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Eggnog before Thanksgiving? Shoppers eager for a new season scramble retail calendars

In response to growing customer demand, stores of all stripes are bringing out their festive collections weeks before the Nov. 1 start of the holiday shopping season.

The post Eggnog before Thanksgiving? Shoppers eager for a new season scramble retail calendars appeared first on Boston.com.








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Untold Afghanistan

In the early 2000’s the US helped fund Afghanistan's first private university. It was part of an effort to help rebuild Afghanistan's education system. Over time, the American University of Afghanistan has become a symbol of hope for many young Afghan men and women who dream about higher education. But that very hope has also made those students, and their campus in Kabul, targets for extremists.

Also: First Lieutenant, Erica MacSwan, prepares for her deployment to Afghanistan; Lt. MacSwan recalls her family’s personal experience with the 9/11 attacks; and we step inside a fashion boutique in the heart of Kabul.

(Two years after the attack on the American University in Kabul, school officials have stepped up security. That means the campus has the look and feel of a military compound. Credit: Farzanah Wahidy/PRI)




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Un-Thanksgiving

In November of 1969, a group of Native Americans occupied the notorious prison island of Alcatraz to protest about federal policies that discriminated against their people. The movement gained momentum on Thanksgiving when hundreds of Native American activists joined the occupation. To this day, every Thanksgiving, Native American groups hold an event on the island that they call Unthanksgiving Day.

Also: We tell the real story of Squanto, the Native American at the centre of the Thanksgiving legend; We look into the history of Native Americans being forcefully separated from their families; We recount the ongoing case of the indigenous Sinixt, a tribe that the Canadian government says doesn’t exist; Finally, we dive deep into a story about the lost language of the Miami tribe.

(The welcome sign at the entrance to Alcatraz Island, in San Francisco Bay Credit: Timothy A. Clary/Getty Images)




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Exchange and influence

Late last year, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology signed a five-year extension of a multimillion-dollar partnership with Skolkova, a Russian technology research institute. This partnership has long raised espionage fears among foreign policy experts and the FBI. The contract renewal was a reversal in an MIT-Russia partnership that appeared to be dormant. The extension came just three months after the US federal government announced it is investigating MIT’s compliance with reporting requirements for the Russian money it has received in connection with the project.

Also, the Trump administration is taking a closer look at funding from Chinese donors because it suspects widespread economic espionage; and President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines says he's following through on a promise to kick US troops out of his country.

(Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Viktor Vekselberg (L-R centre front), Renova Group Board Chairman and Skolkovo Foundation President, visit the Skolkovo Technopark in Moscow. Credit: Alexander Astafyev/Getty Images)




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How to watch 'Larger Than Life: Reign of the Boybands'




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India U17 vs Ghana U17 Match Thread

Will get second goal
Will India register  first win
Will we get to play 1 more match in the world cup





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Through Psalms, Hymns, And Songs From The Spirit - Interview With Shane Barnard

For thousands of younger Gen Xers and older Millennials who were raised in the church, much of our maturing as worshippers is marked by the poetic lyrics and fluid vocals of the duo known as Shane & Shane. I personally remember having Be Near on repeat during a difficult season of transition in my personal life. And I don’t know about you, but just about every guy in my high school youth group could be found working their double strum on acoustic guitar at any given moment.

But it wasn’t just their original songs that sunk deep into the hearts of their listeners. Barnard and Everett also have this uncanny ability to take songs recorded years earlier or made popular by big names such as Hillsong or Passion and make them fresh and accessible to our generation of worshippers. 

They are capitalizing on this significant gift through their latest ministry effort called The Worship Initiative (TWI). I recently got the chance to talk with Shane Barnard at length and hear more about their journey through ministry, how they juggle it all, and their hopes for the future. Hopefully you’ll find the perspective and insight he offered up as encouraging as I did.

When I asked him to share the story of how the vision of The Worship Initiative came to be, he jumped right into an impassioned explanation. They had been doing the touring, writing, and recording thing for years and gotten to experience worship from and with just about every kind of stage, venue, and demographic. As they got to know hundreds of worship leaders from everywhere you can think of, they began to see a gaping hole . . . that being the understanding of the true weight of the calling of the worship leader.

A scripture that they’d read hundreds of times and even used as a sort of mantra throughout their ministry also played an enormous role in their starting TWI. Colossians 3:16 says,

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”

One day a word jumped off their pages in a way that opened their eyes afresh – THROUGH. These times of worship they were leading on a regular basis were not just a means to an end. They actually serve as one of the primary ways the Church conveys the message of Jesus to raise up a generation of Christ followers who can change the world. Yet somehow, this position has gotten watered down to nothing more than a song leader in most church settings. They suddenly felt a whole new level of responsibility.

So the two set out to discover a way to pour into worship leaders around the world, both spiritually and practically. They started by taking a more personal look at their own gifts and bents. Barnard says about Everett, “I can’t think of a better salesman or evangelist . . . He’s just loud, funny, always cutting up, and can win anybody over to do anything . . . and unleashing that in an overseer role and our relational PR person has been awesome to watch. I think God dumped the PR side and evangelist side of Shane so hard into him that I think we still have yet to see what God is going to do in that regard.” Whereas for Barnard, his skill in songwriting and producing contends with just about anyone you could name. Over the last 20 years of ministering together, they’ve learned to “embrace who God has made [them] and not be disappointed in that anymore but just know that this is how God has made [them].” They’ve worked incredibly hard to figure out how to balance all of the overlap between their personal and professional lives, which is inevitable when you’ve worked so closely together for that long. “You would think we would have some kind of system after 20 years, but we are getting better. I would say that a few words come to mind . . . simplifying, strategizing, doing things on purpose. These are the things that have kind of been a banner over our lives the last two or three years.”

For a long time, all the different aspects of their lives were spread out all over the DFW area of Texas. Their studio was far south, much of their steady worship leading opportunities were at a church in the heart of Dallas, and they were living a good jump from either of those. So they are in the process of bringing all of those components closer together so that doing life with the families, church community, and ministry partners is easier. Taking this step has made it easier to grow their efforts with The Worship Initiative more rapidly.

So what is The Worship Initiative and what does it look like for someone to participate or take advantage of these resources?

Basically, an individual can pay a yearly fee and access a list of over 150 (and constantly growing) worship songs that each have multiple tutorial videos and charts accompanying them. These videos break down how to play the songs in different keys, on different instruments, and with varying skill levels. A worship leader on staff at a church can also pay an annual group fee, based on the number of people, for his team to be able to access everything as well. There are also craft training videos for everything from the different instruments and vocals to tech/production and using the number system. If that’s not enough, the site has an entire section dedicated to heart training, where they break down all the different spiritual and practical components for worship leading with the likes of John Piper and Ben Stuart. There are even creative devotionals to accompany every song on the different TWI records. TheWorshipInitiative.com truly is a wealth of knowledge and wisdom for anyone looking to grow as a leader or team member, and there are still exciting things to come. Shane shared a bit about what’s ahead for TWI. “Our next phase of The Worship Initiative is to create what we’re calling learning paths. Some people love to be given a world of information to explore on their own. But most people would really love to be told what to do to get from point A to point B. We will take our existing content and add to it and give them a year long path to stick to and see measurable growth in both skill and leadership.”

Given the length of time and the platform they’ve had over these last two decades, I asked Shane how he feels his perspective of worship both personally and within the Church has evolved over the years.

“I think worship, and even the idea of worship, has come a long way, in a good way. I think we’ve seen a pretty good uptick on understanding the Romans 12:1 life of worship. I often think back to a time when I was leading worship in a basement or college dorm room for several years, and it was always the oddest songs ever.” He recalled singing, with hands lifted, Make It Right by Kenny Marks (and yes, I might’ve gotten a solid 30 second serenade over the phone . . . it’s fine!) and other obscure songs that really had no purpose or meaning to the one worshipping. Yet, what we see all throughout the Psalms is “this gut-wrenching, very honest, it is okay to pour out your heart to the one who cares for you mentality. . . and that language is okay.” He remembered hearing the words to Breathe for the first time, where it says “I’m desperate for you,” and thinking “is this okay to have this kind of language in front of people? But yes, it is okay even in a congregation or corporately to say ‘I am thirsty for You in a dry land where there is no water.’ In fact that can be really helpful to the person sitting next to you. That can be us ‘singing spiritual hymns and songs to one another’, just that opening up of the heart and the embracing of singing those honest songs and using them to allow ‘the message of Christ to dwell among us richly.’”

Learn more about The Worship Initiative, as well as Shane & Shane, at www.theworshipinitiative.com. Here at All About Worship, we believe in what these guys are doing and the ministry they are fostering. We can’t wait to partner with them in the future as God continues opening those doors.




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The Worship Podcast (Episode 3): A House Divided, with Jonathan Brown - President of Integrity Music

James & Dustin had a chance to sit down with Jonathan Brown - President of Integrity Music - to discuss unity and division among the people of God, and among worshipers in the church.

JB (Jonathan Brown) and Dustin both had the chance to be part of a tour with WeAreWorship, where they visited multiple church leaders in multiple cities.  There were so many great things experienced and along with that, there were so many things learned.  At the end of the day, we want unity in the the people of God and especially among the leaders of God's Church, and we need to have inspired conversation on this topic. 

Enjoy!

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The Worship Podcast is powered by All About Worship (Dustin Smith & James Galbraith) and WeAreWorship (Wisdom Moon & Morgan Shirey).

You can also connect with The Worship Podcast on social media:
The Worship Podcast on Facebook
The Worship Podcast on Instagram
The Worship Podcast on Twitter





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How Singing Hymns Changed Our Church

My husband and I lead worship at a church plant south of Nashville, TN. You probably haven’t been to our church but you know our church. We’re the one that meets in a school cafeteria with folding chairs. The portable church that gets loaded in and out of trailers on the backs of selfless volunteers every week. The one where you may not quite know everyone’s name but you remember their face and you can definitely tell if there is a visitor but you try not to make it awkward. Yeah, that church.

We were not on staff when we started helping with the music. So, when we were eventually asked to lead, we had an interesting point of view. We had been the ones sitting in the aforementioned folding chairs and we had noticed a few things. We had noticed that no one really sang along. For one, it’s a bit awkward when you’re in a small setting so, that’s understandable. We noticed that they might sing along to a popular worship song but if a song was too new or too wordy or too artsy or in the wrong key people just didn’t sing much.

When we began to lead, we focused on introducing more options that would give the church confidence to join in the singing. We tried some simple, repetitive songs. We tried songs in “one size fits most” keys rather than catering to the optimal vocal range of the leader. We tried a lot of things and then one Sunday we tried a hymn. And you know what happened? They sang. They sang loud.

That changed everything. Surprisingly, as we sang that hymn together it felt like our church had found its voice. It paved the way for worship songs that have become anthems for our church. Songs that have guided us through series and seasons. Songs that comforted us through difficult situations. Songs that have steered us in new directions. All because we unlocked the power of our voice.

I wouldn’t call our church “a hymns kind of church”. We’re mostly people who wanted something different from a traditional setting. We stay pretty true to the top 100 CCLI list and even have some original worship songs. We don’t necessarily do a hymn every week but we do keep them in rotation. We started by adding familiar favorites like “Amazing Grace” and “Come Thou Fount”.

Not surprising, it has been difficult to find versions of hymns that fit well in our style of music. We struggled to find something to post in Planning Center for the band. Most versions were either too artistic or too traditional. We tackled this challenge by creating new arrangements that were easy enough for a band to play yet still recognizable enough for our church to sing along.

It has been humbling to watch an elderly face light up when they realize we are singing a hymn and equally humbling when they continue singing as we move into another worship song. I’ll never forget overhearing my 4 year old singing “On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand” the same way she would sing along with the radio.

Gauging by the popularity of hybrid worship songs, it seems clear The Church still has a soft spot for hymns. Songs like “Lord I Need You”, “My Chains Are Gone”, “It Is Well” and “This Is Amazing Grace” have drawn something fresh from the hymnal page. There’s no doubt we will lean on them along with the ancient psalms and scriptures to continue crafting the sound for the next generation of The Church.

How interesting that Ephesians 5:18-19 encourages different types of songs:

...be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.

While some moments call for familiarity, others need rich vocabulary and theology, still some need simplicity. What a great perspective for us as worship leaders to see a variety of purpose in songs and to consider how to use them to serve our people. The main point is that we find a way to sing and make melody to the Lord with our hearts... together. As a worship leader, I love the moments where leading actually means stepping away from the microphone and hearing the church sing out. We get a taste of heaven as we reach across generations and look toward our future.

When we’ve been there 10,000 years Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we first begun     

-  John Newton “Amazing Grace”

How has your church found its voice in this season? Can you identify a particular song that engaged your people in worship?





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The Worship Podcast (Episode 21): Keep the Change - Embracing the Uncomfortable

It's been said that, "change is a part of life."  Why, then, do we tend to struggle with it?  Whether in your personal life, your professional life or anywhere else, change can be uncomfortable.  In today's episode, Dustin and James talk about change from the perspective of worship teams, and how to not only get through it, but to grow through it.  GASP!

We'd love to hear from some of our listeners about situations that have changed in your world of worship, and how you handled that - both good and bad!  How did your team handle the change, and how did God help you lead them through it?

And of course, we hope everyone has an awesome & restful Thanksgiving with friends & family.  Until next time!

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The Worship Podcast is powered by All About Worship in partnership with WeAreWorship.

Subscribe to the podcast:
theworshippodcast.com
linktr.ee/theworshippodcast 

You can also connect with The Worship Podcast on social media:
The Worship Podcast on Facebook
The Worship Podcast on Instagram
The Worship Podcast on Twitter

 





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Netflix's The Comeback Has Really Changed The Way I Look At The Red Sox And The 2004 World Series

This is coming from a Cardinals fan...




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Bill O’Boyle: As a proud Yankee fan, changes are needed

Nov. 3—WILKES-BARRE — The great thing about Fenway Park in Boston and Wrigley Field in Chicago — and even Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles — is that those ball parks still sit exactly where they were when they first opened. Yes Fenway and Wrigley are the two oldest ballparks in Major League Baseball and Dodger Stadium. Chavez Ravine, is the third oldest. The point here is that those ballparks ...




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MLB free agent rankings: Top 10 right-handed hitters

The Red Sox need to add a right-handed-hitting slugger or two to balance out their left-handed-heavy lineup. Here are the top 10 right-handed hitters set to hit free agency.




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Melatonin gummies may have a higher dose than what’s on the label, Sedentary time may significantly enlarge adolescents’ heart, Mushroom Scampi

This week Zorba and Karl discuss how melatonin gummies may have a higher dose than what’s on the label, and they examine new research showing sedentary time may significantly enlarge […]




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How One Change Can Lead to Another

Lyda was a disrespectful and disobedient handful of a girl. But suddenly, she had a change of character that was so profound it made her mother investigate the cause. That's when her mother changed forever too. See what happened.




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True Love Changes Everything

Reaksa was abandoned by her parents and lived with her poor grandmother. Feeling unwanted and unloved, Reaksa followed a group of girls to a village church. That's when she discovered a love she never knew before, and it changed her life. See how.




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'Brought Me to Tears': Operation Blessing's Gift of Clean Drinking Water a Game-Changer in NC

'Brought Me to Tears': Operation Blessing's Gift of Clean Drinking Water a Game-Changer in NC




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A Hand of Blessing for a Young Military Family

Chesapeake, VA Kyle says, “I knew that she was going to be great. She's very strong. She’s conquered a lot of things. She did great. So, very proud of her.”   Emily is a stay at home mom and homeschools all four kids. Managing the household on a sailor’s salary isn’t easy. In fact, the couple was often forced to buy food and other necessities on credit cards and personal loans. The monthly payments became too much to handle.  Emily says, “There's a lot of worry. A lot of how we're going to get...




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Writing the Climate Change Story

One of the toughest things about trying to understand climate change – arguably the most important story of our time - is wrapping our minds around it. To even imagine something so enormous, so life-changing, we need a story. Some characters, a metaphor, and even some lessons learned. For that, we turn to the novelists and journalists telling the story of climate change – as we – and our children – live it.

Original Air Date: August 14, 2021

Guests:

Alice BellLydia MilletLidia YuknavitchJohn Lanchester

Interviews In This Hour:

The Climate Change Stories We Need To HearThe Climate Crisis Gets BiblicalLidia Yuknavitch’s Dream World: How Dreams Shaped Her Dazzling Speculative Novel A Climate Dystopia Of Cold, Concrete, Wind and a Wall




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What Afghan Women Want You to Know

The women of Afghanistan are elected officials, school teachers, actors, TV contest winners, ancient rug weavers, and whisperers of forbidden poetry. The Taliban are starting to put down their thumb. But these women want you to know they are more than the timid victim under a burqa.

Original Air Date: October 02, 2021

Guests: 

Humaira Ghilzai — Eliza Griswold — Anna Badkhen — Rafia Zakaria

Interviews In This Hour: 

What's the future of culture in Afghanistan? — For Afghan weavers, the world is a carpet — Generations of Afghan women sharing the landay — How Afghanistan became America's 'first feminist war'




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Resting in the Palm of His Hand

“I was terrified, the thought of her dying in an hour's time, it is something to be concerned about,” said Kay Gwinn.   Her husband Dwayne, their daughter Tonya, and her husband Paul Morrison, have been attending church together for years. That Sunday, their pastor had an unusual and ominous message for Tonya. Pastor Walter George recalls, “Suddenly the Spirit gave me Tonya's name and said to Tonya, 'The Lord was holding her in the palm of His hand. She was going to face some problems in her...




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Seasons Change

Season changes are always an exciting time for me. I enjoy seeing the transformation of tree colors in the fall, the blooming of flowers in the spring, the summer sunshine, and the winter snow and icicles. The seasonal changes remind me to make the best of every season because things will change again shortly. The beautiful snow and icicles covering the tree branches will melt, the colorful blooming flowers will wither, the scorching summer sun will set, and the multicolored autumn leaves will...




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More Than Marble

The magic of Scagliola can be found around the world.




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Contractor Forced to Pay More Than $360K in Damages and Back Wages

If you are an employer, you know there are strict laws about minimum wages and overtime. But what about the time your workers spend preparing for a job or being trained?




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Tim Rogan: Insulations for a Changing Climate

Perhaps there’s more money in saving our resources than there is to burn them up recklessly for profit as we have done throughout time.




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Fair Labor Standards Act Proposed Rule Change

The Fair Labor Standards Act was passed more than 80 years ago, and since then, the United States Department of Labor has struggled to define the term “independent contractor.” 




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Welcome to the Holiday Hangover!

Tips to get customers to pay you on time.




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Rising Green Youth Hub Blog - Giving Haringey’s young people the chance to make real change

We are giving our young kids in the borough the chance to make a real change for their peers.




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The Ever Changing Drywall Business

Over the past three decades I have met all sorts of Drywall Dogs.




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Tax Update: How the Trump Tax Changes Will Affect Your Exit and Business

Early November saw the end of one of the most contentious political presidential elections in quite some time.




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The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Projects Industry Change

The new tax law could mean a boom for certain industries.




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American Concrete Institute Publishes Design Handbook and Reinforcement Guidelines

The American Concrete Institute, in collaboration with NEx: An ACI Center of Excellence for Nonmetallic Building Materials, has released two new resources for fiber-reinforced polymer reinforcement.




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What to Know About Code Changes for Masonry Veneer

Big changes are coming to adhered masonry veneer codes with the 2022 updates to TMS 402 and 602, soon to be adopted in the 2024 building codes. The revisions introduce two design approaches — prescriptive and engineered — giving more flexibility to architects and engineers.




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Huntsman Appoints Douglas Brady as Its Spray Polyurethanes Foam Business President

Huntsman Corporation has named Doug Brady as president of Huntsman Building Solutions.




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CPI Survey Unveils Positive Polyurethane Production Across North America

The Center for the Polyurethanes Industry announced on Sept. 9 the results of a two-year survey on the polyurethanes industry in the United States, Canada and Mexico.




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How to Handle Fireproofing in Cold Weather

News flash for those of us in the Northern climates—winter is coming. The cold weather will bring a host of problems: equipment will be strained, men become cold and frustrated, daylight hours will dramatically shorten; but construction schedules will keep on moving along. One trade dramatically affected by cold weather is fireproofing.




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CertainTeed Architectural Launches Terminus Transitions and Terminus Glazing Channel to Streamline Ceiling Applications

CertainTeed, a leading North American manufacturer of building materials, today announced the launch of Terminus Transitions and Terminus Glazing Channels as new product extensions to the company’s Terminus Perimeter Trim line. The Terminus Perimeter Trim line is a premier suspension system accessory that allows for easy installation of suspended ceilings with exposed edges, including clouds, peninsulas and islands.




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ClarkDietrich’s ProChannel Ci Cladding Support Addresses Air and Moisture Intrusion

ClarkDietrich has introduced ProChannel Ci Cladding Support with Grip-Deck TubeSeal Technology. The new cladding support system is designed for residential and commercial applications and protects against air and water intrusion.




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Theatre charity changes its name

The Lowry has dropped the definite article from its title




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Food education charity changes its name

Table Talk Foundation’s name was deemed to be ‘too passive’




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Third Sector Podcast: Chris Sherwood on the RSPCA's growth, governance and coalitions for change

Lucinda and Emily are joined by the outgoing chief of the RSPCA




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Podcast transcript: Chris Sherwood on the RSPCA's growth, governance and coalitions for change

Lucinda and Emily are joined by the outgoing chief of the RSPCA