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Photo credit: AP

As more and more money has flooded into the esports industry, player rights have been a hot topic across multiple games. Careers in esports can be extremely short, making it all the more important to ensure that players receive their fair share of the profits their work generates. With that in mind, Riot Games, producer of League of Legends and proprietor of the wildly popular League Championship Series, recently announced a plan to create and fund a player’s association, a group that will perform many of the functions associated with a union and will be the first of its kind in esports.

According to Riot’s description of the plan, the company will be “providing pros the resources to set up a Players’ Association.” The players will vote on representatives who will take part in league decisionmaking. (Riot says players will be choosing from “a short list of representatives” that will be presented to the players in June, and the players will have the option of rejecting any and all candidates provided and electing whoever they like.) Once formed, the association will provide legal help, career-planning advice, and represent the players in what Riot calls “tri-party” negotiations between Riot, team owners, and the players themselves.

While this sounds at first like excellent news for players, League of Legends players—and those in esports run by similarly large corporations such as Blizzard, which owns Overwatch, and Valve, which owns Dota 2—should be highly wary of any sort of company involvement in a player’s association. The conflict of interest inherent in a company running its own union is why such arrangements are illegal under the National Labor Relations Act. Section 8(a)(2) of the law forbids establishment and control of a “company union” and makes it illegal for employers “to dominate or interfere with the formation or administration of any labor organization or contribute financial or other support to it.”

Chris Greeley of Riot league operations tells me that what Riot is funding is not a union but rather a professional association, “an organization that can serve many different purposes (including negotiating on behalf of ‘the profession’),” and also notes that the players are employed by teams (i.e. Cloud 9 and Counter Logic Gaming) rather than by Riot itself. Greeley adds:

“The Players’ Association that the players are currently exploring would be established by the players’ representative as a professional association. At some point in the future if the players decided that they want to unionize and register with the NLRB, they will have the option to forgo Riot funding and self-fund. It is our expectation and our hope that that happens at some point in the future, but in the meantime this association is designed to give the players a seat at the table and make sure that we’re aware of and responding to the things that are important to them.”

I asked William Gould IV of Stanford, an expert in entertainment and sports law, if he thought Riot’s explanation passed muster. “The National Labor Relations Act doesn’t apply simply to so-called unions. It applies to any labor organization,” Gould told me over the phone on Monday. “Therefore, it appears that this ‘association’ is a labor organization and would be covered by the statute.

“The underlying point here is that the organization, the group, is a labor organization within the meaning of the act, and it’s unlawful to provide assistance—financial assistance or support for it. The fact that players are employed by the teams, well, that’s generally true, but that’s not dispositive of these two basic questions. Any association that involves relationships with an employer over working conditions as well as other aspects of employment is a labor organization within the meaning of the law. A company giving financial support or other forms of support of such organizations is a violation of the law. I think that the problem here is that this party would be, at a minimum, viewed to be an agent of the respective teams.”

Call it a union, an association, a council, or whatever you want—any sort of worker’s group supported by the boss should be met with heavy skepticism. Specifically, there should be concern over the fact that the players will have to forego Riot’s funded players association if they wish to go independent and form a union. It’s naive to expect that the existence of a Riot-funded association won’t discourage the players from going the more expensive and difficult route of forming their own independent union. And independence is critical when it comes to ensuring the players earn the full value of their work.

The early days of the Major League Baseball Player’s Association offer a perfect lesson in why that independence is so important. Prior to the official formation of the Player’s Association under executive director Marvin Miller in 1965, players had no official group or headquarters. As Miller wrote in his autobiography, A Whole Different Ball Game, all they had was “a filing cabinet in the office of a players’ licensing agent named Frank Scott.” In 1959, ownership had convinced the players to bring on one of their men, Milwaukee judge Robert Cannon, as an advisor. Cannon was entirely in the owners’ pockets and routinely bragged about baseball having the “finest relationship between players and management in the history of the sport.”

Marvin Miller meets with Joe Niekro and Nolan Ryan in 1980. Photo credit: AP

That fine relationship produced atrocious working conditions. Players told Miller that playing fields and locker rooms were so poorly kept as to be dangerous, that the players hadn’t received a raise when the schedule was increased by eight games in the early 1960s, and that the players’ pension plan was virtually nonexistent. The minimum salary had remained stagnant for nearly two decades, stuck at $6,000 since 1946—a pittance for a group of workers expected to maintain separate homes for spring training and the regular season. Major League Baseball’s revenue had steadily grown over the previous 20 years, but more and more players were finding themselves having to take second jobs just to keep the dream alive. Cannon’s input, naturally, was to tell the players they were lucky to get to play the greatest game known to man.

Much as Riot promises to fund the start of their League of Legends association, Major League Baseball planned to fund the Player’s Association with $150,000 drawn from the All-Star Game’s revenue, with one-third of that slated for the executive director’s salary. As Miller ran for the office of executive director during spring training of the 1966 season, he found that ownership was not done meddling in union matters—ownership had been pushing none other than Judge Cannon as a candidate for the position, and working hard to flip team managers and players to their side.

As Miller made the rounds on the West Coast, he found that he was the target of a significant sabotage campaign. Throughout his West Coast swing, Miller found himself inundated with questions, mostly from team managers, suggesting he was unfit to lead the player’s union. (Notably, Cleveland Indians manager Birdie Tebbets accused Miller of being a communist.) With the managers conducting the votes—another conflict of interest—Miller was rebuked by a 102-17 vote by the five teams that conducted spring training on the West Coast.

Luckily for Miller, things changed when he headed to Florida, where the majority of MLB teams conducted spring training at the time. Players like Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts, the man who asked Miller to run in the first place, had been drilling home the importance of an independent players’ association and refused to allow the kind of mishandling of the vote that occurred out west. Had it not been for their efforts, the Major League Baseball Player’s Association very likely would have been run by Cannon or some other owners’ man. MLB had even tried to convince the players to hire Richard Nixon as their general counsel. Somehow, I have a hard time imagining Nixon pushing for a robust pension plan for baseball players.

Without somebody like Miller, previously a high-ranking member of the Steelworkers’ Union, one of the nation’s most powerful, labor-management relations in baseball may well have continued as they did for the game’s first century of existence: Fine as can be for the owners, with the players told they’re lucky to get anything at all. There’s no reason League of Legends players should expect anything else in their dealings with Riot. Ownership will always act with their own best interests in mind. They cannot be counted on to do anything else. It is as Miller told the New York Yankees as he campaigned for the executive director position in spring of 1966:

“I want you to understand that this is going to be an adversarial relationship. A union is not a social club. A union is a restraint on what an employer can otherwise do. If you expect the owners to like me, to praise me, to compliment me, you’ll be disappointed. In fact, if I’m elected and you find the owners telling you what a great guy I am, fire me! Don’t hesitate, because it can’t be that way if your director is doing his job. The owners loved Judge Cannon. Don’t make the same mistake with your executive director.”

Miller wrote his autobiography in 1992, 25 years after his MLBPA project began. By that point, average salaries were roughly 50 times higher, the average salary roughly 16 times higher, and top-level salaries were roughly 30 times higher. In the 25 years since then, the league’s revenue and player compensation have both continued to skyrocket. None of the union’s major victories—like the death of the reserve clause, which bound players to teams permanently, or the institution of a robust pension plan that guarantees health insurance for anybody who puts in even a single day of MLB service time—would have been possible without a truly independent union.

League of Legends players and those in other esports have a desperate need for some form of labor protection. But what Riot Games—a company union, to all appearances, whatever name it goes by—is not the solution. Miller was absolutely right when he said that the relationship between employer and employee is inherently adversarial, and there is no special reason to believe that Riot will live up to its stated intent to let the association become independent when it has a financial stake in its creation. Indeed, this is why the law expressly forbids company-backed labor organizations. A League of Legends player’s association is an admirable goal, but if it is to succeed in the way the Major League Baseball Player’s Association succeeded in the second half of the 20th century, it must be an effort truly by and for the players, not one made with ownership constantly looking over their shoulders.

Jack Moore is a freelance sportswriter living and working in Minneapolis. Catch him playing competitive Sm4sh under the tag Jackie Peanuts.


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The act of administering medicine to our beloved pet can be a source of stress of any loving pet owner. After all, we want our pets to live happy and healthy lives. Unfortunately, many of our furry friends hate being given yucky medicine. Keep in mind these 20 “life hack” tips to make the process easier for both you and your pet!

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Categories: Groton, Historic Preservation, New London, Transportation, Watertown

I-95 Reaches New London

Postcard of New London Bridge on Thames River, New London, Conn.
Postcard ca. 1930-1945 Air View of Groton – New London Bridge on Thames River, New London, Conn.Boston Public Library, The Tichnor Brothers Collection

By Nancy Finlay

The Thames River crossing at New London has always been a critical point on the overland route from New York to Providence, Rhode Island. Initially, travelers relied on a ferry to help them complete their journey through southeastern Connecticut. Additional help came in the late 19th century in the form of a railroad bridge that carried people and freight across the river. Later, upon the arrival of the automobile, authorities built a new railroad bridge and converted the old bridge for use by cars and trucks, but even this soon proved inadequate.

Photograph of the Railroad Bridge over the Thames, New London

Photograph of the “Railroad Bridge over the Thames” from Views of New London, 1908

The Gold Star Memorial Bridge

Construction of a new highway bridge across the Thames River between New London and Groton began in 1941. Despite delays caused by the United States’ entry into World War II, workers completed the bridge for its opening to the public on February 27, 1943. In 1951, officials renamed it the Gold Star Memorial Bridge in honor of servicemen who gave their lives in World War I and World War II.

With the postwar development of the Interstate Highway System, the single-span bridge soon proved unable to handle the ever-increasing flow of traffic. In 1963, planning began for a second span to carry additional lanes of traffic and for an elaborate interchange connecting the highway with local roads, and a year later, the bridge officially became part of Interstate 95.

Local businessmen opposed the original plan for the new bridge, which called for the elimination of Hodges Square, a flourishing business district with appliance stores, bakeries, food markets, and plenty of parking. The Hodges Square Businessmen’s Association protested the destruction of the area. Eventually officials approved an alternate plan that “saved” Hodges Square, though cynical city officials predicted that the businesses would “wither away” once the highway entered service and the area found itself cut-off from the rest of the city.

I-95 Construction Carves Up New London

The new highway ramps cut through densely built-up areas occupied by houses, businesses, and historic sites in New London. One ramp looped around the Old Town Mill, a structure originally constructed in the 17th century and rebuilt following the burning of New London by Benedict Arnold during the Revolutionary War.

Photograph of the Old Town Mill, Built 1650

Photograph of the “Old Town Mill, Built 1650” from Views of New London, 1908

Officials seized entire blocks by right of eminent domain and tore them down to make way for the highway. The 1773 Nathan Hale School House, where the patriot spy taught from 1774 to 1775, had to be moved from a site on Crystal Avenue (not its original location) to a more accessible site downtown. The rectory of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a Roman Catholic church built to serve Polish immigrants to New London, had been torn down when the first span of the bridge was built. When the second span began to emerge, the church itself was in the way and had to be moved to Watertown, leaving its parishioners behind in an area that was becoming increasingly marginalized. A firehouse, a school, and numerous other structures were also in the way of construction and had to be relocated.

Traffic patterns changed as construction proceeded and the district slid into what appeared to be an irreversible decline. Riverside Park, a popular destination in the early 20th century, also wound up on the “wrong side” of the highway. Early postcards show winding drives, grassy lawns, and spectacular views of the Thames River, but by the 1970s, the park became much reduced in size and few amenities remained.

Historic Preservation Efforts

In the 1960s and 1970s, many simply viewed these changes as the price of progress. The same thing was happening in other cities in Connecticut, and all across America. To combat the loss of important sites, historic preservation efforts focused on significant architectural monuments. In New London, for example, successful efforts managed to save such buildings as the H. H. Richardson train station and a series of Greek revival houses known as Whale Oil Row.

It was not until the 21st century that preservationists began to take a broader approach, however, preserving or restoring whole neighborhoods. Efforts to revitalize Hodges Square began in 2012 with the creation of a master plan to reconnect the area with downtown New London. The location, sandwiched between Connecticut College and the United States Coast Guard Academy and in close proximity to the river, has become a symbol of New London’s efforts to revitalize a once-thriving commercial district.

Nancy Finlay grew up in Manchester, Connecticut. She has a BA from Smith College and an MFA and PhD from Princeton University. From 1998 to 2015, she was Curator of Graphics at the Connecticut Historical Society.

Photograph A View of Riverside Park, New London

Photograph “A View of Riverside Park,” New London from Views of New London, 1908

“Hodge Square Village Association,” 2016. Link.
“Riverside Park Conservancy,” 2016. Link.

Ruddy, John. Reinventing New London. Charleston,  SC: Arcadia, 2000.
Decker, Robert. The Whaling City: A History of New London. Chester, CT: Pequot Press, 1976.
Views of New London. New London, CT: The E.A. Bardol & Co., 1908. Link.

Gosselin, Kenneth R. “A Redevelopment Plan for New London’s Hodges Square Emerges.” Hartford Courant. June 22, 2013.
Young, Colin A. “Hodges Square Area of New London Focus of New Initiative.” The Day. March 8, 2014.
Condon, Tom. “My Kind of Town: New London Prized Its Streets, Its Characters, Its Sense of Humor. Progress Almost Ruined It.” Hartford Courant, August 2, 1998.
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“My Partner Doesn’t Know How To Touch Me”

Clients often say to me, “My partner isn’t a great lover. He or she doesn’t know how to touch me like past partners have.” To which I respond, “Maybe that’s true, but if your own anxiety, current life circumstances, and sexual/body history are weighing down on you, you will shut down. Anxiety kills desire. Past pain around sexuality eclipses sexual freedom. Body shame circumvents arousal. The work must begin with you. And from there you can have a very different conversation with your partner about what you like and what you don’t like.”

There’s usually a long pause, and then a sigh of relief that speaks to their realization that perhaps there’s hope for the relationship and their sex life after all. Paralyzed by the expectations of the culture that says that sex should be sizzling hot from the first kiss and that this initial spark should fan into fireworks when you stumble into the bedroom, it’s always a relief to hear the truth: sex, like love, is greatly effected by anxiety, desire and chemistry can grow with time, and we can’t even begin a conversation about “touch” without healing through the layers of pain first.

Unlike relationship anxiety, sex anxiety isn’t just about doubt about your partner. You can have sex anxiety if you’re single, newly dating, or with someone for twenty years. Sex anxiety manifests as resistance, reluctance, or repulsion around sexual activity, but it also shows up as disdain or shame about one’s own body. As our culture sends the seeds of body shame into our water, most people learn early on to loathe some aspect of their body and feel ashamed of their sexuality. This is when they sequester their aliveness into a tiny box in a far-off underground corner of psyche and then blame their partner for “not knowing how to touch me” or blame the elusive target of “the relationship” with the cultural explanation of “we just have bad chemistry.”

Furthermore, because we’re culturally wired to equate desire with longing-chase-drama, we often have difficulty being attracted to present, available partners. We have been literally wired by our culture to come alive in the presence of the unavailable jerk. This means that when we’re with an available partner we have to learn how to open our bodies to their touch. Again, your partner’s touch may be perfectly fine – it may even be on par with your last unavailable partner’s touch – but because you’re shut down behind your own walls of shame and mis-wiring around attraction you will experience it completely differently. And even if your partner is awkward in bed that doesn’t preclude sexual connection. As I said to a caller in the last round of Sacred Sexuality, when we make room for the awkwardness and remember that all of us are somewhat awkward when it comes to sex since nobody received the healthy owner’s manual (of which pornography most certainly is not), things get a lot lighter in the bedroom. There may even be some laughter as the two of you name the awkwardness and allow yourselves to fumble around until you find your way.

Let’s examine this even further: touch isn’t restricted to sexuality. Because we’re a sex-obsessed culture grown in the soil of a puritanical belief system, we think that touch only “counts” with a partner if it’s sexual, and when people talk about sex what what they really mean is intercourse. It’s as if we’ve forgotten that the delights of the body extend far beyond intercourse. To sit tenderly with a partner where touch is an exploratory journey, where silence is held in the cupped hands of deep trust, where there’s no agenda other than to become curious about our openings and, most especially for those prone to anxiety, our closings is a gift beyond measure. This is sex. This is intimacy. This is ultimately what we all seek.

Like all endeavors of the heart, it’s risky to open ourselves to another person. It’s a risk because we’ve been hurt, teased, shamed or abused, and nowhere are we more vulnerable than around our sexuality. But while it’s difficult to risk vulnerability with a partner in the best of circumstances, it’s often paralyzing when there’s any history that would cause you to shut down to the innate and wild aliveness that is your birthright. And I don’t think it’s possible to grow up in a woman’s body in this culture without experiencing shame in some capacity.

If you’re ready to heal this shame, experience the delights of the body, and reclaim your birthright of sexual freedom, strap on your headlight of curiosity and allow me to guide you alongside a group of compassionate women through this essential territory, teaching you how to excavate your shame stories and unpack the long lineage of buttoned-up bodied from which you descend so that you can re-wire your sexuality in the direction of health, freedom, and vitality. The third round of  Sacred Sexuality: A 40-day program for women to heal body shame and ignite desire  will begin on Saturday, June 23, 2018, and I look forward to meeting you there.

17 comments to “My Partner Doesn’t Know How To Touch Me”

  • Katherine

    Hi Sheryl
    I really struggle wth sexuality and it brings me a lot of anxiety because I am in a loving relationship wth an amazing man and for some reason I always shut down when it comes to sex. I feel like I have no desire and don’t get “the point”. I do feel very self-conscious about the …private…parts of my body and ashamed of them. Also if I see something sexual on TV or in a book and feel aroused I quickly shut it down because I feel I should reserve those feelings for only when my partner is around.
    I’m so confused. I love him so much and am so attracted to him but when it comes to sex I recoil and can’t get aroused.
    I feel there is something wrong with me.
    Would your course help me?

  • ScaredyWife

    It’s incredible that this would be your post today when only yesterday I was looking at the emails from the first sexuality course I enrolled in with you. I am very much looking forward to taking it again as I was “stuck” the first time with how difficult I found allowing myself to feel the feelings around the deep pain and shame that I had around sex. I recently gave birth to my first child and just started thinking about sex again (dreading it), and having the familiar intrusive thoughts around my husband (“He’s not attractive enough” or “I just don’t want to have sex with him”). I’ll need to wait until the next sexuality round since I am so focused on the aforementioned baby, but what a lovely idea to want to have sex with my amazing, thoughtful, loving, husband.

  • Michelle Lily

    My goodness…. I needed this post today! Thank you. Having been sexually abused as a child and teased about my body relentlessly as a young teenager I have definitely got a bucketload of anxiety around sex and avoid it like the plague. My poor (available, beautiful, loving) partner… “Anxiety kills desire. Past pain around sexuality eclipses sexual freedom. Body shame circumvents arousal. The work must begin with you.” Got it. Thank you. The course sounds great. xx

  • Ravenna

    Wow, I have been feeling so turned off to sex and so closed off to love. With massive amounts of fear and anxiety. I dont have so much past pain regarding love, sexuality, bullying and body shame. Hm, no wonder! I would love to take this course in the future after I have taken in all of Break Free. I hope to one day.

  • MCP

    Could this aid women who have endometriosis or are otherwise suffering sexual anxiety due to physically painful experiences in the past?

    • Absolutely. Quite often there are emotional elements bound up in the physical symptoms, and when we dive gently yet deeply into these sectioned-off areas of our heart and history, the physical body opens and shifts as well.

  • Alisa

    How do we know the difference between anxiety and incompatibility? I really struggle with this. I am married with two small children and still suffer from relationship anxiety and doubt

  • My absolute favorite part of this post: “where there’s no agenda…” That’s what freedom sounds like to me!

  • J

    Hi Sheryl,

    I’ve been struggling greatly with my sexuality recently. I’ve just come out of a long period of relationship anxiety and having completed the break free course I know that I love my boyfriend who I’ve been with for nearly four years and I want my future to be with him. However I seem to not be able to get aroused when we have sex. I initiate it quite often so the desire is there and when we have sex I enjoy it but I don’t get the physical sensations that come with being aroused and it is distressing me a lot. I’m only 25 so I would expect myself to become aroused easily. I’ve just did the thing you shouldn’t do being searching on google and read a number of things that have spiked me and made me have thoughts such as ‘Maybe I should leave?’, ‘What if I’m gay?’. We have been through a number of difficult times, one being him sleeping with someone else, I’m not sure if this has anything to do with it.
    I’ve signed up for your sexuality course and I’m really hoping that will help!

  • Angela

    Hi Sheryl,
    I really enjoyed reading this post, shame about our bodies does contribute to sexual anxiety. We do build barriers around the shoulds around sex and that diniminshes our enjoyment.
    Thank you Sheryl 🤗❤

  • BB

    I have been following your work for a while now and have been practicing the tools daily after taking trust yourself a year or two ago. It has taken a long time but I am seeing alot of changes now, I finally have answers to alot of things in my life and feel that I know my true self. The inner world is so much more important to work on first than the external. Thank you Sheryl xxx

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June 15, 2018

Donation to life-changing charity

Topics: Press Release, New Zealand, News, Harcourts Foundation, Charity 0

The Hearing House, Greenlane are now able to future proof in-house income generation thanks to a $4950 donation by Harcourts Charlton Realty, Epsom through the Harcourts Foundation.

The donation to The Hearing House will go towards the purchase of 30 conference chairs to be used in the community room of their new centre.

The provision of these chairs will be used by The Hearing House staff to run a variety of events including workshops for parents, graduations, staff workshops, lectures, staff meetings, playgroup and music therapy as week as board and staff meetings and he ability to lease the space out to other groups to benefit the wider community.

Owners of Harcourts Charlton Realty James and Charlotte Marshall said, “the work The Hearing House do for the deaf community and their families is life-changing, so we are thrilled to be able to help this charity continue to thrive.”

“The chairs will open up a world of opportunity for the charity and will really enable them to use the beautiful space to its full potential. It is also a chance for more people to step inside the door of this stunning space which provides support and guidance to the people who receive cochlear implants.”

“We really hope the more people who become aware of this amazing charity, the more awareness there will be around the amazing work they do on a daily basis.”

The Hearing House serves the needs of hundreds of hearing impaired children, their families and adults from across New Zealand. They currently work with 293 children under the age of 19, of which 76 are aged under 5.

Click here to see how the charity truly is life-changing.

The Harcourts Charlton Realty Team present the cheque for $4950 to The Hearing House


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VITEB Company Profile, Apps, Reviews

VITEB is a global IT company that has been fueling businesses with innovative technology solutions, which besides optimizing operations allow YOU to seize opportunities, achieve revenue targets and...more

Employees: 90
Founded: 2004
Services:   App    Integration    Platform    Quality Assurance    Design
InfoStretch Corporation Company Profile, Apps, Reviews
Infostretch Corporation

InfoStretch is a leading provider of next-gen mobile application lifecycle services ranging from design and development to testing and sustenance. .more

Employees: 500
Founded: 2004
Services:   App    Platform    Quality Assurance    Design    Security
Atmio Company Profile, Apps, Reviews

Atmio’s easy-to-use software platform empowers Direct Response Marketers and Agencies to rapidly create, target, and optimize mobile landing pages, resulting in higher-quality leads and increased c...more

Employees: 2
Founded: 2010
Services:   App
Pluto7 Company Profile, Apps, Reviews

Pluto7 brings in the Supply chain , Marketing, Financial planning and Customer Experience management thought leadership and expertise in the form of consulting services and solution offerings. .more

Employees: 50
Founded: 2005
Services:   Data Governance    Data Integration
Tiger Analytics Company Profile, Apps, Reviews
Tiger Analytics

Tiger Analytics is a boutique consulting company focusing on data analytics and predictive modeling in some of the high growth areas such as retail, social media, and online advertising. We are a s...more

Employees: 54
Founded: 2011
NetTantra Technologies Company Profile, Apps, Reviews
Nettantra Technologies

NetTantra is a team of highly skilled and motivated professionals. We work on web-scale, cloud computing and next generation web-applications. We work on technologies like Google AppEngine, Amazon ...more

Employees: 25
Founded: 2009
Services:   App

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3. Contributor Guidelines

3.1. Pull Request Guidelines

Before you submit a pull request, check that it meets these guidelines:

  1. The pull request should include tests.
  2. If the pull request adds functionality, the docs should be updated. Put your new functionality into a function with a docstring, and add the feature to the list in README.rst.
  3. The pull request should work for Python 2.6, 2.7, 3.3, and PyPy. Check https://travis-ci.org/audreyr/cookiecutter/pull_requests and make sure that the tests pass for all supported Python versions.

3.2. Coding Standards


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Replay Project Generation

New in Cookiecutter 1.1

On invocation Cookiecutter dumps a json file to ~/.cookiecutter_replay/ which enables you to replay later on.

In other words, it persists your input for a template and fetches it when you run the same template again.

Example for a replay file (which was created via cookiecutter gh:hackebrot/cookiedozer):

    "cookiecutter": {
        "app_class_name": "FooBarApp",
        "app_title": "Foo Bar",
        "email": "",
        "full_name": "Raphael Pierzina",
        "github_username": "hackebrot",
        "kivy_version": "1.8.0",
        "project_slug": "foobar",
        "short_description": "A sleek slideshow app that supports swipe gestures.",
        "version": "0.1.0",
        "year": "2015"

To fetch this context data without being prompted on the command line you can use either of the following methods.

Pass the according option on the CLI:

cookiecutter --replay gh:hackebrot/cookiedozer

Or use the Python API:

from cookiecutter.main import cookiecutter
cookiecutter('gh:hackebrot/cookiedozer', replay=True)

This feature is comes in handy if, for instance, you want to create a new project from an updated template.


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Tag Archives: St Bride’s Church

On a polenta pilgrimage

Pic: Clare Kleinedler

Pic: Clare Kleinedler

Over the years I’ve made a few pilgrimages to London.

A decade ago I spent a long afternoon chasing the spirit of Bob Dylan and Paul Simon at the famous Troubadour folk club in Earls Court.

A couple of years later I visited St Bride’s, the tiny journalists’ church on Fleet Street, where the ghosts of my trade lingered on, both in the pews of the church and in those of the nearby bars.

Another trip saw me sample the bitters in Ye Old Cheshire Cheese, following in the gloomy footsteps of Dr Johnson and Arthur Conan Doyle.

In the past my visits have been marked by music, history, London ales and, well, more history.

While I’ve eaten well in the city at times over the years I’d never, until last weekend, undertaken what I’d regard as a food pilgrimage.

And yet that’s what my wife and I found ourselves embarking as we walked through Soho last Saturday evening, to arrive at 21 Warwick Street.

This is the location of a restaurant called Nopi.

Plenty (sorry) has been written about Yotam Ottolenghi, Nopi’s co-owner, in recent years. A journalist turned pastry chef turned food icon, his London delis have attracted consistently good reviews since the first one opened in Notting Hill more than a decade ago.

He didn’t appear on my radar until I came across his 2011 TV series Jerusalem On A Plate and subsequently picked up the accompanying book, as well his earlier volume, Plenty.

There it was - the dish I'd craved a year ago. Pic: Clare Kleinedler

There it was – the dish I’d craved.
Pic: Clare Kleinedler

After salivating over the books for a while my wife and I road tested some of the dishes, devised by Ottolenghi with his culinary partner Sami Tamimi.

Two in particular stood out: their puréed beet root with yoghurt and za’atar, and a mushroom and herb polenta.

Both were unlike anything I’d tasted before, in flavour (the za’atar) and texture (the polenta, served with Parmesan).

We immediately swore we’d visit one of their London establishments (a pledge I inscribed on our copy of Jerusalem); not least because, in the back of my mind (flipped past in their book or maybe from the series) I’d an image of a polenta chip dish there which looked incredible.

But then time passed and Ottolenghi slipped off our radar. We visited LA and Japan and the Ottolenghi’s salads were lost, smothered beneath a smorgasbord of Mexican, Californian and Japanese cuisine.

This was until a weekend trip to London came up and, with it, a reservation for dinner at the bar at Nopi.

And so we arrived last weekend to dine at the hub of the Ottolenghi phenomenon.

We took our seats and picked up the menu. There it was –  the dish I’d craved a year ago but hadn’t thought of since. Not just polenta chips but truffled polenta chips, by way of truffled aioli.

Cut a size up from the ubiquitous gastropub jenga chips, Nopi’s polenta variety combined a chip lighter than potato with a semolina-like exterior. The truffle sauce was served on the side.

It was all the glory of the Piedmont in one mouthful. Or four – as I proceeded to bogart the bowl.

The rest of the meal passed flavourfully – as we expected – but nothing hit the heights of the chips.

If Nopi was my first London food pilgrimage this was the grail. Get there, and get them.

All the glory of the Piedmont - polenta chips with truffle aoili at Nopi. Pic: Clare Kleinedler

All the glory of the Piedmont – polenta chips with truffle aoili at Nopi.
Pic: Clare Kleinedler

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From Applicant to Campaing Leader

Teach For India Logo

Teach For India Logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I was going through my emails when I came across the one stating an opening at Teach For India as a campaign leader. With my previous knowledge about Teach For India, it took me less than 10 seconds to click the links and do some Google searches. After exchanging a few emails with the recruitment team and learning more about the responsibilities, I finally landed on the application page. Being a systems engineer, filling the form was a fairly easy task while entering my particulars. As I was aware of the TFI movement already and have followed it on social networks like Twitter, it didn’t take much time to answer the long questions either.

Next I received a call stating that I had cleared the first round and shall go through a telephonic interview for which I was given 3 slots to choose from. I also received an email containing the pre-work document which was to be submitted 24 hours before the Telephonic Interview. This included some interesting assignments as I was watching videos and reading blog posts which are few of my favorite activities. The videos introduced me to a new world, with classrooms where education can be termed as excellent. The TFI fellow’s blog inspired me to document my thoughts and that is one of the reasons I am writing this post.

After submitting the pre-work I was eagerly waiting for the call when my phone finally rang at 1 pm on 30th July, 2013. I had my recruitment manager on the other side and we talked about different things ranging from my experiences to my knowledge about TFI. The interview went great and I was told that the results will be declared on the following day.

On 31st July I received an email in the after noon congratulating me on becoming the Teach For India Campaign Leader at Infosys, Chandigarh. 🙂


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Utah Department of Corrections

Training Director
Kirk Christensen

Telephone: 801-265-2450

Our Locations

UDC Training Division
SLCC Larry H. Miller Campus
410 W. 9800 South
Sandy, UT 84070

UDC Training Facility
Fred House Academy
14727 S. Minuteman Drive
Draper, UT 84020

More information:

Click here to link to the State Jobs page (We are department #410)

Employment opportunities

Corrections Elevated Video (download)


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from by Hemingway

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Our first vinyl release on Cosmic Resonance Records.

    12" on 140g vinyl. Plays at 45rpm.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Memoirs via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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      $18 CAD or more

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from Memoirs, released June 10, 2017

all rights reserved

Cosmic Resonance Toronto, Ontario

Cosmic Resonance is a Toronto vinyl imprint showcasing artists who experiment with music via a cosmic perspective.

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Courses in Sales and Marketing

Sales and marketing is a very sought after job market to work in. Sales people make up the largest professional group in the UK, as they are essential to the success of any company or business. Without marketing, many consumers would have no way of finding out about the great products and offers a company may offer. Marketing provides the consumer with what they want, so without that a company would be unable to give them the products they desire.

Sales and Marketing| Institute of Sales and Marketing Management | ISMM

image source

Studying for a future career in sales or marketing can lead to jobs in a specialised area such as market research, public relations, advertising or even event planning. There are so many different areas within sales and marketing, making it easy to find something you will enjoy as a career.

In addition, studying a course in sales and marketing will benefit your communication skills. This is hugely beneficial when looking for jobs in the future, as a good level of communication is what employers look for in their employees. Communication skills are extremely important in sales and marketing. A course in this area will also help develop your decision making skills, as throughout a sales and marketing course you will learn about overcoming problems in the most efficient way.

ISMM Qualifications

The Institute of Sales and Marketing Management (ISMM) offer both certificate and diploma qualifications, which are internationally recognised. They will provide you with a qualification, which can show your commitment to your chosen career pathway by applying all the skills and knowledge you have learnt, which will help you succeed in today’s lively world of business. A range of professionals from employers to sales people have developed the qualification. This means that it covers all the knowledge and skills someone working in sales and marketing would need to know about the business world - especially in this day and age.

In order to achieve the certificate level you must complete four units. These consist of understanding the laws and the ethics of selling, preparing and presenting a sales pitch in a professional manner, handling objections and finally understanding the consumer through their behaviour, attitudes and influences. Each of these units provides you will a good understanding of marketing and sales, giving you the skills to work from in any future careers. For the Diploma to be achieved, four or five units consisting of some of the following can be chosen: customer segmentation and profiling, market information for sales, sales pipeline management, planning for professional development and many more.

These courses are offered to people at any level of profession in sales or marketing. As the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority approve the courses, it allows them to be a trusted source for both the employees and employers. This means that anyone undertaking the courses can be sure that they will learn the relevant skills and gain knowledge which will be important when they look for a career further on in the future.

Distance Learning – Flexible Learning

Each of the courses is based on distance learning with further support through individual’s tutorials. At the beginning of the course, you are guaranteed a one-to-one or group tutorial. Around half way through the course, and at the end of each unit, you will receive another tutorial. However, tutors can be contacted by phone or email throughout the course. As a result of this, it makes the course perfect for anyone wanting to study whilst working.

As the courses are very flexible, it allows for them to cater to the needs of anyone studying one of them. As well as this, there is flexibility in the choice of assessment routes. Those studying can build up from the smaller qualifications to larger ones over a period of time, so they can get used to the assessments. This makes the courses accessible to a wide range of people, looking to further their knowledge in marketing and sales, while also providing them with insights into the ever-changing business world.


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Food and beer are a perfect pairing and many of us craft beer lovers enjoy cooking too. For those looking to up their food game, you’ve got to check out the Joule sous vide device from ChefSteps.

Joule Sous Vide

Sous vide is a cooking technique that used precision temperature control to cook with perfect consistency.

It’s super simple. Most recipes require minimal prep, then just bag your food, place it in the water bath, set the app, and you’re nearly done. Most meats require just a quick sear in a hot pan to finish them off.

The Joule itself is a sleek white polycarbonate immersion cooker you place in a pot of water. It has a clip to secure it to the side, or a magnetic base to stick to the bottom of the pot. It connects to the phone app via WiFi or Bluetooth and sets up with ease.

It’s one of the most powerful consumer sous vide devices, which helps maintain consistent heat in your cooking and gets your water to cooking temp fast.

An Awesome App

Joule Sous Vide GuidesWhat really sets the Joule apart from other sous vide machines is their app. It’s filled with tons of tasty recipes and walks you through step-by-step. New recipes are added all the time so you’ll never run out of amazing options.

Once you’ve found a recipe you want to make, the Joule app has interactive guides to making your meal. They’re really informative, and include video each step of the way.

Joule Sous Vide Visual DonenessAnother awesome aspect of the app is the ChefSteps Visual Doneness guide. It lets you look at different options to pick the doneness level that’s right for you. Then it automatically sets the Joule to the temperature required for the proper result. Now you can have a perfect medium-rare steak every time or runny yolks with firm white eggs. No more guessing.

Picking the right cook time is simple too. For most meats you can select if they’re frozen or fresh first (frozen obviously requires more cook time). Next you select the thickness. Then just tap the button and Joule heats the water to the right temperature, setting the timer for the exact length required to get the desired result.

With their Conversational Cooking tools, you can ask Amazon Alexa or Facebook Messenger for cooking ideas or have them start cooking for you. Ever used your voice to cook a meal before?

The app alerts you when the water has reached the right temperature to cook. Place the bagged food in the bath and then start the timer from the app. Since Joule is WiFi connected, you’ll be alerted when your meal is ready, no matter where you are. I often put a meal in, then head to the bar for happy hour. When my food is ready, a pushed notification on my phone alerts me it’s time to eat.

One of the great things about sous vide is there’s no risk of overcooking. This means your perfect chicken breast or steak can stay in the water for up to several hours after they’re done. Quick brewery visit go longer than expected? No problem. Your food will still be perfect when you get home a little late.

Perfect Cooking

The Joule has quickly become my favorite cooking tool. I honestly use it all the time.

From perfect steaks, chicken breast, pork chops, bacon, prime rib, and much more, it’s the tool I turn to several times a week. The results are always awesome and the work required to get them is minimal. In a bag, into the water, and a quick sear on the grill or stove then you’re done. It’s really that easy.

Up your food game and get yourself a ChefSteps Joule sous vide cooker from Amazon now. All that awesome beer you drink needs a delicious dish to pair with it.


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Doctor Stranger

Doctor Stranger is a 2014 medical drama starring rising star Lee Jong Suk; forever second lead Park Hae Jin; beautiful Kang So Ra and fairly new and young actress Jin Se Yeon. The drama garners attention not only because of the main casts, but also the supporting casts such as Kim Sang Joong, Chun Ho Jin, Kim Sang Ho, Choi Jung Woo etc. and famous director, Jin Hyuk, who has previously directed a few popular dramas.

I think what lure me to try out this drama is definitely the love I have for Lee Jong Suk. He was great in School 2013 and I Hear Your Voice, so I anticipated more good stuff from him. I also like Park Hae Jin because who doesn’t love Lee Hwi Kyung in My Love From The Stars? Then there is Jin Hyuk who directed one of my favourite dramas – City Hunter, and because of him, the ahjussi actors from City Hunter also joined the show. I definitely couldn’t say no anymore once I found out Kim Sang Joong will make the guest appearance, too!
Continue reading

A New Leaf

A New Leaf was a gift from drama god when I was in search for good dramas; there was a lack of gripping dramas during those times, and I was dying for something good. I hadn’t planned on watching this one when it was first announced, or when the trailers were released. I wasn’t enthuasiatic about it; mainly because I wasn’t interested in Kim Myung Min, or the storyline. I also thought it would be extreeeeemely melodramatic. Boy, was I so wrong!

Seriously, I am glad I pick this drama up and gave it a chance. I love the dynamics between the actors! The show has great, solid main casts; they all gave a well-balanced and stable performance. Kim Sang Joong was absolutely awesome in his role. Oh Jung Se once again made a deep impression in his supporting role and lastly, Kim Myung Min – how he portrayed a wooden, dull, monotonous and expressionless person into a multi-faceted, and layered character so interesting to watch is beyond me – *clap* *clap* *clap*

Continue reading

Alice no Toge

Alice’s Thorn (or better known as Alice no Toge) is one of the latest spring season J-dramas starring Ueno Juri and Odagiri Joe that has come to an end last week. It tells the tale of the female protagonist embarking on a journey of revenge, and seeking justice from the people responsible for her father’s death 15 years ago.

It was a drama anticipated by me and Ueno’s fans when her return to the small screen has been announced. The idea of seeing the bubbly and 4D Ueno Juri challenging such a dark and cold character was intriguing, especially if you love her as that quirky, weird and comical Nodame in Nodame Cantabile. Thus, I jumped into this drama in hope to be mesmerised by Ueno Juri’s again.

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God’s Gift – 14 Days

SBS drama God’s Gift – 14 Days starring Jo Seung Woo, Lee Bo Young, Jung Gyeo Woon, Kim Tae Woo and Kim Yoo Bin have successfully ended on April 22. We, the viewers, finally get our truth and mysteries solved. Hurray to my brain \(^o^)/

It is a pity that God’s Gift – 14 Days is not as well-received locally as I expected since I think they do have a very captivating script, but they have strong competition against Empress Ki where so far it has been leading in the Monday – Tuesday time slot against all other TV stations.

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My Love From The Stars

My Love From The Stars (also known as You Who Came From The Stars) starts us off a good year in K-drama land with Jeon Ji Hyun and Kim Soo Hyun. When the drama premiered, it received a rating of 17% for its first episode due to the fact that the story started off really strong and captivating with excellent special effects. It then gradually increases and ended with 29.6% for its finale.

My Love From The Stars has captured a lot attention before airing because it is the first comeback drama after 14 years from A-list actress Jeon Ji Hyun, and it is the second time that she and Kim Soo Hyun work together after the most talked about on-screen kiss they shared in the hit movie The Thieves (Jeon Ji Hyun doesn’t do kissing scenes and she has only ever done it with Hugh Jackman and Kim Soo Hyun). We also have Kim Soo Hyun who happens to I-don’t-know-for-sure-what but possibly a good eye for projects, or probably saved the universe in his past life that so far any projects he is in, it becomes a big hit and garners fantastic TV ratings in Korea. Continue reading

Emergency Interrogation Room

Japanese drama has been in a slump for me in the past couple of years. I was getting really bored with the recycling of 3 main drama themes that the Japanese love so much i.e. medical, police and mystery. Every seasons I’d try to pick a few to watch but it was getting difficult and be captivated by the storyline. However, thank god this winter season we have Amami Yuki in Kinkyu Torishirabeshitsu (also known as Emergency Interrogation Room).

Amami Yuki has always been a well-known and talented actress in Japan and even though she does have one or two misses e.g. the past 2 dramas before this one (Kekkon Shinai and Kaeru no Oujo-sama), I have always enjoyed most of her projects. Perhaps Amami Yuki has been type-casted to always play a strong character, however, that is what I like and enjoy most from her performances. I love watching her go head-to-head with her opponents and feel the intensity flaring up on-screen; Kinkyu Torishirabeshitsu gives me exactly what I want.

Continue reading


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Science and origins

Jeremy L. Walter

Jerry R. Bergman

John K.G. Kramer

Paul Giem

Henry Zuill

Jonathan D. Sarfati

Ariel A. Roth

Keith H. Wanser

Timothy G. Standish

John R. Rankin

Bob Hosken

James S. Allan

George T. Javor

Dwain L. Ford

Angela Meyer

Stephen Grocott

Andrew McIntosh

John P. Marcus

Nancy M. Darrall

John M. Cimbala

Edward A. Boudreaux

E. Theo Agard

Ker C. Thomson

John R. Baumgardner

Arthur Jones

Religion and origins

George F. Howe

A.J. Monty White

D.B. Gower

Walter J. Veith

Danny R. Faulkner

Edmond W. Holroyd

Robert H. Eckel

Jack Cuozzo

Andrew Snelling

Stephen Taylor

John Morris

Elaine Kennedy

Colin W. Mitchell

Stanley A. Mumma

Evan Jamieson

Larry Vardiman

Geoff Downes

Wayne Frair

Sid Cole

Don B. DeYoung

George S. Hawke

Kurt P. Wise

J.H. John Peet

Werner Gitt

Don Batten

In Six Days

In Six Days

Why 50 Scientists Choose
to Believe in Creation

Edited by Dr. John Ashton

First published in In Six Days

John K.G. Kramer, biochemistry

Dr. Kramer is a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. He holds a B.S. (Hons) from the University of Manitoba, an M.S. in biochemistry from the University of Manitoba, a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Minnesota and completed three years of post-doctoral studies as a Hormel fellow at the Hormel Institute and as an NRC fellow at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Kramer has identified, characterized and synthesized the structure of numerous food, bacterial, and biological components and has published 128 refereed papers and numerous abstracts and book chapters. He was one of the core scientists who evaluated the toxicological, nutritional and biochemical properties of canola oil and demonstrated its safety. He presently serves as associate editor of the scientific journal LIPIDS.

Since completing my Ph.D. in 1968, I have spent 30 years doing lipid research. Although my work has not specifically addressed the “origin of life” or the “age of the earth,” I believe these issues have far-reaching implications in the area of lipid biochemistry and nutrition research.

Early background

I grew up in a Bible-believing home. Throughout high school I liked the sciences and excelled in these subjects. Therefore, it was natural for me to choose a career in scientific research. It was during my last year in high school that one of the pastors in our church approached me, concerned that I might lose my faith if I proceeded in a scientific career. He encouraged me to view the first chapter of Genesis without a timescale, since in his opinion it was more important to believe that God created all things, irrespective of how long it took. At first, this view seemed rather inconsistent with my interpretation of Scripture. But, I must admit, this thought raised sufficient doubt in my mind that I did not defend either position with much enthusiasm for several years. I was relieved that a critical confrontation never materialized in any of my classes throughout my B.S. (Hons) and M.S. program in chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Manitoba.

Confronted with a choice

In 1964 I transferred to the University of Minnesota for a Ph.D. program in biochemistry with a minor in organic chemistry. It was there I was confronted with this very issue in my second year in a course in endocrinology. We were asked to write an essay on how life began, based on evolutionary principles. Weeks of reading and studying this subject provided me with no logical mechanisms for evolutionary processes. I was looking for the type of evidence familiar to me in biochemistry and organic chemistry. It was obvious to me that life could not form or be sustained in either a reducing or oxidizing atmosphere, never mind the unlikely association of inanimate molecules to form highly ordered structures containing information, fragile biological cells, and processes where several parts all need to be working together simultaneously.

Finally, I had to write the essay. I did. I described a possible scenario which I thought could be tested experimentally. However, after rereading the essay several times, I continued to see the weaknesses of my arguments. In total frustration and confusion, I added a few sentences at the end to the effect that it would be easier to believe in a Creator who made it all, than in favorable conditions acting on inanimate matter over time. The low mark on the essay was most discouraging, and all attempts failed to change the score. I realized I was found out!

Although I had committed my life to Jesus Christ and made a radical profession of my faith at the age of 16, at which time I was baptized, I now faced “my hour of decision.” Should I believe in evolution or God? Having studied this area without the help of any Christian literature on this topic, I came to the firm conclusion that evolution lacked evidence to make it credible. I therefore determined to believe God’s account for the time being and continued looking for evidence, one way or another.

In retrospect, that low mark on the evolution essay was the best thing that happened to me. I learned to critically evaluate the facts, irrespective of outside pressures. It was then that I began to see clear evidence for creation (Rom. 1:19–20). I took every opportunity to study Scripture and read books on beginnings. It was at this time I came across books by MacKay1 and Morris and Whitcomb2 which impressed me greatly. On the other hand, I became very disillusioned with evolutionists who managed to give good science followed by irrational conclusions that complex systems and processes just happened by some unexplained evolutionary mechanism plus time. No evidence. No logic. Just wishful dreaming. It also became evident to me that both views were strictly a matter of belief. To me the creation scenario appeared more logical than an explosion followed by self-propelled organization of matter which does not possess these properties.

Throughout this search I experienced an interesting transformation within myself. The Bible became alive and meaningful to me, and my relationship to God became real. I began to see an amazing order and design in nature, which was completely consistent with Scripture. One area which really fascinated me was the laws in the Old Testament regarding foods and hygiene, with its implications for nutrition, biochemistry, and bacteriology. How could these authors have known about modern science without divine revelation?

The scientific snow job

In my scientific career I have observed an interesting principle. Whenever little is known on a subject, or is different from the norm, more speculations arise as to its evolutionary development. Instead of admitting “we do not know,” and working towards discovering the unknown, some evolutionary comments are usually made. On the other hand, the more that is known about a certain subject, the more eagerness there is to describe it in detail, and classify such systems “irreducibly complex,” as Michael Behe3 refers to it.

No one has ever demonstrated macroevolutionary changes on a molecular level, yet many people readily speculate evolutionary links between bacteria, plants, animals and man. Are the gross structures not made up of individual cells with complex molecules? If macroevolution is unlikely on a molecular level, how can the whole be changed? Endless DNA sequence comparisons do not explain evolutionary development. Furthermore, the changes (mutations) observed on a molecular level, such as DNA, are predominantly disruptive, and always with loss of, not gain in, information and complexity. This led Lee Spetner4 to conclude “Whoever thinks macroevolution can be made by mutations that lose information is like the merchant who lost a little money on every sale but thought he could make it up on volume.”

Evidence of design in my research

In the last few decades extensive work has been done on thermophilic and halophilic bacteria, which grow under extreme temperatures and salt conditions, respectively. These bacteria have been classified as archaebacteria because some scientists believe that these are earlier and simpler forms of life. The lipids of these bacteria have chemical linkages called ethers rather than esters, and the alkyl moieties are on position 2 and 3 of the glycerol backbone, rather than on the 1 and 2 positions, as in mammalian systems (see table below).

  Ether lipids Ester lipids
(Position 1) CH2-O-X CH2-O-CO-R
  || ||
(Position 2) CH-O-R CH-O-CO-R’
  || ||
(Position 3) CH2-O-R’ CH2-O-X

where R and R’ are alkyl groups, and X is H or a polar group

Furthermore, they produce their energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) from a combination of sodium gradient plus a proton-motive force,5 instead of only a proton-motive force as mammalian cells.6 Fragile biochemical structures and processes in these bacteria, many of which are similar to mammalian cells, are protected. But how? Ether bonds are certainly more stable than ester bonds, but that may not be the whole explanation. From my research I believe an even greater stability is achieved by these ether lipids complexing with sodium ions. The integration of a sodium and proton gradient is still not understood, although the former initiates cell growth.7

Therefore, to view these bacteria as earlier and simpler forms of life is totally misrepresenting their complexity. These bacteria are just as complex as mammalian cells, and represent an amazing design suited for the extreme conditions of temperature and salt concentration. Each cell is produced according to the information in its respective DNA. Attempts to give these complex lipid structures common names containing the prefix “archae,” to denote their evolutionary hierarchy,8 does not provide scientific evidence. It states one’s belief, but adds no scientific knowledge. In fact, it may even be misleading by implying that lipid structures and energy mechanisms may evolve differently under different environmental conditions. The evidence shows that Methanobacteria thermoautotrophicum remain Methanobacteria thermoautotrophicum through millions of generations, according to their genetic information, and growing under favorable conditions of high temperature and salt concentration.

Scriptural principles provide helpful directions to solving scientific problems

In 1971 I was asked to participate in a research project on low erucic acid rapeseed oil (now known as canola oil) at Agriculture Canada, in Ottawa, Canada. A number of heart problems had been observed in rats fed rapeseed oil high in erucic acid, which continued to persist with the newly developed low erucic acid rapeseed oils.9 There was concern that humans may be equally affected, and therefore there were discussions to consider recommending the removal of this oil for human consumption. A multidisciplinary team was established at Agriculture Canada to urgently address this issue and “let the chips fall where they may,” as Dr. B. Migikovsky (director general of the research branch, Agriculture Canada) put it. I was faced with a choice. Should I approach this problem from the evolutionary point of view, development of animals to humans, or from the biblical point of view that animals and humans are created according to their kind? One’s “Weltanschauung” certainly influenced the approach to this research. I chose the latter.

Based on the biblical perspective, I wanted to know the results from a number of different animal species, find a common toxicological denominator, determine its mechanism of action, then determine if a similar process occurred in humans, and above all be super-cautious on extrapolations. I was fully aware that my view was different from that of many others in the group, who occasionally expressed the view of looking for an evolutionary trend from one species to another, even though we were all aware of the pitfalls of such reasoning. Thalidomide, for example, showed no harmful effects in rats, yet showed fetal abnormalities in rabbits, mice, and humans.10

I have often been asked whether these two approaches are different. Strictly speaking, they are. However, I have found that scientists do not maintain a strictly evolutionary approach in the biochemistry-nutrition area. Generally scientists take a pragmatic approach in research. They look for order, consistency, a biochemical basis, and differences between species. Hence this great commonality between researchers from both camps. It is as though they know better but are afraid to sound religious. I am delighted to see that scientists are becoming brave and pointing out the inconsistency of evolutionary thought,11 and suggesting that “intelligent design” might be a better conclusion to explain the physical and biological world.12 But I feel it is sad that these authors, who clearly demonstrate the inconsistency of evolution, leave the reader in a vacuum. How did things come to pass? If there is evidence for “intelligent design,” who is the Designer? The books by Gentry13 and Parker14 provide a more logical conclusion, by introducing the reader to the Designer.

The reason rapeseed oil affected the heart in such a unique way appeared to be a most challenging problem. I prayed that God would give me the wisdom to contribute to its solution. He did. The verse ruminating in my mind at the time was “For everything God created is good” (1 Tim. 4:4). I took this as a clue to consider the possibility that the observed phenomenon was possibly due to a nutritional imbalance because of the nature of the experiment. In toxicological studies a food component is generally fed to animals at the highest level possible. For a vegetable oil (such as rapeseed oil or canola oil, in this case) it meant giving the oil as the sole source of fat in the diet (20 percent by weight, or 40 percent of calories). Furthermore, was it possible that rapeseed oil contained a natural toxin which was exacerbated by the high content of this oil in the diet? These thoughts, together with testing for species differences, and checking for inappropriate methodologies used, became my driving force.

The answer to these questions took over ten years of intensive research with input by many scientists at Agriculture Canada. Proof accumulated slowly and in reverse order to the previous paragraph. As to the fourth point, yes, inappropriate methods were used to report the pathological findings, in the isolation of mitochondria, and the extraction of lipids. As to the third point: the fast-growing male rat was the only species which showed the characteristic heart problems. Female rats, pigs, monkeys, dogs, and a specific strain of rat which absorbs fat mainly via the portal system showed no specific response to canola oil. As to the second point, exhaustive fractionations and preparations of semi-synthetic oils led us to conclude that the so-called “toxic” factor was the oil itself. Therefore, after ten years, many experiments, thousands of analyses, and 50 publications, we arrived at the first point. We observed that these focal heart lesions in male rats were related to the fatty acid composition of the dietary oil. Fats high in saturated fatty acids showed the lowest incidence of heart lesions, while vegetable oils high in polyunsaturated fatty acids, specifically linolenic acid (one of the essential fatty acids), showed the highest incidence of heart lesions. I remarked at the time that we had developed a “biological gas chromatograph.” It is of interest to point out that these results were just the opposite to those observed for atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).

Therefore, you may ask, what is the problem? The problem we believe is this: when we feed canola oil, the vegetable oil lowest in saturated fatty acids, to rats at 20 percent by weight (40 percent of calories), we depress the de novo synthesis of fats (mainly saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids) in the animal. But the growing animal requires saturated fatty acids for membrane synthesis, since the content of saturated fatty acids in membranes is about 40 percent. Therefore, by feeding on canola oil the animal becomes deficient in saturated fatty acids for membrane buildup during rapid growth. Saturated fatty acids are not provided by either the dietary oil or by de novo synthesis. The result is a more fragile membrane, more susceptible to break up during stress, resulting in focal heart lesions. These results also offer an explanation as to the reduced energy production observed in isolated heart mitochondria, and the high content of free fatty acids in the heart during lipid extraction.15 Other vegetable oils and fats produce similar types of focal heart lesions, but the incidence and severity decreases rapidly with increased saturated fatty acids and decreased linolenic acid in the oil, that is, soybean oil > corn oil > sunflower oil > olive oil > lard. For humans consuming a mixed fat diet, and human infants not given a single vegetable oil low in saturated fatty acids as the sole source of fat in the infant formulas, these heart lesions would therefore not present a problem.

It was a real encouragement for me to see that a scriptural principle was consistent with science and provided me with a perspective that contributed to resolving this problem.

Why I believe in Genesis 1

There is no one piece of evidence one can give. However, I believe the sum total of many facts would lead a person to reasonably conclude that the Genesis record may be the most plausible scenario. The Genesis record implies that this world is very young, possibly less than 10,000 years; that one should expect to see overwhelming evidence of design everywhere, in both physical and biological systems; and that there is a coherency and similarity between all systems, suggesting a common Designer.

The first evidence is that all life and nonlife processes obey the first and second laws of thermodynamics. Therefore, the present world had a beginning and is measurably going downhill. Secondly, numerous pieces of evidence fit a young earth. To mention a few: the historical records, the population growth, the helium content in this world, the missing neutrinos from the sun [please see recent findings on this topic], the oscillation period of the sun, the decline of the earth’s magnetic field, the limited number of supernovas, radioactive halos, the mitochondrial DNA pointing to one mother, and the increase in genetic diseases, etc. Thirdly, the complexity of nature clearly points to a Creator. Every biological and physical system, once understood, shows incredible complexity. Archeologists have no problem identifying man-made objects. Why then do we have problems identifying a Creator-made world?

The only question I have is: why did He take so long—“six days”? Throughout Scripture God is shown as an instant Creator, not in six days or 20 billion years. To give but a few examples: a fish to swallow Jonah, the sun turning back, the parting of the Red Sea, water turning into wine, stilling of the storm, raising the dead, healing, etc. Therefore, why did He use six days? Scripture gives us the answer. He established a blueprint for our life, six days of work and one day of rest (Exod. 20:8). It must have been painstaking for God to slow down to our pace, to six days. It would have been more His nature to create everything instantly. I have often considered belief in Genesis chapters 1 to 11 as the “acid test” of believing in God, and in the salvation through Jesus Christ.

Therefore, why do I believe in a six-day creation? I believe in a Creator because I see the Creator’s designs in nature everywhere and evidence of intelligence in the DNA of each cell. I believe in a “six-day creation” because I have experienced salvation from a truthful God, Jesus Christ, who has never disappointed me (Rom. 10:11). Therefore, why should I doubt Him if He said “I made it so”?

References and notes

  1. D.M. MacKay, Christianity in a Mechanistic Universe, The Inter-Varsity Fellowship, Chicago, IL, 1965.
  2. Henry M. Morris and John C. Whitcomb, The Genesis Flood, Presbyterian and Reformed Co., Philadelphia, PA, 1961.
  3. Michael J. Behe, Darwin’s Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution, The Free Press, New York, 1996.
  4. Lee Spetner, Not by Chance! Shattering the Modern Theory of Evolution, The Judaica Press, Inc., Brooklyn, NY, p. 160, 1997.
  5. F.D. Sauer, B.A. Blackwell and J.K.G. Kramer, Ion Transport and Methane Production in Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 91:4466–70, 1994.
  6. Lubert Stryer, Biochemistry, W.H. Freeman and Company, New York, 1995.
  7. J.K.G. Kramer, F.D. Sauer and D.R. Bundle, The Presence of Tightly Bound Na+ and K+ in Glycolipids of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum, Biochem. Biophys. Acta 961:285–92, 1988.
  8. Y. Koga, M. Akagawa-Matsushita, M. Ohga and M. Nishihara, Taxonomic Significance of the Distribution of Component Parts of Polar Ether Lipids in Methanogens, System. Appl. Microbiol. 16:342–51, 1993.
  9. J.K.G. Kramer, F.D. Sauer and W.J. Pidgen, eds., High and Low Erucic Acid Rapeseed Oils, Production, Usage, Chemistry, and Toxicological Evaluation, Academic Press, New York, 1983.
  10. G.B. Gordon, S.P. Spielberg, D.A. Blake and V. Balasubramanian, Thalidomide Teratogenesis: Evidence for a Toxic Arene Oxide Metabolite, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 78:2545–48, 1981.
  11. Michael Denton, Evolution, A Theory in Crisis, Adler & Adler Publishers Inc., Bethesda, MD, 1986; see also references 3 and 4.
  12. C. Thaxton, A New Design Argument, Cosmic Pursuit 1(2):13–21, 1998; see also reference 3.
  13. Robert V. Gentry, Creation’s Tiny Mystery, Earth Science Assoc., Knoxville, TN, 1988.
  14. Gary Parker, Creation: Facts of Life, Master Books, Inc., Green Forest, AR, 1994.
  15. Koga, et al., Taxonomic Significance of the Distribution of Component Parts of Polar Ether Lipids in Methanogens, System. Appl. Microbiol. 16:342–51, 1993.


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Creative East Lothian

A directory of Artists and Designers within East lothian

Creative East Lothian Projects and plans

This  weekend has been filled with projects and plans for 2014. Creative East Lothian is very excited to be picking up the thread of Artisan Fairs from Jane Alexander and continuing … Continue reading

May 11, 2014 · Leave a comment

Hello and welcome to Creative East Lothian’s Blog! Creative East Lothian (CreativeEL) will be an online hub for East Lothian’s local artists, designers and makers enabling them to showcase their work and activities. … Continue reading

October 10, 2013 · Leave a comment


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Posts from the ‘Vendors’ Category

Vincent Minervini – Sculpture

Paintings and plaster cast sculptures.

Surrealist, pop-culture constructions are the terrain of Vincent Minervini’s layered works. Childlike whimsy, horror, and curiosity characterize these mixed media paintings, marrying oblique imagery with suggestive written messages. Images of popsicles, pancakes, and other common household products are prevalent throughout his work.

“I’m not one for creating a self-portrait. An image of myself, I believe, would seem distant and unfamiliar to the viewing public. Instead, I paint common corporate symbols, and advertising images that people immediately recognize and accept. Their altered representations become signifiers for myself, my feelings, and my statement on modern life.

There are nonsensical, intense, humorous works, sprinkled with mass market product iconography, the Icon’s faces are painted away or eliminated. Vincent uses these all-too-familiar elements as jump-off points from which to craft his surreal universe of suggestion and veils. I start a painting with an idea of what it is I’m trying to express within a certain place, but sometimes, the piece starts controlling me, keeping me up at night. Until finally, the piece takes over and instead reveals what it would rather express to me…and I accept it,
– then I smoke a cigarette.”

Ron Madalinski – Sculpture

Architectural Sculptures.

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You Are So Very Beautiful

You Are So Very Beautiful is a collaborative guerrilla kindness project by two amazing and inspiring women, Betsy Greer and Mary England in which they dropped small handcrafted affirmations around Baltimore earlier this year.

These affirmations were stitched, painted, drawn and otherwise created by a variety of people all around the world with sentences all starting with “You Are So Very…” and posted to Betsy.  They were then dropped around and given to people in the Baltimore area by Betsy, Mary and some enthusiastic volunteers.

8ef10f52-0848-4a9d-a5ef-379bb063024fOn her website,, Betsy wrote about the project:

Because craftivism is as much about fighting the bad things of this world as it is about fighting the bad things we tell ourselves. We live in a world where the media constantly tries to tell us what is in, out, cool, passé. Every day we have to fight to remember that we are enough just as we are, we are beautiful just as we are. Some days, though, we forget. And those days can drag on into weeks and months. Leaving our souls sucked and dry, leave us husks of what we were as children, back when we knew we were amazing.

It’s time to remind both ourselves and others of just how wonderful we are just as we are. It’s time to let our acts of stitching go by leaving them in places for someone to find, someone who needs to hear those words just as you do, if not more. As craftivism is about healing ourselves as we make, and then healing the world with our products, let’s get to it. (

I am very excited to announce that I’m organising the Melbourne drop of You Are So Very Beautiful, which will be on the 30th of April, 2016. This drop coincides with a drop in Canada on the same day. How lovely is that, on opposite sides of the world, this gorgous project will be happening in unison!

I’ll be stitching some YASVB affirmations, but I’d love for you to make some affirmations too that I can spread around Melbourne for people to find. You can see two above that have been created by the public already!

8f2961ec-fef2-4b49-ac5c-3d58fcfe5dcfWant to participate?

Here are the instructions:

Make a sign (no bigger than palm size, please) that contains an affirmation starting with “You are” on it. All types of craft are okay, so run with it! It’s up to you if you tag it with your @social_media_handle, but please tag it the back of the sign with #yasvb.

Send the sign(s) to:

Sayraphim Lothian
641 Plenty Rd,
Preston, Victoria, Australia, 3072

They need to arrive before the 30th of April!

Questions? Want to participate?
email me:

Top YASVB photos by Betsy Greer, bottom by Sayraphim Lothian


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Eight Thousand Miles – Author Daryl P. Hall

Eight thousand miles
‘cross oceans deep,
The unavoidable distance
That separates you and I.

Eight thousand miles
Lying between us,
It sounds so very far away,
Almost unreachable.

 Eight thousand miles
And seventeen hours,
Keeping me from gazing
Into such enigmatic eyes.
Though eight thousand miles
Cannot stop those souls,
Destined to become
Closest forever friends.

Eight thousand miles
Cannot silence
All the words that
Flow so eloquently, back and forth.
Eight thousand miles
Could never stop you and I,
Sharing such mutual admiration
On our way to lifelong friendship.

Eight thousand miles
Means absolutely nothing,
To those determined to build a bridge
Between two continents.

© Daryl P. Hall

Lifelines for the Soul

Excerpt from the book “Lifelines for the Soul”

$13.95 Plus Shipping – Available at CTU Publishing Group and Amazon.com

Daryl HallAbout the Author

Daryl P. Hall was born in 1963 in the historic city of Worcester, United Kingdom. He always had a love for words, especially the written word; as a youngster he devoured books. He started writing poetry and lyrics in his mid-teens, as an expression of his sensitive soul.

Visit Daryl’s Author Page At: www.ctupublishinggroup.com/daryl-p.-hall-.html

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Join us for Worship Service:
Thursday Night: 7:00 pm
Sunday: 8:30 am, 10:00 am, 11:30 am
92 Life Spring Way
St. Johns, FL 32259
Phone: (904) 287-2777

Middle School

Middle School youth are some of the coolest people on the planet but they are also going through a time where they will face changes in almost every area of life. Because of this, it’s our priority to utilize youth sponsors that are willing to pour into them and invest in their success. We are all about having fun in a relaxed environment but we are also all about building relationships, talking about Jesus and building a strong foundation of faith. We want to encourage all of our youth to be the church by attending activities regularly and inviting friends too. From Sunday Morning Life Class, lock-ins, service projects, Wednesday Night activities, Youth SNL, and Life Groups to pick-up basketball games, concerts and special events we are thriving and have something for everyone! Please feel free to email our Student Minister, Eli Mathers with questions.

Regularly Scheduled Activities for Middle School Youth
Life Class (No meeting on December 23rd and 30th)
Meets Sundays at 10:00 am in Building B
Leaders: Middle School Youth Sponsor Team
Description: This class will help students grow in relationships with each other while growing in their faith.  During this class, our group of rotating leaders share the Word of God using life applicable examples that are sure to strengthen students’ faith.

Life Groups  (On break until January 13th)
Meets Sundays from 6:00-7:30 pm in the Worship Center*
Leaders: Middle School Youth Sponsor Team
Description: We spend time hanging out with our friends then break into our Life Groups! Life Groups have a dedicated adult leader where our youth can grow close with friends while growing close to Christ. The groups typically meet by grade and gender which allows for meaningful sharing in the groups.
* Life Groups do not meet on the 1st Sunday of the month… Join us for Youth SNL on that night!

Youth SNL (On break until January 6th)
Meets on the 1st Sunday of the month from 6:00-8:00 pm in the Worship Center
Leader: Eli Mathers and our Youth Worship Team
Description: On the first Sunday of each month we meet for Youth SNL! During this time, we gather for a meal followed by a rocking night of worship led by our own Creekside Youth Worship Team and then enjoy an amazing message. Don’t forget to bring $5.00 for dinner. Dinner is from 6:00-6:45 pm and worship from 6:45-8:00 pm.

Youth Bible Study (On break until January 2019)
Meets on Wednesdays at 6:30 pm in the Worship Center
Leaders: Eli Mathers
Description: It’s time for some mid-week rejuvenation! Middle School youth are invited to come to the church on Wednesday evenings for Bible study from 6:30-8:00 pm. We’ll start the evening playing a few games with the High School youth and round out the evening hanging out with our Middle School buddies diving into God’s Word!

Digging Deeper a.k.a. Apologetics Life Class (On break until January 2019)
Meets on Mondays from 6:30-8:00 pm in Building B
Leaders: Mike & Tina Schultz
Description: Having a strong foundation for your faith, knowing why you believe and being able to share your faith is something that every believer should be able to do. This class is for any 6th-12th grade youth who has a desire for a greater understanding of God’s truth and who wants to respectfully and confidently share their Christian beliefs with others. Please go to our events page to sign-up!

Upcoming Event
CIY Believe: Registration for the Believe Conference is NOW open! Believe is a high-energy weekend event for Middle School students only. It’s structured specifically for Middle School students and is packed with powerful worship and teaching from God’s Word. While at Believe, students not only worship together but also engage in life-challenging discussions with their peers and adult leaders. As they go through the weekend, they discover ways in which God is calling them to be Kingdom workers in their schools, communities and the world. We’ll depart on February 22nd at 3:30 pm. The cost is $125.00 for the student and additional siblings are $100.00/each. A non-refundable deposit due by January 20th and payment in full is due by February 1st. Please contact Eli Mathers for more information.

Sign-Up Now