of questions that we didn't have time for during the webinar. Fortunately, Jim and Leslie have offered to answer these questions for us in writing. Both questions and responses have been edited for clarity and length.
Be sure to sign up for parts three in this series, and check out parts one and two in our archives if you missed them.
James F. Charlier, AICP, Charlier Associates, Inc.
Q: Do you consider demand a major factor in determining whether on-street or off-street parking?
Q: Several questions deal with the issue of generating buy-in from community members and local leaders. How do you convince city administrations in an auto-centric regions to rethink their parking strategies? How do you deal with citizens that simply don't believe the results of a parking study?
A: I don't think parking strategy varies that much from auto centric to non-auto centric places. The viability of TDM (transportation demand management) measures has to do with how much transit service is available, how walkable the place is, etc. The amount of demand is observable. Everybody understands how expensive it is to build new parking supply. Nobody wants their downtown's retail viability to be limited by how much sheet metal they can park within the downtown. It's just economics.
Q: Does taking away off-street parking affect ADA compliance?
Q: What are your opinions about parking permits for residents combined with 2-hour parking limits for customers?
Q: Is the "6th street looking east" slide a road diet plan, going from 4 lanes to 2, or similar?
Q: How effective are the free shuttles in places like Vail at reducing parking demand, keeping visitors/shoppers happy and driving business?
Q: What was the ADT on the highway in Glenwood Springs before the bypass? And the ADT on 7th Street after?
Q: What was the cost of the new parking garage and how many spaces does it have?


text:
Midway (12A)
Director: Roland Emmerich Starring: Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Woody Harrelson, Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas, Brennan Brown, Jun Kunimura, Etsushi Toyokawa, Geoffrey Blake and Peter Shinkoda ⭐⭐⭐ Roland Emmerich, World War II and the true account of one single day that turned the war in the Pacific. Combining these three things…
Read more Midway (12A)
The Aeronauts (PG)
Director: Tom Harper Starring: Felicity Jones, Eddie Redmayne, Himesh Patel, Phoebe Fox, Anne Reid, Tim McInnerny, Vincent Perez, Robert Glenister and Tom Courtenay ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Inspired by real events, director Tom Harper brings a big balloon to the big screen and combines fact with fiction to dizzying effect in The Aeronauts, a perilous survival adventure set…
Read more The Aeronauts (PG)
Doctor Sleep (15)
Director: Mike Flanagan Starring: Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyleigh Curran, Zahn McClarnon, Emily Alyn Lind, Bruce Greenwood, Carl Lumbly, Alex Essoe, Zackary Momoh, Jacob Tremblay and Cliff Curtis ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Almost 40 years have passed since the Torrance family's somewhat eventful stay in the Overlook Hotel, a place hiding dark secrets that eventually drove Danny's (McGregor)…
Read more Doctor Sleep (15)
Black and Blue (15)
Director: Deon Taylor Starring: Naomie Harris, Tyrese Gibson, Frank Grillo, Mike Colter, Reid Scott, Nafessa Williams, Deneen Tyler and James Moses Black ⭐⭐⭐ Set in a predominantly African-American suburb of New Orleans, gangs control the neighbourhoods and the police won't respond to 911 calls unless one of their own, a blue, is in trouble. Army veteran,…
Read more Black and Blue (15)
The Addams Family (PG)
Directors: Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon Starring: Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron, Chloë Grace Moretz, Finn Wolfhard, Nick Kroll, Snoop Dogg, Bette Midler and Allison Janney ⭐⭐⭐ The Addams Family are just over 80 years old and with a colourful array of characters, and their quirky love of the macabre, are well and truly established as…
Read more The Addams Family (PG)
Knives Out (12A)
Director: Rian Johnson Starring: Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, Chris Evans, Toni Collette, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, LaKeith Stanfield, Don Johnson, Noah Segan and Christopher Plummer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ It's the 85th birthday of hugely successful thriller author, Harlan Thromby (Plummer). Celebrating in his huge gothic mansion all sorts of colourful characters are in attendance, most…
Read more Knives Out (12A)
Le Mans '66 (12A)
Director: James Mangold Starring: Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Caitriona Balfe, Jon Bernthal, Josh Lucas, Ray McKinnon, Noah Jupe and Tracy Letts ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ With Ford Motor Company's sales in decline, Henry Ford II (Letts) is determined to appeal to America's younger generation by making his cars more dynamic and aesthetically pleasing. At the same time, Ford are…
Read more Le Mans '66 (12A)
Gemini Man (12A)
Director: Ang Lee Starring: Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen, Benedict Wong, Douglas Hodge, Linda Emond, Ilia Volok and Ralph Brown ⭐⭐ Will Smith is Henry Brogan, an assassin with a very particular set of skills. After a job very nearly results in an innocent child being killed, he re-evaluates his life and decides…
Read more Gemini Man (12A)
Judy (12A)
Director: Rupert Goold Starring: Renée Zellweger, Jessie Buckley, Finn Wittrock, Rufus Sewell, Gemma-Leah Devereux, Bella Ramsey, Andy Nyman, Daniel Cerqueira, Royce Pierreson, Darci Shaw and Michael Gambon ⭐⭐⭐⭐ By the late 1960s, Hollywood had virtually shunned former starlet, Judy Garland (Zellweger). Having earned a reputation as being unreliable and unpredictable, her debts were spiralling out…
Read more Judy (12A)
Joker (15)
Director: Todd Phillips Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Brian Tyree Henry, Bill Camp and Marc Maron ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Director Todd Philips, probably best known as the man in charge of The Hangover trilogy, brings a prequel, or origins story, all about Batman's greatest nemesis, Joker. A stand-alone film away…
Read more Joker (15)


Swallowing is a brief but intricate process. When this process is interrupted, as in patients with neurologic disorders, problems such as aspiration and risk of malnutrition can occur. The authors of this article discuss an individualized approach to evaluation and management of neurogenic oropharyngeal dysphagia. Three cases illustrate the diversity of causes, signs and symptoms, and clinical course.


If you have been tapping out emails on your PC, you may have noticed that Gmail tries to predict what you are trying to say and help you complete your sentence. Yes, like that annoying friend we all have. The Smart Compose feature has been a part of the Pixel 3 since the time it was launched, but other smartphones had to wait. It seems that Google has finally rolled out the feature to more devices, with my POCOPHONE F1 now offering the capability as well.
Aside from my POCOPHONE F1, SuperDaddy's Samsung Galaxy Note9 has also received the update. It appears that most if not all Android devices would feature the new predictive writing suggestions. Going by Google's help page on Smart Compose, there was no mention of iOS devices, so Apple users are out of luck. If you haven't seen any suggestions on your Android device, here's how to check if it is available.
Smart Compose can even be toggled per email account, as in if you do not want predictive writing suggestions in one account but you do in another, you can. It probably might be something to placate those concerned about privacy, as having predictive writing suggestions should mean that Google is reading your emails to find out what and how you usually write.
This comes in addition to Smart Reply, which gives you complete suggested replies to your emails. It works pretty well especially when you just want to acknowledge your boss' email with a curt "Thanks." because ain't nobody got time to type that out. Now with predictive writing suggestions, Gmail will try to understand your usual messaging style and provide suggestions which you can accept with just a swipe.
Do let us know if you have been enjoying the feature, or if you haven't received the update to enable Smart Compose!
Pokdepinion: I thought the new interface was cool enough. Now this is even more amazing!