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Fear None of Those Things Which Thou Shalt Suffer. Revelation: Removing the Veil, Part 9
2024.05.17 08:54 Yurii_S_Kh Fear None of Those Things Which Thou Shalt Suffer. Revelation: Removing the Veil, Part 9
 | The angel of the Church of Smyrna submitted by Yurii_S_Kh to SophiaWisdomOfGod [link] [comments] We continue reading the book of Revelation. We’re now analyzing the second chapter. We stopped on verse 8. Last time we saw that this majestic vision of Christ’s coming was revealed to the Apostle John on the Lord’s Day, on Sunday, on Patmos. Christ appeared to him sitting on a throne, surrounded by all that we described last time. St. John saw Him amidst seven golden lampstands, seven stars, and seven angels. The angels of the Churches are the bishops of the Churches. Christ first addressed the Bishop of the Church of Ephesus, the angel of the Church of Ephesus. He says He knows about his labors, about his patience, He sees his labors, but despite this, God also sees something that burdens his soul—that he has left his first love. He says to him: Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works (Rev. 2:5), otherwise his lampstand would be shaken and temptation and trials would come. The angels of the seven Churches, Apocalypse Tapestry, 14th c. To the second angel, of the Church of Smyrna (to the bishop), Christ says: And unto the angel of the Church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, Which was dead, and is alive (Rev. 2:8). We have already spoken about how this wording with “saith” is like the prophetic expression “thus saith” used by the prophets of the Old Testament when they proclaimed the will and word of God to the world. Only God can say in Holy Scripture, “Thus saith the Lord.” Thus, God says the following: He is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Nothing exists outside of Him; in Him is everything. He is the Beginning and End of all things. Which was dead, and is alive—Who was put to death but nevertheless came back to life and remains forever. He talks about this because later he will begin talking about the trials yet to be faced. In verse 9, Christ continues: I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan (Rev. 2:9). I know your good deeds and the difficulties you’re going through; and I know your poverty. You know, it’s important: God knows about our lives. Because that’s what matters in the end. What can someone else know about us? Only what he sees from the outside. So? If we tell him something else about ourselves, he’ll know a little bit more. But despite his good disposition, his efforts, our familiarity will hit a certain limit. Human capabilities are very limited. But God knows everything. And when we face difficulties and problems in our lives, it’s important to remember that God knows about all this, and then we’ll have peace within us. It’s important to remember that God knows the truth and the real meaning of what’s happening; He knows about my difficulties. People may not know and not remember me, not accept my words, but God knows; He knows the reality, so we shouldn’t be disappointed, shouldn’t suffocate, or panic, or throw a tantrum because other people don’t understand us. Let them not understand. It’s impossible for other people to understand us, especially for everyone to understand us. When God came to earth, the perfect God, He spoke and acted divinely; all of His deeds and words were perfect, but people didn’t accept Him. Is it really possible to be accepted when we turn everything upside down because of every little thing? However, God knows our human flaws, but he also knows our hearts. He knows our deeds, our sorrows, our difficulties. We have talked about how the word “tribulations” is a strong word, describing exhaustion, weariness, longing. God also knows our poverty. https://preview.redd.it/69r4mjizox0d1.png?width=700&format=png&auto=webp&s=18ce3bd5e79d753e437988b88c62f92fd5cb7716 Here, in this verse, it’s not talking about spiritual poverty. This bishop wasn’t spiritually poor, as described below. Here it’s talking about material poverty. He was poor; the Church there was very poor. The early years of the Church, the persecution… Some people say: “And why does the Church need money?” Okay, it doesn’t need it, but you don’t need it either. You also can live on a piece of bread a day; you won’t die. But if you need to build a house or something else, then you’ll need to have money. So the Church sometimes needs to do some things, and so it needs money. If it doesn’t have money, it won’t be able to do it. If it doesn’t, the world won’t collapse. But this is really one of the difficulties. The Lord says to the bishop: “I know about your poverty, but you’re rich. Despite the fact that you’re in material poverty, you’re rich.” And then the Lord explains why he’s rich. It can happen that a man is both poor and rich at the same time. There can also be the opposite situation, when a man is very rich, but at the same time he’s immensely poor: When he’s swimming in millions, but at the same time unhappy, stingy, greedy—then he’s poor, naked, and exhausted. He’s neither happy with money (he’s stingy, and so he gets no pleasure from it) nor does he have the Kingdom of Heaven, because he doesn’t use money with spiritual reasoning. He thinks he’ll take it with him. Why does God call the Bishop of the Church of Smyrna rich? He’s beset, condemned, fought against—the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. The Jews believed they were the chosen people of God. But the chosen people of God aren’t those who descended from Israel and have a hereditary, genealogical connection with it, but those who do the works of God. A Christian is more than a person who is baptized, goes to church, who keeps some rule according to the typikon. He is someone who has Christ within himself, who lives by the grace of God. The Jews were the people of God. The crucifixion of Christ severed their connection with God. They crossed over to the other side themselves, shaking off this Divine blessing from themselves. Now the chosen people are no longer the Jews, or the Greeks, or any other people, but the Church, which is beyond the bounds of nationality or family, and which embraces the entire world. Christians, the children of the Church, are the people of God. “A rebellion against you has been started by those who call themselves Jews, but who are not, but rather a satanic assembly.” You see, in Revelation, Christ speaks descriptively, using periphrases. He doesn’t speak vaguely, politely, as we would, but He speaks about things as they are. He says: “It’s not an assembly of God’s people, but an assembly of satan.” Why? Because they do the works of Satan; they have Satan within them. Because these are people who have betrayed themselves to Satan and act against God. When we hear such conversations, let us not be taken in by false politeness. Sometimes we need to speak the truth, and not play false love by adding syrup everywhere. Everyone is good, everyone should be loved. Of course, everything is fine, wonderful, and holy, but there are also some truths. When God speaks of truth, it doesn’t mean that He insults a man. He doesn’t speak for the purpose of insulting, of shooting lightning at someone, or condemning him, but for the purpose of waking him up. God says such things to make people come to their senses. Christ speaks in such a way so as to convey to this bishop a true understanding of things, so he wouldn’t start wondering: “Maybe there’s some kind of compromise? Maybe I should give in on something, discuss some issues?” No, it’s an assembly of satan. There is no compromise. St. Nicholas strikes Arius In verse 10, Christ continues: Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. Fear nothing. You still have much to endure (meaning the bishop of those who make up the satanic assembly), but fear nothing. The Lord doesn’t say this because he’ll escape sufferings—no. He’ll suffer. This bishop is Polycarp. At the time that the Apostle John wrote this epistle, the bishop in Smyrna was St. Polycarp, whose memory we celebrate, and whose life ended with a martyr’s crown. He was killed, burned; he ended his life in torments. Christ doesn’t say He'll help him avoid this—no. He doesn’t say: “Don’t be afraid, they won’t do anything to you. I’ll save you from them.” Rather, He says: “Don’t be afraid of what’s going to happen. You’ll endure all of this. You won’t manage to avoid anything. They’ll burn you alive.” Bishop Polycarp was indeed burned alive. God doesn’t deliver him from torment, but tells him not to be afraid, but to endure. Why? Further, we read: Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life (Rev. 2:10). Satan is planning to take some of you and put you in prison; he will tempt you; you will endure many trials in prison and will have great tribulation that will last ten days. We don’t know for sure if the torments lasted for ten days, but most likely the Lord speaks of ten days to show that this period of trials will continue for a certain time—it won’t be forever. And then what? Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. “No matter what, remain faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life.” It doesn’t mean that you have to be faithful only unto death. You have to remain faithful even if death threatens you, until death, and God will give you a crown of life. This is the message Christ leaves for the Bishop of Smyrna: “Remain faithful. Don’t be afraid. Don’t give in to cowardice.” And indeed, he remained faithful, and accepted death in torments in deep old age, like St. Voukolos, whom we spoke about before—the Bishop of Ephesus. He also suffered and received a crown of life. There was an old monk on the Holy Mountain where we lived, in New Skete. He lived in a cave; his name was Averkios. He was very simple, illiterate; he lived in complete poverty in his cave. When he would come to our skete church for Vigil or Liturgy, he always sat behind everyone, taking the very last stasidia. What kind of work did he do? He gathered wild grass in the desert. There was little soil there—it’s mostly rocky, but little grass grew, and it was very valuable for the fathers.1 And he collected snails. He sold them to the fathers for a little money, so he would have a little something to feed himself with. This Elder Averkios, very virtuous, poor, living in a cave, was standing in his spot in the darkness at the end of the church during Vigil once, when only the lampadas were burning. He unexpectedly got up from his seat and headed straight for the altar, to the altar table. The fathers were very agitated. Only priests go there—ordinary monks don’t go into the altar. What happened? Did he go crazy? They saw him go in, make a prostration, and start talking with someone. Then he came back out, and the fathers stopped him, asking him what happened and why he went into the altar in the middle of the service. He replied: “Nothing happened. The bishop called me.” “What bishop called you? Did you see some bishop here?” “What, didn’t you see the bishop who was here in church?” “We didn’t see any bishop.” “He came into the church, called for me, and I went in. I prostrated to him and kissed his hand. He asked my name. I said, ‘Monk Averkios, Your Grace.’ He took and wrote my name on a board.2 He showed me the board and asked if I saw my name. I said, ‘I see it, Your Grace.’ ‘What’s written here?’ ‘Monk Averkios.’ ‘I have written your name in the Book of the Living.’” New Skete, Mt. Athos The next day, Fr. Averkios reposed. He left with that message. So, to whoever remains faithful to death, Christ will give the crown of life. And that’s the most important thing for us—to have the crown of life. All the rest is vanity. Collect as much as you want of whatever you want. Do what you want. But if you depart from this world without having the crown of life, then you’re pitiful, poor, and ill-fated. And if you have the crown of life, you have this blessing of God, the notification that you’ve defeated death, that you’ve overcome it and that you’ll be with God eternally. Then you haven’t lost in your life. All the difficulties and trials that you’ve overcome have their reward in the Kingdom of God. At the same time, we must know that our faith doesn’t depend on favorable circumstances and convenient situations: I don’t believe only when things are good for me and when I want everything to work out well. We often sin this way. As soon as something starts going wrong, we immediately take offense at God. We blame God for everything. Understandably, we’re weak people, we have our difficulties. But if you don’t decide for yourself that you’ll remain faithful to death, then you’ll start grumbling at the smallest thing that comes your way. Then, with every little thing you’ll start saying, “Oh, I can’t; it’s too hard for me,” and so on. And if you say to yourself from the very beginning: “I will remain unto death. I won’t back down. I’ll die, but I won’t back down,” then anything that happens to you before death will seem easy. You’ll say, “I haven’t died from it yet.” They may have slandered, condemned, imprisoned, or driven you out, but they haven’t killed you yet. You need the determination to stand unto the very death. That means that we must remain faithful until the end of our lives and must be ready to suffer for our faith. To be continued… Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol 1 The grass is boiled and eaten (for example, the leaves of young dandelions). 2 On the Holy Mountain, they have these boards in the altar with the names of people who will be commemorated at the Liturgy. |
2024.05.17 08:05 Warbly-Luxe (Posting here because r/ADHD is a little hush about talking about meds) How quickly would I know if I have an adverse reaction to stimulant medication, such as what a non-ADHDer would experience? I have been told different things by different providers.
TL;DR. Tried stimulant medication for ADHD a few months ago, an evaluator not giving me the ADHD diagnosis but said I could try meds to see how I reacted. I felt it improved my focus and mental function, but had to discontinue after three days due to anxiety side effect, and a side effect of forgetting about my dogs and being surprised to see them. Wanting to know if the three days would be enough to be confident of my brain being ADHD because non-stimulant options don’t seem strong enough to be able to get a job and then do well in a job. I am thinking about trying stimulants again but want to stop stressing about whether I will react horribly to the meds if I don’t have ADHD.
A few months ago, my PA said that I could try a stimulant (I will name the med if asked but I am not sure if it is allowed to openly share; I didn’t see in the rules but I want to be safe). The evaluator I saw said that I could try stimulants to see how I react and if I basically did stuff like stare at the hairs on my arm for hours then I am not ADHD (now realizing it was not a complete evaluation because it was a conversational interview that only lasted for two hours and the reasons I wasn’t diagnosed with Autism and ADHD came down to the evaluator’s bias). I ended up having to go off of the stimulant because it increased my anxiety and I wasn’t on a good anxiety med to handle it, but for three days I took it and I felt like it did improve my mental function a bit until it wore off, and then the anxiety just crashed in. It did also have a secondary side effect where I seemed to forget about my dogs, and then I would see them and be surprised by seeing them.
But, the part I am not sure about is that my PA told me that I would know pretty quickly how I would react (whether it is within the realm of ADHD response or not). But then my therapist at the time told me a week, and then a month to be sure. It was also a trial to see if I had a psychotic disorder or bipolar, which I was diagnosed with by a previous PA but ADHD started seeming like a better explanation, so that was additionally stressful. So, I don’t know if those three days would be enough to know.
I am asking because I have started on a Strattera and Welbutrin combo since January / February (Welbutrin as a part of Auvelity, which is a combo med with Dextromethorphan) and been on them for a few months and now pretty stable. They work well together for my anxiety and depression, as well as some of my executive function. But I am currently unemployed and know that I am not at the point where I would be able to focus in a job very easily.
I struggled in school because I would always need to be doing something engaging (like be on my computer, usually not taking notes) to be able to sit still in lectures and even discussion classes. I always felt like I was running a marathon and constantly losing track of everything. I often did work that felt half-assed, and I could not keep up with readings. And my tutoring job where I sat in on the classes I was tutoring for always ended with me being on my computer working on my creative writing until I could help out in class.
So, even with the non-stimulant medication, I am pretty certain I will struggle in the same ways in any job I get, no matter how hard I try. Even now, I need to wait for my brain to feel it’s the “right time” to write cover letters and apply for jobs. Otherwise, it feels like that course of action is completely blocked off and I haven’t yet found a modality that gets me to being able to do more applications quicker. I don’t think this is Demand Avoidance, but more that my brain just isn’t in the right place to be able to talk about myself and find the right words to put on paper and the page is hard to stare at and think of words, if that makes sense. Even when I have a basic template.
It just feels like my only option is to try stimulants again while I have the non-stimulants on board, but I am not even confident the Strattera would be enough to handle the increase in anxiety, because it was a lot. Like the valve broke and the anxiety got all over the floor in my brain and started flooding, figuratively. So, I am just a little stressed to try that again, but I feel it would be good to know if the three days were enough to be sure of an ADHD brain because then maybe I could not stress about trying a different stimulant so much and being worried I would zone out looking at the hairs on my arm for hours.
submitted by Warbly-Luxe to AutisticWithADHD [link] [comments]
But, the part I am not sure about is that my PA told me that I would know pretty quickly how I would react (whether it is within the realm of ADHD response or not). But then my therapist at the time told me a week, and then a month to be sure. It was also a trial to see if I had a psychotic disorder or bipolar, which I was diagnosed with by a previous PA but ADHD started seeming like a better explanation, so that was additionally stressful. So, I don’t know if those three days would be enough to know.
I am asking because I have started on a Strattera and Welbutrin combo since January / February (Welbutrin as a part of Auvelity, which is a combo med with Dextromethorphan) and been on them for a few months and now pretty stable. They work well together for my anxiety and depression, as well as some of my executive function. But I am currently unemployed and know that I am not at the point where I would be able to focus in a job very easily.
I struggled in school because I would always need to be doing something engaging (like be on my computer, usually not taking notes) to be able to sit still in lectures and even discussion classes. I always felt like I was running a marathon and constantly losing track of everything. I often did work that felt half-assed, and I could not keep up with readings. And my tutoring job where I sat in on the classes I was tutoring for always ended with me being on my computer working on my creative writing until I could help out in class.
So, even with the non-stimulant medication, I am pretty certain I will struggle in the same ways in any job I get, no matter how hard I try. Even now, I need to wait for my brain to feel it’s the “right time” to write cover letters and apply for jobs. Otherwise, it feels like that course of action is completely blocked off and I haven’t yet found a modality that gets me to being able to do more applications quicker. I don’t think this is Demand Avoidance, but more that my brain just isn’t in the right place to be able to talk about myself and find the right words to put on paper and the page is hard to stare at and think of words, if that makes sense. Even when I have a basic template.
It just feels like my only option is to try stimulants again while I have the non-stimulants on board, but I am not even confident the Strattera would be enough to handle the increase in anxiety, because it was a lot. Like the valve broke and the anxiety got all over the floor in my brain and started flooding, figuratively. So, I am just a little stressed to try that again, but I feel it would be good to know if the three days were enough to be sure of an ADHD brain because then maybe I could not stress about trying a different stimulant so much and being worried I would zone out looking at the hairs on my arm for hours.
2024.05.17 07:33 Joshh170 Deltarune Chapter 4 and 5 Update News Shared by Developer
 | Toby Fox, director of the beloved episodic indie RPG Deltarune, recently gave fans an important update about the game's fourth and fifth chapters. Deltarune's release has been spread out over the last few years, due to its episodic nature and release schedule. The first chapter was shadow-dropped in 2018, much to the surprise and hype of the Undertale fanbase. Deltarune's second chapter was released in 2021 with a similarly shadow-dropped launch, with fans giving it an immense amount of praise. Now fans are eagerly anticipating the release of the game's next batch of chapters. submitted by Joshh170 to GameGeeks [link] [comments] Toby Fox has been providing fans with a steady stream of updates through both social media and a personal newsletter that fans can subscribe to. These periodic newsletters gave fans insight into the development of Deltarune's future chapters, with the previous update in February indicating that the third chapter was "content complete," and it was nearing the final stages of development. The latest Spring Newsletter brings fans a lot of good news regarding Chapters 4-5. In Toby Fox's Spring 2024 Newsletter, he shares that the development team has gotten bigger, with some new hires being brought on-board. While these new members haven't been on the team for long, Fox credits them for making a huge difference, with the producer's objective to "finish the game before we become old and wrinkled," to which Fox agreed. As such, Fox says that the development of Deltarune's fourth chapter has been "better than ever," and that the team are on their way to meeting their internal deadline. He also shares what has been finished for Chapter 4, including the cutscenes, battles, overworld, and gimmicks. Progress on Deltarune Chapters 4 and 5 Cutscenes: Only a few ones left to finish, some need polish Battles: All the attacks are technically done, bosses need polish Overworld: 10 maps need to be created, some need polish Gimmicks: One complicated gimmick has nearly all of its iterations made, some need to go in the maps (eg. Teacup ride from Chapter 2) Toby Fox hopes that by the next newsletter, Chapter 4 will be complete enough for a first pass for the game to be looked at, and that some of the team will move on to the development of Chapter 5. Despite the incredible progress that Toby Fox and the team have made already, Fox says they can't discuss a release date for Deltarune's next chapter just yet, anticipating that they might run into unexpected issues during development. While Deltarune's next release is still quite far away, Fox is still excited about showing fans what he and his team have been cooking for the last few years. He notes that the team are "on fire" and don't want to burn out fans while waiting for Deltarune Chapter 3 and 4. Fox also shared a number of other collaborations and anecdotes outside Deltarune, such as a story about how he got to work with Hololive VTuber Amane Kanata for a song. |
2024.05.17 06:40 Party-Watercress7123 Cerence $CRNC CFO quits on May 17th effective immediately. This stock is bust.
From Boom To Bust: Cerence’s Declining Market Share And Financial Turmoil — Shall I hold or exit?
https://medium.com/@jasonlewis01981/from-boom-to-bust-cerence-looses-major-oems-5a9872e1b4f7In the dynamic realm of finance, few narratives resonate as deeply as the journey of Cerence Inc. (CRNC). Once hailed as a burgeoning force in automotive software under past leadership, boasting a market capitalization exceeding $4 billion, CRNC has since nosedived to a fraction of its former value, hovering at less than $400 million. Shareholders find themselves grappling with significant losses amidst this staggering downturn.
I started investing in the company around Feb 2021, when stock was around $120 and since then the stock has come down to $9.60 range. This has made me do a deeper analysis on what went wrong here.
Amidst the wreckage, several conspicuous elements emerge: the CEO Stefan Ortmann’s hefty $14 million yearly compensation, misleading market share with one-time revenue accounting creating false sense of growth, high-profile executives departures — prompting serious inquiries regarding accountability and the erosion of value.
In 2019, Cerence CRNC was spun off from Nuance Communications to become an independent company, focusing on automotive voice assistant technology. Cerence’s product is speech recognition solutions for automotive OEMs. Automotive voice assistants offer a range of features designed to enhance the driving experience and improve safety. These include voice-activated navigation, real-time traffic updates, personalized recommendations, smart home integration, remote vehicle control (such as locking/unlocking doors or starting the engine), and proactive assistance (such as reminders for scheduled maintenance or refueling).
Competition
The top voice assistants with which Cerence Voice Assistant competes with include the top players like -
- Amazon Alexa: Developed by Amazon, Alexa powers the Echo line of smart speakers and a wide range of third-party devices. It offers extensive skills and integrations with various smart home devices, services, and applications.
- Google Assistant: Integrated into Google Home speakers, Android devices, Android Automotive and an array of third-party products, Google Assistant provides robust voice interaction, search capabilities, and smart home control and also is available through Android Auto in automotive.
- Apple Siri: Siri is Apple’s voice assistant, available on iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watch, HomePod, and AirPods. It is enabled in Automotive through Car Play and offers features like voice commands, reminders, and smart home control.
- Apple Car Play & Android Auto — Freely available on all user iOS and Android phones and can be connected to car infotainment using Bluetooth.
Stock Performance
Cerence’s CRNC stock performance has been dismal in recent years, reflecting the company’s declining revenue and bookings, along with confusing metrics and contract consolidations. The stock has plummeted by 63.23% over the past year.
Stock Performance over 3 years
Here’s a snapshot of key points:
⦁ September 2019: Cerence’s earliest available price hovered around $10.57.
⦁ June 2020: The stock experienced a significant surge, reaching $40.09, peaking at $71.81 by November 2020.
⦁ January 2021: Cerence reached its pinnacle at $112.15, followed by a further climb to $120.32 in February 2021.
⦁ Mid-2021: Subsequently, there was a gradual decline, with the stock dropping to $88.31 by May 2021.
⦁ February 2022: Cerence’s stock sharply declined to $45.48.
⦁ June 2023: Despite intermittent recoveries, the stock briefly rose to $30.38 in June 2023.
⦁ January 2024: However, the price saw another downturn, hitting $19.67 in January 2024, and has since continued its descent, currently resting at $9.60.
Decline in Market Share
The decline from its peak could be attributed to Cerence CRNC losing its major market share to competitors and alternative free technology. A cursory examination of the top worldwide Automotive OEMs and their chosen Voice Assistant technology reveals that Cerence technology is no longer preferred by these OEMs.
Below is a table showcasing the top OEMs along with the Voice Assistant technology they currently utilize.
Voice Assistant Adoption by Top Global OEMs
Between late 2021 and early 2022, Burlington-based digital assistant software maker Cerence experienced a wave of high-profile executive departures. This exodus indicates a lack of confidence among management regarding the CEO’s direction & technology failures, as they chose not to align with the company’s vision. As CRNC shares trade well below their initial public offering price, investors have suffered losses. Meanwhile, Stefan Ortmanns, who has lead this Business Unit since Nuance Communications spinoff in 2021, was generously compensated by Cerence’s board. According to a public securities filing dated Jan. 5, he earned approximately $14.4 million in total compensation last year, a significant increase from his $5.3 million total pay in 2022. This discrepancy raises questions about the CRNC board’s approach to rewarding performance.
Cerence Financials
10 Q Financials
Upon closer examination of the chart above, it reveals that the company’s revenue for 2023 amounted to $294 million. However, for fiscal year 2024, CRNC provided guidance for full-year revenue in the range of $355–375 million, suggesting a growth rate of over 20–27%. Yet, this projection includes $77.7 million of deferred revenue accelerated due to an early termination agreement related to the Toyota “Legacy” contract, as well as $20 million from fixed contracts. Consequently, the expected revenue for CRNC in 2024 is effectively $257 million, indicating a decline of $37 million compared to 2023, representing a -13% decrease in revenue.
If you take into effect the above, the revenue table should look like this
Updated Revenue Based on Adjustments from 10Q
A quick look at CRNC KPI metrics disclosed by CEO & CFO shows how continently bookings number has been eliminated from the metrics. If you look in the past CRNC under previous CEO Sanjay Dhawan, reported a clear bookings number and outstanding backlog number.
Company Presentation — missing information
Valuation/Pricing
My target price for CRNC is determined by several assumptions for both bullish and bearish scenarios of the FY 2024 projection, extending into FY 2025. In the bear scenario (with an 80% probability), it is assumed that CRNC will achieve an actual revenue of $250 million for FY 2024 (not misled number of $355m), with a further reduction in forecasted revenue to $200 million -$220 million for FY 2025. Utilizing the latest data and the Causal Intelligence Model, which considers various economic indicators and their intricate interrelations, the forecast for Cerence Inc. stock over the next 12 months, beginning with the current stock price of $9.62, is as follows.
6 months stock analysis
The Bottom Line
In conclusion, I remain unconvinced about CRNC as a short-term or long-term potential investment.
Through my own journey, I’ve learned the importance of delving beyond surface presentations and digging into the underlying figures. Cerence’s recent announcement of their Large Language Model, a technology every OEM is pursuing either through partnership with Microsoft or by utilizing low-barrier tools like ChatGPT AI for assistant development, lacks a compelling narrative. The current leadership’s lack of experience in crafting winning propositions or securing new contracts has already diluted shareholder value and will continue to erode further, unless an activist steps in.
Moreover, the company’s challenges in monetizing its vision cast doubt on its capacity for sustainable growth and profitability. Consequently, I recommend investors approach this stock with caution and consider avoiding it altogether.From Boom To Bust: Cerence’s Declining Market Share And Financial Turmoil — Shall I hold or exit?
2024.05.17 06:38 Alternative-Comb4134 Extreme Nervous System Disregulation
 | Please tell me I'm not the only one with this issue... I feel absolutely and utterly alone and at a loss...I need to know that someone else has had or has my symptoms, and that it gets better.... submitted by Alternative-Comb4134 to LongCovid [link] [comments] I have the extreme fear that I'm going to die of a heart attack or stroke or something daily, and especially when left along, even though I've been tested and am in near perfect health at the moment. back story i was always a REALLY healthy and active kid. Ate very healthy, no soda, no dyes, no junk food, etc. Always outside playing sports, or climbing things. Got more then a cold maybe 5 times up until about 15, but nothing ever severe... Until now. It first started out in October of 2021, when i think i got covid? I was down for a day with what i thought was food poisoning because my partner and their kid got it too. Throwing up, couldn't keep water down, the whole deal. Next day i was groggy, but still able to work fine. Then a couple days later i lost my taste for 2 days. It came back normal, no other symptoms and never got tested, then about 3 months later i fully lost my taste & smell for damn near 6 months. Afterwards everything tasted foul, especially chicken, and it wasn't for about 4 months after that, that i regained normal taste & smell. Fast forward to august of 2023 i got a small bowel infection (no idea what caused it) that landed me in the hospital for 3 days. A few weeks later i had a triggerless panic attack (minus trouble breathing, that was always normal with them thankfully) That lasted about 15 minutes. Then no more for about a month. Then end of September of 23, i had to be picked up from work due to a triggerless panic attack that almost made me pass out. After being picked up, my mom drove me to the ER, and while having these triggerless panic attacks that lowered my oxygen levels down to about 88%, all they told me is "you just have high anxiety" and sent me home. We later found out i was nearly malnurished (i weighed 125lbs, which was a normal weight for me) from the bowel infection, very dehydrated (at that point in time i lived off of energy drinks and vaped a bit), and had a severe potassium & magnesium deficiency, and had extreme gut issues. I was needing to eat every 2 hours to keep from keeling over, but i was eating chicken unfortunately. We didn't know it at the time, but that would later be my downfall. We slowly started healing my gut, and getting my potassium & magnesium levels up throughout October of 23. But November threw a curve ball. I started getting whacky anxiety (and extreme at that. I never really had anxiety, so it was odd), and panic whenever left alone. I just thought it was ptsd from almost dying by myself in early october. But it started getting progressively worse each day I had a full blood panel done at the end of December of 23, and almost everything was normal. My iron was low (i was 21, lowest before anemic was 18, and high was 180 ish), b12 was high (high was 1,230 and i was about 1,370 Ish), which was odd because i wasn't taking a b12 supplement, and my tsh was high, meaning my thyroid was out of whack, but everything else was NORMAL, and actually near perfect. January comes along and i go to a G.I. specialist (a huge waste of money), and she told me to try an antihistamine for my anxiety, and gave me claritin. F that stuff! I took 1/3 of a tablet, and felt like crap for about an hour after taking it, then a few hours later felt normal. So the next day i took the other 2/3 and that was a mistake. About 20 minutes after taking it i was laying down resting and i felt like my heart was stopping and that i was being pulled from my body. I sat up quickly, and put an ice pack on my neck and that helped a bit. A few days later i got prescribed hydroxyzine 10mg as needed by my therapist and that was a miracle. It fixed the what i later found out to be histamine flare ups, instantly. That worked for about a month, then it started making me feel like my body was relaxing too much, and the next day after that it stopped working. February of this year (2024) my entire nervous system went into overdrive more then i thought was possible, and my anxiety would turn into an irrational fear that if i was alone even for someone to go to the bathroom, i would die. I call this dino brain. Dino brain would get so bad that i could stub my toe and it would make me feel like i was about to pass out and die (extreme heat flashes, tunnel or spinning vision, feeling like my body was disconnecting, and an all around feeling of something's wrong). The only thing helped those episodes was ice packs everywhere, and laying on the floor while elevating my feet. It got so bad that i wasn't able to even leave the house to sit out on my porch. Couldn't watch movies that had suspense, couldn't listen to music, and couldnt do anything that involved using my eyes (tv, phone, reading, puzzles, etc). We found out i have a harsh reaction to D3. I tried taking a D3 liquid form mixed with water (so very diluted) and it sent me into a huge near fainting episode within minutes of trying the smallest sip ever. And i can't eat any chicken or turkey, whatsoever. It will send me into a near fainting episode as well. No idea as to why. Fast forward to today: My nervous system started attempting to regulate about a week ago. I've been listening to healing tones 423hz at night and during the day to attempt to regulate or soothe my nervous system. About 10 days ago i had the worst mental breakdown of my entire life. I was extremely depressed, defeated, didn't care what happened to my anymore, i couldn't stop crying, i felt absolutly alone, i was infuriated, and without any answers as to why this happened or how to fix it. As of today, i can watch a bit of TV, sew, be on my phone a bit, and listen to my old music again. But i still can't leave my home. Aside from occasionally (and i do mean that lightly) taking my dog downstairs to go potty (i have a family member who takes him on walks, and takes him potty many times a day since i can't), i haven't left my house more then 2x in the past almost 4 months. I have to have groceries delivered, i can barely sit out on my porch to play board games, and I've gone to get the mail maybe 5 times in the last 2 months. I also have extreme trouble talking to new people now, it'll start to trigger the nervous system And I'll have to go back inside and put ice packs on my forehead or back of my neck to Calm down. Which sucks because i need other human interaction aside from my partner and parent. I eat 3 times daily plus one snack, all healthy balanced meals. Some meats, veggies, fruits, etc. I also have been eating oranges after my meals to improve stomach acid and that's helped immensely. I drink half a gal of water with mineral electrolytes daily. I take about 3,000+ mg of potassium daily (between vitamins, foods, and my electrolytes), around 1,700mg of sodium, 900mg of magnesium glycinate, 2,250mg of vitamin C, 30,000IU of vitamin A, 1,200IU of vitamin E, 50mg of zinc, 120mg of iron, 500mg of B1, 2 pills of ultra Omega 3 (500EPA/250DHA). I know i need to increase my potassium & sodium to 4,000mg of potassium, and 2,000mg of sodium, it's a slow work in progress. I still have to be careful with what i eat, and do. Now even though I'm healthy finally (just need some improvement), i still have the inability to leave my house. Mainly from fear, fear of having an episode outside where i don't have all my comfort tools, and in an environment i can't control. Living with those episodes for so long, day in day out, And loosing sleep, Really drained me. I don't want to do anything that could cause an episode, but at the same time, I'm so fed up with being inside all day every day. I feel like I'm going insane honestly. I miss being able to hike and walk my dog. He's done so much for me, He's a multipurpose service dog in training (balance assistance, cardiac alert, and whatever the hell these episodes are alert), and he's quite literally saved my life and kept me alive more then once, and i feel GOD AWFUL that I'm not who i used to be. That i can't take him potty by myself, or go on walks, hell play with his tug toy with him anymore. He's well taken care of thanks to my parent, but i still feel awful. I just need to know that I'll be able to go back to my old life someday soon. I need to know there's hope... |
2024.05.17 06:34 Party-Watercress7123 From Boom To Bust: Cerence’s Declining Market Share And Financial Turmoil — Revolving CFO doors
 | In the dynamic realm of finance, few narratives resonate as deeply as the journey of Cerence Inc. (CRNC). Once hailed as a burgeoning force in automotive software under past leadership, boasting a market capitalization exceeding $4 billion, CRNC has since nosedived to a fraction of its former value, hovering at less than $400 million. Shareholders find themselves grappling with significant losses amidst this staggering downturn. submitted by Party-Watercress7123 to wallstreet [link] [comments] I started investing in the company around Feb 2021, when stock was around $120 and since then the stock has come down to $9.60 range. This has made me do a deeper analysis on what went wrong here. Amidst the wreckage, several conspicuous elements emerge: the CEO Stefan Ortmann’s hefty $14 million yearly compensation, misleading market share with one-time revenue accounting creating false sense of growth, high-profile executives departures — prompting serious inquiries regarding accountability and the erosion of value. In 2019, Cerence CRNC was spun off from Nuance Communications to become an independent company, focusing on automotive voice assistant technology. Cerence’s product is speech recognition solutions for automotive OEMs. Automotive voice assistants offer a range of features designed to enhance the driving experience and improve safety. These include voice-activated navigation, real-time traffic updates, personalized recommendations, smart home integration, remote vehicle control (such as locking/unlocking doors or starting the engine), and proactive assistance (such as reminders for scheduled maintenance or refueling). Competition The top voice assistants with which Cerence Voice Assistant competes with include the top players like - 1) Amazon Alexa: Developed by Amazon, Alexa powers the Echo line of smart speakers and a wide range of third-party devices. It offers extensive skills and integrations with various smart home devices, services, and applications. 2) Google Assistant: Integrated into Google Home speakers, Android devices, Android Automotive and an array of third-party products, Google Assistant provides robust voice interaction, search capabilities, and smart home control and also is available through Android Auto in automotive. 3) Apple Siri: Siri is Apple’s voice assistant, available on iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watch, HomePod, and AirPods. It is enabled in Automotive through Car Play and offers features like voice commands, reminders, and smart home control. 4) Apple Car Play & Android Auto — Freely available on all user iOS and Android phones and can be connected to car infotainment using Bluetooth. Until 2020, Cerence products dominated the OEM market but have since ceded ground to free and alternative solutions. By the end of 2023, 98% of new cars supported either Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, indispensable features for nearly 80% of new car buyers. These smartphone integration platforms offer seamless connectivity, contrasting with Cerence’s in-car voice assistant, which lags in technology and performance. Comparatively, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto provide superior user experiences and seamless connectivity through Bluetooth. A simple test is to reflect on one’s usage and experience with the in-built car voice assistant versus home assistants like Google or Alexa, or Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Stock Performance Cerence’s CRNC stock performance has been dismal in recent years, reflecting the company’s declining revenue and bookings, along with confusing metrics and contract consolidations. The stock has plummeted by 63.23% over the past year. Stock Performance over 3 years Here’s a snapshot of key points: ⦁ September 2019: Cerence’s earliest available price hovered around $10.57. ⦁ June 2020: The stock experienced a significant surge, reaching $40.09, peaking at $71.81 by November 2020. ⦁ January 2021: Cerence reached its pinnacle at $112.15, followed by a further climb to $120.32 in February 2021. ⦁ Mid-2021: Subsequently, there was a gradual decline, with the stock dropping to $88.31 by May 2021. ⦁ February 2022: Cerence’s stock sharply declined to $45.48. ⦁ June 2023: Despite intermittent recoveries, the stock briefly rose to $30.38 in June 2023. ⦁ January 2024: However, the price saw another downturn, hitting $19.67 in January 2024, and has since continued its descent, currently resting at $9.60. Decline in Market Share The decline from its peak could be attributed to Cerence CRNC losing its major market share to competitors and alternative free technology. A cursory examination of the top worldwide Automotive OEMs and their chosen Voice Assistant technology reveals that Cerence technology is no longer preferred by these OEMs. Below is a table showcasing the top OEMs along with the Voice Assistant technology they currently utilize. https://preview.redd.it/8iprqmmi0x0d1.jpg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c6dbf6090b7c12e127c3f19a256b24b7adf8e8cd https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1280/format:webp/0*6TJbKyE39k1yCyJ9.png Between late 2021 and early 2022, Burlington-based digital assistant software maker Cerence experienced a wave of high-profile executive departures. This exodus indicates a lack of confidence among management regarding the CEO’s direction & technology failures, as they chose not to align with the company’s vision. As CRNC shares trade well below their initial public offering price, investors have suffered losses. Meanwhile, Stefan Ortmanns, who has lead this Business Unit since Nuance Communications spinoff in 2021, was generously compensated by Cerence’s board. According to a public securities filing dated Jan. 5, he earned approximately $14.4 million in total compensation last year, a significant increase from his $5.3 million total pay in 2022. This discrepancy raises questions about the CRNC board’s approach to rewarding performance. Cerence Financials 10 Q Financials Upon closer examination of the chart above, it reveals that the company’s revenue for 2023 amounted to $294 million. However, for fiscal year 2024, CRNC provided guidance for full-year revenue in the range of $355–375 million, suggesting a growth rate of over 20–27%. Yet, this projection includes $77.7 million of deferred revenue accelerated due to an early termination agreement related to the Toyota “Legacy” contract, as well as $20 million from fixed contracts. Consequently, the expected revenue for CRNC in 2024 is effectively $257 million, indicating a decline of $37 million compared to 2023, representing a -13% decrease in revenue. If you take into effect the above, the revenue table should look like this Updated Revenue Based on Adjustments from 10Q A quick look at CRNC KPI metrics disclosed by CEO & CFO shows how continently bookings number has been eliminated from the metrics. If you look in the past CRNC under previous CEO Sanjay Dhawan, reported a clear bookings number and outstanding backlog number. Company Presentation — missing information Valuation/Pricing My target price for CRNC is determined by several assumptions for both bullish and bearish scenarios of the FY 2024 projection, extending into FY 2025. In the bear scenario (with an 80% probability), it is assumed that CRNC will achieve an actual revenue of $250 million for FY 2024 (not misled number of $355m), with a further reduction in forecasted revenue to $200 million -$220 million for FY 2025. Utilizing the latest data and the Causal Intelligence Model, which considers various economic indicators and their intricate interrelations, the forecast for Cerence Inc. stock over the next 12 months, beginning with the current stock price of $9.62, is as follows. 6 months stock analysis The Bottom Line In conclusion, I remain unconvinced about CRNC as a short-term or long-term potential investment. Through my own journey, I’ve learned the importance of delving beyond surface presentations and digging into the underlying figures. Cerence’s recent announcement of their Large Language Model, a technology every OEM is pursuing either through partnership with Microsoft or by utilizing low-barrier tools like ChatGPT AI for assistant development, lacks a compelling narrative. The current leadership’s lack of experience in crafting winning propositions or securing new contracts has already diluted shareholder value and will continue to erode further, unless an activist steps in. Moreover, the company’s challenges in monetizing its vision cast doubt on its capacity for sustainable growth and profitability. Consequently, I recommend investors approach this stock with caution and consider avoiding it altogether. |
2024.05.17 05:44 MatterBeautiful1725 pls read
i am recently going through a tough time and i’m faced with making a choice. i’m 18 yrs old and moved to the U.S. when i was 9 years old on and overstayed my visa with my mom and three other siblings. my dad had family over here and he was looking for a change of pace, so we moved shortly after. when my family and i lived in mexico we moved around a lot and even moved to cancun for a year, we were used to change. we ended up here in the U.S. more specifically TX, and i’ve lived here ever since. recently i moved back with my parents beginning of 2024 and late February my dad found out my mom was having an affair with one of his best friends and colleague. my dad and him shared a business. point is now my dad wants to pack up take his money and move to cancun, my mom is on board and my younger sister is still 17 so she has no choice but to go. if i stay here in the U.S. i won’t be able to go see them since we’re not U.S. citizens and they won’t be able to visit. my older brother is staying and my older sister & i are torn. there’s pros and cons to staying and leaving with them, im just not sure what to do. message me if you’re willing to give advice :) thank you
submitted by MatterBeautiful1725 to helpme [link] [comments]
2024.05.17 05:42 Lonely_Code Let’s talk about the realties of the ongoings with GenderGP
TL;DR - Stop letting cis people hold all the power over your access to care. GenderGP has failed our community and that’s it.
Like the title says, let’s talk about GenderGP.
Not about the information I can’t share due to contractual obligations, but the things I can that are a public detriment and largely ethical issues that impact your continuity of care and community safely.
I’m really not interested in someone here gaslighting what all my colleagues went through, telling us to get over it, move on, and enabling Helen to continue what she’s doing with zero accountability.
So please, don’t belittle the absolutely horrific experience we went through because bootlicking Helen sounds more favourable.
In January 2024, we had enough staff. There had been large hiring in the fall to accompany the increase of received pathways. Nine new staff had been taken on from October to December. The majority being community members themselves. The workload was manageable with proper leadership and guidance.
Let’s remember that our community already deals with significant socioeconomic factors that make it difficult to find jobs at all. The large majority of us were passionate about this area of work, both because we had lived experiences, and because we wanted to make a difference in what we couldn’t achieve in public healthcare with the prevalent systemic issues. Many of us had multiple jobs or were going to school as well.
We were contractors (the people remaining still are) with limited rights. We knew what that meant. Our contracts stipulated that if we were to have our contracts ended, OR if we decided to leave the company, we’d need to give or be given 60 days notice. We could be terminated for a number of reasons, none of them listed on the contracts stated for “restructuring.” Note: all of the new contracts after spring do not have this clause, they can fire people without notice or reason, and already have.
Our entire functionality of services - from the portal that was used, CRM that existed, records, etc., was absolutely outdated, there is no denying that. There were a lot of places to pull information from that made tasks difficult. But all of the teams knew their roles and where to get the information so that while things could be improved, at least they could continue to run as they were in the meantime. We all know mistakes happen and that it’s shit when they do, but at least we could make it right the best way we could.
GGP had already dumped significant money into developing a Salesforce tool for all your CRM needs. It was getting to a point it could have been functional and ready to launch to improve everything I stated above. There was an entire experienced IT/systems development team that existed to get this prepared over the last two years. Public emails were already going to patients from the application to update details, this isn’t unknown information.
Instead of that being finalised, Helen fired the entire systems team without warning, leaving everything to do with Salesforce fucked over because no one who remained knew anything about maintaining it. She also fired the entire media and marketing team mid-last year.
She had teams that could do everything you can possibly think of that is going to shit right now.
Late last year, we all did employee surveys about our working experiences and motivation to stay with the company. The results were glowing, we were content. There would always be things we wanted to change, but that exists with any company. It’s not an attack to make suggestions, if we stay complacent in anything, it makes us ignorant to what can improve and that’s it. And as community members with lived experiences, of course we had things we’d like to change.
We were told another employee survey would be sent out in the new year, and then, all the below happened before it came out.
In late January we were told we needed to start using the Healthy Hormones website in everything we did. From the prescriptions team using it to ensure bloods were up to date, to pathology using it answer any and all questions from the page that existed, to queries using it to direct people there. And to be clear, we already did these things, it's not like the tools didn't already exist. This slowed down everyone’s work significantly, which in hindsight, feels entirely intentional at this point because then she can go and proclaim that: “Oh shucks, these changes were awfully necessary, can’t you see!”
It slowed us down because none of us were trained on any of it (new tools, website in general) and even though we all knew the answer to the situation or things being asked, they didn’t exist on the Healthy Hormones pages. So, then we would need to raise that it didn’t exist, or that a tool wasn’t accurate, or whatever the fuck else, and then wait to get a response about how to respond. A response we already knew, had accurate protocols for, and could even provide an answer ourselves if she wanted it so badly on the Healthy Hormones page. But nah, we had to wait for her to pump out a ChatGPT produced answer to advise because she thought we were idiots.
And what did ChatGPT produce? Things like claiming Spironolactone isn’t a diuretic or that GGP doesn’t prescribe diuretics, or that etc etc etc. We had clinical providers feeding us ChatGPT content to respond with instead of individually responding to patients about their results and concerns, taking zero responsibility for their tailored needs.
Oh, right, but Helen will point and say that all those posts were created by a licensed professional, so obviously it makes it a-okay then. Sure, let’s ignore that just because she signs off on something doesn’t make it any better when it has clearly not been reviewed properly. Not to mention the largely confusing non-sensical descriptions on posts that are inaccessible, ableist, and don't answer questions as they pertain to the service.
We know that ChatGPT is ethically harmful. We know that AI in general is going to cause ramifications in healthcare unregulated. We aired out concerns on this. We were ignored.
It was very clear that us needing to send everything and anything through to be put on some new website we weren’t even made aware of, was with the intention of likely getting rid of us. When raised, our HR team told us: “No, no, we’ll make sure everyone is redeployed, or that the low performers will be the only ones offboarded! Everything is totally fine.”
(Note: Yes, yes, never trust HR, many of us were well aware of this and did not put much stock in anything they said - which as of writing this, two of the three were fired too, so, fuck us all I guess.)
Now, there is something to be said about positives related to automation. There are ways to code forms to produce the data we need to properly advise on. There was a way for Helen to go about this entirely, that she was informed on by people with these expertise, that she ignored. There were way more logical ways of going about literally everything she did. However, the ethical aspects that pertain to patient centered care impose a level of responsibility that Healthy Hormones, GGP, and Helen proclaim to no longer take.
Any manner of gender affirming care should have the final treatment recommendation oversight of a qualified professional or multi-disciplinary team of qualified professionals that:
Ofc, one day the ideal world would be largely OTC HRT (remember HRT is easier to manage than diabetes and many, many other conditions), but most people aren’t ready to have that conversation.
So, with all that in mind, back to the continued fuckery of earlier this year.
Member Enrolment which was the team that used to process new intake forms and liaise internally with clinical staff to ensure any concerns were medically assessed. Their entire team was destroyed in February, without warning.
Yes, they did struggle with the ongoing forms received. However, other teams were able to shift over advisors to be able to accommodate and if there hadn’t been so much uncertainty in everything Helen was doing from the top, that could’ve been easily rectified with a change management process. Many things were easily rectified by simply utilising the people she already had and caring that they had opinions that mattered. Other teams were also in a positive position metrics-wise to be able to send advisors over to assist with the uptick.
But instead of fixing a super easy problem, she decided to make it infinitely worse and told the Member Enrolment team, without warning, in the middle of a random work day in February that they were no longer enrolment advisors and were being “redeployed” to other teams, with no training. A team of +10 people suddenly without homes and no proper HR protocols followed to ensure this didn’t completely destroy people’s morale.
We were lied to, repeatedly.
One second, HR is telling us (and if I’m being honest, I don’t blame any of them - Helen is a fucking rollercoaster and was likely changing things every two seconds and they were just the scapegoats) there is a rollout plan for the next bunch of quarters into next year and that the only time anyone would potentially lose their jobs is at the end of every quarter and it would be based on performance.
In this same messaging, we’re finally finding out (even if it was literally already launched and being used) GGP is being separated into three entities (this was posted on Healthy Hormones too). GGP would be about a community hub space, Healthy Hormones would be about facilitating the automation of care and where people were getting information, the Health & Wellbeing Directory would be a place for a host of new session types and the opportunity for us to move over and that the great majority of us would continue to have jobs.
We were a little over 100 people at the start of 2024. Over 50% of that number was the entirety of the Healthcare Admin teams - the people who handled new enrolment, general enquiries, prescriptions, pathology, learning and development, and medicines management with partners. Everyone else was the Clinical + Wellbeing Team - so our psychologist, counsellors, doctors, wellbeing advisors (people who do the Follow Up Sessions, previous Ask Us Anything) and nurses.
The next second, we’re being told that a number of people would be imminently offboarded, a number somewhere in the double digits. We were told it could be anyone from the most recently onboarded staff, part timers, or based on poor performance. Immediately, all of our teams grew frantic about the uncertainty and (un)shockingly morale continued to plummet.
(I should also say that the internal structure of GGP was Helen > Head of Healthcare / HR > Team Managers > Team Leads, and no one from TM/TL level was being told anything or was invited way too late to meetings weeks after decisions had been apparently made that impacted the teams)
Next we’re filling out the next employee survey and trying to air our concerns about AI from a community perspective and that we feel entirely uncertain about our prospects because the messaging has been vague and it seems to be changing very quickly. We just wanted clarity, communication, and empathy so we could return to a state of functional across the teams instead of all of our mental wellbeing's tanking. We never found out the results of the survey, despite being told we would, likely because it did not make Helen look great compared to the previous one.
When the firings suddenly weren’t happening for when we thought they were, the shit show burst.
Without warning, multiple changes happened in quick succession. We came into work on a Monday and had no access to responding or sending messages in the communication tool. We had no access to new patient files or even what was going on with issued prescriptions from the new page (a new page we weren’t even told was launching). We could barely advise on the old messages that asked about all these new changes because of this. We asked, over and over, to be able to do our job and handle complaints, for this access. Helen refused and refused to properly tell us what the fuck was going on.
From January to mid March, we were dragged through a clusterfuck of uncertainty, enormous stress, and being gaslit every day. Every day we were being pummeled with unclear information, changing guidance, thinking we would be fired, etc. Then, silence.
On March 15th, 2024 - 47 of the remaining 87 staff were fired. The entire healthcare admin team that I expanded on earlier was completely fired. We had a brief chance to review the post that went on our internal HQ page, telling us it wasn’t our fault and they wished us the best for anyone who was no longer required. Then, we’re all being removed without getting to say goodbye except for HR calls if we wanted them with two people most of us barely knew. Many of us had been there for years. It didn’t matter.
Then, Helen is on a call that same morning with the clinical and wellbeing team telling them that the whole reason this is happening is because of internal errors that the entire team she just fired were doing. She didn’t even tell them how many people were fired. And (contrary to the HQ post) stated that this needed to happen because of it and that automation would prevent errors. That her random group of data analysts (roles she never positioned to team members she already had) that were the HR Talent Lead’s family members in the Phillipines were replacements for us when she hadn’t even trained them properly to do prescription lines. That this was all for the greater good.
Helen is sitting there telling everyone to get on board and be positive in everything they do and say, or go. It's not about honesty or transparency, it's about who is desperate enough to stay for a paycheque because they have no alternatives. The majority of us have not been able to find work.
Nevermind that all of the protocols that existed internally were approved and maintained by her. That she is the one responsible and signed off on any issues that existed for all the tools we had internally that told us what prescriptions to issue, what to look for on blood test results, how to advise, etc. Nevermind that all we did was follow her instruction. No one was going lone wolf. Mistakes were outliers, not the norm. They happen with any company. There was a means to improve what her concerns may be, without decimating the company and ongoing care. Instead, she made us all look like the problem because a mirror is too hard to find.
I don’t know what I want from this post. I adored the job I did as much as I hated it from a capitalistic part of wishing public healthcare was good enough we didn’t need this at all. I gave my all to my job. It made me feel fulfilled. I have been heartbroken for months about all of this. I have had my mental wellbeing deteriorate to a point of resurgence of conditions I haven’t had in decades.
I wasn’t ignorant to who Helen was, I knew that there was a certain greed that Helen exudes in everything she does. She has multiple family members and their friends employed with the company that weren't amongst the ones fired, it’s not hard to deduce that money is the main factor for why GGP is the way it is now. I just thought that at some level, she did care about us based on everything she puts out publicly.
I just wish the community understood they deserve better instead of letting Helen get away with this. I also wish if we were going to media about this, it wasn’t the Times or whoever else that has a very clear agenda on how to paint our community’s needs.
Stop giving all the power to cis people who don’t care about you. Helen cares about money. She is a performative ally at best but a viper behind closed doors. She is a licensed doctor, with an investor on her shoulder telling her he’ll make her millions so she can continue to be the scummy landlord, multi-villa-having cretin that she is.
She doesn’t care about the opinions of her staff because she considers herself superior. She will not accept opinions that oppose hers and will bully, undermine, or ostracise you for speaking up. She treated all of the healthcare advisors like we didn’t know fuck all and only ever considered the doctor who agreed with her as anyone worth having an opinion. Her ego has gotten to such a point she truly thinks she’s our community’s saviour. Stop allowing her to have this complex.
She knows damn well how to ensure patient safety is maintained and how to implement healthcare projects properly, she just doesn’t care. She wants guaranteed money, fast, regardless of the consequential outcome.
She was fully informed about every single issue that is happening now. She was told how this should have been refined before large scale launching. She already had staff that were all experts about what she is doing now that could’ve helped make this successful. She was told by many people, many people who even left before this year, that this was not the way to go. She treats our healthcare like she owns a candy shop, from the way shit’s phrased on the website, to the infantilising way she looks at complaints or our community in general.
She deserves to be held accountable without destroying private care at the same time.
Continuing to let her hold all the cards, is deteriorating the validity of private healthcare in the UK/EU. Policy makers will continue to hold her as an example set that private healthcare is dangerous, rather than turning a light on the fact that public healthcare is the thing that is killing our community.
She doesn’t deserve your respect, she doesn’t deserve your money, help the other companies thrive if you have the money to spend on them, but stop enabling Helen at every turn.
submitted by Lonely_Code to GenderGP [link] [comments]
Like the title says, let’s talk about GenderGP.
Not about the information I can’t share due to contractual obligations, but the things I can that are a public detriment and largely ethical issues that impact your continuity of care and community safely.
I’m really not interested in someone here gaslighting what all my colleagues went through, telling us to get over it, move on, and enabling Helen to continue what she’s doing with zero accountability.
So please, don’t belittle the absolutely horrific experience we went through because bootlicking Helen sounds more favourable.
In January 2024, we had enough staff. There had been large hiring in the fall to accompany the increase of received pathways. Nine new staff had been taken on from October to December. The majority being community members themselves. The workload was manageable with proper leadership and guidance.
Let’s remember that our community already deals with significant socioeconomic factors that make it difficult to find jobs at all. The large majority of us were passionate about this area of work, both because we had lived experiences, and because we wanted to make a difference in what we couldn’t achieve in public healthcare with the prevalent systemic issues. Many of us had multiple jobs or were going to school as well.
We were contractors (the people remaining still are) with limited rights. We knew what that meant. Our contracts stipulated that if we were to have our contracts ended, OR if we decided to leave the company, we’d need to give or be given 60 days notice. We could be terminated for a number of reasons, none of them listed on the contracts stated for “restructuring.” Note: all of the new contracts after spring do not have this clause, they can fire people without notice or reason, and already have.
Our entire functionality of services - from the portal that was used, CRM that existed, records, etc., was absolutely outdated, there is no denying that. There were a lot of places to pull information from that made tasks difficult. But all of the teams knew their roles and where to get the information so that while things could be improved, at least they could continue to run as they were in the meantime. We all know mistakes happen and that it’s shit when they do, but at least we could make it right the best way we could.
GGP had already dumped significant money into developing a Salesforce tool for all your CRM needs. It was getting to a point it could have been functional and ready to launch to improve everything I stated above. There was an entire experienced IT/systems development team that existed to get this prepared over the last two years. Public emails were already going to patients from the application to update details, this isn’t unknown information.
Instead of that being finalised, Helen fired the entire systems team without warning, leaving everything to do with Salesforce fucked over because no one who remained knew anything about maintaining it. She also fired the entire media and marketing team mid-last year.
She had teams that could do everything you can possibly think of that is going to shit right now.
Late last year, we all did employee surveys about our working experiences and motivation to stay with the company. The results were glowing, we were content. There would always be things we wanted to change, but that exists with any company. It’s not an attack to make suggestions, if we stay complacent in anything, it makes us ignorant to what can improve and that’s it. And as community members with lived experiences, of course we had things we’d like to change.
We were told another employee survey would be sent out in the new year, and then, all the below happened before it came out.
In late January we were told we needed to start using the Healthy Hormones website in everything we did. From the prescriptions team using it to ensure bloods were up to date, to pathology using it answer any and all questions from the page that existed, to queries using it to direct people there. And to be clear, we already did these things, it's not like the tools didn't already exist. This slowed down everyone’s work significantly, which in hindsight, feels entirely intentional at this point because then she can go and proclaim that: “Oh shucks, these changes were awfully necessary, can’t you see!”
It slowed us down because none of us were trained on any of it (new tools, website in general) and even though we all knew the answer to the situation or things being asked, they didn’t exist on the Healthy Hormones pages. So, then we would need to raise that it didn’t exist, or that a tool wasn’t accurate, or whatever the fuck else, and then wait to get a response about how to respond. A response we already knew, had accurate protocols for, and could even provide an answer ourselves if she wanted it so badly on the Healthy Hormones page. But nah, we had to wait for her to pump out a ChatGPT produced answer to advise because she thought we were idiots.
And what did ChatGPT produce? Things like claiming Spironolactone isn’t a diuretic or that GGP doesn’t prescribe diuretics, or that etc etc etc. We had clinical providers feeding us ChatGPT content to respond with instead of individually responding to patients about their results and concerns, taking zero responsibility for their tailored needs.
Oh, right, but Helen will point and say that all those posts were created by a licensed professional, so obviously it makes it a-okay then. Sure, let’s ignore that just because she signs off on something doesn’t make it any better when it has clearly not been reviewed properly. Not to mention the largely confusing non-sensical descriptions on posts that are inaccessible, ableist, and don't answer questions as they pertain to the service.
We know that ChatGPT is ethically harmful. We know that AI in general is going to cause ramifications in healthcare unregulated. We aired out concerns on this. We were ignored.
It was very clear that us needing to send everything and anything through to be put on some new website we weren’t even made aware of, was with the intention of likely getting rid of us. When raised, our HR team told us: “No, no, we’ll make sure everyone is redeployed, or that the low performers will be the only ones offboarded! Everything is totally fine.”
(Note: Yes, yes, never trust HR, many of us were well aware of this and did not put much stock in anything they said - which as of writing this, two of the three were fired too, so, fuck us all I guess.)
Now, there is something to be said about positives related to automation. There are ways to code forms to produce the data we need to properly advise on. There was a way for Helen to go about this entirely, that she was informed on by people with these expertise, that she ignored. There were way more logical ways of going about literally everything she did. However, the ethical aspects that pertain to patient centered care impose a level of responsibility that Healthy Hormones, GGP, and Helen proclaim to no longer take.
Any manner of gender affirming care should have the final treatment recommendation oversight of a qualified professional or multi-disciplinary team of qualified professionals that:
- Take your full medical history into consideration, especially any new medication or changes,
- Review your care goals and any gaps that you feel are creating barriers to achieving the results you desire,
- Review abnormalities in test results that could be attributed by your HRT to advise,
- Ensure you are providing informed consent to any changes that impact your ongoing care (ie. an opt-out from changes in services like automation, or sudden changes that impact how you receive your prescriptions that could create health concerns from unexpected withdrawal of hormones),
- Provide surveys about ongoing patient experiences and addresses areas of improvement,
- Produce records and data requests promptly to be GDPR compliant, and
- Address formal issues you have related to concerns with the facility management or ongoing care services in a timely fashion.
Ofc, one day the ideal world would be largely OTC HRT (remember HRT is easier to manage than diabetes and many, many other conditions), but most people aren’t ready to have that conversation.
So, with all that in mind, back to the continued fuckery of earlier this year.
Member Enrolment which was the team that used to process new intake forms and liaise internally with clinical staff to ensure any concerns were medically assessed. Their entire team was destroyed in February, without warning.
Yes, they did struggle with the ongoing forms received. However, other teams were able to shift over advisors to be able to accommodate and if there hadn’t been so much uncertainty in everything Helen was doing from the top, that could’ve been easily rectified with a change management process. Many things were easily rectified by simply utilising the people she already had and caring that they had opinions that mattered. Other teams were also in a positive position metrics-wise to be able to send advisors over to assist with the uptick.
But instead of fixing a super easy problem, she decided to make it infinitely worse and told the Member Enrolment team, without warning, in the middle of a random work day in February that they were no longer enrolment advisors and were being “redeployed” to other teams, with no training. A team of +10 people suddenly without homes and no proper HR protocols followed to ensure this didn’t completely destroy people’s morale.
We were lied to, repeatedly.
One second, HR is telling us (and if I’m being honest, I don’t blame any of them - Helen is a fucking rollercoaster and was likely changing things every two seconds and they were just the scapegoats) there is a rollout plan for the next bunch of quarters into next year and that the only time anyone would potentially lose their jobs is at the end of every quarter and it would be based on performance.
In this same messaging, we’re finally finding out (even if it was literally already launched and being used) GGP is being separated into three entities (this was posted on Healthy Hormones too). GGP would be about a community hub space, Healthy Hormones would be about facilitating the automation of care and where people were getting information, the Health & Wellbeing Directory would be a place for a host of new session types and the opportunity for us to move over and that the great majority of us would continue to have jobs.
We were a little over 100 people at the start of 2024. Over 50% of that number was the entirety of the Healthcare Admin teams - the people who handled new enrolment, general enquiries, prescriptions, pathology, learning and development, and medicines management with partners. Everyone else was the Clinical + Wellbeing Team - so our psychologist, counsellors, doctors, wellbeing advisors (people who do the Follow Up Sessions, previous Ask Us Anything) and nurses.
The next second, we’re being told that a number of people would be imminently offboarded, a number somewhere in the double digits. We were told it could be anyone from the most recently onboarded staff, part timers, or based on poor performance. Immediately, all of our teams grew frantic about the uncertainty and (un)shockingly morale continued to plummet.
(I should also say that the internal structure of GGP was Helen > Head of Healthcare / HR > Team Managers > Team Leads, and no one from TM/TL level was being told anything or was invited way too late to meetings weeks after decisions had been apparently made that impacted the teams)
Next we’re filling out the next employee survey and trying to air our concerns about AI from a community perspective and that we feel entirely uncertain about our prospects because the messaging has been vague and it seems to be changing very quickly. We just wanted clarity, communication, and empathy so we could return to a state of functional across the teams instead of all of our mental wellbeing's tanking. We never found out the results of the survey, despite being told we would, likely because it did not make Helen look great compared to the previous one.
When the firings suddenly weren’t happening for when we thought they were, the shit show burst.
Without warning, multiple changes happened in quick succession. We came into work on a Monday and had no access to responding or sending messages in the communication tool. We had no access to new patient files or even what was going on with issued prescriptions from the new page (a new page we weren’t even told was launching). We could barely advise on the old messages that asked about all these new changes because of this. We asked, over and over, to be able to do our job and handle complaints, for this access. Helen refused and refused to properly tell us what the fuck was going on.
From January to mid March, we were dragged through a clusterfuck of uncertainty, enormous stress, and being gaslit every day. Every day we were being pummeled with unclear information, changing guidance, thinking we would be fired, etc. Then, silence.
On March 15th, 2024 - 47 of the remaining 87 staff were fired. The entire healthcare admin team that I expanded on earlier was completely fired. We had a brief chance to review the post that went on our internal HQ page, telling us it wasn’t our fault and they wished us the best for anyone who was no longer required. Then, we’re all being removed without getting to say goodbye except for HR calls if we wanted them with two people most of us barely knew. Many of us had been there for years. It didn’t matter.
Then, Helen is on a call that same morning with the clinical and wellbeing team telling them that the whole reason this is happening is because of internal errors that the entire team she just fired were doing. She didn’t even tell them how many people were fired. And (contrary to the HQ post) stated that this needed to happen because of it and that automation would prevent errors. That her random group of data analysts (roles she never positioned to team members she already had) that were the HR Talent Lead’s family members in the Phillipines were replacements for us when she hadn’t even trained them properly to do prescription lines. That this was all for the greater good.
Helen is sitting there telling everyone to get on board and be positive in everything they do and say, or go. It's not about honesty or transparency, it's about who is desperate enough to stay for a paycheque because they have no alternatives. The majority of us have not been able to find work.
Nevermind that all of the protocols that existed internally were approved and maintained by her. That she is the one responsible and signed off on any issues that existed for all the tools we had internally that told us what prescriptions to issue, what to look for on blood test results, how to advise, etc. Nevermind that all we did was follow her instruction. No one was going lone wolf. Mistakes were outliers, not the norm. They happen with any company. There was a means to improve what her concerns may be, without decimating the company and ongoing care. Instead, she made us all look like the problem because a mirror is too hard to find.
I don’t know what I want from this post. I adored the job I did as much as I hated it from a capitalistic part of wishing public healthcare was good enough we didn’t need this at all. I gave my all to my job. It made me feel fulfilled. I have been heartbroken for months about all of this. I have had my mental wellbeing deteriorate to a point of resurgence of conditions I haven’t had in decades.
I wasn’t ignorant to who Helen was, I knew that there was a certain greed that Helen exudes in everything she does. She has multiple family members and their friends employed with the company that weren't amongst the ones fired, it’s not hard to deduce that money is the main factor for why GGP is the way it is now. I just thought that at some level, she did care about us based on everything she puts out publicly.
I just wish the community understood they deserve better instead of letting Helen get away with this. I also wish if we were going to media about this, it wasn’t the Times or whoever else that has a very clear agenda on how to paint our community’s needs.
Stop giving all the power to cis people who don’t care about you. Helen cares about money. She is a performative ally at best but a viper behind closed doors. She is a licensed doctor, with an investor on her shoulder telling her he’ll make her millions so she can continue to be the scummy landlord, multi-villa-having cretin that she is.
She doesn’t care about the opinions of her staff because she considers herself superior. She will not accept opinions that oppose hers and will bully, undermine, or ostracise you for speaking up. She treated all of the healthcare advisors like we didn’t know fuck all and only ever considered the doctor who agreed with her as anyone worth having an opinion. Her ego has gotten to such a point she truly thinks she’s our community’s saviour. Stop allowing her to have this complex.
She knows damn well how to ensure patient safety is maintained and how to implement healthcare projects properly, she just doesn’t care. She wants guaranteed money, fast, regardless of the consequential outcome.
She was fully informed about every single issue that is happening now. She was told how this should have been refined before large scale launching. She already had staff that were all experts about what she is doing now that could’ve helped make this successful. She was told by many people, many people who even left before this year, that this was not the way to go. She treats our healthcare like she owns a candy shop, from the way shit’s phrased on the website, to the infantilising way she looks at complaints or our community in general.
She deserves to be held accountable without destroying private care at the same time.
Continuing to let her hold all the cards, is deteriorating the validity of private healthcare in the UK/EU. Policy makers will continue to hold her as an example set that private healthcare is dangerous, rather than turning a light on the fact that public healthcare is the thing that is killing our community.
She doesn’t deserve your respect, she doesn’t deserve your money, help the other companies thrive if you have the money to spend on them, but stop enabling Helen at every turn.
2024.05.17 04:53 bounceswoosh How warm is the Union Res water now?
In past years, I'd be taking my dog to the beach and checking it out myself ... But he died in February, so I haven't been out there. When does it get warm enough to comfortably wade out so that you can get on a paddle board?
submitted by bounceswoosh to Longmont [link] [comments]
2024.05.17 04:48 TheMillionthSteve Dealphabetize Periodic Table
 | S5E6: The list of work orders ahead of put up bulletin board in the queue is fantastic. submitted by TheMillionthSteve to community [link] [comments] |
2024.05.17 03:19 BrandonBollingers Terrifying Full Text Harrison Butker Speech
Unsnark: I can’t believe we are swinging so far in this direction. Please vote!
Ladies and gentlemen of the Class of 2024: I would like to start off by congratulating all of you for successfully making it to this achievement today. I'm sure your high school graduation was not what you had imagined, and most likely, neither was your first couple years of college.
By making it to this moment through all the adversity thrown your way from COVID, I hope you learned the important lessons that suffering in this life is only temporary. As a group, you witnessed firsthand how bad leaders who don't stay in their lane can have a negative impact on society. It is through this lens that I want to take stock of how we got to where we are, and where we want to go as citizens and, yes, as Catholics. One last thing before I begin, I want to be sure to thank President Minnis and the board for their invitation to speak.
When President Minnis first reached out a couple of months ago, I had originally said No. You see, last year I gave the commencement address at my alma mater, Georgia Tech, and I felt that one graduation speech was more than enough, especially for someone who isn't a professional speaker. But of course, President Minnis used his gift of persuasion. [Laughter] It spoke to the many challenges you all faced throughout the COVID fiasco ,and how you missed out on so many milestones the rest of us older people have taken for granted. While COVID might have played a large role throughout your formative years, it is not unique. Bad policies and poor leadership have negatively impacted major life issues. Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for degenerate cultural values in media, all stem from the pervasiveness of disorder.
Our own nation is led by a man who publicly and proudly proclaims his Catholic faith, but at the same time is delusional enough to make the Sign of the Cross during a pro- abortion rally. He has been so vocal in his support for the murder of innocent babies that I'm sure to many people it appears that you can be both Catholic and pro-choice.
He is not alone. From the man behind the COVID lockdowns to the people pushing dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America, they all have a glaring thing in common. They are Catholic. This is an important reminder that being Catholic alone doesn't cut it.
These are the sorts of things we are told in polite society to not bring up. You know, the difficult and unpleasant things. But if we are going to be men and women for this time in history, we need to stop pretending that the "Church of Nice" is a winning proposition. We must always speak and act in charity, but never mistake charity for cowardice.
It is safe to say that over the past few years, I have gained quite the reputation for speaking my mind. I never envisioned myself, nor wanted, to have this sort of a platform, but God has given it to me, so I have no other choice but to embrace it and preach more hard truths about accepting your lane and staying in it.
As members of the Church founded by Jesus Christ, it is our duty and ultimately privilege to be authentically and unapologetically Catholic. Don't be mistaken, even within the Church, people in polite Catholic circles will try to persuade you to remain silent. There even was an award-winning film called Silence, made by a fellow Catholic, wherein one of the main characters, a Jesuit priest, abandoned the Church, and as an apostate when he died is seen grasping a crucifix, quiet and unknown to anyone but God. As a friend of Benedictine College, His Excellency Bishop Robert Barron, said in his review of the film, it was exactly what the cultural elite want to see in Christianity -- private, hidden away, and harmless.
Our Catholic faith has always been countercultural. Our Lord, along with countless followers, were all put to death for their adherence to her teachings. The world around us says that we should keep our beliefs to ourselves whenever they go against the tyranny of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We fear speaking truth, because now, unfortunately, truth is in the minority. Congress just passed a bill where stating something as basic as the biblical teaching of who killed Jesus could land you in jail.
But make no mistake, before we even attempt to fix any of the issues plaguing society, we must first get our own house in order, and it starts with our leaders. The bishops and priests appointed by God as our spiritual fathers must be rightly ordered. There is not enough time today for me to list all the stories of priests and bishops misleading their flocks, but none of us can blame ignorance anymore and just blindly proclaim that “That's what Father said.” Because sadly, many priests we are looking to for leadership are the same ones who prioritize their hobbies or even photos with their dogs and matching outfits for the parish directory.
It's easy for us laymen and women to think that in order for us to be holy, that we must be active in our parish and try to fix it. Yes, we absolutely should be involved in supporting our parishes, but we cannot be the source for our parish priests to lean on to help with their problems. Just as we look at the relationship between a father and his son, so too should we look at the relationship between a priest and his people. It would not be appropriate for me to always be looking to my son for help when it is my job as his father to lead him.
St. Josemaría Escrivá states that priests are ordained to serve, and should not yield to temptation to imitate laypeople, but to be priests through and through. Tragically, so many priests revolve much of their happiness from the adulation they receive from their parishioners, and in searching for this, they let their guard down and become overly familiar. This undue familiarity will prove to be problematic every time, because as my teammate's girlfriend says, familiarity breeds contempt. [Laughter]
Saint Josemaría continues that some want to see the priest as just another man. That is not so. They want to find in the priest those virtues proper to every Christian, and indeed every honorable man: understanding, justice, a life of work — priestly work, in this instance — and good manners. It is not prudent as the laity for us to consume ourselves in becoming amateur theologians so that we can decipher this or that theological teaching — unless, of course, you are a theology major. We must be intentional with our focus on our state in life and our own vocation. And for most of us, that's as married men and women. Still, we have so many great resources at our fingertips that it doesn't take long to find traditional and timeless teachings that haven't been ambiguously reworded for our times. Plus, there are still many good and holy priests, and it's up to us to seek them out.
The chaos of the world is unfortunately reflected in the chaos in our parishes, and sadly, in our cathedrals too. As we saw during the pandemic, too many bishops were not leaders at all. They were motivated by fear, fear of being sued, fear of being removed, fear of being disliked. They showed by their actions, intentional or unintentional, that the sacraments don't actually matter. Because of this, countless people died alone, without access to the sacraments, and it's a tragedy we must never forget. As Catholics, we can look to so many examples of heroic shepherds who gave their lives for their people, and ultimately, the Church. We cannot buy into the lie that the things we experienced during COVID were appropriate. Over the centuries, there have been great wars, great famines, and yes, even great diseases, all that came with a level of lethality and danger. But in each of those examples, Church leaders leaned into their vocations and ensured that their people received the sacraments.
Great saints like St. Damien of Molokai, who knew the dangers of his ministry, stayed for 11 years as a spiritual leader to the leper colonies of Hawaii. His heroism is looked at today as something set apart and unique, when ideally it should not be unique at all. For as a father loves his child, so a shepherd should love his spiritual children, too.
That goes even more so for our bishops, these men who are present-day apostles. Our bishops once had adoring crowds of people kissing their rings and taking in their every word, but now relegate themselves to a position of inconsequential existence. Now, when a bishop of a diocese or the bishop's conference as a whole puts out an important document on this matter or that, nobody even takes a moment to read it, let alone follow it.
No. Today, our shepherds are far more concerned with keeping the doors open to the chancery than they are with saying the difficult stuff out loud. It seems that the only time you hear from your bishops is when it's time for the annual appeal, whereas we need our bishops to be vocal about the teachings of the Church, setting aside their own personal comfort and embracing their cross. Our bishops are not politicians but shepherds, so instead of fitting in the world by going along to get along, they too need to stay in their lane and lead.
I say all of this not from a place of anger, as we get the leaders we deserve. But this does make me reflect on staying in my lane and focusing on my own vocation and how I can be a better father and husband and live in the world but not be of it. Focusing on my vocation while praying and fasting for these men will do more for the Church than me complaining about her leaders.
Because there seems to be so much confusion coming from our leaders, there needs to be concrete examples for people to look to in places like Benedictine, a little Kansas college built high on a bluff above the Missouri River, are showing the world how an ordered, Christ-centered existence is the recipe for success. You need to look no further than the examples all around this campus, where over the past 20 years, enrollment has doubled, construction and revitalization are a constant part of life, and people, the students, the faculty and staff, are thriving. This didn't happen by chance. In a deliberate movement to embrace traditional Catholic values, Benedictine has gone from just another liberal arts school with nothing to set it apart to a thriving beacon of light and a reminder to us all that when you embrace tradition, success — worldly and spiritual — will follow.
I am certain the reporters at the AP could not have imagined that their attempt to rebuke and embarrass places and people like those here at Benedictine wouldn't be met with anger, but instead met with excitement and pride. Not the deadly sin sort of pride that has an entire month dedicated to it, but the true God-centered pride that is cooperating with the Holy Ghost to glorify him. Reading that article now shared all over the world, we see that in the complete surrender of self and a turning towards Christ, you will find happiness. Right here in a little town in Kansas, we find many inspiring laypeople using their talents.
President Minnis, Dr. [Andrew] Swafford, and Dr. [Jared] Zimmerer are a few great examples right here on this very campus that will keep the light of Christ burning bright for generations to come. Being locked in with your vocation and staying in your lane is going to be the surest way for you to find true happiness and peace in this life.
It is essential that we focus on our own state in life, whether that be as a layperson, a priest, or religious. Ladies and gentlemen of the class of 2024, you are sitting at the edge of the rest of your lives. Each of you has the potential to leave a legacy that transcends yourselves and this era of human existence. In the small ways, by living out your vocation, you will ensure that God's Church continues and the world is enlightened by your example.
For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment. You should be proud of all that you have achieved to this point in your young lives. I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you. How many of you are sitting here now about to cross this stage and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.
I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother. I'm on the stage today and able to be the man I am because I have a wife who leans into her vocation. I'm beyond blessed with the many talents God has given me, but it cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker.
[Applause lasting 18 seconds]
She is a primary educator to our children. She is the one who ensures I never let football or my business become a distraction from that of a husband and father. She is the person that knows me best at my core, and it is through our marriage that, Lord willing, we will both attain salvation.
I say all of this to you because I have seen it firsthand how much happier someone can be when they disregard the outside noise and move closer and closer to God's will in their life. Isabelle's dream of having a career might not have come true, but if you asked her today if she has any regrets on her decision, she would laugh out loud, without hesitation, and say, “Heck, No.”
As a man who gets a lot of praise and has been given a platform to speak to audiences like this one today, I pray that I always use my voice for God and not for myself. Everything I am saying to you is not from a place of wisdom, but rather a place of experience. I am hopeful that these words will be seen as those from a man, not much older than you, who feels it is imperative that this class, this generation, and this time in our society must stop pretending that the things we see around us are normal.
Heterodox ideas abound even within Catholic circles. But let's be honest, there is nothing good about playing God with having children — whether that be your ideal number or the perfect time to conceive. No matter how you spin it, there is nothing natural about Catholic birth control.
It is only in the past few years that I have grown encouraged to speak more boldly and directly because, as I mentioned earlier, I have leaned into my vocation as a husband and father, and as a man.
To the gentlemen here today: Part of what plagues our society is this lie that has been told to you that men are not necessary in the home or in our communities. As men, we set the tone of the culture, and when that is absent, disorder, dysfunction, and chaos set in. This absence of men in the home is what plays a large role in the violence we see all around the nation. Other countries do not have nearly the same absentee father rates as we find here in the U.S., and a correlation could be made in their drastically lower violence rates, as well.
Be unapologetic in your masculinity, fighting against the cultural emasculation of men. Do hard things. Never settle for what is easy. You might have a talent that you don't necessarily enjoy, but if it glorifies God, maybe you should lean into that over something that you might think suits you better. I speak from experience as an introvert who now finds myself as an amateur public speaker and an entrepreneur, something I never thought I'd be when I received my industrial engineering degree.
The road ahead is bright. Things are changing. Society is shifting. And people, young and old, are embracing tradition. Not only has it been my vocation that has helped me and those closest to me, but not surprising to many of you, should be my outspoken embrace of the traditional Latin Mass. I've been very vocal in my love and devotion to the TLM and its necessity for our lives. But what I think gets misunderstood is that people who attend the TLM do so out of pride or preference. I can speak to my own experience, but for most people I have come across within these communities this simply is not true. I do not attend the TLM because I think I am better than others, or for the smells and bells, or even for the love of Latin. I attend the TLM because I believe, just as the God of the Old Testament was pretty particular in how he wanted to be worshipped, the same holds true for us today. It is through the TLM that I encountered order, and began to pursue it in my own life. Aside from the TLM itself, too many of our sacred traditions have been relegated to things of the past, when in my parish, things such as ember days, days when we fast and pray for vocations and for our priests, are still adhered to. The TLM is so essential that I would challenge each of you to pick a place to move where it is readily available.
A lot of people have complaints about the parish or the community, but we should not sacrifice the Mass for community. I prioritize the TLM even if the parish isn't beautiful, the priest isn't great, or the community isn't amazing. I still go to the TLM because I believe the holy sacrifice of the Mass is more important than anything else. I say this knowing full well that when each of you rekindle your knowledge and adherence to many of the church's greatest traditions, you will see how much more colorful and alive your life can and should be.
As you move on from this place and enter into the world, know that you will face many challenges. Sadly, I'm sure many of you know of the countless stories of good and active members of this community who, after graduation and moving away from the Benedictine bubble, have ended up moving in with their boyfriend or girlfriend prior to marriage. Some even leave the Church and abandon God. It is always heartbreaking to hear these stories, and there is a desire to know what happened and what went wrong.
What you must remember is that life is about doing the small things well, setting yourself up for success, and surrounding yourself with people who continually push you to be the best version of you. I say this all the time, that iron sharpens iron. It's a great reminder that those closest to us should be making us better. If you are dating someone who doesn't even share your faith, how do you expect that person to help you become a saint? If your friend group is filled with people who only think about what you're doing next weekend and are not willing to have those difficult conversations, how can they help sharpen you?
As you prepare to enter into the workforce, it is extremely important that you actually think about the places you are moving to. Who is the bishop? What kind of parishes are there? Do they offer the TLM and have priests who embrace their priestly vocation? Cost of living must not be the only arbiter of your choices, for a life without God is not a life at all, and the cost of salvation is worth more than any career.
I'm excited for the future, and I pray that something I have said will resonate as you move on to the next chapter of your life.
Never be afraid to profess the one holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church, for this is the Church that Jesus Christ established, through which we receive sanctifying grace.
I know that my message today had a little less fluff than is expected for these speeches, but I believe that this audience and this venue is the best place to speak openly and honestly about who we are and where we all want to go, which is Heaven.
I thank God for Benedictine College and for the example it provides the world. I thank God for men like President Minnis, who are doing their part for the Kingdom. Come to find out you can have an authentically Catholic college and a thriving football program. [Laughter and applause]
Make no mistake: You are entering into mission territory in a post-God world, but you were made for this. And with God by your side and a constant striving for virtue within your vocation, you too can be a saint.
Christ is King.
To the Heights.
submitted by BrandonBollingers to FundieSnarkUncensored [link] [comments]
Ladies and gentlemen of the Class of 2024: I would like to start off by congratulating all of you for successfully making it to this achievement today. I'm sure your high school graduation was not what you had imagined, and most likely, neither was your first couple years of college.
By making it to this moment through all the adversity thrown your way from COVID, I hope you learned the important lessons that suffering in this life is only temporary. As a group, you witnessed firsthand how bad leaders who don't stay in their lane can have a negative impact on society. It is through this lens that I want to take stock of how we got to where we are, and where we want to go as citizens and, yes, as Catholics. One last thing before I begin, I want to be sure to thank President Minnis and the board for their invitation to speak.
When President Minnis first reached out a couple of months ago, I had originally said No. You see, last year I gave the commencement address at my alma mater, Georgia Tech, and I felt that one graduation speech was more than enough, especially for someone who isn't a professional speaker. But of course, President Minnis used his gift of persuasion. [Laughter] It spoke to the many challenges you all faced throughout the COVID fiasco ,and how you missed out on so many milestones the rest of us older people have taken for granted. While COVID might have played a large role throughout your formative years, it is not unique. Bad policies and poor leadership have negatively impacted major life issues. Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for degenerate cultural values in media, all stem from the pervasiveness of disorder.
Our own nation is led by a man who publicly and proudly proclaims his Catholic faith, but at the same time is delusional enough to make the Sign of the Cross during a pro- abortion rally. He has been so vocal in his support for the murder of innocent babies that I'm sure to many people it appears that you can be both Catholic and pro-choice.
He is not alone. From the man behind the COVID lockdowns to the people pushing dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America, they all have a glaring thing in common. They are Catholic. This is an important reminder that being Catholic alone doesn't cut it.
These are the sorts of things we are told in polite society to not bring up. You know, the difficult and unpleasant things. But if we are going to be men and women for this time in history, we need to stop pretending that the "Church of Nice" is a winning proposition. We must always speak and act in charity, but never mistake charity for cowardice.
It is safe to say that over the past few years, I have gained quite the reputation for speaking my mind. I never envisioned myself, nor wanted, to have this sort of a platform, but God has given it to me, so I have no other choice but to embrace it and preach more hard truths about accepting your lane and staying in it.
As members of the Church founded by Jesus Christ, it is our duty and ultimately privilege to be authentically and unapologetically Catholic. Don't be mistaken, even within the Church, people in polite Catholic circles will try to persuade you to remain silent. There even was an award-winning film called Silence, made by a fellow Catholic, wherein one of the main characters, a Jesuit priest, abandoned the Church, and as an apostate when he died is seen grasping a crucifix, quiet and unknown to anyone but God. As a friend of Benedictine College, His Excellency Bishop Robert Barron, said in his review of the film, it was exactly what the cultural elite want to see in Christianity -- private, hidden away, and harmless.
Our Catholic faith has always been countercultural. Our Lord, along with countless followers, were all put to death for their adherence to her teachings. The world around us says that we should keep our beliefs to ourselves whenever they go against the tyranny of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We fear speaking truth, because now, unfortunately, truth is in the minority. Congress just passed a bill where stating something as basic as the biblical teaching of who killed Jesus could land you in jail.
But make no mistake, before we even attempt to fix any of the issues plaguing society, we must first get our own house in order, and it starts with our leaders. The bishops and priests appointed by God as our spiritual fathers must be rightly ordered. There is not enough time today for me to list all the stories of priests and bishops misleading their flocks, but none of us can blame ignorance anymore and just blindly proclaim that “That's what Father said.” Because sadly, many priests we are looking to for leadership are the same ones who prioritize their hobbies or even photos with their dogs and matching outfits for the parish directory.
It's easy for us laymen and women to think that in order for us to be holy, that we must be active in our parish and try to fix it. Yes, we absolutely should be involved in supporting our parishes, but we cannot be the source for our parish priests to lean on to help with their problems. Just as we look at the relationship between a father and his son, so too should we look at the relationship between a priest and his people. It would not be appropriate for me to always be looking to my son for help when it is my job as his father to lead him.
St. Josemaría Escrivá states that priests are ordained to serve, and should not yield to temptation to imitate laypeople, but to be priests through and through. Tragically, so many priests revolve much of their happiness from the adulation they receive from their parishioners, and in searching for this, they let their guard down and become overly familiar. This undue familiarity will prove to be problematic every time, because as my teammate's girlfriend says, familiarity breeds contempt. [Laughter]
Saint Josemaría continues that some want to see the priest as just another man. That is not so. They want to find in the priest those virtues proper to every Christian, and indeed every honorable man: understanding, justice, a life of work — priestly work, in this instance — and good manners. It is not prudent as the laity for us to consume ourselves in becoming amateur theologians so that we can decipher this or that theological teaching — unless, of course, you are a theology major. We must be intentional with our focus on our state in life and our own vocation. And for most of us, that's as married men and women. Still, we have so many great resources at our fingertips that it doesn't take long to find traditional and timeless teachings that haven't been ambiguously reworded for our times. Plus, there are still many good and holy priests, and it's up to us to seek them out.
The chaos of the world is unfortunately reflected in the chaos in our parishes, and sadly, in our cathedrals too. As we saw during the pandemic, too many bishops were not leaders at all. They were motivated by fear, fear of being sued, fear of being removed, fear of being disliked. They showed by their actions, intentional or unintentional, that the sacraments don't actually matter. Because of this, countless people died alone, without access to the sacraments, and it's a tragedy we must never forget. As Catholics, we can look to so many examples of heroic shepherds who gave their lives for their people, and ultimately, the Church. We cannot buy into the lie that the things we experienced during COVID were appropriate. Over the centuries, there have been great wars, great famines, and yes, even great diseases, all that came with a level of lethality and danger. But in each of those examples, Church leaders leaned into their vocations and ensured that their people received the sacraments.
Great saints like St. Damien of Molokai, who knew the dangers of his ministry, stayed for 11 years as a spiritual leader to the leper colonies of Hawaii. His heroism is looked at today as something set apart and unique, when ideally it should not be unique at all. For as a father loves his child, so a shepherd should love his spiritual children, too.
That goes even more so for our bishops, these men who are present-day apostles. Our bishops once had adoring crowds of people kissing their rings and taking in their every word, but now relegate themselves to a position of inconsequential existence. Now, when a bishop of a diocese or the bishop's conference as a whole puts out an important document on this matter or that, nobody even takes a moment to read it, let alone follow it.
No. Today, our shepherds are far more concerned with keeping the doors open to the chancery than they are with saying the difficult stuff out loud. It seems that the only time you hear from your bishops is when it's time for the annual appeal, whereas we need our bishops to be vocal about the teachings of the Church, setting aside their own personal comfort and embracing their cross. Our bishops are not politicians but shepherds, so instead of fitting in the world by going along to get along, they too need to stay in their lane and lead.
I say all of this not from a place of anger, as we get the leaders we deserve. But this does make me reflect on staying in my lane and focusing on my own vocation and how I can be a better father and husband and live in the world but not be of it. Focusing on my vocation while praying and fasting for these men will do more for the Church than me complaining about her leaders.
Because there seems to be so much confusion coming from our leaders, there needs to be concrete examples for people to look to in places like Benedictine, a little Kansas college built high on a bluff above the Missouri River, are showing the world how an ordered, Christ-centered existence is the recipe for success. You need to look no further than the examples all around this campus, where over the past 20 years, enrollment has doubled, construction and revitalization are a constant part of life, and people, the students, the faculty and staff, are thriving. This didn't happen by chance. In a deliberate movement to embrace traditional Catholic values, Benedictine has gone from just another liberal arts school with nothing to set it apart to a thriving beacon of light and a reminder to us all that when you embrace tradition, success — worldly and spiritual — will follow.
I am certain the reporters at the AP could not have imagined that their attempt to rebuke and embarrass places and people like those here at Benedictine wouldn't be met with anger, but instead met with excitement and pride. Not the deadly sin sort of pride that has an entire month dedicated to it, but the true God-centered pride that is cooperating with the Holy Ghost to glorify him. Reading that article now shared all over the world, we see that in the complete surrender of self and a turning towards Christ, you will find happiness. Right here in a little town in Kansas, we find many inspiring laypeople using their talents.
President Minnis, Dr. [Andrew] Swafford, and Dr. [Jared] Zimmerer are a few great examples right here on this very campus that will keep the light of Christ burning bright for generations to come. Being locked in with your vocation and staying in your lane is going to be the surest way for you to find true happiness and peace in this life.
It is essential that we focus on our own state in life, whether that be as a layperson, a priest, or religious. Ladies and gentlemen of the class of 2024, you are sitting at the edge of the rest of your lives. Each of you has the potential to leave a legacy that transcends yourselves and this era of human existence. In the small ways, by living out your vocation, you will ensure that God's Church continues and the world is enlightened by your example.
For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment. You should be proud of all that you have achieved to this point in your young lives. I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you. How many of you are sitting here now about to cross this stage and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.
I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother. I'm on the stage today and able to be the man I am because I have a wife who leans into her vocation. I'm beyond blessed with the many talents God has given me, but it cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker.
[Applause lasting 18 seconds]
She is a primary educator to our children. She is the one who ensures I never let football or my business become a distraction from that of a husband and father. She is the person that knows me best at my core, and it is through our marriage that, Lord willing, we will both attain salvation.
I say all of this to you because I have seen it firsthand how much happier someone can be when they disregard the outside noise and move closer and closer to God's will in their life. Isabelle's dream of having a career might not have come true, but if you asked her today if she has any regrets on her decision, she would laugh out loud, without hesitation, and say, “Heck, No.”
As a man who gets a lot of praise and has been given a platform to speak to audiences like this one today, I pray that I always use my voice for God and not for myself. Everything I am saying to you is not from a place of wisdom, but rather a place of experience. I am hopeful that these words will be seen as those from a man, not much older than you, who feels it is imperative that this class, this generation, and this time in our society must stop pretending that the things we see around us are normal.
Heterodox ideas abound even within Catholic circles. But let's be honest, there is nothing good about playing God with having children — whether that be your ideal number or the perfect time to conceive. No matter how you spin it, there is nothing natural about Catholic birth control.
It is only in the past few years that I have grown encouraged to speak more boldly and directly because, as I mentioned earlier, I have leaned into my vocation as a husband and father, and as a man.
To the gentlemen here today: Part of what plagues our society is this lie that has been told to you that men are not necessary in the home or in our communities. As men, we set the tone of the culture, and when that is absent, disorder, dysfunction, and chaos set in. This absence of men in the home is what plays a large role in the violence we see all around the nation. Other countries do not have nearly the same absentee father rates as we find here in the U.S., and a correlation could be made in their drastically lower violence rates, as well.
Be unapologetic in your masculinity, fighting against the cultural emasculation of men. Do hard things. Never settle for what is easy. You might have a talent that you don't necessarily enjoy, but if it glorifies God, maybe you should lean into that over something that you might think suits you better. I speak from experience as an introvert who now finds myself as an amateur public speaker and an entrepreneur, something I never thought I'd be when I received my industrial engineering degree.
The road ahead is bright. Things are changing. Society is shifting. And people, young and old, are embracing tradition. Not only has it been my vocation that has helped me and those closest to me, but not surprising to many of you, should be my outspoken embrace of the traditional Latin Mass. I've been very vocal in my love and devotion to the TLM and its necessity for our lives. But what I think gets misunderstood is that people who attend the TLM do so out of pride or preference. I can speak to my own experience, but for most people I have come across within these communities this simply is not true. I do not attend the TLM because I think I am better than others, or for the smells and bells, or even for the love of Latin. I attend the TLM because I believe, just as the God of the Old Testament was pretty particular in how he wanted to be worshipped, the same holds true for us today. It is through the TLM that I encountered order, and began to pursue it in my own life. Aside from the TLM itself, too many of our sacred traditions have been relegated to things of the past, when in my parish, things such as ember days, days when we fast and pray for vocations and for our priests, are still adhered to. The TLM is so essential that I would challenge each of you to pick a place to move where it is readily available.
A lot of people have complaints about the parish or the community, but we should not sacrifice the Mass for community. I prioritize the TLM even if the parish isn't beautiful, the priest isn't great, or the community isn't amazing. I still go to the TLM because I believe the holy sacrifice of the Mass is more important than anything else. I say this knowing full well that when each of you rekindle your knowledge and adherence to many of the church's greatest traditions, you will see how much more colorful and alive your life can and should be.
As you move on from this place and enter into the world, know that you will face many challenges. Sadly, I'm sure many of you know of the countless stories of good and active members of this community who, after graduation and moving away from the Benedictine bubble, have ended up moving in with their boyfriend or girlfriend prior to marriage. Some even leave the Church and abandon God. It is always heartbreaking to hear these stories, and there is a desire to know what happened and what went wrong.
What you must remember is that life is about doing the small things well, setting yourself up for success, and surrounding yourself with people who continually push you to be the best version of you. I say this all the time, that iron sharpens iron. It's a great reminder that those closest to us should be making us better. If you are dating someone who doesn't even share your faith, how do you expect that person to help you become a saint? If your friend group is filled with people who only think about what you're doing next weekend and are not willing to have those difficult conversations, how can they help sharpen you?
As you prepare to enter into the workforce, it is extremely important that you actually think about the places you are moving to. Who is the bishop? What kind of parishes are there? Do they offer the TLM and have priests who embrace their priestly vocation? Cost of living must not be the only arbiter of your choices, for a life without God is not a life at all, and the cost of salvation is worth more than any career.
I'm excited for the future, and I pray that something I have said will resonate as you move on to the next chapter of your life.
Never be afraid to profess the one holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church, for this is the Church that Jesus Christ established, through which we receive sanctifying grace.
I know that my message today had a little less fluff than is expected for these speeches, but I believe that this audience and this venue is the best place to speak openly and honestly about who we are and where we all want to go, which is Heaven.
I thank God for Benedictine College and for the example it provides the world. I thank God for men like President Minnis, who are doing their part for the Kingdom. Come to find out you can have an authentically Catholic college and a thriving football program. [Laughter and applause]
Make no mistake: You are entering into mission territory in a post-God world, but you were made for this. And with God by your side and a constant striving for virtue within your vocation, you too can be a saint.
Christ is King.
To the Heights.
2024.05.17 03:17 CorporalPig22 The Great Westmore Nerf War - Pages 1-12
 | submitted by CorporalPig22 to LodedDiper [link] [comments] |
2024.05.17 03:05 lightningflash11 Time for marriage quest not showing up on bulletin board.
Hey, so I'm trying to marry scarlett and I've completed all the steps I needed to. I am dating her. She is heart level 10. I have completed both her heart events "finding Hina" and "monster sighting" and I've gone on three dates with her. The quest time for marriage won't show up on the quest board. I'm hearing mixed things about if I have to complete the game to marry or not. Many places say you have to finish the main story and others say you don't need to. Can anyone help?
Edit: and I've completes the scarlets thoughts event
submitted by lightningflash11 to runefactory [link] [comments]
Edit: and I've completes the scarlets thoughts event
2024.05.17 02:01 CazOnReddit A Speedrunner's Guide to Bruce Brown - And What Can Be Done on Draft Night (Part 2)
 | Welcome to part 2 of the pre-draft deadline Bruce Brown breakdown. For part 1, we went over a trio of trade partners in the Bulls, the Hawks and Jazz so if that interests you, give it a read. In part 2, and going forward, we'll be taking a look at a single team for the sake of what can be charitably described as me being "brief". submitted by CazOnReddit to torontoraptors [link] [comments] Now that we have finally learned which teams have jumped or dropped in the lottery, let's talk about a team that also officially lost a pick in this year's draft. Golden State Warriorshttps://preview.redd.it/pxlx2hbw8v0d1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=05ea876ddd04751d409dbc81c846eecfa30894dbMost likely player(s): Chris Paul, Andrew Wiggins, Moses Moody, Trayce Jackson-Davis Incoming salary: Varies depending on the combination of players coming back/sent out; 26.2 million incoming at minimum, 30 million at maximum. $10.2 million exception from the Siakam trade may be used depending on the structure of a deal Pick(s) available: 52nd, 2025\ or 2026 1st* Note: Assets listed above are not a proposed trade package, they are simply a list of players & picks that can be combined in a potential trade worth consideration. Who here likes multiple choice? Yeah i'm not listing all of their stats for the year, there's too many players for that this time around. Golden State is interesting as far as trade partners go. As they lost their 2024 1st round pick post-lottery to the Blazers, they have menial draft capital to include in a trade for this year and as far as salary relief goes, the potential loss of Klay Thompson and the declining of Chris Paul's option seem both very real and deserved given the Warriors were perhaps the most expensive 10 seed in NBA history, not to mention their respective play regressing. To put this into perspective, the Warriors luxury tax bill - for a team that needed to win 2 games to make the playoffs I might add - is estimated to cost Joe Lacob $176 million, more than the entire Raptors roster at $161.9 million post-trade deadline. Changes should be on the horizon no matter what direction they go in the offseason and with Lacob talking about wanting to avoid the luxury tax earlier this year, there's a fairly straight line to connect one dot (no tax) to the other (Klay walks or is signed & traded for a lesser return, Paul's team option declined & either he walks or signs a significantly cheaper deal). We'll ignore that Johnathan Kuminga has likely played himself into an expensive extension and how that could put them close to or over the line the year afterwards for a moment but the point stands: The Warriors don't technically need salary relief when doing nothing can accomplish that... ...but on the other hand, the Warriors still have Steph Curry and that's reason enough to ride out the remnants of the dynasty unless/until the most important/best player in franchise history decides to ask out. Plus, while they did miss on their highest pick since the dynasty formed by selecting James Wiseman over LaMelo Ball or Tyrese Haliburton (Admittedly, Haliburton would have been a stretch for 2 but the Warriors could have traded down), they have managed to land on a few of their lottery picks with the ever productive Johnathan Kuminga and the underutilized Moses Moody in 2021, not to mention they nabbed All-Rookie candidate Brandin Podziemski and the respectable Trayce Jackson-Davis in 2023 with relatively late picks in the 1st and 2nd round. While none of them scream All-Star upside aside from the Kum Bucket, it goes to show that Golden State has found hidden gems late in the draft to add depth to a top-heavy and typically expensive team that hasn't been afforded free agent signings or access to certain exceptions, let alone the ability to keep together the supporting cast that helped them win a championship in Gary Payton II (They got him back via a controversial 3-team trade involving Wiseman) and Raptors Legend™ Otto Porter Jr. With the Raptors prioritizing players over picks in their trade of O.G. Anunoby and them turning the worst of the 2024 picks received in the Siakam trade into two rotational players via Ochai and Olynyk, you can see where this is going: Golden State makes sense as a Bruce Brown destination if the Warriors want to kick the luxury tax down the road by deferring a particular player's extension in favor of a new rookie contract while still getting someone who is all but assured to contribute to a playoff rotation, and if the Raptors want to trade out of this draft while still getting a young player on the roster or potentially move in to a stronger draft class such as 2025 or 2026. Fittingly for the former option, there's one player that makes sense for Toronto in light of Trent's uncertainty as their starting/bench shooting guard as a pending unrestricted free agent, and the Raptors already traded out of this draft twice so it would not be surprising if they did it a third time. It'd be funny, but not a surprise. The Player(s)https://preview.redd.it/ee8vv1rd9v0d1.png?width=1280&format=png&auto=webp&s=576dff2e70308c2379ed9586cc10285e8c9bc6a5Of the Warriors youngest players, Moses Moody stands out and not for the reason that someone has likely mentioned in the comments i.e. Scottie and Moody were teammates in high school. For the past three seasons, Moses has been the most consistently disrespected player by head coach Steve Kerr despite quiet improvements to his overall game, frequently benching him to close games in favor of the wildly inconsistent veteran Klay Thompson and in general limiting his minutes compared to the other young Warriors. This sentiment was perfectly encapsulated in that play-in loss, where Moses played a mere 15 minutes for the Dubs despite arguably being the best player amongst the supporting cast, if not the best player on the floor for Golden State; he scored 16 points on 5/8 shooting (2/4 from 3), grabbed 3 boards and had one dime without not a turnover to his name. In a game where Klay shot 0/10 and may very well have played his last game as a Warrior with a +/- of -12, Moody managed a respectable +/- of +3 in a blowout loss to the Kings. Both Moody and Kuminga have called out Kerr's questionable granting of playtime - Moody has a stretch this year where he was racking up DNPs - but while Johnathan was given more playtime and even started for a time due to Draymond's jackassery leading to multiple suspensions this season in conjunction with a notable leap in his offensive game, Moody's role on the team has been inconsistent and his playtime equally so. With him and Kuminga up for extensions this offseason, Golden State moving Moses to kick the can down the road by picking up another rookie who can contribute now, Moody's time in a Warriors jersey may be over. It also bears mention that Moody is the one young player on the Warriors roster whose name has most frequently come up in trade rumors or failed trades. This very season saw Golden State try to trade for Alex Caruso, a deal which is believed to have been centered around Moody but which fell through due to the Bulls wanting Kuminga instead. Moody is a good player. We'll get into the bad contract that he'd come with in a moment but it cannot be understated the level of frustration that comes from seeing a clearly capable player be sidelined due to favoritism of a past-their-prime veteran. He might not be as good of a shooter as Klay; he's a career 36% from behind the arc and though his volume remains low, on the occasions where he's shot 6 or more more threes, he's around 44% across the 14 games he's been given the greenlight to take that many shots. It's a limited sample size of an already limited sample despite having 3 seasons under his belt, but you can understand why he isn't feeling that he's been given much of any opportunity when his hands are this hot on increased volume. Of course, any player on the Warriors' outside shooting has to come with the obligatory asterisk that they are shooting the shots that they've got & thus the 3-point percentage they're shooting at due to Steph Curry's inescapable gravity. A team playing worse without their best player is so obvious a statement that should go without saying, and the sample size of Curry-less Moody games is once again limited but across 44 Curry-less games in his career, Moses Moody only saw a minor dip in 3-point percentage from his career 36% to 33.6% though again, this is on relatively low volume; his attempts have stayed around the same as his career average with 3 per game in those Curry-less games. The quality of competition is another factor that does need to taken in to consideration along with whomever else was absent but considering that the dip is relatively small and a sizeable amount of teams faced in said sample includes playoff seeds from the 2022/23 season, that's a surprisingly encouraging stat. If there's anything about his overall range that stands out in a negative light, it's that his overall catch and shoot numbers aren't anything to write home about at roughly 36% but I digress. Beyond his shooting upside, there's a lot to like about Moody. For intangibles, he's highly competitive. For fit as a potential starter, he's a 6'6 shooting guard with a lengthy 7'1 wingspan that's shown flashes of his defensive upside and consistently improved on that end of the floor. He's great at moving off-ball and while he's never going to rack up assists, he's willing to pass up a good shot to let a teammate take a better one. Jackson-Davis is also worth mentioning as a potential "young" player though one who is less likely to see the Dubs part ways with. The 24 year-old rookie was a productive member of the team's bench with limited playtime and considering he's making the equivalent of a minimum contract, there's little incentive to move him when he won't need to be extended for at least another season. While Moody for the 19th pick could be an option on its own, we're talking Bruce Brown-centered "salary dump" trades and thus there's two main candidates to consider since it's very hard to see Golden State moving Draymond Green even if a paradigm shift is on the horizon. Andrew Wiggins is hard to currently evaluate whether he's a truly awful contract or just temporarily undervalued. The Mavericks and Pacers were apparently interested in him at this year's deadline but whether that was serious interest or part of negotiations with the Hornets and Raptors respectively for PJ or Pascal to lower their asking prices is up for debate since Andrew stayed a Warrior after the deadline. What can be said is that after being a key contributor to the Warriors Final Dance-esque championship run, Wiggins has had a rough duo of seasons; his 2022/23 encore was more of the same for the regular season if he played, though the key word is "if". Owed to an injury in December and personal matters from February onwards, Wiggins only played 37 games for Golden State & while he was generally decent on both ends in the regular season, his return to the playoffs marked a notable shrinking of Wiggins. Going from a terrific 39.6% from 3 on 6 attempts to 29.7% on less than 5 per game and playing with far less intensity on defense, this version of Wiggins would carry on into the 2023/24 regular season where Andrew had arguably his worst season relative to expectations. He did pick things up in the later games of the season, but said second half has done little to repair his current reputation. Like I said, it's hard to really say if Wiggins contract is viewed as an albatross like former teammate Jordan Poole or the now-expiring Ben Simmons - Andrew is getting paid an AAV of $28 million for the next 3 years - and I don't care to speculate about what was going on in his personal life or if it's still affecting him. What I can say is that while his name does bear consideration, if the Warriors really are determined to run things back, they'll likely hold on to Wiggins and hope whatever personal issues have hindered him for the past two seasons are behind him. When healthy/locked in, he is one of the best wing defenders in the league and as mentioned before, his 3 ball has been terrific in his best seasons with Golden State. With that in mind, Chris Paul could be considered the option for the main salary ballast. At this stage of his career, "Point God" Paul cannot be asked to be a team's starting PG due to a combination of age and injuries but he's shown some effectiveness as a bench in Golden State and despite a poor reputation around the league, he's been a notable mentor to a slew of younger star players like Shai and Booker and has been noted as a culture setter in their respective organizations. He's absolutely not worth paying $30 million for that role - there's a reason why his contract isn't guaranteed whatsoever for the season - but for a season? More than likely 2/3 of a single season? One can stomach the price tag to make such a deal work, especially if Toronto somehow manages to flip his expiring contract at the deadline. If nothing else, having Paul on the last legs of his career as a Raptor (potentially passing Jason Kidd for 2nd on the all-time assist leaderboard in a Raptors jersey at that) would make for an interesting playmaking mentor to Quickley and Scottie. While a straight up swap that includes Jackson-Davis or Moody works financially, owed to the trade exception that the Raptors generated from the Siakam trade which in of itself utilized an exception made via the Anunoby trade, and a 1:1 trade for Brown also works (Moody and Paul on the move would save the Warriors around $7 million in payroll before factoring in the tax), trading Paul for depth in Brown and, say, Chris Boucher - who it should be noted is also expiring and was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Warriors - doesn't offer the Dubs long-term salary relief in the same way that moving off of Wiggins would, at least not for the upcoming season. A deal like this would be an expiring for expiring deal where they would shed a minor amount of salary after going for a "final run" with this current core before having the same issue of needing to re-sign some of their supporting pieces. Not having to worry about paying Moody might help the season after but those pending UFAs and Kuminga would need to get paid or be lost for nothing, meaning they would still be deep in the second apron for the 2024/25 season, barring Klay being re-signed to a very team-friendly deal. It would be a move that screams "delaying the inevitably" but again: They have Steph Curry and considering how bad the Warriors were in the post-Barry, pre-Steph years, it's understandable they'd want to cling on to the current dynasty. As for draft capital, Golden State doesn't have the largest pool of assets but they do have some to spare. They have a very late 2nd in this draft - 52nd overall - and now that their 2024 pick has conveyed to the Blazers, they do have the option to trade a future 1st in 2025 or 2026. Admittedly, it's hard to see the Warriors parting with their remaining draft capital when they just gave up a late lottery pick to the Blazers and they owe the Wizards a 2030 1st, not without a notable protection on said pick as their team continues to age. For reference, that Washington pick they gave up is Top 20-protected. A draft pick, young player(s), a vet (albeit one whose significantly overpaid), like I said, Golden State has a fair amount of options in regards to what combination they can put together for a trade on or after draft night without the Raptors trading down in the 2024 draft but I do want to state that - speaking purely as an outsider to Golden State - the Warriors really should not be doing this. They aren't a Brown + Boucher swap away from being a contender even if Steph is still a consensus Top 3-5 player going in to next season. But they also can't trade an aging Steph Curry to begin rebuild without him being the one to ask out and their overall asset pool is not enough to land a star outside of Kuminga (who, based on the Caruso trade talks, is not available), not to mention the Jordan Poole salary dump saw them ship out a 2030 1st that restricts their draft capital just as much as the new CBA rules do for second apron teams regarding trading out distant draft capital. Doing some kind of move like this may be a more dignified end to the dynasty but it is the end of their status as a championship-caliber team even if Wiggins bounces back and Klay finally accepts a lesser role on offense (If he returns). Maybe they make it as a Top 6 seed in the playoffs given how close the 6th thru 10th seed were in the West with a touch more depth. Maybe they win a playoff series, but they're not making the Conference Finals, let alone another Finals so long as the Nuggets, Thunder and Timberwolves are going to be in contention, and this is without considering teams like the Spurs or Rockets being on the rise; the Rockets in particular made a noteworthy run for the final play-in spot that the Warriors ultimately were locked in to. The current Warriors are in a spot similar to the post-championship Mavericks where they're stuck in a lower seed as their aging superstar stays around for the twilight years of their career, along with all the bumps they'll experience along the road. They'll win enough games to qualify for the playoffs or at the very least the play-in now that the 9th/10th seed make it to the postseason, but they're wholly lacking in options to internally improve or make moves to truly return to contender status. The big difference is the Mavericks failures were self-inflicted i.e. letting core members of that run like Tyson Chandler walk for nothing while trying - but failing (I know they technically signed DeAndre Jordan but that ordeal ended with him returning to L.A., ergo a failure for Dallas) - to sign free agents whereas the Warriors are simply an old team that's only getting older, which is what makes their only shot to their former status being the youthful Kuminga making a massive leap in a short amount of time a touch ironic. ConclusionHere's our TL;DR so far:
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2024.05.17 01:58 Slight-Tree2769 CURRENT HERESY
Response from Kenya regarding the 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐲 Marty talks about in his sermon. Those in Kenya have lost faith in the mother congregation and the holy spirit has led our board to informally expell them from God's Kingdom.
Ephesians 1:15-23 Martin Pylvainen•May 12, 2024 https://llchurcharchive.org/sermons/play/24384
𝐍𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐢 𝐋𝐚𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞 response to being ostrasized from fellowshi.p with God's Children from their facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/nairobilaestadianlutheranpeacecentre/ · "1 Thessalonians 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
When we lose loved ones, it hurts. We are saddened because we miss them and will no longer have the opportunity to hear their voices or enjoy their company. But in Jesus, we have the great comfort of knowing that our sadness is only temporary, for he has promised victory and eternal life to all who know him. And in his hope, we find peace, even in the midst of our sorrow.Nairobi Laestadian Lutheran Peace Centre · Psalms 118:22-24 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
It's interesting to see in the Bibl e that Jesus offended the religious but did not offend sinners. As we are called to be like Christ, this means that it is not our purpose as Christians to go around calling out sinners, but it is our place to call out the religious when they are not in line with the will of God. Religious leaders often fall into the same traps that Jesus called out the religious leaders in his time for. The leaders had become overly ritualistic, abandoning the loving ways that God had called for in favor of the rituals that comforted them. But true religion - the way of Christ that we are called to live - is not based on rigid rituals, but on adaptable and flexible love.
We are meant to be soldiers for God, but we have to be careful who we fight as soldiers. Those who fight against sinners are not following in the way Jesus. The bold soldiers are the ones who fight against bad religion, constantly perfecting God's church in the process."
From John Stewart's Webinar, After Times of Battle:Regarding LCC members in good standing and acceptable to the board and board appointed leaders, 𝐓͟𝐡͟𝐞͟𝐲͟ ͟𝐝͟𝐨͟𝐧͟’͟𝐭͟ ͟𝐦͟𝐢͟𝐧͟𝐠͟𝐥͟𝐞͟ ͟𝐨͟𝐫͟ ͟𝐬͟𝐡͟𝐚͟𝐫͟𝐞͟ ͟𝐬͟𝐩͟𝐢͟𝐫͟𝐢͟𝐭͟𝐮͟𝐚͟𝐥͟ ͟𝐟͟𝐞͟𝐥͟𝐥͟𝐨͟𝐰͟𝐬͟𝐡͟𝐢͟𝐩͟ ͟𝐰͟𝐢͟𝐭͟𝐡͟ ͟𝐭͟𝐡͟𝐞͟ ͟𝐡͟𝐞͟𝐫͟𝐞͟𝐭͟𝐢͟𝐜͟𝐬͟.͟.
submitted by Slight-Tree2769 to OpenLaestadian [link] [comments]
Ephesians 1:15-23 Martin Pylvainen•May 12, 2024 https://llchurcharchive.org/sermons/play/24384
𝐍𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐢 𝐋𝐚𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞 response to being ostrasized from fellowshi.p with God's Children from their facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/nairobilaestadianlutheranpeacecentre/ · "1 Thessalonians 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
When we lose loved ones, it hurts. We are saddened because we miss them and will no longer have the opportunity to hear their voices or enjoy their company. But in Jesus, we have the great comfort of knowing that our sadness is only temporary, for he has promised victory and eternal life to all who know him. And in his hope, we find peace, even in the midst of our sorrow.Nairobi Laestadian Lutheran Peace Centre · Psalms 118:22-24 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
It's interesting to see in the Bibl e that Jesus offended the religious but did not offend sinners. As we are called to be like Christ, this means that it is not our purpose as Christians to go around calling out sinners, but it is our place to call out the religious when they are not in line with the will of God. Religious leaders often fall into the same traps that Jesus called out the religious leaders in his time for. The leaders had become overly ritualistic, abandoning the loving ways that God had called for in favor of the rituals that comforted them. But true religion - the way of Christ that we are called to live - is not based on rigid rituals, but on adaptable and flexible love.
We are meant to be soldiers for God, but we have to be careful who we fight as soldiers. Those who fight against sinners are not following in the way Jesus. The bold soldiers are the ones who fight against bad religion, constantly perfecting God's church in the process."
From John Stewart's Webinar, After Times of Battle:Regarding LCC members in good standing and acceptable to the board and board appointed leaders, 𝐓͟𝐡͟𝐞͟𝐲͟ ͟𝐝͟𝐨͟𝐧͟’͟𝐭͟ ͟𝐦͟𝐢͟𝐧͟𝐠͟𝐥͟𝐞͟ ͟𝐨͟𝐫͟ ͟𝐬͟𝐡͟𝐚͟𝐫͟𝐞͟ ͟𝐬͟𝐩͟𝐢͟𝐫͟𝐢͟𝐭͟𝐮͟𝐚͟𝐥͟ ͟𝐟͟𝐞͟𝐥͟𝐥͟𝐨͟𝐰͟𝐬͟𝐡͟𝐢͟𝐩͟ ͟𝐰͟𝐢͟𝐭͟𝐡͟ ͟𝐭͟𝐡͟𝐞͟ ͟𝐡͟𝐞͟𝐫͟𝐞͟𝐭͟𝐢͟𝐜͟𝐬͟.͟.
2024.05.17 01:22 Mierkatte I’m not motivated by $ alone
(This might be a weird post but I hope you will welcome it).
(I’ve been unemployed and dealing with a lot of poor executive functioning in everyday life. On top of that, I had a family tragedy/unexpected death four months ago. Not currently medicated for my ADD and my sleep is out of whack due to my menopause).
Ok, I have had a bag of retail returns ($$$) I’ve needed to make for four months sitting on my office floor. I think about it everyday. It’s been on my to do list for these four months. Literally haunting me. The return amount equaling $300+ but have had ZERO motivation to make them. Needed to find tags, re-attach some of the tags, find receipts, research which credit card I used, including ones now defunct, also find digital receipts for the ones I do not have paper ones. Ya feel me? (It felt like the equivalent of looking at a crime scene bulletin board of all those complicated lines drawn to and fro!).
One would think I’d be rushing to get that money back since the sand is running out of my bank account quickly. But no. I’m simply not motivated by money. And with little dopamine I’ve just been procrastinating about it.
But a sequence of events happened yesterday. I went to a community art class. Got outta my head and did art. Met a friend who I really energetically and emotionally connected with on ‘anxiety and general life’ struggles. I had a healthy lunch. I called my elderly mother’s elder care facility and had a validating conversation with my mom’s nurse expressing my concerns about her care (a call I was stressing about). They were super compassionate and listened. And then…. I effing whipped that return package together and drove to said retailer and got it done!!! I believe this was on the heels of several dopamine hit experiences. I could still care less about the money. But I feel so “cleansed” and accomplished. Those purchases were unnecessary and the bag of them have also been a reminder of my impulsive spending … and my shame about that…
(I know this is just a validating example of why I need to get back on ADD meds. And an appt is on the books.)
I wanted to share this story. I’ve talked with my therapist about it. And today I finally got to celebrate it with her in my session. I know all days can’t go like this … in fact today was one of those (ugh days). I woke up late and was late to therapy. 🤦🏻♀️
Thanks for listening 🙏
submitted by Mierkatte to adhdmenopause [link] [comments]
(I’ve been unemployed and dealing with a lot of poor executive functioning in everyday life. On top of that, I had a family tragedy/unexpected death four months ago. Not currently medicated for my ADD and my sleep is out of whack due to my menopause).
Ok, I have had a bag of retail returns ($$$) I’ve needed to make for four months sitting on my office floor. I think about it everyday. It’s been on my to do list for these four months. Literally haunting me. The return amount equaling $300+ but have had ZERO motivation to make them. Needed to find tags, re-attach some of the tags, find receipts, research which credit card I used, including ones now defunct, also find digital receipts for the ones I do not have paper ones. Ya feel me? (It felt like the equivalent of looking at a crime scene bulletin board of all those complicated lines drawn to and fro!).
One would think I’d be rushing to get that money back since the sand is running out of my bank account quickly. But no. I’m simply not motivated by money. And with little dopamine I’ve just been procrastinating about it.
But a sequence of events happened yesterday. I went to a community art class. Got outta my head and did art. Met a friend who I really energetically and emotionally connected with on ‘anxiety and general life’ struggles. I had a healthy lunch. I called my elderly mother’s elder care facility and had a validating conversation with my mom’s nurse expressing my concerns about her care (a call I was stressing about). They were super compassionate and listened. And then…. I effing whipped that return package together and drove to said retailer and got it done!!! I believe this was on the heels of several dopamine hit experiences. I could still care less about the money. But I feel so “cleansed” and accomplished. Those purchases were unnecessary and the bag of them have also been a reminder of my impulsive spending … and my shame about that…
(I know this is just a validating example of why I need to get back on ADD meds. And an appt is on the books.)
I wanted to share this story. I’ve talked with my therapist about it. And today I finally got to celebrate it with her in my session. I know all days can’t go like this … in fact today was one of those (ugh days). I woke up late and was late to therapy. 🤦🏻♀️
Thanks for listening 🙏
2024.05.17 01:06 LostScaredPerson Community bulletin boards irl?
Remember how old school bulletin boards existed? You could find resources and events going on in the area. Library aside, any suggestions on where I can find some in the area?
submitted by LostScaredPerson to evansville [link] [comments]
2024.05.17 01:01 MerkadoBarkada BSP holds rates steady; DDMPR declares falling Q1 div; Jollibee Q1 profit: P2.6-B (up 27%); PSE puts ANI, INFRA, C, and PNX on suspension notice (Friday, May 17)
Happy Friday, Barkada --
The PSE gained 70 points to 6628 ▲1.1%
Shout-out to Shehana Jean for the positive feedback on the AREIT div card, to Miguel Camus for fighting the good fight with his new startup (InsiderPH), to financial freedom for even more great design advice for the div cards, to daddyew for getting out (of APL) at the right time, to Dividend Pinoy for (like me) growing impatient for a warehouse REIT, to echAir for the positive feedback on my weird "building of buyers" analogy that I used to try and explain how inflows/outflows work with index rebals, to Satorun in for the tl;dr (too long; didn't read) of the DDMPR saga, to Jing for the sad boat meme appreciation, to Rod Leaf for mentioning APL's stinky FOO as the last time he saw the MB Siphon 1 ("siphoning off people's money"), to Jr Martin for warmly congratulating Ely and Gladys on their 1-year anniversary, to VodkaMartini_007 for spilling the beans on the location of the MB Siphon 1 ("the Port of Irene in Cagayan"), and to arkitrader for the pathetic boat vibes haha.US April inflation came out and surprised to the downside, meaning that (at least in the US) domestic demand has cooled and consumer inflation has resumed its downward trend. US markets immediately pumped, with the Dow Jones average crossing the 40,000 mark for the first time. Will the PSE get any of that shine?
▌In today's MB:
- BSP holds rates steady
- DDMPR declares falling Q1 div
- Jollibee Q1 profit: P2.6-B (up 27%)
- PSE puts ANI, INFRA, C, and PNX on suspension notice
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- [NEWS] BSP keeps interest rates steady... The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) [link] said yesterday that its Monetary Board decided to keep rates steady. In doing so, the BSP said that inflationary risks “continue to lean toward the upside”, but that its latest forecasts showed that “inflation would settle close tot he upper-end of the target range.” As for inflation expectations, the BSP said that those “remain well-anchored”. The Monetary Board said that it “deems it appropriate to ensure tight monetary policy settings until inflation settles firmly within the target range”, and indicated that such a stance would also “help keep inflation expectations anchored”.
- MB: At least the BSP stopped talking about wage increases as a potential inflationary risk. That said, does anyone else detect an air of contradiction in what the BSP is saying? Perhaps contradiction is too strong of a term, but I get the growing sense that the BSP’s reasons for keeping rates high are somewhat diverging from its own analysis. The BSP says that it’s primary objective is price stability, so we can infer that it’s keeping rates high as a means of trying to suppress price increases, and yet the BSP has again and again told us that the driver for price increases is a problem on the supply side of the equation, not the demand side. Interest rate adjustments don’t impact supply-side problems, because interest rate increases are meant to suppress demand. We don’t have a demand problem. Adding to this is the BSP’s concern about maintaining a tight policy to keep inflation expectations anchored, despite noting just a paragraph earlier that inflation expectations were already “well-anchored”. This implies that there is psychological space for the BSP to lower rates within the framework of current expectations. This is picky stuff, I know, there are simply too many people and companies struggling under high rates to ignore the rapidly decreasing marginal utility of yet another cycle of the BSP’s conservative observation of the situation. Just my personal opinion.
- [DIVS] DDMPR declares falling Q1 div at 116% payout ratio... DDMP [DDMPR 1.17 ▲0.9%; 37% avgVol] [link] declared a Q1/24 dividend of ₱0.023476, payable on July 15 to shareholders of record as of June 19. The dividend has an annualized yield of 8.03% based on the previous closing price. The total amount of the dividend is ₱419 million, which is 116% of the ₱362 million in distributable income that DDMPR reported for the quarter. Relative to DDMPR’s IPO price, the dividend increased DDMPR’s total stock and dividend return to -32.29%, up from its pre-dividend total return of -32.33%. DDMP REIT Fund Managers reported that DDMPR’s occupancy as of March 31 was just 76%, with occupancy at its main building (DoubleDragon Plaza) listed at just 70.8%.
- MB: The dividend amount is up 1.4% from DDMPR’s disastrous Q4/23 dividend, but it’s down 7.5% y/y and down 15.8% from Q1/22. DDMPR is the second-oldest REIT on the PSE. It issued its first dividend to shareholders in Q4/20. Its sponsor,DoubleDragon* [DD 10.48 ▲10.0%; 581% avgVol], is bursting at the seams with potential assets that could be downloaded to DDMPR to diversify the REIT’s portfolio and breathe some much-needed life into this stagnating afterthought. DDMPR’s assets are fine, but their strategy in how to monetize those assets is outdated. Gone are the days when high commercial rents from POGOs could excuse the growing issue of collections from those POGOs. Now we have DDMPR suffering from high (and going higher) rates of delinquency. Gone are the days when investors were lapping up the chance to get in on the commercial office space game. Now we have the threat of a POGO ban and the existential threat of AI putting all of the “easy” BPO leasing opportunities at risk. Gone are the days when DDMPR’s inactivity could be explained away by its newness. Now we’re left picking through the rubble of yet another disappointing Quarterly Report, yet another y/y dividend reduction, and bagholders have heard no plan from management on what they’ll do to right the ship.*
- [EARNINGS] Jollibee Q1 profit: ₱2.6-B (up 27%)... Jollibee [JFC 224.00 ▲0.9%; 300% avgVol] [link] posted a Q1 net income attributable of ₱2.6 billion, up 27% from its Q1/23 net income attributable of ₱2.1 billion. JFC said it was able to grow profit margins and exceed its Q1 performance outlook thanks to “healthy top line growth combined with further operational efficiencies and effective management of expenses”. JFC’s system-wide sales were up 10.4% to ₱86.8 billion due to new store additions and same-store sales growth was up 5.5%, which JFC said was due to increased volume. Across all of JFC’s segmented business units, “Europe, Middle East, Asia” had the largest same-store sales growth (+14.7%) and system-wide sales growth (+25.5%). The “People’s Republic of China” and “Highlands Coffee” were negative in terms of same-store sales growth (-3.7% and -9.0%, respectively), and only the People’s Republic of China business unit was negative in terms of system-wide sales growth (-3.7%). JFC said that its difficulties in China are partly due to a high bar effect from last year’s success, and a slowdown in the quick service restaurant industry in that country more generally. JFC said that while Highlands Coffee saw its same-store sales growth fall 9.0%, it did “better than industry” and managed to gain 4% market share during that period.
- MB: The bee perseveres. It has made massive bets in “coffee” and “China” that could pay off handsomely in the future, and all of this activity has likely bought the management team some more time with its shareholder base to deliver on the delicious fruits of these bets. JFC’s stock price is up almost 150% from its COVID low, but it’s somewhat rangebound between about ₱200/share and ₱270/share. The stock hit ₱273/share in late February, only to rapidly retreat back to the ₱215/share level over the next six weeks in a pattern that the share price has repeated two or three times already this year. Generally speaking, the highs are higher and the lows are higher, but maybe with all the segments firing this busy season the stock will finally be able to push out of that range.
- [NEWS] Several notable firms placed on suspension notice for failure to report... The PSE [link] notified four high-profile companies that their shares would be suspended at 9 AM today if 2023 Annual Reports were not posted. The companies that were put on notice are Tony Tiu’s AgriNurture [ANI 0.57 ▼1.7%; 102% avgVol], Philippine Infradev [INFRA 0.53 ▲1.9%; 262% avgVol] and two from pseudo-tycoon Dennis Uy, Chelsea Logistics [C 1.30 ▲4.0%; 526% avgVol] and Phoenix Petroleum [PNX 4.17 ▼0.2%; 78% avgVol]. Should any of these companies fail to submit their Annual Reports before 9 AM, they will remain suspended for up to three months until such report is submitted. If nothing has changed after three months, the PSE must begin involuntary delisting proceedings.
- MB: These companies are not a random sample, and they’re not representative of the PSE as a whole. Will ANI, INFRA, C, and PNX push their luck right up to the deadline, or will any of these companies slip into a suspended state for failure to complete one of the most basic components of public corporate life? As usual, retail bagholders will just have to wait and see what the owners decide to do.
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2024.05.17 00:29 Different-Ad-2006 How best to get compensation from flippers and their contractor for latent defects?
I bought a house from house flippers in February. The weekend we moved in, L.A. had a rainstorm and the 2nd story ceilings immediately began leaking, with mold appearing. When purchasing, I was sold "a brand new roof", so this was confusing. I notified the sellers' realtor, and the sellers sent over a roofer to put asphalt around our chimney-- a short term solution that will last no more than 6 months. The roofer told us that he was so sorry, that their contractor had attempted to hire him for the roofing job, but he was busy so he sent over an unlicensed friend... who had failed/forgotten to flash the chimney. Hence, the leak. Their contractor also installed an interior door on the exterior of our house (laundry room), which promptly melted in the rain, as it was particle board.
Since then, we've discovered other latent defects. Their plumber wired a toilet to the hot water, which we had to pay hundreds to get corrected. Additionally, their contractor failed to get a permit to upgrade our electrical panel after he installed a new HVAC, so we were visited by LADWP and put on notice. When our electrician came to replace the panel and upgrade the system from 100-200 amps, he also discovered that their contractor had shoved 5 neutral wires in with 1 grounding wire (I guess the ratio is supposed to be 2:1), creating a massive fire hazard. So we had to have that redone.
We had our realtor ask their realtor to share in some of these costs-- the sellers said no to everything, including sending a plumber to detach the toilet from the hot water.
Costs to repair the above have now mounted to about 13k. My questions, as the purchase contract calls for mediation (unless we're going to small claims, which is capped in L.A. at 12.5k): Do I skip mediation and just file a small claims case and eat the rest? Do I get an attorney? Do I try mediation first? Not sure which path will be most successful to get some help with these repairs.
Thanks for any advice/experience.
submitted by Different-Ad-2006 to legaladvice [link] [comments]
Since then, we've discovered other latent defects. Their plumber wired a toilet to the hot water, which we had to pay hundreds to get corrected. Additionally, their contractor failed to get a permit to upgrade our electrical panel after he installed a new HVAC, so we were visited by LADWP and put on notice. When our electrician came to replace the panel and upgrade the system from 100-200 amps, he also discovered that their contractor had shoved 5 neutral wires in with 1 grounding wire (I guess the ratio is supposed to be 2:1), creating a massive fire hazard. So we had to have that redone.
We had our realtor ask their realtor to share in some of these costs-- the sellers said no to everything, including sending a plumber to detach the toilet from the hot water.
Costs to repair the above have now mounted to about 13k. My questions, as the purchase contract calls for mediation (unless we're going to small claims, which is capped in L.A. at 12.5k): Do I skip mediation and just file a small claims case and eat the rest? Do I get an attorney? Do I try mediation first? Not sure which path will be most successful to get some help with these repairs.
Thanks for any advice/experience.
2024.05.17 00:13 simpforcatu For 26tards :)
Welcome to the journey of two years :) y’all have your boards result, hope you guys were satisfied. This post is going to be pretty candid. Advice, and mistakes to avoid.
May to July Your classes have started, probably studying basic maths, stoichiometry and kinematics in physics. Confidence is at an all time high, you’re looking at your seniors and thinking “we will never end up like them”. Probably some of you won’t, I hope most of you don’t :)) but be mindful. During this time, you’ll be looking for various resources like HCV, Cengage , etc. that’s all good, however, here are my tips to avoid stumbling here, after a detailed thought process and my observation of myself and others during this period.
1) don’t look for many resources . Stick to DPPs, CPPs and your teacher’s notes. Trust them. Be patient. 2) expect, but expect TOO much from yourself. Learn that highs and lows are a part of any journey.
AUGUST TO DECEMBER your grades have probably started to drop and you’re moving towards more complex topics. Rotation, equilibrium and more. ‘IIT hookah bar edits’ aren’t keeping your morale high anymore and you seriously start questioning everything. Some of your peers will quit during this time. Trust me, it’s one of the most difficult time academically and emotionally. 12th certainly is better in terms of academics.
The mistake people make- make new time tables everyday, spend whole day in planning and zero execution. Their morale DROPS.
Advice- 1) execute. Solve questions. Just keep your head high and STUDY! Don’t run after PYQs. Make your concepts strong by basic problem solving and then move to complex topics. 2) DONT LOOK FOR TOO MANY RESOURCES. By now you know if your teacher is good. Please follow them if they are. (90% are. Trust them and don’t be too intolerant and judgemental) 3) take out time for your mental health and physical health. Go on smol walks, meet friends. (Roz roz nhi 😭, but once in a while doesn’t hurt) 4) try to study 6 hours everyday.
JANUARY TO MARCH if you’re in a normal school, you will have your final exams soon. DONT IGNORE THEM. It’s difficult to score well in 11th grade, but please try to score atleast ~75%. By now you’ve realised why your seniors ended up the way they did. Don’t lose hope, even if you feel your 11th is ‘wasted’ don’t worry it’s not.
Advice Focus on final exams, and DONT run after your backlog. Vo baadme dekhna. Abhi exams pe dhyaan do.
MARCH TO JULY
Most coachings give you some break. Try to complete your weak topics. Don’t panic, tumhari 11th can be saved.
There are three categories now.
A) 11th ended, haven’t studied ANYTHING. Sorry buddy, you’re in a bit trouble. Cause 11th and 12th are kinda connected. Physics. Complete gravitation on priority basis. Chemistry. COMPLETE GOC NICELY. (Should be a very strong topic for you, cause in 12th there are two books, one is entirely for chemistry.) Maths. Don’t ignore it, complete most of it and trigonometry on a priority basis. Atleast basic trigonometry.
B) studied a bit. Most students are in this category. Most probably, one subject is ignored. Work on that. Possibly the best advice I can give.Trust yourself and your teachers.
C) sab badiya chal raha hai Great! Proud of you for that :)
AUGUST TO DECEMBER. You’ve got some serious reality checks by now. It’s the time you get SERIOUS for mains. Please don’t take it lightly. I assume in 2026 it’ll be even more competitive. Also, the time you should start worrying about your boards. School exams ne reality check de dia hoga,
Problem- Hopelessness, seeking hopium
Advice 1) physics ke liye acchi si reference book lelo. I used xam idea. Do it 5-10 pages everyday. Chemistry = NCERT. Chaat jao NCERT ko specially organic. Maths ke liye dw, last me pyqs ki book karlena for boards, multiple times. Don’t ignore ncert. Do integration multiple times from ncert. 2) start doing PYQs for mains. Reality checks. Don’t ignore mocks! 3) follow eduniti for physics. ( REVISION ONLY)
DECEMBER TO JANUARY- Sadness is at an all time high. But so are studies :) keep up the good work champ. Target ATLEAST 160 to be on the safe side. (Cutoff) Mocks dete raho, padhte raho. Mains one the best opportunity to score. (Unless NTA pulls 27 January shit again 💀🤡)
FEBRUARY TO MARCH- 2-4 din chill karo, then get back on track for boards. Koi subject ignore mat karo, and yes school teachers se acche relations rakho, tumhare practicals unke haath me hai :) (not even kidding, sahi me)
MAINS 2 don’t worry,you can score better than mains 1 here if you work hard. It’s more competitive though. Work on your weaknesses and do your best.
SOME OF MY REGRETS,MISTAKES AND ADVICE 1) focusing only on 2 subjects. PLEASE MAT KARNA YE. If I could turn back time, this is what I would do. Focus on all three subjects equally. 2) DEVELOP A SENSE OF URGENCY. Starting me lagega bhot time hai, but time slips :) develop a sense of urgency towards studies. 3) make good friends. Not a regret,but one thing I did right was making good diligent and studious that had fun yet never backed off from helping me. Friendship goes a long way :) ( pure din aawaragardi mat karna 😭🎀)
These were my elder sister advice to y’all. Hope they helped you guys. Good luck! One thing to note is, while getting into IIT is VERY cool, it should not be the entire purpose of your life. Learn to give it your all yet know how to move on. Don’t attach your entire worth to an institution. You can be beyond successful even if you don’t land an IIT. learn to work hard, persevere, accept and move on.
submitted by simpforcatu to JEENEETards [link] [comments]
May to July Your classes have started, probably studying basic maths, stoichiometry and kinematics in physics. Confidence is at an all time high, you’re looking at your seniors and thinking “we will never end up like them”. Probably some of you won’t, I hope most of you don’t :)) but be mindful. During this time, you’ll be looking for various resources like HCV, Cengage , etc. that’s all good, however, here are my tips to avoid stumbling here, after a detailed thought process and my observation of myself and others during this period.
1) don’t look for many resources . Stick to DPPs, CPPs and your teacher’s notes. Trust them. Be patient. 2) expect, but expect TOO much from yourself. Learn that highs and lows are a part of any journey.
AUGUST TO DECEMBER your grades have probably started to drop and you’re moving towards more complex topics. Rotation, equilibrium and more. ‘IIT hookah bar edits’ aren’t keeping your morale high anymore and you seriously start questioning everything. Some of your peers will quit during this time. Trust me, it’s one of the most difficult time academically and emotionally. 12th certainly is better in terms of academics.
The mistake people make- make new time tables everyday, spend whole day in planning and zero execution. Their morale DROPS.
Advice- 1) execute. Solve questions. Just keep your head high and STUDY! Don’t run after PYQs. Make your concepts strong by basic problem solving and then move to complex topics. 2) DONT LOOK FOR TOO MANY RESOURCES. By now you know if your teacher is good. Please follow them if they are. (90% are. Trust them and don’t be too intolerant and judgemental) 3) take out time for your mental health and physical health. Go on smol walks, meet friends. (Roz roz nhi 😭, but once in a while doesn’t hurt) 4) try to study 6 hours everyday.
JANUARY TO MARCH if you’re in a normal school, you will have your final exams soon. DONT IGNORE THEM. It’s difficult to score well in 11th grade, but please try to score atleast ~75%. By now you’ve realised why your seniors ended up the way they did. Don’t lose hope, even if you feel your 11th is ‘wasted’ don’t worry it’s not.
Advice Focus on final exams, and DONT run after your backlog. Vo baadme dekhna. Abhi exams pe dhyaan do.
MARCH TO JULY
Most coachings give you some break. Try to complete your weak topics. Don’t panic, tumhari 11th can be saved.
There are three categories now.
A) 11th ended, haven’t studied ANYTHING. Sorry buddy, you’re in a bit trouble. Cause 11th and 12th are kinda connected. Physics. Complete gravitation on priority basis. Chemistry. COMPLETE GOC NICELY. (Should be a very strong topic for you, cause in 12th there are two books, one is entirely for chemistry.) Maths. Don’t ignore it, complete most of it and trigonometry on a priority basis. Atleast basic trigonometry.
B) studied a bit. Most students are in this category. Most probably, one subject is ignored. Work on that. Possibly the best advice I can give.Trust yourself and your teachers.
C) sab badiya chal raha hai Great! Proud of you for that :)
AUGUST TO DECEMBER. You’ve got some serious reality checks by now. It’s the time you get SERIOUS for mains. Please don’t take it lightly. I assume in 2026 it’ll be even more competitive. Also, the time you should start worrying about your boards. School exams ne reality check de dia hoga,
Problem- Hopelessness, seeking hopium
Advice 1) physics ke liye acchi si reference book lelo. I used xam idea. Do it 5-10 pages everyday. Chemistry = NCERT. Chaat jao NCERT ko specially organic. Maths ke liye dw, last me pyqs ki book karlena for boards, multiple times. Don’t ignore ncert. Do integration multiple times from ncert. 2) start doing PYQs for mains. Reality checks. Don’t ignore mocks! 3) follow eduniti for physics. ( REVISION ONLY)
DECEMBER TO JANUARY- Sadness is at an all time high. But so are studies :) keep up the good work champ. Target ATLEAST 160 to be on the safe side. (Cutoff) Mocks dete raho, padhte raho. Mains one the best opportunity to score. (Unless NTA pulls 27 January shit again 💀🤡)
FEBRUARY TO MARCH- 2-4 din chill karo, then get back on track for boards. Koi subject ignore mat karo, and yes school teachers se acche relations rakho, tumhare practicals unke haath me hai :) (not even kidding, sahi me)
MAINS 2 don’t worry,you can score better than mains 1 here if you work hard. It’s more competitive though. Work on your weaknesses and do your best.
SOME OF MY REGRETS,MISTAKES AND ADVICE 1) focusing only on 2 subjects. PLEASE MAT KARNA YE. If I could turn back time, this is what I would do. Focus on all three subjects equally. 2) DEVELOP A SENSE OF URGENCY. Starting me lagega bhot time hai, but time slips :) develop a sense of urgency towards studies. 3) make good friends. Not a regret,but one thing I did right was making good diligent and studious that had fun yet never backed off from helping me. Friendship goes a long way :) ( pure din aawaragardi mat karna 😭🎀)
These were my elder sister advice to y’all. Hope they helped you guys. Good luck! One thing to note is, while getting into IIT is VERY cool, it should not be the entire purpose of your life. Learn to give it your all yet know how to move on. Don’t attach your entire worth to an institution. You can be beyond successful even if you don’t land an IIT. learn to work hard, persevere, accept and move on.
2024.05.17 00:11 Deal_Ambitious Possible future stock buyback?
This is highly speculative, but I would like to have your thoughts on this as I'm having a hard time figuring out why the stock suddenly started moving on "no news" at all.
So here's the current situation: You're in the middle of turning a dying brick and mortar company into a profitable company again, had a profitable last Quarter and a warchest filled with around 1B.
As stated in the last 10-K form:
"On March 4, 2019, our Board of Directors approved a share repurchase authorization allowing us to repurchase up to $300.0 million of our Class A Common Stock. The authorization has no expiration date. We did not repurchase shares during fiscal 2023 or fiscal 2022. As of February 3, 2024, we have $101.3 million remaining under the repurchase authorization. Refer to Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis - "Share Repurchases" for additional information."
Summarized: they state that they are allowed to repurchase shares up to 300M in value.
Now, as I understand it, you want to do this under rule 10b - 18 as this elimintates legal or regulatory liabilities:
What Is Rule 10b – 18?
"Rule 10B-18 is a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rule that is intended to reduce liability for companies (and their affiliated purchasers) when the company repurchases shares of the company's common stock. Rule 10B-18 is considered a safe harbor provision. A safe harbor is a legal provision to reduce or eliminate legal or regulatory liability in certain situations as long as certain conditions are met. If the company abides by the four conditions of Rule 10B-18 when it is repurchasing the shares, the SEC will not deem the transactions in violation of anti-fraud provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934."
The four conditions are:
Now what would happen if you test the water first, by making it known that you will do a buyback around a certain date? Could this spark interest from institutions, as buybacks generally result in buying pressure and an increase in share prices? RK started tweeting again a Cohencidence? I think this will explain the run-up in the last weeks, but, as mentioned above, Gamestop probably bought only 1 or 2M of shares due to the specified conditions.
This did however increase volume in the last weeks, up to a level where the average daily trading volume (ADTV) is now just under 30M shares per day. Now here's the fun part: those who shorted the stock will want to reduce the stockprice under 25 or 20 before the weekend, to at least reduce the amount of call options currently in the money. A lower stock price allows Gamestop to just buy more shares for their fulll budget of $300M, turning on the heat for those who shorted the stock.
Please feel free to correct me where I'm wrong. I'm far from a financial advisor!
edit: My bad, the remaining budget is $101M, leaving the old numbers for transparancy.
submitted by Deal_Ambitious to Superstonk [link] [comments]
So here's the current situation: You're in the middle of turning a dying brick and mortar company into a profitable company again, had a profitable last Quarter and a warchest filled with around 1B.
As stated in the last 10-K form:
"On March 4, 2019, our Board of Directors approved a share repurchase authorization allowing us to repurchase up to $300.0 million of our Class A Common Stock. The authorization has no expiration date. We did not repurchase shares during fiscal 2023 or fiscal 2022. As of February 3, 2024, we have $101.3 million remaining under the repurchase authorization. Refer to Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis - "Share Repurchases" for additional information."
Summarized: they state that they are allowed to repurchase shares up to 300M in value.
Now, as I understand it, you want to do this under rule 10b - 18 as this elimintates legal or regulatory liabilities:
What Is Rule 10b – 18?
"Rule 10B-18 is a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rule that is intended to reduce liability for companies (and their affiliated purchasers) when the company repurchases shares of the company's common stock. Rule 10B-18 is considered a safe harbor provision. A safe harbor is a legal provision to reduce or eliminate legal or regulatory liability in certain situations as long as certain conditions are met. If the company abides by the four conditions of Rule 10B-18 when it is repurchasing the shares, the SEC will not deem the transactions in violation of anti-fraud provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934."
The four conditions are:
- First, the issuer or affiliate must purchase all shares from a single broker or deal during a single day.
- Second, there are certain requirements for the timing of the purchase. An issuer with an average daily trading volume (ADTV) that is less than $1 million per day or that has a public float value below $150 million cannot trade within the last 30 minutes of trading. Companies with higher average trading volume or public float value can trade until the last 10 minutes.
- Third, the issuer must repurchase at a price that does not exceed the highest independent bid or the last transaction price quoted.
- Finally, the issuer cannot purchase over 25% of the average daily volume.
Now what would happen if you test the water first, by making it known that you will do a buyback around a certain date? Could this spark interest from institutions, as buybacks generally result in buying pressure and an increase in share prices? RK started tweeting again a Cohencidence? I think this will explain the run-up in the last weeks, but, as mentioned above, Gamestop probably bought only 1 or 2M of shares due to the specified conditions.
This did however increase volume in the last weeks, up to a level where the average daily trading volume (ADTV) is now just under 30M shares per day. Now here's the fun part: those who shorted the stock will want to reduce the stockprice under 25 or 20 before the weekend, to at least reduce the amount of call options currently in the money. A lower stock price allows Gamestop to just buy more shares for their fulll budget of $300M, turning on the heat for those who shorted the stock.
Please feel free to correct me where I'm wrong. I'm far from a financial advisor!
edit: My bad, the remaining budget is $101M, leaving the old numbers for transparancy.
2024.05.17 00:11 Peacock-Shah-III The Farmer-Labor Presidential Primaries of 1952 Peacock-Shah Alternate Elections
 | Seeking a third term to finish his construction of a new dawn for the republic once and for all, incumbent President Philip La Follette has rallied his supporters within the party to almost guarantee his renomination after four years of intraparty purges of his detractors following his narrow triumph over John L. Lewis in 1948. Yet, inspired by former Vice President Lena Morrow Lewis’s deathbed plea to “save our party’s democratic soul,” burgeoning efforts from within statewide opposition groups have sought to mount opposition from within the presidential nominating process as a means of reconquering state parties. submitted by Peacock-Shah-III to Presidentialpoll [link] [comments] Presidential portrait of Philip F. La Follette. Philip F. La Follette: The heir to one of the nation’s great political dynasties, Philip Fox La Follette would emerge from the Great War and Revolution as a war hero, a reputation that, with his last name, would carry the once outspokenly anti-war young man to the Governor’s office, Lindbergh’s Supreme Court, and finally the upper echelons of the Army, where his ability to avoid taking positions on controversial issues would win him the Farmer-Labor nomination for the presidency in 1944–and finally the White House itself. Alienating much of his constituency from the outset with his determination to prosecute the war effort to its fullest, La Follette would respond to the battlefield use of two atomic weapons by Japan with a series of nuclear strikes upon the Japanese mainland that would claim final victory for the United States at the cost of the lives of over two million Japanese civilians. Appointing General Douglas MacArthur, hardly a Farmer-Laborite, as Secretary of State, La Follette has pursued the rebuilding and rearmament of a ring of anti-communist nations in Asia while pledging to avoid any future war. Declaring that, with the age of war having closed, the republic must “win the peace,” La Follette allied himself with much of Charles Lindbergh’s base of support, saluting alongside the fascists of Alabama as he presided over the sharpest GDP growth in American history and buoyed it with executive orders to nationalize the healthcare industry while engaging in the mass sterilization of Americans and constructing an interstate highway system and hydroelectric power grid without congressional approval. With an investigation into the disappearance of Smedley Butler yielding evidence of an assassination organized under former President Lindbergh and a litany of arrests of leading anti-La Follette figures stuning the nation, the opposition would unite in an unprecedented impeachment effort. Now, months after having saved his presidency from the first impeachment in American history, 55 year old incumbent President Philip F. La Follette has sought a new mandate for his call to “win the peace” in a quest for a third term; further, the President has taken his first major post-impeachment use of executive power to reorganize the cabinet into umbrella departments of Peace, Production, and Prosperity. Pointing to the successful slaying of the dragon of inflation and the first space launches in human history, Phil has sought the passage of a constitutional amendment reducing the legislative power to that of a veto and expanding that of the presidency while instituting a nationwide referendum system. Although practically guaranteed renomination after his purging of opponents from national power within Farmer-Labor following his narrow 1948 triumph over John L. Lewis, La Follette’s re-envisioning of Farmer-Labor has nonetheless continued to fuel a dogged but disorganized opposition movement despite the winning over of former opponents such as Washington’s Scoop Jackson, who nearly mounted a bid against La Follette himself. Conservative former President Alf Landon, socialist Representative Norman Thomas, and the widow of Franklin Roosevelt, Anna Eleanor, campaigning in New York. Nationwide Opposition Candidates: With efforts to discourage any opposition campaigns in full swing, only one major figure has stepped forth to win ballot access in most states continuing to hold primaries, although many states have seen independent organizing efforts in tandem with the shared ultimate goal of the demise of fascism. Alf Landon: 65 year old former President Alf Landon has his cross to bear. Refusing to endorse against Charles Lindbergh after withdrawing from the party’s 1936 primaries, Landon’s inaction as his 1932 campaign manager Rush Holt put Lindbergh over the line would see the Lone Eagle’s flight path on a course to the White House, from where he would crush the remaining loyal Landonites in the midterm elections of 1938. Landon emerged triumphant in 1928 by pitching his moderation as a formula for long term Farmer-Labor dominance of government, only to see the party implode under his watch. Losing the popular vote only to win a contingent election via the machinations of Clarence Dill, Landon's presidency proved eventful, most notable, perhaps for its domestic inaction. While concentrating his focus upon the Molotov-Lundeen Pact establishing friendly diplomatic relations with the Soviet government in Russia, a policy Landon championed as the catalyst for the wide scale withdrawal of foreign forces from American soil, Landon would cut economic aid across the board and refuse to bail out banks & big business in the face of record unemployment rates following the worldwide depression brought on by the collapse of the Japanese economic bubble, while focusing on driving up interest rates to control inflation. Pitted against a hostile Congress led by Clarence Dill, the man whose legislative acumen carried him to the White House and who now stands as La Follette’s loyal Secretary of Peace, Landon found much of his party arrayed against him in the face of a veto of the Thomas Bill nationalizing natural gas distribution & the telephone industry despite prior promises from Landon to support both proposals. With the complete breakdown of legislative-executive relations, Dill forced through the Recovery Act of 1931, the largest omnibus bill in American history, enacting vast economic reforms over the disgruntlement of Landon. Winning the primaries of 1932 in a landslide, only to lose at the convention in the face of the backroom dealings of Clarence Dill, Landon would fail in a 1936 comeback attempt that would inadvertently pave the way to fascism. In partisan exile, Landon would unsuccessfully organize against President Lindbergh, only to watch his followers be resoundingly defeated in the midterm elections of 1938; finding himself at the upper echelons of power anew as an unofficial negotiator with the United Kingdom under President Luce, Landon would organize political comeback in 1945 by winning election to the United States Senate after the death of George Norris. Working from there on policy issues such as advocacy of the Parliament of Nations and support for presidential programs such as the Interstate Highway system, Landon and his remaining caucus of conservatives have been at the fore of anti-La Follette intraparty organizing from the campaign of John L. Lewis to the movement for impeachment. Throwing his hat into the ring once more, Landon has used his stature to argue that only his brand of moderation can resurrect the Farmer-Labor of old as a viable party independent of the control of the fascists brought to power by his own neglect. Commodore Robert A. Heinlein photographed shortly before his role in the Attack on Pearl Harbor. Heinlein has mounted a presidential bid separate entirely from other opposition efforts. Robert A. Heinlein: Launched to international fame as the senior naval officer during the American attack on Pearl Harbor, 45-year-old former Commodore Robert A. Heinlein has used the events of December 7th, 1941 as a springboard for a lucrative career as a science fiction author. Emphasizing scientific accuracy in novels with titles such as Red Planet and Rocket Ship Galileo, Heinlein would step from the military and literary arenas to the political at the urging of his publisher James Laughlin and associate Ezra Pound, the poet and former New York Governor who has attempted to revive the American social credit movement. In turn, with Laughlin, Pound, and office holders such as Senators Hans Wight and John Horne Blackmore and Representative Solon Earl Low in tow, Heinlein has capitalized on his war hero stature to campaign for the presidency entirely unrelated to those of every other candidate campaigning against La Follette and instead intended to revitalite the American social credit movement. Falling curiously between the social credit wing of Farmer-Labor and radicals of the Liberty League, Heinlein has described himself as a libertarian while supporting a social credit monetary system balancing a nationalized monetary supply with a requirement of a 100% reserve on money lending as described in his seminal novel For Us, The Living; further, he has coupled his experience in the Navy with his science fiction work to argue that he is uniquely able to continue President La Follette’s attempts to reach for the stars through a space program and argued for a currency backed by the very goods owned by the government itself. A firm believer in the concept of a national draft and a militarist at heart, Heinlein has resurrected positions such as support for the repeal of the Jesus Amendment, the concomitant secularization of the United States government, and support for a constitutional amendment requiring a national referendum prior to any declaration of war resulting in the drafting of supporters. A comic book promoting Sid McMath for office. Regional Opposition Candidates: Note: If voting for the regional opposition, please leave a comment indicating to whom you wish your support to be counted. With opposition Farmer-Labor organizations persisting around the nation and fighting to recapture control of their state parties, anti-La Follette factions across the nation have rallied around regional candidates in states permitting competitive primaries in an attempt to rise the tide of the down ballot opposition. Thus, all of the following candidates are only on the ballots of one or several states. John Haynes Holmes: 73 year old Unitarian minister John Haynes Holmes served as a leading advisor to William Jennings Bryan, guiding the post-revolutionary nation through the unsteady waters of foreign occupation as he used the White House pulpit to preach his gospel of pacifist socialism. Playing a key role in the pardons of former revolutionaries, Holmes would serve in Alf Landon’s inaugural diplomatic delegation to Bolshevik Russia before reluctantly supporting Charles Lindbergh for his opposition to war with Japan. Nonetheless, a consistent opponent of fascism from his days as a seminary student denouncing young Governor Milford W. Howard’s new order in Alabama, Holmes has been a consistent bulwark in the struggle against the party’s fascist wing, renouncing President La Follette once it became clear that he would not end the Third Pacific War and using the word impeachment as early as the atomic bombings of 1945, which Holmes has denounced as a violation of the Jesus Amendment. Running on restoring the party’s former core of Christian socialism, Holmes has been put forth across New England as the flag bearer of the opposition, with a fundraising team led by widow Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, a distant cousin of the former President. Sid McMath: Hoisting the banner of opposition across the Deep South and Southwest is 40 year old Arkansas Senator Sid McMath. Primarying longtime incumbent Farmer-Laborite Garrett Whiteside in 1948 only to face off against the organization of Progressive strategist Osro Cobb, known as the “wizard of Arkansas” for his success in what was once the nation’s most Farmer-Laborite state, McMath would win an upset victory running on his record as a war hero and ties to Smedley Butler and Evans Fordyce Carlson. Horrified at revelations of the murder of Butler by the Lindbergh Administration, McMath would vote for the removal of Philip La Follette after a midnight visit from his former commanding officer in the Marine Corps David Shoup, transforming himself from an enigma to a pariah overnight as fascists across the nation have descended upon Arkansas to challenge him in 1954, with La Follette forces already organizing behind challenger Orval Faubus in a move that has placed McMath in an unexpected alliance with former rival Osro Cobb. An interview with Governor Frank Zeidler. Jimmy Hoffa: 39 year old labor leader Jimmy Hoffa inherited the mantle of leadership of the Congress of Industrial Organizations from longtime President John L. Lewis after the arrest of Lewis and his deputy Tony Boyle. A moderate with sympathies to both the party’s right and left seen as balancing with fellow CIO leader Walter Reuther’s socialism, Hoffa has put the interests of labor above all from his days leading the Teamsters Union. A fiery speaker who many credit with saving the CIO from collapse after the arrest of its leonine leader, Hoffa’s name is only on three ballots, but he has emerged as the choice of handfuls of CIO-affiliated delegates across the nation as a protest vote against the continued nationalization of the General Trades Union. Jerry Voorhis: The Senate’s sole member from the Single Tax Party, California’s Jerry Voorhis has nonetheless served as the lightning rod around which disparate California anti-La Follette Farmer-Laborites have organized owing to the state ordinances permitting political crossfiling. Having described “the Kingdom of God” as being a world “all producing wealth is owned publicly” in his Claremont University thesis, Voorhis would oppose President Lindbergh from the beginning as a Farmer-Labor socialist before joining the Single Tax Party in 1946, reviving it in the state of California in an attempt to find a new vehicle for his politics. Seen as a contender for the presidency regardless of party affiliation, Voorhis’s draft movement among California oppositionists has been heralded as the first step of the left wing knight’s hypothetical return to a rebuilt Farmer-Labor Party. Among his surprising supporters has been former Lindbergh-La Follette stalwart Reverend Robert P. Shuler, who has praised Voorhis for crossing ideological and party lines to defend his right to free speech in moralistic attacks on Henry Luce’s romantic life. Frank P. Zeidler: 40 year old Wisconsin Governor Frank P. Zeidler has stood as a socialist in the heart of La Follette country, successfully resisting primary challenges to maintain his grasp on the office amidst a tenuous alliance with Joseph McCarthy. Entering politics following the death of his rising star brother Carl, Frank has accepted the ballot line of the opposition in several Midwestern states following the death of former Senator Herbert S. Bigelow, once anticipated as a socialist challenger himself. A socialist to the core, Zeidler supporters point to his history of fiscal success and balanced budgets as evidence of his acumen in economic management and ability to control inflation as a possible future chief executive. View Poll |