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Category: Stocks to buy on margin
Mustang Bio soars on its gene therapy data
NEJM reports 'medical breakthrough' in Mustang Bio cell and gene therapy
Mustang Bio (MBIO) announced that the New England Journal of Medicine has published data from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the nation's "leading hospital" for understanding, treating and curing childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
Mustang Bio soars on its gene therapy data, Stockwinners
The data comes from a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of a lentiviral gene therapy for the treatment of newly diagnosed infants under two years old with XSCID, also referred to as SCID-X1 and commonly known as "bubble boy disease."
Under a licensing agreement with St. Jude, Mustang will develop the lentiviral gene therapy for commercial use as MB-107.
The multi-center Phase 1/2 clinical trial is evaluating the safety and efficacy of a lentiviral vector to transfer a normal copy of the IL2RG gene to bone marrow stem cells in newly diagnosed infants under the age of two with XSCID, preceded by low exposure-targeted busulfan conditioning.
A total of 10 infants have received the therapy to date in this clinical trial. Among the data highlights, bone marrow harvest, busulfan conditioning and cell infusion were well tolerated.
In seven of the eight cases, normalization of naive T-cell and natural killer cell numbers occurred within three to four months after treatment, accompanied by vector marking in T, B, NK and myeloid cells and marrow progenitors.
All patients cleared previous infections and are growing normally. Seven of the eight infants treated have developed normal IgM levels to date.
Most patients were discharged from the hospital within one month.
Data Highlights:
Bone marrow harvest, busulfan conditioning and cell infusion were well tolerated.
In seven of the eight cases, normalization of CD3+, CD4+ and CD4+ naïve T-cell and natural killer ("NK") cell numbers occurred within three to four months after treatment, accompanied by vector marking in T, B, NK and myeloid cells and marrow progenitors.
The eighth infant had insufficient T cells initially, but normalization of T cells occurred following an unconditioned boost of gene-corrected cells, and the patient is progressing favorably.
All patients cleared previous infections and are growing normally.
Seven of the eight infants treated have developed normal IgM levels to date.
Four of these seven infants have discontinued monthly infusions of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy to date.
Three of those four infants that discontinued monthly IVIG infusions have responded to vaccines to date.
MBIO closed at $2.66, it last traded at $8.91.
Sarepta gene therapy showed functional improvements
Sarepta gene therapy showed functional improvements across all measures
Sarepta Therapeutics (SRPT) announced at the 23rd International Congress of the World Muscle Society in Mendoza, Argentina, Jerry Mendell, M.D., of Nationwide Children's Hospital presented updated results from its gene therapy clinical trial assessing AAVrh74.MHCK7.micro-Dystrophin in individuals with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Dr. Mendell presented the following updated data on the four patients enrolled in the study: All patients showed robust expression of transduced micro-dystrophin, which is properly localized to the muscle sarcolemma, as measured by immunohistochemistry.
Mean gene expression for the study, as measured by percentage of micro-dystrophin positive fibers was 81.2% and the mean intensity of the fibers was 96.0% compared to normal control.
All post-treatment biopsies showed robust levels of micro-dystrophin as measured by Western blot, with a mean of 74.3% compared to normal utilizing Sarepta's method, or 95.8% compared to normal pursuant to Nationwide Children's quantification of Sarepta's method that adjusts for fat and fibrotic tissue.
Gene expression for the fourth patient was robust, as follows: As measured by immunohistochemistry, micro-dystrophin positive fibers was 96.2% and the mean intensity of the fibers was 160.0% compared to normal control. As measured by Western blot, patient 4 showed robust levels of micro-dystrophin, with a mean of 182.7% compared to normal utilizing Sarepta's method, or 222% compared to normal pursuant to Nationwide Children's quantification of Sarepta's method that adjusts for fat and fibrotic tissue.
In all patients, expression of micro-dystrophin was associated with significant expression and up-regulation of the dystrophin-associated protein complex, an additional indication of functionality of dystrophin.
All patients showed significant decreases of serum creatine kinase levels at last measure, with a mean reduction of CK of over 78% from baseline.
Doug Ingram, Sarepta's president and CEO, said, "The encouraging results that we previously saw and reinforced in the fourth patient strengthen our resolve to rapidly move to a confirming trial and, assuming successful, to bring this therapy to the Duchenne community around the world with a sense of urgency."
SRPT closed at $147.38; it last traded at $152.50.
GE fires CEO, Shares rise
GE shares jump after CEO Flannery ousted amid Power unit challenges
Shares of GE (GE) are rising in pre-market trading after the shrinking conglomerate announced that H. Lawrence Culp, Jr. has been named Chairman and CEO, replacing John Flannery, effective immediately.
POWER WRITE-OFF
The company stated that while its businesses other than Power are "generally performing consistently with previous guidance," the company will fall short of previously indicated guidance for free cash flow and EPS for 2018 due to weaker performance in the GE Power business.
GE expects to take a non-cash goodwill impairment charge related to the GE Power business that will likely be as much as the approximately $23B current goodwill balance for the business, GE added.
GE previously forecast FY18 EPS at the low end of its $1.00-$1.07 range. The current EPS consensus is 95c.
RECENT ANALYST CONCERNS
In a recent note to investors, RBC Capital analyst Deane Dray lowered his price target on GE shares to $13 from $15, stating that the company had yet to reach a point where bad news does not make the stock decline and arguing that the bottom had not yet been reached.
Last month, JPMorgan analyst Stephen Tusa lowered his price target for General Electric to $10 from $11 and kept an Underweight rating on the shares.
The analyst's channel checks, which were confirmed by GE Power's CEO, GE investor relations, suggested GE had experienced a failure in a first stage blade on an H-frame in one of its two initial marquee installations in the U.S., Colorado Bend. Further, Tusa said the problem was material enough for Exelon (EXC) to have shut the plant down, along with the "award winning" Wolf Hollow plant for precautionary measures.
There should no longer be any doubt that GE Power has company-specific issues, Tusa contended at the time, stating that his new price target assumed weaker results at GE Power and some franchise value impact.
In Monday's pre-market trading, GE shares are up $1.53, or 13.5%, to $12.82.
Yum China receives takeover offer
Yum China rises after reportedly spurning $46 per share takeover bid
Yum China receives takeover offer, Stockwinners
Shares of Yum China (YUMC) are on the rise following a media report saying the company has rejected a buyout offer of $46 per share made by a consortium led by Hillhouse Capital.
Earlier this month, Bloomberg had reported that China's sovereign wealth fund, China Investment Corp., was part of the consortium bidding to take Yum China private.
BUYOUT OFFER REPORTEDLY REJECTED
Yum China has rejected a private buyout offer from a consortium of investors that valued the company at over $17B, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing a person familiar with the matter.
An investor group led by Hillhouse Capital Group in recent months offered to take the restaurant operator private at $46 per share, but the all-cash offer was turned down by the company's board in recent weeks, source told the publication.
Last month, The Information had reported that Hillhouse Capital was in talks to acquire Yum China. The company operates over 8,000 KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants across mainland China.
A takeover led by Hillhouse would assist the company in accelerating its efforts to implement high-tech initiatives in its brick-and-mortar stores in order to attract Chinese millennials, the report pointed out.
CHINA INVESTMENT PART OF CONSORTIUM
Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that China's sovereign wealth fund, China Investment Corp., was part of the consortium bidding to take Yum China private.
The sovereign fund and DCP Capital, an investment fund run by former KKR (KKR) executives, are considering a buyout of Yum China, which runs KFC and Pizza Hut outlets, along with Hillhouse Capital, the publication added. Yum China spun off from Yum! Brands (YUM) in 2016.
In tuesday's trading, shares of Yum China trading in New York are off their earlier highs, but are trading up 3.8% to $37.14.
BofI to acquire $3B of deposits from Nationwide Bank
BofI in pact to acquire $3B of deposits from Nationwide Bank, sees accretion
BofI to acquire $3B of deposits from Nationwide Bank, Stockwinners
BofI Holding (BOFI), parent of BofI Federal Bank, announced that the Bank has signed a deposit purchase and assumption agreement with Nationwide Bank to acquire approximately $3B in deposits from Nationwide Bank, including $1B in checking, savings and money market accounts and $2B in time deposit accounts.
BofI and Nationwide Bank expect to receive regulatory approval and complete the deposit acquisition and transfer during the fourth quarter of 2018.
"We are excited to welcome Nationwide Bank's nearly 100,000 deposit customers to BofI," began Gregory Garrabrants, President and Chief Executive Officer of BofI Holding, Inc.
"Our track record of successfully completing similar transactions with Principal Bank and H&R Block provide us with a high degree of confidence that we will have a seamless transition.
We look forward to offering Nationwide Bank customers our full suite of consumer, commercial and small business banking products and services once the transaction closes."
A deposit premium commensurate with the fair market value of the deposits purchased will be funded from excess capital at the Bank. The Company expects the transaction to be immediately accretive to earnings and tangible book value.
BOFI closed at $39.64.
Dropbox drops as Facebook mulls switch to Google
Dropbox drops as Facebook mulls switch to Google for cloud storage
Dropbox drops as Facebook mulls switch to Google, Stockwinners
Shares of Dropbox (DBX) fell in morning trading following a report that said Facebook (FB) is considering moving its cloud storage away from the file hosting service.
FACEBOOK CONSIDERING SWITCH
Facebook is considering switching to Google (GOOG, GOOGL) for email and productivity applications, The Information reported earlier, citing two people with knowledge of the discussions.
The move would be a setback for Microsoft (MSFT), whose applications Facebook currently uses. Facebook, which has about 27,000 employees, stopped using Google apps inside the company several years ago. Additionally, Facebook is also considering moving its cloud storage to Google from Dropbox, according to The Information.
Last month, Dropbox announced a new chapter in the evolution of Magic Pocket, its custom-built storage infrastructure, saying it is deploying Shingled Magnetic Recording, or SMR, drive technology to increase overall storage density, reduce the company's physical data center footprint and provide significant cost savings without sacrificing performance or reliability.
Dropbox said at the time that it expects to have a quarter of its Magic Pocket infrastructure on SMR drive capacity by 2019. In its debut earnings report, Dropbox reported revenue of $316.3M, up 28% from the year-ago period.
Shares of Dropbox are down about 4% to $31.03 in morning trading following the report.
Bristol-Myers treatment for colorectal cancer approved
Bristol-Myers' Opdivo approved for MSI-H/dMMR metastatic colorectal cancer
Bristol-Myers treatment for colorectal cancer approved, Stockwinners
Bristol-Myers (BMY) announced Opdivo – nivolumab – 3 mg/kg plus low-dose Yervoy – ipilimumab – 1 mg/kg injections for intravenous use received approval from the FDA for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients 12 years and older with microsatellite instability high or mismatch repair deficient metastatic colorectal cancer that has progressed following treatment with a fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin and irinotecan.
Approval for this indication has been granted under accelerated approval.
Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.
The application was granted Priority Review and Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the FDA.
Among the 82 patients who received prior treatment with a fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin and irinotecan, 46% responded to treatment with Opdivo + Yervoy.
The percentage of these patients with a complete response was 3.7%, and the percentage of patients with a partial response was 43%.
Among these 38 responders, the median DOR was not reached; 89% of those patients had responses of six months or longer, and 21% had responses of 12 months or longer.
This trial is ongoing. Among all enrolled patients, 49% responded to treatment with Opdivo + Yervoy; 4.2% experienced a complete response, while 45% experienced a partial response.
Opdivo was discontinued in 13% of patients and delayed in 45% of patients due to an adverse reaction.
Serious adverse reactions occurred in 47% of patients.
The Opdivo + Yervoy combination is also approved in two other tumor types, advanced renal cell carcinoma and unresectable or metastatic melanoma.
Continued approval for these accelerated approval indications may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in the confirmatory trials.
BMY closed at $56.18.
Pinnacle Foods sold for $10.9B in cash
Conagra Brands to acquire Pinnacle Foods for $10.9B in cash and stock
Conagra Brands (CAG) and Pinnacle Foods (PF) announced that their boards of directors have unanimously approved a definitive agreement under which Conagra Brands will acquire all outstanding shares of Pinnacle Foods in a cash and stock transaction valued at approximately $10.9B, including Pinnacle Foods' outstanding net debt.
Under the terms of the transaction, Pinnacle Foods shareholders will receive $43.11 per share in cash and 0.6494 shares of Conagra Brands common stock for each share of Pinnacle Foods held.
The implied price of $68.00 per Pinnacle Foods share is based on the volume-weighted average price of Conagra Brands' stock for the five days ended June 21, 2018.
The purchase price reflects an adjusted EBITDA multiple of 15.8x, based on Pinnacle Foods' estimated fiscal year 2018 results excluding synergies, and 12.1x adjusted EBITDA including run-rate cost synergies.
The combination of two growing portfolios of iconic brands will serve as a catalyst to accelerate value creation for shareholders.
The transaction will enhance Conagra Brands' multi-year transformation plan and expand its presence and capabilities in its most strategic categories, including frozen foods and snacks.
With annual net sales in excess of $3B, Pinnacle Foods' portfolio of frozen, refrigerated and shelf-stable products includes such well-known brands as Birds Eye, Duncan Hines, Earth Balance, EVOL, Erin's, Gardein, Glutino, Hawaiian Kettle Style Potato Chips, Hungry-Man, Log Cabin, Tim's Cascade Snacks, Udi's, Vlasic and Wish-Bone, among others.
Based on both companies' latest fiscal year results, pro forma net sales would have been approximately $11B.
Under the terms of the agreement, each share of Pinnacle Foods common stock will be converted into the right to receive $43.11 per share in cash and 0.6494 shares of Conagra Brands common stock.
Conagra Brands has secured $9B in fully committed bridge financing from affiliates of Goldman Sachs Group (GS).
The $10.9B purchase price is expected to be financed with $3B of Conagra Brands equity issued to Pinnacle Foods shareholders and $7.9B in cash consideration funded with $7.3B of transaction debt and approximately $600M of incremental cash proceeds from a public equity offering and/or divestitures.
On a pro forma basis, Pinnacle Foods shareholders are expected to own approximately 16% of the combined company, assuming issuance of the incremental equity to the public.
Following the transaction, Conagra Brands' pro forma net debt-to-EBITDA ratio is expected to be approximately 5.0x. Conagra Brands is committed to maintaining a solid investment grade credit rating and targeting a debt-to-EBITDA ratio of 3.5x.
Conagra Brands intends to maintain its quarterly dividend at the current annual rate of $0.85 per share during fiscal 2019.
In the future, it expects modest dividend increases while it focuses on deleveraging, subject to the approval of its board of directors.
The company also plans to repurchase shares under its authorized program only at times and in amounts as is consistent with the prioritization of achieving its leverage targets.
Pinnacle Foods will continue to pay its quarterly dividend at the current annual rate of $1.30 per share until the transaction is completed. The transaction is expected to close by the end of calendar 2018, subject to the approval of Pinnacle Foods shareholders, the receipt of regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.
Alexion Pharmaceuticals presents results from ALXN1210
Alexion to present results from ALXN1210 Phase 3 study at EHA
Alexion Pharmaceuticals (ALXN) announced that results from one of the two large Phase 3 studies of ALXN1210, the company's investigational long-acting C5 complement inhibitor, in patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria were selected for presentation during the Late-Breaking Oral Session on Sunday, June 17, 2018 at the Annual Conference of the European Hematology Association in Stockholm, Sweden.
"We are very excited about EHA's recognition of the robustness and importance of these data in complement inhibitor treatment-naive patients. We enrolled a very broad patient population, representative of patients with PNH in clinical practice, including patients with a history of aplastic anemia, and 'classic' PNH, as well as transfused and non-transfused patients," said John Orloff, M.D., EVP and Head of Research & Development at Alexion.
"We look forward to discussing the data with leading hematologists in Europe at the conference later this week as part of our ambition to make ALXN1210 the new standard of care for patients with PNH."
As previously announced, weight-optimized treatment every eight weeks with ALXN1210 demonstrated non-inferiority to treatment every two weeks with Soliris in complement inhibitor treatment-naive patients with PNH on the two co-primary endpoints and all four key secondary endpoints.
The numeric results for all these endpoints, including breakthrough hemolysis, favored ALXN1210 and are consistent with the immediate and complete C5 inhibition observed by the end of the first infusion of ALXN1210 and sustained throughout the entire 26-week treatment period.
The safety profile of ALXN1210, based on almost 180 patient years of experience, was similar to that of Soliris.
Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a chronic, progressive, debilitating, and potentially life-threatening ultra-rare blood disorder that can strike men and women of all races, backgrounds, and ages without warning, with an average age of onset in the early 30s.
PNH often goes unrecognized, with delays in diagnosis ranging from one to more than 10 years. In patients with PNH, chronic, uncontrolled activation of the complement system, a component of the body's immune system, results in hemolysis (the destruction of red blood cells), which in turn can result in progressive anemia, fatigue, dark urine, and shortness of breath.
The most devastating consequence of chronic hemolysis is thrombosis (the formation of blood clots), which can damage vital organs and cause premature death.
Historically, it had been estimated that one in three patients with PNH did not survive more than five years from the time of diagnosis.
PNH is more common among patients with disorders of the bone marrow, including aplastic anemia (AA) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).9,10,11 In certain patients with thrombosis of unknown origin, PNH may be an underlying cause.
ALXN closed at $118.20.
SoftBank to invest $2.25B in GM
SoftBank Vision Fund to invest $2.25B in GM Cruise
General Motors (GM) announced that the SoftBank Vision Fund will invest $2.25B in GM Cruise Holdings, further strengthening the company's plans to commercialize AV technology at large scale.
GM will also invest $1.1B in GM Cruise upon closing of the transaction.
"Our Cruise and GM teams together have made tremendous progress over the last two years," said GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra.
"Teaming up with SoftBank adds an additional strong partner as we pursue our vision of zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion."
"GM has made significant progress toward realizing the dream of completely automated driving to dramatically reduce fatalities, emissions and congestion," said Michael Ronen, managing partner, SoftBank Investment Advisers.
"The GM Cruise approach of a fully integrated hardware and software stack gives it a unique competitive advantage. We are very impressed by the advances made by the Cruise and GM teams, and are thrilled to help them lead a historic transformation of the automobile industry."
The SoftBank Vision Fund investment will be made in two tranches.
At the closing of the transaction, the Vision Fund will invest the first tranche of $900M. At the time that Cruise AVs are ready for commercial deployment, the Vision Fund will complete the second tranche of $1.35B, subject to regulatory approval.
Together, this will result in the SoftBank Vision Fund owning a 19.6-percent equity stake in GM Cruise and will afford GM increased flexibility with respect to capital allocation.
The GM and SoftBank Vision Fund investments are expected to provide the capital necessary to reach commercialization at scale beginning in 2019.
GM (GM) Chairman and CEO Mary Barra confirmed the automaker's plans to launch an autonomous ride-hailing vehicle in 2019.
President Dan Ammann noted that talks with SoftBank occurred over the course of several months. He said GM wasn't looking for a partner, but found one that was "uniquely aligned" with it.
Ammann added that the Cruise team has grown to over 800 since the acquisition two years ago. He said the decision to report GM Cruise as a standalone segment is intended to enhance transparency around this part of the business.
ANALYST COMMENTS
Evercore ISI analyst George Galliers upgraded General Motors (GM) to Outperform from In Line after SoftBank's (SFTBF) Vision Fund agreed to invest in the company's Cruise autonomous driving unit in a deal that values the unit at $11.5B.
Galliers said he had been assigning no value to the Cruise assets before the announcement.
Under his new sum-of-the-parts valuation, Galliers applies a 6.0x multiple on GM's core, attributes a value of about $8 per share for the Cruise assets and about 60c per share for GM's stake in Lyft before applying a 25% discount to both of the latter. He raised his price target on GM shares to $50 from $47.
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals sharply higher on NASH trial
Madrigal achieves liver biopsy endpoints in NASH trial of MGL-3196
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals higher on NASH trial,
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals (MDGL) announced top-line, 36-week results from a Phase 2 clinical trial in patients with biopsy-proven non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH.
In this trial, MGL-3196, a first-in-class, oral, once-daily, liver-directed, thyroid hormone receptor beta-selective agonist, demonstrated statistical significance in the primary endpoint, relative reduction of liver fat on magnetic resonance imaging-estimated proton density fat fraction at 12 Weeks in December 2017, and, reported here, statistically significant results in multiple Week 36 endpoints including key secondary endpoints, reduction and resolution of NASH.
"The degree of NASH resolution, an approvable FDA endpoint, in patients who received MGL-3196 for 9 months we believe suggests a high likelihood of success in a larger trial with a somewhat longer treatment period in a Phase 3 study designed similarly to this Phase 2 study, pending regulatory agreement with such a design. Further, considering what we have learned regarding drug exposure and dosing, we believe there is potential to resolve NASH in as little as 9 months in 30-40% of patients receiving only MGL-3196, a well-tolerated once a day oral therapy," stated Paul Friedman, CEO of Madrigal.
In the trial, MGL-3196 demonstrated statistical significance in the primary endpoint, relative reduction of liver fat on magnetic resonance imaging-estimated proton density fat fraction at 12 weeks and statistically significant results in multiple week 36 endpoints.
Shares of Madrigal are up 67%, or $66.57, to $175.00 in premarket trading. Viking Therapeutics (VKTX), which has a thyroid beta agonist in Phase 2 development for the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and hypercholesterolemia, is trading up 38% to $6.86. Intercept Pharmaceuticals (ICPT), which has a competing, and further along than Madrigal's, drug to treat non-alcoholic steatohepatitis is trading down 6% to $69.01.
Goldman says sell Pepsi, buy Coca Cola
Goldman swaps sell call on Coca-Cola to PepsiCo on growth outlook
In a research note to investors on the beverage space, Goldman Sachs analyst Judy #Hong upgraded Coca-Cola (KO) to Neutral and downgraded PepsiCo (PEP) to Sell.
While the analyst sees an improving organic sales growth outlook for Coca-Cola, Hong sees potential for continued softer North American Beverage volumes to weigh on PepsiCo's organic sales growth.
BEVERAGE SPACE
Within the Staples sector, beverage valuations look most elevated, while food stocks appear oversold on consensus estimates, Goldman Sachs' Hong told investors in a research note.
The analyst sees the beverage group's premium valuation as mostly justified given industry characteristics that are more attractive versus secularly challenged U.S. center store food companies.
Goldman says sell Pepsi, buy Coca Cola,
Beverages have more channel diversification and are less reliant on food grocers, beverage categories tend to have low level of private label penetration and a greater level of market/brand concentration also allows for higher pricing power, she contended.
Hong believes all these dynamics should drive higher top-line growth and more insulated margin structure for beverage companies compared to food companies in the U.S. over the next 12 months.
Additionally, the analyst pointed out that she sees "a few relevant trends" across the beverage theme playing out thus far in 2018, namely relative convenience store underperformance, comparative alcohol slowdown, and improvement in emerging markets benefiting multinationals, particularly in Latin America.
SWAPPING COCA-COLA, PEPSICO
Goldman Sachs' Judy Hong upgraded Coca-Cola to Neutral from Sell, while trimming her price target on the shares to $46 from $47.
The analyst told investors that she sees an improving organic sales growth outlook, a "cleaner base" post-refranchising, and better visibility on its margin and earnings targets.
Hong believes Coca-Cola is "one of the rare" over 4% organic growth mega-cap stories, and now has increased confidence in its organic sales growth outlook.
Additionally, Hong noted that she now views fundamentals as warranting a relative premium given Coca-Cola's positioning as a beneficiary of moderating foreign exchange impact, improving emerging markets growth, and higher margins post-refranchising.
Meanwhile, the analyst downgraded PepsiCo to Sell from Neutral and lowered her price target on the shares to $110 from $118, citing the potential for continued softer North American Beverage volumes to weigh on organic sales growth and present modest downside risk to gross margins.
While the analyst does not expect Pepsi shares to be "a material absolute underperformer," she does see scope for it to underperform other beverage names over the next 12 months given muted fundamentals and lack of clear catalysts. Both top-line and margin gains are likely to be harder to come by for PepsiCo's North America beverage business as multi-year tailwinds to volume are no longer driving growth while c-store underperformance is creating a drag, she contended.
OTHERS TO WATCH
Goldman's Hong also upgraded Coca-Cola European Partners (CCE) to Buy, as she believes muted sentiment in the context of sugar tax implementation in the UK and France provides a compelling opportunity, and downgraded Molson Coors (TAP) to Neutral, predicting that weaker than expected beer volumes will drive cuts to consensus estimates. The analyst reiterated a Buy rating on Monster Beverage (MNST).
In Tuesday's trading, shares of Coca-Cola are fractionally up to $44.79, while PepsiCo's stock dropped over 1% to $108.41.


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[ March 12, 2020 ] Multiple charges filed in a United States Court against St Kitts-Nevis Foreign Affairs Minister Mark Brantley.	CORRUPTION
[ March 12, 2020 ] National Sports Academy to be established by the St.Kitts-Nevis Labour Party.	FEATURE
[ February 13, 2020 ] "I Don't Care" Says Prime Minister Harris on Issues Concerning Marijuana.	CORRUPTION
[ February 12, 2020 ] Hon. Timothy Harris' Views on the Legalization of Marijuana.	CORRUPTION
[ February 12, 2020 ] PM Harris Still to Give Answers to Allegations of Unaccounted EC$10 million in PLP Campaign Funds from 2015 Elections.	CORRUPTION
HomeFEATURENationals overseas urged to challenge plans by Timothy Harris government to disenfranchise them.
Nationals overseas urged to challenge plans by Timothy Harris government to disenfranchise them.
October 18, 2019 FEATURE, GENERAL NEWS, INTERNATIONAL, POLITICS, ST.KITTS-NEVIS, UK
London, England, October 17, 2019 – Nationals of St Kitts and Nevis residing in the United Kingdom have been urged to challenge the decision of the Timothy Harris-led Team Unity Government to disenfranchise them as the next general elections approaches.
Addressing Kittitians and Nevisians in London, the first of two stops, Political Leader of the St Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) and Leader of the Opposition, the Rt Hon Dr Denzil L Douglas questioned the proposed decision of the coalition to remove the names of qualified voters who are properly registered to vote but currently live overseas and impose a residency requirement.
"Why should you who voted in the last elections in 2015 as you have done in previous years and voted for the party of your choice, and suddenly because the Prime Minister (Dr Timothy Harris) realizes that his support overseas is not as strong as the Labour Party support, is going into the parliament to tell Kittitians and Nevisians in England and around the world that you cannot come home again to vote simply because he believes that he does not have the support that he deserves to have like Labour abroad," Dr Douglas told nationals in London on Thursday night.
Dr Douglas called on the St Kitts and Nevis nationals to take several measures to prevent their rights to vote being taken away by Dr Harris.
"Talk to your relatives at home. Send letters to the government. Speak to the St Kitts and Nevis High Commissioner here in London and tell him how you feel about the matter, " said Dr Douglas, the former prime minister, who pointed out that this cannot be done in the heat of an election campaign.
Dr Douglas said the way forward is to get the views of Kittitians and Nevisians via a referendum.
Dr Douglas, who is accompanied by the Parliamentary Representative for St Christopher 3 (West Basseterre), Hon Konris Maynard and Dr Terrance Drew, the SKNLP candidate for St Christopher 8, also discussed several other issues of concerns including the skyrocketing cost of living, poor health services, lack of investment, inadequate housing and the state of agriculture.
The Labour Party officials will be in Birmingham at The Hartland Social Club, 62 Aston Church Road, Birmingham, B7 5RX on Friday 18th October at 6:30 p.m.
A similar town hall meeting will take place in Ontario, Canada on October 20 at the Tropicana Community Services, 1385 Huntingwood Drive (off McCowan Road), Scarborough, Ontario. The meeting begins at 6.30 p.m.
Featured speakers will be Dr Douglas, the Hon Konris Maynard, Dr Terrance Drew and His Excellency Steve Wrensford, the St Kitts-Nevis Labour Party candidate for St Christopher 4.
Another airport security breach by federal minister reported.
Twenty-two months after, people of St Kitts and Nevis still in the dark on unethical herpes vaccine trial .
Multiple charges filed in a United States Court against St Kitts-Nevis Foreign Affairs Minister Mark Brantley.
National Sports Academy to be established by the St.Kitts-Nevis Labour Party.
"I Don't Care" Says Prime Minister Harris on Issues Concerning Marijuana.
Hon. Timothy Harris' Views on the Legalization of Marijuana.
PM Harris Still to Give Answers to Allegations of Unaccounted EC$10 million in PLP Campaign Funds from 2015 Elections.
Grant Encourage Supporters To Disrupt Labour Meeting.
Dr.Douglas congratulates Prime Minister Skerrit on "stunning and overwhelming election victory".
Denzil Douglas: "Daily Mail story, false, malicious and libelous," matter receiving attention of lawyers.
Federal Minister, Ian 'Patches' Liburd continues to flout parking regulations.
Low passenger loads responsible for AA two-week suspension and poor marketing strategies for Sun Country pull out?
$50,000 REWARD BEING OFFERED FOR INFORMATION IN SERGEANT POWELL MURDER INVESTIGATION
THE PROOF IS IN: HARRIS STOLE MONEY FROM SUGAR WORKERS
Water Rationing Continues; Patches Responsible For Neglecting Contract For More Water
PRIME MINISTER HARRIS APPOINTS CIVIL SERVANTS BASED ON POLITICS
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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FB Leonard Weaver, RB Eldra Buckley and LB Stewart Bradley
**FB Leonard Weaver
On whether he has to assume a bigger leadership role because the team is so young:**
"No. I don't think so because if you think about it, before I was here they had young guys and they still went to the playoffs, they still had playoff runs. I just think what Andy Reid has done, he develops a program where if young guys come in, they're in and they're going to be in a position where they can succeed. So, I think that's what he does a good job of because we have young guys who have playoff experience from last year, who came in, and (WR) Jeremy Maclin is one of them, (WR) DeSean Jackson. So, we have guys out here who are young guys, but they're veteran leaders."
* On whether it is an advantage to have young players with veteran experience:*
"It's a big advantage because that game time experience kicks in when you're in the playoffs, fourth quarter, minute to go, you need to score a touchdown after tying the game. It helps those guys relax and say, 'hey, man, we've got guys around here we can trust.'"
On whether he is excited to get out of camp and play some games: "We are so at that point right now. Were ready to go ahead and play Jacksonville, we're ready to get out there and show a little bit of what we've been working on and how we've improved, so we're ready for that."
**RB Eldra Buckley
On whether there is something specific he is working on to improve:**
"I feel like I have a lot to improve in, so going into this year I want to improve on everything and become as good as I can at everything I do."
On whether there are a couple areas, specifically, to improve on: "I mean new things. Like I was saying, a big part of the game is the mental focus and I have to get my mental focus down to the 'T', so I have no excuses."
On whether he was trash-talking with CB Asante Samuel after the big hit: "No, I didn't say anything back. He had a good lick. He came up and he threw his body into me. I felt the lick, definitely, but through the grace of God I was able to stay up and keep running."
On whether he wants to improve on the off-the-field mental aspects: "It's everything. Going into meetings and focusing in, doing the little things. Different people need to do different things to step their game up and I want to be able to do anything I can to step my game up and be better."
* On how he feels about his physical running style:*
"I feel good about it. But like I said, it's not just about the physical style. This offense is a versatile offense, so you have to be able to do everything. In that aspect I feel comfortable. Now, I have to go a step above and do other aspects of the game."
On whether he is excited to start playing against other teams: "I'm ready. We've been banging up together all week, so it's going to be exciting."
On whether the hit from Samuel fired him up: "It's an adrenaline rush, but that's the whole game. That's why you play the game, for the adrenaline rush."
On how he feels he fits into the running back picture: "My job is to come out and work hard and continue to get better and do the best I can."
**LB Stewart Bradley
On whether it will be a second or third year guy stepping into the leadership role:**
"I think it's the reality that those guys are on the older part of our team, so obviously they're going to step up and fill the leadership roles."
On how the number one defense felt working against the twos during live drills: "Yea, we felt good. We're just trying to get ready for the season, flying around and make some plays."
* On the unique personalities of WR DeSean Jackson and CB Asante Samuel:*
"They're great guys and fun to play with. They're high volume guys and we like that. DeSean has a lot of fun trash-talking and stuff and that's his personality. I think that's the most important thing is that guys are honest and true to their personalities without trying to be something they're not."
On whether Jackson has a quiet side to his personality: "I think, this is camp, guys are tired and sometimes you don't feel like yelling and screaming and sometimes you do. I don't think it's as deep of an issue like there are two sides to him. DeSean's always DeSean and he's always a jovial guy and fun to be around."
On whether he is excited to play against another team: "I think it's going to be fun to hit some different colored jerseys for a change, after camp, and that's what training camp does for you. You have enough contact and enough live drills that by the end you're ready to play a different team."
On whether he feels good physically: "I feel good. Obviously, we're in camp, but everything feels good."
**SS Quintin Mikell
On the leadership dynamic of the team and how it's changed since Brian Dawkins was here:**
"Even when Dawkins was here, obviously he was more on the forefront but we always had a lead by committee type thing and that's what it is now, we have myself, (LB) Stew(art) (Bradley), (LB) Ernie (Sims), we have a lot of guys that are respected on this team and around the league and that's really all you need, so in terms of leadership really it's about what your putting on the field and if people are going to follow that, and we have guys that can do it."
On whether it is an advantage to have young veterans: "It's good to have experience and be young. Sometimes you can get old and you can be telling the guys certain things but you can go out there and not execute and they're not going to listen. But if they know that I'm the type of guy that can go hang out with them and go to barbeques at their house and my house and at the same time I can get on them or they can get on me, we're all on the same level. That's what makes a team."
On whether it was hard having a new defensive coordinator last year: "That's exactly what I was talking about at the end of the year. We had from the beginning like you're saying, he didn't get a whole year to plan, he was kind of thrown in there, and then we lost all kinds of linebackers, we lost Dawkins, we got a lot of stuff that we had to just kind of fix on-the-run. And this is the first year that he's had the whole offseason to plan and put everything together. And even our playbook is organized differently, everything is way different and I think that you'll see the results of the change."


Thursday, January 17th we gathered up the kiddies and trudged them out into the cold for yet another classic SLP Field Trip. I'm in the minority at my school because I actually like field trips. I use it as time to enjoy being in Korea doing things I wouldn't normally do, and also to learn a bit of Korean from my kids without feeling guilty. This time I learned "What?" "What are you doing" and "How?" (phonetically: Ma, Mo Hey, and Oh-toe-kay).
This month we took them to Korea Land Corporation's Land Museum. Now, the last time we took the kids to a museum, there was a guide there to tell them all about what they were about to see (in Korean) and to take them around to see all that there was to offer. This time, not so much.
First off, museum is a bit of a strong word here. We were taken to the Land Corporation Office Building in Migeum and their bottom floor happens to have a rather large 3D model of a new city that is being built and a small circular room consisting of some old pottery and rocks. It took a solid 30 minutes to really see what there was to see, and the rest of the time was spent playing photo shoot.


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Allometric Equations to Estimate the Aboveground Biomass of Seedling and Sapling Plants in 10 and 20 Years Old of Secondary Forests in Sarawak, Malaysia.
Karyati, - and Isa, Ipor and Ismail, Jusoh and Mohd. Effendi, Wasli (2021) Allometric Equations to Estimate the Aboveground Biomass of Seedling and Sapling Plants in 10 and 20 Years Old of Secondary Forests in Sarawak, Malaysia. Advances in Biological Sciences Research, 11 (1). pp. 216-224. ISSN 2468-5747
Allometric Equations - Copy.pdf
Official URL: https://www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/series/...
The seedlings and saplings plant stage determines the successional stages in the secondary forest establishment process. The estimation on aboveground biomass (AGB) of seedling and sapling plants is needed to describe undergrowth contribution in the secondary forest. This study's objective was to develop allometric equations for accurate estimation of AGB for seedlings-saplings in 10 and 20 years old of secondary forests. The study was carried out at sites with two stages of the fallow period: lands with a fallow period of 10 and 20 years, respectively, in Sarawak, East Malaysia. The AGB data of all selected seedlings and saplings with the different species within 100 sample quadrates were used to develop allometric equations for seedlings and saplings in each study site. This study developed allometric equations to estimate AGB of seedlings-saplings (diameter at the ground surface of < 5 cm), particularly in 10 and 20 years of fallow ages.
Aboveground Biomass, Seedling, Sapling, Secondary Forest, Allometric Equation.
S Agriculture > SD Forestry
Jusoh


When Andrew Walser took over the family business from his father, Jack, he knew he had some big shoes to fill. Walser Automotive Group had a history of success that went back decades. Andrew started using vAuto's tools at his 13 dealerships in 2008, and their sales and used gross profit continue to exceed expectations.


Pay in Full Discount: If you opt to pay your tuition in full before July 22, 2019 you will be eligible for the $500 Pay in Full Discount per student.
Sibling Discount: Holy Angels offers Sibling Discounts. A discount of $2,000 is offered to the first sibling (i.e. 2nd student) attending AHA, and a $4,000 discount is offered to the second sibling (i.e. 3rd student) attending AHA concurrently.
Please Note: Any student receiving financial aid grants or scholarship awards from the Academy is not entitled to receive the Pay in Full Discount.


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Could These Gold Producers Surprise You?
The drop in gold price in the past year has took its toll on gold producers such as Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX) and Goldcorp (NYSE: GG). Both of these companies' shares have tumbled down during 2013. Looking forward, however, these companies have several factors that could play in their favor so that investors, who wish to include in their portfolio gold holdings, may benefit from owning these companies. Let's start by reviewing these companies' recent developments.
In the second quarter, gold companies have adjusted their long term gold price. Barrick has reduced its long term gold price on future projects to $1,300 per ounce. Goldcorp isn't any different and it has also revised down its assumptions on the price of gold. This is why both companies had heavy losses in the second quarter. They have recorded high impairment of mining interests and goodwill provisions: Barrick's impairment provision was $8.7 billion; Goldcorp's impairment charges were $2.5 billion. But not all gold producers have recorded in these provisions: Yamana Gold (NYSE:AUY) didn't have these make impairment charges in its second quarterly report. According the company's financial reports , Yamana believes the drop in gold price would partially be offset by other inputs that would result in lower costs and updated mine plans.
The recent developments in the gold market including the FOMC's decision to keep its asset purchase program unchanged and the strong demand for gold in Asia could keep the price of gold from resuming its downward trend in the near future. If gold price remains stable, these companies won't have to record additional high impairment charges to their mines. So these companies' performance will play a bigger role in their valuation. Let's review some of the reasons why these companies may have some cause for cautious optimism.
Decline in costs: Barrick's All-in sustaining costs were lower than last year's by 13.3%. Moreover, the company's guidelines for 2013 are also lower than last year's, which could slightly ease the adverse effect caused by the sharp decline in the price of gold in the past year. One of the reasons for the drop in costs is the company's sale of mines that were less profitable. E.g. the company recently sold three mines in Australia.
Higher gold production: Both companies augmented their gold production, which is likely to result in higher revenues. Goldcorp's gold production grew by 11.6%. Most of the growth came from the Red Lake gold mines and Pueblo Viejo mine , which was opened in August last year and is one of the largest gold assets worldwide with more than 30 years; Barrick's gold production grew by 3.9% but is likely to rise even faster in the coming years on account of its Pascua-Lama project. Alas, due to the drop in gold prices, the company reduced its capital expenditure on this project by $0.7-$0.8 billion in 2013 and by $0.8-$1.0 billion in 2014. These cuts will impede the completion due date of this project. Nonetheless, these new projects are likely to pull up these companies' revenues in the near future.
Valuation: These companies' valuation has tumbled down in the past several months, mostly due to the drop in gold price. The table below shows these companies' enterprise value to EBITDA ratio, after controlling for the goodwill and impairment charges provisions that were recorded in the past quarters.
Source of Data: Google Finance, Wikinvest and Damodaran's site
The table shows that Barrick's valuation is lower than the Precious Metals market average; Goldcorp's valuation is slightly higher than the market average but not far off. This puts Barrick's value the least expensive. In comparison, Yamana is close to the market average as it has a ratio of 7.37.
Dividend: The sharp rise in operating loss has led Barrick to cut down its dividend to an annual pay of $0.2 per stock, which means its yearly dividend yield is 1.03%. But not all companies have reduced their dividend: Goldcorp's dividend hasn't changed and its yield is much higher at 2.34%. Yamana's annual dividend yield is also similar to Goldcorp's at 2.63%. This may have been the silver lining of the staggering drop in these companies' stock prices – the rise in their dividend yields. These dividend yields are also one of the advantages of owning gold companies over gold ETF such as SPDR Gold.
The sharp drop in the price of gold during the year has dragged down leading gold producers. Due to these changes, Barrick and Goldcorp have already adjusted their assumption on gold price. The potential rise in these companies' revenues on account of their developing projects is likely to eventually pull up these companies' revenues. Finally, these companies' valuations aren't high, which makes them reasonably priced.
What Could Impede This Gold Company?
Will The Gold Market Continue to Cool Down?
Disclaimer: The author holds no positions in stocks mentioned and does not plan to initiate positions within 120 hours of the posting of this article. This article is to be used for educational, research and informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. There are no guarantees, expressed or implied, of future positive returns in regards to the subject matter contained herein. Understand the risks inherent in investing before making the decision to invest or consult an investment professional for more information. Reasonable due diligence has been performed in regards to the information in this article. However, the author expressly disclaims any liability for accidental omissions of information or errors in fact.
Tags: Barrick Gold Goldcorp SPDR Gold Yamana Gold
← Will Gold and Silver Continue to Heat Up?
Gold and Silver – Daily Outlook for October 25th →


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Prism Sound enlists SSL Asia for distribution
Audio conversion specialist Prism Sound has appointed SSL Asia Pte Ltd as its new distributor for Singapore, Malaysia and Myanmar. The role includes responsibility for SSL's entire product range, including the recently launched ADA-128 modular audio conversion system and its range of audio interfaces such as Lyra, Titan and Atlas.
Covering the South East Asia region, SSL Asia was originally established to represent console manufacturer SSL, but now handles distribution for many other well-known pro audio brands including Quested Speakers, Warm Audio, JoeCo, Antelope Audio, Konig&Meyer, AEA Ribbon Microphones and Chandler Limited. Its client base covers all section of the audio industry, from recording and broadcast through to live sound and the home studio market.
The company's headquarters in Singapore has a fully equipped demo facility where customers can try out various products. Alongside sales and distribution, it also handles turn-key projects ranging from simple studio installations to complex solutions, such as an entire nine-room postproduction suite with an AuroMax-ready Immersive mixing theatre that it recently designed and built for a client.
"The collective experience of our team is immense," said SSL Asia's general manager, Malcolm Chan. "We believe in letting the products we represent speak for themselves in terms of sonic quality and in Prism Sound's case the brand has an established international reputation that goes hand-in-hand with the other brands that we represent, so it's a very naturally partnership,"
Mark Evans, Prism Sound's sales director, added: "We are delighted that a company with the pedigree of SSL Asia is now representing our product range. Their contacts, particularly with the next generation of audio professionals, will allow us to reach new audiences and expand our market share in the South East Asian region."
SSL Asia is already having success with the brand and has made a number of Lyra and Atlas audio interface sales.
"Hearing customers say things like 'you now have the complete top quality solution from console to interface' is a testament to us and the Prism Sound brand," said Chan. "We look forward to growing together and providing the best products and services to our customers."
Tags: audio, converters, distribution, Prism Sound, SSL
EMG Italy selects Riedel's Bolero for 'crisp communications and greater efficiency'
Cutting Edge Post using EditShare EFS and FLOW for video archive


The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) invites postdocs to an informational session to learn how to identify funding using a variety of tools available to CU postdocs.
Ligia Batista Silverman, RIO's Research Development Funding Coordinator, will walk through how to set up discipline specific funding alerts through SPIN, an online database of funding opportunities. She will also highlight Dimensions, a platform providing information on funders and collaborators.


Over the past 15 years our knowledge of major categories of sites have benefited from threat related survey projects. However, several categories of site fall outside these projects, and though important in their own right, generally the number of sites is too small to warrant their own assessment.
During 2008-09 several projects were undertaken, including: Prehistoric Sites - Carmarthenshire; Roman non Military Sites - Dyfed; and Minor Defended Sites – Medieval. For all projects field visits were undertaken to selected sites. Data collected during site visits were added to the Dyfed Historic Environment Record and reports prepared. The work has demonstrated that very few Roman and prehistoric nationally important sites remain to be assessed in southwest Wales. Nevertheless, several sites have been recommended for scheduling. Copies of reports are downloadable below.
During 2009-10 minor prehistoric sites in Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion were assessed. Over 170 sites were visited and recorded in Pembrokeshire, with most on Mynydd Preseli. Most were high quality sites – hut circles, cairns and field systems – surviving in good condition. A selection of sites were surveyed. In contrast, only 30 sites were identified in Ceredigion as worthy as a site visit, and most of these were not of high quality. Full reports are provided below.
Scheduling Enhancement Project 2009: Medieval Minor Defended Sites (in PDF format, opens in a new window).
Scheduling Enhancement Project 2009: Prehistoric Sites Fieldwork - Carmarthenshire (in PDF format, opens in a new window).
Scheduling Enhancement Project 2009: Roman Non-Military Sites Dyfed (in PDF format, opens in a new window).
Scheduling Enhancement Project 2010: Prehistoric Sites Fieldwork Ceredigion (2.2Mb in PDF format, opens in a new window).
Scheduling Enhancement Project 2010: Prehistoric Sites Fieldwork Pembrokeshire (7.6Mb in PDF format, opens in a new window).
Scheduling Enhancement Project 2011: Prehistoric Sites Fieldwork - Pembrokeshire Additional Sites (2.8Mb in PDF format, opens in a new window).


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Hip Hop XXIV/New Music/Emanuel Shares Revelatory Debut Album "ALT THERAPY"
Emanuel Shares Revelatory Debut Album "ALT THERAPY"
Hip Hop XXIV Staff Follow on Twitter Send an email June 16, 2021
One of the most anticipated debut R&B albums of the past year, Emanuel's full-length project ALT THERAPY has been unveiled to the world today via Motown Records & Universal Music Canada. Listen here.
Before the world experienced moments of great upheaval and change this past year, an unknown new artist in Canada, a son of Ethiopian immigrants, had unknowingly written music that was prophetic to the times. His debut single, the emotionally stirring "Need You", was released as the global pandemic struck, resonating with people around the world who were forced into isolation.
Months later, when the brutal killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Trayvon Martin sparked a worldwide reckoning of systemic racism and racial inequality, Emanuel offered "Black Woman" to the world – his moving ode of reconciliation that honors the majesty of Black women. Last month, as vaccines were distributed and possibility began to take the shape of reality, Emanuel shared his prayer for the future with the release of "Worldwide". Now, during the week of Juneteenth and one year after the release of his debut EP Session 1: Disillusion, Emanuel celebrates freedom, growth and love with ALT THERAPY, his full-length contribution to the "renaissance of beautiful black art in the world."
"This album represents a spiritual self-discovery for me," says Emanuel. "It's about the nuances of the human experience. I hope ALT THERAPY inspires others to gain understanding about themselves and the world, and that it's attached to beautiful memories in their lives the way certain music is attached my mine. That would be an honour."
CJ Kicks Off The New Year With The Release of "Gangsta"
Ice Spice Drops 6-Song EP "Like..?" Features Lil Tjay
ALT THERAPY is a journey. A narrative of discovering a deep self-awareness and celebrating personal growth, Emanuel's debut album is the testament of a young man in the process of becoming a great man.
A collection of 12 songs, ALT THERAPY is home to Emanuel's two EPs released in 2020, Session 1: Disillusion (nominated for the 2021 Traditional R&B/Soul Recording of the Year JUNO Award) and Session 2: Transformation, as well as six additional songs: the manifestation mantra "Worldwide", the revelation of new love on "Pillows", the emotional plea of "I Need a Doctor", the inner reckoning on "Detention", the discovery of authentic love on "I Been", and the rare male R&B duet on "Hindsight" featuring fellow Toronto R&B artist Dylan Sinclair. See the full tracklist below.
ALT THERAPY Tracklist:
Need You
Thought It'd Be Easy
I Need A Doctor
Hindsight feat. Dylan Sinclair
I Been
Also released today is the visually striking official video for "Worldwide", a song born out of Emanuel's deep yearning to take his music, its message and energy, to people around the world while experiencing and absorbing the wisdom of many cultures. Directed by Kit Weyman and Executively Produced by Director X, the video is a visual depiction of Emanuel's "Worldwide" manifestation mantra.
alt therapy emanuel worldwide


I'm in the process of creating an app where the code had previously used the DSC module, that used to be included in LV, just for logging in. The DSC has now been replaced with the OPC toolkit afik. On a new project it doesn't make sense to use DSC nor does getting the OPC and dealing with runtimes when a fraction of the toolkit will be used.
The end application is for a regulated environment so the code needs to be extensively tested. Thought I'd ask before diving into a rabbit hole unnecessarily.
And here are a few more links with examples from LAVA.
Thank you Paul. Nice work. Sweet.


Following a few safe sleep precautions is one of the most important steps you can take to help prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) during the first few months of your baby's life. Yet infant deaths related to SIDS, suffocation in bed and other unknown causes are still too high, at 3,700 in 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). But a new test program involving texting may just help keep more parents informed on the latest sleep recommendations so they're more likely to avoid unsafe sleep practices.
Between March 2015 and May 2016, 16 hospitals across the U.S. enrolled 1,263 moms of healthy full-term newborns in a safe sleep program following birth. The moms were divided into four groups. Moms in all groups got the basic hospital rundown on bringing baby to bed to breastfeed and returning her to a separate space to sleep. Some of the moms then either received texts or emails on safe sleep, or they received the same information from hospital nurses.
The texts and emails, which included both health tips and 60- to 90-second educational videos, addressed common questions about safe sleep and breastfeeding when issues are most likely to arise. The messages were delivered every day for the first 11 days after the moms were released from the hospital post-birth, and then every three to four days for 60 days, providing a sort of virtual support system for moms when they needed it the most.
When their babies were 2 months old, moms were offered a survey about their sleep and feeding practices over the past two weeks, with all survey responses collected by the time the babies reached 8 months old. The authors' goal was to determine whether the moms put babies to sleep on their backs, in the same room without bed-sharing, offered a pacifier and avoided using soft bedding in the babies' sleep environment.
The authors compared the various nurse and text methods to the moms' actual safe sleep practices, taking into account other factors like their age, household income, race/ethnicity and educational level.
Of the various programs, moms who received texts/emails were significantly more likely to stick to all safe sleep practices, especially room-sharing without bed-sharing and avoiding soft bedding. Training from hospital nurses, however, did not impact the moms' sleep practices. "Other studies have found that mothers usually intend to adhere to infant safe sleep practices before they are discharged from the hospital, but that the challenges of caring for a newborn may result in changes in practice," the authors noted.
One limitation of the study was that 21 percent of all moms didn't respond to the survey; what's more, most of the moms completed the surveys when their babies were between 8 and 12 weeks old, so it's not clear whether they continued to follow recommended safe sleep practices. And, of course, all of the responses were self-reported (so moms could have fibbed on the survey).
Will this be available nationwide?
The authors' goal was to create an inexpensive program (the texts and emails can be automated) that's well-received by moms. Happily, moms who participated opened the messages more than 50 percent of the time.
"Parents are bombarded with a lot of information from a lot of sources, and some of it is not reliable. The mobile health program offered a way to provide reliable messages during periods when parents may be having difficulty following the safe sleep recommendations," says pediatrician Rachel Moon, MD, lead author of the study and co-author of 14 Ways to Protect Your Baby from SIDS.
Moon says the authors are currently applying for funding to expand this study to high-risk moms, serve up texts during pregnancy and optimize the timing and content of the messaging. "Our hope is that it may eventually be expanded nationally," she says.


I'm looking at 000 Easy Street and would like some more information.
I'm looking at 000 Easy Street on www.realestateone.com.com and would like some more information.
Our Michigan real estate agents can answer all of your questions about 000 Easy Street, Thompsonville MI 49683. Real Estate One, Max Broock Realtors, and J&J Realtors are part of the Real Estate One Family of Companies and dominate the Thompsonville, Michigan real estate market. To sell or buy a home in Thompsonville, Michigan, contact our real estate agents as we know the Thompsonville, Michigan real estate market better than anyone with over 100 years of experience in Thompsonville, Michigan real estate for sale.


16 bars 32 x 18 mm made of Grillodur, a highly refined fiberglass material.
Grillodur bars hold the pitch through strong changes of temperature and humidity. Grillodur bars have outstanding sound and are appropriate for making music in outdoor settings.
Notation in "c-d-e" and "do-re-me" on each bar. If desired, notation can be safely removed from Grillodur using acetone.
Includes F# and Bb bars and 1 Pair of S 50 mallets.


I'm interested in the way shape is created through the process of fermentation. Fermentation occurs when sugars are converted to gases, acids or alcohol. The process releases energy which means that the structure of the fermenting material will change, often making it bulk far beyond it's pervious shape. Swelling doughs and ageing blue cheeses are examples of what this process could look like.


↑ Benzie, Robert; Ferguson, Rob (May 31, 2007). "Terminator gunning to save lives". Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/news/article/219810--terminator-gunning-to-save-lives. अन्तिम पहुँच तिथि: August 20, 2012. "I am a Catholic and a very dedicated Catholic, but that does not interfere with my decision-making [....]"


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A National Centre
A Landmark Development
Adult and Print Making Courses
Paintings, Drawings and Prints
Objects and Artefacts
Adoption Schemes
About Gainsborough's House
About Thomas Gainsborough
Gainsborough's Sudbury & Suffolk
Print Workshop
Home Venue Hire Celebrations
If you have a celebration to plan, why not hire Gainsborough's House? The Exhibition Gallery, house, garden and Hills Room are available for evening hire from 6-11pm. Celebrate in the atmospheric surroundings of art galleries or the pretty, enclosed garden. Various catering options are available from canapés to a sit down meal. We work with a selection of caterers to offer a high standard of presentation, whatever the occasion.
Further information and bookings contact
Liz Cooper, Commercial Manager
T: 01787 372958 or E: liz@gainsborough.org
Thomas Gainsborough (1727-88) was born in Sudbury and baptised at the Independent Meeting-House in Friars Street on 14 May 1727, the fifth son and ninth child of John and Mary Gainsborough. In 1958, Gainsborough's House Society was formed to purchase the house and establish it as a centre for Thomas Gainsborough. The Museum opened to the public in 1961 and has remained open for over 50 years. The beautiful historic garden at the heart of Gainsborough's House is maintained by a devoted body of volunteers, who garden exclusively with plants that were available in Gainsborough's lifetime.
Gainsborough's House Society , Charity No. 1170048 and Company Limited by Guarantee No. 10413978
Gainsborough's House, 46 Gainsborough Street, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 2EU
mail@gainsborough.org
© Gainsborough's House 2016 | Website by The Web Foundry


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Malik Lovette visiting USC [$]
Malik Lovette is one of the elite recruits in California. The four-star prospect has a collection of scholarship offers from the SEC, Big 12 and Pac-12. He plans to take his time before choosing a school but he's actively evaluating them. He'll start with an upcoming visit to USC.
RCS Quick Hits: NorCal [$]
The Rivals Camp Series tour presented by Under Armour hit Northern California Sunday with a new batch of prospects gaining MVP status. One Northern California native even drove up from Southern California to make an even bigger splash for a bigger prize.
Rasheem Green is making plans [$]
Sometimes hen you're an elite prospect, the honors just keep on coming. After Rasheem Green dominated play at the Southern California Rivals Camp, he was invited to their Five-star challenge, a yearly camp held for the best players in the country. That isn't his only new opportunity as he recently received two new scholarship offers. Go inside for the latest on Green's recruitment and where he stands with USC.
W. Tennis. No. 6 USC Women Bounce Back To Beat Texas
The No. 6 USC women's tennis team wrapped up a strong road win today, taking out host Texas with a 4-3 comeback that takes the Trojans to 9-2 overall on the year. The match was moved indoors due to inclement weather, and USC opened with some defensive muscle before the Longhorns made a move ahead in singles. The Trojans' response to a 2-3 deficit came in the form of a win at the No. 6 spot by Kaitlyn Christian and a court three victory from Zo� Scandalis with a clinching three-setter to send t
List coming for Langley [$]
Pleasanton (Calif.) cornerback Isaiah Langley has more than 20 scholarship offers, including one from USC. The four-star prospect plans to enroll early and therefore, needs to go through the process a bit faster. He'll release a top-five in June.
Stanley Norman at the Rivals Camp [$]
Gardena (Calif.) Serra four-star athlete Stanley "Scrappy" Norman was turning heads at the Rivals Camp in Fullerton. Norman talks about the recruiting process and where USC stands.
W. Basketball. USC Women Ice The Road Win, Beating Colorado 66-59...
The USC women's basketball team secured a fifth-place finish in the Pac-12 with a wild but strong finish for a 66-59 road win over Colorado today in Boulder. The Women of Troy led by as much as 14 points during the first half before the Buffs made a push to even the score in the second half. Colorado took a slim 1-point lead with 1:22 remaining only to see the Women of Troy dig in and ice the victory in tallying the last eight points of the game. USC improves to 18-12 overall with this winning
USC Finishes Third In Pac-12 Swimming/Diving Championships
Evan Budrovich, Conquest Chronicles on March 2, 2014, 11:01 AM CT
The Women of Troy put their best foot forward in Federal Way, Wash. over the weekend, putting themselves in prime position to compete at this month's NCAA Championships. USC women's swimming and diving continues to impress this season, after being part of the grand opening ceremony for Uytengsu Aquatics Center last month, and are prime for a deep NCAA Tournament run. USC, as a team, finished third overall with 1327 points over the weekend. Cal, one of the nation's top programs coming in, won
Way worse than we thought
Pe'Shon Howard went out with a strong final senior home effort Saturday but like the rest of his Trojans teammates, came up short when it mattered most in a 78-63 Galen Center loss to Oregon.
RCS Quick Hits [$]
The first leg of the Rivals Camp California double header is complete, with Fullerton (Calif.) raining stars Saturday in a loaded event for USC fans.
Kanya Bell battling back [$]
Diamond Bar (Calif.) four-star receiver Kanya Bell wasn't able to participate in the Rivals Camp because he is recovering from knee surgery. We chatted with Bell about how he is bouncing back stronger than ever.
Postcard from Camp [$]
FULLERTON, Calif. -- The second stop of the 2014 Rivals Camp Series Presented by Under Armour was held under gray skies at Fullerton College, but that did not dampen the level of talent on hand or the high-stakes competition that played out. Over 250 of Southern California's best players matched up and showed what they could do against the area's top talent.
Four-star prospect visiting 'SC [$]
Osa Masina didn't participate in the Rivals Series Camp because he has an important playoff basketball game on Monday. But he did make the trip from Salt Lake City (Utah) to Southern California to visit both USC and UCLA.


Blumentals is a software company based in Latvia that specializes in web-development programs and desktop software. Along with their selection of standard software for web developers, the company also offers code editors, Internet access control programs, animated GIF creation suites, and Custom screen saver software. Another one of the company's main products is an SEO optimization tool that helps users improve their Google Page Rank by adjusting their web content. The company also offers a security program that allows the user to password protect programs and applications. The program works with any Windows program, and prevents users from getting through the security measures without authorization.


A classic blend of Pinot Meunier & Pinot Noir, this wine underwent traditional bottle fermentatation followed by 3 years of sur lie aging.
Tasting Notes: Red Delicious apple & vibrant fresh strawberry on the nose, followed by plum & red currant on the palate with a dry finish.
Pairing Notes: Candied Salmon, Duck with Raspberry Sauce or even fruit tarts.


Noting the gender exclusive language as a feature of the time the following is an exerpt from a Lenten sermon broadcast on radio in 1934 by Iona Community founder, anti-nuclear weapon campaigner, and preacher - George MacLeod.
'Getting music out of what is left of life; being stricken with blindness and yet continuing to see supremest visions (this a reference to Milton whom he has earlier quoted); fighting a duel with a sword – and when the sword gets broken, fighting on with the hilt: carrying on the same task – in any sphere – more brilliantly when the untoward happens and the crisis comes. Whenever we get a clean-cut example of undiscouraged pluck, it reaches down into our hearts to make music – sweeter than all the stories of success – and strikes a reverberating chord that we know is true, explain it as we may.
God, having put a Cross at the centre of the world's mystery, also put it into men's hearts to respond to crosses.
It is here that we see the first- if not the main- purpose of why God may have let it happen. Christ always preached self-sacrifice in His life, and not only in His death. But the Cross, coming at the end, stands clear cut and incisive, reflecting, as in some brilliant miniature, the larger framework of His whole life's message. His life from start to finish was like a sun giving warmth to all who came within its rays; but in His Cross that same sun became focussed, as through a lens, till the warmth of His example becomes so concentrated as to set on fire all that it touches. That resolute persistency, the doing battle with the hilt when His sword was gone…attracts men, draws them, thrills them. You cannot say why; it is just that it does. In being lifted up from the earth, He arrested the attention not of the House of Israel only, who knew His claims. He moved the universal heart of man.
George MacLeod, Lenten sermon, 'The Cross', Govan Calling, 1934.
Easter is almost with us and it is a time for us to reflect on the grace and love of Christ. He took our place – took the punishment for our sins and died so that we might live. I believe that as we look at the sacrifice of Christ at Easter we must be moved, not just on an emotional level, but also on a very practical level.
Currently I am reading a book and recently it has been talking about having a lifestyle that is driven by our love of God and results in an outworking – serving.
We do not need to be great or amazing to serve, we simply need to be willing. Sometimes its easy to say "I'll get round to that later" or "I'll help them tomorrow because I am busy today" but the reality of it is that if Christ came across someone in need –what did he do – he helped them of course! Even if it seems to get in the way of what he was doing. Remember the little children "interfering" with Jesus' teaching and how the disciples tried to stop it, but Jesus welcome them.
Jesus death and resurrection teaches us that he paid a great price for us. Do you love Jesus? Then how willing are you to serve? How willing am I to serve? Is there one small thing you can do for the kingdom of God where you are – is there a way in which you can serve God by serving others?
In the beginning was the Word…..In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and the earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and God said….Let there be light'.
Made in the image of God, we too speak, and what we say vibrates with possibility. Words call into existence, make possible, shape relationships, communicate meaning, become freighted with significance because once we speak, words are let loose. They cannot be recovered, unsaid, and their healing or hurt may have a long afterlife. Made in the image of God, we are wise if we listen not only to what God says, but to how God speaks; and if we pay attention to why God speaks.
Lord we all make many mistakes in our conversation.
and rather be seen and heard than seen and serving .
Everything they need does not mean everything they want. And everything they need to follow him does not mean everything they need to live a long, healthy life free from suffering, disappoinment, frustration, or loneliness and full of achievement, recognition and contentment. These things may be substituted for the gospel, may be aspirations of many Christians, may be welcome blessings in any human life - but they are not to be mistaken for following the God of Jesus Christ. Christians are called to follow and are given everything they need to follow ... Following Jesus means learning to want the limitless things God gives us in Jesus.
Aids and unemployment are both rife, often with tragic results.
Andy said: "One of the strangest experiences for me was when we went into a carpentry workshop.
"You couldn't initially tell what they were making but then it became clear there were making coffins."
Among the hand-made coffins Andy saw were child-size versions.
The group did not directly discuss Aids with any Zimbabweans but the shadow the virus casts on the country was obvious.
"Walking around some of the outlying country areas, we saw malnutrition and people who were thin, which could be Aids related. What one notices, particularly in the youth centre, is that the information that they've got in there for young people is all Aids advice.
Despite the problems the country faces, not everything looks gloomy for the future.
In a bid to improve communication with Kadoma, the Stevenage visitors took a laptop over as a gift, and it is already helping improve the link.
"We've had some tremendous contact. It's almost been continuous which is something we've never had and is a real bonus," Andy said.
The Cornerstone contingent used the trip to see if it would be appropriate to take a group of young people out to Kadoma, as they have done in the past.
Because they were all welcomed so warmly, a group will be heading out later this year for three weeks. As part of their trip they will live among the people of Kadoma and the neighbouring township of Rimuka and work on various projects to help their Zimbabwean friends."
When we prayed, my daughter felt Mugabe was like king Saul and so we are praying for a new David to arise. Pray for Zimbabwe, a country full of amazing beauty and history, and amazing people.
As part of lent, let's not just look up and in. The bible seems clear to me that a huge part of living a God-centred holy life is looking out. Praying and doing- seeking justice.
I should have blogged here yesterday, but I confess, forgot. So I thought I would fill this space today. The following comes from Rowan Williams, A Ray of Darkness, and is a reflection upon Peter's denial of Jesus Christ when he states: 'I don't know the man', with the emphasis by Williams on 'man' and making Peter's denial the confession of us all who want it as it were all sown up rather than living with the fragility of uncertainity in faith. I read this in Lischer, The End of Words, p. 85.
I do not want to know the human, the provisional and ironic, tears and laughter, the future still to make...Take us away from all this; like the ultimate romatic hero, sweep us into the world of distant panoramas, magical controls, solved problems. I do not want to be forced back to the earth where I must choose and travel and be hurt.
I do not know the man.
God gives his people everything they need to worship him, to be his friends, and to eat with him. A companion is one with whom one shares bread. God calls his people to be his companions, the ones with whom he shares bread - his friends. Christians call sharing bread with God, worship. Thus to follow the God of Jesus Christ means to worship him, to be his friends, and to eat with him: in short, to be his companions.
Today's post is going to be a bit of a self reflection - but I hope its helpful for you as well.
Over the last few days I have been challenged a far amount about my life and ministry. I come from a family who are absolutely wonderful - who are very committed and also very determined to keep going no matter what. I remember one example when my mum came back from hospital having had a wrist replaced and although she was told to do as little as possible she was determined not to just sit there, so she started to do the washing. Once the clothes had been placed in the washing machine one handed, she then discovered that her left wrist (which wasnt replaced but also suffered from arthritus) could turn the dial to set the washing machine. Now her right wrist certainly could do it but she did not give up there. Eventually she found something that could be wedged into the dial that gave her enough leverage to turn it and therefore do the washing!
That is my family - we all try and work as hard as we can and although that is a good thing, I have been discovering some drawbacks to it lately.
I currently have two jobs in minstry and add to that my lack of time management skills/planning I often find life extremely busy and often stressful. This morning my wife was trying to help me clear some of the backlog of stuff and I got very defensive and told her that I wanted to sort out this mess - a throwback to the Bishop family trait! I am beginning to see that all I am about and do is done in my own strength - by my own force of will, by own determination. At the end of the day this is neither sustainable or healthy.
I think I am beginning to see that I am putting more trust in man (aka me) than in God. I need to turn to God and take refuge in Him - to gain my strength from Him - to seek help from Him.
At the root of who we are - do you trust in yourself, others or God?
Again, following on from Andy, and 'habits and practices' – how serious are we really about our lives as disciples? This term at college we have been focusing a great deal on discipleship, and what it really means to follow Jesus. If we are truly committed, our lives should reflect that.
There are many ways in which we can more fully express a discipleship commitment to Jesus. One which I have been thinking a lot about recently is simplicity. Our society is full of people vying for our attention, promising us happiness if we buy their latest products. Simple living is 'stopping that treadmill and giving us … space for God' (Valerio). In addition, storing up treasures on this earth where so many have so little is both selfish and idolatrous. The needs of others make a consumer lifestyle inexcusable, - but I know I have more possessions than I need.
Cultivating simplicity in this society is a demanding and difficult process. It means being a counter-culture. But is this not what Jesus has called us to? How can we make our lives more radical, and less comfortable?
Buy things for usefulness rather than status.
Get rid of anything producing an addiction, develop instead a habit of giving things away. This is difficult, but I challenge you to learn from the example of these proactive bloggers.
Refuse to be influenced by advertisements, and learn to enjoy things without owning them.
Reject what causes oppression of others, buy fairtrade goods, and avoid companies that exploit workers.
We must learn, 'that a man [or woman] can live profoundly without masses of things' (Byrd).
...following on from Andy's blog yesterday, one of the practices the link points to is that of faithfulness.
How can we be faithful to each other- truly faithful? How can we go beyond our polite lets-not-rock-the-boat loyalty which looks lovely but will never answer honestly the question "does my bum look big in this?" or "have I made the right decision?"
I would rather have a friend who helps me face my mistakes than a friend who assures me that everything I do is fine. But this kind of faithfulness comes at a price- it is painful and requires a large amount of time invested in each others lives. It involves being real with each other and allowing others to see the more unappetising sides of our life and character. Not things that come easily in our time-poor Christian culture where we often tend towards the superficial with one another.
Some people come to mind- in 2 Samuel 12, there is Nathan the prophet. David could have easily banished, ruined or even killed him for his boldness in pointing out David's rather gaping mistakes. It was a huge risk.
For another side of faithfulness, Ruth's words to Naomi(Ruth 1 v 16-7) are so inspiring to me, speaking of a deep kind of covenant relationship: "Don't ask me to leave you! Don't beg me not to follow you! Every place you go, I will go. Every place you live, I will live. Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God. And where you die I will die."
Naomi was left alone and bereft- even changing her name to Bitter... Ruth- also mourning, but still with a life to live and a people to be with- gave up everything to move with Naomi to a foreign country and support her through her tragedy.
God, by your Spirit, make me more faithful in the relationships I have. Let me count the cost and be truly faithful.
Can one be a Christian on the quiet? Can one be a ruler by day and worshipper by night? The story of Jesus' passion presents two figures who sought to do just that: Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus (p.90).
Our culture wants to mould all belief into a private matter, not to be displayed in public. We've removed the political implications of Jesus' call to discipleship and embraced the western gospel, which celebrates the market and the rights of the individual. We've become 'night-time' disciples, who either don't know how to live lives shaped by the Christian gospel, or who are afraid we will be branded a fundamentalist in the vein of Stephen Green of Christian Voice or some Islamic extremist.
It is my desire to become less of a 'night-time' disciple, and to find ways of embodying the Christian faith in which I believe, in the full exposure of the day. I am becoming more convinced that the way of discipleship is in discovering and often re-discovering habits and practices that shape my life in ways that speak of good news. My desire is to find a community of people who want to take that journey with me. In this I am grateful for those who are blogging with me at hopeful imagination, who help me imagine what this looks like.
Many, many attempts at explanation and description were attempted in the aftermath of the twin towers tragedy. The films, the mini series, the novels, the poems, the songs, the musical compositions.
Then the books that recount the story, analyse the causes, explain the consequences, affix and apportion the blame, dissect the responses - political, military, religious, economic, human.
John Swinton's deeply pastoral and theologically alert book, Raging with Compassion, which is not about 9/11, raises very important questions about all the clever explanations of suffering that theorise and intellectualise human pain. There are times when explanations do more harm than good, they don't reduce the pain of evil. Indeed they may add to it by suggesting that extreme suffering can ever be rationally explained or dealt with by the mind, without reducing the humanity of the sufferer. John's book offers a pastorally informed warning about the inadequacy of philosophical, theoretical, theological argument to make any real difference to the person suffering. At best such arguments make the observer more intellectually or theologically comfortable.
Of a new world dream.
Cry and turn injustice into a flower.
And with vision sweeten humanity's hours.
It can be hard to follow Jesus, primarily because I think he takes us to places that are outside our comfort zones. Sure I'm happy to go to the wedding feast with all that good wine, but the lepers house, the dusty roads, the garden of Gethsemane, I'm not so sure I want to go to any of these places!
Sam Wells in his book Power and Passion, reminds us that to follow Jesus faithfully requires more than just passion.
"Passion alone is not enough. Not just because other things are required but because passionate commitment is often made up of the kind of tendencies that we see so clearly in Peter - an assumption that one is superior to others, a profound but misplaced confidence in one's own dependability, and a sense that one knows better than Jesus"
As part of lent this year some friends of mine suggested we had another stab at doing the Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. We have tried to do it before and usually failed around day 10 if not before! But anyway I just wanted to share some things I have got from the book so far that relate to the theme of lent.
Its not about you. You have been born and created for God's purposes and this applies to lent too. Its for God purpose not ours. Its not to help us get fitter, of feel better about ourselves because by sheer will power we did not eat chocolate for 40 days. There are so many programmes is this world that are about helping us live a healthier lifestyle. De-tox this, de-tox that. There is obviously nothing wrong with wanting and aiming to live a better, more healthly life - but what is the source of all that. If its self-centred then even if its good, its not done to the glory of God.
Luke 4.1-13 - 'If you are the Son of God…..' The word if is a destabilising word. It corrodes trust, it undermines confidence, it slackens our hold on our certainties.
If you were really serious about…..
If it had been me I would have…..
If. A word that, used with precision and cunning, calls our integrity, our identity, our intentions, our motives, our core values, our moral priorities into question. 'If you are the Son of God……' Three times, 'If you are…'.
Three times an interrogation of the soul, a sifting of the heart, a politely framed enquiry, disguising the fear and panic of self-promoting evil encountering the obedient self-giving of the Servant and Son of God.
If you are – prove it!
If you are – live it!
If you are – test it!
But why test a certainty?
Why prove what is eternally true, that in Jesus, God is reconciling the world to himself?
And that drama in the desert, the drama of If..., becomes also the drama of Christian obedience.
If God is to be trusted….
If, has consequences. In the end our obedience is rooted in the obedience of Christ. Our faithfulness in small things is made possible by his faithfulness unto death. Our victories are won, only through the final triumph of Christus Victor, the crucified risen Christ.
You are my friends If you do what I command you….
I'm going to attempt to organise another lent group blog. Last year was not a great success. I think I need at least 3 (preferably different) bloggers per week, to make it worthwhile. So if you want to join in, post a comment with your preferred dates.
The choice between Barabbas and Jesus, a choice that I am suggesting is a central choice in the whole gospel story, is not a choice between a man who took a political route and a man who took a spiritual route. It is not a choice between a man who wanted outer change and a man who called for inner change. It is a choice between a man who changed too little and a man who changed everything.
A week before Ash Wednesday: Ella ,7, announces that she is going to give up television for the whole of lent. I am extremely impressed and promise to join her of course.
Day 3 of lent- Ella is not at all sure this was such a good idea- brother Charlie is also less than impressed with the absence of telly.
End of week one- the television fast unceremoniously bites the dust... I am a bit gutted.
Week 2: Ella is given a sheet of 40 things to do in lent. These include giving a weeks pocket money to charity, buying one fairtrade thing a week, not arguing for 3 days, cheering someone up, etc. This is proving to be an inspiration to her and I wonder if it is actually producing more real fruit in her relationship with God and her sense of faith-in-action. The first day of no arguing is a revelation- she is not only avoiding arguments but looking for ways to help her siblings have fun and stay happy. I know 7 year olds can't not argue forever, but I feel that living this day in itself must change her and open her eyes to what is possible.
She gives away 2 weeks' pocket money and an encouraging letter to someone at church who is raising money for a trip to Zimbabwe. A girl who was being nasty to her at school and that she has prayed for now wants to come to tea and sleepover. Ella says that underneath she is actually really nice.
'In the Library in Gettysburg College in Gettysburg Pennsylvania, they can show you the blodstains in the books. The stains run deep in their pages because in the battle so many were wounded that the nurses ran out of pillows. So they took books from the shelves in the library and laid the heads of the wounded on them. The church's book, too, is stained and penetrated by the cost of God's love. From beginning to end, the entire New Testament witnesses to the cost. That is why we read it - because our lives depend upon it' (Lischer, The End of Words, 57).
Well a just over a week in and I have to admit feeling weak. I haven't failed yet, but I have been sorely tempted. This year for lent I gave up certain foods, although with some of my young people. For me it was biscuits - especially ginger biscuits! Last night as I was reflecting on how things were going I realised that so far this first week I have really been doing this in my own strength. Using my will power alone to not give in and munch my way through a packet.
My understanding of lent is that its about refocusing on God and re-alining oneself with God. If lent becomes giving something up in my own strength then I have completely missed the point of it all.
Today - no matter who well, or badly things are going for you right now, just stop and ask God to enter into today and be your sustainer.


This past Saturday, January 21st, millions of people marched at over 600 Women's Marches across our nation and world. The combined total of people who took to the streets in cities from Washington, D.C. to Seattle and all cities in between is historic.
Saturday's marches were the starting line.
Now it's up to us to keep the march going strong as we return to our regularly (over) scheduled daily lives. We all know that democracy and justice aren't about one day, one person, or one election. We stay engaged in the easy times, and double down when it's hard.
If everyone sets aside 5 seconds, 5 minutes, or even 5 hours a week, then mountains will move. Together, we are a powerful force wherever and however we march -- and that includes marching from our phones while sitting on a bus on the way to work.
Keep your marching shoes on.
*Here are 5 actions this week that you can take from wherever you are right now to keep the #WomensMarch going! You can pick one action or all. You can do the action now or later. The most important thing is to keep the momentum going!
1- Protect Healthcare -- Now is a critical time to make our voices heard to protect healthcare coverage. The coverage of nearly 30 million people is at risk. Send a Letter to the Editor of your local newspaper to speak out for quality, affordable healthcare via this easy link! (It's truly easy. Sample language and direct links to papers are on the link when you click it).
2- Stop Hate! -- The U.S. Senate has started voting on Trump's cabinet nominees. It's an understatement to say that this isn't a normal cabinet, nomination process, or election. These nominees represent and promote hateful ideals and policies that are harmful for our children and our economy. We cannot stay silent because these dangerous cabinet nominations hurt our children and families, threaten our economy, and tear at the fabric or our democracy. Join us in telling the U.S. Senate not to confirm a Cabinet of Bigotry.
3- Advance Fair Pay -- Women on average earn just 80 cents to a man's dollar, moms just 71 cents, and women of color as low as 46 cents to a white man's dollar. Tell your elected officials to update our fair pay legislation now.
4- Address the Childcare Emergency -- Childcare costs more than college. This is a national emergency. Parents need safe, enriching places for their children to be so they can go to work, kids need high quality childcare so they can thrive, and childcare workers need fair pay. We need solutions at every level! Sign up now to urge your city leaders to make early education and childcare a priority by delivering the Strong Start for Strong Cities city resource guide to your local leadership.
5 -- Criminal Justice Reform -- We're living in a time when more than 2.7 million children in the U.S. have an incarcerated parent and approximately 10 million children have experienced parental incarceration at some point in their lives. We can and must fix this. Your voice is powerful! Please share your comments and stories with us about why this issue is important to you -- and we'll deliver your messages directly to elected leaders!
Why sign on with us? The unfair treatment of any one of us, hurts us all. Silence is not an option. Our freedoms are intertwined. So we rise together.
*We also have a Spanish-language community! MamásConPoder! Would you like info from MomsRising.org in Spanish? Sign up to receive emails from our Spanish-language community, MamásConPoder.org!